First India-Lucknow Edition-01 December 2020

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LUCKNOW l TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393 l Vol 1 l Issue No.19

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the fifth largest metropolitan city area in the country, will go to polls today. The polling will begin at 7 am and close at 6 pm and will be held using traditional ballot papers.

PM MODI’S DEV DEEPAWALI IN KASHI

Left: Kedar Ghat decorated with earthen lamps on the occasion of ‘Dev Deepawali’ festival, in Varanasi on Monday.

Top: Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in Dev Deepawali festival, in Varanasi on Monday.

—PHOTOS BY PTI

Scrap farm laws or will rethink ties with NDA: Beniwal

Hanuman Beniwal

First India Bureau New Delhi: Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, that partnered with the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019, on Monday told Home Minister Amit Shah that his party would reconsider its partnership with the BJP if the Centre did not withdraw the three farm laws.

Beniwal also demanded that the Centre implement the recommendations of the Swaminath Commission and hold dialogue with farmers in Delhi in the right spirit.

Turn to P6

condition for talks: Oppn using tricks to oppose Farmers’ ‘Free our men at Burari’ AGRI REFORMS: PM MODI Varanasi: Tearing into the opposition over the protests against the new agri-marketing laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said those who have a history of deceit were playing tricks again on farmers. The attack comes when thousands of farmers are gathered at the entry points of the national capital, seeking the repeal of the three laws.

“The farmers are being deceived on these historic agriculture reform laws by the same people who have misled them for decades,” he said, in an apparent reference to parties which are now in the opposition but not directly naming them.

The prime minister was addressing a public meeting in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, where he spent several hours.

He dedicated to the nation the six-laning of

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to his supporters as he along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath travels on a boat in Varanasi on Monday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: It has been over four days since farmers from Haryana and Punjab started a protest march against the three farm laws introduced by the central government in September. Delhi and surrounding areas have witnessed violent clashes between the agitating farmers and police as the former was initially denied entry into the national capital.

Upon being allowed

by Delhi Police to carry out peaceful demonstrations and maintain law and order, the farmers have been camping at the Singhu (Delhi-Haryana) border and the Tikri border for the past three days. The police had also offered the Sant Nirankari ground for the farmers to continue their agitation.

Addressing a press conference at Singhu border, the farm union leaders said they have not received any call from the union government to hold talks. “ We will appear for discus-

A large number of farmers protest against the farm laws, at Singhu Border in New Delhi on Monday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

MEDICAL CAMP AT SINGHU BORDER DUE TO COVID In view of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak in the country which has infected over 9.4 million people, a medical check up camp has been set up at the Singhu Border where the farmers are continuing with their protests against the three farm laws. “We should conduct Covid-19 test here.

If there’s any possibility of a super spreader, the disease might spread to other people which will be disastrous,” a doctor told ANI.

a 73-km highway to Allahabad at the cost of Rs 2,447 crore, took part in televised prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, reviewed the temple corridor project and took a ride along the ghats on a cruise boat.

As dusk fell, he witness the spectacle of Dev Deepawali in which rows of lamps were lit

on the river bank. In another speech that followed, Modi skipped any reference to the farmer’s protest but took a dig at dynastic politics. He said for some the family’s legacy mattered more than the country’s heritage.

In his first address, he strongly defended the farm laws which de-

regulate the sale of crops but have also triggered apprehensions that the minimum support price (MSP) system is being dismantled.

He reiterated that farmers who wanted to follow the old system of trading referring to the mandis’ where they can get the MSP are still free to do so. Turn to P6

sion with government after they freed our farmers sitting at Burari ground. Butta Singh has only received phone call from Home

Minister Amit Shah,” the leaders said at the press conference.

Delhi Police placed concrete barriers Turn to P6

Even in pandemic, economic growth is uninterrupted: Shah

PM’s all-party meet on Dec 4 over Corona

Modi, Yogi offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Birla appoints Utpal Kumar as LS Secy Gen

New Delhi: The Union government has called an all-party meeting to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic situation on December 4, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to interact with floor leaders of various parties from both houses of parliament, official sources said on Monday.

The Parliamentary Affairs Ministry is coordinating the meeting and has extended invitation to all parties, they said. Floor leaders of all parties from Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha have been invited for the meeting, which will be held virtually on Friday from 10.30 am onwards and PM will chair it.

This will be the second all-party meeting called by the government to Turn to P6

PM said idol of Goddess Annapurna stolen 100 yrs ago from Varanasi, is now on its way back home from Canada

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated two flyovers in Ahmedabad on Monday via video conference First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Inaugurating two flyovers in Ahmedabad via video conferencing on Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the development was a step towards creating the nation’s second major road that would be devoid of any junctions.

Once all 11 flyovers planned for the SarkhejGandhinagar (SG) Highway are functional, the commute between Ahmedabad and the state capital would

Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually inaugurates various developmental projects in Gujarat via VC in New Delhi on Monday.

be halved to 20 minutes.

The two new flyovers-one at Sanand Crossroads and the other at Pakvan Crossroads-have been constructed at a cost of Rs71 crore.

During his address, Shah assured the state that the Central government would stand strong in support of Gujarat and its people.

“COVID-19 has affected the world’s economy, but Gujarat’s economy

is healthy and will soon bounce back to the prepandemic growth rate,” he said.

Pointing out that electricity consumption in the state has returned to the level seen in February, he said this indicated that industrial activities are returning to normal, thus increasing industrial production and employment, said the Home Minister.

Turn to P6

Vishal Srivastav Varanasi: The Kashi Vishwanath Temple yet again stood witness to history as country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered prayers here on the occasion of Dev Deepawali on Monday.

The two travelled from Domari Ghat to Lalita Ghat on a boat to reach the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. After offering of prayers to Lord Shiva, the two dignitaries reached a especially prepared deck from where they witnessed the light and sound extravaganza organised at various Ghats on the bank of Ganges.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on Monday. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also present on this occasion.

—PHOTO BY ANI

PM Modi did not forget to fulfil his promise of bringing back the stolen idol of Goddess Annapurna from Canada after 100 years. While addressing the public in Varanasi, PM Modi said, “The statuette of the Annapurna deity which Turn to P6

POWER OF KASHI Even the Prime Minister seems to be smitten by the spirit and power of Varanasi as he said that no matter how much things have changed due to COVID19, none can change the Urja, Bhakti and Shakti of Kashi.

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla appointed Retired IAS Utpal Kumar Singh as the new Secretary General of the Lok Sabha for a period of one year and Lok Sabha Secretariat in the rank and status of Cabinet Secretary with effect from December 1. Singh will succeed Snehlata Shrivastava. Singh earlier served as Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Associated with the management of World Bank projects during his 34-year service, the former 1986-batch Uttarakhand cadre officer has served in both central & state govts.

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Varanasi plays perfect host to PM on Dev Deepawali First India Bureau

Prime Minister Modi impressively looks at the light and sound show that was organised on the banks of river Ganga in Varanasi.

While the night at the ghats were lit with lakhs of earthern lamps, the day witnessed presence of balloons coloured in white and saffron.

Lucknow : Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his parliamentary constituency on Monday on the occassion of Dev Deepawali.

Speaking to the public on Dev Deepawali festival on the banks of river Ganga, the Prime Minister said that he attributes the event to the people who have laid their lives for the nation.

He also visited auspcious Kashi Vishwanath Temple of the city and prayed for a while over there.

This is the first time that a Prime Minister has attended Dev Deepawali celebrations of the city. More than 15 lakh diyas across 80 ghats were lit on the occasion.

Cultural events were organised in as many as 15 ghats of Varanasi. A laser show was also organised at Chet Singh Ghat of the city.

A specially designed boat for dignataries was seen floating on the bank of river Ganga.

Just after the PM lit the inaugural lamp, more than 15 lakh earthern lamps were lit on the ghats of river Ganga by devotees and volunteers in Varanasi on Monday.

PM dedicates 6-lane project to nation Handia-Rajatalab section of NH-19 that connects Varanasi and Prayagraj to be wider for better First India Bureau

60 WORDS

Lucknow: In a major development boost to the easter n Uttar Pradesh region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a six-lane widening project Handia (Prayagraj)-Rajatalab (Varanasi) section of National Highway 19 to the nation.

The PM inaugurated the project before featuring in the mega Dev Deepawali Celebrations on the bank of the river Ganges on Monday morning.

While inaugurating the project, Prime Minister Modi said Varanasi is getting the gift of better in-

DIWALI DEVELOPMENT WALI: PM Modi, CM Yogi and Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya greet a massive crowd after inaugurating the 74km Varanasi-Prayagraj Highway in Varanasi on Monda.

frastructure on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti and Dev Deepawali the move will benefit both Varanasi and Prayagraj.

“The widening of this highway has made it easier to travel between Kashi and Prayagraj. The problems faced by Kanwariyas during the Kanwar

Yatra will be over with this project. Its benefits will also be seen during Kumbh,” he said.

“Along with beautification of Kashi in past years, we can now wit-

ness the benefit of work done on connectivity here. Works such as construction of new highways, flyovers, widening of roads to reduce traffic jams are now underway

in and around Varanasi, something, that has never happened since independence,” Modi said in his address.

He lso attended Dev Deepawali event where he lighted the first earthen lamp and later visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of the city. He also visited the Corridor Project and Sarnath Archaeological Site.

The stairs of the ‘Ghats’ in Varanasi were decorated using flowers and red carpet, while artists were seen making beautiful rangolis and painting pots.

Arrangements were been made to light 11 lakh diyas on the banks of river Ganga.

LG Sinha pays visit to Varanasi

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha attended a private function in Varanasi on Monday. During the function, he met BJP MLA of Pindra Dr Avdhesh Singh and BJP MLC Yashwant Singh.

First India Bureau Varanasi: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was in Varanasi on a private visit on Monday.

The LG attended a wedding function of his friend Suresh Singh. He reached there at around 11 am after his special flight landed at the Babatpur airport.

He also met two local BJP leaders MLA Varanasi Pindra Dr Avdhesh Singh and MLC Yashwant Singh. Sinha will attend some more functions on Tuesday.

It is however a matter of discussion that even though PM Modi and CM Yogi’s programmes were made public, LG’s arrival had got no ears at all.

CELESTIAL BELIEF

Lakhs of devotees take a dip of faith to wash sins away 

Taking a holy dip in river Ganga on the pious occassion of Kartik Purnima or Ganga Snan is deemed to be auspicious for the devotees

First India Bureau Lucknow: The auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima also known as Ganga Snan brought in the much needed festive flavour to the state which has been reeling under the boredom of Covid-19.

Lakhs of Devotees gathered at Triveni Sangam at Prayagraj to offer prayers and to take the holy dip in River Ganga on the occasion of ‘Kartik Purnima’ on Monday.

“After our Chhat Puja,

it is necessary to take a holy dip in River Ganga so we have come here. It is an auspicious occasion,” said a devotee.

“It is believed that all gods and goddesses come on earth on the occasion of Kartik Purnima, hence this day is celebrated with great fervour,” said another devotee.

Devotees also took a holy dip in the Ganga river at Raj Ghat and Ramganga River in Moradabad on the occasion of Kartik Purnima on Monday. However, in the wake of rising cases of

HOLY DIP: On the occasion of Ganga Snan, lakhs of devotees bathed in Ganges with a belief that their sins would be washed away

coronavirus across the country, devotees are not allowed to take a holy dip in the river Ganga in Utttarakhand’s Haridwar, the district administration said.

Kartik Purnima is also celebrated as Dev Deepawali and marks the fifteenth lunar day of the Hindu month of Kartik. The festival is linked with Prabodhini Ekadashi and it marks the end of Chaturmas, a four-month period when Lord Vishnu is believed to sleep.

Meanwhile, Prime

Minister Narendra Modi visited Varanasi on Monday and dedicated to the nation the six-lane widening project of the Handia (Prayagraj) - Rajatalab (Varanasi) section of National Highway 19. He then visited Kashi Vishwanath Mandir around that was followed by inspection of the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor project.

The Prime Minister also attended the Dev Deepawali Mahotsav at where he also addressed a gathering. He departed from Raj Ghat.

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Lucknow lights up on Kartik Purnima First India Bureau

Banks of river Gomti were not too far behind when it came to celebrating the Kartik Purnima on Monday. People gathered at the banks in large numbers and illuminated Diyas and also decorated deities.

—PHOTOS BY SUMIT KUMAR

Lucknow: ‘Dev Deepawali’ is celebrated a fortnight after Diwali to mark the end of

Government may clamp night curfew to curb rising C cases

Section 144 ordered for proper social distancing protocol; Marriage functions allowed First India Bureau Lucknow: The state government issued a fresh set of guidelines on Monday, authorising the district administrators to impose local restrictions, including night curfews, depending on the assessment of the situation in a bid to contain the spread of Covid-19, according to a circular issued by chief secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari.

The CS has, however, clarified no lockdown outside the containment zones can be imposed without prior permission from the Centre.

Also Section 144 has been ordered so that the social distancing protocols could be properly maintained.

The limit on the num-

LEEWAY

CS Rajendra Kumar Tiwari apprising officials about government’s new plan to contain the spread of Covid-19 at Lok Bhawan on Monday.

ber of persons attending marriages and other such programmes remains status quo, which means that maximum 100 people can attend such programmes and only 50 per cent of the hall’s capacity is to be used. As far as lawns and open grounds are concerned, only 40 per cent of their total capacity can assemble

Min asks discoms to upload all data on sites First India Bureau Lucknow: Energy minister Shrikant Sharma has asked all Discom’s MDs of the state to upload information related to the purchase of transformers and meters in last five years on respective Discom websites.

The minister has

Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma

asked the discom managing directors to upload all details related to purchases and maintenance like standards of products, maintenance done in workshops, replacement, present status etc. apart from inventory in the stores. This will keep customers updated on the efforts of the department in improving the infrastructure and providing uninterrupted power supply.

This will increase trust in the people and transparency in the working of the department.

Love Jihad accused on the run, police conduct raids Lucknow: Love-Jihad accused Uwaish Ahmed of Devrania is giving the police a headache. On Sunday, two teams under Baheri CO went in search of Ahmed till Rampur but could not get at him. ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar has also confirmed that the case of alleged religious conversion registered on Saturday at Devrania police station was the first such case under the new Love Ji-

had law in the state. He ordered Bareli police to take necessary action on it.

On the other hand the MLA of Bithri Pappu Bhartaul has called for implementing the law brought by the Yogi government in the state, all over the country. He said the law was important for the safety of girls.

The law pertains to pressuring any one for religious conversion for some special purpose.

at one time.

A few days back Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had told police officials not to harass common people in the name of covid protocols, for the violation of which, police officers would be held accountable. The decision of the CM came after the police were reported to be causing disruption in

marriage ceremonies in Meerut in the name of covid protocols.

Many FIRs too were lodged against grooms and families for reported violations of the government directives regarding social distancing, use of masks etc.

This had caused widespread dissension in Meerut as well as several neighbouring dis-

tricts, following which complaints had reached the chief minister.

The CM has said marriages can be held normally just by informing the local administration and following the covid protocols. The cap on number of those who can participate in such ceremony doesn’t include members of the band and other workers.

festival of light on Kartik Purnima.

The visual delight, that ‘Dev Deepawali’ is known for, draws people in droves from far

and wide to enjoy the splendour splattered on the river waters in the moonlit night of Kartik Purnima.

The banks of the Gom-

ti in the capital turned into a festival of lights and art with the splendor of diyas and warmth of the festive spirit renting the air.

JE case: CBI suspects major child pornography racket First India Bureau Lucknow: The police are suspecting the role of a bigger child pornography racket in JE Ram Bhawan case. It is being felt by the probe teams that the suspended official may not be alone in this crime and they are joining the missing links to crack the nexus.

Meanhile, Ram Bhawan was interrogated in front of two teachers known to him, on the fourth day of remand by the CBI on Monday.

The mobile data records, e-mail IDs and other details of the teachers were also scanned.

The teachers were reportedly close to the JE and his wife, often visited their home and had access to his phones and computers.

The engineer was

suspended on charges of sexual abuse of at least 50 children over a span of ten years. The CBI sleuths recovered huge amount of cash, a dozen cell phones, webcams and other electronic devices from the residence of the accused. Sex toys were also recovered, sources said.

Earlier, the accused was taken to the hospital where his corona result came negative and Dr Rajesh Khare of

the district hospital declared him fit, following which the CBI put him at the irrigation department rest house before moving towards Banda.

The sleuths also went to the house where he earlier lived on rent at the time of joining his job at Chitrakoot.

A girl of the village where he lived had committed suicide in 2012, in which his involvement is suspected. The JE was also questioned in front of the villagers.

Sangita Srivastava is first woman vice-chancellor of AU

HOLY REMEMBRANCE

First India Bureau Prayagraj: Vice-Chancellor of Prof Rajendra Singh Rajju Bhaiya State University, Prayagraj Prof Sangita Srivastava has been appointed Vice-Chancellor of Allahabad University.

With this, Allahabad University will have the first woman V-C and the third permanent V-C after its getting the Central University status.

On the orders of the Chancellor of Universi-

Devotees pray at Naka Gurudwara on the occasion of 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev the founder of Sikh religion in Lucknow on Monday.

Prof Sangita Srivastava

ties of the state Governor Anandiben Patel, Srivastava was also relieved of her duties from Rajju Bhaiya University.

V-C of Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open

University Kameshwar Nath Singh has been given charge of Rajju Bhaiya University.

President Ram Nath Kovind had given his assent to Prof Srivastava’s appointment on Sunday.

Late on Sunday night, the registrar of Allahabad University confirmed the appointment of Prof Sangita Srivastava as the new V-C of the varsity. The university had been waiting for a permanent V-C for the last 11 months.

PACING UP

Two kms of highway being constructed every day: CM 

The CM said it was emotional connect of the PM with Kashi that the religious & mythological city was reliving its glorious past.

First India Bureau Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday it was owing to the new work culture cultivated by PM Narendra Modi in developing infrastructure in the country that on an average two kms of highway were being constructed every day in UP. He was speaking at a function where PM Narendra Modi dedicated to the public, the 6-lane

highway connectingVaranasi and Prayagraj on the occasion of “Dev Deepawali’. The `2,447 cr project involved the ultra-modern technology in making 73 kms of six-lane highway.

He said a ‘new India’ has emerged under the dynamic leadership of PM Modi due to which the country is making strides in the world through social, economic and diplomatic strategies put to implementation since 2014.

Yogi was speaking at a function where PM Narendra Modi dedicated to the public, the 6-lane highway connecting Varanasi and Prayagraj.

The UP CM said it was emotional connect of the PM with Kashi that the religious and mythological city was reliving its glorious past with the appropriate inputs of modernity for its development. “The projects worth `18000 have been dedicated to Varanasi during last six years. Many of the projects have already come on ground while others are in the various stages of implementation,’’ he pointed out.

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IN-DEPTH

FARMERS REJECT PM’s ASSURANCE ON NEW AGRI LEGISLATION

HOW TO SELECT BEST PERFORMING MUTUAL FUNDS?

D

evelopment being his main plank, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the six-lane, 73-km Varanasi-Prayagraj National Highway in his constituency to improve connectivity in the entire eastern Uttar Pradesh. The widened section of NH 19 has been built with an outlay of Rs. 2,447 crore and is expected to reduce the travel time between the two cities by about one hour. The prime minister was in Kashi, believed to be Lord Shiva’s abode, for a mega development push and to review the progress of the Rs 600-crore Kashi Vishwanath Extension and Beautification project. The infra projects are part of prime minister’s ambitious plan of developing Varanasi on the lines of Kyoto.

Although Ganga is not yet pollution-free, the famous ghats of Varanasi have become cleaner and more picturesque. The development, the PM said, will boost tourism to the city. This is his first visit to the city during the pandemic.

In line with his initiative to make India aatmnirbhar (self-reliant), the prime minister pitched for local products as he asked the crowd to complete his slogan “vocal for” by adding “local” and told them that the preference for local products during Diwali should be made a daily affair.

The thrust of the prime minister’s address, however, was the farmers’ agitation. Insisting that the farmers should have access to the bigger markets, he said “reforms have given agriculturists new options and legal protection”. He asked if the farmers should not get freedom to sell his produce directly to those who give them better prices and facilities.

He attacked the Opposition for “cheating farmers” in the name of loan waivers and minimum support price and fertilisers.

While reminding farmers that his government kept its promise of giving them 1.5 times more MSP as per the M.S. Swaminathan’s report, he said “The farmers are being misled on these historic reforms by the people who have misled them for decades.

The prime minister did not appear agreeable to the agitating farmers demand for repeal of the new agri-marketing legislation. He charged the Opposition for creating apprehensions in the minds of the people and instigating protests over “what has not happened, or was never going to happen”. Farmers doubted the government’s intentions because of the lies being fed to them and assured the farming community of clearing all their doubts.

But the farmers have refused to budge. The All-India Kisan Sangharsh Co-ordination Committee called the PM’s statement an “insult” to their hopes of their concerns being addressed by the government. In farmers’ view the legislation is about “freedom to the corporate, opportunities to the corporate and income for the corporate”. Farmers reiterated that no political party was behind their agitation as they braved the winter chill.

W

hile zeroing in on a mutual fund as an investment opportunity, various measures can come into play. Some of the widely known measures assess the mutual fund performance based on risk assumed and returns generated. A more comprehensive way to analyze both the factors simultaneously is to look at the fund’s risk-adjusted returns.

RETURN MEASURES

1. Historical Performance: The most important yardstick that lets an investor shortlist a mutual fund is its historical performance. While historical returns do not guarantee future performance, the returns do indicate the fund’s appeal and competence when compared with other funds within the same category.

2. Attribution Analysis: Attribution analysis is a detailed process of understanding whether the fund’s return adheres to the fund philosophy and is directly influenced by the fund manager’s strategy. Attribution analysis is understanding the source of returns, which can be one of the three: Allocation to sectors, Specific stock selection, and/or an interaction of the two.

RISK MEASURES

The most common forms of styles are growth investing and value investing.

Growth investing is focused on stocks to gain momentum in the near-term owing to aboveaverage growth in earnings.

1. Standard Deviation: Standard Deviation (SD) is a measure of risk that measures the deviation of returns from the mean returns. SD of the mutual fund lets the investor understand the expected volatility in the fund’s returns. For example, if a fund has an SD of 5 percent and an expected return of 15 percent, the actual returns may vary between 10 percent and 20 percent.

2. R-Squared (R2): R-squared is a statistical measure of the percentage of fund’s returns that can be explained by the movements in the fund’s benchmark. R-squared determines the similarity between the fund and the fund’s benchmark.

R-squared can be used by investors to:

Create a well-diversified portfolio of mutual funds by reducing the repetition of exposure to sectors. n Review existing funds for any style drift toward that of the benchmark. An actively-managed is supposed to outperform the benchmark and not mimic the performance of the benchmark. Therefore, if the R2 measure is high, it means the returns of a fund are highly correlated to that of the benchmark essentially reducing the fund’s ability to create alpha.

3. Up and Down-market capture: Up-market and down-market captures are to mutual funds what a beta is to stock. Market captures measure the fund’s sensitivity to index or benchmark movements. A higher up-market ratio and a lower down-market ratio makes a fund attractive. The higher the ratio, the more the outperformance of the fund.

an adverse movement in the mutual fund value.

n

RISK-ADJUSTED RETURNS

Risk-adjusted returns incorporate the theory of risk-return trade-off in that a higher degree of risk demands higher returns. Riskadjusted returns use a measure of volatility to specify the risk undertaken. Popular risk-adjusted return metrics are: 1. Sharpe Ratio: Sharpe Ratio measures the excess return generated by the fund for every

SOME OF WIDELY KNOWN MEASURES ASSESS THE MUTUAL FUND PERFORMANCE BASED ON RISK ASSUMED AND RETURNS GENERATED. A MORE COMPREHENSIVE WAY TO ANALYZE BOTH THE FACTORS SIMULTANEOUSLY IS TO LOOK AT THE FUND’S RISK-ADJUSTED RETURNS

additional unit of risk. Excess return is defined as the fund’s return over the risk-free rate of return. The unit of risk is the standard deviation. The higher the Sharpe ratio, the greater the fund performance.

2. Sortino Ratio: Sortino ratio is similar to the Sharpe ratio in that the Sortino ratio also is a relative measure and uses excess return as one of its inputs. The key difference is that the Sharpe ratio uses the total volatility as a measure of risk whereas the Sortino ratio uses downside deviation as a measure of risk. A higher Sortino ratio is favorable and signifies a lower probability of

What Ails Corporate Governance in India?

M

ost businesses perish not because of strong competition or adverse macroeconomic conditions but because of cracks within.

One such failing is weak corporate governance. For publicly listed companies, this often translates to controlling shareholders or “promoters” pursuing policies and practices in their own interests at the expense of minority shareholders. It turns out that companies with such promoters are at greater risk of crises and near-death moments in bad economic cycles. Those companies with better governance, where promoters act responsibly in the interests of shareholders, tend to do better during adversity.

In fact, savvy investors now treat good corporate governance as an intangible asset.

This can be best seen in

04

India’s banking sector. In general, private sector banks have practiced better governance than stateowned ones. Consequently, their financial and operating metrics also tell a story of profitable growth with less asset quality issues than their public sector peers. No wonder that private sector banks trade at a higher valuation than public sector ones.

Higher valuation puts these banks into a virtuous growth cycle. They are able to raise capital cheaply with less dilution. This reinforces their already high return ratios, which in turn continue to support a higher valuation. This selfperpetuating cycle has led to long-term compounding of shareholder returns.

State-owned peers have fared much worse.

Despite a large number of state-owned banks, the

majority of credit growth in India is led by private sector banks. In fact, stateowned banks are struggling and the government is forced to merge them to ensure their survival. The success of well-run private banks demonstrates how good governance can lower a company’s cost of capital.

That is not all. The resulting higher valuation also gives such companies immense pricing power in corporate transactions and

talent management, widening their economic moat.

MULTIPLE ISSUES India boasts of the oldest stock exchange in Asia, which is also the region’s largest. However, corporate governance in India still lags behind many other places like Singapore or Taiwan. India must understand that good corporate governance is the foundation of a lasting business. It builds investor confidence

and has other benefits. India is short of capital and needs to earn investors’ trust. Without an infusion of capital, the Indian economy will fail to thrive.

There are multiple issues that plague corporate governance in India. First is the lack of accountability among controlling shareholders. For example, promoters get away with appointing their friends, exemployees and businessschool classmates as independent directors with no one raising an eyebrow.

Often, statutory auditors are given only one-year extensions to pressurize them to “comply” with management demands. Compliant auditors tend to persist for too long, developing far-toocozy relationships with the very people they are supposed to keep an eye on.

With no strong checks and balances, promoters are in

effect incentivized to take advantage of minority shareholders.

Second is the slow and selective enforcement by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the country’s market regulator. Cases against the management’s missteps take years to resolve.

SEBI generally hands out warnings or mild punishments. This could be because SEBI does not have enough resources to deal with a large number of cases, or it could be a lack of authority or competence. In certain cases, promoters are extremely powerful and politically connected. Given that regulators are political appointees, it is far from easy for them to ignore pressure from politicians, remain impartial, punish the powerful and deliver justice.

FAIROBSERVER.COM

FUND-SPECIFIC FACTORS n

n

n

Style Analysis and Drift: Style analysis involves determining the investment style of the fund manager. Investment styles can be of varied types and depend upon the market capitalization and valuation of the stocks. The most common forms of styles are growth investing and value investing.

Growth investing is focused on stocks to gain momentum in the near-term owing to above-average growth in earnings. On the other hand, value investing is focused on stocks that are undervalued relative to their fundamentals and required the fund manager to be invested for a longer-term.

Turnover Ratio: The turnover ratio is an indicator of how often a fund manager buys and replaces securities for a fund.

Turnover ratio is the number of securities replaced expressed as a percentage of the total number of stocks that the fund invests in. The turnover ratio is typically high for actively managed funds and low for index funds.

Total Expense Ratio: TER includes management fees, administrative fees, brokerage costs, and legal costs. The expense ratio reduces the net return available to an investor.

Top

TWEET Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda Today, on the auspicious occasion of Prakash Parv, sought blessings by praying at Shri Bangla Sahib Gurudwara and prayed for the happiness and prosperity of all.

Prakash Javadekar @PrakashJavdekar Do not misunderstand the Farm Law. Punjab farmers sold more paddy in the market on #MSP than last year. MSP is also alive and market is alive and government procurement is also happening.

Spiritual SPEAK

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

—Buddha

Vol 1 Issue No.19 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Amar Ujala Ltd. B-5 Amausi Industrial Area Kanpur Road Lucknow.

Published at 98, Friend’’s Colony, Raheem Nagar, Dudouli Road, Madiyaon, Lucknow (UP). Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

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Rahul, Priyanka urge people to join ‘Speak Up for Farmers’ campaign

05

AI pilots seek ‘urgent meet’ with Puri over wage cuts

RAISING THE ISSUE, PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA ALLEGED THAT THE INTERESTS OF FARMERS WERE IGNORED IN NEW AGRICULTURAL LAWS New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday urged people to join the “Speak Up for Farmers” campaign, amid farmers’ protests against the Central government’s new farm laws.

“Modi government tortured farmers- first they brought in black laws and then used fo rc e / l at h i - ch a r g e d farmers. But they forgot that when farmers raise their voice then it resonates across the country.

Join us through the #SpeakUpForFarmers campaign against the exploitation of our brother farmers,” read Rahul’s tweet Raising the issue, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the interests of farmers were ignored in new agricultural laws.

Farmers have been protesting at various places in Delhi and Haryana and have rejected the central government’s offer to hold talks on December 3 saying that imposing conditions for starting a dialogue is an insult to them.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Centre is ready for talks with farmers’ unions on December 3.

—ANI

‘Farmers should talk to Centre to clear confusion’

RAGA URGES CONG WORKERS TO PROVIDE FOOD, HELP TO PROTESTING FARMERS

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra @priyankagandhi “Name is farm law, but only billionaire friends get all the benefit. How can farm laws be made without consulting the farmers? How can farmers’ benefits be ignored? The government has to listen to farmers.

Come, let us raise our voice in support of the farmers together.”

New Delhi: Slamming the Central government over the new farm laws, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, appealed to his party workers to provide food and help to farmers protesting against the new laws.

He asked why are farmers protesting if these “reforms” are in their interest. Taking to Twitter, the Congress leader said that farmers have come to Delhi in the cold against the “black” agricultural laws, leaving their homes and fields. “The farmers of the country have come to Delhi in the cold against the black agricultural laws, leaving their homes and fields. With

2G SPECTRUM SCAM CASE

New bench to hear CBI appeal against acquittal on December 1 New Delhi: A different bench of the Delhi High Court will hear on December 1 an appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the acquittal of all accused including former telecom minister A Raja in the 2G spectrum scam case.

A single-judge bench of Justice Yogesh Khanna will now hear the matter on December 1, as the case was transferred to him since Justice Brijesh Sethi, who was hearing the appeal so far, is set to retire on November 30.

Last week, Justice Sethi has rejected several petitions of acquitted accused against

sanctions granted by the Central government for CBI to file an appeal against their acquittal.

The High Court had also rejected the plea of individuals stating that CBI had filed the appeal against their acquittal without placing on record the mandatory approval by the Central government.

Justice Sethi released

BABA AMTE’S GRANDDAUGHTER SHEETAL AMTE DIES BY SUICIDE Mumbai: Sheetal AmteKarajgi, the granddaughter of social worker Baba Amte, allegedly died by suicide after a family feud in Maharashtra’s Warora.

39-year-old Sheetal Amte was a doctor as well as the CEO of the Maharogi Seva Samiti (MSS), a social service organisation founded by her grandfather Baba Amte. She allegedly took

her life after a long-drawn public feud with her family over the running of the organisation. On Monday, Sheetal Amte was found dead in Anandwan at her residence in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district. While police have yet to confirm the cause of death, local reports have suggested that she injected herself with a lethal dose.

the appeals against 2G verdict from his board as he is set to retire on November 30. The appeals will now be listed before another Judge on December 1, he had said.The court has also said the 2018 amendments in the Prevention of Corruption Act would not apply to crimes committed prior to the amendment. —ANI

RAHUL MEETING LEADERS OF POLL BOUND STATES

whom do you stand in the battle of truth and untruth annadata farmer or PM’s capitalist friend? #SpeakUpForFarmers,” he tweeted.

He also tweeted a video in which he urged Congress workers to stand by farmers.

The country’s strength is —ANI farmers.

New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has become proactive in the party activities these days by participating in important meetings for poll preparedness in the states going for elections next year. Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to meet virtually with senior leaders of Assam and Tamil Nadu units of the party on Monday.

Patna: While farmers in the country are on the roads, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that t h e y should talk to the Centre to sort out the confusion over the new agri bills.

Farmers mainly from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are on the roads against the farm bills passed in Parliament.

Kumar was speaking at the inauguration of Patna’s longest 12.5 km Digha-AIIMS Patna elevated road on Monday.

“The Central government is repeatedly asking them to talk. There is no question of procurement being affected due to these bills. In Bihar, we removed the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC) in 2006 soon after I took over as CM of Bihar. Since then, we are doing procurement of Kharif and Rabi grains by ensuring MSP to farmers. They can sell their produce anywhere in the country.”

New Delhi: Two pilots’ unions on Monday wrote to Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri seeking an urgent meeting with him to discuss the “indefinite and unilateral” salary deductions faced by the pilots of Air India.

The two unions -- the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association and the Indian Pilots’ Guild -- wrote a letter to Puri informing him that workers of Air India, Air India Express and Alliance Air pilots are facing wage cut of up to 70 per cent and sought his immediate intervention.

“The frontline workers of Air India, Air India Express and Alliance Air pilots continue to be shackled with an indefinite and unilateral wage cut of up to 70 per cent while the indifferent company top management contributes a namesake 10 per cent,” the letter said.

It said the unions, through their representations and meetings, had shown how Air In-

dia management’s costcutting is mala fide and disproportionate and asked why barbaric austerity measures apply only to Air India pilots.

“Sir, you have expressed confidence that air travel would reach pre-COVID levels by the end of the year. In our meetings in the month of September 2020, you had given us an assurance to look into our grievances positively,” the letter said.

“Kindly note that while the other airlines are rolling back the austerity pay cuts for their pilots, the wage cut for Air India pilots further increased from October.

This is completely divorced from market reality and equally unfair to pilots of Air India and its subsidiaries,” it added. The unions, in their letter, also said the airline’s top management has let the pilots down tremendously and that they have expressed their displeasure and are extremely troubled by this unwarranted ordeal.

—ANI

Vice President chairs meeting of SCO council New Delhi: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday chaired the 19th meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) council of heads of government.

According to the spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, “India is privileged to be chairing the 19th Session SCO Council of Heads of Government in the virtual mode today and has proposed several new initiatives to give a momentum to the trade, economic and cultural agenda of the organisation.”While chairing a virtual meeting Naidu said, “India has bravely fought global pandemic and has shown remarkable resilience in fighting the virus as well as ensuring economic stability. India

KARNATAKA LOCAL BODY POLLS TO BE HELD IN 2 PHASES Bengaluru: Local body elections will be held in two phases on December 22 and 27 in the state.

According to the Karnataka State Election Commission, the counting of votes will take place on December 30. Speaking on the announcement of poll dates, Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar said: “Karnataka Congress filed a petition before the High Court. We wanted this election to be held. They were trying to postpone the elections. The High Court was in favour of the elections.”

has kept its COVID19 death rate at the lowest level in world. India’s efforts have found global recognition.”It is the first time that summitlevel meeting is being held under India’s chairmanship since the country gained fullmembership of organisation.

On June 9 2017, India

and Pakistan officially joined SCO as full members.

Condemning crossborder terrorism, the VP said, “The most important challenge faced by us is terrorism; particularly cross-border terrorism...India condemns terrorism in all its manifestations. We are particularly con-

WILL DECIDE SOON ON POSSIBLE ENTRY TO POLITICS: RAJINIKANTH Chennai: After meeting with district secretaries of Rajini Makkal Mandram, megastar Rajinikanth on Monday said that he will take a decision as soon as possible regarding his entry into politics. “In today’s meeting district secretaries and we exchanged views. They assured to support me in whatever decision I take. I will take a decision as soon as possible,” Actor

Rajinikanth told reporters in Chennai. Earlier in the day, Rajinikanth greeted supporters after a meeting with district secretaries of Rajini Makkal Mandram at Raghavendra Hall in the city on Monday. He left his residence in Chennai to hold a meeting with the district secretaries of Rajini Makkal Mandram at Raghavendra hall.

cerned about states that leverage terrorism as an instrument of their state policy.”Discussing about the relationships between the country and SCO region Naidu said, “Relations between India and SCO region have flourished uninterrupted for thousands of years. By 2025, India’s GDP is expected to reach 5 trillion. It will be youngest nation with an average age of 29 years.””During the chairmanship of our tenure, we’ve proposed to create a special working group on start-ups and innovations. India has created robust dynamic environment for start-ups. India made an offer to annually host special working group for start-ups,” he said.

—ANI

V-P RECEIVES TWO ACTION TAKEN REPORTS FROM PARL PANEL New Delhi: Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday received two action taken reports from Jairam Ramesh, Chairman of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change.”Chairman Rajya Sabha, M Venkaiah Naidu received two action taken reports from Jairam Ramesh, Chairman of the Departmentrelated Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology and Environment, Forest and Climate Change,” Vice President of India, the official account of the Vice President, tweeted.

EXPANSION OF MP CABINET IS CM’S PREROGATIVE: SCINDIA Bhopal: Ahead of his meeting with MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said that there will be no discussion on the expansion of state Cabinet with him. “I am meeting with the Chief Minister on issues of development and schemes related to it. There will be no discussion on the expansion of the state Cabinet. It is the Chief Minister’s discretion,” Scindia told reporters here. BJP registered a crucial victory in the fiercely contested Madhya Pradesh by-polls winning on 19 seats.

INDIA LUCKNOW | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020

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Gap between recoveries and active cases increasing: Health ministry New Delhi: A total of 45,333 new COVID-19 recoveries has been registered across the country in a span of 24 hours as against 38,772 new infections reported during the same period, leading to a net reduction of 6,561 cases from the active caseload, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. The total recoveries have surged to 88,47,600.

“The gap between COVID-19 recoveries and active cases, that is steadily increasing, presently stands at 84,00,648 i.e 19.8 times the active cases,” the ministry said. The contraction of India’s active COVID-19 caseload to 4,46,952 comprises just 4.74 per cent of the to-

No ambulance service cost in WB soon Kolkata: To help save lives of road accident victims by taking them to nearby hospitals as quickly as possible, the West Bengal government will soon start a free-ambulance service, a senior official of the state health department said. Starting with at least 150 ambulances, the government is setting up a detailed map of the accident prone zones & the nearby hospitals.

This service will primarily work on GPS system as government will have to bear a cost of around Rs 30 crore.—PTI

Health workers to receive vaccination on priority

—FILE PHOTO

tal coronavirus infections reported so far in the country. “The difference in new recoveries outnumbering new cases of COVID-19 has also improved the national recovery rate to 93.81 per cent as on date,” the ministry said, adding that India’s coronavirus case fatality rate has further dipped to 1.45 per cent. India is one of the countries with the low-

est deaths per million population globally (99.4 at present), the ministry said. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh have reported the highest decline in active cases in the past one month, while Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana & Rajasthan are reporting a rise in active caseload, it underscored. —PTI

would receive Covid vaccination on priority basis. The Covin App, developed by the central government, is a key part of India’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout plan.

30 cr to be vaccinated by August 2021, says govt Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that up to 30 crore Indians would be inoculated against COVID-19

by August 2021 as per central government’s plans. However, he reiterated the need to follow appropriate

protocols. “In the first 3-4 months of 2021, there is a possibility to provide vaccine and by July-August, we have a plan to provide vaccines to around 25-30 crore people as we are preparing accordingly,” Mr Vardhan said.

IMD issues red alert in Kerala & Tamil Nadu as cyclonic storm brewing over Bay of Bengal Thiruvananthapuram: A ‘red alert’ has been issued in Kerala’s southern districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha, and ‘orange alert’ in Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam districts till Thursday owing to predictions of inclement weather conditions.

Kerala has also banned all fishing activities starting Monday midnight.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority action follows development of a low pressure area over south Anda-

—FILE PHOTO

man Sea and adjoining areas of south-east Bay of Bengal that is likely to concentrate into a depression in the next 36 hours.

Less than a week after the landfall of Cy-

‘Tiger state’ Madhya Pradesh lost 290 big cats in 19 years: Official Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh has lost 290 tigers over the last 19 years but the central Indian state still has more than 675 tigers, including 125 cubs, in the designated reserves and in the wild, a top Forest department official said on Monday.

Claiming that the population of tigers has actually “gone up”, he said Madhya Pradesh will continue to remain the “tiger state of India”. The official said only 5% of the deaths of big cats had occurred due to poaching or in

The Union Health Ministry has asked states and Union Territories to upload data of health care workers on its application Covid-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network (COVIN) who

—FILE PHOTO

man-animal conflicts.

Most of the deaths of the tigers occurred either in territorial fights or due to natural causes, he added. “Madhya Pradesh has lost 290 tigers so far since 2002,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild-

life) Alok Kumar said.

However, there are 550 big cats in tiger reserves in Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura, Panna and Sanjay Gandhi reserve and in the wild, he said, adding that there are 125 cubs in the parks. —PTI

prompt action is not taken since farmers and the youth formed the core support base of his party. —With Agency inputs

ers, he claimed. The MSP used to be declared but very little procurement was done on it, he claimed. Farmers have faced deceit on MSP, loan waiver schemes, urea and productivity for a long time in the past, he said.

He claimed that it is because of this long history of deceit that farmers are again wary as they are seeing the new move in the same manner. He asked why his government would spend so much to modernise the mandis if it planned to dismantle the MSP system. He also paid tributes to fallen

clone Nivar, the southern part of India will once again experience heavy rainfall this week due to a depression forming over the Bay of Bengal and it is likely to intensify further into a

Child friendly police station set up in Pune Pune: A “child-friendly” police station set up in accordance with guidelines laid down by the National Commissioner for Protection of Child Rights was launched in Pune on Monday. It has come up in the premises of the Lashkar police station and is aimed at giving children in conflict with law as well as minor victims a friendly environment, officials said. Pune police have worked with Hope for Children Foundation to set up this. —PTI

deep depression and bring widespread rainfall over Tamil Nadu, Kerala and south coastal Andhra Pradesh from December 1, the India Meteorological Department said. —PTI

Delhi govt new RT-PCR test price at ` 800 New Delhi: The Arvind Kejriwal government on Monday ordered all private laboratories to reduce the price of RTPCR tests in the national capital to Rs 800 from Rs 2,400.

Ajay Maken @ajaymaken Although, the Rajasthan government set the rates of Covid test Rs 1200 on September 14. It was still Rs 2400 in Delhi.

This is the heights of corruption and this man @ArvindKejriwal claims that he is here to remove corruption.

Amitabh Jain appointed as new chief secy Raipur: The Chhattisgarh government on Monday appointed Amitabh Jain as the state’s chief secretary in place of Rajendra Prasad Mandal who retired from service.

Jain, a 1989-batch IAS officer, was currently additional chief secretary (finance) along with additional charge of water resources department. The state government also issued fresh postings for 13 other bureaucrats, including 11 IAS officers. —PTI

Naidu, and 13 TDP MLAs suspended Amaravati: As many as 13 Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLAs, including party’s floor leader N Chandrababu Naidu, were suspended for one day from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly after they created a ruckus during a discussion on help to farmers worst affected

by Cyclone Nivar. After being suspended from the House, the legislators led by Naidu sat on the steps outside the Assembly in protest against the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government. “Telugu Des-

am National Party president Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu sat at the entrance of the AP Assembly in protest against the AP Government’s apathy towards thousands of farmers who have lost their everything due to #CycloneNivar,” TDP said in a tweet. TDP MLAs and MLCs organised a protest rally near the Andhra Pradesh assembly on the first day of the session, demanding immediate compensation to the farmers adversely affected by Nivar cyclone. —ANI

three highways which connect the national capital to Ghaziabad, Faridabad & Gurugram.

held on April 20 amid a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus. The top brass of the government including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah besides Harsh Vardhan and Pralhad Joshi will attend the meeting, they said. —PTI

06

POWER Gallery KEY ARMY POSTINGS LIKELY EARLY NEXT YEAR

Some more transfers and postings at the level of GOCs are likely to be effected early next year.

WILL SWAGAT DAS MOVE FROM IB ?

Grapevine has it that Special Director in the IB Swagat Das is either moving to some other CPO or returning to the parent Chhattisgarh cadre as DGP. He is 1987 batch IPS officer of Chhattisgarh cadre.

EXTENDED TENURE OF ABHAY KUMAR SINGH ENDS ON DEC 3

The extended deputation tenure of Abhay Kumar Singh working as Private Secretary to the Minister for Law and Justice, Electronics and Information Technology and Communications is coming to an end on December 3, 2020. He is a 2004 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

WHO IS SCUTTLING THE CP SYSTEM IN UP ?

If sources are to be believed, an attempt is being made to scuttle the Commissioner of Police system in UP which was introduced in Lucknow and Noida in January this year. Some retired IPS officers termed it an attempt to weaken the Yogi government in the state. They blamed the bureaucracy behind this game.

SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH TO JOIN AS DIRECTOR, FINANCIAL SERVICES ON DEC 3

Sushil Kumar Singh will be taking over the charge as Director in the Department of Financial Services on December 3, 2020. He is a 2006 batch IDAS officer.

DY ELECTION COMMISSIONER, SUDEEP JAIN TO RETURN TO PARENT CADRE IN DEC !

The central deputation tenure of Sudeep Jain working as Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India, is coming to an end on December 21, 2020. Jain, who is a 1994 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, was granted six-month extension in June, 2020.

SC COLLEGIUM YET TO CLEAR TRANSFER OF HC JUDGES !

Supreme Court Collegium, yet to clear the transfer of about 16 High Court Judges, is expected to meet in December.

MURLI DHAR EMPANELLED TO HOLD DIG LEVEL POST

Murli Dhar has been empanelled to hold DIG and equivalent level post at the Centre. He is a 2005 batch IPS officer of West Bengal cadre.

MS. ROLI KHARE RELIEVED TO JOIN AS DIRECTOR, HEALTH

Ms. Roli Khare has been relieved to join as Director in the Department of Health & Family Welfare, on deputation basis. She is an IRS-IT officer.

RUCHIKA KATYAL SHIFTED TO GOA

Ms. Ruchika Katyal has been shifted from GNCTD to Goa. She is a 2013 batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre.

RAJ CADRE IPS AKSHAY MISHRA EMPANELLED TO DG POST

With only five months left for his retirement, 1987 batch IPS officer from Rajasthan cadre - Akshay Mishra - was empanelled on Monday for positions at par with the rank of Director General. Overall, fifteen IPS officers were empanelled on Monday of which Mishra is one. Currently posted on deputation as Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau, Mishra will now be eligible for the post of DG if any vacancy appears in any branch.

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 Scrap farm...

The Jat leader’s threat to consider exiting the NDA is seen to indicate the discomfort within the regional party over the protests that erupted against the three farm laws enacted by the BJPled coalition at the Centre that change the way India’s farmers do business by creating free markets, as opposed to a network of decades-old, government-controlled agricultural markets.

In a string of tweets that he followed up with a letter to Amit Shah, Beniwal said his party would be forced to reconsider its alliance if

Oppn using...

But the three laws gave them new options to sell for more, he said. He said whenever new laws are enacted questions are bound to be asked.

But presently a new trend is being seen in the country. The protests are based on creating doubts through misinformation, Modi said.

We must remember that those doing so are the ones who had for decades deceived farm-

soldiers, indirectly referring to Pakistan and China.—Agencies

Farmers’ condition... and enhanced security at the Ghazipur-UP border as the number of protesting farmers swelled there while thousands more stayed put at the Delhi-Haryana border for the fifth day Monday to protest against the Centre’s agricultural reform laws.

But the farmers refused this offer and asked for Ramlila Maidan instead and further announced they will Gherao Delhi by blocking

‘Even in...

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that infrastructure development in cities is making the state a model state.

At the top of the list in terms of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Gujarat attracts 52% of the nation’s FDI, he said.

PM’s all-party... discuss the COVID-19 situation since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The first meeting was

Modi, Yogi... was stolen over 100 years ago is now on its way back here. It is a matter of great fortune that Mata Annapurna will come back to her original home.”

PM said that the statues of deities are part

of “our priceless legacy.” “It is true that if so much effort was made earlier, the country would have got back many such idols. But some people have different thinking. For us, heritage means the country’s heritage but for some people, heritage means their name and their family’s name. For us, heritage means our culture, our faith. For them, heritage means their own statues, their family photos,” he added.

Prime Minister also paid tributes to all those who have laid their lives for the nation.

“On the occasion of Dev Deepawali, I pay my tributes to all those who have laid their lives for the nation. The nation is giving a befitting reply to the expansionist forces, those trying to infiltrate into India or be it those trying to break the country from within,” he said.

“No matter how much things have changed due to COVID19, none can change the Urja, Bhakti and Shakti of Kashi,” he said. PM lit the customary first diya at the Raj Ghat in Varanasi and launched the Dev Deepawali Mahotsav.

NEWS LUCKNOW | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020

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Rajnath reviews devpt works

in his constituency Lucknow First India Bureau

Lucknow: Defence Minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh on Monday reviewed the development works being done in the capital city.

Singh went on the Kisaan Path and inspected it for 11 km.

Instructions were given to complete the incomplete work of Kisan Path by December 20. The objective is to start the operation of Kisan Path for the common people on the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee (December 25).

At the same time, defence minister halted at the flyover made by Setu Nigam, and in-

Defence Minister and MP Rajnath Singh arrived to inspect the flyover and other development works, constructed from MP fund in Lucknow on Monday.

—PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR

quired the Chief Engineer of the Railway, SK Sapra about the proposed track.

A new track will be built by the Railways for double-decker, which will be a new corridor for trains

Akhara Parishad supports CM Yogi’s H’bad name change First India Bureau Lucknow: The Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad has also given a nod to the proposed name change of Hyderabad by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

CM had proposed to rename Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar in a public meeting in Hyderabad during a roadshow for the Municipality elections campaign.

CM Yogi Adityanath’s proposal to rename Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar has been endorsed by the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad, the largest institution of monks.

Akhara Parishad President Mahant Narendra Giri said that Hyderabad should be renamed as Bhagyanagar.

He said that Muslims invaded and ruled

the country for many years. During that period, names of many cities were Islamized.

Commenting on the objection to the name change raised by AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Mahant Narendra Giri said that we have to change the name of Hyderabad and not of Owaisi.

He said that the name change of Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar would change the fate of people as well as Owaisi.

It is noteworthy that while addressing an election public meeting in Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana on November 28, CM Yogi said that when Faizabad’s name can be changed to Ayodhya and Allahabad can be named Prayagraj, then why Hyderabad can’t be named Bhagyanagar.

File photo of Yogi Adityanath’s roadshow in Hyderabad.

coming and going from Purvanchal to Delhi.

The Defence Minister also saw the work going on at the two and a half km long flyover being built on the ‘Tedhi Pulia’. February 26, 2021 has been fixed

as the date for finishing the work of this flyover.After this, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh Walked on one and a half km long and three-lane flyover starting from Lal kuan, passing over

Bans mandi intersection and Naka intersection.

Traffic has begun on this flyover as it has been launched and opened for public but since the defense minister was not present at the time of inauguration, so he visited it.

MP representative Diwakar Tripathi said that the construction of the cloverleaf has started on the crossing of Outer Ring Road on Sultanpur Road. 42 thousand vehicles will pass daily from here.

The attraction of the Kisaan Path is also that it passes over the Gomti River and Aqueduct running on both sides of the canal and the route also gives a full view of the canal.

07

Personal enmity led to scribe Nirbheek, associate’s murder First India Bureau Balrampur: The police have yet again proved their mettle by solving the murder case of journalist Rakesh Singh Nirbheek and the city vice president of the Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh, Pintu Sahu on the third day of the incident.

Several enemies of Rakesh and Pintu carried out the incident by mixing alcohol based sanitizers together and setting the room on fire. Writing news that highlighted the shortcomings of system and the transaction of money are the two factors that were the primary reason behind the coldblooded murder as being told.

On the night of 27 November, Rakesh Nirbheek was in his room along with his friend

SET ROOM ON FIRE USING ALCOHOL BASED SANITIZER

Several enemies of Rakesh and Pintu carried out the incident by mixing alcohol based sanitizers together and setting the room on fire.

Writing news that highlighted the shortcomings of system and the transaction of money are the two factors that were the primary reason behind the coldblooded murder Pintu Sahu when suddenly the room they were in caught fire.

The outer wall of the room had collapsed. The door of the room was locked from outside.

Pintu was killed on the spot whereas a severely burnt Rakesh died on Saturday in Lucknow during treatment.

Based on Rakesh’s predeath statement and father Munna Singh’s statement, the police picked up several sus-

pects and interrogated them.

On Monday, while exposing this incident, Superintendent of Police Deo Ranjan Verma said that Rakesh used to write news without a hitch and post it on social media.

Keshavanand Mishra aka Rinku’s mother is the head of the village Kalwari. Rinku could not digest the fact that Rakesh was highlighting the shortcomings openly.

Brij Lal’s rebuttal to Maya on ‘love jihad’

KIDS’ DAY OUT!

Appeasement does not suit BehanJi in harassment case of Dalit daughters: Rajya Sabha MP First India Bureau

Children warm themselves around a bonfire on a cold and foggy morning, in Ghaziabad.

—PHOTO BY PTI

One University, one degree: Soon all UP med colleges will join one varsity First India Bureau Lucknow: Soon all the medical colleges of the state will join one university. For this, the Atal Medical University has started the process. For the first time, the affiliation will be given to nine government-private colleges. Regular study will start from the next academic session.

There are currently 31 private medical col-

Atal Medical University

leges and 22 government medical colleges in the state. They are all associated with different universities. Their students get different degrees. In future, everyone will get the same

university degree.

For this, Atal Medical University has started the initiative. It has been decided to give affiliation to newly opened medical colleges in the state. The VC Prof. AK Singh has issued a letter of consent (acceptance letter) to eight government and one private college. The colleges will put this letter in the National Medical Commission for recognition

of MBBS. After this, the officers of Atal University will hold an on-site inspection of the standards and provide affiliation.

MBBS will be started in eight new government medical colleges in the state in the coming year. These medical colleges are in Etah, Ghazipur, Deoria, Pratapgarh, Fatehpur, Mirzapur, Siddharthnagar and Hardoi.

Lucknow: The newly elected Rajya Sabha member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Brij Lal has on Monday made a strong statement against Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati.

After taking oath as a Rajya Sabha member, former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Brijlal commented that appeasement does not suit BehanJi in the case of harassment of Dalit daughters. He was referring to Mayawati’s statement about the state government making the Love Jihad laws in haste.

Brij Lal, who has received the President’s Medal four times while serving the police department, said, “Behan Ji, the sobs of Dalit daughters who are victims of Love Jihad do not bother you. Probably the appeasement politics has turned you absolutely heartless.

You can continue the appeasement but the Dalits have found true leadership in the form of CM

Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal

Yogi Adityanath.”

Brijlal, who was the DGP during the tenure of Mayawati’s government in Uttar Pradesh, said that he has played a big role right from enacting these laws to implementing them. It is seen that in most cases of love jihad, the victims have been from Dalit and backward castes. The society whose saviour Mayawati claims to be, is suffering. Most of the Dalit, oppressed and extremely backward caste people not only lost their original religion, but their existence is also in crisis after being trapped in Love Jihad.

How can it be wrong to provide them a safe environment and protect their identity?

He said that the daughters of Dalits and backward castes of the state are the soft targets of love jihad in the state.

Instead of talking about their rights, whom is Mayawati supporting?

Bareilly health dept’s coronavirus scam: Fake names, mobile numbers to increase the number of sampling by several teams First India Bureau Bareilly: Although CM Yogi Adityanath is constantly seen in action and very worried about the outbreak of Corona and his minister are also constantly keeping an eye on the situation, concurrently, A big fraud has come out in Health Department in Bareilly headed by the Medical and Education Minister of the state Suresh Kumar Khanna.

This time the depart-

ment has crossed all limits to increase the number of sampling; fake names have been registered in the records.

The ridiculous thing here is that the numbers that were used while entering these names in the record do not exist. Even ten zeros (0000000000) has been made a mobile number and the names of 965 people have been registered against it.

When the First India

correspondent tried to collect information on this whole case by calling Vineet Kumar Shukla CMO of Bareilly, he did not pick up his CUG number, while CM Yogi had clearly instructed all the officers to receive calls on their CUG number under all circumstances. According to the information received, the target of sampling of more than three thousand people has been given to the district by the govern-

AAP’s SANJAY SINGH TARGETS YOGI GOVT

ment. About thirty teams of the health department are sampling in urban and rural areas. According to departmental sources, these thirty teams are not able to complete two

thousand samples per day.

In such a situation, fake names have been resorted to; to accomplish this goal. In order to complete the entry on the portal, mobile num-

Rajya Sabha member and senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged that there has been fake testing of corona patients executed by the Yogi Adityanath government of UP. He has termed it as “Testing the Ghosts Scam” by the BJP government”. The Yogi government has proved to be a complete failure in controlling Corona. bers are being entered with imaginary names and addresses. This was

revealed when a departmental officer mistakenly typed zero ten

times in the portal’s mobile number entry column. After this, the results which came on pressing enter were shocking.

Ten zeros that are completely imaginary were registered as the mobile number for 965 people.

The health department has been consistent in scams since the beginning of Covid. But the game of fake sampling started rapidly from the month of July.

There is a difference between doing things quickly and with haste! One is a habit which will have good results and the other may lead to problems.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

LUCKNOW | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020

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

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

14,69,495 63,320,727 CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 47,151 DEATHS 18,23,896 CASES

RAJASTHAN 2,312 DEATHS 2,68,063 CASES

INDIA

UTTAR PRADESH

1,37,648 94,62,727 7,761 5,43,888 DEATHS

KARNATAKA 11,778 DEATHS 8,84,897 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

DELHI 9,174 DEATHS 5,70,374 CASES

Akhilesh-Shivpal bonhomie: SP loses Sanjay Shukla to AAP

Shukla says he is feeling neglected in the party; has left SP with Mulayam’s blessings

CONFIRMED CASES

GUJARAT 3,989 DEATHS 2,09,780 CASES

Maya wakes up to ‘hasty’ Love Jihad law two days after implementation First India Bureau

Shishir Awasthi Lucknow: In Uttar Pradesh, all the parties are engaged in setting political strategies regarding Mission 2022. For the past few days, opposition parties have increased aggression towards the BJP government.

Chiefly the Samajwadi Party and the Aam Aadmi Party are seen protesting on issues related to public.

Both parties are making a lot of efforts to gain some space in the hearts of UP residents.

Now for better candidates, struggle has begun between SP and AAP. This is the reason why AAP’s national spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has given a big blow to the SP in Sultanpur, the parliamentary constituency of BJP leader Maneka Gandhi.

The market of ru-

08

While Mulayam and Shivpal Yadav were in favour of giving Shukla’s wife Surabhi Shukla a ticket, Akhilesh Yadav had dropped her name from the list in the 2017 assembly polls.

mours warmed up in the district when it was heard that Sandeep Shukla, who was a Minister of State in the Akhilesh government, was going to say goodbye to SP. Shukla had later announced that he had expressed his desire to leave the party af-

ter taking blessings from SP Patron Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The former deputy chairman of State Construction Corporation Sandeep Shukla joined the Aam Aadmi Party on Monday. Sanjay Singh greeted Shukla on

joining the party wearing a party cap and sash.

The chief reason behind Sandeep Shukla’s decision to leave the SP is said to be the closeness between Shivpal and Akhilesh Yadav.

According to sources, Sandeep Shukla’s wife

Surabhi Shukla was considered a strong leader of Shivpal camp.

In the 2017 UP elections, there was a rage in the Mulayam family regarding her ticket.

While Mulayam Yadav and Shivpal Yadav were in favour of giving her a ticket, Akhilesh Yadav had dropped her name from the list.

There were also statements from husband and wife but due to the intervention of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the husband chose to remain silent.

Finally, both kept holding the SP’s position on Mulayam’s orders, but now Sandeep Shukla says that his neglect in the party has increased. Thus he chose to shake hands with AAP as he believes that if there seems to be an alternative to the BJP in the country today, then it is only the Aam Aadmi Party.

Lucknow: Two days after the Uttar Pradesh governor’s nod to antireligious conversion ordinance, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati suddenly woke up to it and asked the UP government to reconsider the law, apparently aimed at curbing cases of “love jihad”.

On November 28, the law had become applicable in the state and three cases have already been registered. No one knows what spurred the BSP supremo to launch such outburst after more than 48 hours.

“The new ordinance introduced in haste by the UP government against love jihad is riddled with doubts since religious conversion through compulsion or fraud has found no acceptability or re-

BSP supremo Mayawati has asked Yogi government to reconsider its decision.

—FILE PHOTO

The UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 was promulgated on November 28

spectability anywhere in the country,” the BSP supremo said in her tweet in Hindi.

“Several laws already exist in this connection. The BSP demands that the government reconsider the new law,” she added.

On Friday, Governor Anandiben Patel gave a nod to an ordinance against forcible or “dishonest” religious conversions.

“The UP Cabinet has decided to introduce an ordinance against unlawful religious conversions,” Minister Siddharth Nath Singh had said, adding, “The way in which religious conversions are done using deceit, lies, force and dishonesty is heart-wrenching, and it was necessary to have a law in this regard.”

Voting for 11 seats of UP Legislative Council today

BJP Rajsamand MLA DIOS Ghazipur summoned for stopping salary of school principal Kiran Maheshwari

Lucknow: Polling to 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats will be held on Tuesday.

Government and administration have completed their preparations for smooth and peaceful conduct of the elections. Additional Chief Secretary Home Avnish Kumar Awasthi said on Monday that guidelines have been issued to all the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police for safe and peaceful voting.

The polling will start from 8 am and will be over by 5 pm. The counting of votes will take place on December 3 and

First India Bureau

Polling agents collect election materials for state legislative council teacher and graduate constituency polling in Lucknow.

the result of the election will be declared on the same day.

A total of 199 candidates are in the fray including Independents, besides the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress and teachers unions. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has opted

out of this election.

According to the data released by the Election Commission, the highest number of 30 candidates are contesting in Meerut undergraduate region while the least 11 candidates are trying their luck in Lucknow Teachers section constituency.

Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has summoned the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Ghazipur for stopping the salary of a principal and a Class III employee without any valid reason. He has been asked to explain the reasons under which legal provision he had given such an order.

Justice Yashwant Verma gave the order on the petition of Arvind Kumar Sharma, Class III employee of Kirturay Inter College, Ghazipur.

dies at 59

First India Bureau

The petitioner said the school’s principal suspended Anil Kumar Singh, a Class IV employee of the school.

He was later dismissed The employee did not file any appeal against this order. Despite this, the DIOS ordered the cancellation of the suspension order for about a year

and instructed the petitioner to apply for the salary of the dismissed employee.

Since the employee was dismissed before the order of the DIOS, the petitioner did not pay his salary. On this, the DIOS issued an order to withhold the salary of the school principal and the petitioner.

Gurugram: Senior BJP leader and MLA from Rajsamand Kiran Maheshwari, who had tested positive for coronavirus, died at a hospital in Gurgaon. She was 59.

Maheshwari, a three-time MLA from Rajsamand and also a former MP, was undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital for the past few days. She passed away late Sunday night.

She is the second MLA in Rajasthan who has

died due to Covid-19.

Last month, Congress MLA from Sahara constituency (Bhilwara) Kailash Trivedi had succumbed to the virus. Maheshwari’s funeral will be conducted on Tuesday. PM Narendra Modi, and several other leaders condoled her death.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje in a video message said Maheshwari was an honest and a successful leader who did remarkable work.

REAL HEROES

CM Yogi’s backstage taskmasters who made Dev Deepawali the show it was!

Vishal Srivastav Varanasi: In a tip-taptoe moment and in one of the rare occasions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen flowing with the music in an especially built shack in the middle of river Ganges. The Prime Minister seemed to be enjoying the extravagant light and sound show organised at the Ganga Ghats after he delivered a speech during the day.

But, while everything fell smoothly in line without obstructions,

the contribution of men who made Dev Deepawali a grand success cannot be overlooked.

Counted among CM’s Yogi’s highly trustworthy officers, Additional Chief Secretary, MSME and Information Department Navneet Sehgal and Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish Awasthi stood like two rock-solid pillars to make Dev Deepawali a huge success.

From arranging the resources to bringing on stage the state-of-theart technology for an

CM Yogi, accompanied by ACS MSME and Information Department Navneet Sehgal and ACS Home Awanish Awasthi, took stock of Dev Deepawali preparations in Varanasi. Amit Pathak, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Varanasi and DM Kaushal Raj Sharma had a big contribution in making the show a success.

electrifying feel, the two ran against time and made the event a

huge success.

Third on the list was Varanasi district mag-

istrate Kaushal Raj Sharma who left no stone unturned in join-

ing the dots for this grand event. Be it beefing the security of dig-

nitaries or be it their travel, stay or any convenience, Sharma had

more answers than there were questions.

Fourth on the list and definitely not last, Amit Pathak, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Varanasi, who ensured that things were in place when it came to traffic management, arranging security and deploying the right men for the job.

The mention of the four doesn’t take away the credit from thousands of other officials from government set up who sweated day in day out to make the event happen.

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia LUCKNOW, TUESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2020

BeingShe

Universe 2020 City First shares a few glimpses of the finale of an international beauty pageant, ‘BeingShe Universe 2020’, that took place in the United Arab Emirates recently!

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

A

n international beauty pageant, BeingShe Universe 2020 was organised in the United Arab Emirates recently, and it was a big hit.

Founded by Aparna Bajpai, it is an international platform to inspire, initiate, innovate and ignite, encourages women to define themselves, and unleash their potential to live their dreams. BeingShe Universe is an international fashion and talent show for women of all age groups and nationalities.

In this, all women were eligible to participate and compete. What this means for changing a standard in the beauty industry is that change starts with the contestants. The event focussed on having a body type that the participant feels comfortable in and proud of, and not fitting a certain mold. There was no sort of height or weight requirement to enter this show.

Participating in this competition calls for courage, and this means stepping out of

Show Director Lokesh Sharma with the participants of ‘BeingShe Universe 2020’

one’s comfort zone. “We get exposed and get to dig deep and search for our potential, discovering who we are and what we are capable of in the process,” said Aparna.

This pageant offered a lot of benefits to the finalists, like a high profile individual photoshoot, international networking opportunities, CSR initiatives, diamond and luxury gift hampers, assured Netflix and Bollywood projects, advertisement shoots and endorsements, interviews on various platforms, and much more.

Lokesh Sharma, the show director stated, “It was extremely amazing being a part of this pageant. Everything was very well organised, and all the safety protocols were followed.”

The trophy holders during the pageant are as mentioned: 1. B e i n g S h e Universe 2020 Winner – Lorevie Rexie Carrascal 2. BeingShe Universe 2020 1st Runner Up – Dima Alhaj 3. BeingShe Universe 2020 2nd Runner Up – Rebecca Lilley & Nasiha Siraj 4. BeingShe Universe Elite 2020 – Gulnaz Khan

5. BeingShe Universe Elite 2020 1st Runner Up – Deepika Sekhon 6. BeingShe Universe Elite 2020 2nd Runner Up – Nadiya Albishchenko 7. BeingShe Universe 2020 Brand Ambassador – Marina Savic 8. BeingShe Universe 2020 Best Talent – Alessandra Gomez Gutierrez.

09

ETC LUCKNOW | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020

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FEVER: A FRIEND BEATEN BADLY ‘DOCTOR WITH A DIFFERENCE’

DR RAMAWTAR SHARMA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

I

While you should plan the eradication of pathogens from your body you, instead of that, are putting unnecessary efforts to bring down your raised body temperature which is actually a

FA CE OF TH ED AY

t pains me immensely when people come to me and say that they have taken paracetamol for a fever just as low as 99.5 or many times every lower. Surprisingly, many medical and paramedical professionals also suggest this medicine even when the rise in body temperature is minuscule. I strongly advocate widespread public knowledge about fever.

Fever, in itself, is not a disease. It is your body’s response to some invading bacterium or virus. The culprit is the pathogen, not the fever.

friend of yours who is trying to help your body to eradicate the pathogenic onslaught.

Studies indicate that higher body temperature activates human immune cells to produce more antibodies

YOUR DAY Horoscope by

Saurabbh Sachdeva

which travel faster to infected areas and eradicate the pathogen. You must have noticed that your pulse rate goes higher whenever you have a fever. It is because the body defense wants to circulate more and more blood so that higher and higher numbers of the antibodies can reach all over the body at a faster rate and eradicate the invading pathogens. This highly sophisticated system is your immune system.

So, whenever you have a fever, don’t take any feverreducing drug at least during the first few hours. Allow your body temperature to climb higher and higher till it reaches 103 degrees Fahrenheit before you plan to ingest a fever-lowering medicine. This sharp rise in body temperature activates the rapid generation of white cells and antibodies which try to eradicate the invading pathogen.

ARIES

TAURUS

Doing up the house is likely to give immense fulfillment to some homemakers. Don’t think twice in taking outside help. Your initiative will help mend fences with someone you were not in talking terms. You can join your friends or family in undertaking a trip.

You will spend the day in being grateful for all that you have. An ancestral property is likely to come in your name. Luck favours you on the academic front. Career wise, you are likely to fare well as per the expectations of your seniors. You will need to get a hang of things.

Should we use paracetamol to control fever?

I

personally would not like to use paracetamol or any anti-fever medicine if the patient cooperates, I would like to allow the fever to run its natural course and would use its behavior pattern to make a provisional diagnosis of the underlying pathology and then try to cure the cause of fever. Once the cause of fever is controlled and cured, the body temperature will come to normal by itself without any damage to the patient’s body systems. Painkillers and anti-fever medicines aren’t that safe as they are perceived to be, they should be used as infrequently as is possible.

The better way to bring down body temperature is by sponging with lukewarm or tap water. The water-soaked sponge or hand towels shouldn’t be placed on the forehead as is the common practice. Your forehead doesn’t have any large blood vessel running under its skin and any feeling of coldness will be elusive. Place the sponges on the neck and front sides of both elbows where major blood vessels are placed. Remember, you have to bring down blood temperature, not the skin temperature. Avoid using ice water or very cold water- it is uncomfortable to the patient, contracts blood vessels, thereby, reducing blood supply and evaporates slowly hence, causing a delay in bringing down the temperature.

Finally, I’ve seen people and doctors under immense panic during this Covid-19 pandemic and gulping down paracetamol with temperatures as low as 99 F. Such a habit actually prolongs your sickness and may even threaten your life as it interferes with the onset of your immune response. Learn to trust your body and its innate strength to survive. The best you can do is to rest and have nutritious food to strengthen your body and in most instances, you shall be the natural winner.

Medicines, used judiciously, are of significant help but the final saviour is your own immune system and inherent self-healing system of the body. Fever is a friend who appears at the time of some crisis, understand the reason for its arrival, not beat it down with medicines.

GEMINI

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

Taking your own decisions at work will be in your interest. If you are a working mother, you may find it difficult to balance home and office as of now, but this will be a temporary phase. A property deal is likely to be sealed, as you are able to complete all the formalities.

Money from an unexpected source may delight you, so keep your fingers crossed!

Academic front looks promising. Some of you are set to enjoy a trip out of town. Setting up a new house is on the cards for some.

Money well spent may give you inner satisfaction.

Good earning promises to keep you in an upbeat mood today. Worries regarding a health issue are likely to disappear, as you make quick recovery. Do not misunderstand the motives of someone trying to help you. Enjoy togetherness with your partner.

SAGITTARIUS Your effort to keep in touch with everyone will come in for appreciation by all on the social front. Don’t disclose information regarding property to anyone. A good turn done to someone is likely to be returned with interest.

Luck favours you today both personally and professionally.

MAR 21 - APR 20

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

NOV 23 - DEC 22

KOMPAL KAPOOR, Influencer

I would like to bring one interesting thing to your notice. The human brain is fully equipped to control the rise of body temperature caused by infection from getting higher than 105 or 106.

For the body to get damaged the body temperature needs to reach 108 but these circumstances are rare and exceptional. It is very uncommon to detect body temperature above 104F. Fever is the first indicator that tells you that there is something wrong with your body. It is, thus, a warning messenger.

Your body needs to rest when it is sick. Fever forces you to take much-needed rest. This helps you recover early.

A warm body is always a stronger body.

Fever is an important guide to the progression of the disease. If fever starts subsiding without the use of paracetamol or a related drug, that means the infection is coming under control and chances of the patient recovering early are very high.

AUG 24 - SEP 23

10

Initiatives taken on the social front are likely to be appreciated. Some of you may want to opt for a break from the monotonous routine.

This is the best time to forge your own path, as there are opportunities galore. You remain on a safe wicket on the financial front.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

You make all the right moves on the social front and manage to retain your popularity. A property may finally come into your name, as the paperwork is slated to get over soon.

Bank balance of the salaried will remain in a healthy state, despite rising costs.

SCORPIO

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

A fun time is foreseen for those planning to invite people over to their place.

Good command over a particular subject may find you amongst the top positions. You are likely to discharge all your domestic responsibilities to the satisfaction of all. A good beginning will be made.

An excellent time is foreseen for those taking a break from the daily grind. A match-making process may get underway for the eligible. You will find yourself much more active on the social front and will make efforts to remain in touch with all. You will be able to buy property.

A change in lifestyle will help some come back in shape. Success is foreseen for those playing the stocks. Intelligent application on even unfamiliar territory on the academic front will keep your flag flying high. A windfall can be expected on the property front.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

Someone’s advice may prove of immense help to those aspiring to study abroad. You will succeed in asserting your authority on the social front by having your way. A property issue gets resolved amicably. You are likely to enjoy an outing with family today. You will manage expenses.

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC LUCKNOW | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020

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65 YEARS YOUNG

Udit Narayan

U

dit Narayan, an iconic Bollywood Playback Singer celebrates his 65th birthday today, 1 December. He has been a part of the industry for about 40 years and has sung in various other languages including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Odia, Nepali, Bhojpuri, and Bengali. He made a mark in the industry in the year 1988 with the movie ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ starring Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla, where he had sung the song ‘Papa Kehte Hai’, which was his notable performance. Since then, he has put a smile on everyone’s face with his singing, and we wish he continues to do so. City First wishes him a very happy and joyful birthday! —City First

11

VIRTUAL DANCE PARTY I

t seems like the craze for Dynamite isn’t stopping anytime soon as Jennifer Lopez has been added to the list of celebrities who can’t get enough of BTS’ Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single. After dropping her new track titled In the Morning, JLo proceeded to have a virtual dance party on Instagram with her family, including her fiance Alex Rodriguez, her twins Emme and Max Muñiz, 12, and Alex’s daughters Natasha, 16, and Ella Rodriguez, 12.

—Agency

Deepika Padukone

BEST WISHES

D

And it begins... ...still from her live

Jennifer Lopez

eepika Padukone congratulated Bellatrix Aerospace, the startup she has invested in, for National Award win, on Monday.

It was a while ago that Deepika Padukone invested in Indian Space Tech Startup, Bellatrix Aerospace.

The Bengaluru based startup has been working on path breaking technology and innovation in the space industry; technology that is not only cost effective but also eco-friendly.

They have also been

working closely with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and building technology that is at par with global standards.

Padukone took to social media, shared the news and wrote, “Congratulations to @ BellatrixAero on winning the National Award! I am truly humbled and honoured to be able to play a small part in India’s contribution to global space technology and innovation as an investor and well wisher. #JaiHind.”

—ANI

Shweta Aggarwal and Aditya Narayan

GUSHING ON ROBERT

T

he pre-wedding festivities of Aditya Narayan and Shweta Aggarwal began on Monday. The duo has been together for over a decade ever since they worked together in Vikram Bhatt’s Shaapit in 2010 and are finally ready to take their relationship to the next level. Aditya Narayan shared a picture with his about-to-bewife Shweta Aggarwal and the couple indeed looks like made for each other.

He captioned the image as, “ShwetakishaAdi.” Aditya had announced to the world about his marriage in a special way. Taking to his Instagram account and sharing a picture with the love of his life, he penned an adorable note and this is what he had to write- “We are getting married! I am the luckiest man alive to have found Shweta, my soulmate, 11 years ago & we are finally tying the knot in December.” — Agency

T

enet is just a few days away from finally releasing in India as the Christopher Nolan directorial was amongst the highlyawaited Hollywood movies of 2020. Starring John David Washington as the main protagonist, Tenet is jam-packed with star power including our very own Dimple

Elizabeth Debicki

Kapadia, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh amongst others. When Debicki was asked what it was like to be a part of Tenet’s ensemble, the 30-year-old actress was all praises for her castmates.

About Branagh, who plays Elizabeth’s character Kat’s husband Andrei Sator, The Night Manager star gushed, “It was an honour to act opposite Kenneth Branagh playing his wife.”

— Agency

Halsey on Grammy

BAFTA’s Ambassador

W Halsey

hile Grammys 2021 will be airing only next year, the prestigious award ceremony is already under the scanner for its various snubs during the nominations reveal. The biggest shockers included The

Weeknd’s After Hours and even Halsey’s Manic being snubbed. While The Weeknd detailed how the Grammys are “corrupt,” Drake backed the Blinding Lights singer up by sharing how the award show “may no longer matter.”

Questioning Grammys’ credibility (whilst choosing her words carefully

Still from ‘Shameless’

THE OSCAR RACE

S

ayani Gupta-starrer Shameless is the official Indian entry in the Live Action Short Film category at the Oscars. Writer-director Keith Gomes’s 15-minute black comedy beat Vidya Balan’s Natkhat in the Oscars entry race.

Writer-director Keith Gomes’ short film titled ‘Shameless’ that released in April 2019 is this year’s entry from India at the 93rd Oscars in the ‘Live Action Short Film’ category. It was picked from a list of five films that included Natkhat, Sound proof, Safar and Trapped. With a versatile cast comprising of Sayani Gupta, Hussain Dalal and Rishabh Kapoor, the film’s narrative dives into the theme of loss of human spirit due to technology, while it also attempts to raise relevant questions on the issues of entitlement, humanity and empathy toward the migrant class.

—Agency

after considerable thought), on Instagram Stories, and addressing a lot of people’s “extended sympathy and apology” due to her zero Grammys 2021 nominations, Halsey stated how the award ceremony is an “elusive process.”

— Agency

AR Rahman

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he Oscar and Grammy-winning Indian composer AR Rahman has been roped in as ambassador of the BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) Breakthrough initiative in India. “I am happy to be working with BAFTA to discover some of the amazing talent that India has to offer in film, games and television,” Rahman said. “This is a unique opportunity for promising artistes to be supported by a world-renowned organisation, to not only make connections with other talented creatives across the world but to be mentored by BAFTA-winners and nominees. I am looking forward to seeing the brilliant talent chosen from India to be showcased on a global stage,” he added.

— Agency

‘APNE 2’ T

Sunny, Dharmendra and Bobby Deol

he Deol family, including actors Sunny and Bobby Deol, on Monday, announced the sequel to their much-loved family-drama ‘Apne.’

‘Apne 2,’ will see three generations of the Deol family working together on screen for the first time as it stars legendary actor Dharmendra Deol, his actor sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, and grand-son Karan Deol. The announcement was made on social media by both Sunny and Bobby Deol with a brief motion poster. Directed by Anil Sharma, the second installment of the film will be produced by Deepak Mukut.

The film will go on floors in March 2021 and will release around Diwali 2021.

—ANI

Sayani Gupta

CITY BUZZ LUCKNOW | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020

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

CONGRATULATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS!

CMD Jagdeesh Chandra and Director Virendra Choudhary congratulated the team on the 7th anniversary of First India News and also thanked them for their hard work —FILE PHOTO and excellent teamwork in these pandemic times.

ANITA HADA anita.hada@firstindianews.com

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KARISHMA GWALANI karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

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ometimes it just takes a small ray of hope for you to experience the start of a change.

Rays Aasha Ki Ek Kiran is an NGO that cares for children who were born with the human immunovirus (HIV). On the occasion of World AID Day, today, City First in an exclusive interview with Rays Co-Founder Gurinder Virk talks about the wonders of small ideas.

On being asked about the idea behind this NGO, Founder Rashmi Dickinson and Co-Founder Gurinder Virk, shared, “On one of our visits to the orphanage, we saw a kid getting rejected for being HIV positive and that’s when we decided to open an orphanage for children who were born with HIV. RAYS was created in January 2010 to address this issue. They started home with 3 children and presently they shelter 21 girls and 30 boys.

“We provide them with all the support needed for a healthy and happy life: education, medical aid, balanced meals, regular exercise and lots of love! At home, they are also taught dance, music, art, craft, yoga, English and other extracurricular activities by our volunteers,” Gurinder shared while talking about the daily lives of kids.

“We have a counsellor who talks to children from time to time. Besides, we make sure we create a positive environment and relationship with children so they don’t hesitate before coming to us with their problems,” he said.

On being asked how they have been coping up with the children during Corona, he said, “Children

Capt. Gurinder Virk

are having online classes and for free time, we have organised a few workshops for them to utilise this time in a better way,” the Founder said.

On being asked about the World AIDS Day, he said, “From then to now, we have seen a lot of positive changes in the society, but a lot more has to be done to accept these HIV positive children.”

While talking about the plans of these children, he said, “We don’t let the children leave when they are 18. We wait till they develop an interest in any particular field, we send them to develop those skills and help them with the placements so that they can stand on their own feet. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

aj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World also generates a great deal of interest in not only tourists but also among historians, architects and of course the common people. It is a matter of wonder that even today, the Taj invites and fuels rumours and mystery. Myths surround this beautiful symbol of love.

Only recently, fans took to Twitter to blame the curse of the Taj Mahal for the breakup of the IAS toppers Tina Dabi and Athar Aamir Khan. One user took to Twitter to highlight the names of other celebrity couples who had parted ways after posing at the Taj Mahal. They included Russian President Vladimir Putin, German tennis legend Boris Becker and American singer Katy Perry.

Though with lakhs of newly wedded couples posing since

SISTER-DUO AWARDED

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atika and Richa, from Cauldron Sisters, won the prestigious ‘India’s Home Chefs and Bakers Award 2020’.

It was conceived by the Food Blogger Association of India (FBAI) and Vikhroli Cucina powered by Godrej. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges including Kunal Vijaykar, Rocky Mohan, Rashmi Uday Singh, Karen Anand, Chef Varun Inamdar, Chef Rakhi Vaswani, Chef Ashish Bhasin, Ameeta Agnihotri, Chef Ananya Banerjee, and Pritha Sen. Best 20 have were awarded nationally, out of more than 200 nominations. Following all the safety protocols, the award ceremony was held online.

—City First

Richa and Ratika, Cauldron Sisters

FASHION MEETS CUTENESS CITY FIRST

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ooking at the current scenario, since the schools have been shifted online and the children have nowhere to go to, an idea of a digital fair was worked upon. The ‘Digital Baal Mela’ by LIC, which started a few days back, focuses on bring out the raw talents of children, so they can be as creative as they want, and spend their quarantine time having fun.

A fancy dress competition was held for the participants of the Digital

Anup Kumavat

Baal Mela on Monday, where children from age 6 to 14 participated to showcase their splendid talent. The theme of the fancy dress was based on spreading awareness

MEET & GREET

Jagdeesh Chandra cuts the celebratory cake flanked by the First India team at the channel office on Monday afternoon on successful completion of 7 years of First India News on 30 November.

RAYS, AASHA KI EK KIRAN

Vanya Sharma

about Corona. The digital fair will go on till 14 December, and the winners of every category will be announced on 25 December. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

12

Jagdeesh Chandra with (from left) Nimisha Mishra, Aruna Beniwal and Yogesh Mishra during a courtesy visit by them at his residence on Monday.

TAJ JAISA

KUCH NAHIN!

decades and living happy married lives afterwards, this theory does not hold much water!

On my maiden trip to the Taj, I heard someone say that the Taj Mahal has a hole in the ceiling of the Athar Aamir Khan and Tina Dabi main hall. I though it to be a false claim but later realised that it was indeed true struction. The mysthat the ceiling of the main tery stands. And this brings us hall of the Taj contains a small to second myth/fact surroundhole which is perpendicularly ing Taj- The artisans who created the Taj Mahal were right above Mumtaj Maamputated. This is widely hal’s tombstone. The story believed but seems false. surrounding it as I came Shah Jahan assigned the to know was a plan by the artisans other projects after artisans to create a flaw and destroy the dream of Shah Ja- the completion of the Taj Mahan to make it flawless after hal and thus it can be safely the artisans came to know assumed that they had their about Shah Jahan’s plan of hands intact.

And yes, the Taj Mahal’s amputating all the artisans after completion of the con- minarets are not perpendicu-

COMFORT COMES FIRST

lar and this is a verifiable fact.

One thing which I found unbelievable was that the Taj Mahal is actually taller than the Qutub Minar. But it’s true!

The figures show both of them to be 73 meters or 240 feet tall, the Taj surpasses the Qutub by about 5 feet in real.

But it only the Taj Mahal that can change colours as per the time of the day and the colour of sky. It gives out a pinkish hue during the early morning hours. During the evening the Taj looks milky white. At night time, under the moonlight, the Taj Mahal gives out a light blue hue.

Go and see this wonder … soon! I definitely plan to… for the umpteenth time!

THE HOLY DIP

Comfort Hotel Elite, Lucknow CITY FIRST, UTTAR PRADESH

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hoice Hotels has added another propertyComfort Hotel Elite in Lucknow, the City of Nawabs , to its fast growing portfolio.

Comfort Hotel Elite in Lucknow is a modern newly built and aesthetically designed hotel near LucknowAgra Expressway. The hotel is about 20-minute drive from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport and the railway station is 10 km away. Located on Kanpur Hardoi Bypass Road, the hotel is well-connected to the major business and commercial districts of the city.

Popular shopping areas and places of tourist interest are nearby. It’s convenient loca-

tion and warm attentive services make it an ideal choice for both business and leisure travellers.

Vilas Pawar, Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels India, said, “We are committed to offer international experience with world class services at best value proposition to our guests. The hotel is designed to offer everything a guests needs for a comfortable stay. Versatile indoor and outdoor banqueting venues complimented with outstanding catering services makes it an ideal choice for weddings, other social and business events. The city is known for its food and Comfort Hotel Elite boasts of the finest spread of Indian and global vegetarian delicacies.” cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Devotees gathered to take a holy dip in the River Gomti, on the occasion of Kartik Purnima in Lucknow on Monday.

Kartika Purnima is a Hindu, Sikh and Jain cultural festival, celebrated on the Purnima day or the fifteenth lunar day of Kartik. It is also known as Tripuri Purnima and Tripurari Purnima. It is the festival of lights of the gods.

—PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR

GURU NANAK DEV JAYANTI

Devotees pray at Naka Gurudwara on the occasion of the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh religion, in Lucknow on Monday. They are also seen participating in the Langar on the occasion of the same.

—PHOTOS BY SUMIT KUMAR