First india lucknow edition-10 march 2021

INDIA BEAT SOUTH AFRICA IN
STYLE TO LEVEL SERIES
Lucknow: E Smriti
Mandhana scored an
unbeaten half-century
after Jhulan Goswami
returned a four-wicket
haul as India women
thumped South Africa
women by nine wickets
in the second ODI of
the five-match series
here on Tuesday. Lara
Goodall top-scored for
South Africa women
with a 77-ball 49, while
skipper Sane Luus
made 36. Veteran pacer
Jhulan (4/42) was the
pick of the bowlers for
India, while Rajeshwari
Gayakwad returned with
figures of 3 for 37. For
India, it turned out to
be an easy chase with
Mandhana (80) and Pu-
nam Raut (62) raising
an unbeaten 138-run
stand for the second
wicket.
Brief Scores:
South Africa women: 157 all
out in 41 overs (Lara Goodall
49, Sune Luus 36; Jhulan
Goswami 4/42, Rajeshwari
Gayakwad 3/37).
India women: 160 for 1 in
28.4 overs (S Mandhana 80
not out, P Raut 62 not out; S
Ismail 1/46). More on P7
BRACING COVID IMPACT
Yogiforpromotingstudentsuptoclass8thsansexams
First India Bureau
Lucknow: For the sec-
ond consecutive year,
examinations up to
Class 8 will not be held
in Uttar Pradesh gov-
ernment-run schools.
Due to the pandemic
conditions, the state
government has decid-
ed to promote students
till Class 8 to the next
class without examina-
tion. According to
sources, while UP Chief
Minister Yogi Adity-
anath has reportedly
given his nod to the pro-
posal, a formal order is
yet to be issued in this
regard.
The assessment of
students will be done on
the basis of their per-
formance throughout
the academic session.
Last year, in 2020, stu-
dents up to Class 8 were
also promoted without
examinations, on the
basis of internal assess-
ment. Schools, thereaf-
ter, were closed for the
next tens due to Covid
19 pandemic.
Classes of Primary,
Secondary and Higher
education were sus-
pended in March last
year due to the outbreak
of Covid-19 pandemic.
While classes for IX to
XIII were started again
in November last year,
schools were allowed to
be reopened Turn to P6
ALL DECKED UP: CM Yogi inspecting the Bundelkhand
Expressway progress in Jalaun on Tuesday. He was all geared up
with safety measures during the stint.
EXAMS FOR IX & XI
Due to the pandemic
conditions, the state
government has
decided to promote
students till Class 8 to
the next class without
examination
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LUCKNOW l WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 116
WILL REACH PARLIAMENT ON LAKHS OF
TRACTORS TO SEEK REPEAL OF THE THREE
NEW FARM LAWS IF NEEDED: BKU’S TIKAIT
PM MODI INAUGURATES MAITRI SETU BETWEEN
INDIA AND BANGLADESH TO BOOST CONNECTIVITY
AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora took his first shot of Covid-19 vaccine at
the Nirvachan Sadan along with Election Commissioners on Tuesday. P6
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishna Advani was on Tuesday
administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at AIIMS in New Delhi.
BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday received his first shot of the COVID-19
vaccine in Delhi. He was administered the jab by nurse Remya PC at Fortis in New Delhi.
WHO’S WHO GET COVID JAB
Dehradun: Ending
days of speculation
amid disquiet within
the ruling BJP in Utta-
rakhand, Chief Minis-
ter Trivendra Singh
Rawat on Tuesday sub-
mitted his resignation
to Governor Baby Rani
Maurya.
“I have submitted my
resignation as the chief
minister to the Gover-
nor today
. BJP legisla-
ture party meeting is
scheduled to be held at
10 am tomorrow at the
party office,” Rawat
said while addressing a
press conference.
Accepting his resig-
nation, the Governor
has asked Rawat to be
the caretaker CM till a
new candidate is select-
ed for the post.
Rawat’s resignation
comes a day after he
met BJP national presi-
dent JP Nadda in
Delhi. Party
sources said
that prior
Turn to P6
New Delhi: India called
in the British High
Commissioner today to
express its disapproval
of the discussions on
farmers’ protest and
press freedom in the
British parliament, call-
ing it “gross interfer-
ence” and “votebank
politics”. This is the
first time the govern-
ment of another nation
has officially conducted
internal discussions on
the protests, which have
been continuing for
more than 100 days.
The 90-minute debate
was held on Monday,
during which several
MPs of the Labour par-
ty, Liberal democrats
and the Scottish Nation-
al Party raised concern
over the Indian govern-
ment’s reaction to the
protests.
The UK government
had responded that
concerns will be
raised with India
when both Prime Min-
isters meet in person.”
Turn to P6
India summons
ambassador
over UK debate
on farm laws
FEEDBACK FROM MLAs OF BELOW
PAR PERFORMANCE COST HIM POST
THE STORM AGAINST TRIVENDRA
WAS BREWING SINCE LAST YEAR
Trivendra Singh Rawat had several meetings in Delhi
with the BJP leadership, who reportedly received
feedback from party MLAs in Uttarakhand that the Chief
Minister’s below par performance would cost the party
in polls due by February. The move to replace him a
year before elections is unusual, given that it is often
seen as a vote of no-confidence by the party in its own
government. It is also a rare move by the BJP to replace
a Chief Minister for non-performance. Former Chief
Minister Harish Rawat of the Congress attacked the BJP,
calling Mr Rawat’s removal an admission of failure.
Even Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, which is
trying to register its presence in Uttarakhand said,
“In four years the BJP did not do a single thing on
the basis of which it can seek votes. They are trying
to hide their failures.
In December last year, when Nadda had visited
Dehradun, RSS functionaries had conveyed that
the BJP can win the 2022 Assembly elections only
if it takes party workers along. Rawat’s govern-
ment has since come under the scanner following
last month’s flood in Chamoli when it pushed to
resume work on projects suspended by the apex
court. Earlier, in October 2020, the High Court had
ordered a CBI probe into allegations made by a
journalist in a video, accusing Rawat of allegedly
getting money transferred to relatives in 2016 to
back the appointment of a person in Jharkhand.
The Supreme Court had stayed the order.
SC dismisses PIL challenging EC’s
decision of 8-phase Bengal polls
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Tues-
day dismissed the PIL
filed by an advocate,
Manohar Lal Sharma,
challenging the Elec-
tion Commission of In-
dia’s (ECI) decision re-
garding 8-phase West
Bengal Assembly polls.
A three-judge bench
of the Apex Court,
headed by Chief Justice
of India (CJI) Sharad
Arvind Bobde and also
comprising Justices A S
Bopanna and V Ra-
masubramanian dis-
missed the petition filed
by petitioner-cum-law-
yer, Sharma.
SC also dismissed the
petition of Sharma,
who sought a CBI probe
into the alleged use of
‘Jai Shri Ram’ as a ral-
lying slogan in the poll
run-up. Sharma stated
that the EC had said
that the election in West
Bengal will be held in
eight phases. The peti-
tioner demanded a stay
on the order of the EC.
Sharma in his plea
has said that the order
of the EC violated arti-
cle 14 and 21 of the Con-
stitution. —ANI
Uttarakhand CM Rawat steps
down amid disquiet in state BJP
BJP legislature
party in state will
meet today to
choose new leader
Dhan Singh
Rawat appears to
be the frontrunner
for the top post
BEGGING NOT TO SHOOT CHILDREN
A nun went down on her knees in front of policemen in a northern Myanmar town and
pleaded to stop shooting protesters agitating against last month’s coup. Video showed Sister
Ann Rose Nu Tawng in a white robe kneeling on a street in the town of Myitkyina, speaking
to two policemen who were also kneeling. “I said, I don’t want to see any trouble here and
can’t leave if police don’t leave,” she said. “I begged them not to shoot the children.”
Trivendra Singh Rawat
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
02
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First India Bureau
Jhansi: UP Cam
launched online facility
of class room training
for ‘Mukhyamantri Ab-
hyudaya Yojana’ at Gov-
ernment Inter College,
Jhansi district.
Abhyudaya’
Wishing the best to
the aspirants, CM Yogi
said that this coaching
would definitely benefit
all the underprivileged
children coming from
families with lack of fi-
nancial resources. “The
hardships of the chil-
dren coming from re-
mote areas forced them
to leave their dreams,
this coaching will take
care of every issue that
they face”, he said.
There will be a provi-
sion of doubt solving
session which will help
the candidates to choose
the best field for them
which will also be ac-
companied by discus-
sions with experts as
guest lecturers who will
help them with quick
preparation and tech-
niquestowritecrispand
appropriate answers in
the exam.
Facility of e-learn-
ing platform at the
state level: To enable
the candidates to get
quality study material
with ease, an e-learning
content platform is be-
ing created at the state
levelunderthedirection
of the Divisional Com-
missioner of Lucknow
for the students.
Abhyuday Yojana to rekindle dreams of poor students: CM Yogi
RAY OF HOPE
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Bandai Dam situated in Lalitpur.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: In a bid to
mollify farmers agitat-
ing over the three new
farm laws, the Yogi gov-
ernment has decided
to hike the Mini-
mum Support Price
(MSP) of wheat by Rs
50 per quintal.
It has decided to in-
crease the MSP to Rs
1,975 per quintal on
wheat, which is to be
purchased at around
6,000 purchase cen-
tres set up by the gov-
ernment from April
1. Earlier the MSP on
wheat in the state was
Rs 1,925 per quintal.
The decision was
taken in the state cab-
inet meeting held on
Monday night
through circula-
tion.
Official sources
on Tuesday said all
the wheat purchas-
es would be made
through E-Pop ma-
chines to prevent any
corruption. All the
purchases would also
be linked with Aadhar.
In another decision, the
government has ap-
proved single step deliv-
ery of foodgrains from
FCI godowns to the re-
tail PDS outlets through
GPS fitted vehicles.
In a yet another deci-
sion, the government
has approved the ser-
vice rule of the techni-
cal cadre employed in
the distilleries.
The State cabinet has
also decided to consti-
tute a judicial one-man
inquiry commission to
probe into alleged en-
counter of shooter
Girdhari Sharma alias
Kanhaiya Vishwakar-
ma on February 15,
2021. Sharma had over
23 criminal cases
against him and car-
ried a reward of Rs 1
lakh reward on his head
from Varanasi before he
was dramatically ar-
rested in Delhi on Janu-
ary 10 after his role sur-
faced in the sensational
shootout in which ma-
fioso turned politician
Mukhtar Ansari’s
henchman Ajit Singh,
who was killed at
Kathauta crossing in
Lucknow.
CM Yogi has decided
to get the Rs 7.54
crore corruption mat-
ter by State Bank of
India’s Gola Gokaran
Nath Branch in
Lakhimpur district
investigated by
the CBI.
UP CM has deeply
mourned the death of
people in a road accident
in Chitrakoot. He has ex-
pressed his condolences
to the bereaved families
of the dead and di-
rected officials to provide
prompt treatment.
Chief Minister Yogi
made an on-site in-
spection of development
works for the avail-
ability of clean drink-
ing water in Budhpura
village of Jhansi district
and addressed a public
meeting there.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath during his visit to
the Bundelkhand region of the state said projects worth Rs 1,100
crore were inaugurated and foundation stones of another Rs 564
crores work were laid. The region of Bundelkhand has never wit-
nessed such a developmental spree.
All purchases are likely to be conducted using E-Pop machine to prevent corruption
IN A BID TO PACIFY AGITATING
FARMERS, CM YOGI RAISES MSP
BANDA, MAHOBA,
CHITRAKOOT TODAY
First India Bureau
Lucknow: A high-level
committee meeting of a
district-one product
program was held un-
der the chairmanship
of Uttar Pradesh Chief
Secretary and Industri-
al Development Com-
missioner Rajendra Ku-
mar Tiwari.
In his address, the
Chief Secretary asked
the Deputy Commis-
sioner, Industries to
take steps to promote
the “Udyam Sarathi”
app among handicraft
artisans so that they
can make complete
use of the applica-
tion.
The Chief Secre-
tary further added
that all plans of the
ODOP program have
been made online due
to which all the hand-
icrafts artisans will
be able to apply for all
the ODOP schemes
through the online
portal.
It was decided in the
meeting to set up the
proposed modern tool-
room, R&D Lab and
CFC Industry 4.0 in
Ghaziabad. Proposal for
for the Testing Lab of
Gautam Buddha Nagar,
Zari Processing Facility
at Chandauli, Jaggery
Crushing and Blending
Unit at Ayodhya and
Dyeing Facility (includ-
ing ETP) at Sitapur was
also approved in the
meeting.
Additional Chief Sec-
retary
, Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises,
Navneet Sehgal was
also present in the
meeting and in his ad-
dress said that the
“Udyam Sarathi” appli-
cation has been devel-
oped to promote entre-
preneurship as well as
to educate people about
the production process-
es in industries.
Chief Secretary RK Tiwari presides over a high level meet. ACS
(MSME) Navneet Sehgal was also present at the meet.
ODOP review: Promote Udhyam Sarthi App,instructs CS
GUV MEETS GUV
Kerela Governor Arif Mohammad Khan paid a courtesy visit to UP Governor Anandiben
Patel at her official residence.
Yogi inspects development works in Jhansi’s Budhpura village with BJP’s state
President, Swatantra Dev Singh and Minister of Jal Shakti, Mahendra Singh.
‘Previous regimes
neglected B’khand’
First India Bureau
Jhansi:UttarPradesh
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath,ddressing
apublicmeetingatthe
GovernmentInterCol-
legegroundinJhansi,
described the three
agricultural laws as
beingintheinterestof
farmers and blamed
opposition parties for
the farmers’ agitation
over them stressing,
“Whenever there is
talk of prosperity and
security in India,
some people, who do
not like development,
get a stomach ache
and start stalling de-
velopment work.”
He pointed out, if
any previous govern-
ment had done devel-
opment work after
Independence, Bun-
delkhand would have
been a paradise on
the earth.
CM Yogi takes stock of the progress of the Smart City
projects in Jhansi’s on Tuesday.
B’khand to shine on
tourism map soon
First India Bureau
Jalaun: Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath
said on Tuesday that
Bundelkhand will be-
come a major tourism
hub after construction
of the Bundelkhand ex-
pressway.
“By November end,
the construction works
will be finished, provid-
ing immense potential
for triggering economic
activities in the re-
gion,” he said. Inspect-
ing the Yamuna River
bridge on Bundelkhand
expressway, the CM in
said that once complete
in November, the proj-
ect will spur economic
activities and give a di-
rection to the region’s
development.
“Once the Bun-
delkhand expressway is
constructed, it would go
a long way in ensuring
socio-economic devel-
opment of the area”, he
claimed.
The CM added that
the lands along the ex-
pressway will devel-
oped as an industrial
area, providing employ-
ment opportunities.
Bundelkhand will
also become a major
centre of tourism after
the construction of the
expressway
, he said. Ap-
preciating farmers, the
CM said that they gave
their land for the ex-
pressway in support.
The 296-km expressway
is being constructed at
Rs 14,849.09 crore and
will connect the Bun-
delkhand region with
the Agra-Lucknow Ex-
pressway. The Bun-
delkhand expressway
will start from Chitra-
koot district and end at
Etawah on the
Agra-Lucknow Ex-
pressway. It will pass
through Chitrakoot,
Banda, Mahoba, Hamir-
pur,JalaunandEtawah.
A 103-yr-old becomes the oldest
person in UP to get COVID jab
First India Bureau
Noida: : A 103-year-old
Noida resident was ad-
ministered the
COVID-19 vaccine Tues-
day, becoming the old-
est person yet in Uttar
Pradesh’s Gautam Bud-
dh Nagar district to
have got inoculated
against the deadly coro-
navirus.
Mahabir Prasad Ma-
heshwari was accompa-
nied by seven senior
citizen members of his
family who took the
vaccine too at a private
hospital in the city
.
“My father is feeling
fit and fine,” Mahesh-
wari’s eldest son Sudar-
shan Dayal (81) in-
formed after the family
members took the jab.
“My father’s age as
per official documents
is 103 years but he says
he could be 106 or 107,”
he added.He said there
are 10 people in his joint
family living in their
house in Sector 12 of
which seven “senior cit-
izens” including him-
self went to Kailash
Hospital on Tuesday
.
Kailash Hospital
spokesperson V B Joshi
confirmed the first dose
of vaccination to the
Maheshwari family
.
—FILE PHOTO
CM reviews development blueprint of Bundelkhand region.
Yogi Speaks
Yogi Speaks

The Abhyuday
coaching
centres are
being set up
under direct
supervision of
CM Yogi
Adityanath at the
divisional levels
E-WAY CRITICAL FOR
DEFENCE CORRIDOR
LALITPUR AIRPORT
ON THE ANVIL

UTTAR PRADESH
03
TWO FRIENDS FOUND
DEAD AT UNNAO
GANGA GHAT
STF GETS 2-DAY
CUSTODY OF
ARRESTED PFI MEN
TWO KILLED, FOUR INJURED AS
TRUCK HITS TEMPO
FOUR MEMBERS OF AKEEL ANSARI
GANG ARRESTED IN LUCKNOW
Lucknow: The police have arrested four members
of Akeel Ansari gang under charges of threatening
for ransom and recovered mobile phones used for
thecrime.Policesourcesheresaidarrestedaccused
were identified as Mohammad Rubin, Azeem, Azaz
Ahmad and Javed. It was reported that Akeel was
threateningsomebusinessmenforransomfromjail
and his gang members were executing his orders.
Kanpur: Two friends
who left home two days
back, were found dead
near Chandan Ghat un-
der Ganga Ghat area in
Unnao. Police rushed to
the spot after informa-
tion and initiated the
investigation. Police
said that Sandeep Pal
(28) and Abhilash Shuk-
la (27) were good
friends. Both of them
had left their houses
two days back for hair
cutting. When they did
not return, family mem-
bers informed the po-
lice about it.
Mathura: A court
here on Tuesday
granted the STF two-
day custody of two
Popular Front of In-
dia (PFI) activists
held last month for
allegedly plotting to
execute a series of
blasts in UP. Ansad
Badruddin and Firoz
Khan,bothKeralana-
tives, were arrested
from Lucknow by the
UP ATS and a huge
cache of arms and
ammunition,werere-
covered from their
possession.
CRIME ROUND UP
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Facing acute
financial crisis, the Ut-
tar Pradesh Power Cor-
poration Limited (UPP-
CL) has shot off a circu-
lar to all power distribu-
tion companies (dis-
coms) to strictly main-
tain fiscal discipline to
improve the health of
the corporation.
According to infor-
mation the cumulative
deficit of the UPPCL,
which controls discoms,
has touched around Rs
80,000 because of the an-
nual gap between reve-
nue collection and ex-
penditure. It is likely to
further go up as the cor-
poration plans to pur-
chase additional power
during forthcoming
summer season and also
toensuresupplytorural
areas during the Pan-
chayat election next
month. Chairman UPP-
CL M Devraj instructed
the discoms in the circu-
lar to be vigilant in
awarding contract, capi-
tal expenditure and oth-
er financial work in
their respective dis-
coms. While unpaid
bills of power consum-
ers are mounting exor-
bitantly the revenue gap
is around Rs 5,000 crore.
Thus,allsanctionsfor
capital expenditure for
the commencement of
new work under the dis-
com business will not be
given below the level of
managing director and
the MD will accord sanc-
tion only after approval
from concerning dis-
com’s board of direc-
tors. According to infor-
mation UPPCL showed
that 9,92,526 consumers
with a billed amount
above Rs 1 lakh owed the
corporation Rs 29,746.23
crore. Among four dis-
tribution companies
(discoms) under UPP-
CL,theVaranasidiscom
alone was yet to be paid
Rs 11,595 crore by 4.48
lakh defaulters each of
whom has dues over Rs
1 lakh. The Agra discom
with Rs 9192 crore pow-
er dues against 2.71 lakh
consumers is second.
The Meerut discom has
Rs4,859croreduespend-
ing against 1.84 lakh
consumers. The Luc-
know discom is owed Rs
4,093 crore by 1.32 lakh
consumers each with ar-
rears of over Rs 1 lakh.
The circular further
said that MDs would en-
sure that tenders for
new work were invited
after the evaluation of
requirement of work
and only when the budg-
et for that particular
work was available. The
circular further pointed
out that genuine re-
quirement would be cri-
teriafortheexpenditure
and financial sanction
and not the concerned
officers’powerforfinan-
cial sanction. The offic-
ers have thus been
warned of strict action
if they were found flout-
ing the directives. De-
spite huge losses, the
government for political
reasons has abstained
from power tariff hike.
It has also planned to
further increase power
supply to rural areas
during Panchayat polls.
UPPCL headquarters at Shakti Bhawan in Lucknow. —FILE PHOTO
Fundstung UPPCLraps discoms,urgesfiscaldiscipline
Cumulative losses of Power Corp reach Rs 80k cr; About 1 m customers owe Rs 30k cr; Officials warned of action for flouting directives
—FILLE PHOTO
Man held for performing
last rites of CM Yogi
Man awarded capital
punishment for rape
SeerslaudcleanYamunaaslakhs
takedipduringShahiSnan
MLA’s son accuses
wife of honey-trapping
‘UP sees 38% rise in exports in last three years’
First India Bureau
Ballia: A man was ar-
rested here after he al-
legedly placed a photo-
graph of Uttar Pradesh
CM Yogi Adityanath on
the bank of the Ganga
and performed rites
usually associated with
death, according to the
police.
Additional Superin-
tendent of Police (ASP)
Sanjay Yadav said Reo-
ti area’s Dalchhapra
village resident Brijesh
Yadav was arrest on the
complaint of five pan-
dits, who alleged that
the accused took them
to Pachrukhia Ghat of
the Ganga after mis-
leading them.
Yadav had asked
them for a “Ganga pu-
jan”, the complainants
alleged.
He later allegedly
perfomed a “pind daan”
by placing Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath’s
photograph there and
made a video of it,
which he uploaded on
social media.
Police have regis-
tered an FIR against
him under IPC Sec-
tions 420 (fraud), 504
(intentional insult with
intent to provoke
breach of peace) and
505 (statement conduc-
ing to public mischief)
and Section 66 of the
IT Act.
Locals said the ac-
cused claimed to be a
Samajwadi Party work-
er, a charge denied by
the party.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: A court in
UttarPradesh’sJaunpur
district has awarded
capital punishment to a
man, who raped an
11-year-old girl last year,
aseniorofficialsaidhere
on Tuesday
.
ThespecialProtection
of Children from Sexual
Offences (POCSO) court
in Jaunpur sentenced
Bal Govind to death on
Monday for raping the
girl in August 2020, ACS,
Home, Awanish Kumar
Awasthi said in a state-
ment issued here.
The court also im-
posed a fine of Rs 10,000
on the convict.
Govind had abducted
the girl and later raped
her in a village in Madi-
yahu area. An FIR in
this regard was regis-
tered by the girl’s father.
Awasthi said it was
due to effective follow-
up of the case by the po-
lice in the court that the
decision came in only
seven months.
First India Bureau
Mathura: The second
Shahi Snan’ (auspicious
bath) took place at the
Vrindavan Kumbh here
on Tuesday amid pomp
and splendour.
It was heartening to
see a grand welcome ex-
tended by residents of
Mathura to Shahi Pesh-
vai’ followed by Shahi
Snan, Nirmohi Ani
Akhara head Mahant
RajendraDassaid.Upset
over pollution in the Ya-
muna at the Devarha
Ghat on the first Shahi
Snan, the Nirvani Ani
Akhara, Digambar Ani
Akhara and the Nirmo-
hi Ani Akhara had on
Feb 27 declared that
they would boycott tak-
ing a dip in the next one
if the water was not
clean.Lakhsof pilgrims
took a dip in the Yamu-
na as part of the festivi-
ties, said Nagendra
Pratap, CEO, UP Braj
Teerth Vikas Parishad.
Janardan Misra
Lucknow: In a dramat-
ic sequence Ayush, son
of BJP MP Kaushal
Kishore accused his
wife of honey trapping
him into marriage and
said that his in-laws
were behind the deadly
attack on him. Ayush
released a video, which
went viral on social me-
dia,sayingthathewould
surrender before the po-
lice.
He claimed that he
did not plan the shoot-
ing; rather his wife An-
kita was mastermind
behind the attack on
him. He alleged that he
marriedhiswifeagainst
hisfamily’swishbutshe
cheated on him. He also
claimed that Ankita was
married to Pradeep Ku-
mar Singh and the cou-
ple had not been di-
vorced yet.
Ayush’s elder brother
Vikas Kishore also said
that Ayush was inno-
cent while Ankita, said
that her husband was
lying on pressure of his
family
.
Also, Chandan Gupta,
accused of firing on
Ayush, released a video
saying his life was in
grave danger. He alleged
that Ayush had taken
around Rs 8 lakh from
him and when he asked
for his money Ayush
threatened him to trap
infakecases.Heclaimed
that he has evidences
against Ayush and
pleaded to save his life.
Ayush was shifted to
trauma centre on March
2 when he was shot at in
Madiyon area. He told
cops that some miscre-
ants tried to kill him
when he was on walk
with his brother-in-law
Adarsh. In probe it was
revealed that Ayush was
lying and he himself
had planned the attack
on him. Case was regis-
tered against him on
statement of Adarsh.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Sidharth
Nath Singh, Minister
of Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises,
Investment and Ex-
port Promotion inau-
gurated the 15-day
Virtual Trade Fair at
Khadi Bhavan. In his
address, he said that
under the ‘Virtual
Trade Fair’, the pro-
ducers and exporters
of the state will be
able to display their
art and products suc-
cessfully to national
and international buy-
ers. He added that ad-
ditional facilities are
being provided by the
state government to
manufacturers and ex-
porters to promote
brand UP
.
Uttar Pradesh ac-
counts for 4.55 per cent
of India’s total exports.
Sidharth Nath said that
in Uttar Pradesh, ex-
ports have increased
from Rs 84,000 crore to
Rs 1.20 lakh crore
which means there was
an increase of 38% in
the last three years. He
added that the state has
a target of exporting
products worth Rs.3
lakh crore in the next
three years and to
achieve the target spe-
cial emphasis will be
given on effective poli-
cies and institutional
interventions.
Sidharth Nath men-
tioned that engineering
and sports goods, de-
fense equipment and
agro-processed prod-
ucts will get special pri-
ority while being ex-
ported from the state.
‘Illegal’
Shine City
demolished
ACS Awasthi instructs to pace up
resolution of cyber-crime matters
First India Bureau
Lucknow: In series of
actions against illegal
construction in state
capital, Lucknow Devel-
opment Authority
(LDA) has demolished
illegal township of
Shine City builder in
Mohanlalganj.
LDA sources here
said that illegal town-
ship was being con-
structed in about 10
acres of land in Mohan-
lalganj. Owners and di-
rectors of Shine city
private limited were on
the run as they have
looted huge money
from investors hoping
for home.
Senior LDA officials
including DK Singh
were in the team that
demolished illegal con-
struction of disputed
builder. It was reported
that several criminal
cases were lodged
against Shine city di-
rectors including
Rashid Naeem, Asif
Naeem, Neha Bharti
and others and police
have launched man-
hunt to nab the culprits.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Additional
Chief Secretary, Home
Awanish Kumar
Awasthi has instructed
all cyber crime police
stations to speed-up re-
solving cyber-crime
matters on priority
.
In an advisory re-
leased here Awasthy
said that all Additional
Director General of Po-
lice (ADGs) and Super-
intendents of police
(SPs), having charge of
cyber-crime, should su-
pervise developments
in cyber-crime police
stations in their areas.
ACS Home also in-
structed that thorough
review of the proceed-
ings should be done by
senior police officials
during their visit to
concerned police sta-
tions and all possible
steps should be taken to
speed-up the process of
providing relief. It was
reported that 83 cases
were resolved out of 331
registered cases in cy-
ber-crime and 227 ac-
cused were arrested in
that references.
Awasthi also in-
structed that CUG num-
bers of officials related
to the cyber-crime cell
should be promoted on
social media and other
mediums.
Minister Sidharth Nath Singh inaugurating the fair virtually on Tuesday.
Also present ACS MSME Navneet Sehgal along with other officials.
Ayush and Ankita —FILE PHOTO
ACS Home Awanish Awasthi
Chitrakoot: Two people died and four more were
injuredwhenatempotheyweretravellinginwashit
byatruckhereonTuesday
,thepolicesaid.Thetruck
hitthetempoaround2pminthePahadistationarea,
following which six injured people were rushed to a
hospital, they said. SHO of Pahadi police station
Awadhesh Mishra said Mukhiya Yadav (50) and Vi-
nod Kumar (36) succumbed to injuries.
First India Bureau
New Delhi/Ayodhya:
The Airports Authori-
ty of India (AAI) has
sanctioned Rs 242 crore
for development of a
state-of-the-art airport
in Ayodhya, Civil Avia-
tion Minister Hardeep
Singh Puri said on
Tuesday.
The airport will
“hugely benefit” visi-
tors and pilgrims, he
said.
A Ram temple is be-
ing constructed in Ayo-
dhya in Uttar Pradesh
after the Supreme
Court paved the way
for it. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had on
August 5 last year per-
formed the “bhoomi
pujan” of the temple
kick-starting its con-
struction.
Puri said on Twitter,
“In good news for civil
aviation connectivity
for Ramjanmsthali
Ayodhya, AAI has sanc-
tioned Rs 242 crore for
development of the
state-of-the-art airport
in the holy city. This
airport will hugely
benefit visitors & pil-
grims. I want to thank
@UPGovt for its coop-
eration in this regard.”
Around 270 acres of
land has been made
available by the Uttar
Pradesh government
for the first phase of
airport development,
he noted.
“ATR72 aircraft op-
erations will begin in
the first phase. Addi-
tional land (558 acres)
is being acquired by
the state govt for fur-
ther upgradation of the
airport for operation of
wide body aircraft in
Phase-2,” he men-
tioned.
AAI okays Rs 242 crore for Ayodhya airport
State-of-the-art airport to come up on
270 acres; 558 acres more to be added
Seers being greeted at Mathura.

Vol 1 Issue No. 116 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Amar Ujala Ltd. B-5 Amausi Industrial Area Kanpur Road Lucknow.
Published at 98, Friend’’s Colony, Raheem Nagar, Dudouli Road, Madiyaon, Lucknow (UP). Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
he above lyrics
from the writer
“MayaAngelous”
wonderful poem
called ”Phenom-
enal Women” is
apt for sharing
with readers on this day:
March8,whentheworldover
women are celebrated and
recognized for their integral
role in all spheres. The entire
poem is a celebration of
womanhood just as today is.
While it is wonderful, that
we pause on this one day and
officially celebrates “wom-
anhood” it’s also important
to celebrate who we are eve-
ry day of the year or wher-
ever we feel like.
Our great country is re-
plete with examples across
centuries of the strong role
women have played, time and
again. Our history and our
present is coloured with vi-
brant hues of nurture and
growth provided by women
be it in their roles as moth-
ers, wife’s, daughters-in-law,
friend, councillor, educator,
and as a working woman. To
name a few from a never-end-
ing list, let’s take the example
of our honourable erstwhile
Prime Minister: Indira Gan-
dhi, who was the first and
only female prime minister
of a democratic India to date.
Let’salsolookatIndraNooyi,
former chairperson and CEO
of PepsiCo. She is consist-
ently ranked among the
world’s 100 most powerful
women; she is an amazing
example of what stellar
strength a woman can dis-
play in the corporate world.
Kamala Harris’s unprece-
dented successful political
path has shown Indian wom-
en that anything is possible
if you believe in yourself and
walk your talk. She is the
United States’ first female
vice president, the highest-
ranking female official in the
US history, and the first In-
dian Decent vice president.
In every field Indian wom-
an have been able to achieve
and to contribute in building
a better society
. Take exam-
ples of Kalpana Chawla, who
believed there is no such
thing as barriers and shooted
straight for the stars. Deepa
Karmakar, the gymnast over-
came her fears to go on to win
an Olympic medal for India.
Geeta Gopinath, Chief Econ-
omist of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) is the
second Indian and the first
woman to assume the posi-
tion. The list is endless.
If we look around us: in
our families, societies, com-
munity, city and state, we
find that there are so many
admirable women who we
can learn from.
While there is so much
progress there is also many
a trials and tribulation
when it comes to Indian
women from a typical north
India household. Our nur-
turing, conditioning, and
outlook are shaped by what
we see as children and in
most cases, the environ-
ment is far from liberating.
A majority of women in
Rajasthan and various other
states of north India are
caught in the web of old ta-
boos and stereotypical expec-
tations from some if not all
members of the respective
family
. While women want to
grow independent every-
where, not all of them have
been offered ample exposure,
orientation, or the know-how
to do so. Sadly many in rural
areas think marriage is the
ultimate culmination of all
things good in life. While
marriage is important, liter-
acy and financial independ-
ence are the need of the hour
forall,irrespectiveof gender.
Despite challenges, the fu-
ture seems positive, there is
no end to what we as humans
canachievethiswiththesup-
port of family and friends. In
recent years, women have es-
tablished themselves in pro-
fessions considered the bas-
tion of their male counter-
parts. From facing criticism
for joining the army, real es-
tate, police, or taking up jobs
as drivers, Guards women
have overcome challenges to
take on leadership roles.
In India and around the
world, efforts are being made
towards gender balancing.
Let this day be a reminder
that we must keep walking
the path of progress and
keep taking concrete steps
and tangible actions for all
men and women equally so
that we build a truly demo-
cratic nation, one that we
can be proud of and one that
reflects growth and progress
irrespective of gender.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
PALLAVI
SINGH
The writer is life coach, interpersonal skills
trainer storyteller, and has 18 years of work
experience in the services and hospitality industry
W MAN
ODAY
OF
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion-models size.
When I start to tell them,
They think I’m tellin’ lies.
I say “It’s in, the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride in my steps,
The curl of my lips. “
I’m a woman – Phenomenal woman, that’s me!
T
DESPITE CHALLENGES, THE FUTURE SEEMS POSITIVE,
THERE IS NO END TO WHAT WE AS HUMANS CAN
ACHIEVE WITH THE SUPPORT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
IN RECENT YEARS, WOMEN HAVE ESTABLISHED
THEMSELVES IN PROFESSIONS CONSIDERED THE
BASTION OF THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS
Finally, I would like to end with a quote “I am
a woman in the process. I am just trying like
everybody else. I try to take every conflict,
every experience and learn from it. Life is never dull.
–OPRAH WINFREY
IN-DEPTH
TRIVENDRA
RAWAT QUITS,
WILL BJP BREAK
THE JINX?
n a sudden development, Uttara-
khand Chief Minister Trivendra
Singh Rawat tendered his resigna-
tion. The office of the State’s chief
minister has been jinxed ever
since Uttarakhand came into being. Barring
ND Tiwari in 2002, no other chief minister
has completed his full term in the last 20
years’ of the State’s existence. The political
parties in the State are also under another
spell: if the reigning chief minister’s term is
cut short then the party is ousted from power
in the following election. Trivendra Singh
Rawat, incidentally
, was 10 days short of com-
pleting four years in office and the Assembly
elections in Uttarakhand are due in February
next year. Of course these superstitions don’t
mean much but that is how it has been so far.
A jinx is meant to be broken, like Yogi Adity-
anath is expected to break the one concern-
ing Noida.
Nityanand Swami, BS Koshyari, ND Ti-
wari (2007), retired Maj-General BC Khan-
duri, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. Six
months before the elections the party re-
moved Pokhriyal and re-appointed Khan-
duri as CM but lost the 2012 Assembly elec-
tion. Voters gave a fractured mandate in the
elections which followed. Congress managed
to form a government with the support of
Bahujan Samaj Party and Uttarakhand
Kranti Dal but it was short-lived. So were the
other governments which were formed---
three with Harish Rawat and one in which
Vijay Bahuguna was at the helm--- in a span
of five years. Besides four chief ministers in
a span of five years, also saw two phases of
the President’s rule. In fact Trivendra Singh
Rawat has been the second longest serving
chief minister of the State after ND Tiwari
and rightly said that he was fortunate to
serve for four years.
It is interesting to look at the reasons why
the BJP leadership asked Trivendra Singh
Rawat to demit office. There was said to be
unrest among party functionaries over the
chief minister’s style of working. Some party
leaders complained that bureaucrats were
ignoring their requests. Reports said that so
strong was the negative sentiment against
Rawat that his continuation, it was felt, could
lead to the party’s defeat in 2022 elections.
Chances of BJP breaking the jinx and
winning a second consecutive term in 2022
are quite bright as the Congress is unable to
keep its house in order. Already, Harish
Rawat and Indira Hridayesh factions are
fighting over who should be the CM face of
the party. If this is somehow resolved the
disgruntled members of the party would
cross over to the BJP.
What remains to be seen is if the party will
apply the same formula to effect changes in
some other states where BJP chief ministers
may have upset the RSS, some party members
and who may be heavily dependent only on a
set of bureaucrats.
I
urging greentech
stocks have led to
a debate about
whether we are on
the cusp of a Green Revolu-
tion, or yet another asset-
price bubble. In fact, both
interpretations are provi-
sionally correct, because
all now depends on wheth-
er governments will step in
to provide the necessary
rules, infrastructure, and
markets.
Following the tenfold
growth of Tesla’s stock be-
tween March 2020 and Jan-
uary 2021, the company’s
founder, Elon Musk, has
emerged as the avatar of
green innovation. The Te-
sla phenomenon has
spilled over into the rest of
the nascent electric-vehi-
cle (EV) industry, sprin-
kling stardust on a host of
green startups with un-
proven technologies and
minimal revenues.
As entrepreneurs and
private investors step in to
do what governments have
failed to do, some commen-
tatorsnowbelievea“Green
Revolution” is at hand.
Others, however, look at
the same picture and see
the early signs of a
“greentech bubble.”
The greentech (or clean-
tech) boom is indeed vul-
nerable. Like the earlier
digital boom that resulted
in the dot-com bubble of
the late 1990s, it is heavily
reliant on an outside force
that could suddenly recede
– namely, easy money. In
today’s environment of
low interest rates, the pre-
sent value of future cash
flows has been inflated,
and thus will plummet
were interest rates to rise.
For ten years now, cen-
tral banks have set policy
rates below the rate of in-
flation – which itself has
resided at historically low
levels. As a result, negative
real interest rates on safe
assets have pushed large
institutional and retail in-
vestors alike into riskier
assets yielding higher po-
tential returns. It is worth
remembering that just be-
fore the recent focus on
greentech stocks, the Big
Tech giants achieved ex-
tremely high valuations as
part of a broader “unicorn
bubble” in private mar-
kets, where “unconven-
tional” investors paid pre-
mium prices for unsellable
shares of what they hoped
would be the next FAANG
(Facebook, Apple, Amazon,
Netflix, Google) stock.
In any case, the US Fed-
eral Reserve has responded
to the COVID-19 crisis with
a commitment to keep its
policy rate near zero until
the US economy achieves
“maximum employment
and inflation averaging 2%
over time.” Yet, given the
rapid administration of
COVID-19 vaccines under
US President Joe Biden’s
administration, the stage
is being set for normaliza-
tion in capital markets.
So, the question is not
whether the green bubble
will burst (all bubbles do,
eventually), but whether it
will burst before the Green
Revolutionhasestablisheda
firm foothold. Will the capi-
tal mobilized by the current
boom be wasted, or will it be
embodied as the infrastruc-
tureneededtoturntherevo-
lution into the new normal?
Enjoy unlimited access
to the ideas and opinions
of the world’s leading
thinkers, including weekly
long reads, book reviews,
and interviews; The Year
Ahead annual print maga-
zine; the complete PS ar-
chive; and more – All for
less than $9 a month.
Effecting radical change
in energy supply and con-
sumption inevitably will
require what only the state
can provide: vast public in-
vestment and new rules of
the road (taxes and regula-
tions). We know this from
the history of the digital
revolution in the second
half of the twentieth cen-
tury, which I examined in
my book Doing Capitalism
in the Innovation Economy
.
In technological revolu-
tions,stateactorsmustplay
the initial leading role, by
establishing a politically
legitimate mission (such as
winning the Cold War) to
justifymassivespendingon
high-risk programs. Like-
wise, it is the state that
must fund upstream invest-
ment in basic research
whosepotentialreturnsare
too uncertain to motivate
the private sector. And, as a
novel technology matures,
the state creates a market
by serving as the first cus-
tomer, thereby pulling the
supply side of the innova-
tion economy down the
learning curve to low-cost,
reliable production.
PROJECTSYNDICATE
Are we on cusp of green revolution or price bubble?
S
“It is better to live in your own
destiny imperfectly than to
live an imitation of somebody
else’s life with perfection.”
—Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Signing of Share
Subscription-cum-
Shareholders Agreement
MoU between @IndianOilcl
@idco_odishafor Paradip
Plastic Park.
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
Hon PM Shri @
narendramodi Ji releases
11 volumes of manuscript
with commentaries by
21 scholars on Srimad
Bhagavadgita shlokas.

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INDIA
05
DEPLOYMENT OF CAPF
COMPANIES IN DELHI EXTENDED
New Delhi: Amid
the ongoing farmers
protest against the
three farm laws, the
Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) has extended
the deployment of 93
companies of Central
Armed Police Forces
(CAPF) in the national
capital till March 15 for
law and order duties.
“The MHA has extended
the deployment of 93
companies of CAPFs
including Central
Reserve Police Force
(CRPF), Border Security
Force (BSF), Indo-
Tibetan Border Force
(ITBP), Sashastra Seema
Bal (SSB) and Central
Industrial Security
Force (CISF) in Delhi till
March 15,” informed the
ministry on Tuesday.
MURALEEDHARAN SLAMS
KERALA CM PINARAYI VIJAYAN
Thiruvananthapuram:
Union Minister of
State, V Muraleedharan
on Tuesday hit back at
Kerala Chief Minister
Pinarayi Vijayan’s com-
ment after he called
Trivandrum Airport as
the hub of gold smug-
gling. Muraleedharan,
in response, alleged
that Kerala CM is trying
to duck away from his
responsibilities. Earlier
today, Vijayan while
addressing a gather-
ing said: “Trivandrum
Airport is under the
control of central gov.
How did Trivandrum
Airport become a hub
of gold smuggling.”
DELHI WILL BID FOR 2048
OLYMPICS, SAYS DELHI CM
New Delhi: Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal said that the
national capital will
bid to be the host of
the Olympics in 2048
adding that a vision
has been provided for
the same in the Delhi
Budget presented on
Tuesday. “A vision
has been provided in
Delhi Budget that 2048
Olympic games should
be held in Delhi. Delhi
will bid for the 2048
Olympics. We will take
up whatever infrastruc-
ture and other neces-
sities that are needed
to be created for it,” he
said.
JARKIHOLI DENIES ALLEGATIONS,
CLAIMS SEX TAPE IS ‘FAKE’
Bengaluru: Former Kar-
nataka minister Ramesh
Jarkiholi on Tuesday
denied allegations that
he had sexually exploited
a woman in return for a
government job, saying
that the scandal was a
conspiracy against him.
While addressing a press
conference in the state
capital here, Jarkholi fur-
ther claimed that he knew
about the purported sex
tape four months ago and
that it was “fake”. “It is a
conspiracy. I knew about
the CD four months back.
I was aware of it 24 hours
before its release. It is a
fake CD and the plan by
two-three people. I’m not
going to reveal anything
else. I won’t leave them
until they go to jail,” the
former BJP minister said.
TAX COLLECTION ON PETROL, DIESEL
UP 459% IN 7 YEARS; PRICE DOUBLED
Price of domestic cooking gas, LPG has doubled to Rs 819 per cylinder in the last seven years while the
increase in taxes on petrol and diesel has swelled collections by over 459 per cent: Dharmendra Pradhan
New Delhi: The tax col-
lected on the retail price
of petrol and diesel in
India has increased by
459 per cent in seven
years, according to oil
minister Dharmendra
Pradhan’s written reply
in Lok Sabha. He also in-
formed on Monday that
the price of liquified pe-
troleum gas (LPG) dou-
bled to Rs 819 per cylin-
der in the same period.
Pradhan had earlier
faced a spate of ques-
tions regarding rising
energy prices in the
country
. In a written re-
ply, Pradhan said that
the price of LPG was Rs
410.5 per 14.2-kilogram
cylinder on March 1,
2014. This has now in-
creased to Rs 819 per cyl-
inder in Delhi.
The steepest hike in
domestic cooking gas
came in the last few
months — from Rs 594
per cylinder in Decem-
ber 2020 to Rs 819 in
March 2021.
Between Nov 2014
and Jan 2016, the gov-
ernment had raised ex-
cise duty on petrol and
diesel on nine occa-
sions. —PTI
Price of LPG has now increased to Rs 819 per cylinder in Delhi.
SHARP INCREASE IN
FUEL TAX COLLECTIONS
New Delhi: At a time when fuel prices have
become a burden for citizens, Dharmendra Prad-
han’s reply indicated that there has been a 459 per
cent rise in taxes collected on petrol and diesel.
It may be noted that both petrol and diesel prices
are retailing at an all-time high. In Delhi, a litre
of petrol costs Rs 91.17 per litre and the same
quantity of diesel costs Rs 81.47. It is higher in
some other major cities like Mumbai, Chennai and
Kolkata. At present, taxes account for a retail price
of petrol and diesel. Pradhan said taxes collected
on the two fuels was Rs 52,537 crore in 2013 and
rose to Rs 2.13 lakh crore in 2019-20.
AFTER PETROL, NOW EDIBLE OIL PUTS KITCHEN
BUDGET ON FIRE, INCREASES UPTO 60%
New Delhi: Common man, reeling under high inflation is also facing double
attack on oil prices --both consumer fuel including petrol and diesel and edible
oil. On the one hand, where while prices of petrol
and diesel are constantly burning a hole in the
pocket of common man, now expensive edible oil
also seems to be spoiling the kitchen budget. In
the last one year, while there has been an increase
of 95% in the prices of crude on one hand, on the
other hand, the prices of various sorts of edible
oil have become expensive by 30 to 60%, which
is doubly hitting the consumer. Crude palm oil has
reached record highs. Soybean and Soya oil prices have also witnessed newer
highs with prices increasing between 30% to 60% in a year.
PM: Maitri Setu to
build Indo-Bangla
friendship biz
Didi recites Chandipath,
says ‘do not dare play
Hindu card with me’
Purba Medinipur
(West Bengal): West
Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee on
Tuesday recited Chan-
dipath as she launched
her poll campaign for
the Nandigram seat as-
serting that no one
should dare to play
‘Hindu card’ against
her, adding that the peo-
ple will make BJP ‘April
fool’ on the polling day
.
“Those who are talk-
ing about 70:30 ratio
should know that I read
‘Chandi path’ every
morning before leaving
home. I am the daugh-
ter of a Hindu family.
Do not dare to play the
Hindu card with me. I
challenge them to have
a competition with me
in ‘Chandipath’,” said
Banerjee while address-
ing a public meeting in
Nandigram where she
is contesting against
her aide-turned- rival
Suvendu Adhikari. She
further chanted shlokas
of ‘Chandipath’ on the
stage.
“They are insulting
the sacred Nandigram
movement and playing
thecommunalcard.Peo-
ple of Nandigram will
make BJP ‘
April fool’ on
April 1 during the poll-
ing,” asserted the chief
minister. —ANI
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Tuesday said that con-
nectivity is not only
strengthening friend-
ship between India and
Bangladesh but also
proving to be a strong
link for business.
The Prime Minister,
who inaugurated
‘Maitri Setu’ between
India and Bangladesh
today through a video
conference and also in-
augurated and laid the
foundation stone of
multiple infrastructure
projects in Tripura,
said efforts are under-
way to connect the Chit-
tagong port of Bangla-
desh with the northeast
through an alternative
route via the river.
He said rail and water
connectivity projects
that have been realized
in the recent years have
been strengthened with
the inauguration of the
bridge.
He said the entire re-
gion is being developed
as a trade corridor be-
tween northeast India
and Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister
said that the new bridge
will improve the con-
nectivity of south As-
sam, Mizoram and Ma-
nipur along with Tripu-
ra with Bangladesh and
southeast Asia.
PM Modi, who will
visit Bangladesh later
this month, said the
bridge will give an impe-
tus to the economic op-
portunities in the neigh-
bouring country also.
He thanked the Bang-
ladesh Government and
Prime Minister Shiekh
Hasina for cooperation
in the completion of the
bridge project. —ANI
IN THE COURTYARD
Mufti challenges ED summons in
Court, calls it harassment
Plea in HC to postpone Delhi
higher judicial exam 2019
New Delhi: PDP leader
Mehbooba Mufti has ap-
proached Delhi High
Court seeking quashing
of ED summons requir-
ing her to appear before
it on March 15 in con-
nection with a money
laundering case.
She has also chal-
lenged constitutional
vires of Section 50 and
any incidental provi-
sions of the Prevention
of Money Laundering
Act, 2002 (PMLA).
Mufti after receiving
the notice of summons
had also tweeted on
March 5 and said, “GOIs
tactics to intimidate po-
litical opponents to
make them toe their
line has become tedi-
ously predictable. They
don’t want us to raise
questions.” —ANI
New Delhi: A plea has
been filed in the Delhi
High Court seeking to
postpone Delhi Higher
Judicial Service Main
Examination-2019,
scheduled for March 13-
14, till the COVID-19
vaccination drive is
complete for lawyers.
The petition is filed by
Ravi Shekhar Mangal
Murti, one of the candi-
dates going to appear
for the examination,
who submitted that the
petitioner is suffering
from severe medical
conditions, leaving him
at risk if he contracts
coronavirus, a press re-
lease stated. The plea is
likely to come up for a
hearing on Tuesday.
The petition was filed
through advocates Adi-
tya Kapoor, Kushal Ku-
mar, Harsh Ahuja, and
Akash Deep Gupta, who
sought to quash of Feb-
ruary 18 notification is-
sued by the Delhi High
Court notifying the
schedule of the exami-
nations on March 13
and 14.
20% ETHANOL IN PETROL
TO CURB POLLUTION
New Delhi: The Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways (MORTH) has notified the use
of E20, a mix of 20 percent ethanol and 80
percent petrol.
A notification
was issued
late on March
8. The latest
notification
follows a
draft issued
by MORTH in
December that spoke about type approval of
pure ethanol, flex fuel and ethanol-gasoline
blend vehicles. The government earlier
invited comments and suggestions from
stakeholders against the draft.
GST: Centre
releases Rs
2,104 crore
to states
New Delhi: The Centre
on Monday released Rs
2,104 crore to states as
the 19th instalment to
compensate for the
shortfall in collection
of goods and services
tax. This has taken the
total amount released
so far through the spe-
cial borrowing window
to Rs 1.06 lakh crore.
“Till now, 96 per cent
of the total estimated
GST compensation
shortfall has been re-
leased to the states and
Union Territories with
legislative assembly
.
Out of this, an amount
of Rs. 97,242.03 crore has
been released to the
states and an amount of
Rs 8,861.97 crore has
been released to the
threeUTs,”financemin-
istry said on Tuesday
.
The Centre had set up
a special borrowing
window in October
2020, to meet the esti-
mated shortfall of Rs.
1.10 lakh crore in reve-
nue arising on account
of implementation of
GST.
I have a certain level: Scindia hits back at Rahul
New Delhi: BJP leader
Jyotiraditya Scindia
on Tuesday reacting to
Rahul Gandhi’s back-
bencher remarks said
that he did not wish to
comment as he has
maintained a certain
level in the past one
year and has always
stood above that level.
“I don’t wish to com-
ment as I have main-
tained a certain level in
the past one year and
has always stood above
that level.” Jyotiraditya
Scindia told reporters
in the parliament.
While speaking to
ANI, Scindia said it
would have been a dif-
ferent situation, had
Rahul Gandhi been con-
cerned the same way as
he is now when he was
in Congress.
“I wish Rahul Gandhi
was as concerned when
I was in the congress
party as he is when I am
not in the congress par-
ty that is all I want to
say on Rahul Gandhi
remarks,” he said.
Rahul, while inter-
acting with youth con-
gress national office-
bearers in Delhi yester-
day
, said, “Scindia could
have become a chief
minister with Con-
gress, but has become
backbencher in BJP.”
Last year in March
Scindia tendered his
resignation and men-
tioned ‘Time to move
on’, after having been a
primary member of the
Congress party for the
last 18 years.’ —ANI
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offering prayer at
Chandi Mandi in Nandigram on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

INDIA
06
Yogi for...
for Classes V to VIII on
February 9. Primary
schools were reopened
after almost a year on
March 1.
The Primary Educa-
tion and Secondary
Education Boards have
announced that they
will not hold the yearly
examinations for
Classes 1 to VIII for the
2020-2021 session. Stu-
dents will be promoted
through an assessment
of their past perfor-
mance and their class-
room activities.
Last year in March,
the basic education de-
partment had can-
celled its proposed an-
nual examinations
scheduled to be held
between March 23 and
28 after the outbreak of
Covid-19 and all stu-
dents from class 1 to 8
were promoted to the
next level without ex-
amination. “The gov-
ernment is ready with
a plan wherein when
the government de-
cides to reopen schools,
the teachers will carry
out a special drive of
100 days to facilitate
students to overcome
the learning deficit as
classroom teaching re-
mains disrupted. Al-
though teachers car-
ried out online teach-
ing but in want of mo-
bile phones and other
resources, a lot many
students missed out on
their lessons and re-
mained completely cut
off from teaching-
learning exercise,” an
official said.
Uttarakhand CM...
to meeting Rawat, Na-
dda held two rounds of
meetings with Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah, the party’s na-
tional general secre-
tary (organisation) B L
Santosh and general
secretary in charge of
Uttarakhand Dushyant
Gautam.
BJP sources in Utta-
rakhand said some
MLAs and factions in
the party had conveyed
their dissatisfaction
with the functioning of
Rawat’s government to
the central leadership
and the RSS. Senior
MLAs have also been
demanding the expan-
sion of the State Cabi-
net where three berths
have been lying vacant
for two years.
Rawat’s visit to Del-
hi came with just 10
days to go for his gov-
ernment to complete
four years, and two
days after BJP national
vice-president Raman
Singh held a meeting
of the party’s state
core committee in Deh-
radun as an “observer”
and spoke to members
separately.
Raman Singh had
also visited the RSS of-
fice to get feedback on
the situation.
In December last
year, when Nadda had
visited Dehradun, RSS
functionaries had con-
veyed that the BJP can
win the 2022 Assembly
elections only if it takes
party workers along.
Rawat’s government
has since come under
the scanner following
last month’s flood in
Chamoli when it
pushed to resume work
on projects suspended
by the apex court.
India summons...
New Delhi on Tuesday
said the Foreign Secre-
tary had summoned
the British envoy and
conveyed “strong oppo-
sition to unwarranted
and tendentious dis-
cussion on agricultur-
al reforms in India in
the British Parlia-
ment”. The official has
made it clear that this
represented a gross in-
terference in politics
of another democratic
country, the foreign
ministry said.
“He advised that Brit-
ish MPs should refrain
from practicing vote-
bank politics by misrep-
resenting events, espe-
cially in relation to an-
other fellow democra-
cy,” a statement from
the ministry read. The
debate had evoked a
sharp response from the
Indian High Commis-
sion in London yester-
day. “We deeply regret
that rather than a bal-
anced debate, false as-
sertions - without sub-
stantiation or facts -
were made, casting as-
persions on the largest
functioning democracy
in the world and its in-
stitutions,” the High
Commission had said in
a statement. “Foreign
media, including the
British media, are pre-
sent in India and have
witnessed the events
under discussion first-
hand. The question of
lack of freedom of the
media in India does not
arise,” it read.
In February, the US
had backed “peaceful
protests” by farmers.
Hailing the farm laws
as reforms in the agri-
culture sector, it said
they would “Improve
Efficiency”. In remarks
seen to indicate support
for the farm laws, the
US said, “In general, the
United States welcomes
steps that would im-
prove the efficiency of
India’s markets and at-
tract greater private
sector investment”.
FROM PG 1
10 IFS OFFICERS OF AGMUT CADRE
TRANSFERRED
The Ministry of Environment, Forest Climate
Change (MoEF) has issued orders for the transfer
of as many as 10 IFS officers of AGMUT cadre.
Accordingly, K B Singh, Higiya Bengia Abo, Millo
Tasser and S H K Murti have been posted to
Arunachal Pradesh; Ashok Kumar Paul and Ayub
Hassan to AN Islands; Thomas Varghese and
Joju P Alappatt to DDDNH; Mandeep Mittal to
Delhi and R S Singh was shifted to Mizoram.
2 IPS OFFICERS PROMOTED TO
JAG IN AP
Two IPS Officers of 2012 batch of Andhra
Pradesh cadre: Siddharth Kaushal and Vikrant
Patil have been promoted to the Junior
Administrative Grade (JAG) scale.
CAG G C MURMU APPOINTED
CHAIRMAN OF UN PANEL
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India
(CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu has been appointed
as the Chairman of the UN Panel of External
Auditors for 2021.
3 DA INSTALLMENTS TO CENTRAL
EMPLOYEES, PENSIONERS FROZEN
The government has decided to freeze three
installments of Dearness Allowance (DA)
and Dearness Relief to Central Government
employees and pensioners due from January 1
2020, July 1 2020 and January 1 2021 to tide
over the economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
RE-EMPLOYMENT OF G NARAYANA
RAJU AS SECRETARY, LEGISLATIVE
DEPT, EXTENDED
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)
has approved extension in the term of re-
employment of G Narayana Raju as Secretary,
Legislative Department on contract basis for a
further period of one year beyond March 31,
2021 i.e. upto March 31, 2022.
TRIPTI MATHUR MEHRA APPOINTED
CVO, SJVNL
Ms Tripti Mathur Mehra has been appointed
as CVO, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (SJVNL),
Shimla, under the Ministry of Power, for a period
of three years. She is an Indian Railway Accounts
Service (IRAS) officer of 1994 batch.
CHANDRASEKAR LAKSHMANAN
APPOINTED CVO, NLCIL
Chandrasekar Lakshmanan has been appointed as
CVO, NLC India Ltd. (NLCIL), Neyveli, under the
Ministry of Coal, for a period up to July 1, 2023
(combined five years). He is a 1997 batch IFS officer.
ANJAN DEY APPOINTED CMD,
ORIENTAL INSURANCE COMPANY
The ACC has approved the proposal of the
Department of Financial Services for appointment
of Anjan Dey, General Manager, the New India
Assurance Company Limited (NIACL), as
Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD), in
Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OlCL).
PRADOSH KUMAR BASU IS DIRECTOR
FINANCE, NALCO
The ACC has approved the proposal of the Ministry
of Mines for appointment of Pradosh Kumar Basu,
Chief Financial Officer, ONGC Petro Additions
Limited (OPAL) as Director (Finance) in National
Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) for 5 years.
R K SAXENA IS ADDITIONAL MEMBER,
RAILWAY STORES, RAILWAY BOARD
R K Saxena has been posted as Additional Member
(Railway Stores), Railway Board. He is an Indian
Railway Stores Service (IRSS) HAG officer.
ANSHUL BHARGAVA APPOINTED
DIRECTOR HR, POSOCO LTD.
The ACC has approved the proposal of the
Ministry of Power for appointment of Anshul
Bhargava to the post of Director (Human
Resources), Power System Operation
Corporation (POSOCO) Limited, for a period of
five years.
POWERGallery
By arrangement with: http://
whispersinthecorridors.com
Maharashtra: A lock-
down between March 13
and 31 was declared on
Monday in 11 hotspots
in Thane city by the
civic administration,
officials said.
The order, issued by
Thane Municipal Com-
missioner Vipin Shar-
ma, said the decision
was taken due to rise in
COVID-19 cases in
these areas in the past
few days.
It said all restric-
tions that were in place
during the nationwide
lockdown declared ear-
lier would be in force
during this time as
well. As on Monday
morning, the caseload
of Thane district was
2,69,845, including
6,302 deaths
Mumbai’s guardian
minister Aslam Shaikh
on Tuesday said that a
lockdown or a partial
lockdown in Mumbai is
not being ruled out
completely at this mo-
ment as Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray has
asked local authorities
to do whatever neces-
sary to contain the
spread of Covid-19 in-
fections in the city
.
The restrictive
measures can be a par-
tial lockdown or night
curfew or a complete
lockdown, or just amp-
ing up testing etc., the
minister said.
But the decision will
be entirely of the local
administration. —PTI
COVID-19 SCARE
AUTHORITIES IN MUMBAI CAN SOON
IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS, LOCKDOWN
15,388 new cases found, 77
more deaths: Health Ministry
New Delhi: With 15,388
fresh cases, India’s
COVID-19 tally has
climbed to 1,12,44,786,
while the number of
recoveries has surged
to 1,08,99,394, the Un-
ion health ministry
said on Tuesday.
The death count due
to the viral disease has
gone up to 1,57,930 in
the country with 77
more fatalities, the
ministry’s data updat-
ed at 8 am showed.
After registering an
increase for six con-
secutive days, the num-
ber of active COVID-19
cases has gone down to
1,87,462, accounting for
only 1.67 per cent of
the country’s total
caseload, while the
case fatality rate has
dropped to 1.40 per
cent. —PTI
Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra Rajiv Kumar get the jab on Tuesday.
Aircrew ‘medically unfit’ for flying
for 48 hours post vax: DGCA
New Delhi: Aviation
regulator DGCA said
pilots and cabin crew
members will not fly in
an aircraft for 48 hours
after being vaccinated
against coronavirus.“If
there are no symptoms
after 48 hours, the air
crew (which includes
pilots and cabin crew)
is fit to resume ‘’unre-
stricted’’ flying duties,”
the Directorate General
of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
said. Air crew will be
monitored for 30 min-
utes after taking the shot
at the vaccination centre
itself for any anaphy-
lactic and idiosyncratic
reaction, it said.
New Delhi: The Delhi
government on Tues-
day announced that
COVID-19 vaccination
will be administered to
people free-of-cost at
its hospitals in future
phases of the inocula-
tion drive too and a
provision of `50 crore
has been made in its
annual budget for this
scheme.The Deputy
Chief Minister Man-
ish Sisodia, who also
holds the finance port-
folio, while present-
ing a `69,000-crore
budget, said `9,934
crore has been allo-
cated to the healthcare
sector. —PTI
Delhi allocates `50 Cr in Budget
for free Vaccine at its hospitals
‘Will reach Parliament on
lakhs of tractors if needed’
Sheopur: Bharatiya
Kisan Union leader
Rakesh Singh Tikait on
Monday said that lakhs
of farmers in their
tractors would reach
Parliament to seek re-
peal of the three new
farm laws if needed.
Mr Tikait, one of the
prominent leaders of
farmer unions which
are protesting against
the Centre’s new laws,
addressed a huge rally
in MP’s Sheopur.
“If needed, we, on
lakhs of tractors will
reach Parliament to
press for the repeal of
the three black laws.
3,500 tractors entered
Delhi on R-Day. These
were not hired trac-
tors,” he said. Without
naming local BJP lead-
er and Union agricul-
ture minister Narendra
Singh Tomar, Mr Tikait
said he was powerless.
Rakesh Tikait
FARM ROW DEBATE
‘India should prepare
for borderless war’
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on
Tuesday said the coun-
try must prepare for a
borderless war as the
past practice of a
2.5-front war has be-
come obsolete.
“Indian forces are de-
signed to fight a 2.5
front war. This is now
obsolete. We must pre-
pare for a borderless
war,” he wrote on Twit-
ter. “It’s not about past
practices and legacy
systems. It’s about
transforming the way
we think and act as a
nation,” the former
Congress chief said. In-
dian forces are designed
to fight a 2.5 front war.
This is now obsolete.
We must prepare for a
borderless war. It’s not
about past practices
legacy systems. It’s
about transforming the
way we think and act as
a nation, Rahul said.
Rahul Gandhi
‘Arrest officer involved in Antilla bomb scare probe’
Mumbai: Leader of Op-
positioninMaharashtra
AssemblyDevendraFad-
navis on Tuesday de-
manded the arrest of
Mumbai Police officer
Sachin Vaze for his al-
leged involvement in the
death of Mansukh
Hiren, the man who
owned the vehicle that
triggered a scare outside
Reliance group chair-
man Mukesh Ambani’s
residence. Assistant Po-
lice Inspector Sachin
Vaze is currently serv-
ing in the Crime Intelli-
gence Unit and was the
Investigative Officer in
the Antilia bomb case at
the beginning of the
probe, before he was re-
placed by an ACP-level
officer. While speaking
in the Maharashtra As-
sembly
, Fadnavis asked,
“Why he is not being ar-
rested yet? if not under
302 (murder) why not
under Section 201 of IPC
(destroying evidence) at
least for now? Who is de-
fending him?” He also
readoutthestatementof
Hiren’swifeintheHouse
- “I suspect Police officer
Sachin Vaze has killed
my husband,” and made
several allegations
against Vaze while read-
ing out the statement.
“The Scorpio car of
Mansukh Hiren was
with Sachin Vaze for
four months from No-
vember last year to Feb-
ruary 2, 2021. —PTI
ECI removes WB
DGP Virendra; P
Nirajnayan to
take charge
New Delhi: Ahead of
West Bengal Assembly
Elections, ECI on Tues-
day, replaced the state’s
DGP Virendra after re-
viewing the poll prepar-
edness in the state. The
EC has appointed P
Nirajnayan as Bengal’s
new DGP with immedi-
ate effect. Moreover, the
central election body
has also stated that
Virendra will not be
given any post which
‘directly or indirectly’
relates to the conduct of
the election.
Earlier last week, the
EC had removed SP of
Howrah (Rural)
Soumya Roy from the
Bengal poll process af-
ter his wife received a
ticket from the ruling
TMC for the assembly
elections ensuing in
Bengal. In the mean-
while, WB BJP Presi-
dent Dilip Ghosh, along
with BJP candidate Ta-
pan Bhuiya held a road-
show here ahead of fil-
ing papers. Also, As-
sam CM Sarbananda
Sonowal filed his nomi-
nation from Majuli As-
sembly constituency
.

NEWS
07
OUTSTANDING
STANDS OUT
Recently, an outstanding
Additional Chief Secretary, got
shunted recently despite putting
up an exemplary performance for
the state government. Grapevine
has it that this trusted lieutenant
committed a ‘cardinal sin’ of
flagging down a file related to
construction of five airstrips at the
upcoming Ayodhya International
Airport. “The Guangzhou Baiyun
of China and Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta Airport in US are rated
as the world’s busiest airports.
And they have only four airstrips.
By what yardstick a blueprint
for five has been submitted with
a completion deadline of year
2041?”The question got the goat of
those batting for it and the pen-
pushing bureaucrat was abruptly
shifted to another department. The
officer, however, has no regrets. His
motto: Don’t let your loyalty become
slavery. If they don’t appreciate
what you bring to the table. Then let
them eat alone. —M Tariq Khan
LETTER DEMANDING
BUFFALO’S DNA TEST!
Aletter demanding DNA test of
a farmer’s stolen buffalo, that
was allegedly found in another
farmer’s stable recently reached
the Superintendent of Police of
Shamli.In August 2020, farmer
Chandrapal’s buffalo in Ahmadgarh
village was stolen after which a
case was filed with the police.
The cops had assured to find the
buffalo within 10 days. In the
meantime, Chandrapal searching
for his buffalo, found it with farmer
Satyaveer Singh of Beenpur village
in Saharanpur. Chandrapal called
the cops to Beenpur to verify the
buffalo. Satyaveer too claimed the
buffalo, which was supported by
village head and other villagers,
Chandrapal and the cops had to
leave then. Chandrapal has now
written a letter to SP, which read
that the mother of the buffalo is
still with him and hence the DNA
test of the mother buffalo and
the buffalo be conducted to find
the truth. —Amit Baliyan
INDIAN EVES OUTPLAY PROTEAS IN LKO
Lucknow: Senior pac-
er Jhulan Goswami’s
four-wicket haul was
beautifully comple-
mented by Smriti Man-
dhana’s sparkling 80
not out as Indian wom-
en outplayed South Af-
rica by nine wickets in
the second ODI to level
the five-match series 1-1
here on Tuesday
.
The 38-year-old Gos-
wami returned with
figures of 10-0-42-4 and
she was ably support-
ed by fellow seamer
Mansi Joshi (2/23) and
left-arm spinner
Rajeshwari Gayakwad
(3/37) as India dis-
missed South Africa
for a paltry 157 after
opting to field.
Opener Mandhana
(80 not out off 64 balls)
and Raut (62 not out, 89
balls) then shared an
unbeaten 138-run part-
nership for the second
wicket with India over-
hauling the target in
only 28.4 overs to
bounce back from their
eight-wicket loss in the
first ODI.
Mandhana blasted 10
fours and three sixes
while Raut dropped an-
chor at one end but also
hit eight boundaries.
Mandhana made her
intentions clear right
from the start when she
clubbed the first two
balls of her innings for
sixes off Shabnim Is-
mail (1/46). However,
India lost an early wick-
et when Jemimah Rod-
rigues (8 off 19 balls)
dragged one to the
stumps in the fifth over.
While Indian women
have not played for a
year before the ongoing
series, Jemimah’s poor
form dates back to the
World T20 time as she
hasn’t been amongst
runs for a considerable
period of time.
Raut then took some
time to get going but
Mandhana was in full
flow as she picked up
boundaries regularly to
keep the scoreboard
ticking.
If the short balls
were dispatched over
the ropes, one outside
the off-stump was sent
to the third-man bound-
ary with a deft late cut
and anything fullish
was driven through the
covers. Raut exploded
in the 15th over, blast-
ing two fours off Non-
kululeko Mlaba.
In the 20th over, Man-
dhana picked up succes-
sive fours to get to her
fifty in style, while Raut
crossed the 50-mark
with an innovative
short behind the keeper.
Mandhana eventually
scored the winning
runs with successive
fours in the 29th over.
Earlier, Lara Goodall
was the most successful
batswoman for the visit-
ing South African
squad as she scored a
77-ball 49, while skipper
Sune Luus chipped in
with a 57-ball 36.
Smriti Mandhana blasted 10
fours and three sixes scoring an
80 not out off 64 balls, after
India lost an early wicket
UP TEAM WINS
QUARTER FINAL
UP STF arrests
con man posing as
Army Captain,DSP
Zufar gets third term at
UP Sunni Waqf Board
Lucknow: Zufar Fa-
rooqui has been elected
for the third consecu-
tive term to the post of
Chairman of the Uttar
Pradesh Sunni Central
Waqf Board.
He defeated his near-
est rival Imran Mabud
Khan who was backed
by the SP by a slim mar-
gin of 1 vote. Zufar Fa-
rooqi had 6 votes while
Imran Mabud Khan had
5 votes.
In the election eight
elected and three nomi-
nated members exer-
cised their franchise.
On Friday, eight mem-
bers were elected unop-
posed and on the follow-
ing day the government
nominated three more
members.
The 11 members
were then called for a
meeting in the audito-
rium on the second
floor of Bapu Bhawan
Secretariat on 9th
March. These 11 mem-
bers were to elect the
Chairman of the Waqf
Board among them.
Varanasi: Uttar
Pradesh Special Task
Force (STF) has ar-
rested a perpetrator
for burgling with sev-
eral persons posing
as Army Captain and
deputy superinten-
dent of police, near
Saint Marry School
under Cantonment
police station area.
STF sources here
said that arrested ac-
cused Anand Kumar
alias Rajveer Singh
Raghuvanshi was
law student.
He had tried for
Army sepoy in 2008
but was unsuccess-
ful. After his failure
he planned to rob
people for Army re-
cruitment. He posed
as Army captain and
burgled Rs 14 lakh
from Amarnath Ya-
dav, Rs 10 lakh from
Rajneesh and Divya
and several others
for recruitment in
Army. When people
suspected his behav-
iour as Army man,
the accused an-
nounced that he got
selected for PCS on
post of DSP.
He took benefit
of his name as dif-
ferent Anand Ku-
mar, resident of
Lanka Varanasi,
was selected in PCS
2017 at rank 62.
Accused Anand
even tricked a
woman as Army
captain and mar-
ried her later.
When she realised
the truth, she reg-
istered FIR at
Lohta police sta-
tion in Varanasi.
Case was regis-
tered against
Anand under sec-
tions 140, 419, 420,
467, 468 and 471 of
IPC and further
proceedings were
underway.
Lucknow:It is believed
that the political road to
Delhi goes through Ut-
tar Pradesh and the
path to helm of UP goes
through its western-
part.
UP West has emerged
as the new fight club
due to farmers’ move-
ment and has given
Congress and RLD an
opportunity to revive
themselves while AAP
has shed its urban im-
age and also entered the
fight for farmers. Sama-
jwadi Party as well as
the Bahujan Samaj Par-
ty are western UP while
the ruling BJP, is pre-
paring to run new ma-
neuvers.
Apart from the devel-
opment in Purvanchal
regionof UttarPradesh,
the majority of the is-
sues of the state revolve
around western UP.
In 2013, the Muzaffar-
nagar riots changed the
political climate which
proved advantageous
for BJP. Coming to year
2020-21 political agen-
das have started surfac-
ing in the western UP as
the farmer’s agitation
has spread from
Meerut, Baghpat, Mu-
zaffarnagar, Shamli,
Bulandshahar to Saha-
ranpur and Moradabad.
The farmer’s movement
which was withering
out picked up once
again after the tears
that came from BKU’s
spokesperson Rakesh
Tikait. The incident has
played an important
role in setting the po-
litical direction of the
western Uttar Pradesh.
In western UP
, the
ruling party of BJP is
running into strong
resistance due to the
farmer’s movement.
The party has de-
ployed Jat leaders in
hopes of appeasing
the farmers but the
move has not bought
much success to the
ruling party.
—FILE
PHOTO
Farmers’ protest propels winds of
political uncertainity in UP West
India speedster Jhulan Goswami celebrating a wicket with teammates during the second ODI in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Rakesh Tikait’s tears played a major role in ‘change of political
winds in Western Uttar Pradesh.
Zufar Farooqui
Guv,Deputy CM attend CCS University event
Lucknow: The 32nd
convocation ceremony
of Chaudhary Charan
Singh University was
inaugurated by the
state’s Deputy Chief
Minister Prof. Dinesh
Sharma.
Vice Chancellor Prof.
NK Taneja presented
the progress report of
the university which
had details of the work
conducted by the uni-
versity. The students
were awarded medals
and convocation certifi-
cates by the Deputy CM.
Sharma in his ad-
dress stated that among
the medal winners
there were 80% girls in
CCSU which shows the
importance of Women’s
Day
. Deputy Chief Min-
ister on questions on
the farmer’s movement
said that parties are try-
ing to use the farmer’s
agitation for their own
political gain which has
become evident in the
recent times.
He added that the
government intends to
double the income of
famers realistically and
that the laws for the
same have been made.
Sharma stated that
the state government
has been providing 18 to
20 hours of electricity
to the village and that
new education policies
have been introduced to
upgrade the education
system of the state. Un-
der the new education
system, 70% of the syl-
labus will be common
for all the universities
for the state while the
remaining 30% will be
changed from universi-
ty to university based
on local needs.
Governor Anandiben Patel takes part in the 32nd convocation ceremony via video conferencing.
Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma fetes the students of CCS University on Tuesday.
CONVOCATION IS A
SPECIAL EVENT: GUV

08
2NDFRONT
Yes, it’s important to be sensible
but what is also as important, is to
be whimsical, it is necessary to
enjoy the magic of life.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Sama-
jwadi Party (SP) which
held a mahapanchayat
on March 5 at Tappal
Interchange in Aligarh
in essence was for ex-
tending support to the
farmers’ movement but
felt more like a battle
cry by SP’s National
President Akhilesh Ya-
dav before the assembly
elections of 2022.
AkhileshYadavwhile
referring to Tappal at
the Kisan Mahapancha-
yat said that Tappal is a
historic place for the
farmers’ movement as
many elderly people of
the Tappal have seen
Chaudhary Charan
Singh. He added that
family members of
Chaudhary Charan
Singh and his party
members have joined
hands with SP and that
residents of Tappal are
the ones who follow the
principles of Ram
Manohar Lohia and
Subhas Chandra Bose.
This statement felt
like the cementing of
the fact that the SP and
Rastriya Lok Dal (RLD)
have forged the alliance
for upcoming assembly
election of 2022. Akh-
ilesh Yadav though
made it clear that BSP
has opted out of the al-
liance with SP.
RLD has been busy
connecting with its
lost roots in the Jat
community and has
also set its eyes on win-
ning as many assembly
seats as possible in the
western UP. Prior to
Akhilesh Yadav start-
ing his assembly elec-
tion campaign in west-
ern Uttar Pradesh,
RLD laid its plans to
conduct Mahapancha-
yat in the Hastinapur
area of Meerut. RLD
aims to win at the least
two seats from Meerut
in the 2022 assembly
election which means
RLD has targeted Hast-
inapur and Sardhana
seat. RLD though
knows that it will face
tough challenges in
both the seats.
Yadav has held a de-
tailed meeting in Luc-
know with Keshav Dev
Maurya, the president
of the Mahan Dal as the
party has influence in
the Kushwaha, Shakya,
Maurya and Saini
castes of western Uttar
Pradesh. Keshav Mau-
rya announced that Ma-
han dal will contest the
assembly elections of
2022 together with the
Samajwadi Party
.
SP’s alliance with the
party’s rebel leader
Shivpal Yadav who has
formed a party of his
own under the name
Pragatisheel SP (Lohi-
ya)isstillunknowneven
though Shivpal men-
tions about talk of alli-
ance with SP on several
occasions but has dis-
missed the idea of merg-
er every single time.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The En-
forcement Director-
ate (ED) on Tuesday
attached seven sugar
mills worth over Rs
1,097 crore in a mon-
ey laundering case
against former Uttar
Pradesh BSP MLC
Haji Mohammed
Iqbal and his family.
The Enforcement Di-
rectorate alleged that
during Mayawati gov-
ernment’s tenure sev-
eral sugar mills were
purchased in the name
of shell companies
which are under the
“control” of Iqbal and
his family members.
These mills were ac-
quired by the accused
“through laundering of
illegitimate money
through various shell
companies having dum-
my directors and sham
transactions,” the agen-
cy alleged.
The central probe
agency had carried out
raids at the premises
of the former Saha-
ranpur-based legisla-
tor in October 2020.
The mills “owned”
by Iqbal and family
are located in Uttar
Pradesh’s Kushi-
nagar, Bareilly, Deo-
ria, Hardoi and Bara-
banki districts and
their total worth is
Rs 10,97,18,10,250, as
per official estimate.
In 2016, the Supreme
Court had directed the
Central Bureau of I to
conduct a probe
against Iqbal after a
public interest litiga-
tion (PIL) was filed al-
leging that the former
legislator was indulg-
ing in corruption and
money laundering.
POLLVANTAGE:Akhileshleverages
farm sentimentstohardsellalliances
PMLA case: ED
takes action against
former-BSP MLC
SP chief joins hands with RLD, Mahan Dal; may also get support from farm leader Rakesh Tikait
RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav
—FILE PHOTO
POWER PLAY
Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya inaugurating a cricket match at La Martiniere College
Ground in Lucknow on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Bahujan Sa-
maj Party (BSP) presi-
dentMayawatihasstart-
ed preparing for the up-
coming Panchayat polls
in Uttar Pradesh.
Mayawati is holding
meetings with party co-
ordinatorstofinalisethe
campaign strategy and
list of candidates for the
upcoming rural local
bodypolls.Mayawatihas
directed all sector in-
charges of the party to
prepare a list of district
Panchayat poll candi-
dates. She will also hold
meetings with party in-
charges of 18 sectors
across UP to further dis-
cuss and finalise party
strategy for campaign
and candidates.
This is the first time
that the BSP is contest-
ing the Panchayat polls
in a serious manner
and Mayawati is fully
involved in strategy
making and candidate
finalisation. Elections
to 75 district Pancha-
yats, 826 development
blocks and 58,194 Gram
Panchayats in UP were
due last year but were
postponed due to the
Covid-19 pandemic.
First India Bureau
MUZAFFARNAGAR: A
special court has accept-
ed the closure report
filed by an UP Police SIT
team against BJP MLA
Sangeet Som in a case of
uploading an inflamma-
tory video on social me-
dia ahead of the commu-
nal riots here in 2013
In his order issued on
Monday
, Special Judge
Ram Sudh Singh while
accepting the closure re-
port of the SIT said the
complainant in the case,
inspector Subhodh Ku-
mar, has died and no ob-
jectionhasnotbeenfiled
against the closure re-
port. Kumar was killed
when a mob went on a
rampage over allega-
tions of illegal cow
slaughter in Buland-
shahr in 2018.
Accordingtotheprose-
cution,theSIThadfileda
closure report in the
court, saying that no evi-
dence could be found
against Som, the MLA
from Sardhana. During
investigation, the SIT
had, through CBI, sought
the details of the persons
from the Facebook head-
quarters in the US who
had uploaded the video
on its social media plat-
formthatincitedcommu-
nal passions.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court has de-
ferred hearing on an
appeal filed by Sanjay
Kumar Vishvakarma
seeking directions to
the State of Uttar
Pradesh to register an
FIR into the alleged
‘fake encounter killing’
of one Girdhari Vish-
wakarma @doctor, and
transfer the case to In-
dependentinvestigating
Agency like CBI or NIA.
A two-judge bench
headed by Justice Indi-
ra Banerjee Justice
Hrishikesh Roy had on
February 26, issued no-
tice to the State of UP.
The Court was hear-
ing the appeal filed by a
brother of deceased
who was arrested by the
police due to his alleged
involvement in the
murder of one Ajit
Singh, who was a histo-
ry-sheeted at Aghota
Chowk, Vibhuti Khand,
Lucknow.
The Counsel appear-
ing on behalf of the pe-
titioner submitted that
the deceased ‘Vishwa-
karma’ was firstly ar-
rested by the Delhi Po-
lice in the murder case
of Ajit Singh. Then he
was handed over to the
UP Police.
It was alleged in the
Petition that the UP po-
lice took the deceased at
the spot of the incident
and later he was killed
in the encounter.
Panchayat polls: Maya holds meet
to finalise campaign strategy
Court accepts closure report
of SIT against Sangeet Som
SC to hear plea seeking CBI, NIA
probe into alleged fake encounter
Mayawati
Sangeet Som
The central probe
agency had carried
out raids at the
premises of the
former Saharanpur-
based legislator in
October 2020.
Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: The result
of theclashbetweentwo
IAS officers in the state
has finally come into the
open. Balakrishna Trip-
athi, IAS who was hospi-
talised following a spat
with IAS BL Meena,
Principal Secretary, So-
cial Welfare Depart-
ment, has been replaced
by IAS Rakesh Kumar-I
of 2012 batch as the new
director in the Social
Welfare Department.
Rakesh Kumar-I, who
was posted as Special
Secretary Panchayati
Raj has benefited from
the spat between the two
officers.
The tussle between
BL Meena and Bal-
akrishna Tripathi, Di-
rector of Social Welfare
Department has been
going on for sometime.
Balakrishna Tripathi
had even complained to
Chief Secretary RK Ti-
wari about BL Meena’s
attitude a while ago af-
ter which BL Meena
pulled up Balakrishna
Tripathi for number of
issues including finan-
cial irregularities.
The situation wors-
ened during a meeting
where Balakrishna was
harassed by the Princi-
pal Secretary. Soon af-
ter the meeting BL Mee-
na supposedly put up a
request for the removal
of Balakrishna Tripa-
thi. After this, the em-
ployees of Social Wel-
fare Department and
Minority Department
went on the protest and
Balakrishna was also
suddenly hospitalised.
The report stated that
had suffered a heart at-
tack.
Taking cognizance of
the matter, the Chief
Minister acting on a re-
port from Principal Sec-
retary named a new
Director to the Social
Welfare and transferred
as the Special Secretary
,
Panchayati Raj. Bal-
akrishna Tripathi
though will have to face
investigation due to the
allegations leveled by
BL Meena.
Spat between two IAS officers benefits the third
QUIRK OF FATE
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Samajwadi
Party-backed Rajya
Sabha nominee
Prakash Bajaj on
Monday has filed a
petition in the Luc-
know bench of the
Allahabad High Court
against the cancella-
tion of his nomina-
tion for the election
to the Upper House.
It is submitted that
respondents No 3, 4 and
9 have filed an applica-
tion under order 7 rule
11 CPC. In pursuance
thereof, the petitioner
has also filed its re-
sponse.
It has also been in-
formed that both the
respondents No.1 and
10 have also moved sep-
arate application under
order 7 rule 11 CPC and
another application un-
der Section 86 of the
Representation of the
People Act.
The Counsel for the
petitioner prays for
and is granted a week’s
time to file its response
whereas Gaurav Meht-
rotra, Counsel for the
respondent No.5, and
Sunil Kumar Chaud-
hary, Counsel for the
respondent No.6, also
prays for and is allowed
10 days’ time to file
their application under
order 7 rule 11 CPC
with an advance copy
to the Counsel for the
petitioner, who shall
have further a week’s
time to file its response
thereto.
The Counsel for the
petitioner has also
pointed out that he has
already filed another
application wherein a
prayer has been made
for preserving/im-
pounding the docu-
ments available with
the returning officer.
RS nominee files plea
against cancellation
BL Meena Balakrishna Tripathi
—FILE PHOTO
MUZAFFARNAGAR RIOTS
The BKU can also
come into the picture
if the government
does not accept
the demands of the
farmers. In such a
case, it is possible
that Rakesh Tikait
can extend support
to RLD and SP as
he has previously
contested election on
RLD ticket. SP after
RLD can also align
with the Mahan Dal in
the western UP.
FARMERS TO
PLAY KEY ROLE

G
igi Hadid and Zayn Malik became proud
parents for the very first time when they
welcomed daughter Khai in September of
lastyear.Forafewmonths,Gigitookama-
ternity leave to be by Khai’s side and it was
only recently that the 25-year-old supermod-
el headed back to work. However, Khai con-
tinues to be Hadid’s top priority and her
latestInstagramstoryisproof of thesame.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Gigi re-
vealedhowshe’scelebratingInternation-
al Women’s Day this year, which is noth-
ing short of special. Not only is March
8 of 2021, Khai’s first International
Women’s Day but it’s also a first for
Hadid as a new momma. —Agency
K
angana Ranaut is un-
doubtedly a brilliant
actor and also a won-
derful human being.
The way she keeps her opin-
ion upfront; similarly, she
never shies away from ap-
preciating someone’s hard
work, effort and good na-
ture. Currently, the ac-
tress is dubbing for her
upcoming film Thalaivi.
Now, as the journey of
AL Vijay’s Thalaivi is
coming to an end, Kan-
gana has taken to her
Twitter handle to share
an emotional note for
the ace filmmaker. She
has mentioned in the
note that she has al-
ready started getting a
sinking feeling.—Agency
A
ctress Rhea Chakraborty has made a comeback on so-
cial media on the occasion of International Women’s
Day on Monday
. Rhea posted a picture on Instagram,
where she is seen holding her mother’s hand. “Happy
Women’s Day to us .. Maa and me .. together forever ... my
strength, my faith, my fortitude - my Maa #love #faith #forti-
tude #strength#mother #womenwhoinspire#womenempower
ment,” she captioned the image, which has 92.8K likes. —Agency
LUCKNOW, WEDNESDAY
MARCH 10, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
A
few more glimpses
from the grand wed-
ding of producer Nidhi
Dutta and filmmaker
Binoy Gandhi held at the Ram-
bagh Palace, Jaipur. The couple
had a grand sangeet ceremony
before the wedding, which saw
a high-energy performance by
singer Sukhbir and some foot-
tapping music by DJ Stetson.
Various known faces for the
Bollywood industry came to-
gether to celebrate and congrat-
ulate the couple.
aapsee Pannu
was recently
shooting for
A n u r a g
Kashyap’s up-
coming film
D o b a a r a a .
Now, the actress has
taken to her social me-
dia handle to an-
nounce the release
date of her upcoming
film Looop Lapeta.
Helmed by Aakash
Bhatia, the comic-
thriller is now slated
to hit the big screens
on October 22, 2021.
Apart from Taapsee,
the film also stars Ta-
hir Raj Bhasin in the
lead role. Today, the
makers of the film
have dropped the re-
lease date along with a
video. —Agency
LOOP
LAPETA
T
Taapsee Pannu
WELCOME
BACK
IT’S A
WRAP!
New Momma
TESTED
POSITIVE
W
ith a sudden rise in Covid
cases in Mumbai, actor Ran-
bir Kapoor and Sanjay Leela
Bhansali
have tested positive
for the novel Coro-
navirus. Both the
stars are currently
in self-quarantine
and are taking all
the necessary pre-
cautions. Alia Bhatt
has also taken the
test as she has been closely working
with the two and has tested Covid neg-
ative. She has isolated herself despite
having tested negative. —Agency
Raveena Tandon and Manish Malhotra
with the bride’s family
Kangana Ranaut
Rhea Chakraborty
Gigi Hadid
Ranbir Kapoor
The newlyweds, Nidhi Dutta and Binoy Gandhi
Sonu Nigam captured in a selfie moment
with the bride and a guest
Anu Malik and his family with the bride
Sunil Shetty and his wife among the guests
THE GRAND CELEBRATION!

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First india lucknow edition-10 march 2021

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