First india ahmedabad edition-04 december 2020

PM Modi to lay foundation of 30K MW
solar energy park in Kutch on December 15
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi will be in Kutch on
December 15, to lay the
foundation stones of a
mega renewable energy
park and a desalination
plant in Mandvi.
Sharing news of the
PM’s upcoming visit,
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani said that he will
lay the foundation stone
of a 30,000 megawatt ca-
pacity solar park. Set to
be established by select-
ed state and central gov-
ernment public sector
companies, the park
will be built on 60,000
hectares of land at an
investment of Rs1.25
lakh crore.
In December last
year, State Energy Min-
ister Nitin Patel had an-
nounced the solar park
project at a Federation
of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Indus-
tryeventinAhmedabad.
He had also stated that
thegovernmentplanned
to scale up its non-con-
ventional energy pro-
duction by 30,000 MW.
Turn to P6Prime Minister Narendra Modi
He will also dedicate a desalination
plant, to ease water supply, in
Mandvi of Bharuch district
Security personnel stop Bharatiya Kisan Union members at the UP-Delhi
border, in New Delhi on Thursday.
Farmers representatives, holding talks with the Centre, have their own food
(langar) during the lunch break, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday.
Eight-hr-long meet yields no
result, talks again tomorrow
New Delhi: Talks be-
tween three union min-
isters and a representa-
tive group of thousands
of agitating farmers
failed to yield any reso-
lution on Thursday, as
the union leaders stuck
to their demand for the
repeal of new farm laws
during almost eight-
hour-longhecticparleys.
On its part, the gov-
ernment assured the
group of nearly 40 farm-
er leaders that all their
valid concerns would be
addressed, but the other
sideflaggedseveralloop-
holesanddeficienciesin
the laws, which they
said were passed hastily
in September.
The Agriculture
Ministry tweeted that
doubts of farmers were
addressed by Agricul-
ture and Farmers Wel-
fare Minister Naren-
dra Singh Tomar, who
led the government
side at the talks. Tomar
later told reporters
that the next meeting
will take place on Sat-
urday at 2 pm. Turn to P6
Chandigarh: Former
Punjab Chief Minister
and Shiromani Akali
Dal patron Parkash Sin-
gh Badal has returned
his Padma Vibhushan
awardinprotestagainst
what he termed as the
“betrayal of farmers”
and indifferent attitude
adopted by the BJP-led
Central government to-
wards the ongoing
farmers protest against
agriculture laws.
In a letter addressed
to the President, Badal
wrote “I write this letter
toreturnthePadmaVib-
hushan award in protest
against the betrayal of
the farmers by the gov-
ernment of India and
against the shocking in-
difference and contempt
with which the govern-
ment is treating the on-
going peaceful and dem-
ocraticagitationagainst
farm acts.”
Akali’s Parkash
Badal returns Padma
Vibhushan over
‘betrayal of farmers’
“WE BROUGHT
OUR OWN FOOD”
New Delhi: Represen-
tatives of the farmers’
organisations refused
to break bread with
the three participating
Union ministers. At the
lunch break, farmers
said “no” to the food
offered by the gov-
ernment and stuck to
the langar, which was
brought in by a waiting
van. Visuals from inside
Vigyan Bhawan showed
farmers’ representatives
assembled at a long
table for a hurried lunch.
Some sat on the ground
in a quiet corner.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar along with MoS for
Commerce Som Prakash addressing media after the meeting.
The government
has no ego. We will
consider giving
more legal rights to
farmers. MSP will
continue, we have
assured farmers
—Narendra Tomar,
Agriculture Minister
“NATION’S SECURITY”: AMARINDER
URGES SHAH TO RESOLVE ROW
New Delhi: The massive farmer protests on high-
ways near Delhi will not only impact the economy
of Punjab but also threaten “national security”,
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said after
a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah, urging
“both sides” to resolve the deadlock. “Discus-
sions are on between the farmers and the centre,
there’s nothing for me to resolve. I reiterated my
opposition in my meeting with the Home Minister
and requested him to resolve the issue as it affects
the economy of my state and the security of the
nation,” said Amarinder Singh. The Punjab Chief
Minister called on Amit Shah in Delhi and held dis-
cussions on ways to resolve the current stand-off
between the government and farmers protesting
over new farm laws. Several leaders in the ruling
BJP have accused Amarinder Singh of actively
supporting the protesters.
Rajinikanth to launch party
in Jan, to fight 2021 TN polls
Kerala, Tamil Nadu brace for Cyclone
Burevi with winds at 90 kmph
Chennai: Superstar Ra-
jinikanth on Thursday
asserted that he would
launch his political par-
ty in January 2021, end-
ing years of suspense
and in a big morale
booster to his support-
ers and fans.
The top star, promis-
ing his brand of spiritu-
al politics, dramatically
asserted that he was
even ready to risk his
life for the sake of peo-
ple’s welfare by making
a foray into politics.
The 70-year old actor
categorically said that
his party would fight As-
sembly elections in 2021
and“emergevictorious.”
Assembly elections
are due in Tamil Nadu
during April-May 2021.
He expressed confi-
dence that his to be
floated outfit would be
able to “win elections
with the huge support
of people.” Turn to P6
VIGYAN BHAWAN Farmers’ representatives speaking with media after meeting with the Centre on the
new farm laws, in New Delhi on Thursday —PHOTOS BY PTI
NO NIGHT CURFEW WILL BE IMPOSED IN
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL OR PARTS OF THE
CITY AS OF NOW, DELHI TELLS COURT
“THOSE PLOTTING LOVE JIHAD WILL
BE DESTROYED,” WARNS MP CHIEF
MINISTER SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN
15°C - 33°C www.firstindia.co.in | www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia | instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 10
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW
DEADLOCK CONTINUES...
Chennai: The India
Meteorological Depart-
ment on Friday said
that Cyclonic storm
Burevi is expected to
cross the south Tamil
Nadu coast between
Pamban and Kanniya-
kumari during late
Thursday night or ear-
ly Friday morning with
a wind speed of 70-80
gusting to 90 kmph. As
per the latest data, Cy-
clone Burevi lay cen-
tered 40km east-south-
east of Pamban.
Kerala Chief Minis-
ter Pinarayi appealed
to the people to remain
alert and assured that
the administration is
well-equipped to deal
with the situation.
A NDRF team at a
seashore of Valiyathura in
Thiruvananthapuram.
MDH’s GRAND OLD MAN
OF SPICES NO MORE
New Delhi: Dharampal
Gulati, the owner of
the MDH Masala brand
often called the grand
old man of spices, died
on Thursday. He was 97.
“Mahashay” Dharampal
Gulati, as he was known,
had been in a hospital in
Delhi for weeks. He died
of a cardiac arrest early
in the morning. A familiar
face on MDH products in
his signature red turban
and pearl necklace,
Dharampal Gulati was
the face of the ads of
MDH (Mahashian Di
Hatti). Many recalled on
social media platforms
his smiling face at the
close of the ads with the
tagline “Asli Masale Sach
Sach, MDH, MDH”.
Hyderabad: The count-
ing of votes for the
Hyderabad municipal
elections will take place
on Friday. The polling
for 150 wards spread
into six zones had taken
place on December 1.
The city had witnessed
a highly charged-up
campaign by the BJP in-
cluding Home Minister
Amit Shah, BJP National
President JP Nadda and
UP CM Yogi Adityanath
in the run-up to polls
against rival AIMIM led
by Hyderabad MP Asa-
duddin Owaisi but failed
to impress in terms of a
higher voter turnout.
H’bad civic polls
results today
Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth gestures at his fans.

NEWSAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
No protocol for declaration
of micro-containment zones?
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: One of
the necessary precau-
tions undertaken by the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC) to
curb the transmission
of COVID-19 cases is the
declaration of residen-
tial units as micro-con-
tainment zones. This is
to ensure that people
who have contracted the
virus stay indoors and
also warn other citizens
about active nCoV cases
in a particular housing
society. However, there
is no uniformity or any
policy in place to ad-
judgeanareaasamicro-
containment zone,
known to the public or
even the elected coun-
cilors of the civic body.
As per AMC records,
a total of 300 micro-con-
tainment zones had
been declared across the
city till Thursday after-
noon. But, lack of uni-
formity in ascertaining
the need to cordon off
housing societies/resi-
dences means that the
procedure is being exe-
cuted without proper
evaluation. A few days
ago, Chandkheda coun-
cillor Rajshri Kesari
had levelled allegations
against the AMC re-
garding the declaration
of a micro-containment
zone in her society after
20 people were found to
be nCoV positive.
Meanwhile,lastweek,
a four-floor apartment
building in Thaltej area,
had more than two COV-
ID-19 cases on each floor.
But, the civic body took
six days to declare the
area as a micro-contain-
ment zone. During that
period, people found to
be nCoV positive were
stepping out of their
homes freely.
When contacted,
elected councillors from
each zone had varying
responses about the pol-
icies implemented for a
building/society/area
to be declared a micro-
containment zone.
SouthZonecouncillor
Ramesh Desai, stated,
“You should ask the
state health department
about this. As per my
understanding, places
with 4 to 5 cases are de-
clared micro-contain-
ment zones. But, the
protocol is confusing
when it comes to apart-
ments and independent
houses. Now, such zones
are being contained
even floor-wise in apart-
ment buildings.”
Echoing a similar
sentiment, East Zone
councillor Atul Patel
said, “Places with more
than three cases are de-
clared micro-contain-
ment zones by AMC”.
A COVID-19 survivor
herself, West Zone coun-
cillor Sadhna Joshi,
stated, “The govern-
ment declares a contain-
ment zone after several
cases are reported in
one place. Patients are
not allowed to venture
out of their homes for
fear of passing it on to
other people. What the
public does not seem to
comprehend is that this
virus is deadly and that
in order to stay safe,
they must cover their
faces with masks. It
shouldnotmatterwhich
government is in power
right now, it is impera-
tive that everyone fol-
lows the rules.”
Talking about the re-
action of citizens on
staying in micro-con-
tainment zones, Central
Zone councillor
Hasankhan Pathan
elaborated, “During the
onset of the pandemic,
our area (Dariyapur)
had the maximum num-
ber of COVID-19 cases
and whole pockets were
contained by declara-
tion of micro-contain-
ment zones. People re-
sisted the restriction of
movement but, elected
representatives were
successful in convinc-
ing locals to go along
with it. The AMC does
not have any policy in
place for the protocol
and they do not inform
us about such zones. All
we did was our duty of
looking out for the pub-
lic. Now, we have fewer
cases in our
area.”Vallabh Patel,
councillor of North
Zone asked First India
to direct “such ques-
tions to the health de-
partment.”
FirstIndiaspeakstoAMCcouncillorstoascertainwhetherthecivicbodyhasuniformpoliciesinplaceornot…
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: While
launching the ‘Online
Development Permis-
sion System (ODPS) 2.0’
at Mahatma Mandir in
Gandhinagar on Thurs-
day, Chief Minister Vi-
jay Rupani said that the
state government was
working towards gov-
erning with transpar-
ency and sensibility.
He also added that
the government had
wanted to develop an
online system wherein
technology was used to
connect citizens direct-
ly with state depart-
ments such as housing,
revenue and urban de-
velopment.
Clearing the air, Ru-
pani said with the new
ODPS-2.0 operational,
offline permissions for
low-rise buildings will
be completely discon-
tinued. He also ex-
pressed his desire to
implement the ODPS
for high-rise buildings
in the state in the near
future.On people engag-
ing in malpractice to
secure permission for
their projects, Rupani
asserted, “The state
government is commit-
ted to take action
against the 1% who are
engaging in malprac-
tice. We are also com-
mitted to ensure that
people do not become
victims or cheating or
any wrongdoing.”
He added, “The Gen-
eral Development Con-
trol Regulations
(GDCR) has been
amended to make way
for a common GDCR for
developing new sys-
tems. Not only this, by
focusing on 15 vital
things such as Floor
Space Index (FSI),
height, margin, park-
ing, fire safety, we have
ensured that any given
plan is approved within
24 hours based on its
adequacy.”
The CM proudly stat-
ed that Gujarat had be-
come the first state in
the country to develop a
faceless system that
will give the nod to any
developmental plan.
“Our government is
sincerely working to-
wards more transpar-
ency, decisiveness, sen-
sitivity and progres-
siveness. We have made
a number of pioneering
improvements with this
approach and not a sin-
gle citizen will face any
problems to receive any
assistance. We have no
personal agenda or in-
terests. The govern-
ment has made Gujarat
a role model of progress
by executing develop-
mental as well as public
projects,” he said.
“The people are sin-
cere and the govern-
ment trusts them.
They just need proper
management. We aim
to ease the lives of the
public by introducing
such online transpar-
ent systems,” added
the CM.
CM Rupani launches Online Development Permission System 2.0
TRANSPARENT MOTIVES
(L to R) Minister of State for Urban Housing Yogesh Patel, Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel, Chief
Minister Vijay Rupani, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and Minister of State for
Home Pradipsinh Jadeja at Mahatma Mandir on Thursday.
Rupani addressing attendees of the event.
Will Ahmedabad
have an IPL
team soon?
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Two
new teams are likely
to be added to the In-
dian Premier League
(IPL) and the propos-
al in this regard will
be taken up for dis-
cussion in the Board
of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI) an-
nual general meeting
scheduled for Decem-
ber 24.
Chances are that
one of the additional
teams will be from
Gujarat’sAhmedabad
as a corporate con-
glomerate has ex-
pressed its interest in
owning an IPL team.
The other team could
be from cities such as
Lucknow, Kanpur or
Pune.
Notably, IPL cur-
rently has eight
teams—Chennai Su-
per Kings, Mumbai
Indians, Kolkata
Knight Riders, Delhi
Capitals, Sunrisers
Hyderabad, Kings XI
Punjab, Rajasthan
Royals and Royal
Challengers Banga-
lore.
The board is also
likely to discuss the
issue of inclusion of
cricket into the 2028
Los Angeles Olym-
pics. This apart, it
will also deliberate
on the election of
the vice-president
of the board. In all,
there are 23 issues
that will be placed
on the discussion ta-
ble at the AGM.
Another impor-
tant point will be the
selection of BCCI’s
representative to the
International Crick-
et Council (ICC) and
the Asian Cricket
Council. It is expect-
ed that secretary Jay
Shah will be the
BCCI representative
for the global com-
mittees.
The appointment
of three new selec-
tors, along with a
chairman of selec-
tors, is also on cards
given that cricket
committees and
standing committees
are part of the agen-
da.
“Selection com-
mittee is a part of the
cricket committee
plus the technical
committee also needs
to be formed. They
are all statutory sub-
committees,” a sen-
ior BCCI source said.
Cricket featured at
the 1900 Olympics
and was also played
in the 1998 Common-
wealth Games, but
has largely been ab-
sent from multi-
sport events, which
critics say has re-
stricted the sport’s
growth beyond its
traditional pockets.
ICC, the govern-
ing body of the sport,
backs the idea of the
sport’s inclusion in
the Olympics but the
BCCI has been reluc-
tant in this regard.
BCCI prez Sourav Ganguly with the board’s secy Jay Shah.
According to AMC records, a total of 300 micro-containment zones had been declared across the city till Thursday afternoon. —FILE PHOTOS

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020
Apex court stays Guj HC order
of rules for community service
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In big
relief for the state
government, the Su-
preme Court on
Thursday stayed the
Gujarat High Court’s
order to formulate a
policy that would di-
rect those caught
without a face cover
or mask to be com-
pulsorily sent to
COVID-19 care cen-
tres for community
service.
A bench comprising
justices Ashok Bhush-
an, R Subhash Reddy
and MR Shah heard the
special leave petition
filed against Wednes-
day’s High Court order.
The HC directive was
challenged by the state
government before the
apex court by moving
an urgent motion by
Solicitor-General (SG)
Tushar Mehta.
The Supreme
Court, while staying
the order observed,
“The Gujarat High
Court direction was
disproportionate and
may lead to health
problems. The top
court however assert-
ed that masks are
compulsory and vio-
lators should be pe-
nalized as per law.”
The government was
directed to ensure that
the guidelines issued
by the Union of India
and the Gujarat gov-
ernment for wearing
masks are vigorously
implemented in the
state by police officials.
In the hearing on
Thursday, the SG stated
that though the prob-
lem of not wearing
masks was serious, the
solution did not lie in
punishing them with
service. “Harm of not
wearing masks is much
less than sending a per-
son to a COVID-19 cen-
tre. The problem has to
be addressed on a war
footing”, he submitted.
Justice Shah was of
view that it would be
difficult to execute
the high court order.
“There is a lack of
will though, so far as
implementation is
concerned and the
High Court has taken
note of this. The Cen-
tre comes out with
SOPs and guidelines,
but what about their
implementation? Peo-
ple are gathering in
marriage functions,
roaming around in
malls!” he remarked.
In response, SG Me-
hta submitted that per-
haps it was in our cul-
ture, to be undisci-
plined, since masks
hanging off the faces
are the norm nowa-
days, despite the pan-
demic worsening every
day.
Supreme Court —FILE PHOTO
BACKFIRE
Cong asks govt not to shut
schools in rural areas
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Con-
gress party has asked
the Gujarat govern-
ment to rescind its
order of shutting
schools in the state,
stating that the edu-
cation of children
from the lower and
middle-income sec-
tions of society – es-
pecially girls – will be
hit hard.
“The state govern-
ment has taken the deci-
sion to initiate closure
of schools in rural are-
as, due to low numbers.
It will affect children in
the area, whose educa-
tion will be hit hard,
especially for girls. The
situation in the tribal
areas is extremely seri-
ous,” Manish Doshi,
Congress Chief Spokes-
person, said on Thurs-
day.
Children in the rural
parts of Kutch are be-
ing deprived of their
right to education,
Doshi said, adding that
government schools in
such areas in every dis-
trict of the state are be-
ing shuttered on gov-
ernment orders.
“The reckless deci-
sion to close over 2,000
government schools in
Gujarat will deprive
thousands of kids be-
longing to underprivi-
leged and middle-class
backgrounds of their
right to education. We
kindly request the state
government to immedi-
ately rescind its or-
ders,” Doshi said.
“By the direct order
of the education depart-
ment of the state gov-
ernment and the direc-
tor of primary educa-
tion, around 96 schools
in the Aravalli district
have been shut down
with immediate effect.
Similarly, 176 schools in
Kutch have been discon-
tinued from November
2020,” he added.
Meanwhile, the
state’s department of
education has not
been active in approv-
ing appointments in
government and
grant-in-aid educa-
tion institutions.
“The department of
education is promot-
ing the commerciali-
sation and privatisa-
tion of education by
systematically intro-
ducing compulsory
self-financed classes
and gradually closing
grant-in-aid classes,”
said a source.
State gets 1,540 new cases,
loses 13 patients to nCoV
IMA Gujarat to protest
‘mixopathy’ on Dec 11
No bidders for sports
complex, SMC decides
to run it on its own
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
state recorded 1,540
fresh cases of novel
coronavirus in the past
24 hours, the state
health department
mentioned in the COV-
ID-19 bulletin on Thurs-
day evening.
With the new cases,
the tally of total cases
in the state now stands
at 2,12,309. Around 13
patients succumbed to
the infection, taking the
death toll of the pan-
demic to 4,031. Nine pa-
tients died in
Ahmedabad city alone,
followed by two in Surat
and one each in Rajkot
and Vadodara.
As many as 336 peo-
ple were found COV-
ID-19 positive in
Ahmedabad district fol-
lowed by Surat (246),
Vadodara (184), Rajkot
(141), Gandhinagar (72),
Mehsana (69), Patan
(42), Kheda (39) and Ba-
naskantha (36).
The recovery rate of
Gujarat now stands at
91.16%. Over 69,735
tests were conducted in
the past 24 hours across
the state, taking the to-
tal to over 80 lakh. Cur-
rently, there are 14,913
active patients in the
state, of which, 96 are
on ventilator support.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Indi-
an Medical Association
(IMA) has called for
withdrawal of all non-
essential and non-nCoV
services on December
11, to protest the central
government’s decision
to allow post-graduate
non-allopathic medi-
cine practitioners to
conduct surgeries.
Emergency services
will function along with
ICUs and CCUs, but no
elective procedures will
be performed from 6 am
to 6 pm, the medical
body announced.
Dr Chandresh Jar-
dosh, President of the
IMA (Gujarat Chapter),
stated, “Association
members will also join
the protest at public
places across the state
on December 08.”
The IMA has protest-
ed against the notifica-
tion issued by the Cen-
tral Council of Indian
Medicine, which au-
thorized post-graduate
practitioners in speci-
fied streams of Ayur-
veda to be trained to
perform general surgi-
cal procedures.
Stating that the Cen-
tral Council of Indian
Medicine’s latest notifi-
cation and the forma-
tion of four committees
by NITI Aayog for the
integration of all sys-
tems of medicine will
only lead to “mixopa-
thy”, the IMA demand-
ed an immediate with-
drawal of both orders.
First India Bureau
Surat: The Surat
Municipal Corpora-
tion (SMC) will now
take over the man-
agement of its own
sports complex in
the city. Two years
ago, the civic body
had built the Rand-
er Sports Club but
the complex was not
opened to the public
as no one showed in-
terest in bidding to
manage it.
In a tender, the SMC
had invited private
parties to manage the
club on a private- pub-
lic partnership for 10
years. After several
attempts, the civic
body has decided to
take control of it.
A proposal was sent
to SMC’s standing
committee regarding
fees and other charges
of the club. As per the
proposal, SMC will
charge Rs1,200 for
threemonthsof swim-
ming, Rs2,000 for six
months and Rs2,400
for a year of subscrip-
tion to the club.
It termed the directive “disproportionate” and that it may lead to health problems
Kids from underprivileged families to be worst affected by the order.
SPICY TREAT
With winter here, workers dry red chillies in the sun to make pickles in Sertha village,
located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on Thursday. Pickles made from Sertha chillies
are famous in the state and also make their way abroad to countries such as the US and
Canada. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Surat Municipal Corporation. —FILE PHOTO

G Vol 2 G Issue No. 10 G RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVEAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020
Be strong, and let your heart
take courage, all you who
wait for the LORD!
—Psalm 31:24
Spiritual
SPEAK
n 9th November 2020 the Presi-
dent of Azerbaijan Ilham Ali-
yev, the Prime Minister of Ar-
menia Nikol Pashinyam and
the President of Russia
Vladimir Putin signed the Na-
gorno- Karabakh ceasefire
agreement that ends the 6
weeks war which led to annexa-
tion of the city of Susha. The
armistice agreement is pledged
to end all hostilities in the dis-
puted region of Nakorno-Kara-
bakh coming into effect from
10th November 2020 and unlike
earlier mediation attempts by
counties like Turkey, Iran,
France, Russia & Kazakhsthan,
the new agreement promises
for a long lasting resolution and
acts as an harbinger of peace in
the ethno-geo conflict region.
REALISM METHODOLOGY
Although the contentious issue
first emerged in the aftermath
of world war 1 where Stalin’s
“Divide and Rule” policy divid-
ed trans-caucasian region into
modern day nations of Geor-
gia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh region is a
small area which is home to
about 150thousand people and
almost all of which are ethni-
cally Armenians, the region
has been an area of contention
as it lies within the territory of
Azerbaijan but remains under
the control of Armenian sepa-
ratist control and the world
community did not recognize
its independence. Armenian
Government had other vision
which was to include Nagorno-
Karabakh region as one of
their autonomous provinces
like Azerbaijan’s Nakchivan
province but over the past 3 dec-
ades there has been economic,
political and sovereignty mal-
function in the administration.
Till now over 100thousand peo-
ple have already fled the dis-
puted region and approximate-
ly 30 thousand have lost their
lives from both the nations
NAGORNO-KARABAKH
WAR AKA 6 YEAR’S WAR
It was fought between the two
ideologically and culturally op-
posite nations between 1988-
1994 which led to the N-K reso-
lution to separate from Azer-
baijan and also Independence
referendum of 1991 leaving the
region to be governed by the
Armenian separatist control
and saw a peaceful stage till
2016 when fresh exchange of
arms resurged making old
wounds haunt again.
GEO-ETHNIC-CONFLICT
Armenia which lies to the west
of Azerbaijan and to the east of
Turkey has a population of 3.3
million with about 97% of
them as catholic Christians
and believed to be the first
Christianstatetohaveemerged
after the end of the Roman em-
pire (300A.D.) is surrounded by
Muslim dominated Nation-
states like Turkey, Iran and
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is not
only 4 times larger in size than
Armenia but have many more
allies in the region and also dis-
tinguished as one of the few
nations which is Shia-dominat-
ed Islam majority country.
Azerbaijan is also the 1st Mus-
lim majority democratic na-
tion in the world which makes
them natural allies with the
ideologies of Turkey and Iran
who have their interest in the
region and have played a shad-
ow role in the recent peace ar-
mistice agreement giving tur-
key a backdoor entry and gain-
ing weight in this region where
once loomed large the soviet
empire.
MODUS VIVENDI
Vladimir Putin having a bilat-
eral security agreement with
Armenia and safeguarding Ar-
menia for decades and keeping
aloof from the disputed region
had to finally step up and come
to a compromising agreement
after an era of modus operandi
by uniting the region with the
republic of Azerbaijan, setting
up of peacekeeping troop of
about2000menandde-militariz-
ing the conflict driven region
shows a change in its foreign
policyinitsownbackyardwhich
somewesternschoolof political
thinkersfeelisdiminishingrole
of Russiaandanideologicalvic-
tory for the expansionist policy
of Turkey and its allies who
were watching the agreement
from a hawk eye’s perspective
and with staunch support to
Azerbaijan’s claim but the Mos-
cow school of thought feel that
Russia as a chief arbitrator
cameoutandbrokeredareason-
able deal which showcases the
mighty Soviet Union is just not
yet done and dusted holds su-
preme power in the region.
Protests have ravaged the
major cities of Armenia
against the recent deal and peo-
ple are marching on street with
banners “Traitor” used for the
current Prime Minister Nikol
Pashimyan and The parlia-
ment has become unparlia-
ment in their conduct where
the opposition legislators cre-
ating a menace and violating
the code of conduct, throwing
stones at the speaker of the as-
sembly. But the picture is rosy
in the heart of the city of Baku-
capital of Azerbaijan, all are
praising the Government with
dance and festivities in major
cities of Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile the Armenians
living in Nagorno-Karabakh
are in disbelief and tired of
fighting further have decided to
slowly vacate the region and
have started to move to Arme-
nia after burning down their
properties and some even car-
rying the dead bodies of their
relativestobecrematedontheir
nations soil. A memorandum
on establishing a joint Russian-
Turkish monitoring scheme is
being signed by the defence
ministers of both the countries.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
SOVIET EFFECT IN
POST-COLD WAR ERA
O
Armenian Govt
had other
vision which
was to include
Nagorno-
Karabakh
region as one of
their
autonomous
provinces like
Azerbaijan’s
Nakchivan
province but
over the past 3
decades there
has been
economic,
political and
sovereignty
malfunction in
administration.
PURUSHENDRA
SINGH
PROTESTS HAVE
RAVAGED THE MAJOR
CITIES OF ARMENIA
AGAINST THE RECENT
DEAL AND PEOPLE
ARE MARCHING ON
STREET WITH
BANNERS.
MASTERS DEGREE IN
POLITICAL SCIENCE &
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
CURRENTLY A L.L.B STUDENT
eff Bezos, the
world’s wealthi-
est person, an-
nounced on Ins-
tagram in No-
vember 2020 that he was
giving 16 organizations a
total of about US$800 mil-
lion for a wide array of
climate-protecting work.
This money will help pay
to restore and protect eco-
systems in Colombia, Fiji,
Madagascar and Mexico,
launch a satellite to detect
methane pollution, build
carbon-trading markets,
speed up the replacement
of the nation’s fossil-fueled
commercial trucks with
electric vehicles and up-
date the U.S. electrical grid
so it can rely more heavily
on renewable energy.
It was just the first in-
stallment of the $10 billion
the Amazon founder and
CEO pledged in February
2020 that he would give to
fight climate change.
For now, that sum would
constitute about 5% of his
net worth of $203 billion. I
teach a course called Busi-
ness in Democracy: Advo-
cacy, Lobbying and the Pub-
licInterest,whichexamines
the ways that businesses
and their leaders influence
public policy for both good
and ill. This kind of a gift is
emblematic of the broader
issue of money and the
ways it clouds our society’s
ability to address the funda-
mental challenges we face.
THE BIGGER ISSUE
Rather than gush over Be-
zos for his generosity in ad-
dressing what he and many
scientists consider an exis-
tential threat, I think it’s
more appropriate to ask
what kind of a political
model his actions support
and perpetuate – and how
that model allows him to
makesuchalargedonation.
As I argue in my latest
book, “Management as a
Calling,” corporate clout
and money from extremely
wealthy people have over-
whelmed the nation’s po-
litical process and we need
a corrective. That is, future
business leaders need to
learn how to approach po-
litical influence as a public
service and not individual
gamesmanship.
The largest oil and gas
companies alone spend
nearly $200 million on lob-
bying yearly to delay, con-
trol or block policies aimed
at tackling climate change.
This kind of spending
puts sand in the gears of
our political process, ren-
dering it so weak and frac-
tious that it can no longer
function as a serious arbi-
ter of public interest. Be-
cause Bezos is pumping
some of his fortune into a
system that is broken, his
donations – while admira-
ble – will not solve this
overarching problem.
It’s of course a good
thing that Bezos, like many
other billionaires, wants to
use his surplus wealth to
address climate change
and other great challenges
our society faces.
But what these major do-
nors should do if they truly
believe in those goals, iron-
ically, is use their economic
and political power to insu-
late politics and policymak-
ing from the influence of
folks like themselves.
THE ROLE OF
BUSINESS IN A
DEMOCRACY
The business world has
been encroaching into U.S.
political institutions and
public debates for years.
Salesforce, a $17 billion
software company, entered
the debate over gay mar-
riage debate legislation by
pressuring the Indiana leg-
islature to change pro-
posed LGBTQ policies.
Delta Airlines entered
the gun control debate by
curtailing flight discounts
to National Rifle Associa-
tion members in the wake
of mass shootings.
The financial firms
Blackrock and JPMorgan
Chase took a stand on the
murder of the journalist
Jamal Khashoggi by cance-
ling their participation in
important meetings in
Saudi Arabia, at least for a
while.
Hobby Lobby, a craft and
decor store chain, entered
the reproductive rights de-
bate by challenging the Af-
fordable Care Act on
grounds that having to con-
tribute to health insurance
for its employees that cov-
ered birth control violated
the religious beliefs of the
company’s leaders.
This corporate presence
can turn public debates
into battles between du-
eling piles of money.
HTTPS://THECONVERSATION.COM
A better way for billionaires to make donations!
J
Top
TWEET
Prakash Javadekar
@PrakashJavdekar
#MadeInIndia for the World !!
Bamboo products which many
of us use in our home and ofﬁce
spaces will now make a mark
across the globe under the
#NationalBambooMission. This
will help our farmers become self-
reliant. #AatmaNirbharBharat
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Happy to note that the Gujarat
model is being used as a case
study. We are adapting the
Gujarat model across the country
to transform India into a gas-
based economy. Gujarat has set
an example with 25% share of
natural gas in primary energy mix
vis-à-vis 6.3% at national level.
UNDER PRESSURE, GOVT
SHOWS SOME FLEXIBILITY
he Centre and farmers held a prolonged
fourth round of talks on Thursday to end
the impasse over three farm Acts passed
to reform the agriculture sector and im-
prove the agriculturists’ fortunes. The
firmness with which the farmers’ unions partici-
patedinthedialoguebecameclearwhentheyrefused
to partake of the food offered by the government and
chose to eat whatever they carried with them.
In their solidarity, representatives of 35 farmer
groups saw an opportunity to make the govern-
ment agree to their demand for the repeal of the
new law. They were insistent on the convening of
a special session of Parliament for the law’s repeal.
The demand for a special session also got support
from the Congress. The government refused a roll
back but softened its stand on some issues.
At the end of over seven hours of talks, there was
convergenceonsomeof thepoints.Showingflexibil-
ity, the government seemed ready to strengthen the
APMC Act, allow trade outside the mandis by regis-
tered traders and move courts higher than that of
an SDM for resolving a dispute. The government
also assured to provide legislative protection to
smallfarmersfromtheirlandbeingusurped.Afinal
picture will emerge when the two sides meet again
a day later. This progress could be possible after the
government asked the farmers’ representatives to
give their reservations in writing. The latter re-
spondedwithaten-pagedocumentwhichhelpedthe
government to arrive at a possible agreement. Until
anagreementisfinallyreachedthefarmerswillnot
lift their siege of Delhi.
T
IN-DEPTH
NEW CHALLENGER IN
DRAVIDIAN CITADEL
or three years now Tamil superstar Ra-
jinikanth kept everyone guessing about
his foray in politics. Ending the suspense
the 69-year-old Thalaiva, a non-Dravidi-
an, announced on Thursday that he will
launch his political party in January, 2021 and con-
test the Tamil Nadu assembly elections with the
promise of an honest government. In his tweet
Rajinikanth said, “In the upcoming assembly polls,
with people’s massive support, in Tamil Nadu, an
honest, transparent, corruption less, secular and
spiritual politics is sure to happen. Miracle, won-
der will happen.” Irrespective of the party in pow-
er in different states, politics in India is neither
honest, nor transparent or corruption less.
The announcement concealed more than it re-
vealed. Rajinikanth did not say whether his party
will contest the elections in alliance with the
Bharatiya Janata Party or separately. His stress on
secular and spiritual politics could be interpreted
as leaning towards the BJP, which welcomed the
announcement. The BJP had been trying hard to
persuade Rajinikanth to join the party. Even in 2004
he said he’d vote for the BJP but did not join it.
A non-Dravidians entry into Tamil Nadu poli-
tics is happening at a time when the two main Dra-
vidian parties---AIADMK and the DMK---are on the
decline. The AIADMK does not have a leader as
charismatic as Jayalalithaa and the DMK under
MK Stalin is not a force like it was under M. Karu-
nanidhi. If at the national level the Thalaiva has
been pro-BJP, in Tamil Nadu he backed the DMK
and opposed the AIADMK. His next move, there-
fore, would be keenly watched.
F

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INDIAAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020
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Call us at : 1800-266-4606
vius ?kj dks ekSle dh ut+ju yxus nsa
gj ekSle lqj{kk ds fy, flQZ lqij LVªkWx osnj ‘khYM
FARMERS’ PROTEST WORLD DISABILITY DAY 2020
HOPING FOR POSITIVE
OUTCOME: NARENDRA TOMARMeanwhile, two farmers, who were participating in agitation have died
New Delhi: The fourth
round of talks com-
menced between the
Centre and representa-
tives of farmers’ on
Thursday afternoon at
Vigyan Bhawan in Del-
hi, with Union Agricul-
ture Minister Narendra
Singh Tomar and Union
Minister Piyush Goyal
representing the Cen-
tral government.
Before the meeting,
the Union Agriculture
Minister while talking
to the media hoped that
the fourth round of dia-
logue will bring some
positive outcome to the
farmers’ issues.
“Government is con-
stantlydiscussingissues
with farmers. Today is
thefourthroundof talks
and I’m hoping for a pos-
itive outcome,” said
Tomar while talking to
media on Thursday.
Meanwhile,twofarm-
ers, who were partici-
pating in the agitation
died on Wednesday.
Punjab Chief Minister
Captain Amarinder Sin-
gh announced financial
assistance of Rs. 5 lakh
each to the families of
the farmers, hailing
from districts Mansa
and Moga respectively.
—ANI
RS 5L EACH FOR
FARMERS WHO DIED
DURING STIR: PB CM
LEFT ORGS PROTEST
IN BENGALURU IN
SUPPORT
RAHUL: NOT
SCRAPPING
FARM LAWS
WILL BE DECEIT
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister
Amarinder Singh on Thursday ex-
pressed grief over the death of two
farmers, Gurjant Singh and Gurbachan
Singh, while participating in the ongoing
protests against the new agricultural
laws. The Chief Minister also announced
ﬁnancial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each
to the families of the farmers. Notably,
farmer Gurjant Singh, from Bachhoana
village in Mansa district, died in Delhi
during agitation against farm laws, while
Gurbachan Singh (80), from Bhinder
Khurd village in Moga district, died due
to massive heart attack during a protest
at Moga on Wednesday. —Agencies
Bengaluru: Multiple left-leaning or-
ganisations including Students’ Federa-
tion of India and All India Democratic
Women’s Association, staged a protest
in Mysore Bank Circle of Bengaluru to
support the protesting farmers. “We are
here to ask the government to listen to
farmers. We are protesting in solidarity
with them,” said a protester. IThey have
also planned a prolonged protest when
the state legislature meets for the winter
session from December 7. Karnataka
farmers are opposing the Centre’s farm
bills and also the State’s move to amend
the Karnataka Land Reforms Act and
APMC Act. —Agencies
New Delhi: The Con-
gress has stepped
up the demand of
immediately scrap-
ping the farm laws
in the wake of the
farmers’ protest in
the national capital.
Congress leader Ra-
hul Gandhi said in a
tweet,”Accepting less
than scrapping of
three black farm laws
will be deceit to farm-
ers and the country.”
The Congress leader’s
reaction comes
even as the meeting
between the farmers
and the government
is going on to resolve
the issue. Talks
between Centre and
over 34 farmer union
representatives has
started here, even
as farmers protest
entered eighth day.
Farmers sitting at Singhu Border during their protest against Farm law, in New Delhi on Thursday.
—PHOTOBYANI
Resilienceofpersonswith
disabilitiesinspireus:PM
We must keep working towards ensuring better
future for persons with disabilities, PM Modi said
New Delhi: On World
Disability Day Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi took to Twitter
and wrote: “The resil-
ience and fortitude of
persons with disabili-
ties inspire us. Under
the Accessible India
initiative, numerous
measures have been
taken that ensure there
is a positive change in
the lives of our Divyang
sisters and brothers.”
PM Modi also said we
must keep working to-
wards ensuring better
future for persons with
disabilities by taking
steps “in line with the
year’s UN theme of
“Building Back Better:
toward a disability-in-
clusive, accessible and
sustainable post COV-
ID-19 World”.
A day dedicated to
persons with disabili-
ties is marked every
year on December 3, to
promote and spread
awareness about the
rights and well-being of
these special people
among us. In a pandem-
ic situation, persons
with disabilities are the
worst hit as they get
even more left out in the
“new normal”.
“As the world recov-
ers from the pandemic,
we must ensure that the
aspirations and rights
of persons with disabil-
ities are included and
accounted for in an in-
clusive, accessible and
sustainable post COV-
ID-19 world. This vision
will only be achieved
through active consul-
tation with persons
with disabilities and
their representative or-
ganizations,” UN chief,
Antonio Guterres said
on World Disability Day.
‘We must ensure better future for persons with disabilities.’
NARENDRA MODI@NARENDRAMODI
In line with the year’s @UN theme of “Building Back
Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible
and sustainable post COVID-19 World”, let us
collectively keep working towards ensuring
opportunity and improving accessibility for our
Divyang sisters and brothers.
IN THE COURTYARD
Malegaon Blast: Spl Court directs
all accused to appear on Dec 19
SC asks Delhi mechanism to
cross-check COVID-19 data
Mumbai: A special NIA
court in Mumbai on
Thursdaydirectedallac-
cused in the 2008 Male-
gaon blast case to be pre-
sent before the court on
December 19 when the
case will be taken up for
hearing next.
Out of the seven ac-
cused in the matter,
three accused including
LT Col Purohit, Sameer
Kulkarni and Ajay Ra-
hirkar were present be-
fore the court today. The
court took note of their
presence and directed
all accused to be pre-
sent in-person before
the court.
Besides these three,
BJP MP Pragya
Thakur, retired Major
Ramesh Upadhyay, Sud-
hakar Dwivedi and Sud-
hakar Chaturvedi are
also accused in the case.
They have been charged
under various sections
of the Unlawful Activi-
ties Prevention Act
(UAPA), the Explosive
Substances Act and the
Indian Penal Code.
The charges include
Sections 16 (committing
terrorist act) and 18
(conspiring to commit
terrorist act) of the
UAPA and Sections
120(b) (criminal con-
spiracy), 302 (murder),
307 (attempt to murder),
324 (voluntarily causing
hurt) and 153(a) (pro-
moting enmity between
two religious groups) of
the IPC. —ANI
New Delhi: Supreme
Court Thursday asked
the Delhi government
as to whether there is
any mechanism to
cross-check the veraci-
ty of COVID-19 data,
after it said that positiv-
ity rate of the virus in
the national capital has
come down as per the
latest figures.
Delhi govt said it has
taken “earnest steps” to
deal with COVID-19 sit-
uation and issues such
as availability of ICU
beds, testing, cremation
of those who died of the
virus and fire safety
measures in hospitals
are being monitored.
No night
curfew in
Delhi for
now: Govt
New Delhi: The
Aam Aadmi Party-
led government in
Delhi has informed
the High Court that,
for now, no night cur-
few would be im-
posed in the national
capital, or parts of it,
in view of the COV-
ID-19 situation.
The Delhi govern-
ment has taken a
considered view, af-
ter assessing the sit-
uation, to not intro-
duce restrictions on
movement at night,
read the status re-
port submitted be-
fore the court.
“The Delhi Gov-
ernment has been
taking all necessary
measures, as re-
quired and demand-
ed, by the ever-chang-
ing circumstances
and (remains) com-
mitted to making
every effort to arrest
the spread of COV-
ID-19 in the national
capital,” the High
Court was informed.
—Agencies
SC grants
anticipatory bail
to ex-DGP Pb
in murder case
New Delhi: The SC
granted anticipatory
bail to former Punjab
police chief Sumedh
Singh Saini in a 1991
case related to the dis-
appearance of a junior
engineer of Chandi-
garh Industrial & Tour-
ism Corporation. A
bench headed by Jus-
tice Ashok Bhushan
said Saini must cooper-
ate with probe and sur-
render his passport to
authorities. It set aside
a trial court & HC order,
and said if he is arrest-
ed, he must be released
on a personal bond of
Rs 1 lakh. The bench
also asked him to stay
away from witnesses in
case. —PTI
SC notice to Delhi panel on FB India MD’s plea
New Delhi: The SC is-
sued notice to Delhi
Assembly’s Peace and
Harmony Committee
as it wanted to become
a party to the petition
filed by Facebook In-
dia Vice President and
Managing Director
Ajit Mohan challeng-
ing the panel’s sum-
mons against him. A
bench of the apex
court, headed by Jus-
tice Sanjay Kishan
Kaul, issued notice to
the intervener com-
mittee and sought its
reply returnable in
four weeks.
The bench also said
that the rejoinder has
to be filed within two
weeks and fixed the
matter for further
hearing in the third
week of January 2021.
Ajit Mohan had moved
top court challenging
two summons issued
by Delhi Legislative
Assembly Committee
against him -- on Sept
10&18--onthegrounds
that the panel violated
the fundamental rights
of the petitioner under
Article 19(1)(a) , Arti-
cle 21.

INDIAAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2020
Eight-hr-long...
A government source
said the meeting would
resume on Saturday as
no final outcome could
be reached due to pau-
city of time.
Union leaders, who
came out of the meet-
ing venue shouting slo-
gans, said the talks re-
mained deadlocked
and some of them
threatened to boycott
any further meetings
if no solution was
found at Thursday’s
meeting.
“Discussions are
over from our side.
Our leaders have said
they will not attend
further meetings if a
solution is not given
today by the govern-
ment,” said Pratibha
Shinde, AIKSCC (All
India Kishan Sang-
harsh Coordination
Committee) working
group member and
president of Lok Sang-
harsh Morcha, which
represents farmers of
Maharashtra and Gu-
jarat.
Another farmer lead-
er Kulwant Singh Sand-
hu said the government
made many proposals
including on MSP and
procurement system,
which would be dis-
cussed among the farm-
er organisations on Fri-
day, before the next
meeting with the gov-
ernment on Saturday.
Sources said the gov-
ernment gave a detailed
presentation on the
three new laws and as-
serted its intent to-
wards the welfare of
the farmers.
The 40 farmer leaders
present at the meeting
refused the lunch of-
fered by the govern-
ment and preferred to
eat the food ferried in a
van from the Singhu
border, where thou-
sands of their col-
leagues are sitting in
protest against the new
agri laws.
They also did not ac-
cept tea and water of-
fered to them during
the meeting, which be-
gan around mid-day.
The previous round
of talks had taken
place on December 1,
but had ended in a
stalemate even after
three hours of discus-
sion as farmers’ groups
rejected the govern-
ment’s suggestion of a
new committee to look
into issues raised by
farmers protesting
against the new laws.
Rajinikanth to...
“In the upcoming As-
sembly elections, the
emergence of spiritual
politics will happen for
sure. A wonder will
happen,” he said on his
twitter handle.
An announcement on
matters connected to
the party launch would
be made on December
31, he tweeted.
Later speaking to re-
portes at his Poes Gar-
den residence, he re-
called that he had an-
nounced on December
31, 2017 that he would
launch a political party
ahead of Assembly elec-
tions 2021 and contest
from all the 234 constit-
uencies in the state.
Referring to his ‘re-
surgence’ remark ear-
lier this year, when he
had said that an up-
surge among people
was necessary to kick-
start his political jour-
ney, he said to create an
ambience for such a
change, he had planned
to tour the state.
However, it could not
be done in view of the
coronavirus pandemic,
he said.
“No one will be more
happy than me even if I
happen to lose my life
for people’s sake. I will
never fail to keep my
word.Apoliticalchange
is compulsory and very
important.
It is the need of the
hour. If such a change
does not happen now, it
will never materialise.
We have to change eve-
rything,” he said dra-
matically in his inimi-
table style with a smile.
Asserting that he was
only a tool, a catalyst
for change, he said if he
won in his political in-
nings it would be peo-
ple’s victory and even if
he lost, it belonged to
the people.
PM Modi...
PM Modi will also dedi-
cate a desalination
plant to be set up at
Mandvi in Kutch dis-
trict, that same day.
Talking about the pro-
ject, CM Rupani said,
“The desalination plant
will provide fresh water
to local villagers, for
farming and also meet
the water supply de-
mand of local indus-
tries.”
One such desalina-
tion plant has already
been established at Da-
hej in Bharuch district
that provides water to
industries operating
there.
The Kutch desalina-
tion plant is the second
of four plants planned
by the state govern-
ment. It is being set up
in joint venture by the
Gujarat Water Infra-
structure Ltd and the
Shapoorji Pallonji
Group. It will have a
capacity of 10 crore li-
tres per day.
FROM PG 1
MAJOR GEN AUJLA TO BE MGGS
NORTHERN COMMAND?
Major General ADS Aujla, General Officer Com-
manding 28 Infantry Division is likely to be
appointed as Major General General Staff (MGGS)
Operations of Northern Command.
WILL AJOY MEHTA MOVE TO DELHI
AS CHAIRMAN CERC?
Outgoing Maharashtra Chief Secretary, Ajoy
Mehta is likely to move to Delhi as Chairman of
the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
(CERC). He is 1984 batch IAS officer.
MAHARASHTRA DGP TO JOIN GOI
EARLY NEXT YEAR?
Maharashtra DGP Subodh Jaiswal is likely to join
the GoI either in January or February. He is 1985
batch IPS officer.
SAKET KUMAR SINGH TO JOIN GOI
Saket Kumar Singh is likely to join the Govern-
ment of India soon. He is 2002 batch IPS officer
of Jharkhand cadre.
MRS. RUBY SRIVASTAVA RETURNS
TO PARENT CADRE
Mrs. Ruby Srivastava, Director (Finance) at Joint
Secretary level in Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Limited (NPCIL), has been given premature
repatriation to her parent cadre in order to enable
her to avail of the benefits of promotion. She is a
1986 batch IRS-IT officer.
WILL JUSTICE AGRAWAL MOVE TO
MADHYA PRADESH?
Justice Vivek Agrawal is likely to be transferred
from Allahabad High Court to the Madhya Pradesh
High Court.
RAHUL PACHORI APPOINTED DEPUTY
SECRETARY, SCHOOL EDUCATION
Rahul Pachori has been appointed Deputy Secre-
tary in the Department of School Education and
Literacy. He is a 2010 batch IRSEE officer.
JUSTICE BINDAL TO BE ACTING CJ
OF J &K HIGH COURT ?
After the retirement of Justice Geeta Mittal on
December 8, Justice Rajesh Bindal is likely to be
appointed Acting Chief Justice of Jammu and
Kashmir High Court.
R GOPINATH RELIEVED TO TAKE UP
HIS NEW ASSIGNMENT
Consequent upon his appointment as Deputy Sec-
retary in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS), New Delhi, under the Department of Health
and Family Welfare, R Gopinath is relieved of his
existing duties to take up his new assignment. He is
a 2009 batch IFS officer of AGMUT cadre.
7 OFFICERS OF NAGALAND
AWARDED IAS CADRE
As many as seven members of the Nagaland State
Civil Service have been awarded Indian Administra-
tive Service (IAS) cadre for the Select List of 2019.
The officers are: Neposo Theluo, K Libangthung
Lotha, Lhouchalie Viya, K S Anden Konyak, Khrupi
Sothu, Athel O Lotha and Wezope Kenye.
POWERGallery
By arrangement with: http://
whispersinthecorridors.com
New Delhi: India has
reported more daily
COVID-19 recoveries
than the daily new in-
fections in the last 24
hours leading to a net
decline of 5,701 cases
from the total active
caseload which fell
below the 4.5 per cent
mark on Thursday,
the Union health min-
istry said.
There are 4,22,943 ac-
tive coronavirus infec-
tions in the country
which comprises 4.44
per cent of the total
caseload, the data
showed.
While 35,551 people
were found to be infect-
ed with COVID-19 in the
last 24 hours, during the
same period, 40,726 new
recoveries were report-
ed, the ministry said.
Recoveriesoutnumbernewcases‘Nat’l recovery
rate has
improved as
well to 94.11%’
American multination-
al pharmaceutical com-
panyPfizerhassaidthat
it remains "committed
to engaging with the
Government of India to
explore opportunities"
to make the Pfizer-BioN-
Tech vaccine against
the novel coronavirus
available in country.
Pfizer spokesperson
said, "Right now we are
in discussions with
many governments
around the world and
remaincommittedtoen-
gaging with the Govern-
ment of India and ex-
plore opportunities to
make vaccine available
for use in the country."
Pfizer’s commitment to India
COVID-19 vaccine development underway. —FILE PHOTO
Chennai trial finding is
incidental: AIIMS head
New Delhi: Respond-
ing to vaccine impact
during Chennai trial,
Director of AIIMS Dr
Randeep Guleria said
the case, is an inciden-
tal finding rather than
related to vaccine.
"As per the informa-
tion available in the
public domain, the
Chennai trial case is an
incidental finding rath-
er than related to the
vaccine. When we vac-
cinate a large number
of people, some of them
may have some other
disease, which may not
be related to the vac-
cine," Dr Guleria said.
Talking about the
safetyDr Guleria said
There is good data avail-
able that the vaccines
are very safe. Safety
and efficacy of vaccine
not compromised at all.
About 70,000-80,000 vol-
unteers were given the
vaccine and no signifi-
cant serious adverse ef-
fects seen. Data shows
that in the short term
vaccine is safe," the
AIIMS Director added.
Bhopal: Madhya
Pradesh Chief Minis-
ter Shivraj Singh Chou-
han on Thursday paid
tribute to victims of
the Bhopal Gas Trage-
dy on the 36th anniver-
sary of the incident.
A two-minute silence
was observed to re-
member the victims.
Speaking at the event,
he said that a memorial
should be built soon so
that the world could
learn a lesson from the
tragedy.
“We should soon
build a memorial for
the Bhopal Gas tragedy
so the world can learn
a lesson from it,” Chau-
han said.
Earlier in the day, the
Chief Minister had
tweeted, “We still re-
member the pain aris-
ing from the Bhopal gas
tragedy. May God al-
ways protect every cor-
ner of the country and
the world from such
tragedy.
CM Chouhan pays tribute to
victims of Bhopal Gas Tragedy
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid
tribute to the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy on December 3.
New Delhi: The cen-
tral government on
Thursday said that all
states except
Jharkhand and three
union territories with
legislative assemblies
have chosen option-1 to
meet the revenue
shortfall arising out of
GST implementation.
The Ministry of Fi-
nance said in a release
that Chhattisgarh gov-
ernment has commu-
nicated its acceptance
of Option-1 to meet the
revenue shortfall.
"The states and Un-
ion Territories which
choose Option-1 are
getting the amount of
shortfall arising out of
GST implementation
through a special bor-
rowing window put in
place by the Govern-
ment of India.
The window has
been operationalised
since October 23, 2020,
and the Government
of India has already
borrowed an amount
of Rs 30,000 crore on
behalf of the states in
five instalments and
passed it on to the
States and Union Ter-
ritories, which chose
Option-1," said the re-
lease.
States choose option-1 to
meet GST revenue shortfall
Bollywood drugs probe: 2
NCB officials suspended
Mumbai: After scaling
an all-time intra-day
peak of 44,953.01, the
30-share BSE Sensex
pared some gains to end
14.61 points or 0.03 per
cent higher at 44,632.65.
Similarly, the broad-
er NSE Nifty touched a
fresh intra-day high of
13,216.60, before settling
20.15 points or 0.15 per
cent up at 13,133.90 -- its
lifetime closing high.
Maruti was the top
gainer in the Sensex
pack, rallying around 7
per cent, followed by
ONGC, NTPC, SBI, Ba-
jaj Finserv & Tata Steel.
Sensex ends
higher, Nifty hits
record peak New Delhi: In a big em-
barrassment, the Nar-
cotics Control Bureau
(NCB) has suspended
two officials of its
Mumbai Zonal Unit for
their alleged suspicious
role which enabled two
persons in the ongoing
Bollywood-drugs mafia
investigation get relief,
official sources said.
The role of the two
investigating officials -
whose identities were
not disclosed - came un-
der a cloud after ac-
cused Harsh Limbachi-
ya and suspect Karish-
ma Prakash got bail and
interim bail, respective-
ly, in November, an of-
ficial requesting ano-
nymity told IANS.
Limbachiya is the
husband of high-profile
television comedian
Bharti Singh while Ka-
rishma Prakash is the
manager of leading Bol-
lywood actress Deepika
Padukone.
Some other officials
are likely to be under
the NCB scanner for
their questionable laps-
es in the matter that has
shaken up the organisa-
tion which is probing
the high-profile cases
since the past nearly
four months.
New Delhi: The Centre
has opposed the life ban
on convicted politicians
from contesting MP/
MLA elections, forming
a political party or be-
coming an office bearer
of a party, telling the
Supreme Court that the
life ban on bureaucrats
cannot be equated with
similar ban on lawmak-
ers, if convicted in a
crime, as the latter are
not bound by service
conditions, but an oath
of office instead.
An affidavit filed by
the Ministry of Law
and Justice said: “It is
stated that there are no
specific service condi-
tions laid down in re-
spect of elected repre-
sentative albeit, the fact
that the people’s repre-
sentatives are public
servants. The elected
representatives are or-
dinarily bound by the
oath that they have tak-
en, to serve the citizens
of their constituency in
particular & the coun-
try in general.” The
Centre said the public
servants are debarred
from their service for
lifetime if convicted of
offence punishable un-
der provisions of vari-
ous laws, but a legisla-
tor, who is disqualified
for an offence, only for a
period specified in the
Representation of Peo-
ples Act.
GOVT OPPOSES
LIFE BAN ON
CONVICTED
POLITICIANS
‘INDIA MAY GET VACCINE BY DEC-JAN’
‘SC ON POSTERS’
Plea in SC over UP
govt’s ‘love jihad’ law
CENTRE INCREASES
DOMESTIC FLIGHTS’ CAP
New Delhi: A plea
has been moved in
the Supreme Court
challenging the The
Uttar Pradesh Prohi-
bition of Unlawful
Conversion Of Reli-
gion Ordinance, 2020
and the Uttarakhand
Freedom Of Religion
Act, 2018.
The plea moved by
advocates Vishal
Thakre and Abhay
Singh Yadav and law
researcher Pran-
vesh, states that the
UP ordinance dis-
turbs the basic struc-
ture of the Constitu-
tion. “The most im-
portant issue was
whether the Parlia-
ment has the power
to amend the funda-
mental rights en-
shrined under Part
III of the Constitu-
tion,” said the plea.
The petitioners
contended that the
Parliament has no
power to amend the
fundamental rights,
and if this ordinance
is implemented, it
will harm public at a
large and will create
a chaotic situation in
the society.
New Delhi: The cap on
the number of domes-
tic flights that Indian
airlines are permitted
to operate was in-
creased from 70 per
cent to 80 per cent of
their pre-COVID levels
on Thursday, said Civil
Aviation Minister Har-
deep Singh Puri. The
ministry had resumed
scheduled domestic
passenger services
from May 25, after a
gap of two months due
to the coronavirus
lockdown.

TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020
Rewriting the story of one of Earth’s
BIGGEST MASS EXTINCTIONS
Chemical clues from prehistoric microbes post date the cataclysmicChemical clues from prehistoric microbes post date the cataclysmic
events thought to have occurred 200 million years agoevents thought to have occurred 200 million years ago
Microbial mats in Shark Bay, Western Australia, similar to those that lived around 200 million years ago. —PHOTO CREDIT: Yalimay Jimenez Duarte WA-OIGC, Curtin University
Schematic diagram showing the factors driving global ecological change in the modern day and at the end of the Triassic period. —PHOTO CREDIT: VICTOR LESH
A LIKELY STORY
T
raditionally,
s c i e n t i s t s
have placed
the mass extinction
event, and the volcan-
ic upheaval that pres-
aged it, at about 201
million years ago.
They came to this
conclusion after stud-
ying rocks of that age
from the Bristol Chan-
nel, UK, which show a
distinctive chemical
signature. The ratios
of different isotopes
of carbon within
these rocks suggest
this was the moment
when the global at-
mosphere changed, as
huge amounts of
methane were pumped
into the skies due to
massive volcanic ac-
tivity covering the
central Atlantic, in
turn altering the
chemical composition
of rocks that formed
during this time.
But we made a dis-
covery that chal-
lenged this assump-
tion. We found evi-
dence of ancient mi-
crobial mats in the
same region, at the
same time. It was
these flourishing
communities of mi-
crobes that actually
created the change in
the chemical signa-
ture of the rocks,
rather than a global
volcanic event.
These microbial
mats formed as the re-
gion’s waters changed
from salty seawater to
brackish or fresh wa-
ter, and water levels
dropped to puddle-
like centimetre
depths. This is anoth-
er reason why scien-
tists mistook this
event for a mass ex-
tinction — marine
creatures disappeared
from the local fossil
record at this time not
because they had all
died out, but because
it was no longer ma-
rine.
Of course, the
world’s marine crea-
tures had only earned
a relatively brief re-
prieve. We know the
volcanic cataclysm
did occur, but just not
as long ago as previ-
ously assumed.
STILL GOING
STRONG
R
emarkably,
the micro-
bial mats
recorded in UK sam-
ples are similar to
living microbial
mats in Australia,
such as in Western
Australia’s Shark
Bay. It’s amazing to
think similar micro-
bial communities
are still living on
Australia’s shore-
lines to this day.
Microbes have
also been useful re-
sources in research
to learn about sev-
eral other mass ex-
tinction events too,
such as the “Great
Dying” that marked
the end of the Per-
mian period roughly
252 million years
ago, and the dramat-
ic demise of the di-
nosaurs in a mass
extinction some 66
million years ago.
For example, pig-
ments and lipid re-
mains from micro-
bial mats found in
the Chicxulub cra-
ter in the Gulf of
Mexico — formed
by the asteroid that
wiped out the dino-
saurs — show that
photosynthetic pro-
cesses had bounced
back within 200,000
years of the impact.
Microbial mats
also have helped to
preserve an amaz-
ing range of fossil
evidence from pre-
historic animals, in-
cluding soft tissues,
red blood cells and
chemical clues to
ancient animals’ di-
ets.
A WARNING FROM
PREHISTORY
W
hile we
don’tknow
e x a c t l y
how much later the
global end-Triassic
mass extinction event
actually occurred,
what we can say is
that our research
sounds a stark warn-
ing for potential fu-
ture mass extinctions
on Earth.
The end of the Tri-
assic Period featured
huge environmental
shifts, including de-
clines in biodiversi-
ty, ocean acidifica-
tion, reduced oxygen
levels, habitat de-
struction, nutrient
shifts and changing
sea levels.
Knowing more
about these changes
will provide crucial
information that
could help under-
stand the threats our
own ecosystems face
today, and potential-
ly help safeguard
them for the future.
SOURCE: THECONVERSATION.COM
Kliti Grice
John Curtin Distinguished Professor of Organic
and Isotope Geochemistry, Curtin University
Calum Peter Fox
Researcher, Curtin University
C
hemical clues left behind by
humble microbes have rewrit-
ten the timeline of one of the
biggest mass extinction events in
Earth’s history.
The so-called “end-Triassic mass ex-
tinction”, thought to have occurred
just over 200 million years ago, wiped
out swathes of prehistoric creatures
both on land and in the oceans. It was
prompted by the breakup of the super-
continent Pangea, which triggered
massive volcanic activity that flooded
the atmosphere with carbon dioxide
and acidified the oceans.
But our new research, published in
Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences, suggests these cataclys-
mic events actually happened later
than previously thought.
We made this discovery by examin-
ing molecular fossils — trace chemi-
cals derived from microbial “mats”
that bathed in prehistoric waters.

It is a good exercise to search
for who you are but it is
better to search for who you
aspire to be.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
Gargi Raval
“Your children are not
your children. They are
thesonsanddaughtersof
Life’s longing for itself.”
—Kahlil Gibran
Ahmedabad: If any-
one who has not only
read but also imple-
mented for sure this
moving counsel to par-
ents by the inimitable
Kahlil Gibran, it is the
affable, the late Ahmed
Patel, who seldom even
thought of enforcing
his political inherit-
ance on his son Faisal
and daughter Mumtaz.
This is why it is
with clarity that both
have been telling the
ever inquisitive me-
dia ever since the vet-
eran leader’s untime-
ly demise that they
aren’t keen on joining
politics, leave alone
succeeding Ahmed
Patel.
But Faisal and
Mumtaz seem to know
that politics is not just
about the musical
chairs that politicians
play but also about sup-
portive policies and ac-
tion for the social and
economic development
of the downtrodden, de-
prived and marginal-
ised.
So, the first thing the
two did after the last
rites of their father was
to reach out to the tribal
population in the
Bharuch region for
whom Ahmedbhai was
nothing less than an an-
gel, given his contribu-
tion for them. Among
several initiatives was a
hospital that he helped
set up in the area.
Faisal and Mumtaz
went and met the trib-
als in the area and reas-
sured them that though
their father was no
longer there, they
weren’t alone. “We are
with you,” Mumtaz told
the tribals. And Faisal
appealed to them to
“Pray for my father.
And yes, if you have
any work, tell me we are
with you.”
An apparently
moved Mumtaz went
into nostalgia as she
recalled, talking to
them: “We used to
come here to see Gar-
ba when we were
small,” Mumtaz said.
And Faisal chipped
in, “We will keep com-
ing to see you”.
Ahmed followed Gibran’s words, his children walk dad’s path to tribals
POLITICS OF COMPASSION
Pollution of air, water and noise was caused by a massive fire at ONGC’s Hazira plant on Sept 24
First India Bureau
Surat: The Gujarat Pol-
lution Control Board
(GPCB) has slapped a
fine of Rs 1 crore on the
Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation (ONGC)
for causing pollution of
air, water and noise
during a huge fire pre-
ceded by three blasts in
its Hazira gas process-
ing plant in Surat dis-
trict on September 24.
This follows a com-
plaint by the Kantha
Vibhaag Yuva Koli Sa-
maj Parivartan Trust to
the Union Environment
Ministry, the Central
Pollution Control Board
and the GPCB.
In response, the cen-
tral pollution board had
asked the Gujarat board
to initiate an inquiry
and estimate the dam-
ages. The GPCB asked
the Navratna company
to deposit a sum of Rs 1
crore in its SBI account
in Gandhinagar.
Though there were
no casualties, the blaze,
which was preceded by
three huge blasts, was
massive and could be
seen from a distance of
some 10 km and the
noise it generated was
deafening, eyewitness-
es had said. Some of
them had also posted
videos of the explosions
and the fire on social
media.
The impact of the
blasts was such that
even window-panes of
many houses in the vi-
cinity were shattered,
according to the Pari-
vartan Trust. This was
also examined by the
GPCB officials.
Not only this, the
GPCB in its report to
the central pollution
board also stated that,
“Contaminated water
generated from the con-
trolling of fire was dis-
charged into storm wa-
ter drains leading to
river Tapi in Surat.
(sic)”
“The fire broke out in
the inlet gas terminal
after three massive
blasts at 3.05 am. The
compressed gas was de-
pressurised to bring the
fire under control,” Su-
rat District Collector
Dhaval Patel had said
after the incident.
There were also re-
ports that the fire was
caused by a rupture in
the 36-inch Uran-Mum-
bai gas pipeline leading
to Hazira in Surat. How-
ever, no officials stated
this on record.
The GPCB, in its di-
rective to the ONGC,
has also advised it to
take adequate precau-
tions to ensure such in-
cidents do not recur in
the future.
GPCB slaps `1 cr fine on Navratna
firm ONGC for causing pollution
Guj bars private firm
for three years for
shoddy bridge work
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The Gu-
jarat Government’s
Road & Building De-
partment (R&B) has
blacklisted a civil and
structural engineering
services firm, DELF
Consulting Engineers,
whose alleged negli-
genceledtothreebridge
projects in Kheda,
worth over Rs 80 lakh,
coming to a halt.
DELF had failed to
pay a fine of Rs. 33.5
lakh imposed 11 months
ago by the R&B Depart-
ment for its lapses. So,
the company has been
barred for three years
and the other projects
with the company will
also be halted.
The company was en-
trusted to prepare the
drawings and estimate
plans for one bridge
each on river Khari, Sa-
barmati and Vatrak.
While two of the three
projects are unfinished,
the project of Vatrak
River Bridge has been
stopped for now.
The company was al-
lotted the work on June
15, 2018, and was sup-
posed to be finished by
September 2018. After
the negligence and er-
rors were brought to the
notice, the government
penalized the company
on January 27, 2020.
Teacher nabbed for
attack on doc after
wife didn’t lose weight
Mandatory patrolling
hours have cops worried
First India Bureau
Surat: The Katargam
police have arrested
an absconding teach-
er who had attacked
a doctor in Katargam
area of Surat.
Giving his statement
to the police, the teach-
er stated that the doc-
tor had cheated him
and held him responsi-
ble for his wife’s dete-
riorating health.
Manoj Dudhat, a res-
ident of Kailashnagar
in the Gajera area is a
teacher. His wife was
under treatment at the
Sayona Clinic under
doctor Ajay Moradiya.
After a considerable
time, when he found
that there was no re-
duction in his wife’s
weight Dudhat was fu-
rious.
On Tuesday, Dud-
hat went to Dr Mo-
radiya demanding
why his wife’s weight
had not come down.
They had a verbal
spat after Dudhat
asked the doctor to
return his money.
When the doctor re-
fused, Dudhat allegedly
attacked Moradiya
with a sharp object and
escaped from the clinic
with his wallet, cash of
Rs 1,500 and a mobile
phone.
After a police com-
plaint, the cops came
and took Dr Moradi-
ya to the nearest hos-
pital for treatment.
Subsequently, Dud-
hat was arrested. Po-
lice said Dr Ajay
Mordiya was an
MBBS doctor and
also a trader of herb-
al health products in
Surat.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Zone 1
DCP Ravindra Patel’s
directive for manda-
tory patrolling of 8
hours has left the po-
lice inspectors of at
least eight police sta-
tions in a piquant
situation.
The inspectors are
worried that if they
clock 8 hours of patrol-
ling duty they won’t be
able to manage admin-
istrative, investigative
and other work at their
respective police sta-
tions.
M e a n w h i l e ,
Ahmedabad Police
Commissioner Sanjay
Srivastav has made it
mandatory for all police
inspectors across all po-
lice stations to meet ap-
plicants and address
their complaints from
morning 9 am to 12 pm.
The cops say it is
not possible to follow
both the DCP and the
police commission-
er’s orders without
violating at least one
of them.
Zone 1 DCP had re-
cently asked police in-
spectors in the police
station falling under
the zone to be mandato-
rily present for patrol-
ling from 8 am to 12 pm
and 4 pm to 8 pm.
They are also re-
quired to send their live
location to the Zone 1
Whatsapp group. The
ACPs have been tasked
with policing the police
inspectors about their
patrolling duties.
The diktat came af-
ter it was brought to
the DCP’s notice that
police inspectors
were slacking in pa-
trolling and field-
work duties.
Faisal and Mumtaz meet tribals for
whom Ahmedbhai was like an angel
Fire at ONGC’s Hazira plant had caused pollution in September, 2020. —FILE PHOTO
MASSIVE IMPACT
BLAMING IT ON CORONA!
Nizam bhai, a
caretaker of
horses in the
Jamalpur area
in Ahmedabad
says his 7 horses
had died during
the lockdown
period. He thinks
Covid-19 was
responsible.
—PHOTO BY
HANIF SINDHI
Late Ahmed Patel's son Faisal and daughter Mumtaz interacted with tribals in the region for whom
the departed leader had carried out development works.
COVID-19
UPDATE
GUJARAT
4,031
DEATHS
2,14,309
CONFIRMED CASES
RAJASTHAN
2,370 DEATHS 2,74,486 CASES
DELHI
WORLD
15,05,594
DEATHS
6,51,71,793
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
95,64,565
CONFIRMED CASES
1,39,102
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
47,472 DEATHS 18,37,358 CASES
UTTAR PRADESH
KARNATAKA
11,821 DEATHS 8,89,113 CASES
—FILE PHOTO
—FILE PHOTO

AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY
DECEMBER 4, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
THE FINAL RACEAuditions for Elite Miss Rajasthan 2020 finally came to an end with
the last and final auditions being held in Jaipur on Thursday
evening. The finals will now take place later this month!
fter going from
city-to-city in the
past few months
to search for the
best partici-
pants, the team
of Elite Miss Ra-
jasthan 2020 is finally
done and dusted with its
auditions. Organised in
Hotel Hilton Jaipur,
around 150 girls partici-
pated in the final audition
round held on Thursday.
All the participants
strived hard to make a
place in the Top 31 final-
ists of Elite Miss Ra-
jasthan 2020.
Jagdeesh Chandra was
the chief guest of the
event and judged a few
participants based on
various parameters like
their talent and personal-
ity. Various eminent ce-
lebrities served as judges
like actress Charvi Tanya
Dutta who is also the
founding member of Elite
Miss Rajasthan, and su-
permodels Akanksha
Bhalla and Divya Kasli-
wal.
During the event, Di-
rector of Elite Miss Ra-
jasthan, Gaurav Gaur
said, “Keeping the grow-
ing coronavirus infec-
tions in mind, we have
followed all the guidelines
issued by the government
strictly. The entire loca-
tion for the audition was
automatically sanitized
by robots at small inter-
vals. The bio-secure bub-
ble was also installed to
provide complete protec-
tion from the virus. Rules
like social distancing and
‘No Mask, No Entry’ were
also followed.”
Gaurav also further
elaborated that auditions
were organised in several
cities of Rajasthan like
Kota, Jodhpur, Udaipur
and Jaipur where many
girls participated with
huge enthusiasm. All the
selected finalists will be
revealed on 14 December,
and the finale will be held
on 20 December. The final-
ists will be groomed with
well-known celebrities
right before the finals.
NEHAL NAYAR
nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in
A
—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA
Jagdeesh Chandra with (from left) Daisy, Yashika, Aditi, Divya, Deepali, Tripti, Charvi,
Medhavi, Dr Sandeep Sharma, Akansha, Gaurav Gaur, Yasheel Pandel, Simran, Ankur, Nupur, Varsha and Vishal
(Clockwise) Shabnam Istan Zabeen, Shashi Bhatti and Arpita Singhania
Panel during the auditions
During the auditions of ‘Elite Miss Rajasthan 2020
Radhika Chaudhary, Arpita Singhania, Sudeepta Das, Varsha Jeswani, Nupur Jhankal,
Charvi Tanya Dutta, Gaurav Gaur, Akansksha Bhalla, Riya Suldia, Shashi Bhatti, Shristhi Keswani, Ruby Chaudhary

10
ETCAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
SANTOSHI SHETTY, Influencer
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Much enjoyment is
foreseen on the social front.
Your reputation on the
academic front is set to rise
amongst peers. A new property
acquired by you will start giving good
monetary returns. A family member
may try to stand on his or her own
two feet.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
For once you may attempt
to take your own stand on
the social front and call a
spade a spade. An
assignment given to you on the
academic front will be completed
most satisfactorily.Those trying to
extend their leave will succeed. You
will manage to save enough.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You will get help and
resources for undertaking
an important event on the
social front. A shopping
spree is on the cards, as you are in
mood to splurge today. Enjoying the
company of like-minded people is
foretold. You may prove yourself to
be a bright spark academically.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Profitable deals will come
your way and can get the
cash register ringing.
Keeping fit can become your
focus, for which you may join a gym or
start an exercise regimen. You are
likely to realise the importance of
someone in your social circle, whom
you used to dismiss out of hand.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Someone may go out of
his or her way to help you
at work. Tying loose ends
both at work and home
may be your priority today.
Remaining involved on the academic
front may make you cover up
whatever had been missed. You will
manage to plan your expenses.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Someone with his or her
self-interest in mind is likely
to appease you. Things are
slated to turn for the better
for you on the social front. Keeping up
with others on the academic front may
prove an uphill task for some. Meeting
lover secretly is strictly not
recommended today.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Some of you will be able to
overcome weaknesses and
improve your performance
on the academic front. Real
estate dealers are likely to have a
field day. You will remain most
understanding on the family front
and will successfully cater to the
moods of spouse.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Your well-wishers are likely
to go out of their way to
raise your image on the
social front. Those
studying are likely to come into the
good books of their teachers. Your
travel stars seem strong and may
take you out of town on a vacation.
The day seems profitable.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Owning a house can
become your aim. Your
strength in your field of
expertise is likely to be
recognised by those who matter.
Some of you are likely to ace a
competition or exam on the academic
front. You will need to do some quick
thinking today at work.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You can expect to spend
the day in exciting
company on the social
front. Those expecting
possession of a property paid for
may face delay. Those planning a
relaxing time at home can end up
doing household chores. Keep all
your options open academiaclly.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Encouraging news awaits
some on the academic
front. Those looking for
accommodation can expect
to find one that meets their
requirement. You can count on the
total support of family members in
domestic matters. You are likely to
give your career a boost.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Accolades and congratula-
tions may pour in from all
sides for something that
you have achieved. Honour
and prestige is in store for those in
the field of education. Luck favours
those buying or selling property. The
day promises a lot of excitement on
the domestic front.
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
“Toto 8000 ft. Target in
sight, Bomb doors open,
Turn left left right , right,
steady steady… steady
bombs gone.
Hit the target dead on.
Close Bomb Doors,
Dive to 1500 ft and a sharp
right turn to 090 degrees
to escape.”
his was the com-
mentary over 30-35
navigators gave on
4th December, as
they lay prone in
their Canberra B
(I) 58 nose to guide
and drop 8 x1000 lbs bomb
load each on pre -deter-
mined targets in Pakistan.
The Indian Air Force re-
lentlessly bombed Pakistani
targets of military value till
15th December. Be it Air-
bases, Radar stations, Rail-
way yards, bridges etc. This
was in retaliation to Paki-
stan’s pre-emptive strike on
11IndianAirForceBaseson
3rd December, 1971.
In the first ever free elec-
tions on 7 December 1970 in
otherwise military ruled
PakistantheAwami League
Party led by Sheikh Mujib
Ur Rahman won a land
slide victory securing 160
seats in a house of 300
against 81 by the PPP led by
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. This
was hard to digest by not
only Bhutto but also the
then military dictator Gen
Yahya Khan. West Pakistan
could not ruled by a Ben-
gali. Bengalis were over
joyed with the prospect of
ruling the west Pakistan.
This was not to be and the
Yahya- Bhutto combine ar-
rested Sheikh Mujib for
treason and put him in soli-
tary confinement.
East Pakistan loved their
charismatic Sheikh. They
declared their independ-
ence on 25th March, 1971.In
response west Pakistan
launched Operation
“Searchlight” against their
own mostly Muslim breth-
ren, leading to the deaths of
an estimated 1.3 million
citizens, making around 30
million homeless of which
10 million fled to India as
refugees.
To fight back, the East
Pakistanis formed the Muk-
ti Bahini, a brave guerilla
resistance force formed to
fight for freedom and life.
India’s PM at that time was
the Iron lady Indira Gandhi
and she pledged complete
moral and material support
to the future Bangladeshis
on behalf of their brothers
and sisters in India. India
also provided them some
basic armaments and mili-
tary training.
Giving them hope that
they might survive and one
day be free from the crazy
despotic rule of Yahya
Khan and Bhutto. That was
the match stick that lit the
sub-continent afire in 1971.
As war clouds loomed
again, the Indian Defence
Forces started preparing
for a third war. The Air
Force particularly the Can-
berras went in right ear-
nest to select and nominate
targets and prepare flight
plans. No. 16 Sqn, the “Co-
bras”, intensified High, Me-
dium and low-level flying
training carried out prac-
tice and live bombing train-
ing for all the crews.
Though a late comer to the
bombing fraternity, I was
lucky to be declared fully
ops in the nick of time to be
qualified to be detailed for
ops sorties. The Squadron
led by the legendary ace Wg
Cdr P (Pete) Gautam MVC,
VM and cool as a cucumber,
Flt Cdr Sqn Ldr MM Takle
and Nav Ldr Sqn Datta was
full of experienced crew.
On the evening of 3rd De-
cember, officers received a
message to report to the un-
derground Ops room imme-
diately. The OC Wg Cdr
Gautam addressed the offic-
ers that the much-awaited
moment had arrived and
announced the crews for
the sorties and targets.
Individual briefing was
carried out by the Flt Cdr.
The squadron launched
about 94 bombing and inter-
diction sorties on both east
and west Pakistan sectors
during the 13 day conflict
droppingover7lakhpounds
of bombs on our adversary.
The damage caused can be
imagined by the fact that
complete Air Superiority
was achieved in the East Pa-
kistan within four days and
our Army with full support
of the Airforce started mov-
ing swiftly towards Dhaka,
the full complement of the
16 Sqn Cobras now bombing
west Pakistan targets. I per-
sonally flew 11 sorties, in-
cluding five bombing mis-
sions across the border dur-
ing the 13 day war.
America realising Paki-
stan’s hapless position
started putting pressure on
India to stop the war and in
the process moved its 7th
Fleet to the Bay of Bengal .
But the Indian Prime Min-
ister, instead of bowing
down, put pressure on the
Armed Forces to finish the
job, which they did and on
15thDecember, Gen Niazi
with over 93000 troops sur-
rendered to Gen Arora.
Thus came the curtain
down on one of the great
achievements of the Indian
Armed on one hand and the
will and grit of Prime Min-
ister Indira Gandhi on the
other.
REMEMBERING 1971
LIBERATION OF BANGLADESHThe war of liberation of Bangladesh was fought from 4 to 16 December. It was a story of India’s victory, Pakistan’s
surrender and Bangladesh’s freedom.The Indian Armed Forces brought Pakistani army to its knees, took 93,000 Pakistani
prisoners and gave 75 million people of Bangladesh their independence.The war started when Pakistan launched air
strikes on 11 Indian airbases. It was perhaps the first time in which India’s all three forces fought in unison.
Wg. Cdr. Sukhveer Dhankhar, who fought the 1971 war shares his memories today!
SUKHVEER
DHANKHAR
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T
Indira Gandhi
Human Remains and War Material from 1971 Genocidel- Liberation War
Mukti Vahini
Lt. Gen. Niazi signing the Instrument of Surrender
under the gaze of Lt. Gen.
Canberra in action

V
arun Dha-
wan and
Sara Ali
Khan have
been making a
whole lot of noise
on social media ever
since the trailer of
their film Coolie No 1
dropped. The onscreen cou-
ple were a hit and fans of
masala entertainers truly
loved to see them together.
The makers dropped new
song titled ‘Teri Bhabhi’.
Varun had teased his fans say-
ing that he will be intro-
ducing them to their
‘bhabhi’. While many
wonderedif itwashis
girlfriend Natasha
Dalal, movie buffs
were quick to rec-
ognise it was re-
latedtothesong.
—Agency
R
ihanna and ASAP Rocky are
reportedly dating! The 32-year-
old Diamonds singer and the
32-year-old rapper were spot-
ted having dinner over the weekend
at the Beatrice Inn in New York City.
However, just a couple of days after
the initial rumours surfaced a friend
close to Rihanna told that the pair
were just friends, saying, “She’s hang-
ing out with ASAP Rocky, but she is
not dating him. They have a long his-
tory and she’s just having fun.” Now
it looks like the rumour-mill has
come full circle, with fresh specula-
tion emerging about Rihanna and
ASAP. The latest update has
to do with a dinner date in
New York and another bit of
source info. Now, a source
has confirmed that the
two music stars are
indeed a couple.
—Agency
CRAZZZY KIA RE
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
11
ollywood singer
Aastha Gill was in
Jaipur on Monday to
perform at a private
event. Aastha is an In-
dian singer and song-
writer who debuted
with the party song ‘Dhup Chik’
from the film ‘Fugly’. She uped
the quotient with the dance
number ‘Abhi Toh Party Shuru
Hui Hai’ from ‘Khoobsoorat’
and is also known for her sin-
gles ‘DJ Wale Babu’, ‘Buzz’
and ‘Naagin’. In an exclu-
sive interview with City
First, she spoke about
her journey in the in-
dustry.
Q. You have done your
bachelor’s in Journalism.
How did you get into the
singing profession?
A. Yes, I have done my bache-
lor’s in journalism and singing
was completely an act of God.
Singing was always a part of my
life, but I never thought I would
pursue singing as a career. It
was just a random call I got from
Raftaar bhai when I was work-
ing in advertising and he said,
“I have got a Bollywood song
and your vocals will really
sound good on it so quickly
come and dub.” I said to him, “I
can’t leave my work.” There was
a moment of truth - I had to
face the reality. I chose
music over my corpo-
rate job. I left without
completing my work
and I got fired that day. It
was just a leap of faith that
I took and it worked for me.
Then he introduced me to Bad-
shah bhai and things started
working in the right direction
and that’s how I’m here.
Q. From Delhi to
Mumbai, how has life
changed for you?
A. I still live in Delhi and I trav-
el to Mumbai only for work. I
love Mumbai but Delhi is like
family and I can’t think of leav-
ing the latter completely. Life
has otherwise changed because
of my career but the Delhi and
Mumbai factor hasn’t changed
anything as much. Career-wise
and music-wise, I think things
have changed, people now
know my name and it’s a
beautiful feeling when
you go out and people
recognise you. That
way I think God has
been kind and I
think I have
achieved some-
thing in life.
Q. You have sung
songs with Bad-
shah, Raftaar
and Diljit Dos-
anjh. Who is
your personal
f a v o u r i t e
among these three?
A. Yes, I have sung with Bad-
shah bhaiyya, Raftaar bhaiyya
and Diljit and I can’t compare
them because they are com-
pletely different people. Hon-
estly, I haven’t met Diljit Dos-
anjh ever, but I would love to
because I love his work and I
love his wife. I am not being dip-
lomatic here but l can’t pick
one; it’s the most difficult ques-
tion for anyone.
Q. You have given so many
hit songs. Which one is your
personal favourite and why?
A. ‘Buzz’ obviously because
that’s like the closest baby to my
heart because it was my debut.
It introduced me as a singer, as
a pop artist so that will always
be the closest to my heart. I love
all my songs but “Buzz” is the
closest to my heart.
Q. our latest song ‘Crazy
“Lady’, has been winning
hearts. How much do you
relate to this song?
A. ‘Crazy Lady’ is a song that
I have co-written with
Charan and Kanika;
it’s totally based on
my life experienc-
es. In life, it’s im-
portant to be a
little crazy to
make it big, and
I am a crazy
person. It runs
in my family
and I think
my mother is
the craziest
among us
all. I think I
get that from her.
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020
Singer Aastha Gill in an
exclusive interview with City First,
while she visited the Pink City
for a private event
KAVITA CHAUHAN
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
B
DURGAMATI’S
TRAILER GOES
VIRAL
Overwhelming
gratitude
Next
generation
A
mazon prime video’s Durga-
mati has truly taken over the
internet post the impressive
trailer and the how the story has all
the elements of love, fear and de-
feating the evil. Arshad Warsi who’s
playing a pivotal role in the film talks
about why the actor signed up for the
film. “The reason I took up this role
was that its a nice script. It is one of
those scripts which is very Indian and
will appeal to our audience and their
sensibilities.”, says Arshad Warsi. He
adds, “I loved the twists and turns in
the story.” Arshad Warsi has never
failed to entertain the audience with
his talent. —Agency
J
uno and The Umbrella Acad-
emy star Elliot Page recently
came out as trans and explain-
ing their pronouns are he/they. The
33-year-old star posted a message
on their Twitter account, writing,
“Hi friends, I want to share with
you that I am trans, my pronouns
are he/they and my name is Elliot.
I feel lucky to be writing this. To be
here. To have arrived at this place
in my life.” Elliot continued, “I feel
overwhelming gratitude for the in-
credible people who have supported
me along this journey. I can’t begin
to express how remarkable it feels
to finally love who I am enough to
pursue my authentic self.” — Agency
P
rince Harry is thinking about
what the next generation which
includes his 1-year-old son,
Archie is going to inherit. The Duke
of Sussex helped launch WaterBear
Network, a new Netflix-style streaming
platform focused on conservation, by
taking part in a conversation about the
important topic. Shot from his Califor-
nia home, Harry shares how welcoming
a son last year encouraged him to work
against climate change and environmen-
tal issues. “The moment you become
a father everything really does change
because then you start to realize, well,
what is the point in bringing a new
person into this world when they get to
your age and it’s on fire?” — Agency
Major missing!
I
t is no secret that the fashioni-
sta Sonam Kapoor Ahuja is
very close to her family and
always makes it a point to
spend her time with them. For the
unversed, the stunning actress is
currently in Dubai with her
husband Anand Ahuja. She
was in London since mid-
July this year and owing
to this she could not
even celebrate Di-
wali with her fam-
ily in Mumbai.
As we speak of
this, the actress
has shared a
picture with
her father
Anil Ka-
poor and
s i s t e r
Rhea say-
ing that
she is
missing
her family
back in
Mumbai. Tak-
ing to her Insta-
gram handle,
Sonam dropped a
stunning photo
and wrote, “Ma-
jorly missing
them.” —Agency
RIRI DATING?
TeriBhabhiSongReaction
Sara Ali Khan; (Inset) still from ‘Coolie No. 1’
Poster of ‘Durgamati’
Poster of the song ‘Crazy Lady’
Aastha Gill
Elliot Page
Rihanna
Prince Harry
Varun Dhawan
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja
Sonam’s Post

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