First India Mumbai 20022023.pdf

Actor-politician Nandamuri Taraka no more
Bengaluru/Amaravati: The
Telugu film industry and the
political landscape of Andhra
Pradesh were left in shock
and mourning as news broke
of the sudden demise of
actor-politician Nandamuri
Taraka Ratna. The grandson
of former Andhra Pradesh
Chief Minister and legendary
actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama
Rao and Jr NTR’s cousin,
Taraka Ratna passed away at
the age of 39 due to cardiac
arrest on Saturday. Taraka
was taking part in a proces-
sion called the Yuvagalam
Padayatra of TDP general
secretary Nara Lokesh in Chit-
toor (Andhra Pradesh).
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Shiv Sena
(UBT) leader Sanjay
Raut on Sunday
claimed a “deal of Rs
2000 crore” has taken
place so far to “pur-
chase” the Shiv Sena
party name and its
‘bow and arrow’ sym-
bol, two days after the
Election Commission
allotted them to the
group led by Maha-
rashtra Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde.
Raut in a tweet
claimed the Rs 2,000
crore was a prelimi-
nary figure, and that
this was 100 per cent
true.
He also told report-
ers that a builder close
to the ruling dispensa-
tion shared this infor-
mation with him.
The Rajya Sabha
member said his claim
was backed by proof
which he would dis-
close soon.
Raut on Sunday said
Rs 2,000 crore is not a
small amount to “pur-
chase” the name Shiv
Sena.
“The EC’s decision is
a deal,” he alleged.
“I have reliable infor-
mation that there has
been a deal of Rs 2000
crore to get the Shiv
Sena name and its sym-
bol. This is a prelimi-
nary figure and is 100
per cent true. Many
things will be revealed
shortly. Never before
this has happened in
the country’s history,”
Raut tweeted.
However, BJP leader
Mungantiwar said such
comments were an at-
tempt to malign inde-
pendent institutions
like the Supreme Court
and the Election Com-
mission of India.
People will teach a
lesson to those who
make such comments
which disrespect de-
mocracy, he said.
‘’Hope better sense
prevails,” he added.
Legislator Sada
Sarvankar from camp
led by Shinde dismissed
the claim and asked, “Is
Sanjay Raut a cashier?”
Maharashtra minis-
ter and BJP leader Su-
dhir Mungantiwar also
hit back at Raut saying
such baseless com-
ments were an attempt
to malign independent
institutions like the Su-
preme Court and the
Election Commission
of India.
Meanwhile, to a ques-
tion on Union Home
Minister Amit Shah’s
attack on former Maha-
rashtra CM Uddhav
Thackeray with “lick-
ing soles of those with
opposite ideology” jibe,
Raut asked, “What is
the present chief min-
ister licking? Maha-
rashtra doesn’t give
importance to what
Shah says. T h e
current chief minister
has no right to take
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj’s name.”
Shah on Saturday
said those who chose to
“lick the soles” of
people with oppo-
site ideologies have
found which side
truth was on after
EC declared the fac-
tion headed by Ma-
harashtra CM
Eknath Shinde as
real Shiv Sena.
TO 'PURCHASE' SHIV SENA DEAL NAME AND SYMBOL, SAYS RAUT
2000CR DEAL
`
Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61)
I have reliable information that there has been a deal of Rs
2000 crore to get the Shiv Sena name and its symbol.
This is a preliminary figure and is 100 per cent true.
Many things will be revealed shortly. Never before
this has happened in the country’s history.
The Rajya Sabha
member said his
claim was backed
by proof which he
would disclose
soon
Be cautious, what happened
to Shiv Sena can happen to
you too: Uddhav Thackeray
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Shiv Sena
(UBT) president Ud-
dhav Thackeray on
Sunday said all politi-
cal parties need to open
their eyes and remain
cautious in wake of
Election Commission’s
decision of recognising
faction led by Maha-
rashtra CM Eknath
Shinde as real Shiv
Sena.
“What has happened
to Shiv Sena, how we
have been treated, can
happen to you too. All
parties should keep
their eyes open and be
cautious,” Thackeray
said during an interac-
tion with members of
north Indian commu-
nity here.
“You want my fa-
ther’s face, but not his
son. I was ready to
come along. If you
ditch me when I wanted
to implement a prom-
ise given to my father,
what should I do?” he
asked while targeting
the BJP.
“I never wanted to be
a chief minister, but
was asked by Congress
and NCP to take over
because otherwise a
government could not
have been formed. Had
BJP honoured the com-
mitment given, both
Shiv Sena and BJP
would have got their
chief ministers for two-
and-a-half years each,”
he said.
Those who want to
leave can go, but they
should merge with an-
other party. However,
they want to throw me
out of my house and
take it over, he alleged.
My father groomed
these people and Shiv
Sainiks supported
them. But now they
want to become owners
and our institutions
are such that they have
made a thief the owner
of the house, he said.
What has happened to Shiv Sena,
how we have been treated, can
happen to you too. All parties
should keep their eyes open and be cautious.
I never wanted to be a chief minister, but
was asked by Congress and NCP to take
over because otherwise a government could
not have been formed. Had BJP honoured
the commitment given, both Shiv Sena and
BJP would have got their chief ministers for
two-and-a-half years each.
—Uddhav Thackeray, Former Maharashtra CM
Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis mocks Uddhav over
Sena split after alliance with NCP, Congress
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Uddhav
Thackeray claimed the
Shiv Sena had rotted
during its 25-year alli-
ance with the Bharatiya
Janata Party, while it has
been decimated in its
two-and-half-year alli-
ance with the National-
ist Congress Party and
Congress, Maharashtra
Deputy Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis
quipped on Sunday.
Speaking at a ‘Vijay
Sankalp’ rally in Kol-
hapur in the presence of
Union Home Minister
and senior colleague
Amit Shah, he said the
“traitors” had been
taught a lesson and
shown their place six
months ago, apparently
a reference to the split in
the Shiv Sena, which
brought down the Ud-
dhav Thackeray-led
Maha Vikas Aghadi gov-
ernment.
Taking a swipe at
Thackeray, the deputy
CM said, “Those who
said they rotted in the 25-
year alliance with the
BJP have now seen their
party finished in two-
and-half years after join-
ing hands with the NCP,
Congress (to form the
Maha Vikas Aghdi post
the 2019 Assembly poll
results). They have been
brought to the streets.”
In an apparent attack
on Thackeray’s repeated
utterances that the party
was founded by his fa-
ther late Bal Thackeray,
who groomed its leaders,
Fadnavis said “the Shiv
Sena cannot be a prop-
erty”.
“It is a school of
thought. There can be a
heir to a property or to
some assets but not for
thoughts. You have to put
them in action and live
up to these thoughts,”
Fadnavis said.
Shiv Sena can’t be
a property, it is a
school of thought,
Fadnavis said
Speaking at a ‘Vijay
Sankalp’ rally in
Kolhapur Dy CM said
the “traitors” had been
taught a lesson and
shown their place six
months ago.
A SNEAK PEEK INTO PM
MODI’S SUNDAY TWEETS...
PM NARENDRA MODI CONDOLES TDP
LEADER NANDAMURI RATNA’S DEMISE
WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO
MAKE LIFE IN LADAKH EASY: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condoled the
passing away of Nandamuri Taraka Ratna, the grand-
son of legendary film actor and former AP CM late N T
Rama Rao. “Pained by the untimely demise of Shri Nan-
damuri Taraka Ratna Garu. He made a mark for himself
in the world of films and entertainment. My thoughts are
with his family and admirers in this sad hour. Om Shanti,”
PM Modi was quoted as saying in a tweet by his office.
Modi asserted that his govt will leave no
stone unturned to make life easier for
people of Ladakh. He made the comment
tagging a tweet by Ladakh MP Jamyang
Tsering Namgyal in which he said Modi
govt approved `1,681.51 crore for 4.1-km-
long tunnel to be completed by 2025 to
provide all-weather connectivity to Ladakh.
India’s wildlife
diversity has
received a boost
with 12 cheetahs
arriving in Mad-
hya Pradesh from
South Africa.
—Narendra Modi,
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
I pay homage to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
on his Jayanti. His courage and emphasis
on good governance inspires us.
12 cheetahs brought
to India from South
Africa, you read it on
February 19, 2023.
MUMBAI l MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2023 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 284
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OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR MUMBAI
RAHUL CHAIRS
MEETING OF THE
PARTY LEADERS
IN KASHMIR
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde showered praises on Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for
supporting him in forming the government. “Narendra Modi is the number
one leader not only in India but, the world,” he said.
Kashmir: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday
chaired a meeting of party leaders of Kashmir and
slammed BJP for the ongoing eviction drive in JK
and termed it as a deliberate move by BJP to divert
the attention of the people from real issues.
HM AMIT SHAH
SOUNDS LOK
SABHA POLL
BUGLE IN MAHA
Pune: Sounding the bugle for Lok Sabha polls in
Maharashtra, Union Home Minister Amit Shah
launched a scathing attack on the Congress saying
that the UPA regime left the country in a mess,
riddled with corruption and multiple security issues.
MAHA CM SHINDE THANKS MODI, SHAH FOR SUPPORT
DELHI EXCISE POLICY CASE
Busy in budget preps: Sisodia;
CBI accepts request for time
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Citing
budget duties, Delhi
deputy chief minister
Manish Sisodia on Sun-
day urged the Central
Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) to defer his ques-
tioning till the last week
of February
.
Following that, the
CBI accepted the re-
quest seeking more
time to join the probe.
The CBI will now issue
a fresh summon to Siso-
dia with a new date to
join the investigation.
I have always cooperated with them and will
continue to do so. This time, however, is
crucial for the budget, each day is important,
and a disturbance can affect budget preparations and
this is why I have sought more time.
—Manish Sisodia, Delhi Deputy CM
Manish Sisodia speaks to the media in New Delhi on Sunday.
BORDER-GAVASKAR TROPHY
Indian bowler Ravindra Jadeja celebrates with
teammates after the wicket of Australian batter
Matthew Kuhnemann at the Arun Jaitley Stadium,
in New Delhi on Sunday. —PHOTO BY PTI
DON’T WANT TO GET INVOLVED: SHARAD
Pune: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar
on Sunday said he has clarified his stand on the Election
Commission’s decision to recognise Eknath Shinde-led
faction as the real ‘Shiv Sena’ and allocation of the ‘bow
and arrow’ poll symbol to it, and will not get involved in
the controversy over it.
IS SANJAY RAUT A
CASHIER?: SADA
BJP LEADER SUDHIR
HITS BACK AT RAUT
MLA Sada Sarvankar from
the Sena camp led by
Maharashtra Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde was quick
to dismiss the allegations
by Sanjay Raut. “Is Sanjay
Raut a cashier?” Sarvankar
dismissed the claim and
asked on Sunday.
Maharashtra minister and
BJP leader Sudhir Mun-
gantiwar also hit back at
Raut saying such baseless
comments were an attempt
to malign independent in-
stitutions like the Supreme
Court and the Election
Commission of India.
Sanjay Raut
Devendra Fadnavis

NEWS
MUMBAI | MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2023
02
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First India Bureau
Aurangabad: Maha-
rashtra's sugar produc-
tion is expected to drop
from137.28lakhtonnein
2021-22 to 124 lakh tonne
in 2022-23 due to adverse
weatherconditions.Con-
tinuous rains have im-
pacted sugarcane culti-
vation, confirmed Sugar
Commissioner Shekhar
Gaikwad.
“As a result, the pro-
duction will be going
down in Maharashtra
in the ongoing season.
Earlier, we estimated
138 lakh tonne of pro-
ductionwhenthecrush-
ing season started. Now,
it should be around 124
lakh tonne. We have
conveyed the updated
figures of production to
the Central govern-
ment,” he said.
“The crushing sea-
son will be over early as
compared to last year.
In the last crushing sea-
son, factories worked
till the start of the mon-
soon. Now, it will end by
April-end. A total of 199
factories are currently
operational in the
state,” the official said.
Sugarcane crushing
in Satara, Sangli, and
Kolhapur will be over by
March-end and by April-
end in Marathwada.
Never take his words seriously:
Sanjay Raut’s dig at Amit Shah
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Shiv Sena-
Uddhav Balasaheb
Thackeray faction lead-
er Sanjay Raut on Sun-
day took a swipe at Un-
ion Home Minister
Amit Shah by saying
that he has never taken
the latter “seriously”.
The Rajya Sabha
MP’s statement comes
after Shah remarked
that the formula of
“Satyameva Jayate” be-
came significant follow-
ing the Election Com-
mission’s decision to
allocate party name
Shiv Sena and the bow
and arrow poll symbol
to Maharashtra Chief
Minister Eknath Shin-
de-led faction.
“What Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah says has
never been taken seri-
ously. What can we say
about people who be-
lieve in buying justice
and truth? Who has
won and lost Maharash-
tra; we’ll show when
the time comes. We will
not say anything now,”
said Raut on Sunday
.
He further claimed
that the ruling Maha-
rashtra government
along with Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)
“bought” Shiv Sena
party MPs, MLAs and
councillors.
“(It is) the party, the
leader the dishonest
group that bids Rs50
crore for MLAs, Rs100
crore for MPs and Rs50
lakh to Rs1 crore to buy
our councillors,” Raut
said.
Addressing a gather-
ing in Pune, UHM Shah
had said, “The Election
Commission made ‘doo-
dh ka doodh, aur paani
ka paani’ (established
the difference between
truth and lie). The for-
mula of ‘Satyameva
Jayate’ became signifi-
cant yesterday. Shinde
ji got the bow and arrow
symbol and the party
name Shiv Sena.”
While granting the
party name Shiv Sena
and bow and arrow par-
ty symbol to the Balasa-
hebanchi Shiv Sena fac-
tion on Saturday
, the EC
had observed, “The cur-
rent constitution of
Shiv Sena is undemo-
cratic and has been mu-
tilated to undemocrati-
cally appoint people
from a coterie as office-
bearers without any
election at all,” adding
that such party struc-
ture fails to inspire con-
fidence.
Shiv Sena MP lashes out after UHM’s
‘Satyameva Jayate’ remark after EC’s
decision on party name, poll symbol
Shiv Sena –UBT leader Sanjay Raut addresses media persons in Mumbai on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
QUICK RECAP
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena experienced a split
in June last year when 40 MLAs led by incumbent Chief
Minister Eknath Shinde rebelled against the Maha Vikas
Aghadi government. As a result, the state government
collapsed and CM Thackeray had to resign from his
post. Following this, a new government was established
by the Shinde faction and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Won’t get involved in Sena
name, symbol allocation
row, vows Sharad Pawar
First India Bureau
Pune: Nationalist Con-
gress Party (NCP) chief
Sharad Pawar on Sun-
day said he will not get
involved in the contro-
versy over allocation
of Shiv Sena party
name and poll symbol
to Eknath Shinde-led
faction.
He clarified his stand
on the Election Com-
mission’s decision after
Shiv Sena – Uddhav
Balasaheb Thackeray
camp leaders and even
his daughter, NCP’s Su-
priya Sule expressed
shock at the ruling.
In its decision on Fri-
day, the EC allowed the
Uddhav Thackeray fac-
tion to retain the name
Shiv Sena - Uddhav
Balasaheb Thackeray
and the flaming torch
poll symbol, till the con-
clusion of upcoming
Assembly bypolls in the
state. It was given to it
in an interim order in
October last year.
Pawar on Friday said
the loss of “bow and ar-
row” will not make any
difference to the Ud-
dhav Thackeray-led
Shiv Sena faction as
people will accept its
new poll symbol.
To a query from re-
porters over the issue on
Sunday
, the NCP chief,
who was in Pune’s Bara-
matitown,said,“Idonot
want to get involved in
the controversy regard-
ingthenameandsymbol
given to Eknath Shinde.
I have already clarified
my stand on the same.”
Uddhav Thackeray
had termed the EC’s or-
der “dangerous for de-
mocracy” and vowed to
challenge it in the Su-
preme Court. Chief
Minister Eknath Shin-
de had described it as
“the victory of truth
and people”.
Sharad Pawar —FILE PHOTO
NCP supremo
had advised
Thackeray to
‘start from
beginning’ after
EC announced
decision on
Saturday
Maha sugar
production to
fall in 2022-23
due to rainfall
What Home Minister Amit Shah says
has never been taken seriously. What can
we say about people who believe in buy-
ing justice and truth? Who has won and lost Ma-
harashtra; we’ll show when the time comes. We will
not say anything now. —Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena –UBT MP
‘Shivaji Maharaj’s
followers stopped
from visiting fort’
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Sambhaji
Raje Chhatrapati, a
member of the former
Maratha royal family
of Kolhapur,onSunday
claimed police stopped
Shivaji Maharaj’s fol-
lowersfromgoingtothe
Shivneri Fort in Pune,
to accommodate the
visit of some VIPs. The
followers were at the
site on the occasion of
thewarriorking’sbirth
anniversary
.
Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde, who
visited the fort along
with Deputy CM Dev-
endra Fadnavis, said
they would take steps
so that the followers of
Shivaji Maharaj do not
face any hurdles while
visiting the Shivneri
Fort next year.
Incidentally, Shivaji
Maharaj was born at
the Shivneri Fort in
1630.
Former Rajya Sabha
member Sambhaji
Chhatrapati, who
could not attend the of-
ficial function at the
fort, claimed several
“Shiv bhakts” were
stopped by police in
the wake of the visit of
some VIPs to the fort.
ing at the fort, he said,
“When I was near the
fort, some Shiv bhakts
approached me and
complained of police
restricting them from
visiting the fort. They
told me that police
were objecting to their
visit, citing crowding
which may lead to an
untoward incident
such as stampede.”
“This is highly un-
fair. The followers
should not face any
discrimination when
it comes to visiting the
Shivneri Fort. Had I
gone ahead, people
would have followed
me and this could have
led to a stampede,” he
added.
While addressing a
function on Shivaji
Jayanti, CM Shinde
said he heard Samb-
haji Chhatrapati’s
comments.
“We will take neces-
sary steps so that peo-
ple do not face any hur-
dles next year when it
comes to visiting the
Shivneri Fort,” he said.
Echoing his senti-
ment, Deputy CM Fad-
navis also said there
will be better arrange-
ments next year to
manage the crowd
properly
.
CM Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis attend Shivaji Jayanti
celebrations at Shivneri Fort in Pune on Sunday. —ANI PHOTO
‘MAHA’ CELEBRATION ON SHIVAJI JAYANTI!
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari
poses for a picture during the birth anniversary celebrations
of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, at Gandhi Gate, in Nagpur on
Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis pay tribute to Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary at Shivneri Fort in Pune on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Governor Ramesh Bais pays a floral tribute to the statue of the warrior king at
Shivaji Park in Dadar area of Mumbai. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
People take part in the birth anniversary celebrations of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at
Shivaji Square Mahal in Nagpur city on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
ON SHIVAJI JAYANTI, LATUR DOC
COUPLE DISTRIBUTES CYCLES TO
38 UNDERPRIVILEGED GIRLS
‘DESTROYED TEMPLES REBUILT BY SHIVAJI MAHARAJ, OTHER MARATHA RULERS’
LIGHT AND SOUND SHOW ON SHIVAJI’S LIFE AT RAIGAD FORT ON JUNE 05
Latur (PTI): On Sunday, a doctor couple in Latur
celebrated the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj by distributing 38 bicycles to girls
from poor and rural backgrounds to help them
reach school and prevent them from dropping
out. This is their yearly celebration of the Maha-
raj’s birth anniversary. “We have been distributing
cycles every year on this day. This is our true
celebration of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj,” said Dr Harshwardhan Raut.
Pune: Hailing Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj for rebuilding temples
destroyed during the rule of
Mughals and other foreign
invaders, Union Home Minister
Amit Shah on Sunday said the
restoration work is being taken
forward by Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi. Shah was speaking
after inaugurating the first phase
of “Shivsrushti”, a theme park
based on the life of Shivaji Maha-
raj at Narhe-Ambegaon in Pune.
“Several temples were destroyed
during the rule of Mughals and
other foreign invaders. Last
week, Goa Chief Minister Pramod
Sawant did the redevelopment of
Saptakoteshwar temple, which
was reconstructed by Chhatra-
pati Shivaji Maharaj. Similarly,
the temples in south India were
also redeveloped by the Maratha
warrior king. Shivaji Maharaj
constructed grand gates in front
of the temples and tried to restore
these structures,” Shah said.
Aurangabad (PTI): The first
‘light and sound’ show based
on the life of Maratha warrior
king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
will be held at the Raigad Fort
in Maharashtra on June 05 this
year. Preparations for it are in
full swing, Raigad Development
Authority Chairperson Sambhaji
Raje Chhatrapati has said. The
Raigad Development Authority
has undertaken conservation
work on parts of the fort and
is also working to hold a light
and sound show, a day before
Shivaji was coronated as the
emperor (on June 06, 1674),
Sambhaji Raje said on Saturday.
The script of the light and sound
show has been approved by the
authorities concerned, he said.
“The show will cover incidents
from the birth of Shivaji Maharaj
till his death. The rocky surface
behind the Holicha Maal area
will be used by the audience
to watch the show. They will
have a 180-degree view of the
show from Rajsadar (the court
of Shivaji) to the samadhi,” he
said.
Union Home Min Amit Shah offers prayers at Ambabai
temple in Kolhapur on Sunday.—ANI PHOTO
Continuous rains
rendering the ground
wet for longer periods
to blame, says official

MAHARASHTRA
03
Mumbai court to try minor as adult for rape
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A special
court in Mumbai is set
to try a 17-year-old teen
as an adult and not a
minor, after taking se-
rious cognizance of the
“heinous nature of the
crime” he committed.
The minor stands ac-
cused of repeatedly
raping and threatening
a 7-year-old girl.
While reading out
his order, special judge
SA Takalikar said,
“The mental and physi-
cal capacity of the
Child in Conflict with
Law (CCL) (accused) is
that he understands the
nature of serious alle-
gations made against
h i m .
He is
mature enough
to understand
the consequenc-
es and nature
of the of-
fence.”
The ad-
vocate
r e p r e -
senting
the ac-
c u s e d
teen de-
fended him
by referring to the
probation officer’s
report, and claimed
there is “much pro-
gress” in the behav-
iour of the accused.
“The CCL is par-
ticipating in various
programmes. He has
undergone counselling
sessions and training
and is also pursuing
further education.
Thus, he needs to be
considered as ‘child’
and not an adult,” he
said.
However, after going
through the victim’s
statement, which stat-
ed that the accused
along with others had
sexually assaulted the
minor more than once,
the judge declined to
try him as an adult.
“The CCL and other ac-
cused threatened the
girl by saying that they
would commit the same
act with her sister too,”
he observed.
In his order, judge
Takalikar noted, “The
allegations of forcible
sexual intercourse, un-
natural sex, outraging
modesty of the victim
have been made against
this CCL and other ac-
cused. The case is that
of gang rape and na-
ture of offence is hei-
nous. Therefore, the
court directs the JJB to
send the accused for
trial after making a
preliminary assess-
ment.”
‘HEINOUS CRIME’
Accused mature
enough to
understand
the
consequences,
and nature of
offence, says
special judge
The mental
and physical
capacity of
the Child in
Conflict with Law (CCL)
(accused) is that he
understands the nature
of serious allegations
made against him. He
is mature enough to
understand the conse-
quences and nature of
the offence.
—SA Takalikar,
Special Judge
Mumbai police registers case of accidental
death; wife alleges his brothers killed him
Mumbai (PTI): City
police have registered a
case of accidental death
of a 42-year-old real es-
tate agent in Mumbai,
while his wife has al-
leged that he was beat-
en to death by his two
brothers and their
wives over a property
dispute, said an official.
In a video surfaced on
social media, the de-
ceased’s wife alleged
that he was killed by his
two brothers and their
wives in front of her
and her two children.
A minor son of the
deceased was also seen
alleging in the clip that
his uncles and aunts se-
verely hit his father and
strangled him, to which
he was a witness. The
boy further says that
his father was rushed to
a nearby hospital but he
was declared dead.
“Based on the prima-
ry information, we have
registered an accidental
death report in the case.
On the wife’s complaint,
wehavesentthebodyfor
postmortem and are
waiting for the medical
report,” he said.
MAN ACCUSED OF
STEALING `7 LAKH
IN PALGHAR HELD
Palghar: A man was arrest-
ed at Surat airport in Gujarat
for allegedly stealing Rs7
lakh from Nalasopara in
Palghar. He was named as
the suspect by the brother
of the accused’s employer,
Shailendra Nagarkar, senior
inspector of Tulinj police
station said. “We nabbed
him from Surat airport on
Friday. He was planning
to flee to Nepal. We have
recovered Rs5.65 lakh from
him,” he added.
FEMALE CONSTABLE
SUSPENDED FOR
HIDING INFO
Thane: A woman consta-
ble in Thane, has been
suspended for allegedly
hiding the fact that two
of her sisters were taking
part in a police recruitment
drive, an official said on
Sunday. She is accused of
trying to hide this informa-
tion by submitting a false
undertaking and helping
her sisters during the
recruitment drive. Her sus-
pension order was issued
on February 17.
DOCTOR DIES BY
SUICIDE AT HIS
MUM RESIDENCE
Mumbai: Pawan Laxman
Sable (46), a doctor by
profession, allegedly died
by suicide at his residence
in Thane district, the police
said on Saturday. A suicide
note was also recovered
from the spot. The dean
of KEM Hospital, where he
was employed, informed
that the deceased had ear-
lier applied for resignation,
but his wife had requested
the management not to ac-
cept it, the police said.
MAN KILLS MINOR
FIANCE IN JALNA
DIST, ABSCONDS
Jalna: A 24-year-old man
from Warud in Buldhana
district is suspected to
have killed his 17-year-old
fiancée in Jalna. The duo
were set to get married on
March 17. It is reported that
the accused raped the teen
before slitting her throat.
Authorities are currently
searching for the suspect.
“The girl was found in a
pool of blood by kin. The
accused had fled the village
by then,” said an official.
MAKE-UP ARTIST ON BIKE COLLIDES WITH
LEOPARD IN MUM’S GOREGAON FILM CITY
Mumbai: On Friday night, a make-up artist, Shravan Vish-
wakarma (23), was on a motorbike when he collided with a
leopard in Goregaon Film City. The leopard had been chasing a
pig when the accident occurred, causing the motorbike rider to
fall off and lose consciousness, an official said. The rider was
taken to a hospital and is now recovering. According to the
state Forest Department, the incident appears to be an accident
as the leopard left the spot without harming the victim.
THANE COURT ACQUITS 22-YEAR-OLD
MAN ACCUSED OF RAPING WOMAN FRIEND
Thane: A court in the Thane district has acquitted a 22-year-
old man who had been accused of raping and deceiving
a female friend. On Friday, Additional Sessions Judge Dr
Rachana gave the man the benefit of the doubt. The prosecu-
tion informed the court that the accused and the victim had a
love affair. The accused allegedly raped the woman on differ-
ent occasions under pretext of marriage. Later, he married
someone else without any warning, said the prosecution.
CRUCIAL READ
FEASIBILITY CHECK
MahaMetro looking at ‘Neo’ system for smaller cities
First India Bureau
Nagpur: MahaMetro is
working on the feasibil-
ity of implementing the
Metro Neo system in
cities having a popula-
tion of up to 20 lakh,
with Nashik being the
frontrunner, its Manag-
ing Director Brijesh
Dixit has said.
The Centre and the
state government are
viewing this develop-
ment positively
, Dixit
said at the foundation
day programme of the
MahaMetroonSaturday
.
“We have full faith
that we will be success-
ful in this task as well,”
he said.
The ‘Metro Neo’ is a
trolley bus system with
overhead electric trac-
tion and rubber tyres,
and has the capability
of being upgraded to a
light metro system.
Dixit said the second
phase of Nagpur Metro
rail will be completed in
the next five years, with
work set to begin from
April.
The 44.5km second
phase comprises a 19km
stretch till Butibori, a
7km stretch from
Lokmanya Nagar to
Hingna, a 13km route
fromAutomotiveChowk
to Kanhan and 5.5km
stretch from Prajapati
Nagar to Kapsi, he said.
In December 2022,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi inaugurated
the first phase of the
Nagpur Metro rail pro-
ject here and travelled in
the train with students.
Hehadalsolaidthefoun-
dation stone of Phase-II
of the Metro project.
There are 36 stations
under Phase-I, which
covers a distance of
40km. This project has
been developed at a cost
of more than Rs8,650
crore, officials said.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Phase I of the Nagpur Metro rail
project as Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin
Gadkari, Maha Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM
Devendra Fadnavis look on. —FILE PHOTO
It is a bus trolley
system with
overhead electric
traction and
rubber tyres, can
be upgraded to
light metro
NAGPUR METRO
Saying ‘aaja aaja’ to minor sexual
harassment, rules sessions court
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A sessions
court in Dindoshi has
convicted a 32-year-old
man under Protection
of Children from Sex-
ual Offences (POCSO)
Act for repeatedly say-
ing “aaja aaja” (come,
come) to a minor.
The court observed
that following a girl
and saying “aaja aaja”
to her despite her clear
indication of disinter-
est in him, was sexual
harassment.
The incident took
place in September
2015, when the victim
was a 15-year-old Class
X student. Appearing
before the court, she
said that she was fol-
lowed by the man on a
bicycle when she was
going to attend French
tuitionclass.Heuttered
the words ‘aaja aaja’ re-
peatedly
, said the then
minor.
He continued to har-
ass her for a few more
days, following which,
the girl narrated her
ordeal to her parents
and tuition teacher.
She later found out
that he worked as a se-
curity guard at a local
building. A police com-
plaint was lodged
against him by the
girl’s parents.
During court pro-
ceedings, the man had
sought leniency on
grounds of being mar-
ried with a child and
underprivileged. Ad-
ditional sessions judge
AZ Khan sentenced
him to the period he
had already served as
an undertrial between
September 2015 and
March 2016.
LEGAL JARGON
Investors duped over high returns; 2 held,`19 cr seized
First India Bureau
Thane: The Navi Mum-
bai police have arrested
two persons for alleg-
edly cheating people by
promising lucrative re-
turns on their invest-
ment plans, said an of-
ficial. The team has
recovered nearly Rs19
crore from the accused.
They were carrying
Rs9.99 crore cash in 10
suitcases in a cab when
they were nabbed on
Friday
. Another sum of
Rs9 crore was recovered
after freezing their
bank account, he said.
Deputy Commission-
er of Police (Zone II Pan-
vel) Pankaj Dahane told
reporters on Saturday
that the police took suo
motu action (on their
own)againsttheaccused
and seized the money
.
The police received
information that the ac-
cused had sought in-
vestment worth crores
from a number of peo-
ple in a circulation
scheme. After promis-
ing them a return of
40% within 50 days,
they did not pay the
money, he said.
However, none of the
victims from Pirkon
and Bondkal villages
came forward to file a
complaint.
The police held meet-
ings in the villages to
inform locals of such
fake investments and
asked them to file a
complaint, but they
were reluctant.
On Friday, the Uran
police got a tip-off that
one of the accused was
to come to Koproli vil-
lage in a car with the
money taken from the
investors, he said.
Accordingly
, the po-
lice laid a trap and inter-
cepted the cab. The two
passengers, Satish Vish-
nu Gavand (32) and Sha-
shikant Anant Gavand
(34), were arrested.
A case has been
lodged and further
probe is underway
.
Considering
magnitude of crime,
case may be
transferred to
Economic Offences
Wing (EOW)
Thane (PTI): Six years after a man from Thane
district went missing, the police have registered a
case of murder against two of his friends following
a court directive, an official said on Sunday. On
January 11, 2017, the two accused came to the
house of the 18-year-old victim, Parvesh Chouhan,
in Kalwa area and informed him about a catering job
for him, Police Inspector (crime) Gajendra Patil said.
The two accused took the victim along with them
and the latter did not return, he added. When the
victim's family enquired about it, they gave evasive
replies. After a couple of days, Dombivili police
called up the victim's family and informed them that
his body was found on railway tracks and that it was
a case of accidental death, the official said.
COPS FILE CASE AGAINST TWO MEN
FOR KILLING FRIEND SIX YEARS AGO
Child found in drain 5
years ago adopted by
couple from Italy
First India Bureau
Thane: A newborn
found abandoned in a
drain in Ulhasnagar in
Thane district in 2018
has been adopted by an
Italian couple, said a
functionary of a local
organisation that res-
cued him and regis-
tered a police complaint
at the time.
On December 30, 2018,
the child was found se-
verely injured and had
consumed contaminat-
ed water. A local organi-
zation, led by Shivaji
RagadeandhiswifeJay-
shree, rescued the in-
fant and registered a
police complaint.
The couple appealed
for money for the in-
fant’s treatment at Wa-
dia Hospital in Mumbai,
andinjust24hours,they
collected Rs10.42 lakh.
The Ragades wanted
to adopt the child, but
due to legal issues, they
could not. So, the infant
was given to Vishwa
Balak Ashram and was
named Tiger due to his
strong will to survive.
On Friday, Tiger was
adopted by an Italian
couple, who flew to Eu-
rope with him. Every-
one involved in his res-
cue is delighted that he
was given such a won-
derful life, said Ragade.
We wanted to
adopt the child
but could not
do so due to come legal
issues, so he was given
in the care of Vishwa
Balak Ashram. He was
named Tiger due to the
resolve with which the
child survived being
thrown into a drain.
—Shivaji Ragade

PERSPECTIVE
04
The sanyasis, the
fakirs, the poor, the
rich, the illiterates, the
highly educated, the
mothers, the young men
and young women and
people belonging to all
religions and castes
became the symbols of
fighting spirit. They
all have contributed to
the sunset over the
British empire.
he Immortal Saga — India’s
Struggle for Freedom, re-
leased by the Ramoji Group
as part of it’s tribute to the
nation on the 75th Azadi Ka
Amrit Mahotsav is a book
each one of us should not
only read but keep with one-
self and read it to our chil-
dren and grandchildren.
This simple action will be a
‘seva’ towards our Mother-
land as it will instil a deep-
rooted pride and love for the
nation in the coming genera-
tion. This book holds in it’s
pages the immense power to
show the way ahead to each
one of us. On the other hand,
the detailed factual informa-
tion, dates, places and time-
line give an insight into the
amount of detailed research
that must have gone into this
book. A treasure not just for
the daily reader and history
buff but also for the teachers
and students of history
.
The power of this book is
set out in it’s elegant and
thought-provokingForeword
by Shri Ramoji Rao, the icon-
ic head of the Ramoji Group,
which will stir powerful feel-
ings of patriotism and fill
you with the need to sit qui-
etly in a corner and lose
yourself in the lives and
times of our heroes because
of whom we breathe freely
today
. Like Ramoji says, the
Immortal Saga does not car-
ry stories, but heart beats of
the heroes who remain bur-
ied in the dark recesses of
history
, truly as you read the
pages will hold the smiles of
the great Martyrs who hap-
pily give their lives for the
cause of the motherland.
Making this book a true
manifestation of the spirit
of patriotism, love for the
Motherland and also the
power of humanity, it car-
ries in the words of Ramoji,
‘live sketches of our foreign-
er friends who developed at-
tachment with the soil of
India, and stood by our side
in the struggle for freedom.’
Ramoji pays a strong trib-
ute to the freedom fighters,
who united regardless of
caste, religion, community
,
gender or region to fight for
freedom, as he says, ‘The san-
yasis, the fakirs, the poor, the
rich,theilliterates,thehighly
educated, the mothers, the
youngmenandyoungwomen
and people belonging to all
religions and castes became
thesymbolsof fightingspirit.
They all have contributed to
the sunset over the British
empire. They have proved
that great deeds cannot hap-
pen without involvement of
commonpeople.Thefootsteps
of those martyrs should not
be erased by the waves of the
ocean called time. The tears
of blood they had shed for the
future of India should never
be forgotten. I hope this effort
by‘Eenadu’willhelpyounger
generations to draw inspira-
tion from the great deeds of
our freedom fighters.”
The content is set out in a
unique way — 351 stories,
each story on one page, and
the titles to the stories are an
amalgamation of explanato-
ryandcrypticbutsopenetra-
tive that you will prefer to
read all the titles first before
opening page 1 for reading.
The one-page stories are
well-researched with simple
language which is engaging
and holds the reader giving
insights and setting out the
rich history of the times
with amazing facts and fig-
ures. The stories beckon you
to immerse yourself in the
book and once you start read-
ing time will fly past with no
meaning as you lose yourself
in the heart-rending stories.
You will enjoy reading
how Sardar Vallabhbhai Pa-
tel swept the roads of
Ahmedabad sweeping away
untouchability and showing
the way and how Durga Devi
helped Bhagat Singh escape
from Lahore after the gun-
ning down of JP Sanders.
You will be devastated by
how the British abandoned
Indians during the global
epidemic of Spanish flu and
reading about Kalapani,
truly a Veritable Hell. I read
about the Chapati move-
ment for the first time in
this book and also about the
Vagrant Europeans, makes
a very interesting read.
Readers will learn selfless
devotion as they read the
story of Annapurna Devi
who donated all her jewel-
lery for the freedom struggle
and of Amarchand Bantia
who supported Jhansi ki
rani Laxmibai financially
through a secret treasure
fund. We will learn how
Sevagram became the unof-
ficial capital of the national
movement and the heart-
rending story of Vidurash-
watha village in Karnataka-
the Jallianwala of South.
I could go on and on but
this is journey each one us
should traverse for its learn-
ings and our own, for us to
grow within, become strong-
er and better humans.
So many times, I looked
up, dazed, fists clenched,
eyes bright with unshed
tears to a modern day India,
which breathes and lives due
to our martyrs- these brave
souls who walked into the
sunset with head held high.
Ramoji Group has done a
great service to the nation
with the release of The Im-
mortal Saga and a service to
us also…showing us the path
to tread ahead, head held
high with Vande Mataram in
our hearts and on our lips
with the power of New India
to shout it aloud for the en-
tire universe to hear.
VANDE MATARAM! JAI HIND!
THE
THE BOOK, THE IMMORTAL SAGA:
CELEBRATING INDIA’S STRUGGLE
FOR FREEDOM BY RAMOJI GROUP
WITH THE FOREWORD BY RAMOJI
RAO, HEAD OF RAMOJI GROUP, IS
A LIFE-CHANGING BOOK WHICH
CELEBRATES SPIRIT WHICH UNITES
US, A MUST FOR ALL INDIANS TO
READ, OVER AND OVER AGAIN...
IMMORTAL
SAGA
DR ANITA HADA
THE WRITER IS EDITOR,
FIRST INDIA
T
CELEBRATING THE
75TH “AZADI KA
AMRIT MAHOTSAV”
The Immortal Saga-
India’s Struggle for
Freedom, released by
the Ramoji Group as
part of it’s tribute to the
nation on the 75th Azadi
Ka Amrit Mahotsav is
a book each one of us
should not only read but
keep with oneself and
read it to our children
and grandchildren.
The power of this book
is set out in it’s elegant
and thought-provoking
Foreword by Shri Ramoji
Rao, iconic head of
Ramoji Group, which
will stir powerful feel-
ings of patriotism and
fill you with need to sit
quietly in a corner and
lose yourself in lives
and times of our heroes
because of whom we
breathe freely today.
The content of this book
is set out in a unique
way — 351 stories, each
story on one page, and
the titles to the stories
are an amalgamation of
explanatory and cryptic
but so penetrative that
you will prefer to read
all the titles first before
opening Page 1 for
reading.
The Immortal Saga does not carry stories, but
heart beats of the heroes who remain buried in the
dark recesses of history, truly as you read the pages will
hold the smiles of the great Martyrs who happily
give their lives for the cause of the motherland
Ramoji Rao
l Vol 1 l Issue No. 284 l RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701.
Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057. Phone 022-46031417. Editor-In-Chief: DrJagdeesh Chandra Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
—Ramoji Rao

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05
INDIA
Kashmir (ANI): Con-
gress MP Rahul Gandhi
on Sunday chaired a
meetingof partyleaders
of Kashmir slammed
the Bharatiya Janata
Party for the ongoing
evictiondriveinJammu
and Kashmir termed
it as a deliberate move
by BJP to divert the at-
tention of the people
from real issues.
Notably, the adminis-
trationof theUnionTer-
ritory launched an evic-
tion drive against illegal
encroachment by ‘big
land owners’ and ‘influ-
ential’peopleandnearly
23,000 hectares have
been retrieved during
the ongoing anti-en-
croachment drive in the
Jammudivision.During
the meeting, the former
Congresschief exhorted
partyleaderstoworkfor
the betterment of peo-
ple. Gandhi expressed
seriousconcernoverthe
difficulties confronting
people in absence of the
democratic system in
JKwhileslammingthe
government for snatch-
ing the rights of people.
Slamming the evic-
tion drive in JK, Gan-
dhi said, “BJP’s deliber-
ate move to divert the
attention of the people
from real issues espe-
cially rising unemploy-
ment, unprecedented
price hike and other
developmental issues
concerning people.”
‘BJP’sdeliberatemovetodivertattention’
RAHUL GANDHI ON J-K EVICTION DRIVE
IN THE COURTYARD
‘VIRTUAL HEARINGS
HAVE INCREASED
EFFICIENCY’
New Delhi: Virtual
court hearings have
increased efficiency and
it is necessary to utilise
this system for which a
vast infrastructure has
been created, SC Judge
Justice Sanjay Kishan
Kaul said. Justice Kaul
said when the world was
hit by pandemic, the
international arbitration
community shifted to the
virtual system and
gradually virtual or
hybrid hearings will
become a norm
physical hearings
will become an
exception.
GOOGLE’S $168 BILLION IN AD REVENUE
AT RISK IN SUPREME COURT CASE
Washington: The US Supreme Court is poised to hear a
case that could spell danger for the internet’s most lucrative
business: online advertising. The case, Gonzalez v. Google, will
be argued Tuesday and centers on whether internet companies
are liable for the content their algorithms recommend to users.
The tech industry says it’s protected by a legal shield contained
in communications law known as Section 230. The social
media companies view the case as an existential threat.
HC REJECTS PETITION SEEKING CANCELLING
OF FIR AGAINST CONVERSION ACCUSED
Prayagraj (PTI): The Allahabad High Court has dismissed
a writ petition challenging an FIR lodged against 37
people accused of coercing a man to undergo a religious
conversion from Hinduism to Christianity through
inducements. The writ petition was filed by Jose
Prakash George and 36 Others seeking quashing of
the FIR lodged on January 23, 2023, under sections
420, 467, 468, 506, 120-B IPC and section 3/5 (1) of
UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion
Act at Police Station Kotwali, District Fatehpur.
‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
not just name but an ideology’
Pune (ANI):HomeMin-
ister Amit Shah on Sun-
day said Maratha war-
rior Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj was not just a
name but an ideology as
his inspiring lifestory
taught generations to
practice ones’s language
religion with pride
and be prepared to lay
down one’s life in dis-
charging his moral du-
tiesdefending‘Swaraj’.
Shah while address-
ing the inauguration of
the 1st phase of theme
park ‘Shiv Shrishti’,
whichisbasedonthelife
of Chhatrapati Shivaji
said, “This will not just
depictinspiringlifestory
of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj but will also
convey life lessons and
teachings to future gen-
erations. His teachings
inspire people to prac-
tice their own language
and religion with pride
and be ready to sacrifice
one’s life for ‘swaraj’,”.
SP UPS THE ANTE IN BID TO WEAN
NON-YADAV OBCS FROM BJP
‘WE KNOW OUR ROLE VERY WELL’, SAYS
CONGRESS DAY AFTER NITISH REMARKS
KC VENUGOPAL ADDRESSING A
PRESS CONFERENCE
Lucknow: History seems to be repeating
itself in UP politics over social justice,
which has flared up afresh in the wake of
the Ramcharitmanas row kicked up by
senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and
MLC Swami Prasad Maurya’s remarks
that certain sections of Tulsidas’s epic
were disrespectful towards women, trib-
als, backward castes and Dalits.
New Delhi: A day after Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said he
was waiting for a signal from Congress to work towards
bringing all Opposition parties together, Congress said the
party knows its “role” very well argued that Opposition
unity would be neither possible nor successful without it.
Cong slammed Oppositions, saying it was not like some
of the parties that attend opposition meetings.
New Delhi (ANI): The 85th plenary session of the
Congress will be held in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur from
February 24 onwards and around 15,000 delegates
have been invited to attend the session. The plenary
session will discuss the roadmap for the 2024 Lok
Sabha elections. Addressing a joint press conference
party General Secretary KC Venugopal said the that
the session will be called ‘Haath Se Haath Jodo’ and
will be attended by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra and Sonia Gandhi.
Shah said while addressing inauguration of 1st phase of theme park ‘Shiv Shrishti’
The theme park would also help realise the dreams of Baba-
saheb Purandare, an author and poet better known for his
works on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The theme park
would feature holography, project mapping, miniature motion simu-
lation, 3d-4d technique, sound technique. —Amit Shah, Home Minister
Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during
the inauguration of the first phase of the theme park ‘Shiv Srishti’ based on the life of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary, in Pune on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
‘Nitishnotabletohandle
BiharbutwantstobePM’
Patna (ANI): Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) lead-
er Ravi Shankar Prasad
on Sunday hit out at Bi-
har Chief Minister Nit-
ish Kumar and said that
the latter’s dream to be-
come the Prime Minis-
ter would never fructify
because the people of
the country believe in
PM Narendra Modi and
his leadership.
While talking to ANI,
Ravi Shankar Prasad
said, “Nitish Kumar has
requested and pleaded
to make him the prime
ministerial candidate
while he is unable to
manage the state of Bi-
har. Be it Nitish Kumar
or any other leader they
should know that under
the leadership of PM
Modi the country has
progressed significant-
ly
.” He further said that
the country has
changed, and the people
of the country have
changed and they be-
lieve in PM Modi and
his leadership, while
Nitish Kumar has not
been able to build politi-
cal credibility
.
“What has happened
to Bihar CM Nitish Ku-
mar? He isn’t able to
handleBihar,thestateis
in trouble. There is cha-
os in his party
. Congress
isn’t giving him any lift.
Nitish ji, you want to be-
come like Deve Gowda
or Inder Kumar Gujral
(former PMs),” added
Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Earlier on January
18, Union Rural Devel-
opment Minister and
BJP leader Giriraj Sin-
gh launched a scathing
attack on Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar
and said that Nitish Ku-
mar is desperate to be-
come Prime Minister.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP MP Ravi Shankar
Prasad during a procession of ‘Maha Shivratri’ festival, in Patna.
Telangana is Afghanistan of India, KCR is
Taliban, says YSRT chief YS Sharmila
Hyderabad: YSR Telan-
gana Party President
Y.S.SharmilaonSunday
launched a scathing at-
tack on Chief Minister
K. Chandrasekhar Rao,
terming him “Taliban”.
“Telangana is Af-
ghanistan of India and
KCR is its Taliban,”
Sharmila told reporters
in Hyderabad, hours af-
ter she was arrested by
the police in Maha-
bubabad and her pady-
atra stopped.
Sharmila, who was
brought to Hyderabad
by police after arresting
her at Mahabubabad on
allegations of making
inappropriate remarks
against a local MLA of
ruling Bharat Rashtra
Samithi (BRS), also
termed KCR a dictator
and a tyrant. “There is
no Indian constitution
in Telangana. There is
only the KCR Constitu-
tion,” she alleged.
Erode East
bypolls:
Political
parties kick
start drive
Erode East (ANI): Po-
litical parties have
started campaigning on
Erode East roads ahead
of the February 27 bye-
election in the assembly
constituency. Since the
bye-election date was
announced for Erode
East, the constituency
is in Thiruvizla mode.
Political parties cap-
tured their places with
their flags on the every
nook and the corner of
the roads. All the lodges
in Erode got full with
political top to bottom
level leaders halted for
campaigning.
To check cash supply,
vehicle checkups are in
full swing by setting up
various check posts.
Different troops of the
CISF, RPSF and ITBP
are conducting vehicle
checks and guarding
strong rooms. Tamil
Nadu Special Force
units are also involved
in patrolling and secu-
rity in Erode East.
TMC protests near min’s
house for man shot dead
Hindus became poor
under BJP rule: Mufti
UP CM inaugurates Digital
Gallery at Vidhan Bhavan
Kolkata: A day-long
sit-in was organised by
the Trinamool Con-
gress on Sunday near
the residence of Union
Minister of State for
Home Nisith Pramanik
at Bhetaguri in Cooch
Behar district, seeking
justice for an “innocent
Rajbanshi youth who
was branded as cattle
smuggler and shot dead
by the BSF”.
According to local of-
ficials, Section 144 of
CrPC has been imposed
over a 150 metre-radius
around the minister’s
residence, with heavy
security arrangements
made in the area to pre-
vent any untoward sit-
uation.
The TMC, protesting
over the death of
24-year-old Prem Ku-
mar Barman in Dinha-
ta block, sought imme-
diate action against
those involved. The agi-
tators raised slogans
against the BJP-led
Centre, the BSF, and Mr
Pramanik.
Jammu (ANI): Peo-
ple’s Democratic Party
chief Mehbooba Mufti
on Sunday launched a
scathing attack on the
BJP alleged that the
party does not want to
build a nation but only
intends to make India a
“BJP Rashtra”.
The PDP chief al-
leged that the BJP con-
siders JK its “labora-
tory” where it conducts
“experiments”. She al-
leged that the Hindus
have become poor un-
der the BJP regime.
“The BJP sold the en-
tire country including
Railways, airports, and
banks. This is not na-
tionalism. They only
talk about Hindu-Mus-
lim.
During the UPA re-
gime, 26 crore people
were lifted above the
Poverty Line, the BJP
again pushed them
back to BPL, are they all
Muslims? Are only
Muslims the victims of
the drug menace in
J-K?” she said.
Lucknow (ANI): Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath inau-
gurated the Legislative
Digital Gallery at Vid-
han Bhavan in Luc-
know on Sunday
.
During this, the CM
observed the digital
screen installed in the
gallery, and then also
learned about the leg-
islative history of Ut-
tar Pradesh through a
short film. In a short
film it was seen that
on January 8, 1887, the
first meeting of the
Council was held in
Allahabad under the
chairmanship of the
Governor.
In 1892, the powers
of the Council were
increased and in addi-
tion to the legislative
functions, the mem-
bers got the right to
ask questions.
Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed over a 150 metre-
radius around the minister’s residence.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi
Adityanath at the inauguration
of Legislative Digital Gallery at
Vidhan Bhawan, Lucknow
—PHOTO BY ANI
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi along with party leader Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra today chaired a meeting of party leaders of Kashmir.
First ever grand
celebrations
his birth anniv
in Agra Fort
Agra (ANI): For the
first time ever, the birth
anniversaryof Chhatra-
pati Shivaji Maharaj is
going to be celebrated
inside Agra Fort. Maha-
rashtra Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde will at-
tend the celebrations to
mark the 391st birth an-
niversary of the great
Maratha warrior on
Sunday. Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath will attend
the event virtually
.
TELANGANA LEADER YS SHARMILA IN
CUSTODY FOR ‘DEROGATORY’ REMARKS
Mahabubabad: Telangana Police on Sunday detained
Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Telangana Party (YSRTP) chief YS
Sharmila for allegedly making inappropriate remarks against
the Mahabubabad MLA and BRS leader Shankar Naik. The
police moved her to Hyderbad to avoid any law and order
problems in the town of Mahabubabad. They registered a
case against her under section 504 of the Indian Penal Code
[Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace]
and section 3(1)r of the SC ST POA Act.
YSR Telangana Party
President Y.S. Sharmila
HC ISSUES BAILABLE
WARRANT AGAINST
IAS OFFICER
Bilaspur (ANI): The High
Court of Chhattisgarh has
issued a bailable warrant
against an IAS officer for
failing to respond to a
contempt notice within
the stipulated time period.
The court has issued the
bailable warrant to IAS S
Prakash, the then director in
the panchayat department,
for a sum of Rs 5,000
and directed the officer to
appear before the court in
person on March 24, said
advocate Abhishek Pandey.
As application was not
disposed of, lawyer filed the
petition in the High Court.
—PHOTO
BY
ANI
—PHOTO
BY
ANI

06
INDIA
Shimla (ANI): At 14.4
degrees Celsius, the
state capital of
Himachal Pradesh,
Shimla, recorded high-
est-ever minimum tem-
perature on Saturday
.
Themercuryhasbeen
inching up in the hills
and across the North In-
dian belt over the last
few days. The India Me-
teorologicalDepartment
(IMD) has forecast a
western disturbance
across the North Indian
belt over the next 24
hours, with the mercury
set to drop in the region
after a few days.
“The temperatures in
mostplacesof Himachal
Pradesh are above nor-
mal. On Saturday
, Shim-
la recorded a minimum
temperature of 14.4 de-
grees Celsius, surpass-
ing the previous highest
for this time of year, at
14.2 degrees Celsius on
February 26, 2015. At
February 16, this year,
Solan, too, surpassed its
previous highest of 28.5
degrees Celsius on Feb-
ruary 26, 2021,” said
Surender Paul, head of
IMD, Himachal
Pradesh.
“The highest maxi-
mum temperature at
Solan (located at 1,550
metres above sea level),
as per our records, was
February 26, 2021. How-
ever, the record was
broken on February 16
when the minimum
temperature was re-
corded at 29.5 degrees
Celsius,” he added.
“Both the minimum
and maximum tempera-
tures in the state are
currently 4 to 5 degrees
above normal,” he said.
Shimla records highest minimum temperature
SURPASSING PREVIOUS RECORD OF 2015
NEWS DIGEST
A HANDFUL OF HAPPINESS
VANDE BHARAT RIDE
MISSION SUCCESSFUL
WORLD RECORD
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar with his wife Sudesh
Dhankhar during the Rann Utsav, in Kutch on Sunday.
Union Ministers Anurag Singh Thakur and Bhupender Yadav on the
Vande Bharat express from New Delhi to Chandigarh, on Sunday.
The final NDRF team under Operation Dost returns from Türkiye,
on Sunday.Three teams of 151 NDRF personnel and dog squads
extended assistance to the earthquake-affected country.
Ujjain lit up with over 18.82 lakh diyas on the occasion of
Mahashivratri, providing an outstanding view, and setting a
New Guinness World Record defeating Ayodhya’s record.
2 DIE AS CYLINDER
EXPLODES DURING
WEDDING PREP
DMRC TO LAUNCH
VIRTUAL SHOPPING
APP FOR METRO
14 INJURED AS
SHIVRATRI SEES
CLASHES IN MP
Tourists seen at Mall Road as the temperature rises in the
region, in Shimla. —PHOTO BY ANI
THREE MEDICAL
STUDENTS DROWN
WHILE BATHING
SATELLITES MADE
BY STUDENTS
LAUNCHED
NOTORIOUS DRUG
PEDDLER HELD IN
J-K’S KULGAM
Agra: Two women were
charred to death and another
was injured when an LPG
cylinder caught fire during a
wedding preparation, police
said on Sunday. The incident
took place in the Sikandra
locality of this Uttar Pradesh
district. “One person was
injured and is being treated
at a hospital in Agra. The
cylinder caught fire due to
loosening of the pin and due
to which it caught fire.
New Delhi: Delhi Metro will
soon launch an app which
will enable commuters to
buy a range of products
and book various services,
including those for last-mile
connectivity. ‘Momentum
2.0’ India’s first virtual shop-
ping app for the metro will
also include features such
as instant recharge of smart
cards and payment options
for other utility services,
officials said on Sunday.
Bhopal: An argument over
offering prayers during
Shivrathri devolved into an
all-out battle between two
communities in south-
west Madhya Pradesh on
Saturday, leaving at least 14
people injured. Members of
the Dalit community alleged
that some people from a
so-called “upper caste”
allegedly stopped them from
entering a temple in the
Khargone district.
Budaun: Bodies of three
students from Government
Medical College, Budaun,
who had gone missing
after they ventured into
deep water while bathing in
Ganga, were fished out on
Sunday, officials said. NDRF
(National Disaster Relief
Force) was pressed into
search operation late Satur-
day night after the incident,
and it resumed its operation
Sunday morning.
Chengalpattu: The Martin
Foundation in association
with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
International Foundation
and Space Zone India
on Sunday launched
the APJ Abdul Kalam
Satellite Launch Vehicle
Mission-2023 from the Pat-
tipolam village of Chengal-
pattu district in Tamil Nadu.
Telangana governor Tamilisai
Soundararajan was also
present to grace the event.
Kulgam: Jammu and
Kashmir Police on Sunday
said that it has arrested a
notorious drug peddler and
recovered 700 grams of
Charas-like contraband sub-
stance from his possession
in Kulgam district. The drug
peddler has been identified
as Shakir Gulzar Bhat. A
case has been registered
under Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances
Act at Kulgam Police Station.
India announce squad for 3rd
and 4th Test, ODIs against Aus
Bumrah was not named in squad for third fourth matches of the high-profile
New Delhi (ANI): De-
spite woeful returns in
his recent outings in
Test cricket, opener and
vice-captain KL Rahul
retained his spot in In-
dian Test squad for the
final two Tests against
Australia in Indore and
Ahmedabad next
month. The Board of
Control for Cricket in
India(BCCI)announced
the same 17-member
squad as The All-India
Senior Selection Com-
mittee had opted for the
first two Tests.
Jaydev Unadkat was
also named back in the
squad after having been
allowed to leave the
team for the domestic
season final in Kolkata,
which coincided with
the Delhi Test. Unadkat
was also added to the
18-member three-match
ODI squad against Aus-
tralia. The Indian crick-
et governing body re-
vealed that captain Ro-
hit Sharma will miss
the first ODI in Mumbai
on March 17 ‘due to fam-
ily commitments’.
INDIA NEARS FINAL
SPOT, AUSTRALIA
DROPS PCT WITH
DELHI LOSS
The win ensured
that India retained
the Border-Gavaskar
Trophy and also
recorded its 100th win
over Australia across
formats in international
men’s cricket. India’s
points percentage
climbed from 61.66 to
64.06 with its 10th win
in 16 matches in the
2021-23 WTC cycle.
Meanwhile, table-
topper Australia saw its
lead diminishing from
70.83 PCT to 66.66.
New Delhi (PTI): Near-
ly two decades ago, the
then government-
owned Air India had an
extremely small fleet
of aircraft that was also
pronetofrequentbreak-
downs. Then, aircraft
were taken on lease and
later the airline placed
orders for 111 planes.
In the wake of Air In-
dia placing firm orders
for 470 planes, V Thu-
lasidas, who was the air-
line's chief from Decem-
ber 2003 to March 2008,
said there was a neces-
sity for fleet augmenta-
tion that will also help
address the long-stand-
ing grievance that most
of the Indians travelling
international are car-
ried by foreign airlines.
Prior to the latest or-
der, the last time Air
India placed orders for
aircraft was in 2005 for
111 aircraft during the
time of Thulasidas.
He also said India can
have many such hubs as
there are now world-
class airports and
strong airlines.
Fleetexpansionnecessityforother
carrierstoo:FormerAirIndiachief
An Air India Express
flight from Dubai to
Thiruvananthapuram
sought assistance from
the airport after the pilot
experienced some prob-
lem during landing, an
airline source said. The
pilot felt something un-
easy during landing and
sought assistance from
the ATC. It was a normal
landing at the scheduled
arrival time of 6.30 AM.
Jumbo of air india group order for 470 planes
The spotlight has shifted to a major problem
plaguing India’s roller-coaster aviation industry –
the current pilot shortage that is about to widen.
The big question on everyone’s mind within the
airline and the larger industry is, “Where will the
7,000-8,000 pilots needed to fly these planes
come from?”, especially at a time when India’s
airlines have been plagued by delays and cancel-
lations and have even been forced to find parking
space for their planes due to lack of cockpit crew
to fly them. And flight crew shortages are already
taking their toll with pilots complaining of rising
levels of fatigue, a less-than-reassuring trend in an
industry where the margin for safety is negligible.
AIR INDIA’S JUMBO ORDER
BARES PILOT PINCH
AIR INDIA EXPRESS
FLIGHT FROM DUBAI
SEEKS ASSISTANCE
DURING LANDING
WITH WINTER ON RETREAT, MAXIMUM
TEMP RISING ACROSS NORTH INDIA
The maximum daytime temperature is on the rise across
North India, including Shimla, is on the rise over the last
few days, with areas in the NCR region recording the highest
temperature of 29.6 on February 18, according to data shared
by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). No rainfall
is expected in the North Indian belt over the next few days,
the IMD said, adding that a minimum temperature of 11.4
degrees Celsius was recorded on Sunday.
Chennai: President Droupadi
Murmu’s visit to the Defence
Staff College, Wellington in
Tamil Nadu on Sunday was
cancelled due to inclement
weather, officials said. The
President was supposed to
reach Coonoor, lay a wreath
at the War Memorial and
deliver a talk at the college.
Skipper Rohit Sharma has refused to give up on KL Rahul.
Speaking to the media at the press conference, Rohit
pledged his support to ‘talented players' like KL Rahul, sug-
gesting those with such potential will get a long
rope by the team management. “Of late, there
has been a lot of talk about his batting. For us,
as team management, we always look at the po-
tential of any individual, not just KL. I was asked
in the past about a lot of players. If a guy has
potential, he will get an extended run. Not just
KL. If you look at the couple of hundreds he got, especially at
Lord's, batting on that damp pitch. Centurion was another win.
Both came in India winning both games. That's the potential he
has,” Rohit said in the press conference on Sunday.
Following the dominant victory in the series opener
in Nagpur last week, where India won by an innings
and 132 runs inside three days, India has now retained
the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by securing a
6-wicket win over Australia in the second
Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on
Sunday afternoon. With this latest triumph,
India has taken an unassailable 2-0 lead
in the four-match series. In the second in-
nings, the Indian spin duo of Ravichandran
Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja showcased their prowess
once again, when Australia seemed to be in a relatably
stable position at 85/2 with Steven Smith and Marnus
Labuschagne at the crease. —Garvit Narang
New Delhi (ANI): The IMD
on Sunday issued a warning
for heat wave in the isolated
coastal region specifically in
Konkan and Kutch area of
Gujarat for the next two days.
IMD Scientist Naresh said,
“Presently, one Western Dis-
turbance is likely to affect the
western Himalayan region.
PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO
DEFENCE STAFF
COLLEGE CANCELLED
ROHIT SHARMA HINTS AT 'EXTENDED
RUN' FOR RAHUL DESPITE POOR RESULTS
JADEJA WREAKS HAVOC AS INDIA
RETAIN BORDER-GAVASKAR TROPHY
IMD FORECASTS RISE
IN TEMP IN COASTAL
AREAS OF KONKAN
India's Ravindra Jadeja celebrates a wicket with teammates during the third day of the second test
match against Australia, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Dantewada (PTI): A
jawan of the Central Re-
serve Police Force
(CRPF) al-
l e g e d l y
committed
suicide by
s h o o t i n g
h i m s e l f
with his service weapon
in Chhattisgarh's
Dantewada district, po-
lice said on Sunday
.
The incident took
place on Saturday night
at the headquarters of
the CRPF's 195th battal-
ion in Barsoor police
station area, around 400
km away from capital
Raipur, an official said.
The jawan succumbed
to injuries at a hospital
in Raipur at 1.40 am on
Sunday, he said.
Constable Gunin
Das, belonging to
CRPF's 195th battalion,
shot himself with an
Insas rifle at his bar-
rack in the unit. On
hearing the gunshot,
his colleagues rushed
there and found him se-
riously injured, he
said. He was immedi-
ately taken to the unit's
hospital, from where he
was shifted to Dantewa-
da district hospital.
Paramilitary
Force personnel
shoots self with
service rifle
Panchkula (Haryana)
(ANI): Hundreds of
Haryana government
employees protest near
Haryana Chief Minis-
ter Manohar Lal Khat-
tar's residence in
Panchkula on Sunday
demanding restoration
of the Old Pension
Scheme in the state.
The government em-
ployees were seen pro-
testing amid heavy po-
lice force deployment.
The police could be
seen using water can-
nons on the protesting
employees.
A spokesperson of
the Pension Bahali
Sangharsh Samiti,
Praveen Deshwal
claimed, Around 70,000
employees have gath-
ered today to protest. In
Rajasthan, the Old Pen-
sion Scheme has been
implemented. This
Bharatiya Janta Party
(BJP) government does
not talk to the employ-
ees. We will continue
our peaceful protest.
So far the Punjab, Ra-
jasthan, Chhattisgarh,
and Jharkhand govern-
ments have shown in-
tentions to go back to
the Old Pension
Scheme, quashing the
new pension scheme.
Water cannons used
on Haryana staff near
chief min’s home
Police officials during the protest on Sunday.
Flying crew shortages are already on the rise as pilots complain of rising levels of fatigue, a less-than-
reassuring trend in an industry where the margin for safety is negligible. —PHOTO BY REUTERS
PROTEST ON

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 57,100.00 00.00 0.00 (Per 10g)
SILVER 68,600.00 00.00 0.00 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 82.83 0.00 0.00
GBPINR 98.91 0.00 0.00
CURRENCIES
TCS NOT CONSIDERING ANY LAYOFFS
Mumbai (PTI): Tata Con-
sultancy Services (TCS) is
not considering any layoffs
as it believes in grooming
talent for longer careers
once it hires an employee,
a top official has said.
The country’s largest IT
services exporter is also
looking to hire startup em-
ployees who have lost their
jobs, its chief Human Re-
source officer Milind Lak-
kad said.
“We don’t do that (lay-
offs), we believe in groom-
ing talent in the company…
(there will be) no layoffs,”
Lakkad said, replying to a
specific question on wheth-
er there will be layoffs or
involuntary attrition.
He said many companies
are forced to take such a
step because they hired
more than they wanted
while the “cautious” TCS
believes that once a staff
member joins, it is the com-
pany’s responsibility to
make them productive and
derive value.
DIFFERENT APPROACH FROM OTHERS
ACCORDING TO
CHIEF HR OFFICER
z The country’s largest
information technology
services exporter is also
looking to hire startup
employees who have lost
their jobs
z The company, which
employs over 6 lakh
people, will be announcing
hikes which will be similar
to earlier years
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: Five of the top
10 valued firms together
added `95,337.95 crore
in their market valuation
last week, with index ma-
jor RIL contributing the
most. While Reliance In-
dustries, ICICI Bank,
HDFC, ITC and Bharti Air-
tel were the gainers, TCS,
HDFC Bank, Infosys, Hin-
dustan Unilever and SBI
were the laggards. RIL
continued to rule the
chart of the most valued
firms followed by TCS,
HDFC Bank, Infosys, ICICI
Bank, HUL, HDFC, ITC,
SBI Bharti Airtel. —PTI
MCAP OF FIVE OF
TOP-10 FIRMS JUMP
`95,337 CRORE
New Delhi: India’s largest
gas firm GAIL is imitating
billionaire Mukesh Amba-
ni-led Reliance Industries
Ltd in planning to import
ethane from the US to re-
place natural gas and
naphtha as feedstock at
its petrochemical plants.
“In a bid towards diversi-
fication of the feedstock,
GAIL is looking to import
ethane from ethane-sur-
plus countries with ma-
tured export terminal in-
frastructure through wa-
ter borne transportation
to India and transport it
further through GAIL’s
pipeline systems to de-
mand centres,” the com-
pany said in a tender doc-
ument. —PTI
GAIL IMITATING
RELIANCE WITH US
ETHANE PLANS?
New Delhi: Mutual funds’
collection through new
fund offerings (NFOs) re-
mained subdued in 2022,
with asset management
companies (AMCs) gar-
nering over Rs 62,000
crore through new
schemes, which was 38%
less compared to 2021.
However, higher number
of NFOs were launched in
2022 compared to the
preceding year. A total of
228 new schemes were
floated last year, which
was way higher than 140
launched in 2021. —PTI
MF COLLECTION
THROUGH NFO
DROPS 38% IN 2022
New Delhi: Foreign inves-
tors seem to have shifted
their focus back on the
Indian equity markets as
they turned net buyers
last week with an invest-
ment of over `7,600
crore. This came follow-
ing a net outflow of
`3,920 crore by foreign
portfolio investors (FPIs)
from equities in the pre-
ceding week (February
7-12), data with the de-
positories showed. As per
the data, FPIs have pur-
chased equities worth a
net sum of `7,666 crore
in the week ended Febru-
ary 17. —PTI
FPIs SHIFT FOCUS
BACK ON INDIAN MKT;
INVEST `7,666 CRORE
*Rates till the edition went to print.
=
=
FINANCE MINISTRY TO
MEET HEADS OF BANKS
ON FEBRUARY 22
New Delhi: The finance min-
istry has called a meeting of
heads of public sector banks
and top four
private sector
lenders to re-
view the pro-
gress of the
emergency credit line guaran-
tee scheme to help businesses
affected by COVID-19. The
meeting is scheduled to be
held on February 22 to review
progress on ECLGS and Loan
Guarantee Scheme for COVID-
Affected Sectors (LGSCAS),
sources said. —PTI
GOVERNMENT MAY
AUCTION 6 MINERAL
BLOCKS IN FEBRUARY
New Delhi: The government is
likely to put on sale six mineral
blocks, including four iron
ore mines, in
the current
month. The
move would
give a boost to
mining sector’s contribution to
the country’s gross domestic
product. The notice inviting
tenders for the mines -- Chhit-
puri B iron ore block, Gomter
– Wakeli, Bijapur, Hahaladdi,
North Bastar Kanker, Lohhater,
North Bastar Kanker -- were
floated last year. —PTI
HERO MOTOCORP PLANS TO EXPAND ELECTRIC
TWO-WHEELER RANGE OVER NEXT 12-18 MONTHS
New Delhi: The country’s largest two-wheeler maker Hero
MotoCorp plans to expand its electric two-wheeler range over the
next 18-24 months as it looks to cater to
demand across multiple customer seg-
ments, according to a senior company
official. The company, which has already
commenced sales of its electric scooter
under Vida brand across Delhi, Ben-
galuru and Jaipur, plans to introduce the
existing range in other cities as well in
the next fiscal before it starts to roll out the new products. —PTI
BANKS’ NET INTEREST INCOME SOARS BY A
RECORD 25.5% IN THIRD QUARTER: ANALYSIS
Mumbai: Net interest income of banks grew by a record 25.5% to
`1.78 lakh crore in the December 2022 quarter on-year, driven by
a healthy credit off-take and higher yield
on advances, according to an analysis.
The quarter saw banks booking higher
yields on advances as the system-wide
core profitability metric net interest
margin (NIM) rose by 17 basis points
(bps) to 3.28%. This was possible as
banks repriced existing loans higher
at a faster rate and also increased the new loan pricing, but kept
deposit rates almost unchanged, according to an analysis. —PTI
OTHER STORIES
SAYS FORMER NITI VC
INDIA’S ECONOMY TO GROW @ 6%
New Delhi (PTI): India is
likely to clock 6% growth
rate next fiscal and the
country can persevere with
a high growth rate because
of several reforms under-
taken during the last eight
yearsbytheNarendraModi
government, former Niti
AayogViceChairmanRajiv
Kumar said on Sunday
.
Kumar further said ma-
jor risks going forward will
emerge from a synchro-
nized downturn in the
North American and Euro-
pean economies.
“India has a good oppor-
tunity to persevere with a
highgrowthratebecauseof
the reforms undertaken
during the last eight years.
We will manage to grow at 6
per cent in 2023-24,” he said.
According to Kumar,
there are several downside
risks, especially in the con-
text of an uncertain global
situation.
“These will have to be
tackled through careful pol-
icy measures designed to
support our export efforts
and at the same time im-
prove the flow of private
investment both from do-
mestic sources as well as
from foreign sources,” he
said. The Reserve Bank has
projected India’s economic
growth at 6.4% for 2023-24,
broadly in line with the es-
timateof theEconomicSur-
vey tabled in Parliament.
GDP growth is estimated
at 7% in 2022-23, according
to the first advance esti-
mate of the NSO.
The Economic Survey
2022-23 projected a baseline
GDP growth of 6.5% in real
terms for the next fiscal.
Replying to a question on
high inflation, Kumar said
the Reserve Bank has said
that it will ensure that in-
flation rate is brought un-
der control.
“Also a good winter crop
will help in keeping the
food prices low,” he noted.
The RBI lowered the con-
sumer price inflation (CPI)
forecast to 6.5% for the cur-
rent fiscal from 6.7%.
India’s retail inflation in
January was 6.52%.
To a question on India’s
rising trade deficit with
China, Kumar suggested
that New Delhi should re-
engage with Beijing on
finding greater market op-
portunities and access in
the Chinese market.
“There are several prod-
ucts which India can ex-
port more to China.
ACC. TO EX-NITI
VICE CHAIRMAN
z India is likely to clock 6%
growth rate next fiscal and the
country can persevere with a
high growth rate because of
several reforms undertaken
during the last eight years by
the Narendra Modi government
z Major risks going
forward will emerge from a
synchronized downturn in the
North American and European
economies
z According to him, there
are several downside risks,
especially in the context of an
uncertain global situation
New Delhi (PTI): With the
third quarter earnings cal-
endar coming to an end and
no major domestic trigger
in sight, equity investors
will focus on global trends
and foreign fund move-
ment this week, analysts
said.
Markets may face vola-
tile trends amid deriva-
tives expiry during the
week, they added.
“Global cues and FO
expiry may cause volatility
this week. Although FIIs
have shown some interest
in purchasing over the past
few days, there were a few
block purchases last week,
so their flow will be cru-
cial,” said Santosh Meena,
Head of Research, Swasti-
ka Investmart Ltd.
Brent crude oil move-
ment and the trend in the
rupee would also be in fo-
cus this week.
“With all major events
behindus,theperformance
of the global markets, espe-
cially the US, will be in fo-
cus for cues. Besides, crude
and rupee movement will
continue to offer indica-
tions in between,” Ajit
Mishra, VP Technical Re-
search, Religare Broking
Ltd, said.
The BSE benchmark last
week climbed 319.87 points
or 0.52%.
The lack of major trig-
gers in the domestic mar-
ket will attract global cues
to dictate the market’s
trend going forward, Nair
added.
Global trends to
guide stock
market this week
FOR PSPs
Power Min proposes tax
sops, green clearances
New Delhi (PTI): To pro-
mote pumped storage hy-
dro-power projects in In-
dia, the Ministry of Power
has proposed giving incen-
tives such as tax breaks,
easy environment clear-
ance and providing land at
concessional rates.
The ministry has re-
leased draft guidelines on
pumped storage projects
(PSPs) to seek comments
from states and state-run
companies as well as pri-
vate firms within a fort-
night till March 2, 2023.
Keeping in view the im-
mense utility of the PSPs in
grid stabilisation as well as
meeting the peaking power
demand, a need for formu-
lating separate guidelines
to promote PSPs was felt to
set the direction of its de-
velopment, the minsitry
said in the guidelines.
The CEA estimates re-
garding on-river pumped
storage potential is 103 GW
in India. Apart from this, a
large number of off-river
pumped storage potential
is also available.
Adani credit facilities expose
collateral web full of red flags
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Financing ar-
rangements across the
Adani Group conglomerate
have sent a fresh chill
through ESG markets as
investors wake up to a new
risk.
A Feb 10 public filing has
since made clear that Ada-
ni is using stock from its
Green companies as collat-
eral in a credit facility
that’s helping to finance
the Carmichael coal mine
in Australia, via Adani En-
terprises Ltd.
KLP has blacklisted coal
from its portfolio, so any
indirect financing of the
Carmichael project would
represent a “breach of our
commitments,” Kiran
Aziz, KLP’s head of re-
sponsible investing, said in
an interview.
Since short-seller Hin-
denburg Research pub-
lished its critical report on
Jan 24, investors have re-
sponded to its allegations
of fraud and market ma-
nipulation by selling Ada-
ni shares. But for investors
with environmental, social
and governance mandates,
there’s an added layer of
pain as they realise their
green dollars were indi-
rectly supporting the dirti-
est of fossil fuels.
“Investments in other
parts of the Adani Group
are leaking into the fund-
ing of Carmichael,” said
Ulf Erlandsson, chief ex-
ecutive of Anthropocene
Fixed Income Institute,
which has been tracking
the Adani Group since
mid-2020. “Investors who
have restrictions on fund-
ing greenfield thermal
coal mining should revisit
potential exposures
across the whole of Adani
Group.”
More than 500 funds reg-
istered in the European
Union as “promoting” ESG
goals hold Adani stocks,
either directly or indirect-
ly, according to data com-
piled by Bloomberg.
MAJOR
HIGHLIGHT
z Prior to the latest order of
470 planes, the last time AI
placed orders for aircraft was
in 2005 for 111 aircraft
AI fleet expansion a necessity, says ex-chief
New Delhi (PTI): Nearly
two decades ago, the then
government-owned Air In-
dia had an “extremely
small fleet” of aircraft that
was also prone to frequent
breakdowns. Then, aircraft
were taken on lease and
later the airline placed or-
ders for 111 planes.
In the wake of Air India
placing firm orders for 470
planes, V Thulasidas, who
was the airline’s chief from
December 2003 to March
2008, said there was a ne-
cessity for fleet augmenta-
tion that will also help ad-
dress the long standing
grievance that most of the
Indians travelling interna-
tional are carried by for-
eign airlines.
Prior to the latest order,
the last time Air India
placed orders for aircraft
was in 2005 for 111 aircraft
during the time of Thu-
lasidas.
While stressing the im-
portance of international
aviation hubs, he said In-
dia can have many such
hubs as there are now
world class airports and
strong airlines.
“It is us who gave away
the (international) hubs to
Singapore, Dubai and oth-
er places. This was because
we did not have good air-
ports and did not have
large, strong airlines.
“Now, we have world
class airports which can
act as hubs and we are now
gradually seeing very
strong airlines coming up.
With this combination,
there can be international
hubs in India.
=
=

08
2NDFRONT
Don’t put off doing the important
things in life and in business, in favour
of the easy and immediate tasks.
— Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
First India Bureau
Pune: Maharashtra
Chief Minister Eknath
Shinde showered prais-
es on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and
Home Minister Amit
Shah for supporting
him in forming the gov-
ernment and said that
the Prime Minister has
helped in the develop-
ment of everyone in
this country.
“At the time of the
establishment of the
government, PM Modi
and Amit Shah said
that we are with you. I
remember the words of
Amit bhai, who said,
Shindeji, you move
ahead, we are behind
you like a rock,” said
Eknath Shinde.
“Narendra Modi is
the number one leader
not only in the country
but also in the world. I
am fortunate that PM
Modi’s blessings are
with the state govern-
ment,” added Shinde.
Speaking about the
coalition with the BJP
in the state, “What we
did was right. We cam-
paigned and fought the
election together. How-
ever, the government
was formed with some-
one else. Was it cor-
rect? No. That’s why we
came back with the
BJP.”
Talking about Shiv
Sena founder Balasa-
heb Thackeray, he said,
“Balasaheb used to say
that if he becomes the
Prime Minister he
would get Article 370
removed and would
build the Ram temple.”
“His dreams are be-
ing fulfilled by Amit
Shah under the leader-
ship of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi,” he
added.
“This country runs
on the Constitution
drafted by Babasaheb
Ambedkar. We formed
our government on the
basis of that Constitu-
tion. The EC order that
came today is on the
basis of merit. I ex-
press my gratitude to
the Election Commis-
sion,” he said.
First India Bureau
Baramati: Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
chief Sharad Pawar on
Sunday agreed with
Home Minister Amit
Shah’s views that the
cooperative sector in
the country should in-
trospect in order to im-
prove its systems.
“Yesterday, Amit
Shah was in the Coop-
erative Council, which
was inaugurated by me
on the day before
yesterday[Friday]. We
have no differences on
the issues raised by
him, our policy issues
were discussed, and the
ones raised by him
[Amit Shah’s] seemed
appropriate,” NCP
chief Sharad Pawar
said talking to ANI. The
NCP chief was talking
about Amit Shah’s ad-
dress during an event
in Maharashtra where
he had pointed to the
drop in the number of
cooperative sugar mills
in Maharashtra and the
rise in the number of
private ones.
“I will talk about Ma-
harashtra since I am in
Maharashtra. There
were 202 cooperative
sugar mills in Maha-
rashtra. Today, the
number is down to 101.
There were 22 private
sugar mills in the state,
but this has now gone
up to 93. They ate up our
(cooperative) space.
The cooperative sector
needs to introspect on
why this is happening,”
Shah said.
Shah had further as-
sured full support to the
cooperative sector in
the country from the
Central government as-
serting that the former
needs to introspect to
improve its systems.
“As far as credit soci-
eties, urban banks and
district cooperative
banks are concerned, a
lot needs to be done. We
had a series of meet-
ings with the Reserve
Bank of India and I can
say about the issues
that were brought be-
fore me here on this
platform, we will en-
sure all these institu-
tions do not face any
injustice,” he added.
Talkingfurtherabout
the ongoing ‘bow and
arrow’ issue in Maha-
rashtra, Sharad Pawar
termed the matter a
“separate topic”.
“I do not want to say
anything about the is-
sue of bow and arrow
that is going on at pre-
sent, that is a separate
topic. I had already put
my views on that the
day before yesterday,”
Pawar said today
.
The day before yes-
terday on Friday,
Sharad Pawar re-
marked on the loss of
the “bow and arrow”
symbol of his ally Ud-
dhav Thackeray’s fac-
tion stating that it
would not have any
major impact.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Union Home
Minister Amit Shah on
Sunday set the BJP and
its allies a target of
winning all 48 seats in
Maharashtra in the
2024 Lok Sabha polls.
ing of BJP workers in
Kolhapur, he also
lashed out at Shiv Sena
(UBT) chief Uddhav
Thackeray for “surren-
dering at the feet of
(Nationalist Party Con-
gress chief) Sharad Pa-
war” to become chief
minister.
Thackeray had bro-
ken the alliance with
BJP after the 2019 As-
sembly poll results
were declared claiming
the latter had reneged
on its promise to share
the chief ministerial
tenure with the Shiv
Sena.
“In 2019, the BJP and
its allies won 42 out of
48 seats. This time, we
should win all 48 seats,”
Shah told his party
workers.
Attacking Thackeray
,
Shah said, “Hinduhri-
day Samrat Balasaheb
Thackeray’s Shiv Sena
was surrendered at the
feet of Sharad Pawar.
(Thackeray) contested
Assembly elections
with us with the largest
cut-outs being that of
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi. But after the
results were out, he
(Thackeray) surren-
dered at the feet of
Pawar.”
“We are not greedy
for power nor have we
ever sacrificed our
principles. The last Ma-
harashtra assembly
election was contested
under the leadership of
then chief minister De-
vendra Fadnavis. PM
Modi and I had openly
said this during our ral-
lies. Despite this,
(Thackeray) joined
hands with the opposi-
tion,” he added.
“By deceit you can at-
tain power for few days,
but when it comes to
the battlefield, you need
courage to win,” Shah
said without naming
Thackeray
.
HM’s views on cooperative
sector are ‘appropriate’
We have no
differences on the
issues raised by
him, our policy
issues were
discussed, he said
SHARAD PAWAR AGREES WITH AMIT SHAH
Yesterday, Amit Shah was in the Cooperative Council, which was
inaugurated by me on the day before yesterday(Friday). We
have no differences on the issues raised by him, our policy issues
were discussed, and the ones raised by him (Amit Shah’s) seemed
appropriate. —Sharad Pawar, NCP chief
Aim must be to win all 48
Maha LS seats, Shah tells
BJP workers, slams Uddhav
Union Home Minister Amit Shah —FILE PHOTO
“By deceit you can attain power for few days, but
when it comes to the battlefield, you need courage
to win,” Shah said without naming Thackeray
Shinde praises Modi,
Shah for standing by
his government
At the time of
the establish-
ment of the
government, PM Modi
and Amit Shah said
that we are with you. I
remember the words of
Amit bhai, who said,
Shindeji, you move
ahead, we are behind
you like a rock,” said
Eknath Shinde. “Ear-
lier, the poor were kept
poor. Now Modiji has
helped in the develop-
ment of all.
—Eknath Shinde,
Maharashtra Chief Minister
First India Bureau
Mumbai: NCP state
president Jayant Patil
commented on the deci-
sion of the Shinde fac-
tion getting the name
and symbol of Shiv
Sena. While speaking in
Sangli during the inau-
guration of develop-
ment works in various
wards of the Municipal
Corporation, Patil said
that Uddhav Thackeray
submitted documents
to the EC, but still, the
decision was given in
favour of Shinde.
Patil said, “Times
have changed, justice
has changed. People are
saying that those who
are expected to give jus-
tice are blindfolded.
Now, justice will have to
go to the people’s court.
The EC has given the
verdict in favour of CM
Shinde. Tomorrow, the
Supreme Court may
say that since the party
belongs to Shinde,
there is no question of
suspension.”
“The IT department
took action against the
office of the BBC chan-
nel as a videotape about
Godhra massacre was
shown by BBC. That
means the action will
be taken against those
who speak against it.
Citizens of India should
be careful now,” urged
Patil.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Election
Commission has decid-
ed to give Shiv Sena’s
name and bow and ar-
row symbol to Eknath
Shinde. After this, Ud-
dhav Thackeray and his
leaders are making
strong accusations
againstBJPandEknath
Shinde. Due to this, the
political atmosphere
has become more heat-
ed in the state. In con-
nection with the same,
Uddhav Thackeray has
given an open challenge
to Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde and BJP
on Sunday
.
While speaking at a
gathering of North In-
dians, Uddhav said,
“Yesterday they
snatched my bow and
arrow, now Prabhu
Ramchandra himself
has come with me. I
don’t know whether to
call this coincidence,
but sometimes such
things happen. I chal-
lenge those who have
stolen my party’s name
and bow and arrow that
if you have the courage,
face me with my stolen
bow and arrow, let me
come forward with my
torch, and see what
happens.”
“Today
, I say that I am
a Hindu, I have never
left Hinduism and will
never leave. I left BJP
not Hindutva. BJP is
not Hindutva, and their
Hindutva is not our
Hindutva. I say openly
that it is not acceptable
to us. What my father
taught me is not Hindu-
ism. In my father’s lan-
guage, nationalism is
our Hindutva. Our Hin-
duism is connected
with the country, but
their Hindutva says to
fight among yourselves,
fight in a family, fight in
a party, and get power,”
added Uddhav.
If you have courage, face me with my ‘torch’: Uddhav
THACKERAY THROWS THE GAUNTLET
Uddhav Thackeray —FILE PHOTO
Nagpur: Devkinandan
Thakur Maharaj has
made a statement that
every Sanatani family
should give birth to five
to six children until the
Population Control Act
comes into effect in our
country. Thakur Maha-
raj visited Nagpur to
narrate the story of
Shri Krishna. He also
said that the popula-
tion explosion in India
is so big that no one can
even think about it. No
one talks about four
wives and forty chil-
dren, he said.
“My point is that un-
til the Population Con-
trol Act is enforced,
every Sanatani family
should have more chil-
dren. There used to be
5-6 children. For this,
boys and girls should
get married on time and
also give birth to 5 to 6
children,” said Thakur
Maharaj.
“Don’t you know if
our country does not
become a Hindu nation
and follow orthodox re-
ligion in the next 10
years, what will happen
in 25 years? Will this
country remain secular
after 25 years? What I
have said will be under-
stood only if you know
the truth behind it. Do
we have to think for the
next generation or
not?”, commented
Thakur Maharaj.
DevkinandanThakur
Maharaj has also de-
manded establishment
of Sanatan Mandal.
“Today, there are Waqf
Boards in many places.
Therefore, Sanatan
Board should be estab-
lished. The central gov-
ernment should keep it
under its supervision.
We are a minority in at
least 9 states, but no-
body calls us that,” he
added.
“Our country be-
lieves in eternal tradi-
tions. We became secu-
lar 75 years ago, but
Sanatan culture is not
over. I had demanded
that Sanatan Boards
should be established 5
years ago. The board
needs to ensure that
Sanatan tradition is
passed on,” he said.
BeforepopulationAct,Sanatanisshould
raise5-6childreneach:DevkinandanThakur
Devkinandan Thakur Maharaj —FILE PHOTO
Maharaj has also
demanded the
establishment of
Sanatan Mandal
Today, action will be
taken against the
weak: Jayant Patil

www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
MUMBAI | MONDAY,
FEBRUARY 20, 2023
o leverage
its vast
knowledge
and exper-
tise in trans-
f o r m i n g
women into
confident and pros-
perous winners in
life, Rajasthan’s big-
gest and oldest beau-
ty pageant Miss Ra-
jasthan organised by
Fusion Group duly
announced with the
unveiling of the 25th
edition at Blue
Pluto Restau-
rant, EP,
Jaipur on
Sunday.
The first
look of the
grand pag-
eant was
unveiled by Pandit
Suresh Mishra, WTP
Chairman Anup
Bhartaria, Bollywood
Film Distributor Raj
Bansal, Vivo’s Mudit
Sharma, Deputy
Mayor Municipal
Corporation Jaipur
Greater Puneet
Karnawat, Event
Group Arshad Hus-
sain, Pawan Goyal,
RohitAgarwal,Olym-
pic Player Ajay Singh
Meena, Rotary Club
Metro K President
Jai Singh and Nutri-
tionist Kirti Jain,
President of Jaipur
Vyapar Mandal Sub-
hash Goyal. The un-
veiling ceremony
was followed by an
impressive trunk
show, during which,
Rajasthan’s top mod-
els Miss Grand India
2020 Simran Sharma,
Miss Intercontinen-
tal India 2021, Mithali
Kaur, Miss Rajasthan
2021 Manasi Rathore,
Miss Rajasthan 2022
Tarushi Rai, Priyan
Sen, Paridhi, Riya,
Sanjana, Bhavna
Vaishnav and top
models of Jaipur
showcased Saundh’s
Indo Western collec-
tion. Meenakshi
Solanki, di-
rector of
Diva
Debonair,
draped the
m o d e l s
into aston-
ishing outfits.
During the
occasion, organisers
Yogesh Mishra and
Nimisha Mishra
shared that in the
25th edition of Miss
Rajasthan, more than
25 events will be or-
ganised in 9 cities of
Rajasthan. In this
series, Pageant
Talks, a talk show
will also be organ-
ised in which top
models from the
country will give in-
formation about
beauty pageants.
The registra-
tions for Miss
Rajasthan have
also started on
M i s s R a -
jasthan.org
and the audi-
tions will be
scheduled
in Jaipur
in May
a n d
June.
The 25th edition of Miss
Rajasthan organised by
Fusion Group which
exuberantly celebrates
and promotes the
tradition, culture and
heritage of Rajasthan
was unveiled at Blue
Pluto Restaurant, EP,
Jaipur on Sunday. City
First highlights some
mesmerizing
moments from the
mega fashion
festival!
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in
T
ASTOUNDING
GLAMOUR!
—PHOTOS
BY
SUNIL
SHARMA
MISS RAJASTHAN 2023
MISS RAJASTHAN 2023
(L-R) Sanjana Sharma, Paridhi Sharma, tarushee Rai, Priyan Sain and Riya Jakhar
(L-R) Sanjana, Paridhi, Sapna,
Bhawna, Mittali, Nimisha, Raj Bansal,
Pt Suresh Mishra, Yogesh Mishra, Simran,
Mansi, Tarushee, Priyan and Riya
Clockwise: Tarushee, Mittali, Simran and Bhawna
Riya Jakhar

First India Mumbai 20022023.pdf

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