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P6 Jaipur, Thursday | February 29, 2024 RNI NUMBER: RAJENG/2019/77764 | VOL 5 | ISSUE NO. 264 | PAGES 14 | `3.00 Rajasthan’s Own English Newspaper firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia P2 Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat YAY!ONE EXTRADAY February 29 rolls around every 4 years and just about every society from every country has some type of celebration marking that extra day. According to the Gregorian calendar that is the world’s most widely used civil calendar, each leap year consists of 366 days instead of 365. This extra day, known as Leap Day, adjusts for the fact that an astronomical year is slightly less than 365 days and 6 hours. The last Leap Day occurred in 2020, and the next will arrive in 2028. 5 million People worldwide share a Leap Day birthday 16th century Leap year was an invention more than 2,000 years back BJPISCOMMITTEDFORTN, ‘IDUMODIYINGUARANTEE’ PM Narendra Modi addresses an enthusiastic crowd in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district Moni Sharma Tirunelveli/Thoothukudi PM Narendra Modi ad- dressed an enthusiastic crowd in Tirunelveli, Ta- mil Nadu on Wednesday. PM initiated his address by noting that the people of Tamil Nadu are look- ing at the BJP with great hopes and said, ‘People are seeing how BJP has taken forward the posi- tive politics of sensitivity and social justice in the country. This immense love and trust of Tamil Nadu is a big responsibil- ity for us.’ Modi further assured to the people of Tirunelveli, ‘BJP will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling this responsibility and living up to your trust. This is Modi Ki guarantee - Idu Modiyin Guarantee’. ‘For the first time un- der BJP govt, distance from Delhi to TN has re- duced so much,’ Modi remarked with confi- dence. In an attempt to make people aware and cautious, PM remarked, “The anti-development parties and the state govt that is opposed to the de- velopment ofTamil Nadu have looted you a lot.” PM Narendra Modi meets a supporter during the public meeting, in Tirunelveli on Wednesday. In the 2024 elections, on one side is BJP which talks about development and vision, while on the other side are parties like DMK and Congress. They want to join the govt so that they can take their family forward and fill their family’s pockets. NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER PM MODI SLAMS DMK GOVT FOR ‘CHINA ROCKET’ IN NEWSPAPER ADVTS, CALLS IT ‘INSULT’ OF ISRO PM Modi lashed out on DMK govt at the state saying that the ad insulted Indian scientists and is a waste of public money. “DMK is a party that does not work but stands ahead to take false credit. These people paste their stickers on our schemes. Now they have crossed the limits, they have pasted China’s sticker to take credit for the ISRO launch pad,” PM Modi said in Tirunelveli. INDIA’S FIRST! ZERO EMISSIONHYDROGEN FERRY LAUNCHED PM MODI’S RALLY IN SRINAGAR ON MAR 7 India’s first indigenously developed and built hydrogen fuel cell ferry, launched by PM Modi on Wednesday, has zero emission and zero noise and can reduce impact of global warming. According to Cochin Shipyard, adop- tion of green hydrogen as a maritime fuel is at forefront of India’s com- mitment to a sustainable future that aims for net zero emissions by 2070. In what would mark his first visit to Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address a public rally in Srinagar on March 7. BJP SEEKS NO-TRUST VOTE, MEETS GOVERNOR After 15 BJP MLAs were suspended from the Himachal Assembly by Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania for alleg- edly creating a ruckus in the House, LoP Jairam Thakur on Wednesday alleged that the move was part of a ploy to pass the budget and save the Congress government. SENSEX 72,304.88 790.34 BSE 21,951.15 247.20 NIFTY ENTERTAINMENT ALLIANCE RIL, Viacom18 and Disney forge $8.5 billion deal First India Bureau Mumbai/New Delhi eliance Indus- tries Limited (RIL), Viacom 18 Media Private Limit- ed, and the Walt Disney Company have united in a groundbreaking joint venture, establishing an $8.5 billion entertain- ment powerhouse in In- dia. This strategic col- laboration integrates the operations of Viacom18 and Star India, consoli- dating their extensive media portfolios. NitaAmbani, esteemed businesswoman and wife ofbillionaireMukeshAm- bani, assumes the role of Chairperson for the newly formed entity, while Uday Shankar,aseasonedmedia executive, serves as Vice Chairperson, providing strategic direction. Reli- ance, led by Asia’s richest manMukeshAmbani,will inject Rs 11,500 crore (~US$ 1.4 billion) into the merged entity. With Reli- ance and its subsidiary holdingamajoritystakeof 63.16%,Disneywillretain ownership of 36.84%. For Disney, the merg- er addresses challenges in its Indian streaming business and financial strain from cricket rights payments. The merger values Disney’s India business at a frac- tion of its 2019 acquisi- tion value. R Nita Ambani is set to assume the role of Chairperson for the newly formed entity Reliance, led by Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, will infuse Rs 11,500 crore We are thrilled to announce a landmark partnership with Disney, marking a new chapter in India’s entertainment sector. This strategic venture combines our strengths to deliver top-notch content to audiences nationwide at competitive prices. Welcome aboard, Disney, as a valued partner of the Reliance group. MUKESH D AMBANI, CHAIRMAN AND MD RELIANCE INDUSTRIES LIMITED Largest drug bust by Navy, NCB off Guj coast First India Bureau Ahmedabad/New Delhi The NCB, with assistance from the Indian Navy and the Gujarat ATS, seized 3,300 kg of drugs from a boat manned by suspect- ed Pakistani crew mem- bers off coast of Gujarat. This is biggest seizure of narcotics in Indian sub- continent. Produce of Pa- kistan is written on the cache of seized narcotics with 3,089 kg cannabis, 158 kg of methampheta- mine, 25 kg of morphine. International market value of seized 3,300 kg drugs is estimated to be over `2,000 crore GOVT’S UNWAVERING COMMITMENT: SHAH Union Home Min- ister Amit Shah on Wednesday lauded the Indian Navy and NCB’s joint operation and called it a ‘testa- ment’ to the govern- ment’s unwavering com- mitment to making India a drug-free nation. Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu with senior Congress leaders DK Shivakumar, Bhupesh Baghel, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Rajeev Shukla during a meeting, in Shimla on Wednesday. LoP Jairam Thakur and BJP legislators met Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, demanding division of votes, in Shimla on Wednesday. First India Bureau Shimla Amid a political turmoil in Himachal Pradesh fol- lowing the Congress can- didate’s defeat in the Ra- jya Sabha elections, Chief Minister Sukhvin- der Singh Sukhu af- firmed on Wednesday. Sukhu stated that, “Neither the high com- mand has asked me nor anyone else for resigna- tion, and there is no such indication.” Sukhu as- serted, “Despite the set- back, I want to empha- size that the people of Himachal are with us, the MLAs are with us, and I can confidently state that wewillleadtheHimachal govt for the next 5 years.” Meanwhile, DK Shiva- kumar, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Bhupesh Baghel & Rajeev Shukla reached Shimla and will present a report to Kharge. In the 68-member HP Assembly, the Congress holds 40 seats, the BJP has 25 legislators, and the remaining 3 seats are held by independents VIKRAMADITYA SINGH HOLDS OFF ON RESIGNATION Hours after resigning, Con- gress minister Vikramaditya Singh said on late Wednes- day, “There is a difference between taking back the resigna- tion and not pressing the resignation till the time the dialogue and the action of the observers is not complete. We have talked to the observers. We have informed them about the present situation. I will not press my resignation until a decision is taken. The final decision will be taken in the coming time.” MAJOR HAPPENINGS Six Congress MLAs voted in favour of the BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha poll expelled from Assembly The majority is still with Congress party, said Himachal Pradesh Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Government Passes the Himachal Pradesh Budget sans Oppn in the Assembly Nita Ambani & Mukesh Ambani RARE BIRTHDAYS Babies born on Leap Day are referred to as leaplings or leap year babies. They usually observe their birthday on February 28 or March 1, during non-leap years. SUPERSTITIONS Leap Day holds several superstitions and traditions. It is believed that people born on a leap day possess luck and special talent. IN BRIEF Mittal is first Indian to be knighted by King Charles New Delhi: Sunil Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises on Wednesday became 1st In- dian to be conferred an honorary Knighthood by UK’s King Charles III. Two factions of Muslim Conference J&K banned New Delhi: Muslim Con- ference J-K (Sumji faction) and Muslim Conference J-K (Bhat faction) were declared banned groups by the Ministry of Home Af- fairs on Wednesday. Train runs over 2 walking on track in Jharkhand Jamtara: At least two peo- ple were killed after being run over by a passenger train in Jharkhand’s Jamta- ra on Wednesday evening. Search operation is under- way and toll may increase. Hima-chahal-pehel: Cong not out of woods yet First India Bureau New Delhi The core committee of the state BJP met in Delhi on Wednesday. National President JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were also pre- sent in the meeting held at BJP headquarters. In the meeting, panel prepared for 25 Lok Sabha seats of the state was discussed. It has been learnt that con- sensus was reached about 7 Lok Sabha seats in the meeting. The names will be presented on Thursday in meeting to be held in Delhi on Thursday. The CEC may give final ap- proval to the panel on 7 seats. BJPmay declare the names on these seats in first phase. From the state, CM Bhajan Lal Sharma, state President CP Joshi, former CM Vasundhara Raje, Deputy CMs Diya Kumari & Prem Chand Bairwa & party in-charge Arun Singh, co-incharge Vijaya Rahatkar were also present.AmeetingofCEC is proposed on Thursday, inwhichModiwillalsobe present. State Presidents, CMsandOppositionlead- ers from states where BJP isnotinpowerwillbepre- sent in the meeting. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Deputy CMs Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, along with CP Joshi, Vasundhara Raje, Vijaya Rahatkar, Rajendra Rathore and Satish Poonia strategised on Tuesday in Jaipur, for the Wednesday meeting in New Delhi. BJP’s top brass brainstorms for Lok Sabha polls Modi to preside BJP CEC meeting today The agreement has almost been reached on Kota- Bundi, Jhalawar- Baran, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Chittorgarh, Churu and Banswara parliamentary seats
- 2. AJMER LOK SABHA SEAT Political dynamics in Ajmer keep changing in every poll ven from a politi- cal point of view, Ajmer Lok Sab- ha constituency cannotbeconsid- ered the stronghold of any particular party. Talking about caste equations, SC/ST popula- tion in this seat is about 22%. Apart from this, about 16–17% of popula- tion is Jat, while Muslims occupy about 12% of the population. There are also Rajput and Vaishya com- munities in some areas. The electoral history of Ajmer LS seat was earlier dominated by Congress, and it held it until 1989. Shrikaran Sharda of Janata Party had reached Parlia- ment from this seat in sixth Lok Sabha in 1977. After this, BJP’s Rasa Singh Rawat held this seat in 3 consecutive polls from 1989 to March 1998. In twelfth LS polls, Dr Prabha Thakur of Con- gress wrested the seat from BJP. However, a year later, in 1999 polls, BJP’s Rawat made a comeback and won in two consecutive polls. Ajmer is famous all over the world because of its com- munal harmony and its unique culture. While fa- mous Dargah of Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti is lo- cated here, world-famous temple of Brahma in Pushkar also falls in Ajmer LS constituency. First India Election Desk MPs OF AJMER THUS FAR l 1951 MUKAT BIHARI LAL BHARGAVA: INC l 1952 JWALA PRASAD SHARMA: INC l 1957 AND 1962 MUKAT BIHARI LAL BHARGAVA: INC l 1967 AND 1971 BN BHARGAVA: INC l 1977 SHRIKARAN SHARDA: Janata Party l 1980 BHAGWAN DEV ACHARYA: INC (I) l 1984 VISHNU MODI: INC l 1989, 1991 AND 1996 RASA SINGH RAWAT: BJP l 1998 PRABHA THAKUR: INC l 1999 AND 2004 RASA SINGH RAWAT: BJP l 2009 SACHIN PILOT: INC l 2014 SANWAR LAL JAT: BJP l 2018 BY-ELECTION, RAGHU SHARMA: INC l 2019 BHAGIRATH CHAUDHARY: BJP E Congressinpowerat Center,BJPinAjmer! In 2004, Cong govt was formed at Centre but Ajmer seat was held by BJP’s Rasa Singh Rawat. However, in 2009 LS polls Cong’s Sachin Pilot won and was made Union Cabi- net Minister. However, in 2014, the seat came to BJP as Sanwar Lal Jat became MP. After Jat’s death in 2017, Congress fielded Raghu Sharma in by-polls and won. In 2019 BJP’s Bhagirath Choudhary wrested the seat from Congress. Congress & BJP both have dominance in the seat entangled in caste mathematics ASSEMBLY SEAT-WISE POSITION OF AJMER LOK SABHA l (45) DUDU: Prem Chand Bairwa (BJP) l (98) KISHANGARH: Vikas Chaudhary (Congress) l (99) PUSHKAR: Suresh Singh Rawat (BJP) l (100) AJMER NORTH: Vasudev Devnani (BJP) l (101) AJMER SOUTH: Anita Bhadel (BJP) l (102) NASIRABAD: Ramswaroop Lamba (BJP) l (104) MASUDA: Virendra Singh (BJP) l (105) KEKRI: Shatrughan Gautam (BJP) TOTAL RECALL FIRST LOK SABHA PART 2 Rift in Cong gives birth to some new political parties Manoj Mathur Jaipur ven before the first Lok Sabha elections in the country, a period of political manoeuvring had started. Many veter- an leaders, who were as- sociated with Congress during freedom move- ment, left and formed new political outfits to compete with Congress in polls. It can be said that trend of rebellion of leaders from parties had started with advent of de- mocracy in the country. Among the veteran Congress leaders, JB Kri- palani formed Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party, while Ram Manohar Lo- hia and Jayprakash Narayan laid the founda- tion of Socialist Party. After independence, PM Nehru had appointed 15 veterans from differ- ent sections of the society as ministers in first Un- ion Cabinet. Among these Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Dr. BhimraoAmbed- kar set up Scheduled Caste Federation. In the first LS polls, the Left, abandoning armed strug- gle in Telangana, con- tested 49 seats, while Bolshevik Party and Za- mindar Party ran inde- pendently. Despite Nehru’s charismatic in- fluence, neither veteran Congress leaders nor fig- ures like Mookerjee and Ambedkar posed signifi- cant electoral challenges. NEHRU WAS THE STAR ELECTION CAMPAIGNER Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was the star campaigner of Congress in the first Lok Sabha election. He travelled 40,000 kilometers in the election campaign and addressed about 3.5 crore people. This was an extraordinary feat for that era. The opposition parties had strong leaders but did not have the organisation, resources and workers to run such a comprehensive election campaign. Nevertheless, all the parties communicated their message to voters in different ways. At that time, reconstruction of independent India, rights of common citizens, economy, society, culture etc. became poll issues. Opposition parties got about 31% votes. l Opposition parties took 31% votes, but only 2 could cross double figures l Kripalani, Lohia & JP, who left Cong to form a new party failed to get public support PARTY POSITION OF THE FIRST LOK SABHA Indian National Congress 364 Communist Party of India 16 Socialist Party 12 Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party 9 People’s Democratic Front 7 All India Republic Council 6 Shiromani Akali Dal, Hindu Mahasabha and Tamil Nadu Labor Party (each) 4 Bharatiya Jan Sangh, Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad, Jharkhand Party, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Commonwealth Party (each) 3 Lok Sevak Sangh, Scheduled Caste Federation & Kisan and Workers Party of India (each) 2 Krishak Lok Party, Forward Bloc (Marxist), Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress, Chota Nagpur Sandhal Pargana Janata Party, Revolutionary Communist Party of India and Indian Union Muslim League (each) 1 Independents 37 Nominated members 10 499 TOTAL MPs E 02 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia Jaipur, Thursday | February 29, 2024 Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Ballot Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat Beat 02 SONIA GANDHI Sonia Gandhi, second woman from Gandhi family after Indira Gan- dhi, is now a RS MP. She served as LS MP continuously from 13th LS (1999-2019). In 2006, she resigned over Office of Profit issue but won the subsequent by-poll. 12 SUMITRA MAHAJAN Sumitra Mahajan has been a LS MP eight times. Representing the Indore Lok Sabha seat in MP, she became a LS MP for first time in 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, and did not lose even once till the 16th Lok Sabha in 2009 and 2014. 6 GIRDHARI L BHARGAVA Girdharilal Bhargava, a BJP candidate, won his first LS poll in 1989 by defeating former royal Brigadier Bhavani Singh of Congress. He won 6 times till 14th LS & was also an MLA five times from Hawa Mahal as- sembly seat of Jaipur. 11 BABU JAGJIVAN RAM Born on April 5, 1908, Babu Jagjivan Ram was youngest minister in Nehru’s interim govt. He won first LS polls in 1952 and served as MP for 8 consecutive terms until 1984. He was Dy PM. He later joined Janata Party, formed Cong (J) in 1980. 5 ANANT GEETE Anant Gangaram Geete was born on 2 June 1951 and is a member of Shiv Sena from Maharashtra. Geete, who has been a six-time MP, has been winning since the 11th Lok Sabha elections in 1996 till the 16th Lok Sabha elections in 2014. 10 PA SANGMA Purno Agitok Sangma, served as LS Speaker and also CM of Megha- laya from 1988 to 1990. He won Tura LS seat in 1977 and remained undefeated until 14th Lok Sabha. Sangma passed away on March 4, 2016, due to heart disease. 4 SULTAN S OWAISI Sultan Salahud- din Owaisi, a prominent Telan- gana leader, was affili- ated with All India Majlis- e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. He won six consecutive LS polls until retiring in 2004. Starting from 1984 & continuing until 13th LS polls in 1999. 9 KHAGAPATI PRADHANI Khagapati Prad- hani, a Congress leader from Odi- sha’s Naurangpur, was a nine-time LS MP. Born on July 15, 1922, he won elections consecu- tively from 1967 to 1998. Pradhani passed away in 1999 after serving in LS for nine terms. 3 K H MUNIYAPPA KH Muniyappa, from Kolar LS of Karnataka, was born on 7 March 1948. The Congress leader won seven consecutive terms after 10th Lok Sabha polls in 1991, in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and then till 16th LS polls in 2014. 8 MADHAVRAO SCINDIA Madhavrao Scindia, son of last Maharaja of Gwalior, was a promi- nent Congress leader. He served as a LS MP for 7 terms, beginning at 26 yrs in 1971. He never lost an election and his victories spanned from 5th to the 11th LS. 2 SHARAD PAWAR Sharad Pawar, founder of NCP after parting ways with Congress in 1999, first won the 8th LS election in 1984 from Pune’s Baramati seat . He remained undefeated as an MP until 2009, maintaining his seat through successive polls. 7 LAL KRISHNA ADVANI LK Advani, BJP veteran con- tested LS polls for the first time in 1989 from New Delhi and won. After this, Advani was victorious in 10th LS in 1991, 11th in 1996, 12th in 1998, 13th in 1999, 14th in 2004, 15th in 2009 and 16th in 2014. 1 INVINCIBLE FACES OFLOKSABHA Pankaj Soni Jaipur ok Sabha elections can be announced any time in the coun- try. Since independ- ence, the country’s democracy has seen many ups and downs. Many new parties were formed and also ended, but among all these, there is a list of MPs in which the leaders never faced defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. The top name among these stalwarts is that of BJP veteran LK Advani. Con- gress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Madhavrao Scindia are also included in this line. L l Khagapati Pradhani of Orissa holds the record of winning the Lok Sabha elections nine consecutive times l Eight consecutive victories are in names of LK Advani, PA Sangma, Jagjivan Ram and Sumitra Mahajan l Sonia Gandhi also did not lose any election l Late Girdhari Lal Bhargava from Jaipur also included in this list
- 3. RAJASTHAN 03 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia Jaipur, Thursday | February 29, 2024 Elephant‘Gouri’attacksRussian woman,2nd incidentintwoyears Rashpal Singh Jaipur The elephant rides atAm- ber Fort in Jaipur are in the limelight, although for the wrong reason again. An elephant named Gouri attacked a Russian tourist named Maria, on Febru- ary 13 in the main court- yard of Fort, a video of which surfaced on Wednesday. The footage, capturedonCCTV,shows the elephant grabbing the woman in her trunk, swinging her vigorously, and slamming her to the ground. A leg of the tour- ist was reportedly broken. The same elephant, who is forced to give tour- ist rides, had severely in- jured a male shopkeeper in October 2022. The People for the Ethical Treatment ofAn- imals (PETA) India has written to Deputy CM Diya Kumari, who also has the charge of Minis- ter for Tourism, Art and Culture, Archaeology and Museums, calling for Gouri to be rehabili- tated and for all elephant rides to be replaced with eco-friendly electric or battery-operated vehi- cles, as was recommend- ed in a report of the com- mittee constituted by the Project Elephant divi- sion of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, per an order of the Supreme Court of India. The video of the incident which happened on February 13 surfaced on social media on Wednesday. Sachin Pilot at the condolence meeting of Mohni Devi, wife of Narayan Singh at Sikar on Wednesday. PETA writes to Dy CM Diya Kumari seeking the proper rehabilitation of Gouri; eco-friendly electric or battery- operated vehicles Despite being a known danger, Gouri continued to be used to carry tourists at Amer Fort. Rajasthan authorities must send her to a sanctuary for her and tourists’ sake and replace the use of elephants with beautifully decorated electric vehicles. In the meantime, tourists must make kind choices and not support this abuse. KHUSHBOO GUPTA, PETA INDIA DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY The tourist was touching ear of Gouri at which she got enraged. Report of leg getting broken is exaggerated and true. We met the tourist and she had accepted her mistake of touching the elephant. We, have decided to get the elephant banned for further rides so that no other incident happens. BALLU KHAN, PRESIDENT OF AMBER HATHI GAON VIKAS SAMITI This govt won’t live up to expectations: Pilot IT raids: Cash worth Rs 1 cr, jewelery worth ` 1.90 cr seized Vimal Kothari Jaipur In the Income Tax raids started from Monday by the IT department’s In- vestigation Branch at 10 locations in Jodhpur and Delhi, the officials have so far claimed to have seized undisclosed in- come of Rs 180 crore. The teams raided at seven locations and ac- tion was taken at three. On the third day i.e. Wednesday, the depart- ment completed the ac- tion at another location. Income tax raids contin- ued till late night at three residences of the directors of PWD. In the action, the officials detected more than 15 shell companies through which expenses were reported to under- state the income. Apart from this, till now the de- partmental officers have seized cash worth Rs 1 cr and jewellery worth Rs 1.90 cr after not getting satisfactory answers. Hukum Singh Sikar Congress leader Sachin Pilot reached Sikar on Wednesday to attend the condolence meeting of Mohni Devi, wife of for- mer Congress state presi- dent Narayan Singh. MLA Bijendra Ola, MLA Mukesh Bhakar, Ramniwas Gawadiya, and many Congress lead- ers were present with him. Pilot spoke to the media and described both the State and Central governments of BJP as failures. “People are under- standing that this govt will not be able to live up to the expectations. The situation we are seeing in the country is that in the last 10 years, BJP has broken its promises to the people,” he said. Pilot expressed hope that the party will resolve the brewing political cri- sis in Himachal Pradesh very soon. 3 IAS, 3 IPS, 165 RAS, 236 RPS transferred First India Bureau Jaipur The Rajasthan govern- ment has transferred three Indian Administra- tive Service (IAS) offic- ers and three Indian Po- lice Service (IPS) offic- ers, according to official orders. Along with this, 165 officers of RAS have also been changed. The Department of Personnel has issued sep- arate orders in this regard late Tuesday night. The IAS who have been transferred are Muham- mad Junaid, Rahul Jain and Dhaigude Snehal whereas IPS Jai Yadav, Monica Sain and Rajen- dra Kumar Meena have been transferred. Also, 165 officers have been transferred, which in- cludes RAS of Addition- al Dist Collector & Sub- division Officer level. Meanwhile 236 RPS of- ficers were also trans- ferred. Infact during this month of february, trans- fers in various depart- ments have taken place. Late Sukhdev Gogamedi’s wife warns of stir First India Bureau Jaipur Sheela Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the wife of slain Rajput leader Sukh- dev Singh Gogamedi, on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over the progress in murder case. She said that after the murder of Sukhdev Sin- gh Gogamedi, there was anger in the entire socie- ty, which was handled very well by the repre- sentatives of the present BJP government and all the information kept by the Sangharsh Commit- tee was given. “By accepting the de- mands, a written promise was made by former op- position leader Rajendra Singh Rathore. Today for the same demands, we are not clear where to go with the demand for jus- tice,” she said. “Investigation is defi- nitely being done by NIA, but till now direc- tion of this investigation has not been clear. NIA has asked for 90 more days in the court. Will the killers of Gogamedi be punished in these next 90 days?” she asked. She said that 80 days have passed since the promise of financial assistance with immediate effect, but till date no one has given any assurance. Sheela Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi addressing the media at Pink City Press club in Jaipur on Wednesday. SANTOSH SHARMA Illegal restaurant being built at Bani park leaves local residents unhappy First India Bureau Jaipur An illegal restaurant “Kahaani” is being built on plot number C-1/A on Sawai Jai Singh High- way in Jaipur’s Bani Park. The restaurant is being constructed under Zone 2 of JDA.without changing the lane use, without approval, with- out getting the map passed and without park- ing arrangements. The officers responsi- ble of the enforcement branch of Jaispur Devel- opment Authority (JDA) are deliberately “silent” on the matter due to the alleged high influence of the owner. Local resi- dents are upset due to construction of the illegal restaurant in the area. Hundreds of families liv- ing in nearby multi-sto- rey buildings are worried about their peace being disturbed. It is suspected that due to lack of parking ar- rangement in the illegal restaurant, dozens of ve- hicles coming here will be parked on the road which will increase traf- fic problems on Sawai Jai Singh Highway. It re- mains to be seen whether the officials responsible will end the “Kahani” of the illegal restaurant or will the influence of the owner prevail and locals would continue to suffer from this. Illegal restaurant sparks concerns in Jaipur’s Bani Park and raises questions about authorities’ silence amid alleged owner influence SELF RELIANT RAJASTHAN Governor lauds the efforts of tribal women Vinod Singh Chouhan Jaipur overnor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday heaped prais- es on women who have become self-reliant by working in domestic in- dustries, sewing, embroi- dery, henna training and other local works in the tribal area Kushalgarh. Governor Mishra lis- tened to work being done by such women working and said that only with the self-reliance of wom- en, rapid development of tribal areas is possible. The women told how by taking well-planned training in local resourc- es, tailoring, henna, com- puters etc., they have opened their own shops in villages, and are sell- ing various products in the market. G Women from Kushalgarh surrounding tribal areas meeting Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday. GOVERNOR KALRAJ MISHRA PRAISES 6 POSTAGE STAMPS ON SHRI RAM JANMABHOOMI TEMPLE Chief Post Master General of Rajasthan Circle Virendra Kumar Gupta presented Governor Kalraj Mishra a set of commemorative postage stamps issued on Shri Ram Janmab- hoomi Temple and a travel book related to postage stamps issued on Lord Shri Ram in different countries of the world. During the courtesy meet- ing, Mishra appreciated the 6 postage stamp sets issued under the commemorative postage stamp on Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple and the inscriptions of Shri Ganesh, Hanuman, Jatayu, Kevatraj and Maa Shabari there. He described the book containing the postage stamps issued from time to time on the characters and stories related to Ramayana by more than 20 countries like Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand, Thailand, UN, America etc. Jpr’s Shagun wins the Young Lotus Contest for advertising Nirmal Tiwari Jaipur Talented young creator from the state capital Shagun Agarwal has been declared the winner of the Young Lotus Con- test 2024. Ogilvy’s Sha- gun Agarwal and Chetali Mane have been declared winners by theAAAIAs- sociation of India, based on entries from advertis- ing talent across the country. Shagun Agar- wal and Chetali Mane have also been selected to represent the country in Adpost-2024 to be held in Thailand from 21 to 23 March. Such com- petitions are organized by theAAAIAssociation to provide a platform to young talents in the ad- vertising world. The theme of the competition was “Breath of Change: Innovation for Clean Air in India”. Shagun and Chetali have been de- clared winners due to their creative excellence. Fujairah Prince visits Galta ji and other places; prays to lord Srinivas First India Bureau Jaipur Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Shar- qi, Prince of Fujairah, paid a visit to the primary Shri Vaishnav Peeth Ut- tar Todadri Shri Galtaji in North India. After that, he prayed to Lord Srinivas for happi- ness and prosperity for Fujairah and received blessings from Galata Peethadhishwar Swami Awadheshcharya. The Prince was given a tour of the Galata temples by Yuvacharya Swami Ra- ghavendra and Galata Peethadhishwar of Peeth. Prince Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi also went to Akhand Jyoti and the his- toric Hanuman temple and offered prayeres. Following this, the Prince traveled withYuvacharya Swami Raghavendra to Surya Kund and the sa- cred Galav Ganga and was told about the cul- tural and local impor- tance of the place. Prince Al Sharqi with Swami Awadheshacharya and Swami Raghavendra. Two Jhalana routes open again for evening safari ‘Rathore taking revenge from Taranagar’s public’ Nirmal Tiwari Jaipur Due to the monitoring of injured leopards in the Jhalana Leopard Re- serve, two routes were restricted. However, as of right now, tourist vehi- cles are operating on all routes during evening safari. From water point number 4 to Neem Gate, Route 1 was closed. In a similar vein, the second path from Arjun Talai to Lala Kund was blocked to safari. The status of the leopards Rana and Barfi has im- proved, while Bagheera is improving. Every visit here ensures sighting. This explains why visitors are drawn to this location. The woodland is home to an abundance of various species of animals. Naresh Sharma Taranagar Taking a jibe at Rajendra Rathore, Senior Con- gress leader Narendra Budania alleged that the BJPleader is on the verge of revenge from the peo- ple of Taranagar by trans- ferring the employees of Jat community. Budania had defeated Rathod in the earlier elections. Budania re- called that his sister was transferred out of politi- cal hatred and Rathore couldn’t tolerate the vic- tory of a farmer’s son. Budania stated that he would express his objec- tion by writing a letter to the CM. And if neces- sary, farmers of the state will protest on the streets. Narendra Budania al- leged that the govern- ment accommodation in Gandhinagar is being taken away from him due to political hatred. ClickQRcodeforvideoofincident
- 4. DHARMA GUARDIAN EXERCISE Indian, Japanese troops train together in Bikaner First India Bureau Bikaner ndia-Japan Ex- ercise Dharma Guardian is currently underway at the Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan. Troops from both In- dian and Japanese con- tingents are actively par- ticipating in training ex- ercises, which include navigating obstacle courses and conducting combat shooting drills. The joint exercise sig- nifies the deepening of military cooperation be- tween India and Japan and underscores their commitment to enhanc- ing interoperability and mutual understanding. The training activities aim to strengthen the ca- pabilities of both armies in counter-terrorism and disaster response sce- narios. Exercise Dharma Guardian serves as a platform for the ex- change of best practices and the cultivation of trust and camaraderie between the Indian and Japanese armed forces. Through collaborative training initiatives, both nations aim to bolster regional stability and contribute to peace and security in the Indo-Pa- cific region. Troops performing drill during the training exercise at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Bikaner on Wednesday. I RAJASTHAN 04 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia Jaipur, Thursday | February 29, 2024 JprPoliceaskstoremoveposters of‘nottorenthomestoMuslims’ Posters asking Hindus to ‘unite’ appeared about 10 days ago First India Bureau Jaipur Police here got residents of Nandpuri colony to re- move posters asking local people not to rent or sell their homes to Muslims, an official said on Wednesday. The posters asking Hindus to “unite” against Muslims ap- peared about 10 days ago. Local area ward coun- cillor Anita Jain said, “A resident had sold his property to a Muslim family a few days ago fol- lowing which some resi- dents had put up posters.” “However, the posters were removed immedi- ately and locals were given advice by the po- lice,” she added. The posters read, “An appeal to Hindus, stay united and stand up against Muslim jihad.” Brahm- puri SHO Ishwar Chan- dra Pareek said, “The incident happened nearly 10 days ago. Some resi- dents had pasted posters to not rent or sell homes to Muslims. However, they were removed after advice. No case was reg- istered in the matter.” VIGIL RAJ POLICE In May 2023, posters of Hindu Exodus were placed in walled city. FILE The MoU was signed in presence of Dr. Ravi Prakash Meharda and Sharat Kaviraj at the police headquarters in Jaipur on Wednesday. Manish Kumar Choudhary on behalf of Rajasthan Police and Lopmudra Rao on behalf of Meesho signed the MoU. Kamal Soni and other officials at canopy in Niwai on Wednesday. RAJ POLICE, MEESHO INK MoU TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT ONLINE FRAUDS Raj Police and the online retailer “Mee- so” will collaborate to reduce number of cases by educating the public about “online fraud” in the region. At the Jaipur Police Headquarters on Wednes- day, an agreement (MoU) in this respect was signed by Inspector General SCRB Sharat Kaviraj and Director General Cybercrime, SCRB, and Technical Services Dr. Ravi Prakash Meharda. DGPAPPEALSFOR `17CRINJECTIONFOR SHO’sSON;MEDIA CAMPAIGNLAUNCHED Jaipur: In order to save SHO’s son who is suf- fering from a rare ail- ment, DGP UR Sahoo has taken an initiative. In an emotional mes- sage to all SPs, DGP Sahoo asked for finan- cial support for SHO Naresh Sharma of the Maniya police station in Dholpur. The son of SHO Naresh Sharma is suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, an uncommon illness. Rs17.50 crore is the cost of the injection for treating it. DGP UR Sa- hoo made a request for financial aid to support the patient from the entire police family. Shivendra Parmar Retired judge’s daughter- in-law harassed by a baba First India Bureau Jaipur A Jaipur baba has been harassing a retired judge’s daughter-in-law. Baba Raju Sharma began discussing puja, Vaastu, and rituals on his phone. He then moved on to profanity. She encoun- tered him in the temple during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration in September 2023. Four or five days later, Baba Raju, the accused, began to call. Even blocking numerous mobile numbers, the woman managed to get rid of Baba. After that, Baba sent offensive things to the house in addition to lewd notes. The victim then filed a formal complaint with the Jaipur Commis- sionerate police station. Soni informs farmers about Central, State govt schemes in Niwai First India Bureau Niwai (Tonk) Agri Market Secy Kamal Kumar Soni at Jhilay Road wholesale fruit trading market enlight- ens farmers on public welfare initiatives given by Central govt and Raj govt’s via KNOP. He delves into topics like the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), com- mission agents, consum- er engagement, and opti- mal packaging and trans- portation methods for fresh produce. Empha- sizing crop protection, Soni highlights the sig- nificance of periodic pes- ticide application. Notably, the Rajasthan Govt announces exclu- sive e-payment privileg- es for female farmers post-sale across state market committees. Fur- thermore, under the Rajiv Gandhi Krishak Sathi Scheme, assistance is ex- tended to farmers in case of accidents. Nursing council panel serves notice to Harish Hospital Check eligibility of all med personnel, asks ACS Shubhra Singh First India Bureau Alwar A show-cause notice has been given to Harish Hospital by the Rajast- han Nursing Council, Jaipur, in relation to a nurse in Alwar injecting an anesthesia and raping a woman. As soon as rape case was learned about, Health Min Ga- jendra Khimsar issued an order to establish a high- level investigative team. The report claims that accused Chirag Yadav is not even a registered nurse with the Nursing Council. Harish Hospi- tal’s School of Nursing hasnowdismissedChirag Yadav. On the instructions of ACS Health, Shubhra Singh, Rajasthan Nurs- ing Council has issued a letter to all the private medical institutions of the state, asking for eligi- bility of all the nursing staff working in the insti- tute, registration in the Nursing Council and other information. Also, Director Public Health, Dr. Raviprakash Mathur has instructed the CMHO of Alwar to form a com- mittee and investigate the matter. He has also given instructions to cancel the registration under Clini- cal Establishment Act/ Rules if any irregularities are found in the qualifi- cation of the personnel. Watercannononfarmersin Bundi;Chandna,othersheld First India Bureau Bundi Congress MLAs Ashok Chandna and C L Premi along with several party workers were detained in Bundi on Wednesday as they protested in support of farmers in Bundi, offi- cials said. Police used water can- nons to disperse the pro- testing workers and later detained the MLAs and around 100 party work- ers, who were later freed. However, Chandana was allegedly taken separately to the police parade ground, one of the de- tained party workers said. Following a call for pro- test by Chandana, hun- dreds of party workers and MLA Premi assem- bled atAzad Park in Bun- di onWednesday.Aheavy police force was deployed on the way to the collec- tor’s office on the Kota road to stop the protesters. Ex-student union prez Bhati gives `5L to injured cashier First India Bureau Jaipur Financial support of Rs 5 lakh was given to brave cashier Narendra Singh Shekhawat by BJP youth leader and former presi- dent of the Jodhpur Uni- versity student union, Kunal Singh Bhati. Displaying genuine concern for Shekhawat’s well-being, Bhati visited him and his family at Manipal Hospital in Jai- pur, where he sought up- dates on his health. Shekhawat’s bravery and dedication to society serve as a shining exam- ple, garnering admira- tion from all quarters. FRENCH ARMY CHIEF PIERRE SCHILL MEETS SWC ARMY COMMANDER DHIRAJ SETH Jaipur: The Chief of Army Staff of French Army, General Pierre Schill, embarked on a significant visit to South Western Command, Jaipur on Wednesday. Schill was received by Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, Army Commander, SWC. The French Army Chief interacted with the Army Commander and officers of South Western Command. Meanwhile, French Army Chief General Pierre Schill who has arrived in India is set to wit- ness a demonstration of the indigenous Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher, at the Pokhran Field Firing Range. NIGERIAN COUPLE HELD WITH BANNED DRUGS WORTH `5L IN UDAIPUR DRI BUSTS GOLD SMUGGLING; SEIZES GOLD WORTH `2.70 CRORE AT CHURU RAILWAY STATION YOUNGMANABDUCTED INJPR,RANSOMSOUGHT VIAWHATSAPPCALL JAIPURIAHOSP’sFEMALE STAFFERCOMPLAINS AGAINSTDOCTOCMO Udaipur: The Goverdhan Villas police have arrested a Nigerian drug peddler and his woman friend for allegedly possessing banned drugs MDMA worth `5 lakhs. Acting upon a tipoff the SHO Ajay Singh Rao and his team nabbed the accused 34 year old Joseph Tobechukwu a resident of Nigeria and his woman accomplice 32 year old Lilian Nyaisiri a resident of Nigeria. A police official informed that drugs were seized and both the accused were booked under the NDPS Act, 1985. Ravi Sharma Churu: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) conducted a big operation against smuggling and has unearthed smuggling of gold. The team con- fiscated 4.2 Kg of gold which was being smuggled through the Churu railway station. The smugglers were transporting this gold from Kolkata to Churu and both the smugglers were travelling through Sealdah express. The value of gold confiscated is said to be Rs 2.70 crore. Further investigation revealed that this gold smuggling has links with abroad. Jaipur: In front of D Mart on Tonk Road, close to Haldighati Marg, a young man was abducted in a car. Calling the young man’s friend, the kidnapper threatened him with a WhatsApp video call and demanded a ransom. He demanded two lakh rupees at first, then fifty thousand. Madhya Pradesh’s Lavkush made a police station complaint in Sanganer. Miscreants abducted Luvkush’s friend Atul who had come to visit Khatushyamji from Madhya Pradesh. Jaipur: Allegations of harassment against a senior doctor at Jaipuria Hospital is being reported. A female staff member accuses the doctor of harassment and files a complaint at the Chief Minister’s Of- fice, alleging that he had harassed her. Distressed, she releases a video ap- pealing for help. The lady claims that the she is being harassed and that doctors are constantly threatening to make her homeless. The matter is curretnly under the investigation. CRIME ROUNDUP Raj minority commission seeks Ajmer DC’s report in 7 days Muslim fronts demand action against Hindu Shakti Dal leader Simran Gupta First India Bureau Ajmer/Jaipur Rajasthan State Minority Commission on Tuesday asked Ajmer’s district collector to submit a re- port in seven days over “objectionable remarks” madebyaleaderofaright wing group against Kha- waja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer Dargah. Meanwhile, Ajmer Dargah khadims’ on Wednesday demanded strict action against Hin- du Shakti Dal leader Simran Gupta for alleg- edly calling Sufi mystic Moinuddin Chishti a “rapist” and “terrorist”. Sarwar Chishty, presi- dentofabodyofkhadims’ ofAjmer Dargah, wrote a letter to Ajmer SP de- manding Gupta’s arrest over his objectionable comment. Ajmer Dargah khadims’ on Wednesday demanded strict action and wrote a letter to Ajmer SP demanding Gupta’s arrest over his objectionable comment. A delegation from Ajmer Dargah on Tues- day met Rajasthan State Minority Commis- sion chairman Rafeek Khan, who later met the state’s DGP U R Sahoo to urge him to take ac- tion in the matter. Dargah Diwan’s son Nasruddin Chishti has filed a case in the Dargah police station. Rafeek Khan, Chairman of Rajasthan State Minority Commission Police using water cannon on protesting farmers Congress leaders in Bundi on Wednesday. Kunal S Bhati meets Narendra Shekhawat at Manipal Hospital in Jaipur on Wednesday. You read it in First India on FEBRUARY 28, 2024
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- 7. Vol 5 Issue No. 264 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Managing Editor: Pawan Arora Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act PERSPECT VE 06 Jaipur, Thursday | February 29, 2024 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia ‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 74 Vol 5 Issue No. 257 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Managing Editor: Pawan Arora Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act PERSPECT VE 04 Jaipur, Thursday | February 22, 2024 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia ‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 73 NaMo CRAFTING A NEW NARRATIVE FOR BHARAT The narrators recount their experiences regarding PM Narendra Modi’s initiatives and vision, highlighting the successful creation of the Mahakal Corridor. They also discuss Modi’s vision, which has resulted in the transformation of the border areas of Barmer and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, now adorned with solar panels and solar power plants, significantly altering the region’s economy and landscape, among other developments. t was in 2016 that Sing- hasth Mahakumbh was held in Ujjain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also come to attend the religious festiv- ity. During this time a ‘Vichar Ma- hakumbh’ (exchange of ideas) was also held in which various proposals were discussed. One of the proposals was to adorn the Mahakal temple with the legends of Lord Shiva so that the millions of devotees who visit the temple from the country and abroad, have something more to see apart from the ‘darshan’. It was then the PM’s effort and vision that led to the successful establishment of the Mahakal Corridor, a unique initia- tive to enhance the value and at- traction of the historic temple and establish it as an eminent tourist centre before the world. Modi ji had been to Ujjain earlier in 2004 for the Kumbh Snan (the holy dip during Kumbh). He was the CM of Gu- jarat at that time, but once at this holy place, he took the dip in the Kshipra river at Ram Ghat just like a common devotee, deeply steeped in devotion of Mahakal. He then went for Mahakal ‘dar- shan’. We felt the thought of a Mahakal Lok (corridor) that would reflect the grandeur of Lord Shiva had already come to his mind at that time. By 2016, he had decided to change the face of Ujjain and started plans for the same. He brought the Smart City project to Ujjain and stressed the cleaning of the Kshipra River. When in his early days he came to Ujjain to chair party meets or later when he held election rallies here, he al- ways used to say, one day I will bring holy Narmada waters to mix with Kshipra. And he, with the assistance of the Madhya Pradesh government, did make it a success. Modi ji’s vision was to make Ujjain a cultural and spiritual cap- ital and he tirelessly worked to- wards it, leading to the transfor- mation of the temple complex and uplift of the city in its wake. When he came to the temple for puja, he strictly adhered to the tra- ditions and religious customs laid down by the shastras (religious texts), which underscored his pi- ety and sincerity. hen I first met him in 2005, he told me the fu- ture of petrol and fossil fuels was not bright and we need to look for alternate sources of energy for a sustainable future. He said we have sunlight for al- most 10 months of the year if the two months of the rainy season are excluded. Why don’t we use the same to power our homes and industries? It is a tremendous source of clean energy! He asked to think of making Gandhinagar a solar city and plan accordingly. Gandhinagar today indeed is a solarcity.Evenatthattime,itwas his far-reaching thought that we should invest in solar energy be- fore most people had even thought of such a possibility. It is due to Modi ji’s vision that today border areas of Barmer and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan are replete with solar panels and solar power plants which have completely changed the economy and the landscape of the region. Power is a major fulcrum of economic de- velopment and cheap power can go a long way in promoting in- vestments and industries. Modi ji had understood this way before others could even dream of such a venture because he had located this is India’s strength which could give us a headstart in this direction. He always used to think differ- entlyandseewhatotherscouldn’t. His inquisitiveness led him to China and there he saw how solar power was being harnessed through huge plants. Even back in 2005-2006, he was discussing how solar panels could be set up along the Narmada canal (Sardar Sarovar canal) and how this would benefit us. We told him thatdoingsowouldsavelandand since farmers used the canal, they would also have access to power. But Modi ji was two steps ahead of us. He said, setting up panels along the canal would increase their efficiency as water would flow below the panels and keep them cool. Such technical knowl- edge just bowled us out. When we look back in 2030, we would say it was the vision of one man which made India the largestrenewableenergy-produc- ing country in the world. Modi ji hadseenthecanalconceptduring his Korea visit and he was keen to replicate the same along the Narmada canal. Initially, every- one was apprehensive that it would be too expensive a project and that we must wait for better or cheaper technology to imple- ment it. But Modi ji did his all to ensure it was successful here. It was in Vadodara where for the first time in the country the pro- ject was finally implemented. Modijihadnohesitationinwalk- ing the extra mile when it came to adopting the latest technology for the benefit of the economy and the masses. In 2022, when there was a na- tional meet of the village heads in Delhi, Modi ji interacted with many of the panchayat pradhans at his residence. When he heard of Becharaji, he instantly took a detailed status report of the solar power plant being built at that time at Modhera near Becharaji as to how was the progress of the project and how it was affecting people there. Avery big solar power plant is being built in the Rann of Kutch desert. This will give a big boost not only to the remote Kutch re- gion but to Gujarat’s power sce- nario as well. Modi ji transformed Ujjain into a cultural and spiritual capital How one man’s vision is making India a solar power hub of the world I W Mohan Yadav Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan Former CM, Madhya Pradesh Chintamani Malviya Former MP, Ujjain Om Prakash Jain Madhya Pradesh Sudhir Mankad, Former IAS officer Balkrishan Goenka, Chairman, Welspun Group Sudhir Mehta, Chairman, Torrent Group Ashish Pujari Priest, Mahakal Mandir, Ujjain COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA Vol 5 Issue No. 250 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Managing Editor: Pawan Arora Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act PERSPECT VE 06 Jaipur, Thursday | February 15, 2024 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia ‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 72 NaMo UNMATCHED PRECISION IN GOVERNANCE The narrator shared instances from inspections where Modi’s precise observations were validated, underscoring his meticulous attention to detail. Additionally, they highlighted Modi ji’s steadfast focus, impervious to distractions, along with his adeptness at information gathering to enhance his decision-making prowess, among various other impressive qualities. y job was to oversee the interior decoration of CM Narendra Modi’s guest house. The flooring work was go- ing on in the large hall of the facil- ity.Alotofdebriswaslyingaround in the place as work was on. They included rods, cement, tiles, pipes andbricksstrewnhaphazardly.For work on electric connection, 8-10 switchboards were carved and placed on the side. The switch- boards should be at the same level across the guest house and any de- viation in the uniformity of their size and placement won’t look good. I was ensuring the same. One day the chief minister walked into the place incidentally. He casually asked me if the holes for the electric boards were done, andIreplied,yes.Thenheconduct- edadetailedinspectionofthework. In a while he calledout‘Mukund Lal’, the name by whichheaddressed meaffectionately.I rushed to him and hepointedtoahole and said, see, this placement is three inches above the rest. He then moved ahead and pointed at another switchboard and said, this one is an inchandahalfbe- low the rest. This way, he showed me quite a few board placements which didn’t seem uniform to him. I told him it was my profession to ensure everything was in place and he need not worry himself with suchsmallthings.Oncetheflooring wasdone,Iwouldtakealltheexact measurements and show them to him.Theywouldallbeuniform.To this he said, okay, so show me the measurements then. You won’t believe, that when the flooring was done and the final measurements were taken, the dis- crepancies he had pointed out dur- ing the inspection, came exactly true. I was astounded by his atten- tion to detail. t was the time of the Lehman Brothers melt- down and the subse- quent global economic down- turn.All the committee members of the Chamber came together on this for a discussion, especially at the Vibrant Gujarat summit of that year. The Summit was a global event, where investors not only from India but from across the world were supposed to come and invest in the state. The concern was, in times of such global meltdown, was it the right time to hold the event and expect investments? The world was witnessing a slow- down of such a magnitude for the first time after 1930. All the industries were working to not even half of their capacity. Who would invest in such a trying situation? Everyone in the Chamber meeting thought that the time was not conducive at all to hold such a mega business event like the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. So we decided to take our concern to Chief Minister Narendra Modi and request him to post- pone the event to the next year. As we did so, the CM stopped us midway and said, come what may, Vibrant Gujarat is happen- ing. The event will be success- ful and investments will come for sure. He followed his state- ment with a few lines of a poem, which I still remember. He said, ‘Mana ki Andhra ghana hai, le- kin kaun kehta hai diya jalana mana hai’ (maybe the darkness is deep, but who said the lamp can’t be lit). Immediately, the mood of all the committee members changed. We instantly felt he was right. How can we expect results if we don’t act? We all yoked ourselves to very hard work to make the event a success even in those difficult times. Eventually, it became a very successful event and broke all previous investment records in the state. 2009 Vibrant Guja- rat Summit recorded the high- est-ever investments. Such was the conviction and resolve of Modi ji that no one could dis- tract him. his is a small example of Narendra Modi’s ability to gather information to strengthen his knowledge base which helped in his decision-mak- ing process. I was serving as the collector of the Mehsana district at that time. The repair and renova- tion work of Becharaji temple there was taken up around the same time. However, when the first rains came, there was some leakage found in the temple through its roof as water started dripping in. I got a call from Modi ji’s office the same night itself. Queries were raised as to how there could be leakage in a temple that was so freshly renovated. I was surprised that even being in the district and leading it, I was till that time una- ware of this problem at the temple, while the CM, sitting in Ahmedabad, amid all his busy- ness, was fully informed of what was happening far away in Mehsana. Later we were told by the engineers that the joints con- solidated after the first rains and this was normal. From next time, the leakage stopped. What I came to realise after this incident was that Modi ji’s infor- mation network and people con- nect was so strong that he had every smallest detail of the hap- peningsinthestateathisfingertips 24/7. The habit still persists with him. Despite being at the top post, he keeps close track of everything that is happening in any corner of the country, even the smallest problems of the last man in the row. This impeccable tab on knowledge helps in his decision- making and fram- ing his policies that are so people- centric and effec- tive in addressing problems with precision, be it ex- tending help to the poor to efficiently managing natural calamities. Despite the height of his success and achievement, his earisalwaystothe ground. Narendra Modi ji’s attention to details is impeccable PM Narendra Modi’s ear to the ground Modi’s steely resolve, thumping success of Vibrant Gujarat M T I Mukund Joshi, Gujarat Raj Kumar Beniwal, Officer, Gujarat Rupesh Shah, Former Prez, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce Industry arendra Modi’s leader- ship is marked by his ability to think beyond the ordinary. At a time when Gujarat was aspiring to be a power surplus state and alternative energy sources were limited in In- dia, he established Asia’s largest solar park in Charanka, Gujarat. Through this project on barren land near the international border, his goals were several, including making Gujarat a solar power hub, uplifting an underdeveloped region, curbing migration for em- ployment, and even addressing national security concerns. Charanka is in the far corner of Rann and no one went there even in the day, so isolated and far off it was. It was Modi ji who first thought of a solar park there. Years ago, when he first pitched the idea of a solar park, we were amused and asked him what the hell was it. He said it is a system in which power is produced by using sunlight. At that time we had very little and vague idea of what solar pow- er is and deep inside, no one was willing to believe that such a solar park could be materialised. The Congress even lodged a strong protest, saying it was only an elec- tion stunt and power can’t be pro- duced from sunlight. Ultimately, Modi ji’s convic- tion led to the fruition of this dream. Charanka saw the setting up of the largest solar park in the whole of Asia. The whole region was transformed once the project came up. Modi ji was not only instrumental in its success but also laid out the design and plan- ning of every nook and corner of the whole system. Such was his involvement and interest in the programme. Thus with one stroke of his vi- sion, he served several purposes — i.e. improving the living stand- ard of the people, promoting busi- nesses in the region, securing the borders and solving the power requirements. PERSPECT VE 04 Jaipur, Thursday | February 8, 2024 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia ‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’ UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI — PART 71 The transformation of Kashi, the Modi way hen it was an- nounced that Modi ji would contest polls from Varanasi, he came here on his first visit to the Kashi Vishwanath temple and paid his obeisance. While coming out of the temple, he said, the one who is the lord of the world — Vishwanath — liv- ing in such claustrophobic condition, is a pitiable sight. When the time of action came, Modi ji gave clear in- structions to come up with an architecture that was com- mensurate with the spiritual and religious vibes of the place. He said devotees had a hard time visiting the place andthedesignofthepathways and access roads and entry points must be redrawn in a way that they are not incon- venienced in any way while visiting the abode of the lord. Diesel boats were running all across the Ganges in Vara- nasi to ferry devotees and tourists to the ghats and tem- ples. This caught Modi ji’s attention and he suggested all boats should be run on clean fuel like CNG to stop pollu- tion caused by the black smoke of age-old diesel-run boats. This step instantly cleared the air of Varanasi, reducing pollution levels to a major extent. Most importantly, Modi ji had clearly instructed us that the transformation of Kashi had to be done only after tak- ing the people into confi- dence. His buzz words were cooperation and not coercion, coordination and not conflict. Also, Modi ji told us at the outset that whoever was be- ing displaced to make way for the temple or ghat rejuve- nation must be compensated adequately. Interestingly, by the time the project came to an end, there was no pending application to disperse the compensation amount. This transparency and profession- alism instilled faith and con- fidence in the people. It was also our task to en- sure that the heritage was not tampered with, especially the ancient temples on the way to the main temple. They had to be decorated and beauti- fied, and restored where needed, but the original structure and location had to remain intact. Special light- ing has been put in place ac- cording to the PM’s instruc- tions so that the temples look grand at night in the play of light and shade. Modi ji’s dream was to get the water of the Ganges to meet LordVishwanath.Asys- tem of mechanised showers has been put in place which ensures a perennial and auto- mated supply of water from the holy river over Vishwanath at the temple’s ‘Garbha Griha’. It is a neat and smart way of observing an important ritual. Also, for the first time, spic and span tour- ist facilitation centres have been established at crucial points for proper crowd man- agement as well as ease of visit for devotees. These cen- tres have clean toilets and washrooms, lockers, chang- ing rooms, token and tick- eting systems and nice food and clean water on offer. The transformation of Kashi didn’t just change the outlook and experience of the people of Kashi but also pre- sented a different picture to the world. From the dirty nar- row streets shadowed by hanging jumble of wires and crowded ill-main- tained ghats today it has changed into a clean, green organised tem- ple city in line with best tourist management practices followed anywhereintheworld. Baba Vishwanath Dham now stands out as a template to be imbibed to trans- form other places of religious sig- nificance into such epitomes of spirituality and devotion. W ‘VISHWAGURU’ MODI’SVISHWANATH CONNECTION! COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA You read PART 70 on FEBRUARY 1, 2024 Reflecting on the announcement of Modi ji’s candidacy in Varanasi, the narrators recount his inaugural visit to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, where he paid homage. Exiting the temple, Modi ji remarked on the cramped conditions of Vishwanath’s abode, showcasing his visionary leadership that transcends the ordinary. N Shankar Chaudhary Speaker, Gujarat Legislative Assembly Yogi Adityanath CM, Uttar Pradesh Prof Chandramauli Upadhyay Member, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Nyay Parishad Sunil Verma CEO, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Nyay Parishad SK Prajapati Project Manager, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham Deepak Agrawal Divisional Commissioner Varanasi Bimal Patel Architect, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham Success story of Charanka Modi magic Vol 5 Issue No. 243 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Managing Editor: Pawan Arora Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act Prime Minister Narendra Modi You read PART 71 on FEBRUARY 8, 2024 Prime Minister Narendra Modi COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA You read PART 72 on FEBRUARY 15, 2024 Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Mahakal Temple and also inaugurated Mahakaleshwar Temple Corridor Development Project in Ujjain on October 11, 2022. You read PART 73 on FEBRUARY 22, 2024 MODI’S TEMPLE ODYSSEY ASAGAOFFAITH ANDFELLOWSHIP! rime Minister Narendra Modi recently took part in the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Valinath Ma- hadev temple at Talabh in Guja- rat’s Mehsana, which is one of the largest temples in north Gu- jarat. But his association with the temple is long, especially with Mahantshri Baldev Giri ji Maharaj, with whom he had a strong bonding. So, whenever Modi ji met Guru ji, the latter applied Bhasma Tilak on his forehead. Even if Guru ji forgot to do so, Modi ji would remind him and urge him to apply the holy tilak on his forehead. It was a deep bonding of guru and dis- ciple. During CM Modi’s Sadb- havna Mission in Gujarat, when he was keeping fast, it was Guru ji who conducted the ritual to break the fast. Even way back when he was an RSS pracharak, Modi ji used to spend long hours with Baldev Giri Bapu and listen to him in- tently.After becoming the CM of the state for the first time, Modi ji had straight come to meet his Guru and seek his blessings. He was so closely associated with his principles and his affection that when he passed away, Modi ji personally called up the mem- bers of the community and ex- pressed his deep condolence at the loss and counted it as his per- sonal grief. While being the CM, the news of the worsening health condition of Guru ji once reached Modi ji’s office. He immediately took a break from his work and himself suggested Ayurvedic treatment for him for his early recovery. He got the medicines noted down and sent them to Guru ji, asking to ensure those were taken regu- larly and on time. The temple’s Pran Pratishtha thus holds special significance for the PM, which is why he made it a point to attend the ceremony. uring the Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra of Lal Krishna Advani, NarendraModiwasthein-charge of the whole programme. On its way to Kashmir, the Yatra took a halt at Jwala- mukhiinHimachalPradesh.Iwasamong the party functionaries responsible for the overallarrangementsduringthestayofthe leaders. Yatra was to proceed towards NurpurandPathankotverynextmorning. Modi ji called the local MLA and two karyakartas and asked them to take a ve- hicle immediately and proceed for a recce of the route the Yatra was about to take. We were all surprised as to what was the purpose of such a recce just a day before the journey. But Modi ji’s thoughts were always ahead of the rest and he could see what others couldn’t. He asked the party men to see carefully if the road till Nurpur was perfectly suit- able for the travel of the Rath Yatra. He askedthemtoensuretheheightofthetun- nels on the way should be suitable, i.e. not too low, so that they could comfortably accommodate Advani ji’s chariot and theremustbenoobstaclesontheroadlike narrowbridgesoranygatewaysthatcould trouble progress of the Yatra in any way. Incidentally, there were quite a few ob- stacles that were noticed in the quick sur- vey by karyakartas. Here we realised far- sightedness of Modi ji.Alternative routes were then immediately finalised and the Yatrawasthustakenthroughthosebypass routes so that the obstacles on the main routecouldbeskirted.Bymidnightofthat day, Modi ji had fully prepared the route map,knowingexactlywheretotaketurns, which roads to leave or take and how to maneuvertheYatraforitssmoothpassage. Also,Iremember,onthatdayAdvaniji was not keeping too well, while he had plans to visit a temple the same evening. Toensurethateverythingwassmoothand safeforthepartystalwart,Modijisenttwo karyakartastogoandcountthenumberof stairs to the temple and the height of the stairs to check ifAdvani ji would be com- fortable enough to climb the height, given hishealthcondition.Suchwashisconcern and meticulous planning that nothing could go wrong once he was at the helm. Advani ji finally dropped the plan to visit the temple that night and took up the jour- ney the next morning for better safety. Modi ji had told us, that Advani ji is very much needed for nation. His safety andwell-beingshouldbeparamounttous. Keeping this in mind, he did all planning and took action within a matter of hours, even before anyone could think of these. Today when the media asks, how does Modi ji do all the work so perfectly and in time, they must know that the steps Modi jitakeshavetheirplanninginhismindfor months. When the time comes, the or- ganisation seems pitch-perfect, but all the arrangements for the same are already decidedinModiji’smindmuchbeforethe actual manifestation. Such is his unique organisational caliber. P D Modi’s old bonding with Baldev Giri Maharaj, Valinath Mandir Narendra Modi: Man of perfect execution and thoroughness The narrators elaborate on PM Modi’s longstanding connection with the temple, particularly highlighting his close relationship with Mahant Shri Baldev Giri ji Maharaj. Modi’s visionary mindset consistently sets him apart, enabling him to perceive opportunities that elude others. His meticulous approach ensures that every task is executed flawlessly and timely, reflecting the careful planning that precedes each of his actions, often months in advance and lots more. Amarnath Sharma BJP leader, Himachal Pradesh Swami Jayram Giri, Mahant, ValinathMahadevMandir,Mehsana,Gujarat Ranchhod Desai MLA and former minister, Gujarat Rasila Rayka Gujarat PM Narendra Modi
- 8. www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia Jaipur, Thursday | February 29, 2024 07
- 9. INDIA 08 Jaipur, Thursday | February 29, 2024 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia NATIONAL ECONOMIC CONCLAVE ‘Person derided as tea-seller put India on devp path’ Agencies New Delhi nion Minister Anurag Thakur today said the Congress had humiliated Narendra Modi as a “tea- seller and a backward person” when the BJP had presented him as its prime ministerial candi- date, but the same “hon- est” leader had put the country firmly on the path of development. Addressing the Na- tional Economic Con- clave organised by the Interactive Forum on In- dian Economy, Thakur said ‘Viksit Bharat’, an idea mooted by the prime minister, has become a buzzword which is being debated at conferences, public meetings and po- litical rallies. “‘Viksit Bharat’ is not just a dream but a re- solve, which we have to turn to reality,” the senior BJP leader said. Thakur said just 10 years back, the nation was in the midst of scams, policy paralysis, a tottering economy and declining graph globally. “Leadership appeared weak and ran on remote control. Coalition dhar- ma was only practised to shield the corrupt. The coffers of the country were emptying and in- vestments too were low. This was not good for any country. The poor were getting poorer de- spite the slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’ which was given since the time of Nehru,” Thakur said. Anurag Thakur with TransStadia University founder Udit Sheth during the Bharat Sports Science Conclave (BSSC), in New Delhi. U New Delhi: The Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday convicted AAP MLA Prakash Jar- wal and his associate Kapil Nagar for abetting a doctor’s suicide. They also have been held guilty for the offence of criminal conspiracy for extortion threat to de- ceased Rajender Singh. AAP MLA Jarwal convicted in abetment of suicide case Chennai: The Madras HC on Wednesday dis- missed the bail plea of former Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case citing his influence and observing that there is strong material which prima facie establishes the offence against him. Ex-TN min Balaji denied bail by HC in money laundering case New Delhi: A minor girl was allegedly raped by her friend in Delhi after she had befriended the accused online through social media. On Wednesday the vic- tim was found in an un- conscious state near Dabri Metro Station in Delhi’s Sagarpur area, PTI reported. Minor girl raped by ‘friend’, left near Delhi metro station Hyderabad: Four women agricultural la- bourers died and eight others were injured in a road accident involving a state-run RTC bus and an auto-rickshaw in Suryapet district about 180km from here on Thursday, police said. The injured were shift- ed to a hospital. Four killed, 8 injured as bus hits auto- rickshaw in Telangana Amethi: Twenty-eight children have fallen ill after consuming medi- cine meant to treat fila- riasis in a government primary school in Udwa here, officials said.They have been admitted to the Community Health Center, where their con- dition was stated to be out of danger, they said. UP: 28 children fall ill after consuming anti- filaria medicine IN BRIEF New Delhi: A Delhi court granted bail to for- mer Bihar CM Rabri Devi her daughters in the Railways’land-for- job case. Misa Bharti, the eldest of RJD Prez Lalu Prasad Rabri De- vi’s children, is a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar. Court grants bail to Rabri Devi, 2 daughters PMinauguratesmultipleprojects worth`4,900croreinYavatmal ANI Yavatmal Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday in- augurated and dedicated to the nation multiple de- velopment projects relat- ed to rail, road and irriga- tion worth more than Rs 4900 crores at Yavatmal in Maharashtra. He also released bene- fits under PM KISAN and other schemes during the program.The Prime Min- ister also initiated the dis- tribution of one crore Ayushman cards across Maharashtraandlaunched the ‘ModiAwaas Gharkul Yojana’for OBC category beneficiaries, the PMO said in a statement. PM Modi also flagged off two train services.The Prime Minister also inau- gurated the statue of Pan- dit Deendayal Upadhyay in Yavatmal city. Addressing the gather- ing, the Prime Minister bowed before the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The PM remembered the people’s blessings when he came for ‘Chai par Charcha’ in 2014 and also in 2019. He asked for people’s blessings once again. He expressed grat- itude for the blessings of the mothers and sisters. Lamenting the leakage in the financial assistance to farmers, tribals and the needy during the previous governments, the Prime Minister highlighted the contrast during today’s occasion of disbursal of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi worth Rs 21,000 crores with the push of a button and deemed the gesture as ‘Modi ki Guarantee.’ Rajnath predicts grand victory for NDA in LS polls PTI Sitamarhi Defence Minister Ra- jnath Singh on Wednes- day asserted that the BJP- led NDA will ride high on the “rising credibility” of Prime Minister Naren- dra Modi in the upcom- ing Lok Sabha elections. The former BJP presi- dent, who is on a day- long tour of Bihar, briefly interacted with reporters in Sitamarhi district, where he paid obeisance at Punaura Dham, a shrine where Goddess Sita is believed to have been discovered by King Janaka. He was also asked whether the lotus would bloom “for the first time” in Sitamarhi, a Lok Sabha seat the BJP has never won. He replied “with the blessings of Mother Janaki, the lotus would bloom in Sitamarhi too”, but hastened to add, with a ghost of smile on his lips, “there is a pond nearby with lots of lotuses. So there is no problem”. AssamCongPrezRana resigns,likelytojoinBJP ‘BJPwants to ‘crush’ people’s mandate’ Mandate videography, webcasting at polling stations: BJP writes to ECI PTI Guwahati Assam Congress work- ing president Rana Gos- wami resigned from the party on Wednesday and headed to New Delhi where he is likely to join the BJP. “I beg to state that I am tendering my resignation as the working President of Assam Pradesh Con- gress Committee and as an active member of In- dian National Con- gress,” he said in the resignation letter ad- dressed to Congress gen- eral secretary (organisa- tion) KC Venugopal. Soon after resigning, he went to New Delhi where he is likely to meet BJP president JP Nadda in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, sources in the state’s ruling party said. PTI New Delhi Amid a political crisis in the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh gov- ernment, party general secretary Priyanka Gan- dhi Vadra on Wednesday alleged that the BJP wants to “crush” peo- ple’s mandate by misus- ing money power and central agencies. She also alleged that the BJPwants to push the state towards a “political disaster”. In a democra- cy, the general public has the right to choose a gov- ernment of their choice, said Priyanka Gandhi, who had played a crucial role in the Himachal As- sembly poll campaign in 2022 and has been in- volved with the party’s affairs in the state. Agencies New Delhi The BJPhas written to the EC, asking it to cover all polling stations with vid- eographyandwebcasting, and to set up polling sta- tions in urban housing so- cieties before announcing the general elections. The ruling party has also asked the Commis- sion to ensure that the me- dia control and monitor- ing committees (MCMC) do not cause delays in ap- proving advertisements by political parties. “In- steadof(the)currentprac- tice of coverage of around 50%ofpollingstationsfor videographyandwebcast- ing, we request that this coverage be increased to 100% of polling stations acrossallstates,”theletter sent by Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Rajya Sabha MPArun Singh, and BJP leader Om Pathak, said. Cong’sKeralauniturgesRaGatocontestfromWayanad PTI Thiruvananthapuram The Congress’ Kerala unit said on Wednesday the party leadership has urged former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad which he currently rep- resents in the Lok Sabha in the forthcoming gen- eral elections. Indicating that a final decision is yet to be taken on Gandhi’s con- stituency, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly V D Sathee- san said the party’s na- tional leadership and the central election com- mittee would decide in this regard. He said that the par- ty’s state unit strongly demanded the national leadership that Gandhi contest from Wayanad. Nehru-Gandhi family kept Amethi poor for 50 years, says Irani PTI Amethi (UP) Attacking the Nehru- Gandhi family, Union Minister and local MP Smriti Irani on Wednes- day alleged that they have kept Amethi de- prived of development for over 50 years so that the people here remain poor and helpless and continue pleading with them with folded hands. Addressing a pro- gramme here in Pan- deyganj village, she said, “Amethi has also seen the timewhenthepeoplehere used to go to Delhi to meet the MP.At that time, either the MPs were abroad or their security personnel did not allow them to enter. “The ‘naamdars’(Gan- dhi family) deprivedAm- ethi of development for 50 years so that the people here remained poor and helpless and kept plead- ing before them with folded hands,” she said. “As a result of their think- ing, 1.08 lakh families of Amethi did not have houses. Apart from this, four lakh families did not have taps for drinking wa- ter a7 three lakh families did not have toilets. “The MPs who were elected from here had nothing to do with the public,” she said. KEY PROJECTS LAUNCHED IN MAHARASHTRA Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flags off trains during the inauguration of various development projects and disbursement of funds under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, at a rally in Yavatmal district, Wednesday. Rahul Gandhi Smriti Irani inaugurating library at Upper primary school, Palpur in Jagdishpur block of Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. GOVT WORKING TO BOOST RESEARCH AMONG YOUTH: PM ON NATIONAL SCIENCE DAY SACHIN TENDULKAR PRAISES J-K, PM MODI SAYS LET'S BUILD A DEVELOPED INDIA The govt is working to boost research and innovation among youth, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while conveying greetings on National Science Day on Wednesday. National Sci- ence Day is celebrated every year on February 28 to commemorate the great Indian physicist C. V. Raman, who discovered the Raman Effect. “Greetings on Na- tional Science Day. Our Government is continuously working to encourage research and innovation among the youth. This is important to realise our dream of a Viksit Bharat,” PM Modi wrote in a post on X. C V Ra- man had on February 28, 1928, discovered a phenom- enon of the scattering of photons, which later came to be known as the ‘Raman Effect’ after his name. New Delhi: Cricket legend Sachin Ten- dulkar’s admiration of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday drew concurring praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said his visit to the Union Territory has two important takeaways for the youth. Tendulkar posted a short highlight of his visit to the region and said it will remain a beautiful experience etched in his memory. “There was snow all around but we felt warm because of people’s exceptional hospitality. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there is so much to see in our nation,” he said. The party has not fielded its candidate in Sitamarhi after the 1998 Lok Sabha polls, leaving it for allies like Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) The way Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s credibility has been rising, there will be no area left where the (BJP symbol) lotus would not bloom. With the blessings of Mother Janaki, the lotus would bloom in Sitamarhi too. RAJNATH SINGH, DEFENCE MINISTER INDIAN UNION MUSLIM LEAGUE ANNOUNCES CANDIDATES FOR 2 SEATS IN KERALA, ONE IN TN Malappuram (Kerala): The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) announced on Wednesday the can- didature of its three sitting MPs -- two in Kerala and one in Tamil Nadu -- for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Party veteran E T Muhammed Basheer will contest from Malappuram, while another sitting Lok Sabha MP Abdul Samad Samadani will try his luck from Ponnani, said party supremo Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal. Thangal also said that the party would field its sitting MP K Navas Kani in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu. Rana Goswami Priyanka Gandhi A BJP delegation comprising Ashwini Vaishnaw, Arun Singh and Om Pathak speaks to the media after a meeting at the Election Commission of India (ECI) office, in New Delhi on Wednesday. WE PROMISED TO RUN THE COUNTRY SINCERELY TAKE THE COUNTRY FORWARD: THAKUR Anurag Thakur said it was the same honest leader, who was humiliated as a tea-seller and a backward by the Congress, that put the nation on the path of development and even performed the ‘pran pratishtha’ at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. “We had promised to run the country sincerely and take the country forward, which we did for the past 10 years by giving a corruption-free government,” Mr Thakur said.
- 10. NEWS 09 www.firstindia.co.in firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur thefirstindia thefirstindia thefirstindia Jaipur, Thursday | February 29, 2024 MICROSOFT CO-FOUNDER ATTENDS SEVERAL PROGRAMMES IN INDIA Bill Gates commends ‘Centre for Women Leadership’Project Agencies New Delhi ormer Micro- soft CEO Bill Gates on the ‘Centre for Women Leadership’ project un- dertaken by the Bill and Melinda Gates Founda- tion in collaboration with the Confederation of In- dian Industry (CII), said, “This initiative got start- ed with India’s very suc- cessful G20 which showed the world many of the great things going on including women-led development. Many of these issues have not got the attention that they deserve. Both my co-chair Melinda Gates and I are very committed to it. So, the focus of the alliance is on issues of general health and educational enter- prise which are very im- portant for equitable development.” The Billionaire philan- thropist also emphasized the insufficient attention given to crucial issues addressed by the project. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Union Minister Smriti Irani during an event based on Alliance for Global Good - Gender Equity and Equality, in New Delhi on Wednesday. ANI Bill Gates exchanges greetings with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. ANI Bill Gates being briefed about medical aid by Air Marshal Rajesh Vaidya during his visit to the Manekshaw Centre to attend a meeting with health officials, in New Delhi on Wednesday. ANI F Prezprimariesnow showwarningsigns forBidenTrump Agencies Washington Incumbent US President JoeBidenandformerpres- ident Donald Trump won their respective parties’ Michigan’s presidential primaries on Tuesday, and the two candidates contin- ue marching toward a likely rematch in the No- vember 2024 race for the White House. Trump easily defeated his main rival, Indian- American Nikki Haley, winning yet another early contest and additional del- egates—bringinghimone step closer to being able to formallysecuretheRepub- lican Party’s nomination. When last reports came in, Haley had received 28.9% of the votes as against Trump’s 66.4%. The New York Times pro- jected that 77-year-old Trump would sweep the Michigan primary with over 40% of the votes. Biden thanked every Michigander who made their voice heard. MICHELLEOBAMATOP CONTENDERTOREPLACE JOEASPREZCANDIDATE New Delhi: Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the US, is the leading choice to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic party’s can- didate for the presidential elections, a poll has shown. Nearly half of the demo- crats - who voted in the Rasmussen Reports polls - expressed their choice for someone other than Biden to fight the US Presidential elections. Michelle got about 20% of votes among other options to replace Biden. SOME TAKEAWAYS FROM MICHIGAN z Trump defeats Indian- American Nikki Haley in Michigan primary, Biden wins Demo- cratic primary z Biden, Trump each move closer to party’s nomination z Some Democrats express anger over Gaza with ‘uncommit- ted’ vote CRUCIAL UPDATES OF THE VISIT z Bill Gates visits Micro- soft IDC in Hyderabad, expresses optimism for AI-powered India. z Bill Gates meets Odisha CM, discusses technology-driven farmer empowerment initiatives. z Microsoft co-founder also visited Maa Mangla Basti in Odisha NOVEMBER 2024 RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE US President Joe Biden Former US Prez Donald Trump India-USreviewcooperationincounter-terrorism Agencies New Delhi Cooperation in the field of internal security, intel- ligence sharing, and ac- tivities of pro-Khalistani elements in America were discussed at the In- dia-US Homeland Secu- rity Dialogue held on Wednesday, sources said. While the Indian del- egation was led by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, the US delegation was headed by his coun- terpart from the United States Department of Homeland Security. Besides cooperation between the law enforce- ment agencies of the two countries, the meeting discussed intelligence sharing on matters related to online radicalisation, cyber attacks, and digital frauds, among others. Cooperation in coun- terterrorism, cyber secu- rity, trans-border illegal immigration, extradition, aviation security, mari- time security are other issues that figured in the meeting, sources said. MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS z Two Indian Coast Guard ships arrived in Sri Lanka for a formal visit to facilitate pro- fessional exchanges and conduct joint training exercises. z The ships will visit Colombo from March 2 to 5 before departing the island nation. z India and Germany have resolved to closely collaborate on high-technology for mil- itary use in line with a broader aim to develop defence cooperation as a key pillar of bilateral strategic partnership. TEAMINMALDIVESTO REPLACEMILITARY Male: Ahead of the March 10 deadline for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel in the Mal- dives, an Indian civilian team has reached here to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms in the island nation, local media reports said on Wednesday. “The civilian team to operate and maintain the aircraft has now arrived in Maldives. The Indian civilian team arrived in Addu early last night to complete the handover/take- over process,” a news portal themaldivesjournal.com said quoting a statement by the Maldives Defence Ministry. Ishan, Iyer’s contracts terminated by BCCI Agencies New Delhi India batters Ishan Kis- han and Shreyas Iyer have been punished for continuing to ignore the BCCI’s directives as the duo was left out from the board’s list of central contracts for 2023-24 an- nounced on Wednesday. India captain Rohit Sharma, along with Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have been included in Grade A+ category. Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma, however, were among the many new faces included in the cen- tral contracts list. WPL 2024: UP Warriorz beat MI by seven wickets to register first win PTI Bengaluru UP Warriorz pulled off a massive heist after beat- ing defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by 7 wickets in Match No.6 of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 on Wednesday at the M Ch- innaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Vrinda Dinesh, who did not have great out- ings against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capi- tals (DC), injured her shoulder while fielding and hence did not come out to bat. Mali: 31 dead and 10 injured in a bus crash Agencies Bamako Thirty-one people were killed and 10 others in- jured when a bus fell off a bridge in Mali. As per Transport min- istry, the incident oc- curred around 5:00 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Tuesday on the bridge crossing the Bagoe river, the ministry said in a statement. The bus was en route to Burlina Faso from the southwestern Malian town of Kenieba and the probable cause of the ac- cident was the driver los- ing control of the vehicle, the statement added. Road accidents are fre- quent in Mali mainly due to poor road and vehicle conditions. 10killedafterbusfallsintogorge inPakistan'sKhyberPakhtunkhwa PTI Peshawar At least 10 people were killedand15injuredwhen an overspeeding bus they were travelling fell into a ravine in northwest Paki- stan’s Khyber Pakhtunkh- wa late last night, police said on Wednesday. The bus was on its way to a hilly village from Khanpur, in the Haripur district, when it met with the accident in Tarnava. The driver lost control while negotiating a sharp turn due to overspeeding and fell into a deep gorge, police said. The deceased included men, women and children. Rescue ve- hicles rushed to the acci- dent site evacuated the injured passengers with the help of local people. ANI Chennai (Tamil Nadu) The non-oil bilateral trade between India and the UAE has seen a siz- able jump to over USD 50 billion ever since the signing of the CEPA agreement and the aim is now to take it close to USD 100 billion by the end of this decade. Since 2022, when the Comprehensive Econom- ic PartnershipAgreement was signed, non-oil bilat- eral trade has witnessed a 16 per cent increase be- tween the two partner countries, reaching over USD 50 billion, said UAE-India CEPA Coun- cil Director Ahmed Alj- neibi, speaking to ANI. And we aim to make that around USD 100 bil- lion by 2030. The CEPA Council aims to leverage the benefits of the agree- ment by informing the business community here in India, and specifically today here in Chennai, one of our first roundta- bles that we had. It's been a fruitful discussion, Aljneibi said in Chennai. The UAE-India CEPA Council (UICC), in col- laboration with the Con- federation of Indian In- dustry (CII), held a busi- ness roundtable for Chennai-based exporters aimed at promoting the UAE-India economic partnership. US Army is slashing thousands of posts to prepare for future wars Agencies Washington The U.S. Army is slash- ing the size of its force by about 24,000, or almost 5%, and restructuring to be better able to fight the next major war, as the service struggles with re- cruiting shortfalls that made it impossible to bring in enough soldiers to fill all the jobs. The cuts will mainly be in already-empty posts — not actual soldiers — including in jobs related to counterinsurgency that swelled during the Iraq andAfghanistan wars but are not needed as much today. About 3,000 of the cuts would come from Army special oper- ations forces. At the same time, how- ever, the plan will add about 7,500 troops in other critical missions, including air-defense and counter-drone units and five new task forces around the world with enhanced cyber, intelli- gence and long-range strike capabilities. Army Secretary Chris- tine Wormuth said she and Gen. Randy George, the Army chief, worked to thin out the number of places where they had empty or excess slots. Aim to double India-UAE non-oil trade by 2030: CEPA CRUCIAL READ Bitcoin crosses $60K mark, approaching all-time high London: Bitcoin passed the $60,000 mark on Wednesday, approaching its all-time high and continuing its unbridled rise since the approval of a new type of investment indexed to the cryptocurrency. At 1325 GMT, bitcoin traded at about $60,301, closing in on its all-time high of $68,991 -- that was struck in Nov 2021. UK: Prince Harry loses case over change in personal security level London: Prince Harry lost a court challenge against the UK government on Wednesday over a decision to change the level of his personal security when he visits the country. Harry launched legal action against the government after being told in February 2020 that he would no longer be given the “same degree” of publicly-funded protection when in Britain. Japan population down by largest margin, births at record low Tokyo: The number of babies born in Japan in the year 2023 fell to a record low from a year earlier as the country’s population shrank by its largest ever margin, as per data. The figure for babies was down by 5.1% to 758,631, according to preliminary data released by the health ministry, Japa- nese news agency said. NASA: US spacecraft, Russian satellite set for a risky encounter New York: The U.S. Department of Defense is monitoring a close pass between NASA’s Thermo- sphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics Mission (TIMED) spacecraft and the Russian Cosmos 2221 satellite, NASA said in a blog post on Wednesday. The spacecraft are expected to miss each other, a collision could result in significant debris, the U.S. space agency said. A bus fell into a deep gorge in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. UAE-India CEPA Council Director Ahmed Aljneibi UP Warriorz’ Kiran Navgire being congratulated by captain Alyssa Healy during WPL T20 cricket match in Bengaluru, Wednesday. Ajay Bhalla and Kristie Canegallo, acting Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security led the respective delegations. The Pentagon in Washington, USA.