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JAIPUR l FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 261

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW

GELATINE STICKS WERE FOUND IN A CAR PARKED OUTSIDE MUKESH AMBANI’S RESIDENCE ON THURSDAY.

A BOMB DISPOSAL SQUAD WAS CALLED IN AFTER A SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE WAS FOUND PARKED OUTSIDE ANTILLA.

WASN’T ASSEMBLED DEVICE. A LETTER HAS ALSO BEEN RECOVERED.

Kartikey Dev Singh

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that Corona is not com-

pletely gone yet. “In the last few days, its cases have increased rapidly in other states including Kerala and Maharash-

tra. In this situation, the people of the state should be on alert and ensure effective adher-ence to health protocols, including wearing mask and observing social dis-tancing,” Gehlot said as he directed to make man-datory the negative re-port of RT-PCR test con-ducted within 72 hours of starting the journey on arrival in Rajasthan of travelers coming from Maharashtra and Kera-la. He has also given in-structions to screen

them at the railway sta-tion and airport.

Gehlot reviewed the

status of Covid-19 infec-tion through video con-ference at the Chief

Minister’s residence on Thursday. He said that due to the efficient man-agement of the state government the corona situation was complete-ly under control and as a result the state gov-ernment gave relaxa-tion in business and so-cial activities. “But it has been seen that some people are not con-cerned about following Covid protocol and not taking it seriously,” Ge-hlot said and instructed officials to conduct

awareness campaign across the state from the first week of March. The campaign will be run by the Department of Information and Pub-lic Relations and the De-partment of Local Self Government.

“In some states, in-creasing cases of corona is a matter of concern, because no one knows when this disease takes a new form. In view of this, some states have started to ban traffic again. Turn to P6

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot during the corona review meeting.

Necessary to follow protocol to save Raj from corona’s 3rd wave: CMSPIKE IN COVID CASES IN NEIGHBOURING STATES

n NEGATIVE REPORT OF RT-PCR TEST REQUIRED FOR TRAVELERS COMING FROM KERALA AND MAHARASHTRA

n AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TO BE RESTARTED FROM THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH

n ACTIVE CORONA CASES IN THE STATE AT ONLY 0.38 PERCENT, RECOVERY RATE AT 98.75 PERCENT WHILE CASE DOUBLING TIME IN RAJ IS 2521 DAYS

London: A UK court on Thursday ruled that fu-gitive diamantaire Nirav Modi could be ex-tradited to India to stand trial, stating a prima fa-cie case has been estab-lished against him and that he has a “case to answer for in India”. Modi and his uncle Me-hul Choksi are accused of routing transactions of about Rs 13,600 crore through fraudulent Let-ters of Undertaking (LoUs) of Punjab Na-tional Bank (PNB). Both men left India in the first week of January 2018, weeks before the

scam was revealed.In its order, the West-

minster Magistrates’ Court in London ruled that Modi “conspired to destroy evidence and in-timidate witnesses”. Dis-

trict Judge Samuel Goo-zee said that Barrack 12 at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai is fit for Modi and that he would not be denied justice after his extradition to India.

“I am satisfied that there is evidence upon which NDM [Nirav Deepak Modi] could be convicted in relation to the conspiracy to de-fraud the PNB. A prima face case is estab-lished,” the judge said.

He further said a pri-ma facie case to have been established on all charges brought up against Modi by the Cen-tral Bureau of Investiga-tion (CBI) and Enforce-ment Directorate (ED) — money laundering, intimidation of witness-es and disappearance of evidence. Turn to P6

New Delhi: A rare phone call between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan on Monday spawned the latest ceasefire between the two countries in Jammu and Kashmir, sources have told NDTV, raising hopes among border residents after a steady increase in fir-ing in recent years.

The India-Pakistan ceasefire was proposed and accepted by India in 2003 and broadly held till 2016 when the Uri terror attack took place. Between 2016 and 2018, there was a large escalation of ceasefire violations.

In 2018, a ceasefire proposed by Pakistan failed. Since then, there has been Turn to P6

UK court clears way for extradition of Nirav Modi

Rare phone call that led to India-Pak deal to stop border firingThe Magistrate ruled that Modi “conspired to destroy evidence and intimidate witnesses”

Nirav Modi is facing charges of fraud and money laundering in the estimated USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case.

Guwahati: Home Min-ister Amit Shah on Thursday mounted blis-tering assaults on rivals in Assam ahead of the announcement of as-sembly polls in Assam.

Both the leaders at-tempted to link the BJP to the cultural icons of the states while appealing to the distinct identities of the electorate and their sub-nationalist pride.

The Congress’ “greed” to capture power in the state will remain unful-filled and the BJP along with its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which symbolises Assamese identity, will win the as-sembly polls with a two-thirds majority, Shah told a public rally at Bor-duwa, the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva, the 15-16th century

saint-scholar, in Nagaon district.

“The Congress talks about providing security when it is joining hands with Ajmal. It’s only be-cause of its lust for pow-er that it has joined hands with Ajmal.

“The party did noth-ing to free Assam from violence and infiltra-tion despite having

Turn to P6

Amit Shah beats the poll drum in Assam

Union Home Minister Amit Shah plays an instrument inside Batadrava Than, the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardev, in Assam.

The hotline remains active between the

militaries of both sides. A Major-ranked officer regularly speaks to the other side for routine matters. A Brigadier

talks once a week. The Directors General of Military Operations

speak rarely—Army sources

New Delhi: Se The Ministry of Electronics and Informa-tion Technology (MeITY) has announced its draft Informa-tion Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, for social media platforms, OTT players & digital media Thursday, with signifi cant recommenda-tions including asking social media companies to give out the originator of a message or tweet as the case may be. “We have not framed any new law. We have framed these rules under the existing IT Act,” MeITY minister

Ravi Shankar Prasad during a press conference announcing these rules. “We are trusting the platforms to follow these regula-tions,” he said. “The focus of this guideline is on self-regulation.” The Rules will come in effect

from the date of their publica-tion in the gazette, except for the additional due diligence for sig-nifi cant social media intermediar-ies, which shall come in effect three months after publication of these Rules. The rules also made a distinction between a signifi cant social media intermediary and a regular social media intermediary. The government is yet to defi ne the user size to determine who will constitute a signifi cant social media intermediary, though the minister indicated players with more than 50 lakh users will be considered. Turn to P6

Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021

SOCIAL MEDIA FIRMS TO REVEAL FIRST ORIGINATOR

OF MESSAGE

SELF-REGULATION FOR OTT, DIGITAL MEDIA TO HAVE GRIEVANCE OFFICER

DAY/NIGHTDUSTSTORM

Ahmedabad: India defeated England in the third Test in a rare two-day win. As many as 17 wickets fell on Thursday, Day Two, when bowlers from both teams bamboozled the batsmen, who couldn’t pick deliveries that turned from the ones that went straight on after pitching generating a heap of dust. India chased down a paltry target of 49 runs in the fi nal session of the second day after England were bowled out for 81, their lowest-ever total in India, in the second innings. Axar Patel added to his fi rst-innings returns of 6 for 38 with another fi ve-wicket haul in the second innings. Ravichandran Ashwin also picked up 4 for 48.

AXAR, ASHWIN SPIN WEB ON BIZARRE TRACK AS IND THRASH ENG BY 10 WKTS

400TEST WICKETS

ENGLAND 112 & 81

INDIA145 & 49/0

Ravichandran Ashwin reacts on completing the

milestone on Thursday.

ROBERT VADRA IN JAIPUR TODAY

Aditi Nagar

New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gan-dhi’s husband Robert Vadra will be reaching Jaipur on Friday from New Delhi by Spice Jet fl ight. After landing at Jaipur airport at 7.20 AM, Vadra will be visiting Moti Dungri temple at 8 AM.

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GOVT HAS CUT PLAN SIZE BY 40%: RATHORE

LODHA SUPPORTS LoP KATARIA, HAS SPAT WITH DyLoP

The budget debate was opened by deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore who said that the government has cut the plan size by 40 percent. He said in last budget, a provision of Rs11,490 cr was made for the agriculture sector but only Rs6,612 cr was spent till Dec 31. During the debate, the issue of ‘Khaat’ in which Sachin Pilot and others sat, which broke during a recent visit of Rahul Gandhi in Pilibanga also came up. BJP MLA Ramlal Sharma accused transport minister of graft which invited reac-tions from Congress.

Independent MLA Sanyam Lodha stood in support of LoP Gulab-chand Kataria and said that it was shameful to question Kataria’s merit. He said that Kataria is the chairman of the public accounts com-mittee which is doing its best. Lodha also had a heated argument with deputy LoP Rajendra Rathore when the latter was speaking in debate on budget. Lodha inter-rupted and said Rathore was presenting mis-leading fi gures which invited a sharp reaction from Rathore, who even went on to say, ‘Hat’ (get aside).

RAJASTHANJAIPUR | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

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COURTESY VISIT

Former CM Vasundhara Raje called on Governor Kalraj Mishra at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday. Later in the day State Human Rights Commission Chairman Justice GK Vyas and member Mahesh Goyal too called on the Governor at the Raj Bhawan.

BUDGET SESSION: HOUSE ADJOURNED TILL MARCH 1, CM GEHLOT TO GIVE REPLY ON BUDGET DEBATE ON MARCH 4

After letter bomb, BJP gets Singhvi to open debate

BJP MLA Pratap Singh Singhvi speaking during the debate on Budget on Thursday.

Yogesh Sharma / Naresh Sharma

Jaipur: Amid the on-going tussle in BJP after a letter by 20 MLAs who alleged that they were not be-ing allowed to speak in the Assembly, one of those MLAs Pratap Singh Singhvi got the chance to speak in the debate on Budget.

Another MLA Kailash Meghwal, who had heated arguments with the Leader of Op-position Gulabchand Kataria at the BJP Leg-islature Party meeting on Wednesday over the letter dispute, was ab-sent from the House on Thursday.

He was not seen in Question Hour, Zero Hour and in the debate on Budget.

At the BJP Legisla-ture Party meeting on Wednesday, where Meghwal and Kataria had heated arguments, it was proposed to Meghwal to open the debate on Budget but he skipped the proceed-ings on Thursday.

Speaking on the Budget, Singhvi said in the name of Gram Rak-shak, the Congress gov-ernment has appointed its goons and agents and what anyone would expect from them.

He said that in the new Excise Policy, the government has paved way to open bars in every street.

“None of us would want his son to drink alcohol in the pub and dance with the girls,” he said, while accusing the chief minister of

promoting this.He said that the

Budget was not ‘paper-less’ but ‘visionless’ which presents no con-crete way of reviving industry and business-es from the impact of the corona pandemic.

He said that Ra-jasthan was a sick state when Vasundhara Raje became chief minister and she, with her ef-forts, brought the state out of this status.

Singhvi also spoke on motion of adjourn-ment. He raised the issue of encroach-ment in the catchment area of Ramgarh through the motion of adjournment.

Prior to this, BJP’s Kailash Meghwal put up a question and dis-appeared from the House.

Kalla, Dilawar spar over farmers issue

NOTHING WITHOUT MY PARTY: KATARIA

Jully replies on co-op insurance issue

Jaipur: Heated ar-guments broke out between energy min-ister BD Kalla and BJP MLA Madan Dilawar in Assem-bly on Thursday. During debate on the Budget, Dilawar said that the government has hurt the farmers by increasing tariff and they were not getting electricity during the day which is causing them trouble.

Intervening, Kalla accused Dilawar of misleading the House. He said that tariff has not been increased for farm-ers and electricity to farmers is being sup-plied during day in 15 districts and re-maining districts will also be covered soon. Hitting back at Kalla Dilawar claimed farmers have received inflat-ed bills. This led to heated arguments where both asking to swear in name of ‘Bharat Mata’!

A day after heated argu-ments between former speaker and MLA Kailash Meghwal in BJP CLP meeting, leader of opposi-tion Gulabchand Kataria on Thursday said, “Given the kind of development that has happened, I think that there was some deliberate plan of some-one behind this. But, BJP is not a party which is based on a person. Even Gulabchand Kataria will lose election if he contests election outside party.”

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The proceed-ings of the House start-ed on Thursday with the question by BJP MLA Ashok Lahoti about the complaints against Shriram General Insur-ance company. Replying to the question, state co-operative minister Ti-karam Jully said that IRDA has not blacklisted the company. Respond-ing to a supplementary question, Jully said it is right that a government company should be giv-en insurance work but LIC does not participate in it. After minister’s reply, the Speaker did not allow Lahoty to ask supplementary question and gave the chance to LoP Gulabchand Ka-taria for the same.

CM TO GIVE REPLY ON BUDGET ON MARCH 4 Parliamentary affairs and UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal introduced fi ve bills in the Assembly on Thursday. The bills will be passed after the de-bate during the Budget Session. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will give a reply on the budget on March 4. As per the Business Advisory Committee report, there will be no sitting from February 26 to 28 and on March 2. The debate on the budget which started on Thursday will be held on March 1, 3 and 4. The As-sembly proceeding was adjourned on Thursday till 11 am on 1 March.

RAJASTHANJAIPUR | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

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First India Bureau

Jaipur: Ministry of Jal Shakti has an-nounced the selection of the Twelve (12) iconic sites under Phase IV SIP.

Rajasthan’s Kumb-halgarh Fort, Jaisalm-er Fort and Ramdevra have been selected un-der this scheme. The initiative aims at enhancing experience of both domestic and foreign visitors by im-proving sanitation,

cleanliness standards at sites. Taking for-ward the vision of

Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi for trans-forming iconic herit-

age, spiritual and cul-tural places in the country as ‘Swachh Tourist Destinations’ under Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) initiative of Swachh Bharat Mis-sion Grameen (SBM-G), the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS),

The objective of SIP is to achieve a distinct-ly higher level of Sani-tation/Cleanliness at these places, especially on peripheries and in approach areas.

Abhishek Srivastav

Jaipur: JMC, Greater Mayor Dr Somya and Chairmen of Steering Committees have re-ceived a major setback from the state govt.

Out of the 28 govern-ing committees formed and sent to the state government for approv-al at the board meeting on January 28, govt has cancelled all commit-tees, except for execu-tive committee, citing formation contradict-ing to the rules. Govern-ment cancelled these committees as they are not being constituted as per Sec 55 and 56 of the Municipalities Act 2009. Besides, it was neces-sary to get the permis-

sion of the govt for the formation of 7 addition-al committees.

Three chairmen took the post and had to step down includes Swachta Committee Chairman Abhay Purohit, Gandi Basti Committee Chair-man Bharti Lakhani, Udyan Committee Chairman Rakhi Rathore. Dr Somya said govt cannot digest our good work, we are thinking of taking legal opinion too in this case.

Three iconic sites to be transformed into ‘Swachh Tourist Destinations’

Kumbhalgarh is a Mewar fortress on westerly range of Aravallis.

STATE GOVT REJECTS PROPOSAL OF JMC GREATER COMMITTEESGovt cancelled committees as they are not being constituted as per Sec 55, 56 of Mun Act 2009

New mom Dr Somya back to workFirst India Bureau

Jaipur: The mayor of Jaipur Greater Mu-nicipal Corporation Dr Somya, who deliv-ered a baby 14 days back, resumed office on Thursday and fin-ished routine works.

Gurjar had worked in the office a few hours before she gave birth to a baby boy. She also started work-ing from home few days after the deliv-ery and on Thursday she reached her office in the corporation headquarters and

started office work-ing. All this while, she remained in touch with officials and took feedback about development works. Her dedication and spirit to work has surprised the offi-

cials. ‘As a responsi-ble Mayor, I could not stay at home. I under-stand the importance of duty and hence I am doing my work while fulfilling the re-sponsibility of a mother,’ she said.

Dr Somya resumes work at JMC Greater offi ce on Thursday.

Cooking and commercial gas prices hiked in Raj

Over 21.50 lakh students to appear in RBSE 10 & 12 board from May 6First India Bureau

Ajmer: The Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) on Thursday released the time table for the 10th and 12th board exams. Both the exams will start on May 6.

This time, more than 21.50 lakh students will be involved in both board examinations. The 10th examinations will run for 22 days till May 27 while the 12th exams will run for 24 days till May 29. All the exams will be held from 8.30 am to 11.45 am.

Earlier last year, 20.58 lakh students applied for the board examina-tion. Since there was less time to study due to Corona, the board re-leased the revised syl-labus from class 9 to 12

for session 2020-21. Syl-labuses were reduced by about 40%, which means the exam paper will be made only from the 60% syllabus.

Meanwhile, 60% of the marks will be given by schools for class 1 to 5, while the remaining 40% will be paper.

For class 6, 7 and 8, 60% will be paper whereas 40% will be school marks. For class 9 to 12, only the syllabus has reduced.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The 14.2 kg domestic cylin-der will now cost Rs 798 while com-mercial cylinder will cost Rs 1,530. There won’t be any subsidy despite rise. If petrol has reached near Rs 100, the price of the domestic gas cylinder without subsidy has also reached near Rs 800 i.e. Rs 798. Do-mestic gas prices have increased by Rs 200 in the last 2.5 months. The in-crease in domestic gas prices along with petrol & die-sel has completely broken the back-bone of the com-mon man. In the past 22 days, this is the third time companies have hiked the prices of the domestic cylin-ders. The last price rise was on Febru-ary 15. After 10 days on February 25, the cost of do-mestic gas cylin-ders were in-creased by Rs 25/cylinder while for commercial cylin-ders, it was re-duced by Rs 4.50.

Alwar rape victim’s kin attack accused, his family and flee First India Bureau

Alwar: A 20-year-old girl, who went out to at-tend nature’s call, was allegedly raped in Thanagazi of Alwar on Thursday morning.

Furious over the inci-dent, the victim’s fami-ly members attacked the house of the ac-cused leaving four per-sons including him critically injured.

The girl was alleged-ly raped in the farm where she had gone to attend nature’s call. She narrated this to her family members follow-

ing which they reached the house of the ac-cused and thrashed his parents, brother, his wife, two kids and other family members. The accused is also among those who have received

critical injuries and is admitted to hospital in Jaipur, police said.

Police recovered iron rods, sticks & axe from near spot. Girl’s family members are abscond-ing, being searched.

Alwar SP Tejaswini Gautam reaches the incident spot in Thanagazi.

Film Bajrang: Relief to Verma, Satish Shah First India Bureau

Jaipur: The 23-year-old case of halting the train without permission while shooting for film Ba-jrang on March 11, 1997, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Railway Magistrate acquitted the ac-cused film directors Tinu Verma and Sat-ish Shah on the grounds of the bene-fit of doubt. Advo-cate AK Jain’s clients Sunny Deol and Kar-ishma Kapoor were also acquitted of the charges.

Over 300 staff from various depts get jab

17 cell phones, 18 SIMs recovered from Jodh jail

First India Bureau

Jaipur: The health-care, frontline work-ers who were not vac-cinated in first phase of Covid-19 vaccina-tion were vaccinated on Thursday.

District Collector, Antar Singh Nehra said that more than 50 locations in the urban area of Jaipur and more than 40 places in rural blocks were cov-ered in the vaccination drive. More than 300 personnel from various departments got vacci-nated in city on Thurs-day. Earlier this month,

Divisional Commis-sioner Dr Samit Shar-ma, District Collector Antar Singh Nehra and all the Additional Dis-trict Collectors came forward and took 1st dose of 2nd phase.

First India Bureau

Jodhdpur: In a special investigation operation conducted in Jodhpur jail on Wednesday night, 17 mobiles, 18 SIMs and three charg-ers were recovered. All these mobiles and SIMs have been recovered from three barracks of undertrials.

Mobile phones are reaching jail without any hindrance. Many criminals are operating their gangs from jail. Under leadership of Jodhpur Police Com-missionerate DCP Dharmendra Singh Ya-

dav, special team of po-lice along with Ratana-da police station officer Lilaram went to Jodh-pur Central Jail for a search operation.

DCP Yadav said that jail administration had conducted a search op-eration in all barracks where 17 mobile, 18 SIMs and chargers have been recovered.

5 including cop in ACB net for briberyFirst India Bureau

Jaipur: Five persons in-cluding a Rajasthan po-lice sub-inspector were arrested by ACB on Thursday in three sepa-rate bribery cases in Baran, Bhilwara and Sawaimadhopur dis-tricts of the state.

Sub-Inspector Sitar-am Meena, posted at Baran’s Sadar police sta-tion, had allegedly de-manded a bribe of Rs

5,000 from a man for not beating up his relative during custodial inter-rogation in a separate criminal case.

He took Rs 2,000 be-fore, was trapped while he was taking remaining sum of Rs 3,000, DG ACB BL Soni said.

In Bhilwara, Assis-tant Administrative Of-ficer Krishna Kumar Chaubey was arrested for taking a bribe of Rs 2,500 for helping the

complainant in a mat-ter related to the SDM office.

In Sawaimadhopur, AEN posted in Zila Pari-shad was held for taking a bribe of Rs 30,000. Two VDOs were also arrested in the same matter, DG ACB B L Soni said. A for-mer Sarpanch registered complaint. Apart from them, former AEN Hem-raj Meena was also de-manding bribe to verify the works. —With PTI Inputs

—PHOTO BY SUM

AN SARKAR

0 DEATH, 128 CASES

� Vol 2 � Issue No. 261 � RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

n Nov 15, 2020, a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), was signed by 15 countries of the Asia-Pacific region, namely China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, and the 10 countries of the ASE-AN block (Brunei, Cambo-dia, Indonesia, Laos, Malay-sia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Myanmar). RCEP is basically a free trade agreement (FTA). The countries involved have 30% of the world’s popula-tion ( 2.2 billion) and 30% of its GDP (US $ 26.2 trillion). The FTA is, therefore, sig-nificant; in fact, it is the larg-est FTA in the world.

India opted out of RCEP in November last year, after be-ing part of the negotiations for 10 years. It is noteworthy that India already had FTAs with the ASEAN, with Japan, and with South Korea, that is, 12 out of the 15 countries that are part of RCEP.

Two questions need to be answered. Firstly, why did India opt-out of RCEP? Sec-ondly, was India’s decision correct, or not?

The major reasons for India opting of RCEP seem to be as follows:

India felt that there were in-sufficient safeguards against the misuse of the “rule of origin”, whereby goods not actually manufactured in the exporting RCEP country, but elsewhere, would be shown to be so, to take advantage of lower tariffs enjoyed by the exporting coun-try, as a member of RCEP.

India also felt that there were insufficient safeguards against a surge in imports; India want-ed an automatic trigger to raise tariffs to protect itself if imports rose beyond a threshold.

India also had issues with the inclusion of investments (FDI) in the FTA; it wanted to keep out the MFN (Most Favoured Nation) clauses on investments as, for strategic reasons, investments from cer-tain countries, such as China, may need to be restricted.

India also felt that RCEP had inadequate measures to ensure market access, and avoid non-tariff barriers, in countries where decision making was opaque, such as in China.

India was not willing to compromise with its inde-pendent stance on local data storage, which was driven by its security needs.

India also felt uncomfort-able with the inadequacy in the RCEP agreement in so far as trade in services was con-cerned. India has strength here, and it wanted at least as robust a regime for services (including movement of natural persons) as RCEP had for trade in goods.

Another major concern, which

largely remained unstated, was India’s fear of being swamped by cheaper imports, mainly of manufactured Chinese goods, and dairy products from New Zealand. As of today, India has a trade deficit of US$ 105 bil-lion vis-à-vis the countries that have signed the RCEP; of which approximately US$ 54 billion is vis-à-vis China alone. Vis-à-vis China, there is also the problem created by Chinese aggression on the military and security front, as in the recent aggression on the Indo-China border. Such fraught relations may require certain decisions – such as banning Chi-nese Apps, or restricting certain imports from there, on security grounds – may need to be taken, which may not be possible as a signatory to the RCEP. So, in a sense, the real problem is China: it is hardly possible to trade normally with a country that is otherwise threatening you mili-tarily and strategically, and has brushed aside your objections to projects, such as the CPEC, in Pak-occupied Indian Territory.

Is opting out of RCEP good for India? On the surface, it may seem so, as it is seen to protect its own industry, and as limiting its trade imbal-ance. The reality is some-what different.

Firstly, Industry which is protected from competition, and which is not plugged into international networks, can-not grow for both lack of tech-nology and of the incentive to improve, (as there is no com-

petition from imports). For decades India protected its car industry, which then stagnat-ed, producing just 30,000 cars which were at least 3 genera-tions behind other countries, in technology, in safety, and in comfort. It is only after India opened its doors to manufac-turers and imports from other countries that the Indian auto-mobile industry took off, pro-ducing world-class cars that are capable of, and are being, exported. As widely shown in the broad body of literature on the subject, international trade has benefitted all coun-tries that have participated in it, and has brought worldwide prosperity.

Secondly, if any country is afraid of being swamped by goods from other countries, without a corresponding in-crease in its exports, it means that its exports are not com-petitive in the world market. This may be for a variety of

reasons, such as lack of access to best technologies (ironi-cally, a consequence of re-stricted imports), poor quality of road and port infrastruc-ture, difficult-to-comply-with labour laws, a harsh and/or high tax regime, lack of cheap and adequate capital, a lack of ease of doing business etc. If Chinese can manufacture statues of Indian Gods, God-desses more cheaply than in India, then perhaps the prob-lem is in India; if Bangladesh or Vietnam are more competi-tive in the garment exports, then we need to ask why?

Thirdly, in any case, FTA’s signed in the past, some-times seen and alleged to be dis-advantageous to India, seem not to have really harmed India. As Dr. Arvind Pangaraya of Co-lumbia University, and ex-Vice Chairperson NITI Aay-og points out, India’s im-ports from its ten bilateral partners (in FTA’s) actually decreased from 13.3% of its overall imports, to 11.8% in 2017 and its exports re-mained almost at the same level (13.7% of total exports in 2007; 14% of total ex-ports in 2017). With regard to its FTA with the ASEAN block, Dr. Pangariya points out, its imports from these countries grew from 9.6 in 2007, to 10.2% in 2017. Thus, under the FTA’s ex-ports actually improved.

Fourth, in keeping out of RCEP, there is the fear of

missing out on being part of global supply/value chains.

Fifth, there is also the dan-ger of losing markets where your goods/services are actu-ally competitive. Thus, India may have some garments where it is more competitive than, say, Vietnam; but Viet-nam may replace India in the RCEP countries because goods from Vietnam would attract lower import duties in the importing countries.

In conclusion, there seem to be valid arguments on both sides of the debate on whether India gained or lost, by opting out of RCEP. While FTA’s seem to be generally advantageous to any country, including In-dia, there is a special chal-lenge that India faces vis-à-vis China, for both reasons of its own security, and because of the complete lack of transpar-ency in decision making in China, which can easily lead to India facing non-tariff bar-riers. India also certainly needs to get a better deal in case of export of services, and in case of raising tariffs if these are excessive imports from certain countries of cer-tain goods, almost amounting to dumping. All in all, as Dr. Pangariya says, India should continue to engage with RCEP (the door has been left open), and renegotiate really hard on issues of concern to it, but with the overall intent and aim of joining the RCEP.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY

THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

RCEP TO BE IN, OR OUT

OIn conclusion, there seem to be valid arguments on both sides of the debate on whether India gained or lost, by opting out of RCEP. While FTA’s seem to be generally advantageous to any country, including India, there is a special challenge that India faces vis-à-vis China, for both reasons of its own security, and because of the complete lack of transparency in decision making in China, which can easily lead to India facing non-tariff barriers

IS OPTING OUT OF RCEP GOOD FOR INDIA? ON THE SURFACE, IT MAY

SEEM SO, AS IT IS SEEN TO PROTECT ITS OWN

INDUSTRY, AND AS LIMITING ITS TRADE

IMBALANCE. THE REALITY IS SOMEWHAT

DIFFERENT

RAJIV MEHRISHI

THE AUTHOR IS THE FORMER C&AG OF INDIA AND A RETIRED CIVIL SERVANT

taying in touch with loved ones without seeing them in person has become

even more important dur-ing the pandemic. But for some people, making or re-ceiving calls is a stressful experience. Phone anxiety – or telephobia – is the fear and avoidance of phone conversations and it is common among those with social anxiety disorder.

Having a hatred of your phone does not necessarily mean you have phone anxi-ety, although the two can be related. There are, of course, many people who dislike making or receiv-ing calls. But if this dislike causes you to experience certain symptoms, you may have phone anxiety.

Some emotional symp-toms of phone anxiety in-clude delaying or avoiding making calls because of

heightened anxiety, feeling extremely nervous or anx-ious before, during and af-ter the call and obsessing or worrying about what you will say. Physical symp-toms include nausea, in-crease in heart rate, short-ness of breath, dizziness and muscular tension.

If you feel like this, you are not alone. A 2019 survey of United Kingdom office workers found 76% of mil-lennials and 40% of baby boomers have anxious thoughts when their phone rings. Because of this, 61% of millennials would com-pletely avoid calls, com-pared with 42% of baby boomers. If you suffer from these symptoms, there are some things you can do to make it easier.

AVOIDING PHONE CALLSTalking on the phone can be daunting because we are limited to just the sounds of

our voices. In the absence of all other social cues – includ-ing gestures, body language and eye contact – we can of-ten feel self-conscious of the sound of our own voices and our choice of words.

Thanks to technology, we can often go days, weeks or even months without di-

rectly speaking to others on the phone. One study found anxious people pre-fer texting over phone calls, rating it a superior medium for expressive and intimate contact.

Some people opt for tex-ting because it gives them time to think about the

wording of their messages, providing the opportunity to be informal. In some cases, they develop a differ-ent personality separate and in contrast to their re-al-life, more reticent, self.

Research also suggests phone anxiety is related to a preoccupation with what

the other person thinks of them. By eliminating the immediate reaction of oth-ers in spoken conversa-tions, text messaging may offer those with phone anx-iety a way of making social contact without the fear of rejection or disapproval.

Another reason phone calls can sometimes feel overwhelming is the pres-sure that comes with being someone else’s focus. In face-to-face conversations, we have several distrac-tions in our environment; like gazing out of the win-dow or, ironically, checking the missed call notifica-tions on our phones. This can make the interaction feel more casual and the conversation flow natural-ly. On a call, there are no external distractions, so it can feel like the spotlight is on us to answer questions straight away.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

Phone call anxiety is more common than you think

S

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SENSEX JUMPS 258 POINTS; NIFTY RECLAIMS 15,000 LEVELMumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex rallied 258 points and the Nifty reclaimed the 15,000 mark on Thursday, tracking gains in Reliance Industries, Axis Bank and TCS amid a pos-itive trend in global markets. The 30-share

BSE index ended 257.62 points or 0.51 per cent higher at 51,039.31. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty rose 115.35 points or 0.77 per cent to 15,097.35. ONGC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying around 5 per cent.

RAJNATH SINGH TO VISIT WEST BENGAL TODAYNew Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Balurghat, West Bengal for a public meet-ing today. “Tomorrow, I shall be in Balurghat, West Bengal for a public meeting. It will be fol-lowed by a Road Show,” he tweeted yesterday.Recently, West Bengal BJP Vice President Arjun Singh alleged that the

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘Poriborton Yatra’ was cancelled after the city police denied per-mission for holding the rally on the instructions of Chief Minister Ma-mata Banerjee. “Yatra is postponed, we will move to court and resume the yatra,” he said. The Elec-tion Commission is yet to announce the dates.

IN THE COURTYARD

PM: India rejecting Cong & its feudal & dynasty politicsPuducherry got a govt that was busy serving High Command in DelhiPuducherry : Launch-ing an attack on Con-gress that recently lost its majority in the Pu-ducherry assembly, PM Modi said people all over India are rejecting the Congress and the party’s culture of “feu-dal politics, dynasty politics, patronage poli-tics” is ending.

Addressing a public rally in Puducherry, the Prime Minister also took a swipe at former CM V Narayanasamy for wrong translation of a woman’s complaint to Congress leader Ra-hul Gandhi, while he was in the Union Terri-tory to launch the par-ty’s election campaign.

The PM said, “A few days ago the entire na-tion saw a video. A help-less woman was com-plaining about the Pu-ducherry Government’s neglect during cyclone and floods. One could see the pain in her eyes. One could hear the pain

in her voice. Instead of telling the truth to the nation, the former Pu-ducherry CM gave a wrong translation. He lied to the people and his own leader. Can a Party whose culture is based on lies ever serve the people?”

The PM said in 2016,

Puducherry did not get a people’s gov, and in-stead, they got a govern-ment that was busy serving the ‘Congress High Command’ in Del-hi.

“Their priorities were very different. Your former CM was an expert at lifting the slip-

pers of his top party leaders. But, he did not have an interest in lift-ing people out of pov-erty. Puducherry de-serves a Gov whose high command is the people of Puducherry not a small group of leaders sitting in Delhi,” PM Modi said. —ANI

Connectivity to ensure farmers get good markets: Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that his government has made several efforts to improve rural and coastal connec-tivity to ensure that agriculture produce gets good markets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that his government has made several ef-forts to improve ru-ral and coastal con-nectivity to ensure that agriculture produce gets good markets. “Our farmers are inno-vating. It’s our duty to ensure their pro-duce gets good mar-kets,” Modi said.

PM Modi addressing a rally in poll-bound Puducherry on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Bengal needs vaccine against ‘tolabaji’: NaddaAnandapuri (WB):BJP president J P Na-dda said that people of West Bengal need a vac-cine against ‘cutmoney’ and ‘tolabaji’ (extor-tion) and the Trinamool Congress has to be sent for ‘aaram (relaxing)’ and the saffron party should be given the ‘kaam (work)’ of run-ning the government.

Addressing a func-tion to mark the culmi-nation of the ‘Paribar-tan Yatra’ rally in West Bengal, which he flagged off on Feb 6, Nadda claimed that CM Mamata Banerjee does not represent the ‘true Bengali culture’. ‘Yes-terday, Mamata ji has said that she wants help from the PM to procure COVID-19 vaccines so that she can make them available to people be-fore the assembly polls free of cost. The Centre has already said that those above the age of 60 will get free vaccines. Those who are above 45 and have comorbidity will also get it,’ he said.

‘But Bengal also needs a vaccine against

cutmoney, and tolabaji and BJP will make ar-rangements for it after coming to power. We will also give vaccines

so that Ayushman Bharat and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi schemes are implemented (in the state),’ Nadda said. —PTI

Digital raths to be used to collect people’s recommendations: NaddaKolkata (WB): Bharatiya Janata Party President JP Nadda on Thursday said suggestion box-es and digital raths (vehicle) will be used to collect suggestions of the people ahead of Assembly elec-tions in the state. At the launch of Lokk-ho Sonar Bangla manifesto crowd sourcing, Nadda said, “We are making

efforts to work towards making ‘So-nar Bangla’, with in-clusion of contribu-tions of Swami Vive-kanand, Ra-bindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Syama Prasad Mukherjee and Ish-war Chandra Vid-yasagar in prestig-ious history of Bengal.”

Rahul takes a dip with fishermen in Arabian Sea

Kerala: Congress lead-er Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a dip in the Arabian Sea with fishermen during his visit to Kerala’s Kollam district to campaign for the upcoming assembly elections.

Gandhi jumped into the water when he saw some fishermen jump-ing into the water after casting their net to catch fish. He spent around 10 minutes swimming before re-turning to the shore, party sources said.

“After coming to know from their fellow fishermen that their companions were ad-

justing the net under-water, Gandhi also jumped into the sea,” a congress functionary, who accompanied him, said. “He jumped with-out informing us…..All of us were stunned but he was very cool.He

spent around 10 min-utes in the sea water.He is an expert swimmer,” he added.

“Every morning our nation’s fisherfolk work tirelessly to provide for millions of Indians. The work they do is difficult and painstaking but in-credibly rewarding. It was an honour and a privilege to spend time with them and experi-ence just a fragment of the hard work they put in,” he wrote on Insta-gram. After spending nearly two-and-a-half hours in the sea, Gan-dhi enjoyed the curry cooked by the fisher-men. —Agencies

Rahul Gandhi took a dip into the sea with fi shermen.

ISRO to launch Amazonia-1 and 18 co-passenger satellites onboard PSLV-C51 Nellore: Primary satel-lite Amazonia-1 of Bra-zil and 18 co-passenger satellites onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C51) are scheduled to be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) Sriharikota Range (SHAR) on Feb 28, Indian Space Re-search Organisation (ISRO) said here on Thursday. “PSLV-C51,

which is the 53rd mis-sion of PSLV, will launch Amazonia-1 of Brazil as primary satel-lite and 18 Co-passenger satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sri-harikota. The launch is tentatively scheduled at 1024 Hrs IST on Febru-ary 28, 2021, subject to weather conditions,” the space agency said.

ISRO also confirmed

that the launch rehears-al of PSLV-C51 was completed.PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 is the first dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limit-ed, a Government of India company under the Department of Space. The NSIL is un-dertaking this mission under a commercial ar-rangement with Space-flight Inc. USA. —ANI

ISRO also confi rmed that the launch rehearsal of PSLV-C51 was completed today.

There were 23 fishermen in the

boat and they served Gandhi

bread and fresh fish curry they

prepared on the boat.

Don’t take steps against Ford India: HCNew Delhi: A Delhi Court has provided re-lief to Ford India, its President and Manag-ing Director Anurag Mehrotra and US na-tional and Director Da-vid Allan Schock.

While granting the relief, the Court said, “No coercive steps should be taken against them” in a criminal complaint matter alleg-ing cheating and crimi-nal breach of trust in-vestigated by the Eco-nomic Offences Wing (EoW) of the Delhi po-lice.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Kumar of Rohini Court said, “Considering the facts and circumstances I am of the considered view

that since both the ac-cused persons are Di-rector and Managing Director of the Ford India and which has a large business in India,

hence there is no chance of absconding from the investigation or juris-diction of this Court”. Amazonia-1 is the opti-cal earth observation satellite of the Nation-al Institute for Space Research (INPE). This satellite would further strengthen the exist-ing structure by pro-viding remote sensing data to users for moni-toring deforestation in the Amazon region and analysis of diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory.

—ANI

SC asks petitioner to withdraw plea related to secret ballotNew Delhi: The Su-preme Court on Thurs-day granted liberty to advocate, Pradeep Ku-mar Yadav, to withdraw his plea in connection with his petition seek-ing a direction to con-duct the election strict-ly by way of the secret ballot in physical form adhering to the bye-law of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).

A two-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, and also comprising Justice B R Gavai, asked the peti-t i o n e r- c u m - l aw ye r, Pradeep Kumar Yadav to withdraw his peti-tion.

Justice Nariman, during the course of the hearing, asked the peti-tioner, Pradeep Kumar Yadav, first tell me, how is Article 32 writ main-tainable?

To this, he replied, the 1995 constitution bench judgment regard-ing the Bar Association said this.

“You are a voter here. No fundamental right violation,” Justice Na-riman said. —ANI

Hearing of pleas on same-sex marriages till April 20New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thurs-day adjourned various petitions which hearing for the petitions of same-sex marriages un-der the Hindu Marriage Act, the Special Mar-riage Act, and the For-eign Marriage Act to 20 April.

The government has informed the Delhi HC that it has prepared its reply to petitions seek-ing the legal recogni-tion of same-sex mar-riage.

A Division Bench

headed by Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw deferred the matter for April 20.

The Plea filed by ad-vocates Mukesh Shar-ma and Raghav Awasthi urged the Delhi High Court to issue a declara-tion to the effect that since Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act of 1956 does not distin-guish between Homo-sexual and Heterosexu-al couples, the right of same-sex couples to marry should be recog-nized under the said Act. —ANI

DC grants protection from arrest to Shantanu MulukNew Delhi: A court here on Thursday granted protection from arrest till March 9 to Shantanu Muluk, who, along with Dis-ha Ravi, is accused of being involved in sharing a “toolkit” on social media related to the farmers’ pro-test.

Additional Ses-sions Judge Dhar-mender Rana granted the relief to the activ-ist after Delhi Police

said it needed time to conduct further in-terrogation before filing a detailed reply to Muluk’s anticipa-tory bail plea. The judge directed the po-lice not to take any coercive action against Muluk till March 9, when the court will further hear the matter. Mu-luk, along with Ravi and Nikita, was booked for alleged sedition. —PTI

JP Nadda

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Necessary to...To save our state from the third wave of Covid, it is necessary that we take proper care. Covid protocols should be con-tinuously managed and people should be disci-plined. People should be constantly made aware through means including hoardings, banners, pamphlets, so-cial media, radio, TV,” Gehlot said.

Reviewing the Covid vaccination campaign, Gehlot said that al-though Rajasthan is the leading state in terms of vaccination, efforts should be made to achieve the 100 percent

target to prevent coro-na. “Along with remov-ing the illusion of any harm caused by vacci-nation among the peo-ple, they should be made aware of its ben-efits,” Gehlot said as he instructed to write a let-ter to the Central Gov-ernment based on the experience of the state so far to make the vac-cination campaign more comprehensive and effective.

While giving a pres-entation during the re-view, Secretary, Medical and Health department Siddharth Mahajan said that now the active cases of corona in the

state are only 0.38 per-cent and our recovery rate has gone up to 98.75 percent. “The case dou-bling time in the state is 2521 days, while India’s case doubling time is 586 days. 79 percent of the first dose of Cov-id-19 vaccination has been given to registered health care and front-line workers in the state so far, against the na-tional average of 59.7 percent,” he said.

DIPR Commissioner Mahendra Soni in-formed that for effective following of covid pro-tocol and vaccination across the state, digital wall painting, TV, radio,

social media, panels on buses and other means are being used.

Vice Chancellor of Rajasthan Health Sci-ences University, Dr. Rajababu Panwar said that after the relaxation in various activities, there has not been any seriousness among the people regarding the Covid protocol. “This negligence can increase infection cases. Cases of covid have increased again in some states. According to the study of medical experts, cas-es of strains of South Africa, Brazil and UK are coming in the coun-try. In view of this, it is

important to be cau-tious,” he said. Princi-pal of Sawai Mansingh Medical College, Dr Su-dhir Bhandari said that the vaccine applied to health workers and frontline workers is quite effective and has not revealed any seri-ous side effects. “Ac-cording to the study, good antibodies are be-ing made in people only after the first dose of vaccination, but for bet-ter results, a second dose is necessary. Out of all those who get cured of covid, antibod-ies are formed in only 40 percent cases and therefore everyone

should also get vaccina-tion done for their safe-ty,” he said.

UK court...On arguments made by Modi’s lawyers that he suffers from severe de-pression, the judge ruled that such symp-toms are not unusual in a man in his circum-stances. He further ruled that Modi would be given adequate medi-cal treatment and men-tal health care in the jail.

The court also dis-missed Modi’s claim that Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tried to

influence the case against him.

Rare phone...a huge stepping up of cross-border incidents with the two countries regularly exchanging artillery and machine-gun fire along the cease-fire line known as the Line of Control (LoC) that has separated the countries for decades.

According to sources, the hotline remains ac-tive between the mili-taries of both sides.

Social media...The government

wants social media companies to have a

mechanism to address complaints from users. It wants social media intermediaries to have the following.

Amit Shah...a prime minister who was elected from the state,” Shah said, refer-ring to Manmohan Sin-gh who is RS member from Assam, and casti-gating the Congress for being “soft” on infiltra-tion. Enumerating vari-ous schemes that Modi govt has launched for Assam, Shah said peo-ple will weigh the meas-ures undertaken by it in 7 years against those by Congress over 70 years.

FROM PG 1

SECRETARIES & DGPS ORDERS LIKELY TO BE ISSUED THIS MONTH According to sources, the govt is likely to issue the transfer and posting orders of some Secretaries and DGPs in the remaining four days of this month.

WILL T V SOMANATHAN BE NEW SECRETARY FINANCE ? In case Dr A B P Pandey is not given extension or any Professional is not appointed Secretary Finance then Dr T V Somanthan will be new Secretary Finance in the Government of India. TamilNadu cadre 1987 batch IAS officer, Dr. Somanathan is presently Secretary Expenditure.

KULDIP SINGH TO BE ACTING DG OF CRPF ? In all probability, Special DG – CRPF, Kuldip Singh will be acting DG of the force. He is 1986 batch IPS officer of West Bengal cadre.

DG WHO TACTFULLY HANDLED VOLATILE SITUATION IN HARYANA ! Haryana DGP Manoj Yadav deserves praise for handling volatile situation because of farmers agitation. Still Haryana is politically hot because of farmers agitation in the entire state but the police has so far maintained patience. Politicians are still trying to dislodge the Government but so far they have not been able to provoke the Haryana police.

R P THAKUR IS PS, INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE, J&K Ranjan Prakash Thakur is posted as Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, J&K. He is an IRTS officer.

MANOJ KUMAR DWIVEDI IS SECRETARY, GAD IN J&K Manoj Kumar Dwivedi has been posted as Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, General Administration Department, J&K and will continue to hold the additional charge of Administrative Secretary, Mining Department. He is a 1997 batch IAS officer of J&K cadre.

2 IAS OFFICERS GET NEW RESPONSIBILITY IN BIHAR Baidyanath Yadav has been appointed as Director, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Planning and Development Department, Bihar, while Sanjeev Kumar, Director, Science & Technology, Bihar, has been handed over additional charge of Joint Secretary, Planning and Development.

TAMIL NADU GOVT ENHANCES EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT AGE TO 60 The Tamil Nadu government has enhanced the retirement age of its employees, including teachers and PSU staff, to 60 years.

MINOR RESHUFFLE OF IAS OFFICERS IN MP Mrs Alka Shrivastava has been appointed as Secretary, Medical Education with additional charge of Member Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Food Commission, Bhopal, while Rishav Gupta will remain CEO, Mandsaur Zilla Panchayat and Ms Tanvi Hudda was made Commissioner, Satna Municipal Corporation and CEO, Smart City, Satna and Jitendra Singh Raje is Director, Skill Development, Bhopal. Besides, Rakesh Singh has been appointed as Deputy Secretary, Women and Child Development in Madhya Pradesh.

RITURAJ MISHRA APPOINTED AS DEPUTY SECRETARY, PORTS Rituraj Misra has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. He is a 2010 batch IRPS officer.

GAURAV HARIOM APPOINTED AS DEPUTY SECRETARY, ROAD Gaurav Hariom Gupta has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways. He is a 2004 batch IDSE officer.

POWERGallery

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

COVID-19 negative report mandatory for passengers: Air India ExpressAll the passengers are also advised to download and install the Aarogya Setu appNew Delhi: In the wake of a sudden rise of coro-navirus cases, Air India Express on Thursday rolled out new guide-lines for the passengers travelling to India mak-ing it mandatory for them to submit a valid negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test report on the website prior to their departure.

It has also stated that the travellers are re-quired to take coronavi-rus screening test “not more than 72 hours be-fore departure”. “All passengers travelling to India must carry the original negative RT-PCR test report with the test conducted within 72 hours of the scheduled departure. Fill in the self-declaration form on the Air Suvidha portal. Upload the negative RT-PCR test report on Air

Suvidha prior to depar-ture. Carry a printout of the self-declaration and PCR Test update done on Air Suvidha while checking in,” the guidelines from the Air India Express read.

All the passengers are also advised to download and install the Aarogya Setu app on their phones. —ANI

Oval Maidan to be closed from Feb 26, spike in COVID casesMumbai: As the city has been witnessing a rise in COVID 19 cases, Brihanmumbai Munic-ipal Corporation has decided to close the iconic Oval Maidan in Mumbai from February 26, said Chanda Jadhav,

“BMC to close the icon-ic Oval Maidan from tomorrow, 26th Febru-ary due to rise in #COVID19 cases in Mumbai,” said Chanda Jadhav.Maharashtra witnessed 8,000 new cases in a day. —ANI

Covid-19 samples sent for testing of new mutations

Mumbai: As cases of Covid-19 surge in Maharashtra, sam-ples from about eight districts have been sent to laboratories across the country, including the Nation-al Institute of Virol-ogy and National Center for Disease Control, to find out if any new variant is behind the increas-

ing number of cases. Speaking to ANI, the advisor to the state for Covid control Dr Subhash Salunke said, “The ICMR has not been able to clearly come out whether is there any new mutant virus or not, that study is be-ing done at NIV and NCDC and other few laboratary” —ANI

12 ‘Swachh Iconic Places’ for clean-up in 4th phaseSrinagar: The world famous Dal Lake, the flagship attraction of Kashmir tourism, has figured among twelve iconic sites under Phase-IV of ‘Swachh Iconic Places’ [SIPs] is-sued by the union Min-istry of Jal Shakti, offi-cials said on Thursday.

As per a handout, the SIPs include Ajan-ta Caves, Maharashtra; Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh; Kumbhal-garh Fort, Rajasthan; Jaisalmer Fort, Ra-jasthan; Ramdevra, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan; Golconda Fort, Hy-

derabad, Telangana; Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha; Rock Garden, Chandigarh; Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir; Banke Biha-ri Temple, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh; Agra Fort, Agra, UP and Ka-lighat Temple, West Bengal.

The initiative aims at enhancing the experi-ence of both domestic and foreign visitors by improving the sanita-tion standards at and around the sites, it said.

As per the handout, the objective of SIP is to achieve a higher level of sanitation. —ANI

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Pri-yanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday slammed the Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi-led govern-ment over the hike in prices of fuel and gas.

Taking to Twitter, the Congress leader com-mented that the Modi government’s pitch is full of high inflation for the common people.

“In the last three months, the price of do-mestic cylinders have increased by ̀ 200. Petrol and diesel have already moved towards hitting a century. The economy is full of high infla-tion,” Gandhi tweeted.

Mamata rides pillion on electric scooterKolkata: In a unique protest against fuel price hike, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday rode pillion on an elec-tric scooter to state sec-retariat Nabanna. TMC chief Banerjee was seen sitting behind state minister and Kol-kata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who rode the battery-powered elec-tric scooter.

With a placard pro-testing against the pet-rol price hike hanging around her neck, hel-met-clad Banerjee waved at people on both sides of the road during the five-km-long jour-

ney from Hazra More to the state secretariat. In a unique protest against fuel price hike, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday rode pillion on an electric scooter to state secretariat. —ANI

Mamata Banerjee

U’khand: ITBP, SDRF remove obstaclesChamoli: The Indo-Ti-betan Border Police personnel along with the State Disaster Re-sponse Force (SDRF) personnel removed trees and boulders from the artificial lake formed after the flash flood in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. Ac-cording to ITBP sourc-es, the flow of the water is not very high and wa-ter is discharging smoothly.

The excavation work was carried out from 11:10 pm to 2:30 am last night at Tapovan tunnel in Chamoli. Water is be-

ing pumped out of the tunnel and excavation up to 180 meters is com-plete as of now.

The death count in

the Uttarakhand gla-cier burst incident has reached 70 after two more bodies were recov-eredaccording to the state government on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the search and rescue op-eration for 134 missing people is underway.

A glacier burst earli-er in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli Dis-trict of Uttarakhand. —ANI

Rescue operation

Another chargesheet filed in North Eeast Delhi violenceNew Delhi: Special Cell of Delhi Police on Wednesday filed anoth-er supplementary chargesheet before Karkardooma court in connection with north-east Delhi violence which was occurred in February 2020. The chargesheet presented before the court reveals the findings of the CCTV footage which al-

legedly say that the vio-lence that carried out in the national capital was well planned. Former students union leaders Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and sacked AAP councillor Tahir Hus-sain are among key con-spirators named in the case being probed by the Special Cell. Their cus-tody has been extended till Mrach 1. —ANI

Modi’s pitch is full of high inflation: Priyanka Vadra

Dal Lake, Srinagar

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ACTION PACKED

(Above) Players of Sujan Polo and Chandna Group teams in action at the Rambagh Polo Club in Jaipur on Thursday. (Top) A player falls from his horse during the game. —PHOTO BY SUMAN SARKAR

Kashiram Choudhary 

Jaipur: Rajasthan Gov-ernor Kalraj Mishra on Thursday emphasised upon raising awareness for livestock conserva-tion saying animal husbandry has been part of the culture since beginning.

He also said animals have been considered ‘vahana’ or vehicle of gods and goddess, and the purpose behind this was that violence should not be done against nature and the creatures living in it.

The Governor was virtually addressing the 4th convocation cer-emony of Rajasthan University of Veteri-nary and Animal Sci-ences, Bikaner.

He said that to get quality products from animals, they should also be given good nu-trition. There is a need to bring awareness in

the society for live-stock conservation, Mishra added.

He added that veteri-nary science centres should take the latest

information related to animal husbandry to the village-dhani level in local language.

Agriculture and Ani-mal Husbandry Minis-

ter Lalchand Kataria said animal husbandry is the main means of livelihood of small and marginal farmers in the state.

MUST RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT LIVESTOCK CONSERVATION: GUV

RIICO to hold discussion with investors today

4 killed in separate accidents in Rajasthan

In Karauli, Tikait warns Centre; to continue stir against farm lawsFirst India Bureau

Karauli: A huge Kisan Mahapanchayat was or-ganised in Kariri vil-lage of Todabhim against the new agri-cultural law, which was addressed by farmer leader Rakesh Tikait and social activist Yo-gendra Yadav. During the the Kisan Mahapanchayat held at Bhairav Baba Kushti Dangal Stadium in Tod-abhim, agitating farm-ers leaders termed the agri laws as black laws.

Addressing the gath-ering, Tikait accused the government of ig-noring farmers and warned that unless the farm laws are rolled back and the minimum support price is fixed, the movement will con-

tinue. Tikait will also address farmers meet-ings at various places in Rajasthan till March 24.

Addressing the pan-chayat, Yogendra Yadav demanded minimum support price from the government. He also urged the farmers to particiapte in agitation at the Shahjahanpur boarder.

Jaipur: Rajasthan Industrial Develop-ment and Investment Corporation (RIICO) will hold discussions with potential inves-tors on Friday to at-tract investment in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing and related components in the state.

Along with senior officials from the state industries de-partment, Niti Aayog Adviser Sudhendu Jyoti Sinha will also address the forum through a webinar, a senior official said.

“The requirement of mobility in India is set to change dra-matically in future and the webinar is a step in the direction of building a robust domestic EV ecosys-tem in the state. In the webinar, a panel discussion on ‘Com-ponent Manufactur-ing Vital for Robust Domestic EV Ecosys-tem’ will be held, which will be ad-dressed by the indus-try stakeholders. —PTI

Jaipur: Four peo-ple were killed and 15 others in-jured in two sepa-rate road acci-dents in Bikaner and Sikar districts of Rajasthan, po-lice said.

A truck and a bus collided on a highway in Bi-kaner district leaving the truck driver dead and 12 passengers of the bus injured on Thursday morn-ing. After the ac-cident police reached the spot.

The deceased was identified as Madho Singh, the police said.

In Sikar, a pick-up van and a mini bus collided on the Jaipur-Bikaner national highway on Wednesday night.

The mini bus driver, Sheesh-pal, and two wom-en -- Om Kanwar and Santosh Kan-war —were killed and three others injured in the ac-cident.

The bodies were handed over to family members after postmortem.

—PTI

Vaibhav’s efforts bear fruit for U-19Rajiv Gaur 

Jodhpur: Sixteen out of 600 young cricketers have been selected in un-der-19 trials conducted in Jodhpur due to the ef-forts of Rajasthan Crick-et Association President Vaibhav Gehlot.

It is because of Vaib-hav Gehlot, who has been constantly making efforts to develop Jodh-pur’s Barkatullah Khan Stadium on internation-al standards, that Vijay

Hazare Trophy could be organised in Rajasthan.

After this, trials for under-19 were held in state.

In Jodhpur, selectors

Vilas Joshi and Anil Par-mar, who came from Jaipur, saw the perfor-mance of more than 600 cricketers and selected 84 of them in the first round. Of them, 16 were selected in the final round on the second day.

Lalit Surana and Daulat Singh also pro-vided necessary support to the selectors.

A 10-year-old Geetesh Purohit also came to the trials but he could not be elected.

Vaibhav Gehlot

BKU leader Rakesh Tikait addressing a farmers rally at Kariri village on Thursday.

Governor Kalraj Mishra virtually addressing the programme at Raj Bhawan in Jaipur on Thursday.

Governor Kalraj Mishra virtually addressed the 4th convocation ceremony of Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences

THE CURIOUS CASE OF REVENUE BOARD MEMBERS!

T he Revenue Board at Ajmer is reeling under lack of

members. Of the five members from IAS quota only three are posted while only seven out of ten from the RAS quota are posted. Out of these, a story around an IAS and a RAS is quiet interesting. Vinita Srivastava, a promotee from RAS, is a member from the IAS quota and orginially hails from Ajmer. In her bureaucratic career spanning thirty three years, she has served out of Ajmer for merely twenty one months! Her ‘connection’ with Revenue Board is also old as she was appointed here first in 1994 as deputy registrar. Then in 1999 she returned to the same post and in 2003 she became a deputy registrar in the board for the third time. In 2010, she was appointed as additional registrar. In 2016, she was appointed as registrar of the board, first in May for 45 days, and then again in November same year. After serving on the post of

Registrar for three years and three months, finally she became a Member of the Board in February 2020 and who knows, when she retires in April 2023, what position she would be in the board. Her’s is a unique case where an IAS has served majority of career in one organization and climbed the hierarchy. Similar is the story of another member, from RAS quota, Manoj Kumar Nag. After he was appointed member in 2016, he has held on to his appointment

till today. Ordinarily, a tenure of any member in the Board is of two years, however, Nag has served here for more than foyur years. In these four years, almost all officials of RAS have been shuffled at least once if not more, but neither did the previous government, nor this government has ‘troubled’ Nag. 1992 batch RAS Nag will retire after four months, i.e. in June 2021, and who knows, may be he will retire from the same position!

—Rajendra Chhabra

Vinita Srivastava Manoj Kumar Nag

Even the most wild, uninhibited, creative people are able to create only through discipline,

self-discipline is the key.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

JAIPUR | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021www.fi rstindia.co.in I www.fi rstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefi rstindia I facebook.com/thefi rstindia I instagram.com/thefi rstindia082NDFRONT

POSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21

Shillong: It is impor-tant for all constitution-al institutions to com-plement and cooperate with each other for a strong democracy, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Bir-la said on Thursday.

He was addressing the members of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.

“Democracy can be strengthened only when all constitutional institutions work in tandem and cooperate with each other within their respective consti-tutional jurisdictions. All the institutions

should complement each other,” he said.

“There can be dissent during discussions but we should not reach an impasse. Our discus-sions should lead to the welfare of the people of the country,” the Speak-er added.

Birla, who is current-ly on a two-day visit to Meghalaya, said one of his foremost priorities in Parliament was to make women, young and newly-elected MPs aware of various parlia-mentary conventions and practices.

“I always promote

and welcome their ac-tive participation in de-bates and discussions

that take place in the House. It is very impor-tant to ensure the ca-

pacity-building of the members to pave way for constructive debates

in Parliament,” he said.The Speaker also

talked about some of

the new initiatives be-ing taken in Lok Sabha to enhance the practical knowledge of the mem-bers, including briefing sessions on the bills be-ing introduced in the lower house.

He advised that simi-lar programmes should be organised in the leg-islative assemblies as well.

Birla also talked about PRISM, a new service that was intro-duced in Parliament during the Budget Ses-sion, to provide MPs with parliamentary re-search and information

support.“I would like you to

set up a similar modern research wing in the legislative assembly to provide round-the-clock support to the mem-bers. We will be happy to provide all possible support for setting up such a research wing,” he told the MLAs.

Among facilities that were underway, he said, was the NeVA (National E Vidhan Application) that would make pro-ceedings and debates of Parliament and state legislature available on a single platform.—ANI

Cooperation of constitutional institutions important for democracy: BirlaWORDS OF WISDOM

WILL ENACT LAWS TO PROTECT CITIZENS AGAINST FRAUD CREDIT COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES, SAYS CMThe state government can enact such a law so that the culprit is not only punished, but the victims can also get their money back, Gehlot saidYogesh Sharma

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, on Thursday, said that if needed, the state gov-ernment will enact laws to protect people from frauds by credit coop-erative societies. The CM made the statement at the Rajasthan Legis-lative Assembly, stressing that lakhs of peo-ple of the state have been vic-tims of fraud of these so-c i e -

ties. “This is a serious concern. The state gov-ernment can enact such a law with the opinion of the parties and the opposition so that the culprit is not only pun-ished, but the fraud vic-tims can also get their money back. Strong ef-forts would be made by the state government in

this regard,” Gehlot said.

The Chief Minister, in-tervening on the issue

raised in this regard during

the Question Hour, said that

most of the peo-ple whose money has been lost, are

pensioners or villagers, who deposit mon-ey in the hope of high inter-

est. “These companies run away or close their offices and individuals lose their lifetime earn-ings. SOG is investigat-ing these cases for speedy disposal. Cur-rently, the recovery of money is possible only after the decision of the court. In this case, a let-ter will be written to the Central Government for necessary action,” he said. CM Gehlot adding further said the budget announcement of giv-ing Rs 1,000 per month to farmers on power bills generated on elec-tricity meters was to fulfil their demands. He targeted the former BJP government in state, saying it had started giving Rs 833 a month on electricity bills to farmers just a day before the model code of conduct came

into force. Initially, MoS for Cooperation Tikar-am Jully said in re-sponse to supplementa-ry questions of MLAs that the Banning of Un-regulated Deposit Scheme Act-2019 has been enacted by the Cen-tre to curb cases of fraud by credit coopera-tive societies. “With this law, the state govern-ment also gets the rights to act on these compa-nies. Rules have also been sent by state gov-ernment to Centre, so that action can be taken in near future. There are many cases going on in SOG against such so-cieties coming under the state. Online portal will also be made on which complaints can be lodged against such societies and FIR can be lodged by department on complaints,” he said.

Ex-CAG Rajiv Meharshi’s stolen mobile recovered, 3 held

GEHLOT OMITS ONE PAGE OF BUDGET SPEECH, READS IT ON THURSDAY

Maken offers prayers at Ramdevra temple during Jaisalmer visit

Ajay Maken along with his wife, Radhika & Head of Temple Gadipati Rao Bhom Singh Tanwar & Chief Priest Kamal Chhangani at Ramdevra Temple on Thursday. —PHOTO BY RAJENDRA SONI

Shivendra Parmar

Jaipur: Days after the mobile phone of former Union Home Secretary and former Chief Secre-tary of Rajasthan, Rajiv Mehrishi’s was stolen from outside Rajasthan University, The Jaipur police not only recov-ered the stolen mobile,

but also nabbed three men hailing from More-na in Madhya Pradesh. The police has also re-covered eighteen other mobile phones and five bikes from the gang. During preliminary in-terrogation, the gang has confessed to have stolen more than thirty mobilephones and old

vehicles from Jaipur.DCP (East) Abhijeet

Singh said that on Feb-ruary 18, former IAS Rajeev Mehrishi had filed a report wherein, he said that he was cy-cling from Gandhi Cir-cle to JDA intersection on JLN road in the even-ing. “He had a mobile phone which was

mounted on the mobile stand on the handle of his bicycle. As he reached the RU en-trance, two miscreants riding a motor cycle snatched his mobile phone and escaped,” he said. A team of about 20 policemen led by Gan-dhi Nagar ACP, Rajveer Singh Chaudhary,

scanned around 150 CCTV footages around the spot and on other routes. “The suspects were identified as Chhotu Saini alias Avi-nash and Raja Saini, who have been involved in mobile snatchings in the past as well. Both of them are natives of Morena district in MP.

Jaipur: In what could be termed as a bizzare inci-dent that occured on Wednesday during the budget speech, CM Ashok Gehlot incidentally skipped reading page number 10 of the budget speech and therefore, few of the budget announce-ments could not be made.

In such a situation, on Thursday, as soon as the Question Hour of the As-sembly ended, the CM read the budget an-nouncements related to Health in the House. Ge-hlot took his permission before the Assembly Speaker and then read out the announcements written in the missing page yesterday in the House. In fact, on page 10

of the 109-page budget speech yesterday, the CM skipped reading the page related to the health an-nouncements. He went directly from page 9 to page 11 as a result an-nouncements on Page 10 could not be made. How-ever, this is the first case in the Assembly, where a part of the budget speech was skipped. In the past, with both Gehlot & Raje, certain points have been skipped, but never an entire page. Budget speech has an action to correct the mistake. Per-mission is taken from Assembly Speaker to fix the fault. The mistake is then rectified within the House with the Speaker’s permission.

Bharat Dixit

Jaisalmer: AICC Gen-eral Secretary and in charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken on Thurs-day, visited the Ram-devra temple and paid obeisance along with his family members during his Jaisalmer visit.

PCC President Go-vind Singh Dotasra along with his family is accompanying Maken. After visiting the tem-ple, they headed to hotel Poonam, where, Minor-ity Affairs Minister Shale Mohammad host-

ed lunch for them. They stayed there for an hour. Talking to reporters at the hotel, Maken spoke about the glory of the Ramdevra temple. He recalled that he has been visiting the temple since 1993 when he contested the assembly elections for the first time.

Maken said he seeks blessings at Ramdevra prior to every election.

He also praised the budget presented by CM Ashok Gehlot. Maken enjoyed the evening at the Sam sand dunes with his family.

BIRLA TO ADDRESS MEGHALAYA MLAS

LS Speaker Om Birla calls on Governor of Meghalaya, Satya Pal Malik during his ongoing visit to Shillong and discussed issues of national interest with him on Thursday.

‘Mid-term polls can’t be ruled out’Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur: A day after CM Ashok Gehlot pre-sented a populist budget, the opposition BJP in Rajasthan on Thursday said that the chances of midterm elections in the state cannot be ruled out.

BJP state president Satish Poonia said that the budget presented by Gehlot was like an election budget.

“It is clear from the face, gesture and body language of the CM that midterm elections may happen in the

state,” Poonia told re-porters outside the As-sembly. He said that looking at indications from the budget, the chances of midterm elections cannot be ruled out. Calling Ge-hlot ‘Ghoshnajeevi’ for a series of announce-

ments made in the budget, Poonia said that there are a total of 78 announcements in his first and second budget which could not be fulfilled so far.

He said there were contradictions in the announcements made

by Gehlot. He said that on one hand, Gehlot announced a cam-paign against liquor use but on the other hand the government has increased the number of liquor shops in the state. He said that Gehlot should clearly tell people that it is a matter of reve-nue. On the announce-ment of a constitution-al club in Jaipur and CM’s comments, Poon-ia said, “We will go to Delhi, in day or night. We have to go to Delhi if there is any organi-sational issue.”

THE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rajiv Mehrishi

Ashok Gehlot

CM-Pilot to ‘fly together’ to Chittorgarh for rallyAditi Nagar

New Delhi: After months of hoping that a ‘united front’ of the Rajasthan Congress can be seen once again, the party workers might be treated to their ‘dream come true’ when during the farmer rally in Matri-kundia in Chittorgarh, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, state incharge Ajay Maken, PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasra and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot will be on the same stage, against

the Central govern-ment’s farm laws.

Moreover, these lead-ers will travel together as well! Sources reveal that they are scheduled to leave in a helicopter for the venue.

Earlier, there was a suspicion on Pilot ac-companying CM Gehlot since it was believed that there would be space only for four peo-ple in the helicopter, including CM’s PSO.

However, it is learnt that now CM’s manda-tory PSO will not be travelling to accomo-date Pilot.

Satish Poonia

ife is a constant struggle, and yet we need to show up every day in our best avatar and although it is easy for us to pick our col-our any other days, very often we feel out of the

context of well this is the per-fect colour for my day! But, things, don’t end here! Even if we feel as if life has drained out of colours, we do have black and white and countless celebrities have given us an ex-ample to re-work our rock bot-tom stage in monochrome looks. Be it a casual day, while you lay in bed, or a crucial day at the work front, perhaps a day for a long casual walk!

FORMALSFor the lovers of formals, any given day. Black and white is the most prominent choice! It adds up to the layer of profes-sionalism and integrity. A regu-lar pant and a shirt with a coat according to the weather would be perfect.

NON-FORMALSFor the ones who are ready to take on the stroll for the even-

ing, noon or morning, a pair of skirt and a blouse would go per-fectly. Or perhaps a regular black and white t-shirt, paired with shorts.

FASHIONISTA’SFor those who take every day as a serious day of affairs with clothes. It is a great time to show their perfect shoulders, by putting on an off-shoulder dress or anything that would match up with your life at the party vibes!

COMFORT AT HOMEIt’s a lovely self-care day at home and you wish to live this day as if it were the last in your best lingerie and the minimal of clothes. Blacks and whites have your back.

SPORTYWhile on an excur-sion, you teamed up with your group, and as you go ahead, to match up with the uni-formity of the group, what could be the best op-tion? You got it right, black and white. No possi-ble way, if any-one is devoid of this pair.

JAIPUR, FRIDAYFEBRUARY 26, 2021

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LET’S DITCH

COLOURS!City First brings you ways to ace your

monochrome looks suitable for whatever mood you are in for today because we love colours,

and yet we are not up for it, everyday!

LSUSHMITA AINDcityfirst@firstindia.co.in

10ETC

JAIPUR | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021www.fi rstindia.co.in I www.fi rstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefi rstindia I facebook.com/thefi rstindia I instagram.com/thefi rstindia

FACE

OF TH

E DAY

NATALI SHARMA, Event Emterpreneur

LEOJULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Fingers may be pointed at you for something you are not responsible for at work. You can fi nd yourself fi tter

with regular exercises. This is the time to strengthen the family bonds. A prime property may come into your name. Someone may do for you more than what was expected.

LIBRA SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

Financial worries can make some restless, but the situation will not be beyond redemption. A new

project will proceed smoothly as you get help from all quarters. You will need to handle a tensed family member with sympathy. A property dispute can pit you against someone.

ARIESMAR 21 - APR 20

Those on medication will fi nd a distinct improvement in their condition. Those struggling to fi nd a

solution to a workplace problem will succeed. A forthcoming family event is likely to raise your spirits. Those dealing with property issues may need to be careful.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 23 - DEC 22

Those ailing can expect their condition to improve. Not much gains on the monetary front are indicated. Those

feeling restless in a particular job will be able to settle down in time. Interruptions on the domestic front are foreseen that will not allow you to do your own thing.

GEMINIMAY 21 - JUNE 21

Problems faced on the health front show signs of disappearing completely. A deliberate attempt at

saving is the only way you can repay your loans. Work front may appear a bit too demanding, but you will be able to handle it well. A family get-together will cheer you up.

AQUARIUSJAN 21 - FEB 19

It may be diffi cult to make a client accept your views on the professional front. Avoid indulging in speculation.

Peak physical fi tness will make even strenuous activities seem like child’s play. Bad mood of a family member may spoil the domestic environment. A holiday promises much rest.

TAURUSAPR 21 - MAY 20

Judicious spending will fi nd your bank balance in a healthy state. You can feel overworked on the

professional front. Spouse can expect a helping hand. Settling down in a new house is indicated for some. An invitation to a party or function may provide you good opportunity.

CAPRICORNDEC 23 - JAN 20

New dimensions open up on the professional front as you handle more than one project. Your desire to

increase earning may need to be put on hold temporarily till the time is right. Your health consciousness will keep you hale and hearty. Pending things may hinder offi cial work.

VIRGOAUG 24 - SEP 23

You will manage to showcase your profes-sional skills to those who matter. Playing your cards

well in a family situation will get you the support and attention you crave for. Taking possession of a new house may become a reality for some. Exercise regularly.

CANCERJUNE 22 - JULY 23

Assistance of colleagues will help complete a project much before time. A family youngster is likely to make

you proud. Don’t be hasty in matters pertaining to property. An entertain-ing time with near and dear ones is foreseen. An expected raise or bonus is on the cards for some.

PISCESFEB20 - MARCH 20

A friend will come to the rescue in bailing you out of a fi nancial situation. Inculcating physical

workouts in your lifestyle will benefi t health. A family get together can fi nd you into your element. You will have enough to invest in a suitable property.

SCORPIOOCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Those experiencing a cash crunch will manage to overcome it by tight budgeting. You may feel

hesitant to broach a contentious issue with a rival at work. A family member may prove annoying by not doing your bidding. Good returns can be expected.

YOUR DAY

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

he science of Mind, body and soul – Ayurveda provides us with answers to possi-bly every problem we face; even 5000

plus year after the princi-ples were established. The three doshas – Vata, Pitta and Kapha are the basic principles used in Ayur-veda to identify and cure all ailments. When one or more of these three hu-mors are out of balance, discomfort and disease arise. Vata dominates win-ters and early spring; hence it is at this time of year that Vata ailments are most common. When it comes to skin, heightened Vata causes irritable skin, dry skin, brown tone dis-coloration and dandruff. Here are a few tips and a nighttime beauty ritual that guarantees the GLOW!

DRY BRUSHINGA hugely undervalued as-pect of Ayurveda is dry brushing. Before you step into the shower use a wooden dry brush in circu-lar motions, directed up-wards towards the heart. This leads to lymphatic drainage, which reduces puffiness and has a detoxi-fying effect. It also reduces cellulite, relives stress, un-clogs pores, and removes dead skin. All oils and herbs that you apply after dry brushing have a deep-er penetration. Hence it is advisable to keep dry brushing as step one of your beauty regime.

ABHYANGA OR SELF-OIL MASSAGEThe regular practice of oil massage, especially sesa-me seed oil in the winter has a great rejuvenating effect. Followed by dry brushing a quick self-oil massage before your bath will leave your skin feeling hydrated and healthy. Try to avoid harsh bath soaps that strip the skin of its natural oils and disturb the skins PH balance.Apply ghee to the navelKeep a small jar of ghee at

your bedside table and ap-ply a little ghee on your navel every night before you sleep. Apart from giv-ing you hydrated, moist skin and lips, after a period of regular application you can also expect other ben-efits like relief from joint pain, improved digestion, healthy hair with reduced hair fall, and improved blood circulation.

SPECIAL CARE FOR YOUR FACEIt is very important to keep your facial skin moist and hydrated to avoid early signs of aging such as fine lines, age spots and wrin-kles. A good amount of wa-ter consumed through out the day and restful sleep is very important. But equal-ly important is topical care. The one most benefi-cial product is kumkumadi tailam or saffron oil as a literal translation, but most kumkumadi oils have a blend of other skin friendly herbs. It is be-lieved that regular applica-tion of this oil will bring a gold like luminescent glow. Make sure you choose good quality oil.

THE GODDESS GLOW FACE PACKThis is a nighttime beauty ritual as opposed to most daytime rituals to allow your skin some time before it is exposed to the ele-ments and pollution and also to soak in the good-ness of the kumkumadi oil.

DEVYANI SINGHAyurveda, Nutrition and Holistic Wellness AdvocateInstagram: @devyanirathore

Ditch Dry skin - GET THE GODDESS GLOW

T

INGREDIENTS 1 banana peel

5-6 almonds soaked over-night, peeled and ground to a paste

½ teaspoon raw honey

1-2 teaspoons yogurt (ad-just to get the right paste like consistency)

½ teaspoon kasturi manjal

for additional step - kum-kumadi tailam

METHOD Step 1: take the inner side

of the banana peel and rub it on your face and neck in circular motions. It will have a cleansing and tightening effect on your face. After rubbing it for a few minutes clean your face with warm water.

Step 2 : in a bowl mix the almond paste, raw honey, yogurt and kasturi manjal to a pasty consistency. Ap-ply an even layer on your face and neck.

Step 3 : once the face pack is dry, wash it off with warm water and pat dry your face. Spray a little rose water on your face and neck.

Additional step : while this is men-tioned as an additional step it is crucial for you to get that goddess like glow. After your skin has been cleansed and moistur-

ized without any chemicals and only the wonderful ingredients of this face pack, follow the ritual with a few drops of kumkumdai oil massaged into your face and neck before you go to bed.

Make sure you are well hydrated throughout the day that you choose to do this beauty ritual and wake up with dewy, fresh and plump skin. Upon waking up rehydrate your skin with a spritz of cooled rose water.

Promoted by Vista Housing

ANITA HADA

ity First remembers Manmohan Desai n his 84th birth Anni-versary. Manmohan Desai knew how to keep the audiences engaged, his masala

movies though skirted the boundaries of reality, many a time slipping into sheer fantasy land and il-logical scenarios, still, were huge entertainers.

Remember the famous scene of Amar Akbar An-thony, wherein the blood from the three sons was injected directly into the hapless Nirupa Roy’s veins. I grew up on this

stuff and got a rude shock when I got to know the pro-cess of blood donation.

Desai made potboilers but he came into his own when he teamed up with Amitabh Bachchan, after Amar Akbar Anthony and

Parvarish the partnership was sealed. Desai fell in love with Bachchan’s drunken monologue in front of a mirror- now-icon-ic- scene and the golden era of the duo rolled! Naseeb, Coolie, Desh Premee, Mard

– they gave some of their biggest hits together and he t e a m e d up amaz-ing mul-t i - s t a r -rers.

M a n -

ji, was a lover of secular-ism, animals and tragic

mother figures and they figured prominently in his films, not to men-tion children getting lost. As a young mother and an avid watcher of

Desai films I spent the formative years of my children’s childhood in ‘fear of separation’. Yes, Manmohan De-sai will live on!

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

ETCwww.fi rstindia.co.in I www.fi rstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefi rstindia I facebook.com/thefi rstindia I instagram.com/thefi rstindia JAIPUR | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

11

Heights Institute of Fashion Technology and Beatles in associa-tion with Miss Ra-

jasthan is going to organise a fashion show ‘Optima 2021’ on February 26, today, at Bea-tles Lounge, Jaipur. Jagdeesh Chandra will be the Chief Guest for the event. The evening will witness 6 show-stoppers, 12 female runway models and 12 male runway model. Kayam Kawa (India Got Talent fame singer) will also be giving a live perfor-mance during the show.

CITY FIRST

Da d a s a h e b Phalke award recognizes the work and tal-

ent of the Indian Film In-dustry which is also the

third-largest g l o b a l ly

and is

known for its larger-than-life films and fandoms. Deepika Padukone won the ‘Best Actress’ award. The official Twitter han-dle of the International awards tweeted, Celebrat-ing the dedication you’ve shown on the way to this achievement. Congratula-tions to @deepikapadu-kone for winning the “Best Actress” award at Dadasaheb Phalke Inter-

national Film Festival Awards 2021.

Best Actress

Man Mohane wale Desai!

C

Bella Throne is known for being a bold and empowering role model for standing up to the industry’s dark sides. Bella has openly shown soli-

darity by speaking up on the Framing Brit-ney Spears documentary, which shook Hol-lywood to its core. Expressing how awful she feels about the pop star dealing with media negativity and constant criticism, Bella said, “Everything I was looking at made me really, really, really sad knowing that this was happening, knowing that this still hap-pens, knowing that we’re all a part of this, that we all did this to her.”

—Agency

“All are part”OPTIMA 2021!

A still from the movie, ‘Deewar’

Deepika Padukone Bella Throne

Late Manmohan Desai

12JAIPUR | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

CITY BUZZ

A BLESSED EVENING!The wedding ceremony of Niranjan and Sangeeta Arya’s son Swarit with Ritika, daughter of Tulika and Rajeev

Pabuwal, was held at Hotel Fairmont, Jaipur on Thursday. The politically elite gathering was a testament to the goodwill that Niranjan Arya commands as the who’s who of Rajasthan reached to bless the newlyweds and

congratulate the proud parents. The reception is going to take place on February 28 at Birla Auditorium, Jaipur!

CM Ashok Gehlot with the happy couple Swarit & Ritika along with Niranjan & Sangeeta Arya andRajeev & Tulika Pabuwal and other family members

CM Ashok Gehlot in conversation with Madhav Singh Dewan,also seen are Rajeev Pabuwal and Jagdeesh Chandra

Dharmendra Rathore

Blessings to the newly weds by CP Joshi and Jagdeesh Chandra as the proud father Niranjan Arya looks on along with Rajeev andTulika Pabuwal, parents of the bride

Safia Zuber, Mamta Bhupesh, Lal Chand Kataria, Jagdeesh Chandra, Niranjan Arya and CP Joshi

Vasundhara Raje with Niranjan and Sangeeta Aryaand the newly weds Swarit and Ritika

Akhil and Aparna Arora

Kuldeep Ranka Shanti Dhariwal

Diya Kumari and Bhavna Jagwani Jagdeesh Chandra with Purushottam Vaishnav and Manoj MathurDeenbandhu Choudhary and Harsh Choudhary

Niranjan Arya and Jagdeesh Chandra

Amin Kagzi

Vasundhara Raje and Jagdeesh Chandra,also seen is Mahendra Bhardawaj

Dr C P Joshi with Dr Subhash Garg and Mahendra Choudhary

CITY FIRST

The Department of Civil Engi-neering at Swa-mi Keshvanand

Institute of Technology Management and Gra-mothan, Jaipur inaugu-rated one week RTU (ATU) TEQIP-III spon-sored Faculty Develop-ment Program on ‘Emerging Trends in Infrastructure Develop-ment (ETID-2021)’ on Thursday. More than a hun-dred participants from across the globe participated in the event.

The inaugural ses-sion was graced by the presence of Guest

Speaker Er. Rakesh Srivastava (Senior

Vice President, JWIL Infra Ltd.), Er. Harshil K Trivedi, (BD Head, Chevrox Construction Pvt. Ltd.), Prof. (Dr.) A.K. Dwivedi (RTU

Event Coordinator), Pooja Jain (Dy Head, Civil Engg.), Er. Anir-udh Mathur, Dr Lalit Kumar Gupta, Kishan Lal Jain, Ankur Mishra and others.

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

ETID-2021

The book launch of ‘Gillidanda to golf’ by Ram Varma is going to be organised by Rupa Publications India on February 26, today, at Multipurpose Hall, New Delhi. The Guest of Honour will be S K Misra, Indian civil servant; N N Vohra, IIC President; M S Gill, Indian politician and Tijender Khanna, former Lieutenant governor of Delhi. The launch will be followed by equally spectacular high tea.

BOOK LAUNCH! A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT

Arushi Singh runner-up of Miss Rajasthan 2020 will represent Rajasthan in Glamanand Supermodel

India. Yogesh Mishra, director of Miss Rajasthan, the largest and prestigious beauty pag-eant of Rajasthan, said that this time, Arushi Singh will represent Rajasthan in the Gla-manand supermodel which is a national level beauty pageant, where winners get a chance to represent India internationally. He further informed that the event will run from March 27 to April 4. The grand finale will be held on April 4 in Indore. Follow-ing Covid-19 guidelines, an on-line grooming training for a month will be provided to the participants. —CITY FIRST Arushi Singh