First India-Jaipur Edition-17 August 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

25°C - 32°C

ALERT JAIPUR l MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

7,71,005 2,17,24,732 CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 20,037 DEATHS 5,95,865 CASES

TAMIL NADU 5,766 DEATHS 3,38,055 CASES

RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 71

INDIA

51,025 26,46,583 DEATHS

DELHI 4,196 DEATHS 1,52,580 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

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RAJASTHAN

876

61,296

DEATHS

KARNATAKA 3,956 DEATHS 2,26,966 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

GUJARAT 2,785 DEATHS 78,783 CASES

MSD HANGS BOOTS

India remembers

ATAL

Consider me retired, says Dhoni while calls it quits New Delhi: Two-time World Cup-winning former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from international cricket on Saturday, ending over one year of suspense and also an era during which his often unorthodox leadership and finishing skills became the stuff of legends.

The 39-year-old will, however, compete in this year’s IPL, which

gets underway in the UAE from September 19 after being moved out of India due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. from 1929hrs consider me as retired,” Dhoni posted on his instagram handle. The announcement came a day after he joined his Chennai Super Kings teammates at the side’s Turn to P6

Chetan Chauhan succumbs to COVID

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary, at Sadaiv Atal in New Delhi on Sunday. —PHOTO BY PTI MORE ON P5

NARENDRA MODI @NARENDRAMODI Tributes to beloved Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. India will always remember his outstanding service and efforts towards our nation’s progress.

AMIT SHAH @AMITSHAH Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji was the voice of patriotism and Indian culture. He was a dedicated politician as well as a skilled organiser who played an important role in the foundation and growth of the BJP and inspired millions of workers to serve the country.

Well done Pande! For an imperative role in building Congress cadre in Raj! Aditi Nagar New Delhi: After a historic and highly impressive three year long performing tenure, Rajasthan AICC General Secretary Incharge Avinash Pande put in his papers on Sunday evening, when he was replaced with Sonia Gandhi’s new choice Ajay Maken, as the new Incharge of Rajasthan.

According to sources, Congress high com-

CM Ashok Gehlot and Avinash Pande

mand sounded Pande two days back about a likely change in his Rajasthan assignment.

Now, Pande is likely

to be assigned some other new responsibility by the Congress President in the coming days.

Turn to P8

ASHOK GEHLOT @ ASHOKGEHLOT51 My heartiest thanks to Shri Avinash Pandey ji for his valuable support and guidance as the AICC in-charge of Rajasthan.

His efforts to establish coordination between the party organisation and the govt have been highly commendable. I wish him all the best. @avinashpandeinc

JULY 1947 TO AUGUST 2020

New Delhi: Former India opener and UP minister Chetan Chauhan died on Sunday due to COVID-19 related complications after being put on life support for nearly 36 hours, his brother Pushpendra Chauhan said.

Chauhan, who played 40 Tests for India, was 73 and is survived by his wife and son Vinayak.

PM Narendra

Modi while expressing grief over the demise of Chauhan tweeted, “Shri Chetan Chauhan Ji distinguished himself as a wonderful cricketer and later as a diligent political leader. He made effective contributions to public service and strengthening the BJP in UP. Anguished by his passing away. Condolences to his family and supporters.

Om Shanti.

Turn to P6

WELCOME AJAY MAKEN! Aditi Nagar New Delhi: Nearly a week since the Congress high command brought rebel leader Sachin Pilot back in Congress’s fold, the high command appointed Ajay Maken as the new incharge for Rajasthan in place of Avinash Pande. Welcoming the move, Pilot tweeted on Sunday evening, “Congratulations to Ajay maken ji for being appointed Rajasthan incharge. Your appointment will certainly boost the morale

Ajay Maken

of Rajasthan Congress party workers. With hopes of a bright future, I welcome Ajay Maken ji to the land of valour - Rajasthan.”

Who is Ajay Maken?

The new general secre-

tary incharge Maken has also been an old Gandhi family trusted person, who was given key responsibilities during his 35-year-long political career in national capital. Present-

ASHOK GEHLOT @ ASHOKGEHLOT51 I welcome the decision of CP Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji to appoint Shri @ ajaymaken as AICC General Secretary incharge of #Rajasthan. ly, Maken is considered as one of the key figure in Rahul Gandi team.

Recently, Sonia-Rahul had assigned Maken a key responsibility of taking care of 102 Gehlot Turn to P8

Congress forms 3-member panel to oversee Rajasthan issues Aditi Nagar New Delhi: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday constituted a three-member committee of Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal (AICC General Secretary, Incharge Organisantion) and Ajay Maken (AICC General Secretary, Incharge, Rajasthan) to oversee and ensure the smooth resolution of re-

cent issues in Rajasthan.

According to sources, the stage is set for the new committee to look into Sachin Pilot’s issues and concerns.

Apart from Venugopal, Sonia Gandhi’s trusted aide Ahmed Patel, who enjoys an excellent rapport with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, will play a key role in sorting out the issue in consultation with Gehlot and

KC Venugopal

Ahmed Patel

Ajay Maken

the new AICC General Secretary Ajay Maken.

With over three years left and a number of promises to be fulfilled, the party realises a course correction is critical and needs to get its house in order, sources in the Congress say.

The threat of poaching by the BJP also remains very real, they add.

The new decisions taken after the truce are

SACHIN PILOT @SACHINPILOT “I thank Congress leadership for appointing Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal and Ajay Maken in the three member committee. I have complete faith that under the committee’s guidance, the organization in Rajasthan will receive a new direction. expected to find a face saver for Sachin Pilot and a lasting solution to

ensure the stability of the Rajasthan government. However, Turn to P8

RAJASTHAN JAIPUR | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020

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02

JAIPUR CELEBRATES INDEPENDENCE DAY

Governor Kalraj Mishra hoists the national flag at Raj Bhavan on August 15.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot hoists the Tricolour at Badi Chaupar.

CS Rajeeva Swarup hoists the flag at his residence.

Raghu Sharma hoisted the flag at his residence.

Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanaty at Raj HC.

Ravi Jain during I-Day function at Transport Bhavan.

Pawan Arora, RHB commissioner hoisting the national flag at RHB HQ on Saturday.

Assembly Speaker CP Joshi hoisted the flag at Raj Assembly.

DG Bhupendra Singh hoisted the flag at PHQ.

Anand Srivastava inspecting guard of honour at Commissionerate.

Cultural dance performance at Sawai Man Singh Stadium during 74th I-Day programme.

—PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

PARTY REMEMBERS ATAL AND HIS CURIOSITY ABOUT CHOMU! Aishwarya Pradhan

Jaipur: The word ‘Chomu’ had also confused former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that why people laugh when it is pronounced.

It was in the year 1993 when Vajpayee was campaigning in the party leader Ghanshyam Tiwari’s constituency in Sikar and others. During the campaigning, Vajpayee talked about going to Chomu when

the workers present there laughed. He could not understand why they were giving this reaction.

Vajpayee then asked Satish Poonia, who was learning the lessons of politics in his initial days. It was not easy for Poonia to handle it but he said that, “People of Chomu are simple and gentlemen”.

When he said he was not convinced by the reply, Poonia politely said Ghanshyam Ti-

None can escape Rajasthan’s foolproof intelligence system!

First India Bureau Jaipur: No one can go undetected by the Gehlot government as the intelligence system has become foolproof.

Sources have revealed that the SOG &ACB of the Rajasthan Police have special high-tech devices to track locations.

The devices are made in Germany and South

Korea and are believed to have been last month where allegations of horse trading of MLAs were leveled.

Not only the precise location, the devices are capable of tracking messages and can record conversation which suggests that the Gehlot government has a strong intelligence system and no one can go undetected.

BJP national general secretary V Satish pays tribute to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at party office in Jaipur on Sunday.

wari is the right person to answer this. By the time Vajpayee reached Chomu, he had got his answer and he was just smiling.

There are several tales and jokes about Chomu which are famous in Jaipur and nearby areas. BJP MLA Ramlal represents Chomu constituency and wherever he names his constituency, he knows that people will laugh. He too does not take it otherwise.

2 drown in Tonk’s Soda River, villagers rescue 2 Ziyauddin Khan Tonk: At least two people were killed and two went missing after they fell into the overflowing Sodra river in Tonk, the police officials said.

Two people were trying to cross the bridge when their bike slipped & they fell into river.

While one of them was

rescued, efforts are on to trace other.

In another incident, a man was returning from his field when one of his goats fell in the river. Simultaneously, he too jumped to rescue the animal. His son, who witnessed the incident also jumped to rescue his father & the goat. While father was

saved, his son died.

ASI Balkrishna Sharma said, “We got information on Sat eve that 4 people drowned in the overflowing Sodra river.

While the villagers managed to rescue the two, efforts are on to locate the other two.” Disaster force reached the spot & started the search operation, he added.

—ANI

Niranjan Arya, ACS Finance at Udyog Bhawan.

V Satish, Satish Poonia, Gulab Chand Kataria at BJP HQ.

Pilot tweets on Atal ji, I-Day and Dhoni!

First India Bureau Jaipur: Former deputy CM Sachin Pilot kept in touch with the people of the state & his followers through social media while holidays were observed.

Pilot tweets his feelings for late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary on Sunday. He, while paying his respect he wrote that Vajpayee’s contribution to the development of the country will remain unforgettable & invaluable.

He also wished cricketing icon MS Dhoni, “Best wishes to one of India’s greatest cricketing legends #MSDhoni as he announces his retirement. Thank you for superb innings and the many laurels you’ve brought to the country”.

Pilot also wished on Independence Day & said he salutes the revolutionaries, freedom fighters & army men who have sacrificed themselves for the independence and security of the country.

Nalin Joshi & A Rex Angelo SJ hoist flag at St Xavier’s College.

JDA gifts four schemes for city

Shanti Dhariwal launched 4 housing schemes by JDA in Jaipur.

Abhishek Srivastav Jaipur. UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal launched 4 housing schemes by JDA in the surrounding areas of Jaipur. Dhariwal said that the schemes will have provision of both online booking as well as auction of chosen plots. The Gokul Nagar scheme is situated on Kalwar road, Abdul Kalam Nagar in Jaisinghpura on Ajmer road, Nilay Kunj in Jagatpura and Hira Lal Shahstri Nagar scheme. The online application process was opened on Sunday.

The last date for application will be 16 Sept and the draw of lots will be done on 25 Sept. The reserve price for Gokul Nagar is Rs 30,000 per

sq meter, Rs 18000 per sq meter for Abdul Kalam Nagar, Rs 22000 for Nilay Kunj and Rs 7500 for Hira Lal Shashtri Nagar. There are 252 plots in Gokul Nagar, 149 plots in Nilay Kunj, 151 in Abdul Kalam Nagar and 677 plots in Hira Lal Shastri Nagar.

The UDH has sanctioned Rs 2.25 crore for Abdul Kalam Nagar, Rs 4.88 crore for Hira Lal Shashtri Nagar and Rs 1.95 crore for Nilay Kunj schemes for initial development work to be carried out by JDA. Out of total 1801 plots 1220 will go up for lottery through online application while rest will be auctioned by JDA. According to estimates JDA will receive Rs 428 crore along with Rs 260 crore from other rev.

RAJASTHAN JAIPUR | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020

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14 DEATHS, 1,317 NEW CASES IN STATE IN LAST 24 HOURS

Maximum 164 new cases surfaced from Jaipur, followed by 135 from Jodh on Sunday First India Bureau Jaipur: Sunday witnessed a record 1317 new cases of corona in the state along with 14 deaths. Maximum 164 new cases surfaced from Jaipur followed by 135 from Jodhpur, 110 from Alwar, 79 from Kota, 74 from Ajmer, 73 from Bikaner, 66 each from Bharatpur & Udaipur, 61 each from Barmer & Sikar, 51 from Bhilwara, 50 from Banswara, 45 from Pali, 35 from Baran, , 34 from Tonk, 33 from Nagaur, 32 from Jhalawar, 26 from Jhunjhunu, 25 from Sawai Madhopur, 18 from Bundi, 17 from Pratapgarh, 12 from Karauli, 10 each from Ganganagar & Sirohi, 7 each from Dungarpur & Rajsamand, 5 from Hanumangarh, 4 from Jaisalmer, 2 each from Chu-

—FILE PHOTO

ru & Jalore taking the toll to 61,296. Out of 14 deaths 3 each were reported from Bikaner & Jaipur, 2 each from Ajmer, Bhilwara, Sikar & Udaipur.

The speed of coronavirus spread in the state is a clear alarm for the health department of the state. It was 3 march

when the first patient of corona surfaced. It took 95 days for total corona positives to reach the 10,000 mark on June 5.

This was followed by reaching the 20,000 mark in just 30 days on July 5. On July 20 that the state had crossed the 30,000 patients mark.

And then it took only 10

days that the 40,000 mark was crossed on 30 July. This was followed by a 9 day gap to reach the 50,000 mark and now only 8 days later the state has the tally crossing the 60,000 mark.

Rajya Sabha MP Rajendra Gehlot has been diagnosed with corona positive.

Meanwhile

RAJENDRA GEHLOT @RAJENDRA_GEHLOT On feeling the initial symptoms of corona, I got myself tested and the report came back positive. My health is fine, I request that all of you who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get yourself checked. several places were either put under curfew or lockdown in order to control the spread of the Covid-19. District administration has announced a day lockdown in Choti Sadari.

Nawalgarh and Khetri township has been put under curfew in Jhunjhunu district.

Parents protest against pvt schools charging fees Bharat Dixit Jaipur: Several parents on Sunday held a protest against the private schools, who are charging fees despite clear directions from the Rajasthan government.

Under the ‘No School No Fees’ campaign, parents assembled outside the Shiksha shankul. They wanted to take out a peaceful rally but police did not allow them so the protest was held in front of the shiksha sankul.

They alleged that private schools are pressurising them for deposition of fees which is the violation of the state government’s directions. They said that schools have not opened yet and they should not be charging fees.

“The schools are putting pressure for fees in the name of online

Congress blames its internal conflicts on Modi, Shah: Poonia

Rajyavardhan attends last rites of navy personnel

Moderate to heavy rain lash Raj

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Jaipur rural MP Rajyavardhan Rathore on Sunday paid homage to Indian Navy personnel Sureshchand Jat in Sangteda village of Kotputli. He attended the last procession of the Jat, who died due to cardiac arrest. He was posted as master chief petty officer in Sagar Prahari unit in Port Blair. Rathore said that India is proud of its brave soldiers who lay down their lives in the line of duty.

He also paid tributes to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary. He tweeted, Vajpayee started a new era of development and good governance in India. Rathore said Vajypayee’s politics were based on values and ideals and he will be remembered for long.

Jaipur: Moderate to heavy rainfall continued to lash parts of state on Sunday. During the past 24 hours, 115 mm of rainfall was recorded in Merta city of Nagaur, followed by 100 mm in Sedwa of Barmer, 85 mm in Raipur of Pali and 65 mm in Ramsar of Barmer.

MeT department has forecast heavy rain in Baran, Dungarpur, Jhalawar, Karauli, Kota, Sawai Madhopur districts. There is a likelihood of moderate rainfall in Alwar, Baran, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Jhunjhunu, Sikar during the next 24 hours.

From Sunday morning to evening, 13 mm of rainfall was recorded in Bhilwara, 12.4 mm in Ajmer, 1.8 mm in Jaipur, 0.4 mm in Dabok, and drizzle in Bikaner and Alwar.

—PTI

Pali: BJP state president Satish Poonia on Sunday, said that Congress leaders have their own conflicts and they fight with each other but shift blame on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Speaking at a programme held by Rotary club in Pali, Poonia said that a senior Congress leader had announced in a public meeting in Jalore during elections that farmers loans will be waived, but the loans have not been waived till date. He said that those who are involved in corruption have no right to talk on morality and democracy.

He said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and leader Rahul Gan-

Satish Poonia

dhi are on bail.

Rejecting the allegations of horse trading which were leveled by CM Ashok Gehlot, Poonia said that he never purchased a ‘goat’ so how will he purchase MLA. He was referring to Gehlot’s comment in which he had accused BJP of bidding MLAs like the goat market.

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the Congress government has failed on every front.

Two jump in well to rescue calf, die of poisonous gas

Rajyavardhan Rathore attends the last procession of Indian Navy personnel Sureshchand Jat at Kotputli.

COL RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE @RA_THORE Master Chief Petty Officer Suresh Chand Jat Ji was a resident of Rural Jaipur, a naval officer of the Indian Navy’s Sea Sentinel Unit at Port Blair, gave him his last farewell with moist eyes and despaired mind. Humble tribute to the departed soul, may he get his place in the presence of God. Om Shanti

First India Bureau

Man kills wife after dispute over shortage of food

Jalore: Two youths died in the Dorda township of Jaswantpura sub division of the district on Sunday.

According to the police a calf accidently fell into the well situated on the farmland of Rawatalal Ravna. In order to save the calf 50 year old Kevlaram Bheel and 35 year old rattan Singh went down the well. Both died inside the well due to poisonous gas inside the well.

SDM Shailendra Charan, tehsildar Ramlal Meena, DSP Ratan Lal, Raniwara MLA Narayan Singh deval, SHO Sabir Khan and many others reached the spot on information.

An SDRF team from

Bundi: A 25-year-old labourer allegedly killed his wife in Bundi district after she said there was nothing left to eat at home.

The incident took place on Friday evening in Dara Ka Nayagaun village under Dablana police station limits.

Nandkishore Bheel hit his wife Sharmabai (22) on the head with a stick and fled from his house. However, he was arrested on Saturday, police said.

Nandkishore and Sharmabai, who worked as daily wage labourers, had an argument over shortage of rations at their house, said Dablana SHO Ramvilas on Sunday.

When Sharmabai

SDRF team recovering the bodies from the well.

Gudhamalani was called which recovered the two bodies after two hours of hard labour.

The bodies were handed over to respective families after postmortem.

said they have run out of food and she would return to her parents’ house, Nandkishore hit her on the head with a stick and she fell unconscious, police said.

The woman was taken to hospital but doctors declared her brought dead, they said.

A case of murder has been registered against Nandkishore and the woman’s body handed over to her family members after post-mortem, the station house officer said.

The couple got married three years ago and did not have any children.

They worked as daily wage labourers in an agriculture field, Ramvilas added. —PTI

03

—FILE PHOTO

PROTEST ACROSS STATE NEXT

classes. The schools are not functioning and the government too has given them directions to not charge fees still they are creating pressure. Lockdown due to the corona pandemic has ruined business and there is a crisis of employment. In such a situation, the schools

should cooperate and should follow the government directions,” they said.

The parents, who have come together under the Joint Parents Committee, have said that similar protests will be held across the state if no relief is provided to them.

Kota: Man drowns in 27ft deep reservoir

Rescue teams at the incident site.

First India Bureau Kota: A youth died at a picnic spot on the KotaJhalawar highway near Alaniya. Jitendra Gurjar of Ganeshpura village of Kothun was enjoying his outing with his friends during which he dived in an anicut at Chattaneshwar. Jitendra while diving, drowned in the 27 feet deep reservoir.

His friends tried saving him but couldn’t help him due to the

depth. Police informed the rescue team of the municipal corporation to search for the missing Jitendra. It took half an hour for the divers of the rescue team to search for the body.

Police handed over the body to the family of the deceased after postmortem.

There have been reports of people drowning at Chattaneshwar even earlier. The incidents increase during and post monsoon season.

PERSPECTIVE JAIPUR | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020

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AS I PLEASE

IN-DEPTH

CAPTAIN COOL WALKS INTO THE SUNSET

M

ahendra Singh Dhoni, or Mahi as we all know him, set the cricketing world abuzz with an Instagram post announcing his retirement from “1929 hours” on Saturday. His fans were disappointed. They wanted to see him lead Chennai Super Kings for his last hurrah in the UAE edition of the Indian Premier League. Till now he kept everyone guessing about his future plans. Early this year, Ravi Shastri, the head coach, had said that Dhoni could end his career in one-day internationals but could be a contender for a place in the T-20 squad provided he does well in the IPL. But Dhoni kept his plans under the wraps.

Then in January the Board of Control for Cricket in India dropped MSD from its annual contract list. The reason given was that Captain Cool had not played any competitive game after India’s loss to New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final in 2019. He was not part of the team’s series against West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia.

Clearly, the writing was on the wall.

From a ticket collector in Ranchi to being among India’s best captains, it’s been an inspiring journey. Dhoni was an antithesis of Saurav Ganguly, who brought a lot of machismo on the field. Calm personified, Mahi brought excitement with his helicopter shots to win matches on the last ball of the game.

He is ranked among the best wicket-keepers and one of the fastest runners between the wickets. Not that one can go on playing indefinitely, but so far the team has not found his replacement.

K NATWAR SINGH The author is Former Minister of External Affairs of India

T

A YEAR WORSE THAN 2020? LET’S HOPE NOT

T

o say that the prevailing pandemic has derailed normal life is stating the obvious. It has proved to be the biggest disrupter of this century.

Social life, education, sporting activities, and festivals, all have taken a hit. On one hand, Delhi is claiming 90 per cent recoveries and on the other India is said to have become the global epicentre of the pandemic beating Brazil and the US with consistently. India’s seven-day average of daily cases has been higher than the two above-mentioned countries. According to Johns Hopkins University Centre for Systems Science and Engineering, on August 11, the weekly average of new Covid-19 cases was 60,000 daily, well ahead of US and Brazil.

Even when country was not an epicentre, the pandemic had snatched away precious lives.

Holi was played under the shadow of it. Then world’s toughest lockdown happened. The three-month long phase took a toll on Eid, Bakrid, Janmashtami and Rakshabandhan festivities in the north and Hornbill festival in the north-east. Independence Day also could not be celebrated with its usual gusto. If trend continues, then Ganesh Chaturthi, Muharram and Durga Puja celebrations will also be subdued.

By the time pandemic ends, children may forget the joys of festivals and outdoors.Indeed, can there be a year worse than this? Let’s hope not.

If I am not mistaken, Prime Minister Modi is yet to visit Sri Lanka.

If I am wrong I shall correct myself. Of all our neighbours, the strategic importance of Sri Lanka cannot be exaggerated

he Rajapaksa family dominates the thirty eight member Sri Lankan cabinet. Of the three Rajapaksa brothers, Gotabaya Rajapaksa is President and at the same time Minister of Defence. Mahinda Rajapaksa is Prime Minister. Their elder brother, Chamal Rajapaksa is Minister for Irrigation. The Prime Minister’s son, Namal Rajapaksa is minister for sports. His cousin Shasheendra son of the Irrigation minister is a junior minister for High Technical Agriculture. This is unprecedented in any democratic country. The Rajapaksas have out done the Nehru-Gandhis.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is a close friend of Subramanian Swami. In his earlier term the Sri Lankan Prime Minister had tilted towards The People Republic of China. Let us see what he does this time. He will, without doubt, go down in history for totally finishing of the LTTE. One thing is clear, the Anil Wickremsinghes and the Bandaranaikes are now, it seems, history.

If I am not mistaken, Prime Minister Modi is yet to visit Sri Lanka. If I am wrong I shall correct myself. Of all our neighbours, the strategic importance of Sri Lanka cannot be exaggerated.

The political farce in Rajasthan seems to be over.

Ashok Gehlot is an old and astute political war horse, with his feet firmly on the ground. He has asked his MLAs to forget and forgive.

His manner of receiving Sachin Pilot and being photographed with him displays high class public relations expertise.

The loser is the likeable Sachin Pilot. He showed poor judgement, over confidence and lack of patience. Why was he in such a hurry. He has time on his side. He should have learnt from his father how to play the political game and when to strike. Had he lived, he would have given the Gandhi

Mahinda Rajapaksa with Gotabaya Rajapaksa

trio a run for their money.

Sachin Pilot, if I may say so should now lie low, stop giving interviews. A period of silence on his part would do him no harm.

Senator Kamala Harris is an Afro-American and not an IndoAmerican. I am quoting her. Of course she has India blood from her mother. Her father was Jamaican. Hence the Indianness is diluted. All this however is neither here or there. She is the running mate of Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden. If he is elected she will be Vice-President.

Her electoral record is more than impressive. She was a reformist, forceful Attorney General of California-2011-2017. Her attempt to run for President in 2016 failed. She ran out of funds.

The Indian media has gone overboard. She is not an Indophile. That is clear from her observation on our Kashmir policy. She has been critical of the Modi government’s decision to do away with article 370 of the Constitution. She is fifty five years of age and photogenic.

President Trump unwise-

ly called her “nasty” and other unflattering names.

The very next day Kamala Harris responded, calling Trump incompetent and a divisive man, unfit to occupy the White House.

I read Sonia Gandhi’s article in The Hindu of Thursday 13th. The subject she chose is intricate. Did she really pen it herself or did the highly learned Jairam Ramesh held her hand. Let me, out of a sense of loyalty of days gone by give the benefit of doubt to Sonia.

F

creating money.

I’m currently working on a book chapter that examines various economic theories about government debt, including MMT. I believe this theory is now being put to the test as the U.S. and other countries spend unprecedented amounts of money to aid companies, workers and their citizens during the coronavirus pandemic.

UNPRECEDENTED SPENDING There is little doubt that the world faces enormous economic problems.

The situation in the U.S. is already worse than at any time since the Great Depression, with millions unemployed and tens of thousands of businesses filing for bankruptcy.

The U.S. government has already spent about

beleaguered airlines, keeps small businesses afloat and supports Americans who have lost jobs or incomes. The U.S. is hardly the only country throwing money at the coronavirus recession. Most developed nations are increasing government spending and debt levels to prop up their economies.

Traditionally, economists have argued that higher spending today means taxes will have to go up to pay for it

US$3 trillion seeking to mitigate the damage. As a result, the federal government deficit for this fiscal year will be far greater than any since World War II. And the government is expected to add $1 trillion to $3.5 trillion more red ink, assuming lawmakers agree to another relief bill.

All this spending helps prop up industries such as

MMT TO THE RESCUE A big concern, however, is whether countries can afford all this spending.

Traditionally, economists have argued that higher spending today means taxes will have to go up to pay for it. This outcome can be put off, for a time, by borrowing money from investors.

Both options have risks.

Higher taxes hurt consumer and business spending.

And increased borrowing

Pranab Mukerjee is fighting for his life. He is among our most respected politicians, with vast experience. He is the only member of Parliament who has been Finance Minister (aged 42), Defence Minister and External Affairs minister. The last time I saw him, he said to me, “Natwar Singhji, the greatest mistake of my life has been to become President. I am a public man, used to meeting hundreds of people every day.

The Rashtrapati Bhawan imprisoned me. I missed meeting Congress workers, Parliament and much else.”

Also, I was deeply distressed to learn of Sanju Dutt’s serious illness. I have known him since he was a teenager. His parentsSunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt were among my closest friends.

I wish Sanju all the best of luck and a rapid recovery.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Corona spending testing economic theory rench philosopher Voltaire f a m o u s l y quipped: “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” Something similar can be said of modern monetary theory, also known as MMT, because it may be the economy’s only hope to get through the pandemic.

Coined by Australian economist Bill Mitchell and popularized recently

by Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to fund programs such as the Green New Deal, MMT holds that a country with its own currency can spend almost unlimited sums of money. While government spending is normally financed by either taxes or borrowing, MMT suggests that governments can also do this by simply

04

can lead to rising interest rates, which raises costs for consumers and businesses. Both end up hurting economic growth, which is why some are arguing the U.S. can’t afford to spend more money fighting the coronavirus recession.

MMT dismisses this reasoning and argues currency-issuing countries like the U.S. have a third option: Make money out of thin air.

In a bare-bones version of MMT, the Treasury Department borrows from investors to finance spending, as it usually does, but then the Federal Reserve buys a significant share of that debt, depositing funds in the government’s checking account and creating money in the process.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM

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TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Breaking social taboos to raise issues of health and hygiene for a healthier and empowered India is a topic close to PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s heart.

From Sauchalaya in 2015 to Sanitary Pads in 2020, PM Modi is paving a path to a salubrious future for a #NewIndia.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Keeping Wheels of Trade Rolling: Railways makes strides towards fast & economical freight transport.

Speed of freight trains doubled, whereas Loading increased by 8% in month of August, with a phenomenal growth of 10% on 15th August, as compared to same period last year.

Spiritual SPEAK

Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.

—Proverbs 4:24

Vol 2 Issue No. 71 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.

Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor: Jagdeesh Chandra, responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

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Atalji remembered for liberal thinking: Prez President RamNath Kovind called former PM Atal Bihari Vajypayee a great hero who added many glorious chapters in the politics of India Chambal He played an important Expressway to be named after role in BJP’s growth: Shah New Delhi: Home MinVajpayee ister Amit Shah paid

Ram Nath Kovind unveils a portrait of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary at ICCR HQ via video conferencing from Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday unveiled a portrait of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) headquarters at Azad Bhavan, ITO in New Delhi on his second death anniversary. Attending the event through video conferencing, the President called Vajypayee a

great hero who added many glorious chapters in the politics of India.

“On behalf of the grateful nation, I pay him a humble tribute and unveiling the portrait of Atalji. Fortunately, in February last year, I also got a historic opportunity to unveil Atalji’s portrait in the Central Hall of Parliament House. Today, through this ceremony,

Govt will create 5 crore jobs in next 5 years: Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed confidence that the government will increase Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) exports to 60% from 48 % in the next 5 years and will create 5 crore jobs in the next 5 years. “Our MSME sector has a huge contribution to the development of our country. Currently, 30% income of GDP growth rate comes from MSME. 48% of our exports are from MSME and till date, we have created 11 crore jobs,” Gadkari said while speaking at SWAVALAMBAN eSummit 2020 organised by ‘Lets Endorse Development’ NGO. “I believe and think that in the coming 5 years, we should increase it to at least 30 per cent to 50 %,48 % to

MINISTER SPEAK

the country,” he said.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and ICCR President and MP Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe were also present on this occasion.

The Rajya Sabha MP, Sahasrabuddhe said that Vajpayee and the culture of India have a unique relationship and called him as the “cultural ambassador” of the country. —ANI

60% of exports and create 5 crore new jobs,” he said.

The Minister added, “Unregistered enterprises need to register themselves under the Micro industry to get the benefit of MSMEs. We are also in the process to cover small traders. We need help from NGOs to encourage such people to register,” he said. —ANI

Special on Special Fare will leave from Ahmedabad Junction at 09:30 hours on August 18 & 25.

The train will reach Kudal at 04:30 hours on next day, the Indian Railways said. Train number 09415 Kudal - Ahmedabad Junction Weekly Special on Special Fare will leave from Kudal at 05:30 hrs on August 19 & 26.

tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary on Sunday.

Shah posted the tribute on Twitter in Hindi which roughly translates to, “Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji was the voice of patriotism and Indian culture. He was a dedicated politician as well as a skilled organiser who played an important role in the foundation and growth of the BJP and inspired millions of workers to serve the country.”

Born on December 25, 1924 in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, Vajpayee was the firstever person from the BJP to become the Prime Minister. He

served as Prime Minister thrice -- briefly in 1996, from 1998 to 1999 and then for a full fiveyear term between 1999 and 2004.

Apart from politics, Vajpayee was a prominent writer and penned a number of poems. After 2004, the BJP stalwart retired from active politics owing to his feeble health.

The veteran BJP leader passed away on August 16, 2018, at the AIIMS in Delhi after a prolonged illness. —ANI

we are all remembering a brilliant nationalist, a great hero who added many glorious chapters in the politics of India,” he said.

“Atalji will always be remembered for liberal thinking and democratic ideals. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s behaviour and popularity was beyond political boundaries. Political opponents also had affection and respect for him,” he said.

Kovind said that Vajpayee always gave paramount importance to the national interest.

“In 1977, as a Foreign Minister, he gave a speech in the United Nations in Hindi. Atal ji worked for a governance system based on ethics, sensitivity, and transparency. Therefore, from 2014 on 30 December, his birth anniversary is celebrated as Governance Day across

PM Modi greets people on Parsi New Year, Navroz

Maoism returning to Bengal: Guv Dhankhar

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted people on Parsi New Year, Navroz. In a tweet, the PM prayed that the coming year is filled with happiness & prosperity.

“Navroz Mubarak!

Greetings on Parsi New Year. India cherishes the outstanding contribution of the Parsi community, which has made a mark in a wide range of fields. May the coming year bring peace and prosperity in everyone’s lives,” he tweeted.

Kolkata: In one of his most serious allegations against the ruling TMC government, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said that Raj Bhawan in Kolkata was under surveillance and information was being leaked out.

Alleging that the list of guests who attended the Independence Day programme at Governor’s residence was leaked out ‘electronically’ on August 14, Dhankhar said, “Raj Bhawan is under surveillance. This should not happen. How can an of-

Jagdeep Dhankar and his wife Sudesh during a prayer meeting to pay tributes to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary at Governor House in Kolkata, on Sunday. —PHOTO BY PTI

fice of the Constitution be under surveillance? I will take legal steps once

2 arrested in Bulandshahr topper’s death case in UP

RLYS TO RUN GANPATI SPECIAL TRAINS BETWEEN GUJ, MAHA Mumbai: The Indian Railways will run additional Ganpati Special trains in co-ordination with Western Railway and Central Railway between Ahmedabad/Vadodara and Ratnagiri/Kudal/Sawantwadi Road stations to clear extra rush of passengers. Train number 09416 Ahmedabad Junction - Kudal Weekly

Vajpayee’s daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya & granddaughter Niharika pay tribute to former PM at Sadaiv Atal in New Delhi.

Bhopal: The GwaliorChambal Expressway will be named Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chambal Progressway, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday.

While paying tribute to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary, Chouhan said, “Vajpayee continues to inspire us to work for the public” and also recalled few emotional moments with him.

“The Gwalior-Chambal Expressway will be named Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chambal Progressway. He continues to inspire us to work for the public, Chouhan said while addressing a public gathering.—ANI

Greater Noida: The Bulandshahr police have arrested two people in connection with the death of US scholar Sudeeksha Bhati, 19, who died in a road accident on August 10.

The suspects were identified as Deepak Solanki, a resident of Gulaothi, and his accomplice Raju, a resident of Bulandshahr dehat. The police have recovered the Royal Enfield motorcycle used in the accident.

The police said its investigation revealed this was a case of road

accident and not of harassment.

Santosh Kumar Singh, senior superintendent of police, Bulandshahr, said on Sunday the police scanned over 350 bikes from nearby areas and questioned over 1000 persons be-

AUTHORITIES RE-OPEN RELIGIOUS PLACES IN J-K Katra: Khushvinder Singh is part of a 12-member group from Jammu who reached Katra before dawn to pay obeisance at the famous Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district of J&K. The shrine along with other religious places across the Union Territory reopened for devotees on Sunday morning after remaining closed for almost five months due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The shrine reopened for the devotees around 6 am and CEO Shrine Board Ramesh Kumar reviewed the arrangements.

fore zeroing in on them.”The police scanned 12 CCTV cameras and found Sudeeksha and her cousin going on a bike at 8.25 am. The same camera captured an Enfield rider Solanki at 8.17 am on the same route. Solanki admitted that he was riding the motorcycle when the accident took place. We have seized Royal Enfield motorcycle. The suspect had also modified the motorcycle’s number plate, silencer, indicator, etc,” said police.

our inquiry is over.”

“Public servants do not get into political

13-year-old raped, brutally murdered in Lakhimpur Kheri Lucknow: A 13-year-old girl was raped and killed in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri district and her body found in a sugarcane field, the police said on Saturday, in yet another horrific case that has emerged from the state in recent days.

Two men from her village have been arrested.

She had been strangled, her eyes were gouged out and her tongue cut, the girl’s father said. The incident took place on Friday, around 130 km from Lucknow, in a village close to the Nepal border. Her body was found

BAGHEL INVITES SONIA TO NEW ASSEMBLY FOUNDATION EVENT Chhattisgarh: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has invited Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the new building of state assembly in Nava Raipur.

The foundation stone laying ceremony is scheduled to be held at 12 pm

mode. Nobody is above law,” he said, during his media address at a func-

tion organised at Raj Bhawan to mark the second death anniversary of former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee. He also criticised CM Mamata Banerjee for not attending the At Home function at Raj Bhawan on Independence Day. “There is lawlessness in the state. There was a killing in Hooghly district. The dangerous head of Maoism is getting visible with support of state actors.”

The TMC reacted sharply, saying the allegations were unfounded. —Agencies

on August 28. Baghel has written a letter requesting Sonia Gandhi to grace the occasion as the chief guest and Rahul Gandhi to be the special guest of the event through video conferencing. Baghel said that since the formation of the state there was a need for a new stateof-the-art Chhattisgarh assembly building.

in the fields of one of the accused.

The UP Police said the post-mortem report that came out on Sunday night does not show her eyes were gouged out or tongue cut. The police said the autopsy mentioned rape and strangulation.

“Her eyes were not gouged and tongue was

not cut. The claim is not true,” SP of Kheri Satendra Kumar said.

“The girl’s post mortem has confirmed rape.

The two accused had been arrested already.

We will file charges for rape, murder and also under the National Security Act,”he added.

The girl had gone missing on Friday afternoon. “We went looking for her everywhere.

Found her in the sugarcane field. Her eyes had been gouged out. Her tongue was cut and strangled with a dupatta,” the father of the girl said. —Agencies

RAJNATH SINGH APPROVES PROPOSAL TO EXPAND NCC New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the proposal to expand the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in 173 border and coastal districts from where 100,000 new cadets will be inducted, an official statement said.The expansion of NCC was announced by PM Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech. He said NCC will be expanded in border & coastal districts so that these areas “get trained manpower for disaster management & youth will also get skill training for making their career in armed forces”.

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PM Modi’s cowardice allowed China to take our land: RaGa

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I-DAY CELEBRATIONS!

The Cong leader further said that the PM’s ‘lies will ensure’ that China keeps the land

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took another swipe at Prime Minister on Sunday, saying the the Prime Minister does not believe in the capability and valour of the Indian Army.

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi wrote, “Everybody believes in the capability and valour of the Indian army. Except the PM: Whose cowardice allowed China to take our land. Whose lies will ensure they keep it.”

Rahul Gandhi said that the Prime Minister’s ‘cowardice’ has allowed China to ‘take our land’. The Congress leader further added saying that the PM’s ‘lies will ensure’ that China keeps the land.

Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly questioned the Prime Minister over the border standoff with China, alleging that the PM has not revealed the truth about it.

Earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi said that PM Modi spoke lie on Chinese incursion, insulted soldiers.

Last month, the Con-

RAHUL GANDHI @RahulGandhi Everybody believes in the capability and valour of the Indian army. Except the PM: Whose cowardice allowed China to take our land.

Whose lies will ensure they keep it.

BJP & RSS control Facebook & Whatsapp in India. They spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorate. Finally, the American media has come out with the truth about Facebook.

PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA @priyankagandhi Happy Navroze to all, especially to our darling Parsi aunties, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews in Delhi and Mumbai.

gress leader and the Gandhi scion, released a video on Twitter, attacking the Modi government over its handling of the China issue.

In the video, RahulGandhi had said that China’s actions have been prompted by India’s disruption over six years. —ANI

‘Cong allied with FB to weaponise data’ New Delhi: The Congress was caught redhanded colluding with Cambridge Analytica and Facebook for using data before elections and is now falsely accusing the BJP of doing the same, said Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slamming Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi.

Prasad’s statement came after Gandhi had accused BJP & RSS of controlling Facebook & Whatsapp in India & using it to ‘spread fake news & hatred through it & use it to influence the electorate.’ Gandhi had also shared a report, published in an American daily, in his tweet in support of his claims. Reacting to this, Prasad said, “Losers who cannot influence people even in their own party keep cribbing that the entire world is controlled by the BJP and RSS. You were caught redhanded in alliance with Cambridge Ana-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the Nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of 74th Independence Day in New Delhi.

—PHOTO BY ANI

SCATHING ATTACK

ITBP personnel celebrate the 74th Independence Day in Ladakh.

lytica and Facebook to weaponise data before the elections and now have the gall to question us?” —ANI

63,489 more COVID-19 cases in India, toll nears 50,000 mark ‘Mukherjee stable, under observation’ New Delhi: Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee continued to remain on ventilatory support on Sunday, Army Research and Referral Hospital said, adding that his vitals are stable and being monitored by a team of specialists.

“There is no change in condition of Pranab Mukherjee. His vital and clinical parameters are stable and he continues to be on ventilator support. He also has multiple old co-morbidities & his condition is being closely monitored by a team of specialists,” the hospital said.

New Delhi: India registered 63,489 new coronavirus cases and 944 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

With 944 new deaths, the cumulative death toll in the country is nearing 50,000-mark.

The country’s coronavirus count touched 25,89,682 including 6,77,444 active cases, 18,62,258 discharged and 49,980 deaths on Sunday.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 7,46,608 samples were tested on August 15 and nearly 3 crore samples have been tested so far.

2,93,09,703 samples have been tested up to August 15. Taking to Twitter on Sunday, the Union Health Ministry informed that India has one of the lowest COVID-19 mortality globally

An illuminated view of Burj Khalifa in the colours of Indian National Flag Tricolour.

Migrant workers who are coming back from their native place, going through mandatory COVID-19 test, at a testing camp organised by Delhi Government, at Anand Vihar bus terminal in New Delhi.

as the case fatality rate (CFR) in the country is below 2 per cent.

The Ministry said aggressive testing and early detection coupled with quick isolation and effective treatment protocol is the reason behind low mortality

rates are low in India.

“With sharply falling Case Fatality Rate below 2%, India has one of the lowest #COVID19 mortality globally,” MOHFW tweeted.

“USA crossed 50,000 deaths in 23 days, Brazil in 95 days and Mexico in

J&K: 4G INTERNET SERVICES RESTORED IN GANDERBAL AND UDHAMPUR DISTRICTS Srinagar : The J&K administration restored 4G internet services in Ganderbal and Udhampur districts from 9 pm on Sunday till September 8. However, in rest of the districts, the internet speed will continue to be restricted to 2G only.

Internet and voice services were snapped on August 5, 2019, when the Central government moved to abolish Article 370 that gave special rights to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Since then

broadband and 2G services have been restored in phases.

The development comes four days after the Centre told the Supreme Court that 4G access would be provided

“on a trial basis in a calibrated manner in specified limited areas to assess the impact on the security situation”.

Attorney General K K Venugopal told a bench of Justices N V Rama-

na, R Subhash Reddy and B R Gavai that the special committee — set up on the court’s orders to look into the issue — had decided to allow 4G access in one district each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions after August 15.

While maintaining that the “overall security situation is still not conducive to lifting the limited restrictions on internet”, the high-powered committee said 4G services could be restored in districts that are away from LOC.

The Empire State Building in the US lit up on the occasion of Independence Day.

The Niagara Falls, Canada, considered one of the natural wonders of the world, was illuminated in the Indian tricolour of saffron, white and green to mark India’s 74th Independence Day. PM Justin Trudeau also wished India on the special occasion.

141 days. India took 156 days,” the ministry tweeted.

“Mortality rates are low in India because of aggressive testing and early detection coupled with quick isolation and effective treatment protocol,” it said in another tweet. —ANI

Home Minister Amit Shah hoists the Indian Tricolour at his residence on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day. He took to twitter to wish the people of the country a very Happy Independence Day!

FROM PG 1 MSD hangs... home base for a short training camp ahead of the players’ departure to the UAE next week.

The BCCI sent out a statement, detailing each one of his historic achievements and lauding “a legacy that will be difficult to replicate.” Board president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah paid rich tributes.

“It is the end of an era. What a player he has been for the country and world cricket...

He will finish with no regrets on the field,” said Ganguly.

“He is leaving the

game richer from the time he joined,” added Shah.

Players and fans have urged India’s cricket board to retire Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s No. 7 jersey in a tribute to the two-time Cricket World Cup winning captain.

Chetan Chauhan...

Chetan Chauhan was a vital cog in the Indian lineup during the 1970s and he used to open the batting along with Sunil Gavaskar. He had made his Test debut against New Zealand in 1969. The right-handed batsman went on to play 40

Tests, managing to score 2,084 runs at an average of 31.57.

The right-handed batsman also played 7 ODIs in his career, in which he scored 153 runs with the highest score being 46 against New Zealand in Sydney.

Chauhan was the first player in international cricket to finish his career with over 2000 runs but without a century.

Chauhan was admitted to Sanjay Gandhi PGI in Lucknow on July 12 after being found COVID-19 positive. Due to kidney related ailments, his

health deteriorated and he was shifted to Medanta hospital in Gurugram.

Chauhan was UP Minister for Sainik Welfare, Home Guards, Civil Security and Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD). Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has condoled the demise of Chauhan. “Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expresses deep sorrow over the passing away of Uttar Pradesh Minister and former cricketer Chetan Chauhan,” said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

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‘Loyal, committed workers will be given priority in political appointments’ Yogesh Sharma Jaipur: Newly-appointed PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra will be on a two-day visit to his hometown Sikar from Monday. He will leave Jaipur at 11:45 am and will reach Sikar at 3:30 pm.

Dotasra, who is also the education minister, will hold a meeting of district level officers on August 18 and will later leave for his constituency Laxmangarh, where he will chair a meeting of block-level officials.

The PCC chief said

that political appointments will take place soon and a new executive will also be formed.

He also conducted a surprise inspection of the PCC office on Sunday.

During visit, he spoke to First India on various issues.

Excerpts,  You reached PCC all of a sudden?

No former office-bearer was informed of my visit. The main objective was to check the shortcomings in the office. I asked the staff to remove useless stuff, dusting off old almirahs. The

 How much time will it take for political appointments?

Political appointments will take place soon.

Loyal and committed workers will be given priority.

sonal team. How will you make a cadre?

MLAs play a role in the formation of the government. It will be our endeavour that the workers, who are expert in organizational works are made the office bearers. Our planning is to make a coordinated and powerful organisation on the basis of which the cadre could be created.

 When will you announce your executive committee? It is often seen that local MLAs have more interference at district level and it becomes a per-

 How will the gap between the party and the government be bridged?

It is the party’s work to take the government’s schemes, programmes

office should be clean and well arranged.

Therefore I came without informing anyone except the staff.

WASHED AWAY, BURIED ALIVE

Chicken-laden speeding van hits car leaving trail of bodies Satya Narayan Sharma

A JCB machine on Sunday pulls out a car that was submerged in mud after a landslide following Firday’s heavy rainfall in Jaipur.

Inset: The deceased 21-year-old Sunny.

—PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

First India Bureau Jaipur: The body of a 21-year-old man, who went to Nahargarh area to enjoy rain got buried under heavy slush on Friday.

The body of deceased Sunny was found on late Saturday evening after 30-hour-long rescue operation by the SDRF and civil defence teams in Kishanbagh area of the city.

The divers kept looking for the body in about 10 feet deep water on Friday but could not locate him.

The rescue operations resumed again on Saturday and with the help of JCB machines, carving was also done at the place

BALCONY FALLS ON MAN’S HEAD

Jodhpur: In an ironically tragic incident, a person died when the balcony of his house suddenly collapsed on him. Dairy chemist Ashok Mathur was about to have his breakfast when he noticed a cat in the house.

Leaving his breakfast he rushed to shoo away the cat and he was crossing from under the balcony of his house, it collapsed killing him on the spot.

Deceased Mathur was working as chemist for Rajasthan dairy and was to retire from his job the next year. Police said that the cause of death was the fatal injuries on head the deceased received from the direct hit of the falling stones and bricks.

where the soil pile was collected after the water flow stopped. After removing thick layers of soil, the body was found in the soil buried four feet below.

Displaced, digging for belongings now First India Bureau

Jaipur: After robust rains in Jaipur on Friday, life is yet to return to complete normalcy.

The scenario is worst in Ganeshpuri Kachchi Basti and other localities in the Galta Gate area.

Many houses have been damaged and piles of mud have accumulated in houses.

Nearly 80 families are affected and several have taken refuge in relatives’ houses.

Social workers including Rajkumar Besanwale and Maheshchand Soyal and other locals distributed food in the basti on Friday and Saturday. Some social organisations have also come forward to help the victims.

NGO workers distributing food packets in Ganeshpuri Basti.

Soyal said that many houses and vehicles have been damaged.

While digging work is going on, displaced families are looking for their belongings. Most of the affected people are daily wagers and are removing mud relentlessly all through the day.

Local MLA Rafiq khan and former MLA Ashok Parnami also took stock of the situation.

hopes of cricket returning at RCA First India Bureau Jaipur: Rajasthan Cricket Academy (RCA) President Vaibhav Gehlot unfurled the tricolour on the 74th Independence day at RCA Academy in SMS stadium. Vaibhav Gehlot wished everyone on the occasion.

RCA secretary Mahendra Sharma said that the function was attended by Vaibhav’s wife Himashi Gehlot, daughter Kashwini, RCA secretary Mahendra Sharma, council member Devram Saini, RCA consultant GS Sandhu, RCA district body representative Subhash Joshi, Sushil Shar-

RCA President Vaibhav Gehlot with Himanshi and Kashvini, along with Vice-President Rajasthan Royals Rajiv Khanna and his daughter Samaira at RCA after the flag hoisting on Saturday, August 15.

ma, Rajesh Badana, Mohd Iqbal, VP of Rajasthan Royals Rajiv

Khanna, Ankit Sharma, Akhilesh Mittal, Taposh Chatterji, Ramprakash, Manish Sharma along with the office and ground staff.

RCA President expressed confidence that soon domestic cricketing activities and tournaments as per BCCI guidelines will return to the Academy.

Meanwhile, RCA executive meeting will be held on Monday at 3 pm, where discussions will be held regarding domestic tournament and stadium construction.

It is expected that a decision could be taken regarding new selection committee.

NATURE RETURNS THE FAVOUR!

After incessant rainfall created havoc in Jaipur on Friday, pile of waste gathered on the banks of Jal Mahal. (Right) Boulder-sized rocks piled-up on Nahargarh road.

T

to remain ministers in the other camp, however, now there is an ongoing ‘struggle’ between Pilot camp between juniors and seniors.

This struggle is on who will be appointed a minister and senior leaders like Hemaram Choudhary, Deependra Singh Shekhawat and Vishvendra Singh feature prominently, but then the youth leaders like Mukesh Bhakar and Ved Prakash are also keeping their fingers crossed.

—Yogesh Sharma

 Your comments on the tenure of Avinash Pande as incharge?

Congress formed the government under his guidance. He did excellent work to keep Congress united and to maintain coordination.

His three-year tenure has been excellent.

Vaibhav unfurls tricolour with

MINISTERSHIP, SECURED? he Rajasthan political crisis has shown the ‘true colors’ of several leaders who were hiding behind a veil. While there have been those who have staunchly stood behind the camp that they supported, there have been those too who have jumped over to the ‘comfort’ instead of taking the ‘hard route’. but with the current scheme of things, it appears that those who have shifted their ‘loyalties’, have ‘played’ the ‘game’ smartly and continue

 What do you have to say on the appointment of Ajay Maken as the new state incharge?

He is an experienced leader and has been a former union minister, chief of Delhi Congress

Committee, speaker of Delhi assembly, and I congratulate him for his appointment as the new incharge for Rajasthan.

His vast experience will certainly help the party in the state. He played a crucial role in saving democracy recently.

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

Youth’s body found after 30-hour-long rescue operation

Jaipur: A speeding pickup van ran over two people on Sikar road on Sunday morning.

The van loaded with live chicken was coming from Gudha Gaurji and was headed towards Lal Kothi when It first rammed a car driven by a woman, which then hit a person crossing the road.

The van lost balance and then hit a milkman standing with his bike on the roadside.

Police reached the spot and rushed the injured to Kanwatia hospital where both men were declared brought dead while the woman driver Kanchan Sharma was discharged after giving first aid.

One of the deceased crossing the road was a jeweler, Shankar Lal, from Murlipura, who was returning home after a morning walk. Another deceased milkman Kaluram belonged to Chomu.

Sharma was driving to her in-laws’ house when the accident happened.

The police have accessed the CCTV footage and are searching for the guilty pickup van driver and cleaner, who are absconding.

and achievements among the public. The workers will play a crucial role in publicising government schemes and programmes and will reach out to people with the achievements of the Congress government. I, as the PCC chief, will fulfill my duty.

‘LOYALTY POINTS’ ANYONE?

T

he recently concluded political crisis in Rajasthan has left several leaders in ‘doldrums’, however there are those too, who have reached greater heights in their political career. One such leader is Gehlot camp loyalist and a close confidante of the Chief Minister - Chief Whip Dr Mahesh Joshi. Right from the management of MLAs during the Congress’s ‘fortification’ to filing the FIR with SOG, Gehlot had delegated these responsibilities to Joshi after much

thought. And it is due to this, that the plain talk in Gehlot’s circle revolves around how Mahesh Joshi is Gehlot’s ‘political heir’.

Along with him is a prominent face of Dharmendra Rathore in Gehlot darbar as his ‘troubleshooter’.

The political circles are abuzz that in the next cabinet expansion and political appointments, these two will be given the ‘reward’ for their performance and loyalty.

Interestingly, long time loyalists Randeep Dhankar, Pukhraj Parashar and Sandeep Choudhary could also receive these ‘rewards’.

Notably, Sandeep Choudhary is otherwise also, an aspirant of one assembly seat from Jaipur in 2023 Rajasthan assembly polls.

A Big Step in the future will not define your success, a small step today will.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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2ND FRONT JAIPUR | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020

08

STATE LEVEL INDEPENDENCE DAY FUNCTION

It is our responsibility to strengthen democracy: CM Gehlot Naresh Sharma Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Saturday that many challenges came before the country after it achieved independence and it kept moving ahead facing all these challenges as it had very strong roots of democracy. He said that the great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pt Nehru, Sardar Patel, Dr Ambedkar and Maulana Azad strengthened this democracy. Governments kept coming and going, but democ-

racy continued in the country. “Today, it is responsibility of all of us to keep this democracy strong. The country will survive only if democracy is safe,” he said.

Gehlot was addressing the State-level function at Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on the occasion of 74th Independence Day on Saturday. After hoisting the national flag during the event, the CM also inspected the parade.

The Chief Minister said that when the country got freedom,

it had a lack of basic facilities such as electricity, water, road, health and education.

Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of the country, with his farsightedness, laid very strong foundation to make India self-dependent. He built big dams and set up many factories to give pace to industrial development. High-level institutions such as AIIMS, ISRO, IIT etc were established. Reputation of India rose because of the policies and vision of the visionary

CM Ashok Gehlot during state-level I-Day function at SMS Stadium.

leaders such as Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh and our country had reached this stage of development,

SIGH OF RELIEF

After being +ve, HC CJ Mahanty tests -ve n

HC to remain suspended till Wednesday

n

On Saturday, the Chief Justice had tested Corona positive and another sample had tested negative, following which a confirmatory test was conducted which revealed the CJ was Corona negative

Nizam Kantaliya Jaipur: The entire Rajasthan judicial circles, bureaucracy, polity and the general public was shocked on Saturday when news spread that Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court, Justice Indrajit Mahanty has tested positive for Corona.

The development sent chills to several advocates, judicial services staff and judges. However, there was a sigh of relief on Sunday when CJ Mahanty’s test report came negative. On Sunday, the confirmation test had been conducted which revealed that Chief Justice had not contacted Corona.

On Saturday, while Independence Day function was celebrated at trial court, in which CJ was also present, the social distancing norms were not followed while most of those taking part in the function were seen without a mask too. And when the news of Chief Justice being tested Corona positive spread, everyone concerned was surprised and shocked. Notably, RT-PCR test, which is about 70% accurate, was conducted in the RUHS lab on Saturday. While

he added.

Gehlot said, “People of different religions, sects and castes live in this country. Different languages are spoken.

Despite much diversity, our leaders kept this country united and undivided by respecting all religions and practicing socialism and secularism.” Adopting these basic principles of equality and integrity, the countrymen gave a befitting reply to the forces trying to spread hatred in the name of religion and caste and ensured that the peace prevailed in the society, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the rightsbased era of governance started in the

country at the time of the UPA government.

“The people of the country received Food Security, Right to Information, Education and Employment through various Acts such as the MGNREGA. Late Rajiv Gandhi brought the Information Technology revolution in the country as a result of which these days we can see a mobile phone in every hand and people receive and share information in the entire country and the world while sitting home. All important public services are

A GRATEFUL SHAH PRAISES DOCS AFTER RECOVERY!

Amit Shah was discharged from the hospital after testing negative for Corona. Upon his homecoming, many leaders including PM Narendra Modi and the entire cabinet wished him. While there is all round happiness among Shah’s family, friends and party workers, doctors who looked after and treated Shah were elated and shared this elation on social media with the remark that Shah was the hope of 138 crore Indians. Shah could recover fast under the surveillance of the hospital staff, especially Dr Sushila Kataria who considered “It a huge responsibility for the hospital team to treat him safely.”

Notably, even when he was in the hospital, he was working remotely from there. Now, the union Home Minister has been asked to stay in home isolation for a few days.

Madam Raje comes back to mainstream!

CJ Indrajit Mahanty with members of Bar Association during Independence Day celebrations.

No social distancing norms were followed during the programme.

speedy recovery to Mahanty. “I have come to know Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court, Sh. Indrajit Mahanty has tested positive for Covid_19... concerned about his health. Wish him a speedy recovery,” he had tweeted.

The health authori-

ties have already taken 5,000 samples from the HC and district courts, officials said, adding the sampling will continue in coming days. The testing facility is available at the Rajasthan High Court in Jaipur during the three-day period, the notice added.

AHMED PATEL @ahmedpatel

ALMOST 45 MLAs CALL ON HER, HOLDS IMPORTANT POL DISCUSSIONS WITH V SATISH

Aishwary Pradhan two samples were taken, each of which tested positive and negative which resulted in confusion. On Sunday, the health department officials sprung to action and got a confirmation test done which finally revealed that Chief Justice was Corona negative.

Notably, work at the Rajasthan High Court will remain suspended for three days, from August 17 to 19, after Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. The registrar general of the high court, in a notice issued on Saturday, said all the persons concerned are requested to get themselves tested for COVID-19.

On Saturday night, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had wished a

being provided in villages through Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras using the IT,” he said.

Gehlot said that Rajasthan has provided relief to the general public through excellent management during this period of COVID-19. “The Government left no stone unturned to provide relief to the needy sections.

The state government had spent Rs 6000 crore to give support to the poor, helpless, destitutes and needy families during the tough time of corona pandemic,” he said.

Jaipur: After spending her time in ‘sabbatical’ at Dholpur, former Chief Minister and BJP National Vice-President Vasundhara Raje has returned to the ‘mainstream’.

Following her successful New Delhi visit, where she met several leaders including National President JP Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Highways minister Nitin Gadkari and BJP organisation secretary BL Santosh, Raje is now again slowly becoming a centre of attraction for BJP legislators and other leaders.

In the past few days, nearly 45 MLAs have called on the former

Vasundhara Raje

chief minister while she has also held a long discussion on the current political situation in Rajasthan with national general secretary V Satish on Sunday, where she discussed with him the details of her meeting with Nadda. Notably, Raje has assured Nadda that she will follow the ‘party line’ and work as a disciplined party worker. Prior to his

meeting with madam, V Satish held discussion with Chandrashekhar, Satish Poonia and Rajendra Rathore also. Nadda has apparently informed both PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of this meeting.

Meanwhile, in Jaipur, the former Chief Minister has held talks with Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria, party’s State President Satish Poonia, deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore and former state president Arun Chaturvedi.

Other senior party leaders, office bearers and MPs have also met Raje at her civil lines residence in the last three days.

As I recall the immense contribution of freedom-fighters and martyrs on this I-Day and tall leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pt Nehru, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sardar Patel and Lal Bahadur Shastri as well as Indira-ji, Rajiv-ji for building a modern India, I thank the social media team of INC for the video series, Dharohar, about history of Congress. It will give young generation an insight into its contributions – from freedom struggle to India’s emergence as a superpower.

Congress forms...

Well done Pande! For an imperative... Welcome Ajay...

From P1

From P1

A change in the state’s leadership has been completely ruled out and Gehlot is all set to complete the remaining period of his five year tenure.

Interestingly, till now there is no clear indication what will be Pilot’s exact role now?

According to sources, he is likely to be given some important responsibility in AICC but will have nothing to

do with Rajasthan.

Still it will be interesting to watch that how a few Pilot camp MLAs, who are likely to be inducted in the Gehlot cabinet, will maintain their ‘contact’ with their leader Pilot.

On the other hand, there is a growing pressure from the Pilot camp in New Delhi to get finalised the recommendations of the committee as early as possible.

An old Gandhi family loyalist and a low profile 24/7 Congress worker, Pande made an outstanding contribution to the cause of Congress party during his tenure, in close coordination with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the former PCC Chief Sachin Pilot.

Team Gehlot-Pande very effectively implemented Sonia’s good

governance mandate in Rajasthan by bringing an effective coordination between the party and the government. It may be only a coincidence that Pande’s change has come at a time, when Pilot’spackage is being worked out by the party high command and this was also one of Pilot’s demands.

After the formal orders were relesed, Pande took to social media and said, “It

was a pleasure working with the dynamic duo Shri Ashok Gehlot ji and Shri Sachin Pilot ji. I thank them for their support throughout.

I am confident that their combined efforts and able leadership will help strengthen the Congress party in Rajasthan as well as at the centre. I will be indebted to the people of Rajasthan, party workers and all colleagues for their love and sup-

port. Rajasthan is the land of valour and I am indebted to Sonia gandhi ji for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of this land. I will continue my efforts to strengthen the Congress party as a devoted Congress member.”

Notably, at the end of the day, Pande’s tenure will always be remembered as a major contribution in building up the party cadre in Rajasthan.

From P1 supporting congress mlas ‘badabandi’ at Jaipur and Jaisalmer, where Gehlot had registered a record win by 123 votes in his trust vote in assembly on 14th August. Maken’s new assignment may be considered as a reward for his performance in Rajasthan during this period, which was some sort of a training or probation period for his upcoming Rajasthan job.

While expressing his gratitude to Sonia and Rahul, a low profile, media shy and a grateful Maken tweeted, “Extremely grateful to the Hon’ble Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri RahulGandhi for reposing faith in me.

Will leave no stone unturned to further strengthen the Congress Party in Rajasthan. Also thank my colleague Avinash Pande ji for his services & contribution.”

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09

JAIPUR, MONDAY AUGUST 17, 2020

BUST YOUR STRESS WITH

CROCHET

Crochet not only has a place in our wardrobe but also helps us to improve our mental health. City First brings to you the health benefits of knitting- the most effective way to heal!

HELPS WITH INSOMNIA: When you focus on something easy, 1repetitive and soothing, the body and

POORVIKA AGRAWAL cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

M

ost of us have encountered crochet in some or the other way, whether as apparel or as accessories like scarfs, hats, flowers, table mat and sweater, among others. The fine looplike construction and the vibrant colours of the thread is an interesting way to break the monotony of items used for everyday fashion and living. Not only the fabric name, but the process of creating it by interlocking loops of yarn and threads using a hook is also very interesting and creative.

In the early 1800s, some European communities used crochet products to identify their social status which only indicated that they can afford crochet products and other lace made items. The skill is known as haken in Holland, haekling in Denmark, hekling in Norway and virkning in Sweden.

Crochet has ample of benefits which you could not even think about; yarn heals.

Whether you prefer needles or hooks or a combination of both, crafting can soothe your body and mend your mind.

Here are some of the benefits:

mind calm down enough to let you fall asleep.

REDUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY: When you’re feeling 2stressed or anxious, take some time for yourself and allow yourself to be creative. This way you’re taking your mind off to whatever has been bothering you.

OR RELIEVES DEPRESSION: When we do something 3whichEASES we like, the brain releases

dopamine, a natural anti-depressant; knitting helps in stimulating dopamine to make us feel happier.

THE RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S: By engaging in cogni4tiveREDUCES exercises and stimulating your

mind, one can slow down or prevent memory loss.

WITH GRIEF PROCESSING: Crocheting can be one of the 5mostHELPS comforting things during the

phase where one is trying to cope up with things.

REDUCES IRRITABILITY AND RESTLESSNESS: It can help you 6through the times you feel grumpy, restless, frustrated or bored. This positive outlet preserves your relationships and keeps your mood balanced.

WAY OF CHARITY: Many people crafted crochet clothing and 7garments to donate them to soldiers

during the war. The practice continues even today while it is popularising to make hats and donate them to cancer treatment centres, for those undergoing chemotherapy.

Life isn’t easy, but knitting is!

ETC JAIPUR | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020

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KRITIKA KANODIA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

W

T

FA CE OF TH ED AY

—By Henry Scott Holland

Death is nothing at all.

It does not count.

I have only slipped away into the next room.

Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.

I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.

Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.

Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.

Put no difference into your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same as it ever was.

There is absolute and unbroken continuity.

What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner.

All is well.

Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.

One brief moment and all will be as it was before.

How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/death-is-nothing-atall-by-henry-scott-holland

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You are in search of your path and the only way you can find is by truly self introspecting. You love to give guidances to other but its ok to not to sometimes, remember share your wisdom with people who value your opinions. You need to keep a check on your health.

Someone of you get enthusiastic about things at first and loose it later therefore work on being a bit consistent with the feeling.

Whatever you do just give your best and forget the rest. Support and make someone feel strong today, they will be thankful to you.

Though you are a sincere child and love your parents but you don’t agree with all their ideologies. You are perplexed with someone’s behaviour towards you, the right thing to do is to not care about it. Once you decide to do something you just do it. Hard work will take you far.

You love your family and can do anything for them.

You are on person who is always ready to help anyone. You are very excited about your kid’s future and are willing to do anything for him/her. You are a very optimistic person. Stretching any matter should be avoided.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Your life is beautiful not because you have everything but because of the way you live it. You are a good son/daughter to your parents and you earn many blessings every now and then because of your deeds.

You are very professional in your work and take your job seriously.

All travelling plans are cancelled so work things around as per current situation. Property possession is possible today. You boss will encourage you more than ever. You will devote much time to sports. You have many admirers around you. Respect your lover.

Its easy to drift apart in relationships and difficult to maintain, keep that in mind. You will get a good value for something that is of no use to you anymore. Today is a lucky day for the ones seeking an admission in some college or school. Sparkling personality is loved by everyone.

Take correct decisions on career front as your every move will impact your future. Luck favours you on academic front and you will clear your exams weather competitive of institution one. Your elder sibling will give you good advice so hesitate from opening up with him/her.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You love to study and reading all the time is like your hobby. You are willing to go somewhere for a change but situations won’t allow. You have very good friends who never let you fall. You may face challenged from in laws but with persistent efforts you will change whats bad into good.

Your spouse will give you some kind of surprise and it will make your day. You will be involved in charity work today and you will encourage everyone around you to do the same.

You want something big from life but yet to discover what it is. False practices shall be avoided on work.

You will be whole day entertained with some or the other thing at home. Your lover is also your best friends who understands you before you say anything. You love to indulge in some or the other form of exercises.

You get bored with one thing easily therefore you like changes.

Have faith in something or someone, its very important. Don’t test your parent’s patience. Your children may feel bored and expect you to do something about it. Life is beautiful if you see it that way. Your lover is miles away and you miss his/ her physical presence.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

PRAJAKTA KOLI, Content Creator

DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL

UL

e should stop thinking that someone’s death is an unfortunate event. Yes, the living will miss them and feel a void in life.

However, we should stop treating it like a sad affair.

Most of us believe that we have a soul.

While some may have differing opinions, I strongly feel that every soul has a purpose. This is also because I believe in the concept of reincarnation and soulmates (souls that stay together through multiple lifetimes).

I feel every soul has a purpose in every lifetime. The end purpose is to learn a little more about goodness and desirable virtues.

This is why, maybe, the good ones die so soon and the spiteful ones live the longest. The spiteful ones simply need more time to learn.

When someone dies, I feel it’s because the soul has completely fulfilled the purpose of this lifetime. Now, it is possible that the person may have pending wishes/desires, but that should not be confused with the soul’s purpose.

Maybe those desires will be purposes of other lifetimes.

This may help you accept the death of a near and dear one. Or, this may help you get over the fear of death. That’s up to you.

But this is what I feel that we should not call anyone’s departure tragic or unfortunate. That’s what their fortune demanded and it is for an ultimate good that we do not know yet. Whatever happens, happens for good. Maybe we just don’t know it right now. (For us and for the departed soul).

R T E A D P E S D O E H

10

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC JAIPUR | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020

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11

THE POWER OF ACCEPTANCE KARISHMA GWALANI

Karishma.gwalani @firstindia.co.in

T

he melodious Singer of Bollywood Shilpa Rao is back with the latest song ‘Aadhe Aadhe Se’ with a Netflix movie ‘Raat Akeli Hai’, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Shilpa Rao

and Radhika Apte. In an exclusive interview with City First, Shilpa talked about her latest song that is making the buzz on playlists.

“I and the composer Sneha never got along well.

Eventually, around a year ago, Anurag Kashyap made us sit together and insisted we work together on the song. That’s how we met and decided to work on this song. I really enjoyed working with her, not just work-

ing with her but the whole persona of her and hope it was likewise for her,” she said on her recent collaboration.

While talking about her recent song, she said, “Sneha has composed the song. Honestly, it was a great experience working on this song as it is a very complex song and to sing those words perfectly requires hard work. Rajshekhar has beautifully written the lyrics. To

WORKING ON

Today, Rao has hits like Javeda Zindagi from Anwar, Khuda Jaane from Bachna Ae Haseeno, Yaariyaan from Cocktail, Ghungroo from War and the title track of Kalank, to name a few, under her belt.

On her upcoming projects, the Songstress stated, “I have a few projects in the pipeline.

We are working on a video release for a collaboration I did with Anoushka Shankar.”

SURPRISE PREGNANCY

A

MARRIAGE I n an attempt to breathe new life into their marriage, American rapper Kanye West and reality TV star Kim Kardashian-West have rented out an entire 500acre resort deep in the San Juan Mountains.

The Wests left Colorado's Dunton River Camp earlier this week for the former cattle ranch along the Delores River, renting out the entire property for a whopping USD 43K per night, as per reports. The resort gave the family exclusive access to the resort's campfires, cabins, hot springs, hiking trails and everything else needed for a getaway.

This latest family vacation follows a weeklong trip to the Dominican Republic where West was reunited

say, I’ve sung so many words in this song which I have actually never sung in any song.

This song is about growth and how we all are ‘work in progress’ as a human being, as a lover, as a musician, as an artist and that I think was something me and Sneha resonated well with working on this song. This song, to me, symbolises the word ‘Acceptance’ and accepting each other as people.”

with his four kids, sevenyear-old North, four-year-old Saint, two-year-old Chicago, and 15-month-old Psalm, after being holed up for weeks at his 14 million USD Wyoming ranch, as per media reports The source also reports that the 39-year-old SKIMS founder is "exhausted."

"Between the kids, work, and dealing with Kanye's bipolar episodes, it's been hard for her to think clearly," the source said of Kardashian. —ANI

day after American model Chrissy Teigen and singer husband John Legend announced they were expecting a third child, Teigen revealed in a series of tweets how she found out about the surprise pregnancy.

According to

reports, when Twitter followers asked if she knew she was pregnant during her breast implant removal surgery in June, the 34-year-old model tweeted that "It's quite a story." The 'Cravings' author wrote, "I did the routine pregnancy test you do before surgery. It said negative. It was not negative," adding she took another test after the June 19 surgery.

The tweets came a day after Teigen and Legend

announced the pregnancy in his new music video, 'Wild.' The video includes a close-up shot on her growing baby bump, reported sources. The supermodel said she was surprised and "didn't think" she could get pregnant naturally, without the aid of fertility treatments. The couple's other children -- 4-yearold Luna and 2-year-old Miles - were conceived after undergoing IVF treatments.

—ANI

FREIDA PINTO TO CAST IN ‘THE HENNA ARTIST’

‘T

he Henna Artist’, Alka Joshi's bestselling debut novel, is based on 17-year old Lakshmi, who escapes from an abusive marriage and makes her way alone to the 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There, she becomes the most highly requested henna artist and confidante to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she never can reveal her own.

'The Henna Artist' has tremendous potential to become that binge-able, high-quality, multilayered television show that hon-

ours the glory and beauty of India, its culture and its people," said Pinto. Reading the book, Pinto was drawn to Lakshmi, "the kind of character I'd been dying to sink my teeth into".

"As an actress, I cannot wait to dive back into the stories of my motherland and make my women (and my men) of all backgrounds, with all their good and their complexities, feel seen and heard," said the actress, who was born and raised in India.

—Agency

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian

SAIF TURNS 50

S

aif Ali Khan celebrated preparing to welcome their sechis milestone 50th birth- ond child. Following Kareena's day this weekend and the birthday wishes, her sister Kafamily is leaving no stone risma Kapoor also took to Instaunturned to make it memorable. gram and wish Saif.

—Agency As the celebrations unfold, Kareena Kapoor Khan took to Instagram and shared a video from the party to wish the actor on social media.

The actress posted a boomerang video and a sweet video of the two posing with the birthday cake to wish the "sparkle" of her life on his 50th birthday. While the fun video oozes love, the boomerang video also gave us a glimpse of Bebo's baby bump.

The Laal Singh Chadda star captioned the video, "Happy birthday to the sparkle of my life" adding a red heart to it. The video comes days after Kareena and Saif Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan confirmed that they were

Freida Pinto

Chrissy Teigen

SOULFUL MEANING!

K

aran Singh Grover, who is known to have a knack at painting, shared snapshots of his latest artwork on Instagram.

Describing the painting, Karan shared: “This art piece symbolises independence and also transformation. It describes how a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. That’s where we are, trying to understand our parts and roles in developing wings and colours of the butterfly we all must become.”

Karan’s wife, actress Bipasha Basu, commented on the post: “New piece on Independence Day is soulful and beautiful.”

“First we achieved unity, then we achieved independence. First, we must unite, then we shall transform.

From 1947 to 2020, our first step remains the same.

We are all one. All cells

in the divine body, who herself is a cell in the body of this infinitely vast, canvas of divine consciousness. Unite with the Self and we shall unite with the all. Let’s lead the way. Happy Independence Day,” Karan said. —Agency

Karan Singh Grover and his post

CITY BUZZ JAIPUR | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020

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INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION!

—PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

12

ONLINE PROPERTY EXPO 2020

CITY FIRST

T

Jagdeesh Chandra unfurled the National Flag on the occasion of Independence Day at the First India News Channel office on Saturday morning. Seen here with him are Mahipal Singh, Syed Umar and other members of the First India Team.

Cycle Rally by Muskaan

CITY FIRST

A

cycle rally was organised by Muskaan Foundation for Road Safety on Sunday, where the volunteers and friends of the NGO participated. The objective of the rally is to demand safe infrastructure for the cyclists of Jaipur city. The group of cyclists started at 7.30 in the morning from Jawahar Circle and cycled till Mahatma

Gandhi statue on Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg and back. The placards carried by the volunteers read, ‘We demand Safe Infrastructure for Cyclists’, ‘Safe Mobility for cyclists’ and ‘I love cycling’. The Manager Projects of Muskaan, Neha Khullar said, “Muskaan is committed to continue the demand for safe mobility for cyclists and will advocate the use of cycles.” cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

TWEETED!

Robert Vadra’s post Robert Vadra took to Twitter on 15 August, Saturday to wish everyone a very happy Independence Day with a throwback picture.

He wrote, “Happy Independence Day. Being Indian is an honour... especially being part of a family who for generations have devoted & martyred their lives for the people & the country. Our efforts and dreams for the country will be constant till we live.”

—Vaishali

ransport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas inaugurated an online property expo organized

by CREDAI Rajasthan on Saturday.

CREDAI which boasts of membership from the leading builders of the state has taken an initiative in the ongoing corona epidemic of an online property expo.

This expo gives the facility of selecting featured properties without having to travel out of the comfort of one’s home.

Minister Khachariyawas praised the initiative and called it

(From right) Anurag Sharma, Gopal Gupta, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Sunil Jain, Sanjay Gupta and Manoj Mudgal

path-breaking. CREDAI President Sunil Jain said that the expo will benefit people who are

following social distancing guidelines and are hesitant in moving out to look out for properties of their choice.

Jain said the expo will save a lot of time and conveyance money to the people. It is noteworthy that the online expo organized by CREDAI involves more than

75 builders who have listed projects starting as less as Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 3 crore. The organizers claimed that buyers will get all relevant information like location, features, distance, price, etc through audio-visuals to make their choice easy. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

HAPPENINGS IN GUJARAT!

GUJARAT: Women seen wearing Tricolour masks and taking a selfie after the flag hoisting ceremony at the Congress office in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Robert Vadra on Sunday morning uploaded a motivational quote that said, “A healthy lifestyle not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude and your mood. Have a nice Sunday. Good morning.”

—Vaishali

GUJARAT: AURO University, Surat celebrated the 74th Independence Day and Sri Aurobindo’s 148th birth anniversary on its campus on Saturday. All the guidelines of social distancing were followed. The Independence Day celebration began with flag hoisting by the Hon. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rajan Welukar and was concluded with the singing of the national anthem.

‘Bhasha Anek Bhav Ek’ CITY FIRST

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he birthday of AICC secretary and former MLA Dheeraj Gurjar was widely celebrated by party workers and officebearers across the Bhilwara district on 15 August, Saturday. Leaders and workers from PCC, Youth Congress, NSUI, Seva Dal and Mahila Congress celebrated the birthday in almost all MLA constituencies of Bhilwara. The celebrations mainly were based on raising help for the needy and poor

where tricycles were distributed to the disabled, masks were distributed to people and plantation campaigns were organized at some places. Party workers distributed sweets to express their feelings for the leader. Seva Dal workers were seen planting trees in slums while women workers were busy distributing masks along with giving hand to plantation drive. There were reports of celebrations from Jahajpur, Kotdi, Mandalgarh, Kareda, Gangapur, Raipur, Sahada and Aseend. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

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(From 1-7) IAS Dr Veena Pradhan, IAS Dr Arushi Malik and IAS Ram Chandra Dhenwal celebrated their birthdays on 15 August, Saturday while IAS Dr Prithvi Raj, IAS Ansh Deep, IAS Gaurav Agrawal and IPS Vikas Sharma celebrated their birthdays on 16 August, Sunday. We wish them all the best!

GUJARAT: Indigo completed two years of operations at the Surat Airport on Sunday. Seen here are the staff members of the same.

GUJARAT: The 74th Independence Day was celebrated at Surat Airport on Saturday.

DURING THE DAY!

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n the occasion of 74th Independence Day of India, the Department of Art, Literature, Culture and Archaeology, Government of Rajasthan saluted the martyrs and wished every one Independence Day in a very creative manner. The Department took the initiative to design attractive creatives courtesy of its 6 language academies - Rajasthani, Sanskrit, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi and Braj. The purpose of creating these creatives is to convey the message of ‘unity in diversity’ to the people through the slogan ‘Bhasha Anek Bhav Ek’.

It is noteworthy that the language academies are constantly working towards upgrading, promoting and preserving the literature and culture of the languages.

These academies provide scholars of the respective languages by providing financial support, research scholarships, and honouring.

RAJASTHAN: On the occasion of Independence Day, a patriotic song ‘Nirbhaya Bharat’s Daughters’ was released

by Trooper Records and Virtual Planet in collaboration with Nirbhaya Squad Rajasthan Police to promote women power in Jaipur.

RAJASTHAN: On the occasion of 74th Independence Day, a tree plantation drive was organised in the memory of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput by Raghukul Trust in Arya Engineering College to fulfil SSR’s dream of planting 1000 trees under Go Green Jaipur. The march was led by Chairperson, Arya Group of Institutions, Anuraag Aggarwal and Chairperson, Raghukul Trust, Sadhana Garg to seek justice and CBI probe for SSR.

A thriller feature film, ‘Transference’ is out on Amazon Prime USA. The film features the team from the TV shows CSI Miami and Gotham.

RAJASTHAN: Vagmi Jain from Jaipur celebrated the spirit of independence on the 74th Independence day.