25082022_First India_Mumbai.pdf

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1. Satish Nandgaonkar
Mumbai: Deputy
Chief Minister Dev-
endra Fadnavis on
Wednesday said the
government proposed
to unlock 276 acres of
slum land owned by
the Airports Author-
ity of India (AAI)
around Mumbai air -
port with in-situ clus-
ter development and
some of this freed
land could then be
used for the expan-
sion of the airport.
During a discussion
on slum rehabilitation
and redevelopment in
Mumbai in the state
legislature, Fadnavis
said, “By rehabilitating
slum dwellers at the
same place, the land
could be unlocked. We
would be able to return
around 100 acres of
land to AAI, which
could then use it to ex-
pand the Mumbai air-
port.”
Fadnavis said the
AAI had given in-prin-
ciple approval for a
similar venture pro-
posed under the previ-
ous BJP government.
“We will take final
approval from AAI
and go for in-situ re-
habilitation through
cluster development
projects. This
way, slum
dwellers
can be
provid-
e d
hous-
ing at
the
same
loca-
tion,
and the land could be
used for airport expan-
sion.”
In 2012, the state gov-
ernment had given the
slum rehabilitation of
airport land to
Sarang Wad-
hwan-led
HDIL, which
failed to
complete the
project.
“The SRA (Slum Re-
habilitation Authority)
houses built by HDIL
are in a poor condition
now. The CM has also
directed the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region
Development Authori-
ty (MMRDA) to repair
these homes and hand
them over to SRA for
future use,” he said.
As much as 276 acres
of AAI land is part of
the 673 acres of Union
government land under
slum encroachment,
Fadnavis said, adding
that 8,333.53 acres of
land is currently occu-
pied by slums including
3,620 acres of private
land, 2,140 acres of gov-
ernment land, 856 acres
of BMC land, and 272
acres of
Turn to P6
Satish Nandgaonkar
Mumbai: Union Fi-
nance Minister Nirma-
la Sitharaman—who
has been assigned by
the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) high com-
mand to be in charge of
the Baramati Lok Sab-
ha constituency—will
make her first three-day
trip to the Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
supremo Sharad Pawar
family’s bastion from
September 22-24.
In its August 08 edi-
tion, First India had re-
ported that Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
has tasked each of his
cabinet ministers with
the duty of improving
the party’s performance
in the 2024 elections. He
has given them the re-
sponsibility of three
districts and
Turn to P6
BJP’s ‘Mission 45’
Sitaraman to visit Baramati in Sept
Slum land to be unlocked, used for Mum airport exp
By rehabilitating slum dwellers
in situ, we would be able to
return 100 acres of freed-up
land to AAI, says Dy CM Fadnavis
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. –ANI PHOTO
Union finance
minister has been
tasked with the
responsibility of
wresting the
constituency from
the Pawar family
380 projects are stuck due to lack of No Objection
Certificates (NOCs). For example, 13 projects are
stuck due to no NOC for Coastal Regulation Zone
II, four due to lack of NOC from civil aviation authori-
ties, six projects due to defence-related NOCs, etc. The
state government will try to help in securing these
NOCs so that 380 projects could be completed.
—Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM
IN THE COURTYARD
RJD SUPREMO LALU PRASAD YADAV ACQUITTED
IN 2015 POLL CODE VIOLATION CASE
MUNDRA DRUG HAUL:
2 AFGHANS GRANTED
TRANSFER TO UP JAIL
TMC’S MONDAL SENT
TO 14 DAYS IN
JUDICIAL CUSTODY
Patna: A court in Bihar’s Hajipur on Wednesday acquitted
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in a 2015 case pertaining
to the former chief minister allegedly making caste-based
remarks and violating the Model Code of Conduct during as-
sembly elections.The court of Additional Chief Judicial Magis-
trate (Hajipur), Smita Raj, acquitted Yadav of all charges due
to lack of substantive evidence.
Ahmedabad: A special NIA
court in Ahmedabad has
granted the plea of two Afghan
nationals accused in the
Mundra drug haul case to be
transferred to the Central Jail
in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar
Pradesh from the Sabarmati
Central Jail in Gujarat. They
had sought the transfer primar
-
ily on the ground that a case is
pending against them in UP.
Asansol: A special CBI court
remanded TMC leader Anubra
-
ta Mondal to 14 days in judicial
custody. Mondal was arrested
by the CBI on Aug 11 in con
-
nection with its probe into
the alleged cattle smuggling
to Bangladesh. Rejecting the
bail plea of Mondal, Asansol
special CBI court judge Rajesh
Chakraborty remanded him to
judicial custody till Sept 7.
PERSPECTIVE
JAIPUR | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
04
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UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI - PART 17
‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’
TIME: THE ONLY THING
MODI HOLDS DEAR...
When Narendra Modi says ‘I’m
Sorry,’ A lesson in punctuality
he narrator brings to
the fore the tremen-
dous value Modiji at-
taches to time. A de-
lay of 3 minutes for a
meeting is a matter
of concer n for him
and this incident speaks volumes
about Modiji’s simplicity and ut-
most dedication towards duty.
This incident is from the time
when Narendra bhai was Gen-
eral Secretary in Gujarat, more
than 35 to 40 years ago. In my
opinion, Narendra bhai was dif-
ferent when immersed in Sang-
hathan activities but I have been
for tunate to have known him at
very close quar ters, not the Nar-
endra bhai of the Sanghathan. In
1992, there was a traders’ confer-
ence in Gujarat. Being the Gen-
eral Secretary Narendra bhai
was visiting Rajkot. He was com-
ing by road to Rajkot while the
other members had reached the
previous night. At that time the
par ty did not have any big car. He
was travelling by Esteem. As per
par ty protocol, whenever the
senior leadership of the par ty is
travelling, it is the par ty’s re-
sponsibility to manage the move-
ment of leaders. Well this time it
was my responsibility to ar range
for Narendra bhai’s movement.
Raninga Wadi is a big banquet
hall in Rajkot and deleg ates had
ar rived from all over the coun-
try and adequate ar rangements
for their stay had been made by
me. The meeting was about to
be gin and I was in the car with
Narendra bhai. He tur ned to me
and said, “Kashyap I hope we
aren’t getting late for the meet-
ing!” I re plied “No, Narendra
bhai. We are 10 minutes ahead
of the scheduled time.” If I talk
about his persona, he is nothing
less than a rock. Confidence
oozes out of his being and his
power of speech, his words of
wisdom are such that anyone
who listens to him is bound to be
overpowered by his eloquence,
lo gic, confidence and truth. At
that time I was only a lower rung
karyakarta and used to handle
the voting section. Listening to
Narendra bhai talk to me in the
car completely mesmerized me
and it was as if he had cast a
spell on me. I was overwhelmed
with awe and became cer tain
that something was extraordi-
narily special about him. When
we reached the meeting spot, it
had already commenced. When
it was Narendra bhai’s turn to
address the dele g ates, can you
imagine how he star ted of f his
speech? He did it with an apolo-
g y. The General Secretary of the
party apolo gizing to the gather-
ing and for what? For being late
to the meeting by 3 min-
utes. This is the extent of
humility and punctuality
that defines Narendra
Modi. The pro g ram had
barely commenced and no
one there expected the
General Secretary to be
apologizing for joining in 3
minutes late. But then, it is
no ordinary man we are re-
ferring to here. It is all
about an incredible gentle-
man who even when com-
manding a high post con-
verses and shares his views
just like an ordinary kar-
yakarta would and teaches
a lesson in humility each
and every time!
T
THE EXTENT OF HUMILITY
AND PUNCTUALITY THAT
DEFINES NARENDRA MODI
I
was overwhelmed with awe and 
became certain that something 
was extraordinarily special about 
him. When we reached the meeting 
spot, it had already commenced. 
When it was Narendra bhai’s turn 
to address the delegates, can you 
imagine how he started off his 
speech? He did it with an apology. 
General Secy of party apologizing to  
gathering and for what? For being 
late to the meeting by 3 minutes. 
NaMo’s modesty and
easy going demeanour
endears one and all
esirous of just the
most elementary
food and accommo-
dation ar range-
ments, Mo diji
comes out as a
saintly figure in
this account of his persona and
attributes as a pracharak. The
nar rator was touched by the
candour and purity of Modiji’s
words and actions.
Our house was no palace. It
was a humble dwelling, not built
out of cement and concrete. The
roof too was built out of tin
shade. When Modiji visited me,
I was cer tain he would not like
to slee p under a tin shade roof. I
requested him to shift base to a
better accommodation as there
was provision for him at other
places too. But Modiji said “Ni-
tin bhai, no. I will share the
place with you. Wherever you
eat, drink and slee p is good
enough for me.” Such was his
temperament. He would not
look for material comforts but
in modesty and simplicity, he
would be completely at peace.
The next day we went out to the
pravas in the mor ning. The pro-
tocol says that when pracharaks
ar rive, their accommodation,
food and comfor t is taken care
of. It got to be noon and we were
still at the pravas and I was be-
ginning to get anxious about
making ar rangements for lunch
for Narendra bhai. But it was
Modiji who spoke up first and
said “Nitin bhai, you must be
craving some food now as its
quite late!” I felt embar rassed
and I said “It’s me who has to
wor ry about your comfort and
not the other way round.” And
here we had the quintessential
Modi in his truest avatar - sim-
ple, saintly and easy-going. He
took out two chana packets from
his pocket, g ave me one and ke pt
one with himself. “Let’s have a
little chana and kee p going with
our work!”
The incident left a dee p im-
pact on me. So many times he
would work till late after mid-
night, there would be lengthy
meetings stretching till 2 or 3 in
the morning, yet nothing could
change the time at which Nar-
endra bhai would be gin his day.
Five in the morning was when
he would wake up, irrespective
of the time he sle pt at. Those
were days sans mobile phones;
in fact there weren’t any land-
line phones either and all cor-
respondence used to be through
letters. And it is hard to believe,
Narendra bhai, in order to keep
in touch with the swayamse-
vaks would wake up so early to
write letters and re ply to those
he had received from the kar-
ykar tas. Writing postcards, in-
ter national letters and estab-
lishing communication with
the swayamsevaks, Narendra
bhai would make each mor n-
ing, noon and night count to
ensure that work and pro g ress
never stopped!
TO BE CONTINUED...
D
And it is hard to believe, Narendra bhai, in order to keep in
touch with the swayamsevaks would wake up so early to write
letters and reply to those he had received from the karykar t as.
Writing pos tcards, international let ter s and
es tablishing communication with the swayamsevaks,
Narendr a bhai would make each morning, noon and
night count to ensure that work and progress never stopped !
fer ring to here. It is all
about an incredible gentle-
man who even when com-
manding a high post con-
verses and shares his views
just like an ordinary kar-
yakar ta would and teaches
a lesson in humility each YOU READ PART-16 ON JULY 28, 2022
flfiVol 4 
flfiIssue No. 79 
flRNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on beha lf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. 
Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone [phone]. Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
AND SHWETA SHARMA
MODI IS SIMPLE AND
SAINTLY AVATAR ALWAYS
I
felt embarrassed and I said “It’s 
me who has to worr y about 
your comfort and not the other 
way round.” And here we had 
the quintessential Modi in his 
truest avatar - simple, saintly and 
easy-going. He took out two chana 
packets from his pocket, gave me 
one and kept one with himself. 
“Let’s have a little chana and keep 
going with our work!”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
P4
MODI’S
2 SHOTS
IN 1 DAY
‘INDIA ON MISSION MODE TO
TRANSFORM EDU & HEALTH’
l PM Modi inaugurates State-of-
the-art Amrita Hospital in Faridabad
l Modi opens ‘Homi Bhabha Cancer
Hospital & Research Centre’ in Mohali
Moni Sharma
Faridabad: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Wednesday inaugurated
the super-speciality Am-
rita Hospital in Hary-
ana’s Faridabad man-
aged by Mata Amritan-
andamayi Math and said
that the hospital will
make a lot of difference.
Addressing the inau-
gural event of Amrita
Hospital in Haryana’s
Faridabad, PM Modi
congratulated Mata
Amritanandamayi, all
the saints associated
with her Math, and the
members of the trust,
doctors and all the work-
ers of the new hospital.
Reciting a Sanskrit slo-
ka, PM Modi said, “We
do not desire the king-
dom, nor do we desire
pleasures of heaven.”
ASIA’S LARGEST PRIVATE HOSPITAL
O
nce fully operational in a phased manner in 5 years
the hospital with 81 specialities, 10k employees, 800
doctors is billed to be the Asia’s largest private hospital.
SALIENT FEATURES OF HOSP
z2,600-bed private
hospital is equipped with
cutting-edge technology
zInvestment of Rs 4,000
cr have been made so far
zIt is built on 130-acre
z7 storey research block
constructed in 6 years
zIt has a four-star hotel, a
medical & nursing college,
a college for allied health,
498-room guesthouse
zThere will be 54 critical
care units, smart ICUs,
534 critical care beds &
64 fully networked modu-
lar operation theatres
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with spiritual leader Mata
Amritanandamayi and others at inauguration of Amrita Hospital in
Faridabad, Haryana on Wednesday. ­ —PHOTOS BY ANI
PM TO ATTEND STATE FUNERAL OF EX-
JAPANESE PM, MEET FUMIO ON SEPT 27
HOLISTIC HEALTHCARE
A PRIORITY, SAYS MODI
Tokyo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to attend
the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe on September 27, Japanese media reported
on Wednesday. Modi is also likely to hold a meeting
with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, the report added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates ‘Homi Bhabha
Cancer Hospital and Research Centre’, in Mohali, Punjab
on Wednesday. Also present here on the occasion are
Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Union Minister Dr Jitendra
Singh and CM Bhagwant Mann.
Full report P5
Nitish wins trust vote after
BJP lawmakers walk out
Patna (ANI): The new -
ly-formed ‘Mahagath-
bandhan’ govt in Bihar
on Wednesday comfort
-
ably won the motion of
confidence amid a walk
-
out staged by MLAs of
the BJP -- which has
been stripped of power
as a result of recent po
-
litical upheaval in state.
Some of BJP MLAs,
who had staged a walk
-
out while Nitish was de-
livering his speech,
stormed House demand
-
ing that deputy speaker
not waste time on the
headcount.
Full report P5
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and state Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, RJD
leader Rabri Devi and others during the nomination filing of Bihar
legislative Council Chairman, in Patna on Wednesday.
160 MLAs voted in
favour of motion
while no vote was
cast against same
zBihar speaker Vijay Ku-
mar Sinha resigns ahead
of CM Nitish’s floor test
zCBI raids 2 RJD lead-
ers including Lalu’s aide
Sunil Singh in connec
with land-for-jobs scam
zOutgoing Bihar speak-
er did not want a dalit to
preside over House, says
his deputy
zBihar CM Nitish Kumar
praises Atal Bihari Vaj-
payee in the Assembly
BJP is luring
AAP MLAs, says
Kejri; BJP denies
the charge
New Delhi: The AAP
on Wednesday took on
Modi-led union govt, ac-
cusing it of trying to
topple the Delhi govt.
BJP is using central
probe agencies against
its leaders, the party
claimed. AAP leaders
slammed BJP for alleg-
edly trying to lure AAP
MLAs with cash and
threats. The BJP has de-
nied the charge and ac-
cused AAP of trying to
“deviate and deflect”
from questions around
alleged corruption in
the liquor policy for
which Delhi Deputy
Chief Minister Manish
Sisodia was recently
raided by the CBI.
PM Narendra Modi seeks
bleesings from Mata
Amritanandamayi during
the inauguration event.
MAJOR HAPPENINGS
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MUMBAI l THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 110
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, NEW DELHI & MUMBAI
AMERICAN
EXPRESS CAN
SIGN UP NEW
USERS IN INDIA
SHERGILL QUITS CONGRESS, TAKES DIG AT GANDHIS
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill has quit
the grand-old party. Jaiveer Shergill resigned from all posts and
membership of the Congress party on Wednesday. He alleged that
decision making in Cong party is no longer based on public interest.
New Delhi: The RBI on Wednesday lifted the restrictions
on American Express Banking Corp and allowed
onboarding of new domestic customers on its card
network. Curbs were imposed for not following ‘Storage
of Payment System Data’ effective May 1, 2021.
AMITABH
BACHCHAN
TESTS +VE FOR
SECOND TIME
Mumbai: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan
on Tuesday late night took to Twitter to announce
that he has tested positive for Covid-19. The actor
also urged everyone who came in contact with him
to get tested for coronavirus.
BSE SENSEX 59,085.43 54.13 | NSE NIFTY 17,604.95 27.45
Fb TIMELINES
FLOODED WITH
RANDOM POSTS
New Delhi: Facebook
confirmed it is working
on fixing problems with
its newsfeed after users
complained about feeds
overrun by posts from
strangers directed at
celebrity accounts. The
glitch has led to more
than 2,500 complaints
on Downdetector on
Wednesday. Fb later
issued a statement to
restore to normal soon.
ED RECOVERS 2
AK-47 RIFLES, 60
BULLETS IN RAIDS
Ranchi: ED on Wednesday
conducted fresh raids
in the ongoing PMLA
investigation into alleged
illegal mining in Jharkhand
and recovered two AK-47
assault rifles and 60
bullets. 2 weapons, 60 live
rounds and two magazines
were found at a home
in Ranchi and sources
identified premises to be
linked to a person called
Prem Prakash.
‘PAK COLONEL PAID
`30,000 TO TARGET
INDIAN ARMY’
New Delhi: A captured
terrorist undergoing
treatment at a facility of the IA
in Kashmir said he had been
sent on a suicide mission
by a colonel of the Pakistani
army. Terrorist, identified as
Tabarak Hussain, said he
had come with four-five other
men and had been given
`30,000 by Pakistani colonel,
Colonel Yunus, to target

the Indian Army.
ASIA CUP 2022: VVS
APPOINTED INDIA’S
INTERIM HEAD COACH
New Delhi: NCA head
VVS Laxman will perform
the duties of interim head
coach for the upcoming
Asia Cup after Rahul Dravid
tested positive for Covid-19.
Dravid is currently in
isolation and will link
up with the squad once
he tests negative, BCCI
secretary Jay Shah stated in
a release on Wednesday.
READ
CrucialCrucial

2. NEWS
MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
02
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Shinde faction, Opposition face off at Vidhan Bhavan
Mumbai (PTI): An
MLA from Maha-
rashtra Chief Minis-
ter Eknath Shinde’s
Shiv Sena faction and
a legislator of the
NCP almost came to
blows in the Vidhan
Bhavan premises on
Wednesday after
shouting slogans
against each other.
The NCP MLAs car-
ried carrots on the
steps of the legislature
building in an bid to
taunt the ruling Shiv
Sena-BJP coalition.
The Shinde faction
MLAs tried to snatch
the carrots from the
NCP legislators, rais-
ing tensions between
the two groups.
Sena MLA Mahesh
Shinde (from the CM’s
faction) and NCP MLC
Amol Mitkari then vir-
tually came to blows at
the steps of the legisla-
ture building.
Some legislators
from the two sides then
intervened and dif-
fused the tension.
Earlier, legislators
of the ruling BJP and
those from the Shinde
faction staged a pro-
test in the Vidhan
Bhavan premises tar-
geting former CM Ud-
dhav Thackeray and
his son Aaditya
Thackeray.
They carried ban-
ners with messages al-
leging corruption in
the cash-rich Brihan-
mumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC)
and claimed the Thack-
erays compromised
Hindutva for power.
Some of the ban-
ners carried the mes-
sage: “Raja stayed
indoors due to fear of
COVID-19 while
friends of the yuvraj
looted the treasury.”
The MLAs also
shouted slogans like
“standing committee
che khoke...Ma -
toshree okay,” alleg-
ing corruption in the
BMC with the sup -
port of Thackerays.
“Matoshree” is the
personal residence of
Uddhav Thackeray.
Standing commit-
tee is the governing
body of the BMC,
where the elections
are due.
Bharat Gogawale,
the MLA from the
Shinde camp, told re-
porters that the oppo-
sition legislators need
not have come near
them when they were
staging the protest.
“They started argu-
ing first. When they
protested all these
days, we did not inter-
fere,” he said.
Members from
both the sides kept
shouting slogans
against each other for
some more time and
then went into the
House to attend the
day’s proceedings.
Opposition and rebel Shiv Sena MLAs raised slogans against each other outside the
Maharashtra Assembly during its ongoing Monsoon session on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Sena MLA Mahesh Shinde (from the CM’s faction)
and NCP MLC Amol Mitkari virtually came to blows
at the steps of the Maharashtra legislature building
They started
arguing
first. When
they protested all
these days, we did
not interfere.
—Bharat Gogawale,
Shinde-camp MLA
Assembly passes Bill to reverse
MVA decision to hike BMC wards
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The state As-
sembly passed a Bill
reversing a decision
of the previous Maha
Vikas Aghadi govern-
ment to increase the
number of wards in
the cash-rich Brihan-
mumbai Municipal
Corporation from 227
to 236, on Wednesday.
The Congress and the
Samajwadi Party sup-
ported the amendment
to reverse the previous
government’s decision
on wards in the Mumbai
civic body, where elec-
tions are due.
The NCP and the Ud-
dhav Thackeray-led Shiv
Sena opposed the amend-
ment by highlighting a
Supreme Court decision
directing a status quo.
But Deputy Chief
Minister Devendra Fad-
navis made it clear that
the apex court directive
was in another case per-
taining to quota for the
Other Backward Classes
(OBCs). “Our ordinance
is for reversing the num-
ber of wards from 236 to
227. There is no legal im-
pediment,” he said.
Shiv Sena MLA Aadi-
tya Thackeray said the
Bill was “unconstitu-
tional, just like the gov-
ernment”. But, Chief
Minister Eknath Shinde
said, “In a democracy,
numbers are important.
We have the majority. We
have not acted unconsti-
tutionally.”
Shinde also accepted
MLA Sada Sarvankar’s
demand for an inquiry
by the Anti-Corruption
Bureau (ACB) into the
previous government’s
decision to increase the
number of wards. Al-
though he was the urban
development minister in
the previous Thackeray-
led government, policy
making is always a col-
lective decision, he said.
Amin Patel (Congress)
said ward delimitation
was done to “benefit a
particular party” and
was not in the interest of
the citizens of Mumbai.
Raees Sheikh (of the
Samajwadi Party) also
said the delimitation of
wards was a manipula-
tion done to help a “par-
ticular party” and
claimed that it was done
to target councillors
from other parties who
worked for several years
by breaking the wards
they represented. Nei-
ther named any party.
Amit Satam (BJP)
said in the 2011 census,
there was 3.87% in-
crease in population
and since it was a mini-
mal increase, the wards
were not increased in
2017. But the MVa gov-
ernment illegally in-
creased the wards by
nine, he said.
NOW, DIRECT ELECTIONS FOR HEADS OF LOCAL BODIES
z The Maharashtra Legislative Council on Tuesday passed two Bills that will en-
able election of gram panchayat sarpanches, presidents of municipal councils
and nagar panchayats directly by voters.
z The Bills were cleared by the Legislative Assembly on Monday.
z Tabling the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial
Townships Act, 1965, in the Upper House, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said
the move was aimed at increasing accountability of these local bodies, mem-
bers of which have so far been electing their own chiefs.
Congress and the
Samajwadi Party
supported the
move; NCP,
Thackeray-led
Sena opposed it
‘Will try to
get quick
nod for
Shakti Bill’
Mumbai (PTI): Depu-
ty Chief Minister De-
vendra Fadnavis on
Tuesday said the state
government will make
all efforts to get the
presidential assent
speedily for the Shak-
ti Bill that provides
for stringent punish-
ment for crimes
against women.
Replying to a debate
in the Legislative Coun-
cil, he said the state had
sent the Shakti Crimi-
nal Laws (Maharashtra
Amendment) Bill, 2020,
to the President for as-
sent earlier this year.
The Bill, inspired by the
Disha Act of Andhra
Pradesh and other simi-
lar laws, was passed by
the state legislature in
December 2021. The Un-
ion Home Ministry
asked for some informa-
tion pertaining to the
Bill and the state DGP
will soon submit a re-
port, Fadnavis said.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Deputy
Chief Minister Deven-
dra Fadnavis on
Wednesday told the
state Legislative As-
sembly that the Comp-
troller and Auditor
General (CAG) will
conduct a special au-
dit into the function-
ing of the Brihan-
mumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC).
Speaking in the Lower
House of the state legis-
lature, he also said that
the state Urban Develop-
ment Department (UDD)
will separately conduct a
time-bound probe into
the allegations that serv-
ing civic officials in
Mumbai have started
their own companies
and accepting work con-
tracts.
“A special audit will be
conducted by the CAG
into the BMC’s function-
ing, including the quali-
ty of roads, allegation of
scams in setting up of
COVID-19 centres,” he
said.
Municipal elections in
the city are due soon.
BMC has been experimenting with technology to fill the city’s
potholes, so as to eliminate them all in three years.
Govt to form policy for desilting
rivers to prevent floods: Shinde
First India Bureau
Mumbai: In a bid to
prevent flooding,
Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde on
Wednesday an-
nounced that the gov-
ernment plans to im-
plement a “compre-
hensive policy” for
desilting Maharash-
tra’s rivers in the on-
going session of the
state Assembly.
“The Maharashtra
government is forming
a comprehensive policy
for desilting of all riv-
ers in the state. It would
work as a guideline for
the implementing au-
thority to take neces-
sary steps to clean and
desilt the river beds,”
Shinde said, replying to
a question from by BJP
member Sunil Rane.
Meanwhile, to a
question by some
members on satellite
phones, minister Ab-
dul Sattar said in the
House that the previ-
ous government had
bought satellite phones
at a rate of Rs1,70,000
per unit, when similar
phones are available at
Rs80,000 per unit.
Several parts of the state saw flooding in the wake of incessant
rain last month. —FILE PHOTO
No child died due
to malnutrition in
the past 5 years?
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The state As-
sembly witnessed a
row on whether or not
the state has seen any
child deaths due to
malnutrition in the
past five years, lead-
ing Speaker Rahul
Narvekar to reserve
the issue and as Tribal
Development Minister
Vijaykumar Gavit to
produce fresh infor-
mation.
Gavit on Wednesday
said that there has been
no child death reported
due to malnutrition in
the state in the last five
years. However, mem-
bers of the NCP and
Congress objected to
the minister’s claim.
Gavit said, “As per
data shared by the
health department,
there is no child death
reported due to malnu-
trition in the state.”
There are 16 districts
with tribal populations.
“No district has reported
such a death in the last
five years,” he said.
It is a well-
known fact
that there have
been cases of malnutri-
tion in the state and
many children die due
to it every year. In Mel-
ghat (Amravati district)
alone, 18 children died
between July 15 and Au-
gust 15 this year.

—Ajit Pawar,
Leader of the Opposition
Mumbai (PTI): Chief
Minister Eknath Shinde
on Wednesday felici-
tated five-term former
MLA Keshavrao Shan-
karrao Dhondge, who
turned 100 last month,
in the Vidhan Bhavan
here and lauded his
contributions to public
life. Dhondge, also a
former Lok Sabha MP,
was born on July 25,
1922, and participated
in the freedom move-
ment. He founded an
organization, the Shri
Shivaji Mofat Educa-
tion Society, to spread
education among
people. Speaking on the
occasion, Shinde said it
was Dhondge who per-
suaded both the Houses
of the state legislature
to start proceedings by
singing Vande Mataram
on the first day of a ses-
sion. His demand was
accepted and came into
force in 1990.
CM FELICITATES
CENTENARIAN EX-
MLA DHONDGE
Maha’s anti-conversion
law to be stricter: Fadnavis
First India Bureau
Mumbai: In response
to the demand for
anti-conversion law
made by Maharash-
tra Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) legisla-
tor, Nitesh Rane, cit-
ing alleged religious
conversion of Hindu
women, Deputy
Chief Minister Dev-
endra Fadnavis an-
nounced in the state
Assembly on
Wednesday that
there is already an
anti-conversion law
in Maharashtra.
“No one can carry
out conversion with co-
ercion. If there are
flaws in the provisions
of the law, the govern-
ment will make efforts
to make the provisions
further stringent,” he
said, in his reply to the
motion by Rane. The
MLA had called atten-
tion to the law after the
alleged conversion of a
minor girl from
Ahmednagar district.
Rane urged Fad -
navis to step up ac-
tions against forced
conversion. “People’s
rate cards are based to
religion and caste and
minor girls are victim-
ized,” he alleged.
Referring to the
Shrirampur case, Rane
alleged that the ac-
cused and the police
were in cahoots. “It is a
serious incident. A mi-
nor girl is cheated and
tortured in the name of
religious conversion.
Action against the ac-
cused was taken a long
time after the case was
registered,” he said.
The legislator de-
manded that the police
officer in charge of the
case be terminated. In
response, Fadnavis
said that an inquiry
will be conducted in
the matter.
Devendra Fadnavis
BJP legislator Nitesh
Rane alleged that the
accused and police
colluded in the
Shrirampur case
LOVE JIHAD
CAG to conduct special
audit into functioning
of Mumbai’s civic body
—FILE PHOTO

3. First India Bureau
Thane: Panic spread
in the district after a
leopard was found
loitering inside a
house in a residen-
tial area of the dis-
trict.
Forest personnel,
however, managed to
catch the big cat after
about 10 hours on
Tuesday, a department
official said.
The leopard had re-
portedly entered a
house in Sahapur ta-
luk’s Umbarkhand vil-
lage at around 4am on
Tuesday.
The leopard was
found resting in a
room by a family mem-
ber—a woman—who
immediately locked
the door. The family
then alerted the local
police and forest de-
partment.
Forest officials and a
team from the Sanjay
Gandhi National Park
arrived at the house
and tranquilized the
leopard. According to
the forest official, it
was a two-year-old fe-
male which was later
released into the forest.
The forest official
said the leopard pos-
sibly entered the vil-
lage in search of prey.
He also assured that
no one was hurt by the
feline.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The state
government has
hiked the financial
assistance for loss
of human life in
wild animal attacks
from Rs15 lakh to
Rs20 lakh, forest
minister Sudhir
Mungantiwar said
on Wednesday.
Making the an -
nouncement in the
Legislative Council,
he said the incidence
of human-animal
conflict was rising in
the state. In 2019-20,
47 people lost their
lives in attacks by
wild animals, 80 peo-
ple died in such inci-
dents in 2020-21 and
86 died in 2021-22, he
said. The financial as-
sistance (in such cas-
es) has been hiked
from Rs15 lakh to
Rs20 lakh, Munganti-
war said.
The assistance is
provided in the case
of death due to an at-
tack by tiger, leopard,
bear, gaur, wild boar,
wolf, hyena, croco-
dile, wild dog and el-
ephant, the minister
said. The compensa-
tion for the death of
cattle in such attacks
has been hiked from
Rs60,000 to Rs70,000.
If a sheep or goat is
killed, the amount
has been hiked from
Rs10,000 to 15,000.
In case of cattle suf-
fering permanent dis-
ability, the compensa-
tion has been hiked
from Rs12,000 to
Rs15,000, and for
sheep and goat it has
been increased from
Rs4,000 to Rs5,000.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on
Wednesday directed
the Mumbai Metro
Rail Corporation
Limited (MMRCL) to
strictly abide by its
undertaking that no
trees would be cut in
Mumbai’s Aarey col-
ony and warned that
any violation will re-
sult in strict action.
A three-judge bench
headed by Justice UU
Lalit said he would
hear the matter on Au-
gust 30 after counsel for
the Maharashtra gov-
ernment sought time to
collate documents.
“The counsel for
MMRCL submits that
her clients have al-
ready filed an affidavit
that no trees have been
or would be cut in any
manner. The said un-
dertaking by the MMR-
CL director has already
been taken on record
and MMRCL shall be
strictly bound by the
same,” said the bench
also comprising Jus-
tice SR Bhat and Jus-
tice Sudhanshu Dhulia.
Senior advocate Ani-
tha Shenoy, appearing
for the petitioner, al-
leged that clearing and
levelling work is going
on despite the apex
court’s order.
The MMRCL had ear-
lier told the Supreme
Court that no trees
have been cut in Mum-
bai’s Aarey colony af-
ter October 2019.
The apex court in
2019 had taken suo
motu cognizance of a
letter petition ad-
dressed to the then
chief justice of India
by a law student seek-
ing a stay on the felling
of trees in the Aarey
colony.
The top court had re-
strained authorities
from cutting any more
trees in the Aarey colo-
ny after the solicitor
general had submitted
on behalf of the state
of Maharashtra that no
further trees will be
cut.
The felling of trees
in the colony has been
opposed by green activ-
ists and residents.
MAHARASHTRA
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First India Bureau
Mumbai: Reacting in-
differently to girl-
friend’s apprehen-
sion of being preg-
nant falls short of
instigation or incite-
ment to commit sui-
cide, said the Bombay
High Court, while
granting bail to a
man arrested for rap-
ing and abetting the
suicide of his girl-
friend.
A 16-year-old girl al-
legedly committed sui-
cide at her residence in
Thane in March 2021
after her boyfriend (ac-
cused), then aged 19
years, reacted indiffer-
ently to her message to
him saying she might
be pregnant, according
to police.
A single bench of
Justice Bharati Dangre
granted bail to the ac-
cused, Kunal Doke, not-
ing that the victim’s
post-mortem report has
revealed she was not
pregnant. “The sudden
reaction of the accused
to her news of being
pregnant falls short of
instigation or incite-
ment for the victim to
commit suicide,” he
said.
The applicant, at the
time of the incident,
was merely 19 years old
and he had reacted in
an indifferent manner
which can be seen from
the WhatsApp chat
(with the victim). The
chat reveals the two
were sharing a proxi-
mate relationship, said
the court.
To invoke the offence
of abetment to commit
suicide, it is necessary
to establish that there
was instigation or in-
citement from the ac-
cused to the deceased to
commit suicide, it said.
The sudden reaction
of the applicant to the
news of pregnancy may
fall short of it, added
the court.
Considering the
young age of the appli-
cant, his incarceration
on the completion of
investigation is unwar-
ranted, Justice Dangre
said, while directing
that Doke be released
on bail on a personal
bond of Rs25,000.
The Thane police had
arrested Doke in March
2021 based on a com-
plaint made by the vic-
tim girl’s mother.
He was booked under
various sections of the
Indian Penal Code for
rape and abetment of
suicide and under pro-
visions of the Protec-
tion of Children from
Sexual Offences (POC-
SO) Act.
Man accused of abetting suicide gets bail
REACTING INDIFFERENTLY TO NEWS OF PREGNANCY FALLS SHORT OF INSTIGATION FOR SUICIDE: HC
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Two persons
from Valsad in neigh-
bouring Gujarat were
detained on Wednes-
day for reportedly
threatening to blow
up The Lalit hotel in
suburban Andheri.
The hotel administra-
tion approached Sahar
police station to file an
FIR, while the hotel
premises, located in
Andheri East, were thor-
oughly scanned after the
call. The FIR was initial-
ly lodged against an uni-
dentified person.
According to a Mum-
bai police official, multi-
ple teams were formed to
catch the caller. Valsad
police’s special opera-
tions group (SOG) helped
the Mumbai police to
nab the two culprits, said
Valsad SOG Sub-Inspec-
tor LG Rathod.
The two, identified
as Vikram Singh and
Yeshu Singh, were
caught from Vapi town
around 3.00am on
Wednesday, said
Rathod. The two are
friends who hail from
Bihar, but were living
in Vapi town.
They called in the
bomb hoax in an at-
tempt to make easy
money by extorting the
administration of the
five-star luxury hotel,
said officials.
An official said the
two used Yeshu’s phone
to first threaten the on-
duty receptionist that
they would blow up the
hotel, before demanding
that the manager
—with
whom they spoke next
—
deliver Rs5 crore to Su-
rat to keep them from
detonating their bombs.
First India Bureau
Nashik: Two students
of a residential school
for specially abled
children in Nashik
district died due to
suspected food poi-
soning on Wednesday,
police said.
The condition of two
other students was seri-
ous, they added.
Harshal Bhoir (23),
who hailed from Bhi-
wandi, and Mohammed
Zuber Sheikh (10) who
was from Nashik died
at the Igatpuri rural
hospital, said a police
official.
Two other students
whose condition was
serious were shifted to
the Nashik district Hos-
pital where they were
undergoing treatment.
A total of eight stu-
dents Anusuyatmaja
Matimand Niwasi Vid-
yalya, located near Ig-
atpuri in the district,
complained of symp-
toms like vomiting and
loose motions after
dinner on Tuesday
night, said the police
official.
The ailing students
were taken to the Igat-
puri rural hospital
where Bhoir and Sheikh
succumbed.
The food samples
have been sent for test-
ing and further investi-
gation is underway,
added the official.
The residential insti-
tution located in the
Nashik district has
around 120 students.
Strictly abide by undertaking of no felling of
trees at Aarey forest: SC to Mumbai Metro body
STERN ORDER
Three-judge bench of apex
court warns of ‘action’ in case of
violations; will hear the matter
in next hearing on August 30
Environmentalists and local residents have been protesting
against felling of trees at Aarey colony. —FILE PHOTO
Man held for murder
of bed-ridden aunt
Mumbai (PTI): A
39-year-old man
has been arrested
here for allegedly
killing his ailing
aunt over a finan-
cial dispute, police
said on Wednes-
d a y.
Anthony Benja -
min Fernandes al-
legedly assaulted
his aunt Santan
Bastev Fernandes
(65) even though she
was bed-ridden,
said an official of
the Byculla police
station.
Anthony and his
aunt lived in the
same house. He was
allegedly angry af-
ter learning that she
was helping his
brother to get a bank
loan.
His wife contacted
police when she re-
alized that the old
woman was lying
motionless after he
had beaten her. An-
thony was booked
under Indian Penal
Code (IPC) section
302 (murder) and
further probe was
on, said the official.
Relief in fatal attacks by wild
animals increased to ` 20 lakh
In 2019-20, 47 people lost their lives in attacks
by wild animals, 80 people died in such
incidents in 2020-21 and 86 died in 2021-22
Leopard rescued after 10 hrs in Thane house
The leopard was found resting in a room by a family member
who locked the door and alerted the authorities.
Nagpur: A tiger
carcass was dead
in the Navegaon
Khairi reservoir in
the buffer zone of
the Pench Tiger
Reserve (PTR),
said a forest of-
ficial on Tuesday,
adding that the
likely cause of
death could be
“accidental drown-
ing”. There was no
sign of electrocu-
tion or poisoning,
the release from
the deputy director
of PTR added.
Poachers often
resort to electrocu-
tion or poisoning
to kill wild animals.
TIGER FOUND
DEAD IN PTR
2 from Guj held for
The Lalit bomb hoax
Two students dead
due to food poisoning
BDDS undertook a four-hour frisk-and-check operation of the
hotel’s rooms and adjacent areas, said officials. —FILE PHOTO
4-HOUR SEARCH
Two other students in
serious condition
have been shifted to
Nashik dist hospital;
total of 8 students
complained of
vomitting and
diarrhoea after dinner

4. PERSPECTIVE
MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
04
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UNTOLD STORIES OF PM MODI - PART 17‘MODI HAI TO MUMKIN HAI…’
TIME: THE ONLY THING
MODI HOLDS DEAR...
When Narendra Modi says ‘I’m
Sorry,’ A lesson in punctuality
he narrator brings to
the fore the tremen-
dous value Modiji at-
taches to time. A de-
lay of 3 minutes for a
meeting is a matter
of concern for him
and this incident speaks volumes
about Modiji’s simplicity and ut-
most dedication towards duty.
This incident is from the time
when Narendra bhai was Gen -
eral Secretary in Gujarat, more
than 35 to 40 years ago. In my
opinion, Narendra bhai was dif-
ferent when immersed in Sang-
hathan activities but I have been
fortunate to have known him at
very close quarters, not the Nar-
endra bhai of the Sanghathan. In
1992, there was a traders’ confer-
ence in Gujarat. Being the Gen-
eral Secretary Narendra bhai
was visiting Rajkot. He was com-
ing by road to Rajkot while the
other members had reached the
previous night. At that time the
party did not have any big car. He
was travelling by Esteem. As per
party protocol, whenever the
senior leadership of the party is
travelling, it is the party’s re-
sponsibility to manage the move-
ment of leaders. Well this time it
was my responsibility to arrange
for Narendra bhai’s movement.
Raninga Wadi is a big banquet
hall in Rajkot and delegates had
arrived from all over the coun-
try and adequate arrangements
for their stay had been made by
me. The meeting was about to
begin and I was in the car with
Narendra bhai. He turned to me
and said, “Kashyap I hope we
aren’t getting late for the meet-
ing!” I replied “No, Narendra
bhai. We are 10 minutes ahead
of the scheduled time.” If I talk
about his persona, he is nothing
less than a rock. Confidence
oozes out of his being and his
power of speech, his words of
wisdom are such that anyone
who listens to him is bound to be
overpowered by his eloquence,
logic, confidence and truth. At
that time I was only a lower rung
karyakarta and used to handle
the voting section. Listening to
Narendra bhai talk to me in the
car completely mesmerized me
and it was as if he had cast a
spell on me. I was overwhelmed
with awe and became certain
that something was extraordi-
narily special about him. When
we reached the meeting spot, it
had already commenced. When
it was Narendra bhai’s turn to
address the delegates, can you
imagine how he started off his
speech? He did it with an apolo-
gy. The General Secretary of the
party apologizing to the gather-
ing and for what? For being late
to the meeting by 3 min-
utes. This is the extent of
humility and punctuality
that defines Narendra
Modi. The program had
barely commenced and no
one there expected the
General Secretary to be
apologizing for joining in 3
minutes late. But then, it is
no ordinary man we are re-
ferring to here. It is all
about an incredible gentle-
man who even when com -
manding a high post con-
verses and shares his views
just like an ordinary kar-
yakarta would and teaches
a lesson in humility each
and every time!
T
THE EXTENT OF HUMILITY
AND PUNCTUALITY THAT
DEFINES NARENDRA MODI
I
was overwhelmed with awe and
became certain that something
was extraordinarily special about
him. When we reached the meeting
spot, it had already commenced.
When it was Narendra bhai’s turn
to address the delegates, can you
imagine how he started off his
speech? He did it with an apology.
General Secy of party apologizing to
gathering and for what? For being
late to the meeting by 3 minutes.
NaMo’s modesty and
easy going demeanour
endears one and all
esirous of just the
most elementary
food and accommo-
dation arrange -
ments, Modiji
comes out as a
saintly figure in
this account of his persona and
attributes as a pracharak. The
narrator was touched by the
candour and purity of Modiji’s
words and actions.
Our house was no palace. It
was a humble dwelling, not built
out of cement and concrete. The
roof too was built out of tin
shade. When Modiji visited me,
I was certain he would not like
to sleep under a tin shade roof. I
requested him to shift base to a
better accommodation as there
was provision for him at other
places too. But Modiji said “Ni-
tin bhai, no. I will share the
place with you. Wherever you
eat, drink and sleep is good
enough for me.” Such was his
temperament. He would not
look for material comforts but
in modesty and simplicity, he
would be completely at peace.
The next day we went out to the
pravas in the morning. The pro-
tocol says that when pracharaks
arrive, their accommodation,
food and comfort is taken care
of. It got to be noon and we were
still at the pravas and I was be-
ginning to get anxious about
making arrangements for lunch
for Narendra bhai. But it was
Modiji who spoke up first and
said “Nitin bhai, you must be
craving some food now as its
quite late!” I felt embarrassed
and I said “It’s me who has to
worry about your comfort and
not the other way round.” And
here we had the quintessential
Modi in his truest avatar - sim-
ple, saintly and easy-going. He
took out two chana packets from
his pocket, gave me one and kept
one with himself. “Let’s have a
little chana and keep going with
our work!”
The incident left a deep im-
pact on me. So many times he
would work till late after mid-
night, there would be lengthy
meetings stretching till 2 or 3 in
the morning, yet nothing could
change the time at which Nar-
endra bhai would begin his day.
Five in the morning was when
he would wake up, irrespective
of the time he slept at. Those
were days sans mobile phones;
in fact there weren’t any land-
line phones either and all cor-
respondence used to be through
letters. And it is hard to believe,
Narendra bhai, in order to keep
in touch with the swayamse-
vaks would wake up so early to
write letters and reply to those
he had received from the kar-
ykartas. Writing postcards, in-
ternational letters and estab-
lishing communication with
the swayamsevaks, Narendra
bhai would make each morn-
ing, noon and night count to
ensure that work and progress
never stopped!
TO BE CONTINUED...
D
And it is hard to believe, Narendra bhai, in order to keep in
touch with the swayamsevaks would wake up so early to write
letters and reply to those he had received from the karykartas.
Writing postcards, international letters and
establishing communication with the swayamsevaks,
Narendra bhai would make each morning, noon and
night count to ensure that work and progress never stopped!
YOU READ PART-16 ON JULY 28, 2022
l Vol 1
l Issue No. 110
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. Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
COMPILED AND EDITED BY
SHASHIKANT SHARMA
AND SHWETA SHARMA
MODI IS SIMPLE AND
SAINTLY AVATAR ALWAYS
I
felt embarrassed and I said “It’s
me who has to worry about
your comfort and not the other
way round.” And here we had
the quintessential Modi in his
truest avatar - simple, saintly and
easy-going. He took out two chana
packets from his pocket, gave me
one and kept one with himself.
“Let’s have a little chana and keep
going with our work!”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi

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6. MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
05
INDIA
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Have demanded PM Modi to implement Raj
model of governance across India: Raj CM
Nobody knows the future: Gehlot
downplays presidency speculation
l Claims his entire focus
is on winning Gujarat and
repeating his government
in Rajasthan
l Will continue to fulfill the responsibility of
Chief Minister, High command has given two
roles of Gujarat Senior Observer and
Rajasthan CM, stresses CM Ashok Gehlot
Senior Gujarat Observer Ashok Gehlot stresses that party’s manifesto will
address the hopes and aspirations of Gujaratis, as directed by Rahul Gandhi
Ravi Sharma
Ahmedabad: Ra -
jasthan Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot on
Wednesday promised
that several people-ori-
ented and social welfare
schemes implemented
in his state by the rul-
ing Congress, will be
replicated in Gujarat if
the party is voted to
power following the As-
sembly elections due
later this year.
These schemes will
also find a mention in
the party’s manifesto
for the Gujarat elec-
tions, he said, adding
that industrial develop-
ment will also be pro-
moted on lines of Ra-
jasthan.
In Ahmedabad to
hold meetings on the
Gujarat Assembly poll
preparations, Gehlot
while talking to report-
ers denied speculations
that he was the top
choice to be the next
Congress president.
Gehlot said if the
Congress is voted to
power in Gujarat, it
will introduce a health
insurance scheme like
the one implemented in
Rajasthan, old pension
scheme, separate agri-
culture budget and day-
time electricity to
farmers, employment
guarantee scheme,
quality food for Rs 8 per
plate, English medium
schools, among other
things.
“We are here to win
the election. BJP is ex-
posed after 27 years of
its rule in Gujarat.
CM Ashok Gehlot with (L) KC Venugopal and Dr Raghu Sharma
addresses a press conference, in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Naresh Sharma
New Delhi: Raj Chief
Minister Ashok Gehlot
on Wednesday sought to
downplay speculation
that he could be made
Congress chief, saying
nobody knows what will
be decided. Gehlot’s
meeting with Congress
chief Sonia Gandhi led
to the buzz that the two
may have discussed the
possibility of him being
next party prez.
CM Ashok Gehlot during an
investors meeting and MoU
signing ceremony, at a hotel
in New Delhi on Wednesday.
STATE FETCHES
`70K CR MOUs IN
INVEST RAJ EVENT
New Delhi: Raj’s — Invest
Rajasthan 2022 — began on
Wednesday in national capi-
tal and MoUs of `69,789.93
crore were signed by various
firms. CM Gehlot, present
on the occasion, said that
investment commitments
worth `1L cr would come in
Sept following a conducive
environment for investors in
the state. The MoUs will cre-
ate a total of 11,846 direct
employment opportunities.
PM Modi inaugurates Homi
Bhabha Cancer Hosp in Mohali
Mohali (PTI): Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on Wednesday in-
augurated Homi Bhab-
ha Cancer Hospital and
Research Centre at Mul-
lanpur of Punjab’s Mo-
hali district. After inau-
gurating the state-of-
the-art 2,600-bed Amrita
Hospital in Haryana’s
Faridabad, PM Modi ar-
rived here in the after-
noon.
Punjab CM Bhag -
want Mann was also
present when PM Modi
inaugurated the cancer
hospital in Mullanpur
on the outskirts of
Chandigarh.Homi
Bhabha Cancer Hospi-
tal and Research Centre
is a 300-bed facility and
equipped with state-of-
the-art facilities such as
Magnetic resonance im-
aging (MRI), mammog-
raphy, digital radiogra-
phy and brachytherapy
to treat all types of can-
cer using every availa-
ble treatment modali-
ties like surgery, chemo-
therapy, immunothera-
py and bone marrow
transplant.
PM Narendra Modi visits ‘Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre’, in Mohali on
Wednesday. Bhagwant Mann & Dr Jitendra Singh are also seen. —PHOTO BY ANI
Govt investing
on six fronts to
strengthen
healthcare: PM
Mohali (ANI): PM Nar -
endra Modi while inau-
gurating Homi Bhabha
Cancer Hospital laid
down the six fronts on
which the Central govt
is making “record in-
vestments”. PM Modi
said, “The healthcare
services are being
strengthened on six
fronts. The first front is
encouraging preven-
tion healthcare. The
second one is opening
small and modern hos-
pitals. Th
e third front is
opening big institutes of
medical colleges and re
-
search. The fourth front
is increasing the num
-
ber of doctors and para-
medical staff. The fifth
one is to make medicines
available to patients at
cheap rates and afforda
-
ble medical equipment.
The sixth is lessening
the patients’ problems
using technology.”
MILIND SOMAN THANKS PM FOR ENCOURAGING
PEOPLE TO TAKE UP YOGA, AYURVEDA
New Delhi: Fitness guru Milind Soman, on Wednesday, shared
a couple of pictures with PM Narendra Modi and thanked him for en-
couraging people to take up Yoga and Ayurveda across the country.
Taking to Instagram, Milind shared a couple of pictures which he
captioned, “Was so happy to meet Hon PM @narendramodi after
the #UnityRun and discover a mutual interest in ancient Indian tradi-
tions of sport, health & fitness :) I thanked him for all he is doing to
encourage people to take up Yoga and Ayurveda across the country.
‘No run-out this time’: Yadav
on alliance with Nitish Kumar
Patna: C ricketer-
turned-politician
Tejashwi Yadav cited a
cricketing analogy to
-
day to describe the new
Grand Alliance with
Nitish Kumar -- who
had ended the ruling al
-
liance with him and the
Congress five years ago.
“I am a cricketer and
this partnership will
create tumult. This is a
never-ending innings,
it will be historic. Our
partnership will be
long. No one is going to
be run out,” he said in
Bihar assembly today,
ahead of the trust vote.
The new govt headed by
Nitish Kumar has to
prove its majority in
the floor of the house.
Tejashwi Yadav, who
has reoccupied the post
of Nitish Kumar’s Dep
-
uty in the new govt, ac-
cused the BJP of play-
ing divisive politics and
attempting to stamp out
opposition parties.“Go
to any state where the
opposition is in power
or where the BJP is
scared. They bring in
their three Jamai (sons-
in-law) -- the CBI, the
ED and the IT dept”.
Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav greet the state Assembly working Speaker Maheshwar Hazari
before the floor test of the Grand Alliance government, in Patna Wednesday.—PHOTO BY ANI
CENTRE TRYING TO TAKE CREDIT FOR
STATE GOVT’S SCHEMES: NITISH
BIHAR SPEAKER VIJAY SINHA RESIGNS
AHEAD OF NITISH KUMAR’S FLOOR TEST
CBI RAIDS RJD
LEADERS IN LAND-
FOR-JOB SCAM
BIHAR CM NITISH
KUMAR PRAISES
ATAL BIHARI
New Delhi: As Nitish Kumar-led govt
won the motion of confidence by voice
vote on Wednesday, the JD(U) supremo
said that the Central govt is taking credit
for state government schemes. In a
scathing attack on BJP, he alleged that
‘Har Ghar Jal’ was a state govt’s scheme
for which the Centre is taking credit.
Patna: BJP’s Vijay Kumar Sinha
resigned as the Speaker of the Bihar
Assembly ahead of a floor test to prove
the majority of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’
alliance govt led by the chief minister
Nitish Kumar. JD(U)’s Narendra Narayan
Yadav, whose name was recommended
by Sinha will chair the floor test now.
Patna: The homes of
three senior leaders of the
Tejashwi Yadav-led Rash-
triya Janata Dal (RJD)
were raided by the Central
Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) today in connection
with the “land-for-jobs”
case that alleges irregu-
larities during his father
Lalu Yadav’s tenure as
Railway minister in the
UPA-I government.
New Delhi: Bihar chief
minister Nitish Kumar and
his mahagathbandhan
govt won the trust vote on
Wednesday amid a walkout
by BJP lawmakers. Lead-
ers like Atal Bihari Vajpayee
and L K Advani treated me
with respect. I snapped
ties with the BJP in 2013 in
protest against Advani and
other senior leaders being
sidelined, said Kumar.
SPEAKER SINHA DID NOT WANT A DALIT TO
PRESIDE OVER HOUSE, SAYS HIS DEPUTY
Patna: Bihar Assembly Deputy Speaker
Maheshwar Hazari accused outgoing
Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha of having
“insulted Dalits” by denying him the
opportunity to conduct proceedings
of the House after stepping down. The
deputy speaker subsequently adjourned
the proceedings for 20 minutes.
Unite to eliminate terrorism in all forms:
Rajnath Singh appeals to SCO members
New Delhi (PTI): Any
form of terrorism, in
-
cluding cross-border
terrorism, is a crime
against humanity and
the menace must be
dealt with unitedly, De
-
fence Minister Rajnath
Singh said on Wednes
-
day at a conclave of the
SCO in Tashkent. “Ter
-
rorism is one of the
most serious challenges
to global peace and se
-
curity. India reiterates
its resolve to fight all
forms of terrorism and
make the region peace
-
ful, secure and stable,”
he said.
“We seek to develop
joint institutional capa
-
bilities with the SCO
member states, which,
while respecting the
sensitivities of each
country, create the spir
-
it of cooperation among
individuals, societies
and nations,” he added.
Rajnath Singh at the meeting of Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation at Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Wednesday.
Thrash T Raja
wherever you
find him:
Feroze Khan
New Delhi: Congress
leader Feroze Khan
made an appeal to Mus
-
lims to thrash suspend-
ed BJP MLA T Raja
Singh over his remarks
on prophet
Muham
-
mad.
Singh
was arrest
-
ed in Hy-
derabad on Tuesday fol-
lowing his alleged re-
marks against Islam and
prophet Muhammed in a
video which was later
pulled down by the so
-
cial media platform on
which it was uploaded.
Following an uproar
against his remarks,
BJP had suspended Sin
-
gh from the party.
Now, in an expletive-
laden rant, Congress
leader Feroze Khan de
-
manded an apology from
Singh, and sought to
know what was the need
for the BJP leader to
make such statements.
Khan said it was
wrong to criticise the be
-
lief system of anyone.
How can a responsible
MLA make such re
-
marks, he asked.
Has Nitish ‘collaborated’ with RJD’s supremo
Lalu to save ‘last bastion’ of Mandal politics?
Mahesh Sharma
Patna: Speculations are
still being made about
the reason that Nitish
Kumar left the BJP in
Bihar and got back with
the RJD? BJP leaders
used to make statements
against him or question
the functioning of the
government, which was
not a big deal. This hap
-
pens everywhere in coa-
lition govts. But the
goodwill of the BJP cen
-
tral leaders was towards
Nitish. Despite this, the
reason for Nitish’s sud
-
den change of heart is
being said to be the elec
-
tion result of UP.
He was not much trou
-
bled by Yogi Adityanath
becoming the CM for the
first time in UP, rather
Nitish had returned to
the BJP after Yogi be
-
came CM for the first
time. But the BJP’s vic
-
tory for the second time
troubled him. Before the
elections, he had told
people close to him that
Akhilesh Yadav would
win and Mandal politics
would return in UP. But
the results made him feel
that a bastion of Mandal
politics had collapsed
permanently. He did not
understand how BJP can
win under the command
of an upper caste leader.
That’s when he decided
to save Mandal’s strong
-
hold in Bihar and at the
same time Lalu was con
-
tacted through Vijendra
Yadav. UP results were
out in March and Nitish’
efforts over five months
were successful. Now he
and Lalu Prasad togeth
-
er will protect Mandal
politics in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar & Lalu Prasad Yadav.
COURTESY MEET!
Union Home Minister Amit Shah interacts with former vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu
during a meeting, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

7. MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
06
INDIA
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FARMER WHO
HELPED BIHAR
WORKERS DIES
UP LINEMAN CUTS
POWER TO PS FOR
BEING FINED
New Delhi: A Del-
hi-based farmer, who
had bought flight tickets
for his Bihar-based
labourers to send
them home during the
Covid-19 pandem-
ic, allegedly died by
suicide at his home in
Tigi Pur village of Outer
North Delhi on Tuesday
evening. The deceased
farmer has been identi-
fied as Pappan Gahlot.
Lucknow:  The power
supply to a police sta-
tion in Uttar Pradesh’s
Shamli, was cut off by
the electricity depart-
ment, citing overdue
bills, after the district
traffic police fined a
contractual employee
from the state power
department  ` 6,000 for
not wearing a helmet
while riding a motor-
cycle.
CONG YOUTUBE
CHANNEL DELETED
DUE TO GLITCHES

TECHIE CALLED BF
15 TIMES BEFORE
KILLING SELF
New Delhi: The Con-
gress on Wednesday
said its YouTube chan-
nel has been deleted
and it is investigating
whether a technical
glitch or sabotage had
caused this. “Our You-
Tube channel ‘INC’ has
been deleted. We are
fixing it and have been
in touch with Google/
YouTube teams,” the
party said on Twitter.
Bhubaneswar: The
23-yr-old software
engineer Sweta Utkal
Kumari, from Bhadrak
who allegedly died by
suicide and her body
was recovered last
Friday from her flat
here, had made 15
unsuccessful phone
calls to her boyfriend
Soumyajeet Mohapatra
an hour before she took
the extreme step.
CRUCIAL READ
Kolkata: With the Tripura assembly elections barely six
months away, the Trinamool
Congress on Wednesday
dropped Subal Bhowmik
from the post of state party
president just four months
after he was put in charge.
The reason behind this step
is not known yet. “Subal
Bhowmik is being relieved from his duties of state
president of Tripura Pradesh Trinamool Congress with
immediate effect,” a party statement said.
TMC SACKS TRIPURA UNIT PRESIDENT
SUBAL BHOWMIK AHEAD OF POLLS
Srinagar: The National Conference on Wednesday
gave a clear indication that
it will contest all the 90
seats in J&K assembly on
its own and not in alliance
with other members of the
five-party PAGD alliance.
In a devp ahead of polls
expected to be held after
November this year, Kashmir provincial committee
of party unanimously passed a resolution resolving
that the NC “should prepare and fight all 90 seats”.
NC GIVES CLEAR INDICATION IT WILL
CONTEST ALL 90 ASSEMBLY SEATS
Sonali Phogat Death: Bro accuses actor’s personal asst; family doesn’t allow autopsy
‘PA raped, blackmailed Sonali’
Panaji (PTI): In a com-
plaint to Goa Police, the
family of Haryana BJP
leader and actress Sona-
li Phogat, who died in
Goa early on Tuesday,
has demanded that her
personal assistant Su-
dhir Sangwan and his
friend Sukhwinder Sin-
gh be booked for her
murder, alleging that
Sangwan raped and
blackmailed her. With
the police yet to register
an FIR, the family has
refused to give its con-
sent for her autopsy.
“The police are not
cooperating with us.
They are insisting that
we should first get the
post-mortem done and
then they would register
an FIR. We know that
the viscera examination
report would take at
least one or two months,
and till that time, the
culprits will keep roam-
ing freely. How can we
trust the police when
they are not even will-
ing to register an FIR?”
Sonali’s brother Rinku
Phogat said. In his com-
plaint, Rinku cited two
phone calls that Sonali
made to her family
members and alleged
that she told her rela-
tives that Sangwan
raped her, blackmailed
her using an intimate
video shot by him, gave
her drug-laced food, and
threatened to ruin her
acting and political ca-
reer if she did not ac-
cept his demands. Rinku
said that both Sangwan
and Singh were at Goa’s
Anjuna police station
but the police had not
taken any action against
them yet.
Earlier on Wednesday,
Goa CM Pramod Sawant
had said a thorough in-
vestigation would be
conducted into Sonali’s
death.In his written
complaint to the police,
Rinku said that Sonali
had been working as an
actress in films for the
last 15 years and that
she was an active party
worker of BJP who had
contested the 2019 As-
sembly polls from Ad-
ampur, Haryana.
Thakur launches
Azadi Quest App
New Delhi (Agencies):
Information & Broad-
casting Minister Anur-
ag Thakur launched the
Azadi Quest, a series of
online mobile games on
heroes and milestones
of Indian freedom in
New Delhi.  Azadi Quest
is a set of online games
designed for players of
all ages for interactive
learning with fun game-
play. On the occasion,
an MoU was signed be-
tween Publication Divi-
sion and social game
developer Zynga.
Thakur urged people
to downloads Azadi
Quest App as it will
prove to be a very effec-
tive tool in spreading
awareness on India’s
freedom fighters. He
said, these are unique
games, which will en-
tertain people along
with engaging and edu-
cating them. 
I&B Minister Anurag Thakur at the launch of the app on Wednesday.
Late Haryana BJP leader and actor Sonali Phogat.
PROBE IS BEING
CONDUCTED: CM
SOMETHING FISHY:
PHOGAT’S SISTER
Panaji:  Goa CM
Pramod Sawant on
Wednesday said the
state police were con-
ducting a detailed inves-
tigation into the death
of BJP leader Sonali
Phogat. Considering the
opinion of doctors and
Goa DGP Jaspal Singh,
it preliminary looks like
she died due to a heart
attack, Sawant said.
Phogat (42), BJP leader
from Haryana had
found fame on Tik Tok.
New Delhi: A day after
Sonali Phogat passed
away suddenly in Goa,
her family has raised
questions about the
manner in which the
she died claiming they
suspect foul play in the
matter. They have also
demanded probe by au-
thorities into the death.
Sonali was brought
dead to hospital in Goa
with several reports
stating that she had suf-
fered a heart attack.
Protests
continue in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad (PTI): Pro -
tests continued in Hy-
derabad’s old city for a
second day on Wednes-
day over suspended BJP
lawmaker T Raja Sin-
gh’s alleged remarks
against Prophet Mo-
hammad.
Rallies were taken out
at separate places to
press for action against
Singh even as the BJP
also stripped him of his
floor leader’s post in as-
sembly. Singh insisted
he did not make any
comments against any
religion or name any
person. “It was wrongly
understood,” Singh said
refusing to elaborate.
Nagaland needs
exposure for
investment: FM
Dimapur (Agencies):
Finance Minister Nir-
mala Sitharaman on
Wednesday said Naga-
land has huge resourc-
es and it needs good
exposure for invest-
ment. After a 3-day
visit to the northeast-
ern state, the minister
said here that indus-
tries can come to Naga-
land to utilise the re-
sources. “From the Fi-
nance Ministry side,
we would see enough
bank access in all the
districts. Banking fa-
cilities can be availed
through mobile bank-
ing. There are 271 bank
branches functioning
in different districts of
Nagaland with 94
branches in Dimapur.”
Uttar Pradesh government
transfers 13 IAS officers
Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: The UP gov-
ernment has trans -
ferred 13 IAS officers, a
government spokesman
said here on Wednesday.
The spokesman said
that Secretary UP
Building and Other
Construction Workers
Welfare Board, Luc-
know Vipin Kumar Jain
has been transferred as
Special Secretary Min-
ing department. Trans-
fer of Secretary UPPSC
Jagdish has been can-
celled and now he has
been shifted as Addi-
tional Managing Direc-
tor of Medical Supplies
Corporation. VC of
ADA Ajay Kumar
Dwivedi has been trans-
ferred as Special Secre-
tary APC branch. CDO,
Firozabad Charchit
Gaur has been posted in
place of Dwivedi. Joint
Magistrate Hardoi Dik-
sha Jain has been post-
ed as CDO Firozabad.
VC MDA Madhusudan
Nagraj Hulgi has been
shifted to APC branch.
CDO Jhansi Shailesh
Kumar has been posted
in place of Madhusu-
dan Hulgi. Joint Magis-
trate, Ballia Junaid Ah-
mad has been posted as
CDO Jhansi. Nisha,
who was put on the
waitlist has been posted
as Secretary UP Build-
ing and Other Construc-
tion Workers Welfare
Board.
‘I was paraphrasing
Ambedkar’s views’
New Delhi (PTI): After
her “no god is upper
caste” remark stoked
controversy, JNU Vice
Chancellor Santishree
Dhulipudi Pandit on
Wednesday defended
her comments as an aca-
demic exercise and said
she was misquoted.
She also said she is an
academic first and peo-
ple should get angry
with BR Ambedkar for
it was he who she was
“paraphrasing.” “I was
asked to speak on
Ambedkar’s views on
gender justice. I was
paraphrasing him. You
can see his writings.
Why should people get
angry with me? They
should get angry with
Ambedkar,” she said.
Delivering the Dr BR
Ambedkar Lecture Se-
ries titled ‘Dr B R
Ambedkar’s Thoughts
on Gender Justice: De-
coding the Uniform Civ-
il Code’, Pandit had said
“anthropologically”
gods do not belong to the
upper caste and even
Lord Shiva could be
from scheduled caste or
tribe.
COURTESY CALL
Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Judge, International Court of Justice called on President
Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday. Earlier, on Tuesday,
Justice Bhandari had also met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on a courtesy call at
Uparashtrapati Niwas in New Delhi.
‘India, Aus youth
should work for dev’
Toronto / New Delhi:
Underlining the impor-
tance of youth power in
nation building, Lok
Sabha Speaker Om Bir-
la emphasised that the
youth of India and Aus-
tralia should work to-
gether and regularly
interact with each oth-
er to share their knowl-
edge and experiences.
He said regular dia-
logue will lead to devel-
opment in both the
countries.
He also urged for pro-
moting more people-to-
people contact between
the two countries to
further strengthen the
bilateral ties.
Om Birla is current-
ly leading the Indian
Parliamentary Delega-
tion to the 65th Com-
monwealth Parlia -
mentary Conference
which is being held in
Canada.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla with the Indian delegation at the
65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Halifax, Canada.
Ajay Kumar DwivediJunaid Ahmad Charchit Gaur
Slum land...
MHADA land.
The Deputy Chief
Minister said 230 SRA
projects were presently
stalled out of which 59
are over unpaid rent ar-
rears, 33 projects over
delays in sanctions or
internal differences,
and 11 due to legal tan-
gles, etc.
A number of Mumbai
MLAs including Ameet
Satam, Parag Alvani,
Manisha Chaudhary,
Vidya Thakur, Mihir Ko-
techa, Atul Bhatkhalkar,
Kalidas Kolambkar, and
Jitendra Awhad among
others participated in
the discussion.
Sitaraman to...
144 Lok Sabha constitu-
encies and Sitharaman
has been assigned Bara-
mati.
According to party
sources, Sitharaman’s
Baramati tour has been
finalized, thereby flag-
ging BJP’s ‘Mission 45’
campaign in Maharash-
tra for the 2024 Lok Sab-
ha polls. Under the cam-
paign, the Maharashtra
BJP has decided to fo-
cus on 16 Lok Sabha
constituencies where
the party could improve
its performance, and
win. Of these, 10 con-
stituencies are Shiv Se-
na-dominated seats.
Newly appointed
state BJP President
Chandrashekhar
Bawankule, who met
with Union Home Min-
ister Amit Shah and
BJP National Presi-
dent JP Nadda in Delhi
on Wednesday, has
been asked to coordi-
nate ‘Mission 45’.
Sitharaman is ex-
pected to make similar
three-day visits to Bar-
amati over the next 20
months to strengthen
party organization,
strategize and make a
serious bid to win the
constituency held by
the Sharad Pawar fam-
ily since 1996.
Located in Western
Maharashtra close to
Pune city, the Barama-
ti seat has never been
won by the BJP, so far.
The Congress was the
dominant force there,
and Sharad Pawar won
from the seat as the
party’s candidate in
1984. NCP’s Ajit Pawar
represented it in 1991
as a Congress candi-
date and Sharad Pawar
won the seat in 1996,
1998. In the 1999 and
2004 Lok Sabha elec-
tions, he won as a NCP
candidate. His daugh-
ter Supriya Sule has
represented the con-
stituency since 2009.
In the 2014 elections,
Baramati was one of
the five opposition
seats that survived the
‘Modi Wave’. For the
first time, the victory
margin of a Pawar
family member dipped
below 1 lakh votes,
when Sule won by over
69,000 votes even
though BJP did not
field a candidate, but
backed Rashtriya Sa-
maj Paksha’s Mahadev
Jankar.
In 2019 Lok Sabha
polls, the BJP gave a
ticket to debutant Kan-
chan Kul, but Sule im-
proved her vote per-
centage and won with a
margin of 1.55 lakh
votes.
The Baramati Lok
Sabha constituency is
divided into six assem-
bly segments, starting
from Khadakwasla to-
wards Pune, followed
by Bhor, Purandar,
Baramati, Indapur,
and Daund assembly
seats.
In the 2019 state As-
sembly polls, the BJP
won Khadakwasla and
Daund, while the Con-
gress bagged Bhor and
Purandar. Ajit Pawar
and Dattatray Barne
from the NCP are sit-
ting MLAs from Bara-
mati and Indapur.
FROM PG 1

8. MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 202207
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Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 51,909.00 274.00 0.52
(Per 10g)
SILVER 55,682.00 448.00 0.80 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 79.85 0.02 0.02
GBPINR 94.33 0.27 0.29
CURRENCIES
‘India can add 23.7 GW of RE by 2026’
New Delhi (Agencies): In-
dia can add another 23.7
GW of capacity within the
next five years provided
necessary enabling poli-
cies, facilitative instru-
ments, and the right insti-
tutional interventions are
put in place, according to a
new report.
Wind power constituted
the majority of the renew-
able energy mix in India,
with 37.7% of cumulative
installed capacity, as of
March 2022. However, the
overall estimated potential
dwarfs the current in-
stalled capacity, said the
report. There is over 600
GW of onshore capacity at
120m hub height, with an-
other 174 GW of fixed-bot-
tom and floating offshore
wind potential.
“These statistics demon-
strate that there is a huge
untapped wind energy po-
tential that will be crucial
for advancing the country’s
clean energy transition,”
the report added.
As per the report, the
Covid pandemic and global
supply chain challenges
caused disruption. “How-
ever, the MNRE took sev-
eral measures at this time.
For example, the ministry
granted a blanket timeline
extension.”
INDIA WIND ENERGY MARKET OUTLOOK 2026
FUTURE
PROJECTION
zIndia can add another 23.7
GW of capacity within the
next five years provided
necessary enabling
policies, facilitative
instruments, and the right
institutional interventions
are put in place, according
to a new report.
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: TVS Motor
Company on Wednesday
said it will acquire 48%
stake in Narain Karthikey-
an’s pre-owned two-
wheeler startup ‘DriveX’
for a consideration of Rs
85 crore. The company
said it will acquire 48.27%
stake in NKars Mobility
Millennial Solutions Pvt
Ltd (NMMSPL), which op-
erates under the brand
‘DriveX’, through primary
and secondary invest-
ments. Founded by For-
mula 1 driver Karthikeyan,
DriveX is into leasing of
two-wheeler motorcycles
and scooters and selling,
trading, and distributing
pre-owned two-wheeler
bikes and scooters.—PTI
New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki
India on Wednesday said
it is recalling 166 Dzire
Tour S units to replace
faulty airbag component.
The affected lot of the
compact sedan has been
manufactured between
August 6 &16 this year.
“The recall is being under-
taken to replace Airbag
Control Unit, free of cost,
in these vehicles.” It is
suspected that there is a
possible defect in airbag
control unit, which in rare
case might result in mal-
functioning during de-
ployment. —PTI
MARUTI RECALLS
166 DZIRE TOUR S
FOR FAULTY AIRBAGS
TVS TO ACQUIRE 48
PER CENT STAKE IN
DRIVEX
New Delhi: Oil and Natu-
ral Gas Corporation
(ONGC) has relaunched a
tender to sell gas from its
KG fields at a higher price
of $15 per mmBtu as it
looks to capitalise on a
global surge in energy
prices. The firm sought
bids for the sale of 0.75
million standard cubic
meters per day of gas for
one year from the KG-
DWN-98/2 (KG-D5) fields
in the Bay of Bengal. The
firm asked users to quote
a premium they are will-
ing to pay over.—PTI
ONGC REBIDS KG
GAS, SEEKS $15
PRICE
New Delhi: Full service
carrier Vistara will start
daily non-stop flights be-
tween Mumbai and Abu
Dhabi from October 1.
The airline, a joint venture
between Tata group and
Singapore Airlines, will
use the A320 neo aircraft
for the services. “We are
delighted to expand our
presence in the UAE, with
a second Emirate, and of-
fer the choice of flying In-
dia’s best airline on one of
the busiest international
routes from India. Abu
Dhabi will be the 12th
overseas destination for
Vistara. —PTI
VISTARA TO START
MUMBAI-ABU DHABI
DIRECT FLIGHTS
*Rates till the edition went to print.
‘Geopolitical tension biggest risk to growth’
New Delhi (PTI): The big -
gest risk to India’s growth
outlook is an escalation of
geopolitical tensions, espe-
cially if these tensions
spread to the Asian region,
RBI Monetary Policy Com-
mittee member Jayanth R
Varma said on Wednesday.
Varma said that infla-
tion & inflationary expec-
tations appear to be moder-
ating and high inflation
will certainly not become
the ‘norm’ in the country.
He is cautiously optimis-
tic about the Indian econo-
my as after the pandemic
abated, consumption de-
mand has begun to recover
though the recovery is un-
even across sectors and
industries.
“Capacity utilization has
been inching up, and is
now approaching levels at
which business will have to
seriously consider capital
expenditure for expan-
sion,” Varma added.
He further noted that the
MPC is determined to
bring inflation down close
to the target rate of 4% as
quickly as possible without
imposing intolerable costs
in terms of eco growth.
“I would like to empha-
size that high inflation will
certainly not become the
norm in India,” he said.
The Reserve Bank in its
latest MPC meeting in Au-
gust had decided to in-
crease the benchmark lend-
ing rate by 50 basis points.
The central bank has
been tasked by the govern-
ment to ensure that retail
inflation remains within
the range of 2-6%.
“Finally, inflation and
inflationary expectations
appear to be moderating
and this would reduce one
of the major headwinds
for the Indian economy,”
Varma noted.
Turning to the negative
side, he observed that in
the current global environ-
ment, exports might not be
as buoyant as they were in
the past and said while In-
dia is not an export-driven
economy, an export slow-
down would be a drag on
growth, if it is sustained.
“The biggest risk to the
growth outlook is that of
an escalation of geopoliti-
cal tensions especially if
these tensions spread to
the Asian region,” he said.
Noting that inflation has
already peaked, Varma
said Inflation would be
above the target for several
quarters, but there is rea-
son to believe that the
worst is over, unless the
world is confronted by an-
other unforeseen global
shock.
On the other hand, he
said any adverse shocks to
economic growth (domes-
tic or global) could cause a
steeper decline in inflation
than is currently expected.
TOP TALKING
POINTS
zRBI MPC member said
Inflation would be above the
target for several quarters,
but there is reason to believe
that the worst is over, unless
the world is confronted by
another unforeseen global
shock.
zMPC member is cautiously
optimistic about the Indian
economy.
HONDA 2 WHEELERS
INDIA INSTALLS 3rd
WIND TURBINE SYSTEM
Bengaluru: Honda Motorcy-
cle & Scooter India (HMSI)
said on Wednesday that the
company has
installed its
third wind
turbine system
in Karnataka.
The 2.7 MW wind turbine at
Jagalur in Davanagere district
will generate 75 lakh kWh of
energy annually thus enabling
HMSI’s Narsapura manufac-
turing plant to reduce carbon
emissions by more than 5,400
tons per year. HMSI will now
produce a total of 7.4 MW
wind energy including its wind
turbine systems. —PTI
PARAG RAISES ` 131
CR VIA PREFERENTIAL
ALLOTMENT
New Delhi: Parag Milk Foods
Ltd announced that it has
raised a total of `131 crore
through
preferential
allotment
from marquee
investors and
promoters. Investors have
invested `113 cr & promoters
about `18.75 crore looking at
the promising growth strategy.
“The current proceeds of pref-
erential shares and warrants
would be utilised to fund our
long-term capital requirements
and to enhance the working
capital needs.” —PTI
LEASING OF LOGISTICS
SPACE DOWN 9%
ACROSS 7 CITIES
New Delhi: High infla-
tion and global headwinds
slowed down demand for
warehousing
and logistics
spaces during
January-June
as leasing
dipped 9% annually across
top seven cities, a report said.
Vestian said in a report that
the total absorption across the
seven key cities was recorded
at 13.16 million square feet.
“This depicted a decline of 9%
over the quantum of ware-
housing space leased in H1
2021,” it pointed out. —PTI
25% OF MERCEDES
BENZ SALES IN INDIA
FROM EVs IN 5 YEARS
Mumbai: German luxury
car maker Mercedes-Benz
expects 25% of its sales in
India to come
from electric
vehicles
in the next
five years.
Mercedes-Benz India will be
launching three electric vehi-
cles in the next four months of
which the first Mercedes-AMG
EQS 53 4MATIC was launced
on Wednesday. It will launch
the locally assembled all-
electric sedan EQS 580 next
month followed by seven-seat-
er electric SUV, EQB around
November. —PTI
STATES’ REVENUE GROWTH TO SLIDE TO 7%-9%
DESPITE ROBUST GST COLLECTIONS
Mumbai : States’ revenue growth will slide to 7-9% in FY23 even
as handsome GST collections will help in the accretion, a report
said on Wednesday. The revenue growth
had galloped 25% in FY22 courtesy a
lower base in the pandemic-affected
FY21, Crisil report said. In FY23, healthy
tax buoyancy will be supporting the rev-
enue growth, with GST collections and
devolutions from the Centre -- which to-
gether comprise up to 45% of the states’
revenue -- expected to show robust double-digit growth, it said.
The agency’s senior director Anuj Sethi said the biggest impetus
to the revenue growth will come from aggregate state GST collec-
tions, which had already rebounded by 29% in FY22. —PTI
OTHER STORIES
Sao Paulo (PTI): External
Affairs Minister S Jais-
hankar has emphasised the
importance of making Lat-
in America a major busi-
ness hub for India by hav-
ing more engagements,
contacts and meetings with
the stakeholders in the vast
region. India and Brazil
are not only partners but
can share best practices for
their mutual growth and
progress, Jaishankar said.
"Visited Federation of
Industries of the State of
Sao Paulo, the largest In-
dustry association of Bra-
zil. Presentations from
WEG, @embraer and UNI-
CA reaffirmed the signifi-
cant opportunities exist for
greater business coopera-
tion," he tweeted. India &
Brazil are not only partners
but can share best practices
for their mutual growth &
progress," he wrote.
"Visited Fiesp (Federa-
tion of Industries of the
State of Sao Paulo), the big-
gest industry association
of Latin America. Presen-
tations from WEG, Em -
braer and UNICA reaf -
firmed the significant op-
portunities that exist for
greater business coopera-
tion. Business is the ballast
that provides steady sail-
ing for relationships," he
said in another tweet.
Latin America can be a major
biz hub for India: Jaishankar
EAM IN LATIN
AMERICA
zOn Monday, Jaishankar
concluded his first-ever official
visit to Paraguay and held talks
with the country’s leadership
and vowed to strengthen
bilateral ties. He inaugurated
Indian Embassy in Asuncion.
zIndia and Brazil are not
only partners but can share
best practices for their
mutual growth and progress,
Jaishankar has said.
zJaishankar is on a six-day
official visit to Brazil, Paraguay
& Argentina. This is his 1st-ever
official visit to South America.
Kolkata (PTI): India's
banking sector is faced
with the predicament of a
"massive asset-liability
mismatch" that could ex-
plode anytime, renowned
economist Pronab Sen
said. Sen said "that explo-
sion" has not yet happened
as most of the banks are in
the public sector.
He said the Indian banks
had adopted the British
model, and the laws don't
allow lenders to borrow
from the capital market,
which essentially makes
deposits the only source of
funds. "Today, the average
tenure of bank lending is
about nine years, and de-
posits' tenure is close to
two-and-a-half years. So,
you have nine years on the
asset side, and 2.5 years on
the liability side... Which
means there is a massive
asset-liability mismatch
which can explode any-
time," the former chair-
man of the statistical com-
mission said.
"It hasn't happened be-
cause the largest chunk of
our banks are in the public
sector... But, now banks
have to assess not only the
risk of the borrower, but
also the length of time of
lending... There is an enor-
mous risk for the banking
sector," he said.
Banking sector at
enormous risk of
asset-liability
mismatch: Pronab
Markets settle with modest gains
Mumbai (PTI): Equity
benchmarks eked out mar-
ginal gains to settle in the
positive zone after swing-
ing between gains and
losses during the session
on Wednesday amid weak-
ness in global bourses.
In a trade marked with
highs and lows, the
30-share BSE Sensex
climbed 54.13 points or
0.09 per cent to settle at
59,085.43.
Similarly, the broader
NSE Nifty went up by
27.45 points or 0.16 per
cent to 17,604.95.
From the Sensex pack,
IndusInd Bank, NTPC,
Larsen & Toubro, ICICI
Bank, Power Grid, HDFC,
Kotak Mahindra Bank
and Asian Paints were the
biggest gainers.
` SLIPS 2 PAISE TO
CLOSE AT 79.85
AGAINST US DOLLAR
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee
consolidated in a narrow
range and depreciated 2
paise to close at 79.81
(provisional) against the US
dollar on Wednesday. At the
interbank foreign exchange
market, the domestic cur-
rency opened at 79.84 per
dollar. It hovered in a range
of 79.68 to 79.87 during
the session. The domestic
unit finally settled at 79.85,
down 2 paise over its previ-
ous close of 79.83.
New Delhi (Agencies):
Bharti Airtel is the only
telco to have taken E-band
(71-76 GHz and 81-86 GHz)
band spectrum from the
Department of Telecom-
munications (DoT) to meet
the backhaul require -
ments. The remaining
three 5G spectrum winners
– Reliance Jio, Vodafone
Idea and Adani Data Net-
works – have so far not ap-
plied for E-band operators.
According to DoT offi-
cials, one reason why most
companies are not seeking
the E-band is that the gov-
ernment has decided to al-
lot the radio administra-
tively for now, but said the
telcos will have to pay this
market rate retroactively
from the date of allotment
once the rate is decided .
In effect, this means that
operators will be charged
the discovered auction
price from the date of allot-
ment of E-band operators.
Jio, Voda Idea, Adani
didn’t take E-band

9. First India Bureau
Pune: City police on
Wednesday allowed a
Ganesh mandal to
stage the historical
scene of warrior king
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj killing Bi-
japur general Afzal
Khan, after initially
denying permission
on the grounds that it
might lead to commu-
nal tension.
The Sangam Tarun
Mandal which installs a
Lord Ganesh idol in a
public pandal in Ko-
thrud area had sought
permission from police
to stage the famous in-
cident from Shivaji’s
life during the upcom-
ing Ganesh festival,
slated to start from Au-
gust 31.
Ganesh mandals or
groups which celebrate
the festival in roadside
pandals often erect tab-
leaus of historical
scenes or even stage
their live enactments.
When the mandal,
headed by local Maha-
rashtra Navnirman
Sena (MNS) leader
Kishor Shinde, sought
permission to stage the
scene of Khan’s killing
earlier this month, po-
lice denied it. Officials
stated that their reason
for denying permis-
sion was potentially
disturbing communal
harmony.
After various organ-
izations approached
the police authorities
demanding that per-
mission be given for
the staging, Kothrud
police withdrew its
earlier notification. A
new letter granting
permission for staging
of the historical scene,
signed by senior in-
spector Mahendra Jag-
tap, was issued.
The mandal should
take utmost care to en-
sure that communal
harmony was pre -
served, stated the letter.
Afzal Khan, a general
of the Adilshahi state
of Bijapur, was sent in
1659 to subjugate King
Shivaji. Khan was
killed during a meeting
between the two and his
army was routed in the
battle of Pratapgad.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Deputy
Chief Minister Deven-
dra Fadnavis on
Wednesday said fresh
tenders for the rede-
velopment of Dhara-
vi’s slums—one of the
biggest urban renewal
initiatives in Asia—
will be issued within
the next three months.
Replying to a discus-
sion in the state legisla-
ture on slum rehabilita-
tion and housing, Fad-
navis, who had pushed
the Dharavi Redevelop-
ment Project during his
tenure as CM, said the
project would be soon
flagged off as the state
was on the verge of re-
ceiving the 45-acre land
parcel from the Rail-
ways.
He said Dharavi was
declared a notified area
in 2002-03 but the De-
tailed Project Report was
not prepared.
“In 2016, we prepared
the DPR and issued the
global tenders. One key
condition in the tenders
was that the bidding
party needed to demon-
strate its financial via-
bility by showing the
funds in an escrow ac-
count. A bid was final-
ized but railway land
was required for the pro-
ject for transit homes so
that another part of
Dharavi could be reha-
bilitated there, and rede-
velopment could start,”
he said.
The state then signed
a Memorandum of Un-
derstanding with the
Railway Ministry and
even transferred Rs800
crore for the purchase of
the land parcel.
“We hope to sign a de-
finitive agreement by
August 30. CM Shinde
and I will finalize some
details with the Railways
minister. I can say that
the project is more via-
ble now that the railway
land will be transferred,”
he added.
In another major an-
nouncement, Fad -
navis—who also handles
the Housing portfolio
apart from Home and Fi-
nance—said state police
personnel will be pro-
vided with homes in the
BDD Chawl redevelop-
ment project at a price of
less than Rs25 lakh. The
MVA government had
earlier drawn flak for an-
nouncing that homes for
police would be priced
around Rs50 lakh.
Fadnavis said while
he personally felt that
state police personnel
should be given homes
free of cost, officials
pointed out that for rea-
sons of parity, the gov-
ernment would then
have to provide free
housing to other state
employees too, which
may not be feasible.
MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
082ND FRONT
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First India Bureau
Mumbai: A special
Prevention of Money
Laundering Act
(PMLA) court in Mum-
bai allowed the dis-
charge pleas of two
businessmen in a case
in the absence of
‘predicate’ (scheduled)
offence which led to
the case against them,
on Wednesday.
The Enforcement Di-
rectorate (ED) had
booked Babulal Verma
and Kamalkishor Gupta,
top executives of the
Omkar Relators and De-
velopers, under provi-
sions of the PMLA.
The case pertains to
alleged irregularities in
the execution of a Slum
Rehabilitation Authori-
ty (SRA) scheme in de-
velopment of a Mumbai
housing society.
The money launder-
ing case was based on a
First Information Re-
port (FIR) registered
against the duo by the
Aurangabad police.
As per the PMLA pro-
visions, a prior FIR
(scheduled offence) is a
requisite for the ED to
initiate action against a
person involved with the
process or activity.
The Aurangabad po-
lice recently filed a clo-
sure report in the case
(scheduled offence)
against Verma and Gup-
ta which was accepted
by the court and the duo
was discharged.
The order comes fol-
lowing guidelines laid
down by the Supreme
Court last month, speci-
fying that a case under
the PMLA cannot con-
tinue if there is no sched-
uled offence. And hence,
the special court has no
jurisdiction to extend
the judicial custody of
the persons arrested un-
der the Act.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: In a scathing
attack against the
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty, Maharashtra Con-
gress president Nana
Patole on Wednesday
alleged it was working
in a “more brutal way”
than the British rulers
in pre-Independence
India, and claimed
that the country was
under an undeclared
Emergency since 2014.
Patole told reporters in
Mumbai that the BJP is
misusing agencies like
the Enforcement Directo-
rate (ED), the Central Bu-
reau of Investigation
(CBI) and Income Tax
Department to topple the
non-BJP party-led gov-
ernments in states and
break the opposition.
“BJP has adopted a di-
vide-and-rule policy like
the British colonists,”
Patole said, adding that
action was being taken
against the leaders or po-
litical parties who do not
support the party.
“The country has been
under an undeclared
Emergency since 2014.
BJP has been working on
eliminating the opposi-
tion in the country. The
CBI raids on Aam Aadmi
Party’s Manish Sisodia
and Rashtriya Janata Dal
legislator’s house in New
Delhi are examples of
this. BJP is restless after
losing power in Bihar,”
he lleged.
Pune cops allow Ganesh mandal to stage Afzal Khan’s killing
U-TURN
Authorities had initially denied
permission for staging of the
historical scene with warrior king
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
A pandal structure on the theme of Kashi Vishwanath temple being constructed by a Ganpati
mandal ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi at Lalbaug, in Mumbai, on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Court allows discharge pleas
of 2 booked under PMLA
BJP more brutal than Brit
colonialists: Cong’s Patole
MONEY LAUNDERING CASE
ATS charge sheet
against 5 in terror
recruitment case
Pune (PTI): The Ma-
harashtra Anti Ter-
rorism Squad (ATS)
has filed a charge
sheet against five
persons in a case re-
lated to alleged re-
cruitment for a ter-
rorist organization
and funding.
The charge sheet
was filed in the court
of special judge SR
Navandar here on
Saturday, said an
ATS official.
The ATS had ar-
rested 28-year-old Ju-
naid Mohammed on
May 24 from Pune’s
Dapodi area. He was
allegedly in touch
with members of
Pakistan-based
Lashkar-e-Taiba ter-
ror network through
social media plat-
forms, officials had
claimed.
Shah and Yusuf
were held from Jam-
mu and Kashmir
while Haque was
taken into custody
from Uttar Pradesh
where he had been
arrested in another
case.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A hospital
management firm
and four persons
were named accused
in an FIR for submit-
ting forged docu-
ments to obtain con-
tracts for COVID-19
care centres, a police
official said.
A case was regis-
tered against M/s Life-
line Hospital Manage-
ment Service Firm, Dr
Hemant Ramsharan
Gupta, Sujit Mukund
Patkar, Sanjay Madan-
lal Shah and Raju
Nandkumar Salunkhe,
based on complaint by
Bharatiya Janata Party
ex-MP Kirit Somaiya.
Notably, Sujit Patkar
is a close aide of Shiv
Sena leader Sanjay
Raut and the husband
of Sapna Patkar, a wit-
ness in the Patra Chawl
scam case in which the
Enforcement Directo-
rate (ED) recently ar-
rested Raut.
It is also important to
remember that there is
no love lost between the
two politicians, with
Raut being vocal in his
allegations against So-
maiya and his wife
Medha Somaiya. Just
last month, a court is-
sued a bailable warrant
against Raut after he
failed to appear in a
criminal defamation
complaint filed by Med-
ha Somaiya.
The FIR states that
the partners in the hos-
pital management firm
had allegedly submitted
fake partnership deed
to the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation
(BMC) in June 2020 and
obtained contracts of
jumbo COVID-19 cen-
tres at NSEL, Worli,
Mulund, Dahisar (in
Mumbai) and Pune
without having any
medical experience.
The firm had even
submitted bills of these
centres to the BMC and
collected Rs38 crore, the
FIR said. It also said
that the staff and doc-
tors at these COVID-19
centres did not have
requisite medical cer-
tificates, and allegedly
failed to provide proper
treatment.
The case was regis-
tered under sections of
the Indian Penal Code
including those for
cheating, criminal
breach of trust, causing
death by negligence and
forgery.
One accused
Junaid Mohammed
was arrested for
alleged LeT links
No action is taken against those
who support BJP. This party is
working in the country in a more
brutal way than the British rulers. Infla-
tion, unemployment have increased tremen-
dously in the country, problems of farmers
and workers have increased, but the central
government has failed to resolve them.
—Nana Patole, Maha Congress President
Facelift for Dharavi: New
tenders in 3 next months
The state has been waiting to receive a parcel of land from the
Railway Ministry to start the Dharavi project. —FILE PHOTO
Homes for police personnel in BDD chawl to be provided at minimal cost
I understand that Rs50 lakh is unaf-
fordable and Rs25 lakh is also unaf-
fordable to the police families. So, we
will try to provide homes at less than Rs25
lakh at minimal cost possible for the sake of
Marathi families who have been living in the
BDD chawl for three generations in poor
conditions.
—Devendra Fadnavis, Dy CM
RENTS TO RISE
Fadnavis further said rent paid to the original tenants of
BDD Chawl and Patra Chawl would now be Rs25,000.
“The government had asked MHADA to complete the
rehabilitation of tenements at the earliest, provide rent
arrears unpaid by the developer, and pay monthly rent of
Rs18,000. However, Patra Chawl residents had demand-
ed that they should be paid monthly rent of Rs40,000.
We had agreed to pay monthly rent of Rs22,000 to BDD
chawl residents. So we have decided that both chawl
residents will be paid monthly of Rs25,000.”
Sanjay Raut aide among
four named in fraud FIR
Kirit Somaiya addresses a press conference on Wednesday,
after the FIR was registered based on his complaint.
Sujit Patkar is also
the husband of
Sapna Patkar, a
witness in the Patra
Chawl case in which
Raut was arrested
—PHOTO BY PTI
Tired? Rest, rejuvenate
and start again – Rest,
do not Quit!
—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO & Editor-in-Chief, First India

10. s it possible
that something
can symbolize
luxury and
poverty, humil-
ity and power,
as well as evil
and penance? Although
it shouldn’t be, it is!
The colour black can
be compared to all of
the above things and
more. The colour is a
representation of
mystery, strength,
refinement, and el-
egance. Every
colour stirs up
feelings. Red
ignites pas-
sion, yellow
beams with
happiness,
green ex-
udes tran-
quillity,
and blue when you’re
depressed. Yes, each of
these colours has the
potential to evoke dif-
ferent emotions. But
black colour has a spe-
cial full-spectrum sta-
tus when it comes to
the feelings it reflects.
All of these character-
istics have given black
a unique status in a
fashion that no other
colour can match. The
eye’s reaction to
black gives it an al-
luring visual ap-
peal. A black dress
gives the impres-
sion of making the
body smaller, clean-
er, and more unified.
Since many bodies are
not slim and lack ei-
ther perfect harmony
or absolute coordina-
tion, a black dress can
help give them that de-
licious resemblance to
a stretch limousine
that seems so desirable
in the present fashion
climate. However, black
has a wonderful pro-
pensity to stand out
without drawing at-
tention to the wearer,
sort of enhancing the
individual. In the ab-
sence of light and the
unknown, black
leaves much to the im-
agination. Its reluc-
tance to reveal its
most private
thoughts engenders
an enigmatic air
that overshadows
anything nearby.
Black is regarded as
a mysterious colour.
It is skilled in the art
of seduction and
elicits emotions. In
addition to being a
fashionable colour,
black is also quite flat-
tering. It elevates a ba-
sic outfit or keeps a
daring, avant-garde
style approachable.
Black transmits more
contrasts than any oth-
er colour, which is pre-
sumably why it’s con-
sidered to be the
most popular
shade in
fashion.
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thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
09
MUMBAI, THURSDAY,
AUGUST 25, 2022
Black is always elegant. It is the most
complete colour in the whole world,
made of all the colours in the palette.
City First brings to you the meaning
and significance of the all-time
favourite Black.
SHUBHANSHI PATHAK
[email protected]
I

11. 10
ETC
MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACE OF THE DAY
SIMRAN, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Gifting something to your
beloved is likely to make
the day memorable.
Matrimonial match for
siblings will bring happiness for entire
family. You will get a good price for
your property. Those awaiting results
are assured of succeeding with flying
colours.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Despite hectic schedule
you will manage to find
time for family. Seek the
opinion of your family
before finalizing a property deal. Your
bold initiatives on romantic front
bring back passion and spark in
romantic relationship.Overall health
remains fine.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
It’s a very good day to take
calculated risks in financial
matters. Your efforts on
the professional front will
be recognised. Opting for some
healthy choices will ensure you
remain in perfect health. You will feel
much happy and contented on the
family front.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Your intuition will save you
from a tricky spot today.
Yoga would help in raising
energy levels and improve
your metabolism. You will manage to
achieve your aim through travel. This is
a great time on the academic front,
when you mange to render your best.
The day will be in your favour.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Happiness in the domestic
sphere will only come with
a changed mind set. Some
of you are likely to become
a part of an overseas official trip. Bet-
ter to consult an expert in financial
matters before making an invest-
ment. Harsh words may create a rift
in your romantic relationship.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Avoid raising controversial
issues at home to maintain
harmony. Successful
implementation of new ideas
and projects would add to your
prestige on the professional front. It is
a wonderful day to build new
connections. Your relationship requires
you to be tactful.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You will succeed in
resolving
misunderstanding with
family members,
normalizing ties. Despite your
misgivings, you retain good health.
You will do much to bring peace and
harmony at home. You will remain
much in demand on social front.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 2S
Family will be
most supportive, when it
really matters for you.
Some of you may add to
your list of properties by
booking a new one. It is good day
to confess your love as stars ap-
pear favourable for positive reply. A
long drive is likely to help you get
over mental tiredness.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Using your initiative at
work will be much
appreciated. You may get
a chance to pursue old
hobby. Health tips from an expert will
enable you to get closer to your
fitness goals. Your generous
behavior would enable to enjoy some
lovely moments with family.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
A friend or colleague may
motivate you to take up a
healthy activity. Parents
may appear more than
happy with what you deliver. Plans
for overseas travel are likely to
materialise. You are likely to get
clearance or approval for your
construction plans.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Distant relatives may drop
in for a surprise visit. On
professional front,
recognition for good work
would motivate you to work harder.
Those awaiting an affirmation on
romantic front are likely to get lucky
today, as partner responds positively.
The day will be in your favour.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Following a health diet will
be a good idea. Luck
favours you today on the
professional front.
Focussing on health now will help
you in keeping physically fit. Clarity
of mind and retentive power will help
you forge ahead on the academic
front.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
CITY FIRST
iaspora In-
dians par-
ticipating in
the annual
India Day
parade held
in New York
on Sunday to cele-
brate the 75th anni-
versary of independ-
ence achieved a
milestone as the
event set two Guin-
ness World Records
respectively for the
most number of dif-
ferent flags flown si-
multaneously and
the largest ensemble
of musical instru-
ment Damru. The
event held as part of
Azadi Ka Amrit Ma-
hotsav celebrations,
saw an estimated
turnout of 150,000
people, both as
marchers and as the
audience along the
route on iconic Mad-
ison Avenue.
The event billed as
the world’s biggest
Indian event outside
the nation was at-
tended by Telugu
megastar Allu Ar-
jun.
The Federation of
Indian Associations
NY-NJ-CT-NE (FIA),
which organised the
event claimed that
two events at the pa-
rade entered the
Guinness Book of
World Records, the
most number of
flags flown simulta-
neously and the larg-
est ensemble of the
damru, the twin-
headed drum.
FIA Vice Presi-
dent Himanshu Bha-
tia hailed Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s vision and ef-
forts to celebrate In-
dia’s 75 years of In-
dependence ‘Azadi
Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
He also said FIA
tried to do their bit
by attempting the re-
cords and making
their motherland
shine in their home-
land.
FIA Voice Presi-
dent Himanshu Bha-
tia told that these
records are dedicat-
ed to the global In-
dian community and
thanked the diaspo-
ra community for
their support in
making the event a
success. The display
of flags of countries
across the globe was
in honour of the Ti-
ranga or the Indian
flag, symbolising In-
dia’s universality.
New York’s Mayor
Eric Adams, holding
the Indian flag, was
among those leading
the parade. Singer
and composer
Kailash Kher led a
mass singing of
“Hindustan Meri
Jaan”.
Over forty floats
from Indian organi-
sations as well as
American business-
es like Dunkin Do-
nuts and entertain-
ment companies like
ESPN and Hulu. A
plane towing an In-
dian flag flew low
over the city during
and after the parade.
The Federation of
Indian Associations
(FIA) has set two re-
cords by taking part
in one of the promi-
nent annual events
organised by the In-
dian diaspora in the
United States – the
India Day parade –
and the other for the
simultaneous flying
of the most distinct
flags. The first event
saw one of the larg-
est ensembles of
'damru' or the twin-
headed drum. The
event was held in
New York on Sunday.
The feat will now
feature in the Guin-
ness World Records.
The events were
held in honour of In-
dia’s 75 years of In-
dependence, as part
of the Azadi Ka Am-
rit Mahotsav cam-
paign launched by
the Narendra Modi-
led government.
FIA Vice president
Himanshu Bhatia
hailed Modi’s vision
and efforts to cele-
brate India’s 75 years
of Independence
‘Azadi Ka Amrit Ma-
hotsav’, adding the
diaspora tried to do
their bit by attempt-
ing the records and
making their moth-
erland shine in their
homeland. FIA INDIA DAY PARADE
D
Himanshu Bhatia

12. N
ora Fatehi is one of
the most gorgeous
dancer-turned-ac-
tress in Bollywood.
Since her breakthrough,
Nora Fatehi has become a
cultural icon, loved by mil-
lions. While her exemplary
dancing skills continue to
astonish us every day, she
has also made her mark
with her acting skills. The
Saki Saki dancer is gor-
geous and she enjoys a mas-
sive fan following. And, her
fans wait for her photos to
come out in the public do-
main. Speaking of which
just a while ago, Nora Fate-
hi was snapped at Mumbai
airport.
She made heads turn in
an all-black ensemble. She
pulled off the ‘clean girl’
look. To complete her look,
Nora also donned sunglass-
es and a purse. She looked
effortlessly beautiful as
she got clicked.
A
ccording to the sources,
Sujoy has
roped in
Taman-
naah Bhatia to
play the female
lead in this anthol-
ogy film. According
to a source close to
the development, Ta-
mannaah and Vijay
will start shooting with
Sujoy from next month.
They will start with the
readings and the prep
closer to the shooting date.
Reportedly, a while back the
Baahubali actress was even
spotted at Sujoy Ghosh’s office.
This is the first time that Ta-
mannaah Bhatia and Sujoy
Ghosh are working together.
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
11
ami Gautam is one actress who has proved her
versatility with her films and the variety of
characters that she has portrayed on the silver
screen. The actress got married to Aditya Dhar
last year and since then has been in a happy
space. The actor shared pictures of the two from
Dev Bhoomi temple in Himachal Pradesh, where
the two sought blessings. She captioned the post, “Took
blessings at the divine Naina Devi mandir in my Dev-
Bhoomi, Himachal.” She was wearing a beautiful pink
colour salwar suit while Aditya opted for a white kurta-
pyjama and a blue jacket to finish off the look.
Y
E
ver since the promo of the 8th episode of Koffee With
Karan 7 featuring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani has
been released, fans are jumping with joy. Getting the ex-
citement of their fans a notch higher ahead of their Koffee
With Karan episode, Shahid and Kiara re-created their iconic
scene from Kabir Singh. In the video, we can see Kiara Advani
looking gorgeous in her white dress with her makeup team. One
of them can be seen applying makeup on Kiara’s face and the
other one holds a mirror for the actress. Suddenly we can hear
Shahid Kapoor yelling at them in Kabir Singh style which
scares them and they stop everything. The actor comes near
the Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 actress and pulls her towards him ask-
ing ‘kisne touch kiya usko?’ in Kabir Singh style.
RECREATING
ICONIC SCENE
E
ver since the gripping trailer of the
Akshay Kumar and Rakul Preet
Singh starrer Cuttputlli was re-
leased fans have been going gaga
over it. On Wednesday as promised, the
first song of the film, Saathiya is released
and we bet Akshay and Rakul’s chemistry
will blow your mind. Akshay Kumar and
Rakul Preet Singh’s chemistry in this
song is quite sizzling and we bet you would
not be able to take your eyes off them.
From dancing on top of a plane, to danc-
ing on top of a car,
this love anthem
has all the scenes
to make it a hit
song. Akshay and
Rakul Preet will
share the screen
space for the first
time ever and
their chemistry ap-
pears to be extreme-
ly refreshing al-
ready.
A
nanya Panday is one of the
most popular actresses in the
tinsel town of Bollywood.
Ananya is leaving no stones
unturned to promote Liger with Vi-
jay and ahead of the film’s release, in
an interview she was asked if she
gets bothered by the trolls on social
media. To which, she said: “I think it
depends on the day. Obviously, on
some days, I get very affected. And
then some days, I’m not bothered.
And that’s normal, that’s a human
reaction that you would have. I’ve
just realized that there’s nothing bet-
ter than to just keep working hard
and making sure that my work speaks
for itself.”
FIRST SONG
OUT
ANANYA ON
TROLLS
Bewitching in black
Rakul Preet Singh
Still from the show
Kiara Advani
Nora Fatehi
Ananya Panday
Tamannaah Bhatia
Yami Gautam
Her post...
Still from the song
MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
Tamannaah in Lust Stories 2

13. 12
MUMBAI | THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
CITY BUZZGET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
DownfallDownfall
Bollywood?Bollywood?
of
ilms play a pivot-
al role in society
as they not only
portray society
through the lens
of viewers while
highlighting the
wrongs and rights, but
they are also one of the
major mediums of enter-
tainment. But nowadays,
filmmakers have taken
this appreciation for
granted as films now se-
verely lack sense, creativ-
ity, story and originality.
After taking on this non-
sense for years, the audi-
ence is finally retorting by
speaking up against the
same. With the boycott
trend going on, netizens
are not only holding celeb-
rities accountable for
their ignorant comments
but are also calling out the
lack of good and original
content in Bollywood. Af-
ter Laal Singh Chaddha,
Rakshabandhan and
Brahmastra, Hrithik
Roshan and Saif Ali
Khan’s upcoming film,
Vikram Vedha has come
under fire. The movie is
the remake of the hit 2017
Telugu film of the
same name which
starred R Mad-
havan and Vijay
Sethupathi. A di-
aspora of trolls on
social media is
targeting the film
for being a cheap
copy even before its
trailer is released.
Taking to Twitter,
social media users are
requesting everyone to
not spend money on a
cheap copy when the
original film is
available on You-
Tube for free. One
netizen wrote,
“Why waste
money to watch
the copy when
you can watch
the original
for free”. An-
other tweet-
ed, “the orig-
inal Vikram
vedha is
available
on YouTube
to watch it
here.. Don't
support remake!
#BoycottVikramVedha.”
This raises the question
of why there is a dearth
of original ideas in the
Hindi film industry
when on the other
hand, the South in-
dustry is overflow-
ing with good and
creative content.
F
ADITI CHAVAN
[email protected]
Planet Media PR's 4th year anniversary
I
t’s the 4th year anni-
versary of Planet
Media PR where the
finest actors from the
entertainment industry
attended the event. The
event was held at Glocal
Junction, Malad with
actors pouring out their
wishes on the firm’s an-
niversary.
Gauahar Khan,
Amaal Mallik, Helly
Shah, Payal Rohatgi,
Pearl V Puri, Raj Anad-
kat, Karanvir Sharma,
Taha Shah Badussha,
Rego B, Rema Lahiri,
Chandni Sharma, Jay
Soni, Nehha Pendse,
Akanksha Puri, Ali Mer-
cchant and Roshni Walia
attended the event.
Nidhi Gupta who is
one of the youngest and
most successful found-
ers of the entertain-
ment PR industry
shares her gratitude
and expresses how she
is living a life she has
dreamt of. In this exclu-
sive conversation with
us, she says, “As a kid, I
always dreamt of being
a part of this beautiful
industry. Well, I can to-
tally say, what I mani-
fested and dreamt of, is
finally happening. But
this is just the begin-
ning “
EXCEL ENTERTAINMENT
ACCUSED OF NON-PAYMENT
F
arhan Akhtar
and Ritesh Sid-
hwani’s Excel
Entertainment
has landed itself in
trouble. On Mon-
day, the Film Stu-
dios Setting & Al-
lied Mazdoor Union
(FSSAMU) publicly
accused Excel Enter-
tainment of non-pay-
ment of dues to 300
daily-wage workers
who served in the pro-
duction design team
of ‘Mirzapur 3’. FS-
SAMU released a let-
ter to the media ac-
cusing Excel En-
tertainment of
non-payment.
According to re-
ports, the work-
ers have been contin-
uing to employ their
services as the web
series was shot across
several studios in
Mumbai and Benares.
FSSAMU reportedly
wrote a letter to the
media that states
that the workers
are made to work
for extended hours
that go beyond the
permissible limits
as per the provision
in the labour law. It
also alleged that they
are not provided with
quality food or ade-
quate seating provi-
sions on the set.
D
uring a recent inter-
view in Chennai where
Ranbir was promoting
Brahmastra with SS
Rajamouli and Nagarju-
na, Ranbir Kapoor
was asked if
wanted to clarify
his phailoed joke on
Alia Bhatt’s pregnant
belly.
The actor eagerly agreed
and apologized for his com-
ment. He said, “Yes, absolute-
ly. Firstly, let me start with, I
love my wife with everything
that I have in my life. And
what happened on that, I think
it’s a joke that didn’t turn out
to be funny. I really want to
apologize if I have triggered
anyone. It was not my in-
tention. So, I want to say
sorry to people who got of-
fended or triggered. I spoke
to Alia about it and she really
laughed it off and she didn’t
mind it. But I do have a bad
sense of humour and some-
times it falls flat on my own
face. So, I am sorry if I have
hurt anyone about it.”
I
t seems that some-
thing did not sit
well with the differ-
ently abled commu-
nity as Aamir Khan’s
Laal Singh Chaddha
along with Taapsee
Pannu’s Shabaash
Mithu have come under
flak over ‘ridiculing’
comments made about
the community.
The complaint was
filed by the co-founder
of Doctors with Dis-
abilities, Dr Saten-
dra Singh, who is
70% disabled in his
locomotor function. Ac-
cording to his com-
plaint, Singh alleged
that both the films vio-
lated provisions of the
Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Act, 2016.
According to a report,
the notice issued by the
Court of Commission-
ers for people with disa-
bilities on Dr Satendra
Singh’s com-
plaint was
shared by
him. However, there was
no confirmation given
by the Ministry of So-
cial Justice and Empow-
erment. The notice
asked the makers of
Laal Singh Chaddha and
Shabhaash Mithu and
the Union information
and broadcasting minis-
try to give their com-
ments about the
complaint.
Aamir-Taapsee
in legal trouble?
RANBIR KAPOOR
APOLOGISES
Hrithik Roshan
Saif Ali Khan Ranbir Kapoor
Team Planet Media
Akanksha Puri Nehha Pendse
Amaal Mallik
Helly Shah
Rego B
Farhan Akhtar
Aamir Khan and Taapsee Pannu