First india ahmedabad edition-12 february 2021

No compensation yet for kin of Surat road tragedy
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: After a
dumper truck crushed
15 labourers and a baby
girl to death and injured
five others in a tragic
accident near Kosamba
village, 60 km away
from Surat city last
month, the state and
central government
had announced Rs2
lakh compensation to
the families of victims.
But, no money has been
released to them, re-
vealed the report of a
fact-finding team com-
prising concerned sa-
maritans, that was re-
leased on Wednesday.
The team has demand-
ed that a compensation
amount of Rs10 lakh
must be paid to the fam-
ilies of each of the de-
ceased.
In the wee hours of
January 19, a dumper
truck driver lost control
over the steering wheel
of the vehicle after it
rammed into sugarcane
stalks hanging out of a
tractor trolley, coming
from the opposite direc-
tion. After the truck
windowpane shattered
on impact, the driver’s
vision was compro-
mised, which is when
the truck veered off the
road and ran over the
sleeping labourers.
Three of them died
while they were under-
going treatment at a lo-
cal hospital.
The team included
nine members namely
Dr Kiran Desai, Direc-
tor of Centre for Social
Studies, Surat, Hemant
Shah, economist and
political analyst, Uttam
Parmar, educationist,
among others. Turn to P6
The dumper truck that killed 15 labourers and injured five
others on Jan 19. —FILE PHTO
SNAIL’S PACE
lll
In its report, a
fact-finding
team has rec-
ommended
construction of
night shelters
for labourers
to prevent such
accidents in
the future
Air travel becomes
expensive in India
New Delhi: Passengers
will have to shell out
more money for air trav-
el from now as the Civil
Aviation Ministry on
Thursday increased the
lower and upper limits
on domestic airfares by
10 to 30 per cent.
These new limits
would remain “in force
up to March 31, 2021, or
until further orders”,
the ministry said its or-
der on Thursday
.
While announcing
the resumption of
scheduled domestic
flights on May 21 last
year, the ministry had
placed limits on air-
fares through seven
bands classified on the
basis of flight duration.
Aviation regulator
DGCA had said on May
21 last year that each
airline would sell at
least 40% of its tickets
on a flight at prices less
than the midpoint be-
tween the lower limit
and upper limit. —PTI
Govt raises limits
on domestic
airfares by 10-30%
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 78
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW
Cooch Behar/
Thakurnagar: Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah said on Thursday
the Centre would start
granting citizenship to
refugees under the
Citizenship Amend-
ment Act (CAA) after
the Covid-19 vaccina-
tion drive ends. At-
tending a rally at Mat-
ua in poll-bound Ben-
gal, Shah said the Op-
position is misleading
minorities on CAA
and assured that law
would not impact the
citizenship status of
Indian minorities.
Earlier in the day,
Shah launched fourth
phase of the “Poribor-
ton Yatra” from Rash
Mela Ground in Cooch
Behar. Turn to P6
New Delhi: India and
China have reached an
agreement on disen-
gagement in the North
and South bank of Pan-
gong lake in eastern
Ladakh that mandates
both sides to cease for-
ward deployment of
troops in a “phased, co-
ordinated and verifia-
ble” manner, Defence
Minister Rajnath Sin-
gh announced in Par-
liament on Thursday,
in a breakthrough after
a nine-month border
standoff.
Sharing details of
the pact to defuse the
tense military face-off
in eastern Ladakh
that severely
strained ties be-
tween the two Asian
giants, Singh also as-
sured the Rajya Sabha
that India has not con-
ceded anything in the
sustained talks with
China. India will not al-
low even an inch of its
territory to be taken by
anyone, he said.
The defence
minister said
implementa-
tion of the pact
will “substan-
tially Turn to P6
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
on Thursday said
there will be no peace
and tranquillity if
there is no status quo
ante at the Line of Ac-
tual Control (LAC)
with China. He also
asked why the govern-
ment is insulting the
sacrifices of Indian
soldiers. “No status
quo ante = No peace
and tranquility. Why
is Government of In-
dia (GOI) insulting
the sacrifice of our
jawans and letting go
of our territory?” he
wrote on Twitter.
The former Con-
gress chief’s remarks
came soon after De-
fence Minister Ra-
jnath Singh made a
statement in the Ra-
jya Sabha.
On Thursday, Con-
gress MP Rahul Gan-
dhi spoke extensively
on farm laws evoking
uproar from BJP MPs
who demanded he
should stick to speak-
ing on Union Budget.
Gandhi said the aim
of the first farm law is
to end Mandi system
whereas the content
of the second law is
aimed at unlimited
hoarding in India.
More on P6
Mumbai: Maharashtra
Governor Bhagat Singh
Koshyari was sched-
uled to travel by a state
government aircraft to
Dehradun in Uttara-
khand on Thursday, but
the permission to use
the plane was not grant-
ed even as the governor
had boarded the air-
craft, sources said.
The governor later
took a commercial
flight to travel to Dehra-
dun, a statement from
the Raj Bhavan said.
This comes amid un-
easy ties between the
state’s Shiv Sena-NCP-
Congress coalition gov-
ernment and the gover-
nor, with both the sides
have being critical of
each other in the past.
The Raj Bhavan state-
ment said governor’s
secretariat had written
to the government au-
thorities Turn to P6
‘NOTHINGCONCEDED’
Raksha Mantri tells Rajya Sabha
Shocking! Maha guv denied use
of VVIP plane, flies commercial
No peace if there’s no status
quo ante at LAC: Rahul
INDIA-CHINA DISENGAGEMENT IN EASTERN LADAKH
Refugees to get citizenship under
CAA after end of vax drive: Shah
Chennai: Chief Elec-
tion Commissioner
(CEC) Sunil Arora
Thursday said the poll-
ing time for the upcom-
ing Assembly election
in Tamil Nadu would be
extended by an hour to
adhere to the social dis-
tancing guidelines is-
sued by the centre in
view of the Covid-19
pandemic.
Addressing the re-
porters in Chennai to
brief upon the EC’s pre-
paredness for the gen-
eral election, Arora
said apart from the nor-
mal election observers,
they have decided to
send two special ex-
penditure observers.
This initiative is taken
by the EC to prevent the
rampant money distri-
bution which the state
had witnessed in the
past elections.
“Due to Covid-19, the
polling stations in the
state have been in-
creased. With the addi-
tional 25,000, there will
be a total of 93,000 poll-
ing stations Turn to P6
EC to extend polling time in TN by an hr
RAHUL GANDHI @RAHULGANDHI
No status quo ante = No peace & tranquility.
Why is GOI insulting the sacrifice of our jawans &
letting go of our territory?
Sensex gains
222 points, Nifty
ends 15,150
Mumbai: Domestic eq-
uity markets returned
to winning ways on
Thursday. S&P BSE
Sensex closed 222 points
higher at 51,531 while
the broader 50-stock
NSE Nifty ended at
15,173. Reliance Indus-
tries was top Sensex
gainer, jumping 4% fol-
lowed by Sun Pharma,
Power Grid, and Bajaj
Finance. Titan and
Larsen & Toubro were
the top index drags.
Maharashtra Guv Bhagat Singh
Koshyari arrives at Dehradun
Airport on Thursday. —ANI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses during the launch of fourth phase of Poribortan Yatra,
ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls, in Cooch Behar on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI
The Chinese side will keep its troop
presence in the North Bank area to east
of Finger 8. Reciprocally, the Indian
troops will be based at their permanent base at
Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3.
—Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister
Shah: Fight between Modi’s ‘Vikas’ & Mamata’s ‘Vinash’
Coochbehar/Thakurnagar/Chirang: Branding West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee a “failed administrator”, Union Home Minister Amit
Shah Thursday said the upcoming assembly elections in the state will be a
contest between Narendra Modi’s “development model” and her “destruction
model” of governance. The upcoming assembly polls, he said, will be a fight
between the “Vikas (development) model of the Narendra Modi government
and Mamata Banerjee’s Vinash (destruction) model”.
‘Even Didi will
chant Jai Shri
Ram before
end of polls’
PRIYANKA TAKES HOLY
DIP IN SANGAM ON MAUNI
AMAVASYA, PERFORMS PUJA
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra on Thursday took a holy dip at the Sangam
in Allahabad on Mauni Amavasya and performed
a puja. The Congress leader, who arrived in Pray-
agraj in the morning, reached Sangam, a conflu-
ence of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Sarswa-
ti river, for taking the holy dip and participation in
puja. Priyanka was accompanied by her daughter
Miraya and Congress MLA Aradhana Misra. She
also meet Jagat Guru Shankaracharya Shri Swa-
mi Swaroopanand Ji Maharaj at Mankameshwar
Temple, after taking the holy dip. While returning
from Sangam, she was seen assisting a boatman
in rowing. She also visited Anand Bhawan where
she interacted with children from an orphanage.
Sunil Arora

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021
02
CONGRESS RELEASES ‘GUJRIGHT’ MANIFESTO
FOR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ELECTIONS
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Con-
gress party on Thurs-
day released ‘GujRight’,
its election manifesto
for the six municipal
corporations going to
the polls on February
21.
Making the an-
nouncement, the par-
ty’s state unit presi-
dent Amit Chavda
said, “We will follow
every word written in
the letter as soon as we
come to power.”
The manifesto prom-
ises a Gujarat card for
free government ser-
vices and facilities to
every citizen. It also
says the Congress will
begin the process to
abolish the contract
system and start to fill
vacant posts in the cor-
poration within 24
hours of coming to
power.
“Unlike the BJP, we
do not make false
promises,” Chavda
said while releasing
the document, “We
have come with an
oath. We swear to bring
in free education and
health, and eradicate
corruption in the Con-
gress corporations.
The Congress will
bring the Gujarat card,
which the poor and
middle class can use to
avail facilities and
schemes.”
Leader of Opposi-
tion in the Assembly
Paresh Dhanani add-
ed that the BJP has
failed to solve prob-
lems of tax-paying
citizens in the metros
as well.
The manifesto talks
of the need to abolish
outsourcing which
“exploits the youth in
the name of con-
tracts”. It also states
the Congress party’s
promise to make all
city-based govern-
ment schools into
model schools, with
English-medium edu-
cation beginning from
Class 1. It also prom-
ises free education fa-
cilities.
The pre-poll list also
includes a promise to
consult experts to
solve the problem of
rainwater runoff, an-
other to solve the prob-
lem of urban parking
spaces, and the third,
to provide free parking
in cities.
Further, the Con-
gress manifesto also
promises free water,
homes for the poor,
free Wi-Fi, and a mod-
ern hospital in each
ward.
“We will provide tax
relief for one year to
businessmen who
have been adversely
affected by the lock-
down enforced due to
COVID-19,” Chavda
also said, adding,
“Home taxes will be
reduced by up to 50%.”
Members of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) including prez Amit Chavda (centre), LoP Paresh Dhanani (on his left), chief spokesperson Manish Doshi (behind Dhanani & Chavda), senior leader
Siddharth Patel (on his right), working prez Hardik Patel (4th from right), Rohan Gupta, A’bad IT Cell (2nd from right), senior leader Jitendra Baghel (2nd from left) at the manifesto launch event on Thursday.
Congress leaders posing with the manifesto sign outside the GPCC office in Ahmedabad.
Free education, parking
and Wi-Fi on the list, as
is reduced house tax
and better healthcare
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Talaja court gives 6
months jail to former
MLA for trespassing
First India Bureau
Bhavnagar: A Talaja
taluka court on Thurs-
day ruled that a former
MLA had trespassed on
the property of private
company accompanied
by 500 protesters in
2017. Taking into con-
sideration the offense,
the court awarded Kan-
ubhai Kalsariya, a jail-
term of six months.
Kalsariya along with
local villagers were op-
posing the establish-
ment of a production
plant by UltraTech Ce-
ment in the taluka of
Bhavnagar district.
They entered the farm
purchased by the com-
pany armed with JCB
machines. The compa-
ny had lodged a com-
plaint of trespassing
against Kalsariya and
seven others.
In a trial conducted
by the Judicial Magis-
trate First Class court,
it was established by
the prosecution repre-
senting UltraTech that
Kalsariya and others
had entered the private
property without per-
mission.
The court concluded
that the former MLA
and the people who ac-
companied him had
committed an offence
and sentenced them all
to six months’ impris-
onment. The accused
immediately pleaded
for bail, which was
granted by the court.
Kalsariya plans to
challenge the order in
higher courts. Reacting
to the court order, he
said, “We respect the
court order, but we will
not tolerate corporate
houses taking away fer-
tile agricultural land
and polluting the area.”
Former MLA Kanunbhai Kalsariya
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Bharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP)
candidates set to con-
test local body polls for
the Ahmedabad Munic-
ipal Corporation (AMC)
participated in an oath
ceremony in Manina-
gar area of the city on
Thursday
.
Observing the death
anniversary of Pandit
Dindayal Upadhyay as
‘SamarpanDiwas’(Dedi-
cation Day), around 192
candidates took the
pledge to serve the peo-
ple of Ahmedabad to the
best of their abilities
uponassuming their du-
ties as office-bearers.
The event also wit-
nessed senior leaders of
thepartyincludingstate
unit president CR Patil,
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani, Deputy Chief
Minister Nitin Patel,
among others. Swearing
to see through incom-
plete projects, the poten-
tial office-bearers of
AMC also pledged that
they would make them-
selves available for citi-
zens when they need
their assistance. “BJP
is different from other
political parties because
it is governed by an in-
ternal democracy
. A
booth committee presi-
dent can rise up to the
post of the party’s na-
tional president here,”
said CM Vijay Rupani.
Encouraging the candi-
dates to follow the ideol-
ogy and philosophy of
Pandit Dindayal Upad-
hyay, Patil reiterated
that BJP was ‘different’
from other parties, and
that there was no place
for nepotism or ‘dynasty
rule’ within the party
.
He also added that work-
ers who had dedicated
their lives to the party
would stand to receive
important positions in
the party
.
BJP candidates swear oath to serve the people, if elected
Congress workers attack ward
incharge over candidate selection
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Internal
disputes and dissatis-
faction regarding the
selection of candidates
for upcoming local body
polls by the state party
leadership, Congress
workers reached a
breaking point on
Thursday, when they
beat up an incharge of-
ficial.
Creating waves on
the political circuit of
the state, the incident
occurred after work-
ers opposed the candi-
date recommenda-
tions made by Praful
Shah, incharge of the
Ranip, Sabarmati and
Chandkheda wards.
He was then physical-
ly assaulted by party
members. As per
sources, in the wake
of this incident, other
members of the party
harbor similar feel-
ings of resentment to-
ward their incharges
in other parts of the
state.
In the Ahmedabad
Municipal Corpora-
tion (AMC) elections,
the Congress party
held back on announc-
ing the list of its can-
didates and called in
its workers until the
last minute to hand
out mandates.
According to sourc-
es, Shah is likely to
lodge a police com-
plaint following the
incident. Chief
spokesperson Manish
Doshi and Deepak Ba-
bariya met with Shah
when informed of the
incident.
Meanwhile, former
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP) councillor
Jashoda Thakor joined
Congress with more
than 100 supporters on
Thursday.
Congress members outside the party office in Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO
Marking ‘Samarpan Diwas’, state unit
prez CR Patil encouraged them to follow
ideals of Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay
BJP leaders
start meetings
in Patidar area
Party releases final list for
panchayats, nagarpalikas
Not wanting to miss out
on the Patidar commu-
nity votebank, the BJP
has started campaigning
for local body polls in
Surat’s Varachha area.
According to sources,
the party does not want
to repeat the mistake
it committed in the
previous election by
overlooking the impor-
tance of Patidar areas,
which made them lose
seats. On Thursday, BJP
state chief CR Patil held
several meetings with
workers from Patidar
areas to discuss strate-
gies and reach out to
Patidar voters.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its
candidates list for district/taluka panchayats and
nagarpalikas for the local body polls. Despite
asserting that the party did not support ‘dynasty
rule’, family members of existing office-bearers
have been granted tickets to contest polls.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani (seated) and BJP state unit president CR Patil at the oath ceremony, where 192 candidates pledged to uphold the sanctity of the office they
will hold, should they come out as victors in polls. —PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

GUJARAT
03
Diamondcitylosesshineas10
taketheirownlivesin48hrs
Depression, loneliness and financial troubles among suspected causes
First India Bureau
Surat: As many as 10
people ended their
lives in the city over
the past 48 hours,
with victims span-
ning the socioeco-
nomic divide.
At least three of
the 10 people were
women. One, a resi-
dent of Dindoli,
killed herself due to
a family dispute,
while the other two,
who lived in Rander,
had allegedly been
depressed.
Two senior citizens
also took their own
lives in the city’s Ath-
wa area, with the au-
thorities suspecting
loneliness as the rea-
son for the extreme
step. The other sui-
cides were reported
in Dumas, Sachin,
Pandesara and Umra
area of the city.
Psychiatrist Sid-
dharth Shahi told First
India, “Depression,
loneliness and pres-
sure caused by ambi-
tion are among the
main reasons for sui-
cide in the city. Some-
times, parents put im-
mense pressure on
their children to com-
pete. Some children put
such pressure on them-
selves as well. Both
situations can lead to
severe depression. It is
very important to keep
lines or communica-
tion open, but depres-
sion can cause a break-
down in communica-
tion, leading the person
to feel even more iso-
lated and unable or un-
willing to seek help.”
AT RISK
First India Bureau
Junagadh: New play-
ers may have entered
the motorcycle mar-
ket in the past decade
or so but the iconic
Royal Enfield Bullet
and its variants hold
that je ne sais quoi
that makes them at-
tractive to a certain
demographic. In fact,
the brand is so popu-
lar, it even lent itself
to the name of a 2013
film: Bullet Raja.
These days, however,
any potential Bullet Ra-
jas will have to stay
sharp, especially if
they plan to have their
bike silencers modified
to boost the roar.
Godhra police have
already taken action
against 20 Bullet riders
and the Valsad police
have seized 70 similar
bikes which have had
their silencers modi-
fied, thus causing a lot
of noise pollution.
The action follows a
circular issued by
Minister of State for
Home Pradipsinh
Jadeja on the recom-
mendation of Trans-
port Minister RC
Faldu.
Faldu, in turn,
made the recommen-
dation after receiving
a letter from a
Godhra-based advo-
cate complaining
against the noise
caused by the modi-
fied silencers. The ad-
vocate in his com-
plaint also stated that
prolonged exposure
to the loud roaring of
the engines could
also lead to hearing
loss in children.
Police set up speed breakers for owners of modified Bullet bikes
ROYAL PAINS

The trend of
modifying
silencers to
boost the firing
level, and thus
the ‘feel’ of
riding a
powerful bike at
high speeds,
causes massive
noise pollution A row of parked Royal Enfield Bullets. —FILE PHOTO
Third-gender who stood for
LS among candidates for AMC
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Third-
gender Raju Mataji,
previously known as
Naresh Jaiswal, has
filed the paperwork to
contest the upcoming
municipal corporation
elections in
Ahmedabad. Having
previously contested
the Lok Sabha and As-
sembly elections, he is
determined to win.
Mataji, a resident of
Saraspur Bombay Hous-
ing,registeredhiscandi-
dature from the Sar-
aspur Rakhial ward of
the Ahmedabad Munici-
pal Corporation. He has
chosen the bracelet as
his election symbol.
His previous attempts
saw a good response
from the people of his
area. He received 1,706
votes in the local body
elections, 2,303 votes in
the Assembly elections,
and 2,571 votes in Lok
Sabha elections.
He told First India
that he is confident of
winning this election
with a huge number of
votes.Hehighlightedthe
fact that elected repre-
sentatives do not visit
the slum areas in and
around Saraspur, leav-
ingbasicproblemsunre-
solved for years. He said
it was this apathy that
spurred him to contest.
If he gets elected, he
said, his first order of
business would be to
solve the basic problems
in the slum area and
bringredressalbylisten-
ing to the representa-
tions of the people.
“I was also pressured
andtemptedbytheother
party to withdraw my
candidature, but I was
adamant in my deci-
sion,” he said.
Raju Mataji has chosen the bracelet as his election symbol.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Ahead of the local body polls, Congress candidates for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Bodakdev ward—Chetna Sharma,
Janki Patel, Nimesh Shah and Vikram Desai—participated in a tractor rally in Bodakdev on Thursday. —PHOTO BYHANIF SINDHI
After week of low numbers, daily
jump in nCoV cases shows sharp rise
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Just as
the situation seemed
to have reached a low
plateau, Gujarat saw
a sharp surge in the
number of new COV-
ID-19 cases in the 24
hours ended 5 pm on
Thursday
. After about
a week where new
cases numbered 250
or fewer, Thursday
saw 285 new cases
across the state.
Urban and rural
Ahmedabad each re-
ported one fatality, tak-
ing the state’s total
death toll to 4399.
The state has now
vaccinated 7.41 lakh
people, with 27,657 peo-
ple receiving their first
dose at 902 centres
across Gujarat on
Thursday
.
While 10 districts had
no new cases, Vadodara
city reported the high-
est number of cases
(67), followed by
Ahmedabad city (49),
Surat city (42), Rajkot
city (39), and Vadodara
district (10). The new
cases bring the state’s
total case load to
2,64,450.
At least 302 patients
were also discharged
from hospitals across
the state on the day,
meaning 2,58,270 pa-
tients have recovered
so far in Gujarat. There
are currently 1,781 ac-
tive cases across the
state, with 30 patients
on ventilator support.
The state has not dis-
closed the total figure
of samples taken for
testing for more than
three weeks now.
COVID-19 testing in Ahmedabad last year. —FILE PHOTO
392 shops sealed in Surat’s
Adajan over fire safety concerns
First India Bureau
Surat: The fire de-
partment of the Surat
Municipal Corpora-
tion (SMC) sealed al-
most 400 shops in
Shreeji Arcade in the
city’s Adajan area
late on Tuesday night,
after they failed to
meet fire safety re-
quirements even after
several notices.
The operation was
carried out by a team of
five fire officers and 28
firefighters.Department
sources said the sealed
shops had neither fire
suppression equipment,
nor anyone trained in
how to use them. They
were also located in a
congested complex.
GHCAA to demand in-person proceedings at HC
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court Advo-
cates Association (GH-
CAA) on Thursday is-
sued a circular in-
forming its members
about a virtual gener-
al board meeting to be
held at 5 pm on Febru-
ary 13, to decide on
resuming in-person
proceedings on the
high court premises.
GHCAA president
Yatin Oza stated that the
body had previously
plannedtoholdaprotest
on Thursday demand-
ing the resumption of
‘physical’ hearings in
subordinate courts in
four major cities of the
state. The protest was
called off after High
Court of Gujarat decid-
ed to do exactly that
from March 01.
“But, the association
needs to decide whether
or not to pursue a de-
mand for resumption of
‘physical’ court pro-
ceedings at the high
court,” the circular
said. Oza also made it
clear that the opinions
of only those members
who attend the virtual
meeting will be consid-
ered by the association.
Proceedings on the
high court campus were
suspended last March
due to COVID-19.
Firefighters & department officials conducted the sealing drive. Gujarat High Court. —FILE PHOTO
THE GIST
RAGA DEFAMATION CASE SUSPENDED

Vol 2 Issue No. 78 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
or the last 25
years, revolu-
tions in com-
munication and
transportation
technologies have allowed
companies to create truly
global value chains. Those
processing raw materials
were linked up with manu-
facturers of inputs and
parts, which were in turn
linked to the companies
that assemble and package
final products, and then to
distribution channels ex-
tending to consumers
around the world.
In the two decades before
theCOVID-19pandemic,the
annual value of intermedi-
ate goods exported across
borders tripled, to more
than $10 trillion,giving rise
to an intricately choreo-
graphedproductionsystem.
But, because these global
networks have evolved to
reduce costs through maxi-
mum efficiency
, they can be
brittle, and sometimes will
snap under pressure.
Hence, every country in-
volved in the world’s pro-
duction networks must
understand its risk expo-
sure, and build more resil-
ience where it is needed.
For emerging economies
seeking to expand export-
oriented manufacturing,
the implications of this
global reckoning could be
far-reaching.
True, the pandemic has
not yet reshaped industry
footprints dramatically.
But that is not surprising:
global supply chains re-
flect economic logic, hun-
dreds of billions of dollars
of investment, and long-
standing supplier relation-
ships. Changing the geog-
raphy of production is not
easy when major multina-
tionals’ supplier networks
encompass thousands of
independent companies,
each with its own special-
ized contribution.
Still, as we have seen, far-
flung global supply chains
can be vulnerable to all
types of disruptions, from
natural disasters to cyber-
attacks and trade disputes.
The COVID-19 pandemic
drove home this point as it
forced manufacturers to
manage workforce health
and safety issues, planning
and logistical difficulties,
shortages of materials and
parts, unpredictable spikes
and drops in demand, and
cashflow problems.
Companies cannot as-
sume a return to smooth
sailing after the pandemic.
In a recent survey of sup-
ply-chain executives, the
McKinsey Global Institute
found that disruptions last-
ing a month or longer now
occur every 3.7 years, on
average, imposing steep fi-
nancial costs. Adjusted for
theprobabilityandfrequen-
cy of disruptions, compa-
nies can expect to lose more
than 40% of a year’s profits
every decade (based on a
model informed by the fi-
nancials of 325 companies
across 13 industries). More-
over, a single severe shock
causing a 100-day disrup-
tion could wipe out an en-
tireyear’searningsormore
in some industries. As we
have just learned the hard
way, events of this magni-
tude can and do occur.
With companies and gov-
ernments reassessing how
goods flow across borders,
somewillmaketargetedad-
justments to source goods
fromplacestheyperceiveas
less risky
. To understand
how such decisions might
play out, MGI examined the
feasibility of movement
based on industry dynam-
ics,aswellasthepossibility
that governments might in-
tervene to support the do-
mestic production of goods
they deem essential or stra-
tegic. All told, we estimate
that up to one-quarter of
globalgoodsexports–worth
$2.9-4.6 trillion annually –
couldfeasiblyshifttodiffer-
ent countries in the next
five years or so, though the
potential varies considera-
bly across industries.
For years, developing
countrieshavebeenadvised
thatcompetingsolelyonthe
basisof low-costlaborisnot
enough; they must boost
productivity
, develop the
skillsbase,andimprovepro-
duction quality
. And now,
this list will be expanded to
include resilience. Coun-
tries that want to maintain
their positions in global
value chains – or even cap-
ture a share of the produc-
tion that could be in play –
willneedtoassesstheirown
risk exposure and cultivate
thecapabilitiestowithstand
disruptions and recover
from them quickly
.
SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE
Emerging economies have a new imperative
F
any have commented and
talked about the changes that
are being brought about and
others that need to be institu-
tionalised, in view of the
challenges and difficulties
thrown up by the Covid 19
pandemic and its unimagina-
ble threatening spread and
adverse effects across the
globe. It shook the world and
brought to a halt the normal
way of life. Now as we move
towards some betterment,
with vaccines giving the
world community a big ray
of hope, one of the most em-
phasised aspects is the need
for better health care. In this
context, the experts have
talked about not only treat-
ment and medical care but
also preventive and promo-
tive health. In my view, this
aspect deserves serious anal-
ysis not only because it re-
duces the need for treatment
but it is multi sectoral and
requires efficiency and effi-
cacy in the systems in Gov-
ernance, which includes the
government agencies, reput-
ed institutions, private sec-
tor, and above all understand-
ing and cooperation by the
people and society in general.
Immunity, as they say, is es-
sential to fight any illness and
infection and has been consist-
ently and overwhelmingly dis-
cussed as the Covid 19 infec-
tions spread. Immunity comes
from many things and espe-
cially from healthy food and
nutrition. Professionals and
scholars advise on what to eat,
when to eat and how to enjoy a
good healthy diet. However, to
achieve this, it is very essential
that the food that comes from
the farm to the table does not
have an excess of chemicals
that are hazardous for health.
There is no dearth of writings
and analysis on how fertilisers,
insecticides, pesticides, chemi-
cal ripening and colouring
agents are used indiscrimi-
nately in high doses to boost
quantity of production and ap-
pearances: but, as is well ana-
lysed such production of cere-
als, fruits, and vegetables are is
not at all conducive to our good
health. Rather, on the other
hand, they cause severe infec-
tions, illnesses, digestive disor-
ders and may also lead to cer-
tain types of cancers. Though
there are many Acts and rules
in place and Standards laid
down for production and mar-
keting of agriculture and food
products and processed foods,
yet their implementation is not
as efficacious as it ought to be.
The way out therefore seems to
be a people’s movement that is
not just based on demand for
organic foods but also for using
chemicals, where necessary,
within the prescribed and safe
limits. In this regard, the gov-
ernments and the private sec-
tor can join hands to set up a
large and spread out network
of testing laboratories on the
pattern of Medical testing lab-
oratories which are in large
numbers in towns and cities
and not very far in case of ru-
ral areas, and thus facilitate
testing of samples of foods by
households and consumers.
This setup, combined with
awareness about quality food,
will go a long way in improving
the preventive and promotive
aspects of health care.
Another aspect of preven-
tive health is clean and safe
drinking water. This has
been an integral part of pub-
lic policy from the very be-
ginning but still complete
safety and quality is yet to be
achieved. One of the many
problems is that the supply
of surface water coming
from rivers and dams often
gets polluted with drainage
water, sewerage, and sullage
and recourse has to be taken
to home-based filtering and
cleaning which adds to the
cost. Groundwater too gets
polluted with excess use of
chemicals. It is often seen
that even vegetables and
fruits are grown in such con-
taminated water areas lead-
ing to further health dam-
age. Polluted and contami-
nated water adds to our
many health woes and debil-
itates the body and extra ex-
penditures have to be in-
curred for medical treatment
and then income is lost from
not being able to work.
There are many other such
issues and actions like pollu-
tion-free air, regular exercises,
less stress at work, happy fam-
ily relationships, supportive
care that would boost our im-
munity
, well being, and health.
However the availability of
food and food products as per
the laid down standards and
clean and healthy drinking wa-
ter are crucial for our health.
Thus there is a crying need for
them to become part of a Peo-
ple’s Movement by the active
participation of people through
voluntary organisations, mo-
halla committees, and other
existing organisations, as well
as by undertaking more scien-
tific research and sharing of
those findings at diverse plat-
forms to create and increase
awareness. This will put suffi-
cient check and pressure on the
producers to strictly follow the
laid down standards and supply
quality items. It will also help
the Government agencies to en-
force the law as the consumers
and citizens would have forums
and platforms from where they
can raise their voice.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
Preventive and Promotive Health
A Case for Peoples’ Movement
M
Immunity, as
they say, is
essential to fight
any illness and
infection and has
been consistently
and
overwhelmingly
discussed as the
Covid 19
infections spread.
Immunity comes
from many
things and
especially from
healthy food and
nutrition.
Professionals and
scholars advise
on what to eat,
when to eat and
how to enjoy a
good healthy diet
POLLUTED AND
CONTAMINATED WATER
ADDS TO OUR MANY
HEALTH WOES AND
DEBILITATES THE BODY
AND EXTRA
EXPENDITURES HAVE
TO BE INCURRED FOR
MEDICAL TREATMENT
AND THEN INCOME IS
LOST FROM NOT BEING
ABLE TO WORK
MEENAKSHI
HOOJA
The writer is a Retd IAS officer
and former Member, Central
Administrative Tribunal
CHARGED RAHUL ATTACKS
GOVT ON FARM LAWS
day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi
reiterated his stand on the three farm
laws and blamed “aandolanjeevi” for the
ongoing farmers’ agitation it was Rahul
Gandhi’s turn to take the floor in the Lok
Sabha on Thursday to take up the cause of farmers
and condemn the contentious laws. Defending the
farm laws in his reply to the motion of thanks to
the President’s address, the prime minister said
that their provisions were “optional” and not “com-
pulsory” as he renewed his offer for talks with
farmers. The prime minister had said that the Op-
position was spreading fear among farmers that
the laws will weaken the mandi system. Rahul Gan-
dhi on the other hand trashed the laws while reply-
ing to the “content and intent” of the new laws. The
first law he said would finish off mandis as it al-
lows unlimited purchase of foodgrains, vegetables,
and fruits from anywhere in the country
. The prime
minister, he said, “has given us options of unem-
ployment, hunger, and suicide”.
Rahul Gandhi opened the party’s attack with the
jibe that it is a government of Hum Do, Hamare
Do, an old slogan on family planning while refer-
ring to the prime minister and Home Minister
Amit Shah and two of the government’s favourite
industrialists. The Speaker reminded Rahul that
he was supposed to speak on the Budget after
which he began criticising the farm laws.
The Congress is extending its support to farm-
ers eyeing political gains in Uttar Pradesh which
goes to poll in 2022. Farmers are expected to play
a decisive role in western UP.
A
IN-DEPTH
INDIA’S TRIUMPH AT
PANGONG TSO
ndia and China began simultaneous dis-
engagement on the north and south
banks of Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh
after months of protracted impasse. The
significant part of the breakthrough is
that India has not made any concession to China.
The agreement was reached after at least nine
rounds of talks and after China realized that In-
dia’s resolve to defend its borders was unshakeable.
Both the sides “agreed to cease their forward de-
ployments in a phased, coordinated manner”, De-
fence Minister Rajnath Singh said in a statement
in the Lok Sabha. A similar announcement was
made by China. Tensions began to rise after China
occupied about 1000 km of India’s territory and
stops Indian troops to patrol up to the LAC. India
made a heavy deployment to prevent further trans-
gression. The situation turned explosive and ended
in a bloody clash at the Galwan Valley on the night
of June 15-16 last year in which 20 Indian soldiers
were killed when the People’s Liberation Army at-
tacked them with medieval-era weapons. The Chi-
nese side is said to have suffered heavier casualties.
As Chinese tanks began rolling back, they were
clearly not pulling back as victors. China must be
seething at the way India stared back and held its
own. India also struck at China’s business inter-
ests to force Beijing to come to the negotiating ta-
ble. The government stopped all Chinese compa-
nies, mainly its telecom giants, from operating in
India. Chinese companies were also barred from
participating in construction projects. The disen-
gagement is a victory of our military, diplomatic,
and efforts. India is no longer a pushover.
I
Detachment from material
things is the way to inner
peace. —Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
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INDIA
05
FARM LAWS IN INTEREST OF
FARMERS’: NITISH KUMAR
New Delhi: Bihar CM
Nitish Kumar on Thursday
met PM Modi. Speaking
to reporters post the
meeting, Kumar said
his party is with the gov
on the farmers’ issue
and that the Centre has
opted for the right path
by holding talks with the
farmer unions. Thousands
of farmers are protesting
on various Delhi borders
for more than two months
demanding the repeal of
the three laws, which they
find pro-corporate and
against the existing mandi
and MSP procurement
systems. However, the
government has rejected
these apprehensions
as baseless, though at
least 11 rounds of talks
have failed to end the
stalemate.
SUKHDEV SINGH VISITED
SINGHU BORDER, AFTER R-DAY
New Delhi: Sukhdev
Singh, an accused in
Republic Day violence
visited the Singhu
border after the
incident and later went
to Punjab, informed
Delhi Police sources.
He was one of the
prime accused who
participated in the 26
January violence at Red
Fort. “He was present
at the Red Fort till
around 10 PM on the
day of the violence and
went to Singhu border
late night,” informed
Delhi Police sources.
Delhi Police Crime
Branch had arrested
Sukhdev Singh.
ONE-YEAR LLM COURSE WILL
NOT BE SCRAPPED THIS YEAR
New Delhi: The Bar
Council of India (BCI)
on Thursday told
the Supreme Court
that its decision to
scrap the one-year
LL.M programme and
derecognise foreign
LL.M will be brought
into force only from
the academic year
2022-23. A Bench of
CJI SA Bobde recorded
the submissions
of BCI Chairperson
Manan Kumar Mishra
that decision to scrap
the one-year LL.M
programme will not
impact this academic
year and adjourned the
matter for four weeks.
PREZ ACCEPTS CREDENTIALS OF 5
ENVOYS IN VIRTUAL CEREMONY
New Delhi: President
Ram Nath Kovind
accepted the credentials
of five foreign envoys
in a virtual ceremony
on Thursday. The
Ambassador and High
Commissioners of El
Salvador, Panama,
Tunisia, United Kingdom
and Argentina presented
their credentials to
the President. Those
who presented their
credentials were,
Guillermo Rubio Funes,
Ambassador of Republic
of El Salvador; Yasiel
Alines Burillo Rivera,
Ambassador of Panama;
Hayet Talbi, Ambassador
of Tunisia; Alex Ellis,
High Commissioner of
the UK and Hugo Javier
Gobbi, Ambassador of the
Argentine Republic.
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on
Thursday slammed the
Modi government over
the farm laws in the
Lok Sabha, citing the
family planning slogan
of 'Hum do, humare do'
to say that the laws will
benefit only select cor-
porates at the expense
of farmers.
“There was a slogan
for family planning
'Hum do, hamare do'.
Like corona comes back
in a different form, this
slogan has come back in
a different form. The
nation is run by four
people – 'Hum do
hamare do'. Everyone
knows their names.
Whose government is
it, of 'hum do, hamare
do',” he was quoted as
saying in the Lower
House amid uproar.
Yesterday, while ad-
dressing the House, PM
said that the Opposition
is talking about the agi-
tation, but not about the
content and intent of
farm laws. I thought I
should make him happy
today and speak on the
content and intent of
the laws, he said at the
outset of his address.
Rahul Gandhi alleged
that the new farm laws
brought by the govern-
ment will lead to “col-
lapse of mandi system,
allow unlimited hoard-
ing and prevent ag-
grieved farmers from
moving courts”.
Gandhi said he was
speaking on the “con-
tent and intent” of
three farm laws to
which PM Narendra
Modi had referred in
his speech on Wednes-
day
.
While treasury
benches and Lok Sabha
Speaker Om Birla asked
Gandhi to speak only on
the Budget, Gandhi said
he would continue to
speak on farmers.
“Yesterday while ad-
dressing the House, PM
said that the Opposi-
tion is talking about
the agitation but not
about the content and
intent of Farm Laws. I
thought I should make
him happy today and
speak on the content
and intent of the laws,”
he said. —Agencies
HUM DO, HUMARE DO: RAHUL
GANDHI SLAMS MODI GOVT
Like corona comes back in a different form, this slogan has come back
Rahul Gandhi addressing the House on the content and intent.
Uttarakhand: The
death toll in the Uttara-
khand glacier burst in-
cident has mounted to
34 and 204 persons are
still missing, informed
the State Secretariat on
Thursday
.
Out of the 34 recov-
ered dead bodies, 10
have been identified
while 24 of them are yet
to be identified.The
Secretariat reported
that the two persons
working in the Rishi
Ganga company in-
formed to be missing
before, have safely
reached their homes.
The rescue opera-
tions are underway in-
side Tapovan tunnel in
Chamoli. There is a
possibility that some
more people could be
stuck inside the tunnel,
National Thermal Pow-
er Corporation Limited
(NTPC) team using ver-
tical drilling to find
their whereabouts,
said Aparna Kumar,
Deputy Inspector Gen-
eral of Police (DIG) of
Indo-Tibetan Border
Police (ITBP).
The ITBP troops are
helping to construct
Jhula Bridge across
disconnected villages
in Chamoli. The bridge
will be used to trans-
port ration from one
side of the bridge to an-
other side.
A glacier broke in the
Tapovan-Reni area of
Chamoli district of Ut-
tarakhand, which led to
massive flooding.
UTTARAKHAND GLACIER TRAGEDY
Death toll rises to 34, 204
people still missing
New Delhi: Telangana
Congress leader Uttar
Kumar Reddy on Thurs-
dayslammedChief Min-
isterK Chandrashekar
Rao for comparing pro-
testors to dogs at an
event in Nalgonda on
Wednesdaysaiditwasa
new low in Indian de-
mocracy.
The MP from Nal-
gonda also alleged
that the Chief Minis-
ter had cheated the
people of the state and
demanded an apology.
There were some trib-
al women who had
come to the meeting to
express grievances
about podu (agricul-
tural) lands and want-
ed to submit a memo-
randum. In what must
be a new low in Indian
democracy, the elected
CM called them dogs
in a public meeting
and asked the police to
remove them, Reddy
told. —ANI
New Delhi: The Cen-
tral government on
Thursday cleared the
empanelment of 29 In-
dian Police Service of-
ficers to hold Director
General level or equiva-
lent posts across the
country in different de-
partments.
These officers are
from 1985, 1986, 1987 and
1988 batches. The em-
panelment of these of-
ficers for DG-level and
equivalent posts is con-
sidered by a Selection
Committee comprising
of the Principal Secre-
tary to Prime Minister,
the Cabinet Secretary,
the Home Secretary, the
Secretary (Personnel)
and the Director of In-
telligence Bureau.
Delhi Police Commis-
sioner Sachidanand
Shrivastava, a
1985-batch Arunachal
Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram
Union Territory (AG-
MUT) cadre officer, is
the seniormost officer
in the list, followed by
Pradeep Kapur, a
1986-batch Odisha cadre
officer.
Jammu Kashmir
Director General of Po-
lice Dilbagh Singh, a
1987-batch cadre officer,
and his batchmate San-
tosh Mehra of the
Andhra Pradesh cadre
are also in the list.
CONGRESS SLAMS
TELANGANA CM RAO
29 IPS
OFFICERS TO
HOLD DG-
LEVEL POSTS
New Delhi: India's
first-ever diesel tractor,
converted to Com-
pressed Natural Gas
(CNG), will be launched
by the Union Minister
for Road Transport and
Highways, Nitin Gad-
kari today.
The conversion, car-
ried out jointly by Raw-
matt Techno Solutions
and Tomasetto Achille
India, will help farmers
increase their income,
by lowering the costs
and help to create job
opportunities in rural
India. Union Ministers
Dharmendra Pradhan,
Narendra Singh Tomar,
Parshottam Rupala and
General (Retired) VK
Singh will also be
present. The most im-
portant benefit for the
farmer will be to save
more than one lakh
rupees annually on fuel
costs, read the release
by the Ministry of
Road Transport and
Highways.
Gadkari to
launch
India’s first
CNG tractor
New Delhi: The Delhi
Police’s Economic Of-
fences Wing has regis-
tered an FIR against
Haryanvi singer Sapna
Choudhary of alleged
misappropriation of
funds, cheating and
criminal conspiracy, of-
ficials said on Thursday
.
The FIR was regis-
tered as per a complaint
by Pawan Chawla, the
director of a firm en-
gaged in celebrity man-
agement and events.
According to the FIR,
She had a contract with
the company and she
was not allowed to work
with or join any other
company, however she
broke the contract and
collected money from
the complainant on
several occasions.
Case filed against Singer Sapna
Choudhary for cheating
Guwahati: A bench of
justices N V Ramana,
Surya Kant and Anir-
uddha Bose dismissed
Gogoi’s bail plea
The Supreme Court
denied bail on Thurs-
day to activist Akhil
Gogoi, who is lodged in
jail for his alleged role
in the violent anti-CAA
protests in Assam.
The bench, however,
told advocate that the
petitioner may ap-
proach the top court for
bailoncethetrialstarts.
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Thurs-
day deferred to March 5,
the petition filed by the
Central Bureau of In-
vestigation (CBI) seek-
ing its direction to
transfer the case from
Chhattisgarh to anoth-
er state, involving Chief
Minister, Bhupesh
Baghel, who is allegedly
involved in a sex CD
controversy
.
A bench of the apex
court deferred the hear-
ing to March 5.
SC rejects
activist Akhil
Gogoi’s bail
SC defers sex
CD case to
March 5
A HOLY SOJOURN
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra seen taking the oars and rowing a boat as she return after takes holy dip
in river Ganga at Sangam. She was accompainied by her daughter Miraya. —PHOTO BY ANI
ACTION AGAINST
FAKE NEWS
The nation is run by four people –
‘Hum do hamare do’. Everyone knows
their names. Whose government is it, of
‘hum do, hamare do’.
—Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader
Chamoli: The director of National Thermal Power
Corporation's (NTPCs) Tapovan hydropower pro-
ject - Ujjwal Bhattacharya on Thursday informed
that they have suspended drilling operation for a
time being as the water is coming in the tunnel in
which at least 30 people are feared to be trapped
inside. We had reached a distance of 6 meters
and then realised that water is coming there.”
DRILLING OPERATION SUSPENDED AS
WATER COMING IN TUNNEL
Dehradun: Uttarakhand Director-General
of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar on Thursday
informed that DNA samples of the bodies
recovered after the glacier burst incident
in Chamoli district are being preserved by
the state officials. We are preserving DNA
samples of the recovered bodies. Out of
total dead bodies recovered, we have so far
identified 10 bodies,” DGP Uttarakhand.
'DNA SAMPLES OF CORPSES
PRESERVED IN U'KHAND
IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: E-com-
merce giant Amazon
on Thursday moved
the SC challenging
an order of the Delhi
HC allowing statuto-
ry authority, such as
National Company
Law Tribunal
(NCLT) to hear Fu-
ture Retail Limited's
(FRL) application
seeking approval to
complete its Rs 24,731
crore asset sale deal
with Reliance Retail.
Amazon has been
seeking enforcement
of an order of the
emergency arbitra-
tor at the Singapore
International Arbi-
tration Centre re-
straining FRL from
taking any steps to
transfer its retail as-
sets. On Amazon's
plea, HC ordered Ex-
change Board of In-
dia to maintain sta-
tus quo of assets sale
deal with Reliance.
Amazon challenges Future
Retail-RIL deal order in SC

No compensation...
The report compiled by
them stated, “Though
the government has
launched many pro-
grammes for migrant
workers, they have not
been implemented in
letter and spirit.”
It also cited the Su-
preme Court order that
one rain basera (shelter
home) must be built to
accommodate one lakh
people in urban areas.
As per the 2011 census,
the urban population of
the state in 2020 must be
around 2.76 crore.
Therefore, at least 276
such night shelters are
needed across the state,
but in reality only 101
of these exist with
Ahmedabad accounting
for 45, Surat (28), Va-
dodara (14), Rajkot (09)
and Bhavnagar (05).
The contribution of the
central government to
this programme is 75%
while the state pitches
in 25%. Despite that,
not a single night shel-
ter has been built in any
of the 159 nagarpalikas
of the state.
“It is the responsibil-
ity of the state govern-
ment to implement the
law, and the imperative
of the contractors or de-
velopers to provide tem-
porary shelters to la-
bourers while they
work on a project. Even
though the law is not be-
ing put into action, the
state has shown no ini-
tiative to take any steps
against the developers,”
stated the report.
One of the foremost
demands of the fact-
finding team is the cen-
sus survey of migrant
workers in the state to
identify their numbers.
Other provisions re-
quested by the team in-
clude allocation of
funds for construction
of rain baseras (night
shelters).The state gov-
ernment has collected
Rs3,100 crore under the
Building Other Con-
struction Workers’ Wel-
fare Board, which can
be directed toward this
purpose.
‘Nothing conceded’...
restore” the situation to
the one which existed
prior to the standoff
that erupted on May 5
last, adding the two
sides have agreed they
shouldachievecomplete
disengagement at the
“earliest” and abide ful-
ly by the bilateral agree-
ments and protocols.
“I would like this
House to join me in pay-
ing gratitude to our
armed forces who have
shown grit and resolve
under these extremely
harsh climatic condi-
tions of Ladakh which
has resulted in the pre-
sent agreement,” he
said. —Agencies
Refugees to...
Launching a scathing
attack on on West Ben-
gal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee and
her nephew Abhishek
Banerjee, Shah said the
BJP’s ‘Parivartan
Yatra’ in the state was
aimed at ending cor-
ruption by ‘Bua-Bhati-
ja’.
Cornering Mamata,
Shah said, “Mamata
didi keeps on quarrel-
ling with Modi ji, she
even quarrelled during
Subhash babu’s pro-
gram. It was Subhash
babu’s event, you could
have refrained from
politics there.” —ANI
EC to extend...
in the state for the up-
coming assembly elec-
tions,” Arora said.
The EC added that
the bypoll for the Kan-
yakumari parliamen-
tary constituency
would be held along
with 2021 Assembly
polls. The seat fell va-
cant following the de-
mise of Congress MP H
Vasanthakumar.
Arora alongside
Election Commission-
ers Sushil Chandra and
Rajiv Kumar met the
representatives of nine
political parties who
had expressed their
opinion to conduct the
poll in a single-phase
and declare the results
two days from the poll-
ing date.
“We told political
parties that when polls
are conducted in more
than one state, count-
ing can’t be done in a
day or two as it be-
comes difficult for oth-
er states if one state’s
result is out. Some par-
ties had apprehension
about permitting per-
sons above 80 and disa-
bled people to cast bal-
lot votes. Some of them
want the elections to be
held in the last week of
April in view of festi-
vals, exams and other
factors, the EC will
keep these factors in
mind,” the CEC said.
—Agencies
Shocking! Maha...
seeking permission for
the use of aircraft “well
in advance” on Febru-
ary 2.
The office of the
chief minister was also
informed about it, the
statement said.
When asked about
the issue, Maharashtra
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar
told reporters here he
had no clue and will be
able to comment after
gathering information.
FROM PG 1
INDIA
06
‘AT FOREFRONT IN GLOBAL EFFORTS TO
FORGE DECISIVE RESPONSE TO COVID’
Prez Kovind said India is re-enforcing its reputation as “pharmacy of the world”
New Delhi: President
Ram Nath Kovind on
Thursday said India has
been at the forefront in
the global efforts to
forge a decisive and co-
ordinated response to
COVID-19 to ensure col-
lective health and eco-
nomic well-being.
Addressing an event,
he said under the gov-
ernment of India’s vac-
cine maitri initiative,
highly affordable vac-
cines made in India
have already reached
several countries, re-
enforcing its reputa-
tion as the “pharmacy
of the world”.
The president accept-
ed credentials from Am-
bassador/High Com-
missioner from the Re-
public of El Salvador,
Panama, Tunisia, the
UK Argentine Repub-
lic in a virtual ceremo-
ny, as per statement is-
sued by Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
Kovind said India en-
joys warm and friendly
relations with all these
five countries and these
ties were deeply rooted
in a common vision of
peace and prosperity.
Kovind also thanked
their governments for
supporting India’s can-
didature for the non-
permanent seat of the
UN Security Council for
the term 2021-22, the
statement said.
A health worker takes an Antigen test of passengers arriving from Gujarat in Mumbai on Thursday.
No Covid death reported in 17
states, UTs in last 24 hrs: Govt
New Delhi: The minis-
try informed that 17
states and UTs includ-
ing Telangana, Gujarat,
Assam, Haryana, Odis-
ha, Uttarakhand,
Meghalaya, Nagaland,
Lakshadweep, Ladakh,
Sikkim, Manipur, Mizo-
ram, Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, Tripu-
ra, Arunachal Pradesh
and Daman and Diu,
have not reported any
Covid death in the last
24 hours.
India as on Thursday
,
has reported 12,923 new
infections and 108 more
deaths from novel coro-
navirus. The case tally
has mounted to
1,08,71,294 while the
Covid-19 death toll in
the country has in-
creased to 1,55,360, the
data by the Health Min-
istry showed.
RT-PCR test must for Maharashtra
bound travelers from Kerala
Mumbai: The Maha-
rashtra government
has made RT-PCR test
mandatory for travel-
ers from Kerala, which
has been reporting a
high number of COV-
ID-19 cases, to check
the spread of the viral
infection in the west-
ern state. Kerala’s ac-
tive cases touched
64,390 on Wednesday,
the highest in the
country
. The southern
state also reported
5,980 fresh COVID-19
cases on Wednesday
.
New Delhi: DMK
member Dayanidhi
Maran said that PM
Modi should take a
COVID vaccine shot in
public as such a move
will give confidence to
people since many are
not trusting the vac-
cine. Participating in
the discussion on Un-
ion Budget 2021-22 in
Lok Sabha, he said
that apart from PM,
President, home min-
ister defence minis-
ter should take vac-
cine shots in public.
PM should take vax in public, it will
give confidence to people: DMK Leader
BJP values consensus,
doesn’t believe in political
untouchability: PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi as-
serted today that the
BJP does not believe in
political untouchabili-
ty and values consen-
sus in running the
country, as he noted
that his government
has bestowed state hon-
ours on even the ruling
party’s political rivals
to acknowledge their
service to the nation.
Addressing Bharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP)
MPs at an event to mark
the 53rd death anniver-
sary of Deendayal
Upadhyay, a party ideo-
logue who had founded
its progenitor Jana
Sangh, PM Modi said
the party always puts
“rashtraneeti” (nation)
above “rajneeti” (poli-
tics) and gives respect to
even its political rivals.
In this context, he
said the current govern-
ment has honoured for-
mer president and Con-
gress stalwart Pranab
Mukherjee with Bharat
Ratna and noted that
Padma awards were
given to former Assam
chief minister Tarun
Gogoi and former Naga-
land chief minister SC
Jamir, both from the
grand old party
.
PM Modi noted that
he had said in Parlia-
ment that a government
may run with majority
but the nation runs
with consensus. —ANI
PM Narendra Modi on the occasion of 53rd Death Anniversary of Pt.
Deen Dayal Upadhyay in New Delhi on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Petrol, diesel prices hiked for third
successive day, scale new highs
New Delhi: With the
petrol and diesel prices
surging to new highs on
Thursday
, people across
cities have raised the
demand to the govern-
ment to find out ways to
reduce the prices.
“There is 70 per cent
tax on petrol and diesel
in the form of cess, ex-
cise, and value-added
tax (VAT). I urge govt to
reduce excise duty on
petrol, diesel and also
reduce some VAT to
make diesel and petrol
prices reduce according
to the budget of the
common person. Sales
of petrol and diesel are
also affected due to
price increase. The gov-
ernment should bring
petrol and diesel under
GST (Goods and Ser-
vices Tax) so that the
prices will be under
control,” said All India
Petroleum Dealers As-
sociation President
Ajay Bansal in Noida.
Petrol price close to Rs
88-mark in Delhi, Diesel
near Rs 85-level in Mum
New Delhi: Petrol
price in the national
capital closed in on re-
cord 88 per litre mark
while diesel neared Rs
85 in Mumbai after
rates across the country
were hiked for the third
day in a row.
Petrol price was in-
creased by 25 paise per
litre and diesel by 30
paise a litre, according
to a price notification
of state-owned fuel re-
tailers.
Women helpline received 2.47
lakh calls during Lockdown: Govt
P Chidambaram slams budget as
‘for the rich, of the rich, by the rich’
New Delhi: The Con-
gress tore into the gov-
ernment in the Rajya
Sabha for presenting a
“disappointing” budg-
et, with former Finance
Minister P Chidambar-
am describing it as a
“budget for the rich, of
the rich by the rich”
that is meant for only
“1% of India’s popula-
tion that controls 73%
of country’s wealth”.
The Congress leader
lashed out at the ruling
dispensation, charging
it with “incompetent
economic manage-
ment”. Mr Chidambar-
am claimed, “The sub-
text is, this is a budget
for the rich, of the rich
and by the rich.... There
is nothing for the poor
people of India, who
continue to suffer....
This is a budget for
those 1% who control
73% of India’s wealth.”
New Delhi: Over 2.47
lakh phone calls were
registered by the gov-
ernment’s women hel-
pline from April to June
last year when the coun-
try was under lockdown
due to the coronavirus
pandemic, the Women
and Child Development
Ministry said on Thurs-
day
.
From March 25, 2020,
till May 31, 2020, the
country was under
complete lockdown due
to COVID-19, and the
unlock procedure was
started from June 2020.
In a written response
to a question in Rajya
Sabha, Women and
Child Development
Minister Smriti Irani
said the scheme of
‘’Universalisation of
Women Helpline
(WHL)’’ through toll-
free number 181 is op-
erational in 33 states
and Union Territories.
“As per the informa-
tion received from
states/UTs, during the
period between April
2020 to June 2020, over
2.47 lakh calls were reg-
istered in WHLs,” she
said.
The helpline aims to
provide emergency and
non-emergency referral
information service
to women affected by
violence and in distress.
The WHLs work in
coordination with the
One-Stop Centres
(OSC) established in
700 districts across the
country.
Prevent BJP
from coming to
power: Mamata
West Bengal: The West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee on
Thursday urged people
not to allow the BJP to
come to power in West
Bengal and let the state
live in peace. Banerjee,
also the Trinamool
Congress supremo,
claimed that her party
will continue to rule
the state.
“Let Bengal live in
peace. The BJP should
not be allowed to come
to power in the state. I
appeal to all to protect
the honour of Bengal,”
she said at an event in
Kolkata
New Delhi: The Cen-
tral government has
conveyed to Twitter of-
ficials that the manner
in which the social me-
dia giant officially al-
lows fake, unverified,
and automated bot ac-
counts to be operated on
its platform, raises
doubts about its com-
mitment to transparen-
cy and healthy conver-
sation on the platform.
The Ministry of Elec-
tronics and Informa-
tion Technology in a
press release revealed
that the Ministry’s Sec-
retary, in a virtual in-
teraction with Twitter
officials, expressed his
deep disappointment to
Twitter leadership
about the manner in
which it has unwilling-
ly, grudgingly and with
great delay complied
with the substantial
parts of the order.
Centre raises concern over
Twitter’s unverified information
588 CBI cases
pending for
investigation
New Delhi: 588 regular
cases were pending in-
vestigation for over a
year by CBI as on De-
cember 31, 2020. “As on
31.12.2019, CBI had 711
numberof regularcases
pending investigation
for over a year; whereas,
the figure of such cases
as on 31.12.2020 was
588,” Minister of State
for Personnel Jitendra
Singh said. —ANI
—PHOTO
BY
ANI

TALKING POINT
07
WILLIAM PARTLETT
Associate Professor, University of Melbourne
SOURCE: THECONVERSATION.COM
‘THE BERLIN PATIENT’
By jailing Alexei
Navalny, the
Kremlin may
turn him into an
even more potent
opposition
symbol
R
ussian opposition activist Alexei
Navalny was recently sentenced to two
years, eight months in a prison colony
for violating the probation terms of a
suspended sentence on a 2014 conviction,
which he claims was politically motivated.
This comes on the heels of a second
weekend of unauthorized protests in which
thousands of Russians took to the streets in
support of Navalny.
This is an important moment for Russia.
Now that Navalny faces a lengthy prison term,
he could become a potent symbol of a lawless
regime that is afraid of its people—and further
energize the opposition.
To counter this, the Kremlin will seek to
paint Navalny as a dangerous symbol of West-
ern meddling in Russian politics.
The success of these competing messages
will play a critical role in determining whether
the opposition will be able to maintain its
momentum moving forward.
For many years,
Russia has been
an unusual place for
opposition politics.
Despite dominating
the messaging on tra-
ditional TV and
(most) print media,
the Kremlin has al-
lowed a degree of free
speech online. Naval-
ny has taken advan-
tage of this freedom,
exposing high-level
corruption first as a
blogger and now as
head of Russia’s lead-
ing anti-corruption
organization.
He and his team
have produced volu-
minous reports and
slickly produced vi-
ral videos detailing
corruption at the
highest levels of Rus-
sian politics. These
videos have generat-
ed millions of clicks.
But last year it ap-
peared this uneasy
truce between the
Kremlin and its on-
line opponents was
breaking down. Pu-
tin’s approval ratings
fell to historic lows
amid a stagnating
economy and the gov-
ernment’s dysfunc-
tional response to
COVID-19.
In response, the
Kremlin launched a
large, stage-managed
constitutionalreform
process aimed at pro-
jecting the image of
strongman govern-
ance as the only way
to avoid growing
threats from a hostile
Europe and United
States.
In addition, the
Kremlin has ramped
up its targeting of
government critics
and human rights
groups by pushing its
claims they are “for-
eign agents” and re-
stricting their opera-
tions. Navalny and
his Anti-Corruption
Foundation have also
faced growing har-
assment.
Then, in August,
Navalny was poi-
soned while visiting
regional Russia to
promote his “smart
voting” system,
which helps Russians
vote tactically for op-
position candidates,
depriving the ruling
United Russia party
of votes and weaken-
ing its monopoly on
power.
Perhaps anticipat-
ing his arrest after
returning from Rus-
sia from his convales-
cence in Germany,
Navalny personally
appeared on YouTube
describing a highly
detailed report of a
US$1.3 billion dollar
palace allegedly built
for Putin on the Black
Sea.
This video has now
been viewed more
than 100 million
times and has trans-
formed the palace’s
700-euro toilet brush-
es—four times the
average monthly pen-
sioninRussia—intoa
symbol of the pro-
tests.
With Navalny now
facing a lengthy
prison time, two com-
peting narratives are
likely to emerge.
The government
will seek to downplay
his symbolic impor-
tance. For his part, Pu-
tin still refuses to call
Navalny by name and
has recently referred
to him as “the Berlin
patient”.
And to the extent the
official state media do
mention Navalny, the
Kremlin has increas-
ingly tried to charac-
terize him as a West-
ern agent intent on
weakening Russia and
unleashing revolution-
ary chaos.
This image of Nav-
alny fits with the
Kremlin’s overall nar-
rative that Russia is
under threat from a
hostile West seeking to
undermine its stable
development. This
message has ironically
been strengthened by
European Union and
US threats to impose
additional sanctions
on Russia for jailing
Navalny
.
The long-term suc-
cess of this narrative
in Russia, however, re-
mains unclear. In con-
trast with Europe and
the US, where Navalny
is rapidly assuming
the unambiguous sta-
tus of “oppressed Rus-
sian dissident”, Rus-
sians have mixed
views on Navalny.
Many are uncertain
whether they would
vote for him if he could
run for president. Oth-
ers worry about his
nationalist back-
ground.
But the protests sug-
gest Navalny could
come to symbolize
something far more
problematic for the
Kremlin.
His jailing could gal-
vanize Russians who
want a form of politics
no longer character-
ized by post-imperial
nostalgia and a para-
noid, siege mentality
that constantly fears
Western interference.
Instead, they want to
live in a country fo-
cused on building bet-
ter schools, infrastruc-
ture and health care.
The protests show
this narrative is par-
ticularly popular
among young people,
who ignore state me-
dia and instead get
their news from social
media posts that com-
bine dark humour
with criticism of the
regime.
Some of these vide-
os have sampled songs
by activist musicians,
such as IC3Peak’s
Death No More, which
mixes hard-core elec-
tronica and images of
the singers pouring
kerosene on them-
selves in front of gov-
ernment buildings and
eating raw meat out-
side Vladimir Lenin’s
tomb.
Further, the recent
protests show this nar-
rative is also gaining
traction in regional
cities in Siberia and
the Far East, which
have suffered from the
Putin regime’s central-
ization of power and
money in Moscow over
the last 20 years.
Finally, this narra-
tive is popular among
women. Navalny’s or-
ganization is cultivat-
ing a new generation
of female leaders and
supporters, many of
whom want to break
away from the macho,
strongman politics of
the Putin era.
As Navalny (and
many of his team) sit
in jail, he is a reminder
of the hypocrisy of
many of the Russian
political elite, who
claim to be protecting
Russian sovereignty,
but own vast amounts
of property in Europe.
If the Kremlin su
ccessfully paints
Navalny as a for-
eignagentwhowill
only bring instabil-
ity to Russia, the
jailed activist may
retreat from public
view.If hedoes,the
opposition will
once again fail to
placeseriouspoliti-
cal pressure on the
Kremlin.
But if Navalny
comestosymbolize
unjust oppression
in the face of an in-
creasinglycorrupt,
unaccountableand
incompetent politi-
cal elite, popular
pressure will only
increase on the
Russian govern-
ment.
It could take
yearsforthisnarra-
tivetogathersteam.
But if it does, Nav-
alny will likely be
correct when he
stated in a recent
court hearing,
right now brute
forceisonthestate’s
side, but that will
not last forever
.
A GROWING CRACKDOWN
WESTERN AGENT? FUTURE
OF THE
PROTEST
Police surround protesters rallying against the jailing of opposition
leader Alexei Navalny in St. Petersburg. —Dmitri Lovetsky/AP
Tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets following
Navanly’s arrest in mid-January. —MAXIM SHIPENKOV/EPA
Voters approved constitutional changes last year
allowing Mr Putin to run for two more terms, but
Navalny called the vote illegitimate.
—Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin/Pool

Increasingly I have realised that
being a leader is all about
inspiring people so that they can
be great at whatever they do
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor, First India
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Entre-
preneurship runs in the
blood of the Gujaratis.
So when Hurun India
and IIIFL Wealth’s 20th
edition of the IIFL
Wealth Hurun India
Rich List 2020 has as
many as 60 of them in
the national list, it
doesn’t surprise. Nor is
it new that Mukesh Am-
bani sits at the top.
And the state-specific
edition, IIFL Wealth
Hurun Gujarat Rich
List 2020, has Gautam
Adani leading the
group.
What is more, the edi-
tion states that the cu-
mulative wealth of Gu-
jarat’s residents stands
stands at Rs 4,04,600
crore, which is up by
32% as against 2019.
The top 5 in the list of
Gujarat’s richest indi-
viduals, besides Gau-
tam Adani at number
one, followed by Karsan
Patel of Nirma, Pankaj
Patel of Zydus Health-
care, and Samir Su-
dhir Mehta of the Tor-
rent Group.
1. Gautam Adani
The patriarch of the
Adani family, Gautam
Adani, who heads an
A h m e d a b a d - b a s e d
multinational con-
glomerate, involved in
port development and
operation, is the sec-
ond richest man in In-
dia and the state top-
per. According to the
IIFL Wealth Hurun
Gujarat Rich List 2020,
the family recorded a
48% rise in their
wealth in a year’s time.
2. Karsanbhai Patel
Karsanbhai Patel is the
low-profile founder of
India’s most iconic de-
tergent brand, Nirma.
Before establishing
Nirma as an entity, Pa-
tel would mix deter-
gents in his backyard
and sell them door-to-
door on his bicycle.
He’s the second richest
businessman in the
state.
3. Pankaj Patel
Pharma magnate Pan-
kaj Patel, of Cadila
Healthcare, which was
co-founded by his late
father, and his family,
who are actively in-
volved in the business
have secured the third
richest spot.
4 5. Samir and
Sudhir Mehta
Brothers Sudhir and
Samir Mehta of Tor-
rent Pharmaceuticals, a
61-year-old company
founded by their late fa-
ther Uttambhai Natha-
lal Mehta, take the
fourth and fifth spots,
respectively
.
Despite Covid-19, Gujarat’s top 5 tycoons got richer
DEFYING CRISIS
3 Cong nominees cry foul,
move HC over rejected forms
Shishir Awasthi
Ahmedabad: The
Congress party in Gu-
jarat has witnessed a
veritable battle with-
in, even before decid-
ing on their contest-
ants to fight the mul-
ti-cornered elections
to the local civic body
bodies, especially in
Ahmedabad city
.
Whiletwocandidates
in the city withdrew
their nominations after
serious internal bicker-
ings, two others saw
their nominations be-
ing rejected, forcing
themtomovethecourts.
Asof now,theCongress
would be contesting on
188 out of 192 seats in
the Ahmedabad Munic-
ipal Corporation.
Inall,3Congresscan-
didates on Thursday
knocked at the doors of
the Gujarat High Court
seeking direction to
quash an order of the
election officers reject-
ing their nomination
forms.
Two candidates
from Ahmedabad,
Dinesh Parmar and
Devalben Rathod, and
one Shilpa Rana from
Bhavnagar have al-
leged that their forms
were rejected without
allowing them time to
file a written reply to
the defects raised
during the scrutiny
.
Their petition fur-
therpointedoutthatthe
loopholes that were
foundwerenotsubstan-
tial and could not be
termedasaviolationof
the provision of rule -7.
Yet,theelectionofficers
rejected their forms
withoutanyapplication
of mind.
Accordingtothepeti-
tions filed through ad-
vocate Vivek Bhamare,
the nomination of
Dinesh Parmar, who
had filed his candida-
ture from Thakkarbap-
anagar ward, was re-
jected only because the
“further affidavit with
the form was not ac-
cording to the format.”
The form of Devalben
Rathod from Sardarna-
gar ward was rejected
because the “person
nominatingherhadnot
signed the nomination
form.”
The candidature of
Bhavnagar’s Shilpaben
Rana was rejected be-
cause the mandate giv-
en to the candidate
showed her name as
“Shilpaba Jaydevsinh
Gohilinsteadof Shilpa-
ba Jaydevsinh Rana.”
All the petitioners
have prayed to quash
or grant a stay on the
orders of election of-
ficers rejecting their
nomination form.
The matter is likely to
be heard on Monday
.
UNFAIR UNJUST?
Two Ahmedabad candidates and one from Bhavnagar allege bias by the
State Election Commission for rejecting forms on ‘frivolous’ grounds

IIFL Wealth
Hurun Gu-
jarat Rich
List 2020
says the cu-
mulative
wealth of
Gujaratis
stood at Rs
4,04,600
crore, up by
32% as
against 2019
NEITHER DOWN NOR OUT!
Members of Divyang (physically challenged) Self Group taking out a bike procession
from Ahmedabad to Mount Abu as part of Ride for Road Safety starting from Riverfront in
Ahmedabad on Thursday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Where’s your mask? Youth
asks BJP MLA, lands in jail
First India Bureau
Surat : Even as the
ruling BJP candi-
dates campaigning
for the local body
polls have faced hos-
tile crowds at several
places, one youngster
who demanded to
know from Surat BJP
MLA Vinod Moradiya
why he was not wear-
ing a mask had to pay
a price.
He was beaten up by
his supporters and later
had to spend the entire
night sitting at a police
station. It happened
when the MLA from Ka-
targam was canvassing
for the candidates for
ward number 8.
He was asked uncom-
fortable questions and
then this youth grilled
him for bad roads near
their society, asserting
that they came only in
the elections. And then
he asked him why was
he not wearing a mask
when ordinary people
were being hauled by
the police for it.
Ahmedabad to have Dalit Mayor
for half term, and a woman later
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Gujarat Urban Devel-
opment and Urban
Housing Department
has announced the
schedule for reserva-
tions for the post of
Mayor in 6 municipal
corporations going to
the polls on February
21, with the post be-
ing reserved for two
candidates who will
equally split a five-
year term.
The rotation has been
announced for
Ahmedabad, Surat, Va-
dodara, Rajkot, Bhavna-
gar and Jamnagar.
A c c o r d i n g l y,
Ahmedabad will have
a mayor from the
male candidates be-
longing to the Sched-
uled Castes in the
first term and a wom-
an mayor in the next,
while Surat will have
a woman mayor in the
first two-and-a-half
years and a male gen-
eral category candi-
date in the second.
Vadodara Municipal
Corporation will first
get a male candidate
from the general cate-
gory and then a female
mayor, while Rajkot’s
first mayor will be a
male from a backward
class and later a woman
candidate.
Bhavnagar will
have a woman mayor
followed by a male
from the backward
class in the second
term. Jamnagar will
see a woman mayor in
the first half of the
term, and then a male
candidate from the
Scheduled Caste as
mayor in the second
term.
The said notification
has been issued under
the Gujarat Provincial
Municipal Corpora-
tions Act, 1949.
Cops recover 24,000 litres of crude
oil stolen from IOC’s pipeline
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In a
startling case, the
Crime Branch of
Ahmedabad rural
police on Thursday
recovered as many
as 24,000 litres of
crude oil stolen by
puncturing the Sa-
laya Mathura Pipe-
line (SMPL) project
of the Indian Oil
Corporation in
Bareja village in
Daskroi taluka.
The police arrested
Imran Yusuf of
Bhavnagar with 43
iron barrels and 70
plastic barrels con-
taining 24,860 litres of
crude oil worth Rs 4.97
lakh. Imran had
bought the stolen
crude oil from the key
accused, Ismail alias
Samir, a resident of
Danilimda in
Ahmedabad.
The theft from the
pipeline was first de-
tected on December 7,
2020, when IOC offi-
cials reported low
pressure in a pipeline
stretch of SMPL in
Bareja village of
Daskroi taluka. On in-
vestigation, the offi-
cials found a puncture
in the pipeline with a
valve attached to it
and a two-inch wide,
50-metre long pipe in-
serted from a hole
madefromtheground.
Initially police ar-
rested seven accused,
including the owners
of the farmland where
the pipeline was punc-
tured.
After the IOC offi-
cials discovered the
puncture, an audit
was done and it was
found that 35,000 litres
of crude oil was miss-
ing from the SMPL
project under IOC.
Youth (right) questioned MLA Vinod Moradiya about missing mask.
GAUTAM ADANI KARSANBHAI PATEL PANKAJ PATEL SAMIR SUDHIR MEHTA
WEALTH
` 140,200 crore
WEALTH
` 33,800 crore
WEALTH
` 33,700 crore
WEALTH
` 21,900 crore
1 2 3 4 5
SONS OF THE SOIL INDUSTRIALISTS ARE AMONG THE TOP 10
—FILE PHOTO
—FILE PHOTO
—FILE PHOTO

t’s the season of ex-
pressions and we
love to express our-
selves in our best ca-
pabilities, the love
we share with our-
selves or our beloved!
And as you move out to take
on the exciting thrill of the
day, you wonder if it would
appear a little bit cliche if
your clothes are in perfect
harmony with the season, but
who cares, as long as the diva
in you roars! You open your
wardrobe and look at the most
attractive colour that would
make people gape as you
would enter any premises.
You pick the most terrific of
all- RED!
Why is red such a perfect
colour for this occasion? Well,
red is an emotionally intense
colour, it is the colour of our
blood, strawberries and wine.
The lusciousness of this col-
our attracts us towards it. Red
is also symbolic of power,
fierceness and courage. As
often as we doubt ourselves,
if we may carry ourselves
well, flooded in this colour, all
doubts will vanish once you
step out in red.
In our country, red is often
worn by brides, it suggests
that red displays the joyful-
ness, energy and enthusiasm
of young blood. Red just not
display playfulness and bold-
ness,itisalsosymbolicof dan-
ger, which is why everywhere
in the world, the stop signal is
always exhibited in red.
That is the most exciting
thing about red, it conno-
tates many worlds in
just one assertion. Al-
most like magic. But,
what is it about red, that
makes us relate to it as if
it is the colour of love, no
matter what? Why are the
roses always red?
There is a tinge of mys-
tery attached to this col-
our. Let this mystery lead
you more and more to-
wards putting it as your
the first option as you
sway in red! It might be a
red outfit, or a red watch
or a red lipstick. Suit up in
accordance with your cur-
rent mood and paint the
town in red.
But, what if you don’t feel
like swaying in red even dur-
ing this season? Well! Love
matters more in our hearts!
We are sure that whatever
shade you might pick for to-
day, let it bring out the best
in you!
I
AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 12, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
It is the season of romance, intensity,
celebration, joy, happiness, but most
of all? Love! City First dedicates this
day to all the lovers of red!
LOVE
THE COLOUR OF
SUSHMITA AIND
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

020 brought along
several challenges
and hardships that
forced us to ‘stay
home, stay safe’.
And while we all
stayed away from
life, as we knew it, a huge
shift took place in the food
industry. We as consumers
began to pay a lot of atten-
tion to the ingredients of
our food, the origin of those
ingredients and the hones-
ty of the food sources mak-
ing food purposeful and
functional. We are leaving
behind extreme diets, un-
necessary ingredients and
all the false promises. This
consciousness in our con-
sumption has given rise to
a few key food and nutrition
trends that have a story to
tell while serving our soci-
ety and health.
IMMUNITY BOOSTING
Food is no longer limited to
providing nourishment, fla-
vour and often joy, but the
food is also tasked with the
job of boosting immunity.
‘Immunity boosting’ is the
pet slogan for the entire
food industry - be it pack-
aged food companies or
woke dieticians. Everyone
seems to be chasing immu-
nity and everyone else is
promising to have decoded
the enigma. According to a
study, more than 50% of
consumers added immu-
nity-boosting supple-
ments to their regular
life making it the top fo-
cus of the health and well-
ness industry. Will this
trend stick on much with
the release of the Covid
vaccine? Only time will
tell. But in the meanwhile
lets double up on the elder-
berry or turmeric and amla
juice shot.
MENTAL HEALTH
There was a time when
locking up grown-up adults
in the confines of a house
and getting them to do regu-
lar household tasks occu-
pied prime time on televi-
sion, but in 2020 it wasn’t
the house of any Bigg Boss
just regular folk in lock-
down. Is it any wonder that
mental health and wellbe-
ing took prime focus? A lot
of food habits changed and
continue to change. While
food and drinks alone can-
not improve mental health,
a lot of food and beverage
companies are coming out
with products that promise
better sleep and reduced
stress. Products containing
adaptogens such as CBD
(the non-psychoactive part
of the cannabis plant) are
on the rise.
VOCAL FOR LOCAL
A push from the PM and the
agenda of the UN - consum-
ers are once again valuing
local seasonal produce. The
flag bearer of the cause –
Rujuta Diwekar has people
all over the country and
parts of the world eating
bhakris for breakfast and
nachni ladoo for nashta.
Quinoa and kale have seen
a shrink in the shelf space
offered to them. Not only do
you end up eating fresher
produce that supports your
local farmer but also your
food has a smaller carbon
footprint. People now want
food with a back-story they
want to see the faces of
farmers and artisans; even
restaurants are now cre-
ating menus that boast
local fare.
CLIMITARIAN WITH
THE GOAL OF
SUSTAINABILITY
Echoing the
benefits of lo-
calism is cli-
m at e - c o n -
scious con-
sumption.
Consumers
are getting
increasing-
ly climate-
c o n s c i o u s
prefer ring
eco-friendly
packa ging,
plant-based
diets and re-
duced carbon
footprint. Cli-
mate change is
jeopardizing crop
and livestock pro-
duction, which can
be combated by
adopting a holistic
approach like agro-
ecology and climate-smart
crops. According to the UN,
by the year 2030, the world
population is said to grow
to 8.3 billion with over 820
million people going hun-
gry at our current rate,
making it crucial for this
particular trend to stick on.
PEDIATRIC NUTRITION
Children have been the pri-
mary suffers from 2020 as
an entire year of their
childhood has got robbed
away by Covid. A lack of
physical activity and pro-
longed hours of screen time
have brought about their
health challenges. Restrict-
ed physical exposure and
lack of bio-diversity have
taken a toll on their gut
health. An increased num-
ber of gastrointestinal dis-
orders have been reported
this year. Parents are shift-
ing their gaze to farm vis-
its, nature walks and desi
cows milk for their chil-
dren. There has been a re-
markable change in the
way we feed and entertain
our kids.
DITCH THE DIET!
Lastly, most people have
rightly found wisdom in
balance. People are moving
away from fad diets like
Keto, Paleo, whole-30, F-
factor and several other
scam diets that not only
leave you far more un-
healthy from where you
started but also leave your
waistline intact if not wid-
er on stopping. We are shift-
ing towards a sustainable
diet including whole, natu-
ral foods with a non-restric-
tive approach. We are look-
ing at health rather than
numbers on the weighing
scale and measuring tape.
This year has taught us a
lot. We’re seeing a trend to-
ward the pursuit of happi-
ness, strength, and vitality
over attaining impossible
standards of beauty, size
and shape. Most important
of all 2020 reminded us
what truly matters.
10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
SIMRAN AGARWAL, Assistant Professor, JNU
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Without putting some
sincere efforts you cannot
expect total fitness. By
becoming the middleman in
a business deal, you will earn a lot of
profit. Work in office may seem a bit
hectic today but this hard work will
help in getting a promotion later.
Property business is likely to flourish.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Taking up an exercise
routine will be a wise
decision. Financial worries
will soon become a thing
of the past if your efforts are
persistent. At work, your reputation
is likely to spread far and wide in a
very good way. Good news regarding
a pending property case is expected.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You need to put effort to
have a perfect body. Your
efficiency will ensure
timely submission of a
proposal and help you gain profit. If
you do a task with great interest then
success will be evident at work. Over
familiarity with the one you love can
snuff out the fires of passion.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
You have a charm to your
personality and people love
to spend time with you.
Good diet and enough
exercises keep you healthy and hearty.
You can get caught in an awkward
situation on the financial front. You are
likely to have a comparatively easier
time at work today.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
You are making all the
efforts to remain fit and
healthy today. Your
earnings will remain steady
and that will make you financially
strong. You need to change your
attitude to succeed on the profes-
sional front. Today may be a good
chance that you fall in love.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Someone may prevent you
from spending your money,
but will help you in the long
run. Give some thought
before you act impulsively in office.
Giving due respect to partner and
understanding his or her concerns will
bring you more close to your lover. You
will enjoy the time with family.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You will easily recover
from an ailment (if any)
and will be completely fit.
Don’t be late in reaching
office as it could translate into
financial loss. Praise is in store for
some on the work front.
Romantically you are likely to find
yourself on cloud nine.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
High time to mend your
ways as excess of food and
drinks is likely to affect
your health adversely. You
will manage to come out of an
awkward situation on the financial
front. Some of you might get the
opportunity to work in an ambitious
project at work.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Don’t get upset because of
minor health issues. A loan
being sanctioned will give
you much relief on the
financial front. Criticising your senior
is easy, but listening to their point of
view will be important to bring
balance in your work life. You will
come closer to love of your life.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You take good care of your
health and you will be very
active today. Time has
come to enjoy the fruits of
your sound investments. Your
colleague will be in a reciprocating
mood for all the good that you have
done for them at work. A good
investment might be possible.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You can easily win
someone’s heart with your
kindness . Some of you
will manage to earn good
money from a side business. Lover
may find some of your habits very
annoying so try to change. You will
treat a youngster in the family with
compassion despite a blunder.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You are a brave hearted
person. Giving proper
attention to your health
keeps you in good shape.
At work, you can have more on your
platter than you had bargained for.
Your love life will keep you happy as
your lover showers undivided
attention.
Bid adieu to the false
promises of food!
2
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
DEVYANI SINGH
Ayurveda, Nutrition and Holistic
Wellness Advocate
Instagram: @devyanirathore

ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021
11
REVEALING
NEW NAME
HAPPY
ANNIVERSARY!
F
irefly Lane actress Kath-
erine Heigl recently
made a bizarre revela-
tion! While promoting
her new Netflix series, the
42-year-old actress explained
that she doesn’t go by “Kather-
ine” in her personal life. While
talking to Drew Barrymore,
she said: “No one calls me
Katherine. It sounds much
more sophisticated right? Like
an adult named Katherine,”
Katherine shared on The Drew
Barrymore Show. “It helps me
separate my work from me if
that makes sense. I just had to
embrace it.” —Agency
S
anjay Dutt and
Maanayata com-
pleted 12 years of
marriage on Thurs-
day, and the actor shared a
mushy post for his wife on
Instagram to mark the occa-
sion. Dutt posted a picture
where the couple is seen twin-
ning in black. “Loved you then.
Love you even more now @
maanayata Happy anniversa-
ry,” he wrote as the caption.
—Agency
A
fter a long wait, finally,
the cast of Ek Villain Re-
turns has been made of-
ficial by director Mohit
Suri. The sequel to Shrad-
dha Kapoor, Sidharth Mal-
hotra and Riteish Desh-
mukh 2014 film stars John
Abraham, Arjun Kapoor,
Disha Patani and Tara Su-
taria in the lead roles.
However, on the announce-
ment of the release date,
both Shraddha and OG Vil-
lain Riteish reacted to the
new cast and poster on
Thursday
. —Agency
P
utting pen to paper, Ashwiny Iyer Ti-
wari dons the hat of an author for the
first time with her fiction novel,
‘Mapping Love’. She is a celebrated
Indian filmmaker who is has made ac-
claimed films like ‘Nil Battey Sannata’,
‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, ‘Panga’ to name a few.
The teaser of her first novel was re-
leased by Rupa Publications on their so-
cial media, they captioned it “We are
thrilled to share that we will be pub-
lishing award-winning, critically ac-
claimed director Ashwiny Iyer Ti-
wari’s debut novel, ‘Mapping Love’,
in May 2021. —CITY FIRST
Mapping Love
A
ctress Alia Bhatt always manages to
light up the internet with her stylish
looks. However, this time, a photo of
the Gully Boy star in a bridal look has
taken the internet by storm and well, netizens
have been wondering if her beau Ranbir Ka-
poor has seen the gorgeous look yet. The photo
was shared on social media by Celebrity Me-
hendi Artist Veena Nagda. —Agency
F
or her sis-
ter Robyn
L i v e l y ’ s
b i r t h d a y,
Gossip Girl alum Blake
Lively baked a very fancy
birthday cake and took to Insta-
gram to show off the final prod-
uct! The baked goodness was a
pink unicorn cake she made
and decorated herself. While
The Green Lantern actress,
33, had lots of comments
of appreciation on the
video from the likes of
Sharon Stone, Salma
Hayek, Rita Wilson,
Hayley Kiyoko and
more, it was valida-
tion from a certain
someone that she
wanted. —Agency
romises are
a vital part
of building
our rela-
tionships. “I
p r o m i s e ”
you may
have heard this phrase
time and time again. Re-
gardless if it’s a prom-
ise for something small
or big, it reinforces the
integrity in relation-
ships and helps you get
closer to those you love.
This day
, not only brings
in a chance to make
your loved one feel spe-
cial but also allows you
to show them how much
you care for their well-
being.
As per studies keep-
ing promises holds a lot
of emotional value and
when we break them,
there is a decline of
trust. Therefore, Prom-
ise Day in Valentine’s
week holds special sig-
nificance. City First
talked to a few people
from Rajasthan, Guja-
rat and Uttar Pradesh,
to know what they
promised to their loved
ones on this P-Day!
I Promise...
KARISHMA
GWALANI
Karishma.gwalani
@firstindia.co.in
P
I under-
stand that
Valentine
week is all
about love,
so why not
love our-
selves, our work and our
family too? This Promise
Day, I made a promise to
become more humble,
kind and respectful, to
take care of my family,
my health and focus
towards creating a better
lifestyle by working hard
in the film industry.
—RAGHAV RAWAT (RAJ)
Writer-Director
As we have
entered
the ‘new
normal’
and being
in a rela-
tionship
where both are working
professionals, I have
promised to find the
time! No matter how
hyperactive life gets,
I will always find time
to spend with the one I
love. Maybe a chocolate
muffin, at her doorstep
might exhilarate her?
—AALOK CHAUHAN (UP)
Fashion and lifestyle
influencer
I have
promised
to my part-
ner that
in every
jubilation,
in every
struggle of life, I would
be with her as she
brings out the best in
me. I also promised my
partner to never impose
my bad mood on her,
although it might seem
impossible and I might
as well fail sometimes,
but I would do my best
to keep up to my words.
—NILAY JARIWALA (GUJ)
Entrepreneur
FFL on hold
R
ihanna- the pathbreaking force that has set her
niche in beauty, fashion and entertainment in-
dustry is taking things slow! It was recently an-
nounced that the singer’s Fenty fashion line with
the French luxury group LVMH is currently on hold. The
luxury conglomerate released a statement on the deci-
sion, telling WWD, “Rihanna and LVMH have jointly
made the decision to put on hold the RTW [ready-to-wear]
activity, based in Europe, pending better conditions.”
Sources told the publication that a “skeleton staff re-
mains at the Paris headquarters of Fenty fashions to
wind down remaining operations.”
—Agency
Alia’S exquisite
BRIDAL LOOK
Earning
praises SEQUEL
Announced
Katherine Heigl
Rihanna
Maanyata and Sanjay Dutt
Blake Lively Shraddha Kapoor
...her IG story
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Veena Nagda and Alia Bhatt

First india ahmedabad edition-12 february 2021

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