First India-Ahmedabad Edition-22 September 2020

AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

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PM LAYS FOUNDATION STONE OF NH PROJECTS WORTH OVER RS 14,000 CR

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 297

EIGHT CHILDREN AMONG 12 DEAD IN BHIWANDI BUILDING COLLAPSE; SEVERAL FEARED TRAPPED

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD 26°C - 35°C

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Monday Mayhem! `4.23 lakh cr wiped out as markets crash Mumbai: The Sensex dived 812 points while the Nifty closed below the 11,300-mark on Monday, in tandem with a global selloff after a resurgence of coronavirus cases in Europe stoked fears of another round of lockdowns.

Denmark, Greece and Spain have imposed fresh restrictions on activities to tackle a surge in COVID-19 infections.

Britain too is considering a second nation-

wide lockdown, prompting investors in Europe to offload travel, consumption and banking stocks. Falling for the third straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex index ended 811.68 points or 2.09 per cent lower at 38,034.14.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty tumbled 254.40 points or 2.21 per cent to finish at 11,250.55.

IndusInd Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tanking

mark indices succumbed to profit booking in the second half of the trading day and ended more than 2% down. It was in sync with global cues which turned negative following a surge in infections in various countries including in Europe.

All sectoral indices ended in the red, with BSE telecom, realty, metal, auto, healthcare and basic materials cracking up to 5.77 per

8.67 per cent, followed

by Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, ICICI Bank, M&M, Maruti, Axis Bank and Bajaj Finance.

Only three index components ended in the green -- Kotak Bank, Infosys and TCS, rising up to 0.86 per cent.

The market capitalisation of all BSE-listed companies fell to Rs 1,54,76,979.16 crore, wiping off Rs 4.23 lakh crore of investor wealth. Indian bench-

cent. Broader BSE midcap and smallcap indices crashed as much as 3.61 per cent.

In rest of Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul ended significantly lower.

Stock exchanges in Europe witnessed heavy selloff in opening trade, declining up to 3%. In the forex market, the rupee strengthened 7 paise and closed at 73.38 against US dollar. —PTI

RS SUSPENDS 8 ELDERS Decision on Bihar elections in a day or OVER UNRULY BEHAVIOUR two, says CEC Arora Venkaiah Naidu rejects motion of no confidence against Harivansh; Oppn hits out at govt, MPs hold protest at Parliament premises

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha on Monday suspended eight MPs, including TMC leader Derek O’Brien and Sanjay Singh of AAP, for the remaining part of the Monsoon session over their “unruly behaviour” during the passage of farm bills.

With this these eight MPs went on an indefinite sit-in inside Parliament complex.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu termed the behaviour of members during the passage of the bills on Sunday as “very unfortunate, unacceptable and condemnable” and one that has “tarnished the image of Parliament, particularly elders’ House.”

He also rejected notice for a no-confidence motion moved by Leader of Opposition Turn to P6

OPPN PARTIES HIT OUT AT GOVT OVER SUSPENSION

Eight suspended Rajya Sabha MPs display placards as they stage a protest over their suspension, during ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament on Monday night.

—PHOTO BY PTI

OPPN SEEKS MEETING WITH PREZ OVER FARM BILLS New Delhi: A day after two contentious farm bills were passed by Rajya Sabha amid a bedlam, a number of non-NDA parties wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind over the manner in which the government “pushed through its agenda” and urged him not to grant his assent to the proposed legislations. According to sources, leaders of various political parties including Congress, Left parties, NCP, DMK, SP, Trinamool Congress and RJD have in a memorandum to the President sought his intervention in the matter and asked him not to sign the bills.

New Delhi: Opposition parties hit out at the government on Monday over the suspension of 8 RS MPs and are holding a protest on the Parliament premises against the move.

“Suspension of the 8 MPs who fought to protect farmers’ interests is unfortunate,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a tweet. Opposition parties like Congress, CPI(M), Shiv Sena, JDS, TMC, CPI, and Samajwadi Party held a protest on Parliament premises. P5

Farm bills need of hour, mandis & MSP will stay: PM New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Monday that the farm sector reform bills passed by Parliament were the need of 21st century India and again reassured farmers that the government purchase of their produce coupled with the

minimum support price mechanism will continue. With opposition parties vehemently criticising the legislations as “anti-farmers” and protests continuing in states like Punjab and Haryana, Modi again mounted a strong defence of Turn to P6

GOVT HIKES WHEAT MSP BY `50 TO `1,975 PER QUINTAL New Delhi: Government on Monday hiked MSP of wheat by Rs50 per quintal to Rs1,975 per quintal to encourage farmers to increase cultivation of the crop. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired

by PM Modi and was announced by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha.

Dr. Anita New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner of India and chairperson A-WEB, Sunil Arora spoke about the tough predicament faced by Election Management Bodies across the world: Whether and how to hold scheduled elections in a state of public health emergency such as Covid-19.

The CEC said the Commission would take a decision on Bihar elections within the next two to three days after visiting the state.

Arora said this after inaugurating an international webinar on the theme ‘’Issues, Challenges and Protocols for Conducting Elections

CEC Sunil Arora speaking at International Webinar hosted by Election Commission of India, in New Delhi on Monday.

during COVID-19 : Sharing Country Experiences” on completion of one year of Chairmanship of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB). It was hosted by the Election Commission of India

on Monday.

According to ECI’s press note, it was an occasion for democracies world over to come together to share experiences of conducting elections during COVID-19.

Turn to P8

Congress to launch nationwide protest against Farm Bills Aditi Nagar New Delhi: The Congress on Monday said it will launch a nationwide agitation against the farm Bills passed by Parliament and also initiate a campaign for collecting two crore signatures of farmers and the poor against these proposed legislations.

At a press conference

after a meeting of the party’s senior leaders, general secretary KC Venugopal said the Con-

gress will also launch a massive signature campaign in which it aims to collect two crore signatures from farmers and the poor people against farm bills.

The press conference was attended by AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala at AICC headquarters.

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MAKING UP FOR LOSSES

Farmers to receive `3.7K crore relief package from state Transponders to be fitted on fishing boats to monitor movements First India Bureau Gandhinagar: On the first day of the monsoon session of the Gujarat State Assembly, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced a Rs3,700 crore relief package for farmers.

The aid package is for farmers who suffered financial losses after their crops were dam-

aged by heavy rainfall in the state.

Making the declaration, CM Rupani said, “Crops were sown in over 57 lakh hectares of land in 20 districts of the state this monsoon.

We were expecting a record-breaking agricultural harvest but unfortunately, the last spell of heavy showers in August damaged standing

Farmers will receive compensation from the government for losses sustained this monsoon.

crops on 37 lakh hectares of land. As a result, many farmers suffered huge losses.”

Earlier, the state government had put out a statement that as per State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms, farmers whose crops suffered more than 33% damage will receive compensation of Rs10,000 per hectare for a maximum of two hectares of land.

The relief package is set to benefit over 27

lakh farmers from 123 talukas of 20 districts.

To avail the benefit of the relief package, farmers will have to submit online forms from October 1 onwards. After completion of formalities, the compensation money will be transferred to the farmers’ bank accounts. Even small-time farmers will receive a minimal compensation of Rs5,000.

Last December, the state government had announced a Rs3,795

crore relief package for farmers. In 201819, over 51 talukas were declared droughtaffected and 45 talukas were hit with natural calamities. The farmers had been awarded the assistance by the state government back then as well.

Meanwhile, in response to the question of security of fishermen apprehended by Pakistani marines, the chief minister said, Turn to P6

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BJP STATE UNIT PRESIDENT CLARIFIED HIS STANCE ON THE MATTER; OTHER MLAS VOICED THEIR OPINION AS WELL Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: With the festival of Navratri looming, the question on everyone’s minds is whether it will be celebrated this year or not.

While the state government has not made any official directives yet, the state unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) CR Patil addressed the media on Monday and stated that permission for Navratri festivities should not be granted this year. Patil was then quick to clarify that it was his personal opinion and not of the political party he represented.

Answering a question at a press meet, Patil said, “There are experts that believe public gatherings are not a good idea. They have expressly asked that Navratri celebrations should best be avoided this year. I personally believe that permission should not be granted for public events this Navratri.”

Echoing a similar sentiment, a few other MLAs

CR Patil

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

02

PERMISSION FOR NAVRATRI FESTIVITIES

SHOULD NOT BE GRANTED: PATIL

—FILE PHOTO

too voiced their opinion on Navratri celebrations this year.

“People should keep their emotions and sentiments in check this year. Organizing public gatherings to celebrate Navratri can cause more problems, so it will be in everyone’s interest if people do not ask for permission for Navratri festivities,” said BJP MLA Keshubhai Nakrani of Gariyadhar constituency.

Congress MLA Lalit Vasoya of Dhoraji constituency cited the surge of COVID-19 cases as one of the reasons for not organizing Navratri this year.

“Whether one agrees or not, but the fact is that the rate of infection has increased lately. The numbers of cases across the state have also

spiked and the mortality rate is also high.

Amid such a health crisis, celebrating Navratri in public will be undermining an alarming

situation. I hope the government will not grant permission for Navratri festivities.

People can always offer prayers to Goddess Jag-

damba from their homes,” opined Vasoya.

On the other hand, Congress MLA Kirit Patel had no objection to people celebrating

Navratri, provided limited housing society members are granted permission for garba and rituals within the society premises.

It remains to be seen what decision the state government will come to regarding the Navratri festivities this year.

Guj hails Centre move to Cong MLAs protest against fine collection ‘targets’ given to cops upgrade Raksha varsity First India Bureau

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state government on Monday welcomed the central government’s decision to upgrade the recognition of Gandhinagarbased Raksha Shakti University to Rashtriya Raksha University, thereby acknowledging it as a central university. The university has been accorded with the status of ‘Institute of National Importance’, conferred on premier institutions of higher education in the country.

Expressing his elation, Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said, “The Raksha Shakti University was established in 2009

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the Gujarat Chief Minister back then. A model security university, it offered higher educa-

Lok Sabha passed a bill conferring it the status of ‘Institute of National Importance’ on Monday

tion in the fields of cyber security, counterterrorism, anti-insurgency and defence strategies.”

With the Lok Sabha passing the Rashtriya Raksha University Bill, the nation has taken a step towards strengthening the

broader framework of ‘Training-Research-Extension-Education’ (TREE) for the country’s police and security forces.

The bill will also increase job opportunities for youngsters.

Jadeja also stated that this achievement

would be the stepping stone in strengthening the internal security structure of the entire country. He also extended the support of the state government and wished the university’s staff a bright future for all future endeavours.

Gandhinagar: Congress MLAs from Ahmedabad Gyasuddin Sheikh and Imran Khedawala staged a protest outside the State Assembly before attending Day One of the fiveday Monsoon Session which began Monday.

They wore “aprons” made from flex banners protesting the fine-collection drive currently being carried out by the police.

MLA Shaikh said that their protest was against the practice of giving the cops a “collection target” when it came to fines. His apron said: “Praja chhe berojgar, police mare dandno mar” (roughly translated: “People are unemployed, but police are hitting them with fines”).

He told First India, “In just one month, the police have collected Rs5.5 crore in

Imran Khedawala (left) and Gyasuddin Shaikh (right) wore signs outside the Assembly before participating in the first day of the Monsoon Session.

fines from the people.

At a time when unemployment is high and the economic condition of people has worsened due to the lockdown, the government has given targets to traffic police personnel to collect a certain amount of fine from commoners,” he said, adding, “Groups of traffic cops are seen at every nook and corner in the city to implement the fine-collection

drive. They have been collecting fines as high as Rs8,000-10,000 in certain cases.”

Meanwhile, the MLA Khedawala wore an apron that said, “Coronama nishfal sarkar praja ne mare dandno mar” (roughly, “The government that has failed in the COVID-19 crisis is punishing the people”).

Khedawala said, “We believe in social distancing, maskwearing, and using

hand sanitizer, but we disapprove of the government giving cops a daily rank-wise target to cops for collecting fines for violating the helmet rule and other reasons--especially during the pandemic.”

Caption: Imran Khedawala (left) and Gyasuddin Shaikh (right) wore signs outside the Assembly before participating in the first day of the Monsoon Session

ASSEMBLY TALKIES

Hapless Patel’s comment on nCoV scare raises brows l First day of the monsoon assembly session saw Nitin Patel discuss COVID-19, cattle shelters & corona warriors First India Bureau Gandhinagar: One would expect the government made up of elected representatives to have a handle on the situation in the state. So, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel’s comment--that

“God only knows what will happen next” in terms of COVID-19-has understandably raised eyebrows.

Meanwhile, even as the state seems to remain clueless as to how to control the spread of the pandemic, the minister for animal hus-

bandry in answer to a question informed the House that the state would release Rs100 crore in funding towards cattle shelters.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel spoke on a resolution which paid tribute to former President of India Pranab Mukherjee and other former members of the state legislative assembly.

Patel also paid tribute to corona warri-

Deputy CM Nitin Patel

Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

—FILE PHOTOS

ors who laid down their lives in the line of service. “The novel coronavirus pandemic is such a volatile crisis that one cannot be sure what will happen next,” he remarked.

Further, the state government reiterated that it was committed to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister of State for Home and Parliamentary Affairs Pradipsinh Jadeja

said that the service of all corona warriors must be applauded by everyone.

Meanwhile, state Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said that the state will protect cows and other cattle living in shelter homes. He added that the government had allocated Rs100 crore to meet their fodder requirements for the next four months.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

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Dark days for Gujarat: Three farmer suicides in 15 days

03

Dardi Samiti says funds mismanaged at nCov hosp

Crop failure due to excessive rainfall, financial losses main reasons for the extreme step Ahmedabad: Due to financial losses accumulated by damage to standing crops this monsoon, yet another farmer breathed last at the Rajkot Civil Hospital on Sunday.

This is the third farmer suicide reported in the state in less than a fortnight.

After his crops got damaged twice due to heavy rainfall, 35-yearold Pravinbhai Gharaiya of Roghda village in Kutiyana taluka of Porbandar district, had been facing severe financial crunch. Unable to bear with the situation he found himself in, Pravinbhai consumed poison at his residence.

Pravinbhai’s family members took him to Upleta in Rajkot district for treatment, where doctors referred him to Rajkot Civil Hospital due to his deteriorating condition. But, he died be-

—FILE PHOTO

Haresh Jhala

SORRY SITUATION

The COVID-19 facility at the New Civil Hospital in Surat.

First India Bureau

fore he could reach the hospital. He was survived by a wife and two children.

Kutiyana Police SubInspector KS Gulchar said, “We are awaiting papers to arrive from the Rajkot Civil Hospital police chowky. It is still unclear whether the deceased consumed poison on Sunday or Saturday afternoon.

But, from what we have

heard, he had been facing some problems which led to the suicide.

We will ascertain the actual reason for the extreme step once we record statements of his relatives.”

On September 19, Pratapbhai Vegad of Dhendhuki village in Sayla taluka of Surendranagar district ended his life by consuming poison. The reason for

Pratapbhai’s extreme step seems to be the same as Pravinbhai; crops damaged by heavy showers.

In yet another incident, on September 10, Babubhia Pokiya of Chhodavadi village in Kalavad taluka of Jamnagar district immolated himself after his crop was damaged by rains.

Ratasinh Dodiya,

farmers’ leader from Surendranagar district, has demanded that the state announce a relief package for farmers at the earliest, instead of waiting for survey reports and finalizing compensation amounts. He warned that if there was any further delay, he feared more farmers would be forced to end their lives.

Surat: The city’s Dardi Seva Samiti has accused Dr Jayesh Brahmbhatt, the dean of the staterun New Civil Hospital, of mishandling the administration of the COVD19 facility. In a letter to the district collector, the president of the patient welfare body has demanded an inquiry into the matter as well.

In the complaint, Dardi Seva Samiti president Subhash

Jhade says Dr Brahmbhatt had ordered 16 portable X-Ray machines for the COVID-19 hospital when 10 were already in stock.

He also alleged that air-conditioners have been rented for the facility rather than bought, and that this has cost a whopping Rs70 lakh so far.

“There have been irregularities in the contracts for purchasing and renting equipment for the COVID-19 Hospital. This gross mismanagement of funds needs to be

—FILE PHOTO

looked into at the earliest,” which needs to be inquired upon,” Subhash Jhade, president of the Dardi Seva Samiti, said in the letter to the collector.

Dr Brahmbhatt has denied any involvement in irregularities.

“The government has appointed a nodal officer to care of everything related to COVID-19 treatment. Besides, it is the district collector who looks after all things. The dean has a very negligible role in any of this,” he said.

Positive cases in Surat city Season has brought 130% of average annual rain inch towards 20K mark —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: As many as 170 talukas in the state received rainfall over the past 24 hours.

The highest rainfall of 4.24 inches was recorded in Amreli’s Bagasara. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has

First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: On Monday, Surat reported 179 fresh cases, which took the city’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 19,905. With three more fatalities in the past 24 hours, the city has now seen 898 deaths related to the novel coronavirus.

In addition, the northern Gujarat districts of Mehsana and Banaskantha saw 60 and 52 fresh cases of the disease, respectively.

The state has conducted 61,897 tests in the past 24 hours, which yielded 1,430 positive results. There are now 16,337 active cases, with 89 patients on ventilator support. Of the 17 patients who died in the past 24 hours, six deaths took place in Surat district, three in Ahmedabad, two each in Vadodara and Bhavnagar, and one each in Rajkot and Gir Somnath.

As part of its effort to track super-spread-

COVID-19 testing in Ahmedabad.

1,430 cases, 17 deaths take state tally to 1,24,767 cases, death toll to 3,339 ers to control the spread of COVID-19, the Surat Municipal Corporation has tested 884 petrol-pump employees in the last few days. Of these, 16 have tested positive. However, worryingly, on Monday, 12 positive cases were reported from a single petrol pump, which has since been shut down.

—FILE PHOTO

In Vadodara city, 129 positive cases emerged after 4,255 samples were tested. There are 1,500 active cases there, of which 63 patients are on BiPAP machines and ventilators and 167 are on oxygen support.

Positive cases also emerged in Ahmedabad (177), Rajkot (143), Jamnagar (123), Gandhinagar (37), Junagadh (37), Amreli (32), Bhavnagar (28), Panchmahal (28), Kutch (27) and Surendranagar (27).

With 14 new microcontainment zones, Ahmedabad now has a total of 317 such zones.

Woman labourer gang-raped in A’bad First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Two men raped, beat and robbed a woman labourer after luring her on the pretext of offering her dailywage work, according to a complaint filed at the Sabarmati Police Station on Sunday.

The police say they have launched an investigation.

In her complaint, the 35-year-old woman said the incident occurred five days ago. She had been looking for work at the labour market in Nava Wadaj area, when

two men offered her work at a construction site near Zundal Square on the Sardar Patel Ring Road. They then offered to ferry her to the location on their bike. However, instead, they took her to some bushes behind a construction site where they raped her, and beat her when she tried to protest. In addition, they also stole cash and her mobile phone before fleeing.

After filing her complaint, the police sent her for a medical checkup and launched a probe, Vijay Patel, DyCP Zone-02 told First India.

Commuters go about their day paying no attention to a wall that collapsed near Zakariya Masjid on Ahmedabad’s Relief Road on Monday. While many old homes in the area are still occupied, this one was luckily empty. No injuries were reported. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

GCS Hospital to organize free cardiology OPD camp Gujarat Cancer Society hosp to offer free ECG and consultation to patients from September 21-30 

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death across the world.

And with COVID-19 laying siege to the world, heart health has never been more important. With this in mind, the GCS (Gujarat Cancer Society) Medical College, Hospital & Re-

search Centre has announced a 10-day camp in the run-up to World Hearth Day on September 29 during which the hospital will offer out-patients a free heart check-up.

The hospital administration says that people with cardiovascular disease and its risk factors—including diabetes high

Dang, Navsari, Tapi on Monday, while Dang and Tapi are expected to see heavy rain on Tuesday, Chhota Udepur, Panchmahal, Dahod on Thursday, and Dahod-Panchmahal on Friday. Moderate to heavy rains are likely in Jamnagar, Porbandar, and Dwarka.

CRUMBLING PAST

WORLD HEART DAY

—FILE PHOTO

cholesterol and hypertension—are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

“Such patients face a double-edged sword, since co-morbidities make infection by the Sars-CoV-2 virus even more dangerous. Not only are patients with CVD more at risk of COVID-19, but they may also be afraid to seek ongoing care for their heart issues,” a press release issued by the hospital to announce the camp stated.

predicted four days of heavy rain in many parts of the state.

Gujarat has already received 130% of its average annual rainfall of 831mm, and 115 talukas have seen upwards of 1,000mm of rainfall this monsoon season.

IMD has forecast heavy rain in Surat,

“To this end,” the statement continued, “GCS Hospital has organized a Free Cardiology OPD Camp from September 21 to September 30, to mark World Heart Day on September 29. There are many factors that result in heart diseases, including diabetes, blood pressure, smoking, and high cholesterol.

There will be free ECG and consultation for patients on these days.”

HC launches contempt proceedings against Oza First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The state high court has initiated criminal contempt proceedings against Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association President Yatin Oza. The advocate appearing on behalf of the high court submitted that there was enough substance to the case against Oza. The advocate also added that since the Registry is part of the high court, all allegations made against the

registry may be considered to be disrespectful towards the court as well. He also proceeded to point out that allegations made in the letter addressed to Chief Justice Vikram Nath had also been discourteous and that contempt proceedings could be initiated on that charge too.

It is to be noted that Yatin Oza had submitted an unconditional apology to the high court, which not only rejected it but has also now launched contempt proceedings against him.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

F

MPS CONTINUE TO FLOUT RULE BOOK

or unruly members, the Rules of Conduct and Parliamentary Etiquette provide that “The House has the right to punish its members for their misconduct whether in the House or outside it. In cases of misconduct or contempt committed by its members, the House can impose a punishment in the form of admonition, reprimand, withdrawal from the House, imprisonment, and expulsion from the House.” Despite the rules, MPs have been known to create ruckus in parliament over various issues. Their conduct in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday was therefore not surprising. House Chairman Venkaiah Naidu decided to suspend eight Opposition members, including Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen of the Trinamool Congress and Sanjay Singh of Aam Admi Party. Three Congress MPs - Rajeev Satav, Syed Nazir Hussein, and Ripun Boren---were also suspended.

Others who were handed the punishment are KK Ragesh and Elamaram Karim (CPM).

These members were charged with obstructing the Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh from his duties, throwing the rule book at him, tearing papers, and breaking mike after the agriculture sector reform bills were passed. The Opposition’s allegation is that through these bills the farmers will be shortchanged. Their main charge is that the bills aim to do away with the Minimum Support Price, a factor which has upset the farmers too. Even the prime minister’s repeated assurances on MSP failed to convince them. To counter the Opposition’s ploy and to reassure farmers of its intent the government has hiked the MSP of rabi crops by Rs 50 to Rs 300 per quintal. Hopefully, the salve will work.

GROWTH IS INEVITABLE THE SOFT POWER WAY!!

YASH KALRA The writer is a motivational speaker, visiting faculty in various universities to speak on management and an Event Manager by profession

T

he power of example and the power to attract others with culture is what is known as Soft Power.

Power is something which can be achieved in three ways: z The power by threatening and

fighting.

z The power by paying and

buying.

z The power of attracting and

making the world want what we want and that, in other words, is called soft power.

SUCCESS OF BORDER TALKS HINGE ON CHINA

I

ndia-China began the sixth round of military-level talks at Chushul, near eastern Ladakh, for “simultaneous disengagement” to defuse the tense situation. For the first time two LieutenantGenerals, two Major-Generals, and, significantly, a joint secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs are part of the delegation. Lt-Gen Harinder Singh, Commander of the 14 Corps in Leh, is leading the delegation. The insistence on simultaneous disengagement is based on the five-point plan agreed upon by the foreign ministers of the two countries thrashed out a five-point plan to defuse the situation. The agenda for the current round of talks was finalized at a high-level meeting attended by the NSA Ajit Doval, CDS General Bipin Rawat, and the army chief Gen MM Naravane.

The focus of today’s negotiations will be on the north and south bank of the Pangong Tso Lake, where four new face-off points have emerged at Rechen La, Rezang La, and Spangur Gap on the south. The friction point in the north is the area between Finger Four and Finger Three. At the three points in the south, the two armies are about 200 metres from one another. It was at the north bank that the Chinese fired warning shots in the air to intimidate Indian troops. Doubts persist on China’s intention to start the disengagement process if the Chinese will agree to the terms of disengagement as they want to concede ground given India’s strategic advantage over heights. With the talks having continued for over 12 hours, resolving the contentious issue looks challenging. India, however, is prepared for any eventuality along the LAC.

India, today is racing the charts in many aspects and exercising its way to becoming a giant, be it population, military strength, nuclear power, the fifth-largest economy in the world and the list is long

The soft power helps the nations, organisations, enterprises, entrepreneurs and individuals to gain what they want without spending the resources they have to become powerful.

Back in 1941 when Japan attacked the pearl harbour, it was an act of the government killed less people than the attack in 2001 on world trade centre by a private organisation, which is also an example of soft power.

India, today is racing the charts in many aspects and exercising its way to becoming a giant, be it population, military strength, nuclear power, fifthlargest economy in the world and the list is long. BUT THIS IS NOT WHAT IS MAKING INDIA A WORLD LEADER. What makes India, a world leader is all the above combined with its power of example, the culture of India, which makes the country a SOFT POWER GIANT today.

The following are some of the factors making India a soft power and getting the power return from the west to the east.

COMMUNICATION All types of communication in India are the fastest in the world.

z News Channels: The country

leads in giving the maximum number of news channels in the world, making sure the world is known to Indians and vice versa at the fastest and the truest.

z Mobile Phones: India is the

largest telephone industry in the world with selling more than 13 million cell phones a month and making the modes of communication very fast.

The point is how far we have come as a nation in some years from the time, where telephones were a luxury, being allotted to a very few with the special recommendation and with a booking line of 8 years to get a connection, to a time where a fisherman can crack a deal of the fishes caught by him from the middle of the ocean finally saving several business hours per day per head.

The mobile market of India gathers more connections and cell phones than America and China both put together.

FILM INDUSTRY The Indian film industry has followers across the globe. An international news agency covered this, In Afghanistan that all the roads, functions come to hold and stand still at 8:30 PM every day. The marriage functions have to be put on hold at the same time so that everybody turns their attention to the televisions and watch the famous Indian serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The incident occurred that a

THE SOFT POWER HELPS THE NATIONS, ORGANISATIONS, ENTERPRISES, ENTREPRENEURS, AND INDIVIDUALS TO GAIN WHAT THEY WANT WITHOUT SPENDING THE RESOURCES THEY HAVE TO BECOME POWERFUL

group of robbers ripped off every moving part of the cars standing in a showroom because the security was busy seeing the television and wrote “LONG LIVE TULSI” on the wind shield on one of the cars while leaving the showroom.

Bollywood is not only employing people in India but generating employment across the globe.

LARGEST FOOD INDUSTRY IN THE WORLD Leave the acceptance of Indian curry in India, if we take the example of Britain. Indian restaurants in Britain employ

TVs obsession with the Murdoch family dynasty

O

f all the words written about Rupert Murdoch, “boring” is not one of them.

The media mogul has been the object of fascination for six decades, after he followed his father Sir Keith in to the newspaper business.

Family dynasties in newspapers are not new – there were the Harmsworths in the UK; the Hearsts, Grahams and Sulzbergers in the USA; and the Packers and Fairfaxes as well as the Murdochs in Australia.

But Murdoch has exercised a particular fascination: the almost irresistible core of a family with the gloss of celebrity, the heavy aroma of money and the unmistakable aura of power.

No wonder directors, screenwriters and producers continue to find inspiration in the Murdoch family.

FAMILY SAGAS The dynastic shenanigans of the Royal Family have gener

04

Most recently on the small screen, we’ve seen the miniseries MotherFatherSon (2019) with Richard Gere as an American owner of a British newspaper with the full set of dysfunctional family relationships. Gere laments his son lacks ruthless drive, and tragedy follows when the son’s drug habit spirals out of control.

ated volumes of stories, films and television. And, let’s face it, The Godfather is really a family story, even if it’s about a family that lies, extorts and murders.

But what makes the Murdoch story such a compelling template for television drama is the place

the media – and in particular the Murdoch media – holds in our society. The media occupies one of the most contested roles in our democracies, and Murdoch has become a lightning rod for fierce opinions.

Adding extra bite is the family jostling for their father’s

benediction to inherit the company carrying their DNA. This becomes more urgent as the patriarch ages and the offspring start to give their ambition free rein.

It isn’t surprising screenwriters see the attraction of such grand themes.

BUSINESS BEFORE FAMILY The commercial decline of mainstream media, the fragmenting of audiences, the rise of social media, the erosion of trust in established news brands and the polarisation of debate are all bound up with the Murdoch business and the family story.

Murdoch has been a proponent, instigator and beneficiary of these seismic changes, while also being increasingly commercially diminished by those forces. As such, the Murdoch family story is a powerful testimony of our times.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

more people than coal, mining, and shipping industries put together. Today, you go to any part of the world, and no doubt you will find an Indian restaurant, which proves the acceptance of Indian food across the globe and the type of employment generation it gives.

YOGA The acceptance of Yoga across the globe is pushing the world to visit and admire this culture to rejuvenate your souls and getting to live the art of metime.

This art of India is helping various individuals to reach high levels of mental and physical health. The entire world today knows that Yoga delivers peace and a sense of wellbeing.

It simply makes you In-distract-able.

Something vital with all this is that now is the time that says boldly that today bigger armies will not make a nation win, but the culture which tells a better story of ATTRACTION is what will make that nation a SOFT SUPER POWER to become a world leader.

With this background it’s time to say, loudly, to the entire world – INDIA IS COMING. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank @DrRPNishank Standard-setting body #PARAKH will be set up for the implementation of #NEP2020. #PARAKH will set norms, standards & guidelines for student assessment & evaluation & help school boards shift their assessment patterns towards meeting 21st-century skill requirements. #ShikshakParv KC Venugopal @kcvenugopalmp Irony just died a thousand deaths.

Those who demanded democratic discussion were branded as disrupters & those who violated all rules and norms as apostles of democracy. You may suspend them, but you can’t silence their voice. More power to our suspended colleagues.

Spiritual SPEAK

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. —Colossians 3:2

Vol 1 Issue No. 297 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.

Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor: Jagdeesh Chandra, responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

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PARLIAMENT’S MONSOON SESSION

SUSPENDED RS MPS ANNOUNCE INDEFINITE DHARNA IN PARL Leaders of the parties of the suspended MPs have criticised the Centre New Delhi: All the eight MPs who were on Monday suspended from the Rajya Sabha announced an indefinite protest in the Parliament premises, demanding the revocation of their suspension.

Leaders of the parties of the suspended MPs have criticized the central government.

Terming the suspension of eight MPs from Rajya Sabha for one week as “unfortunate”, West Bengal Chief Minister and founder Chairperson of Trinamool Congress (TMC) Mamata Banerjee today said that her party will fight against the “fascist” government in Parliament and on the streets.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “I condemn this kind of expulsion of the members of Rajya Sabha in such a brazen and undemocratic manner. We will protest to restore the status quo ante of our members in Rajya Sabha.” —ANI

New Delhi: Congress party condemned the “brazen and undemocratic manner” in which members of the Rajya Sabha were “expelled” from the House and said that the party will protest to restore the status quo. Addressing a press conference with party colleagues at Vijay Chowk, outside Parliament House, the Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.

“I condemn this kind of expulsion of the members of Rajya Sabha in such a brazen and undemocratic manner. We will protest to restore the status quo ante of our members in Rajya Sabha,” Chowdhury said.

WILL FIGHT IN PARLIAMENT AND ON STREETS: DIDI

BJP Lok Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly hold placards during a protest over drug abuse in Film industry, in front of Mahatma Gandhi Statue at Parliament premises, in New Delhi on Monday.

BSP MP URGES SHAH, LAW MIN TO TAKE COGNIZANCE OF DEATHS IN POLICE CUSTODY New Delh: (BSP) leader Ritesh Pandey on Monday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to take cognizance of the deaths in police custody. He said that Vikas Dubey, who was killed in an encounter by UP Police on July 10 after he “attempted to flee”, should have been punished via legal procedure so that people’s trust in rule of law isn’t weakened.

“Incidents of murders in Police custody, in the form of Police encounters are before us. Such murders are a threat to a civilized society, he added.

Kolkata: West Bengal CM and TMC president Mamata Banerjee called suspension of eight Rajya Sabha MPs, including ywo from her party, over Sunday’s chaos in the House ‘unfortunate.’ Banerjee further vowed to fight the ‘fascist’ BJP government in Parliament and on the streets. “Suspension of the eight MPs who fought to protect farmers’ interests is unfortunate and reflective of this autocratic government’s mindset that doesn’t respect democratic norms and principles. We won’t bow down and we’ll fight this fascist government in Parliament and on the streets,” CM tweeted.

INFRA BOOST FOR BIHAR!

PM lays foundation stone of NH projects worth over Rs 14,000 cr

lated from Hindi).

Earlier on Sunday, Gandhi slammed the agriculture Bills passed

by Rajya Sabha and said that the democracy is ashamed of the way these bills have been passed.

“The farmer who grows gold from the earth, Modi government’s pride is making those farmers cry tears of blood. Democracy is ashamed of the way this government issued a death warrant against farmers by passing these Bills in Rajya Sabha,” Gandhi tweeted.

—ANI

AS TAJ REOPENS, BIZMEN, OTHERS BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF Agra: Over 450 licensed photographers, apart from other businessmen, who had suffered a major hit owing to COVID-19 induced lockdown breathed a sigh of relief as the Taj Mahal reopened for tourists after a gap of six months. A total of 465 photographers whose livelihoods depended on tourists who came

MT NEW DIAMOND

Jaishankar, Pradhan, review, discuss crude vessel’s condition

CONGRESS CONDEMNS ‘EXPULSION’ OF RS MPs

Govt blames people, God for country’s plight, asserts RaGa

New Delhi: Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the “blind arrogance” of the government blames people or God for the plight of the country, but not their own misrule.

“The blind arrogance of the Modi government blames God or sometimes people for the plight of the country, but not their own misrule and wrong policies. How many more Act of Modi will country bear with?” Gandhi tweeted (roughly trans-

05

to view the majestic Taj will follow all Standard Operating Procedures and have been divided into two groups, which will function on alternate days, and further into two shifts, one from morning till noon and the other from 12:30 pm till sunset.

The government has capped the numbers of tourists to 5,000 a day.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of nine highway projects in Bihar on Monday, he also laid the foundation of “Har Gaon Optical Fibre Cable” for Internet Services to connect all villages of Bihar.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, today is an important day for expediting the infrastructure development and economic activities in Bihar.

“History has witnessed that only that nation progresses, which invests heavily on infrastructure. Today, highways are being constructed at double the earlier speed. Investment on road construction has also been increased five times,” said PM Modi. He further said that Bihar is one of the biggest beneficiaries of this infrastructure development. —ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during the inauguration ceremony of nine highway projects in Bihar via VC in New Delhi.

Nine-projects have been inaugurated today which include making six-lane highways, and three bridges on rivers. I congratulate the people of Bihar for getting these projects. Today is not only important for Bihar but for the whole country, today India is taking a big step to make its villages a basis of Atmanirbhar Bharat and I am happy that it is starting from Bihar.

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

PM LIKELY TO OPEN ATAL TUNNEL AT HIMACHAL’S ROHTANG PASS ON OCTOBER 3 Shimla: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Manali, Himachal Pradesh on October 3 for the inauguration of Atal Tunnel, said Jai Ram Thakur, the state’s Chief Minister said on Monday. “Prime Minister is likely to visit Manali on October 3 for the inauguration of Atal Tunnel. He will also visit Lahaul after that, according to the proposed plan. It has not been finalised yet,” said Thakur while speaking to the reporters earlier today. The construction of the Atal Tunnel connecting Manali with Leh, which is the world’s longest highway tunnel above 10,000 feet, has been completed in a span of 10 years whereas the original estimated time was less than six years.

ARMY CHIEF TO DEAL WITH ISSUES IN COMMAND HQs New Delhi: Chief of Army Staff, General MM Naravane has deputed a senior Lieutenant General to look into the differences of opinion between the Army Commander, South Western Command and his Chief of Staff on the role, charter and duties of various appointments within the Command Headquarters. The South Western Army Command is headquartered in Jaipur and looks after the border with Pakistan from Rajasthan to parts of Punjab. The nominated Lt Gen has been asked to submit a detailed report regarding the issue.

KAFEEL KHAN TAKES BATTLE WITH CM YOGI TO UN BODY Lucknow: Gorakhpur’s Dr Kafeel Khan, has taken his battle against the Yogi Adityanath government to an international level.

Khan, who was recently absolved of charges under the stringent NSA and is now living in Jaipur, has written a letter to the UNHRC informing them about “widespread violations of international

human right standards in India and misuse of draconian laws like NSA and UAPA to suppress voices of dissent”.In his letter, Khan thanked the UN rights body for urging the Indian government to protect human rights of activists arrested for “peacefully protesting against CAA and listening to their appeal.

New Delhi: Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and S Jaishankar on Monday reviewed the condition of Motor Tanker (MT) New Diamond and discussed ways to expedite arrangements for the discharge of cargo crude from the vessel.

“Min. P&NG Shri @ dpradhanbjp along with EAM Shri @DrSJaishankar and MoS(IC) Shipping Shri @mansukhmandviya chaired a meeting to review the condition of the crude vessel MT New Diamond which is chartered by @IndianOilcl and currently located off the coast of Sri Lanka,” Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas wrote on Twitter.

“They discussed ways to expedite arrangements for discharge of cargo crude

MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS @PETROLEUMMIN Min. P&NG Shri @ dpradhanbjp along with EAM Shri @ DrSJaishankar and MoS(IC) Shipping Shri @mansukhmandviya chaired a meeting to review the condition of the crude vessel MT New Diamond which is chartered by @IndianOilcl and currently located off the coast of Sri Lanka. from it. Collective efforts are underway by Ministries and agencies concerned including DG Shipping and DG @ IndiaCoastGuardto complete the task in a safe and secure manner,” the Ministry wrote in another tweet. —ANI

IN THE COURTYARD AGUSTAWESTLAND CASE

Delhi court reserves order on chargesheet New Delhi: A Delhi court said that it will pass on September 25 order on the issue of consideration of supp l e m e n t a r y chargesheet filed against British national Christian Michel, businessman Rajeev Saxena and others in connection with the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal scam case. Spe-

cial Judge Arvind Kumar reserved the order after special public prosecutor DP Singh, representing CBI, completed his submission. —ANI

COURT EXTENDS POLICE CUSTODY OF JOURNO New Delhi: A Delhi court remanded freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma, a Chinese woman and another accused to seven days police custody in connection with a case related to allegedly leaking sensitive information to the Chinese intelligence. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pawan Singh Rajawat extended his custody and that of others after they were presented before court on completion of his earlier custody.Defence counsel, appearing for Sharma, opposed the plea seeking an extension of custody.

MAHA GOVT FILES PLEA IN SC OVER ITS MARATHA QUOTA STAY ORDER Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has filed a petition in SC seeking vacation of its stay on the reservation to the people of the Maratha community in education and jobs in the state. The apex court had had earlier this month directed that no quota will be granted to people of the Maratha community in education and jobs in the state this year and referred the hearing on a batch of plea challenging the constitutional validity of a Maharashtra law granting Maratha reservation in education and jobs to a larger bench.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

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16 dead as building collapses in Bhiwandi

06

POWER Gallery CENTRAL DEPUTATION TENURE OF R VYASAN EXTENDED

The central deputation tenure of R Vyasan working as Deputy Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) has been extended for a period of one year beyond August 23, 2020. He is a 2007 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre.

ASIF JALAL RELIEVED TO JOIN AS DIRECTOR, MHA

The Government of Himachal Pradesh has relieved Asif Jalal of cadre responsibility in order to join central deputation as Director in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). He is a 2002 batch IPS officer of HP cadre.

At least 21 people sustained injuries in the incident. Rescue operations are under way

WILL DR. VAGHELA BE CHAIRMAN OF PESB?

Latest buzz is that Dr. P D Vaghela may be appointed Chairman, PESB, a post which is lying vacant for the last 20 days. Vaghela, Secretary, Pharmaceuticals, is scheduled to retire this month.

He is a Gujarat cadre 1986 batch IAS officer.

ANOTHER IYER -RAGHVENDRA SINGH APPOINTED SECRETARY, CULTURE AFTER RETIREMENT

NDRF and Fire brigade carry out rescue operation after a three-storeyed building collapsed, at Bhiwandi in Thane district on Monday.

—PHOTO BY PTI

Thane: The death toll in the Bhiwandi building collapse incident rose to 16 late on Monday. At least 21 people sustained injuries in the incident. Rescue operations are under way.

The 43-year-old Jhilani building caved in at 3.40 am, police said, adding the dead children include a twoyear-old.

Personnel of the Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF) were seen pulling out the boy, Ubed Quraishi, from the debris and feeding him water.

Bhiwandi is a powerloom town around 10 km from Thane.

The building had 40

flats and around 150 persons lived in it, an official said.

A civic official told PTI that the building, located at Narpoli's Patel Compound near Dhamankar Naka, collapsed while the residents were asleep.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are at the spot. NDRF DG S N Pradhan said they were using a canine squad to search persons trapped in the debris.

A portion of the building collapsed and many occupants were trapped in the debris, a Thane Municipal Corporation official said.

The building was not in the list of dilapidated

PREZ KOVIND EXPRESSES GRIEF AT LOSS OF LIVES

New Delhi: “The loss of lives in the building collapse at Bhiwandi, is quite distressing. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the accident victims. I wish speedy recovery of the injured. Local authorities are coordinating.

NARENDRA MODI @narendramodi

AMIT SHAH @AmitShah

Saddened by the building collapse in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra. Condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for a quick recovery of those injured. Rescue operations are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to the affected.

Anguished to learn about the tragic collapse of a building in Bhiwandi, Thane (Maharashtra). @NDRFHQ is already on the ground and is assisting with the rescue operations. My deepest condolences are with the bereaved families, praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.

structures of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation, he said. An eyewitness said local residents rushed to the spot immediately after the collapse and helped pull out some persons from the debris.

The power supply to the locality was snapped as a precautionary measure, the official said, adding the injured have been admitted to local hospitals.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray expressed pain over the collapse and instructed the administration to ensure proper rescue operation and treatment to the injured, his office said.

COVID-19 RECOVERY RATE IAF’s Rafale fleet to have CROSSES LANDMARK 80% first woman pilot soon New Delhi: India has crossed the significant landmark of more than 80 per cent national Recovery Rate of Covid-19 cases -- the highest in the world by registering over 90,000 recoveries for the third successive day, the government said on Monday.

At least 93,356 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours. The total recovered cases are close to 44 lakh (43,96,399), so far which is highest in the world.

According to the health ministry, the recovery rate was 27.52 per cent on May 4, while it was 63.02 per cent on July 13, and on September 21 -- the recovery rate has reached 80 per

86,961 NEW CASES

cent. Twelve states and Union Territories have registered Recovery Rate more than the national average.

About 79 per cent of the new recovered cases are from 10 states/UTs. According to the health ministry, India tops the global figure of total recoveries. It accounts for more than 19 per cent of the world total, it said. —ANI

New Delhi: A woman fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force will soon join the newly-inducted Rafale fighter fleet as one of its crew flying the multi-role aircraft, official sources said on Monday.

The woman pilot has been flying MiG-21 fighters and was selected to join the Ambalabased Golden Arrows squadron operating the Rafale jets, they said.

"She was chosen to fly Rafale jets following a stringent selection process. She is undergoing training now," said a source.

Chaturvedi was part of a three-member women team commissioned as flying officers

in July 2016, less than a year after the government decided to open

the fighter stream for women on an experimental basis.

physical meeting we have organised in the AICC office. We discussed the latest political situation in the country, especially the farmers’ agitation.”

“First of all, a series of physical press conference may be held in each state on 24th September. Number two, PCC Presidents, CLP leaders along with all MPs, MLAs, ex-Ministers, ex-MPs, Congress candidates must walk from PCC office or a designated point like Mahatma Gandhi statue up to Raj Bhawan at every state headquarters and submit the

memorandum to Governor addressed to the President of India on Agriculture Bills. English and Hindi copy will be given to the PCCs and they will put up a memorandum to the President through the Governor of every state,” he added.

“On 2nd October, birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji, we would observe as a ‘Kisan Mazdoor Bachao Diwas’, ‘Save Farmers and Farm-Labourers Day’. We will hold dharnas, marches at every assembly headquarters and district headquar-

ters across India on the agriculture bills, wherein we will demand for their immediate withdrawal. We will try to court arrest at every assembly and district headquarters,” he said. “On October 10, all state units will organise state level ‘Kisan Sammelan’ at every state headquarters and any other important place in the state. And finally, we are starting a massive signature campaign. We will collect 2 crore signatures from farmers throughout India and we will submit the memorandum on Pt. Jawaharlal

There has been another case of the appointment of retired Secretary as Secretary in the Government of India after Parmeshwaran Iyer. Now, Raghvendra Singh has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Culture on contract basis for a period of one year. Singh, who is a 1983 batch retired IAS officer of West Bengal cadre had retired as Secretary Culture last year. He will continue holding the charge of CEO, Development of Museums and Cultural Spaces.

SIMANCHALA DASH APPOINTED ADVISER TO ED, IMF

Special Director ED, Simanchala Dash has been appointed Adviser to the Executive Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington DC. He is a 1988 batch IRS-IT officer.

BBB RECOMMENDS 13 NAMES FOR BANK ED’S

After two days interview the Bank Board Bureau has on Sunday recommended 13 names for EDs in Nationalised Banks. They are Swarup Kumar Saha, Debadatta Chand, K Satyanarayana Raju, Nitesh Ranjan ,Santosh Keshari Mohapatra, Ms Monika Kalia, Swarup Dasgupta, Kartkhikyan M, Ishraq Ali Khan,Vivek Wahi, Ms S Srimathy,B Vijykumar A and Raghavendra A Kollegal. Others including Rajiv Puri,Imran Siddiqui,Brij Mohan Sharma,Prakash Kumar Sinha and Manoj Das have been put in the Reserve List.

MHA JS, K B SINGH COMPLETES TENURE, RETURNS TO PARENT CADRE

The central deputation tenure of K B Singh working as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, has ended on September 21, 2020. Singh who is a 1995 batch IFS officer of AGMUT cadre will return to his parent cadre i.e. Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.

TENURE OF NTRO CHIEF JHA ENDS

WOMEN OFFICERS TO OPERATE HELICOPTERS

Tenure of Satish Chandra Jha (Retd IPS:1981:BH), Chairman of National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), has ended.

TENURE OF JUSTICE BHAT EXTENDED BY ONE MONTH

Tenure of Acting Chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), Justice B L Bhat has been extended by one month till October 16.

PRAVEEN KUMAR YADAV NOMINATED AS CPIO IN MHA

Praveen Kumar Yadav has been nominated as Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) in the Ministry of Home Affairs in CIS Division.

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 Farmers to...

“In order to avert such incidents, transponders have been fitted on 440 boats of fishermen in the states of Gujarat and Karnataka. With the help of transponders, the movements of boats will be tracked through satellites.”

He added that the Gujarat Fishermen ordinance 2020 had been recently issued under which, if any fisherman is found to be intentionally crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) seeking good quantity of catch, a criminal complaint will be filed

against the boat owner and its crewmembers.

Farm bills... these measures, saying farmers will now have the freedom to sell their produce at a place and price of their choice.

Attacking critics, he said a “clique” of people exploited farmers for long as they remained in shackles of rules regulating the sale of their produce and stated that this needed to change, which his government has done. —PTI Cong to...

Addressing the media, Antony said, “Congress

is launching an agitation against this government for passing these anti-farmers, anti-people laws, throwing all the conventions and rules of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

So, from September 24 onward, Congress is launching an all India agitation asking the government to repeal these anti-farmer, antipeople, anti-poor black laws.” Venugopal said, “General Secretaries and In-charges meeting has been held in the AICC office. Since the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in our country, this is the first

Nehru’s birthday, November 14th, to the President of India,” he added. —PTI

RS suspends...

Ghulam Nabi Azad and 46 other MPs against Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was in the chair during the bedlam on Sunday, saying it was not in proper format and does not give the required 14-day notice period.

The government on Monday moved a motion seeking suspension of Derek O’Brien (TMC), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Rajeev Satav (Congress), K K Ragesh

(CPM), Syed Nazir Hussain (Cong), Ripun Boren (Cong), Dola Sen (TMC) and Elamaram Kareem (CPM).

Amid opposition, the motion was adopted by voice vote and the Chairman asked them to leave the House but they remained present and protested against the ruling. As the protests continued, he adjourned the proceedings for 20 minutes. The House saw 3 more adjournments as suspended members remained present in the House and opposition parties protested against the decision. —PTI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

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RACISM IS IN BOLLYWOOD’S

DNA

Bollywood perpetuates the misogyny, sexism and racism that have blighted Indian society for centuries and still harm millions of women today

W

e are all influenced by our experiences.

Growing up, a number of women have made remarks that have irked or upset me. One colleague once remarked, “The managers like me more because I am fair and I look like a foreigner.” Another lady gave me life advice that still remains an indelible memory: “You should apply haldi [turmeric] to your skin. If you don’t become fair, who will marry you?” Another comment was even more incredulous: “I was dark when I was born, but my parents bathed me in brandy to make me fair. Your parents should have tried it too.” Fair-skinned women have often made disparaging remarks to me. They have displayed a sense of entitlement because of their fairness.

Today, I don’t blame these women for behaving in such a manner. I pity them now because they have been conditioned by a racist society to believe that light skin is the secret to success. Millions of Indian women and girls have faced racism in their own country for being “darkskinned.” Yet few take a stand against such racist thinking. Indian society has unconsciously accepted that fair women are superior to dark women.

RACISM MUST END T

oday, I have decided to speak out against the racist Indian fixation for fair skin. I do so for the countless girls of my country. I don’t want them to grow up feeling less worthy just because they cannot fit into our society’s description of a “beautiful woman.”

Last week, the Hindi film industry, more popularly known as Bollywood, released a song: “Beyonse Sharma Jayegi.” At first sight, the song sounds harmless. A closer examination reveals Indian racism at its worst. The catchphrase would outrage or anger any person who believes in equality and justice: “tujhe dekh ke goriya, Beyonse sharma jayegi” (after seeing you, fair woman, Beyonce will feel ashamed”).

In one stroke, Bollywood demeaned Beyonce, a black American star who has fought racism for years. It demonstrated the deep racism of an industry that prides itself on promoting stereotypical standards of beauty. The most important of those standards is fair skin.

Bollywood epitomizes centuries of Indian patriarchal and racist thinking. It is now the top purveyor of such thinking in the country.

The time has come to speak up against this toxic thought. If we keep quiet, then thousands of girls damned for not being fair enough will lose their ability to speak up.

Producers, directors and actors in Bollywood have long compromised on their integrity for years to make money. By catering to entrenched patriarchal thinking, Bollywood creates monstrous songs demeaning women’s bodies, minds and skin color. The popular “item” songs literally refer to a pretty woman as an item, demeaning and degrading womanhood.

Sadly, many women justify such songs. Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan complimented Ananya Panday, the fair woman in the “Beyonse Sharma Jayegi” video, for “looking hot.” Kapoor might subconsciously be justifying her own past actions. For years, she has held aloft the torch of patriarchy. Kapoor has done numerous item songs, including one in which she was referred to as a type of chicken who could be devoured alongside alcohol.

Famously light-skinned, Kapoor has professionally benefited from the Indian fixation with fairness.

Dark-skinned actors have not been so lucky. Bollywood has pushed them to take up roles in “art cinema,” while success in the film industry is largely the preserve of fair-skinned women. Actor Sonam Kapoor summed up this attitude in a comment on national television. She declared that she would not watch a film unless it had “good looking people.” Good looking in Kapoor speak means f a i r skinned, an article of faith in Bollywood.

Hardly anyone calls out this toxic Bollywood belief because it reflects a gospel truth in Indian society.

R

07

A VERY INDIAN RACISM

acism begins at a young age for Indian girls. It starts with trying to “improve” our skin tone with homemade recipes.

Over the years, this racist abuse becomes systemic. Girls grow up with remarks from friends and family extolling fairness.

They see ads on television for creams that prize fair skin and offer to take darker women facing discrimination to the fairer promised land. Those women who “fail” to make their skin tone lighter “struggle” to find suitable men to marry as advertisements for arranged marriages still ask for fair-skinned women. If fair skin is the ticket to instant success, then India definitely ranks near or at the top. My skin tone is brown, the most common one among Indian women. As a result, I have suffered from discrimination and struggled with confidence issues.

I also belong to a middle-class family, where my father and mother struggled to make ends meet.

In a private school, I was one of the “poorer” kids.

As a young girl, I did not have the resources to make myself look good. As I grew older, I did not have the “right” skin color to break into the popular girl gang. I spent years struggling to love myself. I critically evaluated every part of my body, hating myself. In fact, I became my biggest critic, failing to cope with body image issues. In college, I became friends with another woman, who had darker skin. Living with her made me realize how fractured my society was when it came to skin color. My friend was rejected by a man she loved because she wasn’t “good-looking” in the conventional sense of the term. Fair and Lovely, a cream to make skin lighter, was constantly shown in advertisements. They compounded our pain. The ads showed women looking bad or tired when they were dark-skinned, and more confident and beautiful when they were light-skinned. Our popular culture continues to propagate fair skin as the landmark for success for women.

BOLLYWOOD’S FALSE BEAUTY MYTHS B ollywood has shamelessly upheld false standards of feminine beauty. The talk of respect for women is just talk. In an earlier article on Fair Observer, I wrote about sexism in Bollywood. While writing that article, I found that the age difference between male and female co-stars in Bollywood has increased from two to three years to over 25 in just a decade. Women have to be young, slim and, of course, fair-skinned.

Bollywood producers, directors and actors are not alone in peddling toxic beauty myths. India’s fashion magazines invariably edit photos of actors to make them look flawlessly perfect and fairer.

When it comes to systemic racism in Indian culture, Bollywood takes the cake. In much of India, people rely solely on Bollywood for entertainment.

Bollywood films help

create a society less accepting of women who do not fit the mold. Women are pushed to adhere to certain standards of beauty and demeaned when they don’t fit in. To be dark is a sin that you can never wash off until you die.

Such is the reach of Bollywood that it could be a force for positive change. Why not produce songs that say every woman is beautiful? Why not produce films that portray women who are defined by what they do with their lives, not by their looks? Why not create catchy anthems to promote education of women?

Fashion magazines could help too. Vogue India could feature a female social activist on its cover. Its editors must ask themselves a simple question: Why does Vogue India always have to feature a heavily edited, “socially accepted” beautiful woman?

The answer probably lies in extreme commercialization. The state of India’s media and entertainment industry can be summarized in just one sentence: jo dikhta hai, wahi bikta hai (only that sells well that looks good). Fashion magazines are unwilling to feature the image of a dark-skinned woman toiling in a field because that image won’t sell. Similarly, Bollywood is unwilling to change itself to avoid losing money.

Racism sells. Cash is king. The show goes on.

Before we assume Bollywood racism to be immutable, we must remember the industry was not always like this. Once upon a time, it showcased women like Asha Parekh and Rani Mukerji. They set body and skin color standards that represent millions of Indian women. Over the years, Bollywood has degenerated and now sets ridiculous specifications for women’s skin tones and waist sizes.

Our women and black women like Beyoncé deserve better. The millions of Indian women who feel neglected because of their skin color must remember that a revolution must begin.

We should take down every person who demeans us and judges us on our skin color.

At a time when mass protests are demanding an end to discrimination against black people, it is time for Indians to stand up as well. We must look ourselves in the mirror and confront our centuries-old misogyny, sexism and racism.

SOURCE: FAIR OBSERVER

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: CP SHARMA

A consummate conversationalist is one who not only says the right thing to the right persona t the right time but also does not say the wrong thing at any time.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

9,66,643 3,13,50,917 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 33,015 DEATHS 12,24,380 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 8,871 DEATHS 5,47,337 CASES

INDIA

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

KARNATAKA 8,145 DEATHS 5,26,876 CASES

WEAK OUTLOOK

Shishir Awasthi

Surat’s synthetic textile industry sees some festive demand but it is too low and that too appears temporary.

mand scenario that looks bright today is only a mirage,” says an industry insider.

It has been a double whammy. Before demonetisation, Surat’s synthetic textile industry used to produce a whopping 4 crore metres per day.

Post-demonetisation, it fell to around 2.5

crore metres and hasn’t recovered since. And now, Covid-19.

Surat’s textile industry is normally at its peak during two seasons -- from March to May when it gets a good demand from the semiurban and rural areas because of the wedding and harvest season; and

DEATHS

DELHI 5,014 DEATHS 2,49,259 CASES

Surat’s next famous textile industry sees some festive demand, but it’s short-lived

sara Weavers Association.

Industry captains say normally orders between September and December make up for over 50% of the annual business. This time, it is bad and there is no certainty for how long given the continuing countrywide spike in Covid-19 cases. “So, the de-

GUJARAT

88,943 55,57,517 3,337 1,24,767

After diamonds, Surat’s saree wrapped in veil of uncertainty Surat: If the clouds of uncertainty have cast a shadow over the halo of Surat’s diamond industry, they have created a mirage of sorts for the other famed industry of Surat -- Textiles.

Close to the festive season, there is some spike in the orders for Surat’s sarees but it is only around 35% to 40% of the corresponding period last year or any normal annual average.

But even this has little to celebrate given that the number of workers who have returned are too few to meet this demand.

The weaving industry, which is crucial to the textile value chain, is working at only 30% capacity.

Nearly 60% workers are yet to come, said Ashish Gujarati, president of Pande-

08

from September to November-December when sales come largely from the urban areas.

This year, the period from March to May was lost during the lockdown, while SeptemberNovember has subdued demand because a vast majority of Covid cases have been reported from the urban areas.

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 1,352 DEATHS 1,16,881 CASES

Guj’s efforts to fill key medical posts challenged First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: The State Government’s recent advertisement inviting applications from medical professionals to fill 686 key posts has been challenged by the Gujarat High Court by the Association of Diplomate of National Board Doctors, contending that it leaves out DNB degree holders.

The high court has sought the Gujarat Government’s reply as to why it should not put a stay on the recruitment of medical professors, associate professors, assistant professors and tutors in various subjects at government medical colleges and attached teaching hospitals.

The petition has been filed by Dr Arvind Gautam, President of the Association of Diplo-

Gujarat High Court.

mate of National Board Doctors. The petitioner has contended that the advertisement released by the State Health Commissionerate states that DNB training period will be treated as teaching experience. “This condition is injustice to those professionals who hold DNB certificates,” the petition said.

The Diplomate of National Board (DNB) is the title awarded by the National Board of Ex-

—FILE PHOTO

aminations (NBE) to candidates who successfully complete their postgraduate or postdoctoral medical education under it.

The State Health Commissionerate has invited online applications in violation of amendment made by Medical Council of India and National Board of Examinations, which makes it mandatory for candidates to hold DNB certificates.

The government has violated this.

CEC: Detailed guidelines drawn for holding polls during Covid HC allows minor girl to terminate pregnancy FROM PAGE 1

“On September 3, 2019, India had taken over as chair of A-WEB for 20192021 term during the 4th General Assembly of AWEB held at Bengaluru.

“The contextual framework of every country was different, the extent and trajectory of the disease varied and so did the capacity of each country to respond to the novel corona virus and its catastrophic impact,” said Arora.

He mentioned countries such as South Korea, Australia, Malawi, Taiwan, Mongolia and many others who went ahead with scheduled elections even as they put in place the enormous arrangements required to ensure the

health and safety of people while conducting election.

“Elections in India pose formidable challenges on account of large electorate, geographical and linguistic diversity and differing climatic conditions. Explaining in detail the scale of the upcoming elections to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar, he mentioned that the total number of electors is 729 million,” said Arora.

Explaining the impact of COVID-19 on the election, Arora highlighted how COVID-19 exigencies and social distancing measures necessitated a revisit of ECI’s extant instructions.

The maximum number of electors at a polling station was reduced

Over 120 delegates from 45 countries and 4 international organizations participated in the Webinar on Monday.

from 1500 to 1000, and consequently, the number of polling stations jumped by 40 per cent, from 65,000 to 100,000.

These changes have huge logistics and manpower implications.

Arora mentioned the specific and detailed guidelines that have

been drawn up on conducting election during the time of COVID-19. He also mentioned the successful conduct of elections to 18 seats of the Rajya Sabha in the month of June 2020. He noted that elections are due in the states of West Bengal, Assam, Kerala,

Puducherry and Tamil Naduin the first half of the year 2021. CEC recalled the AWEB General Assembly, held in Bengaluru in September 2019. He noted that the Webinar today is being held under the aegis of India A-WEB Centre on the occasion of comple-

tion of one year of ECI’s term as Chair of A-WEB. Mentioning the two publications being released today viz. ‘Brief Profiles of the Countries, member EMBs and Partner Organisations of AWEB’and ‘COVID 19 and International Election Experience’, he said these would be a useful tool for researchers and practitioners alike. He said that A-WEB India Centre has also progressed considerably towards publishing a world class journal called “AWEB Journal of Elections’. The first issue of this journal will be released in March 2021.

Over 120 delegates from 45 countries across the and 4 international organizations participated in the Webinar today.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Monday permitted termination of a 14week pregnancy of a 14-year-old girl from Botad who was allegedly kidnapped and raped in May this year.

Her parents moved a habeas corpus petition before the high court in August after they alleged there was no action by the Botad police on an FIR they filed on May 28, a day after she went missing.

The accused was

charged for “kidnapping from lawful guardianship” and “kidnapping a woman under the pretext of marriage, illicit sex, etc” as well as under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act (POCSO), 2012.

The girl, who was presented before the court via video-conferencing through the Botad district court for hearing last week, informed the court that she was with a 21-year-old man from Botad, who was earlier named as an accused in the FIR.

BRUTE FORCE

‘BJP couldn’t evict China or Covid, but bulldozed 8 Opposition MPs’ 

Congress’ RS member Ahmed Patel comes down heavily on the BJP Govt for expulsion of Opposition MPs from Parliament

Dr Anita New Delhi: Senior Congress’ Rajya Sabha member Ahmed Patel on Monday took up cudgels for the 8 Opposition MPs who were suspended from Parliament, asserting that the BJP Government could not evict China or Covid-19 but used its numbers to evict those who stood up for farmers’ rights.

At his acerbic best, Patel tweeted, “The

strong BJP government couldn’t evict China, couldn’t evict the coronavirus and couldn’t evict the crisis the economy is facing. But they are using their strength to evict 8 opposition MPs. And the reason to evict? Standing up for farmer’s rights.”

The Congress party has condemned the “brazen and undemocratic manner” in which Rajya Sabha mem-

bers were “expelled” from the House and said the party would protest to restore the status quo.

Addressing a press conference with

party colleagues at Vijay Chowk, outside Parliament House, the Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the move was against the procedures and rules of the parliamentary system.

Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the “CenAhmed Patel

tral Government has been scuttling dissent voices in and outside the parliament”.

All the eight MPs, who were suspended on Monday from the Upper House announced an indefinite protest in the Parliament premises.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu earlier announced the oneweek suspension of Trinamool Con-

gress’ (TMC) Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Sanjay Singh, Indian National Congress’ (INC) Rajeev Satav, Ripun Bora and Syed Nasir Hussain, CPI(M)’s KK Ragesh and Elamaram Karim for “unruly behaviour” with the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman on Sunday during the passage of the farm bills. —(With ANI inputs)

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

Chic-hack City First shares different ways to wear a white t-shirt because ain’t no wardrobe staple as classic and versatile as the crisp, white t-shirt!

1

KARISHMA GWALANI

Karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

T

he humble white T-shirt can go a long way, no matter the season of the year or your style. From a casual setting to something a bit more formal, you can mix and match this staple piece to compliment any event. It is a timeless piece that should always exist in every woman and girl’s wardrobe! The white t-shirt is one of those items that can go with anything you own, from sequin skirts to any kind of pants you have. The outfit possibilities are endless, from laid back to dressed up, you can pair a white top with just about anything for an instantly pulled-together look.

So why over-complicate your wardrobe with hard-to-match items? When you can just style a simple white T-shirt into several classic styles. Here are a few of our tips to get on board with it.

PAIR IT WITH A SKIRT: The quickest, easiest way to dress up something simple is to pair it with something dressy, like a skirt. Given the right skirt and a tee in silk or rayon, you might even get away with taking your white tee to a fancy event.

2

LEATHER JACKET: Feeling like a rock star? High-waist jeans, a tucked-in white t-shirt, a black belt and a leather jacket are your way to get the rocker look.

3

WEAR IT UNDER A DRESS: Do you have a cute jumpsuit with a neckline that’s a little too deep? Pair a classic fitted white tee underneath your dress to add polish, make it a little more modest.

4

THE SILK ROBE: If you want to opt for a laidback style, then you can wear a long silk robe, a trendy pair of jeans and a white t-shirt.

5

ADD STATEMENT JEWELRY: Another super-simple way to take a tee from hohum to ooh-la-la is to add an eye-catching piece of jewellery.

Think of a white t-shirt as a blank canvas and add colour and shape to make things pop!

6

KEEP IT CLASSY: You can’t go wrong with pairing your white tee with skinny jeans and a fun and colourful heel.

The best jeans cut to tuck a white t-shirt in are mom jeans or high-waist jeans in general.

7

ADD A DESIGNER SCARF: The number one, super-duper-easy way to dress up a white tee? Add a classic scarf! A great scarf can make a tee seem fresh, interesting and beautiful.

09

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AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

10

GURMAN SINGH cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

A

FA CE OF TH ED AY

kshay Kumar is a man for all seasons. He had a deep interest in learning martial arts and so, he went to Bangkok to learn the art. He used to pay for his lessons by doing a waiter job at a hotel. Later, he started teaching martial arts. All the stunts that we see in movies are mostly performed by him and it has also earned him the sobriquet Indian Jackie Chan. Success was not an easy piece of cake for this handsome and funny man.

He began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films. Later, Kumar also gained fame for his drama, romantic, comic roles and most importantly for patriotic films like Kesari, Baby, Airlift and Holiday.

Kumar made his first appearance as the lead actor in Saugandh 1991, he acted in a steady stream of thrillers and fast-paced dramas, including Khiladi, which brought him considerable attention. His athleticism and daredevil nature were well displayed in action films such as Main Khiladi Tu Anari,1994. Despite his success in those high-intensity roles, Kumar’s good looks also led him to star in romantic comedies such as Yeh Dillagi.

With Hera Pheri, the versatile actor took on the comedic lead, it also proved to be a turning point in Kumar’s career. He performed some of his most dangerous stunts in Khiladi 420. Some of his remarkable films are Khakee, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Aitraaz was the boldest film he had done, Namastey London, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, De Dana Dan and Housefull.

Kumar has appeared in over 100 films and has won several awards, including a National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Rustom and two Filmfare Awards for Ajnabee and Garam Masala.

In 2008, he hosted the show Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi and In the same year the University of Windsor, Canada, conferred an honorary doctor-

ate on Kumar. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Shri the fourth-highest civil honor by the Government of India. In 2011 he was awarded the Canadian citizenship in return for Kumar’s offer of putting his star power to use to advance Canada-Indian relations and Canada’s trade relations, commercial relations, in the movie sector, and in the tourism sector.

From a Waiter to the Most Successful B-Town actor

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Feeling burdened and bored of studies is possible today but thats just temporary. Preparing yourself for competition will get you going and you are determined to win.

There are high chances that your lover may anyhow manage to meet you inspite of the current situation.

You are very active and thats how you are keeping fit these days. You will gift someone something really expensive today as a token of love.

Your lover may demand something that you are not capable of proving as of now. Opine to other only that your follow yourself.

You are living a good life and you don’t really have anything to complain about. Whole work can make you feel tired so take rest rather than continuing. Don’t ignore your intuition in the matters of love.

Putrid food is all that you need to be careful about today.

You need to clearly state your terms and conditions before you sign any deal.

You will spend some quality time with your mother and will cater to her needs. Dumbfounded by someone’s intelligence you may simply hire him/her and it will be your best decision of the day.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You are even emotional about your lover and you cannot hurt him/her. You are very straight forward and you just cannot tolerate the company of manipulative people.

Amorphous and leaderless organisations are destined to close down but your abilities will revive.

You may be full of energy today but those around you may feel dull. Take full benefit of any counselling section that you get to attend today weather in person or online.

Etiquettes are of utmost importance to you and you just can’t stand the company of people who lack it.

You shall discuss your inner desires with your partner otherwise there is no point of the relationship. Majority of you will feel like doing some or the other spiritual activity. Happiness on the faces of your kids will make you happy too. It is your turn to make profits today.

Someone close to you will come forward and will confront about how and where you need to improve, please don’t take it otherwise and take it as an opportunity to bring about change from inside. You need to adopt an adroit to solve problem.

Financially you can succeed.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You will take a break from your regular workout routine. An excellent time with family is on the cards but just make sure to not lecture around rather genuinely have some fun time. Free yourself from any past bad memories. Adventitious distortion of traditions is not what you plan.

Giving and taking tension for unimportant matters is such a waste of time and energy. Don’t push your opinion hard on others even if its your own children, spouse or parents. Airworthy trips must only be taken for urgent or important matters otherwise please avoid.

You love healthy meals and thats the secret behind your fitness. You are good at planning and often people rely on you for the same. You don’t appreciate people with conservative mindset. Palmy days are back and you will enjoy everything that the time will enjoy. Consider every business option.

Making efforts and working very very hard is all that you can do, let the time decide your reward. You like to wear attractive clothes and also you enjoy the limelight somehow. You sometimes cannot handle rejections and thats where you need to work on yourself.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

LARISSA D’SA, Content Creator

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

Fabulous @ 40

K

areena Kapoor Khan on Monday ringed in her 40th birthday with a funfilled birthday bash along with her family members. Bebo’s sister Karisma shared glimpses of the birthday party as she sent in warm wishes on the special occasion. She shared a post on Instagram wherein she posted glimpses from the late-night celebrations. She captioned the post, “Birthday girl. We love you. #hapybirthday #fabulousatforty.”

She also posted a throwback picture and captioned it as, “Will continue to protect you always. Happy 40th birthday to my lifeline!

Love you the most #birthdaygirl #happybirthday #fabulousat40 #sistersquad #bestsisterever @kareenakapoorkhan.”

—ANI

Expressing Gratitude

11

Ex-Wife Comes Out in Support A

Kareena Kapoor Khan

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

fter actor Payal Ghosh accused filmmaker Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment, the filmmaker’s ex-wife Kalki Koechlin came out in support of Kashyap.

She posted a photo with text on Instagram, that said, “Dear Anurag, don’t let this social media circus get to you, you have fought for the freedom of women in your scripts, you’ve defended their integrity in your professional space as well as in your personal life. I have been witness to it, in the personal and professional space you have always seen me as your equal, you have stood up for my integrity even after our divorce, and you have supported me when I felt unsafe in a work environment even before

we got together. This strange time where everyone gets to abuse one another and make false claims without any repercussions is a dangerous and repulsive one.”

She continued, “It is destroying families, friends and countries. But there is a place of dignity that exists beyond this virtual blood bath, a place of paying attention to the needs of those around you, a place of being kind even when no one is looking, and I know you are very familiar with that place. Hang on to that dignity, stay strong and keep doing the work you do.

Love from ex-wife.”

—ANI

Kalki Koechlin

Selena joins #StopHateForProfit

S

elena Gomez is going straight to the leadership of Facebook and Instagram to combat the hate and racism issues on social media platforms. The 28-yearold singer and ac-

tress shared a private message she had written to Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg on her own Instagram Stories. “Facebook and Instagram are being used to spread hate, misinformation, racism, and bigotry,”

Selena wrote in the message. “I am calling you both to HELP STOP THIS.” She added, “Please shut down groups and users focused on spreading hate speech violence and misinformation. Our future

depends on it.” Selena also stressed the importance of acting now, given the election is less than 50 days away “We cannot afford to have misinformation about voting,” she continued.

—Agency

Very real fear

K

Ayushmann Khurrana

O

n the occasion of World Gratitude Day, actor Ayushmann Khurrana expressed his thank you to all of his directors that he has worked with for shaping him as an artist. He dedicated an Instagram post to all of the filmmakers he has worked with, in his career as he posted a picture of himself with all of them.

“All the directors that I have been fortunate enough to work with, have shaped me as an artist. They have taught me incredibly important cinematic and life lessons through their work, their wisdom and their philosophy. I will forever be indebted to them,” he captioned the post.

—ANI

Sequel’s date out

...poster of the film

M

akers of actor John Abraham’s patriotic drama ‘Satyameva Jayate 2’ on Monday announced that the film is all set to release on May 12, 2021, around Eid. Produced by T-Series and Emmay Entertainment, the second installment of the superhit patriotic drama will see Abraham taking down corruption in Lucknow.

While the first film dealt with corruption, the sequel tackles corruption in all spheres from the police to politicians, industrialists, and the common man.

—ANI

erry Washington is opening up about her fears amid the current racial injustice climate in America. In a sneak peek at the newest episode of the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast, the 43-year-old actress and producer opened up about how even she fears going on a scooter ride with her children in their own neighbourhood. “It’s crazy when somebody says like, ‘How dare you, Kerry Washington, have a voice.

You’re a so-privileged Hollywood actor person,’” Kerry says.

“No matter what I do, no matter how many Emmy nominations, I am still scared at times to scooter in neighbourhoods with my kids where I feel like somebody could call the cops,” she explains.

—Agency Selena Gomez

Lady Gaga

PSYCHEDELIC

WORLD

L Kerry Washington

ady Gaga is opening up about the meaning of her song 911 and the new music video that she just released. In the video, the 34-year-old singer wakes up in the desert in a psychedelic world and the audience later finds out that she was hallucinating the entire time. At the end of the song, Gaga snaps back into reality after being involved in a se-

rious accident and cries out that she forgot her pills.

Gaga explained on her Instagram account, “This short film is very personal to me, my experience with mental health and the way reality and dreams can interconnect to form heroes within us and all around us. I’d like to thank my director/ filmmaker Tarsem.”

—Agency

BREAKS SILENCE

C

ardi B is sending love to her fans after seeing their support online after filing for divorce from Offset.

The 27-year-old rapper and mom-of-one got on Instagram Live on Friday (September 18) and updated fans Cardi B

to let them know she sees them and she’s doing alright since splitting from Offset. “I want to say thank you so much. However, like, I don’t really need it,” Cardi shared. “I’m okay. I want to let you know I have not shed one tear.”

She also explained why she’s not as sad about her break up this time around.

“This time, I wasn’t crying.

Wanna know why? The reason my divorce is not because of none of that s*** that ever happened before. It’s not because the cheating,” Cardi explained.

“I’m seeing people [saying] ‘Oh, he has a baby on the way.’ That’s a whole f*** complete lie.”

—Agency

CITY BUZZ www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

Bhairav to Bhairavi EVE BY MGU

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

12

DURING THE DAY!

RAJASTHAN: Prem Singh Bajaur of Sikar has been elected as the President of the Rajasthan State Softball Association.

The artists

Dr ML Swarankar CITY FIRST

O

n the occasion of 17th memorial day of Founder Trustee late Ramji lal Swarankar, classical music maestros presented a program ‘Bhairav to Bhairavi’ organised by Mahatma Gandhi University of

Medical Sciences & Technology, Jaipur on Sunday. Dr M L Swarankar, Emirates Chairman informed that every year they host this kind of program dedicated to art and culture. Owing to the pandemic, this time the program was held virtually.

BUZZ!

DEV FESTIVAL JAIPUR

T

he Evergreen Dev Anand Society Jaipur on the occasion of the birthday of the Bollywood Legend Dev Anand on 26 September, is organising a threeday ‘Dev Festival’ in the city. President of the Society, Ravi Kamra said that various programs are being organised during the 5th Dev Festival organised by the society.

Lt. Dev Anand Due to the Corona pandemic, all the programs are being orgnised virtually between 24-26 September. He said that during these three days, there will be a broadcast of a special quiz organised by Mahendra Surana on DD Rajasthan, dedicated to Dev Anand by Akashwani Jaipur, ‘Dev Ki Ada Par Sab Hai Fida’.

Special programs ranging from various virtual talk shows including special program ‘Gata Rahe Mera Dil’, a musical evening has been planned. During this musical program, singers Rajesh Sharma and Dharmendra Chhabra and other fans will remember him through his melodious songs. During the talk shows, the panelists would discuss his iconic films, his fashion style, lifestyle and other related subjects. Sanjay Kaushik, Joint Secretary of the society, told that in the virtual session, fashion designer Rohit Kamra will also discuss Dev Anand as a fashion icon with film director Madhur Bhandarkar and actor Javed Jaffrey, Renowned film critic Jaiprakash Chowkse and other fans from abroad will also attend the programs.

Dr Swarankar added that ‘Bhairav to Bhairvi’ classical music eve was presented by the renowned artist of Niche Entertainment, Pune. During the event, the musical group sang and introduced different types of Ragas as-bhairavi, bilawal,

bilas, todi, kalawati etc. Artists sung ‘allah tero naam’, ‘a bole naa bole na bole re’, ‘e husn beparwah tujhe shabnam kahun shola kahun’. Dr Vikas Swarnkar, Dr Shobhit Swarankar, R R Soni and Dr Sudhir Sachdev were present during the virtual program. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

MAHARASHTRA: Jaipur based Fashion and Award Show organiser Harish Soni organised a trophy launch event for his u pcoming National Award Show ‘Women’s Excellence Achievement Award Season 5’ on 20 September in Pune.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam NATIONAL AWARD RAJASTHAN: Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd., a leading building materials company unveiled the ‘Artiste Signature Collection’ on Monday in Jaipur, its first-ever collaboration for concrete designs with Gauri Khan Designs and International Designs through a virtual launch program.

Poonam Khangarot CITY FIRST

P

oonam Khangarot along with 30 other distinguished guests received the prestigious APJ Abdul Kalam National

Award at the webinar conducted in light of the international nutrition month, presided by the national president Piyush Pandit, of the Swarn Bharat family. Additionally, the speakers at the webinar took an oath in pursuance of a Malnutrition free country lead-

ing to a healthy country.

Poonam Khangarot, State President Rajasthan in the spirit of eradicating malnutrition and hunger said, “If everyone stands up and puts an effort as a part of their individual responsibility, we can move faster together.” cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

CITY FIRST

T

he one-week Faculty development program (FDP) on Emerging Trends in Nanoelectronics (ETNE 2020) witnessed its inaugural ceremony at Swami Keshvanand Institute of Technology Management and Gramothan, Jaipur on Monday, 21 September. This FDP is sponsored by RTU (ATU) TEQIP III, RTU Kota and is jointly organized by Rajasthan Technical University (RTU) Kota and Swami keshvanand Institute of Technology Management and Gramothan (SKIT), Jaipur. The program was graced by Dr Govind, Principal Scientist and Professor (AcSIR), NPL New Delhi and Dr Preetam Singh, Principal Scientist NPL New

Delhi as chief guest and Guest of honor of ceremony respectively. Dr ML Meena and Riyaz Ahmad, RTU Kota were the RTU coordinators of this FDP. Professor Mukesh Arora, Head, ECE department SKIT welcomed the guests and in-

spired the gathering with his words of motivation. Prof. PK Jain, Professor & Dy. Head, ECE Department SKIT highlighted the achievements of the Institute in past one year and also put light on how the institute is motivating the faculty members in enhancing re-

search and development skills.

Dr Rukhsar Zafar, joint coordinator (ETNE 2020) conveyed the complete schedule to be followed in the five-days of this FDP and also shared the details related to expert areas of all the resource persons of this FDP. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

GUJARAT: Heritage Monument artist Sahid Ansari made the paintings of Ahmedabad Monuments in different Zardosi Artwork, on Monday in Ahmedabad.

—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI