First india lucknow edition-15 march 2021

Lucknow: Union
Defence Minister and
Lucknow MP Rajnath
Singh reached Luc-
know on Sunday even-
ing to inaugurate the
State Working Com-
mittee meeting at BJP
headquarters. Tweeting
about it Singh said that
he was looking forward
to this all important
meeting. CM Yogi
Adityanath would be
concluding the meeting
while this would be
the first SWC meeting
for BJP state president
Swatantra Singh.
Rajanth Singh
reaches Lko
for SWC Meet
First India Bureau
Sonbhadra: Right
through four years of
his regime, Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
YogiAdityanathshowed
his commitment to get
Vindhya region rid of
water scarcity and at
the same time ensure
development. About
half of the population
in the district of Sonb-
hadra is forest dweller
and providing them the
fruits of the govern-
ment schemes has al-
ways been top on Yogi’s
agenda.
In this sequence,
President Ram Nath Ko-
vind inaugurated the
newly constructed hos-
tel and school at Van-
vasi Kalyan Ashram on
Sunday in the presence
of CM Yogi here.
Speaking on the occa-
sion, the UP CM said
that the President
himself has already
been very active for the
development of Turn to P6
UP govt to bear expenditure of tribal kids’ edu: CM Yogi
HEALING SONBHADRA
President inaugurates school & hostel in
Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, CM lauds PM
for Covid management & gifts
Sonbhadra a new medical college
President Ram Nath Kovind & Governor Anandiben Patel being accompanied by CM Yogi Adityanath
to the dais before the event in Sonbhadra on Sunday.
CM HAILS PREZ
Didi’s Nandigram incident: EC
suspends her security chief,
DM & SP of East Midnapore
New Delhi/Kolkata:
Reacting to the injury
sustained by West Ben-
gal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee in
Nandigram, the Elec-
tion Commission, act-
ing on recommendation
of its observes, has re-
moved the DM and SP
of East Midnapore and
the senior police officer
in charge of Mamata
Banerjee’s security. EC
has also said that Ba-
nerjee was not attacked
in Nandigram.
“Vivek Sahay IPS, Di-
rector Security shall be
removed from the post
of the Director Security
and be placed under
suspension immediate-
ly
. The charges must be
framed against him
within a week for gross-
ly failing in discharge
of his primary duty as
Director Security to
protect the Z+ protect-
ee,” the Election Com-
mission said, soon after
declaring that the inci-
dent was an accident
and not an attack.
The election body
also directed the West
Bengal Chief Secretary
to find out within three
days other officers in
charge of the Chief
Minister’s security who
faulted in their duties
and take action against
them. Turn to P6
Mamata Banerjee, who has Z-Plus
security, has to travel in a bullet-proof car,
but she was not. Instead, the security in-
charge was sitting in the bullet-proof car
—Election Commission
Illegal infiltration will be thing
of past if BJP is re-elected:
Shah’s poll begul in Assam
Guwahati: Illegal infil-
tration will become a
thing of the past if the
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) comes to power
again in Assam, Union
home minister Amit
Shah said on Sunday
while addressing rallies
in the poll-bound state.
Union defence minis-
ter Rajnath Singh also
addressed three elec-
tion rallies in the state
in Biswanath, Gohpur
and Dergaon constitu-
encies which will go to
polls in the first phase
on March 27.
“People of Assam
have two options in this
election. One is a BJP-
Asom Gana Parashar
government led by
Modiji, Sarbananda and
Sarma and the other
choice is Rahul Gan-
dhi’s Congress and
(Badruddin) Ajmal’s All
India United Democrat-
ic Front. Who can work
for Assam’s good? Modi-
ji or Rahul-Ajmal?”
Shah said at Margherita
in Tinsukia district.
The Union home min-
ister said that in the
past five years, the BJP
government in Assam
has been able to put an
end to agitations and
terrorism in the state
and ensure develop-
ment in a peaceful at-
mosphere.
“Can Rahul, who has
tied up with Ajmal, put
an end to infiltration by
illegal immigrants?
Give us another five
years, and illegal immi-
gration will become a
thing of the past in As-
sam,” said Shah.
Targeting the influ-
ential tea-tribe commu-
nity in upper Assam
districts, Turn to P6
Kolkata: The BJP on
Sunday released its list
of candidates for the
third and fourth phases
of the West Bengal As-
sembly elections, field-
ing several sitting MPs
and TMC turncoats.
Names in the list in-
clude Union minister
Babul Supriyo; BJP
MPs Locket Chatterjee,
Nisith Pramanik and
Swapan Dasgupta; and
former TMC leaders Ra-
jib Banerjee, Ra-
bindranath Bhattacha-
rya, Prabir Ghoshal
and Dipak Haldar. The
BJP has also fielded
popular Bengali actors
Yash Dasgupta, Payel
Sarkar and Tanushree
Chakraborty, who re-
cently joined the party
.
BJP national general
secretary Arun Singh
announced names of
the party’s candidates
in 27 seats Turn to P6
Kolkata: West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee
was on Sunday back
on the campaign
trail, participating
in a Kolkata rally
on a wheelchair.
“Nihoto bagher theke
ahoto bagh onek
beshi bhoyonkor (a
wounded tiger is
far more dangerous
than a murdered
tiger),” Banerjee said,
asserting she would
“never bow down to a
conspiracy.” With her
leg in a cast, Banerjee
came out from her
home at Kalighat and
went to Gandhi Statue
at Mayo Road crossing
of Kolkata, from where
TMC announced a rally
on Nandigram Martyr
Day. On this day at
Nandigram in 2007,
Turn to P6
‘Never bow
down to a
conspiracy’
LUCKNOW l MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 121
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD
& LUCKNOW
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CM Mamata was
not attacked in
Nandigram: EC
Home Minister later held a massive roadshow in Bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a rally
while sitting on a wheelchair to observe Nandigram Diwas, at
Hazra Crossing in Kolkata on Sunday. —PHOTO BY PTI
BJP Bengal
list includes
Babul, several
sitting MPs
BJP MP Locket Chatterjee will
run from Chinsurah in Hooghly.
Union Home
Minister Amit Shah
with Tollywood actor
and party candidate
for Kharagpur seat
Hiran Chatterjee,
during a rally
at Kharagpur in
Paschim Medinipur
district on Sunday.
‘WOUNDED TIGRESS IS MORE AGGRESSIVE’
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
along with TMC leaders and supporters
during a rally on Nandigram Diwas, in
Kolkata on Sunday. —PHOTO BY PTI

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021
02
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First India Bureau
Mirzapur: The Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath on
Sunday named the of
black rice grown in
Vindhyachal as ‘Vind-
hya Black Rice’ at an
event organised at
Ashtabhuja Inspection
Home, Mirzapur.
The black rice culti-
vation is being under-
taken by farmers in
support with Agricul-
ture department.
District Magistrate,
Mirzapur informed the
UP Chief Minister
about the medicinal
value of black rice and
said that it was one of
varieties of rice.
He said that black
rice was normally
sold from Rs 200 to Rs
500 per kilogram and
was presently being
cultivated in 8 devel-
opment blocks of
Mirzapur district
which include Naray-
anpur, Jamalpur,
Chanbe, Rajgarh, Pa-
hari, Lalganj, City
and Halia.
The DM further in-
formed the UP chief
minister that eating
black rice provided pro-
tection against cancer
owing to its antioxidant
properties. He said that
black rice was also ben-
eficial for patients of
diabetes as it helped in
reducing the level of
glucose in blood.
Additionally
, it is also
beneficial for asthma,
blood pressure as black
rice had abundant pres-
ence of zinc, phospho-
rus, iron, protein, fiber,
carbohydrates in it.
Black rice can be con-
sumed just like any
other white rice in com-
bination with any veg-
etable besides it could
also be consumed in the
form of salad or soup.
Meanwhile Chief De-
velopment Officer, Mir-
zapur Avinash Singh
presented the Dragon
Fruit to the UP chief
minister and apprised
him about its character-
istics.
Minister of State for
Energy Rama Shankar
Singh Patel, MP Anu-
priya Patel and other
public representatives
and senior officials
were also present there.
CM Yogi launches brand ‘Vindhya Black rice’
‘RICE’ TO THE OCCASSION
Minister of State for Energy Rama Shankar Singh Patel, MP Anupriya Patel with Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath at the event where Black Rice of Vindhyachal was named as ‘Vindhya Black Rice’.
The President emphasises on the number of programmes run by the Centre, State for ‘vanvaasis’ over all development
TRIBAL COMMUNITY, FOREST DWELLER
AREAS HOME TO INDIA’S SOUL: KOVIND
First India Bureau
Sonbhadra: President
Ram Nath Kovind on
Sunday said that devel-
opment of tribal com-
munity and forest
dwellers play an im-
portant part in
growth of the nation.
He was addressing a
gathering after the in-
auguration of the new-
ly-constructed school
and hostel building of
Seva Kunj Ashram run
by Seva Samarpan San-
sthan in Chapki.
“The vanvaasis (for-
est dwellers) extended
great assistance to lord
Rama’s victory over Ra-
vana. In the same way,
if the country has to
move ahead, then the
forest dwellers’ commu-
nity has to brought for-
ward,” Kovind said.
Kovind empha-
sised that Sonbhadra
shares borders with
four states, and hence
schools and hostels
here will benefit stu-
dents of the forest
dwellers’ community
of UP and borders of
adjoining states.
“The India’s soul re-
sides in tribal areas.To
get introduced to this
culture,apersonshould
spend some time in dis-
tricts like Sonbhadra,”
he said.
Kovind also said that
for him the vanvaasi
area is like a pilgrim-
age place, and encour-
aged forest dwellers
here can play a promi-
nent role in making the
nation proud.
Laying stress on the
development of back-
ward castes, Dalits,
tribals and forest dwell-
ers, he asked Governor
Anandiben Patel and
CM Yogi to co-ordinate
with the Centre, and
contribute in over all
development of the for-
est dwellers.
The President fur-
ther added, “The holis-
tic development of na-
tion is incomplete with-
out tribals’ develop-
ment. The Centre and
the state governments
are running a number
of programmes for the
same. Talented people
from the forest dweller’’
community have many
a times made the nation
proud.”
The President said
that ito preserve memo-
ries of great personali-
ties, folk art and songs.
Governor Anandiben
Patel and Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath
were also present on the
occasion.
Yogi Speaks
Yogi Speaks
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath said
that two districts
of Vindhya region,
Mirzapur and Sonb-
hadra, used to face
water problem every
year from January to
July. Water scarcity
has now been elimi-
nated through from the
Prime Minister’s Jal
Jeevan scheme. “Pure
drinking water is being
provided to the people
here while by the end
of the year, drinking
water will be available
in all the villages of
the Vindhya region,”
he said.While large
scale loans have been
disperse to MSMEs
in the state, the
new investors have
invested around Two
lakh crore rupees in
different projects.
The CM, interacted
with a tribal girl
who told him that after
intermediate, she is
unable to study further.
The CM instructed
the administration to
get her admitted in
the same district, if
possible, otherwise in
Varanasi or Lucknow.
The President, CM fete people at the inaugural event of the newly-constructed school and hostel building of Seva Kunj Ashram. CM Yogi addressing the gathering at Sonbhadra
President Kovind inaugurating the newly constructed building of Seva Kunj Ashram with First Lady
of India Savita Kovind and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Foundation stone mentioning inauguration of ‘Antyoday Hostel, as the President, accompanied by
Governor Anandiben Patel, CM Yogi Adityanath speaks his mind out.
Rs 2L insurance,
after compulsory
ITI training course
Moderate
AQI in Gzb
First India Bureau
Ghaziabad: The air
quality was in the
“moderate” category
across Ghaziabad, Noi-
da, Greater Noida, Gur-
gaon and Faridabad,
according to a govern-
ment agency on Sunday
.
Pollutants PM 2.5 and
PM 10 remained high in
air of the five immedi-
ate neighbours of Del-
hi, according to the air
quality index (AQI)
data.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: For pro-
moting skill develop-
ment, now Industrial
Training Institute
(ITI) will arrange
compulsory 15-day
training for students
in manufacturing
units of MSME with-
out which the course
will not be complet-
ed.
During the train-
ing, Rs 2 lakh in-
surance cover
would be provided
to students.
The Government
ITI will bear the re-
sponsibility of train-
ing of students as
training in indus-
tries will provide stu-
dents a close watch
of industrial proce-
dures.
The skill develop-
ment training would
be provided to ITI
students across the
state in industrial
units attached to mi-
cro, small and medi-
um industries. Pres-
ently in Uttar
Pradesh a total of 305
Industrial Training
Institute are func-
tional wherein a total
of 1.72 lakh students
are enrolled in vari-
ous courses.
Managing Direc-
tor, Kaushal Vikas
Kumal Shilku said
that although the
Government Indus-
trial Training Insti-
tutes did provide
training to its stu-
dents but providing a
compulsory 15-day
training to ITI stu-
dents would help stu-
dents get a first hand
feel of industrial pro-
cesses which would
prove beneficial.
—REPRESENTATIVE PICTURE.
ODOP Spl: Week-long readymade garment
exhibition to start in Gorakhpur from today
First India Bureau
Gorakhpur: Gorakh-
pur is going to move one
step forward in becom-
ing a hub for ready-
made garments sector
from today with a week-
long exhibition of lo-
cally made readymade
garments.
The exhibition would
witness, local entrepre-
neurs getting trained
by the Union Ministry
of Textiles on new
methods of production,
design, and export pos-
sibilities. Anyone inter-
ested in setting up units
in readymade garments
field will be able to get
all related information
including subsidized
loans.
Gorakhpur which
used to be famous for its
handloom products in
the nineties had lost its
sheen due to the igno-
rance of the govern-
ments and migration of
artisans to Delhi, Surat
and Ludhiana to work
in readymade garment
factories. CM Yogi Adi-
tyanath has been ever
since his stint as MP of
Gorakhpur from 1998 to
2017 has been vocal for
the development of
Handloom weavers in
the state. After coming
to power in 2017, in a
major boost to the in-
dustry CM Yogi includ-
ed Readymade Gar-
ments in the One Dis-
trict One Product
(ODOP) scheme of
Gorakhpur along with
Terracotta.
The President and The First Lady visited Vindhyavasini temple in
Mirzapur district with CM Yogi Adityanath on Sunday.

UTTAR PRADESH
03
FIVE OF ROBBERS’
GANG HELD WITH
ARMS,CANNABIS
FIR AGAINST TWO FOR RAPING
WOMAN WHILE GIVING HER LIFT
TWO HELD IN MULTI-CRORE FRAUD IN
CONSUMER GOODS TRADE
Aligarh: The police filed an FIR against two ac-
cused of allegedly raping a woman in Aligarh dis-
trict.AccordingtoMunirajG,seniorsuperintendent
of police(SSP)Aligarh,themen,whowereacquaint-
ed with the woman offered her a lift to her home
when she was mistakenly left behind while she was
carrying‘kanwar’withherhusbandinHarduaganj.
Police teams have been formed to nab the accused.
Noida: The Noida Police on Sunday said it had ar-
rested two more people in connection with a fraud
worth crores in which a consumer goods import-
export company duped thousands of people across
the country
. The case pertains to a con in which
some people had formed an import-export com-
pany
, which bought consumer goods like dry fruits,
spices, lentils, rice, oil from dealers but didn’t clear
the payments, DCP Ranvijay Singh said.
Noida: With the ar-
rest of five people, the
Noida Police on Sun-
day claimed to have
busted an inter-state
gang that robbed peo-
ple in NCR after offer-
ing them a lift in their
car. The police recov-
ered firearms and
knives besides five kg
cannabisfromthecar
used by the gang,
Addl Deputy Com-
missioner of Police
Ranvijay Singh said.
The gang has con-
fessed to being in-
volved in two dozen
such cases.
CRIME ROUND UP
WELCOME!
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh being greeted by Uttar Pradesh Law Minister Brajesh
Pathak as the former reached Lucknow on Sunday evening to take part in the BJP State
Working Committee meeting scheduled on Monday.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Mohammed
Rashid, the training
commander of Popular
Front of India (PFI),
has been arrested from
Janpad Basti in Uttar
Pradesh’s Siddharthna-
gar district, said the
state Special Task
Force (STF) on Sunday.
According to a state-
ment released by the
STF, it had received in-
formation a few days
ago that some members
of the PFI were hatch-
ing a criminal conspir-
acy and had formed a
terrorist group to exe-
cute it.
The statement also
said that PFI was plan-
ning to carry out at-
tacks at various impor-
tant places and senior
functionaries of major
Hindu organisations
across Uttar Pradesh.
The STF, in its state-
ment, mentioned that
on March 11, 2021, it
received information
that the accused would
be travelling to Mum-
bai from Janpad Basti
by train, however, he
could not be located.
On Sunday, an input
was received that
Rashid was present in
Janpad Basti and was
planning to flee to
Mumbai late in the
night to participate in a
meeting/training ses-
sion, said the STF.
Acting on the infor-
mation, the joint teams
of STF Gorakhpur and
Lucknow flung into
action and nabbed the
accused from Janbad
Basti on Sunday, said
the STF.
The STF also said
that during interroga-
tion, the accused stated
that PFI used to brain-
wash the youth, pro-
vide them with arms
and train them to carry
out attacks at planned
locations.
Based on the above
information, a first in-
formation report (FIR)
was lodged against the
accused at the Shohrat-
garh Police Station of
Uttar Pradesh’s Sid-
dharthnagar district
under Sections 12A,
420, 467, 468, 471 and
12B and further inves-
tigations are under-
way.
First India Bureau
Mirzapur: In what can
be termed as a major
breach in security just
before the arrival of
President Ram Nath Ko-
vind in Mirzapur, three
blood-soaked bodies of
youths were recovered
from the Varanasi-Mir-
zapur highway here on
Sunday morning.
It is apprehended that
the three were killed
elsewhereandthebodies
weredumpedontheside
of the road afterwards.
The incident is from
Nandupur village in the
Chunar police station
area located on the Mir-
zapur-Varanasi border.
The bodies have been
sent for post-mortem.
Also, further investiga-
tion has been started.
According to the po-
lice, the bodies were
foundontheroadsideon
Sunday morning near
the village of Nandupur
Rudauli. After killing
the three youths, the
dead bodies had been
thrown along the State
highway-74, as local peo-
ple reported the inci-
dent.
One of the deceased
youth has been identi-
fied as Raj Kumar Yadav
of Godari village of
Karakat police station
area of Rohtas district
in Bihar.
Later, brother of Raj
Kumar disclosed to the
police that his brother
was travelling in an
SUV with one Pintu and
Om. The other two
youths could be Pintu
and Om.
Janardan Misra
Lucknow: Son of BJP
MP Kaushal Kishore,
Ayush reached Madiya-
on police station to re-
cord his statement in
the matter of conspira-
cy in firing on him.
Ayush said his wife
and her brother Adarsh
planned the attack on
him. He said his friend
Chandan Gupta provid-
ed weapons and his
brother-in-law Adarsh
shot at him.
Inspector in-charge
Manoj Singh said Ayush
was interrogated for
over two hours. Chan-
dan will also be interro-
gated, he confirmed.
On March 3, Ayush
accused some rivals of
opening fire on him.
When police investigat-
ed the matter, it was re-
vealed that his brother-
in-law Adarsh had fired
on him with his consent
totraphisrivals.Adarsh
was arrested after that
and Ayush escaped from
the trauma centre.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath be-
lieves that better the in-
frastructure and con-
nectivity
, the greater the
possibility for invest-
ment and employment
opportunities. Follow-
ing the same belief he
has got the proposal for
D e l h i - G h a z i a b a d -
Meerut RRTS (Regional
Rapid Transit System)
corridor project ap-
proved by the Centre.
Theambitiousproject
has now finally got its
shape and the primary
section of the corridor
will be operational from
year 2023. The CM has
informed NITI Aayog
that in the year 2023 the
people of Meerut and
Delhi will find it easier
to commute due to the
project.
The Regional Rapid
Transit System (RRTS)
is the first of its kind
project to be implement-
ed in India. In 2017, the
CM with his foresight-
edness for increasing
mobility in NCR region
got the Del-Ghaziabad-
Meerut RRTS Corridor
project approved by the
Cabinet. The proposal
was then forwarded to
theCentralGovernment
in March 2019 and the
foundation stone for the
project was laid by PM
Modi on March 8, 2019.
TheCentrehasidenti-
fied eight corridors to
connect the major re-
gional centres of the
country with RRTS. Of
these the 82-km Delhi-
Ghaziabad-Meer ut
RRTS corridor is one of
the three priority RRTS
corridors which will be
constructed in phase 1.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Depart-
ment of Physics, Luc-
know University
, is or-
ganisingatwo-dayInter-
national Conference on
Diverse Emerging Mate-
rials and their Applica-
tions on the occasion of
birthday of Albert Ein-
stein. The conference
included more than 170
participants from vari-
ous national and foreign
varsities.
Poonam Tandon,
Head, Physics Depart-
mentandchairpersonof
the conference said on
Sunday’sbrainstorming
sessions speakers pre-
sented their recent re-
search papers. In the
KeynoteAddress,Praful-
la Kumar Jha from MS
University Baroda em-
phasisedvariousaspects
of thermoelectric mate-
rials and their usage in
conversion waste dissi-
pated thermal energy
into electrical energy
.
AK Rai from University
of Allahabad described
his indigenously made
laser induced break-
down spectroscopy set
up which was used in
Chandrayan-2 mission
to trace the geological
conditions and also
about the use of LIBS in
theidentificationof fake
medicine and adultera-
tion of milk, tracing out
the various undesirous
chemical elements pre-
sent in turmeric powder.
RN Rai from BHU nar-
rated about the single
crystal growth of vari-
ous nonlinear materials
for nonlinear optical de-
vices and terahertz gen-
eration of waves.
Tejender Thakur from
Central Drug Research
Institute - CSIR threw
light on single and mul-
ticomponent solid mate-
rialsforpharmaceutical
applications.
First India Bureau
Noida: Renuka Ku-
mar, Additional
Chief Secretary
(ACS) Basic Educa-
tion and Revenue,
has gone on a long
leave.
This has paved the
way for Sanjeev Mittal
to stage a comeback af-
ter he was removed
from the position of
ACS Finance.
Mittal, who is ACS,
Trade Tax, has now
been given additional
charge of two heavy
weight departments.
Mittal has been given
additional charge of
Basic Education and
IDC, which was with
the Chief Secretary
earlier.
ACS Labour Suresh
Chandra has been giv-
en additional charge
of Revenue depart-
ment which was earli-
erwithRenukaKumar.
PFI’strainingcommander,
on escaperoute,nabbed
STF Gkp, Lko joint teams swung into action to catch accused Rashid
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The UP
Electricity Regulatory
Commission (UPERC)
has raised objections
over annual revenue re-
quirement (ARR) pro-
posal and has returned
it to the UP Power Cor-
poration Ltd (UPPCL)
saying that revised
plan could be submit-
ted in next ten days.
Through the ARR the
corporation-controlled
power companies had
planned to raise the
rate of electricity. UP-
ERC told UPPCL that
its plan had several de-
ficiencies which re-
quired to be rectified.
The ERC said the pro-
posal was not as per the
business plan of the
power companies and
hasthusamendmentsin
the proposal required to
match with the business
plan. The commission
has also asked the UPP-
CL to submit a report on
the status of number of
energy meters install so
far at the premises of
the corporation staff
andpensioners. Accord-
ing to information the
corporation had filed
ARR for 2021-22, annual
performance review
(APR) for 2020-21 and
True Up for 2019-20 on
February 22 for revision
of ARR for next finan-
cial year. “We have
found all the petitions,
especially the ARR, to
be full of shortcoming
or lacking necessary
data and have asked the
UPPLC to come with re-
vised petitions in next
10 days,” a UPERC offi-
cial said.
UP Rajya Vidyut Upb-
hokta Parishad chair-
man Avadhesh Kumar
Verma said that he
pointed out shortcom-
ing in the ARR the same
day the UPPCL filed it.
“The UPERC must not
accept the ARR, APR
and the True Up till they
are based on correct
data and must reject the
proposal for change in
the tariff slabs,” he de-
manded. Verma said he
had drawn the attention
of ERC chairman RP
Singh and other mem-
bers about the anoma-
lies and pressed for re-
jection of the plan.
Verma further said
the ARR was violation
of the business plan
which was contempt of
the ERC.
Regulatory body raises objections over UPPCL revenue requirement
UPERC told UPPCL that its plan had several
deficiencies which required to be rectified
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
Mohd Rashid in police custody on Sunday.
Local residents helping the police identify one of the deceased.
—FILE PHOTO
ANTI-NATIONAL
MATERIAL FOUND
Just before Prez visit, three bodies
found in pool of blood on highway
ACS goes on
long leave,
others given
charge
Ayush records statement, says
wife, her brother planned attack
Del-Gzb-Meerut corridor
to operate from 2023
Scholars present papers at LU int’l conference
Professors PK Jha and Poonam
Tandon inaugurating the event
—FILE
PHOTO

l Vol 1 l Issue No. 121 l RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Amar Ujala Ltd. B-5 Amausi Industrial Area Kanpur Road Lucknow.
Published at 98, Friend’’s Colony, Raheem Nagar, Dudouli Road, Madiyaon, Lucknow (UP). Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
A REGRESSIVE JOB
QUOTA POLICY
TWO DAMNING
REPORTS ON INDIA
here’s a new trend of state governments
allocating quota in private sector jobs
for their local population. The idea not
only promotes regionalism but is also
against federalism. It also seeks to seal
its borders to a rich pool of talent and force private
companies to settle for the not-so-good local hands.
This policy should be a two-way street. If the Hary-
ana government has decided to allow private com-
panies to hire only 25 per cent of staff from outside
Haryana, the state government should simultane-
ously ensure that only 25 per cent of its talent pool
goes looking for jobs in other states! Why should
they be cutting into the job prospects of youth of
other states? Governments with closed minds and
those bent on regional biases don’t look beyond
votes, although recent history shows that the move
usually backfires. Look at the Maharashtra Navnir-
man Sena chief Raj Thackeray
. He led a vicious
campaign against north Indians, mainly attacking
auto and taxi drivers who, along with the local
trains, form the backbone of Mumbai’s commute
system.WhereisRajThackeraytoday?Perhapsbid-
ing time and pondering over his next move. In 2019,
Kamal Nath also fixed a 70 per cent job quota for
Madhya Pradesh’s local talent pool. There’s no data
of how many youths were benefited by this policy
but the fate which Kamala Nath met is now known
to all. Keeping doors wide open for talent is always
beneficial as they contribute towards a state’s de-
velopment. Imagine a world where talent is con-
fined to a state’s or a country’s boundaries!
wo recent reports have said against In-
dia what is only heard in murmurs here
for fear of arrest or unnecessary har-
assment at the hands of State authori-
ties. With its growing assertiveness in
the world, the government may brush aside the
criticism but it does damage its image as a demo-
cratic country. A few days back Sweden’s V-Dem
Institute described India as an “electoral autocra-
cy” which is as autocratic as Pakistan, and worse
than Bangladesh and Nepal. The report, “Autocra-
tization Turns Viral” claimed that “most of the
decline occurred following BJP’s victory and their
promotion of a Hindu nationalist agenda” after
2014. The damaging report has come in handy for
the Congress to attack the government and share
some of the concerns of the affected class. Voicing
the fears of many, former Union HM P. Chidam-
baram said, “I think it is an apt description. I am
not sure how long there will be fair elections, but
once autocracy sets in, it will be difficult to dislodge
the autocrats.” To be fair, once elected most of our
leaders develop autocratic tendencies. Earlier this
month there was another report which under-
mined India’s credibility as a protector of civil lib-
erties and media freedom. In its report “Democ-
racy under Siege”, US-based Freedom House said
that “civil liberties have been in decline” since 2014
when Modi came to power. The report downgraded
India from “free” to “partly free”. It is this report
which criticized India for misuse of sedition law
and curbing other constitutional rights was dis-
missed by the govt with a point-wise rebuttal.
IN-DEPTH
T
T
icture this gloomy headline of
a few years ago: “500 man-made
chemicals found in a single cell
of a ‘healthy’ 30-year-old.” It
may not have stirred your mind
one bit, coming as it did, per-
haps, as just another entry in
Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
There was, however, a striking
paradox in the same article. It
disclosed a stunning fact —
that no chemical, or toxic, ele-
ment was found in the cells of
an Egyptian mummy. This
would have certainly propelled
you to ponder and think wheth-
er we eat a healthy, balanced
diet anymore.
Well, the facts are as obvious
as the early morning dew. Mil-
lions of people worldwide are
‘subject’tosomeformof illness,
or disease. Millions, likewise,
have developed a flawed procliv-
ity to gulping down tranquillis-
ers, sleeping pills, antacids, and
so on, at the drop of a ‘thought.’
A pill for every ill is now a
norm, also style statement.
What does this all mean? An-
swer: what was optimal
health, in the past, is nothing
but disease and death today
— the most predictable road-
map of the average citizen.
The best riposte to this is a
well-balanced, nutrient-rich
diet. It maximises our potential
for optimal health and long life.
It is, however, sad that individ-
ual and collective human con-
sciousness, in the times we now
live in, appears to have forgot-
ten that we eat to live; not live to
eat. This is alarming, because it
is yelling a modern aphorism at
us — that our diet is ‘killing’ us.
The reason is simple — the
downward health spiral is
primarily a tizzy spin-off,
thanks to a plethora of
faulty, or flawed, diets, envi-
ronmental degradation and
toxins in the body. Add to it
our skewed lifestyle choices
that most of us follow, or
take for granted, and we
have a string of ‘quick-fix’
remedies that seem to be
worse than the disease. This
is not all — lack of exercise,
over-consumption of inconse-
quential, or nutrition-less food,
fast-, or junk-food, and high-
stress levels are the other pit-
falls. There is yet another
alarming factor; a normal phe-
nomenon. Poor, or bad, nutri-
tion can simply ‘ruin’ our gene
pool — this can, of course, be
stopped in its tracks with good,
proper diet, appropriate nutri-
ents and nutritional supple-
ments.
The downside today also is
intensive modern farming
methods on barren soil deliver
grossly polluted food, water
and air. Mix this assortment in
a bowl, together with the abys-
mally poor regulation of food
producers and retailers by
complacent governments and
too much stress, too little sleep,
poor preventative healthcare,
lack of exercise, the gross mis-
use of antibiotics, pollution,
and the suppression of positive
nutritional information by cer-
tain quarters and what comes
out is a problem that is staring
us glaringly in the face — dis-
ease and high interventional
healthcare costs.
‘Sick building syndrome,’
such as modern office blocks,
creates sick people. Many peo-
ple spend a majority of their
lives in such places, shielded
from the natural cosmic forces
that are so important to a
healthy body
. Just think of this
too — lack of fibre diet as a
modern illness. It could be the
latent trigger for a host of dis-
eases — right from breast can-
cer, diabetes, heart disease, di-
verticulitis, high cholesterol,
constipation, gallstones, colon
cancer, varicose veins, piles,
obesity and oestrogen overload
to toxic bowels. Fibre is found
in whole grains, vegetables,
fruits, seeds, nuts etc. It is im-
perative we consume such ‘na-
ture-bestowed’ produce regu-
larly, because many of us, in-
cluding folks who believe that
they eat a ‘balanced’ diet, are
desperately short of fibre pow-
er. Remember — a well-nour-
ished and well-exercised body
has a far greater potential for
healthy longevity than a ‘couch
potato’ body. There is yet an-
other dimension to the
whole spectacle. 60-80 per
cent of adults, somewhere in
the world, swallow a medi-
cally prescribed agent, every
24 hours. This is a major ab-
normality, also addiction —
a glitch that has outgrown
all self-chosen, or more nat-
ural, forms of creating opti-
mal wellness that encom-
passes a healthy balance
between our physical, emo-
tional and spiritual states.
Is there a way out? Yes, there
is, provided we change the
equation and organise, also
manage, our health and well-
ness with simple common
sense measures, viz., keep our
body clean, internally and ex-
ternally, supply it with appro-
priate foods in the right quanti-
ties and ratios, provide it with
necessary nutrients and sup-
plements (not medications),
breathe fresh clean air, if it is
possible, exercise, get adequate
sleep and maintain a positive,
accepting attitude.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
YOURDIETISKILLINGYOU!
‘Sick building
syndrome,’ such
as modern
office blocks,
creates sick
people. Many
people spend a
majority of
their lives in
such places,
shielded from
the natural
cosmic forces
that are so
important to a
healthy body
Millions of people
worldwide are
‘subject’ to some
form of illness, or
disease. They have
developed a flawed
proclivity to gulping
down tranquillisers,
sleeping pills,
antacids, and so on,
at drop of a ‘thought’
RAJGOPAL
NIDAMBOOR
Wellness physician,
independent researcher
and author
P
number of
small and me-
dium sized
business have
closed down
permanently since the pan-
demic and the resulting
lockdowns. These busi-
nesses account for two-
thirds of private sector
employment in the United
States and the European
Union. From financial aid
to tax relief, governments
have taken a variety of
measures to help small
businesses weather the
pandemic, says the IMF.
The economic downturn
caused by the pandemic
has taken a painful toll on
small businesses. Scores of
retail businesses have per-
manently closed in cities
around the world since the
Great Lockdown in the
spring of 2020.
Small and medium en-
terprises have an out-sized
impact on local economies.
They account for half to
two-thirds of private sec-
tor employment in the
United States and the Euro-
pean Union, respectively,
and contribute close to 40
percent of national income
in emerging economies.
But small companies
face greater constraints in
accessing finance than
larger firms, especially
during economic crises. So
governments have taken a
variety of measures to help
small businesses weather
the pandemic. Without
such support, the failure
rate of small businesses
could increase by as much
as 9 percentage points.
Our chart of the week,
based on the IMF’s Finan-
cial Access COVID-19 Poli-
cy Tracker, reveals the
most common government
support measures used by
130 countries to help cash-
strapped small businesses.
The data show that over-
all, financial assistance
such as grants was the
most used policy meas-
ure (adopted by 77 per-
cent of countries), fol-
lowed by public guaran-
tees on loans (50 per-
cent), delays in loan re-
payments (30 percent),
tax relief (28 percent),
and lower interest rates
(24 percent).
The pattern of these pol-
icy responses, however, var-
ies across different income
groups. Many high- and
middle-income countries
adoptedmultiplemeasures,
averaging 2.5 and 1.9 meas-
ures, respectively
. About 80
percent of these economies
implemented financial as-
sistance, while other meas-
ures account for a smaller
share, ranging from 20 to 60
percent. Bolivia, Botswa-
na, and India are among
the several middle-income
countries that adopted
both financial assistance
and loan guarantees, for
example.
On the other hand, no
low-income country in the
policy tracker adopted
more than two measures.
Financial assistance and
tax relief were the most
used measures, adopted by
75 percent and 33 percent
of low-income countries,
respectively, including
Mali, Rwanda, and Uganda.
As the pandemic con-
tinues, monitoring poli-
cy measures to support
people and small busi-
nesses affected by the
pandemic will be critical
as countries prepare for
the recovery. The policy
tracker can help policy-
makers identify effective
policies, share experi-
ences, and learn from
each other.
Source - World Economic Forum
How countries are helping small businesses survive Covid
A
The kind of seed sown will
produce that kind of fruit.
Those who do good will reap
good results. Those who do
evil will reap evil results. If
you carefully plant a good
seed, you will joyfully gather
good fruit.
—Buddha
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
Wishing all the people of
Uttarakhand the chief folk “Phuldei”.
Phuldei, a symbol of the euphoria of
nature, brings happiness, prosperity
and health to all in the life of spring.
Nirmala Sitharaman
@nsitharaman
Good wishes to all candidates
contesting the forthcoming
Assembly elections. @BJP4India
@BJP4Keralam @BJP4Assam @
BJP4Bengal @BJP4TamilNadu.

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INDIA
05
Chennai: Khushbu
Sundar has found a
place in the BJP's first
list of candidates for
the Tamil Nadu assem-
bly elections. The actor-
politician, who had quit
the Congress last year
after writing a strongly
worded letter to party
chief Sonia Gandhi,
will contest from Chen-
nai's Thousand Lights
constituency against
DMK's Dr Ezhilan.
“A huge thank you to
my BJP President JP
Nadda ji for giving me
this opportunity. Will
not let you down sir,”
she tweeted, adding
that she will work hard
and win.
TWEET -- I thank @
BJP4India from the bot-
tom of my heart for giv-
ing me the opportunity
to contest from #thou-
sandlights in the up-
coming #TamilNaduE-
lections2021 Promise to
work hard and win. @
BJP4TamilNadu@kis-
hanreddybjp@Muru-
g a n _ T N B J P @ Re d -
dySudhakar21@blsan-
thosh@AmitShah@
narendramodi. —
KhushbuSundar (@
khushsundar) March
14, 2021
Ms Sundar, one of the
Congress's most promi-
nent defenders, had
written in her resigna-
tion letter that she felt
“pushed and sup-
pressed” by people who
had no connection with
ground reality
.
“Few elements seated
at a higher level within
the party, people who
have no connectivity
with the ground reality
or public recognition
are dictating terms and
people like me who
wanted to work for the
party sincerely, are be-
ing pushed and sup-
pressed,” the 50-year-
old had said.
Khushbu Sundar was
with the DMK before
she moved to the Con-
gress. This is the first
time she is contesting
an election.
Per the BJP list, for-
mer IPS officer Anna-
malai will contest in
Aravakuruchi constitu-
ency, Tamil Nadu BJP
chief L Murugram will
contest from Thara-
puram and H Raja from
Karaikudi. Vanathi
Srinivasan will take on
Kamal Haasan in Coim-
batore South.
The BJP has fielded
MLA Dr Saravanan in
Madurai North. The
leader had quit the
DMK this morning.
JP Nadda-led party
will contest on 20 seats.
BJP NAMES ACTOR KHUSHBU AMONG 17 OTHERS
TAMIL NADU ASSEMBLY POLLS : THE POLLS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE HELD IN A SINGLE PHASE ON APRIL 6
Chennai: The DMK
chief MK Stalin on
Sunday said his party
would continue to urge
the union government
to scrap the conten-
tious Citizenship
Amendment Act and
confer citizenship on
Sri Lankan Tamils liv-
ing in refugee camps in
India.
In an addendum to
the party manifesto un-
veiled on Saturday, he
said DMK had all along
opposed the CAA and
campaigned against it
and he even ran a cam-
paign in Tamil Nadu
collecting one crore sig-
natures pressing for
scrapping the law.
“The Central govern-
ment will be urged to
withdraw the Citizen-
ship Amendment Act,
2019,” MK Stalin said in
the addendum. —PTI
DMK will continue to
fight against CAA: Stalin
New Delhi: The Bhar-
tiya Kisan Union-led
farmer agitation
against the three cen-
tral farm laws may con-
tinue till December this
year, the outfit national
spokesperson Rakesh
Tikait said on Sunday.
Tikait made the state-
ment while talking to
reporters after his re-
cent visit to the poll-
bund West Bengal.
This agitation possi-
bly will stretch up to
November or December
this year, he said. Talk-
ing about his Wes Ben-
gal visit, Tikait said
during their poll cam-
paigning there, the cen-
tral government people
have been asking farm-
ers to give them one
feastful of rice.
I have advised Bengal
farmers to ask grain
seekers to fix an MSP of
Rs 1850 per quintal for
paddy before giving
them a single grain of
rice, Tikait told report-
ers here. He said after
Bengal, he was plan-
ning to visit other parts
of the country to press
for the enactment of a
law guaranteeing an
MSP for various crops.
In Bihar, the paddy is
currently being bought
by traders at an abys-
mally low rate of Rs 750
to Rs 800 per quintal. I
want a law guarantee-
ing the minimum sup-
port price for various
crops, said Tikait. He
said he was not going to
sit in Delhi alone but
was planning to visit all
over the country
, includ-
ing Madhya Pradesh on
March 14 and 15, Ganga
Nagar in Rajasthan on
March 17, Ghazipur’s
UP Gate border in Delhi
on March 18, Odisha on
March 19 and Karnata-
ka on March 21 and 22.
Tikait also garlanded
a statue of his late fa-
ther and farmer leader
Mahendra Singh Tikait
at Tikait Park. —PTI
Farmers’ stir may continue till Dec: Tikait
Rakesh Tikait greeted by party workers on his arrival in Prayagraj.
BJP announces names
for 125 seats in Kerala
‘Devp of tribal community
imp for country’s growth’
‘Will stop entry of illegal Bangladeshis’
New Delhi: BJP an-
nounced the list of can-
didates for the upcom-
ing Kerala assembly
elections and said that
the party will contest
from 115 seats out of the
140 seats. BJP’s nation-
al general secretary
while announcing the
list of candidates said
the rest of the 25 seats
will be left for its allies.
Arun Singh an-
nounced that the state
BJP chief K Surendran
will be contesting the
elections from two con-
stituencies. Surendran
will contest the polls
from Kasaragod’s
Manjeshwar Pathan-
amthitta’s Konni. ‘Met-
ro Man’ E Sreedharan
who recently joined
BJP is contesting from
Palakkad assembly con-
stituency
.
Sonbhadra: President
Ram Nath Kovind said
that without the devel-
opment of the tribal
community and the for-
est dwellers, growth of
the society and the
country cannot be done.
He was addressing a
gathering after the in-
auguration of the new-
ly-constructed building
of school and hostel of
Seva Kunj Ashram run
by Seva Samarpan San-
sthan in Chapki. “When
Lord Ram emerged vic-
torious in war against
Ravan, the ‘’vanvaasi’’
(forest dwellers) extend-
ed great assistance. In
the same way, if the so-
ciety the country has
to move ahead, then for-
est dwellers’’ commu-
nity has to be first taken
ahead,” Kovind said.
New Delhi: Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh
on Sunday assured that
if Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) comes to
power it will block bor-
ders to stop the entry of
illegal Bangladeshis
into India. “We have
our government in
Tripura. With your
blessing, we are going
to make a government
in Assam and West Ben-
gal. The borders of
these states are shared
with Bangladesh. If
BJP comes to power
here, we’ll block major
border areas to stop the
entry of Bangladeshis
in India,” said Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh
while addressing the
rally in Biswanath here.
India on March 2 had
reassured Bangladesh
that its process to iden-
tify illegal migrants in
the border state of As-
sam will not impact
Dhaka. Also, the NRC
for Assam is a record
maintained by the Cen-
tral Government for the
people of Assam. It con-
tains names and certain
relevant information
for the identification of
citizens in the state.
Currently, the register
exists only for Assam.
MAN CHEATED OF `65 LAKH IN
GOLD COIN SALE, CASE FILED
Thane: A case was against
three siblings for cheating
a man in Thane to the tune
of Rs 65 lakh in the sale of
gold coins, police said on
Sunday. The victim owns
a software development
firm and met one of the
accused during a boat ride
from Alibag on February
27, said a police official
told official news agency
Press Trust of India. “The
accused told him he had
gold coins to sell. After
getting convinced about
the purity of the gold, the
victim expressed a desire
to buy 10 kilograms of
such coins. He paid the
trio Rs 65 lakh and the
bag which was handed
over to him contained
coins made of cheap
metal polished to look like
gold,” he said.
AVIATION MINISTRY OPENS
BID FOR 392 AIR ROUTES
New Delhi: The Union
Civil Aviation Ministry
(MoCA) has proposed
392 new routes
under its flagship
scheme UDAN 4.1
bidding process on
the commencement
of the “Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav”. “The bid
document has been
uploaded on the
Central Procurement
portal of the National
Informatics Centre
(NIC) inviting the
bids from interested
airlines. The bidding
process is expected to
be completed by six
weeks,” read a state-
ment by MoCA.
FLIGHT MAKES EMERGENCY
LANDING, PASSENGER DIES
Nagpur: A Delhi-bound
IndiGo flight made an
emergency landing at
Nagpur airport, after a
65-year-old passenger
complained of health
issues, although he
died by the time he
was taken to a hospital,
police said on Sunday.
The man, Chhotusingh
Naryansingh Yadav
(65), a resident of Gaya
in Bihar, had boarded
the flight at Chennai
on Saturday morning.
Therefore, the flight
made an emergen-
cy landing at the Dr
Babasaheb Ambedkar
International Airport in
Nagpur.
‘NEVER THREATENED EMPLOYEES
OF SOCIAL MEDIA OF JAIL TERM’
New Delhi: Government
has never threatened
employees of any social
media platform, such as
Twitter, of jail term, IT
Ministry said. Reacting
to reports that alluded
to Facebook Twitter
employees being threat-
ened with jail term, the
Ministry said social media
platforms are “obliged to
follow the laws of India
and the Constitution of In-
dia, just like all other busi-
nesses in India have to.”
“As has been conveyed
on the floor of Parliament,
users of social media can
criticise the government,
the PM or any Minister
but promotion of violence,
rampant communal divide
and stoking the flames of
terrorism will have to be
reflected upon,” it said.
Actor Khushboo Sundar to contest election for the first time from Thousand Lights in Chennai.
Jagan Reddy's YSR
Cong sweeps Andhra
Pradesh local body polls
Amaravati: The YSR
Congress Party (YS-
RCP) today won a
landslide victory in
the urban body elec-
tions in Andhra
Pradesh, winning 74
out of 75 municipali-
ties and trends sug-
gest that it may win
in all the 12 corpora-
tions. Its candidates
have won in Ananta-
pur, Kadapa, Kur-
nool, Chittoor, Tiru-
pati, Ongole, and
Guntur corporations.
Counting continues
in Vijayawada and
Vishakapatnam
Corporation where
the YSRCP has a good
lead. The elections
were held after two
years of YSRCP gov-
ernance and the rul-
ing party claims all
credit to welfare
schemes of CM YS
Jagan Mohan Reddy
despite the pandemic.
CAMPAIGN STARTS
Dibrugarh: Chhattis-
garh CM Bhupesh
Baghel, who is in As-
sam on a three-day visit
to canvas for Congress
candidates, criticised
the ruling BJP today for
its alleged failure to ful-
fill promises, and as-
serted that his party
will win more than 100
seats in the 126-member
Assembly. Bhupesh
Baghel, who is also the
senior observer of the
Congress for Assam
polls, said the BJP camp
had vowed to take steps
to seal the state's border
with Bangladesh, and
construct expressways
on the two sides of the
Brahmaputra river, but
none of that happened
in the last five years.
Hitting out at the rul-
ing party for “not hav-
ing a development agen-
da”, Mr Baghel further
claimed that members
of the BJP are still con-
fused if Sarabananda
Sonowal is the state's
chief minister or it is
Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Assembly seats in
Upper Assam are sched-
uled to go to polls in the
first phase. —PTI
Confident of winning over 100
seats in Assam: Bhupesh
‘NO MODI WAVE
THIS TIME’
BJP WILL FACE
DEFEAT: PAWAR
New Delhi: Asserting
that unlike in 2016
there is “no Modi
wave” in the Assam
Assembly polls, AIUDF
chief Badruddin Ajmal
alleged that the BJP
was attempting to
polarise the Hindus by
pointing at him, invok-
ing the ‘’Mughals’’ and
portraying the Muslims
as enemies.
New Delhi: NCP chief
Sharad Pawar claimed
that barring Assam, the
BJP will face defeat in
four other poll-bound
states and the election
trend in the five states
will give a new direc-
tion to the country.
Pawar also accused the
Centre of misusing its
power in poll-bound
West Bengal.
FIR AGAINST FARMERS FOR CONSTRUCTION
‘INSURGENCY ON DECLINE IN ASSAM’
Rajnath Singh during an
election campaign on Sunday.
Ram Nath Kovind
E Sreedharan
Jagan Reddy
DMK chief MK Stalin

INDIA
06
UP govt to...
the Vindhya region.
The CM also an-
nounced the setting up
of a medical college by
the government to pro-
vide better medical fa-
cilities to the people of
Sonbhadra. The CM
said that during the
tenure of Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi,
the country has creat-
ed a different identity
on the global stage.
The countries like
Australia and United
States had compli-
mented India for its
Covid management.
The CM said that India
has paved the way for
world humanity by
presenting two vac-
cines of Covid along
with setting an exam-
ple of an excellent
Covid management to
the world.On this,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi is being re-
ceiving accolades from
the whole world. “This
is an honour for the
entire 135 crores peo-
ple of the country,” he
said. The CM said that
his government en-
sured development
without any discrimi-
nation and connected
Scheduled Castes and
OBCs with the main-
stream of society. “ My
government tested the
poor, farmers, youth,
women, forest dwell-
ers and other sections
alike when it comes to
provide benefits of the
state the schemes,” he
said while stating “in
this sequence, Sonb-
hadra district appears
to be benefiting in a
real way. The state gov-
ernment is also going
to give the gift of a
medical college to Son-
bhadra.”
Didi’s Nandigram...
The Commission,
which held a meeting to
discuss the issue after
receiving a report on
Friday
, pointed out laps-
es on part of the Chief
Minister’s security per-
sonnel. Security was
“not properly handled”
and the Chief Minis-
ter’s security protocol
was violated, the Com-
mission said. Mamata
Banerjee, who has Z-
Plus security, has to
travel in a bullet-proof
car, but she was not. In-
stead, the security in-
charge was sitting in
the bullet-proof car, the
Commission said. On
Wednesday, Banerjee
hadsaidshewaspushed
by four or five people
against her car and had
the door shut on her,
during her visit to
Nandigram. There were
no police personnel
around her at the time,
she had said.
Illegal infiltration...
where polls would be
held in the first phase
on March 27, he listed
welfare schemes
launched for them by
the state government
and the Centre while
blaming previous Con-
gress governments in
the state and Delhi for
failing to do anything.
Shah assured that if the
BJP comes to power
again, Assam’s biggest
problem i.e. annual
floods would get solved.
“We understand the
pain of tea-garden
workers and that’s why
the BJP-led state gov-
ernment has approved
an increase in their
daily wages and allow-
ances to Rs 318,” Ra-
jnath Singh said at a
rally in Biswanath dis-
trict. On Sunday, the
BJP released its list of
19 candidates for the
third and final phase of
polls on April 6. While
two sitting MLAs have
been denied tickets, the
party selected indus-
tries minister Chandra
Mohan Patowary to rep-
resent Dharmapur
again.
BJP Bengal...
out of 31 for the third
phase, and in 36 seats
out of 44 going to polls
in the fourth phase.
“Names for remaining
seats in the third and
fourth phases will be
announced later,” said
Singh, during a news
conference at BJP
headquarters in Del-
hi. Union Minister
Babul Supriyo, will
contest from Tolly-
gunge constituency
against Aroop Biswas.
TMC MLA Ra-
bindranath Bhat-
tacharya, who joined
the BJP last week, has
been fielded from Sin-
gur.
‘Never bow...
14 people were killed in
police firing during the
anti-land acquisition
movement. In the up-
coming Assembly elec-
tions, Banerjee is fight-
ing from Nandigram,
against her once close
aide and cabinet Minis-
ter Suvendu Adhikari,
who recently joined the
BJP. At the rally on
Sunday, Banerjee said,
“I am hurt and unwell,
but my goal remains
the same. My body is
full of bruises. Doctors
suggested I take rest
for 15 days, but I will
continue to roam
around Bengal on a
wheelchair. If I take
rest, who will reach out
to the people of Ben-
gal?” she said.
FROM PG 1
New Delhi: States like
Maharashtra, Kerala,
Punjab, Karnataka, Gu-
jarat, Tamil Nadu and
Madhya Pradesh are
showing a steep rise in
the daily new COVID-19
cases and have account-
ed for 87.73 per cent of
the new instances of the
diseasereportedinaday
,
the Union Health Minis-
try said on Sunday
.
Maharashtra regis-
tered the highest daily
new cases at 15,602, fol-
lowed by Kerala with
2,035 and Punjab 1,510
new cases.
India’s total COV-
ID-19 active caseload
has reached 2.10 lakh,
the ministry said add-
ing Maharashtra, Kera-
la and Punjab account
for 76.93 per cent of In-
dia’s total active cases.
The total number of
recoveries in the coun-
try has surged to
1,09,89,897 with 16,637
people recuperating
from the disease in a
day. The ministry said
83.13 per cent of the
new recovered cases are
observed to be concen-
trated in six states.
Maharashtra has re-
ported a maximum
number of 7,467 single-
day recoveries.
The ministry said 161
deaths were reported in
a day
. Six states account
for 84.47 per cent of the
new deaths. Maharash-
tra saw the maximum
casualties at 88. Punjab
reported 22 fatalities
and Kerala 12.
7 STATES ACCOUNT FOR 87.73% OF NEW CASES
Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu Madhya Pradesh are showing a steep rise in daily new COVID-19 cases
New Delhi: India report-
ed 25,320 fresh cases of
coronavirus in the last
24 hours - the highest
daily rise in almost three
months - taking the total
tally to over 1.13 crore
cases, said Health Min-
istry. The death count
increased to 1,58,607
with 161 new fatalities,
the highest in 44 days,
the data updated at 8 am
showed. The number of
fresh infections is nearly
1.7 per cent higher than
that of Saturday, when
the country registered
24,882 cases. Overall,
India has now recorded
1,13,59,048 cases since
the outbreak nearly a
year ago, according to
the government data.
On Saturday, 140 deaths
linked to the virus were
reported in a 24-hour-
period that took the total
number of fatalities to
1,58,446. The coun-
try’s active caseload
has reached 2,10,544,
which constitutes 1.8
per cent of the total
infections. The recovery
rate dropped to 96.7
per cent. The number of
infections reported today
is the highest daily rise
since December 20 when
as many as 26,624 new
infections were recorded.
Bengaluru: Expressing
concern over a spike in
fresh cases, Karnataka
CM B S Yediyurappa on
Sunday said the pan-
demic seemed to be go-
ing out of control in the
state and asked people
to cooperate by adhering
to the preventive meas-
ures if they don’t want
another lockdown.
“I appeal to the people
with folded hands for
cooperation.... if people
cooperate I’m confident
that without lockdown
we can control,” he said,
announcing that he has
convened a meeting
of experts and officials
on Monday in the wake
of the spurt in fresh
cases in recent days.
His appeal comes in the
backdrop of the lock-
down being clamped in
parts of neighbouring
Maharashtra recently in
view of a sharp rise in
fresh cases there.
For the first time since
January 22, the daily
COVID-19 cases in Kar-
nataka crossed the 900
marks on Saturday. —PTI
25,320 FRESH INFECTIONS FOUND IN A
DAY, HIGHEST IN NEARLY 3 MONTHS
Cooperate, if you don’t want another
COVID-19 lockdown: Karnataka CM to people
Mumbai: Maha-
rashtra has reported
16,620 fresh cases
of coronavirus in
the last 24 hours,
its highest daily
spike in infections
in 2021. The lat-
est spike has taken
state’s total case tally
to 23,14,413. The
state also reported 50
fatalities on Sunday,
as per state’s health
bulletin. Maharash-
tra on Saturday had
reported more 15,000
Covid-19 cases for
the second straight
day. On Sunday, the
state reported its
highest daily spike
of 2021. The tally of
cured cases in the
state, however, has
reached 21,34,072
after 8,861 patients
were discharged from
hospitals on Sunday,
taking the recovery
rate to 92.21 per
cent. As per health
bulletin, the state
reported 50 virus
deaths in the last 24
hours. The fatality
rate has gone down
to 2. 28 per cent. The
capital city, Mumbai
reported 1,962 fresh
coronavirus cases,
including 7 deaths,
on Sunday. In last
few days, city had
reported over 1,600
fresh cases. On
Sunday, the coro-
navirus daily tally of
new cases in the city
almost touched the
2000-mark. There are
currently 5,83,713
people in home
quarantine and 5,493
people in institutional
quarantine in the
state. Health authori-
ties have so far con-
ducted 1,75,16,885
laboratory samples.
MAHARASHTRA REPORTS ITS
HIGHEST DAILY SPIKE OF 2021
New Delhi: As the econ-
omyslowlycomesoutof
the pandemic blues, for-
mer RBI Governor
Raghuram Rajan on
Sunday cautioned that
“drastic changes” in In-
dia’s monetary policy
frameworkcanupsetthe
bond market as the cur-
rent system has helped
in containing inflation
and promoting growth.
Rajan, also a noted
economist, opined that
the government’s ambi-
tious target to make In-
diaa$5-trillioneconomy
by 2024-25 was “more
aspirational, rather
than a carefully comput-
ed one even before the
pandemic”.
“I believe the (mone-
tary policy) framework
has helped bring infla-
tion down, while giving
the RBI some flexibility
to support the economy
.
It is hard to think of
what would have hap-
pened if we had to run
such large fiscal deficits
without such a frame-
work in place,” Rajan
told PTI in an interview.
His remarks were in
response to a query on
whether he was in fa-
vour of reviewing the
2-6% target band for in-
flation under the mone-
tary policy framework.
The Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) has the man-
date to maintain retail
inflation at 4% with a
margin of 2% on either
side. The central bank’s
six-member monetary
policy committee (MPC)
headedbyRBIGovernor
decides on policy rates
keeping this target in
mind.Thecurrentmedi-
um-term inflation tar-
get, which was notified
in August 2016, ends on
March 31. The inflation
target for the next five
years starting April is
likely to be notified this
month. Against this
backdrop, Rajan said,
“We risk upsetting bond
markets if we make
drastic changes in the
framework”. —PTI
‘$5 tn economy goal more aspirational’
New Delhi: In a bid to
promote tourism, all-
India tourist permits
will be provided to op-
erators within 30 days
of online application
submission, govern-
ment said on Sunday
.
The new rules will
be applicable from
April 1, 2021. The Min-
istry of Road Trans-
port Highways
(MoRTH) announced a
new scheme, under
which any tourist ve-
hicle operator may ap-
ply for an “All India
Tourist Authoriza-
tion/Permit” through
online mode. It will be
issued, after relevant
documents are submit-
ted and fees deposited,
within 30 days of sub-
mission of such appli-
cations, MoRTH said.
The new set of rules,
it said, will be known
as, “All India Tourist
Vehicles Authoriza-
tion and Permit Rules,
2021”. The existing
permits shall continue
to be in force during
their validity. “The
new rules for permits
are expected to go a
long way in promoting
tourism across States
in our country, while
simultaneously, grow-
ing the revenue of
state governments,”
the statement said.
The rules come even
as the Ministry is in
the pursuit of provid-
ing seamless move-
ment to tourist passen-
ger vehicles, after the
success of goods car-
riage vehicles under
National Permit Re-
gime, it said. —PTI
Mumbai: Shiv Sena
leader Sanjay Raut on
Sunday alleged that the
NIA taking over the
probe into the recovery
of an explosives-laden
SUV near industrialist
Mukesh Ambani’ resi-
dence in Mumbai
amounted to demoralis-
ing the Mumbai Police
and creating instability
in Maharashtra.
Mr Raut also said
Mumbai Police officer
Sachin Waze, who was
arrested late Saturday
night by the National
Investigation Agency
(NIA), is an “honest,
successful officer and a
good investigator”.
“The state govern-
ment’s prestige is at
stake in this case,” the
Rajya Sabha member
said. A Scorpio found
parked near Mukesh
Ambani’s house con-
tained some gelatin
sticks and a threat let-
ter. Mr Waze, an “en-
counter specialist”, is
also facing heat in the
murder case of Thane-
based businessman
Mansukh Hiran who
was in possession of the
Scorpio. Hiran was
found dead in a creek in
Thane district. —PTI
All-India tourist permit to operators in 30 days
Demoralising Mumbai
Police, says Sena Leader
IAF airlifts 381
passengers
in Kashmir
Mumbai: Sachin Waze,
who was Assistant
Police Inspector in the
Crime Intelligence Unit
(CIU) and later trans-
ferred to the Citizen
Facilitation Centre at
Mumbai Police Head-
quarters after his name
came up in Mansukh
Hiren death case,
has been sent to NIA
custody till March 25,
in connection with his
role and involvement in
placing an explosives-
laden vehicle near
Mukesh Ambani’s
house in Mumbai on
February 25. —PTI
SACHIN WAZE SENT TO NIA
CUSTODY TILL MARCH 25
Mumbai: Counter-
terrorism agencies
have found no link
between the impro-
vised explosive device
blasted outside the Is-
raeli embassy and the
explosive-laden sports
utility vehicle found
near the residence
of Mukesh Ambani.
While in both cases, a
non-existent organi-
sation called Jaish-
ul-Hind has taken
responsibility for the
cyber message posted
in case of Mumbai,
the agencies informed
the government. —PTI
‘NO LINK BETWEEN EMBASSY
BLAST-AMBANI SECURITY SCARE’
New Delhi: The Indian
Air Force (IAF) has air-
lifted 381 stranded pas-
sengers from Jammu
and Srinagar to Leh us-
ing a C-17 heavy lift
transport aircraft. The
passengerswerestrand-
ed after the Srinagar-
Leh national highway
was closed due to heavy
snowfall. The IAF regu-
larly provides airlift to
the civilian population
of the union territories
of Jammu Kashmir,
and Ladakh in times of
distress utilising its
C-17, C-130 and An-32
transport aircraft. —PTI
A total of 2,97,38,409 vaccine doses have been administered through 5,10,400 sessions.
Scorpio found parked near Mukesh Ambani’s house contained
some gelatin sticks and a threat letter.
Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.

NEWS
07
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Indian
Army Chief General
MM Naravane will be
arriving in Lucknow on
March 17 on a three-day
tour. His schedule for
the visit includes a visit
to the ancestral village
of Paramvir Chakra
winner Captain Manoj
Pandey at Sitapur
where he will inaugu-
rate a memorial built by
the army
.
General Narvane will
attend the conference to
be held at the Central
Command Headquar-
ters on March 17-19, he
is set to visit Sitapur
and Kamlapur by heli-
copter. The Chief of
Army Staff during his
visit to Lucknow will
also brainstorm with
Operation Command-
ers regarding the mod-
ernization of the train-
ing centers of the Cen-
tral Command and the
current status along the
border with China in
Uttarakhand. Accord-
ing to a senior Defense
Ministry official, the
Army Chief will also
review the progress of
the study between the
Army and the Air Force
to build the future
theater command at the
strategically important
central command. Stud-
ies are underway to
achieve coordination
between the Army units
and the Squadron of the
Air Force to form the
Middle Theater Com-
mand instead of the
Middle Air Command
at Prayagraj.
During his visit, the
Chief of Army Staff
will also hold a meeting
with the officials of the
Ministry of Defense re-
garding the Defense
Corridor.
An alert has been is-
sued in the cantonment
area regarding the ar-
rival of the Chief of
Army Staff for three
days and three Quick
Reaction Teams have
been deployed for secu-
rity purposes.
First India Bureau
Prayagraj: Rakesh Ti-
kait, leader of the Unit-
ed Farmers’ Front and
the national spokesper-
son of the Bharatiya
Kisan Union (BKU) who
reached Prayagraj on
Sunday to attend a press
conference organised at
the residence of Jhal-
wa-based farmer leader
Sanjay Yadav alleged
that the central govern-
ment has been cheating
the farmers. He said
that the government is
hell bent on selling eve-
rything to industrial-
ists and with no law be-
ing enacted for MSP
makes it clear that cen-
tre is against farmers.
In the same press
conference, he said that
he has embarked on a
journey to create aware-
ness among farmers
and to support every
section. He added that
he will travel all over
the country and high-
light how the central
government has de-
ceived the farmers,
traders and employed
people.
Tikait pointed out
that if MSP is imple-
mented then the rice
cultivated will be sold at
Rs. 1850 which is double
of what the government
is offering currently
. He
added that the protests
will continue if the cur-
rent scenario where the
government has no
plans to repeal the three
anti-farm laws or for the
implementation of MSP
law doesn’t change. Ti-
kait is to visit Madhya
Pradesh on March 14-15
from where he will con-
tinue his tour to Orissa,
Karnataka, Haryana
and Uttarakhand.
Army Chief Naravane
will be on 3-day tour of
Lucknow from Mar 17
‘No law on MSP
shows Centre is
against farmers’
GEARING UP
Hoardings and banners of BJP and BSP parties erected in Lucknow for preparation of two mega events of Kanshiram birth
anniversary and BJP executive meeting to be held today in Lucknow. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
Lucknow: Asserting
that the wave of public
support in favour of
the BJP is much
stronger in West Ben-
gal, Uttar Pradesh
Deputy Chief Minister
Keshav Prasad Maurya
on Sunday said the
party will cross the
200-seat mark in the
poll-bound eastern
state.
“For the past three
months, I have been
touring West Bengal
from the election point
of view and interact-
ing with members of
the public, party office
bearers and workers.
Based on the feedback
gathered, I can say that
the wave of public sup-
port is in favour of the
BJP in West Bengal
this time, much strong-
er than the one which
swept Uttar Pradesh
during the 2017 Assem-
bly elections,” he told
PTI.
Claiming that the
days of the Mamata
Banerjee-led Trina-
mool Congress (TMC)
are numbered, Maurya
said, “Do maee, didi
gayee (May 2, Didi’s
government gone).”
Drawing a compari-
son between Uttar
Pradesh and West Ben-
gal, the BJP leader
said people of the poll-
bound state will reject
the buaa-bhatijaa duo
(of Mamata Banerjee
and her nephew Ab-
hishek Banerjee) like
the way UP rejected
the buaa-bhatijaa
(Mayawati and Akh-
ilesh Yadav) in the 2019
Lok Sabha polls.
On the support ex-
tended by non-BJP par-
ties to the TMC, Mau-
rya, who is campaign-
ing for the BJP in
around 35 assembly
seats, said, “The sole
aim of these parties is
to stop the BJP from
coming to power be-
cause if the BJP comes
to power, their chances
of staging a comeback
will virtually end.
Even if anti-BJP po-
litical parties extend
support to ‘Didi’ (Ba-
nerjee), she will not be
able to escape (from
defeat), as the people
(of West Bengal) have
made up their minds.
He also targeted the
TMC supremo over not
raising Jai Shri Ram
slogan.
“Why does ‘Didi’ get
disturbed by Jai Shri
Raam slogan?... it is
solely because of poli-
tics of appeasement
and to gather the votes
of infiltrators, the dep-
uty CM said.
Banerjee had recent-
ly declined to speak at
an event to celebrate
Netaji Subhas Chan-
dra Bose’s birth anni-
versary where “Jai
Shri Ram” slogans
were raised in the pres-
ence of Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi.
Rebutting claims
that ‘Didi’ was still a
craze in poll-bound
West Bengal in terms
of posters and ban-
ners, Maurya said, “In
the 2017 UP Assembly
elections, posters and
banners of the Sama-
jwadi Party were seen
the most, but the BJP
emerged as victorious.
This time, hoardings
of the Trinamool Con-
gress are most visible
because they have mis-
used the government
machinery.
“But, I feel that elec-
tions are not won by
banners and posters.
People want to get rid
of Trinamool Con-
gress and ‘Didi’, and
want a BJP govern-
ment. They want to
show their faith, which
they had reposed in the
prime minister,” he
added.
West Bengal will be
voting in eight phases,
beginning March 27.
Votes will be counted
on May 2. -PTI
WAVE OF PUBLIC SUPPORT IN FAVOUR OF
BJP IN WEST BENGAL, ASSERTS MAURYA
PRIMARY
SCHOOLS’
TEACHERS
BECOME
“CIVIL
ENGINEERS”
Strange are the ways
in primary education
department in UP. In this
department the teachers
are supposed to perform
all other duties except
teaching. The teaching
community known for
work during census,
voter list revision,
elections and several
other works have now
been given another
added responsibility.
They have now turned
into teachers-cum-civil
engineer. Either they
know construction
work or not but
whenever there is any
construction activity,
they have to undertake
the responsibility- that
is at least the dictate of
the department to the
teachers of 40 primary
schools in the state
capital. Yes, there is no
gender discrimination
also. Be it male or
female teachers they
have to work as “civil
engineer”. The district
basic education officer
Lucknow Dinesh
Kumar has handed over
the responsibility to
teachers of 40 schools
through his order
dated March 8 and
the construction fund
has been transferred
to the account of the
managing committee
of the respective
schools. The officer has
provided them drawing
and design of the
proposed construction
in the schools, whether
they understand it or
not. This practice has
been going on in the
department for a long
time. The teachers
who are being given
job of “civil engineer”
neither have expertise
nor any experience.
Interestingly there are
reports of some teachers
giving their work to
contractors. The net
result is sub-standard
construction work. But
who cares!
45 METERS
LDA ROAD OF
SULTANPUR
MASTERPLAN
DISAPPEARS
Corruption knows no
bound in the state. The
corrupt babus in order
to serve their vested
interest could go to any
extent. This has exactly
happened in the case of
former LDA vice chairman
Satyendra Singh Yadav
whose corruption cases
are being probed by the
CBI. He was known for
his proximity to power
that be in Akhilesh
Yadav regime. The LDA
in its masterplan from
Sultanpur road- Sarsawan
to integrated township
had planned a 45 meters
wide road. But as soon
as Yadav took charge
of the LDA during the
Akhilesh Yadav regime he
simply removed the road
from the plan. Reason:
his valuable property
was in the midst of this
proposed road. This road
was planned in 2005
and the work started in
2013. In 2014 Yadav
became LDA VC and he
immediately protected
his property by single
stroke of his pen and LDA
board approved it. The
road disappeared from
the plan and masterplan
was revised. The issue
came to the knowledge
of the Yogi government
which has launched probe
against him.
—First India Bureau
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya
Army Chief General MM Naravane
SHAW’S MUMBAI DOWN UP
IN VIJAY HAZARE TITLE FINAL
SOUTH AFRICA WOMEN SHOCK
INDIA, CLINCH SERIES 3-1
New Delhi: Skipper Prithvi
Shaw’s marauding 73
off 39 balls followed by
former skipper Aditya
Tare’s unbeaten hundred
guided Mumbai to their
most deserving Vijay
Hazare title triumph with a
crushing six -wicket victory
over Uttar Pradesh in one
of most lopsided final on
Sunday. Opting to bat, UP
rode on opener Madhav
Kaushik’s unbeaten 158
to post 312/4, but it was
overshadowed by the Shaw
blitzkrieg which set the
platform for Tare to finish
off the chase in style with
as many as 51 balls re-
maining. This is Mumbai’s
fourth Hazare title and the
one to remember for Shaw
(827 runs), who now holds
the record for highest runs
scored in single edition of
this competi-
tion. Shaw
(73 off 39
balls; 10x4,
4x6) and
fellow opener Yashasvi
Jaiswal (29; 3x4; 1x6) gave
the side an aggressive start
by conjuring 89 runs in 9.1
overs. Earlier, UP rode on
opener Madhav Kaushik’s
unbeaten 158 to post 312
for four.
Lucknow: The South
African women’s team’s
top-order batters fired in
unison and helped their
team clinch the five-match
series against India with a
seven-wicket victory in the
fourth ODI here on Sunday.
Chasing 267, Lizelle Lee
(69), Laura Wolvaardt (53),
Mignon du Preez (61) and
Lara Goodall (59 not out)
shone as
the visitors
completed
the task in
48.4 overs
for an unassailable 3-1 lead
in the rubber. A poor squad
selection by new commit-
tee under Neetu David cost
India dearly as the hosts
paid the price for ignoring
Shafali Verma’s flair in bat-
ting and Shikha Pandey’s
experience in bowling.
The win meant seasoned
Punam Raut’s third ODI
hundred and veteran Har-
manpreet Kaur’s scintillat-
ing 35-ball 54 went in vain
in the losing cause. South
Africa were in the game
when the opening duo of
last match centurion Lizelle
Lee and skipper Laura
Wolvaardt were going great
guns, putting on 116 runs
in 23 overs.
PITCH REPORT
Baghpat: Meghalaya
Governor Satyapal
Malik said that he
supports the farmers
who are opposing the
agricultural laws and
he also requested the
Prime Minister and
Home Minister to not
use force against the
farmers.Governor
Malik was speaking as
the Chief Guest of a
function organised at
the Sheel Chand Inter
College in Aminagar
Sarai, Baghpat. Satya-
pal Malik said that
the farmers should
not return from Delhi
empty-handed and
that no force should
be used against the
farmers.
Support farmers’
protest against
agri laws: Malik

08
2NDFRONT
If you want to succeed learn
to be responsible! Responsible
for your actions and yourself,
doors will open for you.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Chief Min-
ister of Uttar Pradesh
Yogi Adityanath may be
a strong advocate of
Hindutva, but he does
not mix religion with
politics. At least the UP
CM’s aggressive stance
against mafias operat-
ing in the name of reli-
gion in the state clearly
suggests this.
The Government
has ordered removal
of all encroachments
on government land
in the form of places
of worship cutting
across religions fol-
lowing a High Court
order in this regard.
The High Court had
passed similar ruling
in the past also, but
the then government
chose to sat pretty
over the issue proba-
bly to avoid earning
displeasure of the
public ahead of elec-
tions. The Lucknow
bench of Allahabad
High Court in 2016
had asked the govern-
ment to ensure that
no religious structure
was allowed to be
built on public roads,
highways and lanes,
but the government
led by Akhilesh Ya-
dav hardly did any-
thing.
Unlike his predeces-
sor, Yogi Adityanath
who is known for his
unsparing approach to-
wards mafias of all
hues and types has lived
up to his name yet
again. He has taken on
the religious mafia
head on. According to a
Home Department or-
der, all such religious
constructions that have
taken place after Janu-
ary 1, 2011, have to be
removed.
Besides, those con-
structed earlier have
been given six months
time to relocate to the
personal properties of
those behind these en-
croachments. It’s no
doubt a bold and a laud-
able step given the fact
that such encroach-
ments dot every nook
and corner of the coun-
try causing a lot of in-
conveniences to com-
muters. Such encroach-
ers have a common mo-
dus operandi. They put
a religious symbol,
start collecting funds
from commuters as well
as public transport
staff and then build a
religious structure in
no time.
When some old struc-
tures had to be razed to
the ground in order to
expand the narrow
lanes and bylanes as
part of the implementa-
tion of the Kashi
Vishwanath corridor
project, some locals did
oppose. But, the UP gov-
ernment led by Chief
Minister Yogi Adity-
anathy moved on in the
larger interest of the
state and its people and
removed some dilapi-
dated structures.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: A group of
people Sunday staged a
protest here against for-
mer chairman of Uttar
Pradesh Shia Waqf
Board Waseem Rizvi for
approaching the Su-
preme Court seeking
removal of some verses
of the Quran claiming
they promoted violence.
Led by Faizuddin Sid-
diqui, brother of Bolly-
wood actor Nawazuddin
Siddiqui, they also sub-
mitted a written com-
plaint at the Budhana
Police Station, alleging
Rizvi’s move has hurt
the religious sentiments
of Muslims.
However, no formal
FIR has been filed in the
case so far.
Faizuddin Siddiqui
told reporters here no-
body would be allowed
to make such anti-
Quran remarks.
He demand the arrest
of Rizvi for claiming in
his plea in the Supreme
Court that the 26 verses
of Quran he has sought
to be removed were add-
ed in the Holy book later
and they are used to pro-
mote violence.
He accused Rizvi of
hurting the senti-
ments of Muslims
across the world and
said if an FIR is not
registered in this case,
he will move the court.
Now, Yogi government takes on ‘religion’ mafia
Muslims stage mega protest
against Waseem Rizvi in Lko
It seems that the BJP regime in UP won’t tolerate hurdles in its development mission in the name of conserving worn out religious beliefs
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Muslims gathered at Bada Imambada condemning Shia leader
Waseem Rizvi’s remarks about Quran. Photo by Sumit Kumar
Samajwadi Party workers clash with
Police in Lucknow during protest
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Enraged
over the FIR against
Samajwadi Party na-
tional President Akh-
ilesh Yadav, party
workers clashed with
the Lucknow police on
Sunday
. The protes-
tors, who had gathered
in large numbers in
Lucknow, resisted po-
lice force and tried
breaching the barri-
cading placed in order
to stop them.
Police had to use
mild force to contain
them. A number of
members were de-
tained by the police.
On the other hand,
party leader Shafiqur
Rahman Barq on Sun-
day condemned the
registration of FIR
against his party su-
premo Akhilesh Yadav
against whom an FIR
was registered recent-
ly for allegedly attack-
ing journalists during
a press conference in
Moradabad.
The Lok Sabha MP
from Sambhal said
that the SP will protest
against this registra-
tion of FIR. Speaking
to ANI, Shafiqur Rah-
man Barq said: “This
FIR is equivalent to a
fake FIR. Yadav ji our
President. This move
by the complainants is
not acceptable. Instead
of covering what Ya-
dav ji spoke on in the
press conference, the
media is busy covering
his FIR related stories.
Yadav ji too has lodged
an FIR against the
complainants in re-
sponse. This move was
acceptable.”
“We are having a
conversation with the
party’s workers. If
needed, we will protest
against this move by
the complainants,” he
said.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Samajwadi
Party Chief Akhilesh
Yadav on Sunday
slammed BJP
, alleging
that false cases are be-
ing registered against
leaders as a result of
the party’s “violent po-
litical thought”.
TheformerUPCMhas
been attacking the
BJPgovernmentatthe
Centre and in UP over
law and order issues
and other matters.
In a tweet in Hindi, he
said, “Today, atttack
on constitution, false
cases registered
against leaders, physi-
cal assaults taking
place after raids by
probe agencies, are all
an adverse result of
BJP’s violent political
thought.”
He also said, “Those
who level allegations
on others of running a
syndicate, are in fact
themselves running a
‘sanghicate’.”
Cops try to control an agitating Samajwadi Party worker in Lucknow. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
SP chieftain
targets Yogi
government
FIRST SERVE
Industrial Development Minister of Uttar Pradesh Satish Mahana istened to the issues faced
by the public at his ‘daily’ Janta Durbar in Kanpur on Sunday.
First India Bureau
Aligarh: TheBharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) MP
from Aligarh Satish
Gautam accused the
members of Muslim
community of illegally
occupying of Canal land
of Irrigation depart-
ment at a meeting of
district planning com-
mittee chaired by minis-
ter in-charge of the dis-
trict Suresh Rana on
Sunday
.
As per reports, Gau-
tam said that Canal
land belonging to Ir-
rigation department
in Aligarh had been
illegally occupied by
members of Muslim
community and au-
thorities were afraid
to go to these places
for getting the same
vacated.
Meanwhile minister
in-charge of district
Suresh Rana who was
reviewing works of dif-
ferent departments,
came across the state-
ment of BJP MP while
reviewing works of the
Irrigation department.
Gautam alleged that
Muslims had occupied
the Irrigation depart-
ment land from Jawan
Bamba to Manjurgadi.
He further said that if it
was a colony of Hindus,
it would have been re-
moved easily
.
Leaving all present in
the meeting including
officials stunned, the
minister-in-charge tried
to avoid the statement
and proceeded with the
meeting.
The MP said that the
DM had assured to get
the land freed however,
who refused to repeat
the same on camera.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Acting on
the complaint of rebel
Congress MLA Aditi
Singh, UP CM office had
ordered probe into dis-
crepancies in Kamala
Nehru Educational So-
cietyandafterinvestiga-
tion district administra-
tion has registered case
against office bearers of
the society and 12 gov-
ernment officials under
fraudandothercharges.
Sources said that ad-
ditional district magis-
trate Prem Prakash had
filed FIR that there were
discrepancies in land
transfer of Kamala
Nehru Educational So-
ciety
.
After land was al-
lotted to society on
lease, it was declared
free hold with help of
corrupt officers.
Case was registered
against then revenue of-
ficers, Lekhpal and
Tehsildar along with
then president, secre-
tary and other office
bearers of society
.
Aditi Singh had al-
leged that society offi-
cials were trying to sell
precious land allotted to
educational society for
school. The land was
transferred to free hold
several fraudster docu-
mentations was done to
make it saleable.
Canal land grabbed by a
certain community: MP
Case against society officials
after rebel Cong MLA’s plaint
Aligarh MP Satish Kumar Gautam.
First India Bureau
Ballia: Statement of
BJP MLA Surendra
Singh of Bairia block
in Ballia district in Ut-
tar Pradesh has always
made headlines.
One such statement
of his on Saturday has
once again hit the head-
lines, the BJP MLA
said that the Taj Mahal
was in historic times a
temple for Lord Shiva
and that it would soon
be made in a Ram Ma-
hal.
MLA Surendra Singh
in a conversation with
journalists said that
just as Samarth Guru
Ramdas gave Shivaji to
India, similarly Gora-
khnath has given Yogi
Adityanath as Chief
Minister to the state of
Uttar Pradesh.
He added that Taj
Mahal was once a
Shiva Temple and
that it would soon be
converted into a Ram
Mahal by the state
government.
The BJP MLA from
Ballia also strongly
condemned the recent
incident where jour-
nalists were heckled
and their cameras bro-
ken by bodyguards and
activists of SP Chief
Akhilesh Yadav in
Moradabad.
Pointing his verbal
guns against the oppo-
sition party he said
that this is the true na-
ture of SP which comes
to the fore once in a
while.
The BJP MLA while
demanding action
against the violence
said that people now
days choose their lead-
ers who are patriotic
and spread the glory of
India.
Taj Mahal will soon be a Ram Temple: Ballia MLA
Ballia MLA Surendra Singh
BHAKTI BHAV
Rebel Cong MLA Aditi Singh

hether you like
your skin to look
slightly sun-
kissed, or else a
bronzed beach
babe look, self-
tan is the quick-
est - and safest - way to
fake a holiday glow. And
no matter what depth of
colour you choose, or type
of tanning formula you
use, the key to that elusive
golden glow is all in the ap-
plication.
EXFOLIATE
You want to create the
smoothest canvas possible,
which is why it’s also im-
portant to exfoliate. You
need to blitz and buff away
all evidence of your previ-
ous tan to ensure an even
base so your new glow goes
on beautifully and looks
flawless.
MOISTURISE AND NOURISH
It’s very important to mois-
turise at least 24 hours be-
fore applying your chosen
tanning lotion, as the mois-
turiser acts as a barrier,
preventing the tanning for-
mula from accessing the
skin.
PICK YOUR POTION
I feel beginners are best
using a self-tanner with a
built-in bronzer so they
can see where they are ap-
plying. But there is no sin-
gle type of formula
that’s right for
everyone. Some
love a spray for
hard-to-reach ar-
eas, and those
with dry, sensitive
skin can get espe-
cially great re-
sults from a gel or
a lotion.
Exposure to
sunlight has been
linked to im-
proved energy and
elevated mood.
These tips will be
especially effective
if you take it easy at
first. Once you get
used to using a clas-
sic shade and you
wish to go darker, you
will have the confi-
dence to use the dark-
est formula.
LUCKNOW, MONDAY
MARCH 15, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
WITH SO MANY OF US CHOOSING TO DO OUR FAVOURITE SALON AND
SPA BASED BEAUTY TREATMENTS AT HOME DURING THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC, IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT SOME OF US SPRAY-TAN FANS
WOULD ATTEMPT TO APPLY SELF-TANNER ON OUR OWN. IF YOU’RE
NEW TO OR NOT SO SELF-ASSURED WITH SELF-TANNER, CITY FIRST
BRINGS YOU TIPS TO ATTAIN THE TAN OF YOUR DREAMS!
Achieving a
Faux Glow
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
W

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
RIDHIMA SHARMA, Doctor
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Some of you may want to
opt for a break from the
monotonous routine. This
is the best time to forge
your own path, as there are
opportunities galore. You remain on a
safe wicket on the financial front.
Adding to your wealth is possible. It is
a good day to pursue a hobby.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
If you are a working
mother, you may find it
difficult to balance home
and office as of now, but
this will be a temporary phase. A
property deal is likely to be sealed, as
you are able to complete all the
formalities. Someone close may pay
you a visit and brighten your day.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
An excellent time is
foreseen for those taking a
break from the daily grind.
A match-making process
may get underway for the eligible.
You will find yourself much more
active on the social front and will
make efforts to remain in touch with
all.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Good earning promises to
keep you in an upbeat mood
today. Worries regarding a
health issue are likely to
disappear, as you make quick recovery.
Do not misunderstand the motives of
someone trying to help you. Spending
quality time with your near and dear
ones is indicated.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Don’t think twice in taking
outside help. Your initiative
will help mend fences with
someone you were not in
talking terms. You can join your
friends or family in undertaking a trip
to a holiday destination. A chance to
prove your mettle on the professional
front will be nicely availed by you.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Your effort to keep in touch
with everyone will come in
for appreciation by all on the
social front. A good turn
done to someone is likely to be
returned with interest. Luck favours
you today both personally and
professionally. A diet plan adopted
recently will suit your system well.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
A change in lifestyle will
help some come back in
shape. Success is foreseen
for those playing the
stocks. Intelligent application on
even unfamiliar territory on the
academic front will keep your flag
flying high. A windfall can be
expected on the property front.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You will succeed in
asserting your authority on
the social front by having
your way. A property issue
gets resolved amicably. You will be
able to establish yourself firmly on
the professional front. You manage
to stabilise expenses and bring
yourself into the saving mode.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
You make all the right
moves on the social front
and manage to retain your
popularity. A property may
finally come into your name, as the
paperwork is slated to get over soon.
Bank balance of the salaried will
remain in a healthy state, despite
rising costs.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
An ancestral property is
likely to come in your
name. Luck favours you on
the academic front. Career
wise, you are likely to fare well as per
the expectations of your seniors. You
will need to get a hang of things,
before you chip in with suggestions.
You are set to enjoy a good movie.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
A fun time is foreseen for
those planning to invite
people over to their place.
Good command over a
particular subject may find you
amongst the top positions on the
academic front. You are likely to
discharge all your domestic
responsibilities for all.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Money from an unexpected
source may delight you, so
keep your fingers crossed
.Academic front looks
promising. Some of you are set to
enjoy a trip out of town. Setting up a
new house is on the cards for some.
Money well spent may give you inner
satisfaction.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
n my column last
week I shed light on
Parvovirus, one of
the two deadliest vi-
ruses that have
been responsible
for the many puppy
deaths in our city. This
week, I will help you un-
derstand the other cause
of significant deaths
amongst pups and dogs. I
don’t know which is one is
worse. Is one better than
the other, or is one more
treatable than the other?
All I know is both viruses
are highly contagious and
life-threatening.
Distemper, well what do I
say about it? It is truly a
death sentence. At least at
the shelter, we lose 10 ani-
mals a day to it and it breaks
my heart.
THE SYMPTOMS
Canine distemper causes
symptoms in multiple body
systems, including the gas-
trointestinal tract, respira-
tory tract, brain, and spinal
cord. The appearance of
symptoms and the course
of distemper can be varia-
ble, ranging from very mild
illness to fatal disease.
Any of the following
may be present-
 Fever. Often one episode a
few days after infection
that may not be noticed,
followed by a second epi-
sode a few days later
when the other symptoms
begin to show up.
 Discharge from the eyes
and nose
 Loss of appetite
 Lethargy
 Vomiting and diarrhoea
 Coughin
 Labored breathing
 Hardening of footpads
and nose (which is why
distemper has sometimes
been called hard pad dis-
ease)
 Inflammation or deepen-
ing of various parts of
the eye
 Secondary bacterial in-
fections
 Neurological symptoms
like seizures, muscle
twitching, uncoordinated
movements, and in-
creased
 Sensitivity to touch or
pain may develop later
in the disease (some-
times even after several
weeks).
HOW IT SPREADS?
Canine distemper is caused
by the canine distemper vi-
rus. Animals usually be-
come infected by direct con-
tact with virus particles
from the secretions of other
infected animals (generally
via inhalation). Indirect
transmission, carried on
dishes or other objects, is
not common because the
virus does not survive for
long in the environment.
The virus can be shed by
dogs for several weeks after
recovery. Puppies under
four months of age (before
vaccinations are fully pro-
tective) and unvaccinated
dogs are most at risk.
DIAGNOSIS
Because signs are variable
and may take time to ap-
pear, and secondary infec-
tions are common, diagno-
sis of distemper can be
complicated. Additionally,
other infections can pro-
duce similar signs to dis-
temper. A variety of labora-
tory tests can help confirm
the diagnosis (and some
may be done to rule out
other infections). Remem-
ber that just because a pup
has certain symptoms does
not necessarily mean that it
has distemper. You can in-
sist that the vet use a dis-
temper diagnosis kit (ex-
pensive and not very relia-
ble) or a blood test to diag-
nose the problem.
PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN
 Wash your hands thor-
oughly and better yet
wear gloves when han-
dling an infected pup. Dis-
card gloves immediately
and properly
.
 Dogs suspected of having
distemper should be iso-
lated from other dogs, and
the other dogs should be
vaccinated if they are not
currently vaccinated.
 The canine distemper vi-
rus does not typically sur-
vive long outside the body
so thorough disinfection
of the home is not as crit-
ical as with parvovirus;
routine cleaning with any
disinfectant should be
sufficient.
PREVENTION
 It’s important to note that
canine distemper is pre-
ventable with the appro-
priate vaccination sched-
ule. Puppies are typically
vaccinated starting at six
weeks of age and regular
intervals until they are 14
to 16 weeks old (as with
other vaccines, the pres-
ence of antibodies re-
ceived from the mother
can interfere with vac-
cines so a puppy is not
considered fully protected
until the final vaccine in
the series has been given).
 Vaccination should be re-
peated a year later, then at
regular intervals. Your
vet will discuss an appro-
priate vaccination sched-
ule for the dogs in your
neighbourhood based on
their history and risk fac-
tors. Bear in mind that it
is difficult to keep track
of free-roaming dogs. So
you have to be extra vigi-
lant and maintain careful
records. Until puppies
have received all the vac-
cinations in the series (at
14 to 16 weeks) it is pru-
dent to be careful about
exposing them to un-
known dogs such as at dog
parks and in your colony
to avoid exposure to the
virus as much as possible.
 Using and changing
gloves or washing hands
after handling a distem-
per suspected pup is cru-
cial for its survival and
also for the health of oth-
er animals you might be
helping.
TREATMENT
 As with parvovirus, dis-
temper has no cure and
treatment involves man-
aging the various symp-
toms and secondary in-
fections. Even with treat-
ment, distemper can be
fatal. Treatment depends
on the symptoms are
shown and may include
fluids to combat dehydra-
tion, medication to re-
duce vomiting, antibiot-
ics and other medications
to treat pneumonia, anti-
biotics for secondary in-
fections, and anticonvul-
sants to treat seizures.
 Neurological symptoms
may get progressively
worse and not respond to
treatment, and even with
recovery, some neurologi-
cal effects may persist.
 But I want you to remain
strong; while dogs do re-
cover from this, the
chances are slim. And
sometimes, it is in the
best interest of the ani-
mal for it to be put to
sleep. Painful as it may
seem to you, it is the only
way to put the poor ani-
mal out of its suffering.
Of course, it should be
administered only if
there is no hope for a life
without pain.
The Other Death Sentence-
CANINE DISTEMPER
MARIAM ABUHAIDERI
thepersianladki@gmail.com
I

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