28122022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

Is BJP behind allegations
against Shinde camp
ministers, asks Uddhav
First India Bureau
Nagpur: Uddhav
Thackeray on Tuesday
wondered whether the
BJP is behind the alle-
gations being levelled
against ministers be-
longing to the Shiv Sena
faction led by Maha-
rashtra CM Eknath
Shinde.
Thackeray also took a
dig at pictures of Shiv
Sena founder Bal
Thackeray being used
on posters by CM Shin-
de and MLAs of his
camp, saying they were
clicked by him (Ud-
dhav).
“They don’t even
have the brains to use
pictures and they are
governing the state,”
Thackeray said in a jibe
directed at Shinde.
Thackeray, an MLC,
alleged some ministers
indulged in scams.
“Every day there are
scams. There has to be
some morality
. I sacked
a minister. So have all
the scamsters switched
sides to hide their
scams?” the former
chief minister asked.
“We will burst these
bubbles (rebel MLAs of
the Shinde faction). But
is the BJP using a pin to
burst these bubbles be-
cause the way the cor-
ruption is coming out,
they pertain to the same
ministers (of the Shin-
de faction),” Thackeray
added.He said elections
could be announced
anytime in the New
Year.
Nagpur: Shiv Sena leader Sushma Andhare made a
shocking claim on Tuesday that it was a conspiracy
by Devendra Fadnavis to land four ministers of the
Shinde group in trouble.
“What is the original discussion? So how the
plot worth 83 crores was sold for two crores?
Why did the BJP MLAs mark this question as an
asterisk? Today in the House four ministers were
asked to conduct an inquiry. This put four min-
isters in danger. These four ministers belong to
Shinde group. It means team BJP is systematically
troubling Chief Minister Eknath Shinde group
ministers. BJP state president Chandrashekhar
Bawankule had said 10-15 days ago that we want
to make Fadnavis the chief minister. That con-
spiracy is being executed once again in a planned
manner. Devendra Fadnavis’ policy of inciting dis-
cussion here and plotting there is commendable”,
said Sushma Andhare.
DYCM LOOKING TO LAND SHINDE’S
MINISTERS IN TROUBLE: ANDHARE
MAHARASHTRA-KARNATAKA BORDER ROW
MAHA FOLLOWS K’TAKA’S LINE,
PASSES BORDER RESOLUTION!
Kartikey Dev Singh
Nagpur: The Maha-
rashtra Legislative
Council on Tuesday
unanimously passed a
resolution to “legally
pursue” inclusion of
865 Marathi-speaking
villages in Karnataka
into the western state
and that the Centre
should ask the south-
ern state to guarantee
the safety Marathi peo-
ple living in the border
areas. The resolution
moved by Chief Minis-
ter Eknath Shinde in
both Houses of the Ma-
harashtra legislature
expressed soli-
darity with the people
living in the boundary
areas.
“The state govern-
ment will legally pur-
sue in the Supreme
Court the case to in-
clude (in Maharashtra)
inch and inch of land
of Belgaum, Karwar
Bidar, Nipani, Bhalki
cities and the 865 Mar-
athi-speaking villages
in Karnataka,” the res-
olution said.
It said the central
government should
urge the Karnataka
government to imple-
ment the decision tak-
en in a meeting with
the Union Home Minis-
ter (over the border dis-
pute issue).
The central govern-
ment should give direc-
tives to the Karnataka
government to guaran-
tee the safety of the
Marathi people in the
border areas, it added.
The border issue
dates back to 1957 after
the reorganisation of
states on linguistic
lines.
The Karnataka Leg-
islative Assembly last
Thursday unanimous-
ly passed a resolution
on border row with Ma-
harashtra, resolving to
protect the southern
state’s interests and not
to cede an inch of land
to its neighbour.
The resolution had
also condemned the
border dispute “creat-
ed” by Maharashtra.
Maharashtra laid
claim to Belagavi,
which was part of the
erstwhile Bombay
Presidency, as it has a
sizable Marathi-speak-
ing population. It also
laid claim to more than
villages which are cur-
rently part of Karna-
taka.
Karnataka main-
tains the demarcation
done on linguistic lines
as per the States Reor-
ganisation Act and the
1967 Mahajan Commis-
sion Report as final.
The state govt will legally
pursue in the Supreme
Court the case to include
(in Mahar) each and every
inch of land in Belgaum,
Karwar Bidar, Nipani,
Bhalki cities and the
villages in Karnataka.
—Eknath Shinde,
Maha CM
Entire
Karnataka
and Con-
gress party strongly
condemns their res-
olution about inclu-
sion of our villages
into Maharashtra.
We express our
opposition to it. We
are not ready to give
even a single village
from Karnataka
and we don't want
theirs. Our borders
are fixed and people
are living.
—DK Shivakumar,
Karnataka Congress
Chief
Hailstorm
wreaks havoc in
Assam, hits over
500 homes
‘Nehru behind Maha-K’taka border row’
First India Bureau
Dibrugarh: Severe
hailstorm wreaked
havoc in several places
in Assam’s Dibrugarh
district. According to
reports, over 500 hous-
es have been damaged
in the district due to
the hailstorm. The vid-
eo of the hailstorm
lashing the Moran area
in Dibrugarh is doing
rounds on social me-
dia.
The hailstorm
lashed Moran, Ting-
khang, Lahowal, Le-
kai, Naharkatia and
other areas on Monday
late night and Tuesday
early morning, A sen-
ior official said. There
has been no report of
any casualty.
First India Bureau
Nagpur: On Tuesday,
BJP MLA Sudhir Mun-
gantiwar sparked a fire
when he held Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru re-
sponsible for the dispute
between the two states.
Targeting the coun-
try’s first PM, Mungan-
tiwar said, “Due to the
mistake of Pandit
Nehru, Marathi speak-
ers were forcibly includ-
ed in Karnataka. It was
then included in the
Mysore province and
later became the state of
Karnataka. Late
Yashwantrao Chavan
moved the first resolu-
tion in this regard on
March 11, 1960,” Mun-
gantiwar said.
The BJP MLA
claimed that “Nehru
asked both the then
Chief Ministers to sit
together and resolve the
issue instead of helping
them resolve the issue
as the Prime Minister.
Even after that matter
was not resolved. Since
March 11, 1960, several
resolutions have been
passed in Vidhan Sab-
ha. Unfortunately, PM
Manmohan Singh also
gave a wrong affidavit
in the Supreme Court in
2010. The Mahajan Com-
mission also created a
feeling of doing injus-
tice to Maharashtra,”
he said.
First India Bureau
Patna (ANI): A day after
the mortuary unit of
Cooper Hospital in Mum-
bai claimed that the actor
Sushant Singh Rajput’s
death did not appear to be
a suicide, Bihar’s former
Director-General of Po-
lice Gupteshwar Pan-
dey exuded con-
fidence the
truth may come out with
the support of the current
government in Maharash-
tra.
“Now the government
there (Maharashtra) has
changed, hope the truth
comes out,” said Pandey.
Former DGP Gupteshwar
Pandey was in-charge of
the probe team of Sushant
Singh Rajput’s death case
before turning into a reli-
gious preacher.
He further alleged that
during the investigation
the Mumbai Police did not
cooperate with the team
of officers sent from Bi-
har.
“Mumbai police’s be-
haviour towards a team of
officers sent from Bihar
was unethical and it was
then that I believed they
were hiding something.
An IPS officer was sent
who was kept under house
arrest,” he said.
He said that the Crime
Branch Investigation
(CBI) should share the de-
tails with SIT so that jus-
tice is served.
“My team and I did not
get enough time for inves-
tigation. If I would have
got 15 days the case would
have been solved and the
case would not have been
handled the way it is being
done,” said Gupteshwar
Pandey
.
Earlier on December 26,
Speaking to ANI, Roopku-
mar Shah, Mortuary Serv-
ant, at Cooper Hospital,
Mumbai said, “When I
saw Sushant Singh Ra-
jput’s body, it did not ap-
pear to be a case of sui-
cide. Injuries marks were
there on his body. I had
over 28 years of experi-
ence. I went to my senior
but he said we will discuss
it later.”
Actor Sushant Singh
Rajput (34) was found dead
at his Bandra residence on
June 14, 2020, which cre-
ated a lot of controversies.
His postmortem report
stated the cause of death
was asphyxia.
Mum Police did not allow Bihar Police to investigate: Ex-DGP
COVID-19 PAN-INDIA MOCK-DRILL
INDIA BATTLE READY FOR
‘CHINA WAVE’!
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya urges people to wear
masks and follow the guidelines related to Covid-19 and be alert
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Mock drills
were held at several
places in India on Tues-
day to check prepared-
ness to deal with any
potential surge in Cov-
id-19 infections. Amid
Covid-19 surge in China
and elsewhere, States
and UTs swung into ac-
tion, with directives be-
ing issued to check
availability of oxygen
and prices of essential
drugs. As a part of
govt’s measure to rein
in Covid-19 infection in
case of a possible up-
surge in aftermath of
the global rise in cases.
The way Covid-19 is making an upsurge across
the world, Centre is working to not let the
disease spread in the country. PM Modi has
directed that we have to be alert and ready. Elaborate dis-
cussions have taken place with IMA & health ministers of
all States and mock drills was conducted in the country
—Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviews Covid mock
drill conducted at Safdarjung Hospital, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
A health worker collects the sample for testing during a mock drill for Covid-19 preparedness at CV
Raman General Government hospital in Indiranagar, Bengaluru on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
COVID-19: INDIA IN A DAY
157
NEW COVID
CASES
3,421
ACTIVE
CASES
HIGHLIGHTS
l New Covid rules in schools
after the winter vacations
l Covid mock drills held in
govt hospitals in Rajasthan
l China to reopen borders
for int’l travellers from Jan 8
l Covid an excuse to stop
Bharat Jodo Yatra,
says KC Venugopal
l 4 passengers
found Covid positive
at Bengaluru airport
l 3-year-old boy
tests Covid positive
BHARAT BIO’S NASAL
VACCINE DEBUTS ON CoWIN
B
harat Biotech’s iNCOVACC, the first intrana-
sal Covid-19 vaccine approved for mix-and
match booster inoculation, is priced at Rs
800 per dose for private market and at Rs 325
for large-volume government procurement. The
vaccine is available on the government’s CoWIN
website and it will be in the market by the
fourth week of January, said the Hyderabad-
based company. Health Ministry sources said
that no decision has been taken on whether
to procure the nasal vaccine for the national
Covid-19 vaccination drive.
This is the
price set for
per dose at govt hospitals
`325 For private
markets, will
be available from late Jan
`800
No decision yet on whether to procure the nasal
vaccine for the national Covid-19 vaccination drive
ACROSS THE
GLOBE
l Winter storm kills 60
across US, over 15k flights
cancelled; Buffalo worst hit
l Heavy snow in Japan
leaves at least 17 dead and
dozens injuredworst hit
BSE SENSEX 60,927.43 361.01 | NSE NIFTY 18,132.30 117.70
MUMBAI l WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNITITLE NO.MAHENG/2022/14652 lVol 1 l Issue No.231
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI MUMBAI
BOMBAY HC
REFUSES ANY
INTERIM RELIEF
TO KOCHHARS
Mumbai: Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak
approached the Bombay HC alleging illegal arrest
by CBI in Videocon case. While they sought urgent
hearing for interim relief of release, the vacation
bench said to approach regular court on January 2.
PM MODI’S BRO
PRAHLAD MODI,
FAMILY INJURED
IN CAR CRASH
Mysuru: Prahlad Modi, brother of PM Modi, met
with an accident in Mysuru while traveling with his
family on Tuesday. The local police informed that
the members of the family have suffered minor
injuries and are admitted to the nearest hospital.
New Delhi: 180-billion ($2.2 billion) incentive aims to reduce the production
cost of green hydrogen by a fifth over the next five years, said a senior
government official and an industry manager working in renewable energy.
It would do this in part by increasing the scale of the industry, they said.
INDIA PLANS $2 BN INCENTIVE FOR GREEN HYDROGEN
SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT DEATH CASE

NEWS
MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 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
BJP legislators attend Sangh programme
Nagpur (PTI): Bharati-
ya Janata Party legisla-
tors on Tuesday attend-
ed the Sangh Parichay
Varg (an introduction
to the RSS) programme
in Nagpur city, where
the Winter Session of
the state legislature is
currently underway
.
Deputy Chief Minis-
ter Devendra Fadnavis,
who was among those
who participated in the
programme, later told
reporters that the legis-
lators were also given
the book ‘Bhavishya Ka
Bharat’. It is a compila-
tion of the lecture se-
ries of Rashtriya Sway-
amsevak Sangh (RSS)
chief Mohan Bhagwat.
“Since the last 25
years, BJP legislators
have been visiting me-
morials and attending
the Sangh Parichay
Varg during the winter
session in Nagpur as
this is our place of in-
spiration. We get the
energy of nationalism
from here,” Deputy CM
Fadnavis said after at-
tending the programme
held at Dr Hedgewar
Smruti Mandir in
Reshimbagh.
OPPN‘SINGS’CORRUPTIONTALESATPROTEST
Nagpur (PTI): Opposi-
tion members staged a
demonstration by tak-
ing out a foot march like
‘warkaris’ in the Maha-
rashtra legislature
complex on Tuesday
and accused the Eknath
Shinde-led state govern-
ment of indulging in
corruption.
On Tuesday, opposi-
tion members led Lead-
er of Opposition in the
Legislative Council Am-
badas Danve took out a
foot march like ‘warka-
ris’ do while setting out
onapilgrimagetoatem-
ple of Lord Vitthal in
Pandharpur town.
They rang bells and
chanted slogans, accus-
ing Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde and
some state ministers in-
cluding Sattar of in-
dulging in corruption.
Leader of Opposition
in the Assembly Ajit Pa-
war, Shiv Sena – Ud-
dhav Balasaheb Thack-
eray legislator Aaditya
Thackeray, Congress
leader Nana Patole and
others joined the dem-
onstration.
“We have all the docu-
ments and evidence to
prove his misdeeds - be
it the Teacher Eligibili-
ty Test (TET) scam or
objectionable remarks
against Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
MP Supriya Sule,” said
Aaditya Thackeray
.
On Monday, both
Houses of the Maha-
rashtra legislature
were adjourned for the
day after the opposition
stalled the proceedings
demanding Agricul-
ture Minister Abdul
Sattar’s resignation
over a land ‘regulariza-
tion’ order passed by
him when he was a
minister in the previ-
ous Maha Vikas Agha-
di (MVA) government.
The Nagpur bench of
the Bombay High Court
last week issued a no-
tice to Sattar who had
ordered ‘regularization’
of the possession of
land reserved for public
‘gairan’ (grazing) in fa-
vour of a private person
in the face of a civil
court order.
Earlier, the opposi-
tion members had also
demanded Chief Minis-
ter Shinde’s resignation
after a Nagpur bench of
the HC on December 14
ordered status quo on a
decision taken by him
of allotment of land
meant for slum dwell-
ers to private persons
when he was a minister
in the previous Uddhav
Thackeray-led MVA.
Shinde had denied
any wrongdoing and
the HC on December 22
accepted the withdraw-
al of the order of regu-
larization issued by the
CM recently and ob-
served it was treating
the matter as closed.
DAY 09 OF THE MAHA LEGISLATURE WINTER SESSSION IN NAGPUR
‘Maha should move SC
for UT status of region’
Danve seeks
resignation of
mins Sattar
and Samant
Nagpur (PTI): Leader
of Opposition in the
Maharashtra Legisla-
tive Council, Ambadas
Danve, on Tuesday de-
manded the resignation
of state ministers Ab-
dul Sattar and Uday Sa-
mant over alleged ir-
regularities in the land
allotment and a few
mega projects.
Speaking to reporters
outside the Vidhan
Bhavan complex, Danve
said the Bombay High
Court has reprimanded
Agriculture Minister
Sattar over the allot-
ment of land reserved
for public gairan’ (graz-
ing) in Washim and
asked him to pay a pen-
alty of Rs50,000, which
proves he is in the
“wrong”.
He is a “habitual of-
fender” in such cases,
Danve alleged. The op-
position leader also ac-
cused state Industries
Minister Uday Samant
of irregularities in
some mega projects,
without elaborating.
Nagpur (PTI): Former
Chief Minister Uddhav
Thackeray on Tuesday
said the state govern-
ment should request the
Supreme Court that all
disputed regions be de-
clared as a Union Terri-
tory as long as the Ma-
harashtra-Karnataka
border issue is pending
before it.
Speaking to report-
ers here, Thackeray
congratulated the Ma-
harashtra government
after both Houses of
the state legislature
passed resolutions on
the border dispute.
“We will support eve-
rymeasurethatisinMa-
harashtra’s interest,” he
said.
Both houses unani-
mously passed the reso-
lution moved by Chief
Minister Eknath Shin-
de which said the state
will “legally pursue”
the inclusion of 865
Marathi-speaking vil-
lages which are pres-
ently part of Karnata-
ka, in Maharashtra.
TheMaharashtragov-
ernment should file a
fresh writ petition in the
SC and demand UT sta-
tus for the disputed area
pendingthelegalresolu-
tion, said the Shiv Sena
(UBT) chief.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and other MVA MLAs during their ‘bhajan andolan’ (hymn
protest) demonstration outside Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur on Tuesday. —PHOTOS BY ANI
Takes out
unique foot
march at Maha
legislature with
chants, cymbals
and sloganeering
Din in Council as Oppn raises
‘insult’ to iconic figures issue
Mumbai (PTI): The
Maharashtra Legisla-
tive Council wit-
nessed uproar on
Tuesday over alleged
controversial com-
ments made by state
Governor BS Koshy-
ari, state minister
Chandrakant Patil
and some other lead-
ers in the recent past.
Following the up-
roar over the issue
and Deputy Chief
Minister Devendra
Fadnavis’ attack on
Rahul Gandhi for his
remarks against free-
dom fighter VD Sa-
varkar during the on-
going ‘Bharat Jodo
Yatra’, the Upper
House of the state leg-
islature was ad-
journed for the day
.
A discussion was
initiated by Leader of
Opposition Ambadas
Danve who objected to
comments made by
Koshyari regarding
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj. He also ob-
jected to remarks by
cabinet minister
Chandrakant Patil
about social reform-
ers BR Ambedkar and
Jyotiba Phule besides
some other leaders.
Shiv Sena - Uddhav
Balasaheb Thackeray
faction leader Anil
Parab said, “Chhatra-
patiShivajiMaharajis
the greatest personali-
ty of Maharashtra.
The government
should introduce a bill
to punish those who
insulticonicpersonali-
ties by making absurd
statements.”
Responding to it,
Fadnavis referred to
the remarks made by
Congress leader Ra-
hul Gandhi against
VD Savarkar when
‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’
was passing through
Maharashtra.
Rahul had said Sa-
varkar had helped the
British and also wrote
a mercy petition to
the then rulers.
“I was surprised
Shiv Sena leaders like
Danve and Anil Parab
didn’t say a single
word against Rahul
Gandhi who had al-
legedly insulted Sa-
varkar. Why did no
one from Shiv Sena
condem Gandhi’s
words?” he asked.
Irked by Fadnavis’
statement, Congress
MLCs asked Deputy
Chairperson Neelam
Gorhe to intervene,
but she refused to in-
terrupt Fadnavis.
“I am ok if you do
not give Bharat Ratna
to Savarkar but at
least stop insulting
him,” said Fadnavis.
The Opposition and
treasury benches in-
dulged in a war of
words when Fadnavis
targeted Gandhi.
Amid sloganeering
from both sides, Dep-
uty Chairperson
Neelam Gorhe ad-
journed the proceed-
ings for the day
.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis —FILE PHOTO
Nagpur (PTI): Leader
of Opposition in the Ma-
harashtra Legislative
Assembly Ajit Pawar on
Tuesday accused the
state government of “fi-
nancial indiscipline”
after it tabled a more
than Rs52,000 crore sup-
plementary demand last
week. “You have
breached fiscal disci-
pline,” Pawar said.
Devendra Fadnavis,
his successor in the Fi-
nance Ministry
, present-
ed his first supplemen-
tary demand of Rs25,000
crore in an earlier ses-
sion and the second de-
mand of record Rs52,000
crore last week, Pawar
pointed out.
If a third demand is
tabled, the total could
go up to Rs1 lakh crore
or around 20% of the
original budget tabled
in March, he said.
“You (Fadnavis) keep
talking about fiscal dis-
cipline, and it should be
followed. You have vio-
lated fiscal discipline.
You tabled a record sup-
plementary demand,”
said Pawar.
Fadnavis presented a
supplementary de-
mand of Rs52,327 crore
on December 19, of
which, Rs8,945 crore
were earmarked for the
Urban Development
Department.
“The Rs15,856 crore is
for capital cost and
Rs36,000 crore is to take
care of 40 MLAs,” Pa-
war said, in a veiled ref-
erence to the 40 legisla-
tors of the Shiv Sena
which broke away un-
der Shinde’s leadership
to topple the previous
MVA government.
Targets Deputy CM
Fadnavis over size
of `52,000 crore
supplementary
demand
Sena (UBT) chief
UddhavThackeray
welcomes Maha
Assembly
resolution for legal
measures
Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar addresses
the press at state legislature in Nagpur. —PHOTO BY ANI
Uddhav Thackeray
Ambadas Danve —ANI PHOTO
Oppn to target entire cabinet,
not just couple of mins: Raut
Nagpur (PTI): Shiv
Sena (UBT) leader San-
jay Raut on Tuesday
said the Opposition
wouldbecorneringthe
entire Maharashtra
cabinet over corrup-
tion and not just one or
two ministers.
He feels sympathy for
Deputy Chief Minis-
ter Devendra Fadnavis
who has to defend his
“corrupt” colleagues,
Raut said while speak-
ing to reporters.
“The Opposition is
not going to target
only a couple of minis-
ters in the Eknath
Shinde-Fadnavis cabi-
net, but the entire cab-
inet is going to be in
trouble. I am sympa-
thetic to Fadnavis be-
cause he has to defend
those who are mired in
corruption,” the Rajya
Sabha MP said.
Earlier, Raut’s com-
ment that his party
“would drop a couple
of bomb-shells” dur-
ing the ongoing Win-
ter Session had gone
viral.
The Sena (UBT),
NCP and Congress tar-
geted Agriculture Min-
ister Abdul Sattar after
theBombayHighCourt
last week issued him a
noticeoverthetransfer
of 37 acres of common
villagelandtoaprivate
person in Washim dis-
trict. A similar allega-
tion was also levelled
against minister San-
jay Rathod. But Fad-
navis termed the alle-
gations as “minor fire-
crackers”.
Responding to Fad-
navis’s remark, Raut
said, “Chief Minister
Shinde himself is in-
volved in the NIT land
scam, and you call it a
minor firecracker? I
am sympathetic to
Fadnavis that he has
to defend corrupt
ministers.”
Pawar accuses govt of
‘fiscalindiscipline’
MAHA-K’TAKA BORDER ROW
Awhad seeks
action against
IAS under the
SC/ST Act
Nagpur (PTI): Na-
tionalist Congress
Party (NCP) leader
Jitendra Awhad on
Tuesday demanded
actionundertheSC/
ST Act against an
IAS officer posted in
Palghar district of
Maharashtra.
Speaking to re-
porters at the Vid-
han Bhavan Com-
plex here, Awhad
said project director
Ayushi Sinha forced
tribal girls to chant
“Radhe, Radhe” say-
ing they will get sal-
vation by doing so.
“Tribal commu-
nities have their
own lifestyle and
culture. They are
forced to chant
‘Radhe Radhe’. This
is a very serious
matter as a proba-
tionary IAS officer
is involved. I raised
a demand in the As-
sembly seeking ac-
tion under the
Scheduled Castes
and the Scheduled
Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act
against that IAS of-
ficer in Palghar,”
said Awhad.
Jitendra Awhad
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

MAHARASHTRA
03
MUM HOSPS ‘ON ALERT’ FOR NCOV SURGE
State, civic-run facilities check health infra preparedness to tackle influx of cases with mock drills
Mumbai (PTI): Civic
and government hospi-
tals in Mumbai conduct-
ed mock drills on Tues-
day to check their COV-
ID-19 wards and facili-
ties available for pa-
tients in the wake of a
spurt in cases of the vi-
ral disease in China and
other countries.
A doctor from the
government-run JJ Hos-
pital in Mumbai said
theycheckedtheprepar-
edness of their COV-
ID-19 ward, medicine,
X-rayandoxygensupply
units. A doctor from the
civic-run Seven Hills
Hospital said as part of
the drill, they “checked
everything right from
the process of admis-
sion of patients, shifting
them to the Intensive
Care Unit, following the
ICU processes, and
checking whether they
had taken single, double
or booster doses of vac-
cine.”
The hospital’s oxygen
pipeline, ICU equip-
ment and manpower
preparedness were also
checked during the ex-
ercise, the doctor said.
Dr Chandrakant Pa-
war, Medical Superin-
tendent of the civic-run
Kasturba Hospital
which treats patients
withinfectiousdiseases,
also said they checked
their readiness to han-
dle any situation. JJ
Hospital’s Dean Dr Pal-
lavi Saple said that they
conducted the mock
drill as per the instruc-
tions from health au-
thorities.
Among the COVID-19
facilities in Mumbai,
the Seven Hills Hospital
has 1,700 beds, Kasturba
Hospital has 35 beds,
government-run Cama
Hospital (100 beds), St
George Hospital (70
beds), Tata Hospital (16
beds) and Jagjivan Ram
Hospital-(12 beds).
The hospitals have
been asked to upload all
reports collected during
the drill on the Union
government’s dedicated
portal for COVID-19.
To diagnose and track
COVID-19 cases, the city
has a daily testing ca-
pacity of 1,35,035 at 34
hospitals and 49 labora-
tories, according to the
release. Also, the stock
of medicines like Rem-
desivir, Tocilizumab,
Methylprednisolone,
Dexamethasone, Am-
photericin B Deoxycho-
late and Posaconazole
is available.
“The medicines will
be procured and made
available in future if
cases increase,” the re-
lease said, adding that
PPE kits, N-95 masks,
nebulizers and pulse
oximeters are available
in adequate quantity
.
Further, the city has
859 functional oxygen
concentrators and 2,933
oxygen cylinders, apart
from 79 Pressure Swing
Adsorption (PSA) oxy-
gen plants of 1,468 met-
ric tons capacity and
liquid medical oxygen
of 268 metric tons capac-
ity
, it added. Mock drills
to assess preparedness
for treating COVID-19
cases were conducted at
about 1,300 health facili-
ties in state, the state
health department said.
CRUCIAL READ
CENTRE APPROVES
`150 CRORE FUND
TO DEVELOP PORT
Palghar: Palghar district
MP Rajendra Gavit’s
continuous pursuit has
paid off as the Central
government has approved
a fund of Rs150 crore
for the Satpati Fishing
Port. The fund is to be
utilized for infrastructure
development and fishing
facilities at Satpati and
has been granted by the
Union Minister for Port
Development and Fisheries
Purushottam Rupa, in the
recently held 15th meeting
of the Central Sanctions
and Control Committee at
New Delhi. A proposal for
the development of this
Port was submitted to the
government by Fisheries
Development Minister
Sudhir Mungantiwar and
Commissioner of this
department Dr Atul Patne.
BULLET TRAIN:
98% LAND
ACQUISITION DONE
Palghar: Nearly 188
hectares of land, required
for the bullet train project
has been acquired which
amounts to about 98%
of the 191.54 hectares.
109 km of bullet train will
run in the Palghar district
and the acquired land
with the National High
Speed Rail Corporation
Limited (NHSRCL) and
renumeration for about
54 hectares is to be given
to these landholders. The
land required for the bullet
train has a span width
of 17.5 meters and the
award for the said land
has been declared and
only 3.54 hectares of land
is yet to be acquired. The
remuneration of 133.85
hectares of land, which
amounts to about 70%, is
paid to the beneficiaries.
EIGHT SPECIAL
LOCAL TRAINS TO
RUN ON NY’S EVE
Mumbai: Keeping in view
the rush on the occa-
sion of New Year’s eve,
Western Railway will run
eight special local train
services between midnight
of December 31, 2022,
and January 01, 2023,
said a senior officer of
Western Railway. This will
include four trains from
Churchgate to Virar, at
1.15 am, 2 am, 2.30 am
and 3.25 am on January 1
and four in from Virar to
Churchgate at 12.15 am,
12.45 am, 1.40 am and
3.05 am, he added.
133 BIOGAS UNITS
TO BE SET UP IN
RAIGAD DISTRICT
Alibag: At least 133
biogas units will be set
up in the Raigad district
under the National Biogas
Management Programme,
an official said. The Raigad
Zilla Parishad is planning
on stable consumption of
Biogas and slurry from
these units to be used as
fertilizer, agriculture officer
Milind Chaudhari said. An
assistance of Rs10,000
to Rs70,000 per unit will
be provided by the centre.
At least 17 units attached
to toilets will be set up in
several areas, he added.
BIDS FOR WAYSIDE AMENITIES ON
SAMRUDDHI EXPRESSWAY POSTPONED
Mumbai: The due date to submit bids for establishing,
operating and maintaining wayside amenities along the
Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway
(Samruddhi Expressway) has been extended to Janu-
ary 09 by the Maharashtra State Road Development
Corporation (MSRDC). Earlier, the bid was to be opened
on Monday at a reserve price of Rs235.40 crore for all
locations. The highest bidder will be handed over the
contract to manage the amenities.
FIRE ERUPTS IN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE IN
ANDHERI EAST, NO CASUALTIES REPORTED
Mumbai: A fire erupted in a ground-plus-two building in
an industrial estate in Marol Naka area of suburban And-
heri East on Tuesday evening, a civic official said. There
were no reports of anyone getting injured, he added. The
fire broke out in building number 5 at Mittal Industrial
Estate on Andheri-Kurla road around 4.45 pm. Eight fire
engines and other vehicles were rushed to the spot and a
dousing operation is underway, the official said.
Doctors’ body warns of strike from
Jan 02 over posts, pending dues
Mumbai (PTI): The
Maharashtra State As-
sociation of Resident
Doctors (MARD) has
warned of going on
strike from January 02
if their demands of fill-
ing vacant posts and
clearing pending dues
from 2018 are not met.
In a letter to state
Medical Education Min-
ister Girish Mahajan on
Monday, MARD Presi-
dent Dr Avinash Dahi-
phale has demanded the
creationof 1,432postsof
senior resident doctors
and payment of pending
dues of dearness allow-
ances from October 16,
2018. “The creation of
1,432 posts of senior res-
ident doctors is our first
demand. If the proposal
forthesameisstillpend-
ing with the state gov-
ernment,thenwhydidit
have the policy of bond-
ed service for resident
doctorspassingoutfrom
government-run colleg-
es,” stated the letter.
The association has
also demanded clearing
pending dues of dear-
ness allowances from
October 16, 2018, it said.
“There is also no parity
in salaries of senior res-
ident doctors across the
state. The state should
intervene and bring par-
ity in the salary struc-
ture,” said the letter.
The MARD further
claimed that the posts
of associate and assis-
tant professor are va-
cant in most of the
medical colleges and
they need to be filled to
ensure that students
are not affected.
Health workers take part in a mock drill conducted as part of preparedness against COVID-19, at St.
George Hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
PRECAUTIONARY
Work on three bridges at Usha Nagar nullah to begin soon
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Soon, the
demolition and recon-
struction work of three
bridges on Usha Nagar
nullah in Bhandup East
willbecarriedoutbythe
Brihanmumbai Munici-
pal Corporation (BMC).
The approval of the
proposal was given by
the civic body in Octo-
ber 2021, but the work
was delayed for the al-
ternative arrangements
in the area. The estimat-
ed cost of the work is
aroundRs30croreandis
expected to be complet-
ed in 22 months (exclud-
ing monsoon). The work
of widening various
nullahs in the city has
been carried out by the
civic body for the last
few years. The project is
part of the BMC’s Bri-
hanmumbai Storm Wa-
ter Disposal (Brimstow-
ad) project, launched in
2005 to prevent floods.
Bhandup has also been
one of the flooded areas
after Kurla in the east-
ern suburbs and so,
regular desilting work
of the nullah is carried
out by the BMC pre-
monsoon. Other than
the widening of nullahs,
the civic body had also
conducted a structural
audit of the bridges. Ac-
cordingly, a consultant
appointed by the BMC
inspected the three
bridges on the Usha Na-
gar nullah at Veer Sa-
varkar Marg in 2019.
”Thebridgeswereina
dilapidated condition
and an earlier structural
auditsuggesteditsdemo-
lition. The pillars of all
threewereinpoorcondi-
tion. The contractor has
made the alternative ar-
rangementssothedemo-
litionworkof thebridges
willbecarriedoutsoon,”
said the civic official.
TheBMChasinstruct-
ed the contractor to take
necessary precautions
so that the pedestrian
movement in the area is
not affected during the
entire construction pe-
riod. Hence,the contrac-
tor will have to provide
barricading, signals,
warning signals, etc for
the same.
INFRA FACELIFT
YouTubers held for
making stunt video
Mumbai (PTI): Two
Russian YouTubers
Maksim Shcherba-
kow (25) and Roman
Proshin (33) have
been arrested for al-
legedly entering a
60-storey twin tower
complex in Tardeo to
shoot a stunt video,
police said on Tues-
day. The duo was ar-
rested late on Mon-
day night and an of-
fence under section
452 (house trespass)
and other relevant
provisions of the In-
dian Penal Code was
registered against
them, an official said.
The Russian em-
bassy was informed
about the incident af-
ter the First Informa-
tion Report (FIR) was
registered, he said.
Theaccusedhadalleg-
edly sneaked into The
Imperial,aplushtwin
tower complex, to
shoot a stunt video
and were spotted in
the CCTV cameras by
the on-duty security
guards, who immedi-
ately informed the po-
lice and cornered
them,the officialsaid.
During the probe,
it was found that the
duo had climbed up
to the 58th floor of
one of the towers us-
ing the staircase and
had allegedly intend-
ed to ascend from the
outside and record a
video while perform-
ing the stunt, he said.
Medical personnel await action in the ongoing Winter Session of
the Maha legislature in Nagpur. —FILE PHOTO
Russian YouTubers Maksim Shcherbakow and Roman
Proshin being produced before the court.
One of the accused in
police custody.
The association has
demanded clearing
pending dues of DA
from October 16, 2018
Hackers take over traffic board
to display abusive messages
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A case was
registered against un-
known hackers for tak-
ing over and displaying
abusive messages on a
digital traffic advisory
in the Dindoshi area, a
police official said.
The city civic body
had installed smart traf-
fic poles near a mall in
Goregaon on which two
LED screen boards for
displaying traffic-relat-
edadvisorywereplaced.
At 9.10 pm on Thursday
,
an abusive message was
displayed on the LED
screen which remained
there for more than an
hour, the official said on
Monday
.
Power supply to the
board had to be cut off
in order to take down
the questionable mes-
sage, he said. The con-
tractor in charge of in-
stalling the boards told
officials he was not
aware of the incident.
He relayed the possibil-
ity of the system having
been hacked in order to
relay the message.
Fake call centre busted in police raid
at DLF Park; case against six involved
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Six people
werearrestedonTues-
day for allegedly oper-
ating a fake call centre
and duping people to
the tune of Rs4 crore
in the western suburb
of Goregaon.
The Mumbai po-
lice’s crime branch
raided an office at
DLH Park on S V Road
on Monday night, said
an official.
The accused were
allegedly operating a
call centre called One
721 Global Service Ltd
and used to contact
people in Mauritius
and in Gulf countries,
asking them to invest
in commodity trading.
They would pose as
experts on social me-
dia and lure people
into depositing 200
USD to start trading.
It was revealed that
the accused have
duped people of
around Rs4 crore.
Proposal approved by civic body
in Oct 2021, but work delayed; now
expected to be finished in 22 months
FOR MONSOON
—PHOTOS
BY
BHUSHAN
KOYANDE

PERSPECTIVE
04
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
who put darkness for light and light for
darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet
for bitter. —Bible
Anurag Thakur @ianuragthakur
Get ready for the biggest hockey
event of the year 2023! The
#HockeyMensWorldCup2023 is
coming to Steel City, Rourkela,
Odisha and we are pumped to host
the best teams in the world. Let’s
cheer @TheHockeyIndia and make
this a tournament to remember! RourkelaMC
TOP TWEETS
Kiren Rijiju @KirenRijiju
India has a robust Parliamentary
Democracy. Our Govt will always
function as per the spirit of the
Constitution of India. Nobody can
accuse our Govt of undermining
the independence of Judiciary.
YOGI PROPOSES, HC DISPOSES
n a setback to
reservation pol-
itics, the Alla-
habad High
Court has de-
railed the Uttar Pradesh
government’s quota poli-
tics by rejecting reserva-
tion of Other Backward
Classes (OBC) in urban lo-
cal body elections. The
high court ordered the
State Election Commis-
sion to notify the elections
without further delay
. The
term of several munici-
palities has already ended
while that of others will
end by December 31, 2022.
To garner support of the
OBCs the government had
come up with a draft noti-
fication on December 5 re-
serving mayoral seats in
Aligarh, Mathura- Vrinda-
van, Meerut and Prayagraj
for OBC candidates. In the
case of Mathura-Vrinda-
van and Aligarh the seats
were reserved for OBC
women. The draft policy
provided for OBC reserva-
tion on 54 chairpersons’
seats in 200 municipal
councils. In the 545 nagar
panchayats 147 seats were
reserved for OBC candi-
dates.
A clutch of PILs chal-
lenged the draft notifica-
tion for violating the triple
test formula set by the Su-
preme Court for OBC res-
ervations. The triple test
formula mandates setting
up of a commission for an
empirical inquiry into the
nature and implications of
backwardness within the
state local bodies; specify-
ing the proportion of res-
ervation required… and it
should not exceed 50 per-
cent of total seats reserved
for SCs, STs and OBCs.
The UP government told
the high court that the sur-
vey of OBCs conducted in
2017 can be considered as
the basis of the proposed
reservation.Notconvinced,
the court quashed the noti-
fication, upsetting Yogi
Government’s plans. Apna
Dal was unhappy with the
court’s order. Samajwadi
Party called it a BJP gov-
ernment’s conspiracy
.
I
In a setback to reservation politics, the Allahabad
HC has derailed the UP government’s quota
politics by rejecting reservation of OBC in
urban local body elections. The HC ordered
the State Election Commission to notify the
elections without further delay
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 231 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:DrJagdeeshChandra Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PULLING THE PLUG ON
LIFE…TOO EARLY
ampant suicides and especially
the recent spate of suicides in
the country and at the cine
world has shocked and numbed
the nation. Even the Union gov-
ernment informed Parliament
on Tuesday that 115 daily wage
earners and 63 women died by
suicide every day in 2021.
A total of 42,004 daily wage
earners and 23,179 housewives
died by suicide in 2021, said Un-
ion Minister of State for Home
Affairs Nityanand Rai in re-
sponse to a question in Lok Sab-
ha. Citing data from the Nation-
al Crime Records Bureau
(NCRB), Rai present the follow-
ing numbers for suicides in In-
dia in 2021:
l Self-employed: 20,231
l Salaried: 15,870
l Unemployed: 13,714
l Students: 13,089
l Business: 12,055
l Private sector: 11,431
l Farming: 10,881
(5,563 labourers+ 5,318 farmers)
Men were the overwhelming
victims of suicide, as per the
NCRB Crime in India 2021 re-
port. Of the 1,64,033 persons
who died by suicide last year,
1,18,970 were men and 45,026
were women. The suicide data
for 2021 is in line with that of
2020 as daily wage earners, self-
employed persons, and the un-
employed had topped the sui-
cide victims that year as well.
Officials last year had said that
pandemic-induced economic
hardships were a driving factor.
As per the World Health Or-
ganisation, globally, close to
8,00,000 people die by suicide
every year; that’s one person
every 40 seconds. For each sui-
cide, there are more than 20 sui-
cide attempts. The global body
goes on to say suicide is an
emerging and serious public
health issue in India. However,
it is preventable with timely,
evidence-based and often low-
cost interventions. The suicide
mortality rate per 1,00,000 popu-
lation in 2016 was 16.5, while the
global average was 10.5 per 100
000. The most vulnerable are the
15-29 year old’s, the elderly, and
persons with special needs – as
per WHO.
Classes for five days a week,
weekend offs and not more than
two internal tests in a week cho-
rus for these demands is grow-
ing among JEE and NEET aspir-
ants recently after three stu-
dents died by suicide this month
allegedly due to academic stress.
Often bogged down with the
fast-paced curriculum and the
programme structure, students
say they are always racing
against time and even a day’s
break can push them behind
thousands of other students.
However, the recent cases of
student suicides have brought
back the focus on fixing the
schedule to make it more stu-
dent-friendly
. After the cases of
three students dying by suicide
last week came to light, the dis-
trict administration issued fresh
directions to ensure that there is
a stress-free environment for
students and that at least one
weekly off is granted to them.
Students, however, feel that it
isn’t enough. Of the three stu-
dents who died by suicide last
week, NEET aspirant Ankush
Anand (18) from and JEE aspir-
ant Ujjwal Kumar (17) both from
Bihar were found hanging from
ceiling fans in their respective
rooms at their paying guest (PG)
accommodation on December
12, according to police.
The third student, Pranav
Verma (17), a National Eligibil-
ity cum Entrance Test (NEET)
aspirant from Madhya Pradesh,
allegedly consumed a poisonous
substance in his hostel on De-
cember 11. No student suicide
was reported in 2021 when the
coaching centres here were shut
down due to the COVID-19 pan-
demic and students attended
online classes from their homes.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
However, the recent cases of
student suicides have
brought back the focus on
fixing the schedule to make it
more student-friendly. After
the cases of three students
dying by suicide last week
came to light, the district
administration issued fresh
directions to ensure that
there is a stress-free
environment for students
and that at least one weekly
off is granted to them
R
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Journalist and
former Managing Editor, First India
As per the World Health
Organisation, globally,
close to 8,00,000 people
die by suicide every
year; that’s one person
every 40 seconds. For
each suicide, there are more
than 20 suicide attempts. The
global body goes on to say
suicide is serious public
health issue in India
TINSEL TOWN TRAUMA
THE DISTURBING NEWS OF SUICIDES FROM THE TELEVISION AND
BOLLYWOOD WORLD KEEP POURING IN RELENTLESSLY
TUNISHA SHARMA
TV actor was
found hanging
on the sets of a
serial in Mum-
bai last week,
one more in-
stance of a
showbiz aspirant allegedly tak-
ing the extreme step. The death
of the 21-year-old “Ali Baba:
Dastaan-E-Kabul” actor has ar-
rest of her co-star Sheezan
Khan for abetment to suicide.
Here are some similar deaths
in the entertainment industry
that shocked us all:
VAISHALI THAKKAR
On October 16
this year, the
Yeh Rishta Kya
Kehlata Hai ac-
tor was found
dead in her In-
dore home. Po-
lice officials claimed they have
enough evidence against Th-
akkar’s former boyfriend Ra-
hul Navlani, filed an abetment
of suicide case. Asif Basra
Known for starring in movies
such as Jab We Met, Once Upon
a Time in Mumbaai and Kai Po
Che!, Basra was found hanging
in a pvt property in Nov 2020 in
Dharamshala. He was 53. He
was last seen in “The Family
Man-2” and “Sooryavanshi”.
SAMIR SHARMA
He was found
hanging from
the fan of his
kitchen on Au-
gust 6, 2020 in
the Mumbai
suburb Malad
where he lived alone. His cred-
its include hit TV shows Kyun-
ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi
and Left Right Left.
SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT
The death of the
C h h i c h h o r e
star, who was
found hanging
in his Bandra
home on June
14, 2020, contin-
ues to cast long shadows over
the industry
.
KUSHAL PUNJABI
Tuesday will be
the third death
anniversary of
a c t o r - m o d e l
Kushal Punjabi,
who was hang-
ing in his Ban-
dra apartment on December 27,
2019. Known for films such as
Kaal, Lakshya as well as reality
show Fear Factor, actor left be-
hind a suicide note in which he
said nobody should be held re-
sponsible for his death.
PRATYUSHA BANNERJEE
She became a
h o u s e h o l d
name through
Balika Vadhu
was found hang-
ing in her Mum-
bai apartment
on April 1, 2016. She was 24.
Her boyfriend Rahul Raj is ac-
cused of abetting her suicide.
PREKSHA MEHTA
“Crime Patrol” actor was found
dead in her home in Indore.
The 29-year-old, who hanged
herself, left a suicide note.
JIAH KHAN
British American actor, known
for films such as Nishabd and
Ghajini, was found hanging at
her Mumbai residence on June
3, 2013 by her mother Rabiya
Khan. She was 25. Her death
was deemed suicide and recon-
firmed as a suicide in 2016. Her
boyfriend Rahul Raj is accused
of abetting her suicide.
KULJEET RANDHAWA
In 2006, model-turned televi-
sion actor, 25, known for star-
ring in the high-school drama
Hip Hip Hurray!, suspense se-
rial Kohinoor and crime thrill-
er drama Special Squad, alleg-
edly died by suicide by hanging
herself in her room in Juhu.

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

05
INDIA
Kerala CM Vijayan calls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
—PHOTO BY ANI
First India Bureau
Hyderabad: President
Droupadi Murmu on
Tuesday urged students
to read more in order to
improve their under-
standing and widen
their perspective.
Addressing the stu-
dents and faculty of the
Keshav Memorial Edu-
cational Society here,
she emphasized on the
importance of reading.
President Murmu
said that the habit of
reading is one of the
most effective means for
self-development. It is a
skill that would serve
students well through-
out their life. She said
that this is an age of in-
ternet and social media
when attention span is
getting shorter and
communication is lim-
ited in characters.
She also interacted
with students and inau-
gurated a photo exhibi-
tion on ‘Hyderabad Lib-
eration Movement’
showcasing contribu-
tions of regional free-
dom fighters.
She said that educa-
tion is the foundation
upon which a nation is
built. It is the key to un-
locking the full poten-
tial of every individual.
She was happy to note
that the activities of Ke-
shav Memorial Educa-
tional Society have
grown manifold “from a
small school in 1940 to a
premier educational
centre with nine differ-
ent colleges, enrolling
over 11,000 students.
Noting that celebra-
tions of the 75th anni-
versary of the Libera-
tion of Hyderabad are
being held as part of the
‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahot-
sav’, she said that this
holds great significance
for the people of this re-
gion and for the nation
asawhole.Shepaidtrib-
utes to the brave leaders
who fought for the lib-
eration of Hyderabad,
including Ramji Gond,
Turrebaz Khan, Komar-
am Bheem, Suravaram
Prathap Reddy and
Shoyabulla Khan. She
said that their valour
and sacrifice would al-
ways be remembered
and honoured.
“As we celebrate the
historic milestone of
Azadi ka Amrit Mahot-
sav, it is important for
us to remember that our
independence is not just
about the liberation
from oppressive rulers
of the past. It is also
about ensuring a bright
future through well con-
ceived steps taken today
.
As we move into the fu-
ture, it is upto the young
people of India to en-
sure that we build upon
the foundations laid by
our forefathers and take
our nation to new
heights,” she said.
Murmu urges students to read more to widen understanding
PRESIDENT’S PEP TALK
lll
President
Murmu
addresses
students and
faculty of
Keshav
Memorial
Educational
Society,
Hyderabad
New Delhi (Agencies):
The Bhartiya Janata
Party(BJP)willbeginits
‘Mission 2024’ (General
Election or Parlimenta-
ry elections) for Uttar
Pradesh from January
.
The party’s exercise
to win maximum seats
from Uttar Pradesh in
the upcoming Lok Sab-
ha elections will begin
when BJP President JP
Nadda,General Secre-
tary BL Santhosh and
Union Home Minister
Amit Shah visit the
state next month.
“The programmes of
these leaders are being
finalised for January.
The process of a con-
stituency wise assess-
ment and, thereafter,
candidate selection will
begin,” said a party
functionary. The party,
according to sources,
will be replacing a num-
ber of sitting MPs who
have crossed the age
limit of 75 years.
Those who have been
found to be under-per-
formers are also likely
to be replaced to coun-
ter the anti-incumben-
cy factor. The BJP lead-
ership, apparently,
wants to ensure that
there is no rebel candi-
date when elections fi-
nally take place.
BJP’s ‘Mission 2024’ to
start from UP in January
The saffron party is trying to win maximum Lok Sabha seats in UP
Bengaluru (Agencies):
Karnataka’s ruling BJP
is worried over mining
baron Gali Janardhana
Reddy’s newly-launched
Kalyana Rajya Pragati
Paksha (KRPP) party, to
affect its prospects in
the state, especially in
the border region with
Hyderabad. According to
BJP insiders, although
senior leaders have rub-
bished the development,
they have taken a serious
note and are strategising
against Reddy’s move.
The opposition Congress
is already in a celebra-
tion mode, as Reddy’s
KRRP would split the
BJP’s vote, which would
ensure the victory of
Congress candidates.
Chennai (Agencies): BJP President JP Nadda com-
menced his election campaign for the 2024 general elec-
tions from Coimbatore on Tuesday. Tamil Nadu BJP chief
K Annamalai, speaking to media after having darshan
at the Sangameswara temple, said that Nadda’s move
to launch his election campaign from Coimbatore has
enthused the party cadres, adding that the party cadres
are working hard to make the programme a success.
Noting that the BJP has an MLA from the Coimbatore
constituency, Annamalai said that the party has a strong
presence in the area which is known for nationalism.
J REDDY'S NEW
PARTY TO HIT
BJP'S PROSPECTS
IN KARNATAKA
BJP PRESIDENT NADDA BEGINS 2024
ELECTION CAMPAIGN FROM TAMIL NADU
JP Nadda being welcomed at Coimbatore International Airport to
kick off BJPs Mission Tamil Nadu 2024,in Coimbatore on Tuesday.
Moradabad (PTI): Sen-
ior Congress leader Sal-
man Khurshid has lik-
ened Rahul Gandhi to
LordRamanddescribed
him as “superhuman”
and a “yogi doing ta-
pasya” as he lauded the
former party chief for
his Bharat Jodo Yatra,
evoking sharp criticism
from the BJP
.
Slamming the Oppo-
sition party leaders for
their show of “syco-
phancy”, the BJP said
comparing a person out
on bail in a corruption
case, a reference to the
National Herald probe,
to a God worshipped by
so many people not only
hurts the feelings of
Hindus but also the en-
tire society
.
Khurshid, however,
remained unfazed and
defended his remarks.
“No one can replace
God but everyone can
try to walk the path
shown by him,” he said.
BJP raps Khurshid as
he likens Rahul to Ram
New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has
appointed appointed observers for the ‘Hath Se Hath
Jodo Abhiyan’, which will be a follow-up activity of the
Bharat Jodo Yatra. The ‘Hath Se Hath Jodo Abhiyan’
will commence on January 26 and continue for next
two months. In total, 26 observers have been appoint-
ed including Milind Deora (Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar
Haveli, Daman amd Diu); Subhash Chopra (Haryana);
Prithviraj Chavan (Karnataka); Deepender Hooda (Uttar
Pradesh); Ajay Kumar Lallu (Uttarakhand); while Ghu-
lam Ahmad Mir has been appointed observer for West
Bengal amd Andaman Nicobar, among others.
CONG APPOINTS OBSERVERS FOR ‘HATH SE HATH JODO ABHIYAN’
New Delhi (ANI): BJP lashed at Congress leader Sal-
man Khurshid on Tuesday for comparing Rahul Gandhi
with Lord Rama. BJP National Spokesperson Gaurav
Bhatia on Tuesday said that the Congress
can do any kind of politics to get votes.
“It is in the DNA of the Congress party.
If they want votes, they can do any kind
of politics and this is the reason behind
Salman Khurshid comparing our adorable
deity Lord Shri Ram with such a person
(Rahul Gandhi) who is out on bail and the people of
India will give him the answer,” said Bhatia.
BJP LASHES OUT AT RAHUL GANDHI,
CALLS HIM HYPOCRITICAL HINDU
CONGMEN SHOULD
ROAM NAKED AS
LORD RAM’S ‘SENA’
DID: BJP LEADER
Salman Khurshid
New Delhi: After Salman
Khurshid compared party
leader Rahul Gandhi to
Lord Ram, BJP leader
Dushyant Gautam said
that Congressmen should
roam naked as Lord
Ram’s ‘sena’ did. Gau-
tam said, “If he is Ram’s
avatar, then Rahul should
tell his ‘sena’ what he
consumes that he doesn’t
feel cold.”
Rawat stages dharna,
demands CBI probe
into Ankita murder
Dehradun (ANI): Sen-
ior Congress leader and
former Uttarakhand
CM Harish Rawat sat on
a 24-hour dharna with
several congress sup-
porters and leaders at
Gandhi Park in Dehra-
dun, demanding a CBI
inquiry into the Ankita
Bhandari murder case
and disclosure of the
namesof VIPsinvolved.
Rawat said, “The pub-
lic wants to know on
whose orders a bulldoz-
erwasfiredattheresort,
why the resort was not
sealed, how the fire
broke out twice despite
the presence of the po-
lice in the resort.
The body of 19-year-
old Ankita Bhandari,
who worked as a recep-
tionist at a resort run
by Pulkit Arya, the son
of expelled BJP leader
Vinod Arya, was recov-
ered from Chilla canal
in Rishikesh on Sep-
tember 24.
Jammu (ANI): Con-
gress general secretary
Incharge Organisation
KCVenugopalandAICC
Incharge Jammu and
Kashmir Rajani Patil on
Monday met Lieutenant
Governor Manoj Sinha
to discuss about the up-
coming Bharat Jodo
Yatra led by Rahul Gan-
dhi. KB Byju security
advisor to Rahul Gan-
dhi accompanied them.
After meeting with
the Lt Governor, they
left for Srinagar.
The meeting was in
connection with the
Bharat Jodo Yatra in
the third week of Janu-
ary
. The meeting lasted
for over half an hour.
Earlier AICC leaders
were received at the air-
port by JKPCC Presi-
dentVikarRasoolWani,
Joint Secretary AICC
Manoj Yadav, Working
President Raman Bhal-
la, Former minister Yo-
gesh Sawhney, Arti
Gupta and others.
KC Venugopal
meets JK LG
in connection
with RaGa’s BJY
New Delhi (PTI): Kerala
CM Pinarayi Vijayan on
Tuesday met with PM
Narendra Modi at the lat-
ter's office where the
southernstate'sCOVID-19
related preparedness and
development project's
pending approval of the
Centre were discussed.
The state government
said, in a release, that the
loomingthreatof another
wave of COVID-19 and
Kerala's preparedness to
deal with it were dis-
cussed in the meeting.
Besidesthat,Vijayanand
Modi also talked about
strengthening Centre-
state relations and steps
to be taken for speedy
completion of projects.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
meets PM Modi in Delhi
Srinagar (PTI): PDP
president Mehbooba
Mufti on Tuesday said
she was “not shocked”
at BJP MP Pragya
Thakur’s remark made
at an event in Karnata-
ka exhorting Hindus to
keep at least kitchen
knives “sharp” to re-
spond to any attack.
Speaking at the Hin-
du Jagarana Vedike’s
South Region annual
convention at Shi-
vamogga in Karnataka
on Sunday, the BJP MP
from Bhopal told her au-
dience to give a befitting
reply to anyone who “in-
filtrates our house”.
“Keep weapons in
your homes, if nothing
else, at least knives used
to cut vegetables,
sharp...Don’t know
what situation will
arise when....Everyone
has the right to self pro-
tection. If someone in-
filtrates our house and
attacks us, giving a be-
fitting reply is our
right,” she had said.
Not shocked,
says Mehbooba
on Pragya’s
‘knives’ remarks
President Murmu,Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan
and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy at the event. —PHOTO BY ANI
Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat with party workers at a
dharna over Ankita Bhandari murder, in Dehradun, on Tuesday.
MoS Jitendra Singh at Venkateshwara University, Gajraula.
Mehbooba Mufti
Mallikarjun Kharge
Thiruvananthapuram (ANI): Kerala BJP Chief K
Surendran on Tuesday demanded a probe into the
allegations of corruption against Left Democratic Front
(LDF) convenor EP Jayarajan, levelled by P Jayarajan, a
senior leader of CPI(M) from Kannur last week during a
party meeting. In a major embarrassment for the CPM
in Kerala, senior party leader P Jayarajan has report-
edly levelled corruption charges against LDF convener
EP Jayarajan. During the meeting, P Jayarajan made
allegations against EP Jayarajan related to a financial
irregularity in an ayurvedic resort.
PROBE CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS
AGAINST LDF CONVENOR: KERALA BJP
Futuristicavenues
createdbyGoI:MoS
First India Bureau
Amroha: MoS Dr Ji-
tendra Singh said on
Tuesday that the Nar-
endra Modi govern-
ment has, in the last
over 8 years, created
futuristic avenues for
India’s youth.
Addressing “A Dia-
loguewithNewYoung
Voters” at the Ven-
kateshwara Universi-
ty here,DrSinghsaid,
the forward-looking
reforms unleashed by
ModiGovthasgivena
newhopetotheyouth.
He said, India’s repu-
tation has grown in
theGlobalClubof Na-
tions and the whole
world is now keen to
understand and con-
nect with India.
Quoting PM Modi
when he said at a
Youth Convocation
that“Thewholeworld
is looking at India’s
youth with hope. Be-
cause you are the
growth engine of the
country and India is
theworld’sgrowthen-
gine”, Dr Singh said,
theNewIndiaisopen,
futuristic and known
for its progressive
views and the devel-
opment of our coun-
tryisontheshoulders
of the youth.

06
INDIA
New Delhi (Agencies):
The northern parts of
the country will wit-
ness fresh cold wave
conditions from Decem-
ber 31 onwards, the In-
dia Meteorological De-
partment (IMD) said on
Tuesday
.
RK Jenamani, senior
scientist at the India
Meteorological Depart-
ment, said cold days
and severe cold days are
mainly over south Har-
yana and western Uttar
Pradesh.
“The cold to severe
cold wave is expected to
continue over Punjab,
Haryana, north Ra-
jasthan and Delhi.
Dense to very dense fog
will continue to prevail
in the belt. From De-
cember 28, there will be
improvement due to
western disturbance
and on December 29,
fresh snowfall is expect-
ed in Jammu Kash-
mir, Leh and some parts
of Himachal Pradesh,”
said Jenamani.
Cold wave conditions likely to continue in Jan: MeT
CHILL SETS IN
lll
The weather
office said that a
layer of dense
fog and
moderate icy
cold winds from
the North were
responsible for
this steep fall in
the temperature
A street is covered in snow after hailstorm in Sivasagar district.
EC starts process for
delimitation of LS
VS seats in Assam
New Delhi (ANI):
The Election Com-
mission of India on
Tuesday said it has
initiated the process
for delimitation of
Assembly (Vidhan
Sabha) and Parlia-
mentary (Lok Sabha)
Constituencies in As-
sam.
The process of de-
limitation was in
pursuance of the re-
quest received from
the Union Ministry
of Law and Justice.
Delimitation falls un-
der Section 8A of the
Re Representation of
the People Act, 1950.
“The Commission
led by Chief Election
Commissioner Shri
Rajiv Kumar and
Election Commis-
sioners Shri Anup
Chandra Pandey and
Shri Arun Goel has
directed the Chief
Electoral Officer of
Assam to take up the
matter with State
Government to issue
complete ban on cre-
ation of new admin-
istrative units w.e.f.
1st January 2023 till
the completion of de-
limitation exercise
in the State,” an offi-
cial statement said.
Census figures of
2001 will be used for
the purpose of read-
justment of Constit-
uencies in the state.
Kin,friendsbidfinalgoodbyetoTunisha
Mumbai (ANI): The
last rites of Actor Tuni-
sha Sharma, who died
allegedly by suicide on
the sets of a TV serial,
were performed on
Tuesday at Mira Road
cremation ground in
Mumbai.
Tunisha’s mother
Vanita Sharma broke
down when her last
rites were being per-
formed, and she was
seen inconsolable.
Actors- Kanwar
Dhillon, Reem Shaikh,
Ashnoor Kaur, Avneet
Kaur, Siddharth Nigam,
Abhishek Nigam,
Shivin Narang, Vishal
Jethwa and others at-
tended the cremation of
the late actor.
TV actor Tunisha
Sharma was found dead
on the sets of her ongo-
ing TV show Alibaba -
Dastaan-e-Kabul on Sat-
urday. A day later, her
ex-boyfriend and co-star
from the show, Sheezan
Khan was arrested on
charges of abetment to
suicide. If reports are to
be believed, Khan and
Tunisha broke up 15
days ago.
Mortal remains of Tunisha Sharma before her cremation. Tunisha’s mother Vanita Sharma mourns actor’s death.
SHEEZAN’S MOTHER, SISTER
ATTEND TUNISHA’S FUNERAL
SHEEZAN KHAN BREAKS DOWN
DURING INTERROGATION
Mumbai: Tunisha Sharma’s co-star
Sheezan Khan’s mother and sister
also came to the cremation ground
to pay their last respects. Sheezan,
who worked with Tunisha in ‘Ali Baba
Dastaan-E-Kabul’, was arrested on Sun-
day on charges of abetment of suicide.
Mumbai: Actor Sheezan Khan,
arrested for allegedly abetting the
suicide of Tunisha, on Tuesday broke
down during his interrogation and has
denied allegations that he had been
dating several girls while he was in a
relationship with the deceased actor.
4 KILLED, 1 INJURED
IN FIRE ACCIDENT AT
AP PHARMA UNIT
Visakhapatnam: Four
workers died and another
suffered severe burn
injuries following a fire that
broke out at a pharmaceu-
tical firm located inside
Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma
City in Anakapalle district
of Andhra Pradesh, police
said on Tuesday. Anakapal-
le Superintendent of Police
Gowthami Sali confirmed
the fire accident that hap-
pened at Unit-III of Laurus
Labs Limited on Monday
night.
ASSAM POLICE
RESCUE CATTLE FROM
TRUCK IN BISWANATH
Guwahati: At least 28
cattle heads were rescued
by Assam police from a
12-wheeler truck at Jorabat
junction under Basistha
PS in East Guwahati Police
District. The accused were
trying to smuggle the cattle
heads into Byrnihat, which
were brought from Bezera,
Kamrup. One Md Rajmul
Ali, a local of the Sipajhar
region, was arrested in
connection to this.
BIHAR: MISCREANTS
HYPNOTIZE WOMAN,
ROB JEWELLERY
Patna: Two unidentified
men hypnotized a woman
and made off with her
jewellery in Kankarbagh,
police said on Tuesday.
The incident took place
when Ranju Prasad wife
of a retired professor was
going to a doctor’s clinic
for a medical check-up.
As she reached the Shivaji
Park three-wheeler stand,
a man approached and
offered her a camphor,
which appeared to be a
part of prasad.
Leopard on run injures
13 in Assam’s Jorhat
Jorhat (PTI): Atleast13
people, including chil-
dren and forest officials,
were injured in an at-
tack by a leopard prowl-
ing in Jorhat district of
Assam on Monday
.
The leopard was spot-
ted around the campus
of the Rain Forest Re-
search Institute (RFRI)
in Chenijan area of the
district since early
morning. The residents
informed the foresters
about the leopard.
As many as 10 resi-
dents of the campus,
including women and
children, and three for-
est personnel were at-
tacked in the last 24
hour by the big cat,
which later fled the spot.
In a horrifying video,
widely circulated on so-
cial media, the leopard
can be seen jumping
over a barbed wire fence
and pouncing on a car
before running away
from the area.
A forest official told
PTI that they tried to
tranquilise the leopard
several times, but in
vain. He said that ef-
forts are underway to
track and capture it.
The leopard attacking a car in
Jorhat district of Assam.
UP: 118 IAS officers to get Spl Secy ranks
Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: The Yogi
Government of Uttar
Pradesh is going to give
the gift of promotion to
118 IAS officers in the
new year in which 9 IAS
officers will be promot-
ed from Special Secre-
tary rank to Secretary
rank from January 1.
There is a huge short-
age of secretary rank
officers in the bureau-
cracy of UP due to
which one officer has
dual responsibility.
Also some officers have
been given the responsi-
bility of secretary be-
fore time.
In the IAS service,
there is a system of giv-
ing super time pay scale
on continuous service
of 16 years. IAS Sheetal
Verma — Director of
Census Operation/ Di-
rector of Citizen Regis-
tration News Delhi - is
the first name among
those who will become
Secretary from Special
Secretary in UP.
Another important
name in this connec-
tion is that of IAS Alok
Tiwari, Private Secre-
tary to Defense Minis-
ter of the country, Ra-
jnath Singh, who will
become secretary after
getting promotion on
January 1. Alok Tiwari,
who was DM of Kan-
nauj, Mathura and Kan-
pur, is considered a
very honest and hard-
working officer and is
currently posted in
New Delhi.
IAS Alok Tiwari IAS Suhas LY
BSF soldier killed for objecting
againstdaughter’sobscenevideo
Ahmedabad (ANI): As
many as seven persons
have been arrested for
allegedly lynching a
BSF personnel in Guja-
rat for protesting
against an obscene vid-
eo of his daughter. The
soldier, Melaji Vaghela
(45), was allegedly at-
tacked with sharp weap-
ons and sticks by the
family members of the
boy whom he ap-
proached for uploading
the video of his minor
daughter online. DSP of
Nadiad VR Bajpai said
that Vaghela, his son
and relatives went to the
house of one of the ac-
cused Shailash Yadav to
speak with him and his
family over the video.
BSF REACHES OUT
TO FAMILY OF
‘LYNCHED’ TROOPER
Ahmedabad: The BSF has
reached out to the family
of its trooper Melajibhai
Vaghela who was mur-
dered in Kheda district
last week when he went
to reprimand a youth who
allegedly uploaded videos
of his minor daughter
online. The BSF said it is
providing all help to them,
including immediate
financial assistance.
COLD WAVE INTENSIFIES IN KASHMIR
Srinagar: Coldwave condi-
tions gripped Kashmir
as the mercury fell by a
couple of degrees across
the Valley to push the
minimum temperature fur-
ther below freezing point,
officials said on Tuesday.
The minimum tempera-
ture on Monday night fell
by one to two degrees
compared to the previous
night. The intense cold
led to water supply lines
freezing in several areas.
The interiors of Dal Lake
and several other water
bodies in the Valley also
froze, the officials said.
The minimum tempera-
ture in Srinagar settled at
minus 4.8 degrees Celsius
— down from minus 3.5
degrees on Sunday.
K’taka CM Bommai calls
on Amit Shah in Delhi
New Delhi (ANI):
Ahead of the Karnataka
assembly elections
scheduled next year, CM
BasavarajBommaimeet
Union Minister Amit
Shah in Delhi.
The meeting took
placeatShah’sresidence
in which BJP chief JP
Nadda was also present.
The meeting went on for
over four hours, accord-
ing to the sources. “The
meeting was to discuss
the upcoming assembly
elections in Karnataka,
Cabinet expansion and
2024 Lok sabha elections
also,” the sources said.
They further said that
former ministers KS Es-
hwarappa and Ramesh
Jarkiholi are also likely
to be reinducted into the
cabinet.
“With pressure
mounting from former
ministersKSEshwarap-
pa and Ramesh Jarki-
holi, who have demand-
ed that they be reinduct-
ed into the cabinet, the
issue is likely to come
up for discussion when
Bommai meets senior
BJP leaders in Delhi,”
sources said.
K’taka govt’s advisory on new virus
Bengaluru (PTI): The
BF.7 variant of COV-
ID-19 is highly trans-
missible but it does not
have much virulence
(severity of a disease),
Karnataka Health Min-
ister K Sudhakar said
on Tuesday
.
He urged elderly
, chil-
dren and pregnant
women to follow COVID
precautions and remain
vigilant. He further
said that the virulence
is slightly high among
the elderly population
and those with co-mor-
bidities, citing reports
from other countries.
“BF.7 is a sub-variant
of Omicron, but the
only difference between
other variants and this
is that the rate of its
spread is high, but does
not have much viru-
lence,” he told media.
“That’s the reason in
the guidelines, we have
given importance to
them (old and co-mor-
bid) and have advised
them to avoid places or
activities where a large
crowd gathers and wear
masks if unavoidable.
Similar is the case with
pregnant women and
children,” he added.
So far, four cases of
the BF.7 variant have
been reported in India
– two from Gujarat and
two from Odisha.
In view of spurt in
COVID-19 cases globally
,
Karnataka govt ramped
up its preventive meas-
ures, making use of
masks at cinema thea-
tres and educational in-
stitutions mandatory
.
State’s Health Minister advises that children, elderly people, pregnant women must remain cautious
ANDHRA CM HOLDS MEETING TO CHECK
PREPAREDNESS OF VILLAGE CLINICS
Amaravati (ANI): CM YS
Jagan Mohan Reddy on
Monday held a review
meeting on the prevail-
ing Covid situation and
decided to write a letter
to the Centre seeking
to reduce the gap for
administering a ‘precau-
tionary dose’ from the
existing nine months to
six months, CMO said
in a statement. The CM
directed the Medical and
Health Department to fill
the existing vacancies of
doctors and para-medical
posts by January 26
besides providing ac-
commodation and other
necessary facilities to
staff members working in
the Department in agency
areas. CM held a review
meeting on the Covid
new variant BF 7 chal-
lenge, on the construc-
tion of village clinics.
4 FLYERS FOUND
COVID+ IN B’LURU
FREE TREATMENT FOR BF.7 VARIANT INFECTED PATIENTS IN K’TALA
Bengaluru: 4 passengers
who came to Bangalore
Airport have tested posi-
tive. Four of 200 individuals
who underwent testing,
found Corona positive.
Their sample has been sent
for genome sequencing.
The Central govt works
with state govt. Amidst the
surging cases of Covid-19
cases in China, wearing
masks will not be made
mandatory in India.
Bengaluru: The state
govt has announced free
treatment for people
with confirmed cases of
the new SARS-CoV-2
variant - BF.7. “All the
suspected Covid cases will
be admitted and isolated
at Bowring Hospital in
Bengaluru and Wenlock
Hospital in Mangaluru for
both observation as well
as treatment purposes. All
the confirmed cases with
new variants will be pro-
vided with free treatment
at these two hospitals,”
revenue minister R Ashoka
said. This apart, a high-
level committee has been
constituted in every district
to visit every hospital and
supervise preparedness.
A health worker puts up a poster for Covid-19 test at CV Raman
Govt hospital in Bengaluru, on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
BF.7 COVID VARIANT
NEWS DIGEST

Domestic tourism bounces back to pre-Covid times
New Delhi (ANI): A de-
mand for domestic air
travel and hotel bookings
which has increased more
than pre-Covid times has
given a great sense of re-
lief to the domestic tour-
ism sector as the demand
for these services has now
crossed the pre-pandemic-
period.
On December 26, around
4,23,000 domestic passen-
gers travelled in the coun-
try that breached the pre-
Covid high of 4,20,000. On
December 24, the number
of domestic travellers who
took to flight was 4,35,500.
Experts in the tourism
industry said that the
surge in domestic travel
had been witnessed be-
cause of various restric-
tions and procedures on
international travel as
many countries are still
coping with Covid.
Vipul Prakash, COO,
MakeMyTrip, said, “Do-
mestic leisure traffic has
recovered more than 100%
of pre-pandemic levels and
remains strong. We are ob-
serving solid trends for the
upcoming new year-end
weekend. Goa, Jaipur,
Shimla, Udaipur, and
Manali lead the pack of the
most booked destinations
on the platform. We have
also observed a robust up-
tick for Wayanad, Mysore,
Ooty, Coorg, Gangtok, Deh-
radun, Agra, Dharamsha-
la, and Darjeeling. People
are opting for longer dura-
tion stays in premium
properties, indicating a
higher propensity to spend
as they seek luxury-led ex-
periences.”
HOTEL BOOKINGS SPIKE 100%
PREFERRED
DESTINATIONS
z Goa, Jaipur, Shimla,
Udaipur, and Manali lead the
pack of the most booked
destinations on MakeMyTrip
platform
z On the international front,
the best-selling packages
for the new year celebrations
include Spectacular Krabi
and Phuket Getaway
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: Gold price
rose `173 to `55,074 per
10 grams in the national
capital on Tuesday amid
gains in precious metal
internationally, according
to HDFC Securities. The
yellow metal had ended at
`54,901 per 10 grams in
the previous trade. Silver
also zoomed `926 to
`70,205 per kilogram.
“Gold price continue to
trade higher, helped by a
softer dollar,” Navneet
Damani, Senior VP –
Commodity Research at
Motilal Oswal Financial
Services, said. —PTI
GOLD RATE SEES AN
INCREASE OF `173;
SILVER ZOOMS `926
New Delhi: The industry
size of airbags, a key
safety feature in vehicles,
is expected to grow to up
to `7,000 crore by
FY2027 in India, from the
current levels of around
`2,500 crore, according
to ratings agency Icra.
The growth in the airbag
industry, which is one of
the fastest growing auto
component segments, is
expected to be fuelled by
the increase in content
per vehicle arising from
higher regulatory require-
ments and voluntary in-
crease in the number of
airbags per vehicle for en-
hancing safety, Icra said
in a statement. —PTI
AIRBAG INDUSTRY TO
GROW TO ` 7K CR IN
INDIA BY FY27: ICRA
New Delhi: Digital ad
spending in India is likely
to reach $21 billion by
2028, a report showed on
Tuesday. This can be at-
tributed to surge in mo-
bile and Internet usage.
Notedly, growth in UGC
will empower individual
creators and influencers
to build their digital iden-
tity, which brands can
leverage for digital ads.
This strong ecosystem of
2.5 to 3 mn creators is
expected to drive market-
ing spending of $2.8 bn-
$3.5 bn by 2028. —FIB
INDIA’S DIGITAL AD
SPENDING TO REACH
$21 BILLION BY 2028
New Delhi: Hindustan
Power Exchange (HPX)
on Tuesday said it has
reached the milestone of
one billion units of power
traded within six months
of its launch. With more
than 360 market partici-
pants, HPX has also raced
to register participants
comprising 80% buy vol-
ume of overall DAM; 90%
sell volume of Green DAM
and 70% buy of RTM.
HPX — promoted by PTC
India, BSE and ICICI Bank
— has reached the mile-
stone of 1 bn units of
power traded within six
months of launch. —PTI
HPX CROSSES 1 BN
UNITS POWER
TRADING-MARK
07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 55,074.00 173.00 0.31 (Per 10g)
SILVER 70,205.00 926.00 1.31 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 82.85 0.20 0.24
GBPINR 100.25 0.26 0.26
CURRENCIES
*Rates till the edition went to print.
RELIGARE FINVEST LTD
ON TRACK TO RESTART
ITS BUSINESS
New Delhi: Debt-ridden Religare
Finvest Ltd (RFL) is hopeful of
restarting its business opera-
tion in the New
Year following
the company’s
proposal of
`2,300 crore
OTS finding favour from most
of the lenders. Once the OTS
process is completed, RFL will
come out of the CAP imposed
by the RBI in January 2018 due
to its weak financial health. 14
out of 16 lenders have signed
the OTS agreement and the
remaining two are expected to
sign in a day or two. —PTI
INDIA EMERGES AS TOP
INVESTMENT
DESTINATION: REPORT
New Delhi: India emerged as
one of the leading investment
destinations for billionaires
across the
world, as
per the UBS
Billionaire Am-
bitions Report
2022. Billionaires around globe
are looking to put more of their
money in India due to the strong
growth of the region’s economy,
according to the report. Among
sectors, the billionaires favour
energy, possibly due to today’s
supply constraints and the ac-
celerating secular transition to
renewables. —FIB
OTHER STORIES
POWER MINISTRY, DRDO INK PCT FOR EARLY
WARNING SYSTEM FOR HYDRO PROJECTS
New Delhi: The Power Ministry on Tuesday signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with the Defence Research and Development Or-
ganization (DRDO) for the implementation of an early warning system
for vulnerable hydro projects or power
stations. The ministry and the DRDO will
jointly work towards developing suitable
mitigation measures against avalanches,
landslides, glaciers, glacial lakes and other
geo-hazards, an official release said. The
expertise of the DRDO will also be utilized
in developing comprehensive Early Warning System for vulnerable
hydro projects/ power stations in hilly regions. —PTI
FinMin REPORT
India’stotal debtrises
to`147 lakh cr in Q2
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The total lia-
bilities of the government
increased to `147.19 lakh
crore at September-end
from `145.72 lakh crore at
the end of June this fiscal
year, according to the latest
data on public debt.
In percentage terms, it
reflects a quarter-on-quar-
ter increase of 1% in sec-
ond quarter of 2022-23.
Public debt accounted for
89.1% of total gross liabili-
ties at September-end 2022,
up from 88.3% as on June
30, the quarterly report on
public debt management
released by the finance
ministry on Tuesday said.
Nearly 29.6% of the out-
standing dated securities
had a residual maturity of
less than 5 years, it said.
During the second quar-
ter, it said, the central gov-
ernment raised `4,06,000
crore through dated securi-
ties, as against notified
amount of `4,22,000 crore
in the borrowing calendar,
while repayments were at
`92,371.15 crore.
The weighted average
yield of primary issuances
hardened to 7.33% in Q2
FY23 from 7.23% in Q1
FY23, it said, adding, the
weighted average maturity
of new issuances of dated
securities was lower at
15.62 years in Q2 as com-
pared to 15.69 years in Q1.
During July-September
2022, the central govern-
ment did not raise any
amount through Cash
Management Bills.
The Reserve Bank did
not conduct Open Market
operations for government
securities during the quar-
ter. The net daily average
liquidity absorption by
RBI under Liquidity Ad-
justment Facility (LAF)
including Marginal Stand-
ing Facility and Special
Liquidity Facility was at
`1,28,323.37 crore during
the quarter, it said.
The yields on govern-
ment securities in second-
ary market hardened in
short-end curve due to
near-term inflation and li-
quidity concern though
softening of yield was ob-
served for the longer ten-
ure securities during the
second quarter, it said.
DATA IN
NUMBERS
z The total liabilities of the
government increased
to `147.19 lakh crore
at September-end from
`145.72 lakh crore at the
end of June this fiscal year
z Public debt accounted
for 89.1% of total gross
liabilities at Sept-end 2022,
up from 88.3% as on June
30, the quarterly report said
India-Australia FTA to
help increase apparel
exports: Trade Council
New Delhi (PTI): Customs
duty advantage under the
India-Australia free trade
agreement will help Indian
apparel exporters get
greater market access in
that country as compared
to their competitors, AEPC
said on Tuesday
. The agree-
ment is coming into force
from December 29.
Apparel Export Promo-
tion Council (AEPC) Vice
Chairman Sudhir Sekhri
said Australia is the largest
importer of garments in
the southern hemisphere.
While China’s share in
import of apparel into Aus-
tralia is more than 70%,
India’s share is less than
5%. “With the India-Aus-
tralia ECTA (Economic Co-
operationandTradeAgree-
ment ) getting operational-
ised, India will have a
slight duty advantage over
Vietnam and Indonesia for
imports in the Australian
market,” he said.
India’s ready-made gar-
ment exports to Australia
have seen a growth of an
average of 11.84% over the
last 5 years, which is “pure-
ly on account of China Plus
One strategy adopted by
most countries,” he added.
INDIA-AUS
TRADE PACT
z Customs duty advantage
under the India-Australia free
trade agreement will help
Indian apparel exporters get
greater market access in that
country as compared to their
competitors, APEC said
z India’s ready-made garment
exports to Australia have seen
a growth of an average of
11.84 per cent over the last
five years
z AEPC Vice Chairman Sudhir
Sekhri said Australia is the
largest importer of garments in
the southern hemisphere
Startups will
likely attract
significant FDI
in 2023: DPIIT
New Delhi (PTI): The
country’s startups will
attract significant for-
eign direct invest-
ments (FDI) in 2023 on
account of steps being
taken by the govern-
ment to strengthen the
ecosystem for budding
entrepreneurs, a top
government official
has said.
Secretary in DPIIT
Anurag Jain said In-
dia has the third larg-
est startup ecosystem
in the world and the
way startups here are
performing; soon the
country will become a
top ecosystem globally
.
“Number of recog-
nized startups is in-
creasing significantly,
the FFS and Startup
India Seed Fund
Scheme are doing
good. Startups too will
attract significant FDI
in 2023,” Jain said.
Presently, India has
one of the most liber-
alized FDI policies
wherein very few
sectors require govt
approval, he said.
Fair work conditions: Ola, Uber, 3 others score nil
New Delhi (PTI): Five dig-
ital platforms -- cab aggre-
gators Ola and Uber, gro-
cery delivery app Dunzo,
pharmacy platform
PharmEasy and Amazon
Flex — have the lowest
scores in a rating of digital
platforms on the basis of
providing fair working con-
ditions for gig workers.
The rating of 12 digital
platforms was done by a
Fairwork India team in as-
sociation with the Oxford
University. Fairwork eval-
uates the work conditions
of digital labour plat-
forms internation-
ally
.
Fairwork In-
dia Ratings
2022 Re-
p o r t ,
which as-
sessed plat-
forms against five princi-
ples: Fair Pay, Fair Condi-
tions, Fair Contracts, Fair
Management, and Fair
Re p re s e n t at i o n ,
found that Ama-
zon Flex,
D u n z o ,
O l a ,
P h a r m -
Easy and Uber
scored zero out of 10
points.
“This year, no platform
scored more than seven out
of the maximum of ten
points, and none scored all
the first points across the
five principles,” the report
said. The Fairwork India
Ratings 2022 evaluated 12
platforms, including Ama-
zon Flex, bigbasket, Dunzo,
Flipkart, Ola, PharmEasy,
Porter, Swiggy
, Uber, Urban
Company
, Zepto Zomato.
MARKETS CLIMB FOR SECOND
DAY ON FIRM GLOBAL CUES
Mumbai (PTI): Equity
benchmarks Sensex and
Nifty closed with gains on
Tuesday, following a firm
trend in the global markets.
Extending its previous
day’s rally
, the 30-share BSE
Sensexjumped361.01points
or0.60%tosettleat60,927.43.
During the day, it rallied
420.26 points or 0.69 % to
60,986.68. The broader NSE
Nifty climbed 117.70 points
or 0.65% to end at 18,132.30.
From the Sensex pack,
Tata Steel, Tata Motors,
Larsen Toubro, Asian
Paints, Wipro, Bajaj Fi-
nance, ICICI Bank, Tech
Mahindra and Titan were
the major winners.
Hindustan Unilever, ITC,
Mahindra Mahindra and
Nestle were the laggards.
` FALLS 20 PAISE TO
CLOSE AT 82.85
AGAINST US DOLLAR
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee
declined 20 paise to close at
82.85 (provisional) against the
US dollar on Tuesday. The rupee
opened lower at 82.71 against
the greenback and witnessed
an intraday high of 82.69 and a
low of 82.87. It finally settled at
82.85, down 20 paise over its
previous close of 82.65.
India’s housing
sale hits all-time
high in 2022
New Delhi (FIB): India’s
housing sales recorded an
all-time high in 2022
breaching the previous
high of 2014 on the back of
strong demand for resi-
dential properties despite
a hike in mortgage rates,
according to a report by
Anarock.
In 2022, the housing sales
were nearly 3.65 lakh units
across seven major cities.
The prices of residential
properties have risen in the
range of 4-7% which can be
attributed to surge in the
input costs and demand
comeback post-Covid, said
the report. Anarock said
that the housing sales rose
54% this year to 3,64,900
units across the seven cit-
ies -- Delhi-NCR, Mumbai
Metropolitan Region,
Chennai, Kolkata, B’luru,
Hyderabad and Pune.

Nagpur: Guardian
Minister of Sangli dis-
trict Suresh Khade con-
gratulated the Shinde-
Fadnavis government
after the Maharashtra
government passed a
proposal for Marathi
speaking people in the
border areas of Karna-
taka. On this occasion,
Suresh Khade ques-
tioned about the ‘invis-
ible hand’ that has a
role in the boundary
issue of 40 villages in
Jat taluka of Sangli dis-
trict. On this occasion,
he highlighted how se-
rious the water prob-
lem is in Jat taluka and
also informed about
how the Mhaisal
scheme is being imple-
mented.
After informing the
Maharashtra govern-
ment about the deci-
sion of 40 villages of
Jat taluka of Sangli to
go to Karnataka, we
have discussed with
those villages and de-
cided to provide facili-
ties to them.
“865 villages of Kar-
nataka, which have
been struggling to
come to Maharashtra
for the last few days,
have not been success-
ful so far. Similarly, the
villages of Jat taluka,
that had decided to go
to Karnataka, will not
be cleared immediately
in a few days. Karna-
taka is not the city of
gold, nor will you get
everything by going
there,” Khade said.
“Jat taluka has al-
ways been drought af-
fected. That’s why vari-
ous schemes are being
run for water by the
Shinde-Fadnavis gov-
ernment. Due to severe
drought in Jat taluka, a
water scheme worth Rs
2,000 crore has been ap-
proved. Therefore there
will be no question of
these villages going to
Karnataka,” he said.
Meanwhile, Khade has
also demanded from the
Chief Minister that the
Maharashtra govern-
ment should implement
various schemes for the
drought-affected vil-
lages in Jat taluka of
Sangli district.
08
2NDFRONT
HC refuses to extend stay
on Anil Deshmukh’s bail
Mumbai: Former Ma-
harashtra Home Minis-
ter Anil Deshmukh is
likely to walk out of jail
on Wednesday as Bom-
bay High Court on
Tuesday refused to ex-
tend its stay on an order
granting him bail in a
corruption case regis-
tered by CBI.
Justice MS Karnik
had granted bail to the
73-year-old Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
leader on December 12
but stayed the order for
10 days as the CBI
sought time to chal-
lenge it in the Supreme
Court. The probe agen-
cy moved the apex court
but the appeal would be
heard only in January
2023 as the court is
closed for vacation.
Last week, the high
court extended the stay
till December 27 on the
CBI’s request. On Tues-
day, the central agency
sought another exten-
sion. Deshmukh’s law-
yers Aniket Nikam and
Inderpal Singh claimed
that the CBI was trying
to “overreach” the ear-
lier order of the HC
which had stated that
under no circumstanc-
es another extension
will be granted.
“They are failing to
make out any urgency
in the Supreme Court
and coming here seek-
ing a stay. This cannot
be permitted,” Nikam
argued. The vacation
bench of the High
Court, after hearing the
arguments, said that
“no further extension
can be granted”.
With the court refus-
ing to extend the stay,
Deshmukh could be re-
leased on bail on
Wednesday, his lawyers
told PTI. The high
court, while granting
bail to Deshmukh, had
noted that except for
dismissed police officer
Sachin Waze’s state-
ment, no testimony re-
corded by the CBI indi-
cated that money was
being extorted from bar
owners in Mumbai at
the behest of the NCP
leader.
‘Karnataka is not the city of gold,
you wont get everything there’
865 villages of
Karnataka have
been wanting to
join Maharashtra,
said Suresh Khade
Dont know if its Shinde
or Fadnavis running
the govt: Ambedkar
Mumbai: With the is-
sue of alleged insult to
historical icons on Ma-
harashtra gaining trac-
tion in the public, the
Vanchit Bahujan Agha-
di took our a march to-
wards Vidhan Bhawan
to protest against the
insult of great men. Ad-
dressing the workers on
this ocassion, Prakash
Ambedkar attacked the
state government to
make changes and
bring forth a better
state.
“I don’t see what is
true about this govern-
ment. Inhuman people
are sitting in power
who do not care about
humanity and human
life. Power and strength
are useful to them. But,
power comes and goes.
Power is generated
through the ballot box,
and it is for five years.
Power is not an immor-
tal stone, but the work
is going on to make it
immortal,” the Vanchit
Bahujan Aghadi leader
said.
“First Congress and
now BJP, RSS are say-
ing, no one can rule
without us. Even if the
donkey comes to power
tomorrow, there will be
no change until the ty-
rants are removed.
However, it is not
known whether the pre-
sent government is be-
ing run by Chief Minis-
ter Eknath Shinde or
Deputy Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis,”
Prakash Ambedkar
said, and further added,
“As long as we fight, we
will not keep our rights
intact. Till then the
power will not be under
the control of the giver.
Otherwise you will be
purchased by the high-
est bidder. This is dan-
gerous for democracy,”
he said.
1.65 lakh liquor licenses issued by Excise dept in Pune
First India Bureau
Pune: 31st December,
the last day of the year
is always full of frolic
and parties and hence
the day to welcome the
New Year is everyone’s
favorite day. While
people celebrate in
their own unique man-
ner, there are some
who look forward to
consuming the most
exotic of liquors.
Every year Pune
welcomes the new
Year in style and pomp.
However, now it seems
that Punekars will be
having more ‘fun’ as
compared to previous
two years that went
uner corona. State Ex-
cise Department has
given one day permit
to 1.65 lakh citizens of
Pune district to drink
liquor. These licenses
are given to hotels,
bars and restaurants
etc.
So far this year, 1
lakh 65 thousand liq-
uor licenses (domestic
and foreign liquor) i.e.
“one day permits”
have been issued in
Pune district. The cost
of a one-day permit is
Rs 5. Consumption or
sale of liquor without
license is punishable
as per the rules of the
State Excise Depart-
ment. Hence, keeping
this in mind, this year,
10 special teams of
State Excise will keep
a close watch in Pune
district on 31st Decem-
ber.
“Night patrolling
will be conducted and
unauthorized dhabas,
farm houses and sus-
picious vehicles will
be checked,” said
Charan Singh Rajput,
Superintendent, State
Excise Department.
According to the in-
formation given by the
State Excise Depart-
ment, 240 cases have
been registered in con-
nection with the ille-
gal sale of liquor in
the month of Decem-
ber this year and 17
vehicles have been
seized in the ongoing
month. The state’s Ex-
cise Department has
also seized goods
worth Rs 50 lakh.
PARTY RESPONSIBLY
Basavaraj Bommai —FILE PHOTO
Kochhars approach HC
against their arrest
LOAN FRAUD CASE
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Former IC-
ICI Bank CEO and MD
Chanda Kochhar and
her husband Deepak
Kochhar on Tuesday
approached Bombay
HC, calling their ar-
rest by CBI in a loan
fraud case illegal.
The court, howev-
er, refused to grant
urgent hearing and
directed Kochhars to
mention the matter
before regular bench
once it resumes after
vacation.
A lawyer repre-
senting the Kocchars
said that no prior
sanction, as required
under law, was ob-
tained by CBI before
their arrest.
The probe agency
arrested the Koch-
hars on Friday night
after questioning
them briefly. It al-
leged that they were
evasive in their re-
sponses and did not
cooperate in the in-
vestigation.
The CBI has al-
leged that ICICI Bank
had sanctioned credit
of Rs3,250 crore to
companies of the Vid-
eocon Group promot-
ed by Dhoot in viola-
tion of Banking Reg-
ulation Act, RBI
guidelines, and credit
policy of the bank.
PERMIT GRANTED
A court here on
Tuesday permit-
ted former ICICI
Bank CEO and MD
Chanda Kochhar,
her husband Deepak
Kochhar, and Vide-
ocon group founder
Venugopal Dhoot to
use special beds and
mattresses while
in the custody of
CBI in connection
with a loan fraud
case. They were
also permitted to
have home-cooked
food and medicines.
The Kochhars and
Dhoot had sought
permission to use a
chair, special beds,
mattresses, pillows,
towels, blankets, and
bed sheets citing
their medical condi-
tions. The court
permitted them to
use these items at
their own cost.
GRASS IS GREENER
VIGILANT GOVT
Justice MS
Karnik
had granted bail
on December 12
but stayed the
order as CBI
sought time to
challenge it
in SC
Maha’s border resolution
irresponsible against
federalstructure:Bommai
Belagavi: Terming
Maharashtra Legis-
lature’s resolution on
border issue as “irre-
sponsibleandagainst
federal structure,”
Karnataka CM Basa-
varaj Bommai on
Tuesday once again
asserted that not
even inch of the
state’s land will be
ceded.
He also expressed
confidence about get-
ting justice in the Su-
preme Court, as Kar-
nataka’s stand on the
issue is both legal
and constitutional.
“We strongly con-
demn Maharashtra’s
resolution, it has
been so long since the
State Reorganisation
Act 1956 came in, and
people on both sides
are living peacefully.
Maharashtra has the
practice of making
such statements and
resolutions for the
sake of their poli-
tics,” Bommai said.
Speaking to report-
ers here, he said Kar-
nataka is firm and
clear on its stand that
it will not cede even
an inch of land, and
that his government
is committed to pro-
tect the interest of
Kannadigas on the
other side of the bor-
der.
“Look at the differ-
ence between our
resolution and theirs,
we are saying that we
will not cede our
land, while they want
to take our land.
There is no meaning
to such things when
matter is before the
Supreme Court. We
are confident about
getting justice as our
stand is both consti-
tutional and legal,”
he added.
The Maharashtra
Legislature today
unanimously passed
a resolution to “le-
gally pursue” inclu-
sion of 865 Marathi-
speaking villages in
Karnataka into the
western state, amid
the raging boundary
dispute between the
two states.
The resolution
moved by CM Eknath
Shinde in both Hous-
es of the Maharash-
tra legislature said
the Karnataka Legis-
lature had passed a
resolution on the is-
sue to purposely fuel
the border row and
condemned southern
state’s stand.
Stating that Karna-
taka’s resolution was
constitutional and
legal, Bommai said,
“Maharashtra’s reso-
lution is opposite to
it. The whole nation
is watching. It is
against the federal
structure. It is irre-
sponsible and we con-
demn it.”
COVID SCARE
Will help govt
if required,
says Tope
Mumbai: The number
of patients affected by
the corona virus is in-
creasing in countries
likeChina,Japan,Amer-
ica, Brazil etc. Due to
this, once again the fear
of corona wave is being
expressed. Against this
backdrop, State Health
Minister Tanaji Sawant
also reviewed the health
system in the state
through review meet-
ings.Now,formerHealth
Minister and NCP MLA
Rajesh Tope has said
that protocols for covid
should be followed.
“Theprotocolsthatare
being told should be fol-
lowed. I think we should
follow whatever the cen-
tral government says,”
said Rajesh Tope. When
asked if the current
healthministerwouldbe
able to handle if such a
situation arises, Tope
said,“Ithinkitwillnotbe
righttotalkaboutothers.
Iamreadytohelp.Public
is ours. We work for pub-
lic. This is my experi-
ence. Using all that expe-
rience, I can go in a min-
ute and help in public
interest, anytime.”
Prakash Ambedkar
Laughter elevates our mood,
promotes creativity and gives
us more energy-so make it a
part of your daily life.
—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
—FILE PHOTO
Suresh Khade —FILE PHOTO
Anil Deshmukh —FILE PHOTO

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, WEDNESDAY,
DECEMBER 28, 2022
K Rowling
once said “We
do not need
magic to
change the
world; we car-
ry all the pow-
er we need inside our-
selves already
. We have
the power to imagine
better.” And to be hon-
est we all need a touch
of magicandasprinkle
of glitter in our life to
get through those
dreary days and what
better way to do this
than through fashion!
Unicorns are the sym-
bol of freedom, magic,
joy, and innocence the
enchanted animal of
miraclesthatteachkids
tobelievethatanything
is possible. They in-
spire imagination and
creativity and it’s just
impossible to be sad
when you think of the
sparkly
, glittery beauty
.
Unicorn-inspired
fashion is conquering
the world with its cute-
ness and comfort level.
Unicorn-shaped hood-
ies and unicorn tricol-
ours inspired colours
in nail paints, bags and
dresses are not only
ruling the fashion
world by living rent-
free in our brains. Here
are some Unicorn-in-
spiredfashionstomake
your day a little more
magical.
Life’s all about rainbows, glitter and unicorns
and to mark its presence in your life City First
brings to you some Unicorn-inspired fashions to
make your day a little more magical.
BE A DIAMOND-STUDDED
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in
FAIRY DRESSES
There is no unicorn without some frills
and ruffles. To turn the dresses into Uni
fashion the designers have gone all out and
styled the skirt with embroidery and sequin
corset, making the appearance even more
magical. Twirl around all day as you will look
exceptional in this outfit.
J
HOLOGRAPHIC MINI SKIRT
The holographic effect is
a technique that enables a
wavefront to be recorded
and later reconstructed. This
medium is best to radiate
unicorn feels. This high-
waist short skirt with a front
zipper is a super stylish pick
if you are looking to get on
board with the trend. You
can pair it with a simple
tee or white shirt to rock
the trend in a subtle way.
Additionally, you can go all
out by matching an equally
shimmery sequin top!
STYLISH PANTS
Fever of Disco sequin pants is winning hearts.
The multitude of unicorn colours reflecting off
make these pants a unique choice. If dressing
in tulle and dresses is not your style, these
pants with a scrunched-up bottom are a cool
alternative. To really feel this look, be bold and
go for some shine from head to toe.

28122022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

28122022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to 28122022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

Similar to 28122022_First India_Mumbai.pdf (20)

More from FIRST INDIA

More from FIRST INDIA (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (9)

28122022_First India_Mumbai.pdf