First India-Ahmedabad Edition-28 October 2020

AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

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BY CALLING ME JAMURA, THEY ARE INSULTING THE PM,SAYS CHIRAG PASWAN

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 333

INDIA IS PROUD OF ITS INFANTRY, SAYS PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD 18°C - 36°C

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A ‘FEARFUL’ TUESDAY FOR CORRUPT ‘DESTINATIONS’!

IN A SINGLE DAY, RAJ ACB NETS 6 BIG FISHES Naveen Sharma Jaipur: Unabated with an ongoing Local self elections scenario, a ‘fearless’ ACB headed by a powerful team of DG BL Soni and ADG Dinesh MN on Tuesday targeted six major corrupt destinations, arresting seven officials and recovering 10.76 lakh rupees cash in the process. According to sources, CM Ashok Ge-

hlot is upbeat with an exceptional success of his ACB team, which he has chosen very carefully, mainly comprising of BL Soni and Dinesh MN. After Dr Alok Tripathi’s departure, Soni has also proved to be a right choice for this top slot in such a short span of his ACB tenure. In the slew of half a dozen major actions that created ripples across the

Absconding SHO Rajesh Siyag

state’s ‘corrupt and mischievous’, the biggest trap of the day was fruitfully carried out in

FIRDOUS-NASHIN

Your own little place in ‘Heaven’, courtesy Union Government Any Indian citizen can now buy a land, in municipal areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh without being a domicile Aditi Nagar The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Third Order, 2020. The Centre has repealed or substituted 26 state laws.

In the third order, Ministry of Home Affairs has repealed 12 state laws as a whole and others out of 26 adapted with changes or substitutes. Laws which are repealed as a whole include The Jammu and Kashmir Alienation of Land Act, Jammu and Kashmir Big Landed

OMAR ABDULLAH @OMARABDULLAH Unacceptable amendments to the land ownership laws of J&K. Even the tokenism of domicile has been done away with when purchasing non-agricultural land & transfer of agricultural land has been made easier. J&K is now up for sale & the poorer small land holding owners will suffer. tomorrow. at 4 PM tomorrow.

Estates Abolition Act, Jammu and Kashmir Common Lands (Regulation) Act 1956, Jammu and Kashmir Consolidation of Holdings Act 1962, Jammu and Kashmir Right of Prior Purchase Act, Jammu and

Kashmir Utilization of Lands Act. In the Order, MHA stated, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 96 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (34 of 2019), Turn to P6

Constable Naresh Meena

Jaipur when a team of Jodhpur ACB nabbed red handed, a police constable of Jawahar

Nagar police station of Sri Ganganagar district while accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh in Hotel

A day ahead of the first phase of polling in Bihar, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday issued a video message appealing the people to vote for a change in the state.

She said, “Today, the ruling party is in the arrogance of power and has deflected from its path.

“Their actions and statements are not good, and labourers, farmers and youth are hopeless. The economy

Hizb chief, IM Bros terrorists: MHA The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday designated 18 more individuals, all Pakistan based, as “terrorists” under the amended antiterror law that was passed by Parliament last year. The list includes seven Indians who are now in Pakistan. Those designated as terrorists include Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Syed Salahudeen, founders of Indian Mujahideen Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal and gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s close aide Chota Shakeel.

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77-year-old veteran of the silver screen had more than 125 films to his credit Gandhinagar: Lakhs of cinephiles in the state were left gutted on Tuesday after Gujarati megastar Naresh Kanodia died following a brief illness and COVID-19. Doctors at the UN Mehta hospital, where he breathed his last, said

PM Modi shared a photo in which he is seen flanked by Mahesh Kanodia on his right and Naresh Kanodia on his left.

dustry since the mid1950s, and have created music for hun-

z Simultaneous traps/

raids by ACB sleuths at 6 spots across Rajasthan arresting 7 men strikes fear among the corrupt.

z 10.75 lakh rupees DG BL Soni

recovered, of which a whopping 10 lakh recovered from constable Naresh Meena of Jawahar nagar police station of SriGanganagar district

z Of the 7 arrested, ADG Dinesh MN

4 are cops, while two others are patwaris and one civilian

TEJASHWI’S ‘YAKSHA PRASHNA’ FOR MODI AHEAD OF BIHAR VISIT

Congress President Sonia Gandhi

is in a bad shape, people are facing acute hardship,” she said.

“Everyone is unhap-

dreds of films through their eponymous Mahesh & Naresh Musi-

py, and people of Bihar are with the grand alliance,” Sonia said.

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Patna: RJD leader and Mahagatbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav has posed 11 questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to Bihar on October 28. Prime Minister will hold rallies in Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Patna on Wednesday ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls. In a press statement, Tejashwi Yadav stated, “Tomorrow Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Bihar. I want to ask these questions from the double engine government of Delhi and Patna.”

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Now, ‘Corona Jihad’ new tool for IS: NIA New Delhi: Corona Jihad, carrying out lonewolf attacks, targetted killing of persons related to the RSS to hurt religious sentiments which may lead to riots, and targetting important leaders by using anaesthesia injection were among the plans in the discussion of alleged Islamic State members, said the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The NIA made the submissions in a chargesheet filed against

Gujarati megastar Naresh Kanodia passes away, his last nCoV test was negative his last test for the novel coronavirus had come back negative.

The death of the 77-year-old veteran, who had more than 125 Gujarati films under his belt, comes just days after that of his elder brother Mahesh.

The Kanodia brothers had been active in the Gujarati film in-

ACB’S #FIGHTAGAINSTCORRUPTION CAMPAIGN

Bihar Assembly polls: Time to write new future in Bihar, says Sonia Gandhi

DEEP LOSS

First India Bureau

Radisson Blu in Jaipur.

ACB DG BL Soni and ADG Dinesh MN personally supervised the arrest of the ‘high-flyer’ police constable Naresh Meena who used 6 internet dongles and more than 10 mobile phones to dodge the probable surveillance of his own department!

Even as the constable was nabbed, his superior - station house office Rajesh Siyag - went absconding since the bureau learnt that part of the bribe was to be handed to him.

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cal Party. Mahesh Kanodia passed away after a bout of paralysis this past Sunday.

Naresh Kanodia got his break in the Gujarati film industry with a starring role in ‘Veli ne avya Phool’ (1970), which also featured Arvind Pandya, Padmarani, Mahendra Zaveri, Ramesh Mehta, Jayshree Parikh, Kalpna Diwan, and was directed by Manukant Patel.

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five alleged operatives of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) accusing them of using the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to instigate Muslims against the Indian government.

“The investigation established that the accused Sadiya and one Doctor Ishfaq had also discussed about ‘Corona Jihad’ and desired that Corona pandemic should be used to destroy country, which shows her Turn to P6

RAMDAS ATHAWALE TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday tested positive for Covid-19 and was admitted to Bombay hospital, his party informed on Tuesday. According to Mayur Borkar, the PRO of Republican Party of India (Athawale) (RPI-A), his results were released on Tuesday morning. “Athawale has tested positive and is now admitted in Bombay Hospital,” he said.

Incidentally, Athawale had held a press conference on Monday where he had inducted actor Payal Ghosh in the RPI-A. Though Athawale wore a mask, it did not cover his nose.

US stands with India against China

Mark T Esper, Mike Pompeo, Rajnath Singh and S Jaishankar.

New Delhi: India and the US signed the landmark defence pact, BECA, that will allow sharing of high-end military technology, geospatial maps and classified satellite data between their militaries as the two countries held a high-level dialogue on Tuesday, and vowed to ramp up their security ties and boost strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific amidst China’s growing economic and military clout in the region.

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Bullish Kotak rallies sensex 377 points Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex rallied 377 points on Tuesday, tracking massive buying in Kotak Mahindra Bank after the lender posted strong quarterly earnings. The 30-share BSE index ended 376.60 points or 0.94 per cent higher at 40,522.10. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty surged 121.65 points or 1.03 per cent to 11,889.40.

Shares of Kotak Mahindra Bank soared around 12 per cent after the lender reported a 22 per cent growth Turn to P6

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020

UNDENIABLY A CONGRESS BASTION, IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHO WINS THE PUBLIC MANDATE- JADEJA OR PATEL

02

Castor seed imports

by China worries domestic oil pressers First India Bureau

Congress candidate Kiritsinh Jadeja campaigning in Karjan on Tuesday.

CONSTITUENCY WATCH

IT’S TURNCOAT V/S ‘OUTSIDER’ IN KARJAN First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: For the first time in its history, state legislative assembly bypolls will be conducted in the constituency of Karjan. Necessitated after the resignation and defection of Akshay Patel as an MLA and the Congress, the seat became the talk of the town earlier this year when a slipper was hurled at state Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.

Akshay Patel is contesting the bypolls from Karjan on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket and he will be

challenged by Kiritsinh Jadeja of Congress. While Patel is being targeted for changing his allegiances, Jadeja too has his own share of worries.

The decision to grant Jadeja a ticket has not gone down well with several Congress leaders. He is being viewed as an ‘outsider; despite Jadeja settling in Karjan. A few party members even made representations for a ticket to be granted to a ‘local’.

Being a Congress bastion, the opposition party wishes to retain the constituencies this bypoll. Out of the 13

CONGRESS STRONGHOLD

polls held in the constituency so far, it has emerged victorious in 10 while the BJP has won two and the Janata Dal (JD) once. Veteran politician Chandu Dabhi came out on top on four occasions including thrice against Congress and one time against JD. A Congress spokesperson said that this

time around, the party had done its homework and reached the grassroots level to determine the candidates for the by-elections. “It is wrong to call Jadeja an ‘outsider’. He has been working in Karjan for years now and has now become a household name due to the relief efforts he put

in during the COVID-19 lockdown. For once, we have our organization in place on every level of the electoral roller-coaster,” said a senior leader.

Located in Vadodara district of the state, Karjan Vidhan Sabha comes under the Bharuch Lok Sabha constituency. As per the estimated data of the 2011 census, out of the total population of 2,55,317 people, 87.97% is settled in the rural areas while only 12.03% inhabit the urban areas. The Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) ratio are 6.87 and 27.18, respectively.

As per the voter list

of 2019, there are 2,00,472 electorates and 246 polling stations in the constituency. The voter turnout was 77.31% in the 2017 assembly election.s The BJP and the Indian National Congress (INC) secured 46.04% and 48.37% votes respectively in 2017 while 60.02% and 28.62% in 2019 respectively.

The incumbent Lok Sabha MP of Bharuch is Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava (BJP) while Akshay Kumar Iswarbhai Patel (INC) was the sitting MLA of Karjan prior to his resignation.

PAYBACK

PIL to recover bypoll costs from resigning MLAs in HC  The petition also called for a framework of norms to discourage malpractices during elections First India Bureau Ahmedabad: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking recovery of state by-election costs from MLAs who resigned from their positions in the middle of their terms has been filed before the Gujarat High Court. The petition also mentioned that the Election Commission of India (ECI) must recoup monetary expense of the electoral process imposed on voters from

the politicians.

Advocate KR Koshti, who filed the petition, stated that since the last general elections conducted till date, over 15 Congress MLAs have resigned from their posts and 10 have been re-elected on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. “The manoeuvre was executed with a view to escape the provisions of disqualifications. The aforesaid action on the part of lawmakers reeks of corruption and rampant horse-trading,” re-

—FILE PHOTO

Gujarat High Court.

marked the petitioner.

He added, “Therefore, necessary directions are required to be issued to the respondents herein to

frame rules inserting the provisions of recovering the expenses incurred by the Election Commission to conduct the polls

from the MLAs, who resigned from the party between July 2018 and June 2020.

Now, they are seeking re-elections as candi-

dates of the ruling party from their respective seats in the November 03 state assembly bypolls.”

Petitioner has pleaded the court to direct the Election Commission to introduce relevant rules and regulations to prevent such kind of malpractices in tendering resignations by politicians for personal interests.

The petition also mentioned, “The ECI should forfeit deposit amounts from returning candidates who have been re-elected under other banners.

Or else, it must ask such candidates to pay the expenses incurred during the elections.”

Ahmedabad: In a panic over China’s decision to begin importing castor seeds from India, local oil producers have asked the Central government to look into the issue.

They are concerned that exports of seeds to China could adversely affect domestic castor oil production.

In a letter to the Commerce Ministry, the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEAI) stated, “Over the past few months, China has been aggressively buying commodities to bolster its state reserves. We understand they are also targeting to buy big quantities of castor seeds from India.”

It further states: “Traditionally, China buys castor oil and derivatives from India but this new-found interest in sourcing castor seeds has huge ramifications for our

Industry has asked the government to look into the issue domestic industry, which could well be left starved for raw material.”

India meets 85-90% of the global demand for castor oil and its derivatives, bringing in a turnover of about Rs6,000 crore. India took a hit in 2018-19, when the export of castor oil declined to 5.61 lakh MT from the previous year’s 6.51 lakh MT. While China accounts for nearly 40% of India’s castor oil exports, followed by the US and European Union (EU). So, if China keeps buying castor seeds aggressively, the domestic industry would be badly affected.

Castor and castor oil are hovering at prices of Rs1,080Rs1,100 and Rs1,145-Rs1,150 per 20 kg, respectively, in the domestic market.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020

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Party surprise: Police personnel on liquor raid stumble onto gambling ring

03

Khushboo Gujarat Ki not enough, as state places 12th in drawing tourists

—FILE PHOTO

Cops nabbed 3 staffers, recovered 11 bottles of high-end booze and info on bets placed on football and cricket matches First India Bureau Ahmedabad: A corporate office was raided

by Anandnagar police in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, after receiving a tip regarding an ongoing liquor party on the premises of Safal Profitaire building in Anandnagar.

Officials apprehended three staffers in drunken state and recovered 11 bottles of high-end liquor from the site. The cops also accidentally stumbled onto a betting website with data of deals made, during primary investigation of the staffers’ phones. Two cases under the Gujarat Prohibition Act and the Gujarat Prevention of Gambling Act have been lodged against the accused

BIG SPENDER

Nirav Raichura admitted to taking bets from other people on sporting events.

by the police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone7) Premsukh Delu had received information that a liquor party was underway in the Cwing of Safal Profitaire. Acting on the tip-

off, Delu led a team and carried out a search at the premises, where they found Nirav Harshad Raichura (Thakkar), Santosh Chosla (Bharvad) and Rahul Purabia in a drunken condition.

Upon further exploration of the office, police recovered three branded liquor bottles, three empty ones and two knives from their possession.

Raichura’s phone led the police to a betting

Seaplane is just a pre-election political gimmick, experts say Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: Many Amdavadis are going gaga over the water aerodrome and seaplane facility, which is slated to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31. However, political analysts warn that this is just another political gimmick ahead of the byelections that are set to take place next Tuesday. After all, this is the second time in the past three years that the service has been announced.

Modi even took a seaplane ride a few days before the Assembly elections in 2017.

Political analyst Hemantkumar Shah called out the project as unnecessary. “This is an expensive joyride, nothing more. It is certainly not a facility for tourism, since it doesn’t even shorten travel time for locals. This is another ‘dhating’ (gimmick) in an attempt to woo the people of Gujarat and influence them ahead of the election. The prime

The seaplane is slated to be inaugurated by PM Modi on October 31.

FOUR TRIPS A DAY FROM A’BAD TO SOU

minister has a hobby of inaugurating things—irrespective of whether or not it has been dedicated already,” he said. “There is no need for this at all, especially at a time

when the economy is in a disarray.”

Political scientist Ghanshyam Shah is even more scathing.

“This act by Narendra Modi is part of his rou-

—FILE PHOTO

tine violation of the model code of conduct.

They (the Bharatiya Janata Party) are desperate to win the election, they do not bother about decency in their campaign. In 1995-98, before Modi became chief minister, BJP had a thumping majority with 117121 seats. When Modi came in, in 2001, they had a lead of just 14,000 seats. Then, 2002 happened. The ensuing panic changed the election mood,” he said, adding, “Sadly, the people seem to fall for these gimmicks repeatedly rather than looking for any alternatives.”

website called Goldenexch.com. Upon scrutiny of the website, police unearthed betting data from October 19 to 26 with bets on football and cricket.

During interrogation, Raichura admit-

ted that he played and also took bets from other people on sporting events. Police found data of over 40 deals made on his phone. A separate case against Raichura has been filed under the Gujarat Prevention of Gambling Act. The three accused have been sent for a medical examination following which they will be produced in court. Police are seeking remand for Raichura for his betting offences in order to dig up more information on gambling and others involved in betting.

Rural police, on being informed about Raichura’s liquor den, carried out a search operation at his home, where they found branded liquor bottles and a lavish facility to entertain a rich ‘clientele’.

Gujarat has been making an effort to boost tourism in recent years.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: According to statistics from the Central Tourism Department’s Market Research and Statistics, in the last five years, the highest number of foreign tourists- over 20 million- visited the states of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Gujarat was placed 12th on the list of states that attracted tourists from all across the globe.

Around 52 lakh foreign tourists visited Bihar, 80 lakh went to Rajasthan, and 79 lakh landed in West Bengal.

Gujarat failed to lure foreign tourists as compared to other states, even though it has several attractions. According to figures released by the Central Tourism Department, over 5,95,607 foreign tourists visited Gujarat in 2019.

The state that was visited by the highest number of foreign tourists in the country was Tamil Nadu. Taking a look at the statistics of the past five years, 21,86,298 foreign tourists have visited Gujarat. During the same period, more than 2 crore foreign tourists went to Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

NOW, ACTIVE CASES SHOW DECLINE IN GUJ First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state has been witnessing a decline in the number of new cases of COVID-19 over the past few days. On Tuesday, the number (992) stayed firmly in the triple digits. With this, the number of active cases have also begun to show a downward trend.

On October 01, there were 16,717 active cases in the state. By October 10, this had fallen to 15,958. On October 15, it was 14,804. On Tuesday,

992 cases, five fatalities take state tally to 1,69,073 cases, toll to 3,698

If luck holds, medics could take more such breaks. —FILE PHOTO

the state reported a total of 13,487 active cases.

While this is a positive sign, the infection rate has not yet fallen to a level where it could be said that COVID-19 is under control in the state.

In the past 24 hours, the state government conducted 51,927 tests and detected 992 new cases of Sars-CoV-2 infection. Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar each accounted for two of

the five patients who died on Tuesday, while Surat had one death.

While Surat had the highest number of new cases (225), cases also emerged in Ahmedabad (170) Vadodara (114), Rajkot (94), Gandhinagar (46), Mehsana (35), Patan (33), Jamnagar (26), Surendranagar (18), Amreli (17) and Banaskantha (17).

ON YOUR TOES A police officer ‘kidnaps’ a child during a live demo organized by the C Team of the Ahmedabad police to make people aware of potential dangers they face while shopping in the run-up to the festive season.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

OUTPOURING OF GRIEF

Industry mourns Naresh Kanodia, the end of ‘Ram-Lakhan era’ 

Losing the battle to COVID-19, the veteran Gujarati movie superstar died two days after his older brother Mahesh passed

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The toast of the Gujarati film industry for several years, the other half of the Kanodia brothers, Naresh Kanodia (77) breathed his last in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. He had been battling COVID-19.

The news came two days after the veteran actor’s brother Mahesh Kanodia passed away. The loss of both great artistes has left

the industry shaken.

Reminiscing about the duo, actor Hiten Kumar said, “In our industry, they were referred to as ‘Ram-Lakhan’ Jodi. Their contribution to the industry will always be remembered years together.”

One of the biggest names in the Gujarati stage and film industry, actor Darshan Jariwala also paid tribute to the Kanodia brothers. “I have known them since childhood especially, Ma-

—FILE PHOTO

Silver screen veteran Naresh Kanodia (in yellow) with his family.

hesh Kanodia. I remember that he used to sing in a female voice and my mother, who worked in Gujarati films, used to lip-sync the lines onscreen,” he said.

Producer JD Majethia, known for his work in the popular television serial ‘Khichdi’, recalled, “I was a fan of Mahesh-Naresh since childhood. I remember that I was shooting for a Gujarati movie in a Halol studio when I learned that Naresh

Kanodia was canning shots nearby. When I reached out to him, I was not expecting him to recognize me. So, I was surprised when Naresh Kanodia not only did recognize me but even asked that I work with him.”

In an emotional upheaval after hearing about the demise of the veteran Gujarati film star, folk singer Kirtidan Gadhvi, said, “Naresh Kanodia was a superstar for many years

and worked with several big stars of his time and also the new generation. He was an actor, yes, but also a very good singer. He had a huge fan following in the state and abroad as well.”

‘Bhai Bhai’ fame Arvind Vegda’s memories associated with the mega star showcased his genial nature. “He used to call to congratulate me every time I launched a new album,” he reminisced.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020

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CRITICAL THINKING A CORPORATE NEED

IN-DEPTH

FB’S CONTROVERSIAL OFFICIAL RESIGNS

A

nkhi Das, Facebook’s director, public policy in India, South and Central Asia, who was at the centre of a controversy because of her pro-Bharatiya Janata Party bias in blocking hate content on the social media site, has resigned. Facebook’s statement that “Ankhi has decided to step down to pursue her interest in public service…” is obviously not the entire truth. To look for the reason why one of FB’s “earliest employees” chose to step down one has to refer to the Wall Street Journal’s August report on how Ankhi was promoting the BJP’s agenda. The WSJ report said that for business reasons Ankhi did not apply “hate speech rules” on some individuals and groups close to the BJP for their anti-Muslim posts. The WSJ also reported that Das told her staff members at FB that “punishing violations” by BJP “would damage the company’s business prospects in the country, Facebook’s biggest global market by number of users.”

The FB has over 400 million customers in India.

Because of Ankhi’s blatant bias for BJP’s hatemongers, Facebook’s India head Ajit Mohan had to appear before a Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The Congress had earlier accused the social media giant of “an unholy nexus with the ruling party. On the other hand, the Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wrote a strongly worded letter to Facebook Mark Zuckerberg accusing the site of censoring the content of those supportive of right-of-centre ideology.

One must remember that FB’s “algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness” and be forewarned.

RETD. COL ANUPAM JAITLY Defence expert, Motivational speaker & Corporate Trainer

I

RSS FOR DEBATE ON UNIFORM CIVIL LAW

T

he Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh’s joint general-secretary, Dattatreya Hosabale has set the cat among the pigeons by suggesting a nation-wide debate on uniform civil code (UCC) to make people aware of it’s all about. Hosabale said that in the Constitution the UCC is defined under the Directive Principles of State Policy in Article 44 but without any time frame for its implementation. He left it to the government to decide on the time to introduce a Bill on UCC, which refers to a single law applicable to all citizens like the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867 is applicable in the whole of Goa. Along with Ram temple in Ayodhya, triple talaq, and Article 370, the UCC has been on the agenda of RSS and the BJP, which included it in its 2019 poll manifesto. With the first three objectives having been realised, the UCC is now being pushed by the Sangh.

Interestingly, the idea of UCC was junked by Justice BS Chauhan, Chairman of the 21st Law Commission, who said that “UCC is not possible and not even an option”. “Personal Laws can never be done away with as they have constitutional protection,” said Justice Chauhan who recommended religionwise amendments in family laws. Contrary to Hosabale’s assertion, the law panel chief said that UCC “could disturb the essence of the Constitution”.

Muslims are the strongest opponents of the UCC as they perceive it to be an infringement on their personal laws as enshrined in the Shariah. Any attempt to introduce the UCC is bound to stir the hornet’s nest.

Learning to master the skill of critical thinking can have a profoundly positive impact on nearly every aspect of one’s career and business. The question arises, why is critical thinking so very important in business? It is significant because business leaders have to take major decisions every day, from hiring and firing to handling public relation crises and to assess market forces & the interest of all stakeholders

n just eight months’ time (March onwards) the Indian business landscape has catapulted itself with drastic changes in the Healthcare systems, Medicines, Vaccines, Facemasks and Sanitizers becoming the marketdominating services and products. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the country’s usual business world to a complete stand-still with a new aligned NORMAL market trend and pushed the economy into one of the worst recessions of recent global times. This changed orientation has adversely affected the hitherto fore understanding of business norms with uncertainty about future conditions worsening the situation. The socio-economic fallouts have further triggered the consequences of poor consumer demand, supply fluctuations and lockdown restrictions.

Viewing from the eyes of a corporate trainer, I feel the market scene has changed for all stake holders…Two top questions on every professional’s mind is: What are the cutting-edge skills for seeking a job and climbing the next rung on the career ladder? In my opinion, the answer to this lies in the skill that has become the biggest differentiator in current times: ‘Critical Thinking’ So, what is critical thinking (CT)? It refers to the ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment. In other words, “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to one’s belief and action.” However, a word of caution needs to be applied here for the common percep-

tion that CT does not imply criticizing or interfering with the major policy decisions, culture, and ethos of the organization one serve.

Learning to master the skill of critical thinking can have a profoundly positive impact on nearly every aspect of one’s career and business. The question arises, why is critical thinking so very important in business?

It is significant because business leaders have to take major decisions every day, from hiring and firing to handling public relation crises and to assess market forces & the interest of all stakeholders. These are the precise areas in which CT comes into play to make tough, timely, and bold decisions.

As part of business acumen, many gurus have often categorized CT to be a part of one’s desirable corporate behavior and an essential soft skill which can be learned, practiced, and mastered. The job market today is increasingly acknowledging the importance of critical thinking. In fact, according to a 2016 PayScale and Future Workplace joint report, about 60% of hiring managers believe that the recent graduates lack problem-solving capabilities, coupled with the skills of taking immediate and impromptu so-

AS PART OF BUSINESS ACUMEN, MANY GURUS HAVE OFTEN CATEGORIZED CT TO BE A PART OF ONE’S DESIRABLE CORPORATE BEHAVIOR AND AN ESSENTIAL SOFT SKILL WHICH CAN BE LEARNED, PRACTICED, AND MASTERED

lution-driven decisions.

The need of the hour is to have empowered leaders and decision-makers who can identify the bottlenecks and strategize ‘Employee Engagement’ to train and equip the teams to take adaptative actions. The senior managers and executives need to identify the problem areas of repeat defaulters and explore whether the issue is because of the lackadaisical analytical approach or, an inherent cognitive disassociation.

Given that Critical Thinking is most important in business today, professionals must make an effort to develop this soft skill.

When observed holisti-

New studies confirm Moon has icy poles W

ater is more abundant on the Moon than we might have suspected, according to two papers published today in Nature Astronomy that confirm the presence of ice on and near the lunar surface.

It’s a boost for the prospect of extracting water from the Moon, which can help support humans, or be converted to rocket fuel, although the situation is far from simple.

The first paper, led by Casey Honniball of the University of Hawai’i, offers confirmation of the suspected discovery of water on the Moon. In previous studies, researchers had examined frequencies of absorbed radiation and identified the presence of chemi

04

cals called hydroxyl ions on the Moon.

Hydroxyl ions (OH-) are part of the water molecule H2O, meaning water ice was a likely, but not definite, source of the hydroxyls detected. But as hydroxyl ions are found in many other compounds too, it was impossible to be sure.

The new research used a new technique and has shown that a significant proportion of those hydroxyls are indeed found within water ice molecules, possibly bound or suspended in the Moon’s surface rocks. More research is needed to deduce the precise details, but the presence of molecular water is big news.

The second paper, led by Paul Hayne of the University of Colorado, notes there are likely to be more “cold traps” containing

water ice than previously estimated.

A “cold trap” is a place in permanent shadow, where ice can survive because it never receives direct sunlight, and where the temperature stays sufficiently low.

Elsewhere, sunlight warms the ice, causing it to “sublime”: the Moon’s low atmospheric pressure means solid ice directly transforms into water vapour, which may refreeze somewhere else.

The study showed that at

high latitudes, there were potentially very high numbers of these cold traps (possibly billions), some as small as 1cm across.

How much water is on the Moon? Current estimates, based on the previous detection of hy-

droxyls, range from 100 million tonnes to the more recent 2.9 billion tonnes. According to the new estimate, up to 30% of some areas of the lunar surface could be ice in cold traps.

Even using the conservative price for water offered by launch company ELA of $US3,000 per kg for delivery to low Earth orbit, the water on the Moon could be worth billions of dollars a year, because water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen and used as rocket fuel.

Some of our research shows how a business case can be made at low Earth orbit.

The importance of the new findings is there is now far more certainty that the water is there, and there are more widespread opportunities to find it.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

cally, the culture at the top is a good indicator and reflection of what is the present critical thinking level in the remaining part of the organization. If the setup has an intelligent leader who has great ideas but generally lacks the procedural expertise, then there will be no buy-ins from other stakeholders and team commitment. It is therefore advised that competent leadership should bank heavily upon the art and science of CT so that the pyramidical structure is efficiently organized and is driven by fruitful accomplishments.

My interaction with the corporate world in over a decade has established that practicing CT helps one to arrive not just at the best answers, but to a solution that most people will embrace! Modeling critical thinking at the top is helpful in setting an example and disseminating the skill to the remaining levels of the organization, no matter the type or size of the company. With a wide range of real-world applications, mastering critical thinking makes us a quick learner, an excellent problem solver, a creative thinker, and thus, a successful individual in the future!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank @DrRPNishank Jan Andolan for COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour. Always wear a mask when stepping out.

Reduce your chances of being infected or spreading #COVID19.

Be safe & ensure the safety of your loved ones by adopting simple #COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. #Unite2FightCorona Mallikarjun Kharge @kharge While the Govt denies there is a migrant crisis, here is an indicator for the PM to act upon. It has been only 6 months into the fiscal & #MGNREGA has already surpassed last year’s demand.

Currently, it has catered to 87 Mn workers costing 64,565 Cr. Last year Govt spent 66,863 Cr

Spiritual SPEAK

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. —Proverbs 11:2

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BIHAR POLLS: Paswan said that he wants that each and every resident of the state to feel proud of being a ‘Bihari’

BY CALLING ME ‘JAMURA’, THEY ARE INSULTING PM MODI: CHIRAG Patna: Reacting to minister Sanjay Kumar Jha's 'jamura' comment, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan on Tuesday said JD(U) leader is actually insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi by calling him a 'Madaari'.

Speaking at a press conference here, Paswan said, "If I am a jamura, who is the madaari? Do they know who they are mocking?

They say that I am acting on the orders of the Prime minister. By calling me jamura, they are insulting the Prime Minister and calling him a madaari. The continuous insult of the prime minister is beyond me. By being against just one person, you are speaking against the PM as well," he said. JD(U) leader

Chirag Paswan addresses a press conference in Patna.

Sanjay Jha slammed Paswan for criticising Nitish Kumar and said, "The statement made by Chirag about Nitish Ji is part of 'Jamura' role, he is playing nowadays.

Now, you can interpret to your own understanding who is Chiraag's 'Madaari'. Someone is making Chirag dance to their tunes, so he's dancing."

"Everyone knows that alcohol is readily available in Bihar. Who

is protecting the smugglers and who is profiting from this smuggling of alcohol? Where is the revenue going, CM ji,?

Is it going into your pocket?" he questioned Chief Minister on the liquor smuggling.

"The 'Saat Nischay' is one of the biggest scams. Some are saying that people were making 40 per cent commissions from this. When I went for my yatra, I saw the condition of 'nali

gali' they are always talking about. If this is the condition, why shouldn't there be an investigation? Why is the CM so afraid if he is innocent?" he added.

On Sanjay Jha's statement that he is a flop in Bollywood so he will also fail in politics, Chirag Paswan accused CM Nitish Kumar of turning the word 'Bihari' into abuse and said that he returned just to take care of his father. "Had I stayed in industry for longer I would have made a name for myself. All actors struggle in the beginning.

I came back due to my father's ill health. I saw the reality of how they were treating our people and using the word Bihari was like an abuse. Nitish Kumar ji turned the word 'Bihari' into an abuse. I constantly addressed myself as a Bihari. —ANI

‘Nitish using foul words as he can sense loss’ Patna: Reacting to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ‘nine children’ jibe at RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday said the former is resorting to such “unpleasant language” because he has realized that he is losing the elections.

“Nitish Babu is all set to lose. Now he is doing loose talks and making personal attacks. Nitish was considered to be cool-headed but he gets aggressive, threatens the youth and pushes them out of the rally. When an

arrogant leader’s throne shakes and they use unpleasant language then it shows that his loss is visible,” Surjewala told ANI here. The Congress Leader called the Jamoora comment made by Bihar Minister Sanjay Jha against LJP chief Chirag Paswan ‘undignified and unacceptable’. —ANI

Nobody trusts Chirag, NDA has ‘CM Nitish Kumar won’t speak nothing to do with LJP: Thakur on real issues like inflation’ Patna: Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said that nobody trusts Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan and the National Democratic Alliance has nothing to do with his party. "Nobody trusts Chirag Paswan and his party is not in alliance with us. NDA has nothing to do with LJP. NDA chief minister will be Nitish Kumar. We will form the government with full majority," Thakur told ANI here.

The Union Minister also took a swipe at Mahagathbandan's chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav and said the Lalu scion cannot be trusted and has sided with

Nobody trusts Chirag Paswan and his party is not in alliance with us. NDA has nothing to do with LJP. NDA chief minister will be Nitish Kumar. We will form the government with full majority.

Anurag Thakur, Union Minister

CDS Rawat’s integrity pledge on Vigilance Awareness week

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat along with chief of army Staff and vice chief of army staff on the occasion of 74th Infantry Day at National War Memorial, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat took the integrity pledge and swore to follow the rule of law and perform tasks in an honest and transparent manner to mark the beginning of the Vigilance Awareness Week on Tuesday.

General Rawat, during his pledge, reiterated to lead by example exhibiting integrity in personal behaviour and always act in the public interest.

These attributes are imbibed in every soldier

and officer of the Indian Armed Forces from the start of their service life.

He also swore to perform tasks in an honest and transparent manner, which are the qualities synonymous with the morals and tradition of the Indian Armed Forces. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), in its efforts to ensure a policy of 'Zero Tolerance towards Corruption', has decided that Vigilance Awareness Week will be observed from October 27 to November 2.

the Tukde Tukde gang.

"How can people believe RJD? Tejashwi, who removed the photos of his parents from the posters, can do anything. The person who is close to the people who commits genocide and is with Tukde Tukde gang and doing caste-based politics and divisive politics. Bihar people have understood that jungle raj can come back. Bihar parents will caution their kids that if they vote for him then jungle raj can come," Thakur said.

Meanwhile, Tejasvi Surya praised Chirag Paswan on Monday as an "energetic" leader and a "special friend".

FB’s Ankhi Das quits after row over content

Bengaluru:Ankhi Das, Facebook’s head of public policy who was in the eye of storm over alleged bias in blocking of hate content on the social media platform, has quit the company.“Ankhi has decided to step down from her role in Facebook to pursue her interest in public service& played an instrumental role in growth of the company,” Ajit Mohan, MD India FB said.

Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday said that by commenting on my family, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is targeting Prime Minister Modi and moreover he can only indulge in abusing me but he won't speak on the real issues like inflation and corruption that affects people.

"By commenting on my family, Nitish Kumar is targeting PM Modi as he also has 6 siblings. Using such language, Nitish Kumar has insulted women and my mother's sentiments. They don't speak on main issues including inflation, corruption, unemployment etc, he can only abuse us," said Yadav reacting to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Ku-

‘People have decided to vote for state related issues,’ said Tejashwi.

mar's 'nine children' jibe at RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav.

"Whatever CM Nitish Kumar says, it is a blessing for us but he is indirectly trying to target PM Modi indirectly by attacking us," he added.

Yadav further stated that RJD's only focus is to provide jobs to the youth, eradicate poverty, construct open factories and food processing units.

"People of Bihar have decided to vote for issues related to state.”

"Even bad words used

by Nitishji against me are like blessings to me.

Nitishji is mentally and physically tired and that is why he can speak whatever he likes. I treat his words like a blessing. This time Bihar has decided to vote on the issues of employment and development," Yadav said. —ANI

05

IN THE COURTYARD

TARUN TEJPAL CASE

Complete trial

by March 31, SC tells Goa Police New Delhi: Extending the deadline for the completion of the trial in the sexual assault case against journalist Tarun Tejpal to March 31, 2021, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said that if he were to agree to a trial through videoconference, it would be over within two months.

While the complainant woman had sought her cross examination via videoconference amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Tejpal had strongly objected to it.

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan noted that the judge conducting the trial had cited reasonable ground for the extension of the trial in the matter. The bench said that 31 wit-

nesses were yet to be examined in the matter.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Goa government, seconded the court observations in the matter.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal insisted that the trial should not be extended.

The bench told Sibal: "You are not agreeable to a trial through videoconference, otherwise it will be over within two months." —PTI

Allahabad HC to monitor CBI probe into Hathras case: HC New Delhi: The SC on directed that the Allahabad HC will monitor the probe, being conducted by the CBI, into the case related to the alleged gang-rape and subsequent death of a Dalit girl in Hathras.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, which was hearing a plea seeking to transfer the trial in the case from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, said that the same will be decided at a later stage. The bench said that all aspects of the Hathras case, including security to the victim's family and witnesses will be looked after by the Allahabad High Court.

"So far as the transfer of the Hathras case to Delhi is concerned, it is appropriate for the CBI to conclude the investi-

gation and it will be decided at the later stage," the bench said.

The court observed that once the investigation is complete, the transfer of the case can be considered. "As of now, CBI is dealing with it and there is no cause of apprehension," it added. The bench also asked the CBI to file its status reports in Allahabad High Court.

A 19-year-old had succumbed to her injuries at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on September 29 after being assaulted and allegedly gangraped on Sept 14. —PTI

Coal scam : Delhi HC 21 yr old Haryana woman suspends jail term of shot dead, accused held ex-minister Dilip Ray New Delhi: A day after he was awarded three years in jail by a Special CBI Court in a coal scam case, the Delhi High Court Tuesday suspended the sentence of former Union minister Dilip Ray. Ray’s application for suspension of sentence came up for hearing before the single-judge bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait. “The sentence has been suspended and the case has been fixed for hearing on November 23,” said advocate Chandra Prakash, who represents Ray in the case.

The case in which Ray was convicted on October 6 and sentenced on Monday pertains to the allocation of 105.153 hectares of a coal mining area in Jharkhand’s Giridh district to Castron Technologies Limited (CTL) by the Union ministry of coal’s

Dilip Ray

Screening Committee in 1999.While sentencing Ray, the special CBI court had observed that he “abused his official position” as his decision of “relaxation of policy without any logical or legal basis amounts to gross abuse of his powers…”. Ray was convicted along with five others: CTL; its director Mahendra Kumar Agarwalla; two senior Coal ministry officials Pradip Kumar Banerjee (then additional secretary) and Nitya Nand Gautam (then advisor, projects); and Castron Mining Ltd.

Faridabad:A 21-yearold woman was murdered in broad daylight outside her college in Ballabgarh in Haryana’s Faridabad district on Monday. The incident took place during a failed abduction attempt that was recorded on camera.

The woman, identified as Nikita Tomar, had come out of her college after appearing for an exam when the incident took place, ACP, Ballabgarh, Jaiveer Singh Rathi told news agency PTI. The accused, who arrived at the spot in a vehicle, tried to pull the woman inside, in a possible bid to abduct her, but she resisted after which one of the accused shot her. The brutal murder was caught on camera. She was taken to a hospital, but succumbed to injuries, the ACP said.

He said during pre-

Family members of a 21-year-old woman who was allegedly shot dead outside her college on Monday, stage a protest, at Ballabgarh.

liminary investigation, it has emerged that one of the accused was known to her.

Both the men allegedly involved in the murder have been arrested and the main accused has been identified as Tausif, police confirmed. The other accused has been identified as Rehan, a resident of Nuh in Haryana.

The family of the woman has linked the killing of the 21-yearold to so-called ‘love ji-

had’.

The family claimed that the woman was attacked outside her college by a man who was infatuated with her while the other accused is his associate.

A case has been registered and the matter is being investigated.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said, “An SIT led by ACP Crime Anil Kumar will ensure quick probe and time-bound trial to ensure justice to the family.” —PTI

INDIA AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020

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INDIA IS PROUD OF ITS INFANTRY : MODI The Prime Minister extended greetings on the occasion of Infantry Day through Twitter New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended greetings on the occasion of Infantry Day and stated that India is proud of the role played by infantry in protecting our nation.

“Greetings to all ranks of our courageous infantry on the special occasion of Infantry Day. India is proud of the role played by the infantry in protecting our nation.

Their bravery continues to motivate millions,” PM Modi tweeted. The Indian Army celebrates October 27 every year as the ‘Infantry Day’, as it was on this day that the 1st Battalion of the Sikh Regiment landed at Srinagar airbase and displayed resoluteness and extraordinary courage to thwart the evil designs of the Pakistan

Need to work together against corruption: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Army, who had invaded Kashmir with the help of tribal raiders in 1947.

The Chinar Corps of the Indian Army on Tuesday celebrated the 74th Infantry Day at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar to honour the sacrifice of the gallant soldiers in fighting the Pakistani invaders in J&K in 1947. —ANI

—PHOTO BY ANI

economic offences, drugs network, money laundering, terrorism or terror funding, all these are connected to each other. So, we need to work together with a holistic approach against corruption, through systemic checks, effective audits and capacity building and training,” he said.

‘Such speed in scheme subscription a first’ New Delhi: The Prime Minister SVANidhi Scheme was launched on June 1 and the applications for the same started coming on online portal from next month.

India is witnessing such speed in scheme

‘India has max recovered Covid patients in world’ Seven day lockdown in Aizawl; Delhi reports highest single-day spike of 4,853 cases New Delhi: India on Tuesday reported its lowest single-day spikes in total coronavirus infection tally in over three months. The daily jump of 36,838 in total count was the lowest since July 18 even as the tally soared to 7,946,429.

Death toll has mounted to 119,535.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday issued an order extending the guidelines for ‘re-opening’ the country, issued last month, till November 30. The MHA extended the earlier guidelines keeping in mind the ongoing coronavirus phase. “There shall be no restriction on inter-state and intrastate movement of persons and goods. No separate permission/ approval/e-permit will be required for such movements,” the guidelines read.

A weeklong lockdown came into force in Aizawl municipal area on Tuesday after at least 34 people, including two infants, have

New Delhi: The need of the hour is to work with a holistic approach against corruption through systemic checks, audits and training, said PM Narendra Modi at the inauguration ceremony of the three-day National Conference on Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.

“Be it corruption,

The Member (Health), NITI Aayog Dr Vinod K Paul along with the Secretary, MoHFW, Rajesh Bhushan addressing a PC on on COVID-19, Principal Director General (M&C), PIB, KS Dhatwalia, the DG, ICMR, Dr Balram Bhargava, and Joint Secry, MoHFW, Lav Agarwal are also seen.

—PHOTO BY ANI

tested positive for the disease in Mizoram since Monday, 30 of which were detected in Aizawl.

The government, in an order issued on Monday night, said, “in the light of the present situation, it is necessary to impose fresh restrictions within AizawI Municipal area to curtail un-

necessary activities so as to break the chain of community transmission without hindering essential services.”

Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 4,853 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest single-day spike here till date, as the infection tally in the city mounted to over 3.64 lakh. —Agencies

Your own... and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, the Central Government hereby makes the following Order in respect of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, namely--This Order may be called the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Third Order, 2020.

shutdown government).

subscription for the first time, said PM. “The PM SVANidhi scheme was launched on 1 June. On July 2, applications for the same started coming on the online portal.

This is the first time, the country is seeing

Actor-turnedpolitician Naresh Kanodia passes away Ahmedabad: Actorturned-politician Naresh Kanodia passed away at UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Ahmedabad on Tuesday morning. He was hospitalised on October 20 with Covid-19 infection. Kanodia was 77.

Kanodia worked in over 300 Gujarati films, and won the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award in 2012 to mark the centenary of Indian cinema. The Gujarati film superstar died two days.

such speed in the schemes for the first time,” said Modi. He stated that it was decided to use technology for this scheme as well in order to make the work paperless and without a guarantor. —ANI

PM interacts with SVANidhi beneficiaries from UP New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with SVANidhi beneficiaries from Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing on Tuesday and said that the street vendors are now becoming ‘Atmanirbhar’ by the help of this scheme.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath also participated in the event via video conferencing. “While interacting with the beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi scheme, I realised that they are happy but surprised at the same time.,” said Modi.

CM declares insurance cover of `5L for jounos Lucknow: After senior IAS Dr Navneet Sehgal took charge as ACS Information in Uttar Pradesh, the work in the department has geared up and he has started fulfilling the promises of chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

The journalist fraternity is also happy with the appointment of Sehgal.

The chief minister had announced an insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakh to accredited journalists and now the department has sent an order to districts to execute the

The Ministry of Finance had earlier approved a scheme to provide relief in interest compounding to bor-

POWER Gallery 10 IPS OFFICERS RETIRING IN OCTOBER

As many as 10 IPS officers of various cadres and batches are retiring in October, 2020. They are: Vimal Anand Gupta of AGMUT cadre; Kamal Kumar Ojha and K A Ninama of Gujarat; Ashit Mohan Prasad and T Suneel Kumar of Karnataka; S P Singh and Deepak Verma of Madhya Pradesh; P V Deshpande of Maharashtra; Dr Alok Tripathi of Rajasthan and V Naveen Chand of Telangana.

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT FINANCE SECRETARY ?

Guessing game about the new Finance Secretary has started in the corridors of power. Will the next FS be appointed from the 1987 batch or some 1985 or 1986 batch IAS officer will be brought to the post after the retirement of A B P Pandey in February ? One thing is certain that the puzzle of this ticklish question will be solved by the PM only.

THREE SECRETARIES BELONG TO SAME BATCH

In the ministry of finance, three out of five Secretaries belong to the 1987 batch. T V Somanathan, Expenditure, Tuhin Kant Pandey, DIPAM and Debashish Panda, Financial Services are from the 1987 batch. Tarun Bajaj, Secretary, Economic Affair is 1988 batch IAS officer. The senior most AB Pandey is a 1984 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer and scheduled to retire next year in February. He is Finance Secretary also.

RAHUL NAVEEN TO BE SPECIAL DIRECTOR ED ?

Rahul Naveen is likely to be appointed Special Director ED.He is 1990 batch IRS(IT) officer.

PANWALE QUITS INDIAN STATISTICAL SERVICE

Saleemuddin Qamruddin Panwale has resigned from the Indian Statistical Service (ISS).

CENTRAL DEPUTATION TENURE OF DR ISHITA GANGULY TRIPATHI EXTENDED

CM Yogi Adityanath

chief minister’s announcement.

The order was issued by an official of the Information department, Ram Manohar Tripathi.

The department has sought the list of accredited journalists till 5 pm on 28 October.

Implement scheme for waiver of interest on interest: RBI New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed all lending institutions to implement provisions of the scheme for grant of ex-gratia payment of the difference between compound and simple interest from March 1 to August 31 to borrowers in specified loan accounts and take necessary action within the stipulated time.

06

rowers for the six-month loan moratorium period extended in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The relief will be extended through financial institutions like banks, NBFCs, NCFC Micro Finance Institutions, National Banks for Agriculture and Rural Development, housing finance companies, National Housing Banks, etc. —ANI

The central deputation tenure of Dr. Ishita Ganguly Tripathi, working as Director in the Department of Commerce, has been extended for a period of three months beyond December 22, 2020. Dr Ishita is a 1999 batch IES officer.

LOKESH BAJPAI RETURNS TO PARENT CADRE

Lokesh Bajpai, Director, Department of Public Enterprises, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre on personal grounds. He is a 1998 batch IoFS officer.

BHARAT SINGH LASPAL RETURNS TO PARENT CADRE

Bharat Singh Laspal, Director, Central Vigilance Commission, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre on personal grounds. He is a 1994 batch IDSE officer.

C M SANE RETURNING TO PARENT CADRE ON OCT 29

C M Sane presently Joint Secretary (Finance) in the Department of Space will be returning to parent cadre on October 29, 2020. He is a 1993 batch IA & AS officer.

5 STATE FOREST SERVICE OFFICERS PROMOTED AS IFS

Five officers of the State Forest Service of A&N Islands segment have been promoted to the IFS and allocated AGMUT cadre. The officers are: Thomas Varghese of Select List 2014, S H K Murti, Ashok Kumar Paul, Ayub Hassan and Joju P Alappatt, all of Select List 2017.

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 A ‘fearful’...

According to DIG Vishnu Kant, the bribe was demanded from a Kanpur based Pharma trader Hardeep Singh in lieu of diluting a case against him under NDPS act. “Constable Naresh Meena had already taken Rs 15 lakh from the complainant.

Meena had fearlessly told the complainant that his share out of the Rs 15 lakh bribe was only Rs 2.5 lakh whereas 2.5 lakh were to be paid to ASI Sohan Lal and the rest of the amount of Rs 10 lakh would be given to Jawahar Nagar SHO Rajesh Siyag,” officials said.

Bihar Assembly...

Speaking in Hindi, she said, “Delhi and Bihar governments are ‘bandi sarkar -- notebandi, talabandi, vyapar bandi, aarthik bandi, Khetkhalihan bandi, rotirozgar bandi (it is a

Tejashwi’s ‘Yaksha Prashna’...

He posed 11 questions to the Prime Minister and asked, “Darbhanga AIIMS was announced in 2015 but why announcement for the start of its work was done before the polls?”

“PM is coming to Muzaffarpur. Will his combined government in Delhi and Patna speak on the Muzaffarpur shelter home case in which the Chief Minister is providing protection to the accused in the rape of 34 orphan girls?” he asked.

Hizb chief...

The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967, as amended in August last year empowersthe MHA to designate individuals as terrorists. Earlier, 13 individuals were designated as terrorists.

Now, ‘Corona... anti-national mentality,” the NIA said in its chargesheet filed before a local court here in September this year.

The chargesheet named a Kashmiri couple, Jahanzaib Sami and Hina Bashir Beigh, Hyderabad-based Abdullah Basith and Punebased Sadiya Anwar Shaikh, and one Nabeel Siddick Khatri as ac-

cused in the matter.

All departments... and accounting system, and said that this would help the retiring personnel to get rid of complicated formalities and not have to go round for pension approval. “This will save time and will provide mental peace to the employees who retire after 30 to 35 years of service. Also, there will be ease in other accounting functions including payment of salaries, medical, travel etc. bills of the personnel,” the chief minister observed.

Shri Gehlot said that IT has a significant contribution in terms of

financial discipline, monitoring of development projects, economy, efficiency and time in government work. “In view of this, the IT department should create a team of its technically skilled personnel who can make software and programs according to the technical requirements of the government. For this, we do not have to depend on any outside company,” he said.

Chief Secretary Rajeeva Swarup said that e-accounting is a big step in the direction of paperless governance.

Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Niranjan Arya

said that the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) was introduced for better financial management of the State Government in the last term of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

“Financial management has been made more efficient through software like e-Kuber, Pay-Manager, e-Grass, Treasury etc. It will take less than 15 minutes for more than 25 thousand personnel who retire every year from the e-pension system to fill their pension application form,” he said.

Bullish Kotak... in consolidated

net

profit at Rs 2,947 crore for the July-September quarter. Without denying speculations about a merger with smaller rival IndusInd Bank, the private sector lender said the objectives of its recent Rs 7,000-crore capital raising exercise included acquisitions but added that it will be using the money judiciously.

US stands...

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held the third edition of the 2+2 talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper.

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020

OUR MINDS MAY BE WANDERING MORE

07

Spontaneous thought, or mindwandering, occupies up to 50% of wakefulness.

Our thoughts and attention frequently drift away from what we are doing and what is happening in our immediate surroundings, with one thought following another along an associative trajectory

DURING THE PANDEMIC M

any feel the coronavirus pandemic has changed not just our everyday lives, but also our inner mental lives. There has been talk of a mental health pandemic, but also of lockdown brain fog when we are awake, as well as reports of more frequent, vivid, and bizarre dreams when we are asleep. We tend to think of our waking and dream lives as separate.

But it is striking how deeply they are linked. Spontaneous thought, or mind-wandering, occupies up to 50% of wakefulness. Our thoughts and attention frequently drift away from what we are doing and what is happening in our immediate surroundings, with one thought following another along an associative trajectory.

Spontaneous thoughts and experiences are also pervasive in sleep. The clearest example is dreaming, which has been described as an intensified form of the mind wandering that happens when we are awake.

Considering dreaming and mind-wandering together suggests the fluctuations in spontaneous experience, the natural ebb and flow of attention and somewhat erratic trajectory of thoughts continue throughout waking and sleep. In normal circumstances, we mostly remain oblivious to the fact our minds have wandered. Most people also only rarely remember their dreams, but when awakened in the sleep laboratory can report multiple dreams per night. Like mind wandering, dreaming is also largely (with the exception of certain lucid dreams) beyond our control.

However, attention to our inner lives may be amplified at a time when control over our everyday lives is elusive. Paying attention to your dreams when you first wake up in the morning drastically increases dream recall. And attempting to harness our thoughts and attention throughout the day can actually make us more aware of our failures, including lapses in attention. If you have been paying more attention to your spontaneous thoughts during the pandemic, you might have become more aware of what was were there all along.

CHANGES IN SPONTANEOUS THOUGHT — FOR BETTER OR WORSE

A GREAT ESCAPE

SPONTANEOUS THOUGHT MIGHT BE BENEFICIAL

I

f you have been sleeping more during the lockdown, you are probably experiencing more early morning REM sleep. Because REM sleep is typically associated with the most vivid and complex dreams, this might lead to an increase in actual dreaming. If you have also ditched your alarm clock, you are probably awakening directly from REM sleep, which further increases dream recall.

The pandemic has also changed what we daydream and dream about. Waking concerns about the pandemic seem paralleled by more frequent nightmares and dreams

about topics such as social distancing, contagion, or personal protective equipment.

Some changes to our spontaneous mental lives can indicate something is amiss. Anxiety and stress are linked to increased repetitive thoughts and rumination; trouble focusing, disturbed sleep, nightmares, and unpleasant dreams, all of which seem to have increased during the pandemic.

These repetitive, sticky, and non-progressive thoughts contrast with the free, meandering movement that characterises most dreams and mind wandering.

T

he restlessness of our minds might also have a silver lining.

Mind-wandering certainly does compromise how well we perform tasks demanding attention. But because of their associative nature, dreams and mind wandering can also help make new connections and see familiar topics in a new light. When our minds wander, our thoughts are often drawn to the future and personal concerns.

Similarly, dreams have the tendency to weave disparate waking experiences and concerns into new and sometimes bizarre narratives. You might encounter a dream character who is a mixture of different people you have been close to at different times in your life. Or your initially

pleasant dream of visiting friends in a faraway city might morph into a nightmare about getting infected, putting your family at risk, and being pursued by the police because you are breaching lockdown.

Spontaneous thoughts in waking and sleep might help process memories and guide future planning and decision making, for example by enabling us to imagine alternative courses of action; they can also be a source of insight and creativity. Such thoughts may also contribute to coping and emotional processing. Futureoriented mind-wandering is often positive, whereas past-oriented mind wandering tends to be associated with negative moods and emotions.

eing in the here and now is often lauded as a virtue we should aim to cultivate through mindfulness. But sometimes, distraction can be useful: Mind wandering can provide a welcome break from boring tasks, allowing us to return with refreshed attention.

Other times, distraction might just be pleasant. In our dreams, we experi-

ence alternative realities; we can travel freely and because dreams are rich in social interactions, we can interact with people we are separated from in waking life. Given the monotony, restrictions, and social isolation many of us are experiencing, the unruliness and unboundedness of our minds might sometimes be a great escape.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI DESIGN: CP SHARMA

B

We all have two choices, accept the reality and sit quietly or persist in your purpose till reality accepts you.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020

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COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

INDIA

GUJARAT

11,68,562 4,40,71,979 1,20,023 79,87,731 3,698 1,69,073 CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 43,463 DEATHS 16,54,028 CASES

TAMIL NADU 10,983 DEATHS 7,14,235 CASES

DEATHS

KARNATAKA 10,991 DEATHS 8,09,638 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

DELHI 6,356 DEATHS 3,64,341 CASES

FACTCHECK: Guj deletes 3.96 lakh ration cards from subsidy benefits

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 1,867 DEATHS 1,89,844 CASES

FINANCIAL STRESS PUSHES SURAT TRADER TO SUICIDE

Responses to an RTI plea show lakhs of Food Security Act beneficiaries are being taken off since 2016

First India Bureau

Shishir Awasthi

Surat: A young businessman, Parsottam Gundarnia, engaged in online trading allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his rented office in Mota Varachha in Surat on Tuesday.

Gundarnia, who hails from Amreli, ran his online trade partnership with a friend from an office near Lajamani Chowk in Mota Varachha. He was reportedly passing through financial crisis and severe stress after huge losses in business during the post-Covid-19 lockdown.

The incident was reported to the police and Gundarnia’s family by a neighboring shopkeeper. A

Ahmedabad: Notwithstanding all the claims of the Gujarat Government of reaching every poor person with adequate rations, it has been revealed now that as many as 3.96 lakh ration cards or 15 lakh people have been deleted from the National Food Security Act (NFSA) benefits.

And all of them belong to the tribal regions and backward areas.

This startling disclosure has come from various government departments in applications under the Right to Information Act by RTI helpline run by the Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP).

What is more surprising, the deletion of beneficiaries has

SILENT ‘VICTIMS’

Lakhs removed from food subsidy list in Gujarat.

been a trend since 2016 when the Food Security Act was implemented in Gujarat -- not just during the Covid-19 crisis when the State’s resources are stretched.

Numbers speak.

Rahul exempted from court appearance

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: An Ahmedabad court on Tuesday granted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a permanent exemption from appearance in a criminal defamation case for calling Union Home Minister Amit Shah a “murder accused” at an election rally during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections..

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate RB Etaliya allowed Gandhi’s plea seeking exemption.

His lawyer had last September sought permanent exemption from appearance before the court, stating that he was a leader of a national political party and had a busy schedule.

Hearing on the plea was delayed first due to adjournments sought by the lawyer of the complainant,

08

—FILE PHOTO

BJP corporator Krishnavadan Brahmbhatt. Then, his lawyer SV Raju was appointed Additional Solicitor General of India, and needed permission of the Union Ministry of Law and Justice to appear in the case.

Meanwhile, the order on Gandhi’s plea for permanent exemption from appearance in another criminal defamation case, filed by Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank and its Chairman Ajay Patel, has been reserved by another city court.

Patel’s complaint is about Gandhi’s claim that the cooperative bank was involved in a “scam’’ where scrapped currency of `750 crore was swapped with valid currency within 5 days of demonetization in 2016.

From at least 38 blocks, as many 80,000 cards were removed or deleted from the “priority household” list in 201617, 42,000 in 2017-18, 1.86 lakh in 2018-19 and 70,000 in 2019-20.

According to Pank-

—FILE PHOTO

ti Jog of MAGP, NFSA implementation began in the State on April 1, 2016, and 3.41 crore people have been identified for subsidized ration (per person 5 kg) along with 8 lakh most poor

(Antyodaya) families (42 lakh people), to whom 35 kg of ration is given per month per family.

In all, 3.82 crore people are being covered under NFSA with the support of the Central

Government and there is no separate state budget for subsidized rations.

Jog says the anomaly was found when MAGP was flooded with calls giving details of the families being deleted from the priority household list, and particularly from tribal and poor blocks.

“So, the MAGP decided to file an RTI plea to get the exact number of people/ration cards that were deleted since 2016. To our surprise, the statistics of 38 blocks currently available with us show that 3.96 lakh cards have been removed from the ‘priority household’ lists.” These are from 10 districts, including Dangs, Navsari, Tapi, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha and Dahod.

team from Varachha police station recovered the body and sent it for post mortem. The case has been registered in Varachha police station and the investigation is on.

The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns have severely affected the business fraternity and Surat has seen several such cases in recent months.

A similar incident came to light on Monday.

Land mafia Bharwad to go Gujarat Police catch 58 under Suspect Detection Test fugitives in 2-week drive First India Bureau

First India Bureau Rajkot: Continuing its squeeze on the land mafia in Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s hometown Rajkot, the Crime Branch police would conduct a Suspect Detection System (SDS) Test on Bhupat Viram Baabutar alias Bhupat Bharwad who is facing 13 cases of land grabbing and extortion.

Bharward was detained by Rajkot police last week following a complaint by Dhaval Bharat Morani of Pedak Road for “forceful” transactions of Rs 70 lakh. A complaint has been registered against him and one Rakesh Dhirajlal Popat. Bhar-

Bhupat Bharwad in custody.

vad has a family relationship with a Rajkot BJP corporator.

Four others wanted in the case are absconding.

“In past one week, we received 2 compliants against Bharwad, who has crime record of 25 years. We will conduct SDS test on him,” Viral Gadhvi, PI, Crime

Branch, told First India.

Under SDS Test, a person’s heart beats and blood pressure are measured during interrogations.

The police have appealed to people to come forward and file complaint against such persons and those who were victims of Bharvad.

Ahmedabad: In a drive between October 8 and October 22, the Gujarat Police have caught 56 convicts and undertrials who were on the run after obtaining bail, furlough or parole, official sources said on Tuesday.

The drive was conducted by the state CID Crime and various district units and railway police. Thirty of those apprehended had murder offences against their names, 8 had bodyrelated crimes like assaults, and 2 were accused of robbery.

Of the 30 facing murder charges, 4 each were held by Ahmedabad, Banaskantha and

—FILE PHOTO

Mehsana police, 3 each

by Surat city, Surat district and Godhra police.

The rest were held from other places. It includes one Lalu Dafer who escaped from Ahmedabad police custody 21 years ago.

Among those held by the Surat city crime branch and CID team was murder accused Bunty Patil, who allegedly killed one more person while on the run, said a police release.

Post-Covid, child marriages on rise among poor —FILE PHOTO

A global NGO has found that rising debt & falling incomes have led to increase in child marriages 

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: An empirical study by an NGO, Global March Against Child Labour, based in the Hague, has found that a large migrant population of children in sugar harvesting are being pushed into child marriages and hazardous labour because of the workers’ structural poverty.

After Covid-19, the practice of child marriage has become more common among migrant families because of the increasing debt and decreasing household income. Hardships caused by multidimensional poverty and the fear of sexual abuse of young girls are key reasons for child marriages. Thus, for children belonging to families made desperate

Child marriages have increased in poor regions after Covid-19 crisis.

by caste-based structural poverty the choices are not many but to engage in child labour, give

in to child marriage as a means of survival and avoid being victims of sexual exploitation.

The study, which is an overview of child labour in surgarcane fields with a gender perspective, has simultaneously found that many children are married off early to escape sexual exploitation while in the fields. And most of these are from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward classes.

Child marriage is prevalent in regions where farming incomes are low and migration for harvesting sugarcane has been a norm.

For instance, in the Dangs region of Gujarat, a predominantly tribal area, 33% of the total marriages in 2019 were child marriages, as reported by the rural municipality.

The report says traditional gender-based norms have contributed significantly to “child labour by normalising unequal wages and unpaid family work”. The study was put together by the NGO policy research coordinator Gazal Malik and project officer Kratika Choubey.

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ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

H

ear a qawwali even today and almost automatically your body will sway in the typical fashion of the qawwali – be it Pardah hai Pardah or Teri mehfil mein kismet aajman kar hum bhi dekhenge!

The Hindi music industry boasts of some of the best qawwalis and they have reigned in a hallowed place. A mystic tradition more than 700 hundred years old, the qawwali gained prominence in Bollywood initially through 1950s Muslim social dramas and grew so much in popularity that its influences became mainstream–even continuing to live on today.

Amir Khusrau, the renowned poet is said to be the founding father of this genre.

The word qawwali means “words” worthy of remembrance and the qawwali is the authentic Sufi spiritual song that transports the mystic toward union with God. For centuries, Sufi communities in the Indian subcontinent have sustained this musical tradition in the mahfil-e-sama, or assembly for listening.

Hear Ali Maula Ali Ali by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Bhar do jholi meri ya Mohammad by Sabri brothers and you will be transported to another realm. These Sufi qaw-

WORTHY of

Remembrance! walis are a spiritual experience for both, the listener and performer.

Mughal E Azam is one of my favourite movies and I loved Madhubala’s declaration of love in Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat.

In many of the Bollywood qawwali’s it was a verbal duel to outwit the other and made for amazing on-screen chemistry! Humein to loot liya from Al Hilal is one the oldest and still a joy to listen to but nothing beats Yeh Ishq Ishq hai from Barsaat ki eek raat as a verbal classy duel of poetry.

Nigahen Milane ko from Dil hi to hai is another classic by Asha Bhosle and there is another in Jab Se Tumhe Dekha Hai, a qawwali Tumhe Husn Dekhe which I only remember because it had the super cute

City First asks you to put your hands together for this totally wonderful music genre in which even the totally unmusical can participate as long as they can clap in rhythm- and it is no mean feat– a short joust with the qawwaali today for all of you!

Shammi and Shashi together!

The well-known social message qawwali, one of the rarest of Mehngai maar gayi from Roti Kapda aur Makaan is eminently hummable.

09

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020

10

5 ways doing it for the ‘gram has changed us I

nstagram marked its 10th birthday a couple of days back, and having amassed more than a billion active users worldwide, the app has changed radically in that decade.

And it has changed us.

When it was launched on October 6, 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Instagram was an iPhoneonly app. The user could take photos (and only take photos — the app could not load existing images from the phone’s gallery) within a square frame. These could be shared, with an enhancing filter if desired. Other users could comment or like the images. That was it.

As we chronicle in our book, the platform has grown rapidly and been at the forefront of an increasingly visual social media landscape.

In 2012, Facebook purchased Instagram for a deal worth a $US1 billion (A$1.4 billion), which in retrospect probably seems cheap. Instagram is now one of the most profitable jewels in the Facebook crown. Instagram has integrated new

FA CE OF TH ED AY

how best to “optimise” engagement.

2. UNDER THE INFLUENCERS

4. SEEING THROUGH THE FRAME

Instagram is largely responsible for the rapid professionalisation of the influencer industry. Insiders estimated the influencer industry would grow to US$9.7 billion (A$13.5 billion) in 2020, though COVID-19 has since taken a toll on this as with other sectors. As early as in 2011, professional lifestyle bloggers throughout Southeast Asia were moving to Instagram, turning it into a brimming marketplace. They sold ad space via post captions and monetised selfies through sponsored products. Such vernacular commerce predates Instagram’s Paid Partnership feature, which launched in late-2017.

1. INSTAGRAM’S EVOLUTION

The apparent “Instagrammability” of a meal, a place, or an experience has seen the rise of numerous visual trends and tropes.

Short-lived Instagram Stories and disappearing Direct Messages add more spaces to express more things without the threat of permanence.

The events of 2020 have shown our ways of seeing on Instagram reveal the possibilities and pitfalls of social media. In June racial justice activism on #BlackoutTuesday, while extreme-

ly popular, also had the effect of swamping the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag with black squares.

Instagram is rife with disinformation and conspiracy theories which hijack the look and feel of authoritive content. The template of popular Instagram content can see familiar aesthetics weaponised to spread misinformation.

Ultimately, the last decade has seen Instagram become one of the main lenses through which we see the world, personally and politically. Users communicate and frame the lives they share with family, friends and the wider world.

3. INSTABUSINESS AS USUAL

As influencers commercialised Instagram captions and photos, those who had owned online shops turned hashtag streams into advertorial campaigns. They relied on the labour of followers to publicise their wares and amplify their reach.

Bigger businesses followed suit and so did advice from marketing experts for

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

Source: https://theconversation.com/happy-birthday-instagram5-ways-doing-it-for-the-gram-has-changed-us-147039

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You tend to magnetize reasonable, helpful, and pleasant people into your life. This transit brings more pleasing, agreeable energy into existing partnerships, whether based on love or business. If you need to make peace with someone, it’s a great time.

You seek more pleasure and harmony in your daily life, including your work or daily routines and health pursuits. These things are more enjoyable, or you make pleasant contacts through your activities. You feel more accomplished through cooperation and sharing.

You approach the world more creatively and romantically during this cycle, and it’s one of the best times of the year for enjoying hobbies, leisure activities, and romance. Keeping an open mind and your options open can invite favorable experiences.

Your performance or accomplishments are more in focus for a few days.

Nevertheless, there is a growing focus on the opposite sector of your solar chart–your home and family sector. You might seek refuge from demanding situations or quiet time more often than usual.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Your curiosity can lead you to fun discoveries and opportunities in the weeks ahead. You’re in great shape for harmonizing with siblings, acquaintances, classmates, and neighbors. Purchases or gifts can help you connect and learn in happy, fulfilling ways in the coming weeks.

You value people and things that make you feel comfortable, more so than usual. You might attract money, gifts, favors, and valuables during this cycle. You might enjoy giving special attention to your work, pet projects, or valuables. There is an indecisive quality to the day.

You tend to have your way now, in a general sense, and the power of attraction is with you. You are more comfortable in your own skin. People tend to acknowledge you and your value. Today, you’re more inclined to connect with people and share ideas or learn something useful.

You can feel as if you’re in a letting-go or preparatory stage on a mental, social, or romantic level in the weeks ahead. You may be dealing with private matters of the heart, or you take particular pleasure in their private life at this time. It may be a time for processing your feelings.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Your tastes are for the new, different, and progressive.

You better understand the benefits of relaxing and taking some time off from responsibilities. It’s time to give special attention to your humanitarian impulses and happiness goals.

Networking can bring rewards.

With matters of reputation and career, you have considerable charm and diplomacy at your disposal. People in authority, such as teachers, parents, or bosses, are receptive. Opportunities, promotions, or advances may be part of the picture.

You want to learn, entertain new ideas, expand your knowledge and experiences, and enjoy varied activities in the weeks ahead. You are more generous and adventurous when it comes to love and expressing your affections. Intuition improves, and you tend to enjoy others’ perspectives.

On a practical level, you’re in good shape for shared money or other resources during this cycle, or help and support come to you. As you process your feelings, any improvements or changes you may need to make become clearer. It’s an important time for regeneration.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

JANNAT ZUBAIR, Actress

features over time, but it did not invent all of them.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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11

MOHABBATEIN TURNS 20

F

or die-hard fans of Bollywood, the Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan starrer Mohabbatein that came out back in 2000 is extremely special. The romantic tale of 4 different couples and their fight against the principal of Gurukul, is remembered till date. As the iconic romantic film completes 20 years on Tuesday, those associated with it have been remembering stories about it.

Farah Khan opened up about several memories related to Mohabbatein.

Amitabh, Aishwarya and Shah Rukh

Farah shared that while working on the film, she got a lot of support from Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra.

She even remembered how the young actors in the film would need rehearsal months before the shoot and Shah Rukh would learn his steps in the 5 minutes and nail it.

Talking about Aishwarya, Farah called her a thorough professional. She remembered how she shot in extremely cold temperatures in a drenched saree without any complaints.

—Agency

Still from the film

MAKING

HISTORY

Arjun Kapoor

‘DRAMEBAAZ’

Arjun Kapoor

A

rjun Kapoor surprised his fans recently when he shared a video of nailing Yo Yo Honey Singh’s rap on song Care Ni Karda.

The makers of Rajkummar and Nushrratt starrer put forth a challenge and Arjun gladly took it up and shared an emotionally recreated version of Yo Yo Honey Singh’s rap. Seeing the same, Arjun’s co-star from the upcoming film, Rakul Preet Singh had an epic response.

Taking to his Insta-

LOVELY TOGETHER

gram account, Arjun shared the video of his version of rap from the song. He further nominated Rakul Preet Singh and Satish Kaushik for the same. Seeing her name pop up for the challenge, Rakul rose to the occasion and took it up. Rakul wrote, “Hahah draaamebaaz!!

Challenge accepted now help me shoot it tom on set.” Arjun replied to her and wrote, “@rakulpreet if the director and DOP allow us.”

—Agency

T

Zac Efron

aylor Swift‘s latest album is making history! T-Swift’s Folklore has returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for the eighth week, the album has also become the first album to sell a million copies in the United States in 2020. The 30-yearold entertainer’s album sold another 57,000 copies in the U.S. for the week ending on October 22, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

Folklore‘s total album sales has now jumped to 1.038 million, making it the first album to sell a million copies in 2020. Taylor first released Folklore back on July 24 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Taylor‘s last album Lover – released on August 23, 2019 – was the only album to sell a million copies in 2019.

—Agency

A

ctor AjayHigh School Musical alum Zac Efron‘s close friend recently opened up and shared some details about the actor’s star-studded birthday party and his relationship with girlfriend Vanessa Valladares. “She’s lovely. [He] couldn’t get a lovelier, more sweet girl,” Australian radio host Kyle Sandilands said of Vanessa on his show Kyle and Jackie O. “He absolutely loves Australia. Well, he’s in love with this girl Vanessa. They’re lovely. Beautiful couple.

They do everything together. They’re just really sweet, and they’re lovely.” —Agency

MANDIRA BEDI’S ADOPTION

Taylor first released Folklore back on July 24 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Taylor‘s last album Lover – released on August 23, 2019 – was the only album to sell a million copies in 2019

The Bedi family

A

ctor Mandira Bedi made a big announcement on social media.

Mandira, Raj and their 9-year-old son Vir welcomed a 4-year-old adorable little girl named Tara into their lives earlier this year. Sharing the happy news, Mandira called Tara ‘a blessing from above’ as she revealed that she became a part of their family on 28th July 2020. Lately, Mandira Bedi revealed what led to Tara’s adoption and how she became family. She said that the lockdown made them rethink.

“We had applied for adoption three years ago, but it was during the lockdown that I felt the void even more.”

—Agency

Taylor Swift

SHOWING OFF!

Rakul Preet Kaur

RANVEER SINGH’S

INSPIRATION!

R

anveer Singh is a fashionista in the truest sense and never fails to drop a surprise bomb during his public appearances. The actor was snapped at the airport after ages on a Tuesday morning. The actor carried his speaker and was playing some Indian hip hop beats as he made his way to the entry gate. Ranveer’s airport look took us back in time and got us thinking whether it was an inspired one. Turns out, Ranveer took some inspiration from his grandfather who rocked the hat and sunglasses look a few months ... his post ago.

—Agency Ranveer Singh

Cleared the rumours

J

ennifer Garner recently posted a photo that had dozens and dozens of fans thinking she was announcing a pregnancy! However, the 48-year-old actress quickly shut down all of those rumours. The photo in question featured Jennifer holding a big pumpkin, covering her body. “I thought this was a pregnancy announcement for a hot second,” one fan wrote in a comment on the pic. This comment received thousands of likes and com... her post ments reiterating this stance. Until Jennifer cleared the air and wrote in response: “STILL NOT HAVING MORE BABIES. Good grief, I didn’t even see it, I just saw matching smiles.”

—Agency

Photo Caption

L

Jennifer Garner

ast night, model and actress Emily Rajatkowski revealed to the world, via a gorgeous Vogue cover shared on her Instagram page, that she was pregnant while cutely showing off her growing baby bump. For the unversed, Rajatkowski has been married to actor and producer Sebastian Bear-McClard since February 2018 and this will be the gorgeous couple’s first child together. Making her first appearance post the heartwarming pregnancy announcement, Emily looked nothing short of fabulous.

—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

MITALI DUSAD

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

I

ndia’s eating out market essentially collapsed briefly after the imposition of the nation-wide lockdown.

Delivery services, however, continued to run depending on restaurants that were able to operate during the strict lockdown. But a bulk of the industry that employs millions has lost out on months of business due to restrictions on opening up and the subsequent need to maintain social-distancing in public spaces. For restaurants, that have taken to delivery strongly, things have shown improvement, especially as the country has partially restored economic activity and general consumer anxiety around ordering in has come down.

Restaurants are also back to being listed on online food

ordering platforms.

Zomato noted that the number of restaurants offering food delivery on its platform are at 70% of precovid levels. Out of this, about 5% restaurants did not offer food delivery services pre-COVID. Most of these are dining out centric places which have shown agility to pivot to food delivery.

The delivery-only restaurants do not have any dining space and depend only on online orders placed through food apps, which are the next big thing. Diners, who in the pre-COVID phase would prefer dining out, are now scaling up on takeaways and online food delivery as food safety and hygiene have become the key factor.

The escalating demand for online food delivery has facilitated the birth of delivery-only restaurants, also termed as virtual restaurants. City First brings you opinions of people from Rajasthan and Gujarat on Online Food Delivery.

ORDERING FOOD

ONLINE

12

As the country slowly and steadily materialises from the lockdown to embrace what many of us refer to as the ‘new normal’, the foodservice and delivery industry, which encompasses the cloud kitchens or delivery-only kitchens in India, are putting their best foot forward and keeping this in mind, I feel safe in ordering food online.

—ARUSHI JAIN, FOOD ENTHUSIAST

For a few months, I didn’t go out and didn’t even order food online, until lately restaurants started to take enough precautions and so did Zomato and Swiggy.

The food delivering platforms even updated on their app about the safety measures they are taking during this pandemic which made me feel safe to order food from my favourite places in town.

—HITESH CHAUHAN

This pandemic has affected everyone real bad. I and my family still avoid ordering food online, as we do not know how many people will come in contact. The delivery men travel to many places and it enhances the risk, so as of now, we are exploring our hidden talents of cooking and great recipes available online are helping big time.

—LAKSHAY ARORA

Annual Chef Awards & Summit

WHAT’S HAPPENING! RAJ: Jaipur Police emphasised the role of mask for the reduction in the pace of the spread of COVID-19. 5 lakh masks will be distributed from police commissioner to constable for 3 days till there is no vaccine, with their motto being ‘Mask is the vaccine.’ While declaring war against Corona across the district, the Commissionerate Police has made 650 awareness blocks. —MITALI

CITY FIRST

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n these unprecedented times, we have seen many vicissitudes and tried to adapt to a new normal.

Thankfully, some things never change like the Indian Culinary Forum’s (ICF) endeavour to help deserving chefs thrive. The raging Covid- 19 pandemic has not deterred the community of chefs from the Indian Culinary Forum to celebrate their annual flagship event of Chef Awards and Knowledge Summit.

Hoping to share a message of strength and positivity to the gastronomic world and to recognize and honour the chefs and their exceptional contribution

GUJ: A family on their bike gazing at the parked Seaplane at the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

GUJ: Women were seen shopping at the Bhadra Market in the old city of Ahmedabad, ahead of the Diwali Festival in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Winners of Chef Awards 2020 with Team ICF

towards the hospitality industry, the Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) successfully organized The Annual Chef Awards and Summit. By observing the government’s orders and guidelines, it was carefully planned and curated to ensure a coronavirus-

safe event.

Hosted to commemorate International Chefs Day, the 17th Annual Chef Awards saw the presence of renowned master chefs and veterans of the hospitality industry at Pride Plaza Hotel, Aerocity, New Delhi. They also

organised the 8th edition of Knowledge Summit which witnessed the participation of the stalwarts of the Indian hospitality sector resulting in knowledge building and thought leadership.

The theme of this year’s summit was ‘Exploring New Horizons and Challenges: Experts Perspec-

tives on Opportunities During These Times’.

Speaking on the occasion, Anil Bhandari, a hospitality industry veteran and Chairman of the Organising Committee ICF, said, “Despite the pandemic, the determination and enthusiasm of the chefs of ICF, is evident from the fact that they have gone ahead full steam to celebrate the 17th Chef Awards and the 8th Knowledge Summit. I am thrilled to see that the chefs who were working behind the scenes are in the forefront. They are setting new standards of excellence in the hospitality industry and inspiring more people to choose this as a career. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Full Moon Sadhna MASS MOVEMENT DR SANCHITA LEKHI SINGHI

(Celebrity Tarot reader & Meditation Expert)

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GUJ: Ahmedabad Karanj women Police team members distributed face masks to the people who arrived for shopping without a mask at the Laldarwaja area in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

HAPPY B’DAY!

ull moon has alw a y s been represented for its strong magnetic powers that can help you to attract the right things into your life like in Tarot, Astrology, M e d i t a t i o n s , Dr Sanchita Lekhi Singhi Healings and other occult sciences. It’s considered most auspicious time, to do some important rituals to channelise the powerful moon energy to manifest your dreams and desires into reality. This October Hunters Moon, 31 October, is a great time to do ‘Midnight Meditation’ to enhance your coming time with moon blessings. To do this ritual, just sit back and relax under the moon sky, light a candle and make a wish to magnify its effects. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

CITY FIRST

H GUJ: Members of Krantikari Vichar Manch detained by police during their protest against, unemployment, rape, and suicide in Ahmedabad’s Hatkeshar area on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020

IAS Nirmala Meena and IPS Adarsh Sidhu celebrated their birthdays on 27 October, Tuesday.

We wish them all the best!

yundai Motor India Ltd., the country’s First Smart Mobility Solutions provider and the largest exporter since its inception, on Tuesday announced the commencement of bookings for the all-new i20.

Customers can now book the allnew i20 online or at Hyundai Dealerships across the country for Rs 21 000/- only, starting early hours of October 28. The national launch is

AGAINST CORONA

CITY FIRST

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unicipal Corporation Greater and Heritage Jaipur is taking an initiative to spread an awareness message among the public to curb the spread of corona. In the crowded areas of the city, people will witness various street plays and local folk songs, giving the message of wearing masks, following social distance and washing hands frequently with soap.

Director of Autonomous Governance Department Deepak Nandi,

Commissioner Municipal Corporation Greater Jaipur Dinesh Kumar Yadav and Commissioner Municipal Corporation Heritage Jaipur Lokbandhu on Tuesday flagged off the chariots from the corporation headquarters. The chariot was adorned with the Corona awareness mes-

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT

All new Hyundai i20

sage. In the first phase, these programs will be organised at about 132 places in both the corporations for about 10 days.

Programs will be organised in crowded areas of the zone, under the direction of the Deputy Commissioners. During this mass movement, 45 lakh masks have been distributed in the state.

scheduled for November 5.

Commenting on the all-new i20 booking announcement, SS Kim, MD & CEO-Hyundai Motor India Ltd. said, “i20 has been a super performer brand for Hyundai that has perfectly resonated with the aspirations of modern Indian customers for more than a decade.

The all-new i20 is all set to reestablish benchmarks in the premium hatchback segment with its sleek style, thrilling performance and unmatched new technologies.” cityfirst@firstindia.co.in