First India Mumbai 20012023.pdf

PM MODI VISITS POLL-BOUND
KARNATAKA AND MAHARASHTRA
OUR GOVT IS NOT
FOR VOTE-BANK
POLITICS: PM MODI
PM Modi on Thursday laid
the foundation stone and
inaugurated various devel-
opmental projects related
to irrigation, drinking water
besides a National Highway
development project at
Kodekal in Karnataka’s
Yadgiri district and said
our government is not for
votebank politics, it is for
development.
MUMBAI l FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 254
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR & MUMBAI
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SomethingisspecialaboutPMModi,
LuxembourgPMisModiBhakt:Shinde
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Maharashtra
Chief Minister Eknath
Shinde on Thursday
saidLuxembourgprime
minister had told him
that he is a fan of PM
Narendra Modi. Shinde
recalled his encounter
with the European
country leader in Davos
recently, at a public
event in Mumbai in
Modi’s presence on the
stage.
Shinde, who returned
fromtheWorldEconom-
ic Forum meet in Davos
on Wednesday, said,
“The PM of Luxem-
bourg told me that he
had clicked a photo with
Modi and asked me to
show it to him. He told
me that he was a Modi
bhakt. Modi ji is popu-
lar not only in India but
across the globe.
“I met people from
Germany and Saudi
(Arabia) who asked me
if I was with Modi ji. I
told them that I am with
him. At Davos there was
a lot of positivity about
India and Modi ji,” he
said.
Shinde claimed devel-
opment took a backseat
during the tenure of the
MVA administration
(November 2019-June
2022). ‘’We were able to
free the people of Mum-
bai from suffocation un-
der the MVA rule be-
cause of Modiji’s lead-
ership,’’ said the CM.
Shinde went on to
heap praise on the PM.
“There is something
special about Modi’s
personality
. I get a holy
(pavitra) feeling,” said
the chief minister, add-
ing, that his govern-
ment will transform
Mumbai in the next
three years and give a
new identity to India’s
financial capital and
also Maharashtra. ”Let
us pledge to create a
new Maharashtra un-
der Modi’s leadership,”
he said.
Modi, who heard
about his global popu-
larity from Shinde, later
referred to the Maha-
rashtra CM’s remarks
in his speech, and at-
tributed his fan follow-
ing to “rising positivi-
ty” about India.
‘Due to Balasaheb’s true
followers, our govt is back’
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Addressing
the gathering at BKC,
Maharashtra’s deputy
CM Devendra Fad-
navis said that in 2019
Assembly polls, PM
Modi had urged people
to vote for a ‘double
engine sarkar’ in Ma-
harashtra. “But due to
betrayal of some peo-
ple, for two-and-a-half
years (MVA regime)
we did not have a pro-
people government in
the state. However, be-
cause of true follow-
ers of Balasaheb
Thackeray, our gov-
ernment is back now,”
the BJP leader said,
referring to CM
Eknath Shinde.
“PM Modi is the
only PM who inaugu-
rated projects whose
ground breaking cer-
emony I had per-
formed,” Fadnavis
said, adding, “this re-
flects beginning of a
new culture. Those
who ruled the Mumbai
civic body for several
years never worked to
provide clean water to
local residents.”
Fadnavis also
thanked the Centre for
providing railway
land for re-develop-
ment of Dharavi, a
sprawling slum colony
in Mumbai.
Sandeep Shukla
Mumbai: PM Naren-
dra Modi on Thursday
inaugurated and laid
foundation stones of
development projects
worth more than Rs
38,000 crore in differ-
entsectorsinMumbai,
giving a big push to
infrastructure, urban
travel and healthcare
ahead of civic polls,
where the BJP and the
Eknath Shinde-led
Shiv Sena will seek to
showcase these ven-
tures to take on the po-
litical rivals.
ThiswasModi’sfirst
visit to Mumbai after
Maharashtra CM
Eknath Shinde took of-
fice in June-end las
year after dislodging
theMahaVikasAghadi
(MVA) govt.
At the inauguration
and foundation stone
laying ceremony of de-
velopment projects at
theMMRDAgroundin
Bandra Kurla Com-
plex (BKC), Modi inau-
gurated and laid foun-
dation stones of a
string of projects
worth more than Rs
38,000 crore aimed at
developing infrastruc-
ture, easing urban
travel, and strengthen-
ing healthcare in the
financial capital.
He laid foundation
stones for seven sew-
age treatment plants, a
road concretisation
project and redevelop-
ment of the Chhatra-
pati Shivaji Maharaj
Terminus.
The PM inaugurat-
ed Mumbai Metro Rail
Lines 2A and 7 built at
a cost of around Rs
12,600crore.Theycom-
prise a 35km-long ele-
vated corridor stretch-
ing from Andheri to
Dahisar in suburban
Mumbai.
Modi also inaugu-
rated 20 ‘Aapla Da-
vakhana’ (health clin-
ics) named after Shiv
Sena founder Bal
Thackeray
.
The 18.6 km-long
Mumbai Metro Rail
line 2A connects sub-
urban Dahisar (East)
with the 16.5 km-long
DNNagar(yellowline)
while the metro line 7
joints Andheri (East)
with Dahisar (East).
The foundation stones
of theselineswerelaid
by PM Modi in 2015.
Related report P8
MAHArashtra
INFRA PUSH!
l PM gifts
`38,000-cr
development
projects to Mum
l Eknath Shinde,
Devendra Fadnavis
target Uddhav
government
NOT ANOTHER DAY!
AI bans Mishra
for 4 months
New Delhi (FIB): Air
India has banned Shan-
kar Mishra from flying
for four months. Mishra
is currently under ar-
rest for urinating on a
fellow co-passenger
while inebriated on-
board an Air India be-
tween NY and Delhi.
SCOOT AIRLINE
APOLOGISES
BudgetcarrierScootAir-
lines on Thursday apol-
ogised for the “inconve-
nience caused” after 35
passengers were left be-
hindduetorescheduling
of aflightfromAmritsar
to Singapore.
47-YEAR-OLD MAN
SENT TO 14-DAY JC
‘WOULD HAVE MET
FATE LIKE ANJALI’
Delhi court on Thursday
sent Harish Chandra, man
accused of molesting
and dragging DCW Chief
Swati Maliwal, to 14-day
judicial custody. 47-year-
old was arrested and his
car was also impounded.
Swati Maliwal said she
would have met the same
fate as Anjali, who died
after being allegedly hit
and dragged by a car on
January 1. She added that
she was lucky that she
had a narrow escape.
DAY 2 WRESTLERS’ THREAT AMID #METOO PROTEST
Vinesh Phogat speaks to media during a silent protest in presence of Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik
and other wrestlers on second day of their protest at the Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on Thursday.
Moni Sharma
New Delhi: Wrestlers
protesting in Delhi over
sexual harassment al-
legations against the
federation chief and
coaches on Thursday
said they weren’t satis-
fied after talks with the
government on Thurs-
day and “won’t wrestle
another day” till their
demands are met.
“All these allegations,
I hope she (Vinesh)
writes them down and
sends them to me. I will
reply to what I can, and
the rest can be probed
by CBI or Police,” WFI
president said and add-
ed that he would not re-
sign from post of Prez.
Phogat says Brij Bhushan had been
sexually harassing female wrestlers
Sports ministry headed by Anurag
Thakur asks the WFI prez to resign
BJP MP Brij Bhushan refutes
sexual harassment allegations
We did not want to take the legal route
because we had faith in the Prime Minister.
We have not got a satisfactory response; only
assurances, no concrete action. We will not quit till the
federation chief is removed, and he goes to jail. We
have 5-6 girls with proof. If the govt does not act, we
will go to the police.
—Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik
As I came to know
that wrestlers had
started protesting
in Delhi, I didn’t know what
the allegation was about.
All the sexual harassment
allegations are false, it was
a well-planned conspiracy
against him and I will
commit suicide if they are
found to be true.
‘IF I’M NOT
SAFE, THEN...’
DCW chief Swati Maliwal
dragged by a drunk driver
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Delhi
Commission for
Women Chairperson
Swati Maliwal on
Thursday said she
was dragged by a car
for 10-15 metres out-
side AIIMS in the
early hours on Thurs-
day when her hand
got stuck in vehicle’s
window and its ine-
briated driver drove
on. Maliwal said car
stopped in front of
her when she was on
way to Jantar Mantar.
Swati Maliwal meets wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi
Malik Anshu Malik at Jantar Mantar on late Wednesday.
Jacinda resigns as PM
of NZ before elections
SC backs gay lawyer’s
appt as Delhi HC judge
Rakhi arrested
after Sherlyn’s
complaint
First India Bureau
Sydney: New Zealand
Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern, a global figure-
head of progressive pol-
itics, shocked the coun-
try on Thursday by an-
nouncing she would re-
sign from the office in a
matter of weeks.
The 42-year-old —
who steered the nation
through natural disas-
ters, the Covid pandem-
ic, and its worst-ever
terror attack — said she
no longer had “enough
in tank”. “I am human.
We give as much as we
can for as long as we
can and then it’s time.
And for me, it’s time,”
she said at a meeting of
her Labour Party
.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The SC Col-
legium has reiterated
its earlier recommenda-
tion for appointing se-
nior advocate Saurabh
Kirpal, an openly gay
person, as a judge of Del-
hi HC. Collegium head-
ed by CJI DY Chandra-
chud, Justices S K Kaul
and KM Joseph rejected
the Centre’s contention
that though homosexu-
ality stands decriminal-
ised in India, same-sex
marriage is still bereft
of recognition. Sau-
rabh Kirpal is the son
of ex-CJI BN Kirpal.
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Actress Ra-
khi Sawant was arrest-
ed on Thursday and
brought to Amboli po-
lice station. Her antici-
patory bail before Din-
doshi Court got rejected
on Wednesday. Sherlyn
Chopra, who had filed a
complaint against Ra-
khi Sawant last year for
use of ‘objectionable
language’, she tweeted
about Rakhi’s arrest.
ORDER ON BAIL PLEA
OF AJAY MISHRA’S
SON RESERVED BY SC
Supreme Court on Thurs-
day reserved order on the
bail plea of
Union Minister
Ajay Kumar
Mishra’s son
Ashish Mishra
in Lakhimpur
Kheri violence case. Earlier,
UP govt opposed the bail plea
and said SC, Ashish Mishra’s
crime grave, heinous.
Apex Court refutes
Centre’s objection
Rakhi Sawant
Jacinda Ardern
Sherlyn Chopra
COLONIAL MINDSET IS BLATANTLY VISIBLE:
INDIA SLAMS BBC DOCUMENTARY ON MODI
RISHI SUNAK SNUBS PAK-ORIGIN MP
OVER BBC DOCUMENTARY ON PM MODI
The external affairs ministry on
Thursday slammed a recent BBC
documentary on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, calling it a “propa-
ganda piece designed to push a
particular discredited narrative.”
“The bias, lack of objectivity and
continuing colonial mindset are bla-
tantly visible,” EAM spokesperson
Arindam Bagchi said.
UK PM Rishi Sunak also
snubbed Pak-origin British
MP Imran Hussain, saying
he “doesn’t agree with char-
acterization” of his Indian
counterpart. Rishi Sunak
made these remarks on the
controversial documentary
that was raised in British
Parl by Pakistan-origin MP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being presented with a statue of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by
Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Thursday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE
Shinde-Fadnavis duo will help realise people’s dreams in Mumbai. The
Double Engine government is committed to giving better amenities to
poorest of the poor. —Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

NEWS
MUMBAI | FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
02
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LEOPARDESS
MISSING FOR PAST
WEEK FOUND DEAD
Nagpur: Chandni, the
leopardess that went
missing last week from
her enclosure at the Bala-
saheb Thackeray Gorewa-
da International Zoological
Park in Nagpur has been
found dead within the zoo
premises, an official said
on Thursday. “Chandni
may have died in a fight
with a wild leopard from
nearby Gorewada forest,
which, incidentally, has
been caught in the trap
set for the former on
Sunday. This wild leopard
has been released in
the forest,” zoo director
Shatanaik Bhagwat said.
Chandni’s corpse was
discovered on Monday
morning, he said.
COPS SUSPECT
RAPE IN MURDER-
KIDNAPPING CASE
Mumbai: In the kidnapping
case of the 22-year-old
MBBS student, police now
suspect that the woman
may have been sexually
assaulted before being
allegedly killed at Bandra
Bandstand. One of the
five witnesses report-
edly told the cops about
overhearing a conversation
between the two arrested
accused which involved
unusual sex and the
woman. Despite hinting
at evidence, Crime Branch
officers have not revealed
any details of the case yet.
The student went missing
from Bandra Bandstand
on November 29, 2021.
Investigators have arrested
two accused--Mittu Singh
and Abdul Jabbar Ansari—
but not invoked murder
charges yet.
ONE KILLED,
ONE INJURED IN
FAMILY FEUD
Mumbai: Three persons
were arrested on Wednes-
day for allegedly murder-
ing a man while injuring
another after a fight broke
out between two families.
According to the police,
Ijaz Supariwala, along
with his family showed
up to confront Rihan
Qureshi over an old fight
related to his wife. The
altercation soon turned
violent, resulting in the
death of one person while
three others were severely
injured. Within the next
three hours, three accused
were traced and located by
the police. However, the
family of Ijaz had fled the
scene by then.
LOR ISSUED TO 1.6
LAKH HAWKERS
BY CIVIC BODY
Mumbai: The BMC has
issued a letter of recom-
mendation (LOR) to 1.16
lakhs hawkers eligible
for a loan of Rs10,000
under the “Prime Minister
Street Vendor Atmanir-
bhar Nidhi Scheme ‘’ (PM
SVANidhi scheme) from
any nationalised bank. The
amount will be disbursed
by cheque at the hands of
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Thursday in
Mumbai. The BMC had set
up one centre each in the
city’s 24 administrative
wards. Around 2,301
camps were organised to
reach a maximum number
of street vendors.
RTOs FINE OVER 1K
AUTORICKSHAW,
TAXI DRIVERS
Mumbai: In the last
three days, four RTOs in
Mumbai have fined 1,011
drivers. Rickshaw-Taxi
drivers were given an
extension till January 15
to recalibrate the meters
of their vehicles after the
implementation of new
fares. Earlier the deadline
for the same was set to
be November 30, 2022,
but was extended as
only 40% of the metres
were changed. A penalty
of Rs50 per day and a
maximum of Rs5,000 is
being charged as a part of
the penal action.
MLC POLLS: Cong suspends
Satyajeet Tambe for 6 yrs
First India Bureau
Mumbai: With the state
Legislative Council
polls drawing ever near-
er, the Congress on
Thursday suspended
Satyajeet Tambe, who
rebelled against the par-
ty and filed nomination
as an independent can-
didate from the Nashik
division graduates’ con-
stituency
, for six years.
The move comes days
after the Congress sus-
pended Satyajeet’s fa-
ther and three-time
MLC Sudhir Tambe for
failing to file his nomi-
nation papers, despite
having been named as
the party’s candidate
for the Nashik division
graduates’ seat.
“You have rebelled in
the Nashik division
graduates’ constituency
polls of the Maharash-
tra Legislative Council.
This is in violation of
party discipline. As per
the orders of the state
president Nana Patole,
you have been suspend-
ed from the party for six
years,” Maharashtra
Congress general secre-
tary Devanand Pawar
wrote to Satyajeet
Tambe on Thursday
.
Earlier in the day, Pa-
tole announced the
names of five candi-
dates whom the Maha
Vikas Aghadi (MVA),
which comprises the
Congress, Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
and Shiv Sena - Uddhav
Balasaheb Thackeray
(UBT), will back and ex-
pressed confidence that
they will win the polls.
Thetermof fivemem-
bers of the Legislative
Council—two from the
Graduates’ and three
from the Teachers’ con-
stituencies—is expiring
on February 07. Voting
to elect new members of
the Upper House will be
held on January 30 and
counting will be taken
up on February 02.
After flip-flops and a
lack of coordination,
Shiv Sena - UBT leader
Ambadas Danve and
NCP's Jitendra Awhad
jointly addressed the
press conference with
Patole. “He (Satyajeet
Tambe)isinthefrayand
has started campaign-
ing. He will be suspend-
ed today,” Patole had
said at a press confer-
ence earlier in the day
.
Son of party
veteran Sudhir
Tambe filed
nomination as
independent
after his father
stepped aside for
his benefit Satyajeet Tambe Sudhir Tambe
‘ALL 5 MVA CANDIDATES WILL WIN’
First India Bureau
Mumbai: In relief to
the Kala Ghoda Associ-
ation (KGA), the Bom-
bay High Court on
Thursday allowed the
nine-day Kala Ghoda
Arts Festival to be held
at Cross Maidan in
south Mumbai but stip-
ulated that no refresh-
ment and commercial
stalls could be set up at
the public ground.
A division bench of
Justices RD Dhanuka
and MM Sathaye heard
the application filed by
the KGA seeking per-
mission to use Cross
Maidan to display art
installations and hold
performances Febru-
ary 04-12.
During hearing of a
public interest litiga-
tion, which opposed
non-sporting activities
in the open space, the
HC had in 2017 directed
the Mumbai Collector
to not allot Cross Maid-
an to any third party
without its permission.
This was because the
Maidan is a playground
as per the development
plan of the city
.
In its petition, the as-
sociation claimed that
the festival was not for
profit and that a nomi-
nal fee is charged for
entities to set up their
stalls. The entry to the
festival is also free of
cost, said the organis-
ers, adding that they
were in the process of
obtaining permissions
from the civic body, po-
lice and the Collector.
The court allowed the
application and said it
was doing so only on
the condition that the
association would sub-
mit an undertaking that
it would not erect com-
mercial and refresh-
ment stalls at the Maid-
an. The association
agreed to adhere to the
condition.
The Kala Ghoda pre-
cinct in south Mumbai
houses a number of in-
stitutions like the Je-
hangir Art Gallery,
Prince of Wales Muse-
um, National Gallery
of Modern Art,
and Bombay Natural
History Society.
HC allows use of Cross Maidan for Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
SPECIAL PERMISSION
lll
Non-sporting
events are not
typically
allowed at the
venue, since it
is officially a
playground,
as per the
development
plan of the city
The Kala Ghoda area in south Mumbai houses a number of institutions of artistic and cultural importance.
—FILE
PHOTO
CRUCIAL READ
First India Bureau
Palghar: Officials have
rejected allegations
from activists in Pal-
ghar district, who on
Thursday said that the
recent deaths of two
children aged between
four and 11 months was
caused by malnutri-
tion.
The deaths took place
on December 30 and
January 11 in predomi-
nantly tribal Mokhada
taluka here, activists
said. The children died
of severe pneumonia
and septicaemia, said
Cottage Hospital medi-
cal superintendent Dr
Ramdas Marad.
However, activist
Sheetal Gharat said the
administration was try-
ing to cover up the mal-
nutrition in the area by
giving such reasons,
DID MALNUTRITION COST
TWO INFANTS THEIR LIVES?
Shinde faction MLA
slams Aaditya for
road works claims
First India Bureau
Mumbai: After Chief
Minister Eknath
Shinde claimed that
good quality roads
are being built in the
city to provide relief
to Mumbaikars,
Thackeray faction
MLA Aaditya Thack-
eray criticized the
work of these roads
claiming that there is
corruption in it. Re-
acting to his state-
ment, MLA Bharat
Gogaawle has said
that Aaditya Thack-
eray as a person still
has time to mature.
“
Aaditya Thackeray
should have under-
stood what he failed to
do. Road works have
not even started, and
how did they see cor-
ruption? Bills will be
made once the work
begins,”saidGogawle.
Thackeray should
first look at what he
has done before criti-
cizing and insulting
others. You had the
municipality in your
hands for so many
years and Uddhav
Thackeray was the
chief minister of the
state. So at that time,
did someone stop you
from doing develop-
mentwork?Hasitever
happened that you
startedajobandsome-
one went to court?
asked the Sena (Shin-
de faction) leader.
On being asked
about Sanjay Raut’s
remarks on Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi inaugurating
projects Sena laid the
foundation stones of,
Gogawale said,
“When was the foun-
dation laid? Tell me in
chronological order.
After laying the foun-
dation, what was done
next? Nothing.”
Jalna (PTI): The police
in Jalna district re-
ceived 101 complaints
in one day claiming loss
of nearly Rs300 crore in
connection with a cryp-
tocurrency scam, said
an official on Thursday
.
A man approached
the city police on Tues-
day against one Kiran
Kharat and his wife
Dipti Kharat alleging
that the couple had per-
suaded him to invest in
“GDC” crypto promis-
ing high returns but he
suffered losses, said the
official.
Sensing that there
could be many more
like him, the Jalna po-
lice on Wednesday is-
sued a public notice
asking people to file
complaints if they had
lost money in the
scheme promoted by
the Kharat couple.
Deputy Superinten-
dent of Police Bhagwan
Funde, said 101 people
from across the district
approached them in just
one day. Police sources
said the department
suspects the scam could
run up to Rs700 crore
with about 10,000 inves-
tors. Funde said the
case has been trans-
ferred to the Economic
Offences Wing (EOW),
which will freeze the ac-
counts of the Kharat
couple that comes from
a politically connected
family
.
The case also took a
political turn after the
police booked former
state-level cricketer, Vi-
jay Zol, who had appar-
ently invested about
Rs10 crore in the “GDC”
digital currency
.
`300 CR CRYPTO
SCAM BUSTED
❍ 101 COMPLAINTS IN 1 DAY
Mumbai (PTI): The Na-
tionalist Congress Party
on Thursday demanded
theresignationof Wrest-
ing Federation of India
president and BJP MP
Brij Bhushan Sharan
Singh, who has been ac-
cused of sexually ex-
ploiting women wres-
tlers for years, a charge
vehemently rejected by
thesportsadministrator.
Top wrestlers Vinesh
Phogat, Sakshi Malik,
BajrangPuniaandmany
other grapplers are on a
silentsit-ininNewDelhi
for the second day
against WFI and its
chief Singh.
“Women wrestlers
who have won laurels
for our country are pro-
testing at Jantar Man-
tar in Delhi to seek jus-
tice for themselves for
all the wrongdoings
meted against them by
the Wrestling Federa-
tion of India,” Clyde
Crasto, NCP's national
spokesperson, said in a
statement.Althoughthe
sports ministry has
asked WFI to respond to
the wrestlers on the al-
legations levelled by
them, it is not enough,
said Crasto.
“The President of the
Wrestling Federation of
India, Brij Bhushan
Sharan Singh should
also step down, pending
enquiry because if he
stays and continues in
that position, there are
chances that he could
influence this inquiry,”
he said.
Grapplers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and others
addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.
Sex abuse scandal: ‘Singh should resign’
—PHOTO
BY
ANI
Bharat Gogawale

BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan
Singh
First India Bureau
Washim: The crop in-
surance company has
cheated the farmers of
the district as despite
payingthepremium,the
farmers are being pro-
vided minimal help.
Commentingonthemat-
ter, Ravikant Tupkar,
leader of Swabhimani
Shetkari Sanghatana al-
leged that the govern-
ment does not have time
to talk about the issue of
farmers but are more
concerned about actor
Uorfi Javed’s clothes.
A crop insurance
rights march was or-
ganized by Swabhimani
Shetkar Sangathan at
Risod to demand crop
insurance compensa-
tion for the farmers of
the Washim district.
While leading the
farmers, Tupkar said
that after Eknath Shin-
de became the chief
minister, farmers’ sui-
cides should have
stopped, however, they
have increased in West
Vidarbha after Shinde
took charge.
Tupkar also warned
the government that if
crop insurance com-
pensation is not paid to
the farmers, the “office
of the crop insurance
company in Mumbai
would be destroyed.”
‘Govt not worried for farmers,
but what Uorfi Javed wears’

MAHARASHTRA
03
Cops bust medical college admission racket
First India Bureau
Thane: Navi Mumbai
police claimed to have
busted a big racket
cheating students to the
tune of Rs3.30 crore un-
der the pretext of facili-
tating admission in
med-
ical colleges and have
arrested five persons in
this connection. The ac-
cused had cheated stu-
dents from Navi Mum-
bai town in Thane dis-
trict, neighbouring
Mumbai, Gujarat and
other places, Milind
Bharambe, Police Com-
missioner, Navi Mum-
bai said.
The gang members,
operating for the last
five to seven years,
would contact
students getting less
marks in the pre-medi-
cal National Eligibility
cum Entrance Test
(NEET) and offer them
admission in medical
colleges by charging a
hefty amount, he said.
The accused persons
claimed to have influ-
ence in the manage-
ment of seven promi-
nent medical colleges
in Mumbai and Navi
Mumbai and also pro-
duced fabricated ad-
mission letters before
the victims to gain
their confidence and
get money in cash
or through the digi-
tal mode, the offi-
cial said.
They used to get
the details of students
from the websites
where they had applied
for admissions, he said.
The accused would take
the students to the med-
ical colleges and the of-
fice of the Directorate
of Medical Education
and Research (DMER)
to show their influ-
ence and get them
fake admission let-
ters, the official said.
Bharambe said the
police got the first com-
plaint when the accused
allegedly cheated a stu-
dent from Chhattisgarh
and took Rs33.5 lakh
from her by promising
to get her admission in
a medical college in
Nerul area of Navi
Mumbai. The accused
also gave her a fake ad-
mission letter, he said.
The Nerul police reg-
istered an offence in
this connection. They
worked on various in-
telligence and technical
inputs and nabbed the
five accused, identified
as Saurabh Krishna
Upadyaya (39), Iftekar
Ahmed Mustaq Ahmed
alias Abhay Singh alias
Gautam (31) (both from
Noida), Lav Avadk-
ishore Gupta (35), hail-
ing from Mumbai, Akib
Naushad Ahmed (28)
and Abhijyat Radhesy-
am Singh (41), both
from Ghaziabad, he
said.
5 persons have
been arrested
for allegedly
duping people
of a whopping
`3.90 crore
Fraudster rips off
student of `21 lakh
Thane (PTI): Police
in Thane have regis-
tered a case against
three persons for al-
legedly cheating an
aspiring medical stu-
dent of more than
Rs21 lakh, an official
said on Thursday. A
complaint in this con-
nection was lodged by
the victim’s father, a
welder, at the Kapur-
bawdi police station
on Wednesday
, he said.
“The victim, who
has cleared her Class
12 exam with 95 per
cent marks, aspired to
pursue an MBBS
course. She came
across a career con-
sultancy firm, which
had its office at Ka-
purbawdi. When vic-
tim approached firm,
its operators prom-
ised to arrange for her
admission for which
they quoted certain
fees,” an official said.
They assured her that
she would get admis-
sion to a Bengaluru-
based medical insti-
tute. On that promise,
they demanded mon-
ey from her on several
occasions with the
collective amount of
Rs21,41,800, he said.
EVEN REACHED GOVT BODY TO LOOK LEGIT
The gang mem-
bers, operating
for the last five
to seven years, would
contact students getting
less marks in the pre-
medical National Eligi-
bility cum Entrance Test
(NEET) and offer them
admission in medical
colleges by charging a
hefty amount.
—Milind Bharambe, Police
Commissioner, Navi Mumbai
First India Bureau
Nagpur: Left-arm spin-
ner Aditya Sarwate
grabbed a match haul
of 11 wickets as Vidarb-
ha pipped Gujarat by 18
runs, on the third day
of the Ranji Trophy
Group D match at Jam-
tha here.
With this Vidarbha
defended the lowest
score --73-- successfully
in first-class cricket in
India. It bettered Bi-
har’s 78 against Delhi
in Jamshedpur way
back in the 1948-49 sea-
son.
At a venue where In-
dia’s opening Test
against Australia is slat-
ed to be played in less
than a month’s time, the
match witnessed 15
wicketstumblingonday
one, followed by 16 on
the next day
.
The Ranji Trophy
game was played on a
side pitch, while the
Test would be played on
one of the centre strips.
Chasing a paltry 73,
Gujarat resumed their
second essay on six for
one as they were shot
out for 54 inside 31
overs on the third day
with Sarwate once
again running through
their line-up with stun-
ning figures of 15.3-6-
17-6 to complement his
first innings 5/64.
Sarwate, who re-
turned with a career-
best match haul of
11/81, was complement-
ed well by another left-
arm spinner in Harsh
Dubey (9-1-11-3).
Siddharth Desai, who
batted at number three,
was the only Gujarat
batter to reach a double-
digit score (18) and was
dismissed by a run-out.
Gujarat notched 256
in their first innings
taking a first innings
lead of 182 runs.
Vidarbha put up a
strong fight in their sec-
ond essay with Jitesh
Sharma leading the
show with a 53-ball 69,
while number 9 batter
Nachiket Bhute also
contributed a signifi-
cant 42 off 66 balls. A
win seemed like a for-
mality for the visitors
with a small target of 73.
But Sarwate had oth-
er ideas as Gujarat bat-
ters fell like nine pins
on an eventful third day
as Vidarbha bagged six
points from the match
to move to joint-second
place with Punjab.
VIDARBHA DEFENDS PALTRY 73, BUNDLE OUT GUJ FOR 54
NAGPUR BLUES
Players of Vidarbha team in action during the Group D match in Nagpur.
ONLY BATSMAN
Ongoing Ranji
Trophy Group
D match yields
Test cricket’s
lowest score
in India
10 of home-bound family dead
in crash on Mum-Goa highway
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A speeding
truck collided with a
van on the Mumbai-
Goa highway killing 10
people. The incident
happenedintheRaigad
district on Thursday
morning, police said.
The victims, all rela-
tives, were residents of
Hedvi village in Gu-
hagar. They were going
towards their home in
Ratnagiri district,
when around 4.45 am a
truck hit their vehicle
head-on, Superinten-
dentof PoliceSomnath
Gharge said. Ten peo-
ple were killed, includ-
ing a 12-year-old girl
and three women, and
a four-year-old boy who
succumbed to injuries
at a hospital, offi-
cials said. After be-
ing alerted, police
rushed to the spot and
started the rescue op-
eration. The truck
driver, aged 48, was ar-
rested and an FIR was
registered against
him under rele-
vant provi-
sions, an
of ficial
said.
2 killed, 30 injured as bus overturns
Mumbai (PTI): A luxury bus going from Pune to
Goa overturned in Sindhudurg district on Thursday,
two persons were killed and 30 others received
injuries in the accident, an official said. The accident
took place at around 5.30 am when the bus driver
lost control of the vehicle during a sharp turn near
the Gad river bridge in Kankavli, located 480 km from the state capital Mum-
bai, an official said. Out of the 36 passengers on board, two were killed and 30
others were injured. All the injured persons were rushed to the civil hospital in
Kankavli for treatment, he said.
Bus destroyed in fire, passengers safe
Thane (PTI): A bus operated by the Navi Mumbai civic body, caught fire
while going to Kalyan in Thane district on Thursday, All 20 passengers on
board narrowly escaped with their lives in the accident, an official said.
“The bus was on its way from Navi Mumbai to Kalyan when the blaze
erupted. The driver of the bus noticed it and raised an alarm, following
which all 20 passengers stepped out immediately and escaped unhurt,”
said Yogesh Kaduskar, chief fire officer of the Navi Mumbai
Municipal Corporation (NMMC). After
being alerted, the NMMC fire services
personnel rushed to the spot and
doused the fire within half an hour, he
said.
Side hustle:Cabbie held
for‘renting’ bank accts
to online fraudsters
First India Bureau
Mumbai: A 26-year-old
cab driver has been ar-
rested by the Borivali
Government Railway
Police (GRP) for alleg-
edly providing bank ac-
counts on rent to online
fraudsters. The accused
has been identified as
ShobhaMandal. During
investigation, the police
came to know that he
opened more than 16
bank accounts in Mum-
bai, mostly in Dharavi,
Mahim and Matunga.
According to the GRP
,
Mandal hails from
Jharkhand, lived in
Dharavi and was a cab
driver.Theofficialswere
investigating an online
fraud case that was reg-
istered in the month of
July last year where an
unknown fraudster al-
legedly duped 23-year-
old Virar resident
Roshan Singh of
Rs44,000 on the pretext
of updating the KYC of
his bank account.
Singh, working in an
insurance company,
was on the way to office
in Kandivali when he
received a message
with a link on mobile
and asked to update
KYC otherwise his ac-
count would be blocked.
He clicked the link
and filled in the re-
quired details. He later
received an OTP and
when he entered it, two
messages of a transfer
of Rs44,715 from his
bank account popped in.
Victim came across a
career consultancy
firm, which asked
her to arrange money
The accused
opened more
than 16 bank
accounts in
Mumbai, mostly
in Dharavi and
Matunga
Priyanka’s FIR
against ex-secy
quashed in HC
Mumbai (PTI): The
Bombay High Court on
Thursday quashed a
2008 case filed by actor
Priyanka Chopra
against her former sec-
retary Prakash Jaju on
charges of criminal in-
timidation and insult-
ing the modesty of a
woman after both the
parties told the court
they have amicably re-
solved their dispute.
Chopra appeared be-
fore the division bench
of Justices Revati Mo-
hiteDereandPKChavan
via video conference on
Thursday
. She said she
had no objection for the
case to be quashed.
The bench then
quashed the first infor-
mation report (FIR)
and directed Jaju to de-
posit a sum of Rs50,000
towards the Maharash-
tra police welfare fund
within a period of two
weeks.
Jaju’s advocate Shy-
am Dewani told the
court that the parties
have resolved their dis-
pute and hence no pur-
pose would be served in
keeping the case pend-
ing. In the petition filed
in December 2022, Jaju
sought for the FIR
lodged against him by
Chopra in 2008 to be
quashed as they (Jaju
and Chopra) have ami-
cablysettledthedispute.
According to the peti-
tion, Jaju was working
as Chopra’s secretary
from 2001 to 2004.
Charges were filed
over criminal
intimidation
outraging modesty of
woman; both the
parties told court they
have amicably
resolved the dispute

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 1 l Issue No.254
l RNI TITLE NO.
MAHENG/2022/14652
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed at
Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe
MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial
Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701.
Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C
of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS
Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville
Parle East, Mumbai 400057.
Phone 022-46031417.
Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
Amit Shah
@AmitShah
My best wishes to the Bravehearts of
the @NDRFHQ on the occasion of their
Raising Day. The journey of the NDRF
abounds with exemplary acts of courage
and commitment to professional
excellence. I salute them for all the lives
they saved imperiling their own.
Anurag Thakur
@ianuragthakur
Employment opportunities are also
being given at Panchayat level. Today,
one of the best digital classrooms
started by providing laptops to the
teachers of 140 centres and school
bags and study tables to 2500 children.
Our resolution, our effort, education for
all, development for all.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
All tremble at violence; all
fear death. Putting oneself
in the place of another,
one should not kill nor
cause another to kill.
—Buddha
IN-DEPTH
TOP TWEETS
WOMEN GRAPPLERS
DESERVE JUSTICE
IN THEIR BOUT
AGAINST WFI CHIEF
op women wrestlers
have mustered cour-
age to grapple with
the issue of alleged
sexual harassment
by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh,
BJP MP from Kaiserganj con-
stituency in Uttar Pradesh, and
president of the Wrestling Fed-
eration of India. The six-time
MP was last in the news in De-
cember last year for his acquit-
tal by MP/MLA court in a mur-
der case allegedly because the
police did not collect evidence
properly. In 1992, his name also
figured in CBI records for har-
bouring shooters of Dawood
Ibrahim. Led by medal-winning
Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Ma-
lik have alleged that Singh and
coaches sexually harassed wres-
tlers at national camps.
Singh has denied the allega-
tions, while the Sports Ministry
has given the MP 72 hours to ex-
plain his position. The wrestlers
who went on protest against
harassment are determined that
they won’t give up the fight with-
out a Swachhata Abhiyan clean-
ing the Augean stable. The gov-
ernment has a simple option of
either sacking Singh or snub-
bing the protesters.
T
pposition parties
came together at a
massive rally or-
ganised by the
Bharat Rashtra
Samithi (BRS) in Khammam
was no show of strength.
Rather, what stood out at the
show of strength by Telanga-
na CM K Chandrasekhar Rao
was the absence of Nitish Ku-
mar and his Janata Dal-U,
MamataBanerjeeandtheTri-
namool Congress. Rahul Gan-
dhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra not-
withstanding, Congress does
not figure in KCR’s scheme of
things. With these omissions
one got the impression of a
fragmentedoppositiondriven
by the ambition of ousting
the Bharatiya Janata Party
from power in 2024.
The participants included
Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Min-
ister of Delhi, his Punjab
counterpart Bhagwant Mann
and Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief
Minister of Kerala. Akhilesh
Yadav of the Samajwadi Par-
ty and D. Raja of the CPI were
also present. These leaders
voiced concern over the
threat to federal structure, so-
cial justice and equality from
the BJP-led government.
Akhilesh Yadav also took on
theBJPfortryingtodemolish
the federal structure.
Despite a speed-breaker
ahead in the form of assem-
bly election, KCR again
showed his desire to play a
national role based on his be-
lief that the Congress will not
be acceptable to most opposi-
tion parties in a leadership
role after their respective
successes against the BJP in
state elections. The Aam Aad-
mi Party was there after its
recent stupendous victory in
Delhi Municipal Corporation
elections, the TMC, which did
well in West Bengal, is now
aiming for Tripura where
there is some discontent in
the BJP. However, for the SP
and CPI the road ahead may
turn out to be arduous.
FRAGMENTED OPPN
CHARGES AT BJP
Opposition parties coming
together at a massive rally
organised by the BRS in
Khammam was no show
of strength. Rather, what
stood out at the show of
strength by Telangana CM K
Chandrasekhar Rao was the
absence of Nitish Kumar and
his Janata Dal-U, Mamata
Banerjee and the TMC
O
Ardern’s resignation as NZ PM is
a game changer for 2023 election
ew Zealanders will have a
new prime minister by Feb-
ruary 7 and will go to the
polls on October 14, after two-
term Labour Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern announced
her resignation to spend
more time with her family
.
“For me, it’s time,” she
said, speaking from the La-
bour Party’s retreat. “I just
don’t have enough in the tank
for another four years.”
Ardern said she would stay
on until April as a local MP.
Ardern’s resignation will
come as a shock to many New
Zealanders, and especially to
people overseas – given the
international reputation she
earned as prime minister
over the past five years.
But this is less of a sur-
prise for close watchers of
New Zealand politics. Back
in November 2021, I wrote in
The Conversation: “Might
Jacinda Ardern stand
down?”, after Labour
changed its rules to make it
easier for the party’s leader
to be replaced.
A GAME CHANGING
MOVE BEFORE THE
ELECTION
Ardern’s rise to power in 2017
was a game changer in New
Zealand politics. Now she’s
surprisedeveryoneagainwith
today’sdecisiontostanddown,
this could be a game changer
for the October election.
Ardern is still higher in the
preferred PM polls, ahead of
National’s Christopher Lux-
on. So it’s not imperative for
Labour to change their lead-
er. But up until this moment,
everyone has been picking a
likely change in government
to a National/Act coalition
later this year.
NowthatLabourisstarting
to trail in the polls, having a
refresh of the leadership
doesn’t necessarily ruin the
party’s chances of winning in
October. The social and eco-
nomic fallout of the pandem-
ic has been so profound that
having a fresh new face could
help Labour’s chances.
Former National PM John
Keydidasimilarthingbackin
2016, invoking the same “not
enough in the tank” line as
Ardern today
, when he sur-
prised everyone and stood
down, handing over to Bill
English. English and National
actually did well in the follow-
ing year’s election, gaining
44% of the vote. It was only
because of overall arithmetic
that National was unable to
form government and that
ArdernwentontobecomePM.
JACINDA ARDERN’S
REPLACEMENT COULD
BE KNOWN WITHIN DAYS
Ardern made herself world
famous for her management
of the pandemic, and she did
an extremely good job as a
leader over that period. But
Covid-19 also completely de-
railed her prime minister-
ship, meaning she was sty-
mied in pursuing many of
the key social objectives such
as child poverty and housing
that she would have liked to
put more effort into.
I know Ardern personally,
and what you see on TV is
what you get in real life. She
is a genuine person and poli-
tician, and you can under-
stand the reasons she’s given
about wanting more time
with her fiancé and daughter.
My sense is that Labour
knows who will take over.
Front runners to be leader
could include Minister of Jus-
tice Kiri Allan, who is a rising
starandcouldbethefirstMāori
PM, though she is relatively
new to politics. Minister for
Education and Leader of the
House Chris Hipkins was a
high-profile and hard-working
MP during COVID, and he and
Allancouldmakeaformidable
team. Housing, energy and re-
sources minister Dr Megan
Woods is also an experienced
and senior member of the par-
ty
, so could also be in the mix.
Deputy Prime Minister
GrantRobertsonwon’tbecon-
testing the leadership, and La-
bour caucus has agreed that a
votewillhappeninthreedays’
time, on January 22.
A successful candidate will
need more than 60% of the
caucusvote,otherwisethey’ve
got to go to a primary-style
processwiththeLabourmem-
bership,whichcouldbemessy
,
sotheywillwanttoavoidthat.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
N
JO ADETUNJI
The writer is Editor, The Conversation UK
My sense is that Labour knows
who will take over. Front
runners to be leader could
include Minister of Justice Kiri
Allan, who is a rising star and
could be the first Mãori PM,
though she is relatively new to
politics. Minister for Education
and Leader of the House Chris
Hipkins was a high-profile
and hard-working MP during
COVID, and he and Allan
could make a formidable team.
Housing, energy and resources
minister Dr Megan Woods
is also an experienced and
senior member of the party,
so could also be in the mix
Beyond that, I have no
plan. No next steps. All
I know is that whatever
I do, I will try and find
ways to keep working
for NZ, that I am looking
forward to spending
time with my family
again – arguably, they
are the ones that have
sacrificed the most out
of all of us
—Jacinda Ardern

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05
INDIA
First India Bureau
Hamirpur: Union Min-
ister Anurag Thakur on
Thursday said the BJP
government at the cen-
tre determined to pro-
vide digital education
to people in villages
across the country in-
cluding Hamirpur.
The Union Minister
distributed laptops to
teachers of 140 ‘Ek Se
Shrestha’ centres here
and school bags and
study tables to 2,500
children.
Thakur said that is-
sues related to employ-
ment, migration and
the economy in the
state can be solved only
by giving proper educa-
tion to the children.
The minister also
started ‘Digital Ek Se
Shreshtha’, an initia-
tive aimed at providing
quality education to
every village for a
bright future for every
child, in the Hamirpur
parliamentary constitu-
ency and gave the slo-
gan of “Hamara
Sankalp, Hamara
Prayas, Sabko Shiksha,
Sabka Vikas”.
At present, over 2,500
children are being im-
parted free education in
140 panchayats of the
Hamirpur parliamenta-
ry constituency where
‘Ek Se Shrestha’ centres
are operational and em-
ployment opportunities
are also being given at
the panchayat level.
Childrenareprovided
with all necessary facili-
ties for education like
books, copies, white-
boards and stationery in
these centres.
Thakur also urged
the teachers to adopt
modern ways of teach-
ing and pay more atten-
tion to the overall devel-
opment of the students.
—With PTI inputs
“Education getting digitized in villages”
ANURAG THAKUR SAYS...
Kalaburagi (PTI): Im-
pressed by the “vibrant
and colourful” Lamba-
ni (Banjara) nomad
tribes, PM Narendra
Modi on Thursday said
their attire, culture, tra-
ditions and food habits
are the strength of In-
dia and his government
is committed to pre-
serving them all.
Seeking to strike an
emotional chord with
the economically and
socially backward Lam-
bani spread across vari-
ous parts right from
Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh, Ma-
harashtra, Karnataka,
Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh, Modi said dur-
ing the 'Hakku Patra'
(land title deed) distri-
bution ceremony, that
this community is cul-
turally rich.
“The double-engine
government (BJP gov-
ernment at the Centre
and Karnataka) be-
lieves the traditions,
culture, cuisines and
attire of every commu-
nity in India as its
strength. We are in fa-
vour of protecting and
conserving this
strength,” Modi told the
cheering crowd at Mal-
khed in this district in
poll-bound Karnataka.
He was addressing
the Lambani communi-
ty
, which is conspicuous
with its distinct attire
and language, especial-
ly the women who wear
colour-rich Ghagra (Le-
henga) with mirror
and embroidery work.
They put on cream-col-
oured bangles from
wrist to shoulder and
decorate themselves
with silver made orna-
ments from hair to toes.
WE’RE COMMITTED TO SAVE
NOMAD TRIBES’ CULTURE: PM
Attire, culture and
cuisine of every
community is
India’s strength,
says PM Modi
BANJARAS SEE AN
EMOTIONAL MODI
71K YOUTHS TO GET
JOB LETTERS TODAY
New Delhi: Addressing
a large gathering of the
people from the Banjara
community at Mulakhed
village in Karnataka’s
Kalaburagi district on
Thursday, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi assured
them that “their son is
sitting in Delhi who would
ensure the community’s
progress”.
New Delhi: PM Narendra
Modi will distribute about
71,000 appointment
letters to newly inducted
recruits in govt depart-
ments and organisations
on January 20. According
to the Prime Minister’s
Office (PMO), PM Modi
will distribute appoint-
ment letters at 10:30 am
via video conferencing.
Patna: A day after a
grand Opposition rally
in Telangana, Bihar CM
Nitish Kumar said he
only had a single wish
and that has nothing to
do with himself.
“I keep saying. I want
nothingformyself.Ionly
have one dream — to see
Oppositionleadersunite
and forge ahead. That
willbenefitthecountry
,”
Nitish said.
The Bihar CM’s com-
ments come a day after
prominent opposition
leaders addressed a
joint rally in Kham-
mam in Telangana on
CM K Chandrasekhar
Rao's invitation. Asked
about his own absence
at the event, Nitish said:
“I didn’t know about a
rally being held by KCR
(Chandrasekhar Rao). I
was busy with some
other work. Those who
were invited to his par-
ty's rally must have
gone there.”
My only dream is the
unity of Oppn: Nitish
day after KCR’s rally
MamataslamsBCIfor
sendingprobeteam
❍ CALCUTTA HC RUCKUS ISSUE
Kolkata: West Bengal
CMMamataBanerjeeon
Thursday slammed the
Bar Council of India
(BCI)forsendingathree-
member team to probe
the incident of ruckus
outside Calcutta High
Court’s Justice Ra-
jasekharMantha’scourt.
At a review meeting
at Alipurduar, she said
that central teams rush
to West Bengal even if
there is a termite at-
tack. “If there is a prob-
lem at the Calcutta High
Court, the Chief Justice
will look into it. The
Bar Council of West
Bengal is there. We are
here. Then why was a
team sent from Delhi?”
she questioned.
She said that even
bursting of firecrack-
ers in the state prompts
the Centre to send the
National Investigation
Agency (NIA) team.
“But when Border Secu-
rity Force personnel
shoot down innocent
civilians at Cooch Be-
har or South Dinajpur
the Union government
no inspection team is
sent,” Banerjee said.
AIADMK demands explanation
from TN govt on health scheme
Chennai (Agencies):
The Opposition AIAD-
MK on Thursday de-
manded an explanation
from the Tamil Nadu
government on its 'es-
sential healthcare at
doorsteps' scheme.
The AIADMK de-
manded that Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister
MK Stalin, and Health
minister Ma Subrama-
nian should provide de-
tails regarding the
'Makkalai Thedi
Maruthuvum' scheme
of the state government
which is taking essen-
tial healthcare to the
doorsteps of people.
Leader of the opposi-
tion and AIADMK in-
terim general secre-
tary Edappadi K
Palaniswami (EPS) in a
statement said that as
per media reports,
there are no reports
available to the public
regarding the scheme
including the expendi-
ture as well as the num-
ber of patients treated
under the scheme.
He charged that the
health officers have
pointed out duplication
of patients in the num-
ber of beneficiaries and
added that transparen-
cy of the scheme was
the need of the hour.
Aligarh (ANI): React-
ing to an Uttar Pradesh
college incident where
students wearing burqa
were stopped from en-
tering the premises, for-
mer Samajwadi Party
MLA Zameer Ullah
Khan has said that
“those who oppose bur-
qa should be paraded
naked to teach them a
lesson”. “There should
be no ban on the burqa
and whoever imposes
the ban, first parade
them naked. What is
this new dress code?
Make them roam
around naked, then
they will know what is
to be exposed,” said the
former Koil MLA on the
Moradabad’s Hindu
College incident.
After an October 2022
direction on dress code
at the college, the au-
thorities on Wednesday
stopped several girls in
burqa from entering the
premises, leading to
widespread protests.
Those opposing
burqa should be
paraded naked:
Ex-SP MLA Khan
Union IB Minister Anurag Thakur distributes laptops to teachers in Hamirpur, on Thursday.
PM Narendra Modi tries his hand at a “nagaara” during the distribution ceremony of title deeds to the
eligible beneficiaries of newly declared revenue villages, in Kalaburagi on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Nitish Kumar with Tejashwi Yadav during the unveiling of statue of
Maharana Pratap on his death anniversary, in Patna on Thursday.
WB CM Mamata Banerjee at a
function. —PHOTO BY PTI
Leave politics,
focus on law
and order:
Kejriwal to LG
New Delhi (PTI):
Delhi CM Arvind
Kejriwal on
Thursday asked Lt
Governor VK Sax-
ena to leave poli-
tics aside and fo-
cus on the law and
order situation in
the capital, after
DCW chief Swati
Maliwal was har-
assed and alleged-
ly dragged by a
car. Maliwal had
claimed that she
was harassed and
allegedly dragged
by the car for 10-15
metres outside
AIIMS when her
hand got stuck in
the vehicle’s win-
dow and its inebri-
ated driver drove
on. The incident
took place in the
early hours of the
day when the DCW
chief was out to
inspect women se-
curity in Delhi
along with her
team, who were
stationed at some
distance from her.
IN THE COURTYARD
WE WON’T ENTERTAIN
PLEA AGAINST NCLAT
ORDER: SC TO GOOGLE
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Thursday refused
to entertain Google’s plea
against an order of the
National Company Law
Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)
refusing an interim stay on
the competition regulator
imposing a Rs 1,337 crore
penalty on it. A bench of
CJI DY Chandrachud and
Justices PS Narasimha
and J B Pardiwala granted
the US firm seven days to
deposit 10% of the penalty
imposed by the Competition
Commission of India (CCI).
PROCESS TO DECLARE ‘RAM SETU’ NAT’L
HERITAGE MONUMENT UNDERWAY: CENTRE
New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday informed the Su-
preme Court that the Ministry of Culture’s “proposal to
declare Ram Setu as a national monument and of national
importance” is underway. Following this, the apex court
granted former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha
lawmaker Subramanian Swamy the liberty to submit a
representation to the Union ministry in this regar.
“SPECIAL PLAYERS
DESERVE EQUALITY”
New Delhi: The New Delhi
district consumer disputes
redressal commission has
directed online travel com-
pany Make My Trip to pay
over Rs 35,000 to a man,
who had made a booking
in a resort but found it
locked, for deficiency in
services. The commission
was hearing a complaint
which acccused Make My
Trip application for being
deficient in services.
New Delhi: The Delhi High
Court on Thursday asked
the Centre to take a decision
on extending certain bene-
fits available to para-sports-
people to deaf athletes as
well while observing the two
have to be treated equally
and cannot be discriminated
against each other. Court
was dealing with petitions
by four sportspersons
having 100% speech and
hearing disability.
Chennai: Tamil
Nadu Governor RN
Ravi has filed a defa-
mation case against a
now suspended work-
er of the ruling DMK
party for his contro-
versial remarks.
The case, sources
say, was filed against
DMK worker Sivaji
Krishnamurthy by
Governor RN Ravi in
a Chennai court on
Wednesday
.
Sivaji Krishna-
murthy had made
the alleged deroga-
tory remarks against
the Governor after
he skipped portions
of a government-ap-
proved speech in the
state assembly earli-
er this month.
Using expletives
for Governor Ravi,
Krishnamurthy had
said if he can't take
Ambedkar's name,
he should go to Kash-
mir, so he would be
gunned down by ex-
tremists.
TN Guv sues suspended DMK
man after controversial remark
Tamil Nadu Governor RN
Ravi. —FILE PHOTO
Do you send central
teams when women
are tortured in Uttar
Pradesh? Do the cen-
tral teams come when
the farmers starve
to death?
—Mamata Banerjee,
Chief Minister, West Bengal
Rahul Gandhi-led foot
march enters JK
Lakhanpur (PTI):
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi walked into
JK on Thursday, the
final phase of his
Bharat Jodo Yatra. As
dusk fell and tempera-
tures dipped, hundreds
of people walked along-
side the former Con-
gress president. In a
customary handover
function, Punjab’s Con-
gress unit gave the par-
ty flag to a leader from
the JK unit. Welcom-
ing him into the union
territory, National
Conference chief Fa-
rooq Abdullah drew a
parallel between the
Shankaracharya and
Rahul Gandhi.
BHARAT JODO YATRA
Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress party enters Jammu Kashmir’s Lakhanpur in
Kathua district, on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI
FAROOQ ABDULLAH RECEIVES BJY
Lakhanpur: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister
and president of National Conference, Farooq Abdullah on
Thursday travelled to Lakhanpur in JK Kathua district to
receive Rahul Gandhi during the Congress’ Bharat Jodo
Yatra. Abdullah, accompanied by some senior leaders
of the National Conference went to Lakhanpur to receive
Rahul Gandhi on the latter’s entry into JK.
RAHUL TRAINS
GUNS AT BJP, RSS
KHARGE JOINS BJY
IN PATHANKOT
Pathankot: Rahul Gandhi
launched a scathing attack
on the BJP and RSS on
Thursday, accusing them
of creating an atmosphere
of hatred, violence and
fear in the country. At a
rally here on the last day
of Bharat Jodo Yatra’s
Punjab-leg, Rahul Gandhi
alleged that the BJP was
making one religion fight
against another.
Pathankot: AICC President
Mallikarjun Kharge on
Thursday joined ‘Bharat
Jodo Yatra’ in Punjab's
Pathankot, and also ad-
dressed a public rally there.
`35K FINE SLAPPED
ON MAKE MY TRIP

06
INDIA
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Continuing
its concerted efforts to
abate air pollution aris-
ing out of emissions
from highly polluting
fossil fuels like coal,
furnace oil, etc, the
Commission for Air
Quality Management in
NCR Adjoining Areas
(CAQM) has advised
Coal India Limited
(CIL) and State Govern-
ments of Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh, to en-
sure that coal is not sup-
plied/ allotted by vari-
ous coal companies of
CIL to various suppli-
ers/ stockists/ agents
of ClL operating in the
National Capital Re-
gion (NCR).
Moreover, the Com-
mission has also ad-
vised the entities/
units/ industries in-
cluding stockists, trad-
ers and dealers of coal
to ensure compliance
and discontinue coal
supply in NCR for any
kind of usage/ stock-
ing/ selling/ trading in
entire NCR except for
Thermal Power Plants
(TPPs). Statutory direc-
tions of the Commis-
sion require complete
elimination of use of
coal and other unap-
proved fuels for various
operations/ applica-
tions across all sectors
(including industrial,
commercial and miscel-
laneous applications),
with effect from Janu-
ary 1 in the entire NCR.
Statutory directions
were issued by the Com-
mission regarding per-
missible fuels for indus-
trial/ domestic/ miscel-
laneous applications in
the NCR in terms of
Direction Nos. 64 dated
June 2, 2022 and 65 dat-
ed June 23, 2022. Pres-
ently, use of coal now
stands completely
banned (except in TPPs)
and it is not considered
a permissible fuel with-
in NCR as per the com-
mon fuel list under the
Directions issued by the
Commission.
Use of coal stands completely banned in NCR
CAQM ADVISORY
India to bail out debt-ridden neighbour
Colombo: External Af-
fairs Minister S Jais-
hankar on Thursday ar-
rived here for a much-
anticipated visit to Sri
Lanka, where he will
meet the cash-strapped
country’s top leadership
tofinaliseadebtrestruc-
turing plan to help Co-
lombo carve out a path
from its worst economic
crisis. Jaishankar, who
rounded off his official
visit to the Maldives,
was welcomed here by
foreign affairs minister
Tharaka Balasuriya.
Jaishankar is sched-
uled to have meetings
later on Thursday with
his Sri Lankan counter-
part Ali Sabry and Pres-
ident Ranil Wickremes-
inghe, officials said.
Debt restructuring
will headline Jais-
hankar’s talks with Sri
Lanka’s top leadership
during his two-day offi-
cial visit. Sri Lanka,
which is trying to se-
cure a much-needed
USD 2.9 billion bridge
loan from the Interna-
tional Monetary Fund
(IMF), has been trying
to get financial assur-
ances from its major
creditors China, Japan
and India which is the
requisite for Colombo to
get the bailout package.
The IMF bailout has
been put on a halt as Sri
Lanka pursues talks
with creditors to meet
the global lender’s con-
dition for the facility
.
On Tuesday, Presi-
dent Wickremesinghe
said his government
has “successfully” com-
pleted its debt restruc-
turing talks with India
“I can tell this assem-
bly that the talks are
successful. Very soon
we will have an an-
swer,” Wickremesinghe
told the Parliament.
On Tuesday, India’s
Additional Secretary of
the Finance Ministry
Rajat Kumar Mishra in-
formed IMF chief
Kristalina Georgiva
that New Delhi has con-
firmed its support to Sri
Lanka on the issue of
debt restructuring.
Last week, Sri Lanka
completed its debt re-
structuring talks with
Japan. Extending a
much-needed lifeline to
a neighbour in need, In-
dia has handed finan-
cial assistance of near-
ly USD 4 billion to Co-
lombo last year.
JOSHIMATH LAND SUBSIDENCE
Keepingwatchon
situation:Dhami
Dehradun (ANI): Utta-
rakhand Chief Minis-
ter Pushkar Singh Dha-
mi held a review meet-
ing on Joshimath relief
work with officials on
Thursday at the state
secretariat and said
that he is monitoring
the situation every day
.
The Chief Minister
on Thursday while
speaking to ANI stated
that the state officials
have been monitoring
the situation in Joshi-
math every day
. The wa-
ter discharge which
was at 570 lpm (litres
per minute) has re-
duced to 100 lpm now.
‘FOOD POISONING’:
EATERY’S HEAD
COOK ARRESTED
1 KILLED IN TAMIL
NADU FIREWORKS
FACTORY BLAST
Kochi (PTI): The head
cook of an eatery in
North Paravoor area of
Ernakulam district has
been arrested follow-
ing hospitalisation of
several people who ate
food there. An officer of
North Paravoor police
station said that the
cook was arrested on
Wednesday. The sus-
pected food poisoning
incident occurred on
Tuesday with over 68
people being admitted to
various hospitals in Er-
nakulam with symptoms
like vomiting.
MAN BURNT TO
DEATH IN
GURUGRAM FLAT
Gurugram (Agencies):
A 46-year-old man was
burnt to death after his
house caught fire on
the fifth floor of Tata
Raisina Residency in
Sector 59 on Thurs-
day. The deceased, a
resident of Jharkhand,
used to work as a driver
and was living in rented
EWS flat at the resi-
dency, the police said.
Gulshan Kalra, deputy
director (technical),
Haryana Fire and Emer-
gency Services, said the
fire department received
information around
12:25 p.m. and three
firefighters were rushed
to the spot.
Sivakasi (Agencies): A
worker died, and another
was grieviously injured
in a blast at a fireworks
factory at Tamil Nadu’s
Virudhunagar on Thurs-
day, police said. The
deceased was identified
as Ravi, 60, while the in-
jured worker is Jayaraj,
60. The fireworks factory
owned by Krishnamoor-
thy at Sengamalapatti
has more than 40
sheds and 100 workers
working in these sheds.
Sivakasi East police is
holding investigations in
the case.
Malkangiri (PTI): Forest Department officials have seized
two leopard skins in separate incidents in Odisha’s two
tribal dominated districts of
Malkangiri and Mayurbhanj
and arrested six persons on
the charge of smuggling of
wildlife body parts, police said
on Thursday. The market value
of two leopard skin could be
above Rs 2.5 lakh in international market, forest officials
said. In Mayurbhanj district, the forest officials raided
Badaolia village on the foothills of Similipal National Park
and seized a leopard skin and cash of Rs 1.27 lakh, said SP
Mayurbhanj Rishikesh Dyandeo Khilari.
New Delhi (Agencies): A Class 12 student stabbed a
government school teacher with a knife in Delhi’s Indrapuri
area on Thursday. The student
stabbed the teacher in the
stomach. The teacher was
immediately rushed to the BL
Kapoor Hospital in Delhi for
treatment. A case was regis-
tered under section 307 of the
Indian Penal Code (IPC). The police have detained the ju-
venile for stabbing the teacher and the murder weapon has
been recovered. Further investigation is currently underway.
2 LEOPARD SKINS SEIZED IN SEPARATE CASE
IN ODISHA’S TRIBAL DOMINATED DISTRICTS
DELHI GOVT SCHOOLTEACHER STABBED BY
STUDENT; JUVENILE ACCUSED DETAINED
HUGE FIRE BREAKS
OUT IN HYDERABAD
HIGH-RISE BUILDING
Hyderabad (Hyderabad): A
fire broke out on Thursday
in amulti-storied com-
mercial complex and also
spread to two adjoining
buildings in Secunderabad.
The incident occurred
between 10:00 am and
10:30 am No casualties
have been reported. How-
ever, at least six people
were trapped on top of
the building when the fire
broke out. They were trying
to get away from the fire
and reached upstairs for
safety. Six fire tenders have
been fighting to douse the
flames for more than four
hours. A police also team
reached the spot to control
the situation.
CRUCIAL READ
—Pic for representational purpose only
21 industrial units found using highly
polluting unapproved fuels, issued
closure directions by CAQM
SL Foreign Minister Tharaka Balasuriya receives EAM Jaishankar. EAM with Maldives Prez Solih.
“INDIA FUNDING 45
INFRA PROJECTS
IN MALDIVES”
New Delhi: External
Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar, who is on
a diplomatic visit to
Maldives, on Thursday
said that India through
its grant assistance
has supported around
45 projects on the
island country, spread
across 16 atolls and 36
islands.
INDIA TO BOOST
SPORTS INFRA IN
MALDIVES: EAM
Male: EAM S Jaishankar
said on Thursday that
India has extended a
USD 40 million Line of
Credit for developing
sporting infrastructure
in Maldives, as part of
New Delhi’s efforts to
bring PM Modi’s flag-
ship projects into the
ambit of the Neighbour-
hood First Policy.
UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PREZ
CSABA KOROSI TO VISIT INDIA
New York (ANI): United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) President Csaba Korosi
is scheduled to visit India at the end of this
month and meet with senior officials, ac-
cording to the spokesperson for the General
Assembly president, Paulina Kubiak Greer.
Addressing a briefing here on Tuesday (lo-
cal time), the spokesperson said the visit of
the UNGA President who has been invited
by the Indian government will likely begin
on January 29 and will include an address
to the Indian Council of World Affairs, a
foreign policy think tank.
Locals stage a protest against the NTPC’s project in Joshimath
town of Chamoli district, on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Joshimath: Cracks have
developed in the walls of
Garhwal Mandal Vikas
Nigam’s guest house in
the holy city of Joshimath
in Uttarakhand.The cracks
were noticed in the build-
ing, located near Gandhi
Maidan, on Wednesday.
NOW, CRACKS IN
GMVN GUEST HOUSE
LAND SUBSIDENCE
HITS BIZ DREAMS
Joshimath: Hundreds of
people watch in dismay
as rapidly deepening
cracks write the epitaph
of their businesses and
homes in a sinking town
that was bustling till just a
few weeks ago.
Before R-Day,pro-Khalistan
graffiti appear in Delhi
Birla bats for joint efforts
to address global issues
New Delhi (ANI): The
Delhi Police on Thurs-
day said that “Khal-
istan Zindabad” and
other anti-national slo-
gans that cropped up as
graffiti on walls in at
least 10 locations in the
national capital have
been removed.
According to the po-
lice, gGraffiti written in
Gurmukhi and Hindi
with ‘Khalistan
Zindabad’, and ‘Refer-
endum 2020’ was seen
painted on a wall in the
Paschim Vihar area of
the capital city today.
The development comes
days ahead of Republic
Day celebrations for
which security has
been stepped up in the
city. Delhi Police said
that it is not a “security-
related issue” and that
legal action would be
taken against those in-
volved in the matter.
“Anti-national, Khal-
istan-related graffiti ap-
peared overnight at
some locations in Delhi.
The graffiti appears to
have been painted un-
der the cover of dark-
ness and appeared in
deserted and empty
places. This is not a se-
curity-related issue. Le-
gal action will be taken
in this matter,” Suman
Nalwa, the Public Rela-
tions Officer of Delhi
Police told ANI.
Dar-es-Salaam: Lok
Sabha Speaker Om Bir-
la, who is leading the
Indian Parliamentary
Delegation to Tanzania,
called on Tanzania PM
Kassim Majliwa, on
Thursday
. Speaking on
the occasion, Birla men-
tioned that there is a
need for joint action to
address global issues
like climate change. He
said India and Tanzania
are important maritime
countries in the Indian
Ocean region. He said
that the historical ties
between the two mari-
time nations have devel-
oped on basis of mutual
political understanding.
MIGHTY SWORD!
Shivendraraje Bhosale, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, carries 42-kg sword
of Lord Khandoba during the Hindu Jagriti Morcha in Jejuri, near Pune on Thursday.
—PHOTO
BY
VIJAYKUMAR
HARISHCHANDRE
UP Govt transfers 3 IAS officers including
Muzaffarnagar collector Chandra B Singh
Dr Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: The UP govt
has transferred three
IAS officers, of which
themostshockingtrans-
fer is of Muzaffarnagar
Collector IAS Chandra
Bhushan Singh.
IAS Chandra Bhush-
an Singh of 2008 batch
SCS carder has been
made Additional Trans-
port Commissioner but
at the same time he has
also been given the ad-
ditional responsibility
of the outgoing Trans-
port Commissioner.
Meanwhile, IAS Ara-
vind Mallappa Bangari
has been made the new
DM of Muzaffarnagar.
Priortothenewappoint-
ment, Bangari was post-
ed in Western Electric
Supply Nigam from 11
October 2019 as its MD.
IAS Chaitra V has
been made MD, Pas-
chimanchal Vidyut Vit-
ran Nigam Meerut and
was holding the com-
mand of Additional
Commissioner Meerut
Division and Addition-
al Commissioner Indus-
tries Meerut Division.
Sources claim that
IAS Chandra Bhushan
Singh, who was re-
moved from Muzaffar-
nagar, is considered a
very special officer of
the government. He was
made the collector of
Azamgarh as soon as
the Yogi government
came to power and then
the collector of Aligarh
And VC Aligarh.
Gadkari inspects
A’bad-Dholera
Expressway work
Yeti Airlines crash:
Report hints failure
to deploy full flaps
Ahmedabad (FIB): Un-
ion Road Transport
HighwaysMinisterNitin
GadkarionThursdayin-
spected the progress of
Ahmedabad-DholeraEx-
pressway
. This 109 km
long greenfield corridor
is being developed at a
totalcostof ₹4200crore.It
will act as an important
route to connect
AhmedabadandDholera
and connect several spe-
cial investment zones of
Dholera to Ahmedabad.
This expressway will en-
able high speed travel
between Ahmedabad
and Dholera and reduce
the travel time by about
one hour.
Kathmandu (PTI):
The pilots of the Yeti
Airlines aircraft that
crashed in Nepal’s re-
sort city of Pokhara
may have failed to fully
deploy the wing flaps
while attempting to
land, leading to a stall,
a media report said on
Thursday. On January
15, a Yeti Airlines air-
craft crashed into a
gorge near the newly-
built airport in Pokha-
ra, killing 72 all on
board, including five
Indians, in the coun-
try’s worst air disaster
in 30 years.
EAM ARRIVES IN SRI LANKA

07
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 56,475.00 52.00 0.09 (Per 10g)
SILVER 68,500.00 850.00 1.24 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 81.37 0.07 0.08
GBPINR 100.38 0.03 0.03
CURRENCIES
Adani group has no plans for telecom sec
New Delhi (Agencies): In-
dian conglomerate Adani
Group, owned by billion-
aire Gautam Adani, said on
Thursday that it does not
have any plans to enter the
country’s telecom sector.
Adani, the world’s third-
richest man according to
Forbes, has been diversify-
ing his empire from ports
to energy to now owning a
media company
.
However, the Adani
Group has stayed away
from India’s telecom sector,
where rival Mukesh Am-
bani’s Reliance Industries’
unit Jio became a domi-
nant player by offering low-
cost services since its
debut in 2016.
“We have no plans or
ambitions in telecom,”
Jugeshinder Singh, Adani
Group’s chief financial
officer, said.
Adani Enterprises’ unit
Adani Data Networks pur-
chased airwaves worth
nearly $27 mn in the coun-
try’s 5G auction in 2022.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER CONFIRMS
STAYING
FAR AWAY
z Adani has been diversifying
his empire from ports to
energy to now owning a
media company.
z However, the Adani Group
has stayed away from
India’s telecom sector,
where rival Mukesh
Ambani’s Jio became a
dominant player
business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki
India on Thursday said it
has commenced exports
of mid-sized sports utility
vehicle Grand Vitara, with
the first shipment on its
way to Latin America. The
country’s leading carmak-
er and exporter aims to
export the model to more
than 60 countries. “Ex-
panding the product port-
folio for exports has been
one of the key pillars of
success. By adding Grand
Vitara, we now export a
range of 17 vehicles,” MSI
MD and CEO Hisashi
Takeuchi said. —PTI
MARUTI SUZUKI
BEGINS EXPORTS OF
GRAND VITARA
New Delhi: Gold prices
fell by `52 to `56,475 per
10 grams in the national
capital on Thursday amid
weak global trends, ac-
cording to HDFC Securi-
ties. The precious metal
closed at `56,527 per 10
grams in the previous
trade. Silver also tumbled
`850 to `68,500 per kg.
“Spot gold prices in the
Delhi markets traded at
`56,475 per 10 grams,
down `52 per 10 grams,”
said an analyst at HDFC
Securities on Thursday. In
the overseas market, gold
was quoting lower at US
dollars 1,901 per ounce
while silver was up at
24.23 US dollars per
ounce. —PTI
GOLD PRICES FALL
BY `52; SILVER ALSO
SEES A DIP OF `850
New Delhi: FMCG major
Hindustan Unilever Ltd on
Thursday reported a 7.9%
increase in its consolidat-
ed net profit to `2,481
crore for the third quarter
ended December 31,
2022. The company had
posted a net profit of
`2,300 crore in the Octo-
ber-December quarter of
the previous fiscal. Its
consolidated total income
during the quarter under
review rose 16.355 to
`15,707 crore against
`13,499 crore a year ago,
HUL said. —PTI
HUL Q3 NET PROFIT
RISES 7.9 PER CENT
TO `2,481 CRORE
New Delhi: Walmart-
owned digital payments
app Phonepe on Thursday
said it has raised $350
million at a valuation of
$12 billion in a funding
round led by private equi-
ty firm General Atlantic.
“Marquee Global and Indi-
an investors are also par-
ticipating in the round,”
PhonePe said adding the
investment marks the first
tranche of an up to $1 bil-
lion total fundraise that
commenced in January
2023. The fundraise fol-
lows PhonePe’s recently
announced change of
domicile to India. —PTI
PHONEPE RAISES
$350 MILLION AT $12
BILLION VALUATION
*Rates till the edition went to print.
INDIA SET FOR
CONSERVATIVE
DIVESTMENT TARGET
New Delhi: The Indian
government is likely to set a
conservative target for the
funds it can
raise through
disinvestment
of state
enterprises in
fiscal 2024 after mop-up fell
short this year, analysts said.
“We pencil in divestment
receipts of 350 billion Indian
rupees in 2022/23...For
2023/24, we factor in
divestments of 500 billion
rupees,” Kotak Institutional
Equities said. —FIB
LEASING OF RETAIL
SPACE UP 21% IN 2022
ACROSS EIGHT CITIES
New Delhi: Leasing of retail
real estate space during last
year rose 21% to 4.7 million
square feet
across eight
major cities
mainly on
rising demand
from FB, fashion and apparel
retailers, according to CBRE
India. The absorption of retail
space in 2021 calendar year
stood at 3.9 million square
feet across Ahmedabad, Ben-
galuru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR,
Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai
and Pune. —PTI
IFFCO, AMUL, NAFED, KRIBHCO, NCDC TO
PROMOTE NATIONAL EXPORT COOP SOCIETY
New Delhi: IFFCO, GCMMF (Amul), Kribhco, NAFED and NCDC
will jointly promote a newly announced national-level export coop-
erative society with an authorised
share capital of `2,000 crore for
the trading of goods and services in
the cooperative sector. Last week,
the CCEA approved a proposal to
establish three new national-level
multi-state cooperative societies. A
national-level cooperative organic
society, cooperative seed society and cooperative export society
will be registered under the MSCS Act, 2002. —PTI
DOMESTIC PASSENGER TRAFFIC GROWS 13.69%
TO 127.35 LAKH IN DECEMBER 2022: DGCA
Mumbai: India’s domestic passenger traffic grew 13.69% year-on-
year to 127.35 lakh in December, according to DGCA monthly traf-
fic data released on Thursday. The number of passengers flown
by the Indian airlines in December
2021 was recorded at 112.02 lakh,
as per data. IndiGo, which carried
69.97 lakh passengers during
the month, lost the market share
further at 55.7%, while Air India
and Vistara carried 11.71 lakh and
11.70 lakh passengers. —PTI
OTHER STORIES
INDIA AIMS TO BECOME
Key semiconductor
supplier for world
Davos (PTI): Sensing a
huge opportunity in the
global semiconductor mar-
ket, India has set in motion
an ambitious plan to be-
come a key supplier for the
world with the government
itself putting in $10 billion,
Communications Minister
Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
The minister said there
is a very large market that
requires semiconductor
and India has a huge poten-
tial in terms of infrastruc-
ture, talent pool and tech-
nology. “Our university
system that produces a
large number of talent is
also helping a lot as we
have tied up with many
universities to prepare
right talent,” he said.
Asked about the govern-
ment’s own investment
plans, he said the govern-
ment itself is putting in $10
billion and it has chalked
outalonghaulprogramme.
“We see a huge potential
for India to become a key
semiconductor supplier for
the entire world, that too
for the latest requirements
including for electric vehi-
cles and for all cutting edge
technologies. We are con-
vinced that the demand is
going to be huge,” he added.
“The industry is going to
double in size to $1 trillion
in the next 6-7 years with
the growth rate set to accel-
erate in a big way,” he said.
TOP TALKING
POINTS
z Communications Minister
Ashwini Vaishnaw said there
is a very large market that
requires semiconductor and
India has a huge potential in
terms of infrastructure, talent
pool and technology
z He said the government
itself is putting in $10 billion
and it has chalked out a long
haul programme
z Vaishnaw also said the
government is mindful of the
environment and it will ensure
that the new factories are
supplied with green energy
INDIA BETTER
OFF THAN MANY
ECONOMIES,
SAYS GOPINATH
New Delhi (Agencies):
IMF deputy managing di-
rector Gita Gopinath has
cautioned that India needs
to work on labour markets
and land, even as she
hailed the country for do-
ing better than many glob-
al economies.
Gopinath cautioned
against growing fragmen-
tation globally, saying it
hurt the global growth
rate. India though, she
said, has been receiving
lots of positive sentiments
but at the same time added
that greater reforms are
needed for foreign direct
investment in the manu-
facturing sector.
A lot of businesses and
companies are looking to-
wards India as an invest-
ment destination as they
try to diversify away from
countries including China.
Mobile, internet key to
India’s robust financial
inclusion: SBI chief
Davos (PTI): Robust mo-
bile and internet connec-
tivity has helped India in a
big way to expand financial
inclusion, while a diverse
network of banking corre-
spondents and micro ATMs
has ensured last mile
reach, SBI Chairman
Dinesh Kumar Khara said
on Thursday
.
He also said a lot is being
done in the country to
spread financial and digi-
tal literacy to help people
with their banking needs
and to safeguard them from
any frauds.
“We are a country of 1.3
billion and the mobile
phone connections we have
are about 1.2 billion. We
also have some 800 million
internet connections and
that has helped us a lot ex-
pand financial inclusion,”
Khara said.
“During the pandemic,
we also did another excel-
lent job, that is distributing
foodgrain also, rather than
just distributing cash. That
helped us contain infla-
tion,” SBI chairman said.
SBI CHIEF
KHARA SAID
z Robust mobile and internet
connectivity has helped
India in a big way to expand
financial inclusion, while a
diverse network of banking
correspondents and micro
ATMs has ensured last
mile reach
z A lot is being done in the
country to spread financial
and digital literacy
Sensex, Nifty snap two-day rally amid global
weakness; Asian Paints drops post Q3 show
Mumbai (PTI): Equity
benchmarks declined on
Thursday after a two-day
rally, mirroring a weak
trend in the US markets
and fresh foreign fund
outflows.
Weak US consumer data
and hawkish comments
from the Fed’s policymak-
ers dragged markets lower.
The 30-share BSE Sensex
declined dropped 187.31
points or 0.31% to settle at
60,858.43. During the day, it
tumbled 329.19 points or
0.53% to 60,716.55.
The broader NSE Nifty
dipped 57.50 points or
0.32% to end at 18,107.85.
From the Sensex pack,
Asian Paints, Tata Motors,
IndusInd Bank, Kotak Ma-
hindra Bank, Hindustan
Unilever, Titan, UltraTech
Cement, Bajaj Finserv, ITC
and Nestle were the biggest
laggards.
RUPEE FALLS 7 PAISE
TO CLOSE AT 81.37
AGAINST US DOLLAR
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee settled
7 paise lower at 81.37 (provi-
sional) against the US dollar
on Thursday. At the interbank
foreign exchange market, the
rupee opened at 81.45 against
the greenback, and finally settled
at 81.37, down 7 paise over
its previous close. During the
session, the rupee also touched
an intraday high of 81.27 against
the American currency.
BUDGET WISHLIST
Pharmaceutical and
healthcare industry seek
simplified regulations
New Delhi (PTI): The gov-
ernment should take meas-
ures to promote innovation
and RD while simplifying
regulations for the sector
in the upcoming Union
Budget, as per pharmaceu-
tical industry bodies.
Outlining the wishlist
for the sector in the upcom-
ing Union Budget, Indian
Pharmaceutical Alliance
(IPA) Secretary General Su-
darshan Jain said the do-
mestic pharma industry is
currently around $50 bil-
lion in size and aspires to
grow to around $130 billion
by 2030 and $450 billion by
2047. “To achieve this vi-
sion, the Union Budget
2023-2024 should help fuel
innovation and RD, which
will set the pace for propel-
ling the pharmaceutical
industry forward,” he said.
The budget should out-
line supportive policies,
simplified regulations, and
simple GST norms to aid in
the development of the
pharmaceutical industry,
he added.
IRF SEEKS REMOVAL OF GST ON HELMETS
New Delhi (PTI): International Road Federation (IRF), a global body
advocating for safer roads, on Thursday said that it has made a plea
to the government to do away with the GST imposed on helmets. At
present a GST of 18% is levied on helmets. “IRF...In a letter written
to the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has demanded
reduction of GST on life saving device helmets for safety of the two-
wheeler riders from present 18% to 0% in the forthcoming Union
Budget 2023-24,” the global road safety body said.
Doing my utmost to ensure
FTA with India: Scholz
Davos (PTI): Asserting
that Europe remains open
for international trade,
German Chancellor Olaf
Scholz has said he is doing
his utmost to ensure that
the free trade agree-
ments with India and
some other countries
gets sealed.
The European Un-
ion, within which
Germany is among
India’s biggest
trade partners,
relaunched ne-
gotiations last year with
India for a Free Trade
Agreement.
“I am doing my utmost to
ensure that the free trade
agreements we have suc-
cessfully negotiated
with Canada, Korea,
Japan, New Zea-
land, and Chile will
soon be followed by
new ones: with
MERCOSUR, In-
dia, and Indo-
nesia,” he
said.

08
2NDFRONT
Failing to plan is truly planning to
‘fail!’ Plan in detail, extensively and
then watch success unfold.
— Dr Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
Several cities across India are
going to power the growth story
of India. Therefore, making
Mumbai future-ready is one of
the commitments of the double-
engine government. The duo
of Chief Minister Eknath
Shinde and Deputy Chief
Minister Devendra
Fadnavis will help
people realize their
dreams.
The role of local bodies in the
development of Mumbai is
huge. There is no dearth of
budget, just the money for
the development of Mumbai
should be spent at the right
place. If that money is used
for corruption, then how will
the future of Mumbai be
bright? This city yearns for
development... This is not ac-
ceptable in the 21st century.
Double-engine government is
committed to giving better
amenities to the poorest of the
poor. So, even railway sta-
tions are being developed on
the lines of airports. Chhatra-
pati Shivaji Maharaj Termi-
nus, one the oldest railway
stations, is being redeveloped.
We plan to make it a multi-
model hub with buses, taxis,
and autos under one roof.
In our cities, for the
first time, we start-
ed a scheme for
street vendors, hand
carts, street vendors,
who are an impor-
tant part of the
city’s economy. We
ensured cheap and
collateral-free loans
from banks for these
small traders.
The double-en-
gine govern-
ment is com-
mitted to giv-
ing better
amenities to the
poorest of the
poor. Dharavi
redevelopment
is the state gov-
ernment’s com-
mitment.
BUSY DAY FOR
PM IN MUMBAI
z Launched
Mumbai metro lines
2A and 7 worth
`12,600 crore
z Launched MUM-
BAI 1 Mobile App
z Launched Nation-
al Common Mobility
Card (Mumbai 1)
z Launched 400km
road concretiza-
tion project worth
`6,100 crore
z Launched 20
Hinduhridaysamrat
Balasaheb
Thackeray Aapla
Dawakhanas
z Laid foundation
stone for 7 sewage
treatment plants
cumulatively worth
`17,200 crore
z Laid foundation
stone for `1,800
crore redevelop-
ment of Chhatra-
pati Shivaji Maharaj
Terminus
z Laid foundation
stone for redevel-
opment of Bhandup
Multispeciality
Municipal Hospital,
Siddharth Nagar
Hospital, Goregaon
(West) and
Oshiwara Maternity
Home
z Started transfer
of approved loans of
over one lakh ben-
eficiaries under PM
SVANidhi Yojana
‘Bigdreams,couragetorealizethem’
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi on
Thursday said that for
the first time since Inde-
pendence, “New India”
has big dreams and the
courage to realise them.
Addressing the pub-
lic in Mumbai after
launching Rs38,000
crore worth of infra-
structure projects,
Modi said there was a
“long period” of the last
century that was lost
discussing poverty and
seeking help from for-
eigners. “Many cities
across India are going
to power the growth
story of the country,”
he said. Therefore,
making Mumbai future-
ready is one of the com-
mitments of the double-
engine government, he
added.
Mumbai will be
transformed in the next
few years, he said.
While the world’s big-
gest economies are in
turmoil, India contin-
ues to provide free ra-
tions to 80 crore people,
Modi said.
Amid the global slow-
down, India continues
to invest in infrastruc-
ture which shows its
commitment towards
being a developed na-
tion, the PM said.
Earlier, the money
meant for the welfare of
the poor used to be em-
bezzled by middlemen,
he said. “In the last
eight years, we have re-
moved this approach,
and are moving with
futuristic thinking by
increasing spending on
modern infrastruc-
ture,” he said.
Maharashtra’s infra-
structure development
acquired speed after
Chief Minister Eknath
Shinde and Deputy CM
Devendra Fadnavis as-
sumed office, he said.
Modi inaugurated
Mumbai Metro lines 2A
and 7, comprising a
35km long elevated cor-
ridor stretching from
Andheri to Dahisar.
He also inaugurated
20 Aapla Davakhana
health clinics named
after Shiv Sena founder
Bal Thackeray
.
Later in the day, Dep-
uty Chief Minister Dev-
endra Fadnavis tweeted
his thanks to the PM.
PM Modi, flanked by CM Shinde and Dy CM FAdnavis, waves to the crowd in Mumbai. —PHOTO BY ANI
Maharashtra’s
infrastructure
devt picked up
speed after CM
Shinde, Dy CM
Fadnavis took
office, PM says
Mumbai and all of us are very
grateful to Hon PM @naren-
dramodiji for your support
gracing this momentous occa-
sion and motivating us to work
even harder to turn into reality
the dream of all infra and facil-
ities which Mumbai deserves
has been waiting for since
decades! #MumbaiOnFastTrack
—DEVENDRA FADNAVIS
@Dev_Fadnavis
SadtoseeModiisBJP’sonly
bigleader:NCP’sSupriyaSule
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
leader Supriya Sule ex-
pressed concern about
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi during his
visit to Mumbai on
Thursday
.
Sule remarked that
the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) did not
have another leader
like Modi to field in
elections.
“As PM Modi has
come to Maharashtra,
we welcome him. Big
leaders like Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, LK Advani,
Arun Jaitley, Yashwant
Sinha, and Sushma
Swaraj have been seen
in the BJP. But today,
the party does not have
leaders like them. (I am)
sad to see this. Also, in
every election, BJP has
no other leader or alter-
native except Narendra
Modi,” she said.
Meanwhile, state
Congress unit chief
Nana Patole alleged
that PM Modi did bare-
ly any work in the last
nine years.
“In the last nine
years, Modi did nothing
except campaign for the
BJP. Why do farmers
commit suicide in the
state? Mumbai is the fi-
nancial capital of the
country, and the state
exchequer is being loot-
ed through advertise-
ments,” Patole said.
Nana Patole Supriya Sule
Traffic jams mark PM’s visit
Mumbai (PTI): Motor-
ists faced heavy traffic
jams in parts of subur-
ban Mumbai on Thurs-
day afternoon due to
curbs imposed on move-
ment of vehicles and
diversion of routes in
view of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s visit.
Heavy traffic snarls
were observed at BKC
(Bandra-Kurla Com-
plex), Santacruz, Vakola
and Andheri areas in
the western suburbs, an
official said.
Entry of heavy vehi-
cles on key roads, in-
cluding Western Ex-
press Highway, was
banned from noon to 9
pm. The traffic police
also made other ar-
rangements to ensure
hassle-free movement
of vehicles on Western
Expressway
,EasternEx-
pressway and several
arterial roads as a large
number of people were
expected to travel to
BKC, the site of the
maineventonThursday
.
Guv releases Marathi edition
of PM’s book Exam Warriors
First India Bureau
Mumbai: Governor
Bhagat Singh Koshy-
ari on Thursday re-
leased a new Marathi
edition of the book
“ExamWarriors”au-
thoredbyPrimeMin-
ister Narendra Modi.
The governor ad-
dressed students and
teachers at an event
at Raj Bhavan, and
appealed to them to
become fearless and
face the examination
with preparedness.
Referring to PM
Modi’s words, he asked
the students to explore
andunderstand“Incred-
ible India”. He also
urged them to visit
Shivneri, Raigad and
Sinhgad forts as also
modern monuments
liketheStatueof Uni-
ty
, and draw inspira-
tion from the lives of
great leaders.
Koshyari also
asked Kesarkar to
make copies of the
book, published by
the National Book
Trust,availableinall
school libraries in
the state.
Minister of
School Education and
Marathi Language
Deepak Kesarkar, Prin-
cipal Secretary School
Education Ranjit Singh
Deol, andseveralprinci-
pals, teachers and stu-
dents were present.
Mumbai (PTI): Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi travelled in a
Metro train in Mumbai
on Thursday.
He travelled from
Gundavali to Mogra
stations and interacted
with a group of young-
sters, women and Met-
ro Rail workers. These
two stations are part
of the Metro line 7
Phase 2, which he in-
augurated earlier.
Mumbai Metro Rail
lines 2A and 7 built at
a cost of around
Rs12,600 crore, com-
prise a 35km elevated
corridor stretching
from Andheri to Da-
hisar in suburban
Mumbai. The 18.6km
Metro line 2A connects
suburban Dahisar
(East) with the 16.5km-
long D N Nagar (yellow
line), while Metro line
7 joins Andheri (East)
with Dahisar (East).
Modi laid the foun-
dation stone for these
lines in 2015.
PM takes a ride on new Mumbai Metro line
The PM had
inaugurated lines
2A 7 earlier in the
day, during an event
in Mumbai’s BKC
Mumbai (PTI): In the wake
of traffic restrictions in
Bandra Kurla Complex,
where Prime Minister
Narendra Modi took part
in an event on Thursday
evening, police advised
offices and establishments
in the area to allow their
employees to leave early,
an official said. The police
also asked the establish-
ments in the area to report
immediately about any
suspicious activity by a
person, suspicious emails,
or any other such cyber
incident including hacking,
he said. In view of the ad-
visory, some of the offices
permitted their employees
to leave after 12 noon. The
police also issued instruc-
tions to offices situated in
the area to provide a list of
security personnel in their
premises and also conduct
their verification, the of-
ficial said. The police also
asked the establishments
to check if their CCTVs
were working properly..
According to police, flying
activities, including use of
drones, paragliders, and
remote-controlled micro-
light aircraft, will not be
allowed under the limits of
police stations at BKC and
nearby areas in Mumbai
from noon till midnight in
view of the PM's visit.
COPS ASK OFFICES TO RELIEVE
STAFF EARLY FOR PM’S VISIT
PM Modi was accompanied on his train ride by CM Shinde and Dy CM Fadnavis on Thursday.
FOR THE PEOPLE!
PM Modi with CM Shinde, Dy CM Fadnavis and others at the launch of development projects
and transfer of benefits under PM-SVANidhi, in Mumbai on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI
FOCUS
ON
MUMBAI

www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
MUMBAI | FRIDAY,
JANUARY 20, 2023
he first
morning of
the Festival
commenced
with a soul-
stirring per-
f o r m a n c e
featuring the
brilliant and award-win-
ning Carnatic vocalist
Sushma Soma. Soma’s
rich and melodious voice
transformed the energy
at the Front Lawn and
was the perfect build-up
to the inaugural session
of the Festival.
The inaugural session
of the 16th edition of the
JLF began with speeches
from acclaimed person-
alities, including au-
thor William Dal-
rymple, Namita
Gokhale and
Sanjoy K. Roy.
During the
ceremonyRoy
shared how —
with over 80%
of attendees
under the age of
25 in 2020—the
Festival has
found a niche
among India’s
youth. Fur-
t h e r ,
t h r o u g h
their part-
n e r s h i p
w i t h
Pratham
Books, they
will be set-
ting up librar-
ies across 50
schools for the
economically weak.
Namita Gokhale, writ-
er, Founder Co-director
of the JLF, said, “Over the
last 16 years, this annual
literary pilgrimage, this
Mahakumbh of readers
and writers, this Katha
Sarit-Sagar, this sea of
stories—has been trans-
formative for so, so many
people.
William Dalrymple, au-
thor, historian and Found-
er Co-director of the
Jaipur Literature Festi-
val, said, “…this year we
have every single major
book award winner in the
world present, the Nobel,
the Booker, the Interna-
tional Booker, the JCB…
the Women’s Prize and so
on…It’s going to be cere-
bral heaven and an utter-
ly magnificent feast of
the mind.”
Sanjoy K. Roy, Manag-
ing Director, Teamwork
Arts, producer JLF, said,
“Our whole aim and focus
from the very beginning
has been - can we create a
platform where young
people come to engage
with writers? We believe
that this is the generation
that will bring about
change in the world.”
Addressing the audi-
ence, this year’s keynote
speaker, winner of the
2021 Nobel Prize in Litera-
ture, Abdulrazak Gurnah
said, “Writing, above all,
is about upholding the
ideas and beliefs that we
think are important and
that we value.”
Celebrated author and
politician Shashi Tharoor
was in conversation with
the Pulitzer Prize-win-
ning historian Caroline
Elkins on Elkins’ new
book, Legacy of Violence:
A History of the British
Empire. Together, Elkins
and Tharoor discussed a
variety of themes, includ-
ing the global history of
the empire, its violent un-
dertones, the legal case
that was filed against
Britain and its manifesta-
tions in South Asia.
As a finale to the first
day of the Festival, one of
India’s leading pop icons
andplaybacksingers,Usha
Uthup sang her rendition
of the Filmfare-winning
song ‘Darling’ from the
movie 7 Khoon Maaf.
Hailed as a
grand literary
extravaganza the
world over, the
Jaipur Literature
Festival 2023
opened Day 1 on
Thursday at Hotel
Clarks Amer with a
star-studded line-
up of writers,
speakers and
opinion-makers.
City First
highlights some
glimpses of the
festival along
with the
inaugural dinner
held at
Rambagh
Palace, Jaipur
onWednesday!
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
T
Usha Uthup Shashi Tharoor
—PHOTOS
BY
MUKESH
KIRADOO

SUNIL
SHARMA
Lifestyle Influencer Marcela Baur with others at the JLF 2023
Sanjoy K Roy and William Dalrymple light the inaugural lamp.
Also seen are (L-R) Namita Gokhale, Abdulrazak Gurnah and Apurv Kumar
Katherine Rundell during
Biographers’ Ball session

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