25122022_First India_Mumbai (1).pdf

Modi not listening to anyone, has captured all
Temples in U'khand: Subramanian Swamy
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Once report-
ed to be extremely close
to Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi, senior BJP
leader Subramanian
Swamy, now a days, ap-
pears to have become
the strongest critic of
the Prime Minister
these days and has been
making remarks
against the Modi gov-
ernment.
On Saturday, Swamy
was in Pandharpur in
Maharashtra where he
opposed the state gov-
ernment’s move to
make a corridor in the
vicinity of the temple.
The senior leader also
addressed the media
and criticizing PM
Modi, said that ‘he is not
a Hindu.’
On asking if he will
he meet the Prime Min-
ister regarding the de-
regulation of temples,
Swamy said, “PM Modi
is not listening to any-
one. He is not a Hindu.
He has captured all the
temples in Uttara-
khand. Those who think
PM Modi is doing good
work are all Modi’s
stooges. Today the gov-
ernment has taken over
the temples. So why
doesn’t the government
take over churches and
mosques? There is mas-
sive corruption in the
Waqf Board, why arent
they taken over by the
government?”
Swamy further add-
ed, “The government
has no right to take over
the temples in the coun-
try
. If there is any finan-
cial scam by the temple
administration then the
government can take
over the temples for a
few months. However,
the government would
have to relinquish con-
trol of the temples after
setting up the financial
structure of the admin-
istration. According to
Article 25 of the Consti-
tution, the government
cannot interfere in any
temple. The Supreme
Court has also given a
decision in this regard.”
‘Today the
government has
taken over the
temples. So why
doesn’t the
government take
over churches
and mosques?’
Subramanian Swamy
LEARNING@75
Forward-looking, futuristic education system
being created in country through NEP: Modi
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on Saturday said
that through the new
NEP, a forward-looking
and futuristic educa-
tion system is being cre-
ated in the country for
the first time.
“You know very well
that for the bright fu-
ture of India, our exist-
ing education policy
and institutes have a
big role to play. IITs,
IIMs and medical col-
leges in country have
increased after 2014, the
year when Patel govt
came to power for first
time,” he said. More on P6
PM Narendra Modi greets during the 75th Amrut Mahotsav of Shree
Swaminarayan Gurukul Rajkot Sansthan via VC, in Delhi on Saturday.
NEP will
promote overall
development of
students. Vocational and
skill education has created
a major role in the NEP. It
is estimated that more
than 50% of students will
be linked with vocational
education before class 10.
—Amit Shah,
Union Home Minister
❍ BHARAT JODO YATRA ENTERS NATIONAL CAPITAL
RaGa at Red Fort: Yatra
is to show real Hindustan
First India Bureau
New Delhi: After the
Bharat Jodo Yatra
reached Red Fort in
New Delhi Saturday,
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi said that the
BJP government was
spreading Hindu-Mus-
lim hatred to divert at-
tention from real is-
sues. Gandhi also said,
“this is not PM Modi’s,
but Ambani and Ada-
ni’s government”. Ac-
tor-turned-politician
Kamal Haasan joined
the yatra in the after-
noon near ITO. Mean-
while, Congress leaders
Priyanka Gandhi and
Sonia Gandhi joined
Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat
Jodo Yatra in Delhi Sat-
urday morning. Mean-
while, traffic was af-
fected in parts of south-
east Delhi as the yatra
entered the city
. More on P6
Rahul Gandhi with Mallikarjun
Kharge, KC Venugopal, Kamal
Haasan and other leaders during
the Bharat Jodo Yatra, near Red
Fort in New Delhi, Saturday.
RAHUL: SHARING LOVE
I RECEIVED FROM HER
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
shared an emotional picture
with his mother Sonia Gandhi
taken during Bharat Jodo Yatra.
CHANDA
HUBBY GET
3-DAY CBI
CUSTODY
z Special Mumbai court
on Saturday granted
3-day custody of former
ICICI Bank CEO Chanda
Kochhar, and her hus-
band, Deepak Kochhar.
z The central probe
agency told the court
that both of them did
not cooperate during
the investigation and
hence were arrested
z CBI alleged cheat-
ing and irregularities in
loans sanctioned by the
bank to Videocon Group
companies. Chanda Koc-
char and her husband
z CBI prosecutor A
Limosine told court
that while Chanda was
heading bank, 6 loans
were sanctioned which
are under the scanner
TN: 8 SABARIMALA
DEVOTEES KILLED
Pathanamthitta: 8 devotees
were killed and two persons,
including a nine-year-old
boy injured in TN’s Theni
district after a car carrying
devotees plunged into a
40-feet-deep pit, officials
said. 10 devotees were
headed home when their car
met with an accident.
LINK PAN CARD WITH
AADHAAR BY MARCH
New Delhi: On Saturday,
the Government of India
had made the linking
of the two documents
mandatory for all citizens.
While the last date for
PAN-Aadhaar linking was
March 31, 2020 earlier,
the Centre had extended it
to March 31, 2023.
SOAP STAR TUNISHA,
20, FOUND DEAD ON
SET; CO-STAR NAMED
IN SUICIDE CASE
Mumbai: Tunisha Sharma,
20, a television actor, on
Saturday allegedly died by
suicide on the set of a serial
in Vasai in Palghar dist, and
her co-actor, Zeeshan Mohd
Khan, has been charged with
abetting suicide. She went to
washroom on set and did not
return for a long time. When
door was broken down, she
was found hanging inside.
SURVEY OF IDGAH
FROM JANUARY 2
Mathura: A local court in
UP’s Mathura on Saturday
ordered survey of Shahi
Idgah Mosque, said to
be built on the “Krishna
Janmabhoomi”by the
Archaeological Survey of
India after January 2. The
report will be submitted
after January 20.
READ
Crucial
Crucial
RT-PCR‘must’ for
foreign travellers
Centre’s six-point advisory to States
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Union
Health Minister Man-
sukhMandaviya,onSat-
urday, said RT-PCR test
is mandatory for inter-
national arrivals from
China, Japan, South Ko-
rea, Hong Kong, and
Thailandamidthesurge
in Covid cases in multi-
ple nations.
Meanwhile during
the day, ministry has
given a fresh six-point
advisory to the states to
face any Covid emer-
gency amid rising cases
in neighbouring China.
The availability of
LMO, in health facilities
and uninterrupted sup-
ply chain for their refill-
ing should be ensured
and added adequate in-
ventory of oxygen cylin-
ders with backup stocks
to be maintained.
Passengers coming from
abroad undergo testing at IGI
Airport, in Delhi on Saturday.
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ,
observed on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions
of people around the World. Meanwhile on Christmas eve, a couple dressed as
Santa Claus celebrates, at snow-covered Ski Resort in Gulmarg.
MUMBAI l SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNITITLE NO.MAHENG/2022/14652 lVol 1 l Issue No.228
Happy
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI MUMBAI www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

NEWS
MUMBAI | SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2022
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
First India Bureau
Mumbai: With the
state government plan-
ning a Pandharpur
corridor on the lines
of Varanasi’s Kashi
Vishwanath project,
local leaders on Satur-
day met with Bharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP)
leader Subramanian
Swamy to discuss the
matter.
Swamy had earlier
reportedly opposed the
Maharashtra govern-
ment’s plans to develop
a corridor at the temple
town of Pandharpur in
Solapur district.
The former Union
cabinet minister also
visited Pandharpur on
Saturday and held dis-
cussions on the pro-
posed corridor project
with local residents.
While Swamy main-
tained his reservations
on the proposed Pand-
harpur corridor, he
warned Deputy Chief
Minister Devendra Fad-
navis of fallout if the
project goes ahead as
planned. “Under no cir-
cumstances can the
Pandharpur corridor
happen. If Fadnavis
talks too much, he will
not even be able to stay
the deputy CM. Cur-
rently, there is no air-
port in Pandharpur and
the roads are not good.
The Chandrabhaga riv-
er is polluted; cleaning
it should be prioritized.
Temples and shops lo-
cated in the town will be
demolished for the cor-
ridor. Notices have also
been issued to many
people in this regard.
That is why what the
Maharashtra govern-
ment is doing is not
right,” he said.
Swamy also criti-
cized Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde and
Deputy CM Devendra
Fadnavis government
by terming it “immor-
al” during a media in-
teraction.
“The Shinde-Fad-
navis government has
been formed in Maha-
rashtra by breaking the
Shiv Sena (the party
split into two factions).
The public has not
elected this govern-
ment and hence, it is
immoral. Their case is
pending in the Supreme
Court,” said Swamy
.
GREEN CHILLI
PRICES UP, DUE TO
DIP IN SUPPLY
JNPA LAUNCHES
1ST PHASE OF
MSEDCL OPS
NO EXTENSION
FOR METER
RECALIBRATION
HEAVY TRAFFIC
ON MUMBAI-PUNE
EXPWY ON X’MAS
Navi Mumbai: The
prices of green chilli
saw a slight rise due
to dip in supply at the
wholesale market.
Traders at the vegeta-
ble markets in Agricul-
ture Produce Market
Committee (APMC) say
that the dip is tempo-
rary. At present, the
green chilli is available
between Rs21 to Rs29
per kg wholesale. It
was around Rs17 to
Rs22 per kg a couple
of days ago.
Navi Mumbai: The
Jawaharlal Nehru Port
Authority (JNPA) inau-
gurated the operation
of the first phase of the
MSEDCL distribution
franchisee on Decem-
ber 21, 2022, and com-
missioned the Smart
Street Lighting System
at JNPA township. The
distribution franchisee
was inaugurated at the
hands of Sanjay Sethi,
Chairman, JNPA, and
Unmesh Sharad Wagh,
Dy. Chairman, JNPA.
Navi Mumbai: The
deputy Regional Trans-
port Office (RTO), Vashi,
has said that there will
be no more extension of
the deadline for meter
recalibration of auto-
rickshaws and taxis in
the city. The Transport
Department has already
extended the deadline
from November 30,
2022 to January 15,
2023. As per new fare
structure, the minimum
rickshaw fare was hiked
to Rs23 from Rs 21.
Lonavala: Amid the
festive vibes of long
Christmas weekend,
the Mumbai-Pune Ex-
pressway experienced
long queues of vehicles
lined up in line ahead
of toll plazas and in the
Khandala ghat region
near Lonavala on
Saturday. With many
people travelling out
of cities, the Express-
way was packed with
heavy traffic on both
sides with travellers in
distress.
CRUCIAL READ
Aurangabad: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will visit
Aurangabad and Solapur on Sunday to attend a
cleanliness awareness event as well as a function of
a cooperative sugar mill, an official said. The clean-
liness awareness event will be held in the morning
in the Cantonment area here and has been organized
by the Revdanda-based Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari
Pratishthan. The CM will then proceed to Solapur,
some 310 kilometres from here, for a function of
Adinath Cooperative Sugar Mill in Karmala.
CM SHINDE TO VISIT AURANGABAD,
SOLAPUR FOR OFFICIAL GIGS TODAY
Pandharpur corridor
cannot be built: Swamy
BJP leader met with locals on Sat; warned Dy
CM Fadnavis of fallout if project goes ahead
THE CONTENTION
The Pandharpur temple attracts lakhs of devotees
annually, which puts a huge pressure on the gov-
ernment machinery and the police force. The corri-
dor is aimed at facilitating the devotees. However,
there is a requirement to demolish some religious
as well as residential structures in the town for the
project, which is being opposed by some sections.
Under no circumstanc-
es can the Pandharpur
corridor happen. Cur-
rently, there is no airport in
Pandharpur and the roads are
not good. The Chandrabhaga
river is polluted; cleaning it should be pri-
oritized. Temples and shops located in the
town will be demolished for the corridor.
Notices have also been issued to many peo-
ple in this regard. That is why what the Ma-
harashtra government is doing is not right.
—Subramanian Swamy, BJP leader
Lakhs of devotees come to Pandharpur for annual pilgrimage
every year. —FILE PHOTO
Pune (PTI): National-
ist Congress Party
chief Sharad Pawar on
Saturday said he had
resolved a dispute be-
tween two groups in the
wrestling association in
Maharashtra after
meeting the president
of the Wrestling Feder-
ation of India.
When asked about the
prestigious Maharash-
tra Kesari competition,
Pawar said both oppos-
ing groups in the state
wrestling association
wantedtohosttheevent.
“The first one will be
held in Pune in January
and then we will think
of the one proposed in
Ahmednagar. I will at-
tend the competition af-
ter checking the dates,”
said Pawar, who is also
the chief of the Maha-
rashtra State Wrestling
Association.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Governor
Bhagat Singh Koshy-
ari’s remarks on
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj controversy
refuses to die down. On
Saturday, the governor
was in Amravati for an
administrative event,
when he was ap-
proached by a group of
Shiv Sainiks.
According to reports,
the Shiv Sena workers,
belonging to the Ud-
dhav Thackeray fac-
tion, planned to throw
the shoe at the governor
for his alleged ‘insults’
to the 17th century war-
rior king at an Aurang-
abad event last month.
With opposition par-
ties taking an aggres-
sive stand against the
governor on the matter
and demanding his re-
moval, Shiv Sainiks
seem to have followed
suit. Demonstrations
are being held at vari-
ous places across the
state against the gover-
nor’s statement.
While the Sena work-
ers could not manage to
harm Governor Koshy-
ari due to timely inter-
vention of security per-
sonnel, they made ges-
tures of beating him
with the footwear and
also raised slogans.
Sensing that the matter
could turn ugly
, local po-
liceimmediatelyrushed
to the spot and arrested
the protesters before
any of them could take
an ill-desired action.
First India Bureau
Sangli: With increas-
ing cases of ‘Love Ji-
had’ coming to the fore
in Maharashtra, a mor-
cha (protest march) was
taken out by the Hindu
Sakal Samaj in Sangli
district of the state on
Saturday
.
The procession start-
ed from Ram Mandir
Chowk and passed
through Panchmukhi
Maruti temple,
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj statue, Maruti
Chowk, Harbhat Road,
Nagar Nigam Rajwada
to Station Chowk.
During the rally,
members of the organi-
zation raised demands
for a Love Jihad Act,
Anti-Cow Slaughter Act
and Prohibition of Con-
version Act in the state
of Maharashtra. Thou-
sands participated in
the march including
young school kids.
Demonstrators were
seen raising slogans of
“Bharat Mata Ki Jai”
and “Jai Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj”.
Notable participants
in the protest march in-
cluded local Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) of-
fice-bearers namely
Sanjaykaka Patil, Su-
dhir Gadgil, BJP West-
ern Maharashtra Union
Minister Makrand
Deshpande, BJP Sangli
district President Prith-
viraj Deshmukh, for-
mer Islampur Mayor
Nishikant Patil, Neeta
Kelkar, Shekhar Inam-
dar, Nitin Shinde, coun-
cillor Urmila Bel-
walkar, among others.
Members of other
Hindu organizations
also took part in the
protest march.
Thousands took part in the protest march on Saturday.
Hindu orgs take out morcha for‘Love Jihad’
Maha Kesari
tourney to be
held in Pune
Shiv Sainiks
express their
‘outrage’ at
Guv in Amravati
First India Bureau
Amravati: Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
leaderAjitPawarlosthis
coolonajournalistwhen
asked about his ‘lack of
outrage’ in the state As-
sembly over the suspen-
sion of party leader Jay-
ant Patil for the rest of
the Winter Session.
While addressing
mediapersons after a
prize distribution cer-
emony in Amravati on
Saturday, Pawar ap-
peared none too happy
when asked about NCP
supremo Sharad Pa-
war’s reaction to his
non-aggressive stance
on the issue.
Responding to the
question, Ajit Pawar
said, “I have been asso-
ciated with politics and
social affairs for the
last 32 years. I do not
need anyone to tell me
how to do my job as the
leader of the opposi-
tion. The MLAs who
put me there know my
work, and that is the
reason they gave me
this post. Who told you
that Pawar sahab is an-
gry with me, did he call
you? I am in touch with
him every day.”
Pawar went ahead
and reprimanded the
journalist for his ques-
tion. “Who brought
this to your knowledge?
You have the right to
ask questions, but do
not ask just anything.
Do not create confusion
in the minds of people.
There is no difference
of opinion in the Maha
Vikas Aghadi (coali-
tion),” he asserted.
The Shiv Sena led by
Uddhav Thackeray is
the real Shiv Sena. We
(NCP) are in Maha Vi-
kas Aghadi. Under the
leadership of Uddhav
Thackeray, Shiv Sena,
NCP, Congress, Sama-
jwadi Party and other
allies are working as a
capable opposition par-
ty, he added.
Who said Pawar sahab is angry
with me? fumes NCP’s Ajit Pawar
OUTRAGED
Leader of Oppn in
Mahaashtra
Assembly rebukes
journo over query
on Patil suspension
Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar —FILE PHOTO
‘POLITICAL’ RAP
Satara mishap: BJP
MLA, 3 others injured
First India Bureau
Pune: Jaykumar
Gore, a Bharatiya Ja-
nataParty(BJP)MLA,
was injured along
with three others after
the Sports Utility Ve-
hicle (SUV) they were
travelling in fell off a
bridge into a ditch
near Phaltan in his na-
tive Satara district
early on Saturday
.
The other three in-
juredincludethelegis-
lator’s bodyguard and
the driver, said police.
Doctors treating the
MLA said he did not
suffer any serious in-
jury in the accident.
“The accident took
place in the wee
hours of Saturday.
The driver apparent-
ly lost control over
the vehicle, due to
which it veered off
the Lonand-Phaltan
road and fell from a
bridge into a ditch at
least 30 feet down,”
said a senior police
official.
Phaltan town is lo-
cated around 110 km
from Pune city
.
“MLA Gore and
three others were in-
jured in the accident.
WhileGorewasadmit-
ted to the Pune-based
Ruby Hall Clinic, the
other injured persons
are undergoing treat-
ment in some other
hospitals,” he said.
According to police,
the SUV broke the
barrier of the bridge
on the Banganga river
before plunging into
the ditch.
Gore represents the
Man Assembly con-
stituency in Satara
district.
Dr Kapil Zirpe,
head of the critical
care section of Ruby
Hall Clinic, said,
“MLA Gore was ad-
mitted to the hospital
at around 6 am. Our
medical team imme-
diately started his
treatment. Fortu-
nately, he has not suf-
fered any serious in-
jury. His chest is
slightly bruised due
to the accident.”
“He is conscious
and talking. His pulse
andbloodpressureare
normal,” Dr Zirpe told
reporters.
A crane lifts the car at the site. —PHOTO BY ANI
SUV they were
travelling in fell off
a bridge into a ditch
near Phaltan

MAHARASHTRA
03
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Bombay
High Court imposed
a cost of Rs5,000 on
the law firm that draft-
ed the petition for dis-
closing the name.
The court recently
observed that despite
repeatedly telling advo-
cates to not reveal
the name of a rape vic-
tim, which was a pun-
ishable offence with
two years of imprison-
ment, the name of the
victim was disclosed in
a petition.
The lawyers had
sought to amend the
plea to mask the
victim’s name wherev-
er it appeared in the
plea, which the bench
allowed.
A division bench,
comprising of Justice
Revati Mohite-Dere and
Justice Prithviraj K
Chavan, made the ob-
servation on Thursday
while hearing an ac-
cused’s plea to quash
the FIR registered
against him by the Pune
police under Sections
376 (rape), 406 (criminal
breach of trust), and
420 (cheating) of the In-
dian Penal Code (IPC).
Advocate Zaid Anwar
Qureshi, instructed by
law firm Huyalkar
Associates represent-
ing the petitioner man
sought leave to amend
the plea to mask the
name of the victim
wherever it appeared in
the petition, including
in the cause title. The
court allowed the same
and asked the lawyer to
carry out the amend-
ment the same day
.
However, the bench
noted that despite re-
peated reminders that
disclosing the name
of a rape victim is an
offence punishable un-
der Section 228A of the
IPC, the victim’s name
was disclosed in the
present petition.
“Hence, the law firm,
who drafted the peti-
tion, to deposit costs
of Rs5,000 with the Kir-
tikar Law Library (situ-
ated inside HC) within
two weeks,” the bench
ordered.
Bombay HC asks law firm to pay `5K for disclosing name of rape victim
Division bench asks petitioner to
amend the plea, issues notices to all
respondents including the state govt,
Pune police and the complainant
SEC 228A OF IPC
Mother, son die
in constructional
blast accident
in Panvel area
Hearing, speech-impaired
person murdered; 1 arrested
Palghar (PTI): A man
has been arrested for
allegedly killing a
speech and hearing-
impaired person and
dumping his body
by the roadside in
Valiv area of Palghar
district, an official said
on Saturday.
The body of Sunil
Tiwari (34), a native
of Jaunpur in Uttar
Pradesh, was found
in the evening of
December 20, after
which an investigation
began under teams
led by Central Crime
Unit Senior Inspector
Rahul Rakh and his
Crime Unit II Vasai
counterpart Sahuraj
Ranavare.
“Tiwari had been
strangled and his face
had been smashed
with a boulder to
make identification dif-
ficult. A probe over
three days zeroed in on
Yashwardhan Jha (21)
of Naigaon,” said an
official.
First India Bureau
Navi Mumbai:Inatrag-
icincident,awomanand
her son were killed and
six people were injured
after a few stone pieces
fellontheroadfollowing
a controlled blast was
done for the construc-
tion of a railway track
for the proposed Panvel
Karjat Suburban Rail-
way Corridor.
The deceased were
identified as Devaka
Badekar (60) and Sachin
Badekar (24).
Assistant Sub Inspec-
torfromKhalapurpolice
station Mohan Bhadkar,
said, “The son was driv-
ing the motorbike while
his mother was a pillion
rider when the stone hit
them after the blast.”
After the incident, the
agitated local residents
held a ‘rasta roko’. A
case was filed for negli-
gence causing death.
BF.7 scare: BMC’s focus on vaccination drive
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Brihan-
mumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC) has
said it would focus on
rigorously implement-
ing the vaccination
drive amid a surge in
COVID-19 cases in some
countries, believed to be
fuelled by the BF.7 sub-
variant of Omicron.
A release from the
civic body also appealed
to citizens to strictly ad-
here to COVID-19 norms
and appropriate behav-
iour in order to keep
coronavirus at bay
.
The BMC said the
steps it was taking were
based on guidelines is-
sued by the Union gov-
ernment on December
20 and 22 after a surge
in cases in China, Ja-
pan, and the United
States of America.
Samples of 2% of all
international passen-
gers arriving at Mum-
bai airport will be sub-
jected to RT-PCR tests,
and all positive samples
will be sent for genome
sequencing to the Pune-
based National Institute
of Virology
, it said.
The civic body said its
two hospitals, namely
Seven Hills (1,700 beds)
and Kasturba (35 beds),
and four state govern-
ment-run facilities,
comprising Cama Hos-
pital (100 beds), St.
George Hospital (70
beds), Tata Hospital (16
beds) and Jagjivan Ram
Hospital (12 beds), were
treating COVID-19 pa-
tients in the metropolis.
There are 871 beds
earmarked for the infec-
tion in 26 private hospi-
tals, and admission to
all civic and state-run
as well as private hospi-
tals will be managed by
24/7 BMC war rooms set
up in its 24 administra-
tive wards.
Enough Oxygen facil-
ity is available in the
form of Liquid Medical
Oxygen (LMO), Dura
CylindersandPSA(pres-
sure swing absorption)
tanks to manage COV-
ID-19 cases, the BMC re-
lease added.
“Citizens are urged to
follow COVID-appropri-
ate behaviour, including
wearing masks in pub-
lic,maintainingphysical
distance from others,
washinghandsfrequent-
ly with soap and water,
and staying home when
feeling sick,” it said.
Highlighting that el-
derly citizens and pa-
tients with diabetes and
hypertension should
take proper precau-
tions, the civic body
also asked citizens to
take vaccination and
precautionary dose.
Tells people
to ensure nCoV-
appropriate
behaviour and
get vaccinated
According to latest count, there are only 6,000 doses of Covaxin at the BMC-run
Covid vaccine centres (CVCs). However, there is no stock of Covishield and Corbevax
at any of the CVCs in Mumbai. Senior health officials from the civic Health Depart-
ment said that for the last 3-4 months, all the civic-run vaccine centres are facing a
shortage of Covishield and Corbevax. “In October, we asked the health department
but didn't receive the stock. We have around 6,000 doses of Covaxin, however, there
are no takers. We don’t have vaccines but there is no heavy demand.”
ONLY COVAXIN 6K DOSES LEFT IN BMC-RUN VACCINE CENTRES
Temple authorities urge
people to wear masks
First India Bureau
Hingoli/Aurangabad:
Amid the BF.7 Omicron
sub variant scare, au-
thoritiesatAundhaNag-
nath temple in Hingoli,
considered one of the 12
‘jyotirlingas’inthecoun-
try
, have requested peo-
ple to use face masks.
Everyone coming
to the temple must ad-
here to COVID-appro-
priate behaviour, in-
cluding maintaining
social distancing, said
Temple Manager
Surendra Dafle.
Similarly
, the Os-
manabaddistrictadmin-
istration has appealed to
devotees and staff at the
renowned Tuljapur tem-
ple to wear masks on the
premisesaswell.Theap-
peal has been issued by
the Tuljapur tehsildar,
who is also the adminis-
trator of the temple.
“The appeal covers
priests, staff and devo-
tees. They have been
urged to wear masks,
maintain COVID-appro-
priate behaviour like so-
cial distancing,” he said.
Same guidelines have
also been reinstated
at the Grishneshwar
temple for staffers, said
an official.
A man dressed as Santa Claus puts a face mask on a woman at a COVID-19 awareness rally
organized by the BMC in Dadar, Mumbai on Saturday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
Businessman’s sons arrested for killing their father
First India Bureau
Pune: Dhananjay
Navnath Bansode (47),
the businessman who
had gone missing since
December 15, was mur-
dered by his sons said
Pimpri Chinchwad po-
liceofficialsonSaturday
.
The police found out
that the duo killed their
father for his extramari-
tal affair and burnt his
body in their factory’s
kiln and later lodged a
missing complaint.
Both the accused sons
were arrested on Friday
.
Dhananjay was a resi-
dent of Nighoje in the
Khed taluka of Pune
district. The police iden-
tified his sons as Sujit
Bansode(21)andAbhijit
Bansode (18). A first in-
formation report (FIR)
of murder was lodged at
the Mhalunge police sta-
tion on Friday
.
According to Police
Inspector Kishor Patil,
the investigating officer
of the case, the accused
attacked their father
with an iron rod while
he was sleeping.
“Then they pressed a
pillow on his face till he
died. The duo further
burnt the dead body in
the bhatti (kiln) at their
workplace. We have re-
covered the bones of the
deceased,” Patil said.
Dhananjay had an
extramarital love affair
with a woman from
Nagpur.
Reason for murder may
be the extramarital love
affair Dhananjay had
with a Nagpur woman
VALUABLES WORTH
MORE THAN `5L
STOLEN; 2 HELD
Thane: Two persons have
been arrested for allegedly
breaking into a house and
stealing valuables worth
more than Rs5 lakh in
Thane district, police said
on Saturday. The theft had
taken place on December
17 when some unidenti-
fied persons broke into a
house and stole cash and
gold jewellery worth more
than Rs5 lakh, said Senior
Inspector Aviraj Kurhade
of Crime Unit I, Kashimira.
Based on the CCTV footage
and intelligence inputs, the
police zeroed in on the ac-
cused who were from Kurla
area. At least 115g of gold
jewellery worth Rs4.75
lakh and Rs1.53 lakh cash
were recovered.
3 NIGERIANS HELD
WITH DRUGS WORTH
`27.5L IN THANE
Thane: Three Nigerians
have been arrested for
alleged possession of
cocaine and mephedrone
worth Rs27.5 lakh in
Thane city on Saturday.
Based on a tip-off, the
Crime Unit-5 of Wagle Es-
tate police laid a trap and
nabbed the trio near a mall
around 1 am, said Senior
Inspector Vikas Ghodke.
The police seized 60g of
cocaine worth Rs24 lakh
and 70g of mephedrone
powder valued at Rs3.5
lakh from the accused, he
said. While three accused
have been arrested, the
police are on the lookout
for another accused in-
volved in the crime, added
the official.
FOUR BOOKED FOR
FORCING MINOR
INTO PROSTITUTION
Thane: An offence has
been registered against
four persons for allegedly
trafficking and forcing a
girl into prostitution in
Thane city, police said on
Saturday. According to the
FIR, the victim alleged that
she came in contact with
a woman associated with
an organization during the
COVID-19 pandemic when
she was facing a financial
crisis, he said. The victim
claimed that she was
pushed into prostitution by
the woman through three
other accused for Rs5,000
a day, between May and
July 2020, the official said,
adding that further probe
is underway.
HISTORY-SHEETER
NABBED UNDER
MPDA IN LATUR
Latur: A 25-year-old man
was charged under the
Maharashtra Prevention
of Dangerous Activities
(MPDA) in Latur district
and sent to jail, a police
official said on Saturday.
The Bhagya Nagar resident
is accused of crimes like
murder, attempt to murder,
extortion, damage to
property, armed robbery,
he added. “The order to jail
him under MPDA was given
by Collector Prithviraj BP
and the action was taken
under the supervision of
Superintendent of Police
Somay Munde. This is the
first time such action has
been taken in Latur under
this Act,” said the official.
BODY OF UNIDENTIFIED MAN IN HIS
MID-FIFTIES FOUND IN KALWA CREEK
Thane: The body of a man in his mid-fifties was found in
Kalwa Creek in Thane on Saturday afternoon, an official
said. The body was recov-
ered by fire department
officials and Regional
Disaster Management Cell
personnel from Khar-
egaon, said civic official
Avinash Sawant. Local
police have begun an investigation, the official said.
CRUCIAL READ
CBSE cautions parents, students
about fake website duping money
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A fake web-
site similar to the offi-
cial website of the Cen-
tral Board of Second-
ary Education (CBSE)
has been duping par-
entsof schoolkidswith
false information.
Theboardhasissued
a circular appealing to
parents and students to
exercise caution and
not respond to such
messagesandwebsites.
The circular has
been posted to the offi-
cial CBSE website,
which is http://www.
cbse.gov.in. The circu-
lar states that https://
cbsegovt.com/ is a fake
website address. The
concernedfakewebsite
is sending messages to
parents and students
aboutpaymenttodown-
load and prepare for
Class X and XII exams.
However, CBSE does
not charge any fee from
parents directly for
downloading admit
cardsof ClassXandXII
examinations.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
The Archbishop of Mumbai Cardinal Oswald welcomes baby Jesus into the world during the Christmas Midnight Mass held at Holy Name High School at Colaba in Mumbai on Saturday.
—PHOTOS BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 228
l RNI TITLE NO.
MAHENG/2022/14652
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed at
Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe
MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial
Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701.
Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C
of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS
Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part)
Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057.
Phone 022-46031417.
Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
Bhupender Yadav
@byadavbjp
Addressed the Graduation Day Ceremony
of @esichq Medical College Hospital
in KK Nagar, Chennai. Stated that health
is at the core of our nation-building
strategy. The students receiving their
degrees awards today represent India’s
investment capital for a better tomorrow.
Anurag Thakur
@ianuragthakur
Heartiest congratulations to our
talented female wrestler Antim Panghal,
who has just been nominated for the
#UnitedWorldWrestlingRisingStar
of the Year honour. As a rising star
in the wrestling world, she has won
gold medal at #NationalGames2022
#WorldU20WrestlingChampionship.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
As a mother comforts her
child, so I will comfort
you; in Jerusalem you
shall find your comfort.
—Bible
IN-DEPTH
A PHARMA FIRM
IN THE DOCK,
BUT INDIA WANTS
CLINICAL PROOF
aiden pharmaceuti-
calcompanyhasbeen
held accountable by a
Select Committee of
the Gambian Nation-
al Assembly for the death of 70
children due to contaminated
syrup made by the company
. The
committee recommended that
the Maiden’s products be banned
in the Gambian market and legal
action be pursued against it. The
syrups were contaminated with
diethylene glycol and ethylene
glycol. Surprisingly, India has
come to the defence of Maiden.
Although the Central Drugs
Standards Control Organisation
allegedly found irregularities in
its processes and ordered its clo-
sure, India has refused to take
any action on the plea that nei-
ther Gambia nor WHO shared
clinical data linking the deaths
with the syrup.
The pharma company does not
have a clean record and that
should prompt the government to
act against it. The WHO also
raisedanalertbecauseof thepres-
ence of diethylene glycol and eth-
yleneglycolinsyrups.Bothcanbe
fatal for humans. Bihar, Kerala
and Gujarat had also warned
against Maiden’s products.
TOP TWEETS
M
heCentralgovern-
ment turned San-
ta Claus for the
poorest of the
poor when it an-
nounced free foodgrains for
themundertheNationalFood
Security Act (NFSA) starting
January 1, 2023. This will be
above the earlier entitlement
of 5kgfoodgrainunderNFSA.
Theearlierscheme,PMGarib
Kalyan Anna Yojna, which
was launched in April 2020,
has been discontinued as the
Finance Ministry’s Expendi-
ture Department had advised
against its continuation. The
free foodgrain plan will cost
the exchequer about Rs 2 lakh
crore.
Coming at a time when in-
flation is making life hard for
the 81 crore poor, the gift of
free ration for one more year
will be a big relief for the
country’s poverty-stricken
population. Since the out-
break of Covid the Centre has
been providing free ration to
the poor under the.
Thepro-poorconcernisnot
theonlycriteriaforextending
the free ration scheme,
though it is the more impor-
tant one. The extra 5 kilo free
ration will continue to be dis-
tributed till the end of 2023,
just before the nation goes to
poll in 2024. As it will be given
irrespective of caste or reli-
gion, it would have a huge im-
pact on BJP’s popularity
among the masses.
One may talk of the signifi-
cance of India getting G20
presidency for Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi but for the
poor getting free foodgrain is
more important. The G20
presidency being rotational
wouldhavecometoIndiaany-
way as it is an important
member of the group. State
governments have to ensure
fair distribution by ration
shop owners.
WELFARE POLITICS
DRIVES GOVERNMENT
Central government turned Santa Claus for the poorest
of the poor when it announced free foodgrains for them
under the National Food Security Act (NFSA)
starting Jan 1, 2023. This will be above earlier
entitlement of 5 kg foodgrain under NFSA
T
CRAZY MOMENTS FROM
FIFA WC 2022 IN QATAR
oramanapproaching94years
of age, excitement is a rarity
.
From November 20th to De-
cember 18th a boyish enthusi-
asm took over. I was one
among the three billion fans
who sat glued to the TV to
watchtheFootballWorldCup.
The first shock was Saudi
Arabia defeating Argentina.
Lionel Messi looked more
than bewildered. Saudi Ara-
bia beating Argentina!! No. it
could not be real. But it was.
The Crown Prince and Prime
Minister of Saudi Arabia pre-
sented Bentley cars to each
Saudi player. Soon Germany,
Belgium, Brazil, England
were out. Little known Afri-
can countries became giant
killers. Morocco played with
amazing skill. They had their
opponents in a daze. Africa
had arrived onthefootballbig
league.Doha’sLusailStadium
did not have a vacant seat.
Fans were left breathless.
What was the great Cris-
tiano Ronaldo doing? He was
not in the field till half time.
Hisarrivalonthewonderfully
manicured green turf but
some pep into the Portuguese
team. He even scored a pen-
alty goal. Here was the second
best footballer in the world
fumbling. He had, a few days
before the World Cup began,
left the Manchester team un-
der unpleasant circumstanc-
es. As Cristiano’s game dete-
riorated, Messi’s picked up.
Soon Portugal was out of the
World Cup. Ronaldo’s grief
was all too visible.
From the first day I had
backed France. The country
hadwontheCupfouryearsago.
Argentina and France met in
the final. The former was two
goals ahead when the French
wizardsKylianMbappescored
two stunning goals. Two all. In
the thirty minutes extra time
no goals were scored.
Penalty time. Mbappe
scored the first goal. His class
wasalltooevident.Hispaceis
stunning. He suddenly ap-
pears from nowhere, sending
the football into the goal.
Speed, over 38 kilometres an
hour!! Mbappe was heartbro-
ken when his two teammates
made a mess by missing two
penalty goals. Argentina won
the World Cup. Even Presi-
dent Macron could not con-
sole Mbappe. I too was very
disappointed. But the better
side won. A few words about
theorganizers.Qatarexcelled
itself. Everything went like
clockwork. No misbehaviour
in stands, none in the hotels
and hostels.
For tourist too life was a
ball but discipline was not
flouted. Qatar is not a democ-
racy
. You step out of line, you
got it in the neck. When World
Cup was allotted to Qatar the
widespread reaction was not
in favour. Doha proved them
wrong. The Hindustan Times
of December 20 selected the
best XI of the 2022 World Cup.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
F
For tourist too life was a ball
but discipline was not
flouted. Qatar is not a
democracy. You step out
of line, you got it in the
neck. When World Cup
was allotted to Qatar the
widespread reaction was not
in favour. Doha proved
them wrong. The Hindustan
Times of December 20
selected the best XI of
the 2022 World Cup
K NATWAR SINGH
The author is Former Minister
of External Affairs of India
l GOALKEEPER: Emiliano Martinez - Argentina:
Without him, it is unlikely Argentina would
have won the World Cup. He is the best goal-
keeper in the World.
l LEFT BACK: Theo Hernondez - France: He was
called to replace his brother, who suffered an
injury. Theo did not let the side down.
l CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Sofyan Amrabat - Mo-
rocco: The most impressive skill he brings to
the game is his ability to dictate the pace of the
game.
l LEFT WINGER: Kylain Mbappe - France:
The future is his. Once Messi has retired and
Ronaldo too, Mbappe will undoubtedly the
best player in the game. He is 23 years of age.
Messi is nearing 36, Ronaldo is 37.
l ATTACKING MIDFEILD: Lionel Messi - Argen-
tina: By winning the World Cup he is as of now
the greatest footballer of all time.
l RIGH BACK: Achraf Hakimi - Morocco: He
was solid at the back as well as effective going
forward.
l CENTRE BACK: Cristiano - Romero: Only 24,
he can only improve. Takes pressure and with
confidence.
l CENTRE BACK: Josko Guardiol - Croatia: He
is only 20. Top clubs in Europe have their eyes
on him.
l CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Luca Modric - Crotia:
Age 37. Captain of team. His last world cup.
l RIGHT WINGER: Antonoine Griezmann -
France: He is 37. Did very well in this world
cup. Unlikely to play in 2026.
l STRIKER: Julian Alvarez - Argentina: Age
22, his goal against Croatia when he ran from
almost the halfway line will be remembered for
years to come.

To Receive Free Newspaper
PDF Daily
Whatsapp:
Telegram:
Click the above link☝ subscribe us on your
preferred platform.
https://bit.ly/fiwhatsappmumbai
https://t.me/thefirstindiamumbai

MUMBAI | SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2022 05
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/the-

06
INDIA
Shamsher Singh
New Delhi: Several
party leaders, including
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi and party na-
tional president Mall-
ikarjun Kharge, need to
work on their language.
If these leaders have to
give speech in Hindi,
then they will have to
learn Hindi. It will not
happen that every time
they say some nonsense
and say that the lan-
guage is weak or they
are Kannada speaking,
Bengali speaking, that’s
why the problem has
arisen. It is okay once in
a while, but if this is
happening again and
again, then this mes-
sage will be go among
masses that the Con-
gress leaders do not give
such statements be-
cause of their language
problem, but deliber-
ately do wrong things.
Kharge is the Nation-
al President of Con-
gress, so he needs to be
more careful about his
words. If he wants to
speak Hindi, then learn
it well or avoid its idi-
oms, proverbs etc. be-
cause there is a danger
of ruining the meaning.
Similarly, Rahul Gan-
dhi said in a press con-
ference in Jaipur that
Chinese soldiers are
beating up Indian sol-
diers. If he wanted to
say something else, but
due to lack of words, he
said the word ‘pitai’
then that is a different
matter. But if that’s
what he really meant,
then that’s too bad. This
is also factually wrong
as Chinese soldiers are
not beating Indian sol-
diers anywhere. Even if
there has been a clash
between the two, Indian
soldiers have also beat-
en up Chinese soldiers.
There are videos of this
as well and army offi-
cials also confirm this.
Even if this is true, no
leader should publicly
question the valor of
the army and the brav-
ery of the soldiers. So,
here comes the matter
of both language and
understanding of the
matter.
A few days ago a big
mistake was made by
Adhir Ranjan Chowd-
hary, leader of the Con-
gress in the Lok Sabha.
He had used the word
‘Rashtrapatni’ for Pres-
ident, which is an inde-
cent remark. He later
apologized for this and
said that his Hindi is
not good. But in the
name of bad Hindi, he
has committed these
types of mistakes ear-
lier also. He is the lead-
er of the largest opposi-
tion party in the Lok
Sabha and thus has a
big responsibility. He
cannot make mistakes
like this again and
again. On the other
hand, in Madhya
Pradesh, former Con-
gress minister Raja Pa-
tria talked about PM.
Did he not understand
the difference between
defeating and killing?
Congress top leaders should mind their language!
NEED OF THE HOUR
AmitShahbatsforeduinmother
tongueforstudents’betterment
Mehsana (PTI): Educa-
tion imparted to a stu-
dent in his mother
tongue as provided un-
der the new National
Education Policy (NEP)
will increase his ability
tothink,reason,analyse
and research, Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah said on Saturday
.
Addressing a gather-
ing at the 95th anniver-
sary of Sheth GC High
School at Vijapur here,
Shah said work was un-
derway to translate into
regional languages the
syllabi of technical,
medical and higher edu-
cation courses, and add-
ed that the NEP will
make India number one
countryinnext25years.
Under British educa-
tion policy for pre-Inde-
pendent India, rote
learning was a sign of
intelligence, he said,
adding that students did
not have the power to
think, research, reason,
analyse, decide and un-
derstand, which created
many issues in society
.
“The new education
policy, which has made
fundamental changes,
including laying em-
phasis on the mother
tongue, will make India
numberoneintheworld
in 25 years,” he said.
“If a student reads,
speaks and thinks in the
mother tongue, then it
will increase his ability
to think, his reasoning
power,capabilityof anal-
ysis, and research will
naturallyemergewithin
this child,” he said.
“The fundamental
change in NEP is to edu-
cate students in their
mother tongue at prima-
ry and secondary level. I
am confident in another
two, five, seven years, all
the students in the coun-
try will be imparted edu-
cation in their mother
tongue,” Shah added.
Shah said a person is
able to have original
thinking only when the
subject to ponder over
is taught in his mother
tongue, and the NEP will
help provide a platform to
a child’s inherent capaci-
ties like art and music etc.
Along with this, the syl-
labi of technical, medical
and higher education are
being translated into the
mother tongue, he said.
NEP WILL PROVIDE
PLATFORM TO KIDS’
INHERENT SKILLS: HM
HM Amit Shah addressing a gathering at the 95th anniversary of
Sheth GC High School at Vijapur, Mehsana on Saturday.
BHARAT JODO YATRA
Cong’s jibe at BJP for BJY;
says no stopping for Yatra
New Delhi: The Gandhi family walked together in the Bharat
Jodo Yatra on Saturday as former party president Sonia
Gandhi, her daughter, son-in-law and
grandchildren joined Rahul Gandhi in
the march in the national capital. Sonia
Gandhi and her family members walked
with Rahul Gandhi for a short distance
till the yatra halted for the morning
break at the Ashram Chowk in Delhi.
This is the second time Sonia Gandhi,
also Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson, joined the
yatra that began in September from Kanyakumari.
GANDHI FAMILY WALKS TOGETHER IN
BHARAT JODO YATRA IN NEW DELHI
TROUBLE FOR RaGA
OVER COMMENTS
ON VEER SAVARKAR
GOVT’S OROP
DECISION DUE TO
BJY, CLAIMS CONG
NIA RAIDS MULTIPLE
LOCATIONS IN
CHANDIGARH, JK
HOUSE OF LATE SEPARATIST LEADER SYED
ALI SHAH GEELANI IN SRINAGAR SEALED
Srinagar (ANI): The State Investigation Agency (SIA) on
Saturday sealed a house of late Kashmiri separatist and Hur-
riyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani at Barzulla in Jammu and
Kashmir’s Srinagar.The house of the former president of All
Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was sealed on the orders
of Srinagar’s District Magistrate (DM). Geelani passed away
on September 1, 2021, after a prolonged illness. His death is
believed as the second major setback for the separatists in
JK after August 5, 2019 (abrogation of article 370), while
some observers believe that separatism is over in Kashmir.
Lucknow: A complaint has
been registered in a court
here against Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi for al-
leged derogatory remarks
against Vinayak Damodar
Savarkar in Maharashtra
recently.On Friday, ACJM
AK Srivastava directed
complainant Nripendra
Pandey to produce
evidence under section
200 of CrPC. Once he
examines himself and his
witnesses under section
202 of CrPC, the court
would decide whether or
not to take cognizance of
offences and issue sum-
mons to Gandhi. The court
fixed January 9 as the next
date of hearing.
New Delhi: The Congress
on Saturday welcomed
govt’s decision to revise
the pension of ex-service-
men under the ‘one rank,
one pension’ scheme
and said it is the result of
Bharat Jodo Yatra which
raised the issue. Congress
leader Jairam Ramesh said
one should “understand
the chronology” of the
issue as ex-servicemen
had only two days ago met
Rahul Gandhi during the
Yatra and highlighted the
issue.“This is the direct ef-
fect of Bharat Jodo Yatra...
Rahul ji’s meeting yielded
the decision of the union
cabinet two days later,”
Ramesh said on Saturday.
New Delhi (ANI): The
National Investigation Agency
(NIA) on Saturday morning
conducted raids at multiple
locations in Chandigarh, and
Jammu and Kashmir in two
separate cases having links to
terror activities.The raids are
still on at the premises and
hideouts of some suspects
in these cases, sources said.
The moves come a day after
the central counter-terror
agency carried out searches
at 14 locations in Jammu
and Kashmir against people
involved in the spreading
of terrorist activities by the
various proscribed terrorist
outfits in the Union Territory
(UT) by targeting minorities,
security personnel.
Rahul Gandhi leads BJY, in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Yogi,PM meet in Delhi,discuss
UP Global Investors Summit
New Delhi (Agencies):
Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adity-
anath met Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi here
on Saturday during
which they discussed
the UP Global Investor
Summit slated to be
held in Lucknow from
February 10-12, 2023.
Sources said: “As the
summit is nearing, mul-
tiple meetings are tak-
ing in Uttar Pradesh as
well as with Central
leadership. The Chief
Minister extended an
invitation to the Prime
Minister for the sum-
mit and shared the up-
dates on the prepara-
tions so far.”
The sources added
that Adityanath and
Modi was spoke about
the MLC polls in UP.
With just a few weeks
left for the summit, Ut-
tar Pradesh has man-
aged to get investment
proposals worth almost
Rs 7 lakh crore, accord-
ing to official updates.
The state’s represent-
atives have also been
travelling abroad to get
their hands on a variety
of investment propos-
als under the Chief
Minister’s leadership.
MP: Ex-Congress MLA
BB Pateriya joins BJP
Bhopal (Agencies) Brij
Bihari Pateriya, a for-
merCongressMLAfrom
Madhya Pradesh, joined
the BJP on Saturday
.
Pateriya, is consid-
ered a strong leader in
Sagar district, joined
the saffron party in
Bhopal in the presence
of Chief Minister
Shivraj Singh Chou-
han. Political turmoil
in Sagar has escalated
after Rajya Sabha MP
Digvijaya Singh held a
meeting with district
leaders and workers
last week. Sources said
that Pateriya was side-
lined and he was plan-
ing to contest the 2023
Assembly elections on a
Congress ticket. How-
ever, there was minimal
chances of his candida-
ture, they added.
Bhagwat to attend 2-day
RSS meet in Guj from today
Ahmedabad (PTI):
RSS chief Mohan Bhag-
wat will be in Gujarat
on December 25 and 26
to attend a meeting of
workers of the outfit’s
Saurashtra zone and
guide them about ex-
panding its base in the
region.
The closed-door meet-
ing, to be held in Anjar
town of Kutch, will be
attended by nearly 300
RSS workers of Sau-
rashtra and Kutch re-
gions and the focus will
be on establishing
shakhas (branches) in
each and every village
of the state, a function-
ary of the outfit said.
“RSS is completing
100 years in 2025, and a
target has been set of
establishing shakhas in
each and every village.
We also plan to cover all
the cities and towns
through our shakhas.
On December 25 and 26,
Bhagwat will provide
guidance to the workers
of Saurashtra and
Kutch region,” he said.
JK:Bighaulofarmsammunition
Srinagar (Agencies):
The JK Police along
with the Army have re-
covered a large cache of
arms and ammunition
in a joint operation at
Uri in north Kashmir’s
Baramulla district, of-
ficials said on Saturday
.
The police said that
the arms and ammuni-
tion recovered include
eight AK 74 assault ri-
fles with 24 magazines
and 560 rounds, 12 pis-
tols (Tokarev type) with
24 magazines and 244
rounds, 14 grenades and
81 balloons with Paki-
stani flag imprint.
The police have
launched a probe into
the matter after regis-
tering a case.
The JK Police have started investigation in the matter.
Mohan Bhagwat
Rahul Gandhi with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. —FILE PHOTO
Jamshedpur (PTI): Two persons were arrested on the
charge of slaughtering cows and selling their meat in
Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district, the police said on
Saturday. The police also
seized 500 kilograms of beef
from the spot during a raid in
Haldipokar under Kowali police
station, about 30 kilometres
from here, and arrested three
customers on Friday. Besides,
the police personnel rescued
17 cows from there. Slaughter of bovine animals and
selling their meat are banned in Jharkhand.
Kolkata (Agencies): Guddu Kumar, a suspected ISI-spy,
who was arrested by the Special Task Force from New
Jalpaiguri on December 21, has informed the interrogating
sleuths that he was trapped by the Pakistani intelligence
agency through a pornograph-
ic website. Kumar, an original
resident of Champaran in
Bihar, is currently under the
custody of STF, whose sleuths
are interrogating him to get
additional information about
his nexus. State police sourc-
es said that during interrogation, Kumar had admitted
to the police that during his days in Bihar, despite being
married, he was keenly addicted to pornographic websites
especially those having explicit Indian contents.
JHARKHAND: 2 HELD FOR SLAUGHTERING
COWS; 500 KG OF BEEF SEIZED
ARRESTED ISI SPY IN WB WAS TRAPPED BY
PAK AGENCY THROUGH PORN SITE: POLICE
NEWS DIGEST
CASTE-BASED
CENSUS FOR OBCs:
SC NOTICE TO GoI
“MONEY CAN’T
ERASE TRAUMA OF
ACCIDENT VICTIM”
New Delhi (PTI): The
Supreme Court has
sought response from
the Centre and others on
a plea seeking directions
for a caste-based census
for Other Backward
Classes (OBCs) in the
upcoming Census. A
bench of Chief Justice DY
Chandrachud and Justice
PS Narasimha issued
notices to the Centre,
Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment and
others while seeking their
replies. It also tagged the
matter with a similar case
pending before it.
New Delhi (PTI): Money
cannot erase trauma of
a serious accident, the
Supreme Court has said.
“Whilst no amount of
money or other material
compensation can erase
the trauma, pain and
suffering that a victim
undergoes after a serious
accident, monetary com-
pensation is the manner
known to law, whereby
society assures some
measure of restitution to
those who survive, and
the victims who have to
face their lives,” a Su-
preme Court bench said.
NEP has created
a big role for
commercial and
skill education. More
than 50 per cent stu-
dents will be connected
to commercial educa-
tion before Class 10,
and this will help to
take them towards self
employment, micro
and cottage industry.
—Amit Shah,
Union Home Minister
Says education in mother tongue will increase their ability to think, reason analyse
—PHOTO
BY
PTI
New Delhi (PTI):
Nothing can prevent
theBharatJodoYatra
frommovingforward,
theCongressasserted
asking the BJP to
“stop playing politics
inthegarbof theCov-
id pandemic” and try-
ing to “stall” the
march,whichentered
the national capital
Saturday morning.
Congress leaders
alleged the BJP has
made and failed in
its every attempt to
defame Rahul Gan-
dhi and derail the
yatra somehow as
people from across
the country includ-
ing Delhi are over-
whelmingly extend-
ing their support.
“Covid and health
are serious issues
and the BJP should
not make them a tool
of their politics,”
AICC media and pub-
licity in-charge
Pawan Khera told re-
porters at the Ash-
ram Chowk. “If you
have the courage to
stop the Yatra, do so.
We will follow all
rules and protocols,
if any with regard to
Covid.” “We know
our responsibilities
and the BJP should
govern instead of
giving us advice or
directions. They are
not declaring norms
but their concern is
Rahul Gandhi’s
Bharat Jodo Yatra
which is getting the
support of people,”
Khera said.

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 54,530.00 150.00 0.27 (Per 10g)
SILVER 71,100.00 1000.00 1.40 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 82.86 0.00 0.00
GBPINR 99.95 0.00 0.00
CURRENCIES
Gems jewellery industry achieves its export target
Jaipur (PTI): India’s gems
and jewellery industry has
achieved its annual export
target of $48 billion till the
last quarter of the current
financial year, an official
said.
He said that after Covid
pandemic, the industry is
back on track and keeping
its fingers crossed amid the
current surge in number of
coronavirus cases across
the globe.
“The present chairman
of the gems and jewellery
council has informed that
the industry has achieved
the yearly target of 48 bil-
lion of exports from the
country till the last quarter.
We have achieved what he
had to achieve,” secretary
of the JJS Rajiv Jain said.
The 20th edition of the
four-day jewellery show
kicked off on Friday at the
JECC here, which is host-
ing over 900-plus booths
and 500-plus exhibitors
from different parts of the
country and abroad.
Jain said that the domes-
tic gems and jewellery
market is also growing be-
cause of heavy gold buy-
ing. He said that focus of
jewellery traders has now
shifted from international
consumers to the domestic
buyers.
He said that the industry
is back on track after the
Covid pandemic and keep-
ing its fingers crossed that
a China-like situation
doesn’t happen in India.
“We are keeping our fin-
gers crossed. If it remains
limited to China then it will
be a windfall gain for the
Indian market,” Jain said.
$48 BILLION TILL LAST QUARTER OF FY23
MAJOR
HIGHLIGHTS
z After Covid pandemic, the
industry is back on track and
keeping its fingers crossed
amid the current surge in
number of coronavirus
cases across the globe
z Domestic gems and
jewellery market is also
growing because of heavy
gold buying
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: Equity inves-
tors have become poorer
by `15.77 lakh crore in
four consecutive days of
market rout where the
benchmark Sensex has
tumbled over 3%. Accord-
ing to market analysts, in-
vestors remained cautious
due to rising Covid cases
around the globe sparking
fears of another global
outbreak of the virus. In
four days, the benchmark
has slumped 1,960.9. The
continuous decline in eq-
uity markets eroded
`15,77,850.03 crore from
investors wealth as the
mcap of BSE-listed firms
now stands at
`2,72,12,860.03 cr. —PTI
INVESTORS’ WEALTH
ERODES BY `15.77
LAKH CR IN 4 DAYS
New Delhi: Around 11.82
lakh new members joined
the ESIC-run social secu-
rity scheme in October
2022, according to official
data released on Friday.
The data is part of a report
— Payroll Reporting in
India: An Employment
Perspective - October
2022 — released by the
National Statistical Office.
It showed that the gross
new enrolments with the
Employees’ State Insur-
ance Corporation (ESIC)
rose to 1.49 crore in
2021-22, from 1.15 crore
in 2020-21. It was 1.51
crore in 2019-20 and 1.49
crore in 2018-19. —PTI
ESIC SCHEME ADDS
11.82 LAKH NEW
MEMBERS IN OCT
New Delhi: Hinduja
Group, promoter of In-
dusInd Bank, made an at-
tempt to revise upward its
bid for taking over debt-
ridden Relinace Capital to
`9,500 crore with upfront
cash outgo of `8,800
crore, sources said. The
group had made an offer
of `8,110 crore in the
auction that was held on
December 21, sources
said. Earlier this week, the
Ahmedabad-based Torrent
group emerged the high-
est bidder by putting a bid
of `8,640 crore. —PTI
HINDUJA GROUP UPS
ITS BID TO ACQUIRE
RELIANCE CAPITAL
New Delhi: Public sector
lender Punjab National
Bank (PNB) has raised
`582 crore by issuing
bonds on a private place-
ment basis. The bank has
issued and allotted Basel
III compliant Additional
Tier I bonds at a coupon
of 8.40 per cent per an-
num, aggregating to `582
crore on a private place-
ment basis, the bank said
in a regulatory filing on
Friday. The bank said the
non-convertible taxable
bonds will qualify as Tier I
capital. —PTI
PUNJAB NATIONAL
BANK RAISES `582
CR THROUGH BONDS
*Rates till the edition went to print.
=
=
OVER 10 LAKH E-SHRAM
REGISTRANTS ON NCS
PORTAL: OFFICIALS
New Delhi : Over 10 lakh e-Sh-
ram registrants have registered
on the National Career Service
(NCS) portal
and are getting
jobs accord-
ingly, an official
statement said.
The portal of the Ministry of
Labour and Employment was
launched by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on July 20,
2015. “So far, more than 10 lakh
e-Shram registrants have regis-
tered on NCS portal and eShram
workers are getting decent jobs
through NCS,” the ministry said.
The portal is also integrated
with 27 states and many private
portals like Monster India,
Naukri.Com, Freshersworld,
Merajob etc. —PTI
20% ETHANOL-BLENDED
PETROL TO DEBUT
WITHIN DAYS, SAYS PURI
New Delhi: After achieving the
target to sell petrol doped with
10% ethanol, India will in the
next couple
of days start
experimental
supplies of
20 per biofuel
mixed petrol, oil minister Har-
deep Puri said. He said India
achieved 10% ethanol blended
petrol (petrol 90%, ethanol
10%) in June, well ahead of
the deadline of Nov 2022. “E20
(petrol mixed with 20% ethanol)
will come in select markets on
a pilot basis in a day or two,”
he said. E20 is being rolled out
in 11 states/UTs of Delhi, Bihar,
UK, HP, UP, Haryana, K’taka,
Maha, Punjab, Daman Diu
Dadra Nagar Haveli. —PTI
OTHER STORIES
GOYAL LAUNCHES RIGHT-TO-REPAIR PORTAL NEW
PREMISES OF NATIONAL CONSUMER HELPLINE
New Delhi: Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on
Saturday launched a host of new initiatives, including the right to
repair portal and an NTH mobile app
and opened new premises of National
Consumer Helpline centre in the national
capital. A memorandum of understanding
was also signed between the Consumer
Affairs Department and IIT (BHU), Vara-
nasi as well launched a capacity building
programme of consumer commissions.
These initiatives were launched on the
occasion of the National Consumer Day. —PTI
INDIA WILL TAKE
‘20 years to be a
developed nation’
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Noting that
the achievement of $5 tril-
lion economy is a short
term “aspirational goal,”
former RBI Governor C
Rangarajan on Saturday
said that even after it, India
will still be known as mid-
dle income country with
per capita income $3472.
Rangarajan further said
in order to reach the level
of an upper middle-income
country, it will take anoth-
er two years and to be clas-
sified as a developed coun-
try, the per capita income
will have to be at a mini-
mum of $13,205 and that
will take more than two
decades of strong growth
of between 8 to 9% to
achieve it.
He said at aggregate out-
put level, India is the fifth
largest economy in the
world now. That by itself is
an impressive achieve-
ment. But in terms of per
capita income, India’s rank
according to IMF is 142 out
of 197 countries.
“The immediate focus
of policymakers must be
to raise the growth rate of
the economy
. Achievement
of a $5 trillion economy is
a good short term aspira-
tional goal. This will take
a minimum five years of
sustained growth of 9%.
Even then, at the end of it,
India’s per capita income
will be only $3472 and we
will still be classified as a
lower middle income coun-
try,” he noted.
“We have thus to go a
long way. This only shows
we must certainly need
to run fast,” the former
chairman, Economic
Advisory Council to the
Prime Minister said.
‘SHORT-TERM
ASPIRATION’
z Former RBI Governor
C Rangarajan said that
achievement of $5 trillion
economy is a short term
“aspirational goal,” as even after
that India will still be known as
a middle income country
z Rangarajan said in order
to reach the level of an upper
middle-income country, it will
take another two years
z And to be classified as a
developed country, it will take
more than two decades of
strong growth of between 8%
and 9% to achieve it
Free foodgrain scheme
extended for one year
First India Bureau
New Delhi: In a pro-poor
move, the government has
decided to provide free
foodgrains to 81.35 crore
people for one year under
the National Food Security
Act (NFSA) at an estimated
cost of `2 lakh crore.
Currently, the benefi-
ciaries covered under the
NFSA pay `1-3 per kg.
Under the Act, foodgrain
is allocated at 5 kg per per-
son per month for priority
households category and at
35 kg per family per month
for Antodaya Anna Yojna
(AAY) families at highly
subsidised prices of `1, `2
and `3 per kg for coarse
cereals, wheat and rice,
respectively
.
With the Cabinet deci-
sion on Friday, beneficiar-
ies under NFSA will get
foodgrains free of cost for
one year till December
2023.
The decision comes days
ahead of the Pradhan Man-
tri Garib Kalyan Anna Yo-
jana (PMGKAY) ending on
December 31, 2022.
Under the PMGKAY,
which was launched in
April 2020 to provide relief
to the poor during the COV-
ID-19 pandemic, 5 kg of
foodgrain is being provid-
ed free of cost to about 80
crore people over and
above the NFSA quota.
“The Prime Minister has
taken a historic decision of
providing foodgrain to the
poor free of cost. A total of
81.35 crore people would
benefit,” Food Minister Pi-
yush Goyal told reporters
after the Cabinet meeting.
The move will entail an
expenditure of about `2
lakh crore for the excheq-
uer, he said, adding the en-
tire cost will be borne by
the Union government.
LAUNCHED IN
APRIL 2020
z The government has decided
to provide free foodgrains to
81.35 crore people for one
year under the National Food
Security Act (NFSA)
at an estimated cost of
`2 lakh crore
z Under the Act, foodgrain is
allocated at 5 kg per person
per month for priority
households category
New Delhi (PTI): The gov-
ernment has projected re-
cord wheat production in
the ongoing 2022-23 crop
year (July-June) as total
area sown to the winter
crop has increased by 3.18%
to 312.26 lakh hectares so
far in the ongoing rabi sea-
son. Sowing of wheat be-
gins in October while har-
vesting starts in April.
The country’s wheat pro-
duction had declined to
106.84 million tonnes dur-
ing 2021-22 crop year due to
a heatwave in some key
growing states, as against
109.59 million tonne in
the previous year, as per
official data.
According to the minis-
try’s latest data, wheat has
been sown in 312.26 lakh
hectares (ha) in the ongo-
ing rabi season as of De-
cember 23, as against
302.61 lakh ha in the year-
ago period.
“Thus 9.65 lakh hectare
more area has been covered
compared to last year,” the
ministry said.
For this year, govt
projects record
wheat production
MSP can only
guarantee
stable price,
not best: Chand
New Delhi (PTI): The min-
imum support price (MSP)
of crops can guarantee sta-
ble prices but not always
the best rates, which can
only be ensured through
fair competition in the mar-
ket, Niti Aayog member
Ramesh Chand said.
Chand noted that cultiva-
tors want it to get the best
price for their produce and
also to protect themselves
from price fluctuations.
“In my view, MSP is not
the best price in all situa-
tions. It is definitely a sta-
ble price but not the best
price. Best price comes
from competition. If there
is competition in the mar-
ket, farmers can get the
best price,” he said.
ACCORDING TO FINMIN REPORT
New Delhi (PTI): Global
economic developments
are expected to complicate
the outlook further for the
Indian economy next year
and there is a need to main-
tain vigilance on the exter-
nal front, a finance minis-
try report said. The exter-
nal sector continues to face
the headwinds emanating
from the global slowdown.
However, it said, the
downside to a widening
current account deficit is
expected to be limited by a
robust services export per-
formance through the rest
of the year and by inward
remittances, which are ex-
pected to touch $100 bn this
fiscal, as per World Bank.
“As we head into 2023,
global economic develop-
ments are expected to com-
plicate the outlook further,
and therefore continued
vigilance is a critical aspect
in maintaining India’s ex-
ternal resilience,” it said.
No country can afford to
sit on its laurels, India in-
cluded, it said, adding that
continued commitment to
macroeconomic stability
will underpin both econom-
ic performance and inves-
tor interest in India.
Global developments can
complicate India’s outlook
India seeks
more balanced
trade with
Russia: Envoy
Moscow (PTI): India
welcomes the growth
of trade with Russia
which has reached $27
billion this year mainly
due to its purchasing of
large volumes of oil
and fertilisers from
Moscow, but New Delhi
wants it to become
“more balanced”, In-
dia’s Ambassador to
Moscow Pavan Kapoor
has said.
Russia has become a
major oil supplier to In-
dia. India’s appetite for
Russian oil swelled
ever since it started
trading on discount as
the West shunned it to
punish Moscow for its
invasion of Ukraine.
Russia emerged as
India’s fifth largest
trading partner during
April-September this
fiscal year with a bilat-
eral trade of $22.7 bil-
lion during the six-
month period.
“Trade has risen con-
siderably this year
since April, mainly due
to our country’s pur-
chasing large volumes
of oil and fertilisers,”
Kapoor told a forum.
“Trade reached $27
bln. This is a positive
trend, though [we]
would like it to be bilat-
eral, as [trade] from
Russia was worth $25
bln while [trade] from
India only equalled $2
bln,” the diplomat said,
adding that the Indian
side “would like it to be
more balanced.”

First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Brihan-
mumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC) has
sealed two flats of Slum
Rehabilitation Author-
ity (SRA) building in
Gomata Nagar of Low-
er Parel area, which
were being used by for-
mer Mumbai Mayor
Kishori Pednekar.
The civic body had
conducted an inquiry
on SRA’s request and
the legal owners ac-
cepted that they leased
the flats to Pednekar.
A Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) leader Kir-
it Somaiya had alleged
that Pednekar had
misused her power
as mayor and allegedly
grabbed six properties
allotted to slum
dwellers under the SRA
project.
Notably, the BJP
leader Kirit Somaiya
has been accusing Ped-
nekar of corruption
and illegal occupation
of flats and shops un-
der the SRA scheme for
the past few days.
He even filed a police
complaint at Dadar po-
lice station. Pednekar
had appeared twice to
record her statement.
“Now, the BMC has
increased Pednekar’s
troubles by sealing flats
and offices in the dis-
puted SRA project in
Worli,” said a source.
While Pednekar did
not give any clarifica-
tions, she took to her
Twitter handle to set
the record straight. “I
do not have a shop any-
where. Neither my of-
fice or house was
sealed. Even after
knowing this, Kirit So-
maiya is torturing poor
citizens under the pres-
sure of power,” she
tweeted.
First India Bureau
Akola (PTI): Angered
by his defeat in the re-
cent Gram Panchayat
elections, a 45-year-old
man allegedly threat-
ened villagers by bran-
dishing a sword in the
Akola district, police
said on Saturday.
A video of the inci-
dent, which took place
in Khamkhed village in
Patur taluka of Akola
on Friday, has also sur-
faced on social media.
The accused had con-
tested the elections to
become a member of
the Gram Panchayat,
but did not get elected.
Upset about the loss,
the accused went
around the village
brandishing a sword
and threatened and
verbally abused the vil-
lagers, said an official.
Members of the ac-
cused man’s family had
been elected to the
Gram Panchayat for
the last 30 years and
this was a sudden loss,
he added.
Based on a com-
plaint, the police regis-
tered an offence under
relevant sections of the
Indian Penal Code
(IPC) and Arms Act
against the accused
who is absconding.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: After the Pal-
ghar gang-rape case
sent shockwaves across
the state, a 16-year-old
girl was allegedly gang-
raped by six persons,
three of them minors,
in Lower Parel area of
central Mumbai, police
said on Saturday
.
The police have ar-
rested three of the ac-
cused and detained
the minors involved in
the assault that took
place in a chawl on Fri-
day night.
One of the accused
was the victim’s friend
and the duo had gone to
the chawl to celebrate
another friend’s birth-
day, he said.
The other five ac-
cused were also there
for the celebration. Lat-
er in the night, resi-
dents of the chawl
heard the girl’s cries
and alerted the local po-
lice station.
On reaching the
scene, personnel from
NM Joshi Marg police
station found the
minor girl and the ac-
cused, he said.
Based on a complaint
lodged by the girl, an of-
fence under relevant
sections of the Indian
Penal Code and Protec-
tion of Children from
Sexual Offences (POC-
SO) Act was registered
against the accused,
said the official.
Three of the accused,
who are minors, were
detained and sent to
the children’s home in
Dongri, he said, adding
that further probe is
underway
.
In the Palghar gang-
rape case, police custo-
dy of nine persons held
for the crime was ex-
tended till December 28
by a local court on
Thursday. The Satpari
Sagri police had sought
extension of remand
citing time to complete
the investigation,
which was granted by
the court.
They were held un-
der Indian Penal Code
and Protection of Chil-
dren from Sexual Of-
fences (POCSO) Act for
allegedly raping a
16-year-old girl in an
unoccupied house in
Mahim area of Palghar
in the intervening
night of December 16
and 17.
08
2NDFRONT
A Merry Christmas to one and all.
May we find joy and peace in all
we do!
— Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
16-year-old girl gang-raped;
six including friend arrested
Victim had
gone to attend
a birthday
party held at a
chawl in Lower
Parel area on
Friday night
First India Bureau
Jalna: Union Minister
Raosaheb Danve has
said that Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi will
lead leaders of super-
power nations during
the G-20 summit sched-
uled to be held in India
in 2023.
The summit is a great
opportunity for India
to show leadership be-
fore superpower na-
tions, the union minis-
ter for railways coal and
mines said while speak-
ing at the concluding
function of Maha Expo
2023 on Friday
.
“We have held 200
meetings in different
cities in preparation for
the summit. Guests will
experience Indian cul-
ture and visit historical
places,” Danve said.
The prime minister
will lead from the
front, while hosting
leaders from powerful
nations, including the
US, China, Russia,
France, UK, France and
Germany, he said.
The next G20 Lead-
ers’ Summit at the level
of heads of states or
governments is sched-
uled to be held on Sep-
tember 09 and 10 next
year in New Delhi.
Speaking about the
rise in cases of COV-
ID-19 in China, Danve
said India has regis-
tered a low death toll
compared to other
countries during the
pandemic and vaccina-
tion and booster doses
will succeed in control-
ling the outbreak.
Danve further said
the dry port, logistics
park and development
of railways in Jalna
and Aurangabad will
aid industries in
the region.
PM Narendra Modi will lead the heads
of superpower nations: Raosaheb Danve
G-20 SUMMIT
The union minister
said the G-20
Summit is a great
opportunity for
India to show
leadership before
superpower nations
RED-HANDED
One of the accused was
the victim’s friend and
the duo had gone to
the chawl to celebrate
another friend’s birth-
day, he said. The other
five accused were also
there for the celebra-
tion. Later in the night,
residents of the chawl
heard the girl’s cries
and alerted the local po-
lice station. On reaching
the scene, personnel
from NM Joshi Marg
police station found
the minor girl and the
accused, he said.
Man threatens
villagers with sword
With family members
being elected
for 30 years, his
loss was a shock
After investigation,
the BMC found out
the properties had
been leased to
Pednekar earlier
DEFEAT IN GP POLLS
Civic body seals SRA flats
used by Mumbai ex-mayor
Kishori Pednekar —FILE PHOTO
We have held 200 meetings in dif-
ferent cities in preparation for the
summit. Guests will experience Indi-
an culture and visit historical places. The
prime minister will lead from the front, while
hosting leaders from powerful nations, in-
cluding the US, China, Russia, France, UK,
France and Germany.
—Raosaheb Danve,
Union Minister for Railways Coal and Mines
Sadhvi Uma Bharti is fighting for
favourite seat for herself in the 2024
general elections, but her party men
aren’t allowing her
to enter MP. She has
the option of Bun-
delkhand, but the local
saffron brigade there
isn’t that enthusiastic
about her. So,she met
veteran BJP leader Ni-
tin Gadkari revealed
her pain. Gadkari
spoke to BJP High Command saying, “It
would be a big advantage to field Umaji
from UP, as there is a large number of
Lodh votes of Sadhvi’s cognate.” He got
reply, ‘in UP we get votes not on caste
equations but on Modi’s face alone, so
we have no interest in playing the caste
card in the 2024 polls.’ So what is Sad-
hvi’s political future? Only time will tell.
Mirch Masala
FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL
BY TRIDIB RAMAN
The author is a journalist and political
commentator and views expressed are his personal
...AND FINALLY
It has been reported that
PM Modi is very serious
about CR Patil’s candi-
dature. Sources claim
that the PM had met
Dattatreya Hosabale,
number two of the Sangh,
to know the Sangh’s mind
in this regard, and while
expressing his feelings to
Dattatreya, he wanted to
know the Sangh’s opinion
about making Patil the
next BJP President.
Hosabale also praised
Patil and said that ‘he can
prove to be a successful
president of BJP, because
he is a good organizer,
tactful and approachable.’
But Hosabale’s opinion
was that it would be bet-
ter to wait for a while for
Patil’s coronation because
right now, the top two
positions are occupied by
Gujarat leaders. In such
a situation, it wouldn’t
be fair to make the BJP
president a leader of such
a state. Even though Patil
was born in Maharash-
tra, his workplace has
always been Gujarat.’ So,
Dattatreya opined that
at least till the elections,
only JP Nadda should
carry on as Party Presi-
dent only after that any
reshuffle at the top will be
apt.’ But the final decision
in this regard has to be
taken by the BJP High
Command (Modi-Shah).
When the behind-the-scenes gossip
starts taking shape in politics, then
the political ‘road map’ ahead can be
fathomed. Recently, when a few BJP MPs
gathered at the Parliament House Annexe,
PM Modi himself heaped praises
on Gujarat State President CR
Patil, giving him credit for the
unprecedented victory in the
Gujarat elections for some five-
seven minutes. By the way, Patil
has also handled the re-
sponsibility of the PM’s
parliamentary constitu-
ency Varanasi. Every
BJP MP who came out of this meeting of
the parliamentary session had a little idea
that Patil is going to get something big in
the party in the coming days. Soon after,
Patil hosted a dinner for NDA allies and
BJP MPs at the Delhi Gymkhana Club and
the most important thing is that he invited
the MPs to the dinner with the request
that the ‘PM wants the MPs to attend this
dinner’. But it is said that Patil, using his
political acumen, had invited leaders like
Sharad Pawar to this dinner. However,
it is another matter that Pawar
refused to attend this dinner
citing his health.
According to an intelligence report, China is setting
up its espionage network on a large scale in India.
China is looking for such Nepali and Tibetan citizens
having knowledge of Hindi language, who can
gather intelligence for them by staying in India. In
the past, Indian agencies have arrested many Nepali
citizens on the charges of espionage, after which such beliefs have become even
stronger. Indian agencies are also keeping a close watch on organizations like
‘Nepal Study Centre’ operating in different parts of the country.
Bihar remains the biggest ordeal for Rahul Gandhi
even today. Despite extensive reshuffle in the Con-
gress organization of Bihar, the party’s graph is still
not rising there. The loyalty of big
leaders of Bihar Congress is more
towards Nitish or Lalu than their
Party High Command. While Bhakt
Charan Das, Congress in-charge of
Bihar, is said to be a ‘Nitish bhakt’,
the newly appointed State Prez
Akhilesh Singh is more dear to Lalu
and Tejashwi. Now Bihar Youth
Congress has got a new president
in form of Garib Das, his loyalty is also reportedly with
Lalu-Tejashwi. Party High Command is continuously
receiving complaints that bidding is being done for
various posts in organization. Money is being sought
in the name of making District Prez even Block
Prez. In the name of strengthening the party, there is a
demand of Rs 25,000 from AICC members, Rs 60,000
from former MLAs, Rs 1 lakh from MLAs and Rs 10
lakh from ministers, and yet, no action is visible.
CHIRAG TO ‘LIGHT-UP’ SOON?
These days Chirag Paswan’s spirits are high. The
BJP forgot him by siding with Nitish, but today
after Nitish dumped BJP, the same BJP is crying foul.
BJP’s number two also inquires
about Chirag’s well-being these
days. If sources are to be believed,
soon Chirag may get the chair of
Delhi. There is going to be a major
reshuffle in the Modi cabinet in the
coming days, and if sources are
to be believed, Chirag has been
promised that he will be given an
important ministry in this reshuffle.
The BJP is trying to get Chirag to spit his anger with
his uncle and get the Paswan family to reunite so that
a new wave can be raised against Nitish in Bihar.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury had an
informal meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah
during the Winter Session of Parliament. Expressing
his pain in front of Shah, Yechury said, “You have
made such a person the chairman of the Rajya Sabha,
who does not allow the Leader of the Opposition to
speak in the House. Sometimes even the basic senti-
ments of the member get hurt.” On this, Shah laughed
and said that “we have fielded our wrestler from
Haryana in the political arena, who will impress even
the bigots. You have already seen its fate in Bengal.
Yechury could not say anything on this.”
DIRECTIONLESS CONGRESS IN BIHAR
YECHURY SHARES HIS ‘PAIN’ TO SHAH
In Chhapra district of Bihar, more than
80 deaths due to alcohol have created a
ruckus even in Nitish Kumar’s party JDU.
His MLAs are also
angry with him for his
‘liquor policy’. A JDU
MLA bluntly says that
‘if polls are held in
Bihar today, not even
10 JDU MLAs will
win.’ MLAs wanted
that compensation
should be announced
by State Govt to those who died of spuri-
ous liquor, but Nitish was adamant on
his ‘no’, because of which even Tejashwi
is feeling helpless. The women have also
started getting disillusioned with Nitish,
saying that ‘if liquor ban is implemented
in a state like Gujarat, there are also large
scale de-addiction centres, which aren’t
there in Bihar.’
WHY IS SADHVI UMA BHARTI
SAD NOWADAYS?
NITISH’s OWN MLAS ARE
ANGRY WITH HIM
WHAT IS SANGH
THINKING
REGARDING PATIL?
WILL CR PATIL BE THE NEXT BJP PRESIDENT?

www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
MUMBAI, SUNDAY,
DECEMBER 25, 2022
t’s that time of year - the party invites start
dropping and it’s time to get your glam on.
Designer collections seemed to hope for some
sense of normalcy as we close out the year
with celebrations filled with friends and
family. So what better opportunity to wear
the season’s most opulent feathers, luxe vel-
vets, and, of course, exquisite sequins and shine
than this Christmas?
You can stick with Christmas colours and plenty
of ruffles to really make a statement. You
won’t fail to make an entrance if you choose
a dramatic red ballgown for your Christ-
mas party. One can even go simple and
silky, adding some drama to your Christ-
mas look with some fun accessories. Se-
quins and sparkles bring all the party
vibes and never go amiss when won-
dering what to wear. Nowadays you
can purchase sequin dresses in
an array of different colours
and styles.
If you like something a
little more simple
and fuss-free then
satin dresses,
as well as
s t r e t c h
dresses,
are the
p e r f e c t
attire to
wear.
They can
be subtle yet
eye-catching (look
for relaxed shapes and stretch fabrics
for ultimate comfort) and you can al-
ways add a little diamante jewellery for
some extra Christmas bling. If you’re
going for a dress, you should pick one
that’s knee-length or longer. Though a
slit down the side is perfectly fine if you
want to reveal a bit more skin. Pair the
look with nice heels and a clutch to com-
plete your outfit, and you’ll look fabulous.
The Cocktail attire dress code calls for an
elegant dress that sits on or above the knee.
Also, keep in mind that heels are a must. If
you’re unsure of what to choose, a little red
or white dress will be your best friend.
The time has arrived to get dressed up
to the nines. As we celebrate
Christmas today, who can resist a flash
of red, a touch of velvet or a sparkle of
glitter? Whether the event calls for a
casual, semi-formal, business,
cocktail, or festive dress code, City
First got the best Christmas party outfit
ideas for a stylish celebration!
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
I

10-11
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
A CHRISTMAS TALE
The movie has made an emotional connection with its audience due to
the depiction of the harsh reality of life. French auteur Arnaud Desplechin
crafts a sprawling, spellbinding portrait of familial dysfunction and
reconciliation and togetherness. The story talks about a clan reuniting,
uneasily, at Christmas only to learn that their matriarch (Catherine
Deneuve) is dying of leukaemia.
HOME ALONE
Oh yes, we can't say no to Home Alone, a
notorious kid and his incredible Christmas
celebration are worth watching no matter how
many times. Home Alone is indeed the Best
Christmas Movie of All Time because it covers
all the season-specific bases, is replete with
jingle bell spirit and effectively embodies the
Four Fundamental Principles of Christmas.
THE PRINCESS SWITCH
Remember your favourite High School Musical star, Vanessa
Hudgens? If so, I am sure you have to calm your horses
because, her film debut film of what ultimately becomes a
Netflix Christmas trilogy, about a small-town baker who
looks exactly like the duchess (also played by Hudgens) of
a fictional country called Belgravia. Switching places for
a day, the two run into a cheesy Christmas catastrophe.
KRAMPUS
Can we talk about some dark
Christmas mania? Christmas
horror doesn’t come around
nearly as often as romantic
Christmas entanglements,
making Krampus a welcome
addition to the holiday movie
canon. Based on the scary
German Santa who beats
children with sticks, Krampus
is a big, scary, monster who
punishes those who have lost
their Christmas spirit.
LAST CHRISTMAS
Just like its name the movie
did not make a rightful place
in the hearts of its audience.
The Emilia Clarke and
Henry Golding rom-
com from director Paul
Feig got some harsh
criticism in 2019, but
the thing is, the movie has
more to offer than critics first
assumed. Despite a climax twist ending
that still doesn't totally sit right, this is
a Christmas film based entirely around
George Michael songs. The movie is a
great combination of great chemistry
between the leads and a completely
irrational Eastern European character
played by Emma Thompson. C'mon into
the rotation, Last Christmas.
OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY
Just like the name goes, the movie
depicts a happening office Christmas
party but with a twist, the bash gets
out of control after
Clay, the branch
manager, throws
a party to impress
a client and retain
his branch and
employees from
his sister.
BAD SANTA
Definitely not an ideal
Santa, who loves to spread
happiness and good cheer,
Willie, a swindler on the
other hand dressed up as
Santa, and his elf partner
Marcus try to rob a
mall. Their motive
fails when the thief
befriends an
eight-year-old
boy.
CELEBRATING THE SEASON
CELEBRATING THE SEASON
PERPETUAL HOPE!
PERPETUAL HOPE!
OF
OF
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in
Christmas is the season of family and friends one can spend his entire holidays with family members at
home decorating the house and baking sweets cakes, dancing to the tunes ofThe Red Festival and singing
our all-time carols. Spending Christmas with the fam is everyone's favourite Christmas routine and watching
movies is one of them, so once again sing for Christmas cheers and Hallmark holiday movie jeers. City First
brings to you some magical Christmas Movies which will plop your down on the couch with your loved ones.
So here are some finest Christmas movies to ever climb down your chimney.

AVINESH REKHI
May you never be too grown up to
search the skies and ask the gifts
from Santa on Christmas Eve. I
wish you the magic of Christmas.
Let it fill your hearts and minds
with love, joy, peace,
and happiness.
ASHA NEGI
Christmas is a season of happiness,
dancing, feasting, and celebration;
theholidayshavehere,andlights
are twinkling all about. I adore
everything about Christmas,
from putting up the tree to buy-
ing presents for loved ones.
What better way to bring the
year to a close with love and
joy?
AAKANKSHA PURI
I adore so many aspects of
Christmas, but I think dec-
orating the tree is my fa-
vourite. It’s so much fun
to dress up for family
lunches and dinners.
Everything and the
energy around me are
so loving and wonder-
ful. Every year, I make
sure to up the ante on
the holiday cheer since
it’s difficult for anyone
to resist that festive
brightness.
DIVYA
AGARWAL
Family and
friends mean
everything to
me. So, let’s
pause this year,
and spend this
holiday with
those who mean
the world to
you. When it
comes to shar-
ing holiday
wishes, I only
want the best.
Eat, drink, jin-
gle away, and
have a healthy
year with many
more blessings.
Merry every-
thing!
MITAALI NAG
I would like to be Se-
cret Santa for my
mother. And I wish to
gift her a new house. I
am taking my little
one to a Christmas
bash happening at a
mall, which is being
hosted by one of my
friends from the in-
dustry
.
SAYANTANI GHOSH
The entire concept of
Xmasisbeautiful,Iwas
in a convent in Kolkata
hence Xmas was al-
ways special. My belief
in Santa was immense
and the gifts I got as a
kid were special. This
year is my first Xmas
with my husband so for
us it’s gonna be enjoy-
ing each other’s compa-
ny over festivities.
PRIYA
BANERJEE
Christmas is
a family time
for me, gorging
on scrumptious
food and cele-
brating fellow-
ship this year.
Wishing every-
one nothing but
the best that the
season has to of-
fer. “Merry
Christmas!
12
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
Merry Christmas: Celebs Spread
THE X-MAS WISHES
APOORVA ARORA
Gifts come and go,
what matters are
the people who
light up our lives
all year long.
Thank you! feel
free to gain that ex-
tra pounds this
time of the year!
Love and light ev-
eryone.
Tunisha Sharma
commits Suicide
A
ctress Tuni-
shaSharma,
who plays
the role of
Shehzaadi Mariam
inAliBabaDastaan-
E-Kabul attempts
suicide. According
to reports, the ac-
tress attempted sui-
cide on Saturday,
December 24 on the
sets of her TV show.
She hung herself to
a fan in one of the
makeup rooms. She
was rushed to the
hospital immediate-
ly
. Currently, her
family is present at
the hospital.
Tunisha hanged
herself in the make-
up room of the lead
actor Sheezan Khan
of her show Ali
Baba: Dastaan-E-
Kabul. The report
states that Tunisha
was looking tense on
the sets for the past
few days.
Tunisha was report-
edly dating the lead ac-
tor of the show
Sheezan Khan. The
duo was seen fighting
on the sets of the show
as well.
SUBUHII JOSHII
I am going to
throw a small
Christmas party
for my very close
friends at my
house this year.
Besides this, I love
getting Christmas
gifts for my pet.
Late Tunisha Sharma
RAJEETA KOCHHAR
PASSES AWAY
V
eteran actress
Rajeeta Koch-
har, who was a
part of several
films and TV shows
passed away on Satur-
day. She suffered from
paralysis following
havingabrainstrokein
September last year, as
per her niece Nupur
Kampani talking to
leading portal. She
even added that Rajeeta
gradually improved,
but on December 20,
she had some stomach
pain and a shortness of
breath.
Late Rajeeta Kochhar
ASHISH TIWARI
cityfirst.mumbai@firstindia.co.in
Christmas celebrations were held at the NOIDA office of Bharat24-vision of New India, a National Hindi News channel during the festive season. Jagdeesh Chandra was also
congratulated by Managing Editor Shamsher Singh and Senior Editor Syed Umar for Bharat24 now being available on DD Free Dish (Channel No. 074). The entire team joined in
the celebrations wherein Jagdeesh Chandra also felicitated Anchor Shazia for garnering 2.6 million viewership for her popular 5 pm debate show, ‘Public hai sab jaanti hai’!
X-MAS
CELEBRATIONS
Jagdeesh Chandra felicitates Shazia as Santa Claus strikes a joyful pose
Jagdeesh Chandra with Shamsher Singh, Syed Umar and the team of Bharat24, (L-R) Amit Baliyan, Niraj Kumar Singh, Raj Kumar Pathak,
Ankit Kumar as Santa Claus, Shazia Nazir, Arvind Singh, Amit Ojha, Anu Shridhar, Kshama Tripathi, Pratham Soni, Abhishek Rao and Aarif Khan
CITY FIRST
I
sha Ambani, daugh-
ter of billionaire
Mukesh Ambani re-
ceived a grand wel-
come as she arrived in
Mumbai with her hus-
band Anand Piramal
and their newborn
twins at Karuna Sind-
hu (her opulent resi-
dence in Worli) from
Piramal and Ambani
families on Saturday
.
The families came
together with the big-
gest smiles on their
faces to welcome the
newborn twins at their
residences.
This is the first time
that the Ambani scion
has come to India after
the birth of her twins in
the US last month.
Isha was seen with
one of the twins in her
arms. Karuna Sindhu
(Worli residence) was
seen beautifully deco-
rated with flowers.
Whereas Isha's moth-
er-in-law Swati Piramal
was seen waiting at the
entrance along with the
priests to welcome the
couple and their twins.
Nita Ambani also ar-
rived at the residence to
welcome the family
.
Grandparents Nita
and Mukesh Ambani
looked super happy and
also clicked with one of
the babies. Mukesh Am-
bani'sdaughterIshaAm-
bani and her husband
Anand Piramal were
blessed with twins on
19thNovember,informed
the Ambani family
through an official re-
lease.
Ambani family wrote
in the statement, We
are delighted to share
that the Almighty has
blessed our children
Isha and Anand with
twins on 19th November
2022. Isha and the baby
Aadiya and baby boy
Krishna are doing well.
We seek your blessings
and good wishes for
Aadiya, Krishna, Isha
and Anand in this most
important phase of
their life.
A DAY TO CELEBRATE!
Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal
Isha Ambani spotted
with her twins
Grandparents Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani with newly born

25122022_First India_Mumbai (1).pdf

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to 25122022_First India_Mumbai (1).pdf

Similar to 25122022_First India_Mumbai (1).pdf (20)

More from FIRST INDIA

More from FIRST INDIA (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

25122022_First India_Mumbai (1).pdf