29122021 first india new delhi

People fed up with parties & politics of bygone era: Kejriwal
CHANDIGARH CIVIC BODY POLL RESULTS BOOST AAP’S MORALE
First India Bureau
Chandigarh: Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) Na-
tional Convener and
Delhi CM Arvind Kejri-
wal has said that people
across the country, in-
cluding Chandigarh
and Punjab, are fed up
with old traditional par-
ties, leaders and old
style politics. Peo-
ple want freedom
from corruption,
after Delhi, Chan-
digarh’s election
results are a clear
example of this.
The people have
chosen a new party
(AAP), new faces and
honest politics by
s h o c k - ing the old
ones,
he said.
In a statement on
Tuesday, Kejriwal said
that the Chandigarh
voters had truly per-
formed a miracle in the
municipal elections.
They defeated many
great giants and chose
brand new faces. Tradi-
tional parties’ thrones
were shaken by the de-
feat of some veterans,
including the sitting
BJP mayor, two for-
mer mayors and
the president of
the BJP’s youth
wing, as people
have come to
believe in the
AAP and its new faces,
he added.
Kejriwal said the
Chandigarh civic body
poll results have dis-
pelled the myths and
misinformation spread
by the opposition about
the AAP. He said, “I re-
member when political
pundits used to say af-
ter the Punjab 2017 poll
results that the urban
voters don’t support
AAP. But party’s victo-
ry in Chandigarh has
proved that wrong and
this time the urban vot-
ers of Punjab will stand
by the AAP strongly
.”
AAP CONVENOR TO LEAD ‘PEACE
MARCH’ IN PATIALA ON DEC 31
Chandigarh: Arvind Kejriwal will lead the ‘Peace
March’ in Patiala on December 31. AAP’s Punjab
President Bhagwant Mann said this procession will
be dedicated to peace and prosperity of Punjab. In
a video message released by the party on Tuesday,
Mann said, “For the last some days there has been
attempts to disturb the peaceful atmosphere and
brotherhood of Punjab, has it been sacrilege attempt
at Sri Harmandir Sahib or a blast at Ludhiana court.
But Punjab is known for its social bonding and
brotherhood. People of Punjab, irrespective of their
religion or cast, have no tolerance for hatred or
undercurrent fear.” He questioned the frequency of
such incidents near Assembly polls and said that it is
an outcome of dirty politics that seeks to fulfill their
agenda by hurting the sentiments or lives of people.
DOUBLE ENGINE GOVT WORKING WITH DOUBLE
SPEED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF UP, SAYS PM MODI
MODI INAUGURATES
KANPUR METRO
Vishal Srivastav
Kanpur: Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi on
Tuesday said that the
“double engine” gov-
ernment at the Centre
and Uttar Pradesh are
working with double
speed, without wasting
any time for the devel-
opment of the State.
Addressing the inau-
guration ceremony of
the Kanpur Metro Rail
Project alongside the
Bina-Panki Multiprod-
uct Pipeline Project, PM
said, “Today is Tuesday
and with the blessings
of Hanuman Ji, another
golden chapter is being
added to the develop-
ment of UP. Today Kan-
pur has got metro con-
nectivity and connected
to Bina Refinery.” “To-
day, Kanpur has finally
got its own metro ser-
vice. I travelled via met-
ro and it was truly a
memorable experience
for me. I congratulate
people of Kanpur on
achieving this feat,”
said PM Modi. More on P7
‘ITAR’ OF GRAFT
BEFORE 2017
EXPOSED: PM
Shah recounts
Samajwadi‘ABC’!
AVOID SHORTCUTS IN
LIFE: PM TO STUDENTS
INDIA IS 2ND BIGGEST STARTUP
HUB IN WORLD: MODI
BOOSTER FOR 60+: NO PRESCRIPTION
TO PROVE COMORBIDITY
CENTRE CLEARS 2 NEW
VAX, 1 ANTIVIRAL DRUG
MAHA ATS FORCED ME TO
NAME YOGI, RSS LEADERS:
MALEGAON BLAST WITNESS
Kanpur: PM Narendra Modi
took a swipe at the SP on
Tuesday over seizure of
crores of rupees in cash from
a Kanpur-based perfume
trader and said it was the
“achievement and reality” of
oppn. “Boxes filled with notes
that have come out, I was
thinking Samajwadi Party will
say that this was also done
by us. Before 2017, perfume
of corruption that they had
sprinkled all over UP is there
for everyone to see,” he said.
Hardoi: Union Home
Minister Amit Shah
on Tuesday targeted
the Samajwadi Party
,
alleging that the op-
position party’s lexi-
con starts with
‘Apraadh’ (crime),
‘Bhaai-Bhatijavaad’
(nepotism) and ‘Cor-
ruption’.
Addressing a rally
in UP’s Hardoi, the
BJP leader also al-
leged that the SP
, BSP
and the Congress
made numerous ef-
forts to stop the con-
struction of the Ram
temple at Ayodhya
and asserted that
they ‘will not succeed
even if they unleash
their full force’. He
took a swipe at the SP
over the income tax
raids against a Kan-
pur-based perfume
trader allegedly
linked to it.
‘’The A, B, C, D of
Samajwadi Party is
itself all wrong
where ‘A’ is for
‘
ApraadhaurAatank’
(crime and terror-
ism), ‘B’isfor‘Bhaai-
Bhatijaavaad’ (nepo-
tism), ‘C’ for ‘Corrup-
tion’ aur ‘D’ means
‘Dangaa’ (riots). The
Bharatiya Janata
Party has wiped out
this A, B, C,D,’ the
former BJP presi-
dent said at the Jan
Vishvas Yatra.
Hardoi has been a
stronghold of SP &
family of Naresh
Chandra Agarwal,
who joined BJP in
2018. ‘A few days ago,
there were income
tax raids. Why was
(SP chief) Akhilesh
having an upset
stomach over raids,
and he said that the
raids were done with
political malice,’
Shah said. ‘Can any-
one tell me whose Rs
250 crore were found
at the place of person
making Samajwadi
Attar? Today, they
(SP) are unable to
give an answer,’ Shah
said. —PTI
PM Modi on Tuesday advised students
of IIT Kanpur to avoid shortcuts in life &
strive to face challenges and overcome
them with efficient solutions while
addressing 54th convocation ceremony of
IIT Kanpur.
PM Narendra Modi traveling in Kanpur Metro, on Tuesday. Also seen is Union
Minister Hardeep Singh Puri & UP CM Yogi Adityanath. —PHOTO BY ANI
At IIT Kanpur, Modi said that India has emerged as
the second biggest startup hub in the world, and this
has been achieved majorly with the help of students
from IITs. He said, “In this 75th year of independence,
we have over 75 unicorns, over 50,000 start-ups. Of
these, 10,000 have come only in the last 6 months.”
New Delhi: People above 60 with comorbidities do not
need to show a doctor certificate or prescription to show
they belong to the high-risk category to be eligible for
a “precaution dose” or booster against COVID. Medical
professionals, frontline health staff & senior citizens with
comorbidities can take the booster dose from Jan 10.
New Delhi: The Union Health
Ministry cleared two new
COVID-19 vaccines -CORBEVAX
vaccine and COVOVAX vaccine
- and one anti-viral drug-
Molnupiravir- for emergency
use on Tuesday, following
which vaccine manufacturers
welcomed the announcement
and said that this would support
the patients across India.
Mumbai: A witness in the 2008 Malegaon blast case,
whose statement was recorded by the Maharashtra
Anti-Terrorism Squad, claimed before a special
National Investigation Agency court on Tuesday
that the ATS had
threatened him to
name Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath and four
other RSS leaders.
Notably, former
Mumbai Police
Commissioner
Param Bir Singh,
currently facing multiple cases of extortion, was
the Additional Commissioner of the ATS when it
probed the Malegaon blast case. His statement was
recorded by the ATS when it probed the case before
the NIA took over. During his deposition, the witness
told the court that the then senior ATS officer Param
Bir Singh and another officer had threatened him to
name Yogi Adityanath, and four other RSS leaders,
including Indresh Kumar. He claimed that the ATS
tortured him and made him sit (at their office)
illegally. After his deposition, the court declared the
witness hostile for making allegations against the
ATS and denying that he made any statement before
the anti-terror agency. —Agencies
PRADHAN-YATRI
At convocation of IIT Kanpur, Modi hands out
digital degrees issued through an in-house
blockchain-driven tech developed at IIT under
National Blockchain Project.
1 Lot of time wasted
already, begin
work on new India: PM
to IIT graduates
2
Yellow alert in Delhi; Schools
shut, cap on offices & shops Govt calls emergency
meeting with FORDA
ECI team in UP
to review poll
preparedness
New Delhi: After resi-
dent doctors across the
country continued their
protest against the de-
lay in NEET-PG coun-
selling and warned to
withdraw “all health-
care services” from
Wednesday, Union
Health Ministry on
Tuesday called an emer-
gency meeting with a
12-member delegation
of Federation of Resi-
dent Doctors’ Associa-
tion (FORDA) repre-
sentatives.
Before convening the
meeting, Union Health
Minister Mansukh
Mandaviya had urged
resident doctors to call
off their strike in the
public interest. Man-
daviya had said, “I held
a meeting with all resi-
dent doctors. We’re not
able to do the counsel-
ling because the matter
is sub-judice before Su-
preme Court. The hear-
ing will take place on
Jan 6. I hope that NEET
PG counselling will
start soon.”
Lucknow:Ateamof the
Election Commission of
India will be on a three-
day visit to the poll-
bound state of Uttar
Pradesh from Tuesday
to take stock of the poll
preparedness ahead of
the State Assembly elec-
tionsin2022.Thiscomes
aftertheAllahabadHigh
Court on Thursday had
requested the Election
Commission of India
amid the Omicron scare
toimmediatelypostpone
theAssemblypollsinUt-
tar Pradesh for 1-2
months. The court also
urged Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and the
ECI to immediately ban
rallies and public meet-
ings of political parties
in the state.
New Delhi: Restric-
tions under the yellow
alert for Covid will be
implemented in Delhi,
CM Arvind Kejriwal
said Tuesday. The re-
strictions under the
Covid Graded Response
Action Plan include
shutting all educational
institutions, capping
wedding & funeral gath-
erings to 20, reducing
seat occupancy in Delhi
Metro and buses to 50%,
among other things.
“Over the past few
days cases have been go-
ing up but there is no
need to worry and pan-
ic,” Kejriwal said.
More on P2
OMICRON SCARE
NEET-PG COUNSELLING
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
INDIA
NEW DELHI
6,358
new cases
653
Omicron
496
new cases
01
new fatalities
Union Home Minister Amit Shah offering prayers at
Sankatmochan Temple, in Varanasi on Tuesday.
NEW DELHI lWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNITITLE NO.DELENG/2021/19840 lVol 1 l Issue No.120
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD,
LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI
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instagram.com/thefirstindia
Close the book on your losses and
failures and open the pages of
blessings and togetherness.
—Jagdeesh
Chandra,
CEO & Editor-in-Chief,
First India
JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY
, DECEMBER
29, 2021
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efirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
POSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019
-21
EMERGENCE OF A NEW
RAJPUT FORCE IN JAIPUR!

z How do you see the
huge rally of Rajput
Society held in
Jaipur on December
22 and the underlying
message?
Jagdeesh
Chandra:
There are three major
takeaways
or messages
from this rally
. The first
message is that its an
emergence
of powerful
Rajput force in Jaipur.
Secondly
, the Rajput
community
has also
claimedstakeinpartner-
ship of power. They have
ensured that, whether it
is Congress or BJP
, they
can’t ignore it under the
Jat pressure. The third
messagehasbeenof pub-
licperception,
whereGa-
jendra Singh Shekhawat
has replaced or substi-
tuted Vasundhara
Raje.
Butthisanalysiscan’tbe
termed final untill Raje
wasalsopresentonsame
stage. But this is also a
fact that as far as rally is
concerned,
Shekhawat
has emerged as the ‘New
Leader of Rajputs.’

z How do you see Shri
Kshatriya
Yuvak
Sangh’s journey from
Tan Singh to the cor-
onation of Laxman
Singh that day?
The journey has been
great. Late Tan Singhji
while his stay at a hos-
tel in Pilani, had dreamt
about the idea of set-
ting up Kshatriya
Yu-
vak Sangh, which has
turned into reality.
Lakhs of youth, men
and Kshtranis
attended
the massive rally
, which
appeared to be no lesser
than a Tsumani.
First,
it was Tan Singhji, fol-
lowed by Ayuwan Sing-
hji, then for 20 years
Narayan Singhji, then
for 32 years Bhagwan
Singhji
headed the
Sangh and now he has
handed over the reins
of the organisatio
n to
Laxman Singhji. It has
been long and the final
outcome is that Rajput
Communit
y’s honour,
power & authority
has
increased
to manifolds.

z Do you also believe
that Rajput Society
was marginalis
ed dur-
ing the last few years
and if so, how far will
this rally of 3-4 lakh
be successful
for its re-
vival or come back?
Thereisnodoubtthatfor
the past sometime,
Ra-
jput Community
was
marginalise
d.Therewas
a time, when Communi-
ty had 44 MLAs & their
stature had reduced in
past 3 years, when Soci-
ety’s leadership
didn’t
end up in the hands of a
powerful leader like it
was with Vasundhara
Raje. So a vaccum was
created,butthisrallyhas
been a major step in re-
vivalof Society’shonour.

z Who is the master-
mind behind organis-
ing this rally? Have
some strategists
also
joined the Sangh now?
This question came to
my mind as well since
Kshatriya
Yuvak Sangh
and those associated
with it, are non-politica
l
entities. They are grass-
roots people, stay away
from limelight and their
strategy is only of broth-
erhood in community
,
culturalupbringing,
love
for the nation and Ma-
nav-dharm.
But accord-
ing to me, there are two
faces - Gajendra
Singh
Shekhwat
and Rajendra
Rathore behind this ini-
tiativeandtherecouldbe
people from the Sangh
also. But I personally
be-
lieve that Rathore has a
greater role to play since
he is a full- time politi-
cian and has a strong
presence in BJP govern-
ment. But on face value,
itappearsthatideacould
have been of both Shek-
hawat & Rathore, but I
feelRathorehasbeensig-
nificantly
involved and
realbeneficiary
isGajen-
dra S Shekhawat.

z What message does
the presence of about
20,000 women give in
this rally?
Their presence was like
a breath of fresh air.
Women clad in Saffron,
reached the rally venue,
which was a different
experience
altogether.
Generally,
women in
such huge numbers do
not assemble
for any
rally, and if they do,
they are not as upbeat
as these women were.

z How will you com-
pare the massive In-
flation rally held in
Jaipur in the pres-
ence of Rahul & Pri-
yanka recently and
this Kshatriya
Rally?
Has this rally carved
a niche in the history
of rallies in Jaipur?
There is no doubt that
this rally has actually
carved a niche, but it
can’t be compared
with
the Congress
rally pri-
marily because that was
a political rally
, and this
wasanon-politica
levent.
This rally’s agenda was
to respect all religions
andcommunitie
s,tosave
Dalits and to safeguard
humanitari
an values.
There are reports that
many people were stuck
outsideduetotrafficjam
& couldn’t reach venue
so yes, this rally has in-
deed carved a niche and
surpassing
this, would
perhaps be impossible.

z Excited by the
amazing success of
this rally, can SKYS
organise such rallies
in some more big cit-
ies in days to come?
They can and why
shouldn’t they? Its a de-
mocracy
. The rally was
so disciplined
& well-
managed,
and if more
such rallies are organ-
ised by them then this
move of theirs’ is in-
deed welcome,
but law
& order & decency
should be maintained
similartothatinJaipur.
I believe that it can or-
ganise such rallies in
major cities, especially
at Divisional
Headquar-
ters in days to come.

z Inspired by this ral-
ly, which has re-estab-
lished dominance
of
Rajput Society, can
Jat or Brahmin
Soci-
eties or even SC-STs
demonstra
te their
power through such
rallies in near future?
Definitely
.Thisisanmo-
tivational
aspect espe-
cially based on commu-
nity lines and non- po-
litical. Jats can organise
a major rally, they are
resourceful
. Then Brah-
mins can also organise
such an event and there
are talks of one such
event in near future. Re-
cently the Meena Com-
munity also held a rally
at Birla Auditorium
.

z If such an environ-
ment of competitio
n
of power among dif-
ferent societies is cre-
ated, what will be its
political,
social and
administra
tive conse-
quences?
There is no problem, if
the rallies are disci-
plined, but if they cause
disharmon
y or unfair
competition
between
communiti
es or reli-
gions, then it will be un-
fortunate.
I also believe
that the leadership
of
Jats, Brahmins,
SC/STs
and other communiti
es
is in the hands of the
learned and mature in-
dividuals,
so such a situ-
ation, where the govern-
ment has to interfere,
shouldn’t
arise. There-
fore, the inter-comm
uni-
tydisharmony
shouldn’t
occur in Rajasthan.

z Best thing about the
rally was that all the
Speakers
spoke about
character
& nation
building,
Dalit pro-
tection and respect
for all religions.
What’s your take?
Its a great beginning
in
today’s era, when people
try to extract benefit by
linking religion to poli-
tics. In such a situation,
a community
has come
forward to talk about
character&nationbuild-
ing, Dalit protection
and
respect for all religions,
about Hindu-Mus
lim
unity and this effort
should be appreciated
.

z Pratap Singh
Khacharia
was is
very excited about his
12 minute speech giv-
en in the rally. What
was so special about
his speech?
His address was ex-
tremely mature and he
said that all religions
should be honoured.
He
spoke on secular lines
and stressed that the Ra-
jputs will even sacrifice
themselves
for safe-
guarding the Dalits. His
speechwasquiteimpres-
sive, which also went vi-
ral and was appreciated
in Delhi too. Pratap Sin-
gh is a firebrand leader,
who keeps on raising is-
sues and fortunately
, he
got a platform to share
his thoughts and as a re-
sult, his positioning
in
the ‘Gehlot Darbar’ has
gained a few notches.

z What is the mean-
ing of entry of Ge-
hlot’s ‘Hanuman
,’
Dharmend
ra Rathore,
in this rally and will
his role in Rajput pol-
itics of Congress
in-
crease in near future?
Dharmendr
a Rathore is
an asset in Gehlot’s po-
liticaljourney
.Thereare
people, whose works are
somehownotcompleted,
perhaps
from rival
camps,
Dharmendr
a
Rathore acts as a link
between them. However,
the important
point is
that he will fight for the
work which he can be
convinced
of that is in
the best interest of CM
Gehlot.
Interesting
ly,
while there are many
‘Darbaris’
and loyalists
in Gehlot’s Darbar, but
there are only handful
of people, who can take
decisions and Rathore is
one of them. He acts as a
bridge between govern-
ment and Opposition
too. His latest contribu-
tion has been Congress’
entry to a platform that
has so far been labelled
as BJP supporting
.
Rathore played a major
role in EWS reservation
category also as he be-
came the link between
Gehlot and Rajput Com-
munity
. He may now be
accorded a position of
Chairman
of anyBoard.

z Despite being a pol-
itician, entire speech
of Gajendra
Singh
was non-politic
al,
what is the political
meaning of it?
His address was non-
political and mature,
which was appreciated
inJaipurandelsewhere.
When Khachariya
was
and Rathore raised the
issue of EWS reserva-
tion and relaxation
by
Centre, Shekhawat,
fold-
ed his hands, and out-
rightly said that he
doesn’t want to use a
Community
’s platform
for political issues add-
ing that such has been
his grooming
in SKYS.
While he not only side-
linedthematter,butalso
showed mature han-
dling of developmen
ts,
which was appreciated
.

z In the rally, only
two BJP leaders GS
Shekhawa
t and Ra-
jendra Rathore and
Congress’
PSK and
Dharmend
ra Rathore
were given a chance
to speak, while Con-
gress’ Mahesh Joshi,
Bhanwar
Singh Bha-
ti, Rajendra
Gudha
and BJP’s Rajya-
vardhan Rathore,
Satish Poonia didn’t
get a chance to speak.
Diya Kumari and
Arun Chaturved
i
were also present
there. Bhati and Gud-
ha left in middle of
the rally. How would
you explain this?
I don’t think that there
was any hidden design
of the Sangh. I have fre-
quently reiterated
that
after Vaibhav Gehlot, if
there is anyone who can
beconsidered
asGehlot’s
political successor,
it is
MaheshJoshi.Butitsnot
fair that two Rajput lead-
ers, Diya Kumari and
Rajyavardh
an Rathore
weren’tgivenachanceto
address the rally
. As for
Satish Poonia, he played
hisrole.Sincebeginning,
be it Jan Sangh, Swatan-
tra Party or BJP
, the Ra-
jputcommunity
’sprefer-
ance has always been to
lean towards the Right &
Poonia is State BJP
Chief. He was invited to
the rally and accorded
space on dias. But people
say Jat voters will get
miffed by him saying
that he attended the Ra-
jput Community
’s func-
tion, but I don’t see that
to be the case.

z Absence of CM
Ashok Gehlot & for-
mer CM Vasundhar
a
Raje, former Deputy
CM Sachin Pilot was
discussed
in the rally.
Were they not invited?
Rajendra
Rathore said
that if we had call the
CM or former CM or for-
mer deputy CM then, it
would have been a cere-
monial event, wherein,
they would have come,
addressed
the gathering
and left and the stage
would have been hi-
jacked. While some oth-
ers were of the opinion
that in such a case, the
focus would have shifted
from community
. Al-
though CM Gehlot and
Madam Raje weren’t in-
vited, they gave their
best wishes and their
messages were read and
well received by people.
However, I say that Mad-
am should have been
invited since she has
been associated
with
them for over 10 years. It
is true that Pilot wasn’t
invited, but he had gone
to the Sangh office and
met Bhagwan
Singhji
which means, his pres-
ence was registered.

z Do you think Raje
has been replaced by
Gajendra
Singh in
Rajput Samaj in
state BJP politics in
this rally?
Compariso
n is inevita-
ble, when two leaders
share the same stage.
The message that has
floated in BJP and Con-
gress, which even Go-
vind Singh Dotasra said
that now ‘Shekhawat
’
and not ‘Raje’ is the new
leader of Rajputs. Look
at the perception
that
has been created that an
individual
like Dotasra
is commentin
g on the
same. So, the fact will
come out only when a
rally is organised,
when
‘Raje’ factor is solved
and both these leaders
carry out their political
rallies. Who is High
Command’s
nominee?is
a million dollar ques-
tion. As of today its not
‘Raje’ but ‘Shekhwat.
’
Therearedifferences
be-
tween people in politics
and we had carried out
news that Shekhawat
was to be made State
Chief in Rajasthan
and
Raje after learning
about this, perhaps on
the motivation
of her
supporters
like Yunus
Khan & Ashok Parnami
etc, drew sword over the
name and after a delay
of two months, Madan
Lal Saini was named the
State Chief. Perhaps,
that is why, Shekhawat
feels he could not get to
a better position as he is
fivetimesmorepowerful
today
. Then the issues of
co-orperati
ve societies
and legal issues came to
thefore.ThenAshokGe-
hlot’s regime came and
Shekhawat
grewcloseto
High Command
and is
now being projected
as
an alternate
to ‘Raje.’
But will it help him
reach 8 Civil Lines, re-
mains to be seen.

z There is a general
perception
in the BJP
and Congress
circles
that this rally was
done to project the
old swayamsev
ak of
the Sangh and Union
Minister Gajendra
Singh Shekhawa
t. Do
you think so too?
It is sort of a ‘homecom-
ing’ for Shekhawat
since his father has
been associated
with
the organisatio
n. When
he visited Rajasthan
af-
ter becoming
a Minis-
ter, he didn’t go any-
where,butwentstraight
to the Kshatriya
Yuvak
Sangh Headquarte
rs af-
ter which he went to
BJP office etc. As far as
projection
is concerned,
when a school organises
a function, it wants its
students to be projected,
so there was no strategy
behind this event. Shek-
hawat was and contin-
ues to be BJP’s strong
CM candidate
even be-
fore the rally
.

z Will the percentage
of Rajput candidates
increase in ticket dis-
tribution
for 2023 Vid-
han Sabha and 2024
Lok Sabha elections?
Definitely,
as both are
interlinked
. When an at-
mosphereiscreatedthat
the Rajput community
should be given what is
rightfully
theirs based
on merit, then both the
parties namely the Con-
gress and the BJP will
perhaps increase their
respective
‘Quota.’
During the show #JCon
RajputRall
y trended all
India on twitter
Read full analysis on www.
firstindia.co.in
Editor-In-Chief of First India, Jagdeesh Chandra, in The New JC Show, speaks about how the massive
Rally by Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh has been a milestone in reviving Rajput Society’s honour. He aptly
analyses major takeaways from the rally like how GS Shekhawat has emerged as ‘New Leader of Rajputs’;
the need to address ‘Raje factor’ to form government, what entry of Gehlot’s ‘Hanuman,’ Dharmendra
Rathore means, how absence of Gehlot, Raje & Pilot created buzz among relevant circles & more
Jagdeesh Chandra, Shweta Mishra, Aditi Nagar, Aakansha Bhalla, Sudhanshu Mathur and Vijendra Solanki at the New JC Show.
—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO
P8
CRUCIAL READ
RAJNATH CALLS FOR IMPROVING
CONNECTIVITY OF BORDER AREAS
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh on Tuesday while inaugurating 27
projects constructed by the Border Roads
Organisation spoke about the need to
develop border areas in “today’s uncertain
environment when the possibility of any
kind of conflict cannot be ruled out.” “In the present
uncertain environment, the possibility of any kind of
conflict cannot be ruled out,” said Singh. P3
PRESIDENT KOVIND
PROROGUES RS
SENSEX SURGES
477 POINTS
New Delhi: President Ram
Nath Kovind has pro-
rogued the Rajya Sabha
days after the Winter Ses-
sion of the Upper House
was adjourned sine die a
day ahead of the sched-
uled date of December 23.
President prorogued the
House on December 24.
Mumbai: Indian equities
markets benchmark indi-
ces climbed nearly one per
cent on Tuesday. Sensex
opened in the positive
at 57,751.21 points and
climbed to a high of
57,952.48 points and low
of 57,650.29 points in the
intra-day. P6

CAPITOL
NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
New Delhi: A yellow
alert has been sounded
in Delhi and some re-
strictions imposed un-
der the Graded Re-
sponse Action Plan
(GRAP) in view of ris-
ing number of Covid
cases in the city, Chief
Minister Arvind Kejri-
wal said on Tuesday
.
The yellow alert en-
tails restrictions like
night curfew, closure of
schools and colleges,
opening of non essen-
tial shops based on an
odd even basis, halved
seating capacity in Met-
ro trains and buses
among others.
The chief minister,
after reviewing the Cov-
id situation at a
high level meet-
ing, said virus
caseswereris-
ing fast in
Delhi but
there was no
need to pan-
ic as
most people have mild
symptoms.
The yellow alert is im-
posed when the Covid
positivity stays above
0.5 per cent for two con-
secutive days. The posi-
tivity rate in Delhi has
been above 0.5 percent
in past two days.
Kejriwal said it was
unfortunate that people
were visiting markets
and malls without
masks, and appealed to
them to follow Covid ap-
propriate behaviour.
He said although cas-
es were rising in Delhi,
there was no increased
consumptionof medical
oxygen or increased de-
mand of beds and ICU
facilities which meant
most people were
getting treated at
home. The list of
restrictions un-
der the yellow
alert will be made
public later
on, he
said.
—PTI
 Night curfew,
closure of schools and
colleges, and shops of
non-essential items,
and halved seating
capacity in metro trains
are the other restric-
tions that will come in
place under the yellow
alert.
 Night curfew
during Yellow, Amber
and Orange alert
 Curfew from 10 PM
to 5 AM will be imposed
during Yellow, Amber
and Orange alert.
 If the ‘Red’ alert is
sounded, there will be
“total curfew”.
 The ‘Yellow’ (level-1)
alert is sounded when
the positivity rate
crosses 0.5 per cent or
new cases increase to
1,500 or
oxygenated bed
occupancy reaches 500.
 Shops and establish-
ments of non-essential
goods and services and
malls will be allowed to
open between 10 AM
and 8 PM based on the
odd-even formula.
 The response will in-
volve allowing construc-
tion, manufacturing
activities and opening
of shops of essential
goods.
 Only one weekly
market per zone with 50
per cent of vendors will
be allowed to open.
 Restaurants will be
permitted with 50 per
cent capacity from 8 AM
to 10 PM
New Delhi: Deputy
Chief Minister Manish
Sisodia laid the founda-
tion stone for the renova-
tion of a veterinary hos-
pital in Patparganj, with
officials saying that the
upgrade will also incor-
porate a mohalla clinic
in the four-storey build-
ing.
“The renovated veteri-
nary hospital will be a
four-storeyed semi-per-
manent building. It will
have a doctor’s room,
a surgical room, an
OPD and a space
for treatment of
large and small
animals on the
first floor. On
the second
floor as well,
there will be a room for
the doctor, a room for lab
and the staff. There is a
provision of two flats for
the hospital staff on the
third floor, and a library
and hall on the fourth
f l o o r , ” said a
s t a t e -
ment
i s -
sued
b y
the deputy CM’s office.
The Delhi government
has sanctioned 2 crore
for the renovation pro-
ject and it will be ready
in seven months.
The statement said
that in addition to Pat-
parganj, the hospital will
also cater to residents of
Laxmi Nagar, Pandav
Nagar, Trilokpuri and
Kondli.
“The library on the
upper level of the
hospital will provide a
comfortable space
for students to
study and the hall
will be opened to
the senior citizens
for recreation pur-
poses,” Sisodia
said. —Agencies
New Delhi: The NDMC
has launched a ‘single-
sign-on’ (SSO) facility
using which the public
can avail of all services
Amid rising Covid-19
cases and the anticipa-
tion of a third wave, the
New Delhi Municipal
Council (NDMC) has de-
cided to make 49 civic
services completely on-
line. The NDMC has
launched a ‘single-sign-
on’ (SSO) facility using
which the public can
avail of all services at
one place without mul-
tiple registrations.
The major objectives
of this initiative is dig-
itisation and the reduc-
tion of physical interac-
tion between people
amid Covid-19 threat.
Earlier, people had to
register multiple times
to access various online
services of the civic
body. Now, they have to
register just once and
using the same login ID,
can avail all 49 civic ser-
vices.
“During the lock-
down period, NDMC
strived to increase the
number of online ser-
vices to facilitate the
citizens, as well as its
employees, thereby
eliminating the need for
them to physically be
present at the NDMC of-
fices,” said an NDMC
official. —Agencies
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court has directed
WhatsApp to take down
groups which are unau-
thorisedly and illegally
circulating the online
edition of the newspa-
pers owned by Dainik
Bhaskar Corp Limited.
“Plaintiff has made
out a prima facie case
and the balance of con-
venience also lies in fa-
vour of the Plaintiff.
Further, an irreparable
loss would be caused, in
case an ex-parte order of
injunction is not granted
– restraining the infring-
ing Defendants from il-
legally circulating and
distributing the Plain-
tiff’s e-newspaper,” said
Justice Sanjeev Narula
in an order passed on De-
cember 24. —Agencies
New Delhi: The South
Delhi Municipal Corpo-
ration has fixed `100 as
the ticket price for visit-
ing Bharat Darshan in
West Delhi Janakpuri.
One of the biggest parks
in Delhi and spread over
8.5 acres, it was thrown
open for visitors on Sat-
urday.
Senior citizens will
have to pay `50, while
children will be charged
`59, a senior SDMC offi-
cial said. For kids below
three years, entry is free.
The corporation would
not be charging money
from municipal stu-
dents.
During the evening
hours, the complex and
monuments will be lit
with decorative lights,
he said. —Agencies
New Delhi: The Internal
Complaints Committee
(ICC) of Jawaharlal
Nehru University has de-
cided to hold monthly
counselling sessions for
students, to make them
aware of the ‘Dos and
Don’ts’ of sexual harass-
ment. In an announce-
ment on the university
website, the ICC said the
first such session, sched-
uled for January 17, is
being held “to make the
students (both boys and
girls) aware about what
consists of sexual har-
assment”.
The ICC said although
such counselling was
held during the orienta-
tion program, students
“need to refresh their
knowledge about the
same”.
The announcement
also states such sessions
are required as “girls
(are) supposed to know
how to draw a tangible
line (between them and
their male friends) to
avoid any such harass-
ments (sic)”.
Asked what was meant
by this, ICC Presiding Of-
ficer Punam Kumari told
The Indian Express: “We
get several complaints
where sexual harass-
ment cases take place
between men and women
who are close friends.
They touch each other,
hug each other. But the
moment women feel that
they don’t feel comforta-
ble about this, they
should state this clearly
to their male friend. Till
thetimetheydon’tspeak,
and if they keep it to
themselves, then it
doesn’t work. If he con-
tinues to do it despite be-
ing told, then the ICC is
there.”
“It is important for
both boys and girls to
know where the line has
to be drawn… Girls also
need to say it before the
matter goes out of hand
if they don’t like (being
touched or hugged),”
said Kumari. Agencies
RIP
RAP
OF YELLOW
CRUCIAL READ
New Delhi: A 17-year-old
boy was murdered in
Delhi’s Kalindi Kunj area
on Sunday. Police have
apprehended the ac-
cused, another boy, who
stabbed the victim with
a kitchen knife after a fight between them. According
to police, about 10:25 am, a PCR call was received
regarding the murder of the boy in Madanpur Khadar.
“The body was found lying inside an abandoned office
of DDA, which is now being used as a garbage yard.
There was a cut mark in his neck,” an officer said.
FIGHT ENDS IN 17-YEAR-OLD’S MURDER
IN DELHI’S KALINDI KUNJ, BOY HELD
ACCUSED OF THREE
MURDERS IN BIHAR
HELD FROM DELHI
New Delhi: A 33-year-old
man, who was involved
in three murder cases
in Bihar, was arrested
from southeast Delhi’s
Jaitpur area, police said
on Tuesday. The accused
has been identified as
Suresh Tiwari, a resident
of Chhapra Saran in
Bihar, they said. Infor-
mation was received
that Tiwari was hiding in
southeast Delhi for last
two months.
New Delhi: A 20-year-
old man was found dead
in southwest Delhi’s
Uttam Nagar area,
police said on Tuesday,
adding three juveniles
are apprehended in
connection with the
killing. Police said the
3 juveniles involved in
the case told that a fight
started between Shokat
and another absconding
accused over uploading
of photos social media.
MAN FOUND
MURDERED IN
UTTAM NAGAR
JNU ICC plans to hold monthly
sessions on sexual harassment
WhatsApp to block
groups illegally
circulating e-papers
VARIOUS
ALERTS
SDMC fixes `100
as entry fee for
Bharat Darshan
Patparganj veterinary
hospital to get renovation
NDMC to provide 49 services
online with SSO facility
RAINFALL
Students
protect
themselves
with an
umbrella
amid a
spell of
rainfall, in
New Delhi
—PHOTO
BY ANI
Schools,
Colleges
closed with
immediate
effect as Govt
sounds Yellow
Alert over
rising cases
in Delhi
Arvind Kejriwal
Manish Sisodia
—Representative Image
New Delhi: Delhi Gym Associa-
tion has written a letter to
Lieutenant Governor Anil
Baijal and Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejri-
wal regarding Graded
Response Action Plan
(GRAP) for COVID-19
wherein the gymna-
siums are asked to be
closed in the yellow zone with
0.5 per cent positivity rate. Chi-
rag Sethi, Vice President, Delhi
Gym Association said, “We all
know that Omicron is a mild
virus and no impact of the
variant is seen on people.
When such news comes
into the public, then
members get scared
as they think that their
money will go in vain
if they invest in gyms.
There is an atmosphere
of panic for members as well
as gym owners thinking that
a lockdown will be imposed
soon”.
New Delhi: In the wake of
increasing coronavirus cases
and a night curfew in
place to contain the
spread of the virus,
the Delhi govern-
ment has directed
police and other
authorities to deal
strictly with those who
violate the COVID-19 rules.
The Government has also banned
celebrations on the occasion of
New Year. As per government
information, police officials are
checking and questioning people
who are found on the road
during the curfew hours
and stringent actions are
also being taken against
those found guilty of
violating COVID-19
rules. Night curfew (from
11 pm to 5 am) was put
into effect in Delhi on December
27. Meanwhile, Delhi recorded
165 Omicron cases in the last 24
hours as per official data.
DELHI GYM ASSOCIATION URGES L-G, DELHI GOVT TO
RECONSIDER CLOSURE OF GYMS IN YELLOW ZONES
DELHI GOVERNMENT DIRECTS POLICE TO TAKE STRICT
ACTION AGAINST THOSE VIOLATING COVID CURFEW
UNFORTUNATE THAT PEOPLE VISITING MARKETS AND MALLS WITHOUT MASKS: ARVIND KEJRIWAL

INDIA
03
First India Bureau
Mumbai: BMC Com-
missioner Iqbal Singh
Chahal in conversation
with a leading news
channel clarified on
Monday that curbs does
not mean that every-
thing will shut down in
Mumbai post 9 PM. Ear-
lier in the day
, at a meet-
ing of Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation
(BMC), Chahal issued
Covid-19 instructions.
In an interview with
CNBC-TV18, BMC Com-
missioner Iqbal Singh
Chahal, responded to
some of the common
questions that every
Mumbaikar is asking.
He said curfew doesn’t
mean that everything
will shut down post 9
PM. As per the BMC
Commissioner, only
crowding at public plac-
es has been restricted.
He said, “We have done
only three things which
you may call as restric-
tions. We have issued
orders that between 9
PMand6AM,thereshall
not be assembly of more
thanfivepeopleinapub-
lic place, nothing else.”
Earlier, a special re-
view meeting was held
under BMC Commis-
sioner’s chairmanship.
At this instructions for
effective action and rig-
orous implementation
of preventive measures
were discussed.
Everything will not
shut down after 9 PM
in Mumbai: BMC chief
New Delhi: Congress
President Sonia Gandhi
while addressing the
party workers on the oc-
casion of party's founda-
tion day made a veiled
attack on the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) gov-
ernment alleging that
effortsarebeingmadeto
erasetheGanga-Jamuni
culture, and added that
the Congress will not re-
main silent and allow
the destruction of In-
dia's heritage.
“Historyisbeingfalsi-
fied, efforts are being
made to erase our herit-
age of Ganga-Jamuni
culture. The common
citizen of this country is
feeling insecure and is
afraid. Dictatorship is
being run by bypassing
democracy and the con-
stitution. Congress can-
notremainsilentinsuch
times," said Gandhi.
“Willnotallowanyoneto
destroy the heritage of
our country
. We will do
everything possible to
fightagainstanti-nation-
al and anti-social ele-
ments,” she added.
Terming Congress “a
movement and not a po-
litical party
," Sonia said,
"I do not need to tell un-
der what circumstances
the Congress was
formed. Those who did
not participate in the
freedom movement can
never understand its
value. Congress and all
its leaders participated
enthusiastically in the
freedom movement,
struggled, suffered se-
vere torture in jails and
many patriots sacrificed
their lives, only than we
gotfreedom.” Agencies
CONG WILL NOT ALLOW DESTRUCTION
OF INDIA’S HERITAGE: SONIA GANDHI
Attacking BJP, Cong president says efforts are being made to erase our Ganga-Jamuni culture
The flag of the Congress party fell off while Sonia Gandhi was hoisting it on the party’s 137th
Foundation Day.
New Delhi: Defence
Minister Rajnath Sin-
gh on Tuesday while
inaugurating 27 pro-
jects constructed by
the Border Roads Or-
ganisation spoke about
the need to develop bor-
der areas in ‘today’s
uncertain environ-
ment when the possi-
bility of any kind of
conflict cannot be
ruled out.’
“In the present un-
certain environment,
the possibility of any
kind of conflict cannot
be ruled out. Such situ-
ations motivate us even
more for the develop-
ment of these (border)
areas. It is a matter of
pride that we have BRO
for cooperation in the
development of these
areas, as an efficient
and dedicated organiza-
tion,” said Singh.
Rajnath Singh in his
address talked about
the importance of con-
nectivity and roads
in the process of de-
veloping nations and
communities.
Defence Minister
shared the fact that a
road built by BRO at an
altitude of 19000 feet
on the Umling-La pass
in southern Ladakh is
the world’s highest mo-
torable road.
Rajnath Singh calls for development,
improvingconnectivityofborderareas
HAM THREATENS
WITHDRAWAL OF
SUPPORT FOR
NITISH GOVT
Patna: Hindustani
AwamMorchahastaken
a strong stand against
the statements of Jitan
Ram Manjhi, and threat-
ened NDA leaders with
withdrawingsupportfor
the Nitish Kumar gov-
ernment. Danish Ri-
zwan (HAM’s chief
spokesperson)reactedto
Neeraj Kumar Babloo’s
statement that Manjhi
should retire from poli-
tics to chant Ram’s
Name. He said only Lord
Ram would help him get
what he desires.
New Delhi: Ahead of
the 2022 Punjab Assem-
bly Polls, former crick-
eter Dinesh Mongia and
others joined the BJP in
New Delhi on Tuesday
.
Congress MLA Fateh
Bajwa from Qadian and
Balwinder Singh Laddi
fromShriHargobindpur
Sahib joined the BJP in
presence of Union Min-
ister Gajendra Singh
Shekhawat. Shiromani
Akali Dal leader Gurtej
Singh,Presidentof Unit-
ed Christian Front Pun-
jab Kamal Bakshi also
joined the party
.
Former cricketer
Dinesh Mongia
joins BJP
Mumbai: The Enforce-
ment Directorate (ED)
has collected more evi-
dence in connection
with the Rs 100 crore
money-laundering case
involving former Maha-
rashtra Home Minister
AnilDeshmukh.Accord-
ing to the sources, the
agencyislikelytofilethe
supplementary charge
sheet against him on
January 3.
Deshmukh was ar-
rested by the ED on No-
vember2.Aftertheinter-
rogation he was sent to
judicial custody by the
concerned Mumbai
Court on ED's request.
ED sources said the
charge sheet is ready
andtheyaretakinglegal
opinion to file it before
the concerned court.
They are examining the
evidence and cross
checking all the testimo-
nies to collaborate them
with the evidence. —ANI
Deshmukhcase:EDtofile
supplementarychargesheet
AAP fields Charanjit Singh
from CMs constituency
New Delhi: Aam Aad-
mi Party (AAP) on
Tuesday announced the
fifth list of 15 candi-
dates for the Punjab As-
sembly elections. Until
now, the party has an-
nounced 88 candidates.
The party has fielded
Dr Charanjit Singh
from Sri Chamkaur Sa-
hib against Punjab CM-
Charanjit Singh Chan-
ni. According to the list,
Gurdeep Singh Rand-
hawa will contest from
Dera Baba Nanak seat,
Sheetal Angural from
Jalandhar west, Ra-
jinder Pal Kaur Chhina
from Ludhiana South,
Ranveer Singh Bhullar
from Firozpur city
, Gur-
dev Singh Dev Mann.
In the 2017 Punjab As-
sembly polls, Congress
won an absolute major-
ity in the state by win-
ning 77 seats and ousted
the SAD-BJP govern-
ment after 10 years.
New Delhi: The Congress party tricolour fell off the
flagpole on Tuesday morning as party president
Sonia Gandhi was in the process of unfurling it as
part of the party's 137th foundation day event at
the AICC headquarters in the national capital.
While it was an embarrassing moment for party
leaders, Sonia Gandhi kept her poise and along
with party treasurer Pawan Bansal and AICC gen-
eral secretary, KC Venugopal displayed the party
tricolour in their hand briefly. Congress' Seva Dal
workers unsuccessfully attempted to string the flag
back again and then a ladder was called for after
which they strung the flag again. Following this,
the hoisting ceremony was repeated after some 20
minutes, this time without any eventuality.
CONG FLAG FALLS DOWN AS SONIA
GANDHI ATTEMPTS TO UNFURL IT
z The Indian Na-
tional Congress was
formed on December
28, 1885
z It conducted its first
session in Mumbai
Lawyer Umesh Chan-
dra Banerjee was the
first president of INC.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took
to Twitter to extend greetings on party's foun-
dation day saying it's a party that laid the
foundation of our democracy.
"We are Congress- the party
which laid the founda-
tion of our democracy
and we are proud of this
legacy. Best wishes on
Foundation Day," he tweeted.
CONGRESS LAID DEMOCRACY'S
FOUNDATION: RAHUL GANDHI
NOW DRI TEAM AT PIYUSH JAIN'S
PREMISES IN UTTAR PRADESH
ICC NOMINATES
ASHWIN FOR TEST
PLAYER OF THE YR
Dubai: The International
Cricket Council (ICC)
on Tuesday revealed the
nominees for the ICC
Men’s Test Player of the
Year awards. Indian ace
spinner Ravichandran
Ashwin has been nomi-
nated for his contribution
in the longest format of
game. In 2021, Ashwin
claimed 52 wickets in 8
matches at an average
of 16.23 & scored 337
runs at 28.08 including a
century.
SINGHVI TROLLED
FOR TWEET ON
HATE SPEECH
New Delhi: Congress
leader Abhishek Singhvi
on Tuesday trained his
gun against the UP gov-
ernment for not taking
action over a communal
speech made against the
Muslim community at a
gathering at Haridwar.
As social media users
did not find any connec-
tion between the case
and UP government,
some felt that the party
was obsessed with UP
during election time.
VP, LS SPEAKER, OTHERS PAY TRIBUTE TO
ARUN JAITLEY ON HIS BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
Kannuj : A team of Directorate of Revenue Intel-
ligence (DRI) officials on Tuesday reached the
premises of Kanpur busi-
nessman Piyush Jain in
UP's Kannuj where a raid
of the Director General
Supplies and Transport
(DGST) is still underway.
According to information,
the DRI is mulling to file a separate case against
Piyush Jain, and will help GST officials in fixing the
overall value of gold recovered during the raid.
New Delhi: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok
Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers, BJP
national president Jagat Prakash
Nadda on Tuesday paid tributes to
former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
on his birth anniversary. “Remem-
bering my dear friend Arun Jaitley
on his birth anniversary today. He
was a towering intellectual, an out-
standing parliamentarian, able administrator, legal
luminary and gifted orator," the VP said in a tweet.
CRUCIAL READ
New Delhi: Leader
of Opposition in Ra-
jya Sabha Mallikar-
jun Kharge on Tues-
day called for timely
Assembly elections
and pointed towards
the BJP's poll rallies
and inauguration of
various projects.
Kharge said,
"When the PM can
hold election rallies,
inaugurates various
projects, misses Par-
liament proceed-
ings, then, why
should elections be
stopped? Elections
should be held." His
remarks came a day
after Chhattisgarh
Health Minister TS
Singh Deo said the
Election Commis-
sion should conduct
the polls which are
scheduled to take
place next year, be-
fore the scheduled
time in view of the
possible third wave
of COVID-19.
Kharge calls
for timely
Assembly
elections
In the present un-
certain environ-
ment, the possibil-
ity of any kind of
conflict cannot be
ruled out
—Rajnath Singh
Defence Minister
Anil Deshmukh Charanjit SIngh
Rajnath Singh
Mallikarjun Khagre
Rahul Gandhi
Iqbal Singh
New Delhi: A promi-
nent member of the des-
ignated terror group
Sikhs For Justice (SFJ),
Jaswinder Singh Mul-
tani, who is allegedly
linked to the Ludhiana
blast case, was held in
Germany on Monday
.
A police officer said
that during the investi-
gation names of two
suspects residing in Pa-
kistan and Germany,
both from banned Sikh
organisations, have
emerged. Sikhs For Jus-
tice is a designated ter-
ror group in India. Intel-
ligence agencies had
earlier alerted about
Harvinder Singh Sand-
hu, a Babbar Khalsa ter-
rorist who is currently
in Pakistan, and Jas-
winder Singh Multani, a
top member of the SFJ
and close associate of
Gurpatwant Singh Pan-
nu, residing in Germa-
ny, about their involve-
ment in the blast.
After diplomatic co-
ordination, the German
police arrested Multani
from Erfurt city for his
role in the Ludhiana
blast in Punjab and
planning more terror
attacks in New Delhi,
among other cities in
India. A team of Indian
police officers will soon
reach Germany to ques-
tion Multani.
Multani’s name
propped up on the police
radar when he planned
tokillfarmerleaderBal-
bir Singh Rajewal to cre-
ate unrest during farm-
ers’ movement. The
man arrested disclosed
that he got instructions
from a Germany-based
pro-Khalistan leader
Multani on social media
to target a key farmer
leader. “Multani used to
coordinate with Paki-
stan-based pro-Khal-
istan groups to provide
logistic support for ter-
ror activities,” said a
police officer.
Member of Sikhs For Justice held in Germany
LUDHIANA BLAST CASE
New Delhi : Ahead of
electionsinPunjab,in-
telligence agencies
have warned that Sikh
militant outfits like
Sikh For Justice, Bab-
bar Khalsa may hit
othercitieswithterror
activities in the state,
sources in the security
set up said.
The source said
that these militant
outfits have been ac-
tively supported by
Pakistan’s ISI which
is instigating them to
disturb peace and
harmony in the poll
bound state.
The agencies have
also advised the state
administration to re-
mainonhighalertand
keep strict vigil across
the state while the
BSF has been asked to
check the infiltration
attempts at the west-
ern border with Paki-
stan in Punjab with
special focus on the
drone movements
across the border.
The intelligence
agencies have also re-
ceivedinputthatmany
of the active members
of the SFJ and Babbar
Khalsa are tasked by
the ISI to carry out
more terror attacks to
destabilize Punjab in
the run up to the polls.
In Ludhiana incident,
the probe agencies
havealsofoundthatISI
is behind the blast and
was in touch with Ga-
gandeep Singh who
was killed in the blast.
MAY TARGET OTHER CITIES: INTEL
Jaswinder Singh Multani, a top member of SFJ, has been arrested
in Germany for allegedly being the main conspirator of the Dec 23
blast in the Ludhiana district court complex. —PHOTO@TWITTER

PERSPECTIVE
04
WHATDOVOTERSOFWEST
BENGALHAVEINMIND?
BJP after the crucial
Assembly elections was
also suddenly crippled
by a wave of defections
to the TMC. MLAs
Mukul Roy, Tanmoy
Ghosh, Biswajit Das,
Soumen Roy and
Krishna Kalyani are
in TMC along with
several other high-
profile leaders
n December 21, KMC re-
sults ushered in the party
spirit for TMC and the cel-
ebrations will go well into
the new year… but these
results have to be analyzed
closely to see the innuen-
does of a churning mind-
set of the voters.
No brouhaha is required
forthewinner…asalothas
been told about this aspect
andpostthecrucialAssem-
bly elections in May 2021
and the subsequent bypoll
inBhawaniporeonSeptem-
ber 30, the TMC and its su-
premo have cemented their
placesforthecomingyears.
That’s not the story we
are going to discuss.
The clinical analysis of
the KMC election is very
interesting. Its dissection
will show the psychology
of the voters, the pattern
on how voting has taken
place etc.
Since this was a crucial
yearasfaraspollswerecon-
cerned, we need to devote
some space to the crucial
elections held in Bengal,
analyze the same and dis-
cuss the mind of the voter.
Let’s go on a back gear
mode and pull out infor-
mation from the 2018 Lok
Sabha election.
The saffron might rose
to a stupendous height in
the 2018 Lok Sabha and the
party’s vote share was
40.64% up by 22.25% from
the last time.
In terms of seats won…
the BJP’s tally was 18
which was a jump of 16
seats from its last tally of
just two. While in case of
the TMC… the party’s vote
share was 43.69% above by
just 4.64%. And in case of
seats won… TMC managed
to get 22 seats… down by 12
from their tally in 2014.
In this context… even as
it might be considered to
be out of context but let’s
mention the Left Front sta-
tus in the last Lok Sabha.
CPI(M)’s vote share was
6.34% down by 16.72 per
cent and seats won 0 down
by 2 which they won in the
2014 General elections.
On May 2, the final tally
of the West Bengal Assem-
bly election results stood at
213 for Trinamool Con-
gress. This was its highest
seat score in the House of
294. In terms of vote share,
ithadregisteredanall-time
highof 47.9%votes.In2016,
it won 211 seats and regis-
tered a vote share of 44.9%.
The BJP in 2021 won 77
seats, logging 38.1% vote
share.
The Left parties and the
Congress failed to win a
single seat. This was the
first time since 1962 that
the Left parties did not
have any representation in
the Assembly
. The CPI(M)
logged in an all-time low
vote share of 4.73%. The
other major partners of
the Left Front like the All
India Forward Bloc regis-
tered 0.53 % votes and the
CPI 0.20% votes.
The Congress, too,
clocked an all-time voting
share of 2.93% and lost its
political clout over Malda
andMurshidabaddistricts.
On September 30 when
Mamata had to fight the by-
polltoretainherchief min-
istership following her de-
feat in Nandigram earlier
in the year, BJP’s Priyanka
Tibrewal ended with only
26,428 votes against 85,263
that Mamata secured, reg-
istering a whopping 71.9%
vote share of the 1,18,580
votes (including 705 postal
ballots) cast on September
30. Around 57%, this was
the lowest voter turnout at
Bhawanipore in 10 years.
Tibrewal’s defeat sparked
rumblingsandaslugfestin
the BJP with several lead-
ers questioning the logic to
field her.
The CPI (M), which had
no legislator in Bengal for
the first time since Inde-
pendence, tasted defeat
again when its candidate,
Srijeeb Biswas, came third
with only 4,226 votes.
Now, closely follow the
KMC polls… the winning
story may be the same, but
there’s a twist after this.
TMC may have won 133
out of 144 wards… but that
is not the story we are dis-
cussing. In terms of vote
share, the ruling party se-
cured nearly three-fourths
of the votes cast (72.16 per
cent), this hiking its vote
share from the last civic
polls by 22 per cent. Com-
pared to the March-April
Assembly elections, it also
saw its vote share rise by
11 per cent in KMC wards.
The twist comes here
when the Left finished
ahead of the BJP by secur-
ing 11.87 per cent votes as
against the saffron party’s
9.19 per cent. The BJP’s
comparative vote share
was 6 per cent below 2015,
and 20 per cent less than
the Assembly polls!
The Left received 13 per
cent fewer votes compared
to the 2015 civic polls but 7
per cent more than in the
crucialAssemblyelections.
The Congress got 4.13 per
cent of the votes while the
Independents’ share was
2.43 per cent.
While it managed to win
three wards — one more
than Left — the BJP’s vote
share was registered be-
low the Left Front’s 12 per
cent.TheLeftalsoemerged
second in 65 wards, 17
more than the BJP. This
indicates that the Opposi-
tion party (BJP) has lost
both the momentum and a
major chunk of its support
base especially in the city
.
The erosion in the BJP’s
support base and the de-
fection of several leaders
and MLAs to the TMC was
seen in the party’s elec-
toral debacle earlier this
year in seven constituen-
cies. Five of those were by-
elections, and fresh polls
were held in two seats. The
saffron party failed to win
any of the seven, includ-
ing two it had won in the
Assembly elections.
BJP after the crucial As-
sembly elections was also
suddenlycrippledbyawave
of defections to the TMC.
MLAs Mukul Roy
, Tanmoy
Ghosh, Biswajit Das, Sou-
men Roy and Krishna Kaly-
ani are in TMC along with
several other high-profile
leaders. These legislators
though have not resigned
fromtheirpoststhusreduc-
ing the unofficial strength
of BJP in Assembly to 70
from 77.
This may have serious
ramifications in the voting
pattern even as 111 civic
bodies across the state will
go to polls by May 2022.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
O
In terms of seats won… the BJP’s tally was
18 which was a jump of 16 seats from its
last tally of just two. While in case of the
TMC… the party’s vote share was 43.69%
above by just 4.64%. And in case of seats
won… TMC managed to get 22 seats…
down by 12 from their tally in 2014
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor,
Free Press Journal, Mumbai and former
Managing Editor, First India
Vol 1 Issue No. 120 RNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840 Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Impressions Printing and Packaging Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59, Noida-201301.
Published at G-20, 3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Sharat K Verma responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
Gratitude to PM @
NarendraModiji, Health
Minister @MansukhMandviya
ji all our healthcare
professionals for ensuring
India’s medical infrastructure
is fully prepared to face
any challenges from the
pandemic! Unitedly, India
will win the fight against
COVID-19.
Anurag Thakur
@ianuragthakur
Late (Shri) Arun Jaitley ji was
a statesman parliamentarian
who meticulously crafted
India’s major economic
reforms that transformed
the lives and livelihoods
of millions. His service
to the country is beyond
words and his mentorship
a dearly treasured gift. In
remembrance.
TOP TWEETS
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
THE MIND ACTS LIKE AN ENEMY FOR
THOSE WHO DO NOT CONTROL IT.
—BHAGAVAD GITA
hat the Niti
Aayog’s fourth
Health Index
ranks Uttar
Pradesh the
worst performer on overall
health parameters in its
fourth Health Index is no
surprise. Kerala topped the
list with Tamil Nadu and
Telangana emerging as the
second and third best per-
formers on various health
parameters. But the report
is not all that damning be-
cause UP has topped the
list in terms of incremen-
tal performance in the ma-
jority of health indicators.
The improvement in indi-
ces like infant mortality
rate, neo mortality rate,
sex ratio and birth and new
medical colleges has been
especially lauded by Niti
Aayog. Coming just before
the elections the informa-
tion will provide fodder for
poll campaign to the BJP
.
Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath
has been talking big about
the quality of the state’s
health services. In August
2021, the chief minister
claimed that in the last
four-five years (read after
2017) huge changes for the
better have taken place in
the health services in the
state. He was inaugurating
a high-end ‘multiple ener-
gy linear accelerator ma-
chine’ at a hospital in
Gorakhpur. Later in No-
vember 2021 the chief min-
ister said, “…There was a
time when the state was
lacking in health facilities,
but now all the 75 districts
in the state are well
equipped with ICU beds,
1.80 lakh emergency beds
and 518 oxygen plants be-
coming operational.”
His claims have been
proved right by Niti Aay-
og’s Health Index. The state
must now focus on other
indicators to catapult to the
top of the list overall.
Health for All should be the
motto and villages should
be the focus.
BEST AND THE
WORST, UP TAKES
BIG STRIDES
Improvement in
indices like infant
mortality rate, neo
mortality rate, sex ratio
birth and new
medical colleges has
been especially lauded
by Niti Aayog. Coming
just before elections
the information will
provide fodder for
poll campaign
to the BJP
T

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INDIA
05
New Delhi: The possi-
bility of any kind of
conflict cannot be
ruled out in today’s un-
certain environment,
Defence Minister Ra-
jnath Singh said on
Tuesday as he listed
the development of
border infrastructure
as part of efforts to
boost India’s prepared-
ness to confront any
security challenge.
After unveiling 27
roads and bridges pro-
jects implemented by
the Border Roads Or-
ganisation (BRO), he
said India would not
have been able to re-
spond strongly to the
adversary in the north-
ern sector if there was
no infrastructure in
the region.
The 24 roads inaugu-
rated at a virtual cere-
mony included one
built at an altitude of
more than 19,000 feet
on the Umling-La pass
in southern Ladakh,
Singh said, adding it
has now become the
world’s highest motor-
able road.
“The situation we
faced in the northern
sector recently, and the
manner in which we
were able to respond
strongly to the adver-
sary, would not have
been possible without
appropriate infrastruc-
ture development,”
Singh said in a refer-
ence to the eastern
Ladakh row.
“In today’s uncer-
tain environment, the
possibility of any kind
of conflict cannot be
ruled out. Such situa-
tions motivate us even
more for the develop-
ment of these areas. It
is a matter of pride
that we have the BRO
for cooperation in the
development of these
areas,” Singh added.
The defence minis-
ter also rued that ade-
quate attention was not
given to developing
border infrastructure
after Independence,
but asserted that there
was a major change in
the approach in the last
few years.
“After Independence,
our policies were such
that the internal areas
of the country devel-
oped, but the border
areas remained rela-
tively deprived of de-
velopment. This situa-
tion continued for a
long time,” he said.
“As we used to move
away from Delhi, the
graph of development
also kept falling
down in the same
proportion.
Earlier it was said
that people from bor-
der areas may be far
from Delhi, but they
are not far from our
heart. But as the trans-
port sector witnessed
major expansion, it be-
came an old saying,”
Singh said.
The defence minis-
ter said the roads in
border areas are not
only for strategic needs
but they also ensure
equal participation of
remote areas in the de-
velopment of the na-
tion.
“In this way, these
bridges, roads and tun-
nels play an important
role in our security,
and in empowering the
entire nation,” he said.
The defence minis-
ters said that there was
a need to strengthen
India’s surveillance
system the way the
country is strengthen-
ing its border infra-
structure.
In this context, he
cited problems like in-
filtration, skirmishes,
illegal trade and smug-
gling in the border ar-
eas.
“In view of all this,
the government has
sometime back started
the CIBMS, that is
Comprehensive Inte-
grated Border Manage-
ment System,” he said.
Referring to the con-
struction of the road in
southern Ladakh, Sin-
gh said the BRO
achieved the “historic
feat” despite facing nu-
merous challenges in-
cluding that of extreme
altitude and sub-zero
temperature.
“It is a matter of
pride not only for BRO
but also for the na-
tion,” he said. —PTI
Pune: Serum Institute
of India on Tuesday ex-
pressed gratitude to the
Union Health Ministry
for granting emergency
use authorisation for its
vaccine Covovax.
“Thank you, Hon. @
mansukhmandviya for
granting Emergency
Use Authorisation for
COVOVAX in India.
This is a highly effec-
tive vaccine and is a big
step in India’s fight
against Covid-19,”
tweeted the SII.
Union Minister of
Health and Family Wel-
fare Mansukh Mandavi-
ya on Tuesday an-
nounced the Centre’s
approval of two new
indigenously developed
vaccines and an antivi-
ral drug.
“The Nanoparticle
Vaccine, Covovax, will
be manufactured by
Pune-based firm Serum
Institute of India,”
Mandaviya said in a
tweet. Adar Poonawal-
la, Chief Executive Of-
ficer of the SII said in a
statement: The approv-
al of Covovax by DCGI
is a significant mile-
stone in strengthening
our immunisation ef-
forts across India and
LMICs. We are proud to
deliver a highly-effec-
tive protein-based Cov-
id-19 vaccine of more
than 90 per cent effica-
cy rate, based on clini-
cal data demonstrating
a favourable safety pro-
file. We are certain that
as the repertoire of the
vaccine increases, we
will be poised strongly
to save the lives of mil-
lions of people against
the pandemic.”
The Minister said
that the Corbevax vac-
cine is the first indige-
nously developed RBD
protein sub-unit vac-
cine against Covid-19.
—ANI
INDIA INCLUDES TWO DESI
JABS IN ITS VACCINE BASKET
Rajnath unveils 27 projects to bolster border infrastructure
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually dedicates to the nation 24 bridges and three roads
built by BRO in four states and two union territories in presence of Minister of State, Ministry of
Science Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Dr Mansukh Mandaviya@mansukhmandviya
Congratulations India Further
strengthening the fight against
COVID-19, CDSCO, @MoHFW_IN-
DIA has given 3 approvals in
a single day for: - CORBEVAX
vaccine - COVOVAX
vaccine - Anti-viral
drug Molnupiravir
For restricted use
in an emergency
situation.
First India Bureau
Surat: It is a happy holi-
day for taxpayers as the
Income Tax (IT) Depart-
ment has expedited the
refund process to pro-
vide financial help to
people. In the current fi-
nancial year till Decem-
ber15,SuratIncomeTax
Department has given
refunds of Rs3000 crore
to the taxpayers. This
yearthedepartmentwas
initiallygivenatargetof
Rs10,000 crore.
Due to Corona, the
business industry re-
mained shut for three
months, so the target
was reduced to Rs8,000
crore. In comparison,
theITdepartmentrecov-
ered Rs7,500 crore till
December 15. As per CA
Suresh Kabra, the de-
partment’s systems are
getting an upgrade for
returns. In addition, the
refund process is being
done expeditiously after
the instructions of the
Central Board of Direct
Taxes. In many cases, re-
funds are made within
three days of filing the
returns. It is being prac-
tised, across the country
.
In the 2020-21 finan-
cial year, the Surat IT
department recovered
Rs 7600 crore. This year,
they started on a target
of Rs9,015crore.Butdue
to nCoV
, the tax collec-
tion target was reduced
to Rs8000 crore.
Surat I-T dept gives
`3K cr refunds to
taxpayers in 1 year
RSS affiliate SJM demands withdrawal
of permissions to Amazon, Flipkart
New Delhi: The RSS-
affiliated Swadeshi Jag-
ran Manch (SJM) has
demanded that the gov-
ernment should imme-
diately withdraw per-
missions given to e-
commerce companies
Amazon and Flipkart-
Walmart to operate in
India as they are “bla-
tantly contravening
rules”.
In a resolution passed
at its national conclave
recently, the outfit also
demanded a CBI probe
into the operations of
Amazon, Flipkart-
Walmart and other mul-
tinational e-commerce
companies, alleging
that they are doing
business in India “bla-
tantly” violating the
FDI regulations.
“Foreign direct in-
vestment in multi-
brand retail trade is
regulated through the
FDI Policy. Foreign
players cannot have in-
ventory based model to
operate (in India). They
are also barred from in-
fluencing prices by cash
burning models. Multi-
national e-commerce
companies such as Am-
azon and Walmart/Flip-
kart are blatantly con-
travening rules and op-
erating uncontrolled in
India,” claimed the SJM
resolution passed.
The body claimed
that Amazon is “on a
spree” to acquire brick
and mortar retail out-
lets along with its e-
commerce retail
activities. —PTI
New Delhi:The Central
Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) has registered an
FIR in connection with
an alleged recruitment
scam in Assam Rifles in
Jorhat, Assam. The case
was originally regis-
teredbyAssamPolicein
2019 and has been taken
over by the CBI upon re-
quest from State Govt.
According to the FIR,
a departmental inquiry
by the vigilance branch
of the Assam Rifles in
Shillong had found that
one Yashwant Kumar, a
teacher from Bihar, was
acting as a middleman
in connivance with cer-
tain personnel and doc-
tors of the Assam Rifles
to get candidates re-
cruited in the force.
During the vigilance
inquiry, witnesses and
call records had re-
vealed that “Yashwant
Kumar in connivance
with some unknown As-
sam Rifles (officials)
used to bring aspirants
for recruitment at
Jorhat during the re-
cruitment rally and de-
liver bribe money to the
officers of Assam Ri-
fles, including doctors.”
— Agencies
DEAD LIZARD FOUND IN MIDDAY MEAL, 80
KIDS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL IN HAVERI
SON SUMMONED IN ASSAULT CASE,
NARAYAN RANE LOSES COOL
IFS OFFICER CP
GOYAL APPOINTED
AS DGFSS
INSURER CAN’T
REPUDIATE CLAIM:
SUPREME COURT
Bengaluru: Around 80 school children were admitted
to a hospital in Karnataka’s Haveri district on Monday
after they consumed sambar
in which allegedly a dead
lizard was found. The incident
happened at a government
primary school in Venkatapura
Tanda village near Raneben-
nur. According to the district
administration, a boy found the lizard in sambar
served as part of the midday meal.
Pune: With his son Nitesh Rane receiving police
summons in a Shiv Sena worker assault case, Union
Minister Narayan Rane Tues-
day lost his cool at journal-
ists, snapping at them and
saying he would not reveal
the whereabouts of Nitesh.
“Where are you from? What
kind of question is this?… Am
I a fool to reveal his whereabouts? Even if I know, I am
not going to reveal it,” Rane said.
New Delhi: Indian
Forest Service officer
Chandra Prakash Goyal
has been appointed as
the Director-General
of Forests Special
Secretary (DGFSS),
Ministry of Environ-
ment, Forests Climate
Change. The Appoint-
ments Committee of the
Union Cabinet approved
the appointment of the
IFoS officer, accord-
ing to an order dated
December 27.
New Delhi: An insurer
cannot repudiate a
claim by citing an exist-
ing medical condition
that was disclosed
by the insured in the
proposal form, once the
policy has been issued,
the Supreme Court has
said. A bench of justices
DY Chandrachud and
BV Nagarathna also
said a proposer is under
a duty to disclose to the
insurer all material facts
within his knowledge.
CRUCIAL READ
CBI starts probe into
Assam Rifles scam
Omicron may
drive short
outbreak in
India: Report
The outfit also demanded a CBI probe into the
operations of Amazon, Flipkart-Walmart, alleging
that they are doing business in India “blatantly”
violating the FDI regulations
New Delhi: India may
see a spurt in the Cov-
id-19 growth rate within
days and head into an
intense but short-lived
virus wave as the Omi-
cron variant moves
through the nation.
“It is likely that India
will see a period of ex-
plosive growth in daily
cases and that the in-
tense growth phase will
be relatively short,”
Paul Kattuman, profes-
sor at the Judge Busi-
ness School at the Uni-
versity of Cambridge
which has developed a
Covid-19 India tracker,
wrote in an email.
“New infections will
begin to rise in a few
days,” he said, adding
that it was hard to pre-
dict how high the cases
could go. —Agencies
First India Bureau
Mumbai: As many as
23 tigers lost their lives
in Maharashtra from
January to July 2021,
said Chief Minister Ud-
dhav Thackeray on the
last day of the
Winter Session of Ma-
harashtra Assembly
on Tuesday
.
In a written response
to the question on tiger
deaths in the state in
the last six months, he
said that out of the 86
tiger deaths that were
recorded in the entire
country, according to
NTCA (Nation-
al Tiger Con-
servation Au-
thority) web-
site, 23 tigers died
in Maharashtra
due to various
reasons.
The reasons recorded
for the death of the ti-
gers included the natu-
ral reason (15), railway
accident (1), poisoning
(4), electrocution (1)
and poaching (2).
The Chief Minister
further informed that
out of the 23 dead ti-
gers, 15 were adults and
8 were cubs.
Thackeray said in his
written reply that the
Government has taken
necessary actions as
per NCTA norms in the
matters of death due to
electrocution, poison-
ing and poaching. —ANI
23 BIG CATS DIED IN MAHARASHTRA, 86
NATIONWIDE TILL JULY 2021: UDDHAV
WHO’S SILENCING THE ROAR?
Maha Govt has taken necessary
actions as per NCTA norms, CM
said in his written reply
SERUM INSTITUTE THANKS CENTRE FOR
EMERGENCY USE APPROVAL FOR COVOVAX

BIZ BUZZ
06
Sebi approves several new
measurestoreformIPOmarket
Mumbai: The Securi-
ties and Exchange
Board of India on Tues-
day approved several
new measures to fur-
ther reform the initial
public offering market
in the country
.
The regulators’
board approved man-
datory disclosure by
companies of their in-
tended acquisition tar-
get in case where funds
are raised from public
for the purpose of such
acquisitions. The rule
comes in the light of
several new-age tech-
nology companies who
in their draft red her-
ring prospectus have
mentioned the use of
fresh funds for acquisi-
tion purpose without
giving any further de-
tails.
The regulator said
that if a company
chooses not to disclose
its intended acquisi-
tion targets even as it
aims to use the funds
for inorganic growth,
“the amount for such
objectives and amount
for general corporate
purposes shall not ex-
ceed 35 per cent of the
total amount being
raised”.
Further,
the regulator has
placed new limits on
the amount of shares
existing shareholders
of a company without
a track record intend-
ing to IPO can sell un-
der offer for sale. SEBI
said investors with
more than 20 per cent
stake in the company
before the IPO will only
be able to sell half of
their shares in the
OFS.
Similarly, investors
with less than 20 per
cent holding in a com-
pany before the IPO
will be allowed to sell
only 10 per cent of
their shares in the
OFS. The rule comes in
the light of the high
percentage of OFS in
recent IPOs of start-
ups.
The regulator has
also mandated that a
credit rating agency
w i l l
act as a
m o n i -
t o r i n g
a g e n c y
for the
use of
funds by
c o m p a -
nies towards the objec-
tive they were raised
for. SEBI said the moni-
toring of the IPO funds
will continue till 100
per cent of the funds
are used instead of the
earlier limit of 95 per
cent.
—PTI
The regulators’ board approved mandatory
disclosure by companies of their intended
acquisition target in case where funds
are raised from public for the
purpose of such
acquisitions.
Banks need to strengthen
corporate governance: RBI
Mumbai: The bank-
ing sector needs to
strengthen corporate
governance and risk
management prac-
tices to deal with the
uncertainties created
by the coronavirus
pandemic, the RBI
said on Tuesday
.
With rapid techno-
logical advancements
in the digital pay-
ments landscape and
emergence of new
entrants across the
FinTech ecosystem,
banks would also be
required to prioritise
upgrading their IT
infrastructure and
improving customer
services, together
with strengthening
their cybersecurity
.
“Banks would need
to strengthen their
corporate govern-
ance practices and
risk management
strategies to build re-
silience in an increas-
ingly dynamic and
uncertain economic
environment,” the
RBI said in its report
on ‘Trend and Pro-
gress of Banking in
India 2020-21’.
It further said al-
though credit offtake
by banks remained
subdued in an envi-
ronment of risk aver-
sion and muted de-
mand conditions dur-
ing 2020-21, a pick up
has started in the
second quarter of
2021-22, with the
economy emerging
out of the shadows of
the second wave of
COVID-19.
“Going forward, re-
vival in bank balance
sheets hinges around
overall economic
growth which is con-
tingent on progress
on the pandemic
front,” it said.
In a nutshell, the
report said, “the In-
dian financial sector
is standing at cross-
roads: while the im-
mediate impact of
the fallout of Covid-19
will dominate the
short-term, larger
challenges relating to
climate change and
technological innova-
tions will need a care-
fully crafted strate-
gy”. —PTI
FINANCIAL SECTOR AT CROSSROADS
India’s real GDP growth
pegged at 9% in FY2022
New Delhi: The coun-
try’s real gross domes-
tic product (GDP) is
likely to maintain a 9%
growth rate in fiscal
2022 and 2023, amid
concerns over the
Omicron variant of
COVID-19, says a re-
port. The Indian econ-
omy grew at 8.4 per
cent in the second
quarter of the current
f i s - cal, as
against a growth of
20.1 per cent in the
April-June quarter.
“We are maintain-
ing our forecast of a
9% GDP expansion in
FY2022, with a clear K-
shaped divergence
amongst the formal
and informal parts of
the economy, and the
large gaining at the
cost of the small.
“Looking ahead, we
expect the economy to
maintain a similar 9
per cent growth in
FY2023,” domestic rat-
ing agency Icra Ltd
Chief Economist Aditi
Nayar said in the re-
port.
While the announce-
ment of booster doses
and vaccines for the
15-18 age group is wel-
come, it remains to be
seen whether all the
existing vaccines
would offer adequate
protection against the
new Omicron variant
to avert a third wave in
India, Nayar said.
In any case, fresh re-
strictions being intro-
duced by several
states to curb
the spread of
C O V I D - 1 9
may tem-
porarily
interrupt
the eco-
nomic re-
covery, es-
pecially in
the con-
tact-inten-
sive sec-
tors in Q4
F Y 2 0 2 2 ,
she added. —PTI
Chennai: Diversified busi-
ness conglomerate ITC Lim-
ited has commissioned its
first off-site solar plant in
Tamil Nadu set up at an
investment of `76
crore, company
said on Tuesday
.
The 14.9 MW solar plant
in Dindigul would help re-
duce the carbon dioxide
emissions over the course
of the time and it has al-
ready helped ITC to
achieve the feat of meet-
ing 90% of its electricity
requirement.
The project, in line with
ITC Chairman Sanjiv
Puri’s ‘Sustainability
2.0’ Vision, under which ITC
plans to meet 100% of the
entire grid electricity re-
quirements from renewable
sources by 2030 and contrib-
ute to combat the threat of
climate change.
The solar plant has been
built with latest technology
and complies with all nation-
al and international stand-
ards on design and safety
.
“The unit would generate
over 22 million units of re-
newable energy annually for
ITC’s hotels, food manufac-
turing plants, paper manu-
facturing unit, printing and
packaging factories in Tamil
Nadu.” —PTI
ITC commissions first off-site solar plant in TN
The unit would generate
over 22 million units of re-
newable energy annually
for ITC’s hotels, food manufactur-
ing plants, paper manufacturing
unit, printing and packaging facto-
ries in Tamil Nadu.
—A Company statement
India’s economy grew steadily before Omicron hit
New Delhi: India’s
economy was expand-
ing at a steady pace in
November, a month
that saw the omicron
variant of coronavirus
induce fresh concerns
about risks to the re-
covery. All eight high-
frequency indicators
were steady last month,
keeping the needle on a
dial measuring the so-
called ‘Animal Spirits’
unchanged at 5. The
level was arrived at by
using the three-month
weighted average read-
ings to smooth out vola-
tility in the single-
month scores. But the
pace of activity -- based
on indicators from de-
mand for services to
factory output -- faces
threats from rising cas-
es of the omicron vari-
ant. —Agencies
DASHBOARD DETAILS
 BUSINESS ACTIVI-
TY: Activity in India’s
dominant services
sector expanded for
the fourth consec-
utive month, while
the manufacturing
purchasing manag-
ers index climbed
to 57.6 -- the best
showing since Janu-
ary, according to IHS
Markit. That helped
lift the composite
index to the high-
est level in about a
decade, with new
orders also notching
their top reading
since February 2012.
 EXPORTS: Exports
grew 27% year-on-
year in November,
slower than the
43% pace seen in
the previous month.
Imports rose 57%,
reflecting a surge
in demand for gold,
iron and steel,
machinery and
electronic goods as
economic activity
rebounds.
 CONSUMER AC-
TIVITY: Passenger
car sales fell for a
third straight month,
as the global chip
shortage hit pro-
duction. That hiccup
apart, RBI data
showed demand for
bank credit grew 7%
in November from a
year earlier, reflect-
ing momentum in
consumption trends.
Liquidity condi-
tions still showed a
surplus last month,
implying easy credit
availability.
 INDUSTRIAL AC-
TIVITY: Industrial
production expanded
3.2% in October
from a year earlier,
a slower pace than
during the first five
months of the fiscal
year as the favorable
base effect wears
off.
Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex
rallied 477 points on Tuesday, tracking
gains in index heavyweights Reli-
ance Industries, Infosys and HDFC
Bank amid a positive trend in global
markets. The 30-share index surged
477.24 points or 0.83 per cent to end
at 57,897.48. Similarly, the Nifty rose
by 147.20 points or 0.86 per cent to
17,233.45. Asian Paints was the top
gainer in the Sensex pack, rising near-
ly 3 per cent, followed by Sun Pharma,
MM, NTPC, UltraTech Cement and
Titan. —PTI
SENSEX CLIMBS 477 POINTS HIGHER, NIFTY AT 17,233 Rupee jumps 34 paise
to close session at
74.66 against $
Mumbai: Continuing
its gain for the ninth
trading session in a
row, the rupee surged
34 paise to close at
74.66 (provisional)
against the US dollar
on Tuesday, tracking
positive domestic eq-
uities amid a rising
appetite for high-risk
assets.
At the interbank fo-
rex market, the local
unit opened at 74.95
against the greenback
and witnessed an in-
tra-day high of 74.60
and a low of 74.95.
In the previous ses-
sion, the rupee appre-
ciated 3 paise to 75
against the US dollar.
Positive moves in
Indian equity indices
and stronger Asian
currencies aided sen-
timents, forex traders
said, adding that trad-
ing is likely to remain
range-bound this
week ahead of the
year-end holidays.
However, Omicron
worries and firm
crude oil prices re-
stricted the apprecia-
tion bias of the local
unit to some extent.
—PTI
The local unit
opened at 74.95
and witnessed an
intra-day high of
74.60 and a
low of 74.95

07
NEWS
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
inaugurated the com-
pleted section of the
11,000 crore Kanpur
Metro Rail Project in
poll-bound Uttar
Pradesh and described
the ride as a ‘memora-
ble experience.’
While the prestigious
project marks a new
milestone in the devel-
opment of ‘Manchester
of the East’ as Kanpur
was earlier known, the
moment also makes UP
becomes as the only
state in the country
with maximum number
of cities with Metro rail
projects in various stag-
es of completion.
Gorakhpur Metrolite
Project got a fillip after
the Public Investment
Board (PIB) cleared the
first phase of the pro-
jectatameetingchaired
by Union finance secre-
tary and expenditure in
New Delhi last month.
UP Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath has
said that the Detailed
Project Reports (DPRs)
for four more cities
--Varanasi, Prayagraj,
Jhansi and Meerut --
were in the final stage.
After the DPR is cleared
by the state Cabinet, it
is forwarded to the Cen-
tre for vetting and ap-
proval, since these are
joint venture projects
and the central govern-
ment has to come on
board statutorily
.
The DPR is cleared
not only by the union
urban development
ministry but also needs
clearance from finance,
railways and civil avia-
tion departments as
well. The clearance of
DPR by the central de-
partments may take 2-3
months.
Closer to the end of
its tenure, the Akhilesh
Yadav government had
given nod to metro pro-
jects in Varanasi and
Kanpur. The DPRs of
these projects are await-
ing clearance from the
ministry of urban de-
velopment. Metro rail
service is available in
Noida, Greater Noida,
and Ghaziabad.
While work on Phase-
IA of the Lucknow Met-
ro project has been com-
pleted and the service
roll out is expected later
this month, project
blueprints for Alla-
habad,AgraandMeerut
are also being given fi-
nal shape.
First India Bureau
Lucknow/Kanpur:
The politics of self-in-
terest “completely” ru-
ined the industrial de-
velopment of Kanpur
city, said Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath on
Tuesday during the in-
auguration of the Kan-
pur Metro Rail Project,
adding that the mills
running here stopped
functioning and the in-
dustrial activities came
to a halt during the pre-
vious government’s re-
gime.
Launching a caustic
attack on the former SP
government, the CM re-
marked, “The people of
the previous govern-
ments never talked
about development,
rather they looted the
money for development
works.” On the raid on
the premises of a Kan-
pur-based perfume
trader, he said, “You can
see that since 2-3 days,
the money meant for
the poor, which was em-
bezzled during previous
government is now
coming out of the walls.
Speaking on the occa-
sion, he said that Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi has arrived to pro-
vide modern transport
facilities near ‘Maa
Ganga’.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Con-
gress Tuesday organ-
ised a marathon in Luc-
know to boost women
empowerment under its
‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti
Hoon (I’m a girl and can
fight)’ campaign in poll-
bound Uttar Pradesh.
A large number of
women turned up to
take part in the ‘women
marathon’.
The marathon was
scheduled to take place
on Sunday, but it was
rescheduled for Tues-
day after the district
administration denied
permission to hold the
same citing prohibitory
orders in the district.
Apparently feeling
upbeat over the good
turnout UP Congress
president Ajay Kumar
Lallu said that the wom-
en of the state had made
up their minds to show
the exit door to the BJP.
“This crowd (women) is
proof that the BJP is
certain to lose the next
poll,’’ he said.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Yogi
government is going to
showcase improvement
in the ‘Ease of Living’
in Uttar Pradesh in the
last four and a half
years as a major poll-
plank in its campaign
for assembly elections
2022.
“Uttar Pradesh has
become much easier to
live owing to a slew of
public welfare schemes
like better housing, san-
itation, easy access to
LPG connections, free
electricity connection
to poor etc,” says an of-
ficial of the chief min-
ister’s office requesting
anonymity
.
Along with increas-
ing the public facilities
in the state, the govern-
ment has made these
facilities easily acces-
sible to people.
UP government,
through One District
One Product scheme
has enriched the rural
economy. Infrastruc-
ture development, focus
on law and order, con-
struction of greenfield
townships, Noida Film
City, tourism initia-
tives, expressways and
airports have made life
easier for people.
First India Bureau
Chandigarh: Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP)
Punjab Affairs Co-in-
charge and MLA from
Delhi Raghav Chadha
disclosed during a press
conference, held at the
party headquarters
here on Tuesday, that
BJP is trying to buy the
winning candidates of
Aam Aadmi Party. Ra-
ghav Chadha said that
AAP has instructed its
councillors to put their
mobile phones on re-
cording mode and se-
cretive CCTV cameras
were being installed
outside their homes to
expose the BJP’s vile
politics. He said that if
BJP took any such ac-
tion now, it would ex-
pose the ‘dirty’ politics
of BJP by making the
recordings of mobile
phones and CCTV cam-
eras public.
He lamented that this
act of ‘Horse Trading’
was carried out under
the leadership of senior
leaders of BJP includ-
ing Punjab BJP in-
charge Gajendra Singh
Shekhawat. He said
that late last night three
senior councillors of
their party were con-
tacted by senior leaders
of BJP and they were
offered money. He said
that real face of BJP
has come to the fore af-
ter their severe defeat
in the corporation elec-
tions. Raghav Chadha
said that the BJP had
tried to buy two of their
councillors by paying
Rs 50 lakh each and one
councillor by paying Rs
75 lakh.
First India Bureau
Chandigarh: Haryana
has been ahead in the
overall performance
among best health sys-
tems in the Health In-
dex released by NITI
Aayog.
Haryana has retained
the rank of base year
2018-19 in 2019-20 as
well. Haryana is the
only state where there
was no shortage of staff
nurses. Haryana has
covered its entire staff
under IT enabled
HRMIS. Haryana is also
one of the leading states
in terms of improve-
ment in District, Sub-
District Hospital, PHC
quality accreditation.
Under the leadership
of Haryana Chief Min-
ister Manohar Lal Khat-
tar the state govern-
ment is continuously
engaged in strengthen-
ing the health infra-
structure. To meet the
demand of doctors in
the state, the process of
opening one medical
college in every district
is going on. A target has
been set to produce 2500
doctors every year and
for this the MBBS seats
have been increased to
1685 from 700 in 2014.
Along with MBBS seats,
about 600 seats for PG
courses have also been
increased.
Haryana is also get-
ting cooperation in the
medical field from the
Central Government.
National Cancer Insti-
tute has been estab-
lished at Badsa in Jhaj-
jar district. Apart from
this, the process of set-
ting up AIIMS at Re-
wari and AIIMS of
Ayurveda in Panchkula
is in progress. In com-
parison to other depart-
ments, priority is being
given to the education
and health departments
in the budget alloca-
tion. The annual budget
of other departments is
increased by 5-7 per-
cent, while the budget
of education and health
departments is in-
creased by 12-15 per-
cent.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The Gu-
jarat government will
set up camps at schools
to inoculate as many as
35 lakh children in the
15-18 years age group, a
senior official said here
on Tuesday
.
Also on Tuesday,
Chief Secretary Pankaj
Kumar met with dis-
trict collectors and mu-
nicipal commissioners
across the state to re-
view preparations to
meet a possible third
wave of COVID-19 infec-
tions. Special emphasis
has been placed on mi-
cro-containment zones,
with a senior official
being directed to visit
such zones daily, offi-
cials said.
Online registration
for vaccination will
start from January 01,
while the camps will be-
gin operating on Janu-
ary 03. As per the guide-
lines issued by the Un-
ion Health Ministry,
children in this age
group will receive only
Covaxin doses. “Online
registration will begin
from January 1, but on-
site registration is also
available. We will ap-
proach schools in coor-
dination with the edu-
cation department to
cover an estimated 34-35
lakh beneficiaries,” Ad-
ditional Chief Secre-
tary (Health) Manoj Ag-
garwal told reporters
after a video-conference
with the Union health
secretary on Tuesday
.
Health Index: Haryana marches ahead with ‘best systems’
UP now only state in India to
have max cities with metro
Politics of self-interest ruined
industrial devp of Kanpur: Yogi
Cong holds women marathon
in Lucknow, targets BJP govt
Ease of Living
Index: UP govt
claims many
cities improved
Guj to set up nCoV
vax camps at schools
Raghav Chadha accuses BJP of ‘trying
to buy’ AAP’s municipal councillors
Aam Admi Party National Spokesperson Raghav Chadha addresses the press conference, in
Chandigarh on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Modi, accompanied by UP CM Yogi Adityanath at inauguration.
Women take part in Congress’s marathon event in front of Ekana
Sports City in Lucknow on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
PM Narendra Modi at inaguruation of Kanpur Metrol Rail Project.
About 34-35 lakh minors will be eligible for the vaccine next
week. —FILE PHOTO

In the Health
Index released
by NITI Aayog,
Haryana has
retained the
rank of base
year 2018-19
in 2019-20
as well
UP CM Yogi Adityanath says DPRs for Metro projects in four more cities in final stage
Previously known as Manchester of the East,
Kanpur onTuesday entered the elite group of cities
that have Metro Rail public transport system.

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