25012023_First India Mumbai.pdf

1. 2 YEARS, 10 MONTHS, 14 DAYS LATER... First India Bureau Mumbai: No new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Mumbai on Tuesday, marking the city’s first such day since the first case of the respiratory illness was confirmed on March 11, 2020. The day also brought no new fatalitis linked to the infection in the metropolis, the Bri- hanmumbai Munici- pal Corporation (BMC) said in a bulletin. With this, the overall tally of COVID-19 cases and the death toll in the country’s financial capital remained unchanged at 11,55,240 and 19,747, respective- ly, the BMC said in its release. On Monday, the metropolis had recorded four coronavirus cases and zero fatality. The first confirmed coronavirus case of Maharashtra was de- tected in Pune on March 9, 2020. Two days later, the metropolis reported its first two patients of the respiratory illness. Thereafter, with an increase in testing and detection of new vari- ants of COVID-19, the daily cases kept on rising and the city recorded its highest-ever single-day infection tally of 20,971 on Janu- ary 6, 2022, at the peak of the third wave of the pandemic. Since the end of No- vember 2022, the number of daily coronavirus cases had started coming down drasti- cally in the financial capital. After that, bar- ring a few days, the city has been reporting single-digit COVID-19 cases. Numbers have been falling since November. —FILE PHOTO NonewnCoVcasesreportedinMumbai HOW IT WENT OSCARS 2023 NOMINATIONS: INDIA CREATES HISTORY Indian film RRR’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ gets Oscar nod for best original song First India Bureau California: RRR’s chart-bursting track Naatu Naatu has now entered the Oscars race. It bagged a nomination in the Best Original Song (Motion Picture) category. It is a proud moment for the entire country to see Indian Cinema touching the peak of success. RRR fans have been going gaga over this achieve- ment and are flooding social media with joy and excitement. l Congratulations to my team: Keeravaani l Award will take place on March 13 Actors Jr NTR & Ram Charan in ‘Naatu Naatu’ song still from ‘RRR’. Amit Shah, Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis meet delegation of sugar millers from Maha to discuss the various issues related to the sugar mills and cooperative sector, in New Delhi on Tuesday. TOP WRESTLERS TWEETED TAGGING MODI, SHAH, THAKUR We were assured that we will be consulted before the formation of the oversight committee. It’s really sad that we were not consulted,” the wrestlers tweeted and tagged PM Narendra Modi, HM Amit Shah and Thakur. Shinde, Fadnavis meet Shah; discuss key devt projects First India Bureau New Delhi: Union HM Amit Shah held a meeting with Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis in New Delhi on Tuesday. The sugar industry, and the cabinet expansion among other issues were discussed. “Amit Shah has taken up sugar industry very seriously . There should be margin money , working capital, loan restructuring and strengthening of pri- mary agriculture socie- ties,” Shinde said. ‘Naatu Naatu’ is an award season favourite and has won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for best song ‘It is sad we were not consulted’ First India Bureau New Delhi: The wrestlers who accused WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment and intimi- dation on Tuesday rued that the government did not consult them before forming the oversight committee that will probe charges against the sports administra- tor. Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sarita Mor and Sakshi Malik, who staged a sit-in protest for three days demanding the sacking of the WFI president, posted identical tweet on the micro-blogging site, expressing their dismay . Wrestlers say on panel to probe the charges against the WFI chief TWO MORE NOMINATIONS FOR INDIA 2 Indian documentaries made it to nominations - Shaunak’s ‘All That Breathes’ and Kartiki Gonsalves’ ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. ALL THAT BREATHES: The film revolves around the lives of siblings Mohammad Saud and Nadeem She- hzad, who work out of their derelict basement in Delhi’s Wazirabad, to rescue and treat injured birds, especially the black kites. THE ELEPHANT WHISPERERS: It has been nominated in the ‘Documentary Short Film Category’ against ‘Haul Out,’ ‘How Do You Measure A Year?’ ‘The Martha Mitchell Effect,’ and ‘Stranger’. DGCA slaps `10 lakh fine on Air India First India Bureau New Delhi: The DGCA on Tuesday slapped a fine of `10 lakh on Tata- owned Air India for not reporting two incidents of unruly passenger be- haviour onboard a Par- is-Delhi flight (AI142) on December 6,2022. The aviation regulator said, “DGCA had issued a show cause notice to accountable manager of AI as to why Enforce- ment action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their obligations. AI submitted a reply on Jan 23 and it was examined.” 2 CASES OF UNRULY PASSENGERS ON THE PARIS-DELHI FLIGHT z An inebriated passenger was caught smoking in the lavatory and was allegedly not following instructions. z Another passenger relieved himself on a vacant seat and blanket of a passenger when she had gone to the lavatory. ‘POLE STAR IN WORLD OF ARCHITECTURE’ NO MORE BV DOSHI PASSES AWAY AT 95 Ahmedabad: Architect and Padma Bhushan re- cipient Balkrishna Doshi, who worked with legends like Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, died at 95 on Tuesday. Condolences poured in from various quarters over demise of Doshi, widely regarded as foremost architect of modern India. Narendra Modi @narendramodi Dr BV Doshi Ji was a brilliant architect and a remarkable institution builder. The coming generations will get glimpses of his greatness by admiring his rich work across India. His passing away is saddening. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti. 1927 TO 2023 5.8 magnitude quake hits Nepal, strong tremors jolt Delhi-NCR and other cities First India Bureau New Delhi:Strongtrem- orswerefeltacrossDelhi and the national capital region after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on Tuesday afternoon. According to the NCS,thequakehitNepal at 2.28 pm and the epi- center was about 148 km east of Pithoragarh, Ut- tarakhand. The intense tremors in Delhi-NCR lasted for at least 15 seconds, with people seen rushing out of their homes and the offices. 3 KILLED, SEVERAL FEARED TRAPPED IN BUILDING COLLAPSE 3 people were killed while others are feared trapped after a residential building collapsed on Wazir Hasanganj Road in Lucknow. Apartment block collapsed 4 hours after earthquake hit north India. 7 DEAD, 1 INJURED IN CALIFORNIA SHOOTINGS; SUSPECT NABBED Washington: At least seven people were killed and one person critically injured after shootings were reported from 2 locations in Half Moon Bay area in north California of the United States, the news agency said that a 67-year-old suspect is now in custody. US BLOWS OFF BBC DOCU, SAYS SHARED VALUES WITH INDIA Washington: The Biden admin blew off questions about controversial BBC documentary on then CM Modi’s purported culpability for the 2002 Gujarat riots while vigorously talking up shared values and close ties between the US and India. P5 READ Crucial Crucial AAP AND BJP FIGHT STALL DELHI MAYOR ELECTION AGAIN New Delhi: The high-stakes battle for New Delhi’s main municipal body, now hinging on the election of a mayor, was stalled for the second time in weeks after a fresh clash between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP on Tuesday. House was adjourned indefinitely once again. P5 SHORT READ l A BJP leader was shot dead in Manipur’s Thoubal district on Tues- day, following which one person was arrested, police said. l RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is on a 5-day visit to Jaipur starting today. He will par- ticipate in various programmes and meetings related to the Sangh. THREAT LETTER TO NAVEEN JINDAL DEMANDING `50 CR First India Bureau Raigarh: An inmate from a jail in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district allegedly sent a threat letter to a Raigarh-based steel plant of industri- alist and former Con- gress MP Naveen Jindal demanding `50 crore from him, police said on Tuesday. The letter was delivered by post at the Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) factory in Patrapali village last week, a police official said. SHAH LAUNCHES FIRST MADE-IN- INDIA HPV VACCINE Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla and Union Home Minis- ter Amit Shah launch the first made-in-India HPV vaccine on the occasion of National Girl Child Day and Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, in New Delhi on Tuesday. GRAVECONCERN! l Making Intelligence Bureau, RAW reports public a serious matter, says Rijiju on Supreme Court Collegium l This is for the first time govt has reacted to portions of these reports put in public domain by Collegium Moni Sharma New Delhi: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said it was a “matter of grave concern” that certain portions of sensitive reports of the Intelligence Bureau and the Re- search and Analysis Wing were put in public domain by the Supreme Court Collegium. He said intelligence agency officials work in a secret manner for the nation, and they would “think twice” in future if their reports are made public. The minister was responding to questions on some recent SC collegium reso- lutions, which con- tained portions of IB, RAW reports on certain names reiterated by top court for appointment as high court judges, being made public last week.Collegium had reiterated the names to the government earlier this month while reject- ing intelligence inputs. Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju poses for a picture during the award function for the E-Courts projects of the Dept of Justice and the Ministry of Law and Justice, in Delhi on Tuesday. MIN TALKS ABOUT APPT PROCESS Rijiju said appts are an administrative issue, judicial pronouncements are “totally different”. “I am not commenting, or nobody should make any kind of comment when it is a judicial order. Some people may say that certain remarks are made which compromise independence of judiciary. “When we are talking about appt process, this is an administrative matter. This has nothing to do with judicial order or pronouncement,” he said. We (CJI DY Chandrachud) are always in touch. He is the head of the judiciary and I am the bridge between the government and the judiciary so we have to work together. You cannot work in isolation. —Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Law and Justice MUMBAI l WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNITITLE NO.MAHENG/2022/14652 lVol 1 l Issue No.259 l India’s 74th Republic Day parade tomorrow will be one of many firsts. Only ‘MADE IN INDIA’ weapon systems part of this parade and 10 other firsts. This is the first parade that will be held after New Delhi’s Rajpath was renamed as the Kartavya Path. l 23 tableaux — 17 from States and UTs and 6 from various ministries and departments — will be displayed, and will depict nation’s rich cultural heritage, economic progress, strong internal external security l President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Delhi on a three-day visit to India as the chief guest at R-Day celebrations on Thursday. MoS Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and senior officials of the MEA received President Sisi and his delegation at the airport. P8 OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR MUMBAI www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia KARTAVYA PATH READY FOR R-DAY BSE SENSEX 60,978.75 37.08 | NSE NIFTY 18,118.30 0.25 NATIONAL VOTERS’ DAY!

2. NEWS MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 02 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia CRUCIAL READ TWO DIE AFTER FALLING FROM FLYOVER IN THANE FIRE GUTS CRUCIAL DOCUMENTS AT POLICE BHAVAN FAKE ED OFFICERS PULL ‘SPECIAL 26’; TWO DETAINED WOMEN TRAPPED IN RLY STATION LIFT RESCUED JAIL INMATE DIES OF AILMENT AT A HOSPITAL Thane: Two persons were killed after their scooter hit the wall of a flyover and they fell off the bridge in Thane on Tuesday, a civic official said. The scooter rider lost control of the vehicle and it hit the protection wall of the flyover. Both the victims fell from the flyover receiving severe injuries. They were rushed to the hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, he said. The deceased have been identified as Pratik Vinod More (21) and Rajesh Bechenprasad Gupta (26), the official informed. Nagpur: A fire broke out in a storeroom of Police Bhavan, which houses the Nagpur police commissioner’s office. No one was reported injured in the incident but several documents were destroyed, said the officials. According to the fire department, the blaze started in the store room on the third floor of the building around 3 pm but was extinguished within 15 minutes. Important files related to the welfare department of the city police were gutted, said the officials. Mumbai: Four persons impersonated Enforce- ment Directorate (ED) officers and raided a businessman’s office in Zaveri Bazaar area on Tuesday. They made off with Rs25 lakh in cash and 3kg gold worth Rs1.70 crore. The LT Marg police have lodged a case and have nabbed two persons for the crime, which is reminicent of the plot of the movie Special 26, in which a team of scammers pose as CBI officers and conduct fake raids to rob money. Fur- ther investigation is on. Palghar: Four women were stranded in a lift at Palghar railway station for nearly two hours before they were rescued by the railway and fire brigade personnel, a civic official said on Tuesday. The incident happened when the women took the lift to reach the platform but it stopped midway, he said. They panicked after the light and fan in the lift stopped working. The fire brigade and the local railway team reached the scene and rescued them after nearly two hours, the official said. Nagpur: A 70-year-old inmate of the central jail in Nagpur died of an ailment at a hospital in the city, an official said. The convict’s health condition deteriorated and he was admitted to the tuberculo- sis ward of a hospital on January 14 where he died on Monday afternoon, he said. The deceased was convicted in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment, the official said. Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai police have arrested two persons and seized fake currency notes with the face value of Rs19 lakh from them, an official said on Tuesday . Acting on a tip-off, the police laid a trap and nabbed one of the accused at Malwani on Monday and found fake notes with the face value of Rs1 lakh in his possession, the official said. The accused provided information about his aide, who was later nabbed from neighbouring Palghar district and fake notes worth Rs18 lakh were recovered from his house, he said. The accused have been arrested under section 489-B (using as genuine, forged or coun- terfeit currency notes) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, he added. Mum ex-CP Pandey was given target to arrest me: Fadnavis First India Bureau Mumbai: In a major ac- cusation against the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fad- navis on Tuesday said that former Mumbai police chief Sanjay Pan- dey had been given a “target” to arrest him. However, he quickly turned the revelation into a pat on his own back, by adding that the police officer could not succeed as he had done nothing wrong. Fadnavis was speaking at a local event or- ganized by a regional news channel. “The MVA had given a target to then Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey to put me in jail. The MVA government had given orders to frame me or slap some criminal charges (on me) anyhow,” Fadnavis said. The senior Bharati- ya Janata Party leader had been CM before the MVA took the reins, and returned as deputy CM last year after Eknath Shinde’s revolt split the Shiv Sena and led to the collapse of the MVA, which also included the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party. “You can ask any police official and they will also tell you about it,” he said adding, “However, I had done nothing that would help them put me in jail, and thus they failed.” Fadnavis also said that he does not hold any personal animosity against the eponymous Shiv Sena -Uddhav Bal- asaheb Thackeray chief, who was previ- ously CM. “At a function recently, I met ‘wahini’ (Rash- mi Thackeray) and told her to convey my re- gards to (her husband) Uddhav Thackeray. This is Maharashtrian culture and I cannot disregard it,” he said. Soon after the fall of the MVA government, Pandey, a 1986-batch re- tired Indian Police Of- ficer, was arrested in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged illegal phone tapping of NSE employees. He is currently out on bail. “Uddhav Thackeray completely stopped an- swering my phone calls. If he did not want to form an alliance (with BJP after 2019 state polls), he should have told me so,” Fad- navis said. First India Bureau Mumbai: Amid deterio- rating Air Quality Index of Mumbai, especially during the winter, city Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Ashish Shelar has urged Depu- ty Chief Minister Dev- endra Fadnavis to set up an enquiry panel. He also blamed the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for Mumbai’s AQI dipping from “poor” to “very poor”. “According to the environment experts, the financial concessions provided to the real estate sector during the tenure of the Maha Vi- kas Aghadi government have led to the uncontrolled rise in construction projects being un- dertaken simultaneous- ly across the city,” Shelar said. Also,thebuildingpro- posal and Environment Department of the Bri- hanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) did not pay any attention to the environmental haz- ards that all these construction activities would pose on the air quality of Mumbai, he added. He also called for the accountability of errant officials over the worsening AQI. Shelar also urged the BMC to draw a roadmap to make Mumbai a carbon-neutral city by 2035. A committee must be set up by the BMC to draw a roadmap to make Mum- bai a carbon-neutral city by 2035. It must also get a scientific study done by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to determine and establish construction density threshold activity that can be permitted per sq km to curb uncontrolled construction activities across the city, said the BJP leader. ‘’If all the government agencies team up and work towards this common cause, it will address Mumbai’s rising pollution crisis and will make our city once again a better place to live in,” said Shelar. First India Bureau Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in a money laundering case against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and others to Feb- ruary 27. Raut was present before special judge RN Rokade, who was meant to have heard the case before the framing of charges. However, the proceedings could not take place as the En- forcement Directorate (ED),whichisinvestigat- ingthecase,hadfailedto submit summon reports to other accused. The ED had arrested Raut on August 01 for his alleged role in financial irregularities in connection with the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl in suburban Goregaon. A special court here had granted him bail in November last year. The ED’s investigation pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl and related financial transac- tions involving Raut’s wife and associates. In2008,theMaharash- tra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) assigned a redevelopment contract to Guru Ashish Construc- tion Pvt Ltd (GACPL), which was supposed to build672flatsfortheten- ants and also give some flats to MHADA. However, the tenants didnotgetasingleflatin the last 14 years. The ED alleges that as the company sold land parcels and Floor Space Index instead of redeveloping the area. Mumbai (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said there were less chances of “large changes” in the weather in Mumbai and Maharashtra in the next 48 hours. The IMD’s Mumbai unit refuted specula- tions that the tempera- tures might drop further during the rest of the week. “There are two con- secutive westerly dis- turbances likely to take place this week. However, indicators show that there are less chances of Maha- rashtra, including Mumbai, witnessing any large changes in weather. There are equal chances of temperature rising or falling by 1 °C in the next 48 hours,” a scientist at the IMD’s Mumbai centre explained. Mumbai on Tuesday recorded a minimum temperature of 14 °C. It may increase or decrease by one degree depending on various factors that influence weather, she said. ‘MVA govt had given orders to slap some criminal charges (on me) anyhow…. However, I had done nothing that would help them put me in jail’ Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis speaking to the press. —FILE PHOTO Soon after the fall of the MVA government, Pandey was arrested in a money laundering case linked to the alleged illegal phone tapping of NSE employees PatraChawlcase adjournedtoFeb27 ‘Officers responsible for Mumbai’s worsening AQI must be pulled up’ Weather to stay largely unchanged ❍ SENA MP RAUT APPEARS IN COURT Fake currency with face value of `19L seized; two arrested At least 1,796 fake notes of `500 and 500 notes in the denomination of `2,000 and five notes each of `200 and `100 were seized BMC must draw a roadmap to make Mumbai carbon neutral city by 2035, urges BJP leader Security personnel were joined by the Scouts and Guides, and NCC cadets, in a dress rehearsal ahead of Thursday's Republic Day Parade, in Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Mumbai police have declared the Shivaji Park area a 'no-fly' zone and issued prohibitory orders for 24 hours starting midnight on Republic Day. R-DAY PREPARATION —PHOTOS BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE Sanjay Raut was granted bail in November. —FILE PHOTO Mumbai’s AQI has steadily worsened over the past few months. —FILE PHOTO Ashish Shelar —FILE PHOTO

3. MAHARASHTRA MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 03 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia TAKING THE BULL BY ITS HORNS Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann poses with the iconic BSE Bull sculpture installed at the Bombay Stock Exchange, in Mumbai on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY HUSHAN KOYANDE ‘Making sounds in own home doesn’t show sexual intent’ First India Bureau Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has granted anticipatory bail to three persons accused of committing atrocities against a member of a Scheduled Caste (SC). The mere crea- tion of sound by the accused in his own home cannot mean that it was with sexual intent, it observed. A division bench comprising Justice Vib- ha Kankanwadi and Justice Abhay S Wagh- wase also noted that the appellants had tried to lodge complaints against the informant first, but the police re- fused to register their complaint. Merely because some sound is created by a person in his house we cannot directly infer that it is with such an intention that it is with sexual nature towards the informant. There- fore, even prima facie offence under Section 3(1)(w)(ii) of the Atroci- ties Act cannot be said to be attracted, the court held. “When a law abiding citizen is adopting legal procedure and had gone to the police station to lodge a report, but it has not been taken, then, such person/s deserve to be protected”, stated the court. The informant, a neighbour of the appellants, alleged that one of the appellants used to look at her in such a manner which would outrage her modesty. She alleged that the ap- pellant shot video of her house from his mobile at night. Further, he used to whistle from the ter- race, make noises with help of utensils, and blow the reverse horn of his vehicle constant- ly . According to the FIR, the appellants pelted stones on the complainant injuring her and the watchman. After a special judge had rejected the anticipatory bail application of the appellants, they appealed under section 14-A of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. High Court grants pre-arrest bail to three persons booked under SC/ST Act for whistling z z VINDICTIVE Post 7 pm, this pavement turns into ‘open air bar’ First India Bureau Mumbai: Despitepublic drinking being illegal, the pavement outside Asiaticdepartmentstore turns into an open bar every evening, with large groups drinking in theopentilllateatnight. However, there is no fear of action from the Brihanmumbai Munici- pal Corporation (BMC) or the police among the partiers, as there is no official in sight there after 7 pm. The spot is so popular thatithasspawnedasec- ondary business, with nearby stalls and hawkers supplying fried snacksandboiledeggsto those partying there. According to a report by Mid-Day , even minors were seen consuming al- cohol at the spot, which is located near Church- gate railway station. Revellers buy their al- cohol from nearby shops and plastic cups from a stall next to the department store. A stall owner said, “My shop depends on these drinkers because I provide them with glass- es and chakna (snacks), which are a basic re- quirement for them. I have different types of glassesforbeerandwine and various kinds of chakna.” Asked whether the civic body took cogni- zanceof thegoings-onin the area, he replied, “The BMC never takes action after 7 pm and business starts in the evening.” The person manning theboiledeggsstallsaid, “I come here with 500 boiled eggs every day and they are all sold out by late night. Some drinkers prefer eggs as they are healthy .” Senior Inspector Nilesh Bagul of Marine Drivepolicestationsaid, “My team will personal- lyvisitthisspotandtake action. Drinking in public is an offence. We will stop this nuisance.” Even as locals youths give two hoots that drinking in public is illegal, cops look the other way Hawkers and stalls supply fried snacks, boiled eggs to drinkers. Haryana doc found injured on street in Mumrejoinsfamily Palghar (PTI): A 42-year-old woman doc- tor from Haryana found in an injured state on a street in Mumbai was reunited with her family following efforts made by a non-govern- mental organization in Palghar district. The police found Dr Karolina Kapoor with an infected head wound on a street in Mumbai’s Goregaon area on December 31, and admitted her to Jeevan Anand San- stha’s Samarth Ash- ram in Palghar, a release by the NGO stated, without elaborat- ing how she landed in the Maharashtra capital in the first place. From the day Kapoor entered the ashram, a team of its workers made a concerted effort to trace her relatives through police in Delhi, Haryana and by using the internet, the organization’s trustee Kisan Choure said. After 21 days of continuous efforts, the ashram’s clinical psycholo- gist succeeded in con- tacting Kapoor’s family after gathering information from her during the counselling sessions, he said. The woman’s uncle and brother-in-law soon arrived in Mumbai and after a verification process at Goregaon police station, Kapoor was handed over to them, the official said. Kapoor left for her home in Gurugram, Haryana on Monday after expressing her grat- itude towards the staff at the organization. Cops found Dr Karolina Kapoor with an infected head wound in Mumbai on Dec 31; she was reunited with her family on Monday MUMBAI’S FIRST METRO CREEK BRIDGE DONE Mumbai: City’s first Metro viaduct over a water body is ready. The last section of the 550m bridge over Kasheli creek, was placed on Sunday, officials said. The Kashi creek bridge consists of 13 spans, including nine over water which were erected with the help of launching girders in 123 days. The Metro Orange Line 5 is a 24.90km long elevated corridor with 15 stations connecting Thane to Kalyan. It will be integrated with Green Line 4, which connects Thane to Wadala. UNDERGROUND PARKING AT GAODEVI MAIDAN DELAYED FURTHER Thane: The inauguration of the underground parking lot constructed to solve the traffic congestion in the Thane station area has been delayed further with the code of conduct coming into effect ahead of the Konkan Teachers Constituency polls on January 31. The Thane Municipal Corporation Commissioner, Abhi- jit Bangar said the process of awarding the contract to the winning bidder from the tender process will be done on a priority basis. WILL TAKE OVER GOKHALE BRIDGE WORK MID-FEB: BMC Mumbai: The civic body will begin con- structing the new Gokhale Road bridge by mid-February, once the Western Railway (WR) hands over the portion of the tracks in Andheri. WR is dismantling the girder and pillars of the old bridge. “Initially, the support pillars for the girder will be constructed. By the time the pillars on both sides are completed, fabrication work on the girder will be complete,” an official said. BEST SEEKS TO REDUCE POWER TARIFF THIS YEAR Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Trans- port (BEST) undertaking has proposed to significantly decrease the monthly tariff for residential, industrial and commercial consum- ers in the year 2023-24. It has plans to charge slightly more for the next financial year 2024-25. BEST has asked for a dip in tariff between 1% and 17.01% for this year, which it wants to hike to 0.50% to 2%the next year. However, it has decided to keep the rate for Electric Vehicles constant for now, quoting a 2.13%- 37.93% hike in the sector for the next two years. MUMBAI ROUND-UP No coercive action against Naresh Goyal,until Jan 31 First India Bureau Mumbai: The Bom- bay High Court has directed the Enforce- ment Directorate (ED) not to take any coercive steps against for- merJetAirwayschair- manNareshGoyaland his wife Anita, till January 31. A division bench comprising Justice Re- vati Mohite Dere and Justice Prithviraj Chavan passed the order on a petition filed by the duo seeking quashing of the ECIR registered against them under the Pre- vention of Money Laundering Act. In the interim, they asked that no coercive steps be taken against them. Senior advocates Ravi Kadam and Aabad Ponda, appear- ing for the petition- ers, submitted that there was no predi- cate offence as required for the ED to investigate the ECIR. The complaint lodged with the MRA Marg police station, Mumbai has resulted in filing of a ‘C’ sum- mary report by the police, they said. The counsels further submitted that even the protest petition filed by ED was rejected and the order was confirmed by this HC as well as the SC. Therefore, the ECIR would have to be quashed, they said. Advocate Shreeram Shirsat for the ED sought time to re- spond after which the matter was adjourned to January 31. BACKGROUND HC extends interim protection to Rakhi Sawant First India Bureau Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to actor Rakhi Sawant till February 01 in connection with a case lodged against her by a model for allegedly circulating and display- ing her obscene and objectionable video. Sawant had moved the HC on Monday , seeking pre-arrest bail in the case. A single bench of Justice MS Karnik had directed the police not to take any coercive action against the actor till the next hearing. On Tuesday, the lawyer representing the modelsoughttimetofile an intervention plea. The court granted her time and adjourned the matter till next Wednesday. It also directed the police not to take any action against Sawant until then. Sawant’s lawyer on Monday told the court that she had been coop- erating with the police since an FIR was registered against her in No- vember 2022. Cops not to take coercive action against actor accused of circulating model’s obscene and objectionable video-- until February 01

4. PERSPECTIVE MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 04 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia l Vol 1 l Issue No.259 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: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act Amit Shah @AmitShah Best wishes to the people of the state on the foundation day of Uttar Pradesh, the land of cultural heritage and spirituality. Uttar Pradesh is moving forward on the path of progress by taking Modi ji’s welfare schemes and development policies down to the bottom. I wish for the continuous progress of the state and welfare of the people of the state. Smriti Z Irani @smritiirani Hearty greetings to all the people of the state on the foundation day of “Uttar Pradesh”, the land of cultural diversity, heritage and spirituality. Over the years, Uttar Pradesh has contributed significantly in the progress of the country. I wish that the state continues to move on the path of development and prosperity in the same way. SPIRITUAL SPEAK We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. —Buddha IN-DEPTH DIGVIJAYA SINGH MAKES CONGRESS SQUIRM WITH HIS PULWAMA REMARK day after former MP CM Digvijaya Singh raised the Pulwama terror attack and sought proof of the surgical strike deep inside the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, the senior Congress leader got strong rebuff from Rahul Gan- dhi at whose Bharat Jodo Yatra the remark was made. “They are his personal remarks, not of the party,” Rahul Gandhi said. An- otherseniorpartyleaderJairam Ramesh also tweeted that the views expressed by “Digvijaya do not reflect the position of Cong. Cong has supported and will continue to support all mil- itary actions that are in national interest”. Singh obviously had caused huge embarrassment to party which is not raising any issues which would help BJP. If Digvijaya thinks that divi- sive issues will work in favour of Congress he is grossly mis- taken. Polarisation will only drive majority community towards BJP. Since 2014 polarisation has made BJP’s stronger. Singh cannot match what BJP has to offer its voters. TOP TWEETS A aharashtra Gov- ernor Bhagat Sin- gh Koshyari and controversies are inseparable but there’s nothing controversial about his latest move to step down as governor and “to quit active politics”. Koshy- ari said that during a recent visit of Prime Minister Nar- endra Modi he conveyed his desire to relinquish his gubernatorial post to “spend the remainder of my life in reading, writing and other activities”. While New Delhi mulls its response, a Raj Bha- wan statement said, “It was an absolute honour and priv- ilege for me to serve as Raj Sevak or Rajyapal of a great state like Maharashtra.” In November 2022 Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that Koshyari had offered to resign but the claim was refuted by the Raj Bhawan. This wasinthebackdropof Koshy- ari calling Chhatrapati Shiva- ji as an icon of the past and calling Dr BR Ambedkar and Union Minister Nitin Gadka- ri as the modern-day icons. He again hurt the Maratha pride when he said that Samarth Ramdas was the guru of Shivaji Maharaj contrary to the belief that the warrior’s mother was his guru. His earlier remark that Mumbai would cease to be the financial capital if people from Gujarat and Rajasthan were to leave the megapolis pitted the Marwaris against Marathis. His remarks against Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule’s child mar- riage had also raised tempers. After several run-ins with the MVA government, the offer to resign could be in search of happiness as Ko- shyari once told a Jain spiritual leader that he never got happiness as governor. “Only unhappiness came my way,” he said. KOSHYARI’S OFFER TO STEP DOWN Koshyari said that during a recent visit of PM Narendra Modi he conveyed his desire to relinquish his gubernatorial post to “spend the remainder of my life in reading, writing and other activities” M BOLLYWOOD BASHING CM Yogi recently invited prominent members from the entertainment industry to explore his state as a film-making destination. CM Yogi said under his government’s film policy, if a web series is filmed in UP, it will be given a 50 per cent subsidy. Likewise, a 25 per cent subsidy is given for setting up studios and film labs. CM Yogi also met Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd, after interacting with Bollywood members CM ADITYANATH HARD-SELLS UP n January 5, 2023, veteran action star Suniel Shetty had urged the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adity- anath, to help the Bollywood film industry get rid of the ‘Boycott Bollywood’ trend. Shetty said this when CM Yogi Adityanath had met members of the Bollywood fraternity in Mumbai. Shetty had said, “Hashtag ‘BoycottBollywood’ can stop with your help. It’s important to convey that we’ve done good work. There can be one rotten apple but 99 percent of usdon’tindulgeinanywrong- doing. We’ve to change this perception. If you take the lead and also talk to the PM, it will make a difference.” The hashtag ‘Boycott Bol- lywood’ had started trending after actor Sushant Singh Ra- jput’s untimely demise. CUT — 2 It may be noted that on Last Tuesday ,PMNarendraModi’s warning to party workers to avoid ‘unnecessary comments’ on films amid boycott calls was hailed widely by the film fraternity . PM Modi’s statementcameamidprotests from BJP leaders like Ram KadamandNarottamMishra. “If the PM snubs his own people and tells them to shut up and not talk nonsense against the film industry , which is not their area, for mere publicity , it is a big boost of confidence for the industry . That the PM of the country is with you. Thesignal goes to not onlythe politicians, but even people from the media, our own industry itself,” Ashoke Pandit, president of the Indian Film and Television Directors’ As- sociation (IFTDA) said in an interview to Indian Express. PM Narendra Modi had laid down a series of dos and don’ts for party leaders on Wednesday at the end of the two-day National Executive of the BJP . Meanwhile, as usual there will be people to draw mile- age out of everything. When the fraternity was facing flak, Shetty stood like a rock to defend Bollywood, however, with the Prime Minister’s warning to his leaders to refrain from making such comments, actor Akshay Kumar on Sunday jumped onto the issue and praised Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi for asking BJP workers to refrain from making unnecessary remarks on films and this too he did during the promotions of his latest film! Akshay went on to say the PM was the “India’s biggest influencer” and if his words canbringaboutsomechangeit will be great for the film industry . “Positivity is always wel- come. And if our Prime Minis- ter is saying something like this... He is India’s biggest influencer. If he is saying something and if things change it’ll be great for the industry . “And why not, things should change, because we go through so much. We make films, go to the censor board, get them passed and then someone says something and phir gadbad ho jati hai (it becomes a mess). But now that he has said it, I think it’ll be better for us,” Akshay said. Sadly, Akshay “realised” this for his fraternity only after the Prime Minister’s positive comment came in . The Prime Minister’s comment was the much-needed booster for the Bollywood industry. It may be noted that the entertainment industry had contributed Rs 50,0000 crore to the economy, equating to 0.5% of GDP way back in 2013, according to the report ‘Economic Contribution of the Indian Motion Picture and Television Industry’, by financial services firm De- loitte. The sector also supports 18.8 lakh jobs. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL O ROBIN ROY The writer is Senior Journalist and former Managing Editor, First India WHO IS SHAH RUKH KHAN? The Prime Minister’s comment was the much-needed booster for the Bollywood industry. It may be noted that the entertainment industry had contributed Rs 50,0000 crore to the economy, equating to 0.5% of GDP way back in 2013, according to the report ‘Economic Contribution of the Indian Motion Picture and Television Industry’, by financial services firm Deloitte. The sector also supports 18.8 lakh jobs. Amid protests against SRK’s Pathaan staged by Bajrang Dal in Assam, the state’s chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Saturday said he doesn’t know ‘Pathan-Sathan’. He questioned, “Who is Shah Rukh Khan?” and said he doesn’t know anything about the film. Talking to the media, CM Sarma said, “I don’t know anything about him or his film Pathaan. I don’t know who is Shah Rukh. If there is any protest that has created a law-and-order situation in the state, we will see for it.” PM MODI SILENCES PARTY MOTORMOUTHS Prime Minister Narendra Modi had warned all his party members against making ‘unnecessary comments on the movies’ Himanta Biswa Sarma @himantabiswa Bollywood actor Shri @ iamsrk called me and we talked today morning at 2 am. He expressed concern about an incident in Guwahati during the screening of his film. I assured him that it’s the duty of the state govt to maintain law order. We’ll enquire and ensure no such untoward incidents. MODI’S ‘BOOSTER’ FOR BOLLYWOOD INDUSTRY...

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6. MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 05 INDIA www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Jammu (PTI): Con- gress leader Rahul Gan- dhi on Tuesday said his Bharat Jodo Yatra has achieved success in “changing the narrative” in the country and brought crores of peo- pletogethertodenounce hatred and spread the message of love. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the RSS have created an atmosphere of hatred in the country and said suppressing or frightening people cannot stop the truth from coming out. “The yatra has achievedsomethingfun- damental,verypowerful and what the yatra has donecannotbechanged. It has shown that there are two visions of India, one is hate-filled, arro- gant and cowardly and another is love-filled, embracing and brave. It (yatra) has made these two visions absolutely crystal clear,” Rahul Gandhi told a press conference here. First India Bureau Kota: Lok Sabha Speak- er Om Birla launched Jio True 5G services in Kota on Tuesday. With this, Kota has become the6thcityinRajasthan to get Jio True 5G services, after Nathdwara, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Bikaner. In the next couple of months, Jio True 5G services will be available in Ajmer, Bhilwara, Alwar, Sikar, And Gan- ganagar as well. By the end of 2023, every town, taluka and tehsil of Ra- jasthan will have Jio True 5G coverage. Starting from Tues- day, the technological advantages of high- speed, low-latency, stand-alone True 5G services shall be made available to the people and businesses of the city, opening new growth opportunities in the areas of tourism, manufacturing, SMEs, e-governance, educa- tion, healthcare, agriculture, automation, artificial intelligence, gaming, and IT. Speaking on the occasion, Lok Sabha Speak- er Birla said, “In the era of research and innova- tion, True 5G will prove to be a milestone in the development story of the country. With the help of this latest technology, people from re- mote areas will become part of the mainstream. This will improve the quality of life in the country . India is among the few countries where 5G technology is available. India will become a global economy with the help of 5G. I thank Reliance Jio for launch- ing5GservicesinKota.” Kota has traditional- ly been an important industrial destination of Rajasthan and over the past few decades, it has also become India’s coaching hub. Thou- sands of aspiring young students come to the city each year to pre- pare for competitive ex- aminations. Speaker Birla inaugurates Jio True 5G in Kota FIFTH GENERATION INTERNET GLOBAL VIEWS: After UK PM Sunak last week, now US has distanced itself from controversial documentary BBC DOCUMENTARY ON PM MODI STIRS INT’L POLITICS In India, Oppn has grabbed this opportunity to fire fresh salvos at the PM First India Bureau New Delhi: BBC’s recent controversial documentary on Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi has created stir not only in Indian but in international politics. While, last week last week, UK PM Rishi Su- nak had defended PM Modi and distanced himself from the BBC documentary series, now the United States (US) has has distanced itself from the controversial documentary . Responding to questions raised by a Paki- stani journalist, US State Department SpokespersonNedPrice on Monday told reporters that Washington shares an “exceptional- ly deep partnership” with New Delhi based on values that are common to both the US and Indian democracies. InIndia,whileOpposi- tion has grabbed this opportunity to fire fresh salvos at PM Modi, the BJPonTuesdayreceived over this documentary support from unexpect- ed quarters from senior Congress leader and former AK Antony’s son Anil Antony . LS Speaker Om Birla during the function in Kota on Tuesday. PM Narendra Modi interacts with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar Awardees 2023, in New Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI BBC DOCUMENTARY SCREENED IN KERALA; BJP HOLDS PROTESTS JNUSU’S PLAN OF SCREENING GETS ‘CUT’ SANS ELECTRICITY HYDERABAD VARSITY STUDENTS GROUP SCREENS DOCUMENTARY Thiruvananthapuram: The controversial BBC documentary was screened across Kerala on Tuesday by various political organisations, as the BJP youth wing went up in arms protesting against the screening. Protest marches were taken out by Yuva Mor- cha to the Victoria College in Palakkad and Govt Law College in Ernakulam where SFI followed through with its announcement to screen the documentary. New Delh: A row erupted in JNU as a poster was purportedly released by its students’ union announcing the screening of a controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi at its office on Tuesday, prompting university authorities to issue a warning to cancel the event or face “strict disciplinary action”. Later, there was no electricity at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus since 8.30 pm on Tuesday. Hyderabad: A section of students at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) has screened the BBC documentary on PM Modi on its campus, prompting the Uni- versity authorities to seek a report. The documentary, was screened on Sunday by a group of students under the banner “Fraternity Movement- HCU unit”, on the campus of the UoH, also known as Hyderabad Central University (HCU). TRUTH HAS NASTY HABIT OF COMING OUT: RAHUL GANDHI BAN UPCOMING MOVIE ON GODSE: OWAISI TELLS CENTRE AK ANTONY’S SON ANIL ANTONY OPPOSES BBC DOCUMENTARY Jammu: Amid a row over controversial BBC documentary on PM Nar- endra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said any kind of ban, oppression and frightening people are not going to stop the truth from coming out. At a press conference, Gandhi said, “If you read our scriptures, if you read Bhagavad Gita or you read the Upanishads, you will see in it, it is written that the truth cannot be hidden. The truth always comes out.” Hyderabad: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has demanded the BJP-led Centre to ban an upcoming Hindi film on Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse like it blocked the BBC documentary on PM Narendra Modi. Address- ing a public meeting here on Sunday, the AIMIM leader said the Government of India has to take a clear-cut stand that a ban will be imposed on the movie ‘Gandhi Godse - Ek Yudh’ and it will not be released in any theatre. Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader AK Antony’s son Anil Antony said on Tuesday that placing the views of the BBC over Indian institutions would “undermine” the country’s sovereignty. Antony Junior had handled Congress’ digital communica- tions in Kerala till recently. His remarks come at a time when various wings of the state Congress have announced that the screening of the controversial documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots will be done in the state. New Delhi (PTI): TheMunicipalCorpo- rationof Delhi(MCD) could not elect a may- or as its proceedings were adjourned on Tuesday , a second in- stance of the new House convening for mayoral poll but not beingabletocomplete the process, prompting a protest by Aam Aadmi Party councillors and MLAs. There was an unu- sual security ar- rangement for the House proceeding with personnel de- ployed on the Civic Centre premises, and in the House as well. However, there was a heated discussion between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members following which presiding officer Satya Sharma, a BJP councillor, adjourned the House without holding the poll. MCD adjourned again without electing mayor Bharat Jodo Yatra has changed narrative in country: Rahul Gandhi Ramcharitmanas remarks: Maurya lands in trouble Lucknow (PTI): An FIR was registered against Samajwadi Par- ty leader Swami Pras- ad Maurya on Tuesday over his controversial remarks on ‘ R a m - charitma- nas’, police said. “A case has been registered against Swami Prasad Maurya at the Hazratganj police station for allegedly out- raging religious feelings with his recent remarks on Ramcharitmanas,” police said. The FIR was registered following a complaint by a resident of Aishbagh in Bazar Khala area of UP. The first information report (FIR) was lodged under various provisions and relevant sections of the Indian Pe- nal Code (IPC). BJP SHOULD ACCEPT MCD POLL DEFEAT: MANISH SISODIA DEEPEST REGARD FOR ARMY: DIGVIJAYA SINGH AAP RUNNING AWAY FROM MAYORAL POLL: MANOJ TIWARI WHY LATE IN SNUB TO DIGVIJAYA: BJP TO RaGa New Delhi: Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Tuesday asked the BJP to accept their defeat in the MCD polls and help ensure the smooth conduct of mayoral elections. The Municipal Cor- poration of Delhi (MCD) House was adjourned on Tuesday without electing a mayor and deputy mayor amid a ruckus by some councillors. Nagrota (ANI): Amid an ongoing row over his questioning the authenticity of the 2019 surgical strikes, Digvijaya Singh trying to put an end to the row said here on Tuesday: “I have got the greatest regard for the De- fence forces”. Meanwhile, an agitated Jairam Ramesh lashed out at the media on Tuesday who had posed queries over this issue. New Delhi: BJP MP Manoj Tiwari alleged the AAP was running away from the elections of mayor and deputy mayor despite having majority in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, as the House was adjourned amid a chaos on Tuesday. Tiwari alleged that the AAP leaders, including party councilors, misbe- haved with BJP leaders. New Delhi (PTI): Why did Rahul Gandhi take so long to publicly declare his respect for the armed forces, the BJP asked on Tuesday, slam- ming Gandhi for dismissing Digvijaya Singh’s controversial comments on surgical strikes as his “personal opinion”. It also asked the Congress to make its stand clear on the issues of terror- ism and national security. CHANDIGARH COURT VACATED AFTER BOMB THREAT HC SAYS NO TO UNAUTHORISED RECORDING, LIVE STREAMING OF COURT PROCEEDINGS New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has prohibited the unauthorised recording, sharing, or dissemination of live-streamed proceedings or archival data of proceedings. The court notified the rules for live streaming and recording of court proceedings, and said, “To imbue greater transparency, inclusivity, and foster access to justice, it is expedient to set up infra- structure and framework to enable live streaming and recording of proceedings.” These rules were notified in the official gazette on January 13, 2023. Chandigarh: The Chandigrah Security officials launched a search operation in the District Court Complex after a bomb threat, the officials said to the news agency ANI on Tuesday. “A search operation is still underway and a dog squad has been brought in to check if there have been any bomb,” they added. The district courts and the police officials said that the District Court, Chandigarh was vacated immediately and all the lawyers were told to leave the premises. Till the filing of this report no bomb was found. More details are awaited. IN THE COURTYARD COURT ALLOWS NIRAV MODI’S FORMER FINANCE HEAD TO TRAVEL ABROAD BILKIS CASE: CONVICTS’ REMISSION COULD NOT BE HEARD IN SC New Delhi: A Mumbai special court has quashed a look out circular issued by CBI against the former chief financial officer of Nirav Modi’s Firestar International Ltd company which is accused in Rs 6,498 crore scam pulled off by the diamantaire at large, officials said on Tuesday. The court agreed with the submission of Ravi Shankar Gupta that he is highly qualified and is required to travel outside the country as he is the executive director of a multinational company. Gupta had said that he had appeared 31 times before the CCBI for questioning. New Delhi: The hearing on Bilkis Bano’s plea chal- lenging the remission of sentence of 11 convicts in the gang-rape case by the Gujarat government, could not be held in the Supreme Court on Tuesday as the judges concerned were hearing a matter related to passive euthanasia as part of a five-judge Constitution bench. The petition of Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped and seven members of her family slaughtered during the 2002 Gujarat riots, was scheduled to be heard on Tuesday by a bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and CT Ravikumar. Rahul Gandhi leads Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu on Tuesday. RAHUL GANDHI DISTANCES FROM DIGVIJAYA SINGH’S REMARKS ON SURGICAL STRIKES Jammu (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he and the party do not agree with Digvijaya Singh’s comments on surgical strikes and that the armed forces do not need to give any proof. Singh on Monday had questioned the surgical strikes and accused the government of peddling lies. “I don’t agree with the statement of Digvijaya Singh. It is crystal clear that we disagree with it. It is the official position of the Congress,” Gandhi told reporters here. Ruckus at MCD House meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Kota becomes 6th city in Rajasthan to get Jio True 5G services Patna (PTI): JD(U)’s sulking parliamentary board chief Upendra Kushwaha on Tuesday alleged that he was being undermined within the party as part of a “conspiracy” to “politi- cally weaken” his men- tor CM Nitish Kumar. Talking to reporters here, the former Union minister, whose recent meeting with BJP leaders in Delhi has raised many eyebrows, said he was ready to clear the air if given an opportunity . “Nitish Kumar can summon me for an ex- planation. A meeting of the party can also be convened. But I will keep raising my voice against any attempts to weaken the chief minister,” said Kushwaha. Conspiracy on to weaken Nitish,claimsKushwaha Upendra Kushwaha

7. MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 06 INDIA www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia New Delhi: Delivering on its mandate of devel- oping state-of-the art defence systems, De- fence Research Devel- opment Organisation (DRDO) will showcase one tableau and one equipment during Re- public Day parade at Kartavya Path on Janu- ary 26, 2023. ‘Securing Nation with Effective Surveillance, Commu- nication and Neutraliz- ing Threats’ is the theme of the first tableau of DRDO. This tableau has been catego- rised into four parts. The first part is display- ing Underwater Sur- veillance Platforms, which include sonars like Ushus-2 for subma- rines, Humsa series of sonars for ships and Low Frequency Dunk- ing Sonar for helicopter launch surveillance. The second part of this tableau will have Land Surveillance, Communication and Neutralising platforms showcasing D4 counter drone systems, which can perform real time search, detection, track- ing and neutralize tar- gets. Two units of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) Weapon System, Bat- tery Multifunction Ra- dar (BMFR) and Missile Launcher Vehicle (MLV) are also being displayed. The QRSAM is an all-weather, air- defence system that provides mobile air defence cover to mecha- nized assets of Indian Army in the Tactical Battle Area. Besides, two versions of Soft- ware Defined Radio – Manpack and Handheld are part of this tableau. DRDO has developed the Software Defined Radio for secured communication. The third part of this tableau is showcasing Aerial Surveillance and Communication platforms Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEWC) and TAPAS BH Medium Al- titude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV. AEWC is a true force multipli- er, with surveillance, communication, and electronic warfare ca- pabilities. New Delhi: Union Min- ister for Communica- tions, Electronics and Information Technolo- gy and Union Educa- tion Minister Dhar- mendra Pradhan on Tuesday tested ‘Bha- rOS’, an indigenous operating system developed by the Indian In- stitute of Technology, Madras (IIT). “Congratulations to everyone involved in de- veloping the system. For the very first time when our Prime Minis- ter Narendra Modiji talked about digital In- dia eight years ago, some of our friends mocked him, but today, technocrats, innova- tors, industries and policymakers, and aca- demic institutions of the country have ac- cepted his vision after eight years,” he said. “There will be difficulties in this journey and there are many people around the world who will bring difficulties and will not want any such system to be successful,” Mr Vaishnaw said. BharOS, a new mobile operating system, focuses on privacy and security . A mobile operating system is a software that is the core interface on a smart- phone like Android by Google and iOS by Ap- ple. The BharOS is an Indian government- funded project to develop a free and open- source operating system (OS) for use in government and public systems. The project aims to reduce the de- pendence on foreign OS in smartphones and promote the use of lo- cally developed technology . ‘BharOS’, Made-in-India operating system, tested INDIGENOUS OPERATING SYSTEM  The BharOS is an Indian govt- funded project to develop a free and open- source operating system (OS) for use in government and public systems SHRADDHA WALKAR CASE Walkar met friend, boyfriend got violent: Cops on murder motive New Delhi: Aaftab Poonawala murdered his girlfriend Shraddha Walkar in anger after she went to meet a friend, the police said in the chargesheet into the macabre murder case. In the 6,629-page chargesheet, the Delhi Police said Aaftab Poon- awalabecameextremely violent when he came to know his girlfriend had gone out to meet the friend. “The accused did not like the fact that she had gone to meet a friend. He became wor- ried. He killed her that day ,” Joint Commission- er of Police Meenu Choudhary told reporters today . After allegedly killing Shraddha Walkar, 27, in May in their rented Del- hi flat, Aaftab Poonawa- la, 28, had chopped up her body and discarded the body parts into a nearby forest and other places over nearly three weeks to hide evidence. Both had moved to Delhi from Mumbai in May itself and were live-in partners. The police said they formed nine teams to crack the case and even sent some of them to Haryana, Himachal and Maharashtra to collect evidence and talk to people for a larger picture. “We collected body parts for a long time. A lot of technology went into analysing the evidence. We got a DNA and other forensic tests done,” Ms Choudhary said. The police took the statements of some 150 people while framing the chargesheet. Aaftab Poonawala used over five kinds of knives and other tools to chop up his girlfriend’s body , the police said in the chargesheet. EC’s int’lconferenceon electionintegrityconcludes ‘India can have its own disaster response model’ New Delhi (PTI): Be- ing a vast country with diverse terrains, India can have its own disaster response model which can be emulated by other countries, Un- ion Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday . “While it is important to learn from global best prac- tices and follow SOPs, let us learn from the national examples of emergency and disaster response in the past few decades and enrich our model from learning and insights from these,” he said. New Delhi: The Elec- tion Commission’s (EC) international conference on the use of technology and election in- tegrity – attended by election officials from 16 countries–willwrapped up on Tuesday, with EC Anup Chandra Pandey giving a speech on the “way forward”, according to the poll panel. The conference, which started on Mon- day, is the second-such event organised by the EC under the United States’ Summit for De- mocracy initiative. On Monday, CEC Ra- jiv Kumar said during the inaugural session that social media platforms had the power to detect and act against “deep fakes”. Boy injured in IED blast triggered by CPI (Maoists) Chaibasa (PTI): A boy was injured on Tuesday when an improvised ex- plosive device (IED) planted by outlawed CPI(Maoists) exploded in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, a police officer said. The incident oc- curredwhenthe13-year- old, boy , who was on his way to a market, came under the impact of the blast triggered by the CPI (Maoists) near Ara- hata village, the officer said. The injured boy was rushed to a health centre where he was provided first aid, Officer- in-Charge of Goilkera police station, Rahul Singh said. Earlier, two villagers had been killed in two separate IED explosions in Nov and Dec last year. Today’s incident took place at a time when Jharkhand Chief Minis- ter Hemant Soren was holding a review meeting on development work with senior district officials before taking part in ‘Khatiyan Johar’ yatra in the district headquarters town of Chaibasa, around 30 to 35 km from the spot. Aaftab Poonawala Anup Chandra Pandey addressing the concluding ceremony of the ECI. Dharmendra Pradhan and Ashwini Vaishnaw tested ‘BharOS’. Shraddha Walkar REPUBLIC DAY PREPARATIONS DRDO to showcase tableau on surveillance, communication Bengaluru (PTI): The upcoming Aero India exhibition in Bengaluru will not only display the country’s growing prowess in the aerospace sector but will also demonstrate the rise of a strong and self-reliant “New India”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday. The 14th edition of Aero India, billed as Asia’s largest aerospace exhibition, will be held in Bengaluru from February 13 to 17.Singh made the remarks while chairing a high-level meeting where he reviewed the preparations for the mega exhibition.Officials said 731 exhibitors have registered for the event so far.“The five-day event on the theme ‘the runway to a billion opportunities’ will be the largest-ever aero show organised at Air Force Station, Yelahanka in a total area of around 35,000 sq metres,” the defence ministry said. RAJNATH SINGH REVIEWS PREPS FOR AERO INDIA New Delhi: The MHA has approved the request of the Delhi Police to deploy the latest anti-drone system of DRDO, which has features like radar and soft kill and hard kill, as part of security arrangements for the Republic Day parade on January 26 and the Beating Retreat Ceremony on January 29, The Indian Express has learnt. Sources said a request from the Delhi Police was sent by Special CP, Madhup Kumar Tiwari, asking to deploy ADS during the Republic day celebration. “A request was received by the internal-security division of MHA and a meeting was held by the Secretary (security) earlier this month to discuss overall security arrangements,” a source said. MHA APPROVES ANTI-DRONE SYSTEM FOR R-DAY PARADE Players perform Mallakhamba or mallakhamb (a traditional sport) ahead of the Republic Day in New Delhi, on Tuesday. Defence forces personnel perform daredevil stunts during the rehearsal for the R-Day event. Mallakhamba players perform fiery stunts balancing of a pole. A daredevil performs dangerous stunt during the event. Nihangs perform Sikh martials arts during the function ahead of R-Day in New Delhi, on Tuesday. DELHI POLICE STEPS UP SECURITY New Delhi: The Delhi Police have stepped up anti-sabotage checks, verification drives and patrol- ling in the national capital ahead of Republic Day. Anti-sabotage checks are being conducted in markets, high footfall areas and other prominent places by the Bomb Disposal Team along with dog squads, police said. The police are checking hotels and lodges as well as sensitising the staff there to inform police immediately. LIQUOR SHOPS TO BE CLOSED ON JAN 26 New Delhi: The Delhi government on Monday announced six dry days between January 26 and March 31, in the wake of Republic Day and other festive days.The state’s Excise Department of the Delhi Government has issued the orders following reversing the previous excise policy.

8. MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 07 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Commodity Price Change % Chg GOLD 57,217.00 295.00 0.51 (Per 10g) SILVER 68,779.00 63.00 0.09 (Per 1kg) COMMODITIES Currency Price Change % Chg USDINR 81.70 0.28 0.34 GBPINR 100.76 0.21 0.21 CURRENCIES Sentiment in realty sector drops in Dec qtr New Delhi (PTI): The sentiment index in the real estate sector dropped in October-December 2022 but remained in positive zone amid geopolitical concerns and bleak global economy outlook, according to Knight Frank and Naredco. The future sentiment index, which reflects the outlook for the next six months, improved marginally. As per the report, the current sentiment score moderated from 61 in Q3 2022 to 59 in Q4 2022. The sentiment index is based on the survey of supply-side stakeholders like developers, investors and financial institutions. The score of above 50 indicates optimism in sentiments. The moderation in sentiment was mainly on account of a bleak global economic scenario and geopolitical risks due to the pro- longed Russia-Ukraine war, the consultant said. BUT REMAINS POSITIVE MAJOR FINDINGS z The sentiment index in the real estate sector dropped in October-December 2022 but remained in positive zone amid geopolitical concerns and bleak global economy outlook z The future sentiment index, which reflects the outlook for the next six months, improved marginally business BRIEFS New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday reported over two-fold jump in its net profit to `2,351.3 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2022, on account of ro- bust sales aided by en- hanced product portfolio. During the third quarter of 2022-23, the company said its net sales rose to `27,849.2 crore while the same stood at `22,187.6 crore in the same period of 2021-22. It sold a total of 4,65,911 vehicles during the third quarter of FY23. —PTI MSI Q3 NET JUMPS OVER TWO-FOLD TO `2,351 CRORE New Delhi: Total toll collection through FASTag on fee plazas, including state highway toll plazas, increased 46% to `50,855 crore in 2022, state-owned NHAI said on Tuesday. Total toll collection through FASTag on fee plazas, including state highway toll plazas, in 2021 was `34,778 crore. The average daily toll collection through FASTag on NH fee plazas in De- cember 2022 was `134.44 crore, and the single day highest collection touched `144.19 crore on December 24, 2022, the National High- ways Authority of India (NHAI) said. —PTI TOLL COLLECTION THROUGH FASTAG GROWS 46% IN 2022 New Delhi: Gold price rose `295 to `57,217 per 10 grams in the national capital on Tuesday amid gains in the precious metal globally, according to HDFC Securities. The yel- low metal had ended at `56,922 per 10 grams in the previous trade. Silver, however, declined `63 to `68,779 per kilogram. “Spot gold prices in the Delhi markets traded at `57,217 per 10 grams, up `295 per 10 grams,” said an analyst at HDFC Securities. —PTI GOLD PRICES GO UP BY `295; SILVER DECLINES BY `63 New Delhi: Reliance Jio on Tuesday announced the roll out of its 5G services across 50 cities, terming it the largest-ever launch of these services. These cities are spread across Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Puducherry, and Kerala. Other States include Maharashtra, Odi- sha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, UP and West Bengal. With this, Jio users across 184 cities are now experiencing 5G services, the telco’s said. —PTI RELIANCE JIO ROLLS OUT 5G SERVICES IN 50 MORE CITIES *Rates till the edition went to print. COFFEE DAY HIT WITH $3.2 MN FINE BY SEBI, MUST PAY IN 45 DAYS New Delhi: Coffee Day Enter- prises was fined `260 million ($3.2 million) by the markets watchdog for failing to recover dues from a sister concern, an order published on the regulator’s website showed on Tuesday. The Sebi also asked Coffee Day to recover `35.35 billion from Mysore Amalgamated Coffee Estates Ltd and other connected entities. These funds were diverted from the company and its seven subsidiaries. —PTI VISTARA TO HAVE 70 PLANES IN FLEET BY MID-2024: CEO New Delhi: Full service carrier Vistara will continue to expand and expects to have a total of 70 planes by mid-2024, its chief Vinod Kannan said on Tuesday. The airline, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, reported an operating profit for the first time since inception in the three months ended December 2022. By the middle of next year, Kannan said it will have a total of 70 aircraft, including 7 Boeing 787s. —PTI OTHER STORIES ZOMATO REBRANDING, NOT SHUTTING DOWN 10-MINUTE INSTANT FOOD-DELIVERY SERVICE: CO New Delhi: Zomato is rebranding Instant, its ten-minute food delivery service, and not shutting it down, a company spokesperson said. The statement has come amid reports claiming that the company was planning to close Instant, launched less than a year ago, owing to tough market conditions. However, the spokesperson clarified that it was working on a new menu for the service. “Instant is not shutting down. We are working on a new menu with our partners and rebranding the business. All finishing stations remain intact, and no people are impacted by this decision,” the spokesperson said. —PTI IN INDIA-UK TRADE DEAL ‘Focusing on what ismutuallyacceptable’ Gandhinagar (PTI): Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that in the talks for the proposed free trade agreement between India and the UK, the focus is on what is acceptable to both countries and not allow sensitive issues to scuttle the discussions. He also said that student visas are never part of a FTA. India has recently concluded the sixth round of talks with the UK and the next round will be held soon. Negotiations with the UK started on January 13 last year with an aim to boost bilateral trade and investments. The bilateral trade between the two countries increased to $17.5 billion in 2021-22 compared to $13.2 billion in 2020-21. In- dia’s exports stood at $10.5 billion in 2021-22, while imports were $7 billion. “With UK, our approach is let’s focus on what is acceptable to both the countries and let us not allow sensitive issues to scuttle our discussions,” Goyal said. Whenaskedaboutastate- ment of a UK official that granting more students visas for India is not part of this agreement, Goyal said: “Have you ever heard of student visas being part of FTA? How many students go there (UK) to study? It’s never a part of an FTA”. British trade minister Kemi Badenoch, who is in- charge of the negotiations, recently stated that the trade agreement is expected to be clinched this year but it won’t involve any boost of free movement visa offers for Indians. MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS z Negotiations with the UK started on Jan 13, 2021 with an aim to boost bilateral trade and investments. The bilateral trade between the two countries increased to $17.5 billion in 2021-22 z British trade min Kemi, who is in-charge of the negotiations, recently stated that the trade agreement is expected to be clinched this year z Goyal said FTAs are never negotiated either in newspaper articles, news conferences or in public functions Government to hold separate consultation on PIB fact check New Delhi (PTI): Amid outrage over a plan to give powers to its arm PIB to police fake news on social media, Union Minister Ra- jeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday said that the government will next month hold discussions with stakeholders before the proposal is implemented. The minister said that the rules for regulating on- line gaming are expected to be notified by January 31 after which these will be tabled in Parliament. “We will hold separate consultation (on PIB fact check) sometime early next month,” Chandrasekhar said when asked about clar- ification on the proposed amendment to the IT rules 2021. Chandrasekhar also said that the consultation on Digital Personal Data Protection Act is over. Scrap windfall tax: FICCI to govt New Delhi (PTI): The government should scrap the windfall profit tax on do- mestically produced crude oil as the levy is adversely impacting the capex-inten- sive exploration of oil and gas, the industry said in its recommendation for the forthcomingannualbudget. India first imposed windfall profit taxes on July 1, joining a growing number of nations that tax super normal profits of energy companies. At that time, a `23,250 per tonne windfall profit tax on domestic crude production was lev- ied. The new tax, which was also slapped on the export of petrol, diesel and ATF, is calibrated every fortnight in step. ‘India’s services exports to cross $300 billion target for this fiscal’ Gandhinagar (PTI): The country’s services exports are doing “extremely well” and going by the current trend these outbound ship- ments would register about 20% growth in this fiscal and cross the $300 billion target despite global economic uncertainties, Com- merce and Industry Minis- ter Piyush Goyal has said. He said that on the mer- chandise front also, exports are so far registering healthy growth despite the world being under reces- sion, huge inflationary pressure, and overstocking of various commodities. With all these stress, where every global leader is talking of “very” tough times, India’s exports rose 9% year-on-year during April-December 2022-23. “On services though, we have done extremely well. On services we are proba- bly going to do at least a 20% growth and by the current trends, we will exceed the target of $300 billion this year. “So all in all, it will be a very very satisfying year, given the global headwinds and the stress that is reported from almost every part of the world,” he told reporters. During April-December 2022-23, overall exports rose 9% to $332.76 billion while imports increased 24.96% to $551.7 billion. Trade deficit during the nine-month period widened to $218.94 billion. TOP TALKING POINTS z During April-Dec 2022-23, overall exports rose 9% to $332.76 billion while imports increased 24.96% to $551.7 billion. Trade deficit during the nine-month period widened to $218.94 billion as against $136.45 billion 5G network can be misused for drug trafficking, traffic financing New Delhi (PTI): Warning against the vulnerabilities of the high-speed 5G tele- com network, papers submitted at a key security meet have noted that it can provide an excellent platform for middlemen and agents for creating linkages forcrimessuchasdrugtraf- ficking, human and organ trafficking, money laundering and terror financing. The papers noted that the 5G network is built on easily accessible and open Internet protocols and it inherit all the vulnerabilities of previous generations which make it vulner- able to cyber-attacks and compromising the security of the entire system. Sensex, Nifty trim gains to close almost flat in choppy trade sessions Mumbai (PTI): Bench- mark Sensex trimmed early gains to close marginally higher while Nifty settled flat in choppy trade on Tuesday as gains in auto shares were offset by selling pressure in banking and energy shares. The 30-share BSE barom- eter closed marginally up by 37.08 points or 0.06% to 60,978.75 with 15 of its stocks ending in green and the rest in red. The index opened higher and gained over 300 points to a high of 61,266.06 in early trade. The index, however, dropped over 400 points from the day’s high to touch a low of 60,849.12 due to selling in select coun- ters. The broader NSE Nif- ty closed flat at 18,118.30 with 29 of its shares ending in red and 21 in green. Among major gainers, Tata Motors rose the most by 3.26%. Maruti rose by 3.23% after its posted a two-fold jump in net profit for the December quarter on ro- bust sales. HCL Tech, HDFC twins, Asian Paints, IndusInd Bank, TCS and ITC were among the gainers. Axis Bank declined 2.43% a day after it reported financial results. LT, Reliance Industries, SBI, Kotak Bank, Tata Steel, and Power Grid were major losers. ` FALLS 28 PAISE TO 81.70 AGAINST US DOLLAR Mumbai (PTI): The rupee fell 28 paise to close as 81.70 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday as unabated foreign fund outflow hit market sentiments. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened lower at 81.61 to a dollar against the previous close of 81.42. The local unit moved in a range of 81.43 to 81.76 during the day.

9. MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 08 2NDFRONT www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia One of the simplest ‘ Mantras’ of success and happiness too, is managing your time effectively. — Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India DRI seizes `21 cr smuggled gold, cash in Mum First India Bureau Mumbai: Working off specific information garnered as part of a bigger investigation, the Directorate of Rev- enue Intelligence (DRI) have seized 36kg of smuggled gold (worth Rs21 crore) along with Rs20 lakh in unaccounted cash from the Air Cargo Complex in suburban Andheri. They also arrested one suspect from the premises, an official said on Tuesday. DRI officers conducted a search at the Air Cargo Complex Mum- bai Customs on Mon- day and recovered smuggled gold in various stages of processing, the official said. The Air Cargo Com- plex in Andheri is In- dia’s largest, in terms of the volume of cargo handled, the value of the cargo, documents filed and revenue collected. While investigating cases of gold smuggling, the DRI had found out about a syndicate involved in the processing and distri- bution of smuggled gold, and the payment for these valuables was done through the hawala channel, he said. The DRI then sur- veilled the travel pat- tern of a few foreign nationals and suspected Indians to bust the syndicate, the official said. Officials seized 36kg of gold in various stages of processing, which was valued at Rs21 crore from the Air Car- go Complex. Unac- counted cash to the tune of Rs20 lakh was recovered from the person in-charge of the premises and he was placed under arrest, the official said. The accused has informed that he had pro- cured the gold from different individuals, some of them foreign nationals, in the form of capsules smuggled through body conceal- ment, in travel bags, layering of clothes and different types of ma- chines, he said. Further inquiry showed that the gold was delivered to various domestic “players”, suspected to be part of the syndicate, using specific codes, on a daily basis, he said. The accused has been arrested under the Customs Act and further investigation is underway, the official added. Investigation had revealed involvement of smuggling syndicate and hawala racket NEFARIOUS 2 foreigners held with $90K, 2.5kg gold paste at airport First India Bureau Mumbai: Customs officials have arrested two foreign nationals with $90,000 and more than 2.5kg gold paste (worth about Rs1.5 crore) hidden in books and undergarments in separate operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. A man from Azerbaijan travelling to Sharjah, was intercepted by the Customs team on Sun- day. The money was found hidden in books that the accused was carrying, he said. Inasimilaroperation, a man from Palestine, was caught with more than 2.5kg of gold paste. The duo has been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Customs Act. DRI OPS IN ONE MONTH: SMUGGLED INCESTICIDES WORTH `16.8 CR SEIZED Mumbai (PTI): At least 30 metric tonnes of insecticides worth Rs16.8 crore were seized by the Mumbai zonal unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in the last one month, an official said on Tuesday. The DRI had intercepted several consignments of insecticides being smuggled into India in connivance with Chinese suppliers in the last one month, he said. A syndicate was involved in smuggling insecticides such as Chlorantraniliprole, Abamectin Benzoate, etc, and the agency had managed to intercept consignments weighing 30 MTs with estimated value of around Rs16.8 crore, the official said. The test reports have confirmed the goods to be insecticides only, he added. The import of insecticides legally requires a permit from the Central Insecticides Board, and the law mandates the importer and its suppliers or manufacturers to get registration from the Board, the official said. Unaccounted cash to the tune of `20 lakh was recovered from the person in-charge of the premises and he was placed under arrest. —Official Fadnavis contributed to me becoming CM, says Shinde First India Bureau Mumbai: Chief Minis- ter Eknath Shinde heaped praise on Depu- ty Chief Minister Dev- endra Fadnavis on Tuesday. He credited the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with con- tributing toward him bagging the top post in the state. Addressing media persons here, Shinde said, “I never thought that I would become the chief minister. We did not rebel for that.” On him becoming the CM, Shinde asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Un- ion Home Minister Amit Shah took a decision contrary to what was in the minds of our opponents. Without naming Ud- dhav Thackeray , the CM commented, “The opposition thought that BJP leadership would not make Eknath Shinde the chief minister, but PM Modi and UHM Amit Shah made a worker like me the CM. Devendra Fadnavis also has a massive contribution to it.” When asked whether Shinde rebelled against the Shiv Sena to become the CM, he said, “It is incorrect. We did not rebel for that. I had to take this step, along with 40 other MLAs for the benefit of the people of the state. We es- tablished this government to respect the votes of the public. We put in effort after the (2017) elections to form a government with BJP, but despite that, Maha Vikas Aghadi (government) was formed with Congress and NCP (Nationalist Congress Party).” The opposition thought that BJP leadership would not make Eknath Shinde the chief minister, but PM Modi and UHM Amit Shah made a worker like me the CM. Devendra Fadnavis also has a massive contribution to it.” — Eknath Shinde, Maha Chief Minister First India Bureau Thane: The Anti-Cor- ruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday, arrested a junior engineer of Ma- harashtra discom for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs15,000 for re- storing household power connection in the Konkan sub-division. The Maharashtra State Electricity Distri- bution Company engineer was posted in Raigad district. He had allegedly demanded Rs20,000 from the complainant in order to re- store a snapped household electricity connection but agreed to accept Rs15,000 after ne- gotiation, an ACB release said. In another case, a court official has been booked for demanding a `2,000 bribe. An offence was registered against a junior clerk of Bhiwandi magistrate court in Thane district for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs2,000, an Anti-Cor- ruption Bureau (ACB) official said. The accused had demanded the bribe for accepting and number- ing four cases filed with the court, the official said. The complainant ap- proached the ACB, after an investigation, the allegations were confirmed and a case was registered under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corrup- tion Act. against the junior clerk of Bhiwan- di magistrate court. Not opposed to UBT VBA alliance: Ajit Pawar First India Bureau Mumbai: Senior Na- tionalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said the his party was not opposed to the newly minted alliance between the Shiv Sena –Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and Prakash Ambedkar’s outfit Vanchit Bahu- jan Aghadi (VBA) in Maharashtra. Speaking to reporters after a party meeting here, Pawar said, “Where does the ques- tion of our displeasure over the Shiv Sena- Vanchit alliance come from? Why is the media spreading misin- formation? We came to know (about the alliance) through the media. I, along with NCP state President Jayant Patil will meet Uddhav Thackeray ,haveaclear discussion about this andpresentourstand.” On the Shiv Sena having a stronghold over the Brihanmum- baiMunicipalCorpora- tion (BMC), the NCP leader said, “It is un- questionablytrue.That is why a positive discussion on contesting elections with Uddhav Thackeray has already happened. As Maha Vi- kasAghadi,wewilldis- cuss this (alliance with VBA) with Shiv Sena andCongress.Thefinal decision on contesting electionswithconstitu- ent parties will be taken soon.” Mumbai NCP chief, Jayant Patil, also ech- oed Pawar’s words. “Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena (UBT) may make new friends, but should keep in mind that they fought the elections together,” he said. Ajit Pawar —FILE PHOTO Discussion on MVA contesting polls will happen soon, says NCP leader ACB arrests one, books another for bribery ‘Centre likely to increase sugar export quota soon’ Union min Shah had positive approach to Maha’s difficulties in sugar sector: Fadnavis New Delhi (PTI): Un- ion Cooperation Minis- ter Amit Shah on Tues- day assured leaders from Maharashtra that the Centre would soon increase the export quota sugar and take steps to help the ailing sugar industry in the state. Shah gave the assur- ance during a meeting with Maharashtra BJP leaders, who also have stakes in the sugar co- operatives sector. The state leaders were part of a delegation led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis. “The export quota (for sugar) has been ex- hausted. Since Maha- rashtra is a coastal state, we can export sugar through our ports. The minister also took a constructive approach on the issue and assured us to increase the quota or take an ap- propriate decision in this regard,” Fadnavis told reporters here. The meeting was attended by BJP leaders Raosaheb Patil Danve, Pankaja Munde, Rad- hakrishna Vikhe Patil, Harshvardhan Patil, and Dhananjay Ma- hadik, among others. Shinde said the delegation apprised Shah about the difficulties faced by the sugar sector with regard to working capital, margin money, funds for setting up ethanol plants and issues of loan restructuring. “The cooperation minister had a positive approach and assured us that a favourable decision will be taken within a week,” Shinde said. A senior BJP leader said the export quota for sugar was fixed at 60 lakh tonne and there was a need to increase it by at least 20 lakh tonne so that the sector could benefit from high prices of the sweetener in international markets. Sugar prices likely to soften after April. —FILE PHOTO —FILE PHOTO COURTESY MEET Dr Jagdeesh Chandra greeted Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Heavy Industries during a courtesy meet at the latter’s residence on Tuesday at New Delhi.

10. t is rightly said that a highly developed values system is like a compass. It serves as a guide to point you in the right di- rection when you are lost, and ravishing beauty Devshree Hada proved this right. The diva was born in Rantham- bore and brought up throughout the wildlife sanctuaries of the country . To raise a nature-bonded child is to raise a rebel, a dreamer, an innovator, someone who will walk their own verdant, winding path and as a hotelier’s daughter, the very values of Athithi Devo Bhava have been inculcated in me from the very beginning. And that is what has made me the welcom- ing and loving person that I am today . Although it was my mother who helped me develop a keen interest in the glimmer and glamour of the fashion industry . What would you say are some vital skills and characteristics to have to make it in the modelling world? Modelling is nothing about what you see on the outside, it has a lot to do with how you feel on the inside. Looking beautiful is one thing but feeling beautiful is another form of self-belief and love. Only if you love yourself, will you be able to make others fall in love with you. If you could go in future and tell yourself one thing about your career what would it be? If I could meet my future self and tell her one thing about her future it would be to never stop feeling grateful for how far she has come in life. Because I’m sure my younger self would al- waysbeproud. What inspired you to go for Mod- elling? Honestly, it was the most random thing I ever chose to do. I have always been confident in front of the cam- era and I think that is exactly what has led me towards this field. What was the biggest rookie mistake you made when just starting? I think there was a time when I did feel a little self-conscious. To fit in a certain box of stereotypical beauty I would have done anything, but I realised beauty has no certain limits. And stereotypical beauty is something that stays for a short period, just like fashion trends. And to be an ever-shining star you must love yourself. What has been the most memorable or rewarding moment in your career? So far, I thank Elite Miss Ra- jasthan and Gaurav Gaur for all the love and opportunities that it has provided me with. It is just the beginning and a lot more endeavours are yet to come. I say, it is a journey leading me to another journey. But Elite Miss Rajasthan is where it all began. Vanquishing HERBATTLESWITHASMILE! THERE IS A STRANGE COMFORT IN KNOWING THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TODAY, THE SUN WILL RISE AGAIN TOMORROW, BELIEVED BY THE EXQUISITE BEAUTY DEVSHREE HADA, WHO SHARES HER JOURNEY IN A TÊTE-À-TÊTE WITH CITY FIRST UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in I 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, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 —PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

11. 10-11 ETC MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia The magnificent five-day Jaipur Literature Festival concluded with the Writers’Ball at the Leela Palace hotel on Monday. Jagdeesh Chandra along with some prominent faces of Jaipur including the extraordinary writers, speakers, organisers, speakers and who’s who of the city celebrated the evening with foot-tapping music, gastronomic delights and an elegant ambience. The Rajasthani folk music renditions made everyone shake a leg and have a whale of a time amid an atmosphere of camaraderie and bonhomie. Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Sadhana, Jyotika, Raghav and Srishti Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Jagdeep Singh, Rishee Miglani, Rajat Sharma, Sumit Datta, Hayesha Ahmed, Sharoni Sharma and Ajay Kewal, Anjana and Rishee Beautiful Ayushi caught in a frame Jagdeesh Chandra with Anjali Mehra, Shridhar Nair, Sumit Datta and Khaja Ram Bhaduri (L-R) Andre Elbling, Thomas Elbling, Marcela and Roberto Baur (L-R) Padam, Tusharika, Doorva, Jagdeep and Rajeev (L-R) Sanjay Pabuwal, Dr Gaurav Kulwal, Sudhir Jain and Anurag Dixit (L-R) Sanjoy K Roy, Amit, Prisha , Vishaal, Rajiv, Suraj Rehana Khan, Khalid Khan and Ana Khan Kirti Gupta, Ankur Malhotra Doris Kerava, Ko Ko Thett and Helene Bukowski Akanksha Bhalla Diva flaunting her desinger outfit Indrajit Roy-Chowdhury, Sohini Roy Chowdhury, Sudeep Sen, Michael Mitchell and Sudipto Das Gupta Visitors caught in a joyous moment at JLF Sanjoy K Roy with Rishee Miglani Ishana and Anirban Bhattacharya THE HOUSE OF FUN, THE HOUSE OF FUN, NUMBER ONE! NUMBER ONE! PHOTOJOURNALIST SUNIL SHARMA PHOTOJOURNALIST MUKESH KIRADOO Jagdeesh Chandra with Sanjoy K Roy and Kewal Miglani Rituraj Sharma and Priyanka Chaturvedi Anjali Mehra Manu Dash Reena Khosla and Rajiv Bansal Manasvi Tripathi Mishra and Domesh Tripathi Ratika and Riccha Clockwise: Devshree Hada, Emmi Sippola, Nishtha Ramchandani, Gayatri and Aditi Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Rishee Miglani, Rajat Sharma, Hayesha Ahmed, Sumit Datta, Akanksha Bhalla, Devshree Hada and Navya Singh Shekhawat

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