First India-Ahmedabad Edition-13 November 2020

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AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 349

PEOPLE STOOD BEHIND PM MODI: SHAH IN KUTCH Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurating exhibition during his visit to the border areas in Dhordo of Kutch on Thursdy, (Inset) Shah seeks blessings at Ashapura Mata Ji temple.

Shah on Thursday said people in Bihar, Gujarat and other states where elections were held recently have rejected the leaders who only find fault with everything. People have given a message that they stand behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said. “Some political leaders and parties are `Vakra- drashta’, as they have a hostile view about everything. They have a habit of finding fault with everything which is good for people,” the senior BJP leader said. He was speaking at `Simant Kshetra Vikasotsav 2020’ at Dhordo in Gujarat’s Kutch district as part of a border area development programme.

—PHOTOS BY PTI

Govt’s booster dose for jobs, stressed sectors, new homes New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday unveiled a new scheme, called Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar, and announced incentives to home buyers to rescue the economy out of a historic contraction caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The moves were part of the government’s broader Atmanirbhar Bharat series of steps, aimed at fuelling a rebound in the ailing economy, which is headed for its worst annual contraction in four decades.

The Finance Minister said the country’s economy is seeing a strong recovery taking root.

The employment generation incentives will cover all companies registered under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on recruitment of eligible new employees.

The scheme will cover those who were never covered Turn to P6

ULTIMATE DECISION

LIES WITH PEOPLE: CEC

Nitish Kumar addresses a press conference, at JD(U) office in Patna on Thursday.

DHANTERAS TODAY: GOLD, SILVER FALL MARGINALLY

The Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana will create more jobs, and the income tax relief for first-time homebuyers will boost demand in the residential real estate sector —Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi: Gold prices were marginally down by Rs 81 to Rs 50,057 per 10 gram on Thursday, according to HDFC Securities. In the previous trade, the precious metal had closed at Rs 50,138 per 10 gram.

Silver also witnessed muted trend as it slipped marginally by Rs 4 to Rs 62,037 per kg, from Rs 62,041 per kg in the previous trade. “Gold and silver prices are expected to trade in the current range during the current festival days where retail investors and buyers will face less volatility,” Securities Senior Analyst (Commodities) Tapan Patel said. He also added that jewellers in India are bracing for festival sales on the auspicious day of Dhanteras. Dhanteras, considered the most auspicious day in Hindu calendar for buying items ranging from precious metals like gold and silver to utensils, is being celebrated for two days on Thursday and Friday this year. In the international market, gold was trading higher at USD 1,865 per ounce and silver was flat at USD 24.09 per ounce.

Finance Minister

SACHIN PILOT TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 Jaipur: Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Sachin Pilot tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday. “I have tested positive for Covid 19.

Anyone who may have come in contact with me over the last few days, please get yourselves tested.

Am taking appropriate doctoral advice. Hope to recover soon,” Pilot informed via Twitter.

Chief Minister Ashok

NDA will decide Charges of irregularities in counting of votes in Bihar who next Bihar CM be: Nitish

Gehlot wished Pilot a speedy recovery. “Wish you a speedy recovery @ SachinPilot ji. May you get well soon,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan has reported 2,176 new COVID-19 cases, 13 deaths, and 1,804 recoveries/discharges on Thursday.

According to the official data, total cases in the state has reached 2,19,327 including 17,352 active cases.

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose Janata Dal United has suffered a body blow in the state elections due to the Chirag Paswan factor, on Thursday said he has left the decision regarding the Lok Janshakti Party chief to the BJP. The decision on who will be the Chief Minister has to be taken by the NDA, he said in response to a question, indicating that the issue might be revisited despite the BJP’s earlier assurances that he would retain the post.

Chirag Paswan’s rebellion against his leadership and the decision to go solo has relegated Kumar Turn to P6

New Delhi: Against the backdrop of allegations by the opposition of irregularities in the counting of votes in the Bihar Assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora on Thursday said while the Election Commission does not react to comments made by political parties, the ultimate decision lies with people.

He also said the Bihar chief electoral officer has already responded to everything. The EC had to hold four press conferences on counting day on November 10 to respond to various aspects of the process, Arora pointed out.

“We do not respond to comments made by political entities. It is their decision, what they said, why they said. The ultimate decision lies with people,” he told reporters here.

Responding to a query on the “slow pace of counting”, Turn to P6

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora

AFTER POLL DEBACLE TEJASHWI DEMANDS VOTES RECOUNTING Patna: Speaking for the first time after the Bihar election results, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday demanded recounting of postal ballot votes. Crying foul play in the counting process, Yadav said the mandate of people was in favour of the Grand Alliance but Election Commission’s result was in NDA’s favour. “I thank Bihar’s people. The mandate favoured Mahagathbandhan, but the Election Commission’s result was in NDA’s favour. This hasn’t happened first time. In 2015 when Mahagathbandhan was formed, votes were in our favour but BJP made back door entry to gain power,” said Yadav. Asked whether the Mahagathbandhan would try to muster numbers to form its own government, he said, “We will go to The people who gave the mandate. If they express such a wish we will act accordingly.”

Govt announces Rs10K Diwali ‘gift’ to employees Amount will be given in the form of a RuPay card and will be adjusted against salaries over the next 10 months First India Bureau Gandhinagar: With Diwali just days away, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Thursday announced an interestfree festival advance of Rs10,000 each to more than five lakh officers and employees of state government.

The state government has made provisions of Rs500 crore for what it has termed “an early Diwali gift” to its employees.

The amount will be given to the officers and employees in the form of RuPay cards to further encourage digital transactions, ac-

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani

cording to a formal statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.

This advance is to be repaid by the state’s officers and employees in 10 equal monthly instalments without interest.

To this end, the beneficiaries’ future salaries will be adjusted with the advance salary.

Rupani expects that the decision will give small traders a boost, since the advance will help government employees in their preDiwali shopping, especially for small, lo-

cally made items such as sweets.

The decision is in line with the government’s plan to give an impetus to the economy, which has been adversely affected by the slowdown as well as the pandemic.

It is to be remembered that, last Friday, the state government had also announced that it would release as much as Rs600 crore as the first part of pending Dearness Allowance for state government employees, Turn to P6

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

02

‘SIMANT KSHETRA VIKASOTSAV-2020’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah takes a round after inaugurating an exhibition in Dhordo, Kutch.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah being welcomed by Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani during a convention of representatives of border areas.

MORE DEVELOPMENT IN BORDER AREAS

UNDER MODI REGIME: SHAH First India Bureau

Kutch: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said infrastructure development in the country's border areas in last six years of the Narendra Modi government has been much more than in the previous 50 years. Referring to air-strikes and surgical strikes by the defence forces, Shah said India is now giving a befitting reply to enemies rather than the past practice of just issuing a “diplomatic statement”.

He was addressing people at the ‘Simant Kshetra Vikasotsav-2020’ at Dhordo village in Kutch district as part of the Centre’s Border Area Development Programme.

Sarpanchs of 158 border villages along with other elected representatives of Kutch, Banaskantha and Patan districts, which share a border with Pakistan, were present during the event.

“When I visited Bhuj in 2001 after the earthquake, it was in shambles. All places of residence were flattened. Now

malls and buildings have been erected in such numbers. This development is a testament to the resilience of the people of Bhuj,” the Home Minister also said, adding, “The aim of this ‘Vikasotsava’ is to provide more amenities to the residents of our border villages which are at par with those available in other interior villages.”

He further stated that citizens residing near borders are major stakeholders in maintaining security along with defence forces and that the Centre, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to develop areas situated along the country’s border.

“We strongly believe that unless a citizen living on the border is not aware (about security aspects), the country's borders are not secure,” the Home Minister said. “Border citizens are major stakeholders in maintaining security along with our defence forces.”

He added that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had stressed on stop-

He was addressing people at the ‘Simant Kshetra Vikasotsav-2020’ at Dhordo village in Kutch

We have allocated a budget of Rs11,800 crore for the year 2020-21 for border area development. Infrastructure development carried out in these areas in the last six years under the Modi government is much more than what was done in the previous 50 years.

—Amit Shah, Union Home Minister

ping migration and providing water, electricity to the border villages when he was the home minister— something that the Congress governments did not implement after his death.

“But now, Modiji has taken up that task,” Shah said at Dhordo on Thursday.

As against just 170 km of roads in border areas undergoing resurfacing between 2008 and 2014, 480 km of roads underwent resurfacing between 2014 and 2020 under the Modi government, he said.

Shah further said compared to just one tunnel built near the border between 2008 and 2014, as many as six tunnels were already constructed between 2014 and 2020 and work has started for 19 others.

“These figures show our priority.

We have allocated a budget of Rs11,800 crore for the year 2020-21 for border area development.

Infrastructure development carried out in these areas in the last six years under the Modi government is much more than what was done

in the previous 50 years,” he said.

“In near future, we will organise programmes to connect people living near our borders with the country's security aspects and make them aware about their strategic importance," he said.

“Prime Minister Modi has instructed us to give priority to such villages and implement government schemes in these areas before implementing them anywhere else,” he also said.

Shah also informed the audience that he and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani would hold a high-level meeting in the evening at Bhuj with heads of various security agencies active in this region “to plug the holes and set up an effective monitoring system”.

Before his address, Shah inaugurated an exhibition of stalls of various state and central government departments, agencies and schemes, such as the Gujarat police, BSF, Rashtriya Raksha University, Statue of Unity and Tourism Department, among others.

CLEANING UP THE MESS

Congress goes into introspection mode after bypoll defeat The opposition party may replace Chavda and Dhanani post Diwali festivities First India Bureau Ahmedabad: After an embarrassing loss in the recently concluded state legislative assembly byelections held in eight constituencies, the Congress party has made the decision to introspect the reason. A series of meetings with top leaders have been scheduled in order to discern why the party could not manage to hold onto even one

seat in the bypolls.

Post the Diwali festivities, the regional Congress office will hold a meeting to conduct a thorough postmortem of the by-election defeat. Though, supplementary information on the cause of the loss has already been sought from the respective constituencies, in order to have a report ready before the party high command demands one.

It is likely that there will be a

change in the top leadership of the party stat unit soon.

According to sources, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Chavda and leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani will be replaced. Both the leaders had offered their resignations on the day by-election results were declared.

Meanwhile, Congress workers are disappointed with the by-

Congress headquarters, Ahmedabad.

election results. Preparations are now underway to prepare a report on the causes of the humiliating defeat for the party. The opinions of observers at public meetings and in-charges will be sought, sources said.

Also, the campaign of the new working president Hardik Patel did not yield the results it was expected to. “Patel’s magic has not worked at all and the leadership and vision of state in-charge Rajiv Satav has also failed. Rajya Sabha member Shaktisinh Gohil wanted to replace Chavda

but after the Bihar assembly result, there is no chance of that happening,” said a source.

Another hurdle the Congress faces in the state is its course of action if immediate local body election dates are declared. With the impending polls likely to be held around March 2021, it will be a race against time for the opposition party, should it choose to establish a new leadership in the state. According to top sources within the party, the Congress is keen to replace the two leaders of the regional unit after Diwali.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

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NGT orders factory to pay `5 cr compensation in Pirana blast case

03

Experts worry that Diwali could bring rise in nCoV cases

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Tribunal gives owner of Sahil Enterprise 10 days to pay the amount to the district collector, sets up probe committee First India Bureau

ACCOUNTABILITY?

Ahmedabad: The National Green Tribunal has concluded its first virtual hearing in the suo motu case it initiated after 12 people were killed in a fire that followed an explosion at a illegal chemical unit in Ahmedabad last week. NGT has directed the owner of Sahil Enterprise, located in the Pirana-Piplaj area, where the fire occurred, to pay a fine of Rs5 crore. It has given the factory owner 10 days to submit the amount to the district collector.

Further, it has also formed a six-member

It had taken 26 fire tenders several hours to douse the flames on November 8.

and submit its report to the environmental body within a month.

The tribunal has also asked the chief secre-

committee, to investigate the matter further.

This committee is expected to make a field visit within the week

—FILE PHOTO

tary to look into how such chemical units managed to operate despite not having any legal or environmental

clearances, and to take action against the departments concerned. In addition, the chief secretary will have to submit a report to the NGT.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had announced an ex-gratia of Rs4 lakh for each of the people killed in the incident.

However, local leaders had urged the families of the victims to demand Rs20 lakh in aid.

Following the incident, the state government also initiated a committee to prevent fires in the state sealed 18 units at Revakaka Estate and Nanuka Estate in Ahmedabad. Further, 12 units have been issued sealing notices by a joint team from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and the Directorate of Industrial Security and Health.

SMC fire dept begins safety checks in Surat First India Bureau Surat: The PiplajPirana fire incident that took the lives of 12 people and injured several others at a factory of Sahil Enterprise in Ahmedabad has had

a sobering effect on officials in the Diamond City. The fire department of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has issued notices to godowns, chemical factories in wake of the terrible tragedy.

Fire department officials conducted inspections and survey of godowns and chemical factories in all the zones of the city.

The kind of chemicals being stored at such factories and their quantities has

also been taken note of by the department.

During inspections, it has been learned that despite having around 100 tonnes of chemicals in storage, several factories have not sought approval from the fire depart-

AMC allocates plots in Shahibaug, Asarwa for high-speed rail project —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The local civic body on Thursday announced that it has allotted two plots, one each in the city’s Shahibaug and Asarwa areas, for the Ahmedabad– Mumbai High-Speed Rail project.

In an online briefing, Amul Bhatt, Chairman of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) standing committee, said, “Two plots in Shahibaug and Asar-

wa have been allocated to the National HighSpeed Railway Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL).”

He added, “The open

plot located in the Shahibaug area is 3,256 square metres, of which, 479.15 square metre will be granted to

the NHSRCL for 99 years on lease. The AMC has permitted the deal on the condition that 20 years payment determined by the Land Valuation and Price Fixing Committee of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) must be paid in advance.”

However, AMC Leader of Opposition Kamla Chavda has opposed the project on the grounds that one of the plots currently houses a rain basera (night shelter).

NOT A TREAT!

RMC health dept cracks down on ‘stale’ sweets and farsan Civic body has destroyed over 100kg of sub-par food in pre-Diwali drive 

First India Bureau Rajkot: The health department of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has started cracking down on shops in order to keep a check on adulterated food items sold during the festive season.

On Thursday, around 32kg of stale sweets, farsan (snacks) and oil was destroyed by officials and notice was given to 11 food business operators in the city.

Over the past three

An RMC officer checks sweetmeats on Thursday.

days, the department has destroyed over 100kg of stale food items mainly sweets, farsan and reused frying oil.

Four teams have been keeping a close watch on high-demand food items during the

Diwali season. So far, over 30 business operators have been served notice for violating food health codes.

According to the health department, people should exercise precaution while buying perishable food items.

Right from hygiene to quality, a customer must be extra careful before making a purchase. Sellers normally stock up their goods and many may not be concerned about their quality. Due to heavy rush during the festive season, customers usually do not take the pains to double check the quality of items they are purchasing.

“With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is highly advisable that hot snacks are served to guests. We are monitoring the sale of food items but customers should be cautious of what they are paying for too,” said a health officer.

ment. So far, as many as 20 transport godown owners have been issued notices by the local civic body for not having up-to-date no objection certificates (NOCs) and other violations.

The fire department

inspected the facilities at chemical factories based on types of chemicals stored, NOC and ventilation.

Notably, Surat has also seen a spate of fires, especially in textile units, in the recent past.

The sea of shoppers in Ahmedabad’s Old City area on Thursday shows that the festive spirit has caused many people to forget the pandemic.

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Experts have expressed worry that a lack of precautions, especially during pre-Diwali shopping sprees could bring a sharp rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the state. And with good reason.

The state on Thursday added another 1,020 fresh cases of infection and saw six more people succumb to the virus.

Gujarat has now seen as many as 1,84,986 cases of SarsCoV-2 infection since March, and has lost 3,785 patients to the disease.

With the addition of the new cases, Gujarat now has 12,321 active cases, with 69 patients on ventilator support.

The state said it has to tested a total of

1,020 cases, six fatalities take state tally to 1,84,986 cases, toll to 3,785 66,25,876 samples so far, with 54,624 tests being conducted in the past 24 hours.

According to the state health department’s daily bulletin, Ahmedabad recorded the highest number (199) of new cases on Thursday, followed by Surat with 183, Rajkot with 126, and Vadodara with 125.

The state government is now in a Catch-22 situation, since its attempt to boost morale by allowing people to celebrate Diwali in their own way has led to alarming scenes, especially in larger markets, ahead of the festival.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

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04

BRING GOLD ETFS HOME THIS DHANTERAS, FIND OUT WHY

W The price of SGBs is calculated by averaging the price of 999 purity gold in its last three trading sessions. The prices are fair estimates for the prevailing price of gold but are not exact estimates. ETFs strive to give a real-time performance.

What ETFs lack due to tracking error, SGBs lack due to pricing methodology.

Nevertheless, the difference can be ignored for the sake of the bigger picture. Due to the thinly traded fixed-income market, liquidity offered by Gold ETFs is much higher

ferent for SGBs as well. The 2.5 percent interest on SGBs is fully taxable. However, there is no capital gains tax on returns generated through the appreciation of gold prices.

The catch with both Gold ETFs and Gold SGBs is that at redemption or maturity, the proceeds of the sale are in the form of cash. Therefore, physical gold is involved only in the background. An investor in either of the instruments does not get to see the physical gold for real.

e associate the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras with wealth, and we associate wealth with gold. With several instruments in the market constituting gold as their underlying, an individual is likely to reach a question.

Should you buy physical gold, Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs), or Gold ETFs? As paperless gold is getting streamlined across investment portfolios, the traditional ways to accumulate gold are becoming redundant.

While it’s true that we attach a cultural value to physical gold, it makes for a wasteful investment. Making charges alone affects the overall gains from the investment in physical gold. Also, physical gold demands safe storage

GO GOLD, GO PAPERLESS? Undoubtedly, gold provides stability to an investment portfolio. The ongoing global pandemic has proven to be the best example of how gold is a worthy investment.

Typically, portfolio managers advise an exposure of 5 to 15 percent to the yellow metal. Gold limits the downside risk of the portfolio in a situation when equities are not performing well.

The real question is which instrument: Gold ETFs, SGBs, or digital gold?

GOLD EXCHANGETRADED FUNDS (ETFS) Gold ETFs have been trending this year after receiving a net inflow of more than Rs 6,300 crores. The benefits offered by Gold ETFs are unparalleled when it comes to comparison with physical gold. z The investor can buy gold

with consistent quality, purity, and composition for every single purchase. Gold ETFs have 99.9 percent purity 24 karat Gold as their underlying commodity. z Unlike funds offering expo-

sure to gold, gold ETFs do not carry entry and exit load. z Gold ETFs are tradable on the stock exchange. Therefore, all an individual will need is a de-mat account to purchase units of the ETF. z Gold ETFs track the spot price of gold in the commodities market. The NAV of ETF units is affected by the actual market price of gold. z No wastage or making charges for buying gold ETFs gives an investor more value for money. z One of the best features of Gold ETF is that the investor has the option of initiating a systematic investment plan (SIP). Gold ETFs can also be used as collateral for loans. z Tax savings occur by not being obligated to pay GST, as is the case for physical gold.

However, the investor has to pay taxes on capital gains.

Gold ETFs employ a form of investing that is better known as passive manage-

DIGITAL GOLD OR E-GOLD IS ACCUMULATING THE YELLOW METAL IN TANGIBLE FORM. THE HIGHLIGHTING FEATURE OF DIGITAL GOLD IS THAT PURCHASE AND PAYMENT OF GOLD IS CARRIED OUT ONLINE. THEREFORE, AN INDIVIDUAL DOES NOT HAVE TO APPROACH A SELLER OR A DEALER. MOBILE WALLETS ALSO OFFER THE OPTION TO PURCHASE DIGITAL GOLD. BUY GOLD FOR ANY DENOMINATIONS, EVEN FOR AS LOW AS RE 1. GOLD PURCHASED DIGITALLY IS STORED IN 100 PERCENT INSURED VAULTS AND CAN BE EXCHANGED FOR REAL GOLD OR EXCHANGED FOR JEWELRY AT THE END OF THE HOLDING PERIOD

ment. Gold ETFs are passively-managed in that the fund’s the objective is to mimic the real price of the gold by allowing for minimum deviations.

However, the truth of the matter is that a slight deviation is inevitable. Although ETFs attract a lower expense ratio, they still contribute to tracking error. Tracking error is the difference between the ETF returns and physical gold returns.

Tracking errors stem from the need for the fund to maintain a cash balance to cater to redemption requests. The bright side is that even with the tracking error, Gold ETFs’ features outweigh the potential costs of making charges.

SOVEREIGN GOLD BONDS (SGBS) While Gold ETFs’ characteristics are equity-like, capital markets offer another bond-

like instrument with gold as their underlying: SGBs. SGBs are interest-paying instruments issued by the RBI on behalf of the Central Government; with such backing, SGBs have negligible credit risk.

SGBs are also traded on the secondary market which is why the lock-in period of 5 years does not pose an inconvenience.

The price of SGBs is calculated by averaging the price of 999 purity gold in its last three trading sessions. The prices are fair estimates for the prevailing price of gold but are not exact estimates.

ETFs strive to give a realtime performance.

What ETFs lack due to tracking error, SGBs lack due to pricing methodology.

Nevertheless, the difference can be ignored for the sake of the bigger picture. Due to the thinly traded fixed-income market, liquidity offered by Gold ETFs is much higher.

Taxation treatment is dif-

THE LOST CAUSE OF THE TRUMPOCRACY

J

oe Biden’s clear defeat of President Donald Trump, announced on Saturday, November 7 after four days of counting, is – a week later – still not enough for Trump to affirm Biden’s victory. Biden’s win supposedly ended what had been called the most consequential US election of modern times, but for reasons of his own, Trump is still holding out.

Under the guise of insisting that he was the victim of voter fraud – he has been advertising for months that he’d make this argument if he lost – Trump is denying Biden, and the country, the chance to begin an orderly transition of power. That Biden is the most experienced person in modern history to enter the presidency will help, but he faces the toughest situation confronting a new president

since Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression. Given the raging pandemic and economic collapse, Biden’s challenge may even be more difficult.

Most of Trump’s opponents recognize that the election didn’t fulfill their ardent desire for an overwhelming repudiation of a president they despise.

They must also face the fact that Trump retains an exceptionally large following.

Almost ten million more people voted for Trump this time around than in 2016.

The Democrats fared much worse in the elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives than the polls had predicted (they were wrong again), with the Senate probably remaining in the hands of the Republican master strategist Mitch McConnell – unless the Democrats sweep two run-

off elections to be held in Georgia in early January.

The most alarming conclusion about Trump’s presidency is how perilously close the United States came to a breakdown of its constitutional system. If Trump had succeeded in his efforts to reverse the election (clearly futile from the outset), US

democracy could have been destroyed. So perhaps the biggest lesson from Trump’s presidency is how fragile the US Constitution is, and that timorousness before those who would undermine it enhances the dangers.

It may take a while before Trump’s genuine, if feral, political talent is

fully understood. Trump succeeded in politics largely by appealing to Americans’ basest instincts and exploiting the country’s ingrained racism. The first words he uttered as a candidate were a vicious denunciation of Mexican immigrants as rapists. Trump understood, as do his fel-

low “populist” leaders around the world, that a great many people are drawn to bombast. He also benefited from his P.T. Barnum-like showman’s instincts; the image of Trump and his wife descending a golden escalator in 2015 is indelible.

Though he was politically damaged by it, Trump didn’t pay the price he deserved for his disastrous mishandling of the pandemic, because he understood, and played upon, the contempt that many of his supporters have for “experts.” He pressed for policies reflecting his understanding that people didn’t want to be secluded in their homes; that parents wanted their kids back in school; that small businesses wanted to reopen; and that a lot of people don’t want to be ordered to wear a mask.

DIGITAL GOLD Digital gold or E-gold is accumulating the yellow metal in tangible form. The highlighting feature of digital gold is that purchase and payment of gold is carried out online.

Therefore, an individual does not have to approach a seller or a dealer. Mobile wallets also offer the option to purchase digital gold.

Buy gold for any denominations, even for as low as Re 1. Gold purchased digitally is stored in 100 percent insured vaults and can be exchanged for real gold or exchanged for jewelry at the end of the holding period.

On the contrary, all the drawbacks that apply to physical gold also apply to digital gold. Except for an easy purchase option, digital gold offers nothing more. Digital gold is also subject to a limit on the investment period, say five years, after which the investors have to accept delivery or redeem the units. Moreover, a GST of 3% is levied on the purchase of digital gold.

However, the biggest risk of participating in a digital gold transaction is that there are no regulators for the product. Gold ETFs are regulated by SEBI and SGBs are regulated by RBI. Investors who missed the recent rally in gold still have a good opportunity to accumulate it at regular intervals through the SIP route as the future of yellow metal still looks bright due to the festivities in India and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the outcome of US Presidential Election of 2020.

Top

TWEET Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda Congratulated @JTNBJP & the newly elected members of Ladakh Hill Council. BJP’s victory in the first election after Ladakh became UT is Ladakh’s stamp on PM @ narendramodi ji’s welfare policies & Article 370. Modi ji’s govt & BJP is committed to the all-round development of State.

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp `10,200 crore additional industrial stimulus in the areas of green energy & domestic defence equipment will create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities and spur economic growth. `900 crore provision for #Covid-19 vaccine development is a step in the right direction.

Spiritual SPEAK

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

—Buddha

SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE

Vol 1 Issue No. 349 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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INDIA AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

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PM UNVEILS STATUE AT JNU VIA VC

Our responsibility to realise Swami Vivekananda’s vision for India: Modi New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday unveiled a statue of Swami Vivekananda at the JNU campus via video conferencing.

“When we were oppressed during colonialism, Swami Vivekananda went to Michigan University in the earlier part of the last century & had said that even though this century is yours, next century will belong to India. It is our responsibility to realise this statement vision,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during the event.

He also said he hopes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during event in JNU.

that the statue instils courage and compassion that Swami Vivekananda wanted to see

in everyone The event was also attended by Union Minister for Education

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and JNU vicechancellor Jagadesh Kumar. Earlier on

Thursday, talking to media ahead of the unveiling, JNU vice-chancellor Jagadesh Kumar said that the JNU fraternity is “very happy that Swami Vivekananda’s statue will be inaugurated today by our PM”. However, the invitation to Modi, even virtual, has miffed the JNUSU which is all set to protest on campus.

They believe the Modi government “openly supported” violence on campuses and is attacking universities with the National Education Policy which will result in fund cuts and privatisation of education.

—Agencies

JNUSU writes to PM, says VC ‘destroyed’ the University New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, asking why the Centre recommended the appointment of JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, accusing him of leaving no stone unturned in “destroying” the University.

“Why did your government recommend the appointment of a ViceChancellor who has left no stone unturned in destroying a university that produces Nobel laureates?” the Student’s Union stated in the letter on behalf of JNU community. —ANI

05

‘Couldn’t take family photo like every year’ New Delhi: The strategic partnership of India and ASEAN is based on our shared historical, geographical and cultural heritage, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, addressing the 17th ASEAN-India summit.

“ASEAN has always been the core of our Act East Policy. There are many similarities between India’s Indo Pacific Oceans Initiative’ & ASEAN’s ‘Outlook on Indo Pacific’” the PM said. PM Modi talked about the Covid-19 pandemic and said that unlike other years, there will be no ‘family photo’ of the meet.

“We want to increase connectivity between India and ASEAN in every sector,” the PM said. Though the meet-

ACTION PLAN

ing is virtual, the effort is to bridge the gap among us, PM Modi said. The ASEAN is one of the most significant groups in the region.

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia are its members. India, the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners.

—ANI

Govt will collapse on its own India entered recession for first time in history: RaGa in Maha: Devendra Fadnavis Mumbai: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government will tumble on its own and asserted that although BJP is not eyeing a change of guard in the State, it will provide an alternative option.

“If we talk about this in the context of Maharashtra, it has raised

Devendra Fadnavis

our confidence. This Maharashtra government will collapse one day on its own,” he said.

“This type of government cannot continue for long. When this government will fall, we will provide an alternative government. But this is not our priority.

There is an unprecedented agrarian crisis in Maharashtra. Farmers are worried. Government has not provided financial assistance to them. Being an Opposition party, we are with farmers,” he said. —ANI

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday slammed the Central government over the state of India’s economy and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions have turned the country’s strength into its weakness.

“India has entered into recession for the first time in history,” the Congress leader tweeted. “Mr Modi’s actions have turned India’s strength into its

Rahul Gandhi pays respects at prayer meet for KC Venugopal’s mother & offers condolences to the family in this time of grief.

IN THE COURTYARD

Yes Bank founder’s Kerala Gold smuggling case: PMLA court rejects Kochhar’s bail plea daughter gets bail Sivasankar in judicial custody in fraud case Mumbai: A magistrate court in Mumbai on Thursday granted bail to Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor’s daughter Roshni Kapoor, an accused in the Yes Bank fraud case linked to DHFL, after she appeared before the court in response to summons issued to her.

Roshni Kapoor was summoned by the court last month in connection with the case. She is one of the eight accused named in the charge sheet filed in the case by the CBI. Roshini was granted bail by a magistrate’s court, her lawyer Subash Jadhav said. In June this year, the CBI filed the charge sheet against Rana Kapoor and others under provi-

Roshni Kapoor

sions of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act and Indian Penal Code.

However, the charges were dropped by the special CBI court as the prosecution did not obtain the sanction needed to prosecute under the PC Act. Thus, the case was shifted to the magistrate court for trial.

The magistrate court last month had accepted the charge sheet filed

by CBI. —ANI

WB BJP CHIEF GREETED WITH BLACK FLAGS, STONES HURLED AT CONVOY Alipurduar: Stones were hurled and black flags shown at BJP state president Dilip Ghosh’s convoy in Jaigaon area of Bengal’s Alipurduar, where he had gone to attend party programmes, police said.

Several Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists were seen raising slogans against Ghosh, asking him to leave. Ghosh’s

vehicle was partially damaged in the attack. A team of police officers, however, brought the situation under control, after forcing the protesters and saffron camp supporters to disperse. Ghosh said, “The TMC and their friends are getting desperate as they can sense defeat in the upcoming assembly polls.”

—ANI

Kochi: A Principal Sessions Court in Kochi on Thursday remanded M Sivasankar, former principal secretary of Kerala Chief Minister’s Office, to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a money laundering case related to the smuggling of gold into the state through diplomatic channels.

The court also posted for November 17 the hearing on the bail petition of Sivasankar. “It is a crime to knowingly help hiding the money earned from smuggling. According to the accused Swapna Suresh, Sivasankar did that. Swapna’s statement was taken

M Sivasankar

in the presence of the prison superintendent. How can we ignore the statement of Swapna that Sivasankar knew about gold smuggling?” the court observed.

The ED also submitted evidence against Sivasankar in a sealed cover. The counsel of Sivasankar, however, submitted

MARKETS SNAP WINNING STREAK; SENSEX DROPS 236 POINTS Mumbai: Snapping its eight-session winning run, equity benchmark Sensex ended 236 points lower on Thursday, tracking losses in financial counters as profit-booking emerged amid lacklustre global cues. The new set of stimulus measures announced by the government also failed to enthuse investors, traders said. After dropping 466.12 points during the day, the 30-share BSE index ended 236.48 points or 0.54 per cent lower at 43,357.19. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 58.35 points or 0.46 per cent to 12,690.80. —ANI

that the ED is on a mission and their aim is the Chief Minister’s Office.

The court also noted that ED’s finding that the money found in Swapna’s locker was a bribe to Sivasankar in the Life Mission is against their case and added that this does not fall within the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Earlier, ED had submitted that Suresh has disclosed that Sivasankar and his team at CMO were aware of the smuggling.

Sivasankar has been in the custody of the economic offences watchdog for questioning since his arrest.

—ANI

New Delhi: A special court, constituted under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act, 2002, on Thursday refused to grant bail to Deepak Kochhar, the husband of former ICICI Bank managing director (MD) Chanda Kochhar, in connection with a money laundering case.

Earlier this week, Deepak Kochhar had moved a bail plea on two grounds.

The first ground was failure of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to submit a charge sheet within the stipulated time frame of 90 days.

The second ground was on the merits of the case and claiming his innocence.

The court on Thursday heard arguments from Deepak Kochhar’s lawyers -- Vijay Aggraw-

DRUG CASE: NCB SENDS SUMMONS TO ACTOR ARJUN RAMPAL Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Thursday summoned actor Arjun Rampal to appear before it tomorrow at 10 am for questioning in connection with a drug-related case.

The Narcotics Control Bureau officials had on November 9 conducted a raid at the residence of Arjun Rampal and seized

some electronic gadgets.

Notably, Rampal’s girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades was on Wednesday questioned for six hours.

Demetriades was again summoned by the NCB to appear before it for questioning as, according to The Narcotics Control Bureau officials, the inquiry was not completed on Wednesday.

—ANI

Deepak Kochhar

al, Rahul Aggrawal and Ashul Aggrawal -- and the ED counsel, Hiten Venegaokar and Sunil Gonsalves.

Deepak Kochhar’s lawyers pointed out that the charge sheet was yet to be filed even though the stipulated 90-day time frame had expired.

The prosecution contended that the agency submitted a charge sheet before the registrar of the court two days before the stipulated 90-day deadline expired.

—Agencies

weakness,” he added.

He also attached a newspaper report on the economic issues being faced by the country. Over the past few months, Gandhi has been targeting the Centre on various issues, including the handling of the coronavirus crisis, economic conditions in the country and unemployment, among others and alleged that the government was not doing enough to resolve these issues.

—ANI

Rains to lash parts of Karnataka Bengaluru: Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre on Thursday predicted scattered light to moderate rains over several parts of the state. As per the weather department, South Interior Karnataka is likely to witness scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rains, especially in Mandya, Mysore, Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chikkaballapura, Kolar, Tumakuru and Chamrajanagara districts. Light rains are also likely over Chitradurga and Davanagere districts.

“Isolated very light to light rains likely over Bellary, Koppala, Raichur and Gadag districts and dry weather conditions likely in remaining districts in North Interior Karnataka,” the statement added. —ANI

NAVY’S 5TH SCORPENE CLASS SUBMARINE VAGIR LAUNCHED Mumbai: Indian Navy’s fifth Scorpene class submarine ‘Vagir’ was launched on Thursday at Mumbai’s Mazagon Dock. Union Minister of State for Defence, Shripad Naik launched the fifth Scorpene class submarine ‘Vagir’ of Project 75 in Arabian sea waters at Mazagon Dock, in Mumbai through video conferencing today. Vagir is part of the six Kalvari-class submarines being built in India. The submarines, designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS, are being built as part of Indian Navy’s Project-75.

—ANI

INDIA AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

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‘` 900 CRORE GRANT FOR RESEARCH’ Sitharaman said the grant does not cover the actual cost of vaccine and distribution expenses New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced a Rs 900 crore grant to the Department of Biotechnology for COVID-19 vaccine research.

“We are providing Rs 900 crore for research and development of COVID-19 vaccine. This is being provided for covid suraksha mission, purely for R&D but this money goes to Department of Biotechnology for research purposes,” she said.

She said the grant does not cover the actual cost of vaccine and distribution expenses, which will be made separately as and when the vaccine is available.

“The actual cost of the vaccine or logistics required for distributing the vaccine is totally different and what-

Nirmala Sitharaman

ever is required for that, as and when it is required will be provided. But this is totally a different purpose and this is for research for vaccine development which goes towards department of biotechnology,” she added.

Sitharaman also said that Rs 10,200 crore additional budget outlay will be provided towards capital and industrial expenditure for domestic defence equipment, industrial incentives and infrastructure and green energy.

Krunal stopped at airport for allegedly carrying gold Mumbai: Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Krunal Pandya was reportedly stopped by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Mumbai airport on Thursday after returning from Dubai. Krunal was stopped by the authorities for allegedly carrying undisclosed gold and other valuables from UAE. He was part of the Mumbai Indians squad which won the IPL 2020 title on Tuesday after defeating Delhi Capitals in the final.

As per news agency, DRI sources informed that Krunal was stopped and questioned by the

Krunal Pandya

DRI officials over suspicion of possessing undisclosed gold and other valuables. As per the rules, male passengers traveling to India from Dubai can carry up to only 20 grams of gold on themselves. The gold should not cost more

than 50,000 rupees as a duty-free allowance.

On the other hand, female passengers can carry up to 40 grams of gold jewellery which should not be more than worth Rs 1 lakh INR. As per reports, Krunal is being questioned by the DRI officials and is being asked for the official papers for extra valuables he is carrying.

Krunal has been part of the Mumbai Indians squad in IPL since the 2016 season. He has been one of the key performers for the fivetime champions and has played an instrumental role in their success, over the years.

New Delhi: The Delhi government has decided to ban community Chhath Puja celebrations near the ghats to contain the spread of COVID-19, said Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday. “In the view of safety and to avoid crowd gathering amid the pandemic, we have decided to ban community Chhath Puja celebrations near the ghats this year,” Jain told reporters.

The cases have rapidly increased in national capital and touched a new peak by crossing 8,000 positive cases in the past 24 hours. It recorded 8,593 new positive cases and 85 deaths on Wednesday while

DEPUTATION TENURE OF DR VINOD KUMAR MISHRA EXTENDED

Delhi’s air slips back to ‘very poor’ New Delhi: Delhi’s AQI, slipped back to ‘very poor’ from the ‘severe’ category on Thursday, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). The overall AQI was recorded at 326 today, on the SAFAR application. However, people are still forced to breathe bad air as the dense smogshrouded central Delhi’s area. “Pollution was there in summer also, it’s just because of winters we can see it clearly now.

The odd-even scheme was good, but I do not think pollution has any permanent solution,” said a youngster in Delhi.

Image for representational purpose only.

countries separately where the Chinese have blocked some patrolling

O P DADHICH TO BE MEMBER CBIC?

Delhi govt bans Chhath Puja at ghats to contain Covid-19 spread

TRUST DEFICIT

The issue of Depsang plains would be discussed between the two

POWER Gallery O P Dadhich is likely to be appointed as new Member of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). He is 1986 batch IRS (C&CE) officer.

The deputation tenure of Dr Vinod Kumar Mishra, working as Secretary General, World Hindi Secretariat, Port Louis under the Ministry of External Affairs, has been extended upto May 31, 2021.

ACC YET TO APPROVE EXTENSION OF UDAY KUMAR AS DIRECTOR, NSIC

SMRITI IRANI TESTS NEGATIVE

points of the Indian Army and a couple of other patrolling points

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) is yet to approve the extension of P Uday Kumar to the post of Director (Planning & Marketing), National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC). His tenure has already come to an end on November 7, 2020.

TENURE OF ANAND SWAROOP AS IG, ITBP EXTENDED

7,264 patients recovered from the infection. The death rate so far stands

at 1.57 percent while it remained at 0.99 per cent in the last 10 days.

Government issues notice to Twitter for showing Leh in J&K New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued notice to Twitter for showing Leh as part of J&K instead of the Ladakh, sources in the Ministry said here on Thursday.

According to sources, the Ministry had issued a notice to the Global Vice President of the micro-blogging platform on November 9.

The Ministry in its notice has mentioned that showing Leh as part of Jammu and Kashmir is a deliberate attempt by Twitter to undermine the will of sovereign

India, China to dismantle new structures New Delhi: As part of the disengagement proposals being discussed between India and China, the two sides would dismantle any new structures that have come up during the ongoing standoff since April-May this year in the Pangong lake area.

There would also be no patrolling activity by either side between the Finger 4 and Finger 8 as China has given up on its old stand to maintain an observation post in the area, sources told ANI here.

06

of the Indian Army where Chinese have not yet disengaged entirely during the first phase of disengagement are also to be resolved soon.

The proposals are being discussed as the armies of the two countries have reached an agreement to discuss stepwise disengagement from parts of the Eastern Ladakh sector under which they would be moving back to their respective positions before April-May timeframe earlier this year.

The deputation tenure of Anand Swaroop working as Inspector General, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been extended for a further period of two years with effect from March 2020. He is a 1992 batch IPS officer of UP cadre.

RAJABABU SINGH LIKELY TO JOIN CENTRAL DEPUTATION AT IG LEVEL

Rajababu Singh is expected to join central deputation at Inspector General of Police (IGP) level. He is a 1994 batch IPS officer of MP cadre.

CANDIDATURE OF THREE IFS PROBATIONERS CANCELLED

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EF&CC) has cancelled the candidature of three IFS Probationers of 2019 exam on the grounds of failing to appear in medical and walking tests. They are: Kankanala Anil Kumar, Divyanashu Singhal and Vishnu Das. FIVE IAS OFFICERS GET NEW JOBS IN MP Parliament of India, which had declared Ladakh as a Union Territory of India with its headquarter in Leh, sources said.

They said the Ministry has directed Twitter to explain within five working days why legal action should not be initiated against Twitter.

NCB quizzes Demetriades for 2nd day Mumbai: As part of its ongoing crackdown on Bollywood-drugs mafia links, the NCB questioned South African model Gabriella Demetriades, a girlfriend of actor Arjun Rampal, for the second consecutive day on Thursday, officials said. Gabriella, 33, was questioned for over six hours on Wednesday also by the central agency officials. She arrived at the NCB office here in the morning.

As many as five IAS officers have been given new postings in Madhya Pradesh. Accordingly, Abhay Kumar Verma has been appointed as Collector, Ashoknagar, while Ms Priyanka Das was made MD, Madhya Pradesh State Seeds and Farm Development Corporation, Bhopal and B Vijay Dutta is Deputy Secretary, Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion Department.

Besides, Sanjay Kumar has been appointed as Collector, Datia and Mayank Agrawal is Additional Collector, Indore.

VARDHAMAN JAIN PROMOTED TO JAG

Vardhaman Jain has been promoted to junior administrative grade (JAG) and posted in National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), Vadodara. He is an IRSE officer.

P M CHANDRAIAH JOINS AS DIRECTOR (FIN), ENGINEERING PROJECTS LTD

P M Chandraiah, Director (Finance), BCPL, has taken over the charge as Director (Finance), Engineering Projects (India) Limited (EPIL).

M S SUBRAMANYA RAO APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR, DOPT

M S Subramanya Rao has been appointed as Director in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). He is a 2000 batch ISS officer.

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 Govt’s booster... under the retirement fund scheme or those who lost their jobs during the March-September period.

The Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar scheme will come into force from October 1 with September as the base month, and will continue till June 30 next year.

Companies with less than 50 employees must recruit at least two new employees, and those with more than 50 employees must hire at least five,

to be eligible for the scheme.

For companies with up to 1,000 EPFO-registered employees earning up to Rs 15,000 per month, the central government will cover the 12 per cent contribution each of the employee and the employer for next two years.

The move is aimed at easing the financial burden on companies for creating jobs.

The government also declared income tax relief for first-time buyers of houses costing up to Rs 2 crore.

Sitharaman doubled the differential between circle rate (stamp duty value) and agreement value (purchase value) for primary sale of residential houses worth up to Rs 2 crore, from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.

As a result, buyers of these units will get a tax relief of up to 20 per cent under the Income Tax Act, necessary amendments to which will be made in due course, she added.

The income tax relief will be available till June 30, 2021.

The tax relief will help the middle class which wants to buy when the housing sector is sitting on inventories, the finance minister stressed.

NDA will... to the position of junior partner in the decades-old alliance with the BJP. Though Paswan’s LJP had won only one seat, Kumar said his separate presence has cut into JDU votes, leading to the loss of nearly 30 seats.

From 71 seats in 2015, the JDU has shrunk to

43 seats, in what has been a huge loss of face for the three-time Chief Minster, making him dependent on the BJP for a long-desired fourth term.

The BJP, which had lost the alliance with Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra over a disagreement over the top post, has maintained since beginning that Kumar will remain its Chief Minister in Bihar.

Even after the results, its leaders have reiterated that Kumar will retain his position.

Ultimate decision...

Arora said keeping in mind the distancing norms in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of voters per polling station was restricted to 1,000 instead of the usual 1,500. This had resulted in an increase of 33,000 polling stations.

This time, Bihar had over one lakh polling stations. More poling stations meant the use of 63 per cent additional electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The number of counting tables per

hall was also halved to seven instead of 14 and the number of counting locations also increased from 38 to 55.

The counting of votes, which began at 8 am on November 10, continued till the wee hours of November 11.

Arora, along with fellow election commissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar, paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

Govt announces...

in a similar bid toboost the economy.

Further, the Rupani government had also stated that the state’s 30,960 class IV employees would each receive a Diwali bonus of up to Rs3,500. At the time, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who had made the announcement, had said, “The state economy, which is recovering from the aftershock of the pandemic and the lockdown period, will get a booster dose, as crores of rupees will be in circulation in the market.”

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

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07

IN THE TRUMPIAN NATIVIST NARRATIVE, THE ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ WALL ON THE US-MEXICO BORDER HAD THE APPEARANCE OF A RELATIVELY SIMPLE FIX TO A HIGHLY COMPLEX ISSUE Hans-Georg Betz

O

ne of the best-known of Donald Trump’s many campaign promises in 2016 was that “he” would build a “big, beautiful wall” along America’s southern border with Mexico to prevent illegal migrants from “shithole countries” crossing into the United States.

And the best thing about it?

The Mexican government was going to pay for it. Not entirely surprising to anyone with even a little sense of reality, the Mexican government was not completely sold on the idea, perhaps because it had not been consulted beforehand.

As a German, I know something about walls. After all, for decades in the postwar period, Germany was divided into two states — the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) — separated by a beautiful and highly efficient wall.

Ironically, one of the great icons of American Republicanism (the party, not the constitutional order), Ronald Reagan, at a moment of complete mental blackout, thought it would be a good idea to tear down the wall.

Or so he called upon his Soviet counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev, in a well-known speech held in West Berlin in 1987.

The Berlin Wall was built in the early 1960s, first in Berlin, then along the whole of the inner border between East and West. It was a great wall, a monument to the ingenuity of West Germany’s government to get its counterpart in the East to build an impenetrable barrier preventing millions of desperate, poverty-stricken Easterners from invading the West in order to take away jobs from hard-working West Germans and take advantage of the FRG’s lavish social welfare benefits. And the best thing?

The East Germans built the wall and the East German government paid for the whole shebang.

Now, that’s what you call the art of the deal. Unfortunately, in 1989, the party came to an abrupt end. On November 9, the wall was demolished, Easterners flooded the West, bringing with them not only xenophobia and racism, but an entitlement mentality which has cost and continues to cost unified Germany billions of euros. Not for nothing, around a quarter of West Germans wished, according to representative surveys, that the wall were rebuilt.

WHAT HAPPENED TO

TRUMP’S WALL? US-Mexico border © EFDN / Shutterstock

OF WALL AND FACTS

T

rigger warning: Those of my readers (if there are any) who have been brainwashed

by Fox News and the Murdoch empire, be warned.

My rendition of what caused the building of the wall across the two Germanys is fake news, or better, an attempt at irony. West Germans always loved their sisters and brothers on the other side of the border, always yearned for the day the two parts of the country would be reunited. The East German government never intended to build the wall but was forced to do so in order to keep Western imperialists out of East Germany’s workers’ and peasants’ paradise and protect the great socioeconomic advances the GDR had made under the wise leadership of the East German Communist Party.

Or so the story went.

Now, to get back to the main topic of this article, what about Trump’s wall?

First, some facts. The border between the United States and Mexico extends over more than 2,000 miles, around twothirds of which consists of the Rio Grande River.

Only about 700 miles are

US President Donald Trump participates in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona on June 23, 2020. —PHOTO BY SAUL LOEB / AFP

The wall dividing East and West Germany came down in 1989.

on land. Even before Trump took office, most of the land border between the two countries was fortified by fences, thanks to both George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

As Obama stated in 2009, “I think the American people, they appreciate and believe in immigration. But they can’t have a situation where you just have half a million people pouring over the border without any kind of mechanism to control it.”

Both Bush and Obama were pro-immigration.

Both understood, however, that a significant number of Americans were not entirely sold on the

idea. Surveys show that Americans are generally well-disposed toward immigrants, certainly better disposed than Europeans.

At the same time, however, there are also considerable concerns. In 2018, about half of respondents thought that immigrants represented a burden on local communities “by using more than their share of social services” — a proposition supported by three-quarters of Republican respondents, compared to merely a bit more than a third of Democrats. The extension of border fortifications along the US-Mexican border was supposed to

alleviate the anxieties and fears of those hostile to immigration while soliciting support for a comprehensive overhaul of immigration policy.

Immigration reform never happened. Instead, one administration after the other tinkered with a system, increasingly seen as dysfunctional, particularly with regard to the question of undocumented immigrants, without ever seriously addressing the misgivings of large parts of the American public.

This allowed Trump to promote an extremist solution to an issue that had been smouldering for decades. This

was largely in line with a larger political agenda aimed at transforming the republic into a form of ethnocracy, defined as a “government or rule by a particular ethnic group,” in the US case by Americans of European descent, or what is generally known as white supremacy.

In the Trumpian nativist narrative, the wall was of central importance.

Better still, it had the appearance of a relatively simple fix to a highly complex issue, which goes right to the heart of American identity and self-understanding. It might be appropriate in this context to recall the inscription

etched into the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This is the claim. Reality has always been somewhat different.

Over the past several decades, Americans have been increasingly less than welcoming to the world’s poor huddled masses, particularly if they happened to come from south of the border.

Again, this is nothing new.

Not long after the establishment of the republic, American pamphleteers charged European governments with dumping their poor onto the shores of the new nation.

UNKEPT PROMISES

Despite it being a cornerstone of Trump’s 2016 campaign, just 15 miles of new barriers were built during his roughly four years in the White House.

—REUTERS

I

ronically enough, while the wall was a central selling point in Trump’s 2016 campaign, Americans were less than convinced.

In a Gallup poll from January 2017, a mere quarter of respondents thought it was “very important” that Trump kept his promise to build a wall along the Mexican border. This was way

below repairing infrastructure, reducing income taxes for all Americans, raising tariffs on foreign imports and deporting illegal immigrants who had committed a crime. Each one of these issues had majority support. In short, most Americans could care less about Trump’s big, beautiful wall, perhaps out of rec-

ognition that walls are hardly ever beautiful. In fact, they are just depressing, as anyone who had visited Berlin during the Cold War can attest.

This might explain at least in part why the wall never really got off the ground. In fact, during the roughly four years of the Trump administration,

only 15 miles of new barriers were built. The rest were repairs and replacements of already existing structures. None of this has come even close to a big, beautiful wall. Nevertheless, the illusion was being kept up, making for some rather grotesque displays along the southern border. They remind one of the last remnants of that other great, beautiful wall on exhibition for curious tourists to admire a few hundred meters along a river in what used to be East Berlin, the former capital of the GDR. The wall is just one, albeit an eminently symbolic one, of the many unkept promises scattered around Trump’s four years in office. Not that he failed to remind his adoring fans of his determination. The pinnacle, at least with respect to the wall, was probably his proud statement a year ago at a rally in Pittsburgh that his administration was

“building a wall in Colorado,” a “beautiful wall, a big one that really works, that you can’t get over, you can’t get under.” Presumably, the wall was supposed to keep those crafty New Mexicans from stealing jobs from the good people of Colorado, or perhaps their marijuana.

No wonder, New Mexicans came out in favour of Joe Biden; but then, so did a majority of voters in Colorado. Apparently, Hannibal Lecter was right, gratitude does have a short half-life.

Perhaps Donald Trump should have taken seriously what American voters expected from him. It might have dawned on him that repairing America’s infrastructure was significantly more important for most voters than building a wall in the middle of nowhere. One year after Trump assumed his office, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) accorded America’s infrastructure a grade of D+.

For those not familiar with the American grading system, a D+ is not good. Students that get a D+ are awarded the grade for showing up in class. In 2019, the ASCE estimated that the US needed “to spend some $4.5 trillion by 2025 to fix the country’s roads, bridges, dams, and other infrastructure.”

The Trump administration did little to nothing to reverse America’s infrastructure crisis. As one commentator put it in 2019, Trump’s claims were just that, getting “Americans nothing. No money. No deal.

No bridges, roads or leadless water pipes.” As Marie Antoinette might have put it, let them take private jets or helicopters.

Under the circumstances, it is perhaps not altogether surprising that last week, Donald Trump lost his bid for a new four-year term. As a result, he might never see the completion of his life’s work, that big,

beautiful wall, a tribute to man’s determination to accomplish the seemingly impossible, to do the right thing, against all odds, even if it is completely ludicrous. To quote that great inspirational movie from 1978, a time when things were still hunky-dory and even the most outrageous college dropout could aspire to become a distinguished member of the US Senate: “I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part! We’re just the guys to do it.”

Unfortunately for Trump, a majority of American voters were unimpressed and decided that one more wall in Colorado was one wall too many. And, to heap injury upon injury, once again the Chinese, with their Great Wall, have gotten the better of Donald Trump.

SOURCE: FAIROBSERVER.COM

On the occasion of Roop Chaudas and Narak Chaturdashi, best wishes to one and all for beauty, joy and love in our lives

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

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COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

INDIA

08

GUJARAT

12,94,248 5,27,85,728 1,28,563 87,23,391 3,785 1,84,964 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 45,682 DEATHS 17,36,329 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 11,440 DEATHS 7,52,521 CASES

DEATHS

UTTAR PRADESH 7,302 DEATHS 5,05,424 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

DELHI 7,332 DEATHS 4,67,028 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 2,032 DEATHS 2,19,327 CASES

Activists want PM, all CMs to look at Dalit plight National Dalit body has petitioned MPs, MLAs to ask PM, CMs about caste-based violence during Covid-enforced lockdown Shishir Awasthi Ahmedabad: Civil rights organization, Dalit Human Rights Defenders (DHRDNet), along with its social media partner Public Bolti, in an online petition about the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amended Act, has asked a select group of MPs and MLAs, to urge the Prime Minister and chief ministers, including Gujarat, to focus urgently on castebased crimes amid the Covid-19 crisis.

DHRDNet mostly con-

—FILE PHOTO

centrates its work in 6 states Gujarat, UP,Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka. It has over 1,000 Dalit human rights defenders from different states as members. Asking them to forward the recommendations in the petition to the PM and CMs, the petition, which is backed up with the social media campaign #LockdownCasteAtrocities, says, investigation into sexual violence against Dalit women, girls and transgender persons should be done by “higher police officials, par-

ticularly by women police officers at the rank of Deputy Superintendent of police.”

The Dalit community has been facing double marginalization, as well as glaring social and economic disparity, which has been further illustrated by the Covid pandemic. With this, the community is also forced to fight the increasing number of caste and gender based atrocities and violence.

“The poor were left hungry, migrant laborers were beaten up by the police as they made their way home on foot to

avoid starvation and homelessness, workers were fired by companies and factories,” the petition says. “For Dalits, the casteism bore its fangs raping us, beating us up, denying us dues for our labour, the most basic price for our crops, forcing us to travel for miles to draw water from the well, leaving us out of government entitlements, murdering us, shoving us into prisons for raising our voices against injustice.”

The petition also attached a set of detailed recommendations for various kinds of issues.

Debt tribunal fines DCB Surat school van driver held for ‘raping’ teen for foreclosure fees First India Bureau

Surat: A van driver, who used to ferry a class 10 student since 2018, lured the 15-year-old girl into physical relations, in the school van and at other places. Later, his wife and sister kidnapped the girl

Assets of `15 crore unearthed in I-T raids —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Debt Recovery Tribunal in Ahmedabad has fined the DCB Bank Rs 5 lakh for charging defaulters a foreclosure fee in violation of norms.

The tribunal has asked the bank to deposit the money in the National Defence Fund.

The presiding officer of the debt tribunal observed that as per the sanction letter, the bank could not recover foreclosure charges from a client even in case of a default.

The officer cited

several other rulings in which there is no precedence of the bank recovering foreclosure charges even in case of default of home loans. The tribunal said that the financial institutions cannot misuse the SARFAESI Act 2002.

SARFAESI stands for Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act. The tribunal observed that India has poor financial literacy and most people fail to understand bank statements.

Meanwhile, the banks come up with such complicated accounting systems that even experts find it difficult to decipher it.

It observed that there was a need for the RBI to come up with a standard accounting system for recovery under the SARFAESI Act. Speaking about the case, counsel for the applicant Anilkumar Mundra said that his client had objected to the foreclosure charge being levied

by DCB Bank in a recovery notice it had sent to his client.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Income Tax officials, during a three-day search operation on Nilkanth Group premises, recovered jewellery worth Rs 10 crore and cash of Rs 4.5 crore, besides documents reflecting unaccounted transactions.

The Nilkanth Group is engaged in the business of transportation and construction in addition to the production and export of salt. A valuer had to be specially called from Rajkot to value the salt that the group held at its various salt hills.

A team of 20 officers were involved in the

teen and beat her up.

They also threatened her not to meet the driver again.

Purna police said Jagdish Agrawal, 32, a resident of Purna, had been ferrying the 15-year-old to school since 2018. They fell in love and later Agrawal lured the

and beat her up for having an affair with the man.

The man, his wife and her sister were arrested on Thursday. Sex with a minor is rape under the law. When the man’s wife came to know of his affair with the child, she and her sister kidnapped the

search operations at the residences and offices of the owners of the group. Officials have also seized 20 bank lockers. The third day of investigation led to the seizure of Rs 4.5 crore in cash from different places.

Besides the businesses that the income-tax team is looking into, the group also owns several properties in the local area and the details of these are being collected by the department.

According to officials, several companies have been registered by the Nilkanth Group and cash has also been handed over to them.

teenager into having sex with him.

When Jagidsh’s wife Raveena came to know of this, she along with her sister Mamta kidnapped the girl and severely beat her up, asking her not to meet Jagdish again. They later dumped her on the road and escaped.

WINTER ARRIVALS!

A family of brown ducks was spotted early Thursday morning near Thol village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

NEW BEGINNING

Gujarat, Rajasthan dominate IIT-Gn’s new B.Tech 2020 batch Maximum 52 students each are from the neighbouring states in IIT-Gn’s new batch First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Gujarat and Rajasthan have the maximum representation among as many as 242 students from 20 States of the B.Tech. batch of 2020, who were on Thursday accorded a warm welcome at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhina-

gar (IIT-Gn) in the virtual mode.

Gujarat and Rajasthan have 52 students each in the new batch followed by Maharashtra (45), Uttar Pradesh (18), Madhya Pradesh (10), Kerala (10), Andhra Pradesh (9), Telangana (9), Delhi (7), Bihar (7), among others.

The new batch has an increased gender ratio, with around 19% of female students joining the Institute in various disciplines.

With this, the Institute also kick-started its flagship Foundation Programme. Interacting with the new batch on YouTube, IIT-Gn Director Prof Sudhir K Jain, Director, IITGN, said, “IIT-Gn has a different approach that will prepare you for life and equip you with the

New batch of IIT-Gandhinagar B.Tech students were given warm welcome in virtual mode on Thursday.

skill-sets that you need to succeed. I want you to have a positive attitude and the commitment to work hard, not only in studies but other extracurricular activities as well.”

Prof Harish PM, Dean of Student Affairs, congratulated all students for overcoming all hurdles and making into an the IIT during the time of Covid-19 pandemic.

He also gave a brief idea about various op-

portunities that will be available to them as IITGN students and the culture of being responsible for their choices and actions. He advised them, “Embrace the struggles because they shape you for life. Explore all the opportunities and experiences fully. You have to start thinking to be a seeker rather than a follower.”

The students were also provided a sneak peek of the IITGN campus through a virtual tour.

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From left: Nitika Shekhawat, Mittali Kaur, Amisha Raj, Kanchan Khatana and Mansi Bainada

—FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAYUR KHATRI

With Diwali just around the corner, everyone is busy to look their best.

On the occasion of Roop Chaudas, City First presents some of the golden tips to enhance your beauty!

KARISHMA GWALANI karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

T

he festival of Diwali establishes a hectic schedule as many things take place at a single time. In this busy schedule, women are left with no time to centralize on their beauty. Roop Chaudas is one such dedicated day to focus and beautify oneself for the auspicious occasion of Diwali. In ‘Roop Chaudas’, where Roop represents Beauty; City First shares a few tips to get your glorious glow back.

Wheat flour scrub: Make a paste of wheat along with rose water + turmeric powder + drops of lemon juice.

Scrub for 7 minutes to get a smooth flawless skin.

Besan Paste: This magic flour can be used as a face pack with

some drops of honey, lemon and milk cream. Quick-dry in 20min and then rinse it off for clear and glowing skin.

Don’t forget to Hydrate The Skin: Finally, take a bowl of cold water, soak a towel in it and place this towel on your face. All you have to do is relax for a while. This helps to hydrate and lock the moisture in your skin.

Organiser Yogesh and Nimisha Mishra; Photoshoot partner, Jewellery designer, Neha Sharma; Lavanya Women Fiesta; Grooming partner, Sizzlin Scizzors Deepali Chugh; Wedding collection, Sanjay Sharma.

09

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

10

An Ayurvedic guide to attaining radiant beauty

this Roop Chaudas

DEVYANI SINGH

Ayurveda, Nutrition and Holistic Wellness Advocate Instagram: @devyanirathore

T

Vata (principle of movement including neuro-electrical impulses) Pitta (metabolic fire responsible for digestion, absorption and assimilation of nutrition) Kapha (building block material like protein and

fat) But often, even in a spiritual science like Ayurveda, beauty is indeed, skin deep. Skin is the reflection of what is going on deep inside, even down to our organs and is used in clinical observations and diagnosis of ailments.

Devyani Singh

vam is sacred. It is the pursuit of making your consciousness holy. One, which is free from thought, feeling, emotion, judgment and conclusion. Sundaram is beauty, the pursuit of observing ones environment with this pure sacred consciousness to see beauty everywhere. This is the spiritual secret of Ayurveda to attain true radiant beauty.

To make radiant beauty divine we must strive to achieve brilliant ‘Ojas’ (immune mechanism and bodily tissue), excellent ‘Tejas’ (cellular intelligence and metabolic activity) and vibrant ‘Prana’ (life force and flow of communication). We must also work on flushing out Ama (toxic waste) and balancing the three Doshas–

FA CE OF TH ED AY

he holy month of Kartik is upon us and as the warmth of the sun grows distant we adopt auspicious rituals of fire. The fiveday long Diwali festivities begin with Dhanteras, the birthday of lord Dhanvantri - god of Ayurveda. As mentioned in Vedic texts ‘Sagar Manthan’ or the churning of the cosmic ocean brought forth Lord Dhanvantri bearing a pot of ‘Amrit’ (the nectar of immortality). This Amrit was the gift of healing in the form of Ayurveda.

Lord Dhanvantri imparted Ayurvedic wisdom on various aspects like diet, herbs, pranayama, mantra and meditation for the holistic wellbeing of mankind. Dhanteras is followed by the day of beautification - Roop Chaudas or Narak Chaturdashi.

The month of Kartik provides a salubrious environment to rejuvenate skin cells. If you have ever considered an all-natural skin care regime then this is the time of year for a favorable start. Roop Chaudas, also know as Narak Chaturdashi, is celebrated to mark the victory of goddess Kali over the demon king Narakasur. Hence, on this day Diyas are lit to dispel evil darkness in the environment and divine self-care rituals of beauty are performed to awaken the inner goddess.

But what does it take to attain divine beauty? And how can one measure this beauty? Certainly not by modern standardizations of dress size, skin color or age defying surgical interventions. Ayurveda is a part of Rigveda that measures beauty as Satyam (truth), Shivam (sacred), Sundaram (beauty).

Satyam is the pursuit of truth, the discovery of your consciousness. Shi-

YOUR DAY Horoscope by

Saurabbh Sachdeva

col used in accordance with Dosha disorders can be greatly beneficial. Vata ailments include skin issues like dryness, sensitive irritable skin, eczema and early signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles.

Pitta ailments include pigmentation and discoloration of skin,

age spots and sun sensitivity. Kapha ailments include Psoriasis, oiliness, boils and pimples.

These beauty rituals combined with a balanced lifestyle and regular breathing practices are sure to give you a long lasting radiant festive glow!

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Bumptious youngsters are a big no for you as you like obedient kinds. You are financial stable but not satisfied and you want to collect wealth. This is an excellent time to showcase your talents as not only you will get the recognition for it but also you will get rewarded.

Refinement is important if you are dealing in good business as there could be an inspection. Changes in behaviour will directly have good impact on your relationships both personal and professional. Joining hands with someone for a social cause will be the best decision.

Abstemious behaviour just to slim down could be a good idea if tried for sometime. Your venture that was all going down will suddenly start giving you profits beyond measure. Some of you are not very much interested in studies and there is nothing to be ashamed about it.

Barriers are many in life to state the truth but it surely depends on each individual how they manage to cross it. You are gifted with lots of wealth in inheritance and you plan to do something big with it. You are a devoted person and you dedicate yourself completely to any task.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You have in-depth knowledge of a particular subject and you may have a career in teaching like. You will earn a lot and money will never cease to flow in your life but satisfaction is another thing, you have to learn to be happy in present. All that you like and love is manifested.

Eventualities related to business are something you should be prepared for well and in advance. Don’t stress out and over exert today as sometimes too much burden of work can make you sick so take things a bit easy. Those compelled in terms of career must take a stand now.

Excessively eating from outside right now could prove to be a big health hazard. You are tempted towards trying you hand in something creative and its requires some money initially. You are someone who gives strength to people to fight and never give up.

Pending tasks will be complete on your behalf by someone, this is how nature will show its love towards you. A strong position that you hold shall not be misused for self gain at the cost of other people’s gain. You may be confused about someone’s personality.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Impatient nature sometimes does good for you. You are always busy in your fantasy world and you need someone from outside to wake you up and get you out. You are working on a project that will change your life, this is the beginning of your career and you shall never look back.

Looking out for a friend is something everyone can learn from you. You are special in many ways and your parents are blessed to have you in their life. You have a vision and you will achieve all that you want someday. This is the beginning of a golden period of your life.

Brilliant mind leads to brilliant ideas but thats not it, you need to put those ideas to some use for brilliant outcomes. You are very quick with your responses and sometimes you say things that you don’t mean as you don’t think much before speaking.

You love your spouse.

Mother’s love is most important for you and you can do anything for your mother. You are recently feeling restless as you wish to do something but still couldn’t figure out what, don’t worry you shall find the way soon. Your performance and improvement is remarkable.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

AYESHA DHULE, Content Creator

So w e must m a k e great efforts to keep our skin beautiful and radiant.

Traditionally on Roop Chaudas an ‘Abhiyangan Snan’ is taken at the crack of dawn. The first step of Abhiyangan is ‘Snehana’ literally translating to selflove. Snehana is a self-oil massage using sesame oil for its warming, deeply nourishing, detoxing and anti-aging effect. This massage also enhances muscle tone and blood flow.

The next stage is ‘Lepan’ or body pack. A combination of complimentary herbs is mixed with yogurt to form a thick paste called Ubtan and is applied over the body. Once this paste has dried it is softly rubbed off the skin and finally washed off with warm water or even raw milk. After this ritual one can proceed with their regular bathing practice as well. A five-wick Diya is lit in a corner for lord Yamraj to symbolize the washing away of psychological Ama or waste of laziness, procrastination and sluggishness.

Ayurvedic Ubtans made at home are true beauty elixirs. A key ingredient in Ubtan with a myriad of benefits is Chironji. A simple nut usually used in festive sweet preparations like kheer. Chironji is good antioxidant shielding the skin form radical oxidative damage like age spots, wrinkles, fine lines and dark circles. It is also anti-inflammatory reducing conditions like acne, pimples and infections. Ubtan combined with herbal proto-

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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ACE THE GRACE

The festive season is all about dressing up, and who doesn’t like dressing up, right? Since the firecrackers are banned this year, dressing up is something that can provide utmost satisfaction during the Diwali season, and City First showcases a few Bollywood actresses who have nailed their fashion game when it comes to Indian wear. From Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Tamannaah Bhatia, Kriti Sanon, Alia Bhatt and Anushka Sharma to Chitrangada Singh, Shipa Shetty Kundra and Juhi Chawla, each one of them have absolutely hit a century with their dressing sense!

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

11

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

DEEPAVALI –

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

D

eepawali is a special festival for one and all across the length and breadth of India. This festival has something special for each and every one. The five-day festivities bring families together and the days are filled with joy, togetherness, sumptuous treats, new beginnings in business and relationships, happy time for the kids as sweets and crackers abound and much much more.

Diwali in the state of Uttar Pradesh is a treat to the eyes. Naturally, in the birthplace of Lord Rama, the fes-

Celebrating

12

Deepawali is celebrated across India and in the Indian community across the world and it is the nature of this festival that every state brings something different and unique to it. We check out from our bureaus in Jaipur, Lucknow and Ahmedabad about what is special about the Deepawali there!

APNO KA TYOHAAR! tival of lights is an extravagant affair. The festivity begins with the grand Ganga aarti in the evening.

Thousands of illuminated lamps (diyas) float over the surface of the river Ganges.

As the night progresses, one can witness the enchanting sight of thousands of priests chanting hymns and bringing in the festive feels.

The experience is as mesmerising as it is spiritual.

With the Ram Mandir now a reality in Ayodhaya, Deepawali this year is even more special.

For Gujaratis, Diwali marks the end of the year.

Also, for the business-oriented West, Diwali always means Laxmi pooja. It’s a common belief in western

India that the ‘goddess of wealth’ pays a visit to your house on this auspicious

day, so we can find Gujaratis prepping for the occasion at least 15 days in advance.

The markets are bustling with shoppers and intricate rangolis is made outside houses. One can even find tiny footsteps drawn outside individual doorsteps as a way of welcoming the goddess.

In Rajasthan, the Deepawali decoration of the Pink City is known across and tourists throng to watch the absolutely amazing contemporary thematic light decoration that is part of the

Walled City Deepawali celebrations. The local markets are adorned with lights, lamps and decorations. Shopping festivals and cultural shows are held during this time. The city looks alluring and all lit up during this festive time with the Vidhan Sabha and all local historical monuments and government buildings lit up worth their bit and wooing the tourist.

SPOTTED!

Happiness

HAPPY B’DAY! Kangana Ranaut

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is in Lake City, Udaipur for her brother’s wedding ceremonies. On Thursday, her younger brother Aksht Ranaut tied a knot with Ritu, and the actress posted a few glimpses of the same on her social media account.

Everyone sure looked extremely happy and radiant!

Anil Ambani and Tina Ambani with their children were spotted at Jaipur International Airport on Thursday. They immediately left for Sawai Madhopur, where they will reportedly celebrate the Diwali vacation.

—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO

IAS (UP) Saumya Agarwal celebrated her birthday on 12 November, Thursday. We wish her all the best!