First India Mumbai 20012023.pdf

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

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

3. MAHARASHTRA MUMBAI | FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023 03 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Cops bust medical college admission racket First India Bureau Thane: Navi Mumbai police claimed to have busted a big racket cheating students to the tune of Rs3.30 crore under the pretext of facili- tating admission in medical colleges and have arrested five persons in this connection. The accused had cheated students from Navi Mum- bai town in Thane district, neighbouring Mumbai, Gujarat and other places, Milind Bharambe, Police Com- missioner, Navi Mum- bai said. The gang members, operating for the last five to seven years, would contact students getting less marks in the pre-medical National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and offer them admission in medical colleges by charging a hefty amount, he said. The accused persons claimed to have influence in the management of seven prominent medical colleges in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and also pro- duced fabricated admission letters before the victims to gain their confidence and get money in cash or through the digital mode, the official said. They used to get the details of students from the websites where they had applied for admissions, he said. The accused would take the students to the medical colleges and the office of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to show their influence and get them fake admission letters, the official said. Bharambe said the police got the first complaint when the accused allegedly cheated a student from Chhattisgarh and took Rs33.5 lakh from her by promising to get her admission in a medical college in Nerul area of Navi Mumbai. The accused also gave her a fake admission letter, he said. The Nerul police registered an offence in this connection. They worked on various in- telligence and technical inputs and nabbed the five accused, identified as Saurabh Krishna Upadyaya (39), Iftekar Ahmed Mustaq Ahmed alias Abhay Singh alias Gautam (31) (both from Noida), Lav Avadk- ishore Gupta (35), hail- ing from Mumbai, Akib Naushad Ahmed (28) and Abhijyat Radhesy- am Singh (41), both from Ghaziabad, he said. 5 persons have been arrested for allegedly duping people of a whopping `3.90 crore Fraudster rips off student of `21 lakh Thane (PTI): Police in Thane have registered a case against three persons for allegedly cheating an aspiring medical student of more than Rs21 lakh, an official said on Thursday. A complaint in this connection was lodged by the victim’s father, a welder, at the Kapur- bawdi police station on Wednesday , he said. “The victim, who has cleared her Class 12 exam with 95 per cent marks, aspired to pursue an MBBS course. She came across a career consultancy firm, which had its office at Ka- purbawdi. When victim approached firm, its operators prom- ised to arrange for her admission for which they quoted certain fees,” an official said. They assured her that she would get admission to a Bengaluru- based medical insti- tute. On that promise, they demanded money from her on several occasions with the collective amount of Rs21,41,800, he said. EVEN REACHED GOVT BODY TO LOOK LEGIT The gang members, operating for the last five to seven years, would contact students getting less marks in the pre- medical National Eligi- bility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and offer them admission in medical colleges by charging a hefty amount. —Milind Bharambe, Police Commissioner, Navi Mumbai First India Bureau Nagpur: Left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate grabbed a match haul of 11 wickets as Vidarb- ha pipped Gujarat by 18 runs, on the third day of the Ranji Trophy Group D match at Jam- tha here. With this Vidarbha defended the lowest score --73-- successfully in first-class cricket in India. It bettered Bi- har’s 78 against Delhi in Jamshedpur way back in the 1948-49 sea- son. At a venue where In- dia’s opening Test against Australia is slat- ed to be played in less than a month’s time, the match witnessed 15 wicketstumblingonday one, followed by 16 on the next day . The Ranji Trophy game was played on a side pitch, while the Test would be played on one of the centre strips. Chasing a paltry 73, Gujarat resumed their second essay on six for one as they were shot out for 54 inside 31 overs on the third day with Sarwate once again running through their line-up with stun- ning figures of 15.3-6- 17-6 to complement his first innings 5/64. Sarwate, who returned with a career- best match haul of 11/81, was complement- ed well by another left- arm spinner in Harsh Dubey (9-1-11-3). Siddharth Desai, who batted at number three, was the only Gujarat batter to reach a double- digit score (18) and was dismissed by a run-out. Gujarat notched 256 in their first innings taking a first innings lead of 182 runs. Vidarbha put up a strong fight in their second essay with Jitesh Sharma leading the show with a 53-ball 69, while number 9 batter Nachiket Bhute also contributed a signifi- cant 42 off 66 balls. A win seemed like a for- mality for the visitors with a small target of 73. But Sarwate had other ideas as Gujarat bat- ters fell like nine pins on an eventful third day as Vidarbha bagged six points from the match to move to joint-second place with Punjab. VIDARBHA DEFENDS PALTRY 73, BUNDLE OUT GUJ FOR 54 NAGPUR BLUES Players of Vidarbha team in action during the Group D match in Nagpur. ONLY BATSMAN Ongoing Ranji Trophy Group D match yields Test cricket’s lowest score in India 10 of home-bound family dead in crash on Mum-Goa highway First India Bureau Mumbai: A speeding truck collided with a van on the Mumbai- Goa highway killing 10 people. The incident happenedintheRaigad district on Thursday morning, police said. The victims, all rela- tives, were residents of Hedvi village in Gu- hagar. They were going towards their home in Ratnagiri district, when around 4.45 am a truck hit their vehicle head-on, Superinten- dentof PoliceSomnath Gharge said. Ten people were killed, including a 12-year-old girl and three women, and a four-year-old boy who succumbed to injuries at a hospital, officials said. After being alerted, police rushed to the spot and started the rescue op- eration. The truck driver, aged 48, was arrested and an FIR was registered against him under rele- vant provi- sions, an of ficial said. 2 killed, 30 injured as bus overturns Mumbai (PTI): A luxury bus going from Pune to Goa overturned in Sindhudurg district on Thursday, two persons were killed and 30 others received injuries in the accident, an official said. The accident took place at around 5.30 am when the bus driver lost control of the vehicle during a sharp turn near the Gad river bridge in Kankavli, located 480 km from the state capital Mum- bai, an official said. Out of the 36 passengers on board, two were killed and 30 others were injured. All the injured persons were rushed to the civil hospital in Kankavli for treatment, he said. Bus destroyed in fire, passengers safe Thane (PTI): A bus operated by the Navi Mumbai civic body, caught fire while going to Kalyan in Thane district on Thursday, All 20 passengers on board narrowly escaped with their lives in the accident, an official said. “The bus was on its way from Navi Mumbai to Kalyan when the blaze erupted. The driver of the bus noticed it and raised an alarm, following which all 20 passengers stepped out immediately and escaped unhurt,” said Yogesh Kaduskar, chief fire officer of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). After being alerted, the NMMC fire services personnel rushed to the spot and doused the fire within half an hour, he said. Side hustle:Cabbie held for‘renting’ bank accts to online fraudsters First India Bureau Mumbai: A 26-year-old cab driver has been arrested by the Borivali Government Railway Police (GRP) for allegedly providing bank accounts on rent to online fraudsters. The accused has been identified as ShobhaMandal. During investigation, the police came to know that he opened more than 16 bank accounts in Mum- bai, mostly in Dharavi, Mahim and Matunga. According to the GRP , Mandal hails from Jharkhand, lived in Dharavi and was a cab driver.Theofficialswere investigating an online fraud case that was registered in the month of July last year where an unknown fraudster allegedly duped 23-year- old Virar resident Roshan Singh of Rs44,000 on the pretext of updating the KYC of his bank account. Singh, working in an insurance company, was on the way to office in Kandivali when he received a message with a link on mobile and asked to update KYC otherwise his account would be blocked. He clicked the link and filled in the re- quired details. He later received an OTP and when he entered it, two messages of a transfer of Rs44,715 from his bank account popped in. Victim came across a career consultancy firm, which asked her to arrange money The accused opened more than 16 bank accounts in Mumbai, mostly in Dharavi and Matunga Priyanka’s FIR against ex-secy quashed in HC Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Thursday quashed a 2008 case filed by actor Priyanka Chopra against her former secretary Prakash Jaju on charges of criminal intimidation and insulting the modesty of a woman after both the parties told the court they have amicably resolved their dispute. Chopra appeared before the division bench of Justices Revati Mo- hiteDereandPKChavan via video conference on Thursday . She said she had no objection for the case to be quashed. The bench then quashed the first information report (FIR) and directed Jaju to deposit a sum of Rs50,000 towards the Maharash- tra police welfare fund within a period of two weeks. Jaju’s advocate Shy- am Dewani told the court that the parties have resolved their dispute and hence no purpose would be served in keeping the case pending. In the petition filed in December 2022, Jaju sought for the FIR lodged against him by Chopra in 2008 to be quashed as they (Jaju and Chopra) have ami- cablysettledthedispute. According to the petition, Jaju was working as Chopra’s secretary from 2001 to 2004. Charges were filed over criminal intimidation outraging modesty of woman; both the parties told court they have amicably resolved the dispute

4. PERSPECTIVE MUMBAI | FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023 04 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia l Vol 1 l Issue No.254 l RNI TITLE NO. MAHENG/2022/14652 Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No.22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701. Published at Plot No. 3 Scheme C of Manglorean Garden Home, CHS Limited, Survey No. 5, 6C (Part) Ville Parle East, Mumbai 400057. Phone 022-46031417. Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra Editor: Kartikey Dev Singh responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act Amit Shah @AmitShah My best wishes to the Bravehearts of the @NDRFHQ on the occasion of their Raising Day. The journey of the NDRF abounds with exemplary acts of courage and commitment to professional excellence. I salute them for all the lives they saved imperiling their own. Anurag Thakur @ianuragthakur Employment opportunities are also being given at Panchayat level. Today, one of the best digital classrooms started by providing laptops to the teachers of 140 centres and school bags and study tables to 2500 children. Our resolution, our effort, education for all, development for all. SPIRITUAL SPEAK All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill. —Buddha IN-DEPTH TOP TWEETS WOMEN GRAPPLERS DESERVE JUSTICE IN THEIR BOUT AGAINST WFI CHIEF op women wrestlers have mustered courage to grapple with the issue of alleged sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, BJP MP from Kaiserganj constituency in Uttar Pradesh, and president of the Wrestling Fed- eration of India. The six-time MP was last in the news in De- cember last year for his acquit- tal by MP/MLA court in a murder case allegedly because the police did not collect evidence properly. In 1992, his name also figured in CBI records for har- bouring shooters of Dawood Ibrahim. Led by medal-winning Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Ma- lik have alleged that Singh and coaches sexually harassed wrestlers at national camps. Singh has denied the allegations, while the Sports Ministry has given the MP 72 hours to ex- plain his position. The wrestlers who went on protest against harassment are determined that they won’t give up the fight without a Swachhata Abhiyan clean- ing the Augean stable. The government has a simple option of either sacking Singh or snub- bing the protesters. T pposition parties came together at a massive rally organised by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Khammam was no show of strength. Rather, what stood out at the show of strength by Telanga- na CM K Chandrasekhar Rao was the absence of Nitish Ku- mar and his Janata Dal-U, MamataBanerjeeandtheTri- namool Congress. Rahul Gan- dhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra not- withstanding, Congress does not figure in KCR’s scheme of things. With these omissions one got the impression of a fragmentedoppositiondriven by the ambition of ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party from power in 2024. The participants included Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Min- ister of Delhi, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann and Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala. Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Par- ty and D. Raja of the CPI were also present. These leaders voiced concern over the threat to federal structure, social justice and equality from the BJP-led government. Akhilesh Yadav also took on theBJPfortryingtodemolish the federal structure. Despite a speed-breaker ahead in the form of assembly election, KCR again showed his desire to play a national role based on his be- lief that the Congress will not be acceptable to most opposition parties in a leadership role after their respective successes against the BJP in state elections. The Aam Aad- mi Party was there after its recent stupendous victory in Delhi Municipal Corporation elections, the TMC, which did well in West Bengal, is now aiming for Tripura where there is some discontent in the BJP. However, for the SP and CPI the road ahead may turn out to be arduous. FRAGMENTED OPPN CHARGES AT BJP Opposition parties coming together at a massive rally organised by the BRS in Khammam was no show of strength. Rather, what stood out at the show of strength by Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao was the absence of Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal-U, Mamata Banerjee and the TMC O Ardern’s resignation as NZ PM is a game changer for 2023 election ew Zealanders will have a new prime minister by Feb- ruary 7 and will go to the polls on October 14, after two- term Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her resignation to spend more time with her family . “For me, it’s time,” she said, speaking from the La- bour Party’s retreat. “I just don’t have enough in the tank for another four years.” Ardern said she would stay on until April as a local MP. Ardern’s resignation will come as a shock to many New Zealanders, and especially to people overseas – given the international reputation she earned as prime minister over the past five years. But this is less of a sur- prise for close watchers of New Zealand politics. Back in November 2021, I wrote in The Conversation: “Might Jacinda Ardern stand down?”, after Labour changed its rules to make it easier for the party’s leader to be replaced. A GAME CHANGING MOVE BEFORE THE ELECTION Ardern’s rise to power in 2017 was a game changer in New Zealand politics. Now she’s surprisedeveryoneagainwith today’sdecisiontostanddown, this could be a game changer for the October election. Ardern is still higher in the preferred PM polls, ahead of National’s Christopher Lux- on. So it’s not imperative for Labour to change their leader. But up until this moment, everyone has been picking a likely change in government to a National/Act coalition later this year. NowthatLabourisstarting to trail in the polls, having a refresh of the leadership doesn’t necessarily ruin the party’s chances of winning in October. The social and economic fallout of the pandemic has been so profound that having a fresh new face could help Labour’s chances. Former National PM John Keydidasimilarthingbackin 2016, invoking the same “not enough in the tank” line as Ardern today , when he sur- prised everyone and stood down, handing over to Bill English. English and National actually did well in the following year’s election, gaining 44% of the vote. It was only because of overall arithmetic that National was unable to form government and that ArdernwentontobecomePM. JACINDA ARDERN’S REPLACEMENT COULD BE KNOWN WITHIN DAYS Ardern made herself world famous for her management of the pandemic, and she did an extremely good job as a leader over that period. But Covid-19 also completely de- railed her prime minister- ship, meaning she was sty- mied in pursuing many of the key social objectives such as child poverty and housing that she would have liked to put more effort into. I know Ardern personally, and what you see on TV is what you get in real life. She is a genuine person and politician, and you can under- stand the reasons she’s given about wanting more time with her fiancé and daughter. My sense is that Labour knows who will take over. Front runners to be leader could include Minister of Jus- tice Kiri Allan, who is a rising starandcouldbethefirstMāori PM, though she is relatively new to politics. Minister for Education and Leader of the House Chris Hipkins was a high-profile and hard-working MP during COVID, and he and Allancouldmakeaformidable team. Housing, energy and resources minister Dr Megan Woods is also an experienced and senior member of the party , so could also be in the mix. Deputy Prime Minister GrantRobertsonwon’tbecon- testing the leadership, and La- bour caucus has agreed that a votewillhappeninthreedays’ time, on January 22. A successful candidate will need more than 60% of the caucusvote,otherwisethey’ve got to go to a primary-style processwiththeLabourmem- bership,whichcouldbemessy , sotheywillwanttoavoidthat. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL N JO ADETUNJI The writer is Editor, The Conversation UK My sense is that Labour knows who will take over. Front runners to be leader could include Minister of Justice Kiri Allan, who is a rising star and could be the first Mãori PM, though she is relatively new to politics. Minister for Education and Leader of the House Chris Hipkins was a high-profile and hard-working MP during COVID, and he and Allan could make a formidable team. Housing, energy and resources minister Dr Megan Woods is also an experienced and senior member of the party, so could also be in the mix Beyond that, I have no plan. No next steps. All I know is that whatever I do, I will try and find ways to keep working for NZ, that I am looking forward to spending time with my family again – arguably, they are the ones that have sacrificed the most out of all of us —Jacinda Ardern

5. To Receive Free Newspaper PDF Daily Whatsapp: Telegram: Click the above link☝ subscribe us on your preferred platform. https://bit.ly/fiwhatsappmumbai https://t.me/thefirstindiamumbai

6. MUMBAI | FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023 05 INDIA www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia First India Bureau Hamirpur: Union Min- ister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said the BJP government at the centre determined to provide digital education to people in villages across the country including Hamirpur. The Union Minister distributed laptops to teachers of 140 ‘Ek Se Shrestha’ centres here and school bags and study tables to 2,500 children. Thakur said that issues related to employment, migration and the economy in the state can be solved only by giving proper education to the children. The minister also started ‘Digital Ek Se Shreshtha’, an initia- tive aimed at providing quality education to every village for a bright future for every child, in the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency and gave the slo- gan of “Hamara Sankalp, Hamara Prayas, Sabko Shiksha, Sabka Vikas”. At present, over 2,500 children are being im- parted free education in 140 panchayats of the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency where ‘Ek Se Shrestha’ centres are operational and employment opportunities are also being given at the panchayat level. Childrenareprovided with all necessary facili- ties for education like books, copies, white- boards and stationery in these centres. Thakur also urged the teachers to adopt modern ways of teach- ing and pay more atten- tion to the overall development of the students. —With PTI inputs “Education getting digitized in villages” ANURAG THAKUR SAYS... Kalaburagi (PTI): Im- pressed by the “vibrant and colourful” Lamba- ni (Banjara) nomad tribes, PM Narendra Modi on Thursday said their attire, culture, traditions and food habits are the strength of In- dia and his government is committed to pre- serving them all. Seeking to strike an emotional chord with the economically and socially backward Lam- bani spread across various parts right from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Ma- harashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Modi said during the 'Hakku Patra' (land title deed) distribution ceremony, that this community is cul- turally rich. “The double-engine government (BJP government at the Centre and Karnataka) be- lieves the traditions, culture, cuisines and attire of every community in India as its strength. We are in fa- vour of protecting and conserving this strength,” Modi told the cheering crowd at Mal- khed in this district in poll-bound Karnataka. He was addressing the Lambani community , which is conspicuous with its distinct attire and language, especially the women who wear colour-rich Ghagra (Le- henga) with mirror and embroidery work. They put on cream-col- oured bangles from wrist to shoulder and decorate themselves with silver made orna- ments from hair to toes. WE’RE COMMITTED TO SAVE NOMAD TRIBES’ CULTURE: PM Attire, culture and cuisine of every community is India’s strength, says PM Modi BANJARAS SEE AN EMOTIONAL MODI 71K YOUTHS TO GET JOB LETTERS TODAY New Delhi: Addressing a large gathering of the people from the Banjara community at Mulakhed village in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured them that “their son is sitting in Delhi who would ensure the community’s progress”. New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi will distribute about 71,000 appointment letters to newly inducted recruits in govt depart- ments and organisations on January 20. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Modi will distribute appointment letters at 10:30 am via video conferencing. Patna: A day after a grand Opposition rally in Telangana, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said he only had a single wish and that has nothing to do with himself. “I keep saying. I want nothingformyself.Ionly have one dream — to see Oppositionleadersunite and forge ahead. That willbenefitthecountry ,” Nitish said. The Bihar CM’s comments come a day after prominent opposition leaders addressed a joint rally in Kham- mam in Telangana on CM K Chandrasekhar Rao's invitation. Asked about his own absence at the event, Nitish said: “I didn’t know about a rally being held by KCR (Chandrasekhar Rao). I was busy with some other work. Those who were invited to his party's rally must have gone there.” My only dream is the unity of Oppn: Nitish day after KCR’s rally MamataslamsBCIfor sendingprobeteam ❍ CALCUTTA HC RUCKUS ISSUE Kolkata: West Bengal CMMamataBanerjeeon Thursday slammed the Bar Council of India (BCI)forsendingathree- member team to probe the incident of ruckus outside Calcutta High Court’s Justice Ra- jasekharMantha’scourt. At a review meeting at Alipurduar, she said that central teams rush to West Bengal even if there is a termite attack. “If there is a prob- lem at the Calcutta High Court, the Chief Justice will look into it. The Bar Council of West Bengal is there. We are here. Then why was a team sent from Delhi?” she questioned. She said that even bursting of firecrack- ers in the state prompts the Centre to send the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team. “But when Border Secu- rity Force personnel shoot down innocent civilians at Cooch Be- har or South Dinajpur the Union government no inspection team is sent,” Banerjee said. AIADMK demands explanation from TN govt on health scheme Chennai (Agencies): The Opposition AIAD- MK on Thursday demanded an explanation from the Tamil Nadu government on its 'es- sential healthcare at doorsteps' scheme. The AIADMK demanded that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and Health minister Ma Subrama- nian should provide details regarding the 'Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvum' scheme of the state government which is taking essen- tial healthcare to the doorsteps of people. Leader of the opposition and AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) in a statement said that as per media reports, there are no reports available to the public regarding the scheme including the expendi- ture as well as the number of patients treated under the scheme. He charged that the health officers have pointed out duplication of patients in the number of beneficiaries and added that transparen- cy of the scheme was the need of the hour. Aligarh (ANI): React- ing to an Uttar Pradesh college incident where students wearing burqa were stopped from entering the premises, former Samajwadi Party MLA Zameer Ullah Khan has said that “those who oppose burqa should be paraded naked to teach them a lesson”. “There should be no ban on the burqa and whoever imposes the ban, first parade them naked. What is this new dress code? Make them roam around naked, then they will know what is to be exposed,” said the former Koil MLA on the Moradabad’s Hindu College incident. After an October 2022 direction on dress code at the college, the au- thorities on Wednesday stopped several girls in burqa from entering the premises, leading to widespread protests. Those opposing burqa should be paraded naked: Ex-SP MLA Khan Union IB Minister Anurag Thakur distributes laptops to teachers in Hamirpur, on Thursday. PM Narendra Modi tries his hand at a “nagaara” during the distribution ceremony of title deeds to the eligible beneficiaries of newly declared revenue villages, in Kalaburagi on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI Nitish Kumar with Tejashwi Yadav during the unveiling of statue of Maharana Pratap on his death anniversary, in Patna on Thursday. WB CM Mamata Banerjee at a function. —PHOTO BY PTI Leave politics, focus on law and order: Kejriwal to LG New Delhi (PTI): Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday asked Lt Governor VK Sax- ena to leave politics aside and focus on the law and order situation in the capital, after DCW chief Swati Maliwal was harassed and allegedly dragged by a car. Maliwal had claimed that she was harassed and allegedly dragged by the car for 10-15 metres outside AIIMS when her hand got stuck in the vehicle’s window and its inebriated driver drove on. The incident took place in the early hours of the day when the DCW chief was out to inspect women security in Delhi along with her team, who were stationed at some distance from her. IN THE COURTYARD WE WON’T ENTERTAIN PLEA AGAINST NCLAT ORDER: SC TO GOOGLE New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain Google’s plea against an order of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) refusing an interim stay on the competition regulator imposing a Rs 1,337 crore penalty on it. A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and J B Pardiwala granted the US firm seven days to deposit 10% of the penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). PROCESS TO DECLARE ‘RAM SETU’ NAT’L HERITAGE MONUMENT UNDERWAY: CENTRE New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday informed the Su- preme Court that the Ministry of Culture’s “proposal to declare Ram Setu as a national monument and of national importance” is underway. Following this, the apex court granted former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha lawmaker Subramanian Swamy the liberty to submit a representation to the Union ministry in this regar. “SPECIAL PLAYERS DESERVE EQUALITY” New Delhi: The New Delhi district consumer disputes redressal commission has directed online travel company Make My Trip to pay over Rs 35,000 to a man, who had made a booking in a resort but found it locked, for deficiency in services. The commission was hearing a complaint which acccused Make My Trip application for being deficient in services. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Centre to take a decision on extending certain benefits available to para-sports- people to deaf athletes as well while observing the two have to be treated equally and cannot be discriminated against each other. Court was dealing with petitions by four sportspersons having 100% speech and hearing disability. Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has filed a defa- mation case against a now suspended worker of the ruling DMK party for his controversial remarks. The case, sources say, was filed against DMK worker Sivaji Krishnamurthy by Governor RN Ravi in a Chennai court on Wednesday . Sivaji Krishna- murthy had made the alleged deroga- tory remarks against the Governor after he skipped portions of a government-approved speech in the state assembly earlier this month. Using expletives for Governor Ravi, Krishnamurthy had said if he can't take Ambedkar's name, he should go to Kash- mir, so he would be gunned down by ex- tremists. TN Guv sues suspended DMK man after controversial remark Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi. —FILE PHOTO Do you send central teams when women are tortured in Uttar Pradesh? Do the central teams come when the farmers starve to death? —Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister, West Bengal Rahul Gandhi-led foot march enters JK Lakhanpur (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi walked into JK on Thursday, the final phase of his Bharat Jodo Yatra. As dusk fell and tempera- tures dipped, hundreds of people walked along- side the former Con- gress president. In a customary handover function, Punjab’s Con- gress unit gave the party flag to a leader from the JK unit. Welcom- ing him into the union territory, National Conference chief Fa- rooq Abdullah drew a parallel between the Shankaracharya and Rahul Gandhi. BHARAT JODO YATRA Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress party enters Jammu Kashmir’s Lakhanpur in Kathua district, on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI FAROOQ ABDULLAH RECEIVES BJY Lakhanpur: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and president of National Conference, Farooq Abdullah on Thursday travelled to Lakhanpur in JK Kathua district to receive Rahul Gandhi during the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra. Abdullah, accompanied by some senior leaders of the National Conference went to Lakhanpur to receive Rahul Gandhi on the latter’s entry into JK. RAHUL TRAINS GUNS AT BJP, RSS KHARGE JOINS BJY IN PATHANKOT Pathankot: Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the BJP and RSS on Thursday, accusing them of creating an atmosphere of hatred, violence and fear in the country. At a rally here on the last day of Bharat Jodo Yatra’s Punjab-leg, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the BJP was making one religion fight against another. Pathankot: AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday joined ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Punjab's Pathankot, and also addressed a public rally there. `35K FINE SLAPPED ON MAKE MY TRIP

7. MUMBAI | FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023 06 INDIA www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia First India Bureau New Delhi: Continuing its concerted efforts to abate air pollution aris- ing out of emissions from highly polluting fossil fuels like coal, furnace oil, etc, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has advised Coal India Limited (CIL) and State Govern- ments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, to ensure that coal is not supplied/ allotted by various coal companies of CIL to various suppli- ers/ stockists/ agents of ClL operating in the National Capital Re- gion (NCR). Moreover, the Com- mission has also advised the entities/ units/ industries including stockists, traders and dealers of coal to ensure compliance and discontinue coal supply in NCR for any kind of usage/ stock- ing/ selling/ trading in entire NCR except for Thermal Power Plants (TPPs). Statutory directions of the Commis- sion require complete elimination of use of coal and other unapproved fuels for various operations/ applications across all sectors (including industrial, commercial and miscel- laneous applications), with effect from Janu- ary 1 in the entire NCR. Statutory directions were issued by the Com- mission regarding permissible fuels for industrial/ domestic/ miscel- laneous applications in the NCR in terms of Direction Nos. 64 dated June 2, 2022 and 65 dated June 23, 2022. Pres- ently, use of coal now stands completely banned (except in TPPs) and it is not considered a permissible fuel within NCR as per the common fuel list under the Directions issued by the Commission. Use of coal stands completely banned in NCR CAQM ADVISORY India to bail out debt-ridden neighbour Colombo: External Af- fairs Minister S Jais- hankar on Thursday ar- rived here for a much- anticipated visit to Sri Lanka, where he will meet the cash-strapped country’s top leadership tofinaliseadebtrestruc- turing plan to help Co- lombo carve out a path from its worst economic crisis. Jaishankar, who rounded off his official visit to the Maldives, was welcomed here by foreign affairs minister Tharaka Balasuriya. Jaishankar is scheduled to have meetings later on Thursday with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry and Pres- ident Ranil Wickremes- inghe, officials said. Debt restructuring will headline Jais- hankar’s talks with Sri Lanka’s top leadership during his two-day official visit. Sri Lanka, which is trying to se- cure a much-needed USD 2.9 billion bridge loan from the Interna- tional Monetary Fund (IMF), has been trying to get financial assurances from its major creditors China, Japan and India which is the requisite for Colombo to get the bailout package. The IMF bailout has been put on a halt as Sri Lanka pursues talks with creditors to meet the global lender’s condition for the facility . On Tuesday, Presi- dent Wickremesinghe said his government has “successfully” completed its debt restructuring talks with India “I can tell this assembly that the talks are successful. Very soon we will have an an- swer,” Wickremesinghe told the Parliament. On Tuesday, India’s Additional Secretary of the Finance Ministry Rajat Kumar Mishra informed IMF chief Kristalina Georgiva that New Delhi has con- firmed its support to Sri Lanka on the issue of debt restructuring. Last week, Sri Lanka completed its debt restructuring talks with Japan. Extending a much-needed lifeline to a neighbour in need, In- dia has handed financial assistance of nearly USD 4 billion to Co- lombo last year. JOSHIMATH LAND SUBSIDENCE Keepingwatchon situation:Dhami Dehradun (ANI): Utta- rakhand Chief Minis- ter Pushkar Singh Dha- mi held a review meeting on Joshimath relief work with officials on Thursday at the state secretariat and said that he is monitoring the situation every day . The Chief Minister on Thursday while speaking to ANI stated that the state officials have been monitoring the situation in Joshi- math every day . The water discharge which was at 570 lpm (litres per minute) has re- duced to 100 lpm now. ‘FOOD POISONING’: EATERY’S HEAD COOK ARRESTED 1 KILLED IN TAMIL NADU FIREWORKS FACTORY BLAST Kochi (PTI): The head cook of an eatery in North Paravoor area of Ernakulam district has been arrested following hospitalisation of several people who ate food there. An officer of North Paravoor police station said that the cook was arrested on Wednesday. The sus- pected food poisoning incident occurred on Tuesday with over 68 people being admitted to various hospitals in Er- nakulam with symptoms like vomiting. MAN BURNT TO DEATH IN GURUGRAM FLAT Gurugram (Agencies): A 46-year-old man was burnt to death after his house caught fire on the fifth floor of Tata Raisina Residency in Sector 59 on Thurs- day. The deceased, a resident of Jharkhand, used to work as a driver and was living in rented EWS flat at the residency, the police said. Gulshan Kalra, deputy director (technical), Haryana Fire and Emer- gency Services, said the fire department received information around 12:25 p.m. and three firefighters were rushed to the spot. Sivakasi (Agencies): A worker died, and another was grieviously injured in a blast at a fireworks factory at Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar on Thurs- day, police said. The deceased was identified as Ravi, 60, while the injured worker is Jayaraj, 60. The fireworks factory owned by Krishnamoor- thy at Sengamalapatti has more than 40 sheds and 100 workers working in these sheds. Sivakasi East police is holding investigations in the case. Malkangiri (PTI): Forest Department officials have seized two leopard skins in separate incidents in Odisha’s two tribal dominated districts of Malkangiri and Mayurbhanj and arrested six persons on the charge of smuggling of wildlife body parts, police said on Thursday. The market value of two leopard skin could be above Rs 2.5 lakh in international market, forest officials said. In Mayurbhanj district, the forest officials raided Badaolia village on the foothills of Similipal National Park and seized a leopard skin and cash of Rs 1.27 lakh, said SP Mayurbhanj Rishikesh Dyandeo Khilari. New Delhi (Agencies): A Class 12 student stabbed a government school teacher with a knife in Delhi’s Indrapuri area on Thursday. The student stabbed the teacher in the stomach. The teacher was immediately rushed to the BL Kapoor Hospital in Delhi for treatment. A case was registered under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The police have detained the juvenile for stabbing the teacher and the murder weapon has been recovered. Further investigation is currently underway. 2 LEOPARD SKINS SEIZED IN SEPARATE CASE IN ODISHA’S TRIBAL DOMINATED DISTRICTS DELHI GOVT SCHOOLTEACHER STABBED BY STUDENT; JUVENILE ACCUSED DETAINED HUGE FIRE BREAKS OUT IN HYDERABAD HIGH-RISE BUILDING Hyderabad (Hyderabad): A fire broke out on Thursday in amulti-storied commercial complex and also spread to two adjoining buildings in Secunderabad. The incident occurred between 10:00 am and 10:30 am No casualties have been reported. How- ever, at least six people were trapped on top of the building when the fire broke out. They were trying to get away from the fire and reached upstairs for safety. Six fire tenders have been fighting to douse the flames for more than four hours. A police also team reached the spot to control the situation. CRUCIAL READ —Pic for representational purpose only 21 industrial units found using highly polluting unapproved fuels, issued closure directions by CAQM SL Foreign Minister Tharaka Balasuriya receives EAM Jaishankar. EAM with Maldives Prez Solih. “INDIA FUNDING 45 INFRA PROJECTS IN MALDIVES” New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a diplomatic visit to Maldives, on Thursday said that India through its grant assistance has supported around 45 projects on the island country, spread across 16 atolls and 36 islands. INDIA TO BOOST SPORTS INFRA IN MALDIVES: EAM Male: EAM S Jaishankar said on Thursday that India has extended a USD 40 million Line of Credit for developing sporting infrastructure in Maldives, as part of New Delhi’s efforts to bring PM Modi’s flag- ship projects into the ambit of the Neighbour- hood First Policy. UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PREZ CSABA KOROSI TO VISIT INDIA New York (ANI): United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Csaba Korosi is scheduled to visit India at the end of this month and meet with senior officials, according to the spokesperson for the General Assembly president, Paulina Kubiak Greer. Addressing a briefing here on Tuesday (local time), the spokesperson said the visit of the UNGA President who has been invited by the Indian government will likely begin on January 29 and will include an address to the Indian Council of World Affairs, a foreign policy think tank. Locals stage a protest against the NTPC’s project in Joshimath town of Chamoli district, on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI Joshimath: Cracks have developed in the walls of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam’s guest house in the holy city of Joshimath in Uttarakhand.The cracks were noticed in the building, located near Gandhi Maidan, on Wednesday. NOW, CRACKS IN GMVN GUEST HOUSE LAND SUBSIDENCE HITS BIZ DREAMS Joshimath: Hundreds of people watch in dismay as rapidly deepening cracks write the epitaph of their businesses and homes in a sinking town that was bustling till just a few weeks ago. Before R-Day,pro-Khalistan graffiti appear in Delhi Birla bats for joint efforts to address global issues New Delhi (ANI): The Delhi Police on Thurs- day said that “Khal- istan Zindabad” and other anti-national slo- gans that cropped up as graffiti on walls in at least 10 locations in the national capital have been removed. According to the police, gGraffiti written in Gurmukhi and Hindi with ‘Khalistan Zindabad’, and ‘Refer- endum 2020’ was seen painted on a wall in the Paschim Vihar area of the capital city today. The development comes days ahead of Republic Day celebrations for which security has been stepped up in the city. Delhi Police said that it is not a “security- related issue” and that legal action would be taken against those involved in the matter. “Anti-national, Khal- istan-related graffiti appeared overnight at some locations in Delhi. The graffiti appears to have been painted under the cover of dark- ness and appeared in deserted and empty places. This is not a security-related issue. Le- gal action will be taken in this matter,” Suman Nalwa, the Public Rela- tions Officer of Delhi Police told ANI. Dar-es-Salaam: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Bir- la, who is leading the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Tanzania, called on Tanzania PM Kassim Majliwa, on Thursday . Speaking on the occasion, Birla men- tioned that there is a need for joint action to address global issues like climate change. He said India and Tanzania are important maritime countries in the Indian Ocean region. He said that the historical ties between the two maritime nations have developed on basis of mutual political understanding. MIGHTY SWORD! Shivendraraje Bhosale, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, carries 42-kg sword of Lord Khandoba during the Hindu Jagriti Morcha in Jejuri, near Pune on Thursday. —PHOTO BY VIJAYKUMAR HARISHCHANDRE UP Govt transfers 3 IAS officers including Muzaffarnagar collector Chandra B Singh Dr Ahtesham Siddiqui Lucknow: The UP govt has transferred three IAS officers, of which themostshockingtrans- fer is of Muzaffarnagar Collector IAS Chandra Bhushan Singh. IAS Chandra Bhush- an Singh of 2008 batch SCS carder has been made Additional Trans- port Commissioner but at the same time he has also been given the additional responsibility of the outgoing Trans- port Commissioner. Meanwhile, IAS Ara- vind Mallappa Bangari has been made the new DM of Muzaffarnagar. Priortothenewappoint- ment, Bangari was posted in Western Electric Supply Nigam from 11 October 2019 as its MD. IAS Chaitra V has been made MD, Pas- chimanchal Vidyut Vit- ran Nigam Meerut and was holding the com- mand of Additional Commissioner Meerut Division and Addition- al Commissioner Indus- tries Meerut Division. Sources claim that IAS Chandra Bhushan Singh, who was removed from Muzaffar- nagar, is considered a very special officer of the government. He was made the collector of Azamgarh as soon as the Yogi government came to power and then the collector of Aligarh And VC Aligarh. Gadkari inspects A’bad-Dholera Expressway work Yeti Airlines crash: Report hints failure to deploy full flaps Ahmedabad (FIB): Un- ion Road Transport HighwaysMinisterNitin GadkarionThursdayin- spected the progress of Ahmedabad-DholeraEx- pressway . This 109 km long greenfield corridor is being developed at a totalcostof ₹4200crore.It will act as an important route to connect AhmedabadandDholera and connect several special investment zones of Dholera to Ahmedabad. This expressway will en- able high speed travel between Ahmedabad and Dholera and reduce the travel time by about one hour. Kathmandu (PTI): The pilots of the Yeti Airlines aircraft that crashed in Nepal’s resort city of Pokhara may have failed to fully deploy the wing flaps while attempting to land, leading to a stall, a media report said on Thursday. On January 15, a Yeti Airlines aircraft crashed into a gorge near the newly- built airport in Pokha- ra, killing 72 all on board, including five Indians, in the country’s worst air disaster in 30 years. EAM ARRIVES IN SRI LANKA

8. MUMBAI | FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023 07 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Commodity Price Change % Chg GOLD 56,475.00 52.00 0.09 (Per 10g) SILVER 68,500.00 850.00 1.24 (Per 1kg) COMMODITIES Currency Price Change % Chg USDINR 81.37 0.07 0.08 GBPINR 100.38 0.03 0.03 CURRENCIES Adani group has no plans for telecom sec New Delhi (Agencies): In- dian conglomerate Adani Group, owned by billion- aire Gautam Adani, said on Thursday that it does not have any plans to enter the country’s telecom sector. Adani, the world’s third- richest man according to Forbes, has been diversifying his empire from ports to energy to now owning a media company . However, the Adani Group has stayed away from India’s telecom sector, where rival Mukesh Am- bani’s Reliance Industries’ unit Jio became a dominant player by offering low- cost services since its debut in 2016. “We have no plans or ambitions in telecom,” Jugeshinder Singh, Adani Group’s chief financial officer, said. Adani Enterprises’ unit Adani Data Networks pur- chased airwaves worth nearly $27 mn in the country’s 5G auction in 2022. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER CONFIRMS STAYING FAR AWAY z Adani has been diversifying his empire from ports to energy to now owning a media company. z However, the Adani Group has stayed away from India’s telecom sector, where rival Mukesh Ambani’s Jio became a dominant player business BRIEFS New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India on Thursday said it has commenced exports of mid-sized sports utility vehicle Grand Vitara, with the first shipment on its way to Latin America. The country’s leading carmak- er and exporter aims to export the model to more than 60 countries. “Ex- panding the product port- folio for exports has been one of the key pillars of success. By adding Grand Vitara, we now export a range of 17 vehicles,” MSI MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said. —PTI MARUTI SUZUKI BEGINS EXPORTS OF GRAND VITARA New Delhi: Gold prices fell by `52 to `56,475 per 10 grams in the national capital on Thursday amid weak global trends, according to HDFC Securi- ties. The precious metal closed at `56,527 per 10 grams in the previous trade. Silver also tumbled `850 to `68,500 per kg. “Spot gold prices in the Delhi markets traded at `56,475 per 10 grams, down `52 per 10 grams,” said an analyst at HDFC Securities on Thursday. In the overseas market, gold was quoting lower at US dollars 1,901 per ounce while silver was up at 24.23 US dollars per ounce. —PTI GOLD PRICES FALL BY `52; SILVER ALSO SEES A DIP OF `850 New Delhi: FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd on Thursday reported a 7.9% increase in its consolidated net profit to `2,481 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2022. The company had posted a net profit of `2,300 crore in the Octo- ber-December quarter of the previous fiscal. Its consolidated total income during the quarter under review rose 16.355 to `15,707 crore against `13,499 crore a year ago, HUL said. —PTI HUL Q3 NET PROFIT RISES 7.9 PER CENT TO `2,481 CRORE New Delhi: Walmart- owned digital payments app Phonepe on Thursday said it has raised $350 million at a valuation of $12 billion in a funding round led by private equity firm General Atlantic. “Marquee Global and Indi- an investors are also par- ticipating in the round,” PhonePe said adding the investment marks the first tranche of an up to $1 billion total fundraise that commenced in January 2023. The fundraise fol- lows PhonePe’s recently announced change of domicile to India. —PTI PHONEPE RAISES $350 MILLION AT $12 BILLION VALUATION *Rates till the edition went to print. INDIA SET FOR CONSERVATIVE DIVESTMENT TARGET New Delhi: The Indian government is likely to set a conservative target for the funds it can raise through disinvestment of state enterprises in fiscal 2024 after mop-up fell short this year, analysts said. “We pencil in divestment receipts of 350 billion Indian rupees in 2022/23...For 2023/24, we factor in divestments of 500 billion rupees,” Kotak Institutional Equities said. —FIB LEASING OF RETAIL SPACE UP 21% IN 2022 ACROSS EIGHT CITIES New Delhi: Leasing of retail real estate space during last year rose 21% to 4.7 million square feet across eight major cities mainly on rising demand from FB, fashion and apparel retailers, according to CBRE India. The absorption of retail space in 2021 calendar year stood at 3.9 million square feet across Ahmedabad, Ben- galuru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. —PTI IFFCO, AMUL, NAFED, KRIBHCO, NCDC TO PROMOTE NATIONAL EXPORT COOP SOCIETY New Delhi: IFFCO, GCMMF (Amul), Kribhco, NAFED and NCDC will jointly promote a newly announced national-level export cooperative society with an authorised share capital of `2,000 crore for the trading of goods and services in the cooperative sector. Last week, the CCEA approved a proposal to establish three new national-level multi-state cooperative societies. A national-level cooperative organic society, cooperative seed society and cooperative export society will be registered under the MSCS Act, 2002. —PTI DOMESTIC PASSENGER TRAFFIC GROWS 13.69% TO 127.35 LAKH IN DECEMBER 2022: DGCA Mumbai: India’s domestic passenger traffic grew 13.69% year-on- year to 127.35 lakh in December, according to DGCA monthly traffic data released on Thursday. The number of passengers flown by the Indian airlines in December 2021 was recorded at 112.02 lakh, as per data. IndiGo, which carried 69.97 lakh passengers during the month, lost the market share further at 55.7%, while Air India and Vistara carried 11.71 lakh and 11.70 lakh passengers. —PTI OTHER STORIES INDIA AIMS TO BECOME Key semiconductor supplier for world Davos (PTI): Sensing a huge opportunity in the global semiconductor market, India has set in motion an ambitious plan to become a key supplier for the world with the government itself putting in $10 billion, Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The minister said there is a very large market that requires semiconductor and India has a huge potential in terms of infrastructure, talent pool and technology. “Our university system that produces a large number of talent is also helping a lot as we have tied up with many universities to prepare right talent,” he said. Asked about the government’s own investment plans, he said the government itself is putting in $10 billion and it has chalked outalonghaulprogramme. “We see a huge potential for India to become a key semiconductor supplier for the entire world, that too for the latest requirements including for electric vehicles and for all cutting edge technologies. We are con- vinced that the demand is going to be huge,” he added. “The industry is going to double in size to $1 trillion in the next 6-7 years with the growth rate set to accel- erate in a big way,” he said. TOP TALKING POINTS z Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said there is a very large market that requires semiconductor and India has a huge potential in terms of infrastructure, talent pool and technology z He said the government itself is putting in $10 billion and it has chalked out a long haul programme z Vaishnaw also said the government is mindful of the environment and it will ensure that the new factories are supplied with green energy INDIA BETTER OFF THAN MANY ECONOMIES, SAYS GOPINATH New Delhi (Agencies): IMF deputy managing director Gita Gopinath has cautioned that India needs to work on labour markets and land, even as she hailed the country for doing better than many global economies. Gopinath cautioned against growing fragmen- tation globally, saying it hurt the global growth rate. India though, she said, has been receiving lots of positive sentiments but at the same time added that greater reforms are needed for foreign direct investment in the manu- facturing sector. A lot of businesses and companies are looking towards India as an investment destination as they try to diversify away from countries including China. Mobile, internet key to India’s robust financial inclusion: SBI chief Davos (PTI): Robust mobile and internet connectivity has helped India in a big way to expand financial inclusion, while a diverse network of banking correspondents and micro ATMs has ensured last mile reach, SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara said on Thursday . He also said a lot is being done in the country to spread financial and digital literacy to help people with their banking needs and to safeguard them from any frauds. “We are a country of 1.3 billion and the mobile phone connections we have are about 1.2 billion. We also have some 800 million internet connections and that has helped us a lot expand financial inclusion,” Khara said. “During the pandemic, we also did another excel- lent job, that is distributing foodgrain also, rather than just distributing cash. That helped us contain infla- tion,” SBI chairman said. SBI CHIEF KHARA SAID z Robust mobile and internet connectivity has helped India in a big way to expand financial inclusion, while a diverse network of banking correspondents and micro ATMs has ensured last mile reach z A lot is being done in the country to spread financial and digital literacy Sensex, Nifty snap two-day rally amid global weakness; Asian Paints drops post Q3 show Mumbai (PTI): Equity benchmarks declined on Thursday after a two-day rally, mirroring a weak trend in the US markets and fresh foreign fund outflows. Weak US consumer data and hawkish comments from the Fed’s policymak- ers dragged markets lower. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined dropped 187.31 points or 0.31% to settle at 60,858.43. During the day, it tumbled 329.19 points or 0.53% to 60,716.55. The broader NSE Nifty dipped 57.50 points or 0.32% to end at 18,107.85. From the Sensex pack, Asian Paints, Tata Motors, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Ma- hindra Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Titan, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finserv, ITC and Nestle were the biggest laggards. RUPEE FALLS 7 PAISE TO CLOSE AT 81.37 AGAINST US DOLLAR Mumbai (PTI): The rupee settled 7 paise lower at 81.37 (provi- sional) against the US dollar on Thursday. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 81.45 against the greenback, and finally settled at 81.37, down 7 paise over its previous close. During the session, the rupee also touched an intraday high of 81.27 against the American currency. BUDGET WISHLIST Pharmaceutical and healthcare industry seek simplified regulations New Delhi (PTI): The government should take meas- ures to promote innovation and RD while simplifying regulations for the sector in the upcoming Union Budget, as per pharmaceutical industry bodies. Outlining the wishlist for the sector in the upcoming Union Budget, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) Secretary General Su- darshan Jain said the domestic pharma industry is currently around $50 billion in size and aspires to grow to around $130 billion by 2030 and $450 billion by 2047. “To achieve this vi- sion, the Union Budget 2023-2024 should help fuel innovation and RD, which will set the pace for propel- ling the pharmaceutical industry forward,” he said. The budget should out- line supportive policies, simplified regulations, and simple GST norms to aid in the development of the pharmaceutical industry, he added. IRF SEEKS REMOVAL OF GST ON HELMETS New Delhi (PTI): International Road Federation (IRF), a global body advocating for safer roads, on Thursday said that it has made a plea to the government to do away with the GST imposed on helmets. At present a GST of 18% is levied on helmets. “IRF...In a letter written to the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has demanded reduction of GST on life saving device helmets for safety of the two- wheeler riders from present 18% to 0% in the forthcoming Union Budget 2023-24,” the global road safety body said. Doing my utmost to ensure FTA with India: Scholz Davos (PTI): Asserting that Europe remains open for international trade, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he is doing his utmost to ensure that the free trade agreements with India and some other countries gets sealed. The European Un- ion, within which Germany is among India’s biggest trade partners, relaunched ne- gotiations last year with India for a Free Trade Agreement. “I am doing my utmost to ensure that the free trade agreements we have successfully negotiated with Canada, Korea, Japan, New Zea- land, and Chile will soon be followed by new ones: with MERCOSUR, In- dia, and Indo- nesia,” he said.

9. MUMBAI | FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023 08 2NDFRONT www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/mumbai I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Failing to plan is truly planning to ‘fail!’ Plan in detail, extensively and then watch success unfold. — Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India Several cities across India are going to power the growth story of India. Therefore, making Mumbai future-ready is one of the commitments of the double- engine government. The duo of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will help people realize their dreams. The role of local bodies in the development of Mumbai is huge. There is no dearth of budget, just the money for the development of Mumbai should be spent at the right place. If that money is used for corruption, then how will the future of Mumbai be bright? This city yearns for development... This is not acceptable in the 21st century. Double-engine government is committed to giving better amenities to the poorest of the poor. So, even railway stations are being developed on the lines of airports. Chhatra- pati Shivaji Maharaj Termi- nus, one the oldest railway stations, is being redeveloped. We plan to make it a multi- model hub with buses, taxis, and autos under one roof. In our cities, for the first time, we started a scheme for street vendors, hand carts, street vendors, who are an important part of the city’s economy. We ensured cheap and collateral-free loans from banks for these small traders. The double-engine government is committed to giving better amenities to the poorest of the poor. Dharavi redevelopment is the state government’s commitment. BUSY DAY FOR PM IN MUMBAI z Launched Mumbai metro lines 2A and 7 worth `12,600 crore z Launched MUM- BAI 1 Mobile App z Launched Nation- al Common Mobility Card (Mumbai 1) z Launched 400km road concretiza- tion project worth `6,100 crore z Launched 20 Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhanas z Laid foundation stone for 7 sewage treatment plants cumulatively worth `17,200 crore z Laid foundation stone for `1,800 crore redevelopment of Chhatra- pati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus z Laid foundation stone for redevelopment of Bhandup Multispeciality Municipal Hospital, Siddharth Nagar Hospital, Goregaon (West) and Oshiwara Maternity Home z Started transfer of approved loans of over one lakh beneficiaries under PM SVANidhi Yojana ‘Bigdreams,couragetorealizethem’ First India Bureau Mumbai: Prime Minis- ter Narendra Modi on Thursday said that for the first time since Inde- pendence, “New India” has big dreams and the courage to realise them. Addressing the public in Mumbai after launching Rs38,000 crore worth of infrastructure projects, Modi said there was a “long period” of the last century that was lost discussing poverty and seeking help from for- eigners. “Many cities across India are going to power the growth story of the country,” he said. Therefore, making Mumbai future- ready is one of the commitments of the double- engine government, he added. Mumbai will be transformed in the next few years, he said. While the world’s biggest economies are in turmoil, India continues to provide free ra- tions to 80 crore people, Modi said. Amid the global slow- down, India continues to invest in infrastructure which shows its commitment towards being a developed nation, the PM said. Earlier, the money meant for the welfare of the poor used to be em- bezzled by middlemen, he said. “In the last eight years, we have removed this approach, and are moving with futuristic thinking by increasing spending on modern infrastructure,” he said. Maharashtra’s infrastructure development acquired speed after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis as- sumed office, he said. Modi inaugurated Mumbai Metro lines 2A and 7, comprising a 35km long elevated corridor stretching from Andheri to Dahisar. He also inaugurated 20 Aapla Davakhana health clinics named after Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray . Later in the day, Dep- uty Chief Minister Dev- endra Fadnavis tweeted his thanks to the PM. PM Modi, flanked by CM Shinde and Dy CM FAdnavis, waves to the crowd in Mumbai. —PHOTO BY ANI Maharashtra’s infrastructure devt picked up speed after CM Shinde, Dy CM Fadnavis took office, PM says Mumbai and all of us are very grateful to Hon PM @naren- dramodiji for your support gracing this momentous occasion and motivating us to work even harder to turn into reality the dream of all infra and facil- ities which Mumbai deserves has been waiting for since decades! #MumbaiOnFastTrack —DEVENDRA FADNAVIS @Dev_Fadnavis SadtoseeModiisBJP’sonly bigleader:NCP’sSupriyaSule First India Bureau Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule expressed concern about Prime Minister Naren- dra Modi during his visit to Mumbai on Thursday . Sule remarked that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not have another leader like Modi to field in elections. “As PM Modi has come to Maharashtra, we welcome him. Big leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Arun Jaitley, Yashwant Sinha, and Sushma Swaraj have been seen in the BJP. But today, the party does not have leaders like them. (I am) sad to see this. Also, in every election, BJP has no other leader or alter- native except Narendra Modi,” she said. Meanwhile, state Congress unit chief Nana Patole alleged that PM Modi did bare- ly any work in the last nine years. “In the last nine years, Modi did nothing except campaign for the BJP. Why do farmers commit suicide in the state? Mumbai is the financial capital of the country, and the state exchequer is being loot- ed through advertise- ments,” Patole said. Nana Patole Supriya Sule Traffic jams mark PM’s visit Mumbai (PTI): Motor- ists faced heavy traffic jams in parts of suburban Mumbai on Thurs- day afternoon due to curbs imposed on movement of vehicles and diversion of routes in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. Heavy traffic snarls were observed at BKC (Bandra-Kurla Com- plex), Santacruz, Vakola and Andheri areas in the western suburbs, an official said. Entry of heavy vehicles on key roads, including Western Ex- press Highway, was banned from noon to 9 pm. The traffic police also made other ar- rangements to ensure hassle-free movement of vehicles on Western Expressway ,EasternEx- pressway and several arterial roads as a large number of people were expected to travel to BKC, the site of the maineventonThursday . Guv releases Marathi edition of PM’s book Exam Warriors First India Bureau Mumbai: Governor Bhagat Singh Koshy- ari on Thursday released a new Marathi edition of the book “ExamWarriors”au- thoredbyPrimeMin- ister Narendra Modi. The governor addressed students and teachers at an event at Raj Bhavan, and appealed to them to become fearless and face the examination with preparedness. Referring to PM Modi’s words, he asked the students to explore andunderstand“Incred- ible India”. He also urged them to visit Shivneri, Raigad and Sinhgad forts as also modern monuments liketheStatueof Uni- ty , and draw inspira- tion from the lives of great leaders. Koshyari also asked Kesarkar to make copies of the book, published by the National Book Trust,availableinall school libraries in the state. Minister of School Education and Marathi Language Deepak Kesarkar, Prin- cipal Secretary School Education Ranjit Singh Deol, andseveralprinci- pals, teachers and students were present. Mumbai (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled in a Metro train in Mumbai on Thursday. He travelled from Gundavali to Mogra stations and interacted with a group of young- sters, women and Met- ro Rail workers. These two stations are part of the Metro line 7 Phase 2, which he inaugurated earlier. Mumbai Metro Rail lines 2A and 7 built at a cost of around Rs12,600 crore, com- prise a 35km elevated corridor stretching from Andheri to Da- hisar in suburban Mumbai. The 18.6km Metro line 2A connects suburban Dahisar (East) with the 16.5km- long D N Nagar (yellow line), while Metro line 7 joins Andheri (East) with Dahisar (East). Modi laid the foundation stone for these lines in 2015. PM takes a ride on new Mumbai Metro line The PM had inaugurated lines 2A 7 earlier in the day, during an event in Mumbai’s BKC Mumbai (PTI): In the wake of traffic restrictions in Bandra Kurla Complex, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in an event on Thursday evening, police advised offices and establishments in the area to allow their employees to leave early, an official said. The police also asked the establishments in the area to report immediately about any suspicious activity by a person, suspicious emails, or any other such cyber incident including hacking, he said. In view of the advisory, some of the offices permitted their employees to leave after 12 noon. The police also issued instruc- tions to offices situated in the area to provide a list of security personnel in their premises and also conduct their verification, the official said. The police also asked the establishments to check if their CCTVs were working properly.. According to police, flying activities, including use of drones, paragliders, and remote-controlled micro- light aircraft, will not be allowed under the limits of police stations at BKC and nearby areas in Mumbai from noon till midnight in view of the PM's visit. COPS ASK OFFICES TO RELIEVE STAFF EARLY FOR PM’S VISIT PM Modi was accompanied on his train ride by CM Shinde and Dy CM Fadnavis on Thursday. FOR THE PEOPLE! PM Modi with CM Shinde, Dy CM Fadnavis and others at the launch of development projects and transfer of benefits under PM-SVANidhi, in Mumbai on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI FOCUS ON MUMBAI

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

First India Mumbai 20012023.pdf

Esté a ler uma amostra.

Confira estes a seguir

First India Mumbai 20012023.pdf

Mais Conteúdo rRelacionado

Semelhante a First India Mumbai 20012023.pdf (20)

Mais de FirstIndia1 (20)

Mais recentes (20)