First India-Jaipur Edition-29 August 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

26°C - 34°C

ALERT JAIPUR l SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

8,38,490 2,47,89,870 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 23,775 DEATHS 7,47,995 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 7,050 DEATHS 4,09,238 CASES

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RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 83

INDIA

RAJASTHAN

62,691 34,59,295 1,017 DEATHS

KARNATAKA 5,368 DEATHS 3,18,752 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

DELHI 4,389 DEATHS 1,69,412 CASES

77,370

CONFIRMED CASES

GUJARAT 2,976 DEATHS 92,601 CASES

NO FINAL EXAM, NO DEGREE: SC

Says states, universities cannot promote students without holding final year exams by Sept 30 New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said that states and universities cannot promote students without holding final year exams by September 30. Upholding the UGC decision to hold final year exams, a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said if any state feels they can’t conduct exams by that date amid the coronavirus pandemic, they must approach the UGC for new dates to hold the exam.

The bench also comprising justices RS Reddy and MR Shah, said states are required to hold final year exams as per UGC guidelines and for any exemption they will have to seek permission.

The apex court held that the State Governments or State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) in exercise of power under Disaster Management Act, 2005 has no jurisdiction to take a decision that the students

NEET, JEE 2020 ROW

Listen to student voices, act as per their wishes: Sonia to govt

of final year/terminal students should be promoted on the basis of

earlier year assessment and internal assessment. The Final

guidelines are based on recommendations of experts and have been made after due deliberation and it is wrong to claim that it will not be possible to conduct the final examinations in terms of the guidelines.

The bench noted that the revised guidelines and the standard operating procedure for conduct of examinations dated July 8, clearly showed deep concern with the health Turn to P6

FLOODED MAGIC CASTLE!

6 oppn-ruled state mins move SC

Aditi Nagar New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday urged the government to listen to the voices of students on the issue of conducting NEET and JEE and act according to their wishes. Various Opposition parties, including the Congress, have demanded that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) be deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and floods in parts of the country, even as the Union government has made it clear that they will be held as per schedule with due precautions.

As part of the Congress’ day-long campaign of holding protests and voicing opposition on social media to holding of the entrance examinations, the party posted Sonia Gandhi’s message to students and the government on issue of conducting exams.

“I feel for you because you are now facing a very difficult situation.

DR. RAMESH POKHRIYAL NISHANK @DRRPNISHANK I heartily welcome the decision taken by the Supreme Court with respect to the final year exams. Let’s keep politics away from education and educate our politics

year/terminal semesters examinations are important because the learning process is a dynamic interaction where the only way to figure out what students know is to seek evidence of their knowledge and to evaluate it. Performances in examination especially Final year/terminal semester examination are reflection of competence of the students, SC said.

The UGC had earlier said that the July 6

SONIA: #SPEAKUPFORSTUDENTSAFETY I feel for you because you are now facing a very difficult situation. The issue of your exams, of when they should be taken up is the most important issue, not only for you but for your family. I hope the government listens to you, listens to your voices and acts upon your wishes. This is my advice to the government, she said in the nearly minute-long video posted on the Congress’ Twitter handle with the hashtag ‘Speak Up For Student Safety’.

The issue of your exams, of when they should be taken up is the most important issue, not only for you but for your family,” Sonia Gandhi said in a video addressing students.

“You are our future.

We depend on you to build a better India,” she said.

Therefore, if any decision has to be taken regarding students’ future,

it is important that it is “being taken with your concurrence”, the Congress leader said “I hope the government listens to you, listens to your voices and acts upon your wishes.

This is my advice to the government,” she said in the nearly minute-long video posted on the Congress’ Twitter handle with the hashtag ‘Speak Up For Student Safety’.

New Delhi: Six Ministers of opposition-ruled states moved the Supreme Court on Friday seeking review of its order permitting the Centre to conduct NEET and JEE entrance exams this year amid the persisting COVID-19 pandemic.

The review plea has been filed by ministers from West Bengal (Moloy Ghatak), Jharkhand (Rameshwar Oraon), Rajasthan (Raghu Sharma), Chhattisgarh (Amarjeet Bhagat), Punjab (B S Sidhu) and Maharashtra (Uday Ravindra Sawant).

The plea has been filed through advocate Sunil Fernandes.

On Aug 17, the top court had refused to interfere with the conduct of medical and engineering entrance exams -- NEET and JEE scheduled to take place in September saying that life must go on Turn to P6

This spellbinding image of cave Chun-Ya in Yucatan, in Mexico, clicked by Petr Polách represents hope for our oceans, hope for our travel and dive industries ravaged by coronavirus!

Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe Cong’s Vasanthakumar, first resigns due to ill-health MP to die due to Covid-19 Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday officially announced his plan to step down, citing health issues. “In June this year, I was told that there were signs of recurrence of my chronic condition called ulcerative colitis, and I did my best at work. while taking medicine,” Abe told a press conference, reported Sputnik.

PM Modi tweeted, “Pained to hear about

Shinzo Abe

your ill health, my dear friend @AbeShinzo. In recent years, with your wise leadership and personal commitment, the India-Japan Turn to P6

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Congress leader and Kanyakumari MP Harikrishnan Vasanthakumar passed away Friday due to Covid-19.

He was 70.

Kumar was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai since August 10. He was on ECMO and Ventilator support and monitored by a multidisciplinary team of doctors.

Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his

condolences.

“Saddened by the demise of Lok Sabha MP Shri H. Vasanthakumar Ji. His strides in business and social service efforts were noteworthy.

Turn to P6

FOUNDATION STONE OF MODERN TECH MILK PROCESSING PLANT AT BHILWARA

Dairy sector will be promoted in the state: Chief Minister Every possible step will be taken to strengthen the dairy sector so that more employment opportunities are available to the youth: Gehlot Naresh Sharma Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that the state government will give full encouragement to the district milk producers cooperative associations to promote the dairy sector in the state.

“Agriculture and ani-

mal husbandry is the mainstay of livelihood in rural areas. Every possible step will be taken to strengthen the dairy sector so that more employment opportunities are available to the youth,” Gehlot said while addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of the

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Pramod Jain Bhaya and Bhajanlal Jatav during the foundation stone laying ceremony of milk processing plant of Bhilwara District Milk Producers Cooperative Federation.

modern technologically equipped milk processing plant of Bhilwara District Milk Producers Cooperative Federation at a cost of about Rs 75 crore through a video conference from the Chief Minister’s residence on Friday.

The plant, to be ready

by August 2022, will have a capacity of 5 lakh liters per day.

The Chief Minister said that the State Government is giving special emphasis on food processing in order to

provide farmers with remunerative prices for their crops and to empower them financially.

“Now farmers do not need land conversion of land up to 10 hectare after setting up food processing unit in the state.

There is a lot of scope for expansion of dairy sector in the state. It will be our endeavour to make milk production, collection and marketing work faster,” he said.

Gehlot said that the former Prime Minister Late Jawaharlal Nehru

has been a major contributor in strengthening the cooperative movement in the country. “The result of his foresight is that our country, could move towards being self-reliant. Former Prime Minister Late Indira Gandhi’s efforts led to significant innovations in the country, such as the Green Revolution and the White Revolution, which enabled the country to become selfsufficient in the field of food grains Turn to P6

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02

Deferring NEET,JEE: Cong holds protests If the central govt doesn’t relent then Congress would approach the Supreme Court on the issue: Khachariyawas —PHOTO BY SUMAN SARKAR Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Parsadi Lal, Mahesh Joshi, Sachin Pilot, Amin Kagzi, Ganga Devi, Brij Kishore Sharma, Ashk Ali Tak & others staged a demo on JLN marg in Jaipur.

Yogesh Sharma Jaipur: The state unit of the Congress staged demonstrations at all district headquarters against the center’s decision to hold JEENEET examination amid Covid-19 scare.

Jaipur district Congress staged a demo outside MNIT on JLN marg in Jaipur. Transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Industries minister Parsadi

Lal Meena, Chief whip Dr Mahesh Joshi, former PCC chief Sachin Pilot, MLAs Amin Kagzi, Ganga Devi, ex minister Brij Kishore Sharma, ex MP Ashk Ali Tak, ex mayor Jyoti Khandelwal, Mahesh Sharma, Rajesh Chodhary and KK Haritwal along with many other party leaders & workers participated in the protest.

PCC chief Govind Dotasara couldn’t attend the protest due to health

MAJOR MISSING

C

50 yr-old man jumps to death in Gangapur city

Cops arrest 2 out of 4 accused in dairy loot case

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Sawai Madhopur: A 50 year old man committed suicide in Udai village of Gangapur city on Friday. The deceased had come to visit his sister in the village in connection with marriage proposals for his daughters.

On Friday morning when the in-laws of his sister moved out, he perched on the water

tank in the village. ASP Himanshu Sharma, tehsildar Gyanchand Jaiman and SHO Bharat Singh reached the spot. The police said that the deceased was mentally unstable as per his family members but they were further investigating the cause of suicide as the deceased also raised the issue of chambal water supply to Sawai madhopur.

Jaipur: Jaipur Police Commissionerate has solved the day light loot of Rs 8 lakh from a dairy collection agent within three days of the crime. DCP Manoj Chodhary told the media that the Shipra Path police have arrested two out four robbers who attacked complainant Raju Maheshwari.

Bike-borne assailants open fire at shop owner in Bhankrota First India Bureau Jaipur: The fearlessness of criminals was once again at the open display when bikeborne assailants shot at a shopkeeper in Mundyaramsar near Maujiya mod in Bhankrota area of the state capital and decamped with a bag full of cash.

Bhankrota police took the wounded shopkeeper, Kishorpura resident, Laduram Sharma, to SMS hospital. ACP Rai Singh Beniwal said that Laduram owns Shiv Shakti departmen-

reasons. He tweeted that he would meet nobody for two days due to his bad health. CM Gehlot too cancelled all his programmes outside CMR after 10 CMR employees were diagnosed with corona positive.

Addressing the party workers, Khachariyawas said that in the times when even the biggest events were being cancelled across the world, there was no reason JEE-NEET exams

couldn’t be cancelled. He said if the central govt doesn’t relent then Congress would approach the Supreme Court on the issue. Most of the speakers at the protest criticized the Modi govt for being adamant on holding the exams and putting the life of students at risk. Some took a dig at the Modi govt for not convening parliament session due to Covid-18 but asking the poor students to sit for exams.

Many events being deferred across globe, why not exams?: Pilot

‘Cong will not let Centre risk the lives of students’

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday held a protest against the Centre’s decision to conduct JEE and NEET examinations in September 2020 and demanded the Centre to postpone it in view of the pandemic.

Pilot said government should listen to the request and postpone the exams as the number of COVID-19 cases are constantly increasing and several big events across the globe are also being postponed. “The NSUI is working for postponing the exams as it is a matter of life and death. The spread of the virus is surging with every passing day and we are yet to reach the peak. The centre will have to roll back its decision. This deci-

Jaipur: Demanding postponement of NEET and JEE examinations, government chief whip Mahesh Joshi on Friday said that the Congress will not let the centre risk the lives of lakhs of students by conducting the examinations amid rising number of coronavirus positive cases.

Joshi, who also attended a dharna in Jaipur against the centre. He said, “The Centre should have consulted states as large number of students will come to take the exam. Hotels are closed and where they stay,” he argued. On the Pre-Diploma of Elementary Education exam scheduled to be held on August 31, Joshi said the exam will be taken by local candidates.

Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur: Opposition BJP’s virtual protest ‘Halla Bol’ began on Friday with Facebook live by senior leaders on various issues including electricity, locust attack, law and order among others.

Launching the campaign # BJPKaHallaBol, the party’s state president Satish Poonia said that the government has failed to deliver on its promises and now the public is seeking answers.

He said that Rahul Gandhi has said ‘Ab Hoga Nyay’ during elections but the government fulfilled none of the promises, be it loan waiver or jobs to

Satish Poonia addressing ‘Halla Bol’ with party leaders on Friday.

youth, and now people are asking ‘Kab Hoga Nyay’.

Rajendra Rathore, Ramlal Sharma and others too attacked the government in their Facebook live session. “The government has put an extra burden on 1.40 crore power consumers through increase in fuel charge and fixed charges. The party had

demanded waiver of four months electricity bills on behalf of the public but the government has increased the burden on the consumers,” Poonia said.

“Lakhs of youths are unemployed and they have been betrayed by the government on the promises of recruitments on more than one lakh posts,”

he said.

Targeting government over ‘mismanagement of covid-19’, Poonia said that no proper screening or sampling was done.

When pointed out that former CM Raje was not live on Facebook, Poonia said that Raje only can reply to this.

Poonia said that the party will hold demonstrations in front of GSS, AEN offices on August 31, protest will be held in front of SDM offices across the state on other issues on September 2. MPs & MLAs will hand over representations on district collectors against the misrule of the government on September 4.

Cong failed to fulfill people’s promise: Ramlal First India Bureau

tal store near Maujiya mod was attacked while he was entering his car to leave for home at around 7.45 pm on Friday evening. The bikeborne criminals came

from behind and shot him in the stomach. The assailants escaped towards Begas road with the money stashed in the bag snatched from Laduram.

Jaipur: BJP chief spokesperson Ram Lal Sharma was attacking Congress while speaking during the ‘Halla Bol’ campaign on Friday. Sharma reminded that the then Congress President Rahul Gandhi had promised waiver of farmer loans in 10 days of govt formation

else the CM would be sion officers. He acchanged but the prom- cused the CM of starting the day with ise is yet to be baseless allegafulfilled even tions on BJP. after more than Ram Lal Sharone half years ma alleged that of the govt forthe state govt mation. has failed in BJP spokesperson alleged that Ramlal Sharma making requisite medical fanow the govt was attaching the lands cilities to fight the coof indebted farmers rona war as there were through the sub divi- no ventilators at RUHS

Excise Dept’s drive against illicit liquor from Sept 1 The excise commissioner will himself monitor the campaign on daily basis.If the campaign fails, the incharge officers would be answerable.

sion has jeopardised the lives of the students and their families. When there are more cases, how can your children come from those areas?” he asked.

“The idea requires laborious efforts and lots of time to be materialised. I believe that the government will listen to our demands.

Huge events across the globe are being postponed, so these exams can be postponed as well,” Pilot added.

Poonia launches #BJPKaHallaBol

STRICT MONITORING



Sachin Pilot

Shivendra Pramar Jaipur: Excise commissioner Jogaram has issued instructions to his department officers to run a campaign against illicit liquor in the state from 1 September to 20 September.

Jogaram told his officers that his aim is to have zero availability of any illicit liquor in the state. According to the orders issued the additional commissioners of every zone have been made in-

Jogaram

charges of their areas.

In order to ensure complete success of the campaign the excise department will coordinate with local police

Mahesh Joshi

and administration.

The incharge officers have been conveyed in no uncertain terms that if the campaign fails in their area it would be

answerable only by them. The District Excise Officers too have been asked to lead the teams in their areas.

The excise commissioner will himself monitor the campaign on a day today basis. The department has made special preparation for keeping a strict watch on illegal liquor, handmade country liquor. The additional excise commissioner of Excise Prevention Team has been appointed as nodal officer of

the campaign. Jogaram has instructed zero leaves for any officer during campaign unless permitted by the HQ, regular raids & checking of dhabas, special eye on illegal sales by hotels, raids on places manufacturing ingredients and proper update on action taken by next day morning to the HQ. Jogaram is trying best to make the campaign, against illicit liquor, the most successful in Rajasthan.

as per the demand, the private hospitals were fleecing the common men by over charging and there was shortage of medicines. Ram La Sharma praised the policies of Modi govt designed for people’s benefit while state govt was now ready to fleece the people in name of fuel surcharge through electricity bills.

Diya Kumari protests hike in power bills Jaipur: Vehemently opposing the increase in electricity bills, Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari, said that the Congress Government is the first such insensitive Government in the history of Rajasthan which has continuously hurt the sentiments of the people. MP Diya Kumari, who visited Rajsamand district, was leading the demonstration in Jassa Kheda under the ‘Halla Bol’ program.

Government has darkened the houses of the poor. Far from forgiving the electricity bill, the Government has made it their main source of income. The Government, which is extinguishing the lamps of the poor & public is being exorbitantly charged through electricity bills. Earlier, on entering Rajsamand district, BJP workers warmly greeted MP Diya Kumari and wished her well on becoming the State Gen Secy.

RSS to hold ‘Prakriti Vandan’ on Aug 30 First India Bureau Jaipur: PM Narendra Modi has sent out a message for the ‘Prakriti Vandan’ (Nature’s Worship) programme to be observed on 30 August across the country

by RSS. The PM said that the effort to make people aware of environment related issues is worth lauding. It is noteworthy that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will virtually deliver a 10 minute address on 30 August for

this programme which will be celebrated at more than 500 centers at 10 am on 30 August. So far 4 lakh people have registered for the programme.

Vishwa Samvad Kendra.

Handling the publicity of the programme, said that people can also join the programme online.

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RAJ RECORDS 1,355 NEW COVID CASES, 12 DEATHS IN LAST 24 HRS Two Project Directors were diagnosed positive on Friday in Svasthya Bhawan Jaipur: The state reported 1,355 new cases of corona with Jaipur leading with maximum new cases adding 237 followed by 195 from Jodhpur, 133 from Kota, 65 from Bikaner, 55 from Sirohi, 52 from Bhilwara, 50 from Jhalawar, 49 from Alwar, 42 from Sikar, 40 from Ajmer, 39 from Pali, 37 from Nagaur, 34 from Churu, 31 from Udaipur, 27 from Bundi, 24 from Barmer, 23 each from Dungarpur & Tonk, 21 each from Chittorgarh & Rajsamand, 20 from Bharatpur, 19 each from Banswara & Hanumangarh, 18 each from Ganganagar & Nagaur, 15 from Dausa, 14 from Jaisalmer, 13 each from Pratapgarh & Sawai Madhopur, 11 from Baran, 8 from Jhunjhunu, 5 from Dholpur and 2 from Karauli taking tally to 77,370 so far.

—FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau

PRAYER OFFERINGS FOR RECOVERY OF CONG LEADER

12 deaths were reported in last 24 hours, 3 from Jaipur, 2 from Jodhpur and one each from Alwar, Ajmer, Bi-

kaner, Jalore, Kota, Nagaur and Pali taking the death toll to 1,017.

In Svasthya Bhawan, after the Director (Pub-

lic health), two Project Directors were diagnosed positive on Friday. Project director (Child Health) Dr Gun-

bala Jain and Project Director (RBSK) Dr SK Sharma are infected.

Jagdish Narayan Sharma, associate with Jaipur Dairy also tested positive. He is vice president of the state union of dairy employees. Sirsi road resident Sharma was admitted to CK Birla hospital by Dr Tarun Arora when he complained of difficulty in breathing.

Video viral: Inmates Guv confers degrees in Raj’s enjoy liquor & drugs first ever virtual convocation First India Bureau Hanumangarh: A viral video and some photos from, now infamous, Hanumangarh district jail has stunned everybody and forced the responsible to hide their faces. The video shows the inmates relishing liquor and chicken inside the jail premises.

Another inmate is seen counting currency notes worth Rs 10,000, while there also appears a chat where a complaint regarding non delivery of liquor bottle is mentioned.

The video also shows an inmate using a mobile phone. There is a visual where one inmate is using a small weighing scale and declaring the supplied drugs to be lesser in weight than claimed by the supplier.

Jailor Yogendra accepts the fact that the viral video indeed has visuals from inside the

Hanumangarh district jail but he claims that the visuals are of the period prior to his posting. He said after his joining the post of jailor he completely stopped all such activities which were rampant earlier.

The video also has the name of one jail employee, Satveer being mentioned. This has not only raised questions on the complete charade being staged but also puts the jail authorities under spot although any involvement of Satveer is being denied by the jail authorities.

The jails in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Ajmer have been reporting mobiles being found inside jail premises but Hanumangarh jail seems to have taken inspiration from neighboring Punjab jails where such activities and their subsequent publicity is common.

Governor Kalraj Mishra along with Secretary Subir Kumar and Principal OSD Govind Ram Jaiswal during the virtual convocation ceremony.

First India Bureau Jaipur: The first virtual convocation ceremony in a state run university was held on Friday, where governor Kalraj Mishra conferred upon degrees to students through video conference. The ceremony was held by Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agriculture University of Bikaner, in which gold medals and degrees were conferred upon the students.

In the adverse condition during the corona pandemic, the initia-

tive was taken through video conference.

Addressing the ceremony through video conference, the governor said that students, teachers, experts and researchers of the agriculture field have a big responsibility and they should contribute for the welfare of farmers and for making them financially empowered.

He also said that there is a scope for new initiatives in research entrepreneurship in desert areas and the university should play an important role for this.

To take advantage of globalization, the governor said that a lot of work needs to be done for improving quality of agriculture produce and on value addition.

Mishra also suggested that farmers should work on the principle of cooperatives by forming producers associations.

The chancellor also called upon the university to focus on research to minimize the impact of climate change.

The university’s vice chancellor RP Singh and others also addressed the ceremony.

JPR AIRPORT PRIVATISATION TO FINISH IN CURRENT FISCAL YEAR

Workers to choose between AAI or Adani in 1 yr First India Bureau Jaipur: The process of privatisation of Jaipur airport is gaining momentum after the cabinet approval as the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Adani Enterprises will soon sign the agreement.

After the agreement signing, officials from the Adani group will visit the airport to understand operations and works at the Jaipur airport. It is expected that the group will take over the operations from the new financial year.

However, officials from AAI and the company will together han-

FUTURE PLANS

dle the operations for nearly one year to ensure safe operations.

During this, AAI officials and employees will have the option to join the company or to continue working with

the government run AAI. However, the staffers who choose to stay with AAI will be transferred to another airport managed by the authority after three years.

The Union Cabinet on August 19, approved a proposal for leasing out airports at Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram through PPP model for a period of 50 years. Earlier, in July

2019, the cabinet had approved the proposal for leasing out Ahmedabad, Mangalore and Lucknow airports.

Adani Enterprises will now have these six airports which are currently owned and managed by the AAI. Adani Enterprises will pay Rs 174 per domestic passenger and Rs 348 domestic per international passenger to the AAI. The security and ATC will be under government control. AAI sources said that the process of leasing out is likely to be completed by the end of the current financial year.

03

Freedom at stake! Child labour, human trafficking picks pace First India Bureau Jaipur: Unlock has pushed child labour and human trafficking back to the forefront.

Lallan, a minor boy, worked at a tea stall before lockdown and is again serving tea, spending hours on stalls while sacrificing his dream to live a normal life.

This story is not exclusive to Lallan, but many other children are again being engaged in child labour. The number of

human trafficking has seen a surge during the unlocking phases which has raised concern for authorities.

During lockdown, factory owners had sent nearly 70-80 child labourers to home but as per an estimate, nearly 10,00012000 child labourers have resumed work.

Anti-trafficking units of police, child helpline, social organisations too have become active.

More than 300 child labourers have been res-

cued from areas like Jalupura, Galta Gate, Transport Nagar, KhoNagorian, Vidhyadhar Nagar areas.

Suman Singh, the coordinator of child helpline said that the situation is again becoming grim for child labourers after the unlock.

Labour secretary Neeraj K Pawan said that district collectors have been issued instructions to take action on cases of child labourers.

PERSPECTIVE JAIPUR | SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

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IN SYNC WITH THE COSMOS

IN-DEPTH

SONIA STRIKES BACK, G23 BIDES TIME

W

ho said that the Grand Old Party’s central leadership was comatose or lacked the gumption to check dissidence? Well, the party bosses have just shown signs of life after a stirring letter from 23 senior leaders demanding change in leadership and transparent elections to party posts. In a strong message to the Group of 23, which includes Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Shashi Tharoor, Anand Sharma, Manish Tiwari, and Jitin Prasada, Sonia Gandhi reorganized the party’s parliamentary groups.

Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tiwari found himself sidelined as the party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha. Gaurav Gogoi, a two-time MP from Assam, has been preferred over him. Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu is the new Whip. In the Rajya Sabha, KC Venugopal will now be part of a five-member decisionmaking group. Besides Azad and Anand Sharma the Rajya Sabha group will also have Jairam Ramesh as Chief Whip and Ahmed Patel, a Sonia loyalist. A similar group in the Lok Sabha will comprise Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, Gogoi, and Chief Whip K. Suresh.

Bittu and Manickkam Tagore will be the two Whips.

The changes give an idea of how things will shape up in case Sonia Gandhi decides to demit office in six months’ time. The LS group has loyalists of Rahul Gandhi. In the RS, the loyalty of Azad and Anand Sharma to the Gandhis may now be suspect but Venugopal, Ahmed Patel, and Ramesh can be counted upon. In nutshell, Sonia has removed impediments that may come up in Rahul’s path to presidentship. However, wait for G23’s next move.

SADHGURU, ISHA FOUNDATION

Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service

T

PARLIAMENT GEARS UP FOR SESSION

P

arliament’s Monsoon Session is scheduled to be held from September 14 to October 1 under the shadow of the pandemic. Protocols are being put in place, including testing of all MPs and staff 72 hours before the start of the session. Arrangements for tests inside the House are also being made.

Speaker Om Birla met officials of the health ministry and others involved with tackling Covid-19 and said, “All are to be tested is the first protocol.” Provisions are being made for RT-PCR tests inside parliament every seven days. The protocol of social distancing will also be in place with members being adjusted in galleries. The Speaker said the Question Hour and the Zero Hours will be conducted and that he was discussing modalities with all the parties.

How stormy will the session be? The Opposition is expected to raise issues like the downward slide in the economy, non-payment of GST compensation to states, and the Covid-19 situation which, it says, the government has mishandled. The JEE (Main) and NEET examinations will be over by the time the session is convened, just in case the Supreme Court junks the review petition filed by six states. Any adverse fallout on students in view of the pandemic will give the Opposition a handle to attack the government.

It will be interesting to see if members will charge into the well forgetting social-distancing protocol if they do not get a chance to be heard.

Hopefully, MPs will demonstrate maturity like their counterparts in some state legislatures did.

They can always walk out and raise slogans.

In yoga, we evolved a whole system of practices as to how to stay in sync with the solar system so that your physical health, your mental balance, and your spiritual wellbeing is not even an issue

he Ujjain Kumbh Mela will be celebrated from 22 April. It is called the Simhastha Kumbha and is very significant because it is the twelfth of the twelveyear solar cycles. The earth and moon journey in cycles and your life too is cyclical. Either these can remain cycles of bondage or, we can use them for transcendence. There are cycles of various durations, the longest being of 144 years. Every 144 years, a distinctive situation happens in the solar system, and thus we have the Mahakumbha Mela once in 144 years.

In yoga, we see the solar system as the potter’s wheel out of which we have been churned.

The relationship between the solar system and the body is recognized and a lot of practices are designed to be in sync with this. For example, within the human system, there are 72,000 energy channels in the body, which meet in 114 places in significant ways. These places are called chakras. Of these 114, two are outside the physical body. With another four, there is nothing much you can do. So there are only 108 which you can practically work with.

108 has manifested in the human system because it is significant in the making of the solar system. The distance between the sun and earth is 108 times the diameter of the sun. The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the earth. The distance between the earth and the moon is 108 times the diameter of the moon. The human system is also in sync with this.

15,000 years ago when Adiyogi, the first yogi, was transmitting yoga to his seven disciples, the Saptarishis, or seven celebrated sages of India, he charted out how a human being has evolved. Yoga does not mean standing on your head, twisting your body, or holding your breath. Yoga is the science of inner evolution. Adiyogi explored every nut and bolt of creation

THE OTHER WAY FOR THE BRAIN TO EVOLVE IS FOR THE NEURONAL SIZE TO INCREASE, IN WHICH CASE THE BRAIN’S POWER CONSUMPTION WILL BE SO HIGH THAT THE PHYSICAL BODY CANNOT SUSTAIN IT. IN A RESTFUL STATE, TWENTY PERCENT OF YOUR ENERGY IS CONSUMED IN YOUR BRAIN. IF YOU INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE NEURONS, THE VOLUME OF ENERGY THAT IT WILL CONSUME WILL BE SO HIGH THAT THE PHYSICAL BODY CANNOT SUSTAIN IT

and brought forth yoga as a technology with which every human being can evolve himself.

At one point, the Saptarishis asked, “Can’t a human being evolve further?” Adiyogi said, “Unless there are drastic changes in the solar system, your physical body cannot evolve further; the physical laws will not permit that.” It is very uncanny that today, modern neuroscientists are saying something very similar. When people ask, “Can’t we have a bigger brain than what we have so that we can do more things?” They are saying, “The human brain cannot evolve any further, not because of neurological principles but because of physical laws. We can only learn to use it better, but we cannot evolve it further because the only way

we can do that is to pack more neurons in it. If we do that, clarity will go away.” Many children are born like this – they have phenomenal intelligence but they have no clarity. Over a period of time, natural cycles will kill some of the neurons and bring them down to a balanced state. If they don’t come down, they will be not normal.

The other way for the brain to evolve is for the neuronal size to increase, in which case the brain’s power consumption will be so high that the physical body cannot sustain it. In a restful state, twenty percent of your energy is consumed in your brain.

If you increase the size of the neurons, the volume of energy that it will consume will be so high that the physical body cannot sustain it. This is because of

Acedia: The lost name for the emotion we’re all feeling

W

ith some communities in rebooted lockdown conditions and movement restricted everywhere else, no one is posting pictures of their sourdough. Zoom cocktail parties have lost their novelty, Netflix can only release so many new series. The news seems worse every day, yet we compulsively scroll through it.

We get distracted by social media, yet have a pile of books unread. We keep meaning to go outside but somehow never find the time. We’re bored, listless, afraid and uncertain.

WHAT IS THIS FEELING? John Cassian, a monk and theologian wrote in the early 5th century about an ancient Greek

04

emotion called acedia. A mind “seized” by this emotion is “horrified at where he is, disgusted with his room … It does not allow him to stay still in his cell or to devote any effort to reading”. He feels: such bodily listlessness and yawning hunger as though he were worn by a long journey or a prolonged fast … Next he glances about and sighs that no one is coming to see him. Constantly in and out of his cell, he looks at the sun as if it were too slow in setting.

This sounds eerily familiar. Yet, the name that so aptly describes our current state was lost to time and translation.

MORE THAN A LABEL Reviving the language of acedia is important to our experience in two ways.

First, it distinguishes the complex of emotions brought on by enforced isolation, constant uncertainty and the barrage of bad news

from clinical terms like “depression” or “anxiety”.

Saying, “I’m feeling acedia” could legitimise feelings of listlessness

and anxiety as valid emotions in our current context without inducing guilt that others have things worse.

Second, and more importantly, the feelings associated with physical isolation are exacerbated by emotional isolation – that terrible sense that this thing I feel is mine alone.

When an experience can be named, it can be communicated and even shared.

Learning to express new or previously unrecognised constellations of feelings, sensations, and thoughts, builds an emotional repertoire, which assists in emotional regulation. Naming and expressing experiences allows us to claim some agency in dealing with them.

As we, like Cassian’s desert monks, struggle through our own “long, dark teatime of the soul”, we can name this experience, which is now part of our emotional repertoire..

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

the physical laws, not because of neurological principles. Adiyogi said this 15,000 years ago.

In yoga, we evolved a whole system of practices as to how to stay in sync with the solar system so that your physical health, your mental balance, and your spiritual wellbeing is not even an issue. It is something that naturally gets handled once you fall in sync with the whole system. Today we ignore everything and try to live. You can’t be well that way.

We have strived to produce societies and a world with all kinds of conveniences. But we have not invested enough in the inner wellbeing of a human being. We need infrastructure which delivers inner possibilities without fanciful belief systems; infrastructure where a human being can turn inward and explore himself. I am talking about inner exploration as an experience, not a psychological analysis. So it is essential that we as individuals, as families, as communities, as nations, as humanity as a whole, invest in developing a human being into a much bigger possibility than the way he is right now.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp The landmark judgement on #Ayodhya that paved the way for the construction of a grand Ram Mandir or recording highestever benchmarks of Parliament productivity, #Modi2.0 has been full of bold decisions and historic achievements Mallikarjun Kharge @kharge Govt’s decision to conduct #JEE_NEET examinations during an epidemic is illogical. It will put the lives of lakhs of students at risk & could be disastrous. The Govt should re-evaluate their decision on risking the students lives to satisfy their egos. #SpeakUpForStudentSafety

Spiritual SPEAK

In whom there is no sympathy for living beings: know him as an outcast.

—Buddha

Vol 2 Issue No. 83 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur.

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RAHUL GANDHI ON NEET, JEE

‘WHY SHOULD GOVT FORCE ANYTHING ON YOU?’ CONG AND VARIOUS OPPN PARTIES HAVE DEMANDED THAT THE TWO EXAMS BE DEFERRED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC & FLOODS IN COUNTRY

New Delhi: The safety of NEET-JEE aspirants should not be compromised due to the “failures of the government”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, hitting out a the centre over its decision to hold the medical & engineering entrance exams in September amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“NEET-JEE aspirants’ safety should not compromised due to the failures of the government. The government must listen to all stakeholders and arrive at a consensus,” Mr Gandhi tweeted, along with a video of his message to the student community as well as the government.

“You’re the future of this country. You are the students and you are going to take this country to new heights...” Congress MP said, targeting the government over its handling of Covid crisis.

“What I don’t understand is why you should be held responsible and why further pain should be imposed on you... So why should the govern-

RAGA TRYING TO DISCOURAGE PEOPLE, SAYS GIRIRAJ SINGH

RAHUL GANDHI @RAHULGANDHI NEET-JEE aspirants’ safety should not compromised due to the failures of the Govt.

Govt must listen to all stakeholders and arrive at a consensus.#SpeakUpForStudentSafety ment force anything on you? It’s important that the government listens to the students,” he said in the video.

NEET-JEE aspirants’ safety should not compromised due to the failures of the Govt.

The crucial exams - the

Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) & the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) are to be held in September. While the JEE is scheduled from September 1 to 6, the NEET exam is to be held on September 13. The SC had last week rejected a

petition by 11 students from 11 states asking for the exams to be deferred, saying: “Life cannot be stopped... Are students ready to waste one whole year?”

Congress & various opposition parties have demanded that the exams be deferred due to the pandemic and floods in parts of country, even as centre has made it clear that they will be held as per schedule with due precautions. —ANI

Begusarai: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday, said, “He is following the theory of Hitler’s minister Goebbels. during COVID-19, when the world accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a management guru Rahul Gandhi is asking when the vaccine will come.

It is not a child’s play, there is a protocol for coronavirus vaccine.

Three companies are working. Despite working during COVID-19, Rahul Gandhi is trying to discourage people and it is not in the national interest.”

—ANI

SC notice to Centre on PIL for identifying minorities at state level New Delhi: The Supreme Court sought the Centre’s response on a PIL seeking directions for framing of guidelines identifying minorities at the state level as the Hindus are in a minority in 10 states and are not able to avail the benefits of schemes meant for minorities.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Ajay Rastogi and Aniruddha Bose issued notices to the Ministries of Home Affairs, Law and Justice, and Minority Affairs and sought replies in six weeks.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Vikas Singh said Hindus are in minority in 10 states but have not been declared so.

The PIL, filed by BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, said it has also challenged the validity of Section 2(f) of the National Commission for Minority Education Institution Act 2004, for giving unbridled power to the Centre and being manifestly arbitrary, irrational and offending.

The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, said denial of benefits

to the “real” minorities and arbitrary and unreasonable disbursements under schemes meant for them to the absolute majority, infringes upon the fundamental right under the Constitution.

“Direct and declare that followers of Judaism, Bahaism & Hinduism, who are minorities in Laddakh, Mizoram, Lakshdweep, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur, can establish & administer educational institutions of their choice in spirit of the TMA Pai Ruling,” the plea said.

The apex court in TMA Pai Foundation case held that the state is well within its rights to introduce a regulatory regime in the nation-

IN THE COURTYARD BPR&D’s role vital in strengthening India’s Choksi’s plea seeking preview BHIMA KOREGAON CASE Bombay HC rejects bail internal security: Shah of Netflix series dismissed plea of Sudha Bharadwaj New Delhi: The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) has played an important role in strengthening India’s internal security, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, while congratulating the organisation on its Golden Jubilee Anniversary on Friday.

“Greetings to the Bureau of Police Research and Development on its Golden Jubilee Anniversary. The BPR&D has played a vital role in strengthening India’s internal security through research and development. I salute BPR&D’s continuous quest for a robust and modern police system in the country,” Shah tweeted. Sharing details about the organisation, the BPR&D earlier said, “The Bureau of Police Research and Development was raised on August 28, 1970, through a resolu-

J&K: MHA NOTIFIES RULES OF TRANSACTION “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, read with the Proclamation, dated 31st October 2019 issued under section 73 of the said Act, the President hereby makes the following rules,” MHA said in a notification.

tion of MHA, with a mandate to promote excellence in policing, promote systematic study of police problems etc. —ANI

LEFT TARGETS CENTRE OVER ‘ACT OF GOD’ REMARK ON GST REVENUE New Delhi: The CPI(M) hit out at the government over the shortfall in GST revenues and claimed it was “blaming the heavens” after its “cronyism, incompetence and callousness” destroyed the economy. The Centre on Thursday placed before the GST Council two options for borrowing by states to meet the

shortfall in GST revenues pegged at 2.35 lakh crore in the current fiscal. Briefing reporters after the 41st meeting of the GST Council, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the economy has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is an ‘’Act of God’’, and it will see a contraction in the current fiscal.

New Delhi: Delhi HC dismissed a plea by Mehul Choksi, the uncle of diamantaire Nirav Modi, seeking a preview of a series to be aired by video streaming platform Netflix next month.

The series, ‘Bad Boy Billionaires’, focusses on the fraud committed by many high-profile business tycoons in India. The poster released by Netflix shows Choksi’s neph-

ew Nirav Modi, Subrata Roy of the Sahara Group, chairperson of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines , Vijay Mallya, and Ramalin-

ga Raju, the former chairperson and CEO of Satyam Computer Services.

HC said Choksi can file a civil suit as what is being alleged as an infringement by him is a private right and can be exercised in a civil suit. It also refused to grant him a preview stating that there are no regulations to control content being streamed on OTT platforms. —PTI

Mumbai: The Bombay HC dismissed the bail plea by Sudha Bharadwaj, one of the activists arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, filed on medical grounds in view of the Covid-19 outbreak in prisons. The court said the state will continue providing medical aid in prison for ailments. Bhardwaj is lodged in Mumbai’s Byculla Women’s Jail.

Bharadwaj had filed

an appeal before the Bombay HC against special NIA court’s rejection of her interim bail plea on medical grounds.—Agencies

Fodder Scam: Hearing on Lalu’s bail plea deferred Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Friday deferred for September 11 hearing on the bail plea of former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD supremo Lalu Yadav in connection with a case related to the fodder scam.

ber 2017, was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in 2018 under the IPC and seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with the fodder scam case.

Notably, both the sentences are being

Lalu Yadav is currently undergoing medical treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Jharkhand’s Ranchi. He has been in the hospital for several months now. Yadav, who has been in prison since Decem-

CURRENT SITUATION IN LADAKH AS SEVERE AS 1962: SHIV SENA Mumbai: Shiv Sena said that current situation in Ladakh is as severe as that of 1962, apparently referring to India-China war, but asserted that Indian Army will not allow the history to repeat.

In its mouthpiece Saamana, the party said, “Today’s India is not that of 1962. It is much more powerful than that. Despite acknowledging this, Chinese infiltration & land grabbing activities have not reduced. Indian Army will not allow to repeat the history of 1962. The situation in Ladakh currently is as severe as that of 1962.”

served consecutively.

The case pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.5 crore from Dumka treasury by Animal Husbandry Department officials between 1991 1996 when Lalu served as the State’s Chief Minister. —ANI

BSP ANNOUNCES 8 CANDIDATES FOR MADHYA PRADESH BYPOLLS Bhopal: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has announced names of eight candidates for the by-elections to 27 Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh. The list of candidates for eight seats, which are in Gwalior-Chambal region, was finalised by party president and former UP CM Mayawati, party sources

05

said. Party has fielded exMLA Soneram Kushwaha from Joura, Ram Prakash Rajoria from Morena, Yogesh Meghsingh Narwaria from Mehgaon, Kailash Kushwaha from Pohri, Bhanu Pratapsingh Sakhwar from Ambah, Jaswant Patwari from Ambah, Santosh Gaud from Dabra Rajendra Jatav from Pohri.

al interest to provide minority educational institutions with wellqualified teachers in order for them to achieve excellence in education.

The plea said that minorities whether based on religion or language shall have the right to establish-administer educational institutions of their choice.

“Rational basis of declaring certain religions as minority by Central government as they have less population in the States is contravened when benefits of schemes for minority are acquired by those religious minorities in states where they are in majority & those religious communities who are actually minorities are not been given equal status.” —PTI

POSTPONEMENT OF BIHAR POLLS

COVID-19 NO EXCUSE, SAYS SC New Delhi: SC refused to entertain a petition seeking postponement of the Bihar Assembly elections due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and comprising Justices R S Reddy and MR Shah left it to the Election Commission decide the schedule.

The apex court was hearing a petition filed by one Avinash Thakur, who sought direction to the Chief Election Commissioner to postpone the election till the state was free of Covid-19. The petitioner had argued that Representation of People Act allowed deferment in extraordinary situations.

SC said this was not the ground for postponement. adding that the petition was premature, as EC was yet to announce the poll schedule. —PTI

HEAVY RAIN DAMAGES HOUSES IN U’KHAND’S DHARCHULA Uttarakhand: Heavy rain and land slides caused extensive damage in Uttrakhand’s Dharchula district. Many houses have been badly damaged.

Residents have requested the local administration to allow them to look for their belongings that are still under the rubble. The debris of damaged houses has blocked roads creating problems for the locals to move from one place to another. We had made it a priority to keep people safe, then save their properties and clear blocked roads,” said Anil Kumar Shukla, SDM of Dharchula.

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INDIA’S RECOVERIES NEAR 26 LAKH New Delhi: After 60,177 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 recoveries are nearing 26 lakh and there are only 22 per cent active cases in the country, the MOHFW informed on Friday.

“With more patients recovering and being discharged from home isolation (in case of mild and moderate cases) and hospitals (severe and critical cases), India’s COVID-19 recoveries are nearing 26 lakh. 60,177 have recovered in the last 24 hours.

With these national figures, the Recovery Rate has touched 76.28 per cent,” read a release by the Ministry. “The number of recoveries is nearly 3.5 times the active cases, which comprise 21.90 per cent of the total cases,” it said.

The gap between recoveries and active cases now increased to 18,41,925.

The Union Health Ministry said that the

Covid hits IPL: India witnessed a record single-day spike of 77,266 cases in the last 24 hours India bowler, ‘PRANAB STILL IN staff of CSK DEEP COMA’ test positive Recovery rate rises to 76.28% The Case Fatality Rate has dropped at 1.82%

COVID-19 infected patients interact with health workers inside a ward at the CWG Village sports complex, temporarily converted into a Covid care centre, in New Delhi.

PUNJAB CM GOES INTO SELF-QUARANTINE

early focus on surveillance and contact tracing through house-to-

house survey was continuously strengthened with an increase in test-

ing for ensuring early identification of positive cases.

“This has ensured prompt isolation of the confirmed positive cases either in supervised home care for the mild and moderate cases, and hospitalisation in case of those who are exhibiting critical symptoms,” it said.—ANI

New Delhi: Former president Pranab Mukherjee continued to be in a deep coma and on ventilator support.

But he is haemodynamically stable, the Army Hospital, Delhi Cantonment said here on Friday.

“Former president Pranab Mukherjee is under intensive care and is being treated for lung infection and renal dysfunction.

He continues to be in deep coma and on ventilator support. He is haemodynamically stable,” it said. The former President had tested positive for COVID-19 and undergone surgery for a brain clot at R&R on August 10.

New Delhi: A current India limited-overs cricketer is among multiple members of the Chennai Super Kings contingent who have tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the franchise to extend its quarantine period in Dubai ahead of the IPL. An league source revealed that all COVID-19 positive results came during day 1, 3 and 6 of testing after the contingent’s landing in Dubai. The IPL is due to begin on September 19. “Yes, a rightarm medium fast bowler, who has recently played for India, along with a few staff members have tested positive for COVID-19,” a senior IPL source told PTI on conditions of anonymity. —PTI

SUSHANT SINGH DEATH CASE

PM Modi hails achievements of CBI grills Rhea Chakraborty ‘PMJDY’ as it completes 6 years

Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty arrives at the DRDO guest house in Mumbai on Friday.

Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty was on Friday questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the first time since it took over the probe into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

Chakraborty was summoned by the central agency to appear before its probe team on Friday around 10.30am.

Chakraborty, Rajput’s girlfriend, left her residence around 10am to reach the DRDO guest house in suburban Santacruz, where the probe team is stationed, news agency PTI reported.

Chakraborty reached the DRDO guesthouse in Mumbai’s Santacruz East area along with her brother Shovik

‘CBI SHOULD ARREST RHEA IMMEDIATELY’

PM Narendra Modi

ative has been a gamechanger, serving as the foundation for many poverty alleviation initiatives, benefitting crores of people. #6YearsOfJanDhanYojana.” The Prime

Minister added that the high number of beneficiaries of this scheme are from rural areas and are women.

“Thanks to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the future of several families has become secure. A high proportion of beneficiaries are from rural areas and are women. I also applaud all those who have worked tirelessly to make PM-JDY a success,” he wrote in another tweet. —ANI

PMJDY has brought unbanked into banking system: Anurag Vaishali

where she will be questioned by the central agency.

Before Chakraborty’s arrival, Rajput’s friend and flatmate Siddharth Pithani and manager Samual Miranda had reached the DRDO guest house to join the investigation.

Rajnath to induct Rafale jet on Sept 10 New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will formally induct the five Rafale fighter aircraft into the IAF on September 10 at the Ambala air base in Haryana in a ceremony for which French Defence Minister Florence Parly would also be invited.

Defence sources said that the induction ceremony would be held after the return of the Defence Minister from Russia where he is scheduled to attend the meeting of the Defence Ministers of the mem-

New Delhi: The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana that was launched with an ambitious aim of banking the unbanked completed six years on Friday, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Modi wrote, “Today, six years ago, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched with an ambitious aim of banking the unbanked. This initi-

ber countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation from September 4 to 6. Rafale aircraft induction ceremony would be held on September 10 with Defence Minister as the Chief Guest. The French Defence Minister is also being sent an invite to attend the event.

The CBI team, which is in the city since the last eight days to investigate the case, on Thursday recorded Shovik’s statement for more than eight hours.

Chakraborty’s father has also been questioned by several investigators. —PTI

New Delhi: More than 40.35 crore people benefited from the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana which was launched six years ago as a national mission for financial inclusion, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday.

The Jan Dhan Yojana, which was announced

by PM Modi in his Independence Day address in 2014, was launched

Under the leadership of PM Modi, PMJDY has brought the unbanked into the banking system, expanded the financial architecture of India and brought financial inclusion to over 40 crore account holders and a majority of the beneficiaries are women and most of the accounts are from rural India.

—Anurag Thakur, MoS, Finance

on August 28, in the same year. The PMJDY has been the foundation

stone for Modi government’s people-centric economic initiatives.

tive of Article 21 is repelled. The bench, while disposing of a batch of petitions filed by students, private organisations and Shiv Sena’s youth wing Yuva Sena’, framed seven issues and said that the July 6 guidelines of the UGC cannot be ignored by terming it as non-statutory or advisory in nature.—PTI

(NTA), which conducts both the NEET and JEE exams, to postpone them and said that there was absolutely” no merit in the plea.

06

POWER Gallery KAUN BANEGA TRAI CHAIRMAN

Rita Teotia Name of Rita Teotia is also in circulation in the corridors of power for the post of Chairman of the TRAI. 1981 batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer Teotia who had been additional Secretary in the Telocom Ministry is presently Chairperson of FSSAI. HAS SOMEONE STALLED EXTENSION OF CBDT CHAIRMAN MODY ?

Still, order of extension in service to CBDT Chairman P C Mody is awaited. Though P C Mody is ahead yet name of S K Gupta has also cropped up.

VACANCY OF CHAIRMAN, PESB ARISING ON SEPT 1

A vacancy of Chairman, Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) is arising on September 1, 2020 with the incumbent Rajiv Kumar joining as Election Commissioner.

NARESH KUMAR LIKELY TO MOVE TO DELHI

The name of Naresh Kumar is doing the rounds for the post of CS, Delhi if Vijay Dev move to GoI. He is a 1987 batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer and presently posted as CS, Arunachal Pradesh.

WHO WILL BE NEW CEO OF SANSAD TV?

Formality of the merger of the Lok Sabha TV and the Rajya Sabha TV is over. Now a search of new CEO of the Sansad TV has begun.

NINE IPS OFFICERS RETIRING IN AUGUST

As many as nine IPS officers of various cadres and batches are retiring in August, 2020. They include: J Prabhakar Rao of AP; S Nithiyanandam of UT; N Shankar Reddy of Kerala; Rajendra Kumar of MP; Jitendra Debbarma of Tripura; Jawahar Lal Tripathi and R P Pandey of UP; Sashikant Pujari and Tamal Basu of West Bengal.

WILL TAJ HASAN JOIN GOI?

Rumours are high that Taj Hasan, Spl Commissioner in Delhi Police, is likely to go on deputation to government of India. He is an AGMUT cadre IPS officer.

WHO WILL BE NEW CHANDIGARH POLICE CHIEF ?

Lobbying has started to grab the post of Police Chief, Chandigarh, which is ADG level. It is said that Niraj Thakur and Satyendra Garg are reportedly in the race for the prestigious post. Both are AGMUT cadre IPS officers. Garg is presently posted as JS in MHA while Thakur is working with the Delhi Police.

DEPUTATION TENURE OF RAJU BHARGAVA AS IG, CRPF EXTENDED

The deputation tenure of Raju Bhargava working as IG, CRPF, has been extended upto November 1, 2020. He is a 1995 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre.

NEW NAMES OF SIX JUDICIAL OFFICERS RECOMMENDED FOR MP HC ?

Six new names of six Judicial officers are believed to have been recommended for the elevation in MP High Court. They are Mssrs- Anil Verma, principal registrar Indore. Sunita Yadav district judge Datia Satyendra Singh, PS law. Arun Sharma, district judge chattarpur. Deepak kumar Agrawal, District judge Gwalior and Rajendra kumar Verma, district judge Bhopal.

WILL U K SINGH BE NEW SECRETARY, LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT?

Utpal Kumar Singh, former Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand, is being appointed as Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat? He is a 1986 batch retired IAS officer of Uttarakhand cadre.

By arrangement with : http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 Dairy sector... and made incredible progress in the field of dairy,” Chief Minister said. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria said that in this time of Corona, farmers and herders are supporting the economy of the country and the state. He said that the increasing interest of youth in the traditional field of farming and animal husbandry is a good sign.

Gopalan Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya said that despite the economic crisis caused by corona virus, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

is continuously taking welfare decisions in the interest of farmers and livestock. Cooperative Minister Udayalal Anjana said that there are about 33 thousand cooperative institutions in Rajasthan, out of which about 15,000 are related to dairy sector. He said that the participation of women in the dairy sector has also increased considerably.

No final... of all stakeholders that is students as well as the exam functionaries and hence challenge to the Guidelines on the ground of it being viola-

6 oppn-ruled... and students can’t lose a precious year due to the pandemic.

The apex court had dismissed a plea by one Sayantan Biswas seeking direction to National Testing Agency

Japan’s PM... partnership has become deeper and stronger than ever before. I wish and pray for your speedy recovery.”

Abe said that he would step down because his worsened condition and treatment could threaten the decision-making process.

“In politics, getting results is the most important thing. Facing illness and treatment

and being in poor physical form, I could not let myself make mistakes in important political decisions and fail to achieve results,” he said further.

“I have decided that I should not continue to hold the position of the prime minister, as I can no longer firmly carry out the mandate given to me by the people. I’ve decided to resign as Prime Minister,” Sputnik reported further quoting Abe. —ANI

Cong’s Vasanthakumar...

During my interactions with him, I always saw

his passion towards Tamil Nadu’s progress.

Condolences to his family and supporters,” he said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “The news of Kanyakumari MP, Shri H Vasanthakumar’s untimely demise due to Covid-19 has come as a shock.

His commitment to the congress ideology of serving the people will remain in our hearts forever. Heartfelt condolences to his friends and family members.”

Kumar was a multifaceted personality. He was a philanthropist, cultural promoter, and writer.

—Agencies

NEWS JAIPUR | SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

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IPL: RR SWEAT IT OUT IN DUBAI

BEFORE MEGA CRICKET CONTEST

z Rajasthan Royals

Jaipur: In a bid to compete with RSS, Congress party’s frontal organisation Seva Dal is trying to emerge as a strong organisation with Gandhian ideology and has prepared a roadmap in the state.

Seva Dal has decided to open Gandhi Ashram across the state and will hold a convention in Jaipur on August 30, 31.

The convention will be on the national education policy in which educationists will brainstorm and will prepare a draft of the shortcomings in the policy.

The draft will be handed over to chief minister Ashok Gehlot and PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasara.

The organisation will also take out a march with educationists on August 31 in Jaipur, Hem Singh Shekhawat, state president of Seva Dal, said.

In Gandhi Ashrams, he said, yarn garlands

z The players reached

Dubai on August 20 and began their six-day quarantine period

z “The boys landed

in Dubai and went straight to the hotel.

As per the COVID-19 protocols set by the BCCI, they will be quarantined in their rooms for six days before they can step out and take part in any form of training,” the franchise had said in a statement

z After completing the

mandatory quarantine, several franchise team players had their outdoor training session

z The IPL will be

played for 53 days, from September 19 to November 10, across three venues in UAE - Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai —ANI

Roadmap to make ‘Gehlot’s mann ka dwaar’ Jodhpur a world-class city

Rajiv Gaur Jodhpur: Whether it is Lok Sabha or Assembly elections, or any other event, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot always remembers the work done for Jodhpur in his address and the works to be done in the future.

“They always say that Jodhpur dwells in my soul. Whether I am the Union Minister or the Chief Minister for the third time, the concern of development of Jodhpur is always there in my thoughts and actions,” Gehlot had said in the

Cong Seva Dal draws roadmap to cement foothold, counter RSS Yogesh Sharma

conducted their training session, beginning preparation for the upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL)

past.

On similar lines, a roadmap for making Jodhpur a world-class city will be prepared soon.

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, whose hometown is Jodhpur, is serious on this matter and has sent a team of officials to conduct a study in Jodhpur.

The team led by noted architect Anoop Bartaria is exploring the possibility of the development of Jodhpur as a world-class city.

Members of the team visited half of the city

today and it will give feedback to the government on the basis of which a roadmap will be prepared. UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal will also be visiting the Sun city on 30 and 31 August and will hold a review with officials.

“The chief minister is serious about the development of Jodhpur. As per his instructions, the possibilities are being explored,” Bartaria said, adding, that the roadmap will be prepared after the assessment and study. The UDH minister will brainstorm on de-

Naresh Sharma

O

n Friday, the Congress party held protests across the state against holding NEET exams. However, an interesting development occurred at its protest in Jaipur which was being conducted at MNIT. Transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas was at the protest and was addressing the gathering in his trademark aggressive style.

However, the minister was taken aback when even though he held a mic and was shouting at top of his lungs like he always does, he heard a commotion from one part of the gathering followed by sloganeering. This put the minister in a fumble who tried to hear the slogans being raised. Interestingly, al-

velopment works and will provide necessary guidelines to the team, which today conducted visits of areas like Pal Road, Akhalia Chouraha, Kayalana, Jalore Gate, Baiji Ka Talab, Sojati Gate, Pavta, Mahamandir, Banad etc.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner Suresh Ola, Joint Secretary Tribhuvan Pati, Chief Town Planner Rajendra Vijayvargiya, Chief Engineer ML Chaudhary and JDA Commissioner Meghraj Singh Ratanu were also present during the visit.

will be prepared.

“Seva Dal is moving ahead with new thoughts and new thinking at a time where there are Congress governments in just a few states. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has always nurtured Seva Dal and as a result of this, the ashrams are being set up,” he said.

Before independence and the establishment of the RSS, Sangh founder KB Hedgewar had served the Congress Sevadal, as a volunteer under the Bharat Sevak Samaj, Hedgewar saw the Congress Sevadal very closely.

Today, after the passage of years, it can be seen where the Hardikar’s Congress Seva Dal is standing and where the RSS is.

The RSS is the largest socio-cultural organisation while the Congress Seva Dal strayed from the original objective. Therefore, efforts are being made to give a new lease of life to the Congress Seva Dal.

Whooping 87% Jan Dhan A/Cs up and running in Rajasthan

The making of Sandeep Singh Choudhary!

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Higher than the national average, around 87 per cent accounts opened under PM Jan Dhan Yojna are active in the state.

Addressing a webinar organised by PIB and SLBC on the sixth anniversary of the scheme, the coordinator of statelevel bankers committee Mahendra Singh Mahnot said that the scheme proved to be a boon for many families during the corona period. He said that Rs 500 were credited for three months to women’s accounts holders under the scheme.

PIB Rajasthan’s additional DG Pragya Palwal Gaur said that the PM Jan Dhan Yojna was started on August 15, 2014 in which 46.35 crore are account holders in rural areas and 55 per cent account holders are women. She said 86% of the accounts were active till August 5, 2020.

New Delhi: How often does it happen that an individual joins a political party to work but is swept away in the glitz and glamour of it all.

However, there are those too who understand that behind the ‘facade’ of power is the actual hard work of an hour put in by a willing individual which is what makes or breaks a party.

These are the same individuals who have no desire of holding a position of power in government, a dream of many, rather focus and devote themselves to what is most important: strengthening the roots.

And one such individual in the Congress party is Sandeep Singh Choudhary who for the better part of the past three decades, has been working as a disciplined soldier of the grand old party.

Surprise! Surprise! though he heard the slogans, he asked a colleague to reconfirm what he heard was true. A few young leaders had started chanting ‘Sachin Pilot Zindabad’, which probably ruffled the transport minister in the middle of his fiery speech.

Anyhow, till this moment it was thought that it was just Pilot supporters who were raising slogans in Sachin’s support,

07

however, when the Minister’s colleague said that Sachin Pilot is coming, all ‘seniors’ were surprised. There was no official confirmation of Pilot attending the protest however once he reached, he calmly sat in the protest for some time, addressed the gathering and left.

But this was just not it. There was another coincidence that

Sandeep Singh Choudhary Starting his ‘political journey’ from the NSUI in 1993 when he was just 16 years of age, he soon climbed the ladders of success as his potential was witnessed by many.

He was made the Kotputli Block President of NSUI and a few years later he was elected as Rajasthan University Law College President.

He has been a staunch supporter of three-time chief minister Ashok Gehlot and over the years has played various roles for the party like Karol Bagh incharge for

became a much-discussed development on Friday. Well, Chief Whip Mahesh Joshi was also present at the protest and left just as Pilot reached the spot.

This arrival and departure was observed by those present and became an important topic of discussion since ‘conspiracy theorists’ said that Joshi left because Pilot reached.

However, this is far from the truth. Joshi was scheduled to leave for Goverdhan Parikrama and had reached the protest spot to mark his support to the cause. Thus as he was leaving the spot, Pilot just happened to reach but the situation became such that it appeared one is leaving as the other reached. Interestingly, no one, not even Mahesh Joshi knew that Pilot would reach the protest site.

Delhi elections 2006, Incharge of Siddharth Nagar district in UP in 2007.

But the high point in his politics came when on CM Gehlot’s recommendation he was appointed the state president for Rajasthan Kisan Congress when he was merely 35 years old.

Three years after that Choudhary was appointed as national spokesperson of the party.

Apart from being AICC and PCC member, he is credited for strengthening the Kisan Congress across the 400 blocks of Rajasthan.

However, all this while not many, other than those in the party circles, have heard of him since Choudhary prefers to silently work for the party and enjoy the politics to better the party’s foothold. However, senior leaders believe that he has the potential to become the next big thing in Rajasthan Congress.

There are only two types of people in this world, those who want to embrace peace and those who don’t.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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Gehlot’s fin mgmt lauded at GST meet Aditi Nagar Jaipur: Only a few months have passed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while holding a Corona review meeting with CMs of various States, lauded the efforts made by CM Ashok Gehlot in combating Corona and the crisis management.

Now, efforts made by Gehlot towards revival of Rajasthan’s economy have also been noticed and are being lauded.

In the GST council meeting, Gehlot’s financial management was appreciated. The CMs of three States and FMs of seven States had raised concerns during the meet and said that due to financial slump they are unable to even pay their officers for last three months and demanded to release stall GST. But on other hand, even though centre has not released any

2ND FRONT JAIPUR | SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

Maken’s Raj tour remains State committed that unfettered by corona scare none dies of Corona Aditi Nagar

CM Ashok Gehlot

amount, Rajasthan has fared well under Gehlot.

Not even a single day’s salary of any employee has been deducted thanks to Gehlot’s financial management, a point which was appreciated in the meeting.

In this manner, under a Gehlot rule, his state government employees are really lucky. In this entire process, of course ACS finance Niranjan Arya has also done a wonderful job.

Jaipur. Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken will reach Jaipur by Sunday evening as per the original itinerary for his much awaited and maiden tour after being appointed state incharge of the party. As per information, Maken will reach Jaipur by road. He will be welcomed at Kunda near Amer or outside Hotel Fairmont on Delhi road by PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasara along with some senior Congress leaders. In all probability, CM Gehlot will host a dinner the same night or on Monday night for Maken in which senior Congress leaders will be present.

Ajay Maken will begin his scheduled interaction with party functionaries starting with Jaipur district leaders.

According to the Congress’s administrative divisions, its ‘district’ is

Vikas Sharma

Ajay Maken

different from administrative district as denoted by state government and therefore party’s Jaipur district unit covers Jaipur city, Jaipur rural, Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Dausa districts. The interaction will be held at the PCC office.

Maken, due to ongoing Covid-19 epidemic, will meet 50 leaders from each district. The newly appointed state incharge would basically have five points on which he would seek the feedback ensuring that the party organi-

zation strengthens with the interaction rather than simply skirting around controversies.

The five points of Maken’s concern will be suggestions for strengthening govt-party bond, focus on intra party discipline keeping groupism at bay, deficiencies and challenges before district level organization, opinion on strengthening state govt and ways to publicize its achievements and last but not least, suggestions to empower party workers.

People of Raj suffering due to misrule of govt: Rathore

People bereft of basic amenities, says Raje

Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur: Accusing the Ashok Gehlot government of shifting the blame on Centre to hide its failure, deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore on Friday said all sections in the state are suffering due to the misrule of the Congress government in the state.

Attacking the government in a virtual protest ‘Halla Bol’ through Facebook live, Rathore said that the government is escaping from its responsibilities and only shifting blames on the Central Government.

“Farmers, youths, labourers, women... everyone has suffered in 20 months of the Gehlot government’s rule. They suffered due to the mismanagement and wrong policies of the government,” he said,

First India Bureau

Rajendra Rathore

while commenting that the foundation of the government is based on internal feuds. “As a result of the infighting, the Congress government was under quarantine for 34 days in five star hotels of Jaipur and Jaisalmer,” he said.

The BJP leader said that coronavirus positive cases in the state is near 76,000 and the number of deaths has crossed 1,000 which shows failed medical management of the gov-

08

ernment.

Rathore also raised issues like locust attack and damage to crops, deteriorating law and order, increase in power bills, recovery of fuel surcharge etc. “Out of 33 districts, 32 have suffered locust attacks and crops worth Rs 1000 crore have been damaged. It is the responsibility of government to take steps to handle the situation and to help the farmers,” he said.

Jaipur: Former CM Vasundhara Raje has attacked the state govt on the suicide by a man in Udeyee village in Gangapur city. Raje said that the people derived of basic amenities are being forced to take extreme steps like suicide which is condemnable and issue of great concern. She said that such incidents also highlight the lethargy and insensitivity of the administration. The BJP national VP tweeted to get the state govt attention on the issue.

Raje continued meeting leaders and party workers from across the state reaching Jaipur to meet her at her 13 civil

Vasundhara Raje

lines residence. Former minister hem Singh Bhadana, ex MP Bahadur Singh Koli, BJP leader Prahlad Pawar, Devi Singh Shekhawat, Ram Singh Meena were among the many who met her on Friday. The Gurjar delegation from Dausa and delegations from Ajmer, Jodhpur and Sadulpur also met the former CM.

Jaipur: Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma said on Friday that the Government’s entire focus is on strengthening the health infrastructure in the state.

He said that the Government is working on every point at the micro level, by which Rajasthan could become an example in the entire country in the health sector. Rajasthan is becoming a leading state with the efforts of the state government.

Dr Sharma said that special work is going on in the healthcare, health infrastructure and health manpower in the state under the strong leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The government is not leaving any stones unturned in providing better health facilities to the general

AHMED PATEL @ahmedpatel In the corona era, there are problems of transportation, accommodation and other problems faced by the candidates who appear in the #JEE_NEET examination. Floods are also a problem. Examiners of rural background also face problems. In view of all these problems, the government should postpone the examination. #SpeakUpForStudentSafety AVINASH PANDE @avinashpandeinc I stand in solidarity with millions of students, who will have to risk their safety and future to appear for these competitive examinations.

Government should consider postponing the #JEE_NEET Examination amid the viral outbreak. #SpeakUpForStudentSafety

Dr Raghu Sharma

public while facing all the challenges.

“Till now more than 22 lakh tests have been done. Everyday RT-PCR test is being done on 35,000 people. Testing facilities have been developed in 22 districts of state and soon will start in remaining districts too,” he said.

He said that the resolution of the CM during COVID is that no person should die of corona. “This is the reason that the Government is providing lifesaving injections worth Rs 40,000 free of cost to seri-

ous patients. The recovery ratio of Rajasthan is better compared to other states,” he said. “Earlier there were 1100 PG seats in the state and 950 seats were increased with the government efforts including superspeciality seats. A total of 1,000 seats were increased. In the coming days, there will be no shortage of specialists in Rajasthan,” he said. Dr Sharma said that the state government started the Nirogi Rajasthan (Healthy Rajasthan) campaign to make residents of the State healthy.

Gehlot holds review of power companies

CM Ashok Gehlot with BD Kalla

Naresh Sharma Jaipur: Holding a review of state’s power distribution corporations, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has expected the cooperation of general public in the state to continue quality power supply and consumer services by the power distribution companies. “Fighting the pandemic, the state government has left no stone unturned and has incurred additional financial burden even in times of economic crisis. In such a situation, the role of consumers is also important in the uninterrupted and quality supply of electricity

services,” he said.

Energy Minister BD Kalla said that during situations resulting from covid pandemic and the lockdown, the distribution companies supplied three-phase electricity to farmers and to other consumers. “Political parties seeking electricity bill waiver is impractical. Proposed power supply rates and implementation of quarterly fuel surcharge is a continuous process. Parties should put the facts in front of the consumers and not confuse them,” he said adding that the state government is bearing a total burden of Rs 2469 crore annually on the impact of the revised electricity rates.

PARLIAMENT MONSOON SESSION

Birla chairs meeting to ensure smooth functioning during session New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday chaired a meeting of officials from both Houses of Parliament, the health ministry, the DRDO and other agencies to finalise arrangements for the upcoming Monsoon Session in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament is likely to start from September 14 and conclude on October 1. “Seating arrangement in both Houses (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) will be based on guidelines

of the health ministry on COVID-19. Comprehensive arrangements have been made for holding the session,” Birla said after the meeting.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randip Guleria, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, Balram Bhargav and Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, among others, were present in the meeting.

The speaker had also held a meeting with the secretary generals of the Lok Sabha and the

‘GET TESTED 72 HOURS BEFORE SESSION’

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, in a meeting with officials from the health ministry, ICMR, AIIMS, DRDO and Delhi government.

Rajya Sabha on Thursday. He had said that his priority was to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament during the session.

Guidelines pertaining to social distancing will be adhered to during the session, Birla had said.

In a series of posts

from the Lok Sabha speaker’s Twitter handle, Birla had informed that he had chaired a meeting on Thursday to review the prepara-

tions for the upcoming Monsoon Session and had directed all agencies concerned to work diligently for sanitisation and other ar-

rangements.

He had also shared a video of the meeting with officials from the secretariats of both Houses – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

“Necessary protocols are being prepared for members and their staff. Guidelines are also being formulated for Parliament officials. All guidelines pertaining to social distancing will be adhered to during session,” the speaker had said in one of the tweets.

The Lok Sabha Secre-

tariat, the nodal agency for the Parliament complex, has been making necessary preparations and modifications in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers to ensure social distancing.

Sources said Birla also told officials to make adequate arrangements for seating of parliamentarians while maintaining social distancing.

Lok Sabha Secretary General Snehlata Srivastava and Rajya Sabha Secretary General Desh Deepak Verma briefed Birla about the ongoing preparations. —PTI

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09

JAIPUR, SATURDAY AUGUST 29, 2020

Mary Kom; (below) Priyanka Chopra Jonas in and as ‘Mary Kom’

JEE JAAN SE!

ON NATIONAL SPORTS DAY, CITY FIRST BOWLS A FAST ONE AS WE PLAY THE FIELD WITH A FEW BEST OF BOLLYWOOD SPORTS ORIENTED MOVIES!

ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

I

(Top) Still from ‘Dangal’; (Left) Members of the Phogat family who were the inspiration for the film

(Top) Mahendra Singh Dhoni; (Right) Poster of ‘MS Dhoni- The Untold Story’ starring late Sushant Singh Rajput

t is often said, in jest, that India unitedly worships two thingsone is Cricket and the other is Bollywood, so, naturally we start the list of Bollywood sports-oriented movies with ‘MS Dhoni- The Untold Story’. With Dhoni declaring his retirement and also the heartache where Sushant is concerned, this movie is a must-watch again!

The movie shows the story behind the MS Dhoni we see today – the efforts he put in for years and his journey from the goalkeeper of a school team to a Ticket Collector to the World Cup winning captain. Sushant Singh Rajput did a brilliant job of playing the former captain’s role.

My favourite biopic remains ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’! Coming from an Army background family, I closely connected with Farhan Akhtar (one of his best roles) and the army competition and camaraderie scenes. The movie tugs at heartstrings throughout and one identifies with Milkha, his slip ups and then the hard work to rise again, the innocence, the sister’s love for her brother, the partition scenes, win against Pakistan– everything makes Bhaag Milkha Bhaag a classic to be watched again… and again!

‘Dangal’ is another favourite.

Replete with messages on gender equality, dreams and sports, Aamir Khan Turn to P10

LOVE FOR INDIA

It’s not about logic, its emotions and love for India! It’s about seeing the Tricolour flying and standing with head held high as the strains of the National Anthem flow in our veins. Jai Hind!

Farhan Akhtar in ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ as Milkha Singh; (inset) Milkha Singh

ETC

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JAIPUR | SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

10

FROM PG 9

‘Chak De! India’

excels as Mahavir Singh Phogat and we fall in love all over again with our stars Geeta and Babita. For me, a movie which is about so much more than wrestling, likewise ‘Mary Kom’!

The story of the 6-time World Champion and Olympic Bronze medallist, her fight against poverty, gender discrimination, her hiatus and return after the delivery of twins- Priyanka Chopra Jonas had to strive hard to fill these boots!

Another one is Irrfan Khan as ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, a soldier in the Indian Army, gold medalwinner in the steeplechase at the National Games, 7-time National champion in the 1950s and a circumstantial dacoit eventually shot dead

by Police after a few years of laying low and running away from them, gave one of the finest performances and rightfully won the National Award for the ‘Best Actor’. Budhia Singh, is neither very glam nor popu-

lar but it is the story of painful reality and a must watch.

Fictional movies focusing on sports are also fun to watch, I quite liked ‘Iqbal’ which never got the appreciation it deserved. ‘Sultan’, ‘Patiala House’, the latest ‘Gold’ are all worth watching as was ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’the cycling movie!

But ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Chak De! India’ top the fictional list, no two questions about it! The rush of the win does not fade, the last crucial seconds of both the m a t c h e s , though I know the outcome, are still nail biting.

(Top) Budhia Singh; (Right) Poster of the film ‘Budhia Singh - Born to Run’

(Inset) Paan Singh Tomar; Late Irrfan Khan as and in ‘Paan Singh Tomar’

‘Patiala House’

Stills from ‘Lagaan’

‘Sultan’

‘Gold’

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JAIPUR | SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

‘TEJAS’ to go on floors

NEW RECORD

B

LACKPINK has officially crossed the second step in their three-part 2020 comeback and it’s as epic as you would expect.

This time, the quartet collaborated with none other Selena Gomez with the result being Ice Cream. We’re sure BLINKS and Selenators would agree that we’ve got the summer anthem of 2020 in our hands and specifically it’s the colourful, vibrant MV that we just can’t get over.

While Ice Cream is climbing up the iTunes charts all around the world, the music video is already breaking records.

According to reports, Ice Cream MV crossed 10 million views on YouTube in under three hours which led to BLACKPINK setting a new YouTube record for the fastest 10 million views for a music video by a Korean girl group. The previous record was also held by BLACKPINK itself for their pre-release single How You Like That (3 hours 40 minutes). Moreover, in four hours, BLACKPINK has already crossed 22 million views and 3.6 million likes. It’s indeed a crazy achievement by the lovely ladies!

—Agency

S

Kangana Ranaut

in December

haring a poster of her upcoming patriotic film ‘Tejas,’ actor K a n g a n a Ranaut on Friday announced that the film is all set to go on the floors in December this year.

The ‘Queen’ actor took to Twitter to share the poster that sees her wearing an Air Force uniform as she stands beside the fighter aircraft Tejas. “#Tejas to take-off this December! Proud to be part of this exhilarating story that is an ode to our brave airforce pilots! Jai Hind #Frid ay s Wi t h R S V P @ sarveshmewara1 @ RonnieScrewvala @rsvpmovies @nonabains,” she tweeted along with the picture.

Kangana Ranaut is

... her post

all set to portray the role of an Air Force pilot. The Indian Air Force was the first of the country’s defence forces to induct women into combat roles in 2016.

The film takes inspiration from this landmark event. The first look of the film was

released earlier in February which featured the ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ actor donning the Air Force uniform.

Helmed by Sarvesh Mewara and bankrolled by Ronnie Screwvala, the film is scheduled to release in April 2021.

—ANI

Collaboration after 25 years

‘See you in COLLEGE’

F

Selena Gomez

ilmmaker Anubhav Sinha and actor Manoj Bajpayee are all set to collaborate for something “exciting” after a long gap of 25 years. “And a very exciting collaboration after 25 years with a friend whom I know right from my theatre days @anubhavsinhaa bas thoda intezaar,” Bajpayee wrote in the caption.

Further details of the collaboration have not yet been revealed.

—ANI

Anubhav Sinha and Manoj Bajpayee

NEW ALBUM

B

ollywood actor Sunny Leone’s name was mischievously seen topping the admission merit list of Kolkata’s Asutosh college for BA Honours in English. The name appeared with an application ID 9513008704 and roll number 2077776666 with the year of passing being 2020 from the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education.

What was more surprising was that the name had a perfect score of 400 (best of 4) in Class 12. As the screenshot of the merit list went viral, the actress took to Twitter and shared, “See you all in college next semester!!! Hope you are in my class ;).”

—Agency

Sunny Leone

11

OUT

A

Katy Perry

ugust 2020 is indeed Katy Perry’s month as not only did she welcome her first child with Orlando Bloom, a baby girl who they gave the sweet name Daisy Dove Bloom, but the 35-year-old singer also dropped her highly-awaited album Smile on Friday. It’s indeed been a roller coaster ride for Perry, these past few months, but it hasn’t stopped the Daisies singer from shining through both personally and professionally.

Katy Perry is having the time of her life. After delivering her baby Daisy Dove Bloom on Thursday, Perry has launched her sixth album, Smile, on Friday. The “Roar” singer took to Twitter and shared, “It’s here!

It’s here!!! I finally got ... her post back my smile! Hope this record puts one on your face #SMILE is out everywhere now! Love you guys so much!

Enjoy (sent from my hospital bed lol)” Katy Perry released the first single of the album, “Daisies”, in May, and it is only fitting that she has named her daughter Daisy too.

—Agency

RANDEEP

UNDERGOES

SURGERY

R

andeep Hooda has undergone a leg surgery at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, as he was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday.

The actor’s father, Ranbir Hooda stated that Randeep is recovering and will be discharged soon.

“Thank you all for your concern.

Randeep had a leg surgery yesterday, he’s recovering and will be discharged soon. He’s COVID 19 negative and the surgery went well, so we will be able to take him home soon,” his father said.

—Agency

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12

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS: RISE & SHINE CITY FIRST

T

QUE...

QUEen Q1. I got married 6 months ago in an arranged marriage. The girl remained very docile and passive with hardly any interaction with me. I thought she was taking time to settle down. A week ago, accidentally while trying to set up e-banking on her phone I found romantic texts sent to another man. On asking, she said that she has blocked him now and it is her past but still she keeps on texting and deleting messages when I ask.

What do I do?

Ans. I am sorry. It is quite clear that the girl was in a relationship before marriage and is still stuck, for no fault of yours, your life is now in a fix. First, tell your parents and inform her parents. Secondly, talk to her frankly and seek counselling if necessary. If she is willing to put it behind her then you should take a step forward and rebuild. There is hardly a person who has not had a relationship or two before marriage nowadays but the past has to remain in the past. On the other hand, if she is not willing to let go of that man and her past, best is to file for divorce. Do involve the family of both sides in all decisions. You will need the support.

he inaugural session of IWN Women Leadership Summit 2020 organised by CII Indian Women Network (CIIIWN) took place on Friday at Jaipur on the virtual platform. “Women need to open out their wings and shine in all their glory.

The world has always needed them. It acknowledges them now.” said Rolee Agarwal, Commissioner Income Tax, Government of India.

Rolee also added I have a different theory about the bureaucracy that women have always bring

Rhea Singhal

During the session

change and they have always been behind the scenes earlier. They are coming in the forefront now although numbers are still very low I feel that we are growing and very optimistic that we are well versed and on the right mark. The selection of women candidates in

UPSC is still very low; only 1 candidate out of 10,000 candidates is selected in this world’s toughest exam. We need to work 30% extra to be on par with others to balance both work and family life.

While welcoming the

ganizational goals but for transforming their followers into better people.

More diverse teams have better long-term performance.

Setting the context of the summit, Rhea Singhal, Chairwoman, CII-IWN Northern Region & Founder & CEO, Ecoware high-

lighted the importance of Women Entrepreneurship. According to her Women, entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in India’s economy. They inspire other women to start businesses, create more jobs for women and inspire the next generation. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

‘BHARAT KE BAHUBAL’

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

KARISHMA GWALANI

Karishma.gwalani @firstindia.co.in

T

RAJASTHAN: The crew-audition for the movie ‘Sangharsh’ took place at Varsha Associates Office at Nivaru Road, Jaipur. MSK Pankaj, Vandana Lakhera, Ram Singh Tidoki and Babulal Saini were the jury for the same. During the audition, 30 artists participated and showcased their talent.

RAJASTHAN: Shia Muslims offering prayers in Ajmer on Friday during the Muharram festival.

RAJASTHAN: The 9th Principal and Teachers Awards 2020 jointly organised by Simply Jaipur, Thar Sarvodaya Sansthan and Rajasthan Foundation will be broadcasted via social media on Zoon Live, Facebook Live and YouTube Live on 5 September at 6.00 pm. The event will be telecasted worldwide where, Life Management Guru, Pandit Vijayshankar Mehta will grace the event as the Guest of Honour. During the event, he will deliver a lecture on ‘Shiksha - Sanskar Tricon’.

Q2. I am 16 years old and for the past year I started wearing tightfitting clothes and now I like to show a bit of cleavage and legs too. My mother has noticed and calls it ‘trashy’ behaviour?

Please guide me on what to do?

Ans. No, love it’s not trashy at all. Your mother like any other loving mom doesn’t want you to draw undue attention which you will if you are young and show skin in India. As for you, your body is showing change and you are revelling in it. Your new-found sexuality is asking for both approval and revalidation which is natural. What you should do, is keep it to the minimum. Grow up a little more, gain some more confidence and learn that attention on just the body is temporary, it’s thinking, brains and confidence that is the real appeal.

Experiment delicately with your looks and with Mom’s approval.

Have any questions?

Mail them to quequeenfirstindia@gmail.com; don’t worry, your name will not be disclosed!

participants and speakers Kiran Poddar, Chairwoman, IWN Rajasthan said that women leaders emphasize teamwork and authentic communication as a key to success. For most women leaders, leadership is not meant only for accomplishing or-

Rolee Agarwal

GUJARAT: Commuters seen during the rain shower in Ahmedabad on Friday.

—PHOTO

BY HANIF SINDHI

RAJASTHAN: During the Muharram Festival, Nawaz Welfare Society organised a blood donation camp in Ajmer on Friday.

HAPPY B’DAY!

he struggles of migrant labourers in India were written down as the lyrics to a song.

Film ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ and ‘Gangajal’ fame Actor, Director, Producer and Writer, Jagat Singh composed the music album, ‘Bharat Ke Bahubal’ which has received over 2 million views on YouTube.

Produced by JSW Group, this song was released on Independence Day and has been widely loved by people across the country in a very short period. Eminent singers, Sonu Nigam and Neha Karode have given their magical voice to this song. Sonu Nigam was the first choice to sing this song, his song like, ‘Sandeshe aate hain’ can stir souls even today.

“We chose Sonu Nigam to sing this song as he can internalize the lyrics and generate love for the nation through this song. When Sonu read the lyrics of the song, he was deeply moved and decided to sing it,” Jagat said.

While talking about his recent song ‘Bharat Ke Bahubal’, Jagat shared, “Life has always taught me to stay prepared for any challenge and opportunity that may come. While

Jagat Singh

struggling in Mumbai, I took every work that came my way and finished it as completing a challenge. While trying my luck in acting, I also got the chance to ex-

plore the song. When I was writing this song, I remembered the labourers and workers who are the foundation of India and without whom, the operation of any country can get disrupted. During the COVID-19 crisis, I felt the struggle of those who faced tremendous difficulties to even reach their homes.

Keeping the plight of these real workforces of our country, I have composed this song. This song teaches us that we should respect all these workers and feel that they are the most important part of our society.”

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY!

RAJASTHAN: State Employees Joint Federation paid a tribute to former State President of Rajasthan State Employees Joint Federation and skilled sports administrator Hanuman Singh ji on his 69th birth anniversary on Friday@Jaipur.

IAS Shivangi Swarankar (top) and IAS Rajendra Bhatt celebrated their birthdays on 28 August, Friday. We wish them all the best!

Niraj and Monica

Niraj K Pawan celebrated his birthday with simplicity, with his family on 27 August, Thursday.

He and his wife Monica are involved in a lot of charity work, and on this day also they did their bit for the betterment of the society.