A FORCE FORGLOBAL GOOD

Mamata leaves hosp in wheelchairas TMC cries ‘BJP conspiracy’ to ECKolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was released from the hospital on Fri-day, with doctors saying she has responded well to treatment, two days after the Trinamool Congress leader was injured in the state’s Nandigram days before assembly elections.

“Medical board felt she should be in the hospital for 48 hours more for observation. She requested that she should be discharged. Heeding to her request she is being discharged with medical advice,” doctors treating her at a hospital in Kolkata said in a statement.

“The Chief Minister

has responded to treat-ment. The plaster slab was opened today and injury was examined. The haematoma (blood suffusion) has dimin-ished considerably. An-kle injury has shown much sign of improve-ment,” they added.

Meanwhile, calling the “attack” a “deep-rooted conspiracy by the BJP”, a six-member delegation of the TMC met Election Commission officials on Friday and submitted a memorandum demand-ing an “unbiased probe” into the matter.

The delegation com-prised Derek O’Brien, Saugata Roy Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi

Roy, Pratima and Santa-nu Sen. In the memoran-dum, the members said the “events or actions leading up to the attempt on her life leave no doubt that the attack was pre-meditated and part of a deep-rooted conspiracy”.

Explaining about the chain of events, the leaders wrote that on March 8, 2021, West Ben-gal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had posted a car-icature on his Facebook page where it was shown that Mamata Banerjee will be “hit” when she visits Nandigram.

“Around the same time, numerous com-plaints were filed by the BJP with Turn to P6

Jaipur:Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Fri-day hoped that Mahat-ma Gandhi’’s message would “shake the con-science” of Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi and he would take a decision over the three farm laws. Gehlot on Friday flagged off a march here on the 91st anniversary of Dandi March taken out by Gandhi.

The prime minister flagged off a padyatra (foot march) from Sa-barmati Ashram in Gu-jarat to re-enact Mahat-

ma Gandhi’’s Dandi Yatra. “Narendra Modi is himself flagging off Dandi March from the Sabarmati Ashram to commemorate this day. I hope that Gandhiji’’s message would shake his conscience and he may take any decision (on farm laws) by this evening. I will be very happy and people of the country will be happy,” Gehlot told reporters.

He said it is “unfortu-nate” that the central government is maintain-ing a “stubborn attitude” towards the farmers who

played a role in freedom struggle.

“I say again and again that governments should never be stubborn, gov-

ernments should always bow down before the public, in front of the ‘’Janata Janardan’’, in front of the voters,” Ge-

hlot said. The chief min-ister asked what differ-ence will it make if the Centre withdraws these laws. “The Centre can withdraw the laws and talk to farmers, state governments and other stakeholders and bring a new law after four-six months,” he said.

“Nothing has to be done, it is just a matter of making decisions, which Prime Minister Modi has to take, the government has to take,” Gehlot said.

He said it’’s been about four months that

the farmers are agitat-ing against the three laws. “It’’s height of in-sensitivity in the coun-try. The entire country is watching. There is so much anger inside peo-ple that no one can im-agine. They are not feel-ing it right now, but there is a lot of anger in the entire country, it is there among the farm-ers and it is also within the common people.

The government can-not be so stubborn but people can be,” the Con-gress leader said.

Turn to P6

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

MHA CAUTIONS NORTHEAST ON TAKING MYANMAR REFUGEESNew Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday communicated to four Northeast states bordering Myanmar to maintain strict vigil at the international borders and not allow anyone to enter India. Sources said the states of Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have been told to make excep-tions to receiving those fl eeing Myanmar only in cases where it appears absolutely essential on humanitarian grounds. “The states have been spoken to and a written

communication was also sent earlier addressed to chief secretaries of the concerned states in this regard. While we are seized of the situation unfolding in Myanmar, we cannot allow all and sundry to enter the country. The states have been advised to deal with the issue on case to case basis,” a home ministry offi cial said.

New DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the first-ever Quadrilat-eral grouping’s leaders’ summit on Friday, where US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison and Jap-anese PM Yoshihide Suga were present, as-serted that the coun-tries will work together to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

“We are connected by our democratic val-ues and our commit-ment towards a free, open and inclusive In-do-Pacific. Our agenda

today covering areas like vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies makes the Quad, a force for global good,” PM Modi said while referring to the world leaders as his friends.

Calling the meet an extension of the an-cient Indian philosophy ‘Vasudhaiva Kutum-bakam’, which regards the world as one family, the Prime Minister add-ed, “Quad has come of age and will remain an important pillar of sta-bility in the Indo-Pacif-ic region.” Turn to P6

JAIPUR l SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 276

OUR EDITIONS:JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD

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Gehlot hopes PM would take a decision on farm laws

Retail inflation rises to 5.03%in February, says Govt data

New Delhi: The coun-try’s retail inflation, measured by the Con-sumer Price Index (CPI), rose to 5.03 per cent in the month of February. Separately, India’s fac-tory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), witnessed a con-traction of (-)1.6 per cent in January, two separate data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implemen-tation (MoSPI) showed on Friday.

The retail inflation during the month of January was at 4.06 per cent. This is the third straight month that the CPI data has come with-in the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) upper margin of 6 per cent.

India’s factory output or IIP witnessed a con-traction of (-)1.6 per cent on-year to 135.2 during the month of January, separate data released by the MoSPI showed. According to the data, the IIP had grown 2.2 per cent in January 2020. Turn to P6

...SAYS PM MODI AT FIRST-EVER VIRTUAL MEETING OF ‘QUAD’ GROUP OF NATIONS

US President Joe Biden interacts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga, during a virtual QUAD summit on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greets party activists as she leaves SSKM Hospital in a wheel-chair after being discharged, in Kolkata on Friday.

IT’S GREAT TO SEE YOU: JOE TO MODI

It’s great to see you, PM Modi,” President Biden said as the two leaders met for the fi rst time since the new administration took charge after the November US election.

GANDHI AND THE GANDHIAN

CHILLIFLAKES Women workers collect sun-dried chillies at a farm in Shertha village in Ahmedabad. India contin-ues to be global leader in chilli production and export with Chilli accounts for a major chunk (`6,500 cr per annum) of total export of spices in the country.

—PHOTOS BY PTI

KL Rahul dives as he attempts to take a catch during the fi rst T20 cricket match between India and England, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI

INDIA SINK AT MOTERA

Ahmedabad: England defeated India by eight wickets in the fi rst T20I of their fi ve-match series, at the Naren-dra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In response to a target of 125 runs, the visitors scored 130 for two in 15.3 overs, with Dawid Malan hitting the winning six. Initially, the hosts had scored 124 for seven in 20 overs, with Shreyas Iyer registering a half-centu-ry (67 off 48 balls). For England, Jofra Archer took three wickets. Eng-land have taken a 1-0 lead in the T20I series, and both sides will meet again in the next fi xture on March 14.

First India Bureau

Bikaner/Sawai Mad-hopur: Bharatiya Ja-nata Party workers in Bikaner marched on foot from Ratna Bihari Park to the District Col-lector office on Friday in protest against the anti-people policies and failures of the Congress government in state.

A Halla Bol pro-gramme was organised against the state gov-ernment led by Ashok Gehlot. City district in-charge Om Saraswat said that the Congress government has com-pletely failed and has proved to be a failure on all fronts.

Corruption is at its peak and government

has not been able to de-liver on its promises, he added.

As part of the Bharatiya Janata Par-ty’s Halla Bol pro-gramme, memoran-dums were submitted

by the Bharatiya Ja-nata Party to the Gov-ernor along with a dharna demonstration programme at 4 subdi-vision headquarters of Sawai Madhopur district.

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First India Bureau

Jaipiur: The list of leaders involved in the Dev Darshan pro-gramme of former Chief Minister Vasund-hara Raje held in Go-vardhan and Bharat-pur a few days back is getting viral on social media these days.

This has caused a ruckus among the par-ty and Vasundhara Raje supporters. Eve-ryone is perplexed as to how the state and national party leader-ship will take the Dev

Darshan programme.As per sources, the

state leadership has sent the report of the Dev Darshan pro-gramme to the central leadership. The cen-tral leadership has al-

ready instructed against factionalism.

Moreover, the people involved in this pro-gramme are also silent on the issue. Hence, it is believed that this list has been released by

the state BJP, but State party President Satish Poonia has denied it so far.

Therefore, it is also being believed that the list may have been re-leased by Vasundhara Raje supporters be-cause a large number of people were present in the programme.

Besides devotion, it is being seen as a show of strength by Raje. Af-ter the list has gone vi-ral, the BJP officials and Vasundhara sup-porters are refraining from commenting on it.

List of participants during Raje’s Dev Darshan yatra goes viral!

3 Pilot-supporter MLAs accuse Gehlot govt of discrimination

Recruitment in 4,421 posts of Patwaris soon: MinisterChaudhary requests agitators to end stir in public interest

Yogesh Sharma/ Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: Three Ra-jasthan Congress MLAs, who were part of the rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot last year, on Fri-day accused the state government of discrim-

inating against the leg-islators of Scheduled Castes and minority communities, with one of them even threaten-ing to resign. Former minister Ramesh Mee-na and MLAs Murari Lal Meena and Ved Prakash Solanki al-leged that the govern-

ment is trying to sup-press the voice of MLAs representing SC/ST and minorities as they have been allotted seats in the Assembly with-out mics.

“I will meet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding this issue. I

have sought time for a meeting. If our prob-lems are not resolved, then I will not step back from resigning,” Mee-na said outside the state Assembly.

On Friday, former minister Meena asked media persons to check

3 previous Budgets an-nounced by state to look at what MLAs rep-resenting SC/ST and minority communities got for development work in their constitu-encies. “I am raising my voice against the acts that weaken the

Congress. If you do not allow us to speak, give funds for development work. Ministers do not meet us and then you call us the backbone of the government,” he said. Chaksu MLA Ved Prakash Solanki claimed only a selected few are allowed to speak in Assembly. “On one hand, you consider SC/ST backbone of the Congress and on the other, you weaken the legislators belonging to these communities. Both the things cannot go together,” Solanki said. —With PTI inputs

First India Bureau

Jaipur: During the Question Hour in the Vidhan Sabha, the issue of agitation by the Pat-waris also arose. On this Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary said that the government is trying to end the stir while requesting the agitators to end the stir in public interest. In fact, during the Ques-tion Hour, MLA Naren-dra Nagar had taken up the matter of vacant posts of Patwaris in Jhalawar. Revenue Min-ister replied that 323 posts of Patwaris are approved in Jhalawar.Of these, 193 Patwari are employed. Efforts are being made to put an end to the Patwaris’ stir.

He said that a release has been issued for ap-pointment to 4,421 Pat-wari posts. Soon the process will be filled on completion. He said that the work of common people should not be in-

terrupted by this strike. For this, Revenue De-partment orders have

been issued to the equiv-alent employee to work in their place. The min-

ister said that due to Corona, the economic conditions are bad.

Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria asked what was the rea-son behind the delay in the recruitment of Pat-waris. The minister said that due to condi-tions created in the Staff Selection Board, the recruitment was de-layed. There was also a delay due to Corona.Ka-taria, however, said that SSB has made many re-cruitments during Co-rona period. During this, Chaudhary read 2021 instead of 2020 in response. On this, the Speaker interrupted and minister corrected his mistake.

In the Budget session of Assembly, the minis-ters coming without preparation are con-stantly surrounded by questions. Seeing the ministers surrounded by questions, speaker CP Joshi has to inter-vene at times.

MAKEN SEEKS COMPLETE INFO ON THE ISSUE FROM PCC Ajay Maken, in-charge state Congress, has inves-tigated all the statements and has asked the PCC

for complete information on the issue, said sources. By the kind of rhetoric made by the ardent sup-porters of Pilot, it seems that the pending issue has yet not been resolved between the two camps. That is why the High Command is being pressurised. Though, the

issue was about mic arrangement in Assembly, but MLAs accused their own government of dis-criminating against SC, ST MLAs, in the budget. It is worth mentioning here that disgruntled MLAs, however, chose a time, to air their grievance at a time when Congress High Command is busy fac-ing challenge of polls in 5 states.

JLN Marg to be made signal-free: MinFirst India Bureau

Jaipur: UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal said state government is committed for urban development in the state. The government has not only amended bylaws, but has also tried to provide relief to common people by mak-ing new policies. He

told in the Assembly on Friday that in the cam-paign “prashasan shehron ke sang” start-ing from October 2, will give big relief to the people. He said, in Jaipur, JLN Marg will be made signal-free, while underground parking will be made in Ramnivas Bagh to solve the problem of parking

in the Walled City.He informed that

RHB has been re-ener-gised by raising it from a dying state. Revenue of Rs1100 crore has been achieved through e-auction and Wednes-day auction. Works like Coaching Hub, Chow-patty Scheme are being done by Board to speed up the development.

He also discussed at length about various other developments such as installation of CCTV cameras at Indi-ra Rasoi, the soon com-pletion of Jhotwara el-evated road, school de-velopment under Jaipur Smart City, home and oxygen parks to cattle ranchers in Kota etc.

NO PROPOSAL FOR SPL POLICY FOR POLLUTION IN CHITTORGARHJaipur: There is no proposal under consideration to make a special policy for Chittorgarh district regarding pollution, said Environment Minister Sukhram Vishnoi. He was speaking on probe conducted after receiving gas leak complaint in Hindustan Zinc Ltd, Chittorgarh in Dec 2020. Notices were issued and a panel was formed by Chittorgarh Collector. Gas leak complaint was received on Dec 25 and was found that emission of sulphur dioxide was higher than the prescribed standards, he said.

Lahoti rues ill-planned city developmentFirst India Bureau

Jaipur: During the dis-cussion on UDH’s grant demands, BJP MLA Ashok Lahoti on Friday not only took on the Congress government but also the previous governments for ran-dom development of cit-ies. He said our cities are seeing disorganized and directionless devel-opment.

Lahoti said govern-ments have done work of spoiling the 1973 Act of city planning. De-spite spending Rs30,000 crore on development, the city is clueless about its growth. Over two dozen departments are engaged in city’s de-velopment but in vain.

Visit with workers should not be misinterpreted: MathurFirst India Bureau

Sikar/Didwana: For-mer national vice presi-dent of BJP & Rajya Sabha MP Om Mathur while addressing a press conference on Fri-day in Sikar while talk-ing about Vasundhara Raje’s religious yatra said, the visit made with the workers should not be misinterpreted. Travelling to a religious place with workers is not a bad thing.

He further added, “We will come to power with an absolute major-ity in the upcoming As-sembly elections and our government will be

formed in West Bengal, Assam and Pondicher-ry. On Mamata Baneer-jee, he said Didi is po-liticising an accident. She tells she was at-tacked, so she can get her police do the inves-tigation, he added.

On farmer’s agita-tion, Mathur said it’s a conspiracy hatched by the opponents against PM Modi. The law will not be withdrawn at any cost.

Meanwhile, Mathur came to Didwana for a one day tour where he took blessings of Pithadheeshwar Swami Omdas Ji Maharaj of Sanglia Dhuni.

BJP’s Halla Boll against Cong at Bikaner, Sawai Madhopur

HIDE & SEEK!

An overcast sky makes for a picturesque scene at Albert Hall on Friday. Due to effect of western disturbance, weather took a U-turn on Friday and strong winds blew in many districts. According to MeT, there are chances of rain and hailstorm in many districts of Rajasthan. —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

BJP leaders protest outside the collectorate office in Bikaner on Friday.

POONIA RAISES WILDLIFE ISSUEIn the Question Hour, Minister of Forests Sukhram Vishnoi was asked question on hunt-ing of wildlife. BJP MLA Satish Poonia had asked a question about the action plan to pre-vent incidents of wildlife hunting in the state. To which Vishnoi replied that the incidence of wildlife hunting has decreased. There were 41 cases from 2019-2021. Vishnoi said that both Sariska and Ranthambore are equipped with cameras.The Oppn objected to minister’s reply, accusing him of giving incomplete reply. On this, speaker Joshi also interrupted & asked the minister to complete the answer.

l Ramesh Meena, Murari Lal Meena & Ved Prakash Solanki alleged govt trying to suppress voice of MLAs representing SC/ST & minorities l Ramesh Meena threatens to resign if their problems are not addressed

—FILE PHOTO

Ramesh Meena Murari Lal Meena Ved Prakash Solanki

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CRIMEBRANCH

TWO DROWN WHILE TRYING TO SAVE EACH OTHER IN BIKANERBikaner: Two men drowned in a water body on Friday in Bikaner district, the incident happened in Jagdev wala village of the district, when two friends had gone to take a bath in a water body, said SHO, Jamsar, Gaurav Khidiya. The deceased were identifi ed as Asif and Mohseen, both 20-years-old and residents of Churu district. The bodies have been kept at mortuary for post mortem. The duo worked at a nearby solar plant. They slipped into deep water in order to save each other from drowning, police said. —PTI

COPS CRACK MURDER CASE OF A MAN IN KOTA, TWO HELDKota: A sensational case of murder has been revealed in Kota on Friday, where the body of a 50-year-old deceased Daulat Ram was found from the room at Railway colony. Accused ran a grocery store and for just `1,500 two men Banti (Manoj) and Raju brutally murdered him. DSP Bhagwat Singh told that killer with the help of a screwdriver stuffed cloth in his mouth and infl icted head with an iron rod. They entered from terrace and stole mobile and `1,500 from the locker. Both accused have been arrested.

718 KG POPPY HUSK WORTH `35 LAKH SEIZED

Chittorgarh: In the Kapasan police station area, police found 718 kg of Poppy Husk worth `35 lakh. There was an encounter between the police and Poppy Husk smugglers on Thursday night. Although there was no casualty. Taking advantage in the dark, smugglers escaped from the spot. In a special conversation with First India, Kapasan CI Himanshu Singh Rajawat told that the police was patrolling in the night, the smugglers backed up the vehicle on seeing the police, the vehicle crashed into the stones, they started fi ring before we could understand the matter.

MASS INOCULATION DRIVE!

Raj gets 1 million doses of vaccine2ND DOSE OF VACCINATION WAS GIVEN TO 200 POLICE PERSONNEL AT PHQ ON FRIDAY

Assembly Speaker Dr CP Joshi takes Covid vaccine shot in the Assembly on Friday. He appealed to people to come forward for the jab. Joshi’s wife Hemlata too took the jab on Friday.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Amid reports of a shortage of vacci-nation in Rajasthan, nearly 1 million vaccine doses arrived in the state on Friday where 6,94,000 doses of corona vaccine reached Jaipur and the remaining vac-cine doses reached Udaipur. Few days after tussle between the state and the center, the last consignment of 6,78,200 doses reached Jaipur on Wednesday.

As part of the ongo-ing Covid-19 vaccina-tion campaign in the state, the second dose of vaccination was given to 200 police personnel at Police Headquarters

in Jaipur on Friday.ADG Police Umesh

Mishra along with Ad-ditional Director Gen-eral Neena Singh, po-lice officers and em-ployees from IPS to Constable level also got vaccinated.

DGP ML Lathar told that no vaccine had any side effects on any po-licemen during the vac-cination. He informed that further Covid Vac-cination sessions will be organized as per schedule.

A medic administers vaccine dose to an elderly at Kanwatia Hospital in Jaipur on Friday. —PHOTO BY SUMAN SARKAR

LARGE TURN OUT OF

ELDERS FOR JAB IN STATE!

1,32,255 elderly people above 60 years

of age vaccinated in the state

Vaccination organised on Friday at 2,123

social centres across Rajasthan

No fresh Covid-19 death, 237 new cases

was recorded in Rajasthan on Friday

Along with this, 18,572 people

suffering from serious disease got vaccinated

Of the health workers, 2,343 got fi rst jab,

while 7,357 the second dose of Corona vax

PWD to report road repairs to LSG in 7 days

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The concerned departments have start-ed an exercise to land the budget announce-ments of Chief Minis-ter Ashok Gehlot. Un-der this, the Depart-ment of PWD has also become active. CM Ge-hlot had made an im-

portant announcement in the budget speech of the next financial year to rid the city dwellers of broken and bad roads.

Under this, major damaged roads of cities have to be repaired. For this, CM had announced the formation of a spe-cial fund of Rs 1,000 crore and said that re-pair work would be done through PWD. The main reason behind set-ting up of special fund for repair of roads and

giving its responsibility to the PWD is the weak economic condition of most of the urban bod-ies of the state. A com-mittee has been consti-tuted under the chair-manship of the District

Collector where the commissioner or execu-tive officer will be the member secretary.

In addition, the con-cerned Superintending Engineer of PWD has also been included. This committee will identify major repair works for 40km in Na-gar Nigam, 30km in Na-gar Parishad and 20 in Nagar Palika. Commit-tee will send the report in 7 days to the LSG af-ter selecting the repair works. In this report,

the name of the road, its length and the area to be repaired as well as the estimated cost to be incurred in the work will also have to be men-tioned.

Even though this work of improvement of roads will be done in the area of urban bod-ies. But the responsibil-ity of doing this task will be given to the PWD. After a long time, the department will take up the repair of roads in the urban area.

CM Gehlot said in budget speech to rid the city dwellers of broken & bad roads

Constable recruitment exam results of 25 units declared First India Bureau

Jaipur: With the relief from the double bench of the High Court, the Police Headquarters has started releasing the results of the Con-stable Written Recruit-ment Examination. PHQ has declared the exam results of 25 units of the Constable Re-cruitment Examina-tion General in Ra-

jasthan Police.Additional Director

General of Police Re-cruitment and Promo-tion Board Binita Thakur said that the

results Ajmer, Alwar, Barmer, Bharatpur, Bi-kaner, Chittorgarh, Churu, Dholpur, Jaipur Rural, Jaisalmer, Jhun-jhunu, Karauli, Kota, Nagaur, Pali, Sikar, Sirohi, and Udaipur units have been made live on the Rajasthan Police website. Total re-sults of 31 units have been declared till now, results of 6 units were released on Friday.

Police, canal dept staff keep eye on water thievesSuryaveer Singh

Jaisalmer: Police will now keep a watch on drinking water in Jais-almer. Police personnel along with officials and employees of the canal department are moni-toring the water here. For 40 days, police have been assigned the task of protecting every drop of water.

Along with the po-lice, RAC jawans will also be deployed. The Executive Engineer, Su-perintending Engineer Regulation of the con-cerned area will patrol the canal. If the situa-tion worsens, the Chief

Engineer canal, SDM of the concerned area and SP, Collector of the dis-trict will also come on the field. From March 22 to May 30, there will be a total of 70 days of canal blocking.

On May 30, Punjab will release water into the Rajasthan Canal, which will reach Jais-almer by the first week of June. Despite the blocking, the nine dis-tricts of state will con-tinue to get drinking water till April 30. The water will be complete-ly closed in the canal after that. In some ca-nals in the area farmers may try to steal water.

Health min urges people to not miss 2nd vaccine dose, says 2 doses mustFirst India Bureau

Jaipur: Health Minis-ter Dr Raghu Sharma has urged people over the age of 60 and people between 45-60 years suf-fering from other dis-eases to get their second vaccination.

He informed that only after taking the second dose of the vaccine, suf-ficient antibodies devel-op in the body to fight the virus. After making a mark in Corona man-agement across the country, Rajasthan has now achieved the top rank in vaccination as well, he added. Till now

more than 25 lakh peo-ple have been vaccinat-ed in the state. Moreo-ver, according to the voter list, 86,84,420 vot-ers are above 60 years. By March 11, 11,57,230

people got themselves vaccinated. Dr Sharma said vaccination work is being done on a broad scale as per the protocol in all the districts. Cen-tral govt has considered

10% vaccination as a wastage dose however, due to the intelligent use by Rajasthan doctors, only 7% of the doses have come under the waste category.

Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma

SMART DOCS!

Abhishek Srivastava

Jaipur: The weekend starts with big news in the RCA land allocation case. The terms of land allocation for interna-tional cricket stadium have been decided.

The government has sent terms set by cabi-net empowered commit-tee to JDA. RCA will get a total of 7 years for sta-dium construction where the construction work will have to start in one to one and a half

years after getting the possession of land.

The land will be allot-ted to the RCA for the world-class cricket sta-dium in Jaipur and its related activities. The RCA will be given this land at 30% of the DLC rate. In the first meeting of the Cabinet Empow-ered Committee consti-tuted under the chair-manship of UDH Minis-ter Shanti Dhariwal, it was decided to give 40.60 hectares of land to the RCA at Village Champ in

Amer Tehsil. After the decision of allotment of land, JDA had sent a pro-posal to the government and asked to seal the con-

ditions of allotment at the level of the Empow-ered Committee. In the recently held second meeting of the Cabinet

Empowered Committee, the terms of the alloca-tion were decided.

In the previous Ashok Gehlot govt, RCA was allotted 18.15 hectares of land at Village Champ. But this alloca-tion was cancelled in the previous Vasund-hara govt due to non-compliance with the terms of the allocation. The state government has ordered the JDA to act in accordance with the conditions of these allotments.

Panel finalises allocation of 40.60 ha land for RCA stadiumWORLD-CLASS CRICKET FACILITIES

TERMS OF THE LAND ALLOTMENTLand will be used only for cricket and allied activities

RCA will have to pay the lease amount, urban fee as per the rules and after 15 years, urban fee can be increased by 25%

Govt will not pay rent for national disaster etc

RCA will also be allowed to build the hotel but hotel building maps will

be released only when 50% of cricket stadium is completed

In case of non-compliance with any rules, JDA will give notice to RCA for suffi cient time for rectifi cation

It will be necessary to get an international match within 2 years after the completion

Allotment of land will be on a 99-year lease

Construction work will have to be completed within 5 years, if required, it might be extended by JDA for 2 years

Land and buildings built on it will not be pledged without the approval of JDA nor can they all be given on lease

—Pic for representational purpose only

� Vol 2 � Issue No. 276 � RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

VAX PASSPORTS MAY BE ON THE WAY

Are they a reason for hope or a cause for concern?

fter a year of canceled concerts, closed-door sporting events and restricted air travel, vaccine pass-ports are being touted as a way to quicken the route back to normal-

cy. The premise is straightforward: A digital or paper document will indicate whether in-dividuals have received a COVID-19 vaccina-tion or, in some cases, recently tested nega-tive for the coronavirus. This could allow them to travel more freely within their com-munities, enter other countries or engage in leisure activities that have largely been closed off during the pandemic.

Vaccine passports seem like a desirable alternative to continuing lockdowns until herd immunity – estimated to occur at about a 70%-85% vaccination rate – is achieved.

As a global health management researcher, I can certainly see the benefits of vaccine passports. But I’m also aware of the pitfalls. While vaccine passports may open the world to many, they may lead to discrimination – especially against the poor.

RETURN TO THE SKIESUndoubtedly there is a desire to get back to normality as quickly as possible.

For the tourism industry, which is estimat-ing more than US$1 trillion in losses due to COVID-19, a reopening of travel would be much-needed relief. Even for those able to travel during the pandemic, arrival in most countries has required significant restric-tions, often including a hotel quarantine of up to 14 days.

Vaccination passports could allow families separated by local lockdowns, or state or coun-try border restrictions, to meet in person.

Pushing the case for a digital passport, an executive from Air New Zealand told The Guardian, “Reassuring customers that travel is, in fact, safe is one of our priorities. By us-ing the app, customers can have confidence that everyone onboard meets the same gov-ernment health requirements they do.”

And it isn’t just travel. Passports could also open the door to everyday pursuits that seemed normal before the pandemic. In Is-rael, the country with the fastest vaccination rate, citizens with a vaccination “green pass” will be allowed entry to gyms, hotels, con-certs and indoor dining at restaurants. And some employers are considering requiring proof of vaccination to return to work.

GETTING A GREEN PASSIn short, the concept of vaccine passports is no longer theoretical, as it was early in the pandemic, when the World Health Organiza-tion recommended against their use.

It has even been suggested that the lure of a vaccine passport could result in more peo-ple stepping forward to get vaccinated.

https://theconversation.com

IN-DEPTH

A

PERSPECTIVEJAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021

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Those who are motivated only by desire for the fruits of action are miserable, for they are constantly anxious about the results of what they do. —Bhagavad Gita

SpiritualSPEAK

TopTWEET

Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNaddaTo fulfill the resolve of ‘Self-reliant India’, we need to emphasize on increasing the use of indigenous goods by adopting #VocalForlocal. The place of self-reliance of the country was valuable in Bapu’s life. Come, today on this occasion, let us all reiterate our resolve to make the country self-reliant.#AmritMahotsav

Prakash Javadekar @PrakashJavdekarPM Shri @narendramodi’s efforts to make India a global hub of manufacturing is bearing fruits. #AatmaNirbharBharat is moving away from an import dependent country and will surely be an export surplus country in coming years.

s countries scramble to se-cure COVID-19 vaccines, ugly e x p r e s s i o n s

like “vaccine race” and “vaccine nationalism” have entered the global lexicon. But, at a time when global cooperation in sharing vaccines is min-imal, and the World Health Organization’s vaccine-distribution plans are yet to get off the ground, India has taken a different tack, quietly pursuing “vaccine diplomacy.” Its “Vaccine Maitri” (Vaccine Friend-ship) campaign has shipped hundreds of thou-sands of Indian-made Cov-

ishield vaccines, manufac-tured under license from Oxford-AstraZeneca, to some 60 countries.

India is a global pharma-ceutical powerhouse, man-ufacturing some 20% of all generic medicines and ac-counting for as much as 62% of global vaccine pro-duction, so it was quick off the mark when the pan-demic struck. Before COV-ID-19 vaccines were devel-oped, India supplied some 100 countries with hydrox-ychloroquine and paracet-amol, and sent pharmaceu-ticals, test kits, and other equipment to around 90 countries. Later, even be-fore the Oxford-AstraZene-

ca vaccine was approved, Adar Poonawalla, the 40-year-old head of the pri-vately-owned Serum Insti-tute of India, audaciously decided to manufacture it – a billion-dollar gamble. When approvals came, SII was able to churn out mil-lions of doses, making them available to the gov-ernment both for domestic use and export.

Indian vaccines have been flown to most of the

country’s neighbors, in-cluding Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, My-anmar, and Nepal, and also farther afield, to the Sey-chelles, Cambodia, Mongo-lia, and Pacific Island, Car-ibbean, and African coun-tries. Vaccines have helped mend strained relations with Bangladesh and ce-ment friendly ties with Maldives.

To be sure, China and

Russia are promoting their own vaccines, and Western drug companies are raking in a publicity bonanza (along with a share-price windfall). But in develop-ing vaccines for its own use, the Global North over-looked the prohibitive cost of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for poor-er countries. Indian-made vaccines, on the other hand, are reportedly safe, cost-effective, and—unlike some others—do not re-quire storage & transport at very low temperatures.

India’s vaccine diploma-cy is, of course, not purely altruistic. When country’s first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, laid the founda-tions of India’s science and technology infrastruc-ture, his intentions were expressed in noble, hu-manist, and universalist terms. But his successors

have long recognized how India can leverage its sci-entific and medical skills to enhance its geopolitical standing. At a time when most richer countries are criticized for hoarding vaccine doses, India stands out for having sent 33 mil-lion to poorer countries, with millions more in the pipeline.

There is also an unspo-ken subtext: rivalry with China, with which ten-sions have intensified fol-lowing clashes along Him-alayan frontier. Not only has India overshadowed China as a provider of cheap and accessible vac-cines to the Global South; it has been quicker and more effective. For exam-ple, China has announced 300,000 doses for Myanmar but is yet to deliver any, while India quickly sup-plied 1.7 million.

https://www.project-syndicate.org/

INDIA’S SMART VACCINE DIPLOMACYSHASHI THAROOR

The writer is former MoS and is an MP for the Indian National Congress. He is the author of Pax Indica: India and the World of the 21st Century

A

olour purple is formed by mixing two primary colours - red and blue. Though to laymen purple, violet or am-ethyst may appear pretty similar but to those who un-derstand science of colours they all differ and there are degrees of variance depend-ing on proportions of the two primary colours mix.

Purple bears the balance of red’s stimulation and blue’s calming properties, at two ex-tremes. Its brighter shades al-lude to aristocracy or opulence while lighter shades to pleas-ant sentiments or delicateness. Psychoanalysts broadly de-scribe purple as mysterious, spiritual and intriguing prob-ably because it tends to occur rarely in nature.

The word purple is often used as an adjective, viz:z ‘purple cow’ refers to something remarkable, amazing or unique.z ‘purple haze’ refers to incoherent, confused condition that may be due to drug induced.z ‘Purple Heart’ is a military award – one of the highest honours for bravery in USA.z ‘purple patch’ refers to a brief but continuous run of success or good luck.z ‘purple prose’ refers to any short exaggerated essay using flowery language.z ‘purple speech’ refers to expletives laced monologue.z and also ‘purple people’ This needs elaboration. So, please read on.

For students of medicine, purple people syndrome re-fers to a condition that af-fects patients receiving long-term, high-dose chlorprom zine, which causes purple-grey discolouration of sun-exposed body parts. Since we aren’t experts in medical science, we leave this here and venture to find other facets of the term ‘purple people’ that might be of in-

terest to many.‘Purple People’ in corporate

parlance are professionals who successfully blend business acumen (blue) with technical skills (red) and have evolved as specialised individuals as a re-sult of the unique concoc-tion. These are hybrid profes-sionals who possess exemplary business sharpness, under-stand commercial demands, appreciate value of timely de-cisions plus also able to recog-nize the importance of mun-dane raw data and critical technologies.

The nomenclature ‘purple people’ was first used by au-thor Wayne Eckerson in his April, 2010 blog post. Since then it’s been more than a decade that the term has un-dergone many refinements and critiques.

The ‘purple people’ idea was conceived to describe business intelligence (BI) intermediar-ies who play important role in cognitive technologies as well. These bespoke people are suave enough to swing be-tween the worlds of business and technology, morphing red with blue. Ability to speak the language of both business and technology, they serve as in-terpreters connecting the two hemispheres, thereby making cognitive systems useful in a

business context. They are the easily recognizable ‘go-to’ folks most organizations have, who not only add tremendous value where they are but also effortlessly switch role as situ-ations demand.

‘Purple people’ constitute the core where humans aug-ment cognitive systems rath-er than be automated by them. They bridge the busi-ness requirements for auto-mated systems with techno-logical resources. Notably, ‘purple people’ have the wherewithal to emerging technologies and rich experi-ence to solve problems through traditional business skills. It’s been observed they exhibit high emotional quotient (EQ) and can be ef-fective interface to reconcile, communicate and navigate

between business and tech demands thereby establish-ing a lasting partnership connecting the two ends of the corporate spectrum.

There are umpteen exam-ples where we come across rather innovative people who mix their red and blue traits to procreate unique purple solu-tions in our everyday lives. We Indians love to call such praise-worthy solutions ‘Jugaad’ but often their creators remain unrecognized and un-felicitat-ed by the masses.

With the advent of smart technologies and automa-tion creeping in almost all fronts the future of ‘purple people’ definitely seems bright. Folks in business (blue) are honing their skills and updating themselves on what new technologies can do for their needs. Techies (red) on the other hand are game for acquiring business nous. It’s no brainer that both business sagacity and technical skills are valuable independently but they be-come far more potent when get combined (purple). Thus, one can safely say at the on-set of a new decade that this is going to be the era of Pur-ple People.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY

THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

IMPORTANCE OF PURPLE PEOPLE

C

Purple People’ in corporate parlance are professionals who successfully blend business acumen (blue) with technical skills (red) and have evolved as specialised individuals as a result of the unique concoction.

THE NOMENCLATURE ‘PURPLE PEOPLE’

WAS FIRST USED BY AUTHOR WAYNE

ECKERSON IN HIS APRIL, 2010

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ACP BENGALURU WEST TO LEAD PROBE IN JARKIHOLI’S SEX CDBengaluru: Bengaluru Po-lice Commissioner Kamal Pant on Friday informed that the SIT, formed to investigate the purported sex tape of former state minister Ramesh Jarki-holi, will be headed by Additional Commissioner of Police, West, Sou-mendu Mukherjee. “The SIT, formed by Karnataka government to investigate

the alleged CD case, will be led by Additional Com-missioner of Police, West, Soumendu Mukherjee,” Pant said. “Joint Commis-sioner Sandeep Patil, DCP Crime 1 Ravi Kumar, DCP central Anuchet, CCB ACP Dharmendra and Cubbon park police station Police Inspector will be part of the team,” the police commissioner added.

NAIDU CALLS FOR EFFORTS TO ERADICATE POVERTYNew Delhi: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu today called for concerted efforts to eradicate poverty, il-literacy, corruption and other social evils like gender discrimination as part of building an economically stronger India. In a post on the

occasion of the launch of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Ma-hotsav’- by Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi, the Vice President said that this was a defi ning moment in our national journey and an oppor-tunity to recollect the legacy bequeathed to us by the Mahatma.

YOUTH ARRESTED AFTER HE FIRES OUTSIDE EX’S HOUSENew Delhi: Rajouri Garden police on Friday arrested two youth from Jhajjar in connection with a fi r-ing incident in Delhi’s Subhash Nagar. The arrested youth were identifi ed as Suresh (21) and his friend Pawan. “A complaint

was received regard-ing a fi ring incident in Subhash Nagar on March 10. The com-plainant informed that one Suresh Kadyan (21), ex-boyfriend of her friend, came to her house in his car and fi red in the air to scare her,” police said.

BANKS TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR 4 DAYS FROM MARCH 13-16United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which represents nine bank unions has called for a 2-day nation-wide strike from March 15 to protest against the proposed privatisation of two state-owned lenders by the government. With banks being shut on March 13 (second Saturday of the month) and 14 due to

regular holidays a 4 day consecutive shut down is on the cards. All India Bank Employees Asso-ciation, have collectively called for a two-day na-tionwide strike to protest the proposed privatisa-tion of two public sector banks (PSBs) as part of the Centre’s disinvest-ment plan announced by Finance Minister.

AMIT SHAH TO CAMPAIGN IN WEST BENGAL, ASSAM ON MARCH 14,15

New Delhi: With electioneering picking up pace in West Bengal and Assam ahead of first poll polling on March 27, Home Minister Amit Shah will campaign in the two states on March 14, 15. On March 14, he will hold a roadshow in Kharagpur and will address two rallies in the state a day later. The rallies will be held in Jhargram and in Ranibandh in Bankura district. In Assam, Shah will address poll rallies in Margherita in Tinsukia district and in Na-zira in Sivasagar on March 14. The former BJP chief will address a townhall pro-gramme in Guwahati on March 15. BJP is in power in Assam and is seeking to come to power in West Bengal. —ANI

ATHAWALE’S RPI TO CONTEST 15-20 SEATS, TO SUPPORT BJPNew Delhi: The Republican Party of India (RPI) will contest 15-20 seats in the upcoming West

Bengal assembly elections, RPI chief Ramdas Atha-wale informed on Friday. “Looking at current situa-tion in West Bengal, I think BJP will come into power. Mamata has been in power for 10 years. Now people want a change. The Repub-

lican Party of India will contest on 15-20 seats in West Bengal and support BJP there.” RPI is an ally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP. Asked about the alleged attack on Banerjee, “I do not know who attacked Mamata or what the plan was. It is a matter of investigation.”Sonia, Rahul to campaign in Bengal, a

few G-23 leaders missing from star listNew Delhi: Prominent G-23 members includ-ing Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari have not been included in the Con-gress list of star cam-paigners for West Ben-gal assembly elections. The list of 30-star cam-paigners includes Con-gress interim chief Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Man-mohan Singh, party leaders Rahul Gandhi,

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sachin Pilot, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Abhijit Mukherjee and Mohammad Azharud-din. Party chief minis-ters Ashok Gehlot, Capt Amarinder Singh and Bhupesh Baghel are also in the list.

Twenty-three Con-gress leaders, referred to as G-23, had in Au-gust last written to Sonia Gandhi calling for “full-time and effec-

tive leadership” and internal elections in-cluding to Congress Working Committee.

The dissenters have said that Congress is “weakening” and they are raising their voice for the betterment of the party.

Gulam Nabi Azad had told that he will campaign for the party

during elections if he is asked.

—ANI

Ambani security scare: Phone traced to Tihar

Govt employees can’t be appointed as election commissioners: SC

New Delhi: The Su-preme Court on Friday ruled that any persons employed with the cen-tral or state govern-ments could not be ap-pointed as election com-missioners “across the length and breadth of the country”. The rul-ing aims at ensuring independence of the election commissions.

A bench of justices Rohinton F Nariman and BR Gavai issued the direction exercising its powers under Arti-cles 142 and 144 of the Constitution. Under Ar-ticle 142, the apex court is empowered to issue directives to do “com-plete justice” whereas

Article 144 obligates all authorities to act in aid of the Supreme Court.

“The independence of the election commis-sion cannot be compro-mised in a democracy. Entrusting additional charge of state election commissioner to a gov-ernment official is a mockery of the Consti-tution,” held the court.

The bench held that election commissioners have to be “independent persons” and that no-body, who has been em-ployed or holds an of-fice of profit under the central or any state gov-ernment, could be ap-pointed as election com-missioners. —ANI

New Delhi: A Telegram channel used to claim responsibility for plac-ing an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s home in Mumbai, was created from inside a barrack in Delhi’s Tihar jail where an In-dian Mujahideen ter-rorist is being kept, po-lice sources said.

This was revealed fol-lowing a raid by the spe-cial team of the Delhi Police at the barrack housing Tehseen Akhtar, during which a mobile phone used to create the Telegram channel was found. Tehseen Akhtar was ar-rested following the 2014 serial blasts in Pat-na targeting Modi’s ral-ly; he is also linked to the serial blasts in Hy-derabad and Bodh Gaya.

The police officials said that a virtual num-

ber was created using Tor browser to create an account in Telegram messaging app, through which a mes-sage claiming responsi-bility was sent.

The police is plan-ning to take remand of Akhtar to question him regarding the mobile phone seizure, the offi-cial said.

Another number - which was active in Sept but has been sus-pended - is also on spe-cial cell radar, the offi-cial added. —ANI

IN THE COURTYARD

ED officials ‘pressurised’ me to name Kerala CM: Sandeep Nair

Land mortgage: SC asks Congress to approach HC

Kochi: Kerala gold smuggling case accused Sandeep Nair has al-leged that some En-forcement Directorate (ED) officials had ’pres-surised’’ him to name CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

This was revealed in a letter that he sent to Ernakulam District Sessions Judge. He al-leged in the letter, “The ED officials forced me to also name the son of a senior politician in the controversial case.

The officials offered me help to get bail and oth-er matters if I act as per their demand.”

At present, Sandeep Nair is in jail after being

sentenced under the Con-servation of Foreign Ex-change and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act.

The Kerala gold smuggling case per-tains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consign-ment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the Customs.

New Delhi: The SC on Friday asked Chhattis-garh Congress Secre-tary Amit Chandraker — who is seeking a CBI and Serious Fraud In-vestigation Office (SFIO) probe against the state gov officials, certain bank officers and others, into the al-leged mortgage of gov-ernment leased land by forging the document — to approach the state HC. A division bench, headed by Justice Naveen Sinha and also

comprising Justice Krishna Murari, asked the petitioner to ap-proach the Chhattis-garh HC for relief and granted him liberty to withdraw his petition.

The petitioner, Amit Chandraker, had filed the writ petition, before the apex court, through his lawyer Ashwani Ku-mar Dubey.

Chandraker is the grandson of the elder brother of late Chandu-lal Chandrakar, Gandhi of Chhattisgarh”.

NO QUESTION OF COMPETITION: SUVENDUWest Bengal: There is no question of any competition in the upcoming West Bengal As-sembly elections, said Bharatiya Janata Party

(BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday. “I hope to receive bless-ings from the people. I am confi dent people will support BJP and bring it to power for real development in West Bengal. There is

no question of any competition,” Adhikari said. He further said, “The BJP won 18 parliamen-tary seats in 2019 and it will form a strong government this time with a huge margin.”

AICTE makes Mathematics, Physics optionalNew Delhi: In a con-troversial move, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made mathematics and physics at Class XII-level optional in order to get admissions to BE and BTech courses from 2021-22. Report-edly, the approval pro-cess handbook for 2021-22 released by the AICTE has changed the eligibility for UG admissions.

Up till now, the under-graduate level engineer-ing degrees required mathematics and phys-ics at Class XII level.

The candidates are required to score 45 per cent marks ( 40 per cent for reserved category students) in the above subjects taken together.

Instead of maths and physics being compul-sory in Class XII, the universities are sup-posed to provide bridge courses in the under-graduate engineering programme.

Irani shocked as women MLAs pull Hooda’s tractorNew Delhi: The BJP on Thursday attacked the Congress over its leader Bhupinder Singh Hoo-da riding a tractor which women legisla-tors of his party pulled with ropes to protest against the rise in fuel prices, and asked if women in a political or-ganisation be treated as “bonded labourers”.

Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani said it was “absolutely shocking” to see the for-mer Haryana chief minister sitting calmly on a tractor while hav-ing woman members of his party pulling it physically.

“I understand he wants to protest. I un-derstand he wants to

make a political state-ment but should that be done at the cost of wom-en? This is irrespective of our politics. Can women in political or-ganisations, esp the scene we saw in this protest by the Congress, be treated as bonded la-bourers. It is shocking no male member of the Congress even inter-

vened to stop that,” Ms Irani said.

Taking a swipe at Congress president So-nia Gandhi, Ms Irani, who is women and child development minister, said her silence also speaks volumes about how the women in her party are reduced to tasks that even men refuse to do. —ANI

Pinarayi Vijayan

Smriti Irani

INDIAJAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021

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Gehlot hopes...Gehlot cautioned the government that due to the ongoing farm-ers’’ protest, “India is becoming infamous” in many parts of the world. “I hope that the Ministry of Ex-ternal Affairs and the foreign minister will give the prime minis-ter the right advice, so that he is forced to rethink what action he really have to take for the benefit of farmers,” he said. To a question, Gehlot said the march has been organised as “democracy is hard to find in the country

and is under threat”. All agencies are

under the control of the government, he alleged. On the side-lines of the event, Ge-hlot said once again the number of COV-ID-19 cases has in-creased and urged the people to follow all protocols so that Rajasthan does not lose the battle against the pandemic. —PTI

Retail inflation...So far in the fiscal year 2020-21 (April-January), the indus-trial sector has seen a contraction of (-)12.2 per cent, com-

pared to a 0.5 per cent growth in the corre-sponding period a year ago, the data showed.

The contraction in IIP during January is primarily on account of the manufacturing and mining sectors. The manufacturing sector saw a contrac-tion of -2.0 per cent on-year to 135.1 in January, while the mining sector wit-nessed a fall of -3.7 per cent to 119.7. The electricity sector on the other hand rose 5.5 per cent to 164.2, the MoSPI data showed.

In the correspond-ing month year ago, the manufacturing sector had risen of 1.8 per cent, the min-ing sector had wit-nessed a rise of 4.4 per cent and the elec-tricity sector had gained 3.1 per cent.

A force...Kicking off the sum-mit, US President Joe Biden said Quad is go-ing to be a vital arena for cooperation in In-do-Pacific. “The Unit-ed States is commit-ted to working with you and with all our allies in the region to achieve stability. This

group is particularly important because it is dedicated to the practical solutions and concrete results,” he added.

Speaking on Cov-id-19 vaccines, Biden said, “We are launch-ing a new ambitious joint partnership that is going to boost vac-cine manufacturing for the global benefit and will boost vaccination programmes in the In-do-Pacific region.”

The Quad meeting is Prime Minister Modi’s first meeting with Biden, after the new US administra-tion assumed office in

January this year. They have spoken over the telephone twice since Novem-ber, when it became clear that Biden had won the US elections. The foreign ministers of the Quad grouping have met thrice so far, twice in-person, and once virtually.

Maritime security, cooperation on Indo-Pacific region, resil-ient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies — these are hot-button issues aimed at countering China.

The Quad grouping was revived in 2017,

and it has been re-in-vigorated in the past few years, in the face of belligerence by China.

Mamata leaves...the Election Commis-sion of India seeking immediate removal of the erstwhile Di-rector General and IGP of West Bengal and almost immedi-ately and unilaterally, on March 9, 2021, in an abrupt decision, without consultation with the state Gov-ernment, the ECl re-moved the erstwhile DGP,” the memoran-dum added.

FROM PG 1

Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India’s self-reli-ance in Covid-19 vac-cine manufacturing has proved beneficial for the entire world. The PM, earlier in the day, flagged off ‘padyatra’ from Ahmedabad to Dandi, as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahot-sav’ program to mark the 75 years of India’s independence. Speak-ing at the Mahotsav here, Prime Minister Modi said, “To relieve the humanity of the cri-sis of Covid-19 pandem-ic, India’s self-reliance

in vaccine manufactur-ing has proved benefi-cial for the entire world. The achievements of India are not only our

own today, but they are going to show light to the whole world.”

“Today we have the vaccine, so with the

emotion of Vasudev Ku-tumbkam, we are useful in reducing the sorrows of others. This is the ideal and philosophy of

Bharat and the basis of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Today other countries are trusting Bharat and thanking us. This is the

first light of our golden future,” he added.

In his speech, PM Modi said that the ‘Aza-di ka Amrit Mahotsav’ of independence, which began today, will con-tinue till August 15. “To-day is the first day of the Amrit Mahotsav of independence. This Ma-hotsav has started 75 weeks before 15th Au-gust 2022 and will con-tinue till 15th August,” he said.

The Mahotsav is a se-ries of events to be or-ganised by the govern-ment to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.

INDIA IS SAVING THE WORLD: MODITO RELIEVE THE HUMANITY OF THE CRISIS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC, INDIA’S SELF-RELIANCE IN VACCINE MANUFACTURING HAS PROVED BENEFICIAL FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD: MODI SAID IN AHMEDABAD

PM Modi speaks during the fl ag-off ceremony of the Dandi March.

PUNE SCHOOLS TO BE SHUT TILL MAR 31; MALL, TIMING RESTRICTED

Pune: A day after the Nagpur administration announced a seven-day strict lockdown from March 15 to March 21, the Pune district ad-ministration on Friday announced a few re-strictions to curb public movement, crowding, the operation of busi-ness establishments at night. But it is not being officially called a lock-down.

Pune district has the maximum number of

active Covid-19 cases in India, according to health ministry data.

New Delhi: As many as 23,285 new COVID-19 cases and 117 deaths were reported from In-dia in the last 24 hours, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Wel-fare informed on Friday.

With this, the total number of positive cor-onavirus cases reported in the country now stands at 1,13,08,846, in-cluding 1,97,237 active cases and 1,58,306 deaths. With the second phase of the nation-wide vaccination drive underway, as many as 2,61,64,920 doses of the vaccine have been ad-ministered so far.

A cumulative total of 22,49,98,638 samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far, in-cluding 7,40,345 on Thursday.

India reports 23,285 new COVID-19 cases

As the Maharashtra gov has imposed several restrictions in view of the spiking Covid-19 cases, organisers of a wedding have been booked after around 700 people gathered at a function in Thane district’s Kalyan. The event, held on March 10, was violation of the Covid-19 norms.

Chandigarh: Punjab Finance Minister Man-

preet Badal tested Covid posi-tive. He

took to social media to confi rm this and asked those who were in contact with him to get themselves tested for the virus.

Six states, including Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, continue to report a surge in daily COVID-19 cases. They cumulatively ac-counted for 85.6 per cent of the new cases reported in the past 24 hours, said an offi cial release from the health ministry on Friday.

700 PEOPLE ATTEND A WEDDING, ORGANISERS BOOKED IN KALYAN

BADAL TESTS POSITIVE

NEW CASELOAD OF COVID-19

New Delhi: Union Min-ister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday sent legal defamation notices to Swedish media houses SVT and ZDF for re-ports on the luxury bus from Scania. Gadkari’s office Thursday said in a statement: “With ref-erence to certain wild allegations levelled by a section of the foreign media dragging the name of the Union Min-ister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Ni-tin Gadkari and his family, it has already been stated by our of-fice that these accusa-tions are malicious, fab-ricated and baseless.” Referring to a Scania

response to on Wednes-day, it said: “Since the entire episode of the Scania bus was an in-ternal affair of the Swedish company, the statement of the Scania spokesperson has made it clear that Shri Gad-kari and his family members have abso-lutely nothing to do with the purchase.”

Gadkari sends notices to Swedish media

New Delhi: The nation-al anti –terror probe agency NIA on Friday said that it has filed its first supplementary charge sheet against an ISI operative in the Vi-sakhapatnam espio-nage case.

The accused-- Yakub Giteli aka Giteli Imran, a resident of Godhra in Panchmahal district of Gujarat, has been booked under sections 120 B and 201 of IPC and section 17 and 18 of the UA(P)A before the Vi-jayavada NIA Special Court for his involve-ment in raising funds for espionage activities.

Visakhapatnam espionage case: NIA files charge-sheet Kolkata: The Union

Cabinet Minister for Pe-troleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan on March 12 paid tribute to the revo-lutionary Matangini Hazra in Kolkata who participated in the In-dian independence movement until she was shot dead by the British Indian police in Tamluk. After paying his respects to ‘Gandhi buri’, Pradhan accom-panied Bharatiya Ja-nata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari when he files his nomi-nation as the party’s candidate from Nandi-gram on Friday. Hailing the “braveheart of Ben-

gal”, Pradhan shared the images from the oc-casion commemorating the 75 years of inde-pendence. The Union Minister took to Twit-ter and said that “at the memory of Durga Swarupathi Matangini Hazra, the immortal heroine of the freedom struggle in Tamluk, paid floral tributes.”

Pradhan Pays Tribute To Matangini Hazra

SITUATION RIGHT FOR AYURVEDA: PM

WILL JUSTICE MOHAMMAD RAFIQ MOVE TO SC? Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Justice Mohammad Rafi q is likely to move to the Supreme Court.

JUSTICE OKA TO MOVE SC? The Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, Abhay Shreeniwas Oka is likely to move to the Supreme Court of India

WILL JUSTICE MURLIDHAR BE JUDGE OF THE SC?Grapevine has it that Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court Justice S. Muralidhar is being elevated as Judge of the Supreme Court.

SHAILESH BAGAULI APPOINTED SECRETARY OF NEW UTTARAKHAND CM Shailesh Bagauli has been appointed Secretary to the new Uttarakhand CM Teerath Singh Rawat. He is 2002 batch IAS offi cer.

WILL GANPATHY BE SENT TO UTTARAKHAND AS DGP? If the Centre takes up the revamping exercise then M A Ganpathy is likely to be sent as DGP of Uttarakhand. He is a 1986 batch IPS offi cer and presently posted as DG, BCAS in the Ministry of Civil Aviation. He had been the DGP of Uttarakhand. He is schedule to retire in February 2024. Meanwhile names of two 1990 batch IPS offi cers, Vinay Kumar and Anju Gupta, have started doing the round for the post of DGP Uttarakhand.

K R SRIRAM TO BE DY CAG? K R Sriram is likely to be appointed Dy CAG in April. Sriram is 1987 batch IA&AS offi cer.

WHO WILL BE NEW MEMBER OF THE UPSC?According to convention, there should now be appointment of an IPS offi cer as Member in the UPSC. Will the convention be followed this time?

BRIGADIERS TO RETIRE AT 58 YEARS!Under the proposal to increase the retirement age of offi cers in the Indian Army, Brigadiers and their equivalents in other Services are proposed to be retired at the age of 58 years instead of 56 years.

IRS OFFICER TO JOIN FSSAIPritee Chaudhary will join the FSSAI, Mumbai offi ce as Director on deputation basis for three years. She is an IRS(C&IT) offi cer of 2006 batch.

AMIT BANERJEE IN THE RACE FOR CMD, BEML Amit Baneerje, ED, BEML, is in the race for the post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director, BEML Limited.

ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF S D SHARMA EXTENDEDThe ACC has approved the proposal of DoPT (Training Division) for extension of entrustment of additional charge of the post of Director, Institute of Secretariat Training and Management (ISTM) to S D Sharma, CSS, Joint Secretary (Training), Department of Personnel & Training for a period of three months beyond February 8, 2021.

DEPUTATION TENURE OF RAJU EXTENDED FOR ONE YEAR The DoT has extended the deputation tenure of V S Raju, Joint Advisor, TRAI for one more year i e March 31 next year.

POWERGallery

By arrangement with: http://whispersinthecorridors.com

Amritsar: The farmers protesting against the farm laws on the Amrit-sar-Delhi railway tracks have with-drawn their agita-tion in sight of the upcoming hectic wheat harvesting season. Train services re-sumed after the farm union yester-day suspended 169-day long ‘dharna’ on tracks. The farmers were stag-ing a sit-in agitation at Jandiala Guru village on the Am-ritsar-Delhi rail link. They an-nounced the with-drawal of their agi-tation on March 11. Savinder Singh, a leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee which had been spear-heading the stir, said they decided to withdraw the rail blockade at Devi-daspura on the Am-ritsar-Delhi route after a meeting of all protesting farm-er unions. —PTI

TRAIN SERVICES RESUME IN PUNJAB

NIGHT CURFEW

Nitin Gadkari Dharmendra Pradhan

New Delhi: Delhi CM Kejriwal on Friday said it is his government’s dream to host the 2048 Olympics and said he would approach the Central gov and the In-dian Olympic Associa-tion (IOA) for it. “It is our dream to host the 2048 Olympics. We will go to all sports bodies, the Indian Olympic As-sociation and the Cen-tre for it. Delhi Govern-ment will take initiative but all have to come to-gether for it. I am sure dream will come true,” Kejriwal said.

Want to host 2048 Olympics: Kejriwal

NEWSJAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021

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Rajasthan police tighten noose around drug-peddlers in state

British High Commissioner meets Dr Sharma, lauds govt efforts during Covid

Stir will free farmers from clutches of corporate houses: Rakesh Tikait

Rakesh changes environment, RTO back on track!

Jaisalmer limestone mining work will be expedited: Govt

Journalists’ body to hold meet in Dausa

Through a special campaign by the police, drug traffickers’ movement was checkedShivendra Parmar 

Jaipur: There has been an increase of nearly 300 percent in the cases of seizure of opium, heroin and hemp in the last 7 years in the coun-try. Even in Rajasthan, the drug trade is spread-ing every year. Howev-er, anti-narcotics agen-cies have initiated ac-tion against drug traf-fickers, but still the drug business is con-tinue in the state.

But in the month of January, through a spe-cial campaign launched by the state police, the drug traffickers move-ments were checked in the state.

The state police have taken actions and also

seized drugs in very large quantity during its drive. In the year 2019, the police regis-tered 2592 cases under the NDPS Act against drug trafficking, while in the year 2020, the number of cases in-creased by 5.83 percent and 2743 cases were reg-istered. Similarly, in the year 2019, 3881 people

involved in drug trade were arrested by the po-lice, while in the year 2020, the number in-creased by 12.16 percent and the police sent 4353 people behind bars.

Police have recovered 0.368 kg brown sugar, 12.799 kg heroin, 16.76 kg smack, 25.266 kg charas, 64.2.064 kg opi-um, 14. 315 thousand kg

ganja and 1.30 thousand 344 kg dodapost from the arrested persons last year.

The Rajasthan police has also shown strict-ness against drug traf-fickers this year. In January 2021, state po-lice have registered 35.43 percent more cas-es and arrested 44.89 percent more people. At

the same time, the amount of seizure of brown sugar, charas, opium, hemp has also increased by several kilograms. A awful re-ality related to Ra-jasthan is also that the drug being smuggled into the state is being supplied to the youth on a large scale, which is dangerous trend.

Rajiv Gaur 

Jodhpur: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said that farmers agitation was launched to free the farmers from the clutch-es of corporate houses.

Tikait was addressing the mahapanchayat un-der the banner of Sany-ukta Kisan Morcha in Pipad town of Jodhpur district on Friday.

Addressing the farm-ers, Tikait said agitation was not launched against any govern-

ment, but it was launched to secure the rights of the farmers in the country. This was the first meeting of Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait in Marwar region. Groups

of farmers from nearby villages participated in the mahapanchayat.

Jat Mahasabha state president Rajaram Meal, farmer leader and sen-ior Congress leader Badriram Jakhar, farm-

er leader Yudhveer Sin-gh, Amaram comrade, Pemaram Meghwal and other leaders participat-ed in the mahapanchay-at .

Tikait said that farm-er movement on the Delhi border is contin-ued for the last 100 days and farmers are de-manding to repeal the three laws. Tikait also urged the government to make law on MSP. Ma-hendra Singh Tikait fa-ther of Rakesh Tikait visited here in 1990 for the peasant movement.

Rajendra Chhabra 

Jaipur: The new Re-gional Transport Offic-er of Jaipur, Rakesh Sharma has completely changed the environ-ment of the office in mere two months. Disor-der, lawlessness and ir-regularity were at their peak during the 2-year tenure of outgoing RTO Rajendra Verma. Don’t know who was backing Verma that he didn’t pay heed to words either from the Minister or Transport Commission-er. He didn’t even change

the roster of the clerks working in the RTO for two years! His personal favourite clerks were seated in ‘key’ positions. He was his own boss. There was no tapping on the people coming in-side the office. Everyone was allowed entry, be it common people or bro-kers. There was no dis-cipline at all in the of-fice. In fact, the RTO too used to come at his own comfortable time.

However, things have taken a 360-degree turn now. The very first ini-tiative that Rakesh

Sharma did was to bring back discipline in the of-fice. Unauthorised peo-ple are completely banned in office. The register at the entry gate helped bring down the number of people wan-dering around to mini-mal. The office gets back

into shape after being a shopping mall for two years in the previous RTO’s tenure.

Clerks placed in ‘creamy’ seats have been replaced. Bearer of 3 seats, Suresh Taneja and working in the same section for 8 years, staff union officer bearer Raj Singh were replaced. In the roster change, the suggested names of ministers have also been adjusted.

To bring transparen-cy to work, CCTV cam-eras are being placed in the head office and field

units. With iron fist con-trol over the overall work, the margin for er-ror is minimal under Rakesh Sharma.

The RAS of the 1997 batch, Rakesh Sharma has good experience of fieldwork. Earlier, he had worked in UDH and Revenue Department at Secretariat. The syner-gy among the minister, commissioner and RTO is excellent. In fact, RTO had worked with com-missioner Ravi Jain in Social Justice and Em-powerment Department in 2017. In the Revenue

Department, the minis-ter got upset with him but he never did any-thing wrong.

A follower of the rule book, Rakesh Sharma has an image of a dili-gent and able officer. He is a hard task master, hence, everyone in the office is afraid of him. He has a keen eye on every activity of the of-fice.

It is worth admitting that the functioning of the RTO Jaipur office has become organised and systematic under Rakesh Sharma.

Nirmal Tiwari 

Jaipur: The explora-tion and mining work of steel grade limestone will be expedited. Plen-ty of steel grade lime-stone deposits have been found in Jaisalm-er and seven blocks have been given to RSMML for mining, while MECL has also been requested to come forward for exploration and mining of new steel grade limestone blocks in Jaisalmer.

For this, work could also be done jointly by state government insti-tutions and MECL. Prin-cipal Secretary Mines and Petroleum Ajitabh

Sharma took the meet-ing of officials of MECL, RSMML and Mineral Department. Senior of-ficials, including RSMML MD Vikas Sita-ram Bhale, MECL CMD Ranjit Rath also partici-pated in the meeting.

RSMML has been di-rected to start produc-tion soon after complet-

ing all the formalities required for the mining work of steel graded limestone in Jaisalmer. Mineral Exploration Corporation was also asked to explore the pos-sibilities of exploration and mining work of manganese reserves in Banswara and Rajsa-mand.

Jaipur: A two-day con-ference and executive meeting of the National Union of Journalists India (NUJI) will be held in Rajasthan’s Dausa on March 13 and 14. Ahead of the event, a poster was released on Wednesday by Informa-tion Commissioner Narayan Bareth and editor of Hindi daily Mahanagar Times, Go-pal Sharma.

Issues related to the welfare of journalists will be discussed in the conference following which a resolution will be passed, Rakesh Shar-ma, president of the JAR said. JAR is a af-filiate of the NUJI. —PTI

First India Bureau

Jaipur: British High Commissioner Peter Cook on Friday met the Medical and Health Minister Dr. Raghu Sharma and praised the efforts made by the Ra-jasthan government during the Covid epi-demic.

Cook praised the ef-forts made by the gov-ernment and the De-partment of Medicine in the Corona period for the corona recovery rate exceeding 97 per-cent and a low mortali-ty rate.

He praised Ra-jasthan’s ‘Bhilwara’ and ‘Ramganj’ models, saying that the monitor-ing of the corona could be achieved only due to the monitoring done at

the micro level by the government.

The British High Commissioner reported that a severe shortage of nursing staff was felt in the Corona era Brit-ain.

He also called for the need of MoUs like send-ing nursing staff to the UK from the state gov-

ernment. He said that the two

countries can work to-gether in the medical department on facili-ties like tele-medicine, online consultancy, so-cial media and digital assistance so that the common people can get seamless medical facility.

Jaipur: The District Consumer Forum, Jaipur, has issued no-tices to Indusind Bank on the petition of Divya Singh Kushwaha. Advo-cate SK Singh appeared on behalf of the peti-tioner and argued that the matter pertains to the availment of the credit card services by the petitioner wherein a sum of Rs 1 Lakhs was deposited in the re-spondent bank and it was pointed out by the authorities that no late charges would be levied and duly the credit card was issued.

Jaipur: Justice Ashok Kumar Gaur’s bench in Rajasthan HC has is-sued a contempt notice to the then chief fi-nance secretary Niran-jan Kumar Arya, Jhun-jhunu collector OD Khan, pension director S Singh and others for not giving the benefit of an increment to a re-tired employee even af-ter the HC order.

On behalf of the con-tempt petitioner Bhagi-rath Mal, Advocate RP Saini told the HC that the petitioner had re-tired from district col-lector office on June 30.

British High Commissioner Peter Cook met the Medical and Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma on Friday in Jaipur.

SHEKHAWAT ON COURTESY CALL

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Friday visited the house of Indrani Dutta, president of Kalyani Mandal-3 BJP Mahila Morcha. Minister inquired about the well being of Indrani and her husband Shiva Prasad Dutta. Recently, TMC workers had barged into the house of Indrani and beatup husband and wife badly.

Consumer Forum issues notice to bank

Contempt notice to officers

IN THE COURTYARD

NDPS Act Jan. 2020 Jan. 2021 Increase %Cases filed 302 409 35.43Arrested 372 539 44.89Brown Sugar 0.005 0.059 1080Charas 0.931 3.025 224.92Opium 32.013 35.438 10.70Hemp 2008 2873 43.11

THE FACT FILE OF DRUG-TRAFFICKERS

Rakesh Sharma

Durg Singh Rajpurohit

Barmer: In protest against the food given on death, the two fami-lies of Maliyon ki Dha-ni of Rageshwari police station area in Barmer district were expelled from the society after caste-panchs of 17 vil-lages issued a decree of the same. The victim family, being harassed by the orders of the caste panch, has regis-tered a case against the 63 caste panchs of soci-ety with the Ragesh-wari police.

According to the po-lice, Devani and Mish-raram of Maliyon ki Dhani filed a case that after the death of a

woman in their neigh-bourhood in village Na-gar, their families were organising a feast due to pressure from the community’s panchs. When the two families objected, all panchs of the society discussed and unanimously de-cided to take action and gave written orders of a boycott.

After the order, their families are being op-pressed by an inferiori-ty complex due to the pressure of the caste panchs. The caste panchs issued a written decree that until the fine of Rs 5 lakhs isn’t paid, no one in the soci-ety would talk to the families.

Khap expels two families from society; case lodged

First India Bureau

Jaipur : On the festive occasion of Mahashiv-aratri, Jaipur Dairy supplied a record quan-tity of Saras milk in the city. Jaipur Dairy sup-plied 10.21 lakh litres of milk and 1.43 lakh litres of buttermilk.

During normal days it supplies 8.30 lakh li-tres of milk and 1.25 lakh litres of butter-milk.

Around 2 lakh litres of additional milk was supplied to the milk

booths compared to normal days on Ma-hashivratri.

To cater to consumer demands and ensure an uninterrupted supply of Saras milk, instruc-tions were given to the representatives and suppliers of the sales division. The control room has been estab-lished for the conveni-ence of consumers at the Jaipur Dairy. In case of unavailability of Saras milk consum-ers can contact on Saras helpline number.

Jpr Dairy supplies record quantity of milk in city

Rakesh Tikait

We all meet a lot of people in our lives, ultimately it depends on us what we learn from them; whom

we keep and whom we let go! This defines our life.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, First India

JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia082ND FRONT

POSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21

Aditi Nagar

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at-tended the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ at Rai Pithora Fort in Delhi on Friday.

Invoking Maharaja Prithviraj Chauhan, Lok Sabha Speaker said that Rai Pithora Fort was one of the epicent-ers of India’s struggle against enemies. It is, therefore, the best place for organising the ‘Aza-di Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ on the 75th year of In-dia’s Independence.

Speaking on India’s democratic heritage, Birla observed that al-though we are celebrat-ing 75th year of our In-dependence from for-eign rulers, India has a rich democratic and cultural heritage of thousands of years. In this regard, Birla re-membered the freedom fighters, who sacrificed their lives for India’s Independence. He ob-served that despite in-credible diversities, In-dia has always wit-nessed smooth transfer of power which symbol-

izes our deep faith in democracy.

Talking about India’s

progress during the last 75 years, Om Birla said that India has made tre-

mendous progress and it has opened new chap-ters of democratic em-powerment. India has proved them wrong who doubted our demo-cratic principles at the time of Independence. Through our commit-ment, dedication, hard work and collective ef-forts, we have overcome the challenges and made our democracy successful, Birla em-phasised.

Birla said that dur-ing the last 75 years, In-dia has conducted sev-enteen general elec-

tions and more than four hundred Assembly elections. During this period, many parties have formed govern-ments and lost power but our grassroots de-mocracy has strength-ened. Youth participa-tion and participation of women in large num-ber in election process-es have strengthened our democracy. In this regard, he appreciated the leaders, who played a pivotal role in giving India a good Constitu-tion.

Remembering Sardar

Vallabhbhai Patel, the Speaker said that Unity in Diversity is India’s strength. Despite the linguistic, religious and regional diversities, we have succeeded in maintaining our ‘Indi-anness’.

Lok Sabha Speaker further said that our target is ‘Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat.’ It should be the endeav-our of all, particularly the youth, to ensure that our every thought and action contributes to our national goal, the Speaker said.

UNITY IN DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH, SAYS OM BIRLACELEBRATING FREEDOM

lll

Our target is ‘Ek Bharat Shresth

Bharat.’ It should be the endeavour of all, particularly

the youth, to ensure that our

every thought & action contributes

to our national goal, the LS

Speaker said

Jaipur: On the 91st an-niversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Dandi March,’ Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday, termed it a golden chap-ter in the history of In-dia’s struggle for Inde-pendence and called on the youth to stand up against injustice.

Addressing a gather-ing at Gandhi Circle af-ter flagging-off a sym-bolic ‘Dandi March’ from the Khadi San-sthan Sangh campus here, he said Mahatma Gandhi had sounded a bugle against British imperialism and shook its foundation by start-ing the Dandi March on this day.

On March 12, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi walked from the Sabar-mati Ashram to Dandi in Gujarat to break the salt-tax law imposed by the British. It was an act of civil disobedience to protest against British rule in India.

“This is a golden chapter of (India’s struggle for) Independ-ence and our govern-ment will make every effort to ensure that the young generation never forgets this glorious his-tory of the country,” Ge-hlot said. The CM walked to the Gandhi

Circle along with his Council of Ministers, MLAs, public represent-atives and officials among others. Gehlot said in 2022, several pro-grammes will be organ-ised to commemorate the 75th year of India’s Independence.

He said the younger generation should un-derstand the sacrifice and dedication of the great men and leaders who contributed to the country’s freedom.

For democracy to strengthen further in the country, the new generation will have to come forward, he said.

“Taking inspiration from the great person-alities like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad, the younger generation should always raise voice against injustice and fight for rights. There is always a place of disagreement in de-mocracy,” Gehlot said.

Former chairperson of State Women’s Com-mission, Ladkumari Jain said that Bapu raised his voice against oppressive policies of British. People must also raise voice against the forces that weaken democracy. — PTI

Stand up against injustice: CM Gehlot to youth

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla lights the lamp during the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ at Rai Pithora Fort in New Delhi on Friday. Also seen here are Renuka Singh, Kiren Rijiju, Narendra Singh Tomar, Ramesh Pokhriyal and Anurag Thakur.

WB polls: Gehlot, Pilot among 30 star campaigners

CM Ashok Gehlot participates in the symbolic Dandi March to mark the 91st anniversary of Bapu’s ‘Dandi March’ on Friday. Also seen here are Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Mamta Bhupesh, Pramod Jain Bhaya, Rafiq Khan, Mahendra Choudhary, Sanyam Lodha, Rajiv Arora and others.

CM Ashok Gehlot pays tributes to Mahatma Gandhi during a programme organised at Gandhi Circle on Friday.

CM Ashok Gehlot flags off symbolic ‘Dandi March’ from Bajaj Nagar area of Jaipur on Friday.

CM Ashok Gehlot addresses the gathering at Gandhi Circle. Bharosi Lal Jatav, Mahadev Khandela, Rajiv Arora, Mahendra Choudhary, Dr Subhash Garg, Dr BD Kalla, Rajendra Yadav, Mamta Bhupesh, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Krishna Poonia, Pramod Jain Bhaya, Jyoti Khandelwal, Bhanwar Singh Bhati, Sukhram Bishnoi and others were also present on the occasion. —PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

Gehlot loyalist Dotasra gets Devasthan & tourism dept

Choudhary: All know country’s condition under Modi regime

PMAY- Gramin: Raj stands 2nd in country

CM Gehlot to chairs review meet of PWD staff via VC

n Youth should understand sacrifice of freedom fighters, CM said

n Various events will be held in 2022 to mark 75th year of Independence

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has em-phasised on quality of road and other con-struction works being conducted by the Pub-lic Works Department. He directed the engi-neers of the depart-ment to ensure the quality of these works and said that strict ac-tion should be taken against the contrac-tors, who do not repair the road during the de-fect liability period (guarantee period).

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister reviewed in detail, the schemes of PMGSY, CRIF, SRF, RIDF, Rural Develop-ment Path etc. and con-struction works in col-laboration with NAHI, World Bank and ADB. Gehlot also interacted with Additional Chief Engineers, Superin-tending Engineers, Ex-ecutive Engineers working in various dis-tricts of the state through video confer-encing.

The CM said that the State government is working with the goal of making the state ‘top state’ in the country in terms of road construc-tion.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: In view of upcoming West Ben-gal assembly elec-tions, AICC released the list of 30 star cam-paigners on Friday. The list includes for-mer Dy CM Sachin Pilot and CM Ashok Gehlot. Gehlot has been placed at num-ber six after Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gan-dhi, Dr Manmohan

Singh & Mallikarjun Kharge, whose names have been released with signature of Or-ganisational General Secretary, KC Venugo-palan. In the list, for-mer Dy CM Sachin Pilot’s name is on 12th position. According to sources, Congress High Command has entrusted Gehlot with responsibility owing to his popularity among migrant Ra-jasthanis in Bengal.

Gehlot slams MLAs, mins for being absent in Dandi MarchNaresh Sharma

Jaipur: CM Ashok Gehlot does not miss any opportunity to target his opponents. On the occasion of flagging off the sym-bolic Dandi March, he targeted Congress MLAs and office-bearers, who were missing from the event.

He said that yellow rice is not distribut-ed to invitees to at-tend such pro-grammes. Everyone should gather soon after receiving the information or by mere hearing Gan-dhi’s name. Many ministers and MLAs were absent from the programme. Al-though some MLAs

made excuses for not knowing about the programme. Signifi-cantly, Sachin Pilot and his supporting MLAs also didn’t at-tend the programme. The CM gave a direct message to everyone saying that in future, one should attend the programme as soon as they hear Gandhi’s name.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: CM Gehlot does not forget to re-ward his loyalists and performers. He show-ered similar blessings on Govind Singh Do-tasra. While presenting the award to Dotasra, CM Gehlot gave the Devasthan and Tour-ism Department to him. Till now, Dotasra had limited responsibility of only answering the questions of these de-partments in the Legis-

lative Assembly, but now Chief Minister Ge-hlot has handed over the department to him.

Now Dotasra will be formally looking after

both the departments. Significantly, this de-partment was earlier with Vishwendra Singh of the Pilot camp. On getting the approval of the responsibility of these two departments from the CM, Dotasra called an official meet-ing of the stakeholders of Tourism Department and enquired about the upcoming plans of the department. Now Do-tasra will be signing the files of these depart-ments.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: Union I&B Minister Prakash Ja-vadekar while taking to Twitter on Thursday, had released the Ra-jasthan government’s March calendar. This included the incidents of atrocities on women in Rajasthan particu-larly during the last one month. He targeted the Gehlot government through citing three in-cidents. Revenue Minis-ter Harish Chaudhary

has retaliated on Ja-vadekar’s post. Chaud-hary said that those who are weakening the constitutional institu-tions themselves, do not

have the right to ana-lyse others.Talking to the media outside the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, Chaudhary said that everyone knows the condition of the country during the Modi government’s re-gime. Every central in-stitution in country is being weakened. The PMO is interfering in almost every institu-tion. He (Javadekar) does not have the right to analyse on behalf of anyone.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: According to the progress made by Ministry of Rural Development, Gov-ernment of India, in the year 2020-21 un-der the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Rural, the state has bagged the second place in the country.

ACS, Rural Devel-opment and Pan-chayati Raj Depart-ment, Rohit Kumar

Singh congratulated all officers state & districts for their ex-cellent performance in scheme implemen-tation & informed that out of 6.87L houses sanctioned in first phase, 6.70 L are complete. Out of 6.48 houses sanctioned in second phase, 4L houses have been completed. He direct-ed officers to com-plete the remaining houses by March 31.

DANDI MARCH ANNIVERSARY

Harish ChaudharyGovind Singh Dotasra

JAIPUR, SATURDAYMARCH 13, 2021

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City First takes you back to the good old days of checkered patterns. Ace the patterns with your everyday looks. The long survived grids have shown us a

ray of hope, that even a regular day look could be changed with a twist! Brace yourself for the most exciting regular trend!

BACK TO SCHOOL

he so-called check pattern derives its name from the game of chess, checkmate! The grids have been famous for their

uniformity, which is why it had been prominent for most of the educational institutes to include a

checkered pattern in their uniforms. We have brought you various ways to ace the pattern

in your daily looks. Dresses!: You

might think that how could a dress probably suit in a cheq-uered manner but that’s not the case at all. The checkered

pattern dresses may be perfect for your evening strolls or a casual day at the library, you name it.

Shirts!: The perfect way to ace it in the pattern of a shirt is to mix various col-ours in it. You may also wear it with a tank top to build up your sassy mood.

Crop tops!: Well, you might also turn your shirts into crop tops by just fold-ing the ends. This way you

might an additional benefit from just one piece of shirt.

Pants!: When you’re keeping it sim-ple by wearing a plain top, you may add it with checkered pant, so that it represents a mixture of subtle and fancy.

Coats!: Well, the cold season has just left, and if you’re wondering that until the next cold weath-er arrives, will the season of checkered pattern fade away, and the an-swer to that question is no way.

SUSHMITA AINDcityfirst@firstindia.co.in

T

10ETC

JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021www.fi rstindia.co.in I www.fi rstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefi rstindia I facebook.com/thefi rstindia I instagram.com/thefi rstindia

FACE

OF TH

E DAY

MANU JAIN, VOCALIST

LEOJULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Don’t be hasty in paying up for something without getting all the details. A health initiative promises to

keep you fi t and on the go. Forging cordial relations with those you meet at work will be in your favour. Your moodiness may cause friction at home.

LIBRA SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

You will succeed in enhancing your earning. A business deal may have to be executed on a different

date. An outdoor activity is likely to give you a chance for sweating out. Family would be supportive for those trying to settle at a new place. Devote few hours to meditation.

ARIESMAR 21 - APR 20

It may appear tough to please a workplace senior as he or she expects more from you. Devoting time to

family will provide immense happiness. Adopting a better lifestyle is indicated for some and will keep them fi t and healthy. Excellent returns are expected from property.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 23 - DEC 22

Health remains excellent. Arrears or back payments are likely to be received. Day proves favourable for those

holding responsible positions. Someone’s proximity on the domestic front is likely to keep you contented. Those spiritually inclined will be able to set out on a pilgrimage.

GEMINIMAY 21 - JUNE 21

New avenues of earning will help secure the fi nancial front. You will manage to nip a medical

problem in the bud and save yourself from problems. Your decisions on the professional front will turn out to be correct. Your hands will be full in entertaining the differing demands.

AQUARIUSJAN 21 - FEB 19

You are apple of your parents eyes. A property issue you are apprehensive about is likely to be settled

amicably. Your attempts to gain popularity on the social front are likely to meet with partial success. An ego clash on the work front cannot be ruled out for some.

TAURUSAPR 21 - MAY 20

Although expenditure rises, you will manage things well. This is not the right time to disclose your

business intentions; keep your competitors guessing. A perfect understanding with spouse will help in gauging moods and pre-empting showdowns.

CAPRICORNDEC 23 - JAN 20

Good returns are foreseen on an investment. Only a professionally sound strategy will succeed in the

kind of competitive environment that you are in. Peace and quiet prevails on the home front for you to rest and recoup. Addition or alteration to existing property is foreseen.

VIRGOAUG 24 - SEP 23

Keep control over expenditure. Sticking to your exercise regime will begin to show positive

results. Avoid being lazy on the professional front. Family will be most caring and do much to make you comfortable. Small get together will fi nd the change most amazing.

CANCERJUNE 22 - JULY 23

You can expect the fi nancial situation to improve substantially. Successfully completing an

assigned job will give you the edge at work. Your dogged determination will keep you fi t. Keeping a positive outlook will help in spreading positivity at home.

PISCESFEB20 - MARCH 20

You can become money conscious and come into the ‘saving’ mode. A colleague can prove a great

asset in helping settle pending tasks. You are likely to please the family members by taking them to their favourite haunt. Legal help regarding a property will be benefi cial.

SCORPIOOCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Whatever you earn today is likely to be spent. Chances of getting a new job look bright for young profes-

sionals. Home environment will encourage you to relax and let your hair down. Those who have applied for a house or plot may get a step closer to acquiring it.

YOUR DAY

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

scar Wilde, Irish poet, p l ay w r i g h t , critic, author of numerous short stories and a novel, is

known for his biting wit, flamboyant life-style and glittering con-versational skills. He was one of the best-known personalities of the late 19th century. His work incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, along beauty.

His quotes amply ex-hibit his wit and wis-dom. “I can resist eve-rything except tempta-tion”. “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people ex-ist. That is all”. “The only difference be-tween the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past and every sinner has a fu-ture”. Despite, being a man, known for his he-donistic lifestyle and philosophy, Oscar Wil-de wrote profound things indeed!

‘The Fisherman and his Soul’ is a short, fan-tasy story, first pub-lished in 1891, as part of the anthology, ‘House of Pomegran-ates’. The plot is set in motion when a fisher-man accidentally catches a mermaid in

his net. He is ‘filled with wonder at her beauty’. He agrees to release her only on the condition that she re-turns to sing to him every day. The Mer-maid is forced into a promise, which she honours. Promises, and the repercussions in failing to keep them, take the fairytale on. Enamoured by the Mermaid, the Fisher-man desires to marry her. She agrees, on con-dition that he rid him-self of his soul, “as the Sea-folk are soul-less”. Thus unfolds the am-bivalence of romantic love- demanding im-mense sacrifice and be-ing an all-consuming force. The Fisherman, not only rejects wis-dom and all riches, but also turns “heartless towards his Soul”, re-jects all compassion, and also the opportu-

nity to help the needy. “Love can even have disastrous, tragic con-sequences.”

The Fisherman goes to the Priest, to send his soul away, who is ap-palled - ‘The soul is the noblest part of man. It’s worth all the gold in the world’. He visits the merchants in the mar-

ket, but for them, his soul ‘is not worth a clipped piece of silver’. The witch agrees to help him- ‘a terrible thing to do’, with sinis-ter undertones of a Sa-tanic ritual. As his soul is cut off, it becomes a separate independent entity, eventually tak-ing on the role of a dop-

pelganger. It begs the Fisherman for his heart- “The world is cruel. Give me thy heart to take with me,” but is turned away ‘heartlessly’.

The Soul returns, once, every year to lure away the Fisherman. It tempts him with wis-dom and riches. From its travels of the East, he obtains ‘The Mirror of Wisdom’- “Thou shalt be wiser of all the wise men”. The follow-ing year the Soul re-turns from South, with ‘The Ring of Riches’- “Come, take it and the world’s riches shall all be thine”. These travels are beautifully illus-trated by Oscar Wilde in a childlike, fascinat-ing imaginary detail.

At the end of the third year, the Soul, succeeds in enticing the Fisherman to “see a girl dancing in her

bare feet”, maybe be-cause his Mermaid has none. The Soul enters the Fisherman’s body but finds no place in his heart, which is brim-ming with love for his Mermaid. With great anguish, the Fisher-man realizes, that the soul, without a heart, has become evil and now forces him to com-mit crimes, even mur-der, without impunity. He tries to cut away his soul but cannot. As a result, he’s unable to return to his love.

The Fisherman pined for his Mermaid for years. One day her dead body is washed up on the shore. He clutch-es his dead love and drowns. As his heart breaks apart- the Soul, finds it’s way inside and they become one, once again-- The Mer-maid and the Fisher-man; as also the Fisher-

man and his Soul- fi-nally, tragically united in death.

The priest, adamant that their love is cursed, has them bur-ied in an unmarked grave, in a neglected corner. A few years lat-er, he finds beautiful, rare, white flowers growing out of their grave and admits to the enduring ‘Power of Love’. He understands the Supreme script and decides to honour the

sea and all the Divine Creations. He blesses- ‘All the things in God’s world’.

Thus ends another thought-provoking tale of Oscar Wilde. It is written for and enjoyed by all age groups- each with different interpre-tations. He deeply ex-plores the balance be-tween the material and the spiritual. The title itself is testimony enough- ‘The Fisher-man versus his Soul’.

DEEPAK’S CORNER

DEEPAKdeepaklifemusings@gmail.com

The Fisherman and his Soul : Oscar Wilde

“There are two tragedies in life. One is not getting the

things you want and the other is, getting what you want”.

O

Get ready to rumble, as A m a z o n Prime Vid-

eo unveiled the teas-er for their upcoming

summer blockbuster, Hindi sports drama -

Toofaan on Friday. Pre-miering exclusively on the

service on May 21, 2021 in over 240 countries and ter-

ritories. Presented by Ama-zon Prime Video in associa-

tion with Excel Entertainment and ROMP Pictures, Toofaan is pro-duced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Farhan Akhtar and has already received a stunning response. —Agency

ETCJAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021

11

On the occasion of Maha Shivratri on Thursday, several stars celebrated the

auspicious day by pouring in wishes on their social media accounts. While oth-ers paid a visit to the temple to see blessings on the holy day, like Alia Bhatt who was spotted by the paps as she was accompanied by direc-tor Ayan Mukerji. However, the star’s boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor was not in sight since he was tested positive for Covid-19. —Agency

Seeking Blessings

When Chris H e m swo r t h starrer Ex-traction re-

leased last year, the ac-tion flick registered the biggest feature film premiere in Netflix’s history as the Sam Hargrave directorial was watched by 99 million households in its first four weeks of

release. Pretty quickly came the confirmation news about another instalment in the works with Joe Russo back in the writer’s chair while Har-grave will mostly be back as director. While Chris is yet to confirmed to reprise his role as the wicked mercenary Tyler Rake, the ending sequence of Extraction made ways for a po-tential return and gave us an exciting update. —Agency

Extraction’s Sequel

Actor Drew Barrymore says she has no immediate plans to make a comeback to act-ing as she is still focussed

on raising her two kids. The ac-tress was asked if she was plan-ning to return on the screen. “If I’m being honest, the an-swer is no. I don’t want to be on a film set right now, but that could change when my kids are older,” Barry-more said. The actor, who shares two daugh-ters eight-year-old Olive and six-year-old Frankie with her ex-husband Will Kopelman, said the decision to stop acting was a “no-brainer” for her as she wanted to be present for her children. “I stopped doing these when my kids were born, because I’ve done it since I was 11 months old. —Agency W

arner Bros Pictures and Legendary Pic-tures’ epic adventure “Godzilla Vs Kong”

will now hit the thea-tres in India on March 24. The much-anticipated film, directed by Adam Wingard, was earlier scheduled to bow out on March 26. The movie focuses on Kong and his protectors, who un-

dertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is

Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique

and powerful bond. Millie Bobby Brown will play the

lead actress role and fans are excited. —Agency

TOOFAAN: Unveiled

t has been a couple of weeks since the re-ports of Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif shooting for Tiger 3 have been coming in and fans of the two have been excited about it. Amid all the buzz, a recent re-port claimed that Salman and Katrina could not go to Turkey to shoot for a few action sequences and hence, the makers are creating the Turkish setting in Mum-bai itself. The stars were spotted at the

YRF studios this week and that left fans curious to know about Tiger 3. —Agency

The film is a horror-comedy which is set in a fictional corner of Uttar Pradesh.

The story of the film is about Bhawra (Rajkum-mar Rao) and Kattani (Varun Sharma) who call themselves journalists and

work for gangster Shakeel (Manav Vij) and help him run a profitable bride kid-napping racket. Women are scooped up, taken straight to the mandap and married off to Shakeel’s clients. It is when one such order from Shakeel leads them to kidnap Roohi (Jan-hvi Kapoor). Roohi is kept in a worn-out place in a Jungle, during this time they realise that she has a spirit inside her named Afza which overpowers

Roohi at times. Bhawra falls in love with Roohi whereas Kattani is madly in love with the spirit of Afza. All the supernatural practices and yantra man-tra are explored to free Roohi from the evil spirit of Afza whose only motive is to get married.

The overall story of the film does not impress much. At times it feels as if it has been stretched a little too much. There is no spark in the acting of Jan-

hvi Kapoor, if it were not for Rao and Sharma’s ca-maraderie, I don’t think you can stand the film for more than 20 minutes. The comic timing of these two

is the only saving grace. Their near-perfect dia-

logue delivery is what gives us genuine laughs. In

my opinion, it’s just a one time watch.

No grace just dramaDIRECTOR

Hardik Mehta

CAST & CREWJanhvi Kapoor, Rajkumar Rao,

Varun Sharma

ROOHI

RATING:

KAVITA CHAUHANcityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Poster of the film

I

Heavy duty ACTION

Saas Bahuaur Saajish

Over the past few days, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been in the

news after the two opened up in an explosive inter-view with Oprah Winfrey about the royal family. While Meghan shared how her life as a royal had been, she even alleged racism in her conversation. Kangana Ranaut reacted to the entire fiasco that unfolded after Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah and defended the queen. —Agency

Back on screen?

Elizabeth Olsen says she was clueless about Marvel’s plans to create a multiverse

until she was approached to be part of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. Olsen’s Mar-vel outing “WandaVision’’ had Evan Peter’s arrival as fake Pietro. Both the characters, Wanda and Evan, had been introduced by Mar-vel in the “Aveng-ers” franchise. However, Olsen at that stage wasn’t aware of the Mar-vel bosses’ plans to start a Marvel multiverse. After finishing her post-production work for Wanda-Vision, Elizabeth, who played the role of Wanda Maximoff moved to London for the “Doc-tor Strange” sequel starring Benedict Cum-berbatch. —Agency

Godzilla Vs Kong

WandaVision

Poster of the film

Chris HemsworthElizabeth Olsen

Katrina Kaif

Millie Bobby Brown

Ayan Mukerji and Alia Bhatt

Drew Barrymore

Salman Khan

Kangana Ranaut

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CITY BUZZ

(Clockwise) IAS Sandeep Verma, IAS Dhaigude Snehal Nana and IAS Kailash Bairwa celebrated their birthdays on Friday, Marh 12. We wish them all the best!

HAPPY B’DAY!

MAKING INDIA PROUDCITY FIRST

Shashwat Sach-dev, a National Award-winning Indian music

composer and entrepre-neur who won the 65th Filmfare RD Burman Award for the best new and upcoming talent be-sides Filmfare award, IIFA Award and Nation-al Award for Best Back-ground Music - URI (the surgical strike) has now

added another feather to his cap.

Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi launched various cultural and digital initiatives for the India@75 cele-brations and ad-dressed the gather-ing at Sabarmati Ash-ram on Friday and for the same, Shashwat Sachdev was invited by the Prime Minister to perform on the occasion. Governor of Gujarat

Acharya Devvrat, Union MoS(I/C) Prahalad Sin-gh Patel and Chief Min-ister of Gujarat Vijay

Rupani were also pre-sent during the launching ceremony. PM Modi also flagged

off the ‘Padyatra’ (Freedom March) from Sabarmati Ashram. Shashwat and his family were equally thrilled and wished him all the best for his future endeav-ours. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

A two-day Urdu Drama Festival organised by Rajasthan Urdu Academy

will be held at JKK from March 13 to 14, 2021. The festival shall feature the works of Ameer Khusrau, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Sadat Hassan Manto.

URDU DRAMA FESTIVAL

BUZZ

Shashwat Sachdev

MISS RAJASTHAN 2021

ajasthan’s biggest and most prestig-ious beauty pageant Miss Rajasthan or-ganised by Fusion Group launched the official poster for

Miss Rajasthan 2021 on Fri-day at Culture Diner and Bar, C-Scheme. Along with the poster launch ceremony, on-line registrations for partici-pating in Miss Rajasthan 2021 were declared open.

Jagdeesh Chandra was the chief guest of the event. He congratulated the show or-ganisers Yogesh Mishra and Nimisha Mishra for the same. According to the or-ganisers, Miss Rajasthan which has been organis-ing this beauty pageant for the past 21 years, is coming with a different con-cept this year. The fashion events will be organised in more than 9 cities on a grand

level. On the occasion, the winners and finalists of Miss Rajasthan walked the ramp

and added the spark of glamour to the evening.

The poster was launched by Jagdeesh

Chandra along with Miss Rajasthan 2019, Kanchan Khatana, Femina Miss India Rajasthan 2020, Aruna Beni-wal, Wea Miss India 2020,

Amisha Raj and all the final-ists of Miss Rajasthan. The grand auditions of Miss Ra-jasthan 2021 will be held in May and June, followed by the finale on August 8, 2021, at Birla Auditorium. 28 girls will be selected in auditions who will be trained by na-tional and international grooming experts.

During the Thanksgiving

party of AU Bank Jaipur Mara-thon’s 12th Edi-tion all the sup-porters and volun-teers associated with the Marathon were felicitated. Pandit Suresh Mishra, CEO of AU Bank Jaipur Mara-thon Mukesh

Mishra, Nar-ishant Shar-ma, Chair-man SBC

Group Madan Yadav, JD Mahesh-

wari, Patron Arshad Hussain, Gunjan Sin-ghal and various dig-nitaries of Jaipur were present at the

event.

Jagdeesh Chandra greeted Lakshay Sharma, Digital Marketer on the occasion of his birthday on Friday, March 12. 

MEET AND GREET!

Chief Whip Dr Mahesh Joshi, MP Ramcharan Bohra and Mayor (Jaipur Heritage) Muneesh Gurjar were the Chief Guests at the 54th Sangeet Samaroh organised by Geteshwar Kala Sansthan on the occasion of Maha Shivratri on Thursday. Renowned artists including Sharma Bandhu, Babulal, Chandu Bhat, Pooja Rathore graced the occasion with their melodious performances.

RAJ: To commemorate the 50 years of India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 War, the year 2021 is being celebrated across the country as Swarnim Vijay Varsh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over four Victory Flames or Swarnim Mashaals to the Indian Army on December 16, 2020. To honour our veterans and the memory of our martyrs, the Mashaal will be stationed in Sri Ganganagar for seven days from March 13 to 19, 2021.

RAJ: With an exclusively curated event at Castle Kanota, Militaria@Jaipur 2021 was formally launched on Friday. The guest of honour during the event was Lt Gen Alok S Kler, GoC in C, Army Commander in Jaipur. He set the stage for the proceedings of this legacy event in honour of Late General Amar Singh. To delve into themes like ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Cyber Threats’. The event shall continue tomorrow with a conference at Hotel Narain Niwas Palace where eminent speakers like Amitabh Kant, R Mehershi and Lt Gen Rajesh Pant will share their views.

RAJ: Toshi Vijay was presented with the Excellence Award in Journalism & PR by Vivekanand Global University on the eve of Women’s Day on Monday.

SWARNIM VIJAY VARSH!

EVENTS!

SANGEET SAMAROH

POSTER LAUNCHThe official poster launch of Miss Rajasthan 2021 and the thanksgiving party of AU Bank

Jaipur Marathon took place on Friday at Culture Diner and Bar, C-Scheme!

MANSI BACHANIcityfirst@firstindia.co.in

R —PH

OTOS

BY

SANT

OSH

SHAR

MA

Jagdeesh Chandra with (from left) Khushi Srivastava, Priya Malpani, Priya Yadav, Garima Wadhwa, Aruna Beniwal, Nimisha Mishra, Yogesh Mishra, Kanchan Khatana, Amisha Raj, Mansi Bachani, Tanu Mukhiya, Shubhi Dhaneta and Chiranshi Mathur Suresh Mishra

Aruna Beniwal

CITY FIRST

‘Aazadi Ka Am-rut Mahot-sav’ organ-ized jointly

by the Dept. of Art & Culture and Jawahar Kala Kendra was inau-gurated by Governor Kalraj Mishra and Minister of Art and Culture, Dr B D Kalla on Friday. Niranjan Arya, Chief Secretary was the Guest of Hon-our.

Kalraj Mishra said that 75 years of India’s freedom struggle has been well-exhibited in this exhibition at JKK. Dr B.D. Kalla said that this event is a symbolic

way of showcasing that there is a need to take inspira-tion from free-dom movements even today. CS Niranjan Arya com-mented that the pro-gramme is an attempt to showcase the signif-icance of India’s Inde-

pendence to the new generation.

DG, JKK, Mugdha Sinha shared that the Government of India is celebrating ‘Bharat Amrut Mahotsav’ from 2021 to 2023.

The event began with the inauguration of the exhibition ‘75 years of India’s Inde-pendence Exhibition - India @ 75’ at Surekh Art Gallery and in the

afternoon, an Art Camp was inaugu-rated. A patriotic

musical perfor-mance by Dr Madhu Bhatt Tailang at Ran-gayan also drew appre-ciation.

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

AAZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

Governor Kalraj Mishra with CS Niranjan Arya, DG JKK Mugdha Sinha, Ritu Shukla,PIB and Dr Pragya Paliwal, ADG to ROB during the lamp lighting ceremony Khadi Charkha exhibition

Dr B D Kalla at the exhibition tries hishand at painting Dr Madhu Bhatt Tailang and her team