First india ahmedabad edition-08 november 2020

Piplaj fire gets wheels turning at A’bad civic body
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In a case
of “something’s better
than nothing” and “bet-
ter late than never”, the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation has kicked
into high gear days af-
ter 12 people lost their
lives in a fire that fol-
lowed an explosion at
an illegal chemical fac-
tory in Ahmedabad’s
Pirana-Piplaj area.
The civic body on Sat-
urday sealed seven
more factories operat-
ing illegally in the city,
a day after it sealed six
such units on Friday.
OnSaturday,theTown
Development Office and
EstateDepartmentteam
inspected the factories
operating in Piplaj and
Lambha areas and dis-
covered that these facto-
ries have been operating
without the approval of
any government or civ-
ic body for a few years
now. In addition, these
factory units were also
found to have a large
number of potentially
hazardous chemicals in
their possession. Plus,
chemical processes
were being carried out
with little or no safety
precautions--sometimes
out in the open, under
the shade of a tree. The
team also found bags of
dry chemicals and large
blue drums.
Not only did the op-
erators of these facto-
ries not have any gov-
ernment approvals,
they also did not have
any licences from the
AMC, or no-objection
certificates from the
fire department.
It is curious that
these units managed to
operate under the radar
of the state government
and even the Gujarat
Pollution Control Board
for so many years.
The AMC’s sealing
drive follows the fatal
accident at Sahil Enter-
prise in the Nanubhai
Estate on Wednesday.
The blast affected nine
nearby godowns and
knocked down the roofs
of three to four go-
downs, killing seven
men and five women.
AMC seals
seven illegal
chemical units
A member of the AMC team looks into an unauthorized chemical unit.
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AHMEDABAD l SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 344
ARMED FORCES HAVE TO BE PREPARED
FOR HYBRID THREATS EMANATING
FROM MULTIPLE FRONTS: BHADAURIAP5 P6
FLEXIBILITY AND HUMILITY WILL
ENHANCE THE ABILITY OF STUDENTS:
PM MODI AT IIT-DELHI CONVOCATION
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD
Mohd Fahad
M
ost of the exit
polls also pre-
dicted RJD to
again emerge as the sin-
gle largest party in the
243-member assembly
along with a clear dip in
the seat tally of Bihar
chief minister
Nitish Kumar-
led JD(U).
Counting of
votes for the
three-phase
Bihar assem-
bly polls,
which ended
on Saturday,
will be held on Novem-
ber 10. Exit polls are
typically based on feed-
back from a limited
number of voters in se-
lect areas and none of
them have a 100 per cent
accuracy record.
Today’s Chanakya-
CNN News18 projected
180 seats for the RJD-led
grand alliance, 55 for
the NDA and eight for
others. The majority
mark is 122.
India Today-Axis My
India poll showed the
RJD-led block winning
139-161 seats, as against
69-91 for the NDA. It pre-
dicted 3-5 seats
for LJP and
also 3-5 for
others.
The ABP-
CVoter exit
poll predicted
NDA to get
104-128 seats
and 108-131
seats for the opposition
grand alliance. It pro-
jected Chirag Paswan-
led LJP to get 1-3 seats.
A similar trend was
predictedbyTimesNow-
CVoter, which projected
116 seats for the NDA,
120 for the opposition al-
liance and a single seat
for the LJP. It predicted
six seats for others.
Exit polls also pre-
dicted results for by-
polls held in several
states. According to In-
dia Today-Axis My In-
dia exit poll, the BJP
government in Madhya
Pradesh will survive as
it projected the party to
win 16-18 seats, and Con-
gress is estimated to bag
10-12 of the total 28 seats
that went to polls. Simi-
larly, for bypolls in Uttar
Pradesh, the exit poll
predicted BJP to win 5-6
seats, SP 1-2 seats and
BSP 0-1 seat, out of the
eight seats for which
polling was held on No-
vember 3 last.
In Gujarat where vot-
ing happened for eight
seatsonNovember3,the
same exit poll projected
BJP to win 6-7 assembly
seatsandCongressasin-
gle seat. Turn to P6
BIHAR KA NAYA KING KAUN?
55
180
0
8
NEWS 18-CHANAKYA
69-91
139-161
3-5
6-10
INDIA TODAY-AXIS
91-117
118-138
5-8
3-6
REPUBLIC-JAN KI BAAT
116
120
1
6
TIMES NOW-C VOTER
TOTAL SEATS 243 MAJORITY MARK 122
EXIT POLLS PREDICT MAHAGATHBANDHAN GOVT WITH RJD’S TEJASHWI YADAV AT HELM
n NDA n MGB n LJP n OTHERS n NDA n MGB n LJP n OTHERS n NDA n MGB n LJP n OTHERS n NDA n MGB n LJP n OTHERS
BIHAR ELECTION
EXIT POLLS
2020
Tejashwi to rout BJP-JDU
as3rdphaselocksat55.22%
Patna: A voter turnout
of 55.22 per cent was re-
corded at 6 pm as polling
in 78 constituencies
spread across 19 dis-
tricts continued for the
third and final phase of
Bihar Assembly elec-
tions on Saturday. In
this phase, the ruling
NDA, which is battling
the anti-incumbency
factor, is locked in a
fierce contest against
the RJD-led Mahagath-
bandhan (Grand Alli-
ance). As many as 2.35
crore voters are eligible
todecidethefateof 1,204
candidates today.
Seemanchal (Kis-
hanganj, Araria, Kati-
har and Purnia), Kosi
(Supaul, Saharsa and
Madhepura), Mithila
(Darbhanga and Mad-
hubani) and Tirhut
(Muzaffarpur and Sita-
marhi) regions com-
prise the seats going for
polls in the final round.
While the Seemanchal
belt gives an advantage
to the Mahagathband-
han, Asaduddin’s Owa-
si’s AIMIM, Turn to P6
44 PERCENT PREFER
TEJASHWI AS CM
Tejashwi Yadav
emerged as the num-
ber one choice for CM
with 44 per cent people
going for him as per
India Today-My Axis Exit
Poll. In terms of parties’
vote percentage, Mahag-
athbandhan is projected
to get 44 per cent votes,
NDA 39 percent and
LJP 7 per cent, GDSF
may bag 4 per cent and
others may bag 5 per
cent vote share.
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.
We made changes
and revamped
training,
and particularly
polling station
infrastructure,
sanitizing protocols
for one lakh polling
stations and it was
a challenging task
—Election Commission
After completion of elections
KUDOS TO SUNIL ARORA-LED
EC FOR SUCCESSFULLY HOLDING
POLLS AMID CORONA PANDEMIC
Dr Anita
New Delhi: First things first, Kudos to CEC Sunil Arora-
led Election Commission for conducting a success-
fully fair and smooth election in coronavirus era. Not
to forget a rare election sans viloence in Bihar. When
Munger simmered, EC was swift to show SP and DM
the ext door and brought things under control. At the
same time EC expressed gratitude to voters for coming
out of their homes to exercise their franchise amidst
pandemic looming large. It was world’s first biggesdt
election since coronavirus spread and holding polls was
no mean task. Taking on the challenge, EC issued strict
COVID guidelines and ensured they were followed to
the core on ground zero. ”We stand at a unique point of
history. We had apprehensions how polls would be con-
ducted during the pandemic. It is because of confidence
of voters,” the EC said while thanking voters of Bihar,
Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat where bypolls were held.
BIDEN TRUMPS‘Will be President for all Americans’
Indian-origin Kamala Harris becomes first
Black woman elected US Vice President
Washington: Demo-
crat Joe Biden has
been declared as the
winner of the 2020
US Presidential elec-
tion, defeating Don-
ald Trump, according
to news agency AP.
He will become the
46th president of the
United States, posi-
tioning himself to
lead a nation gripped
by historic pandem-
ic. Biden (77) will
also be the oldest
President in history.
His victory came af-
ter more than three
days of uncertainty
as election officials
sorted through mail-
in votes that delayed
the processing of bal-
lots. Biden crossed
270 Electoral College
votes with a win in
Pennsylvania taking
total votes to 290
against Trump’s 214.
TRUMP: ELECTION FAR FROM OVER
Republican opponent Donald
Trump, however, has refused to
concede, saying the “election is
far from over” and that he will not
“rest until the American People
have the honest vote count they
deserve and what De-
mocracy demands”.
Kochi: Kerala Gov-
ernor Arif Moham-
mad Khan has tested
positive for corona
on Saturday.
“I have tested posi-
tive for Covid-19.
But, there is no cause
for concern. Howev-
er, I request all those
who had contact
with me in New Del-
hi last week to test
for Covid, or be un-
der observation to be
on the safe side,”
reads the Raj Bha-
wan tweet.
Kerala governor Arif
Mohammad Khan
tests Covid positive

Haresh Jhala
Ahmedabad: Custom-
ers returning to jewel-
lery shops on the aus-
picious Pushya Nak-
shatra day have
changed the mood of
the gold and jewellery
market, which had
hitherto been hit bad-
ly by the ongoing pan-
demic. Consumers
with advance planning
have purchased gold
and jewellery that has
changed the sentiment
of the market.
Manoj Soni, of AB
Jewellers, told First In-
dia, “It would be unfair
to compare with previ-
ous years, but one thing
is sure: consumers have
started learning to live
with the novel coronavi-
rus,whichisagoodindi-
cation for the economy.
Festive and seasonal
buying is back to almost
50-60% of usual figures,
but investor buying is as
low as 15-20% of nor-
mal.”
Soni said customers’
return to showrooms
shows that they are be-
ginning to overcome the
fearof thepandemic.“If
this trend continues, the
market will soon bounce
back,” he said.
AhmedabadJewellers
Association president
JigarSoniestimatesthat
around Rs100 crore
worth of gold and sil-
ver—about 175kg gold
and 200kg silver—is sold
on the auspicious Push-
ya Nakshatra day.
Interestingly, jewel-
lers say that while the
quantity of sales is con-
siderably lower than
that of last year, the val-
ue of gold and silver be-
ingsoldthisyearmakeit
a “good year”.
“Lastyear,thepriceof
10g gold was Rs38,000.
This year, it is Rs54,000.
The cost of silver is also
considerably higher this
year. Yet, consumers
have turned up in good
numbers. Even more
surprisingisthatwehad
almost 50-70% advance
bookings.So,value-wise,
it is a good year,” said
one jeweller asking not
to be named.
VeteranplayerShanti-
lal Patel said that the
market expects to see a
fall of 25-30% demand
duetotheCOVID-19pan-
demic, which he says is
too small a drop to be
considered a bad sign.
“Overall,thefootfallsex-
ceeded our expectations
with consumers turning
up to buy precious met-
als,” he said.
NEWSAHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The re-
sults of the state As-
sembly by-elections
may still be days
away but the Con-
gress is not wasting
any time in begin-
ning preparations
for the next poll bat-
tle—the civic body
and panchayat elec-
tions, which are
likely to be held in
January.
Gujarat Congress
in-charge Rajiv Satav
is on a three-day visit
to Gujarat from Satur-
day, during which he
will hold meetings
with agendas ranging
from appointments in
the state structure of
the Gujarat Congress
to election manage-
ment.
According to Con-
gress sources, Satav
and senior party
leaders may meet
with regional lead-
ers, MLAs, and MPs
with a view to filling
vacancies in the par-
ty structure of the
region. Satav will
also review the pos-
sible by-election re-
sults and consult
with the regional
leaders here on the
same.
It is to be noted that,
even as the Congress
party has continued
their preparations,
the BJP is in rest mode
after last Tuesday’s
by-election for the
eight vacant state As-
sembly seats.
Congress sources
told First India that
the party leadership
is also discussing
probable candidates
for the local body
elections.
“Other than the
main issue for the
election, we discussed
the candidate. Our list
of candidates will
keep in mind caste,
education, and gender
equations. More pref-
erence will be given to
women and youth, this
time,” said a source.
It is to be noted
that there is a 50%
reservation for wom-
en in the local body
seats.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Abid-
ing by the Supreme
Court’s earlier order,
the state government
has banned the burst-
ing of crackers in
public places. The Gu-
jarat government has
also banned the im-
port and the bursting
of imported fireworks
in the state. To imple-
ment the decision, the
District Collectors
and Police Commis-
sioners of four cities
have issued public or-
ders under section
144 of the Criminal
Procedure Code.
In addition, fireworks
may not be set off be-
tween 10 pm and 6 am,
andwithin500mof apet-
rolpumporLPGbottling
plant.Violatorsfaceseri-
ous police action.
However, surprising-
ly, the Gujarat govern-
ment—unlike many
other states—has not
placed a blanket ban on
crackers this Diwali,
even as the National
Green Tribunal (NGT)
issued notices to all
states on the issue.
Deputy Chief Minis-
ter Nitin Patel on Friday
had said that the state
would abide by the NGT
directive if it came in
the form of an order. Un-
til then, the issue is not
being discussed at the
cabinet level, he said.
Government sources
say the state’s hesitance
to implement a blanket
ban follows the view
that bursting crackers
might help citizens re-
gain a sense of normal-
cy, which has been miss-
ing since the COVID-19
pandemic began.
CONGRESSSTARTSTHREE-DAYMARATHONMEETING
NO REST
Rajiv Satav —FILE PHOTO
People shop for fireworks at Ahmedabad’s Raipur cracker market
on Saturday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
With customers thronging jewellery stores, jewellers admit that the turnout has been better than they had anticipated this year. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
State in-charge Rajiv Satav will
likely meet regional leaders, MLAs,
and MPs during his Gujarat visit
State bans
bursting crackers
in public places
PUSHYANAKSHATRABRINGSDIWALISHEENTOGOLD
LESS THAN ONE WEEK TO GO
Diwali might not be until next weekend, but Ahmedabad is gearing up for the festival on all cylinders. Seen here, clockwise from top left: customers shopping for new diaries and accounting
books ahead of the Gujarati New Year, as well as a potter with his diyas, the Mehta family polishing their antique brass and copperware, people shopping for lights and a shopkeeper arranging
auspicious ‘pavitra phool’ in his shop. —PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
Investment buying is far lower than usual,
but festival and seasonal buying is recovering

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat University has
announced that ex-
aminations for un-
dergraduate students
in Semester 3 and Se-
mester 5 will begin
on December 8. In ad-
dition, the post-grad-
uate semester 3 ex-
ams will also on the
same day. The last
date for students to
fill out online forms
for these exams is No-
vember 21.
The internal exami-
nation for GU colleges
will be completed five
days before the univer-
sity exams. The an-
nounced has sparked
outrage among stu-
dents, who have also
been supported by the
National Students’ Un-
ion of India. The stu-
dents have asked for
both the dates of the
exam and the last date
for submitting online
forms to be extended.
The NSUI has backed
he protesting students
in the matter and also
demanded for the ex-
ams to be postponed. It
is to be noted that the
university has an-
nounced Diwali vaca-
tions from November 09
to November 21. Some
students said that the
Diwali vacation could
be very stressful for
them as the last date to
fill out the form is No-
vember 21.
Notably, the exams
for these courses will
start on December 8 in
two phases. With this,
NSUI has complained to
the university adminis-
tration to extend the
exam dates.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: As the
state enters anoth-
er crucial phase in
the fight against
COVID-19, weather
predictions for the
upcoming months
do not provide
much solace. Not
only is winter said
to create favourable
conditions for fur-
ther transmission
of the novel corona-
virus, this season is
set to be colder than
usual.
The India Meteoro-
logical Department
predicts that the tem-
perature is likely to
start dipping in the
state from the second
week of November. It
has previously fore-
cast a colder-than-
usual winter in the
country this year due
to a weak La Niña ef-
fect in the Pacific
Ocean.
The core cold-wave
zone will cover the
northern regions of
Jammu, Kashmir,
Punjab, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttara-
khand, Delhi, Hary-
ana, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, and extend
through Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Bihar,
Jharkhand, West
Bengal, Odisha, and
Telangana.
Across the state,
Valsad recorded the
lowest minimum
temperature which
was 14 degree Celsi-
us, while Ahmedabad
recorded 34.3 degree
Celsius maximum
temperature and 17.5
degree Celsius mini-
mum temperature.
In the weather bul-
letin, the IMD has
mentioned that on
Saturdayweatherwas
dry over the Gujarat
region and over Sau-
rashtra and Kutch.
NSUI protests as GU announces dates for examinations
EXTENSION SOUGHT
Gujarat University. —FILE PHOTO
Exams for Semesters 3 and 5 of UG
courses and Semester 3 of PG courses
are slated to begin on December 08
New service will use a 90km sea route, thus cutting down travel time by about five
hours from the current nine hours it takes to traverse the 370km distance by road
TAKING CHARGE
KamlaChavdamadehistorywhenshebecametheﬁrst-everfemaleDalitLeaderoftheOpposition
in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on Saturday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Ahead
of the Diwali festi-
val, the Ahmedabad
Municipal Corpora-
tion (AMC) has made
it mandatory for all
shop owners to un-
dergo COVID-19
tests.
Following the local
civic body’s latest in-
structions, a large
number of shopkeep-
ers in the city reached
walk-in centres for
COVID-19 tests.
Rapid tests for the
virus are being con-
ducted in Vastrapur,
with lengthy lines ex-
pected.
Many have ex-
pressed fear that such
lines without social
distancing, coupled
with the crowds at the
traditional markets
ahead of the festive
season, will further in-
crease cases of novel
coronavirus infections
in the city.
AMC sources are
also of the opinion
that there should be re-
strictions on public
gatherings as the new
cases are increasing.
The number of COV-
ID-19 cases in
Ahmedabad city and
district has reached
43,397.
Shop owners
rush to get
Antigen tests
in Ahmedabad
Steep rise continues in the state, as
Saturday brings 1K+ new nCoV cases
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In a dra-
matic coincidence,
the state has again re-
ported more than
1,000 new cases of
COVID-19 just a day
after a petition was
filed in the High Court
in support of holding
local body polls with-
out delay.
While the Election
Commission postponed
the local elections by
three months, the peti-
tion asked the court to
quash the order, since
Bihar held its Assembly
elections despite having
morecasesthanGujarat.
The state has now
witnessed a total of
1,79,679 cases and 3,756
fatalities due to the
Sars-CoV-2 virus. How-
ever, it maintains that it
has achieved a recovery
rate of 91.15%. There
are 12,146 active cases
in the state with 71 pa-
tients on ventilators.
The highest number
of freshcasescamefrom
Surat (192), Ahmedabad
(182), Vadodara (120) and
Rajkot (113).
Meanwhile, the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation has found
that eight patients had
violated home quaran-
tine. When the health
teams reached their
homes, they were not
there. They were served
a notice and taken to the
COVID-care centre,
where they will have to
pay for their treatment.
Eight patients in Ahmedabad have been served notice for violating
home quarantine. —FILE PHOTO
Prime Minister Narendra Modi —FILE PHOTO
Dip in temperature
likely next week as
‘cold’ winter sets in
Staying warm will be extra important this season since winter
is conducive to the spread of Sars-CoV-2. —FILE PHOTO
Season will be
colder than usual
due to weak a La
Niña in the Pacific
PM TO LAUNCH RO-PAX SERVICE
BETWEEN HAZIRA & GHOGHA
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi will on Sunday
flag off a Ro-Pax fer-
ry service between
Hazira and Ghogha in
Gujarat via video con-
ferencing.
The service is expect-
ed to reduce a distance
of 370km to 90km
through the sea route,
thereby saving time and
fuel and boosting eco
and religious tourism in
theSaurashtraregionof
thestate,areleaseissued
by the Prime Minister’s
Office (PMO) said.
Modi will flag off the
service at 11 am and also
inaugurateaterminalat
Hazira. He will interact
with local users of the
service via video confer-
encing, it said, adding
that Union Minister of
State for Shipping Man-
sukh Mandaviya and
Gujarat Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani will be pre-
sent on the occasion.
The three-deck Ro-
Pax Ferry Vessel ‘Voy-
age Symphony’ con-
necting Hazira in Surat
district and Ghogha in
Bhavnagar has a load
capacity of 30 trucks,
100 passenger cars, and
500 passengers plus 34
crew and hospitality
staff, it said.
Captain Devendra
Manral,CEOof ferryop-
erator Indigo Seaways
Pvt. Ltd, told the media
that 3,800 passengers
have so far shown inter-
est in booking 800 cars,
400 bikes and 500 trucks.
Initially, the service
will make three trips a
day, and transport 550
passengers, 100 two
wheelers, 75 small
trucks and 30 big trucks
per trip.
ROUGH START
The Ro-Pax service will include multiple options for passengers including
Cambay Lounge (14-person capacity), Business Class (78 persons),
Executive Class (316) and Economy (92). —FILE PHOTO
1,046 cases, 5
fatalities take state
tally to 1,79,679
cases, toll to 3,756

G Vol 1 G Issue No. 344 G 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
PERSPECTIVEAHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
Listen to advice and accept
instruction, that you may
gain wisdom in the future.
—Proverbs 19:20
Spiritual
SPEAK
EXIT POLL
SHOCKER
FOR JD-U,
BJP IN BIHAR
rom Pennsylvania and Nevada, it
is now time to move to Purnea and
Nawada, in other words, Bihar
where voting ended on Saturday
evening. The moment the last vote
was cast pollsters took over to analyse the
exit poll data to predict what lies ahead for
the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal-Unit-
ed combine. Shockingly, the exit poll num-
bers don’t augur well for the three-time Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar as not one but almost
all the exit polls were unanimous in giving
the “double engine”, as Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi commented on Tejashvi Yadav-
Rahul Gandhi combine, the lead over the
double engine sarkar of BJP and JD-U.
Modi and Nitish reminding voters of Lalu
Yadav’s “jungle raj” does not seem to have
swayed voters. Nor did the prime minister’s
attempt to corner Rahul Gandhi over Paki-
stan’s role in Pulwama have an impact. What
may have worked in favour of the ninth
standard pass Tejashvi Yadav was his prom-
ise of 10 lakh jobs and the anti-incumbency
factor against Nitish. On Tejashvi’s job prom-
ise the ruling combine could only ask from
where he will get those jobs in the absence of
industry. The factor of economic distress
caused by a long spell of lockdown in view of
the pandemic may also have played a role.
Even before the exit poll results began to be
discussed, Nitish Kumar’s statement at the
end of campaigning for the last phase that this
was his last election and the prime minister
telling voters that he needed Nitish as CM for
Bihar’s development suggested that the JD-U
had, in a way, conceded defeat. PM’s remark
came to a tad late as Nitish saw BJP hand in
Chirag Paswan challenging his leadership.
Of course, exit polls can go wrong the way
theydidinAmericawhereDonald Trump was
predicted to be swept aside. So the Chanakya’s
projection of 180 (plus, minus 11) seats for the
Mahagathbandhan (MGB) led by Tejashvi Ya-
dav should be looked at with some reserva-
tions. Chanakya gave BJP-JD-U 55 seats. The
numbers projected indicate that Lalu Yadav’s
party now helmed by his son has gone beyond
the traditional Muslim-Yadav votes to now en-
joy the support of upper castes, OBCs other
thanYadavs,and,moreimportantly,theyouth.
If theseprojectednumbersdocometrueand
TejashviYadavbecomesthechief minister,ap-
prehensions about Bihar’s future will rise
again. It is a fact that Lalu and later his wife
Rabri Devi allowed the state to be ruled by ma-
fia,kidnappers,andextortionists.Thedevelop-
ment came to a standstill as blatant loot of
public money by Lalu and his supporters be-
came the order of the day. In terms of govern-
ance,Nitishwastheexactoppositeof Laluand
Rabri. An unsuccessful cricketer, Tejashvi
took on the PM, Nitish, Yogi Adityanath, and
other big guns with mature confidence to put
his alliance ahead, at least for now.
IN-DEPTH
F
alloween seems
an appropriate
time of year to
share the story
of the Chaffin
family and how a ghost
helped decide a dispute
over an inheritance. James
L Chaffin of Monksville,
North Carolina, died after
an accident in 1921, leaving
his estate in full to his fa-
vourite son Marshall and
nothing to his wife and
three other children. A
year later Marshall died, so
the house and 120 acres of
land went to Marshall’s
widow and son.
But four years later, his
youngestsonJames“Pink”
Chaffin started having ex-
traordinary dreams in
which his father visited
him and directed him to
the location of a second,
later will in which Chaffin
senior left the property di-
vided between his widow
and the surviving children.
The case went to court and,
as you’d expect, the news-
papers of the time went
mad for the story.
The court found in
Pink’s favour and, thanks
to the publicity, the Socie-
ty for Psychical Research
investigated, finally com-
ing to the conclusion that
Pink had indeed been vis-
ited by his father’s ghost.
Pink himself never wa-
vered from this explana-
tion, stating: “I was fully
convinced that my father’s
spirit had visited me for
the purpose of explaining
some mistake.”
Unlikely as it might
seem in the cold light of
day, ghosts and hauntings
are a mainstream area of
belief. Recent studies by
YouGov in the United King-
dom and the United States
show that between 30%
and 50% of the population
says they believe in ghosts.
Belief in ghosts also ap-
pears to be global, with
most (if not all) cultures
around the world having
some widely accepted kind
of ghosts.
The existence of a ghost
as an incorporeal (body-
less) soul or spirit of a dead
person or animal is con-
trary to the laws of nature
as we understand them, so
it seems there is something
here that calls for explana-
tion. We can look at the
worlds of literature, phi-
losophy and anthropology
for some of the reasons
why people are so keen to
believe.
The desire for justice
and the belief in some
form of supernatural pro-
tection (which we see in
more major religions) ad-
dress basic human needs.
Ghosts have long been
thought of as vehicles for
justice. Shakespeare’s
Hamlet is visited by the
ghost of his murdered fa-
ther seeking revenge on
his murderer. In Macbeth,
meanwhile, the murdered
Banquo points an accusing
finger at the man responsi-
ble for his death.
This idea has its equiva-
lents today in various
countries. In Kenya, a mur-
dered person may become
an ngoma, a spirit who pur-
sues their murderer, some-
times causing them to give
themself up to the police.
Or in Russia, the rusalka is
the spirit of a dead woman
who died by drowning and
now lures men to their
death. She may be released
when her death is avenged.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
Here’s why so many people still believe in ghosts
H
Top
TWEET
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
Congratulations to @isro for the
successful launch of PSLV-C49
carrying EOS-01 along with 9
satellites from other nations.
The astounding achievement is a
major step towards self-reliance &
shows the consistency in India’s
scientiﬁc accomplishments in
these testing times.
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal
5 years ago, PM @NarendraModi
ji had fulﬁlled his commitment to
provide economic security to ex-
servicemen by accepting the four
decade old demand of ‘One Rank,
One Pension’. Govt is committed
to the welfare of armed forces &
their families. #5YearsOfOROP
igh cut-off marks for entrance
to some of the prestigious col-
leges in India, even going up to
100%, is a worrying trend that
does not show any signs of
change. The rising cut-off trend
reflectspoorlyonaccesstohigh-
er education in the country and
on many aspects of school edu-
cation that profoundly impact
students, families, and society.
Many commentators, educa-
tionists, scholars, and various
reports have repeatedly point-
ed out that education in schools
today has become rigid and
very taxing. In theory, educa-
tion incorporates wide-ranging
goals like personality develop-
ment, learning and enjoying,
becoming seekers of knowl-
edge, encouraging creativity
and originality, and developing
a student’s relationship with
the social, economic, and natu-
ral environment. But the real-
ity is that it has become fo-
cussed on marks, examina-
tions, and trying to imbibe lots
of information and data even if
it means learning by rote and
cramming up. The students
and their families come under
tremendous pressure, and thus
a substantial section of the so-
ciety is adversely affected. Ac-
cess to a quality education it-
self has become a sort of a
competition because good qual-
ity schools are few and far be-
tween and tend to be concen-
trated in cities and metros.
It is strange but true that it
has almost become necessary to
take tuitions for children seek-
ing admissions to good nursery
kindergartenschools.Asachild
moves up the classes, tuitions
becomemoreandmoreapartof
the study system, and somehow
the teaching in schools gener-
ally falls short or is inadequate
tocovertheprescribedsyllabus.
Instead of a child or a student
being in a school and able to
covertheacademicsyllabusand
participate in a co-curricular
and extracurricular activity,
he/she and the parents have to
spend a good time getting to and
from tuition centers.
The above-mentioned relat-
ed problems are well known,
but one has to think about
some practical solutions. In the
first place, considering the di-
versity, the geographical
spread, and the inability of
many families to access educa-
tion and the problem of admis-
sions, it is worth its while to
seriously consider giving a
fresh impetus and boost to
open school systems. As the
open school involves flexible
systems of time and age as well
as learning and examination,
they are very suitable for stu-
dents coming from families
where uninterrupted educa-
tion and daily attendance often
become a problem. It would
also relieve the extreme pres-
sure that our present typical
education puts on the students
and families.
The open education system
or what used to be called cor-
respondence courses can easily
be given importance at the
higher education level, reduc-
ing the problem and the ex-
treme adverse consequences of
cut-offs and frustration. Keep-
ing in view the flexibility and
more comprehensive range of
subjects and choices intro-
duced by the New Education
Policy, a good quality open col-
lege system can overcome the
stress generated by the present
campus and fixed examination
system. It can lead to learning
becoming a joy and encourage
creativity, bring out the best in
the individual, and reduce the
very high stress of competi-
tiveness and fixed time tables,
which the present system gen-
erates.
An open system of education
would appear to be easier to
carryoutnow.Withthepandem-
ic of COVID 19 online teaching
and learning and working has
become more common and
widespread. Even in villages,
children and students are en-
deavouring to learn this way.
There is, of course, no real
substitute for campus educa-
tion. Hopefully, in due course,
physical interactions and cul-
tural and educational activities
can take place in schools, col-
leges, and universities. This
environment facilitates per-
sonality development and self-
confidence in an individual;
therefore, as education and
gaining of knowledge have
such immense value for socie-
ty, it is also a good idea for soci-
ety to come forward in the de-
velopment of quality educa-
tion. There have been several
instances of social organisa-
tions setting up good institu-
tions, and there is no dearth
even today. Still, they fall far
short of the ever-growing re-
quirement and quest for educa-
tion. Therefore the various or-
ganisations can either open
their institutions or contribute
through the concept of Corpo-
rate Social Responsibility
(CSR) or help out in other ways.
Governmentinstitutionshave
the most expansive reach in vil-
lagesandcities,andsmalltowns.
Social and corporate organisa-
tions’contributionintheseareas
wouldfacilitateaccesstoquality
education and reduce the rush
and pressure to seek admission
in cities where living conditions
are already quite congested and
challenging.
There is no doubt that the
Governments, both at the Un-
ion and State levels have their
constitutional obligation to
provide quality education to its
citizens. Yet, proactive steps by
society, it’s the social and cor-
porate organisation, giving a
boost to the open system of
education and focusing seri-
ously on quality in existing in-
stitutions aided by online sys-
tems would reduce many of the
ills and problems would con-
tribute to improving the sys-
tem substantially.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
OPENING UP EDUCATION
SOME THOUGHTS
H
The open
education
system or what
used to be called
correspondence
courses can
easily be given
importance at
the higher
education level,
reducing the
problem and the
extreme adverse
consequences of
cut-offs and
frustration
AN OPEN SYSTEM OF
EDUCATION WOULD
APPEAR TO BE EASIER
TO CARRY OUT NOW.
WITH THE PANDEMIC
OF COVID 19 ONLINE
TEACHING AND
LEARNING AND
WORKING HAS BECOME
MORE COMMON AND
WIDESPREAD
MEENAKSHI
HOOJA
The writer is a Retd IAS officer
and former Member, Central
Administrative Tribunal

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INDIAAHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
DELHI GOVT, MHA NOD TO
PROSECUTE JNU’S KHALID, IMAM
New Delhi: Delhi govern-
ment has granted pros-
ecution sanction against
former JNU student
leader Umar Khalid &
PhD scholar at the varsity
Sharjeel Imam in connec-
tion with a case related to
the February communal
violence in northeast
Delhi, sources said on
Friday.The police can
now name them in their
supplementary charge
sheet, an official said. In
a statement, government
said that this is a purely
procedural matter, adding
that elected government
has no role to play in this.
“The law department has
given its legal opinion after
due diligence to home de-
partment of Delhi govern-
ment. Elected government
has no role to play in this.
PUNJAB CM’S SON FAILS TO
APPEAR BEFORE ED IN FEMA CASE
Jalandhar: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder
Singh’s son Raninder Singh failed to appear before
the Enforcement Directorate at its Jalandhar office
Friday in an alleged Foreign Exchange Manage-
ment Act violation case. His lawyer and Congress
spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said Raninder is
indisposed, therefore, he could not appear before
the ED on health grounds. “My client Raninder
Singh is suffering from high fever, cold & cough.
He has given a sample for RT-PCR Covid test, the
report of which is awaited.
ODISHA BORN ADITI PARIDA TOPS
CDS II, 2019 EXAM (WOMEN)
Bhubaneswar: Odisha born Aditi Parida has
topped the Combined Defence Services (CDS) II,
2019 examination (women), the results of which
were published recently, official sources said.
The merit list carrying a total of 241 candidates
includes 174 candidates who cleared the exams
for Officers Training Academy, Chennai for short
service Commission Course (NT) (for Men) and
67 candidates who cleared the exams for Officers
Training Academy, Chennai, Short Service Com-
mission Women (Non-Technical) Course.
WE ARE WORKING ON AIR POLLUTION:
UP MIN, AFTER MAYAWATI’s REMARKS
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh
minister Brijesh Pathak on
Saturday reacted to the al-
legations of Mayawati and
Akhilesh Yadav that the
government is “sending
farmers to jail in the name
of environmental pollu-
tion.” Not saying much on
the subject, the minister
said, “We are concerned
and working on the issue
of air pollution.” BSP chief
Mayawati tweeted, “Atroci-
ties on farmers, especially
under the guise of pollu-
tion due to the burning
of stubble, are extremely
condemnable due to the
pollution spread in Uttar
Pradesh. Before taking any
action in this matter, the
government also needs to
give them conscious and
necessary help. This is the
demand of BSP.”
PM MODI ATTENDS IIT-D CONVOCATION
‘Flexibility will enhance your skill’
The Prime Minister also said technology will play the biggest role in the post-COVID world
New Delhi: Flexibility
and humility will en-
hance the ability of stu-
dents, said Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi in
his address at the 51st
annual convocation of
the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT), Delhi
on Saturday.
Addressing the event
through video confer-
encing, the PM advised
students to never shed
their identity but also
be open to working to-
gether in a team. “You
are all students with
exceptional abilities.
After all, you passed
one of the toughest ex-
ams, the JEE! And then
you came to IIT. But,
there are two things
that will enhance your
ability even more. One
is flexibility and the
other is humility,” PM
Modi said.
“By flexibility, I refer
to the possibility to
stand out and fit in. At
no point of your life
must you shed your
identity. Never be a
‘Lite Version’. Be the
original version. At the
same time, never hesi-
tate from fitting into a
team. Individual ef-
forts have their limits,”
he said.
Elaborating on the
topic of humility he
said, “You must be
rightfully proud of your
success, your achieve-
ments. Very few people
have done what you
have. This should make
you even more down to
earth.”
The PM also said
that it has been proven
that technology is the
most powerful medi-
um to reach out to the
most underprivileged
classes and it will play
the biggest role in the
post-COVID world.
Students should keep a
mantra for their work-
place, he said. —ANI
PM, Narendra Modi addressing the 51st Convocation of IIT Delhi, through VC, in New Delhi.
5 YRS OF OROP
Modi salutes soldiers for
bravely protecting nation
New Delhi: On the
“momentous” occa-
sion of five years of
One Rank One Pen-
sion (OROP), Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on Saturday sa-
luted soldiers for
courageously pro-
tecting the nation.
“Today, five years
ago, India took a his-
toric step towards
ensuring the well-
being of our great
soldiers, who coura-
geously protect our
nation. #5YearsOfO-
ROP is a momentous
occasion. India
waited for OROP for
decades,” Prime
Minister Modi
tweeted. “I salute
our veterans for
their remarkable
service!” he added.
The Centre has
disbursed over Rs
42,700 crore to 20.6
lakh retired De-
fence personnel un-
der the OROP
scheme since its in-
ception, Defence
Ministry said.
COVID-19 has taught the world one more
thing. Globalisation is important but
along with it, self-reliance is also impor-
tant. The Atmanirbhar Bharat mission is impor-
tant for providing youth, technocrats, tech enter-
prise leaders with new opportunities.
—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Nitish has played
his innings, will
be retired: Raut
Mumbai: Amid the on-
going polling for the
third phase of Bihar
Assembly, Shiv Sena
leader Sanjay Raut on
Saturday took a swipe
at incumbent Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar,
stating that people will
send him into retire-
ment as the Janata Dal-
United (JDU) chief has
played his innings.
He said that Kumar is
willing to retire and
people should bid fare-
well to him with re-
spect. “Nitish ji is a
very big leader. He has
played his innings. If a
leader says that this is
his last election, he
should be given fare-
well with respect. The
people of Bihar were
waiting for the farewell
occasion. People will
send him into retire-
ment in this election,”
Raut told reporters
here.
Earlier this week, Bi-
har Chief Minister Nit-
ish Kumar had said that
the present assembly
poll in the state will be
“his last election” and
“ant bhala to sab bha-
la”. He made the re-
marks on the last day of
campaigning for the
third phase of election
in the state.
Bihar recorded a vot-
er turnout of 8.13 % till
10 am during the final
phase of state Assem-
bly elections. —ANI
IN THE COURTYARD
Bhopal/Guna: A
32-year-old tribal man
was allegedly burnt
alive for not returning
Rs 5,000, which he bor-
rowed from an accused
during lockdown in
Guna district, 214 km
north of Bhopal, on
Friday late night, said
police.
The victim, Vijay Sa-
hariya, a resident of
Ukawad Khurd village
of the district, was
rushed to a district hos-
pital where he died
while undergoing treat-
ment.
Police arrested the
accused Radheshyam
Lodha, a resident of
Ukawad Khurd village,
under section 302 (mur-
der) of the IPC and un-
der relevant sections of
Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribe (Pre-
vention of Atrocities)
Act on Friday late
night, said Rajesh Ku-
mar Singh, superinten-
dent of police (SP),
Guna.
The SP said, “The
farm labourer Vijay Sa-
hariya had borrowed Rs
5,000 from a farmer
Radheshyam Lodha,
who used to give money
to people on interest, in
May this year as the for-
mer was facing a tough
time due to lockdown.
“On Friday night,
they again had a discus-
sion and after a heated
argument, Lodha beat
Sahariya up. Lodha
brought a can of kero-
sene oil from his house
and set Sahariya on
fire. When Sahariya
cried for help, the vil-
lagers rushed to spot
and tried to douse the
fire,” said the officer.
—Agencies
ELGHAR PARISHAD CASE
Swamy files plea seeking straw,
sipper in jail, court seeks NIA reply
Mumbai: A Special
court directed the NIA
to file a reply on an ap-
plication filed by
83-year-old Stan Swamy
arrested in the Elgar
Parishad case.
Swamy has been
lodged at Taloja central
jail since October 9, a
day after he was
brought to the city from
Jharkhand. The appli-
cation was filed seeking
permission to allow a
straw and sipper to be
given to Swamy as he
suffers from Parkin-
son’s disease and is un-
able to hold glasses pro-
vided to him by the jail.
The NIA has been asked
to file a reply to the plea
by November 26.
Swamy is one of the
oldest accused to be ar-
rested on charges under
the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act. Last
month, the court reject-
ed his interim bail plea
filed on medical
grounds. NIA had op-
posed plea stating that
Swamy “under the garb
of the current situation
on account of the global
pandemic Covid-19 is
trying to take undue
benefit of the situa-
tion”. Swamy along
with seven others was
chargesheeted for his
alleged role as a mem-
ber of banned organisa-
tion Communist Party
of India (Maoist). —PTI
SECOND DRUGS CASE
Court sends Kshitij Prasad
to 14 day judicial custody
Mumbai: Film pro-
ducer Kshitij Ravi
Prasad and African
national Agisilaos
Demetriades were on
Saturday remanded
to 14-day judicial
custody by a Mum-
bai court in connec-
tion with a second
drugs case related to
the recovery of co-
caine from a Nigeri-
an national.
Earlier, the two
were taken for medi-
cal examinations as
part of the procedure
on the completion of
their custody to the
Narcotics Control
Bureau (NCB).
Kshitij Ravi Pras-
ad, the former execu-
tive producer of a
digital content com-
pany was recently ar-
rested and sent to
NCB custody in con-
nection with a case
involving the recov-
ery of cocaine from a
Nigerian national in
Mumbai. Prasad was
arrested by the NCB
on Sept 26, 2020.
Only courts can decide on
release of convicts: TNCC Chief
KALANITHI MARAN CASE RAJIV GANDHI ASSASSINATION CASE
SC stays order asking
SpiceJet to deposit ` 243 cr
New Delhi: According
to media reports, the
SupremeCourt(SC) has
stayed an order by the
Delhi HC, which direct-
ed SpiceJet to deposit
Rs 243 crore with the
Registry in its ongoing
arbitration case with
Kalanithi Maran and
KAL Airlines.
The HC had directed
SpiceJet to deposit the
sum by six weeks, or 14
October. However, the
deadline expired and no
payment was received.
KAL then approached
the Delhi HC, pleading
attachment of Ajay Sin-
gh’s shareholding in
SpiceJet. They sought
appointment of a direc-
tor to take over manage-
ment of SpiceJet. Spice-
Jet then moved SC for
relief, pleading against
the HC order. —ANI
Chennai: Tamil Nadu
Congress Committee
leader KS Alagiri on
Saturday said only the
court can decide on the
release of the seven life
convicts in the Rajiv
Gandhi assassination
case and urged political
parties from demand-
ing the same.
In a statement, Ala-
giri said that if the con-
victs were released,
similar demands would
prop up to release the
other convicts who have
spent more than 25
years in jail.
“If the court decides
to release all the seven
life convicts, we will ac-
cept it. However, it is
not acceptable for the
political parties to seek
their release. Those
who committed the
murder should be seen
as murderers and not as
Tamilians,” the state-
ment read. —Agencies
Tribalburntalivefor
not returning Rs 5k
taken in lockdown
Nitish won’t
be CM again,
says Paswan
Patna: The third and
final phase of Bihar As-
sembly polls today will
confirm that Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar
will never become the
chief minister again,
Lok Janshakti Party
(LJP) president Chirag
Paswan said on Satur-
day. “I have worked on
the ground, working
hard for the party all
alone. One thing is
clear, both the phases
have confirmed this
thing and the third
phase will put a final
stamp on it, that Nitish
Kumar will never be-
come the Chief Minis-
ter again.
“The next govern-
ment that will be
formed will focus on de-
velopment. I would like
to appeal to everyone, to
step outside and cast
their vote. This is the
only chance to make Bi-
har’s next five years
better than the last 15
years,” he added. —ANI
RAUT SPEAK

INDIAAHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
HEERALAL SAMARIYA SWORN-IN AS
INFORMATION COMMISSIONER
A former IAS officer, Heeralal Samariya, who
was Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employ-
ment in Government of India, has been sworn-
in as Information Commissioner.
MS SAROJ PUNHANI SWORN-IN AS
An IA & AS officer, Ms Saroj Punhani, who
was holding the post of Deputy Comptroller &
Auditor General (HR & Training) in Government
of India, has been sworn-in as Information
Commissioner.
UDAY MAHURKAR SWORN-IN AS
Uday Mahurkar, a veteran journalist, has been
sworn-in as Information Commissioner. Top
Prev Next Click here for Your.
18 OFFICERS OF MADHYA PRADESH
AWARDED IAS CADRE
As many as 18 officers of the Madhya Pradesh
State Civil Service have been awarded Indian
Administrative Service (IAS) cadre for the
Select List of 2019. The officers are: Kedar
Singh, Rajesh Batham, Santosh Kumar Verma,
Dinesh Kumar Maurya, Vivek Shrotiya, Rajesh
Kumar Ogrey, Arun Kumar Parmar, Bharti
Jatav Ogrey, Vikas Mishra, Ajay Shrivastava,
Meenakshi Singh, Kailash Wankhede, Amar
Bahadur Singh, Manish Sentiya, Neeraj Kumar
Vashishtha, Kishore Kumar Kanyal, Roohi Khan
and Pawan Kumar Jain.
WILL TAPAN MISHRA RETURN TO
ACADEMICS?
Advisor to the ISRO Chairman, Tapan Mishra
is likely to return to the Academics after his
superannuation in January. Will he move to US
or Khadakpur?
PRABAL BASU SKIPS BOARD
MEETING, UNLIKELY TO GET
EXTENSION AS CMD, BLC
Prabal Basu is reported to be conspicuous by
his absence at Board meeting. According to
sources, he is unlikely to get an extension to
the post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director,
Balmer Lawrie & Co Limited (BLC). However,
the Ministry has not issued any official instruc-
tions to the company in this respect.
DEPUTATION OF MUKESH
CHOUDHARY EXTENDED
The deputation period of Mukesh Choudhary,
working as Director, Ministry of Coal, has been
extended upto March 16, 2023. He is a 1996
batch IOFS officer.
HUKUM SINGH MEENA AGAIN
JOINS CENTRAL DEPUTATION
AFTER A GAP OF TWO MONTHS
Hukum Singh Meena, whose central deputa-
tion tenure ended on August 17, 2020, was
again deputed to the centre as Additional
Secretary, Department of Land Resources on
November 3, 2020. He is a 1992 batch IAS
officer of Bihar cadre.
MS. RITU SINGH SHARMA
RELIEVED TO JOIN AS JOINT
SECRETARY, CBSE
Ms. Ritu Singh Sharma has been relieved to
join as Joint Secretary in the Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi on
deputation basis. She is an IRS-IT officer.
TIWARI LIKELY TO JOIN ED
Avanish Tiwari, who is presently posted as JD,
ITD in Bhopal, is likely to join ED as JD. He is
an IRS officer.
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Bihar ka...
In terms of vote share,
Today’s Chanakya pro-
jected 44 per cent for the
RJD-led opposition alli-
ance and 34 per cent for
the NDA.
However, ABP-CVot-
er projected a higher
vote share for NDA at
37.7 per cent followed by
the grand alliance with
36.3 per cent and 26 per
cent for others.
India Today-Axis
My India poll showed
44 per cent of respond-
ents prefer Tejashwi
Yadav as the next chief
minister, while 35 per
cent would like to give
another chance to Nit-
ish Kumar. It projected
44 per cent vote share
for the RJD-led alli-
ance and 39 per cent
for the NDA.
In the last assembly
elections held in 2015,
the RJD had won 80
seats with a vote share
of 18 per cent, while
JD(U) won 71 seats
with vote share of 11
per cent. The BJP had
won 53 seats with 24
per cent vote share
and Congress had 27
seats and seven per
cent votes.
At that time, the
JD(U) had fought the
election in alliance
with RJD and Con-
gress among other par-
ties, while LJP was in
the BJP-led NDA alli-
ance. LJP had got two
seats with five per cent
vote share.
This time, JD(U) is
back in the NDA, while
LJP fought the elec-
tion alone. During the
2019 Lok Sabha elec-
tions when both JD(U)
and LJP were in the
NDA, the alliance had
won 39 out of 40 seats
in the state.
Tejashwi to...
contesting on 16 seats
in this round, may cut
into their votes and
could win one to two
seats. NDA also faces a
tough fight in Purnia,
Araria and Katihar. In
the Kosi belt too, the
Grand Alliance looks
ahead with only NDA
veterans such as minis-
ters, Bijendra Prasad
Yadav (Supaul) and
Narendra Narayan Ya-
dav (Alamganj) looking
good to retain their
bastions.
Despite the pandem-
ic, Bihar saw a consid-
erable voter turnout
with Phase 1 recording
54 per cent votes –– mar-
ginally lower than 54.75
per cent for the same
seats in 2015 elections.
Similarly, Phase 2 wit-
nessed 55.7 per cent
voter turnout as com-
pared to 56.17 per cent
recorded last time.
FROM PG 1
Armed forces have to
be prepared for hybrid
threats: IAF chief
New Delhi: The armed
forces have to be pre-
pared for hybrid threats
emanating from multi-
ple fronts, which man-
dates a high level of
knowledge, dedication,
commitment and sacri-
fice and leadership at
all levels at all times,
Indian Air Force chief
RKS Bhadauria said on
Saturday.
He was addressing
the passing out parade
for 217 cadets of the
139th course at the Na-
tional Defence Acade-
my (NDA) in Pune.
Addressing the ca-
dets here, Bhadauria
said that it’s an honour
for him to review the
139th parade, adding
that the excellent stand-
ard of parade displayed
today “exemplifies the
ethos of this great insti-
tution”.
“Our armed forces
have to be prepared for
hybrid threats emanat-
ing from multiple
fronts. This mandates a
very high level of
knowledge, dedication,
commitment and sacri-
fice and leadership at
all levels at all times.
This is what each ser-
vice and nation expect
from you,” he said.
New Delhi: Yash-
vardhan Kumar
Sinha was appoint-
ed as the Chief In-
formation Com-
missioner (CIC) on
Saturday, accord-
ing to a Rashtrapati
Bhavan statement.
President Ram
Nath Kovind has ad-
ministered the oath
of office to Sinha as
the Chief Informa-
tion Commissioner
in the Central Infor-
mation Commis-
sion at a ceremony
held at Rashtrapati
Bhavan, it said.
The post had been
lying vacant for
over two months af-
ter Bimal Julka
completed his term
on August 26.
Sinha, a former
diplomat, joined as
the Information
Commissioner on
January 1, 2019. He
has served as In-
dia’s High Commis-
sioner to the United
Kingdom and Sri
Lanka.
Sinha, aged 62,
will have a tenure
of about three years
as the CIC.
BATTLESPACE
‘Centre should prepare
to welcome ‘Bharat Ki
Beti’ Kamala Harris’
New Delhi: Leader of
Congress in Lok Sabha
Adhir Ranjan Chowd-
hury today said that
the government should
prepare itself to wel-
come US vice-presi-
dential candidate Ka-
mal Harris stating that
she is destined to lead
the oldest democracy
in the world.
“#Bharat_ki_beti
Kamala Harris is des-
tined to lead the oldest
democracy in the
world USA as a Vice
President and a prob-
able President of that
great country in the
near future,” Chowd-
hury tweeted. “The
govt of India should
prepare itself for ac-
cording a warm, grand
and tumultuous wel-
come in honour of
her, being an Indian
we are all proud of
her. Hats off to Kama-
la Harris,” he said in
another tweet.
Arnab to remain in jail
as HC reserves order
Yashvardhan
Kumar Sinha
takes oath
as CIC
‘Govt taking steps to combat air pollution’
New Delhi: Union En-
vironment Minister
Prakash Javadekar
virtually inaugurated
a compressed biogas
demonstration plant in
Pune for biomass pro-
duction during a meet-
ing held to discuss
“steps taken for pre-
vention of air pollu-
tion in Delhi-NCR with
emphasis on finding a
permanent solution”
on Friday.
“Government is tak-
ing all steps to combat
air pollution in Delhi
and North India and
we will be using all
possible technological
interventions towards
that. We have launched
a demonstration plant
virtually at Pune
which produces com-
pressed biogas from
biomass,” Javadekar
tweeted.
“It’s my pleasure to
be present on this oc-
casion. Such technol-
ogy (biogas plant) will
take care of the issue
of stubble burning es-
pecially in North In-
dia,” Prakash Ja-
vadekar said.
According to an of-
ficial statement, top of-
ficials of the Union
Environment and the
Health Ministries and
the governments of
Delhi, Haryana, and
Punjab attended the
meeting. Dr MM Kutty,
ex-secretary, Ministry
of Petroleum and Nat-
ural Gas was appoint-
ed as the president and
Arvind K Nautiyal,
Joint Secretary, Minis-
try of Environment as
a full-time member of
the panel.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Mumbai: The Bombay
High Court on Saturday
reserved its order on a
plea filed by Republic
TV editor-in-chief Arn-
ab Goswami challeng-
ing his arrest and seek-
ing relief in connection
with the 2018 abetment
of suicide case.
A division bench of
Justice SS Shinde and
Justice MS Karnik also
granted Goswami the
liberty to file a bail plea
in a lower court and di-
rected the court to de-
cide on his bail plea, if
and when filed, within a
period of four days. Gos-
wami and two others --
Feroz Shaikh and Sarda
-- were on Wednesday
sent to 14-day judicial
custody by the Alibag
district magistrate
court in connection
with Anvay Naik sui-
cide case.
Earlier on Wednes-
day, Goswami was ar-
rested in the death case
of interior designer An-
vay Naik, who allegedly
died by suicide in Ali-
baug in May 2018.
The Bombay HC on
Saturday issued notice
on a petition filed by
Adnya Anvay Naik,
seeking inquiry against
those police officers
filed closure report in
the 2018 abetment to
suicide case against
Republic TV Chief,
Goswami. A Division
Bench of Justices SS
Shinde and MS Karnik
issued notice to the
Maha govt.
Notice to
Maharashtra
government
Prakash Javadekar
RaGa congratulates Biden,
Harris for US election win
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
congratulated Joe
Biden for winning the
US presidential election
on Saturday, hoping that
the Democrat would
unite the US and pro-
vide direction to it.
Gandhi also congrat-
ulated Senator Kamala
Harris for becoming the
first-ever woman vice
president-elect of the
United States. She will
also be the first Indian-
origin, first Black and
first African American
vice president of the
country.
“Congratulations to
President-elect Joe
Biden. I’m confident
that he will unite Amer-
ica and provide it with
a strong sense of direc-
tion,” Gandhi tweeted.
“Congratulations,
Vice-President-elect @
KamalaHarris! It makes
us proud that the first
woman to serve as Vice
President of the USA
traces her roots to In-
dia,”Gandhisaid.Biden
defeated incumbent Re-
publican US President
Donald Trump in the
closely-fought presiden-
tial election, according
to American media pro-
jections. —PTI
Rahul Gandhi
‘Pak can use tension for
trouble in border state’PunjabMPsdelegationmeetsShah;seeksresumptionoftrainservices
New Delhi: Amid the
stand-off between the
Centre and Punjab over
farm laws and disrup-
tion in goods train ser-
vices, the Congress MPs
from the state held a
meeting with Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah on Saturday, ap-
prising him of their
concern that Pakistan
can use the tension to
foment trouble in the
border state.
Several MPs pointed
out that the tension in
the region due to non-
operation of goods
trains and farmers’ agi-
tation can be used by
the enemy intelligence
outfit ISI.
“When the situation
between the Centre and
any state becomes
tense, bad elements like
Pakistan’s ISI take ad-
vantage of it and can
mislead youngsters.
Punjab is a peaceful
state and should remain
so,” said Congress MP
Gurjeet Singh Aujla.
The MP added that
Shah told them that he
is mindful of the situa-
tion and is aware of the
neighbouring country’s
intention regarding
Punjab.
“Punjab is a border
state and there could be
a serious problem if
things aren’t resolved
soon. Home Minister
Amit Shah assured us
that he is taking stock
of Punjab and we will
resolve the issues
soon,” he added.
Another MP Jasbir
Singh Gill said that the
meeting took place in a
healthy and positive en-
vironment. Rail servic-
es are expected to be
resumed soon as the
disruption has affected
the economy of the
state, he added.
Farmers protesting in Punjab on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI

TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
SOURCE: THECONVERSATION.COM
What we’ve
learned from 20
years of the
International
Space Station
Tracy Caldwell Dyson aboard the ISS
November 2
marked 20 years
since the first resi-
dents arrived on the
International Space
Station (ISS). The or-
biting habitat has
been continuously
occupied ever since.
Twenty straight
years of life in space
makes the ISS the
ideal “natural labo-
ratory” to under-
stand how societies
function beyond
Earth.
The ISS is a col-
laboration between
25 space agencies
and organisations. It
has hosted 241 crew
and a few tourists
from 19 countries.
This is 43% of all the
people who have ever
travelled in space.
As future missions
to the Moon and
Mars are planned,
it’s important to
know what people
need to thrive in re-
mote, dangerous and
enclosed environ-
ments, where there is
no easy way back
home.
The fully assembled International Space Station.
In Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 ﬁlm 2001: A Space Odyssey, a spinning
wheel-like space station creates gravity using centripetal force.
Astronaut Rick Mastracchio looks towards Earth from the
Cupola in 2016.
The first fictional
space station was
Edward Everett Hale’s
1869 “Brick Moon”. In-
side were 13 spherical
living chambers.
In 1929, Hermann
Noordung theorised a
wheel-shaped space sta-
tion that would spin to
create “artificial” grav-
ity. The spinning wheel
was championed by
rocket scientist Wer-
nher von Braun in the
1950s and featured in the
classic 1968 film 2001: A
Space Odyssey.
Instead of spheres or
wheels, real space sta-
tions turned out to be
cylinders.
The first space station
was the USSR’s Salyut 1
in 1971, followed by an-
other six stations in the
Salyut programme over
the next decade. The
USA launched its first
space station, Skylab, in
1973. All of these were
tube-shaped structures.
The Soviet station
Mir, launched in 1986,
was the first to be built
with a core to which
othermoduleswereadd-
ed later. Mir was still in
orbit when the first
modules of the Interna-
tional Space Station
were launched in 1998.
Mir was brought
down in 2001, and broke
up as it plummeted
through the atmos-
phere. What survived
likely ended up under
5000 meters of water at
the bottom of the Pa-
cific Ocean.
The ISS now consists
of 16 modules: four Rus-
sian, nine US, two Japa-
nese, and one European.
It’s the size of a five-bed-
room house on the in-
side, with six regular
crew serving for six
months at a time.
Yuri Gagarin’s
voyage around
Earth in 1961 proved
humans could sur-
vive in space. Actual-
ly living in space was
another matter.
Today’s space sta-
tions don’t spin to
providegravity.There
is no up or down. If
youletgoof anobject,
it will float away. Eve-
ryday activities like
drinking or washing
require planning.
Spots of “gravity” oc-
cur through the space
station,intheformof
hand or footholds,
straps, clips, and Vel-
crodotstosecurepeo-
ple and objects.
In the Russian
modules,surfacesfac-
ing towards Earth
(“down”)arecoloured
olive-green while
walls and surfaces
facing away from
Earth (“up”) are
beige.Thishelpscrew
to orient themselves.
Colour is impor-
tant in other ways,
too. Skylab, for exam-
ple, was so lacking in
colour that astro-
nauts broke the mo-
notony by staring at
the coloured cards
usedtocalibratetheir
video cameras.
In movies, space
stations are often
sleek and clean. The
realityisvastlydiffer-
ent.The ISS is smelly,
noisy, messy, and
awash in shed skin
cells and crumbs.
There are some
perks, however. The
Cupola module offers
perhaps the best
view available to hu-
mans anywhere: a
180-degree panorama
of Earth passing by
below.
The crew use all
kinds of objects
to express their
identities in this
miniworld, as space
habitats were called
in a 1972 report. Un-
used wall space be-
comes like your re-
frigerator door, cov-
ered with items of
personal and group
significance.
In the Zvezda mod-
ule, Orthodox icons
and pictures of space
heroes like Konstan-
tin Tsiolkovsky and
Gagarin create a
sense of belonging
and connection to
home.
Food plays a huge
role in bonding. Ritu-
als of sharing food,
celebrating holidays
and birthdays, help
form camaraderie
between crew of dif-
ferent national and
cultural back-
grounds.
It’s not all plain
sailing. In 2009, toi-
lets briefly became a
source of interna-
tional conflict when
decisions on the
ground meant Rus-
sian crew were for-
bidden to use the US
toilets and exercise
equipment.
In this “microsoci-
ety”, technology isn’t
only about function.
It plays a role in so-
cial cohesion.
The ISS is massively
expensive to run.
NASA’s costs alone are
US$3-4 billion a year,
and many argue it’s not
worth it. Without more
commercial invest-
ment, ISS may be de-
orbited in 2028 and sent
to the ocean floor to
join Mir.
The next stage in
space-station life is
likely to occur in orbit
around the Moon. The
Lunar Gateway project,
planned by a group of
space agencies led by
NASA, will be smaller
than the ISS. Crews
will live on board for up
to a month at a time.
Its modules, based on
the design of the ISS,
are due to be launched
into lunar orbit in the
next decade.
One preliminary
habitat design for the
Lunar Gateway has
four expandable crew
cabins, to give people a
little more space. But
the sleeping, exercise,
latrine, and eating are-
as are all much closer
together.
Since ISS crews like
to create improvised
visual displays, we
might suggest includ-
ing spaces reserved for
such displays in next-
generation habitats.
In popular culture,
the ISS has become
Santa’s sleigh. In re-
cent years, parents
around the world have
taken their children
outside on Christmas
Eve to spot the ISS
passing overhead.
The ISS has shaped
the space culture of the
20th and 21st centuries,
symbolising interna-
tional cooperation af-
ter the Cold War. It still
has much to teach us
about how to live in
space.
The ﬁctional ‘Brick Moon’ was constructed from bricks because
they are heat-resistant.
Oleg Kononenko in the Zvezda module in 2008, showing
icons and heroes pinned on the wall in the background.
‘A MICROSOCIETY LIVING
ALONE IN A MINIWORLD’
ADAPTING TO SPACE LIFE
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ORBITAL HABITATS
THE FUTURE OF LIVING IN SPACE

AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
A truely educated and
mature person is as
balanced in the face of
criticism as in the face of praise.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
WHY DID NITISH
HAVE TO CALL IT HIS
LAST ELECTION?
Just before Bihar’s
thirdandfinalphase
of polling, ‘Good Gov-
ernance Babu’ (Nitish
Kumar) ran his trump
card saying that ‘this is
his last election’, but
look ironically neither
Trump could ‘score’ in
the US elections nor Ni-
tish’s emotional card in
Seemanchal area
worked. It is worth men-
tioning that the Yadav,
Muslim, Dalit, and Ma-
hadalit had the highest
votes in these 78 seats in
the last phase. It is said
that when the Kosi river
floods occurred in 2008,
as a first-term CM Nit-
ish did
a
good
j o b .
The
Manmohan Singh-led
UPA government was at
the center then from
which Bihar got a relief
package of one thou-
sand crores. But in this
Kosi zone, there was a
steady decline in Nit-
ish’s popularity ever
since. So, the NDA had
to throw in everything
here for damage control
and just 18 minutes be-
fore the end of the third
phase election cam-
paign, PM Modi issued
his forward letter and
says’ If there is Nitish
in Bihar then here the
caravan of development
will continue, the mon-
ey will continue to come
from the Center.” Nota-
bly, in this phase of the
election, Nitish openly
defied the ‘Citizenship
Amendment Act’ but no
big leader of BJP came
out with a rebuttal. Yes,
Yogi Adityanath did
pick up the issue in pub-
lic meetings wherein he
mentioned ‘CAA’, but it
was just the puny
sound among thun-
der. So, in Bihar,
the writings of
people’s aspira-
tions are writ-
ten on the
walls.
WILL NITISH
BECOME VICE
PRESIDENT?
If Nitish Kumar fails
to get Bihar’s throne
for the fourth time, then
what will be his future?
It is said that he has the
choice that he can join
the Modi cabinet if he
wants as the cabinet re-
shuffle can happen any-
time after Diwali. Since
Nitish has information
that BJP has also of-
fered LJP leader Chirag
Paswan to join the Modi
cabinet, Nitish is in a
dilemma as to how he
should be in the same
cabinet with Chi-
rag? If
sources
are to be believed, there
is a unique proposal
from the saffron camp
in front of Nitish that
if he wants, he can
become the next Vice
President of the
country? What better
offer can there be for a
leader playing his last
innings in electoral
politics?
RAM MADHAV EYES
RAJYA SABHA
After the death of
BJP’s Rajya Sabha
MP from Karnataka -
Ashok Gasti - due to Co-
rona, the election on
this vacant seat is to be
held on December 1.
Ram Madhav is firmly
asserting his claim on
this seat, saying that his
personal connections
with the newly elected
Vice President of Amer-
ica Kamala Harris are
very good. It is said that
Madhav is claiming his
Tamil Nadu connection
to Harris. At the same
time, there is a section
of the BJP which is
saying that diplomacy
does not run on a par-
ticular person. External
Affairs Minister S Jais-
hankar is also said to be
in favor of the same
opinion. Jaishankar’s
father Krishnaswamy
Subrahmanyam is one
of the foremost interna-
tional strategists while
his brother Sanjay Sub-
rahmanyam is a world-
renowned historian.
BJP leaders are raising
the question that if Ram
Madhav really had such
a good relationship with
Harris, why did he not
act to turn Harris’s
stand on the Kashmir is-
sue because he has
been in charge of
Jammu and Kashmir
evenduringtheremoval
of Article 370. Harris
was also strongly op-
posed to the removal
and has been calling
Kashmir an interna-
tional issue. Harris still
made it an issue when
Jaishankar refused to
meet American Con-
gressman Pramila Jeya-
paul in December 2019.
YOGI’S ‘ADITYA’
AMBITIONS
Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adi-
tyanath is always wor-
ried about his image, so
he has a special request
for his publicity. In re-
cent days, Yo-
gi’s huge
hoardings
have been
installed by the UP Vi-
kas Nigam in 12 major
metros of the country
and thus Delhi’s metro
has been painted in the
color of Yogi. Sources
reveal that 128 hoard-
ings of Yogis have been
installed in Delhi NCR
alone, apart from this
Yogi is also shining in
the capitals of many
South Indian cities,
such as Chennai, Hy-
derabad, Bengaluru,
etc. Now the people of
South India may not be
able to read the hoard-
ings in the Hindi lan-
guage, but they can un-
derstand that this indi-
vidual is a ‘big leader’.
The author is a journal-
ist and political commen-
tator and views ex-
pressed are his personal
FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL
BY TRIDIB RAMAN
Nitish Kumar Ram Madhav Yogi Adityanath
COVID-19
UPDATE
GUJARAT
3,756
DEATHS
1,79,679
CONFIRMED CASES
RAJASTHAN
1,979 DEATHS 2,09,438 CASES
DELHI
6,912 DEATHS 4,30,784 CASES
WORLD
1,253,151
DEATHS
4,99,64,598
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
84,95,202
CONFIRMED CASES
1,26,077
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
45,115 DEATHS 17,14,273 CASES
TAMIL NADU
11,324 DEATHS 7,41,488 CASES
KARNATAKA
11,369 DEATHS 8,44,147 CASES
First India Bureau
Surat: The state wit-
nessed three earth-
quakes on Saturday.
The most intense one,
which registered at 4.3
on the Richter scale,
occurred at 3.39 pm at
a depth of 5.9km be-
neath the Earth’s sur-
face about 36km away
from Bharuch. The
second, with an inten-
sity of 2.1 on the Rich-
ter scale, occurred
50km away from Keva-
dia, at a depth of about
a kilometre under the
Earth surface, at 5.06
pm. The third, wit-
nessed in Dubhai near
Kutch, had a magni-
tude of 1.6 and an epi-
centre about 2km un-
der the Earth.
The effects of the
Bharuch quake were felt
allthewayoverinSurat,
where residents of Ada-
jan and Jahangirpura
rushed out of their
homesandonlyreturned
when they realised that
there had been no dam-
age to property.
Basant Parekh, Su-
rat’sfirechief,hasnever-
theless put his teams on
standby. “We presume
that when a tremor
comes, another follows
within 10 hours. Al-
though it’s an assump-
tion, we take no risks
and have deployed our
people on alert mode.”
According to a press
release issued by the
state government, Insti-
tute of Seismological
Research in Gandhina-
gar said that the epicen-
tre of the Kevadia
earthquake was about
50km away from the
Sardar Sarovar Dam.
However, no damage
was caused to either the
Sardar Sarovar Dam or
the Statue of Unity,
which are both “de-
signed Designed to
withstand an earth-
quake of 6.5 with an
epicentre distance of
12km radius from Sard-
ar Sarovar Dam.”
First India Bureau
Vadodara: While Va-
dodara city and dis-
trict were among the
worst affected in the
stateafterAhmedabad,
Surat and Rajkot in
terms of COVID-19
cases, but has shown
to be among the best
performing districts
when it comes to treat-
ment-related expendi-
ture.
Till date, the district
has spent Rs125 crore on
COVID-19 treatment,
while Ahmedabad has
spent Rs500 crore and
Surat, Rs300 crore. The
vast difference in ex-
penditure can be put
downtothelimitednum-
ber of private beds hired
by the Vadodara corpo-
ration for the treatment
of patients.
Education Secretary
and Officer on Special
Duty Vinod Rao told the
media that private hos-
pitals were asked to
keep 50 beds reserved
for COVID-19 patients.
However, if the beds re-
mained unused, the Va-
dodara Municipal Cor-
poration (VMC) would
only pay 50%.
The civic body took a
simple route to keep ex-
penses low. For in-
stance, if “corona war-
riors” especially doc-
tors got infected, they
were kept at bullet train
hospitals—where room
rents were as low as
Rs2,500—instead of
treating them at five- or
seven-star hospitals.
The civic administra-
tion had raised Rs5
crore and 100 ventila-
torsindonations,which
also lessened the finan-
cial burden. In addi-
tion, the administra-
tion also did not provide
Remdesivir and Tocili-
zumab injections to pri-
vate hospitals, to the
medical bills low. Per
day, a maximum of 3,500
tests were conducted.
Yet, the civic body close-
ly monitored bed avail-
ability and usage, so
there was neither dupli-
cation nor wasted emp-
ty beds.
Earthquakeofmagnitude4.3rocksSouthGujarat
 Another one, measuring 2.1, oc-
cured about 50km from Kevadia
 City’s expenses amount to Rs125 cr,
a far cry from Ahmedabad’s Rs500 cr
TREMORS FELT
A map showing the effects of the Bharuch earthquake.
10K km of roads fixed
in Gujarat: Nitin Patel
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
state government has re-
paired and resurfaced
over 10,000 km of roads
indistrictandstatehigh-
ways, says Deputy Chief
Minister Nitin Patel.
More than 75,000 km of
roads have been affected
byheavyrainsandfloods
across the state.
Patel told reporters
thatduringthemonsoon
season this year, the
state received its highest
rainfall in recent years,
which caused floods in
some parts of the state.
Insomeareas,evenshort
spellsof rainshavedam-
aged roads, he said.
Since September,
10,676 km of roads have
been repaired. As much
as9,605kmof roadshave
been repaired by the
various state agencies
while 1,071 km has been
repaired by contractors.
Cong accuses NAFED of
seeking bribes from farmers
First India Bureau
Jamnagar: Officers of
the National Agricul-
ture Cooperative Mar-
keting Federation of
India (NAFED) were
demandingbribeswhen
procuring groundnut at
minimumsupportprice
(MSP), according to al-
legations made by Con-
gress. The matter came
to the attention of the
party’s leaders in Jam-
nagar.
Congress MLA Pravin
Musadiyaandotherlead-
ers examined the Kala-
vadmarketintheJamna-
gar district. Musadiya
told journalists that they
had received complaints
from farmers. The farm-
ersclaimedthatalthough
the state has granted per-
mission to fill 25kg of
groundnut in a 50kg bag,
NAFED officers insisted
on 30kg of groundnut.
They also alleged that
NAFED officers were
asking for bribes for
promising not to raise
quality issues and even
fill correct quantities of
groundnut. They have
alsoallegedthattheoffic-
ers are rejecting small
farmercropsonthebasis
of quality and other is-
sues so they can favour
others. NAFED officers
say they have been fol-
lowing state guidelines
when procuring ground-
nut at MSP.
NAFED officers insist they have been following state guidelines
while procuring groundnut at MSP. —FILE PHOTO
Vadodara spent less than A’bad &
Surat to treat patients with nCoV
Vadodara’s SSG Hospital. —FILE PHOTO

first met Suneet Var-
ma in New Delhi in
the late 80’s. This
young man had just
returned from his ap-
prenticeship in Paris
and was thinking of
launching his own label. He
went on to do just that and was
soonseenasoneof India’smost
sophisticateddesigners.Hisex-
travagant and beautifully de-
tailed ensembles seemed to
marry India’s bridal silhou-
ettes to French couture in ex-
tremely refined ways.
Suneet Varma is a name
that immortalizes glamour
and combines it with a
timeless style. Using the
most delicate of tints
and a mastery of col-
our, his extravagant
confections were
presented at im-
aginative shows
and events
where he part-
nered with
the best of
inter na-
t i o n a l
brands
l i k e
B M W,
Moet &
Chandon.
After getting
his degree from Eu-
rope in 1986, he went on to
work with renowned couturier
Yves Saint Laurent in Paris.
Meticulous craftsmanship, a
strong design sensibility and
undying love for sartorial re-
search, the Varma brand ex-
udes fantasy, sexy sophistica-
tion and unadulterated femin-
ity for the woman of today.
For his International part-
nership with designer Judith
Leiber, the world’s most re-
nowned luxury brand for be-
jeweled handbags, Suneet cre-
ated a beautiful and luxurious
collection.
‘Suneet Varma for Judith
Leiber’ minaudières are now
being retailed across the world
at the Judith Leiber boutiques
in Los Angeles, Miami, Paris,
Tokyo along with Harrods in
LondonandBergdoff Goodman
in New York. Every season, his
collectionisunveiledattheVan-
dome Fair in Paris. His signa-
turebagsarecarriedbythe‘Sex
and the City’ star Sarah Jessica
Parker and Hollywood divas
Mariah Carey and Jenifer
Lopez.Hisdesignsarealsovery
popular amongst the leading
ladies of Bollywood, like Aish-
warya Rai, Priyanka Chopra,
Kangna Ranaut, Preity Zinta
andarefeaturedontheInterna-
tional and Indian red carpet.
Suneet has also worked close-
ly with the Bollywood film in-
dustryanddressedtopactresses,
sociallyandinhighprofilemov-
ies. His costume for the award-
winning movie ‘Monsoon Wed-
ding’ was nominated for the Os-
cars. He created the look for
Hrithik Roshan and Barbara
Mori in the movie, ‘Kites’. He
hasalsobeenawarded‘Designer
of the Year’ by MTV.
Suneet is the Managing Di-
rector and owner of his com-
pany,SuneetVarmaDesignPvt.
Ltd. The company currently
has a design studio facility and
manufacturing operations em-
ploying over 200 persons.
IMMORTALIZING
GLAMOUR
PRASAD BIDAPA
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
I
AHMEDABAD, SUNDAY
NOVEMBER 8, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
Suneet Varma
Models showcasing fashion designer
Suneet Varma’s designs

ANNE HATHAWAY CELEBRATES HER BIRTHDAY ON 12
NOVEMBER. THIS PERIOD IS THE CULMINATION OF A
STAGE OF PERSONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
EVENTS OCCURRING THIS YEAR MAY BRING VARIOUS
DEVELOPMENTS IN HER EMOTIONAL,
PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR SPIRITUAL LIFE OVER THE PAST
SEVERAL YEARS TO A HEAD. RELATIONSHIPS ARE
ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT. THERE CAN BE INCREASED
ACTIVITY IN PROFESSIONAL AND PUBLIC LIFE,
CAUSING A CONFLICT WITH HER DOMESTIC AND
PERSONAL GOALS.
WEEKLYWEEKLYARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You can begin a steady movement forward this
week as Mars, your ruling planet, begins to
move forward after having been retrograde since
10th September. It has likely generated some
frustration in this time but also encouraged
you to correct matters. Interactions with others
or the position they hold can become clearer.
Gains from unforeseen quarters await you. The
unmarried can scout matrimony sites to find
their dream partners and find success.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Communication with others can become
more significant from now to early December.
Something can be finalised that may have been
started in October but got nowhere. You are
now in a better position to have your priorities
taken into account than previously. There can be
genuine interest in your future goals. Now is the
time to let bygones be bygones; enjoy the present
and be optimistic about the future. Some might
even land a new job.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
If you feel something is too much to handle or
that too much is expected of you, there is the
perfect opportunity to sort this out once and for
all, from now to early December. You will need
to put consistent effort into it. This will be the
only way you will convince other people that you
are serious. Then you will have to stick to it. You
will be generous and helpful this week. Don’t
undervalue your contributions.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
There is no holding you back this week; you will
undertake challenges and succeed. The ability
to take a balanced position when it comes to
commitments that are worthwhile or those
you wish to handle, is in play this week. Other
people can be open to any creative ideas you put
forward from now to early December. You should
not hold back when it comes to anything you
want to discuss either.
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You will adapt well to change. Research scholars
will excel in their chosen area. You could begin
to either see results or what is possible in the
future with something important to you personally
where you set out in a new direction 2 years ago.
Progress can be made from now to early January.
It will require you to put your mind to establishing
a solid underlying foundation to build upon to
early December.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Take a break from your busy schedule and spend
more time with your family. Definite decision
making, particularly on any matter you may
have tried to be final about in October will now
be possible to early December. This may not
alleviate somebody else pushing for what they
want. You are in a good position to take a risk
with whatever you feel will work. If you don’t try,
you will never know.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
A turning point on the part of somebody else
can be a relief to you, leaving you in a position
to be able to establish greater balance in your
own circumstances. You need to encourage
them to move forward in their own way. Focus
on your finances and anything that wasn’t fully
sorted in October will be the case to early
December. Selfless service is your motto this
week. Lady luck will smile on you.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Mercury, the planet of thought and
communication, moves back into your
own sign where it will remain until
2nd December. This is giving you the
opportunity to make some final decisions
and move forward with any matter affecting
you personally. Don’t be distracted by
anything going on behind the scenes. Focus
on you.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Greater clarity on what your priorities need
to be will now require you to focus from now
to early December on what you need to let
go. You can realise that you will be freer to
move forward in your own creative way, though
that doesn’t need to be done in a hurry. There
can still be things to surface, so have some
patience. Some of you who have been going
through emotionally traumatic times will
recover.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
It is back to focussing on your priorities
from now to early December after initial
considerations in October. Better opportunities
may present themselves now. You might have
changed your mind in some way as well.
Greater confidence should now be present to
put matters in place, knowing that you can
move forward with them. Do good even to
your enemies; they will bring you indirect
gains.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Directions you can take in the future will have
a more positive feel attached to them from now
to early December. You may have tried without
complete success during October. There was
something to learn but now you a free to move
forward. Greater insight or clarity can arise
when it comes to what should take priority.
Health will be a cause for concern but you
will recover.
WEEKLYWEEKLYWEEKLYWEEKLYWEEKLY
8 TO 14 NOVEMBER
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Make definite decisions when it comes to
commitments you are prepared to take on. This
does not mean you have to agree with what is
expected. You have had plenty of time since mid
September to consider your options and gather
any information necessary. This can have a lot
to do with major new cycles you will enter just
before Christmas. You will recover from an illness
and will be able to work hard.
10
ETCAHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

K
riti Kharbanda is one of those
Bollywood actresses who are
oftenactiveonsocialmedia.Re-
cently, the actress has been di-
agnosed with Malaria. She took to her
Instagram handle to share an update
about her health for the fans. Kriti has
also shared a selfie with the post
shared on her social media handle.
She has requested her fans to
share funny memes as she
wants to kill her boredom.
While sharing the selfie
on her Instagram story,
Kriti writes, ‘’Hi!
This is my malaria
wala face. Say hi
world:) it’s just
visiting, not here to
stay coz I need to get
back to work. To all those
who are worried about
me, I’m doing better today
and hoping for an even
better tomorrow. I am
bored of resting. And
bored of having noth-
ing else to do.” —Agency
L
iam Payne, who is a dad to three-
year-old boy Bear Payne which he
shares with ex-girlfriend Cheryl,
had unfortunately not been able to
meet his son as often as he would have
liked in the past few months, owing to the
nationwide lockdown in the UK due to
the coronavirus pandemic. Recently, an
interview with the British tabloid had
the following headline: “’It’s not usual
for me to be in and out of his life’:
Liam Payne says he and Cheryl
agreed he should take some ‘time
away’ from son Bear.”
Not taking too lightly to what
he considers to be a misleading
title to his interview, Payne lashed out
at the publication in a scathing post.
“Usually I let these things slide but
this is completely out of context ... I
couldn’t see my son because of the
worldwide pandemic that is happen-
ing not because I had anything wrong
with me like this headline hints at,”
Liam clarified. —Agency
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
11
Grateful!hloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson recently
madelightof the29-year-oldbasketballsuperstar’s
cheating scandal with Jordyn Woods during the
latest episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashi-
ans on Thursday. During the episode, Khloe ex-
plained that she was grateful that Tristan
stepped in to take care of 2-year-old daughter
True while she quarantined with coronavirus.
“I’m so thankful that Tristan’s been here to help
me take care of True, and then he’ll make me some
food and leave it outside my door. Even though
we’re not together, we’re just really good friends,
and I’m really, really grateful for that,” she ex-
plained, adding that she created a funny massage
pillow character named Quarantina. —Agency
INGREDIENTS:
I Seedless Dates/Khajur - 500
GM’s
I Ghee/ Clarified Butter - 2
Tbsp
I Khaskhas / Poppy Seeds - 2
Tbsp
I Mixed Nuts ( almonds, pista-
chio, cashew ) - 180 Gms
I Cardamom Powder - 1/4 TSP
I Nutmeg Powder - Pinch
METHOD:
I Grind the seedless Dates in
a Mixer till it comes in a
coarse form ( without water)
I Dry roast poppy seeds.
I Keep poppy sides aside to
cool.
I Take ghee in a pan and roast
all the chopped dry nuts.
(for the crunchy flavour)
I Stir continuously so it
doesn’t burn.
I Keep them aside.
I Now heat ghee in a pan and
cook the dates mixture in it.
For 1-2 min on low to the
mid flame. Till the dates be-
come soft.
I Now put all the dry nuts
with the dates.
I Now add Elaichi Powder,
Nutmeg and a little bit of
roasted khaskhas ( Poppy
seeds )
I Mix them all and make in a
dough form and let it cool
just a bit.
I Now make a roll of this mix-
ture
I Now spread the Khas Khas
( poppy seeds and pista ) on
a slab.
I Now roll the roll on the
Khas Khas and pista. ( So
that it looks very presenta-
ble )
I Roll it on an aluminium foil
and fold the aluminium foil
on it.
I Now let it cool in a refriger-
ator.
I Now cut the roll with a
sharp knife ( 1/2 to 1 inch
thick pieces )
I Now you can take the alu-
minium foil out.
It’s ready, you can store it in an
airtight container. For 2-3
weeks
SUGAR-FREE DATES DRYNUTS ROLLS
VRTIKA JAIN
FAR-OUT-
DOORS
STUNNING
LIGHT
SPOTTED!
B
ollywood actor Farhan Akhtar
has shared a beautiful video on
his Instagram handle that cap-
tures him doing scuba diving in the
Maldives among the corals. The actor
can be seen peacefully scuba diving
in the video just like he did in his film
‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. And it
is so beautiful that it will surely give
you travel blues. The actor did not
mention in his post whether it was a
throwback video or a recent one but it
is winning our hearts. Farhan has also
added calm music in the background
of the video. While sharing the video
on his Instagram handle, he wrote,
“Feed your soul” followed with a few
hashtags like #scuba, #ray, #maldives
and #faroutdoors. —Agency
B
ollywood diva Karisma Kapoor is
ageing like a fine wine and there
is no denying that. The stunning
actress never fails to leave us in awe.
She manages to make heads turn
with her stunning looks and sartorial
choices. The talented star also enjoys
a huge fanbase on social media. The
Dil Toh Pagal hai star has shared
an alluring picture of herself on the
photo-sharing app. Alongside the
photo, Karisma wrote, “Evening light.”
Karisma looks drop-dead gorgeous in
the picture. —Agency
M
alaika Arora often gets pho-
tographed by the paparazzi
whenever she steps out of
her house. She was snapped in the
evening as she took her dog, Casper
out for a walk. Dressed in a grey
sports bra and black track pants, the
actress looked simple yet uber cool.
Her white sports shoes and braided
hair completed her overall sporty
look. To note, Malaika is a fitness en-
thusiast and she often steps out for
a walk with her pet. Besides, she is
also known for her fashion statement
and never leaves a chance to stun the
fans with her style. —Agency
K
Lashed out
DIAGNOSED
WITHMALARIA
EXCITING NEWS
H
enry Golding
just announced
some very excit-
ing news – he’s
expecting his first
child with wife Liv Lo!
The 33-year-old Crazy
Rich Asians actor re-
vealed the news on his
Instagram account by
sharing photos where
Liv‘s baby bump is
clearly showing. “2021
is already looking
brighter,” Henry cap-
tioned the post on his
account.
Liv posted photos on
her page as well and
said, “Such immense
joy this little one has
brought us already.
Now we get to share it
with you. We love you!”
For the unversed, Hen-
ry and Liv met back in
2011 and they have
been married since
2016. She is a television
host and yoga instruc-
tor. You might also rec-
ognize Henry from his
roles in A Simple Fa-
vor, Last Christmas,
and The Gentlemen.
—Agency
Henry Golding and Liv Lo
Kriti Kharbanda
Khloe Kardashian and her post
Cheryl and Liam Payne
Farhan Akhtar
Karisma Kapoor
Malaika Arora

EVENTS!
Jagdeesh Chandra with (from left) Aaru Soni, Riya Suledia and Pooja Sharma at
the pre-diwali shoot held at his residence on Saturday evening.
12
CITY BUZZAHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
City First
he coronavirus
pandemic has
changed nearly
every aspect of our
lives, resulting in ad-
aptation of new safety
techniques. Keeping
this in mind, Raj Mandir has
installed UVDR ultraviolet
lights in all the theatre rooms,
which will kill the coronavirus
and 19 other germs. The FB
Tech’s result is proven by Dr
Sandeep Sharma. The prod-
ucts of FB Tech will reduce the
spread of coronavirus with a
ray of light, which is common-
ly known as Ultraviolet rays.
The company has introduced a
wide range of human care
products in the field of UVC
sterilization lamps, the UVDR
disinfection robots, ABS plastic
Lamp,UVsterilizationcart,pock-
et UVC and car & Ambulance
UVC. All the products are certi-
fiedwithfeaturesof human care
sensor and protection.
The 44 years old Raj Mandir
willre-opensoonasithasbecome
India’s first corona free movie
theatre. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
CORONA FREE
RAJ MANDIR
T
Elite
Miss Ra-
jasthan season-7
is going to organise
the first round of Jaipur
audition on 8 Novem-
ber, today, at Hilton
Jaipur.
GUJ: Pasawala Family members were seen cleaning their ancestral antique items at
Khadiya area of the old city in Ahmedabad for the upcoming Diwali Festival on Saturday.
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Uttar Pradesh: The trial of players of under-19 age group by Aligarh Sports Association began
on Friday at Mahua Kheda ground, Aligarh. The UPCA zonal trial began after the introduction
of the National Secretary, AICC, Vivek Bansal, with the players. Former railway Ranji player
Sarvesh Bhatnagar and Former board cricketer Karan Kaushik took the trial of players.
DELHI: Neetu Bhatt from Jaipur
won the title crown in the National
Level Beauty Pageant ‘Mrs. India
One in a Million 2020’ held in
Delhi recently. Neetu represented
Rajasthan in the show where
celebrity judge and Bollywood
actress Aditi Govitrikar honoured
Neetu with crown and trophy.
RAJ: Kahaani online is going to
organise Diwali special feature
on 8 November, today, at 11 am
where story lovers will witness
2 hour-long Diwali special
marathon to explore the magic
of storytelling. The session will
be held on the Facebook page
of Kahaani online.
GUJ: An exhibition of traditional ornaments and garments was organised by Parul Thakkar at
an art gallery, SG highway in Ahmedabad on Saturday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
CITY FIRST
T
he Institute of
Company Secre-
taries of India
along with the
Corporate Secretaries
International Associa-
tion organised an inter-
national webinar on
‘Convergence & Diver-
gence of the role of a
Company Secre-
tary in various
jurisdictions’, on
6 November 2020,
where eminent
leaders from various
Governance Institutes
and Corporations spoke
on how the diverse regu-
latory regimes in the
world converged and re-
designed their approach
towards transparency
and accountability and
how the role of Corpo-
rate Secretaries have
evolved over the years.
Briefingontheregula-
tory reforms and the
measures taken by ICSI
to mitigate the risk of
complacency, CS Ashish
Garg, President, The In-
stitute of Company Sec-
retaries of India, said
“Company Secretaries
globally are expected to
guide the Boards,
prepare minutes,
report frauds and
failures, certify
documents, ensure
that they reach the
Regulatory Authorities
in time and plenty
more.” Karen South-
gate, President CSIA,
spoke about thought
leadership and knowl-
edge-sharing opportu-
nities for member coun-
tries through webinar.
CITY FIRST
T
he 13th international
webinar on the topic
‘From AIDS to Covid:
The Rocky Road of
Public Health’ was organ-
ised by Poornima Universi-
ty, Jodhpur School of Public
Health (JSPH), Indic Chain,
Bedford Research Founda-
tion and Medipulse Hospi-
tal, Jodhpur, where various
health challenges and solu-
tions were discussed by
health experts from In-
dia and abroad.
HH Maharaja Gaj
Singh II of Jodhpur
was the chief guest of
this webinar. The webinar
was chaired by Rahul Singhi,
co-founder of host Poornima
University; Anil Purohit,
CEO of JSPH and Jagdish
Harsh, CEO of Mo-
biloitte Group of Com-
panies. It was moder-
ated by Dr Arvind Ma-
thur, former Principal
of Dr SN Medical College,
Jodhpur; Roy Wadia, Media
and Communication Special-
ist, Asia Pacific Regional Of-
fice of UNFPA and Rati
Godrej, Executive Council
Member of PHFI, New Delhi.
Experts at the webinar talked
about the difficulties and pre-
cautions of the Covid Crisis
era and also discussed the
ongoing experiments and re-
search on the Covid-19 vac-
cine worldwide.
Pawan Gangwar, Secretary Lucknow
Development Authority celebrated his
birthday on 7 November, Saturday. We
wish him all the best!
CITY FIRST
R
ajasthan Studio
organised a
‘Partners’ Di-
wali Meet’ on
Friday, to bring to-
gether various
artists to keep
their festive spir-
its alive. The ses-
sion witnessed
three immersive art-
experiences hosted by
National Award-Win-
ning artists from
Jaipur, Jodhpur and
Udaipur. Partners’ Di-
wali Meet began with
Jaswant Kumar
Meenakar of Jaipur
who is a National &
State Merit Awardee
and the fourth genera-
tion to carry forward
the rich legacy of his
family. Meenakar con-
ducted a brief ses-
sion where he
taught the basics
of meenakari.
The second art
experience was con-
ducted by a mother-
son duo, Chanda and
Mohan Lal Gujar from
the blue city of Jodh-
pur. Having an ex-
traordinary experi-
ence in making leather
jutti, both of them
have received National
Awards. While Mohan
was explaining the
process of cutting and
refining different parts
of the royal shoe such
as sole, flap and ankle
band, Chanda was
mesmerizing the at-
tendees with her
thread embroidery
skills on leather flaps.
In the third art expe-
rience of Pichwai
Painting, participants
worked along with the
master artist Rajaram
Sharma from Udaipur.
These art sessions
were not just about cre-
ating the traditional
Rajasthani art forms
also learn about the
long lineage of Ra-
jasthani art through
these three ancient art-
forms.
The concluding ses-
sion of the Diwali meet
saw artists keeping
aside their colours and
trying their luck with
numbers in the syner-
gic game of housie.
HAPPY B’DAY!
Webinar on Public Health
Role of a CS
Partners’ Diwali Meet
Charvi Tanya Dutta
Image of Raj Mandir theatre, Jaipur
Neetu Bhatt
...during the session
PRE-DIWALI SHOOT!

First india ahmedabad edition-08 november 2020

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First india ahmedabad edition-08 november 2020