First india ahmedabad edition-01 march 2021

Voter turnout lower than 2015 local body polls
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Accord-
ing to data released by
the state election com-
mission(SEC)till7.30on
Sunday evening, the to-
talvoterturnoutof local
body polls may have
been lower as compared
to the 2015 elections. In
the 31 district panchay-
ats, over 61.2% electors
cast their votes, 62.5%
voters in 231 taluka pan-
chayatsand55.43%in81
nagarpalikas. On the
other hand, in the 2015
polls,around69.55%vot-
ers had exercised their
right to vote in district
panchayats, 69.28% in
taluka panchayats and
62.77% in nagarpalikas.
While 955 candidates
were in the fray for the
state’s 31 district pan-
chayats’ 980 seats, 4,774
seats of 231 taluka pan-
chayats were contested
by 4,657 candidates and
8,237 contenders ran in
the election for 2,720
seatsin81nagarpalikas.
Turn to P6
Deputy CM Nitin Patel voted at Kadi nagarpalika on Sunday.
BJP chief Patil
expressed
gratitude to
semi-urban and
rural electors for
numbers; Cong
self-assured of
positive
performance
ASSEMBLY
BUDGET SESSION
TO BEGIN TODAY
ARRIVAL OF
“STICKY BOMBS”
IN KASHMIR
Srinagar: “Sticky
bombs”, that have
wreaked havoc in
Afghanistan, and
can be attached to
vehicles for remote
detonation, have been
seized during raids in
recent months in the
federally administered
region of Jammu and
Kashmir, senior secu-
rity officials told.
3 ARRESTED,
ARMY EXAM
CANCELLED
Pune: Three people,
including an ex-ser-
viceman, have been
arrested after question
papers of an Army
recruitment examina-
tion were leaked. The
exam, scheduled to
be held at various
locations across India
on Sunday, has been
cancelled.
Amitabh
Bachchan
undergoes
surgery
Mumbai: Bollywood
megastar Amitabh
Bachchan is going
through some medical
condition that has ne-
cessitated surgery
. He
gave the news to his fans
viahisTumblrblog.The
78-year-old wrote on late
Saturday night, “Medi-
cal condition .. surgery
.. can’t write.”
The news has made
Big B’s fans worried
and many shared their
distress on social me-
dia, and a few also spec-
ulated as to what the
said condition could be.
The superstar’s fans
wished for a speedy re-
covery of the legend.
One shared on Twitter,
“Prayers for @SrBach-
chan Ji’s speedy recov-
ery. Take care. Sending
my love and prayers for
you.” Another tweeted,
“Sir, Prayers for your
speedy recovery
. —PTI
Centre’s three farm laws are death
warrant for farmers: Kejriwal
Maha min Rathod resigns over
‘links’ with Pooja Chavan death
Meerut:“Centre’sthree
farm laws are death
warrant for farmers,”
alleged Delhi chief min-
ister Arvid Kejriwal on
Sunday at a farmers’
rally in Meerut.
“The government
wants to take away
their lands and give
them to 3-4 capitalists.
Farmers will become
labourers in their own
fields, that is why it’s a
do or die situation for
farmers,” Kejriwal hit
out at Centre amid the
ongoing farmers’ pro-
test against the new
agriculture laws while
speaking at Meerut’s
Kissan Mahapanchay-
at. Speaking at the ral-
ly, Kejriwal added,
“Even Britishers did
not oppress our farm-
ers to this extent, they
did not fix nails on the
ground. This govern-
ment has left behind
the Britishers.”
Firing a salvo at
Bhartiya Janata Party
(BJP), Kejriwal added
“The entire Red Fort in-
cident was planned by
them. Turn to P6
Mumbai: Maharashtra
Forest Minister Sanjay
Rathod Sunday submit-
ted his resignation to
Chief Minister Uddhav
Thackeray after he
came under the scan-
ner over his alleged
links to the death of a
woman in Pune.
“In the last few days,
the opposition played
dirty politics over the
death of a 22-year-old
woman of our commu-
nity
. The opposition de-
famed me and my com-
munity through media
and social media. It was
done to destroy my po-
litical career. I want an
impartial probe to be
conducted in this mat-
ter Turn to P6
New Delhi: Asserting
that the Atmanirbhar
Abhiyan (campaign on
self reliance) is not just
a government policy
but also a national spir-
it, Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi Sunday
urged people to learn
more about Indian sci-
entists and develop
sports commentaries in
regional languages for
the Indian sports item
in order to make it so.
Modi, who during his
program aired a record-
ed version of a Sanskrit
cricket commentary at
a tournament between
universitites in his Var-
anasi constituencies,
said the country should
promote sports com-
mentaries in regional
languages.
Responding to a lis-
tener’s question about
his biggest regrets as
Chief Minister of Guja-
rat and later as Prime
Minister, PM Modi said
that he often feels bad
that he could not learn
Tamil, the “world’s most
ancient language”. “It is
a beautiful language
that Turn to P6, More on P5
New Delhi: India is all
set to begin the third
phase of Covid-19 vac-
cination drive that will
cover 10 crore people
across the country from
Monday
. Govt will start
the vaccination of peo-
ple above 60 years and
individuals above 45
years of age having co-
morbidities against
coronavirus.
People with the pres-
ence of one of the 20 co-
morbidities, including
diabetes and heart fail-
urewithhospitaladmis-
sion in the past one year,
will be prioritised in the
next phase of the COV-
ID-19 vaccination drive,
the government said.
The simplified sys-
tem of certifying people
with these co-morbidi-
ties within the 45-59
years age group was
explained to the States
Health Departments. At
Jaipur, Rajasthan Gov-
ernor Kalraj Mishra
might become the first
Governor of a state to
undergo vaccination at
about 1 PM. Moreover,
it is believed that CIC
DB Gupta and retired
judges of High Court
could also be in-
noculated.
Atmanirbhar Abhiyan
is national spirit: Modi
VACCINATION 3RD
PHASE STARTS TODAY
I APPRECIATE THAT: CONG’S GHULAM
NABI AZAD PRAISES PM MODI
WE’VE DEFEATED A MUCH BIGGER ENEMY
IN BRITISH, WILL BEAT MODI TOO: RAHUL
New Delhi: Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi
heaped effusive praise on Ghulam Nabi Azad, the
senior congress leader returned the favor on Sunday.
Azad said he appreciates that PM, never tired to hide
his true self. “I like lot of things about many leaders.
I’m from a village and feel proud of it. Even our PM
hails from village and used to sell tea. We’re political
rivals but I appreciate that he doesn’t hide his true self.
Tirunelveli: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday
described Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “formida-
ble enemy” who ‘crushed’ his opponents and vowed
to send him to political oblivion by following the path
of love and non-violence. During an interaction titled
‘Educators Meet’ at the St Xavier College
here, Gandhi, touring southern Tamil
Nadu for the second day as part of
his second leg of campaign for the April 6 assem-
bly polls, Turn to P6, Related report on P6
COMPANIES ‘FEEL
BETRAYED’: KIRAN SHAW
ROGUE CORONA
STRAIN N440K
CAN CAUSE
REINFECTION
New Delhi: Biocon Chairperson Kiran
Mazumdar Shaw on Sunday hit out at the
government capping COVID-19 vaccine
price at Rs 250 at private hospitals, say-
ing vaccine companies “feel betrayed”
as it is too low to sustain. Reacting to a
report that the health ministry has fixed
Rs 250 per shot at private hospitals and
health centres, she tweeted, “We r (sic)
crushing instead of incentivising vaccine
industry.” Turn to P6
Hyderabad: Researchers,
have mentioned that the
novel coronavirus variant,
N440K, can cause reinfec-
tion. According to them,
this variant can escape
the immune system and
can cause reinfection in
sufferers already recov-
ered from Covid-19.
The researchers studied
a case in Kurnool, which
they mentioned was the
second case of Covid-19
reinfection in India at-
tributable to the variant
N440K, one of the rogue
mutants of the pandemic
virus. The study was
revealed on pre-print
analysis server OSF.
 Centre has deputed high-
level multi-disciplinary teams
to Kerala, Maharashtra, Kar-
nataka, TN, WB, Chhattisgarh,
Punjab, MP, Gujarat and J&K
to ascertain reasons for the
surge in cases & coordinate
with the State Health Depart-
ments in Covid-19 control and
containment measures: GoI
 Night curfew extended in
Pune city till March 14
 Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru
University issues notification
for further reopening of the
campus in phased manner
Arvid Kejriwal
Sanjay Rathod Pooja Chavan
COVID MEASURES
ISRO’S
PSLV-C51 LAUNCH
New Delhi: The main excitement around the PSLV-
C51, when it was announced, was about a satellite
that eventually could not be part of the launch.
Sunday’s mission was supposed to carry a satellite
from Pixxel India, one of the several new start-ups
that are tipped to do to India’s space sector what
companies like SpaceX or Planet Labs have been
doing in the US. Pixxel India, is planning to place
a vast constellation of earth-imaging satellites for
continuous monitoring of every part of the globe,
and beam high-resolution imagery and other data
that can be utilized for a variety of applications in
climate change, agriculture and urban planning.
The first of its satellites, called Anand, was sup-
posed to be on this PSLV-C51 rocket that took off
from the Sriharikota launching range this morn-
ing.But less than a week before the launch, the
company announced that due to “certain software
issues” during testing, it would not go ahead with
the launch of the satellite at this time.
and why Pixxel India’s Anand
satellite missed the flight
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD
& LUCKNOW
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RELATED REPORT P6
Local Total Total Voting Voting
bodies numbers seats 2015 (%) 2021 (%)
District
Panchayat 31 980 69.55 61.02
Taluka
Panchayat 231 4,774 69.28 62.05
Nagarpalikas 81 2,720 62.77 55.43
Total 8,474
AHMEDABAD l MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 95

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Pollsendon(mostly)peacefulnote
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad/Surat/
Rajkot: Elections for
31 district panchay-
ats, 231 taluka pan-
chayats and 81 nagar-
palikas across the
state were held in rel-
ative peace, barring a
few sporadic hin-
drances, on Sunday
.
PollinginAhmedabad
district, where 5,77,622
voters exercised their
ballot, started off at a
snail’s pace and only
pickedupsteamtowards
the end of the day
.
Ahmedabad record-
ed a voter turnout of
67.54% for the 168
wards in the district’s
taluka panchayats,
60.75 % for the 26 seats
in the five municipali-
ties of Dholka, Bareja,
Viramgam, Bavla, and
Sanand, and 67.60%
for the 31 seats of the
district panchayat as
of 5 pm. At 10 am, the
highest turnout had
stood at 9.89%, in
Bareja, while Sanand
had the lowest, with
4.89%; Dholka had
7.28%, Viramgam had
7.31%, and Bavla had
5.58%.
In Surat district, poll-
ing took place for 116
seats in four municipali-
ties, 36 seats in the dis-
trict panchayat, where-
in candidates of two
seats were elected unop-
posed, so voting was
conducted only for the
remaining 34 seats. Poll-
ing also took place for
184 taluka panchayats.
The district panchay-
at election saw a voter
turnoutof 56.60%,while
that for municipalities
saw 60.95% and that for
taluka panchayats had a
voter turnout of 59.91%.
Meanwhile, in Tapi
district, electors cast
votes for one munici-
pality, 26 seats in the
district panchayat and
124 seats in taluka pan-
chayats.
While 70.06% polling
was recorded in Tapi
municipality, the dis-
trict panchayat election
saw a 62.18% turnout
and the taluka panchay-
at poll saw 64.23%. A to-
tal of 16.56 lakh people
voted in Tapi and Surat
districts during the day
.
Sunday also saw a
large number of citi-
zens—including many
senior citizens and
those with disabili-
ties—come out to vote
in the Saurashtra re-
gion. More than 5,000
candidates contested in
eight district panchay-
ats, 55 taluka panchay-
ats and 18 nagarpalikas
in the region.
Voters said that they
were well aware that
their choices could
mould the entire state.
“Voters in urban ar-
eas do not seem to care
enough to learn about
candidates contesting
in their areas. The sit-
uation is very differ-
ent in rural areas.
Here, everyone knows
all the candidates, and
we—especially women
voters—only vote for
those candidates who
fulfil their promises,”
Rashmitaben, a candi-
date from Junagadh
taluka, also said.
As many as 3,000 po-
lice personnel moni-
tored 1,146 booths in Ra-
jkot district alone.
“Farmers are very an-
noyed at the way in
which their problems
have been ignored,” a
member of a farmer or-
ganization told First In-
dia in Rajkot.
Despite voter confi-
dence and the high po-
lice presence, the day
also brought its fair
share of drama.
For instance, in Ma-
hisagar district’s San-
trampur, Congress sup-
porters were reportedly
physically assaulted by
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) candidates and
supporters. Meanwhile,
in Vallabhipur near
Bhavnagar, the husband
of a woman BJP candi-
datehusbandbeatupthe
husband of a woman
candidate from the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) over
accusations of bogus
voting. The police had to
bring the situation un-
der control. BJP and
AAPworkersreportedly
clashed in Tapi as well,
after BJP workers alleg-
edly tried to influence
voters lined up outside a
polling booth in Ward 03
of Vyara nagarpalika.
Two other incidents
were reported in Banas-
kantha’s Bhabhar and
Ahmedabad’s Vi-
ramgam, where BJP
workers reportedly
clashed with supporters
of independent candi-
dates. The issues at play
includedinfluencingvot-
ersandbogusvoting.Lo-
cal police in Viramgam
as well as Bhabhar had
to resort to lathi charge
to separate the ‘warring’
parties. However, there
arenoconfirmedreports
of any complaint being
lodged by either party
.
In the Viramgam in-
cident, there were also
reports of stone-pelt-
ing between the two
groups outside the
municipal election
booth. The brother of
BJP candidate Dhru-
vil Patel was critically
injured in the scuffle
and was shifted to Shiv
Hospital in Viramgam
for treatment.
Further, agents at a
polling booth in Valsad
district complained of
non-functioning EVMs
but senior election offic-
erswhowenttocheckon
them found no faults.
A complaint of booth
capturing was reported
in Dahod’s Jhalod town.
Primary information re-
vealed that workers of
political parties had at-
temptedtostealtwoelec-
tronic voting machines
(EVMs). There has been
no confirmation from
thepolice,andnoofficial
complaints have been
lodged yet.
Later in the evening,
social media was
abuzz with a video
clip in which officers
on duty at the Kangsi-
yali booth in Rajkot
taluka are allegedly
seen confirming that
the BJP had indulged
in booth capturing,
and that 10 people had
engaged in bogus vot-
ing.
Congress supporters
attacked in Mahisagar
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: An at-
tack on Congress
supporters was re-
ported in Santram-
pur of Mahisagar
district, just a few
hours before the sec-
ond phase of the lo-
cal body elections
began on Sunday
.
Three workers of
the opposition party
were seriously in-
juredintheincident.
According to the ru-
mour mill, the at-
tack was premedi-
tated by Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)
candidate Prakash
Katara of Gothib
district panchayat
of Santrampur talu-
ka and his son
Kalpesh Katara.
Vikrambhai Keh-
rabhai Pargi, San-
tubhai Dhanabhai
andBharatAkhamb-
hai Pargi of Mota
Ambelavillagewere
attacked with sharp
weapons. They were
rushed to Cottage
Hospital in San-
trampur with bro-
ken limbs.
According to the
statement made by
the victims, the at-
tack was carried out
by a group of people
including BJP can-
didate Prakash Kat-
ara and his son
Kalpesh as well as
Shankar Mansinh
Taviad,SureshPagji
and Ramsinh Virs-
inh. Local police
have initiated an in-
quiry into the mat-
ter and also assured
citizens that it will
stay on high alert to
ensure the law and
orderremainsintact
across the Mahisa-
gar district, follow-
ing the incident.
Non-urban voters came out in large numbers to decide the fates of as many as 13,849 candidates on Sunday, amid heavy police presence. All polling booths were equipped with thermal guns and gloves to control the spread of COVID-19, officials said.
(From left) Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Purshottam Rupala, Leader of the Opposition Paresh Dhanani (who showed up on a bicycle with a bag of compost), Congress veteran Arjun Modhwadia, Union Minister of
State for Shipping and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya, and Congress leader Hardik Patel all voted at their respective polling stations on Sunday.
RURAL AREAS SEE
BETTER TURNOUT
COUNTING TO TAKE
PLACE ON TUESDAY
A’BAD VOTING PICKED UP
IN THE LATE EVENING
SOME INSTANCES OF
CLASHES, KERFUFFLES
SURAT
RAJKOT
RAJKOT
SABARKANTHA
JUNAGADH
AHMEDABAD
AHMEDABAD
AHMEDABAD
A street fight broke out between supporters of the BJP and Independent candidates in Viramgam.
Bhikhiben Nayaka (85), who played the body double of actress
Nargis Dutt in the 1957 film ‘Mother India’, voted in Umra.
Himmatnagar resident Mohammed Soeb took a detour on the
way to his wedding in Modasa to vote in Sunday’s election.
Women came out in large numbers to vote in Vinchhiya.
Eighty-year-old Samjuba took time off from her daily chores to
come out and vote in Rajkot’s Vinchhiya.
The
Banejdham
polling
station in Gir
Forest saw
100% voter
turnout after
its only voter,
Mahant
Haridas
Bapu, cast
his vote on
Sunday.
—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: It seems
that natural calami-
ties are not the only
dangers posed to
farmers and their
crops but, man-made
disasters can also
ruin the harvest sea-
son for them. One
such incident oc-
curred in Virnagar
village of Jasdan ta-
luka in Rajkot dis-
trict, when a ready-
to-harvest cumin
crop of a farmer was
set on fire by an uni-
dentified person in
the wee hours of Sun-
day
.
Sanjaybhai Jayantib-
hai Khunt, resident of
Virnagar village, was
informed by his neigh-
bours that his cumin
crop had been burnt in
the middle of the night.
After the failure of his
monsooncrop,Sanjayb-
haihadhopedtobenefit
financially from the
sale of the cumin har-
vest.
When asked about
the incident, Sanjayb-
hai said, “We were at
thefarmat10themorn-
ing before last and had
piledupthecumincrop.
The tractor was to be
removed on Sunday
morning but we were
informed of the arson
by our neighbours. On
reaching the farm, we
found that the crop had
allbeenburnttoashes.”
“We have suffered a
loss of around four
lakhrupees.Ourfamily
has no enemies but, the
season’s hard work has
gone down the drain,”
he lamented.
Atkot police have
been informed about
the incident and they
have launched an in-
vestigation into the
matter.
Jasdan farmer loses cumin crop to
unknown arsonist, probe launched
Downward dip continues in daily jump Four nabbed for adulterating oil
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: There
has been a noticeable
decline in the number
of new cases of COV-
ID-19 over the past two
days. After hitting 460
on Friday
, the state re-
corded 407 cases in the
24 hours ended 5 pm
on Sunday. Gujarat’s
total case load has now
risen to 2,69,887 since
March 2020.
The virus caused one
more fatality in the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporationjurisdiction
in the last 24 hours, tak-
ingthenumberof deaths
due to COVID-19 to 4,410.
Whilethegovernment
swiftly announced that
travellers from Maha-
rasthra would be
scanned, due to the ris-
ing number of cases in
that state, Gujarat has
not seen a slowdown in
the number of public
gatherings or political
rallies—neither are
COVID-19 guidelines
suchasphysicaldistanc-
ing or wearing masks
being followed to break
the chain of infection.
While seven districts
had no new cases AMC
again reported the most
cases, at 107, followed by
Surat city (70), Vadodara
city (52), Rajkot city (42),
Anand district (13), and
Kutch and Vadodara dis-
trict 11 (each).
Notably, last week, all
cities and districts had
reported fewer than 50
new cases a day
.
The number of active
cases has also increased
considerably, going
from about 1,200 last
week to 2,363 on Sunday
.
Thirty-two patients are
on ventilator support.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Naran-
pura Police have ar-
rested four persons
for the adulteration
of edible oil. The ac-
cused were allegedly
selling the adulter-
ated oil in a branded
tin with the intent of
misleading consum-
ers. The four arrest-
ed have been identi-
fied as Mahesh Patel,
Vikram Chaudhary,
Sailesh Modi and
Ajit Patel.
The police raided
Tirupati Provision
store in Parishram
Tower in Naranpura
area on Sunday morn-
ing, following a tip.
The shop owner Ma-
hesh had been selling
soybean oil falsely la-
belled as Fortune
brand sunflower oil.
The price of a 15kg
tin of soybean oil was
Rs2,110 on Saturday.
The price of the same
quantity of sunflower
oil of is about Rs2,499.
Mahesh told the po-
lice that he bought the
oil from another trader
(Sailesh). To trap the
other fraudsters,
Naranpura Police In-
spector AG Jadav asked
Mahesh to order for 11
tins (of each 15kg) from
his ‘source’. Sailesh
and another person,
Pravin Wagh, came to
deliver the adulterated
oil and were nabbed by
the police.
REDUCED TO ASHES
Agricultural
worker Sanjaybhai
Khunt was
informed about
the crime by
neighbours; has
reported a loss
of `4 lakh
304, 3rd
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Villagers ‘without basic amenities’ boycott polls
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: In pro-
test against the lack of
development in their re-
gion,theelectorsof over
five districts opted out
of polling in the local
body elections this year.
Poor basic amenities in
several villages com-
pelled thousands of peo-
ple to pull out of the
electoral process for the
district and taluka pan-
chayats.
With a population of
5,000 voters, Desalpur
villageof Kutchdistrict,
called for a bandh and
chose not to cast their
votes on Sunday
. They
have opposed the hando-
ver of village land to a
trust by the district au-
thorities and state gov-
ernment. Villagers have
stated that the land be-
longs to the village pan-
chayat and the govern-
ment cannot decide its
fate without consulting
with the village pan-
chayat and gram sabha.
The village of Kundi
Uchalkalam in Chhota
Udepur district is not
part of any taluka pan-
chayat. Around eight
years ago, the Sankheda
taluka panchayat had
been divided but Kundi
Uchalkalam was not
granted a place in any
taluka panchayat.
Therefore, 513 voters in
the village have ex-
pressed their dissent by
boycotting the election.
Natives of Navadra
village of Gir Somnath
district, 600 electors be-
longing to the Vankar
community opted out of
pollsduetounaddressed
grievances such as bet-
ter roads, potable water,
among others.
Dabhasi villagers of
Anand district had de-
manded a low-level
crossing bridge over a
drain, a few days ago.
Anand district police
had booked 86 villagers
for carrying out a pro-
test. In response, not a
single villager cast their
vote in polls on Sunday
.
Voters in Mahisagar,
ValsadandSabarkantha
too chose not to elect
their representatives by
voting in protest.
Only Sanjaybhai’s farm was targeted by the arsonist.
The state continues to remain silent on testing data. —FILE PHOTO Naranpura police and the four people who were arrested.
THOUSANDS OF VOTERS IN OVER FIVE DISTRICTS CHOSE NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS HELD ON SUNDAY IN PROTEST
Electoral officers were left twiddling their thumbs while voters stayed far away from the polling booth inAnand district’s Dabhasi village (left); villagers in Navadra in Gir Somnath district also called for a boycott of the election.
19 YEARS LATER...
Relatives pray for their loved ones who were killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre during the 2002 riots, in Ahmedabad
on Sunday. They are seen here with court-appointed security personnel. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Naranpura police
trapped fraudsters
by ordering 11 tins
of ‘sunflower’ oil

Vol 2 Issue No. 95 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
everal political
leaders have
put out pic-
tures of them-
selves getting a
Covid-19 vaccine hoping
to reassure and persuade
citizens to follow suit.
Could it work? If the goal
is to spread the message
widely and quickly, the an-
swer is yes.
However, it should not be
surprising that this strat-
egy is causing a stir – par-
ticularly in countries
where politicians tradi-
tionally prefer oral debate
over emotion-based com-
munication using the body
as a prop.
Why have ritualised, in-
person demonstrations by
celebrity bodies become
such a widespread tool for
influence and persuasion?
USING EMOTION
French sociologist Gabriel
Tarde’s foundational works
of the 19th century – spe-
cifically The Laws of Imita-
tion – established that a
public figure’s physical rep-
resentation can be used to
provoke an emotional re-
sponse and encourage pub-
lic action dates.
In fact, the practice dates
back even longer than this.
Representations of Jesus
Christ and saints, kings
and queens, and even de-
ceased civilians, have all
been used at different
times to mobilise groups.
Using emotion to pro-
voke action relies on our
social need to imitate in
order to feel like we are
part of the group. Every
community identifies
with a certain charismat-
ic figure or trusted leader.
The choice to take action
and follow the leader’s in-
structions spreads from
one person to another due
to this need to imitate,
which makes people feel
like they belong to the
community.
This anthropological
framework has been used
for more than two decades
in emotional marketing,
which uses communica-
tion techniques developed
by media according to the
sociologist Elihu Katz, who
himself drew on Gabriel
Tarde’s ideas.
TURNING
APPEARANCE INTO
SPECTACLE
Communications having
been turned into an indus-
try, a leader’s emotional
power is enhanced by mak-
ing an event out of their
appearance. It is even easi-
er to provoke emotional
projection when an image
of a leader has been semi-
otically designed to trigger
reassuring emotions.
Former French presi-
dent François Mitterrand’s
“Quiet Strength” election
campaign of 1981 (created
by Jacques Séguéla) blazed
the trail for using a physi-
cal representation in this
way. The mechanism was
also at work in the recent
display of Queen Elizabeth
II’s image to boost British
morale during the current
health crisis. Images of
athletes, actors and other
celebrities are regularly
used like this in communi-
cation campaigns to en-
courage imitation.
Social media exploits the
desire to put oneself on dis-
play to provoke an emo-
tional response. Perform-
ing our private lives online
is an act intended to arouse
feelings in others.
French President Emma-
nuel Macron is well versed
insuchcommunication.Ina
highly commented-upon
selfie, sent when he tested
positive for Covid-19, he
placed himself in front of a
carefully orchestrated, so-
cial media-friendly back-
drop (French flag, hand
sanitiser on desk). It is all
designed to make viewers
senseMacron’skindness,ac-
cessibility
, authenticity
, vul-
nerability and compassion.
Indeed, it’s hard to resist
the emotions presented on
the faces of such person-
alities. We feel moved de-
spite ourselves.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
Should politicians take their doses publicly to reassure others?
S
When meditation is mastered,
the mind is unwavering like
the flame of a lamp in a
windless place.
—Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Prakash Javadekar
@PrakashJavdekar
Number of water birds has increased
by about 175% compared to last year.
112 bird species have been sighted
in Kaziranga National Park during this
Census. Most important reason for
this is that here, there is better water
conservation along with very little
human interference: PM
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Lord Jagannath is the centre of faith
for all Hindus. It is our collective
responsibility to work towards the
development and promotion of
the Jagannath Culture—which is
synonymous with the belief and
identity of all Hindus across the globe,
including 4.5 crore Odias in Odisha.
alancing the need for regu-
lation to keep out obnox-
ious online content that
promotes violence and vul-
garity with the need to
preserve our core constitu-
tional values and freedom
of expression is at the core
of the new rules which
have been formulated by
the union government to
address concerns regard-
ing the new media.
The policy has tried to cre-
ate the much-needed level-
playing field between online
news platforms and print
media on the one hand and
online and television news
media on the other and to
bring the online news portals
within the ambit of the Code
of Ethics that govern the
print media like the norms
of journalistic conduct
drawn up by the Press Coun-
cil Act, the Cable Television
Networks (Regulation) Rules,
1994. This was long overdue
because of the recklessness
and irresponsibility that is
on display in some of these
platforms.
Similarly, while the cin-
ema industry has a film
certification agency with
oversight responsibilities,
OTT platforms have none.
However, in order to en-
sure artistic freedom, the
government has proposed
self-regulation and said
the OTT entities should
get together, evolve a code
and come up with content
classification so that a
mechanism is evolved to
preclude non-adults from
viewing adult content.
They must get down to do
it. The grievance redres-
sal mechanism thought of
is three-tier, with the pub-
lishers and self-regulating
bodies being the first two.
The third tier is the cen-
tral government oversight
committee. The policy
proposed requires pub-
lishers to appoint griev-
ance redressal officers
and ensure time-bound
acknowledgment and dis-
posal of grievances. Then,
there can be a self-regu-
lating body headed by a
retired judge.
Online platforms are wary
of rules that seek verifica-
tion of accounts, access con-
trol etc, but these issues need
to be resolved within the
framework of India’s laws.
For example, while main-
stream media is conscious of
provisions in the Indian Pe-
nal Code (IPC) dealing with
the promotion of violence,
enmity among communities,
defamation, etc, content on
online platforms seem to be
totally oblivious of all this.
The vulgar comments
posted on social media
about women profession-
als in media or in other
fields and the inability of
the Indian State to deal
with such behaviour
makes one wonder wheth-
er the IPC is inapplicable
in cyberspace.
The Indian digital and
OTT players can draw les-
sons from the concerted ac-
tion taken by the digital com-
panies in Australia which
have come together and
drawn up a code to deal with
fake news and disinforma-
tion. It is called the Austral-
ian Code of Practice on Dis-
information and Misinfor-
mation and it was released
only recently by the Digital
Industry Group.
Australian Communica-
tions and Media Authority
(ACMA) has welcomed the
initiative and said more
than two-thirds of Aus-
tralians were concerned
about “what is real or fake
on the internet”. In re-
sponse, ACMA says the
digital platforms agreed to
a self-regulatory code “to
provide safeguards against
serious harms arising
from the spread of dis- and
misinformation”. Some of
the actions promised by
the digital platforms in-
clude disabling of ac-
counts and removal of
content.
In the UK, the government
is all set to bring in a law to
make online companies re-
sponsible for harmful con-
tent and also to punish com-
panies that fail to remove
such content. The aim of the
proposed “Online Safety
Bill” is to protect internet us-
ers and deal firmly with plat-
forms that promote violence,
terrorist material, child-
abuse, cyberbullying, etc.
The Digital Secretary
, Mr.Oli-
ver Dowden was quoted as
saying “I’m unabashedly pro-
tech but that can’t mean a
tech-free for all”. This in a
sense sums up the current
mood in this issue across de-
mocracies.
In the UK, self-regula-
tion governs the print me-
dia and private television
and radio are regulated by
the Independent Televi-
sion Commission and the
Radio Authority as pro-
vided by a statute.
As regards the two minis-
ters who announced the gov-
ernment’s guidelines – Ravi
Shankar Prasad and Mr.
PrakashJavadekar-itshould
not be forgotten that both of
them are the heroes of what
is called the “Second Free-
dom Struggle” when they
fought against the dreaded
Emergency imposed by
Prime Minister Indira Gan-
dhi in the mid-1970s and suf-
fered incarceration for about
a year and a half, so that the
people got back their consti-
tution and democracy
.
Obviously
, their commit-
ment to basic democratic
values has and will con-
tinue to influence their
policy formulations vis-à-
vis media regulation.
Finally, a word about the
framework within which
companies should operate in
India. As the union minister
for Information Technology
Mr.Ravi Shankar Prasad
said, they must function with
the laws of the land. This is
non-negotiable.
In recent times, Twitter
has tried to define freedom
of expression and even
claimed that it seeks to
protect the freedom of ex-
pression of Indians. “Free-
dom of Expression” is em-
bedded in our chapter on
fundamental rights in our
constitution and it is cir-
cumscribed by what are
called “reasonable restric-
tions”. These are in place
because India is a vibrant
democracy and the most
diverse society in the
world with many social,
political, and economic
complexities. That is why
India’s founding fathers
have, with great intuition
and foresight introduced a
caveat vis-à-vis freedom of
expression, so that consti-
tutional rights promote
internal peace and harmo-
ny. What these freedoms
are and what these restric-
tions are have been defined
by our Supreme Court in
innumerable cases and the
law as laid down by India’s
apex court is the law of the
land. We do not want some
private international com-
panies to assume the role
of some supra courts and
put their own spin on our
Constitution.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS
REGULATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA
B
Online
platforms are
wary of rules
that seek
verification of
accounts, access
control, etc, but
these issues need
to be resolved
within the
framework of
India’s laws.
For example,
while
mainstream
media is
conscious of
provisions in the
Indian Penal
Code (IPC)
dealing with the
promotion of
violence, enmity
among
communities,
defamation, etc,
content on
online platforms
seem to be
totally oblivious
of all this
A.SURYA
PRAKASH
The writer is an independent
journalist
WHILE THE CINEMA INDUSTRY HAS A FILM
CERTIFICATION AGENCY WITH OVERSIGHT
RESPONSIBILITIES, OTT PLATFORMS HAVE NONE.
HOWEVER, IN ORDER TO ENSURE ARTISTIC FREEDOM,
THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROPOSED SELF-REGULATION
AND SAID THE OTT ENTITIES SHOULD GET TOGETHER,
EVOLVE A CODE AND COME UP WITH CONTENT
CLASSIFICATION SO THAT A MECHANISM IS EVOLVED TO
PRECLUDE NON-ADULTS FROM VIEWING ADULT
CONTENT. THEY MUST GET DOWN TO DO IT. THE
GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM THOUGHT OF IS
THREE-TIER, WITH THE PUBLISHERS AND SELF-
REGULATING BODIES BEING THE FIRST TWO. THE THIRD
TIER IS THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE. THE POLICY PROPOSED REQUIRES
PUBLISHERS TO APPOINT GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL
OFFICERS AND ENSURE TIME-BOUND
ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND DISPOSAL OF GRIEVANCES.
THEN, THERE CAN BE A SELF-REGULATING BODY
HEADED BY A RETIRED JUDGE

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Puducherry: After re-
peated gaffe by Rahul
Gandhi on no dedicated
ministry to deal with
the issues of fisher-
men, Union Home Min-
ister Amit Shah said
the Congress leader
was on vacation when
the NDA formed the
Ministry of Fisheries,
Animal Husbandry and
Dairying in 2019.
“Some days ago, Ra-
hul Gandhi had asked
why there is no fisher-
ies department. I want
to know from people
whether they want a
leader who doesn’t
know that Department
of Fisheries has been
in existence for 2 years
(since 2019),” Shah said
at a public rally ahead
of assembly elections
in the Union Territory
Puducherry’s Karaikal
district.
Questioning the ca-
pability of the Con-
gress party to govern
the Puducherry, he
said, “Can the Con-
gress party do the wel-
fare of Puducherry?
Earlier, Gandhi had
demanded the setting
up of a separate minis-
try for fisherie. The
Wayanad MP’s com-
ments came at an inter-
action with the fishing
community in Kollam
on February 24. —ANI
INDIA
05
‘SINDHU NETRA’ SURVEILLANCE
SATELLITE DEPLOYED IN SPACE
New Delhi: In a boost for
the country’s surveillance
capabilities to monitor
activities of both military
warships and merchant
shipping in the Indian
Ocean Region (IOR), the
‘Sindhu Netra’ satellite
developed by a team of
young scientists from
Research and Devel-
opment Organisation
(DRDO) was successfully
deployed in space on
Sunday. The satellite was
launched using the Indian
Space Research Organi-
sation’s (ISRO) PSLV-C51
which took off from the
Satish Dhawan Space
Centre in Sriharikota in
Andhra Pradesh at 10:30
am today. The Sindhu
Netra satellite has been
developed by the young
scientists of the DRDO.
CM’S DAUGHTER STANDS UP
FOR LOAN APP VICTIM’S FAMILY
Hyderabad: Responding to media reports of a
man who died by suicide after falling prey to a
financial fraud on a Chinese loan app, Telangana
MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Sunday reached
out to the family of the victim and promised to
support the education of her three daughters. The
former MP from Nizamabad offered her condo-
lences to the daughters and wife of the victim,
Sarita, and shared that she would be supporting
the education of all the daughters till they gradu-
ate and get a job.
10-YEAR-OLD REWRITES
RAMAYANA FOR CHILDREN
Bhubaneswar: A 10-year-old from Bhubaneswar
has re-written the Ramayana, after watching the
television series on the epic during the coronavi-
rus lockdown. Ayush Kumar Khuntia has named
the epic “Pilaka Ramayana” (Ramayana for
children) having 104 pages in his mother tongue,
Odia. “During the lockdown, I was asked to watch
Ramayana episodes on television by my uncle,
and later to write something on it.” “I watched
Ramayana telecasted on DD channel and wrote
each episode in Odia in my notebook,” he said.
SRINAGAR-LEH HIGHWAY REOPENS
FOR TRAFFIC AFTER 58 DAYS
Srinagar: The highway
which was closed for 58
days has been reopened
on Sunday for vehicular
traffic after the snow has
been cleared along the
Zojila pass, informed the
Border Roads Organi-
sation (BRO).Vehicles
carrying essential com-
modities were initially
allowed to move towards
Leh-Laddakh from the
Zojila pass. According
to BRO, snow clearance
of Zojila Pass is a big
challenge owing to snow
accumulation of 30-40
feet, threats of avalanch-
es and inclement weather
conditions. “Due to the
ongoing border dispute in
Eastern Ladakh, keeping
Zojila pass open for an
extended period was a
strategic requirement.
New Delhi: Asking stu-
dents, who are about to
face their annual ex-
ams, to become a war-
rior and not a worrier,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on Sunday
said he updated the
Exam Warriors book
with new mantras and
interesting activities.
In his monthly radio
address ‘Mann Ki Baat’,
PM Modi asked stu-
dents to go gleefully for
the examination and
come back with a smile.
“Most of the young
friends will have exams.
All of you should
remember - you have to
become a warrior and
not a worrier, go glee-
fully for the examina-
tion and come back
with a smile. You have
to compete with your-
self, not with anyone
else,” he said.
He asked the students
to get adequate sleep
and be mindful of time
management and also
not to stop playing. “For
those who play are the
ones that blossom. Revi-
sion and smart methods
of memorisation are to
be adopted, that is, over-
all, in these exams, you
have to bring out your
best. You must be think-
ing about how all this
will be possible. We’re
going to do it together,”
he added.
Modi said that like
every year, this year too
he will have ‘Pariksha
Pe Charcha’ with stu-
dents in March, and
asked the “exam warri-
ors, parents and teach-
ers” to share their expe-
riences and tips.
“You will get all the
information on MyGov
- how to participat, how
to get an opportunity to
discuss with me. So far,
more than one lakh stu-
dents, about 40 thou-
sand parents, and about
10 thousand teachers
have participated,’ he
added.
He further said that
in the times of Corona,
he took out time, and
added many new man-
tras in the exam warri-
or book.
He also asked the peo-
ple to not lower their
guard against COV-
ID-19. —ANI
Become exam warrior, not
worrier: Modi to students
PM Modi updates the Exam Warriors book with new mantras interesting activities
Shah slams Rahul
over fisheries
ministry remark
Shamli : Amid the on-
going protest against
the new farm laws,
Bharatiya Kisan Union
(BKU) leader Rakesh
Tikait on Sunday asked
the farmers to keep
their tractors ready
stating that they may
have to reach the na-
tional capital anytime.
“This is my appeal to
farmers that they
should continue to work
in their fields and also
keep their tractors
ready with their tanks
full of oil as they may
have to come to Delhi
anytime,” he told re-
porters here. He alleged
that the Centre formu-
lated the new farm laws
without the consent of
the farmers and de-
manded the govern-
ment to take back the
laws.
“You formulate laws
without asking us, and
then ask us to point out
the shortcomings.
When the entire laws
are black then they
should be taken back.
They (Centre) want to
lock grains inside a
locker, want to do busi-
ness on hunger in the
country, then that will
not happen,” the farm-
er leader said.
“It is necessary to
hold mahapanchayats
across the country. As
of now, we have planned
programs till March 24.
We will travel across
the country,” Tikait
said. —ANI
Keep tractors ready
as you may have to
reach Delhi: Tikait
New Delhi: In a veiled
attack at the Bharatiya
Janata Party, Rashtriya
Janata Dal (RJD) leader
Tejashwi Yadav on Sun-
day said no one is talk-
ing about unemploy-
ment and problems of
people and asserted
there is an attempt to
divert attention from
the real issues.
“Talk about the con-
cerns of youth, jobs of
the unemployed, about
the interest of jawans.
In democracy, no one is
talking about the prob-
lems of people, farmers
and unemployment. In-
stead of this, talks are
being held to divert at-
tention from the real is-
sues,” read a tweet by
the RJD leader trans-
lated from Hindi. Yadav
has stepped up their
criticism of the BJP-led
Central government as
Assembly polls in 4
States and Puducherry
are around the corner.
No one is
talking about
unemployment:
Tejashwi Yadav
Jammu (JK): Amid
the criticism of Con-
gress by its own lead-
ers, former Jammu and
Kashmir Chief Minis-
ter Farooq Abdullah on
Sunday said Congress
party “must set their
house right” and asked
them must to unite to
fight the “divisive forc-
es” of the country
.
“It is a problem in
their house and they
have to set their own
house right. I want the
Congress to be strong
and I want the Congress
to unite and fight divi-
sive forces of the coun-
try. Congress must
unite and become
strong,” Abdullah said.
“People look forward to
Congress, in trying to
sort things out in the
country
. They have been
a party for nearly 150
years,” he added. —ANI
Congress
must set their
house right:
Abdullah
New Delhi: A con-
tempt petition has
been moved in Delhi
High Court for initiat-
ing the contempt of
proceedings against
the Officers of Cen-
tral/Delhi Govern-
ment and Director of
Institute of Human
Behaviour and Allied
Sciences (IHBAS) for
allegedly not willfully
complying the court’s
directions to tackle
the shortage of doc-
tors at IHBAS. The
plea has been filed by
lawyer and social ac-
tivist Amit Sahni al-
leging that the order
passed by Delhi High
Court on September
2, 2020 asking to fill
pending vacancies at
IHBAS, is not being
adhered by the con-
cerned authorities.
The petition will be
heard by Justice Naj-
mi Waziri on today
.
Plea against IHBAS on
pending vacancies New Delhi: Police here
has registered a case at
Chanakyapuri police
station against a
28-year-old Mumbai-
based journalist and
anchor with an English
news channel for alleg-
edly raping a 22-year-
old woman on Tuesday
.
Delhi Police has filed
an FIR against the ac-
cused under Section
376, 342, and 509 of the
Indian Penal Code.
In the complaint, the
victim said she had
known the accused for
the past three years
since her college days
in Pune. —ANI
MTV anchor
booked for
rape in Delhi
New Delhi: PM
Modi will inaugurate
‘Maritime India
Summit 2021’ on
March 2 through vid-
eo conferencing.
According to the
Prime Minister’s Of-
fice (PMO), the Mari-
time India Summit
2021 is being organ-
ised by the Ministry
of Ports, Shipping
and Waterways on a
virtual platform
from March 2 to
March 4. The summit
will visualise a road-
map for India’s Mari-
time sector for next
decade and will work
to propel India to the
forefront of the Glob-
al Maritime Sector.
Eminent speakers
from several coun-
tries are expected to
attend the summit
and explore the po-
tential business op-
portunities and in-
vestments in Indian
Maritime domain.
PM Modi to inaugurate
Maritime India Summit
2021 on March 2
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
on Sunday lauded
residents of As-
sam for forest
conservation,
water conservation
and protection of
nature.
In his monthly ra-
dio address ‘Mann
Ki Baat’, PM Modi
said a total of 112
species of birds
were sighted in
Kaziranga National
Park, Assam. He
also highlighted
the role of Assam
temples in protect-
ing nature.
Vizhuppuram: Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah on Sunday
apologised to people
here for not speaking
in Tamil which is one
of the “oldest and
sweetest” languages
of India.
“I am sad that I
cannot talk to you
in Tamil that is one
of the oldest and
sweetest languages of
India, I seek your for-
giveness,” said Shah
while addressing a
Rally in Villupuram.
PM MODI
LAUDS ASSAM
RESIDENTS
SAD THAT I
CANNOT TALK IN
TAMIL: SHAH IN
TAMIL NADU
IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: A Special
Leave Petition (SLP)
was filed on Sunday,
before the Supreme
Court by an aggrieved
parent of a newborn
baby girl, who has
been allegedly kid-
napped and trafficked
by a hospital based in
West Bengal’s Banku-
ra district.
Lawyer, Alakh Alok
Srivastava, had filed
the SLP, before the Su-
preme Court, for the
aggrieved parents,
who had moved the
apex court challenging
the Kolkata High
Court order, which did
not hear their plea for
an independent probe
as pleaded by them in
the case. “We are ur-
gently seeking a free,
fair and independent
investigation of the
child trafficking rack-
et,” the petition filed
before the Supreme
Court said.
The petitioners hus-
band and wife --
said that their new-
born baby girl was al-
legedly taken away on
February 24, last year,
and trafficked from
the Hospital of Dis-
trict Bankura in West
Bengal. “Unfortunate-
ly, so far, their child
remains untraced till
now,” Srivastava said.
“The main prayer was
for an independent in-
vestigation, which
was ignored by the
Kolkata High Court.
That is why the par-
ents are now ap-
proaching the Su-
preme Court,” he
said. —ANI
Mother knocks SC’s door to trace her lost newborn
New Delhi: Senior
Judge of Delhi High
Court, Justice Sid-
dharth Mridul has
been nominated as a
member of the gov-
erning council of Na-
tional Law Universi-
ty, Delhi by Chief
Justice D N Patel.
The Chief Justice,
who is also Chancel-
lor of National Law
University, Delhi
through a notifica-
tion issued on Febru-
ary 26, 2021, nominat-
ed Justice Siddharth
Mridul as Member,
Governing Council
of National Law Uni-
versity Delhi for a
period up to June 29,
2023, with immediate
effect.”
It is worthwhile to
note that earlier Jus-
tice Hima Kohli was a
Member of NLU’s
governing council
and pursuant to her
elevation as Chief
Justice of Telangana
High Court, Hy-
derabad, Justice
Mridul’s name has
been nominated by
the Chief Justice.
Mridul, new member
of NLU’s council
Rakesh Tikait
Farooq Abdullah
Amit Shah
Tejashwi Yadav
Narendra Modi

INDIA
06
Voter....
Therewere25candidates
inthedistrictpanchayats
who were elected unop-
posed, 117 in taluka pan-
chayats and 237 contend-
ers in nagarpalikas.
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) state unit presi-
dent CR Patil on Sunday
thankedpartyworkersas
wellasthevotersforcom-
ing out in big numbers to
vote in semi-urban and
rural areas.
Senior BJP leader Ra-
man Vora maintained
that the party was confi-
dent of “outperforming
Congress” and register-
ing a thumping win in
district/taluka panchay-
atsandnagarpalikasthis
year. Meanwhile, Con-
gress leader Himanshu
Patelstatedthattheparty
was positive of repeating
its performance in the
2015 elections, wherein it
had managed to grab the
mandate of 26 district
panchayats.
Atmanirbhar...
is prominent around
the world. Many people
have told me about the
quality of literature
and poetry written in
Tamil,” he said. Modi
began his 34-minute
speech calling for wa-
ter conservation and
nature conservation
citing examples from
West Bengal, Assam,
Tamil Nadu, Madhya
Pradesh and Uttara-
khand where individu-
als have taken initia-
tives for them and in-
spired others.
With the summer sea-
son quickly approach-
ing, PM Modi said it was
essential for all Indians
to recognise their re-
sponsibilitytowardswa-
ter conservation. He
also announced the Jal
Shakti Ministry’s up-
coming ‘Catch the Rain’
campaign aimed at rain
water harvesting.
On the occasion of
National Science Day,
PM Modi also highlight-
ed the importance of
science in building a
self reliant India. He
dedicated the day to the
work of esteemed scien-
tist Dr CV Raman and
his discovery of the ‘Ra-
man Effect’. “ —Agencies
Companies ‘feel...
She further said, “Covid
VaccineJabCappedAtRs
250 At Private Hospitals:
Government - under-
stand vaccine cos (sic)
feel betrayed as price is
too low to sustain.” Ma-
zumdar-Shaw asked, “If
WHOhasagreedto$3per
dose, why beat them
down to $2?”
The government’s
capping of the vaccine
price at private hospi-
tals comes at a time
when India is preparing
to vaccinate people
aged above 60 years and
those over 45 with co-
morbidities from
March 1. —PTI
Maha min...
and the truth will come
out. So, I have tendered
my resignation to CM,”
said Rathod while
speaking to reporters
outside the CM’s official
residence.
The Maharashtra
BJP had been demand-
ing Rathod’s resigna-
tion from the state Cabi-
net since he was linked
to the Pooja Chavan sui-
cide case. The saffron
party has launched a
state-wide agitation
against Rathod over his
alleged links to the
woman’s death.
Maharashtra Con-
gress leader Balasaheb
Thorat, who is also a
minister, had said: “The
MahaVikasAghadigov-
ernment will not sup-
port any wrongdoing. If
something is wrong, it
is wrong, the govern-
ment will take appropri-
ate action in the mat-
ter.”
We’ve defeated...
also said he counted on
the people’s support to
defeat the BJP. When a
participant wanted to
know if Gandhi felt it
was possible to nudge
the Modi government
to implement his ‘good
ideas’ rather than wait-
ing to assume power
which seemed ‘Utopi-
an’, he said it could be
done with the ‘power-
ful’ and ‘valuable’ sup-
port of the people. “Yes
we are fighting a formi-
dable enemy (Modi). We
are fighting an enemy
that is dominating the
money in this country.
We are fighting an ene-
my that is crushing its
opponents. But we have
done this before. We
have defeated a much
bigger enemy (British)
than this new enemy
that has come,” he said.
Centre’s three...
Many people told me
that they were deliber-
ately shown wrong path
as they didn’t know
streets of Delhi. Those
who hoisted flag were
their(BJP)workers.Our
farmerscanbeanything
but anti-
nationals.”Thousands
of farmers are camping
at Delhi’s border points
at Tikri, Singhu and
Ghazipur since Novem-
ber with a demand that
theCentreshouldrepeal
the contentious farm
laws enacted in Septem-
berlastyearandframea
new one guaranteeing
the minimum support
price (MSP) on crops.
FROM PG 1
New Delhi: The coun-
try had recorded 18,855
new infections on Janu-
ary 29. The number of
deaths soared to 1,57,051
with 113 fresh fatalities,
the data updated at 8 am
showed. The active case-
load further increased
to 1,64,511. It constitutes
1.48 per cent of the total
infections, it showed.
Thenumberof people
who have recuperated
from the disease surged
to 1,07,75,169, which
translates to a national
COVID-19 recovery rate
of 97.10 per cent. The
case fatality rate stands
at 1.42 per cent.
India’s COVID-19 tal-
ly had crossed the 20-
lakh mark on August 7,
30 lakh on August 23, 40
lakh on September 5
and 50 lakh on Septem-
ber 16. It went past 60
lakh on September 28,
70 lakh on October 11,
crossed 80 lakh on Octo-
ber 29, 90 lakh on No-
vember 20 and sur-
passed the one-crore
mark on December 19.
According to the In-
dian Council of Medi-
cal Research,
21,62,31,106 samples had
been tested until Febru-
ary 27 with 7,95,723 be-
ing tested on Saturday
.
The 113 new fatalities
include 51 from Maha-
rashtra, 18 from Kerala
11 from Punjab,
among other parts of
country. So far, 1,57,051
deaths have been re-
ported in country in-
cluding 52,092 from Ma-
harashtra, 12,493 from
Tamil Nadu, 12,326 from
Karnataka, 10,909 from
Delhi, 10,266 from West
Bengal, 8,725 from Uttar
Pradesh. —PTI
SELF-ISOLATE AS NATION SEES RISING VIRUS CASES
Tally climbed to 1,10,96,731 on Sunday with 16,752 new infections, the highest in the last 30 days, according to Union health ministry data
People flouting social distancing norms at the market, in Jalandhar on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Rahul Gandhi interacts with college professors at St. Xavier’s College in Tirunelveli on Sunday.
Police outside industrialist Mukesh Ambai’s residence Antilla.
A
runachalPradesh
became a corona-
virus-freestateon
Sundaywiththethreeac-
tive cases recovering
fromthedisease,asenior
health official said.
The total caseload in
the northeastern state
remained at 16,836,
while the number of
recoveries stood at
16,780, State Surveil-
lance Officer Lobsang
Jampa said. No fresh
COVID-19 case was re-
ported in the past 24
hours, he said, A total
of 56 people have so far
died due to the conta-
gion in the state.
Arunachal Pradesh’s
recovery rate and posi-
tivity rate are at 99.66
per cent and zero per
cent, respectively, the
official said. Altogeth-
er, 4,05,647 samples
have been tested, in-
cluding 312 on Satur-
day, Jampa said. Mean-
while, State Immunisa-
tion Officer (SIO) Di-
mong Padung said
32,325 health and front-
line workers have re-
ceived vaccine shots in
state thus far.—PTI
Arunachal is now Corona-free
as active case count hits zero
Tirunelveli: In a re-
newed attack on the
Centre, Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi on Sun-
day said that the Gov-
ernment of India has
turned noble profes-
sions like farming, edu-
cation and healthcare
into financial commodi-
ties. During an interac-
tion titled ‘Educators
Meet’ at Tirunelveli’s St
Xavier College, Gandhi
said, “I personally do
not believe that educa-
tion is a financial com-
modity. I believe that
education should be
available to everyone.”
Gandhi, who is tour-
ing Tamil Nadu for the
second day as part of
his campaign for the
April 6 assembly polls,
hit out at the National
Democratic Alliance
(NDA)-led union gov-
ernment and said, “It is
duty of a nation to give
education and health-
care to its people. What
is happening here is
that everything is being
seen as a financial com-
modity,” he remarked.
“Agriculture is being
seen as a financial com-
modity, education is be-
ing seen as a financial
commodity, healthcare
is being seen as a finan-
cial commodity. Basi-
cally
, if you have money
,
you can get anything. If
you do not have money,
you get nothing,” the
Congress leader said.
Centreturnededucation,
healthcareintofinancial
commodities:RaGa
New Delhi: Madhya
Pradesh Chief Minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
on Sunday said there is
wave of change in West
Bengal as he coined a
new slogan ‘2 May Didi-
Gayi, BJP Aayi’.
He also attacked the
Trinamool Congress,
saying that “after the
communist and Con-
gress, now TMC has ru-
nied the state”. “There
is the wave of change in
West Bengal. Trina-
mool Congress (TMC)
did not let farmers and
the poor benefit from
the Centre’s policies.
There is violence and
corruption in the State.
First, it was the commu-
nist and then Congress,
who ruined Bengal and
now TMC,” Mr Chou-
han said. Mr Chouhan
also offered prayers at
Kalighat Temple in Kol-
kata during his visit.
“This is a holy land
where great men Sri
Ramakrishna Parama-
hamsa, Swami Vive-
kananda were born
here,” he said.
“Here is so much vio-
lence in state, till now
130 BJP workers have
sacrificed their lives
which will not go in
vain. Actual mean of
TMC is ‘todo, maro aur
kato,” he added. —ANI
Didigayi,BJPaayi:ChouhanslamsTMCinBengal
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Sunday congratulated
the Indian Space Re-
search Organisation on
the success of the first
dedicated commercial
launch of PSLV-C51/
Amazonia-1 Mission,
saying it ushers in a
new era of space re-
forms in the country
.
The Prime Minister
also congratulated Bra-
zilian president Jair
Bolsonaro on the suc-
cessful launch of Bra-
zil’s Amazonia-1 satel-
lite by PSLV-C51, and
said “this is a historic
moment in space coop-
eration” between the
two countries.He said 18
co-passengers included
four small satellites that
showcase dynamism
and innovation of our
youth. India’s Polar
rocket on Sunday suc-
cessfully launched Am-
azonia-1 of Brazil and 18
other satellites from the
spaceport in Andhra
Pradesh’’s Sriharikota,
in the first mission of
the year for ISRO.
New era of space reforms: PM
congratulates ISRO President
Chennai: The Income
Tax Department has
detected undisclosed
income of about `220
crore after it raided a
leading tiles and sani-
taryware manufactur-
er based in Chennai,
the Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT)
said. The action was
carried out on Febru-
ary 26 and a total of 20
premises in Tamil
Nadu, Gujarat and Kol-
kata were searched and
surveyed, it said.
The CBDT said in a
statement that `8.30
crore cash was seized
during the raids on the
group engaged in the
business of manufac-
ture and sale of tiles
and sanitaryware. The
group is the “leader” in
tiles business in south
India. “In the course of
search, unaccounted
sale and purchase of
tiles were detected. De-
tails of unaccounted
transactions were un-
earthed in the secret of-
fice and the software
maintained in the
cloud,” it claimed.
“Considering the pre-
vious turnover, the sup-
pression of income may
be in the range of ` 120
crore. This is in addi-
tion to ` 100 crore of
undisclosed income in-
troduced by the group
as share premium
through shell compa-
nies,” it claimed. —PTI
`220 cr in black money
detected after raids
New Delhi: An organ-
isation named Jaish-
ul-Hind has claimed
the responsibility of
placing an explosives-
laden SUV near indus-
trialist Mukesh Am-
bani’s house in south
Mumbai, police said
on Sunday.
A senior police offi-
cial said that all possi-
ble angles were being
investigated in this
connection.
The outfit claimed
the responsibility by
posting a message on
social messaging app
Telegram, which went
viral on social media
and came to the notice
of Mumbai police, the
official said. —PTI
Jaish claims responsibility for placing explosives near Antilla
MALLS SHUTDOWN
New Delhi: Delhi will begin the third phase of
Covid-19 vaccination from tomorrow for those
who are above 60 years and people between
45-59 years with co-morbidities, the Delhi Health
Department said. More than 3.6 lakh beneficiar-
ies have received the vaccine till Friday in Delhi
since the start of the inoculation drive a month
ago, with over 18,900 people receiving jabs on
Thursday. Meanwhile, India is all set to begin the
second phase of Covid-19 vaccination drive that
will cover 10 crore people across the country
from Monday. —Agencies
DELHI TO START THIRD PHASE OF
COVID-19 VACCINATION FROM TODAY
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
Congratulations to
NSIL (NewSpace India
Limited) and @isro on
the success of the 1st
dedicated commercial
launch of PSLV-C51/
Amazonia-1 Mission.
This ushers in a new
era of space reforms
in the country.
“DISPARITY” IN WEALTH DISTRIBUTION
STRONGER IN BJP RULE: RAHUL GANDHI
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
— PHOTO BY ANI

WHO WOULD BET ON A
FUTURE OLYMPICS?
W
e didn’t suspect
it at the time,
but the 2016 Rio
Olympics may have been
the last ever summer
games. There were clues.
Until 2015, most of us
hadn’t even heard of the
Zika virus. First identi-
fied in 1947, it is transmit-
ted by mosquitoes, typi-
cally causing asympto-
matic or mild infection
but also associated with
microcephaly in babies
born to mothers infected
during pregnancy. Before
the games, the state of Rio
de Janeiro recorded 26,000
cases of Zika, giving rise
to understandable fear
among organizers, com-
petitors and fans. With the
Brazilian government
throwing millions at rein-
forcing health networks,
the tournament went
ahead, welcoming over
11,000 athletes from 207
countries, alongside some
500,000 foreign visitors. It
was only a portent of a
more momentous and
widespread virus that
would send the entire
world into convulsions
and threaten the very ex-
istence of the Olympics.
It’sentirelypossiblethat
Tokyo will not stage the
postponed 2020 Olympics
thissummerand,evenif it
does, it will be a much
humbler affair than we’ve
come to expect from recent
games. Paris is scheduled
to host the tournament in
2024andwillsurelybecon-
cerned about the prospect.
Four years after that, in
2028, Los Angeles is due to
play host. By then, COV-
ID-19 may be a nightmar-
ish but distant memory
.
But it could also be a ubiq-
uitous presence that af-
fects practically every as-
pect of our lives and im-
pels us to rethink what
we’ve taken for granted
over the past 400 years.
The combination of the
Scientific Revolution,
starting around the mid-
16th century, and the In-
dustrial Revolution, from
the late 18th century, in-
stilled a new stability and
organization at first in Eu-
ropean and later global
society
. The patterns, pre-
dictabilities and orderli-
ness that characterize the
technological age had
their origins in the two
revolutions. Transport,
communications, trade,
production and commerce
were made possible, as
were education, legisla-
tion and what we now rec-
ognize as industrial de-
mocracy
. Versions of these
existed before the revolu-
tions, but the forces of pro-
gress encouraged us to es-
tablish systems and meth-
ods of controlling, regulat-
ing andmaintainingthem.
Sport, as we know it to-
day
, was as much part of
the new order as industry
,
governmentandthemetro-
politan cities that sprung
up in response to the fac-
tory system. Scientific ra-
tionalism affected every-
thing — not only how we
went to work, but how we
worshipped and amused
ourselves. Sports were or-
ganized to reflect the regu-
lar rhythms of society
.
Rules rather than custom
or habit governed conduct.
So, the first modern Olym-
pics of 1896 were designed
to represent the new global
character: lawful and pre-
dictable,theonlysurprises
were supposed to be on the
track.Lastyear’spostpone-
ment was not the first in
history
, though the others
were jettisoned because of
the two world wars.
FORCE MAJEURE
The Japanese have been
defiantand,atthemoment,
insist the games will go
ahead, scheduled to
run from July 23
throughAugust8.
The organizers
have already
collected $3.1
billion from
commercial
sponsors such
as ANA and Ja-
pan Airlines,
and the Mizuho
and SMBC banks.
Should it go ahead, it
will be the most highly-
sponsoredsporteventever.
The overall cost to Japan
has been estimated at $25
billion. For comparison,
that’s about the price of
Donald Trump’s wall
across the US-Mexico bor-
der or ample to build
enough new homes to end
homelessness in the US
and UK combined. The In-
ternational Olympics Or-
ganizing Committee (IOC)
is also putting on a brave
face. Before the postpone-
ment, it had secured a
broadcastingcontractwith
NBC worth $4.38 billion; it
is now being renegotiated.
Should the games ma-
terialize in a traditional
form, with full stadiums
and 14,000 competitors
from 206 nations, it will
be little short of miracu-
lous. Recent events in
Melbourne, where spec-
tators at the Australian
Open tennis tournament
were evacuated from the
stadium and locked out
for five days after a COV-
ID-19 cluster was discov-
ered, show how fragile
events such as these now
are. Tokyo will soon have
to make a decision about
crowds. The city will
probably take the same
option as many major
sports and allow only
limited personnel, in-
cluding broadcasting
crews. This would keep
NBC quiet, and the TV
network would not disap-
point advertisers who
have already paid
$1.25 billion to
showcase their
wares during
the tourna-
ment. The
nightmare sce-
nario is an
abandonment
of the games
altogether. It
would shake Par-
is, now only three
years away from its
own Olympics.
Los Angeles is proba-
bly already poring over
its contractual commit-
ments to the IOC, search-
ing particularly for the
clause where “force ma-
jeure” appears. Both cit-
ies must be feeling like
the guy who is pleased
with himself after buying
a Rolls-Royce in British
Columbia; the next morn-
ing, he finds the car un-
der 20 feet of snow with
no prospect of a thaw.
COVID-19, like the weath-
er, is something over
which we appear to have
no control. A year ago, we
took heart from politi-
cians and their scientific
advisers who assured us
they knew what they
were doing. We now real-
ize their analysis and pre-
scriptions were based on
studies of other, more fa-
miliar viruses and that
they failed to anticipate
how mutations would
render much of the ac-
cepted wisdom irrele-
vant. The certainty we
typically attribute to sci-
ence has been destabi-
lized and, now, no one can
confidently forecast when
we will return to school,
work, stores nor any of
the other places we have
taken for granted.
Concerts have been
scrapped and, while some
sports are managing to
tick over, all this year’s
major events, including
the football African Cup
of Nations (June-July),
and the already resched-
uled golf Ryder Cup (Sep-
tember) and the swim-
ming World Champion-
ships (December), are in
jeopardy. Organizers of
big events next year and
beyond will not be encour-
aged by the failure to con-
tain the virus. Vaccina-
tion offers hope, but who
is sure it protects against
all variants? The influen-
za virus mutates into new
strains constantly, and
vaccines are usually only
40%-60% effective. Only
wide-eyed optimists think
COVID-19 will be eradi-
cated; the more sensible
appraisal is that will we
will adapt to the new envi-
ronment.
This will probably
mean living without the
sureness or conviction
that’s been integral to so-
cial life for nearly four
centuries. COVID-19 is
already teaching us that
monolithic corporations
can be brought to their
knees, media behemoths
stopped in their tracks,
entire economies ground
to dust — all because of a
force majeure. We now
know that there are
greater forces than we
ever imagined.
WHAT FUTURE?
The recent resignation of
YoshiroMori,thepresident
of the Tokyo Olympic or-
ganizingcommittee,would,
at another time, be a huge
embarrassment. Faced
with the more formidable
problems posed by the vi-
rus, the sexist remarks of a
high-ranking official must
seem like the Canadian
Rolls owner’s discovery
that he’s left his phone in
hisengulfedcar—extreme-
ly vexing, but not as dis-
commodious as the posi-
tion of the vehicle itself.
How Tokyo must wish it
couldturnbacktheclockto
2013 and withdraw its bid
forthe2020Olympics.Even
its own citizens have with-
drawn their approval:
Some 80% of them do not
wanttohostthegames.If it
goes ahead, it will be the
most unpopular games in
history — and possibly the
last. Paris is bound to use
COVID-19 to try to leverage
a way out, and LA has time
enoughtonegotiateanexit.
This leaves the question
of who in their right mind
would bid for a future
Olympics? Quite apart
from the colossal expense,
any city has to accept that
life is going to more vola-
tile and susceptible to un-
welcome intrusions. Plan-
ning years ahead will be
risky. Who would bet a
penny on the games of,
say, 2032 happening? Or
even if there will be an
Olympic movement by
then? An abandonment
will haunt organizers,
fans and the world of
sport for decades. A cul-
tural phenomenon that
goes back more than 2,700
years will be pulled apart,
and, if it is ever stitched
together once more, it will
be cut from less extrava-
gant cloth. The fate of To-
kyo will go a long way to
determining whether the
Olympic Games have any
kind of future at all.
SOURCE:
FAIROBSERVER.COM
ELLIS CASHMORE
Tokyo International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge pulls out the name of the city
of Tokyo elected to host the 2020 Summer Olympics during a session of the IOC in Buenos Aires, on
September 7, 2013. —PHOTO BY FABRICE COFFRINI /POOL/GETTY IMAGES
Mock-ups of the medals for the
Tokyo Games have been ready for
a while, but it is yet to be seen if
they will actually go to any athletes.
The
fate of
the Tokyo games will
go a long way to
determining whether the
Olympics have any
kind of future at
all
TALKING POINT
07

There is something so hopeful
about a beginning howsoever
small it might be …a new day… a
new month- Happy March to all !
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
Rupaniasksseniorcitizensto
getCovid-19vaccinesansfears
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: In
keeping with the
Cental Government’s
decision, Gujarat is
starting a state-wide
Covid-19 vaccination
programme for sen-
ior citizens of above
60 years of age from
Monday.
Allaying all fears,
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani on Sunday ap-
pealed to nearly 60 lakh
senior citizens of Guja-
rat to go for the corona
vaccination and “play
their part of role in the
State Government’s
war against the virus,
which is almost at the
final decisive stage.”
In his appeal, the
Chief Minister cate-
gorically stated that
the State Govern-
ment was always
concerned about the
health of its citizens
and succeeded in its
mission of curbing
the transition of Cov-
id-19 with the peo-
ple’s cooperation and
conscientiousness of
health workers.
Rupani also ex-
pressed confidence
that when the nation-
wide campaign of ad-
ministering the coro-
na vaccine had com-
menced, the citizens
of Gujarat would also
keep the State in the
forefront of this cam-
paign “with their
wholehearted coopera-
tion.”
The vaccine doses
will be administered at
2,195 government hos-
pitals, health centres
and 536 private hospi-
tals and clinics. The
State has procured suf-
ficient quota of the
vaccine doses for the
senior citizens.
The Chief Minister
said a well-trained
manpower of 30,000
people, including doc-
tors as well as para-
medical staff would be
made available for the
purpose.
Dispelling all fears,
Rupani stressed that
the vaccine was com-
pletely safe and had no
side or adverse effects.
He also appealed to the
citizens above the age
of 60 years to take the
necessary two doses.
The Chief Minister
said everything must
ensure, “Haarshe Co-
rona, Jitse Gujarat (Co-
rona will lose, Gujarat
will win).”
The Chief Minister
also made a heartfelt
appeal to the citizens
to ensure that the
senior citizens of
their family and
those living in their
neighbourhoods take
the doses of vaccina-
tion to contribute
their part in making
Gujarat a “corona
free” State.
—REPRESENTATIONAL PICTURE
ALL SYSTEMS GO
As announced by the Centre, Gujarat Government starts vaccinating senior citizens
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Amid
the debate over the
pitch that was pre-
pared for the pink-
ball Test between
India and England in
Ahmedabad, Eng-
land wicketkeeper-
batsman Ben Foakes
on Sunday said that
his side knew that
the pitch would turn
from ball one as the
hosts “are pushing
their conditions to
the extremities.”
India had managed
to defeat England by
ten wickets within 2
days in the pink-ball
Test. The match saw
both India and Eng-
land batsmen failing
to shine and getting
out to balls that did not
turn and skidded
through from the spin-
ners.
Critics have looked
to blame the pitch for
the failure of the bats-
men. India batsman
Rohit Sharma clari-
fied that he did not
think the pitch had
any demons. Even
skipper Virat Kohli
was vocal about the
dreadful batting dis-
play from the two
teams.
“Obviously, we got
thoroughly out-
played. Those were
tricky conditions
but they played well.
They have a couple
of class spinners
and we did not have
answers to them so I
think going forward,
we have to be good
enough to counter
that to score big runs
on the board,”
Foakes said during a
virtual press confer-
ence on Sunday.
“I think we know
what we are going to
get in the last Test in
terms of surface. They
are pushing their con-
ditions to the extremi-
ties and we know it is
going to spin from ball
number one, it is about
finding a way to play
well in those condi-
tions,” he conceded.
“The last two
pitches are the hard-
est I have kept on,
the last game, the
pink-ball was skid-
ding and the amount
it was spinning, I
have never seen that
and it was a chal-
lenge to keep on
those wickets. We
have been outplayed
in the last two
games, but we are in
position to draw the
series,” he added.
Hosts creating conditions of extremities, but will win: England

The low-
scoring 2-day
test match at
Motera stadi-
um in A’bad
irks England;
guests say
ball turned
unnaturally
from the
word go
Questions are being raised about Motera stadium pitch. —FILE PHOTO
SKEWED DEVELOPMENT?
A large number of old trees were axed by the State highway department to construct a four-
lane road between Ahmedabad and Dholka. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
With micro-irrigation and organic
farming, farmer earns PM’s praise
First India Bureau
Patan (North Guja-
rat): Kamraj Chaud-
hary, a farmer from
North Gujarat’s Patan
district, who grows
drumsticks using mi-
cro-irrigation and or-
ganic farming tech-
niques, received appre-
ciation from Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on Sunday
.
In his monthly
‘Mann Ki Baat’ broad-
cast, Modi said Chaud-
hary from Lukhasan
village in Patan is an
example of people who
are expanding the
scope of science by
taking it forward,
“with the mantra of
lab to land”.
Later, talking to PTI
over phone, Chaud-
hary said while culti-
vating drumsticks on
his land, he follows
sustainable farming
practice, using organic
fertilisers and ensur-
ing that no bees are
killed with the use of
pesticides.
“I practice organic
farming and the qual-
ity of our produce is
much better than what
you see in the market.
We develop seeds on
our own, as the seeds
that we get from the
market are of mixed
quality,” he said.
The cultivator said
they saved around 15
to 20 kg seeds for the
purpose of cultiva-
tion and claimed the
drumsticks grown by
him fetch a higher
price than the mar-
ket value. “We sell
our produce in West
Bengal, Tamil Nadu
and Odisha at a high-
er price,” he said.
He said he had been
growing drumsticks
for the last 10 years
and received the sup-
port of the local Krishi
Vigyan Kendra (KVK).
—PTI
—REPRESENTATIONAL PICTURE
North Guj doc couple
charred to death in
tragic road mishap
11-foot
crocodile
rescued in
Vadodara
First India Bureau
Himmatnagar: A
doctor couple from
Bayad in Sabarkan-
tha district, Dr May-
ur Shah and Dr. Pre-
rna Shah, were
killed when the
Hyundai Creta in
which they were
travelling met with
an accident near Ra-
khiyal on Dehgam
highway.
According to sourc-
es at Rakhiyal police
station, a Hyundai
Creta SUV car bear-
ing number GJ-
31-D-1746 had met
with an accident near
Royal School on De-
hgam highway
.
The accident took
place when the driver
of a dumper truck
bearing number GJ-
02-ZZ-5711 crashed
into the SUV coming
from the opposite
side.
The SUV immedi-
ately caught fire and
within minutes, the
vehicle turned into a
fireball, occupants of
the car were burnt
alive before any relief
could reach at the ac-
cident site.
The bodies of the
accident victims were
burnt beyond recogni-
tion and two skeletons
were found from the
car, a police officer in-
vestigating the inci-
dent said.
The fire was so in-
tense that the police
were struggling to
find out how many
people were actually
travelling in the SUV
,
but they guesstimated
there might be at least
4 people in it.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: A crocodile
measuring about 10-11
feet long crocodile was
rescued from a con-
struction site in the
Kelanpur area of Va-
dodara in Gujarat on
Saturday
.
According to Arvind
Pawar, President, Wild-
life Rescue Trust, the
crocodile was about 10-
11 feet long and was
found in a ditch.
“We received a call
from a builder that a
crocodile was spotted in
a ditch at one of his con-
struction sites. We res-
cued it and have handed
it over to the forest de-
partment,” said Pawar.
He added after a med-
ical checkup, the croco-
dile was released in its
natural habitat.
An SUV with doc couple caught fire.
The SUV immediately caught fire and within
minutes, the vehicle turned into a fireball,
occupants of the car were burnt alive before any
relief could reach at the accident site.
‘UNFAIR’ CONDITIONS

emember when Tony Stark
defeated the Iron Monger in
Iron Man all the way
through to his sacrifice to
stop the mad titan Thanos
once and for all, the villains
he faced, the relationships
he formed, the flashy tech he con-
structed, and the character develop-
ment of Stark himself ? We know
most of you would. There’s nothing
wrong with loving superhero films,
in fact, there’s a lot that’s right
about it. Superhero movies have
been connecting with audiences for
decades.
Speaking about superheroes,
there’s no denying that Marvel
films are larger than life. They’re
implausible, impossible and fantas-
tical. The Marvel Cinematic Uni-
verse or MCU for short is the shared
place where all 22 films featuring
the comic book characters are set.
Each film tells its own distinct sto-
ry but also connects with other
films in the MCU, to tell an over-
arching tale. It’s a technique Mar-
vel Comics pioneer Stan Lee also
used in his comics.
From Christopher Reeve’s Super-
man, Christopher Nolan’s Batman
trilogy, Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3, and
now the MCU, superheroes have
drawn people to the theatre regard-
less of age, social status, or, for all
intents and purposes, “nerd sta-
tus.” The characters of MCU such
as Spider-man, Iron man, Hulk,
Captain America, Thor, Black
Panther, Groot, Ant man and
even Thanos are loved by the
audience. Whether they are
casual fans or regulars at
comic conventions around
the world, these films keep at-
tracting massive audiences to
the theatres, and it isn’t for no rea-
son. Marvel has given certain hu-
manity and empathy to these super-
human characters, making them
more than the hypo-machoism
they’re accused of being. Not only
are their heroes multifaceted, but
their villains are as well. Pure luck
can be ruled out at this point be-
cause Marvel and the superheroes
are just good at what it does.
AHMEDABAD, MONDAY
MARCH 1, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
KARISHMA GWALANI
karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in
Designe by Shailesh Tinker
R
I LOVE YOU 3000...
City First cheers to the larger than life
fandom of Marvel Cinematic Universe,
grown over the years to tell its Infinity-saga!

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
KIRTI AGARWAL, Foodpreneur
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Joining health conscious
people in daily workouts is
likely to keep you fit and
energetic. Someone on the
home front can irritate you and spoil
your mood. You may become
instrumental in getting a property
issue settled amicably. Marriage may
be on the minds of the eligible.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Changes happening on the
professional front can have
you worried, but will turn
out favourable. More
interest is required on the health
front. Family life will cruise along
smoothly as you resolve to remain
positive under all circumstances. You
will enjoy your day with your lover.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You can become
concerned about a recent
heavy expenditure incurred
on something that you just
couldn’t help. lYou may take up some
activity or sport just to keep trim and
slim. Good news may greet you on
the family front as a suitable match is
found for the eligible.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Family will prove to be a
pillar of support for those
facing something important.
You may feel financially
secure, but take a reality check before
arriving at any conclusion. Only a little
effort will be able to resolve the
problems faced by students on the
academic front.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Financially you may need
to be more secure than you
are now. There is a need to
come up with something
original, if you are in a creative field.
You will be motivated to get back into
shape and may even join a gym.
Some adjustment problems among
the newlyweds need to be handled.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
It is best to take the opinion
of others before you put in
your money. A household
remedy may come in handy
for those suffering from body aches
and pains. Something that you wanted
to get done on the home front is likely
to be initiated. Prayers of those looking
for love are likely to be answered.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You may spend on
something not previously
catered for. You can
struggle to keep pace on
the work front. Condition of those
ailing is set to improve by leaps and
bounds and get them firmly on the
road to good health. Romantic
journey will be smooth and joyful.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
A lot of activity is foreseen
on the work front and you
will be right in the midst of
it. Some issues that seem
unlikely to get resolved on the family
front will begin to move towards a
solution. Good options will be found
by those searching for property that
fits their pocket.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Window shopping is all
that you can do in order to
conserve money. You are
likely to swim with the tide
on the professional or academic
front. Indulging in excesses may
prove bad for health. Issue regarding
an ancestral property is likely to be
settled amicably.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Something included in
your diet is likely to have a
positive effect on your
overall health. A glib talker
may try to confuse you so be aware.
Disturbances at home will need to be
curtailed to retain a peaceful
environment. You will get the
motivation to push yourself further.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Keeping a close tab on
spending will leave you
with much to splurge later.
You may take some time in
bouncing back on the work front. No
problems are foreseen on health and
financial fronts. You manage to play
your cards well and avoid getting
involved in a contentious issue.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You will manage to pick up
the threads from where
you left on the professional
front. Much happiness is
foreseen on the home front. A trip
with friends will not only be exciting,
but refreshing too. This is a good
time to finalise property as stars are
poised favourably.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
es, that is right. It
has been a wonder-
ful year of learn-
ing, sharing, and
gaining. Quite un-
usual you might
say for a pandemic
hit a year, but this is what
life is all about. Preparing
your life for the unexpect-
ed, embracing the unex-
pected, and making the
most out of it.
No Bollywood love story
led me to Jaipur from Pune.
It was simply my fondness
for change. I hate stagna-
tion. Can’t tolerate it. So
here I am, in Jaipur, serv-
ing animals and following
what I have realized is my
passion!
It all started with me
loading my babies Tipsy
and Basbousa on an Air In-
dia cargo plane from Mum-
bai. Little did we know then
that a short trip would be-
come a year-long love affair
withthelandof theRajputs.
I have always fancied the
royal lifestyle and imagined
myself living in a haveli.
While everybody else hat-
ed the lockdown, I made the
most of it. Befriending,
feeding, playing, and learn-
ing about dogs. Before then
I was simply a cat lady. I
loved dogs but didn’t live
with them. But the pandem-
ic came as a blessing. Every-
thing fell into place, as
though written beautifully
for me. Parts of it were pain-
ful, no doubt, but the year
presented something new to
me- it was the year that I
also became a dog person!
Let’s not tell this to my cats.
They won’t be happy that
they have to share with me.
Minnie and her 4 pups
Pluto, Daisy, Veronica, and
Betty, their friends Goofy,
Scooby
, and Meshki became
my world during the nation-
wide lockdown. Later Tar-
zan and New Boy joined the
clan! They were a handful.
Each of them taught me so
much about dogs. I became
their protector and they
mine. Life was bliss. Who
now has been complaining
about the lockdown being
unbearable? Not me!
While there were happy
memories so much of the
year has been spent in re-
porting cruelty against
animals, fighting court
cases, and attempts at sav-
ing animals who have been
either run over by speed-
ing vehicles or suffered
from parvo and distemper.
Daisy, my favorite of the
Minnie pups too fought a
long battle against distem-
per and eventually suc-
cumbed. It was a painful
loss for me. This is when I
realized that there was a
reason I was chosen to be
in Jaipur.
Working for animals is
not a job for me, but a pas-
sion. There is something
about the air of Jaipur.
Every activist here inspires
me to do more for these
animals. In Pune, I was
simply earning a fat salary
.
In Jaipur, I am living! My
earning are a quarter of
what I would make in Pune,
but somehow it lasts longer
and I never run out. It is
amazing how the universe
conspires.
This brings me to the
point I want to make. Fol-
low the universe. Let it sur-
prise you. Do more for ani-
mals and nature and watch
how much more abundant
your life gets. No exaggera-
tion here, when animals
bless you, you are truly
blessed. Animals are not
voiceless, they just need to
be understood.
You cannot be a true be-
liever if you do not love all
of God’s creations. You can-
not be a good person if you
cause harm to nature. You
are not worthy of God’s
love unless you share this
love with others. You are
not the only heir to this
earth. Live and let live. Love
and let love!
If this year has taught me
anything it would be to lose
myself in the world of these
innocent and lovely ani-
mals. Nature needs to find a
way to rid the earth of hate-
ful people, and give birth to
more compassion. Possible?
Possibly! You tell me.
MARIAM ABUHAIDERI
thepersianladki@gmail.com
Y
ONE YEAR
JAIPUR
of

ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021
11
CITY FIRST
he grand fi-
nale of the
Jaipur Win-
ter Polo
Season had
an apt end-
ingwiththe
final match of the
Rajmata Gayatri
Devi Memorial Cup
on Sunday
. Sunjay
Kapur’s Sona Polo
won the tournament
after a thrilling
game with Chandna
Los Polistas.
Thematchwasfol-
lowed by scrump-
tious high tea hosted
by the Rambagh Pal-
aceHotel.TheWho’s
Whoof thePinkCity
could be seen at the
elegant affair enjoy-
ing the gourmet
spreadandadmiring
the vintage polo
memorabilia artful-
ly displayed at the
event. The High teas
of Polo are as await-
ed as the match it-
self and the elite
crowd enjoys catch-
inginthewarmwin-
ter sun among the
hallowed grounds of
thepoloclub.Theex-
citement of polo
spillsovertothePolo
get-togethers also.
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
The Thrilling Finale
T
Winners - Sona Polo and Runners Up - Chandna Los Polistas at the Award Ceremony
Ashok Rathore, GM Rambagh Palace giving the
MVP Award to Juan Augustin Garcia Grossi
Sunjay Kapur and Ashok
Chandna on the field
Vintage Polo Display
Tripti Pandey and Apra Kuchhal Vishal Mathur and Mohan Singh Tada
Jagdeesh Chandra with Ajai Singh, Vijit Singh and Narendra Singh Ashvini Sharma and Ravi Rathore
Ashok Rathore, Khalid Khan and Moncrief Aviet
Ram Rathore and Richa Rathore
Usha and Angelique Ishaan Jaiswal and Divya Shekhawat
Rajnish Pardal, Shreya Singh and Vedant Singh
Aditi Singh, Jagruti Shahar and Ruchi Durlabhji Digvijay Shekhawat, Dileep Shekhawat and Sunita Shekhawat
Vinod Sharma, Narendra Singh and Gaurav Chand Madhuvanthi Singh, Bhim Singh and Aditi Singh
Nick Pepper, Rajvi Shailender Singh, Manolo and Kuldeep Singh
Swarn Singh
Shailendra Singh Rathore, Bhawana, Neeta Dundloot,
Rishi Dundloot, Narendra Singh and Sameer
Richa Ram Rathore, Shailendra Singh Rathore and Ashok Rathore
—PHOTOS BY SUMAN SARKAR

HARISH SWAMI
Sri Madhopur : The
Savitri Foundation
Trust organised a cere-
mony to felicitate, sup-
portandhonourwidows
on Sunday morning on
the premises of Saras-
wati Marriage garden.
The Savitri Foundation
Trust works to sup-
porttheunderpriv-
ileged and needy
in the memory of
Savitri Varma
(his late wife) in-
formed the founder of
the Trust, Ram Varma,
former Chief Secretary
Haryana.
Tansukh Kumawat
the chairperson of the
Welcome Committee,
welcomed all the guests,
hesaidthat31widows
were given support
and 31 talented
people were hon-
oured. P D Vyas, a
native of Srimad-
hopur and leading busi-
nessman of Indore was
the Chief Guest for the
event and appreciated
the efforts of the Trust.
Ram Varma presided
overthefunction,Palika
Adhyaksh Harinarayan
Mahant, Vandana Se-
hgal, Upasana Varma
and Jyotsana Varma
were the special guests
of honour.
Eminent dignitaries
DrAjayVerma,Dhanan-
jay Varma, BJP leader
Kamal Jain, Sitaram
Varma, Ramdeen Chu-
let, Mahaveer Prasad
Tyagi were present
among others.
12
CITY BUZZ
O
nce you have
tasted and expe-
rienced all that
the organic
products have to offer,
there’s no going back;
Because, who doesn’t
like to indulge in all
things wholesome and
good? To cater to those
very demands, Clarks
Amer Farmer’s Market
was organised on Feb-
ruary 28, Sunday, mark-
ing its second anniver-
sary in the Pink City.
The Farmers Market
Jaipur is an open plat-
form, organised by
Upasana Bajaj Kumar
to encourage farmers
and young entrepre-
neurs. The platform
not only helps them to
comprehend each oth-
er’s work but also con-
nects like-minded peo-
ple to understand the
market trend.
“This is the second
anniversary of the
Farmers Market initia-
tive. The market aims
to provide earth-friend-
ly, chemical-free and
homemade products of
various kinds. In the
second edition, we or-
ganised several activi-
ties such as mass paint-
ing, live music, play
area, cupcake making
competition along with
live food counters to
make the evening mem-
orable,” the organiser
shared.
The event also wit-
nessed Shireeen, a
young entrepreneur of
a renowned bakery
startup ‘Better Call
Shireen’ with her
freshly baked cookies,
biscuits and much
more treat-to-tastebuds
food.
Good food, amazing
weather and soothing
music; such was the
evening beheld by
Jaipurites at the Farm-
ers market, Clarks
Amer, Jaipur.
ADOPT, DON’T SHOP!
The wedding of Gen
Sec, Congress Randeep
Surjewala and Gayatri
Surjewala’s son Arjun to
Vatsala, daughter of Surya
Prakash and Aditi Khatri was
solemnised in a beautiful
ceremony on Sunday at
Hotel Imperial, New Delhi.
The wedding was attended
by leading Congress leaders
across India. CM Ashok
Gehlot also reached to bless
the newly weds.
BLESSED
DAY!
KARISHMA
GWALANI
Karishma.gwalani
@firstindia.co.in
—PHOTOS
BY
SANTOSH
SHARMA
Neeraj Kanwar
and Pratap Singh
Khachariyawas
celebrated
their wedding
anniversary on
Sunday, with their
family and friends,
deepening the
bond which they
share with their
special day spent
together. We wish
them all the best!
CM Ashok Gehlot with former
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
Randeep Surjewala, Rajdeep Choudhary, Gayatri Surjewala, the newly weds Arjun Vatsala,
Mamta Choudhary, Sandeep Choudhary, Surya Prakash and Aditi Khatri
Avinash Pandey with Randeep and Gayatri Surjewala
CM Ashok Gehlot with Sandeep Choudhary, Ashwani Kumar,
Govind S Dotasra, Randeep and Gayatri Surjewala and the
beautiful couple Arjun and Vatsala
CM Gehlot with Congress leader
Sushil Kumar Shinde Sandeeep Choudhary with the groom Arjun
The wedding reception of Niranjan and Sangeeta
Arya’s son Swarit Ritika, daughter of Tulika and
Rajeev Pabuwal, was held at Birla Auditorium, Jaipur
on Sunday. The who’s who of Rajasthan reached to
congratulate the newlyweds and the proud parents.
THE SPECIAL DAY!
In loving memory of… An evening to remember...
Governor Kalraj Mishra with Niranjan Arya, Swarit, Ritika, Sangeeta and Nilay
Mr Mrs Anand Srivastava and Mr Mrs Ajay Pal Lamba with
Niranjan Arya and family
Ravi Jain with Niranjan Arya and family
Mahendra Soni with Niranjan Arya and family
Ram Varma addressing the audience
Kuldeep Ranka with Niranjan Arya and family
Rajesh Yadav, Dheeraj Srivastava, Dr Prithvi, Alok Gupta, Hemant
Gera and Dinesh Kumar bond and talk at the reception
BL Soni and Mrs. Soni with Niranjan Arya and family
Governor Kalraj Mishra appreciates the floral bouquet
presented by Jagdeesh Chandra and chooses a flower as
Niranjan Arya looks on smilingly
Vandana and Upasana felicitating the awardee Jyotsana felicitating the awardee
—PHOTO
S
BY
SANTOSH
SHARMA
Shireen with her live food counter

First india ahmedabad edition-01 march 2021

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