26012022 first india ahmedabad-min (1)

Attack by cow leaves mother-
daughter duo injured in Rajkot
This is the 4th
cattle menace
incident to be
reported in Gujarat
in past two months
First India Bureau
Rajkot: A two-year-old
child and her mother
became the victims of
cattle menace in the
city on Sunday, after a
cow rammed into the
duo on Sant Kabir
Road. The toddler suf-
fered injuries on her
head and received 10
stitches.
Neelam Prajapati
had gone shopping
with her daughter Aan-
shi and mother-in-law.
While passing through
Sant Kabir Road, a cow
hit Neelam and Aanshi
from behind. The ani-
mal carried up the
child by its horns and
tried to crush her with
its legs. Neelam tried
to save her daughter
and was assisted by
nearby fruit and vege-
table vendors.
Turn to P6
Stray cattle roaming in the
streets is a rampant issue
plaguing citizens in cities
across the state, (inset)
Neelam and her daughter
Aanshi. —FILE PHOTO
AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 62
PM lauds EC,India’s electoral
process at BJP’s workers meet
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Tuesday while interact-
ingwithmembersof the
Bharatiya Janata Party
lauded Election Com-
mission and said that
India’s electoral process
has set a benchmark for
various counties.
“India is one of the
countries where the
Election Commission
(EC) can issue notices
to people and transfer
officials. Our EC and
electoral process set a
benchmark for various
countries,” said PM
Modi. PM Modi’s re-
mark on the election
commission comes on
the same day as India
celebrates National Vot-
ers Day
.
PM Modi was inter-
acting with panna sami-
ti members from Guja-
rat on audio via the
NaMo app. —ANI
NATIONAL
VOTERS’ DAY
MAJOR BLOW TO CONGRESS
SURGE IN HOME ISOLATION CASES
CRUCIAL READ
SENSEX SOARS
366.64 PTS TO
END AT 57,858
DELHI: 8-YR-OLD
GIRL GANG-
RAPED, TWO
DETAINED
New Delhi: On Tues-
day, he BSE Sensex
ended 366.64 points
or 0.64 per cent
higher at 57,858.15.
Similarly, the NSE Nif-
ty rose 128.85 points
or 0.75 per cent to
close at 17,277.95.
New Delhi: The
Delhi Commission for
Women (DCW) has
sent a notice to the
police seeking imme-
diate action against a
group of unidentified
men who allegedly
raped an eight-year-
old girl. The girl is
currently in the ICU
“battling for life”,
according to DCW
chairperson Swati
Maliwal. The police
said they received
the notice and have
started investigation.
Two suspects have
been detained.
Anewbeginningforme:Cong’s
RPNSinghjumpsship,joinsBJP
New Delhi: In a major
setbacktoCongress,spe-
cially the Gandhi sib-
lings, and its aggressive
election efforts in UP,
CWC member & AICC
office bearer RPN Singh
quit the party on Tues-
day and joined the BJP.
Singh was a minister of
state in the UPA II gov-
ernment.
“Today, at a time, we
are celebrating forma-
tion of our great Repub-
lic, I begin a new chap-
ter in my political jour-
ney
. Jai Hind,” he tweet-
ed along with his resig-
nation letter addressed
to Cong Prez Sonia Gan-
dhi. “This is a new be-
ginning for me & I look
forward to my contribu-
tion to nation-building
under visionary leader-
ship & guidance of PM
Modi, BJP Prez JP Na-
dda & Home Minister
Amit Shah,”Singh
tweeted. —PTI
‘BJP leadership
‘cutting Yogi to
size’: Priyanka
Gandhi
New Delhi: Congress
leader Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra said fielding CM
Yogi from his home turf
Gorakhpur Priyanka
said, “Looks to me like
his leadership is at-
tempting
to cut him
to size. It’s
an open
s e c r e t
that they
have been
wanting to do so for
sometime. Their inter-
nal pushes & pulls are
beginning to reveal
themselves in public
now. I suppose in an au-
tocratic system like
theirs, there can only be
one supreme leader,”
Cong gen secy said.—PTI
RPN’s IMPACT ON POLLS & PARTY
Electorally, his exit from the grand old party will have
limited impact given that he is not a pan-UP leader
& his sphere of influence is confined to Kushi Nagar
LS seat, adjoining Gorakhpur, which he represented in
2009. His old Assembly seat of Padrauna, which he rep-
resented thrice from 1996 - 2009, falls in Kushi Nagar.
But Singh’s exit is politically damaging to Congress as
he is considered to be one of the ‘Gen Next’ leaders.
Though he is 57 yrs old, he was seen as among leaders
who would be part of Rahul Gandhi’s future Congress.
The battle which Congress party is
fighting can be fought only with brav-
ery ... It requires courage, strength and
Priyanka Gandhi Ji has said that coward people
can’t fight it —Supriya Shrinate, Congress spokesperson
Foreignfundinglicence:
NoSCrelieffor6KNGOs
SC seeks Centre,
EC response on
poll freebies
New Delhi: SC on Tues-
day issued notices to
Centre & EC seeking
their response to a PIL
seeking a direction to
seize election symbol or
de-register a political
party that promises or
distributes ‘irrational
freebies’ from public
funds before polls. A
bench comprising CJI
NV Ramana & Justices
AS Bopanna & Hima
Kohli observed, “It is a
serious issue & freebies
budget goes beyond reg-
ular budget. Eventhough
its not a corrupt practice,
but it creates a uneven
playing field.” —PTI
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court has de-
clined immediate relief
to NGOs including Mis-
sionaries of Charity
who lost FCRA registra-
tion after the Centre
said that the extension
of the licence was given
to NGOs which filed ap-
plications.
Refusing to pass an
interim order to protect
the 6,000 NGOs, the
court asked them to
make a presentation be-
fore the Centre for the
renewal, which would
then take a decision as
per the law.
The top court said it
does not want to inter-
fere in the matter and
that the NGOs should
first approach the gov-
ernment. If they are
unhappy with deci-
sions, the matter could
be heard in court. —PTI
Union Minister Mandaviya directs
states, UTs to bolster teleconsultations
New Delhi: In view of
a substantial number
of COVID-19 patients
recuperating in home
isolation,UnionHealth
Minister Mansukh
Mandaviyainteracting
with health mins, bu-
reaucrats & adminis-
trators of 9 states &
UTs asked to focus on
expanding reach of tel-
econsultation services
to provide timely
healthcare. —PTI
STEALTH OMICRON SYMPTOMS DIFFICULT
TO DISCERN FROM DELTA, SAYS EXPERT
In recent findings, it came to light that it is difficult
to differentiate between Delta & BA.2, infectious
sub-variant Omicron, or so-called stealth variant un-
less genome sequencing is done. Explaining this, Dr
Harsh Mahajan, Founder-Chief Radiologist, Mahajan
Imaging said, “What happens in BA.2, an Omicron
sub-variant, is that S-gene drop-off doesn’t happen
with RT-PCR. It’s also known as ‘stealth variant’ as
it’s similar on thermo fisher RT-PCR kit, to what
Delta was.”“Hence if we don’t do genome sequenc-
ing, we won’t be able to differentiate between Delta
& this so-called stealth variant or BA.2”. —ANI
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
GUJARAT
16,608
NEW
CASES
5,386
NEW CASES
IN A’BAD
28
NEW DEATHS
The press and offices of
First India will remain
closed on January 26,
2022, on account of
Republic Day. There will,
therefore, be no edition of
the paper on January 27,
2022. —Editor
HOLIDAY NOTICE OUR EDITIONS:
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD,
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD,
LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI
LUCKNOW & NEW DELHI
www.firstindia.co.in
www.firstindia.co.in
www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/
www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/
twitter.com/thefirstindia
twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia
instagram.com/thefirstindia
instagram.com/thefirstindia
REPUBLIC DAY 2022
PADMA AWARDS ANNOUNCED
The Padma Bhushan will also be conferred on Congress
leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella,
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and SII MD Cyrus Poonawalla
PadmaVibhushantoGen
Rawat,KalyanSingh
n the eve of the
Republic Day,
the Centre on
Tuesday an-
nounced the
list of recipients of
Padma awards. Among
other honours, first
CDS late General Bipin
Rawat & former Uttar
Pradesh CM Kalyan
Singh have been award-
ed the Padma Vibhush-
an.
The Padma Bhushan
will be conferred on
Cong leader Ghulam
Nabi Azad, ex-WB CM
Buddhadeb Bhattachar-
jee, Microsoft CEO
Satya Nadella, Alpha-
bet CEO Sundar Pichai
& SII MD Cyrus Poona-
walla. Covaxin maker
Bharat Biotech Chair-
man Krishna Ella, his
co-founder wife Suchi-
tra Ella.
Olympians Neeraj
Chopra, Pramod Bha-
gat Vandana Kataria,
and singer Sonu Nigam
will be awarded the
Padma Shri.
R-Day: President Kovind remembers
contribution of India’s freedom fighters
New Delhi: During his
address to the country
on Republic Day eve,
President Ram Nath
Kovind remembered the
contribution of freedom
fighters in India’s inde-
pendence movement.
“On this occasion, let us
also remember the great
freedom fighters who
showed incomparable
courage in their pursuit
of the dream of Swaraj
and fired up the people
to fight for it”. “Two
days ago, on January
23, all of us observed
the 125th birth anniver-
sary of Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose who had
adopted the energising
salutation of ‘Jai Hind’.
His quest for independ-
ence and his ambition
to make India proud
inspired all of us,” said
president Kovind while
remembering Netaji.
O
RAJIV MEHRISHI AND 4 OTHERS
FROM RAJ GET PADMA AWARDS
Mehrishi gets Padma Bhushan. Four others -
Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia, Avani Lekhara;
Chandraprakash Dwivedi and Ramdayal Sharma
for arts, also named for Padma awards
Aditi Nagar
New Delhi: Former
Rajasthan Chief Sec-
retary- IAS Rajiv
Mehrishi - has been
named as a recipient
of the prestigious
Padma Bhushan
award. On Tuesday
,
President Ram Nath
Kovind gave his ap-
proval to this effect
after which Home
Secretary called and
congratulated Mehri-
shi, who has been
named for the award
for excellent services
as a bureaucrat.
Mehrishi has been
the former Home Sec-
retary& FinanceSec-
retary of the country
& also served as CAG
from 2017 to 2020.
Mehrishi has been
appointed as Chair-
man of NSE IFSC, a
wholly owned sub-
sidiary of National
Stock Exchange.
Turn to P16
OLYMPIAN NEERAJ CHOPRA GETS
PARAM VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
SECURITY BEEFED UP AHEAD OF R-DAY,
FRS INSTALLED @ 30 LOCATIONS
939 POLICE MEDALS
ANNOUNCED
Subedar Neeraj Chopra, first Indian
track & field athlete to win a gold
medal at Olympic games & serv-
ing in Indian Army’s 4 Rajputana
Rifles, has been awarded Param
Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) for
his distinguished service. Chopra’s
name figures in list of Army per-
sonnel awarded for their gallantry.
In order to keep check on people coming to watch
R-Day Parade, Delhi cops installed Facial Recognition
Systems & CCTV cameras to strengthen security. “We
have installed Facial Recognition Systems at 30 different
locations, including 6 entry points for frisking. FRS has a
database of 50,000 suspected criminals,” they said.
A total of 939 service
medals, including 189 for
gallantry, was announced
by Centre for personnel
of various central & state
police forces on the eve of
Republic Day.
COPS PUT POSTERS
OF TERRORISTS
Delhi Police put up 4
posters of suspected
Al-Qaeda terrorists near
Hanuman Mandir in
Connaught Place, that
mentioned 4 individuals
having links with group.

First India Bureau
Rajkot: A daycare
centre was inaugurat-
ed by Director General
of Police (DGP) Ash-
ish Bhatia at the Ra-
jkot police headquar-
ters on Tuesday.
The ‘Vatsalya Amrut
Creche’ has been estab-
lished to ensure conven-
ience of employed per-
sonnel, especially wom-
en with little kids. The
aim of the crèche is to
provide relief to work-
ing mothers. With beau-
tiful paintings and edu-
cational art work
adorning its walls, the
daycare has education-
al as well as entertain-
ing toys to keep chil-
dren involved in con-
structive activities.
Two female caretakers
have been employed to
supervise the children
along with a female po-
lice staffer.
According to Rajkot
police, 50 kids have
been registered for the
daycare. Moreover,
CCTV cameras that
have been arranged
will enable parents to
monitor their child
while at work.
Thewomenpoliceper-
sonnelfraternityshowed
gratitudetowardsRajkot
police for establishing
thedaycare.“Sometimes
it becomes very difficult
for women police offi-
cialstotakecareof their
children; especially
when both the husband
and the wife are work-
ing. The creche is a boon
for working mothers
like us,” said a female
police officer.
Rajkot police also
launched a booklet
about activities execut-
ed by the department
in 2021, such as, detec-
tion, work on lowering
crime rate, first & sec-
ond wave of the COV-
ID-19 pandemic, Durga
Shakti team, traffic,
among others.
Daycare for police personnel inaugurated in Rajkot
MODERN BOON
Female officials hail move as crèche
will have two caretakers and a
police staffer as babysitter
DGP Ashish Bhatia with police personnel and their kids at the inaugural event.
Kansara community demands inclusion in OBC category
First India Bureau
Vadodara: The Va-
dodara Gujarati Kan-
sara Gyati Mandal on
Tuesday submitted an
application to Collector
AB Gor for inclusion in
the Other Backward
Classes (OBC) category,
to help benefit youths in
the community
.
Citing the economi-
cally weak stature of
people in the commu-
nity, members of the
mandal stated that the
reservation will pro-
vide youngsters of the
community education
and employment op-
portunities.
Community leaders
also met with Sugya
Bhatt, Commissioner
of Gujarat OBC Com-
mission to speak about
the issue.
“Our community is
known for making
handmade utensils to
earn their living.
However, the big com-
panies use machines
to manufacture uten-
sils and that has hit
us hard. We are eco-
nomically backward
and demand that our
community be includ-
ed in the OBC catego-
ry so that we become
eligible for benefits.
This will help our
youngsters educate
themselves and se-
cure jobs,” said
Shailesh Goradia,
President, Vadodara
Gujarati Kansara
Gyati Mandal.
Pvt hosp nurse found
dead under suspicious
circumstances
First India Bureau
Rajkot: A nurse work-
ing at a private hospital
was found in an uncon-
scious state on Monday
in her bathroom. She
was rushed to the hos-
pital, but she was de-
clared dead.
Reportedly, the
26-years-old Alpa Bhu-
pat, a native of Gir Som-
nath, was working as a
nurse at Synergy hospi-
tal, near Raiya circle.
On Monday, after re-
turning from her duty,
she went to her flat. Af-
ter some time, when she
did not open her bath-
room door, her room-
mate called the lady
warden. They broke the
door and found Alpa in
an unconscious state.
She was rushed to the
hospital where she was
declared dead.
Gandhigram police
have initiated the inves-
tigations. According to
the police, an injection
was found in the room;
but no injection marks
were found on the body
.
The body has been sent
for post-mortem but,
the cause of death is
still unknown. The po-
lice have taken the
statements of her room-
mate and brother.
The deceased nurse Alpa Bhupat
RELIGIOUS OFFERING
On the eve of India’s 73rd Republic Day, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel conducted a puja
at the Somnath Temple on Tuesday. He was accompanied by Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar
and Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia.
Sessionscourtupholds
sentence for four cops
First India Bureau
Junagadh: The Visa-
vadar Sessions court
on Tuesday upheld
the verdict of a trial
court, which sen-
tenced three police
personnel to jail for
shaming, beating and
parading a man ac-
cused of molesting a
woman in public back
to “make an example
of him”.
The incident, which
occurred in Bhesan in
February 2004, took
place after Himmat
Limbani approached
the cops to submit an
application that a false
case had been regis-
tered against him.
Rather than allow
the law to take its
course, then sub-in-
spector PB Sonara and
constables Dadu Mas-
ri, Ramesh Pansuriya
and Ramji Hamir
shaved Limbani’s
head and moustache,
beat him in the police
station and then pa-
raded him in the even-
ing from the police sta-
tiontoParabdisquare,
where Limbani’s face
was blackened.
After he was re-
leased on bail the next
day, Limbani moved
the court against the
police atrocity
. In 2018,
the lower court found
the officers guilty and
sentenced Sonara to
three years in prison,
while the three consta-
bles were sentenced to
one year in prison.
All four cops chal-
lenged the trial court’s
order before the Ses-
sions Court (Visa-
vadar), which has now
upheld the lower
court’s verdict.
Interesting, PB
Sonara is currently
serving as a police
inspector in Morbi
district.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: A day
after it was reported
that former Chief
Minister Vijay Rupani
was sidelined and/or
not invited for the Ra-
jkot Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) event,
state unit President
CR Patil on Tuesday
attempted to down-
play rumours of
groupism. Addressing
media persons on the
day, he said, “We (the
party) function like a
family. And, Vijay Ru-
pani was very much
part of the prime min-
ister’s virtual event,
where he addressed
lakhs of page commit-
tee members.”
On Monday, Chief
Minister Bhupendra
Patel virtually inaugu-
rated and dedicated an
underbridge in Rajkot.
Party sources said that
though former CM Ru-
pani was in the city, he
was neither invited to
the event nor his name
was on the host list.
This development has
sparked controversy
that Rupani has been
sidelined in the party
and that whenever Pa-
til is in Rajkot, he re-
mains absent at every
event. Last month,
when Chief Minister
Patel’s roadshow was
organized in Rajkot,
Rupani did not show
up for the event till Pa-
til was present. This
was a clear indication
of differences between
the two leaders.
Since Patil’s last me-
dia address, specula-
tions were rife that the
BJP was preparing for
early elections. How-
ever, he poured cold
water on it by clarify-
ing that the state as-
sembly elections will
be held as scheduled in
December.
The BJP Gujarat
chief also announced
on Wednesday that the
party was planning to
fight polls by making
developmental pro-
jects as its main issue.
Last week,
the state BJP
unit selected
its parliamenta-
ry board mem-
bers. However, the
absence of a rep-
resentative from
the Brahmin com-
munity has not
gone down well
with community
leaders. They have
decided to take up
the matter with
senior party
leaders and
request in-
clusion of a
Brahmin leader in
the board.
Assuring assembly polls will be held in Dec as scheduled,
BJP Guj chief dismisses rumours of strife within party
Trial court had sent
them to jail for
shaming, beating
and parading
accused in public
NEWS
AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022
02
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
BJP IS LIKE A FAMILY,
THERE IS NO GROUPISM: PATIL
BJP Gujarat unit President CR Patil. —FILE PHOTO
Nurse Alpa Bhupat
returned to her
room and fell
unconscious in her
bathroom, only to
be declared dead
later by doctors
Members of Kansara community with the application prior to submission.

PERSPECTIVE
04
Vol 3 Issue No. 62
RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050. Printed and
published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf
of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-
Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium
Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya,
Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala responsible for selection of
news under the PRB Act
In this 75th
year of
Independence,
let us re-
discover the
values that
animated
our glorious
national
movement.
President of India
@rashtrapatibhvn SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Just as the boyhood, youth and old
age come to the embodied Soul in
this body, in the same manner, is
the attaining of another body; the
wise man is not deluded at that.
— Bhagavad Gita
TOP
TWEETS
India’s first CDS Late Bipin
Rawat ji was a unique patriot,
who served the country with full
devotion and dedication. Prime
Minister @NarendraModi Ji
has honored his service to the
nation in true sense by giving
him Padma Vibhushan. For this,
I congratulate Modi ji on behalf
of the country.
Amit Shah
@AmitShah
REPUBLIC SHOULD BECOME
STRONGER IN THE LIGHT OF
Amrit Mahotsav of Independence is a festival to make us realize the real secret of freedom
in the light of the glorious traditions of our national love, harmony, and spirituality
‘AmritMahotsav’
hen the country became inde-
pendent, we did not have any sov-
ereign constitution of our own.
Republic Day is very important
because the Constitution came
into force on this day
. The Indian
Constitution is the largest hand-
written constitution in the world.
I consider it a global document of
human rights and duties. If there
is a reliable system for the protec-
tion of human rights, then it is in
the Indian Constitution itself.
Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of
the Nation, had once said that ‘the
Ganges of rights flows from the
Himalayas of duties’. The Consti-
tution is the decorum of freedom.
The whole country is celebrat-
ing the Amrit Mahotsav of Inde-
pendence at this time. There is
also a need to think deeply in the
context of this Mahotsav on the
occasion of Republic Day. Be-
cause, for the first time this has
happened when the Mahotsav is
being celebrated at various levels
across the country for keeping
the memory of our freedom fight-
ers alive, to keep the culture and
glorious history of the country
intact in the light of the events
related to the freedom movement.
Consider that we are all illumi-
nated by the sun and the light of
the sun is reflected on the earth
by becoming moonlight. Moon is
immortal. Having nectar-like
rays. Its rays never fade. It is in-
destructible due to being imbued
with the nectar element. I also
consider Indian culture to be in-
exhaustible in the same way
.
The Amrit Mahotsav of Inde-
pendence is a festival to make us
realize the real secret of freedom
in the light of the glorious tradi-
tions of our national love, har-
mony, and spirituality
. It is dedi-
catedtothosepeople,duetowhich
the country became self-reliant in
various fields. It is dedicated to
the achievements of those who
wrote incredible success stories
to make the country strong and
prosperous. Public participation
hasbeenensuredintheall-around
development of the country
. The
aim is that the small efforts and
changes that have been made for
the pride of the country at the lo-
cal level for the spirit of self-reli-
ant India can take the form of
national achievement. The real
objective of this festival is to pre-
serve the history of efforts made
for great successes in each state
and every region of India so as to
inspire future generations. I also
call it the inspirational festival of
the new generation.
After independence, a strong
foundation of development in the
country was laid based on
planned development in each
area under the constitution. The
philosophy associated with Indi-
an culture, the lofty life tradi-
tions we have - the Constitution
explains it in a way
. I believe that
a nation is not just a landmass. It
is a thought in itself. The mean-
ing of seeing the country in the
noun of thought is a nation in
which there is no distinction be-
tween men and women based on
caste and religion. Where experi-
ence and knowledge are partners.
Bharat itself means that great
tradition of knowledge and phi-
losophy in which the essence
from the Vedic hymns to the Ad-
vaita philosophy of Adi Shanka-
racharya comes. Our nation has
given the message of considering
the whole world as our family
with the formula of ‘Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam’.
Today the country is progress-
ing rapidly by providing social,
economic, mental, political free-
dom to women, social and eco-
nomic backward, disabled, and
tribals. But I believe that the real
goal will be accomplished only
when the person standing in the
last row gets equality and justice.
It is imperative that our new gen-
eration become self-reliant, and
be educated in human values. It
is the duty of all of us that we
should be fully engaged in achiev-
ing the bigger goals of self-reli-
ance. Post-covid pandemic, the
world will be new. There will be a
new system, and I am sure this
new system will be inspired by
the lofty values of Indian culture.
Because even in the difficult
times of covid, we supplied med-
icines and vaccines not only for
ours but to other countries of the
world keeping in view the world
humanity
.
The country has achieved
great successes in various fields
in the last 75 years despite diffi-
cult challenges. India, which
once faced a shortage of food
grains, is today the world’s larg-
est exporter of food grains. The
country has today become a glob-
al supplier of vaccines in the era
of the pandemic, recovering from
the lack of health services. With
the emerging nationalism, today
the country has taken a big leap
in information technology and
special knowledge-based indus-
tries. We have achieved food secu-
rity for a large population. There
is no area in which India is not
moving fast.
Come, on Republic Day today
, in
the light of ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Ma-
hotsav’,letusalltrywithdetermi-
nation to take the nation on the
path of knowledge and develop-
ment. Create new avenues for the
progress of the country
. May eve-
ryone’s happiness be collective
happiness and sorrow collective
sorrow. We should be proud of the
nation’s pride, with this collective
spirit, on Republic Day, let us all
pave the way for the all-around
development of the country
.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
Come, on Republic Day
today, in the light of
‘Azadi Ke Amrit
Mahotsav’, let us all try
with determination to
take the nation on the
path of knowledge and
development. Create new
avenues for the progress
of the country. May
everyone’s happiness be
collective happiness and
sorrow collective sorrow.
We should be proud of the
nation’s pride, with this
collective spirit, on
Republic Day, let us
all pave the way for the
all-around development
of the country
W
KALRAJ MISHRA
The writer is Governor of Rajasthan
The whole country is celebrating the Amrit
Mahotsav of Independence at this time. There is also a
need to think deeply in the context of this Mahotsav on the
occasion of Republic Day. Because, for the first time this
has happened when the Mahotsav is being
celebrated at various levels across the country for
keeping the memory of our freedom fighters alive, to keep
the culture and glorious history of the country intact
in the light of the events related to the freedom movement

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

GUJARAT
05
GMC demands
additional power,
responsibilities
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
newly elected body
of the Gandhinagar
Municipal Corpora-
tion (GMC) on Tues-
day met with Chief
Minister Bhupen-
dra Patel to ap-
praise him of the
need to hand over
more powers to the
civic body
.
With an increment
in its city limit area
from 177 square kilo-
metres to 326 kilome-
tres in 2020, Gandhi-
nagar merged with 18
villages and one na-
garpalika (Pethapur).
As the elected wing
onlyhasthechargeof
the sanitation depart-
ment, the new body
has demanded that
the state government
relinquish other ser-
vices to it.
Mayor Hitesh Mak-
wana and other GMC
office-bearers ap-
prisedCMPatelof the
need to hand over a
few more services to
the corporation.
Defending the de-
mands made by them,
Makwana said, “The
responsibility of edu-
cation, health and
other services is still
in the hands of the
roads and buildings
department’s Patna-
gar Yojna branch.”
Another argument
to support the may-
or’s quest for more
power was merger of
villages and a nagar-
palika into the corpo-
ration. “Earlier, the
corporation was lim-
ited to only 30 sec-
tors. When villages
and a nagarpalika
have been merged
into the corporation
limit area, adminis-
tration of all basic
services should be
handed over to the
civic body
,” said Mak-
wana. Chief Minister
Patel agreed to relin-
quishment of addi-
tional responsibili-
ties, in principle,
which will be execut-
ed in phases.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Engineer-
ing graduate Maulesh
Parikh gets into the re-
cord book after filing 21
patents in a single day.
The 25-years-old ap-
plied for the India Book
of Records in June 2021.
While his application
was approved in July
2021, which authorised
him for Maximum Pat-
ents Filed Together in a
Single Day by an Indi-
vidual, he received the
physical copy of the
certificate and a medal
only recently
.
Studying first-year
law at Anand Law Col-
lege, Maulesh complet-
ed his MTech from Pa-
rul University in 2021
and based on his zeal
for innovation backed
by engineering, he
filed 21 patents in a sin-
gle day. He prepared
virtual models and
filed for the record.
“The virtual models
are from different fields
like mechanical, electri-
cal, bio-medical, dentist-
ry, machine learning,
artificial intelligence,
working model of appli-
ances running with re-
newable sources and
others. One of the mod-
els worth mentioning is
of a wheelchair moving
on artificial intelli-
gence,” said Maulesh.
“I have been innovat-
ing since 2017 and had
also pursued a two-year
course in IPR separate-
ly. But I want to move
ahead in this career and
so, I am now studying
law,” added Maulesh.
V’DARA STUDENT FILES 21 PATENTS IN A SINGLE DAY
KICKED BY INNOVATION
Engineering student Maulesh Parikh
becomes a record titleholder and is
currently pursuing IPR laws to continue
with his interest in innovations and patents
Maulesh Parikh with his certificate from the India Book of Records.
END OF AN ERA
INS Khukri, lead ship of the Indian Navy’s Khukri class corvettes, is scheduled to be handed over to the Diu Administration on
Wednesday. It was decomissioned in December after 32 years of service.
Khadia residents oppose film
shooting in their historic pol
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: More
than 50 residents of
Khadia’s Dhal ni Pol
have written a letter to
the city police commis-
sioner Sanjay Shrivas-
tav seeking a ban on
permission to shoot
films in the pol. The
letter also specifies a
ban on all other activi-
ties related to film
shooting and, no new
permission should be
granted.
It is to be noted that
the pols of the city has
been inscribed as World
Heritage City and are
promoted to get more
tourists.
They said that there
are a few people in the
locality who are allow-
ing filmmakers to shoot,
but the latter are violat-
ing all the rules and
regulations. “There is
harassment to most of
the people living around
the places of the shoot
in the Pol. Some of these
outsiders also consume
tobacco and are addict-
ed to other vices, leav-
ing a bad impression on
our kids. The narrow
streets in the Pols lead
to traffic jams, practi-
cally at all times. It ham-
pers movement,” said
Girish Parikh, one of
the residents.
The letter said that
this is a written objec-
tion letter against such
permission. “Under any
circumstances, in the fu-
ture, any advertisement,
film shooting, serials
and movie cannot be
filmed here; permission
should not be granted. If
thereisanysuchpermis-
sion given already
, then
please cancel it. If new
permission is granted
then you will be respon-
sible for any mishap. We
will strongly agitate and
take legal action in the
future,” stated the letter.
The pols are part of A’bad’s identity as World Heritage City.
Gujsees16,608newnCoV
cases,28freshfatalities
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Guja-
rat reported 16,608
new COVID-19 cases
on Tuesday, raising
its overall tally to
10,92,968, while 28
more patients suc-
cumbed to the infec-
tion in the state, the
health department
said.
The daily figure was
higher than a day ago
(13,805), but lower than
over 20,000 cases report-
ed for four consecutive
days last week.
With 28 deaths re-
ported in the last 24
hours, the statewide
coronavirus toll rose to
10,302, said the depart-
ment in a release.
Of the new fatalities,
10 were reported in
Ahmedabaddistrict,five
in Surat, four in Jamna-
gar,twoinVadodara,one
eachinMehsana,Navsa-
ri, Kheda, Panchmahal,
Bhavnagar, Devbhumi
Dwarka and Botad, the
release said.
As the number of re-
coveries (17,467) was
higher than new infec-
tions, the tally of active
cases slightly dropped
to 1,34,261, of which 255
patients are on ventila-
tor support, it said.
The count of recov-
ered cases increased to
9,48,405.
D i s t r i c t - w i s e ,
Ahmedabad reported
the highest number of
5,386 new cases, Va-
dodara 3,802, Rajkot
1,649 and Surat 1,476,
among others, the re-
lease said.
As many as 2.43 lakh
people received doses of
coronavirus vaccines
during the day
, pushing
up the number of shots
administered so far in
the state to 9.67 crore,
the department said.
Gujarat recorded a
positivity rate of 13.4%
on Monday, as per test-
ing figures updated on
Tuesday on the state’s
official COVID dash-
board.
The rate indicates the
percentage of people
who test positive for the
virus of those overall
who have been tested.
Meanwhile, the Un-
ion Territory of Dadra
and Nagar Haveli, Da-
man and Diu reported
22 new cases and 34 re-
coveries, raising their
respective tally to
11,249 and 11,047, offi-
cials said.
Positivity rate now at 13.4%, according to latest testing figures on dashboard
COVID-19 testing at Prabhat Chowk in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
First India Bureau
Surat: After record-
ing the second high-
est number of COV-
ID-19 infections in
the state for the past
few days, Surat Mu-
nicipal Commission-
er Banchhanidhi
Pani attributed the
decline in cases to
rapid vaccination.
“At one stage, Surat
had more positive cas-
es than Ahmedabad.
With 2,500 to 3,000
cases being registered
daily, the Surat Mu-
nicipal Corporation
(SMC) health depart-
ment was posed with
a challenge. But, rap-
id vaccination has fi-
nally given us results.
The most important
role was played by the
Dhanvantari Raths
and Sanjeevani
Raths,” said Pani.
SMC has successfully
administered the first
vaccine dose to 100%
of its population and
second dose to 90%
people.
COVID-19 UPDATE
9,48,405
TOTALRECOVERED
17,467 MORE
IN A DAY
10,92,968
TOTAL CASES
16,608 CASES
IN A DAY
5,386 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE CASES
10,302
TOTAL DEATHS
1,34,261
28 DEATHS
IN A DAY
Jabs aided drop in cases: Pani
The wheelchair model designed by Maulesh
that works on artificial intelligence.
—FILE
PHOTO

JD(U) releases first list
of 20 candidates for UP
Lucknow: Janata
Dal (United) on
Tuesday released its
first list of 20 candi-
dates for the upcom-
ing Uttar Pradesh
Assembly elections.
In December last
year, Janata Dal
(United) National
President of JD(U)
Rajeev Ranjan Sin-
gh alias Lalan Singh
said his party was
informed that BJP
is ready for an alli-
ance with them for
the upcoming as-
sembly elections in
UP and hoped to win
the elections. “We
hope to win the up-
coming elections,”
Singh had said.
—ANI
Chandigarh: The Aam
Aadmi Party’s (AAP)
chief ministerial candi-
date in Punjab, Bhag-
want Mann, on Tuesday
said that if Captain
Amarinder Singh was
receiving calls and mes-
sages from Pakistan to
make Navjot Singh Sid-
hu a minister, then why
did he keep it a secret
for so long.
Was it at the behest
of Pakistan that the
Captain later offered a
ministry to Sidhu,
Mann sought to know.
He also reacted to
Amarinder Singh’s
comment calling him a
comedian, by saying
that this comedian has
always raised the issues
of Punjab’s water, agri-
culture, farmers and
mafia in Parliament.
Addressing the me-
dia here, Mann said on
Tuesday that Captain
was making such state-
ments to disturb the at-
mosphere of Punjab
during the elections as
he had nothing left now.
Without naming any-
one, the AAP leader re-
marked that “Pakistan”
himself used to live
with him in his house.
“Captain used to ap-
point ministers, DGP
and CS of the state only
after asking Pakistan.
Captain used the ser-
vices of senior officers
of Punjab to take care
of the sitaphal and chi-
ku at his Siswan farm-
house,” he added.
“When Captain Ama-
rinder was an MP, he
did not even go to Par-
liament. His attendance
was the worst, let alone
his chances of raising
any issue pertaining to
Punjab and its people.
Even as the CM, he de-
ceived the people of
Punjab. Instead of ful-
filling promises, he was
spending time in his
farm house. Today he is
getting punished for his
betrayal,” he said. He
also strongly con-
demned the sacrilege
incident at Kali Mata
temple in Patiala.
IN THE COURTYARD
MUMBAI COURT
DISCHARGES SHILPA
IN GERE CASE
Mumbai:
Almost 15
years after
Shilpa Shetty
landed in an
obscenity
case when
Hollywood star Richard
Gere kissed her on her
cheeks at a public event,
the actress was dis-
charged from the case by
a Mumbai court.
ACTRESS ASSAULT
CASE: KERALA HC
GRANTS 10 DAYS
Kerala: The Kerala HC on
Tuesday granted ten days
to prosecution to com-
plete examination of wit-
nesses in case pertaining
to the alleged abduction
sexual assault of a woman
actor in 2017. Prominent
Malayalam actor Dileep is
one of the accused in the
case. HC directive after SC
turned down govt’s plea
to extend the trial time.
INDIA
06
Moni Sharma
New Delhi: There is no
challenge within the
Trinamool Congress to
the leadership of Chief
Minister Mamata Ba-
nerjee but her nephew
Abhishek Banerjee will
have to prove himself to
become the leader of
the party
.
The voices of resent-
ment against him have
started rising in the
party. He has also been
accused of running
contrary to the policies
of the party and the
state government re-
garding Corona. So far,
only one party MP,
Kalyan Banerjee has
raised the voice, but in
the coming days, this
voice may get more
strength.
Kalyan Banerjee has
said that Abhishek will
be considered a leader
only if the party wins
the assembly elections
in Tripura and Goa un-
der his command.
There are elections in
Tripura next year but
the results for Goa will
come in two months.
If the party is unable
to open an account or
win more than one or
two seats in Goa, then
the voice against Ab-
hishek will gain in
strength. Abhishek and
his team also under-
stand this, only then
Mamta Banerjee’s sec-
ond nephew Akash Ba-
nerjee has been brought
forward.
He has opened a front
against Kalyan Baner-
jee and has told the
need for a new MP in
place of Kalyan Baner-
jee from Shrirampur.
But Abhishek’s work
will not be cut out due
to his brother making
statements. If he as-
pires to leadership, he
will have to show by
winning the election.
Abhishek will be a leader only if TMC wins Tripura and Goa!
CHALLENGING TIME

Abhishek
Banerjee will
have to prove
himself to
become the
leader of the
party. Although
there is no
challenge within
the party.
New Delhi: Aam Aad-
mi Party on Friday re-
leased first list of can-
didates for the upcom-
ing Uttarakhand polls
scheduled for 2022.
AAP Uttarakhand in
charge Dinesh Mo-
haniya shared the list
on Twitter. The devel-
opment comes ahead
of Delhi Environment
Minister and senior
AAP leader Gopal
Rai’s five-day visit to
Uttarakhand from Sat-
urday, during which he
will address a series of
public meetings and
pitch for a “novel
change” in the state
ahead of the assembly
polls in the coming
months.
Ahead of Assembly
polls, Bharatiya Jana-
ta Party (BJP) has
planned to convene 10
meetings at every
booth in Uttarakhand.
AAP releases fourth list of 10 candidates
Panaji: Ahead of Goa
Assembly elections,
Former Cong leader Jo-
seph Robert Sequeira
who is an ex-Sarpanch
from Calangute constit-
uency on Tuesday
joined BJP. “We are
winning the upcoming
Assembly elections in
Goa,” said Goa CM
Pramod Sawant, who
was also present.
Ex-Cong leader Sequeira
joins BJP ahead of Goa polls
PUNJAB POLLS
‘Comedian’ has always raised
his voice on Punjab’s issues: Mann
The AAP leader asked that if Amarinder Singh was receiving calls from
Pakistan to make Navjot Singh Sidhu a minister, why did he keep it a secret
Bhagwant Mann addressing media in Chandigarh. —File Photo
RAHUL TO VISIT PUNJAB ON JANUARY 27
Chandigarh: Congress will be routed in next
month’s Punjab Assembly polls while his party’s
alliance will sweep the polls, winning over 80
seats, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir
Singh Badal claimed on Tuesday. The Aam Aadmi
Party will win less than 10 seats, he said. SAD is
contesting the polls in alliance with Mayawati’s Ba-
hujan Samaj Party. According to the seat-sharing
arrangement between the two parties, the BSP is
contesting 20 of 117 Assembly seats in Punjab,
while the rest will be contested by the Akalis.
SAD-BSP TO SWEEP PUNJAB POLLS: BADAL
MANN RIDICULES
SIDHU ON AAP’S
POLLS FEEDBACK
Chandigarh: AAP
leader Bhagwant
Mann on Tuesday
ridiculed Navjot Singh
Sidhu for question-
ing the survey for
selecting the CM face
and asked him not to
interfere in the inter-
nal affairs of the Aam
Aadmi Party. Mann
asked Sidhu to get a
survey done from his
own party for choos-
ing the CM candi-
date. Addressing the
media here, Mann
said Mr Sidhu is
now questioning the
AAP’s survey ‘Janta
Chunegi Apna CM.’
Mr Sidhu on Monday
had dubbed AAP’s
survey a “scam” and
“a deceptive scheme”
and had said his
party had lodged a
complaint with the
Election Commission
against it.
Chandigarh: Punjab Con-
gress President Navjot
Singh Sidhu on Tues-
day condemned the al-
leged sacrilege bid at
Shri Kali Mata Mandir
in Patiala on Monday by
saying that the politics
of fear, polarisation and
hate is intruding the
northern state.
Taking to Twitter,
Sidhu wrote, “Incident
of sacrilege at Mata
Kali Devi temple is de-
plorable, divisive forces
can never tear into the
socio-economic fabric
of Punjabiyat.”
The Punjab Cong
president added that
Punjabiyat’s armour is
universal brotherhood
respect for religions.
On Monday, a man was
arrested in connection
of sacrilege bid. —ANI
Sidhu condemns ‘sacrilege
attempt’ at Kali temple in Patiala
Navjot Singh Sidhu addressing media. —File Photo
SACRILEGE ATTACK
UP POLLS
New Delhi: UP
Deputy Chief Min-
ister Keshav Prasad
Maurya on Tuesday
slammed Samajwadi
Party chief Akhilesh
Yadav saying that
his party and his
allies cannot stop
Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) from
returning to power
in the upcoming as-
sembly elections in
the state and alleged
that SP is giving
tickets to criminals.
“SP is not able
enough to stop the
lotus of BJP from
blooming. The list
of candidates that
the SP has released
for the upcoming
elections shows that
it is not a political
party but party of
gangsters, crimi-
nals, mafias. They
are not fighting
polls but threatening
people of the state,”
Deputy CM said.
‘AKHILESH GAVE
TICKETS TO
CRIMINALS’
APNA DAL (SONELAL) RELEASES LIST OF
STAR CAMPAIGNERS FOR 2 PHASES
BSP PRESIDENT MAYAWATI TO ADDRESS
PUBLIC RALLY IN AGRA ON FEBRUARY 2
Lucknow : Apna Dal, an ally of the ruling BJP,
has also laid down its life in the upcoming as-
sembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Your party
does not want to be left behind in the election
campaign. In this order, the party has released
the list of its star campaigners. Apna Dal has an-
nounced the names of star campaigners for the
first and second phase of voting. The list of star
campaigners also includes the names of party
president Anupriya Patel and her husband Ashish
Patel. The list of Apna Dal(S) includes Anupriya
Patel, Ashish Patel, Dr Jamuna Prasad Saroj, Neil
Ratan Singh Patel, Pakori Lal, R.B. The names of
15 leaders like Singh Patel, Avadh Naresh Verma,
Rekha Verma, Raj Kumar Pal, Ajit Singh Baisla,
Mahesh Chaudhary, Mohammad Vakil, Ahmed
Khan Mansoori, Zaki UI Nasir and Nadeem
Ashraf are included. Patel said whichever seat
comes candidates will be fielded on it.
Lucknow: BSP president
Mayawati will hold a public
meeting in Agra on February
2, formally kicking off the
party’s campaign for the Uttar
Pradesh assembly elections.
The BSP president will address the meeting, strictly
following the Covid protocol, party general secretary
Satish Chandra Mishra said in a tweet. “It is to be
informed that BSP national president and former
chief minister of UP, Behen Kumari Mayawatiji will
address a public meeting in Agra on February 2 fol-
lowing all Covid rules. Time and place of the public
meeting will be made available to the media soon,”
Mishra said in his tweet in Hindi.
The Samajwadi Party on Tuesday
released the list of campaigners
for the Uttarakhand Assembly
elections. The names of Akhilesh
Yadav, Kiranmoy Nanda and Jaya
Bachchan are included in the list with 12 other lead-
ers. List of Samajwadi Party’s star campaigners for
Uttarakhand elections Earlier, the party had announced
that it will contest assembly elections on all 70 seats.
The Uttarakhand Assembly election 2022 will be held
in a single phase on February 14. The last day of filing
nominations is January 28. The counting of votes will
take place on March 10. —ANI
AKHILESH YADAV, JAYA BACHCHAN AMONG
SP’S STAR CAMPAIGNERS FOR UTTARAKHAND
RAHUL UNFOLLOWS
RPN SINGH ON
TWITTER
New Delhi: Hours after
former Union Minister
RPN Singh joined BJP
after quitting Congress,
party leader Rahul
Gandhi on Tuesday unfol-
lowed him on Twitter.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
still follows Singh on the
microblogging site.
FROM PG 1
Attack by cow...
Both mother and daugh-
ter sustained injuries in
the incident and were
rushedtoanearbyhospi-
tal. While Aanshi re-
ceived 10 stitches on her
head, Neelam suffered
injuries on her leg.
When contacted, au-
thorities of the animal
nuisance control depart-
menttoldFirstIndia,“We
are helpless. Despite
numberof meetingswith
theMaldharicommunity
,
they allow their cattle to
roam on roads. We im-
poundaround1,100cattle
every month. The ani-
malsthatweseeonroads
have owners but they are
not bothered about other
citizens. When we im-
pound their cattle, they
pay fines and get them
releasedagain.Wecollect
a total of around Rs3.5
lakh in penalties every
month.”Incidentally
,this
isnotthefirstcattlemen-
ace incident reported in
recent times.
A70-year-oldmanfrac-
tured his hip bone after
he was attacked by a cow
in front of his residence
in Gorwa area of Va-
dodaralastmonth.Asen-
iorcitizenwaskilledbya
bull in Paldi village of
Unataluka,whileaJuna-
gadhwomanwasrescued
by locals after she was at-
tacked by a bull early in
December last year.

COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
56,25,139
TOTAL DEATHS
28,25,69,077
TOTAL RECOVERED
6,80,95,714
ACTIVE CASES
35,62,89,930
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
4,90,462
TOTAL DEATHS
3,70,71,898
TOTAL RECOVERED
22,36,842
ACTIVE CASES
3,97,99,202
TOTAL CASES
Happy Republic Day to
all of us! JAI HIND!
—Jagdeesh Chandra,
CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: As the
nation enters her
73rd year as a repub-
lic, Gujarat Gover-
nor Acharya Devvrat
conveyed his best
wishes to all the citi-
zens of the state and
said that the govern-
ment of Gujarat is
endlessly striving
hard for their health
and welfare.
In his message, the
Governor said that
the pace of develop-
ment has remained
uninterrupted, even
during the COVID-19
pandemic, under the
visionary leadership
of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and
his motto “Sab Ka
Saath, Sab Ka Vikas,
Sab Ka Prayas, Sab Ka
Vishwas”.
It is a matter of
pride for all of us that
the state has always
progressed in all fields,
he said.
Highlighting India’s
historic achievement
of vaccinating more
than 100 crore people
against COVID-19,
Governor Devvrat
also appreciated the
state government’s
role in this inoculation
drive.
He also lauded PM
Modi’s unique idea of
celebrating India’s
75th year of Independ-
ence as “Azadi ka Am-
rut Mahotsav” saying
every Indian is proud
to be a part of this cel-
ebration.
He also mentioned a
series of steps taken
by the state govern-
ment towards promot-
ing natural farming.
“I am glad that
today more than two
lakh farmers in Guja-
rat are engaged in nat-
ural farming,” he said,
and also congratulated
the state for its re-
markable work to-
wards women’s em-
powerment.
‘Govt is constantly striving for people’s welfare’
BEST WISHES
Governor Acharya Devvrat
addresses the people of the state
on the eve of Republic Day
Governor Acharya Devvrat. —FILE PHOTO
OUT IN THE COLD
Homeless people huddle under threadbare blankets on a
pavement in Ahmedabad, where the mercury dropped to
8.6 °C on Monday night. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
First India Bureau
Valsad/Surat: A new-
ly-wed couple and
their family members
were arrested in Val-
sad for allegedly vio-
lating the night cur-
few, which is in place
in several cities to
contain the spread of
coronavirus, police
said on Tuesday
.
At the same time, the
lavish wedding of the
daughter of Surat build-
er and Patidar leader
Lavji Badshah, which
was attended by Educa-
tion Minister Jitu Va-
ghani and state BJP
president CR Patil
among other BJP top
brass, went off without
a hitch despite the mas-
sive crowds spotted
without masks. No po-
lice action had been ini-
tiatedforbreachof COV-
ID-19 protocols at the
time of going to print.
The Valsad incident
took place on Monday
night when Piyush Pa-
tel (24) and his wife Son-
al—still in their wed-
ding attire—along with
family members travel-
ling in three cars were
intercepted on an over-
bridge around 12.20 am,
deputy superintendent
of police Manojsinh
Chavda said.
While the couple
claimed that they were
made to spend nearly
two hours at Valsad city
police station on their
wedding night, police
officials said the duo
and their family mem-
berswereletgooncethe
legal process was over.
“As they could not
give a satisfactory an-
swer for roaming about
duringthenightcurfew
between 10 pm and 6
am, all nine persons
were taken to the police
station. We lodged FIRs
against them and al-
lowedthemtogoasthey
were granted bail from
the police station itself
at night,” Chavda said.
As per the FIRs, the
couple and seven others
were booked under sec-
tions 188 (disobeying
policeorder)and269(in-
dulging in a negligent
act which may spread
the infection) of the IPC
and relevant provisions
of the Epidemic Diseas-
es Act, it was stated.
“Since the date, ven-
ue and time of my wed-
ding was fixed weeks
before the curfew rule
came into force, we
couldn’t return to Vals-
ad before 10 pm. Instead
of understanding the
situation, we were tak-
en to the police station
andmadetospendnear-
ly two hours there. Due
tosuchstrictaction,my
wife fell ill today
,” Patel,
aresidentof Tariyawad
area of Valsad, later
told reporters.
NO POLICE ACTION IN WEDDING OF SURAT BUILDER’S DAUGHTER ATTENDED BY BJP ELITE
State BJP chief CR Patil and Education Minister Jitu Vaghani attended the Surat wedding.
Pathan’s appointment has been a bone of contention right
from the start. —FILE PHOTO
DIFFERENT RULES?
The lavish wedding of the daughter of Surat
builder and Patidar leader Lavji Badshah, at-
tended by Education Minister Jitu Vaghani and
state BJP president CR Patil among other BJP
top brass, went off without a hitch despite a
guestlist of almost 4,000 people. The police
didn’t just look the other way, but they also held
manage traffic outside the venue, reports say.
Congcouncillorssulk
overchoiceofLOP
duringAMCmeeting
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: PThe
Ahmedabad Munic-
ipal Corporation
may finally have a
Leader of the Oppo-
sition after more
than a year in She-
hzad Khan Pathan,
but the issue is far
from being re-
solved.
The Congress
named Pathan LOP
amid serious pro-
tests, and the other
councillors are not
okay with this deci-
sion. Unfortunately
for people in
Ahmedabad, Mon-
day’s general board
meeting—Pathan’s
first as LOP—turned
into ground zero for
a silent protest by at
least 10 senior Con-
gress leaders. De-
spite it being the
only platform where
the opposition can
raise issues, debate
and discuss the pub-
lic concerns, these
councillors refused
to engage in any dis-
cussions or debates,
their silence work-
ing in favour of the
ruling BJP.
Persons close to
the development say
the same 10 leaders
are likely to contin-
ue to sulk through
the next meeting,
which will be held to
discuss the upcom-
ing budget.
C h a n d k h e d a
councillor Rajshree
Kesari, who has also
accused him of mis-
behaving with wom-
en, sent a video mes-
sage of AICC gener-
al secretary Priyan-
ka Gandhi seeking
his removal from
office.
Asked about her
silence at Monday’s
meeting, Kesari told
First India, “I did
not participate in
the debate because
my son has COV-
ID-19.” Notably, she
was logged in
throughout the
meeting, which was
held online.
Gujarat Congress
president Jagdish
Thakor dismissed
the issue as an “in-
ternal matter”. “We
are aware of the is-
sue and are working
on a resolution,” he
said.
9 PERSONNEL IN GUJ HONOURED
WITH PRESIDENT’S POLICE MEDAL
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Addi-
tional Director Gen-
eral of Police Narsim-
ha Komar is among
the 19 cops from Guja-
rat to be honoured
with President’s Po-
lice Medal, awarded
for distinguished and
meritorious services,
by President Ram
Nath Kovind on the
eve of India’s 72nd Re-
public Day
.
Komar,a1986batchof-
ficer, currently serves as
AdditionalDirectorGen-
eral of Police (Law and
Order) and also has ad-
ditional charge of Police
Modernization. In the
past, he has served as In-
spector General (IG) of
Bhavnagar Range, and
as IG (Planning and
Modernization).
Assistant Police In-
spector (unarmed)
Bharatsinh Daulatsinh
Vaghela is also hon-
oured with the Presi-
dent’s Police Medal for
his distinguished ser-
vices. The other 17 per-
sonnel include DySP
(Intelligence-Gandhina-
gar) VJ Rathod, DySP
(Surat police commis-
sionerate) DJ Chavda,
and Constable Vasant J
Patel of the Ahmedabad
Crime Branch.
Narsimha Komar, IPS.
First India Bureau
Surat: A fire broke out
at a saree showroom in
Pandesara area around
noon on Tuesday
. While
a large quantity of
stock, worth lakhs of
rupees, was gutted, no
casualties were report-
ed, officials said.
Witnesses said the
smoke from the fire was
visible from afar.
“We received a call at
11.59 am informing us
thatafirehadbrokenout
at a showroom called
Dulhan Sarees in Shanti-
nagarinPandesaraarea.
Werushedtothespotand
dousedtheflameswithin
minutes. So, no one was
injured, but a lot of stock
hadalreadyburnttoash-
es,” an official from the
fire department said,
adding that while the
cause for the fire is still
unknown, an investiga-
tion has been launched
into the incident.
FIREINSURATSAREESHOWROOM
The fire department doused the flames in minutes.
Valsadnewlywedsheldforviolatingcurfew
Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
Padma Shree
Padma Shree
Padma Shree
MORE HONOURS
—FILE
PHOTO

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
s a nation we are
young and it is to the
youngsters, the
youth that we look
to, to drive the na-
tion to reach unsur-
passable heights, to
ensure that the tenets of our
democracy live on beyond
ourselves and to keep our Ti-
ranga flying high.
Freedom was won the hard
way and a democratic nation
requires daily sacrifices too
for keeping democracy alive
and kicking.
The present generation
with a global outlook and go-
getter philosophy will be the
one which will make India
into a superpower, ably guid-
ed by the elders of the society
and the nation.
I have great faith that the
youth with its modern out-
look, will rebuff the bindings
of casteism, discrimination,
injustice, inequality and
keep the flag flying high with
the commitment to Justice,
Liberty for all in thought, be-
lief and faith. For the nation
to truly progress Equality of
status and opportunity is a
must and the dignity of the
individual has to be main-
tained at all costs.
We are fortunate to have
idols in this nation from the
yesteryears whose philoso-
phy we can follow and imbibe
even today and work unitedly,
hand in hand for the Unity
and Integrity of the Nation.
The words that I put
here were written years ago
in the Preamble to our
Constitution and more than
that, they formed the path of
living for our political, social
and spiritual leaders for cen-
turies.
It is time to recommit, to-
day, to be the secular demo-
cratic republic and as citi-
zens ensure that our day to
day thoughts, speech and ac-
tions are towards a common
goal- A Rising Shining India!
A nation in which freedom,
safety, expression and oppor-
tunity is for one and all, not a
few. Together- we can.
JAI HIND!
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
Greetings to all
our readers on the
73rd Republic Day
of our beloved
nation, a day that
commemorates
the enactment of
the constitution of
India which came
into effect on
January 26, 1950,
and made the
nation into a
republic.
ensure that the tenets of our
democracy live on beyond
ourselves and to keep our Ti-
ranga flying high.
Freedom was won the hard
way and a democratic nation
requires daily sacrifices too
Greetings to all
our readers on the
73rd Republic Day
of our beloved
nation, a day that
commemorates
the enactment of
the constitution of
India which came
into effect on
January 26, 1950,
and made the
nation into a
republic.
AHMEDABAD, WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 26, 2022
Celebrating the patriotic spirit with First
India are Sanya Hissaria, Simran Modi,
Upadhi Jolotia, Tanu Choudhary, Astha
Khandelwal, Devanshi Bugalia, Srishti
Khatri, Rewati Upadhyay, Soumya Goyal,
Megha Shyam Soni, Muskan Kamdar,
Shubhda Panwar, Vasudha Tiwari,
Vishakha Mathur and Sapna Bundwal
—CONCEPT BY SHAAN AND PHOTOGRAPH BY SANTOSH SHARMA
A

10-11
ETC
REPUBLIC DAY IS ALL ABOUT CELEBRATING PATRIOTISM. NO MATTER WHERE WE STAY, IN WHICH
PART OF THE COUNTRY OR WORLD, IT’S THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENTHUSIASM THAT WE SHARE. FROM
HOISTING THE INDIAN FLAG TO THE PARADE, FROM UPDATING SOCIAL SITES WITH PATRIOTIC POSTS
OR WEARING TRICOLOURED ATTIRE AND CAPS, WE EXPRESS OUR LOVE, RESPECT AND GRATITUDE
TOWARDS OUR INDIA IN VARIOUS WAYS. CITY FIRST BRINGS TO YOU SOME FAVOURITE SONGS OF
OUR READERS WHICH LED A GENERATION TO THE LOFTY IDEALS OF PATRIOTISM AND FREEDOM!
‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo...Zara Aankh Mein Bhar Lo Paani..Jo
Shaeed Hue Hai Unki, Zara Yaad Karo Kurbaani...’ I can never
stop singing this song once I hear it or think about it. What a
song by Lata Mangeshwar! I really hope today’s generation
develops this feeling of patriotism and serves the nation
with honour, pride and dignity. I have always been so fond
of Republic Day parade. Since my school days, this occasion
holds a special place in my heart. —MAHIMA SHARMA
Since childhood, we are not just listening to patriotic songs,
but performing on those songs. One song has always been
one of my favourite ones. ‘Aao baccho tumhe dikhaye”,
from the movie Jagriti. This song is something we per-
formed on stage in school, so it has even a more special
memory. Now, I see it as a travel song, and I wonder if I can
write a similar song someday to show the glory of my land.
—ABHILASHA GARG
AE WATAN WATAN MERE
AE WATAN WATAN MERE
AABAAD RAHE TU..
AABAAD RAHE TU..
‘Teri Mitti’ is my first pick always when it comes to finding
motivation in music. It evokes a thought of courage and the
will to take on the world with a brave face. On days like Re-
public Day and Independence Day, it only becomes all the
more important and special to listen to it and may I add, on
a cranked-up volume. I really wish people understand the
value of patriotism and spread good vibes for the betterment
of the nation. —ISHA PATEL
‘Hai Preet Jahan ki Reet Sada’, a song that never fails to
make me happy. This song starts with recounting the incred-
ible achievements of our nation, ‘Jab zero diya mere Bharat
ne.’ and went on to dedicate the whole song towards the
beautiful culture of our holy Land. It also reflects on us that
we should seek inspiration from other countries, but at the
same time keep that ‘Proud of Being Indian’ flame alive in
our hearts. —AWADHESH PAREEK
What a marvellous occasion to cherish and remember our
favourite songs, our love for the nation. My favourite song is
‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’, it depicts the true spirit of patriotism,
in my opinion, it reminds us that no matter what, wherever
we are INDIA, will always be the best place to live. No mat-
ter what happens in my life, this song will always remind
me that I am a part of this great nation and its beautiful rich
culture. —AASTHA VASHISTH
The song, ‘Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera’ is my favourite patriotic song
as not only does it perfectly describe one’s loyalty towards
the country but also sings the harmony of great India. It has
to be one of the best songs and almost a ritual to listen to
it on Republic Day after I watch the Parade on TV. Truly an
inspiring song, infact, not just on occasions like Independ-
ence Day or Republic Day, but generally too one can enjoy
the lovely song. —SHAHAN ANSARI
ndia is celebrating
its 73rd Republic
Day this year, a com-
memoration of the
date of January 26,
1950, when the Con-
stitution of India
came into effect. This day is
celebrated with great pomp
by organising an awe-inspir-
ing ceremonious
parade at the Raj-
path, New Delhi.
Apart from this,
the Indian cinema
industry has also
played a major
role in churning
out real-life and untold sto-
ries related to the freedom
struggle. Along with, movies
they have churned out some
amazing songs that evoke
patriotism. These tracks re-
mind us of our historic past
and the sacrifices made by
the brave soldiers to protect
the country and its citizens.
Songs have always played
an undisputed role in incit-
ing the spirit of nationalism
in the hearts of millions of
Indians. Many patriotic
songs, written by the liter-
ary stalwarts of India have
acquired legendary status
and are still sung by people
around the country. As India
celebrates the 73rd Republic
Day, City First brings to you
our readers’ favourite songs
which led a generation to the
lofty ideals of patriotism
and freedom.
I
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta from ‘Aisa Des Mera’ song of Veer Zaara
Sunny Deol from the iconic film ‘Border’
Akshay Kumar from the patriotic film ‘Kesari’
Shahrukh Khan’s still from ‘Chak De India’
Ajay Devgn’s still from ‘BHUJ: The Pride of India’
Sidharth Malhotra from ‘Shershah’
Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta from ‘Yeh Hum Khaan Aa Gaye Hai’ song of Veer Zaara
The iconic moment of Lata Mangeshkar with Late Jawahar Lal Nehru during the song ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo’ written by the great poet Kavi Pradeep
Kangana Ranaut’s bold avatar from Manikarnika
Photojournalist Mukesh Kiradoo captured the Elite Miss Rajasthan’s models’ true spirit of patriotism at Statue Circle, Jaipur
Tanu Choudhary and Muskan Kamdar show their patriotic colours

CITY FIRST
S
awan Gandhi, a leading fashion
designer from Delhi launched his
new collection - illume, inspired
by the magical illumination
caused by the onset of the night.
The eponymous label by the self-
taught designer aspires to create
classy designs which are elegant
and youthful with a touch of tra-
ditional Indian design sensibility
across menswear and womens-
wear. The cocktail collection re-
visits the gran-
deur of glamour
and melodramatic
celebrations, craft-
ed in flowy silhou-
ettes and elevated
withthedesigner’s
signature sequin
embroidery, is an
ode to winter con-
tours. As a contin-
uation of the la-
bel’s work with the finest of artisans,
the focus has been on drama and
glamour with exquisite hand-crafts-
manship over embroidered crystal
glass beads, adding a slight edge
to an otherwise clean monochro-
matic cocktail wear outfit. These
techniques and colours have
been adored and loved by ce-
lebrities like Miss Universe
- Harnaaz Sandhu, Alia Bhatt,
Varun Dhawan, Madhuri Dixit,
Kriti Kharbanda, amongst others.
12
CITY BUZZ
Delhi experienced cold day conditions with the maximum
temperature settling at 14.8 degrees Celsius, seven notches
below the season’s average on Tuesday.
—PHOTOS BY SHAZID CHAUHAN
COLD DAY!
Grandeur of Glamour
THE ERA OF FEMALE
ENTREPRENEURS!
odern Myth is
a handcrafted,
vegan leather
and fashiona-
ble bags brand
made in India. Her
brand has received im-
mense appreciation
from millennials for its
design aesthetics and
quality. Recently Oshi-
na was seen raising
funding with Saurabh
on the popular Business
reality show ‘Shark
Tank’.
What inspired you
to develop your
idea?
Having worked in an
export house(home de-
cor) for over a year, I
was pretty confident
about my design aes-
thetics. That is when I
decided to start my lit-
tle venture and hop on
this beautiful entre-
preneurial journey
with my partner, Sau-
rabh.
Would you like to
share a business tip
for upcoming entre-
preneurs?
The best tip I would
want to give upcom-
ing women entrepre-
neurs is to never un-
dervalue yourself or
your work. Start sav-
ing, once you have the
funds and the zeal to
start, nothing can
stop you from achiev-
ing your dream.
Do you think rais-
ing funding as a
women entrepre-
neur is a challenge?
As of now, I wouldn’t
call myself an expert in
raising funds since
shark tank was our first
experience in front of
any investor. However, I
would say that being a
woman entrepreneur is
a huge challenge in it-
self.
How was your expe-
rience at the shark
tank and one takea-
way that you would
want to share?
Loved and adored four
sharks out of 5 and
their feedback is what
we’re trying to imple-
ment at Modern Myth.
The fact that we got to
present ourselves in
front of the entire na-
tion, is a matter of
pride in itself.
What is your take
on the term ‘Rela-
tionship Risk’?
Being business part-
ners we know how we
have to draw a line be-
tween our professional
and personal lives. Eve-
ry partnership has a
risk, and can part ways
but if you align well
with your partner, eve-
rything else becomes
irrelevant. Saurabh
and I, have a vision for
Modern Myth, and we
shall achieve it one day,
TOGETHER.
NITIKA PANJWANI
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
Indian businesses are getting a much-needed non-androgenic perspective.Women are coming up to
celebrate entrepreneurial ideas. Despite these successes, women continue to face more challenges than
men. First India talked to Oshina Hans, Founder of Modern Myth about her journey as a businesswoman.
M
Oshina and Saurabh with Rannvijay Singha
AN UNSUNG FIGHTER!
Mansi Agrawal
U
mabhai Kun-
dapur was an
unsung woman
freedom fighter
who fought for India’s
freedom movement.
For her, India’s inde-
pendence meant more
than dethroning the co-
lonial powers and em-
phasised social reforms
such as education, af-
fordable healthcare
and women empower-
ment. Amidst main-
taining a low profile,
she made an invaluable
contribution to the
freedom movement and
was instrumental in
laying the foundation
for one of the largest
voluntary organisa-
tions in the country.
She selflessly served
the country and re-
fused any honours or
awards that came her
way. Her initial step
against the British was
to give up the foreign
goods and mobilise
women through a door
to door campaign.
Amidst the tragedies
she faced along with
her life, she ended up
acquiring a strong re-
solve to uplift society
and worked harder for
her rights and free-
dom. She also went
through imprison-
ment in Pune’s Ye-
rvada Jail during
the Dandi March.
Unafraid of the Brit-
ish, she even took the
risk that one could
only think of by the
courage she had gath-
ered for opening her
home to the freedom
fighters who sought
refuge and a place to
hide. However, Umbai’s
bravery did not go un-
noticed. In 1946, Gan-
dhi appointed her as the
head of Kasturba Trust.
Under the Trust, she
trained several women
including young wid-
ows and destitute in
arts and crafts to
make them self-suffi-
cient. Umabai, who
was defiant, a revolu-
tionary
, and a champion
for disempowered wom-
en, was hailed by Gan-
dhi, admired by the
freedom fighters, and
will always be celebrat-
ed by every generation
for her extraordinary
contribution.
Umabhai Kundapur
Sawan Gandhi
EMPOWERED!
Seven year old Abdija Singh, a resident of
Dwarka, New Delhi studies in class 2. She
is an extraordinary child with an astonishing
ability to grasp and at the age of 2 she
learnt to recite complex Sanskrit Shlokas
with utmost ease. She has now made her
mark at public speaking, winning various
events and competitions at school, state and
global levels. She is an avid reader, enjoys
dancing, a passionate singer and is able to
play the keyboard very well. Her Grandfather
being a veteran IAF officer, she has been
provided with best of opportunities and an
environment conducive for her progress. Her
proud parents Capt Vishal and Neha, family
and school have all contributed towards
her assiduous upbringing, providing her a
safe stimulating environment, that promotes
natural growth and development. Her
YouTube videos garner a lot of likes too.
Abdija Singh
EXTENSIVE EXPOSURE
W
adhwani Foundation and the National Entrepreneurship Net-
workannouncedthelaunchof theWadhwaniTake-
off Program on Monday
. The Wadhwani Take-
Off program will give shortlisted participants
extensive exposure to the famed entrepreneurial ecosys-
tem of the Valley through networking exposure with
entrepreneurs, mentorship by business leaders and en-
trepreneurs, and a golden opportunity to pitch ideas to
investors. Speaking on the Wadhwani TakeOff launch,
SanjayShah,Chief OperatingOfficer,said,“TheIndian
startup ecosystem skyrocketed in 2021 with 78
unicorns and 8 IPOs to become the third-larg-
est startup ecosystem in the world.”—CITY FIRST
Sanjay Shah

26012022 first india ahmedabad-min (1)

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Ähnlich wie 26012022 first india ahmedabad-min (1)

Ähnlich wie 26012022 first india ahmedabad-min (1) (20)

Mehr von FIRST INDIA

Mehr von FIRST INDIA (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

26012022 first india ahmedabad-min (1)