18102021 first india ahmedabad

First India Bureau
Botad: Chief Minister
Bhupendra Patel on
Sundaywarnedgovern-
ment officers against
citing rules and laws
when citizens approach
them with their griev-
ances and issues. “If
such complaints reach
me, I will take stern ac-
tion against such offic-
ers,” he said on Sunday
.
He also inaugurated
the newly constructed
Limbatru Yatrik
Bhavan built at a cost
of Rs20 crore at Gad-
hada in Botad district
by the BAPS sect. He
was accompanied by
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) state unit pres-
ident C R Patil.
Addressing the gath-
ering at the event, Patil
said, “I think those peo-
ple who have vision is-
sues like the Taj Mahal.
IlovedtheAkshardham
of Delhi because I do
not have such issues.”
He proceeded to praise
Chief Minister Patel
and his style of func-
tioning. “He is a very
simple and straightfor-
ward man. However, we
have requested him to
be careful from overs-
mart people, who can
take advantage of his
simplicity and straight-
forwardness,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state
government issued
COVID-19 guidelines
for Eid-e-Milad, as per
which, no processions
will be allowed during
night time. A maxi-
mum of 15 persons will
be allowed in each vehi-
cle, and processions
will only be allowed
during the day that too
in limited areas. All or-
ganizers have been or-
dered to ensure that
COVID-19 guidelines
are strictly followed.
Stern action against officers who make excuses: CM Patel
CM Bhupendra Patel (in grey) and C R Patil (in white)
inaugurating Limbatru Yatrik Bhavan in Gadhada on Sunday.
BJP state unit CR Patil compares Taj
Mahal to Delhi’s Akshardham Temple;
state gives nod to Eid-e-Milad processions
STATUE OF UNITY
TO REMAIN CLOSED
FOR TOURISTS
Statue of Unity and
surrounding parks
will remain closed for
tourists from October
28 to November 01,
as Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will be
on a two-day visit to
participate in National
Unity Day celebrations.
He will arrive on Oc-
tober 30 and dedicate
Narmada aarti ghat in
the evening. The next
day, he will inspect a
salute of jawans at the
same location.
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 322
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI
Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut alleged on Sunday with some ministers
in the Shiv Sena-led government under the scanner of ED, Income Tax and at
least one of them facing a CBI inquiry, that central investigating agencies are
working as “contract killers for the party in power in Delhi”.
Ahmedabad: Petrol price soared to `102.55 per litre in Ahmedabad after a hike of
34 paise on Sunday. Diesel also increased by 37 paise and soared to `101.92 per
litre. The vehicle fuel prices climbed for the fourth day in a row. They now cost a
third more than the rate at which Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) is sold to airlines.
GOVT KILLINGS’
HAVE REPLACED
‘CONTRACT
KILLINGS: RAUT
FUEL
PRICES NOW
30% MORE
THAN ATF
CORONA CATASTROPHE
GUJARAT
INDIA
14,146
new cases
144
new fatalities
10
new cases
00
new fatalities
Low pressure area
over southeast
Arabian sea reason
behind downpour
12 bodies were
recovered from
Kottayam district on
Sunday morning
IMD predicts
slight relief in
Kerala rains from
today onwards
Army, NDRF, police and fire force
along with locals are carrying on
rescue operations since Sunday morning
at Koottickal and Kokkayar panchayats
2 3 4
1
WILD WEATHER
WILD WEATHER
BATTERS SOUTH
BATTERS SOUTH
WILL PROVIDE ALL POSSIBLE
SUPPORT, TWEETS AMIT SHAH
New Delhi: Union home minister Amit
Shah assured all possible support for
the people in need in Kerala. “We are
continuously monitoring the situa-
tion in parts of Kerala in the wake of
heavy rainfall and flooding. The central
government will provide all possible
support to help the people in need.
Teams of NDRF have already been sent
to assist,” the home minister tweeted.
ANDHRA GETS HIGHEST RAIN
OF 200 MM IN TWO DAYS
TELANGANA: HEAVY TO VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL LIKELY TODAY
Visakhapatnam: The state received more than 200 mm
of rainfall at many places due to the presence of a low
pressure over the state. On Saturday alone, Gollaprolu
in East Godavari received the state’s highest rainfall of
114.25 mm, Mandasa in Srikakulam 87mm while Vizag
city received a maximum of 36 mm of rainfall. The low
pressure, which was formed over the east-central Bay of
Bengal on Dasara was slowly moving towards west Uttar
Pradesh via the coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Hyderabad: An orange alert has been
sounded by the Indian Meteorological
Department (IMD), indicating the pos-
sibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall.
There will be heavy rains on October
18 along with thunderstorms and
lightning, IMD said. Hyderabad will
have light to moderate rains but there
are chances of intense spells of rains.
21 KILLED IN KERALA
21 KILLED IN KERALA
RAINS, DOZENS MISSING
RAINS, DOZENS MISSING
Narendra Modi @narendramodi
Spoke to Kerala CM
Shri @vijayanpinarayi
and discussed the situation in
the wake of heavy rains and
landslides in Kerala. Authorities
are working on the ground
to assist the injured and
affected. I pray for
everyone’s safety and
well-being
Cochin: At least 21
people have been killed
in Kerala as heavy rain
triggered landslides in
Idukki and Kottayam
districts. Lord Ayyap-
pa devotees have been
asked to avoid visiting
Sabarimala Temple to-
day and tomorrow. The
rescue ops were under-
way
.
Due to the heavy
rain in the district, the
water levels continue
to rise in the catch-
ment areas of dams.
The shutters of the
Maniyar dam have
been opened due to an
increase in the water
levels in the reservoir.
A man wades through slush
caused by landslide follwing heavy
rains in Kerala’s Idukki district.
‘No link of Singhu killing
with farmers’ protest’
New Delhi: Bharatiya
Kisan Union (BKU)
leader Rakesh Tikait
Sunday said that the
lynching of a man at
the Singhu border was
a “religious matter”,
and has no connection
with the ongoing farm-
ers’ protest.
“They (the Nihangs)
have said that it is a re-
ligious matter and the
government should not
link it to farmers’ pro-
test… Farmers have
also said that this was a
religious issue. We’re
talking to the Nihangs
and have told them that
they’re not needed here
as of now,” Tikait was
quoted as saying by
news agency ANI.
He added, “This is a
conspiracy executed by
the government. Now,
the government should
ensure that the situa-
tion does not deterio-
rate any further.”
Last chance for resurrection:
Sidhu pens 13 points to Sonia
New Delhi: Just days
after Congress leader
Navjot Singh Sidhu
claimed to have solved
all differences after
meeting Rahul, he on
Sunday wrote a letter to
party president Sonia
Gandhi, seeking a meet-
ing to present a 13-point
agenda for the party’s
campaign for the As-
sembly polls due next
year. Stating that this is
“Punjab’s last chance
for resurrection and re-
demption,” Sidhu
sought a personal meet-
ing with Sonia Gandhi.
Among the points
highlighted by Sidhu in
the letter are justice in
the sacrilege cases, Pun-
jab’s drugs menace, ag-
ricultural issues, em-
ploymentopportunities,
and welfare of back-
ward classes.
2 Bihar labourers shot
by terrorists in Kashmir
Srinagar: Two labour-
ers from Bihar were
gunned down by terror-
ists on Sunday, taking
the number of civilians
killedintargetedattacks
in Jammu and Kashmir
this month to 11.
Terrorists opened
fire at the labourers at
Vanpoh in Kulgam dis-
trict on Sunday. Anoth-
er labourer was injured
in the incident. The kill-
ings came a day after a
gol-gappa hawker from
Bihar and a carpenter
from Uttar Pradesh
were shot dead by ter-
rorists in the Valley
.
Of the 11 people
killed in the spate of at-
tacks on civilians, five
were from other states.
This indicates that the
terrorists want to drive
people from other states
out of Kashmir, an offi-
cial said.
MECCA DROPS SOCIAL DISTANCING
 The Grand Mosque
in the Muslim holy city
of Mecca, Saudi Arabia,
has returned to operat-
ing at full capacity, with
worshippers praying
shoulder-to-shoulder
for the first time since
the coronavirus pan-
demic began.
 On Sunday, floor
markings that guide
people to social dis-
tance in and around
the Grand Mosque
were removed.
 Authorities said
visitors must be fully
vaccinated and must
continue to wear
masks on mosque
grounds at all times.
SHERRY AT IT AGAIN...
CIVILIAN CASUALTIES
NOW RISE TO 11
Rakesh Tikait
File photo of Navjot Singh Sidhu
with Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi.
SONIA ASKS BAGHEL
TO STEP DOWN AS
CHHATTISGARH CM
New Delhi: In a major
political scoop on the
Chhattishgarh Congress
crisis, party president
Sonia Gandhi has asked
Chief Minister Bhupesh
Baghel to resign before
November. According to
sources, CM Baghel has
been asked to quit by
October end. Meanwhile,
Baghel is trying to con-
vince Priyanka Gandhi
to save his post. The de-
velopment comes a day
after Congress Working
Committee meeting.

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021
02
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Not
wanting to waste any
food, women often ‘recy-
cle’ leftovers and pack-
age it into a new snack
or wholesome breakfast
the next day, earning
praise of the family for
its taste and ingenuity.
Similarly, in order to
win brownie points
with new ministers, bu-
reaucrats in the state
secretariat have been
busy looking for pro-
jects that have either
been shelved or died in
the incubation stage
over the years.
Coming up with new
projects to implement
in the new government
will achieve dual pur-
pose. The minister who
approves it will
strengthen his political
position and also gain
adulation from the pub-
lic, and the bureaucrat
who made it happen
will be in the good grac-
es of political masters.
A senior officer in-
formed First India that
two or three secretaries
have even begun con-
sulting old confidants
and experts privately
about new programmes
and projects that can be
rolled out in the new
government. “One of
the officers has even in-
structed his staffers to
look through old
shelved projects and see
if any of them can be
revived,” he said.
He added, “This is
not a new exercise. Eve-
ry government minis-
ter wants to get credit
for introducing new
programmes and pro-
jects for the betterment
of the people. However,
with time and changes
in the government,
some projects do not see
light of day, with few
dying at the incubation
stage. Only some pro-
jects are implemented
on a long-term basis.”
The bureaucrat also
cited a few examples --
Gokul Gram Yojana—
introduced during for-
mer Chief Minister Ke-
shubhai Patel’s regime.
“With a change of guard
in 2001, the project was
slowly shelved by cut-
ting fund allocations in
budgets year after year,”
he said. Another project
launched at the time
was the Kalpsar project,
under which creation
of a sweetwater reser-
voir in Gulf of Cambay
was planned. Hundreds
of crores were invested
on research alone. In-
stead of that, another
project of Dholera Sea-
port was introduced.
Therefore, either of the
ports can finally come
up in the state.
Bureaucrats surfing new projects to appease new ministers
FOR GOOD GRACES
Many have begun consultations
with confidants, staffers to
come up with plausible ideas
First India Bureau
Junagadh: Jungle sa-
fari to the Gir Nation-
al Park & Wildlife
Sanctuary, the only
abode of Asiatic lions,
was on Saturday reo-
pened for tourists af-
ter remaining closed
fornearlyfourmonths
due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
Deputy Conserva-
tor of Forest (DCF),
Sasan Gir, Mohan
Ram flagged off an
open jungle safari
jeep at Sasan Gir.
“Tourists will have a
different experience
this year as the land-
scape has witnessed
some unusual chang-
es due to the late mon-
soon season,” he said.
Ram also appealed to
them to follow guide-
lines and Standard
Operating Procedures
(SOP) in view of the
pandemic.
Every year, the Gir
and Girnar jungle sa-
fari opens to the pub-
lic from October 16 till
June 15 and remains
closed for the rest of
the year. Other attrac-
tions such as Devaliya
and Ambardi safari
parks, both habitats
of lions, remain open
throughout the year.
“Jungle safari in
Gir forest resumed
today, and we have re-
ceived 100% book-
ings, all done online.
This is a positive
start,” Ram told me-
dia persons.
He said the Devali-
ya safari park, which
opened from June 17
this year (after re-
maining closed due to
COVID-19 pandemic),
has received a footfall
of over 1.31 lakh tour-
ists since then.
“We believe Gir sa-
fari will receive a sim-
ilar response. We have
upgraded infrastruc-
ture for tourists and
would request them to
follow COVID-19
guidelines and help us
contain the spread of
the infection,” he said.
The number of Asi-
atic lions in the Gir
forest region has in-
creased by 29% to 674
as per the population
estimation exercise
carried out last year.
Gir forest jungle safari opens
to public after 4 months
Farmersfeelfertilizerpricehike
heat,Centretograntsubsidy
ONLY 5 GUJ DISTRICTS HAVE
100% TAP WATER NETWORK
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: After
public sector companies
increased prices for ni-
trogen phosphorus, po-
tassium (NPK) –the pri-
mary nutrients in com-
mercial fertilizers,
phosphate, sulphate and
potash on Saturday, a
day later farmers
termed the move as
‘looting’.
NPK is used by farm-
ers during the Rabi crop
season on a large scale.
In defense of the price
hike, public sector com-
paniesclaimedthatthey
were “helpless” as raw
potash was in short sup-
ply in the international
market and the nation
was dependent on im-
ported potash.
Cooperative societies
informed farmers about
the increase in fertiliz-
ers prices on Sunday af-
ternoon, but Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) sen-
ior leader and Indian
FarmersFertilizerCoop-
erative (IFFCO) vice-
chairman Dilip Sangha-
ni denied the news. He
later admitted that the
price had increased by
Rs265 per bag (69 to 75
kg).
“It(thepricehike)will
not have any impact on
farmers, as the central
government has fixed
the rate of each bag at
Rs1,470 for public sector
company products. The
price hike will be adjust-
ed with Rs28,665 crore
subsidy released by the
centralgovernment,”in-
formed Sanghani.
Disagreeing with the
subsidy argument, Con-
gress leader Yuvrajsinh
Rana alleged that the
government was in the
practice of giving subsi-
dy of Rs25 and taking
awayRs75fromfarmers,
makingagriculturenon-
viable for them. “Public
sector companies are
functioning at 50% of
theirinstalledcapacities
of 10milliontonnes.Due
to this, farmers are de-
pendent on private play-
ers for fertilizers, where
they feel the pinch of
price hikes,” he said.
Echoing a similar ar-
gument, Kisan Sangh
president Vipul Dud-
hatra, stated, “Farmers
are never able to recover
their input cost, due to
such price hikes. Infla-
tion has grown steadily
at a yearly 7 to 8% rate,
and to combat that, the
MinimumSupportPrice
(MSP) has only in-
creased at a rate of 2 to
2.5%. How will the farm-
ers recover their cost
and make a profit?” he
questioned.
Former agriculture
officer, M B Dharojiya
expressed sympathy
with farmers’ plight.
“Farmers will not be
able to recover their pro-
ductioncostsatthisrate.
Losses will increase and
theywillbeforcedtogive
up their profession in
our agriculturally de-
pendent nation,” feared
Dharojiya.
He was of the firm
opinion that the only so-
lution was to either in-
crease subsidies for the
farmers directly or keep
the input costs in check.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Jal
Jeevan Mission (JJM),
launched by Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi in
2019,hasachieved17.89%
success rate in Gujarat,
as per official data. A re-
port of the mission also
stated that only five dis-
tricts in the state have
100% tap water network
connection. Over 88.02%
rural households have
tap water network con-
nectionsacrossthestate.
Envisioned to provide
safe and adequate drink-
ing water through indi-
vidual tap water connec-
tionstoallhouseholdsin
rural India by 2024, JJM
will also serve as a plat-
form for the government
to raise awareness
among stakeholders. It
will also lead the way to
greater transparency
and accountability of
schemesundertheinitia-
tive.
At the launch of the
mission on August 15,
2019, a total of 65,16,258
households had tap wa-
ter connectivity
, a num-
ber which rose to
81,79,240, as on Sunday
.
The Gujarat govt
claimed to provide
16,62,982 tap connections
over the last two years in
the state. However, five
districts namely Anand,
Botad, Gandhinagar,
Mehsana,andPorbandar
have attained the 100%
target. Dahod district
with tap water coverage
of 40.93% is currently
languishing at the bot-
tom of the chart in Guja-
rat.
The report also stated
that all schools and an-
ganwadis in rural pock-
ets have achieved 100%
tap water connections.
In 2020-21, the Central
government had allocat-
ed Rs3,410.61 crore to the
state under the mission.
Officials have asked tourists to abide by nCoV guidelines to help curb infections.
—FILE
PHOTO
NEW HOMELAND
Indian citizenship
confirmation
letters were
issued to 11
Pakistani Hindus
and nine of them
accepted them at
the Ahmedabad
Collectorate on
Sunday. (Inset)
District Collector
Sandeep Sagale
handing over a
citizenship letter
to one of the
foreign nationals.
Shortage of potash has forced increment in prices by Rs265 per
bag of fertilizer. —FILE PHOTO
Aim of Jal Jeevan Mission is to provide tap water in all rural households by 2024.
WAY TO GO
While Anand, Botad, Gandhinagar, Mehsana & Porbandar
achieved the target, Dahod has managed 40.93% coverage

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Members
of several Gandhian or-
ganizations kicked-off
the ‘Sevagram-Sabar-
mati Sandesh Yatra’ on
Sunday, Initiated by
Gandhi Smarak Nidhi
and the Gandhi Peace
Foundation, the march
began at Sevagram Ash-
ram in Wardha, Maha-
rashtra and will culmi-
nate at the Sabarmati
Ashram in Ahmedabad
on October 23. The main
purpose of the march is
to protest the Sabarmati
Ashram beautification
project floated by the
Gujarat government
and promote Mahatma
Gandhi’s teachings.
During the march,
the particiapants will
emphasise the signifi-
cance of the two ash-
rams founded by Gan-
dhiduring thecountry’s
independence move-
ment, as well as the im-
portance of preserving
his message. The organ-
izations are protesting
the state and central
governments’ proposed
plan to redevelop the Sa-
barmati Ashram and its
surrounding area. On
October 24, the Ashram
will host a variety of
events.
The organisers stated
in a media statement
that the yatra was being
held with the determi-
nation that the legacy
of the freedom move-
ment and Gandhi’s her-
itage will not be tainted.
Terming the march a
‘Jan Chetna’ yatra, they
also added that the aim
was to understand Gan-
dhi’s teachings and his
heritage and working to
preserve it.
Around 50 people left
Sevagram Ashram for
the yatra by bus, early
on Saturday morning.
Sanjay Singh, secretary
of Gandhi Smarak Ni-
dhi, who is coordinat-
ing the march said,
“The government is
planning to re-develop
the Gandhi Ashram
and want to make it a
‘world-class’ memorial,
which will not resem-
ble the same ashram
that was established by
Bapu in 1917.”
Gandhiansbeginmarchto‘save’SabarmatiAshram
Members of various
organizations are against
the proposed beautification
of the Sabarmati Ashram
EXPRESSING DISSENT
Members of different Gandhian organizations participated in the march on Sunday.
Sau Uni to reconduct
recruitment process
amid controversy
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Amid al-
legations of favouritism
in the recruitment of
teaching assistants at
Saurashtra University
(SU),authoritieshavede-
cided to conduct the en-
tire process afresh, offi-
cials said on Sunday
.
Thisdevelopmentcomes
a day after the National
Students’ Union of India
(NSUI) claimed that
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) members of the
universitysyndicatehad
created a social media
group to recommend
candidates for the con-
tractual recruitment.
On Saturday
, the Con-
gress’s student wing had
demandedthattheentire
process be reconducted
and the interview pro-
cess video recorded.
In the WhatsApp
group of BJP members
of the Saurashtra Uni-
versity syndicate, 23
names were allegedly
mentioned as the candi-
dates recommended for
the final recruitment,
for which the varsity
had recently started the
process.
“We have decided to
conduct the recruitment
process afresh,” said
Vice-Chancellor NM
Pethani on Sunday
.
He said an open inter-
view process of eligible
candidates was conduct-
ed between September
29 and October 12 to
shortlist 78 successful
candidates. But in view
of the controversy over
the purported What-
sApp group, the varsity
has decided to conduct
the process once again.
Reactingtothecontro-
versy
,GujaratEducation
Minister Jitu Vaghani
tweeted, “I talked to the
vice-chancellor over the
phone after learning
about the controversy
surroundingthecontrac-
tual recruitment at the
Saurashtra University
. I
have instructed him to
conduct the entire pro-
cess with full transpar-
ency
,basedonmerit,and
to ensure that no candi-
date is treated unfairly
.
Additional Secretary
,
Education Department
has also been instructed
to take action.”
10 NEW CASES IN GUJ, NO
DEATH FOR 9TH DAY IN ROW
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: With a
more than 50% drop in
cases, on Sunday
, the
state reported 10 new
coronavirus positive cas-
es, which raised its total
infection tally to 8,26,290,
the health & family wel-
fare department said.
For the ninth consecu-
tive day
, the state did not
report any COVID-19 fa-
tality
,keepingthetollun-
changedat10,086.With16
patients getting dis-
charged during the day
,
Gujarat’s recovery count
rose to 8,15,997.
District-wise, Surat re-
portedfournewcases,fol-
lowedbyVadodaraattwo,
and Ahmedabad, Gir
Somnath, Jamnagar and
Junagadh one case each.
In Ahmedabad, the
Tagore Hall in Paldi area
of the city will not serve
asavaccinationcentreas
the local administration
hasdecidedtorentoutthe
space for other purposes.
207
4 MAX
CASES IN
SURAT
ACTIVE CASES
8,15,997
TOTAL RECOVERED
16
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
10,086
TOTAL DEATHS
00 DEATHS
IN A DAY
8,26,290
TOTAL CASES
10 CASES IN
A DAY
COVID-19 UPDATE
I-T sleuths raid waste mgmt,
digital marketing companies
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad/Surat:
Earlier this month,
the income tax de-
partment began
search and seizure
operations in two
groups based in mul-
tiple states. The first
group is involved in
raiding digital mar-
keting and campaign
management compa-
nies, with search op-
erations taking place
at seven locations in
Bengaluru, Surat,
Chandigarh, and
Mohali.
Incriminating evi-
dence discovered re-
veals that companies
were involved in ob-
taining accommoda-
tion entries through
the use of an entry
operator. The entry
operator admitted to
facilitating a compa-
ny’s cash and unac-
counted income
transfers through ha-
wala operators. There
has also been evi-
dence of expenditure
inflation and revenue
underreporting.
The companies
were discovered to be
making unaccounted
cash payments. It was
also revealed that the
directors’ personal
expenses were re-
corded as business
expenses in the ac-
count books. The di-
rectors’ and their
family members’ lux-
ury vehicles were dis-
covered to have been
purchased in the
names of employees
and entry providers.
The second group
of I-T officials sought
information from sol-
id waste management
firms, which includes
solid waste collec-
tion, transportation,
processing, and dis-
posal services
throughout the coun-
try, primarily for In-
dian municipalities.
Various incriminat-
ing documents, loose
papers, and digital
evidence were seized
during searches.
This group of com-
panies has been
found to have booked
bogus bills for ex-
penses and sub-con-
tracts, according to
evidence discovered.
A preliminary esti-
mate of such bogus
expenses booked is to
the tune of Rs70
crore.
The nationwide I-T
search action has led
to detection of unac-
counted investments
in property of around
Rs7 crore. Apart from
this, seizure of unac-
counted Rs1.95 crore
in cash and jewellery
worth Rs65 lakh has
also been made. Fur-
ther investigations
are underway in both
groups.
Officials have seized Rs1.95 cr in cash & jewellery worth `65 lakh.
VNSGU rejects course application of govt college
First India Bureau
Surat: The Veer Nar-
mad South Gujarat Uni-
versity (VNSGU) has
refused to grant affilia-
tion to a government
college for introducing
Master of Science
(MSc) in botany and zo-
ology degree courses.
Instead, two privately-
owned colleges received
approval of the univer-
sity syndicate for in-
cluding postgraduate
degree courses of the
same stream.
The decision has
been opposed by syndi-
cate member Bhavesh
Rabari. Speaking to me-
dia persons, Rabari
said, “The government-
run college had written
to the university de-
manding affiliation for
postgraduate degree
courses, but was reject-
ed. Despite assuring
the university that they
had all the equipment
and infrastructure
needed for running
these courses, their
plea was denied by the
syndicate. On the other
hand, two private col-
leges have been permit-
ted to run these courses
even when they do not
have five acres of land,
as per guidelines.”
In its defense, the
university said that the
private colleges did not
have the land but had
already appointed the
teaching staff needed
for the courses, added
Rabari.
Defending the syn-
dicate’s actions, mem-
ber Kanu Bharwad
said, “They have given
us in writing that they
have made appoint-
ments. Earlier, they
had asked to discon-
tinue the course but
now they have de-
manded to begin. If we
do not give permis-
sion, the delay will af-
fect the students.”
Veer Narmad South Gujarat University.
7 DAYS’ REMAND FOR CONVERSION ACCUSED
First India Bureau
Vadodara: The city
police were granted
seven days’ remand
of Umar Gautam and
Salauddin Sheikh,
the two accused in
the alleged Uttar
Pradesh forced con-
version and illegal
funding case. Both
were being held in
judicial custody in
Lucknow following
their arrest by the
Uttar Pradesh Anti-
Terrorist Squad
(ATS). Sheikh, who is
a resident of Va-
dodara, was pro-
duced before court
with Gautam where
Vadodara city police
filed a 19-point re-
mand application.
Sheikh is the manag-
ing trustee of the
AFMI Charitable
Trust, and Gautam
works for the New Del-
hi-based Islamic
Da’wah Centre. The
police sought remand
on the grounds that an
investigation into the
accused’s alleged ha-
wala transactions and
the siphoning off of
foreign funds was re-
quired. Arguments
went on late into the
night, following which,
the court granted the
police a week’s time.
According to Va-
dodara police officials,
the accused used the
trust money to fund re-
ligious conversions,
release the accused ar-
rested in Delhi com-
munal riots case, pro-
vide financial assis-
tance to Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA)
protesters in Delhi,
and building 100
mosques in Gujarat
and seven other states.
“The court denied
our custody request but
left our remand rights
open. We presented the
court with 19 points in
our remand applica-
tion, including the fact
that the accused are in-
volved in serious of-
fences and are also
needed for further in-
vestigation,” said D S
Chauhan, ACP (Crime)
Vadodara.
“Following argu-
ments, the court
granted both accused
seven days’ remand
until October 23.
They are involved in
illegal conversion
funding, assisting
CAA protesters in
Delhi, and other ille-
gal activities. We will
look into their con-
nections and the peo-
ple they were associ-
ated with in various
cities and states. As
part of the investiga-
tion into their links,
they will also be tak-
en to Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh,
and Uttar Pradesh,”
she added.
Umar Gautam & Salauddin Sheikh produced before V’dara court; police submitted 19-point application for remand
The accused in Vadodara police custody.
THE ISSUE
Members of NSUI protested against favouritism on campus of the
institution on Saturday.

PERSPECTIVE
04
lVol2lIssueNo.322
l RNINO.GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by Anita
Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Ex-
press Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P,
Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. San-
and, Dist. Ahmedabad. Publishedat
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Ghatlodiya,Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief:JagdeeshChandra.
Editor:AnitaHadaSangwanresponsible
forselectionofnewsunderthePRBAct
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Therefore encourage
one another and build
one another up, just
as you are doing.
—Thessalonians 5:11
IN-DEPTH
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
Festive Cheer with Gems & Jewellery
(G&J) exports in Top Gear: G&J
exports rise 30% in September 2021
compared to same month last year.
Bright prospects for industry as exports
for April- September 2021 rose 135%
compared to same period last year.
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
‘Make in India for the World’. Buoyed
by the reforms, technology-driven
approach and Aatmanirbhar Bharat
abhiyan, Indian defence exports have
risen by 325% in the last 5 years. New
India’s innovation and work culture is
making India a global brand.
TOP TWEETS
I’M THE PARTY PREZ,
SAYS SONIA GANDHI;
BUT WHAT TOOK HER
SO LONG TO DECIDE
hy did it take Sonia
Gandhi so long to
come out and tell the
Congress Working
Committee members
that she is a full-time hands-on
party President when all these
monthsshewasbeingreferredto
as the Acting President? Even
when there was trouble in Pun-
jab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan
Sonia deployed her children Pri-
yanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul
Gandhi as trouble shooters,
while the Group of 23 dissenters
wondered as to who was taking
all the decisions in the party
. Her
announcement will please the
oldguardandquietendissenters.
With the party President mak-
ing it clear as to who is the boss,
the move will take the heat off
Rahul for his sloppy handling of
the leadership crisis in Punjab.
The move will also shield the sib-
lings, especially Rahul, after 2022
election results in Punjab, Uttar
Pradesh, Manipur and Goa.
These states go to polls early next
year. Punjab and UP will, obvi-
ously
, be more keenly watched.
W
eport of India’s
fall from 94th
place to 101 out of
116 countriesin
theGlobalHunger
IndexhasrattledtheMinistry
of Women and Child Develop-
ment which has junked the
methodology used by the re-
searchers to arrive at the con-
clusion. The report places
India behind Myanmar (71)
Nepal (76), Bangladesh (76)
and Pakistan (92). The report
described the level of hunger
in India as “alarming”
In 2020 India was ranked 94
out of 107 countries.
The Global Hunger Index is
based on four indicators--- un-
dernourishment, child wast-
ing, child stunting and child
mortality
. Wasting reflects
acute under-nutrition in chil-
dren under the age of five,
stunting indicates chronic
under-nourishment.Mortality
is about the mortality rate of
children below the age of five.
LastyearalsoIndiawasnot
ready to accept the GHI rank
and had questioned the accu-
racy and the methodology
.
Former Minister of State for
Agriculture Parshottam Ru-
palatoldparliamentinMarch
that hunger reports prepared
by NGOs should be ignored as
even street dogs are fed.
It is easy to dismiss an
NGO’s report if it is not based
on facts or if its methodology
is suspect. But what about an
organisation like UNICEF?
UNICEF said in its report re-
leased in April, “Stunting has
declined steadily since 2000--
- but faster progress is needed
to reach the 2030 target. Wast-
ing persists at alarming
rates…” Nearly half of all
deaths in children under five
are attributable to malnutri-
tion, the report said.
So there’s no logic in
brushing the damning GHI
report under the carpet. Plug
loopholes in programme im-
plementation.
DON’T BE IN A HURRY TO
JUNK THE GHI REPORT
The Global Hunger Index is
based on four indicators---
undernourishment, child
wasting, child stunting and
child mortality. Last year
also India was not
ready to accept the
GHI rank and had
questioned the accuracy
and the methodology
R
HOPE IN THE
FACEOFDESPAIR
e are all trapped in a vice-like
grip today — the deadly
, toxic
‘hold’ of ethnic, emotional, or
fanatical upheaval. A case in
point — call it human decep-
tion, or the fluctuating pro-
gression of the nastiest of
times. From the most sophisti-
catedtothelowestof ‘low-tech’
advancements. And, as the
monstrous threat of natural
calamities, including the on-
goingCOVID-19crisis,seemto
get juxtaposed by war clouds,
wherever you look, or see, a
sudden encounter with griev-
ous injury
, also death, could
occur in a moment of celebra-
tion, happiness, or enjoyment.
Theroof collapse,agun-wield-
ing fanatic, or terrorist, over-
excitedfansatafootballmatch,
or just about anything — in-
cluding a petty vocal brawl
turning into hatred — can
bring gloom. However, it is
nothingshortof amiraclethat
human beings often display
great resilience, courage, and
understandingevento,andfor,
those who may sometimes be
the ‘offenders’ themselves.
The reason? Human beings
are social by nature and, as
psychologists point out, to-
gethernessandsharedexperi-
ences have always helped peo-
ple to deal with dreadful
events. And, just as difficulty
and stress can bring out the
best qualities in some people,
social contacts, unless they
are not overstated, can also be
agreatsourceof succour,com-
fort and recovery
. Not only
that. The clicking of the hour
hand is the best healer, to use
ametaphor,orage-oldmaxim,
because any such bygone oc-
currence is always subject to
surpass time and place and,
thus, become a pictogram of
human reaction to it and also
its emergent acceptance.
A host of events related to
war and conflict have been
buried from time to time.
Many of them, with their own
peculiar constellation of psy-
chic, ethnic, political and reli-
giousinterpolations,havealso
hadthebetterof logic,notjust
emotion. They have been dug
up just as well from the deep
pit and made into raging is-
sues for whatever gain. Not
merely because the history of
conflicts is a stream of ap-
praisal, which only the victor
has been allowed to engrave,
but also because of life’s own
inequities. As William Shake-
speare wrote in “Macbeth:”
“Is this the dagger I see before
me?”Yes,thisinflated‘hold’of
emotional illusions, or recol-
lections, to scenes of war and
crime — and, that distinct af-
finity to faint at the bizarre
‘echo’ of a mine blast — have
all been described in soldiers
who return from the area of
battle and devastation.
People affected by war, or
ethnic tragedy
, are most like-
ly to show feelings of aliena-
tion, sleep difficulties, and
lapse of concentration. It is a
typical aphorism of our dif-
ficult times, where we live in
fear and hope, hope and de-
spair. Yes, such images, gory
and painful, emanate with
cascading effect. Think of
New York 9/11, Mumbai
26/11, or the sombre frames
of war, violence and hatred
that have (dis)placed civilisa-
tions, cultures and societies,
and led them to infamy and
utter disgrace. The spirit of
Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle
of peace and harmony
, would
surelybeagonisedwiththem,
just as much as every peace-
loving citizen on the planet.
Blame it too on flared emo-
tions, dogmas, or anything
else. The inference is obvi-
ous. We cannot assert to be a
part of what may be called
the ‘Happening Age,’ the ep-
och of great scientific and
technological advance, on
the one hand, and ruin on the
other. Perish the thought of
using a plethora of easy to
use, or borrowed, phrases
such as culture, compassion
and unity — primarily be-
cause none of our forebears,
including great leaders, ever
wanted states, or nations, to
spew venom and malice on
the basis of belief.
Besides, we have all been
witness to another parody.
While one has often heard of
the need for reconciliation,
there’s not been a definitive,
significant movement on ei-
ther side of the ‘divide’ to-
wards achieving the goal of
peace, primarily because
most of us have forgotten to
live in harmony, not only
with oneself, but also one’s
surroundings. Yet, there is
hope at the end of the tunnel
— as the case has always been
through history
, where chaos
and disaster have, over time,
ushered in peace and harmo-
ny. This is because hope is
stronger than faith. It sur-
mounts the challenges of the
material domain; it also rec-
ognises our connection with
our world, our desire for
peace and harmony
, notwith-
standing our incessant dilem-
mas. Desmond Tutu, the not-
ed theologian and anti-apart-
heid activist, articulated this
credo best, “Hope is being
able to see that there is light
despite all of the darkness.”
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
W
RAJGOPAL
NIDAMBOOR
Wellness physician, independent
researcher and author
People affected by war,
or ethnic tragedy, are
most likely to show
feelings of alienation,
sleep difficulties, and
lapse of concentration.
It is a typical aphorism of
our difficult times, where
we live in fear and hope,
hope and despair. Yes,
such images, gory and
painful, emanate with
cascading effect
Human beings are social
by nature and, as
psychologists point out,
togetherness and shared
experiences have always
helped people to deal with
dreadful events. And, just
as difficulty and stress can
bring out the best qualities
in some people, social
contacts, unless they are
not overstated, can also be
a great source of succour,
comfort and recovery

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Port Blair (Andaman
and Nicobar): Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah on Saturday held
several meetings with
different groups in Port
Blair before departing
for Delhi.
Among political lead-
ers,ShahmetBJPleaders
Y Satya Kumar and Ajoy
Akhil Bharatiya Vid-
yarthi Parishad (ABVP).
He also met Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP)
membersRavindraNath
Chatterjee, Manoj Ku-
mar Sirohi, Brijesh Pan-
dey and Rajesh Ram.
Apart from this, Shah
also held meetings with
the members of Aan-
ganwadi Karamchari
Sangh, several NGOs,
variousAssociations,lo-
cal representatives and
tribal members from
Andaman and Nicobar.
Shah was on a three-
day visit to Andaman
and Nicobar Islands
from October 15 which
concluded on Sunday
.
Shah on Friday visited
thecellwhereHinduMa-
hasabha leader Vinayak
Damodar Savarkar was
imprisoned at Cellular
Jail in Port Blair, Anda-
man and Nicobar Is-
lands.
Under the ‘
Azadi ka
Amrit Mahotsav’, he
paid floral tributes to
freedom fighters. —ANI
Shah meets different groups in Port Blair
BJP LEADERS MEET
AMONG
POLITICAL
LEADERS, SHAH
MET BJP
LEADERS Y SATYA
KUMAR AND
AJOY BAIRAGI
AND CONGRESS
MP KULDEEP RAI
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: After
over the top (OTT)
platforms, if creativ-
ity is visible any-
where, it is in govern-
ment excuses to jus-
tify the rising prices
of petrol, diesel, LPG
cylinders, CNG, etc.
Central government
ministers or Bharati-
ya Janata Party lead-
ers come up with
some new excuse eve-
ry day, on the basis of
which they justify the
rising fuel prices. So
many excuses have
been given by the gov-
ernment that even the
supporters of the gov-
ernment are confused
as to which excuse is
most appropriate.
Petroleum market-
ing companies of the
GoI say that the pric-
es of crude oil are in-
creasing in the inter-
national market. The
price of crude oil is
currently $ 82 a bar-
rel, when it was more
than $110 a barrel in
2014. It was then that
the price of petrol in
India was Rs 74 a liter
and now it is Rs 110 a
liter.
However, some
Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) spokes-
persons have linked
the rising prices to
the country's
strength, while some
have linked free food
grains to the poor,
and some have said
that the previous gov-
ernments have left a
huge debt to Iran and
other countries,
which is being repaid.
The Modi govern-
ment has increased
the tax on petrol by
almost four times and
on diesel by almost 10
times, this is the real
reason for inflation,
but except this, all the
other reasons are be-
ing given.
You must have definitely got the free
vaccine. Where will its money come
from? You haven't given! This is how
its money is collected. People are getting the
vaccine from the money the govt is collecting
by increasing the tax on petroleum products.
The question is that when people are being vac-
cinated with their own money by in-
creasing the tax on them, then
why promote free vaccines? And
above all, what about the people
who paid for the vaccine?
—Rameshwar Teli,
MoS for Petroleum and Natural Gas
PRADHAN SAYS
Anita Hada
New Delhi: There was
a stampede in UP Con-
gress recently. Senior
Congress leader Jitin
Prasada left party and
joined BJP. The BJP
made him a member of
the Legislative Council
and made him a minis-
ter in state govt. His
family was associated
with Congress for dec-
ades. After him, Ka-
malapati Tripathi's
great-grandsonLalitesh
Pati Tripathi an-
nounced to leave the
party. He alleged that
the old people are being
ignored in the Cong.
The 'migration' from
Cong by 2 renowned
Brahmin families was a
big setback.
After this, big Dalit
leadersof Bundelkhand
& ex-MLAs Gayadin
Anuragi and Vinod
Chaturvedi left Cong,
went to SP. Congress
leader from Mahoba-
Manoj Tiwari - also
joined the SP. Mean-
while, there was news
that Imran Masood,
strong leader of Cong in
West UP, is going to
leave party. Now
Masood has said that he
will not leave party but
he wants Cong and SP
to fight together.
Masood not leaving par-
ty is a sign that situa-
tion has changed after
Lakhimpur incident.
Migration of leaders in UP
Congress comes to an end!
BJP LEADERS HAVE NEW EXCUSES
EVERY DAY TO JUSTIFY RISING PRICES
THEMOSTRECENTEXCUSEFORTHEMIS
FREECORONAVIRUSVACCINATIONFORALL
Looking forward to working with
you: New Norwegian PM to Modi
Oslo/New Delhi: New
Norwegian Prime Min-
ister Jonas Gahr Stoere
has thanked PM Naren-
dra Modi for his con-
gratulations and said he
looks forward to work-
ing with him to
strengthen Norway-In-
dia cooperation in the
UN Security Council, on
a rules-based world or-
der, on climate chal-
lenge and the Nordic-
India Summit.
Prime Minister Modi
has been invited to at-
tend the India-Nordic
Summit to be held in
2022 in Copenhagen.
The invite was extend-
ed by Danish Prime
Minister Mette Fred-
eriksen during her bi-
lateral meeting with
PM Modi on October 9,
which he has accepted.
India held rotating
presidency in August
this year, will again
hold it in December
2022. Norway will be
holding the rotating
presidency in January
2022. —PTI
JONAS GAHR STØRE @jonasgahrstore
Thank you PM @narendramodi. I
look forward to working with
you to strengthen #Norway
Flag of Norway #India cooper-
ation in #UNSC, on a rules-
based world order, oceans,
environment, energy.
SWEET TWEETS!
NARENDRA MODI @narendramodi
Congratulations @jonasgahrstore
on assuming the office of Prime
Minister of Norway. I look forward to
working closely with you in further
strengthening India-Norway rela-
tions. @statsmin_kontor
Mumbai records zero
Covid death first time
since March 2020
Mumbai: Mumbai has
recorded 0 deaths due to
Covid-19 for the first
time since March 26,
2020. The news was
shared on Twitter by
Aditya Thackeray
, Cabi-
net Minister of Tour-
ism and Environment
for the Government of
Maharashtra as well as,
Iqbal Singh Chahal,
IAS, Commissioner of
Municipal Corporation
of Greater Mumbai
(BMC).
As per BMC, there
were 367 positive pa-
tients in a day, total of
5,030 active cases. The
positivity rate dipped to
1.27% and the recovery
rate stood at 97% as 418
patients were dis-
charged. Mumbai con-
ducted over 28,600 tests
in a day. While the city
has no active contain-
ment zones, 50 building
are still sealed. The
doubling rate is 1,214
days while growth last
week was 0.06%. —PTI
Aaditya Thackeray
@AUThackeray
The good news: Mumbai
has recorded zero covid
deaths, first time since
26th March 2020. Keep the
mask on the face and get
yourself vaccinated if you
haven’t yet!
Iqbal Singh Chahal
@IqbalSinghChah2
Mumbai Reports No Covid
Death For First Time Since
Beginning Of Pandemic.
Help us keep Mumbai safe,
we’re here to serve you!
PM TO INAUGURATE
KUSHINAGAR ARPT
MODI TO ADDRESS
RALLY IN VARANASI
PM will inaugurate In-
dia’s 29th international
airport in Kushinagar on
Oct 20, where Sri Lanka’s
President Gotabaya Raja-
paksa and a 125-member
delegation will be pre-
sent. Kushinagar is place
where Gautam Buddha
attained Mahaparinirvana.
Modi will address one
of biggest rallies in
his constituency, Varanasi
on Oct 25, ahead of UP
Assembly polls scheduled
early next year. The rally
will be held in Mehndi-
ganj village, BJP plans
to ensure a gathering of
more than 2 lakh people.
First India Bureau
Jodhpur: Union Minis-
ter Giriraj Singh on
Sunday said that a re-
view of India-Pakistan
cricket match should be
conducted.
The minister was in
Jodhpur to express con-
dolences on the demise
of Union Jal Shakti
Minister Gajendra Sin-
gh Shekhawat’s mother.
During his Jodhpur
visit, Singh targeted the
Congress saying the par-
ty is doing politics of hy-
pocrisy in the country
.
In Rajasthan, he said
that dalits are being tar-
geted, women are being
raped but the govern-
ment is doing nothing.
“Why doesn’t Con-
gressspeakontheKash-
mir issue?” he asked.
He said that Hindus
are being targeted and
killed in Kashmir but
Congress leaders do not
speak anything on this
but do politics by going
to Lakhimpur.
Theministersaidthat
Congress will vanish
from the country soon.
ReviewofIndia-Pakcricketmatch
shouldbeconducted:GirirajSingh
After terror
attacks in Jammu
and Kashmir, I
believe that when the
relations are not good then
India-Pakistan match
should be reconsidered.
—Giriraj Singh, Union Minister
NEW EXCUSES FOR PETROL, DIESEL
PRICEHIKE!
Amit Shah being welcomed as he arrives in Port Blair on Saturday.
INDIA
05
Jitin Prasada
Gayadin Anuragi
Lalitesh Pati Tripathi
Vinod Chaturvedi
New Delhi: There
may be a new 'tax-hit'
on the common people
of the country
. The
Goods and Services
Tax (GST) was imple-
mented under the
schemeof OneNation,
One Tax to give relief
tothepeoplefromindi-
rect tax. Even after
four years of its imple-
mentation, business-
men and traders are
upset and the govern-
mentishappywiththe
tax collection of more
than Rs 1,00,000 crore
every month.
But now the news is
thatthegovernmentis
considering increas-
ingtheminimumrates
of tax. Before
the last meet-
ing of the GST Coun-
cil, news was leaked
that in order to give
relief to the common
people, the Group of
Ministers will bring a
proposal to bring pe-
troleum products un-
der GST. But no such
offer came. Now the
news has been leaked
that the minimum
rates may increase by
1 percent.
Keep in mind that
there are four rates of
GST at present. The
lowestfivepercentand
the highest
being 28%.
Be-
tween this there are
two more slabs of 12
and 18%. The highest
rateisonnon-essential
or luxury items, on
which cess is also lev-
ied. The lowest rate of
5% is on the items of
dailynecessitiesof the
common people. It is
being said that a pro-
posal to increase the
rate of 5 to 6% and 12
to13%willcomeinthe
next meeting of the
Goods and Services
Tax (GST) Council.
If 1% indirect tax is
increased on everyday
things,thenthe
common peo-
ple will be hit
hard in the
midst of rising
inflation.
SHOULD INDIA BRACE FOR
ANOTHER 'TAX-HIT'?

INDIA
06
First India Bureau
NewDelhi: The govt
will take a final deci-
sion on vaccinating
children and adoles-
cents against coronavi-
rus on the basis of over-
all scientific rationale
as well as the supply
situation of vaccines
available for those be-
low 18 years old, COVID
Task Force chief VK
Paul said on Sunday
.
Paul, who has been
playing a key role in the
govt efforts in the fight
against the coronavirus
pandemic, also cau-
tioned that even though
infections are coming
down and the second
wave is subsiding, it will
not be fair now to say
that the worst is over
since many countries
haveseenmorethantwo
waves. Currently, three
vaccines Covishield, Co-
vaxin and Sputnik V be-
ing administered in the
country are only for
those above 18 years of
age. All of them are two-
dose vaccines. Zydus
Cadila’s indigenously
developed needle-free
COVID-19 vaccine Zy-
CoV-D is set to become
the first vaccine that
will be available in India
for those in the age
group of 12-18 years. It
hasreceivedEmergency
Use Authorisation
(EUA).
If approved by the
Drugs Controller Gen-
eral of India (DCGI), it
will be the second vac-
cine after ZyCoV-D to
get EUA for use among
those below 18 years.
The National Technical
Advisory Group on Im-
munisation (NTAGI) is
looking at how ZyCov-D
should be positioned for
most optimum use.
Zydus Cadila’s Covid vaccine
will be rolled out soon:VK Paul
CRUCIAL READ
CONG TO START TRAINING CAMPS FOR
PARTY WORKERS FROM 12 NOV
GOVT ROBBING COMMON MAN
SHAMELESSLY: LALU ON INFLATION
New Delhi: Congress has decided to organise training
camps for its workers across the country, the idea of
which was mooted in the working committee meeting
and the first will be held from 12-15 Nov in Gujarat’s
Wardha. Cong General Secretary Organisation K.C.
Venugopal said the party is going for a massive training
programme from top to bottom for the Cong party lead-
ers.The party has decided to undertake regular training
programmes for the leaders and workers at all levels.
Through these programmes,the workers and leaders
will be trained in party ideology,policies,expectation of a
Congress worker,grassroots messaging,election manage-
ments,failures of present govt and countering propaganda.
Patna (Bihar): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu
Prasad Yadav on Sunday slammed the “double engine”
National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-led government in
the Centre over the continuous inflation.”Dear inflation,
how are you associated with the double engine govern-
ment? By making gas, oil, petrol-diesel, vegetables all
expensive, this government is robbing the common
man shamelessly,” tweeted RJD chief. Petrol and diesel
prices reached an all-time high as fuel rates continued
to rise by 35 paise/litre across the country for the fourth
consecutive day on Sunday.With the latest hike, the
petrol price becomes Rs 105.84/litre while diesel will
now cost Rs 94.57/litre in Delhi today.
SCINDIA INAUGURATES SPICEJET FLIGHT
BETWEEN DELHI, TIRUPATI
NCB AN ‘OSTRICH WITH ITS HEAD
BURIED IN THE SAND’: EX-AG ROHATG
DIGVIJAYA SINGH ATTACKS CENTRE
OVER ‘COMMUNALISM’
New Delhi: Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M
Scindia on Sunday inaugurated a Spicejet flight between
Delhi and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. “It would con-
nect the spiritual capital
with the national political
capital. Every year 3.5
crore devotees visit Tiru-
pati,” he said. The flight
would take 2.5 hours to
cover 2,160 km between
Delhi and Tirupati.”The flight would connect the political
state with the spiritual state. It’s a unification of both of
them,” added Scindia.”PM Modi objective is to connect
the small towns under the UDAAN scheme. He wants
the common man to fly. Our target is to make 100 new
airports by 2024 and bring in 1,000 new routes.
Mumbai: Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi
censured the Narcotics Control Bureau calling it an
“Ostrich with its head buried in the sand” while the
Aryan Khan is “paying the
price for being a celeb”.
Aryan Khan, son of Shah-
rukh Khan, was arrested
along with five others by
NCB during a raid at the
Cordelia cruise ship rave
party which was mid-way to Goa on 2 October. Rohatgi
said the law clearly states, “Bail is the norm, jail is an
exception” and the issue settled many years ago by the
Supreme Court, since the most established tenet of the
Constitution is the ‘Right to Life’ and ‘Right to Liberty’,
not only for Indians, but also foreigners in India.
New delhi: Cong leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday
attacked the central govt over communalism. “Jawa-
harlal Nehru, while addressing AICC in 1958, said that
the ‘communalism of
the majority is far more
dangerous than the com-
munalism of the minority.’
And, it becomes even
worse when it is driven by
the authorities of the State.
We have tough times ahead,” tweeted Singh.Attacking
RSS, he alleged that the organisation’s only agenda is
‘Hindutva’ which has nothing to do with religion. “From
the inception of RSS they have only one agenda and that
is ‘Hindutva’ which has nothing to do with religion.
New Delhi: Assert-
ing the Congress
Working Commit-
tee (CWC) meeting
was just a formal-
ity as Sonia Gan-
dhi has been the par-
ty’s boss for 21 years,
former external af-
fairs minister Nat-
war Singh on Sunday
said there was no con-
crete outcome from
the same.
The Congress
veteran said
the next election for
the party president
will be on September
2022. There was no va-
cancy for the party
president. Sonia Gan-
dhi is the all-time
boss of the Congress
party. She holds all
the reins in the party
for 21 years,” he add-
ed. Singh also took a
jibe at the G-23 (group
of 23 dissenting sen-
ior Congress leaders).
“There was no con-
crete outcome from
the CWC meeting.
G-23 members, who
made a lot of noise
before the meeting,
were quiet during the
meeting,” he told ANI
in an exclusive con-
versation.Responding
to a poser on whether
the CWC meeting was
called to unite the par-
tyleadersaheadof the
upcoming assembly
polls in several states
next year, the former
externalaffairsminis-
ter said the Congress
should work together
otherwise it will lag
behind the Bharati-
ya Janata Party
(BJP)inpolitics.“
And
if this continues, it
willbeleftbehind,”he
added.“I have always
appreciated frank-
ness. There is no need
to speak to me
t h r o u g h
the me-
dia.
CWC MEETING HAD NO OUTCOME, NO
VACANCY FOR PRESIDENT: NATWAR
Party president Sonia Gandhi chaired the Congress Working Committee
(CMC) meeting for discussing on the strategies to be adopted
Emphasising that G-23
is not a separate fac-
tion, Congress leader
Sandeep Dikshit
on Sunday said
the party high
command should
either consider
the demands of the
group or reject them.
Speaking to ANI, Dikshit,
a member of G-23, said,
“G-23 is not a sepa-
rate group. Rather,
the members of
G23 have some
demands to
bring reforms
in the party. The
demands still persist.
As far as the full-time
president is concerned,
Sonia Gandhi said that
she is the full-time presi-
dent so we now come to
know that the party has
a full-time president.”
We have some demands.
The party high command
should either consider
those demands or reject
them. Even today, G-23
has not withdrawn.
CONG HIGH COMMAND SHOULD CONSIDER OR REJECT
OUR DEMANDS: SANDEEP DIKSHIT
Burhanpur: Taking a
dig at the Congress
party over the recent
crisis, MP CM Shivraj
Singh Chouhan said
the party has become a
circus. While speaking
at a rally in Burhanpur,
the CM said, “Rahul
Gandhi is not the
Congress Party. It is
being run by an interim
president Sonia Gandhi.
But Rahul has complete
rights to remove a CM
of a state.” Mention-
ing the Congress party
crisis in Punjab and the
surprise resignation
of Captain Amarinder
Singh, he said, “Singh
was the CM of Punjab
and was running a govt
very smoothly.
MP CM SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN TAKES DIG AT
CONGRESS, SAYS PARTY HAS BECOME CIRCUS
SINGHU BORDER MURDER CASE
Lakhbir Singh murderer Nihang
Sikh arrested by Punjab police
Centre failed to
provide security to
J&K:Kapil Sibal
Amritsar: A Nihang
Sikh, who was alleged-
ly involved in killing
farm labourer Lakhbir
Singh at Singhu border
on Friday, was arrested
by the Punjab police on
Saturday.
The second accused,
Narayan Singh, was ar-
rested from Rakh Devi-
dass Pura at Amarkot
village in the district.
Rakesh Kaushal, Am-
ritsar Rural SSP, said,
Two Nihangs had alleg-
edly murdered Lakhbir
Singh. One was arrest-
ed by the Haryana Po-
lice and Singh had
managed to escape. A
team of officials was
formed and forces were
deployed around his
house. He had an-
nounced that he would
surrender before the po-
lice on Sat. The SSP fur-
ther said, “He has con-
fessed that they killed
Lakhbir. He says that
when he was told the
Lakhbir insulted Guru
Granth Sahib, he got an-
gry & cut off his leg.
Lakhbir bled to death.
We do know that several countries have
introduced vaccination for adolescents
(people) and children. We will take a fi-
nal decision based on the overall scientific ra-
tionale and the supply situation of the child li-
cenced vaccines, going forward.
—VK Paul, COVID Task Force Chief
Acourt in Sonipat today sent All
three accused - Narayan Singh,
Bhagwant Singh and Govind Preet
Singh - in Singhu border incident
sent to 6-day Police
custody. They were
produced before Sonipat
Court today. On Oct 15,
the body of a man was
found tied to a barricade
at the Singhu border.
The police, while seek-
ing 14-day custody of
the accused argued in
the court that it needs
to identify other co-
accused in the case who the accused
know only by their faces and also
recover some blood-stained clothes
from the time of the crime.
COURT SENDS 3 ACCUSED
TO 6-DAY POLICE CUSTODY
RAHUL ATTACKS
CENTRE OVER
FUEL PRICE HIKE
‘DON’T UPSET PUNJAB
FARMERS’: SHARAD PAWAR
Amid the ongoing farmer’s
protests, Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar
urged the Central government to
avoid upsetting the
protesting farmers
and advised them to
handle the agitation
sensitively as most of
the farmers belong to
the border state Punjab.
On Saturday, while
addressing a press
conference in Pune, the
NCP chief also recalled
the assassination of
former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
and the consequences that country
faced in the past for a troubled
community of Punjab.
New Delhi: Slamming
Rashtriya Swayamse-
vak Sangh boss Mohan
bhagwat, senior leader
of the Kapil Cong Sibal
on Sunday he asked
Bhagwat what develop-
ments Jammu and
Kashmir witnessed,
adding that the Center
has failed to secure the
union’s territory
.
Speaking to ANI,
Sibal said: “I want to re-
member Bhagwat ji
about something he
said in Feb 2018. He said
that the army takes sev-
eral months to be ready
but the RSS can be
ready in 3 days to go to
the front and fight on
the border.The congres-
sional leader claimed
that the Center has
failed to secure J&K. On
the issue of terrorism
in Kashmir, Sibal said:
“We salute those nine
people who are sacrific-
ing their lives for us. We
have lost our children to
terrorists. What is the
development?” Mohan
bhagwatjitalkingabout?
Militancyraisesitshead.
WhileUPAwasinpower,
such things never hap-
pened in Poonch.
The central government should not upset farmers from
Punjab, since it is a border state. In the ongoing agita-
tion, the majority of farmers are from Punjab and it is
a state on the border. If we make the states on the border unsta-
ble, then what are the ramification of it, that has been seen once
before. The country has paid the price for a troubled Punjab.
And, that price has been paid with the assassination of Indira
Gandhi (former Prime Minister). —Pawar told
RSS CHIEF MOHAN BHAGWAT WILL VISIT
AYODHYA BETWEEN OCTOBER 19-21
Mohan Bhagwat and General Secretary of the party
Dattatreya Hosabale will be visiting Ayodhya from
October 19 to 21 to participate in Akhil Bharatiya
Saririk Varg, RSS sources said. According to sources,
Bhagwat will take part in the Akhil Bharatiya Saririk
Varg, and can also visit Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayo-
dhya. Although the RSS chief will also address the
Saririk Vibhag Abhyas Varg to make the construction of
the Ram temple a subject.
New Delhi: Cong gen-
eral secretary Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra on Sun-
day slammed the cen-
tral government for in-
creasing the prices of
fertilizers ahead of
sowing season.
Priyanka Gandhi, in
a tweet said, “BJP govt
has increased NPK
price by Rs 275 and NP
by Rs 20. Diesel prices
have been increasing
daily and has reached
Rs 100. Under BJP rule,
workers and farmers
are buried under the
burden of inflation.
Only Modi’s friends are
getting richer.”Her
statement came after
the Cabinet Committee
on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) on Thursday an-
nounced that the in-
creased prices of Phos-
phaticandPotassic(PK)
fertilizers approved ear-
lier shall be rolled over
for the whole of 2021-22.
PRIYANKA SLAMS GOVT FOR
FERTILIZER PRICE HIKE
New Delhi: Attacking the
Centre over the fuel price
hike, Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi on Sunday
said the only growth the
country is witnessing is
that of inflation. Citing
a news report about
the hike in fuel prices,
the Congress leader
tweeted “Destruction of
all. Growth of inflation
(Sabka Vinash. Mehangai
ka Vikas) TaxExtortion,”
tweeted Rahul.His re-
marks came as petrol and
diesel prices continued to
rise across the country.
Kapil Sibal
Priyanka Gandhi
VK Paul
Sonia Gandhi Natwar Singh

S
tudies have also looked specifically
at miscarriage. If antibodies
against the spike did cause prob-
lems for the placenta, we would expect to see
miscarriages. This is not the case. The science
is also clear the vaccine is safe in pregnancy. In
studies of pregnant women in Canada and the
United States who received the vaccine, minor
side effects were similar to non-pregnant adults,
and pregnancy complications and baby outcomes
were similar to the background rate.
M
yths about the vaccine affect-
ing fertility can be tracked back
to websites in the United States,
which highlighted a claim by a European
doctor in December 2020, while the vaccine
was in Phase 3 trials. In a blog post which has
since been deleted, he hypothesised there were
proteins in the placenta which have similarities
with the spike protein in the virus. He thought
antibodies in the vaccines that block the spike
protein might also attach to the placenta. But the
viral and placental proteins are not similar
enough that we would expect this to happen; stud-
ies have now confirmed this.
S
ince the vaccine rollout began, six billion doses of
COVID vaccines have been administered around
the world, including Pfizer and Moderna, the rec-
ommended vaccines in Australia for under-60s, includ-
ing pregnant women. Pfizer is the only vaccine offered
in New Zealand. There has not been a concurrent
epidemic of infertility nor miscarriage. Several
populations of women have been followed up after
vaccination. Women who have received COVID
vaccinations have no difference in markers of
ovarian follicle (egg) quality compared to un-
vaccinated women. Studies have demonstrat-
ed no difference in embryo implantation
rate for women who had received vaccina-
tionagainstCOVIDpriortohavinginvitro
fertilisation (IVF) compared to un-
v a c c i n a t e d
women. Stud-
ies have also
looked for an
effect of the
vaccine on
male fertility
.
These have
demonstrated no change in sperm
volume, concentration, motility (the
ability to swim the right way) and total mo-
tile sperm count when comparing samples
taken before and after COVID vaccination.
WHERE DID THE
FERTILITY MYTH
COME FROM?
WHAT ELSE DOES THE
SCIENCE SAY?
TALKING POINT
07
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
THE SCIENCE SHOWS COVID VACCINES HAVE
NO EFFECT ON FERTILITY, DO NOT IMPACT
THE CHANCE OF A MISCARRIAGE, AND ARE
SAFE AND EFFECTIVE WHILE PREGNANT.
NO,COVID-19VACCINES
DON’TAFFECTWOMEN’S
FERTILITY
FERTILITY
ome women
are holding
off on being
v a c c i n a t e d
against COV-
ID-19 because of con-
cerns the jab could affect
their fertility, at times
taking to social media to
voice their concerns.
Anti-vaccination cam-
paigners appear to be
fuelling these fears and
misleading women into
thinking the vaccine
may affect their chance
of getting pregnant now
or in future, or increase
their risk of a miscar-
riage. But there is no re-
search evidence to sup-
port these claims. The
science shows COVID
vaccines have no effect
on fertility, do not impact
the chance of a miscar-
riage, and are safe and
effective while pregnant.
S
WHAT ABOUT IN PREGNANCY?
T
he COVID vaccine – like every other vaccine you
received during childhood, and like the flu vac-
cine that you get every flu season – induces your
body to create an immune response. The components of
the vaccine itself are broken down by the body within
hours.In other words, COVID
vaccines don’t stay in your
body. After vaccination, you
are left with antibodies ready
to act in case you get exposed
to the COVID virus in the fu-
ture. There is no link with in-
fertility or miscarriage. Wom-
en who are pregnant, planning
a pregnancy or are concerned about their future fertil-
ity might still have concerns or questions about getting
a COVID vaccination. If this is you, talk to your own
doctor or midwife who can discuss the science with you
and answer any questions in a non-judgemental way
.
WHATABOUTFUTUREFERTILITY?

The meaning of life is an
individual concept, there are
an many meanings as there
are humans on this planet.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
PREPARING FOR DIWALI
A worker making earthen diyas at his shop in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Minister of
State for Home Harsh
Sanghavi, who has ac-
quired the image of a
common man though a
ministernow, onSunday
launched the ‘She’ Team
mobileapplicationof Va-
dodara police which is
dedicated to women and
senior citizens.
A Traffic Champ
campaign was also
flagged off by the min-
ister. The campaign
aims at spreading
awareness among the
people to follow traffic
rules and become a
champ by saving their
own and others lives.
During his speech,
Harsh Sanghavi re-
quested Vadodara traf-
fic police jawans to be
polite with people if
they were caught for
some violation of rules.
They might have forgot-
ten to wear face mask,
not wearing seat belt
and others due to some
reasons, but deal with
them politely, Harsh
Sanghavi said.
He also urged the Va-
dodara Police to take
strict steps to control
the drugs problem and
assured them to resolve
their pending works at
the earliest. He special-
ly focussed on the work-
ingof theCrimeBranch
and asked them to make
a file of necessary fa-
cilities needed to make
it modern like the
Ahmedabad crime
branch.
Sanghavi also con-
gratulated the ‘She’
Team for their sensitive
approach towards wom-
en, children and elderly
and continue the same
in future.
The home minister
attended various pro-
grammes during his
stay in Vadodara city
and district on Sunday.
He start the state level
yoga competition at
Kayavarohan, present
at the stone laying cer-
emony at Kalyan
Pushtidham Haveli on
Dandia Bazar-Bhayali
Road in Vadodara city,
release the popular She
team app and meeting
with police officials at
Police Bhavan to review
matters pertaining to
law and order.
Learn to be polite with people, Guj home minister advises cops
‘COMMON MAN’ MINISTER!
Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi speaking at a function in Vadodara.
Minister of State for Home Harsh
Sanghavi launches ‘She Team’ mobile
app and Traffic Champ in Vadodara
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Va-
dodara rural Local
Crime Branch
caught a big haul
of Indian Made
Foreign Liquor
(IMFL) hidden in-
side a godown at
Kotambi on Sun-
day. The team
seized liquor bot-
tles worth Rs 19.82
lakh and is looking
for four people in-
volved.
The team is work-
ing on the informa-
tion about Marwadi
and Bishnoi gangs
from Rajasthan,
which supplies
IMFL from rented
godowns and shops
kept in GIDC. On
October 16, the po-
lice received input
about Shravan
Bishnoi, Jagdish
Bishnoi and
Uraskhan Pirkhan,
all from Rajasthan,
kept a godown at
Shah Industrial Es-
tate 2 at Kotambi
and hid IMFL there.
They used two tem-
po vans with motor-
cycle piloting to
avoid police.
The LCB team
reached there in
private vehicles
and found the tem-
po vans loaded
with IMFL. They
seized 350 boxes
stuffed with 7,728
bottles and tins
worth Rs 19.82
lakh. They found
Girish Patil to be
owner of the go-
down who had rent-
ed it to Ravi Vaish-
nav of Rajasthan
on September 3.
Vadodara rural
cops seize IMFL
worth `19 lakh
UniformtaxratemaypushSurat
textile prices by three times
Surat’s famous textile industry rues that the Centre is now mulling changes in their tax slabs
First India Bureau
Surat: Already ad-
versely hit by the Cov-
id-19 crisis for the last
nearly two years, the
synthetic textiles in-
dustry in Surat is bat-
tling with the “ill-con-
ceived” GST regime.
The Southern Guja-
rat Chambers of Com-
merce and Industry
and the textile associa-
tions have opposed the
45th GST Council’s de-
cision to remove the
existing inverted duty
structure in the textile
sector from January 1
and introduce a uni-
form tax rate.
They have stated
that if the tax slab is
changed, the synthetic
fabric will got three
times more expensive,
and along with it hit
the industry too.
SGCCI president
Ashish Gujarati and
the chairman of Fed-
eration of Indian Art-
silk Weaving Industry
(FIASWI) Bharat Gan-
dhi met Chief State
Tax Officer of Gujarat
JP Gupta and narrat-
ed to him their con-
cerns and adverse ef-
fects of the new slab
this week.
In the presentation
to the chief tax officer,
the industrialists stat-
ed that when the GST
was imposed, many
people opposed it. But
they per force accepted
it over the last four
years.
As much as Rs 3,750
crore has been invest-
ed in Surat’s textile in-
dustry over the last
four years. Production
has also increased by
Rs 18,900 crore.
A new tax slab will
directly affect the pric-
es of yarns and the
weaving industry. This
will increase the mate-
rial and production
costs and the end-user
will have to pay around
three times more.
Textile embroidery
job-work association
has increased around
10% charges on their
work, after prices of
petrol, diesel and coal
rose. Then, they also
hiked the packaging
charges. With this,
charges of zari and
transport also in-
creased, which also af-
fected the charges for
embroidery. As a cas-
cading effect, the trad-
ers have extended pay-
ment cycles from 90
days to 120 days.
President of the em-
broidery job work as-
sociation Hitesh Bhi-
kadiya said there had
been a price hike in all
the raw materials used
for embroidery, while
transport charges had
increased by 10-15%.
As a result, charges for
embroidery work have
risen by 10%.
FRESH CONCERNS
Only 20% buyers for ‘expensive’
electric vehicles in Surat
First India Bureau
Surat: Despite the con-
stant increase in prices
of diesel and petrol,
purchase of electric ve-
hicles have not crossed
even 20% of its targets
in Surat, which is
known to be the largest
buyer of all new vehi-
cles in the country
.
In the past 10 months,
just 1,600 electric vehi-
cleshavebeenregistered
in the city against its
target of 10,000 vehicles.
The government has of-
fered subsidies on pur-
chase of electric vehi-
cles, but the high prices
have forced buyers away
from electric vehicles.
Yushuf Lokhandwa-
la, a resident of Jhampa
Bazaar, said, “Electric
vehicles are a very good
choice but for now you
cannot rely on them. We
do not have a proper
charging network in the
city. Apart from that,
people are unaware
about the government
subsidy scheme.”
“Some dealers are
not telling the custom-
ers about the benefits
from the government.
That is the reason we
dropped the plan to pur-
chase an electric vehi-
cle,” he says.
“We have many op-
tions, from a scooter, a
bike to a four-wheeler,
but again the price fac-
tor drives buyers away.
A normal mobike can
be purchased within Rs
1 lakh while a decent
electric bike costs much
beyond this,” he added.
—PHOTO
BY
HANIF
SINDHI
Vehicles Registration
Moped 461
Motor cycle 335
Motor car 104
Construction vehicle 165
Bus 36
Goods carriers 27
Transport vehicles 160
Three wheelers 150
others 232
Total 1670
—FILE
PHOTO
—FILE
PHOTO
E-VEHICLES DATA

AHMEDABAD, MONDAY
OCTOBER 18, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
FASHION CONNECT SEASON 10
ichael Cinco, a Dubai-
based Filipino designer
best known for his fabu-
lous couture gowns. His
innate creativity and
masterful techniques
have catapulted him to
the front ranks of fashion. He has
cultivated a dedicated following for
the luxe and intricacy of his de-
signs, with their fresh, elegant and
detailed juxtapositions of fabric
and Swarovski crystals.
Jagdeesh Chandra graced the oc-
casion as the Chief Guest and fe-
licitated Michael for his dynamic
collection. Brand ambassador Rish-
ee Miglani, Director Lokesh Shar-
ma and GM Fairmont Rajiv Kapoor
thanked the elite audience for their
support.
Urvashi stunned us while wear-
ing the royal ball gown as she
walked the ramp for designer Mi-
chael Cinco. Urvashi was the show
stopper for the event and she made
us too, stop and stare at her in com-
plete awe. The massive ball gown
showcased intricate detailing. The
lavender, white and pink flower pat-
tern spread all over the piece stood
out completely. Urvashi tied her
hair in a bun and opted for a heavy
silver hairpiece. She chose a brown
colour shade for eyes and nude col-
our for lips. She wore a complete
fairy tale cinderella dress. Actor-
comedian Sunil Grover also walked
down the ramp with Urvashi in an
all-silver traditional attire.
Michael designed the $1Million
wedding gown of Swarovski heiress
Victoria Swarovski, one of the most
expensive wedding gowns in history
.
THE FIRST INDIA FASHION CONNECT SEASON 10, HELD
RECENTLY AT HOTEL FAIRMONT JAIPUR SHOWCASED A
GRAND FINALE BY INTERNATIONAL DESIGNER MICHAEL
CINCO. ACE ACTRESS AND SUPERMODEL URVASHI
RAUTELA AND ACTOR-COMEDIAN SUNIL GROVER
WALKED THE RAMP AS THE SHOWSTOPPERS OF THE
MEGA EVENT!
Cinco’s Roaring
COLLECTION
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
M
“A Michael Cinco
woman is moneyed.
She may not be born
into royalty but she
better be married
into one. My clothes appear
seamless. They look heavy
and yet they float. They look
expensive simply because
they are.” —MICHAEL CINCO
Models walking the ramp
(From left): Urvashi Rautela, Kanishtha Dhankar and Sunil Grover
Urvashi Rautela, Michael Cinco and Sunil Grover
—PHOTOS
BY
SANTOSH
SHARMA

DR MRIDUL BHASIN
aipur as the capi-
tal city of the state
of Rajasthan can
be called the cul-
tural centre of the
nation. It is re-
plete with history,
culture and all the contex-
tual subjects referable to it
like music, dance, design,
clothing, food, crafts and
architecture. So many sub-
ject specialists have taken
inspiration from the city
yet none came closer to the
iconic creation by Charles
Correa who conceptual-
ized and created Jawahar
Kala Kendra. The concept
and history of the cultural
centre set the context for
the Potpourri column here
best as the great architect
designer’s idea and assimi-
lation expresses - ‘Jawahar
Kala Kendra itself encases
all that history, art and cul-
ture stand for.’
The centre’s architec-
tural design and space uti-
lization is based on
Jaipur’s historical plan by
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh
the second who was a
scholar, mathematician,
astronomer and a lover of
every kind of art our coun-
try cherished. Sawai Jai
Singh’s city plan, guided
by the Shilpa Shastras,
was based on the ancient
Vedic mandala of nine
squares or houses repre-
senting the nine planets. It
included two imaginary
ones: Ketu and Rahu. As
Charles Correa said, ‘The
design of JKK comes from
the city of Jaipur itself,
which was based on the
nine squares each repre-
senting nine planets.’ His
plan invokes the original
navagraha or nine house
mandala directly. One of
the squares of the centre is
pivoted to recall the origi-
nal city plan and also to
create the entrance. In the
Kendra, the squares are
defined by 8m high walls
and are a symbol of the for-
tification walls of the old
city of Jaipur. The use of
pink and beige sandstone
and marble inlay, the wall
paintings, the stepwell de-
sign in the Madhyvarti all
recall the wealth of mate-
rial, design and crafts the
state of Rajasthan houses.
Externally, the planets
appear on the red sand-
stone facades as symbols
inlaid in white marble and
granite. The plan configu-
ration of nine squares cor-
responds internally to the
mythological qualities of
each planet. Mars signifies
power, so the place of Mars
houses the offices of ad-
ministration; Guru repre-
sents knowledge, and so
forms the museum library;
Venus as the artistic sign
encloses the theatre com-
plex, and so on. At the very
centre of the universe, and
imparting to the planets its
creative energy, the sun
manifests in the stepped
amphitheatre, a reservoir
of knowledge and conflu-
ence of aesthetic experi-
ence, of meeting and re-
flection. The journey
through the building is
marked by a diversity of
spatial variations. There
are chawks big enough to
be an amphitheatre, there
are long corridor spaces to
be used as the art galleries,
the food space, smaller
rooms that are used for art
expositions and work-
shops or a curio shop. As
one moves through the cor-
ridors a sense of heritage,
design and an ancestral
vocabulary unfold.
The cultural expres-
sions of delving deep into
its own past, recreating it
as Charles Correa did so
beautifully in architectur-
al innovation of JKK, has
not happened so success-
fully within the city of
Jaipur or the state of Ra-
jasthan. State’s creative
tendril has gone far be-
yond the state to inspire
designers, singers and
painters beyond the
boundaries of our coun-
try. We will be talking
about all that in our cul-
tural potpourri column to
underline the inspiration-
al value of Jaipur’s herit-
age. The world of art, fash-
ion clothing, design, ar-
chitecture, films, jewel-
lery both royal as well as
tribal and folk music have
enhanced aesthetic expe-
rience and business both
for the world not to men-
tion the travel and tour-
ism potential the state of
Rajasthan enjoys because
of this. It would be worth
exploring the impact of
Rajasthan’s heritage. Has
it generated innovation in
indigenous talents? Does
it generate replicas? Does
it encourage innovations
or fusion within home and
abroad? The kind of inter-
pretative impact it had on
Charles Correa is highly
symbolic and layered. Yet
the viewer’s response to
Jawahar Kala Kendra as
an iconic space is that of
‘rasanubhuti,’ as the great
aesthete Abhinav Gupt
states in his treatise on
aesthetics.
10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
CHANCHAL TANWANI, MODEL
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Carelessness at work can
get you on the wrong side
of a senior. A family
gathering is likely to
provide you a chance to meet
everyone. Someone is likely to help
you in getting a good property deal.
Those eligible may do well to take
some time to think over a marriage.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You will need to adhere to
strict dietary control to
keep good health. On the
professional front, you
may find sharing someone’s
workload a bit distasteful, but you
will keep up the façade of a willing
worker. Avoid risks on the road
today.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You are likely to take a
break from your hectic
work schedule. Your
actions may arouse
suspicion and get parents on your
back. You are likely to benefit from a
property related matter. Something
that had been worrying you in the
past is likely to get resolved.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Some of you may get a step
closer to coming back in
shape. Despite your efforts,
a decision regarding
property may not go in your favour.
Marriage is on the anvil for the eligible.
You can have a soft corner for
someone you feel attracted to at
workplace.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Suitable accommodation is
likely to be taken on rent
by those looking for one.
Blaming someone else for
your mistakes on the work front may
show you in a bad light. Those
staying separated from the family are
likely to get a chance to visit home
which shall rejuvenate them.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Starting something new on
the professional front is
likely to have better financial
prospects. Encouraging
developments on the career front are
foreseen for some. You may remain in
celebratory mood on the social front as
you enjoy your popularity within your
circle of friends and relations.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Satisfaction on the
professional or academic
front may elude you, but it
will not deter you to
perform well. Disturbances at home
will need to be curtailed to retain a
peaceful environment. Don’t give any
information about a property deal to
those you don’t know well.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You will be able to
effectively curb expenses.
You will have to put your
trust in people, if you want
to establish yourself on the
professional front. Acquiring new
property is on the cards for some.
Help in household chores will be
forthcoming.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Disinterest will be apparent
in a task assigned to you
on the professional front.
Much caring and sharing at
home is likely to keep you happy and
contented. Something that you had
wanted to initiate on the home front
may face delays, but will ultimately
be done.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
A chance to become part
of a prestigious organiza-
tion is on the horizon for
some. Some domestic
responsibilities will have to be
discharged promptly to keep the
domestic boat from rocking! Don’t
take any decisive step regarding a
property, as it can be unfavourable.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Financial position will
remain satisfactory, but
overspending should be
guarded against. A
satisfying day is foreseen for
professionals. A marriage proposal
for the eligible in the family can be
received. Property acquired recently
promises to give good returns.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You will find things moving
the way you want them at
work. Your focus can be
health at this juncture and
taking up an exercise regimen just to
come back in shape cannot be ruled
out. Tensions on the family front
cannot be ruled out. A property issue
is best left untouched today.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
POTPOURRI: Looking
Inwards for Inspiration
J
Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur

nushka Shar-
ma shared a
lovey-dovey
post of her
life with hus-
band-skip-
per Virat
Kohli after being
quarantined at the
venue of the India-
Pakistan T20 World
Cup match, to be
held on October 24.
Taking to her Insta-
gram handle, Anush-
ka shared a series of
pictures from a UAE
hotel, where the Indian
team is staying for the
upcoming match T20
World Cup match against
Pakistan. In pictures,
Anushka captured Virat
standing a few balconies
away from her and
also of him wav-
ing to her
from the
lawn below.
—Agency
ETC
11
A CHUCKLESOME
MARRIAGE?
REVIVING OLD
MELODIES! A
fter launching the
action-packed
trailer of the movie,
‘Sanak – Hope Under
Siege’, the makers have
unveiled the first romantic
track ‘O Yaara Dil Lagana’
featuring Vidyut Jammwal
and Rukmini Maitra.‘O
Yaara Dil Lagana’ is going
to be a visual treat for
all the music buffs, it’s
a reprised version of the
original song from the
movie ‘Agnisakshi’ (1996)
Jackie Shroff, Manisha
Koiral. —CityFirst
WEDDING BELLS!
B
ill Gates and Melinda Gates’ daugh-
ter Jennifer Gates tied the knot
with her equestrian boyfriend Nayel
Nassar on Saturday in Westchester County,
New York, as confirmed by People. The
couple exchanged their vows in a small
ceremony, ceremony as per reports.
Jennifer and Nayel’s marriage comes a year
after they announced their engagement in
2020. Jennifer’s parents Bill and Melinda
jointly walked her down the aisle at the
ceremony. Jennifer and Nayel’s guestlist
for the wedding reportedly consisted of
300 guests. —Agency
G
al Gadot is coming back as Wonder
Woman for a third film and the big news
was recently confirmed by director Pat-
ty Jenkins on Saturday, October 16, at
the DC Fandom 2021 event. Jenkins provided
an update on the film being in the works and
promised it was going to be exciting during a
chat with former Wonder Woman from the 70s
series, Lynda Carter. Jen-
kins who has helmed the
past two Wonder Wom-
an films spoke about
her character, “We’re
super excited about
Wonder Woman 3.”
—Agency
RETURN OF
WONDER
WOMAN!
Kohli after being
quarantined at the
venue of the India-
Pakistan T20 World
Cup match, to be
held on October 24.
Taking to her Insta-
gram handle, Anush-
ka shared a series of
pictures from a UAE
hotel, where the Indian
team is staying for the
upcoming match T20
World Cup match against
Pakistan. In pictures,
Anushka captured Virat
standing a few balconies
STAYING
SAFE
SATURDAY
NIGHT!
Kim Kardashian proved her hat-
ers wrong by making her success-
ful Saturday Night Live debut. It was
also Adele’s epic week as the Grammy-
winning musician hosted a surprise
Instagram Live, announced her
highly-awaited album ti-
tled 30 and dropped its lead
single, Easy On Me.
—Agency
CELEBRATIONS!
CELEBRATIONS!
F
ashion Connect Director and ace choreogra-
pher Lokesh Sharma celebrated his
birthday with friends at Cafe Bae,
Jaipur on Friday, October 15.
Various prominent personalities
like Rishee Miglani, Ayan
Chugh, Jassi Chhabra, An-
jula and Mohit Falod, Wrick-
ie Angrish greeted him on
the occasion. —City First
Ayan Chugh and Rishee Miglani
Lokesh and girls
Wrickie Angrish
Mohit Falod, Lokesh with the guests
Gal Gadot Kim Kardashian
Akash Gupta and Nitika Seth
Britney Spears
...her post
Anushka Sharma
SCARED SPEARS!
An enraged Spears vented on Insta-
gram, expressing her concerns for the
future and her rage at the system. “I’ll
just be honest and say I’ve waited so long
to be free from the situation I’m in,” she
wrote. She further penned, “Now that it’s
here I’m scared to do anything because
I’m afraid I’ll make a mistake!!!,” she
wrote. ” —Agency
T
he celebrated stand-up
comedian and winner
of Comicstaan 2, Akash
Gupta, got engaged to the
love of his life, Nitika Seth
on Sunday. ‘The Sky Gupta, ’
as reads his Instagram, was
seen wearing a stunning
black Sherwani from Jatin
Malik couture while the
to-be bride was captured in
a scintillating blue gown.
Content creator Kusha Kapila
congratulated the happy
couple and wished them a
beautiful life ahead.
—City First
Nayel Nassar and Jennifer Gates Rukmini Maitra and Vidyut Jamwal
...her post
A

12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
SHAZID CHAUHAN
ndo-American Shree
Saini, who made the
country proud by
winning the Miss
World America 2021
and landed here to a
warm welcome,
thanked friends, relatives and
fans for showering her with
love. “I thank each and every-
one who came to welcome me.
It was overwhelming and I am
grateful for your support.
Thank you for showering me
with all your love,” Shree said
in a statement.
Shree Saini received a
grand welcome at her home,
where the entire neighbour-
hood showed up to wish her.
With a traditional wel-
come from family and
friends, she cut a cake
and spent time with fam-
ily members, who had
decorated the entire house in
her honour. Shree was de-
lighted to eat ghar ka khaana,
something she said she
had greatly missed
while being away
from home. Later
in the evening,
Shree attended a
gala dinner, or-
ganised special-
ly for her.
Manka Dh-
ingra, Alex Ybarra, Cory
Wright, Neelam Chahlia,
Paresh Mundade, Arun Shar-
ma and Seema Sharma, Dr
Priyanka Mishra and
Abhishek Mishra,
Vishwa Prasad, Van-
dana, Piyali De, Amit
Upadhyay, Priti
Parikh, Nidhi and Su-
jeet Kumar were pre-
sent during the event.
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
THE GRAND
WELCOME
WELCOME
I
ORTHOPEDIC CAMP!
Dwarka Welfare Centre organised
an Orthopedic Camp with renowned
Orthopedic Surgeon Dr Kultar Singh
Malhotra for Delhi Police families on
Sunday. Dr Kultar his team diag-
nosed 80 residents emphasised the
importance of Bone Health in persons of
all age groups. @Police Families Welfare
Society (PFWS)
Luxury getaways from Delhi
Nitika Panjwani
T
he word getaway
hasgainedalotof
a t t e n t i o n
amongst travel
enthusiasts. As vaca-
tions are approaching,
City First listed some
great luxury escapes
close by the capital for
peopleplanningtospend
a comfortable yet opu-
lent weekend. Luxuri-
ous getaways are not
confined to Michelin
stars, they are rather de-
finedbyapproachability
,
authenticity and experi-
ences that a place repre-
sents. Today
, a true luxu-
ry escape comprises
flexibility, comforting
accommodation and in-
sight into the local cul-
ture. Listed below are
few great destinations
offering the same:
Fairmont Hotel,
Jaipur: A true royal des-
tination located on the
outskirts of Jaipur. The
majestic property offers
a panoramic view of the
Aravallis, the best in
modern amenities
alongside representing
the rich heritage of Ra-
jasthan in terms of de-
sign and hospitality
. Per-
haps that’s the rea-
son numerous celeb-
rities, politicians and
artists have made Fair-
mont hotel their home
away from home.
The Roseate Ganges,
Rishikesh: An unparal-
leled luxury retreat on
the banks of the river
Ganges in Rishikesh,
Roseate Ganges features
one of the best spa expe-
riences, impeccable de-
sign, architecture and
hospitalityservices.The
retreat also offers a vari-
ety of bespoke experi-
ences like nature walks
by the river, treks, yoga
onthewhitesandbeach,
the renowned religious
Arti by the Ganges and
more.
Taj Hotel Conven-
tion Centre. The hotel
lies a short walk away
from the majestic
Taj Mahal and reima-
gines all that Agra can
be. The hotel offers
splendid accommoda-
tion, authentic dining
experiences, a rejuve-
nating spa and a fitness
centre. One can not miss
dining and party at the
Infini, a terrace lounge
featuring an infinity
pool with magical views
of the Taj Mahal.
The Naini Retreat,
Nainital:Situatedalong-
side the magnificent
Naini Lake, Naini re-
treat used to be a resi-
dence of Maharaja of
Pilbhit. The architec-
ture embodies an old-
world charm along with
contemporary luxury
.
The heritage property
offers authentic delica-
cies,beautifulaccommo-
dation and one of kind
hospitality in the hills.
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
CELEBRATIONS... WE ARE ONE!
The residents of Model
Town celebrated Dussehra
International Day of the Girl
Child with great enthusiasm
vigour. The ladies kids en-
acted a Ramleela and merrily
performed Dandiya Dance. The
children themselves crafted
the effigy of Ravana.
@Police Families Welfare
Society (PFWS)
Neelam Saxena is the founder of ‘We Are One, a
group of an elite crowd in Delhi NCR celebrated
11th Bhandara at GK1. During the event, Neelam
Saxena, Ruhi Ganguli, Glory Brar, Rituraj, Amit,
Upasana, Naeima, Rashmi Khurana, Sanjeev Dev
Malik, Amit Rajput, Kajal and Vicky Jain and oth-
ers were seen doing Sewa. inter
onder
Amidst the winter
wonder, Designer
Kavita and Amit
Gupta of Riddhi
Creations has
launched their win-
ter festive collec-
tion, 'PiyaDassi' as
an ode to women
and their special
moments at Crown
Plaza Today, Okhla,
New Delhi.
—PHOTOS BY
SHAZID CHAUHAN
Nikita Panjwani
People celebrating Dussehra
Models during the Ramp Walk
Asmita
Vandana Vadhera Aman Bhandari and Alvira Model flaunting her outfit
Shree Saini
Shree Saini gets a warm welcome by friends
Shree Saini gets a warm welcome by family

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