Indian Newspapers In English-First India-Rajasthan-14 March 2020 edition

JAIPUR l SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 l Pages 14 l 3.00 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 276 Budget Reply GEHLOT FOR ALL SEASONS Aditi Nagar & Yogesh Sharma T chemicals Investment Re- gion (PCPIR) at Pachpadra which will provide jobs along with income genera- tion opportunities for un- employed youth in the state in large number.” The government will also focus on bringing a new Avi- ation Policy as Gehlot announced on Friday, to ensure that the basic infra- structure related to aviation in state is used optimally and provide employment opportunities to youth in aviation sector, a comprehensive Civil Aviation Policy will be brought. Furthermore, Gehlot government will also under- take exploration of potash mineral in Hanumangarh and Bikaner areas. “The exploration will be done through Mineral Explora- tion Corporation Limited since this mineral is available only in Hanumangarh and Bikaer areas in the country,” Gehlot said in his reply. In order to further motivate investors into investing in solar and wind energy production in Ra- jasthan, the Gehlot government will also hold an investor summit. “We have recently announced the solar, wind and hybrid energy policy. An investor summit in these areas will be organised to bring in more inter- ested companies and individuals to invest in Ra- jasthan and generate energy,” the towering CM said. Gehlot also announced road construction, upgrada- tions of schools, upgrada- tion of electric grid, opening of new agricultural mandis, insurance cover to students in madarsas among other announcements. he compensation to farmers whose have been dam- aged in the recent hailstorm in the state will crops be paid in the ongoing month, Chief Ashok Gehlot announced on Friday, saying that a special girdawari has been ordered which will be completed by March 20. Gehlot also announced starting a special petrochemical investment area at Pachpadra in Bar- mer district. The three time chief minister made the two major announcements on Friday while giving his reply on the Budget Appro- priation Bill. Interestingly, the state government will also bring ‘Raj Neer Yojna’ under which no tax will be collected from those house- holds where monthly water requirement is less than fifteen thousand Moreover, the state government will also change ten lakh water meters in the next three years for which a provision of Rs25 crore has been made. Focussing more on farmers, Chief Minister also announced the ‘Transforming and Harvesting Agriculture and Allied Sector in Ra- jasthan (THAAR) project to attract agricultural investment in the state. “The purpose of this project will be to lower the expenses in- curred in agriculture and increase farm income while motivating technology in agriculture,” Gehlot said, further adding, “we will also form a new Pe- troleum, Chemicals, Petro- Minister litres. information —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

NEWS JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 02 www.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 RS POLLS Congress, BJP candidates file nomination papers in Rajasthan Jaipur: Congress and BJP candidates filed their nomination papers on Friday for the Rajya Sabha elections in the Rajasthan Assembly . The Congress had named All India Con- gress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) general secretary Neeraj Dangi, whereas the BJP had named Ra- jendra Gehlot as its candidate. Bharatiya Janata Party’s senior leader Omkar Singh Lakhawat surprisingly also filed his nomination paper on one seat, saying he filed it following the di- rections from the party . The biennial elections for Rajya Sabha will be held on three seats in the state. The Congress has fielded two candidates and the opposition BJP has named one candidate. Venugopal said he is thankful to the party high command and Congress leaders of the state for showing trust on him. “I will raise the is- “I will strongly raise March 16 and nomina- Rajendra Gehlot fi ling the nomination for RS polls in the presence of Surendra Singh Naruka, Ramlal Sharma, Vasudev Devnani, Satish Poonia, Kailash Meghwal and Prasad Singh Singhvi. Gehlot Govt weak so it can’t last very long, says Poonia First India News Jaipur: On the question of making Onkar Singh Lakhawat a Rajya Sabha candidate, BJP State President Dr Sat- ish Poonia said that we have fielded our candidate with the hope that there are other parties besides Congress who are angry with the func- tioning of this government. We will try our best and move forward based on dissent against the Gehlot government. Poonia also denied to reveal of the BJP’s strategy for the Rajya Sabha elections, saying that our strategy cannot be disclosed. Poonia added that the —PHOTO BY SUMAN SARKAR CM Ashok Gehlot with K C Venugopal, Neeraj Dangi, Avinash Pande, Vivek Bansal and Subash Garg. Singh, who was elected unopposed in the Rajya Sabha bypolls held last year after the seat fell vacant following the de- mise of BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Madan Lal Saini, who was also the party’s state president. The Congress, which came to power in De- cember 2018, has a total of 107 MLAs in the house of 200 and the BJP has 72 MLAs. —PTI tions can be withdrawn by March 18. If neces- sitated, polling will take place on March 26, from 9 am to 4 pm. Rajasthan has a total of 10 Rajya Sabha seats and nine from those seats, including three whose tenure is going to complete next month, are from the BJP. The Congress’s only Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan is Manmohan the issues related to development of the state in the Rajya Sabha,” he said. The Rajya Sabha seats, presently held by Ram Narain Dudi, Vijay Goel and Narayan Lal Pan- chariya, all from the BJP , are going to be vacated next month after comple- tion of their term. Scrutiny of nominations will be held on sues of Rajasthan in Rajya Sabha,” Venugo- pal told reporters. On the ongoing political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, he said the Congress is dealing with the challenge and will be successful in coming out the crisis. BJP’s Gehlot blamed the Congress government in the state for its failure on all fronts. Onkar Singh Lakhawat fi ling nomination as Satish Poonia looks on. side as well. The government is weak so it cannot last very long and all possibilities are alive. We will not take any initiative and will take a decision after assessing created situation. race of chief ministerial post ambitions in Con- gress still remains today , just like it was before the assembly elections. Due to this, there are issues in the government, which are visible out- City Doc appreciated by India Book of Records First India News OFF THE RECORD DO OR DIE FOR IAS, BUT IT DEPENDS ON GOVERNMENT T restless for a long time now for a deputation in Delhi. During the last months of Raje govt, IAS Gupta had formally applied for the deputation to Delhi. He was assured of a positive action but Gupta kept waiting while Raje govt. departed without clearing the fi le. Although Gupta has reason for limited happiness because Gehlot govt. has brought him to mainstream Jaipur from sidelines of Ajmer. But now he is eagerly awaiting for his ultimate happiness by getting a clearance to his fi le. Now the curious part of the whole matter...Praveen Kumar Gupta is the only IAS seeking deputation to Delhi and yet the state govt. so far has been reluctant on the issue. This assumes importance in the context of the fact that the same govt. has permitted 5 IPS offi cers to move to Delhi.The senior IAS moving to Delhi on deputation joins as a Joint Secretary (JS) and then he gets promoted to Additional Secretary (AS) after due empanelment provided that the IAS has served for 3 years as JS. 1992 batch IAS posted in Delhi was empanelled in January 2020 for AS but Rajasthan cadre IAS could not qualify for it as they were not fulfi lling the mandatory 3 year service as JS. Now they have a ray of hope for empanelment when the review happens. So if Praveen Kumar Gupta does not join as JS in Delhi now then he is sure to lose out three years later when empanelment of 1995 batch for JS takes place. Jaipur: Dr Akhilesh Jain, HOD, psychiatry of ESI Model Hospital he case of senior IAS Praveen Kumar Gupta is rather strange and curious. He has been has been accorded apprecia- tion I n d i a Book of Records COURTESY MEET Diya Kumari met Hardeep Singh Puri and urged him to look into improving air connectivity to and from the city of Udaipur. HOLY VISIT Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat, Congress leader Mukul Wasnik and others offer prayers at Salasar Balaji temple in Churu. by for his large number of awareness campaign on mental health for public and health professionals. Dr Jain has been making public health professionals aware about different mental health problems and related through different mediums since long. He already is the re- cipient of City of Graz Award, UNESCO Haifa India Award for best poster, Urban Medical Service Award, Pratib- ha Kumari Award, Gau- tam Oration Award and many more for his con- tributions in academics and social work. GUP SHUP TIFF BETWEEN COMMISSIONERATE AND PHQ BRINGS SHAME TO RAJASTHAN POLICE C against fi ve persons, which includes four cops. The worst part is that one of the accused in the case is a tiger. This has put the whole Khaki department in a tizzy. The matter relates to cases registered in Jyoti Nagar and Shivdaspura police stations where the police botched up its investigation by fi ling an FR just to favour one of the affected parties. The accused offi cers favoured one party despite evidence pointing otherwise. The CBI investigation will lay bare the way certain cops work in the state. ollusion between the offi cers of Jaipur Commissionerate and PHQ has ultimately discredited the Rajasthan Police itself. The CBI on court orders, has registered a case and issues RECENT PROMOTION UNTIMELY FOR THIS GAMA AND HIS SAHAB E promoted as peter but he is reluctant to join the new battalion. Strange? Well not so strange once you know the inside story. The gama is being held by a big sahab who wants him to settle sweet land matters before being relieved. The gama also wants to rake in whatever he can before landing on a dry land. Whatever be the reality but the department sure is analyzing the matter in their own way. GAMA’S EXCISE POLICY INCLUDES 24X7 LIQUOR SALE A its formal one. Gama is making handsome profi t from the liquor shops in his area. The recovery done by the gama is both cause of concern as well as jealousy in the relevant quarters. There have been complaints made to the higher ups in the matter but so far there has been no action on the gama. By the way the ‘excise policy’ of this gama allows liquor sale 24x7. very Gama wants to be promoted to the post of a Peter and move up in the hierarchy. But there is this gama who was recently gama posted in the eastern district of Jaipur commissionerate has his ‘excise policy’ in place even before govt. could execute ARIHANT ZONE PHASE-2 IN JODHPUR A of RERA registered project Arihant Zone Phase-2 in Jodhpur. The project has been pitched for Rs 32.88 crores. Piyush is the director of the group. The market is excited for this project. INVESTOR FROM DUBAI READY FOR ANOTHER TRY A of the state since he has made a ‘comeback’ to the market by investing crores of rupees. The investor has provided a much needed support to a builder who was hanging by thread by pumping crore of rupees in his projects and the development is being seen as one which will help in re-starting the projects to viability. Even in the past too, this investor has saved a builder but faced a loss of crores of rupees. However, the builder, in whose project the investor has made a major investment, has brought the man back after much deliberations but the investor is following the ‘once bitten, twice shy’ rule. BUILDER ON THE BAD SIDE OF MINISTER AND HIS SON T dept involving in tours and travel, had made a major investment with the builder but now the builder has declared himself to be bankrupt. When the ex-min approached the builder, various assurances on giving back the money were given and in the meanwhile, the builder was also sent to jail. However, once he came out of jail, the minister’s son called the builder over dinner. But instead of serving a meal, the son served punches and blows to the builder and even made the video of the ‘episode’. Now the builder is seeking time from the minister to apologise for his ‘slip-up’ while those in the ‘know-how’ of this incident, are hoping to have a look at the video. rinhat Super Structure Limited signed a 40 bigha land deal for the construction n investor from Dubai is one of the most talked about person in the real estate circles he anger of a former minister’s son is proving costly to a builder. The minister, associated with a Realty Check FIRST INDIA spreads its vistas... we shall now recount bytes and buzz in the real estate sector TRIVENI KRUPA GROUP FINALISES DEAL T Ram Agarwal are the directors of the group. There is an atmosphere of excitement in the market for this project. riveni Krupa Group signed a 3075 square yard land deal, in Jaipur, worth Rs 31 crore, for construction of its RERA registered Golden Leaf project. Vipul Aggarwal,

J AIPUR l SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 l Pages 14 l 3.00 14°C - 28°C OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD RNI NO. RAJ ENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 276 www.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 Many countries go into quarantine; second death in India as a 68-year-old woman dies in Delhi; Centre declares masks, hand sanitisers as ‘essential commodities’ CORO-NATIONS FREEZE GLOBAL LOCKDOWN OVER VIRUS SCARE C O R O N A V I R U S E F F E C T that masks, including N95, and hand sanitisers as ‘essential commodities’ in the wake of coronavirus scare leading to shortages and black marketing of these items. These items will remain under essential commodities segment till June- end. Centre also decided to allow international traffic only through 19 border checkposts out of 37 and decided to continue suspension of Indo-Bangladesh cross border passenger trains and buses till April 15, or earlier, if so decided. Meanwhile, a person who returned from Italy was tested positive for coronavirus at Army’s quarantine facility in Manesar. New Delhi: The concern around COVID-19 outbreak reached its zenith worldwide, with many countries going into quarantine, major sports tournaments being cancelled. On Friday, a 68-year-old woman died of coronavirus in Delhi, the government said. This is the second death linked to the global pandemic in the country . A resident of West Delhi, she had come in contact with her son who had contracted the virus after travelling to Switzerland and Italy last month. On Friday, global toll from the pandemic crossed 4,600, with more than 125,000 people in 118 countries infected world-wide. India on Friday declared SCHOOLS, COLLEGES SHUT IN 11 STATES All schools, colleges, techni- cal and vocational education institutes have been closed in 11 states of Uttarakhand, Odisha, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhat- tisgarh in view of the possibility of infection. JNU has suspended all lectures, examinations and events on its campus till March 31. SC TO ONLY HEAR URGENT CASES SC on Friday took note of global pandemic and decided that only urgent matters shall be taken up for hearing and no persons except concerned lawyers will be allowed inside its courtrooms. The decision was taken in a meeting presided over by CJI SA Bobde after taking note of the Centre’s March 5 advisory cautioning against mass gatherings. The Union Ministry of Health & Fam- ily Welfare under the central government has launched a helpline number: +91-11-23978046 for coronavirus-related inquiry and support. There are also sepa- rate helpline numbers for the different states and union territories. IPL POSTPONED TILL APRIL 15 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday decided to postpone the Indian Premier League (IPL) to April 15, 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing COVID-19 situation.There was speculation as to what the board will decide amidst the ongoing coronavirus scare, and fi nally postponing the tournament came up as the solution. VIRUS SCARE @ ATTARI BORDER Foreign nationals will not be allowed to enter In- dia from Pakistan through Attari-Wagah border from Friday evening onwards, a senior BSF offi - cial said. Indian nationals who had gone across border would be allowed to come back before their visas expire. Pilgrims from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur through Kartarpur Corridor to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib will continue. P9 NEPAL SHUTS ACCESS TO MT EVEREST CANADA PM’s WIFE TESTS POSITIVE AUSSIE HOME MINISTER TESTS POSITIVE Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has tested positive on Friday. Earlier on Friday, Dutton did not attend his usual Today Show interview due to a “stomach bug”. Dutton had recently returned from a tour of the United States. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophia Gregoire, has tested positive for Covid-19 after she showed fl u- like symptoms upon return from the UK.Trudeau himself, who has been in voluntary self-quarantine, is said to be “in good health,” say reports. Nepal government has cancelled all expeditions to Mount Everest, until further notice, due to novel coronavirus outbreak. The decision effectively ends all expedition attempts on the Everest for the year. A child who tested negative for coronavirus rides on a hoverboard scooter, at the ITBP quarantine facility, in Chhawla, New Delhi on Friday. —PTI MP Guv expels 6 rebel mins, BJP seeks floor test Schools, colleges, cinema halls, gyms shut in Raj till March 31 CRUCIAL READ REJECTED MERCY PLEA: NIRBHAYA CONVICT MOVES HC New Delhi: One of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, Vinay Shar- ma, on Friday approached Delhi HC claiming that there were procedural lapses and “constitutional irregularities” in the rejection of his mercy plea by President Ram Nath Kovind.The petition on Sharma’s behalf was moved by his lawyer AP Singh who said matter has been fi led in HC registry.Plea claims that the recommendation sent to the President to reject the mercy plea did not contain the signature of Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain. Kartikey Dev Singh Madhya Bhopal: Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon has expelled six rebel cabinet ministers from the council of ministers as per the suggestion of Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The six ministers have rebelled against the Kamal Nath government and have been camping at a Bengaluru along with the other 13 rebel MLAs. The rebel MLAs had sent in their resignation to MP Assembly Speaker, but they have been asked to come in person to ex- plain reasons for their quitting. Jaipur: All schools, colleges, coaching centres, gyms, cinema and thea- tres will be compulso- rily kept closed till March 31 after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ordered the authorities in this regard late on Friday night. Gehlot, while holding a high profile review meeting on Coronavi- rus at CMR instructed officials to issue an advisory to people and re- quest to reduce family functions and weddings to limited gathering. However, the Board examinations will not be affected by the order P7 KULDEEP SENGAR, 6 OTHERS SENTENCED TO 10-YR JAIL Delhi’s Tis Hazari Court on Friday sentenced expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and six others to 10 years imprisonment for the death of Unnao rape survivor’s father. Sengar is already serving life imprisonment for raping the minor. While sentencing them, District Judge Dharmesh Sharma said, “There can be no denying that rule of law was broken. Sengar and his brother Atul has been directed to give 10 lakh compensation to family of the victim for loss of their father. CM Ashok Gehlot held a meeting in wake of Coronovirus scare at CMR where Raghu Sharma Subhash Garg, DB Gupta, Rohit Kumar Singh, Vaibhav Galaria, Manju Rajpal, Rajababu Panwar, Sudhir Bhandari and others were present. resort Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath meets Governor Lalji Tandon, in Bhopal on Friday. —ANI Scindia also met with the governor. As per the sources, the BJP leaders told the governor that the Kamal Nath government was in minority and sought a floor test. The portfolios taken away from the expelled ministers have been re- distributed. Meanwhile, BJP leaders Shivraj Singh Chou- han and Jyotiraditya to avoid going to places of mass gathering or crowded areas and to use public transport only if urgent,” Gehlot appealed. and even the work at medical and nursing colleges will be carried out. “Coronavirus should not be feared, but we appeal to people P7 Can’t believe I’m free: Farooq after release from detention Srinagar: Senior Na- tional Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Friday promised to be in the Parliament in the next two weeks as he recovers from an eye surgery, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister told the media as he walked out free after being in detention for seven months ever since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 last year. “I can’t believe I’m free. I hope everybody else is released too. I will attend Parlia- ment if allowed. And wife Molly Abdullah in Gupkar Road on Friday. towards the “restoration of genuine political processes” in the Union Territory . “The Jammu and Kashmir National Con- ference welcomes the release of Dr Farooq Abdullah from detention under PSA. The release is a step in the right direction for the restoration of genuine political processes in Jammu and Kashmir,” said JKNC in a statement. It will receive a further fillip when party Vice President Omar Abdullah and other political detainees are set free, JKNC added. once I am there, I will raise the problems being faced by the people of Kashmir,” Ab- dullah said as he thanked “all those who stood by me and raised the demand for my release.” He underwent a mi- nor eye surgery just days before the Public Safety Act (PSA) was revoked. The former Chief Minister met mediapersons at his residence in Gupkar Road, which turned into a sub-jail for his detention. He was flanked by his Sachin Pilot @SachinPilot Glad to hear the news of the release of Former CM #FarooqAbdullah ji. I hope that other former Chief Ministers detained in J&K are also released soon. against the country. Such a person did not need such long detention. They should have freed him much earlier,” Shukla told ANI. The Jammu and Kashmir Conference (JKNC) on Friday welcomed the release of former Union Minister Fa- rooq Abdullah from detention that his release is a step and daughter Sara Ab- dullah Pilot. Congress leader Ra- jeev Shukla on Friday said that the detention of former Union Minis- ter Farooq Abdullah should have ended long ago. “The detention of Fa- rooq Abdullah should have ended long ago. He has always talked about patriotism. He never speaks National was asserting Farooq Abdullah fl anked by his wife Molly Abdullah and daughter Safi a Abdullah at at his residence anything —PHOTO BY PTI

RAJASTHAN 04 J AIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 Patwari in Nagaur arrested taking a bribe of `2000 First India News www.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 in TAKE PRECAUTIONS, GREET WITH NAMASTE, SAYS GUV Coronavirus outbreak: A meet was held to review effect of the virus on Rajasthan BRIEF  A message of ‘Niro- gi Rajasthan’ will be delivered by cycling 1300 kms. The inititive was taken to promote Healthy Rajasthan, Rajasthan tourism, and organ donation in the state. Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma, Motidungri Ganesh Temple Ma- hant Kailash Sharma, Dr GL Sharma will show the green signal today. The Cycle rally will start from Moti Dungri Ganesh temple at 7 am. Singh took Rs 2000 as bribe, the complainant Omprakash the ACB team and the team caught the accused Patwari, who will be produced in ACB court on Saturday . First India News signalled Nagaur: Anti Corrup- tion Bureau caught a Patwari in Tehsil red handed while he was taking a bribe of Rs 2,000. According to the information, Pat- wari Ajit Singh, a resident of Jathera village was time and again, de- manding bribe in the matter of land conversion from Omprakash, as his work for getting the Cash Credit loan was stuck. Omprakash got furious due to this and filed a complaint in Na- gaur District ACB. ASP Ramesh Morya, Nagaur ACB took prompt action after receiving the complaint, by first verifying the complaint and then planned to trap bribe- seeker Patwari Ajit Sin- gh. Acc to the plan, the complainant prakash contacted Pat- wari Ajit Singh, when the complainant reached his office in Nagaur tehsil, Ajit demanded bribe and talked about the land conversion. As soon as Patwari Ajit R’THAN ASSEMBLY ADJOURNED Jaipur: After three positive cases found in Rajasthan, Governor Kalraj Mishra on Fri- day, reviewed the efforts to contain the Coronavirus. He also appealed to the people to be careful but not to panic. The Governor during a meeting at his official residence, took feedback from government officials about preparations to deal with the Coronavirus. Mishra asked people not to be afraid of coronavirus outbreak but take precautions like not shaking hands instead greet people with ‘Namaste.’ them to approach near- by government hospital in case of cough and sneezing. He said that the State Govern- ment has made effective arrangements to check this virus but there is a need to effectively monitor these efforts. Bill for Court Fees & Suits Valuation passed with voice vote in Assembly Rajasthan Urban Improvement Bill, 2020 passed in House Nagaur Patwari caught receiving bribe Kotputli: Another incident of bribery by a Pat- wari came to light on Friday, wherein, a Pat- wari Hawa Singh of Chimanpura subdivision, was caught red handed by the ACB. Patwari had demanded Rs 1,500 from a farmer in a land matter, on which the deal was fixed for one Rs one thousand. Out of the total amount, Rs 500 were taken earlier and the remaining Rs 500 were to be given on Friday. The ACB caught patwari as soon as the complainant gave a hint and signalled the ACB, after the Patwari took theb- ribe. The ACB team seized the amount of bribe from the accused and arrested him.  Well-educated mother campaign was the talk of the day in the Parliament. Union WCD Minister Smriti Irani also appreciated the campaign. The campaign has been started on the initiative taken by the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Patwar Governor Kalraj Mishra reviewed the measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus at a meeting at Raj Bhavan on Friday. DB Gupta, Rohit Kumar Singh, Vaibhav Galaria, Subir Kumar, Govind Ram Jaiswal, Raja Babu Panwar and Dr Sudhir Bhandari also attended the meeting. ANM, Asha Sahyogini and supervisory staff at district, block and sector levels are being trained to check and control cthe Coronavi- rus. Besides, rapid response teams been formed in various government and private hospitals. Ma- jor General of South Western Command has also been asked to make necessary ments to contain the Coronavirus, formed. providing safety kits to medical teams. He said that public places must be sanitized to stop contamination. Chief Secretary DB Gupta informed the Governor that three people have died in the state, of which, two were foreigners. He further said that disas- ter management plan is being implemented effectively. Additional Secretary Rohit Ku- mar Singh said that “People have the re- sponsibility too to support the government’s initiative to control the virus,” he said, while hoping that with combined efforts jasthan will overcome this problem. The Governor called for safety arrangements in Universities besides seeking their role in spreading public awareness. asked to ensure setting up of isolation wards in every district and  Judgment on a rape case of near Pali was announced on Friday. Accused Salim a resident of Bali is sentenced a 20 years rigorous imprisonment. 52-year-old Salim had raped a 3 and a half year old child in Islam Nagar. Judge Rajesh Kumar (I) also imposed a fi ne of Rs 50,000. Ra- He told have Om- He arrange- Chief he in- 2 Head Constables arrested for accepting `2k bribe First India News  Another judgment on a perilous case related to kidnapping and later murder for ransom was announced. Accused Shobhit Joshi, a resident of Shyam- nagar is sentenced to life imprisonment. The incident took place on November 26, 2014 with victim Vishal Das. Judge Bhanu Kumar imposed a fi ne of 22 thousand rupees and acquitted Rahul Goyal, Vishal Sharma and Nitesh Khandelwal. Satveer Singh had demanded an amount of Rs 2000 as bribe. ACB's team conducted confidential verifica- tion of the complaint which was found to be correct. As soon as Ba- shir Khan gave Rs 2000 as a bribe to these two policemen, the ACB team caught both of them red handed. Currently, the ACB team has arrested both the Head Constables & both will be produced in the ACB court on Saturday. First India News Jaipur: Anti corrup- tion Bureau team detained and arrested 2 Head Constables for taking bribe of Rs 2000. Arrested Head Consta- bles took bribe from a young man, to avoid presenting him in the court in a case of breach of peace. ACB Additional SP Mahesh Meena told that a person named Khan, a resident of Al- laudin Ka Nagla, came to the bureau office and Jaipur: The Rajasthan Court Fees and Suits Valuation (Amendment) Bill 2020 was passed with voice vote on Fri- day . During the debate difference cropped up in the opposition. While, many opposition legislators opposed hike in the fee for defamation suit, deputy leader of opposition justified it. The division in opposition benches, prompt- ed parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal to take a dig at them saying that for the first time the opposition was being seen divided during debate on a bill. BJP MLAs Bhadel, Kiran Mahesh- wari and Ashok Lahoty opposed the proposal to hike the court fee to file defamation suit to Rs 25,000. However, he was countered by his own party leader Rajendra Rathore who said that if the court fee was re- duced the court would be swamped with defamation suits. First India News that the government was going to ruin 170 cities and rued that there was no master plan for undeveloped cities. UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal sponding to objections raised by the opposition, alleged that all the scams took place during the previous BJP government. When deputy leader Rajendra Rathore him to order inquiry, the minister said that your own MLA Gyan- chand Parekh has re- vealed the truth. The minister further clarified that for towns with population of less than one lakh, master plan is the zonal plan. He said that the court had ordered to chalk out zonal plan in cities. According to him, zonal plan has been de- fined in the amended bill. Jaipur: The Rajasthan Urban Improvement (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed with voice vote in the state assembly on Friday . However, the opposition BJP alleged that the government has brought this bill to ne- gate High Court order in Gulab Kothari Vs. State Government. There were demands to send the bill for seeking public opinion and objections were also raised about lack of clarification over defi- nition of zonal plan. An Independent MLA Sanyam Lodha said, “Going against the spirit of HC judgment in Gulab Kothari’s case, the government has allowed society pattas in back date.” The independent MLA from Sirohi lashed out at the government filed a report in writing that his son Salman was arrested by Kotwa- li police station in a case of breaching of peace during a quarrel. In lieu of presenting it in court, Head Consta- bles Prahlad Singh and  DCP East Rahul Jain conducted a raid on Friday at Hotel Eth- ics Sky Light in Bajaj Nagar area. He got information about use of illegal Hookah bar in the Hotel. Jain himself reached the Hotel as a customer. A large number of young men and women were us- ing the Hookah inside the Hotel premises. After observing, DCP immediately called the special team of East on the spot. Police seized a huge amount of hookahs. Hotel manager was also taken into the custody. The Manager of the hotel is being inter- rogated at Bajaj Nagar police station. while re- Bashir for violating master plan while regularising colonies. Lodha said that the government has obligation to provide well planned habi- tation to the people who voted for it. BJP MLA and former minister Kiran Ma- heshwari said that the government has made a provision for sector plan under master plan and below it is scheme plan but the bill should have earmarked green belt and commercial area. She also demanded a debate before ta- bling the bill. Former minister Vas- udev Devnani alleged 12th edition of GITB shifted First India News Zameen Samadhi strike continues for 14th day challenged First India News Anita forced to take drastic decisions. The farmers were waiting for the decision of the government till Friday evening. From today, 5 farmers will go on fast unto death. Also, in the coming days, farmers will call a ma- hapanchayat in Nindar and thousands of farmers will decide to sit in the Zameen Samadhi. Jaipur: In view of the recent public health concerns due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in several countries, Rajasthan Tourism in consultation with FIC- CI have decided to postpone the 12th edition of the Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB) scheduled to be held from 19 – 21 April 2020 at Jaipur. Jaipur: A total of 101 farmers, including 41 women, their protest “Zameen Samadhi Satyagrah” on the 14th day as well, but the government has been ignoring the demands of the farmers. The patience of farmers has been shat- tered and they are now continued ON A SPIRITUAL TRAIL Cong legislators from MP seek blessings of Lord Balaji @ Salasar First India News ings of Lord Hanuman, said that Balaji would steer the Congress out of trouble. Both the leaders accused Scindia of being greedy . “He has left the party for sake of power. He used to mock the Modi and Shah but now sing- ing their praise,” they said. Both of them were hopeful of positive end to the crisis saying that with blessing of Balaji the Congress would prove majority in the House. close to the MLAs. Later, they left for Salasar. Meanwhile Chief Minister of Utta- rakhand Harish Rawat has taken a dig at Jyoti- raditya accusing him of being power hungry . He said that till recently Scindia was critical of PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and now he is sing- ing paeans to them. Rawat who along with AICC General Secretary Mukul Wasnik, came to Salasar to seek bless- government. The Congress then brought 80 MLAs to Jaipur to save the government by keeping them away from any poaching bid by BJP. The MLAs are being kept busy through various activities. The MLAs left the guest house in Jaipur in the morning at 10 AM. They reached Baba Shy- am temple around 12 AM. There was tight security and media was now allowed to come District Congress Presi- dent Bhanwarlal Pujari. There was tight police security and the MLAs alighted from the bus at the temple’s entrance gate before being taken inside temple in a queue for darshan. Jaipur has become centre of hectic political activities after former Union Minister Jyotira- ditya Scindia’s defection to BJP along with some of his supporter MLAs, which threatened to destabilise Kamalnath  The MLAs who reached Salasar commuting in a bus, were greeted by the former Jaipur: The Congress legislators from Madhya Pradesh, who have been camping in Jaipur following political trouble back home, visited Sala- sar Balaji on Friday . The 80 MLAs who were shifted to Rajasthan to avoid poaching bid by the BJP , had lunch at TGW hotel before proceeding to Balaji temple. The MLAs who came in a bus were greeted by Congress District Congress President Bhanwarlal Pujari on Friday

INDIA J AIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 05 www.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 BJP-CONG CLASH AT BHOPAL AIRPORT Twenty two MLAs resigned from Congress soon after Scindia quit the party. Out of these, 19 were in Bengaluru MP POLITICAL DRAMA ‘MP govt stable, nothing to worry’ Bhopal: Just days after 22 MLAs resigned pushing Congress government into crisis, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Friday confidently stated that his government is “stable” and there is nothing to “worry” about. The statement from the CM came just hours after meeting Governor Lalji Tandon. Nath also accused BJP of horse- trading. “I have told the Governor how MLAs are being kept in captiv- ity in Bengaluru and how their resignations are being given to Speak- er by a BJP leader. This Congress wants MLAs’s resignations rejected Bhopal: BJP and Con- gress MLAs gathered at Raja Bhoj airport on Friday after they got to know that MLAs supporting Jyotiraditya Scindia were returning from Bengaluru. MLAs of both the parties shouted slogans and even a scrimmage was reported. Twenty two MLAs resigned from Congress soon after Scindia quit the party. Out of these, 19 were in Bengaluru. The resignation letters of all the MLAs were submitted to Assembly speaker N.P. Prajapati by a BJP delegation. Thirteen of these MLAs were returning to Bhopal after Praja- pati asked them to report. Ministers Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Prabhuram Choudhry, Imarti Devi, Pradyumna Tomar and Mahendra Singh Sisodia along with MLAs Hardeep Singh Dang, Rajyavard- han Singh, Brajendra Singh Yadav, Jaspal Jajji, Suresh Dhakad, Jaswant Jatav, Santram Sironia, Munnalal Goy- al, Ranveer Singh Jatav, OPS Bhadoria, Kam- lesh Jatav, Giriraj Dan- dotiya, Kansana, Aidalsingh Kansana, Singh and Chaudhary have quit after Scindia resigned. ‘Namami Gange’ improved water quality of Ganga Madhya Bhopal: Pradesh Parliamenta- ry Affairs Minister Govind Singh handed a letter to the Speaker requesting him not to accept the resignations of the MLAs for now. There was also a suggestion that the Budget session be deferred in view of the threat of coronavirus. The Chhattisgarh assembly session has already been deferred till March 23. There have been no positive cases of the virus in Madhya Pradesh so far. —Agencies MP EOW reopens forgery case against Jyotiraditya Scindia has is a joke. This is a con- spiracy by BJP. My government is stable and there is nothing to worry out,” he said. When asked to comment on Jyotiraditya Scindia exiting Con- gress and joining the rival BJP, he said, “ Only he can say why he has gone.” —Agencies Madhya Pradesh Police on Friday imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) at Bhopal airport. MP Cong MLAs to reach Bhopal SEC 144 IMPOSED Singh reach here,” a Scindia loyalist told the media reporters. In view of their expected arrival, security at the Bhopal airport has been beefed up. The ruling Congress has alleged that 19 of the rebel MLAs, including ministers, have been held “captive” by the BJP in a resort in Bengaluru, a charge denied by the opposition party . —Agencies ers - resigned from the assembly earlier this week, pushing Nath government in major crisis. Of the 22 rebel MLAs, 19 lawmakers, including half a dozen ministers, had e-mailed their resignation letters to Governor Lalji Tandon. “Most of the 19 MLAs have left Bengaluru where they were stay- ing. They will travel by air and are expected to ‘Markets being closely overseen’ Bhopal: Most of the 19 rebel Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh, including six ministers, who have been camping in Bengaluru, are expected to reach Bhopal on Friday evening, party sources said. After former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the Con- gress, 22 party MLAs, including six ministers - most of them said to be his supporting a property document while selling land. Scindia has been accused of falsifying a property while selling land worth 10,000 crores. The Madhya Pradesh EOW has started an investigation. On Wednes- day, Scindia joined BJP in New Delhi in the presence of party Presi- dent Nadda. —Agencies the left the grand old party and joined the BJP on Wednesday . The Madhya Pradesh Economic Wing (EOW) has decided to begin the inquiry afresh by re-verifica- tion of facts in a complaint against former Union Minister Jyotira- ditya Scindia and his family, in which they are accused of falsify- ICICI Bank to invest `1kcr in Yes Bank via equity route Bhopal: Hours after Jyotiraditya joined Bharatiya Jana- ta Party (BJP), the Madhya Pradesh Eco- nomic Offences Wing (EOW) re-opened a six- year-old forgery case against him. The development came after Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was a veteran of the Congress for almost 2 decades, Scindia document Offences Congress Raghuraj Biasahulal Manoj As coronavirus-led recession fears trig- gered panic selling globally, both Sensex and Nifty over 10 per cent in the opening session, hitting their circuit levels. Stock halted trading for 45 minutes. Normal trading resumed at around 1030 hours.The last circuit freeze happened in January 2008. On coronavirus, the finance minister said the Centre is in touch with the states and has been continuously monitoring the situation. It has been made sure that effective time- ly steps are taken to safeguard Indian inter- ests and also to ensure that Indians who trav- elled abroad are tested and monitored, she said. Where necessary and wherever possible, they are being brought back to the country, she added. —Agencies New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Si- tharaman on Friday said the government as well as the RBI are “closely monitoring” the domestic and global stock markets, which are facing intense volatility amid mounting coronavirus fears. Sitharaman also said different departments of the government are working to provide relief to industry, which could be severely im- pacted by the fast- spreading virus. “As it is global markets have all had severe volatility and we are also consciously monitoring all of them. It is no consolation to say that the stock markets elsewhere have also suffered. I am conscious of that but globally there is a serious repercussion felt and we are conscious of the developments. Togeth- er with RBI we are closely monitoring,” plunged New Delhi: The board of ICICI Bank on Fri- day approved an investment of Rs 1,000 crore in Yes Bank via equity route. ICICI Bank will acquire 100 crore equity shares of Yes Bank at Rs 10 per share, including a pre- mium of Rs 8 per share. “This investment is likely to result in ICICI Bank holding in excess of 5 per cent shareholding in Yes Bank, with the final shareholding to be determined based on the final Scheme of Reconstruction share issuance thereun- der,” ICICI Bank said. The announcement came as the Union Cab- inet approved Bank’s restructuring scheme to safeguard de- positors’ interest and ensure a stable financial banking system. A day earlier, SBI had SBI’S INVESTMENT lower exchanges Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during a press conference. FM SPEAK announced an investment of Rs 7,250 crore in Yes Bank through the acquisition of 725 crore shares at Rs 10 each. SBI’s shareholding in Yes Bank after reconstruction will be within the 49 per cent limit, it said in a statement. RBI had announced a draft scheme of reconstruction for the country’s fourth-largest lender. The has imposed a month-long moratori- um on the bank and restricted withdrawals to Rs 50,000 per depositor till April 3. —Agencies Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during Ganga Aamantran event. a ceremony to receive the participants of the ‘Ganga Aamantran Ab- hiyan’, a month-long exploratory open-water rafting and kayaking expedition, 2,510 kilometers from Devprayag in Uttara- khand to Ganga Sagar in West Bengal. He said the aim of various Gan- ga missions is to ensure that people are made aware about the ecolog- ical, cultural and his- torical importance of the river. —Agencies New Delhi: The central government’s ‘Namami Gange’ mis- sion has improved the water quality of Ganga river, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Fri- day. Shah said the project to clean Ganga, one of the important rivers of the country, has been a success and the govt will launch similar initiatives to clean other rivers in the country in coordination with the respective state govts. Shah was speaking at Y Y Y covering and Indian markets saw their biggest intra-day selloff in early session on Friday, wiping off nearly Rs 12 lakh crore of investor wealth in less than 20 minutes of opening trade. she told reporters. After being battered in the early session, the BSE Sensex spurt- ed 1,325.34 points and the NSE Nifty rose 365.05 points to end in the green. Yes ORDINANCE FOR RECOVERY OF PUBLIC PROPERTIES PASSED Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Friday approved “UP Recovery of damage to public properties Ordi- nance-2020” for recovery of losses due to damage to government and private properties during political processions. The decision in this regard was taken by a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister DELHI ASSEMBLY PASSES RESOLUTION AGAINST NCR, NPR New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly passed a resolution against NPR and NRC on Friday. The resolution “earnestly” appealed to the Centre to withdraw and not carry out the whole exercise of NRC and NPR “in the interest of the nation, particularly when the economy is witnessing the worst-ever downslide MARKETS TEST INVESTORS’ NERVES WITH WILD SWINGS Mumbai: The BSE and NSE suspended trading for 45 minutes a little past 9.20 am after the Sensex and Nifty plunged in tandem. However, domestic indices surged after trading resumed as investors snapped up recently-battered stocks available at attractive valuations. Expectations of stimulus measures by the US and other countries also buoyed sentiment, analysts said. Recov- ering over 5,380 points from its intra-day low of 29,388.97, the BSE Sensex ended 1,325.34 points or 4.04 per cent higher at 34,103.48. NCAP ENVISAGES CITY- SPECIFIC PLANS: JAVADEKAR New Delhi: The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is meant to ensure that the problem of pollution is addressed at the local level and cities have been asked to prepare plans to deal with the issue, Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar said. Javadekar said NCAP envisages drawing city-specifi c plans. “Every city has different pollutants and the sources also vary,” Javadekar said. Replying to another question, he said water bodies in the country are polluted because 70 per cent of sewage goes untreated. Yogi Adityanath on Friday evening. “The cabinet has approved UP Recovery of damage to public properties Ordinance-2020 for recovery of losses of government and private properties during political processions, illegal agitations,” UP Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna told reporters after the cabinet meeting. and unemployment is witnessing a terrifying growth, and with the threat of the corona pandemic looming large”. It also said “should the Government of India in- sist on going ahead” with the exercise, it should be restricted to carrying out the NPR only with its 2010 format and no new fi elds added to it.

PERSPECTIVE 06 J AIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 www.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 Story is not Jyotiraditya, it is Congress’ existential crisis IN-DEPTH PEOPLE’S HEALTH PREVAILS OVER CRICKET MANIA fter days of speculation on will BCCI, or will it not, postpone the 13th edition of Indian Premier League over Covid-19 fears, it has been finally decided to reschedule the cricketing extravaganza. Instead of March 29, it will now be played from April 15 provided the novel Coronavirus dies out or is con- tained. The first match was due to be played at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium. The Board for Control of Cricket in India had earlier said that postponement was not on the cards. Considering that public health is more important, postponement is definitely a better option than the league being played to empty stands as has been planned for the India-South Africa one-day matches at Lucknow and Kolkata, or without foreign players. Sans spectators the franchises would have lost a huge amount of gate money, the chances of which were high as Delhi government restricted the maximum number of spectators at a sporting event to 200, Maharashtra government banned the sale of IPL tickets and Karnataka also thinking of doing the same. With a host of foreign cricketers playing for different franchises, IPL without them would have been lackluster and re- duced to the level of Ranji Trophy matches. With the Ministry of External Affairs rejecting Australian player David Warner’s visa application and the government’s visa ban on several countries already in place, in- dications were that many foreign players’ participation would be in doubt. “The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stake-holders and public health in general and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience,” the BCCI said in a statement. The IPL is not the only sporting event to have been rescheduled in view of health haz- ards posed by the Coronavirus which has made people paranoid despite the World Health Organisation’s appeal for calm and precautions. India Open Badminton from March 24-29 and India Super League final on March 14 will be played in empty sta- dia. Organisers have already started the process of refunding ticket money. Globally also various sporting events have been disrupted by the virus. America’s National Basketball Association suspended games until further notice after a player tested positive, soc- cer world cup qualifiers in Brazil and English Premier League matches have been postponed. The biggest of them all, the 2020 Olym- pics, is also under a cloud. The Olympic flame was lit in Greece amidst lockdown and if the dreaded virus continues to spread Tokyo may have to take a call on whether to postpone the event or keep spectators out of the venue incurring heavy losses. If that happens, Covid-19 would come to be described as the biggest disrupter of normal life in recent memory . RK MISRA A The author is a veteran journalist T here is this tale about the wise man and the fool. The wise man does at once what the fool does finally, said Niccolo Machiavel- li, the father of modern political philosophy and science. Whether Jyotiraditya Scind- ia is the wise man and Congress a fool is best left for posterity to decipher but current facts bode a different political script. This is not about Jyotira- ditya Scindia who took 18 benefit-filled years to realise that the grass on the BJP side was greener. Nor is it about the fall of Kamal Nath- led Congress government or the consequential rise of a possible BJP equivalent in Madhya Pradesh. Again, it is also not about the political en- gineering genius of Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi and his party chief turned home minister Amit Shah. This is about the Indian National Congress. In a canvass that spans centu- ries many ‘Jyotis’ lighted up and extinguished. Even father Madhavrao left Congress and returned to the fold for exploration is the birthright of humans so this too. The list is long. The fact is that the Jan Sangh- BJP-like most other parties - is born out of the Congress gene pool, Shyama Mukherjee and all. But the rise of the Narendra Modi -Amit Shah led BJP to national domination -2014 seeks a one point RSS agenda. Congress must die for the extreme right to build a new national narrative. If it involves denuding the Con- gress of its bark and branch- es so be it. Jyotiraditya is one of many , poached nationwide as part of this strategy . Congress, in whatever form it may be, is central to India. It is the liberal-centrist formation that must lock horns with the rightist BJP. It can bank on the emerging left for grudging support even as regional forces prevaricate. These may be the NCP-Shiv Sena in Maharash- tra or the JMM in Jharkhand who has chosen to go along with the Congress. But if it off, every time there was a setback, she came riding back to power after decimating her op- ponents with a youthful team. The loss of power in 2014 was a classic opportunity for the Congress to rebuild its organization. Rahul’s earnestness paid dividends in Gujarat Assembly elections in 2017 when the Congress scared the daylights out of the ruling BJP bringing it’s tally down to less than 100 in a 182 member house but the advantage was subsequently frittered away after Rahul relinquished charge. Decisive youth-led leadership is the need of the hour for Con- gress. It is still not too late to rebuild the party from scratch, whatever time it takes, more in keeping with the aspirations of a young India. Take a leaf out of Indira Gandhi’s political book and get to work. It can’t get any worse, so no harm in clearing all the old obstructions and going back to the drawing board with a new team to fashion a new party . If you don’t, you per- ish. India needs a strong and vibrant Congress with its old value system as a counterfoil to the BJP . And for those who left- and there were many- they are best forgotten. Those who go out journeying on an ass, cannot come back riding a horse! perse all Rahul Gandhi favour- ites. This same model played out in other states of the country . Jyotiraditya is just one example. Modi is a clear-headed, calculating foe. He wants and works to take the Con- gress apart brick by brick. And India’s sole stakeholder of the independence struggle is steadily sinking into a Modi muddied quagmire, yet reluctant to even raise its head and even look around. Congress needs to go no further than Indira Gandhi in lessons of revitalizing their party. In fact, Rahul began in right earnest, when he started rebuilding the moribund youth congress through membership drives and grassroots elections. The impact was clearly visible but the experiment fell by the wayside when the old guard by- passed the youth in ticket allot- ment during the ensuing lok sabha elections. This was unlike Indira Gan- dhi. Her leadership was decisive. On numerous occasions, Indira walked straight into formidable resistance by the old guards led by the likes of Morarji Desai, Nijalingappa, Atulya Ghosh( the Congresso or Syndicate Congress) as it came to be known. Every time she took on the old guard, she created a new team. Written fails in this task the Con- gress will be wiped out. The Congress, seems lost in the political woods. It is teetering on the brink because of its prolonged indecisiveness caused by differences. Not within the party but within the Nehru-Gandhi family . An electoral debacle in 2019 saw Rahul Gandhi quit as party chief but sister Priyanka seen as a successor kept playing wing-side but avoided centre- play , creating confusion, the ag- ing, and not-to-well Sonia Gan- dhi took charge only to accentu- ate the slide. Why? There is a tussle going the Congress between the old guards who want to safeguard their citadels and the young who would like to forge a new path and take on the Modi establishment head-on. The day Rahul quit, this young guard was orphaned and the oldies ensured a clear playing field for their ilk- Kamal Nath in MP and Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan to the detriment of Jyotiraditya and Sachin Pilot. As in individuals so in political parties age must give way to youth but the old guard surrounding Sonia Gandhi is a coterie out to scuttle what she most wants - a place for Rahul under the sun. This coterie has worked overtime to disband, even dis- however, on within post Congress, however, seems lost in the political woods. It is teetering on the brink because of its prolonged indecisiveness caused by differences. Not within the party but within the Nehru-Gandhi family Will Corona break the financial market’s Hubris? A thanks to the duration sensitivity of bond prices, as long as they treat bonds as a short-term upside play. Meanwhile, Trump administration has had three months’ notice to order tens of millions of test kits, educate the public and put mechanisms place to address the in- evitable spread of COV- ID-19 on shores. Since the outbreak began in China in December last year, the Trump administration has mostly just sat on its hands in collective denial. This would be unforgiv- able in most other countries and would cause existing governments to col- lapse. In America, it merely serves to enhance the political divide. FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.FAIROBSERVER.COM ue to tell their clients to hold their portfolios in place and ride the roller coaster down, beating the drum to continue investing in stocks that have a long way to go before they hit bottom. Greed and hubris are alive and well as the investment industry proves, yet again, that learned nothing from the Great Recession or the series of other global financial catastro- phes that took place in the 20th century. The trajectory toward negative interest rates merely inspires the investment community to identify new ways to keep the plates spinning. For fast money traders, negative interest rates will be another sure-fire winner. They can make a lot on money in a negative interest rate environment merica been living on hubris and bor- rowed mired in an has Greenspan, Bernanke, Yellen or Powell “put.” In short, their actions have comprised the belief that the Fed will come to the rescue during times of extreme market stress. For stock traders, the trope has been: No need to worry, the Fed will always be there to take the buck, so load up on risk because there is a floor to any downside. More to the point, the Fed will keep the bull market in stocks on its perpetual and seemingly never-ending upward trajectory . time, the orgy of debt, delusion and dogma. Its stock traders have, for a decade now, chosen to believe that events which ordinarily would have resulted in losses are in fact causes for celebra- tion in a marketplace that has defied logic and gravi- ty . The optical illusion is in the process of ending. Along the way, underly- ing totems of bullish faith have kept the party rolling. These include the assump- tion that the Federal Re- serve will always do what it takes to alleviate profound market stress by cut- ting interest rates and, in the post-Great Recession years, providing mone- tary stimulus by means of quantitative easing, referred to as either the in it has America’s icans up-side the head with a two-by-four. As the world’s financial ba- rometer, will even that be enough to inspire America’s market-making stock traders and algorithms to change their ways? As the global stock markets now endure their in- evitable fall from grace, irresponsible and amoral money managers contin- THE FED WILL KEEP THE BULL MARKET IN STOCKS ON ITS PERPETUAL AND SEEMINGLY NEVER-ENDING UPWARD TRAJECTORY TOP TWEET Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor Welcome the belated release of Dr Farooq Abdullah. I hope he will soon resume his rightful place on the front bench of the Lok Sabha, where he can address with his usual compelling vigour the issues facing his state & the state of the nation. His detention was a disgrace. FALL FROM GRACE Nothing could interrupt the perpetual bull market, stock investors apparent- ly believed, until a conflu- ence of events — a global pandemic, an oil price war, a delusional president and idiocy run amok combined to smack Amer- G Vol 1 G Issue No. 276 GRNI 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: Jagdeesh Chandra, responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

INDIA J AIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 07 www.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 POWERGallery IN THE COURTYARD Nirbhaya convict moves HC over rejected mercy plea Hussain’s brother sent to judicial custody for 14 days DIPLOMATIC RESHUFFLE ON CARDS Whispers are that a key diplomatic reshuffl e is on cards in the next six months with new heads of missions to be appointed in atleast 7 missions. SINGH FOR CHAIRPERSON, SAIL? A K Singh, Executive Director, SAIL, is whispered to be in the race for the post of Chairperson, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) falling vacant on January 1, 2021. New Delhi: A Delhi court sent suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain’s brother, Shah Alam, and three others to judicial custody for 14 days for the violence in New Delhi’s northeast area. Besides Alam, Chief Metropolitan trate Pawan Singh Ra- jawat sent Abid, Rashid and Shadab to the custody till March 27. Hussain’s and others were arrested by Crime Branch of on March 9. “Alam was merely arrested because Tahir is his brother. There is no evidence against him,” advocate Sarfaraz Asif, who is representing the four accused, told IANS. Tahir Hussain is in the eye of a major con- troversy for his alleged involvement in the recent violence in Delhi’’s northeast area. New Delhi: One of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, Vinay Sharma approached claiming that there were procedural lapses and “constitutional irregularities” in rejection of his mercy plea by President. The petition on Shar- ma’s behalf was moved by his lawyer A P Singh who said the matter has been filed. The plea claims that recommendation sent to the President to reject the mercy plea did not contain the signature of Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain. Vinay’s mercy plea was rejected on February 1. Accord- ing to the petition, when the issue was raised before SC, the Centre had Parliament passes Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill 2020 COURT SENTENCES SENGAR, 6 OTHERS TO 10-YEAR JAIL New Delhi: Tis Hazari Court on Friday sentenced expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and six others to 10 years imprisonment for the death of Unnao rape survivor’s father. Sengar is already serving life imprisonment for raping the minor. District Judge Dharmesh Sharma said, “There can be no denying that rule of law was broken. Sengar was a public functionary and had to maintain the rule of law. The way the crime has been committed, it does not call for leniency.” Sengar and his brother Atul has been directed to give 10 lakh compensation to family of the victim for loss of their father. “There are four minor children involved, three girls and one boy. They have also been uprooted from native place,” the judge said. Seven people, including Sengar, his brother and two police personnel, were held guilty for culpable homicide and criminal con- spiracy, earlier this month. The case pertains to the death of rape survivor’s father in custody on April 9, 2018. It was alleged that he was assaulted following a quarrel with some of the accused in the case. He was taken to the police station and then framed for allegedly possessing an illegal fi rearm. He was sent to custodial remand, during which he died. ASTHANA STILL HOLDS ADDL CHARGE Rakesh Asthana, DG, BCAS, will continue holding an additional charge of Director General, Narcot- ics Control Bureau (NCB) till the appointment of a regular incumbent. He is a 1984 batch IPS offi cer of Gujarat cadre. Delhi HC Magis- CEO BHARATHI MAY GET EXTENSION While rumours are still fl oating around that Mrs P V Bharati, MD & CEO of Corporation Bank could be moved to Union Bank of India Board, whispers are that she may be offered an extension as MD & CEO of Corporation Bank beyond March 31, 2020 as a special case as the Bank would be in the midst of the merger with Union Bank of In- dia—the date she is retiring. However, the tenure of extension in not known. brother Convict Vinay Sharma’s mercy plea was rejected on February 1. fore, he could not have exercised the power of Home Minister. “To reject the mercy petition, the powers used are illegal, uncon- stitutional, a miscarriage of justice and also miscarriage of constitutional values of Elec- tion Commission of In- dia,” petition said. contended Jain’s signature was ob- tained on Whatsapp. It further claims when the mercy plea was moved the model code of conduct (MCC) was in force and Jain was only a MLA candidate at that point of time as polls had been announced and there- that Mr that SETTY AS NOMINEE ON YES BANK? Whispers are that SBI Managing Director C S Setty could be sent to YES Bank as SBI’s Nominee because as DMD with SBI, he was In-charge of Stressed Assets Group and has sizeable experience. WILL RBI MOVE MAHAPATRA TO YES BANK? There is a curious case of Syndicate Bank MD & CEO Mritunjoy Mahapatra whose name was in circulation previously as ‘being moved to RBI’ but whispers are that the RBI may move him as Additional Director in YES Bank. Maharashtra: 7 RS candidates set to be elected unopposed SHIVALLI MAY RETURN TO PARENT CADRE IN APRIL Dr Shivalli M Chauhan presently on deputation as Director in the Expenditure is expected to return to parent cadre in the fi rst week of April. Dr Chau- han is a 1997 batch IDAS offi cer. New Delhi: Parlia- ment on Friday passed Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020 with an aim to settle pending direct tax disputes in the country. The Bill, which will provide taxpayers a lu- crative opportunity to settle direct tax disputes within the current financial year by waiving interest and penalty on their pending taxes, was passed by voice vote and returned by Rajya Sabha as it was a money bill. On March 4, Lok Sab- ha had passed the Vivad se Vishwas Bill with certain amendments. Moving the Bill, Fi- nance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, large number of appeals related to tax disputes are pending at the various level which are putting pressure on the tax payers. She said, this bill has been brought up with the objective to settle the tax dispute in an efficient manner. Congress member M V Rajeev Gowda said that bill has been brought up in haste and it provides the opportunity of one time settlement. He said, unrealistic target of tax collection is putting pressure on the tax payers in the BJP ISSUES WHIP Mumbai: With seven candidates, including two women, in the fray for the seven Rajya Sab- ha seats in Maharash- tra, the stage is set for all getting elected unopposed, on the last day of filing nominations, on Friday . Among the promi- nent leaders who have filed their nominations are NCP Sharad Pawar, RPI (A) President and Union Minister Ramdas Atha- wale and BJP’s Chhatra- pati Udayan Raje Bho- sale. The others include Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, who had quit the Congress last year, AICC General Sec- retary and Congress leader Rajiv BJP’s Bhagwat Karad and NCP’s Fauzia Khan. On the final day of filing nominations, only seven candidates remained the fray, the scrutiny will take place on March 16 and the last date for withdrawals is March 18, paving the way for all the nomi- nees getting elected without a contest. The retiring members are NCP’s Pawar and Majeed Memon, Congress’ Dalwai, Sena’s Rajku- mar Dhoot, Amar Sable and BJP- SAXENA TO BE POSTED IN IROAF Sudhir Kumar Saxena on his return from deputation to RITES is being posted as CAO (Energy Management) at Indian Railway Organization for Alternate Fuels. He is an IRSEE offi cer. SCINDIA IN RACE KUNDU MADE ADDL CS, FISHERIES, Varinder Singh Kundu, Additional Chief Secretary, Printing and Stationery, Haryana has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary, Fisheries Depart- ment, Govt of Haryana.He is an IAS offi cer of Haryana cadre of 1986 batch. President GULATI MADE ADDL CS, PRINTING & STATIONERY, HARYANA Sunil Kumar Gulati, Chairman , Haryana Minerals Ltd has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary, Printing and Stationery, Govt of Haryana.He is an IAS offi cer of Haryana cadre of 1984 batch. DA for Central govt workers hiked four per cent DA to Central Government employees and Dear- ness Relief (DR) to pen- sioners with effect from January 1, 2020. This is over the existing rate of 17% of the Basic Pay/Pension. net has approved four per cent hike in dearness allowance for central government employees,” I&b Min- ister Javadekar said. The Cabinet proved an increase of The New Union chaired by PM Modi on Friday approved a four per cent hike in dearness allowance (DA) for central government employees. “The Union Cabi- Delhi: Cabinet QAMAR RELIEVED TO JOIN MOSPI Tanweer Qamar Mohammad has been relieved to join as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation. He is a 1994 batch offi cer of Indian Postal Service. Satav, supported independent Sanjay Kakade. Both the ruling MVA of Sena-NCP-Congress and Opposition BJP are contesting as per their strength 288-member assembly. The requisite number for a RS seat is 37 votes and with the current party positions in the state, Sena and Con- gress will get one each, NCP two and the BJP will get three, including Athawale who is supported by the party . Prakash ap- 3 IAS OFFICERS SHIFTED IN MAHA Ranjit Kumar has been posted as Project Direc- tor, Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society, Mumbai, while Mrs Shweta Singhal was posted as Deputy Secretary to the Governor, Rajbhawan, Mumbai and A W Kakade is Managing Director, SARATHI, Pune in Maharashtra. ruary 12. The Vivad se Vishwas Bill aims to resolve 4.83 lakh direct tax cases worth Rs 9.32 lakh crore that are currently locked up in various appellate forums such as Commissioner (Appeals), Income Tax Appellate High Courts, Supreme Court and Debt Recov- ery Tribunals. said that the Bill will give an option to tax payers for settling disputes. She also said that the government would send a circular to states in all languages for providing detailed information about the bill. First proposed in Un- ion Budget 2020, the Bill was approved by the Union Cabinet on Feb- respective in form of tax terrorism. Replying to the some members raised issues on the bill asking how can the Central Board of Di- rect Taxes issue a circular on the scheme before passage of the bill in Parliament, she said, “There is no breach of privilege.” The Minister also the who had KUMAR RECOMMENDED FOR CEO State Bank of India has recommended Prashant Kumar as new CEO of YES Bank. Tribunal, Hussain RAGHAVENDRA VATSA PROMOTED Raghavendra Vatsa, SP, CBI, has been promoted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He is a 2005 batch IPS offi cer of Gujarat cadre. BJP’s RAUT PROMOTED AS DIG, CBI Sharda Raut, SP, CBI, has been promoted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He is a 2005 batch IPS offi cer of Maharashtra cadre. 4G INTERNET WILL BE RESTORED IN J&K TONIGHT: OFFICIALS Srinagar: The J&K Union Territory administration on Friday said the high speed 4G Internet ser- vices would be restored by later in the day evening so that people of the Valley can sit inside their homes, thereby effectively containing the global pandemic COVID-19. Talking to Radio Kashmir government spokesper- NOT CONG, MODI GOVT GAVE TRUE MEANING TO SECULARISM: BJP New Delhi: BJP General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav has said not the Congress, but the Naren- dra Modi government has given a true meaning to the concept of secularism in the country. Taking a dig at Congress in RS, Yadav said: “Congress has always misinterpreted secularism. Congress is trying to become the YOGI TO OVERSEE SHIFTING OF RAM IDOL IN AYODHYA Ayodhya: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Ad- ityanath will participate in the rituals for shifting of the Ram Lalla statue to the new makeshift structure on March 25, which will also mark the beginning of “Navratri’’. The Ram Lalla statue will be shifted to a specially constructed structure in Manas Bhavan to pave the way for the construction of the grand Ram temple. According to sources, Adityanath will reach Ayodhya on the evening of March 24 and will offer prayers as soon as the deity is installed in the new structure. MOHD SUVEZ HAQUE PROMOTED Mohd Suvez Haque, SP, CBI, has been promoted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He is a 2005 batch IPS offi cer of Maharashtra cadre. son Rohit Kansal said the decision was taken in a high level meeting on late on Thursday chaired by Lieutenant Governor GM Murmu in Jammu. “We thought of imposing curfew but that won’t keep people at home in this part of the world. Best is to give them 4G speed internet,” Murmu informed the reporters. champion of secularism by standing with the Shiv Sena and the Muslim League But Narendra Modi’s government has given true meaning to the concept of secularism in the country. Our secularism is “Sabka Saath’’ Everybody’’s development and everyone’’s faith. We will move forward with this brand of secularism”. PREM KUMAR GAUTAM PROMOTED Prem Kumar Gautam, SP, CBI, has been promoted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He is a 2005 batch IPS offi cer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

TALKING POINT 08 J AIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia THE CLOSURE ORDER WILL COME INTO EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MIDNIGHT, CM THACKERAY SAID, ANNOUNCING THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS INVOKED THE EPIDEMIC DISEASES ACT OF 1897 TO TACKLE THE VIRUS OUTBREAK C R NAVIRUS Mumbai: In a drastic step to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Ma- harashtra government ordered closure of cinema halls, gyms and swimming Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri Chinch- wad and Nagpur cities from Friday midnight. Making nouncement in the state Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the government was invoking the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 from midnight. Wherever possible, companies should allow employees to work from home in view of coronavirus threat, he said. Thackeray nounced that schools in Pune and Chinchwad areas will remain shut till further orders. However, the SSC ex- ams in those schools will continue as per schedule, he said. He also informed the House that so far, 17 persons have tested positive for coronavirus in the state- three each in Mumbai and Nagpur, 10 in Pune and one in Thane. The chief minister also appealed to the people to avoid visiting malls. pools in Theaters, gyms ordered closed in 6 Maha cities the an- Workers clean entry gates at Rajeev Chowk metro station in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, in New Delhi. Indian greeting namaste gains wide acceptability New Delhi: “Na- maste”, the Indian way of greeting people is gaining wide acceptability in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Be it US President Trump or the French Presi- dent Emmanuel Ma- cron or British Roy- alty Prince Charles. Coronovirus, as per the experts is highly contagious and is spread by physical contact, one of which is the hand- shake. So, be it a com- mon man or the president or prime minister, it is the same for everyone. Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varad- kar in the Oval office at the White House on Thursday said, “We didn’’t shake hands today and we looked at each other and said what are we going to do? Sort of a weird feeling. We did this (joined hands). I just got back from In- dia and I didn’’t shake any hands there. It was easy .” Last week Israel PM Benjamin Netan- yahu too advocated for Namaste way of greeting. He asked his fellow country- men to greet each other by hands and saying Na- maste as opposed to shaking hands as fears over the coronavirus outbreak grow. an- Pimpri folding A priest wearing protective masks as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), offers prasad to a devotee at Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai. 3 more test positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra, number rises to 5 44 Indians evacuated from Iran shifted to Naval quarantine facility in Mumbai Mumbai: The Indian Navy on Fri- day said that 44 Indian citizens who have been evacuated from Iran, have been shifted to the Naval quarantine facility at Mumbai. Satellite images show Iran has built mass graves amid coronavirus outbreak the friend,” he had informed. There are now ten confirmed coronavirus patients in Pune, three each in Mumbai and Nagpur, and one in Thane. Indian Navy spokesperson tweeted that “44 Indian citizens have been evacuated from Iran and shifted to Indian Navy quarantine facility at Ghatkopar in Mumbai.” External Affairs Minister of In- dia, S Jaishankar, tweeted, “Second batch of 44 Indian pilgrims has ar- rived today from Iran. Our efforts to bring back the others continue. @ India_in_Iran and our medical team - keep up the good work. Appreciate the support of Iranian authorities and their airlines.” On Thursday, Jaishankar had said that a very detailed tracking procedure was in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus and un- tested people cannot be brought back to the country in a very severe epidemic situation as the nation’s health security has to be ensured. Pune/Nagpur: One more person was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus in Pune on Friday, taking the number of COVID-19 cases in the city to 10 and that in Maharashtra to 17. The person who tested positive for the virus in Pune on Friday had travel history to the United States, said divisional commissioner Deep- ak Mhaisekar. Earlier in the morning, two more persons tested positive for the disease in Nagpur. Two days after a 45-year-old man was found to be infected with coronavirus in Nagpur, his wife and friend also tested positive, Division- al Commissioner Sanjiv Kumar had said. “The man had returned from the US last week along with his wife and Iran: Satellite images of mass graves in the city of Qom suggest Iran’s coronavirus epidemic is even more serious than the authorities are admitting. The picture show the excavation of a new section in a cemetery on the north- ern fringe of Iran’s holy city in late Feb- ruary, and two long trenches dug, of a total length of 100 yards, by the end of the month. They confirm the worst fears about the extent of the epidemic and the government’s subsequent cover-up. The deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, held a press conference to “categorically deny” the allegations, but he was clearly sweating and coughing as he did so. The next day , Harirchi confirmed that he had tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. Kamal Nath holds meeting, reviews preparedness Indian citizens evacuated from Iran being shifted to a quarantine facility at Ghatkopar in Mumbai. Indian Embassy in US sets up helplines to address queries on COVID-19 Govt makes sanitizers, masks essential commodities New Delhi: The government on Friday declared masks, including N95, and hand sanitizers as ‘essential commodities’ in the wake of the coronavirus scare leading to shortages and black marketing of these items. These items will remain under essential commodities segment till June-end, a move aimed at ensuring availability at reasonable prices. The govt has noti- fied an order under the Es- sential Commodities Act to declare masks (2 ply and 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand santizers as essential commodities up to June 30, 2020. The decision has empowered the Centre as well states to regu- late production, quality, distributions of masks and hand sanitiziers, and also to smoothen sale and availability of these items, and carry out operations against speculators. ‘Animals can’t transmit COVID-19, stop creating panic’ New Delhi: Dispelling rumours that animals spread novel coronovirus (COVID-19), former Union Minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi on Friday made it clear that animals cannot transmit the infectious disease and many government and private departments were creating panic by dissemi- nating false information. The Lok Sabha member said that such information is totally “wrong and misleading” and is being spread by some government departments, insurance companies and private companies. She made the announcement at a time when rumours are spreading faster than the disease itself. The BJP leader said: “The health department of this country has clearly said that animals do not have coronavirus and they cannot transmit coronavirus.” suspended all visas, except a few categories such as diplomatic and employment, till April 15 in view of the coronavirus which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Or- ganisation (WHO). The suspension came into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13 at the port of departure. “All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/International organisations, employment and project visas, stand suspended till 15th April 2020. This will come into effect from 1200GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure,” an official statement said issued on Wednesday . Visa-free travel facility granted to Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card holders is also kept in abeyance till April 15, it said. regarding the recent travel advisory issued by the government of India for travel to India in view of the spread of coronavirus”. Helpline are being operated at the embassy in Wash- ington DC and consu- lates at Atlanta, Chica- go, New York, Houston and San Francisco. India on Wednesday cases soared to 74. The deadly virus that origi- nated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in De- cember last year has claimed over 4,600 lives and infected more than 124,330 people worldwide. In a statement the embassy said it has set up round-the-clock helpline numbers “for queries and clarifications Washington: The In- dian Embassy in the US has set up 24-hour helplines to address questions on the recent travel restrictions implemented by New Delhi in a bid to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. India reported its first death due to coronavirus on Thursday as the number of positive outbreak, numbers Bhopal: In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, Pradesh CM Kamal Nath on chaired a meeting to review the situation. Several officials, including the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and Principal Secretary (Health Department), attended the meeting. The WHO on Wednes- day declared coronavirus outbreak a pandemic and expressed deep concern both by the alarming levels of spread and severi- ty and by the alarm- Madhya Friday ing levels of inaction. The total number of confirmed COV- ID-19 cases across India has risen to 75. The country has also reported its first coronavirus death in Karnataka, health ministry had stated earlier. the Foreign tourists wear masks to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Content: Divya Hemnani, Design: Shyam Shonkiya

SPORTS J AIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 09 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia in IPL POSTPONED TO APRIL 15 DUE TO CORONA THREAT BRIEF Kane tests negative for COVID-19 Sydney: Australian fast bowler Kane Richard- son was on Friday cleared of coronavirus after his tests returned negative, Cricket Aus- tralia said. The right- arm pacer, who returned with the Aus- tralian team from South Africa earlier this week, had informed the medical staff of a sore throat on Thursday and was then sent for a precautionary COVID-19 testing. However, Rich- ardson’s coronavirus test returned negative and he was on his way to the Sydney cricket ground where the first ODI against New Zea- land is taking place. 29, with Mumbai Indi- ans and Chennai Super Kings meeting at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for the first match. World Health Organi- sation (WHO) Wednesday clared the coronavirus outbreak a ‘pandemic’ and expressed deep concern. The coronavirus disease was first detected in Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, in late December, since spread worldwide. fears, the cricketing board had mainly two options-- either postpone IPL or play it behind closed doors. The Central government has suspended all visas to India till April 15 as part of measures to contain the spread of the pandemic. If the board decided to go on with the tournament as planned, then the availability of foreign players would have been in doubt. The 13th edition of IPL was scheduled to commence from March have amidst the coronavirus outbreak. “Sports seminars, conferences, we have decided to shut them. No sports event including IPL would be allowed in Delhi until the next order. Corona- virus is spreading, we have decided to maintain social distance, IPL is a big event, many people come from various corners, I would also like to appeal to the people,” Deputy CM Delhi, Sisodia, told. Amidst coronavirus been banned is taking all necessary steps to ensure that, all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience,” the BCCI said in an official statement. The board has also assured that it will work in unison with the Sports Ministry and will adhere to the guide- lines issued. Earlier in the day, Delhi’s Deputy Manish Sisodia announced that all sporting activities, including the IPL, attracting a large crowd turnout Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday decided to postpone the IPL to April 15, 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing COVID-19 situation. There was speculation as to what the board will amidst the ongoing coronavirus scare, and finally postponing the tournament came up as the solution. “The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stake- holders, and public health in general, and it ‘BWF putting players at risk, taking things too lightly’ activities, on de- had decide CM and has —ANI Man Utd beat LASK in Europa League Paris: Manchester United won 5-0 at LASK Linz behind closed doors in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie, in a competition thrown into chaos as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Odi- on Ighalo slammed home the opener via the underside of the bar from 20 yards just before the half-hour, and Daniel James added a second with a sharp run and finish just before the hour mark. Juan Mata bagged a third eight minutes from the end and Mason Greenwood and Andre- as Pereira struck in in- jury time, as United ex- tended their unbeaten run to 11 matches, with nine clean sheets in that time. BWF has continued hosting tournaments around the world despite the coronavirus outbreak that has affected world sports New Delhi: Top shut- tlers from across the world have hit out at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for taking the novel coronavirus outbreak ‘too lightly’ and putting them at ‘risk’ by going ahead with its international tournaments. The coronavirus outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, has led to nearly 5000 deaths globally . It has also badly affected the sporting cal- ender with events across the world being either postponed or cancelled. International stars, including Olympics bronze med- allist Saina Nehwal, former World No 1 Kid- ambi Srikanth and ex- top 10 players Hans- Kristian Vittinghus, Paruapalli and Jan O Jorgensen expressed their concerns and asked the Unadkat fires Saurashtra to maiden Ranji Trophy title Jaydev Unadkat rose to the occasion yet again to script a historic victory Paruapalli Kashyap First India News wickets with Bengal all out for 381, giving Sau- rashtra a 44-run first innings lead. Bengal needed 72 runs with four wickets in hands. In the second innings, all Saurashtra had to do was to bat out the remaining time before both captains decided to call off the game and shake hands. They eventually did that after Saurashtra sauntered 105 for three in 34 overs. With the win, Sau- rashtra ended their Ranji title while a fighting Bengal will have to wait longer for their first crown since the 1989-90 season. Aus defeat NZ by 71 runs in 1st ODI Sydney: A spirited performance guided Aus- tralia to defeat New Zealand by 71 runs in the first ODI at Sydney Cricket Ground here on Friday . Chasing a mod- erate target of 259, the hosts bundled out the Kiwis at 187 in 41 overs. The match was played at an empty stadium as a precautionary measure amidst coronavirus outbreak. Pacer Pat Cummins and Mitchell Marsh bagged three wickets each while Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa scalped two wickets each. Rajkot: Skipper Jaydev Unadkat on Friday produced a lion-hearted spell when it mattered the most against Ben- gal, leading Saurashtra to their maiden Ranji Trophy triumph a year after stumbling at the last hurdle. The win was achieved on the ba- sis of first-innings lead. Bengal had the upper hand going into day five after Anustup Majum- dar (63) and Arnab Nan- di (40 not out) shared an unbeaten 91-run stand in the final session Thursday . But Unadkat rose to the occasion yet again Kidambi Srikanth BWF to suspend all its upcoming ments. “I honestly don’t get it! We should not be travelling the world playing badminton,” Denmark’s Vittinghus, a former World No. 8, said in a post which he has shared on his social media accounts. He urged the BWF to follow other sporting federations in suspend- ing the events. several tourna- to script a historic victory . The left-arm pacer had the in-form Majum- dar LBW and Akash Deep run out in a space of three balls to turn the game on its head. Unadkat ended as the season’s leading wicket- taker with 67 scalps at a staggering average of 13.23, one short of an all-time record. The morning session yielded 27 runs and four London drought Kashyap Mudit off to flying start at Oman Open Muscat: Indian pad- dler Mudit Dani registered a 4-0 win to begin his campaign on a high note at the 2020 ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open here on Friday. Mudit Dani looked dominating during his convincing 11-6, 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 victory against Oman’s Asad Alraisi in the men’s singles round-of-64 match. He will now face Portugal’s Marcos Freitas in the round- of-32. Another Indian player Manush Shah also made his way into the round-of-32 with a 4-1 win. Saina Nehwal —PTI India-SA series called off due to COVID-19 New Delhi: The two remaining ODIs between India and South Africa in Lucknow and Kolka- ta were on Friday called off owing to the COV- ID-19 threat as the country’s sports calendar continued to go haywire because of the global pandemic. “With the Indian Pre- mier League being postponed, it only made team will come to Delhi the earliest available 61 Cavalry books spot in final of Birla Cup Polo earlier planned to be held behind doors due to the government directive, which asked for events to be shut for fans in view of the pandemic. India has recorded more than 80 positive cases so far with the global infected count standing at over 100,000 patients. sense that at this point of time, this series is also called off. The country is facing a serious pandemic,” a top BCCI official said. The first ODI between the two sides in Dharamsala washed out. Both the sides had reached Luc- know on Friday . “The South African closed sporting —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA was and leave by taking at flight,” he added. The matches were —ANI DESPITE TRUMP’S SUGGESTION TO POSTPONE Japan says Tokyo Olympics 2020 stays on track ernment Naoki Okada said. “The prime minister said firmly that he wanted to win the battle with coronavirus and make this summer’s Olympics a success,” Okada told a media briefing following the phone talks. “President Trump said he thought highly of the effort.” The two leaders did not talk about travel restrictions between Ja- pan and the US, Okada said. spokesman Suga told reporters. Trump Thursday that officials should consider delay- ing the Games for a year amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying the summer would not be the same without spectators. In a Friday phone call between Trump and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, the two leaders did not discuss postponing the Tokyo Games or holding them without spectators, senior gov- Tokyo: Japan is on track to hold the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as planned, top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said on Friday, after US Presi- dent Donald Trump suggested a possible delay of a year. “I am aware of Presi- dent Trump’s ments, but we are working closely with the IOC, the organising committee, and Tokyo in preparing for the Games as planned,” Players in action during the match on Friday. said on Naresh Sharma On behalf of the Chandna Ashok scored four goals but he could not avoid his team’s defeat. 61 Cavalry will face Central Academy in the final. In another match, Padmanabh Singh of the Central Academy team to victory over the Cavaliers by scor- ing six goals. team, Chandna Jaipur: Team 61 Cav- alry defeated the team of Sports Min- ister Ashok Chandna 8-4 at RPC ground on Friday to enter the final of the BM Birla Cup Polo tournament. Aman Singh of 61 Cavalry scored 4 goals while Shub- ham scored goals. event com- led his two —Agencies

Have your own peaceful place! It doesn’t have to be a concrete physical place, it can be your parents photo, a chant or a memory which stabilises you. —Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India 2ND FRONT 10 POSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21 J AIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia ‘HELPLESS’ RAHUL FAILS TO PLAY GODFATHER TO SCINDIA body. This followed an uneasy relationship between a sitting CM and a CM contender! Realis- ing that becoming CM was still a distant dream, Scindia pitched in for the post of MPP- CC chief citing ‘One Person, One post’ as Ka- malnath was holding both CM and PCC posts. But he was refused and this again was a setback for Scindia. Meanwhile whenever he visited his traditional constituen- cies like Guna, Bhind & Gwalior there wasn’t any welcoming sponse from the ministers or the govt officials nor did he have a say in political appointments. All this led to sense of humiliation, sense of defeat and finally sense of revenge against Ka- malnath and Digvijay. Matters reached a cre- scendo when he was refused first preference candidature for Rajya Sabha by Kamalnath and Digvijay. Result was Scindia meeting Amit Shah. Initially Modi and Shah were reluctant considering his history of hardcore loy- alty to Congress and closeness to Rahul. But ultimately the duo was convinced with Shivraj Chohan, Mishra and Kailash Vi- jayvargiya in loop. Scin- dia gave them a list of 22 MLAs supporting him with additional five from other parties to make his case strong- er because all he wanted was downfall of Ka- malnath govt and his supporters in power in the state. Both Scindia and Pilot loyalists claim that certain promises made by high command remained unfulfilled. It is high time Rahul should come forward and clarify the story . zJyotiraditya Scind- ia, who was close to Gandhi family and particularly to Rahul himself, has surprised everybody by his resignation. Why did he take this extreme step after 18 years of loy- alty to the family and the party. What’s the ‘inside story’ of this ‘political drama’? Jagdeesh Chandra: The entire crisis is very unfortunate for both Congress as well as the Indian democracy. The inside story of this crisis has three aspects. First Kamalnath has become victim of 20 year old political rivalry between Scindia and Digvijai Singh. Second this is the outcome of Scindia’s political revenge and third it is the fallout of broken promises made to Scindia by the Congress High Com- mand. All this started with announcement of Assembly polls in Mad- hya Pradesh and Ra- jasthan. Both Scindia in MP and Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan were close to Rahul Gandhi, the then party President. Both either assumed or were made to believe that even they stand a chance to become Chief Ministers of their respective states. Nobody bothered to clear the air on this important issue then and there and therefore it persisted. Speaking about MP, in particular, Scindia had demanded a CM face for MP polls. This was refused by High Com- mand. When ticket distribution for MP was being done, Scindia saw himself being sidelined and he called up Rahul and informed of the situation. Rahul, in his distinct style, told him to not worry as he himself would take final ‘Kamal Nath a victim of Scindia-Digvijay rivalry’ re- Jagdeesh Chandra taking questions from Divya, Aditi, Shweta, Megha, Deepa, Sushma, Khushbu, Mahesh during The New JC Show. —PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO zHow do you see the future of Congress? Will RaGa take the party’s reign in April and why isn’t there a normal dialogue between him and party leaders & workers? A senior Congress leader confided in me and said that Congress was in a grave situation. He also philosophically called the Gandhi family both an asset and a liability. Now, it is high time that Sonia Gandhi takes a decision on Ra- hul Gandhi in clear terms, where he isn’t a reluctant bride, but a 24x7 politician who is much more organised than he is at present. RaGa, Sonia and Pri- yanka should decide in no uncertain terms about who will lead the party from a particular date, for the new president will have to take member that in politics when somebody falls from his stature than there is no limit to the fall so that might have been the case with Scin- dia. RaGa will be the best person to answer this question. Coordination between these two is among one of the biggest challenges in Indian politics today, specifically for Congress. Pande’s job was like scaling Mt Ev- erest and he excelled by reaching just below the peak. Now, it is up Ge- hlot and Pilot to cover the remaining the distance. Although, very often, Pande is said to be supporting Gehlot, but what I feel is that he doesn’t take Gehlot as a person or a simple party leader. He himself told me how he was lis- tening to speeches on issues like water conservation, women empowerment and weaker sections of the society around ten years ago. Pande told me that he found profound vision and message in his speeches and so I can Editor-In-Chief of First India, Jagdeesh Chandra, in The New JC Show, gives a perfect analysis of current political scene unfolding in Madhya Pradesh, which is sure to have far reaching repercussions on the political scene as a whole. Narottam zSo, Scindia’s friends and members of so called ‘Rahul Brigade’ like Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Jitin Prasad, RPN Singh and Kuldeep Vishnoi follow suite? Well, the likes of Jyoti- raditya and Milind have been considering their options for a while now. Two months ago Scind- ia is said to have dis- cussed the issue of switching sides in presence of Milind and BJP’s Zafar Islam. It is said that a deal, final- ised by late Arun Jait- ley , was almost final but Scindia episode? CM Ashok Gehlot is leader of stature in Congress and whatever he said on Scindia’s exit, he was speaking his heart out which was pained due to dirty politics. I support his statement in totto. zHow do you per- ceive Scindia’s future in BJP? Right now everything numbers and maybe he could not gather the courage or have inten- tion to take such a step. Now there seems no possibility of destabilis- ing Gehlot led govt with 120 MLAs firmly behind. had MP in mind and then this Scindia opportunity came along whom Shivraj termed as Vibhishan, in myth- ological context, in a good spirit. national Gehlot zWhat would be the side effect of Scindia episode on Rajasthan considering similari- ties between the two? One major similarity between the two is that made zDo you think Rahul, at any stage, promised Scindia and Pilot the post of CM in their respec- call on the tickets. This style of pacification has put many at political loss both in MP and Ra- jasthan, as ultimately Sonia Congress pre- vailed over Rahul Con- gress as she along with her followers of old guard held 90% of the party leadership. Thus Scindia was ignored and he apprise RaGa of the same but he reas- sured him of his command. So, Scindia still feeling empowered be- haved like one in MP politics. When he put up his CM candidature after poll results, he was offered the post of Dep- uty CM, on the lines of Rajasthan, as Kamal- nath being PCC chief was the natural contender very much on the lines of Punjab and Chattisgarh. Scindia, who is called Maharaj fondly by his followers, refused to be the second in command to any- zIt alleged in Con- gress circles that in spite of seeking appointment, time and again both Sonia and Rahul did not give time to Scindia. How much of this is true? Although Rahul has clarified on record that Scindia was close to him and had access to him at any hour but considering RaGa’s in- teraction and accessi- bility with party leaders it might be true by and large. Recently a senior Congressman quoted RaGa from an interview where he said that he hasn’t given time to Haryana PCC chief Sailja Kumari for last four months. Com- pare this with leaders like Sonia & Indira Gan- dhi who were accessi- ble. Indira is said to have met party leaders even during meetings with foreign delega- tions. One should re- tive states? While I interacted with both the camps during election campaigning, my personal observa- tion was that nobody can go public with such a blatant lie, so I believe there must have been some sort of signalling from the High Com- mand to camps, which is now being construed as communication gap. May be it was done to unite the party for the elections but we will have to wait for RaGa himself to come forward and clear the air by either rejecting the claim or accepting that he did commit but could not fulfill due some exigency at that time. say that he considers Gehlot a synonym of Congress ideology. All said and done Pande has done his best and despite attempts to replace him he is still there alive, kicking and performing. forward his agenda with majority party following him including both the old guard and the youth. Above all, party high command should take lesson from the new emerging trend of ‘No High Command Politics’ as was evident in Haryana, Maharash- tra and Jharkhand. Gandhis didn’t campaign under a strategy while Modi- Shah couldn’t deliver. Regional aspiration are reacting differently on local and national issues. So considering this combination of challenges, the Con- gress party is going through a severe crisis irrespective of the fact whether it is in power or not. Congress has not even been able to act as a responsible Op- position. See the repeat of The New JC Show at 4.25 pm on Saturday. didn’t materialise in the event of his death. But the case of Pilot is totally different as he stands to gain margin- ally from Scindia episode. Firstly the attempts to replace him as PCC chief will subside at least for coming months and secondly now he might have more formidable say in upcoming political appointments and Cabinet reshuffle in state. But Neeraj Dangi’s candidature for RS berth from Rajasthan could nullify this gain theory for Pi- lot. As this signifies the high command favour- ing maintenance of ‘sta- tus quo’. But one can be sure of Pilot not leaving Congress irrespective of whether he remains PCC chief/Deputy CM or not. both are disappointed in RaGa. Both allege unfulfilled promises. Scindia converted his despair into revenge and Pilot camp will contest my analysis but one gets a fair idea by watching the whole around. Further, Gehlot camp, from day one, has refuted any such promises made. Scindia’s meeting with Pilot just before leaving the party had speculations that Pilot might have been acting as Sonia’s emis- sary to dissuade Scindia but I think that was sim- ply old and like-minded friends getting together. Pilot is far more politi- cally mature to take step like this especially so when he is firmly saddled as Deputy CM and PCC chief. There were rumours of BJP offering him CM chair while this govt was still in making but then Pilot didn’t have the required is hunky dory. Soon Scindia will be Central minister with important portfolio like power, railway or com- merce. BJP too is all set to come to power in MP so as of now everything seems picture perfect in near future. scenario zAfter whatever transpired in MP , Karnataka and Goa what according to you is the future of democracy in India? Democracy has a bleak future if malpractices like mass horse trading are made a routine. The motto of forming governments at maximum possible places brought ideological differences in the BJP itself. Some want the party to follow the old traditions of the party based on RSS values but this is unfortunate current trend which should be discouraged to maximum extent possible. zWhy has the fall of Kamalnath govt be- came a prestige issue for Amit Shah and Scindia? Congress v/s BJP has been there for a good time now but someone told me that Amit Shah was particularly miffed at the whole fight being turned into Shah v/s Kamalnath. In today’s scenario it is almost impossible for any CM to confront Amit Shah and come out victorious. Second- ly, Shah had the feedback that MP was main source of Congress political funding so he both the virtually has zAvinash Pande has been trusted with coordination between Gehlot and Pilot. How do you rate his performance? zHow do you see re- action given by CM Ashok Gehlot on

www.fi rstindia.co.in I www.fi rstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefi rstindia facebook.com/thefi rstindia I instagram.com/thefi rstindia 11 JAIPUR, SATURDAY MARCH 14, 2020 For me, sex is not just about physicality; there are emotions involved. I have never cheated or strayed when I’m in a relationship. If I’m going to be fooling around, why would I be in a relationship? It’s better to be single and have fun. But not everyone thinks like that. BE STEADY DO NOT STRAY D why I’ve been hurt in the past. I was foolish enough to give him a second chance because he begged and pleaded, despite the fact that everyone around me said he was still straying.” The actress said infidelity is a deal breaker for her. “The first time he cheated on me, I thought there was something wrong with the relationship, or me. But when someone makes a habit of it, you know the problem lies with him. I give a lot in relationships, and don’t really expect much in return. But, infidelity is the deal breaker. Once it comes in, respect goes away , trust goes away,” she said, about a relationship gone wrong. eepika Padukone is mar- ried to Ranveer Singh now but there was a time when she went through a lot of stress in her personal life, in a series of early relationships that included Ranbir Kapoor. In an interview, Deepika said, “For me, sex is not just about physicality; there are emotions involved. I have never cheated or strayed when I’m in a relationship. If I’m going to be fooling around, why would I be in a relationship? It’s better to be single and have fun. But not everyone thinks like that.” Without mentioning anyone’s name, she added: “Maybe that’s —IANS Deepika Padukone B’TOWN QUICKIE! Connecting to the audience I in myriad genres of films and also donned the producer’s hat at the age of 25. She says as an artiste, she has always backed “dis- ruptive content” throughout her career. Anushka’s maiden production ‘NH10’ has completed 5 years of its release and the actress has talked about her journey as a producer and what it took to be the first A-list actress of her time to take the plunge. “The decision to produce ‘NH10’ was very instinctive for me. It appealed to my core of doing something different and entertaining audienc- es. I wanted to give them something that they had not seen before and I was sure we could push the enter- tainment with this cinema,” Anushka said. She said that as a producer her aim is to give the country brilliant content and that she is always on the look- out for the best scripts. n over a decade- long journey in Bol- lywood, Anushka Sharma has worked Expressing love for her daughter Nysa Devgn, actor Kajol shared adorable images of the former and termed her a ‘happy pill’ of the actor. Nysa’s resemblance to Kajol stunned a lot of people too. envelope Katrina Kaif AKSHAY IS ‘WELCOME’ —IANS K action drama ‘Sooryavan- shi’, and she thanks the actor for being a constant source of support in the initial phase of her career. “I would like to thank Ak- shay, as during my initial days he was of immense support to me as a co-star. London’, ‘Welcome’, ‘Singh Is Kinng’, ‘De Dana Dan’ and ‘Blue’. They were last seen together in the 2010 dud ‘Tees Maar which is primari- ly recalled till date for Katrina’s dance number, ‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’. He used to stand in front of me every time when I used to give a shot and encourage me. His feedback helped me to improve my acting skills and I can surely say that he was one of the few actors who believed in me,” said Katrina. Katrina and Akshay have earlier worked together in films such as ‘Humko Dee- wana Kar Gaye’, ‘Namastey atrina Kaif stars opposite Akshay Ku- mar after a decade in the upcoming cop Madhuri Dixit Nene shared an elegant throwback picture of herself on Instagram. It seems like the vintage picture is one of her stills from her past movies. “There’s no one like YOU, and that’s your biggest power,” she captioned the image. Khan’, —IANS F tions. “There will be many things you recognise if you are from India. Right from the care, attention and detail taken to focus on costume, food, conversa- tion about food and words that are being used,” said Freida. “This is an international show, but the crea- tors of the show have been so mindful as to not isolate those watching it in India who are actually growing up in this culture. So it feels like there is a convergence of international appeal and the Indian story .” MIRA, ROYAL reida Pinto says her show ‘Mira, Royal Detec- tive’ is a convergence of international appeal and the Indian story. The show is weaved around with the Indian culture and tradi- DETECTIVE After sharing three cryptic posts, singer- songwriter Armaan Malik announced his fi rst English single, ‘Control’, in collaboration with New York-based Arista Records. “I’ve waited for this day for as long as I can remember. 16-year-old Armaan would be losing it with excitement right now,” he tweeted. Freida Pinto —IANS Anushka Sharma

HOLLYWOOD 12 JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 www.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 KATE’S #MeToo women, through an Instagram post, the actress also recalled a horrific incident she had to face with Harvey back in 2001, during the New York premiere of Seren- dipity . Kate started off by talking about how the cast of Serendipity was wary of the premiere taking place as it was after the 9/11 attack. Sharing photos from the premiere, Beckinsale started, “These photos were taken at the premiere of Serendip- ity on October 5, 2001. We all refused to go because holding a premiere mere weeks after 9/11 with the city still smok- ing felt like the most insensitive, tone- deaf, disrespectful idea possible. But Harvey insisted. We flew into New York and somehow got through it. The next morning Harvey called me and asked if I would like to bring my less than two- year-old daughter to his house for a play- date with his similar aged daughter. I turned up and he immediately called for his nanny to take the babies to another room to play . I went to go with them and he said: ‘No, you wait here,’” Kate shared. Things took a drastic turn right after as she continued, “The minute the door closed he started screaming ‘You stupid C**T, you ruined my premiere.’ Kate added. —Agency A fter Harvey Weinstein was given a 23-year prison sentence, Kate Beck- insale took to her Instagram page to commend the decision while recall- ing a horrific incident post 9/11, where she was shunned by the disgraced Hollywood mogul for her fashion sense at the 2001 New York premiere of Serendipity . Harvey Weinstein is formally being registered as a sex offender and will be put behind bars for 23 years, as sentenced by Judge James Burke on March 11, 2020. Kate Beckinsale celebrated the win for Kate Beckinsale Jen should be killed? Postponing MULAN D End of Days! J Weinstein, on which he suggested that global icon Jennifer Aniston “should be killed”. Weinstein made the statement about the ‘Friends’ star in 2017, during the start of the #MeToo movement. which was created in response to the sexual misconduct allegations made against him and he was appar- ently furious when he learned that the National Enquirer was planning to report that he also sexually assaulted Aniston. The Enquirer’s email read: “Jennifer confided to a friend that during the production of the 2005 movie ‘Derailed’, Wein- stein sexually assaulted her by pressing up against her back in, grabbing her buttocks. He would stare at her cleavage and move his mouth around making Jennifer uncomfortable.” After 45 minutes, Weinstein replied to the Hofmeister’s email. “Jen Aniston should be killed,” he wrote. ennifer Aniston reported a sexual misconduct against disgraced Holly- wood producer Harvey K ‘End of Days’ that predicted Coronavirus outbreak in 2020. Kim Kardashian recently shared a post on Twitter that reads psychic Sylvia Browne’s prediction for 2020. Before she passed away in 2013, the famous psychic predicted Coronavi- rus hitting the globe in 2020. Kim Kardashian posted a screenshot of her theory on Twitter on 11 March, after Kourtney Kardashian sent it to their sisters’ group chat. “In around 2020 a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread throughout the globe, attack- ing the lungs and the bronchial tubes and re- sisting all known treatments. Almost more baffling than the illness itself will be the fact that it will suddenly vanish as quickly as it ar- rived, attack again ten years later, and then dis- appear completely” reads the prediction taken from the psychic’s 2008 book titled ‘End of Days’. Browne’s prediction for an epidemic in 2020 sounds similar to that Coronaviras has led in the present times. It has affected 126,664 people worldwide and resulted in 4,640 deaths. im Kardashian shares a popular screenshot of Psychic Sylvia Browne’s excerpt from her 2008 book isney has p o s t - p o n e d the theat- rical release of ‘Mulan’ growing cerns over coronavirus. live-action re- make, starring Liu Yifei and amid con- The Liu Yifei directed by Niki Caro, was slated to release in North American thea- tres on March 27. There’s no official word on the postponement of the film in India. As of now, it is scheduled to release on March 27. The studio has also removed ‘The New Mutants’ and ‘Antlers’ from its slate. All three movies have been delayed indefinitely as Disney looks for new release dates. ‘The New Mutants’, the beleaguered superhero adventure from Fox, was scheduled for 3 April. —IANS Kim Kardashian —Agency Jennifer Aniston —IANS FACE OF THE DAY YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva ARIES MAR 21 - APR 20 TAURUS APR 21 - MA Y 20 GEMINI MA Y 21 - JUNE 21 CANCER JUNE 22 - JUL Y 23 You will be fi nancially independent soon. Overseas travel is on the cards for the sole purpose of business. You must do whatever it takes to reach your destination as you are not one of those who gives up easily. Don’t get in any controversial relationship. You will spend good time with your partner. Money fl ows and money fl ows out, its a cycle so you should never worry. You will solve a critical problem in offi ce. You will go and meet your parents today after long time. Love life keeps you satisfi ed and your partner plays a big role in taking away your stress. New fi nancial prospects will come for you. You love to do shopping and sometimes your obsession exceeds your necessity, please work on it. Adventure lovers will have some good time. Don’t be high headed in the matters of love. You are working on your temperament and its a good sign. You will quit your major old bad habit today. Don’t be hasty in the matter of love, give time and take time. You can expect some guests at home today. Some of you will enjoy the new phase of your life. A school or college picnic is on the cards for some. You may like to be on your own today. LEO JUL Y 24 - AUGUST 23 You must save to buy a new vehicle. On professional front, you must look for the right opportunity at the right time. Your family is trying their best to help you in fulfi lling your dream. You will start with a new business soon and don’t worry funds will be taken care of. You will marry your lover. VIRGO AUG 24 - SEP 23 LIBRA SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22 You will come up with many new ideas today, on professional front. Your payment that has been stuck for a long time will get released today. Don’t worry too much about your sibling’s future, everything will be just fi ne. Your friends are really precious for you and you will do anything for them. SCORPIO OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22 You will excel in anything that will devote time to. Make sure to use soft, humble words with your lover today. Remember to go to the gym if you have enrolled. Your prior commitments will keep you busy. Your efforts in academics will be appreciated by your parents and teachers. You can say goodbye to all your worries as a new phase of life will start soon. You can expect a baby, so congratulations is on the cards. An outing with the family is on the cards. Keep away from evil eyes, don’t reveal your plans to anyone except someone close. Enjoy your new love life. SAGITTARIUS NOV 23 - DEC 22 You will derive immense satisfaction in helping someone in need. Try and maintain healthy relationship with your colleagues for the sake of peace of mind. Possession of property is on the cards. On academic front, avoid being overconfi dent and make sure to go through the whole thing again. CAPRICORN DEC 23 - JAN 20 You will get promotion in your current job but you may be in dilemma, if you want to continue or not. A new source of income will help those who are in state of taking caring of the parents. Avoid any legal complications with your sibling for property. You must start thinking positive to be happy. AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 19 PISCES FEB20 - MARCH 20 On professional front, you may spoon feed a junior in offi ce today. Your fi nances are at place and you are doing what you must in your best capacity to build a life that you want. You may travel with your near and dear ones to a far distance place. Romance is in the air for you so enjoy the feeling. Good work in project will be really admired by your boss who may recommend your name for something big in future. Money comes from inheritance for you. You will your inner strength today and remember anything is possible if you decide on it. Don’t hesitate from helping your friends in studies. AANCHAL ROY, Model

ETC JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 202013 www.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 RAISING AWARENESS! A coronavirus a global pandemic, actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja on Thursday raised awareness about the COV- ID-19. The actor who is quite active on her social media took to Twitter to share the ways to battle the munity (vit c and d, zinc),” Ahuja’s tweet further read. Other celebrities including Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Varun Dha- wan, Kartik Aaryan, Sonak- shi Sinha, Riteish Desh- mukh, Genelia and more are also taking to social media to ask fans to stay safe from the deadly virus which has claimed at least 3000 lives globally . pandemic. “Hygiene is the best way to avoid the Coronavirus. Washing hands thoroughly , avoid touching your face and stay away from crowded areas,” the ‘Raanjhanaa’ actor tweeted. “A healthy lifestyle (good sleep, food and exercise) is important. Also have supplements that boost im- day after World Health Organisa- tion (WHO) clared the novel de- As the world bat- tles #coronavirus, let’s ensure we do not add to the pandemic by circu- lating unverifi ed information. Be safe, take necessary precautions and also be responsible. Don’t add to the panic. Last but not the least, try and make the most of the compulsory ‘me’ time! —SONAKSHI SINHA —ANI Sonam K Ahuja ACHIEVING THE DREAM Actor Sonu Randeep Choudhary from Rajasthan shares his web debut experience with City First Accused of being a ‘fake feminist’ N ‘Roadies Revolution’, Neha, who is a gang leader on the show, reprimanded a male contestant for slapping a girl, during the audition. The guy told the story of how he slapped his girlfriend and narrated the story by saying that she had 5 more boyfriends thus in the rage he slapped her for her fault of cheating. To this Neha Dhupia said that it’s the woman’s choice of how many guys she wants to do and thus wants to be with and her statement had led into the meme game and everyone is making memes and are thrashing her for the statement. eha Dhupia is being trolled severely, after her comment on cheating did not go down well with social media users. In an episode of the ongoing season of KIRTI CHAUHAN kirti.chauhan@firstindia.co.in T heatre has gifted many fine actors to the Bollywood industry , and while adding his name to fame, actor Sonu Randeep hary from Rajasthan is going to share the digital screen space with actors like Arjan Bajwa, Arjun Bijlani, Vivek Dahiya and Mukul Dev with the upcoming web-series ‘State Of Siege 26/11’, based on 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai. Hailing from a small village called Kolinda in Jhunjhunu, Ra- jasthan, Sonu said that he dreamt of making his career in acting since his school days during a conversa- tion with City First. Opportu- nity knocked on his door when he was offered to play a pivotal Neha’s however, has not gone down well with netizens, with users calling her a ‘fake feminist’. “@NehaD- hupia who are you to abuse a person this in your show... playing this woman card e v e r y - where,” user tweeted. —Agency stand, many Choud- Poster of the web-series explore more as an actor.” Sonu further said that playing a dark character was fun- filled yet challenging but he managed well to get into his skin. He added, “Ismail is tough, smart, cunning and a dark shaded character. It wasn’t easy playing him because of the violent nature that he has, which is opposite to me. I went through a good amount of research on him, saw some films, read some books and that’s how I managed to get into his skin.” Directed by Leutwyler, the series will stream on digital platform from 20 March. character in the series, produced by Contiloe Pictures while working as an associate casting director (ACD) for the same project in the production house. Speaking about it, he said, “ Acting has always been my first love since my childhood days. In the series, I will be seen depicting the character of terrorist Ismail, was the leader like Malaika Arora TOUCHED! M dance contestant Rutuja on the ongoing reality TV show ‘Indias Best Dancer’. Touched by the gesture, Malaika said: “I loved the pink colour of the Paithani sari, and also the nathni. I Stop a have never tried this typical traditional outfit before because I dont have any ... but I would definitely love to. I really want to thank Rutuja and her parents for this love- ly gift.” ‘India’s Best Dancer’ airs on Sony TV . It is being judged by Malaika, Terence Lewis and Geeta Kapoor. alaika Arora has been gifted paithani saree and a nathni by the a Neha Dhupia who of Ajmal Kas- ab. I am quite happy my journey and wish to Matthews with —IANS Sonu Randeep Choudhary Power-packed and emotional film ANGREZI MEDIUM plays the sometimes-rebel- lious-sometimes-innocent teen convincingly and wins hearts with her simplicity . Dobriyal is no surprise package in this film. He has a pivotal role as Irrfan’s brother and will make you laugh whenever he is in the frame. Overall the film is a great entertainer and will want you to go back and give a big hug to your parents. being there for your family when needed and how. However, all the actors in the film have done a brilliant job and have captured all the emotions very positively . A power-packed and emotional performance by the actors. Khan delivers yet another beautiful piece of emotions and a great act as a father. Radhika has done a great job as Irrfan’s daughter. She takes to ensure that his daughter’s dream is fulfilled. With this, begins an excit- ing ride as we laugh, cry along with Champak, his brother Gopi (Deepak Dobriyal) and Tarika. Apart from showing a father’s unconditional love for his daughter, the film also lightly touches upon other themes. The current genera- tion’s fascination with going abroad for higher studies, the KAVITA CHAUHAN cityfirst@firstindia.co.in T plays Champak’s daughter and has one dream since she was a kid - to study in a university abroad. When she finally gets a chance to go to London, her father does whatever it DIRECTOR Homi Adajania CAST & CREW Irrfan Khan, Deepak Dobriyal, Radhika Madan, Kareena Kapoor RATING: he story of the film re- volves around Cham- pak (Irrfan) and Tarika (Radhika Madan) who misunderstandings that often crop up between parents and children, the importance of

CITY BUZZ JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020 14 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia The Art of JOURNALISM —PHOTOS BY SUNIL SHARMA WHAT’S HAPPENING! NEHAL NAYAR nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in T he Journalism and Mass Communication at JE- CRC University in the Pink City organised ‘Anugoonj’, a Media Summit, under the an- nual academic activity for the students of the department. Jagdeesh Chandra, along with Ajay Shukla and Dr LP Pant, was a part of the summit where various contemporary media issues were taken up. Jagdeesh Chandra, during his lecture, motivated the students of JECRC and stated, “There is no alternative to hard work, and even today, a hard-working person reaches the pinnacle of success.” He also added that it is the need of the hour for every bud- ding Journalist to remain up- dated with latest information available across all mediums of print, traditional audio- visual and digital platforms. department of Jagdeesh Chandra with the winners and team First India: The result of the Women’s Day Article Writing Competition by First India and Five Year Law College, Rajasthan University, was declared on Friday at the channel office. The winners, Arpit Nahar, Ameesha Bansal, Hariom Pandya, and Ishti Thakur were awarded with certificates, memento and a cash prize. —PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO —PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO Jagdeesh Chandra during his lecture at JECRC on Friday, with Laveena and Ajay Shukla An award ceremony ‘Vanya Prani Mitra and Machhli Award’ was organised by WWF India and Prabha Khaitan Foundation on Friday at ITC Rajputata, where various people were felicitated for their excellent contribution towards conservation of wildlife in the state of Rajasthan. Bina Kak graced the occasion as the chief guest. Seen here are (from left) Rajpal Singh, Apra Kuchhal, Divyabhanu Singh Chawda, Yogesh Kumar Sharma, Bina Kak, Shankar Singh Shekhawat, RJ Soni, Ravi Singh, Ritika Bhalla, Yash Shethia and Abhishek Bhatnagar. Pulkit, Shailendra Singh Bhati, Amit Agarwal and LP Pant Udaipur: The Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics at Gitanjali Dental and Research Institute, Udaipur, organised a Rangoli and E-poster making competition in the college premises on the occasion of National Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics Day. The event was held in the benign presence of Registrar of Gitanjali University, Bhupendra Mandalia, Principal Dr Nikhil Verma, Head of Department Dr Manoj Hans and Dr Saujanya. Jagdeesh Chandra with Nikita Batra and Ajay Shukla Faculty and students of JECRC WEDDING BELLS! The wedding ceremony of Punit, son of Hansraj Kalera and Sarita, with Maya, daughter of Balwant Singh Charan and Sudesh, was held at Ravi Palace in Hanumangarh on Wednesday. —PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO As many as 36 artists participating in the International Women’s Art Camp were presented certificates and mementos by Dr BD Kalla and Kiran Soni Gupta. Later in the evening, brilliant dance and music performances were presented by the talented folk artistes from India. The audience enjoyed Tera Taali, Chari, Bhapang and much more. Ramdev Choudhary, Bharat Kalera, Raju Choudhary, MR Dhatterwal, Hansraj Kalera, Bhagirath Poonia and Sarita Kalera wishing the Bride and Groom Sagar Sharma attended an event, organised by the Ayurvedic Department at the Government Ayurvedic dispensary Pushkar on Friday, where masks and Ayurveda medicines were distributed among people as a safety measure. A newly constructed mid-day meal shed/hall was inaugurated on Friday at Jagriti adopted Government Primary School Jaipur, under the CSR initiatives of BHEL. JK Jaju of Jagriti thanked the officials of BHEL. Sarita Kalera, Anish Kalera and Hansraj Kalera with the couple Vijay Bala, Kiran Choudhary, Sharda Choudhary, Punit, Manohar Choudhary, Samesta Choudhary, Sarita Kalera and Bimla Kalera Beautiful Peacocks were seen flaunting their beauty at Raj Bhawan in the Pink City on Friday evening. They are a source of attraction for the visitors coming to meet honourable Governor. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Abhilasha Women’s Welfare Socitey organised an educational program for slum women at Nirman Nagar, where they talked about the importance of hygiene and cleanliness, along with the distribution of sanitary napkins to them.

Indian Newspapers In English-First India-Rajasthan-14 March 2020 edition

Indian Newspapers In English-First India-Rajasthan-14 March 2020 edition

Presentation Transcript

Indian granite in India Rajasthan