First India-Jaipur Edition-06 July 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

28°C - 38°C

ALERT JAIPUR l MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

5,35,139 1,14,75,480 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 8,822 DEATHS 2,06,619 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 1,510 DEATHS 1,11,151 CASES

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RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 30

INDIA

19,699 6,97,069 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DELHI 3,067 DEATHS 99,444 CASES

RAJASTHAN

456

DEATHS

GUJARAT 1,944 DEATHS 36,123 CASES

6,97,069 CASES

INDIA 3RD WORST-HIT NATION

20,164

CONFIRMED CASES

UTTAR PRADESH 785 DEATHS 27,707 CASES

J&K LG PERFORMS AARTI; AMARNATH YATRA LIKELY TO BEGIN ON JULY 23

Corona blast: India overtakes Russia; now preceded only by Brazil & the US —PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: India on Sunday surpassed Russia to become the third worst-hit nation, with the number of cases standing at 6,97,069, according to to covid19india.org. Russia has reported 6,80,283 cases, as per the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) tracker. India is now preceded only by Brazil and the US, who have recorded 2,841,124 and 1,577,004 cases respectively. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, however, said 21 states and UTs, including Delhi, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, have a Covid-19 recovery rate higher than the national average of 60.77%.

Meanwhile, in a bid to cut the chain of transmission of the novel coronavirus and to minimise the potential of its spread, Kerala on Sunday amended the state Epidemic Disease Ordinance, Turn on P6

@narendramodi ji is fully committed to helping the people of Delhi in these challenging times and this Covid hospital, yet again, highlights the resolve.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits DRDO-built 1000 bedded Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel COVID-19 Hospital at Delhi Cantonment on Sunday.

Jaipur: By now it appears that without waiting for the final call of top Congress leadership on the likely appointment of new PCC Chief, a towering Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has virtually made up his mind to go ahead with the process of political appointments and cabinet reshuffle.

According to the latest input, Gehlot is likely to reshuffle and expand his cabinet any time after 15th July and

I thank DRDO, Tatas and our Armed Forces Medical personnel who have risen to the occasion and helped tackle the emergency.

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir LG Girish Chandra Murmu attended the first ‘Aarti’ at the Amarnath Cave temple on Sunday.

The Amarnath Shrine Board on Sunday made special arrangements, and for the first time live telecasted the aarti and darshan of Lord Amarnath. Locals and devotees, who were unable to go to Amarnath cave in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, were glued to televisions in order to get darshans.

Turn on P6

Delhi gets world’s largest COVID-19 care facility New Delhi: World’s largest, 10,000-bed Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital (SPCCCH) at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Chhatarpur area of the national capital has made operational on Sunday.

Inaugurated by Lieu-

tenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, the facility has been created on an emergency basis by the South Delhi District Administration with support of the Ministry of Home Affairs in a record time of 10 days. Notably, this coronavirus treatment

centre which is set up in Chhatarpur area of the national capital is said to be the “largest” of its kind in the world.

Most of the basic infrastructure such as beds, mattresses and linen has been donated by various civil society organisations and non-

Gehlot Cabinet expansion after July 15, new faces to get a chance Yogesh Sharma

Amit Shah @AmitShah

he has already completed the required process of consultations with the senior party leaders including Avinash Pande and KC Venugopal.

Whether Sonia and Rahul have given their green signal or ‘go-ahead’ to Gehlot on this sensitive is-

sue, it is yet not known, but political observers feel that enough is enough and keeping in view a tremendous pressure from independent and BSP MLAs, Gehlot appears to be in no mood to further delay this long pending exercise, come what may!

Interestingly, there is a strong word in the Congress party circles that the expansion would yield surprises, on the lines of the recent IAS and IPS shuffle. While one faction of the grand old party in Rajasthan claims that Turn on P6

governmental organisations. A recreational centre has been made available to the patients along with a library, board games and skipping ropes. People admitted to the facility will be provided five healthy meals a day, the statement added.

—ANI

PM Modi meets Prez Kovind, talk issues of nat’l & int’l importance

8 killed in fire at candle factory in UP

Ladakh and was briefed by senior officers at Nimmoo amid ongoing border tension with China. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

—ANI

Ghaziabad: Eight people, including six women, were killed Sunday when a fire ripped through a candle-manufacturing factory in Ghaziabad where they worked, officials said.

One of the dead worker was a 16-year-old boy.

At least three other workers were injured in the blaze at the Modi Nagar unit which stocked highly inflammable material. They have been hospitalised.

The police said more than a dozen workers were inside the factory in Ghaziabad in National Capital Region when an explosion brought down the roof and gutted the building.

Turn on P6

DB GUPTA IS ADVISOR TO CM Three days after conducting a major bureaucratic reshuffle in Rajasthan, late on Sunday night, government appointed DB Gupta as the advisor to CM. Moreover, three more IAS officials were appointed as district collectors. IAS Anandhi has been appointed as new Alwar Collector while KK Sharma has been named as new Chittorgarh Collector. Moreover, IAS Chetnram Devra has been appointed as the new Collector of Udaipur district.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called on President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan and briefed him on the issues of national and international importance.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on

President Ram Nath Kovind and briefed him on the issues of national and international importance at Rashtrapati Bhavan today,” read a post on the official Twitter handle of President of India. The Prime Minister on Friday made a surprise visit to

#BLACKLIVESMATTER

Running for US President tweets Rapper Kanye West!

Washington DC: Rapper Kanye West, in an Independence Day tweet, announced that he is running for the president of the United States. The 43-year-old musician said used the hashtag “2020 vision,” appearing to indicate he plans to toss his hat in the ring for this fall’s election, The Hill reported. “We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future.

I am running for president of the United States!” West wrote.

West, who has repeatedly floated running for president in the past, had recently posted a photo of himself with Musk with the caption: “When you go to your boys’ house and you are both wearing orange.”

The rapper has frequently supported President Donald Trump and said in April that he was going to vote for him this fall.

Kanye West with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office in 2018.

—FILE PIC

“I am not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. Because guess what: I am still here!” he said.

West famously visited the Oval Office in October 2018, sporting a red “Make America Great Again” hat and saying, “I love this guy right here,” while posing with Trump. His wife and reality TV star Kim Kardashian also visited the

White House as an activist pushing for criminal justice reform.

If West is to launch a bid, it would come late in the game, as the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, where each party will formally announce its respective candidates, are set for next month. It is unclear if West seriously plans to run this year and whether any official paperwork for an election bid has been filed.

—ANI

ye @kanyewest We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States Flag of United States! #2020VISION

Elon Musk @elonmusk @kanyewest You have my full support!

RAJASTHAN JAIPUR | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020

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MOONLIT The sight of full moon with the famous Jal Mahal at the backdrop on the occasion of Guru Purnima, is a sight to behold, on Sunday! With the holy month of ‘Saawan’ beginning from Monday, devotees in the Pink City will not be able to perform various religious rituals at the famous Shiva temples across the city due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

—PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

CS Swarup, his wife inaugurate food van

The van provided by ‘Feeding Hands’ will distribute A busy free food packets to needy people at Bangar hospital Sunday for

Swarup!

First India Bureau

Rajeeva Swarup and his wife Isha Swarup inaugurating the food van near Bangar hospital on Sunday.

Vikas Sharma/ Dr Rituraj Sharma

CHIEF SECRETARY MEETS CJ MAHANTY

Jaipur: CS Rajeeva Swarup and his wife Isha Swarup inaugurated a food van near the Bangar hospital compound in the SMS hospital premises. The van provided by ‘Feeding Hands’ will distribute free food packets to needy people in the hospital. CS Rajeeva Swarup called it a noble initiative while he and his wife distributed free food packets to the needy.

The event was also attended by Excise Commissioner Jogaram, SMS Medical College Principal Dr Sudhir Bhandari along with many doctors from the

hospital. On the sidelines, CS Rajeeva Swarup hailed the work done in the state during the lockdown in accordance with CM Gehlot’s vision that nobody goes hungry.

He said free food was provided to lakhs of people and also expressed satisfaction on the slow unlocking process underway but cautioned against any carelessness even now.

CS Swarup said that the corona crisis has changed the way people think. Doctors, Police, Administration, and others came forward to help people. He said the responsibility of officers isn’t over yet as coronavirus is still around.

Jaipur: CS Rajeeva Swarup was busy in taking meetings and handling administrative chores despite Sunday. There is an important meeting of the district development coordination & monitoring committee for rural development to be chaired

by CM Gehlot scheduled for Monday. CS Swarup chaired a meeting to check the preparedness for this meeting on Sunday.

This meeting focused on 42 central schemes in 16 state departments.

CS saw the presentation by departmental officers for all schemes focusing on the obstacles in implementing the schemes. CS asked the officers to take a personal interest in the schemes to ensure that the people of state get the designed benefits from them. CS also saw another presentation for reviving the state economy after Corona crisis. He told the officers that some schemes might have to be merged with the main scheme.

Guru Purnima: Asaram followers visit Jodhpur Jail First India Bureau Jodhpur: Like every year, supporters of Asaram reached outside the Jodhpur Central Jail to get a glimpse of him on the occasion of Guru Purnima. Some devotees reached early in the morning and lit lamps with a rangoli by naming the premises outside the jail as ‘Jail Mandir’, while others expressed their sentiments by worshiping from outside the jail.

Due to coronavirus, no one is allowed to meet in the Central Jail.

Exam scam @ Sukhadia varsity: Four suspended Ravi Sharma Udaipur: A big financial scam has come to light in the Mohanlal Sukhadia University’s examination department after Governor Kalraj Mishra asked a committee under Professor Anand Paliwal to investigate the whole matter. Dr Paliwal along with Professor Hanuman Prasad, Dr RC Kumawat, and two others investigated the matter and submitted its report indicting Dep-

uty Registrar (Examination) Harkesh Meena, Senior Administrative Officer Hari Krishna Sharma, Senior Assistant (Accounts) Dinesh Paneri and Senior Assistant Satyanarayan Joshi.

All these have been immediately suspended. Report against four employees of the Self Financing Scheme is also being initiated at the Pratap Nagar police station. Sources say that financial fraud was done using a single re-

ceipt for more than one transaction. Fee records of many students could not be found pointing to a wider scam in the department.

CM Gehlot might have cancelled all the UG and PG exams for all universities but had the exams been held then ML Sukhadia University would not have been in a situation to hold them with virtually the whole examination department either suspended or transferred.

JDC Goyal takes stock Jagan Gurjar’s wife of several project works and brother arrested Abhishek Srivastav

First India Bureau

Jaipur: JDA Commissioner Gaurav Goyal took a stock of ring road project, Dantli, and Sitapura overbridge projects along with visiting the quarantine facility set up at BSUP flats in Bagrana.

Goyal checked the facilities being provided to the quarantined along with the quality of the food. He instructed officials for necessary arrangements.

JDC also called up CMHO to increase the medical staff and doctors at the facility.

JDC visited the Ring road project along with

Dholpur: Bari Police have solved the mystery of a blind murder committed three months ago as it arrested former dacoit queen Komesh Gurjar along with her brother in law Jandel Gurjar. Komesh is the wife of dreaded dacoit Jagan Gurjar. SP Mridul Kachchawa said that Komesh had been in jail with her husband in 2014. Her brother Ramu was murdered by Sitaram Kili and others due to a plot dispute in village Tilua Ka Adda.

Komesh took help from her brother in law Jandel Gurjar to avenge

Gaurav Goyal

Director (Engineering) NC Mathur and other officers. He instructed to expedite the cloverleaf construction by holding talks with the NHAI officials to do away the obstacles. JDC also went to see the Dantli and Sitapura over bridge projects where he inquired about the details of the project.

the murder of her brother. Both Komesh and Jandel entered the house of Sanjit Koli on the night of April 21 and shot him in the head. A team under ASP Bachan Singh Meena, CO Rajendra Singh Dagur, and cyber cell constable Neeraj Sharma were constituted to probe the case. The timing of the murder was such that Jagan Gurjar and his three real brothers were in jail so the needle of suspicion couldn’t point to Jagan or his family.

Bari Police with help of cyber-cell were able to connect Komesh and Jandel with the murder.

DB’s unceremonial shifting: An unfortunate incident for Raj bureaucracy!

Rajendra Chhabra

T

he appointment, removal and transfer of Chief Secretaries in state is a complete prerogative of CMs. It is a normal process that to elevate their choice of junior officer, a current CS is removed in the middle of his term and there are dozens of examples where CS of a state has been removed by its CM and the freshest example hails from Punjab where after several complaints by ministers, CM Captain Amarinder Singh removed CS Karan Awtar Singh and elevated

several batch junior officer Vini Mahajan to the post of CS. However, Amarinder gave Karan Awtar a honourable posting. Interestingly, in all the other cases, the ‘removed’ Chief Secretaries have all been provided respectable positions immediately during their removal from the post.

But in Rajasthan, the removal or shifting of former CS DB Gupta is an unfortunate and first of its kind incident, wherein although Gupta has been ‘dislodged’ from his seat of Chief Secretary, he has not been provided another posting neither has he been kept on APO.

Looking to DB’s low profile and popular style of functioning with his senior and junior colleagues, he has run this office with a popular mood and in a democratic manner, where he had no bias against any individual or groups of people. Therefore, in general, there is a sentiment of sympathy towards a ‘helpless’ DB, who is certainly running through a bad time and bad stars.

Barring a few exceptions, the relations between CMs and CSs in Rajasthan have always been cordial and the top most individuals in their constitutional ‘spots’ have always had a profound understand-

ing of each other’s workings, so much so that even after the state government would change after election, CS have continued to serve on the position.

Prior to DB Gupta’s ‘unceremonial’ removal, thrice it has happened that a working CS has been removed from the position, but in all three incidents, the outgoing bureaucrats were given postings till retirement.

In December 1980, the then CM of Rajsthan Jagannath Pahariya had removed GK Bhanot and placed MML

Vali in his chair. However, Bhanot was made RTDC Chairman, sending him outside Secretriate. Second such incident occurred in July 1985 when CM haridev Joshi removed CS Anand Mohan Lal and sent him to Ajmer in Board of Revenue, after Mohan celebrated his wedding anniversary on RTDC’s expenses.

T h e third incident

DB Gupta

occurred in 2013 when Vasundhara Raje became Cm for the second time and removed the then CS - CK Mathew, and made him Chairam, Roadways while giving the post of CS to Rajeev Maharshi.

In all three incidents, the outgoing CS were not kept APO even for a day.

In the ongoing scenario, the example of the past CSs could be cited. VBL Mathur was probably the only CS in the entire nation, who served for six years under three CMs - Haridev Joshi, Shivcharan Mathur and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Interestingly, against this, the shortest term as CS was of

Harimohan mathur who stayed CS for just three days.

Only once has Rajasthan had a woman as Chief Secretary when in March 2009, Khushal Singh was appointed CS and continued for the next ten months. In June 2007, the state government had written to centre for extension for CS Amit Vaishya, but when the answer came in negative, Vishya left his seat and headed home.

However, in the case of CS Rajan, the state received extension of three months, twice and Rajan continued to work as CS for six months after his retirement.

Interestingly,

when Rajan was made CS in October 2014, his appointment order was stalled for three days and it was also the first time when the chair of CS of Rajasthan stayed vacant for three days.

Four CS from state have gone on higher positions in the centre. Of these are Sunder Lal Khurana, MMK Vali, Naresh Chandra and Rajeev Maharshi. In the state, the CS who were touted to be close to CMs and stayed their loyal were Meetha Lal Mehta, VBL Mathur, CK mthew and Rajeev Maharshi. In contrast, Anil Vaishya, DC Samant, OP Meena and Ashok Jain are considered weak CSs.

RAJASTHAN JAIPUR | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020

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Corona blast: Raj records 632 new cases on a single day This is the highest single day figure so far in state; Sunday also witnessed 9 deaths First India Bureau Jaipur: The state witnessed a record 632 new corona positive cases reported from across the state on Sunday.

This is the highest single day figure ever since the first positive case was reported. State tally stands at 20164 with 3780 total active cases.

15928 patients have recovered so far. There were 9 deaths reported on Sunday taking toll to 456. 6 deaths were from Jodhpur alone while Kota, Udaipur and Bikaner reported one death each.

65 cases were from Pratapgarh, 57 each from Bikaner & Jodhpur, 47 each from Alwar & Jaipur, 46 from Pali,

CHOMU COURT STAFF QUARANTINED

Passengers undergo thermal screening at Bikaner Railway Station.

41 from Jalore, 37 from Rajsamand, 34 from Bharatpur, 30 from Nagaur, 31 from Ajmer, 28 from Dholpur, 27 from Sirohi, 26 from Nagaur, 22 from Pali, 15 from Jhunjhunu, 12 from Sikar, 10 from Udaipur, 8 from Kota, 11 from Jhunjhunu, 8 from Siro-

hi, 7 each from Barmer & Dausa, 5 from Churu, 4 from Baran, 3 each from Bhilwara, Jhalawar & Tonk, 2 each from Hanumangarh & Karauli and one from Dungarpur along with 3 patients from other states.

The cumulative district wise tally on

Thursday is as follows – Ajmer 599, Alwar 703, Banswara 99, Baran 71, Barmer 442, Bharatpur 1769, Bhilwara 268, Bikaner 492, Bundi 15, Chittorgarh 211, Churu 336, Dausa 177, Dholpur 768, Dungarpur 462, Ganganagar 60, Hanumangarh 83, Jaipur

3526, Jaisalmer 115, Jalore 392, Jhalawar 378, Jhunjhunu 401, Jodhpur 3005, Karauli 110, Kota 736, Nagaur 726, Pali 1214, Pratapgarh 139, Rajsamand 313, Sawai Madhopur 109, Sikar 625, Sirohi 581, Tonk 207 and Udaipur 782.

Anandpal case: Rajputs ask for re-investigation

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2 women die due to doc’s negligence

First India Bureau Jaipur: The Rajput community is agitated over the investigation report filed by the CBI in the Anandpal encounter case which indicts 24 community members for their role.

Community President Giriraj Singh Lotwara slammed the erstwhile BJP govt of ditching the Rajputs who have helped the party carve a space for themselves in the state.

He said most of the people indicted for the Sanvrad violence had in fact not gone to Sanvrad that day. Lotwara accused the BJP govt of trying to frame Rajput leaders by letting the CBI go out of its jurisdiction area and also include Jaswantgarh police station incident.

Lotwara demanded for re-investigation.

The sit -in organised by BJP outside the govt hospital.

First India Bureau Suratgarh: In a fatal carelessness while conducting a vasectomy, two women died at a govt hospital.

The families of both the women were justifiably upset and the matter went overboard when BJP district president Atmaram Tarad and MLA Rampratap Kasnaniya staged a sit in demanding Rs 10 lakh compensation for each woman along with action against the guilty doctors.

Former Congress MLA Gangajal Meel tried to mediate but the matter wasn’t resolved until the administration announced Rs 2 lakh for each woman, Rs 50,000 from CM relief fund and recommendation to state govt for an additional compensation of Rs 7.5 lakh apart from action against the incharge Dr Darshan Singh APO. Dr Darshan Singh had operated on 7 women and two of them died soon after the minor surgery.

RSRTC asks headquarters to Martyr’s statue on Guv to address webinar monitor time for transparency hold since 15 mths on ‘self reliant India’ Shivendra Pramar Jaipur: Amid complaints of implementing a timekeeping system with transparency and making an arbitrary schedule route, a major decision has been taken by the Rajasthan Roadways management over the demands being made by the operators for a long time.

As a part of the innovation and replacement of the old pattern, emphasis will be given on monitoring from headquarters. Along with this, the work of posting of timekeepers has been

First India Bureau

entrusted to the officers of the headquarters to bring transparency in the time management system and ensure smooth operation.

CMD of Rajasthan Roadways Naveen Jain said that the main timekeepers and employees were not performing the allocated work and responsibilities properly. Moreover, in view of the complaints received continuously from the drivers and attendants against them, the Executive Manager (Traffic/Installation) and Assistant Administrative Officer (Me-

chanical) are given the responsibility for monitoring at the headquarters level.

Jain added that these officers will appoint the main timekeepers (driving class) and main timekeepers (attendant class) for the next month by the 25th of every month at the headquarters level. Regarding the complaints received, the Deputy General Manager (Statistics), on the basis of last month’s income and Diesel average, the duty of the drivers and attendants will be ensured by the 25th.

Kota: Nearly 15 months have passed since Hemraj Meena of Vinod village in Kota was martyred in the Pulwama terror attack, but his statue has still not been installed.

Meanwhile, Hemraj’s wife Madhubala expressed disappointment and outrage while she was addressing a press conference held under the banner of the Ex-Servicemen Services Council on Sunday.

Madhubala said that in 2019, she was offered a ticket to contest the

Lok Sabha elections from Congress, but she is not interested in politics.

She also implied that a Congress leader is the reason behind the construction work of the statue not being done in the village.

On February 14, 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora in the Pulwama district in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed.

First India Bureau Jaipur: Governor of Rajasthan and the Chancellor of Universities Kalraj Mishra will address a webinar today at 12 pm on the facebook page of Banaras Hindu University.

The forty minute lecture will focus on a self reliant India and swadeshi theme. The address will assume importance in context of ongoing India-China standoff. Governor will join the webinar through Video Conference from the Gover-

Governor Kalraj Mishra

nor house.

Governor Mishra has been joining various events and programmes to boost the morale of the people, but only in accordance with the guidelines is-

sued by the central government and the state government due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He joins various events virtually through video conference.

NSUI thanks govt for HC notice to govt on failure cancelling exams to observe Senior Citizen Act

Locals upset over isolation of migrants

Escaping trafficking, girl falls from train

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Sikar: Three buses full of migrants returning from Saudi Arabia were sent directly to Khatushyamji from the airport without any scanning. This was opposed by the residents, on which Sub Divisional Officer Ashok Ranwan spoke to the high officials, but the high officials asked them to isolate them in Khatushyamji.

Sawai Madhopur: A mother tried to sell her daughter to some people, but fortunately, the girl managed to escape from the clutches of her tormentor and got into a train.

But during her escape, she fell from the train near Gangapur City railway station and is now undergoing treatment in the government hospital. Due

Jaipur: Late night on Saturday, all the universities and colleges of the state canceled the undergraduate and postgraduate examinations following the instruction from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to promote all the students. On Sunday, NSUI workers reached the Chief Minister’s residence and thanked him for the decision. Along

with CM Gehlot, NSUI workers also thanked Higher Education Minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati and Deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

There was a continuous demand from NSUI to promote students, in which the organisation has achieved success.

After the decision, the students of Rajasthan University, who were on a hunger strike for several days broke their fast by drinking juice.

First India Bureau Jaipur: Chief Justice Indrajit Mohanty and Justice Prakash Gupta have issued contempt notices to state govt, Principal Secretary Social Justice & Empowerment department, DGP and JDC for non compliance of Senior Citizen Act in the state and also not following the orders issued on May 5, 2018.

The orders were giv-

en in response to a petition by Lok Utthan Sansthan. Appearing for it advocate Rajendra Saini said that the Senior Citizen Act is in force in the state and the High Court had or-

dered the state govt to implement the act along with certain new provisions giving it time of one year on 5 May 2018.

He alleged that the state govt had failed to execute the court order.

Advocate Saini informed the court that the state govt had failed to begin senior citizen residential and care homes. The court asked Additional Advocate General CL Saini to list the case on August 4.

to a head injury, the mental condition of the girl is not stable and she is not able to answer many questions as of now.

Social worker Shailendra Kumar said that he reached the spot after hearing the shout of a female falling from a train and took her to the hospital in critical condition.

The local police are also trying to reach out to the family of the girl.

CORONA IMPACT

State tourism industry fighting tooth and nail to beat the blues Nirmal Tiwari Jaipur: Rajasthan is rightly considered as a tourist destination because of the historical forts, palaces, havelies & monuments apart from the wildlife options the state offers to its guests. The tourist infrastructure of the state is so strong and popular that none out of Swine Flu, Zika, Anthrax, SARS etc could shake its foundations.

Covid-19 changed it all.

The fear , rightfully so, was such that the govt

ordered closure of all tourist destinations like monuments, museums, national parks, biological parks, safari etc on March 19. Even other stakeholders like hotels, restaurants, resorts, Hathi Gaon etc followed suit and in an unprecedented situation business worth crores of rupees came to a sudden halt. After bearing huge economic cost the forts, palaces & monuments opened on June 1 followed by hotels, restaurants etc on June 8.

JAIGARH FORT TO REOPEN FROM MON

The footfall in the first month after reopening were not encouraging. A total 5,269 tourists visited all of 8

tourist destinations opened by the state govt in Jaipur. 24 such destinations in the state outside Jaipur attracted

only 3,537 tourists. So the total arrival was 8,806 in one month.

Such a footfall is witnessed by Jaipur in one

day during off season.

Amer attracted maximum 1,585 tourists while Nahargarh had 1,326 arrivals. 90 visited

Alwar, 500 Chittorgarh and 369 went to Ajmer.

10 lakh people including small vendors, guides, folk artists etc

apart from the biggies, have been adversely affected by these figures.

CM Ashok Gehlot is soon expected to announce a Covid-19 Relief package for tourism. Minister Vishwendra Singh and his team are also trying to put the best foot forward by devising ways & means to attract domestic tourists. All efforts are in one direction that the state is prepared in every way for the season starting from September onwards to beat the unprecedented blues.

PERSPECTIVE

04

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One look at Allahabad University will tell you how inbreeding is ruining India’s academics PANJAB UNIVERSITY, MS UNIVERSITY OF BARODA, ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALL SHOWED GREAT POTENTIAL IN THE 1960s. THEN THEY STARTED RECRUITING MORE OF THEIR OWN DINESH SINGH Former Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi

T

In the decades of the 1940s and the 1960s, there were several universities in India that had begun to display great promise.

From the Aligarh Muslim University to the Rajasthan University.

However and eventually almost all have fallen by the wayside. The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), during the time that Dr Zakir Husain was its ViceChancellor in the 1950s, saw a great flowering

he story of the University of Allahabad shows both the early promise of what Indian universities could have been and its tragic decline.

In the decades after Independence, the Allahabad University boasted of luminaries like Meghnad Saha and K.S. Krishnan in the Department of Physics, Firaq Gorakhpuri and Harivansh Rai Bachchan in the Department of English Literature and B.N. Prasad and Gorakh Prasad in the Department of Mathematics. And not one of them had obtained their doctoral or advanced academic degrees at the Allahabad University.

But today, the Allahabad University is an example of what a university should not be known for — the malaise of severe academic inbreeding. And it is not just the University of Allahabad, most older Indian universities — such as the Aligarh Muslim University, M.S. University of Baroda, Panjab University and Rajasthan University — suffer from it.

The scourge of academic inbreeding strikes when the faculty of a university mostly have degrees from that very university. It is, perhaps, not a coincidence that the decline of the Allahabad University through the 1960s and beyond also saw a marked change in the academic profiles of its faculty. Most of them had obtained their doctoral degrees from the same university and had no academic experience outside of it.

This academic inbreeding affects ranking, quality of research, variety in faculty, and stagnates ideas while creating a nepotistic ‘ingroup’. It’s one of the reasons why Indian universities never make it to the top in global rankings.

THE GLORIOUS ’60S The tale of the decline of India’s universities is as tragic as it is alarming, and the reasons behind it almost always include the story of them succumbing to the lure of academic inbreeding.

In the decades of the 1940s and the 1960s, there were several universities in India that had begun to display great promise.

From the Aligarh Muslim University to the Rajasthan University. However and eventually almost all have fallen by the wayside. The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), during the time that Dr Zakir Husain was its Vice-Chancellor in the 1950s, saw a great flowering. It had, on its rolls, three of India’s most promising young mathematicians who were products of the Sorbonne and London University.

The Department of History was also distinguished by similar characteristics.

The M.S. University of Baroda (MSU) had been given a great head start by Hansa Jivraj Mehta who, in the 1950s, recruited outstanding faculty from all corners of

THE SCOURGE OF ACADEMIC INBREEDING STRIKES WHEN THE FACULTY OF A UNIVERSITY MOSTLY HAVE DEGREES FROM THAT VERY UNIVERSITY. IT IS, PERHAPS, NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE DECLINE OF THE ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY THROUGH THE 1960S AND BEYOND ALSO SAW A MARKED CHANGE IN THE ACADEMIC PROFILES OF ITS FACULTY l l l THE SAME STORY REPEATS ITSELF IN THE 1960S IN RAJASTHAN UNIVERSITY IN JAIPUR

India and even abroad. The Mathematics Department of the MSU was headed in the 1960s by a distinguished young mathematician who had obtained his doctoral degree at Sorbonne, Professor U.N. Singh. He managed to attract young scholars from outside the university and the department’s research was noted internationally.

Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, who obtained his undergraduate degree from MSU, has acknowledged the role his mathematical training at

Baroda played in his life. Several other disciplines at the MSU stood out for their high standards and achievements such as the Faculty of Fine Arts, the Faculty of Music and the Faculty of Home Science. A large number of the academic staff at MSU had studied at institutions outside the MSU. In the 1960s, the Mathematics Department of the Panjab University at Chandigarh was easily one of the finest centres of research in India and comparable to very good institutions abroad. It was, at

that point of time, being helmed by Professor R. P. Bambah was a distinguished mathematician who had studied at the University of Cambridge. A large part of its faculty had studied outside India. The Panjab University had similar stories in other disciplines as well.

The same story repeats itself in the 1960s in Rajasthan University in Jaipur. The Department of History had outstanding scholars, as did several other departments. The university had attracted a bright young faculty in several disciplines.

It can be easily inferred that the 1960s held potential and good cheer for our institutions of higher education.

A SLOW POISON India’s universities have, however, failed to live up to the promise they offered so long ago. Their journey is marred by an all-round decline. One measure of this decline is the low rankings that our universities obtain consistently in almost all global lists. And one of the chief reasons for such low rankings is the rather indifferent quality of research

COVID-19 pandemic creates tidal wave of plastic waste

T

here is no denying that singleuse plastic has been a lifesaver in the fight against COVID-19, especially for frontline health workers. It has also facilitated adherence to social-distancing rules, by enabling home delivery of basic goods, especially food. And it may have helped to curb transmission, by replacing reusable coffee cups and shopping bags in many cities over fears that the virus could stick to them.

But widely circulated images of plastic sacks of medical waste piling up outside hospitals, and used personal protective equipment floating in coastal waters and washing up on the world’s beaches, illustrate yet again the dark side of single-use plastics. If we are not careful, short-term

thinking during the pandemic could lead to an even larger environmental and public-health calamity in the future.

Of course, the proliferation of plastic waste – and its pollution of the world’s waterways – already was a major concern for a growing share of the world population before the COVID-19 pandemic, with policymakers, companies, and international organizations like the United Nations urged to take action.

Some national and local governments implemented taxes and bans on single-use plastics (though not all have followed through on their pledges).

Major companies invested in more environmentally friendly packaging.

Now, however, the COVID-19 crisis threatens to stall and even reverse progress.

Though it will take time to learn precisely how much additional plastic waste has been generated during the crisis, preliminary data are staggering.

In China, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment estimates that hospitals in Wuhan produced more than 240 tons of waste daily at the height of the outbreak, compared with 40 tons during normal times.

Based on these data, the consulting firm Frost & Sullivan predicts that the United States could generate an entire year’s worth of medical waste in just two months because of COVID-19.

A similar uptick in waste can be seen among ordinary citizens. In China, daily production of face masks soared to 116 million in February, 12

times higher than the previous month. Hundreds of tons of discarded masks were being collected daily from public bins alone during the outbreak’s peak; there is no telling how many more were being discarded in household waste systems. According to the Thailand Environment Institute, plastic waste has increased from 1,500 tons to 6,300 tons per day, owing to soaring home deliveries of food.

Compounding the problem, many waste-management services have not been operating at full capacity, owing to social-distancing rules and stay-athome orders. In the US, curbside recycling pickup has been suspended in many places, including parts of Miami-Dade and Los Angeles counties.

During the COVID-19

crisis, it is essential to protect the vulnerable, ensure that health workers have the tools and support they need to do their jobs safely, prevent health-care systems from becoming overwhelmed, and avoid additional waves of infection.

But, in meeting these imperatives, we cannot lose sight of the other – perhaps greater – long-term challenges facing humanity, including the environmental and public-health risks generated by excessive plastic waste.

For starters, companies all along the plastic value chain, from manufacturers to retailers, should show their commitment to public health and welfare by expanding and accelerating their efforts to end plastic waste.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.PROJECTSYNDICATE.COM

output and teaching standards. The correlation between academic inbreeding and these poor standards is overwhelming. That inbreeding happens at brazen levels can be easily gauged by simply visiting the websites of these institutions to examine the academic lineages of the faculty. The websites tell a very disappointing story. A huge number of academic staff has been consistently recruited from within the rolls of these universities.

But academic activity is all about new ideas and fresh insights. If an institution recruits largely its own students who have been indoctrinated with the same ideas as all others, then fresh viewpoints are lost. The other problem is that junior faculty are generally overawed by their mentors, more so in India, and they do not display the boldness that is so vital to break out of older academic moulds. Also, during the time of recruitment, an institution, as has been consistently observed, tends to favour its own alumni regardless of merit for so many obvious reasons. This is slow poison and the sooner India wakes up to the issue at hand the better. I advocate no laws and regulations.

None of the leading institutions of the world indulge in such a practice. When I was a graduate student at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, it was an unwritten rule understood by all that every successful doctoral student shall have to seek jobs far and away from his or her alma mater.

No one even remotely explored or discussed the possibility of seeking a job at the home university. I have a simple prescription for the well being of India’s universities.

Identify and put in place good academic leaders of a calibre identical to that of Dr Zakir Husain or Hansa Jivraj Mehta and give them a little freedom and some time to set examples and minimise such academic inbreeding.

VIEWS ARE PERSONAL

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TWEET Rajnath Singh @rajnathsingh Visited newly created, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID Hospital in New Delhi today along with HM Shri @AmitShah, Delhi CM Shri @ ArvindKejriwal & Health Minister @ drharshvardhan. This facility has been created by @DRDO_India in collaboration with MHA & Tata Sons in a record time.

Mukul Wasnik @MukulWasnik Why are the airlines allowed to carry passengers at full capacity when the government wants social distancing to control further spread of the coronavirus pandemic? Will someone bother to address this issue? #civil aviation #PMOIndia

Spiritual SPEAK

The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.

—Buddha

Vol 2 Issue No. 30 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur.

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No scarcity of hospital beds in national capital, says Kejriwal

15,000 BEDS ARE AVAILABLE OF WHICH 5,300 ARE OCCUPIED, THE CM INFORMED New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, said that as of now there is no scarcity of hospital beds in the national capital, over 15,000 beds are available of which 5,300 are occupied.

However, there is a shortage of ICU beds here, he added.

“For now, there is no scarcity of hospital beds, we have over 15,000 beds out of which 5,300 are occupied. There is a paucity of ICU beds. If there is any spike in COVID cases, these ICU beds are very critical for us,” the Chief Minister said at DRDO-built Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID-19 Hospital.

Speaking about the hospital he said, “This 1,000-bed facility was very much needed at this time. So many people are being treated under home isolation in Delhi currently, a person if goes in a serious condition starts searching for a hospital so the hospital beds are needed at this time...this 1,000-bed hospital will be helpful in such a situation.”

He further said that there was a spike in cases in the national capital when the lockdown was lifted around one month ago but gradually the situation was controlled. “It was projected that Delhi would have around 65,000 COVID-19 active

With 24,850 new cases, India’s tally at 6,73,165

Beds at DRDO-built Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel COVID19 Hospital in New Delhi.

‘Big events can be held while adhering to COVID-19 protocol’ Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday, said big events can be held while adhering to the protocol pertaining to COVID-19 and the ‘Van Mahotsav’ will be a witness to this.

“Pre-COVID, during COVID and postCOVID are three categories, which the world will be able to clearly see. These will say what was the situation of the world cases so we together controlled this situation and today there are only 25,000 active cases here,” he added.

HC notice to SC Bar Association over suspended Secy’s plea New Delhi: Delhi HC has issued notice to SC Bar Association on plea filed by its suspended Secretary Ashok Arora, challenging his suspension.

Justice Mukta Gupta asked SCBA & Bar Council of India to file reply on Arora’s plea and listed the matter for August 6. The court was hearing a plea filed

by Arora challenging resolution dated May 8 passed by the Executive Committee of SC Bar Association suspending Arora.

Arora has urged the court to quash the resolution. He has also sought permanent in-

—PHOTO BY ANI

junction in favour of plaintiff & to restraining the SCBA, its office bearers and employees from interfering in the functioning of plaintiff to perform his duties as duly elected Secretary of Supreme Court Bar Association for the remaining term for which he was elected. —ANI

IED BLAST IN J&K’S PULWAMA LEAVES CRPF PERSONNEL INJURED

Srinagar: A CRPF personnel was injured in a low-intensity IED blast in Pulwama district, police said. The CRPF personnel suffered injuries in his hands due to the blast, but his condition is stated to be stable. The security forces fired few shots in the air after the blast.

before the COVID-19 outbreak, what was the condition during the outbreak and what will be the changes in the world after COVID,” he said at the commencement of the ‘Van MaHome Minister Amit Shah & Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also visited DRDO-built Sardar Vallabh Bhai Pa-

hotsav’ here on Sunday. UP government has set a target of planting 25 crore saplings during the ‘Van Mahotsav.’ “At the same time, we have to fight the global pandemic as well. During this plantation programme, adherence to social distancing can be clearly seen. This is a good effort & all of us can organise big events while adhering to social distancing, the CM said. —ANI tel COVID-19 Hospital in Delhi Cantonment.

Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was also present. —ANI

New Delhi: India has reported its highest-ever single-day spike of 24,850 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

With these new cases, India’s coronavirus count now stands at 6,73,165 cases of which 2,44,814 patients are active cases.

India’s cured/discharged patients crossed the 4 lakh mark with 4,09,082 patients cured/discharged and while one patient has migrated.

613 deaths due to coronavirus were reported in the country in the last 24 hours taking the death toll in the country to 19,268.

As per the Health Ministry, coronavirus cases in Maharashtra -the worst affected state from the infection -- has breached the 2 lakh mark with 2,00,064 cases including 8,671 deaths. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has a total of 1,07,001 cases and 1,450 fatalities.

Delhi’s coronavirus tally nears the 1L mark with 97,200 cases and number of people succumbing to the virus stands at 3,004 in the national capital. —ANI

Centre is pro-industry, pro-development: Gadkari Nagpur: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at the Atmanirbhar Bharat web dialogue on Saturday said that India’s government is pro-development and pro-industry and wants to create more employment potential and eradicate poverty.

“India has got a huge market, skilled manpower, availability of raw materials and the government too is prodevelopment and proindustry because we want to create more employment potential and eradicate poverty,” said Gadkari. “Four days ago, Phillip Capital organised a programme for investors in the US. About 10,000 investors were with me in that webinar. They want to invest in India

Four days ago, Phillip Capital organised aprogramme for investors in the US. About 10,000 investors jwere with me in thate webinar.

They want to invest in India as returns are good.

—Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister

as returns are good & it’s now a safe destination for investment,” he added. The Minister

Dubey was tipped off about police raid, says the gangster’s aide Kanpur: An aide of Vikas Dubey has told the Uttar Pradesh police that the gangster behind the killings of eight policemen in Kanpur district was informed about the raid at his house by a policeman, a senior official said on Sunday.

Daya Shankar Agnihotri, one of the accused in the killings, was arrested earlier on Sunday after a gunfight in Kalyanpur area near Kanpur. Agnihotri told the police Vikas Dubey got a call

Daya Shankar Agnihotri

from the Chaubeypur police station, informing him that a team from three police stations led by Devendra Mishra, the circle officer of Bilhaur, would come to his village past midnight.—Agencies

Atmanirbhar Bharat call to help country capitalise on its inherent strengths: Naidu New Delhi: The call for a self-reliant India is not aimed at encouraging ‘protectionism or isolationism,’ but for adopting a pragmatic development strategy to enable the country recognise and capitalise on its inherent strengths, Vice- President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday.

Speaking at virtual launch of ‘Elyments’ mobile app, Naidu said the “atmanirbhar Bharat” campaign was aimed at giving a new boost to economic potential of the country by strengthening infrastructure, using modern technologies, enriching human re-

VIEWPOINT

V-P Venkaiah Naidu virtually releases the ‘Elyments’ mobile app.

source, & creating robust supply chains.

“It is not a call for protectionism or isolationism, but for adopting a pragmatic development strategy that would enable the country to rec-

CAB CLOSES FOR 7 DAYS AS EDEN STAFF TESTS POSITIVE Kolkata: The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) HQs was shut down for seven days after a non-permanent staff of iconic Eden Gardens ground tested positive for COVID-19. “Chandan Das, who works in civil engineering department on a temporary basis, has tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said in a statement. “He is at present admitted at Charnock Hospital. Even though he had not come to CAB for a week, we have asked all to refrain from visiting the office for next 7 days.”

ognise and capitalise on its inherent strengths,” Naidu observed.

India has come to be known as one of the IT superpowers of the world because of its talented scientists and

technology experts who are occupying leadership positions across the globe, he said.

Naidu said it was quite appropriate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the

MP BYPOLLS: CONG STATE IN CHARGE WASNIK MEETS NATH Bhopal: Congress general secretary in- charge of MP Mukul Wasnik arrived in state on a two-day visit to chalk out a strategy for bypolls to 24 Assembly seats and help choose anLoP. Twenty-two seats are lying vacant as Congress MLAs resigned from the 230-member House and joined the BJP, and two due to deaths of legisla-

05

tors. No date has been announced as yet for the bypolls. The Congress government under Kamal Nath fell in March, paving way for Shivraj Singh Chouhan to become chief minister again. After arriving here, Wasnik held meetings with MP Congress chief Kamal Nath, veteran leader Digvijaya Singh and others.

‘Atmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge’ on Saturday as it would encourage Indian IT specialists to prepare apps for various uses to enhance quality of life.

The vice president noted that more than a thousand IT professionals, who are also volunteers of the Art of Living, have together created the ‘Elyments’ app.

Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was also part of the virtual launch.

On the YouTube link of the launch event, the developers said on Elyments, ‘People will be able to connect globally and shop locally.’—PTI

said that foreign direct investments in micro, small and medium enterprises is being encouraged as well. “We are trying to take in more investment for MSMEs and we are also trying to change the definition of MSMEs as well. The manufacturing sector & service sector were classified separately but now they have been merged and we name it ‘Manufacturing and Services’ sector,” he said.

For micro-industry, limit of investment in plant, machinery & equipment was of Rs 25L, now has been amped up to Rs 1 crore.

“The turnover was previously 10 lakh, now we have taken it to Rs 5 crore,” he said. —ANI

`574Cr nod for J&K NH annual plan Jammu: The Central Government has approved an annual plan worth Rs 574.16 crore for national highway works in Jammu and Kashmir for 2020-21, an official spokesperson said.

The major works incorporated in the approved annual plan included construction of 3.23 km three fly-overs in Srinagar on NH44 (Jammu-Srinagar highway) at Bemina, Sanatnagar and Nowgam with Rs 220.68 crore, the spokesman said.

Quoting a communication from the centre, he said the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has asked for preparation of estimates for the proposed works in the approved annual plan, incorporating the technical parameters and designs as per IRC codal provisions or latest circulars of the ministry, and submission to it for consideration. other works incorporated in the approved plan included expressway, four laning, construction of 6 km 3rd bypass on NH444 Shopian bypass with Rs 120 crore.

4 MAOISTS KILLED IN AN ENCOUNTER AT ODISHA Bhubaneswar: At least four Maoists were gunned down during an exchange of fire with security forces in a dense forest in Odisha’s Kandhamal district. Some rebels have also suffered injuries in the operation, DGP Abhay said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of SOG personnel & DVF officers had launched a raid in forest in Tumudibandha area of Kandhamal district, he said. As the security personnel approached their hideout, Maoists opened fire & a gun battle ensued, leading to death of four rebels.

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06

East, Centre to receive thundershower A red alert was again issued for heavy rains in Mumbai in the next 24 hours. Also, high tide is expected at 12.23 pm of 4.63 meters, IMD said

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that rainfall and thundershower activity is expected over east and adjoining parts of central India during the next 4-5 days.

“It is most likely to cause fairly widespread to widespread rainfall/ thundershower activity along with isolated heavy to very heavy falls over east and adjoining parts of central India during the next 4-5 days,” said IMD. “A cyclonic circulation lies over Westcentral and adjoining the northwest Bay of Bengal off north Coastal Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coast and extends up to 7.6 km above mean sea level,” the weather agency added.

Meanwhile, severe waterlogging was witnessed in several parts of Maharashtra’s Mumbai, following heavy rainfall in the city. Sion Flyover witnessed traffic jam followed by heavy rainfall in the city.

Moreover, a red alert was again issued for heavy rains in Mumbai in the next 24 hours.

Also, high tide is expected at 12.23 pm of 4.63 meters, it said. The IMD has also issued a warning of isolated extremely heavy falls over Konkan during the next 24 hours. —Agencies

10.75L AFFECTED

BY ASSAM FLOOD Guwahati: Two more persons lost their lives in the flood which has affected 10.75 lakh people in 18 districts of Assam, a government report said. One person died in Morigaon and another in Tinsukia district, taking the number of deaths to 61 across the state, of which 37 people were killed in the flood and 24 died due to landslides triggered by incessant rainfall, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in its daily report.

LIGHTNING CLAIMS 23 LIVES IN UP

Vehicles ply on a waterlogged street during monsoon rain at Chembur in Mumbai on Sunday. Moreover, a red alert was again issued for heavy rains in Mumbai in next 24 hours.

—PHOTO BY PTI

Rains drench Delhi, more expected New Delhi: A fresh bout of rain and highvelocity winds lashed the national capital on Sunday night, bringing the mercury down by several notches.

The Met department has predicted more rain, thunderstorm and strong sur-

face winds during the day. The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for Delhi, recorded 33.6 mm rainfall till 8:30 am.

The Palam station gauged 48.6 mm precipitation, the weatherman said.

The

weather stations at Lodhi Road, Ayanagar and Ridge got 38.2 mm, 35.2 mm and 46.6 mm rainfall respectively.

More rain is expected over the next three to four days, Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of IMD’s regional forecasting centre, said. —PTI

Lucknow/Bhadohi: At least 23 people were killed and 29 others injured after being struck by lightning in various districts ofUP. Eight people died in Allahabad, six in Mirzapur, two in Kaushambi and one in Jaunpur. 9 others in Prayagraj, 10 in Mirzapur suffered serious burns. CM Yogi Adityanath has expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives and directed respective district magistrates to extend compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the family of those killed.

Nepal’s ruling party in grave crisis: Oli ‘No rift in NDA, will fight Kathmandu: Facing growing demand for his resignation, Nepal’s embattled PM KP Sharma Oli has said that the ruling communist party is facing a grave crisis, indicating that it may split soon.

Oli, at an emergency meeting of the Cabinet at his official residence, told the Cabinet ministers that some of our party members are also trying to remove President Bidya Devi Bhandari from the power, My Republica newspaper quoted a senior leader as saying.

“Now, conspiracies are being hatched to remove me from the post of PM and party chairman, the PM said on Saturday, adding that he will not let it happen. The ruling

STORY SO FAR

party is facing a grave crisis, Oli said.

After Oli’s remarks about the conspiracy to impeach the president, three former PMs, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’, Madhav Nepal and Jhanalanth Khanal -- met Bhandari and clarified that the rumour about the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leaders trying to

remove her from office were untrue, The Kathmandu Post reported.

On Saturday, a crucial meeting of the NCP’s 45-member powerful Standing Committee to decide the political future of Oli was postponed until Monday to allow more time for the top leadership to iron out their differences over his

style of functioning and anti-India statements.

During the Cabinet meeting, a defiant Oli said that he will not be forced to accept the party’s Standing Committee decision.

He also urged the ministers to make their position clear whether they support him or not.

probability of Khiladi Lal Bairwa, Murari lal Meena, Manju Meghwal, Rita Choudhary, independent MLA Sanyam Lodha could also be given position in the cabinet even if as Minister of State.

However, there is a bigger ‘concern’ for the current ministers of Gehlot cabinet, since word is that at least half a dozen ministers would be dropped mainly on account of poor performance in their respective departments.

Meanwhile CM Gehlot has appealed to

students to play role in Covid awareness campaign run by the state government. Gehlot observed on Sunday that the power of students needs to be used constructively to fight off this virus. Gehlot met student representatives from various universities who had come to thank Gehlot for taking several steps in combating Corona. Gehlot also offered his condolences on the demise of freedom fighter Isar Singh Bedi saying, “Late Bedi’s contribution in freedom struggle

will always be remembered.”

Moreover, Gehlot will also hold a VC on Monday afternoon with representatives from block level to lern about efforts made to fight off corona.

“I had to make a quick decision to prorogue the budget session of Parliament last week after coming to know that some of our party members were hatching conspiracy to register an impeachment motion against the President at Parliament,” Oli told the ministers.

Oli’s statement comes at a time when the intra-party rift in the NCP is at its peak after majority of the party’s Standing Committee members and Central Secretariat members demanded his immediate resignation from the post of Prime Minister and party chairman, accusing the government of failing to live up to the people’s expectations. —Agencies

Bihar Assembly polls together’ New Delhi: Union Minister for Home affairs Nityanand Rai, while addressing a virtual rally in Purnea, Bihar, hit out at Congress & RJD for spreading rumours that all is not well within the NDA and stated that the ruling alliance was in order and “will fight the forthcoming Assembly elections in Bihar together”.

Rai’s reaction came after Congress Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh, during a VC meeting with party leader Rahul Gandhi, stated that Ram Vilas Paswan was in touch with him and the high command was not giving time to meet and

Bihar Assembly polls are likely to be held in November discuss the possible alliance. After this claim, the political atmosphere in Bihar heated up and it was rumoured

that LJP may quit NDA before the Assembly poll in Bihar.

Union Minister Rai said, “I want to tell leaders of RJD & Congress that they should not spread rumours & should worry about their grand alliance.

There is no split in NDA, we are one and we will jointly contest elections and repeat the performance of 2010 Assembly election again in 2020.” “We will not only perform well in upcoming Assembly elections but also, we will win more than 220 seats & once again, the NDA govt will be formed in Bihar under the leadership of Nitish Kumar,” Rai added. —ANI

FROM PG 1 Cabinet expansion... old faithfuls like Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Dr Mahesh Joshi, Ramlal Jat, Dr Jitendra Singh, Shakuntala Rawat and Narendra Budhania could be given a ministerial berth, there is no question that former BSP MLA Rajendra Singh Gudha, who has always sided with Gehlot in state polity, could also be given a role in the cabinet. Gudha had earlier served as MoS Tourism under Gehlot.

There is also a high

8 killed...

The police did not rule out the possibility of some people still being trapped under the debris. The death toll now stands at eight, a senior police officer said.

Officials said the exact counts of the injured and the dead would be known after the removal of debris.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath has expressed condolences on the deaths and sought a report from Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kalanidhi Naithani, who reached the spot after the fire was reported. The factory was being run in a rented house.

The SSP said the factory was operating illegally. “Candles generally used in birthday cakes were being manufactured at the factory.

These candles generally have very small

amount of explosives in them since they are to be used at homes and functions,” he added.

The in-charge of police post in the area was suspended for alleged dereliction of duty.

The factory owner is on the run and efforts are being made to nab him, they added.

The administration has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the dead workers. The injured will be given Rs 50,000 each and free treatment.

J&K LG...

Even though an official

date of the Amarnath yatra has not been announced yet, the state government is trying to organise the yatra this year for which special arrangements are being made. “Given the constraints, a maximum of 500 yatris only could be allowed per day by road from Jammu. It was informed that Baba Amarnath Aarti this year will be telecast live on Doordarshan,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam said earlier. —ANI

6,97,069 cases.. putting the Covid-control regulations in the

state in place for the next one year.

With coronavirus cases gradually increasing in Kerala, the state government has issued new guidelines to act as preventive measures against the pandemic.

The new regulations known as ‘Kerala Epidemic Disease Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19) Additional Regulations, 2020’, will be in force for a year i.e till July 2021, or till further government direction. This means, people will have to wear masks, maintain social distancing and avoid large gatherings till July 2021. —ANI

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ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

V

i dyava ch a s p at i Gulab Kothari, editor-in-chief of Rajasthan Patrika is renowned across for his contributions to Vedic Studies. He was conferred with the Moortidevi Award in 2011, for his book Mein Hi Radha, Mein Hi Krishna.

Another feather in his cap is the latest publication,’ Samvaad Upanishad’ which has been dedicated to his father Kapoor Chandra Kulish who, as Gulab Kothari says, “taught him to write, who motivated him to write, who wrote himself and one who lives on in me’ my ‘pitra praan’ who is like the Almighty to me.”

He earned his Ph.D. Degree from the Intercultural Open University, the Netherlands in 1995. His thesis entitled ‘Newspaper Management’ has already been published and is being used as a reference work by the students of journalism in various universities of India. He was awarded D.Litt. in Philosophy by the same University in 2002 and his thesis has already been published with the title : ‘Body Mind Intellect’.

In his regular editorial Gulab Kothari promotes an awareness of secularism, in fact his works are focused on the regeneration of moral, social, cultural and spiritual values and are an excellent example of positive outlook and holistic thinking. They reflect agony of change and transfor-

mation and provide new insights for a balanced life.

Widely known for his classic MANAS, an analytical study of human mind from a Vedic perspective, he is a sensitive writer and profound scholar of Ved Vigyan. He has authored more than a dozen books in Hindi and English on various aspects of human life which reveal their subtleties.

One significant aspect of the special editorials that he contributes to his paper from time to time is that they inspire individuals and communities to change their outlook on life and create communal harmony.

Taking this entire aspect further he has written the “Samvaad Upanishad” in May 2020, which focuses on ‘communication’ which forms the core of life. Kothari brings forth the many types of communication which we deal with in our lives, the role of communication with ourselves, the world and also with the universe and Almightly, drawing upon his vast knowledge of the historical texts and religious granths.

Gulab Kothari quotes exten-

sively from the Bhagwad Gita, the most important communication for humanity till date.

The Samvaad Upanishad comprising of 30 chapters with 750 pages is a long read but every word is a learning and it is a life changing book. Kothari reminds us that life is a cycle of birth, karma, death and rebirth and the humans’ close relation to nature and trees as part of life.

The communication of the mother with her unborn child is critical to the development of the child, much as the potter moulds the clay into a pot and hands it over to the c u s t o m e r, which cannot be changed; in the same way the mother moulds the child and hands him to the society. It is this said and unsaid communication from a mother that moulds the child.

Kothari gives another example communication within the natural environment by giving examples of ants and their excellent communication and discipline.

Kothari touches upon the principles of communication as puts forth that each communication has only one goal to convince the listener , so that he may accept the communication in exactly the same meaning that it has been transmitted.

He says that emotional touch is critical to effective communication and cites that the strongest wordless communication

ONE SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF THE SPECIAL EDITORIALS THAT HE CONTRIBUTES TO HIS PAPER FROM TIME TO TIME IS THAT THEY INSPIRE INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES TO CHANGE THEIR OUTLOOK ON LIFE AND CREATE COMMUNAL HARMONY is between a mother-child and a guru-disciple.

Gulab Kothari says he brought these very principles to his journalism and his newspaper also and he always tries that his words should touch the reader’s heart and stay with him for times to come. He says, “ Pathakon ko bhagwaan kehte hain, meri Jeevan mein ek hi chinta rehti hai ki mera bhagwan (paathak) mujhse rooth nahin jaaye, varna main mit jaunga. Jo l i k h u n , wahi paathak ki pooja ka phool bane, shabdon par sawaar ho kar in phoolon ke saath main subah subah uske

dwar pahonchun, vah mujhe dekh kar prasann ho uthe ….. purn aastha ke saath ekakaar ho jaayen hum dono, jo vah hain wahi main hun” … this quote gives a deep insight into the ethics of journalism by Kothari.

The mammoth work deals with all aspects of communication and is a virtual Bible on the subject. The chapters deal with inter and intra communication of the individual touching upon the seen and unseen aspects of this medium. He has discussed mass communication, both written and verbal in great details. With his vast experience he touches upon the various differences in communication between

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man and women, husband and wife, man and nature and within family.

Spirituality is communication with the self and Almighty and works on four platforms- body, mind, intelligence and soul. The connection between knowledge and action is also explored as is ‘teacher and disciple’ learning ethos.

Kothari puts forth the essence of the vices in a human being’s life and has devoted one complete chapter to Ego, Fear, Anger and Violence. Sacrifice and Sensitivity with their importance in our lives even as we are drawn into the modern day ethos is one of the best chapters. In the last chapter titled Agni, Yam, Som evam Pitr, Kothari has held forth his opinion on the ethos of the world today and after death and our relation to it.

For me, one of the most critical thought espoused by Gulab Kothari is on page 699 wherein he says that, “ A person’s thought process dictates his aura and his aura changes as per his thoughts”, (Manushya ka jaisa bhaavmandal hota hai waisa hi uska aabha mandal hota hai. Bhaavmandal ke anusar uska aabhamandal parivartiti hota rehta hai).

Our Aura is affected with positivity when we are in the company of ‘Saints and Good people’ so Aura is also a means of communication affected by others.

VEDAS & PURANAS

T

A treasure trove of ancient history and culture

he Vedas and the Puranas are the most precious and ancient treasure of the cultural heritage of India. They not only discuss the origin of the universe, its cosmology, its creator and the creation but they also deal at length with the philosophical questions relating to life and death that baffle human beings. The Vedic wisdom shows us the way to steer clear of the difficult situations in life and live a balanced life.

The Vedas are generally considered to have two portions viz., Karma-Kanda (portion dealing with action or rituals) and Jnana-Kanda (portion

dealing with knowledge).

The Samhita and the Brahmanas represent mainly theKarma-Kanda or the ritual portion, while the Upanishads chiefly represent the Jnana-Kanda or the knowledge portion.

The Upanishads, however, are included in the Shruti.

They are at present, the most popular and extensively read Vedic texts.

The Upanishads are often called ‘Vedanta‘. Literally, Vedanta means the end of Veda, Vedasya antah, the conclusion (Anta) as well as the goal (Anta) of the Vedas. Chronologically they came at the end of the Vedic period. As Upanishads contain difficult discussions of ultimate philo-

sophical problems, they were taught to the pupils at about the end of their course. The chief reason why the Upanishads are called the ‘end of the Veda’ is that they represent the central aim of the Veda and contain the highest and ultimate goal of the Veda as they deal with Moksha or Supreme Bliss.

MEANING OF THE WORD ‘UPANISHAD’ The word ‘Upanishad’ has been derived from the root Sad (to sit), to which are added two prefixes: Upa and Ni. The prefix Upa denotes nearness and Ni totality. Thus, this word means ‘sitting near by devotedly’. This no doubt

refers to the pupil’s sitting down near his teacher at the time of instruction.

The word in course of time gathered round it the sense of secret teaching or secret doctrine (Rahasya) which was imparted at such sittings. Upanishads are frequently spoken of as Rahasya (secret) or Guhya (mystery) also. We find in Upanishads, that due to secrecy and mystery of the teachings, a teacher refuses to impart instruction to a pupil who has not proved his worthiness to receive the instruction. Through another definition, the word primarily signifies knowledge, yet by implication it also refers to the book that

contains that knowledge.

NUMBER OF THE UPANISHADS There is a good deal of speculation concerning the number of Upanishads. Traditionally, the old Upanishads had their place in the Brahmanas and Aranyakas. There is only one instance of a Samhita containing Upanishad – the Vajasaneyi Samhita comprises the Ishavasya Upanishad forming the 40th Book.

In later times, the Upanishads obtained a more independent position but still they professed to belong more particularly to one or the other of the four Vedas.

It is difficult to ascertain the exact number that should be regarded as authentic Upanishads. A religious system is considered valid in India only when it is supported by Shruti, hence the founders of religious sects have sometimes written books and called them Upanishads in order to give their views scriptural authority. The AllahUpanishad, for instance was composed in the sixteenth century, at the time of emperor Akbar.

Different estimates of their number have been given by scholars and they have been put by some scholars at as many as 200.

One hundred and eight

Upanishads are enumerated in the Muktikopanishad and a popular edition contains them. However, among these Upanishads, ten Upanishads, the names of which have been mentioned in the Muktikopanishad, are considered the most important Upanishads from the point of view of Vedantic Philosophy.

Ten Principal Upanishads known as ‘Dashopanishad’ are :Isha, Kena, Katha , Prashna , Munda, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya and Brihadaranyaka.

Besides, Shvetashvatara, Kaushitaki and Maitrayaniya Upanishads are often listed in old Upanishads.

DESIGN: SITARAM SHARMA

It’s good to love the spring or autumn season but it’s far better to be keenly interested in all changing seasons.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

POSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21

JAIPUR | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020

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DID PILOT REALLY PLAY ANY ‘ROLE’ IN DB’S REMOVAL? Aditi Nagar

New Delhi: Even after 72 hours of an unceremonial shifting of a low profile and soft-spoken former Chief Secretary DB Gupta by his own mentor, towering Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, in a sudden and surprising midnight operation, the inside story or mystery of this change of guard has yet not been solved or cracked. After a 45 minute long DB Gupta meeting with Gehlot on July 3, still there is no clue what had exactly inspired Gehlot to take such a drastic and tough action in a ruthless manner against the top civil servant of the state, which otherwise does not suit the traditional image of a sensitive, humane face and Gandhian Chief Minister Gehlot?

What had actually ‘hurt’ Gehlot to the extent that DB is neither given any posting nor he had been placed under APO till Sunday late night?

Now there are different theories and viewpoints which suggest a number of possible or potential reasons for DB’s ‘untimely ouster’, just 87 days before his scheduled retirement on September 30. The first available indication has come from sources close to Congress high command and Pilot camp itself saying that they had a decisive role in virtually ‘compelling’ Gehlot to toe their line to replace DB by Delhi’s ‘choice’ Rajeeva Swarup.

Knowledgeable sources reveal that almost for the last one year, Pilot camp was persuading New Delhi to bring a new Chief Secretary in the state in place of DB Gupta, who was basically the choice of former BJP Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

Subsequently, DB’s

wife and ACS PWD Veenu Gupta was also dragged in this entire controversy by Pilot camp in front of Sonia and Rahul by saying that apart from her non-cooperative attitude, she was also involved in some sort of ‘spying’ on the ‘activities and movements’ of her own minister Pilot and also reporting certain sensitive and confidential PWD matters to CMO, without the minister’s knowledge. A persistent campaign on these two sensitive issues by Pilot camp ultimately yielded the desired result and under advice from Sonia or Rahul, Gehlot shifted his own Chief Secretary DB in an unsavoury manner midnight of July 2.

A Pilot camp source claims that a few more high profile and Gehlot favourite top IAS and IPS officers are also on Congress high command’s radar, apparently via Pilot route.

According to political observers, under a powerful Gehlot regime, it looks almost impossible that at Pilot’s insistence Sonia or Rahul will ‘intervene’ in the governance of a third time Congress Chief Minister, who is a hardcore Gandhi family loyalist and also one of the most senior Congress leader across the country. But still this theory or development cert a i n l y needs further investigation to come to a logical conclusion.

 Apparently under a powerful Gehlot rule, it

does not look possible, but still the story needs further investigation  Meanwhile, Gehlot appoints DB as his advisor The other grapevine, which is making the rounds, says that during the course of recent Rajya Sabha elections, some ‘powerful people’ took ‘extra interest’ in getting released a few long pending major payments to a few influential PWD contractors and allegedly the money was subsequently used for the purpose of poaching a few MLAs, as was also openly alleged by the Chief Minister himself that certain forces in Delhi and Jaipur are trying to lure MLAs for cross voting or to pull down his government. According to a highly reliable input, this ‘information’ was passed on to Gehlot by his own intelligence wing and other ‘sources’.

According to this theory, after having a prima-facie look on these inputs, Gehlot reportedly got hurt and furious to the extent that he not only removed his one time favourite DB Gupta, in a midnight move, but also did not give him

Rahul Gandhi

any posting.

One more related grapevine is that a few months back there were some serious media reports alleging DB’s involvement in certain warehousing corporation tender issues related to his son or his friend’s business. In his context, the latest complaint was made by the former collector of Bundi Antar Singh Nehra who conveyed it to CMO that there was an increasing pressure on him to release a Rs 2.5 crore pending payment to DB’s son or friend’s firm. After the ‘smart’ Collector’s reporting to higher ups in Jaipur naturally after knowing all this Gehlot must have been upset because almost eight months back also, after reading some media reports on his son’s involvement in warehousing tenders, a ‘concerned’ Gehlot had clearly given a word of caution to DB to keep off from such ‘family matters’, which could damage the reputation and prestige of the state

CM Ashok Gehlot

government and his own CS office. Knowledgeable sources were sad to mention that DB did not take his mentor Gehlot’s advice seriously and kept on ‘interfering’ in the working of warehousing corporation. There was also a loose talk about DB’s ‘interference’ in one tender related issue in Rajasthan Seeds Corporation.

Interestingly, CMO was already reportedly monitoring this seed corporation issue, because of some ‘other reasons’. According to sources, this also must have further disappointed and frustrated Gehlot.

The fourth grapevine is that for the last couple of months, Gehlot was upset with DB’s overall poor or inadequate performance in exercising an effective supervisory control over his senior ACS level subordinate officers, whose differences and cross media allegations have bought a bad name to the state government. Gehlot also had a feeling that the of-

fice of the Chief Secretary is not properly executing and implementing Chief Minister’s budget announcements, a subject very close to the heart of a grassroots and popular Chief Minister Gehlot.

Moreover, there were day to day confrontations between some ministers and their secretaries, where DB also failed to rein in the defiant bureaucrats or to work as a ‘bridge’ between the two warring camps. All these impressions and some handiwork of anti-DB camp in IAS also played a vital role in bringing down DB’s stature to this level.

In this ongoing uncertain and complicated scenario, neither Gehlot nor DB have come out with a specific explanation or reason to convey a clear message as to what had exactly gone wrong between the two or DB has been shifted under a specific mandate from the Congress high command?

So, now it is left to the guess work and judgement of every individual in bureaucratic and political arena to have their own conclusion or viewpoint of this entire unfortunate incident, which has certainly brought down the status and authority of the powerful office of the Chief Secretary among the bureaucracy and general public. In fact, the most serious aspect of this entire episode is

Sachin Pilot

that if it is proved beyond doubt that Pilot had any decisive ‘role’ in this entire episode, then it is not a good signal for the ‘good governance’ of CM Gehlot in the coming days and therefore, some major strategic operation will have to be planned by an experienced and visionary Ashok Gehlot to stop all these ‘developments’ at this primary stage itself.

At this juncture, it is also pertinent to mention that a democrat CM Gehlot had virtually restored the authority of CS’s office, while giving a second chance to DB to continue as the Chief secretary during his tenure also. In his capacity as CS, DB was fairly popular among his colleagues and specially RAS cadre. He was fairly honest, straightforward and a hard working officer and in his totality, he was a low profile and soft spoken leader, to whom everybody had a direct and easy access.

Meanwhile, in a late night development, a concerned Gehlot finally appointed DB as one of his advisors (apart from Arvind Mayaram and Govind Sharma), the post which was offered to DB before his exit but was declined by him at that moment.

DB Gupta

Veenu Gupta

SOG BRIBERY CASE

Complainant identifies ‘masked senior official’ part of bribery racket, says `8 cr were demanded  ASP Middha and Inspector Khatri

took the complainant to Tamanna Tower in Vaishali Nagar to strike a deal, the ‘cop’ demanded `8 crore in the first offer  SOG cops even kept track of complainant’s movements, learnt that he visited the ACB and declined accepting bribe Naveen Sharma Jaipur: Dark clouds are around the horizon. Well we are not talking about monsoons, rather about the state police’s elite branch - the Special Operations Group (SOG) - which has been the epi-centre of graft case filed by the AntiCorruption Bureau.

And here is why: The complainant in the multi-crore credit co-orperative bribery scam, has identified a highly placed

SOG official, with whom the two accused - ASP Satyapal Middha and Inspector Vishnu Khatri organised the complainant’s meeting.

Furthermore, the complainant has also revealed that the initial bribery amount demanded by this ‘senior official’ was a whopping Rs 8 crore!

Highly placed sources in the ACB reveal that both Middha and Khatri had accompanied the complainant to Tamanna Tower in

Dr Alok Tripathi

Vaishali Nagar area where the ‘cop’ was in position to meet and offer a price for not registering a FIR in the matter. The ‘cop’ was wearing a mask not just to avert the Corona infection but also to hide his identity. When the trio reached the spot, the masked cop handed a slip to the complainant with the figure Rs 8 crore - written on it. Sources reveal that the complainant denied providing such a huge amount to which

Dinesh MN

EXCLUSIVE the ‘cop’ cut the bribe amount in half and demanded Rs 4 crore, however the complainant declined paying this too.

This irked the ‘cop’ and taking a cue, the ASP and Inspector took the complainant away from the spot and ‘counselled’ him.

Later they struck a deal on Rs 2 crore of which the first instalment of Rs 30

Satyapal Middha

lakh was to be paid in a few days’ time.

However, in the interim, the complainant approached ACB and narrated his ordeal while also registering it formally with the bureau sleuths who in turn tapped into the phone calls of the three SOG cops. The entire matter is now being monitored by ACB DG Dr Alok Tripathi and ADG Dinesh MN, though the initial investigation was done by outgoing ADG Sourabh Srivastava.

But the SOG cops were following all precautions, or so they hoped. Sources reveal that the men kept track on their target’s locations and this is when they learnt that he had been to ACB Headquarter. It was after this that the trio started treading cautiously and denied accepting the bribe.

They even tried to pressurise the man into accepting that he was bribing them of his own will, however, the talks between the three men prior to the incident, was recorded by the ACB based on which the case was registered by it. Sources claim that the complainant has identified the ‘masked man’ from his only meeting with him and now the bureau sleuths are trying to piece together the entire story.

AVINASH PANDE @avinashpandeinc With one of the lowest testing rates, India is now the fourth worst affected country in the world with #COVID cases continuing to worsen.

More than 3 months of Lockdown without any mass scale testing has resulted in the numbers exploding. #BJPfailsCoronaFight The Rajasthan government has decided to promote all students to the next class without conducting examinations for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in all universities, colleges and technical educational institutions in the state this year.

Hearty congratulations on the auspicious festival that is symbol of Indian culture "Guru Poornima"! Best wishes! #GuruPurnima

Centenary greetings on the birth anniversary of former Governor, State President, senior Congress leader late Pandit Naval Kishore Sharma.

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JAIPUR, MONDAY JULY 6, 2020

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BARSE RE SAAWAN It’s the beginning of monsoon and here is a chance to upgrade your wardrobe with City First!

POORVIKA AGRAWAL cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

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t’s monsoon time and of course, it’s also time to upgrade your wardrobe for this season. While the muddy streets can make dressing up tricky during the monsoon months, City First’s tips will help you keep your looks up-to-date.

This is the messiest season of the year and everyone finds it difficult to commute.

That’s exactly why you should avoid wearing jeans, trousers, palazzos, or maxi dresses; instead, you should go for short dresses and kneelength dresses so that they are not drenched in running or muddy water. If you want to experiment with your style, then wear a solid jumpsuit, which is currently in fashion.

Always wear light coloured clothes which are breathable, like cotton. Synthetic clothes should be avoided. A stylish raincoat is a must to turn heads this season. Try printed clothes this weather, which will also add more dazzle to your wardrobe on rainy days.

You can add a variety of colourful gumboots to look stylish and upgrade your wardrobe. Wear comfortable flip flops and jelly flats to get vibrant feet.

If you feel like wearing closed footwear, make sure to wear waterproof socks which will keep your feet dry and safe from bacterial infection. The good thing is that these waterproof socks come with moisture-wicking, as well as anti-microbial properties.

Last but not the least, a nice and vibrant collection of umbrellas is a must in monsoon. Gone are the days when umbrellas were only used to protect against rains.

A fun, bright-coloured um-

brella can make your outfit look cool. Carrying a different coloured umbrella in the sea of black umbrellas will surely turn some heads. You can further experiment by picking an umbrella with quirky prints that brings out the kid in you. However, if you want to settle on something more sophisticated, you can go for umbrellas in pastel colours or try the classic combination of blackand-white.

So to look different this monsoon, you have to adopt a different lifestyle and upgrade your wardrobe. Ensure to take raincoat and umbrella along with you. Stop wearing long clothes this monsoon to stop ruining your cloth.

WATCH LIST JAIPUR | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020

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harlie Brooker’s dystopian series returns more confident than ever, offering up an ambitious tale of sexual and gender fluidity and a barnstorming performance from Miley Cyrus.

The Bandersnatch boy is back. After the innovativeif-not-wholly-unprecedented interactive standalone episode under the Black Mirror umbrella, Charlie Brooker’s anthology series (created with co-producer Annabel Jones) has returned for a proper run.

Season five comprises three episodes – each a discrete story set five minutes from now – that continue in Black Mirror’s lightly terrifying dystopian tradition of asking not what is the worst thing that could happen but what is the worst of the most likely possibilities. Like a sweetly sadistic scientist, it delights in shaving off slices of our collective psyche and sliding them under an unforgiving microscope to examine our most current concerns.

The first episode, Striking Vipers, is – lightly, obliquely – a meditation on sexual and gender fluidity, via the story of old college friends Danny and Karl.

The pair meet up together again a decade on and find out that, as online avatars

in a wholly immersive video game (discs are stuck to temples and the players zombie out on their respective sofas, their minds literally in the alternative world), they have – despite Danny’s happy marriage to a woman and Karl’s string of young girlfriends – an overwhelming attraction to each other. Mind-blowing online sex between them , ensues and suddenly every boundary is porous: real and online life; fidelity and infidelity; heterosexuality and homosexuality; and lust, love and friendship.

It’s one of the most tender episodes of Black Mirror, whose reputation for bleak nihilism is overstated but not entirely undeserved given how often it prefers the pursuit of a good idea to its extreme end rather than following up on its emotional impact.

The second episode, Smithereens, is the slightest and perhaps least successful of the trio. The story questions our powerlessness in the face of tech developed to keep us addicted, but doesn’t twist and turn as much as the best of them. It is largely held together by Andrew Scott’s uniquely potent and peculiar energy (whether he’s hot priesting or Moriartying it), perfectly channelled into the role of a

BLACK MIRROR

Sweet, sadistic and hugely impressive

grief-stricken, increasingly desperate taxi driver who kidnaps an employee of an Apple-esque company in order to force its CEO to speak to him. Things, inevitably, spiral out of control.

Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too is the barnstorming finale – fast and perfectlypaced, a mass of ideas entwining with masses of action, and still with enough heart to keep you watching in more than awe. It is the one that has grabbed most of the advance headlines because it stars Miley Cyrus, the singer and former child star who became famous playing the character Miley Stewart, ordinary schoolgirl by day and recording sensation Hannah Montana by night in the Disney show Hannah Montana. What attracted her to the part of Ashley O – a denatured recording sensation controlled in every aspect by her manageraunt, and whose real personality is eventually unveiled to one of her adoring fans via a malfunctioning robot intended as an anodyne piece of merch – we may never know.

It’s a grand caper, involving a daring break-in to a celebrity mansion, anaesthetising syringes stabbed

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in necks, a mouse-brain laboratory in a basement and a disastrous talent contest, but it also provides plenty of mental meat to chew on. It ruminates on the power of celebrity and AI to fill in the cracks of lonely lives, seeming to mend them but ultimately only alienating us further from each other. But it’s also about the endless differences between the sanitised images we see everywhere and the brutal realities behind them, and the drive towards homogeneity in all things – from insecure adolescent teenagers seeking safety in the crowd until they figure themselves out, to the people who just want to make the biggest buck from the widest possible demographic.

Miley Cyrus gives a great performance as a star hovering on the border between depression and rebellion. But a shout-out too for the quieter but equally sterling work from Angourie Rice – absolutely convincing as a shy, awkward teen for whom no Hollywood transformation beckons. The three instalments vary in mood, genre and just about everything else (as anthologies are designed to do) but they share a new air of calm authority.

FA CE OF TH ED AY

Source: https://www.theguardian.com

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Windfall can be expected that will change your financial position forever for good. You will be in limelight after you get the professional opportunity which is not easy. You may go for a new diet which may not taste good but will be extremely beneficial for you.

TAcquisition of some firm or some kind of small business is on the cards for some. You have a strong desire for fame and power and you can get it with patience and diligence. Professionally you are doing alright for now and definitely you have a secure job.

Brevity of human life is well known therefore one should make the most of it.

Monetary benefits are on the cards and the same money can be used for your business expansion.

Professionally you leave no chance to impress tour boss. Those unwell can expect a quick recovery.

Dominion over a certain segment of business in the market is what makes you a known personality. You may require some serious persuasive skills to make your spouse agree for something. You have a great bond with your kids and you are both their mentor and a friend.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

TGeriatric care may be needed by house’s old people. A new and more paying job is indicated.

Only spend money on important things. You will spend your day in repairing some thing Marketing personnel may be pressurised for selling their products.

Postulating the right ideas to run the business is whats need right now also focus on being selective with your staff. For startups you need a good publicity program to see profits coming your way. You need to workout regularly if you occasionally indulge in eating junk food.

Lamenting over what has been lost is not a trait of warriors, always look forward and march ahead.

Right now all your stars is supporting a big change in life for good. You kid have big dreams and you will play a very important role in making them come true.

Surmount challenges is something no one can know better than you.

Make peace with whom you haven’t talked with in a while.

Anyone undergoing any training will do it successfully. You must sort your matter on home at priority so that things are under control.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Yielding big profits must be your priority at this moment.

Business will thrive,just needs a little push. Don’t give up so easily you never know your little more efforts may change someone’s life. There are always ups and down in life doesn’t mean we stop having hope in tough times.

Solidarity is must seeing the current times, do not forget that. You will save money today by using your bargaining skills. Those not feeling well will have instant recovery.

Cooperate with your wife at home and give them the opportunity to rest.

Reproaching in domestic matters must not happen rather sit and discuss whatever it may be. Your family is your strength and don’t let anything shake it. You are blessed to have a great mother from whom you have inculcated all the best values and virtues.

Tramify your business and you shall see how successful you will become. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward. Your achievements speaks for you. You are a good parents and always try to understand your child’s emotions.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

NICOLE CONCESSAO, Dancer

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC JAIPUR | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020

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lia Bhatt introduced her fans to a new family member in the house, her pet cat Juniper.

The ‘Highway’ actor put out a post on Instagram in which she is seen posing with Juniper. In the picture, Alia is seen flaunting a no make-up look with her hair tied in a neat bun. Also, the snap captures Alia’s sister Shaheen Bhatt posing into camera in a blurred background.

“This girl duo just became a girl trio. Meet our new baby Juniper. Her skills include biting, selfie-taking and being generally adorable,” Alia wrote in the caption.

While Dia Mirza put out three heart emojis in comments, mom Soni Razdan wrote, “Totally one of the family I can see !” (with a lovestruck and two heart emojis). Lately, Alia has been keeping her fans updated on her activities by posting pictures and videos on social media.

—ANI

DIL BECHARA TRAILER

New Family

TO BE OUT

MEMBER

Late Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi

L ...her post

Tough CALL

O

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scar winner Brie Larson recently made her debut on YouTube and posted her first video. The video captioned: “So, I made a decision...” featured fellow YouTube stars and content creators, as well as her mom and grandma, who give her advice on starting her channel. The actor opened the video with, “Hi, I’m Brie Larson, I’m an actor, you might know me from Captain Marvel, or maybe you me from nothing.

Maybe you just randomly, from the algorithm clicked on Brie Larson this. But regardless, hello! I’m starting a YouTube channel.”

Explaining why she decided to start her channel, Larson shared, “This is like the place to talk about things that are important and that matter. It doesn’t mean that there isn’t also silly content, that there’s ways for me to express myself personally,” Larson, 30, continued. “But, there will also be deep conversations, anti-racist rhetoric, inclusive content.”

In the video, Larson also opened up about social anxiety and being introverted. “For me, my baseline has been, I’m an introvert with asthma. Like, that’s been my story for myself...I’m introverted. I’m scared. I have social anxiety,” Larson professed in the video. “And though, in particular, playing Captain Marvel, that kind of wiped clean those titles I had for myself and made me go, ‘Woah, I’m not really that anymore.’ And so, from there I found that speaking out, telling my story, talking about things that I’m scared of, has just helped me so much,” she added.

—Agency

Alia Bhatt

TWINNING TALES

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ara Ali Khan spent Saturday with her mother and senior actor Amrita Singh and documented the day out on Instagram with a picture.

In the pictures posted by the ‘Kedarnath’ actor, the mother-daughter duo are twinning in multi-coloured Anarkali suits. In one of the pictures, the two are seen sitting on a couch

posing while the other one is a selfie featuring the two wearing attractive designer masks.

“Mommy’s Day Out #twinning #winning,” Khan wrote in the caption. The ‘Love Aaj Kal’ actor is quite close to her mother and brother Ibrahim Khan. She keeps posting pictures from the family outings to keep her fans entertained.

—ANI

Sara Ali Khan; (inset) Her post

ate actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s last film opposite Sanjana Sanghi, Dil Bechara, was set for a digital release. The announcement was made by the makers’ film last month, a few days after his demise.

After releasing a new poster, the makers have now announced that Dil Bechara’s trailer will be out on Monday, 6 July. Sharing a happy poster of Sushant and Sanjana, the caption read, ‘Every love story is beautiful, but this one is our favourite The trailer of #DilBechara will be out tomorrow.

Stay tuned!’

Fans who rallied for the actor’s last film to be released in theatres, were disappointed with the news that film was going to release on a web streaming platform. Dil Bechara will be releasing on Disney Plus Hotstar. The film marks Sanjana Sanghi’s debut as a female lead.

Just a few days ago, Sanjana shared a fun and heartwarming photo with Sushant from the sets of their film.

She wrote, ‘Oye? I need to laugh till my stomach hurts at all your bad jokes. I need to compete with you on who can eat more ham & cheese omelettes and drink more chai. Fight with you over who’s script looks more tattered and worn out because we worked on it endlessly.’

—Agency

...her post

HULK HOGAN BIOPIC

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Chris Hemsworth

he Hollywood actor Chris Hemsworth revealed some interesting details about his character in the upcoming Todd Phillips directorial. The film was announced last year is reportedly stated to be a biopic on the WWE icon, Hulk Hogan.

The actor firstly says that the role of Hulk Hogan will require him to train very hard to build a strong physique.

The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ actor further adds that he will need to build a stronger body than what he had to do for his role of ‘Thor’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

Chris Hemsworth also reportedly stated that he preparation for the film in more for the physical aspect in order to match up to the physicality of the WWE icon. Chris does not fail to mention that the film is going to be a fun venture and he is looking forward to work alongside the Joker director. During an interview, the Hollywood actor also revealed that he has to work on the character’s accent along with the physical attributes and attitude of the character, of the WWE legend, Hulk Hogan. The actor goes on to mention that he wants to get into the skin of the character, by diving deep into the world of wresting.

—Agency

CITY BUZZ JAIPUR | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020

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

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FACEBOOK POST!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Robert Vadra

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Robert Vadra regularly shares motivating posts on his social media, especially concerning physical fitness. This time he has shared breath-taking photographs clicked during his early morning run, around New Delhi. The captivating photos show a different Delhi captured beautifully on cam.

Jagdeesh Chandra met and congratulated the newly elected Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Dangi at Jaipur, on Sunday. Mahipal Singh was also present.

He wrote, “Life is beautiful! Running early morning, I am able to capture some awesome pictures of historical sites, and areas around our everyday life. Wishing all my friends a happy Sunday and a healthy life. Keep smiling it’s contagious.”

—Vaishali

NAAM KYA HAI?

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

City First gets in touch with its readers from Rajasthan & Gujarat about the relation with their name and if they ever wanted to change it

RAJASTHAN: Rajendra Nagar Colony Vikas Samiti honoured the Safai Karamcharis Mahesh Kumar and Anil Kumar for their services throughout the lockdown period, Wg. Cdr. SS Dhankhar President along with Brig. BS Shekhawat and Rao Ranjit Singh garlanded them and conveyed gratitude on behalf of all.

ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

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RAJASTHAN: Jaipur based Bollywood singer, composer, lyricist, Gajendra Verma visited Junction 14 Restaurant, Jaipur on Saturday, where he talked about his lockdown period activities and upcoming projects. He also attended the meet and greet session with the children models of the city.

RAJASTHAN: Neha Lal is one of the winners of Mrs India Legacy 2019 Pageant. She bagged the Most Active Participant in the same pageant through her vivacious and attractive personality. Her unique signature is her remarkable professionalism and her ability to multi-task myriad roles right from endorsements for prestigious brands to photoshoots and philanthropy.

HAPPY B’DAY!

Nohar MLA Amit Chachan (left) and Niwai MLA Niwai Prashant Bairwa celebrated their birthdays on 5 July, Sunday. We wish them all the best!

he problem is I have never owned my name. Frankly, I don’t think it cares either. My name exists a little separate from me.

In fact, whenever I introduce myself, I hesitate over my own name as if unsure; like we do when introducing a rarely met ‘friend’ we bump into at a wedding. And my ‘name’ also does not stay close to me. When I say it aloud it hovers to one side as if wondering whether to adopt or reject any association with me, and it jeers at me I tell you.

Many a time it finds a more fitting person and leaves me and rushes off nestling below the nose of the ‘suitable’ person leaving me berefit and ‘nameless’.

I threaten it with change- of casting it to the winds, but it knows me – it’s an ineffective threat. Like an old wife who threatens to leave her husband of many years the next time, he gets drunk. But she doesn’t leave- she stays- out of habit, laziness and not knowing where to go.

So, I don’t change my name either- I keep this one out of habit, laziness and not sure which name I would keep.

We co-exist, not compatible but in a compromise. Just a request- when I meet you give me a few seconds for me to introduce myself and overlook my hesitation.

RAJASTHAN: Vipasha Bhatnagar, a girl from Jaipur found a solution to Plastic Waste by converting the waste into DIY Handmade products such as plastic glasses, ice cream sticks, jute, water bottles, small gifts, wall hangings, among others. She calls it the ‘Art of Sustainability’.

RAJASTHAN: The Grande Finale of Khandelwalas Got Talent (KGT) Season 2 was organised on Sunday, where 12 participants won the title in 3 different age categories. Dhruvi Khandelwal and Neeta Gupta won in the age group of 4-9 years; in the age group of 10-15 years, Priyansha Khandelwaldi and Naina Sambharia won in Dancing while Sandhya Udish Methi won in singing. In the age group of 16 years and above, Natasha Gupta and Calcutta’s Shreya Shah won in dance, and Himanshu from Alwar and Srinidhi of Maharashtra won in Singing. In instrumental music, Sakam Gupta and Khuman Patodia won the finals.

I am Simmi and I’m totally in love with my name as it has all positive meanings. A name with power and authority, ‘Simmi’. My name has fortunate luck for earning money and yes, I do save. I really like my name and have never wanted to change it.

—SIMMI BACHKANIWALA

My name is Komal, but I’m not a delicate person. This name holds answers to many questions and it says a lot about my personality.

As my name is Komal so people often judge me as a gentle woman, which I’m proud to be.

My name always reminds me of a kind-hearted girl with a lot of potentials.

—KOMAL BACHKANIWALA

My relation to my name is a bit tricky. I have two names: Sunny- the birth name and Manishthe one that I changed later on. I like both the names.

While Sunny is more like a family or pet name; Manish sounds more sophisticated and I like to associate myself with this name when I am outside.

—MANISH KUMAR

RANG MALHAR

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he 11th season of Rang Malhar was organised by various artists to wish good rain in the state. In this festival of colours, more than 1000 artists from all over the country and abroad called for good rain. The

theme of ‘Rang Malhar 2020’ was handbags. All the artists wooed Indradev by releasing their fantasies through colours on handbags with the purpose of spreading awareness about nature and the environment.