First India Mumbai 22012023.pdf

Have full faith in EC, says Sanjay Raut
First India Bureau
Jammu: Shiv Sena
(Thackeray) leader
Sanjay Raut on Satur-
day said their faction
has presented its case
for control of the par-
ty’s poll symbol “bow
and arrow” before the
Election Commission
and it is confident that
“pressure politics” will
have no impact on the
independent institu-
tion.
“This question
should not have arisen
at first-hand because
the party and its sym-
bol and flag belong to
Thackeray
. Where there
is Udhav, there is real
Shiv Sena,” Raut, who
was flanked by J-K par-
ty unit president Man-
ish Sahni, told report-
ers here.
Responding to a ques-
tion on the fight in the
EC over the poll sym-
bol, the Member of Par-
liament said it is unfor-
tunate that five months
have passed but the is-
sue is still lingering.
“We have presented
our case forcefully and
I am hopeful that the
pressure politics will
have no impact on the
EC. We have full faith
and trust in this insti-
tution and there will be
only one Shiv Sena, the
real one which is led by
Thackeray,” he said.
Without naming the
Shinde-led faction, he
said they are openly
saying that they are
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi’s men and it is
questionable how they
can claim to be the real
Shiv Sainiks.
“Let the polls come,
they will come to know
which is the real Shiv
Sena. All those going to
the temples are not
there to pray but some
have intentions to steal
the idol. The people still
visit the temples for
prayers,” he said, add-
ing “some people are
trying to steal the Idol
of Shiv Sena founder
Balasaheb Thackeray
.”
To a question about
Uddhav Thackeray’s
term as party chief
ending on January 23,
Raut said he is the chief
of the party and will
remain so.
There exists a faction in BJP that
defames Pankaja Munde: Bawankule
Sandeep Shukla
Mumbai: Amid reports
of BJP national secre-
tary Pankaja Munde’s
displeasure with the
party, the party’s state
presidentChandrashek-
har Bawankule has
made a surprising com-
ment and said that there
is a faction in the BJP
that defames Pankaja
Munde and the party.
He was talking to re-
porters in Beed on Sat-
urday after a
video went viral.
Bawankule said,
“Thereisafactioninthe
BJP that defames Pan-
kaja Munde and the
party
. Pankaja Munde
spoke only with me dur-
ing the entire journey
with me yesterday
. I
gave first rank to Pan-
kaja Munde, it is my re-
sponsibility, I have not
done any favour. Panka-
ja Munde is our leader,
she is our national sec-
retary
, so the idea was to
let her speak later.”
On the question re-
lated to Pankaja
Munde’s displeasure,
Bawankule said that he
regularly talks with
Pankaja. “We had a dis-
cussion the day before
yesterday when her
health was not good.
Sometimes personal
problems come up. No
leader can be present
in every programme.
Today Devendra Fad-
navis has gone to Beed
as Deputy Chief Minis-
ter. If an MLA could not
reach that program,
should it be taken to
mean that he was ab-
sent? After the depar-
ture of one leader, what
is the need for the other
leader to be present?
Why should four-five
leaders get trapped in
the same programme? It
is always better to have
separate programs. No
other meaning should
be taken from it. Pan-
kaja Munde is a leader
and she also has differ-
ent programmes,” the
BJP state chief said.
Bawankule stressed
that Pankaja Munde has
BJP in her blood. “She
can never go to the oth-
er party
. All such words
floating around are just
rumours. The opposi-
tion should handle their
parties. Rumors should
not be spread about Pan-
kaja Munde. She is in
national politics. No
one can mislead Panka-
ja Munde,” he said.
Even though the BJP
state president has said
that Pankaja Munde is
not angry, but every
now and then her dis-
pleasure appears. Ex-
pressing displeasure in
front of Bawankule, she
said that outsiders
should not interfere in
Beed district and we
should be allowed to
handle our district. Pan-
kaja spoke her mind in
front of state president
Bawankule in a pro-
gram organized for the
campaign of BJP candi-
date Kiran Patil for
Marathwada teacher’s
seat.
There is a faction in the BJP that defames Pankaja
Munde and the party. Pankaja Munde spoke only
with me during the entire journey with me
yesterday. I gave first rank to Pankaja Munde, it is my
responsibility, I have not done any favour. Pankaja Munde is
our leader, she is our national secretary, so the idea was to let
her speak later. —Chandrashekhar Bawankule, BJP state president
Sanjay Raut
Even though the
BJP state
president has said
that Pankaja
Munde is not
angry, but every
now and then, her
displeasure
can be observed.
Pankaja
spoke her mind
before
Bawankule in a
program
organized for
BJP
candidate
Kiran
Patil’s
campaign
for
Marath-
wada
teacher’s
seat.
Kids carrying Indian flags run across a mustard
field ahead of the Republic Day 2023 celebrations,
at a village near Balurghat in South Dinajpur
district of West Bengal on Saturday. —PHOTO BY PTI
CULTIVATING
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OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR MUMBAI
MUMBAI l SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2023 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 256
New Zealand’s minister Chris
Hipkins will replace Jacinda
Ardern as PM after emerging as
the only candidate nominated to
lead ruling the Labour Party.
The ED has arrested TMC youth
wing member Kuntal Ghosh on
Saturday in WB teachers recruit-
ment scam after being ques-
tioned for two consecutive days.
The office of Nizams, Chowmahal-
la Palace on Saturday announced
that Mir Mohammad Azmat Ali
Khan Azmat Jah has been de-
clared as 9th Nizam of Hyderabad.
Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet on Saturday approved
the appt of Vikram Dev Dutt as
next DG in DGCA. He will take
over as head on February 28.
9 hurt in twin
blasts amid
high security
in Jammu
First India Bureau
Jammu: Just two days
before Congress leader
RahulGandhi-ledBharat
Jodo Yatra is scheduled
to reach Jammu, two
back-to-back explosions
rocked a busy locality on
the outskirts of the city
onSaturday
,leavingnine
people injured, officials
said. Police suspect that
IEDs were used to carry
out explosions. JK LG
Manoj Sinha strongly
condemnedincidentand
called for strict action.
Thakur comes to
rescue of wrestlers
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Protesting
wrestlers decided to
call off their three-day-
old protest at Jantar
Mantar against WFI
President Brij Bhushan
Sharan Singh following
marathon talks with
sports minister Anurag
Thakur that ended post-
midnight on Sat, with
Singh being asked to
step aside for 4 wks. P5
Anurag Thakur with Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia Babita Phogat
addresses media at his residence, in New Delhi on late Saturday.
MINS’ COMMITTEE TO
PROBE ALLEGATIONS
Sports Ministry will announce
the names of its oversight
committee members, who
will probe the allegations of
sexual harassment and cor-
ruption against WFI Prez Brij
Bhushan Singh today.
WFI Prez to step aside,
Secy of WFI suspended;
wrestlers call off stir
Video of BBC propaganda against Prime Minister Narendra Modi blocked by Govt of India on Saturday.
MODI TO NAME 21
ISLANDS AFTER
PARAM VIR CHAKRA
AWARDEES
CENTRE’S STRONG STAND: ALL INDIAN NEWS
PUBLISHERS NEED TO BE PAID FOR CONTENT
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi will virtually partici-
pate in a programme to-
morrow to name 21 of the
largest unnamed islands
of Andaman Nicobar
Islands after Param Vir
Chakra awardees.
New Delhi: Big tech companies that profit by funnelling news
into their search results and feeds must give a “fair share of
revenues” to publishers, Indian govt has said, citing a need to
address “imbalance” in the relationship between the two. MoS
Rajeev Chandrasekhar emphasised importance of this issue
for future of journalism and financial health of news industries.
Moni Sharma
New Delhi: The Centre
has directed YouTube
andTwittertotakedown
multiple videos of the
first episode of the BBC
documentary titled “In-
dia:TheModiQuestion”
and tweets containing
the web links, according
to sources. Both You-
Tube and Twitter have
compliedwithdirection,
sources added. Over 50
tweetshavebeenblocked.
Multiple Ministries
said the documentary is
“anattempttocastasper-
sions on authority and
credibility of SC, sow di-
visions among various
Indiancommunities,and
make unsubstantiated
allegationsregardingac-
tions of foreign GoI.
Centre asks Twitter, YouTube to block
BBC documentary critical of PM Modi
The BBC documentary questions
‘integrity’ of India’s institutions
BJP ATTACKS BBC
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
l BBC trying to interfere
in our internal affairs,
destroy India-UK ties:
Former envoys on PM
Modi documentary
l TMC MP Derek O’Brien
was among some Oppn
leaders whose tweet on
the documentary was
removed by Twitter
l India has called the
documentary a “propa-
ganda piece” that lacks
objectivity and reflects a
colonial mindset
CRUCIAL READ
INDIA CRUSH NEW ZEALAND BY
8 WICKETS TO SEAL THE SERIES
Raipur: Hosts bowled out NZ
for a paltry 108 in 34.3 overs.
India’s relentless pace attack
ran through a fragile NZ batting
line-up as hosts cantered to an
8-wicket win to seal 3-match
series here on Saturday. P6
Rape survivor waits
for 12 hours in van
60 Indian pilgrims
injured in accident
Keonjhar: A gang rape
survivor in Odisha’s
Keonjhar district alleged
that she had to wait in a
police van for 12 hours
for her medical examina-
tion. 37-year-old woman
had to wait as there was
no lady doctor at Salania
CHC to examine her.
Triveni: A bus with Indian
pilgrims returning from
Nepal’s Triveni spun out
of control and over-
turned in a pit, injuring at
least 60 passengers on
Saturday. There were 70
devotees on the bus who
were returning from the
Triveni Dham in Nepal.
Moscow-Goa
flight diverted
after bomb mail
First India Bureau
Panaji: A Goa-bound
flight from Moscow
with 240 passengers on
board was diverted to
Uzbekistan in the early
hours on Saturday
, after
authorities at the Dabo-
lim airport in State re-
ceived an email, which
claimed that there was
a bomb on plane, police
said. This is the second
such incident on the
Moscow-Goa route in-
volving the same air-
line in less than two
weeks when they re-
ceived bomb threat.

NEWS
MUMBAI | SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2023
02
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MAN HELD FOR
MOLESTING,
HARASSING MODEL
Mumbai: Police have
arrested Surjeet Singh
Rathore, the national
vice-president of the
Rajput Karni Sena, for
allegedly molesting,
abusing, harassing and
defaming a 27-year-old
model and actress on
social media. Rathore was
produced before the Boriv-
li Metropolitan Magistrate
court. The woman said
Rathore created a fake
Instagram account in her
name.
SPL SQUAD TO
CRACK DOWN ON
ILLEGAL BLDGS
Mumbai: The Thane Mu-
nicipal Corporation (TMC)
has formed a team to act
against illegal construc-
tions, based on a draft by
civic chief Abhijit Bangar.
Aassistant municipal com-
missioners (AMCs) will
be responsible for these.
“A special team under the
AMC will have the author-
ity to collect information
about and act against
encroachments in their
wards, with help from the
police,” said Bangar.
MAN HELD WITH
HEROIN WORTH
`1.3 CR IN MUMBAI
Mumbai: The anti-nar-
cotics cell of the Mumbai
police has arrested a
27-year-old man who was
found in possession of
heroin worth Rs1.3 crore,
an official said on Satur-
day. ANC officials detained
the man who was seen
roaming suspiciously near
Vakola bridge on Friday
evening. A search of his
bag yielded 325g heroin.
The accused had come to
Santacruz to deliver the
contraband to his clients,
he said.
AURANGZEB ROW:
SP MLA GETS
DEATH THREAT
Mumbai: Samajwadi Par-
ty’s Maharashtra chief, Abu
Asim Azmi, received death
threats for his statements
supporting Aurangazeb.
His personal assistant re-
ceived the call. The person
who made the call alleged-
ly hurled abuses on the call
and threatened to kill Abu
Asim Azmi. An FIR was
registered at Mumbai’s
Colaba Police Station and a
case has been filed against
the unknown person under
relevant sections of the
Indian Penal Code.
`1.28L GANJA SEIZED IN LATUR; 1 ARRESTED
Latur: Police have seized 3.6kg of ganja worth Rs1.28 lakh
and arrested a 60-year-old man following a raid at a farm in
Latur district on Thursday, police
said on Saturday. The contra-
band had been stored in a sack
concealed under a pile of grass,
inspector Gajanan Bhatlawande
said. A case under relevant
sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Act 1985 has been registered against three persons.
CRICKETER DUPED OF `44 L BY EX-MANAGER
Nagpur: Ace Indian pacer Umesh Yadav has been alleged-
ly cheated of Rs44 lakh by his friend-turned-manager
Shailesh Thakre (37), under the pretext of purchasing a plot
in the former’s name in Nagpur, police said on Saturday.
While the police have registered a case, no arrest has been
made. Yadav had asked Thakre to look for a piece of land,
and Thakre located a plot in a barren area. “He told Yadav
he would get it for Rs 44 lakh. Yadav deposited Rs44 lakh
in Thakre’s bank account. However, Thakre purchased the
plot in his name,” an official said.
DRIVE AGAINST ILLEGAL SAND DREDGING
Thane: Maharashtra revenue department officials on Friday
raided a creek in Kalyan town of Thane district as part of a
drive against illegal dredging, the local administration said on
Saturday. During the drive, the officials destroyed two barges
and an equal number of suction pumps—cumulatively worth
about Rs50 lakh—which were illegally dredging sand in the
creek. At Retibunder in the Ghodbunder area, the officials
threw 130 brass of sand again in the creek and seized 97 brass
of sand (1 brass is equivalent to 4,528 kg), the official added.
CRUCIAL READ
Mumbai (PTI): Hin-
dAyan, a multi-stage
cycle race along the
lines of the famed Tour
De France, has begun
participation registra-
tions, an organizer said
on Saturday
.
Chief Minister
EknathShindelaunched
the website of the event
at his official residence
Varsha earlier this
week,organizerVishnu-
das Chapke informed.
The race will be
flagged off from New
Delhi’s National War
Memorial on February
05 and culminate
1,600km away at Sinha-
gad near Pune on Feb-
ruary 19 to coincide
with the birth anniver-
sary of warrior king
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj.
At present, India does
not have a long distance
cycling race, which re-
sults in professional cy-
clists, members of the
Olympics and national
teams as well as adven-
ture cells of the armed
forces traveling to the
United States of Ameri-
ca, the United Kingdom
and France to partici-
pate in long distance cy-
clingraces,Chapkesaid.
“In order to promote
the culture of cycling
and give an opportunity
to our teams to practice
outdoors, we have or-
ganized HindAyan.
Apart from the multi-
stage race for profes-
sional racers, there will
also be joyrides in the
country’s financial cap-
ital where the common
public can participate,”
he said.
Chapke said the Na-
tional Highways Au-
thority of India has
given “in principle ap-
proval” to organize the
event on express and
national highways,
while the road route
will be finalized with
the help of local
police and district
administrations.
The route will be Del-
h i - A g r a - J a i p u r -
Bhilwara-Udaipur-
Ahmedabad-Surat-
Thane-Mumbai and
Pune, he added.
The race is limited to
the countryside, while
in urban areas, the
event will be designated
as an expedition and
not a race, he informed.
“The full race will
have 60 participants.
Shortlisted teams will
cycle 250km per day
. Be-
sides the full race, cy-
clists can also take part
in one-day pro inter-city
race and one-day 30km
joyride,” Chapke said.
CM Shinde launches registration website for 1,600km cycle race
HINDAYAN
lll
Race will start
at New Delhi’s
National War
Memorial on
Feb 05 and end
at Sinhagad on
Feb 19 to
coincide with
the birth
anniversary
of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj In urban areas, the event will be designated as an expedition and not a race. —FILE PHOTO
MVA leaders considering contesting
Pune Assembly bypolls: Ajit Pawar
First India Bureau
Pune: Senior National-
ist Congress Party lead-
er Ajit Pawar on Satur-
day said the Maha Vi-
kas Aghadi allies are of
the view to contest the
upcoming bypolls to the
Chinchwad and Kasba
Peth assembly seats in
Pune, which fell vacant
recently after the death
of sitting Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP) MLAs.
The leader of the op-
position in the state As-
sembly
, Pawar said Shiv
Sena leader Uddhav
Thackeray, Maharash-
tra Congress chief
Nana Patole, his NCP
counterpart Jayant Pa-
til, and other senior
leaders will meet in
Mumbai on Tuesday to
discuss the issue.
“Many NCP function-
aries from Chinchwad
told me we need to con-
test the by-polls,” he
said.
Chinchwad and Kas-
ba Peth seats were rep-
resented by BJP MLAs
Laxman Jagtap and
Mukta Tilak, respec-
tively. Tilak died last
December and Jagtap,
earlier this month.
The bypolls will be
held on February 27 and
the results will be an-
nounced on March 02,
according to the sched-
ule announced by the
Election Commission.
“MVA leaders think
we should contest by-
polls for Kasba Peth and
Chinchwad Vidhan Sab-
ha constituencies,” the
former Deputy Chief
Minister told reporters.
Maha Vikas Aghadi,
formed after the 2019
Maharashtra assembly
elections, comprises the
Shiv Sena - Uddhav Bal-
asaheb Thackeray fac-
tion, Sharad Pawar-led
Nationalist Congress
Party
, and the Congress.
Pawar said the ruling
BJP might give a ticket
to the late Jagtap's wife
or his brother Shankar
Jagtap for the Chinch-
wad by-election.
“I have heard that the
names of Shankar Jag-
tap and the wife of the
late MLA have been
sent to the BJP high
command,” he said.
For the Kasba Peth
bypoll, several names
including that of
Ganesh Bidkar are on
the BJP's list, he said.
“I also heard that
members of the late
Mukta Tilak’s family
are also interested. The
BJP decides the final
names. We should not
pokeournoseintoBJP’s
business,” he added.
Chinchwad,
Kasba Peth seats
vacant after
deaths of sitting
BJP MLAs,
Laxman Jagtap,
Mukta Tilak,
respectively
First India Bureau
Jammu: Shiv Sena -
Uddhav Balasaheb
Thackeray leader San-
jay Raut on Saturday
said Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi leading
the Bharat Jodo Yatra is
capable enough to be
India's prime minister
and that no third front
can succeed sans the
grand old party
.
Raut, who walked
for nearly 13km along-
side Gandhi amid rain
on Friday, said the BJP
has spread a wrong no-
tion about the Con-
gress leader but this
Yatra has busted all
their myths about him.
“Why not?” he said
when asked whether
Gandhi is capable of
becoming the PM.
“Ideological and po-
litical differences apart,
he (Gandhi) will show
his leadership qualities
and will be a big chal-
lenge (for the ruling BJP
in 2024 general elec-
tions). He will make a
miracle,” the MP said.
Raut said the purpose
of Gandhi's Yatra from
Kanyakumari to Kash-
mir is to remove ‘hatred
andfear’andnottounite
the opposition under the
Congress banner.
Sena MP Raut walked with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the
latter’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu on Friday. —FILE PHOTO
RaGa capable of becoming ‘miracle’ PM: Raut
Ex-NCP councillor to join Shinde
faction? Hoarding sparks rumours
Pawar’s contribution can’t
be ignored, CM affirms
First India Bureau
Pune: Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde on Satur-
day praised Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
supremo Sharad Pawar,
saying his contribution
to the cooperative sector
cannot be ignored.
Shinde was speaking
at the 46th annual gen-
eral meeting of the Vas-
antdada Sugar Institute
(VSI) in Pune, where
Pawar shared the dais
with him in his capaci-
ty as VSI chairman.
“Pawar is an experi-
enced leader at the state
and national level. His
contribution to the co-
operative sector is huge
and cannot be ignored,”
Shinde said.
In the interest of the
peopleandwelfareof the
state, Pawar is always
available for guidance
and suggestions to who-
ever is in power, he said.
“He often calls me over
the telephone to make
suggestions and give ad-
vice,” Shinde said.
CM Shinde said his
government was com-
mitted to protecting the
interests of the cooper-
ative sector. A total of
2.5 lakh hectares will be
brought under irriga-
tion in the next few
years, he said.
The NCP chief intro-
duced several reforms
when he was union agri-
cultureminister,andhis
contribution in the co-
operative sector is im-
mense, he said, adding,
“I spoke what is true.”
Notably, party chief
Uddhav Thackeray’s de-
cisiontojoinhandswith
the NCP and Congress
to form the Maha Vikas
Aghadi (MVA) govern-
ment, was a core reason
for Shinde’s rebellion
last year.
VSI chairman Sharad Pawar shared the dais with CM Shinde and LOP Ajit Pawar on Saturday.
Sharad Pawar is
an experienced
leader…. He
often calls me to make
suggestions and advise.
—Eknath Shinde,
Chief Minister
‘Ideological political
differences aside,
Gandhi will show his
leadership qualities’
First India Bureau
Thane: A hoarding
greeting former Thane
councillor of the Na-
tionalist Congress Party
Najeeb Mulla on his
birthday has sparked
rumours that he may
soon switch sides, since
it features photographs
of Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde and Bal-
asahebanchi Shiv Sena
spokesperson Naresh
Mhaske.
However, Mulla has
downplayedthespecula-
tion, saying most lead-
ers in the Thane region
were friends despite po-
litical differences
among parties.
According to persons
close to the develop-
ment, the hoarding was
put up by six former
NCP councillors.
councillors greeting
Mulla, who is one of
the party’s leading fig-
ures in the district’s
Mumbra region.
“It is welcome if the
hoarding put up by for-
mer NCP councillors
has our photographs.
Mulla is a popular and
experiencedleader.If he
joins us, it will be good
but we don’t have infor-
mation on any such
move,” Mhaske said.
Former Thane mayor
Mhaske, aligned with
Shinde—the region’s
strongman—following
thesplitintheShivSena
last year.
The hoarding is believed to
have been put up by six former
councillors of the NCP.
I have heard that the names of Shankar Jagtap and the wife of the late
MLA have been sent to the BJP high command (for the Chinchwad
seat). Several names including that of Ganesh Bidkar are on the BJP’s
list for Kasba Peth. I also heard that members of the late Mukta Tilak’s family
are also interested. The BJP decides the final names. We should not poke our
nose into BJP’s business. —Ajit Pawar, NCP leader

MAHARASHTRA
03
Thane police: Detection rate improved in 2022
First India Bureau
Thane: In an improve-
ment, the crime detec-
tion rate of the Thane
policeCommissionerate
went up from 67% in
2021 to 70% in 2022. Over
8,383of the11,961crimes
registered were solved
by cops, a senior official
said on Saturday
.
However, the number
of rapes, molestation,
murders, chain snatch-
ing, extortion as well as
incidents of offenders
posing as policemen to
dupe citizens saw a rise,
revealed the Commis-
sionerate data.
In 2021, Thane police
had detected 7,298 of the
10,869 cases registered,
Additional Commis-
sioner of Police (Crime)
Ashok Morale said.
“This is a rise from
67% in 2021 to 70% in
2022. While 89 murders
were registered in 2021,
it increased to 93 in
2022, with the detection
rate remaining 97% in
both years. Chain
snatching cases in-
creased by 81% in 2022
but we managed to
solve 52% cases against
43% in 2021,” said the
Additional CP.
A total of 755 house
breaking thefts were
registered in 2022,
though the detection
rate fell marginally by
1% when compared to
2021, he said. “Motor ve-
hicle thefts dropped by
66% in 2022 when com-
pared to 2021 and stood
at 1917, and police man-
aged to increase the de-
tection rate from 35% in
2021 to 37% in 2022.
Rape cases increased
from 340 in 2021 to 432
in 2022, while its detec-
tion rate was constant
at 97%,” said Morale.
“The 432 rapes com-
prise 261 on girls below
the age of 18 and 171 on
those in the 18 plus seg-
ment. Molestation cases
increased from 520, in-
cluding 435 where the
victims were above 18
years of age, in 2021 to
620in2022.Thedetection
ratewas90%,”informed
the senior official.
The detection rate of kidnapping cases was
90%. The number of cases of assault on pub-
lic servants dropped from 94 in 2021 to 91 in
2022. We managed to solve 98% of these incidents.
—Ashok Morale, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime)
ALLEGATIONS
Of the 11,961 crimes reported in
2022, 8,383 were solved by Thane
cops. —FILE PHOTO
However, as per
latest report,
rape, molestation
and murder
cases saw a
rise last year
Pune cops seized 79
pistols, held 90 in ’22
First India Bureau
Pune: The Pune po-
lice have seized 79 pis-
tols in connection
with 68 criminal cases
and arrested 90 per-
sons in 2022. Whereas
they had recovered 92
pistols in connection
with 83 criminal cas-
es, arrested 111 per-
sons, and confiscated
554 cartridges during
searches and anti-
crime operations car-
ried out by the crime
branch in 2021.
According to crime
branch officials, the
decline in the recov-
ery of firearms in 2022
is due to various fac-
tors such as persistent
crackdown on gangs,
invocation of the
amended Arms Act,
and a rise in MCOCA
cases enabling the po-
lice to keep such crim-
inals in jails for longer
terms.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A cop posted
at Kalamboli police sta-
tion in Navi Mumbai
was booked for assault-
ing a 28-year-old Dalit
man inside the station
premises on Thursday.
Assistant Police Inspec-
tor, Dinesh Patil, has
also been booked under
the Scheduled Caste/
Scheduled Tribe) (Pre-
vention of Atrocities)
Act for allegedly hurl-
ing casteist abuses
against the victim,
Vikas Ujgare.
Patil is alleged to
have spat on Ujgare’s
face and forced him to
lick his shoes at the po-
lice station.
According to reports,
the cop is said to have
held a grudge against
Ujgare, who had com-
plained to senior police
officers about the hesi-
tancy shown by officers
of Kalamboli police sta-
tion to register his com-
plaint, after he was
duped in a cyber scam.
Ujgare was allegedly
identified as the person
who had complained
against the cops after
Kalamboli police offic-
ers showed up at a Chi-
nese restaurant on
January 06. The
28-year-old and his
friend were assaulted
by the owner. Instead
of a hospital, the duo
was taken to Kalamboli
police station.
“Holding a grudge,
Patil started beating me
on my face and neck. He
then dragged me to-
wards a room, where I
was brutally assaulted.
The officer then asked
me about my caste…
when I said I am a Dalit,
he abused my caste and
spat on me for belong-
ing to a lower caste,”
Ujgare said, adding that
Patil forced him to lick
his shoes.
He claimed that at
around 3 am on Janu-
ary 07, the cops took
him to MGM hospital in
Kamothe, dropped him
there and left. “Once I
was discharged, I hired
an advocate and lodged
a complaint. My state-
ment was recorded
on January 14 by the
zonal deputy commis-
sioner and the assistant
police commissioner,”
Ujgare said.
Cop ‘spits’ on Dalit man, forces him to ‘lick’ shoes; booked
UNACCEPTABLE
The accused is
said to have held
a grudge against
the 28-year-old
for complaining
to senior officers
PMC to arrange free skill
training for its residents
First India Bureau
Navi Mumbai: The
Panvel Municipal Cor-
poration (PMC) will
now provide skill train-
ing to its residents un-
der the Deendayal An-
tyodaya Yojana Nation-
al Rural Livelihoods
Mission (DAY-NULM).
Ganesh Deshmukh,
Chief of PMC has ap-
pealed to the citizens to
take full advantage of
the programme.
The citizens from
lower income groups,
scheduled castes, sched-
uled tribes, minorities,
widows, and disabled
among others living un-
der the PMC area can
get skill trained to be-
come account execu-
tives, graphic designers
and multi-skill techni-
cians (electrical),
among others.
For this training, the
beneficiary should have
a minimum qualifica-
tion of passing the
Grade 12 with the age
limit between 18 to 45
years. Kailas Gawde,
Deputy Commissioner,
has said that govern-
ment certificates will be
given to those who com-
plete the training.
Interested residents
can get more details
from Vinaya Mhatre,
DAY-NULM administra-
tor and Wipra Skill In-
dia Pvt Ltd. The docu-
ments required to regis-
ter for the programme
are a xerox copy of the
Aadhaar Card, Ration
Card, Photo, Education
Certificate, Caste Re-
cord, and Income Proof.
Football turf on
playgrounds draw
ire from CIDCO
Navi Mumbai: Notices
have been issued to sev-
eral educational insti-
tutions by the City and
Industrial Development
Corporation (CIDCO)
for the alleged misuse
of playground given on
lease for development
of sports culture.
According to officials,
the facility is being used
for commercial purpos-
es by many who have
installed a football turf
and are charging rent.
Sandesh Dongre, City
President of Maharash-
tra Navnirman Vid-
yarthiSena,raisedissue
beforeSocialServiceDe-
partment of CIDCO and
also submitted a com-
plaintlastyear.Basedon
complaint, CIDCO car-
riedoutagroundinspec-
tion and found violation
by lessee.
Theeducationinstitu-
tions issued notices in-
clude Shikshan Prasar-
ka Mandal, Nerul, The
Bombay Salesian Socie-
ty, Nerul, Aatpadi Edu-
cation Society, Nerul,
Ramrao Adik Rao Edu-
cation Society, Belapur,
Delhi Public School So-
ciety
, Nerul, Terna Pub-
lic Charitable Trust,
Nerul among others.
“The educational in-
stitutions haveinstalled
a football turf and are
using them for commer-
cial purposes. They give
it on rent for Rs700 to
Rs2000 per hour,”
said Dongre.
Local edu institutions
have been giving out
the facility on rent for
`700 to `2,000
per hour
Agency has given 15 days for removal of turf from playground.
‘Police least bothered to take action against Sherlyn Chopra’
First India Bureau
Mumbai: After Rakhi
Sawant’s interrogation
by Amboli Police on
Thursday
, actor Sherlyn
Chopra is also likely to
be summoned by the Os-
hiwara police for ques-
tioning. Both actors
have filed FIRs against
each other in the respec-
tive police stations.
Sawant, who was
grilled for 5 long hours
recently at Amboli po-
lice station, refused to
talk about the case and
remained subdued.
Speaking on the issue,
her lawyer Falguni
Bhrahmbhatt stated
that all the charges
against her client are
bailable offences.
She added why Oshi-
wara police did not call
Chopra for questioning,
“The Oshiwara police
are least bothered about
taking action on the FIR
against Sherlyn filed by
Rakhi but the Amboli
police were quick to de-
tain Rakhi,” alleged
Brahmbhatt.
According to senior
police officials, Sawant
was brought to Amboli
Police station after her
anticipatory bail was
rejected by the Din-
doshi Sessions Court on
Wednesday and allowed
to return home in the
evening as her mother
was in ICU while the
Oshiwara case against
Sherlyn was still under
investigation and she
would be called to join
the probe soon.
Now, elevated road proposed
from highway to Grant Road
First India Bureau
Mumbai: To reduce
the travel time be-
tween South Mumbai
and Eastern Highway
from 30-50 minutes to
five to seven minutes,
the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corpora-
tion (BMC) is finaliz-
ing an elevated road
from the highway to
Grant Road.
With the dispersal
arm of the Mumbai
Trans Harbour link
(MTHL) also merging
with the highway at
Sewri, areas such as
Grant Road, Malabar
Hill, Tardeo will get
quick access to this
link and thus, to the
Navi Mumbai Air-
port. The civic body
plan follows the deci-
sion by the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region
Development Author-
ity (MMRDA) to build
a tunnel connecting
the highway and Ma-
rine Drive.
P Velarasu, Addi-
tional Municipal Com-
missioner, BMC said,
“This new bridge is
important to connect
the northern area of
South Mumbai for
quick disbursal to
Grant Road, Malabar
Hill and Tardeo.
“While MMRDA is
planning a tunnel
from the highway, our
elevated road is useful
for other south Mum-
bai residents. I have
cleared this on techni-
cal and financial as-
pects. This will now go
to the municipal com-
missioner for final ap-
proval,” he said. Once
the plan is approved
by Commissioner IS
Chahal, a tender will
be issued by BMC in
10 days, said officials.
Generally, the route
takes 35-40 minutes
to commute but
once the project is
complete, it is likely
to take 5-7 min
Rakhi Sawant (seen here) and Sherlyn Chopra have filed FIRs
against each other. —FILE PHOTO

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 1 l Issue No.256
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
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
Warm greetings to the people of
Manipur, Meghalaya Tripura on
their Statehood Day. These culturally
rich vibrant states are contributing
invaluably to our nation’s economy
growth story. Praying for their
continued progress development.
Kiren Rijiju
@KirenRijiju
Minorities, or for that matter every
community in India is moving ahead
positively. India’s image cannot be
disgraced by malicious campaigns
launched inside or outside India. PM @
narendramodi Ji’s voice is the voice of
1.4 billion Indians.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Because an original
is always better
than a copy!
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
THE TWIST IN SC
COLLEGIUM, GOVT
FACEOFF OVER
APPOINTMENTS
n a first, the Supreme
Court revealed the
Union Law Minis-
try’s reasons for re-
jecting advocates
SaurabhKirpalandSomasekhar
Sundaram--- recommended by
the collegium for appointment as
high court judges--- and its own
reasons for overruling those ob-
jections. Led by India’s Chief
JusticeDYChandrachud,thecol-
legium has again sent these two
names, along with three others
which were returned by the min-
istry
, for reconsideration.
In the case of Kirpal the Cen-
tre’s objection was that he is an
openly gay advocate with a
Swiss national as his partner, a
no-no for those holding constitu-
tional positions. The collegium
said that there are others hold-
ing constitutional offices with a
foreign spouse. On Kirpal being
gay
, the collegium stated that his
conduct and behaviour have
been above board. The argu-
ments hold water.
It also defended Sundaram
who, in the government’s view,
is “highly biased and opinion-
ated.” Expressing views does
not disentitle him to hold a con-
stitutional post, the collegium
said. Neither side seems willing
to blink.
TOP TWEETS
I
restlers have won
Round One
against Wrestling
Federation of In-
dia (WFI) and its
boss Brij Bhushan Sharan
Singh, BJP MP from Kaiser-
ganj in Gonda district of UP.
The protesting wrestlers are
yet to win the battle which
may still go in favour of the
WFI chief. He has been asked
to step aside for four weeks.
The allegations of sexual
harassment will now be in-
vestigated by a seven-mem-
ber committee which does
not include Singh. In a letter
to the Union Sports Ministry,
the WFI has refuted all the al-
legations against Singh and
coaches saying that the pro-
testers have a hidden agenda.
The investigation will be
carried out by the Indian
Olympic Association-ap-
pointed committee which has
boxing Olympian Mary Kom
as chairperson. Others on
the panel include IOA joint
secretary Alaknanda Ashok,
former wrestler Yogeshwar
Dutt, archer Dola Banerjee,
IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav
and one male and one female
lawyer. In the meantime an
oversight committee is being
formed to address the issue.
The WFI being dismissive
of the allegations by women
wrestlers cannot be taken se-
riously. Those who have tak-
en up cudgels against the
powerful Kaiserganj MP
must have been pushed to
desperation. The wrestlers
also face action for not at-
tending national wrestling
camp in Gonda where only
Singh’s writ runs.
The problem for wrestlers
lies with the political clout
which Singh enjoys due to
his winnability, an impor-
tant criteria for getting a
ticket. A seven-time MP from
Kaiserganj, Singh wields
considerable influence in ad-
joining areas and the BJP
will not ignore the aspect
before 2024.
ROUND-1 GOES
TO PROTESTERS
Wrestlers have won Round
One against WFI and its
boss Brij Bhushan Sharan
Singh, the BJP MP from
Kaiserganj in Gonda of UP.
Protesting wrestlers
are yet to win the battle
which may still go in
favour of the WFI chief
W
eads of State and govern-
ment seldom voluntarily re-
tire. Most hold on to the job
even if they are in poor
health or too old. Jawaharlal
Nehru should have retired
after he had a stroke on 6th
January 1964, at the AICC
session at Bhubaneswar. He
neglected his deteriorating
health and died on 27th May
1964 in his 75th year.
I could give several other
examples of leaders convinc-
ing themselves of their mo-
rality
. Joseph Stalin was Gen-
eral Secretary of the Com-
munist Party of the USSR
from 1922 to 1953 when he
died in mysterious circum-
stances. For the last few years
of his life he was a stricken
man, if not a semi-invelia.
Neither his doctors, nor any
member of the Politburo had
the courage to approach him
during his illness.
New Zealand Prime Minis-
ter, Jacinda Ardern shocked
her country and the World by
her decision to resign. Had
she not she would have been
re-elected in October. Prime
Minister Ardern became a
world figure. A gunman tar-
geted a Mosque, 51 people
killed and 40 injured in 2019
in Christchurch. She swiftly
changed the gun laws. She
won a second term in Octo-
ber 2020. Of her resignation
she said, “She had no more in
the tank”. She added, “…
Politicians are human. We
give all that we can, for as
long as we can, and then it is
time. And for me it is time.”
She is in her early forties.
WRESTLERS PROTEST
India’s top wrestlers-30 of
them, young girls and youth-
ful men, have been protesting
inbittercoldagainsttheunac-
ceptable conduct of the Presi-
dent of the Wrestling Federa-
tion of India, Brij Bhushan
Sharan Singh, a sitting Mem-
ber of Parliament. He has
held the post for 13 years. His
TVperformanceonThursday
must have done him much
harm. He was seen twice slap-
ping a young man. He also
said he would not resign.
The lady Wrestlers have
complained of “sexual har-
assment”. The well-being of
the Wrestlers is of para-
mount importance. “Wres-
tling is India’s most success-
ful individual Olympic sport.
It deserves better”, wrote a
leading newspaper in its cen-
tre page.
The energetic Sports Min-
ister should act soon to ad-
dress the grievances of the
Wrestlers. It will take some
doingasBrijBhushanSharan
Singh is an influential Mem-
ber of Parliament and a well-
known UP politician.
R-DAY CELEBRATIONS
Republic Day is round the
corner. The day has a special
significance. On this day sev-
enty three years ago India
became a Republic. Few out-
sideIndiagaveIndiaachance
for Democracy surviving
more than a few years. Win-
ston Churchill was one of
them. He called Gandhi,
Nehru, Patel, Rajaji and oth-
er Congress leaders “men of
straw”.
In 1942 President Roosevelt
asked Churchill to make
meaningful steps to accept
India’s demands for ending
British Raj in the country.
Churchill told the US Presi-
dent that he would resign if
pushed further by the US
President. “I have not be-
come the First Minister of
the King to preside over the
liquidation of the British
Empire.” Five years later the
British Indian Empire was
indeed liquidated.
The splendour of the Re-
public Day parade cannot be
exaggerated. The setting is
breath-taking. This year’s
Guest of Honour is President
Sisi of Egypt. The Rashtra-
pati Bhavan, North and
South Block, Parliament
House and India Gate were
built between 1920 and 1930.
Mercifully, Shastri and Vig-
yan Bhawans are to be pulled
down, so also the hideous
Ministry of Defence, built in
the 1950’s.
BRITISH ISSUES
The British Monarchy is con-
fronted with a strange prob-
lem. One of its members, the
erratic and unpredictable,
Prince Harry has written a
book (it has sold 3.2 million
copies in a month) which is
highly critical of the Monar-
chy. He may have made a lot
of money, but he is in the
Royal dog house. He has let
the Firm down. The British
Royal Family is privately
called the Firm.
On Friday evening nearly
one hundred former Stepha-
nians met for dinner at the
Taj Palace hotel. I was the
Chief Guest, being the senior
most ex-Stephanian. Almost
all had taken to Golf. The an-
nual golf tournament was
over. I was asked to speak
first. I related this story
.
In 1950, King Tribhuvan of
Nepal came to Delhi, Nehru
invited the King for Lunch.
The first three courses were
without any conversation.
Finally the King asked Prime
Minister Nehru if he played
golf. “Not yet your Majesty
. I
am only 62 years old”, was
Nehru’s witty reply
. In those
days golf was considered a
game for old men.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
H
In 1950, King Tribhuvan
of Nepal came to Delhi,
Nehru invited the King for
Lunch. The first three
courses were without any
conversation. Finally the
King asked Prime
Minister Nehru if he
played golf. “Not yet your
Majesty. I am only 62
years old”, was Nehru’s
witty reply. In those days
golf was considered a
game for old men
PRIME MINISTER
ARDERN BECAME A
WORLD FIGURE. A
GUNMAN TARGETED A
MOSQUE, 51 PEOPLE
KILLED AND 40
INJURED IN 2019 IN
CHRISTCHURCH. SHE
SWIFTLY CHANGED THE
GUN LAWS. SHE WON
A SECOND TERM IN
OCTOBER 2020
K NATWAR SINGH
The author is Former Minister
of External Affairs of India
JACINDA
ARDERN’S
SHOCK
RESIGNATION
AS NZ PM

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05
INDIA
New Delhi: President
Droupadi Murmu,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi, Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah and oth-
er leaders on Saturday
extended greetings on
the statehood day of
Tripura, Manipur, and
Meghalaya.
Appreciating the nat-
ural beauty, rich tradi-
tions, and culture of
these northeastern
states, the President
wroteonTwitter,“Greet-
ings on the statehood
day of Manipur, Megha-
laya, and Tripura. The
rich culture, natural
beauty and abiding tra-
ditions of these states
enrichourdiversity
.The
people of these states
are known for their tal-
ent and spontaneity
. I
wish a very bright fu-
ture to all of them.”
PM Modi, in three
separate tweets, wished
the people of these
states. “Statehood Day
greetings to the people
of Manipur. The state
has been progressing
on several counts dur-
ing the last few years. I
pray that the aspira-
tions of the people of
this state are fulfilled
and Manipur keeps
strengthening India’s
growth trajectory,” he
wrote, wishing Ma-
nipur on the occasion.
Admiring Megha-
laya’sculture,musicand
art,hewrote,“Greetings
to the people of Megha-
laya on their Statehood
Day
. This state is known
for its vibrant culture,
particularly music, art
and passion towards
sports. People from
Meghalaya have ex-
celled in diverse fields. I
pray for Meghalaya’s
continuous progress in
the years to come. (sic)”
President, PM Modi, Shah send greetings
TRIPURA, MEGHALAYA MANIPUR’S STATEHOOD DAY
WFI CLAIMS PROTEST IS MOTIVATED
In its reply to the Government, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) rejects all the allegations
New Delhi (PTI): The
Wrestling Federation
of India (WFI) has re-
jected all the allega-
tions, including that of
sexual harassment
against its president
Brij Bhushan Sharan
Singh, and claimed
that the wrestlers’ pro-
test was motivated by a
“hidden agenda to dis-
lodge the current man-
agement”.
The WFI denied all
the charges in its re-
sponse to the govern-
ment’s notice and as-
serted that “there is no
scope for arbitrariness
and mismanagement “
in the federation.
The Sports Ministry
had sought an explana-
tion from WFI after
the country’s top wres-
tlers sat on a dharna
and alleged that the
federation chief sexu-
ally harassed women
wrestlers and acts like
a “dictator”.
The WFI sent its re-
ply on Friday evening
and, few hours later, the
wrestlers called off
their protest after the
government announced
that it will form an
oversight committee to
probe the charges. It
also said the WFI chief
will step aside till the
investigation is over.
“The WFI is managed
by an elected body as
per its constitution, and
therefore, there is no
scope for arbitrariness
and mismanagement in
WFI by any one indi-
vidually, including the
president,” the WFI
said in its response to
the Sports Ministry
.
“The WFI, in par-
ticular, under the sit-
ting president has al-
ways acted keeping the
best interests of wres-
tlers in mind.
“The WFI has en-
hanced the image of
wrestling sport nation-
ally as well as interna-
tionally and for the re-
cord of this ministry, it
is not possible without
fair, supportive, clean
and strict management
of WFI,” it added.
WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh speaks with the media regarding recent allegations of
sexual harassment against him, in Gonda district, on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI
‘MISBEHAVING’
UP POLICEMAN
SUSPENDED
Shahjahanpur: The
inspector in-charge of
the cyber cell in UP’s
Shahjahanpur district
has been suspended for
allegedly misbehaving
with a BJP leader and a
probe has been ordered
in the matter, a senior
police officer said on
Saturday. It has been al-
leged that Neeraj Kumar,
the inspector-in-charge
of the cyber cell, went
to the residence of BJP
leader and former district
panchayat chairman
Virendra Pal Singh Yadav
on Thursday night and
misbehaved with him.
Cong’s ‘charge sheet’
against Modi govt
Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal at a press conference on a
campaign launch ‘Hath Se Hath Jodo’, in New Delhi on Saturday.
New Delhi (PTI): The
Congress on Saturday
released a “charge
sheet” against the Nar-
endraModigovtalleging
that its mantra was
‘kuch ka saath, khud ka
vikas, sabke saath vish-
wasghaat’ (for the bene-
fit of few, development
for self and betrayal of
everyone)”. The Opposi-
tion party also said that
Rahul Gandhi, who is
leading the Bharat Jodo
Yatra, will hoist the na-
tionalflagatthePradesh
Congress Committee
office in Srinagar’s Lal
Chowk area followed by
a public meeting at the
Sher-e-Kashmir Stadi-
um which will mark the
culmination of the
Kanyakumari to Kash-
mir march.
RAHUL LAUDS
WAYANAD ON RARE
ACHIEVEMENT
New Delhi: Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi on Saturday
congratulated Kerala’s Way-
anad on becoming India’s
first district to digitise basic
documents of all tribals. “An
empowered tribal community
is the cornerstone of a strong
India,” Rahul, Wayanad MP,
tweeted. “Proud that Way-
anad is India’s 1st district
to provide digitise basic
documents for all Tribals,” he
said. He lauded the collective
efforts of district admin, local
bodies, and people’s repre-
sentatives for the initiative.
Yogi flags off ‘Run for G20 Walkathon’
to spread awareness about summit
Lucknow (PTI): UP
CM Yogi Adityanath on
Saturday flagged off the
‘Run for G20 Walka-
thon’ organised simul-
taneously in four cities
to spread awareness
about the summit. Adi-
tyanath flagged off the
walkathons in Luc-
know, Agra, Varanasi
and Gautam Buddh Na-
gar from his residence.
Uttar Pradesh will
host 11 meetings during
the G20 conference,
through which it has got
the opportunity to pro-
mote its image, culture
and food, Adityanath
said. He also praised PM
Narendra Modi and
said, “The world is ac-
cepting the fact that in
this era of global crisis,
India and PM Narendra
Modi are the only ones
who can save the world
and realise the sacred
spirit of India towards
the welfare of the com-
mon man.”
Yogi Adityanath flags off G-20 Walkathon, in Lucknow on Saturday.
Mysuru (PTI): Senior
Congress leader Sid-
daramaiah, who has
decided to contest the
upcoming
a s s e m b l y
election in
Karnataka
from Kolar
s e g m e n t ,
asserted on Saturday
that he will surely win
even if Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Un-
ion Home Minister
Amit Shah were to cam-
paign against him.
The former Chief
Minister decided to
shift his constituency
from Badami in
Bagalkote district in
North Karnataka to
Kolar citing age factor
and the distance.
“Let (BJP national
general secretary) B
L Santhosh come,
BJP national presi-
dent J P Nadda, Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi or Union Home
Minister Amit Shah
and campaign against
me. I will surely win
from Kolar,” he told
reporters.
Siddaramaiah was
reacting to a query that
a negative campaign
has begun ever since he
expressed his desire to
contest from Kolar.
Siddaramaiah
claims he will
win Kolar seat
despite all odds
Guwahati (PTI): “Who
is Shahrukh Khan? I
don’t know anything
about him or his film
Pathaan”, was Assam
CM Himanta Biswa
Sarma’s curt answer to
queries by
re por ters
here on Sat-
urday. Me-
diapersons
had raised
questions on the vio-
lent protest by Bajrang
Dal activists, who
stormed a theatre at
Narengi in the city on
Friday where the film
is slated to be screened.
The far right wing
group’s volunteers tore
down the film’s posters
and burnt them.
Who is Shahrukh?
asks Assam CM
Himanta Sarma
Kolkata (PTI): Amidst
the fanfare over Rash-
triya Swayamsevak
Sangh’s (RSS) plans to
celebrate Netaji Sub-
has Chandra Bose’s
birth anniversary in
the city on January 23,
his daughter Anita
Bose-Pfaff has said
that it is being done to
“partially exploit” her
father’s legacy
.
RSS’s ideology and
the nationalist leader’s
ideas of securlarism
and inclusiveness are
“poles apart and do not
coincide”, she said.
As far as ideology is
concerned, the Con-
gress has lot more in
common with Netaji
than any other party
in the country, Bose-
Pfaff said.
RSS chief Mohan
Bhagwat will address a
public programme at
Shahid Minar ground
in the city to commemo-
rate Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose’s birth
anniversary
.
Bose-Pfaff said the
BJP and RSS do not re-
flect the idea of respect-
ing all religions as
preached by Netaji, who
was a devout Hindu but
believed in respecting
other faiths. He was in
favour of a productive
cooperation between
members of different
religions, she said.
PlanofRSSto“partiallyexploit”
Netaji’slegacy,sayshisdaughter
WFI rejects wrestlers’
allegations against its
prez BB Sharan Singh
New Delhi: The WFI
has rejected all the al-
legations, including
that of sexual harass-
ment against its pres-
ident Brij Bhushan
Sharan Singh, say-
ing “there is no scope
for arbitrariness and
mismanagement “ in
the sports body
.
“The WFI is man-
aged by an elected
body as per its consti-
tution, and therefore,
there is no scope for
arbitrarinessandmis-
management in WFI
by any one individu-
ally
, including the
president,” the WFI
said in its response to
sports ministry
.
“The WFI, in par-
ticular, under the sit-
ting president has
always acted keeping
the best interests of
wrestlers in mind.
“The WFI has en-
hanced the image of
wrestling sport na-
tionally as well as
internationally and
for the record of this
ministry
, it is not pos-
sible without fair,
supportive, clean and
strict management
of WFI,” it added.
New Delhi (Agencies):
Delhi Commission for
Women (DCW) chief
Swati Maliwal, who
was allegedly molested
and dragged for 10-15
meters by a drunk driv-
er after her hand got
stuck in his car’s win-
dow around 3 am on
Thursday, reacted
sharply to the allega-
tions that the whole in-
cident was fake.
Swati Maliwal, on
Saturday, called the al-
legations “dirty lies”
and that she would fight
till her last breath.
She tweeted, “Let me
tell those who think
that they will scare me
by telling dirty lies
about me. I have done
many big things in this
short life by tying a
shroud on my head. I
was attacked many
times but I did not stop.
With every atrocity, the
fire inside me grew
stronger. No one can
suppress my voice. I
will keep fighting as
long as I am alive!”
“Iwillkeepfightingtillamalive”,
Maliwalreactsto‘fakesting’claims New Delhi (ANI): The
CBI has recovered Rs
94.37 lakh in cash after
conducting several raids
at 18 places in Mumbai
and Bhopal in three cas-
es connected with illegal
forexremittancesduring
2014-2016. Several in-
criminating documents
and electronic gadgets
were also recovered. As
per statement, CBI regis-
tered three separate cas-
es against the accused
which included private
persons, unknown offi-
cials of multi-state coop-
erative societies and un-
known public servants.
It was alleged that dur-
ing 2014-2016, a huge
amount was remitted in
foreignexchange(Forex)
abroadfromtheaccounts
of nine entities through
eight nationalised banks
by submitting fake im-
port documents such as
bills of entry
, bills of lad-
ing, among others, with-
out any actual trade.
CBI recovers `94.37L in
several raids at 18 places
NGO OPPOSES
CRIMINALISATION
OF MARITAL RAPE
17 HELD AFTER
TMC,ISF WORKERS
CLASH IN KOLKATA
New Delhi: An NGO has
moved the Supreme Court
opposing the criminal-
isation of marital rape,
saying it would destabilise
the institution of mar-
riage. The petition filed
by NGO Purush Aayog
Trust through its president
Barkha Trehan has sought
the court’s intervention in
a batch of petitions per-
taining to criminalisation
of marital rape.
Kolkata: Workers of the
Indian Secular Front, or
ISF, were lathicharged
by the police in Kolkata’s
Esplanade area this evening
as they blocked roads in the
area. ISF claimed they were
attacked by the TMC work-
ers on their way to a rally in
the area and demanded the
arrest of Trinamool leader
Arabul Islam for orches-
trating an earlier attack on
them this morning.
New Delhi: A Delhi court is likely to hear on March 25 a crim-
inal complaint filed by actor Nora Fatehi against Jacqueline
Fernandez for allegedly defaming
her by “unfairly dragging” her
name into a Rs 200 crore money
laundering case. Fatehi, a Cana-
dian citizen, has also arrayed 15
media organisations as accused
in her complaint. The matter,
which was scheduled to come
up for hearing on Saturday, was
adjourned since the judge was
on leave, Fatehi’s lawyer said.
Morbi: A sessions court here on Saturday adjourned till
February 1 the hearing in the anticipatory bail application
filed by Ajanta Manufacturing
Limited’s managing director in
connection with the collapse
of the suspension bridge here
on October 30 that killed 135
persons. The court of principal
district and sessions judge P
C Joshi deferred the hearing of the anticipatory bail plea
moved by Jaysukh Patel to February 1 as the public prose-
cutor was not present.
COURT ADJOURNS ACTOR NORA FATEHI’S
DEFAMATION CASE AGAINST JACQUELINE
MORBI: HEARING ON OREVA GROUP MD’S
PRE-ARREST BAIL ADJOURNED TILL FEB 1
NEWS DIGEST
DCW chief Swati Maliwal.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s
daughter Anita Bose-Pfaff.
Prez Droupadi Murmu PM Narendra Modi HM Amit Shah
WRESTLERS’ PROTEST

06
INDIA
New Delhi (PTI): Ahead
of assemblypollsinthree
northeastern states and
various byelections, the
Election Commission
has reminded its field
machinery and political
parties of a law and pro-
visionsof themodelcode
whichprohibittheuseof
places of worship as a fo-
rum for election propa-
ganda “in any manner”.
In a letter to its chief
electoral officers in all
states and union territo-
ries on January 19, the
poll panel reminded
them of its 2012 instruc-
tions on the issue which
had noted that the exist-
ing provisions of the
model code of conduct
prohibit the use of
“places of worship as a
forum for election prop-
aganda in any manner”.
“Further, Sections 3, 5
and 6 of The Religious
Institutions (Prevention
of Misuse)Act,1988,pro-
hibit the use of religious
institutions or funds of
religiousinstitutionsfor
the promotion or propa-
gation of any political
ideasorpoliticalactivity
or for the benefit of any
political party
,” letter
read. Contravention of
the provisions of any of
these sections is pun-
ishable by imprison-
ment up to five years
and with a fine, it point-
ed out. A copy of the
letter has been sent to
leaders of all national
and state parties.
Bhopal (PTI): Paleon-
tologistshavereporteda
rarediscoveryof closely
located dinosaur nests
and 256 eggs of the her-
bivorous titanosaurs in
the Narmada valley in
Madhya Pradesh. Re-
searchersfromtheDelhi
University and Indian
Instituteof ScienceEdu-
cation and Research in
Mohanpur-Kolkata and
Bhopal have also report-
eddiscoveryof ovum-in-
ovo or multi-shell eggs
in Bagh and Kukshi ar-
eas in Dhar district of
Madhya Pradesh.
The findings were
published in PLoS One
research journal this
week by Harsha Dhi-
man, Vishal Verma, and
Guntupalli Prasad,
among others. A study
of the nests and eggs
has revealed intimate
details about the lives
of the long-necked sau-
ropods that walked the
region more than 66
million years ago.
“The eggs were found
from the estuary
formed at a place where
the Tethys Sea merged
with the Narmada
when Seychelles had
broken away from the
Indian plate. The sepa-
ration of Seychelles
had led to the incursion
of the Tethys Sea 400
kms inside the Narma-
da Valley,” Verma, who
works in the Higher
Secondary School, Ba-
kaner, Dhar, said.
He said the nests
found in the Narmada
valley were close to
each other. Generally
the nests are located at
some distance from
each other. Verma, con-
sidered the driving
force behind a series of
discoveries of dinosaur
fossils in Narmada,
said the reason behind
multi-shell eggs could
be the inability of the
mother to find favoura-
ble conditions for lay-
ing eggs.
Rare dinosaur nests found in Narmada valley
PALEONTOLOGISTS’ DISCOVERY
During the
field investi-
gations car-
ried out between 2017
and 2020, we found
extensive hatcheries of
dinosaurs in Bagh
and Kukshi areas in
Dhar District, MP.
—Vishal Verma,
A Researcher
—Pic for representational purpose only
NGT PANEL CHALKS
OUT YAMUNA
ACTION PLAN
SKELETON FOUND
FROM BUILDING
GUTTED IN FIRE
New Delhi: The high
level panel formed by
NGT for rejuvenation of
Yamuna has chalked out
a six month action plan
till June, with monthly
targets, and the same
will be monitored on
weekly basis. After tak-
ing stock of the prevalent
situation of water quality
in river Yamuna and the
various drains in the city,
along with the status
of Sewage Treatment
Plants Common Efflu-
ent Treatment Plants.
Hyderabad: Making a
breakthrough, rescue
workers on Saturday
found a human skel-
eton in a six-storeyed
commercial building
which was gutted
in a massive fire on
Thursday. The rescue
teams, which continued
their efforts to collect
clues of three missing
persons, found the
skeleton on the first
floor of the building at
Nallagutta on Ministers
Road in Secunderabad.
Bhubaneswar: Nine mega piped water supply projects
will be implemented in Odisha’s Malkangiri, Nayagarh
and Jajpur districts at a cost of Rs 1,287 crore in next
two years. This was decided at the state cabinet chaired
by CM Naveen Patnaik on Saturday. The Cabinet ap-
proved three tenders worth Rs 1,287 crore for execu-
tion of these projects. Giving details about the cabinet
decisions, Development Commissioner PK Jena said
supply of safe drinking water to the people living in the
rural areas is one of the priority areas of the state govt.
ODISHA CABINET APPROVES DRINKING
WATER PROJECTS WORTH `1,287 CR
Kolkata: The CISF on Saturday arrested a US citizen
with a Chinese satellite phone while he was attempt-
ing to board a Delhi-bound flight at the Bagdogra
airport near Siliguri in West Bengal. The arrested
person has been identified Thomas Esroh Seitz (45).
According to Bagdogra airport sources, three US
citizens, including Seitz, arrived at the airport on
Saturday afternoon to board a Delhi-bound flight.
However, CISF jawans, while checking the luggage
of Seitz, detected a Chinese satellite phone.
US CITIZEN WITH CHINESE SATELLITE
PHONE HELD AT BAGDOGRA AIRPORT
CRUCIAL READ
REPUBLIC DAY PREPARATIONS
JOSHIMATH LAND SUBSIDENCE
ENDUSETHROWFORSOCIETY’S
BETTERMENT: RAJNATH SINGH
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh
on Saturday called upon
the youth to eliminate
the concept of ‘use and
throw’,pointingoutthat
the society and environ-
ment suffer the most
due to this malpractice.
He said that no stone
is left unturned by the
government to equip
the nation to deal with
challenges that may
arise due to the fast-
evolving global security
scenario.
Saying that destruc-
tion of the environment
means destruction of
life, he appealed to the
youth and the nation at
large to reuse goods as
far as possible and work
for the conservation of
nature. He also encour-
aged the youth to not let
the ‘use and throw’ con-
cept enter their person-
al lives, urging them to
respect the elders, fam-
ily and friends. He stat-
ed that while knowl-
edge and education are
important, values hold
equal relevance.
This year, the Rak-
sha Mantri Padak was
awarded to Under Of-
ficer Tinggeuchile Nri-
ame of North Eastern
Region Directorate and
Cadet Avinash Jangir
of Rajasthan Directo-
rate. The Raksha Man-
tri Commendation
Cards were awarded to
Captain Pratap Kesha-
ri Harichandan of Odi-
sha Directorate, Cadet
Under Officer Jenny
Francina Victor Anand
of Tamil Nadu, Pu-
ducherry Andaman
Nicobar Directorate,
Cadet Fiza Shafi of
Jammu Kashmir
Ladakh Directorate
and Cadet Sehwag
Rana of Uttarakhand
Directorate.
Dehradun (PTI): Dem-
olition of ‘unsafe’ build-
ings in subsidence-hit
Joshimath in Uttara-
khand resumed on Sat-
urday as the weather
improved. Snowfall and
rain in various parts of
Uttarakhand on Friday
had intensified the cold,
adding to the woes of
people living in tempo-
rary relief camps.
“Dismantling of un-
safe hotels and houses
in Joshimath has been
temporarily halted due
to bad weather,” Cham-
oli District Magistrate
Himanshu Khurana
had said.
According to offi-
cials, 849 houses in
Joshimath have devel-
oped cracks following
land subsidence and 269
families have been
moved to temporary re-
lief centres.
On Saturday, drilling
machines and bulldoz-
erswerebacktodisman-
tle hotels — Malari Inn
and Mount View — and
the PWD’s inspection
bungalow as weather
cleared in the morning.
“Providing relief to
affected people in Joshi-
math is among the top
priorities of CM Push-
kar Singh Dhami at pre-
sent,” a release said.
Says Govt is leaving no stone unturned to equip nation to meet new challenges
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits NCC Republic Day Camp at Delhi Cantt on Saturday.
DEFENCE MINISTER
GIVES AWAY RAKSHA
MANTRI PADAK
CARDS TO NCC CADETS
PETS AND CATTLE
DISPLACED AS
OWNERS NAVIGATE
SUBSIDENCE FALLOUT
New Delhi (FIB): Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh on
Saturday visited the National
Cadet Corps (NCC) Republic
Day Camp at Delhi Cantt and
gave away Raksha Mantri
Padak Commendation
Cards to cadets for their
exemplary performance and
devotion to duty. This year,
the Raksha Mantri Padak
was awarded to Under Of-
ficer Tinggeuchile Nriame
of North Eastern Region
Directorate and Cadet
Avinash Jangir of Rajasthan
Directorate.
Joshimath (PTI): As land
sinks in Joshimath, buildings
are razed and hundreds of
families forced out of their
homes, there is another trag-
edy playing out in this Hima-
layan town many dogs, cattle
and other domestic animals
left untended as their owners
navigate the life-changing cri-
sis. Some animals have been
left behind in houses, desolate
and deserted as the cracks
on their walls deepen, and
some smaller pets have been
crammed into shelter homes
along with families forced into
one room. The snow and the
dipping temperatures have ex-
acerbated the many woes. The
displacement is at many lev-
els, say animal rights activists
who have rushed to the once
bustling town of Joshimath to
keep the voiceless safe.
Mizoram forms
group to collect
info on border row
India beat NZ in 2nd
ODI; take over series
Aizawl (PTI): The
Mizoram govern-
ment has formed a
study group headed
by an expert from Mi-
zoram University
(MZU) to study and
collect relevant infor-
mation on its claimed
border areas to be
furnished to Assam
government, an offi-
cial statement said.
The group was the
follow-up of a deci-
sion made during the
border talks between
Mizoram and Assam
held at Guwahati in
November.
The meeting of a
boundary committee
chaired by Mizoram
minister Lalchamli-
ana on Friday ap-
pointed Prof J Doun-
gel, a political sci-
ence teacher from
MZU as the study
group’s convener,
while joint secretary
in the Home depart-
ment Lalthiamsanga
was appointed as
member secretary
.
The study group
will study and collect
the list of villages,
their areas, geo-spa-
tial extent, and eth-
nicity of the people
and other relevant
information to sup-
port its claim on the
state’s boundary
.
During the border
talks held on Novem-
ber 17 last year, both
states had decided
that Mizoram will
furnish the list of vil-
lages and their areas.
Raipur (ANI): India se-
cured a comprehensive
eight-wicket win
against New Zealand in
the second ODI on Sat-
urday to clinch their
seventh consecutive
One Day International
(ODI) series at home.
Rohit Sharma’s fifty
coupled with a fiery per-
formance from the In-
dian bowlers made sure
that the hosts cruised to
victory
, chasing a paltry
109 at the Shaheed Veer
Narayan Singh Interna-
tional Stadium, here.
The group was formed to study Mizoram-Assam border areas.
Workers demolish a house that got damaged due to land subsidence, at Joshimath, on Saturday.
Demolition of unsafe buildings
resumes in ‘sinking’ Joshimath
RESPONSIBILITY OFTEN COMES TO PEOPLE
NOT IN POSITION TO HANDLE IT: RAWAT
Dehradun (PTI): BJP leader and former Uttarakhand
chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has said that in
a democracy, responsibility often comes to people
who are not in a position to handle it. In a video that
has gone viral on social media, Rawat purportedly
says in reply to a question on the land-subsidence
crisis in Joshimath that “the onus rests on everyone
in a democracy, some of them are wise, some less
wise and some still less wise”. “It is an irony and even
beauty of a democracy that people in this system elect
their representatives. So, sometimes the onus or the
responsibility comes to people who cannot handle it.
That leads to problems,” Rawat said.
ECI reminds parties of
law, poll code provisions
TRIPURA: EC ASSURES CPI(M), CONGRESS
OF ALL STEPS FOR PEACEFUL POLLING
Agartala (PTI): The Election Commission on Saturday
assured a CPI(M)-Congress delegation that all pos-
sible steps will be taken for conducting free, fair and
peaceful polling in Tripura. The assurance was given to
a nine-member team of the CPI(M) and the Congress
when the delegation met the state Chief Electoral Of-
ficer (CEO), Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao. Elections to
the 60-member Assembly will be held on February 16.

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 56,659 113.00 0.02 (Per 10g)
SILVER 68,570 211.00 0.31 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 81.12 0.25 0.00
GBPINR 100.1204 0.2616 0.00
CURRENCIES
business
BRIEFS
Chennai: The American
India Foundation (AIF) in
the august presence of
Thiru Anbil Mahesh Poyy-
amozhi, Minister for
School Education, Govern-
ment of Tamil Nadu, inau-
gurated India’s first STEM
Innovation and Learning
Center (SILC) under the
scheme of Vanavil Man-
dram at the Government
Higher Secondary School,
MMDA Colony, Chennai.
AIF’s award-winning flag-
ship education Program -
Digital Equalizer has de-
signed the Center to be a
one-stop solution for
STEM among students
and teachers. Consisting
of Innovation Corner for
students, the Center will
introduce students to a
transdisciplinary learning
approach through robot-
ics, AI, Space technology,
and Incubation
workstation. —ANI
AIF INAUGURATES
INDIA’S FIRST STEM
INNOVATION CENTER
Thiruvananthapuram:
Kerala is witnessing an
unprecedented invest-
ment boom in the indus-
trial sector with over one
lakh new Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises
(MSME) opening units in
the current fiscal, gener-
ating thousands of jobs
in the southern state, In-
dustries Minister P Ra-
jeev said. Projecting Ker-
ala as an investment-
friendly destination, the
minister claimed that as
part of the state govern-
ment’s ‘Year of Enterpris-
es’ initiative, more than
1.24 lakh new MSMEs
were set up in Kerala so
far in the current financial
year, attracting an invest-
ment worth over Rs8,000
crore. “It is much higher
than the target set by the
Industries Department as
part of its ‘Year of Enter-
prises’ initiative”, Rajeev
told. —PTI
KERALA WITNESSING
INVESTMENT BOOM
IN IND SECTOR: MIN
New Delhi : Yes Bank on
Saturday posted a drop of
80 per cent in its net prof-
it to Rs52 crore for the
quarter ended December,
against Rs266.43 crore in
the corresponding quarter
the previous year. The
lender said it was largely
impacted due to ageing-
related provisions. The
bank said its operating
profits grew 17 per cent
year-on-year to Rs914
crore in Q3FY23 and the
Mumbai-headquartered
lender said it is the high-
est in the past seven
quarters. The cost-to-in-
come ratio improved to
70.7 per cent from 72.8
per cent in the third quar-
ter (October-December),
according to the bank
statement released on
Saturday. The bank said
advances grew 10 per
cent y-o-y, deposits’
growth was 16 per cent
y-o-y and its balance
sheet was up 13 per cent
y-o-y. —ANI
YES BANK’S NET
PROFIT DROPS 80%
TO `52 CR IN Q3
*Rates till the edition went to print.
MY BUDGET 2023-24
The Union Budget for the
FY 2023-24 is all set to be
presented by Finance Min-
ister Nirmala Sitharaman
on the 1st of Feb. All eyes
are on this space as this
will be the last budget be-
fore the 2024 general elec-
tions. There is a lot of de-
bate about whether this
budget will have a flavour
of populism to woo the In-
dian voters for one last
time before the general
Lok Sabha elections in
2024.
Let’s look at some key fig-
ures to keep our eyes on.
z The fiscal deficit figure
z The CAPEX planned and
their sectoral allotments
z Money raised from divest-
ment and privatization
z Tax reforms and revenue
collections
z Subsidies and welfare
schemes
z Healthcare, education,
sustainability, and urban
reform outlays
WHAT ABOUT THE
COMMON INDIANS?
Clearly, budget discussions
are full of hopes and big
promises. It’s a complex
document of even bigger
numbers on how the gov-
ernment is likely to func-
tion for the forthcoming
year. But when it comes
to a common man, the
demands are often very
simple and basic.
MY BUDGET 2023
Finance minister Nirmala
Sitharaman recently said,
“I belong to a middle class,
understand their pres-
sures”. This has raised
hopes among Indians that
the Budget FY2024 might
reward the middle class.
The past year has proven
to be highly challenging for
the middle class and expect
the government to do some-
thing big to help ease some
of their tensions. With pur-
chasing power drying out
over COVID, doubled with
soaring inflation and un-
employment rates, the
common man has been hit
the hardest. Let’s look at
some basic demands of a
common Indian man from
this year’s budget.
MORE MONEY IN MY
WALLET
Any budget talk is incom-
plete without a demand for
tax benefits. The salaried
class seems to have hardly
benefited from the New
Taxation Regime of 2020,
and they have big expecta-
tions from the budget.
There are expectations that
the highest tax rate of 30%
to be reduced to 25%
and the threshold limit
for the highest tax rate
increased from Rs 10 lakh
to Rs 20 lakh.
There is also an expected
revision in the deductions
offered under section 80C
to somewhere between Rs2-
2.5 lakhs, with medical in-
surance provisions being
increased to cover the ef-
fect of inflation.
However, with inflation
concerns taking up much
of FY 2023, the possibility
of any change in income
tax slabs looks unlikely
.
BETTER HOUSES
Soaring inflation and ris-
ing interest rates have
harmed the purchasing
power of homebuyers. Ex-
perts in the real estate sec-
tor feel that the tax deduc-
tion limit on the interest
paid on home loans should
be increased from Rs 2 lakh
to Rs 5 lakh. Another de-
mand is for a separate sec-
tion on principal repay-
ment of housing loans
other than Section 80 C to
be introduced for Rs 4 lakh.
LOWER FUEL AND
FOOD PRICES
Inflation was a trouble all
common man faced last
year. In 2022, food inflation,
as measured by the CPI, av-
eraged 6.8%, more than
double the 3.1% it averaged
in 2021. Inflation for basic
products like milk prod-
ucts has averaged more
than 8% since the middle
of 2021. Domestic diesel
prices have gone down by
only 3% since June 2022,
despite the price of India’s
crude basket falling by a
third during this time.
A relief to help cut down
day-to-day living expenses
for the common man is
thus on the wishlist of
most Indians.
POPULIST VS.
PRUDENCE
All in all, the Indian con-
sumer has had it tough
these last few years. Given
that the demand revival is
crucial to boost the private
investment cycle, meas-
ures to reduce the price
burden or enhance dispos-
able incomes can be benefi-
cial for the individual and
may have a multiplier ef-
fect on the economy
.
It all looks so easy no?
But it ain’t so. Too many
dole-outs and populist
measures could fuel infla-
tion again and that’s some-
thing which the govern-
ment will dare not do this
year. Plus government has
been working on the path
of fiscal prudence and has
committed to a medium-
term target of 4.5% of GDP
by FY 2026. Considering
that the deficit was budg-
eted at 6.4% for FY 2023,
there is an expectation of
a staggered reduction of
the deficit by around 0.5-
0.75% of GDP in the next
three years.
With covid and lock-
downs concerns well be-
hind us, and tax collections
handsomely beating budg-
et estimates, Budget FY24
is expected to make marked
progress in improving its
finances.
So the government will
be walking on a very
tightrope of populist vs.
prudence and we shall
soon find out whether it
will maintain a balance
or bend.
WishlistofacommonIndian
Union Budget 2023-24
FISCAL DEFICIT OVER THE YEARS
FY (` in lakh crore) (% of GDP)
2022 16.61 6.4
2021 15.86 6.7
2020 18.21 9.3
2019 11.58 4.6
2018 6.45 3.4
Source: RBI
‘Foreign shipping lines may stop services’
Islamabad (PTI): Ship-
ping agents have warned
the cash-strapped Pakistan
government that all ex-
ports could come to a halt
as foreign shipping lines
are considering stopping
their services for the coun-
try after banks stopped re-
mitting freight charges to
them due to a lack of dollar
availability, according to a
media report on Saturday
.
Apart from bordering
countries, almost all the in-
ternational logistics from
Pakistan are catered by sea
and any disruption could
create serious issues for the
country’s international
trade, Pakistan Ship’s
Agents Association (PSAA)
chairman Abdul Rauf
warned Finance Minister
Ishaq Dar through a letter.
“If international trade is
stopped, the economic situ-
ation will worsen,” the as-
sociation warned, adding
that the foreign shipping
lines are already consider-
ing winding up their ser-
vices in Pakistan due to
reduced cargo volumes.
The PSAA chairman also
wrote letters to State Bank
of Pakistan (SBP) Gover-
nor Jameel Ahmed, Com-
merce Minister Syed
Naveed Namar, and Mari-
time Affairs Minister Fais-
al Sabzwari, the Dawn
newspaper reported.
Rauf requested minis-
tries and departments con-
cerned to intervene to en-
sure continuity in Paki-
stan’s seaborne trade by al-
lowing outward remittance
of surplus freight amounts
to respective foreign ship-
ping lines forthwith. “Due
to discontinuation of out-
ward remittance of surplus
freight amounts to respec-
tive foreign shipping lines,
was hampering Pakistan’s
seaborne trade which is
heavily dependent on for-
eign shipping lines,” letter
added. However, crisis re-
lates to export cargoes as all
outward trade from Paki-
stan is container-based, as
there are no liquid or grain
exports from the country
.
The state-owned Paki-
stan National Shipping
Company (PNSC) only han-
dles imports of crude oil
and other petroleum fuel
through its 12 vessels.
FOR CASH-STRAPPED PAKISTAN Norms eased for few
sectors under EPCG
New Delhi (ANI): The gov-
ernment has announced a
one-time relaxation from
maintaining average ex-
port obligation and an op-
tion to extend export obli-
gation period for certain
sectors under the Export
Promotion Capital Goods
(EPCG) Scheme.
The sectors that are eligi-
ble for this relief are hotel,
healthcare and education-
al. For the years 2020-21 and
2021-22, these sectors will
not be required to maintain
average export obligation
for EPCG authorisations is-
sued to them. These sectors
will also have option to ex-
tend export obligation pe-
riod for a longer duration,
without having to pay any
additional fees.
For EPCG authorisations
issued for hotel, healthcare
and educational sectors, ex-
port obligation period
would be extended from
date of expiry for duration
equivalent to number of
days export obligation pe-
riod falls between February
1, 2020, and March 31, 2022.
This extension will be
granted without payment
of composition fees.
However, for EPCG au-
thorisations issued for sec-
tors other than hotel,
healthcare and education-
al, the export obligation
period may be extended.

08
2NDFRONT
Words have power! Have the
conviction to speak aloud your
highest goals and dreams, your
dedication will increase.
— Dr Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A judge’s ex-
pertise lies in interpret-
ingthetextof theConsti-
tutionwiththechanging
times while keeping its
soulintact,Chief Justice
of India DY Chandra-
chud said while speak-
ing at the Nani A Palkh-
ivala Memorial Lecture
here on Saturday
.
“The identity of the
Indian Constitution has
evolved through the in-
teraction of Indian citi-
zens with the Constitu-
tion, and has been ac-
companied by judicial
interpretation. The
craftsmanship of a
judge lies in interpret-
ing the text of the Con-
stitutionwiththechang-
ing times while keeping
its soul intact,” he said.
“The basic structure
of our Constitution, like
the north star, guides
and gives certain direc-
tion to the interpreters
and implementers of
the Constitution when
the path ahead is convo-
luted. The basic struc-
ture or the philosophy
of our Constitution is
premised on the su-
premacy of the Consti-
tution, rule of law, sepa-
ration of powers, judi-
cial review, secularism,
federalism, freedom and
the dignity of the indi-
vidualandtheunityand
integrity of the nation,”
he added.
The emerging world
economy has erased na-
tional boundaries, and
companies no longer
stop at the border, the
CJI said.
“In recent decades,
India's legal landscape
has also undergone a
significant change in
favour of removing
strangulating regula-
tions, augmenting con-
sumer welfare and sup-
porting commercial
transactions. Legisla-
tion, such as the Com-
petition law and the In-
solvency and Bankrupt-
cy Code, have been en-
acted to promote fair
market competition.
Similarly, the Goods
and Services Tax (GST)
has sought to stream-
line indirect taxation
on the supply of goods
and services in India,”
he said, adding, “If you
look at the Constitu-
tion, it does not favour
unbounded economic
liberalism. Rather, our
Constitution seeks to
find the right balance.”
CJI Chandrachud
said the Constitution al-
lows the state to change
and evolve its legal and
economic policies to
meet societal demands,
adding that the doctrine
of basic structure has
shown that it might be
beneficial for a judge to
look at how other juris-
dictions have dealt with
similar problems for
them.
Skill is interpreting Constitution
while keeping its soul intact: CJI
Also observed
that India’s
legal landscape
has undergone a
significant
change in the
recent decades
CJI DY Chandrachud with Justice BR Gavai of the Supreme Court at a felicitation ceremony
organized by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, in Mumbai on Saturday. —PHOTO BY PTI
When individuals have the opportunity to exercise their liberties and
to be fairly rewarded for their efforts, then economic justice becomes
one of the many inter-related dimensions of life. Ultimately, we share
common faiths and destinies to the point that development of each individual
fosters social justice in the entire world..
—DY Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India
Man held for forging
NSG ID card to enter
PM Modi’s rally venue
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A 35-year-
old man, who alleged-
ly tried to enter Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s public rally on
Thursday using a
forged identity card in
the name of National
Security Guard
(NSG), has been ar-
rested by the Bandra
Kurla Complex (BKC).
The accused,
Rameshwar Mishra,
has worked with the
NSG in the past, said
an an official. He was
intercepted by a team
of personnel manning
an entry point at the
MMRDA grounds.
“Mishra was clad in
a suit and had an ID
card around his neck,
which he showed us
when he tried to enter.
We examined it as per
protocol and saw that
it was valid from 2022
to 2025. However, these
dates looked like they
had been added after
scratching out some
content that had been
on the card earlier.
Further, the ribbon at-
tachedtothecardsaid,
‘Delhi Police Security
(PM)’, which raised
our suspicions,” said
an officer.
Mishra has been re-
manded in custody
till January 24.
Dates written after
scratching out
content on identity
card gave him away
CleanchitforBMCinBJPleader
Somaiya’sRemdesivircomplaint
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Maha-
rashtra Lokayukta on
Saturday exculpated
the Brihanmumbai Mu-
nicipal Corporation
(BMC) of any “irregu-
larity” or “non-trans-
parency” in a complaint
filed by Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP) leader
Kirit Somaiya.
Earlier Somaiya al-
leged corruption in pro-
curing Remdisivir in-
jections during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Lokayukta Justice
VM Kanade passed the
order.
The order stated, “It
has not been estab-
lished and proved by
the complainant that
there was any corrup-
tion in the purchase of
injection Remdesivir by
the respondents. It is
also not proved that
there was irregularity
and non-transparency
in the purchase of this
injection by them.”
The order comes af-
ter the Enforcement Di-
rectorate (ED) recently
questioned BMC com-
missioner Iqbal Singh
Chahal regarding alle-
gations of malpractices
in awarding COVID-19
care centre contracts.
The order said, “It is
abundantly clear from
the documents pro-
duced by the respond-
ents, including the letter
issued by the Central
government, that there
was a sharp variance in
the purchase price of
injection Remdesivir in
a couple of weeks after
March 2021.”
Taking to his Twitter
handle, Somaiya tweet-
ed, “Lokayukta Obser-
vations on My Petition,
Remdesivir, Black mar-
keting during COVID.
During this period, ru-
mours were afloat that
lifesaving drugs were
sold on the black mar-
ket. Effective machin-
ery should have been
prepared to tackle black
marketing through Po-
lice and BMC officials.”
“Maharashtra Gov-
ernment ought to have
brought an ordinance
directing manufactur-
ers to make the supply
of lifesaving drugs
available at a reasona-
ble rate,” added the
BJP leader.
Maharashtra
Lokayukta cites
lack of evidence
over alleged
irregularities in
purchase of
injections
Kirit Somaiya —FILE PHOTO
Dy CM’s wife recorded reel in official residence: NCP
Mumbai (PTI): The
Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP) on Friday
claimed Amruta Fad-
navis, wife of Deputy
Chief Minister Deven-
dra Fadnavis, has shot a
reel of her new video at
her residence, a govern-
ment bungalow. It also
sought to know if she
had taken permission
from authorities con-
cerned for recording
the clip inside official
residential premises.
The bungalow, Sagar,
situated in Malabar Hill
in south Mumbai, is the
official residence of
Deputy CM Fadnavis.
NCP Spokesperson
Hema Pimpale alleged
Amruta Fadnavis shot
the reel of her new vid-
eo on Instagram in the
bungalow allotted to
her husband.
“The video shooting
took place in a govern-
ment residential bunga-
low. Was permission
taken from the state
Public Work Depart-
ment (PWD) or the cul-
ture ministry for it,”
she asked.
“If permission was
not taken, then Deven-
dra Fadnavis should
take moral responsibili-
ty (for alleged lapse) and
resign,” said Pimpale.
Amruta Fadnavis
was not available for
comment on the issue.
The NCP leader said
Amruta Fadnavis, who
has been given Y-grade
security--which comes
with an escort vehicle
and five police person-
nel--also has a traffic
clearance vehicle which
is allotted only to per-
sons holding constitu-
tional posts.
Asks whether she was
given permission by
PWD or culture
ministry for it
Amruta Fadnavis —FILE PHOTO
Mirch Masala
FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL
BY TRIDIB RAMAN
The author is a journalist and political
commentator and views expressed are his personal
...AND FINALLY
The difficulties of SP Su-
premo Akhilesh Yadav
are going to increase. Ear-
lier, petitioner Vishwanath
Chaturvedi had filed an
application in CBI Court,
stating that no ‘closure
report’ has been filed by
CBI in Mulayam family’s
disproportionate assets
case. In 2009, a section
of media claimed that CBI
had closed probe by filing
its ‘closure report’ regard-
ing the FIR filed against
the family. Sources reveal
that some TV person-
alities have also been
questioned as to ‘from
where did they get this
fake report.’ So, journos
told that ‘someone had
sent them this report in
a sealed envelope.’ Now,
they may be asked about
their source via inquiry.
Court has also asked CBI
to find out ‘Those involved
in theconspiracy to create
fake documents pass
them on to media.’ CBI
has been given time till
March 24 has to file a
supplementary report.
That means, the ‘genie’ of
Mulayam family’s dispro-
portionate assets case has
come ‘out of the bottle,’
this is what is weighing on
Akhilesh’s face.
The way has been paved for CPI (M)
General Secretary Sitaram Yechury
to enter the Rajya Sabha from Bihar.
Although many seats of Rajya Sabha
are getting vacant in April and May and
among these, 6 RS seats are getting
vacant from Bihar. Out of these, 2 seats
will come in the share of RJD, 2 in BJP,
and 1 in JDU. RJD, JDU and Congress
together want to crown Yechury
on the remaining sixth seat.
These three parties believe
that ‘Yechury can shine like
a comet in the sky, much like
the charisma that CPI(M) leader
Harkishan Singh Surjit had once
done.’ These three parties
want Yechury to be
the new leader of
the united opposition. To play a key role
in setting the stage, JDU wants Yechury
to ‘write a new script for Nitish Kumar’s
Delhi politics.’ However, Yechury can also
make it to the Rajya Sabha from Kerala,
which has a Marxist government led by
Penarayi Vijayan. But former CPI(M)
General Secretary Prakash Karat is said to
be not ready for this. Anyway, it is
an accepted tradition of CPI(M)
that ‘no leader of the party can
stay in Rajya Sabha for more
than two terms’. Yechury has
completed two terms in Rajya
Sabha, i.e. if he reaches the
Upper House once again this
time, it will be a violation of
the accepted tradition
of the party.
The BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain
has been accused of rape by a woman
and the matter is going on in the Supreme
Court. A long army of big lawyers is ready
from Hussain’s side. When
Shahnawaz’s lawyers said
in the court that ‘this case is
false’, the court said- ‘Let the
investigation happen, the truth
will come out.’ Then Sandeep
Singh, the Sports Minister of
Haryana’s BJP government,
was accused of sexual harass-
ment by a female coach and Singh had
to resign from his post. Now India’s well-
known women wrestlers have opened a
front against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan
Singh, the ‘Bahubali’ of Kaiser-
ganj. Singh is also the Chair-
man of the Indian Wrestling
Federation and internationally
renowned wrestlers are sitting
on a dharna at Jantar Mantar
in New Delhi, accusing him of
sexual harassment. This is a
time of crisis for the BJP.
Gujarat BJP State President CR Patil is going to get
something big amidst the rumblings of a reshuffle
in the BJP organisation and the Union Cabinet. The PM,
elated with the results of the Gujarat elections, patted
Patil’s back, first in the Parliament House, then at the
luncheon for MPs at the Gymkhana Club and then at the
National Executive meeting and heaped praises upon him.
So, now Patil can be given the charge of UP by making
him the General Secretary in the organisation, or, he can
be given the dual responsibility of UP in charge by making
him a minister at the Centre. Dinesh Sharma, who has
been on exile for a long time, can be sent back to Gujarat.
Recently, a meeting of BJP’s National Executive was
convened in Delhi. PM Narendra Modi was seated
on the stage and all the senior leaders of the party were
sitting in the front row. Then Karnataka BJP’s senior
leader BS Yeddiyurappa entered the hall and realised
that all the chairs were full, so where would he sit? Only
then the PM saved him from this crisis and immediately
called, “Piyush...” and Piyush Goyal left his front row
chair for Yeddiyurappa and went to sit at the back.
PICKPOCKETS HAVE A FIELD DAY DURING
PM MODI’S ROADSHOW IN NEW DELHI
RAHUL GANDHI TO CONTEST CWC POLLS?
On the occasion of BJP’s National Executive, PM
Narendra Modi conducted his mega road show in
Delhi. In this roadshow, a huge crowd had gathered and
there was a scuffle that dozens of people’s pockets were
cut, many mobiles were stolen, and an expensive lens
of a photojournalist was stolen, the cost of which is said
to be more than Rs two lakh. More than 18 FIRs have
been registered with the police. This raised questions
about the promptness of the Delhi Police. But what can
anyone do in such a crowd?
Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge is
walking along with Rahul Gandhi in his ‘Bharat
Jodo Yatra’ everywhere. Whatever Rahul says to him
during the journey, his neck
just nods in ‘yes’. These days
Priyanka Gandhi is on a visit to
Kharge’s home state Karnataka,
but Kharge was seen with her
during Rahul’s Yatra in Punjab.
Rahul Gandhi is adamant about
the Congress Working Com-
mittee elections, so now there
is an opinion in the party that
‘Rahul will contest the elections in the Working Commit-
tee,’ while Priyanka Gandhi will be nominated by Party
President Mallikarjun Kharge for this.
PM’S PRESENCE OF MIND
AKHILESH’S
PROBLEMS MAY
INCREASE
CAN SITARAM HEAD FOR A THIRD TERM IN THE UPPER HOUSE?
IS THIS A WELL-THOUGHT-OUT CONSPIRACY?

MUMBAI | SUNDAY,
JANUARY 22, 2023
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
IDEAS
STORIES
he third day of the
multi-faceted and ex-
uberant Jaipur Lit-
erature Festival be-
gan with a soulful
performance by the
Indian classical en-
semble, The Anirudh
Varma Collective. The Quintet
performed Vansanthi raga,
which was led by pianist, com-
poser, and producer, Anirudh
Varma.
The festival on Saturday fea-
tured Booker Prize winning
Srilankan author Shehan
Karunatilaka in conversation
with writer Nandini Nair.
International Booker Prize
winner Geetanjali Shree, well-
known Rajasthani and Hindi
writer Nand Bhardwaj, Sahitya
Akademi Award recipient and
novelist Anamika, Managing Di-
rector and CEO of Bank of Baro-
da Sanjiv Chadha and author-
translator and columnist Push-
pesh Pant focused on the diver-
sity of Hindi and the difficulty
of ‘purifying’ it.
a session on ‘A Nation To Pro-
tect’, talked vigorously about
India, how the covid took a toll,
and how we mastered it all and
learnt some important lessons.
“But did we make a mistake be-
tween first wake and delta wave?
Did we let our guard down
soon?,” asked Naresh Tehran as
the session started. An expert
panel consisting of renowned
journalists Praveen Swami,
Manoj Joshi, and Nish-
tha Gautam
were in conver-
sation with au-
thor C Raja Mo-
han, to discuss In
Hard Times, an
important collec-
tion of essays
edited by them,
highlighting the
significant chal-
lenges India faces
today
.
The Jaipur Music
Stage is a 3-day pro-
gramme that runs paral-
lel to the lit fest will be
focused on showcasing world
music with a diverse mix of
genres and artists. Living up to
its motto of variety discovery,
the music stage transcends bor-
ders, genres and geographies
through electrifying perfor-
mances that range from world
music, ghazals and jazz to rock
and the blues.
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
T
—PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA
As the Pink City, Jaipur geared up for Day 3 of the 16th edition of world’s grandest
literary festival, the Jaipur Literature Festival, the directors and founders are keen on
keeping up with its tradition of uncovering a gamut of ‘stories’ from not just in India
but across the world. City First highlights some mind blowing glimpses!
CAUGHT IN A CANDID:
Gourangi, Sifty Sandhu, Ayesha N Gupta,
Chhavi, Astha and Vidhi
FASHION BONANZA:
(L-R) Yashasvi, Roshni and Aarti
JLF NEWS ALERT:
Literature enthusiast
Runjhun captured reading
City First’s Saturday edition
SAY CHEESE: Himanshi Vahi and Ishita Rami following the phrase, ‘If you must be candid, be candid beautifully’

10-11
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
T
he 16th Jaipur
Literature Festi-
val (JLF), which
will take place
from January 19 to Jan-
uary 23 at the Hotel
Clarks Amer in Jaipur,
includes a variety of
women writers and
their outstanding
works. Authors Shaili
Chopra, Minnie Vaid,
and former IFS officer
and Ambassador Lak-
shmi Puri spoke in a
session titled “Women
and Work” alongside
Susan Ferguson, the UN
Women Country Repre-
sentative.
This panel of female
experts from various
backgrounds talked
about the reasons for
and effects of the obsta-
cles that have stood in
the way of working
women’s careers in the
past, present, and fu-
ture. Katy Hessel, an
art historian and cura-
tor, is developing a rem-
edy to end the lengthy
dominance of males in
the art world.
In combination with
her blog, The Great
Women Artists, The
Story of Art Without
Men revives the herit-
age of women artists
from the 1500s to the
21st century, encom-
passing key moments in
art history such as
dadaism, civil rights,
and antiracism. Hassel
explored her efforts to
end patriarchy in the
art world in dialogue
with art historian
Xavier Bray.
EMPHASISING
WOMENINLITERATURE
O
n the third day of
the Jaipur Litera-
ture Festival, a
very deep conver-
sation took place be-
tween literature critics
and authors, Amit
Choudhary
, Deepti Ka-
poor, Ruth Ozeki, and
Shehan Karunatilaka.
When asked about why
they all read fiction, eve-
ryone has varied an-
swers.
Shehan said, “You al-
ways love inside your
own head. To get out of
your own head, you need
to read fiction. And
that’s why I read fic-
tion.” On the other hand,
Amit Choudhary had to
say that he never read
fiction, and that he was
always inclined towards
poetry
.
“My tutor at UCLA
questioned me, why
don’t you read fiction. I
was drawn to the idea of
narrative, a transforma-
tive account of poetry.
But my tutor said if I
wantedtoAcemycourse,
I must read fiction, and
that’s how it began.”
Ruth said, “I was an only
child and had no one to
talk to. So I engaged in
books to have conversa-
tions with characters. It
was a way of living in-
side their skins for a
while.” Talking of the
writing process, Deepti
said,” The process of
writing a novel for me is
a complete cut off from
the world.
THE MYSTERY
OF FICTION!
C
ontemporary au-
thors of Delhi’s Ja-
mia Millia Islamia
Prof. Khalid Javed
with Baran Farooqi re-
viewed the award-winning
book ‘THE PARADISE OF
FOOD’ written by Prof.
Khalid on the magnificent
third day of the JLF on
Saturday.
Khalid Javed was in a
conversation with Pragya
Tiwari, a journalist who
has written extensively on
politics, identity, policy,
and culture. In conversa-
tion with Pragya Tiwari,
Jawed and Farooqi dive
into this saga of food, lust,
loss, and vulnerabilities.
He described his love and
hate relationship with
food. He also forcefully
drew our attention to what
goes unnoticed, about
which he said “No other
rooms of the home con-
tain as deadly double-
faced beings as those
found in the kitchen, and
no other room of the house
do women look so out of
their minds, broken and
jealous, so full of furious
energy and small-minded-
ness as they do in the
kitchen. Two square meals
every day and the hunger
of human intestines
mask a strange sensual
energy. This energy
only goes in the direc-
tion of blood and dark-
ness. The result is ob-
scene and deceptive cov-
etousness.
He further added,
“Rich people have royal
food in their Neamat Kha-
na (Paradise of food)
and in poor’s Neamat
Khana, there is no
sight of any roy-
alty, still even
after not being
blessed enough
to have a para-
dise of food they
still call it their Neamat
khana. So, the value they
are giving to the food is
equal to both whether he is
a beggar or a king.”
G
ulzar is one of In-
dia’s most respect-
ed scriptwriters,
directors, and
leading poets, and has
been one of the most pop-
ular lyricists in main-
stream Hindi cinema for
over five decades. In an
amazing book launch,
celebrated poet, author,
music and cinema schol-
ar Yatindra Mishra and
one of India’s most re-
spected scriptwriters, di-
rectors and leading poets
Gulzar, was in conversa-
tion with celebrated au-
thor and screenwriter
Anu Singh Choudhary
which focused on
Mishra’s new book, Lata
Mangeshkar: A Life in
Music.
This panel of speakers
discussed the making of
the book and the limita-
tions of using English as
the sole language for
writing it. The decision
to write the book in Hindi
and then translate it to
English was also in-
formed by the different
readerships that both
languages attract. Speak-
ing about his interac-
tions with Lata Man-
geshkar, Gulzar Sahab
said, “If there are two
creative minds, they can’t
be parallel lines, they
have to cross each other”.
THE PARADISE
OFDELICACIES
LATA JI: A LIFE
IN MUSIC @JLF
MRIDULA SHARMA
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
Jaipur Literature Festival is the world’s largest gathering of literary writers and path-breaking thinkers. The audience were able to
savour a range of language diversity in the programme on Day 3 too, along with exploring various fun spots and getting clicked!
THE LIT REJUVENATION
—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO AND SUNIL SHARMA
Deepti Kapoor, Ruth Ozeki, Amit Chaudhuri Shehan Karunatilaka
in conversation with Alexandra Pringle
Shaili Chopra, Minnie Vaid and Lakshmi Puri in conversation with Susan Ferguson
Khalid Jawed and Baran Farooqi in conversation with Pragya Tiwari Yatindra Mishra in conversation with Gulzar, Anu Singh Choudhary Arun Maheshwari
Gulzar addressing the audience
Laura Rose O’Connor, Khushboo
Jain Jhilmil Shekhawat with other
visitors at the festival
Dilip Singh Solanki
Visitors initiated a small campaign of
‘Free Hugs’ to spread love harmony
Ridhi Astha
A happy guest reading City First newspaper
Deepti Kapoor during the session
‘WHERE DOES FICTION COME FROM’
The keen literature enthusiasts at the ‘Book Store’
Shipra Jain Saubhagya Jain
Amish Tripathi
Shruti (top),
Tripti Pallavi
Krishan Prasad with their group (School of Business) from Australia
International guests at JLF 2023
Shalini Soni and Anjana Singhi
(L-R) Kanak Jain, Sona Sharma,
Madhvi Pathak, Ritika Mehta, Isha Kashyap,
Dia Gambhir and Akshita Bhatt
ADITI KUSHWAHA
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in SALONI KHANDELWAL
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

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