First India-Ahmedabad Edition-23 July 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

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ALERT AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

WORLD

COVID-19 UPDATE

6,22,492 1,52,20,439 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 12,556 DEATHS 3,37,607 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

DELHI 3,719 DEATHS 1,26,323 CASES

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RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 238

INDIA

29,894 12,38,464 DEATHS

TAMIL NADU 3,144 DEATHS 1,86,492 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

GUJARAT

2,229 DEATHS

KARNATAKA 1,519 DEATHS 75,833 CASES

51,485

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 583 DEATHS 32,334 CASES

#RAJASTHANPOLITICALCRISIS

CP: MOVING SC TO AVERT ED raid on properties of Gehlot’s ‘CONSTITUTIONAL IMPASSE’ Yogesh Sharma Jaipur: Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Dr CP Joshi moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday against the Rajasthan High Court order restraining him till July 24 from conducting disqualification proceedings against 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, saying the “judiciary was never expected” to intervene in such matters resulting in “constitutional impasse”.

Seeking an interim stay on the High Court’s July 21 order, the plea said it was the duty of the top court to ensure that all constitutional authorities exercise their jurisdiction within the boundaries and respect their respective lakshman rekha as envisaged by the Constitution itself. Turn on P6

—PHOTO BY SUMAN SARKAR

l Assembly Speaker CP Joshi moves SC against HC order to defer disqualification proceedings till Friday l SC to hear plea today l Pilot files caveat in SC to ensure no orders are passed on CP’s plea

Assembly Speaker CP Joshi speaking to media in Jaipur on Wednesday.

All eyes on SC as it hears Joshi plea today Nizam Kantaliya Jaipur: The Supreme Court would on Thursday hear a plea of Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi against the high court order restraining him till July 24 from conducting disqualification

India contributing through call of Atmanirbhar Bharat: PM New Delhi: India is contributing towards a prosperous and resilient world through its ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ programme (self-reliant India) and is keen on participation by the United States in the initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday.

In his address at the India Ideas Summit organised by US-India Business Council (USIBC), the Prime Minister said there is global optimism towards India as it offers a perfect combination of openness, opportunities and options. “India is contributing towards a prosperous and resilient world

through the clarion call of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. And, for that, we await your partnership,” he said.

“Today, there is global optimism towards India. This is because India offers a perfect combination of openness, opportunities and options. Let me elaborate. India celebrates openness in people and in governance,” he added. PM noted that the approach to the future must primarily be more human-centric.

“We all agree that the world is in need of a better future. It is all of us who have to collectively give shape to the future.

Turn on P6

proceedings against 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

As per the list of business uploaded on the Supreme Court website for July 23, a bench of Justices Arun Mishra, B R Gavai and

brother, in fertilizer scam

Rajiv Gaur Jodhpur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted raids at the properties of Agrasen Gehlot, the elder brother of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, in connection with the fertilizer scam.

Agrasen Gehlot is the owner of a company named Anupam Krishi, on which the Customs department has levied a penalty of Rs 7 crore for alleged violations of rules in exports. The ED also conducted searches at six places in Rajasthan, four in Gujarat, two in West Bengal, and one in New Delhi in connection with the scam, sources said.

ED on Wednesday conducted raids at properties of (R) Agrasen Gehlot, elder brother of CM Ashok Gehlot.

First India had already reported on Wednesday about CM camp’s apprehensions regarding his kin being troubled through raids.

According to ED sources, the company run by Agrasain had sold the subsidised fer-

PILOT FILES CAVEAT IN SC

Krishna Murari would hear the plea.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde later told Congress leader and senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was appearing in another matter, to raise the issue of urgent listing before the apex court’s registry.

Sachin Pilot on Wednesday filed a caveat in SC to ensure that no orders are passed on Speaker CP Joshi’s petition against HC interim orders without hearing Pilot and his supporting MLAs. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Pilot Group also filed an application in the Rajasthan High Court requesting that Government of India be made a party in the entire matter. Advocates S Hariharan and Divyesh Maheshwari on behalf of the petitioner PR Meena and others have said in the application that the petition challenged the constitutionality of 2.1.A of Schedule 10 of the Indian Constitution and so GoI is an essential party. In such a situation, the Government of India should be made a party via Secretary, Law and Justice Department.

‘Kakrapar N Plant a trailblazer for many future achievements’ New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Indian nuclear scientists for achieving criticality of Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant-3.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said that the indigenously designed reactor is an example of “Make in India”. “Congratulations to our nuclear scientists for achieving criticality of Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant-3! This indigenously designed 700 MWe KAPP-3 reactor is a shining example of Make in India. And a trailblazer for many

FACTFILE  A nuclear reactor reaches ‘criticality’, when it is ready for ongoing nuclear reaction or fission that generates energy.  Kakrapar is part of

PM Narendra Modi & HM Amit Shah

such future achievements!” he tweeted.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah too lauded the Indian scientists as Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant-3 achieved criticality. He also said

tiliser “muriate of potash” or MoP to companies, who then exported it while it is banned for exports. Indian Potash Ltd is the authorised importer of MoP and the chemical is distributed to farmers at subsidised rates.

Between 2007 and

2009, Agrasain’s firm Anupam Krishi, which was an authorised dealer of Indian Potash Ltd, bought MoP at subsidised rates and instead of distributing it to farmers, the company allegedly sold it to a few others who in turn exported it to Malaysia and Singapore in the guise of “industrial salt”, investigators said.

The ED officers were assisted by Central Reserve Police Force or CRPF personnel, who were seen standing guard at the farmhouse and home of the Gehlots in Jodhpur. Meanwhile in another developmet ED summons Ratan Kant Sharma and others over IT raids issue.

—PTI

that a new India is marching ahead to realise PM Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Taking to Twitter Shah wrote, “Big Day in India’s Nuclear history Turn on P6

India’s pressurized heavy water reactor portfolio. Of India’s 22 commercial nuclear power reactors with an installed capacity of 6,780MW, there are 14 units of 220MW PHWRs each, making it one of the largest fleets of such reactors.

‘China still deploying troops on Ladakh’ New Delhi: It seems that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is not in a mood to de-escalate the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as it has continued deployment of around 40,000 troops in its front and depth areas for the Eastern Ladakh sector.

Chinese are also not honouring their commitment for disengagement at the friction points in Eastern Ladakh and not moving back as per the agreed terms during the multiple rounds of talks at the government and Army level and intervention at the senior level like the

one done by the National Security Advisor couple of weeks ago would be required for further progress, the sources said.

Disengagement process has also not made any progress since the last round of talks between two Corps Commanders held last week and ground positions have also not changed, the sources said.

CORONAVIRUS IMPACT

Not allowed to collect fees, 8.5K schools to stop online classes

Masuma Bharmal Jariwala Rajkot/Gandhinagar: As many as 8,500 selffinanced schools will no longer conduct “online teaching, zoom meetings, online tests, etc.” according to messages being sent out to par-

ents on social media.

The decision to suspend all educational activities was taken at a meeting of the Swanirbhar Shala Sanchalak Mandal—the association of self-financed schools—hours after the education de-

—FILE PHOTO

Move comes in response to education department circular issued on Wednesday

partment issued a circular barring self-financed schools from collecting any fees until they reopen physically. School authorities said the government’s directive made it practically impossible to run schools since they depended on the income from fees.

There are around 15,000 self-financed schools in Gujarat, of which around 8,500

schools have been conducting some form of online classes or the other to 30 lakh students since schools were shut in March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools and colleges are expected to remain closed at least until mid-August.

Issued by the Under Secretary of the Education Department, S B Karad, the circular also pulled up schools

that have cut teachers’ salaries by 4050%, calling the move “unacceptable”.

“This is a time when everyone should extend support to each other.

Education is not for profit booking but is a service to society,” it said.

The Mandal’s kneejerk reaction will not just affect students but also the state’s eight lakh teachers and roughly two lakh non-

teaching staff. Already, hundreds have been either laid off or forced to take a cut in pay.

Speaking to First India, Mandal president Bharat Gajipara, who also runs Sarvodaya school in Rajkot, said, “The notification essentially says online education is now illegal and that we cannot charge fees till the schools physically reopen.

Turn on P6

NEWS AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020

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Govt employees being misguided into agitating for pay hike: DyCM First India Bureau

BHADBHUT PROJECT COST ESCALATES 1.5 TIMES IN 5 MONTHS

The dam on Narmada River will be built by Dilip Buildcon at an estimated investment of Rs4,168 crore Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: Five months after the tender for the Bhadbhut barrage project was floated in November 2019, the estimated cost of the embankment has risen 1.5 times than the original markup. The investment needed for the project was Rs 2,767 crore in November last year. But, when the Narmada and Water Resources, Water Supply and Kalpsar Department did not receive any bids for the tender, it invited fresh bids in March 2020, and the estimated cost was put at Rs4,245.19 crore.

Bharuch MLA Dushyant Patel announced on Wednesday that the state had finalized the bidder for the project and the contract had been awarded to Dilip Buildcon. The company is believed to have been the lowest bidder in the tendering process with a quote of Rs4,167.70 crore, completion period of 48 months and maintenance period of 10 years.

Under this project, the state plans to construct a

dam across the Narmada River near Bhadbhut village. The role of flood protection embankments will also stop high tide from increasing salinity in the Narmada bed.

“As per the design of the project, 90 vertical lift gates of size 15.50m by 10.50m, fish pass, navigation lock, bridges and approach roads across the Narmada River near Bhadbhut village are to be constructed by the bidder,” said an officer of the Kalpsar department.

The officer added that the project holds importance as the excess water of the Narmada River’s flowing into the Gulf of Cambay (Khambhat) will be diverted into the Kalpsar, a proposed sweet water lake. The state government plans to build a dam in the Gulf of Khambhat between Bhavnagar and Bharuch, which will create a sweet water lake.

The Bhadbhut Dam will play an important role in diverting Narmada’s sweet water into the proposed lake, which will also have a canal. The length of the dam will be 1.663km.

Plans for the dam, and its location on a map.

In 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid down the foundation stone of the Bhadbhut project. A few of the other benefits of the project include reduction in salinity ingress in the Narmada river bank, since the salinity ingress has reached up to 70km in the river. The ingress usually occurs due to high tide in the Gulf of Cambay. The nearest barrages have been constructed 125km downstream at the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The barrage will create a reservoir of potable water with a capacity of around 599 million cubic metre. This reservoir will fulfil the water requirements of the Bharuch taluka, industrial units of Dahej, and other GIDCs of Ankleshwar and Bharuch. It will also reduce distance between Dahej and Hazira, which take hours to commute through national and state highways. But, with the development of the dam, distance between the two towns will be reduced to just 18km.

Gandhinagar: After the state government decided to restore the pay grade of primary teachers employed at government schools across the state, following their footsteps, online agitations demanding a pay hike were initiated by employees of various departments such as the police, panchayat health department and health workers.

The uproar of government employees left the state government in a fix, which was followed by a response by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Wednesday.

Addressing the media, Patel stated that people with vested interests and members of opposition parties were trying to mislead government employees to create an environment of unrest.

Putting forth a clarification regarding the status of the pay grade of primary school teachers, Patel said, “There has been no increase in the pay grade of the primary teachers.

The previous pay grade which had been reduced has

just been restored by the government. Pay grades are not fixed by the government, but are subject to recommendations of the State Finance Commission.

The changes made in the pay grade will come into force only after the Eighth Finance Commission is constituted and makes its recommendation.”

Quashing all misinfor mation regarding the issue, Patel added, “People have misinterpreted the state government’s decision and have been misleading other cadres. The state is currently facing a very severe COVID-19 health crisis, along with a major financial crunch.

And yet, it has managed to pay salaries and pensions to government employees on time. It is a difficult time for the economy, with the state revenue dropping and increased expenditure in the health sector. But the state has been bearing all expenses incurred on patients in government hospitals as well as private hospitals designated for COVID-19.”

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.

—FILE PHOTO

WINDS OF CHANGE

CM’s visit to Guv triggers speculation about cabinet reshuffle Even an official note from the CMO—that the visit was a scheduled one—did not quell rumours 

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s visit to Governor Acharya Devvrat after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting has triggered speculation that a cabinet reshuffle—and even a change of guard— could be in the offing.

A concurrent visit by Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Water Resource Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya and

Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja to Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel in the latter’s chambers fuelled these speculations even further.

Some sources said that the ministers had gone to meet Patel to offer clarifications on certain issues, others pointed out that a number of MLAs have complained to the Chief Minister against Patel’s style of functioning.

Even an official clari-

fication from the chief minister’s office— which stated that Rupani’s visit was a scheduled one, since the governor completed one year in office on Wednesday—did nothing to quell the rumours.

While it may not happen tomorrow, a reshuffle is definitely coming: either before the by-elections or after the results—if for no other reason than to accommodate Jitu Vaghani, who handed

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

—FILE PHOTO

over the reins of the BJP’s state unit to CR Patil on Tuesday. As sources point out, the precedent in the party is to either accommodate past state unit presidents in the state cabinet or elevate them to the national level of the organization.

There have been murmurs within the party that the state unit is likely to drop a few cabinet ministers whose performance has not been satisfactory. Agriculture minister RC Faldu and social justice minister Ishwarbhai Parmar are

on this list. Similarly, there are those seen as “good performers” within the party, including Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja, who would be promoted to the cabinet. Even one or two elected MLAs could be included in the cabinet if the reshuffle takes place after the by-elections.

The final say on any reshuffle or change of guard will have to come from Prime Minister Narendra Modi after consultation with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and UP governor Anandiben Patel, sources also said.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020

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03

designated COVID-19 Active cases now 12K as Four hospitals delisted by AMC Guj sees ‘triple-record’ day First India Bureau

1,020 more cases and 28 deaths bring state’s total tally to 51,485 and death toll to 2,229 Gandhinagar: The state recorded three highs in a single dayreported 1,020 COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day, tested highest number of samples (14,024) and touched the 12K milestone in active cases by clocking 12,016 cases on Wednesday. Since the state has not been successful in breaking the chain of transmission, after medical students, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has now appealed to members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to actively join treatment efforts of COVID-19 patients.

In a video conference with doctors associated with the IMA, Rupani personally requested all members to extend their services in attending to COVID-19 patients.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Haresh Jhala

IN TROUBLE

A medic takes a sample from a travellers coming into Ahmedabad, as others line up to be tested.

In all, 30 districts of the state and eight municipal corporations reported 1,020 cases, of which, 256 were Surat.

Of these, over 201 cases were from the city while 55 emerged from rural areas. Over 28 patients succumbed to the virus in the district.

With COVID-19 cases rapidly emerging in the city, Surat Municipal

Corporation (SMC) Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani held a meeting with chairmen and secretaries of residential societies and asked them to ensure that asymptomatic Sars-CoV-2 patients under home quarantine do not venture out of their homes. Pani warned that such carelessness may prove deadly for others.

Valsad intern doctors go on strike for safety gear First India Bureau Valsad/Ahmedabad: In a bid to draw attention to their plight, 150 intern doctors went on strike at Valsad District Hospital to demand supply of N95 masks and PPE kits on Wednesday. The interns sat in silent protest on the premises of the hospital to express their dissent.

Several interns complained that with The interns staged a protest at the District Hospital. most of the private hospitals referring plained because this mands. Once we reCOVID-19 patients to is our duty and we ceive assurance from government-run hos- will not shirk them. the hospital authoripitals, the lack of But, we haven’t re- ties that our demands proper infrastructure ceived any N95 masks will be fulfilled, we will has overrun them. An- since April. The PPE resume our duties.”

Hospital Superinother intern lamented kits do arrive somethat the elevators in times but most of the tendent BR Makwana the hospital were not time, we go without assured the interns functional due to them. As a result, one that their complaints which patients have to resident doctor, an in- would be heeded by be carried two or sto- tern, and the brother the authorities soon.

Meanwhile, a group of a staff member ries on a stretcher.

Dr Kajal Mishra, an have contracted the named Aavkar distributed free masks to trafintern working at the virus,” she said.

She added, “The fic police personnel in hospital, said that all intern doctors have emergency ward and Surat and also spread been working closely the ICU have been awareness about the with COVID-19 pa- functioning normally importance of weartients since April. as we sit here silently ing masks and follow“We have never com- protesting for our de- ing traffic rules.

Meanwhile, the transmission of nCov seems to have picked up in Vadodara district. It reported 80 cases on Wednesday, of which 62 were from the city and 18 from rural areas. Also, the security detail of Vadodara Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut and five other police personnel tested

positive for the virus.

In Ahmedabad, there was only one death reported but, since suspected COVID-19 and co-morbid patients are not counted as nCov deaths, the actual number may have been higher. Further, local residents near the Vasna Crematorium opposed the cremation of COVID-19 patients.

Oza ready for unconditional apology to HC

Ahmedabad: In the wake of glaring transgressions committed by four designated COVID-19 hospitals in the city, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has decided to remove them from its service. After a penal inquiry report was submitted to the civic body, it took swift action to withdraw the designation of the concerned hospitals with immediate effect on Wednesday.

Earlier, AMC had inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with more than 50 private hospitals across the city for treatment of COVID-19 patients. But, the body was forced to revoke the MOU after four hospitals were found violating the norms.

The four hospitals in the line of fire include Bodyline Hospital at Paldi, Savior Annexe Hospital at Ashram Road and two branches

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

of Tapan Hospital at Paldi and Rakhiyal. All these hospitals will not be allowed to take in any Sars-CoV-2 positive patient henceforth.

Meanwhile, there has been no mention of any penalty levied on the hospitals as of now.

These hospitals cannot admit a novel coronavirus patient and the MOU also cannot be renewed. They only have to treat existing COVID-19 patients under their care.

Another hospital that found guilty of a transgression was Rajasthan Hospital, which was slapped with a fine

—FILE PHOTO

of Rs77 lakh by the AMC. A patient in need of ventilator support died when the hospital denied entry to him at the gate.

Bodyline Hospital had been collecting overcharges from patients despite the capping of costs by the civic body. On May 16, AMC had given the order capping costs for patients admitted to these hospitals, under the Epidemic Diseases Act. As per the order, the daily expense of a patient in a COVID-19 ward is Rs10,000 and Rs23,000 for isolation ICU with a ventilator.

BACK TO SQUARE ONE

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: In response to the notice issued by state high court, president of the Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association (GHCAA) Yatin Oza’s advocate submitted before the court that he was ready to deliver an unconditional apology.

The state high court had moved a contempt of court petition against Oza after he had made a few unacceptable allegations against the high court registry.

Barely six weeks after industrial units resumed operations under Unlock 1.0, water at the Vasna barrage is back to its usual colour. Water quality in the Sabarmati river had improved considerably during the lockdown.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

MPH workers demand improved pay grades First India Bureau Ahmedabad: On the heels of agitations by primary school teachers and the state police personnel regarding pay hike, a strike concerning the same issue was launched by multi-purpose health (MPH) workers on Wednesday.

This marked the third such strike by state

—FILE PHOTO

government employees demanding better pay grade. Much like the police and teach-

ers, MPH workers also launched their agitation on social media platforms.

MPH workers, who are frontline COVID-19 warriors, wish to receive a pay grade of Rs2,800 for their duties. “Not a single MPH worker has taken a single day’s leave ever since the novel coronavirus outbreak hit the state. We are doing emergency duties round-the-clock to save lives. We need at least proper compensation

for doing our jobs,” said one of the workers. The current pay grade of the MPH workers stands at Rs1,900.

“The complaint of the primary teachers was heeded and their demands were met, then why not ours? We are not against the teachers.

The pay scale in the state is really low,” added the protester.

FLYING START

CR Patil hits the ground running to take stock of by-poll constituencies Party needs to finalize 8 VPs, 5 general secretaries, 9 secretaries, a state coordinator, treasurer & spokesperson



Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: The newly appointed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president CR Patil conducted a meeting with party observers to assess the onground situation of the eight State Legis-

lative Assembly seats up for by-elections.

Patil will be looking to finalize eight vicepresidents, five general secretaries, nine secretaries, a state coordinator, treasurer and spokesperson.

However, a simultaneous state cabinet meeting meant not all minis-

BJP state unit chief CR Patil.

—FILE PHOTO

ters could not participate in Patil’s meeting.

The party had appointed two observers, one from the state cabinet and one from the party, for each constituency. A few senior leaders had promised turncoats Pradhyumansinh Jadeja from Abdasa, Brijesh Merja from Morbi, JV Kakadia from Dhari, Akshay Patel from Karjan, Jitu Chaudhary from Kaprada and Mangalbhai Gavit from Dang that they would be

fielded as party candidates in the impending by-elections. But, when it comes to the Gadhada constituency, the party seems set on fielding its own leader Atmaram Parmar. This is because former Congress leader Pravin Maru has not joined the BJP yet, neither does he seem to be interested in contesting the by-polls. As for the Limbdi constituency, turncoat Somabhai Patel has been persistent in his efforts to ensure

that either he or his son is fielded as a BJP candidate. But, the party may play it safe and field its old guard Kiritsinh Rana.

Patil along with other senior leaders will have to take a call on the Gadhada and Limbdi constituencies, if promises made on behalf of the party are to be kept.

It will be interesting to see how Patil assesses the ground report of district-level party leaders and deals with any

dissent within the party on the choice of candidates for the by-polls.

But, for now, the bigger challenge remains the selection of his team with guided consultations of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Governor and former Chief Minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel. He will also have to strike a balance between regional popularity and caste while making appointments.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

IT’S LEGISLATURE VS JUDICIARY ONCE AGAIN

INTERNAL JOGGING

THERAPY FOR MIND AND BODY REKHA KUMAR

W

ith Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi deciding to move the Supreme Court against the Rajasthan High Court’s order asking him not to act on the disqualification notices issued by him to former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident legislators until Friday, another conflict between the legislature and the judiciary is in the offing. Disappointed with the court’s order the Speaker contended that he has “the complete authority to send a show-cause notice”. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi who is representing Pilot maintains that the Speaker’s order was against the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and that it was within the court’s jurisdiction to adjudicate on the matter. Once the Apex Court takes up the matter the point that will obviously be scrutinized is the power of the Speaker.

With defections defining the country’s politics, the Anti-Defection Law as provided under the Tenth Schedule is also likely to get a close look.

Joshi argues that in 1992 the Supreme Court ordered that the Speaker has the right to disqualify members to stop the Aya Ram-Gaya Ram culture of horse-trading. A more recent judgment of the Supreme Court gives an insight into the judiciary’s line of thinking on Speaker’s powers which have seen many court battles over the years. The case pertained to a Congress MLA defecting to the Bharatiya Janata Party soon after the 2017 elections. Congress sought his disqualification but the Manipur Speaker kept the matter hanging.

While giving their ruling in the case, the court made an important suggestion to Parliament that it was of a strong view that the disqualification powers vested in the Speaker should be removed and an independent tribunal should be formed to take up these issues. A retired judge of the Supreme Court or a former Chief Justice of a high court could head the tribunal to function as a substitute for the Speaker for swift and impartial resolution of disputes. These suggestions would require constitutional amendment. The moot question is will Parliament agree to strip the Speaker of Lok Sabha and state assemblies of power?

Behind this recommendation is the logic that Speakers belong to the ruling party and their actions are, therefore, biased. The court also set a deadline of three months for Speakers to decide on disqualification petitions The judicial power to review a Speaker’s decision vests in Article 212 of the Constitution which states that neither the validity of any proceedings in the legislature, nor an officer or member of the House shall be subject to the jurisdiction of any court in respect of the exercise by him of the powers given to him under the Constitution.

The Rajasthan case is turning into a minefield.

The Manipur case was decided by a three-judge Bench. This may require a five-judge Bench.

The writer is a personal development trainer working with corporate sector and government departments

A

Laughter normalizes imbalances in the endocrine and nervous system andsharpens the mental processes. It’s like an effective drug with noside effects

s beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, so humor depends on the mind of the spectator. Humor, as a balm, can soothe the nerves during these stressful times. A hearty laugh reduces muscle tension and helps the body get rid of greater amounts of accumulated carbon dioxide.

Laughter helps trigger the release of powerful hormones that energize a person’s immune system. One group of hormones called cytokines that promote the activity of white blood cells, are needed to ward off viral and bacterial infections. So, we can call laughter ‘a recipe for a long life.’

Mirth and laughter affect most physical systems of the body. It is a good workout for the heart, circulation improves, and the oxygen level is raised. Neck, face, scalp and eye muscles also get a workout. The muscle activity involved in laughing is the same as in exercising.

Laughing can aptly be called ‘internal jogging’ that is beneficial even when faked.

Laughter normalizes imbalances in the endocrine and nervous system and sharpens the mental processes. It’s like an effective drug with no side effects. To help put ourselves in the right mood, we must smile and laugh at ourselves.

Genuine smiles are contagious. A simple smile is the best way to win friends. The first thing most people notice about someone is his or her smile. We may not like to work with anyone who looks unfriendly and gloomy.

Although a smile lasts only a moment, the memory may stay with us all our life. Its value is immense. Nobody is so poor that he cannot share it or be so rich that he does not need it.

Smiling has a positive effect on others. A sincere smile communicates our feelings without the need for words. Receiving a warm smile can help us feel more relaxed. It helps us to cope

with frustration and challenges. When we smile, more blood reaches our brain, and this improves our mood.

Recall when someone’s smile brought you a sense of relief or when the absence of a smile made you feel rejected. So, a smile makes a difference. It affects both, the one who is smiling and the one smiled at.

The key to genuine smile lies in our thoughts and emotions. Thinking on the finer qualities of others will make it easier for us to smile at them, and they will know that we really mean it.

The ability to laugh is a Godgiven trait. There is humor all around us, it can be observed in pets at home in their antics.

Not all people laugh at the same things. It depends on one’s culture, personality and mood and other factors.

Mostly all laugh at a funny story, a pleasant surprise, a joke or a play on words.

Humor is a means of better relating to others. Laughter can be called ‘the shortest distance between two people.’ Humor is indicative of many things - our values, interests, preoccupations, intelligence, imagination and needs.

Properly used humor has much value. It can also mitigate anger, by turning trou-

Smiling has a positive effect on others. A sincere smile communicates ourfeelings without the need for words.

Receiving a warm smile can helpus feel more relaxed

blesome words into those that are reasonable and considerate. Humor makes us more creative, less rigid and more willing to embrace new ideas.

A good sense of humor and a positive disposition can help us cope with health problems.

However in today’s stressful world, it seems that humor is hoarded. We live in the age of technology where digital bytes and computer monitors seem to be supplanting the language of laughter, gestures and smiles.

What should Muslims sacrifice this Eid al-Adha?

I

n the Indian subcontinent, Eid al-Adha is known as baqreed. It is a time of feasting, rejoicing and piety. Unfortunately, for some, it has become a festival in which people compete with each other to sacrifice fine cattle. Not only is baqreed now an occasion to show off wealth, but it is also a time of much animal cruelty. With 600 million Muslims out of nearly 2 billion on the planet living in South Asia, this festival assumes global importance.

This year, Eid al-Adha comes at a poignant time.

Around the world, millions have sacrificed much during the lockdowns caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic has taken and continues to take a heavy toll on life, health and the economy.

In South Asia, the term

04

Muslims use for sacrifice is qurbani — or udhiya in Arabic — a word whose trilateral root, q-r-b, is related primarily to nearness, indicating that “sacrifice” is understood primarily as a means of drawing closer to God. Religions have had a history of sacrifice. Minoan and Aztec traditions included human sacrifice. Over time, religions such as Christianity and Hinduism took to animal sacrifice. If qurbani were to be read as a metaphor, the evolution of religion from the rite of human sacrifice to animal sacrifice is clearly noticeable.

The story also demonstrates that sacrifice is an act of ibadah (worship), which is the core of Islam, denoting devotion and piety.

WHAT IS SACRIFICE ALL ABOUT? Sacrifice is not about the destruction of property or

taking of lives, but about giving something personal and precious for the larger social good. In a society where people did not have enough to eat, slaughtering cattle was a way to feed the hungry and the destitute. It was not only an act of devotion but also of charity.

The Quran makes this

principle clear in one of its verses: “It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His Guidance to you and proclaim the good news to all who do right (Quran, 22:37).

Few realize that the rite

of cattle sacrifice is not essential to Islam. What is essential is the ethic of sacrifice. There is hardly a verse in the Quran where the word for prayer, salah, is not conjoined with zakah (alms) or infaq (spending on the needy). This striking frequency with which these two words are mentioned has an important implica-

tion. If Muslims were to heed the call for zakah and infaq in a practical sense, the redistribution of wealth would be continuous and there would be no poverty in society.

The idea of sacrifice rests on the notion that human beings should be capable of parting with something deeply precious to them. Abraham was willing to part with his son.

When Islam came into being, cattle were almost like family. Historically, nomadic cultures from Mongolia to Tanzania relied completely on animals who formed the very basis of life. In these cultures, animals often shared the same homesteads with families.

When people were sacrificing cattle, they were almost parting with a part of one’s own self.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.FAIROBSERVER.COM

A good sense of humor can help us to have more positive thoughts, emotions and behaviour. It lessens anxiety, relaxes emotional tension and facilitates good communication. It is effective as a healer, as being cheerful allows us to handle situations in a positive way, even in the face of unfavourable circumstances.

Good humor can be learned just like reading and writing. A change in thinking is needed.

One should stop focusing on problems and start to look at the positive side that every moment gives us.

Even with a full schedule, many enjoy their social contacts. They value little things as a chat, a coffee break, or a few minutes of good music. By including laughter in our daily lives, we maintain our energy level and alleviate fatigue.

Humor should be used with discretion, so as not to harm emotionally. Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and us. So, put humor into your life. Discover it, nurture it and cultivate it. It is bound to do wonders for you and those around you.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Held a review meeting with senior officials of @PetroleumMin and captains of our oil and gas PSUs to create a roadmap for greater role of the oil and gas sector in the #AatmaNirbharBharat initiative and further provide an enabling ecosystem for domestic entrepreneurs.

Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor It is in our interest to “constrain” China, not to “contain” it: my argument for staying engaged with a belligerent China in order to limit the damage it can do to us.

Spiritual SPEAK

All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.

—Buddha

Vol 1 Issue No. 238 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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05

45 newly-elected Rajya Sabha members take oath BJP’s Scindia and Congress’ Kharge are among the first-time members of the House who took oath

BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia greets Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Digvijaya Singh before taking oath as Rajya Sabha member, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu urged 45 newly-elected members of the House who took oath on Wednesday to uphold rules and procedures while discharging their duties as lawmakers and not fall prey to disruptions.

The 45 members, including 36 first-timers, took the oath of office in Rajya Sabha chamber while following physical

Mallikarjun Kharge

Priyanka Chaturvedi

distancing norms.

In total, 61 member have been elected to the house of which 43 are first-timers.

Twelve sitting Rajya Sabha members who have been re-elected, including Sharad Pawar, Harivansh, Ramdas

Athawale, Digvijay Singh, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Prem Chand Gupta and Biswajit Daimary, also took oath.

BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge are among the first-time members of House who took oath.

Scindia, who has been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, greeted his arch-rival Digvijay Sin-

gh, and Kharge before his oath-taking.

Scindia and Singh had huge differences and this was one of the reasons of Scindia quitting the Congress. Scindia also greeted Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Those members who could not take oath on Wednesday will do so during the ensuing Monsoon Session.

India’s highest recovery rate Over 28k discharged 24 hours New Delhi: India has registered highest ever recoveries in a single day standing at 28,472.

This is also the highest number of COVID-19 patients cured or discharged in 24 hours, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to a press release by the Ministry, with this, the number of patients that have recovered stands at 7,53,049.

This has strongly boosted the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients to 63.13 per cent, the Ministry added.

The constantly increasing number of recovered patients has further widened the difference between active cases that stand at 4,11,133 today. The difference now stands at 3,41,916. This difference is showing a progressively growing upward trend.

India’s tally reaches 11,92,915

A medic collects a sample from a woman for COVID-19 test on Wednesday.

While the national recovery rate has improved, 19 States and Union Territories are posting a recovery rate higher than the national average, the ministry stated.

With a spike of 37,724 cases and 648 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total number

of COVID-19 cases in India stands at 11,92,915, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total number of cases includes 4,11,133 active cases, 7,53,050 cured/discharged/migrated and 28,732 deaths, the Health Ministry informed.

—ANI

—PHOTO BY ANI

STRONG RESPONSE

New Delhi: With a spike of 37,724 cases and 648 deaths reported in last 24 hours, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India stands at 11,92,915, according to Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total number of cases includes 4,11,133 active cases, 7,53,050 cured/discharged/ migrated and 28,732 deaths.

Maharashtra remains the worst affected state with 3,27,031 cases and 12,276 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu with 1,80,643 COVID-cases so far.

IN THE COURTYARD ‘Allow NRIs to donate for Ayodhya temple’ ‘E-commerce entities must display New York: A prominent Indian-American activist in the US has appealed to PM Narendra Modi to allow members of Indian diaspora to contribute to the development of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Prem Bhandari, a community activist and also head of Jaipur Foot USA, said that there are nearly 32 million Non-Resident Indians and Persons of Indian Origin around the world and many of them would like to contribute to the development of the temple.

Bhandari appealed to

PM Modi to ensure a system that enables the interested to contribute any amount they deem fit. He added that all the money collected should go directly to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust.

“I am a Bhakt of Ram Lalla and I too wish to contribute to the grand temple that will be constructed. There are many others who may not be living in India but would like to donate to the temple. There must be provisions in place to ensure interested NRIs too are able to contribute,” he said.

SOUTH CENTRAL RLY ANNOUNCES INDIA’S FIRST ‘CARGO EXPRESS’ Hyderabad: South Central Railway announced commencement of first ‘Cargo Express’, a timetabled goods train between Hyderabad and New Delhi which will even transport non-bulk commodities.

As part of the initiative to increase the market share of railways, South Central has come with a unique concept of start-

ing a ‘Cargo Express’. A timetabled freight train is being started from Sanath Nagar in Hyderabad to Adarsh Nagar in New Delhi starting from August 5, said PRO. SCR has taken this as a pilot project for a period of six months and would be running the “Cargo Express” once a week every Wednesday.

country of origin on products’ New Delhi: The Central government on Wednesday submitted before the Delhi High Court that the declaration of the country of origin on pre-packaged commodities used for e-commerce transactions is required in case of imported products.

The Centre made the submission in an affidavit filed on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to mandate displaying the name of the manufacturing

country on the products at e-commerce websites. “The declaration of country of origin on the pre-packaged commodity or on the digital and electronic network used for e-commerce trans-

HARYANA GOVT AMENDS RULES FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAM Chandigarh: Haryana Civil Services (Executive Branch) Rules, 2008 has been amended, the state government confirmed on Wednesday.“The new rules will be called Haryana Civil Services (Executive Branch) Amendment Rules, 2020,” the Haryana government said in a release. From hereon, there will be two papers of 100 marks each (objective type) in the preliminary examination for recruitment to the state civil services.The changed pattern is similar to the pattern of Civil Services preliminary examination conducted by UPSC.

actions is required in case of an imported product and if the product is manufactured indigenously, country of origin may not be mentioned on the product,” the affidavit said.

The Department of Consumer affairs, while opposing the PIL, said that directions have already been issued to all ecommerce entities to ensure the compliance of the provisions of the concerned rules and acts.

—ANI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pose for the photograph during the inaugural session of the Air Force Commander’s conference in New Delhi on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

‘Deployment of IAF assets at Ladakh sent strong message’ New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) sent a strong message to the adversaries through rapid deployment of its assets at forward locations in response to the situation in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.

“Defence Minister stated that the professional manner in which IAF conducted the airstrikes in Balakot, as well as rapid deployment of IAF assets at the forward locations in response to the prevailing situation in Eastern Ladakh, has sent a strong message to the adversaries,” said GOI.

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday addressed the inaugural session of Air Force Commander’s Conference, where he said that IAF’s role in some of the most challenging circumstances is well regarded by the nation.

“Addressed inaugural session of Air Force Commander’s Conference today.

IAF’s role in some of

SC NOD FOR 3-MEMBER JUDICIAL PANEL TO PROBE DUBEY ENCOUNTER New Delhi: Supreme Court on Wednesday accepted the appointment of a three-member inquiry commission headed by former SC judge Justice BS Chauhan into encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey, and asked it to submit report within two months to court

and UP government.

A bench headed by CJI SA Bobde told UP police not to resort to encounters to eliminate dreaded gangsters.

Other two members of commission are -- retd judge of Allahabad HC Justice Shashi Kant Agarwal and former DGP KL Gupta.

SC SEEKS RESPONSE FROM LAWYER ON CONTEMPT CASE ON HIS TWEETS New Delhi: SC issued a notice to senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan asking him to file a detailed response on a suo moto criminal contempt matter against him over his alleged tweets. A threejudge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra also asked Twitter India to file its response in the case and fixed further hearing on August 5.

SIX DIE IN LANDSLIDE AT PITHORAGARH’S TANGA VILLAGE Pithoragarh: Six died in the landslide incident in Tanga village of Pithoragarh district here on Wednesday. Six dead bodies were recovered while the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) continues the search operation in which 11 people are missing, said the Deputy Collector of Dharchula. National Disaster

Rajnath addresses Air Force Commander talks

Response Force (NDRF), SDRF and district administration are present at the spot. “We are also taking the help of Indo Tibetan Border Police, Sub District Officer of Dharchula and Revenue Team,” he added.

According to the SDRF, the dog squad team is also sent for the search. Till late evening, four bodies were taken out.

the most challenging circumstances is well regarded by the nation,” the Defence Minister said. He said that IAF’s contribution during the nation’s response to COVID-19 pandemic has been highly praiseworthy.

In wake of corona, IAF has transported medical supplies to states and supporting agencies to combat the pandemic. —ANI

Hearing on BCCI case after 2 weeks New Delhi: SC said it would hear after two weeks the applications which have raised issues relating to BCCI. The matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao. The advocates appearing for cricket associations of Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh told the bench that they have filed applications in the matter and they should be listed for hearing.

—ANI

RAWAT INVITES SUNDAR PICHAI TO EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in a letter to Sundar Pichai invited Google to explore opportunity in the state, adding that the government would ensure “complete support” to “make it happen”. “Dear Sundar Pichai I invite Google to explore opportunities, our state of Uttarakhand offers, especially for setting up of data-centers etc. We promise complete support of our government to help make it happen,” tweeted Rawat. He also shared a snapshot of the letter he wrote to the Google CEO as well.

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Scribe Vikram Joshi who was shot in Ghaziabad succumbs to injuries

UP CM Yogi Adityanath announced `10 lakh Ex-Gratia; cops arrest nine people in connection ‘UP PROMISED RAM RAJ, NOT GOONDA RAJ’

Vikram Joshi, who was shot at by unknown miscreants, passed away on Wednesday.

Ghaziabad: Journalist Vikram Joshi, who was shot at by unknown miscreants near his residence in Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad on June 20, passed away on Wednesday. The doctor of a private hospital monitoring Joshi said that the veins in the journalist's head had got badly damaged due to the bullet injury.

"Yes, he (Vikram Joshi) is no more. He passed away at around 4 am during treatment at the hospital," a family member told. The scribe had suffered a bullet injury on his head after assailants opened fire at him near his residence in Vijay Nagar.

The attack is believed to be the fallout of a complaint that Joshi had lodged at Vijay Nagar police station on

`10 L EX-GRATIA ANNOUNCED

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi termed BJP-led UP government as 'goonda raj' hours after Ghaziabadbased journalist Vikram Joshi succumbed to injury he received from a group of men. "Journalist Vikram Jashi was killed after he protested against the harassment against his niece. My condolence to the family. They promised Ram Raj, but gave Goonda raj," Gandhi tweeted.

SANJAY RAUT EXPRESSES CONCERN July 16 stating that some people were harassing his niece.

Locals claimed that Vikram Joshi was riding a motorcycle with his two daughters when a group of men assaulted him and opened fire at him. Nine people were arrested in connection with the shooting incident. —Agencies

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut expressed concern at the death of journalist Vikram Joshi in Ghaziabad, saying that if such crimes are committed when victims protest against harassment, what will they do?

The RS MP hoped that the UP government would look into the incident.

‘Digital platforms need to be accountable and sensitive’ New Delhi: Union information and technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has called for digital platforms to be responsive, accountable and sensitive to the concerns of sovereign nations as far as safety, defence and privacy is concerned.

Prasad raised the issue on Wednesday during the G20 Digital Minister’s Meet hosted by Saudi Arabia.

Prasad’s comments come in the backdrop of India’s ban on 59 Chinese web and mobile applications including TikTok and UC browser due to security concerns.

“In view of these concerns, the digital platforms having presence in many countries must become trustworthy, safe and secure. It is

Ravi Shankar Prasad addressing the G20 Digital Minister’s Meet.

time to acknowledge that digital platforms anywhere in the world have to be responsive and accountable towards the sovereign concerns of countries including defence, privacy and security of citizens,” Prasad said.

China’s digital minister Miao Wei was also in attendance at the virtual meeting. Prasad also raised some other very important issues being

debated globally related to data security and said that data, too, must belong to the sovereign nation concerned.

“Digital economy must go hand in hand with the Data economy.

We need to acknowledge the sovereignty over data. Data must belong to the sovereign nation concerned, to protect also the privacy concern of its people,” Prasad added. —Agencies

member of the Mandal said, “This is a notification from the government and not a high court order. We will go to court.”

dia is marching ahead to realise PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”

Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted “Big Day in India’s Nuclear history as Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant-3 achieves criticality. Many Congratulations to our nuclear scientists!! Nuclear is a zero-emission clean energy source. The 700MWe plant is another shining success of #MakeInIndia. #AatmaNirbharBharat marches on,” Javadekar tweeted. —ANI

‘BJP failed to ensure law & order’ New Delhi: Following the attack on and subsequent death of journalist Vikram Joshi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that like its predecessor, BJP government too has failed to ensure law and order in the state.

"After raising his voice against sexual harassment, journalist Vikram Joshi Ji was shot in front of his daughter. Today, he succumbed to his injuries. Jungle Raj in UP has increased to a point

PRIYANKA ALL SET TO MOVE

where the common people fear the goons after making complaints against them.

The BJP government, like its predecessors, has failed to ensure law and order in the state" she tweeted. —ANI

New Delhi: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to vacate the government bungalow in Lodhi Estate before the end of this month and shift to a house in DLF Aralia, Sector 42, Gurugram, Haryana.

Sources close to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have stated that she will stay in Gurugram for the next few months.

Even media is not spared: Didi Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed condolences to the family of journalist Vikram Joshi who passed away today and said that voices are being muzzled and even media is not being spared.

“My heartfelt condolences to the family of Vikram Joshi, a fearless journalist

Trials of antitank guided missile conducted

Balasore: Trials of Helicopter-launched Nag Missile antitank guided missile (HELINA), now named 'Dhruvastra', were conducted on July 15 and July 16 at ITR in Balasore.

Trails were conducted without a helicopter in direct and top attack mode. These come in backdrop of ongoing disengagement process between India-China at the friction points between two armies in Ladakh. —ANI

who passed away today. He was shot in UP for filing an FIR to book his niece’s molesters. An atmos-

phere of fear has been created in the country.

Voices being muzzled.

Media not spared.

Shocking,” the West Bengal Chief Minister tweeted.

Journalist Vikram Joshi, who was shot at by unknown miscreants near his residence in Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad on July 20, breathed his last at a hospital on Wednesday.

—ANI

CAG is an enabler of Babasaheb’s vision: V-P Venkaiah Naidu

M Venkaiah Naidu unveiled a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar at the CAG office on Wednesday.

New Delhi: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu unveiled a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar at the CAG office in New Delhi on Wednesday. "The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu unveiling the statue of Bharat Ratna, Dr B R Ambedkar at CAG office, in New Delhi today," the Vice Presi-

dent of India tweeted.

"Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar was a multifaceted genius and builder of modern India. The nation will be ever grateful to him for his stellar contribution in drafting the Constitution and for guiding the nation at a critical juncture," he added. —ANI

ticle 212 read with para 6(2) of the Tenth Schedule, the plea said.

The impugned order (of HC) is ex-facie is illegal, perverse, and in derogation of the powers of the Speaker under the Constitution and hence deserve to be set aside, it added.

The petition, which has been settled by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Vivek Tankha, said that the Speaker was the designated constitutional person to deal with the disqualification plea against 19 MLAs and the high court should not have intervened.

This court as the sentinel on the qui vive (on the alert) has a duty to ensure that the all the authorities under the Constitution exercise their jurisdiction within the boundaries and respective Lakshman Rekha’ envisaged by the Constitution itself.

Judiciary was never expected under the Tenth Schedule to interfere in the manner it has done in the instant case resulting in this constitutional impasse warranting the instant SLP which is being filed with an urgent request to take up the matter at the earliest convenience

06

POWER Gallery WILL RAMACHARYULU BE ELEVATED IN RS?

There are reports that Secretary in the Rajya Sabha, Dr PPK Ramacharyulu may succeed Desh Deepak Verma as Secretary General.

2006 BATCH IAS OFFICER FROM BIHAR, SHOBHENDRA KUMAR CHOUDHARY QUITS IAS

A 2006 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, Shobhendra Kumar Choudhary has resigned from the IAS with effect from July 18, 2020.

ASHOK LAVASA YET TO RESIGN AS ELECTION COMMISSIONER

Ashok Lavasa, 1980 Batch retired IAS officer who has been appointed V-P of Asian Development Bank (ADB) is yet to resign. He has to succeed Diwakar Gupta, whose term ends on August 31.

WADEKAR TO HEAD PROBE PANEL ON GANDHI FAMILY TRUSTS

Vivek R. Wadekar will reportedly head the probe panel against the three trusts of Gandhi family. He is an IRS-IT officer and posted as Special Director ED. TIWARI TO BE JS (JK&L)

Manish Tiwari will be the first Joint Secretary of newly created cell-(J&K&L).

MATAM VENKATA RAO APPOINTED MD & CEO, CENTRAL BANK OF INDIA

Matam Venkata Rao, ED, Canara Bank has been appointed Managing Director & CEO in Central Bank of India.

TWO IRS-IT OFFICERS GET NEW POSTINGS

Anup Singh has been appointed as Additional CIT(OSD) in the office of Pr CCIT, Jaipur, Rajasthan Region, while Vivek Sharma was made Additional CIT(OSD) in the office of Pr CCIT, Delhi Region.

REINSTATE RAMESH KUMAR AS STATE ELECTION COMMISSIONER, GOVERNOR ASKS AP GOVT

AP Guv Biswabhusan Harichandan has directed state government to reinstate N Ramesh Kumar as the State EC in accordance with the HC order.

He is a retired IAS officer. The AP HC had on May 29 struck down an Ordinance promulgated by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy govt on April 10 curtailing the tenure of the State Election Commissioner from five to three years. The HC also quashed a Government order appointing retired judge V Kanagaraj as the new SEC. The state govt lost the battle in SC also.

12 IIS OFFICERS TRANSFERRED

12 officers of Indian Information Service (IIS) have been given new assignments. Accordingly, Shruti Patil has been transferred from PIB Delhi to PIB, Hyderabad as Director with additional charge of ROB, Hyderabad, while H P Kunnappa Reddy will join as PRO(Defence), Hyderabad and Gargi Malik was posted as Dy Director(News) at DDK, Lucknow; Similarly, Shantanu Pratap Singh has been posted as PRO Defence), Lucknow; G C Das as Dy Director(News), AIR, Bhubneshwar; Keshav Murthy as Deputy Director News, DDK, Bangalore; Shahu Patole as Deputy Director(News), DDK, Mumbai; Abdul Hamid Dy Director PIB, Ranchi; Ms Punntha S to join as Dy Director,at PIB, Bangalore; Pritam Singh will be new Dy DIrector(News), DDK, Shimla; Tariq Ahmad Rater is being sent to PIB, Shimla, as Dy DIrector and Sanjay Pratap Singh is going from Itanagar to DD(News), Delhi as Asstt Director.

B SATHEESH BALAN APPOINTED AS DIG, CBI

B Satheesh Balan has been appointed as Deputy Inspector General in CBI. ASHWIN SHENVI APPOINTED AS SP, CBI

Ashwin Shenvi has been appointed as Superintendent of Police in CBI. Inputs from : http://whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 Not allowed...

On the other hand, we have been directed to pay salaries. So far, we have been paying salaries on humanitarian grounds. Now, since we have decided to not operate any of the schools, all staff will be paid when schools reopen, based on our income from fees.”

He added, “The high court had asked the government to listen to the parents and school authorities but what got instead was a notification.”

DV Mehta, who runs the Genius Group of schools and is a senior

India contributing...

I firmly believe that our approach to the future must primarily be a more human-centric one,” he said. —ANI ‘Kakrapar N Plant... as indigenously designed 700 MWe Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant-3 in Gujarat achieved criticality. Nation salutes our scientists on this stellar achievement. New In-

CP: Moving...

Joshi has challenged the HC’s July 21 order which said the verdict on the petition filed by the 19 MLAs, challenging the disqualification notices, will be pronounced on July 24 and asked him to defer the disqualification proceedings till then.

The proceedings under the Tenth Schedule (which deals with disqualification of lawmakers) before the Speaker are proceedings of the Legislature and as such cannot interfered with as repeatedly held by this Court as envisaged under Ar-

of this court, the plea filed through lawyer Feranndes said.

The plea referred to various judgements of the top court and said the High Court’s order was in effect a stay on the powers of the Speaker under the Tenth Schedule to adjudicate on a disqualification petition.

Moreover, it is to be pointed out that the Speaker is the persona designata under the Constitution, who has exclusive, non-transferable, and non-delegable powers and authority to adjudicate on the issues of disqualification, it

said and referred to constitutional scheme under Article 212.

The scheme of 10th Schedule, para 6(1), and para 6(2) envisions a limited interference by the Courts in matters concerning the disqualification of Members even where final orders of disqualification are passed.

There was a question of law whether a court can interfere in pending disqualification proceedings before the Speaker in view of the clear bar under Article 212 and the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, the plea said.

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020

07

SO UR CE : DE SIG CONC THE C N: E VIN PT: ONV ER OD DIV KU YA H SAT IO MA E R S MNA N HA N RM I A

GLA OV SSE ER S F BEC OG G AU ING SE OF

MA SK ?

Wea if yo ring a m u abo ’re not ask ca ut b n eing used to be un exte c nde able to it. Peo omfor d pe bre ple w tabl eo riod athe h s of pro o wear r frust tim perl r e fa y, or glasse ating, s ce p e arti who w , those specia ll cula ear a fter midnight tor ch mas nxious y night, wearing alle ks f face masks will n g be mandatory es or

A

for people in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire when they leave home. It’s also recommended in New South Wales when physical distancing isn’t possible.

This means many Australians will be wearing a face mask for the first time.

Yes, wearing a mask can be uncomfortable or frustrating, especially if you’re not used to it. People who wear glasses, those anxious about being able to breathe properly, or who wear masks for extended periods of time face particular challenges.

But health workers, who have long used face masks as part of their everyday work, have developed a number of useful workarounds we’d like to share.

HOW DO I STOP MY GLASSES FOGGING UP? For people with glasses, wearing a mask can lead to their lenses fogging, reducing their vision. As you breathe out, your warm breath shoots upwards out the top of the mask. When it hits the colder lens, it cools down, forming condensation, or fogging.

Having to keep on taking off your glasses to wipe them clear, and putting them back on again, is an infection risk. So preventing or minimising fogging is the key. Here are some tips: Soap and water: wash your glasses with soap and water (such as regular washing up liquid), then dry them with a microfibre cloth. This type of cloth typically comes free with each pair of glasses. You can also buy cheap microfibre cloths from most optometrists. Facial tissues may leave lint, which attracts moisture to the lenses. Soap reduces surface tension, preventing fog from sticking to the lenses.

Shaving foam: apply a thin layer of shaving cream to the inside of your glasses, then gently wipe it off. The residual shaving cream will protect the lenses from misting up.

De-misting spray: you can use a commercial demisting spray that dries clear. But make sure this is compatible with your lens type or existing coatings on your lens. You can buy demisting spray online or from your optometrist.

Close the gap on surgical masks: mould the nose bridge at the top of your surgical mask to your face to reduce the gap that allows warm moist air up to the glasses.

Twist ties and pipe cleaners: if you make your own cloth mask, add a twist tie (for instance, from a loaf of bread) or pipe cleaner to the top seam of your home-

made mask and mould that to your nose for the same effect.

Tape: some health professionals apply a strip of tape that’s specially designed for use on skin to the top edge of the mask to close the gap.

You can buy a roll online or at the pharmacy.

Damp tissue: slightly moistening a tissue, folding it and placing it under the top edge of the mask also does the trick.

Nylon stocking: Victoria’s health department says you can also get a snug fit across the cheeks and bridge of the nose by wearing a layer of nylon stocking over a face mask.

Sadly, there is no magic trick, such as putting the mask or glasses on first that will stop fogging. Improving the fit around the curve of the nose and cheeks is the best approach.

I FEEL ANXIOUS ABOUT WEARING A MASK. WHAT CAN I DO? Putting on a mask may make you feel anxious or you may find it hard to breathe normally, especially if you’re new to wearing a mask.

Fortunately, the World Health Organisation and others say there is no evidence a face mask will cause either a drop in blood oxygen or an increase in blood carbon dioxide levels for normal everyday activities.

WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP MY EARS HURTING? Once you have been wearing a face mask for several hours, you may notice discomfort around the ears as the ear loops can chafe the skin. Here’s what you can do: Wear a headband with buttons…: one solution is to wear a headband with two buttons sewn onto it. Sew the buttons so they sit behind the ears. Rather than looping the mask around your ears, loop it around the buttons instead. This takes the pressure off the skin, increases comfort and helps you keep the mask on longer. …or a paper clip: unfold two paper clips and wrap them around a headband, again positioning them behind the ears.

Belief is critical to life and before you believe in something, you have to believe in your own self.

2ND FRONT Adani 1st Indian port to Once ridiculed, MNREGA commit emissions cut is saviour for migrants —Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020

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First India Bureau

From tailors to paani-puri sellers, all are benefiting from UPA’s job scheme Shishir Awasthi

JOB GIVER

Ahmedabad: Why are many migrant workers who left their dream cities in Gujarat not in a hurry to return from their native places? The reason: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), 2005.

Once ridiculed as the Congress-led UPA Government’s biggest failure and a scheme described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as one to “dig holes,” it is this very scheme that is now proving a saviour back home for lakhs of poor migrants.

And it is this very government’s machinery that is being forced to implement it. And how? New job cards essential to get work under MGNREGA are being made on priority, works are being sanctioned in a jiffy without any red tape, and payments are being made fast.

Want evidence? Come to Dhamna village in Uttar Pradesh’s Jalaun, a district counted among the most backward in the country.

MGNREGA is proving to be a boon for migrant workers in their native places.

Ask Surendra Kumar, 48, who was in a huge dilemma four months ago as to which place to call his home. No longer so.

He spent his childhood and his initial youth in Dhamna and seems to be re-discovering his native place.

MNREGA is a hope to survive till things improve.

He spent the last 20 years in a rented room in Ahmedabad, where he worked as a tailor in a garment factory. It was here that he got

@ahmedpatel

married and became a father to two girls. But after the lockdown, he was left with no option.

On May 25, he started his return journey to UP. Then there is Gulab Singh, his wife and four kids, who were happy in Surat. The income from selling paani poori wasn’t much, but it was enough to get by. “I made around Rs 8,000 every month. My wife used to work as a domestic help in houses and earn around Rs

3,000 to Rs 4,000. It was enough for survival,” he said. But came lockdown and he realised he must go home. So, on May 10, he headed to Dhamna on a Shramik train.

Most of them who returned to Dhamna came from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi, according to Girish Kumar Singh, the Gram Rozgar Sahayak. Those who did not have a job card, like Ramkumar Singh and Ram Pratap, were given new cards.

Job cards of a few were no longer functional, and were reactivated.

“We added 22 job cards and reactivated 30. The village has undertaken 13 MGNREGA works since April, including nine individual works, one plantation, two check dams and one village pond. At least 1,012 person-days have been created,” Girish Kumar said. The money is not much, but is enough to survive on till things get better.

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has sought documents related to the 2016 arrest of a Pakistani citizen allegedly for carrying fake currency. The police had later lost the case in the lower as well as higher courts and filed an appeal in the Supreme Court.

Pakistan High Commission’s officer Munir Satti has moved a petition before the high court seeking direction to the State police to release Pakistani citizen Sajjad Vora (28), who was ar-

rested by the Surat Railway police. The high commission has submitted that Vora had been illegally de-

tained.

When the matter came up for hearing before a Division Bench of Justice So-

Gautam Adani

by committing to set science-based emissions reduction targets — across their entire value chain — that are consistent with keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The companies have 24 months to have

their targets approved and published by the SBTi. APSEZ has also signed commitment as a supporter to the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), which develops voluntary, consistent climate related financial risk disclosures for use by companies in providing information to investors, lenders, insurers, and other stakeholders, the company said in a BSE filing. A total of 16 Indian companies are supporting the TCFD out of which two are Adani Group’s subsidiaries.

'MASKING' THE PRASAD

The Coronavirus pandemic has made wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing a new normal. Temples also seem to be following the protocol, though they have been opened. In Ahmedabad, temples are not only giving masks to the devotees after sanitising them, but these are being given instead of the customary prasad.

HC seeks documents related to Pakistan citizen detention First India Bureau

The shocking assassination of a journalist in UP is another example of breakdown of law & order in the state It is also a grim reminder of how media is being systematically intimidated since last 6yrs Our condolences to family of Mr Joshi.

We stand behind fearless journalism.

Ahmedabad: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) on Wednesday claimed that it has become the first Indian port to sign up for the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which independently assesses corporate emissions reduction targets.

Science-based targets are for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that are in line with the level of de-carbonisation required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Through SBTi, companies are responding

08

nia Gokani and Justice NV Anjaria, the State replied that there is no other case against the Pakistani citizen and they have no other objection.

The State is only waiting for the Supreme Court to decide the matter.

Meanwhile, the Central Government, in its reply, has stated that if the Surat Police Commissionerate issues a No Objection Certificate, it will clear the file at the earliest. The high court has asked both to submit all documents during the next hearing on July 31.

Customs seize Ecstasy pills worth `15 lakh First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Acting swiftly on suspicion, the Ahmedabad Customs on Wednesday intercepted two cargo parcels and found MDMA pills, commonly known as Ecstasy or Molly, concealed in books in one of them and normally wrapped in another.

The Customs officials have confiscated the material and initiated investigations against the recipients of parcels.

In two different cases, the Customs seized postal import parcels, booked from

Europe, suspected to be a psychotropic substance. Upon examination, one parcel was found to contain pouches with 135 pills (56 gm) with a market value of Rs.2.7 lakh.

Another parcel was found to contain three books and one book cover, which hid six pouches with 504 colorful pills (240 gm) having a market value of Rs.12.2 lakh. The pills in both the parcels tested positive for MDMA and so it was seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

Further investigation is in progress.

SHEDDING INHIBITIONS

Side Effects Of Lockdown : Boost In Sex Toys Sale 

A nationwide survey has also found that Surat city has the maximum buying appetite, while Uttar Pradesh had a majority male buyers of sex products

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Call it the result of lockdown blues if you may. While sales of most other things like vehicles and property have been nosediving, those of sex toys are going up.

Vadodara and Surat are among the top buyers in Gujarat, with women customers outstripping men in Vadodara while larger orders come from Surat.

This has been found in a nationwide analysis of trends of sex prod-

ucts in the Indian market by ThatsPersonal. com.

The analysis, under the theme “India Uncovered: Insightful Analysis of Sex Products Trends in India”, revealed that the market has seen a spike of 65% over the past few months.

The analysis in the fourth edition of the survey was done after a trend study of over 22 million visitors, and 3,35,000 products sold online. Maharashtra emerged on

Online sales of sex toys have increased across India during the last four Covid-19 months.

top in the ranking for sex products sales, followed by Karnata-

ka and Tamil Nadu.

Among metro cities, Mumbai leads with the

highest sale of sex products, followed by Bengaluru and New Delhi.

The sale in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) region was found nearly 24% more than the National Capital Region (NCR). Pune city also figures among the top eight.

The survey has found that “Surat city has the maximum buying appetite with a staggering Rs 3,900 per order placed.

Whereas, Uttar Pradesh holds the record for maximum male buyers among all states.”

The report also studied the surfing pattern, according to which the

favourite shopping time for women was between 12 noon and 3 pm, while men preferred to shop between 9 pm and midnight.

Vijayawada, Jamshedpur, Belgaum and Vadodara are among the cities that have more female buyers than males.

Though the buyers of most sex toys fall between the age groups of 25 and 34, the maximum time spent on the product suite consists of people between the age of 18 to 25.

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PREM KI

LEHAR City First wishes its readers a very HAPPY TEEJ and also gives a little background as to why and how the festival is celebrated in the country!

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

T

eej is an age-old festival of India which is an example of a living tradition that garners the appreciation of common people. It refers to all the monsoon festivals observed particularly in the western and northern states of India. The festival rejoices the bounty of nature and the arrival of the monsoon in the country. It symbolizes the harmony of clouds and rain along with greenery and birds as well as the sand and desert. This represents the vibrant and multi-coloured nature of this festival.

The festival is celebrated grandly by married women who worship Goddess Parvati who is also known as ‘Teej Mata’. It was on this day, she reunited with her long-separated husband, Lord Shiva.

Goddess Parvati declared this moment an auspicious time for girls and women in their lives. It is believed that whoever offers their prayers to Goddess Parvati on Teej will be blessed with their heart’s desire. Therefore, married women worship her on this day for long and happy married lives as well as the health and wellness of their husbands.

Since Teej is about celebrating the institution of marriage, women gather to dance, sing, swing under the trees, apply henna on hands and feet, wear brightly coloured ‘Lehariya’ saaris, narrate stories and cook delicious festive

foods on ‘Hariyali Teej’. Parents also send gifts to their married daughters called ‘Sindhara’. It usually contains new clothes, accessories, the traditional sweet ‘Ghewar’, ‘Mehendi’, and more.

In Jaipur, a Teej procession is organised jointly by the Department of Tourism, District Administration and City Palace. It is carried out over at least two days in the old city of Jaipur. The procession starts from the City Palace, winding its way through Tripolia Bazaar and Chhoti Chaupar and ends at Talkotra. The royal procession of ‘Goddess Teej’ comprises of camels, dancing folk artistes, royal palanquins, chariots and bull-

ock carts, In wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, Teej celebrations are set to take up virtual platforms. Women dressed in traditional attire and floral ornaments will be connecting with their friends online to host virtual ‘Teej parties’. These parties will involve food, games, distribution of gifts and musical performances.

Teej is the best time to witness the culture, rituals, traditions, and customs of Rajasthan.

09

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here’s an entire genre of mainstream Hindi filmmaking that disguises artistic incompetence as ‘ode to campy ‘70s Bollywood’. If we laugh at how hopelessly awful the movie is, the makers tend to go, ‘But that’s the point!’. If the acting is mercilessly grating and over-the-top, and the sets are lit more like the cartoon Dexter’s Laboratory than the TV series Dexter, and the plot is a drunken joke camouflaged as playful drama, and the leads have ‘easy paycheck’ written all over their powdered foreheads, and the climax involves an eccentric killer swan-dancing to classical music while simultaneously cutting open the stomach of a pregnant girl in a discolit basement, the director points out, ‘Exactly, that’s my tribute to so-bad-it’sgood thrillers of yore!’.

If we wonder how exactly a movie so terrible got greenlit and wormed its way onto our streaming screens during a global pandemic, the writers tend to surmise, ‘But you need the massy escapism!’. Fourteen years after testing that thin kitschy line between parody and disaster with Jaan-E-

Mann, editor-director Shirish Kunder turns that line into a suicidal rope with his third feature film, Mrs. Serial Killer.

Mrs. Serial Killer stars Jacqueline Fernandez as Sona Mukherjee, a character who seems to be perpetually frustrated with the actress playing her. The ditzy premise revolves around a ditzy and well-dressed Sona trying to murder a woman after her genius lawyer (who lives in a mansion that looks like a public school with an affinity for purple mad-scientist paraphernalia) advises her that the only way to free her framed husband from prison is by proving that a small-town serial killer who preys on unmarried pregnant girls and aborts their unborn foetuses is still on the loose.

Naturally, the ‘immoral’ victim Sona chooses is an emopunkish student with tattoos, purple hair, nose rings, a foul-mouthed vocabulary and a black belt in t a e k wo n d o.

At one point,

the chase culminates in a surreally moonlit lavender field with magic dust and Sona screaming ‘you f*****g b***h’ while she’s suspended in mid-air.

In case you’re wondering, Sona steals the list of pregnant girls from a fertility clinic. Any resemblance to Breathe – an Amazon series starring R. Madhavan as a doting father who sets out to kill inno-

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020

10

CRUEL PUNISHMENT

cent organ recipients so that his terminally ill son is bumped up the list – ends as soon as Manoj Bajpayee is introduced as the framed husband, Dr. Mrityunjoy Mukherjee, a man who acts like the spirit of Aks is trapped on the sets of The Xposé. ‘Stop calling me Joy, I’m not a f*****g ice cream, call me Mrityu!’ the Bengali man exclaims, but not before we notice that his

own fertility clinic has blown-up portraits of a scantily-clad Sona all over the reception walls. And here I keep wondering how weird it must feel for shy husbands to provide their “samples” in a private roomful of Penthouse magazines.

Bajpayee, like any great actor for whom there is a Satyamev Jayate for every Aligarh and a Mrs. Serial

Killer for every The Family Man, seems to have a blast in bad movies – almost as if he slyly wants to check how far he can push the hamscales before the mortified director asks him to tone it down. But much to his visible shock, director Shirish Kunder never stops him. He looks like he’s always waiting for Kunder to call ‘Cut!’ and burst out into chuckles…but that never happens. As a result, we get a performance that zooms past the so-bad-it’s-good barrier into so-bad-it’s-delusional territory. It cannot be unseen. Jacqueline, whose last four acting credits read Drive, Race 3, Baaghi 2, and Judwaa 2, is actually overpowered by Bajpayee, who in turn is overpowered by Kunder’s original score that features a background theme uncannily similar to the tune of Roshni Se from Asoka.

To sum up this abominable experience, much of this Netflix original left me so stunned with its disdain for the concept of moving pictures that it felt like another reality check in a year full of unsavoury reality checks. A pickup line such as ‘A male gynecologist is like a bald hair stylist’ is never a good omen.

FA CE OF TH ED AY

Source: https://www.filmcompanion.in/reviews/bollywood-review/mrs-serial-killer-on-netflix-review-the-worst-hindi-film-of-2020-so-far/

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

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

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

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

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

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You have in-depth knowledge of a particular subject. All that you love is manifested in your life somehow. You sometime form grudges against people in heart and that is not good, even you must have made mistakes in life so learn to forgive and move forward.

Eventualities related to business are something you should be prepared for well and in advance. Don’t stress out and over exert today as sometimes too much burden of work can make you sick so take things a bit easy. You should plan out your day right so that nothing is missed.

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

Haphazard arrangements only causes trouble therefore hire some profession to do the same for business event. Pending tasks will be completely on your behalf by someone, this is how nature will show its love towards you. You like challenges and you also like to win.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

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

Looking out for a friend is something everyone can learn from you. You are special in many ways and your parents are blessed to have you in their life. You have a vision and you will achieve all that you want someday. You kids are your life and you can do anything for them.

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

You get impressed with people easily.

Mother’s love is most important for you and you can do anything for your mother. You are recently feeling restless as you wish to do something but still couldn’t figure out what, don’t worry you shall find the way soon. The things that you had misplaced will be found.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

TASHA CHOUDHARY, Model

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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riyanka Chopra Jonas, the girl who dreamt of becoming an aeronautical engineer has made her mark as a global diva as she completes 20 years in the entertainment industry earlier this month.

On Wednesday, the ‘Fashion’ actor made a special announcement, revealing her plans to celebrate the milestone mark and have counted on her legion of followers to join her in the celebration. Through an Instagram video post, the ‘Dostana’ actor explained her idea of taking a trip down the memory lane, where she will choose and share “20 of the most monumental moments” of her life in these 20 years.

“It’s time for a celebration... 2020 marks my 20 years in the entertainment industry! What?! How did that even happen? You all have been by my side throughout this journey and your loyalty and support means the world to me! Join me as I take this trip down memory lane and celeb r a t e

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020

#20in2020 #20in2020,” the ‘Gunday’ actor wrote in captions.

Meanwhile, in a sperate message on Twitter, Chopra thanked her fans, and dear ones, for their overwhelming birthday wishes for the diva, who just turned 38 last week.

“Just want to take a second to thank every single person who took the time to wish me a happy birthday. Your thoughtfulness was so heartwarming and truly made the day that much more special.

Thank you, thank you!

Lots of love to you all,” she tweeted.

—ANI

11

MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO SSR!

Poster of the concert

S

ushant Singh Rajput passed away on 14th June 2020 leaving the entire Bollywood film industry in deep shock and heartbroken. The promising actor’s untimely demise came as a shock to the film fraternity as they were still recuperating with the loss of the two stars Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan. In the midst of all this, AR Rahman along with a few more artists including Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal, Mohit Chauhan, Jonita Gandhi, Sashaa Tirupati, Hriday Gattani, Amitabh Bhattacharya and others paid a virtual music tribute to the late MS Dhoni star on Wednesday i.e. 22nd July 2020. This amazing concert was held at noon as has been confirmed by the music maestro on social media.

—Agency

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

UNCONDITIONAL

Adorable Throwback

S Pink Sunset

ara Ali Khan on Wednesday treated her fans to an extremely adorable family picture from a Holi celebration during her childhood days.

“Mother, Daughter- Iggy Potter. Riot of colours with Water Slaughter. Mommy so young I almost forgot her. Gulaal we threw, off-guard we caught her.

But it was healthy fun with no totter. After all she’s mother dearestthe OG Fautor,” the ‘Simmba’ star poetically captioned the adorable Holi throwback picture on Instagram.

In the pic-

SUPPORT

ture, Sara was seen coloured in Gulaal along with her mother Amrita Singh and brother Ibrahim Ali Khan.

Sara looked loveable in the childhood picture as she wore an endearing smile with her neatly tied hair in a ponytail. Mom Amrita was seen smiling along with the kids, while she held little Ibrahim as he smiled and posed for the camera.

—ANI

Ayushmann and Tahira

A

yushmann Khurrana has extended his support in empowering a group of women ragpickers, who have taken it upon themselves to make and sell rakhis this Raksha Bandhan.

Khurrana, along with Tahira, for years has been supporting a Delhi-based non-profit organisation, Gulmeher, a women’s collective of waste-pickers turned artisans. The actor talking about the organisation said, “we are emotionally invested in Gulmeher.” He noted that the lockdown, has left these vulnerable groups at most risk, and their flow of income has been impacted greatly. However, these women are all in to make and sell rakhis, proceeds of which will go towards their well-being and sustenance.

—ANI

E

njoying the p i n k sunset and a cool breeze, actor Alia Bhatt on Wednesday treated her fans to an adorable selfie with sister Shaheen Bhatt.

“Pink sunset and a cool breeze, thoroughly enjoyed by two sweet peas,” wrote the ‘Kalank’ actor as she shared the selfie on Instagram. The beautiful picture showcased sheer sister love as the duo posed smilingly for the camera.

In the picture, Alia was seen sporting a comfy round neck-t-shirt while she letting her hair loose, in a nomakeup look, showcasing her cute dimple. Alongside the ‘Highway’ star Alia Bhatt was her sister Shaheen Bhatt. —ANI

... her post Sara Ali Khan

EXPLOSIVE TWEET!

K

Alia Bhatt; (inset) Her post

anye West has taken to Twitter yet again to make some explosive revelations only to delete them soon after. The rapper, who made the headlines for his emotional breakdown during his first Presidental rally over the weekend, tweeted about divorcing his wife Kim Kardashian. As reported, Kanye flooded the social media platform with tweets on July 22. The tweets claimed he has been trying to separate from the ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashian’ star

since she met Meek Mill in 2018 to discuss prison reform.

He was referring to the inaugural Criminal Justice Reform Summit in Los Angeles in November 2018.

“They tried to fly in with 2 doctors to 51/50 me. I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the Waldorf for “prison reform”. I got 200 more to go.

This my lady tweet of the night … Kris Jong-Un. Lil Baby my favorite rapper but won’t do a song wit me,” one of the deleted tweets reportedly read.

“Meek is my man and was respectful That’s my

dog Kim was out of line I’m worth 5 billion dollars and more than that through Christ But ya’ll ain’t listen to MJ and now ya’ll believe them???,” the following tweet read. He also spoke about his mother-in-law Kris Jenner.

“Kriss and Kim put out a statement without my approval … that’s not what a wife should do White supremacy,” he tweeted. His rant ended with him declaring, “Says the future president.” The tweet came a few hours after he claimed he was reconsidering his Presidential race.

—Agency

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

12

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS!

Jagdeesh Chandra greeted Poonam Sharma on her birthday on Tuesday; seen with them is her husband Vijendra Solanki, anchor at First India News.

Poonam has also been an anchor at First India news and is presently working as a leading actor in TV serials and Song albums.

Poonam Sharma

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020

POSTER LAUNCH!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Devendra Fadnavis celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday at Mumbai. Greetings for the popular former CM, who was the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, in office from 31 October 2014 to 8 November 2019, poured in on Social media. PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Yogi Adityanath, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal tweeted best wishes to the Fadnavis. His wife Amruta also took to Twitter for birthday wishes with a lovely black and white photo of the couple and wrote, “Wishing a very happy birthday to @Dev_Fadnavis -the Peoples’ Man who consistently raises the bar of Selfless Service, Transparency & Hard Work with each passing day of his public life, devoted to welfare of society ! You inspire me & many to find peace in service to humanity!”

Devendra Fadnavis with wife Amruta

TEEJ ka Shringar DR. ANUPAMA SONI

A

Jagdeesh Chandra released a poster based on Remedies of Grah Shanti, an initiative by Mahavir Kumar Soni, Chairperson of International Centre for Jyotish, Vaastu, Spiritual and Cultural Activities & Gathjod Films. Advocate Lalit Sharma was also present on the occasion.

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Sujeet Singh has joined Rajasthan Institute of Engineering Technology (RIET) as the member of Industry Advisory Board of RIET. He is a techno-functional sales professional with around 25 years of experience in IT Sales, Partnership Management, and Delivery with strong analytical & profound industry knowledge in Financial, Telecom, and Retail domain.

GUJARAT: The new collection of ‘Kanika Rana Fine Jewellery’ is created using the highest quality standards. They are exclusively handcrafted and designed by the finest artisans.

RAJASTHAN: A national webinar ‘Mahakavyon mein Darshnik Vimarsh’ was jointly organised by Manipal University Jaipur, MGH University, Wardha Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), and Bhartiya Mahila Darshnik Parishad on Tuesday. Professor RC Sinha of ICPR was the chief guest on the occasion while Dr Rajkumari Sinha chaired the webinar. Professor Jata Shankar Tiwari of Allahabad University delivered the keynote address. Professor ND Mathur (Director SHSS, MUJ) initiated the Vimarsh while Prof.

Richa Arora welcomed the guest and participants. Prof. Mani Sachdev coordinated the session. The webinar was attended by 300 participants throughout the country.

lthough women always want to look beautiful, when there is a special occasion like Teej-festival or marriage, then they are trying to see how to look different from others.

Women always aspire to look beautiful. If there is a special day or festival, then she leaves no stone unturned to look beautiful on this occasion. Teej is on 23 July. At this festival, you can not only look beautiful but also different from others. Just follow some special makeup tips for this.

First of all, we should use gold eye shadow and dark eye pencil for the beauty of our eyes. You can also get a good look by using an electric blue eyeliner. At night the colour of the blusher does not necessarily match the colour of the lips, but the tone colour should normally be the same. If you have applied orange lipstick, stay away from pink blush. You can use a shade of dark red in lipstick. The dark pink colour can also look great.

To get a 3D look in humid weather, branding and highlighting on the face is a must. Along with this, it is also very important to base the blend on the face. Along with this, toning is also very essential. For this, you can rub lightly on your face by putting ice in a muslin cloth. This will stop the pores and the makeup will also last for a long time. In this way, it is necessary to moisturize the skin before make-up, but because the sweat comes more in this season, you can leave it. But if your skin is dry, then you can do a light massage for a few minutes with moisturizer lotion. You can use con-

B

ollywood these days is riddled with allegations of nepotism and factionalism. Anubhav Sinha, Hansal Mehta, and Sudhir Mishra have resigned from the film industry, which has been divided into two parts during a period of debate, accusations. All three have written on Twitter about leaving Bollywood. Anubhav has

Dr Anupama Soni

cealer to hide unwanted spots from your skin. Apply

the concealer with your finger and pat it lightly on the

affected area, so that the concealer covers well in your skin. If your dress is not very heavy, do not apply too dark makeup, instead, use light colours in lipstick and eye shades. Apply mascara to the eyes. You can also use a pencil mascara instead of liquid mascara.

If your dress is heavy then use liquid mascara and apply mascara. Also, use lipstick and eyeshades dark colour. If you like, you can also use liquid wrap gloss for lips. After the dress comes to the hairstyle. No matter how well your makeup or wear jewellery, your look may not look perfect until your hairstyle is right. So give your hair a good hairstyle if your hair is short, leave it opens.

Many styles can also be given in open hair. For example, you can puff your hair from the front or with the help of clips; you can pinch the front hair a little by twisting it backward. If you have long hair, give them a style like a braid or a braid. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

GOODBYE BOLLYWOOD!

Anubhav Sinha

added Not Bollywood after his name. After this

Sudhir Mishra

step of the experience, the other two filmmak-

Hansal Mehta

ers have also separated themselves from Bolly-

wood by supporting them. Supporting the experience, Sudhir Mishra first wrote - What is Bollywood, we came here inspired by the cinema made by Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy, Mrinal Sen. So we will always be here. Apart from Sudhir, Hansal Mehta has also written - leave, it was never at number one.

—Agency