First India-Jaipur Edition-02nd March 2023

CCS CLEARS

`10,000 CRORE FOR TRAINER AIRCRAFTS

New Delhi: Two major indigenous defence projects, acquisition of 70 basic trainer aircraft for IAF and 3 cadet training ships for Navy, worth `10,000 crore were cleared by the PM-led cabinet on Wednesday.

EAM Jaishankar meets Cleverly, discuss Young Pro Scheme

Moni Sharma

New Delhi: The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM), which is scheduled to take place in physical format from March 1-2 in New Delhi under India’s Presidency is “one of the largest gatherings of foreign ministers hosted by any G20 Presidency.” The venue of G20 FMM is Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Center.

UK foreign secretary James Cleverly is in India to attend a meeting of G20 foreign ministers. Cleverly raised the issue of tax searches at BBC offices at a meeting with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Wednesday and was told all entities operating in the country have to comply with rules and regulations, people familiar with the matter said. The duo held a bilateral meeting over discussions on the commencement of the Young Professional Scheme. EAM also exchanged views on the global situation as well as the G20 agenda.

FCRA LICENCE OF CPR SUSPENDED RAJESH MALHOTRA IS PRINCIPAL

New Delhi: The prominent public think tank CPR has had its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence cancelled by MHA due to legal infractions on Wednesday.

DG, PIB

New Delhi: Senior Indian Information Service officer Rajesh Malhotra on Wednesday assumed charge as Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau, who functions as spokesperson of GoI.

RAHUL’S NEW AVATAR TAKES INTERNET, SM BY STORM

WORLD TRUSTS THE INDIAN PRESIDENCY!

G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting “one of the largest gatherings” in India

OVERALL 40 DELEGATIONS

UK raises BBC issue with EAM, he says all entities must comply with law

A rgentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, France, Germany, India as host, Indonesia both as immediate past president and ASEAN chair, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, US (all G20 member countries) -- to participate in the meeting. 9 more guest countries participating at the level of FMs.

THIS ISN’T AN ERA OF WAR: INDIA ON UKRAINE CONFLICT

India is a hugely important partner to the UK and “the deeper ties we are forging now will help to grow the UK economy and boost industries for the future.

—James Cleverly, UK foreign secy

BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY SPEAKS ON NIRAV MODI, VIJAY MALLYA’S EXTRADITION

Referring to the extradition of fugitive economic offenders Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Wednesday said that the British Judicial system was independent of the government and it was them to decide. Without mentioning the names of fugitive economic offenders, Cleverly said, “The legal process in the UK, just as it is in India, is independent of govt. We always want to see the machinery of the justice system working promptly but those are the decisions of the British judicial system.”

I ndia on Wednesday cleared its stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reaffirming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that “this isn’t an era of war”. Speaking at a special briefing on G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, “Dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward. The agenda is for the foreign ministers to discuss in the meet.”

E xternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held wide-ranging discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on bilateral cooperation, the Ukraine conflict and issues relating to G-20.

AADHAAR & UPI CAN HAVE GLOBAL IMPACT, SAYS BILL GATES @ G20

B illionaire-philanthropist Bill Gates, on his first tour of India since the pandemic, does not mince his words when he talks about lessons from the tragedy wrought by Covid. Bill Gates, co-chair and trustee of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is in India to get a sense of the country’s recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.

London: Rahul Gandhi in new look focussed his lecture at the prestigious University of Cambridge on the “art of listening” and called for a new thinking to promote a democratic environ globally, as opposed to a coercive one.

THREE-TIER SECURITY IN TRIPURA, NAGALAND AND MEGHALAYA TODAY

Countdown for counting begins

First India Bureau Agartala/Kohima/ Shillong: Counting of votes for assembly elections held in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura will take place on Thursday (March 2). The voting on 178 seats across three states was held on February 16 and 27. The counting of votes will begin at 8am

as per the directives from Election Commission of India (ECI). While there are 60 seats in Nagaland, one constituency (Akuluto) has been won uncontested by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Meghalaya too, the total number come down from 60 to 59 as election on one seat has been countermanded.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) was in power in Tripura for more than 30 years until BJP recorded a historic win in 2018. In the last assembly election, the BJP won 36 of 60 seats.

TRIPURA

MEGHALAYA

NAGALAND

CM Conrad Sangma, who heads NPP and had decided to fight elections solo. His party and Himanta Biswa Sarma’s BJP had been running the state govt together under banner of the MDA. BJP and NDPP came to power in 2018. The two parties had come together to form govt with support from JD (U) and an Independent. The current Chief Minister of State of Neiphiu Rio.

HIKED

COOKING GAS PRICES

`50 FOR DOMESTIC, `350.50 FOR COMMERCIAL CYLINDERS

P rices of 14.2 kg domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and 19 kg commercial cylinders have been hiked with immediate effect from Wednesday. The hike for domestic consumers will be `50 per cylinder and `350.50 per bottle for commercial consumers.

RAJASTHAN

Domestic gas cylinder will now be available for `1,106 Commercial gas cylinder will now be available for `2,138

DAY AFTER, SISODIA & JAIN RESIGN AS MINISTERS...

Saurabh, Atishi set to be new mins

First India Bureau New Delhi: The AAP has picked MLAs Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi Singh as the two new faces in the Delhi cabinet. According to sources, their names will be sent to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, as per rules, who will then forward them to the President for her assent. This comes a day after Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain resigned from their ministerial positions. Sisodia is in CBI custody, Jain is in Tihar. P5

Saurabh Bharadwaj Atishi Singh

BJP, CONGRESS HOLD PROTEST ACROSS DELHI, SEEK CM ARVIND KEJRIWAL’S RESIGNATION

Delhi BJP and Congress on Wednesday escalated its attack on the AAP after Sisodia and Jain, arrested in different corruption cases, resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday. Parties protested at over 10 locations demanding resignation of Kejri.

GEHLOT CABINET APPROVES 35 PROPOSALS FOR STATE

Raj Control of Organised Crime Bill gets Cabinet approval with provision of lifer

 The policies for Forest, Climate Change, E-Waste Management were also approved

 Tuition fees of MBBS for noncreamy layer candidates of OBC, MBC category waived off

Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: The Gehlot cabinet on Wednesday approved the Rajasthan Control of Organized Crime Bill, 2023 and it will not be placed in the Assembly for making a law. The law will include strict provisions for taking action against organised criminals operating from the state and outside the state. The Advocates’ Protection Bill was also discussed

Couple, five children die in Jalore canal

First India Bureau

DELHI LG SENDS SISODIA, JAIN’S RESIGNATIONS TO PRESIDENT MURMU

Delhi LG Vinai Kumar

Saxena on Wednesday sent the resignations of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and minister Satyendar Jain to the president recommending that they be accepted, officials said.

CM: ROADWAYS FARE 50% OFF FOR WOMEN NOW

CM Ashok Gehlot

in the cabinet meeting and CM Ashok Gehlot will take a decision on this soon. A group of advocates also met the

CM on Wednesday in this regard.

After the cabinet meeting, Cabinet Ministers Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and Mamta Bhupesh shared the information about decisions with the media. They said that the approval was given to the Climate Change Policy to facilitate systematic development and management of forests in the State. Turn to P2

CM Ashok Gehlot has approved a proposal to hike the concession for women on fares of ordinary Rajasthan Roadways buses to 50%. The discount on ordinary buses at present is 30%. Increased exemption will be implemented from April 1. This move will put an additional annual financial burden of about Rs 3.50 crore on the state govt. Gehlot had announced increased concession in State budget for 2023-24. Meanwhile, women and girls will travel on Raj Roadways buses for free on International Women’s Day on Mar 8. P9

Jalore: A couple jumped to their deaths in a canal with their five children due to domestic dispute in Jalore district on Wednesday, police said. Shankarlal (32) and his wife Badli (30) jumped into the Narmada main canal near Siddheshwar Paldi with their five children, Sanchore police station SHO Niranjan Pratap Singh said. The children were identified as daughters Ramila (12), Kegi (8), Janki (6) and sons Prakash

(10) and Hitesh (3). All the bodies have been taken out. The hands of six people were tied to each other in a rope. The body of a 9-year-old child was found separately at around 4 pm. The bodies of the remaining six people were found later.

Dhariwal launches RHB’s schemes of over 4,500 flat-villas in 14 dists

‘OUR EFFORT,

Abhishek Shrivastava & Shivendra Parmar

Jaipur: UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal & RHB Commissioner Pawan Arora on Wednesday launched residential& commercial schemes of over 4,500 flat-villas in 17 cities of 14 districts in Raj. Dhariwal said that intention of the govt is to provide quality housing at a reasonable price to common man. P9

For the first time, the RHB has brought a plan of State-of-the-art independent villas and 4 BHK luxury flats in Jaipur on the lines of private sector. —Pawan Arora, RHB Commissioner

Shanti Dhariwal, Pawan Arora and others during the launching of schemes in Jaipur on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

EVERYONE’S HOUSING’

S JAISHANKAR HOLDS TALKS ON UKRAINE CONFLICT, OTHER KEY AREAS WITH LAVROV

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

S Jaishankar with Sergey Lavrov in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Gudha corners collectors, revenue officials over martyrs’ relief package

Yogesh Sharma, Naresh Sharma and Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur : The issue of benefits not reaching to the families of the martyrs echoed in the Rajsthan Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday. Minister of State for Sainik Welfare

Rajendra Singh Gudha said in the House that the Collectors and officials of the Revenue Department do not cooperate with the families of the martyrs at all.

In response to Sandeep Sharma’s question, Gudha said that the families of the martyrs are given 25 bighas of land and Rs 25 lakh un-

On MP Kirodi Lal Meena’s

dharna over martyrs’ families, deputy LoP Rajendra Rathore said in the Assembly on Wednesday that four-four martyr widows are sitting on dharna with little children. “Idols are installed just. The protesting family members of martyrs should be called to talks,” he said. Min Rajendra Yadav said that there were some cases of roads in Kota and Shahpura which are being settled. “I myself had talked about the jobs too. Everything is being settled,” Yadav said.

der the package. Where 25 bighas of land is allotted, the relatives of many martyrs do not like to take it after see-

Shafia terms Meo as descendants of Hindu; Khan speaks on Hindu Nation

First India Bureau Jaipur: Congress MLA

Shafia Zubair described herself and Meo community as descendants of Ram-Krishna. Speaking in the Assembly on Wednesday, Zubair said that Meo people live in Alwar, Bharatpur, Nuh and some part of Mathura, where Krishna ji was born. Safia was speaking during the debate on the demands for grants of Education Department on Wednesday.

QUESTION HOUR

JJM CONNECTIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH CENTRE’S GUIDELINES

PHED Minister Mahesh Joshi said that tap connections are being given as per the guidelines of the Central Govt under the JJM. He said that no hamlet included in the revenue village has been deprived of water connection and in accordance with guidelines of Centre, single households and households located in farms far away from villages or settlements cannot be given connections.

FOOD TESTING LAB, LIQUOR SELLING

H ealth Minister Parsadi Lal Meena assured in Q-Hour that a referral lab would soon be set up in the State for testing food items and proposal has been sent to Centre in this regard. While replying to another question he said that the violation of the rule of not selling liquor at a certain distance from the National Highway is currently in progress and no complaints have been received.

ing the land on the spot, they do not like that land.

“There are many provisions for the families

LODHA TRIES TO CORNER JULLY OVER FALSE CASE OF MURDER OF YOUTH, SPEAKER JOSHI INTERVENES

Jaipur (FIB): During the Question Hour in the Vidhan Sabha, Independent MLA from Sirohi and Chief Minister’s advisor Sanyam Lodha tried to corner the Jail Minister Jully on a question related to a false case of murder of a youth. Sanyam Lodha told Minister Tikaram Jully that when you inspected the Sirohi Jail, you had a conversation with a tribal who was implicated in a false case of murder. “He was in jail the day the murder took place, the cabinet has a collective responsibility, why

didn’t you write about the action against the guilty police officers?,” Lodha said.

On this, Assembly Speaker Dr CP Joshi told Lodha that the being Chief Minister’s advisor you also hold some responsibility in this case. There was a lot of laughter in the House on this.

Minister Jully said that the court decides who remains in jail. “When I visited Sirohi Jail, I had seen the complete record, now the police will prove the one who was falsely implicated in the investigation,” he said.

of the martyrs according to the provisions of the state govt, but the officials do not cooperate,” he said.

HIGHLIGHTS

Despite resigning as Chief Whip, Mahesh Joshi is carrying out the responsibility of Chief Whip, due to which the Opposition members termed this arrangement as ‘Shadow Chief Whip’. MLA Giriraj Singh Malinga said in the Assembly on Wednesday that the BJP government had closed 21,000 schools and colleges were opened but only a single person was appointed there.

The House proceedings have been adjourned till 11 AM on March 2nd.

Gudha, Rathore visit Kirodi dharna, meet kin of Pulwama CRPF martyrs

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Minister Rajendra Singh Gudha on Wednesday met Rajya Sabha MP Dr Kirodi Lal Meena over the ongoing protest of families of Pulwama attack martyrs. The BJP MP is staging a sit-in at Shaheed Samarak to support the agitating wives of Pulwama terror attack martyrs.

Earlier, Dr Kirodi Lal Meena sat on a protest outside the state assembly and was later taken to Shaheed Samarak.

Minister Rajendra Gudha said that some announcements were made by local MLAs and they should fulfil their promises. “Whatever

package has been announced by the government, will be given as per the rules,” he said. Meanwhile, Rajendra Rathore also reached .

Decision to allot free land at birthplace of martyrs taken

From P1…

The Rajasthan E-Waste Management Policy was also approved to reduce, reuse and recycle e-waste in the state.

Along with this, a decision has also been taken to allot free land at the birthplace of the martyrs. Amendment in the rules of many services has been approved in the meeting.

Along with this, some bills to be brought during the Budget session have also been approved. Khachariyawas informed that the cabinet has approved the Rajiv Gandhi Fintech Institute Jodhpur Bill. This will increase the chances of startup and fintech industry to

grow. He informed that along with this the proposal for new amendment in Animal Husbandry Subordinate Services Rules 1977, Rajasthan Fisheries State and Subordinate Services Rules 2012 has been approved. Amendment in the Rajasthan Subordinate Services Rules, creation of new posts, change in designation and qualification was also approved in the meeting.

Direct recruitment

of tourist and assistant tourist officer will now be possible in the state.

The cabinet has approved the proposal of Gandhi Institute of Governance and Social Sciences Bill 2023.

The Cabinet has decided to take action against the municipality member for the disqualifications before the election with approval for amendment in Section 39 of Rajasthan Municipal Act, 2009 has been approved.

“I also got some history extracted from genealogy writers about our past. It came out in it that Meos are descendants of Ram and Krishna. Even if the religion has changed, but the blood does not change. We have the blood of Ram and Krishna only,” said Zubair, MLA from Ramgarh of Alwar.

‘HOME GUARDS ARE VOLUNTEERS AND NOT POSSIBLE TO GIVE THEM ESI, PF BENEFITS’ M inister of State Rajendra Singh Gudha said during the Question Hour on Wednesday that the Home Guards are volunteers and it is not possible to give them the benefits of ESI and PF facilities like regular employees. Gudha clarified in response to the supplementary question asked by the member in this regard during the Question Hour that at present no proposal to regularize the Home Guards is under consideration.

will also happen, but no one will kill us,” he said.

BUDGET SESSION

After this, Kirodi held talks with CM’s secy Aarti Dogra. Where the martyrs’ wife also kept their point. However, the talks remained inconclusive.

Meanwhile,

Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Sheo in Barmer, Amin Khan said that after October 31, 1984, they do not consider this country as secular at all. “On October 31, 1984, secularism came to an end. Now let’s pass the time. Hindu Rashtra

CM, Dotasra, AICC member meet at CMR!

Jaipur (FIB): CM Gehlot and PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasra were scheduled to meet at CMR late Wednesday night. Late on Wednesday night, information was received that an AICC official reached Jaipur, under the garb of anonymity, to hold a meeting with CM Ashok Gehlot and PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasra at Chief Minister’s residence. The meeting is being considered crucial.

GOVERNOR, CM IN HJU 1st CONVOCATION TODAY

Jaipur: The first convocation of Haridev Joshi Journalism and Mass Communication University (HJU) will be held on Thursday. Governor Kalraj Mishra will preside over the ceremony while CM Gehlot will be the chief guest of the program. During the convocation ceremony, degrees will be awarded to 79 students of various postgraduate courses and gold medals will be given to seven students. Similarly, 21 students will be given certificates for securing top 3 ranks in their respective courses.

“We know Hinduism very well have knowledge of Hindu religion. A Hindu will also protect another human being. This secularism is on paper. Today in Rajasthan every school starts programs by worshiping the name of a sect, this is not a sign of the strength of a secular country. If people do not speak, then they do not speak out of fear, everyone knows,” he said.

‘GOVT IS CONCERNED ABOUT ATTACHMENT OF FARMERS’ LAND’

Planning Min Mamta Bhupesh said that the state govt is concerned about attachment of farmers' land due to non payment of bank loans. She said that CM has announced to bring Raj Farmers Debt Relief Act in the state agriculture budget to ban the auction of farmers' land in which it is proposed to appoint a former HC judge as the head of this Relief Commission.

RAWAT: NANDAN KANAN SCHEME TO PRESERVE LAND OF TEMPLES

Devsthan Minister Shakuntala Rawat while replying to a supplementary question said that the Dept is planning a Nandan Kanan scheme to preserve and develop the land of temples by fencing them. She said that under this scheme, the land of temples will be developed and preserved as Nandan Kanan by planting saplings of Peepal, Amla & Kalpavriksha etc.

्ोजना व मेर्ड्ल ्ॉलेज ् समीप स्थित है। ्ह भूखण्ड भारी रव्ास्शील क्त्र ् मध् एवं आवासी् ्ोजनाओं ् समीप स्थित है। ई-ऑक्शन ्ा आरमभ रिनां् 24.03.2023 प्ातः 10.00 बजे से हो रहा है एवं ्ह रिनां् 29.03.2023 ्ो प्ात: 11:00 बजे समापत हो जा्ेगा (असनतम 5 रमनट में ्वतः बोली रव्तार नहीं होने ् स्थिरत में) अन् जान्ारी urban.rajasthan.gov.in/kota एवं udhonline.rajasthan.gov.in पर प्ापत ्ी जा स्ती है अथिवा िूरभाष 0744-2500539/(Helpline For Online Support-0141-2560211) पर समप्कि ्रें। ई-ऑक्शन के माध्यम से बालाजी माककेट ्योजना

भूखण्ड न् ्ोटा क्त्र ्ी मुख् व्ावसार्् ्ोजना व मेर्ड्ल ्ॉलेज ् समीप स्थित है।

Minister of State for Sainik Welfare Rajendra Gudha speaking in the House on Wednesday.

Shafia Zubair, MLA Ramgarh Amin Khan, MLA Sheo

Sanyam Lodha

Tikaram Jully

(L) MoS for Sainik Welfare Rajendra Gudha reached the protest site at Shaheed Smarak on Wednesday and met Dr Kirodi and agitating martyrs’ kin. (R) Rajendra Rathore also reached and heard their plea.

RATHORE SPEAKS ON KIRODI DHARNA, GIVES CALL TO TALK WITH KIN

Sainik Welfare Min Gudha alleges that govt officials don’t cooperate

The kin of martyrs decline location of land compensated, says Gudha

DISCIPLINE LESSONS BY CM, DOTASRA TO MINs C

M Gehlot and PCC Chief Dotasra taught the lesson of discipline to all the ministers and exhorted them and not to antagonize the party or the government or the individual by any means and not make any controversial statements. Dotasra also participated in the informal meeting after the meeting of the Council of Ministers.

Raj no. 2 in India in internet shutdown

To prevent paper leak in the Grade-3 teachers’ exam, the internet was shut down in Jaipur

First India Bureau

Jaipur: India stands at first position when it comes to internet shutdown in the world; while Rajasthan, stands at the second spot after J&K in internet banning. The glaring fact came to the fore in the recently released report of Access Now and Keep It on Coalition.

According to the report, in 2022, the internet has been banned in India for 84 times. The government issued orders relating to the suspension of internet ser-

Central govt troubling public through inflation, says PSK

COURTESY MEET

SC

New Delhi (PTI): The SC on Wednesday refused an urgent hearing to a PIL challenging internet shutdown in some Raj districts to curb cheating in competitive exams. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud & Justice PS Narasimha didn’t agree to submissions of lawyer Vishal Tiwari that PIL needed urgent hearing on March 3 as State Govt stopped internet services to prevent cheating in recently held competitive exam for recruitment of school teachers & this adversely impacted functioning of courts. “No. We won’t hear it on Friday. We will keep it after (Holi) vacation,” bench said.

vices due to many reasons like protests, exams, & polls. The Internet was shut down 49 times in J&K while in Rajasthan internet was shut down 12 times in a year. The authority to

shut down the internet in nation rests with MHA at the central & state levels.As per DoP rules, temporary suspension of internet can be done due to public emergency or safety.

First India Bureau Jaipur: Taking a jibe at BJP, Minister Pratap S Khachariyawas said, Centre has committed a sin by increasing Rs 50 on domestic gas cylinders. “By continuously increasing inflation, they have done the work of troubling the public. I want to say that there is no Congress at the Centre. The Gehlot government is is giving gas cylinders to 70 lakh families for Rs 500,” he said. Regarding price rise of LPG cylinders, BJP State Prez

Satish Poonia said that Cong is father of price rise & corruption in nation. “ Inflation ratio in India is less as compared to other countries,” he said. Poonia & Khachariyawas were later clicked together outside the Assembly. PSK said that there is no problem in it as they are university friends.

Jaipur: The price of domestic LPG cylinders on Wednesday was hiked by Rs 50 per cylinder. Domestic gas cylinders will now cost Rs 1,106.50 per 14.2 kg cylinder. The price of commercial gas cylinders was also hiked by Rs. 350 and it will now cost Rs 2,138. Following the decision taken by oil marketing firms, a new record has been created and domestic cooking gas has never been so expensive before. Earlier on Jan 1, prices of commercial gas were hiked by Rs 25.50. This step of oil-gas firms will increase economic burden on the state govt from next month.

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra meets Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin

Four new flights to be introduced from Jaipur

Kashiram Choudhary

Jaipur: The schedule of air travel will change across India from March 26 due to change in season. It is expected that four new flights will be started from Jaipur International Airport and air connectivity will be increased to different cities. Pres-

ently, an average of 62 flights are operating daily from Jaipur airport. 61 domestic flights will operate in summer schedule. “Of these, 55 domestic flights & 6 int’l flights will take-off from Jaipur. Ops of half a dozen flights will be suspended from March 26,” informed an official.

z Summer schedule at Jaipur airport from March 26, 2023.

z Air connectivity will be increased to cities like Patna and Surat.

z A maximum of ten flights take-off for Mumbai every day.

z Flight operations to Jodhpur will take place on a regular basis.

z SpiceJet flight SG-2964 to Pune will depart at 5:25 am

z Indigo flight 6E-7404 to Chandigarh will leave at 1:30 pm

z Indigo flight 6E-261 to Patna will leave at 5:30 pm

z SpiceJet flight SG-3419 to Surat will depart at 9:05am

REFUSES URGENT HEARING ON PIL

DOMESTIC LPG BECOMES DEARER BY `50 PER CYLINDER

NaMo: THE PEOPLE’S PRIME MINISTER

The Man Who Always Worries About the “Last Man Standing”: PM Modi

These stories bring to the fore the determination of PM Modi to come down heavily on corruption and squashing the heavy bureaucratic processes that hinder the welfare schemes from reaching their actual beneficiaries. Garib Kalyan Mela is an initiative that tamed corruption by cutting out the middle men and helping the poorest of the poor to avail the benefits of government schemes. The narrators share their personal experiences when Modiji inspired them with his vision, his love for the poor and his inventiveness when it comes to making a difference to people’s lives. He ensured that rather than the poor reaching out for the schemes and failing, the schemes reached them directly, thereby ushering in welfare in the truest sense.

GOVERNMENT TO BENEFICIARIES

WEEDING OUT THE MIDDLE CLASS MEN

...GARIB KALYAN YOJANA BECOMES

BENEFICIARY-CENTRIC

Modiji started the Garib Kalyan Mela. It was meant to take the welfare schemes to their beneficiaries. Earlier the beneficiaries of welfare schemes would have to waste their time by doing several rounds of government offices in order to avail the benefits, and would seldom achieve anything even after trying so hard. But what Modi did here proved to be extremely beneficial to the poor. He tasked the officers in various departments to go and find the beneficiaries of the schemes that came under each department. For this, he sent them out deep into the villages. It was not a superficial or a cursory exercise. Proper lists were created and the beneficiaries were invited with full respect. Programs were organized in every tehsil where either the CM or the ministers or the Collector would present the schemes to the invited beneficiaries. Modiji would give out cheques, letters, items or whatever people needed to avail the schemes and this would be done with complete decorum and planning. This made the entire process extremely transparent. There was no scope left for any corruption to creep into the system.

“I WANT TO SEE DUST ON THEIR COATS!”

When Modi directed the Secretaries to visit the villages and resolve issues

Once CM Modi said to me “We need to take the benefits to the people. We have to cut the bureaucratic line and ensure that benefits are directly given to the people.” And that was when he had just become CM, it was that early in his tenure that he wanted to ensure that practices that allow corruption to creep into the system are nipped in the bud. Lok Mela

program was his brainchild and was implemented with full gusto. I remember that once a program was organized in a north Gujarat village. Now it was extremely dusty there. So I covered my nose with a cloth as we are not used to such dust. Next day in a meeting, he remarked “I witnessed there was 1 inch dust in the coats of our Secretaries. That’s what I want to see!” And this become a buzzword - that CM Modi wants to see the Secretaries of the departments to work with the masses at the ground level, and get their coats dusty. He did not like the Secretaries to revert to him sitting in their AC offices. They must visit the villages,

they must observe and understand the problems and challenges of the people with their own eyes and head, and he also motivated the Secretaries telling them “I know this. I am convinced of the fact that if you go to the villages yourself, problems will be resolved.”

He would often quote Mahatma Gandhi and say “We have to worry about the last man standing in the line.” He told us that nobody is bothered about that poor person and therefore, it was our duty to worry about him.

Whenever you draw up a scheme, always keep the last man standing in the picture and plan for him, who is the poorest of the poor. Keep him in mind, always.

All the government schemes would be implemented in Collector office, Zilla Parishad, and there people would be asked to visit to fill up forms as per the Yojana, and attach the necessary documents for the schemes to work out for them. There used to be no guarantee whether the beneficiaries would be able to avail the benefits of the schemes as the entire process involved several middlemen before it could reach completion. So it was not that the government schemes were not in place. Everything was there but the system was not people friendly or beneficiary-centric. People were left to their fate and the mood of the middlemen if they wanted to benefit from government welfare schemes. The entire credit goes to Modiji for devising a new method of implementing these schemes. He did not want people to come to the yojanas. He wanted the yojanas to reach the people. He created a full-proof system that ensured that the schemes reached the people. In one of the meetings, he announced the conduct of Garib Kalyan Mela. He said that first it would be organized at the Zilla level and then in every tehsil. Each and every scheme of the government available for the poor would be covered in the program.

All the beneficiaries of schemes from Collector office, DDO office etc would be asked to collect at one place and they would be made to directly avail the schemes, thereby removing all the middlemen.

For instance, if the beneficiaries had to get cycles, they were given cycles first-hand in the event organized specially for them. Thousands of beneficiaries under one roof directly availing the benefits that they are entitled for under welfare schemes for the poor - it was a remarkable and a very successful initiative undertaken by PM Modi, who was CM at that time. This was only a preliminary introduction to the creative vision of PM Modi!

Well-planned cities will determine fate of country: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that well-panned Indian cities will determine the fate of the country. In a webinar on ‘Urban Planning, Development and Sanitation’, he said with India urbanising rapidly, it is important to build infrastructure that is futuristic.

“The well-planned cities of India will only determine the fate of India. When planning is better, our cities will become climate resilient and water secure,” the the PM said. He also

‘Urban Planning, Development and Sanitation’, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Hardeep Singh Puri, Bhupender Yadav and other dignitaries are also present. —PHOTO BY ANI

listed 3 focus areas for urban planning and development - How to strengthen urban planning ecosystem in states,

show to better utilise expertise available in private sector for urban planning and how to develop such Centres of

Excellence which take urban planning to the new level. The government has organised a series of post-budget we-

binars to seek ideas and suggestions for the effective implementation of initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023.

AAP UNDER ATTACK?

PM to inaugurate Raisina Dialogue on March 2

New Delhi (ANI): India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-strategy, Raisina Dialogue is coming up with its 8th edition on March 2 and prime minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it, according to the statement released by the EAM. In collaboration with Observer Research Foundation (URF), External Affairs Ministry is organizing the event

Delhi CM calls meeting with MLAs

from March 2-4. On Thursday, PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Dialogue and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni will join the inaugural session as the Chief Guest. The Raisina Dialogue 2023 will witness the participation of representatives from over 100 countries including Ministers, former Heads of State and Heads of Government, Military Com-

manders, Captains of the Industry, Technology Leaders, Academia, Journalists, Scholars on Strategic Affairs, Experts from leading Think Tanks, and Youth. This year’s edition assumes special significance coming against the backdrop of India’s G20 Presidency.

The theme of the 2023 Edition is “Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest.

Congress slams BJP govt over LPG

price hike

LG

Amid the ongoing crisis, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal called a meeting of AAP MLAs & MCD councillors to discuss the strategies, a day after Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, both arrested on corruption charges & resigned from Cabinet New Delhi (PTI): Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is chairing a high-level meeting with Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and councillors amid the political crisis plaguing his government.

The meeting with AAP elected representatives comes a day after two top Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who are in jail over allegations of corruption, resigned from the government.

Kejriwal on Wednesday said the entire country is proud of former AAP ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain and alleged they were arrested just to “stop the good work being done” in the national capital.

Addressing reporters after a meeting with AAP MLAs and councillors, the chief minister challenged the BJP: “AAP is a storm. We will be unstoppable now and our time has come.” He alleged that Sisodia’s ar-

KEJRIWAL ORDERS MLAS TO HOLD DOORTO-DOOR CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARREST

New Delhi(Agencies): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will hold door-todoor protests in Delhi beginning March 5 in response to the arrests of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain. AAP MLAs have been tasked with telling the “story” behind Sisodia and Jain’s resignations. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, following a meeting at his residence, asked the AAP leaders to begin the

rest in the excise policy case was just an excuse, and asserted that new ministers would carry on the good work of the

IN THE COURTYARD

NEED STRONG EVIDENCE TO CORROBORATE

EXTRA-JUDICIAL CONFESSION, SAYS SC

New Delhi: Extra-judicial confession is a weak piece of evidence which requires strong evidence to corroborate it, the SC said while acquitting a man in a 2007 murder case. “Extra-judicial confession is a weak piece of evidence and especially when it has been retracted during trial. It requires strong evidence to corroborate it and also it must be established that it was completely voluntary and truthful. In view of the discussion, we do not find any corroborating evidence to support the extra judicial confession,” the bench said.

UMESH MURDER:

AHMED MOVES SC SEEKING SECURITY

New Delhi: Former

Samajwadi Party leader

Atiq Ahmed moved the Supreme Court seeking its protection, claiming that he has been “roped in” as an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case and fears threat to his life. Lodged in the Central Jail, Ahmed has also sought directions to ensure that no physical or bodily injury or harm is done to him.

COURT UPHOLDS ACQUITTAL OF EXJAMIA REGISTRAR

New Delhi: A court has upheld the order of a magisterial court to acquit a former registrar of Jamia Hamdard University of the charges of sexual harassment, criminal intimidation and assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty. The woman filed an appeal in the superior sessions court against previous order in Dec 2021.

WORKING ON TENDER PROCESS TO SET UP CCTV CAMERAS: DELHI POLICE TO HC

New Delhi: Delhi police filed a status report in the High court and said that they are working expeditiously on a tender for the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations. It is also stated that the SC is monitoring this issue and has called for a report from all the State governments on the issue of the installation of CCTV cameras with a storage capacity of 18 months in police Stations. The HC directed Delhi police to comply with the order of the SC in relation to the installation of CCTV cameras in Police stations.

door-to-door campaign to inform the public that Sisodia and Jain were sent to jail after the BJP-led Centre became “disturbed” by the success of Delhi’s health and education models. Satyendar Jain held the health and prisons departments, and Sisodia was Kejriwal’s deputy and handled finance, education, and several other departments in the Delhi government.

government at double the speed.

“We shall see if the need arises,” said Kejriwal said Wednesday try-

BJP DEMANDS KEJRIWAL’S RESIGNATION

New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Wednesday staged protests at various places, demanding the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal as it stepped up its attack against the AAP and its supremo in the wake of resignations by two Delhi ministers facing corruption charges. The saffron party also took its protest online, running a series of tweets with the hashtag “#Thekedar_Kejriwal_Istifa_Do”.

ing to end speculations about appointing a deputy following the arrest and resignation of Manish Sisodia.

New Delhi (ANI): Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved Arvind Kejriwal’s proposal to give the responsibility of additional departments to ministers Kailash Gahlot and Raajkumar Anand. Gahlot has been given the responsibility of Law, Justice and Legis-

CONGRESS SILENT, MAKEN SUPPORTS CBI ACTION

New Delhi (Agencies): The Congress has officially maintained a studied and intriguing silence over the arrest of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 in the excise police case. As events unfolded, the only senior national-level Congress leader to not just talk about the arrest but also to support the CBI action is former Union minister Ajay Maken.

lative Affairs; Transport; Revenue; Finance; Planning; Power; Home; Urban Development; Water; Administrative Reforms; Information and Technology; Public Works Department; Women and Child Development; Irrigation and Flood Control, said Gazette notification on Wednesday.

‘PM WANTS TO STOP GOOD WORK DONE IN DELHI’

New Delhi (PTI): Delhi

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the entire country is proud of former AAP ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain and alleged they were arrested just to “stop the good work being done” in the national capital. Addressing reporters after a meeting with AAP MLAs and councillors, the chief minister challenged the BJP: “AAP is a storm. We will be unstoppable now and our time has come.”

MP presents `3.14 Lakh Cr Budget

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday presented a Rs 3.14 lakh crore state budget for 2023-24, even as the Opposition Congress staged a walkout from the Assembly on the issue of hike in the LPG cylinder price.

Congress members including former ministers Tarun Bhanot, Vijay Laxmi Sadho and

Jitu Patwari created ruckus in the House over the LPG price hike

issue the moment state Finance Minister Jagdish Devda started reading out the budget proposals. “The central government has increased the price of an LPG cylinder by Rs 50, Rs 300 on commercial cylinder, causing lot of hardships to the people,” Bhanot told reporters. He demanded that like the Rajasthan

government, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh also provide LPG cylinders at Rs 500 each (to people below poverty line).

Earlier in the morning, Congress members staged a protest in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Assembly premises on the issue of hike in the price of LPG cylinders.

BJP’S MISSION TELANGANA

New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday slammed the Centre for raising prices of domestic and commercial LPG ahead of Holi. Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi, “Price of domestic gas has increased by Rs 50 and commercial by Rs 350, the people are now asking how to make Holi dishes, how long will these orders of loot continue?” He said the people are being crushed due to high inflation during the government.

The Prices of domestic cooking gas and commercial cylinders have been hiked by Rs 50 and Rs 350.50 per cylinder respectively.

The CPI(M) on Wednesday also demanded a rollback in the LPG cylinder price hike, stating that the rise will further lead people to forgo the benefits under the Ujjwala Scheme which has already seen a 10 per cent decrease in beneficiaries opting for refills.

In a statement, the

OPPOSITION SLAMS BJP GOVT OVER LPG PRICE HIKE IN GOA

Panaji (Agencies):

Reacting sharply to price hike of domestic cooking gas and commercial cylinders, Goa’s Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao on Wednesday sarcastically said that now even frying ‘pakodas’ (fritters) will be difficult for educated unemployed youths. Alemao slammed the BJP Government for continuously “putting financial burden” on people. “This hike will result in complete collapse of household budgets. This is a financial emergency imposed by the insensitive BJP Government on the middle class and poor. The increase in price of commercial LPG cylinders will result in escalation of food items in restaurants and food outlets,” he said.

CPI(M) politburo said that with the hike of Rs 50, the burden on people will increase at a time when the cost of all food and essential commodities is rising relentlessly.

Shah expresses displeasure over factionalism

New Delhi (Agencies):

Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a meeting held with BJP’s Telangana leaders and the national leaders associated with the state’s Assembly election campaign expressed strong displeasure over the ongoing factionalism in the state unit.

Leaders, including party’s national organisation Secretary B.L. Santhosh, General Secretary Sunil Bansal, who monitors and coordinates the work of the party in Telangana, state in-charge and national General Secretary Tarun Chugh, state chief Bandi Sanjay

Kumar, Union Minister

G. Kishan Reddy, D.K. Aruna, national President of BJP OBC Morcha

K. Laxman among others were present in the meeting held at party J.P. Nadda’s residence.

Telangana is the second state after Karnataka in South India where the saffron party is confident of winning, due to which the BJP high command has been busy preparing extensively for the Legislative Assembly elections to be held later this year.

TRIBAL RESEARCH CENTRES WILL BE OPENED: NADDA

Chamarajanagar (ANI): BJP President JP Nadda while interacting with the tribal community said that 27 tribal research centres would be opened in the country. “27 tribal research centres will highlight the developmental work done by tribals. I want to assure the tribal brothers and sisters that we will change landscape of the area,” Nadda said.

EX BENGALURU TOP COP QUITS AAP, JOINS BJP

Bengaluru (PTI): In a setback to the Aam Aadmi Party in Karnataka, its prominent face and former Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao on Wednesday quit the party and joined the ruling BJP in the state. Rao had joined the AAP just 11 months ago in New Delhi in the presence of the AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Post-Budget Webinar on

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal holds a meeting with AAP MLAs and Councilors, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

APPROVES KEJRIWAL’S PROPOSAL TO GIVE ADDN DEPTS TO GAHLOT, ANAND

Congress MLAs stage a walkout from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly against the price hike in the domestic and commercial LPG cylinders during the Budget Session, in Bhopal on Wednesday.

MP Finance Min Jagdish Devda

—PHOTO

BY ANI

BILL GATES PRAISES INDIA’S DIGITAL PUBLIC NETWORKS; SAYS THIS WILL BE CHEAPEST 5G MARKET

No one built more comprehensive platforms’

New Delhi (Agencies): Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday termed 2023 as a landmark year and said, “India has built a unique framework for the digital economy.”

Microsoft co-founder Gates, who addressed the session, appreciated India’s competitive private market and reliable and low-cost connectivity. “This will be the cheapest 5G market,” Gates added. India has a great digital network and a very high percentage of people using smartphones, he noted.

Union Minister of Communications, Electronics and IT, and Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned, “India has created a unique framework for the digital economy that focuses on making a difference in people’s lives.”

Top commanders to discuss ops in Arabian Sea

New Delhi: In a bid to promote Make In India defence systems, the Indian Navy is going to hold its senior commanders’ conference on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in the Arabian Sea. The decision is also in line with PM Narendra Modi’s directives to organise major events outside Delhi after which offidecided to hold it on board the new aircraft carrier on March 6.

AUS’S UNIVERSITIES TO SET UP CAMPUSES IN GUJ

New Delhi (PTI): Two Australian universities — Wollongong and Deakin — will soon establish campuses in Gujarat’s ‘GIFT City’, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Wednesday. The two varsities will sign an agreement on setting

up their campuses during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s maiden visit to India next week.Pradhan made the announcement during an event at Delhi University’s Venkateshwara College that hosted Australian Education Minister Jason

Never said who will lead or become PM: Congress

Chennai (ANI): Pitching for opposition unity to take on the BJP-led government in the 2024 LS polls, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that he had never said “who will lead or who will become PM” and that the party is keen that the like-minded parties come together for the electoral challenge. “All like-minded opposition parties should come together against the divisive forc-

Indian, Japanese air forces in Shinyuu Maitri exercise

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is participating in Exercise

Shinyuu Maitri with the Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF).

The exercise is being organised on the sidelines of the Indo-Japan Joint Army Exercise, Dharma Guardian, which is being conducted from 13 February 2023 to 02 March 2023 at Komatsu, Japan.

The IAF contingent is participating in Exercise Shinyuu Maitri 23 with one C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. The Exercise is being conducted on 01 and 02 March 2023. The first

phase of the exercise consists of discussions on transport operations and tactical manoeuvring, followed by the second phase of flying drills by IAF’s C-17 and JASDF C-2 transport aircraft. The exercise gives an opportunity for the respective subject matter experts to interact and study each other’s operational philosophies and best practices.

es. I never said who will lead or who will become PM. It’s not the question. We want to fight together unitedly, this is our desire,” Kharge said at an event to mark the 70th birthday celebrations of DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Jailed conman writes to Delhi Guv over ‘Prison Footage Leak’

New Delhi: Jailed businessman Sukesh Chandrashekhar has filed a complaint to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, claiming CCTV footage of his cell were being leaked and circulated online, amounting to a security breach. Chandrasekhar also sought an inquiry into the alleged leak of CCTV footage of his cell.The businessman further alleged that it was a deliberate security breach by responsible officers for their “personal gain”.

COUNTERING TERRORISM: KWATRA

JAISHANKAR MEETS MINISTERS OF ARGENTINA, NETHERLANDS, SA

MAN HELD FOR STEALING FLOWER POTS

Clare, who is on a four-day visit to the country.“Two Australian universities will be establishing campuses in the GIFT City in Gujarat. We want to partner with Australia with accessibility, affordability and quality of education for youngsters,” he said.

CISF to celebrate Raising Day in Hyderabad

New Delhi: Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will hold its annual Raising Day celebrations in Hyderabad on March 12. As per officials, this will be the first time that CISF will be holding the ‘Raising Day’ celebrations outside the National capital, New Delhi. A senior CISF officer has confirmed that for the first time, the annual celebration will be held outside Delhi.

New Delhi (ANI): India on Wednesday highlighted the use of crypto-currencies in spreading terrorism across nations and asserted that crypto will form one constituent of countering terrorism at the G20 deliberations. Speaking at a special briefing on G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, “What we expect from tomorrow’s meet is a clear, strong allencompassing message on the problem of terrorism on its challenges and the need for the G20 countries to come together to fight, address and defeat it comprehensively.

New Delhi (ANI): Ahead of the G20 Foreign Minister’s Meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Argentina’s Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero, Netherlands Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Wopke Hoekstra and South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor. The Foreign Ministers Meeting is scheduled to take

place from March 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the member countries of G20 and he will talk about India’s growing influence globally. The March 1-2 meeting of the G20 foreign ministers will be held days after a meeting of finance chiefs of the bloc in Bengaluru.

Gurugram(ANI): Gurugram police have arrested one person in connection with a case related to theft of flower pots set up for the G20 event, police said on Wednesday. Earlier a video had earlier gone viral on social media, which showed two people purportedly stealing the flower pots kept on the DelhiGurugram expressway.The accused has been identified as one 50-yearold Manmohan, a resident of Gurugram.“Police have seized the stolen flower pots and the car used in the theft,” said Gurugram police.

Security tightened across Meghalaya

Tura (ANI): The Election Commission of India has set up 13 counting centres for the counting of votes for the Meghalaya assembly elections on March 2 and adequate security measures have been taken across the state. The security at all EVM strong rooms has been strengthened with up to three layers of security in place. The voting for 59 assembly constituencies of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly was held on

February 27 and an 85.17 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

FR Kharkongor, Chief Electoral Officer, said, the counting of votes will be held on March 2 and all arrangements for counting have been

Twitter was down for hours after Elon Musk fired 200 employees, later fixed

New Delhi (Agencies): Twitter is down is nothing new as the platform has faced multiple outages in the last few months, especially after Elon Musk acquired the platform and fired thousands of employees. On Wednesday, the microblogging site faced a massive outage globally. And Twitter users believe that the platform is down because Musk fired some engineers in the latest round of layoffs.

The issue occurred after Musk abruptly fired 10% of the workforce, which is around 200 people. Twitter em-

5TH TIME IN A ROW

ployees who lost jobs included many product managers, engineers, and people in data science department. Musk also fired Esther Crawford, who was heading some big projects such as Blue verification subscription and payments platform. Chris Reidy, who was the acting Twitter head of sales, was also asked to leave during the layoffs.

TMC TWITTER ACCOUNT FIXED AFTER OVER 13 HRS

New Delhi (Agencies):

The official Twitter account of TMC was restored after over 13 hours, officials said.The account was hacked on Monday and its name was changed to ‘Yuga Labs’, sources said. “It was restored at around 4 PM after nearly 13 hours,” a member of the AITC media team said.The party lodged a complaint with the cyber cell of Kolkata Police, he said. TMC spokesperson Derek O’Brien said that the account was compromised.

India tops world in internet shutdowns: Report

Out of 187 internet shutdowns globally, 84 took place in India, including 49 in J&K, the New York-based firm revealed in its report

New Delhi (Agencies): India imposed by far the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world in 2022, internet advocacy watchdog Access Now said on Tuesday, as the country topped the list for the fifth successive year.

Out of 187 internet shutdowns globally recorded by Access Now, 84 took place in India, including 49 in Jammu and Kashmir, the New York-based digital rights advocacy group

said in a report published. “Authorities disrupted internet access at least 49 times in Kashmir due to political instability and violence,

including a string of 16 back-to-back orders for three-day-long curfewstyle shutdowns in January and February 2022,” the watchdog re-

UKRAINE ON 2ND

port added. In August 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party government led by PM Narendra Modi scrapped the autonomy of J&K, split-

ting it into two federally administered territories. The government has since regularly imposed communications restrictions on the region on security grounds, which rights groups have condemned.

Although India once again led the world in internet shutdowns, 2022 marked the first time since 2017 that there were fewer than 100 shutdowns in the country, the watchdog said.

made. “We have set up 13 counting centres in all 12 districts and in one SubDivision. 27 counting observers and 500 micro observers have been deployed for the counting of votes. We have made all arrangements,” Kharkongor said.

In West Garo Hills district which has 11 constituencies, the counting centre has been set up in the Dakopgre area and a large number of personnel have been deployed for the security of the EVM room.

TRIPURA:

CANNABIS

WORTH `3 CR SEIZED

New Delhi (Agencies): A massive consignment of cannabis worth approximately Rs 3 crores was caught in Tripura, a day before the counting begins in the state for the recently held assembly elections. As per initial reports, the offi cials said that the massive consignment was seized during a regular checking set up at Ganganagar area which falls under the Dhalai district of Tripura today.

CRUCIAL READ

16-YEAR-OLD BOY FOUND HANGING IN PVT COLLEGE, KIN ALLEGE TORTURE

Telangana (ANI): A 16-year-old boy was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his classroom at a private college in the Rangareddy district of Telangana on Wednesday. The deceased boy was identified as Nagula Satwik & his parents alleged foul play saying that his death was the fallout of the tortured perpetrated on him by the management of the private college. A police team rushed to the spot and set about breaking up the protest, a source informed further.

ABDULLAH HAILS STALIN,

BATS

FOR DMK CHIEF AS PM

New Delhi (Agencies):

TN Chief Minister MK

Stalin is celebrating his 70th birthday today, March 1, with warm wishes pouring in from celebrities, political leaders, and volunteers. Former Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) president Farooq Abdullah is also a part of his birthday celebrations, among other leaders. On being asked what the chances are of Stalin becoming the PM, Abdullah said, “Why not? What is wrong about it?”

SCHOOLS REOPEN IN KASHMIR AFTER 3-MONTH BREAK

Srinagar (PTI): Schools in Kashmir reopened today after remaining closed for 3 months on account of winter vacations. There was a sudden change in weather conditions following a spell of rainfall but the downpour failed to dampen the enthusiasm among the students, many of whom were feeling bored confined at home. Also, there was some criticism of the administration for opening the schools early in the morning as the weather is still cold.

4 OF FAMILY KILLED AS CAR RAMS INTO TRUCK IN UP’S HAPUR, SAYS POLICE

Hapur (PTI): Four members of a family were killed when a speeding car rammed into a stationary canter truck in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur, police said on Wednesday. A minor girl was also seriously injured in the accident which took place late on Tuesday night. The family was returning from a wedding ceremony in Garhmukteshwar and going towards Delhi when the accident took place. Police pullled out the bodies from the car and got the injured girl admitted to a hospital.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw looks on as Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates speaks during the G20 Secretariat programme at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTOS BY ANI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets with Netherlands Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

CROSS FIRING BETWEEN POLICE & LOOT ACCUSED

Two miscreants were shot in the leg, while a policeman was injured

First India Bureau

Jhunjhunu: An encounter was reported between the robbery accused and the police in Surajgarh. In the incident, two miscreants were shot in the leg, while a policeman was injured. SP Mridul Kachhawa told that in Kuloth, Surajgarh, six miscreants were arrested by the police with charges of robbery of Rs 35 lakh. The police had gone to verify the miscreants in the robbery case, to which the miscreants responded

by firing at the police with a police pistol. The police retaliated and overpowered the miscreants. Two mis-

Nearly 13L devotees visit Lakkhi mela

Ramesh Sharma

Sikar: In the ongoing Lakkhi Mela in Khatu Shyam Ji Temple, nearly 13 lakh devotees offered prayers at Khatu Shyam Ji till Wednesday. On Monday alone, nearly 50 to 60 thousand devotees reached Baba Shyam’s darbar and had darshan.

Seeing the huge rush of devotees, the route of

roads leading to the temple has also been changed on Tuesday night. This year, Khatu Shyam Ji Ekadashi will be observed on March 3 and a large crowd is expected on this day. The entry of pedestrians has been started from Reengus Road for those who are reaching the temple via Electricity Grid, Kairpura Crossroads, and Lamia Tiraha.

creants were shot in the legs in the action. A policeman was shot in the hand. All three have been brought to BDK

Elderly couple killed under ex-cop’s car

Alwar (FIB): An elderly couple was killed and a woman was injured after a speeding car being driven by a retired cop in an inebriated state hit them in the NEB police station area of Rajasthan’s Alwar on Wednesday, police said. All three were walking on a roadside when the vehicle hit them.

Police said the couple has been identified as Mohanlal (70) and his wife Dhanwanti (65).

They said the seriously injured woman has been admitted to the district hospital in Alwar for treatment.

He said the driver of the vehicle was identified as retired assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Kailash Meena and has been taken into custody.

BOOSTING TOURISM

Cop sacked for connivance with smugglers

RETALIATION

Hospital (Jhunjhunu), after first aid at Surajgarh Hospital. The matter is being investigated at the moment.

First India Bureau Chittorgarh: SP Rajan Dushyant dismissed a constable from the state service on Tuesday, taking departmental action in connection with the accused involved in drug trafficking. Superintendent of Police Rajan Dushyant said that the CNB, Neemuch, raided Chakatiya village of Mangalwad and seized cash along with opium, dodachura and drugs in huge quantities. Constable Bhairulal Ahir, who was posted in the police line, was arrested by the Narcotics Dept.

ACB nabs Junior asst. & VDO for taking bribe

Navin Sharma

Jaipur: Acting on the instructions of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) headquarter, Jaipur First Unit arrested Anil Kumar Saxena, Junior Assistant Regulation Branch, Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Surajpole in the city. Additional Director General of ACB Hemant Priyadarshi (Additional Charge Director General) told that ACB Jaipur First Unit received a grievance from a complainant that Anil Kumar Saxena, Junior Assistant Regulatory Branch, Agricultural Produce

High Court defers hearing on Advocates’ Protection Act

First India Bureau Jaipur: The Rajasthan HC on Wednesday heard the matter relating to Advocates’ Protection Act. The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Justice MM Srivastava and Justice Anil Upman heard the matter during which a large number of advocates were present in the court. Additional Advocate General CL Saini informed the court that a meeting is being held in the secretariat and the matter should be heard today. Advocate General MS Singhvi, ASG Rajdeepak Rastogi, petitioner advocate Abhinav Sharma and others were also present in the court during the hearing.

ANTICIPATORY BAIL GRANTED TO ASI IN CORRUPTION CASE

Jaipur: Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sanjay Kumar granted anticipatory bail after hearing the interim bail application of ASI Sonu Kumar Bhati. The matter was argued by Advocate Sunil Kumar Singh. Singh argued that the complainant Hussain Khan filed a typed report before the Police Inspector Anti-Corruption Bureau, Dholpur, he is a resident of Dausras Police Station, Goverdhan and he made allegations that ASI Sonu Bhati and his staff are asking them a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakhs and also to implicate them in the wrong case.

SC GRANTS INTERIM RELIEF TO PARAMEDICAL STUDENTS

Jaipur: Paramedical students got interim relief from the Supreme court. They will now be able to appear in the recruitment exams of the health department of the govt of Rajasthan.The Rajasthan govt had announced the recruitment for various posts of health assistants in which the formula for giving bonus points was kept on the basis of the work done during the pandemic. According to the recruitment advertisement, some university students were not considered eligible for recruitment. To challenge this, a petition was filed in the SC.

UDAIPUR BEHEADING: HEARING ON MAR 18

Udaipur: The judicial custody of the nine accused in the Kanhaiyalal murder case has been extended till March 18. The High-Security Jail Administration in Ajmer did not present the accused on Wednesday. NIA Judge Ravindra Kumar gave the next date for the charge arguments. The accused Riyaz Jabbar, Mohammad Gaus, Riyaz Attari, Farhad Sheikh, Asif, Mohsin, Wasim Ali, Mohammad Javed and Muslim Khan are lodged in jail.

Tourism dept all set to host festivals in March

Nirmal Tiwari

Jaipur: The tourism department has a line-up of festivals this month.

Under the leadership of Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh, the department has finalized the preparations for various events. The world famous Dhulendi will be organised after a gap of three years.

This time Gangaur Mata’s ride will also be taken out and Rajasthan Day celebrations will

also be done. Phulon ki Holi will also be organized. Principal Secretary Gayatri Rathore,

Director Rashmi Sharma and the entire team of Rajasthan Tourism have worked for organ-

ising the events. Tourism Corporation President Dharmendra Rathore has been work-

ing towards streamlining and strengthening the tourism infrastructure of the state.

Market Committee, Surajpole is harassing the complainant by demanding a bribe amount of Rs 5,000 in lieu of issuing the renewed market license.

In a separate incident, the ACB on Wednesday arrested a

village development officer (VDO) in Chittorgarh while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000. Police informed that VDO Rahul Meena, posted in gram panchayat Chaukda of Chittorgarh district, was held while taking the bribe.

MLA runs seeking jobs for unemployed youth

First India Bureau

Dungarpur: Baljeet

Yadav, an independent MLA from Behror in Alwar, an ally of the Gehlot government of Rajasthan, demonstrated by running in black clothes against the government. He ran in Sagwara assembly wearing black clothes demanding jobs for unemployed youths across the state.

He urged the government to fulfill the demands of the unemployed youth. He said that he is running for the interest and demands of youth, education, health, employment, and farmers.He said that by opting for this laborious protest he want to attract the government’s attention and provide respite to the common man.

Man arrested for growing opium in Barmer, 601 plants seized

Mukesh Mathrani

Barmer: A man in Barmer district had illegally cultivated opium on his farm. Following an input, Dhorimanna police raided the man’s illegal opium farm on Wednesday and sei zed around 601 opium plants before arresting the farmer. Sukhram Bishnoi, station house officer in Barmer confirmed the report. He said that besides the 601 opium plants, they also

have seized 25 kilograms of the poppy from his possession. The accused had been identified as Ram Chandra, a resident of Dudhu village in Dhori-

manna. The cost of the seized consignment is approx 7 lakhs, police said. Bishnoi said that for some time, they got a tip-off about the illegal selling of opium.

in Alwar reached Sagwara in Dungarpur along with his supporters on Wednesday.

Accused Anil Kumar Saxena Accused Rahul Meena

Accused Ram Chandra in police custody in Barmer on Wednesday.

People play with colours as they take part in the Holi festival celebrations, at Moti Dungri temple in Jaipur on Wednesday. Women perform at Faag Mahotsav ahead of the Holi festival at Govind Dev ji Temple in Jaipur. —PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA

3,000 new houses given despite Covid: Dhariwal

‘Over 13,500 new houses made available to people in this tenure’

Cops recover `5 cr during checking in Bhilwara dist

First India Bureau Bhilwara: Police recovered an estimated Rs 5 crore in cash from a car in Pratapnagar area of Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said.

50% concession OK’d for women in RSRTC buses

First India Bureau

Abhishek Shrivastava & Shivendra Parmar

Jaipur: Urban Development and Housing, and Local Self-Government Minister Shanti Dhariwal said on Wednesday that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the State Government has given possession of 3,000 new houses in 15 small towns. The possession of 576 houses has been given under the CM Shikshak Aur Prehari Housing

Scheme and 4500 houses constructed under the CM Jan Awas Yojana are also ready to be handed over. Apart from this, 340 residences in AIS Residency I and II, 160 in SS Residency, 300 in Studio Apartments are under construction.

“During the tenure of the present government, more than 13,500 new houses have been made available to the common people,” Dhariwal said at the launch-

Governor calls for special emphasis on technical edu

ing of residential and commercial schemes for more than 4500 flatvillas in 17 cities of 14 districts of the state. Dhariwal said that the public’s faith in the Housing Board has been restored. “Now three to five times applications are being received in every scheme. In the last 4 years, 14 thousand 500 surplus houses were sold by the board and 12 thousand 500 new houses are being made avail-

able to the general public,” he said.

Meanwhile, RHB Commissioner Pawan Arora said that for the first time the Housing Board has brought a plan of state-of-the-art independent villas and 4 BHK luxury flats in Jaipur on the lines of private sector. He informed that up to 90 percent bank loan facility is also being made available by the banks for the consumers.

A huge amount of cash was recovered during the checking of a car, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (Bhilwara City) Narendra Dayma. The work of counting the cash is going on. The cash is estimated to be over Rs 5 crore, he said. One person has been detained and he is being interrogated about the source of the cash, Dayma added.

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ob Wednesday approved a proposal to hike the concession for women on fares of ordinary Rajasthan Roadways buses to 50 per cent. The discount on ordinary buses at present is 30 per cent. The increased exemption will be implemented from April 1. This move will put an additional annual financial burden of about Rs 3.50 crore on the State Government. Gehlot had announced the increased concession in the State Budget for 2023-24. Meanwhile, women and girls will travel on Rajasthan Roadways buses for free on International Women’s Day on March 8. The facility will be available on all Rajasthan Roadways buses, including ordinary and fast. About 8.50 lakh women and girls are estimated to travel by Rajasthan Roadways buses on International Women’s Day.

Lieutenant General BS Raju assumes charge of Sapta Shakti Command

Extends greetings to all ranks of Sapta Shakti Command, Veer Naris, Veterans and civil defence employees

First India Bureau

technical education.

Bhanwar S Charan

Kota: Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday chaired the 12th convocation ceremony of Rajasthan Technical University (RTU).

The convocation was held at UIT Auditorium in Kota wherein Former Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University (Assam) VK Jain was the chief guest of the ceremony. While addressing the gathering, the Governor said that the role of engineers in the progress of any country is exemplary and that is why there is a need to lay special emphasis on

Delegation of advocates meets CM for ‘Safey Act’

First India Bureau

Jaipur: A delegation of advocates met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday regarding implementation of Advocates Protection Act. Advocate General MS Singhvi, BCR Chairman Ghanshyam Singh Rathore, Additional Advocate General Vibhuti Bhushan Sharma, Additional Advocate General Major RP Singh, HC Bar Association President Mahendra Shandilya, General Secretary Balram Vashishtha, Bar Association

Jaipur President Kamal Kishore Sharma, General Secretary Manoj Kumar Sharma, District Bar Association Jaipur President Vivek Sharma, and General Secretary Gajraj Singh met the CM.

RAJASTHAN PARISHAD GOLDEN JUBILEE

Foundation working for Raj migrants: Dhiraj

First India Bureau

Nearly 21,000 degrees were distributed and 28 gold medals and 21 PhD degrees were also given during the ceremony.

Later, the Governor visited the Chambal River front in Kota. UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal accompanied the governor during his visit.

Dhariwal shared details of various idols, monuments, heritage sites and commercial blocks being built at Chambal River Front.

Governor Mishra after seeing the Chambal River Front said that the entire riverfront is full of Indianness and this is a special feature of it.

Jaipur: Lieutenant General BS Raju took over the reins of Sapta Shakti Command on Wednesday.

Lieutenant General BS Raju, an alumnus of Sainik School Bijapur, Graduate of National

Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun was commis-

400 KV grid sub-station to be set up at Kumher

First India Bureau Jaipur: The State Government is committed to ensure smooth power supply to the farmers and villagers. In this sequence, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved the construction proposal of 400 KV grid sub-station at Kumher in Bharatpur. As per the proposal,

it will cost around Rs 233.43 crore for its establishment.

With the approval of the Chief Minister, the farmers will get smooth power supply and the wastage will be reduced. With the construction of this GSS, the power supply of Alwar district including Bharatpur and Dholpur will improve.

sioned into the JAT Regiment on 15 Dec 1984.The General officer is a graduate of De-

fence Services Staff College, Wellington and Army War College, Mhow. He has the privilege of doing his National Defence College at Royal College of Defence Studies, UK and has also attended distinguished Masters Programme in Counter Terrorism at Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, USA. The General officer, during his illustrious career of 38 years, has served across a wide spectrum of conflicts and terrain.

Jaipur: Commissioner of Rajasthan Foundation Dhiraj Srivastava participated in the closing ceremony of the Golden Jubilee of Rajasthan Parishad in the Rourkela district of Odisha. The fourday ceremony was jointly organised by Rajasthan Foundation, Rajasthan Tourism and Rajasthan Council.

While addressing the gathering, Dhiraj Srivastava said, “The foundation is working to

keep Rajasthani’s together living in other states of the country. To fulfil the concept of Vasudeva Kutumbakam, the Foundation is in constant contact with the migrants of the state in the country and abroad,” said Commissioner Dheeraj Srivastava.

Raj Foundation holds roadshow in Kolkata

Event organised to increase participation for Raj Int’l Expo

First India Bureau

Kolkata: To increase the participation of NRI Rajasthanis and international buyers in the 2023 Rajasthan International Expo, a roadshow was organised in Kolkata on Wednesday by the Ra-

BUREAUCRACY IN QUESTION

jasthan Foundation. The famous 2023 Rajasthan International Expo will

be held between March 20 and 22, 2023. Organised at Hotel

Taj Bengal, the purpose of this roadshow was to interact with the Rajasthan natives living in Kolkata from abroad. The roadshow was addressed by Rajiv Arora, Chairman, Rajasthan Export Promotion Council and RAJSICO along with Dhiraj Srivastava, Commissioner, Rajasthan Foundation and Mahendra Parekh, Commissioner, Industries and Commerce, Government of Rajasthan.

Dr Ghanshyam’s unique ‘treatment’ to ‘ailing’ officials creates ‘controversy’!

Rajendra Chhabra

Jaipur: An interesting and shocking incident, of which there might not be another example, has come to light in Panchayati Raj department. The Director of the department, at first, issued 94 show cause notices to five officials, and then issued a single order to drop the notices and gave a lifeline to the officials. Now that this matter has come to the notice of the state

government, it has been reopened and action under 16cc is being taken against the officials.

The matter pertains to the year 2021 when promotee IAS Dr Ghanshyam was the Director of Panchayati Raj Department. The Director, in six months between February 2021 to August 2021, issued 94 show cause notices against five officials identified as Khemraj Panwar (3 notices), Ramjilal Meena (12 notices), Nan Kishore

Sharma (19 notices), Maharam Yadav (17 notices) and Suresh Kumar Bunkar (44 notices).

But then don’t know what happened, on August 19, 2021, Dr Ghanshyam issued a single order and closed all the notice action against the officials while giving them a verbal warning.

Ghanshyam’s action is uncommon, wrong and creates suspicion. Firstly, these five officials were posted at headquarters and continues

carrying out mistakes one after the other and the Director kept on giving them show cause notices. What is interest-

The Director between Feb 2021 to August 2021, issued 94 show cause notices against five officials

ing here is the fact that none of the official answered even a single notice. In such a situation, why didn’t the Director

take an even more strict action against them?

Then what happened suddenly that the Director felt certain kindness for them and recused them of all their ‘wrongdoings’? In fact, he only gave a verbal warning and let them go. Later in April 2022, Ghanshyam was transferred also.

People are questioning if a ‘deal’ has been struck behind the curtains or if such an action was taken without the full knowledge of the re-

percussions of taking such a step? Those in the know-ho of administrative work claim that there is no provision of verbal warning in the rules and regulations. According to the rules, every notice should be dealt separately in separate files. Then different orders have to be issued for different officers.

Actually Dr Ghanshyam is originally a doctor from Medical Services.

He became IAS from subordinate service quota in

January 2021, thus it is possible that he does not have much knowledge about administrative work. However, his actions have become laughable in the department. Due to a complaint last month, the matter has come to the notice of the state government and ACS Abhay Kumar, taking cognisance in the matter, has reopened the matter and action under 16cc is being taken against chagesheeted officials.

Minister Shanti Dhariwal, RHB Chief Pawan Arora and others during the inauguration of various residential and commercial schemes in Jaipur on Wednesday. 2) Pawan Arora presents bouquet to Shanti Dhariwal. —PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA

Dr Ghanshyam

Governor Kalraj Mishra during the 12th convocation ceremony of Raj Technical University in Kota on Wednesday.

Lieutenant General BS Raju pays tributes to bravehearts at Prerna Sthal, Jaipur Military Station on Wednesday.

CM TO MEET KIN OF JUNAID, NASIR Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will visit Ghatmika in Bharatpur on Thursday to meet the families of Junaid and Nasir, who were allegedly murdered by cow vigilante gangs in Haryana’s Bhiwani.

Mahendra Parekh, Rajiv Arora, Dhiraj Srivastava and others during an interaction at the event in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Dhiraj Srivastava in Rourkela.

CM Ashok Gehlot with advocates’ delegation in Jaipur.

Recovered bundles of cash.

Problems are a part of life and when they arise, we come to know two important things- our own strengths and who is a true well-wisher!

—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, First India

PM Modi is one of the most caring persons; has successfully achieved his target of improving the image of leaders in nation: CM Khattar

z Decades back when you came from Pakistan, did you ever think that you would reach such heights and would become Chief Minister?

CM ML Khattar: Well, it was not Pakistan, but I had come from West Punjab. Pakistan was created later. This is a fact that those who came here, were ‘hand to mouth’ and fought the situation, worked as labourers, or small-time farmers, or worked in shops. Our family was one such family, which had to undergo immense struggle. Even our studies happened under many hardships. After completing my studies when I realised that the family needs to be supported, I started my cloth shop so that a properly organised system can be set up. It so happened that since Emergency was enforced in 1975, we learned about the Sangh being a nationalist organisation. We learned about it because of the Emergency and started attending the ‘Shakhas’. In 1980, I became a ‘Pracharak.’ So, all these developments brought a major turn in my life. Subjects like nationalism, discipline, etc. touched my heart. And once I became a Pracharak, I kept on working whatever the organisation demanded of me and when they asked me to carry out this responsibility in the political field, I am carrying it out.

z So when did you enter active politics from Sangh?

This happened in 1994 and before that, as a Pracharak of the Sangh, I used to handle the shakhas and other work.

In 1994, I was told that I will have to handle the work of the Organisational Secretary of Haryana BJP and I worked in that position till 2002. After 2002, I was given various works across the nation, which I carried out. Then in 2013, I was made the Chairman of the Election Committee for the 2014 General elections for Haryana State. In 2014, we contested a good election and eight out of ten seats went into BJP’s kitty and that very year, I was told that I have to contest the Assembly polls. Although, I had never thought of contesting from any seat,

still I discussed it with my friends, supporters and well wishers, who pinpointed a few seats and National President Amit Shah told me to contest from Karnal, so I contested. Then he planned that as a Chief Minister, Manohar Lal could be the face, although there were several leaders for the position, my stand was that whatever the organisation says I will do that. So the organisation decided and I became the Chief Minister and I am now serving the people continuously.

z When did you meet Amit Shah for the first time?

It was during the 2013 election that we met. During the Lok Sabha election too he used to guide us and then after the Assembly election, the meetings increased.

z How do you rate him as a strategist?

Brilliant! Just like how as a loved leader Narendra Modi is the leader of the nation, similarly, on the strategic level, whether it is forming a strategy for elections or expanding the organisation, the work that Amit Shah ji has done, is unparalleled.

CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Bharat24-Vision of New India and First India; CMD, First India News, Dr Jagdeesh Chandra holds a tete-a-tete with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and finds how and why PM Narendra Modi has an indelible connect with everyone he meets, how Amit Shah is as a master strategist, learns about Khattar’s political life and how despite not being from the Jat community, he has successfully run a government for two terms in a state, where it was claimed that Jats would always be the CM face and yet, Khattar has broken the stereotype and has public’s support too going ahead. Excerpts... (Part-I)

z I have read that one became a Prime Minister from being a ‘Karma Yogi’ and the other became Chief Minister from a ‘Karma Yogi.’ I have heard that you two used to travel on a Scooter?

Sometimes, we had to stay together since he handled four regions of North India and I had Haryana under me. Coincidentally, his centre was Panchkula and for three years, due to party work, my centre was also Panchkula, hence, it is obvious that meetings were frequent.

z Generally it is said that you are Narendra Modi’s find as a Chief Minister. So when did you first meet Narendra Bhai?

I met him first when he handled the work of Haryana in 1996, as he had North-Indian regions of Himachal, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh under him and I was working in Haryana. Although my very first interaction with him was in 1991, when he crossed Haryana under his ‘Tiranga Yatra ’ and I was a Pracharak in the Hisar region. So when the Yatra reached Luharu, that is when I first met him, but that was a meeting of just one day. Therefore, when in 1996, he became the incharge of Haryana, since then, the touch has been constant.

z You used to cook together?

Oh, he enjoyed that. When we were in Rohtak office, he used to enter the kitchen and used to ask our office boy Deepak what has he made. So he would list out what he had made and he (PM Modi) liked to make Khichdi and he made it really well like that which is prepared in Gujarat.

z During his public rally in 2014, he mentioned about Deepak also.

Yes, it was a rally in Jhajjhar. I asked him do you remember Deepak?

He said yes, where is he?

So, I said he is in the crowd. He immediately asked me to call Deepak on the stage and when Deepak came, he (Modi) hugged him. It was a never before-seen instance wherein, a boy that worked in the kitch-

en, was hugged by a person of the Prime Ministerial level.

z This is his quality. He does not forget his people. He told a journalist from Shimla that he used to interact with journalists in a cafe at Mall Road. How do you see this one-to-one connect of his?

Superb. He is always caring and worries about the personal well-being of people. When I contracted Covid-19, he came to know about it and we spoke over the phone. He told me to contact good doctors immediately and he told Dr Guleriya who then called me up and said, “Our Chief Minister has contracted Covid?” I said yes but how did you come to know. He said that Prime Minister had called him and told to speak to me. So he worries for people’s well-being. And he (PM Modi) used to call up every day and ask about my health.

Later, he told me that its ‘after effects’ are also bad and one has to be extremely cautious. He told me that my weight was on the higher side and asked me to lose some. I was actually 93 kilograms and from that moment onwards, I worked on it. Although my target was to reach 80 kilograms, but even right now, I weigh around 86-87 kilograms.

z Haryana is called Jatland. Yet, a non-

Jat Chief Minister has been so successful and it has been eight years. The party is now gearing up for yet another five-year term. How did this become a possibility?

See, in our nation’s politics, this casteism became too dominant during the Congress rule. And not just in Haryana, I have observed that in other states too, caste politics made a huge impact. The influential castes did not let those from simple or less influential castes come forward. The entire politics used to revolve around one or two castes. But I give this credit to Prime Minister Modi, as he started working on what was the need for society and kept the casteist politics at bay, which impressed the general public. And because that happened, people, in reality, got freedom from the pressure of the influential castes and started saying that they want their own CM. I did not know, during the first tenure, that I will become the Chief Minister, but ultimately, people knew the second time around. So, during the second time too, our vote percentage in Haryana increased. In the first tenure, we were at 34 percent and the second time, we secured 37 percent votes. Yes, the number of seats did fall, but the people of Haryana kept on increasing their

trust and love towards us. We also do not engage in any caste-based preference or influence any one particular community anyhow, be it Jats or non-Jats, or Punjabis, Baniyas, Brahmins or backward classes, whoever it is. Even people from Scheduled Castes that have joined us, feel that in this government, be it PM Narendra Modi’s govt at the Centre or the BJP Government in Haryana, they will get justice and no one will do injustice to them. Otherwise, people say that there were those too that used to use their power, but now people know that such a thing does not happen.

z So what do you think, will you form the government for the third time in Assembly polls next year?

See, firstly, this decision has to be taken by the people. We can’t enforce them. Secondly, we work so much for the benefit of the people that we have complete faith that the masses will choose us and why will they negate us? The people have to see their benefit at the end of the day, and we too have to work for the welfare of the masses. There is no personal benefit here. We had started the government with a resolution of working for the people. We are not those leaders or governments that used to enjoy the

power of the government. We haven’t come here to enjoy that power, rather we believe that power can be a way to serve the people, which has been established by PM Modi, and us too. Otherwise, when people used to be asked about politicians, at times, they would make comments. Even a good person would feel that such is the thought of people for them. Modiji was once asked by a person that what he thought would be his biggest challenge once he becomes the Prime Minister. He replied saying that his biggest challenge would be to better the image of leaders and politicians in the minds of people.

So in a sense, his remarks meant that such is the image of politicians that they must be dacoits or thieves or are engaged in corruption.

Such was the image of politicians. Today, even good people are coming forward with the aim that they too want to play a role in the governance or leadership of the country. This picture changed after Modiji came to power.

z PM Modi has been successful in bettering the image of the party and politicians. Exactly. He has achieved that target of his to a great degree. Today people say that BJP leaders have no desires of their own but rather want to work for the nation and

society. The leaders in states keep the states ahead and national leaders keep the nation ahead, be it Modiji or Yogiji and the same goes for Manohar Lal.

z So you will bring the majority in poll results on your basis or will you opt for alliance?

All these depend on the situation. And at times, we have seen that even after winning the majority, several people walk together, and that too is a way of giving a strong government. And going about on your own is also a way to move ahead. See, there are many political parties in this country and this doesn’t mean that if one party forms a government, all others become its opponent. When there are parties that have the same sort of ideologies, then they move together. Today BJP has the full majority, but we have other parties in NDA. In 1980, when the election was contested under the leadership of Choudhary Devilalji, the party alliance won 80 seats, of which, we had only 18. Devilalji had 62 seats of his own and only 45 seats were needed for the majority and yet we walked together till 1991. TO BE CONTINUED…

During the show #JCWithManoharLal trended top All-India on Twitter

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra in conversation with Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar during The JC Show.

FEEL BEFORE YOU HEAL DOCTORS’ FASHION SHOW..!

A stunning cultural fest was held at the Birla Auditorium, to mark the Platinum Jubilee of SMS Medical College. Bollywood actress Mugdha Godse and actor Gavie Chahal graced the evening as the showstoppers on Tuesday!

In a unique event of its kind, doctors and other healthcare staff of the Sawai Man Singh Medical College turned showstoppers of the fashion show by donning traditional and Indowestern attires. The glitterati occasion witnessed a magical response. The doctors were appreciated for their relentless services during the unprecedented peak phases of the coronavirus pandemic.

Taking a break from their medical profession, the members of SMS Medical College celebrated the Platinum Jubilee with utmost grace. The main event of the day was a fashion show which saw the participation of over 100 doctors. Doctors-turned-models walked the ramp with elegance and full confidence. They looked ravishing in trendy designer outfits. Several senior doctors also graced the occasion including Dr Saurabh Jain, Dr Rimmi Shekhawat, Ekta Ajmani, Parth Ajmani, srMamta Dhaka and Dr Vijaylaxmi Nangliya with others.

Principal Dr Rajeev Bagarhatta and Organising Secretary Dr Ashok Gupta informed that the grand finale of the cultural fest will be held on March 4. The stage was operated by Dr Ramesh Roop Rai.

Cultural Fest coordinator Dr Sandeep Nijhawan said that before the fashion show, a musical night was organised in which Dr Gaurav Jain, Dr Sanjay Raizada and Dr Pooja Rathore were present as

the jury members. Dr Rajesh Arora said, “We doctors have to learn to dress up in a few minutes as we face many emergency cases. Therefore, we must be updated with the latest fashion trends. The fashion show was very interesting and we all enjoyed it a lot. The day was a memorable one for the entire fraternity.” Dr Saurabh Jain told that 100 doctors walked the ramp in the fashion show. The doctors walked the ramp wearing outfits from fashion designer Ekta N Parth’s Kafra, Aashna Vaswani’s Fashionolic, Pranay’s Nikhar Fashion and Mayur Mohan’s Mohanlal & Sons range. During this, male doctors wore Sherwani, Tuxedo and Jodhpuri outfits, while the female doctors walked the ramp in traditional outfits, and flaunted gota patti, zari, and patola print saree.

Anjali Tiwari, Jaya Dadheech, Mamta Meena, Alka Mittal, Ekta Ajmani, Dr Anupama Soni, Parth Ajmani, Aashu, Parul Gupta, Mukta Meel and Poonam Jakhar with others during the ramp walk

Dr Rajeev Bagarhatta with (L-R) Dr Saurabh Jain, Dr Rimmi Shekhawat, Ekta Ajmani and Parth Ajmani

Dr Rajesh Arora and IAS Sushma Arora

Clockwise: Dr Anupama Soni, Dr Maya Bagree, Mugdha Godse, Mamta Dhaka and Vijaylaxmi Nangliya

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

ABOUT CAULDRON SISTERS Ratika & Richa Khetan, two Sisters, started Cauldron Sisters in 2015. It started as an exotic food gift hamper business, but their love for food encouraged them to start culinary workshops, food deliveries, and slowly and gradually it turned huge as restaurants and cafes started approaching them for consultancy.

High-five to those who are playing Holi with gulal this year and will not waste any water! However, it’s hard to let go of the repercussions that break free after Holi. Acne, dry texture, and wrinkled skin still occur even if you play with dry colours. So, what’s the solution?

We would not prefer relying on cosmetics available in the market, instead, we enjoy making skin care products at home that are relatively more effective and less expensive. After Holi, if you want some ideas for a quick skin care DIY from inside your kitchen, Here is what you can do:

BEFORE HOLI

Apply coconut or Sarson oil all over your body, including hair. Covering the body with a layer of oil will not let the artificial colours stay longer on our bodies. Wash hair 2-3 times using your everyday shampoo.

TO REMOVE COLOURS

FROM FACE

Wash your face with tap water

15 DIY REMEDIES TO

Heal Skin, Hair, Hands, Feet & Lips After Holi

and afterward, take pure coconut oil and dab it on your skin to easily clear the Gulal.

GIVE YOUR SOAP A BREAK

WHILE BATHING

Mix 1-2 tbsp yogurt in 2-3 tbsp besan to form a paste. Apply it all over your body and let it dry for a couple of minutes. Later, wet your hands and start rubbing them all over so you can smoothly remove the body pack. This will eliminate all the dirt and colours from the body.

TO SCRUB THE SKIN

Mix ground oatmeal with honey to make your natural scrub. It is anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. Even if you’ve dry skin, honey will take care of moisturization.

IN CASE YOU PLAYED WITH PAKKA-RANG

Use an exfoliating sugar scrub to remove the almost-permanent marks. To make it, mix coconut oil with ground sugar and coffee powder. Gently scrub it onto your face, neck, or chest, and the rest of the body. Leave on for 3-5 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.

TO DEEPLY CLEAN THE PORES

An egg white mixed with a tablespoon of yoghurt can deeply clean your open pores that are currently home to harmful colours. The lactic acid in yoghurt loosens up the pore openings so the dirt comes out and the egg whites clarify the surface further. Leave the mixture on your face for ten minutes and then rinse off.

TO TREAT DAMAGED CELL MEMBRANES

There are times when people cruelly rub the colours on your face. This causes eczema and underlying inflammation. (Ec-

zema is a condition where patches of skin become inflamed, itchy, red, cracked, and rough. To cure this, make your mist by dipping 2 bags of green tea in a cup of boiling water. Once they release their essence, remove the bags and add half a cup of rose water. You can now pour this into a spray bottle and sprinkle it on your face thrice a day.

nails that are usually prone to yeast and bacterial infections after Holi.

FOR ITCHY EYES

Refrigerate the used bags of your green/camomile tea and put them on your eyes, in case they are itching due to colours. The tannins in Chamomile tea, used as a cold compress, can bring some ease to your itchy eyes.

FACEOFTHEDAY

IF THE IRRITATION DOESN’T GO

Soak a cotton pad in fresh, unboiled milk and keep dabbing it on your face. This sure calms down your sensitivity.

TO CURE NAIL INFECTION

White vinegar works as a disinfectant and kills germs hiding in your cuticles. After you take a bath, soak your fingertips (hands and feet) in a mix of white vinegar and water. This will cure the sore cuticles and

YOUR DAY

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

FOR DRY HANDS/FEET

Use ghee/milk cream as a moisturizer. Both of them are rich in Vitamin E & A that nourish your skin well.

FOR FACE DETOX

Take a few black grapes, crush them, and add 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp cucumber juice, and 1 tbsp baking soda in it. Make a paste, apply it on the face for about 15 minutes, and rinse with lukewarm water. This pack is rich in antioxidants that

protect and cure the skin against free radicals.

FOR CRACKED OR CALLOUSED FEET

If you plan to play holi bare feet, chances are the surface is extremely damaged by now because of its direct contact with chemically-rich colours. For the remedy, take lukewarm water in a bucket and add one cup of baking soda to it. Soak your feet in for about 30 minutes before drying them with a cotton towel, applying the cream.

IF RED PATCHES APPEAR ON THE FACE THE NEXT DAY

Grind ½ cup ground rice, ½ cup coconut milk, ¼ cup brown sugar, and 1½ tablespoon ginger in a mixer to form a paste. Rub it all over your face in a circular motion and scrub softly. Wash after 20-something minutes. This will remove the dead skin, make the texture smooth, and hydrate the skin.

DON’T FORGET THE LIPS

Take 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and mix them collectively in a bowl. Apply it on your lips using a toothbrush and move it in a circular motion to remove the dead flakes.

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

Listening to someone’s advice on the professional front will be in your interest. You are very generous by nature and also you are the backbone of your family. Be careful of the words that come out of your mouth. Your lover may finally say yes to get married to you.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Pending paperwork concerning a property will be completed. Your spouse may make you spend more than you expected. Admit your faults in relationship. Fantastic day for investing money in stock market. You miss your parents and somewhere fear to loose them.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

Whatever you have in mind, you will manage to implement it at work. You are likely to feel much healthy and energetic today. Visit a doctor if you have any doubts about your health. You want to have your own house and you will work hard to make your dream come true.

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

It will be in your interest to guide a family youngster on the academic front. Scrumptious food is what you are craving for today. You may start a side business to earn extra money. You are not a jealous kind and you feel happy for others. You are a very grounded person.

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

You are very fortunate to have a great friend circle. You care about you lover but somehow hesitate in expressing that care. On social front, you may have to spend some extra money in buying gifts for someone for some specific occasion. Overall health will be satisfactory.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

You are most wanted by your friends. You can have romantic affair in office and a serious one. You will invest money in clothes and accessories today. You are a God fearing person. Never demotivate someone even if someone is not capable of doing something.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

Your spouse is someone who can do anything for your happiness. You are happy spending whole day at home. Tensions on the family front are likely to get sorted out. Help your mothers at home today. You are opportunist and this will make you successful one day.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

Fortunes are set to rise for those in trade and business. You love to live close to your family. You are a child at heart and never let this child die. You have a big heart and you always help someone if you can. Expected payments are likely to get released soon.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

You make sure to make things work your way. You will feel amorous towards your wife. Work on your limitations, there can be no better time than this. You have more opposite sex friends than the same and you may be judged sometimes but don’t care. You will feel happy today.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

You must create an environment of understanding at home. Your regular exercise routine promises to keep you fit and energetic. You will succeed in any sort of examination. You need a break for a day and to cope up with stress and to meditate.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Family will be supportive of your ideas, but only to an extent. Many people get inspired by you. You will get special treatment from your dear ones. Good health is assured through own efforts. Meeting people you get along with well is likely to make the day enjoyable for you.

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20

Some of you are likely to enjoy an excursion with friends.You will feel financially comfortable. Your personality will attract many eligible bachelors. Spend time talking with likeminded people as it will make you feel good for now. You will work to achieve more.

PRIYANKA IN ‘ASSUME NOTHING’

JISOO DAZZLES IN PURPLE

BLACKPINK’s Jisoo

who is also Dior’s ambassador attended the Fall-Winter Women’s Fashion Show in Paris on February 28 local time. Sharing the pictures on her Instagram, the 28-yearold wore an exquisite strapless purple attire and stunned her fans with her look. The K-pop star attended the fashion show, sitting in the front row with Hollywood actress Charlize Theron. The singer-actress shared some glimpses of her time in Paris on her Instagram story.

Jisoo previously announced her ambassador-

ship with Dior in March 2021, and since then, fans have seen her dressing up in the French brand’s fit. The K-pop star has been collaborating with the said French brand since 2019 when she first became the local ambassador. Since then she has been part of several beauty campaigns and attended Dior shows all over the world.

There’s no stopping for Priyanka Chopra! The actress has many feathers in her cap, and recently, her first look from the Russo Brothers’ upcoming series Citadel left fans nighty impressed. She has some exciting projects in her kitty, and guess what?

PeeCee is also set to execu tive produce a limited series under her banner Purple Pebble Pictures. Deadline reported that Amazon Studios is developing a limited series titled ‘As sume Nothing’, which is based on Tanya Selvarat nam’s book of the same name. While Priyan ka will executive produce the se ries, she is also in talks to star in the project.

The book

‘Assume Nothing’ shall be adapted and executive produced by Mimi Won Techentin. Deadline reported that Joanna Coles and Jessica Whitaker will executive pro duce for Joanna Coles Productions, and Pri yanka and Mary Rohlich will executive produce for Purple Pebble Pictures.

Sara Ali Khan is one of the most loved star kids in town. She has proven herself as a talented actor with her work, she has also witnessed a few failures in her career. Sara featured in Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal 2 with Kartik Aaryan and the film was rejected by the audience. Sara, in a recent interview, spoke about her journey and making mistakes in her career.

Recently, Sara revealed learning new things in her career. She also talked about the films which didn’t do well at the box office. Sara said that as an actor, she learns a lot every day. While speaking about her journey in Bollywood, Sara admitted that she has made some mistakes. She also said that she has done some films which haven’t been loved by the audience, but it’s her age to make mistakes, and feels that it’s important to fall and get up every time. She added that she has had her own set of setbacks.

SUHANA FLAUNTS NEW HAIRDO

Shakira opens up about her collaboration with Bizarrap in her first interview since releasing the song. The singer says that this song was a chance to express herself and feel the pain which made her emotionally empowered.

Reportedly, Shakira Bzrp Music Sessions 53 disses her ex-partner Gerard Piqué who has been allegedly cheating on the Waka Waka singer with Clara Chia Marti. The lyrics of Shakira’s song loosely translate to how she is out of her league and how it is like swapping Ferrari with Twingo or replacing Rolex with Casio. Gerard Piqué responded to this by showing up in a Twingo and wearing a Casio watch.

In a recent interview, Shakira said that she would be in a very different place if she had not created Shakira Bzrp Music Sessions 53. Shakira continues that she was grateful to Biza who gave the Waka Waka singer opportunity and space to vent what was important for her recovery process.

TEJASSWI STUNS IN A PEACH DRESS

Tejasswi Prakash has won over everyone’s hearts with her performance in Ekta Kapoor’s fictional show ‘Naagin 6’. The actress has recently won the Dada saheb Phalke Award and made headlines every where. Besides her powerful acting skills and cute looks, Tejasswi is known for making heads turn with her choice of outfits. She actively takes to her Instagram account to share some jaw-dropping photos. Recently, she was spotted in a cute peach micro mini dress leaving a restaurant with a friend by her side.

Tejasswi opted for a fitted peach cocktail dress that made her look cute as a button. The dress is layered on the bottom. She completed her look with minimal makeup, left her hair open.

Suhana Khan will soon make her acting debut with Zoya Akhtar’s upcoming film The Archies, which will release on Netflix. Fans are super-excited to see Suhana Khan in the movie. Suhana often makes chic appearances in the city, and never fails to impress us with her on-point fashion game. On Wednesday, she was seen at the Mumbai airport, and she was seen with acing comfy yet chic airport look. She also flaunted her new hairdo, and we’re loving her fresh look!

Suhana was spotted by the paparazzi at the Mumbai airport. She was seen flaunting her new layered haircut and kept her outfit simple yet stylish.

‘MAKING MISTAKES’

‘IT WAS A GREAT RELIEF’

Kim Jisoo

Sara Ali Khan

Her post...

Tejasswi spotted outside the restaurant

Tejasswi Prakash

Suhana Khan

Priyanka Chopra

Shakira

Her post...

DESERT STORM WITH NARENDRA GUPTA

CITY FIRST

Rajasthan Forum’s initiative Desert Storm series was organised with the veteran artist, and film actor, Narendra Gupta from Rajasthan, who made his mark as an actor, writer and director and interacted with art lovers on Tuesday. Renowned artist Dr Lata Suresh did the conversation. During the interaction, Narendra Gupta shared that he was a student of science but his love for acting made him an actor. While sharing about theatre, he said “an artist

is finished when he believes has mastered the art, so one should keep learning.” He shared

that an actor has to do a negative character with positive thinking. A good actor should know how to

compose poetry along with reading it. An artist should pat himself on the back sometimes.

Sarvesh Bhatt, Cultural Coordinator, of Rajasthan Forum gave the introductory remarks Padma Bhushan Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Chairman, of Rajasthan Forum gave the welcome address.

RE–RECYCLE WITH RESPECT

CITY FIRST

Tata Motors, India’s leading automobile manufacturer, on Tuesday, took a significant leap forward in its commitment towards sustainable mobility with the launch of Re.Wi. Re–Recycle with Respect, its first Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) in Jaipur, Ra-

SHINE OF SUCCESS!

CITY FIRST

The grand event of Miss Celeste India, organised by Fusion Group and Bellefil, is to be held in Jaipur in April-May, which was officially announced by Miss Intercontinental 2022 winner Lee Nuen Bao, who came to India from Vietnam. Organisers Yogesh Mishra and GK Aggarwal told that the winners of Miss Celeste India will represent India in Miss Intercontinental and the Miss Globe, as well as many more interna-

tional beauty pageants, which will be announced soon in Celeste India. Significantly, Miss Celeste India is becoming recognized as the platform sending

DURING THE DAY!

the maximum number of international beauty pageants in India.

CEO Gaurav Jaitley shared that the registration of Celeste India has started and the process of online auditions is going on, in which participants can give their audition by making a video of the introduction and catwalk and sending it to the official number.

More than 300 entries have been received from all over India, out of which the final contestants will be announced soon after which the grand finale will be held in Jaipur.

As per the newly issued world rankings of Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), Jaipur’s Divyakirti Singh ranks 1st in Asia and 14th in the world in the Dressage discipline of equestrian games. Furthermore, Divyakirti Singh also made it to the list of probable for the 19th Asian Games in the Dressage discipline. The Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) in their endeavour to improve the colour and number of medals at the 19th Asian Games, slated to be held from September 23 to October 8, promulgated fresh selection criteria.

jasthan. Inaugurated by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, this state-of-theart facility has a capacity of 15,000 vehicles per annum and follows world-class, eco-friendly processes for the safe and sustainable dismantling of end-of-life vehicles.

Inaugurating Tata Motors’ maiden Re.

On this occasion, eminent members of the Forum, along with other who’s who of the city were present. The series is supported by Shree Cement Ltd as their CSR initiative. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Wi.Re RVSF, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said, “The National Vehicle Scrappage Policy was introduced to promote the circular

COLOURFUL HOLI GET-TOGETHER

Swapnil Jain played host to a vibrant Holi celebration on Monday, with guests enjoying a fun-filled day of colour, music, and food. The event, which was organised by the gang of foodies. The Radisson Hotel’s Mosaic was beautifully decorated with colourful drapes and flowers, setting the perfect ambience for the festivities. The hotel management had also arranged for live music and dance performances, adding to the festive atmosphere. After the festivities, guests were treated to a delicious cocktail dinner. The dinner was a perfect way to end the day, with guests enjoying great food and drinks while chatting and mingling with each other. The hotel’s GM, Pradippta Biswas, said, “We are thrilled to have hosted this colourful and fun-filled Holi celebration at our hotel.”

economy by creating an ecosystem for phasing out unfit and polluting vehicles and to achieve a lower carbon footprint in the country by replacing them with greener and more fuel-efficient vehicles.

I congratulate Tata Motors for setting up this quality facility that is at par with global standards.”

Speaking on the launch of Re.Wi.Re., Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors, said, “At Tata Motors, we are committed to delving into every aspect of mobility to make it greener and sustainable. The inauguration of this RVSF heralds a new beginning in the responsible scrapping of end-oflife vehicles. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

WEDDING BELLS!

Under Rotary District 3056, a felicitation ceremony of selected District Governor Dr Rakhi Gupta (Member of Jaipur Marugandha) for the year 2024-25 and selected District Governor Naumini Pragya Mehta for the year 2025-26 was organised. In the felicitation ceremony, the next Governor Dr Nirmal Kunawat, former Governor Ratnesh Kashyap and Pradyuman Patni along with the current Governor Dr Balwant Singh Chirana, PDG Dr Ashok Gupta and Justice SN Bhargava congratulated both of them.

VogueStar, an inclusive platform for women and the women supporting them to create their distinctive identities, will organise an all-India fashion week cum beauty pageant. The upcoming extravaganza of fashion and beauty will spread its hues in the renowned royal city of Jaipur from April 14 to 16 at Le Meridian Hotel, Jaipur. The grand finale of the pageant, the VogueStar Fashion Week will witness state-level winners adorning designer masterpieces created by emerging designers from across India.

The grand reception of Dhwaj, son of Amar Devi Arya and late KL Arya with Kanupriya, daughter of Rajkumari Devi and Ramji Lal took place at Hotel Raj Laxmi Palace, Jaipur on Tuesday. MLA Ashok Lahoty and BJP State President Satish Poonia reached to bless the newlyweds and wished them a happy married life ahead.

PROUD MOMENT!

INSPIRA Research Association conferred the ‘Life Time Achievement Academic Excellence Award’ upon Professor ND Mathur, Dean, Jaipur School of Economics, JECRC University for his incredible contribution to Development Research at Subodh Girls PG College, Jaipur. Professor R.L.Godara, VC, Jeppiaar University, Tamil Nadu and Professor JP Yadav, VC, Agriculture University, Jobner were the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour in the ceremony.

THE GAIETY OF HOLI AND THE RHYTHM OF KATHAK!

Under the joint auspices of Rang Rajasthan and Pinkfest, Rang Ulhas program was organised at JKK’s Muktakash stage, in which Jaipur Citizen Forum, MFJCF Organ Donation, as a partner organisation, brought joy to the life of a needy person from the residents of Jaipur. Appealed to adopt organ

donation to shower colours. The work started with the presentation of Govindam Gokula Nan-

dan Gopalam Vandana by the girl students of IIIKDM. On this occasion, Shubham Team

Rang Ulhas enthralled the audience with the melodious singing of Holi’s Phag by Aamir

Khusro’s Kalam “Mohe Apne Hi Rang Mein Rang De” on the beat of ChangDuff. On this occasion,

the pure Kathak dance performances of Tanishka Mudgal, Rakshita Shekhawat, Surbhi Ver-

ma, Kajol Dey, Anjali, Mohini Sharma, Kritika Raghuvanshi, Purvi Khatri and Juhi were highly appreciated by the audience.

Rajsico Chairman Rajiv Arora, the chief guest of the program, appreciated the program and shared with the audience the importance of colours in life, taking every person of the society along, adding colour to the lives of

the needy and organ donation campaign. Satyajit Talukdar, ProgramCoordinator; Bhavna Jagwani, Convenor, MOHAN Foundation, District Chair Organ Donation Ravi Kamra, Mahant Deepak Vallabh Goswami, Professor Chinmay Mehta, Bhavani Shankar Sharma, Abhishek Mudgal, Anu Sogani, Purnima Kaul were present on the occasion.

Narendra Gupta in conversation with Dr Lata Suresh

Padma Bhushan Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Ashok Rahi and Pramod Sharma

Dr Madhu Bhatt Tailang and Padmashri Gulabo Devi

Gaurvanvi, Yogesh Mishra and Riya Jakhar

Pham kim Dung, Yogesh Mishra, Bao Ngoc, Gaurav Jaitley and Gk Agrawal

Minister Nitin Gadkari during the virtual inauguration

(L-R) Akshay, Manpreet, Arvind, Swapnil Jain, Pavneet Sodhi and Pramod

(L-R) Vikram Dhakar, Lovely Wadhwa, newlyweds Kanupriya & Dhwaj, Satish Pooniya, Sumer Singh, Ashok Singh Shekhawat and Gourav Choudhary (L-R) Amar Devi Arya, newlyweds Kanupriya, Dhwaj, Ashok Lahoty and Manish Julka

(L-R) Bhavna Jagwani, Satyajeet Talukdar, Rajiv Arora, Deepak Goswami, Abhishek Mudgal, Sweta Garg, Tanishka, Rakshita, Surbhi, Kajol, Anjali, Mohini, Kritika, Purvi & Juhi

Glimpse from mesmerizing performance