22032022_First India_Ahmedabad.pdf

CM BHUPENDRA PATEL LAUNCHES ‘NAMO VAD
VAN’ CAMPAIGN FOR MORE GREEN COVER
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: To
mark the Internation-
al Day of Forests,
Chief Minister Bhu-
pendra Patel on Mon-
day launched a state-
wide campaign of
planting vad (banyan)
trees, as part of Azadi
Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The CM kicked off
the drive by planting a
banyan tree in Gandhi-
nagar, to create aware-
ness about forest de-
partment’s ‘NaMo Vad
Van’ and increasing
forest cover. He also
conveyed a motivation-
al message by interact-
ing with citizens and
forest lovers across the
state virtually at the
event.
Under the campaign,
75 vad forests will be
established in 33 dis-
tricts of the state. The
forest department will
plant 75 banyan trees in
each forest.
Turn to P2
(L to R) Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar, Forest and Environment Minister Kiritsinh Rana look on as
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel plants a banyan tree.
Brainchild
of the Guj
Forest Dept,
75 banyan
tree forests
will be
established in
33 districts of
the state
AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 115
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
CDS GETS PADMA
VIBHUSHAN
CHINA PLANE CRASHES WITH 132
ON BOARD; NO SIGN OF SURVIVORS
BJP resurrects ‘loser’ Dhami as
U’khand CM, Sawant retains Goa
Dehradun: Putting all
speculations to rest, the
BJP on Monday an-
nounced that Pushkar
Singh Dhami will return
as the Chief Minister of
Uttarakhand. Dhami
will take oath as the 11th
CM of the state on
Wednesday
.
The announcement
was made after newly
electedBJPMLAsmetat
thepartyofficeinDehra-
dun to choose their lead-
er. The meeting was at-
tended by Union Minis-
ter Rajnath Singh, who
was appointed as BJP’s
observer, and minister
Meenakshi Lekhi.
Australian PM expressed ‘understanding of
India’s Ukraine position’, says foreign secy
New Delhi: Australian
Prime Minister Scott
MorrisononMondayex-
pressed his understand-
ing of India’s position
on the crisis in Ukraine,
and he and PM Naren-
dra Modi felt the conflict
should not be a reason
for diverting attention
from the Indo-Pacific,
ForeignSecretaryHarsh
Vardhan Shringla said.
The Russian invasion
of Ukraine figured at a
virtual summit between
thetwoprimeministers,
news agency PTI report-
ed.
Shringlaalsosaidthat
IndiaandAustraliawere
keentofinalisetheCom-
prehensive Economic
Cooperation Agreement
as it will unlock new op-
portunities to expand
bilateral trade and in-
vestment ties.
Unlike its Quad part-
ners — the US, Japan
and Australia — India
has not condemned the
Russian invasion of
Ukraine.
DEATH IN
THE AIR
According to
broadcaster
CCTV, the accident
involving a China Eastern
Airlines Boeing 737 took
place near the city of Wuzhou
in Teng county
China Eastern Airlines grounds
Boeing 737-800 fleet post crash
Guangxi: A Chinese
airliner with 132 pas-
sengers on board Mon-
day crashed in the
southern province of
Guangxi, the Chinese
media has reported.
The aircraft, with 123
passengers and nine
crew on board, lost con-
tact over the city of
Wuzhou, China’s Civil
Aviation Administra-
tion of China (CAAC)
and the airline said.
The crash, in which the
plane descended at a
final rate of 31,000 feet
a minute according to
FlightRadar24, sparked
a mountainside fire.
China Eastern said
the cause of the crash
wasunderinvestigation.
‘SHOCKED’ XI
ORDERS PROBE
AIRLINE’S WEBSITE
TURNS INTO B&W
FI ANALYSIS
Chinese President Xi Jin-
ping said he was “shocked”
after a China
Eastern Boe-
ing 737-800
crashed in
the southern
province of
Guangxi on
Monday. He has called for
an investigation into the
accident, as per reports.
After the crash, the website
of China Eastern Airlines,
mobile app and some
of its other social media
platforms were presented
in black and white - what
airlines do as a sign of
respect or mourning for
the assumed victims. The
ill-fated China Eastern flight
MU5735 was traveling from
Kunming to Guangzhou.
Pushkar S Dhami - the BJP
warrior that went down fight-
ing while handing his party
another term in Uttarakhand
was given another shot
at the top post by Central
leadership of PM Narendra
Modi and Union Minister
Amit Shah. Both believed
that it was not very long
ago before polls that Dhami
was appointed CM, but in
short span of time, despite
facing internal revolt, he still
ensured victory for the party.
Most of the state leaders
favoured him for the top job.
26,000
FEET LOST
IN UNDER
3 MINUTES
Smoke rises from a fire
after a China Eastern
Airlines passenger plane
crashed near Wuzhou city
in the Guangxi region.
1
2
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
Deeply shocked and saddened
to learn about the crash of the pas-
senger flight MU5735 with 132 on
board in China’s Guangxi. Our thoughts
and prayers are with the victims of the
crash and their family members.
President Kovind
presents Padma
Vibhushan to
General Bipin Rawat
(Posthumous) for
Civil Service. As the
first Chief of Defence
Staff and Secretary,
Department of Military
Affairs, he was pivotal in
ushering transformative
reforms in Indian
Armed Forces. Rawat’s
daughters received
the award. President
Kovind presents
Padma Bhushan to
Rajiv Mehrishi for Civil
Service. More on P6
Pushkar Singh Dhami Pramod Sawant
Biren Singh
takes oath as
Manipur CM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects antiquities which have
returned from Australia in New Delhi. In a historic move, 29
antiquities have been repatriated to India by the Australia.
Most of the farmers’ organisations, that the Supreme
Court-appointed body for studying the now-rolled-back
farm laws interacted with, supported the legislation, the
report of the committee that was made public on Mon-
day revealed, although now holding little significance.
MOST FARMERS’
BODIES FOR 3
FARM LAWS, SC
PANEL’S REPORT
RUSSIAN COURT BANS INSTA, FB AS ‘EXTREMIST’
A Russian court on Monday banned Facebook and Insta-
gram in country after finding Meta Platforms Inc “ex-
tremist”. Instagram was blocked after Meta said it would
allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages.
Admission to undergraduate programmes across all
45 central universities will be held through a common
entrance test starting this year, and the test will be held
in the first week of July, University Grants Commission
(UGC) chairman Jagadesh Kumar told reporters.
UGC: COMMON
ENTRANCE TEST
FOR ALL CENTRAL
VARSITIES IN JULY
KCR: IN TALKS
WITH PRASHANT
KISHOR TO BRING
NATIONAL CHANGE
Hyderabad: Telangana
Chief Minister K Chan-
drasekhar Rao, popu-
larly known as KCR, on
Monday announced that
he is in talks with politi-
cal strategist Prashant
Kishor “to bring a na-
tional change”, capping
off months of attacks on
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and the BJP which
rules at the centre. “I am
in talks with Prashant
Kishor to bring a national
change. Prashant Kishor
is working with me on
this. Who can have a
problem with this? Why
are they seeing him as a
bomb? Why are they cry-
ing?” he said, speaking
at a news conference.
HARBHAJAN,
RAGHAV, LPU
FOUNDER ASHOK
MITTAL INCLUDE
AAP’S 5 RAJYA
SABHA PICK
Chandigarh: The Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) has
picked former cricketer
Harbhajan Singh, IIT Delhi
associate professor Sand-
eep Pathak, Delhi MLA
Raghav Chadha, Lovely
Professional University
(LPU) founder and chan-
cellor Ashok Mittal and
industrialist Sanjeev Arora
as its representatives in the
Rajya Sabha, party officials
confirmed on Monday.Chief
Minister Bhagwant Mann
accompanied the party
nominees to the Vidhan
Sabha secretariat to file the
nominations. The elections
will be held on March 31.
ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE

First India Bureau
Rajkot: Taking conten-
tion with the alleged
dual approach of Khod-
aldham Patidar leader
Naresh Patel on Patel
unity, a Kadva Patidar
leader has written to
presidents and trustees
of various temples, de-
manding restriction on
his entry
.
Popat Vitthal Fatepa-
ra has written to au-
thorities of the Umiya
Mataji Temple in Sid-
sar, Unja and Ganthila
Temple narrating Pa-
tel’s dual approach to
Leuva and Kadva
Patidars. In his letter,
he has stated that Pa-
tel’s words are dividing
the community
.
“It is because of Kad-
va and Leuva Patel uni-
ty, the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) has placed
one chief minister and
seven ministers in the
Gujarat government.
Chief Minister Bhupen-
dra Patel is a Kadva
Patidar, to which, Nar-
esh Patel in a statement
said that major portfo-
lios had not gone to
Leuva Patidar MLAs,”
the letter read.
“On one hand, Patel
insists that there is no
rivalry between Leuva
and Kadva Patels but
they are one Patidar
community. But then,
he points out that Leu-
va Patels have not re-
ceived any major port-
folios in the govern-
ment. Therefore, from
now, Patel will have to
speak Leuva Patidar
community only and
forget about Patidar
unity
. The Leuva-Kadva
issue remains stand-
ing,” stated Fatehpara,
in his plea.
Criticizing Patel for
his lack of faith in the
Patidar community,
Fatehpara accused him
of being narrow-mind-
ed and intent on divid-
ing them. “In the past,
Kadva Patels of Sau-
rashtra have been
cheated many times.
Naresh Patel has a nar-
row-minded view and
his presence should not
be noticed or given im-
portance,” mentioned
the letter.
Incidentally, all po-
litical parties have been
courting Naresh Patel
to join them after he an-
nounced his intention
of entering state poli-
tics.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Guja-
rat government has ac-
quired 99.3% of land in
five districts for the
Ahmedabad-Mumbai
high speed rail corridor,
popularly known as the
bullet train project, the
state legislative assem-
bly was informed on
Monday
.
In reply to starred
questions on the status
of land acquisition for
the project, the govern-
ment said Rs2,935.85
crore has been paid as
compensationinfiveout
of eight districts from
where the bullet train
will pass, adding that re-
plies were based on the
status till December 31,
2021.
Thedistrictsforwhich
the state government
furnished details are
Ahmedabad, Vadodara,
Kheda,AnandandNavs-
ari, while Surat,
Bharuch and Valsad are
the other three districts
that are part of the cor-
ridor. Revenue Minister
Rajendra Trivedi said,
“Around 358.31 hectare
land has been acquired
out of 360.73 hectare re-
quired for the project in
the five districts.”
Vadodara tops the list
with 103.94 hectare land
acquired, out of 105.46
hectare required for the
project, while least land
required is in
Ahmedabad at 27.15 hec-
tare, out of which acqui-
sition of 26.43 hectare is
complete.
At the same time, the
highest amount of
Rs1,108.45 crore has
been paid as compensa-
tion in Ahmedabad, and
the lowest in Anand dis-
trict.
The 508.17-kilometre
long network will pass
through Mumbai,
Thane, and Palghar in
Maharashtra, and Vals-
ad, Navsari, Surat,
Bharuch, Vadodara,
Anand, Kheda, and
A’bad in Gujarat.
NEWS
AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022
02
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First India Bureau
New Delhi/
Ahmedabad: After se-
curing a landslide vic-
tory in the Punjab
state assembly elec-
tions, the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) has now
shifted its focus to the
upcoming Gujarat
legislative assembly
elections. On Monday
,
the party appointed
Gulab Singh Yadav as
the poll campaign
committee in-charge
and Dr Sandip Pathak
as the AAP Gujarat
in-charge.
As AAP had contest-
ed Punjab polls under
Dr Pathak’s leadership,
he has been given the
charge of Gujarat polls
as well. Considered to
be a close confidant of
Delhi Chief Minister
and AAP national con-
vener Arvind Kejriwal,
Dr Pathak is an IIT
alumnus. Sources from
within the party believe
that Yadav and Dr
Pathak’s presence in
the state election will
help AAP strategize
well. “This (their ap-
pointments) will give a
big boost to the local or-
ganization and team, as
it lacks experienced
minds in preparing poll
strategy,” they said.
Sources also added
that despite Isudan Gad-
hvi and AAP state unit
chief Gopal Italia’s pres-
ence, the party lacks big
community support.
And that is why it is still
looking for faces from
the Patel, Other Back-
ward Class (OBC) com-
munities that can fetch
them votes and also help
create a committed vote
bank.
Political experts be-
lieve that the two lead-
ers will try to draw out
politicians from other
parties to expand AAP’s
Gujarat base. “Its na-
tional leaders were in
talks with many local
leaders, but nothing big
has worked out so far.
AAP is still hoping to
get Khodaldham
Patidar leader Naresh
Patel in its fold, which
will help it make a tec-
tonic shift in state poli-
tics. AAP’s first priority
is to replace Congress
on the opposition bench
and then grab power
from Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP),” asserted a
source.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Ahead
of Gujarat legislative
assembly polls later
this year, the state
governmenthaswith-
drawn10caseslodged
in connection to the
Patidar Anamat An-
dolan Samiti (PAAS)
quota stir of 2015.
Several cases were
lodged against par-
ticipants of the agita-
tion in different parts
of the state at the
time, including
against spearhead
Hardik Patel, who
later joined the Con-
gress party
.
Applications were
submittedindifferent
courtsforwithdrawal
of cases as per direc-
tions given by the
state government to
collectors,saidPublic
Prosecutor Sudhir
Brahmbhatt.
While a sessions
court here allowed
withdrawal of seven
cases, the city metro-
politan magistrate
court allowed the
withdrawal of three
more cases, dealing
with sections 143, 144
(unlawful assembly
armed with deadly
weapons), 332 (volun-
tarily causing hurt),
among other sections
of the Indian Penal
Code.
With this, except
for a sedition case
against incumbent
Congress working
president Hardik Pa-
tel, no case regarding
the Patidar reserva-
tion agitation is pend-
ing in the sessions
court in Ahmedabad,
confirmed Brahmb-
hatt.
He said a metropol-
itan court is likely to
passanorderonApril
15 regarding with-
drawal of a criminal
caseagainstPateland
others registered in
Ramol police station
in Ahmedabad.
The withdrawal of
the cases comes
months ahead of As-
sembly polls, likely to
be held in December,
amid a call by PAAS,
which led the stir in
2015, of relaunching
the agitation if cases
are not withdrawn.
ALL CASES WILL BE GIVEN EQUAL
PRIORITY: HC JUSTICE GOPI
Ahmedabad: A division bench of the Guja-
rat High Court comprising Justice Gita Gopi
on Monday warned advocates not to misun-
derstand court procedures and assume that
their cases will be heard first. “Cases are not
prioritized based on a big case or rich client
or appointment of senior advocates. All mat-
ters will get equal priority, and nobody
should be under the impression that cases
like the smuggling of crores of rupees worth
of charas will be heard first, while theft of
Rs2,000 to Rs3,000, will be given the least pri-
ority. Advocates should understand the
meaning of justice in its real sense,” re-
marked the judge.
HC GRANTS BAIL TO ROHINGYA
WOMAN IN FORGED DOCS CASE
Ahmedabad: A woman belonging to the Ro-
hingya Muslim community was granted bail
by the High Court on Monday after evidence
of her guilt was not procured by the prosecu-
tion. While granting bail, the court observed
that the police was unable to establish that
the accused had prepared fake documents.
Police had filed a charge sheet against the
woman and her husband, both of whom have
been in jail with their three children since
July 2020. The Muslim woman hails from
Kashmir, and her husband, a Rohingya Mus-
lim from Myanmar, had got married and set-
tled in Kutch a few years ago. Mundra police
had registered a case against the woman’s
husband and brother-in-law for forging iden-
tity documents, and living in India, without
a visa permit.
10 cases linked to
2015 Patidar quota
agitation withdrawn
Hardik Patel has been actively demanding relief for Patidar
youth who joined the agitation back then. —FILE PHOTO
99.3% land acquired in 5 dists for Bullet Train
The high-speed rail network will pass through Valsad, Navsari,
Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Kheda, and Ahmedabad.
Compensation totalling `2,935.85
crore has been paid to people
affected by the land accumulation
FOR DEVELOPMENT
IN THE COURTYARD
Dr Sandip Pathak. Gulab Singh Yadav.
Dr Pathak, Yadav appointed office-bearers of AAP Guj unit
Leuva Patidar leader Naresh Patel —File Photo
Patidarleaderwants‘restriction’onNareshPatel
Miffed at a statement on
Leuva Patels, Popat Vitthal
Fatehpara has demanded ban
on his entry in few temples
CM Patel...
Aimed at restoring the
mythological and his-
torical significance of
the banyan tree, the
campaign will also con-
tribute to and acceler-
ate the state govern-
ment’s plan to increase
green cover.
According to the 2021
report by Forest Survey
of India, area under
tree cover across the
state has increased by
6,900 hectare in the last
two years. The state
had an estimated 25.10
crore trees outside the
forest area in 2003,
which has now in-
creased to 39.75 crore
trees, as per the 2021
tree census.
FROM PG 1
First India Bureau
Valsad: Preparations
for upcoming Guja-
rat assembly elec-
tions scheduled to be
held in December
are in full-swing, as
all political parties
gear up to poach
leaders from each
other. Giving sub-
stance to the idea,
Congress Leader of
Opposition Sukhram
Rathva on Monday
said that apart from
Congress leaders
who had defected to
the Bharatiya Jana-
ta Party (BJP), rul-
ing party politicians
were in contact with
him.
Rathva, who was ad-
dressing a protest ral-
ly against the Narma-
da-Tapi Riverlink pro-
ject in Valsad, claimed
that more than 10 dis-
gruntled BJP leaders
were in touch with
him. “Those who are
not in the running for
election tickets are
also in contact with
us,” said the LoP. Ex-
pressing his wish for a
Patidar addition, he
also said, “If Nareshb-
hai (Leuva Patidar
leader Naresh Patel)
joins Congress, the
party will benefit
from it in the 2022
polls. Efforts are on.”
Meanwhile, as per
sources, the BJP is
still looking to lure a
few Congress MLAs
over to it and cross the
50-plus mark.
It is to be noted
that only a year ago,
the BJP had over-
hauled the entire
state cabinet, includ-
ing the chief minis-
ter. Many seniors
fear that their ca-
reers will come to an
end due to the ruling
party’s ‘no repeti-
tion policy’.
MORE THAN 10 BJP MLAs
ARE IN TOUCH: RATHVA
Congress Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathva. —FILE PHOTO

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Surat: Salabatpura po-
lice have arrested three
people,includingaCen-
tral Reserve Police
Force(CRPF)jawan,for
shooting at a woman on
March 12 near the Man
Darwaja fire station in
the city
. The victim,
Nanda More, was in-
jured in the incident
andrushedtoahospital
for medical assistance.
AccordingtoSalabat-
pura Police Inspector
AA Chaudhary, three
rounds of bullets were
fired on Nanda by the
accused Ravindra,
whilehisassociateNar-
endra drove the bike
they were riding on.
“Withthehelpof CCTV
footage, both the ac-
cused were tracked
down and arrested
from Maharashtra.
They confessed that Vi-
nod More, a CRPF
jawan from Maharash-
tra, had given them the
contract to kill his wife.
We have also nabbed
Vinod from Nanded in
Maharashtra,” he said.
“Vinod had filed for
divorce, but Nanda had
refused. She even sold
his Dindoli property
. In
a fit of rage, Vinod
asked his friend Ravin-
dra to kill her and even
gave him a gun with
live rounds. The ac-
cused have been sent to
custody on a four-day
remand,”addedChaud-
hary
.
3 nabbed on attempt to murder
charge by Surat police in Maha
First India Bureau
Bharuch: Three sib-
lings, including a
boy and two girls,
were killed while
their teenage sister
was injured when
their old house col-
lapsed on them in
Bharuch city on
Monday.
The single-storey di-
lapidated house crum-
bled early this morn-
ing in Bambakhana
locality, trapping four
siblings, including a
ten-year-old girl, un-
der the debris when
their mother was away
at work, confirmed a
B-division police sta-
tion official.
Fire brigade person-
nel pulled out the four
siblings from the rub-
ble and rushed them to
the city civil hospital,
where Nisha Solanki
(10), Prince Solanki
(14) and Anjana Solan-
ki (22) were declared
brought dead by doc-
tors. Their sister Gay-
atriben (18) was res-
cued and is currently
undergoing treatment.
The Solanki family
was living in house
number 903 in Kumb-
ha Judav of Bam-
bakhana. Varsha
Kishor Solanki lived
with her four children,
after her husband
Kishor Solanki passed
away a few years ago.
A contract worker
with the Bharuch na-
garpalika, she left for
work at 8.30 am and
then received a call
that her house had col-
lapsed. Monday morn-
ing, leaving the chil-
dren behind she left
for work around 8.30
am.
Few minutes later
she received a mes-
sage informing her
that the roof of her
house had collapsed.
When she reached
home, the fire depart-
ment personnel were
busy removing debris
and trying to rescue
her children trapped
under the debris.
All three bodies
have been sent for
post-mortem examina-
tion, following which,
they will be handed
over to the family for
final rites.
Three siblings killed, one rescued
as house collapses in Bharuch city
Their mother had left for work on Monday morning when the roof fell down on the kids
Roof of the Solanki family’s home that collapsed.
First India Bureau
S u r e n d r a n a g a r :
Armed with licenses to
manufacture bromine,
two chemical compa-
nies have been illegally
mining and selling salt
found naturally in the
Rann of Kutch, alleged
Agariya Heet Rakshak
Manch, a forum of vol-
untary organizations
and concerned citizens
working for issues faced
by saltpan workers.
“The salt mining by
these companies is ad-
versely affecting the in-
come of the saltpan
workers,”saidHarinesh
Pandya, trustee of
AHRM.
In a press statement
issued on Monday, Pan-
dya stated, “The lives of
over 50,000 members of
12,000 saltpan workers’
families are at stake be-
cause of two Kutch-
based companies. Agro-
cel Ltd and Solaris
Chemtech Industries
Limited were issued li-
censes for bromine pro-
duction near the Rann
of Kutch. There is a
natural water catch-
ment in the area, where
the sweet water gathers
and salt grows natural-
ly
. They have both been
mining and selling it.”
The organization had
also voiced its concern
when these companies
were given land on lease
for bromine production.
“Saltpan workers had
taken up the issue with
local authorities and
even the state govern-
ment. But, instead of
taking action, they al-
lowed the chemical
companies to mint mon-
ey at the cost of the pub-
lic exchequer,” asserted
Pandya.
Saltpan workers have
formed a ‘Namak Satya-
grah Samiti’ and decid-
ed to seek the chief min-
ister’s intervention.
VADODARA GIRL WINS BIG AT
AITA NAT’L TENNIS TOURNEY
First India Bureau
Vadodara: All India
Tennis Association
(AITA) U12 champion,
Santushti Agrawal,
won laurels for Va-
dodara by securing two
runner-up trophies at
the recently concluded
U14 AITA national ten-
nis tournament. The
former U8, U10 Baroda
Openchampionpartici-
pated in the singles and
doubles category at the
tournament held in Ja-
landhar, Punjab.
At the tender age of
11,Santushtihadbegun
playing against various
professional players
aged 13 and 14 years,
whowereherseniorsin
skills and experience.
Givinganinspiringper-
formance against her
opponents in the U14
tournament, the cham-
pion tennis player won
the semi-final match
after coming back from
a set down with a final
score of 4-6; 6-3; 6-4 in
singles. In doubles, San-
tushti and Sachleen
Kaur (Amritsar) were
beaten by Prachi Malik
and Suhani Bhasin
from Bengaluru, push-
ingthemtotherunners-
up position.
A Class VI student at
Ambe School (CBSE) in
Manjalpur area of Va-
dodara city, Santushti
has won many laurels
at the school, city
, state
aswellasnationallevel.
She dreams of repre-
senting India in inter-
national tournaments
one day
.
TheAITAChampion-
ship Series 7 (U14) tour-
ney was organized at
theSinghaSportsAcad-
emy
, and witnessed par-
ticipation from more
than 30 boys and girls
from various states
across the country
.
RISING STAR
Illegal salt mining
affects agariyas’
livelihoods in Kutch
4 heatstroke cases reported in Dwarka, Rajkot
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Four
cases of heatstroke
were reported in the
state on Monday, due
to the prevalence of
hot weather, with the
maximum tempera-
ture exceeding 41 de-
grees Celsius. Of
these, three people
were treated for heat-
stroke by 108 ambu-
lance services in
Devbhoomi Dwarka
and one in Rajkot.
According to emer-
gency services authori-
ties, temperature in
the state has been hov-
ering around 41 de-
grees Celsius for the
last few days, making
the weather uncom-
fortable and, in some
cases, unbearable for
people. A sweeping
heatwave has in-
creased the number of
calls made to the emer-
gency services.
People suffering
from various ail-
ments are suffering
more due to the heat.
“Between March 12
and 18, around 344
cases of abdominal
pain were reported in
Ahmedabad alone
and 1,326 in the state,
which is 20.66% more
than the last week of
February. Cases of di-
arrhoea and vomit-
ing have also in-
creased with
Ahmedabad witness-
ing a rise of 44.75%
and the state 32.31%,”
said a 108 official.
108 emergency services have recorded an uptick in calls..
Santushti with her runner-up
trophies.
COVID-19
UPDATE
12,12,513
+36
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
TOTAL
RECOVERED
12,23,780
TOTAL CASES
+13 CASES
IN A DAY
10,941
TOTAL DEATHS
02 DEATHS
IN A DAY
326
06 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE CASES
Accused CRPF jawan Vinod More, in police custody.
Two chem companies have cut into the market share of saltpan
workers.
Santushti Agrawal performed well
in both the singles and doubles
category in the U14 age group

oon after Narendra Modi
took over the reins of the
country, he went heavily
after corruption. Right
from tightening the noose
on shell companies to ini-
tiating legal action against
bank loan defaulters, Modi
lived up to and still does,
of his image of “Na Khata
Hun Na Khane Doonga”.
Narendra Modi always
knew the power of new
technology and its inter-
vention towards bringing
transparency in govern-
ance. He introduced tech-
nology and IT-led innova-
tions and initiatives to
make the governance effec-
tive and at the same time
ease the lives of people. He
launched Digital IndiaMis-
sion and the rest is history
.
“Corruption-free gov-
ernance, transparency,
public partnership and
reaching out to people
standing last in the line…
Modi government has ful-
filled all four-five basic
rules of governance…This
also shows Modi ji’s lean-
ing towards new technol-
ogy and scientific temper-
ament. Every reform and
improvement show opti-
mum use of technology,”
union cabinet minister Dr
Jitendra Singh was quoted
as saying.
The Digital India Mis-
sion, which was launched
onJuly1,2015,expandedits
wings and utility with the
introduction of Apps and
digital platforms like
Umang, DG Locker, Bhim,
Rupay and UPI. The coun-
try
, which used to rely com-
pletely on physical transac-
tions was ready to embrace
thetechnology-drivencash-
less transaction system.
The aim was to put a curb
onblackmoneyandenforce
transparencyinthesystem,
which Modi had already
initiatedthroughdemoneti-
sation. He gave a new di-
mension to the Aadhar
Card scheme launched by
the predecessor UPA gov-
ernment and linked every
government-run schemes
with Aadhar for transfer-
ring benefits directly to the
beneficiaries eliminating
any intermediary
.
“Earlier people couldn’t
open bank accounts due to
lack of KYC documents.
Aadharprovidedidentityto
such people and they start-
ed getting cash benefits and
other subsidies directly in
their bank accounts. Leak-
age was plugged,” said RS
Sharma, CEO of Aayush-
man Bharat Scheme.
The PM Modi also fo-
cused on education, health
and employment to serve
theinterestsof poorpeople.
He started new IIMs, IITs
and launched AIIMS in
various parts of the coun-
try
. He also launched Skill
India Mission to hone the
skills of youth and make
them employment ready
.
On November 7, 2015, Modi
fulfilled one of his impor-
tant poll promises… he re-
alised the dreams of thou-
sands of ex-servicemen by
launching One rank One
pension … a long pending
demand which had not
beenfulfilledsince40years.
It was a tribute to the
Armedforcesfromaperson
who used to dream to join
the Army for serving the
country
. Apart from that,
Modi also resolved prob-
lems of Armed forces
whichhadbeenhangingon
fire for long. Right from the
slowpaceof modernisation
to shortage of modern sub-
marinesandfighterplanes,
the country was facing
acute shortage of weapons.
“He gave us more than
whatever we had demand-
ed. Now you see we are the
best centre in the world …
centre of excellence…
which are manufactur-
ing everything includ-
ing weapons,” said
Harivansh Narayan
Singh, deputy chair-
man of RS. While
resolving problems
and difficulties of
Armed forces,
Modi celebrated
thefestivalof Di-
wali with sol-
diers at the fron-
tiers … some-
times in Pun-
jab, some-
times in
Kashmir or
R a j a s t h a n
and some-
times in
Ladakh. The
solider in Modi saluted the
high spirit of Indian Army
deployed in difficult ter-
rainstoprotectthecountry
.
On September 18, 2016,
in the wee hours of the
morning at 5.30 am, an un-
fortunate incident hap-
pened at Uri when Paki-
stan-sponsored terrorists
carried an ambush against
Indian soldiers, who were
caught sleeping in their
camps.Inthatoperation,18
Indian soldiers laid down
their lives before killing
the terrorists. That en-
raged the entire nation and
people called for revenge.
Moved by the public senti-
mentsPMModiannounced
- “Let the terrorists hear it
out… the country is not go-
ing to forget this ghastly
act.” And within 15 days on
September 29, 2016 the In-
dian army avenged the Uri
attack.
“The Indian Army con-
ducted surgical strike last
night at the launch pads, “
Lt General Ranveer Singh,
DGMO, IA declared.
In that operation, the
army conducted sur-
gical strikes in the
P a k - o c c u p i e d
Kashmir and de-
stroyed terror
launch pads kill-
ing a large num-
ber of terrorists.
That was a big
demonstration
of PM Modi’s
courage and
risk-taking abil-
ity. His deci-
sion was
hailed by eve-
ryone in the
country as
Modi defied
the nuclear
threat posed
by Pakistan.
The confi-
dent Modi
then conquered another
front. This time he an-
nounced to roll out GST in
the country, marking the
entry of long awaited One
Nation One Tax system.
This was the biggest re-
form in the field of taxa-
tion in Independent India.
And Modi made it histori-
cal by announcing it at the
stroke of 12 midnight in
the intervening night of
June 30 and July 1, 2017
from the central hall of the
parliament.
Modi never held him-
self back from rolling out
big decisions and mega
reforms. He didn’t shy
away from getting the law
of Triple Talaq passed in
the parliament on Septem-
ber 19, 2018 which brought
great relief in the lives of
Muslim women.
Modi didn’t stop there.
He went on to launch sev-
eral public-friendly
schemes and programmes
including Namami Gange,
Jan Aushadhi Yojana,
Mudra Yojana, Start-up In-
dia and Make in India
among others. Apart from
that healso focusedspecial-
ly on the development of
northeastern states. Under
Look East policy
, he set up a
separate ministry DoNER
to develop infrastructure
and establish connectivity
of northeastern states with
rest of the country
.
The country was on its
way to economic develop-
ment. Just then Pakistan
came into picture once
again. This time Pakistan
backed militants of JeM
conducted a ‘Fidayin’ at-
tack on the convoy of
CRPF killing 18 jawans in
Pulwama on February 14,
2019. After Uri, this was
the second occasion when
the entire country was
boiling with anger. And
Modi was no exception.
On February 26, 2019,
Indian Air force launched
airstrikes in Pakistan’s
Balakot region and de-
stroyed launch pads of ter-
rorists. A large number of
militants were killed and
spirit of terrorists damp-
ened completely after the
bold move of Modi.
2019 was the election
year and Modi was target-
ing a second term with
more than 300 seats. ‘Abki
baar 300 paar’ was the slo-
gan of BJP when it went
for polls in the biggest fes-
tival of democracy. On
May 23, 2019 when the
counting of votes ended,
BJP emerged a clear win-
ner with 303 seats while
the tally for its coalition
NDA went up to 353 seats.
Thedecisivemajorityem-
powered Modi even more,
who looked determined to
roll out bigger reforms and
take big decisions in public
interest at large.
On August 5, 2019, the
Parliament of India voted
in favour of a resolution
tabled by Home Minister
Amit Shah to revoke the
temporary special status,
or autonomy, granted un-
der Article 370 of the In-
dian Constitution to Jam-
mu and Kashmir - an agen-
da which was there in BJP
manifesto for long. With
this Modi also fulfilled his
17-year old promise which
he had made to people of
JKduringhisEktaYatra.
Just after 3 months on
November 2019 five-judge
bench of Supreme Court
in its ruling ordered con-
struction of Ram Mandir
on the disputed land in
Ayodhya. The path for con-
struction of Mandir was
clear now. On August 5,
2020, Narendra Modi went
to Ayodhya for bhoomi pu-
jan of Ram Mandir. Modi
sent out a message and
clear to everyone - Modi
hai to Mumkin hai.
To be continued...
Corruption-free governance,
transparency, public
partnership and reaching out
to people standing last in the
line… Modi government has
fulfilled all four-five basic
rules of governance…This also
shows Modi ji’s leaning
towards new technology and
scientific temperament. Every
reform and improvement
show optimum use of
technology.
Dr Jitendra Singh,
Union cabinet minister
Earlier people couldn’t open
bank accounts due to lack of
KYC documents. Aadhar
provided identity to such
people and they started getting
cash benefits and other
subsidies directly in their bank
accounts. Leakage was plugged.
RS Sharma, CEO,
Aayushman Bharat Scheme
He gave us more than
whatever we had demanded.
Now you see we are the best
centre in the world … centre of
excellence… which are
manufacturing everything
including weapons.
Harivansh Narayan Singh,
deputy chairman, Rajya Sabha
DOWN THE MEMORY LANE … PART 9
NARENDRA MODI AS PRADHAN SEVAK… PM OF INDIA
Majority of 140 crore Indians now believe…
‘MODIHAITOMUMKINHAI’
S
SHASHIKANT
SHARMA
The writer is Consulting
Editor, First India LET THE TERRORISTS HEAR
IT OUT… THE COUNTRY IS
NOT GOING TO FORGET
THIS GHASTLY ACT:
NARENDRA MODI
INDIAN ARMY’S SURGICAL STRIKE
“The Indian Army conducted surgical strike last
night at the launch pads, Lt Gen Ranveer Singh,
DGMO, IA declared. In that operation, the Army
conducted surgical strikes in Pak-occupied Kash-
mir and destroyed terror launch pads killing a large
number of terrorists. That was a big demonstration
of PM Modi’s courage and risk-taking ability. His
decision was hailed by everyone in the country as
Modi defied the nuclear threat posed by Pakistan.
RAM TEMPLE'S CONSTRUCTION
Just after 3 months on November 2019
five-judge bench of Supreme Court in its
ruling ordered construction of Ram Mandir
on the disputed land in Ayodhya. The path
for construction of Mandir was clear now. On
August 5, 2020, Narendra Modi went to Ayo-
dhya for bhoomi pujan of Ram Mandir. Modi
sent out a message and clear to everyone -
Modi hai to Mumkin hai.
YOU READ PART-8
IN FIRST INDIA ON
MARCH 14, 2022
PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI
Vol 3 Issue No. 115 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist.
Ahmedabad. Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Haresh Jhala responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
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INDIA
05
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Patiala MP
Preneet Kaur has also
joined the ‘gathering’ of
angry Congress leaders
and many Congress
l e a d - ers have
questioned this. An in-
formed Congress leader
has pointed out that the
statement issued after
the five-hour meeting at
Ghulam Nabi Azad’s
house said that ‘Con-
gress leaders met’, but
should Preneet Kaur
now considered a Con-
gress leader, when she
has openly campaigned
for BJP in Punjab and
sought votes? A mem-
ber of the Congress
Working Committee
says it is one thing to be
angry with the Con-
gress and another to
campaign for the BJP
.
Keep in mind that
Preneet Kaur’s hus-
band Captain Ama-
rinder Singh left the
Congress and formed a
separate party and con-
tested the elections in
coordination with the
BJP. After her aligning
with the BJP, Preneet
Kaur said many times
that family is more im-
portant to her than the
party
.Thatis,sheisCon-
gress MP later and
Capt’s wife is first. Kaur
also attended the BJP
meeting held in Patiala
in connection with the
preparations for Amit
Shah’s programme and
sought votes for the BJP
during the campaign.
Only then the Congress
leaders say that her at-
tending the meeting
means that the meeting
is in support of the BJP
.
Therefore, if the mem-
bers of the meeting at
Azad’s residence were
sincerely with the Con-
gress, they would have
stopped Preneet Kaur.
Similarly, this question
is also being asked that
since when did Shankar
Singh Vaghela become a
Congressman? He had
left the Congress before
the Lok Sabha elections
and later moved to the
NCP
. Therefore, by what
authority has he signed
the roll call of leaders as
a Congress man?
Why not stop Preneet Kaur?
STILL A CONG MEMBER?
New Delhi: In a refer-
ence to the border
standoff with China,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on Monday
emphasised that peace
and tranquillity at the
border area was an es-
sential prerequisite for
normalisation of rela-
tions with the neigh-
bouring country
.
PM Modi made these
remarks during the vir-
tual summit with his
Australian counterpart
Scott Morrison, during
which the two leaders
exchanged views on im-
portant regional and
global issues.
Shringla said that
there was equal empha-
sis on the fact that in-
ternational orders
stand on the UN Char-
ter on the rule of law
and respect for the ter-
ritorial integrity and
sovereignty of states.
The conflict in Eu-
rope should not be a re-
gion for us to divert our
attention from the Indo-
Pacific region, and our
position, far as Quad is
concerned, also was on
similar lines, the For-
eign Secretary said.
Shringla informed
that PM Modi and PM
Morrison exchanged
perspectives about re-
gional and multilateral
matters and global is-
sues of mutual interest
including shared con-
cerns such as terrorism.
PM Modi referred to
LAC (Line of Actual
Control) in Ladakh, the
incidents of the previ-
ous year and he empha-
sised that peace and
tranquillity in the bor-
der area was an essen-
tial prerequisite for
normalisation of rela-
tions with China, said
Foreign Secretary
.
Morrison also gave a
fairly detailed perspec-
tiveof howhesawChina
and its actions in the re-
gion and he spoke in par-
ticular about the South
ChinaSea,headded.Ear-
lier this month, the 15th
round of Corps Com-
mander level talks be-
tween India and China
was held at the Chushul-
Moldo border meeting
point on the Indian side
on March 11, 2022.
BORDER PEACE KEY FOR TIES
WITH CHINA, SAYS PM MODI
PM also discussed crucial regional, global issues with Australian PM Scott Morrison
Kolkata (PTI): Trina-
mool Congress candi-
dates Shatrughan Sin-
ha and Babul Supriyo
on Monday filed their
nominations for by-
polls to a Lok Sabha and
an assembly seat to be
held on April 12 in West
Bengal.
Sinha has been field-
ed for by-election to the
Asansol Lok Sabha con-
stituency, while Supri-
yo was nominated for
the Ballygunge Assem-
bly seat.
Speaking to reporters
after filing his nomina-
tion at Alipore Survey
Building, Supriyo said,
I am thankful to 'Didi'
(TMC supremo Mamata
Banerjee) for giving me
this opportunity to con-
test from the presiti-
gious Ballygunge con-
stituency. I am really
honoured and accept
the challenge.
The bypoll to Asansol
was necessitated as Su-
priyo resigned as the
BJP MP after joining
the TMC in September
last year. The Bally-
gunge Assembly seat is
going for polls as in-
cumbent MLA and state
minister Subrata
Mukherjee died in No-
vember 2021.
TMCcandidates
Shatrughan,Babul
filenominations
BENGAL BYPOLLS
Kohima (PTI): BJP
leader S Phangnon
Konyak has become
the first woman Rajya
Sabha MP from Naga-
land after winning the
Rajya Sabha seat on
March 21. She is the
Mahila Morcha presi-
dent of BJP’s Naga-
land unit.
She filed her nomi-
nation earlier in the
morning of March 21
in presence of Naga-
land Chief Minister
Neiphiu Rio and BJP
state president Temjen
Imna Along. The elec-
tion was slated for
March 31 but Konyak
was elected unopposed
to the seat.
The election for the
lone Nagaland seat
was to be held on
March 31 but Konyak
was elected unopposed
to the seat.
The seats are spread
across six states - five
in Punjab, three in
Kerala, two in Assam,
and one each in
Himachal Pradesh and
Tripura.
Now, elections to
three Rajya Sabha
seats in two other
Northeastern states:
two seats in Assam and
one each in Tripura
are slated for March 31.
Srinagar (PTI): Ter-
rorists on Monday shot
dead a civilian and in-
jured a non-local ven-
dor in two separate in-
cidents in Budgam and
Pulwama districts of
JK, police said.
“Around 7:20 pm, ter-
rorists fired at and in-
juredacivilian,Tajamul
Mohiuddin Rather, near
his residence in Goth-
pora area of Budgam in
central Kashmir,” a po-
lice official said.
In the second inci-
dent in Pulwama, a non-
local vendor, Bisujeet
Kumar from Bihar, was
injured after militants
fired at him at Circular
Road, the official said.
BJP’s Phangnon Nagaland’s
first woman Rajya Sabha MP
JK: Civilian killed,
non-local vendor
hurt by terrorists
S Phangnon Konyak, Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland.
New Delhi (ANI):
Leader of Opposition in
the Rajya Sabha and
senior Congress leader
Mallikarjun Kharge on
Monday dismissed the
possibility of an alli-
ance with Asaduddin
Owaisi's All India Maj-
lis-e-Ittehadul Musli-
meen (AIMIM) and
dubbed it as Bharatiya
JanataParty'sB-team.
Slamming AIMIM,
Kharge said that Con-
gress needs to be cau-
tious of such parties
which try to defeat sec-
ular parties. Congress
has not yet received any
proposal (of an alli-
ance), Kharge told ANI.
A strategy for an alli-
ance is decided within
the party, he said, add-
ing that there is a need
to be cautious of such
parties which attempt
to defeat secular par-
ties. Kharge further al-
leged that the AIMIM is
working at the behest
of the BJP. His remarks
come after Shiv Sena
also termed AIMIM as
BJP's B team while re-
jecting scope for an alli-
ance with AIMIM.
Kharge dubs AIMIM
‘B team’ of BJP, rejects
scope of any alliance
Dehradun (ANI): BJP
MLA from Kaladhungi,
Bansidhar Bhagat was
on Monday sworn in as
the pro tem speaker of
Uttarakhand Assembly
.
The oath of office was
administered by Gover-
norLtGen(retd)Gurmit
SinghatafunctionatRaj
Bhawan which was at-
tended by caretaker CM
Pushkar Singh Dhami,
Chief SecretarySSSand-
hu, Principal Secretary
Ananad Vardhan and
secretary to the gover-
nor,RanjitKumarSinha.
Soon after being sworn
in, Bhagat rushed to the
Vidhan Bhawan here to
administer oath to the
newly elected MLAs.
Bhagat is one of the
senior most BJP leaders
from the state who was
state party president till
March, 2021 when he be-
came a minister in Dha-
mi's cabinet.
The BJP won the pop-
ular mandate for the sec-
ond consecutive term in
Uttarakhand,bagging47
seats in the 70-member
Assembly
.
U’khand: BJP’s Bansidhar Bhagat takes oath as Protem Speaker
TO STOP MEKEDATU DAM PROJECT
Tamil Nadu Assy moves
resolution against K’taka
Chennai (Agencies):
The Tamil Nadu As-
sembly adopted a res-
olution against the
Karnataka govern-
ment’s attempt to
build the Mekedatu
Dam across the Cau-
very river, in what is
the latest develop-
ment in the row be-
tween the two states.
Earlier this month,
Karnataka Chief
Minister Basavaraj
Bommai had ruled
out negotiations with
his Tamil Nadu coun-
terpart. The resolu-
tion adopted by the
Tamil Nadu Assem-
bly was unanimous,
with the support of
the Tamil Nadu BJP
and the Congress.
The resolution,
moved by Water Re-
sources Minister V
Duraimurugam, said
that the Karnataka
government did not
respect the order of
the Cauvery Water
Dispute Tribunal or
Supreme Court and
without receiving
clearances from co-
basin state or the gov-
ernment of India is
proposing to construct
the dam unilaterally,
which is not accepta-
ble. “Hence, the action
of Government of
Karnataka is strongly
condemnedbythisAu-
gust House,” it said.
The resolution also
urged the Union gov-
ernment to not give
technical, environ-
mental or any other
clearance to the Kar-
nataka government.
Stating that the
matter is a sensitive
dispute, the resolu-
tion asks the Union
government to “ad-
vise the Karnataka
government not to
take up the proposal
of constructing the
reservoir at Mekedatu
or at any other place
in the Cauvery basin,
without getting the
concurrence of the
co-basin States and
obtaining the clear-
ance from the Union
Government.”
Patna (PTI): The death
toll due to consumption
of illicit liquor continue
inBihar.Accordingtoan
official of Bihar police,
so far 37 persons have
died after consuming
spurious liquor in the
three districts of Bihar
since the day of Holi.
Maximum number
of deaths took place in
Bhagalpur district
where so far 22 persons
have died since March
19. Besides, 12 persons
lost their lives in Ban-
ka district and 3 in
Madhepura.
Preliminary probe
reveals that some peo-
ple died after report-
edly consuming poi-
sonous liquor while
others were suffering
from some kind of ill-
ness. We are waiting
for the post-mortem re-
ports to ascertain the
actual cause of deaths,
Gangwar said.
Bihar hooch
tragedy: Death
toll reaches 37
Washington (Agen-
cies): Violentrepression
of the largely Muslim
Rohingya population in
Myanmar amounts to
genocide, US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken
said Monday, a declara-
tion intended to both
generate international
pressure and lay the
groundwork for poten-
tial legal action.
Authorities made the
determination based on
confirmed accounts of
mass atrocities on civil-
ians by Myanmar’s
military in a wide-
spread and systematic
campaign against the
ethnic minority,
Blinken said in a speech
at the US Holocaust Me-
morial Museum.
It is the eighth time
since the Holocaust that
the US has concluded a
genocide has occurred.
The secretary of state
noted the importance
of calling attention to
inhumanity even as
horrific attacks occur
elsewhere in the world,
including Ukraine.
“Yes, we stand with
the people of Ukraine,”
he said. “And we must
also stand with people
who are suffering atroc-
ities in other places.”
The government of
Myanmar, also known
as Burma, is already
under multiple layers
of US sanctions since a
military coup ousted
the democratically
elected government in
February 2021. Thou-
sands of civilians
throughout the country
have been killed and
imprisoned as part of
ongoing repression of
anyone opposed to the
ruling junta.
US: MYANMAR REPRESSION
OF ROHINGYA IS GENOCIDE
Rohingya refugees crossing into Bangladesh. —FILE PHOTO
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison during India-
Australia virtual summit on Monday.
Kathmandu: Chinese
Foreign Minister and
State Councillor Wang
Yi will embark on a vis-
it to Nepal from March
25 to 27, the Foreign
Ministry in Kathmandu
announced on Monday.
Wang is the first top-
level foreign dignitary
to visit Nepal after the
Sher Bahadur Deuba
government was
formed on July 13 last
year. According to the
Ministry, Wang's visit
comes on an invitation
by Nepal's Minister for
Foreign Affairs Narayan
Khadka. During the
visit, some agreements
could be signed includ-
ing implementation
of the Belt and Road
Initiative, the flagship
initiative of Chinese
President Xi Jinping.
CHINESE FM
WANG YI TO
VISIT NEPAL
THIS WEEK
Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge
Bansidhar Bhagat
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in the State Assembly.
Preneet Kaur
Babul Supriyo Shatrughan Sinha
India China agreed to maintain peace along the
LAC in the Western Sector during the 15th round
China-India Corps Commander Level talks

Doha(ANI): Over 100
passengers who were
on a Qatar Airways
Delhi-Doha flight
which made an emer-
gency landing in Pa-
kistan’s Karachi on
Mondayduetotechni-
cal reasons, have tak-
enoff inarelief flight
for Doha.
Qatar Airways pro-
vided an update of the
flight which had land-
edinKarachi’sJinnah
InternationalAirport.
“Passengers on the di-
verted flight to Kara-
chi, QR579, have now
departed on a relief
flight will land in
Doha at 4.15 PM local
time where they will
be assisted with their
onward connections.
Passengers were
served refreshments
throughout their time
in KHI,” Qatar Air-
ways tweeted.
Delhi-Doha flight takes off from
Karachi after emergency landing
INDIA
06
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Angry with
the Congress high com-
mand, some leaders of
the grand-old party met
at the house of Ghulam
Nabi Azad and after
that issued a statement,
in which many things
have been said. Howev-
er, most things don’t
make sense. Congress
leaders are also sur-
prised as to what was
the need for so much
frills to issue such a
statement. Like it said
that to defeat BJP, Con-
gress needs to be
strengthened and Con-
gress should talk to
like-minded parties.
This is a very generic
thing, which everyone
knows and everyone
also knows the prob-
lems surrounding this
idea. In this, it was spe-
cifically said that the
Congress should pre-
pare a collective and
inclusive leadership
and adopt a collective
and inclusive approach
before taking decisions
at all levels.
Think, what could be
a collective or inclusive
way of making deci-
sions at every level? If
the Congress has to de-
cide the candidate of
the Legislative Assem-
bly in a state, then all
the leaders of the party
should be asked the
names of the candi-
dates on each seat or the
names should be told
and the name is decided
with the consent of all?
Like all parties do, the
Congress also forms a
sorting committee for
the candidates. Based
on the opinion of the
State Committee, the
Sorting Committee pre-
pares a list of names,
which is approved by
the Central Election
Committee. The same
method is adopted in
other parties as well.
Similarly, do the an-
gry leaders want the
Congress high com-
mand to take approval
from the working com-
mittee and all the lead-
ers from outside before
appointing the presi-
dent or making any of-
fice bearer in any state?
Is it the intention of the
collective leadership of
the leaders of this so-
called G-21 that the par-
ty high command
should tell them about
every decision and de-
cide with their consent?
Can these leaders tell
how the current organi-
zation of the Congress,
the current office bear-
ers or the current work-
ing committee is not in-
clusive? Does it not have
leaders from Kashmir to
Kanyakumari and from
Gujarat to Bengal?
In fact, these leaders
have said very superfi-
cial things, the sole pur-
pose of which was to
show that they are op-
posing something, with-
out saying anything
meaningful or con-
structive. Sibal ex-
pressed great displeas-
ure questioning the au-
thority of Rahul, to
have announced the
name of Charanjit Sin-
gh Channi? Think, what
a stupid question? Ra-
hul Gandhi is the for-
mer President of Con-
gress and the only sur-
viving former Presi-
dent. Does anyone in
BJP ask who is Amit
Shah, who makes all the
policy announcements
of the party? Sibal
wants victory like BJP
but Congress doesn’t
want that kind of or-
ganization or that kind
of system.
A PROTEST JUST FOR THE SAKE OF PROTESTING!
New Delhi (PTI): India
has received praise
from across the board
for many of its foreign
policy initiatives, For-
eign Secretary Harsh
Vardhan Shringla said
on Monday, a day after
Pakistan PM Imran
Khan lauded India for
its foreign policy
.
When asked at a me-
dia briefing about
Khan’s comments,
Shringla said India’s re-
cordspeaksforitself and
suggested that it would
bewrongtosaythatonly
one leader compliment-
ed New Delhi.
“To say that one per-
son would be wrong. I
think we have received
praise across the board
for many of our foreign
policy initiatives. I
think our record speaks
for itself,” the foreign
secretary said.
At a public rally,
Khan lauded India for
following an independ-
ent foreign policy say-
ing New Delhi imported
crude oil from Russia
despite American sanc-
tions on Moscow for its
attack on Ukraine.
Thiruvananthapuram:
Shashi Tharoor, or-
dered to stay away from
a CPM seminar next
month by Congress
chief Sonia Gandhi,
took a step back today.
But his statement mak-
ing the announcement
had a sting in the tail.
Recounting that he had
earlier turned down a
similar CPM invite af-
ter a discussion with
Mrs Gandhi — “a suit-
able decision... taken
without media contro-
versy” — he added that
a similar procedure
“could have been easily
followed this time”.
“I regret that some
preferred the unseemly
public airing of inter-
nal differences, thereby
creating a needless con-
troversy in a matter in
which AICC’s view was
binding. I hope wisdom
will prevail in future,”
he added.
The admonition was
apparently meant for
colleagues in the Con-
gress in Kerala, who
had flagged the issue to
Sonia Gandhi at the
party’s parliamentary
office in Delhi.
New Delhi: India’s first
Chief of Defence Staff
General Bipin Rawat,
who died in a chopper
crash last December,
late Radheshyam
Khemka, former chair-
man of Gita Press that
publishes Hindu reli-
gious books, and Con-
gress leader Ghulam
Nabi Azad were among
54 personalities who
were conferred Padma
awards by President
Ram Nath Kovind on
Monday
.
While Rawat and
Khemka were given
Padma Vibhushan, the
country’s second-high-
est civilian award, post-
humously, Azad, Tata
Sons chairman N Chan-
drasekharan, former
CAG Rajiv Mehrishi,
founder of Serum Insti-
tute of India that made
Covid-19 vaccine Cov-
ishield Cyrus Poona-
walla were among the
eight honoured with
Padma Bhushan, the
country’s third-highest
civilian award, at a civil
investiture ceremony
.
The award for Rawat
was received by his
daughters while a close
family member re-
ceived the award for
Khemka. Many of those
who received the Pad-
ma awards were “un-
sung heroes”, including
125-year-old yoga prac-
titioner Swami Si-
vananda. Members of
the audience clapped as
a bare-feet Sivananda,
dressed in a simple
white kurta and dhoti,
knelt before PM Naren-
dra Modi who promptly
got up and bowed,
touching the ground as
he returned the greet-
ing. These awards are
given in various disci-
plines and fields such as
art, social work, public
affairs, science and en-
gineering, trade and
industry, medicine, lit-
erature and education,
sports, civil service, etc.
New Delhi (ANI): Lok
Sabha Speaker Om Bir-
la flagged off the Pras-
adam Raths from his
residence here to pro-
vide free food to the at-
tendants of the patients
in 6 hospitals of Delhi.
In the spirit of Azadi
ka Amrit Mahotsav, ini-
tiatives like this one are
bringing free fresh food
for the underprivileged
and the poor sections of
society, said Birla on
the occasion of the ini-
tiative Prasadam Rath.
Apart from the other
hospitals in the coming
times, this facility
would be extended at
bus stations, railway
stations, etc., he added.
New Delhi (PTI): Drug
firm Hetero on Monday
said its biologics arm
has received approval
from the Central Drugs
Standard Control Or-
ganisation (CDSCO) to
manufacture and sell
Sputnik Light for re-
stricted emergency use
in India.
Hetero is the first bi-
opharmaceutical com-
pany in India to receive
Manufacturing and
Marketing (MM) ap-
proval for the product
manufactured locally
for the prevention of
Covid-19 in adults aged
over 18 years, adminis-
tered in a single dose of
0.5 ml, the company
said in a statement. All
other currently ap-
proved vaccines in In-
dia require two doses of
administration, it add-
ed. Sputnik Light is the
first component (recom-
binant human adenovi-
rus serotype number 26
(rAd26)) of Sputnik V
.
In February 2022, the
DCGI granted emergen-
cy use permission to
single-dose Sputnik
Light Covid-19 vaccine
in India.
Kabul (Agencies):
Khalid Payenda who
once oversaw and pre-
sented a 6 billion dollar
budget as Afghanistan's
Finance Minister in Ka-
bul is now an Uber driv-
er in Washington DC to
support his family.
Talking to The Wash-
ington Post he said he
earns “a little over 150
dollars for six hours'
work, not counting his
commute”.
Afghanistan is cur-
rently facing a financial
and humanitarian cri-
sis, with many coun-
tries around the world
hesitant to recognize
the Taliban govern-
ment that overthrew
the US backed regime.
Payenda had resigned
as the Finance Minister
of the country
.
—FILE PHOTO
Prez Kovind confers Padma
awards to 54 personalities
Late Gen Rawat, Ghulam Nabi Azad, SII’s Cyrus Poonawalla honoured; Devendra Jhajharia
receives Padma Bhushan, first para athlete to do so; 125-yr-old yoga guru receives Padma Shri
President Ram Nath Kovind presents Padma Bhushan to Ghulam Nabi Azad and Padma Shri to Swami Sivananda for Yoga, in New
Delhi on Monday. —PHOTOS BY ANI
India’s record speaks
for itself, says Shringla
Af’s ex-Fin Min
now drives an
Uber cab in US
Khalid Payenda
Harsh Vardhan Shringla Imran Khan, Pakistan PM
Hope wisdom
prevails: Tharoor
after Sonia’s msg
Sonia’s message
was to listen to
the state Cong
and came days
after Tharoor
brushed the dust
off his G-21
credentials
BIRLA FLAGS
OFF ‘RATHS’
FOR PATIENTS
SC TO HEAR REVIEW
PLEA IN ROAD RAGE
CASE AGAINST SIDHU
NAWAB MALIK’S
JUDICIAL CUSTODY
EXTENDED
New Delhi: The SC said it
would hear on March 25
the plea seeking review of
the sentence awarded by
it in May 2018 to Navjot
Singh Sidhu in a 1988
road rage case. The mat-
ter was listed for hearing
before a special bench.
As soon the bench of Jus-
tices Khanwilkar and AS
Oka assembled for hear-
ing, Justice Khanwilkar
said the special bench
would hear the review
plea on Friday.
Mumbai: Special
PMLA court on
Monday extended the
judicial custody of
Maharashtra minis-
ter and Nationalist
Congress Party leader
Nawab Malik who was
arrested in a money
laundering case till
April 4. The court has
also allowed Malik
to be provided with
a bed, mattress, and
chair during his judicial
custody.
IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday
closed two cases after the Centre said it had
completed the “mammoth job” of evacuating
22,500 stranded Indian
students from the war
zone in Ukraine. A
bench comprising Chief
Justice NV Ramana and
Justice Krishna Murari
took note of Attorney
General K K Venugopal’s
submissions that the
Centre, besides bringing
back stranded students,
is also looking into the representation on their
studies being hit by the ongoing war.
SC CLOSES CASES ON EVACUATION
OF STUDENTS FROM UKRAINE
HETERO GETS NOD TO PRODUCE, SELL SPUTNIK LIGHT VAX

z India’s daily Covid-19
infections drop to
1,549; positivity rate at
0.4 pc

z Clear guidelines on
booster dose for under
60 yrs sought in Rajya
Sabha

z Maharashtra court
asks State if banning un-
vaccinated people from
local trains justified

z Defence recruitment
restricted due to Covid
pandemic: MoS Ajay
Bhatt
HIGHLIGHTS
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
flags off ‘Prasadam Raths’
from his residence.
Shashi Tharoor

BIZ BUZZ
07
Promoted by
AU Small Finance Bank
Indian economy better
placed to deal with any
challenge: RBI Governor
Mumbai (PTI): Re-
serve Bank Governor
Shaktikanta Das on
Monday said the RBI
will continue to ensure
adequate liquidity to
support the economy,
which is facing many
headwinds in the form
of soaring crude oil and
key commodity prices
following the Russian
invasion of Ukraine.
Das, while address-
ing an industry meet
organised by CII here
this evening, said since
the pandemic-hit the
economy in March 2020,
the central bank has
pumped in a whopping
`17 lakh crore into the
economy and assured
the industry that the
RBI will continue to en-
sure that the economy
is well oiled with funds.
The governor further
said banks at the sys-
tem level are in better
health now with the
capital adequacy ratio
at 16%, and gross NPAs
falling to a record low
of 6.5%.
He said despite the
headwinds arising from
the Russia-Ukraine war,
the economy is better
placed given the high
forex reserves and low
current account gap.
“We are comfortably
placed to deal with any
challenges with regard
to financing the CAD,
and the RBI stands com-
mitted to deal with any
challenges on this
front,” he said.
LIC IPO: Govt files
updated draft papers
with Q3 financials
New Delhi (PTI): The
government has filed
updated draft papers
with market regulator
Sebi for an initial pub-
lic offer of LIC, incor-
porating December
quarter financials of
the insurance behe-
moth, an official said
on Monday
.
In the run-up to the
mega IPO, on Febru-
ary 13, the govern-
ment had filed the
DRHP with the regula-
tor giving details of
financial results till
September. The DRHP
got Sebi approval ear-
ly this month.
“Updated DRHP of
LIC with December
financials has been
filed,” an official said,
adding it was re-
quired to be done
as per Sebi ob-
servations.
As per the up-
dated finan-
cials, the LIC
reported a net
profit of `235
crore in the
October-De-
cember quarter. The
net profit in April-De-
cember,2021,increased
to `1,671.57 crore from
`7.08 crore a year ago.
The government is
expecting to garner
over `60,000 crore by
selling about 31.6
crore or 5% stake in
the life insurance firm
to meet the curtailed
disinvestment target
of `78,000 crore in the
current fiscal.
The IPO was origi-
nally planned to be
launched in March,
but the Russia-
Ukraine crisis has de-
railed the plans as
stock markets are
highly volatile.
Crypto mining cost not to
be allowed as deduction
under I-T Act: FinMin
New Delhi (PTI):
Infrastructure cost
incurred in the min-
ing of cryptocurren-
cies or any virtual
digital assets will
not be allowed as de-
duction under the
income tax act, Min-
ister of State for Fi-
nance Pankaj
Chaudhary said on
Monday
.
In a written reply
to the Lok Sabha,
Chaudhary said the
government will
come out with a defi-
nition of virtual
digital assets (VDA)
with a view to levy
30% tax on income
from the transfer of
such assets.
He said currently
cryptocurrencies
are unregulated in
India.
The 2022-23 Budg-
et has brought in
clarity concerning
the levy of income
tax on crypto assets.
From April 1, a 30
per cent I-T plus cess
and surcharges, will
be levied on such
transactions in the
same manner as it
treats winnings
from horse races or
other speculative
transactions.
The minister said
while computing the
income from trans-
fer of VDA, no de-
duction in respect of
any expenditure
(other than the cost
of acquisition) or al-
lowance is allowed.
Banks recover `61K cr via one-time settlement
New Delhi (PTI): As
many as 11 banks have
recovered nearly
`61,000 crore by way of
one-time settlement in
nearly four financial
years, the government
informed Parliament
on Monday.
The figures are for
the last three financial
years and up to Decem-
ber 2021 of the current
fiscal.
As per instructions
of the Reserve Bank,
banks are required to
have a board-approved
loan recovery policy,
which may cover nego-
tiated settlements
through compromise,
including one-time set-
tlement (OTS) under
which recovery in
non-performing assets
(NPA) loan accounts
are to be effected to the
maximum extent pos-
sible at minimum ex-
pense, Minister of
State for Finance
Bhagwat Karad said in
a written a reply to the
Lok Sabha.
He said the
intent of
such meas-
ures is to
h e l p
b a n k s
promptly recycle their
funds with advantage.
“All nationalised
banks have board-ap-
proved loan recovery
policy in place. As per
input received from
the 11 nationalised
b a n k s ,
OTS was approved in
38,23,432 cases during
the last three financial
years. Further, the ag-
gregate amount of
`60,940 crore has been
recovered through
OTS by these national-
ised banks during the
last three financial
years and up to Decem-
ber 2021 of the current
financial year,” Karad
said.
These 11 banks are,
Punjab National Bank
recorded the highest
number of OTS at 8.87
lakh, followed by Bank
of India 4.97 lakh;
Bank of Baroda 4.34
lakh; Indian Bank 4.27
lakh; Canara Bank
4.18 lakh; and Central
Bank of India 4.02
lakh. The others are
Union Bank of India
2.99 lakh; UCO Bank
2.38 lakh; Indian Over-
seas Bank 1.33 lakh;
Bank of Maharashtra
63,202 and Punjab
Sind Bank 20,607.
INSTRUCTIONS
Puri allays fears of short supplies; says
crude import from Russia miniscule
New Delhi (PTI): Oil
minister Hardeep Sin-
gh Puri on Monday al-
layed fears of short
supply of crude oil
amid the Russia-
Ukraine conflict and
said that crude oil im-
ports from Russia are
miniscule at just 0.2%
of total such imports
tillJanuarythisfiscal.
“About the in-
creased oil import
concerns...We require
total of five million
barrels per day. 60%
of it comes from Gulf.
We have imported
from Russia, just 0.419
million metric
tonnes...That is 0.2%
of total requirement
(during April-Jan this
fiscal),” Puri said.
“We are monitoring
the situation. As far
as oil imports are con-
cerned from Russia,
contrary to what
played up in media, it
is miniscule,” the
minister said.
According to the
written reply tabled
in the House, in finan-
cial year 2020-21, In-
dia imported 85% of
its crude oil require-
ments and 54% of its
natural gas require-
ment.
Sensex,Nifty
tumble nearly 1%
Mumbai (PTI): Re-
versing its early gains,
benchmark BSE
Sensex plunged by 571
points or nearly 1 per
cent at close on Mon-
day following losses in
banking, oil, FMCG
and IT stocks as surg-
ing oil prices played
spoilsport amid pro-
longed Russia-
Ukraine war.
The 30-share Sensex
opened higher and
rose over 260 points to
touch the day’s high of
58,127.95. However,
losses in banking, oil
and FMCG stocks
dragged the index
down by 634 points to
touch a low of
57,229.08.
The barometer set-
tled at 57,292.49, down
by 571.44 points or 0.99
per cent. The index
had rallied over 2,000
points in the previous
two sessions.
The broader NSE
Nifty declined by
169.45 points or 0.98
per cent to finish at
17,117.60 after rallying
over 620 points in the
past two sessions. It
touched a high of
17,353.35 points and a
low of 17,096.40 in the
day trade.
Among Sensex con-
stituents, Power Grid
fell the most by 2.93
per cent, followed by
Asian Paints (2.85 per
cent), UltraTech Ce-
ment (2.81%), Nestle
(2.49 per cent), Kotak
Bank (2.42%) Hindu-
stan Unilever (2.41%)
and HCL Technologies
(2.32%).
New Delhi: Shares
of Future group of
companies were under
pressure on Monday
with Future Lifestyle
Fashions Future Re-
tail tanking the most
in tandem with a weak
broader market. Fu-
ture Lifestyle Fashions
Ltd tumbled 9.08%
while Future Retail Ltd
tanked 7.88%. Simi-
larly, Future Consumer
Ltd declined 3.48%,
Future Supply Chain
Solutions dipped
2.37%.
Future Group shares under pressure;
Future Retail Ltd tanks 7.88 per cent
LTTS aims for carbon, water neutrality by 2030
New Delhi (PTI): LT
Technology Services
(LTTS) aims to achieve
carbon and water neu-
trality by 2030 and has
unveiled its first sus-
tainability report, the
company said on Mon-
day. The report, con-
forming to the Global
Reporting Initiative
(GRI), presents LTTS’
sustainability efforts
across its key elements
for fiscal 2020-21.
“LT Technology
Services Limited, a
leading global pure-
play engineering ser-
vices company, re-
leased its first Sustain-
ability Report for the
year 2020-21, with a
roadmap to achieve
carbon and water neu-
trality by 2030,” the
company said.
LTTS has identified
sustainability as one of
its six ‘Big Bets’ on
emerging technology
areas and one that cuts
across the other 5 ‘Big
Bets’ comprising Elec-
tric Autonomous and
Connected Vehicles
(EACV), 5G, MedTech,
Artificial Intelligence
and digital products
and digital manufac-
turing.
LTTS’ sustainability
practice is building en-
gineering services-
based innovative digi-
tal solutions that align
with the customers’
sustainability road-
map. The company has
embraced net-zero as a
core sustainability fo-
cus and will leverage
its deep capabilities
around energy transi-
tion and management,
water and waste man-
agement, circular prod-
uct design, digital in-
tervention, sustainabil-
ity consulting, and cli-
mate action towards
this goal, the statement
added.
Amit Chadha, CEO
and Managing Director
at LT Technology Ser-
vices, said, “With our
distinct pure-play engi-
neering services propo-
sition, our vision on
sustainability is to
have organisational
level involvement to
better realise the goals
for our global custom-
ers”.
PATANJALI SAYS `4,300
CRORE RUCHI SOYA FPO
TO OPEN ON MAR 24
TATA MOTORS DRIVES IN
ALTROZ DCA; PRICE
STARTS AT `8.09 LAKH
Mumbai (PTI): Patanjali Ayurved
group-controlled Ruchi Soya
Industries will hit the capital mar-
kets with a `4,300-crore follow-
on offer on March 24, making
the country’s largest edible
oil-maker the first to be re-listed
after the bankruptcy process. The
management led by Ruchi Soya
chairman Acharya Balakrishna
and Baba Ramdev, non-executive
director, on Monday announced
the price-band for the issue at
`615-650. At the upper end,
Patanjali, which now owns 98.9
per cent of the company, will
dilute around 19 per cent and 18
per cent at the lower end of the
price band.
New Delhi (PTI): Tata Motors on
Monday said it has launched its
premium hatchback Altroz with
dual-clutch automatic transmis-
sion, priced between `8.09
lakh and `9.89 lakh. Altroz DCA
comes equipped with several
segment-first features, such as
a wet clutch with active cooling
technology, machine learning,
shift by wire technology, self-
healing mechanism, and auto
park lock. The model is powered
by a 1.2-litre petrol engine. The
model comes with various fea-
tures like leatherette seats, auto
headlamps, 7-inch touchscreen
by Harman, rear ac vents, and
iRA connected car technology.
New Delhi (PTI): Adani Green Energy has raised $288 million (about `2,188 crore)
for the construction of its renewable energy projects. “Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL)
has extended its Construction Financing Framework to $1.64 billion by raising a $288
million facility for its under-construction renewable asset portfolio through definitive
agreements signed with a group of leading international lenders,” a company statement
said. The facility will initially finance the 450 MW hybrid portfolio of solar and wind re-
newable projects that AGEL is setting up in Rajasthan. In March 2021, AGEL had closed
a $1.35 billion construction revolver facility in one of Asia’s largest project financing
deals, it added.
New Delhi (PTI): The government is holding roadshows for IDBI Bank privatisation
and will come out with EoI after assessing investor interest. The Cabinet Commit-
tee on Economic Affairs had in May last year given in-principle approval for strategic
disinvestment and transfer of management control in IDBI Bank. The government and
LIC together own more than 94% equity of IDBI Bank. However, the exact quantum of
stake dilution is yet to be decided. Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said it
is expected that the strategic buyer will infuse funds, bring new technology and best
management practices in IDBI Bank.
AGEL RAISES $288 MILLION FOR RE PROJECTS
GOVT HOLDING ROADSHOWS FOR IDBI BANK PRIVATISATION

The most beautiful part of life is
that we have a choice, every day,
how to lead it.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
 Renowned faces lost
the election in the As-
sembly polls for 5
states. How do you
analyse this loss of
established leaders?
Jagdeesh Chandra:
Let’s take these one by
one. Firstly, Charanjit
Singh Channi. His de-
feat is extremely shame-
fulforCongress,moreso
since he contested from
2 seats. His image was
destroyedandthenraids
were carried out on his
brother. He crashed on
the runway, even before
take-off. The comes Nav-
jot Singh Sidhu. Well,
this had to happen to
him. The people of Pun-
jab have grown tired of
Sidhu’s barbs and at-
tacks at party. So, they
thought they will teach a
lesson to Sidhu. Captain
Amarinder Singh de-
served a more humiliat-
ing defeat than this. He
proved to be the biggest
villaininPunjab.Noone
cried on Captain’s de-
feat. Dhami too lost, but
the real reason for his
loss is still a mystery al-
thoughpeopleclaimthat
he worked a lot for the
party hence he could not
give time to his constitu-
ency. However, the un-
dercurrent in this case
is that his relation with
a few businessmen were
not cordial, that is what
is being said. Some com-
mitmentsweremadebut
the work did not happen.
So, there was an under-
current and they affect-
ed the election. Similar-
ly, Harish Rawat also
lost. He was a party in
Congress’ defeat in Pun-
jab. KP Maurya’s defeat
is also surprising.
 After Punjab elec-
tions and dismal per-
formance of both
Congress and BJP
, do
you think the politi-
cal graph and hon-
our of both parties
in-charges - Harish
Choudhary and Ga-
jendra Singh Shekha-
wat - will come down?
See, the individual’s
honour does take a hit.
But in politics, honour
can be regained and
through wrong acts, lost
also. But what happens
at the end of the day
, gets
counted. See, Rajasthan
will undergo elections
next year and Gajendra
Singh Shekhawat is still
the CM face, if Gehlot is
unable to form govern-
ment. So, he was a CM
candidate and will re-
main so. He still has ac-
cess to PM. Moreover,
what has happened in
Punjab cannot be put on
just one person because
it was a clean sweep. But
yes, he had to face a
slight disappointment
from PM and Home Min-
ister’s side due to the
security lapse when PM
had visited Punjab. I
have heard that he had
promised that one lakh
people will be present
for the rally, but there
were about five to ten
thousand people, over
which PM and Amit
Shah conveyed their dis-
pleasure. So yes, there
hasbeenaslightdamage
but for Punjab’s loss, he
cannot be made fully re-
sponsible. So, the blame
on leaders like Shekha-
wat, Harish Choudhary
and even Ajay Maken
who was not directly
and openly involved,
does not stand since it
was a Tsunami of AAP
.
 Can the Union gov-
ernment bring back
the agricultural laws
before 2024, that were
withdrawn few
months back?
It does not appear so. It
is ruled out till 2024.
 How do you visual-
ise the political land-
scape in Gujarat,
Himachal Pradesh
and Rajasthan?
Let’sbeginwithGujarat.
That state will witness
BJP’s clean sweep once
again. Although Con-
gress too will improve
over its current situa-
tion as Raghu Sharma,
as Congress in-charge,
will make certain im-
provements. Only in
ticket distribution will
one find out how much
of a say Raghu Sharma
has and how much free
hand Rahul Gandhi has
given him. As of now he
is doing good because he
talks convincingly
. But
for BJP, with Modi and
Shah, it will be more or
less like clean sweep.
Just imagine, after a
grand victory on 10
March Modi gave a
speech to party workers
frompartyheadquarters
and went back. At a time
when all other party
leaders were busy rest-
ing from the tiring work
of all the past months,
Modi set an agenda for
next day and flew to
Ahmedabad. He carried
out a 9 km long rally
from Ahmedabad to
Gandhinagar which 4
lakh people attended
and that moment has set
the tone for Gujarat, he
is the hero of Gujarat so
the election is a mere
formality now. Secondly
,
the situation in
Himachal is bad. But
even though the locals
may be disgruntled with
the CM there, but again
it will be the central
leadership of BJP i.e.
Modi-Shah who will car-
ry out the strategy and
conduct the poll. For Ra-
jasthan, there was a per-
ception that through his
budget, his strategy and
the undeclared Raje fac-
tor in BJP, will make it
easyforGehlottoreturn
to power. It will be ex-
tremely hard to beat
Ashok Gehlot on strate-
gic level for BJP
. But the
new theory that state
leaders have no rele-
vance, and there are
questions on efficacy of
Rajefactor.Electionsare
contested on political at-
mosphereandInowcon-
sider that in the current
environment, Gehlot
has fifty percent chance
of repeating the govern-
ment, which I earlier
considered to be 90%.
Because now even in
state elections, votes are
being cast on Narendra
Modi’s name. This is the
situationtodaybutsince
there is a little over a
year left to election, the
situation may change.
 How do you rate
Modi as a Prime
Minister and also as
a game-changer po-
litical leader of the
Nation?
People of the land rate a
leader and as a citizen, I
can, without doubt, rate
him as an outstanding
leader, and as a Prime
Minister also. Every-
thing is before us. At the
end of the day delivery
counts and results are
in his favour.
 Are Modi and Shah
made for each other
as political support
system?
100%! The wavelength,
the ideology matches.
He is like a ‘Hanuman’
for Narendra Modi and
even though Shah is the
Home Minister and a
powerful force in politi-
cal sphere of the nation,
yet for him Narendra
Modi is his ‘Ram’. That
is his faith and trust in
Modi. Secondly, Shah is
Narendra Modi’s all-
weather friend. He is
not like the ‘good weath-
er friend’ that as long as
someone is in power,
they will stay with
them. Does any state
have a second in com-
mand like him where
the CM may rest and
hand over the reins to
the second in command
that they can handle the
state and not backstab, I
don’t see anyone. There
is no vacuum between
the number 1 and num-
ber 2 in leadership.
 BJP was defeated
in 3 Assembly and
one Lok Sabha by-
elections held in
Himachal last year.
Can there be a change
of leadership after
the defeat in these
elections?
There is a possibility of
this happening. I have
information from inter-
nal sources that BJP
national president JP
Nadda has been told to
go to Himachal since he
has a good image. He is
in two minds and has
tried to approach PM for
not sending him there.
as such it is like walk-
ing on a sword, firstly to
bring a mandate and to
work on Modi-Shah’s
mandate. He may have
to go but as of now he
has denied. If Nadda
does not go to Himachal,
then Anurag Thakur
may be a choice.
 If JP Nadda is
brought to Shimla
from Delhi, then who
will be the next Chief
of BJP?
See, BJP can surprise
anyone on this aspect.
But one person who I
think can fit the bill is
Dharmendra Pradhan,
since he enjoys trust of
both Narendra Modi
and Amit Shah. He is a
hardworking party
worker, is connected
with Sangh, has carried
out responsibilities in
Bihar and Uttar
Pradesh, as Petroleum
minister he removed
the corporates and
opened the ministry for
poor through his gas
connection scheme. His
ministry achieved the
same feat as what NRE-
GA had achieved in
UPA. So, I think he is a
strong candidate and if
he becomes, he will be a
good choice.
 Can Narendra
Modi give Amit Shah
the responsibility of
BJP President yet
again? If so, how will
he align his work be-
tween Home Ministry
and BJP?
Who so ever becomes
the party president will
ascend to the position
only with acceptance of
Narendra Modi and
Amit Shah. Like I said,
for Shah , Modi is like
Ram, so if Ram says
that you will have to
take responsibility of
the party also, he will
accept it. He is a worka-
holic. If he is working
for 20 hours now, he will
still increase his work
time to make time for
party
. He was unwell af-
ter corona but still went
on a tour. He is the best
choice, if the situation
ever comes to this.
 To whom would you
like to give the credit
for the historic victo-
ry in Manipur? How
do you see the role of
Bhupender Yadav as
Manipur in-charge?
Manipur victory is, in a
way, a collective victory
.
The CM there is popular
as he has done good
work there. People
thought that it will be a
hung assembly, but the
results proved to be dif-
ferent. When Bhupen-
dra Yadav was made
Manipur in-charge, I
questioned the move,
thinking if he has been
side-lined, since he held
powerful positions pri-
or to that as in-charge
of Bihar, UP and other
responsibilities. After
Amit Shah, he is the one
who understands the in-
ner workings of the
party and the political
sphere also. It was after
the BJP won the Ma-
nipur election that I re-
alised he was given an
extremely critical as-
signment and he has
done well. BJP has its
government again.
 What are the chal-
lenges before the new
BJP government of
Goa today? Who do
you consider to be a
serious candidate
among the possible
chief ministerial fac-
es for Uttarakhand,
Goa and Manipur?
Goa is a major tourism
centre and one of the
prime challenges before
the government will be
how to boost tourism
that has been majorly af-
fected by Corona pan-
demic. Then a new pseu-
do-culture is taking over
that opposes the night
life in Goa, so if one
takes out that part from
Goa, then who will go
there? This is what Goa
has sold to tourists for
all these years. So, if you
ban activities which are
actually the ones that
generate revenue not
just for government but
for people, how will any-
thing work then? The
government faces a
challenge from people
with extreme views and
then it also has to pro-
ject its liberal image too.
Additionally, mining is
a major sector there but
it gets all sorts of stays
in courts. So, CM will
have to fight legal bat-
tles and win too. Thirdly
,
the BJP CM will have to
counter growing influ-
ence of AAP also.
During the show
#JConModiUPWave
trended top All-India
on Twitter
TO BE CONTINUED...
Jagdeesh Chandra with Shweta Mishra, Aditi Nagar, Poonam Sharma, Tripti Arora
and Khushi Ajwani on the New JC Show. —PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA
FOR SHAH, MODI IS RAM
AND HISWORD,THE FINALITY,IN ANY ASPECT...
YOU READ PART-2 ON
MARCH 21, 2022
An 11th March, 9 km long Modi Ahmedabad road show only indicates a likely BJP sweep in upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls
Editor-In-Chief of First India,
Jagdeesh Chandra, in The New JC Show,
speaks about the political landscape in Guj,
Raj and Himachal and also the special bond
between Modi and Shah and more... (Part 3)

he roads of
success often
start with a
bumpy ride,
e s p e c i a l l y
when you’re
a teenager
but passion and dedi-
cation to one’s craft
makes it all bearable.
Simran Modi, partic-
ipating model at Elite
Miss Rajasthan 2021
India shared her
journey in an exclu-
sive interview with
City First.
When asked about
her journey, the diva
said, “I was born and
brought up in Jaipur
itself. I live in a nu-
clear family which
includes my mother,
father and my won-
derful younger broth-
er.” She further add-
ed, “I am a master’s
degree graduate.
Though, with the un-
conditional support
that my mother gave
me, my journey has
become much easier.
I strongly believe in
never giving up on
dreams. When the
time is right, it will
all come together and
the struggle you went
through will finally
make sense.”
When asked about
what interests her,
Simran said, “Other
than modelling, I en-
joy reading and danc-
ing. It is the perfect
combination since
one keeps my mind
busy, and the other
keeps my body fit.”
I do my best to grow
myself as much as I
can in a short span
and through this tal-
ent, I will one day be
a successful model.
Paying immense
gratitude to Gaurav
Gaur, Director Elite
Miss Rajasthan, the
ravishing diva said,
“I am glad to be a part
of Elite Miss Ra-
jasthan and my
mentor, Gaurav
Gaur. His support
has been truly
fruitful.”
Sharing her two
cents for aspiring
models, Simran
Modi said, “A lot
of rejection
may come
your way but
always believe
inyourself.”
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
Living the
Living the
Dream Life
Dream Life
CITY FIRST ENGAGED IN A TÊTE-
À-TÊTE WITH SIMRAN MODI,
HAILING FROM JAIPUR , WHERE
SHE SPILT THE BEANS ABOUT
HER CAREER TRAJECTORY,
ASPIRATIONS AND WHAT’S
NEXT ON HER BUCKET LIST!
DEVANSHI MUDGAL
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T
AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY,
MARCH 22, 2022

City First brings to you
some more glimpses of
the First India Queen of
Cosmos and the Lifestyle
Luxury Awards held at
Oaks Ibn Batutta Gate Ho-
tel, Dubai on March 10.
Jagdeesh Chandra
congratulated all the
winners and wished
them success. Su-
perstar Daisy Shah
also appreciated the
supermodels and the
winners of the interna-
tional beauty pageant.
10-11
ETC
Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Racha, Aparna, Franko, Rishee Miglani, Deepak Agarwal, Anastasia and Alia
Jagdeesh Chandra confers the Lifetstyle Award to Farah Ansari for the Best
Khadi Designer (Sewa) Also seen are Rupa Khurana, Anita Hada Daisy Shah
Rizwan Sajan and Daisy Shah confer the Luxury Lifestyle award
to Dr Makkar for the Best Hospital (EHCC) Stunning supermodels flaunt their gorgeous gowns during the rampwalk
Clockwise: Larisa, Sophie, Olga, Elisabeth and Daphnila
Jagdeesh Chandra confers the Lifetstyle Award to Ayan Chugh for the Best Salon
(Sizzlin Scissors). Also seen are Rupa Khurana, Anita Hada and Daisy Shah
Jagdeesh Chandra and Daisy Shah confer the Lifetstyle Award to Deepak
Sankit for the Best Social Entrepreneur. Also seen are Rupa Khurana Anita Hada
Daisy Shah confers the Lifetstyle
Award to Mayuri Sogani
for Best Jewellery Brand
to Mukund Maheshwari for the Best Outdoor Publicity Co.
Rizwan Sajan and Daisy Shah confer the Luxury
Lifestyle award to Dr Purva (Amara) for the
Best Skin Hair Clinic
to Khushi Sonkhiya (Paavaki Jewels) for the Best Emerging
Bespoke Jewellery Designer
to Swati Bhandari for the Emerging make-up artist of the year
to Ajay Singh for the Best Fitness Coach
Yaqoob Al Ali and Daisy Shah confer the Luxury Lifestyle award
to Poonam Madan for the Best Social Influencer
Yaqoob Al Ali and Daisy Shah confer the Luxury Lifestyle
award to Z Haus for the Best Makeup Service
Provider (International)
Yaqoob Al Ali confers the Luxury Lifestyle award to Vineet Jain for the Best Production for events while
Daisy Shah confers the Luxury Lifestyle award to Gunjan Singhal for the Best Set Designer. Also seen is Rupa
Yaqoob Al Ali and Daisy Shah confer the Luxury Lifestyle award to
Jassi Chhabra (Shades Skin Hair care) for the Best Salon Chain of Raj
Yaqoob Al Ali and Daisy Shah confer the Luxury Lifestyle award to
Rehan Ahmad Baley (Baley Fashion) for the
Best Fashion Designer (International)
Yaqoob Al Ali and Daisy Shah confer the Luxury Lifestyle award
to Soundkraft LLC for AV Production, Staging and Rental Company
of the year 2021
—PHOTOS
BY
SANTOSH
SHARMA
Jagdeesh Chandra presents a memento
of welcome to Aparna
Jagdeesh Chandra presents a memento
of welcome to Vijay Samyani
Jagdeesh Chandra confers the Lifetstyle Award to Rajiv Kapoor,
GM Fairmont Jaipur for Most Dynamic GM.Also seen are
Rupa Khurana,Anita Hada and Daisy Shah
Jagdeesh Chandra confers the Lifetstyle Award to Vaibhav Gupta,
(Jaipur Bagh) for Best Wedding Destination.
Also seen are Anita Hada and Daisy Shah
Kewal and Anjana Miglani bagged the Best Furniture Designer
award for AK furniture. Also seen are Rupa Khurana,
Rizwan Sajan, Rishee Miglani and Daisy Shah
Yaqoob Al Ali and Daisy Shah confer the Luxury Lifestyle award to Arvind
and Puja Arya (Arya Group of Colleges) for the Best Engineering College
PAILLETTES ET
PAILLETTES ET
GLAMOUR
GLAMOUR

CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
Dhanushree Vyas
S
ehgal Jewellers by Bobby
Sehgal, a high-end luxury
jewellery brand, launched a
unique Concept Boutique
in South Extension Part 1 recently
.
The brand provides authentic
craftsmanship which imbibes the
dedication and creativity of four
generations. They provide their
vast and loyal customer base with
unparalleled and distinctive qual-
ity designs. The launch was hosted
by founder Bobby Sehgal and
Anushka Sehgal. The evening was
attended by Delhi’s social and fash-
ion glitterati.
Boddy Sehgal said, “The vision
to create a one-of-a-kind concept
jewellery boutique was the goal
which took years. Situated in the
heart of Delhi’s finest jewellery
market, we distinctively cater to
providing a regal and luxurious
experience, through our bespoke
designsthatspeakforthemselves.”
“Our heritage jewels, inspired by
the adornments of kings and
queens of India’s majestic past,
capture the essence of our rich
and vibrant culture,” Anushka Se-
hgal said. —Cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
Sehgal Jewellers
Launch Concept Boutique
CITY FIRST DELHI
ELECRAMA, the larg-
est stand-alone show-
case of the Indian Elec-
trical and Allied Elec-
tronics Industry by
IEEMA is slated to
commence from Feb-
ruary 18 to 22, 2023 at
India Expo Mart,
Greater Noida. IEEMA
and its members will
work together with the
Government of India
to achieve a 100-year
partnership of electri-
fying, digitalizing, and
greening India. The
theme of ELECRAMA
2023 is “ReImagine En-
ergy - For Sustainable
Future” and will be
heavily based on show-
casing innovation and
future technologies in
many areas including
Storage, Green Hydro-
gen, Fuel Cells, AI, and
IoT. This edition will
also focus on sustaina-
bility through Energy
Conservation, Carbon
Net Zero, and Smart
Consumption.
R K Singh, Minister
of Power New and
Renewable Energy,
said, “I congratulate
IEEMA on the an-
nouncement and
launch of ELECRA-
MA 2023 – the 15th edi-
tion of the world-class
exhibition of electri-
cal, industrial elec-
tronics and allied in-
dustry.
Rotary District 3011
organised a Conclave
22 District Conference
2022 at Thyagraj Stadium,
Delhi on Sunday. The
inauguration of the event
was done by Om Birla
(speaker of Loksabha)
Panel discussion was
held with various topics
related to environmental
concerns. During the
occasion, Nitin Mukesh
performed live music
while Kumar Vishwas
commenced a poetry
session which enthralled
the audience. While
addressing the public
Anup Mittal District
governer said After the
eradication of Polio, the
next big thrust area that
rotary has adopted is the
goal of ‘Total Literacy’.
Forever Living Products India distributed N-95 masks to Delhi Police Personnel under
their CSR initiative in association with Abhinandan educational and welfare society. Harish
Singla, CSM FLP India, Manisha Bhatia, founder Abhinandan educational and Welfare
society and traffic inspector Col Kuldeep Singh were present on the occasion.
—PHOTOS
BY
MANOJ
KESHARWANI
ALL WHITE HOLI
CELEBRATIONS
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
ntrepreneur So-
cialite Rajan Jain
recently hosted an
All-White Holi
Bash in the capital
recently. The
crème de la crème
of the city was in attend-
ance at this chic do with
flamboyant décor making
it for a perfect Holi soiree.
Dressed in hues of
white Designers Amit
Talwar, Rochika Agar-
wal, Malvi-
ka Sehgaal Kaura; Social-
ites Rekha Gupta, Payal
Singh, Shuweta Kapoor,
Shilpa Taluja, Twinkle Vi-
nayak, Seitu Kumar;
Hair Beauty Ex-
perts Sylvie Rodg-
ers, Bharti Taneja;
Actresses Akriti
Bharti Ishika Tane-
ja including many oth-
ers were seen enjoying
the lavish food spread,
free flowing cham-
pagnes traditional
dance performances
which sure did add the
much-needed colours in
this All-White Party.
E
Reimagine Energy
TWITTER UPDATES
DISTRICT CONFERENCE 2022
Raj Chahar and Anchal
Twinkle Vinayak and Jatin
(L-R) Arti Mehrotra, Alka and Akriti Bharti Sikandar Nawaz and Faisal Khan
Bharat Sadana, Nalin Gupta and Rajat Bedi
Anuj Lalwani and Preeti
Swapnil Jolie showcasing Sehgal designed jewellery
Karishma Kambo, Venika Sehgal,
Anushka Sehgal and Kartika Bali
Venika, Bobby, Vibha and Anushka Sehgal
Venika, Bobby and Anushka Sehgal
Sukhmani Sakhi
Vernika, Vibha and Anushka Sehgal
(L to R) Charu Mathur, Rohit Pathak, Jitendra K Agarwal,
RK Singh, Vipul Ray, Alok Kumar, Hamza Arsiwala
During the event
DG Anup and Shruti
Nitin Mukesh
Pandit Shubendru Rao Maestro Saskia Rao
Simran Arya
Naima Ait-Ali and Amit
Anjali Lal Gulati
Pragati Pankaj Nagpal
and Seema Gumber
Shilpa Taluja
and Rahul Taluja
Utkarsh Verma and Swapnil Jolie
—PHOTOS
BYSHAZID
CHAUHAN
—PHOTOS BYSHAZID CHAUHAN
Karishma
Kambo
Ruby Bhatia
—PHOTOS BYSHAZID CHAUHAN
Laxmi
Pandey
Vanndana Vaadera
12

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