First india ahmedabad edition-16 march 2021

First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Congress MLA from
Somnath, Vimal Chu-
dasama was evicted
from the Legislative As-
sembly on Monday for
attending the day’s ses-
sion in a T-shirt on the
orders of Speaker Ra-
jendra Trivedi, who said
MLAs should either
wear a shirt or kurta to
maintain decorum in
the House.
After Trivedi asked
the first-time MLA to
leave and return after
he was appropriately at-
tired, the opposition
Congress argued that
there was no dress code
that prohibited mem-
bers from wearing spe-
cific clothes while at-
tending House proceed-
ings.
This is Chudasama’s
second such “offence”,
having been warned by
Trivedi for wearing a T-
shirt last week. When
Trivedi saw the 40-year-
old in a T-shirt again on
Monday, he reminded
him of his earlier in-
struction and asked
him to come back after
wearing a shirt, kurta,
or blazer.
This upset Chudasa-
ma, who then argued
that the Speaker was
“disrespecting” his vot-
ers by criticizing his de-
cision to wear a T-shirt.
“I sought votes wear-
ing a T-shirt. This T-
shirt is a certificate
given to me by my vot-
ers. You are disrespect-
ing my voters,” Chu-
dasama told the Speak-
er, referring to the fact
that he had worn T-
shirts during his cam-
paign ahead of the As-
sembly elections.
Unfazed, Trivedi in-
sisted that Chudasama
leave the House and re-
turn after changing.
“I don’t want to know
how you approached
your voters. You are dis-
respecting the Speaker’s
order. You can’t come to
the House wearing
whatever you want just
because you are an
MLA. This is not a play-
ground.Thereareproto-
cols to follow,” Trivedi
said.
Turn to P6
Cong MLA evicted from Guj Assembly for wearing T-shirt
HOUSE RULES
Vimal Chudasama —FILE PHOTO
Speaker says MLAs should
wear shirts or kurtas to
'maintain decorum'
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 110
ARMY RECRUITMENT SCAM: CBI BOOKS
5 LT COL-RANKED OFFICERS AND 18
OTHERS, CARRIES OUT SEARCHES
Six Lt Colonels and a Major of Indian Army were
among 23 people named by CBI in an investi-
gation into corruption involving recruitment to
the force on Monday following searches in 30
places in 13 cities. The accused include 17 army
personnel in all and six others with “allegations
pertaining to bribery and irregularities in recruit-
ment of officers and other ranks through Service
Selection Board”, the CBI said. It said case was
registered based on complaint from office of ADG,
Discipline Vigilance, Adjutant General’s Branch,
Integrated HQ of MoD (Army). Locations searched
include those in Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Guwahati,
Kapurthala, Bathinda, Kaithal, Palwal, Bareilly,
Gorakhpur, Vishakhapatnam, Jorhat Chirangon.
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW
BENGAL A LEADER ONCE, ENTANGLED
IN ‘GOONDARAJ’ NOW: AMIT SHAH
Ranibandh: Monday
saw some high-voltage
campaigning in West
Bengal with Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah reminding Chief
Minister Mamata Ba-
nerjee of the pain of the
family members of the
‘130 BJP workers who
were killed in her state’.
Addressing a rally at
Ranibandh in the
Bankura district, Shah
promisedthatif theBJP
is voted to power in West
Bengal, it will imple-
ment the seventh pay
commissionforthestate
government employees.
Shah also said that
West Bengal was once
India’s leader and now
the state is entangled in
“goondaraj”. “Bengal
was at one time was In-
dia’s leader. It was the
hub of education, free-
dom fighters, religious
leadership and more.
The same Bengal is en-
tangled in goondaraj,”
said Shah during the
virtual rally Turn to P6
Bill to define role
of Delhi LG
introduced in LS
NEET to be held
only once this
year: Pokhriyal
Bill to amend
juvenile justice
law introduced
With the objective
of giving a proper
‘interpretation’ of a
SC ruling, govern-
ment on Monday
introduced a bill in
Lok Sabha that seeks
to define certain role
and powers of LG
of Delhi. Union MoS
for Home G Kishan
Reddy introduced
Government of
National Capital Terri-
tory of Delhi (Amend-
ment) Bill, 2021.
Union Education
Minister Ramesh
Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
on Monday an-
nounced that the Na-
tional Eligibility Cum
Entrance Test (NEET)
for undergraduate will
be conducted by Na-
tional Testing Agency
(NTA) only one time
in 2021, said the
Minister in a written
reply to Lok Sabha.
A bill to amend the
Juvenile Justice
(Care and Protec-
tion of Children) Act,
2015, which seeks
to increase the role
of district magis-
trates and additional
district magistrates,
was introduced in
the Lok Sabha on
Monday. Juvenile
Justice (Care and
Protection of Chil-
dren) Amendment
Bill, Turn to P6
‘Will take up UK
racism matters
when required’
New Delhi: India will
champion the fight
against discrimination
and will take up the
matters of racism
against Indian students
with the UK, said the
External Affairs Minis-
ter S Jaishankar in Ra-
jya Sabha on Monday
.
“We will raise it
whenever required and
we will always champi-
on the fight against rac-
ism and other forms of
intolerance,” the Minis-
ter said. Jaishankar’s
response came after a
question Turn to P6
NO CONSPIRACY: SHAH’S DIG AS RALLY
CANCELLED DUE TO CHOPPER SNAG
NADDA TO HOLD ROADSHOW
AND RALLY IN WB TODAY
SENSEX TANKS 397 PTS; NIFTY
SLIPS BELOW 15K
ECI ORDER: WB GOVT APPOINTS
NEW DIRECTOR SECURITY
Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday said that a technical snag which
was detected in his helicopter wasn’t a ‘conspiracy.’ Shah’s remark was
in direct reference to WB CM Mamata Banerjee’s allegations of a ‘conspiracy’
against her in the wake of an alleged attack in Nandigram on March 10. “I’m a
little late today because of some glitch in my helicopter but I won’t call it a con-
spiracy,” Shah was quoted as saying by news agency ANI at a rally in Ranibandh
in Bankura district. The rally was to be Shah’s second of the day in WB; the first
one, in Jhargram, was held virtually after the BJP leader’s helicopter developed a
technical glitch. “Mamata ji has a leg injury, it’s now known how she got it. TMC
calls it a conspiracy but EC says it was an accident,” he further said.
New Delhi: BJP National
President JP Nadda will
be on a one-day visit to
West Bengal on Tuesday.
He will hold a roadshow
from Kumari Takiz cinema
hall to the bus stand
in Bishnupur of West
Bengal’s Bankura district
at 11 am in support of
the BJP candidate. Later
in the day, he will chair a
meeting to review election
preparedness with Bishnupur district office-bearers.
After this Nadda will address a public rally at Ghaush-
ali Para Kali Mandir ground in Kotulpur at 3 pm. —ANI
Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex tumbled 397
points on Monday, tracking losses in index heavy-
weights Reliance Industries, HDFC twins and ICICI
Bank amid weak macroeconomic cues. After gyrating
1,035.71 points during the day, the 30-share BSE index
ended 397 points or 0.78 per cent lower at 50,395.08.
The broader NSE Nifty finished 101.45 points or 0.67
per cent down at 14,929.50. Bajaj Finserv was the top
loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 3 per cent,
followed by Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Finance, LT.
Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Monday
appointed IPS officer Gyanwant Singh as the new
director security in place of Vivek Sahay who was
removed by the Election Commission of India (ECI)
over the incident in Nandigram in which CM Mamata
Banerjee was injured, an official said. Chief Sec-
retary Alapan Bandyopadhyay held a meeting with
Director General of Police P Nirajnayan and decided
to appoint Singh, who was the additional director
security, for the post. —ANI
Modi incompetent,
says Didi in Purulia
Purulia: Launching a
scathing attack on the
Centre, West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee on Monday
said the “Prime Minis-
ter is totally incompe-
tent, cannot run the
country”.
Addressing a public
meeting in Purulia sit-
ting on a wheelchair,
Banerjee said, “Prime
Minister is totally in-
competent, cannot run
the country. An auto-
cratic government is
being run at the Centre.
She alleged that the
BJP-led central govern-
ment suppresses the
voice raised against
them. “I will continue
to fight against them.
BJP hatao, desh bachao
(remove BJP, save the
country),” she said.
Stating BJP, Con-
gress and the Left Front
as ‘three brothers’, Ba-
nerjee raised the slo-
gan, “Chaie na BJP ke
chaie na, Turn to P6
PROTEST AFTER
BJP CANDIDATE
LIST IN KOLKATA
Huge protests started
outside BJP office in Kol-
kata as party announced
its 2nd list of candidates.
Dramatic visuals from the
area showed hundreds
of people jostling and
shouting. Sources said
the protesters are from
Panchla in Howrah, the
twin city of Kolkata that
lies across the Ganga.
Batla House: Convict Ariz
Khan sentenced to death
New Delhi: A Delhi
court Monday awarded
death penalty to Ariz
Khan for the murder of
decorated Delhi Police
InspectorMohanChand
Sharma in connection
with the sensational
2008 Batla House en-
counter case, saying the
offence fell under the
“rarest of the rare cat-
egory” warranting the
maximum sentence.
Additional Sessions
Judge Sandeep Yadav
said Ariz be hanged by
neck till death.
Inspector Sharma of
the police’s special cell
was killed during the
Batla House encounter
between the police and
alleged terrorists in Ja-
mia Nagar in south
Delhi following serial
bomb blasts in the na-
tional capital in which
39 people died and 159
were injured. Turn to P6
Bank strike affected cheque
clearance of `16,500 cr: Unions
New Delhi: Banking
services such as cash
withdrawals, deposits,
cheque clearing and
business transactions
were impacted across
the country on Monday
,
the day one of the PSU
bank union’s strike,
againsttheproposedpri-
vatisation of two more
state-owned lenders.
Over a million bank
employees from over
80,000 branches across
India participated on
first day of the two-day
bank strike that affect-
ed clearances of
cheques and other pay-
ment instruments
worth `16,500 crore,
bank unions said.
Payment instru-
ments like cheques, de-
mand drafts and pay
orders are processed by
three large centres in
the country
. Turn to P6
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee addresses a public rally while
sitting on a wheelchair, in Purulia on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Ariz Khan alias Junaid has been awarded death penalty. —FILE PHOTO
A view of closed Indian Bank during strike called by United Forum
of Bank Unions over various demands, in Patna on Monday. —ANI
SHAH PROMISES TO IMPLEMENT 7TH PAY COMMISSION IF BJP FORMS GOVT IN BENGAL
S Jaishankar
Union Home Minister Amit
Shah addresses an election
campaign rally, in Bankura, on
Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021
02
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In a ma-
jor milestone, the 'Stat-
ue of Unity' at Kevadia
in Gujarat's Narmada
district has crossed the
mark of 50 lakh visitors
since its inauguration
in 2018, a state govern-
ment official said on
Monday
.
The statue has
emerged as an interna-
tional tourist destina-
tion, offering multiple
attractions for all age
groups, Gujarat's Addi-
tional Chief Secretary
(Forest and Environ-
ment) Rajiv Gupta said
in a tweet.
The 182-metre tall
statue of Sardar Vallab-
hbhai Patel, billed as
the world's tallest and
built on the Sadhu Bet
islet near the Sardar Sa-
rovar Dam in Kevadia,
was inaugurated by
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi on October 31,
2018.
Since then, visitors
from across the country
and abroad have flocked
the tourist spot and sev-
eral other attractions
that have been added
there.
# S t a t u e o f U n i t y
crosses five million vis-
itors mark!!! Built un-
der visionary leader-
ship of Hon.@PMOIn-
diait has emerged as an
international tourist
destination, offering
multiple attractions for
all age groups. @naren-
dramodi @tourism-
goi@souindia, Gupta
tweeted.
To improve rail and
air connectivity to Ke-
vadia, the government
recently added eight
new trains from differ-
ent parts of the country
and a seaplane service
from Ahmedabad.
The flow of visitors
to the tourist spot was
affected after the out-
break of COVID-19 in
2020 but picked up rap-
idly since it was reo-
pened for the public on
October 17 last year af-
ter remaining closed for
over seven months.
During his address
on January 18 this year,
after flagging off eight
trains to Kevadia from
across India, Prime
Minister Modi said
more tourists visit the
Statue of Unity in Guja-
rat than the Statue of
Liberty in the US.
He had said that with
increased connectivity,
over a lakh people will
visit Kevadia daily, as
per a survey
.
On Patel's birth anni-
versary last year, Modi
had also launched a sea-
plane service between
the Statue of Unity and
the Sabarmati river in
Ahmedabad, further
improving connectivity
to the tourist attraction
in Kevadia. PTI
SOU VISITOR COUNT CROSSES 5-MILLION MARK
RISING NUMBERS
—FILE PHOTO
Tourist flow was hit by pandemic, but
picked up rapidly after it was reopened
after being shut for seven months
VMC GETS SURPLUS BUDGET;
RMC TABLES `2,275 CR BUDGET
NO CHANGES TO FIRE BRIGADE, DRAINAGE, PROPERTY AND WATER TAXES IN EITHER CITY
First India Bureau
Rajkot/Vadodara: Va-
dodara expects to see
a surplus of Rs184.53
crore in fiscal 2021-
22, according to the
draft budget—which
has a total planned
layout of Rs3,804.81
crore—tabled by Mu-
nicipal Commission-
er Swaroop P on Mon-
day. The day also saw
Rajkot’s Municipal
Commissioner Udit
Agarwal hand over a
draft budget of
Rs2,275 crore for the
year 2021-22 to the
Rajkot Municipal
Corporation’s (RMC)
standing committee
chairperson Pushkar
Patel. The RMC draft
budget has no in-
crease in tax tariffs;
neither does it have
any new taxes.
The VMC draft budg-
et for the next fiscal
sees an increase of
Rs112 crore, as com-
pared to the planned
layout of Rs3,769 crore.
The pandemic and
the ensuing lockdown
have adversely affected
both Rajkot and Va-
dodara. VMC has col-
lected Rs444 crore of its
estimated revenue of
Rs491 crore this fiscal.
Similarly, the RMC’s re-
vised budget for the
current fiscal has re-
duced planned expendi-
ture by Rs600 crore.
RMC had passed a
budget of Rs2,100 crore
for 2020-21 but has now
revised this to Rs1,500
crore.
For the current finan-
cial year, RMC had esti-
mated a collection of
Rs260 crore towards
property tax. It has now
increased this target by
Rs80 crore, to Rs340
crore, for fiscal 2021-22.
Neither city will see
any changes to their
fire brigades, drainage,
conservancy, property
and water taxes for the
next financial year.
The RMC has set
aside Rs100 crore for
the development of ba-
sic amenities in the six
villages—Motamuva,
Munjka, Madhapur,
Manoharpura and
Ghanteshwar—that
were recently brought
under its purview.
In a new incentive,
taxpayers in Rajkot will
now get a rebate of 50%,
up to a maximum of
Rs250, for making digi-
tal payments.
In addition, the RMC
plans to buy 100 elec-
tric buses, set up verti-
cal gardens, develop
circuitry in various
parts of the city, and
establish e-bike centres
at 22 places across the
city. It also plans to de-
velop two fire stations
under the public-pri-
vate partnership (PPP)
model in the coming
financial year.
Similarly, VMC also
has plans to take up de-
velopment projects us-
ing the PPP model.
While it plans to create
a fund to complete de-
velopment projects, the
VMC may also resort to
borrowing or taking
loans from financial in-
stitutes. Further, VMC
will put in place basic
amenities at Bil, Bhayli,
Sevasi, Udedra, Vadad-
la villages, which came
under its purview this
financial year.
The city has also set
aside Rs166 crore to
build 81 shops and
1,900 houses under
various welfare
schemes in the next
financial year.
Rajkot Commissioner Udit Agarwal handing over the draft budget for 2021-22 to Standing Committee Chairman Pushkar Patel.
Vadodara Commissioner Swaroop P presenting the draft budget for 2021-22.
Guj bank employees join national strike
First India Bureau
Surat/Ahmedabad:
Employees of nation-
alized banks in Surat
and Ahmedabad took
to the streets on Mon-
day in keeping with
the two-day nation-
wide strike called by
the United Forum of
Bank Union (UFBU),
an umbrella body of
nine bank unions,
against the privatiza-
tion of public sector
banks and retrograde
banking reforms.
In Surat, as many as
15,000 employees of
350 branches of 11 na-
tionalized banks gath-
ered near the Bank of
India’s Ghoddod Road
branch to mark their
protest. They say in ad-
dition to failing to take
any concrete steps to-
wards recovering
debts of loss-making
nationalized banks,
the government is now
also putting the com-
mon man’s capital at
risk by proposing the
privatization of public
sector banks.
Meanwhile, in
Ahmedabad, members
of the Maha Gujarat
Bank Employees Asso-
ciation were seen
shouting slogans out-
side the Lal Darwaja
branch of the Central
Bank of India.
With employees of
theStateBankof India,
Indian Bank, Indian
Overseas Bank, Punjab
National Bank, Union
Bank of India, Central
Bank of India, Bank of
Baroda, Punjab Sind
Bank, Bank of Maha-
rashtra, UCO Bank,
IDBI Bank, Karnataka
Bank Ltd, and the Fed-
eral Bank participat-
ing in the strike on
Monday and Tuesday,
banking transactions
worth about `18,000-
20,000 crore are expect-
ed to be affected over
the two days.
Morbi Cong accuses cops of
kidnapping elected delegate
First India Bureau
Morbi: The district
unit of the Congress
party has accused
Wankaner police of
having kidnapped its
taluka panchayat del-
egate to ensure that
BJP comes to power
in the Wankaner ta-
luka panchayat.
Bikaner Congress
MLA Mohammad Javed
Pirzada, former vice-
president of the district
panchayat, Gulabhai
Parasara and district
panchayat member
Hardevsinh Jadeja led a
delegation and took out
a protest march from
the Congress office to
the Wankaner police
station alleging that the
delegate has been kid-
napped by the police.
Pirzada alleges that
Suresh Beliviya, the
party’s candidate from
the Aranitimba constit-
uency, had been elected
as a delegate to the Wan-
kaner taluka panchay-
at. However, he was
summoned by Wankan-
er police sub-inspector
RP Jadeja on Sunday
evening, allegedly to re-
cord his statement, and
has not returned home
since then. Pirzada also
said that constable
Ajaysinh Jhala drove
Beliviya to an undis-
closed destination.
“We believe that he is
being illegally confined
by the police, so that the
BJP can grab power in
Wankaner taluka pan-
chayat in the absence of
Congress candidates,”
Pirzada said.
The Congress delega-
tion submitted a written
memorandum to the dis-
trict Superintendent of
Police,whohaspromised
to look into the matter.
Meanwhile, a video
clip featuring Belivi-
ya has been doing the
rounds on social me-
dia, in Morbi and
Wankaner taluka, in
which he is seen with
his family and claims
that he is very much
at home.
Morbi Congress delegation
outside Wankaner police station.
Protesters were seen shouting slogans outside the Central
Bank's Lal Darwaja branch. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI 15,000 employees participated in the strike in Surat.
They are
protesting the
proposed
privatization of
nationalized
banks
Say Suresh
Beliviya has not
returned home
since he was
summoned to the
local police station

GUJARAT
03
Hasthestategovtreallybuilt
9,132classroomsin10days?
Gujarat was short of 18,537 classrooms on March 05, and 9,405 classrooms short on March 15
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
ongoing Budget Ses-
sion in the state leg-
islative assembly has
seen a number of in-
stances in which the
state government
has given different
answers to the same
question. Following
this trend, the Con-
gress party on Mon-
day again criticized
the government over
a discrepancy in data
on the number of
classrooms in the
state.
On March 05, educa-
tion minister Bhupen-
drasinh Chudasama
told the House that Gu-
jarat was short of
18,537 classrooms in
primary schools across
the state. Barely 10
days later, on March
15, he said that there
are 9,405 classrooms
less than the required
number in the state’s
private schools.
This difference--of
9,132 classrooms--has
raised a number of
questions on whether
the government has
spent 10 days in a very
quiet but furious build-
ing spree.
The Congress party
on Monday alleged
that the classroom
numbers in the gov-
ernment-run schools
have been falling over
time, but that the gov-
ernment has been hid-
ing this information to
avoid tarnishing the
image of a “vibrant
Gujarat”.
It said that the gov-
ernment had admitted
to a deficit of 8,388
classrooms in primary
schools back in 2015,
which then doubled to
16,008 in 2018--which
the government also
admitted to at the time.
Further, the state
has informed the
House that Gujarat has
received Rs1,180.62
crore less than what it
asked for from the Cen-
tre under the Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan, the
Opposition said.
BUILDING SPREE?
Students at a city-run school in Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
4 arrested in 2 cases
First India Bureau
Rajkot/Palanpur:
State police person-
nel have arrested
four persons and
rescued a woman as
they cracked two
separate cases of
human trafficking,
including one that
is 30 years old.
In the first case, JJ
Rathore, a Sub-In-
spector with the Vav
police station on Sun-
day arrested Shravan
Thakor, Pratapji Tha-
kor, and Sobhaji Tha-
kor in connection
with illegal confine-
ment, human traf-
ficking and other sec-
tions of Indian Penal
Code after rescuing a
woman from a field
belonging to Sobhaji
Thakor.
Police officials said
that the woman, a pro-
fessional surrogate,
was lured by Shravan
Thakor with the
promise of a job, but
later sold to Sobhaji
for Rs1.2 lakh with the
help of Pratapji Tha-
kor. It is still unclear
how Shravan and
Pratapji from Banas-
kantha came into con-
tact with the woman,
who hails from Maha-
rashtra.
In the second case,
Rajkot rural police ar-
rested a 70-year-old
manwhoallegedlyhad
a lewd relationship
with a minor, married
her and fathered her
two children.
The case of human
trafficking against the
then 40-year-old
Dhirubhai Suvasiya
was filed in 1991 at the
Dhoraji police station.
Police are now in-
vestigating what hap-
pened in the inter-
vening time and are
also looking into the
disappearance of the
then minor, whose
parents worked in the
same field as the ac-
cused Suvasiya.
Suratyouthdrowns
himselfinTapi;2nd
tries,butisrescued
CongMLAcallsoutstateon‘selective
implementationofnCoVguidelines’
First India Bureau
G a n d h i n a g a r /
Ahmedabad: Dari-
yapur MLA Gyasuddin
Shaikh criticized the
government for ignor-
ing the threat posed by
the novel coronavirus
by allowing large
crowds of spectators
to gather at the newly
renamed Narendra
Modi Cricket Stadium.
“People are not al-
lowed to have more than
200 guests at weddings
and other occasions due
to COVID-19, but 65,000
spectators can gather at
the Narendra Modi sta-
dium?” he asked, before
demandingthatthestate
government ensure that
all upcoming festivals,
including Holi-Dhuleti,
are celebrated following
COVID-19 guidelines.
Shaikh’s comments
came on a day when the
state saw 890 new cases
of COVID-19, taking Gu-
jarat’s total case load to
2,79,097 since March
2020.Therearenow4,717
activecasesof COVID-19
in Gujarat, with 56 pa-
tients on ventilators.
It is important to note
that the state, which had
been registering new
casesinthe300-350range
before the elections held
last month, has since
seen a sharp rise in the
daily jump.
Theincreaseisworry-
ing enough for the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation to impose
night curfew in eight
wards of the city
, which
has recently seen a high
rate of infection. The
civic body also an-
nounced that all com-
mercial activities in
South Bopal, Navrang-
pura, Bodakdev, Thaltej,
Gota, Paldi, Ghatlodia,
and Maninagar will be
suspended at 10 pm.
Monday also brought
another death, in Surat
city
, taking the death toll
to 4,425.
First India Bureau
Surat: A 19-year-old
resident of Ruby
Complex at Variyali
Bazaar committed
suicide on Monday by
jumping into the Tapi
river. Fire depart-
ment personnel fished
him out of the river
and took him to the
Civil Hospital, where
doctors declared him
brought dead.
A primary investiga-
tion has revealed that
Mohammad Ashad
Fruitwala went for an
interview for the job of
a conductor with the
Bus Rapid Transport
System (BRTS) just be-
fore he killed himself.
According to Head
Constable Ritesh Gavit
of the Chowkbazar po-
lice station, Fruitwala
took his father, who had
been complaining of
chest pains, to a hospi-
tal in the morning.
Then, he went for his
interview. He is believed
to have committed sui-
cide on the way back.
The cause of his ex-
treme action is yet to be
ascertained.
Meanwhile, the fire
department rescued an-
other youth who had
jumped into the river,
after passersby called
108 and reported the in-
cident.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
state government on
Monday informed the
legislative assembly
that a total of 773
bigha (about 256
acres) of land has
been returned to the
original owner under
the Gujarat Land
Grabbing (Prohibi-
tion) Act, 2020.
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani has previously
asked that anyone who
has legal claims to land
and has been a victim
of fraud to lodge a com-
plaint before the Collec-
tor with supporting evi-
dence of his land own-
ership.
On Monday, in re-
sponse to a query relat-
ed to land grabbing in
Navsari district, law
minister Pradipsinh
Jadeja told the House
that the state govern-
ment is pro-poor and
marginalized.
“No poor persons
should be deprived of
their rights, which is
whythegovernmenthas
enacted the Gujarat
LandGrabbing(Prohibi-
tion) Act, 2020,” he said.
He added that since
the law was enacted, the
state has received a total
of 2,539 complaints un-
der which 113 FIRs have
been registered and cas-
es have been filed
against 409 accused.
“The process of return-
ing a total of 12.51 lakh
square meters of land to
their rightful owners is
currently on, under this
Act,” he also said.
Jadeja further speci-
fied that about 125 hec-
tares, or about 309
acres of land, had been
illegally snatched from
the original owner. He
added that, in Gir Som-
nath district, a total of
8 suo motu complaints
have been registered
and 31 complaints have
been received.
256 acres of land returned to rightful owners
LAND GRABBING ACT
Cops bike to Dandi,police commissioner takes lead
First India Bureau
Surat: Police Com-
missioner Ajay
Tomar on Monday
led 100 police per-
sonnel in a first-of-
its-kind bike rally to
Dandi, as part of the
recently launched
Azadi Ka Amrut Ma-
hotsav programme
intended to mark 75
years of India’s In-
dependence. Munici-
pal Commissioner
Banchhanidhi Pani
also joined the yatra.
The rally, which be-
gan at the police com-
missioner’s office at 5
am, was flagged off by
104-year-old Prabhub-
hai Nanubhai Ahir of
Khajod village.
Theroutecoveredthe
58km distance between
SuratandDandivillage
in Navsari, and includ-
ed two breaks--one each
after 20km of riding.
Monday’s bike ral-
ly taken out by the
Surat police is the
latest in a string of
75 events slated to be
held over the 75
weeks leading up to
Independence Day
next year.
The state has not shared info on sample testing for months.
The rally kicked off at 5 am from the Commissioner’s office.
Police tracked the deceased’s vehicle number to find his family.
125 hectares, or about 309
acres, of land had been illegally
snatched from their original
owners, the House was told
CAUSE EFFECT
With Ahmedabad’s Nehru Bridge currently undergoing
renovations, commuters who took the parallel Ellisbridge
were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours on
Monday, with no respite from the rising temperature, and
with no way of even turning back.
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
—FILE
PHOTO

Vol 2 Issue No. 110 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. 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: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
here is no
shortage of
disciplines and
industries rife
with sexism.
The STEM fields – sci-
ence, technology, engi-
neering and mathematics
– are particularly well
known for their misogy-
nistic cultures.
But I believe, based on
my personal experience,
the experiences of my fel-
low female economists and
hard data, that there’s a
strong case to be made that
economics is the worst aca-
demic field in which to be
a woman.
And the consequences
of this aren’t felt only by
the women who work in
the field and must endure
sexist policies and hostile
behavior. Government
policies would likely look
very different were more
women involved in draft-
ing them.
THE NUMBERS
DON’T LIE
Most people realize that
women are underrepre-
sented in STEM fields.
But even though women
are actually less well rep-
resented in economics,
there seems to be little
awareness of how bad
things are in that field –
and how slowly they’re
changing.
The field of economics is
dominated by men, in
terms of both faculty and
students, with dispropor-
tionately few women and
members of historically
underrepresented racial
and ethnic minority
groups, relative to the over-
all population and to other
academic disciplines.
By rank, women repre-
sent fewer than 15% of full
professors in economics
departments and 31% of
faculty at the assistant lev-
el. Altogether, just 22% of
tenured and tenure-track
faculty in economics are
women, according to a sur-
vey the American Econom-
ic Association conducted
last year.
By many measures, the
gender gap in economics is
the largest of any academ-
ic discipline. For example,
women received about 30%
of doctorate and bachelor
degrees in economics in
2014 – the same as in 1995
– compared with 45% to
60% of degrees in busi-
ness, humanities and the
STEM fields. That’s the lat-
est year for which compa-
rable figures are available.
A LACK OF ROLE
MODELS AND SEXISM
It may seem strange that
the field of economics
would have such a gaping
gender gap when one of
the most powerful econo-
mists in the world, Janet
Yellen, is a woman. She’s
currently the U.S. treasury
secretary and was chair of
the Federal Reserve from
2014 to 2018.
Women are notoriously
underrepresented at the
top of the economics field.
Just eight of the 140 Fed
presidents appointed since
1914 have been women, as
are barely a fifth of cur-
rent members of the Na-
tional Bureau of Economic
Research – one of the most
influential economic poli-
cy think tanks in the U.S.
ECONOMICS’
DIVERSITY PROBLEM
Achieving more gender
and other kinds of diver-
sity in economics isn’t just
about political correctness.
Diversity leads to better
results and policies by al-
tering group dynamics and
decision-making.
Decades of research by
organizational scientists,
psychologists, sociologists,
economists and demogra-
phers show that being
around people who are dif-
ferent from ourselves – and
not just by gender, but by
race, class, ethnicity and
sexual orientation – makes
people more creative, dili-
gent and hard-working.
Source - The Conversation
TWO TEMPLES AND
A BUNCH OF CASES
FOR PUJA RIGHTS
he Gyanvapi mosque at Kashi and
a 17th century mosque which
stands adjacent to the Krishna
Janmabhoomi in Mathura have
been an eyesore for the Rashtriya
Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the Vishwa Hin-
du Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal who
together ran a movement which brought
down the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Bharati-
ya Janata Party leader Subramaniam Swa-
my said to Muslims in 2016, “Give us three
temples, keep 39,997 mosques. The objective
a Ram temple in Ayodhya having been
achieved, the focus has shifted to Kashi and
Mathura with petitions being filed in Vara-
nasi and Mathura courts. A suit was filed in
a Varanasi court seeking worshipping rights
in the temple of Lord Adi Visheshwar and
Goddess Maa Shringar Gauri located in the
Gyanvapi mosque which is adjacent to the
Kashi Vishwanath temple. The case has been
filed even as the Allahabad High Court is set
to hear a plea against its maintainability.
Parallelly, additional district and sessions
judge Dev Kant Shukla admitted a plea for
the removal of the mosque near the birth-
place of Lord Krishna. According to the
judge the plea was maintainable, therefore,
admissible. Besides this, there are three
more suits pending before courts in Mathu-
ra. The lawyer in one of these suits is HS
Jain, who is also representing plaintiffs in
the Gyanvapi case in Varanasi.
These are well thought of moves by the
Hindus. Take the matter to court and then
resort to other means to settle the dispute in
case the litigation drags on for decades as
happened in the case of Ram Janmbhoomi.
The concerted attempt being made to set the
record straight, points to a tense and commu-
nally charged future.
These are, however, side shows. A bigger
and more significant development has been
the Supreme Court agreeing to relook at the
Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act
of 1991. The law prevents conversion of re-
ligious places and maintains their character
as it existed on August 15, 1947. In his peti-
tion BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay
stated that the Act takes away rights of Hin-
dus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs to reclaim
their places of worship through courts. If
done away with, it will open a Pandora’s Box
in the name of undoing the acts of medieval
invaders.
Not only these three temples, a suit has also
been filed before the Civil Judge Senior Divi-
sion at Saket District Court claiming that
Qutub Complex, where the famous Qutub
Minar is located, originally housed 27 Jain
and Hindu temples which were destroyed by
Qutb-ud-din Aibak in the 12th century. The
case has been filed on behalf of Lord Vishnu
and Lord Rishabh Dev. The plaintiff has de-
manded worshipping rights.
This sudden upsurge in cases by Hindus
for worshipping rights over Gyanvapi, Ma-
thura and Qutub Complex will keep the na-
tion on tenterhooks.
IN-DEPTH
T
ou have just finished your
meal; you tell yourself that this
evening you are going to clean
and organize your desk or you
have a project to complete that
is pending for weeks or even
months. But before you get
started, you tell yourself, why
not relax for a moment? So, you
turn on the TV – ‘just for a few
minutes.’ Before you know it,
the evening is gone. The task
you planned to do will have to
wait again.
Do we see ourselves in the
above description? Putting it
off, postponing or procrastinat-
ing is the most common ten-
dency among many. There is
hardly anyone who has not at
one time or another said to one-
self, “I know I should be doing
it, but…”
Procrastination makes it-
self manifest in our lives in
many different guises and it
is easy for the habit to be-
come ingrained in us. We
can tell ourselves, “I’ll do
better next time,” and that is
the beginning of a losing
battle. There may not always
be a “next time.”
The lazier a person is, the
more he says he is going to do
it tomorrow. The saying, “To-
morrow is often the busiest day
of the year,” reflects the ten-
dency to delay
.
Procrastination means to
put off intentionally and ha-
bitually the doing of something
that should be done.
Have we not all, at one time
or another, made personal reso-
lutions to do something? How-
ever, it is one thing to make a
personal resolve and quite an-
other to carry it out. This is
because matters do come up
unexpectedly, some of which
demand our immediate atten-
tion. Unless we promptly carry
it out, we will be continually
postponing it. This usually
leads to our forgetting about
our good intentions or giving
up the whole idea.
As stress and pressure
mount, many find relief by
pushing the task into the back-
ground and relishing the newly
found ‘free time’, until the pres-
sure builds up again as one gets
closer to the deadline. This se-
riously affects our creative
ability and hampers our pro-
ductivity at work.
Procrastinators put them-
selves under so much pressure
by delaying action that they
suffer more stress related ill-
ness than others, like head-
aches, back-pains, colds, sleep-
ing problems and allergies.
Many put off doing work on
time because they feel they
have the motivation to do some-
thing only at the last minute, or
they do not have the desire to
do anything due to lack of self
discipline.
Different people procras-
tinate at different stages.
Some before starting be-
cause they view the project
as too big. Others begin, but
half way through, their en-
thusiasm wanes, and they
put off finishing it. Still oth-
ers get close to completing it
but start another project,
leaving the first one unfin-
ished.
Generally, procrastinators
are not time conscious and do
not know how to manage time
so they are not able to do things
on time. Thus, large corpora-
tions often attempt to teach
their employees time manage-
ment techniques. But when it
comes to putting the “learn-
ings” to good use, most tend to
procrastinate as usual.
The feeling of inadequacy
or incompetence makes most
people postpone doing work.
Putting things off acts as a
buffer for their shaky sense of
self worth. Their fear of criti-
cism prevents them from even
starting.
Doing work at the last min-
ute may be a person’s way of
excusing his shoddy work be-
cause one can then say, “if only
I had more time!”
Since procrastination is a
form of avoidance, to overcome
it, one must be able to evaluate
the reason, importance and the
true worth of the task at hand.
So, the next time we wonder
why certain things we intended
to do get put off so often, we
can stop and ask ourselves –
Are these things really impor-
tant? Do they serve a useful
purpose? And if so, what is pre-
venting me from doing them?
The remedy is to get start-
ed even if we do not complete
the work now. To create in-
centive, we can make a to-do
list. We can slice down big
tasks into several small size
ones. Doing uninteresting
tasks first helps us to look
forward to more enjoyable
activities. Planning for inter-
ruptions as we work, allows
us to take care of it without
getting upset. Besides, tak-
ing short breaks to pause,
stretch and reflect, helps in
better concentration.
In view of the transient na-
ture of life, by taking a serious
look at our priorities and our
habits, we will do now what we
resolve in our heart and not put
things off.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
TOMORROW NEVER COMES
PROCRASTINATION
Y
Generally,
procrastinators
are not time
conscious and
do not know
how to manage
time so they are
not able to do
things on time.
Thus, large
corporations
often attempt to
teach their
employees time
management
techniques. But
when it comes
to putting the
“learnings” to
good use, most
tend to
procrastinate
as usual
REKHA
KUMAR
Do we see ourselves
in above description?
Putting it off,
postponing or
procrastinating is
common tendency
among many; there is
hardly anyone who has
not said to oneself, “I
know I should be doing
it, but…
The writer is a personal
development trainer working
with corporate and SME sector
Gender gap in economics is huge – it’s worse than tech
T
Work for work’s sake, not
for yourself. Act but do not
be attached to your actions.
Be in the world, but not of it
—Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Prakash Javadekar
@PrakashJavdekar
Kudos to the efforts of these
forest rangers for their
commendable forest-based
livelihood initiatives that helped
the people of a local community in
Uttarakhand increase their income
over 10 fold since last October.
Ravi Shankar Prasad
@rsprasad
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
is making more and more women
in rural areas a part of the formal
economy. 23.25 Crore women
beneficiaries all over India are
part this financial service.
ACHIEVING MORE
GENDER AND OTHER
KINDS OF DIVERSITY
IN ECONOMICS ISN’T
JUST ABOUT
POLITICAL
CORRECTNESS

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.

INDIA
05
Purulia: West Bengal
Banerjee while address-
ing a public meeting in
Purulia on Monday said
that Trinamool Con-
gress(TMC)government
willdeliverfreerationto
the people of West Ben-
gal at their doorsteps if
voted to power.
“TMC government
will remain in power,
you will continue to get
free ration. We will de-
liver ration to your
doorstep. You don’t
have to come to the shop
after May,” said Baner-
jee. “My government
has taken the decision
in the budget to give Rs
1,000 to all the widows,”
she said adding that a
pension of Rs 2,000 was
also provided in the
Budget for tribals aged
above 60 years.
“This is the only state
that has not snatched
the land rights of trib-
als,” Banerjee said.
She slammed BJP by
saying, “Did they give
you Rs 15 lakhs as they
promised? Remember,
people cannot be pur-
chased with money. On
one side, we are doing
development activities
and on the other side
BJP is increasing fuel
and gas prices”.
“How did BJP be-
come rich all of a sud-
den? They have earned
a lot by selling banks,”
she alleged.
Banerjee said to the
people, “Don’t bow
down your head. If ide-
ologies, character, mor-
al and values are lost,
everything will be lost.”
WILL DELIVER RATION AT DOORSTEPS: MAMATA
DELHI MAY FACE HUGE WATER
CRISES: SATYENDAR JAIN
New Delhi: Delhi may
face a huge water supply
cut of about 25 per
cent as the canals from
Bhakra dam in Punjab
will be closed, Health
Minister Satyendar Jain
said on Monday. “There
may be a huge water
supply cut of about 25
per cent as the Punjab
administration has said
that the canal from
Bhakra dam will be
closed. We are talking
to them. If the supply is
disrupted then there will
be an outcry in Delhi,”
said Jain. Earlier on
Sunday, the Delhi Jal
Board (DJB) said water
supply in several areas of
east Delhi was hit due to
repair work to fix leakage
and added the supply is
likely to be restored.
BJP TRYING TO ‘CURTAIL
POWERS’ OF ELECTED GOVT
New Delhi: CM Kejriw-
al on Monday accused
BJP of trying to “cur-
tail powers” of elected
government through
a Bill in LS. Referring
to the Gov of National
Capital Territory of
Delhi (Amendment)
Bill, 2021, Kejriwal
condemned the BJP’s
anti-democracy move.
“After being rejected
by ppl of Del, BJP
seeks to curtail powers
of elected govt thro
a Bill in LS. Bill is
contrary to Constitu-
tion Bench judgement.
We strongly condemn
BJP’s anti-democracy,”
Kejriwal tweeted.
OM BIRLA INAUGURATES CGHS
HEALTH CAMP IN PARLIAMENT
New Delhi: LS Speak-
er Om Birla inaugurat-
ed the Central Govern-
ment Health Scheme
(CGHS) health camp in
Parliament House An-
nexe on Monday. Rajya
Sabha Deputy Chair-
man Harivansh, Union
Minister for Health
and Family Welfare Dr
Harsh Vardhan, Union
Minister of Parliamen-
tary Affairs Pralhad
Joshi, Union Minister
of State for Parliamen-
tary Affairs Arjun Ram
Meghal, Union Minister
of State for External Af-
fairs V Muraleedharan
also participated were
also present there.
PM MODI CONDOLES DEMISE OF
MAESTRO CHEMANCHERI
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Monday expressed his
condolences on the death
of Kathakali maestro Guru
Chemancheri Kunhiraman
Nair. Modi said that his
passion towards Indian
culture and spirituality
was legendary. In a tweet,
PM Modi said: “Saddened
by the demise of Kathakali
maestro Guru Cheman-
cheri Kunhiraman Nair.
His passion for Indian
culture and spirituality
was legendary. He made
exceptional efforts to
groom upcoming talent
in our classical dances.
My thoughts are with his
family. Om Shanti.” Born
in Kerala’s Kozhikode,
Chemancheri Kunhiraman
Nair was a notable Indian
Kathakali actor.
Wheel-chair bound, CM Mamata Banerjee, on way to address
public meeting in Purulia on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI
TMC MLA Debasree Roy
resigns ahead of polls
What happened to Mamata was accident,
should’nt be politicised, says Gadkari
TMC APPOINTS
SINHA AS
PARTY’S VICE
PRESIDENT
BSP WILL CONTEST ASSEMBLY
POLLS ALONE, SAYS MAYAWATI
TN CM PALANISWAMI FILES
NOMINATION FROM EDAPPADI
ATTEMPTED ATTACK ON MNM
CHIEF KAMAL HAASAN’S CAR
Former BJP leader
Yashwant Sinha, who
recently joined the
Trinamool Congress, has
been appointed the Vice
President of the Mamata
Banerjee-led party. The
former union minister has
also been made a member
of the TMC national work-
ing committee as per the
order issued on Monday
by TMC General Secretary
Subrata Bakshi. On March
13, Sinha joined the TMC
in Kolkata ahead of the
state Assembly polls.
West Bengal will witness
eight-phased Assembly
polls beginning March
27. The tenure of the 16th
Legislative Assembly of
West Bengal will end on
May 30 this year. A total
of 7,34,07,832 voters will
choose their representa-
tive for the 17th Legisla-
tive Assembly of West
Bengal.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha,
who recently joined the Tri-
namool Congress, has been
appointed the Vice President
of the Mamata Banerjee-led
party. The former union min-
ister has also been made a
member of the TMC national
working committee as per
the order issued on Monday by TMC General Secretary
Subrata Bakshi. On March 13, Sinha joined the TMC in
Kolkata ahead of the state Assembly polls. West Bengal
will witness eight-phased Assembly polls beginning
March 27. The tenure of the 16th Legislative Assembly
of West Bengal will end on May 30 this year. A total of
7,34,07,832 voters will choose their representative for
the 17th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and
AIADMK Joint Coordinator K
Palaniswami on Monday filed
nomination from his native
Edappadi in this district for
the April 6 Assembly polls.
Palaniswami has won from
Edappadi four times (1989,
1991, 2011 and 2016) and the
region is among the strong-
holds of the ruling party. The chief minister, who walked
a short distance to reach the local Taluk office, submit-
ted his required papers. Palaniswami is later slated to
address poll rallies in different parts of the district.
Chennai: The Makkal Needhi
Maiam has alleged that an
unidentified person attempted
to damage a car in which the
party’s chief, Kamal Haasan,
was travelling on Gandhi Road
in Kancheepuram district on
Sunday night. A senior police
officer, who said no FIR had
been filed yet, said there was
no damage to the car. The officer said that a person had at-
tempted to stop the car to have a conversation with Haasan.
ECI HAS NOT DENIED
MAMATA’S INJURY: KHARGE
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha
Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said that the
Election Commission of India (ECI) has ruled out
the conspiracy against
Banerjee but has not
denied her injury. “ECI
has ruled out the con-
spiracy against Mamata
Banerjee but has not
denied her leg injury.
The BJP should at least
trust their agency,” said
Kharge. “There must
have a police lap that
the election commission has mentioned. Shah and
Modi always create a scene over everything but I
believe politics should not be done in this matter,”
he added. He also mentioned that, by privatis-
ing the banks, the government is systematically
getting away with the arrangement of reservation
given to SC, ST and OBCs. While talking about
COVID-19 precautions, Kharge said, “We are tak-
ing preventive measures to avoid COVID-19 but
the leaders of this country, Modi ji and Amit ji, are
holding large gatherings in West Bengal.”
Kolkata: Actress-
turned Trinamool
Congress MLA Debas-
ree Roy on Monday
tendered her resigna-
tiontothepartyahead
of the West Bengal
Assembly elections.
In a letter, the Ray-
dighi MLA thanked
the party for allowing
her to serve the peo-
ple for the last 10
years. She wrote,
“From today I am sev-
ering all my ties with
the TMC. Since I am
not there in any party
position there is no
need to resign from
that. For the last 10
years, I had been the
MLA from Raydighi
and I want you to re-
lieve me from all my
duties. I am grateful
to the party for letting
me work for the peo-
ple for a long time.”
Over 20 ministers
and MLAs have re-
signed from Trina-
mool Congress (TMC)
ahead of the upcom-
ing West Bengal As-
sembly elections, in-
cluding big names
like Suvendu Adhi-
kari, state Finance
Minister Amit Mitra,
Land Minister Abdul
Rajjak Molla and Ag-
riculture Minister
Purnendu Basu.
The incident in which
West Bengal Chief Min-
ister Mamata Banerjee
suffered injury was an
“accident” and it should
not be politicised, said
Union Minister Nitin
Gadkari on Monday,
adding that such con-
troversies ruin the at-
mosphere of the elec-
tions. Gadkari also
termed the accident
“unfortunate” and said
we should not tarnish
polls.
“Polls further dignify
our democratic tradi-
tions. We shouldn’t tar-
nish polls. What hap-
pened with Mamata Ba-
nerjee was an accident,
everyone says it. This
should not be politi-
cised. She and we are
going to the people’s
court. One should go
ahead by accepting the
decision,” Gadkari said.
IN THE COURTYARD
SC seeks response over ‘iron
ore smuggling’ allegations
Court directs to supply
chargesheet copy to
Kanhaiya Kumar
Right to reject may
disrupt Parl; SC seeks
Centre, EC reply
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court Court on
Monday sought a de-
tailed response from
the Centre and certain
iron exporting compa-
nies after hearing a pe-
tition filed by lawyer
Manohar Lal Sharma,
seeking directions to
the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) to
register an FIR and
probe the alleged duty
evasion by 61 compa-
nies in allegedly ‘smug-
gling’ iron ore to China
since 2015.
“We seek a response
from the Centre,” a
three-judge bench of
the Apex Court, headed
by CJI Sharad Arvind
Bobde and also com-
prising Justices A S Bo-
panna and V Ramasu-
bramanian, said. The
Apex Court also sought
a reply from certain
iron exporting compa-
nies.
During the course of
the hearing today, So-
licitor General (SG)
Tushar Mehta, appear-
ing for the Centre,
sought and pleaded for
more time as he wanted
to file a reply in the
case. The petitioner,
Sharma, submitted to
the Apex Court that an
application has been
filed.
“It is an urgent mat-
ter. A date be given, my
lords in this matter,”
Sharma pleaded to the
Apex Court, to which,
the CJI, adjourned the
matter. —ANI
New Delhi: Delhi’s Pa-
tiala House Court on
Monday directed the
prosecution to supply
the copy of chargesheet
and other documents to
all accused in the Jawa-
harlal Nehru Universi-
ty (JNU) sedition case
in which the Commu-
nist Party of India
(Marxist) leader Kan-
haiya Kumar is an ac-
cused among others.
Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate (CMM)
Dr Pankaj Sharma also
granted bail to seven ac-
cused on a personal bail
bond of Rs 25,000 in the
matter, who were never
arrested by Delhi Police
in the case. The Court
also noted that Kanhai-
ya Kumar, Umar Khalid
and one other had al-
ready got bail in the
case earlier. The Court
slated the matter for
April 7 for scrutiny of
documents.
However, Advocate
Sushil Bajaj represent-
ed Kanhaiya Kumar
sought exemption from
appearance of the
CPI(M) due to his social
engagement, but the
Court said it can’t con-
sider this application in
advance. —ANI
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Mon-
day sought response
from the Centre and the
Election Commission
on a PIL seeking direc-
tion to give voters the
right to reject a candi-
date in an election, if
maximum votes are
polled in favour of
NOTA.
The plea argued that
the contesting candi-
dates should be consid-
ered as rejected and not
be allowed to fight fresh
elections.
“Right to reject and
elect new candidate will
give power to the people
to express their discon-
tent,” said the plea.
A bench headed by
Chief Justice S.A. Bob-
de posed a query, if an
influential political
party manages to get
many candidates reject-
ed, then in that back-
drop of so many vac-
cancies, it will be diffi-
cult for the Parliament
to function.
Senior advocate Me-
naka Guruswamy, rep-
resenting the petitioner,
submitted his client
had approached the
statutory authorities,
but he has not received
any response. —PTI
SC notice to
govt: Surgery by
Ayurveda docs
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court sent a no-
tice to Centre on a plea
by Indian Medical As-
sociation (IMA) against
a Central Council of
Indian Medicine
(CCIM) order allowing
post-graduate practi-
tioners in specified
streams of Ayurveda to
be trained to perform
surgeries.
The court issued no-
tices to the Ministry of
Ayush, CCIM and Na-
tional Medical Commis-
sion seeking their re-
plies on the petition.
A Central Council of
Indian Medicine notifi-
cation had listed 39 gen-
eral surgery procedures
involving the eye, ear,
nose and throat by
amending regulations,
2016. —PTI
Kanhaiya Kumar

INDIA
AHMEDABAD| TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021
06
CONG MLA....
As directed by Trivedi,
three to four sergeants
then escorted the MLA
out of the House without
using any force.
Afterhisexit,Minister
of State for Home Prad-
ipsinh Jadeja moved a
proposal to expel Chu-
dasamaforthreedaysfor
“arguingwiththeSpeak-
er” which was met with
vocaloppositionfromthe
Congress.
“MLAs must have the
freedomtochosetheirat-
tire. Nowhere it is writ-
tenthatMLAscan’twear
T-shirts. This is a viola-
tion of constitutional
rights,”Leaderof theOp-
positionPareshDhanani
claimed.
Thereafter, Chief Min-
ister Vijay Rupani with-
drew Jadeja’s proposal
andurgedCongresslead-
ers to convince Chudasa-
ma to follow the dress
code.
“Even our minister
Jayesh Radadiya used to
wear T-shirts. But, as
soon as the Speaker
pointeditout,heimmedi-
ately changed it and
came back wearing a
kurta. T-shirts do not
look good inside the
House. I urge Congress
leaders to convince Chu-
dasama,” Rupani said.
BENGAL A...
in Jhargram on Monday
.
“Corruption, political
violence, polarisation,
Hindus and SC/STs had
to go to courts for cele-
brating their festivals -
this is the sort of situa-
tiontheyhavebroughtto
the state, ruining devel-
opment in the state,”
Shah said. Meanwhile,
Shah while whishing
Didi a speedy recovery
questioned that whether
shecouldfeelthepainof
families of BJP workers
who have been killed
during TMC’s rule in
West Bengal.
Shah said that if the
BJP is voted to power in
the state, it will ensure
that the rights of the
tribal are secured.
“TMC seeks cut mon-
ey even for a tribal cer-
tificate. We will ensure
the land rights of the
tribals.Thespecialfocus
will be on education,
health and drinking wa-
ter for the tribals in the
area. We will also men-
tionitinourmanifesto,”
he said.
Bankura district, in
the western part of the
state, has a significant
tribal population, cru-
cial to any party’s elec-
toral success.
MODI
INCOMPETENT...
chaie na Congress ke
chaie na, CPM ke chaie
na. (we do not BJP, do
not need Congress, do
not need CPM). BJP ke
bidai dao...Khela hobe,
dekha hobe, jeta hobe
(oust BJP, game is on,
we will see, we will
win).” —PTI
BATLA HOUSE:...
Thecourtalsoimposeda
totalfineof Rs11lakhon
Ariz in the case.
It said Rs 10L should
be immediately released
to family of Sharma.—
Agencies
‘WILL TAKE...
by an Odisha BJP MP
Ashwini Vaishnaw,
where he expressed
“shared global concerns
aboutracism”.Vaishnaw
stated that there “ap-
pears to be a continua-
tion of attitudes and
prejudicesfromthecolo-
nial area especially in
the United Kingdom”.
—ANI
BILL TO...
2021 was later intro-
duced by a voice vote.
As per the Cabinet de-
cision, in every district,
the district magistrate
and the additional dis-
trict magistrate will get
the power to monitor
functions of agencies re-
sponsible for the imple-
mentation of the Act.
The district child pro-
tection unit will also
function under the dis-
trict magistrate.
According to amend-
ments cleared by the
Cabinet last month, be-
forebecomingamember
of a child welfare com-
mittee, background and
educational qualifica-
tion checks will be in-
cluded. The amendment
to the bill intends to em-
power district magis-
trates and additional
district magistrates to
authorise orders of
adoption, propose that
appeals on the orders of
adoption may be re-
ferred to the divisional
commissioner, and to
strengthen child welfare
committees by incorpo-
rating provisions relat-
ing to educational quali-
fications for the mem-
bers and stipulating eli-
gibility conditions for
selection of the commit-
tee. —ANI
BANK STRIKE...
While Chennai handles
5.8 million instruments
worth `5,150 crore on a
dailybasis,Mumbaihan-
dles 8.6 million instru-
ments worth `6,500 crore
and Delhi processes 5.7
million instruments of
`4,850 crore. The strike
commenced at about 6
amwhenservicebranch-
es dealing in cheque
clearances start opera-
tions and will end on
Tuesday midnight. —ANI
FROM PG 1
APPOINTMENT OF CBDT’ MEMBERS
SOON
Appointment of three new Members of the CBDT
is expected to be made either this week or early
next week.
CBIC MEMBER AJAY JAIN TO RETIRE
IN APRIL
Ajay Jain, Member (Legal, CX ST) in CBIC is
superannuating by April end. He is 1985 batch
IRS officer.
NO FULL-TIME SECRETARY FOR
DRINKING WATER
The Government of India is yet to appoint
full-time Secretary to the Department of Water
Drinking Sanitation.
WILL CENTRE INTERVENE IN
UTTARAKHAND BUREAUCRATIC
APPOINTMENTS ?
As per available indications, this time the Centre
is likely to have full say in the appointment
of senior bureaucrats in Uttarakhand. If this
happens then new CS and DGP are likely to be
sent from Delhi. This exercise is being seen as
the damage control exercise.
WILL SENIOR OFFICERS BE SENT
FROM DELHI ?
It is widely believed that if the present CS and
DGP in Uttarakhand are changed then their
successors will be sent from Delhi.
CAT VACANCIES YET TO BE
FILLED UP
There are over a dozen vacancies of
Administrative Members in the Central
Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
MS. PARUL SINGH RELIEVED TO
JOIN CENTRAL DEPUTATION
Ms. Parul Singh has been relieved to join
as Deputy Secretary in the Department of
Commerce, Delhi on deputation basis. She is an
IRS-IT officer.
MS. MAHESHWARI RETURNS TO
PARENT CADRE, JOINS PRCCIT,
BHOPAL
Ms. Maya Maheshwari, who was on deputation
to the Government of Madhya Pradesh for a
period of three years, returned to the parent
cadre. Ms Maheshwari, who belongs to an
IRS-IT, has been appointed as CIT(OSD) in the
office of Principal CCIT Bhopal, MP Chattisgarh
region.
MS. VIDHI CHOUDHARY TO JOIN
FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT
Ms. Vidhi Choudhary has been appointed Deputy
Director in Financial Intelligence Unit - India on
deputation basis. She is an IRS-IT officer.
DEPUTATION TENURE EXTENDED
FOR ONE YEAR
The DoT has extended the deputation tenure of V
S Raju, Joint Advisor, TRAI for one more year i.e.
till March 31 2022.
B SAHOO IN THE RACE FOR
CMD, BEML
B Sahoo ED, NMDC, is in the race for the post
of Chairman-cum-Managing Director, BEML
Limited.
RAJNESH SINGH TO BE DIRECTOR,
DEPARTMENT OF HEAVY INDUSTRIES
Rajnesh Singh, Divisional Mechanical Engineer
(DME), Computer Information Systems (CIS),
Railway Board, has been selected for deputation
to the post of Director in the Department of
Heavy Industries, Delhi, for a period of five years.
He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical
Engineers (IRSME) officer.
TWO IPS OFFICERS IN WB PLACED
UNDER SUSPENSION
Vivek Sahay, Director Security and Pravin
Prakash, SP, Purba Medinipur, in West Bengal,
have been placed under suspension immediately.
POWERGallery
By arrangement with: http://
whispersinthecorridors.com
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on
Monday said the COV-
ID-19 virus continues to
be a big threat and peo-
ple should follow all
precautions and not let
their guard down.
He had last month ac-
cused the government
of being grossly negli-
gent and over confident
in tackling coronavi-
rus, saying it is not over
yet.
“As warned earlier,
Covid19 continues to be
a big threat. Please keep
the guards up -- wear
masks and follow all
precautions,” he said
on Twitter.
He shared a graph
showing that coronavi-
rus cases have doubled
in the last four weeks.
India recorded 26,291
new COVID-19 cases,
the highest in 85 days,
taking the total tally of
cases to 1,13,85,339, ac-
cording to the Union
Health Ministry data
updated on Monday
.
—PTI
A GRAPH SHOWED HOW CASES DOUBLED IN THE LAST FOUR WEEKS
DON’T LET GUARD DOWN, COVID-19
CONTINUES TO BE BIG THREAT: RAHUL
MP govt advises week-long
quarantine to passengers
Bhopal: In view of a
spike in COVID-19 cas-
es, the MP government
has issued new guide-
lines and said people
coming to districts
which share border
with Maha should be
identified and advised a
week-long quarantine.
Madhya Pradesh’s
eight districts - Chhind-
wara, Balaghat, Betul,
Seoni, Khandwa, Bar-
wani, Khargone and
Burhanpur - shared
border with Maharash-
tra.
“Passengers coming
to the border districts
from Maharashtra
should be identified and
they should be advised
a week-long necessary
quarantine,” as per
MP’s Additional Chief
Secretary (Home) Dr
Rajesh Rajora.
Rahul urged people to keep wearing masks. -File Photo
Disregard to SOPs reason for
recent spike: Vardhan
New Delhi: As India
is witnessing a surge
in the cases of the
coronavirus disease
(Covid-19), health
minister Dr Harsh
Vardhan pointed to
people’s disregard for
social distancing and
other guidelines. Var-
dhan also said that
Covid-19 cases are
on the rise in a few
states only. “Around
85% of cases are in
five to six states. The
main reason behind
the increase in cases
is people not taking
Covid appropriate
behaviour,”the health
minister.
New Delhi: The
Indian Railways has
rendered yeoman
service during the
coronavirus pandem-
ic by transporting 43
lakh migrant labour-
ers, distributing
two crore free food
packets and making
available coaches to
be used as healthcare
centres, BJP MP Ram
Kripal Yadav said on
Monday. “During the
coronavirus pan-
demic, the railways
has offered over 200
coaches for health-
care centres, 43 lakh
migrant labours were
transported, he said.
Railways lauded in Parliament
for ‘yeoman service’
Ambani scare: Mum cop
Sachin Waze suspended
Mumbai: Mumbai Po-
lice on Monday sus-
pended assistant police
inspector Sachin Waze
following his arrest by
the NIA in connection
with its probe into the
recovery of explosives
from a car near indus-
trialist Mukesh Amba-
ni’s residence here, an
official said. Deputy
Commissioner of Po-
lice S Chaitanya told
reporters that “API
Sachin Waze has been
placed under suspen-
sion by an order of Ad-
ditional Commissioner
of Police Special
Branch”. The National
Investigation Agency
(NIA) arrested Waze on
late Saturday night in
connection with its
probe into the recovery
of a Scorpio containing
20 gelatin sticks near
Ambani’s house ‘Antil-
ia’ in south Mumbai on
February 25. Waze (49),
credited with eliminat-
ing 63 alleged criminals
in ‘encounters’, is also
facing heat in the mur-
der case of Thane-
based businessman
Mansukh Hiran, who
was in possession of
the Scorpio. Hiran was
found dead in a creek
in Thane district on
March 5. A Mumbai
court remanded Waze
in the NIA’s custody
till March 25.
CURB TAXES
NIA action insult of
Maha Police: Sena
Mumbai: The Shiv
Sena on Monday said
the arrest of Mumbai
police officer Sachin
Vaze by the National In-
vestigative Agency over
the recovery of explo-
sives from a car near
industrialist Mukesh
Ambani’s residence
was an “insult” of the
Maharashtra Police,
and alleged that it was
being done deliberately
.
An editorial in the
Sena mouthpiece
‘’Saamana’’ said that
the NIA investigation
in the case was surpris-
ing “Bravery of the Ma-
harashtra Police are
being acknowledged
around the world.”
“If Sachin Vaze was
guilty in the case, the
Mumbai police and the
Maharashtra Anti-Ter-
rorism Squad (ATS)
were capable of taking
action against him,” it
said.
But, (NIA) did not
want that to happen, the
Marathi publication
said.
It alleged that since
Vaze had arrested jour-
nalist Arnab Goswami
in the Anvay Naik sui-
cide case, he was on the
“hit-list of the BJP and
the Centre”. —PTI
No proposal to bring petrol, diesel under GST: FM
New Delhi: Amid re-
cord-high fuel prices,
Finance Minister Nir-
mala Sitharaman on
Monday said there is no
proposal as of now to
bring crude oil, petrol,
diesel, jet fuel (ATF)
and natural gas under
the Goods and Services
Tax (GST).
When the GST was
introduced on July 1,
2017, amalgamating
over a dozen central and
state levies, five com-
modities - crude oil,
natural gas, petrol, die-
sel, and aviation turbine
fuel - were kept out of its
purview given the reve-
nue dependence of the
central and state gov on
this sector. This meant
that the central govern-
ment continued to levy
excise duty on them
whilestategovernments
charged VAT. These tax-
es, with excise duty, in
particular, have been
raised periodically
. —PTI
Marine Aids to
Navigation Bill
introduced in
Lok Sabha
New Delhi: With tech-
nological changes tak-
ing place at a fast pace
in marine navigation, a
bill to provide for a
fresh framework to es-
tablish and manage ves-
sel traffic services was
introduced in Lok Sab-
ha on Monday
.
The Marine Aids to
Navigation Bill, 2021
provides for the use of
the term marine aids to
navigation instead of
lighthouse to enable
further use of modern
forms of aids to naviga-
tion, according to the
bill.
The bill, moved by
Union minister Man-
sukh Mandaviya, also
seeks to rename the ex-
isting Director General
of Lighthouse and
Lightships as the Direc-
tor General to provide a
framework for estab-
lishment, and manage-
ment of vessel traffic
services.
According to the
statement of objects of
the bill, the government
also plans to repeal the
Lighthouse Act, 1927.
—PTI
I have in-
structed the
team to dis-
cuss night
curfew and other
things. Relevant de-
partments will pre-
pare for a meeting
which will be held to-
morrow. We have is-
sued some instruc-
tion and will take
few more steps if
needed,
Shivraj Singh Chouhan,
Chief Minister, MP
Nirmala Sitharaman
Prioritising vaccine based
on profession: Centre to SC
New Delhi: The Central govern-
ment today informed the Supreme
Court that prioritising Covid-19
vaccination based on professions
will be discriminatory and not in
national interest. The Centre was
responding to a notice based on a
public interest litigation (PIL) that
wanted judges, lawyers, and oth-
ers of legal fraternity to be given
priority in the inoculation drive.
Sachin Waze

TALKING POINT
07
A nation created
in violence and
still bearing scars
of a troubled birth
M
arch 26
marks 50
years since
the start of Bangla-
desh’s liberation war,
a bloody nine-month
campaign that culmi-
nated in the nation’s
independence on De-
cember 16, 1971.
It was a violent
birth, with some of
its roots in the 1947
partition of India–
when Pakistan was
created as a separate
nation.
As the British Em-
pire left the subconti-
nent, an estimated
200,000 to 1.5 million
people were killed in
sectarian violence as-
sociated with the par-
tition and 10 million to
15 million were forci-
bly displaced.
Newly independent
Pakistan comprised
two separate geo-
graphical areas sepa-
rated by over a thou-
sand miles of Indian
terrain. While both
regions included sig-
nificant Muslim pop-
ulations, West Paki-
stan was made up
largely of Punjabi,
Pashtuns, Sindhis,
Baloch and other
smaller ethnic
groups. In contrast,
the population of
East Pakistan, which
became modern-day
Bangladesh, was pre-
dominantly ethnical-
ly Bengali, as the ter-
ritory was formerly
part of the Indian re-
gion of Bengal.
As a scholar of
conflict, I argue that
each of these factors–
particularly the dif-
ferences in language
and political and eco-
nomic inequities–
laid the groundwork
for Bangladesh’s in-
dependence struggle.
This history contin-
ues to have an impact
today.
TAZREENA SAJJAD
Senior Professorial Lecturer, American University
School of International Service
Deepening
fault lines
From early on, the is-
sue of language was a
difficult one. In 1948,
the founding leader of
Pakistan, Muhammad
Ali Jinnah, empha-
sized that only Urdu,
spoken by Muslims in
the north and north-
west in British India,
should be the state lan-
guage of the country.
Bangla, spoken over-
whelmingly by East
Pakistanis, was consid-
ered by West Pakistani
leadership as a “non-
Muslim” language.
The Urdu-only poli-
cy aimed to create a
single identity out of
two culturally distinct
regions united by a
common religion–Is-
lam. More broadly, it
aimed to consolidate
the national identity of
the recently independ-
ent Pakistan.
In East Pakistan, the
declaration was fol-
lowed by the banning
of Bengali books, songs
and poetry by Bengali
Nobel laureate Ra-
bindranath Tagore.
Bangla language as the
medium of education
and primary mode of
instruction was also
banned.
All currency and of-
ficial documents, in-
cluding postal stamps
and railway tickets,
were printed in Urdu.
The language ban
deepened tensions that
had already emerged
between West and East
Pakistan. A major rea-
son for this was signifi-
cant economic dispari-
ties between the two
regions. West Pakistan
controlled the coun-
try’s industry and com-
merce while East Paki-
stan was predominant-
ly the supplier for raw
materials, setting up a
situation of unequal
exchange.
In 1959-60 the per
capita income in West
Pakistan was 32%
higher than in East Pa-
kistan. By 1969-70, it
was 81% higher in West
Pakistan. Investment
policies including in
educational infrastruc-
ture consistently fa-
vored West Pakistan.
East Pakistanis had
little access to the cen-
tralgovernment,which
was located in the West
Pakistani city of Islam-
abad. They were se-
verely underrepresent-
ed in politics. West Pa-
kistani political leader-
ship did not see Benga-
lis as “real” Muslims.
Both in political circles
and socially, Bengali
cultural practices were
considered of a lower
social status.
Mass
uprising
The efforts to “Islam-
ize” East Pakistanis
through Urdu and
“purify” Bengali cul-
ture from “Hindu in-
fluences” resulted in
massive nonviolent
demonstrations and
strikes.
On February 21,
1952, students and oth-
er activists launched
a language movement
called the “Bhasha
Andolon,” which de-
manded Bangla be
recognized as the
state language for
East Pakistan. Thou-
sands of school and
college students pro-
tested, defying Sec-
tion 144 of the Crimi-
nal Procedural Code,
which prohibited as-
sembly of five or more
people and holding of
public meetings.
The crackdown that
followed claimed sev-
eral lives. From 1950
to 1969 it also galva-
nized a growing move-
ment for autonomy
across East Pakistan.
A mass uprising in
1969 was brutally put
down by police and
led to the imposition
of martial law.
In 1970, a devastat-
ing cyclone called
“Bhola” in East Paki-
stan claimed 300,000
to 500,000 lives. The
indifferent response
of the West Pakistan
government further
inflamed tensions.
A big turning point
came the same year
when the sole major-
ity political party in
East Pakistan, led by
Bengali politician
Sheikh Mujibur Rah-
man, won a landslide
victory in national
elections. The Paki-
stani leadership was
reluctant to accept
the results because it
did not want an East
Pakistani political
party heading the
federal government.
This resulted in
the start of a civil
disobedience move-
ment in East Paki-
stan.
As the demand for
Bengali autonomy
grew, the Pakistani
g o v e r n m e n t
launched Operation
Searchlight,“ a mili-
tary operation to
crush the emerging
movement. Accord-
ing to journalist Rob-
ert Payne, it killed at
least 7,000 Bengali
civilians–both Hin-
dus and Muslims–in
a single night.
On March 26, Bang-
ladesh was declared
independent and the
liberation war began.
Violent
birth of
Bangladesh
The liberation war
was fought mostly by
civilians–men and
women, Muslims, Hin-
dus and non-Bengali
Indigenous people.
Bangladesh’s inde-
pendence struggle
took place in the
broader context of the
Cold War, which meant
external actors were
involved in the con-
flict. During the Cold
War, India allied with
the Soviet Union,
while the U.S. allied
with Pakistan to coun-
ter Soviet influence in
South Asia and to pro-
tect its geostrategic
interests vis-a-vis Af-
ghanistan and China.
When the Pakistani
military intensified its
campaign to quell the
independence move-
ment, it did so with the
knowledge and sup-
port of the Nixon ad-
ministration.
The Pakistani mili-
tary and its local col-
laborators specifically
targeted Hindus, who
in the 1961 census rep-
resented 18% of East
Pakistan’s population
of 50 million.
An estimated 10 mil-
lion Bengalis became
refugees in India. A
further 20 million were
internally displaced.
An estimated 200,000 to
400,000 Bengali women
were systematically
raped.
Independent re-
search estimates
500,000 to 1 million peo-
ple were killed in the
genocidal campaign.
The Bangladesh gov-
ernment maintains
that 3 million Bengalis
were killed in the war.
On December 03, In-
dia officially entered
the war on the side of
Bangladesh.
Ten days later, in one
of the last military op-
erations, over 300 Ben-
gali academics, doc-
tors, engineers, jour-
nalists, artists and
teachers–Hindus and
Muslims alike–were
massacred by Paki-
stani soldiers and their
local collaborators.
On December 16,
1971, the Pakistani mil-
itary surrendered to
the Indian Army,
marking it as Bangla-
desh’s Victory Day.
Challenges
today
Soon after its inde-
pendence, in a meeting
between officials of
the United States
Agency for Interna-
tional Development
and Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger,
Bangladesh was la-
beled a “basket case.”
Years of economic in-
equities, the 1970 cy-
clone and the war had
left over 70% of its
population living be-
low the poverty line.
However, in the 50
years since its inde-
pendence, Bangladesh
has made some signifi-
cant strides. It has ag-
gressively tackled in-
fant mortality,gender
inequity and economic
development. Today,
with a booming econo-
my, it is on track to
graduate from the
United Nation’s least
developed country cat-
egory.
Nevertheless, Bang-
ladesh still faces enor-
mous challenges. Vio-
lence against women
and girls, corruption
and lack of press free-
doms remain serious
concerns.
Founded on the prin-
ciples of secularism,
the country today fac-
es a rise of Islamists.
The divide between
those who participated
in the independence
struggle and those who
collaborated with the
Pakistani military
continues to shape
Bangladesh’s political
landscape today.
Bangladeshi children at the Independence Day celebrations in Dhaka in 2012.
—AP PHOTO/PAVEL RAHMAN
The Liberation War Museum hosts a real-life demonstration of refugee camps in India.An estimated
10 million Bengalis became refugees in India during Bangladesh's freedom movement.
—PHOTO BY FAIZMOMEN
The Liberation War Museum in
Dhaka is home to 2-D and 3-D
pictorial presentations on the
Language Movement of 1952.
—PHOTO BY FAIZMOMEN
On December 16, 1971, the Pakistani military surrendered to the Indian Army, marking it as
Bangladesh’s Victory Day.
SOURCE:
THECONVERSATION.COM
BANGLADESH
BANGLADESH

You want to have power to change
your life? Then, think you have it!
The only way you can give up
your power is by thinking you don’t have it!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
3 Surat residents get
certificates without
getting vaccine jabs!
First India Bureau
Surat: At least 3 per-
sons in Surat are in pos-
session of Covid-19 in-
oculation certificates
without getting the ac-
tual vaccine dose, with
the authorities attribut-
ing it “technical glitch.”
Anup Singh, a resi-
dent of Pandesara local-
ity, said the Covid-19
vaccination certificate
of his father Harbhan
Singh (62) was issued
though he was yet to re-
ceive a vaccine dose.
“Last Wednesday I
got an appointment for
my father’s vaccination
on March 13 at Bamroli
urban health centre.
But he could not get his
shot as he was out of
town. Despite that he
received a certificate on
that date,” Anup Singh
said.
Two more persons
from another family
who were scheduled to
get the jab on March 13
received their certifi-
cates before getting vac-
cinated, civic sources
said.
“We are discussing
the matter with the IT
department and trying
to sort it out,” said Dep-
uty Municipal Commis-
sioner (Health) Dr Ash-
ish Naik.
—FILE PHOTO
COVID SCARE FORCES GCA TO HOLD
T20 MATCHES SANS SPECTATORS
In a late night decision, Gujarat Cricket Association decided to hold T20 matches behind closed doors
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: With in-
creasingnumberof Cov-
id-19 cases and amid de-
mands from local resi-
dents, the Gujarat Crick-
et Association (GCA) in
a late Monday evening
decisionannouncedthat
the rest of the ongoing
T20seriescricketmatch-
es between India and
England would be held
without spectators.
Three T20 matches
scheduled for March 16,
March 18 and March 20
at the Narendra Modi
Stadium in Motera in
Ahmedabad would be
held without spectators,
who would be refunded
their ticket money
, ac-
cording to Dhanraj
Nathwani, vice-presi-
dent of the Gujarat
Cricket Association.
“Due to the rise in the
numberof Coronacases,
we at GCA have decided
in consultation with
BCCI, the matches will
be played closed doors
and not allow the specta-
tors” at the stadium,
Nathwani announced in
a late evening press re-
lease.
This also follows a
threatbyaGandhinagar
resident to immolate
himself if the matches
are not cancelled be-
cause of the increasing
Covid-19 cases in Guja-
rat. He pointed out that
the matches were being
held with a jam-packed
stadiumhostingonaver-
age a mind-boggling
75,000 spectators for eve-
ry match.
An FIR was lodged
against one Pankaj Patel
at the Chandkheda po-
lice station in
Ahmedabad. He had
called senior police in-
spector KV Patel on
March 12 and stated that
he would immolate him-
self if the tournament
was not called off. KV
Patel is in charge of the
security details of the
on-going tournament.
The call recording of
the two went viral on the
social media. The re-
cordingrevealedthecon-
versation where Pankaj
asked the police inspec-
tor whether the Covid-19
guidelines were being
followed.Healsoclaimed
that the matches were
being attended by ap-
proximately 75,000 spec-
tators and amid rising
cases, this could pose a
major health risk.
Further, into the con-
versation, he demanded
that the ongoing match-
es be cancelled, or else
he would self-immolate
himself. He also used
cuss words for Gujarat
Chief MinisterVijayRu-
pani and Deputy CM Ni-
tin Patel for failing to
curb the new surge of
coronavirusintheState.
The police inspector
said immediately after
learning the identity of
theman,hecalledupthe
Gandhinagarpolicecon-
trol room to share the
details of the caller and
his contact number.
The police have
booked him under Indi-
an Penal Code (IPC) Sec-
tion 505 (2) for promot-
ing enmity
, hatred or ill
will between classes,
IPC Section 507 for crim-
inal intimidation
through anonymous
communication, and
IPC Section 504 for in-
tentional insult.
The Narendra Modi Stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad has been witnessing jam-packed stands,
though at Covid-19 risk. —FILE PHOTO
HEALTH RISK
First India Bureau
Anand: Digital technol-
ogy has now come to the
aidof dairycooperatives
andfarmerswiththeNa-
tional Dairy Develop-
mentBoard(NDDB)hav-
ing developed Dairy Sur-
veyor, a GIS-enabled An-
droid application for
them.
Stating this here on
Monday
,NDDBchairper-
son Varsha Joshi, who is
also Union Joint Secre-
tary (Cattle Dairy De-
velopment),saidthiswas
in line with the Central
Government’s vision of
a digital India.
Joshi was delivering
the keynote address at
NDDB’s webinar on
“Dairy Surveyor - Tak-
ing Technology to the
Dairy Network” at the
NDDB in Anand.
Senior officials from
NDDB, Jharkhand Milk
Federation, MP State Co-
operative Dairy Federa-
tion Ltd and DRMU, Ba-
rauni (Bihar) were pre-
sent to share their expe-
riences on the utility of
this app, infrastructural
mapping, monitoring
and survey as also pro-
curementandmarketing
aspects.
The webinar linked
132 CEOs and senior of-
ficials from milk federa-
tions and unions across
India through Google
Meet and YouTube.
Joshisaid,“DairySur-
veyor application will
provide a robust loca-
tional database that can
be used by the policy
makers to formulate or
review effective policies
and programmes related
tothedairysector.”Itcan
capture “real-time” loca-
tion-based information
to strengthen decision-
making.
The app is capable of
geotagging and mapping
infrastructure, real-time
trackingof fieldprojects,
monitoring milk pro-
curement and sale-relat-
edactivities.Itwillbring
in transparency and also
help in saving time, ef-
fort and cost, according
to her.
ArunRaste,Executive
Director,NDDBsaidthat
NDDB’sdatadigitisation
drive through the app
would set benchmarks
andDairyBoard’sefforts
would encourage dairy
institutions to adopt and
increase usage of digital
platforms.
‘NDDB’s Android-based Dairy Surveyor app set to be gamechanger’
DAIRY GOES DIGITAL
AAP demands 50% cut in professional tax
GIB death: SC
wants power
cables be laid
underground
First India Bureau
Surat: Aam Aadmi Par-
ty (AAP), the new oppo-
sition party in the Surat
Municipal Corporation,
has demanded a 50 per
cent reduction in pro-
fessional tax.
Local AAP leaders on
Monday submitted a
memorandum to Mayor
Hemali Boghawala to
about this.
Leader of Opposition
Dharmesh Bhandari
has also urged people
not to pay water charg-
es.Hesaidpeopleshould
not pay water charges
and if SMC officials dis-
connected the water
supply they should ask
their councillor to get it
connected.
Moreover, he asked
the Mayor to reduce 50
per cent of the taxes col-
lected from diamond
and textile business
houses since they had
been adversely affected
by the pandemic.
On the other hand,
collection of huge wa-
ter bills, property tax
bills and professional
tax are being made by
SMC.
The Leader of the Op-
position said that water
should be supplied to
the people with ade-
quate pressure on a
regular basis. “The un-
just collection of pro-
fessional tax from arti-
sans, employees and la-
bourers should be
stopped permanently
amidst economic woes,”
he demanded.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Concerned
over death by electrocu-
tion of the endangered
Great Indian Bustard
(GIB), the Supreme
Court Monday said it
might consider order-
ing undergrounding of
low tension electricity
cables in Rajasthan and
Gujarat and installa-
tion of bird diverters at
certain places to save it.
A bench headed by
Chief Justice also ques-
tioned the Union Power
Ministry for its stand
that undergrounding of
high tension electricity
cables was not feasible
and it could only be
done with respect to low
tension cables.
“So far as the high
power lines are con-
cerned their under-
grounding is not feasi-
ble,” Attorney General
K K Venugopal told the
bench.
“Why? This has no
basis in physics or elec-
tricity”, the SC asked.
NDDB chairperson Varsha Joshi (inset) speaking at a webinar regarding the new Android app.
According to NDDB chairperson
and Union Joint Secretary Varsha
Joshi, the app is in sync with
digital India vision
NEW TEAM AT AMC
New Ahmedabad Mayor Kirit Parmar (centre) took charge on Monday along with the new team of Deputy Mayor and
Standing Committee chairman of AMC. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
HC asks SMC to see SGAY
not used for illegal activities
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court on
Monday directed the
Ahmedabad Munici-
pal Corporation to
carry out inspection
of Shahri Garib
Awas Yojana (SGAY)
following serious
complaints of illegal
activities being car-
ried out from allotted
houses.
Justice AY Kogje was
hearing a bail applica-
tion of Dahyabhai Bha-
ti, who was arrested
under NDPS Act. He
was living in an SGAY
flat on rent from where
17 kg cannabis (ganja)
was seized.
The Court observed
that, “It is appropriate
to bring to the notice of
the allotting authority,
the Ahmedabad Mu-
nicipal Corporation,
that the premises
meant for providing
residential accommo-
dation for needy per-
sons is being used for
commercial reasons by
sub-letting and top of it
for being used in carry-
ing out the notorious
activities. The
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation is, there-
fore, expected to take
action in this regard,
not only for this resi-
dential premises, but
also with regard to the
other houses under
such scheme where the
prohibitory and notori-
ous activities are being
committed.”
Shahri Garib Awas
Yojana, Bhatha in
Vasna, Ahmedabad,
was introduced for
those persons who
are in requirement of
a residential accommo-
dation. However, the
case papers reveal
that this residential
premises originally al-
lotted to one Sonal-
ben Chauhan had sub-
let the house to the pre-
sent applicant.
Gujarat High Court —FILE PHOTO

AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY
MARCH 16, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
ore often than not, fash-
ion trends come and go.
A clothing item or acces-
sory that is super popu-
lar in one decade might
disappear from the fash-
ion magazines and the
runways for years and years—but
there’s always a chance that it could
pop back up at any time.
But while some unexpected
trends do make a comeback, others
are so out-there that there’s basi-
cally zero chance they’ll ever be
considered fashionable again—at
least we hope so. If you need a rea-
son to clean out your closet, here
are some clothing items you can get
rid of, because they’re never com-
ing back into style.
COLD SHOULDER TOPS
Cold shoulder tops recently had a
big moment, but they’ve since been
falling off. We’re calling it—they’re
not going to be coming back to the
runway, so you might as well do-
nate yours.
BANDANA TOPS
Bandanas themselves have been
around forever and probably al-
ways will be in some capacity. But
bandana tops? This 90s style staple
is unlikely to return to the top of
the trend lists. It’s safe to say you
can get rid of yours if you were
holding onto it.
LONG DENIM SKIRTS
Denim mini skirts came back in
style a few years ago and can still
look cute when styled the right way
.
But long denim skirts that hit below
your knees? Those can probably be
put in the donation box.
LOW-RISE JEANS
Every single year, rumors
flood the internet that
thefashionindustryis
going to bring low-
rise jeans back. Lis-
ten: the people will
not let this happen.
People will not give
up their high-rise
mom jeans for these
low-rise nightmares
ever again.
DENIM WITH EXPOSED
POCKETS
Another early 2000’s
trend that leaves any-
one who’s worn it
shaking their heads
is denim shorts and
skirts, cut so short
that the pockets
stuck out the bot-
tom. And this
wasn’t accidental,
either. Looking
back, these look
sloppy and are
just silly
.
M
KARISHMA GWALANI
karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in
City First points out some of the not-so-loved fashion items
so that you don’t hold on to them in the hopes that it will
one day be popular again!
The fashion
The fashion
that never was
that never was

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
SHAINA, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
A senior will repose full
faith in you for tackling a
man management situation
at work. Situation on the
financial front will remain satisfactory,
despite rising expenditure. A property
issue may create tension on the home
front. A family youngster is likely to
take long strides academically.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
A profitable day is also
indicated for professionals.
There is much that needs
to be done, so tighten your
belt. Good health is likely to provide
you with oodles of energy and enable
you to finish your work in a jiffy.
Budgetary planning will be required
for those going in for a renovation.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
On the financial front, a
new source of income is
likely to be tapped soon
that may get your coffers brimming!
Health counselling will do wonders
for those longing to come back in
shape. You are likely to win much
appreciation by completing a task.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Your efforts on the
professional front will be
noted by those who matter.
A child or younger sibling
can make you proud by his or her
achievements. Good health keeps you
energetic all throughout. A get together
can prove expensive and pinch your
pocket.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
A new exercise regime may
need to be dovetailed to
your requirements to
benefit. Your professional
rivals are likely to punch holes in
your cost-cutting ideas for a project.
Disagreements with a family member
is possible. Those proceeding out of
town are likely to make good speed.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
An alternative to your staple
diet may prove immensely
enjoyable. An argument with
senior can make you feel
insecure. You may find the atmosphere
on the home front serene and most
welcoming. Places of tourist attraction
may be on the agenda of those
travelling on a pilgrimage.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Self-discipline and not
succumbing to temptations
will help in maintaining
good health. Some of you
may get tied up in office and reach
home late today. It may become
difficult to find time for family today,
but you will be able to make up for it
later. Give out property on rent.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Time has arrived to reap
rich rewards of your hard
work. Parents or elders
may nag you into doing
something you don’t want to, but you
will manage to wriggle out of it!
Accompanying a family member
overseas or out of town cannot be
ruled out for some.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
A profitable venture is
likely to fill up the coffers
of some businesspersons.
You may be held responsi-
ble for a deed that you have not
committed at work. Fitness classes
will prove immensely beneficial,
especially for those in the middle age
group.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Good diet and regular
exercise will keep you both
physically and mentally
robust. At work, you are
likely to remain in control and see a
project to completion. Financially,
you remain in a comfortable
situation. Travelling long distance is
not recommended today.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
This is a very positive day,
in which you get to achieve
much. It is important to get
back into the thick of
things on the work front. Family
grapevine can be abuzz with the
latest gossip about you. Ensure
adequate security in a long journey,
as stars for travel are not too bright.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Taking up a good health
scheme will prove
beneficial. A practical
solution may be found for
a complex problem on the profes-
sional front. Support of family
members is assured in whatever you
undertake. Some builders may start
thinking in terms of a township soon.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
e are back and
this time with a
splash of col-
ours and happi-
ness for all of
you Creative
fingers, a moth-
er-daughter duo for mak-
ing your special occasions
turn into pleasing memo-
ries to cherish forever.
Holi, the festival of Fal-
gun speaks of spreading
love and colour in the at-
mosphere! We, at Creative
Fingers, wish to make this
festival more colourful and
healthy by providing delec-
table and attractive ham-
pers for you and your loved
ones. One gets nostalgic for
playing Holi with organic
soothing colours and en-
joying season’s delicacies
like Gujias and Hara chana
burfi. Adding to the taste
were the fenugreek, pick-
led mathris. Sharing the
happy moments and con-
verting them into treas-
ured ones is what we aim
at providing to our es-
teemed relations. Custom-
ised gifting ideas that in-
clude a variety to choose
from to convert into beau-
tiful hampers and give
pleasing memories to your
loved ones! We believe in
promoting local artisans
too to promote their art of
making delicacies.
Gulaal gota, the hand-
made lac balls filled with
colour are made in Jaipur
and nowhere else. This
300-year-old delicate col-
ourful art was slowly los-
ing the limelight but we
are trying to be a part of
it’s a colourful revival by
adding them to our gifting
boxes. One surely get re-
minded of royals of Ra-
jasthan by getting such
lovely art. Adding to the
variety is the naturally fla-
voured mishris. Delicate
strands of Kesar, petals of
Gulaab and Khus are used
to add colour, health factor
and flavour to the mishri.
The city is known for its
savoury platter to choose
from. A variety of Nam-
keens, Mathris, Mini Sa-
mosas and Kachoris are
interesting options to get
added to the food baskets.
Tingling the taste buds are
varieties of Mouth fresh-
eners and Flavored paan
that the city has to offer
and cannot be missed in
making the variety add to
the gifting trays. Organic
gulaal adds to the colour
and brightness of the fes-
tive platters. Flavours of
refreshing thandai rose
and khus sharbat bottles
do add interesting options
to choose from the ham-
pers.
Weddings, Corporate
gifting, Birthdays, Baby
showers and Festivals....
you name an occasion, and
we are there to provide a
solution for the packaging.
Keeping in mind your re-
quirements, budget, taste
and vision, we cater to the
customised proposals that
suit your needs and prefer-
ences. Care is taken to re-
member the detailing re-
quired beautifying the
products and standing
unique from the rest.
Indian weddings have a
series of functions lined
up and we are there to
make it special right from
the very beginning. Theme
wise fruit baskets, trays for
trousseau and gifting, wel-
come baskets for guests,
mithai boxes, dry fruit
platters, potlis, pouches,
envelopes and many more.
Festivals are the essence
of pure joy and happiness
we spread and share with
everyone around us. The
diversity of cultures and
traditions make us think
and provide more beauti-
fied options for gifting to
all of you. The gift to
friends and family and
Corporate gifting is pro-
vided in various choices.
Creative Fingers is al-
ways inclined to providing
a packaging solution that
supports the reusability of
the packaging base. Efforts
are also made to add eco-
friendly products and or-
ganic foods to the packag-
ing; supporting local art
and tradition.
Your occasion is our ef-
fort of beautifying and
making it more special and
memorable!`
Creative
Creative
FINGERS
FINGERS
AMBICA AND BHAVYA BHALLA
bhallaambica@yahoo.com
bhallabhavya6@gmail.com
W

A
fter rumours of their al-
leged breakup, it seems like
Jennifer Lopez and Alex
Rodriguez are not giving up
on their relationship. After several
days of rumours swirling around,
Jennifer seemingly broke her si-
lence, the entertainer took to Tik
Tok and posted a video to her of-
ficial account that actually includ-
ed headlines from this weekend
and seemed to shoot down the ru-
mours. —Agency
ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021
11
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Alia Bhatt turned a year older on Sunday. The gorgeous
star celebrated her birthday with friends and family. The
stunning actress shared her birthday with Abhay Deol
and Artist Honey Singh. Yo Yo Honey Singh needs no
introduction. He can make the whole nation groove to
his songs. Yo Yo Honey Singh’s original name is Hirdesh
Singh and he was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. The rapper
celebrated his birthday on Monday. Wishes poured in from
all corners. Esha Deol wished her cousin brother Abhay
Deol, who celebrated his 45th birthday. The actor posted a
picture on Instagram to wish Abhay. —CITY FIRST
rammys 2021 was an epic night for
millions across the globe! While
some cheered out loud for their fa-
vourite artist taking home the
coveted award, a few snubs en-
raged fans on social media. Irre-
spective, the night was dominat-
ed by women artists. Billie Eilish who
made Grammys history last year with
four major wins, took home Record of the
Year this time for “Everything I wanted”.
The singer-songwriter and her brother
Finneas beat hit songs by Doja Cat, Dua
Lipa, Post Malone’s Circles, DaBaby and
Roddy Ricch, Black Pumas, Beyoncé, and
Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” remix, also
featuring Beyoncé. Billie’s win came as a
shock to the singer as she dedicated the award
to Megan Thee Stallion who she thought was
more deserving. —Agency
G
‘COMING
SOON,
JULY 2021’
B
ollywood actress
Geeta Basra and her
hubby-Indian crick-
eter Harbhajan Sin-
gh are considered to be one
of the most-loved couples.
Geeta turned a year older
on Saturday and for the
first time, she planned for
a quiet birthday
. Geeta now
took to her Instagram han-
dle to announce about her
second pregnancy. Well,
Geeta and Harbhajan are
expecting their second
child together. They are al-
ready proud parents to
their 4-year-old daughter
Hinaya Heer Plaha.—Agency
GRAMMYS
GRAMMYS
2021
2021
BREAKUP
RUMOURS
Release
Date out
J
ust three days after the teas-
er of Chehre was released,
now the makers have an-
nounced the release date of
the trailer. The much-awaited film
features Amitabh Bachchan, Em-
raan Hashmi, Annu Kapoor, Rhea
Chakraborty
, Krystle D’Souza, and
others.Thefilmhasbeengrabbing
headlines ever since its announce-
mentandtheteaserhasonlyadded
to more curiosity
. The teaser has
already excited the movie buffs.
The makers of the film have
now released Amitabh Bach-
chan’s fascinating solo poster.
The megastar’s dapper and
flamboyant look in the film has
been the talk of the town ever
since the movie was announced.
—Agency
Congratulations!
I
ndiancricketerJaspritBum-
rah married TV presenter
SanjanaGanesanonMonday
and the cricketer shared pic-
turesfromtheweddingonsocial
media. Bumrah had been grant-
ed leave by the Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) from
the ongoing series against Eng-
land and there were reports in
the media that the cricketer will
get married to Ganesan. —ANI
H
ailey Bieber re-
cently launched
her own YouTube
channel! Over the
weekend, the model ap-
peared on The Tonight
Show Starring Jimmy
Fallon, and got candid
aboutthereasonbehind
debuting on the video
platform. Hailey said,
“Partof whyIwantedto
dothisistheycan’ttwist
what I’m trying to say
fromYouTube—it’scom-
ing straight from my
mouth,” —Agency
Parmish Verma, an Indian singer,
director and actor associated
with the Punjabi Music and
Punjabi Film Industry was spotted
at Jaipur International Airport on
Monday. The singer was in town
for his upcoming project.
Hello,
Hello,
Furry
Furry
friend!
friend!
A
mong the stars who have managed
tosuccessfullymakeaplaceforher-
self in people’s hearts, it is none
other than Shraddha Kapoor. Tak-
ing to her Instagram handle, Shraddha
shared a photo while posing next to a wall.
However, a little furry friend joined her.
—Agency
SPOTTED!
Dua Lipa Jennifer Lopez
Hailey Bieber
Shraddha Kapoor
...Geeta Basra’s post
Poster of the film
—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO
During the wedding
ceremony
Jasprit Bumrah and Sanjana Ganesan
WEDDING FESTIVITIES!
WEDDING FESTIVITIES! T
he celebrations,
which have been
going on for the
last three days,
concluded with a
grand wedding on
Monday night. Bolly-
wood lyricist and mu-
sic composer Kunal
Verma tied the knot
with Kavita Sharma
amidst the beautiful
location of Lohagarh
Fort, Kukas, Jaipur.
Artists with their soul-
ful music performanc-
es enlightened the day
of celebrations. For
their special day, the
pair wore ensembles
by celebrity fashion
designer PKIN by Pan-
kaj Kothari and Dun-
gri by Monica Bohra.
Kunal dedicated a spe-
cial performance for
his wife with the wed-
ding anthem, ‘Naina
Chaar’.
Hailey Bieber
gets candid
Alia Bhatt
Abhay Deol Yo Yo Honey Singh
Kunal performing rituals during
his wedding Kunal and Kavita
During the wedding procession
Guests enjoying during the wedding

First india ahmedabad edition-16 march 2021

First india ahmedabad edition-16 march 2021

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Ähnlich wie First india ahmedabad edition-16 march 2021

Ähnlich wie First india ahmedabad edition-16 march 2021 (20)

Mehr von FIRST INDIA

Mehr von FIRST INDIA (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

First india ahmedabad edition-16 march 2021