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1. NATIONALIST CONGRESS SUPPORTS CONGRESS’ RAHUL
RaGa’s disqualification against basic tenets of Constitution: Pawar
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi’s
disqualification as Lok
Sabha MP was against
the basic tenets of the
Constitution and was a
“condemnable” move
which highlighted the
curtailment of demo-
cratic values, National-
ist Congress Party
chief Sharad Pawar
said on Friday.
Gandhi, represent-
ing Wayanad parlia-
mentary constituency
in Kerala, was disquali-
fied from the Lok Sabha
a day after his convic-
tion in a defamation
case by a court in Surat
in Gujarat.
He was, on Thursday,
sentenced to two years
in jail in a criminal
defamation case over
his “Modi surname”
remarks at a 2019 poll
rally in Karnataka.
However, the Surat
court also granted him
bail and suspended the
sentence for 30 days to
allow him to appeal in
a higher court.
The NCP chief also
referred to the disqual-
ification of his party
MP from Lakshadweep
Mohammed Faizal P P
following the latter’s
conviction in an at-
tempt to murder case.
Faizal’s conviction was
later suspended by the
Kerala High Court.
“The disqualifica-
tion of Mr Rahul Gan-
dhi and Mr Faizal a few
months ago as MPs of
the Lok Sabha are
against the basic tenets
of the constitution,
where democratic val-
ues are being curtailed.
This is condemnable
and against the very
principles on which
the constitution is
based,” Pawar tweeted.
“Our constitution
guarantees the right of
each Individual to fair
justice; liberty of
thought; equality of
status and opportunity
and fraternity assur-
ing the dignity of each
Indian. #RahulGan -
dhi,” Pawar further
said in a series of
tweets.
“We all need to stand
together to defend our
democratic institu-
tions,” he added
Pawar also referred
to disqualification
of NCP MP from
Lakshadweep
Mohammed Faizal
after conviction in
attempt to murder
case
Sharad Pawar —FILE PHOTO
We all need
to stand together
to defend our
democratic
institutions,
Pawar said
ED arrests own staffers for accepting
bribe and revealing ‘secret’ information
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A special
PMLA court here on Fri-
day remanded two staff-
ers of the Enforcement
Directorate in the Cen-
tral probe agency's cus-
tody till March 28 for al-
legedly demanding and
accepting a bribe to pro-
vide "secret" informa-
tion to an accused in a
money laundering case.
Yogesh Wagule and
Vishal Kudekar were
arrested by ED during
the day for helping Ba-
blu Sonkar, an associate
of Amar Mulchandani,
former chairman of
Seva Vikas Co-opera-
tive (SVC) Bank, after
accepting Rs 13,000.
Sonkar too has been
arrested, and the three
were produced before
special Prevention of
Money Laundering Act
(PMLA) Judge M G
Deshpande, who re -
manded them in ED
custody till March 28.
ED counsel Kavita
Patil told court the
bribe was paid to "pur-
chase secret office docu-
ments" of ED so as to
keep a close watch on
the probe agency's find-
ings in the case against
Mulchandani as well as
to keep track of wit-
nesses who are being
summoned and what
was being unearthed
from them.
Sonkar had also paid
a bribe of Rs 40,000 to a
driver attached to the
ED who was on duty
when Vinay Aranha of
Rosary Education Group
of Pune, was arrested in
a money laundering
case earlier this month,
as per the probe agency.
Aranha is accused of
defaulting on loans tak-
en from various banks,
including two from SVC
Bank. The loans were
taken from SVC Bank
by mortgaging a prop-
erty that had already
been sold, and the loan
account was declared
an NPA, as per the ED.
The ED has claimed
the SVC Board of Direc-
tors headed by Mulchan-
dani had sanctioned the
loans to Aranha.
SC TO HEAR OPPN’S
PLEA AGAINST ED, CBI
MISUSE BY CENTRE
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Friday agreed
to list for hearing on
April 5 a plea by 14
opposition parties, led by
the Congress, alleging
arbitrary use of central
probe agencies against
political opponents. P5
NIA CHARGE-SHEETS
LAWRENCE, GOLDY, 12
MORE IN NEXUS CASE
New Delhi: NIA on Friday
filed a fresh charge sheet
against jailed gangster
Lawrence Bishnoi and
Goldy Brar and a dozen
others. The charge sheet
came in the second of the 3
terror-gangster nexus cases
that are being probed.
4 PC: CENTRE HIKES
DEARNESS ALLOWANCE
FOR GOVT STAFFERS
New Delhi: The central
government has hiked the
Dearness Allowance (DA) for
govt staffers and pensioners
by four percentage points to
42% from the existing 38%.
The decision was taken at
meeting of Union Cabinet led
by PM Modi on Friday.
RAHUL GANDHI
HAS ‘PATHETIC
AND CASTEIST
MINDSET’: NADDA
New Delhi: BJP Nat’l Prez JP Nadda on Friday
attacked Rahul over his “Modis are thieves”
remark and alleged that by comparing
OBC communities to thieves, Gandhi has
shown a “pathetic & casteist mindset”.
P5
AJAY BANGA TESTS
COVID +VE; INDIA
MEETS WITH MODI,
SITHA CANCELLED
New Delhi: The United States nominee for World Bank
Prez, Indian-American Ajay Banga, who arrived in Delhi
on a 2-day, tested Covid positive during a routine testing.
Banga was scheduled to meet with PM Narendra Modi,
FinMin Nirmala Sitharaman & EAM S Jaishankar on Friday.
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindiaOUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & MUMBAIBSE SENSEX 57,527.10 398.18 | NSE NIFTY 16,945.05 131.85
‘VIRASAT’
‘VIKAS’
IN KASHI!
PM launches 28 projects worth ` 1,780 crore in Varanasi, reveals plans for Ganga ghats
Moni Sharma
Varanasi: Prime Minis -
ter Narendra Modi on
Friday laid the founda-
tion stone of a passenger
ropeway from Varanasi
Cantonment station to
Kashi Vishwanath Cor-
ridor, besides launching
and inaugurating 27
other development pro-
jects worth `1,780 crore.
He went on to recount
development works un-
dertaken in holy city
over last 8-9 years, say-
ing speed with which
“Banaras is developing,
now time has come to
give it a new pace”. “To-
day Varanasi has sev-
eral projects, from clean
water, education and
rejuvenation of Ganga,
to sports facilities,” PM
added. Modi dedicated
over
19 drinking water
schemes that will benefit
3 lakh people in 63 pan
-
chayats under the JJM.
PM Narendra Modi dedicates and lays foundation of various projects, in Varanasi on Friday. UP Governor
Anandiben Patel, CM Yogi Adityanath, Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, Ravindra Jaiswal and others also seen.
Disqualified
Uttar Pradesh is
rising from the
earlier hope-
lessness towards a State
of hope and aspiration
under the Yogi Adityanath
government.
—Narendra Modi,
Prime Minister
ABOUT THE PASSENGER ROPEWAY
PM MODI LAYS FOUNDATION STONE
l 3.75 kilometre ropeway
project is estimated to
cost over `645 crore
l 5 stations will facilitate
ease of movement for
tourists and pilgirms
l Ropeway project will be
available with facilities like
parking, food etc
l Floating jetty will soon
be constructed for devo-
tees and tourists and will
increase attraction here
l Air connectivity will
also be enhanced by es-
tablishing an ATC tower
l Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi was on
Friday disqualified as
the Lok Sabha MP
l Surat court sen-
tenced Rahul Gandhi
to 2 years in jail in the
case on Thursday
l Lok Sabha Secre-
tariat has disqualified
Rahul, declared his
constituency vacant
l Legal experts say MP
from Wayanad stood
“automatically” disqual-
ified with conviction
l Action can be staved
off if Rahul Gandhi
manages to get the
conviction overturned
l
EC can now announce
spl election for the seat,
Gandhi can be asked to
vacate govt bungalow
l For a 55 million litres
per day sewage treatment
plant at Bhagwanpur at an
estimated cost of `300 cr
l Phase 2 and Phase 3
redevelopment work of
Sigra Stadium
l 59 drinking water
schemes under the JJM
l LPG bottling plant at
Isarwar village, to be built
by the HPCL Ltd
l Various health projects
including Primary Health
Care centres will come
up in Bharthara village
Drugs free society, a prerequisite
for developed India: Amit Shah
First India Bureau
Bengaluru: Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah on Friday attend-
ed NCB’s Regional
Conference on Drug
Trafficking & National
Security for Southern
States/UTs in Bengalu-
ru. He emphasized that
the whole nation would
have to come together
to make India drug
free. He further said
that Drug free society
would be a prerequi-
site for a developed In-
dia. He said, “PM Modi
kept vision of a drug-
free society and we will
take this ahead. All the
departments of the na-
tion and political lead-
ers need to come for-
ward to fight this.”
Shah said that a suc-
cessful anti-drug cam-
paign was key to In-
dia’s advancement and
goal of achieving a $5
trillion economy by
2025 and that fight can-
not be successful un-
less there’s a whole of
govt approach, adding
that our sea routes
should never be open
to drugs going to any
part of the world.
P6
Union Home Minister Amit Shah greets crowd during the
‘Regional Conference on Drug Trafficking and National
Security for Southern States/UTs’, in Bengaluru on Friday.
READ
CrucialCrucial
PRADEEP SARKAR, ACE
AD FILM-MAKER DIES
AGED 67 YEARS
Mumbai: Filmmaker Pradeep
Sarkar, who was best-known
for directing films like
Parineeta, Helicopter Eela
and Mardaani, has died at
the age of 67. Wife said he
succumbed to pneumonia.
I AM FIGHTING FOR VOICE OF
INDIA, READY TO PAY ANY PRICE.
—Rahul Gandhi, Senior Congress Leader
Finance Bill 2023 cleared
in LS without discussion
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Lok Sabha
on Friday passed the Fi-
nance Bill 2023 with 64
official amendments,
including the one that
seeks withdrawal of
long-term tax benefits
on certain categories of
debt mutual funds and
another for setting up
the GST Appelate Tri-
bunal. The Finance Bill
that gives effect to tax
proposals for fiscal year
starting April 1 was
passed without a dis-
cussion amidst ruckus
by opposition members
demanding a JPC probe
into the allegations
against the Adani group
of companies.
P5 & P7
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla conducts proceedings of the House during the second phase of Budget
Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Friday. (R) Nirmala Sitharaman speaks in the LS on Friday.
MUMBAI l SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023 l Pages 12 l
3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 315

2. NEWS
MUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023
02
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‘Murder’ of democracy, says Uddhav
after Rahul Gandhi's disqualification
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Uddhav
Thackeray on Friday
dubbed Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi’s disqual-
ification as the “mur-
der” of democracy and
said this is the begin-
ning of the end of “dic-
tatorship”. In a state-
ment, Thackeray said it
has become a crime to
call a thief a thief, while
those “looting” the
country are out.
“This is the murder
of democracy. All agen-
cies are under pres-
sure. This is the begin-
ning of the end of the
dictatorship...the battle
only needs a direction
(now),” Thackeray
said.
Earlier in the day, the
Lok Sabha Secretariat
said Gandhi has been
disqualified from the
Lok Sabha, a day after a
Surat court convicted
him in a 2019 criminal
defamation case.
Announcing his dis-
qualification, the Lok
Sabha Secretariat in a
notification said that it
was effective from
March 23, the day of his
conviction.
“Consequent upon
his conviction by the
Court of Chief Judicial
Magistrate, Surat, Ra-
hul Gandhi, Member of
Lok Sabha represent-
ing the Wayanad Par-
liamentary Constitu-
ency of Kerala stands
disqualified from the
membership of Lok
Sabha from the date of
his conviction i.e. 23
March, 2023,” the noti-
fication read. The Su-
rat court on Thursday
sentenced Rahul Gan-
dhi to two years in jail
in a defamation case,
filed on a complaint by
BJP MLA Purnesh
Modi for his alleged re-
mark, “How come all
thieves have Modi as
the common sur -
name?”
Following his dis-
qualification, Rahul
Gandhi would not be
able to contest elections
for years unless a high-
er court stays his con-
viction and sentence.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Mumbai po-
lice on Thursday ar-
rested a 63-year-old
man who was abscond-
ing for the past 15 years
in a housebreaking
and theft case after
working on the input
that the accused has a
tattoo on his hand, an
official said.
Armugam Pallaswa-
mi Devendra Mudaliar,
then a resident of An-
top Hill in central
Mumbai, was nabbed
from the Fort area in
South Mumbai, the of-
ficial said. He was
working for a travel
agency using a fake
identity.
Mudaliar, who faces
more than five cases in
Mumbai and Gujarat,
was wanted in a theft
and housebreaking
case registered in 2008
at Rafi Ahmed Kidwai
Marg police station, he
said. As he was un-
traceable, a local court
declared him as ab-
sconding, he said.
The RAK Marg police
recently started the in-
vestigation afresh and
began looking for him
at Kalyan, Bhandup
and Mahim, he said.
Initially, police got the
information that Muda-
liar had fled to Tamil
Nadu and there were
even speculations that
he was no more, he
said. A team working
on the case learnt from
police records that Mu-
daliar has a tattoo on
his hand. The team also
found his signature, he
said.
With the help of these
details, police tracked
Mudaliar to the city’s
Fort area on Thursday,
he said. After verifica-
tion of the tattoo and his
signature, police arrest-
ed him in the 15-year-old
case, he said.
Tattoo helps police track down accused in 15-yo case
BETTER LATE THAN SORRY
lll
After working on
input, the police
has arrested a
63-year-old
accused
absconding in
housebreaking
& theft case
The RAK Marg police recently started the investigation afresh and
began looking for him at Kalyan, Bhandup and Mahim.
RAHUL GANDHI CONVICTION
OPPN STAGES WALKOUT TO PROTEST
GANDHI’S DISQUALIFICATION AS MP
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Opposi-
tion in the Maharash-
tra Legislative Assem-
bly on Friday staged a
walkout to protest the
disqualification of
Congress leader Ra-
hul Gandhi as a mem-
ber of the Lok Sabha.
Earlier in the day,
the Lok Sabha Secre-
tariat said Gandhi has
been disqualified
from the Lok Sabha, a
day after a Surat court
convicted him in a
2019 criminal defama-
tion case.
“We condemn the
decision to disqualify
Rahul Gandhi as a
member of the Lok
Sabha. We decided to
walk out in protest,”
said senior Congress
leader Nana Patole.
The Opposition
members, including
MLAs from the Na -
tionalist Congress
Party (NCP) and Shiv
Sena (UBT), then pro-
tested on the stairs of
Vidhan Bhavan.
Bharatiya Janata
Party MLA Atul Bhat-
khalkar said the law
under which a mem-
ber stands disqualified
after a conviction was
enacted by the erst-
while Congress-led
UPA (United Progres-
sive Alliance) govern-
ment and the Centre
has implemented it.
“Congress MLAs
staging a walkout is
laughable,” he said.
A court in Surat sen-
tenced Gandhi to two
years in jail in a defa-
mation case on
Thursday.
HITTING RaGa’S POSTER WITH
SLIPPERS: DIN IN ASSEMBLY
AS CONG SEEKS SUSPENSION
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Noisy
scenes were wit -
nessed in the Maha-
rashtra Legislative
Assembly on Friday
after Congress mem-
bers demanded the
suspension of those
members from the
ruling Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party-Shiv
Sena, who hit a post-
er of Rahul Gandhi
with footwear a day
ago over his remarks
against Hindutva
ideologue VD
Savarkar.
The House was ad-
journed three times
as pandemonium
prevailed due to slo-
ganeering by Con-
gress legislators and
the treasury bench-
es. Assembly Speak-
er Rahul Narvekar
later said he would
issue a set of Stand-
ard Operating Pro-
cedures (SOPs) and
code of conduct for
the members in re-
spect of references
to prime minister,
chief minister and
national leaders,
while Chief Minis-
ter Eknath Shinde
slammed the opposi-
tion for “insulting”
Savarkar and Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi.
The members of
the BJP and Chief
Minister Eknath
Shinde-led Shiv
Sena had on Thurs-
day hit the poster of
Congress leader Ra-
hul Gandhi with
footwear on the
stairs of the Legisla-
ture complex here
for his remarks
against Savarkar.
Gandhi has been
repeatedly targeting
Savarkar. During the
Maharashtra leg of
his Bharat Jodo
Yatra in November
last year, Gandhi had
claimed that the Hin-
dutva ideologue
helped the British
rulers and wrote a
mercy petition to
them out of fear.
BJP-Shiv Sena members during the protest. —FILE PHOTO
Cops seize 2K kg
of beef in Thane;
two booked
Thane: The police
seized 2,000 kg of beef
from a tempo at Kalyan
city in Thane district,
an official said on Fri-
day. The vehicle was
intercepted at Khadak-
pada circle in Kalyan
around 11.45 am on
Thursday, the official
said. Although the
individuals in the vehi-
cle fled the scene, an
investigation has
been launched, official
added.
20% more buses to run on
weekends, holidays from Apr
First India Bureau
Mumbai: For conveni-
ence of commuters, the
Brihanmumbai Elec -
tricity Supply and
Transport (BEST) has
decided to design a new
pattern for the opera-
tions of its buses on
Sundays and holidays.
The civic transport
body would be follow-
ing the new pattern
from April, stating that
at present only 60% of
buses operate on Sun-
days, however, now
BEST will try and run
over 80% of buses on
weekends and holidays
in Mumbai.
As per reports, at pre-
sent, over 3,600 buses
are being daily operated
by BEST in the city
which is used by more
than 35 lakh passengers
during weekdays. Mean-
while, currently, around
25,000 taxis are running
on the road, out of this
nearly 40% stay off the
road on Sunday.
Lokesh Chandra, the
general manager of
BEST, has announced
that they will be rede-
signing their bus opera-
tion schedule for Sun-
days and holidays due
to the fact that 40% of
taxis and rickshaws do
not operate on those
days, causing issues
with last-mile connec-
tivity for private sector
workers.
School Bus Association to
increase bus fares by 15-20%Jailed in Elgar Parishad case,
Hany Babu to get hon-doctorate
First India Bureau
Mumbai: After in-
creasing the fare by
30% last year, the
School Bus Association
has decided to increase
the fare of school buses
in Mumbai by 15 to 20%
again this year. Accord-
ingly, the fee will be in-
creased from April 01.
The association
raised the school bus
fare by 30% last year as
the rent was not in-
creased during the pan-
demic. This year, they
have decided to in-
crease the fee by anoth-
er 20%.
The ‘School Bus As-
sociation’ has cited the
increase in fuel prices,
the increased cost of
bus materials, the fi-
nancial calculations of
the month are coming
to an end.
Anil Garg, president
of the School Bus Asso-
ciation, said that the
policy of the central
government is to scrap
vehicles older than fif-
teen years. Now the
rates of new buses have
also increased, says the
association. Now the
cost of a new bus is
Rs28 lakh, while the
price of a minibus is
Rs21 lakh.
“Also the prices of
spare parts, and batter-
ies have increased by
12% to 18%,” he added.
First India Bureau
Nagpur: Former Delhi
University associate
professor Dr. Hany
Babu, an accused in the
Elgar Parishad-Maoist
links case and current-
ly lodged in Taloja jail
in Navi Mumbai, is set
to get an honorary doc-
torate degree from a
university in Belgium,
his wife has said.
In a release issued on
Thursday, Hany’s wife
Jenny Rowena said he
will be awarded the hon-
orary doctorate from
the faculty of Arts and
Philosophy of Ghent
University, Belgium on
Friday. In July 2020,
Hany Babu was arrested
in connection with the
Elgar Parishad-Maoist
links case, becoming the
12th person to be arrest-
ed in the case. The case
pertains to the Elgar
Parishad conference
that was held in Pune on
December 31, 2017. Ac-
cording to Pune police,
the speeches made dur-
ing the conference in-
cited caste-based vio-
lence at the Bhima Kore-
gaon war memorial lo-
cated near Pune city,
which took place the
following day. The police
have also alleged that
the conference was sup-
ported by Maoists.
“The faculty of Arts
and Philosophy of
Ghent University, which
nominated Dr. Hany
Babu’s name to the ex-
ecutive committee, jus-
tified its nomination by
pointing to his efforts to
safeguard the impor-
tance of academic free-
dom,” his wife stated in
the release.
ACB notice to
Salvi’s family
for questioning
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Maha-
rashtra Anti-Corrup-
tion Bureau (ACB)
served a notice to Ud-
dhav Thackeray
MLA Rajan Salvi’s
family, summoning
them for questioning
on Friday.
According to the
officials, the inquiry
will be held in the
disproportionate as-
sets case. The Maha-
rashtra Anti-Cor-
ruption Bureau
(ACB) sent notices to
the son, brother, sis-
ter-in-law and wife
of Uddhav faction
MLA Rajan Salvi,
asking them to ap-
pear for questioning
today in the alleged
disproportionate as-
sets case.
ACB has already
interrogated Rajan
Salvi in the excess
property case and
now sent a notice to
the family to appear
for questioning.
MLA Rajan Salvi
said, “Efforts are be-
ing made to put pres-
sure on me, due to
which my family is
being targeted, no
matter what they do,
I am not afraid.”
“ACB has ques -
tioned me four times
in this matter, will
interrogate my fam-
ily today and tomor-
row. Whatever hap-
pens, I will always
stand with Uddhav
Thackeray ji, I am
not afraid”, the MLA
said.
Salvi added,
“when I got the first
notice, the same day
I contacted Uddhav
Thackeray, he said to
keep fighting, I am
with you.” Earlier,
ACB sent notices to
the wife, brother and
sister-in-law of MLA
Rajan Salvi, asking
them to appear for
questioning on
March 20 in the al-
leged disproportion-
ate assets case.
“Since this notice,
my mother, who is a
very aged person, is
seen worried every
now and then. The
pressure mechanism
has started to work”,
Rajan Salvi said. Sal-
vi alleged that as
soon as he leaves the
Uddhav Thackeray
faction and joins the
BJP or Shinde fac-
tion, all these charg-
es will get white-
washed off him.
In a statement, Thackeray said it has become a crime to call a thief, a ‘thief’. —FILE PHOTO

3. MAHARASHTRA
MUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023
03
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First India Bureau
Mumbai: Suspected
bookie Anil Jaisingha-
ni and his daughter An-
iksha used to together
plan what kind of mes-
sages should be sent
and demands to be put
before Amruta Fad-
navis, the wife of Ma-
harashtra Deputy
Chief Minister Deven-
dra Fadnavis, while
trying to blackmail her,
police officials han-
dling the probe in the
case said.
Aniksha Jaisinghani
is accused of trying to
blackmail and bribe
Amruta Fadnavis. An-
iksha Jaisinghani was
arrested on March 16
for allegedly attempt-
ing to offer Rs1 crore to
Amruta Fadnavis for
intervening in a crimi-
nal case and also
threatening her. Anil
Jaisinghani, also an ac-
cused in the case, was
arrested on March 20
from Gujarat.
The officials said the
father-daughter duo
worked in tandem and
discussed each and eve-
rything related to the
sordid episode.
Before sending any
WhatsApp message on
Amruta Fadnavis's mo-
bile phone, Aniksha
Jaisinghani used to dis-
cuss it with her father,
said an official. During
the probe, the police
found screenshots of
messages on a mobile
phone, which were to be
sent to Amruta Fad-
navis, and the duo also
discussed replies to be
given, he said. This
clearly indicates the fa-
ther-daughter duo was
planning together to
trap the complainant,
he said.
After Amruta Fad-
navis blocked Aniksha
Jaisinghani's mobile
number, some threat
and blackmail messag-
es were allegedly sent
to the former by Anil
Jaisinghani, said the
police official. Initially
Aniksha Jaisinghani
had taken the name of
two persons in connec-
tion with the entire
episode, but after veri-
fication it came to light
she was misleading the
police, he said.
She had introduced
herself to Amruta Fad-
navis as a fashion de-
signer a few years ago,
but now claims she is
actually a law student,
the official said. Anik-
sha Jaisinghani may
have changed her ver-
sion about profession
to get sympathy, he
said.
CRUCIAL READ
BUS RUNS OVER
BEST DRIVER
INSIDE DEPOT
‘114 VILLAGES

DO NOT HAVE
BURIAL GROUND’
DUO SNATCHES
69-YEAR-OLD
WOMAN'S CHAIN
Mumbai: A 55-year-old
driver employed with the
Brihanmumbai Electric
Supply and Transport
(BEST) Ltd was run over
by a bus inside a depot
here, official said. The
victim sustained serious
injuries and was declared
dead by the doctor in an
ambulance, he said. The
incident took place in the
Kala Killa-Dharavi bus
depot when the driver
posted on CNG fuelling
duty was hit by an electric
bus coming out of the
washing shed, he said.
Alibaug: As many as 114
villages in Raigad do not
have a cremation site or a
burial ground, an official
said on Friday. Out of the
total 1,999 villages in the
district, 114 lack a crema
-
tion site for their residents,
according to collector
Dr. Yogesh Mhase. An
order has been issued to
the revenue official and
circle inspector to locate a
suitable location for these
villages to provide the nec
-
essary facility. The collector
further said there were
2,214 villages in district.
Thane: A man and his fe
-
male accomplice snatched
the gold chain of a 69-year-
old woman at knifepoint
and injured her by pushing
her down in Thane city,
a police official said on
Friday. The incident took
place in the city’s Vartak
Nagar area on March 20,
However, a case could not
be registered immediately
as the woman was admit
-
ted to a hospital due to a
hip fracture caused by the
fall, an official said.
AMRUTA FADNAVIS ‘EXTORTION’ CASE
‘Jaisinghani, his daughter worked
in tandem, wanted to trap Amruta’
Before sending
any message to
Fadnavis, she
discussed it with
father & ‘bookie’
Anil Jaisinghani
Anil Jaisinghani being taken by authorities. —FILE PHOTO
Bootlegging
case: MP cops
in Mumbai to
seek custody
of Jaisinghani
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Now, the
Madhya Pradesh police
is also in Mumbai seek-
ing custody of alleged
bookie and hawala
operator Anil Jaisin-
ghani for questioning
in connection with the
2020 bootlegging case
in Dhar district.
Jaisinghani was ar-
rested by the Mumbai
police after a chase
in several districts of
Gujarat on Sunday for
alleged blackmailing
and extortion case filed
by Maharashtra Dy CM
and Home Minister
Devendra Fadnavis'
wife Amruta. He is
in police custody till
March 27. As per the
Madhya Pradesh Police
team in Mumbai, Anil
Jaisinghani (54) was
booked for alleg-
edly smuggling alcohol
from Daman and Diu to
Dhar district following
the seizure of Rs50
lakhs worth of liquor in
August 2020.
“The arrest of Indore
residents Gaffar and
Munir led the investiga-
tors to Anil Jaising-
hani. He ran the alcohol
smuggling racket using
the network of bookies
in Dhar, Dewas, Indore,
Dhamond, Malwa and
Nimar region,” said a
senior MP Police official.
ANIKSHA SENT TO 14-DAY JUDICIAL CUSTODY
Mumbai (FIB): A court
on Friday sent Aniksha
Jaisinghani, arrested for
allegedly offering a bribe
to Maharashtra Deputy
Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis's wife Amruta and
also threatening her, to 14-
day judicial custody, turning
down the cops' plea to
extend her police remand.
The police produced An-
iksha before sessions court
judge DD Almale at the end
of her previous remand.
The police, represented by
special public prosecutor
Ajay Misar, sought her cus-
tody for three more days to
confront her with a witness.
Aniksha's lawyer Manan
Sanghai submitted that
no new ground was made
out for extending the
police remand. The court,
after hearing both sides,
rejected the investigators'
plea and remanded the ac-
cused in judicial custody.
In her statement to the po-
lice, Amruta said she first
met Aniksha in November
2021. Aniksha claimed
that she was a designer
of clothes, jewellery and
footwear and requested
the BJP leader's wife to
wear them at public events
saying it would help her
promote the products, the
police have said.
After gaining Amruta's
trust, Aniksha offered to
provide her with infor-
mation on some book-
ies through which, she
claimed, they could make
money. She then directly
offered Amruta Rs1 crore
to get her father off the
hook in a police case, as
per the FIR.
Amruta Fadnavis also
told the police that she
was upset by Aniksha's
behaviour and blocked her
number. The woman then
allegedly sent Amruta video
clips, voice notes and many
messages from an unknown
number, said official.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: To recover
property tax, the Bri-
hanmumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC)
has started the process
of appointing a private
organization to search
for more immovable
properties and invest-
ments of nearly 67
defaulters.
These property own-
ers owe a total of over
Rs355 crore, which in-
cludes basic tax of
Rs268 crore and penalty
of Rs87 crore. This is
the first time that the
BMC has taken steps to
seize and auction other
properties of property
tax defaulters.
Property tax is a ma-
jor source of income for
the Brihanmumbai Mu-
nicipal Corporation
(BMC). But it has not
been able to meet the
property tax target for
the past seven years and
overall revenue has
seen a notable decline.
In the current financial
year, the civic assess-
ment and collection de-
partment has collected
Rs4,767 crore till March
22, with less than a
week in hand before the
financial year ends. The
target was Rs7,000
crore, considering a
14% hike. However, the
state government
struck down the hike
and the BMC revised its
target to Rs4,800 crore.
Last year, 2021-22, the
total property tax col-
lection was Rs5,792
crore.
The civic body has
initiated action against
property tax defaulters
and seized properties of
these defaulters under
various categories like
residential, industrial,
commercial and open
space. These property
owners owe a total of
Rs355.19 crore.
Property tax has to be
deposited within 90
days of receipt of prop-
erty tax bills. If the tax
is not paid during this
period, the BMC takes
action like sending a
notice.
Municipal Corp to now auction other properties of tax defaulters
BEWARE DEFAULTERS
The civic body has listed nearly 67 defaulters. —FILE PHOTO
BMC PROPOSES 50% RENT
INCREASE FOR MUNICIPAL GALAS
Mumbai (FIB): Gala holders from Lalbaug Market, on
behalf of other trade associations and stall holders,
met joint municipal commissioner Ramesh Pawar and
assistant municipal commissioner Prakash Rasal along
with Shiv Sena UBT’s former corporator Anil Kokil
and MLA Ajay Choudhary. Rajendra Bahadur Singh,
president of the Lalbaug Market Merchants Association,
said that their monthly rent, which used to be ` 120, had
been hiked to ` 1,350 and would be further increased by
5% every year. “This increase is unfair,” he said. “Our
businesses have been disrupted since the pandemic and
online malls have eaten into them. We can understand
a hike from ` 120 to ` 200, but to push it to ` 1,350 with
an annual 5% hike and 18% GST is unaffordable. What
will we earn and save? There is no maintenance of
municipal markets either,” Singh added.
Palghar (PTI): Ac -
cording to police, a
young woman who was
taking a walk with her
boyfriend in the Pal-
ghar district of Maha-
rashtra was reportedly
sexually assaulted by
two men on Wednesday
evening.
The suspects, aged 22
and 25, allegedly re-
strained the victim's
boyfriend by tying him
to a tree during the at-
tack. Following their
arrest, the accused
were brought before a
local judge who ordered
their detention in po-
lice custody until
March 27.
The girl and her boy-
friend had gone to a
nearby hill for a walk
when the accused saw
them. The accused per-
sons threatened the
couple, said the police.
Subsequently, a dis-
pute ensued between
the accused and the
male juvenile, who
struck the pair with a
beer bottle that was de-
void of its contents. Af-
terward, the two men
disrobed the man and
tied him to a tree, ac-
cording to their ac-
count. Next, the duo
forcibly took the female
victim to a secluded lo-
cation and raped her.
Additionally, they set
fire to the victim's
handbag, reported the
authorities.
The victim escaped
from the clutches of the
accused and managed
to reach home, but the
boy remained tied to
the tree and was res-
cued by the police hours
later.
First India Bureau
Thane: A case has
been registered against
an admin appointed to
oversee the workings of
cooperative housing so-
cieties and four others
for alleged misappro-
priation of funds in Ma-
harashtra's Thane city,
police said on Friday.
According to the po-
lice, the individual pri-
marily responsible for
the incident was as-
signed the task of su-
pervising the activities
of cooperative housing
societies in the urban
area, which had com-
plained of misuse of
funds.
The cooperative reg-
istrar received griev-
ances from society
members and conse -
quently directed an in-
vestigation into the fi-
nancial records, uncov-
ering numerous anoma-
lies, as stated by the
spokesperson.
Though he was au-
thorized only to oversee
the management of so-
cieties, the accused of-
ficial had illegally spent
Rs40.22 lakh for various
works without taking
permission from mem-
bers, he said.
Beneficiaries and
contractors who were
awarded the contracts
without following any
regulations have also
been named in the
First Information Re-
port (FIR).
Two men rape girl after tying
her partner to tree in Palghar
The police have arrested both the accused and registered a case
of gangrape against the duo.
Misappropriation of
funds: Five booked
First India Bureau
Thane: Police have ar-
rested a 56-year-old man
in Thane city of Maha-
rashtra for allegedly
harassing his daughter-
in-law and abetting her
suicide, an official said
on Friday. The 22-year-
old victim hanged her-
self to death at her in-
laws' house in Balkum
locality of the city on
March 22 morning.
A complaint lodged
by the victim's brother
said his sister had mar-
ried the son of the ac-
cused in 2018. She lived
with her husband and
father-in-law. The com-
plainant alleged that
his sister's father-in-law
would harass and tor-
ture her saying that she
does not work well.
"On Wednesday, she
called her brother
around 8.30 am and
asked him to visit her
place as soon as possi-
ble as she was tired of
being beaten and har-
assed frequently by her
father-in-law, who
would come home
drunk. But after an
hour, the complainant
got a call from the vic-
tim's husband inform-
ing him that the victim
had hanged herself to
death in the house," an
official of Kapurbawdi
police station said.
Based on the com-
plaint, an offence under
Indian Penal Code (IPC)
sections 498-A (hus-
band or relative of hus-
band of a woman sub-
jecting her to cruelty)
and 306 (abetment of
suicide) was registered
against the accused and
arrested him.
56-year-old held for abetting
suicide of daughter-in-law
First India Bureau
Thane: The Navi Mum-
bai police have regis-
tered a case of dacoity
against a group of
around 20 persons, who
allegedly attacked three
scrap dealers and
robbed them of their
belongings worth more
than Rs5 lakh in Dhule
district of north Maha-
rashtra, an official said
on Friday. The incident
occurred on March 20
night, he said.
"Complainant Farhan
Khot from Panvel had
got information that
copper in windmills
was up for sale as scrap
at Jamda in Dhule and
he was keen on purchas-
ing it. Accordingly, he
and two other dealers
went to Dhule for it," an
official of Panvel town
police station said.
During their meeting
with two persons in
Dhule, whom they had
contacted for the deal, a
group of around 20 per-
sons appeared on the
scene and attacked the
scrap dealers by punch-
ing and kicking them.
The two persons with
whom the victims were
holding talks also
joined the attackers.
The accused robbed the
victims of their belong-
ings, including cash
and jewellery collec-
tively worth Rs5.07
lakh, he said. The vic-
tims later returned to
Panvel and lodged a
complaint, based on
which the police regis-
tered an offence under
Indian Penal Code (IPC)
section 395 (dacoity)
against the accused.
Three scrap dealers attacked,
robbed in Navi Mum; case filed
First India Bureau
Thane: Two boys
drowned in a water-
filled pit that was dug
up for a pipeline work at
Ambarnath in Maha -
rashtra's Thane dis-
trict, after which the
police registered an of-
fence against two con-
tractors for negligence,
an official has said.
The children aged six
and eight years drowned
on Wednesday after ac-
cidentally falling into
the pit while playing
near their house in
Dhaval Pada locality,
the police official said.
Boys drown in
rainwater-filled
pit; cops book 2

4. PERSPECTIVE
MUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023
04
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
l Vol 1
l Issue No. 315
l RNI TITLE NO.
MAHENG/2022/14652
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed at
Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe
MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial
Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701.
Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C
of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS
Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville
Parle East, Mumbai 400057.
Phone [phone].
Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
This one is for all those times
you made an excuse for not
accomplishing your goals.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Birds of a feather flock together!
Politics of vengeance is TMC’s
brand of politics not the BJP’s.
Manufacturers of faux-victimhood
must understand that there is no
conviction without an evidence of guilt
or wrong-doing.
Kiren Rijiju
@KirenRijiju
We can’t blame all Gandhi surnames
just because Rahul Gandhi insulted
Indian democracy, our Armed forces
& India’s Institutions. Rahul Gandhi
made very derogatory remark and
disgraced an entire OBC Community.
Shockingly, some Congress leaders
are trying to defend it!
TOP TWEETS
HEALTH ISSUES
MAKE DELHI HC
JUDGE TO STAND
AND HEAR CASES
veryone is interested
in a court’s proceed-
ings and judgments
but no one tries to
find out the health is-
sues a judge has to face while sit-
ting in the court for long hours.
How severe this problem is can
be best understood by the deci-
sion of the Delhi High Court’s
Justice Pratibha M. Singh to
stand intermittently while con-
ducting the proceedings. Seeing
Justice Singh stand and hear ar-
guments made a unique sight on
Friday but it draws attention to
the serious health issue. “As
judges we spend 14-16 hours sit-
ting on chairs. It takes a toll on
our health,” she said. Justice
Singh went on to explain that her
doctors have advised her to take
hourly breaks and as that was
not possible, she decided to stand
up. With 50 cases listed before
her, Justice Singh kept standing
from 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm and then
from 3.45 pm till 4.25 pm to con-
duct the proceedings. She has set
a new precedent.
E
urat court’s order
convicting Con-
gress leader Ra-
hul Gandhi in a
defamation case
has had a unifying effect on
opposition parties. On the
day of the court’s verdict, the
Nationalist Congress Party
president Sharad Pawar
chaired a meeting of some
opposition leaders on elec-
tronic voting machines
(EVMs). Pawar said that ef-
ficacy of EVMs was crucial
for free and fair elections and
the Election Commission
should allay all doubts re-
garding EVMs. Leaders of
the Congress, Samajwadi
Party, Bharat Rashtra
Samithi (BRS) and Shiv Sena,
besides Kapil Sibal, who at-
tended the meeting, rejected
the EC’s plan to use EVMs to
allow remote voting for mi-
grant workers.
West Bengal Chief Minis-
ter Mamata Banerjee was
busy charting her own course
and gave Pawar’s meeting a
skip. Presumably because
they have the same inclina-
tion towards the BJP, Mama-
ta decided to meet Naveen
Patnaik, Chief Minister of
Odisha and president of the
Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The
two discussed formation of a
Third Front and resolved to
make India’s federal struc-
ture stronger.
In a move indicating a pos-
sible coming together of op-
position parties barring the
TMC and BJD, 14 opposition
parties led by Congress party
moved the Supreme Court on
Friday against the misuse of
CBI and Enforcement Direc-
torate to target leaders of op-
position parties. Chief Jus-
tice of India DY Chandra-
chud agreed to consider the
plea on April 5. The parties
have requested the apex
court to lay down pre and
post arrest guidelines for the
two agencies as “ninety-five
per cent cases are against op-
position leaders. The court
order has brought opposition
parties closer, but will they
close their ranks?
COURT ORDER
BRINGS OPPN
PARTIES CLOSER
Surat court’s order convicting
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
in a defamation case has had
a unifying effect on
Opposition parties. On the
day of the court’s verdict, the
NCP president Sharad
Pawar chaired a meeting
of some Opposition
leaders on EVMs
S
INDIA AND JAPAN IN THE INDO-PACIFIC
A NATURAL PARTNERSHIP
apanese PM Fumio Kishida
recently was on an official
visit to India. The visit con-
solidated the increasing prox-
imity between the two coun-
tries and enhanced economic
and defence ties. From the re-
vival of the term ‘Indo-Pacif-
ic’ by Shinzo Abe in 2007 to the
evocation of the ‘Free and
Open Indo-Pacific’ in 2016, In-
dia and Japan have been inter-
acting both intensively and
extensively over the last two
decades. Though the term is a
geopolitical construct, it has
acquired multi-dimensionali-
ty over the years. Bilaterally,
India is the largest recipient
of Japanese Official Develop-
ment Assistance (ODA) in re-
cent years. Japan’s invest-
ments in the Indian industrial
sector are reflected in the sev-
eral special economic zones
(SEZs) across the country.
New Delhi and Tokyo are also
collaborating on matters of
defence and security.
In the geostrategic context,
Indian and Japanese security
perceptions converge in the
region with China being the
primary driver of common
apprehensions. Though a big-
ger and formidable trading
partner of China, Japan faces
issues related to territorial
claims in the Sea of Japan.
These challenges are like In-
dia’s territorial and border
claims, the major difference
being that they are maritime.
Chinese actions regularly
threaten Japanese sovereign-
ty in the Senkaku islands, just
as India’s northern border
and territories witness Chi-
nese aggression. These issues,
however, are peculiar to sover-
eign territorial assertion in
their respective regions. For
Japan, however, the threat is
complex in nature with pres-
ence of North Korea, China
and Russia in the region.
Northeast Asia, from a geo-
strategic perspective is an arc
of instability with three ma-
jor realms (Trade Dependent
Atlantic-Pacific Realm of the
United States (US), Heartlan-
dic Realm of Russia and East
Asian Realm of China) con-
verging in the region.
In Indo-Pacific, the mari-
time mega-region, India and
Japan have joined the rein-
vented QUAD with Australia
and the US. Initially a human-
itarian partnership in the
wake of Tsunami of 2004, it is
now clearly a strategic group-
ing. With Japan, India and
Australia being natural stake-
holders in the region, the US
perhaps provides the connect
and military muscle to the re-
gional powers. New Delhi,
Tokyo and Canberra also are
part of the Trilateral Supply
Chain Resilience Initiative in
the wake of the pandemic.
For India, a traditional eco-
nomic beneficiary of the Ja-
pan led Asian Development
Bank, the burgeoning partner-
ship could reap tangible ben-
efits. Modi Government’s
quest to create world class in-
frastructure in the country
already has significant Japa-
nese imprint. The much-tout-
ed Mumbai-Ahmedabad High
Speed Rail Corridor, multiple
metro projects and the Dedi-
cated Freight Corridor are be-
ing constructed with Japanese
investment and technology.
PM Kishida announced USD
75 Billion as ODA to India.
Furthermore, bilateral de-
fence and technology coopera-
tion with India featured prom-
inently in statements released
after the summit meeting. Ja-
pan’s cooperation in enhanc-
ing technological competitive-
ness of the Indian industry is
crucial for India. Such collabo-
ration will be more effective
and beneficial when combined
with the fact that Japanese in-
dustry are gradually shifting
their manufacturing bases
from China. India could pro-
vide a robust alternative.
India and Japan in their
respective regions (Indian
Ocean and Northwest Pacific)
are naval powers of repute.
India with its dominant stra-
tegic location and a strong
navy aspires to be a net secu-
rity provider in the Indian
Ocean Region. Similarly, the
Japanese Maritime Self De-
fence Force or the Japanese
Navy is one of the most pow-
erful in the world and is likely
to make an impact on the in-
ternational security architec-
ture sooner than later. Early
signs of closer defence coop-
eration are visible between
the two. Military exercises,
namely ‘Exercise Veer Guard-
ian’ (Air Force) in January
2023 near Tokyo and another
named ‘Exercise Dharma
Guardian’ (Army) in Febru-
ary 2023 in Shiga province
were conducted. Over the
years Japan and Australia
have participated in the India
led MALABAR naval exercise
in the Indian Ocean.
With cooperation between
G-7 and G-20 as Japan is the
current president of the for-
mer and India of the latter,
this partnership could ac-
quire global dimensions. In
the strategic calculations in
the Indo-Pacific and global
geopolitics, India can be ‘an
indispensable partner’. As-
sertions like ‘the rise of coun-
tries like India’ in the Global
South could be a signal that
New Delhi is considered for a
leadership role among the de-
veloping countries. Lastly,
the Chinese may aspire to be
a global power, India and Ja-
pan will play prominent role
in the Asian Century.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
J
With cooperation between
G-7 and G-20 as Japan is
the current president of the
former and India of the
latter, this partnership could
acquire global dimensions.
In the strategic calculations
in the Indo-Pacific and
global geopolitics, India
can be ‘an indispensable
partner’. Assertions like ‘the
rise of countries like India’
in the Global South could be
a signal that New Delhi is
considered for a leadership
role among the developing
countries. Lastly, the Chinese
may aspire to be a global
power, India and Japan
will play prominent role
in the Asian Century
Japanese PM Fumio
Kishida recently was on
an official visit to India.
The visit consolidated
the increasing
proximity between
the two countries and
enhanced economic and
defence ties
DR KRISHNENDRA MEENA
The writer is Associate Professor at
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

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6. MUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023
05
INDIA
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IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: A Delhi court
on Friday said it will pro-
nounce its order on former
Deputy chief minister
Manish Sisodia’s bail plea
on March 31 in the excise
policy case lodged by the
Central Bureau of Investi-
gation (CBI). Special Judge
M K Nagpal reserved his
order on the Aam Aadmi
Party leader’s plea seeking
regular bail in the case
after the CBI handed over
a short note regarding its
contention in the case.
The former Delhi Deputy
Chief Minister was arrested
by the Central Bureau of
Investigation last month.
MERE MEMBERSHIP OF UNLAWFUL
ORGANIZATION IS UAPA OFFENCE, RULES SC
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday overruled its 2011
judgments in Arup Bhuyan vs State of Assam, Indra Das vs
State of Assam and State of Kerala vs Raneef which held
that mere membership of a
banned association is not suf-
ficient to constitute an offence
under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act 1967 or the
Terrorism and Disruptive
Activities (Prevention) Act,
unless it is accompanied with
some overt violent. A bench comprising Justices MR Shah,
CT Ravikumar and Sanjay Karol also upheld Section 10(a)
(i) of the UAPA which makes membership of an association,
which has been declared to be unlawful, to be an offence.
DELHI HC SEEKS CHILD RIGHTS BODY’S
RESPONSE ON PIL AGAINST RAHUL GANDHI
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought a
response from the National Commission for Protection
of Child Rights (NCPCR) on a plea filed against Con-
gress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with his tweet
revealing the identity of the relatives of a minor who was
raped and murdered in 2021. The Bench of Justice Satish
Chander Sharma and Justice Sachin Datta on Friday listed
the matter for July 27, after issuing notice to the NCPCR.
Earlier NCPCR counsel submitted that it wants to support
and joint hand with the petitioner in the matter.
COURT RESERVES
ORDER ON BAIL
PLEA OF SISODIA
30 MPs DETAINED DURING OPPN’S
‘DEMOCRACY IN DANGER’ PROTEST
New Delhi: Over 30 opposition MPs, including those
from the Congress, were detained on Friday as they took
out a protest march from Parliament House, alleging
that democracy is in “danger” and demanding a JPC
probe into the Adani issue. Prominent leaders, including
K C Venugopal, Adhir Chowdhury, K Suresh, Manickam
Tagore, Imran Pratapgarhi and Mohammed Javed, were
stopped by the police and detained at Vijay Chowk here
for violating prohibitory orders, the opposition said.
“Over 30 MPs from opposition parties had to be detained
for violation of Section 144 (prohibitory orders),” a sen-
ior Delhi Police officer said. The Delhi Police said those
detained have been taken to a nearby police station.
BJP PRESIDENT NADDA SLAMS RAHUL
GANDHI OVER HIS REMARKS ON MODI
New Delhi: BJP chief JP Nadda on Friday attacked Rahul
Gandhi over his “Modis are thieves” remark and alleged
that by comparing OBC communi-
ties to thieves, Gandhi has shown
a “pathetic and casteist mindset”.
In a series of tweets, Nadda
criticized Gandhi for his earlier
remarks like “Chowkidar Chor Hai”
and allegations of the Rafale scam.
He further tweeted, “By compar-
ing OBC communities to thieves,
Rahul Gandhi has shown a pathetic and casteist mindset.
However, his latest tirade is not surprising.”
PROBES BY ED, CBI:
14 OPPN PARTIES IN
SC FOR GUIDELINES
New Delhi: 14 Opposi-
tion parties have filed
petitions in the Supreme
Court seeking guidelines
for arrest, remand, and
bail of persons in matters
being probed by various
agencies including the CBI
and ED. They have sought
from the court certain
prospectively applicable
guidelines governing the
arrest, remand, and bail of
persons in cases (which
may or may not be pun-
ishable with imprisonment
for above 7 years) not
involving serious bodily
harm (excluding homicide,
rape, terrorism, etc).
OPPOSITION’S
VOICE CAN’T BE
SUPPRESSED: AAP
New Delhi: The Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) on
Friday called Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi’s
disqualification from
Lok Sabha a dictatorial
move and asserted that
the BJP will not be able
to suppress the voice of
the opposition. Former
Congress president Rahul
Gandhi was disqualified
from Lok Sabha on Friday,
a day after he was con-
victed by a Surat court in
a 2019 criminal defama-
tion case for his alleged
remark, “How come all
thieves have Modi as the
common surname?”
YECHURY SAYS BJP
USING DEFAMATION
TO TARGET OPPN
New Delhi: After Rahul
Gandhi’s disqualified,
the Communist Party of
India-Marxist (CPI-M)
leader Sitaram Yechury,
in a tweet, said: “It’s
condemnable that the BJP
is now using the criminal
defamation route to target
opposition leaders and
disqualify them as done
with @RahulGandhi now.
This comes on top of the
gross misuse of ED/CBI
against the opposition.”
RAHUL DEFAMED
PARLIAMENT AND
JUDICIARY: YADAV
New Delhi: Union Minister
Bhupender Yadav on Fri-
day alleged that Congress
MP Rahul Gandhi had
defamed India on foreign
soil and insulted the coun-
try’s judicial system and
the OBC community. The
union minister targeted the
Congress leader over his
conviction in a 2019 crimi-
nal defamation case by a
Surat court in connection
with his “Modi surname”
remarks case.
RAHUL GANDHI’S DISQUALIFICATION FROM LOK SABHA
“STRANGULATION OF DEMOCRACY”
SAYS CONGRESS AFTER Ra Ga’S DISQUALIFICATION AS MP
New Delhi (ANI): The
Congress on Friday came
down heavily at Centre
over disqualification of
Rahul Gandhi as MP,
calling it a “strangula
-
tion of democracy”
while exuding confi
-
dence that the disqualifi-
cation will be revoked
through a stay on his con
-
viction by a higher court.
The party alleged
that Rahul's disqualifi-
cation is part of a “pat-
tern” to stop him from
speaking out against
the Central govt and
also an attempt to di-
vert public attention
from real issues. Gan-
dhi was disqualified as
a member of the Lower
House earlier on Friday.
Addressing a press
conference at the party
headquarters in the na-
tional capital, Congress
spokesperson Abhishek
Singhvi and senior
leader Jairam Ramesh
lashed out at the Centre
over the disqualifica-
tion of the former na-
tional party president.
“The issue before us
is political, more than it
is legal. It is a political
issue because it signi-
fies the systematic, re-
petitive emasculation of
democratic institutions
by the ruling party. It
signifies the strangula-
tion of democracy itself.
We know that defama-
tion is an exception to
free speech, but over the
last several years, we
have had repeated ex-
amples of unthinkable
assaults on freedom of
speech, more important-
ly, freedom after speech.
We all know that Rahul
Gandhi has been speak-
ing fearlessly inside and
outside Parliament,”
Singhvi said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with Opposition MPs holds a “Democracy in Danger” banner during a protest march towards Rashtrapati Bhawan, at Parliament House in New Delhi, on Friday.
Sonia Gandhi and Congress leaders including Ambika Soni, P Chidambaram, KC Venugopal at a meeting
under chairmanship of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, in New Delhi on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Senior Congress
leaders slam Rahul’s
disqualification order
New Delhi (ANI): Af -
ter Congress leader Ra-
hul Gandhi’s disqualifi-
cation of Lok Sabha
Member of Parliament
(MP), party leader
Shashi Tharoor on Fri-
day took a dig at the or-
der and said that he was
stunned by the “rapidi-
ty” of the action and
termed it as “politics
with the gloves off ”.
Tharoor tweeted, “I
am stunned by this ac-
tion and by its rapidity,
within 24 hours of the
court verdict and while
an appeal was known to
be in process. This is
politics with the gloves
off and it bodes ill for
our democracy.”
Meanwhile, Congress
President Mallikarjun
Kharge told ANI, “They
(BJP) tried all ways to
disqualify him. They
don’t want to keep those
who are speaking the
truth but we will con-
tinue to speak the truth.
We’ll continue to de-
mand JPC, If needed
we’ll go to jail to save
democracy.”
While Congress lead-
er Jairam Ramesh
tweeted, “We will fight
this battle both legally
and politically. We will
not be intimidated or
silenced. Instead of a
JPC into the PM-linked
Adani Maha Mega
Scam, Rahul Gandhi
stands disqualified. In-
dian Democracy Om
Shanti.”
Jairam Ramesh and Abhishek
Singhvi address media, in Delhi
on Friday. —PHOTO BY ANI
IF I TOUCH YOU, THEY SAY I’M WIPING MY
NOSE ON YOUR BACK: Ra Ga TO KHARGE
New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit out at the
media on Friday while helping party chief Mallikarjun
Kharge walk down the stairs and said that “If I touch you,
they say I’m wiping my nose on your back.” “If I touch
you now, they say I’m
wiping my nose on your
back. Utter nonsense.
Have you seen that?
That I am helping you
over there, they’re say-
ing that I’m wiping my
nose on you,” Congress
MP Rahul Gandhi was seen saying as he helped party
chief Mallikarjun Kharge down the stairs. Rahul Gandhi
and Kharge were coming out after attending the meeting
of Congress MPs at the party office in the Parliament
premises. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was also seen
with Rahul Gandhi.
Is Opposition’s ‘squabble’ part
of a strategy or is it a real fight?
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Are the Op-
position parties fight-
ing with each other un-
der some strategy or is
their fight genuine?
This is a million dollar
question. Leaders of
different parties are
giving different an-
swers to this question
in informal conversa-
tions.
An informed leader
working on the strategy
of Opposition unity
says that by the time
elections come, all the
parties will unite. He
says that there is no use
in creating unity now,
on the contrary, this
could lead to a loss. If
the Opposition unity is
formed now and it is de-
cided that the Opposi-
tion will fight the elec-
tions together with the
Congress, then there
will be a stampede
among the leaders and
workers of all the par-
ties and conflict will
increase at the ground
level. That’s why the
parties are doing differ-
ent politics right now.
Opposition parties
are also thinking that if
there is a message of
unity from now on, BJP
will be on alert and its
preparations will be
done accordingly. Sec-
ondly, if the Opposition
unity is seen forming
then the BJP and the
Central government
will try to break that
unity in one way or the
other.
Many parties of Op-
position are also wor-
ried that if they show
more closeness to the
Congress, then the Cen-
tral agencies will be af-
ter them. However, it is
the belief of the Opposi-
tion that if they all ap-
pear to be fighting
among themselves, the
BJP would be careless.
Rajya Sabha MPs of Opposition parties protest at the Parliament
premises on Sunday. —FILE PHOTO
“No move to
increase LS/
Vidhan Sabha
seats in Assam”
New Delhi: In response
to a question of Pradyut
Bordoloi, Congress Lok
Sabha MP from Assam,
Centre on Friday said
there is no provision to
increase number of As-
sembly or Parliamen-
tary constituencies in
Assam. The MP asked
for the details and rea-
sons for the decision
taken by Assam Govt to
merge four districts
just before the delimita-
tion order. Law Minis-
ter Kiren Rijiju stated
the delimitation exer-
cise in the State shall be
done as per the proce-
dure laid down in sec-
tion 8A of the Represen-
tation of People Act.

7. MUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023
06
INDIA
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Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: A big plan
is being made in the
Congress regarding its
leader Kanhaiya Ku-
mar. It is being told that
he can be made the
President of the Delhi
Pradesh Congress or
the National President
of Youth Congress.
Youth Congress Presi-
dent BV Srinivas is 42
years old and has been
working as the Presi-
dent for almost four
years. That’s why there
has to be a new presi-
dent in his place. Srini-
vas may find a place in
Mallikarjun Kharge’s
central team. Looking
at his activeness and his
popularity, he can be
made the general secre-
tary in charge of a
state. But many Con-
gress leaders are of the
view that making Kan-
haiya Kumar the Youth
Congress president in
his place will not be
very effective.
Kanhaiya Kumar can
be more effective as
state president in Delhi.
Keep in mind that the
Bharatiya Janata Party
has been trying to get
the migrant votes in
Delhi for the last sever-
al years, but has not
been successful. Manoj
Tiwari, a resident of Bi-
har, and Satish Upad-
hyay of Uttar Pradesh
were made the state
president of Delhi by
the BJP. Now after get-
ting tired, BJP has re-
turned to its old Punja-
bi and Vaish politics
and has made Virendra
Sachdeva the working
president. In this sense
too, there is an opportu-
nity for the Congress to
hand over the command
of the party to a person
from Purvanchal. Kan-
haiya fits this scale.
He is from Bihar, has
lived in Delhi and stud-
ied at Jawaharlal Nehru
University (JNU), is a
good orator and has tak-
en organizational train-
ing while living in the
Communist Party.
That’s why he can be
useful to the Congress.
After all, Sheila Dikshit
from Uttar Pradesh had
helped the Congress
gain a foothold in Delhi
and because of her the
vote of Purvanchal was
associated with the Con-
gress. Whether Kanhai-
ya Kumar will be able to
do exactly that or not, it
cannot be said, but it is
sure that if the Congress
gives him the charge of
the Delhi Pradesh, he
will make an impact in
the migrant vote. With
this, the momentum for
the Congress can also
be created.
The difficulty is that
he is not a traditional
Congressman like Shei-
la Dikshit and because
of this the big leaders
of the Delhi Pradesh
Congress will find it dif-
ficult to work with him.
In Delhi, the Congress
has few young leaders
left and most of the
leaders are old. From
Jaiprakash Agarwal in
charge of Madhya
Pradesh to Ajay Maken
and from Mangatram
Singhal, Kiran Walia to
Sandeep Dixit, all have
been MPs, MLAs and
ministers. Kanhaiya,
on the other hand, has
contested elections only
once. Old leaders will
feel uncomfortable
working with him.
That’s why lobbying
has started that he is
young so he should be
made the President of
Youth Congress. Delhi
Pradesh Congress lead-
ers are also arguing
that the migrant vote
has gone towards the
Aam Aadmi Party and
considering the
schemes launched by
the AAP government, it
will be difficult to bring
the migrant vote back
to the Congress.
Will Kanhaiya Kumar be useful for the Congress party in Delhi?
DEFINING THE ROLE
Varanasi (ANI): PM
Narendra Modi on Fri-
day said Tuberculosis
(TB) will lose and India
and the world will win,
adding that while the
global target to end TB
is 2030, India is working
on eliminating it five
years earlier, by 2025.
Inaugurating the One
World TB Summit 2023
in Varanasi on Friday,
Modi said that the India
of today is known for
achieving its goals and
the govt has taken a
pledge to eliminate TB
from the country.PM
Modi also launched TB
Preventive Treatment
(TPT), TB Free Pan-
chayat Initiative, Fami-
ly Centered Care Model
for TB and India’s An-
nual TB Report 2023
during the event.
Mentioning India’s
global role in the fight
against TB, he said ef-
forts made in this direc-
tion since 2014 should
be known to the whole
world today because it
is a new model in the
global fight against TB.
“We had called upon
the people of the coun-
try to make Nikshay Mi-
tras join the TB-free In-
dia campaign. After this
campaign, about 10 lakh
TB patients were adopt-
ed by the common citi-
zens of the country.
Children aged 10-12
years are also taking for-
ward the fight against
TB by becoming Niksh-
ay Mitra. Many children
have broken their piggy
banks and adopted TB
patients. This financial
support of Nikshay Mi-
tras for TB patients has
reached above Rs 1000
crore,” he said.
PM Modi also said a
total of 75 lakh TB pa-
tients have benefitted
from the Direct Bank
Transfer (DBT) of Rs
2000 crore sent to their
accounts since the
launch of the scheme
by the Central govern-
ment in 2018.
TB will lose and India will win: Modi
Prime Minister says the government has taken a pledge to eliminate TB from the country by 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the ‘One World TB Summit’ at Rudrakash Convention
Centre, in Varanasi, on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Bengaluru (PTI): Un -
ion Minister Amit Shah
on Friday laid the foun-
dation stone of ‘Sahakar
Samridhi Soudha’ and
inaugurated various de-
velopment works of Kar-
nataka Department of
Cooperation to the tune
of Rs 1,400 crore here.
Sahakar Samridhi
Soudha, a market for
flower growers at a cost
of Rs 11 crore in Binni-
pet APMC, Multi-level
car parking in Yeshwant-
pura APMC at a cost of
Rs 8 crore are being con-
structed, he said.
Chief Minister Basa-
varaj Bommai, former
CM BS Yediyurappa,
and state Cooperation
Minister ST Somashek-
har were also present.
Shah gifts ` 1,400 cr projects to K’taka
NCB DESTROYS 9,200 KG NARCOTICS
SHAH VISITS K’TAKA EX-CM YEDIYURAPPA
New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau on Friday destroyed
more than 9,200 kg narcotic substances worth several thousand
crore Rupees. The Narcotics substance were consigned to
flames in different incinrator points in several states. Home Min-
ister Amit Shah also virtually joined from Bengaluru where he
was chairing the NCB’s Regional Conference on Drug Trafficking
& National Security for Southern States and Union Territories.
Bengaluru: Union HM Amit Shah met with the former Karna-
taka CM and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa at his residence in
Bengaluru on Friday. Shah was accompanied by Karnataka CM
Basavaraj Bommai, BJP National General Secretary and Chik-
kamagaluru MLA, CT Ravi, State minister Govind Muktappa
Karjol, MP Arun Singh, and MLA Nalin Kumar Kateel. Shah ar-
rived at Bengaluru this morning and was received by CM Bom-
mai at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Airport in Bengaluru.
“Amritpal suspected
to have left for Delhi”
New Delhi (ANI): Am-
ritpal Singh, head of pro-
Khalistani outfit Waris
Punjab De is suspected
to have left for Delhi,
said police sources.
The Punjab Police ex-
pressed doubts about
Amritpal entering the
Delhi border using any
vehicle other than a bus.
Following the input,
Delhi Police went on
alert mode and are try-
ing to track Amritpal’s
movements. An alert
has also been issued in
Dehradun, Haridwar,
and Udhamsinghnagar
districts of the Uttara-
khand as a precaution
in view of the possibili-
ty Amritpal Singh en-
tering the state.
U’khand Director
General of Police
Ashok Kumar has said
this. Meanwhile, Amrit-
pal and his aide Papal-
preet were seen in Har-
yana Roadways bus on
March 20. The police
are questioning driver
of the bus.
New Delhi: The Minis -
try of External Affairs
(MEA) is preparing a
draft Emigration Bill af-
ter extensive consulta-
tion with all the con-
cerned stakeholders,
Minister of State (Exter-
nal Affairs), V Muraleed-
haran, said in a written
reply in Lok Sabha on
Friday. “The govt is con-
scious of the imperative
need for putting in place
an enabling framework
to address migration re-
lated issues. Towards
this end, the MEA is pre-
paring a draft Emigra-
tion Bill after extensive
consultation with all the
concerned stakehold-
ers,” the reply read.
MEA preparing
draft Emigration
Bill: Minister in LS
New Delhi: The ED on Friday said it has attached a
multi-storeyed commercial complex, worth over Rs 252
crore, in Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh
area in connection with a money
laundering investigation linked to
an alleged bank fraud case against
the Ambience Group. The immov-
able property is named Ambience
Tower and it belongs to a company called Ambience Towers
Pvt Ltd, a firm of the Ambience Group promoted by Raj Singh
Gehlot, ED said in a statement. A provisional order, under the
Prevention of Money Laundering Act, was issued by the ED to
attach the commercial building worth Rs 252.17 crore.
Imphal: A mild intensity earthquake measuring 3.9 on the
Richter Scale hit parts of Manipur on Friday, the National
Centre for Seismology (NCS) said.
The NCS said that the tremor hit
Manipur’s Moirang and adjoining
areas on Friday morning. The
quake struck at a depth of 51 km
from the surface. There was no
immediate report of any casualty or damage to property. Suc-
cessive earthquakes in the mountainous northeastern states,
especially Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, have the authorities
worried and having to make structure quakes protective.
ED ATTACHES AMBIENCE TOWER WORTH
OVER `252 CR IN MONEY LAUNDERING CASE
3.9 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE FELT IN
MANIPUR, NO DAMAGE REPORTED: NCS
CRUCIAL READ
BJP’S BISWA BANDHU SEN ELECTED
TRIPURA ASSEMBLY SPEAKER
Agartala: Ruling BJP MLA Biswa Bandhu Sen was elected
the Speaker of the Tripura assembly on Friday defeating
opposition CPI-M-Congress joint candidate Gopal Chandra
Roy. Septuagenarian Congress-turned-BJP
leader, Sen secured 32 votes, while Roy,
one of the three Congress MLAs, bagged
14 votes. The tribal-based Tipra Motha
Party (TMP), which has 13 members in the
assembly, walked out from the house just
before the starting of the Speaker’s election
expressing their displeasure over the sitting arrangements
in the house. The TMP supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya
Deb Barman earlier promised to support the CPI-M-
Congress joint candidate and the party’s legislature party
leader Animesh Debbarma, who is also the incumbent
leader of the opposition, was one of the proposers in
Roy’s nomination paper.
A RARE SIGHT!
Planet Venus hides behind the Moon. First India lensman
SANTOSH SHARMA captured this sight in Jaipur, on Friday.
Amit Shah at Sahakar Samriddhi Soudha in Bengaluru, on Friday.
Former CM BS Yediyurappa also seen. —PHOTO BY PTI
“FULFILLING RESOLUTION OF GLOBAL
GOOD WITH ONE WORLD TB SUMMIT”
Varanasi: On ‘World TB Day’ PM Narendra Modi put for-
ward India’s vision of ‘One Earth, One Health’ and praised
the nation for fulfilling another resolution of Global Good
by organizing ‘One World TB Summit’ at Rudrakash
Convention Centre in Varanasi on Friday. “It is a matter of
happiness that this summit is happening in Kashi. Some
time ago, India also took the initiative to take forward the
vision of ‘One Earth, One Health’ and now through ‘One
World TB Summit’ India is fulfilling another resolution of
Global Good”, said PM as he launched various initiatives
to enhance countries’ fight against TB.
Varanasi: Over the
last nine years, public
participation through
initiatives like ‘Ni-kshay
Mitra’ has played a very
important role in the fight
against tuberculosis,
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said on Friday. The
Prime Minister said this
after launching TB-Mukt
Panchayat initiative, the
official pan-India rollout
of a shorter preventive
treatment and family-cen-
tric care model for TB and
release of India’s Annual
TB Report 2023.
Varanasi: India’s ideology
of “Vasudev Kutumbkam”
is giving the modern world
an integrated vision and
solutions, PM Narendra
Modi said on Friday as
he launched a series of
initiatives to eliminate tu-
berculosis. Addressing the
‘One World TB Summit’
on World TB Day, he said
the country is working to
eliminate tuberculosis by
2025 as against the global
target of 2030. “India’s im-
age reflects in its ideology
of ‘Vasudev Kutumbkam’
(whole world one family).
“INDIA WORKING TO
END TB 5 YRS AHEAD
OF GLOBAL TARGET”PM MODI LAUNCHES
INITIATIVES TO
ELIMINATE TB
Kanhaiya Kumar
Amritpal Singh
Suryaveer Singh Tanwar
Jaisalmer: A missile
was misfired during a
firing exercise by Indi-
an Army in Jaisalmer.
The annual exercise of
a unit was going o at
Pokran field firing
range when yhe inci-
dent occurred.
However, no loss of
life or property was
reported.
“A case of Missile
misfire was reported
while a unit was under-
taking its annual field
firing today, “ a defence
spokesperson said.
He said that the mis-
sile detonated safely.
However, the debris fell
in the adjoining fields.
“No damage ren -
dered to any personnel
and property. Issue
is being investigated, “
he added
Missile misfired
during Army
exercise in
Jaisalmer
The shell of missile that was
misfired in Jaisalmer.
One IAS returns to
UP from Centre, one
goes back to C’garh
Dr Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: IAS MKS
Sundaram, a UP cadre
IAS who was currently
posted on deputation,
has returned to UP after
completing his tenure,
while Shruti Singh, an
IAS of Chhattisgarh
cadre, currently posted
in UP, has not got the ex-
tension of service post-
ed as Secretary, Director
General of Medical Ed-
ucation and Training.
The UP govt has re-
lieved 2006 batch IAS
Shruti Singh from Uttar
Pradesh to go to her orig-
inal cadre Chhattisgarh,
whereas, sources claim
that Shruti Singh want-
ed to stay more in UP.
Sundaram had gone
to Tamil Nadu on depu-
tation to the Central De-
partment of Commerce
on July 7, 2015. After the
completion of his depu-
tation period in Tamil
Nadu, he has returned
and joined the appoint-
ment department of Ut-
tar Pradesh.
Highly placed sourc-
es claim that soon a
transfer list of IAS of-
ficers will fill the va-
cant post of IAS Shruti
Singh, as well as MKS
Sundaram.
IAS MKS Sundaram IAS Shruti Singh

8. MUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 202307
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15% OF PILOTS IN INDIA ARE FEMALES
Mumbai (PTI): As much
as 15% of pilots in India
are females, which is al-
most three times the global
average of 5%, according
to an official release.
However, currently,
there is no special pro-
gramme in the government
to encourage pilot training
for females and backward
classes including SCs/STs,
it said. Also, there are cur-
rently 67 expat pilots work-
ing with various air opera-
tors in the country, it said.
As per data received, a
total of 244 pilots have been
recruited in 2021, the re-
lease noted and that indus-
try estimates suggest that
the country may require
1,000 pilots per annum over
the next five years.
The annual requirement
of commercial pilots de-
pends upon various factors
such as financial health of
an airline, airline expan-
sion plan and growth in the
aviation sector, the release
stated.
3 TIMES GLOBAL AVERAGE
TOP TALKING
POINTS
zAs much as 15% of pilots in
India are women, which is
almost three times the global
average of 5%
zHowever, currently, there is
no special programme in the
government to encourage
pilot training for women and
backward classes including
Schedule Castes and
Schedule Tribes
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: Gold price
climbed `70 to `59,450
per 10 grams in the na-
tional capital on Friday
amid gains in prices of
precious metal interna-
tionally. The yellow metal
had closed at `59,380 per
10 grams in the previous
trade. Silver also jumped
`520 to `70,500 per kilo-
gramme. “Spot gold pric-
es in the Delhi markets
traded at `59,450 per 10
grams, up Rs 70 per 10
grams,” Saumil Gandhi,
Senior Analyst - Com-
modities at HDFC Securi-
ties, said.
—PTI
GOLD CLIMBS `70
PER 10 GM; SILVER
JUMPS `520/KG
New Delhi: German luxu-
ry carmaker Mercedes-
Benz plans to launch four
new electric vehicles in
India in the next 8-12
months to accelerate its
electric mobility drive,
Mercedes-Benz AG Head
of Region Overseas Mat-
thias Luehrs said. The
company expects 25% of
its total sales in India to
come from electric vehi-
cles in India by 2027.
“We are very happy with
the development of our
EVs (electric vehicles)
here in the Indian market
with (models such as) the
EQS and the EQB. We’ll
have four more vehicles
coming in,” Luehrs told
reporters.
—PTI
MERCEDES-BENZ
PLANS TO LAUNCH
FOUR EVs IN INDIA
New Delhi: The Reserve
Bank’s Monetary Policy
Committee (MPC) will
meet six times in the next
financial year. The RBI
rate setting panel will be
holding its first meeting
of the next fiscal from
April 3 to April 6, the cen-
tral bank said in a state-
ment. The RBI Governor
announces the bi-monthly
monetary policy after
MPC’s deliberations on
the prevailing domestic
and economic situations.
The meetings are held
over three days.
—PTI
RESERVE BANK’S
MPC TO MEET SIX
TIMES NEXT FISCAL
Mumbai: No-frills airline
IndiGo is expecting to fly
100-million passengers
and is planning to have
350 aircraft in its fleet in
the next fiscal. At the
same time, the airline is
looking to end the current
fiscal with around 306
planes in the fleet with the
passenger volume esti-
mated at over 85 million.
The number of destina-
tions is expected to go up
to 115, with around 10-15
destinations likely to be
added in the network dur-
ing the year, as against
104 in FY23, as per the
presentation.
—PTI
INDIGO TO HAVE 350
AIRCRAFT IN ITS
FLEET NEXT FISCAL
*Rates till the edition went to print.
INDIA’S FOREX KITTY
JUMPS BY $12.8
BILLION TO $572.8 BN
New Delhi: India’s forex
kitty rose by $12.798 billion
to $572.801 billion in the
week ended
March 17,
the Reserve
Bank said
on Friday. In
the previous reporting week,
the reserves had dropped by
$2.39 billion to a three-month
low of $560.003 billion. It
can be noted that in October
2021, the country’s forex kitty
had reached an all-time high
of $645 billion. For the week
ended March 17, the foreign
currency assets, a major
component of the reserves,
increased by $10.485 billion to
$505.348 billion.
—PTI
AKASA AIR TO HIRE
NEARLY 1,000 PEOPLE
BY MAR 2024: CEO
New Delhi: Akasa Air plans to
hire nearly 1,000 people and
take the total staff strength
to more than
3,000 by
the end of
March 2024
as the airline
continues to expand its fleet
as well as routes, according
to its chief Vinay Dube. The
airline, which took to the skies
a little over seven months ago,
also plans to start international
operations by the end of this
year, and the possible over-
seas destinations are still in
the process of being finalised.
The airline will place a “three-
digit aircraft order” by the end
of this year.
—PTI
MSI TARGETS SALES VIA NEXA OUTLETS TO OVER-
TAKE VOLUMES OF HYUNDAI, TaMo BY NEXT YEAR
New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India is targeting for its premium
vehicles sold through the Nexa retail outlets to be more than the
respective overall sales of Hyundai and
Tata Motors by next year, according to
Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and
Sales, Shashank Srivastava. The Nexa
retail chain, started in 2015 to sell Maruti
Suzuki’s premium vehicles, has crossed
the cumulative sales milestone of 20
lakh units. It currently sells models such
as Baleno, Ignis, Ciaz, XL6 and Grand Vitara. Upcoming SUVs
Fronx and Jimny will also be sold through the chain.
—PTI
CIL MAKING ALL EFFORTS TO SUPPLY HIGHER
QUANTITIES OF COAL TO NON-REGULATED SECTOR
New Delhi: State-owned CIL on Friday said it is making all efforts to
supply higher quantities of coal to the non-regulated sector (NRS)
without affecting supplies to the power
sector, through increased production. The
statement comes days after the maharat-
na firm stated that it is gearing up to meet
the demand of coal from the power sector
amid early onset of summer and a pick
up in the industrial demand for electric-
ity. Stepping up on supplies, Coal India
Ltd (CIL) is poised to post 16.6% growth in coal despatch to its
non-regulated sector customers in the fourth quarter of the ongoing
fiscal, compared to the preceding quarter.
—PTI
OTHER STORIES
LS passes Finance Bill
with 64 amendments
New Delhi (PTI): The Lok
Sabha on Friday approved
The Finance Bill 2023 with
64 official amendments in-
cluding providing tax re-
lief to some taxpayers opt-
ing for new tax regime, and
removing long-term tax
benefit for debt mutual
funds to bring them at par
with other interest earning
instruments.
In a relief to taxpayers
opting for deductions and
exemption-free new tax re-
gime, individuals earning
marginally higher income
than no-tax ceiling of ` 7
lakh will continue to pay
nil tax.
Under the new tax re-
gime with effect from April
1, if a taxpayer has an an-
nual income of ` 7 lakh s/
he pays no tax. But if s/he
has income of ` 7,00,100 s/
he pays tax of `25,010.
Thus an additional in-
come of ` 100 leads to tax of
`25,010. The amendment
provides that the tax paya-
ble should not be more
than the income that ex-
ceeds `7 lakh. This means,
an individual having in-
come up to ` 7,27,700 could
stand to benefit from this
marginal relief.
Other amendments in-
clude raising the tax rate on
royalty and fee for technical
services from 10% to 20%.
TAX BENEFITS FOR DEBT MUTUAL FUNDS
TOP TALKING
POINTS
zUnder the new tax regime
with effect from April 1, if a
taxpayer has an annual income
of `7 lakh s/he pays no tax.
But if s/he has income of
`7,00,100 s/he pays tax of
`25,010
zThe Finance Bill, which
includes tax proposals for
the fiscal year beginning
April 1, was passed without a
discussion in parliament
zOther amendments include
raising the tax rate on royalty
and fee for technical services
from 10% to 20%
Govt to introduce
GPS-based toll
system: Gadkari
New Delhi (PTI): The gov -
ernment will introduce
new technologies including
GPS-based toll collection
systems in the next 6
months to replace existing
highway toll plazas in the
country, Union minister Ni-
tin Gadkari said on Friday.
The move is aimed at re-
ducing traffic congestion
and charging motorists for
the exact distance travelled
on the highways, Gadkari
said.
Gadkari further said
state- owned NHAI's toll
revenue is currently
`40,000 crore and it is going
to soar to ` 1.40 lakh crore
2-3 years.
The ministry of road
transport and highways is
conducting a pilot project
of automatic number plate
recognition system (auto-
matic number plate reader
cameras) to enable auto-
mated toll collection with-
out stopping the vehicles.
Markets fall nearly
1% amid weak trend
Mumbai (PTI): Equity
benchmark indices Sensex
and Nifty buckled under
selling pressure for the sec-
ond straight session to set-
tle nearly 1% lower on Fri-
day as investors pared ex-
posure to the metal, energy
and realty stocks amid a
bearish trend in Asian and
European markets.
In a volatile trade, the
30-share BSE Sensex de-
clined 398.18 points or
0.69% to finish at 57,527.10.
During the day, it went low-
er by 502.3 points or 0.86%
to 57,422.98. The broader
NSE Nifty fell 131.85 points
or 0.77% to end at 16,945.05.
Bajaj Finserv was the
biggest loser among the
Sensex constituents, fol-
lowed by Bajaj Finance,
Tata Steel, Reliance Indus-
tries, HCL Tech, SBI, Lars-
en & Toubro and Mahindra
& Mahindra, Axis Bank
and Titan. On the other
hand, Kotak Mahindra
Bank, Infosys, Tech Mahi-
ndra, Power Grid, Asian
Paints were the gainers.
` FALLS 24 PAISE TO
CLOSE AT 82.44
AGAINST US DOLLAR
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee
depreciated by 24 paise to close
at 82.44 (provisional) against
the US dollar on Friday. At the
interbank foreign exchange mar-
ket, the local unit opened lower
by 12 paise at 82.32 as the US
dollar. During intra-day trade, the
rupee touched a high of 82.20
and a low of 82.49 against the
greenback. The domestic unit
finally settled at 82.44 against
the American currency, 24 paise
lower against its previous close.
‘India can become No
1 EV manufacturer’
New Delhi (PTI): Union
minister Nitin Gadkari on
Friday said that if India
can use recently discov-
ered reserve of lithium in
Jammu and Kashmir, it
can become world's num-
ber one automobile manu-
facturer in electric vehicle
segment.
The road, transport and
highway minister said
there is a need to encour-
age public transport, and
electric buses are the fu-
ture. Lithium is a crucial
element in producing bat-
teries that power electric
vehicles.
“Every year, we import
1,200 tonnes of lithium.
“Now, in Jammu and
Kashmir, we got lithium.
(If) we can use this lithium
ion, we will be the number
one automobile manufac-
turing country in the
world,” he said. India has
beaten Japan to become the
third largest vehicle mar-
ket in 2022 after China and
the USA.
MAJOR
HIGHLIGHTS
zThe road, transport and
highway minister said there
is a need to encourage public
transport, and electric buses
are the future
zLithium is a crucial element
in producing batteries that
power electric vehicles
zPresently India’s automobile
industry is worth ` 7.5 L cr
Airtel’s 5G services live in 500 Indian cities
New Delhi (PTI): Telecom
operator Bharti Airtel
overtook Reliance Jio in 5G
roll-out with the expansion
of the network to addition-
al 235 cities, taking its total
reach to 500 cities.
Reliance Jio has so far
announced the expansion
of its ultra high-speed fifth
generation (5G) network to
406 cities.
“Bharti Airtel...Ultra-
fast 5G service is available
to customers in 500 cities in
the country. Airtel added
235 cities to its network,
making it one of the largest
roll-outs to date,” the com-
pany said in a statement.
Airtel said that it is add-
ing 30-40 cities on its 5G
network daily.
“Airtel was the first to of-
fer 5G services in October
2022, and today's mega
launch is our promise to
connect every Airtel cus-
tomer in the country with
ultra-fast Airtel 5G Plus.
We have already covered
500 cities and are adding 30
to 40 cities every single day.
By September of 2023, we
expect to expand our 5G
footprint to all of urban In-
dia,” Bharti Airtel CTO
Randeep Sekhon said.
According to industry
players, India has become
the fastest country in the
world to roll-out 5G net-
works.
India expects exports of $32
bn to UAE this year: Official
New Delhi (PTI): India's
exports to the UAE are ex-
pected to touch an 'all-time
high' of $32 billion by the
end of this fiscal due to the
benefits of free trade agree-
ment between the coun-
tries, an official said.
The two countries also
plan to integrate their cus-
toms and logistics portals
for real-time tracking of
shipments for priority of
entry in ports, as part of a
review of the bilateral Com-
prehensive Economic Part-
nership Agreement (CEPA).
"India's exports (to the
UAE) are around $28.3 bil-
lion. We are hopeful to
touch an all-time high of
$32 billion exports this
year," the government
official said.
India and the UAE are
working on customs facili-
tation wherein their logis-
tics and customs portals
would get integrated and
help in real-time data ex-
change and tracking of
ships for priority of entry
in ports.

9. MUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023
082ND FRONT
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Crime more rampant than
development, says Ajit Pawar
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Nationalist
Congress Party leader
Ajit Pawar on Friday at-
tacked the Eknath Shin-
de government in Maha-
rashtra and said crime
was more rampant in its
rule than development.
Initiating a debate in
the Assembly on the Op-
position sponsored last-
week resolution on the
state’s law and order,
Pawar, who is the Lead-
er of Opposition, said
the “double engine”
government was mak-
ing compromises to
stay in power.
The Bharatiya Janata
Party refers to govern-
ments of the party or its
allies in the states as
“double engine” dispen-
sations, meaning devel-
opment was being car-
ried out through efforts
of the respective state
as well as the Centre.
Pawar said farmers
were distressed due to
natural calamities and
lack of minimum sup-
port price for crops,
while unemployment
and crime, especially
against women, were on
the rise, but the govern-
ment was busy pressur-
ing and harassing po-
litical rivals.
On pretext of “love ji-
had”, there is an attempt
to vitiate the law and or-
der situation in the state,
NCP leader alleged.
“Love jihad” is a term
used by right-wing out-
fits to allege Muslim
men were converting
Hindu women by luring
them into marriages.
Independent MLA
Ravi Rana said the previ-
ous Maha Vikas Aghadi
government had made a
mockery of law and or-
der, while the current
Home department under
Deputy Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis was
working efficiently.
HIGH-RISE FLAT OWNERS WILL SOON
GET REAL-TIME FIRE SAFETY ALERTS
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The state gov-
ernment on Thursday
amended the Fire Pre-
vention and Life Safety
Measures Act to prevent
fire related incidents in
high-rises with an IoT-
based system.
This new system will
alert flat owners on
their mobile devices if
fire safety guidelines
fail. Fire safety param-
eters include water
tankers, sprinklers,
pumps, fire extinguish-
ers, alarms, manual
call-points etc. The sys-
tem has to be installed
compulsorily to ensure
real time monitoring
and quick actions to
keep building fire-proof
all the time, which are
critical in preventing
blazes in high-rise build-
ings.
The IoT-based sen-
sors will be designed to
maintain building fire
resistance and ensure
real-time monitoring
and speedy repairs in
high-rises, (apartments
that are 22-storey and
above).
Moreover, for build-
ings taller than 22 floors
in the city, the measure
mandates the presence
of a fire safety officer
and a supervisor.
With the amendment
in Fire Safety Act, the
buildings will have to
regularly conduct audits
for structures with more
than 10-storey every two
years. If any violations
of the Act’s require-
ments are found, offend-
ers could face fines of up
to Rs1 lakh. The bill also
includes changes in the
height limitation for
Mumbai. Parking facili-
ties can now be erected
up to 32-storey high, an
increase from the cur-
rent limit of 14-storey.
Educational institutions
can raise their building
height to a maximum of
14 storeys, an increase
from the previous 9.
Whereas the height lim-
it for warehouses is sug-
gested to be raised to
seven-storey from four.
Additionally, to pre-
vent incidents in public
complexes, hotels, hos-
pitals, and other places
too similar IoT-based
fire safety systems
should be installed.
The amendment was
put forth by Uday Sa-
mant, the Industries
Minister and has sup-
port from both the rul-
ing and opposition
parties.
This new system
will alert flat
owners on their
mobile devices if
fire safety
guidelines fail
SAFE & SOUND
—FILE PHOTO
‘Mentally disturbed’
man stabs 3 to death
PMC announces ` 9,515-crore budget
First India Bureau
Pune: The Pune Munic-
ipal Corporation in Ma-
harashtra announced a
Rs9,515-crore budget for
the financial year 2023
24, with no hike in prop-
erty taxes and allocating
bigger chunks for water
and road infrastructure.
The budget was an-
nounced by PMC Com-
missioner Vikram Ku-
mar, who has been ap-
pointed the administra-
tor as the tenure of the
corporators ended last
year and fresh elections
are due since then.
Compared to last
year’s budget, Rs923
crore has been added to
the overall outlay this
time, PMC said in a state-
ment. As per this year’s
budget, Rs1,321 crore has
been allocated to im-
prove the water supply
in Pune, which had a
population of about 35
lakh as per the 2011 Cen-
sus, while Rs992 crore
has been earmarked for
roads. The budget has
also proposed eight new
flyovers.
Sewage treatment,
waste management and
health infrastructure
are other focus areas of
the budget, said the
statement. New pro-
jects like hawkers’
parks for street ven-
dors, e-vehicle charging
infrastructure have
been announced.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A 54-year-old
man allegedly stabbed
three neighbours to
death at a residential
building in south Mum-
bai on Friday, police
said. Two others were
injured in the attack
and the condition of
one of them was seri-
ous, they said. Earlier, a
senior police official
had put the death toll at
four.
The grisly incident
took place around 3.30
pm at Parvati Mansion
on Grant Road, an offi-
cial said, adding that
the accused, identified
as Chetan Gala, was
soon arrested.
His wife and children
had left him two months
ago, and he suspected
that his neighbours had
instigated them, the of-
ficial said.
He had been mentally
disturbed ever since,
and on Friday, upon
spotting his neigh-
bours, he went to his
house, picked up a knife
and allegedly attacked
five persons from neigh-
bouring families.
The injured were
rushed to a private hos-
pital in Girgaum and
civic-run Nair hospital
where Jayendra Mistry
(77), his wife Ilaben Mis-
try (70) and Jenil
Brahmbhatt (18) died
during treatment, the
official said.
Prakash Waghmare
(53), a house help, and
Snehal Brahmbhatt (44)
were undergoing treat-
ment. The condition of
Snehal Brahmbhatt
was said to be critical.
Threat calls:
Cops seize mobile
phones, sim cards
BJP workers
stage protest
against RaGa
Asha Bhosale
gets Maha
Bhushan award
Pune (PTI): Workers of
the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) staged a pro-
test against Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
over his alleged ques-
tionable remarks and
asserted that the party
will not tolerate any ill
words about the country
and prime minister.
Jagdish Mulik, the
BJP’s Pune city unit
president, and other
party leaders and work-
ers staged the protest at
Goodluck Chowk.
“Rahul Gandhi talks
ill about Veer Savarkar
and uses inappropriate
words for Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi, and
when he travels out of
the country, he talks ill
about country. We will
not tolerate this kind of
behaviour on anyone’s
part,” Mulik said.
The BJP leader fur-
ther demanded that
Gandhi must apologise,
as he had not only in-
sulted Prime Minister
Modi but also the peo-
ple of the country
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Legendary
singer Asha Bhosale on
Friday was conferred
the prestigious Maha-
rashtra Bhushan award
for her contribution to
the field of art and cul-
ture. The award, for the
year 2021, was present-
ed to her at a function at
the Gateway of India.
She was also presented
with a cash prize of
Rs25 lakh, a citation,
and a memento.
Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde hailed
Bhosale as the pride of
Maharashtra and said
her illustrious musical
journey was an inspira-
tion for each and every
citizen.
The Maharashtra
Bhushan award was in-
stituted when the Shiv-
sena- BJP alliance
came to power in 1995.
It was initially awarded
to personalities in the
fields of Literature,
Sports, and Science, be-
fore being expanded to
include those from So-
cial Work, Journalism,
Public Administration,
and Health Services.
Nagpur (PTI): The
Nagpur police have re-
covered two mobile
phones and as many
sim cards from a jail in
Karnataka’s Belagavi,
days after a person
made threat calls to Un-
ion minister Nitin Gad-
kari’s office here identi-
fying himself as a jail
inmate, an official said
on Friday.
On March 21, three
calls were made to the
BJP leader’s public re-
lations office in Nagpur.
The caller, who identi-
fied himself as one
Jayesh Pujari, alias
Jayesh Kantha, de -
manded Rs 10 crore and
threatened to harm the
minister if the money
was not paid.
As part of their in-
vestigation, the local
police with the help of
their Belagavi counter-
parts searched the
premises of Hindalga
Central Jail in the Kar-
nataka city where a
man named Jayesh Pu-
jari is serving a life sen-
tence, said Nagpur po-
lice chief Amitesh Ku-
mar.
During the search,
two mobile phones and
two sim cards were re-
covered from the jail
premises, he said.
The official said they
will seek Pujari’s re-
mand for his custodial
interrogation as his
name had also been
used to make similar
calls to the minister’s
office demanding Rs 100
crore in January.
Centre has brought down level
of politics, says Ashok Chavan
First India Bureau
Aurangabad: Senior
Maharashtra Congress
leader Ashok Chavan
said by disqualifying
party leader Rahul Gan-
dhi as a Lok Sabha mem-
ber, the BJP-led Central
government has brought
down the level of poli-
tics. Chavan alleged the
Centre had taken such
an action because it does
not want people to raise
their voices and speak
against it.
Gandhi has been dis-
qualified as a Lok Sab-
ha member after a court
in Gujarat’s Surat con-
victed him in a 2019
defamation case and
sentenced him to two
years imprisonment.
The court has granted
him bail and suspended
the sentence for 30 days
to allow him to appeal
in a higher court.
“By disqualifying Ra-
hul Gandhi as a mem-
ber of Parliament, the
central government has
brought down the level
of politics,” the former
chief minister tweeted.
Whole situation is
frustrating, he said, add-
ing that he condemns
move that has strangled
democracy. Meanwhile,
Leader of Opposition
Ambadas Danve in a
tweet said the action
against Gandhi makes
the Central govern-
ment’s intentions clear.
RAHUL GANDHI DISQUALIFICATION
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reaches Surat District Court. —FILE PHOTO
‘Power of
Adani’s friends
cannot stop
Rahul Gandhi’
First India Bureau
Nagpur: Former Ma-
harashtra minister
Yashomati Thakur
on Friday said the
“power of Adani’s
friends” cannot stop
Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi.
She was reacting
to Rahul Gandhi’s
disqualification
as a Lok Sabha
member following
his conviction in a
criminal defamation
case. The Narendra
Modi govern-
ment got Gandhi’s
parliamentary
term “cancelled”
using the force of
dictatorship, Thakur,
a Congress leader,
said in a release
here. Rahul Gandhi
was the voice of the
people and asking
questions to the
Modi government,
she said. “Even the
power of Adani’s
friends will not be
able to stop Rahul
Gandhi now, Rahul
is the voice of the
people,” Thakur
added. “Friends of
Adani have been in
a panic ever since
Hindenburg Re-
search released its
report,” she said.
Rahul Gandhi disqualified: Congress
stages protests, shout slogans in Nagpur
First India Bureau
Nagpur: The Congress
protested in Nagpur on
the disqualification of
its leader Rahul Gan-
dhi as Lok Sabha MP
on Friday. Congress
workers shouted slo-
gans against the “dic-
tatorship” of the Un-
ion government and
burnt an effigy of
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi at Medical
Square here.
Gandhi, representing
Wayanad parliamenta-
ry constituency in Ker-
ala, was on Friday dis-
qualified from the Lok
Sabha a day after his
conviction in a defama-
tion case by a court in
Surat in Gujarat.
Gandhi was on
Thursday sentenced to
two years in jail in a
criminal defamation
over his “Modi sur-
name” remarks at a
2019 poll rally in Kar-
nataka.
However, the Surat
court also granted him
bail and suspended the
sentence for 30 days to
allow him to appeal in a
higher court. Ajit Pawar said farmers were distressed due to natural calamities.
Its no longer enough for us to
have a job that sustains us,
we all search for fulfillment,
challenge-for meaning in our lives.
—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO & Editor-in-Chief, First India

10. www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia09
MUMBAI | SATURDAY,
MARCH 25, 2023
The magnificent Fashion Connect presented by First
India and Bharat24- Vision of New India held at Oaks
Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel Dubai on March 19. City First
highlights the mind-boggling and astounding
collection of the renowned designer Aishwarya
showcased at the extravagant show!
—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA
aks Ibn Battu-
ta Gate Hotel,
the crowned
jewel of
Dubai, hosted
one of India’s
premier sin-
gle-day fashion events
called Fashion Con-
nect, season 14, Pre-
sented by First India
News and Bharat24-Vi-
sion of New India on
Sunday, March 19.
Jagdeesh Chandra
graced the evening and
appreciated the design-
er, Aishwarya for her
ravishing collection.
His Highness Sheikh
Juma Bin Maktoum Al
Maktoum was present
as the Chief Guest and
Yakoob Al Ali, Execu-
tive Director and Pri-
vate Advisor in His
Highness Office attend-
ed the show as the spe-
cial guest. Designer
Aishwarya mesmer -
ised the audience with
her stylish yet comfort-
able collection, Bloom
which is part of a luxu-
ry brand of women’s
western wear, Escape
that has been blooming
across India for the
past five years. The
spring-summer collec-
tion was inspired by
the freshness of flow-
ers and the softness of
petals that come alive
during the season. A
stunning array of day-
to-night clothing that
captures the freshness
of the season and fea-
tures cotton wear that
is soft and light, perfect
for those warmer days.
Talking about her ex-
quisite brand and col-
lection Aishwarya
said, “The word ‘Es-
cape’ for us means a
zone where you feel
the most confident
and true to your-
self. Everyone has
an Escape zone, be
it, having a cup of
tea in the morning
or taking a dance
class. You feel
yourself and are
not judged by the
outside world. At
Escape, we aim at
making clothes
which make you
feel confident
and true to
yourself. For
our spring-
summer collec-
tion, Bloom,
we were in-
spired by the
delicate pet-
als of the
flowers
which are
soft and comfort-
ing on the skin
and which reflect
through our de -
signs. We were also
inspired by the colour
palette of the spring
which adds to our ex-
isting colour palette.”
O
KAVITA CHAUHAN
[email protected]
COMPLIMENTING
FLAWLESS BEAUTY
Alexandra, Irene, Sophie and Irena
CLOCKWISE: Alina, Kristine, Sophie, Nancy and Irene
Marie
Designer Aishwarya from Escape
with the models showcasing her collection Bloom

11. 10
ETC
MUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023www.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
HARSHI RATHORE, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Your professionalism is
likely to be praised at work.
Someone’s unexpected
arrival at home threatens to
upset your personal plans. Seeing
new places, meeting new people is in
store for some. There is nothing that
can go wrong today, except things
involving property.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Favourable decision can be
expected regarding a piece
of property under dispute.
Those in tourism and
hospitality sectors will find new
opportunities knocking at their door.
You may take the initiative of
organising a family gathering, just to
meet your near and dear ones.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Things move positively on
the academic front and
encourage you to give your
best. Good man
management will help you in
completing a project or assignment
in time. Travelling with your near and
dear ones to the countryside will
prove immensely fulfilling.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Meeting someone new is
likely to enlarge your social
circle. Something you had
wanted for the home may be
gifted to you. Your ideas will work on
the professional front and speed up the
progress. Your financial condition is
not bad, but you do possess the
potential to earn much more.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
A difference of opinion
may pit you against a
family elder. Those
compelled to travel are
likely to find interesting company.
Some of you will be able to add to
your wealth and even plan to buy
property. You are set to enjoy the
exclusive company of friends.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You will be able to get the
study stream you desire on
the academic front. Going is
likely to get better on the
professional front. Purchasing a new
car or an expensive appliance is
indicated. Children can keep you
entertained. The day is favourable to
get a project underway.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Switching to healthy foods
will be the key to remaining
fit and active. A family issue
may need to be deliberated
upon, so that it does not disturb
domestic harmony. An out of town
invitation will tempt some to
undertake the journey. Spirituality may
bring a special meaning to your life.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Businesspersons are likely
to do good business today
and earn well. The day
proves excellent for you,
both personally and professionally.
Appease someone in the family to
have your way.You may have to put
your foot down against a trip you are
reluctant to go on.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Those in the financial
sector can hope to start
making profits. You may
think up ways of improving
your health. A major renovation work
may be undertaken at home. A
journey is likely to take you down the
memory lane. Owning a house is
indicated for some.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Time is favourable as your
real estate investments
start giving handsome
returns. An official trip is
likely to keep you tied up. Your help
and support to a youngster will help
boost his or her self-confidence.
Those trying to achieve their
professional targets will succeed.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Some additional perks can
be expected by those in the
private sector. An enjoyable
outing is on the cards for
some. Family life will cruise along
smoothly and give you time for rest
and recoup. A promotion or a
prestigious appointment is in store
for those in a government job.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

A trip with friends will be
both enjoyable and
therapeutic. Family life will
remain stable and provide
you a firm foundation from where to
venture forth. This is the best time
for launching your ideas at work.
Money multiplies through excellent
financial planning.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
pending less
time on social
media can im-
prove your over-
all health and
well-being.
Reducing so-
cial media use by 15
minutes a day can sig-
nificantly improve gen-
eral health and immune
function and reduce
levels of loneliness
and depression,
suggests new
research.
LESS SOCIAL
MEDIA, MORE
IMMUNITY
The study, pub-
lished in the Jour -
nal of Technology in
Behavior Science,
showed that the
people who re-
duced their so-
cial media
use had an
average 15
per cent im-
provement
in immune function, in-
cluding fewer colds, flu,
warts, and verrucae.
LESS SOCIAL MEDIA,
MORE SLEEP
They also showed a 50
per cent improvement
in sleep quality, and 30
per cent fewer depres-
sive symptoms.
LESS SOCIAL MEDIA,
BETTER MENTAL HEALTH
"These data demon-
strate that, when people
reduce their social
media use, their
lives can im-
prove
in many ways -- includ-
ing benefits for their
physical health and psy-
chological well-being,"
said Professor Phil
Reed, from Swansea
University's School of
Psychology.
"It remains to be estab-
lished whether the rela-
tionship between social
media use and health
factors is a direct one, or
whether changes in well-
being variables, such as
depression, or other fac-
tors, such as an in-
crease in physical
activity, mediate
it," he added.
Social media
platforms
are de-
signed to
be addic-
tive and are
associated with
anxiety, depres-
sion, and even
physical ail-
ments.
LET'S END SOCIAL
MEDIA ADDICTION
TO STAY HEALTHY
Another study pub-
lished by the American
Psychological Associa-
tion showed that teen-
agers and young adults
who reduced their so-
cial media use by 50 per
cent for just a few weeks
saw significant im-
provement in how they
felt about both their
weight and their overall
appearance.
S
JUST 15 MINUTES OF SOCIAL MEDIA
BREAK CAN BOOST YOUR HEALTH
 ADELINE DORCAS
[email protected]
SOURCE: https://www.medindia.net/news/just-15-minutes-of-social-media-
break-can-boost-your-health-heres-how-210893-1.htm

12. ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindiaMUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023
11
Jennie Sends Flowers
Seung Yoon
to
LACKPINK's Jennie recent-
ly made headlines for her
sweet gesture towards her
labelmate, WINNER's Seung
Yoon. The talented artist
showed her support by send-
ing him flowers for his solo
exhibit debut.
Seung Yoon's solo exhibit held un-
der the pseudo ‘Flexible’ featured a
collection of the singer's artwork, in-
cluding paintings and photographs.
As a fellow artist and labelmate, Jen-
nie showed her support for Seung
Yoon by sending him a beautiful bou-
quet with a congratulatory note. The
gesture was not only thoughtful
but also showcased the close re-
lationship between the two
YG Entertainment art-
ists. Jennie and Seung
Yoon have been known to
have a close relation-
ship, with both artists
previously expressing
their admiration for
each other's work. Seung
Yoon has even credited Jennie
as one of the people who inspired
him to pursue his passion for art.
B P
ooja Hegde is just not a talented
actress but also a good chef too.
Yes, she loves cooking and of-
ten shares glimpses on her Ins-
tagram. Well, now, we got our hands
on her special Tuscan chicken recipe
and you should definitely try it out.
The chicken recipe of Pooja is lip-
smacking and makes for a
happy Sunday meal
as well. 
If you
want to
try a new
dish this
Sunday for
your lunch,
here's the most
delicious Tuscan
chicken recipe by
chef Pooja Hegde. She
makes a delicious Tuscan
chicken dish with a creamy
blend of garlic and cheese and it
goes perfectly with Roti or Rice as well. 
Pooja Hegde loves spending time at
home, cooking, reading books, and en-
joying her space when not shooting on
the sets. During the lockdown, just like
most of us, she channeled her inner
chef and tried to cook many recipes. 
Even the Tuscan chicken, she made
during the lockdown in July 2020. She
shared a video of herself serving
mushroom rice and Tuscan chicken
to her family. She was all smiles as
her friend calls her, "Chef Pooj."
POOJA HEGDE'S
lip-smacking recipe
A
mber
Heard ap-
parently
has the
most perfect face
in the world and
this is backed by
science.
Beauty is of
course, subjec-
tive, and lies in
the eyes of the
beholder. How-
ever, in scien-
tific notions,
beauty is all
about symmetry
and proportion-
ality.
Recently, Dr
De Silva re-
vealed that he
used a face
mapping technolo-
gy to discover who
has the most per-
fect face in the
world, as per the
‘Greek Golden Ra-
tio of Beauty Phi’,
aka the golden ra-
tio: 1.618.
After analyzing
the perfect propor-
tions of facial fea-
tures with 12 key
points of the face
including eyes,
nose, lips and chin,
De Silva found that
Amber Heard’s
face matched the
‘Greek Golden Ra-
tio of Beauty Phi’
with a 91.85 per-
cent accuracy.
L
ast night multiple
celebrities were
photographed at an
event in Mumbai
and Vamika Kohli's
parents ensured
that royalty and
glamour filled
the air. 
The Sultan
actress's
breathtaking
look was styled
by Priyanka Kapa-
dia Badani and assisted
with Humaira Lakdawala
in an Assertion gown by
Australian-based fashion
designer Toni Maticevski.
While Virat wore a very-
well fitted one from The
Maroon Suit. A custom
navy-hued looks comfort-
able and spot-on. The dap-
per man rocked his dou-
ble-breasted blazer and
straight-fit trousers with a
shirt from Canali. All
were styled by Edward La-
lrempuia and his team
who rounded off his look
with a pair of
shoes and a
gold
watch.
N
ick Jonas and Pri-
yanka Chopra are
one of the most
loved and favorite
couples of the audience.
The duo keeps sharing
about their lives on so-
cial media along with
their daughter Malti Ma-
rie Chopra. Nick Jonas
and Priyanka Chopra
often set couple goals as
they shower love on one
another or when they twin
for events.
Recently, Nick Jonas
shared a goofy video as he
jokingly complains about
his wife Priyanka Chopra
making him wait so
much. To this Priyanka
Chopra shared an adora-
ble reaction. 
Nick Jonas shared an
Instagram reel as the sing-
er can be seen waiting for
someone while checking
his watch constantly and
getting impatient. Priyan-
ka Chopra also re-shared
the video clip on her Insta-
gram story and wrote, ‘In-
dian stretchable time is
real. #IST #itiswhatitis’
along with adding a laugh-
ing emoji.
K
areena Kapoor Khan and
Saif Ali Khan are hands
down, one of the most pop-
ular and adored couples in
Bollywood. The two fell in love
with each other on the sets of the
2008 film Tashan and tied the knot
in 2012. Now, in a recent inter-
view, Kareena Kapoor Khan said
that she married Saif Ali Khan at
a time when no other actresses
were getting married. She added
that while it’s cool for actresses to
be married and working now, that
wasn’t the case earlier.
Kareena said that she has
always done things she loves
and believes in.
Kareena was last seen in
Laal Singh Chaddha, co-star-
ring Aamir Khan. She has
some exciting projects lined
up including Rhea Kapoor’s
The Crew, alongside Tabu and
Kriti Sanon. She will also make
her OTT debut with Sujoy
Ghosh’s thriller based on the
book The Devotion Of Suspect X.
She will also be seen in Hansal
Mehta’s murder mystery.
NICK TEASES PRIYANKA
Most perfect
face in the world
KAREENA'S
cool statement
VIRUSHKA LOOK SUPER CUTE TOGETHER
Jennie Kim
Seung Yoon’s post...
Pooja Hegde
Amber Heard
Nick’s post...
Kareena Kapoor Khan
Priyanka Chopra
Virat Kohli and
Anushka Sharma

13. 12
MUMBAI | SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023www.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
ne of the most shatter-
ing sights of the Cov-
id-19 pandemic was
the flood of people
suddenly rendered
rudderless by the an-
nouncement of one of
the most stringent lock-
downs in the world. An-
ubhav Sinha’s ‘Bheed’,
shot in greyed-out B&W,
is a grim and neces-
sary reminder of this
recent tragedy. The
film stars Rajkum-
mar Rao, Bhumi
Pednekar and
Dia
Mirza
among others. Rajkummar
spoke exclusively to Ashish Ti-
wari of First India in an exclu-
sive interview.
Speaking on taking up such
character-based roles Rao
shared, “When you get a good
story with a challenging char-
acter, it will open up doors for
you to learn new things so I
always tend on taking up
such roles. But alongside
I also focus on movies like
Stree and Guns and Gu-
labs to explore all avenues
of acting.”
On why did he say yes to
Bheed he shared, “I am a fan of
Anubhav Sinha when he
shared the story of Bheed with
me I was intrigued with the
story so it was important to tell
this to the people. The cherry
on the cake was the super-tal-
ented cast that I got to work
with.”
Sharing his camaraderie
with his co-stars he shared,
“From Pankaj Ji, I have learned
that he worships what he does
I believe that’s why he is very
selective about the work he
does because he gives his all to
whatever he does. At the same
time Ashutosh sir he’s not only
a brilliant actor but his way of
looking at life is amazing I
have learnt a lot from him
throughout.”
Speaking on his lockdown
period he shared, “During
the second wave I did by
bit for the people, but yes
personal loss was right
there I know people very close
to me being on ventilators.
People used to reach out for
help and I believe I have tried
my best to be there.”
Well, Bheed is a film that is
shown on screen in Black and
white film to showcase the
tragedy in the movie and has
been receiving a lot of appre-
ciation for the same.
After Bheed the actor will be
seen in Guns and Gulaabs with
Raj DK and Krishna Nidimoru.
Rajkummar Rao on BheedRajkummar Rao on Bheed
ASHISH TIWARI
[email protected]
O
A
fter his son Abhishek
received a trophy at
the fourth annual In-
dian Sports Awards,
Amitabh Bachchan's reaction
was the most adorable thing
on the Internet today. On Fri-
day, Amitabh shared images
of Abhishek posing with
his medals on Instagram.
Abhishek Bachchan is
seen holding his trophy
and gazing at it in the first
image while wearing a
black suit. In the following
photo, he was also seen posing
with another award. Ab -
hishek was sitting in a chair
and was dressed in pink and
blue. On the table next to him,
there was a
picture of his
daughter
Aaradhya
Bachchan.
Sharing the pictures, Am-
itabh wrote, "YEEEAAAAHH-
HHHHH .. Abhishek ! my
pride. Filmfare Best Actor -
DASVI ..Jaipur Pink Panthers,
which you own, wins Champi-
onship League in Kabaddi.
And .. now JPP wins the Virat
Kohli Foundation Sports Hon-
ours trophy versus other
league teams of Football and
Cricket! (clapping hands and
flexed biceps emojis). 2022-
2023 WHTCTW !!!"
S
ushmita Sen is
back at work
with the upcom-
ing season of her
popular web series Aar-
ya and the transgender-
themed movie Taali.
Late on Thursday night,
as she began dub-
bing for Taali, the
actor was seen at a
dubbing studio.
She posed gleefully
for the photographers
outside the studio.
Sushmita plays the
title character in Taali,
a biography of the
transgender lady Gauri
Sawant. The initial
poster featured Sush-
mita clapping while
wearing a large maroon
bindi on her forehead.
Sushmita recently
experienced a heart at-
tack and underwent
stent placement. Fol-
lowing her rehabilita-
tion, she earlier
this month walked
the runway at a
fashion week. The ac-
tress was beaming as
she walked the ramp
while wearing a gor-
geous yellow lehenga.
After her ramp walk,
when a photographer
called Sushmita
“strong” for returning
to work after a heart at-
tack, Sushmita said
with a smile, "Mere
paas bohot saare logon
ki dua hai, so blessed
(I have many peo-
ple's blessings
with me)."
A
ctor Ravie
Dubey is a
busy man for
sure but he
makes sure to find the
time for things and peo-
ple that matter. Recent-
ly, the actor met global
humanitarian and
spiritual leader Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar.
Taking to Insta-
gram, the actor
shared a memora-
ble experience that
he had.
Posting pictures
from his meeting, Ra-
vie wrote, “An unfor-
gettable meeting with
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravis-
hankar ji ..deepest
gratitude to my dear
friends #mahaveerjain
ji and @neetuma -
haveerjain ji for mak-
ing this possible.”
Ravie looked abso-
lutely at peace in a
while kurta pyjama
and seemed to be en-
grossed in a deep dis-
cussion with the leader.
Meanwhile, Ravie
has been gaining a lot
of love on social me-
dia due to his trans-
formation for his
next film Farradday.
In fact, netizens are
even comparing this
transformation with
that of Christian Bale
and Randeep Hooda.
The bare-chested, rug-
ged look and balding
head, Ravie’s look has
taken his fans by sur-
prise and they cannot
wait for the film!
Ravie Dubey meets
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sushmita Sen
is back at work!
Amitabh is a proud father
Jasmin on the
Punjabi film industry
F
rom TV and
films to OTT,
Jasmin Bhasin
has been jug-
gling work in differ-
ent mediums with
expertise. While
her craft is being
appreciated, the ac-
tor is always ready
to take risks and
try out new things.
Her debut Punjabi
film Honey -
moon, with
Gippy Grewal, is a hit.
Sharing her experience
of doing Punjabi cine-
ma, she added, “It was a
great experience. As I
said earlier, it felt like
home. There’s so much
warmth and love that I
got there from all my co-
actors, in short, the
complete team. Gippy
Grewal was an amazing
co-actor. He made me
feel so comfortable. It
was like just a house
where some wedding
is taking place given
all the fun we had. And
we made the film, which
will be special for me
forever.”
The actor is keen on
doing more work in the
industry. “The thing is
when you start with
something really big
you set your standards
really high. So I don’t
want to disappoint any-
one by doing just any-
thing and everything,”
she expressed.
T
he holy month of
Ramzan has started,
and Muslims all
over the world are in
a celebratory mood. Adaa
Khan to is fasting and
praying. The actor, known
for TV shows such as Behe
-
nein, Amrit Manthan,
Naagin and Khatron Ke
Khiladi 10, reveals her
plans. She also talks
about her life, likings
and work.
“This is a month of pu
-
rification, for a change I
don't have to shoot at the
moment. I will be fasting
and I believe in the power
of prayers. Ramzan is spe
-
cial for me every year,” she
smiles.
Adaa urges those who
are fasting to eat right to
stay safe during the sum
-
mer heat. “One should eat
fruits to keep themselves
hydrated and drink coco
-
nut water and lemon juice
and also butter
-
milk,” she contin-
ues about the dos
and don’ts during
this time, “I follow
routine and rituals,
be disciplined, eat
more fruits and eat timely
and don't miss your
prayers.” 
On television, she is
a big name. And all
the love that she gets
from her audience
inspires her to work
harder.
She further added, “As
an actor you get to play dif
-
ferent roles through dif-
ferent characters and
also know people better
which is like one big
happy family. The big
-
gest advantage of be-
ing an actor is that
acting never gets
boring, you can
play positive and
negative roles.”
ADAA KHAN
on Ramzan
Rajkummar Rao
Sushmita Sen
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with Ravie Dubey
Amitabh Bachchan
Adaa Khan
Jasmin Bhasin