First India 05022023.pdf

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PERSPECTIVE
JAIPUR | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2023
02
www.firstindia.co.in I https://firstindia.co.in/epapers/jaipur I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
l Vol 4 l Issue No. 240
l RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764.
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed
at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B.
Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk
Road, Jaipur. Published at 304,
3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das
Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001,
Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504.
Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
BJP’s determination to win in Tripura,
the holy land of Mother Adishakti
Tripurasundari, is being expressed
in the enthusiasm of the people.
#VijaySankalpJansabha
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia
@JM_Scindia
Inaugurated the new Multi-level Car
Parking facility at @aaichnairport with
Dr Murugan_MoS, Sh @TThenarasu,
Sh TR Baalu & Dr @KanimozhiDMK.
The new facility aligns with our
“whole of aviation” approach to
provide a time-saving, seamless travel
experience to passengers.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
This one is for all those
times you made an excuse
for not accomplishing
your goals.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
TO DISCIPLINE A
STUDENT, USE
OF FORCE MAY
BE REQUIRED
pare the rod and
spoil the child was an
accepted adage until
corporal punish-
ment came to be con-
sidered an offence. Sometimes
teachers used excess and unjus-
tifiable force which physically
harmed students and even left a
few physically challenged. Wor-
ried parents sought legal help to
stop corporal punishment of
their children in schools but
courts have only defended “use
of reasonable degree of force”
to discipline a child.
The Goa High Court is the lat-
est to rule that a teacher can use
force in school to correct a child
so long as it is done without any
mala fide intention. The court
overturned the conviction of a
primary school teacher for beat-
ing a student for drinking water
of another student after finish-
ing her own.
Exposing teachers to criminal
prosecution for corporal pun-
ishment is definitely not a good
idea for maintaining discipline
in schools. That, however, does
not allow short-tempered teach-
ers to cross the line of reasona-
ble degree to deal with errant
pupils.
TOP TWEETS
S
n innocuous-look-
ing balloon hover-
ing at a height of
about 60,000 feet
over American
missile fields in Montana has
led to a diplomatic row be-
tween the US and China. It
has led to US Secretary of
State Antony Blinken to
abruptly call off his visit to
Beijing. The high-level meet-
ing was to take place after
several years in an attempt to
mend ties between the two
countries. China reluctantly
acknowledged that it was its
balloon which had strayed
into American airspace but
said it was meant for moni-
toring weather and offered
regret. American officials,
including those from the Pen-
tagon, insisted that it was
meant for surveillance and
was equipped with the neces-
sary equipment for the pur-
pose. Blinken described the
intrusion as “a violation of
our sovereignty” and called
it an “unacceptable as well as
an irresponsible action”.
The spy balloon marks a
new low in the ties between
China and the US. It also rais-
es the question about a bal-
loon’s use for spying when
China, like several other
countries, has advanced sat-
ellites to monitor activities in
other countries. Use of bal-
loons for surveillance is as
old as World War-II. The Japa-
nese used balloons to drop
incendiary bombs over US
targets. The Americans and
Russians also used it during
Cold War days. The problem
with the Chinese balloon is
that Americans are hesitant
to shoot it down for fear of
falling debris causing inju-
ries to people. The Chinese
incursion is being interpret-
ed as a message about the ex-
tent Beijing is ready to go to
show its strength. Talks,
meanwhile, might take place
at a later date.
USING A BALLOON
TO SPY OVER US
An innocuous-looking
balloon hovering at a
height of about 60,000 ft
over American missile fields
in Montana has led to a
diplomatic row between the
US and China. It has led to
US Secy of State Antony
Blinken to abruptly call
off his visit to Beijing
A
WHY EVEN IN THE AGE OF AI,
SOME PROBLEMS ARE JUST TOO DIFFICULT
mpowered by artificial intel-
ligence technologies, comput-
ers today can engage in con-
vincing conversations with
people, compose songs, paint
paintings, play chess and go,
and diagnose diseases, to
name just a few examples of
their technological prowess.
These successes could be tak-
en to indicate that computa-
tion has no limits. To see if
that’s the case, it’s important
to understand what makes a
computer powerful.
There are two aspects to a
computer’s power: the num-
ber of operations its hard-
ware can execute per second
and the efficiency of the algo-
rithms it runs. The hardware
speed is limited by the laws of
physics. Algorithms – basi-
cally sets of instructions – are
written by humans and trans-
lated into a sequence of op-
erations that computer hard-
ware can execute. Even if a
computer’s speed could reach
the physical limit, computa-
tional hurdles remain due to
the limits of algorithms.
These hurdles include
problems that are impossible
for computers to solve and
problems that are theoreti-
cally solvable but in practice
are beyond the capabilities
of even the most powerful
versions of today’s comput-
ers imaginable. Mathemati-
cians and computer scien-
tists attempt to determine
whether a problem is solva-
ble by trying them out on an
imaginary machine.
AN IMAGINARY
COMPUTING MACHINE
The modern notion of an al-
gorithm, known as a Turing
machine, was formulated in
1936 by British mathemati-
cian Alan Turing. It’s an im-
aginary device that imitates
how arithmetic calculations
are carried out with a pencil
on paper. The Turing ma-
chine is the template all com-
puters today are based on.
To accommodate computa-
tions that would need more
paper if done manually, the
supply of imaginary paper in
a Turing machine is assumed
to be unlimited. This is
equivalent to an imaginary
limitless ribbon, or “tape,” of
squares, each of which is ei-
ther blank or contains one
symbol.
NOT EVERY PROBLEM
CAN BE SOLVED
Many problems are solvable
using a Turing machine and
therefore can be solved on a
computer, while many others
are not. For example, the
domino problem, a variation
of the tiling problem formu-
lated by Chinese American
mathematician Hao Wang in
1961, is not solvable.
The task is to use a set of
dominoes to cover an entire
grid and, following the rules
of most dominoes games,
matching the number of
pips on the ends of abutting
dominoes. It turns out that
there is no algorithm that
can start with a set of domi-
noes and determine whether
or not the set will completely
cover the grid.
KEEPING PROBLEMS
REASONABLE
A number of solvable prob-
lems can be solved by algo-
rithms that halt in a reason-
able amount of time. These
“polynomial-time algo-
rithms” are efficient algo-
rithms, meaning it’s practi-
cal to use computers to solve
instances of them.
Thousands of other solv-
able problems are not known
to have polynomial-time al-
gorithms, despite ongoing
intensive efforts to find such
algorithms. These include
the Traveling Salesman
Problem.
The Traveling Salesman
Problem asks whether a set
of points with some points
directly connected, called a
graph, has a path that starts
from any point and goes
through every other point ex-
actly once, and comes back to
the original point. Imagine
that a salesman wants to find
a route that passes all house-
holds in a neighborhood ex-
actly once and returns to the
starting point.
THE COST OF
KNOWING EXACTLY
The best-known algorithms
for NP-complete problems
are essentially searching for
a solution from all possible
answers. Traveling Salesman
Problem on a graph of a few
hundred points would take
years to run on a supercom-
puter. Such algorithms are
inefficient, meaning there
are no math shortcuts.
Practical algorithms that
address these problems in
the real world can only offer
approximations, though the
approximations are improv-
ing. Whether there are effi-
cient polynomial-time algo-
rithms that can solve NP-
complete problems is among
the seven millennium open
problems posted by the Clay
Mathematics Institute at the
turn of 21st century, each
carrying a prize of US$1 mn.
NEW COMPUTATION
FORM BEYOND TURING
Could there be a new form of
computation beyond Tu-
ring’s framework? In 1982,
American physicist Richard
Feynman, a Nobel laureate,
put forward the idea of com-
putation based on quantum
mechanics.
In 1995, Peter Shor, an
American applied mathema-
tician, presented a quantum
algorithm to factor integers
in polynomial time. Mathe-
maticians believe that this is
unsolvable by polynomial-
time algorithms in Turing’s
framework. Factoring an in-
teger means finding a smaller
integer greater than 1 that
can divide the integer. For ex-
ample, the integer 688,826,081
is divisible by a smaller inte-
ger 25,253, because 688,826,081
= 25,253 x 27,277.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
E
Can a full-fledged
quantum computer be
built to factor integers
and solve other
problems? Some
scientists believe it can
be. Several groups of
scientists around the
world are working to
build one, and some
have already
built small-scale
quantum computers.
Nevertheless, like all
novel technologies
invented before, issues
with quantum
computation are
almost certain to arise
that would impose
new limits
LIMITS TO COMPUTING: A COMPUTER SCIENTIST EXPLAINS...
Empowered by artificial intelligence
technologies, computers today can engage in
convincing conversations with people, compose
songs, paint paintings, play chess and go, and
diagnose diseases, to name just a few examples
of their technological prowess

MORBI BRIDGE CASE:
GUJ COURT REJECTS
BAIL PLEAS OF ALL 7
Morbi: A sessions court
in Gujarat denied bail to 7
arrested in connection with
the Morbi bridge collapse
incident that left 135 people
dead in October, last year.
Justice PC Joshi rejected
bail pleas of 7 accused,
including 2 managers of
the Oreva Group.
READ
Crucial
Crucial
SIT FILES 935-PAGE
CHARGESHEET AGAINST
FORMER ANDAMAN CS
New Delhi: The SIT probing
a gangrape case against
former Andaman and
Nicobar Islands CS Jitendra
Narain, has filed a 935-page
chargesheet against him and
three other accused. The
team examined 90 witnesses
and scientific, electronic
evidence in the case.
RAIDS AT CHENNAI
FIRM LINKED TO LOSS
OF VISION, DEATH IN US
Chennai: The Central
Drugs Standard Control
Organisation and TN’s Drug
Controller conducted a
late-night raid on Chennai-
based Global Pharma
Healthcare on Friday after
US authorities flagged a
possible contamination in a
line of eye drops.
HM Amit Shah lays foundation stone of IFFCO’s fifth
Nano Urea plant, in Deoghar on Saturday. Nishikant
Dubey, Deepak Prakash & others are also seen here.
‘SHAHI’ PRAYERS
FOR PROSPERITY!
Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with his wife Sonal Shah offers prayers to Lord Bholenath, at
the Baidyanath Dham, in Deoghar on Saturday. Also seen here are Nishikant Dubey and other priests.
The percentage of
Adivasis declining in
Jharkhand under Hemant
Soren govt, says Amit Shah
Soren government is
the most corrupt in
the country, says HM Amit
Shah at ‘Vijay Sankalp Rally’
First India Bureau
Deoghar: Union Home
Minister Amit Shah on
Saturday offered
prayers at the Baba
Baidyanath Dham tem-
ple in Jharkhand's De-
oghar. Home minister
offered prayers at the
temple with his wife,
Sonal Shah.
Addressing BJP's 'Vi-
jay Sankalp Rally' rally
here, he said the popula-
tion of Adivasis has de-
ceased from 35 per cent
to 24 per cent due to
massive infiltration
from across the interna-
tional border. He al-
leged that infiltrators
were grabbing land in
the state after marrying
tribal women.
“The Hemant Soren
government is the most
corrupt in the country.
Resources are being
looted using railway
wagons and tractors.
People will unseat this
govt from power in the
state,” he said. More on P6
SHAH LAYS FOUNDATION FOR
`450 CRORE NANO UREA PLANT
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on
Saturday laid the foundation stone of a
`450-crore nano urea plant and township
of the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative
(IFFCO) in Jharkhand’s Deoghar. This will be
India’s fifth nano urea plant. PM Modi inau-
gurated the world’s first nano urea plant in
Gujarat last year, according to IFFCO. “Nano
urea will benefit farmers and it is already be-
ing exported to five countries,” Shah said.
BJP will win all the
14 Lok Sabha seats
in the State in the
elections next year.
—Amit Shah, Union Home Minister
SHOCKER IN THAR
Will Adani’s `60,000
cr solar project MoU in
Rajasthanbecancelled?
Aditi Nagar
New Delhi: The Adani
group has suffered mas-
sive losses to the tune of
100 billion dollars after
the recent Hindenburg
report, effectively stall-
ing the group's upward
trajectory. But even as
the battle rages on, to
beat the 'propaganda'
against the company,
and the fight is being
fought on technical
terms in the report; the
markets remain volatile
towards Adani group
and in such an environ-
ment, it now seems that
after an 'international
strike' on the group,
now reins are being
pulled for a home grown
'domestic strike'.
In what could be
termed as a shocking
newsfromDelhi,wordin
'selectcircles'inthepolit-
ico-businessrealmof the
nation is that there is an
immense pressure to
cancel Adani Group's
MoUwithRajasthangov-
ernment. In this regard,
it is believed that proba-
bly a signal is coming
from the Congress high
command. Few days
back, the Gehlot govern-
ment had signed a MoU
with Adani group worth
`60,000 crore for Solar
Project in Rajasthan.
During the program,
Gautam Adani himself
gaveaspeechinthepres-
ence of Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot to encour-
age investors coming
from outside the State.
Now there is a distur-
bance in the industrial
sector due to the possi-
bility of cancellation of
this MoU. However, this
aspect can be discussed
during Gehlot's visit to
Delhi on Sunday
.
According to the
sources connected with
the high command,
there could possibly be
a discussion at the level
of Rahul Gandhi.
ADANI ENTERPRISES SHELVES
$122 MILLION BOND PLAN
Adani Enterprises Ltd. has shelved a plan to raise as
much as Rs 10 billion ($122 million) via its first-ev-
er public sale of bonds following a market rout, accord-
ing to people familiar with the matter. The flagship firm
of Gautam Adani’s empire had planned the public note
issuance for January, working with Edelweiss Financial
Services Ltd (EDEL.NS), AK Capital, JM Financial, and
Trust Capital, but activity has now stopped, the report
said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Adani Group’s with-
drawal of its Follow on
Public Offer (FPO) will
have no affect on the In-
dian economy’s image or
macroeconomic funda-
mentals, Union finance
minister Nirmala
Sitharaman
said on
Saturday.
THE ADANI GROUP CRISIS
WILL HAVE NO IMPACT ON
ECONOMY’S IMAGE: FM
30 NOVEMBER 1945
TO 4 FEBRUARY 2023
PADMA BHUSHAN
AWARDEE, SINGER
JAYARAM DIES
Chennai: Days after
her fans celebrated the
President conferring the
Padma Bhushan on noted
singer Vani Jayaram, she
passed away at her home
in Chennai on Saturday.
The cause of her death
is not yet known. One of
immortal voices of South
Indian film industry, Vani
Jayaram rendered songs
in 19 languages.
Court releases
Sharjeel Imam
and 10 others
New Delhi (ANI): A
court here on Saturday
discharged 11 people in-
cluding student activ-
ists Sharjeel Imam and
Asif Iqbal Tanha, who
participated in anti-
CAA protests, in the
2019 Jamia Nagar case,
saying they were made
“scapegoats” by police
that dissent has to be
encouraged, not stifled.
Court said investiga-
tive agencies need to
discern the difference
between dissent, which
has to be given space,
and insurrection that
should be quelled.
The first time that the civic body is going to
spend 52 percent of the budget estimates on
capital expenditure and 48 percent on
revenue expenditure. Health, education, environment
and transparent working are the four pillars of our
budget. —Iqbal Singh Chahal, BMC Commissioner
❍ BMC IS THE RICHEST CIVIC BODY IN THE COUNTRY
In a 1st
, BMC presents `52,619
cr budget, 14.5% more than ’22
First India Bureau
Mumbai: The Brihan-
mumbai Municipal Cor-
poration (BMC), the
richest civic body in the
country, on Saturday
presented `52,619.07
crorebudgetfortheyear
2023-24, with the budget-
ary estimates crossing
the `50,000 crore-mark
for the first time.
The budgetary esti-
mates this time are 14.52
per cent more than the
2022-23 amount of
`45,949 crore.
BMC Chief Iqbal Chahal along with other officials presents the
corporation’s budget 2023-24 at BMC HQs in Mumbai on Saturday.
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR MUMBAI
JAIPUR l SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2023 l Pages 14 l 3.00 l RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 4 l Issue No. 240
BJP APPOINTS
DHARMENDRA
PRADHAN K’TAKA
POLL IN-CHARGE
New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday appointed Union minister
Dharmendra Pradhan its in-charge for upcoming Karnataka
assembly polls, a party statement said. TN BJP unit President K
Annamalai will be co-incharge for high-stakes polls where both
ruling party, Congress have launched intensive public outreach.
OPPN PARTIES
RUNNING AWAY
FROM DISCUSSION
IN PARL: THAKUR
Jammu: Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday said govt has
nothing to hide on Adani issue and Opposition parties are creating
a ruckus in Parl to evade debate on people-friendly budget. Oppn
insulted President Droupadi Murmu by stalling a discussion on
motion of thanks to President’s address, they apologise to her. P6
CM Ashok Gehlot to inaugurate
Sculpture Park in Delhi today
First India Bureau
Jaipur: Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot will be on
Delhi tour today
. He will
leave for New Delhi
from Jaipur at 3 pm by
a government aircraft
and reach New Delhi in
about 1 hour by special
flight and will go direct-
ly to Bikaner House
from New Delhi Air-
port. There CM Gehlot
will inaugurate the
Sculpture Park built at
Bikaner House.
Significantly, this
sculpture park is said to
be very special in itself.
Due to ill health, Gehlot
could not go to Jammu
and Kashmir for clos-
ing ceremony of Bharat
Jodo Yatra.
In such a situation,
he is likely to meet Ra-
hul Gandhi and con-
gratulate him for suc-
cessfully completing
the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
He may also meet Ra-
jasthan Congress in-
charge Sukhjinder Sin-
gh Randhawa. During
this, discussions can be
held with Randhawa re-
garding political appts.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
CM Gehlot may also
meet Rahul Gandhi,
other senior leaders
IN A FIRST: SUPREME COURT CELEBRATES 73RD FOUNDATION DAY
NO CASE IS BIG OR SMALL, SAYS CJI
Moni Sharma
New Delhi: Address-
ing a gathering to com-
memorate the 73rd an-
niversary of the Su-
preme Court of India
on Saturday, CJI DY
Chandrachud said,
“For the Court, there
are no big or small cas-
es -every matter is im-
portant. Because it is
in the seemingly small
and routine matters in-
volving the grievances
of citizens that issues
of constitutional and
jurisprudential impor-
tance emerge. In at-
tending to such griev-
ances, the Court per-
forms a plain constitu-
tional duty
, obligation,
and function.”
Chief Justice of Sin-
gapore Supreme Court
Sundaresh Menon also
attended the program
anddeliveredalecture
on “The Role of
the Judiciary in
a Changing
World”. Jus-
tice Menon
said, adding
that truth
decay refers
to the “prolifera-
tion of misinfor-
mation and de-
valuation of
truth which
attacks the
justice sys-
tem.”
CJI DY Chandrachud with Singapore SC CJ Sundaresh Menon,
Justices SK Kaul, KM Joseph and Ajay Rastogi on Saturday.
Supreme Court
of India is the
busiest courts of
the world and judges
here are the most hard
working ones.
—Sundaresh Menon,
Singapore SC Chief Justice
TOP COURT GETS 5 NEW JUDGES; ITS
TOTAL STRENGTH REACHES 32 NOW
5
judges were appointed to the Supreme Court
on Saturday with the Centre clearing the names
recommended by the Collegium on December
13 last year. Once they take oath early next week, the
strength of the apex court will go up to 32 judges.
z RAJASTHAN HC CJ
Justice Pankaj Mithal
z PATNA HC CJ
Justice Sanjay Karol
z MANIPUR HC CJ
Justice PV Sanjay Kumar
z PATNA HC
Justice Amanullah
z ALLAHABAD HC
Justice Manoj Misra
NEW ACTING CJs OF
RAJASTHAN, PATNA
AND MANIPUR HCs
z RAJASTHAN HC:
Justice Manindra
Mohan Shrivastava
z PATNA HC: Chakrad-
hari Sharan Singh
z MANIPUR HC:
MV Muralidaran
No judiciary vs Centre
tussle,says Kiren Rijiju
Prayagraj: Hinting at the recent talks that the judiciary
was at loggerheads with the government on the issue
of collegium system, Union law minister Kiren Rijiju
on Saturday clarified that “there is no judiciary versus
govt tussle in the country”. “The people who elect
the government are supreme, and the entire system
is being run as per the Constitution,” said Rijiju while
speaking at 150th foundation day of Allahabad High
Court Bar Association on Saturday.
Kiren Rijiju interacts with Justice Krishna Murari during
150 years of Allahabad HCBA at Prayagraj on Saturday.

RAJASTHAN
04
Promoted by
Shrey Dream Projects LLP
RAJASTHAN
04
Subhash
Banswara: Rajasthan
Governor Kalraj
Mishra on Saturday
said the convocation
ceremony is not the end
of education but the
gateway to a new life.
Addressing the con-
vocation ceremony of
Govind Guru Tribal
University in Ban-
swara, Mishra called
upon universities to
link quality education
with fundamental re-
search culture. He also
laid emphasis on saving
tribal traditions and
culture. Expressing
happiness over the
number of girl students
being more than the
male students receiving
degrees at the convoca-
tion ceremony, he said
this is a pleasant and
commendable achieve-
ment. Governor Mishra
awarded gold medals to
30 toppers and Ph.D de-
grees to 11 research
scholars at the function.
He expressed the
need for undertaking
research projects which
can give modern vision
to folk culture and tra-
ditions. He called for
the creation of employ-
ment-oriented courses,
skill development and
student-centred activi-
ties for the all-round
development of the stu-
dent community
. Tribal
Area Development Min-
ister Arjun Singh Bam-
nia said that with the
opening of Govind
Guru Tribal University,
there has been a revolu-
tion in the education
level in tribal areas.
He said the state gov-
ernment is working for
all-round development
in the field of educa-
tion and has started
several schemes for
higher education and
asked students to take
advantage of them.
‘Convocationisnotendofedubutgatewaytonewlife’
GOVERNOR INTERACTS WITH STUDENTS

Addressing the
convocation
ceremony,
Mishra called
upon
universities to
link quality
education with
fundamental
research culture
PAPER LEAK PROBE
KOTA MAHOTSAV DAY 3
KIRODI CALLS OFF DHARNA TILL
FEB 12 AFTER TALKS WITH GOVT
First India Bureau
Jaipur: BJP Rajya Sab-
ha MP Dr Kirori Lal
Meena marched to
Jaipur on Saturday
against the State gov-
ernment. Meena along
with his supporters left
for Jaipur’s Shaheed
Smarak on Saturday
and held talks with Min-
ister of State for Home
Rajendra Yadav and
Jaipur Commissioner
of Police Anand Srivas-
tava. Meena has been on
dharna at Bassi on Agra
Road for the last 12 days.
Rajendra Yadav told
the media that amicable
talks have been held
with the government.
“Investigation will be
done in a week on their
points under the moni-
toring of DGP
. Whoever
is guilty will not be
spared. We will get try
to make exams more
full proof. The state gov-
ernment welcomes
those who have good
suggestions. Going for
investigation in CBI is
not a solution,” said Ya-
dav. Meena said that 4
special paper cases will
be investigated under
the supervision of DGP
.
“Government will
take some major action
in 7 days. Our demand
for CBI inquiry will re-
main the same. Our pro-
test is suspended till
February 12. If satisfac-
tory action is taken in 7
days, we will not agitate
further,” he said.
Kirodi Lal Meena in a meeting with MoS Home Rajendra Yadav
Commissioner of Police Anand Srivastava on Saturday.
MEENA TARGETS POONIA, BJP
Bharatpur: A Lok Parivahan passenger bus hit 2 bikes
from behind on the Deeg-Kama State Highway. Two
girl and 2 male students were injured in the accident.
The injured students are Satveer (18), Chanchal (16),
Bharti (10), and Sumit (18). Police reached the spot
and tried to persuade the crowd to unblock the high-
way. However, the angry villagers sat on a dharna on
the road. Police had to use force as people got angry
and pelted stones at them, in which 10 policemen
including ASP Raghuveer Singh also got injured.
4 STUDENTS INJURED AS BUS HITS 2 BIKES;
ANGRY VILLAGERS PELT STONES AT POLICE
NEWS DIGEST
AAP’S MANISH
SISODIA TO VISIT
JAIPUR ON FEB 7
POLICE ARREST
FRAUDSTER FOR
`200 CR FRAUD
Jaipur: Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) is gear-
ing up for the state
assembly elections in
Rajasthan. The prepara-
tions will take place in
the presence of senior
AAP leader in Rajasthan
and Deputy CM of Delhi
Manish Sisodia who
will arrive in the state
capital on February 7.
The party will organise
road shows of AAP
chief Arvind Kejriwal
in Rajasthan in March.
The visit of Sisodia may
attract some former
MLAs and leaders of
the BJP to get member-
ship of the AAP party in
the city on February 7.
Jaipur: Jhotwara police
have arrested a fraud-
ster who forced people
to invest in land in
Gujarat. The police have
arrested Datar Singh of
the gang on the charge
of swindling Rs 200
crores. Singh, who is
the director of Nexa Ev-
ergreen Company along
with his accomplices,
had tricked people
into investing in land
in Gujarat and cheated
about 35 people of Rs
200 crore. The compa-
ny has cheated people
from many districts of
Rajasthan. The accused
is in police custody for
interrogation.
Dera volunteers sweep city areas clean in a drive
First India Bureau
Jaipur: The devotees
of Dera Sacha Sauda
Rajasthan created a re-
cord on Saturday by giv-
ing a unique gift of
cleanliness to every vil-
lage, city, and division
of the entire state in-
cluding Jaipur. It was
an occasion to celebrate
the auspicious
Bhandara after 5 years
of Param Pita Shah Sat-
nam Ji Maharaj.
This cleanliness cam-
paign was started si-
multaneously in the
entire state. Gurmeet
Ram Rahim Singh start-
ed the campaign from
Shah Satnam Ji Ash-
ram Barnawa of UP by
virtually sweeping and
releasing balloons writ-
ten with slogans related
to the cleanliness cam-
paign in the sky. In
Jaipur, Bollywood actor
and choreographer Vi-
kas Saxena, JMCG May-
or Somya, Commission-
er Mahendra Soni, Re-
tired Judge Ram Singh
Bhandari, councilor
Uttam Sharma swept
the roads at Vidyadhar
Stadium, Statue Circle,
and near Vidhan Sabha.
The volunteers also
cleaned gutters, drains,
sewerage, public and
community toilets.
CET held
amid tight
vigilance
on day 1
First India Bureau
Jaipur: Common
Eligibility Test in
Rajasthan Senior
Secondary Level
started on Satur-
day. Candidates
were allowed en-
try into the exami-
nation hall after
proper scrutiny
.
The entry gate
was closed an hour
before the exam.
Some candidates,
who could not
reach on time had
to return. To en-
sure a fair exami-
nation, candidates
and invigilators
werenotallowedto
use mobile phones.
Exams are being
conducted at 828
centres.Thirty-five
centresareinTonk
and 183 are in
Jaipur. The exam
will be conducted
today and on Feb-
ruary 11 for re-
cruitment of For-
ester, Hostel Super-
intendent, Clerk
Grade-2, Junior
Assistant, Jama-
dar Grade-2 and
Constable. A total
of 16 lahks 33 thou-
sand 631 candi-
dateswillappearin
the examination.
Dotasra announces names
of 27 block presidents
First India Bureau
Jaipur: State Congress
President Govind Singh
Dotasra announced the
names of 27 block presi-
dents of Rajasthan
Congress in the fifth
list. A total of 339
block presidents have
been appointed. Now,
61 additional presi-
dents need to be ap-
pointed. The presi-
dents of Jaipur’s
Hawa Mahal block
are yet to be appoint-
ed. The posts were
running vacant for
two-and-a-half years.
State in-charge
Sukhjinder Singh
Randhawa said that the
appointment of district
presidents will also be
done this month.
Ajmer Discom gets state’s first
hi-tech lab to test smart meters
First India Bureau
Ajmer: The Ajmer Dis-
com has become the
first Discom in Ra-
jasthan to have a lab for
testing smart meters ac-
credited by NABL, Gov-
ernmentof India.Ajmer
Discom’s Managing Di-
rector NS Nirvana in-
formed that Ajmer Vid-
yut Vitran Nigam Lim-
ited has now converted
its Madar meter lab into
a hi-tech lab where ar-
rangements have been
made for meter testing
as per national and in-
ternational standards.
Nirvana also said that
under RDSS, it is pro-
posed to install smart
meters for all consum-
ers in the next 3 years.
The Managing Direc-
tor added that a proper
arrangement has been
established for testing
various types of meters
as per national/inter-
national standards in
the Hi-Tech Meter Test-
ing Lab located at Naka
Madar in Ajmer (of
Ajmer Discom). Also,
an additional meter
testing system of 0.02
grade of high quality
and accuracy, which is
fully automatic, has
been established.
In this hi-tech lab,
testing of all types of
meters especially smart
meters can be done.
SMART METERS IN NEXT THREE YEARS
Heritage Walk, adventure
activities pull huge crowd
First India Bureau
Kota: A nature walk
was organised at Abhe-
da Biological Park on
the second day of Kota
Mahotsav on Saturday.
People enjoyed the boat
race and multiple water
sports were conducted.
In the race, those who
came first, second, and
thirdgotprizes.Thepho-
to exhibition at the Art
Gallery and flower exhi-
bition at Kishore Sagar
Pal drew the maximum
attention. The Kota Do-
ria Saree Fashion Show
was also organised at
Seven Wonders. The fa-
mous Kabir Cafe Band
performed at the cultur-
al evening at Maharao
Umaid Singh Stadium.
Heritage Walk from
Mahatma Gandhi
School to Garh Palace
will be held today along
with a dog show. Adven-
ture activities will be
conducted from 10 to 5
PM. Indian Idol fame
Sawai Bhat will also
perform at Maharao
Ummed Singh Stadium.
Governor Kalraj Mishra addressing the convocation ceremony of
Govind Guru Tribal University in Banswara, on Saturday.
Pooniainvitespeoplefor
PMModi’sDausavisit
Ashish Mittal
Bonli (Sawai Mad-
hopur): BJP State
President Satish Poo-
nia was on the Bonli
touronSaturday
.Poo-
nia was given a grand
welcome at various
places including
Bansda-Bane Singh,
Bamboo Pulia, Bam-
boo-Torda, in the
town. Poonia per-
formed Pooja at
Devnarayan temple
at Bans-Torda and in-
vited people for PM
Modi’s Feb 12 visit to
Dausa. He addressed
a meeting organised
in the temple prem-
ises and reached the
municipal headquar-
ter Bonli.
POONIA SLAMS STATE GOVT FOR CORRUPTION
BJP State President Satish Poonia addressing the program in
Bauli, Sawai Madhopur.
BJP’s Satish Poonia
slammed the state
government over the
paper leak issue. He said
that farmers have been
cheated in the name
of loan waiver, while
Rajasthan remains at the
number one position in
the field of crime. Citing
increasing corruption, he
called for the formation
of BJP government in the
upcoming assembly elec-
tions. Poonia appealed to
reach in large num-
bers at Mumbai-Delhi
Expressway inauguration
program of PM Modi in
Dausa on February 12.
JMCG Mayor Dr Somya is visible with broom in hand. Volunteers during the cleanliness drive at Statue Circle.
Girls visit flower exhibition held at Kishore Sagar Pal on Saturday. Hi-Tech Meter Testing Lab located at Naka Madar in Ajmer.
—PHOTO
BY
SANTOSH
SHARMA
—PHOTO
BY
MUKESHS
KIRADOO

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RAJASTHAN
05
Abhishek Shrivastava
Jaipur: The Jaipur De-
velopment Authority
has sent a proposal to
the state government to
share the required
amount for the expan-
sion of the Jaipur Met-
ro Rail route. In the
proposal, the interest
of the borrowed
amount is also pro-
posed to be deposited in
the account of the state
government.
Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot had an-
nounced the expansion
of Jaipur Metro Rail in
the budget 2022-23.
Presently, the Jaipur
Metro Rail is running
between Badi Chaupar
to Mansarovar. Under
the last budget an-
nouncement of the
CM, the existing route
of Jaipur Metro Rail is
to be expanded from
both sides of Badi
Chaupar and Mansaro-
var. A corridor of two
to three kilometers in
length will be con-
structed at both ends
of the metro route.
The metro corridor
from Chandpole to
Mansarovar was first
constructed under
Package One A. Under
Package One B, under-
ground metro corridor
was constructed from
Chandpole to Badi
Chaupar.
According to CM Ge-
hlot's budget an-
nouncement, the Metro
route is to be expanded
under Package One C
and One D. In Package
One C, metro corridor
will be constructed
from Badi Chaupar to
Transport Nagar via
Ramganj Chaupar. An
underground metro
corridor will be built
from Badi Chaupar to
Ramganj Chaupar and
beyond that to the
boundary of the wall.
JAIPUR METRO ROUTE EXPANSION
JDATOSHAREREQUIRED AMOUNT,
PROPOSAL SENT TO STATE GOVT
Interest of the
borrowed amount
is also mentioned
in proposal: JDA
 The length of
the underground
corridor will be
2.26 km, while the
remaining route
will be an elevated
corridor.
 The elevated
corridor to be built
in a length of 0.59
km will go up to
Transport Nagar.
 An underground
metro station will
be built at Ramganj
Chaupar elevated
metro station at
Transport Nagar.
 A two kilometer
long elevated cor-
ridor will be built in
Package One D.
 This corridor
will be built from
Mansarovar to
Ajmer Road inter-
section.
 The total cost of
expansion of metro
route is `1192.32
crore.
 Out of this,
the total cost of
Package One C is
`993.51 crore.
 While the total
cost of Package One
D is `204.81 cr.
 JDA has sent a
proposal to the NCR
Region Planning
Board to arrange
`1192.32 cr.
 In this case,
JDA will be able to
get only `894.24 cr
loan from NCRPB.
 JDA has sent
a proposal to the
state govt to give
the remaining of
`298.08 crore.
THE ROUTE EXPANSION HIGHLIGHTS
SUSHIL MODI IN
JAIPUR TODAY
WAQF REMOVES
ENCROACHMENT
RK SHARMA GETS EXTENSION FROM
STATE GOVT AS RVUNL CMD FOR 1YR
Jaipur: Former Dy CM
of Bihar Sushil Modi
will be in Jaipur on Sun-
day. He will interact with
the media at 1 pm in the
state BJP office. There
will be a discussion
on the Amrit budget
at Indralok Auditorium
at 4 pm. MPs-MLAs
have been asked to give
information about the
budget to the people.
Jaipur: Raj Muslim
Waqf Board Chairman
Dr Khanu Khan Bud-
hwali was seen in ac-
tion mode on Saturday.
The doors, drains and
stairs taken out by the
local people on the land
of Waqf Board were
demolished with the
help of the JCB. n the
coming days, an Ijtema
will be held here.
Jaipur: The Energy Department of Rajasthan has
issued an order on Saturday and appointed RK
Sharma as the Chairman and Managing Director of
the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan
Nigam for a period of one year from
the date of taking charge. In com-
pliance of the order, RK Sharma has
taken over the charge of Chairman
and Managing Director of RVUNL at
Vidyut Bhawan, Jaipur on Saturday
afternoon. Sharma said that his main objective will
be smooth operation of all the power plants.
NEWS DIGEST
Labour Bureau to conduct
demand-based survey: Ahuja
Muslim community
stagesprotestagainst
Ramdev’s remark
Rajeev Gaur and
Shivprakash Purohit
Jodhpur: The Labour
Bureau will conduct a
demand-based survey
to identify the gaps in
skilled manpower in
the country, an official
has said. ‘’We going to
start a demand-based
survey. So far, we have
been doing a supply-
based survey that these
types of people are
there. But now, the La-
bour Bureau is going to
conduct a demand-
based survey in which
selected industries will
be asked, through sam-
ple survey, what type of
skill is required,’’ Arti
Ahuja, Secretary of the
Union Ministry of La-
bour and Employment,
said during a press con-
ference on the conclud-
ing day of the three-day
G20 Employment Work-
ing Group meeting.
She said that indus-
tries will be asked about
the required skills,
shortages, surplus, and
whether the available
skill is adequate. Inter-
national organizations
ILO and OECD high-
lightedthevarioustypes
of imbalances between
skills and qualifications
in labour market.
Mukesh Mathrani
Barmer: Muslim com-
munity in Barmer have
protested the controver-
sial remark of Yoga
guru Swami Ramdev
over his controversial
statement. Community
members said that Ram-
dev had tried to disturb
the communal harmony
at the border. Commu-
nity members have giv-
en a memorandum to
the district collector in
the name of CM.
Molana Sikander,
Muslim community
leader and also district
coordinator of AIMIM,
while talking to report-
ers here in Barmer said
that they are condemn-
ing this statement. Si-
kander said that there is
no space for such hostil-
ity in our country
, espe-
cially in this border re-
gion where Hindu and
Muslims have been
showcasing the exam-
ple of communal har-
mony for decades. He
said that with such a
controversial state-
ment, Ramdev has just
tried to disturb the
peace and harmony in
this bordering region.
Labour Secretary Arti Ahuja with Mattu JP Singh Rupesh Thakur
during G20 press conference in Jodhpur on Friday.
People of Muslim community
reached the collectorate on
Saturday and handed over the
memorandum to ADM.
Accused Imlakh in STF’s custody in Kishangarh on Saturday.
PM to address
Jpr Mahakhel
Finale today
First India Bureau
Jaipur: With the be-
ginning of the elec-
tion year in Ra-
jasthan, the political
movement has also
intensified. The final
match of Jaipur Ma-
hakhel will be played
at Chitrakoot Stadi-
um in Jaipur on Sun-
day. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will
also participate in
this through video
conferencing at 1 pm.
During this, along
with state BJP lead-
ers and workers,
sportspersons and
general public will
also be present. Ma-
hakhel was started
in Jaipur Lok Sabha
constituency from
January 15 by MP Ra-
jyavardhan Singh
Rathore in which 630
teams participated.
U’khand STF arrest
mastermind of fake
ayurvedicdocs’degree
Ajmer(ANI): Uttara-
khand Police have ar-
rested the mastermind
of a fake ayurvedic doc-
tors’ gang from Ajmer.
Imlakh, a bounty
gangster, was nabbed
from Kishangarh in
AjmerdistrictonThurs-
day, the police said on
Saturday
. According to
the police, Imlakh, infa-
mous as the biggest edu-
cation mafia of Uttar
Pradesh, was the mas-
termind of the gang of
Ayurvedic doctors prac-
tising in the state with
fakedegreesof Bachelor
of Ayurvedic Medicine
and Surgery (BAMS).
The gang was busted
by U’khand STF, last
month, and had held 7 in
connectionwiththecase.
“We have launched a
manhunt for Imlakh,
mastermind of the bust-
ed gang, and had arrest-
ed him from Kis-
hangarh,” officials said,
adding that the master-
mind was carrying a
bounty of Rs 25,000 on
his head. As per police,
many criminal cases
have been registered
against Imlakh for pro-
viding fake degrees. “He
is called the biggest edu-
cation mafia of UP
,” po-
lice added.
Quarrel ends,
Nirmal, Arvind
hug each other
First India Bureau
Jaipur: The tussle be-
tween RUSU president
Nirmal Chaudhary and
general secretary
Arvind Jajda got over
as both of them hugged
each other and ex-
changed garlands at a
meeting at the Jat hos-
tel in Jaipur on Satur-
day
. They said that they
had no complaints.
Chaudhary said that
Jajda had apologized
and he had forgotten
everything and forgiven
him. Jadja, on the other
hand,referredtoChaud-
hary as his brother and
said that they were to-
gether during a meeting
of the Jat Samaj. Jat
community leader Vijay
Poonia called Chaud-
hary and Jajda to Jawa-
har Jat Hostel in Malvi-
ya Nagar on Saturday
where he talked to both
the student leaders.
Former MLA Ran-
veer Pahalwan, many
others of the Jat society
were also present.
Dacoit Keshav’s brother, aide held
Dholpur(FIB): Four
days after the dacoit Kes-
hav’s arrest, the police
has now arrested his two
brothers on Saturday
.
One of them is a prized
dacoit with Rs 25,000.
The arrested accused
are also indicted of con-
spiring to kill an MLA.
“The arrest of dacoits
Shishram Gurjar and
Chhotu took place at
around 9.30 am on Satur-
day morning near Pili
Kachhar in the Sone-ka-
Gurja area. Since the en-
counter with Keshav and
hisarrest,thepoliceforce
has been conducting a
search operation in the
entire area.” said police.
Dacoit Keshsav’s brother Sheeshram and his aide Chotu alias Gabbar.
G20 Employment
Working Group
meeting concludes
SHRINGLA HONOURED WITH LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD BY JPR FOOT
Chief Coordinator of India G-20 Presidency and former
Foreign Secy Harsh Vardhan Shringla was honoured
with the Life Time Achievement Award by Jaipur Foot
USA in Jodhpur. Shring-
la was given this honour
for providing excellent
services during the
Corona period and for
doing remarkable work
in various fields. Jaipur
Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari said that Shringla did
an excellent job during the Corona wave. A high teas was
also hosted by erstwhile Jodhpur royal Gaj Singh.

PATENT INFRINGEMENT: FIRM TO PAY `2 CR
AS DAMAGES FOR CONTEMPT OF COURT
JAMIA NAGAR VIOLENCE: 11 DISCHARGED,
COURT SAYS BOOKED AS ‘SCAPEGOATS’
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed a firm
to pay Rs 2 crore as damages to pharma giant Pfizer
Inc for committing “wilful” and “contumacious”
contempt of court by disobeying its order. The court
said if the director of the firm, Triveni Interchem Pvt
Ltd, fails to pay the amount in two weeks, he shall be
taken into custody and detained in a civil prison for
two weeks at Tihar jail here. The court, in an interim
order, had restrained the firm from making, selling,
distributing, advertising, exporting or importing or
dealing with any product having compound ‘Palbo-
ciclib’ or any pharmaceutically acceptable salt as it
would infringe the patent of plaintiff Pfizer.
New Delhi: A local court on Saturday discharged 11
people, including student activists Sharjeel Imam and
Asif Iqbal Tanha, in the Jamia Nagar violence case,
saying as the Delhi Police was unable to apprehend the
actual perpetrators, it booked the accused as “scape-
goats”. The court, however, ordered framing of charges
against one accused, Mohd Ilyas. “Marshalling the facts
as brought forth from a perusal of the chargesheet and
three supplementary chargesheets, this court cannot
but arrive at the conclusion that the police were unable
to apprehend the actual perpetrators behind the com-
mission of the offence, but surely managed to rope the
persons herein as scapegoats,” the court said.
CHARGESHEET FILED AGAINST EX-ANDAMAN
CHIEF SECY,3 OTHERS IN GANGRAPE CASE
New Delhi: The special investigation team probing a
gangrape case against former Andaman and Nicobar
Islands chief secretary Jitendra Narain, has filed a
935-page chargesheet against him and three other
accused. The team examined around 90 witnesses and
scientific, electronic, technical and biological evidence,
which will be crucial in the case. Narain and former
labour commissioner Rishi Raj are the prime accused
in the gangrape of a 21-year-old woman. The SIT has
filed the chargesheet under 10 sections of the Indian
Penal Code, including gangrape, criminal conspiracy,
criminal defamation among others against four ac-
cused, including Narain. The investigation is still on.
INDIA
06
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Union En-
vironment Minister
Bhupender Yadav on
Saturday launched the
‘Save Wetlands Cam-
paign’ in the presence
of Gopa Chief Minister
Pramod Sawant. This
campaign is structured
on a “whole of society”
approach for wetlands
conservation, enabling
affirmative actions for
wetlands conservation
at all levels of the soci-
ety and involving all
strata of the society
.
This campaign over
next one year will in-
clude sensitizing people
of the value of wet-
lands, increasing the
coverage of wetland mi-
tras and building citi-
zen partnerships for
wetlands conservation.
Two publications
were also released dur-
ingtheoccasion,‘India’s
75 Amrit Dharohar- In-
dia’s Ramsar Sites
Factbook’ and ‘ Manag-
ing Climate Risks in
Wetlands — A Practi-
tioner’s Guide. The
factbook is a one-stop
resource of information
on our 75 Ramsar Sites,
including their values,
threats they face and
management arrange-
ments. The practition-
er’s Guide on Climate
Risk Assessment pro-
vides step-wise guid-
ance on assessing the
site-level climate risks
and integration of adap-
tation and mitigation
responses into the wet-
land management plan.
Yadav interacted with
wetlands managers of
states and heard their
experiences about
achievements and chal-
lenges. In his address,
the Union Minister
highlighted the critical
role played by the wet-
land ecosystem in secur-
ing the ecological, eco-
nomic and climate secu-
rity
. He also mentioned
about various green ini-
tiatives taken by the
Government in the
budget 2023 under the
leadership of Prime
MinisterNarendraModi
including Amrit Dharo-
har, MISHTI, PM PRAN-
AM, Green credit and
Green Growth aligned
with Mission LiFE.
Yadav also highlight-
ed the achievements of
thecountryinlastabout
9 years under the lead-
ership of Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi dur-
ing which country has
not only developed eco-
nomically but also with
ecological balance. The
Minister also empha-
sised on the importance
of strengthening com-
munication, education,
awareness and partici-
pation for conservation
of the wetlands.
Bhupender Yadav launches ‘Save Wetlands Campaign’
WETLANDS CONSERVATION
Promoted by
Shree Salasar Oversease Pvt. Ltd.
Jammu (PTI): Union
minister Anurag Singh
Thakur on Saturday
said the government
has nothing to hide on
the Adani issue and ac-
cused opposition par-
ties of creating a ruckus
in Parliament to evade a
debate on the “people-
friendly” budget.
He alleged that they
had insulted President
Droupadi Murmu by
stalling a discussion on
the motion of thanks to
the president’s address
and demanded that they
apologise to her.
“We want discussion
on President’s address
and 2023-24 budget
which will guide India
from ‘Amrit Kaal to
Swarnim Kaal’ and will
lay the foundation of
New India but the Oppo-
sition is running away
from discussion,”
Thakur told media here.
Parliament was ad-
journed for the second
consecutive day on Fri-
day without transact-
ing any business after
the Opposition stepped
up demand for inde-
pendent investigation
into the allegations of
fraud against Gautam
Adani’s companies that
triggered an unprece-
dented stock crash.
Responding to query
onOpposition’sdemand,
Thakur said, “The
banks, LIC and RBI have
alreadymadetheirstate-
ments clear, while the
govt has nothing to
hide.” “The role of the
Oppositionisveryunfor-
tunate.Theirresponseto
the speech of the presi-
dent is condemnable as
they repeatedly humili-
atedher.Theyshouldim-
mediately apologise to
her,” he said.
Thakur said the Op-
position was rendered
speechless by the “peo-
ple-friendly” budget
and instead of having a
discussion on it, they
are creating a ruckus.
New Delhi (PTI):
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi will on Mon-
day inaugurate a green-
field helicopter produc-
tion facility of state-run
aerospace behemoth
Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited (HAL) in Kar-
nataka’s Tumakuru
that will initially pro-
duce light utility heli-
copters (LUHs).
The defence ministry
billed the 615-acre fac-
tory as India’s largest
helicopter-manufactur-
ing facility and it has
been planned as a one-
stop solution for the
country’s chopper re-
quirements.
Officials said the
HAL plans to produce
more than 1,000 heli-
copters in the range of
three to 15 tonnes, with
a total business of
more than Rs 4 lakh
crore over a period of
20 years.
Deoghar (ANI): Union
Home Affairs Minister
and Cooperation Minis-
ter Amit Shah on Satur-
day said that with the
recently released Union
Budget 2023-24, the Cen-
tre has made provisions
and allocated adequete
fund for the registra-
tion of over 2 lakh mul-
ti-dimensional Primary
Agricultural Credit So-
cieties (PACS).
He said that the PACS
have been created to en-
sure that there remains
no ‘panchayat’ which
would lack a dairy or a
fishery cooperative so-
ciety
. “To promote coop-
eration, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has in-
troduced several
schemes in the recently
released Union Budget
2023-24.. The previous
tax of 26 per cent which
was used to be levied on
cooperation in the field
of production, has now
been lowered to 15 per
cent. We have also con-
stituted a Ministry of
Cooperation to check
which all panchayats
lack milk and fisheries
society,” Shah said.
Amit Shah was ad-
dressing a function af-
ter laying the founda-
tion stone of a nano
urea plant of the Indian
Farmers Fertiliser Co-
operative (IFFCO) in
Jharkhand’s Deoghar,
and said, “After the for-
mation of the Ministry
of Cooperation, we set
up a data bank for Coop-
eratives across the
country to identify
which Panchayats do
not have PACs, dairy, or,
a Fishery cooperative
society
. Hence, after five
years, there will be no
panchayat that does not
have a PACS.”
New Delhi (PTI): The
Enforcement Directo-
rate has questioned and
recorded the statement
of Alankar Sawai, a
close aide of Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi, in
a Prevention of Money
LaunderingAct(PMLA)
case in which TMC
spokesperson Saket
Gokhale was recently
arrested by the agency
in Gujarat, the Enforce-
ment Directorate offi-
cials said. Sawai was
questioned and also
confronted with
Gokhale in Ahmedabad
over three days earlier
this week, they said.
New Delhi (PTI): The
Congress on Saturday
released its first list of
21 candidates for the
Nagaland assembly
polls, fielding its state
unit chief K Therie
from Dimapur-I.
The list was released
after a meeting of the
Central Election Com-
mittee, headed by party
chief Mallikarjun
Kharge.
“The Central Elec-
tion Committee of the
Congress has selected
the candidates for the
ensuing elections to the
Legislative assembly of
Nagaland,” an official
statement said.
Among the other can-
didates in the party’s
first list are S Amento
Chisti from Dimapur II
(ST), V Lasuh from Di-
mapur III (ST), Akavi
Zhimomi from Ghaspa-
ni-I and Rosy Thomas
from Tenning (ST).
Chandigarh (PTI):
Suspended for her al-
leged anti-party activi-
ties, Congress’ Patiala
MP Preneet Kaur Satur-
day said the party is wel-
come to take whatever
decision it wants but as-
serted she always gave
her best to the party
.
The Congress on Fri-
day suspended her and
also asked her to ex-
plain why she should
not be expelled for “an-
ti-party activities”.
Kaur is the wife of
former chief minister
Amarinder Singh, who
joined the BJP after
leaving the Congress.
“The Congress is wel-
come to take whatever
decision it wants. I have
always given my best to
the party and to the peo-
ple who have repeatedly
elected me. I owe it to
them and will continue
to serve them, as al-
ways. I derive my
strength from my peo-
ple. Everything else is
secondary,” Kaur said
on Twitter on Saturday
.
Meanwhile, PPCC
chief Amrinder Singh
Raja Warring accused
Preneet of weakening
the Congress in Patiala,
andsaidsheshouldleave
the party on her own.
“It would have been
better if Preneet Kaur ji
quit the party on her
own. She left no stone
unturned in weakening
the Congress in Patia-
la,” claimed Warring.
The Congress’ disci-
plinary panel secretary
Tariq Anwar had said
the action against Kaur
follows complaints
against her from the
PPCC chief Warring.
Union Minister highlights role played
by wetland ecosystem in securing the
ecological, economic climate security
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. —FILE PHOTO
Congress announces first list of
21 candidates for Nagaland polls
India’s largest helicopter
facility to open in K’taka
Adequate funds for over
2 lakh agri societies: HM
No panchayat will
lack milk dairy,
fisheries society in
next 5 years: HM
Amit Shah with Jharkhand BJP chief Deepak Prakash, MP Nishikant
Dubey and others at Vijay Sankalp Maharally, in Deoghar on Saturday.
To promote cooperation, Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi has introduced
several schemes in the recently re-
leased Union Budget 2023-24.
—Amit Shah, Union Home Affairs Minister and Cooperation Minister
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to
inaugurate facility
on Monday
MARTIN TO DISPLAY F-21 JET, OTHER
PLATFORMS AT AERO-INDIA 2023
SOUTH CENTRAL RLY
GETS `13,786 CR IN
UNION BUDGET
PM MODI PRAISES BILL GATES FOR
TRYING HIS HANDS TO MAKE ROTI
New Delhi: US defence major Lockheed Martin will
showcase its F-21 fighter jet, S-92 multi-role helicop-
ter, MH-60R Romeo multi-mission chopper and anti-
tank weapon Javelin, among others, at the upcoming
Aero-India exhibition in Bengaluru. The 14th edition
of Aero-India will be held at Bengaluru in Karnataka
from February 13 to 17. Almost all leading aerospace
companies around the world are expected to attend
the event at Air Force Station, Yelahanka.
Hyderabad (PTI): South
Central Railway on Friday
said it was sanctioned a sum
of Rs. 13,786.19 crore for
year 2023-24 compared to
Rs. 8,349.75 crore for year
2022-23, nearly 65 per cent
increase over last year's
allocation in the Union
Budget. A press release
from the SCR said Rs
3,374.44 crore was allotted
for doubling, third line and
bypass line works compared
to Rs 1,531 crore last year.
New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded
Billionaire Bill Gates for trying his hands to make roti.
The PM advised him to make millet dishes as well.
Gates posted a video on Instagram where he was seen
making a roti along with popular blogger Eitan Bernath.
Sharing the video on his Instagram story, PM Modi said,
“Superb!” He also said that the latest trend in India is
millets, which are known to be healthy. “There are many
millet dishes too which you can try making,” Modi said.
ED grills Rahul
Gandhi’s aide
in PMLA case
Congress welcome to take whatever
decision it wants,says MP Preneet Kaur
Patiala MP Preneet Kaur comes out of Parliament on Friday.
LOGJAM IN PARLIAMENT
SHAH ON UNION BUDGET 2023-24
OPPN RUNNING AWAY FROM
DISCUSSION: ANURAG THAKUR
Anurag Thakur with JK Lt Guv Manoj Sinha in Jammu.
SMRITI SLAMS CONG FOR
DISRUPTING PARL HOUSES
BUDGET 2023 TO PROVIDE
JOBS TO YOUTH: MoS RAI
Kolkata (PTI): Union Minister Smriti
Irani on Saturday slammed the Con-
gress for disrupting the proceedings in
Parliament demanding
an independent investi-
gation into the allega-
tions of fraud against
billionaire Gautam
Adani’s companies that
triggered an unprec-
edented stock crash. She alleged it is
a reflection of the animosity the party
has towards President Droupadi Mur-
mmu from the day she took office.
New Delhi (ANI): Minister of State
(Home) Nityanand Rai on Saturday
said that Union Budget 2023-24
presented by Finance
Minister Nirmala Sithara-
man will provide job
opportunities to youths
in the country with the
resolution of ‘Sabka
Sath, Sabka Vikas’. MoS
Home Nityanand Rai addressed a press
conference in Agra on Budget and said
that this budget outlines the develop-
ment of all sections of the society.
IN THE COURTYARD

INDIA
07
JAWAN INJURED IN
LANDMINE
EXPLOSION IN JK
MAN CARRYING
BULLETS HELD AT
KOLKATA AIRPORT
CHHATTISGARH:
MAN KILLED IN
TIGER ATTACK
ACQUITTED IN GANG
RAPE CASE, MAN
HELD FOR MURDER
Jammu: An army soldier
was injured on Saturday in
a landmine explosion along
the LoC in JK’s Poonch.
Officials said that the explo-
sion took place in Kerni sec-
tor of Poonch on Saturday.
“The explosion apparently
occurred accidentally around
11.15 a.m., today. The
injured soldier was airlifted
to the command hospital in
Udhampur,” they said.
Kolkata: A man was ar-
rested at the Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose International
Airport in Kolkata for
carrying four bullets in his
hand baggage. The arrest
took place late Friday night
during routine checking
while the man, identified
as Mohammad Ghalib, was
attempting to board a Ben-
galuru-bound Air Asia flight,
sources said on Saturday.
Korba: A 37-year-old
man was killed in an
attack by a tiger in Manen-
dragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur
district of Chhattisgarh,
forest officials said on Satur-
day. The incident took place
at Kachod village under Kol-
hari circle of Manendragarh
Forest Division on Friday
evening. The deceased, iden-
tified as Budhram Agariya,
was a local resident.
New Delhi: A man, who
was acquitted in the 2012
Chhawla gang-rape and
murder case, was arrested
along with his associate for
allegedly killing an auto-rick-
shaw driver in Dwarka. The
accused Vinod and his as-
sociate Pawan were arrested
for stabbing one Anar Singh
(44) to death in Dwarka’s
Sector-13 area early on
January 26, police said.
Patna: The Jehanabad Police in Bihar arrested a man,
absconding for the last eight months, under POCSO Act
on Saturday. The accused, identified as Sanjay Kumar
Verma, is husband of Manju Kumari Verma, former
JD-U district president. Poonam Chaudhary, the SHO of
woman police station, confirmed the development. She
said that an FIR was registered in August last year where
Sanjay Kumar Verma was co-accused. He was facing the
charge of shielding the main accused Sunil Kumar and
Bittu Kumar, the police said.
FORMER JD(U) LEADER’S HUSBAND
ARRESTED UNDER POCSO ACT
CRUCIAL READ
First India Bureau
Jammu: Union Minis-
ter Anurag Thakur and
the LG of Jammu and
Kashmir Manoj Sinha
on Saturday launched
the third Khelo India
Winter Games mascot,
theme song and jersey
.
The Winter Games
are scheduled to be held
from the 10th to the 14th
of this month. Approxi-
mately 1500 athletes
across the country will
participate in the games
that will take place in
Gulmarg and will be
played across nine
sports events. Thakur
mentioned, “The Winter
Games, being hosted
hereinGulmarginJam-
mu and Kashmir em-
bodies the visions of the
Honourable Prime Min-
isterNarendraModi-on
the one hand it has giv-
en a chance to the youth
of the valley to not just
participateintheGames
but also to witness an
enthralling sporting
competition with play-
ers from all across the
country, in the comfort
of their home town and
it also acts as a spring-
board for talented ath-
letes to showcase their
sporting prowess.”
The Khelo India Win-
ter Games started in
2020 and it is supported
by the Ministry of
Youth Affairs and
Sports and is organized
by the JK Sports
Council as well as the
Winter Games associa-
tion of the JK.
Thakur added, “In
places like Shopian,
where till not so long
ago the youth was mis-
led into performing acts
of stone pelting, taking
drugs and indulging in
such activities.”
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur launches mascot, theme song and jersey
3rd KHELO INDIA WINTER GAMES
lll
Khelo India
Winter Games
will be held from
10th to 14th this
month at
Gulmarg in
Jammu
Kashmir Anurag Thakur and JK Lt Guv Manoj Sinha at the launch ceremony in Jammu on Saturday.
USandIndiaare‘trusted
partners’:IndianEnvoy
Washington (ANI):
The United States and
India are looking at
each other as trusted
partners and their trust
is seen in the initiative
on Critical and Emerg-
ing Technology (iCET),
Indian Ambassador to
US Taranjit Singh
Sandhu said.
Sandhu said, “US and
India are looking at
each other as trusted
partners that trust is
being reflected in the
iCET. The iCET is a his-
toric beginning that
provides a platform for
both sides to move
ahead together in the
field of technology
. He
also said the relation-
ship between US and
India strengthened af-
ter Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi made his
first visit to the US in
2014 and after President
Joe Biden came into
power, the interaction
between the two coun-
tries and areas of dis-
cussion widened.
“One of the pillars of
the India-US relation-
ship has been technol-
ogy which includes in-
novation startup cul-
ture. All that comes to-
gether through the ini-
tiative on iCET and
iCET takes it much
further ahead,” he said.
He also stated, “The
initiative on Critical
and Emerging Technol-
ogy (iCET) is a unique
initiative because this
is perhaps the first time
that not only the admin-
istration but academia
the scientific commu-
nity have all come to-
gether.”
Earlier, National Se-
curity Advisor Ajit Dov-
al made an official visit
to Washington from
January 30-February 1.
He was accompanied by
senior government of-
ficials and leaders of
Indian industry
.
IndianAmbassadortoUSsaysthistrustisseenintheiCETinitiative
Ambassador of India to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Delegates during the first G20 Employment Working Group
meeting, in Jodhpur on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI
INDIA RELIABLE FRIEND OF SRI
LANKA: MoS MURALEEDHARAN
Colombo: India is always a dependable
partner and a reliable friend of Sri Lanka,
Union Minister of State (MoS) for External
Affairs V Muraleedharan
said on Saturday. His re-
marks came as he attended
Sri Lanka’s 75th Independ-
ence Day. Several other
foreign dignitaries also at-
tended the event. Muraleed-
haran said he was happy to represent India
at “friendly neighbour” Sri Lanka’s 75th
Independence Day celebrations.
HILLARY TO PAY RESPECTS TO
SEWA FOUNDER IN GUJ TODAY
Ahmedabad: Former US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton will be on a two-day
visit of Gujarat from Sunday and will par-
ticipate in programmes of
the Self-Empowered Wom-
en's Association (SEWA)
founded by social worker
and Gandhian Ela Bhatt
who died in November last
year. Hillary will pay tribute
to Bhatt in Ahmedabad and interact with
SEWA members on Sunday, while on
Monday she will visit Dhrangadhra.
Top priority areas
discussed in G20
Employment meet
New Delhi (Agencies):
With all G20 countries
showing interest and
commitment in con-
structively working to-
wards the objective of
the three priority areas
of Addressing Global
Skills Gaps, gig and plat-
formeconomyandsocial
protection and Sustain-
able Financing of Social
Security set by the Indi-
an Presidency
, the first
G20 Employment Work-
ing Group meet conclud-
ed on Saturday
.
The three-day meet-
ing of the Indian Presi-
dency, led by the Minis-
try of Labour and Em-
ployment, had the man-
date of addressing pri-
orities of labour, em-
ployment and social is-
sues for strong, sustain-
able, balanced, and job-
rich growth for all.
The EWG meetings
beganonThursdaywith
panel discussion on ‘Ex-
ploring Strategies for
Global Skills and Quali-
fications Harmonisa-
tion and developing a
Framework for Com-
mon Skill Toponomies’.
Welcoming the dele-
gates at the G20 Em-
ployment Working
Group in Jodhpur, Un-
ion Minister Gajendra
Singh Shekhawat called
upon the members of
the international com-
munity in the opening
session of the second
day to strive together to
make meaningful pro-
gress in creating more
opportunities for de-
cent work and inclusive
growth for all people.
The 3-day meet
of Employment
Working Group
was held from
Feb 2-4 in
Jodhpur
UP: 12 PPS officers shifted, 1 IAS gets addl charge
Dr Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: The Uttar
Pradesh Government
has given the additional
Labor Department to
Principal Secretary
PWD-II IAS Ajay Chau-
han. This department
was running vacant af-
ter the retirement of
ACS Suresh Chand of
the Labor Department.
IAS Suresh Chandra re-
tired on 31 January
. Af-
ter which the govern-
ment has given the ad-
ditional charge of 1998
batch IAS Ajay Chau-
han here.
On the other hand,
after the transfer of 11
IPS officers, 12 PPS of-
ficers have been trans-
ferred to make better
law and order in the
government. Ghazi-
abad, PPS Mahesh Ty-
agi ACP Noida, PPS
Navina Shukla DSP
Gonda, PPS Santosh
Kumar DSP Shravasti,
PPS Rajiv Dwivedi
DSP Aligarh, PPS
Pawan Gautam ACP
Noida, PPS Ajit Kumar
ACP Ghaziabad, PPS
Shahida Nasreen Cir-
cle Officer Aligarh,
PPS Daddan Prasad
DSP Sonbhadra, PPS
Satya Prakash Sharma
has been made ACP
LIU Agra.
New Delhi (PTI): A day
after its plant was in-
spected by Indian drug
regulatory bodies over
allegations that its eye
drop was linked to vi-
sion loss in the US, Ta-
mil Nadu-based Global
Pharma Healthcare has
been asked to stop man-
ufacturing all ophthal-
mic products till the in-
quiry is completed, of-
ficials said on Saturday
.
A three-member
team each from the
Central Drugs Stand-
ard Control Organisa-
tion (CDSCO) and the
State Drug Controller
visited the plant in
Tamil Nadu's
Kancheepuram, 40 km
from Chennai, on Fri-
day after the company
recalled the eye drop.
The teams have also
collected samples of eye
drop — Artificial Tears
— which were exported.
The eye drop is not sold
in India.
TN Pharma firm
recalls eyedrops
from US market
after complaints
PFI member held
for‘conspiring
against govt’ in MP
Bhopal (ANI): The
Madhya Pradesh Police
have arrested a member
of the banned PFI outfit
from Bhopal for alleg-
edly conspiring against
the government and in-
dulging in unlawful ac-
tivities, officials said on
Saturday
.
Officials said the ar-
rest was made on Friday
in connection with a
case registered by the
state police’s Special
Task Force (STF) last
year. The member iden-
tified as Wasid Khan, a
Sheopur district resi-
dentof MadhyaPradesh,
absconded in the case
registered at STF.
“PFI member Wasid
Khan (26), a resident of
Sheopur, was arrested
under Indian Penal
Code (IPC) sections
121A (conspiracy to
wage war against govt),
153B (assertions preju-
dicial to national inte-
gration) and 120B (crim-
inal conspiracy) besides
the provisions of the
Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act,” offi-
cials said.
Khan was associated
with the PFI and had
been attending the or-
ganisation’s various
programmes and secret
meetings since 2017.
“He used to participate
in secret meetings of
PFI and was in contact
with senior officials of
the organisation,” the
official said. After the
arrest, he was produced
before the court which
sent him to police re-
mand till February 8.
IAS Ajay Chauhan
Blast near Sunny
Leone’s fashion show
Imphal (PTI): A pow-
erful explosion took
place on Saturday near
the venue of a fashion
show event in Imphal
which actress Sunny
Leone is scheduled to
attend on Sunday, an of-
ficial said.
However, no injuries
were reported in the in-
cident that took place in
Hatta Kangjeibung area
of Manipur’s capital.
The blast took place
100 metres from the
venue at around 6.30am
on Saturday
.
It is not yet clear
whether the explosion
was caused due to an
improvised explosive
device or a grenade, he
said.
No militant outfit has
claimed responsibility
for the explosion so far.
PT Usha cries while complaining about
encroachments at her athletics school
Thiruvananthapuram:
Legendary Indian ath-
lete and president of the
Indian Olympic Associ-
ation PT Usha on Satur-
day complained about
encroachments at her
athletics school at Bal-
ussery near Kozhikode.
Usha said this was
noticed at the 30 acre
facility of her school
which has several girls
who are inmates.
“We have seen some
constructionthathasbe-
gun in our property that
was given to us for the
school. I have lodged a
complaint with CM
Pinarayi Vijayan. We
havetobeverycarefulas
therearegirlsandhence
safety and security are a
must,” said Usha.
After the complaint,
the work was stopped.
Usha added that this
has happened after she
recently became a nom-
inated member of the
Upper House.
We have to be
very careful as
there are girls
and hence safety and
security are a must.
—PT Usha, Legendary Indian
athlete and president of the Indian
Olympic Association

business
BRIEFS
New Delhi: The 49th
meeting of the GST Coun-
cil is scheduled to be held
in New Delhi on February
18, 2023, according to a
tweet posted by the coun-
cil. The GST Council
meeting will be chaired by
Union Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman. The
49th GST Council meeting
is likely to take up issues
relating to taxation on
‘pan masala’ and ‘gutka’
companies, setting up of
appellate tribunals, and
GST levy on online gam-
ing, casino, and horse
racing. —ANI
49TH GST COUNCIL
MEET TO BE HELD
ON FEBRUARY 18
New Delhi: India has been
going big on electronic
manufacturing for the last
few years and in Decem-
ber 2022, Apple became
the first company from the
country to export smart-
phones worth USD 1 bil-
lion in a month. According
to a recent article, Decem-
ber was the record month
for the industry with mo-
bile phone exports of over
Rs10,000 crore. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s
vision for 2023 is to have
mobile phone exports with
the segment featuring in
the top 10 export category
from India, Minister of
State for Electronics
and IT Rajeev Chan-
drasekhar said. —ANI
IND MOBILE EXPORTS
SET TO ZOOM TO
RECORD HIGH
New Delhi: Proposed allo-
cation of Rs7,000 crore in
the 2023-24 budget for
phase three of the eCourts
Project will enhance judicial
institutions and efficiency
while ensuring courts reach
every citizen, Chief Justice
DY Chandrachud said Sat-
urday. Addressing the 73rd
anniversary of establish-
ment of the Supreme
Court, he said that during
the COVID-19 pandemic
period, the top court adopt-
ed video conferencing of
court proceedings to reach
out to people. —PTI
‘BUDGET ALLOCATION
TO ENHANCE
JUDICIAL EFFICIENCY’
Mumbai: Reliance Jio on
Saturday launched its True
5G services in Haridwar
from Har Ki Pauri, taking
the total number of Jio
True 5G cities to 226
across the country. The
telecom company said
starting today, Jio users in
Haridwar would be invited
to the Jio Welcome Offer
to experience unlimited
data at up to 1 Gbps+
speeds, at no additional
cost. Haridwar becomes
the second city in the state
after the capital city Deh-
radun to get Jio True 5G
services, according to a
company statement. —ANI
NOW JIO LAUNCHES
5G SERVICES
IN HARIDWAR
New Delhi (ANI): The In-
dian government launched
PradhanMantriFasalBima
Yojana (PMFBY) in 2016 to
address the issue of farm-
ers’ inability to get crop in-
surance due to lack of mon-
ey
, high premium rates, and
capping. The scheme has
completed six years of its
implementation.
The PMFBY is aimed at
giving farmers a simple
and affordable crop insur-
ance option to ensure com-
prehensive risk coverage
for crops against all natu-
ral risks from pre-sowing
to post-harvest and provide
adequate claim amounts.
The demand-driven
scheme is available to all.
In this scheme, it has be-
come easier for the farmer
to report crop loss within
72 hours of any incident
through Fasal Bima App,
Citizens Service Centre, or
nearest agriculture officer.
During this period,
claims of more than
Rs1,24,223 crore have been
paid to more than 11.73
crore farmer applicants.
Farmers had paid a premi-
um of about Rs 25,185 crore.
That is, the farmers have
received almost five times
the premium paid (received
Rs493 on payment of Rs100
premium) as claims.
The most important
change had been that in-
stead of 50%, the Centre
now gives a 90% share in
the subsidy for crop insur-
ance to farmers of north-
eastern states.
Indian govt focuses on
empowering farmers
Next e-auction of
FCI wheat under
OMSS to be held
on Feb 15: Govt
New Delhi (PTI): The next
e-auction for the sale of FCI
wheat to bulk consumers
like flour millers under the
Open Market Sale Scheme
(OMSS) will be held on Feb-
ruary 15, the Food Ministry
said on Saturday
.
State-run Food Corpora-
tion of India (FCI) has been
mandated to sell 25 lakh
tonnes of wheat from buff-
er stock to bulk consumers
under the OMSS to contain
rising prices of wheat and
wheat products in country
.
The first sale of wheat
through e-auction was held
on February 1-2. About 9.2
lakh tonnes of wheat was
sold from FCI depots in 23
states. The plan was to hold
a weekly e-auction every
Wednesday
. In a statement,
the Food Ministry said,
“The second sale of wheat
through e-auction will be
held throughout country
on February 15.”
‘Budget’s main focus is growth;
Mum should be liking proposals’
Mumbai (PTI): Union Fi-
nance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman on Saturday
said growth is the main fo-
cus of the budget for FY24
presented by her recently
.
The budget proposals es-
tablish both fiscal consoli-
dation and growth, espe-
cially inclusive growth,
Sitharaman said during
her maiden interaction
with stakeholders outside
the national capital since
presenting the budget on
February 1.
“Growth is the main fo-
cus. We want to sustain that
recovery, sustain that
growth,” Sitharaman, ac-
companied by the top min-
istry officials at the out-
reach event, said. She gave
credit for ensuring growth
to the people of the country
,
whoabsorbedtherelief and
policymeasuresintroduced
by the government since
the onset of the pandemic
to make India the second-
fastest growing economy
.
The finance minister
said it was the “express de-
sire” of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to continue
with the elevated public
capital expenditure, due to
which she has proposed a
higher outlay of Rs10 lakh
crore under the head.
She also thanked the
budget-making team for
making it possible to de-
vote such a high quantum
of resources for the task
amid the myriad challeng-
es like the need for fiscal
consolidation. “Mumbai
should be liking it (the pro-
posals),” Sitharaman said.
FINANCE MINISTER SAYS...
We want to sustain that recovery, sustain that
growth. Mumbai should be liking proposals.
—Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister
08
Commodity Price Change % Chg
GOLD 56,580 1115.00 1.93 (Per 10g)
SILVER 67,600 2604.00 3.71 (Per 1kg)
COMMODITIES
*Rates till the edition went to print.
Currency Price Change % Chg
USDINR 81.86 0.34 00
GBPINR 100.05 1.39 00
CURRENCIES
ast year was filled
with unpredicta-
ble and tumultu-
ous global events
whose adverse ef-
fects percolated
right down to the
individual level. The Union
Budget of 2023-24 was pro-
jected to include a relief for
the middle and lower in-
come class as well as push
for infrastructure and job
growth. The Budget has de-
livered on most of these
expectations. The current
government has done a
splendid job of ticking all
checkboxes by providing
benefits to almost everyone
be it the rural poor, youth,
an average middle class
man, senior citizens, corpo-
rates as well as startups.
Let us look at some of
the hits and misses of
this budget.
HITS
BENEFITS FOR THE
COMMON MAN
The most awaited part of the
budget -Direct Taxes- did not
disappoint. The middle class
happily welcomed the proposal
of hiking rebate under section
87A from `5 lakh to `7 lakh in
the new tax regime. Under the
new tax slabs, individuals en-
joy the benefits of lower taxes.
For example, an individual with
an annual income of `9 lakh
will have to pay only `45,000
as opposed to `60,000
currently. Even the ultra rich
benefit from the proposal to
reduce the highest surcharge
rate from 37% to 25%.
SAVING SCHEMES
Deposit limit for senior
citizens’ savings scheme dou-
bled from `15 lakh currently
to `30 lakh. One type saving
scheme for women intro-
duced for deposit upto `2
lakh at 7.5% interest rate.
HUGE INFRA PUSH
The expected capital expendi-
ture will be `10 lakh crore, up
33% year over year. Effective
government capital expen-
ditures will total `13.7 lakh
crore, or 4.5% of GDP, which is
favorable for the capital goods
and infrastructure sector.
FISCAL DEFICIT
TARGET MAINTAINED
Government has maintained
prudence and set the deficit
target for the current fiscal
year to be 5.9%, a reduction
of 50 basis points from this
year’s target of 6.4%.
FOCUS ON
RURAL SECTOR
There was a major focus on ru-
ral development in this budget
as the Union Finance Minister
announced that the agricultural
credit target will be increased
to `20 lakh crore with a focus
on animal husbandry, dairy,
and fisheries. Allocation for
PM Awas Yojna increased
by a whopping 66% to over
`79,000 crore which will en-
able the required infrastructure
push as well as job creation.
MSME SUPPORT
While it was expected that
the credit guarantee schemes
brought in during the pan-
demic will be phased out, a
revamp of the schemes has
been proposed in this budget.
With an investment of `9000
crore, a revised credit guaran-
tee scheme for MSMEs would
go into effect on April 1, 2023.
This will allow for an additional
`2 lakh crore in collateral-free
credit guarantees, which will
allow for a 1% reduction in the
cost of borrowing. For MSMEs
that are still recuperating from
the effects of the epidemic,
this is wonderful news.
For enhancing ease of
doing business, more than
39,000 compliances have
been reduced, over 3,400 le-
gal provisions decriminalized.
Green Growth was one of
the seven focus areas of the
Budget `35,000 crore capital
investment was provided
towards energy transition and
net zero objective.
NO BAD NEWS
IS GOOD NEWS
No change in long term
capital tax gain which was
expected to increase.
MISSES
NO CHANGE IN
DEDUCTIONS
A few expectations which were
missed in the Budget were in-
crease in Standard Deductions
by salaried individuals and
increase in deduction level un-
der 80C. As the government is
pushing to make the New Tax
Regime as the default regime,
the old tax regime did not see
any significant upgrades.
BIG BLOW FOR
INSURANCE
COMPANIES
This is a big negative for
insurance companies as the
incentive of getting deductions
on insurance premiums will no
longer look attractive. Insurance
policies are often bought for tax
planning which will reduce in
future. Plus curbs on exemp-
tions involving high-value
insurance policies announced
in this budget will also impact
large ticket policy sales. The
exemption benefit has been a
major factor in the insurance
industry’s growth in India. Huge
chunks of policies are still sold
during the tax planning season
of January to March.
BOOST FOR PLI
SCHEME MISSING
No new sectors were intro-
duced as part of production
linked incentives to boost
manufacturing which was
widely anticipated.
IN CONCLUSION
The current government
has chosen an inclusive
approach while present-
ing its last Union Budget
before the general elec-
tions. The focus of the
budget was on stabilising
macroeconomic factors
and providing a strong im-
petus to growth and job
creation. With a strong
emphasis on infrastruc-
ture, health, agriculture,
and green initiatives, the
budget has made bold and
forward-looking promises.
If executed well, India is
unquestionably set up for
significant growth and
stability, with benefits for
all citizens.
L
able the required infrastructure
push as well as job creation.
MSME SUPPORT
While it was expected that
the credit guarantee schemes
brought in during the pan-
demic will be phased out, a
revamp of the schemes has
been proposed in this budget.
With an investment of `9000
crore, a revised credit guaran-
tee scheme for MSMEs would
go into effect on April 1, 2023.
This will allow for an additional
`2 lakh crore in collateral-free
credit guarantees, which will
allow for a 1% reduction in the
cost of borrowing. For MSMEs
that are still recuperating from
the effects of the epidemic,
this is wonderful news.
For enhancing ease of
doing business, more than
39,000 compliances have
been reduced, over 3,400 le-
gal provisions decriminalized.
HITS
MISSES
THE
2023

ON FEBRUARY 1, 2023, FINANCE
MINISTER NIRMALA SITHARAMAN
PRESENTED THE UNION BUDGET
2023-24 TO PARLIAMENT
LET US NOW LOOK INTO THE DETAILS OF
ANNOUNCEMENTS UNDER BROAD CATEGORIES...
 Exemption Rebate increased to `7 lakh from `5 Lakh i.e. there
is no tax on income up to `7 Lakh.
 Individuals with income of `15.5 lakh and above are eligible
for standard deduction of `52,500 in the new tax regime as op-
posed to `50,000 in the old regime.
 Currently, the highest rate is 42.74% income tax under the new
regime. The Budget has proposed to reduce the highest surcharge
from 37% to 25% in the new tax regime, thereby reducing the rate
to maximum of 39%.
 Limit on tax exemption for leave encashment is increased
from 3,00,000 to 25,00,000.
SAVING SCHEMES
 SENIOR CITIZEN SAVINGS SCHEME: Maximum investment limit
increased from `15 lakh to `30 lakh.
 MAHILA SAMMAN BACHAT PATRA: One-time small savings
scheme announced for women which accepts a maximum `2 lakh
deposit for two-year period with fixed interest of 7.5%.
INFRASTRUCTURE
 The capital account expenditure is estimated to be `10 lakh crore
forming 3.3% of GDP, an increase of 33% year-over-year.
 The outlay for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is being increased
by 66% to over `79,000 crore.
 50 additional airports, heliports, water aerodromes, and ad-
vanced landing zones are proposed to be revitalized.
 100 critical transport infrastructure projects for steel, ports,
fertilizer, coal, foodgrain sectors have been identified with an
investment of `75,000 crore (`15,000 crore from private sources).
 Railway outlay budgeted at `2.40 Lakh Crore which is the high-
est ever. It is over 9x times that of FY14.
Above
`30 lakh
`12 to `15 lakh
`9 to `12 lakh
`6 to
`9 lakh
`3 to
`6 lakh
30%
20%
15%
10%
5% 0%`0 to `3 lakh
CLEAN ENERGY
AND ELECTRIC
VEHICLES
 This budget provides
for `35,000 crore capital
investment towards
energy transition and net
zero objective and energy
security. `19,700 crore
was allocated to the Na-
tional Hydrogen Mission.
The objective is to reach
hydrogen production ca-
pacity of 5 metric million
tonnes by 2030.
HEALTHCARE
OTHER WELFARE
SCHEMES
 From Jan 1, 2023, PM
Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana
is being implemented to
supply free food grain to
all Antyodaya and priority
households for one year.
 Health spending has
been given an alloca-
tion of `88,956 crores,
an increase of 2.7%
or `2,350 crores from
FY23’s allocation of
`86,606 crores.
 The budget allocates
`7,200 crores to the
Ayushman Bharat– Prad-
han Mantri Jan Arogya
Yojna (PMJAY), an in-
crease of `743 crores or
11.5% from FY23 when it
received `6,457 crores.
 The Pradhan Mantri
Poshan Shakti Nirman
(PM POSHAN) has re-
ceived `11,600 crores in
funding, an increase of
`1,366 crores or 13.4%
from the `10,234 crores
provided in FY23.
 157 medical colleges
that have already been
operating since 2014,
157 additional nursing
colleges will open.
PERSONAL INCOME TAX
THE NEW TAX REGIME IS NOW THE DEFAULT TAX REGIME.
HOWEVER, CITIZENS CAN CONTINUE TO USE THE OLD ONE
TOO. THE PROPOSED NEW INCOME TAX SLAB IS AS BELOW:

NEWS
09
Mirch Masala
FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL
BY TRIDIB RAMAN
The author is a journalist and political
commentator and views expressed are his personal
This question is being
raised again and
again in the corridors of
power in Delhi that after
the construction of Ram
Temple in Ayodhya — to
be completed by the
year end — what will
be the next agenda for
the BJP? An ideologue
associated with the
Sangh says that neither
the Sangh nor the
BJP lacks issues. Now
‘Uniform Civil Code’
and ‘Population Control
Bill’ are to come, whose
threat can be heard
anytime after 2024.
However, in a written
reply in Parliament, Law
Minister Kiren Rijiju had
said the government
had requested the 21st
Law Commission to
undertake an examina-
tion of various issues
relating to uniform
civil code and to make
recommendations. “The
term of the 21st Law
Commission ended on
August 31, 2018. As per
the information received
from the Law Commis-
sion, the matter related
to uniform civil code
may be taken up by the
22nd Law Commission
for its consideration,” he
had said. The implemen-
tation of a uniform civil
code was a poll promise
made by the ruling BJP
in the 2014 and 2019
Lok Sabha elections.
Speculation has intensified regarding
the re-merger of the Janata Parivar,
wherein the Janata Dal (U), RJD, JD(S),
INLD and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the lead-
ers of the opposition unit, get together
to form the old Janata Dal or some
coordination can be established between
them. When the saffron camp came to
know about this, its emissaries became
active, its strategists contacted Tejashwi
and told him that ‘if he only
leaves Nitish’s side, BJP
is ready to make him
the Chief Minister of the
state.’ A clear formula
was worked out that
RJD, being the largest
party, should submit
claim to the Governor to
form Tejashwi’s gov-
ernment. When
the time comes
to prove ma-
jority in the house, BJP will walk out, as
it once did when Mulayam’s government
was in UP. But sources tell that Tejashwi
flatly refused to get trapped in this saf-
fron trap. After this, Nitish’s statement
also came to the fore that ‘he will not go
with BJP till death.’ Nitish also made it
clear to Tejashwi that ‘he will leave the
Chief Minister’s chair for Tejashwi in
July-August and will become active in
central politics’. Now it is possible that
the central agencies may file several
serious cases against Tejashwi in the
month of May-June. It is said that these
cases are related to the time when
Tejashwi Yadav became the deputy
CM of the state for the first time. The
BJP hopes that Nitish will hardly be
able to support Tejashwi on
the matter of corruption,
and thereafter, the only
option before Tejashwi
would be court.
What the upcoming
assembly elections
in Karnataka mean for the
BJP is known from the
Union Budget presented in
the Parliament on Wednes-
day as the irrigation
scheme worth Rs 65,000
crore was announced for
Karnataka. In any case,
the recent opinion polls
conducted by the party
in Karnataka have raised
eyebrows in the BJP
leadership. So, to ensure
its victory in the upcoming
State Assembly elections,
party strategists want to
forge an electoral alliance
with JD(S), a major party
in the state. In this regard,
when BJP strategists ap-
proached HD Deve Gowda,
he bluntly said that ‘he
can think of post-poll
alliance with BJP.’ But the
biggest problem before
BJP strategists is that
Deve Gowda is more or
less saying the same thing
to Congress. Deve Gowda
has an old friendship
with Congress President
Mallikarjun Kharge. So,
even though Deve Gowda
did not go to Kashmir at
the conclusion of Rahul’s
Bharat Jodo Yatra, he did
issue a letter in support of
Rahul, much to the dismay
of the saffron strategists.
So, these people have
recently approached Ku-
maraswamy, son of Deve
Gowda, who is said to be
more inclined towards BJP
than Congress. So, while
father Deve Gowda was is-
suing letters in support of
Rahul, son Kumaraswamy
was voicing his mind on
a local TV channel that
‘the country does not like
Rahul Gandhi’.
The latest Union Budget has tried its best to cater
to the non-Yadav OBC castes, considering that
this current Union Budget will prove to be the last
full-time budget before the 2024 general elections. In
a way, this is a completely election budget, in which
provision has been made for an additional budget
of Rs 2 lakh crore for the free ration scheme for the
poor. If the claims of reliable sources associated with
the central government are to be
believed, then the present govern-
ment may announce the general
elections ahead of time in order
to implement the ‘One Nation,
One Election’ programme. These
elections can be held along with
the possible assembly elections of
nine States. Keeping this idea in
mind, ‘Pradhan Mantri Vishwa-
karma Kaushal Samman Yojana’ has been launched
in the budget and it is believed that this scheme is
going to benefit the non-Yadav OBC castes across the
country, especially in UP. In UP alone there are more
than 52% OBC castes, even if Yadavs are excluded
from this, then this figure remains at 42%, which is a
group of more than 140 castes and this group plays
an important role in defeating or winning a candidate
in elections. In the 2014 general elections also, the
OBC castes played the most important role in forming
the BJP government.
Iltija Mufti, the elder daughter of former Jammu and
Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, is said to
be all set to enter politics. In recent times she has
been seen walking
in step with Rahul
Gandhi in his Bharat
Jodo Yatra. Fluent in
Hindi, English and
Urdu languages,
Iltija did her school-
ing from a boarding
school in Shimla, then
graduated from Delhi
University and went
to London’s Warwick
University for her
post graduation. After
returning from there,
she worked in a think
tank in Delhi, then started working for ‘Gulf News’.
After the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, Iltija
started making her video blog regularly — ‘Aapki
Baat with Iltija.’ Even when asked, she says — ‘No, I
don’t want to do politics,’ but no tell for sure what her
future plans really are.
LOK SABHA ELECTIONS 2024: BJP
‘JUGGLING’ TO HELP OBC CASTES
WILL ILTIJA MUFTI ENTER POLITICS?
BJP TO RAISE UCC,
POPULATION
CONTROL ISSUES
TEJASHWI ON SAFFRON TARGET VIA CENTRAL AGENCIES!
K’TAKA POLLS: JD(S) KINGMAKER FOR BJP OR CONGRESS?
NAGAR NIGAM KOTA SOUTH
`605 CRORE BUDGET PASSED
AMID HIGH-VOLTAGE DRAMA
Bhanwar S Charan
Kota: Amid fierce dis-
putes, allegations and
counter-accusations
and uproar between the
government and the op-
position, the budget of
Rs 605 crores of Munici-
pal Corporation Kota
(South) was passed on
Saturday
.
Two BJP MLAs
Madan Dilawar and
Sandeep Sharma also
reached to attend the
budget meeting. How-
ever, when Dilawar
started alleging dis-
crimination in works in
North and South Cor-
poration wards, the
Congress councillors
got agitated and a huge
ruckus was created.
The matter went on in-
creasing amidst slogan-
eering and dharna.
During the board meet-
ing, Acting Commis-
sioner Ambalal Meena
was also targeted by the
councillors. A board of
Narak Nigam was in-
stalled right in front of
the first commissioner,
and a councillor Le-
khraj Yogi presented a
lollipop to the officiat-
ing commissioner.
During this, cases of
non-distribution of
sports material to
councillors also arose
along with allegations
of corruption. Some
councillors tore papers
and threw them at the
officiating commis-
sioner. Later, Leader of
Opposition Vivek Raj-
vanshi termed the
budget as fictitious and
paper and alleged that
the officials have failed
to provide a roadmap
for the city’s develop-
ment along with the
budget.
A councillor throws papers at Officiating Commissioner. Councillor Lekhraj Yogi gives lollipop to Officiating Commissioner.
HC bids farewell to CJ Mithal
Kamal Kant
Jaipur: The Rajasthan
High Court Chief Jus-
tice Pankaj Mithal will
be the Judge in Su-
preme Court. Farewell
reference of the Chief
Justice took place in the
Jaipur bench of the
High Court on Saturday
.
Chief Justice Pankaj
Mithal gave an address
in Farewell reference. “I
have no words to sing
the glory of the holy
land of Rajasthan. It is
mygoodfortunethatRa-
jasthan has played an
important role in taking
me towards the capital
DelhiorshouldIsaythat
it is Shrinathji’s grace
only that they turned
my face towards Su-
preme Court,” he said.
He said that the land
of Rajasthan proudly
adopted him. “It is an
act of justice, it is a di-
vine act. It is my good
fortune that the Lord
chose me for this. For
this divine work, the
judge has to burn every
moment like the sun
with diligence, justice,
wisdom, and simple na-
ture,” he said.
The Union Ministry
of Law and Justice is-
sued a notification on
Saturday appointing
Rajasthan High Court
Chief Justice Pankaj
Mithal as a judge in the
Supreme Court. Mithal
had assumed office in
the Rajasthan High
Court on October 14,
2022. Before coming to
Rajasthan, Mithal was
CJ in the Jammu and
Kashmir High Court.
ELEVATED TO SUPREME COURT
CJ Pankaj Mithal (L) during the farewell speech on Saturday.
Better village infra will stop
migration to cities: Birla
Poonia not supporting Kirodi shows
rift in BJP: PCC chief Dotasra in Sikar
Ramesh Sharma
Sikar: PCC Chief Go-
vind Singh Dotasra tar-
geted the BJP during a
press conference here
on Saturday by saying
that Kirodi Lal Meena’s
statement that State
President Satish Poonia
did not support him
shows the rift in the BJP
and people know this.
Dotasra said that the
‘Haath Se Haath Jodo’
campaign will start in
Laxmangarh on Sun-
day. In the 15 kilometre
yatra, people would be
told about the public
welfare schemes being
run by the government.
Taking on the Naren-
dra Modi government at
the Centre, Dotasra said
that people are worried
due to inflation, consti-
tutional institutions are
being misused and
there is an atmosphere
of hatred and fear. “Un-
der the campaign, we
will go to the people in
every village and at the
booth level as well. It
will be my endeavour to
make Shekhawati a di-
vision,” he said.
Programmes will be
held in Bharatpur divi-
sion in Kota on Febru-
ary 7 and February 8.
MP Diya inaugurates
medical camp in Bhim
CP Joshi gets emotional
about‘maa’ in Nathdwara
First India Bureau
Rajsamand: BJP MP
Diya Kumari reached
Bhim on a two-day tour
of her Lok Sabha con-
stituency on Saturday.
The MP reached Brar
area of Bhim, where
she inaugurated a med-
ical camp.
People thanked her
for fulfilling the long-
standing demand of the
residents of the area
for a broad gauge. The
MP thanked the Modi
government at the cen-
tre for fulfilling the
dream of broad gauge
and assured the work
on the broad gauge line
would start soon. After
the completion of the
work in the coming
time, the people of the
area including busi-
nesses, and tourism
will also get the benefit
of easy travel.
“The BJP will take
the state far in the di-
mension of develop-
ment,” the MP said.
Ashish Choudhary
Rajsamand: Speaker
of the Rajasthan Legis-
lative Assembly, CP
Joshi got emotional on
stage during the Matri
Pitra Poojan Day pro-
gramme at a private
school at Nathdwara in
Rajsamand district. Re-
membering his late
mother, the Speaker got
emotional.
Joshi is on a four-day
visit to Nathdwara. Ad-
dressing the people at
the programme, he said
that even if children
have studied in Hindi
medium schools, he em-
phasised on English.
“Mother is the first
teacher of any child
and leads the child to
success. Children learn
manners from their
parents. Time is chang-
ing and along with be-
ing modern, it is neces-
sary that children
should also be cul-
tured,” he said.
First India Bureau
Kota: Lok Sabha Speak-
er Om Birla has said
that to stop migration
of people to cities, the
infrastructure of the
villages will have to be
developed and intensi-
fying the efforts in this
direction, in the coming
days, constructions
worth about Rs 150
crore will be done in
Kota Bundi parliamen-
tary constituency
.
Birla said this during
an interaction with me-
dia after virtually lay-
ing the foundation stone
of works approved un-
der MADA scheme in
Sultanpur and Khair-
abad Panchayat Samitis
of Kota district.
Besides, asphalting
workinPanchayatSami-
ti Sultanpur is being
done at a cost of Rs 7
crore. A playground is
beingdevelopedinAaton
village, water tank in
Bislai, work of cremato-
rium in Jhargaon, Bam-
bula Rawatan, Khedab-
hopal, construction of
track and other develop-
ment works in play-
ground in school of Jal-
impura village and
Peepalda Biram village.
Speaker Om Birla interacts with people at Lok Sabha camp office.
Raje to attend
Beneshwar Fair
in Dungarpur
First India Bureau
Dungarpur: The main
fair will be held at Be-
neshwar Dham at
Triveni confluence of
Som, Mahi and Jakham
rivers, on
M a g h a
Pur nima
on Febru-
ary 5. Ma-
hant’s pal-
a n q u i n
journey and royal bath
will be the centre of at-
traction in the fair. For-
mer Chief Minister
Vasundhara Raje will
also visit Beneshwar
Dham on Sunday
.
GS Dotasra in a condolence meet in Sikar. —FILE PHOTO
Speaker Dr CP Joshi at Matri
Pitra Poojan Day programme.
MP Diya Kumari during her
tour in Bhim on Saturday.

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