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1. PERSPECT VE
06
Jaipur, Thursday | March 21, 2024
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‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 77
efore2014,mostpeoplein
mainland India had very
cursory knowledge and
incorrect information about the
people of North East, their life and
culture. They had vague ideas and
not many knew even the location
of the states of the North East and
the varied people who belonged to
those states.When Modi ji came to
power,thebiggestthinghedidwas
to prioritise the North East. He
brought the cultural and develop-
mental issues of this part of the
country into the mainstream narra-
tive and gave it due focus and im-
portance which was missing in the
years before. Since becoming the
PM,hevisitedtheNorthEastclose
to 65 times, thereby himself lead-
ingthetransformationoftheregion
from the front. No PM has ever
taken up so many trips to this re-
gion to have a first-hand experi-
ence of the problems and possi-
bilities here. He then gave the slo-
gan,‘transformationthroughtrans-
portation’. Remote areas like Ta-
wang were brought under the rail-
way mapping. Rajdhani trains
connected the capital cities of the
North East. Roads were built. Me-
tre gauge tracks were rapidly con-
verted into broad gauge sections
and single lines were made double
for faster and more efficient move-
ment of goods and passengers
across the North East and beyond.
This improved the people-to-peo-
ple connect, with more awareness
in mainland India about the people
and cultures of the North East.
Modi ji’s look east policy has seen
thousandsofcroresofrupeesbeing
pumped in for the development of
the North East. Not just road and
rail but air and digital communica-
tion have also got a boost due to
this. Areas of Nagaland, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, which were
always outside the mainstream at-
tention, are now having greater
presence and involvement in the
nation’s development as connec-
tivity has brought them near. The
whole purpose and thrust of the
Modi government’s development
model is to bring on par all those
areas and peoples who have fallen
behind in India’s growth story
through years of neglect or inequi-
table distribution of resources.
Modi ji had given a very nice anal-
ogy that if one arm of mother India
is weak, there can’t be complete
development. Today the govern-
ment’s North-East development
model is being replicated across.
Modi ji is very sensitive about the
North-East. Whenever there is any
cabinetmeetingrelatedtodevelop-
ment, the first thing Modi ji asks is
what is happening in the North-
East. He always says, for me the
North-East is not just about the
pieceoflandwehaveorthedemo-
graphic dividends it brings. It is a
piece of my heart!
will tell you an instance
of Modi ji’s ‘beyond the
obvious’ vision. There
was a proposal of connecting all
parts of Surat city with a compre-
hensive network of CCTV cam-
eras. Modi ji, as the state CM, said
he wanted an integrated CCTV
coverage and command system
for the security of the citizens. He
also said that he wanted citizens’
participation in the project and to
ensure their involvement with the
police commissioner in its imple-
mentation, so that they would also
know all the nitty-gritty of the
system. He met the city’s busi-
nessmen and other related indi-
viduals who could be a part of the
project and mooted the idea. Soon
it was implemented accordingly
and the city was covered under
CCTV umbrella coverage to keep
track of its every nook and corner.
Modi ji was to inaugurate the fa-
cility.At the launch event, even as
people were lauding the efforts of
the police chief in making it a suc-
cess, Modi ji said in his speech
that though the credit for the pro-
ject’s success goes to the police
commissioner and the people in-
volved, the Surat municipal com-
missioner too should have com-
plete tracking access to the CCTV
coverage. The civic official was
surprised because CCTV is usu-
ally related to law and order which
thepolicetrack24x7anditdoesn’t
normally have much to do with
the municipal chief of a city. Then
Modi ji said the CCTV system
was not only for the safety of the
citizens but could also be used for
the cleanliness of the city. The
municipal authorities would be
able to keep a constant watch on
the status of cleanliness from the
control room and act accordingly
whenever or wherever required.
He thus found two uses of the
same CCTV system which is usu-
ally associated only with security.
Such is his ‘beyond the obvious’
outlook that keeps him and his
leadership ahead of others.
big change in the way the
world is looking up to In-
dia is in the areas of hu-
manitarian assistance and disaster
relief, where India has emerged as
a first responder. Whenever our
region has been hit by a crisis, In-
dia has responded with speed and
solidarity.TaketheexampleofNe-
pal. In 2015, when the country was
rattled by a major earthquake that
killed over 9,000 people, India re-
sponded in less than six hours. Our
Indian Air Force flew in the Na-
tional Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) team and took over the
relief work. It landed 32 flights
over the next few days with over
520 tonnes of relief material and
more than 50 army, engineering
and medical and other rescue op-
erationteams.Similarly,theIndian
Navy was the first to arrive in the
Maldives with fresh potable water
to serve over 1,50,000 citizens of
the island nation in December
2015 when they were hit by a se-
vere water crisis. When a cyclone
hit the region in 2017 and caused
destructioninSriLankaandBang-
ladesh with flooding, India was
again the first to respond. During
times of conflict, we have not only
been efficient and fast in flying out
ourcitizensbutalsoforeigners.For
instance during such a conflict in
Lebanon in 2015, when 5,400 peo-
ple were evacuated, there were
over 900 foreign nationals among
them. The Vande Bharat mission
after the pandemic is said to be one
of the largest civil evacuation mis-
sionsbyanycountryduringpeace-
time. Over 1.8 million Indians
were evacuated in over 15 phases.
India also evacuated 20,000 na-
tionals, mostly students, in over 90
flights, during the Russian inva-
sion of Ukraine under the Mission
Ganga programme. Also, a whop-
ping$3.8bnfinancialpackagewas
extendedtoSriLankatohelpittide
over its grave economic crisis.
Such contributions help project In-
dia’ssoftpowerandalsohergrow-
ing sphere of influence and capac-
ity to shape events.
B
I
A
Modi’s outlook keeps
his leadership ahead
India has emerged as first
responder in disaster relief
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
PERSPECT VE
06
Jaipur, Thursday | March 14, 2024
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‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 76
was performing at
Ahmedabad’s
Kar-
navati Club, way
back in 2004, when Modi ji
was the Chief Minister of
Gujarat. I was singing on
stage when there was a
small commotion at the gate
and we heard Modi ji had
come. He came in and sat in
the front row, listening to
my music. I was so happy
and excited to have such a
guest in attendance that I
came down from the stage
and sat beside him to ex-
press my gratitude for mak-
ing time. I introduced my-
self as Anu Malik, and he
immediately
nodded his
head with a smile, saying, I
know, I know, I do know
you. It was such an honour
for me. Many years later,
when I again had the oppor-
tunity to meet him at the
inauguration of HN Reli-
ance Foundation hospital in
Mumbai. I remember he
gave a wonderful speech at
the event enumerating the
benefits of Ayurveda, the
power of natural medicines
and yoga. Later as people
lined up to meet the PM, my
wife and I went up to Modi
ji and reminded him of the
brief meeting I had with him
at the Karnavati Club.Again
Modi ji immediately ac-
knowledged it
and said he re-
membered it
very well. He
even recalled
how I had come
down from the
stage and sat
with him for his
blessings. I can
never forget
these two mo-
ments of my
life with Modi
ji. I became a
fan of Modi ji
like everyone
else around the
world.
hen a delegation of a cream of
Kashmiri industrialists,
social
workers and religious heads met
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he lis-
tened to them intently and assured them
that the problems of Kashmir would be
sorted out. He said the footfall in the tour-
ist destinations of Kashmir would be
highest. He had a belief and confidence
when he
said this that
we had not
seen earlier
in any lead-
er and we
looked at
each other
in disbelief.
How could
tourism rise
when no
one was
willing to be
here due to
the social
situation? But soon after, just one tweet
of Modi ji changed the whole scenario of
Kashmir. His first tweet was about the
famous tulip garden and it garnered mil-
lions of views, renewing the world’s inter-
est in it. Tourists started flocking in. He
had said religious tourism would be made
a reality in Kashmir. Today indeed it is so.
This has led us to believe in the truth of
the adage, ‘Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai’.
was struck by Modi ji’s im-
peccable professionalism
that goes hand in hand with
his personal humanitarian touch in
everything he does. I remember we
were set for a meeting in Gandhina-
gar regarding the Mind Champions
Academy — a programme to intro-
duce chess in schools and we were
proposing the same to the Gujarat
government. Things moved with
clockwise precision. We were
shown to the meeting room exactly
at 11 and Modi ji, as the CM of Gu-
jarat at that time, joined in soon.The
officials were all well instructed and
informed beforehand. Everyone
was ready with their homework. It
was a seamless experience and the
meeting lasted just as long as it was
needed. There
was proper
f o l l o w - u p
through emails
and other offi-
cial channels,
which gave us
point by point
details of how
we were pro-
gressing and
which were
the areas of
disagreement
if any.
I remember
I once told
Modi ji casu-
ally that I
loved Gujarati meal. He immedi-
ately told me, let me treat you to a
Gujarati thali and he took me to the
state guest house for a sumptuous
lunch. Such is his humanitarian ap-
proach despite all his professional
business. He has a strong human
side to all his professional tough-
ness as he laughs, cracks jokes and
loves to have fun. His focus at work
co-exists so well with his individ-
ual attention.
Ithasbecomeanormnowthatthe
PMwillcallandcongratulateanath-
lete if he/she achieves something
great at the world stage. This is a
greatmotivationforsportspersonsto
get a call from the PM of the country
and this elevates his/her stature.
Again this is an instance of the indi-
vidual touch I mentioned.
I was also surprised by his in-
novative approach to things. When
we organised the mega chess com-
petition (Chess Mahotsav) in De-
cember 2010 with 20,000 partici-
pants and entered the Guinness
Book of Records as the largest such
simultaneous display in the world
at a single venue, all the table
clothes were ordered in black and
white colours so that they could
create a chessboard pattern. When
an aerial shot was taken, the whole
stadium sported the look of a chess-
board due to the black and white
table clothes. Modi ji had visual-
ised the whole thing beforehand
and instructed to plan the event ac-
cordingly. Also the organisation of
the event was flawless. Buses were
deployed by the state government
to bring volunteers to the venue
from all across the state. Even sev-
eral international
grandmasters
were invited and hosted by the gov-
ernment to be a part of the event.
Similarly, when the chess olym-
piad was organised, there was no
concept of a rally torch like it hap-
pens in the Olympics. But Modi ji,
in another display of imagination
and his innovative spirit, introduced
the concept of a torch rally for the
chess olympiad and how it has be-
come an important part of the event.
These things really make him stand
apart as a leader par excellence.
I
W
I
Modi sahab’s one
tweet changed the
whole J&K scenario
Modi’sprofessionalism
co-
existswithindividualtouch
Vishwanathan Anand
Chess Grandmaster
Anu Malik
Music Director
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
You read PART 75
on MARCH 7, 2024
NaMo
LEADERPAR
EXCELLENCE
PM Narendra Modi
Darakshan Andrabi
Chairman, Waqf Board J&K
The narrators underscore Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s exceptional professionalism
coupled with his genuine empathy in
every aspect of his work. They highlight his distinct manner of connecting with people, never forgetting previous interactions.
During a meeting with a delegation comprising leading Kashmiri industrialists, social advocates, and religious figures, PM Modi
attentively heard their perspectives and offered assurances regarding the issues confronting Kashmir and beyond.
HOW I BECAME
A FAN OF MODI JI
 Vol 5  Issue No. 278  RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764.
Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor,
City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001,
Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504.
 Editor-In-Chief:
Dr Jagdeesh Chandra  Managing Editor: Pawan Arora  Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
You read PART 76
on MARCH 14, 2024
NaMo
LEADINGWITHVISION
‘BEYONDTHEOBVIOUS’
PM Narendra Modi
‘BEYONDTHEOBVIOUS’
The narrators reflect on the significant impact
of PM Modi’s leadership and the multitude of
positive changes it has brought forth. From
the focus on the North East to his visionary
‘beyond the obvious’ approach, Modi has
reshaped global perceptions of India,
particularly in humanitarian
aid and disaster relief.
PM Modi ji’s continued focus on the
North East has reaped rich dividends
Dr Jitendra Singh
Union Minister
Tapir Gao
MP, Arunachal Pradesh
Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam CM
Kamlesh Yagnik
Surat
Vikas Swaroop
Former Indian Diplomat
Kiren Rijiju
Union Minister
 Vol 5  Issue No. 285  RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor,
City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504.  Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra  Managing Editor: Pawan Arora  Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
Jaipur, Thursday | March 21, 2024
RNI NUMBER: RAJENG/2019/77764 | VOL 5 | ISSUE NO. 285 | PAGES 12 | `3.00 Rajasthan’s Own English Newspaper
SENSEX
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Slow start marks day 1 of nominations
Vinod Singh Chouhan
Jaipur
he nomination
process for first
phase of voting
in 12 seats under Lok
Sabha polls in Rajasthan
started on Wednesday.
Officials said that two
candidates filed nomina-
tions on the first day.
Jaipur District Elec-
tion Officer Prakashraj
Purohit said that on the
first day of nomination,
one candidate each for
Jaipur and Jaipur Rural
Lok Sabha constituen-
cies has presented his
nomination papers. Sha-
shank submitted his
nomination papers as an
independent candidate
for Jaipur seat. At the
same time, Right to Re-
call Party candidate Ad-
itya Prakash Sharma
filed his nomination for
Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha
constituency. He said that
nominations can be made
till March 27. However,
nominations filing will
not be there on March 23,
24 and 25 due govt holi-
days. Nomination papers
will be scrutinized on
March 28, whereas nom-
ination papers can be
withdrawn till March.
In the first phase, vot-
ing will be held in 12 Lok
Sabha constituencies -
Ganganagar, Bikaner,
Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar,
Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Al-
war, Bharatpur, Karauli-
Dholpur, Dausa and
Nagaur on April 19.
Election official signs the signature board during launching of the
‘Signature Campaign on Voter Awareness’, in Tonk on Wednesday.
T
BJPtogetmoreUPLSseats
thanin2014,saysAmitShah
First India Bureau
New Delhi
Union Home Minister
Amit Shah voiced confi-
dence in the BJP’s elec-
toral prospects, foreseeing
an expansion in seats in
Uttar Pradesh during the
upcomingLokSabhaelec-
tions. Shah’s remarks
came during the ‘Rising
Bharat Summit’ held in
NewDelhionWednesday,
where he emphasized the
electorate’s inclination to
rebuke dynastic politics.
“In Uttar Pradesh, we an-
ticipate securing more
seats compared to 2014,”
Shah said, underlining the
BJP’s determination to
strengthen its position in
thecrucialstate.Shah reit-
erated the BJP’s commit-
ment to the UCC, under-
scoring the party’s belief
in a unified legal frame-
work for all citizens in a
secular nation. Shah also
said that SC’s decision
to strike down electoral
bonds will bring back
the reign of black mon-
ey in politics. Rubbish-
ing the charge that BJP
had amassed huge funds
via bonds, he added that
in 2023 we just got 3%
donations. Shah also
said that Mus-
lims of India
have “noth-
ing to wor-
ry about”. He also ac-
cused the opposition of
spreadingmisconceptions
about the new law for
“vote bank” politics.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Union Minister Arjun Meghwal,
BJP State Chief CP Joshi, Senior leader Rajendra Rathore & others
during lamp lighting ceremony at meeting in Churu, Wednesday.
CM Bhajan Lal Sharma makes
payment via UPI to fruit seller
at Jhunjhunu on Wednesday.
Congress misled the people of
Shekhawati for 70 years: CM
First India Bureau
Jaipur
Congress party has final-
ised names of six candi-
dates for Lok Sabha elec-
tions in Rajasthan, bring-
ing clarity to its electoral
strategy in state. Sunil
Sharma’s name has been
finalised from Jaipur city
constituency, while Ur-
mila Jain from Baran-
Jhalawar. Murarilal Mee-
na, a sitting MLA from
Dausa, has been nomi-
nated from Dausa Lok
Sabha constituency. In
the Barmer-Jaisalmer
constituency, the respon-
sibility has been entrust-
ed to Ummedaram Beni-
wal, while Sangita Beni-
wal has been given the
ticket from Pali. Kuldeep
Indora has been nomi-
nated from Sri Gangana-
gar-Hanumangarh.
Laxman Raghav and
Sanjay Prajapat
Churu
Chief Minister Bhajan
Lal Sharma on Wednes-
day accused the Con-
gress of betraying the
farmers and the poor and
said that the lies of the
Congress leaders have
been exposed. Sharma
was addressing a meeting
of the party workers of
Churu, Bikaner and Sir
Ganganagar Lok Sabha
constituencies.
“We cannot make gold
from potatoes, but if the
water of Yamuna comes
to Churu then the earth
here will sprout gold,”
CM Sharma said adding
that Congress misled the
people of Shekhawati for
70 years, cheated the poor
and farmers and and try to
mislead the voters. P8
Congress sorts
6 names, Sunil
Sharma-Jaipur
Congress party
ruled on the
basis of lies, but
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi worked for the
upliftment of villages,
poor, farmers and women.
BHAJAN LAL SHARMA,
CHIEF MINISTER
PHASE 1 VOTING OF LOK SABHA ELECTION ON APRIL 19
Witha`1.20LakhCrbudget,
2024LSpollscouldbetheworld’scostliest
TOTAL RECALL
15th Lok Sabha Election 2009
Manmohan Singh
re-elected as PM after
1st successful term
Manoj Mathur
Jaipur
he 15th Lok Sab-
ha elections in the
country were held
in 2009. In this
election, the UPAalliance
made a spectacular come-
back and formed the gov-
ernment, which was
called UPA 2. The loan
waiver given just before
the elections and the for-
mation of the Third Front
did not allow the main
opposition party BJP to
fulfill its plans of return-
ing to power. Congress
had gained 61 seats as
compared to 2004. After
this election, Congress
made Manmohan Singh
the Prime Minister again
after completing his first
successful term. After
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,
ManmohanSinghbecame
the first leader who be-
came Prime Minister for
the second consecutive
time after completing a
tenure of 5 years. In this
election, NDAhad fielded
BJP leader LK Advani as
PM face, but Advani re-
mained as PM in waiting.
These polls were held in a
total of 5 phases between
April 16, 2009 and May
13,2009.Thiswasthefirst
election after the delimita-
tion of LS constituencies
accordingtothe2001cen-
sus. Out of 543 LS con-
stituencies, new delimita-
tionof499seatswasdone.
In 2009 general elec-
tions, the Congress-led
UPA secured 262 seats,
with Congress alone win-
ning 206. The BJP-led
NDAgarnered 159 seats,
with BJP securing 116.
Congress’s vote percent-
age was 28.55%, BJP’s
18.80%. Congress per-
formed well in states like
UP, WB, Kerala, TN, and
Rajasthan. Sachin Pilot
became the youngest MP
at 26, and 45 women be-
came MPs.
l Farmers’ loan waiver
and MNREGA once
again took Congress
beyond 200 seats
l BJP’s Lal Krishna
Advani remained as
PM in waiting
l This is the first
general election after
the delimitation of
Lok Sabha seats
02
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Jaipur, Thursday | March 21, 2024
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02
T
Apart from UPA
and NDA, a
third alliance
had also emerged
before this election in
the form of ‘Third Front’.
The third front was
formed under the lead-
ership of CPI(M). Most
of the political parties
included in the Third
Front were BSP, Telugu
Desam Party, Janata
Dal Secular, TRS, RSP
and Bhajan Lal’s party
Haryana Janhit Party,
which had come to
power at one time or the
other with the support
of BJP. It is believed
that the third front had
spoiled the game of
BJP. Due to their sepa-
ration, votes got divided
and Congress benefited
from this. Due to the
failure of seat agree-
ment with Congress
in this election, SP,
RJD and Lok Janshakti
Party also formed a new
fourth front in the hope
of becoming king mak-
ers. However, after the
elections, the parties
involved continued their
support to the UPA.
THREE ALLIANCES
FORMED BEFORE
THE ELECTIONS
CONGRESS MADE FULL USE OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS
In the first five years of the UPA government, India
largely performed well in all spheres – social,
economic and political. India’s GDP growth rate had
already reached eight percent during Vajpayee’s tenure, but it
increased to nine percent during Manmohan’s tenure. India
faced the global economic crisis of 2008 better than most
countries in the world. India’s GDP growth rate in 2008 was
6.7 percent. India was also successful in increasing its share in
exports. Employment schemes like NREGA were introduced
and the Right to Information Act was passed. In 2008, the UPA
government waived off loans worth Rs 65 thousand crore of
farmers across the country. Congress capitalised on all these
in the Lok Sabha elections. The result was that once again the
Congress government was formed at the Centre.
A perfect example of Jat politics and political influence
Abhishek Tiwari
Jaipur
ikar, known for
its military lega-
cy, holds a
unique political
status, particu-
larly in Jat politics, na-
tionally significant since
the Atal Bihari Vajpay-
ee’s 1999 announcement
of Jat reservation here.
Prominent leaders like
Balram Jakhar and
Chaudhary Devi Lal
have represented Sikar in
Parliament, enriching its
political narrative.
Since its inception in
1952, Sikar’s parliamen-
tary seat witnessed shifts
in party dominance. Ini-
tially won by Nandlal
Sharma of Ram Rajya
Parishad, Congress se-
cured victories in 1957
and 1962. The tide turned
in 1967 with Gopal Saa-
bu of Bharatiya Jana
Sangh winning, followed
by Congress reclaiming
in 1971 with Shrikrishna
Modi.
In 1977 Lok Sabha
elections, Janata Party’s
Jagdish Prasad Mathur
won, succeeded by
Kumbharam Arya of the
same party in 1980. The
seat alternated between
Congress and Janata Dal
in the late ‘80s, with Bal-
ram Jakhar and Devi Lal
winning in 1984 and
1989, respectively.
Jakhar reclaimed it in
1991, succeeded by Dr.
Hari Singh in 1996.
The late ‘90s saw the
rise of the Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP), with
Subhash Maharia win-
ning consecutively until
2004. In 2009, Mahadev
Singh Khandela of Con-
gress secured victory,
followed by Sumed-
hanand’s BJP wins in
2014 and 2019.
Sikar’s political narra-
tive reflects the aspira-
tions of the Jat commu-
nity, shaping national
discourse since Vajpay-
ee’s landmark announce-
ment. Its history of di-
verse political represen-
tation cements its signifi-
cance in Rajasthan’s po-
litical map.
MPs OF SIKAR THUS FAR
l 1952 NANDLAL SHARMA: Ram Rajya Parishad
l 1957 & 1962 RAMESHWAR TANTIA: INC
l1967 GOPAL SABOO BHARATIYA: Jana Sangh
l 1971 SHRIKRISHAN MODI: INC
l 1977 JAGDISH PRASAD MATHUR: Janata Party
l 1980 KUMBHA RAM ARYA: Janata Party (Secular)
l 1984 BALRAM JAKHAR: INC l 1989 DEVI LAL: Janata Dal
l 1991 BALRAM JAKHAR: INC l 1996 DR. HARI SINGH: INC
l 1998, 1999 & 2004 SUBHASH MAHARIA: BJP
l 2009 MAHADEO SINGH KHANDELA: INC
l 2014 & 2019 SUMEDHANAND SARASWATI: BJP
S
ASSEMBLY SEAT-WISE POSITION OF SIKAR LS SEAT
l (33) LACHHMANGARH: Govind Singh Dotasra (INC)
l (34) DHOD: Gordhan Verma (BJP)
l (35) SIKAR: Rajendra Pareek (INC)
l (36) DANTA RAMGARH: Virendra Singh (INC)
l (37) KHANDELA: Subhash Meel (BJP)
l (38) NEEM KA THANA: Suresh Modi (INC)
l (39) SRIMADHOPUR: Jhabar Singh Kharra (BJP)
l (43) CHOMU: Shikha Meel Barala (INC)
SIKAR LOK SABHA SEAT
Parliamentary
constituency’s historic
significance resonates
nationally, shaping
political discourse
Pankaj Soni
Jaipur
t is said that
politics means
‘Sama, Daam,
Dand, Bhed’.
One has to win
elections by
any means, but if we look
at the present politics, it
comes to light that
‘Daam’ (Money) is the
most effective factor in
winning elections. How-
ever, with changing
times, politics has also
changed. The Election
Commission has set
many parameters of
transparency for the elec-
tions, but the expenditure
limit is yet to be com-
pletely controlled.
When the first general
elections were held in in-
dependent India, the
Election Commission
spent approximately Rs
10.5 crore. But now
things have changed a
lot. Now thousands of
crores of rupees are spent
on conducting general
elections. This is just the
expenditure of the Elec-
tion Commission. But if
the expenditure of politi-
cal parties and candidates
is also added to this, then
it becomes very high.
Centre for Media Studies
estimates that this time
more than Rs 1.20 lakh
crore may be spent in the
general elections. If this
happens, it will be the
most expensive election
in the world so far.
Pictures of crores of
rupees of cash being
seized during elections
are seen every time,
which gives an idea of
how money is spent like
water in any state or Lok
Sabha elections. Accord-
ing to media reports, dur-
ing the last Lok Sabha
elections (2019), about 8
billion dollars i.e. 55
thousand crore rupees
were spent. After which
this election destroyed all
the records of countries
around the world in terms
of expenditure.
How expensive are
elections becoming?
Governments bear the
entire expense of con-
ducting elections. If there
are Lok Sabha elections,
the Central Government
will bear all the expens-
es. The expenses for As-
sembly elections are
borne by the State Gov-
ernments. If Lok Sabha
and Assembly elections
are held simultaneously,
then, the expenditure is
divided between the Cen-
tre and the State.Accord-
ing to the Election Com-
mission, Rs 10.45 crore
was spent in the first gen-
eral elections. This re-
sulted in an expenditure
of 60 paise per voter. For
the first time in the 2004
elections, the expendi-
ture crossed Rs 1,000
crore as Rs 1,016 crore
was spent in that elec-
tion. The expenditure
was Rs 1,115 crore in
2009 and Rs 3,870 crore
in 2014. It is believed
that in 2019, the Election
Commission spent more
than Rs 6,500 crore, i.e.
means expenditure of Rs
72 per person.
Election expenditure
more than the GDP of
many countries
To win elections, politi-
cal parties and candidates
spend money like water.
The Election Commis-
sion has set a limit on the
expenditure of the candi-
dates, but there is no re-
striction on the parties.
Not only this, election
expenditure is doubling
every five years. It is es-
timated that Rs 60,000
crore was spent in the
2019 elections. Whereas,
before this in 2014, it is
said that an expenditure
of about Rs 30,000 crore
was spent. This is the rea-
son why the Lok Sabha
elections held in India are
now becoming the most
expensive elections in
the world. The amount
spent in the last few gen-
eral elections is equal to
the GDP of many coun-
tries.
Congress got 12
seats and BJP got one
seat worth `4.4 crore
According to the report
of Association Demo-
cratic Reforms (ADR), in
the 2014 elections, all
political parties had
raised funds worth Rs
6,405 crore and out of
this, Rs 2,591 crore had
been spent. According to
the report, seven national
parties had collected
funds worth Rs 5,544
crore in the last elections.
Of this, BJP alone re-
ceived Rs 4,057 crore.
Congress had received
funds of Rs 1,167 crore.
In 2019, BJP had spent
Rs 1,142 crore. Whereas,
Congress had spent more
than Rs 626 crore. In
2019, BJP had won 303
seats. According to this,
BJP got one seat for an
average of Rs 4.4 crore.
Congress could win only
52 seats and thus, its av-
erage expenditure on
winning one seat was
more than Rs 12 crore.
I
l Election Commission limits expenditure up to `95 lakh
l Crores of rupees are spent even in conducting elections
Year Voters in crores Expenditure in
crores of rupees
1984 40.03 81.5
1989 49.89 154.2
1991 51.15 359.1
1996 59.26 597.3
1998 60.59 666.2
1999 61.95 947.7
2004 67.15 1016.1
2009 71.7 1114.4
2014 83.43 3870.3
2019 90 6,500
EXPENDITURE IN THE
LAST 10 ELECTIONS
P2
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P6
‘Ask Rahul to explain
`1,600 crore hafta
vasooli’, Shah tears
into Oppn over bonds
RAJASTHAN GOVERNMENT DECLARES HOLIDAY ON
APRIL 19 AND APRIL 26, PHASE 1 & 2 VOTING DAYS
A paid holiday has been declared for all work-
ers in private, industrial institutions & govt
undertakings on the voting day for Lok Sabha
polls in Rajasthan. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen
Gupta said that there will be a holiday in the offices
and work places in the 12 LS constituencies on Friday,
April 19, for Phase 1 of voting and the 13 constituen-
cies in Phase 2 on Friday, April 26, so that the voters
can exercise their franchise on the mentioned dates.
NEW DELHI SETS UP 24X7 CONTROL ROOM
As part of its commitment to assist the ECI to
curb the role of black money in elections , the
IT Dept encourages residents to contribute to-
wards ensuring a clean and fair process in LS polls. To
achieve this objective, several counters have been set
up in NCT Delhi to monitor the movement of possible/
suspected unaccounted cash. The Directorate has
opened a 24X7 control room and contact numbers.
TOLL FREE NUMBER — 1800112300
LANDLINE NUMBER — 011-23232312/31/67/76
MOBILE NUMBER — 9868168682
RIJIJU GETS ADDL CHARGE OF
FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
Prez Droupadi Murmu accepted resig-
nation of Food Processing Industries
Minister Pashupati Paras & gave the
addl charge of ministry to Kiren Rijiju.
FORMER TELANGANA GOVERNOR
SOUNDARARAJAN REJOINS BJP
Ex-Guv of Telangana & LG of Puduch-
erry Tamilisai Soundararajan, who had
resigned from her gubernatorial posts 2
days ago, rejoined BJP on Wednesday.
SADHGURU RECOVERING AFTER
EMERGENCY BRAIN SURGERY
Spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vas-
udev faced a “life-threatening” health
emergency, underwent brain surgery,
is recovering, said Isha Foundation.
DELHI HC SEEKS ED’S STAND ON
KEJRI’S PLEA AGAINST SUMMONS
The Delhi HC sought ED’s response
to the maintainability of a plea moved
by CM Arvind Kejriwal against sum-
mons for him in excise policy case.
HUES OF PHAGOTSAV
Artistes disguised as Krishna & Radha play ‘Phoolon Ki Holi’ during
phagotsav at Govind Devji on Wednesday. SANTOSH SHARMA
Phagotsav was celebrated by offering gulal to Lord Ganesha
at the Moti Dungri temple on Wednesday. SUNIL SHARMA
Moni Sharma
New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi congratulated Rus-
sian President Vladimir
Putin over the phone on
Wednesday after his vic-
tory in presidential elec-
tion 3 days ago, and reit-
erated that the way for-
ward in Russia-Ukraine
conflict was with “dia-
logue and diplomacy”.
Modi also talked about
deepening their “privi-
leged partnership” and
conveyed his best wishes
“for peace, progress and
prosperity of the friendly
people of Russia,” PMO
said. Duo reviewed pro-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets the gathering during the inauguration of 3-day ‘Startup
Mahakumbh’, to bolster startup ecosystem, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Wednesday.
YOUTH IN
INDIA ARE NOW
BECOMING JOB
CREATOR INSTEAD
OF BEING JOB
SEEKER.
NARENDRA MODI,
PRIME MINISTER
MODI ‘EMPOWERING’ STARTUPS!
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Wednesday
said India will lead the world
in AI capabilities, and ex-
horted young entrepreneurs
and startups to work on ‘In-
dian solutions for global ap-
plications’ to solve challeng-
es faced by nations across
the world. Addressing the
Startup Mahakumbh, PM
Modi said the three missions
on AI, semiconductors and
quantum, launched by the
govt earlier, will generate
jobs for youth and invest-
ment opportunities for global
investors. Modi recalled that
in his address to US Senate
last year he had mentioned
that India would continue to
be a leader in AI. He said
India’s future holds many
Unicorns and Decacorns.
PM MODI HOLDS TALKS WITH PUTIN AND ZELENSKYY, STRESSES ON RESOLVING UKRAINE CONFLICT
PUTIN, ZELENSKYY INVITE MODI AFTER LS POLLS
PM MODI’S VISIT TO BHUTAN POSTPONED
Sources told that the two leaders said they see
“India as a peacemaker”. Sources said both Zel-
enskyy and Putin have invited PM Modi to visit
their countries after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
PM Narendra Modi’s state visit to Bhutan on
March 21-22 has been postponed due to unfa-
vourable weather conditions over Paro airport.
New dates are being worked out by the two sides
through diplomatic channels, MEA said in statement.
gress in various issues of
bilateral cooperation, and
talked on global issues of
mutual interest. Soon af-
ter, Modi also spoke to
Ukrainian President Vo-
lodymyr Zelenskyy and
extended India’s support
to Ukraine, adding, Delhi
would try to push for the
peace amid Kyiv’s ongo-
ing conflict with Russia.
Key conversations
happened ahead of
Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Dmytro
Kuleba’s visit to Delhi
the next week as Kyiv
looks to build support
for its peace plan
PM Modi at ‘Startup Mahakumbh’ in Delhi
The final decision regarding the ongoing
discussions with Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata
Dal (BJD) rests with BJP President JP Nadda.
AMIT SHAH, UNION HOME MINISTER
‘PEACEMAKER’MODI
CALLSFORDIALOGUE&DIPLOMACY!
IN BRIEF
Section 144 clamped in
Chittorgarh, one dead
Chittorgarh: Tension pre-
vailed in a locality in Chit-
torgarh after dozen people
were injured, 1 died during
stone pelting on a religious
procession on Tuesday
night. Section 144 has been
clamped at Pahuna. P4
ISIS India head Farooqi,
aide arrested in Assam
Dhubri: ISIS India head
Haris Farooqi and his aide
Anurag Singh were arrest-
ed in Assam’s Dhubri by
STF on Wednesday, after
they crossed over from
Bangladesh, the Assam
Police confirmed.
Centre notifies Fact
Check Unit under PIB
New Delhi: The Centre
on Wednesday notified
the setting up of a fact-
checking unit (FCU) to
monitor content on social
media concerning govern-
ment business under re-
cently amended IT Rules.
GRID-INDIA is now a
Miniratna Company
New Delhi: Grid Control-
ler of India Limited (Grid-
India) on Wednesday said
it has achieved milestone
by being conferred with
status of Miniratna Cate-
gory-I Central Public Sec-
tor Enterprise (CPSE).
MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS
 The ECI on Wednesday
directed all state and Union
territory governments that
all “unauthorised” political
advertisements must be
removed immediately
 The ECI has instructed
the CEO of Karnataka on
Wednesday to promptly ad-
dress complaint lodged by
DMK regarding the alleged
breach of the MCC by BJP
leader Shobha Karandlaje
 The media persons on
election duty carrying the
authorisation letters from
the Election Commission,
and those working in es-
sential services such as
healthcare can vote using
postal ballots in the Lok
Sabha and four state as-
sembly polls, the Election
Commission of India said.

2. Witha`1.20LakhCrbudget,
2024LSpollscouldbetheworld’scostliest
TOTAL RECALL
15th Lok Sabha Election 2009
Manmohan Singh
re-elected as PM after
1st successful term
Manoj Mathur
Jaipur
he 15th Lok Sab-
ha elections in the
country were held
in 2009. In this
election, the UPAalliance
made a spectacular come-
back and formed the gov-
ernment, which was
called UPA 2. The loan
waiver given just before
the elections and the for-
mation of the Third Front
did not allow the main
opposition party BJP to
fulfill its plans of return-
ing to power. Congress
had gained 61 seats as
compared to 2004. After
this election, Congress
made Manmohan Singh
the Prime Minister again
after completing his first
successful term. After
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,
ManmohanSinghbecame
the first leader who be-
came Prime Minister for
the second consecutive
time after completing a
tenure of 5 years. In this
election, NDAhad fielded
BJP leader LK Advani as
PM face, but Advani re-
mained as PM in waiting.
These polls were held in a
total of 5 phases between
April 16, 2009 and May
13,2009.Thiswasthefirst
election after the delimita-
tion of LS constituencies
accordingtothe2001cen-
sus. Out of 543 LS con-
stituencies, new delimita-
tionof499seatswasdone.
In 2009 general elec-
tions, the Congress-led
UPA secured 262 seats,
with Congress alone win-
ning 206. The BJP-led
NDAgarnered 159 seats,
with BJP securing 116.
Congress’s vote percent-
age was 28.55%, BJP’s
18.80%. Congress per-
formed well in states like
UP, WB, Kerala, TN, and
Rajasthan. Sachin Pilot
became the youngest MP
at 26, and 45 women be-
came MPs.
l Farmers’ loan waiver
and MNREGA once
again took Congress
beyond 200 seats
l BJP’s Lal Krishna
Advani remained as
PM in waiting
l This is the first
general election after
the delimitation of
Lok Sabha seats
02
www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia
Jaipur, Thursday | March 21, 2024
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02
T
Apart from UPA
and NDA, a
third alliance
had also emerged
before this election in
the form of ‘Third Front’.
The third front was
formed under the lead-
ership of CPI(M). Most
of the political parties
included in the Third
Front were BSP, Telugu
Desam Party, Janata
Dal Secular, TRS, RSP
and Bhajan Lal’s party
Haryana Janhit Party,
which had come to
power at one time or the
other with the support
of BJP. It is believed
that the third front had
spoiled the game of
BJP. Due to their sepa-
ration, votes got divided
and Congress benefited
from this. Due to the
failure of seat agree-
ment with Congress
in this election, SP,
RJD and Lok Janshakti
Party also formed a new
fourth front in the hope
of becoming king mak-
ers. However, after the
elections, the parties
involved continued their
support to the UPA.
THREE ALLIANCES
FORMED BEFORE
THE ELECTIONS
CONGRESS MADE FULL USE OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS
In the first five years of the UPA government, India
largely performed well in all spheres – social,
economic and political. India’s GDP growth rate had
already reached eight percent during Vajpayee’s tenure, but it
increased to nine percent during Manmohan’s tenure. India
faced the global economic crisis of 2008 better than most
countries in the world. India’s GDP growth rate in 2008 was
6.7 percent. India was also successful in increasing its share in
exports. Employment schemes like NREGA were introduced
and the Right to Information Act was passed. In 2008, the UPA
government waived off loans worth Rs 65 thousand crore of
farmers across the country. Congress capitalised on all these
in the Lok Sabha elections. The result was that once again the
Congress government was formed at the Centre.
A perfect example of Jat politics and political influence
Abhishek Tiwari
Jaipur
ikar, known for
its military lega-
cy, holds a
unique political
status, particu-
larly in Jat politics, na-
tionally significant since
the Atal Bihari Vajpay-
ee’s 1999 announcement
of Jat reservation here.
Prominent leaders like
Balram Jakhar and
Chaudhary Devi Lal
have represented Sikar in
Parliament, enriching its
political narrative.
Since its inception in
1952, Sikar’s parliamen-
tary seat witnessed shifts
in party dominance. Ini-
tially won by Nandlal
Sharma of Ram Rajya
Parishad, Congress se-
cured victories in 1957
and 1962. The tide turned
in 1967 with Gopal Saa-
bu of Bharatiya Jana
Sangh winning, followed
by Congress reclaiming
in 1971 with Shrikrishna
Modi.
In 1977 Lok Sabha
elections, Janata Party’s
Jagdish Prasad Mathur
won, succeeded by
Kumbharam Arya of the
same party in 1980. The
seat alternated between
Congress and Janata Dal
in the late ‘80s, with Bal-
ram Jakhar and Devi Lal
winning in 1984 and
1989, respectively.
Jakhar reclaimed it in
1991, succeeded by Dr.
Hari Singh in 1996.
The late ‘90s saw the
rise of the Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP), with
Subhash Maharia win-
ning consecutively until
2004. In 2009, Mahadev
Singh Khandela of Con-
gress secured victory,
followed by Sumed-
hanand’s BJP wins in
2014 and 2019.
Sikar’s political narra-
tive reflects the aspira-
tions of the Jat commu-
nity, shaping national
discourse since Vajpay-
ee’s landmark announce-
ment. Its history of di-
verse political represen-
tation cements its signifi-
cance in Rajasthan’s po-
litical map.
MPs OF SIKAR THUS FAR
l 1952 NANDLAL SHARMA: Ram Rajya Parishad
l 1957 & 1962 RAMESHWAR TANTIA: INC
l1967 GOPAL SABOO BHARATIYA: Jana Sangh
l 1971 SHRIKRISHAN MODI: INC
l 1977 JAGDISH PRASAD MATHUR: Janata Party
l 1980 KUMBHA RAM ARYA: Janata Party (Secular)
l 1984 BALRAM JAKHAR: INC l 1989 DEVI LAL: Janata Dal
l 1991 BALRAM JAKHAR: INC l 1996 DR. HARI SINGH: INC
l 1998, 1999 & 2004 SUBHASH MAHARIA: BJP
l 2009 MAHADEO SINGH KHANDELA: INC
l 2014 & 2019 SUMEDHANAND SARASWATI: BJP
S
ASSEMBLY SEAT-WISE POSITION OF SIKAR LS SEAT
l (33) LACHHMANGARH: Govind Singh Dotasra (INC)
l (34) DHOD: Gordhan Verma (BJP)
l (35) SIKAR: Rajendra Pareek (INC)
l (36) DANTA RAMGARH: Virendra Singh (INC)
l (37) KHANDELA: Subhash Meel (BJP)
l (38) NEEM KA THANA: Suresh Modi (INC)
l (39) SRIMADHOPUR: Jhabar Singh Kharra (BJP)
l (43) CHOMU: Shikha Meel Barala (INC)
SIKAR LOK SABHA SEAT
Parliamentary
constituency’s historic
significance resonates
nationally, shaping
political discourse
Pankaj Soni
Jaipur
t is said that
politics means
‘Sama, Daam,
Dand, Bhed’.
One has to win
elections by
any means, but if we look
at the present politics, it
comes to light that
‘Daam’ (Money) is the
most effective factor in
winning elections. How-
ever, with changing
times, politics has also
changed. The Election
Commission has set
many parameters of
transparency for the elec-
tions, but the expenditure
limit is yet to be com-
pletely controlled.
When the first general
elections were held in in-
dependent India, the
Election Commission
spent approximately Rs
10.5 crore. But now
things have changed a
lot. Now thousands of
crores of rupees are spent
on conducting general
elections. This is just the
expenditure of the Elec-
tion Commission. But if
the expenditure of politi-
cal parties and candidates
is also added to this, then
it becomes very high.
Centre for Media Studies
estimates that this time
more than Rs 1.20 lakh
crore may be spent in the
general elections. If this
happens, it will be the
most expensive election
in the world so far.
Pictures of crores of
rupees of cash being
seized during elections
are seen every time,
which gives an idea of
how money is spent like
water in any state or Lok
Sabha elections. Accord-
ing to media reports, dur-
ing the last Lok Sabha
elections (2019), about 8
billion dollars i.e. 55
thousand crore rupees
were spent. After which
this election destroyed all
the records of countries
around the world in terms
of expenditure.
How expensive are
elections becoming?
Governments bear the
entire expense of con-
ducting elections. If there
are Lok Sabha elections,
the Central Government
will bear all the expens-
es. The expenses for As-
sembly elections are
borne by the State Gov-
ernments. If Lok Sabha
and Assembly elections
are held simultaneously,
then, the expenditure is
divided between the Cen-
tre and the State.Accord-
ing to the Election Com-
mission, Rs 10.45 crore
was spent in the first gen-
eral elections. This re-
sulted in an expenditure
of 60 paise per voter. For
the first time in the 2004
elections, the expendi-
ture crossed Rs 1,000
crore as Rs 1,016 crore
was spent in that elec-
tion. The expenditure
was Rs 1,115 crore in
2009 and Rs 3,870 crore
in 2014. It is believed
that in 2019, the Election
Commission spent more
than Rs 6,500 crore, i.e.
means expenditure of Rs
72 per person.
Election expenditure
more than the GDP of
many countries
To win elections, politi-
cal parties and candidates
spend money like water.
The Election Commis-
sion has set a limit on the
expenditure of the candi-
dates, but there is no re-
striction on the parties.
Not only this, election
expenditure is doubling
every five years. It is es-
timated that Rs 60,000
crore was spent in the
2019 elections. Whereas,
before this in 2014, it is
said that an expenditure
of about Rs 30,000 crore
was spent. This is the rea-
son why the Lok Sabha
elections held in India are
now becoming the most
expensive elections in
the world. The amount
spent in the last few gen-
eral elections is equal to
the GDP of many coun-
tries.
Congress got 12
seats and BJP got one
seat worth `4.4 crore
According to the report
of Association Demo-
cratic Reforms (ADR), in
the 2014 elections, all
political parties had
raised funds worth Rs
6,405 crore and out of
this, Rs 2,591 crore had
been spent. According to
the report, seven national
parties had collected
funds worth Rs 5,544
crore in the last elections.
Of this, BJP alone re-
ceived Rs 4,057 crore.
Congress had received
funds of Rs 1,167 crore.
In 2019, BJP had spent
Rs 1,142 crore. Whereas,
Congress had spent more
than Rs 626 crore. In
2019, BJP had won 303
seats. According to this,
BJP got one seat for an
average of Rs 4.4 crore.
Congress could win only
52 seats and thus, its av-
erage expenditure on
winning one seat was
more than Rs 12 crore.
I
l Election Commission limits expenditure up to `95 lakh
l Crores of rupees are spent even in conducting elections
Year Voters in crores Expenditure in
crores of rupees
1984 40.03 81.5
1989 49.89 154.2
1991 51.15 359.1
1996 59.26 597.3
1998 60.59 666.2
1999 61.95 947.7
2004 67.15 1016.1
2009 71.7 1114.4
2014 83.43 3870.3
2019 90 6,500
EXPENDITURE IN THE
LAST 10 ELECTIONS

3. LEGACY OF GENEROSITY
Teen’s organs gift life to 4 patients
Shivprakash Purohit
Jodhpur
19-yr-old brain
dead person
saved the lives
of 4 persons in Jodhpur.
The organs
of Vikram
Kuma, were
donated to
A I I M S
Hospital on
Wednesday. This is first
time in Jodhpur AIIMS
when the organs of a
brain dead person were
donated. Vikram Kumar
met with an accident on
Monday in Boranada.
AIIMS Superinten-
dent Dr. Deepak Jha
said that Vikram became
brain dead due to the ac-
cident. His liver, kid-
neys and lungs were
fully functioning.
In such a situation, the
doctors of AIIMS asked
Vikram’s father to save
lives of four people by
donating his liver, kid-
ney & one lung.
Vikram’s father and
family took decision to
donate organs. Dr Deep-
ak Jha said that one kid-
ney and liver will be sent
to AIIMS Jodhpur, one
kidney to SMS Hospital
and the lungs to Medan-
ta Gurugram.
This transplant is the first of its kind at AIIMS Jodhpur.
A
RAJASTHAN 03
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Jaipur, Thursday | March 21, 2024
BSP ANNOUNCES 3
KEY CANDIDATES
GOING FROM ‘MODI KA
PARIVAR’ TO CONG FAM?
LAL SINGH RATHORE
SWITCHES TO BSP
RAJ BJP ADOPTS
‘CHANAKYA NITI’
As Lok Sabha
elections draw
closer, parties are
annuncing candidates,
BSP has announced 3
Lok Sabha candidates in
Rajasthan: Lal Singh
Rathore for Jalore-Sirohi,
Engineer Anjala for
Bharatpur, and Bhimsingh
Kuntal for Kota-Bundi.
The list was released by
BSP State President
Bhagwan Singh Baba.
Daughter-in-law of
former state
president of BJP asked
for ticket from Congress
and also met Congress
leaders in PCC on
Wednesday. It is believed
that Congress can also
seriously consider this
name as the daughter-in-
law is associated with
social sector and her
family has been a
staunch Sangh loyalist.
Lal Singh Rathore, a
prominent name in
Congress has left the
party and joined BSP on
Wednesday. Lal Singh
has held various positions
in Congress and BSP has
made him its candidate
from Jalore-Sirohi for
which BSP State
President Bhagwan Singh
Baba paved the way and
BSP supremo Mayawati
approved the name.
The Bhartiya Janta
Party in Rajasthan
has adopted the
‘Chanakya Niti’ and has
opened its offices for Lok
Sa bha polls in all 25 Lok
Sabha constituencies.
BJP is already involved in
Mission 25 and is playing
on front foot in the state.
With a major win in the
state this year, the party
is hopefull to clean sweep
Lok Sabha Polls as well.
BJP LEADER MOCKS CONGRESS DEFECTIONS
A BJP leader has made a comment about
Congressmen continuously joining BJP and
said, “Why not form a cell in BJP? BJP should be
renamed as Congress cell. A former Congress leader
was made convenor of the cell and so let them teach
principles and discipline of the family. Because there
is a burning desire in Congress to join BJP.”
However, a leader from Congress did not consider
the remarks of a senior leader appropriate.
Adda
Adda
RAJ
RAJniti
ka
NoDivyangleftbehindfrom
‘accessibleelections’inState
Vinod Singh Chouhan
Jaipur
With theAccessible elec-
tions as core area of
thrust, we are aiming am-
bitiously to achieve
100% registration of peo-
ple with disability in
electoral rolls.
The comprehensive
SVEEP plan encapsulat-
ed various activities. In
this regard, the data from
the Disability Commis-
sion and Department of
Social Justice & Empow-
erment was collected.
Augmented usage of
Electoral Literacy Clubs
(ELCs) for enhanced
electoral awareness and
increased online registra-
tion was also focused
upon. The BLOs were di-
rected to contact PwD
electors on telephone, if
needed. Chief Election
Commissioner Rajiv Ku-
mar said ramps and
wheelchairs would be
provided at the polling
booths and Voters with
40% disability can vote
from home. Adopting a
crisp crisis management
strategy customised as per
the need of an hour, the
CEORajasthanseamlessly
incorporated and explored
newinnovativewaystoex-
pand its outreach.
The CEO conducted meeting with various NGOs who are working in this field
Media personnel,
others in essential
services can avail
the postal ballot
First India Bureau
Jaipur
The Election Commis-
sion of India has extend-
ed the facility of voting
via postal ballots to em-
ployees working in 11
departments besides ser-
vice voters.
This marks the first
time that media person-
nel have been included in
Lok Sabha elections un-
der this category. Chief
Electoral Officer Praveen
Gupta informed, employ-
ees from the medical sec-
tor including doctors,
paramedical staff, ambu-
lance personnel, as well
as those from the energy
department including
electricians, line men,
pump operators in
PHED, dairy employees
working in Rajasthan’s
dairy committees, and
driver-conductors in
roadways, among others,
along with media person-
nel authorized by the
Election Commission,
will now be facilitated to
vote via postal ballots.
Gupta mentioned that
media personnel have
been included for the first
time in the category of
service voters. Until now,
the facility of postal bal-
lot voting was not avail-
able to most of the peo-
ple in these categories.
Royal train trips
cancelled: PoW
facing booking
challenges
Asaram Bapu’s
treatment in
Mumbai denied
First India Bureau
Jaipur
Due to a lack of book-
ings, Palace on Wheels
has cancelled the next
three royal train rides, in-
cluding the latest one.
The trips for March 20,
March 27, and April 3
have been cancelled. The
concluding round of this
session will be on April
10th. There has been no
decision on running dur-
ing the off-season.
In such a case, the roy-
al train may remain in
the yard for the follow-
ing five months. The Pal-
ace on Wheels is oper-
ated and maintained by
the RTDC and gives a
vast coverage of several
parts of the state.
First India Bureau
Jodhpur
Asaram has not been
permitted to travel to
Mumbai for Ayurve-
dic therapy.
On behalf of Asar-
am, a special applica-
tion was filed at the
Raj HC. Maharashtra
Police declined owing
to security concerns.
Treatment can now be
completed at Karvad.
1st
IPL match in Jpr on March 24
Naresh Sharma
Jaipur
Get ready for an IPL
showdown at SMS Sta-
dium on March 24 as
Rajasthan Royals take
on Lucknow Super Gi-
ants in Jaipur.
It’s been almost a year
since SMS Stadium wit-
nessed an IPL match,
and the excitement is
palpable. RR will be
seen battling it out on
their home ground
against LSG. Ticket
rates for matches range
from 1200 to 20,000,
compared to the previ-
ous season where the
cheapest ticket was
priced at Rs 800, now
bumped up to Rs 1200.
The queues at ticket
counters for offline pur-
chases are growing, re-
flecting the eagerness of
fans to witness action
live. SMS Stadium has
been decked out in RR’s
signature pink theme,
transforming from sky
blue to pink seats, in
line with the team’s
dress & city’s vibe.
Salary of Edu secy to be
stopped as staff not paid!
Kamalkant Vyas
Jaipur
The Rajasthan High
Court has issued an or-
der to halt the disburse-
ment of salary to the
Principal Secretary of the
Higher Education De-
partment. This directive
came during the hearing
of a petition filed by San-
jay Yadav and others be-
fore Justice Ganesh Ram
Meena’s court.
The court has also in-
structed Principal Secre-
tary to appear before the
High Court either per-
sonally or through a
counsel on April 4.
The court also raised
concerns over the govt’s
failure to respond to case
of non-payment of sala-
ries to teaching staff at
college in Bhiwadi. It
stated that govt’s con-
duct towards these em-
ployees is unacceptable.
Lok Sabha polls
IN ABSENCE OF ‘EPIC’ CARD, 12 OTHER PHOTO ID
DOCUMENTS CAN BE USED: PRAVEEN GUPTA
According to the guidelines issued, if a voter’s
name is registered in the voter list, but due to some
reason he does not have the Electoral Photo Iden-
tity Card, then he will still be able to exercise his franchise
by showing the alternative identity document. CEO Praveen
Gupta said that EPIC are being issued to voters. Voters
who are not able to produce it will have to show one of 12
alternative documents. Gupta said that the 12 alternative
photo identity documents include Aadhar Card, MNREGA
Job Card, Driving Licence, PAN Card, Indian Passport,
Pension documents with photo, Service Certificate with
photo issued to employees by Central/State Government/
PSU/Public Limited Companies Identity Card, Passbook
with photo issued by Bank/Post Office, Smart Card issued
by RGI under National Population Register, and others.
HOME VOTING FOR 85+
AGE VOTERS & THOSE
WITH 40%+ DISABILITY
For the first time in
Rajasthan, Home
Voting facility is be-
ing extended to the senior
citizens above 85 years
of age and
differently-
abled voters
with over
40 percent
disability.
The polling
for home voting will start
from April 5 and continue
till April 14 in presence of
representatives of parties,
candidates and election
observers. If due to some
reason the voter could not
vote in the first round, the
polling teams would make a
second visit for home voting
between April 15 and 16.
GOVT DECLARES DRY
DAY THROUGHOUT THE
STATE ON POLLING DAY
The Rajasthan
government has
declared a dry day
in the state as per the
schedule announced by
the Election Commission
in connection with the Lok
Sabha elections 2024.
Chief Electoral Officer
Praveen Gupta said that
an order in this regard has
been issued by the Finance
(Excise) Department.
According to this, the first
phase of voting is to be held
on April 19 and there will be
dry days in the state from 6
pm on April 17 till the end of
voting on April 19, 2024. In
the first phase in Rajast-
han, voting process will be
held in Twelve Lok Sabha
constituencies.
ARD INSPECTION FINDS 100% STAFF MISSING
In a startling revelation, the State Election Commis-
sion found 100 % of gazetted officers absent during
a meticulous scrutiny conducted by ARD. Similarly,
a staggering 84.61 % of non gazetted employees were also
found absent during the inspection. During the inspection,
two attendance registers were seized, revealing a disturb-
ing trend. Out of the seven gazetted officers, all were
conspicuously absent, while out of the 26 non gazetted
employees, 22 were found to be missing.
FILE
FI TOON

4. RAJASTHAN 04
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Jaipur, Thursday | March 21, 2024
DEEG COMES ALIVE
Braj Mahotsav begins with cultural delights
First India Bureau
Deeg
he two-day
Braj Mahotsav
started with a
grand ceremony in Deeg
on Tuesday evening. Di-
visional Commissioner
Sanwarmal Verma, Dis-
trict Judge Bharatpur
Keshav Kaushik, District
Collector Shruti Bhard-
waj, and SP Rajesh Mee-
na inaugurated the fair at
a ceremony.Various
competitions including
tug of war, Kabaddi,
Mehndi making, paint-
ing, rangoli, mustache
competition, matka race,
and lemon spoon race
organized during the fes-
tival enthralled the audi-
ence.The entire campus
got excited after seeing
this scene of female stu-
dents carrying Idani on
their heads and reaching
the designated place with
a pot. In this competi-
tion, Komal from Gov-
ernment Higher Second-
ary School Didawali se-
cured the first position
while Pooja from Shri
Ganga Singh MAJ Col-
lege Deeg secured the
second position.The
names of winners in oth-
er competitions were
also announced.
T
Stonepeltingonreligious
procession,mandies
First India Bureau
Chittorgarh
Tension broke out in Pa-
huna town of Chittorgarh
after stone pelting on a
religious procession.
People of a particular
community pelted
stones at the procession
of Charbhuja Nath being
taken out through Sadar
Bazaar on Tuesday night
falling under Rashmi
police station area. As a
result, one person died
and leaving around a
dozen people injured in
stone pelting.
However, doctors
have declared death to
be due to heart attack.
The family of the de-
ceased has registered a
case of murder.After the
incident, Section 144
was imposed in the
town. People of a par-
ticular community said
that a procession should
not be taken out in front
of their religious place.
District Superinten-
dent of Police Sudhir
Joshi said, “18 people
have been arrested after
registering a case under
various sections. Imme-
diate action will be tak-
en against other people
who spoiled the atmos-
phere and they will be
arrested.”
Section 144 has been imposed in Pahuna town of Rashmi police station area on Wednesday.
NSUIworkersfacelathi-charge
protestingAgniveerscheme
Laxman Raghav
Bikaner
Police in Bikaner lathi-
charged the National Stu-
dents Union of India
(NSUI) workers protest-
ing against the Central
govt’s Agniveer Scheme.
Govt Dungar College
President Hari Godara,
former president Krishna
Godara, and others were
injuredinthelathi-charge.
NSUI workers reached
the Collectorate premises
at around 1 pm to protest.
The police had put up bar-
ricades to stop them.
When NSUI workers
broke the barricade, the
police lathi-charged.
Led by NSUI state
president Vinod Jakhar,
the NSUI workers moved
from Ganga Theater to-
wards the Collectorate.
The police allowed some
leaders including NSUI
state president Vinod
Jakhar to collectorate
while others were pre-
sent outside.
A dispute occurred
when some men
raised objection
over procession
passing by a mosque
Government Dungar College Prez Hari Godara, former president
Krishna Godara and others were injured in the lathi-charge.
JDA yet to initiate
high-tech city
development
First India Bureau
Jaipur
JDA (Jaipur Develop-
ment Authority) is lag-
ging in implementation
of budget annoucement.
The Deputy Chief
Minister, Diya Kumari,
had made announce-
ments during the presen-
tation of the budget in
the Legislative Assem-
bly which included plans
to develop a High-Tech
City near Jaipur, akin to
Gujarat’s Gift City,
aimed at fostering city
development. Approxi-
mately a month ago, JDA
(Jaipur Development
Authority) JDAformed a
committee comprising
senior officials from the
Town Planning Depart-
ment, Engineering De-
partment, and Land Bank
Department. However,
to date, the committee
has not convened a sin-
gle meeting nor made
any tangible progress to-
ward implementing these
announcements.
District Collector Shruti Bhardwaj enjoying the spectacular
performance in Deeg on Wednesday.
A huge crowd of people gathered at the grand ceremony of
Braj Mahotsav in Deeg on Wednesday.
Speaker Devnani highlights India’s
global impact and cultural legacy
First India Bureau
Nagaur
Rajasthan Assembly
Speaker Vasudev Dev-
nani on Wednesday said
that India’s intellectuality
is being accepted by the
whole world and the
country is touching new
heights today.
Mentioning the 7 lakh
Gurukuls of ancient India,
the universities of Central
India like Nalanda, Tak-
shashila, etc. where peo-
ple from all over the
world got education and
the Jain Visva-Bharati
University of modern In-
dia, Devnani said that In-
dia had been a world
leader earlier also, is a
world leader even today
and in the future.
“Indians dominate eve-
rywhere in the world. In
England alone, 80 percent
of the doctors are Indi-
ans,” he said while ad-
dressing a programme.
“India is a country of
youth. Truth, non-vio-
lence, kindness, and com-
passion are prevalent in
the behavior of people
here. India is a country of
heroes who do not lag be-
hind in sacrifice,” he said.
Food adulteration:
Samples seized from
various places in Jaipur
Vikas Sharma
Jaipur
In a significant develop-
ment related to the ongo-
ing campaign against
food adulteration under ‘
shuddh aahar milawat
par vaar’ drive, a major
crackdown was conduct-
ed by a team from the
Food Safety and Drug
Control Commissioner-
ate.
Under the directives of
ACS Medical Shubhra
Singh, Drug and Food
Commissioner Ikbal
Khan, and Additional
Commissioner Pankaj
Ojha, a raid was conduct-
ed at the establishment.
The team seized samples
of paneer, ghee, milk
cake, and mawa barfi for
further analysis.
Additionally, an Im-
provement Notice under
Section 32 of FSSAI
was issued during the
raid. Two samples were
also collected from
Kishor Mishthan
Bhandar in Sodala.
SAMPLES COLLECTED
FROM RAJSAMAND
Samples of gujiyas
and kalakand were
collected from
Lakshmi Sweets Caterers
in Sodala, while samples
of mathri besan were ob-
tained from Shyam Sweets
in Nandpuri. Meanwhile,
as part of the crackdown
on food adulteration, the
Health Department has
taken action against sweet
shops in Rajsamand on
Wednesday. Samples of
food items were col-
lected from sweet shops
for inspection, including
namkeen, ghee, and
milk. Shopkeepers were
instructed not to sell food
items openly.
CRIME
ROUNDUP
RAS officer’s parents stabbed to death, accused held
Pradeep Gadhwal
Jhunjhunu
In a tragic turn of events,
the parents of a RAS of-
ficer were brutally mur-
dered with a knife. The
heinous crime was com-
mitted by two brothers
over a dispute on the road.
The police swiftly appre-
hended the accused sib-
lings following the inci-
dent.
The shocking incident
unfolded in the Anand-
puri village of Dhanuri in
Jhunjhunu district on
Tuesday evening at
around 5 PM.
After the murder of the
couple, the two brothers
fled the scene on a motor-
cycle.Acting on the infor-
mation, SP Rajrishi Raj
Varma reached the spot
immediately. The police
launched a massive man-
hunt to apprehend the per-
petrators, cordoning off
various areas.The author-
ities successfully arrested
Pramendra from Kant
and Praveen fromAnand-
puri village. Chief Minis-
ter Bhajan Lal Sharma
has taken a serious note
of the entire incident and
has directed the Jaipur
Range IG to take strin-
gent action.
Accused Pramendra and Praveen in police custody.
FORMER JNVU STUDENT UNION PRESIDENT
ACCUSED OF DOWRY HARASSMENT & VIOLENCE
MAJOR DRUG BUSTED IN JODHPUR: `6.45 LAKH
ILLICIT NARCOTICS SEIZED, INVESTIGATION ON
Jodhpur: In a significant development, a complaint
has been lodged against Sunil Choudhary, the
former president of the Jai Narain Vyas University
(JNVU) Student Union. The complaint was filed at the rural
women’s police station, alleging various offenses against
him. The complaint was filed by Sunil Choudhary’s wife, ac-
cusing him of subjecting her to dowry harassment and both
mental and physical torture. Allegations have also been
made that during his tenure as a student union candidate,
he demanded Rs. 10 lakhs from his in-laws.
Jodhpur: Police have arrested a supplier while con-
ducting a large operation against an illegal drug deal-
er. Jodhpur police have captured 6 lakh 45 thousand
200 illicit narcotics. The Bhinmal police have apprehended a
Jodhpur-based supplier. District Police Special and Bhinmal
Police raided accused Chhagnaram Chaudhary’s home and
seized 45,960 narcotics prohibition tablets including NDPS
components valued at more than Rs 1 crore 83 lakh. The
apprehended accused, Chhagnaram, stated that sending
money via hawala, and transporting tablets via bus.
JAIPUR: SI PAPER LEAK
ACCUSED REMANDED
Jaipur: In the case
of the Sub Inspector
Recruitment 2021
paper leak, the SOG team
brought 14 accused trainee
sub-inspectors to the court.
The court sentenced 14
trainee sub-inspectors to
judicial prison until April 3.
The bail pleas of 12 accused
trainee sub-inspectors were
debated. The court denied
bail for 11 defendants but
authorized it for Chanchal
Bishnoi due to his 3-month-
old daughter’s hospitalization.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate
Metropolitan II Poonaram Go-
dara issued these directives.
TRADER LOOTED OF RS
1 LAKH IN KARDHANI
Jaipur: A business-
man from Jaipur was
robbed of a suitcase
containing Rs 1 lakh. The
victim businessman has
filed a report at the Kardhani
police station. The police are
looking for the burglars and
analyzing the CCTV footage
situated near the crime
scene. Head constable
Shaktiraj Singh stated that
a robbery occurred with
Dharmchand Bainiwal. On
Monday night, at about 9:15
p.m., he was heading home
on his bike. When onlookers
flung stones at the miscre-
ants, they fled on their bike.
POLICE DEBUNKS
KIDNAPPING,
STUDENT SAFE
Kota: City SP Am-
rita Duhan made a
huge declaration
in the coaching student
kidnapping issue, saying,
“In the research so far, the
matter of kidnapping has
been proven false.” Police
and family members are
relieved that both the
student and her friend are
unharmed. The student
and her partner wanted to
travel abroad, therefore
they demanded Rs 30
lakh from them. The kid-
napped student from Kota
was observed in Jaipur’s
Durgapura railway station.
MAJOR RAIDS IN JPR
TARGET ILLEGAL
LIQUOR NETWORKS
Jaipur: With an eye
on the upcoming
2024 LS elec-
tions, authorities in Jaipur
have launched a special
crackdown on illegal liquor
mafias operating in the
city. The initiative, spear-
headed by Biju George
Joseph, Police Commis-
sioner, aims to curb the
illicit trade of alcohol and
dismantle the networks of
bootleggers. During the
operations conducted by
teams, a total of 9 cases
were registered under the
Excise Act, leading to the
arrest of 9 suspects.
FATHEROF6HELDFOR
KILLINGPARAMOUR
MOTHER KILLS
INFANT, ARRESTED
Bharatpur: A
32-year-old
man, father of
6 kids, was detained
in Bharatpur district on
Wednesday for allegedly
murdering a woman over
some dispute, police said.
They said Sonu Sharma
slit Poonam Sharma’s
throat at a rented room
in Patpara colony. The
matter seems to be a
love affair. The accused
has been detained and is
being interrogated. The
accused is married and
has children but the victim
was unmarried. -Ravi
Katara
Dudu: Success
was accom-
plished under the
guidance of DCP North
Rashi Dogra Dudi in the
murder of a one-and-a-
half-month-old baby. The
lady was found to have
murdered her child in the
Ramganj police station
vicinity. The accused
mother, Anjum, informed
the police that the child
was constantly crying,
so I slashed his throat
with a scalpel blade. .
Police have retrieved the
surgical blade used in
the incident, and the ac-
cused woman is currently
being investigated.
Vasudev Devnani participated in the programme organized on the
34th foundation day of Jain Visva Bharati University in Nagaur.
Lathi-charge in Bikaner during the protest against
Agniveer, the biggest deceit scheme against the
youth and the security of the country, is unfortunate
and a proof of the BJP’s fear. Salute to the struggle of the
revolutionary comrades of NSUI who were injured in this
repressive action.
Ashok Gehlot@ashokgehlot51

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Jaipur, Thursday | March 21, 2024 05

7. PERSPECT VE 06
Jaipur, Thursday | March 21, 2024 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia
‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 77
efore2014,mostpeoplein
mainland India had very
cursory knowledge and
incorrect information about the
people of North East, their life and
culture. They had vague ideas and
not many knew even the location
of the states of the North East and
the varied people who belonged to
those states.When Modi ji came to
power,thebiggestthinghedidwas
to prioritise the North East. He
brought the cultural and develop-
mental issues of this part of the
country into the mainstream narra-
tive and gave it due focus and im-
portance which was missing in the
years before. Since becoming the
PM,hevisitedtheNorthEastclose
to 65 times, thereby himself lead-
ingthetransformationoftheregion
from the front. No PM has ever
taken up so many trips to this re-
gion to have a first-hand experi-
ence of the problems and possi-
bilities here. He then gave the slo-
gan,‘transformationthroughtrans-
portation’. Remote areas like Ta-
wang were brought under the rail-
way mapping. Rajdhani trains
connected the capital cities of the
North East. Roads were built. Me-
tre gauge tracks were rapidly con-
verted into broad gauge sections
and single lines were made double
for faster and more efficient move-
ment of goods and passengers
across the North East and beyond.
This improved the people-to-peo-
ple connect, with more awareness
in mainland India about the people
and cultures of the North East.
Modi ji’s look east policy has seen
thousandsofcroresofrupeesbeing
pumped in for the development of
the North East. Not just road and
rail but air and digital communica-
tion have also got a boost due to
this. Areas of Nagaland, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, which were
always outside the mainstream at-
tention, are now having greater
presence and involvement in the
nation’s development as connec-
tivity has brought them near. The
whole purpose and thrust of the
Modi government’s development
model is to bring on par all those
areas and peoples who have fallen
behind in India’s growth story
through years of neglect or inequi-
table distribution of resources.
Modi ji had given a very nice anal-
ogy that if one arm of mother India
is weak, there can’t be complete
development. Today the govern-
ment’s North-East development
model is being replicated across.
Modi ji is very sensitive about the
North-East. Whenever there is any
cabinetmeetingrelatedtodevelop-
ment, the first thing Modi ji asks is
what is happening in the North-
East. He always says, for me the
North-East is not just about the
pieceoflandwehaveorthedemo-
graphic dividends it brings. It is a
piece of my heart!
will tell you an instance
of Modi ji’s ‘beyond the
obvious’ vision. There
was a proposal of connecting all
parts of Surat city with a compre-
hensive network of CCTV cam-
eras. Modi ji, as the state CM, said
he wanted an integrated CCTV
coverage and command system
for the security of the citizens. He
also said that he wanted citizens’
participation in the project and to
ensure their involvement with the
police commissioner in its imple-
mentation, so that they would also
know all the nitty-gritty of the
system. He met the city’s busi-
nessmen and other related indi-
viduals who could be a part of the
project and mooted the idea. Soon
it was implemented accordingly
and the city was covered under
CCTV umbrella coverage to keep
track of its every nook and corner.
Modi ji was to inaugurate the fa-
cility.At the launch event, even as
people were lauding the efforts of
the police chief in making it a suc-
cess, Modi ji said in his speech
that though the credit for the pro-
ject’s success goes to the police
commissioner and the people in-
volved, the Surat municipal com-
missioner too should have com-
plete tracking access to the CCTV
coverage. The civic official was
surprised because CCTV is usu-
ally related to law and order which
thepolicetrack24x7anditdoesn’t
normally have much to do with
the municipal chief of a city. Then
Modi ji said the CCTV system
was not only for the safety of the
citizens but could also be used for
the cleanliness of the city. The
municipal authorities would be
able to keep a constant watch on
the status of cleanliness from the
control room and act accordingly
whenever or wherever required.
He thus found two uses of the
same CCTV system which is usu-
ally associated only with security.
Such is his ‘beyond the obvious’
outlook that keeps him and his
leadership ahead of others.
big change in the way the
world is looking up to In-
dia is in the areas of hu-
manitarian assistance and disaster
relief, where India has emerged as
a first responder. Whenever our
region has been hit by a crisis, In-
dia has responded with speed and
solidarity.TaketheexampleofNe-
pal. In 2015, when the country was
rattled by a major earthquake that
killed over 9,000 people, India re-
sponded in less than six hours. Our
Indian Air Force flew in the Na-
tional Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) team and took over the
relief work. It landed 32 flights
over the next few days with over
520 tonnes of relief material and
more than 50 army, engineering
and medical and other rescue op-
erationteams.Similarly,theIndian
Navy was the first to arrive in the
Maldives with fresh potable water
to serve over 1,50,000 citizens of
the island nation in December
2015 when they were hit by a se-
vere water crisis. When a cyclone
hit the region in 2017 and caused
destructioninSriLankaandBang-
ladesh with flooding, India was
again the first to respond. During
times of conflict, we have not only
been efficient and fast in flying out
ourcitizensbutalsoforeigners.For
instance during such a conflict in
Lebanon in 2015, when 5,400 peo-
ple were evacuated, there were
over 900 foreign nationals among
them. The Vande Bharat mission
after the pandemic is said to be one
of the largest civil evacuation mis-
sionsbyanycountryduringpeace-
time. Over 1.8 million Indians
were evacuated in over 15 phases.
India also evacuated 20,000 na-
tionals, mostly students, in over 90
flights, during the Russian inva-
sion of Ukraine under the Mission
Ganga programme. Also, a whop-
ping$3.8bnfinancialpackagewas
extendedtoSriLankatohelpittide
over its grave economic crisis.
Such contributions help project In-
dia’ssoftpowerandalsohergrow-
ing sphere of influence and capac-
ity to shape events.
B I
A
Modi’s outlook keeps
his leadership ahead
India has emerged as first
responder in disaster relief
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
PERSPECT VE 06
Jaipur, Thursday | March 14, 2024
www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia
‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 76
was performing at
Ahmedabad’s Kar-
navati Club, way
back in 2004, when Modi ji
was the Chief Minister of
Gujarat. I was singing on
stage when there was a
small commotion at the gate
and we heard Modi ji had
come. He came in and sat in
the front row, listening to
my music. I was so happy
and excited to have such a
guest in attendance that I
came down from the stage
and sat beside him to ex-
press my gratitude for mak-
ing time. I introduced my-
self as Anu Malik, and he
immediately nodded his
head with a smile, saying, I
know, I know, I do know
you. It was such an honour
for me. Many years later,
when I again had the oppor-
tunity to meet him at the
inauguration of HN Reli-
ance Foundation hospital in
Mumbai. I remember he
gave a wonderful speech at
the event enumerating the
benefits of Ayurveda, the
power of natural medicines
and yoga. Later as people
lined up to meet the PM, my
wife and I went up to Modi
ji and reminded him of the
brief meeting I had with him
at the Karnavati Club.Again
Modi ji immediately ac-
knowledged it
and said he re-
membered it
very well. He
even recalled
how I had come
down from the
stage and sat
with him for his
blessings. I can
never forget
these two mo-
ments of my
life with Modi
ji. I became a
fan of Modi ji
like everyone
else around the
world.
hen a delegation of a cream of
Kashmiri industrialists, social
workers and religious heads met
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he lis-
tened to them intently and assured them
that the problems of Kashmir would be
sorted out. He said the footfall in the tour-
ist destinations of Kashmir would be
highest. He had a belief and confidence
when he
said this that
we had not
seen earlier
in any lead-
er and we
looked at
each other
in disbelief.
How could
tourism rise
when no
one was
willing to be
here due to
the social
situation? But soon after, just one tweet
of Modi ji changed the whole scenario of
Kashmir. His first tweet was about the
famous tulip garden and it garnered mil-
lions of views, renewing the world’s inter-
est in it. Tourists started flocking in. He
had said religious tourism would be made
a reality in Kashmir. Today indeed it is so.
This has led us to believe in the truth of
the adage, ‘Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai’.
was struck by Modi ji’s im-
peccable professionalism
that goes hand in hand with
his personal humanitarian touch in
everything he does. I remember we
were set for a meeting in Gandhina-
gar regarding the Mind Champions
Academy — a programme to intro-
duce chess in schools and we were
proposing the same to the Gujarat
government. Things moved with
clockwise precision. We were
shown to the meeting room exactly
at 11 and Modi ji, as the CM of Gu-
jarat at that time, joined in soon.The
officials were all well instructed and
informed beforehand. Everyone
was ready with their homework. It
was a seamless experience and the
meeting lasted just as long as it was
needed. There
was proper
f o l l o w - u p
through emails
and other offi-
cial channels,
which gave us
point by point
details of how
we were pro-
gressing and
which were
the areas of
disagreement
if any.
I remember
I once told
Modi ji casu-
ally that I
loved Gujarati meal. He immedi-
ately told me, let me treat you to a
Gujarati thali and he took me to the
state guest house for a sumptuous
lunch. Such is his humanitarian ap-
proach despite all his professional
business. He has a strong human
side to all his professional tough-
ness as he laughs, cracks jokes and
loves to have fun. His focus at work
co-exists so well with his individ-
ual attention.
Ithasbecomeanormnowthatthe
PMwillcallandcongratulateanath-
lete if he/she achieves something
great at the world stage. This is a
greatmotivationforsportspersonsto
get a call from the PM of the country
and this elevates his/her stature.
Again this is an instance of the indi-
vidual touch I mentioned.
I was also surprised by his in-
novative approach to things. When
we organised the mega chess com-
petition (Chess Mahotsav) in De-
cember 2010 with 20,000 partici-
pants and entered the Guinness
Book of Records as the largest such
simultaneous display in the world
at a single venue, all the table
clothes were ordered in black and
white colours so that they could
create a chessboard pattern. When
an aerial shot was taken, the whole
stadium sported the look of a chess-
board due to the black and white
table clothes. Modi ji had visual-
ised the whole thing beforehand
and instructed to plan the event ac-
cordingly. Also the organisation of
the event was flawless. Buses were
deployed by the state government
to bring volunteers to the venue
from all across the state. Even sev-
eral international grandmasters
were invited and hosted by the gov-
ernment to be a part of the event.
Similarly, when the chess olym-
piad was organised, there was no
concept of a rally torch like it hap-
pens in the Olympics. But Modi ji,
in another display of imagination
and his innovative spirit, introduced
the concept of a torch rally for the
chess olympiad and how it has be-
come an important part of the event.
These things really make him stand
apart as a leader par excellence.
I
W
I
Modi sahab’s one
tweet changed the
whole J&K scenario
Modi’sprofessionalismco-
existswithindividualtouch
Vishwanathan Anand
Chess Grandmaster
Anu Malik
Music Director
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
You read PART 75
on MARCH 7, 2024
NaMo
LEADERPAR
EXCELLENCE
PM Narendra Modi
Darakshan Andrabi
Chairman, Waqf Board J&K
The narrators underscore Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s exceptional professionalism coupled with his genuine empathy in
every aspect of his work. They highlight his distinct manner of connecting with people, never forgetting previous interactions.
During a meeting with a delegation comprising leading Kashmiri industrialists, social advocates, and religious figures, PM Modi
attentively heard their perspectives and offered assurances regarding the issues confronting Kashmir and beyond.
HOW I BECAME
A FAN OF MODI JI
 Vol 5  Issue No. 278  RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor,
City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504.  Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra  Managing Editor: Pawan Arora  Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
You read PART 76
on MARCH 14, 2024
NaMo
LEADINGWITHVISION
‘BEYONDTHEOBVIOUS’
PM Narendra Modi
‘BEYONDTHEOBVIOUS’
The narrators reflect on the significant impact
of PM Modi’s leadership and the multitude of
positive changes it has brought forth. From
the focus on the North East to his visionary
‘beyond the obvious’ approach, Modi has
reshaped global perceptions of India,
particularly in humanitarian
aid and disaster relief.
PM Modi ji’s continued focus on the
North East has reaped rich dividends
Dr Jitendra Singh
Union Minister
Tapir Gao
MP, Arunachal Pradesh
Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam CM
Kamlesh Yagnik
Surat
Vikas Swaroop
Former Indian Diplomat
Kiren Rijiju
Union Minister
 Vol 5  Issue No. 285  RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor,
City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504.  Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra  Managing Editor: Pawan Arora  Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

8. NEWS 07
www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia
Jaipur, Thursday | March 21, 2024
YOUTH OLYMPICS 2030, SUMMER OLYMPICS 2036
Will be at forefront for Sports: Thakur
PTI
New Delhi
ndia will leave
no stone un-
turned in organ-
ising theYouth Olympics
in 2030 and Summer
Olympics in 2036, Sports
and Youth Affairs Minis-
ter Anurag Thakur said
on Wednesday.
Thakur, speaking at
the Rising Bharat Sum-
mit, said the moment the
bid starts, India will be
ready to host the sporting
events.
“India is ready to host
the 2030 Youth Olympics
and the 2036 Summer
Olympics,” the senior
BJP leader said. “We are
the world’s third-largest
economy, and we are also
a country with enormous
youth power. There is no
bigger market for sports
and expansion than In-
dia,” he said.The minister
recalled that nearly 4,000
cricket fans from Britain
had visited Himachal
Pradesh to watch the fifth
Test match between India
and England in Dharam-
sala and praised the beau-
tiful stadium there.
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur
I
Beijing: Fourteen peo-
ple were killed and 37
others injured after a
bus crashed inside an
expressway tunnel in
northern China, state
media reported
Wednesday. The bus,
which was carrying 51
people, rammed into
the tunnel’s interior
wall, the report said.
14 killed and 37
injured in bus crash
in China: Report
New Delhi: The SC on
Wednesday criticised
Enforcement Directo-
rate (ED) for denying
default bail to accused
individuals by continu-
ously filing supplemen-
tary chargesheets and
extending investiga-
tions, thus keeping them
in jail indefinitely.
ED cannot keep filing
chargesheets to keep
accused in jail: SC
Tokyo:A South Korean
tanker capsized off an is-
land in southwestern Ja-
pan on Wednesday, au-
thorities said, killing 7
people on board. One
crew member survived,
and the fate of three oth-
ers was unknown. The
ship was completely cap-
sized by the time rescu-
ers arrived at the scene.
7 die as South Korean
tanker capsizes off
Japan, 2 still missing
Muzaffarnagar: A
16-year-old girl was al-
legedly raped by a man
who posted the video of
the act online, police
said. Circle Officer
(CO) Rajkumar Sav said
the accused, Waseem,
allegedly raped the
16-year-old 2 weeks ago
in a sugarcane field and
made a video of the act.
Man rapes minor girl,
posts video online in
UP's Muzaffarnagar
Hyderabad: The par-
ents of an Indian stu-
dent studying in the US
have received a ransom
call demanding nearly a
lakh rupees after their
son went missing. The
unidentified caller in-
formed them their son
had been kidnapped
and threatened to sell
his kidney.
Indian student goes
missing in US, kin in
Hyd get ransom call
Lausanne: Indian men’s
and women’s teams are
both placed second in
the maiden Hockey 5s
rankings issued recently
by the world body
(FIH). The Indian men’s
team occupies second
spot jointly with Oman
and Malaysia following
a three-way tie with
1400 points each.
Indian men & women
occupy second place
in Hockey 5s rankings
New Delhi: The Cen-
tre in its affidavit filed
before the Supreme
Court defending the
Chief Election Com-
missioner (CEC) Act,
which dropped the
Chief Justice of India
(CJI) from the selec-
tion panel appointing
CEC and ECs.
Centre defends CJI
dropping from CEC
selection panel
IN BRIEF
New Delhi: India will
bring in and prosecute
35 Somali pirates its
navy captured on a hi-
jacked ship off Somalia,
an official said, in a de-
parture from its recent
practice of rescuing ves-
sels & crew but leaving
disarmed pirates at sea.
India to prosecute
35 Somali pirates
Nominationprocess
forfirstphasebegins
For 102 parl constituencies spread across 21 states, UTs
First India Bureau
New Delhi
The nomination process
for102parliamentarycon-
stituencies spread across
21 states and Union terri-
tories, where polling
would be held in the first
phase of the Lok Sabha
elections on April 19, be-
gan Wednesday with the
issuance of a notification.
Polling will be held in
Arunachal Pradesh (2
seats), Assam (5), Bihar
(4), Chhattisgarh (1),
Madhya Pradesh (6), Ma-
harashtra (5), Manipur
(2), Meghalaya (2), Mizo-
ram (1), Nagaland (1),
Rajasthan (12), Sikkim
(1), Tamil Nadu (39),
Tripura (1), Uttar Pradesh
(8), Uttarakhand (5),West
Bengal (3),Andaman and
Nicobar (1), J&K (1),
Lakshadweep (1) and Pu-
ducherry (1).The last date
for filing nomination pa-
pers is March 27.
However, due to a fes-
tival, March 28 is the last
date for filing nomina-
tions for the Lok Sabha
seats in Bihar going to
polls in first phase.
The BJP has declared
candidates for all the as-
sembly seats, and named
Union minister Kiren Ri-
jiju for the Arunachal
West LS seat and Tapir
Gao as its candidate for
the Arunachal East seat.
BJP,Conglockhornsover
stipendschemeinHimachal
Under Samman Nidhi Yojana for Women
PTI
Shimla
A war of words has be-
gun between the ruling
Congress and the opposi-
tion over the recently an-
nounced stipend of Rs
1,500 per month under
the Samman Nidhi Yoja-
na to women in the age
group of 18 to 59 years.
The Congress leaders
have accused the BJP of
being anti-women while
the BJP leaders have said
that the ‘Indira Gandhi
Pyari Behna Sukh Sam-
man Nidhi’ scheme
would backtrack for the
Congress as only 23 per
cent (five out of 22 lakh
women) have been in-
cluded in the scheme.
The CPIM has come
out in support of the Con-
gress. CPIM leader and
former Mayor of Shimla
Municipal Corporation
Sanjay Chauhan said that
the scheme had been noti-
fied before the announce-
ment of the elections.
“We have opposed the
contention of the BJP and
urged the Chief Electoral
Officer to permit the gov-
ernment to go ahead with
implementation of the de-
cision,” he said & added
it is an ongoing scheme
which was notified for the
women of Spiti subdivi-
sion in January and La-
haul and Spiti district in
Feb 2024 and now the
women of the whole state
is covered in this.
New Delhi: The
Congress on
Wednesday accused
the BJP-led government
of misrule, corruption and
nepotism, and claimed that
the opposition alliance it
leads will win most of the
Lok Sabha seats in Assam.
Congress General Secretary
Jitendra Singh released a
document, which it named
'charge sheet', levelling 60
allegations against the ruling
coalition. The document has
been prepared by the United
Opposition Forum Assam
(UOFA), formed in the state
with 16 parties in line with
the Indian National Devel-
opmental Inclusive Alliance
(INDIA). "This charge sheet
includes charges of misrule,
corruption and nepotism
against both Modi govt and
Himanta Biswa Sarma gov-
ernment," Singh said.
New Delhi: Jan
Adhikar Party
leader Pappu
Yadav joined the
Congress on Wednes-
day and announced
the merger of his outfit.
A former five-time MP
from Bihar, Yadav is
the husband of Con-
gress Rajya Sabha MP
Ranjeet Ranjan and is
known for having influ-
ence in Seemanchal
area of the eastern
state. He was ac-
companied by his son
Sarthak Ranjan.
CONGRESSACCUSES
THEBJP-LEDGOVTOF
CORRUPTION,NEPOTISM
PAPPU MERGES
JAN ADHIKAR
PARTY WITH CONG
FIR against
Union minister
Shobha for
promoting enmity
Women will lead
the way to Viksit
Bharat by 2047,
says India at UN
Agencies
New Delhi
The Tamil Nadu Police,
on Wednesday, registered
a FIR against Union Min-
ister of State Shobha
Karandlaje on charges of
promoting enmity among
the people of Tamil Nadu
and Karnataka.
Her statement that peo-
ple from Tamil Nadu
plant bombs in Karnataka
has kicked up a huge con-
troversy. Tamil Nadu CM
M.K. Stalin had con-
demned her statement,
calling it “reckless.” Fol-
lowing the backlash,
Shobha apologised for
the statement. The FIR
has been registered by
Madurai city cybercrime
police based on a com-
plaint by an individual.
Agencies
New Delhi
India’s Permanent Rep-
resentative to the United
Nations, Ruchira Kam-
boj, highlighted the
country’s fo-
cus on wom-
en-led de-
velopment,
t h r o u g h
which the
country is championing
gender equality globally
and moving towards Vik-
sit Bharat by 2047.
PM Narendra Modi’s
vision of Viksit Bharat or
a fully developed India,
necessitates the full &
equal participation of
women. Kamboj was ad-
dressing at special event
organised by the Mission
ofIndiaonTuesday(IST).
It isa largestelectorallogistics
exercise on planet:Jaishankar
ANI
New Delhi
ExternalAffairs Minister
S Jaishankar on Wednes-
day said the upcoming
18th edition of India’s
national elections is the
largest electoral logistics
exercise that the planet
has ever witnessed
Jaishankar said the
theme “Democracy for
Future Generations,”
resonates not just within
the borders of India but
echoes across the globe.
The foreign minister
said that, “With 968 mil-
lion registered voters, 15
million election officials,
and 1.2 million polling
booths, the upcoming
18th edition of India’s
national elections is the
largest electoral logistics
exercise that this planet
has ever witnessed.”
UPdoublemurder:Barberaccused
of killing two boys seeking money
PTI
Budaun (UP)
The man who brutally
murdered two children at
their home in Budaun
knew the family and had
gone there seeking mon-
ey for payment to a hos-
pital where his pregnant
wife is admitted, accord-
ing to the FIR lodged.
Hours after the murder,
the accused Sajid (22)
was gunned down in an
encounter with the police,
IG Bareilly range RK
Singh said onWednesday.
A man who had recent-
ly opened a barber shop in
the locality entered the
house and attacked three
brothers -- Ayush,12,
Ahaan alias Honey, 8, and
Yuvraj, 10, with a knife.
Ayush and Ahaan died in
the attack, while Yuvraj
was rushed to a hospital
with grievous wounds.As
per the FIR lodged after a
complaint by the de-
ceased’s fatherVinod Ku-
mar, accused Sajid and
his brother Javed reached
the house at around 7 pm
on Tuesday.
“Sajid told my wife
Sangeeta that he needed
Rs5,000whichisrequired
for the delivery of his
wife. When my wife went
inside to get the money,
Sajid went to the roof of
the house. Moments later,
Javed also reached the
roof and they called my 2
sons Ayush, 12, Ahaan
alias Honey, 8 on the
roof,” reads the FIR.
Thakur also
pinpointed the fact
that the Indian
contingent has
returned with record
hauls in both the
Tokyo Olympics
(seven medals) and
in the Hangzhou
Asian Games (107
medals) last year
LS Polls
A man arranges scarves of political parties at a shop, for of LS polls, in Mumbai, Wednesday. PTI
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
z Varun Gandhi will be
BJP candidate from Pilibhit
z 2019 LS polls BJP domi-
nated all seven phases
z Home voting facility for
senior citizens and different-
ly-abled voters
z LS polls manifesto: DMK
assures Rs 1,000 to women
if INDIA bloc captures power
z 3 seats for HD Deve
Gowda’s Party as BJP
seals Karnataka Seat deal
z AIADMK announces first
list of 16 candidates
z SP declares candidates
for 6 seats in UP
z Notification issued for
2 Lok Sabha seats in Ma-
nipur, no nominations filed
BJP WILL WIN ALL 7 LOK SABHA SEATS IN
DELHI, SAYS SUSHMA SWARAJ'S DAUGHTER
New Delhi: Bansuri Swaraj, the youngest BJP
Lok Sabha candidate in Delhi, said the Aam
Aadmi Party-Congress alliance is based on
“self-interest” and will not impact the prospects of her
party which will retain all seven parliamentary seats in
the city. The daughter of the late BJP
veteran Sushma Swaraj, said the slogan
“Abki Baar 400 Paar (This time, 400-plus
seats)” is not just a catchphrase but a
resolve that will be translated into reality
with the help of dedicated BJP workers
and the support of the people. The BJP
nominee for the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency
said, “There will be no impact of the AAP-Congress alli-
ance in Delhi. We are running a very positive campaign,
going among the people with a report card of 10 years.”
“The Modi government did what it said. All promises
made in the manifesto, be it removing Article 370,
construction of Ram temple or bringing legislation for 33
per cent reservation for women in state assemblies and
Parliament, were fulfilled,” Bansuri Swaraj said.
Newly-joined Congress leaders; (L-R) Former MP Lal Singh, Lok
Sabha MP Danish Ali with Congress leader Pawan Khera, at AICC
Headquarters, in New Delhi, Wednesday. PTI
External Affairs S Jaishankar speaks at the 3rd Summit for
Democracy on Thursday. PTI
Security personnel deployed
to maintain law and order
after a barber killed 2 boys in
Budaun on Wednesday.
PeeCee @ Ayodhya
Actor Priyanka Chopra with her husband American
songwriter, singer and actor Nick Jonas and daughter
visits the Ram Temple, in Ayodhya, Wednesday. PTI
NEED TO GET OUT OF 'CULT WORSHIP' THAT
NEHRU ERA WAS 'GREAT YEARS', SAYS EAM
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
on Wednesday took a critical view of some of
the key decisions made by the Jawaharlal Nehru
government, and said one needs to get out of this cult
worship that the period from 1946 onwards was great
years and the country did splendidly. In the early years,
it was very much a Nehruvian ideological bubble when it
came to foreign policy and vestiges of that continue, even
today, he said in response to a question during a session.
Jaishankar also said that India’s commitment to conduct-
ing free, fair, and inclusive elections underscores the
resilience and adaptability of its democratic machinery.