18122022_ First India New Delhi.pdf

ILLEGAL INFILTRATION, TRANS-BORDER SMUGGLING
States share responsibility for border security: Shah
Kolkata (PTI): Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah, at a meeting of
the Eastern Zonal
Council (EZC) on Sat-
urday, indicated to
chief ministers that
the states too share re-
sponsibility along with
the BSF for security in
India’s border areas,
officials said.
Shah, who is the
chairman of the coun-
cil, was accompanied
by five home ministry
officials including Un-
ion Home Secretary
Ajay Bhalla, at the
meeting that began
around 11 am and last-
ed over two hours.
Illegal infiltration,
trans-bordersmuggling
and the vulnerable In-
dia-Bangladesh bound-
ary were among sub-
jects deliberated upon
at the 25th EZC meet-
ing, chaired by Shah, at
the West Bengal secre-
tariat near here, a sen-
ior official said. Issues
such as water-sharing
among states were also
discussed at the meet-
ing, which was attend-
ed by West Bengal
Chief Minister Mama-
ta Banerjee, her
Jharkhandcounterpart
Hemant Soren, Bihar
deputy CM Tejashwi
Yadav and Odisha min-
ister Pradeep Amat, an
official said.
The role of the Bor-
der Security Force
(BSF) was discussed, in
light of the increase in
the operational area of
the border force earlier
this year. In response,
according to sources,
Shah is believed to
have indicated that the
state governments too
have a role to play in
border security
.
The BSF is not the
only one responsible
for stopping smuggling
across the internation-
al border. The state
governments also have
the responsibility to
prevent crime along
the border. Under any
circumstance, infiltra-
tion will have to be
stopped, Shah is be-
lieved to have said at
the meeting.
Shah instructed the
BSF to be “flexible” and
cooperate with the
states, when the West
Bengal chief minister
complained that the se-
curity forces wanted
excessive land for fenc-
ing and setting up sec-
tor offices along the
boundaries of different
states, the official said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah being greeted by Arunachal
Pradesh Governor Brig BD Mishra (Retd) at Raj Bhavan in
Shillong on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Officials meet to plan
relocation of beggars
New Delhi (PTI): A
meeting was held on
Saturday by the Delhi
Urban Shelter Improve-
ment Board (DUSIB) to
chalk out a plan to relo-
cate beggars from the
Hanuman Mandir area
near the Kashmere
Gate ISBT to night shel-
ters, officials said.
In view of the upcom-
ing G20 Summit, the
Delhi government is-
sued directions on
Thursday to remove and
relocate the beggars
from the Hanuman
Mandir area. The meet-
ing was held with the
social welfare depart-
ment as well as Delhi
Police to discuss the res-
cue drive of the beggars.
DUSIB member Bi-
pin Rai said facilities
that are provided at the
government shelter
homes, will also be pro-
vided to the beggars
once they are relocated.
“First, we will map
the beggars and hold
surveys to understand
how many of them are
there near the Kash-
mere Gate ISBT. We will
also find out the number
of family members of
the beggars and proceed
with the plan accord-
ingly
,” he said earlier.
A four-member com-
mittee, under the chief
engineer of DUSIB, has
been constituted to co-
ordinate with govern-
ment agencies and pre-
pare an action plan by
Tuesday to “shift the
beggars to night shel-
ters located at Dwarka
and other places”.
Homeless people, living under a flyover, have their meal, in New
Delhi on Saturday. (Below) Homeless people warm themselves
near a small fire on Saturday morning. Ahead of the G20 summit,
homeless people will reportedly be shifted to government-run
shelter homes. —PHOTOS BY PTI
Guinea woman tries smuggling
cocaine in swallowed capsules
New Delhi (PTI): A
woman from Guinea
has been arrested by
the customs officials
at the Indira Gandhi
International Airport
(IGIA) here for smug-
gling cocaine worth
Rs 15.36 crore, an offi-
cial statement issued
on Saturday said.
The accused was in-
tercepted on Decem-
ber 7. Upon question-
ing, the passenger di-
vulged that she had
swallowed capsules of
narcotics substance.
“Since it was an im-
pending medical
emergency, the pas-
senger was admitted
to hospital. Subse-
quently, during medi-
cal examination of
the passenger, certain
material was found to
be secreted inside the
body of the passenger.
Under expert medical
supervision, ejection
process was carried
out,” the customs de-
partment said.
The entire ejection
process lasted over
several days during
which customs offic-
ers maintained round
the clock vigil, it said.
“Total 82 capsules
were recovered which
yielded a total of 1,024
grams white oval
shaped/powdery sub-
stance,” customs said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand CM Hemant
Soren and Bihar Dy CM Tejashwi Yadav at the 25th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council in
Kolkata on Saturday. —PHOTO BY PTI
SHAH PLANTS
SAPLING AT RAJ
BHAVAN IN
SHILLONG
Shillong: Union Home
Minister Amit Shah left
for Shillong soon after
chairing the Eastern
Zonal Council meeting
in Kolkata. After
arriving in Shillong, he
went to the Raj Bhavan
and planted a sapling
there. He was received
by Meghalaya Chief
Minister Conrad
Sangma on his arrival.
Assam CM Himanta
Biswa Sarma was also
present. Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi is
also scheduled to visit
Meghalaya and Tripura
on Sunday to unveil
projects worth over
` 6,800 crore.
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI MUMBAI
FRANCE VS ARGENTINA
WORLD CUP FINAL
TODAY, BUT FRANCE
SQUAD STRUCK BY VIRUS
Lusail: Sunday would witness culmination of FIFA World Cup as Argentina
and France will clash in finals. But, defending champions France have
been affected by virus that could cause team’s starting centre-back duo to
miss the final. Raphael Varane shows mild signs of the virus, and fellow
defender Ibrahima Konate has not left his room since feeling ill. P9
Al Rayyan: Croatia defeated gritty Morocco 2-1 in the play-off on Saturday to finish
third in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. The victory secured Croatia a top three finish
in the World Cup for the second successive editions after their runners-up performance
four years ago in Russia. This is the third top three finish for Croatia, who also came
third in the 1998 edition, beating the Netherlands with a similar scoreline of 2-1.
CROATIA DEFEAT
MOROCCO 2-1,
FINISH THIRD IN
FIFA WORLD CUP
3.00 RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 109
NEW DELHI l SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2022 l Pages 12
Kartikey Dev Singh
New Delhi: A day after
Rahul Gandhi said that
Chinese soldiers are
“beating up jawans in
Arunachal Pradesh”,
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leaders con-
demned his statement
anddemandedhisexpul-
sion from the Congress.
BJP spokesperson
Gaurav Bhatia said if
Congress president Mal-
likarjun Kharge is not
“remote-controlled”, he
should expel Gandhi
from the party
, since his
comments “belittle” In-
dia and break the mo-
rale of its armed forces.
If Congress does not
take action against
Gandhi, it will mean his
statement is reflective
of the Congress’ mind-
set, Bhatia said. He fur-
ther alleged that the
party has become less
of a political party and
more of a den of anti-
India activities. Bhatia
also said that “it is no
longer the India of 1962
as its brave soldiers also
have a strong political
leadership under
Modi”, adding that “not
even an inch of Indian
territory was captured
by anyone” in the last
eight years.
RAHUL’S ‘CHINA PREPARING FOR WAR’ REMARK CREATES FURORE
It is no longer
the India of 1962
as its brave soldiers
also have a strong
political leadership
under Modi, BJP said
Whether it is Galwan
or Tawang, our defence
forces have proved their
bravery and valour.
Rajnath Singh,
Defence Minister
Rahul Gandhi’s statement
works to demoralise our
Army; no matter how
much it is condemned,
it is less. Indian army is
a symbol of bravery and
valour. We know that the
Communist Party of Chi-
na had signed MoU with
the Congress party.
JP Nadda,
BJP President
Gandhi has become a
huge embarrassment for
the country as well as
a problem for the Con-
gress. Gandhi is not only
insulting Indian Army but
damaging nation’s image.
Kiren Rijiju,
Union Minister for Law
and Justice
Rahul Gandhi’s state-
ments on soldiers is con-
demnable and shameful.
It is indecent and childish
and going to inspire
anti-India elements. It
amounts to humiliating
India and India’s brave
army internationally.
Yogi Adityanath,
CM Uttar Pradesh
“IFNOTREMOTE-CONTROLLED,
KHARGE SHOULD EXPEL RaGa”
No intention of
capturing others’
land, says
Rajnath Singh
New Delhi: Defence
Minister Rajnath Sin-
gh on Saturday said In-
dia had no intention of
capturing the land of
other nations in its
quest to become a su-
perpower. India will be
a superpower that
works towards the
“welfare of the world”,
Singh said. Referenc-
ing Pm Narendra
Modi’s public address
at Red Fort this year,
Singh said: “We want to
be a superpower to
work for the welfare of
the world. But when I
talk about India becom-
ing a superpower, it
should not be miscon-
strued as India want-
ing to dominate other
countries or that we
want to take even an
inch of someone else’s
land,” he said.
WHEN WILL NATION HAVE ‘CHINA PE
CHARCHA’: KHARGE ASKS PM MODI
New Delhi: Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday ac-
cused PM Modi of not allowing a discussion in
Parliament on the situation along the border with
China and asked why he was not taking the na-
tion into confidence in the matter. Claiming that
Chinese build-up in Doklam is threatening the
strategic “Siliguri Corridor” — he asked when the
nation will have “China pe charcha”.
MVA takes out rally
against Maharashtra
Governor, State Govt
Mumbai: In a show of
strength, the opposi-
tion MVA constituents
in Maharashtra took
out a ‘Halla Bol’ protest
march in Mumbai on
Saturday against the
Eknath Shinde-BJP
government in the
state, and emphatically
demanded removal of
Governor B S Koshyari
for passing “insulting”
remarks against iconic
personalities, includ-
ing Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj.
Senior leaders of the
three MVA allies shared
the stage after the pro-
test march.
MVA during a protest rally
against Maha govt, in Mumbai,
Saturday. —PHOTO BY PTI
GST Council doubles limit
for starting prosecution
New Delhi: The GST
Council on Saturday
agreed to decriminalise
certain offences and
doubled the threshold
for launching prosecu-
tion to Rs 2 crore, Reve-
nue Secretary Sanjay
Malhotra said.
The Council could de-
cide on only 8 out of the
15 agenda items due to
paucity of time, Fi-
nance Minister Nirma-
la Sitharaman said,
adding the items not
considered included
one pertaining to set-
ting up of appellate tri-
bunals for GST.
The issue of mecha-
nism to curb tax eva-
sion in pan masala and
gutkha businesses also
could not be taken up.
No new taxes have
been brought, Sithara-
man said on the delib-
erations.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chairs the 48th meeting
of the GST Council via virtual mode, in New Delhi on Saturday.
—PHOTO
BY
PTI

New Delhi (ANI):
Shraddha Walkar mur-
der accused Aaftab
AminPoonawalaonSat-
urday told the Saket
court here that he would
decide after talking to
his lawyer whether he
wants to pursue the bail
or not.
Additional Sessions
Judge Vrinda Kumari
listed the bail matter
for hearing on Decem-
ber 22, while his (Aaft-
ab's) counsel would
meet him in the jail on
Monday. Aaftab was
produced in the court
via video conferencing
on the court's earlier di-
rections of the day
.
The court noted Aaft-
ab's statement that even
though he signed the
'vakalatnama', he was
unaware that a bail has
been filed on his behalf.
He told the court that
he had no communica-
tion with his counsel in
this regard. He would
decide on the issue after
talking to the counsel.
Aaftab's counsel Ad-
vocate MS Khan submit-
ted before the court that
he would meet Aftab at
the earliest.
Although, Khan said
there was no need to
produce the accused on
the next date, the special
public prosecutor op-
posed the submission
and said that Aaftab
should be produced on
the next date.
The Delhi court ear-
lier in the day directed
Tihar jail authorities to
produce Aaftab Poon-
awala after receiving a
report from prison au-
thorities that Poonawa-
la did not instruct any
lawyer to file his bail.
The Additional Ses-
sions Judge asked the
Jail authorities to pro-
duce Aaftab through
video conferencing at
11.30 am.
The court said that
the prison report was
received on Friday con-
taining Aaftab's hand-
written letter stating
that the bail application
has been filed errone-
ously and he had no
communication in this
regard.
A report from jail
through the E-Mail stat-
ed that Aaftab has not
instructed any lawyer to
file the bail application.
On the other hand, ad-
vocate MS Khan submit-
ted that he has filed the
application and has a
'vakalatnama' signed by
Aaftab, which has been
duly signed by the jail
authorities.
Special Public Prose-
cutor Amit Prasad has
appeared for Delhi Po-
lice and the Nirbhaya
Gang Rape case's lawyer
Advocate Seema
Kushwaha has also
reached there.
The court said it
would talk to Aaftab on
whether he has consult-
ed any lawyer.
CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2022
02
New Delhi (PTI): Fol-
lowing a spat with his
wife, a 30-year-old man
allegedly threw his two-
year-old son from the
first-floor terrace of a
building in southeast
Delhi's Kalkaji area
under the influence of
alcohol and then
jumped off it, police
said on Saturday
.
Both Man Singh and
his son were injured in
the incident and are un-
dergoing treatment at a
hospital here, they said.
Police said the inci-
dent took place around
10:30 pm on Friday
.
The man's wife, Pooja,
has alleged that they
shared a strained rela-
tionshipandshewasliv-
ing with her grand-
mother along with her
son, police officials said.
She said her husband
arrived at her residence
around 7 pm in an ine-
briated state and picked
a fight with her, they
added.
Following the fight,
themantookthechildto
the first-floor terrace
and flung him to the
ground from a height of
around 21 feet. He him-
self jumped off the ter-
race after that, a senior
police officer said.
‘Bailapplicationfilederroneously’
Aaftab says he is unaware of any such plea; lawyer tells court he had signed ‘vakalatnama’ for the same
BAIL PLEA SAYS...
The bail application moved through the legal aid
counsel has stated that the initial investigation in
the matter is completed and a charge sheet is to
be filed. It further said: the matter will take longer
to be completed, therefore there is no use in keep-
ing the accused behind bars. It would hamper his
life progress. The application has stated that in
these circumstances the accused may be released
on bail. Aaftab Poonawala is in judicial custody
till December 23. He was earlier also produced
through video conferencing before the court due
to safety reasons.
Man throws 2-yr-old
son from 1st floor
after fight with wife
A case under Sec 307
(attempt to murder)
IPC was registered,
the police said
New Delhi (ANI): Lt
Governor VK Saxena
appealed to the people
living in colonies/locali-
ties along the banks of
the Najafgarh Drain not
to throw garbage direct-
ly into and on the banks
of the drain.
LG Saxena under-
lined that, now that the
seemingly undoable
task of rejuvenating the
NajafgarhDrainandthe
revival of Sahibi river
had started becoming a
reality, people should
own up to their valuable
legacy and keep it clean.
The LG who was on an
inspection visit of the
stretch between Mall
Road Bridge and Bharat
Nagar, while appreciat-
ing the work done so far
noticed fresh garbage
thrown on the already
cleaned and refurbished
banks.
According to Raj Ni-
wasstatement,workson
cleaning and rejuvena-
tion of the 57-km drain
using the cost-effective
Partial Gravitational
De-silting Technology
and trapping of 32 feed-
er drains bringing in
unfettered sewage and
silt into the drain, in the
firstphaseonthestretch
between Timarpur and
Bharat Nagar, were
started from towards
the mouth of the drain
in September and have
begun to show concrete
results.
While the works of
de-silting and restora-
tion of embankments
from Wazirabad to
Timarpurwerecomplet-
ed in November end,
further works on the 7.5
km stretch between
Mall Road Bridge and
Bharat Nagar, sched-
uled to be completed by
the middle of January
2023 is going on in full
earnest and is ahead of
schedule, the statement
said.
The 57-km long drain
has as many as 122
drains discharging
sewage. This makes
Najafgarh Drain the
biggest polluter of Riv-
er Yamuna.
LG appeals to people not
to throw garbage directly
into Najafgarh Drain
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Shiv Ku-
mar, 30, a junior secre-
tariat assistant at DDA,
went missing over a
month ago after he was
briefly detained at Mod-
el Town police station
over a woman’s plaint
alleging harassment.
His family suspects the
role of the local police.
While Model Town po-
lice had initially denied
anyinformationonShiv,
one of his friends alleg-
edly spotted an entry
aboutShiv'sdetentionin
a police register. CCTV
footage later shared
with the family revealed
thatShivhadwalkedout
of the police station
around 4 am on Novem-
ber 9 – the last time he
was seen in public.
Alleging a delay of 9
days in lodging a miss-
ing persons FIR, Shiv’s
father Ravendra Kumar,
a61-yr-oldretiredUPPo-
lice official, and his
brother Pawan filed sev-
eral applications to Del-
hi Police seeking a
probe. Unsatisfied with
the response, spooked
byprankcallsaskingfor
huge amounts for infor-
mation about their son,
and fatigued by their
daily runs to random
railway stations, bus
stops and night shelters
to look for Shiv, the fam-
ily has now filed a habe-
as corpus plea at Delhi
HC seeking a CBI probe.
While the court will
hearthematteronJanu-
ary 16, the case has now
been transferred to the
crime branch.
“When the family has
raised concerns about
conduct of police, how
could the same set of
people carry out probe
inthiscase…notinform-
ing Shiv’s family at any
pointof timeamountsto
a lapse on part of po-
lice,” said Heenu Ma-
hajan, the lawyer repre-
senting Shiv’s family
.
Ravendra and Pawan
had come to Delhi from
UP on November 10 to
file a missing plaint af-
ter Shiv’s friends failed
to trace him at his two-
room apartment, which
they found unlocked in
Guru Teg Bahadur area.
On November 12, Rav-
endrawroteto officesof
Delhi Police commis-
sionerSanjayAroraand
North West DCP Usha
Rangrani, claiming the
family was “misled by
police”. An abduction
case was subsequently
filedonNovember18but
mentioned neither any
suspect nor any delay in
the columns.
‘Cops involved’: Family of
missing DDA official
997 security personnel in district courts,HC told
New Delhi (PTI): To
strengthen the security
arrangements of all sev-
en district courts in the
capital, 997 security per-
sonnel, including those
from local police and
CAPF, have been de-
ployedthere, DelhiHigh
Court was informed.
In a status report filed
before the HC, Delhi Po-
lice has also said more
than 2,700 CCTVs, 85
baggage scanners, 242
hand-held metal detec-
tors and 146 door-frame
metal detectors have
been installed in the dis-
trict courts.
The report was filed
in relation to the high
court's suo motu case
and a petition on the
safety and security on
the court premises, fol-
lowing the September 24
shootout in a courtroom
in the Rohini district
court that killed three
people.
In its latest status re-
port, Delhi Police in-
formed the court that as
on November 30, 997 se-
curity personnel were
deployed in the district
courts as opposed to 783
on October 26, 2021.
The figure includes
493 security staff, 243
Central Armed Police
Forces (CAPF) person-
nel and 261 police per-
sonnel, it said.
Total 313 security per-
sonnel are also present
at HC, besides several
door-frame and hand-
held metal detectors,
CCTVs and other facili-
ties, the report added.
It also said addition-
ally, boom barriers and
59 wireless sets and con-
trol rooms for prompt
communication have
been given to these insti-
tutionsandeveryperson
enteringthecourtprem-
ises is subjected to
searching and frisking.
New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on
Saturday asked the newly-elected AAP council-
lors to visit every colony in their ward and get it
cleaned in their presence. We
all have to clean Delhi together.
I appeal to all councillors --
go to each and every street,
colony in your ward and get
it cleaned in your presence,
Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
CLEAN EVERY STREET: KEJRIWAL
TO AAP COUNCILLORS
PET-WERNAL LOVE
People with their pets during Pet Festival at NSIC, Okhla, in New Delhi on Saturday.
—PHOTO
BY
PTI
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Following
an argument with his
wife, a 35-year-old man
identified as Abhinay
Gupta set himself on
fire at his residence in
South Delhi’s Fatehpur
BerionFridaynight,the
police said. Five others
of the family, including
a 6-year-old boy and an
infant, who were in the
room where Gupta
doused himself with
kerosene, were injured
in the incident.
His wife Neha Gupta
(30)andmotherPrashila
Gupta (65) sustained
burn injuries trying to
put the fire out, they
said. The couple’s two
sons Rihaan (6) and
8-month-old Shivaan
suffered minor burns as
they were in the same
room, police said.
Abhinay Gupta and
his mother Prashila
were admitted in the
burnswardattheAIIMS
with 50 per cent and 20
per cent burn injuries
respectively, he said,
adding that the wife and
the kids were taken to
Safdarjung Hospital
with minor burns.
5 of family hurt as man
self-immolates at home
New Delhi (PTI): Lt
Governor VK Saxena
has approved appoint-
ment of several officers
in Municipal Corpora-
tion of Delhi, officials
said on Saturday
.
These appointments
have been done after se-
lection through a duly
laid down procedure
through open advertise-
ments, shortlisting by a
selection committee on
weightage provided to
prefixed criteria and in-
terviews, they said.
The LG has approved
the appointment of
three additional deputy
commissioners/jointas-
sessor and collector, and
19 administrative offic-
ers/assistant assessor
and collectors in MCD,
aRajNiwasofficialsaid.
Eversincetakingover
as the LG, Saxena has
been pitching for effi-
ciency in MCD and had
instructedofficialstofill
up vacant posts at the
earliest, he said.
Appointedondeputa-
tion from other govern-
ment services and de-
partmentslikeCSS,IRS,
NDMC, CAG, CGST
CE and Income Tax
Deptt. etc., these officers
will help the under-
staffed Corporation to a
large extent, in better
discharge of its admin-
istrative, revenue gen-
eration, valuation and
collection functions,
the official said.
LG nod to appointment of
several officers in MCD
The Delhi High
Court will hear the
family’s petition in
January
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
The probe has left several questions unanswered,
such as the role of Shiv’s friends who informed
the family about his room being left open, the lack
of Shiv’s statement to the police after the com-
plaint in which he was detained, the three other
persons who were detained along with him at the
police station that night, and the absence of any
action against the police personnel who were seen
in CCTV footage with Shiv on November 9.
Police had picked up Shiv, along with three
other people, after receiving a call at 1.51 am from
Sonia, a local resident who alleged that a “man
is misbehaving with a woman at the park”. But
they noted that the complainant “doesn’t want to
record a statement or follow the case legally”.
According to several local residents in the
neighbourhood, Shiv’s behaviour was abrupt
on the night of November 9. They said that he
created a ruckus in the locality “with a knife” that
night while knocking on doors, and the police
also say that CCTV footage shows him carrying a
sharp weapon. His family, however, denies that he
had any mental health issues.
When the
family has
raised con-
cerns about conduct of
police, how could the
same set of people
carry out probe in this
case.
—Heenu Mahajan,
Lawyer
OVER 100 NEW DEPLOYMENTS IN 1 YEAR

CAPITOL
03
CRUCIAL READ
AHIR REGIMENT PROTEST: GURUGRAM
POLICE ISSUE TRAFFIC ADVISORY
IGL HIKES CNG PRICE BY 95 PAISE;
GURUGRAM PRICE NOW `87.89
New Delhi (ANI): Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) has
decided to increase the prices of CNG in the region from
Saturday, December 17. Now, CNG will be 95 paise costlier.
Customers will now have to pay up to Rs 79.56 for a kg of
CNG in Delhi, while it will cost around Rs 82.12 per kg in
Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad. It will be the costliest
in Gurugram, with a kg of CNG priced at Rs 87.89 from
today. Gas distributors have been periodically raising prices
since October last year when domestic as well as interna-
tional gas prices started to climb. Earlier in May, it was hiked
by two rupees, while on October 8 it became costlier by
three rupees. The CNG prices in Delhi have gone up by more
than 20 rupees in the past 9 months.
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT DELHI HOSPITAL,
5 FIRE TENDERS RUSHED
New Delhi (ANI): A fire broke out at at the Pheonix
Hospital in South Delhi’s Greater Kailash Part 1 on
Saturday morning. No injuries have been reported so far.
The blaze was reported in the basement of the hospital. A
fire call was received at 0908 this morning. A total of five
fire tenders were rushed to the site and the blaze is now
under control, fire department officials said. The cause of
the blaze has not yet been ascertained.
Gurugram (PTI): Police issued a traffic advisory ahead of
the proposed protest to demand the formation of Ahir regi-
ment near Kherki Dhaula toll plaza here on Sunday, officials
said. The police said a number of diversions have been put
in place since the traffic flow may get affected due to the
protest on December 18. Those coming from Jaipur may
take diversion from Pachgaon and follow KMP for Delhi
and other areas, the advisory said. Those commuting from
Manesar to Gurugram or Delhi may follow U-turn from Givo
cut near Kherki Dhaula toll and take SPR to Golf course ex-
tension route, it added. “Those travelling from Gurugram or
Delhi towards Jaipur may take a diversion route from Rajiv
chowk to Sohna and then use the KMP route. Those com-
muting from Gurugram to Jaipur may also take a diversion
from Hero Honda chowk to Pataudi road,” read the advisory.
Acid attack: Girl wished to
be a judge, study in London
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The family
of the 17-year-old girl
who was attacked with
acid in southwest Del-
hi’s Dwarka had moved
into their three-room
apartment here nearly
two years ago. The
house has been mostly
locked since the attack
took place Wednesday
morning, with family
members attending to
the teenager at the
burns ward of Safdar-
jung Hospital. The
Class 12 student had
just stepped out to go to
school when two bike-
borne men threw acid
on her face.
Mahesh Kumar, who
lives on the floor below
the victim's and whose
daughter is friends
with her, said he real-
ised what had happened
when the girl's parents
came running to him
and asked him to start
his motorcycle. “As
soon as she managed to
sit on the bike, I noticed
fumes rising from her
face and neck. She was
struggling to open her
eyes,” he recalled.
That's when the girl's
father told Mahesh that
“somebody had poured
acid on her.
They took her to
Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Hospital and informed
the police who filed an
FIR. From Deen Dayal
Upadhyay Hospital, the
girl was referred to
Safdarjung Hospital
the same day. “She’s a
very bright and intelli-
gent girl who has inter-
est in the legal field. I
remember her telling
me she would like to be-
come a judge someday,
Mahesh said. Mahesh’s
daughter said her
friend had already
started preparing for
life after school next
year. “She had spoken
to a career counsellor
and had plans to go to
London,” she said.
The main accused is
Sachin Arora, who al-
leged stalked the survi-
vor for sometime be-
fore attacking her. “Yes,
he would follow her on
his scooty and repeat-
edly try and speak with
her,” the friend said.
Arora lived in the
same neighborhood as
the victim before her
family shifted to the
new apartment.
Her father runs a
business selling rubber
stamps and vehicle li-
cence plates, and also
deals in real estate. The
girl lived with her par-
ents, two younger sib-
lings and their grand-
mother. “Her grand-
mother is the most up-
set of them all, said a
neighbour.
Neighbours
recall the
morning when
the horrific
attack took place
just outside the
girl’s house
National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) and other
organisation members holding placards stage a protest over
crimes against women and the recent acid attack on a 17-year-
old girl, in New Delhi on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Jasvir Sharma has a toy store in the area where
the girl lives. It's within a few steps of where
the acid attack took place. Sharma couldn't
fathom why such a deadly substance as acid was
so easily available. Why can’t it be put out of
circulation completely?” he asked.
Vandana, who runs a stationary shop right out-
side the victim's house said, “This is nothing but
a lapse on the part of the government. These men
ordered acid online. It's as easy as purchasing
clothes.”
Devendra Singh, a retired government employee,
shifted to this area in 2012. His house is right
opposite the spot where the attack happened.
He came to know about it two hours later. “As
you can see, despite what happened here there’s
hardly any police presence,” he complained. The
nearest police picket is the Mohan Garden station
a few kilometres away. “We don’t have strict laws
and so there is no sense of fear. Is there a way to
keep tabs on the sale of acid even online?”
NEIGHBOURS IN SHOCK
She’s a very bright and intelligent girl
who has interest in the legal field. I re-
member her telling me she would like to
become a judge someday.
—Mahesh Kumar, ,neighbour
Gurugram (PTI): A
man was allegedly
duped of around Rs 2
lakh while ordering
wine to be delivered to
his home, police said on
Saturday
.
According to the com-
plaint, Chandrakant
Takkar of Emerald
Floor Premier, sector 65
dialled the number of
Jagadish wine shop that
he found on internet.
The user of that
phone number intro-
duced himself as if he
was talking from the
wine shop and by the
way of impersonation
induced me to send him
Rs 50 for billing. Later
he took my credit card
details and duped me of
Rs 1,91,362. He could
not be contacted again,
he said.
After a long wait he
neither delivered liquor
nor returned my money
,
following which I moved
topolice,Takkaradded.
AnFIRwasregistered
against the unknown
fraudsters under sec-
tions 419 (cheating by
impersonation) and 420
(cheating) of IPC at a cy-
ber crime police station.
We have put the mo-
bile number used in
fraud on surveillance
and are investigating.
The accused will be
nabbed as earliest pos-
sible, ASI Manjeet Da-
lal, investigating offic-
er, said.
Man duped of
2L ordering
wine for home
delivery
‘Mydaughterunabletospeakoreat,’
saysMCDschoolstudent’sfather
New Delhi: The father
of the Class 5 girl who
was assaulted by an
MCD school teacher is
still struggling to come
to terms with the inci-
dent and said his
daughter is unable to
eat or speak due to a
broken cheekbone.
The child is still in
Safdarjung Hospital.
According to her fa-
ther, the girl has also
suffered injuries on
her legs and the side of
her head.
She is unable to eat
or drink anything. The
doctor told us that she
would be discharged
today. But they in-
formed us that she will
be kept under observa-
tion for two more
days, the father said.
He has demanded a
harsher punishment
for the teacher, saying
how could someone
do this to a child.
Recalling the events
of the day, the father,
who is a daily wager,
said he was informed
about his daughter's
injuries on a call from
the school.
I was at work when
we received informa-
tion from the school
about the assault. We
rushed to the school
where we were told
that she has been ad-
mitted to the Hindu
Rao Hospital. I ran
there, he said.
The father said the
minor cried when he
saw him and his wife
lost consciousness.
Though she was un-
able to speak when I
saw her she started
crying. My wife on the
other hand fell uncon-
scious, he said.
We want the teach-
er to be removed and
severely punished. She
could harm any child.
We send our children
for education. She can
do same thing to other
students, he added.
According to the po-
lice, the teacher locked
herself inside a class-
room with students
and violently threw
water bottles before
she picked up the girl,
cut her hair and tossed
her from the balcony
.
According to doc-
tors, the girl, aged
around 17, has sus-
tained a fracture in a
facial bone.
Central Delhi DCP Shweta Chauhan at the school on Friday.
—PHOTO
BY
ANI
We want the teacher to be severely
punished... We send our kids for edu-
cation. She can do same to others.
—father of girl who faced acid attack
Bhopal (PTI): A 40-yr-
old man being rushed to
a hospital in Delhi from
Raipur was provided an
oxygen cylinder in time
at Bhopal station after
his oxygen levels
dropped precariously
enroute.
Kadar Yadav's oxygen
saturation was 80-85 per
cent, which calls for im-
mediate medical help
amid a threat of hypox-
ia, when the Bilaspur-
Rajdhani Express was
passing through MP in
the intervening night of
December15-16,Dheeraj
Kumar, the male nurse
accompanyinghimsaid.
Ailing man given
oxygen support
on train to Delhi
New Delhi (ANI): A
man impersonating a
judge of Delhi High
Court was arrested af-
ter he sent messages to
police officers trying to
extort money, con-
firmed Delhi Police.
The accused was
identified as Narender
Aggarwal of Adarsh
Nagar here.
Theincidentcameto
light when ACP sub-
division Samaypur
Badli Outer North Dis-
trict, Anurag Dwivedi,
received a WhatsApp
message on his phone
that said, Hi, here is
Justice (name with-
held) sitting judge Del-
hi HC, call me urgent-
ly
. It was said that the
person, who sent the
message, would visit
Police Station Samay-
pur Badli at 5 pm in
connection with a writ
petition.
Dwivedi had con-
veyed the message to
SHO Samaypur Badli
Inspector Sanjay Ku-
mar. Around 5pm, a
person in his 60s
walked into the station
and claimed to be the
judge. He told them he
had come in connec-
tionwithpersonalveri-
fication of a writ peti-
tion filed in connection
with organised crime
running in the area.
The so-called judge
then asked the SHO to
Pay Rs 5 lakh for get-
ting the petition be set
aside, or else they
mightbeintroubleand
lose jobs.
As there was no offi-
cial communication
from the HC regarding
the visit of any Judge,
theSHOgotsuspicious.
Man arrested for impersonating
judge,threatening police

PERSPECTIVE
04
ARG VS FRA: THE FINAL
CLASH OF TITANS TODAY
rgentina and France will face
off in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Final today at Lusail Stadium.
Their respective journeys
have been more similar than
distinct because both teams lost
one game on the road to the
championship game.
After a terrible performance
against Saudi Arabia, Argenti-
na has been flawless, scoring
goals and playing solid defence,
while riding the Messi Magic.
They just finished a nearly flaw-
less game against Croatia,
where Lionel Messi’s sensation-
al performance helped Argenti-
na reach their second World Cup
Final in three years.
Matchup History between
France and Argentina
Argentina and France have
played three times previously at
the FIFA World Cup. Argentina
wonthefirsttwomeetingsin1930
and 1978, while France knocked
Argentina out of the 2018 World
Cup in the Round of 16.
France ended up on the win-
ningsideafteraseven-goalthrill-
er. Kylian Mbappe was intro-
duced to the world during the 4-3
victory in 2018 when his double
was a major factor in Les Blues’
advancing to the quarterfinals.
Although it is a result that the
Argentinians will undoubtedly
not have forgotten either. Even
though they have six of the pre-
vious 12 encounters between the
two, they would gladly swap all
of those memories if they lift
the World Cup trophy on Sunday
.
Journey of Argentina
Argentina has been able to im-
prove throughout the competi-
tion to the point, where they are
just inches away from a surpris-
ing World Cup victory
. After they
managed to defeat both Mexico
and Poland in their group, their
2-1 setback to Saudi Arabia feels
like a distant memory
.
Argentina was tested to the
limit in challenging encounters
against Australia and the Neth-
erlands, but their best was yet to
come as they outplayed Croatia
in a superb 3-0 victory in the
semifinals.The outcome of this
gamewillprobablybeinfluenced
by Messi’s antics, and if France
permits him to receive the ball in
space, he will harm them.
Journey of France
At this World Cup, France has
never really seemed to be in
peak shape. The French have
nonetheless advanced to a World
Cup final and given themselves
a solid chance to retain the title
they earned in 2018.
They found it difficult to fully
utilisetheirabundanceof attack-
ing talent against England be-
cause England outplayed them.
They once again prevailed over
Morocco without really appear-
ing to be playing at their best.
Against Argentina, France
will be tested thoroughly
. France
will look to players like Kylian
Mabppe to lead them.
The top four scorers from
each team in the FIFA World
Cup 2022 are distributed equally
.
With five goals each, Kylian
Mbappe of France and Lionel
Messi of Argentina are tied for
the most goals scored at the
FIFA World Cup 2022.
With four goals each, Julian
Alvarez (ARG) and Olivier Gir-
oud (FRA) are tied for second. As
a result, it is safe to assume that
the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden
Boot race will also be decided in
the Final, making it an intrigu-
ing side story to the main event.
It will be France’s fourth
World Cup championship game
and Argentina’s sixth in the
forthcomingARGvsFRAmatch.
France will only be the third
side in history—following Italy
(1934 and 1938) and Brazil to suc-
cessfully defend a World Cup ti-
tle if they win the 2022 World
Cup final (1958 and 1962).
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
A
RAHUL FAUJDAR
The writer is First India staffer
a professional cricketer representing
several clubs in Rajasthan
l Vol 2 l Issue No.109
l RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840
Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan
on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed
at Impressions Printing and Packaging Limited,
C-21, 22 Sector-59, Noida-201301. Published
at G-20, 3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New
Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474.
Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
Presented India’s
National Statement at
the UN Biodiversity
Conference, COP15.
Highlighted that under
PM Shri @narendramodi
ji, India’s balance sheet
in implementing the
Aichi targets is forward-
looking and the country
is on track to meeting its
commitments.
BhupenderYadav
@byadavbjp SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Whatever action is performed by a
great man, common men follow in
his footsteps, and whatever
standards he sets by exemplary
acts, all the world pursues.
—The Bhagavad Gita
TOP
TWEETS
Comments of Pakistan’s
Foreign Minister Bilawal
Bhutto against PM @
narendramodi who
is truly a tall global
leader, is comical and
shows Mr. Bhutto in
very poor light lacking
even the basic civility
on a prestigious
international forum like
the UN.
Ravi Shankar
Prasad@rsprasad
PRIZE
MONEY
The world cup champion
team will get an amount
of 45 million dollars
and the runner-up team
to receive 30 million
dollars. Meanwhile, the
third-placed team will
be given $27 million and
the fourth-placed team
will win $25 MILLION.
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT
LIONEL MESSI, ARGENTINA
The spotlight will be on Messi throughout the Final. The 35-year-old will
beat Germany’s Lothar Matthäus for the most World Cup appearances
with 26 just by participating in the final. Messi now has 11 goals overall
at the World Cup, making him Argentina’s all-time leading scorer with
his penalty kick goal against Croatia.
JULIAN ALVAREZ, ARGENTINA
Alvarez has been one of the breakout stars in Argentina. In the round of
16, he scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Australia, and
in the semifinals, he gave his team two insurance goals. Alvarez is tied
with France’s Olivier Giroud for third in the Golden Boot race with four
goals, trailing Messi and Mbappe by only one goal.
KYLIAN MBAPPE, FRANCE
Mbappe had a spectacular opening to the
World Cup, scoring three goals and provid-
ing one assist in France’s opening two
games. Then, he contributed two goals and
an assist to help Les Bleus defeat Poland
3-1 in the round of 16, surpassing his four-
goal total from the previous tournament.
OLIVIER GIROUD, FRANCE
When France lost Karim Benzema to
injury ahead of the World Cup, the
defending champs needed Olivier Giroud
to step up - and he’s delivered. In the
opening match against Australia, Olivier
Giroud scored twice and added two more
goals in the knockout round.

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INDIA
06
BIHAR HOOCH TRAGEDY
New Delhi (ANI): Days
after the successful tri-
als of the nuclear-capa-
ble Agni-5 ballistic mis-
sile, India has now de-
veloped the capability
to strike targets beyond
the range of 7,000 kms.
Sourcesinthedefence
establishment told ANI
that the Defence Re-
searchandDevelopment
Organisation (DRDO)
has been able to reduce
the weight of the Agni-5
missile by replacing
steel content with com-
posite materials. “The
weight reduction that
has been achieved in the
missilesystemisbeyond
20percentandif thegov-
ernment wants, the nu-
clear-capable strategic
missile can go beyond
7,000 kms,” they said.
Sources cited the ex-
ample of the Agni-3
which weighs around 40
tonnes and can strike
targets at 3,000 kms but
the Agni-4 weighing
slightly more than 20
tonnes can cover a
much longer range.
The extended range
of the missile which is
part of the Strategic
Forces Command will
give a variety of options
to the planners during
times of conflict.
India’s nuclear weap-
on programme is main-
ly for deterrence
against its adversaries
including China and
Pakistan as it has a no-
first-use policy
.
It has been strengthen-
ingthesecondstrikecapa-
bility and is also working
on the development of a
submarine-launched bal-
listicmissile.Thesources
said the decision to test
the missile for its new
maximum possible
range will have to be tak-
en by the government.
India had successful-
ly carried out night tri-
als of Agni-5 nuclear-
capable ballistic missile
on Thursday at its full
range of 5400 kms.
The test was carried
out to validate new
technologies and equip-
ment on the missile
which is now lighter
than before.
In October last year,
India carried out the
successful launch of
the surface-to-surface
ballistic missile, Agni-5
from APJ Abdul Kalam
Island, Odisha.
The missile, which
uses a three-stage solid-
fuelled engine, is capa-
ble of striking targets
at ranges up to 5,000
kilometres with a very
high degree of accura-
cy, the defence ministry
said in a statement.
IfIndiawants,Agnimissilescannowstriketargetsbeyond7,000kms
ENHANCED BALLISTIC CAPABILITY
Kolkata (PTI): Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah has asked West
Bengal BJP leaders to
strengthen the grass-
root level of the party in
the Trinamool Con-
gress-ruled state ahead
of the panchayat polls,
a senior party leader
said on Saturday
.
Shah, who held a
meeting with senior
state party leaders after
coming here, said that
the BJP should harness
“public discontent
againsttheTMC”,BJP’s
national Vice-President
Dilip Ghosh said.
On Shah’s meeting
held at the state BJP
headquarters, the
TMC’s West Bengal
spokesperson Joy
Prakash Majumdar
claimed that it was a fu-
tile attempt to save his
party’s state unit from
disintegrating.
“Amit-ji is alarmed
about the present situa-
tion in West Bengal —
how TMC leaders have
swindled public money
and central funds, tak-
en bribes to give jobs to
ineligible candidates in
schools, the continuing
attacks on our men. He
wants to see an end to
this situation,” Dilip
Ghosh told PTI.
Shah knows that the
people want change in
West Bengal, but to
counter the TMC’s at-
tacks and threats, the
BJP will combat them
democratically
,” Ghosh,
a former West Bengal
BJP chief, said.
The Union home min-
ister held a half-an-hour
meeting on Friday
night with leaders like
Ghosh, state president
Sukanta Majumdar,
Leader of the Opposi-
tion Suvendu Adhikari
and others.
To a question, if Shah
also asked leaders to
sink their differences,
Ghosh said, “Amit-ji
knows we stand united.
There can be differenc-
es of opinion among
individuals at times,
but that happens in a
family. No such issue
was discussed.”
Shah came here to
chair the Eastern Zonal
Council (EZC) meeting
at the state secretariat
on Saturday
.
StrengthenBJPatgrassrootslevel
inWB:AmitShahtopartyleaders
Union Minister tells party leaders to harness ‘public discontent against the ruling TMC’
Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairs a meeting with the West Bengal BJP core group and other senior leaders, at the Bharatiya Janata
Party office, in Kolkata on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Patna (PTI): Close on
the heels of the hooch
tragedy in dry Bihar that
left many dead in Saran,
eight more died alleg-
edly after consuming
some spurious liquor in
two other districts, of-
ficials said on Saturday.
Six people died in
Siwan district adjoining
Saran, while Begusarai
witnessed two deaths.
Unconfirmed reports
claimed that up to 60
people died by drinking
illicitly brewed country
liquor in Saran district.
Even the official toll of
30 there is the biggest
since Bihar went dry six
years ago. About the six
deaths in Bhagwanpur
division of Siwan dist
since Thursday, SDM
Sanjay Kumar said the
administration has initi-
ated an investigation.
8 MORE DIE IN 2 OTHER BIHAR DISTRICTS
New Delhi (PTI): The
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) held nationwide
protests on Saturday
against Pakistan For-
eign Minister Bilawal
Bhutto’s personal at-
tack on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi as the
ruling party sought to
rally support from all
sections over the issue.
Its members raised
slogans and burnt effi-
gies of Pakistan and
Bhutto during their
protests in state capi-
tals across the country
.
Its various state unit
presidents, including
Bhupendra Singh
Chaudhary in Uttar
Pradesh and Sanjay
Jaiswal in Bihar, led a
march of party workers
against Bilawal Bhut-
to’s statement.
“India came together
to condemn and protest
Bhutto's uncivilized
and distasteful com-
ment on PM Modi,” the
party said, adding that
protests were held in
every state.
BJP protests Pak FM Bhutto’s
remarks against PM Modi
Islamabad: Pakistan on
Saturday rejected In-
dia's criticism of Foreign
Minister Bilawal Bhutto’s
“uncivilised” outburst
against PM Narendra Modi,
alleging that it showed New
Delhi’s “growing frustra-
tion”. Bhutto resorted to a
personal attack against PM
Modi and slammed the RSS
after External Affairs Minis-
ter S Jaishankar described
Pakistan as “epicentre of
terrorism” during his recent
visit to New York.
Raipur: Chhattisgarh CM
Bhupesh Baghel on Satur-
day condemned Pakistani
Minister Bila-
wal Bhutto’s
derogatory
remarks on
PM Modi
and said
no one has
the right to make such a
statement about India’s PM.
“I condemn the statement
made by Pakistan’s Foreign
Minister. A befitting reply
must be given,” Baghel said.
PAKISTAN REJECTS
INDIA’S CRITICISM
OF FM BILAWAL’S
OUTBURST ON MODI
‘MODI IS OUR PM,
NO ONE HAS RIGHT..’
BHUPESH BAGHEL
CONDEMNS PAK FM
New Delhi (PTI): A big
number of farmers
from Amaravati in
Andhra Pradesh organ-
ised a protest here
against the state govt’s
plan for bringing a law
to develop three capi-
tals instead of one, with
MPs from various par-
ties joining them to ex-
tend their support.
TDPmembers,includ-
ing Jayadev Galla and K
Rammohan Naidu,
BSP’s Danish Ali and
YRS Congress’ K Raghu
Rama Krishna Raju, a
dissident leader in the
state’srulingparty
,were
among the MPs besides
severalotherleaders,in-
cluding from the Con-
gress and the Left, who
expressed their support
to the farmers protest-
ing under the banner of
the ‘
Amaravati Parirak-
shana Samithi’, accord-
ing to a statement.
Farmers have de-
manded that the state
govt should stick to the
earlier plan of having
one capital city in Am-
aravati as envisaged by
former Chief Minister
Chandrababu Naidu.
Amaravatifarmers
opposeAPgovt’smove
Amaravati farmers hold a protest over various demands from the
Central government, in New Delhi on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI
BJP workers protest over Pak Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari’s remarks against PM Modi, in Jabalpur, on Saturday.
BJP WB core meet in Delhi on Monday
Kolkata (ANI): West
Bengal Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP) on
Monday will hold a
party core group meet-
ingregardingLokSab-
ha election in 2024 and
upcoming panchayat
polls, said sources.
The state BJP is
fully geared up for the
Lok Sabha elections
and has started pre-
paring for it. Ahead of
the Lok Sabha elec-
tions, Union Minister
Amit Shah has also
visited West Bengal,
taken the ground re-
port there, and con-
tinuously motivated
the workers.
Subhash Sarkar, Ni-
shith Pramanik, Suv-
endu Adhikari, Dilip
Ghos, Sukanto Ma-
jumdar, Locket Chat-
terjee, all MPs and
BJP organization gen-
eral secretary BL San-
tosh will take part in
this meeting.
This meeting will
be held in the evening
at the residence of
Subhash Sarkar, the
meeting will be
chaired by BL San-
tosh and Sunil Bansal.
CM Nitish Kumar, BJP
engage in blame game
Patna (Agencies):
The ruling JD(U)-led
Mahagathbandhan
(Grand Alliance) and
the BJP in dry state Bi-
har are engaged in
blamegameoverhooch
tragedythatclaimed73
lives in Saran.
The BJP alleges
that due to liquor ban
in the state, spurious
liquor is being manu-
factured leading to
the death of people.
Over 1,000 people
have lost their lives in
hooch tragedies and
state exchequer is los-
ing Rs 30,000 crore as
revenue per year, the
BJP claimed.
Though Nitish Ku-
maralwaystakescred-
it of liqior ban in the
state, whenever a
hooch tragedy oc-
cures, he puts the onus
of it on every political
party which support-
ed the Bill in the Leg-
islative Assembly
.
At the same time,
Nitish also wants to
prove that the “BJP is
against the liquor
ban” and wants to
send this message to a
large section of soci-
ety
, especially women.
Inhisspeechinstate
Assembly
,Nitishasked
the BJP to clear their
stand on liquor ban,
saying that: “If you ad-
vocate the withdrawal
of liquor prohibition
law, I will take it back.”
PLAN FOR 3 CAPITALS IN ANDHRA
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. —FILE PHOTO
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea
challenging the election of Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi in 2019 from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency
in Kerala. A bench of justices AS Bopanna and Dipankar
Datta rejected the petition filed by Saritha S Nair, who
had moved the apex court against an October 31, 2019
decision of the Kerala High Court by which her election
petitions challenging the Lok Sabha polls in Wayanad
and Ernakulam also were dismissed.
Bareilly: Two men were arrested here on Saturday for
allegedly firing at a constable inside a police outpost,
a police official said. The incident took place at the
Nakatiya outpost, which falls under the Cantt police sta-
tion, on National Highway 24 on Friday night, he said.
The accused have been identified as Vikas and Yashpal.
SC DISMISSES PLEA AGAINST RAHUL
GANDHI’S ELECTION FROM WAYANAD
UP: TWO MEN ARRESTED FOR FIRING AT
CONSTABLE INSIDE POLICE OUTPOST
NEWS DIGEST
INDIA’S ‘NO FIRST USE’ POLICY
HC COMES TO AID
OF ENDOSULFAN
VICTIM’S FAMILY
PFI: COURT GIVES
MAHA ATS 30
MORE DAYS
Kochi: The Kerala High
Court has come to the aid
of the family of an endo-
sulfan victim, who died
at the age of 11 years, by
asking the state govt to
write off the loans availed
for her treatment, saying
neither the State nor the
court can be oblivious to
plight of such persons
and their kin.
Mumbai: A special court
here on Saturday grant-
ed a 30-day extension
to the Maharashtra Anti
Terrorism Squad (ATS)
to file a charge sheet
in connection with the
arrest of five members
of the Popular Front of
India for alleged unlaw-
ful activities and waging
war against country.
Srinagar (PTI):
The Jammu and
Kashmir State In-
vestigation Agency
(SIA) on Saturday
sealed several prop-
erties worth crores
of rupees of the
banned Jamat-e-Is-
lami (JeI) across the
Union Territory.
The properties at
about a dozen loca-
tions worth about
Rs 100 crore were
barred with restric-
tions on usage and
entry in Baramulla,
Bandipora, Gander-
bal and Kupwara
districts. The prop-
erties were barred
after being notified
so by the district
magistrates.
Jamat-e-Islami
properties
worth crores
sealed in JK
—PIC FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 54,222.00 107.00 0.19 (Per 10g)
SILVER 68,001.00 120.00 0.17 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 82.85 0.09 0.04
GBPINR 100.77 1.34 1.31
CURRENCIES
business
BRIEFS
Montreal: At the ongoing
15th Conference of the
Parties (COP15) of the
Convention on Biological
Diversity in Montreal, the
Japan Ministry of Envi-
ronment, the Keidanren
Committee on Nature
Conservation, UNDP, and
other partners have an-
nounced the launch of
the fourth phase of the
Community Development
and Knowledge Manage-
ment for the Satoyama
Initiative with funding to
total an expected one bil-
lion Japanese yen in six
years. —AGENCIES
JAPAN COMMITS 1
BILLION YEN TO USE
NATURE SUSTAINABLY
San Francisco: The man-
aging director of Elon
Musk’s family office is
seeking new equity inves-
tors for Twitter, as per re-
cent reports, citing 2 peo-
ple familiar with the fund-
raising effort. Musk’s mon-
ey manager, Jared Birchall,
reached out to potential in-
vestors this week, offering
shares of Twitter at the
same price, $54.20, that
Musk paid to take the
company private in Octo-
ber, according to the re-
port. Musk sold another
$3.6 billion worth of
shares in Tesla Inc earlier
this week, making it nearly
$40 billion worth of shares
in the electric-vehicle com-
pany sold this year. —PTI
MUSK’S TEAM SEEKS
NEW FUNDING FOR
TWITTER: REPORT
New Delhi: Goldman
Sachs is preparing to lay
off as many as 3,900 em-
ployees starting in Janu-
ary as chief executive Da-
vid Solomon seeks to
boost the bank’s profitabil-
ity amid economic head-
winds. The plans are still
being drawn up, and it is
possible that the current
target for a cull of “up to
8%” of its 49,000 global
workforce will be slimmed
down if the business out-
look improves, as per 3
people familiar with the
discussions. —AGENCIES
GOLDMAN SACHS TO
LAY OFF ALMOST
4,000 EMPLOYEES
New Delhi: Industrialist
Subhrakant Panda on
Saturday formally took
over as President of the
leading industry body
Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI).
Panda, who was the Sen-
ior Vice President of FIC-
CI, succeeded Sanjiv Me-
hta as President of the
apex chamber during the
conclusion of the 95th
Annual General Meeting.
Panda graduated from the
Boston University in 1993
with a dual concentration
in Finance and Operations
Management. —ANI
SUBHRAKANT PANDA
FORMALLY TAKES
OVER AS FICCI PREZ
*Rates till the edition went to print.
INDIA’S FOREX
RESERVES UP FOR 5TH
CONSECUTIVE WEEK
New Delhi: India’s foreign
exchange reserves during the
week that ended on December
9 rose by USD
2.91 billion to
USD 564.07
billion, the RBI
data showed.
Notably, this is the fifth consecu-
tive week of India’s rising foreign
exchange reserves. During the
week that ended December 2,
the country’s forex reserves
were at USD 561.16 billion, ear-
lier data showed. According to
RBI’s latest data, India’s foreign
currency assets, which are the
biggest component of the forex
reserves, rose by USD 3.14 bil-
lion to USD 500.12 billion.—ANI
TWITTER SUSPENDS
MICROBLOGGING SITE
KOO’S ACCOUNT
New Delhi: Twitter has sus-
pended the account of Indian
microblogging platform Koo. The
Twitter handle
@kooeminence
was suspend-
ed, a develop-
ment that came
in the wake of Elon Musk-owned
Twitter suspending the accounts
of several prominent global
journalists, including those from
the New York Times and Wash-
ington Post. Taking to Twitter,
Mayank Bidawatka, co-founder of
the homegrown microblogging
platform said, “I forgot. There’s
more! - Banning Mastodon ac-
count. - Not allowing mastodon
links saying it’s unsafe. —PTI
OTHER STORIES
ASSAM SPECIALTY ‘MANOHARI GOLD TEA’
AUCTIONED FOR ` 1.15 LAKH PER KG
Mumbai: A specialty tea from Assam’s Dibrugarh district was sold for
Rs 1.15 lakh per kg at a private auction on Friday, the proprietor of
the tea estate said. ‘Manohari Gold Tea’ fetched the price at an auc-
tion on private portal Tea Inntech, Rajan
Lohia of Manohari Tea Estate said. “Due
to the cap of Rs 1 lakh per kg set by the
Tea Board India at Guwahati Tea Auction
Centre (GTAC), we had to sell this batch
through private auction this year,” Lohia
said. This is the highest price fetched for
tea at such auctions anywhere, he claimed. One kilogramme of the
specialty tea was bought by RK Tea Sales, he said. —PTI
Indian roads to match US
standards by 2024: Nitin
New Delhi (ANI): Before
the end of 2024, road infra-
structure will be equal to
the standard of the USA,
said Union Minister of
Road Transport and High-
ways Nitin Gadkari.
Addressing the 95th FIC-
CI Annual convention here,
the minister said that “We
are making the World
Standard Road infrastruc-
ture in the country and
promising you that before
the end of 24, our road in-
frastructure will be equal
to the standard of the USA,
American standards.”
Addressing the issue of
logistics cost he said that it
is an effort to take up to 9
per cent by the end of 2024.
“Our logistics cost is a
big problem. Presently, it
comes to 16%, but I am
promising you that up to
the end of 24, we will take
it to the single digit, up to 9
per cent”, he added.
Talking about the con-
struction industry which
consumes 40% of Global
resources, the Minister
said that we are trying to
minimize the use of steel
in construction work by
adopting substitutes.
“We know that the con-
struction industry not only
contributes significantly to
environmental pollution
but also conserves 40% of
Global materials resourc-
es.Wefocusonreducingthe
cost of resources and im-
proving the quality of con-
struction”, said Gadkari.
TO CREATE MORE
JOBS IN INDIA
z Talking about Electric
mobility, Gadkari said India
should be the leader in this
sector. Electric mobility
will be the most effective
transport system by 2030
z Gadkari said, automobile
industry is of Rs 7.5 lakh
cr we want to take it up
to 15 lakh cr to create new
jobs to make India one of
the biggest automobile
manufacturers in the world
‘WORKING TO
INTRODUCE
INTEGRATIVE
MEDICINE IN
ALL HOSPITALS’
New Delhi (PTI): Union
Health Minister Man-
sukh Mandaviya on Satur-
day said the central gov-
ernment is working to-
wards setting up a separate
wing for integrative medi-
cine, an approach that com-
bines conventional medi-
cine with complementary
treatments, in all the medi-
cal colleges and hospitals.
Mandaviya, who deliv-
ered a keynote address at
International Integrative
Health and Wellbeing
(IHW) Conference, 2022 or-
ganised by Heartfulness,
said the government has
established 1,50,000 health
andwellnesscentresacross
platforms that promote
meditation, yoga, and all
aspects and activities per-
taining to integrated
health and wellbeing.
“In the coming days, we
have started working on
having a separate division
for integrative medicine in
all medical colleges or hos-
pitals, and to have arrange-
ments for research,” he
said in a tweet.
Integrative medicine is
the need of the hour, he
stressed in another tweet.
Noting that research
should not be restricted to
government laboratories
alone, the union minister
said the Centre wants to
open research that recog-
nises the spiritual dimen-
sion and encourage public
private partnership.
BGR honours Indian tech leaders for innovative work
First India Bureau
New Delhi: BGR.in (Broad
Guidance Ratings) organ-
ised the third edition of its
annual Tech Excellence
Awards that aims to high-
light and honour the efforts
of all the stakeholders from
the industry and from the
government that are help-
ing in realising the dream
of ‘
Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
MoS for Electronics and
Information Technology,
Rajeev Chandrasekhar de-
livered the keynote address
followed by the awards cer-
emony
. This year, BGR Tech
Excellence Awards felici-
tated companies and prod-
ucts in various categories
including smartphones,
laptops, hearable/weara-
ble, and smart TVs. The
keynote address was fol-
lowed by two panel discus-
sions. The first panel dis-
cussion focussed on ‘5G:
Unlocking next-gen India’.
The second panel discus-
sionfocussedon‘Makingof
AtmaNirbhar Bharat
throughDigitalRevolution’.
BGR.IN TECH EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2022
WINNERS IN VARIOUS CATEGORIES
SMARTPHONES
z Best innovation in smart-
phones — Nothing Phone (1)
z Best camera smartphone
— Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
z Best flagship smartphone
— Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
z Best budget smartphone
brand — Tecno
z Most promising smart-
phone brand — Xiaomi
z Most promising budget 5G
smartphone — Redmi Note
11T 5G
SMART TV
z Most trusted Smart TV —
Sony Bravia
LAPTOP/TABLET
z Best tablet of the year —
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus
z Best flagship laptop of the
year — Asus Zenbook 17
Fold OLED UX9702
z Best indigenous tech
brand of the year — BoAt
Lifestyle
z Most popular digital pay-
ment app of the year
— Paytm
GST Council to allow e-comm
for unregistered vendors
New Delhi (Agencies):
The GST Council approved
the amendments in the
GST Act and GST Rules for
allowing unregistered sup-
pliers and composition
taxpayers to make intra-
state supply of goods
through E-Commerce Op-
erators (ECOs), subject to
certain conditions.
Appreciating whole-
heartedly the major deci-
sion of the GST Council to
allow small unregistered
vendors to sell their goods
through e-commerce por-
tals, the Confederation of
All India Traders (CAIT)
onSaturdaythankedPrime
Minister Narendra Modi
and Finance Minister Nir-
mala Sitharaman for this
“progressive decision”
which was demanded by
CAIT since last more than
two years.
CAIT national president
B.C. Bhartia and Secretary
General Praveen Khandel-
wal said this decision will
empowersmalltraderswho
are below GST threshold
limit to expand their busi-
ness through e-commerce
and will strongly strength-
en Digital India vision.
There are more than 8
crore small traders in the
country but a large num-
ber of traders are conduct-
ing business activities
without GST registration
since their annual sale is
below the GST threshold
limit. Such traders will
now be able to trade on e-
commerce.
Earlier, GST Council in
its 47th meeting had grant-
ed in-principle approval
for allowing unregistered
suppliers and composition
taxpayers to make intra-
state supply of goods
through ECOs, subject to
certain conditions. CAIT
said that India is fast
emerging as the e-com-
merce hub and there is tre-
mendous growth in online
business.
E-commerce business in
India is now approximately
10 per cent of total retail.
“In view of this it was
extremely pertinent that
small vendors, those who
have small turnovers and
do not fall under the pur-
view of the GST, were not
able to conduct online busi-
ness, thus causing huge
loss of market and busi-
ness opportunities,” a
statement said.
New Delhi: The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on
Saturday decided to have a single definition across all states
in the country for sports utility vehicles, attracting a higher
tax rate. Currently cars with engine capacity exceeding 1500
cc, length exceeding 4000 mm and having ground clearance
of 170 mm attract a GST of 28% and a 22% cess, taking
the effective tax rate to 50%. However, states do not have
a consistent definition define a vehicle as a SUV, leading to
confusion among automakers. The council, composed of state
finance ministers and chaired by the Union Finance Minister,
decided that all the criteria including engine capacity, length
and ground clearance has to met for a vehicle to be classified
as a SUV. “If cars do not meet any of these criteria, lower cess
rate will be applicable,” said Vivek Johri, Chairman of Central
Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
SINGLE DEFINITION FOR SUV IN ALL STATES
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chairs the 48th meeting of the GST Council via virtual mode, with the Finance
Ministers of State and UTs and Senior officers from the Central government and states in New Delhi on Saturday.
—PHOTO
BY
ANI
Govt working to achieve
defence production target
of $22 bn by 2025: Singh
New Delhi (Agencies):
Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh on Saturday said the
government is working
and committed to increas-
ing the defence production
target from current $12 bil-
lion to $22 billion by 2025.
“You (industry) can im-
agine, with this kind of
growth, how many opportu-
nities will be available for
the Indian industry,” the
DefenceMinistersaidwhile
addressing FICCI’s 95th An-
nual Convention AGM.
He further underlined that
to increase the participa-
tion of domestic industry,
the government has re-
served a certain portion of
defence capital acquisition
for domestic procurement.
“Out of the total defence
capital budget outlay
, 68 per
cent of it is reserved for in-
digenous procurement by
domestic industry and 25%
for the private sector. The
results of these have now
started appearing and more
measureswillbeannounced
soon,” he emphasised.
The government, he
said, is also working to pro-
vide market access to the
domestic industry to make
them Aatmanirbhar. Singh
said that in the last few
years, there has been a con-
tinuous increase in de-
fence exports. The govern-
ment has already taken a
series of steps including
simplifying the FDI norms
which have been increased
to 74% via automatic route
and 100% via government
route, he added.
RECENT REFORMS
HELPED ECONOMY EXIT
‘FRAGILE 5’ TO BECOME
‘FABULOUS 5’: RAJNATH
New Delhi (ANI): Defence min-
ister Rajnath Singh on Saturday
said that the Indian economy
has now exited the ‘Fragile 5’
category to join the league of the
“Fabulous 5” and over the past
eight-and-a-half years with a size
of USD 3.5 trillion the country
has become the fifth largest
global economy. Participat-
ing at industry body FICCI’s
annual general meeting here, he
said: “In nine years, the Indian
economy has now come out of
the Fragile 5 category to become
Fabulous 5.” This bullish growth
outlook for the Indian economy,
Singh, said he believes is due
to “procedural and structural” re-
forms introduced by the govern-
ment led by PM Narendra Modi.
—PHOTO
BY
ANI

08
2NDFRONT
A person can look ‘successful,’ but
till a deep peace and joy abides in
life-True success is elusive.
—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
HC denies bail to man accused
of mass conversion racket
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Luc-
know Bench of the Al-
lahabad High Court has
refused bail to Moham-
mad Umar Gautam, a
converted Muslim who
was arrested last year
on allegations of run-
ning a mass conversion
racket in Uttar Pradesh.
The Division Bench
of Justice Ramesh Sin-
ha and Justice Saroj Ya-
dav passed this order
while hearing a Crimi-
nal Appeal filed by Md
Umar Gautam challeng-
ing the order dated
05.05.2022 of refusal of
bail by the Special
Judge, NIA/ ATS/ Ad-
ditional District Ses-
sions Judge, Lucknow.
The FIR in this case
was lodged on 20.06.2021
at Police Station ATS
Gomti Nagar, Lucknow,
against Umar Gautam,
Mufti Qazi Jahangir
Qasmi, Chairman of Is-
lamic Dawah Centre
(IDC), and unknown
persons.
The FIR said that
Umar Gautam and his
associates were run-
ning IDC for the pur-
pose of conversion and
a huge fund was being
provided to it from dif-
ferent sources includ-
ing foreign countries.
Gautam’s counsel ar-
gued that the appellant
is an educated and law
abiding citizen working
as Lecturer in Jamia
Millia University since
1991. He created a chari-
table trust in the name
of “Fatima Charitable
Foundation” in the year
2007 with its Registered
Office at New Delhi. Un-
der the aegis of the said
trust, IDC was estab-
lished at New Delhi
with sole objective to
help needy and unprivi-
leged people.
The court, however,
held that “Prima facie,
it transpires from the
record that the appel-
lant has admitted that
he is running an organ-
ization in the name of
Islamic Dawah Centre
(IDC) which welcomes
people who embrace Is-
lam and he has engaged
his associates, who are
co-accused in the case,
by preparing docu-
ments for conversion of
a person belonging to
another religion for em-
bracing Islam and he
has categorically stated
in his bail application
that the said conversion
was being carried out
by his organization for
the last so many years.”
Mohammad Umar Gautam, a converted Muslim, worked as Lecturer in Jamia
Milia university and founded Islamic Dawah Centre in New Delhi
Counsel argued that Gautam is an educated, law abiding citizen.
The court observed,
“It cannot be said that
he is innocent. The
evidence collected
during course of in-
vestigation by ATS and
charge sheet submitted
reflects that he was
carrying on anti-nation-
al activities with help
of anti-social elements.
He has also received a
huge sum of money in
his personal accounts.”
‘CANNOT BE SAID
HE IS INNOCENT’
FIRE OF OUTRAGE
BJP supporters burn effigy and pictures of Pakistani
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto over his remarks against
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Gurugram on Saturday.
—PHOTO
BY
PTI
Dehradun (ANI): The
Uttarkhand Police on
Saturday filed a charge
sheet against the three
persons accused of the
murder of 19-year-old
Ankita Bhandari and
submitted it before the
Kotdwar court.
“We are going to file a
500-page chargesheet
within 90 days in this
case. Around 100 people
have been examined in
the matter,” Additional
Director General (ADG)
V Murugesan of Uttara-
khand Police said in a
joint press conference
with the probe in-
charge of the Special
Investigation Team P
Renuka Devi. He fur-
ther said that the
chargesheet has been
filed under relevant sec-
tions of the IPC and Un-
ethical Business Pre-
vention Act (IBPA).
“The Narco test and
other points are being
discussed in the said in-
cident,” he added.
Ankita worked as a
receptionist at a resort
run by Pulkit Arya, the
son of expelled BJP
leader Vinod Arya.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The num-
ber of journalists jailed
for doing their job has
touched a record high
this year, seeing a jump
of 20 percent as com-
pared to last year with a
tally of 323, according
to the annual prison
census by the Commit-
tee to Protect Journal-
ists. India continues to
remain at a record high
for the second consecu-
tive year, with seven
journalists behind bars,
including six charged
under the stringent
UAPA, it said.
According to CPJ, in
India the seven journal-
ists imprisoned are
Aasif Sultan, Siddique
Kappan, Gautam Nav-
lakha, Manan Dar, Sa-
jad Gul, Fahad Shah
and Rupesh Kumar
Singh. Three of them
have been in jail for
more than a year. It said
that the country contin-
ues to draw criticism
over its treatment of
the media, in particular
for using the preventive
detention law UAPA.
7 journalists
jailed in India:
CPJ report
Ankita Murder:
Charge sheet filed
Aasif
Sultan
Siddique
Kappan Sultan
New battalions of PAC in Shamli, Bijnor:Yogi
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath on Sat-
urday said new battal-
ions of the Provincial
Armed Constabulary
will be set up in Shamli
and Bijnor districts.
He said the govern-
ment has also given its
consent for establish-
ment of three more
women’s battalions.
Speaking at PAC’s
Foundation Day cere-
mony here, Adityanath
said 1,262 posts have
been sanctioned for
each of the three wom-
en’s battalions to be set
up in Lucknow, Gorakh-
pur, Badaun.
Besides, 1,029 posts
for SDRF, 433 posts for
security of Lucknow
Metro and 381 posts
for Noida Metro
have also been ap-
proved by the gov-
ernment, he said.
Adityanath
said the UP
g o v e r n -
ment is
leaving no stone un-
turned to strengthen
the force and has sanc-
tioned funds from the
State Disaster Response
Fund for the purchase
of motor boats and
equipment for PAC’s 17
flood relief compa-
nies.
“A total of 1,231
PAC personnel
have been posted
as pilot driv-
ers in UP
112,” he
said.
For smooth function-
ing of the traffic sys-
tem, 645 platoon com-
manders have received
training of traffic sub-
inspectors whereas 75
platoon commanders
and 301 head constables
have been sent for traf-
fic training, he said.
Ninety per cent of
the jawans from PAC
have been sent on depu-
tation to the SSF consti-
tuted for the security of
courts and other estab-
lishments, he said.
‘No praise enough for valour of armed forces’
New Delhi (PTI): Brav-
ery and valour dis-
played by the armed
forces during the Gal-
wan valley clashes and
the recent face-off in
the Tawang sector of
Arunachal Pradesh is
commendable and no
amount of praise for
them is enough, De-
fence Minister Rajnath
Singh said on Saturday
.
In an address at in-
dustry chamber FICCI,
Singh also said that In-
dia aspires to become a
superpower to ensure
global prosperity, but it
does not have any inten-
tion to dominate other
nations or capture even
one inch of land of any
country, in comments
seen as a thinly veiled
reference to China’s ag-
gressive behaviour
along the borders.
“Any amount of
praise is not enough for
the armed forces for the
way they displayed
bravery and valour, be
it in Galwan or Ta-
wang,” Singh said. “We
have never questioned
the intention of any
leader in the opposi-
tion, we have only de-
bated on the basis of
policies. Politics should
be based on truth.”
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses the 95th Annual
Convention and AGM of FICCI, in New Delhi on Saturday.
—PHOTO
BY
PTI
Amit Shah was continuously receiv-
ing plaints from party unit in Madhya
Pradesh that Jyotiraditya Scindia was
running a parallel organization of party
in state, alleging that he
was repeatedly reaching
Bhopal Gwalior and
taking meetings of his
loyal ministers, MLAs
party workers and
planning his future
strategy with them. Madhya Pradesh CM
Shivraj Singh Chouhan also had the same
complaint that ‘no person in BJP can be
bigger than the organisation, since only
the state president has the right to call
such meetings.’ He reprimanded them by
calling them to ‘focus on their ministry
instead of MP.’ Only after this there was
hue cry in the media about the chaos at
Delhi airport and Jyotiraditya also had to
shift his immediate focus towards that.
Mirch Masala
FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL
BY TRIDIB RAMAN
The author is a journalist and political
commentator and views expressed are his personal
...AND FINALLY
Two prominent leaders
of South India i.e.
DMK Chief MK Stalin and
Janata Dal Secular Chief
HD Kumaraswamy of Kar-
nataka are busy prepar-
ing the blueprint of their
future politics. Sources
say that the health of
both these leaders is not
too good. It is also being
heard that they have to go
to Mount Elizabeth Hos-
pital in Singapore every
month for their treatment.
Stalin has fixed his son
Udhayanidhi Stalin as his
successor, although no
formal announcement has
been made in this regard,
but Udhayanidhi has been
made a Cabinet Minister.
This preparation is for the
2024 elections. Although
Stalin’s father Karunani-
dhi declared himself an
atheist, but Stalin’s views
are slightly different from
his father’s. He does not
support Brahmanism
and Manuism, but he has
deep faith in God. Before
every auspicious work,
he goes to Madurai’s
Meenakshi Temple to
offer prayers. He also
follows the advice of a
special astrologer, and
on the advice of that
astrologer, he has decided
his successor.
Last week, BJP MP Kirodi
Lal Meena introduced a
private member’s bill in Par-
liament seeking a Uniform
Civil Code. When it was time
to vote, Aam Aadmi Party’s
Rajya Sabha MP Raghav
Chadha stood up, told a
fellow MP sitting with
him that he had an
important phone
call, he had to go
out and talk (even
though jammers
are installed in
House and thus, there is no phone
netowrk within the House). Soon
after Chadha left the house, AAP
MP Sanjay Singh also got up to
leave, and told his fellow MP
sitting next to him, ‘Look, our
party’s stand on this issue is
neither in favour nor against,
so I will not be able to vote,
so I am also going
out.’ So, finally
the bill got 63
votes in favour
23 votes
against it.
Few days back, Chandrashekhar Rao was in
New Delhi, where he inaugurated the party
office of his newly named party ‘Bharat Rashtra
Samithi’. The next day, he invited more than
1,500 people for dinner, including MPs, MLAs,
Ministers and many office bearers of his party,
where Rao expressed his desire that he wishes
to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. At the
same time, Rao also emphasised that unlike
Nitish Kumar, ‘no strong front can be formed
against the ruling BJP unless the Congress is
included in it’.
Ever since Akhilesh Prasad Singh, a Bhumihar
leader from Bihar, has been made the new President
of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, courtesy of
Kharge, his spirits are soaring. On December 11, Akh-
ilesh brought some tall Congress leaders from Bihar in
a chartered flight from Delhi to Patna, where they were
to perform a ‘mega show’ at the local Bapu Audito-
rium in Patna. Leaders like Meera Kumar, Tariq
Anwar, Congress in-charge of Bihar
Bhakta Charan Das had reached
Patna by boarding this chartered
flight of Singh. When these leaders
reached the Bapu Auditorium, they
were stunned to see that the stage
was packed with a crowd of leaders,
but there were only two to four
people to listen to the speakers. Now
it is no longer a matter of saying
that Congress workers are
missing in Bihar and only
leaders have, somehow,
survived.
RANI SAHIBA PRATIBHA SINGH
PROPOSES, BJP DISPOSES
When the Congress won in Himachal Pradesh, Rani
Sahiba i.e. Congress MP from Mandi, Prat-
ibha Singh bluntly said that ‘this is the tribute of the
people of Himachal Pradesh to Raja Virbhadra Singh.’
After this, Priyanka Gandhi, through Rajeev Shukla,
conveyed a message to the victorious Congress MLAs
that ‘even if any leader of the party calls them for a
meeting at their house, they do not have to go.’ But
still, 12 Congress MLAs went to Rani Sahiba’s house
on her invitation, while Rani Sahiba expected that some
25 MLAs are definitely their own this time. After this,
Pratibha, through Harsh Mahajan, who joined BJP, sent
a message to the BJP top brass that ‘if BJP is ready to
make her the Chief Minister, she can juggle more than
12 MLAs.’ But this proposal was rejected. PM
Modi straight-forwardly declined as
the PM did not want that ‘Operation
Lotus’ should be splashed on such a
big victory of Gujarat. Right now, Rani
Sahiba has been asked to wait till the
right time comes, and it has to be
seen whether Rani Sahiba will
also prove to be ‘Eknath Shinde’
of Congress in the coming days.
LEADERS ON STAGE, SANS THE
AUDIENCE IN BIHAR
Aam Aadmi Party’s concerns about
Punjab have increased. The party
itself has a tradition of conducting
surveys from time to time in the states it
rules. A recent opinion
poll by a recognized
agency of the party has
revealed that “if the Lok
Sabha elections are
held today, AAP will be
able to win only 4 out
of 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab.”
The reason for it is that Akali Dal is do-
ing ‘Panthic Politics’ on ground level in
the state, which is a matter of concern.
The Congress is still in disarray there.
Captain Amarinder SIngh joining BJP
with all his ‘might’ has increased BJP’s
support base in the state and Hindu vote
is largely going away from Congress and
siding with the BJP. This is also one of
the biggest concerns for AAP.
SUPREME ADVICE TO
JYOTIRADITYA SCINDIA
IS THE AAM AADMI PARTY
WORRIED ABOUT PUNJAB?
MK STALIN’s
HEALTH IS BAD
AAP PLAYS ‘SAFE’ IN UNIFORM CIVIL CODE VOTING

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NEW DELHI, SUNDAY,
DECEMBER 18, 2022
FIFA WORLD CUP 2022
THE FIFA WORLD CUP IS IN FULL SWING. ULTIMATELY, HOLDERS FRANCE AND ARGENTINA ADVANCED
TO THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL, WHICH WILL BE HELD TODAY AT LUSAIL STADIUM IN LUSAIL,
QATAR, WITH KICKOFF AT 8.30 P.M. IST. WITH ALL EYES ON ARGENTINA MAESTRO LIONEL MESSI AND
FRANCE’S MBAPPE, CITY FIRST BRINGS TO YOU AN INSIGHT OF THE MAGNIFICENT MATCH!
FIFA FEVER
FIFA FEVER
Kylian Mbappé
Lionel Messi
very four years the
fans wait eagerly,
patiently
,andhope-
fully, while the
players slog, work
out, play hard,
practice, practice,
and practice some more…..
and here we are waiting for
the whistle to blow for the
2022 FIFA World Cup final
game between Argentina
and the defending champi-
on France.
These two teams with
many experienced, dedicat-
ed, quick footed profession-
al players have clashed only
three times, in 1930 and 1978
Argentina beat France in
group matches, and in 2018
were beaten by France in
the‘roundof 16’.Francehas
won the coveted FIFA WC
trophy in 1998 and 2018,
while Argentina were the
1978 and 1986 champions.
Who will it be today?
As the hours drag by, I am
mulling over a few things
like- is this game today be-
tween two countries or is it
Messi vs. Mbappe? Will the
gentle football legend Messi
achieve the one record he
lacks? Is this really his last
World cup? Who is going to
get the Golden Boot? Who
will win the Golden Ball
award? We will just have to
wait and watch…
Lionel Messi, the Argen-
tinian hero, has left an in-
delible mark and is regard-
ed as one of the greatest
football (soccer) players all
times. At 35, Messi holds the
record of playing in 5 world
cups, and scoring in his
teens, 20’s and 30’s. In this
World Cup, he has scored 5
goals and assisted or creat-
ed chances for three more.
Kylian Mbappe, the tal-
entedFrenchscorer,isjust23
years old. He is the highest
paid football player earning
9.09 crores/year. Like Messi
heisknownforhisdribbling,
speed, and finishing touch.
Both of them are vying for
the Golden boot and Golden
Ball awards. Both are the
teammates and play for the
Paris Saint-Germain club.
But as we all know, indi-
vidual players alone can not
win games and these two
teams share this credit with
theirmanagersbothtalented
professionalfootballersDidi-
er C. Deschamps for France
and Lionel Scaloni who
coaches Argentina.
E
MEENA
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
B-TOWN CELEBS IN QATAR
Bollywood will make its pres-
ence at the FIFA World Cup
2022 with dancer Nora Fatehi
taking part in the closing
ceremony of FIFA World Cup
2022 and superstar Deepika
Padukone is expected to
unveil the FIFA World Cup
trophy at the Lusail Iconic
Stadium in Qatar ahead of the
final on Sunday. It is a huge
honour for Indian celebs.
Shah Rukh Khan will be at-
tending the finals of the FIFA
World Cup 2022 from the
studios of Jio Cinemas. The
actor will be present during
the broadcast of the game,
while he will not be in Qatar.
It is hard to make peo-
pleunderstandthatthe
sunwillrisetomorrow,
whether you win or
lose. —Lionel Scaloni

10
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
PAULOMI,
Model
FACE
OF
THE
DAY!
Aries
MARCH 21 - APRIL 20
You are likely to have
fun at work today. A
changed lifestyle
promises good health.
You may not be in the
best of financial situations, but things
are likely to improve. Much excitement
is foreseen on the family front. There is
some scope of improving your scores
on the academic front.
Gemini
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
You may get motivated
to shake a leg just to get
on the fitness trail. It will
be important to keep a
tab of your expenses
today. Some shuffling on the work front
is likely but will not affect you. Peace
and tranquillity prevail on the home
front and will help you unwind.
Romance seems on the upswing.
Leo
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Job prospects for those
freshly out of profes-
sional institutes are set
to brighten up soon. A
positive outlook will
help you throw out the negativity
within. You will manage to ignore
distractions and interruptions at work
to complete a pending task in time. is
so miffed.
Libra
SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 22
This is the day to play
your winning card on
the professional front. A
lot of time may be
wasted in socialising,
but you will love every moment of it!
Time is ripe for investing in a scheme
you have been considering for long.
Your upbeat mood and a happy
demeanour will brighten atmosphere.
Sagittarius
NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 22
Sticking to workout
routine may benefit you
on the health front.
Meeting relatives at a
marriage or party cannot
be ruled out. Accompanying someone
you click with is likely to make your
business journey entertaining. Support
from the family may seem most
encouraging.
Aquarius
JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19
Balancing act between
home and office will
remain most smooth
for working women.
You succeed in putting
an ambitious project on the tracks and
cross all hurdles in making it a
success. Love beckons and promises
to give immense joy and fulfillment.
Homemakers can exceed budget.
Taurus
APRIL 21 - MAY 20
A major purchase may
make a dent in your
savings, but will help in
keeping up with the
jonesses. Speculation
may not be profitable and you can very
well burn your fingers. Some of you
may get hard pressed to find a good
match for someone eligible in the family
down, Saturn will save you.
Cancer
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Homemakers will get a
chance to implement
their ideas. You are
likely to be recognised
for your efforts on the
professional front. Some of you can be
invited for guidance or consultancy.
Chance of a raise is possible for some.
Timely and correct decision will help
you in saving a lot of money.
Virgo
AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23
Satisfaction is foreseen
for the image conscious
people trying to achieve
perfect figure and
physique. You will
succeed in surmounting the odds to get
a stalled job back on the tracks. Your
efforts on the academic front will keep
you in contention. You are likely to
spend an enjoyable time.
Scorpio
OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You will succeed and
move ahead in your
professional life, as the
year begins. Be careful,
though, as your daily
routine may be affected adversely.
Your boss may be the reason for your
annoyance. Pressure tactics can
infuriate you. Probably, by 5th or 6th,
you may think of taking up a new job.
Capricorn
DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 20
Focussing on your
career graph at this
juncture will be a step
that will take you far. A
rethink is in order for
those going in for a heavy investment.
Recovering a loaned amount from
someone will not pose much difficulty.
You will manage to defuse tensions
prevailing at home.
Pisces
FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20
Financial condition of
those down in the
dumps is set to
improve. Your
efficiency at work is
likely to impress those who matter at
work. Your biggest asset is your sense
of humor try to use it to cure your not
so good health. Spending time with
family.
YOUR DAY Horoscopeby
SaurabbhSachdeva
Whatsapp Subscription
Subscribe “First India” Daily
E-News Paper For Free On Whatsapp
To Receive the Most Exclusive News from
the Power Corridors of Rajasthan Delhi.
ove is compara-
ble to a dia-
mond, a price-
less gem with
many facets. It
is beautiful any
way we look at
it. Like a diamond with
numerous reflecting sur-
faces, love has many as-
pects, all good and desir-
able. It has been said,
“Youth is for an hour,
beauty is a flower but
love is the jewel that wins
the heart.”
Suspicion and mis-
trust result in jealousy
. It
is a very harmful emo-
tion that can ruin the
best of relationships. A
suspicious husband sees
in his wife what is not
there and fails to see
what she actually has.
A husband said, “I was
under a lot of financial
stress due to which I
didn’t really communi-
cate with my wife. She
came under a lot of pres-
sure. My time- consum-
ing job caused us to clash
in jealousy
.”
A wife once expressed,
“my husband would
show jealous reactions
whenever I received at-
tention from male col-
leaguesorperformedbet-
ter than him.”
Jealousy can be de-
fined as an emotion that
causes an individual to
suspect another person
without cause, or resent
the attention others re-
ceive, feeling that he/she
alone is entitled to it.
This harmful emotion
can ruin the best of rela-
tionships.
Did a person ever get
so enraged at his hand
that he used a hammer to
beat it or so angry at his
neck that he choked him-
self? Rather, one readily
accommodates one’s own
body’s weaknesses and
peculiarities. Such ac-
commodation works well
with the marriage part-
ner too.
One partner may be
insensitive to feelings of
jealousy arising in the
other. A wife can be jeal-
ous because of the atten-
tion the husband gives to
someone of the opposite
sex. Or a wife may show-
er so much attention on
her child or a relative
that the husband feels ne-
glected, even resentful.
He may show affection to
the child but lessen his
attention towards his
wife. Embarrassed over
such feelings, both may
remain quiet and show
frustrationinothernega-
tive ways. A high price is
paid when both partners
lose their balance.
Jealousy that is in-
duced by insecurity and
fed by imagination
makes partners overly
possessive.Theyfearthat
an outsider will win the
affections of their loved
one by luring him/her.
This brings anger, anxi-
ety and hatred that leads
to violence and physical
abuse. The jealous part-
ner may also resort to fi-
nancial abuse and verbal
bullying to alleviate or
hide feelings.
Questions one can ask
oneself, do I nurture jeal-
ousy? Am I quarrelsome?
Do I have an aggressive
or fighting attitude? Jeal-
ousy is revealed as an
inordinate desire to glo-
rify oneself and one’s
opinions. Such persons
do not acknowledge that
others can have intelli-
gence equal or superior
to them, and are worthy
of due credit.
Generally, a husband
expresses, “why aren’t
you more like me? Why
don’t you see things my
way or do them as I
would?” But peace can be
maintained when one
readily accepts the other
person with his / her
weaknesses.
When one disagrees
with someone, naturally
,
a person controls one’s
emotions and uses appro-
priate language. If a part-
ner resorts to violence,
screaming or throwing
things, then one is behav-
ing like a child. So, if the
other partner is regular-
ly defending oneself
against unreasonable or
accusatory questions,
that signals the need to
sort out the relationship.
Rather than letting
jealousy build up like a
head of steam in a boiler
until there is a violent
explosion, it is better to
discuss one’s feelings
quietly and not accus-
ingly
. Communicating
calmly and being honest
about feelings builds con-
fidence and mutual un-
derstanding.
A husband and wife
need to trust one another
rather than be envious.
Being suspicious and
making mountains out
of mole hills creates fric-
tion. Avoiding situations
that give rise to jealousy
,
and giving the other per-
son benefit of doubt,
keeps love flourishing
and comforts the heart.
Jealousy turns mar-
riage into an unpleasant
prison, but loving atten-
tion, consideration and
trust brings security
.
Jealously of one to-
ward his / her partner is
good if it is a zeal for the
partner’s benefit and
well-being. But improper
jealousy ruins the mar-
riage.
Both partners desire to
be treated with dignity
and respect. Each appre-
ciates when the other is
an active listener and
cares about each others’
feelings. But still when
hurt, one can say, “I’m
going to do to him / her
what he or she did to
me.” For a relationship
to continue and thrive,
one needs to put into it
what one hopes to get
out of it!
Marital Blues:
JEALOUSY
L
REKHA KUMAR
rekhakumar@protonmail.com
The writer is a personal
development skills facilitator

T
he Govinda Naam Mera
actress chose a lovely
monotone corset dress.
The splash of pink is what
kicked our interest in us to take
notes of its other features.
It’s the look of a stretch-
jersey fabric that brings the
ruched effect into the lime-
light. The sleeves are a single
feature that makes it look very
winter-ish. You could use a jacket
for an extra layer of warmth. It has
a sweetheart and a plunging neck-
line and a fabulous body-hugging
fit which gives it a cent per
cent-modish look we could
all use for a very special
date night look as
well. Kiara’s dress
which cost ap-
proximately
Rs. 1,00,000
was styled
with silver
hoop ear-
rings and em-
bellished ankle-
strap stilettos. The
Bollywood actress
sported a sleek and
knotted bun hairdo.
Her makeup had a
strong dose of high-
lighter, mascara, kohl,
and glossy lipstick.
A
few days ago, Katrina Kaif
and Vicky Kaushal cele-
brated their first wedding
anniversary
. The couple en-
joyed a short getaway amidst the
mountains, and also shared a
few glimpses from their va-
cay
. Now, days after their an-
niversary, Vicky and Katri-
na were spotted at the
Mumbai airport once again
as they jetted off to an un-
disclosed location. This
morning, Vicky and Kat-
rina were spotted at the
airport in casual out-
fits, and we wonder
if they are headed
for yet another vacation.
The paparazzi clicked
Vicky and Katrina at the
Mumbai airport this morn-
ing, and the lovebirds were seen in
comfy tracksuits. Katrina was all
smiles for the paparazzi
as she made her
way to the en-
trance gate with
Vicky
.
Both Vicky
and Katrina
waved and
smiled at the pa-
parazzi before
entering the
airport.
T
he Jeda Nasha dancer who recently
drove the crowd insane with her out-
standing performance at Qatar’s FIFA
Fanfest 2022 stage is off to the same
country as the finale of the football tourna-
ment awaits. The mono-
chrome trend has once again
reached a status of victory
and is going wild. Nora
Fatehi’srecentairport
lookistheemblemof
edgy style and you
would love to hack
into all the details
of it. Nora styled
this runway-ap-
proved midi white
number with a
black belt. The
imagealsoshowsthewideshoul-
der, two pockets, notched lapels,
and black chain-link print. If
you remember, this pattern is
also translated into accesso-
ries as showcased by celebri-
ties. Nora rocked this
as a top layer over
a sheer mostly
m e s h - l i k e
dress.
P
riyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are
one of the most loved couples in
town. The duo welcomed their first
baby girl earlier this year via sur-
rogacy
. Since her arrival, Priyanka has
been teasing fans with cute glimpses
of her daughter. The couple is yet to
reveal her face. Priyanka took to
social media on Friday morning
and dropped yet another adorable
picture with her baby girl. The
picture also featured Nick. The
trio was seen having a fun family
time in Los Angeles.
In the picture, Nick and Priyan-
ka are seen having a gala time with
their little one. They are seen sport-
ing winter clothes as they are out and
about in the city. Priyanka has put a
white heart emoji on Malti Marie’s face. In
her caption, the new mommy revealed that
they visited a zoo recently. She wrote, “Family
#zoo #familyday #love.” The trio is seen posing
with a jellyfish in the backdrop.
ETC
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11
DEEPIKA PADUKONE
HEADS TO QATAR
eepika Padu-
kone was spot-
ted by the pa-
parazzi in the
wee hours of
Saturday. She
was clicked at
the Mumbai airport as
she made her way to Qa-
tar for the FIFA World
Cup 2022 finale. The ac-
tress will unveil the
FIFA World Cup trophy
during the finals, and it
is a rare honour for any
Indian or International
actor in the history of
FIFA. Ranveer Singh
was seen dropping his
ladylove at the Mumbai
airport and as Deepika
Padukone made her
way to the entrance gate
of the airport, she was
seen interacting polite-
ly with the paparazzi.
Deepika was seen in
a comfy yet chic airport
outfit. She opted for a
beige drawstring hood-
ed windbreaker over a
white top, and match-
ing beige pants. The
actress she flashed her
million-dollar smile
and interacted with the
paparazzi.
D
A GALA TIME FOR THE
JONAS FAMILY
MONOCHROME
EXCELLENCE
A
nanya Panday headed
to Qatar recently to
catch the semi-final
match of the FIFA
World Cup 2022. Ananya's ru-
moured boyfriend and actor
Aditya Roy
Kapur had
also accom-
p a n i e d
them. Just a while back now,
Ananya along with Aditya re-
turned from Qatar to Mumbai
afterwatchingtheFIFAWorld
Cup 2022. The rumoured love-
birds were all smiles as they
twinned in beige outfits.
LOVEBIRDS
RETURN TO
MUMBAI
A romantic getaway?
KIARA DONNES
ALEX PERRY
Deepika Padukone
Nora Fatehi
Nora’s airport look
Kiara Advani
Ananya Panday
Katrina Kaif
Vicky Kaushal with wife Katrina Kaif
Kiara
in
pink
monotone
corset
dress
Priyanka Chopra
Her post...
Deepika in beige drawstring hooded
windbreaker

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