First India-Ahmedabad Edition-24 September 2020

AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

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‘MODI GOVT DESTROYED WEB OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES’

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 299

PM REVIEWS COVID-19 SITUATION WITH CMS, REPRESENTATIVES OF 7 STATES WITH HIGH CASE LOAD

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD 27°C - 37°C

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TURBULENT TIMES IN MAYA NAGRI

DRUG BUST! NCB SUMMONS DEEPIKA, SARA ALI, SHRADHHA, RAKUL PREET

FIR AGAINST ANURAG

AFTER ACTRESS ALLEGES RAPE

Mumbai: Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against filmmaker Anurag Kashyap after actress Payal Ghosh accused him of raping her in 2013, an official said on Wednesday.

Kashyap has dismissed the allegations as “baseless”. The First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Versova police station late Tuesday night after the actress along with her lawyer Nitin Satpute approached the police, the official said. The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code Sections 376 (I) (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force Turn to P6

Padukone summoned on Sept 25, Shraddha and Sara Ali Khan to appear on Sept 26 New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday issued summons to actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shradhha Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh in a drug case related to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

While Padukone has been asked summoned on September 25, Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan have been asked to appear on September 26. NCB officials visited Shraddha Kapoor’s house on Wednesday evening to serve the summons.

Earlier on Wednesday, the agency recorded the

Deepika Padukone

Sara Ali Khan

Shradhha Kapoor

Rakul Preet

statement of film producer Madhu Mantena in connection with the case. Mantena was the

co-producer of 2016 Bollywood film ‘Udta Punjab’ which dealt with the issue of drug menace.

His name allegedly cropped up during the questioning of late actor Sushant Singh Ra-

jput’s talent manager Jaya Saha, who was quizzed by the probe agency for last two days,

MoS Suresh Angadi first min of Modi Cabinet to die of Corona New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi passed away due to Covid-19 infection on Wednesday, two weeks after being diagnosed with COVID-19, AIIMS top official said. He was the first Union Minister and the fourth MP to die due to COVID-19.

On 11 September, the 65-year-old minister had confirmed his diagnosis.

Angadi breathed his last in AIIMS Delhi. He is the first Union minister from Narendra Modi’s Cabinet and the second parliament member from Karnataka to have succumbed to Covid-19 from Karnataka.

President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and a host of Angadi’s colleagues took to Twitter to offer condolences. Condoling his death, Turn to P6

PM Modi tweeted a pic with Suresh Angadi while condoling his death.

NARENDRA MODI @NARENDRAMODI Shri Suresh Angadi was an exceptional Karyakarta, who worked hard to make the Party strong in Karnataka. He was a dedicated MP and effective Minister, admired across the spectrum. His demise is saddening.

My thoughts are with his family and friends in this sad hour. Om Shanti.

AMIT SHAH @AMITSHAH Deeply pained to learn about the passing away of MoS Railways and senior BJP leader from Karnataka, Shri Suresh Angadi ji. He will always be remembered for his selfless service to the nation and party. My deepest condolences are with his family. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of Parliament, 2020 came to an end as it was cut short by seven days amid concerns of the spread of coronavirus among lawmakers.

Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Wednesday evening, bringing the Monsoon Session of Parliament to an end eight days ahead of schedule. While Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die in the afternoon.

Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House sine die after the passage of the Major Port Authorities Bill. PM Narendra Modi was present when the House was adjourned.

Meanwhile, Opposition parties have requested President Ram Nath Kovind not to give his assent to the contentious farm bills, Turn to P6

NCB officials said.

The NCB had on Tuesday summoned Padukone’s manager Karishma Prakash and KWAN talent management agency’s CEO Dhurv Chitgopekar, but the former could not appear before the agency due to ill-health.

The NCB is probing the drug link in Rajput’s death.

Padukone and the three other actors were named by Rhea Chakraborty while she was being interrogated between September 6 and September 8 before being arrested, according to NCB.

EC denies asking CBDT for IT notice to Pawar on poll affidavits New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday said it has not given any direction to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to issue a notice to NCP chief Sharad Pawar over his poll affidavits.

The EC’s statement came a day after Pawar said that the Income Tax department has served him a notice in connection with his poll

affidavits submitted to the poll panel.

Talking to reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday,

Pawar said the Income Tax department has sought his “clarification and explanation” on some poll affidavits furnished by him.

The poll panel, referring to media reports, in a statement said, “...

It is stated that the Election Commission of India has not issued any such direction to CBDT to issue a notice to Shri Pawar.”

—PTI

Reliance Retail sells 1.28% equity stake for `5,550 cr to KKR money equity value of `4.21 lakh crore. KKR’s investment will translate into a 1.28% equity stake in RRVL on a fully diluted basis.

This is the second deal by Reliance Retail in two weeks. Earlier this month, private equity giant Silver Lake Partners had said that

Mumbai: Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Retail Ventures Limited announced on Wednesday that global investment firm KKR will invest `5,550 crore into Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries.

This investment values Reliance Retail at a pre-

it will invest `7,500 crore in Reliance Retail for a 1.75% stake.

This marks the second investment by KKR in a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, following a `11,367 crore investment in Jio Platforms announced earlier this year. Founded in 1976, Turn to P6

WASTED RESOURCES

Govt mismanagement leads to need for more nCoV beds in pvt hosps Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: The government and the local body both seem keen to reassure the public that the pandemic is under control. However, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has just put a denotified designated COVID-19 hospital--the 200-bed SMS Hospital-back onto the list of designated facilities.

Those familiar with

the development attribute the need for additional beds in private hospitals to the government’s mismanagement of resources.

Corporation officers say that as many 350 intern doctors and medical students from AMCrun colleges have been roped in to serve at the walk-in COVID test facilities set up across the city, on Dhanvanti Raths, and for 104 emergency services. This

has led to a staff shortage in government-run hospitals and an increased need for beds in private hospitals.

For instance, the AMC-run SVP (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) Hospital has stopped admitting patients and instead refers them to other hospitals.

Amit Shah leader of BJP in the civic body said that the SVP hospital is referring patients to other hospitals.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Docs are being assigned duties than can be handled by paramedical staff, leading to a labour crunch

There are about 90 walk-in testing centres in the Ahmedabad, like this one in the city’s Bhadra area.

“A majority of SVP staff have been roped in for duties such as testing, other medical Raths, and 104 emergency services. So not all patients are being admitted to the hospital. Instead, they are being referred to private hospitals. And as the need arose, the 200-bed SMS Hospital has been added again after being de-listed just a few weeks ago,” Shah told First India.

“Sample collection can easily be managed by paramedical staff.

There is no need for

doctors to be sent for these things. It is a waste of resources,” an officer said. He asked that he not be named since he is not authorized to speak to the press on the issue.

Unlike the civic bodies in Vadodara and Surat, the AMC does not share details about bed occupancy or sample testing.

However, even without direct data from the AMC, it is becoming more and more obvious that the number of COVID-19 cases in the city Turn to P6

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

02

GOVT HAS CHANGED ITS STAND ON THE ISSUE TWICE IN THE PAST 20 DAYS Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: On September 02, the state government announced that it would complete its survey to assess crop damage caused by excessive rains in 15 days, and that farmers would be compensated based on this survey. On Monday, it announced a relief package of Rs3,700 crore. Now, in its third announcement on the topic in less that three weeks, it has said that farmers in 123 talukas can apply for compensation without need of a survey.

Addressing the press after a cabinet meeting, agriculture minister RC Faldu said that fieldwise surveys are not required in 123 talukas across 20 districts since they have been declared as affected areas based on random testing. As a result farmers in these areas do no have to wait for surveyors but can file online forms seeking compensation from October 01.

The state government will also “keep an open mind” fol-

NO CROP SURVEY REQUIRED

FOR 123 TALUKAS, STATE NOW SAYS

Teachers & talatis against elections amid nCoV spike

l Ask for postponement of polls until March or April next year First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat State Primary Teachers’ Association (GSPTA) and the Gujarat Rajya Talati Mahamandal, have written to the State Election Commission and demanded that the upcoming state nagarpalikas, panchayats and civic body elections be postponed for three to four months.

Six municipal corporations, 55 nagarpalikas, 31 district panchayats and 123 taluka panchayats are all set to choose new representatives in November this year. But, in their letter, the GSPTA expressed concern over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Teachers attending training programme for elections.

and warned about the potential spread of infection, if polls go ahead as planned. Association president Digvijaysinh Jadeja stated, “The upcoming election will elect 8,402 people representatives in around 6,419 constituencies across the state. For the election process to run smoothly without a hitch, manpower of over 1,50,000 people will be required. But, owing

to the current rate of infection, over 25% of the teaching staff has to be kept reserved for COVID-19 related activities.”

Jadeja further stated that so far the state had not been able to curtail the spread of the virus, and conducting elections in the midst of a pandemic was just inviting trouble. “The Commission should not forget that the

—FILE PHOTO

COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of many teachers, health workers, police personnel and other warriors. It will be impossible for us to execute election work while adhering to all Unlock 4.0 guidelines. I don’t think that anyone should have any objection to postponing these polls for another three four months,” he said.

According to the Gujarat Rajya Talati Mahamandal, post Unlock 4.0, the numbers of COVID-19 cases have been increasing on a daily basis, which has resulted in many deaths.

There are several corona warriors who have succumbed to the virus while discharging their duties. Therefore, the polls should not be held now but delayed till March or April 2021.

Mahamandal president Shadevsinh Chudasama said, “In order to conduct taluka and district panchayat polls, people will have to be deputed to rural areas, where the nCoV situation is still under control. But, if these elections are held as scheduled, there is a possibility that COVID-19 numbers may spike in rural areas too, thereby making the situation too difficult to handle.”

lowing complaints of crop damage in other areas, and will consider paying compensation if crop damage has been more than 33%, Faldu said, adding that surveys will be conducted in these areas.

The state had announced that it would pay Rs13,500 per hectare for crop damage in irrigated areas and Rs10,000 per hectare in non-irrigated areas, with a limit of two hectares, this kharif season.

Faldu clarified that only 30-40% cultivated areas have been affected by heavy rains, and that good yields are expected in the remaining 60-70% areas.

“The state is committed to procuring agriculture products at MSP through different agencies,” he said.

Given that the minister addressed criticism from the Congress party on the issue of cropdamage surveys, it appears that the Opposition’s reaction has compelled the state’s decision to initiate random surveys and pay compensation, rather than survey each field.

Ahead of elections, Congress is looking for educated, fresh faces First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The world might be in panic mode due to the novel coronavirus, but this has not curbed the enthusiasm of either the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Congress in their preparations in the run-up to the upcoming elections in the state.

With Gujarat set to witness local body elections as well as by-elections for the eight vacant seats in the State Assembly before the end of the year, the Congress is looking to make its mark with relatively younger, educated candidates.

Highly placed sources within the party said it plans to make a big dent against the BJP by fielding younger and fresher faces in the elections. Candidates above the age of 60 will not be given tickets to contest the elections, they said, adding that those with at

Headquarters of the Congress party in Ahmedabad.

least a graduate degree will be preferred.

In addition, the party has decided not to field candidates who are frequently absent from party functions.

“This time, the party is moving ahead with a new strategy. The state and central party leadership have already concluded several rounds of meetings. We are focusing more on educated candidates and relatively younger faces. We are also formulating a strategy so that we don’t have to field the same candi-

dates again and again,” said a person familiar with the development.

According to the Representation of the People Act, five of the eight vacant seats in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, namely, Lemdi, Gadha, Abadsa, Dang, and Dhari, should have got new re presentatives (MLAs) before September 15--six months since the seats fell vacant. However, elections were not possible during this period due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

NEW LAW

GUJARAT ASSEMBLY PASSES GOONDA BILL WITH MAJORITY l The House also sanctioned the Ambaji Area Development & Pilgrimage Tourism Authority Act First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The State Legislative Assembly passed the Gujarat Goonda and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) bill with majority on Wednesday, despite facing opposition from Congress, which raised concern over misuse of

certain provisions in the amendment of the Act. Addressing the House during discussion on the bill, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said, “The objective of the bill is to make our society more secure and also to ensure there are stringent laws in place to deal with antisocial elements or

gangs. This Act will cover moneylenders, who harass borrowers and often drive them to take extreme steps. The bill will protect this section of the society and also mete out justice with an iron fist to moneylenders.”

Taking a dig at the state government’s decision to come up with a new Act, Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani stated, “There are several laws already in place to deal with anti-social elements, but the state government

Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

does not have the will or power to enforce them. This new law is

—FILE PHOTO

just for show as are the others.”

He added, “The bill

has been introduced in the House with malicious intent to give the illusion that the state government has introduced a new law to curb crime.”

In agreement with Dhanani, Deputy Leader of Opposition Shailesh Parmar said, “BJP’s power in the state was born 25 years ago. Now, if it has grown up to become a goon as an adult, it is only natural that the government is trying to rein itself in by introducing new laws.”

While tabling the

bill, Minister of State for Home and Parliamentary Affairs Pradipsinh Jadeja said, “Our intention is to make the state safer for the citizens and put the fear of the law in goons and other anti-social elements. It is up to the Opposition to decide whether to stand with the government in passing the bill and enacting a new law or support antisocial individuals.”

Another bill that sailed through the House on Wednesday

was the Ambaji Area Development and Pilgrimage Tourism Authority Act. Aimed at organized development of religious sites such as the Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha district, the Act will allow the constitution of a body to regulate developmental work at religious sites in the state. Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said that apart from a chairman and vice-chairman, nine other members will be appointed as members of the authority.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

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2.30 lakh cusecs water released from Narmada dam Ahmedabad: A total of 52 villages in Vadodara, Narmada and Bharuch districts have been put on flood alert since 2.30 lakh cusecs of water is being released from the Sardar Sarovar Dam into the Narmada river.

The water in the dam has already reached 136.78m due to the inflow of water from the upstream. As a result, 10 gates of the dam are being opened.

With the outflow, the water level at the Golden Bridge has risen by 18 feet.

The Narmada Nigam has informed the Vadodara district administration that a total of 4 lakh cusecs of water will likely be released from the Sardar Sarovar reservoir in the coming days. People living in slums along the banks of the river Narmada will be evacuated. Before the river rises, an exercise will be carried out to move the slum dwellers along the Golden Bridge.

Only when the river reaches 28 feet will water enter the low-lying areas of the city. At the present stage, there is nothing to worry about in the city.

A study by national organization Pratigya Campaign stated that 243 cases were filed in 14 high courts across India —FILE PHOTO Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court accounted for 7% of the total pregnancy termination cases received by high courts across the country, according to a new legal report released by national organization for women’s rights ‘Pratigya Campaign’. The report ‘Assessing the Judiciary’s Role in Access to Safe AbortionII’ analysed cases of women seeking permission for termination of pregnancy from high courts in India between May 2019 and August 2020.

A total of 243 cases were filed in 14 high courts with one appeal before the Supreme Court during this period. In 84% cases, the courts granted permission for termination of pregnancies while 16% were denied.

Gujarat High Court accounted for 16 cases in 15 months. Across the nation, 74% of the total cases were filed post the 20-week gestation period, 23% of the total cases were filed

A banner promoting COVID-19 protocol is seen at Ahmedabad’s Pragatinagar Garden.

First India Bureau

ADDED PAIN

within the 20-week gestation period and should not have gone to the courts at all.

Out of 74% cases (filed after the 20 weeks cut-off period), 29% cases were related to rape/sexual abuse, 42% related to foetal anomalies; and out of 23% cases (filed even before

20 weeks were completed) 18% cases were related to sexual abuse/ rape and 6% were due to foetal anomalies.

Commenting on the legal aspect in India and the study’s findings, Anubha Rastogi, Pratigya Campaign Advisory Group Member and author of the re-

‘Tantric’ arrested for raping minor girl First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Nikol Police has arrested a so-called “tantric baba” for raping a minor girl on Monday night under the guise of freeing her fiancé from the “influence of ghosts”.

According to the police complaint, the girl had approached Raig Rawal, resident of Janu village, to help her fiancé who had been complaining about disturbed sleep and nightmares since

she thought he was being plagued by ghosts. Rawal offered a solution by holding “tantric rituals” at the river bank.

The girl, her fiancé

and both their families accompanied Rawal to the bank of the Sabarmati, where he performed his rituals and then said he needed to conduct the

rituals on the girl as well. He then took her some distance away, pushed her into some bushes and raped her.

The victim also said Rawal then threatened her with dire consequences if she told anyone what had happened.

The girl has been sent to the Civil Hospital for a medical check-up. Rawal will be produced before the court for remand and will also have to undergo a medical check-up.

Local group to publish Dalit poetry anthology on pandemic Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: A group of poetry enthusiasts from city-based Lokvacha Publications have called for entries for a collection of ‘lockdown poems’.

The poems will be published by the publication house and the theme ascertained for the poetry book is ‘Atrocities and struggles faced by people during the COVID-19 pandemic’.

The group--which includes Jayesh Solanki, Maulik Shrimali, Kisumu Dabhi, Mehul Chavda and Apurva Amin--also stated that the work of Dalit writers and poets will be the special focus of the book.

With more than 150 poems written on the different struggles and

Gotri Hospital nodal officer +ve for nCov —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

First India Bureau

HC saw 16 abortion cases in 15 months

03

The book will also contain images by Dalit artists.

atrocities faced by Dalits during the pandemic, the group plans to make it the focal subject of the collection. “The pandemic has affected people socially, culturally, economically, physically as well as mentally. It has compelled

them to put pen to paper and express their thoughts in writing,” said the group.

They also highlighted the purpose of the poetry feature collection. “This book of poetry will prove helpful for future researchers

since it will be part of the documentation of this period in time. Our aim is to promote collectivism among all writers and activists,” stated the group.

Talking about the initiative, Solanki said, “A creative person can get inspired from anywhere and everywhere.

They can never go without writing for long and are always creating new literature. The pandemic forced people to stay indoors and presented people with the opportunity to write.”

“There are many writers/poets who have written about different topics and ours is a platform where all such work will be read and shared,” he added.

The group will accept entries until September 30 via, email, SMS, or hard copy.

port said, “The increasing number of cases only indicate to the fact that access to safe and legal abortion services in this country still leaves a lot to be desired. It is imperative that any change in law takes note of these increasing trends and moves towards a rightsbased, inclusive, and accessible legislation on abortion. Any new law/ amendment cannot be based on third-party authorization like the medical boards and has to be respectful of a decision that involves the registered service provider and the person carrying the baby.”

Gandhinagar: Despite being relatively better off than cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Jamnagar in terms of SarsCoV-2 infections, Vadodara on Wednesday reported 124 new cases. Dr Shital Mistry, the nodal officer of GMERS Gotri Hospital, and four women councillors are among the city’s latest COVID-19 patients.

Also in Vadodara, the Waghodia branch of the State Bank of India will remain closed for the next five days after the branch manager tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

1,372 new cases, 15 fatalities take tally to 1,27,541 cases and death toll to 3,370 In the past 24 hours, the state has tested 61,907 samples, 1,372 of which came back positive. There are now 16,470 active cases in the state, with 86 patients on ventilator support. Four of the 15 deaths reported in the past 24 hours occurred in Surat.

Ahmedabad and Vadodara reported three deaths each, Bhavnagar and Rajkot had two deaths each and one death occurred in Morbi.

Surat had the highest number of cases

with 294; of these, 183 were from the city and 111 from rural areas.

Cases also emerged in Ahmedabad (185), Rajkot (141), Jamnagar (94), Banaskantha (51), Mehsana (45), Gandhinagar (38), Junagadh (38), Bhavnagar (37), Kutch (27), Panchmahal (27), and Amreli (27).

So far, about 39 politicians in Gujarat have been infected with Sars-CoV-2. Of these, only nine chose to get treated in government hospitals.

Eleven leaders were home quarantined because they were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms while the other 21 took treatment in private hospitals.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

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04

IN-DEPTH

DEEPIKA, SARA TO FACE NCB AS PROBE WIDENS

W

hat started as a case of suspected suicide has widened into a full-fledged investigation to unearth a wider drug nexus in Bollywood. Based on the statement of Rhea Chakraborty, who continues to languish in jail, the Narcotics Control Bureau has issued summons to Sara Ali Khan, Rakul Preet Singh, and designer Simone Khambatta. Deepika Padukone and Shraddha Kapoor have also been summoned by the bureau. The questioning of Jaya Saha, the talent manager of Sushant Singh Rajput, continued for the third day on Wednesday. Summons was issued to Deepika on the basis of some 2017 WhatsApp conversations between her manager Karishma Prakash and someone named “D”. Nineteen persons are already in NCB’s custody in this connection.

Where is the NCB investigation headed? Is it intended to unearth the entire nexus and reach every drug peddler, the source these peddlers get their supplies from, or is it meant to bring down some stars from their pedestals? With the kind of media hype the case is getting, the latter seems more plausible. Peddling, one presumes, is a bigger offence than consuming drugs which none of the artistes summoned appear to be doing. The NCB has so far not produced any transaction evidence in the case of any of these. Media leaks, it is feared, will only alert the big while reputations will be besmirched.

This is not the first time that Bollywood stars are in the news for using narcotic substances. Fardeen Khan was arrested in 2001 for possessing cocaine. He was granted immunity from prosecution by a special court in 2012. Sanjay Dutt also underwent rehab.

BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING IN NAVY, IAF

R

emember, Gunjan, the Kargil Girl, the film that portrayed Indian Air Force in poor light for misogyny, accusing it of gender bias and harassment of women?

The IAF, which has 10 women fighter pilots and 18 women navigators, took umbrage to its gross negative portrayal and the film ran into controversy. Not even a month has elapsed when the IAF is proving the film wrong by selecting a woman fighter pilot to fly the air force’s newest acquisition, the Rafale. Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, who has flown MiG21 Bison alongside Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthman, is set to become the first woman pilot to fly the potent Rafale. Commissioned in 2017, Flt. Lt. Shivangi Singh hails from Varanasi. She is undergoing conversion training before joining the Golden Arrow squadron.

Just a few days back two women---Sub-Lieutenant Kumudini Tyagi and Sub-Lieutenant Riti Singh were inducted as helicopter crew for deployment on frontline warships. This was an historic decision for the Indian Navy. The two officers will be part of teams managing combat and tactical operations of naval helicopters. Before these two young officers the Indian Navy did not deploy women officers on warships but deployed them in logistics and medical teams. They are the “first airborne combatants who would be operating from warships”, the Indian Navy said. The two officers will break the proverbial glass ceiling once they reach the position of commanding officers of frontline warships. As the cliché goes, sky is the limit for those who aspire with determination.

For all three officers September 21 will be an unforgettable date.

THE WONDERFUL LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF SHIRDI SAI BABA W

hat is new in the world?

Nothing.

What is old in the world?

Nothing. Everything has always been and will always be.” – Shirdi Sai Baba Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master who was regarded by his devotees as a saint, fakir, and satguru, according to their individual proclivities and beliefs. He was revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees and during, as well as after, his life it remained uncertain if he was a Hindu or a Muslim. This, however, was of no consequence to Sai Baba. He stressed the importance of surrender to the true Satguru or Murshid, who, having trod the path to divine consciousness, will lead the disciple through the jungle of spiritual training.

Sai Baba is worshipped by people around the world. He had no love for perishable

“

‘

Who was Shirdi Sai Baba? Baba lived all his adult life in Shirdi, a small village in India. To the unknowing, He seemed a simple beggar, dressed in torn clothes, having no need for any material item. Claiming neither the Hindu nor Muslim religion nor any religion. He lived in an abandoned Mosque with no roof and every day took his food from a few people, making his rounds with his begging bowl, door to door. What really was happening; He was burning the karmas of everyone who came to Him, in the dhuni (Divine Fire) Baba kept burning at all times. Healing and giving guidance on every level. Hundreds of thousands of miracles are attributed to Him in His life and they have multiplied now after His Mahasamadhi. Baba left His physical form in 1918, but his Divine Energy and Intention and Power is always available and at work in the world.

things and his sole concern was realization of the self.

He taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, and devotion to God and guru.

He gave no distinction based on religion or caste. Sai Baba’s teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam: he gave the Hindu

name Dwarakamayi to the mosque in which he lived, practiced Muslim rituals, taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions, and was buried in Shirdi.

One of his well-known epigrams, “Sabka Malik Ek” (“One God governs all”), is associated with Hinduism, Islam, and Sufism. He also

said, “Trust in me and your prayer shall be answered”. He always uttered, “Allah Malik” (“God is King”).

TEACHINGS OF SAI BABA If you are wealthy, be humble. Plants bend when they bear fruit.

Spend money in charity; be generous and munificent but not extravagant.

Whatever creature comes to you, human or otherwise, treat it with consideration.

See the divine in the human being.

There is a wall of separation between oneself and others and between you and me. Destroy this wall!

I get angry with none.

Will a mother get angry with her children?

Will the ocean send back the waters to the several rivers?

What is our duty?

To behave properly. That is enough.

God is not so far away. He is not in the heavens above,

A healthy earth needs indigenous peoples I

n May 2019, a landmark report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services painted a bleak picture of our planet’s health. Around one million animal and plant species – more than ever before in human history – are now threatened with extinction, many within decades. Pollution is proliferating, land degradation is accelerating, and we are nowhere near on track to achieve global goals for protecting biodiversity and achieving sustainability.

But, even as media touted the report’s dire warnings, they largely missed another of its key findings: lands and waters that are owned, managed, and used by indigenous peoples and

local communities are much healthier than those that aren’t. A growing body of research supports the clear implication that indigenous peoples have a vital role to play in addressing the biodiversity crisis.

Only recently have international discussions about environmental issues begun to acknowledge the role of indigenous communities. Over the last year, delegates of the 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) participated in countless workshops aimed at producing a new international agreement setting common goals and targets for reversing biodiversity decline, using ecosystems sustainably, and ensuring that the benefits they confer are shared equally. And in their most recent discussions of the initial draft of

the post-2020 framework, the parties recognized the importance of including indigenous peoples in the process. This was an apparent nod to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which promotes our full and effective participation in all matters that concern us.

Indigenous peoples’ connection to our lands, waters, air, and other natural resources is deeply embedded in our cultures and traditions. We hold ceremonies to show our gratitude and respect for the natural gifts on which our survival depends. This instills in us a deep understanding of – and commitment to – our

duties and responsibilities as nature’s stewards and guardians. We know that we need nature as much as it needs us.

I believe that the world’s failure to embrace such a holistic perspective lies at the root of the imbalances that are propelling our planet’s destruction. We cannot continue to make the same mistakes. And that means following through and building on the commitments contained in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to protect our rights and engage us fully in discussions of issues affecting us.

Canada offers a promising example. Last November, the government of British Columbia enacted legislation to implement the UN declaration, enshrining our rights to our

lands and waters, our resources, and our self-determination. It is now required in the province to move toward consentbased decision-making and further collaborate with indigenous peoples on any legislative or policy changes that affect our rights.

The federal government is set to replicate this legislation at the national level at the end of this year.

More countries should follow this example, enshrining in legal frameworks the rights of indigenous peoples to govern our own territories and practice our knowledge.

This means recognizing our governments and laws, which are essential to ensure that our knowledge is transmitted through generations for the benefit of biodiversity..

nor in hell below. He is always near you.

If you cannot endure abuse from another, just say a simple word or two, or else leave.

I stay by the side of whoever repeats my name.

Do not be obsessed by egotism, imagining that you are the cause of action: everything is due to God. Do not fight with anyone, nor retaliate, nor slander anyone.

All gods are one. There is no difference between a Hindu and a Muslim.

Mosque and temple are the same.

When you see with your inner eye. Then you realize that you are God and not different from Him. To God be the praise.

I am only the slave of God. Choose friends who will stick to you till the end, through thick and thin – Shirdi Sai Baba SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.RAMDASS. ORG/WONDERFUL-LIFE-TEACHINGSSHIRDI-SAI-BABA/

Top

TWEET Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Modi Govt permits the use of ISO tank containers for transportation of Oxygen. Using these containers, Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organisation will ensure fast transportation, safe & seamless supply of oxygen across the country to combat COVID. Mallikarjun Kharge @kharge For all the tall claims on the meteoric rise in India’s image abroad after PM @narendramodi took over is only perception management. In reality our foreign policies have failed completely & are almost isolated on world stage.

Spiritual SPEAK

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

—Proverbs 12:15

SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE

Vol 1 Issue No. 299 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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

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05

PARLIAMENT’S MONSOON SESSION

PARL PASSES 3 KEY LABOUR REFORM BILLS

Replying to the debate on the three labour reforms bills, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said, “The purpose of labour reforms is to provide a transparent system to suit the changed business environment” New Delhi: Parliament Oppn parties approved three key laNADDA HAILS PASSAGE OF bour reform bills that march in KEY BILLS IN RAJYA SABHA will remove impediments for winding up of New Delhi: BJP president JP Nadda on Parl, protest companies and allow Wednesday hailed the passage of the Jammu firing of staff without and Kashmir Official Farm Bills government permisLanguages Bill as “hission in firms with up to 300 workers. Amid boycott by opposition parties including Congress and Left over suspension of eight MPs, RS passed by voice vote the three remaining labour codes on industrial relations, social security and occupational safety.

The three codes were passed by Lok Sabha on Tuesday and these will now be sent to the President for his assent. Replying to the debate on the three labour reforms bills, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said,”The purpose of labour reforms is to provide a transparent system to suit the changed business environment.” He said these bills would safeguard the interest of workers.

—PTI

Parliamentarians in Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The agreed rate or contract rate shall not be less than minimum support price of the proceeding year....where there is no minimum support price, and no agreed rate, the amount of security shall be calculated at the rate of 15 per cent of the prevailing market rate of agreement,” said Hooda while quoting the rules.

JAVADEKAR SLAMS OPPN FOR STAYING ABSENT WHILE BILLS WERE DISCUSSED New Delhi: When discussions on three Bills namely, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 and the Code of Social Security, 2020, were underway in the Upper House, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said, “73 years after independence, labourers are getting the right they had been waiting for. The Bills guarantee wage, social & health security. When a Bill that assures wage security, social security & health security to 50 crore labourers has been brought, the Opposition is absent because they are distanced from the public.”

—Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Former Haryana CM

New Delhi: Opposition parties on Wednesday took out a march inside the Parliament premises in protest against the Centre’s Farm Bills.

MPs of the Opposition parties, including Congress’ Ghulam Nabi Azad, TMC’s Derek O’Brien, and Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan among others held placards with slogans ‘Save Farmers’ as well as ‘Save Farmers, Save Workers, Save Democracy’ as they first staged a protest before the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises and later took out a march.

Several Opposition parties have protested the passage of the Farm Bills in Parliament and have boycotted the proceedings of both Houses. —ANI

toric”, and said this is an important step for developing the regional languages of the union territory. “These codes aims to reform India’’s archaic labour laws & expand their ambit to provide healthy and safe working environment for 50 crore workers. The government is very sensitive to migrant labourers. First time several provisions have been made for their welfare in this code,” he tweeted.

J&K OFFICIAL LANGUAGES BILL, 2020 PASSED New Delhi: The Jammu&Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 was passed by a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill gives official language status to Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi, English, and Urdu in the Union Territory.“The Bill fulfills the decades long wishes of the people of the region. It is a big step which will give official language status to Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi, English, and Urdu,” said Minister of State (MoS) Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said speaking during the discussions.

IN THE COURTYARD ‘Modi govt destroyed MEHUL CHOKSI ASKS DELHI HC ED INVESTIGATION web of relationships Mirchi’s son got 4 properties in ‘Is Netflix permitted to with other countries’ Dubai by DHFL’s Wadhwans violate an individual’s

New Delhi: Living in a neighbourhood with no friends is dangerous, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had destroyed the “web of relationships” that the Congress had built with countries over decades.

Attacking the government on Twitter, Gandhi also tagged a report in The Economist titled ”As Bangladesh’s relations with India weaken, ties with China strengthen”.

“Mr Modi has destroyed the web of relationships that the Congress built and nur-

RAHUL GANDHI @RAHULGANDHI Mr Modi has destroyed the web of relationships that the Congress built and nurtured over several decades.

Living in a neighbourhood with no friends is dangerous. tured over several decades,” Gandhi alleged.

“Living in a neighbourhood with no friends is dangerous,” he further added.

Congress has been critical of Modi government’s foreign policy, alleging that ties with neighbours have been weakened. —PTI

SENSEX ENDS 66 PTS LOWER; BHARTI AIRTEL CRASHES 8 PC Mumbai: Extending its losses for the fifth straight session, equity benchmark Sensex ended 66 points lower on Wednesday, tracking weakness in Bharti Airtel, TCS and Bajaj Finance despite largely positive cues from global markets. After opening on a positive note, the 30-share BSE index pared all intra-day gains

to settle 65.66 points or 0.17 per cent down at 37,668.42. Similarly, the NSE Nifty fell 21.80 points or 0.20 per cent to close at 11,131.85.

Bharti Airtel was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, tanking around 8 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, PowerGrid, ONGC and TCS.

Mumbai: Dheeraj Wadhawan of DHFL group and East Coast LLC allegedly transferred four commercial properties in Dubai, to late gangster Iqbal Mirchi’s son Asif Iqbal Memon without any monetary consideration, ED investigation revealed.

According to an ED official, Dheeraj and East Coast LLC (DEC) transferred four commercial properties of an area totalling over 3000 sq ft in Marsa,

fundamental rights?’

Dubai, to Memon without any monetary consideration in 2015.

“The company also sold 10 commercial properties at Dubai’s Business Bay financial

district to Memon for 4.5 million Emirati Dirham (about Rs 9 crore), a discount of over 57% on the prevailing market price,” the official said.—ANI

Plea in SC seeks removal of Maha govt, imposition of Prez’s rule New Delhi: A petition has been filed in the SC seeking directions to remove CM Uddhav Thackery-led government from power in Maharashtra and impose President’s rule in the state. The plea

said the state machinery is being “misused” by political parties in power not only to shield criminals but also to encourage criminal activity being regularly indulged into by cadre. It said that the

NAVJOT SIDHU JOINS FARMER PROTEST IN AMRITSAR Amritsar: Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday joined the party’s protest in Amritsar in support of farmers who were demonstrating the passage of agricultural reform bills in the parliament. Visuals from the demonstration showed Sindhu atop a vehicle with posters in support of the farmers. Similar protests have broken out across the country in parts of the country including Haryana and Odisha. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi have slammed the Modi government over these bills.

affairs of the state are not being carried out as per legal requirements and in an honest and sincere manner for the welfare of the citizens. The petition was filed by Delhi residents. —ANI

New Delhi: Businessman and diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who is an accused in the PNB scam, during the hearing on an appeal against Netflix’s documentary titled “Bad Boy Billionaires” on Wednesday asked the Delhi High Court whether the streaming service is permitted to violate an individual’s fundamental rights.

Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, appearing for Choksi, also asked whether Netflix’s claim to remain unregulated and being beyond the jurisdiction of writ courts in India is legal.

A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan, hearing Choksi’s petition against a single-judge bench order dismiss-

‘CONTRIBUTIONS KEEP POURING IN FOR RAM TEMPLE IN AYODHYA’ Ayodhya: While the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya continues, the contributions have kept on pouring in from across the world, the latest being a USD 1,500 contribution made by an NRI. Prakash Gupta, office-in-charge, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra told reporters

here that till date crores of rupees have been received from devotees for the temple construction.

“Crores of rupees have been received for temple construction till date.

Recently an NRI has sent a cheque of USD 1,500 as his contribution,” Gupta said. They send back a receipt & prasad to those who send via post.

ing his plea seeking pre-screening of the documentary, slated the matter for further hearing on Thursday.

Appearing for Choksi, advocates Aggarwal, Mudit Jain and Ashul Agarwal argued that it is a travesty of justice that a person had approached the writ court for protection of his fundamental rights to a fair investigation, which is a facet under Article 21 of the Constitution of India; however, he was relegated to avail his remedies before the civil court. —ANI

CBDT issues over`1.11L cr refund to 32L taxpayers New Delhi: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued refunds of over 1,11,372 crore to more than 32.07 lakh taxpayers between April 1 to September 22, 2020, said the Income Tax (I-T) Department in a statement on Wednesday.

The I-T refunds of 31,856 crore were issued in 30.29 lakh taxpayers and corporate tax refunds of Rs79,517 crore have been issued to over 1.76 lakh taxpayers, the statement said.

In wake of COVID-19 pandemic, CBDT earlier extended the due date for filing of Income Tax Returns for FY 2018-19 (AY 2019-20) from July 31 to September 30, 2020.

The CBDT earlier said the income tax authorities can share information with scheduled commercial banks, a move that would ease the lenders’ hassle of deciding TDS deductibility on various payments to their customers. —Agencies

ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY’S PLEA ON EIA ADJOURNED TILL OCT 23 New Delhi: The Delhi High court adjourned till October 23, a petition filed by Ministry of Environment against the court’s June 30 order where the Centre was directed to publish the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification in languages mentioned in VIII Schedule of Constitution of India. A division bench of CJ DN Patel & Prateek Jalan adjourned the matter after the Centre sought time to file a rejoinder in the plea.

The court has earlier sought a response on the review plea from petitioner Vikrant Tongad.

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NEW RECOVERIES EXCEED FRESH

CASES FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE DAY

‘A total of 89,746 recoveries have been registered in the last 24 hours’, MoHFW said in a release New Delhi: New recoveries in the country have exceeded the new COVID-19 cases for the fifth consecutive day, said Union Health Ministry on Wednesday.

As per the data of the Ministry, on September 19, India recorded 93,337 new COVID-19 cases and 95,880 recoveries, on September 20, the country reported 92,605 new cases and 94,612 recoveries, on September 21, the number of new cases stood at 86,961 with 93,356 recoveries, on September 22, the nation recorded 75,083 new case and highest single-day recoveries of 1,01, 468 and on September 23, the number of reported new cases was 83,347 and recoveries stood at 89,746.

“A total of 89,746 recoveries have been registered in the last 24 hours in the country, whereas the number of new confirmed cases stands at 83,347,” MoHFW said in a release.

“With this, the total number of recoveries are 45,87,613. The recovery rate is 81.25 per

INCREASED RISK FOR KIDNEY DAMAGE

T

POWER Gallery 51 IAS OFFICERS EMPANELLED AS ADDITIONAL SECRETARY

Altogether 51 IAS officers belonging to 1989, 1990,1991 ,1992 and 1993 batch have been empanelled to the rank of Additional Secretary in the Government of India.

JUSTICE SANJAY YADAV NAMED ACTING CJ OF MADHYA PRADESH

HC Justice Sanjay Yadav has been appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He will assume charge with effect from September 30, after incumbent Ajay Kumar Mittal retires.

A notification in this regard was issued on Tuesday.

PANKAJ JOSHI EMPANELLED AS ADDITIONAL SECRETARY IN GOI

Pankaj Joshi has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary and Additional Secretary equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a 1989 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.

RAJAT KUMAR MISHRA EMPANELLED AS ADDITIONAL SECRETARY IN GOI A health worker wearing a PPE kit collects a sample for COVID-19 Rapid Antigen test, at Kursoo Rajbagh in Srinagar.

—PHOTO BY PTI

cent today. A total of 17 states/UTs have more new recoveries than new cases,” it added.

India has the highest recovered cases in the world. It contributes 19.5 per cent to the global recoveries, the ministry said. With a spike of 83,347 new cases and 1,085 deaths in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count stood at 56,46,011 on Wednesday.

According to the Health Ministry, this includes 9,68,377 active cases and 45,87,614 cured and discharged or migrated patients.

PM reviews COVID-19 situation with CMs New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reviewed the COVID-19 pandemic situation with chief ministers and other representatives of seven highcase-load states through video conference.

The virtual meeting, also attended by health ministers of these states, began in the evening. These states are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Punjab, officials said,

Five teams of NDRF on standby: Maha minister

People wade through a waterlogged street at Parel area, after heavy monsoon rain, in Mumbai.

Mumbai: Five teams of the NDRF are on standby in view of heavy rains that have lashed Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts and caused water-logging in many areas, Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said on Wednesday.

Mumbai and neighbouring areas received intense spells of rain since Tuesday night,

06

leaving many parts of the metropolis in waist deep water and disrupting rail and road traffic. Wadettiwar said in a statement that heavy rains caused flood-like situation in many places, adding that Disaster Management department is keeping a close watch on the situation.

He appealed to people to stay indoors in view of flooding in many areas in Mumbai

and other places.

“Since last night, Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts have been witnessing very heavy rains, due to which there is flood-like situation in many places,” the minister said.

Mumbai received one of the highest showers in the last 24 hours of this monsoon season and more rainfall is likely in the city and suburbs on Wednesday, as per IMD.

cases in a day.”

Dinesh Sharma, leader of the opposition in the AMC, said, “The BJP-run AMC has failed to control the spread of the virus. So they are doing what they do best: hiding and managing data to suit their convenience.”

“I am pleased to welcome KKR as an investor in Reliance Retail Ventures as we continue our onward march to growing and transforming the Indian Retail ecosystem for the benefit of all Indians.

KKR has a proven track record of being a valuable partner to industry-leading franchises and has been committed to India for many years. We look forward to working with KKR’s global platform, industry knowledge and operational expertise across our digital services and retail businesses,” said

also reporting high mortality with more than two per cent case fatality rate (CFR).

Other than Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, the case positivity rate of these states has also been observed to be above the national average of 8.52 per cent.

The Centre, as per the statement, has been leading the fight against COVID-19 in effective collaboration and close coordination with the state and union territory governments.

noting that more than 63 per of the active cases in the country are concentrated in these seven states. They also account for 65.5 per cent of the total confirmed cases and 77 per cent of the total deaths, a state-

ment had said earlier.

Along with the other five states, Punjab and Delhi have reported an increase in the number of cases being reported recently, they said, adding that Maharashtra, Punjab and Delhi are

Rs 517 cr spent on PM Modi’s visit to 58 countries: MEA

Rhea, Showik’s bail pleas to be heard by Bombay HC today

New Delhi: Since 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited 58 countries and Rs 517.82 crores have been spent on them in total, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The information was provided in a reply given by Minister of State (MoS), MEA, V Muraleedharan, to the query posed by MP Fauzia Khan.

The reply stated that the Prime Minister's visits abroad have “enhanced understanding of India's perspectives on bilateral, regional and global issues by other countries, and have strengthened our relations with them across a wide range of sectors including trade and investment, technology, maritime, space, defence collaboration and people to people contact.

Mumbai: The hearing on the bail plea of Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik will be held tomorrow as the Bombay HC declared holiday on Wednesday, her lawyer said.

The HC declared a holiday for the court due to the heavy rain in the State capital and added that all hearings slated for today will be taken up tomorrow. “The Chief Justice has declared a holiday today for the Bombay High Court and today's board will be taken up tomorrow,” Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde told reporters.

Rhea and her brother had on Tuesday moved bail applications in the Bombay High Court in connection with a drug case related to the death of actor Sushant Singh

Rajat Kumar Mishra has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary and Additional Secretary equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a 1992 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre.

IQBAL SINGH CHAHAL EMPANELLED FOR ADDITIONAL SECRETARY EQUIVALENT POSTS IN GOI

Iqbal Singh Chahal has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a 1989 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre.

SUDHANSH PANT EMPANELLED FOR ADDITIONAL SECRETARY EQUIVALENT POSTS IN GOI

Sudhansh Pant has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a 1991 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre.

HUKUM SINGH MEENA EMPANELLED FOR ADDITIONAL SECRETARY EQUIVALENT POSTS IN GOI

Hukum Singh Meena has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a 1992 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

ASHISH SRIVASTAVA EMPANELLED FOR ADDITIONAL SECRETARY EQUIVALENT POSTS IN GOI

Ashish Srivastava has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a 1992 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

PANKAJ AGRAWAL EMPANELLED AS ADDITIONAL SECRETARY IN GOI

Pankaj Agrawal has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary and Additional Secretary equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a 1992 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

AMARDEEP SINGH BHATIA EMPANELLED AS ADDITIONAL SECRETARY IN GOI Rajput. A special court in Mumbai had on September 11 rejected the bail plea of Rhea, her brother, and others observing that if she is released on bail she may alert other accused persons and they may destroy evidence in the matter.

The special NDPS court had also rejected the bail plea of alleged drug peddler Abdul Basit Parihar, Zaid Vilatra, Rajput's personal staff, Dipesh Uttam Sawant and Rhea's associate Samuel Marshal Miranda, who were also arrested by the NCB in the case.

Amardeep Singh Bhatia has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary and Additional Secretary equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a 1993 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre.

ALOK EMPANELLED AS ADDITIONAL SECRETARY IN GOI

Alok has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary and Additional Secretary equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a 1993 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre.

SINGHAL IS ACTING DGP BIHAR

Sanjiv Kumar Singhal, DG, Civil Defence and Fire Services, has been given the additional charge of DGP of Bihar till further orders. He is 1988 batch IPS officer.

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 Govt mismanagement... is increasing--and that the government is still struggling to control the spread of the virus.

AMC sources told First India that more than 300 beds--in private hospitals--have been added in just the past week.

A doctor at one of the roughly 90 walk-in testing centres said, “We are sent to different areas every day.

Some pockets have a higher rate of infection than others. In some areas, we don’t see a single case, while at other areas, we get seven to 10 positive

Reliance sells...

KKR has $222 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2020.

Reliance Retail claims that the company sees around 640 million footfalls across its nearly 12,000 stores nationwide.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries.

Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Retail and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP acted as financial advisor to KKR for this deal. —Agencies

MoS Suresh...

Karnataka BJP MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar tweeted, “Tragic terrible sad news of Karnataka BJP leader and minister Suresh Angadi passing away.”

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad offered condolences on the min-

ister’s death.

“Deeply saddened to hear about the untimely demise of Sh Suresh Angadi, MoS Railways who succumbed to COVID. Heartfelt condolences to his family. I pray to Almighty that his soul rests in peace,” he posted on Twitter. Angadi was a LS MP from Belagavi constituency in Karnataka became seriously ill and was hospitalised a week ago. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. —ANI

Lok Sabha... and conveyed to him

that their passage in Rajya Sabha was “unconstitutional”, Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Wednesday. The government should have consulted all parties, farmer leaders before bringing the farm bills, Azad said after meeting the President. “The Constitution was undermined ...We have given a representation to President that the farm bills have been passed unconstitutionally and he should return these bills,” Azad said. The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill,

2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, have been passed by both Houses and await presidential assent. —ANI

FIR against... to woman with intent to outrage her modesty,), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement), the official said, adding that further investigation is underway.

Kashyap will be called for questioning

in connection with the alleged seven-year-old incident, he said.

In her police complaint, the actress alleged that Kashyap raped her at a place on Yari Road in Versova in 2013. The actress and her lawyer earlier approached Oshiwara police station here on Monday, but they were asked to go to the Versova police station as the alleged incident took place under its area of jurisdiction, the official said.

They had approached the Oshiwara police as Kashyap’s office is located in that area. —PTI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

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07

HUMANS HAVE DEALT WITH PLENTY OF

CLIMATE VARIABILITY T

he climate always fluctuates as variation in the Sun’s heat reaching Earth drives glacialinterglacial cycles. Over the past 420,000 years there have been at least four major transitions between ice ages and relatively warmer interglacial periods.

Modern humans emigrated from Africa to populate the rest of the globe between 120,000 and 80,000 years ago, which means our species has had to adapt to many massive climate transitions.

HOW MUCH CLIMATE VARIABILITY HAVE HUMANS DEALT WITH SINCE WE EVOLVED AND SINCE WE STARTED SETTLING (NEOLITHIC TIMES)? HOW IMPORTANT WAS MIGRATION TO HUMAN SURVIVAL DURING THESE PERIODS? WHAT CLIMATE CHANGE MEANT FOR HUMANS

WARMING AND COOLING

D

espite our impressive capacity to adapt to a broad range of environments, humans have a preferred environmental envelope in which we thrive.

These conditions would have been characterised by a mix of open, savannatype woodlands, wetlands and rocky habitats.

Dense, humid rain forests made access to resources difficult, whereas deserts were often too dry to provide enough food and materials. Climate conditions during the Last Interglacial could have encouraged waves of human expansion out of Africa when a humid and warm climate promoted vegetated corridors through Eurasia.

The subsequent cooling period connected land masses that had previ-

T

he Last Interglacial 129,000–116,000 years ago was a period of intense global warming (from around 2 higher than today to as much as 11 higher in the Arctic), leading to a large reduction of the Arctic, Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and a 6–9m rise in sea level.

The Last Glacial Maximum from 26,500– 19,000 years ago coincided with a large drop in atmospheric CO and a 4.3 cooling globally. Low temperatures turned much of the world’s water into ice and expanded glaciers. This lowered sea level by up to 130m compared to today. This exposed continental shelves, joined land masses and created extensive coastal plains, such as Beringia that connected Russia to North America, and Sahul that connected Australia to New Guinea.

After a brief warming period, the Northern Hemisphere returned abruptly to near-glacial conditions around 12,900 years ago that lasted 1,300 years. Known as the Younger Dryas, this period recorded climate cooling up to 15 and giant ice sheets again advanced. The end of the Younger Dryas was just as sudden, marked by a rapid warming up to 10 in few decades. The most recent period of climate instability was the transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age. Cold conditions between 1580 and 1880 were characterised by a 0.5–4 cooling and expanding mountain glaciers in the European Alps, New Zealand, Alaska and the Andes.

ously been separated by oceans and provided opportunities for human travellers to access Sahul from the Indonesian archipelago. The entrance into America from Asia via Beringia was more difficult because humans only reached there during the Last Glacial Maximum when a massive ice sheet blocked the new land bridge.

During that time, human populations declined and contracted to small refuges until the climate in eastern Beringia began to warm again 17,000– 15,000 years ago. This warming created newly accessible pathways along the Pacific Northwest coast, followed by another ice-free corridor that formed 3,000 years later as the ice sheet retreated.

THE NEED FOR FOOD B ecause of the cold temperatures and scarcity of food at this time, humans needed to improve their hunting efficiency by targeting large animals to maximise food return. In the Southern Hemisphere, modern humans had already been living in Australia for 30,000– 40,000 years prior to the Last Glacial Maximum, so such drastic cooling and drying probably pushed human populations to decline and retreat into smaller refuges nearer to reliable sources of fresh water where game animals also gathered.

Following the Last Glacial Maximum, modern humans continued to spread across North America. The warmer and wetter climate in the Southern Hemisphere also helped human migration into South America. At the same time the Younger Dryas in the Northern Hemisphere forced populations either to

return to a nomadic lifestyle or seek refuge in a few hospitable areas. After the harsh conditions of the Younger Dryas, the first evidence of agriculture emerged in various parts of the world.

The peopling of remote Oceania between 3,500 and 730 years ago required oceanic journeys of thousands of kilometres across the Pacific, eventually to the temperate and subantarctic waters of New Zealand. Although these migrations are not clearly related to any of the earlier climate-change events, the wind patterns at the time were particularly favourable for sailing.

But the Little Ice Age could have reduced population size and pushed early M ori settlement northward. The Little Ice age probably hit people in the Northern Hemisphere much harder. The cold climate caused widespread crop failures, famines

and population declines.

During the last five years alone, the Earth is already ~1.1 warmer than 150 years ago and temperatures are expected to be +4.5 warmer than today by 2100. Today we are experiencing the warmest climate since our species

started peopling the globe.

Climate fluctuations that used to take millennia are now occurring in less than 100 years, affecting fresh water availability, food supply, health, and environmental integrity.

Past climate changes set

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

the stage for people to demonstrate immense adaptability and resilience by developing new skills, farming techniques, trading patterns and political structures, but most importantly by leaving their old, unsustainable ways of life behind.

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: CP SHARMA

The concept of leadership has changed, at one time it meant power and muscle but today it means inspiration and taking people along.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

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COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

9,78,112 3,19,38,534 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 33,886 DEATHS 12,63,799 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 9,010 DEATHS 5,57,999 CASES

INDIA

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

KARNATAKA 8,266 DEATHS 5,40,847 CASES

Shishir Awasthi

‘HOLLOW’ SCHEME

A Gujarat Assembly committee has found the State’s health sector was under-serving the poor .

treat patients with serious ailments”.

The committee asked the government to establish speciality hospitals for the “welfare of SEBCs, who are compelled to spend their life savings on private hospi-

tals due to non-availability of government-run or government-empaneled cancer hospitals”.

The panel said the people were facing issues in getting MA cards and recommended that the government should

DEATHS

DELHI 5,087 DEATHS 2,56,789 CASES

An assembly panel, chaired by BJP MLA, says State’s health sector fails to reach the backward classes

The committee pointed out that the Gujarat Government’s ambitious Mukhyamantri Amrutam (MA) scheme for free treatment to poor citizens “failed to serve its purpose due to the lack of hospitals to

GUJARAT

90,684 57,06,432 3,370 1,27,541

GUJARAT’S HEALTH INFRA: Many a slip between the cup and the lip Gandhinagar: Even as the Gujarat Government has been drawing flak for its handling of the Covid-19 crisis, a committee of the State Assembly chaired by a legislator of the ruling BJP has brought out several deficiencies in the state’s healthcare infrastructure.

A scrutiny report of the 10-member committee on welfare of socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday states that Gujarat’s healthcare is especially lacking in serving the backward classes. The committee was headed by BJP MLA R C Makwana and had members from the Congress and the BJP.

08

ensure that more cards were printed. The committee hit out at the government over vacant posts of anaesthetists in Gandhinagar district and city, the capital of Gujarat.

While probing the

availability of medicines, the panel found that generic medicines were not easily available despite the fact that such stores were opened in premises of government hospitals across the State. “The health department’s representative admitted that doctors are prescribing branded medicines instead of generic ones. As a result, generic stores are shutting down due to lack of demand and people are compelled to buy expensive medicines from private stores,” the report stated.

The committee also found that ambulance vans for patients were being used as mortuary vans at places where such vehicles were not available.

—(With PTI inputs)

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 1,382 DEATHS 1,20,739 CASES

Amid acrimony, BJP pushes through 4 key labour bills First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Even as the Gujarat Assembly passed 4 Bills providing for dilution of key labour laws after a prolonged debate till Tuesday night amid protests by the Opposition, it also saw an ugly spat between Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Congress MLA Naushad Solanki.

A fracas broke out when during the debate Nitin Patel called Solanki a “(labour) contractor” and taunted him that he would know better about exploitation of labour.

This provoked the Congress members to walk into the well of the House, while Solanki sat on a dharna seeking apology from Patel if he could not prove

Congress MLA Naushad Solanki

that he was a contractor.

The BJP members were riled when at one point Solanki hurled his mike from Gallery 4 into the well of the House.

Speaker Rajendra Trivedi pulled him up Solanki for this.

The Congress raised slogans against “the anti-labour government” for watering down the Industries Disputes Act, 1947 and Factories Act, 1948, in favour of employers.

Cops bust prostitution Surat police seize Ramadoss tells Modi to get reracket in Ahmedabad drugs worth `1.9 cr

opened Tamil school in A’bad

First India Bureau

Surat cops recover huge quantity of narcotics in separate raids.

First India Bureau Surat: Six persons were arrested in 4 separate drug seizures in which mephedrone (MD) and ganja worth Rs 1.9 crore were recovered in Surat.

Mephedrone worth Rs 1.3 crore and ganja valued at Rs 56 lakh were found in separate seizures on Tuesday, Surat Police Commissioner Ajay Tomar said on Wednesday. At least 6 persons were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. He said

the police seized 1011.82 gm of MD valued at over Rs 1.01 crore from one Mohammad Salman, while 304.98 gm of the drug worth over Rs 30 lakh in a raid at a shopping centre in Puna locality, in which one Sanket Shaileshbhai Aslalia was nabbed.

Meanwhile, the city crime branch team intercepted a four-wheeler in Varachha, wherein the driver identified as Vinay alias Bunty Patel, was allegedly found in possession of 17.5 gm of MD worth Rs 1.75 lakh, Tomar said.

Chennai: PMK Founder Dr S Ramadoss on Wednesday reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi his assembly constituency, Maninagar in Ahmedabad, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, and sought his intervention in re-opening a Tamil school in that area that was closed down.

Ramadoss was referring to the Ahmedabad Tamil Higher Secondary School in Maninagar which was reportedly closed down for want of adequate students.

In a tweet, Dr Ramadoss said he was sad-

Cops bust prostitution racket.

First India Bureau

PMK Founder Ramadoss urges PM Narendra Modi’s intervention to re-open Maninagar school.

dened to note that the school was closed citing reduction in student admission. He said the school was located at Maninagar from where Modi was elected to the Gujarat Assembly during his tenure as the Chief Minister.

“Mr Modi, who has love and respect

for Tamil, should intervene and take immediate steps to reopen the school”, Dr Ramadoss said. On many occasions, Modi has expressed his love for Tamil on almost every forum, be it in India or during his foreign visits.

He had quoted Ta-

mil poets and literary works in his international addresses and also while addressing the soldiers on the Indo-China border. Stating this, Dr Ramadoss also urged the Tamil Nadu Government to contact the Gujarat Government and take steps to re-open the school.

Ahmedabad: The city police have cracked a prostitution racket being run from 3 flats in Chitrakoot Apartments in Naroda gam area.

The kingpin Ramnaresh Yadav alias Raju Yadav is absconding.

The police rescued 11 girls, including a 17-year-old, who was brought to Ahmedabad from Surat 10 days ago.

The racket came to light after a teenager was rescued from a prostitution ring being run in Surat under the

—FILE PHOTO

guise of spa service. Police suspect the accused had a connection with one Raju Yadav.

Police said Yadav used to send women with clients for Rs 1,000 per client. The statements of the rescued women were being recorded. A client Alkesh Parekh, who was with a woman, was also rounded up. Yadav had shifted the women to the 3 houses just a fortnight ago.

Some mobile phones, cash, LCD TV, an auto-rickshaw and several packets of condoms were recovered.

RARE SURGERY

Move over Covid-19, this Surat man defeats rare lung condition Using state-of-the-art technology, docs at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital cures Surat patient with a rare lung condition First India Bureau Surat: There are countless stories of struggle with the Covid-19 but this struggle of a 36-year-old Surat resident with a rare heart and lung condition lasted for 8 years.

Bhavesh Sabhadia walked home recently

during the challenging Covid-19 times.

His struggle ended following a curative surgical procedure that was carried out for a rare medical condition instead of a heart-lung transplant as suggested by experts earlier.

The surgery was recently performed by a

team of doctors at the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital when Sabhadia was already requiring oxygen support for the last 2 years after suffering since 2012. He was unable to walk or sleep and had to be hospitalised frequently for water ac-

Surat’s Bhavesh recovered from a rare lung condition after an 8-year-old battle.

cumulation in his abdomen. He was told that a heart and lung transplant was his only option.

Sabhadia approached the advanced cardiac surgery department of Sir HN RFH, headed by Dr Anvay Mulay for a heart-lung transplant.

Finally, doctors at the hospital diagnosed him with chronic thrombus pulmonary embolism (CTPEH), a condition wherein the patient has high blood pressure in

the lungs’ arteries. They also found that the right side of his heart was severely damaged and the blood pressure in the lung vessels was four times more than the normal.

Dr Anvay Mulay and his team went for a pulmonary endarterectomy surgery instead of the heart-lung transplant. Though it was a high-risk surgery, they removed the old blood clots from the pulmonary arteries in Sab-

hadia’s lungs and reduced the blood pressure.

“In Bhavesh’s case, it was a level 3-4 CTPEH making it technically a difficult surgery. It was heartening to see a terminally ill patient, who was waiting for a heartlung transplant, walk home with his own organs,” said an elated Dr Anvay Mulay, Director, Cardiac Surgery and Heart Transplant, Sir HN RFH.

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09

AHMEDABAD, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

BETI NAHI, BETI JAISI HAI...

This Throwback Thursday, City First brings you ‘Sujata’, more than just a movie, it is a social statement on the times then… and now!

ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

A

s the chirpy girls, accompanied by the birthday girl Shashikala on the piano sing ‘Tum jiyo hazaron saal’, a silent Nutan, standing apart watched by Sunil Dutt, wanders off outside and switches off the light as she sits, a million unsaid questions in her eyes. I watched the song and decided to watch Bimal Roy’s Sujata to understand this pain.

From then till now, Sujata remains relevant as we still stand divided by caste in India, more than ever. A harijan orphan girl, brought up in a brahmin household- accepted and still not accepted- Nutan, Sunil Dutt, Shashikala, Buaji Lalita Pawar, parents Sulochna and Tarun Bose each one is a critical part of the canvas which is Sujata.

The modern film makers can definitely learn a thing or two about ‘saying something without saying a word’ from Sujata, which in

it’s silence was a heart rending commentary on caste ridden India.

Sujata has stayed with me not just because of it’s strong storyline and amazing acting by the main protagonist Nutan but each character is so finely drawn as they struggle with their emotions and the social system they believe in by birth.

Bimal Roy, as usual, uses light and darkness to portray a thousand emotions, scenes from love to heartbreak.

The scene where Lalita Pawar picks up the infant Sujata thinking it is Rama, the real daughter of the brahmin family and espouses her virtues and then practically throws her away on learning the truth of ‘Achhoot hai’, leaves a strong message that without foreknowledge, every child is same!

The growing up years are

sensitively handled by Bimal Roy and we see the child Sujata gradually withdrawing in ‘poignant silence’ as she realises the truth of Charu’s words, “yeh meri beti nahi, beti jaisi hai.”

Shashikala, plays a lovely positive role for a change and her fondness for her didi Sujata is natural.

Sujata drenched in the purifying rain when she learns she is ‘achoot’, the romance

of words of Adhir as he woos Sujata, the blossoming of Sujata like the plants she loves, the barren tree Sujata stands against as she turns Adhir away – Sujata is woven with beautiful pearls which we carry with us after watching it.

Love conquers all in Sujata- love of a grandmother for her grandson Adhir which breaks her lifelong beliefs, the love of Adhir for Sujata throwing away the chains of caste and the love of Sujata for her foster parents which finally binds them to her in true relation.

Sunil Dutt as Adhir is the face of Modern India, which is educated, above the caste system, values humanity and character not birth- a face which we are still searching for... maybe?

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

10

The Fresh

Prince was Born GURMAN SINGH cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

W

FA CE OF TH ED AY

ill Smith is an American Actor, Rapper, and Philanthropist.

He has been regarded as the most bankable star by Forbes. Smith is the only Actor in the world to have 8 consecutive movies grossing over $100 Million in the domestic box office, and 11 movies back to back that grossed over $150 million internationally.

After he met Jeff Townes at age 16, the duo launched a highly successful rap career as DJ Jazzy Jeff & ‘The Fresh Prince was born’. The pair’s first single, Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble was a hit in 1986.

Their 1987 debut album, Rock the House, hit the Billboard Top 200 and made Smith a millionaire before the age of 18.

Smith began his crossover into acting through television.

Drawing on his experiences with fledgling stardom, NBC signed Smith to headline a sitcom about a street-smart kid, The Fresh Prince of BelAir was a huge success that ran for six seasons.

Smith’s first steps into superstardom came with his next film, Bad Boys (1995). Smith then took on the epic sci-fi flick Independence Day (1996), a role that confirmed him as a major player in Hollywood and the go-to guy for summer blockbusters. Smith fought aliens again in his next blockbuster, the comic sci-fi action film, Men in Black (1997).

The string of hits came to an end in 1999 with Wild Wild

West but the 2001 biopic Ali, based on boxing legend Muhammad Ali, gave Smith the opportunity to regain his bigscreen swagger and Smith’s performance was strong enough to garner him his first Academy Award nomination.

Smith’s smooth-talking charmer persona was put to use in the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch, was a massive success, and it was followed in 2006 by another critical and financial hit, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Starring alongside his real-life son Jaden. He received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor. In 2008, he played a vigilante superhero in Hancock.

‘The only thing that has kept me around is my effort’ One of his underlining principles that he’s lived by has helped him find massive success.

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You are going to pass in all exams with flying colour.

You will take some time off as you have finished your work in advance. You are trying very hard to get positive signals from your love interest. Its advisable to be in less spending mode today because you won’t know where to stop.

You like to communicate things on point and don’t appreciate people beating around the bushes. You can become the talk of the town because of your recent success in business. You always have someone or the other rescuing you from financial damages.

You need to sort out your family issues as soon as possible to avoid a long silence. Things will get easy for you on romance front as your partner has agreed to work things out your way for sometime.

You don’t really care about what you wear as your goal is much bigger.

Avoid yelling on your parents today and rather explain your point politely to them. On romance front you have to be very careful about your anger issues as no one will tolerate non sense. Do not forget to bargains as much possible when buying raw material for business.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You eat unhealthy every once in a while but now even that needs to stop for health safety. You appreciate people when they listen to you but sometime you are not that good a listener yourself. You are going to help a friend in love related matters.

You have deep desires that you haven’t discussed with anyone and soon you will find someone to confine in.

On academic front, be very honest about your preparations withy your friends to keep your friendship intact.

Getting loan isn’t a problem but paying could be.

You must all time guard what food you are having to avoid any problems relating to heart. If you are getting affection from someone than make sure to return it as well. Don’t worry about what right you didn’t do in studies, concentrate on what better you can do now.

Listen to your consciousness every once in a while it will always protect you from going astray. Working for long hours could be possible, don’t forget to stretch. You don’t like people telling you what to do and you don’t do that to anyone as well. Don’t loose your strength.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Muscle ache is possible due to desk bound jobs. You may find it annoying to take permission for every little thing that you do. You miss the old life but the right way is to always look forward. Budding romance has a scope of beautiful future so take things seriously.

This is an excellent time to start afresh and take a leap of faith. you have a jealous side and sometimes its clearly evident. You lack patience and that why you get disappointed easily.

Not always things will go as per your desire and one should be ready for the unexpected.

Your family will fully support you as far as your relationship is concerned but your partner’s parents need little more convincing. You have a clear vision and nothing can stop you.

You may miss out on attending events just to be safe and avoid chances of contamination.

Make deals only if you see long term prospects, do not go for short terms gains as your stars indicate otherwise. Some of you will do nothing today and enjoy sitting at home all by yourself. Take initiative first in relationship, don’t indulge yourself in ego games.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

MALHAAR RATHOD, Actress

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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Birthday wishes

Kajol and Tanuja

A

s the day began, Kajol, who is currently in Singapore with daughter Nysa, sent out sweet birthday wishes for her mother and senior star Tanuja. To wish her mom on her birthday, Kajol dug out the sweetest photo with her and explained how she is lucky that her mother chose her as a daughter. Kajol took to Instagram to share a throwback photo in which she is seen clad in a yellow saree while her mom As they both leaned on each other and posed, they looked lovely. Kajol wrote, “When I’m with you I’m standing with an army “ . Happy birthday to the one person who showed me all the avatars of a woman. Warrior, wife, mother, sister, woman, human and spirit! Happy birthday momma. Love you so much. Am eternally grateful that u chose me for a daughter.... always and forever.#foreveryourbaby.”

—Agency

F

ans of Alia Bhatt have been waiting to see the actress back on screen. Amid the ongoing pandemic, the shoots were stalled as a lockdown was announced and hence, Alia’s shooting of Gangubai Kathiawadi also was affected as the sets also had to be taken down before the monsoons hit. The actress may soon resume work amid the ongoing pandemic on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s directorial. Before the lockdown had begun, Alia was shooting for the film in Mumbai.

Now, as per a report in MidDay, Alia may return to the sets of Gangubai Kathiawadi in October and may resume work with only the solo scenes at first. As per the report, the solo scenes require a limited crew and hence, the filmmaker may shoot them first with Alia and may reserve the more elaborate ones for later. The report of the national daily also had a source informing them that currently, the set of the film is being put in place and sanitised so that the shoot could begin October with Alia. However, no set dates were zeroes upon as per the report.

—Agency

K

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian

PC TEAMS

eality TV star Kim Kardashian is reportedly thinking about divorcing Kanye West in light of his latest episode. A source close to the couple told Page Six that West’s bipolar disorder and his anti-abortion stance have taken a toll on their crumbling marriage.

“Kim has the whole divorce planned out,” our insider shared, “but she’s waiting for him to get through his latest episode.”

Over the past few months, West, 43, has been extremely vocal

up with Kate

K

ate Winslet and global icon Priyanka ChopraJonas are both lending their voices to an HBO Max series based on the popular meditation app Calm according to a recent report by The Hollywood Reporter. The show, A World of Calm, is set to premiere October 1 on the WarnerMedia streaming platform.

Winslet and Chopra-Jonas will join the likes of Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba, Oscar Isaac, Harry Styles and Nicole Kidman in narrating episodes, which build on the “Sleep Stories” in the Calm app.

—Agency

about being pro-life, telling a rally crowd that he and Kardashian, 39, nearly aborted their oldest child, daughter North West.

“I almost killed my daughter,” he said during the July event. “No more Plan B, Plan A.” Not long after, Kardashian defended the Jesus Is King rapper and opened up about his mental health struggles. A separate source later told Page Six that she wouldn’t divorce West because it wasn’t “a good look” at the time.

—Agency Priyanka Chopra Jonas

KUBBRA’S CONCERN

K

AK in top 100

u b b r a S a i t m a d e h e a d lines after she raised concern over the Y-plus security provided to Kangana Ranaut by the Central Government when she flew down to Mumbai. Now, Kubbra Sait has decided to take a break from Twitter.

Recently, the Sacred Game actress has informed her fans that she has uninstalled Twitter and is going on social media detox. Kubbra has mentioned in her

Ayushmann Khurrana

A

ctor Ayushmann Khurrana is on cloud nine as he managed to become the only actor in the Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. Not just this, Deepika Padukone paid a tribute to him with a note of praise for him and his hard work. As soon as the list was revealed, everyone started wishing Ayushmann and his wife Tahira Kashyap took to social media to express pride in her husband’s achievement.

Tahira, who has always backed Ayushmann and his endeavors, was filled with pride in his big achievement. Taking to Instagram, Tahira wrote, “Proud of You,” with a heart emoticon. In the most adorable way, Tahira expressed herself and lauded her husband for his hard work over the years.

—Agency

Alia Bhatt

DIVORCE R

Kristen Stewart

11

i a b u g n Ga mes u s e r

PLANNED OUT

Urge fans to Vote

risten Stewart has stayed away from Instagram. The actress took over her girlfriend Dylan Meyer’s account on the social media platform where she shared a selfie sporting a tee with the word “VOTE” printed on it. The Charlie’s Angels star penned a long caption to go along with the photo where she expressed her beliefs and urges people to register for voting on National Voter Registration Day. She confessed she wouldn’t have done this but the cause deserved it. “For anyone that might need to let out a little aggression today,” she began her Instagram post. “I never do this but for anyone who has not registered to vote please take this opportunity to feel HEARD. And not hopeless. I am voting because I WANT to believe in our country,” she added.

—Agency

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

tweet that she is taking a ‘sanity break’ from Twitter and will return after an unspecified period of time.

Her tweet read as, ‘’Oh dahlin’ Twitter... I am taking a hiatus from you. I am ecstatic to announce that I’ll be on a jet plane, and it’s time for me to uninstall you for a bit. See you post my sanity break... well however long it takes.’’

—Agency

Kubbra Sait

D

Drew Barrymore

rew Barrymore feels a bit closer with Paris Hilton after watching her YouTube documentary, where Paris revealed the past abuse she went through during her boarding school years as a teenager. The actress hosted Paris on her new talk show, where the socially distanced

GETTING CLOSE

two opened up about their past experiences of being placed in solitary confinement at the forcible hands of people in power. “I’ve been where you’ve been and watching your documentary, I don’t know how many interviews and conversations

I’m going to have on this show where I am watching a mirror image of everything I’ve been through as well and so I want to talk to you and have you know that I’ve had the people come and take me away,” Drew stated while talking with Paris. —Agency

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

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

12

VOCAL FOR LOCAL

Axestrack- Redefining

Digital Connections GO

GREEN!

SHALBHA SARDA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

A

xestrack is a Jaipur based company that provides digital solutions to the logistics and transportation industry. What started in the year 2008 with a small set up has now become one of the leading firms nationwide. “With over 1,10,000+ commercial vehicles and with presence in more than 100+ cities we have come a long way from just being a Telematics Solution Provider to creating one of India’s most trusted ‘Digital Logistics Platform’,” says the founder of the company Rahul Yadav.

The company’s executive director Priya Choudhary explains that a fair share of the company’s success is owed to its top management and a pool of 150 locally acquired talent. “With the help of our great team, we provide end-toend tailored Digital capabilities for building an enterprise

Ritu Agarwal GURMAN SINGH

Priya Choudhary

digital thread that starts from enabling basic telematics to seamless integration with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and going further by deep Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Our product is designed to meet not only the current & continuously evolving needs but also to address the futuristic aspirations of the logistics industry.

HAPPY B’DAY!

Rahul Yadav

We are working on the use of technologies like AI, Big Data Analytics, and ML that will

contribute to a rise in transformative and revolutionary tech-enablement in the logistics field.”

“The world as we know is going under metamorphism and after the coronavirus pandemic we are trying to take a ground zero approach to bring the manual labor involved in this particular industry such as drivers and warehouse officials back on track,” added Priya.

THE NEXT BOOM

CITY FIRST

D Anushka Poonia, daughter of BJP State President Dr Satish Poonia celebrated her birthday on Wednesday, 23 September.

epartment of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ) in collaboration with the Directorate of admissions, MUJ successfully organised an Online Career Counselling ‘The Next Boom in Biological Sciences, a Golden Path for Tomorrow’s Jobs.

Around 200 participants registered for the career counselling session. The participants asked various questions to the different faculties to help them find a great career in the interdisciplinary field of Bio-

R

itu Agarwal, Founder of ‘Soul Garden 2’, deals in Landscaping and Gardening.

She started her greenery venture with just 15-20 plants and with time, she has a family of more than 2000 plants. She feels blessed to have greenery all around her as it gives happiness, it’s therapeutic and increases the intake of fresh oxygen which is the need of an hour during COVID-19.

She believes in re-using everything, whether it is a plastic container, a broken cup or soccer, or even the trays, that are used for making tray garden by painting and landscaping them. Her garden is designed in an asymmetrical way.

Before the pandemic, she used to take classes in her garden. With 10 years of experience in Gardening, Ritu explains and motivates the visitors about the importance of plants, pure fruits and vegetables, and how easily people can grow them at their own places. Ritu also mentioned that space should never be a problem to start with a kitchen garden. If they have the will, they can grow green

leafy vegetables like coriander, spinach, fenugreek, and especially micronutrients.

Throwing some more light about ‘Soul Garden 2’, Ritu stated, “In this pandemic, I am taking online classes where I am sharing tips and ideas, and I want people to spread greenery everywhere. Nature gives us so much, and we don’t even pay back the 10% of it.” cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

DURING THE DAY!

Manipal University, Jaipur

sciences. They also had the chance to interact with eminent speakers, Surendra Singh Shekhawat, Prashant Goswami, Pavni Rekhi, and other research scholars as well as students. Dr Nitesh Kumar Poddar delivered the vote of thanks

to Dr Anoop Kumar Mukhopadhyay (Dean of FOS); Dr Lalita Ledwani (Director, SBS), Dr Abhijeet Singh (Head, Biosciences), Directorate of Admission and other faculties, speakers, participants for making the event a great success. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Deep dive into the WORLD OF AYURVEDA

move your mask once it starts to crack. Do not leave it to dry complete since it takes away the moisture from your skin.

ANTI-ACNE MASK

Kavita Khosa CITY FIRST

W

hen it comes to skincare, it’s best to go back to nature.

Most of us don’t want to use any chemical-laden products on our skin and look for natural ways to keep it healthy. Nothing can beat the magic of an Ayurvedic sk-

incare routine that has its life rooted in the ancient Vedic culture of India. Bringing the world of Ayurveda and organic skincare science on television, Kavita Khosa, founder of Purearth, talks about various face masks on Tata Sky Beauty. Let us have a look at two natural face packs that you can make at home for that natural makeover.

DETOX FACE MASK

To feel rejuvenated and get glowing skin, Kavita recommends Detox Face Mask. This requires ½ tsp of turmeric, 1tsp of Neem powder, Moringa powder, Licorice powder, and Majishtha. Add 3tsp of Multani mitti, 1tsp of honey, and 2-3 tsp of milk & water. Mix it well. Apply it evenly on your face. Always remember to re-

For teenagers dealing with Acne, they should avoid chemical led products and start using Ayurvedic solutions. Kavita Khosa recommends an antiacne mask that comprises of ingredients like 1tsp of Turmeric, 1tsp of Neem powder, 2tsp of Multani mitti, ½ tsp of Majishtha. Simultaneously, to make the paste add 3-4 tsp of milk and 1tsp of water. Mix it well and apply it on your face evenly. Let it stay on your face for 10 mins and then wipe it with a napkin dipped in warm water. For better results, use it 3-4 times a week. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

GUJARAT: Ahmedabad’s oldest Sports club reopened after lockdown with all the precautionary health guidelines given by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) like maintaining social distancing and sanitization of health equipment’s, on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

HAPPY B’DAY!

GUJARAT: From Stadium crossroad to Thaltej Village, metro pillar workers were seen working, as Metro Phase-1 work has started after the lockdown in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

IAS Jasmeet Singh Sandhu celebrated his birthday on 23 September, Wednesday. We wish him all the best!