Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in Delhi following violence during farmers' tractor rally on Republic Day. The Delhi Police has registered 25 FIRs against farmer union leaders like Medha Patkar, Yogendra Yadav, and Rakesh Tikait for their alleged role in the violence. A Special Investigation Team has been formed and CCTV footage is being examined to identify those responsible. Two farmer unions have withdrawn from the protests. Actor Deep Sidhu, who was present at Red Fort, has been blamed for the incident there and accused of acting on behalf of the government by farmers. The government maintains that talks with farmers remain open.

1. ?=BQ =4F34;78
With the Opposition gun-
ning for him for the
farmers-led chaos in Delhi on
the Republic Day, Union Home
Minister Amit Shah on
Wednesday took stock of the
security situation and mea-
sures taken to ensure peace in
the city. Home Secretary Ajay
Bhalla and senior officers of the
MHA and the Delhi Police
attended the meeting.
“The Home Minister
reviewed the law and order sit-
uation in Delhi, which wit-
nessed violence during the
farmers’ tractor rally on
Tuesday, an official said.
The high-level meeting
decided to take action against
all leaders responsible for unto-
ward incidents on Tuesday in
the Capital. Delhi Police was
directed to register FIRs on the
various incidents. The Central
Government has deployed
around 4,500 paramilitary
troops to assist the Delhi Police
in maintaining law and order.
Rapid Action Force per-
sonnel have also been reposi-
tioned in the national Capital
and vigil has been intensified in
view of the evolving situation.
Meanwhile, the Congress
blamed the BJP-led Central
Government for the violence
and vandalism that ensued on
the streets of national Capital
on Republic Day and demand-
ed resignation of Union Home
Minister Amit Shah for failing
to protect Red Fort.
“Union Home Minister
Amit Shah is directly respon-
sible for the violence carried
out in the name of farmers
protest. His failure to stop the
vandalism despite intelligence
inputs means he has no right to
remain in his position. We
demand that he resign from his
position immediately,”
Congress chief spokesperson
Randeep Singh Surjewala said
at AICC Press conference.
Former Congress presi-
dent Rahul Gandhi appealed to
the Narendra Modi
Government on Wednesday
to repeal, what he claimed
were, “anti-agriculture”
laws.
?=BQ =4F34;78
Aday after unprecedented
violence in Delhi during
the tractor parade, the
Government on Wednesday
said it has never stated that the
doors for dialogue with farm-
ers are closed and stressed that
it will inform whenever the
decision is taken for fresh talks.
“We have never said that
the doors for dialogue are
closed. Have you heard.
Whenever talks are held, we will
let you know,” Union Minister
Prakash Javadekar said, when
asked at the Cabinet briefing on
whether the doors for talks with
farmers are closed now.
After the 11th round of
talks on Friday last, the
Government asked the farmers
to reconsider their proposal of
holding the three farm laws on
hold for 1-1.5 years, but the
farmers rejected their propos-
al. No decision has been taken
on another round of talks with
farmers. He said whatever deci-
sions with regard to talks with
farmers are taken, will be dis-
closed at the right time.
“We have already told you,
if there is any change, we will
let you know,” he said. Asked
whether Tuesday’s violence was
discussed in the meeting of the
Union Cabinet, Javadekar said
the Cabinet is different from
the security committee.
The Government’s negoti-
ations with representatives of
thousands of protesting farm-
ers hit a roadblock on Friday as
the unions squarely rejected the
Centre’s proposal to put three
contentious laws on hold.
Agriculture Minister
Narendra Singh Tomar also
blamed external “forces” for
their rigid stand and said no
resolution is possible when the
sanctity of agitation is lost.
Unlike the last 10 rounds of
talks, the 11th round saw both
the sides hardening their posi-
tions and could not even reach
a decision on the next date for
the meeting. The Government
asked unions to revert by
Saturday last in case they agree
to the suspension proposal
and the talks can continue
only thereafter.
Farmer leaders, however,
are adamant that they would
settle for nothing less than
repeal of the laws, which they
find pro-corporate, and a legal
guarantee for the procurement
of crops at Government-fixed
minimum support price
(MSP).
B74:70AB8=67Q =4F34;78
Delhi Police Commissioner
SN Shrivastava on
Wednesday said farmers’ lead-
ers were involved in the vio-
lence in national Capital and
those involved in the violence
will not be spared and a Special
Investigation Team (SIT),
including officials from Special
Cell, Crime Branch and district
police, have been constituted to
investigate the incident.
Police has also registered 25
First Information Reports
(FIRs)forriots,robbing,attempt
to murder and other criminal
offences across the city.
The top cop also said by
January 25 evening, it became
clear that the farmers’ unions
were not keeping their words as
they brought forward the
aggressive and militant ele-
ments who occupied the stage
at protest site and delivered
provocative speeches.
The Delhi Police has also
named 37 farmer union
Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)
leaders, including Medha
Patekar, Yogendra Yadav, in an
FIR registered at Samaypur
Badli police station in connec-
tion with the violence that
took place during a tractor rally
by farmers. According to the
FIR, in the riot, the protesters
had also robbed the official pis-
tol with 10 rounds of ammu-
nition along with two gas gun
on Tuesday.
The farmers’ leaders
named in the FIR includes
Medha Patekar, Yogendra
Yadav, Darshan Pal, Kulwant
Singh Sandhu, Satnam Singh
Pannu, Joginder Singh Ugraha,
Surjeet Singh Phool, Jagjeet
Singh Dalewal, Balbir Singh
Rajewal, Harinder Singh
Lakhoval, Gurnam Singh
Chanduni and Rakesh Tikait.
Addressing the Press con-
ference at Police Head Quarters
(PHQ) on Wednesday evening,
the CP said after five rounds of
talks with farmers union
regarding the tractor parade on
Republic Day there was mutu-
al agreement on the parade
routes from Singhu, Tikri and
Ghazipur borders.
“Police laid down the con-
ditions, which were agreed by
the farmers and the first term
was a time that was fixed for
tractor rally at all border from
12 pm to 5 on. Second condi-
tion laid was that tractor march
will be lead by farmers’ union
leaders and with every jhatha
their leader should lead the
rally and tractors should not
exceed more than 5,000 in the
rally. Police also put a condition
to not bring any kind of
weapons. The farmers gave
undertaking and agreed on
the route,” said the CP.
“The protesters from
Singhu border started their
rally, hours before the time
allotted, despite request from
police officials they did not stop
and broke down the barri-
cades,” said the CP.
“Farmer leader Satnam
Singh Pannu, who was with
farmers from Singhu border
was stopped by police at
Mukarba chowk after they
deviated from the route. Pannu
sat on dharna and gave inflam-
matory speech following which
the protesters got agitated and
broke past the police installed
barricades towards ITO,” said
the Police Commissioner
adding that Darshan Pal Singh,
to sat on dharna with other
when Pannu delivered the
speech.
“The farmers’ march from
Tikri and Ghazipur started
around 8:30 am. The farmers
from Tikri border also broke
barricades at Nangloi to move
ahead towards Red Fort. They
overturned trailers and van-
dalized vehicles,” said the CP.
“Farmer leaders were insti-
gating farmers and they were
the ones who were refusing to
move on the predetermined
routes. We have videos which
are showing how leaders were
instigating farmers. From
Ghazipur, many from Rakesh
Tikait’s team broke barriers
and marched forward,” he said.
The Police Commissioner
also said not a single life was
lost as the Delhi Police showed
extreme restraint. “As many as
25 FIRs have been registered so
far. Police teams are using the
facial recognition system and
taking the help of CCTV and
video footage to identify the
accused. Strict action will be
taken against those identified.
No culprit will be spared,” said
the CP.
He said 394 police person-
nel were injured while 30 police
vehicles were damaged in the
violence on Wednesday. Six
DTC buses were damaged in
the violence. Capital’s ITO area
became the main clashing
point where several cops and
protesters sustained injuries.
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Aday after the violence dur-
ing the tractor parade on
Republic Day, two farmer
unions announced the end of
their protest against farm laws.
Bharatiya Kisan Union
(Bhanu) president Thakur
Bhanu Pratap Singh said he
was deeply pained by whatev-
er happened during the trac-
tor parade in Delhi on
Republic Day
Sardar VM Singh of All
India Kisan Sangharsh
Coordination Committee said
the union is withdrawing from
the ongoing agitation as they
cannot carry forward a protest
with someone “whose direc-
tion is something else”.
Many farmers’ bodies
across northern India blamed
actor-turned-activist Deep
Sidhu for Red Fort incident.
Senior farmer leader Balbir
Singh Rajewal, who has been
steering the farmers’ agitation
since beginning, on
Wednesday termed Punjabi
actor Sidhu and Mazdoor
Kisan Sangharsh Committee
leaders Satnam Singh Pannu
and Sarwan Singh Pandher as
“biggest traitors” giving a call
for their boycott in
Punjab.
Sidhu, who is in the eye of
a storm for egging on protest-
ers to put up a religious flag
atop the Red Fort on Republic
Day, has been considered by
several farm bodies as an
“agent” of the Government
since he joined the protest.
“Sidhu is an agent of the
Government and he did it at
the behest of the Centre to
defame the farmers’ agita-
tion,” alleged Bharti Kisan
Union (Ekta Ugrahan) gener-
al secretary Sukhdev Singh
Kokrikalan on Wednesday.
However, Sidhu has
sought to defend the action of
the protesters at the Red Fort,
saying they did not remove the
national flag and had put up
the “Nishan Sahib” flag as a
symbolic protest.
VM Singh alleged Rakesh
Tikait, the national spokesper-
son of the Bharatiya Kisan
Union, who is heading the
Ghazipur front, misdirected
the movement. He also ques-
tioned the committee of 40
people negotiating with the
Government.
Chandigarh: Indian National
Lok Dal’s only representative
in Haryana Assembly, Abhay
Singh Chautala, on Wednesday
resigned as an MLA over the
three new Central farm laws. “I
decided I cannot sit in the
Assembly with those who bring
resolutions favouring these
laws,” Chautala said.
New Delhi: The outlawed Sikhs
for Justice is learnt to have
released a seven-minute video
backing the Red Fort siege and
announcing a reward of
$3,50,000 for those who hoist-
ed the Nishan Sahib there. The
SFJ has called for a siege of the
Parliament when the Budget
Session begins. This comes a
day after a tractor parade called
to protest the agriculture laws.
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C=A067D=0C70Q D108
In a second arrest in less
than one year, the
Enforcement Directorate (ED)
has arrested former chairman
of Yes Bank Rana Kapoor in a
money laundering case linked
to the Mack Star Group-C4,300
crore PMC Bank scam case.
Rana Kapoor is the third
person to have been arrested in
the Mack Star Group-PMC
Bank scam case. On January 23,
ED had arrested Mehul Thakur
and Madan Gopal Chaturvedi
in this year. A day ahead of these
arrests, the ED conducted raids
at ten premises including the
residence of former underworld
don Bhai Thakur and offices of
Viva Group which is controlled
by his family.
Rana Kapoor was pro-
duced before a PMLA court
which remanded in ED cus-
tody till January 30.
Detailed report on P5
?C8Q =4F34;78
The Supreme Court on
Wednesday declined to
grant interim protection from
any coercive action to Ali
Abbas Zafar, Director of web
series “Tandav”, and others
seeking quashing of FIRs
against them for allegedly hurt-
ing religious sentiments of
Hindus and issued notices
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh and other States on
their pleas.
Observing that “freedom of
speech and expression is not
absolute” and is subject to
restrictions, the top court said
Zafar, Amazon Prime India
head Aparna Purohit, produc-
er Himanshu Mehra, the show’s
writer Gaurav Solanki and
actor Mohammed Zeeshan
Ayyub may seek bail from
courts concerned in the FIRs
lodged in connection with the
web series.
A bench comprising jus-
tices Ashok Bhushan, R
Subhash Reddy and MR Shah,
hearing as many as three sep-
arate petitions on behalf of the
makers and others connected
to the web series, issued notices
to UP, MP, Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Bihar and Delhi
and the police officers probing
the complaints.
They have sought either
quashing or clubbing of the
FIRs lodged in several States on
various grounds, including that
the objectionable scenes
have already been
removed from the political
thriller.
“We cannot use the power
under section 482 CrPC
(power of courts to quash the
criminal case). We are not
inclined to grant interim pro-
tection,” said the apex court at
fag end of the hearing con-
ducted through video-confer-
encing.
?=BQ =4F34;78
The Union Home Ministry
on Wednesday issued new
guidelines allowing more
capacity in cinema halls and
opening up swimming pools
for “all” persons. The Ministry
also allowed the opening up of
all exhibition
halls.
The MHA new guidelines
said that the Information and
Broadcasting Ministry will
issue new Standard Operating
Procedures (SOPs) for cinema
halls to increase the current
capacity of 50 per cent to high-
er seating capacity.
As far as the opening of
swimming pools, the Ministry
of Sports will issue SOPs for
allowing all persons. Currently,
only sportspersons are allowed
to use swimming pools. The
Ministry of Commerce is
empowered to formulate SOPs
for opening up of exhibition
halls.
“Cinema halls and theatres
have already been permitted up
to 50 per cent of seating capac-
ity. Now they will be permitted
to operate at higher seating
capacity, for which a revised
SOP will be issued by the
Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting in consultation
with the MHA.
?C8Q =4F34;78
The Supreme Court on
Wednesday stayed the
Bombay High Court order
which acquitted a man under
the Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act saying “groping
a minor’s breast without ‘skin
to skin contact’ cannot be
termed as sexual assault”.
A bench of Chief Justice SA
Bobde and Justices AS
Bopanna and V
Ramasubramanian stayed the
high court order after Attorney
General KK Venugopal men-
tioned the matter.
The top court also issued
notice to Maharashtra
Government and permitted
the AG to file an appeal against
the January 19 verdict of the
Nagpur bench of the Bombay
High Court.
New Delhi: Delhi recorded
96 fresh Covid-19 cases in a
day, the lowest single-day rise
in over nine months.
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New Delhi: As cracks began
to appear in their ongoing
agitation against the agri
laws, farmer unions on
Wednesday cancelled their
planned march to
Parliament Budget day on
February 1.
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Chief Minister Trivendra
Singh Rawat announced
on Wednesday that district
development authorities
(DDAs) will be discontinued in
the State. Talking to media per-
sons in Almora on Wednesday,
the CM said that considering
the problems related to district
development authorities, these
have been discontinued and the
government order to this effect
will be issued soon. He said that
the decision was taken consid-
ering the complaints received
from the public.
It will be recalled that dis-
trict development authorities
were meant to facilitate
planned development and con-
struction activities in the state
especially the mountainous
regions. However, the feed-
back received from the public
was more about corruption
and other problems in these
authorities.
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The chief secretary (CS) of
Uttarakhand Om Prakash
has said that the state adminis-
tration is emphasising on the
use of generic medicines. He
said that the chief medical offi-
cers (CMO) in the districts
have been directed to recom-
mend generic medicines to the
patients. The CS attended a
meeting of the chief secretaries
of all the states via a video con-
ferencing on Wednesday on
Pragati Portal. The meeting
was on Pradhan Mantri Jan
Aaushadhi Kendra and the
Amritsar- Kolkata industrial
corridors and was chaired by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the meeting Om Prakash
said that all the CMOs and the
district coordinators have been
directed to make people aware
about the generic medicines and
the state government is provid-
ing free medicines to the
patients in the government hos-
pitals of the state. On the
Amritsar- Kolkata industrial
corridor, the CS of Uttarakhand
said that the state government
has earmarked 1002.15 acres of
land at Khurpia in Udham
Singh Nagar district for setting
up an integrated manufacturing
cluster. He added that the work
on environmental clearance for
the cluster is at present going on.
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BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F34;78
Train services at two metro
stations near India Gate
will be curtailed on January 29
in view of the Beating Retreat
Ceremony at Vijay Chowk.
The two stations Udyog
Bhawan and Central Secretariat
of the Delhi Metro's Yellow
Line (Samaypur Badli to
HUDA City Centre) will not be
available for a few hours, the
DMRC said in a statement.
However, interchange of
passengers from Yellow Line to
Violet Line (Kashmere Gate to
Raja Nahar Singh) and vice
versa will be allowed at Central
Secretariat Metro station dur-
ing this period. Normal ser-
vices at these stations will be
restored at 6:30 PM, it said.
B0?=0B8=67Q =4F34;78
The Delhi Government on
Wednesday directed that all
sort of surgeries, invasive pro-
cedures , OPDs and other med-
ical services shall be started in
State Government hospitals
noticing a sharp decrease in the
number of coronavirus cases.
Importantly, Delhi regis-
tered only 96 Covid cases in
past 24 hours, lowest in nine
months according to health
officials sixth consecutive day
when the Capital registered less
than 200 cases.
S M Ali, Special Secretary,
health and family welfare, Delhi
government issued an order
stated : In suspension of all pre-
vious orders in this regard and
in view of the decrease in
number of Covid-19 cases in
Delhi, it is hereby directed
that all kinds of surgeries, inva-
sive procedures, IPD, OPD,
and other medical services
shall be started in all hospitals
under the GNCT of Delhi,
including society hospitals.”
It may be recalled, the non
- Covid facilities in government
hospitals were on halt as the
premier institutions run by
Delhi government, instance -
LNJP and RGSSH converted
into dedicated COVID -19
hospitals soon after the cases
registered in hundreds.
OPD services have already
begun at both the hospitals.
Earlier, On December 31,
the Delhi government had
announced de-escalation of
the number of beds earmarked
for the treatment of the infec-
tion at private hospitals. All
these steps are being taken in
view of slump in cases.
Tuesday, Delhi reported
157 new cases of Covid-19,
pushing its total tally to
6,34,229.
BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F
34;78
The Aam Aadmi Party on
Wednesday accused the
central agencies and the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
behind the incident happened
at the Red Fort on Tuesday
during farmers’ “Tractor
Rally”.
AAP leader and Punjab
co-in-charge Raghav Chadha
said that the people like Deep
Sidhu infiltrated in farmers'
protest and instigated the vio-
lence. The BJP sleeper cell
agents like Deep Sidhu and
Central agencies under the
BJP government were behind
Tuesday’s shameful Red Fort
incident.
Chadha said that Deep
Sidhu who is the mastermind
of yesterday's violence has a
close connection with PM
Narendra Modi and Home
Minister Amit Shah. “The
AAP condemned the witch
hunt against the farmer leader
and demanded that Delhi
Police not to harass them but
arrest the sleeper cell agents of
the BJP who were involved in
violence,” he said.
The Delhi Police which
comes under the BJP govern-
ment completely failed to
maintain the law and order
situation of Delhi, he alleged.
I also want to tell you that
BJP agent and Punjab chief
minister Captain Amarinder
Singh is trying to defame the
AAP by blaming us for the
violence. The BJP agent
Caption Singh and Delhi BJP
chief Adesh Gupta are defam-
ing the AAP in a planned
manner,” he added.
Tens of thousands of
farmers broke barriers to
storm the national capital on
Tuesday, their tractor parade
to highlight their demands
dissolving into unprecedent-
ed scenes of anarchy as they
fought with police, overturned
vehicles and delivered a
national insult hoisting a reli-
gious flag from the ramparts
of the Red Fort, a privilege
reserved for India's tricolour.
Clashes broke out in mul-
tiple places, leading to vio-
lence in well-known land-
marks of Delhi and its sub-
urbs, amid waves of violence
that ebbed and flowed
through the day. While there
were no exact estimates of
how many farmers were hurt,
Delhi Police officials said 86
of their men were injured
throughout the day. Of these,
41 were injured at the Red
Fort.
A protester died after his
tractor overturned near ITO,
one of the major flashpoints of
trouble.
0=8Q =4F34;78
Supreme Court on
Wednesday stayed the crim-
inal defamation proceedings
against the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) leaders Manoj
Tiwari and Vijender Gupta.
The proceedings against
the BJP leaders were initiated
after a complaint by Delhi's
Deputy Chief Minister, Manish
Sisodia. Later, Tiwari and
Gupta moved to the apex court
seeking the quashing of the
summons issued against them
in a defamation case.
On December 17, 2020,
Delhi High Court dismissed
the petitions by MP Tiwari and
MLA Gupta challenging trial
court order issuing summons
against them in a defamation
case filed by Sisodia. Justice
Anu Malhotra dismissed the
petitions challenging trial court
order issuing summons against
them and sought quashing of
an order passed by Rouse
Avenue Court on November
28, 2019.
All the accused including
Tiwari and Gupta were earlier
granted bail after they appeared
before the trial court.Sisodia
had filed a defamation case
against Tiwari, BJP MPs Hans
Raj Hans and Pravesh Verma,
BJP MLAs Manjinder Singh
Sirsa and Vijender Gupta and
BJP spokesperson Harish
Khurana for making false alle-
gations regarding his (Sisodia's)
involvement in corruption of
Rs 2000 crores in the building
of classrooms of Delhi gov-
ernment schools.
Sisodia, in the defamation
case, stated that all the allega-
tions made by these BJP leaders
jointly and were false, defama-
tory and derogatory to intend-
ingtoharmanddamagehisrep-
utation and goodwill. ANI
?C8Q =4F34;78
Aplea was filed on
Wednesday in the Supreme
Court seeking setting up of a
commission, headed by a
retired apex court judge, to
inquire the violence during
the protesting farmers'' tractor
rally in the national capital on
the Republic Day.
The plea has also sought
direction to the concerned
authority to lodge First
Information Report (FIR)
under relevant penal provi-
sions against the individuals or
organisations responsible for
the violence and causing dis-
honour of the National Flag on
January 26.
The tractor parade on
Tuesday that was to highlight
the demands of farmer unions
to repeal three new agri laws
dissolved into anarchy on the
streets of Delhi as thousands of
protesters broke through bar-
riers, fought with the police,
overturned vehicles and hoist-
ed a religious flag from the
ramparts of the iconic Red
Fort.
Delhi Police has registered
22 FIRs so far in connection
with the violence in which
over 300 policemen were
injured, officials said on
Wednesday.
The plea, filed in the apex
court by advocate Vishal
Tiwari, has said that a three-
member inquiry
commission under the chair-
manship of a former top court
judge and comprising of two
retired high court judges
should be set up for collecting
and recording evidence in the
matter and submit a report to
the court in a time bound
manner.
It said that farmers’ protest
against the three new agri laws
is going on for over two months
but it took a “violent turn” dur-
ing the tractor parade.
“Unfortunately, the tractor
march took a violent turn leav-
ing injuries and destruction of
public property. This incident
also effected the daily life of the
public. The internet services
were interrupted as govern-
ment ordered the operators to
suspend the same. In the pre-
sent time, the internet ser-
vices are very essential to carry
out the work in different pro-
fessions especially in advocacy
as the courts and our Supreme
Court of India is functioning
online,”
Tiwari has said in his
plea.The petition said that clash
between the farmers and police
on the Republic Day has caught
the attention of the entire
world.
“The matter is serious
because when the protest was
going on peacefully for last two
months then suddenly, how it
turned into violent
movement and led violence on
January 26. The question for
consideration in national secu-
rity and public interest arises
that who is responsible for
creating the disturbance and
how and who turned the peace-
ful farmer protest into violent
movement or how and who
created the circumstances
which let the protest turn vio-
lent,” it said.
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B74:70AB8=67Q =4F34;78
In the FIR registered at IP
Estate police station, the
Delhi Police has stated that six
Delhi Transport Corporation
(DTC) buses and five police
vehicles were damaged in the
violence that broke out at ITO
during the farmers' tractor
parade on Republic Day.
TheFIRalsostatedthatsev-
eral police personnel were
injured and 70 iron barricades
weredamagedwhenover10,000
protesting farmers on nearly
600 tractors stormed the area.
Police has registered 22
FIRs so far in connection with
the violence that broke out dur-
ing the farmers' tractor parade
in the national capital leaving
over 300 policemen injured,
officials said on Wednesday.
An official said multiple
videos and CCTV footage are
being scanned to identify farm-
ers involved in the violence and
strict action will be taken.
Security has been beefed
up in several places across the
national capital, especially at
the Red Fort and farmer protest
sites, with deployment of addi-
tional paramilitary forces fol-
lowing the violence.
The FIR stated that the
protestors tried to enter
Luytens' Delhi from Tilak
Bridge despite not being given
permission to hold the tractor
parade in the jurisdiction of IP
Estate Police station.
“The farmers smashed the
barricades and hit DTC buses
at ITO with their tractors and
also tried to run over police
personnel. Police tried to con-
vince the agitating farmers.
However, they were adamant
about going to Luytens' area.
They also damaged vehicles
and equipment of mediaper-
sons, it stated, adding that
police used tear gas to disperse
the protesters from the spot.
“Police personnel were pre-
sent at Ram Charan Aggarwal
Chowk, ITO. Around 12 pm
from Sarai Kale Khan towards
MGM Marg, 500 to 600 trac-
tors carrying 9,000 to 10,000
protestors entered the ITO. It
claimed that a tractor, going to
DDU Marg from Ram Charan
Chowk, hit a barricade placed
near Andhra Public School
while being driven rashly, and
overturned,” stated the FIR.
“While police personnel
and others were trying to res-
cue the driver from under the
tractor, the other protesters
on tractors reached there and
tried to run over the police.
Some of the protesters took the
driver to ITO Chowk. Later,
they took him and his tractor
along with them and left the
area. The deceased was later
identified as Navneet Singh, a
resident of Rampur district in
Uttar Pradesh,” state the FIR.
“During demonstration,
six DTC buses, five police
vehicles and 70 iron barri-
cades were damaged. Several
police personnel were also got
injured during the incident,”
the FIR stated.
5'DYLROHQFHRSVILOH),5VVFDQ79IRRWDJHVIRUULRWHUV
BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F34;78
There were long traffic
queues due to traffic
restrictions on key routes in
the national Capital, a day after
violence broke out during
farmers' tractor parade.
The Delhi Traffic Police
on Twitter and stated that the
traffic movement is heavy due
to closure of four lanes on
Kalindi Kunj and Noida
stretches.
Meanwhile, the traffic
movement near ITO, Mandi
House and India Gate, which
was affected due to restrictions
placed there, resumed on
Wednesday afternoon.
According to a senior
police official, the barricades
placed near the Tilak Bridge
were removed and the road
leading to India Gate from
ITO was opened. Similarly, the
road going towards
Connaught Place from Minto
Road is also functioning now.
The C-Hexagon at India
Gate has also opened for traf-
fic and there is no restriction
on the movement of vehicles,
police said. On Wednesday,
retired Delhi Police personnel
staged a protest near ITO,
leading to disturbance in traf-
fic.
They were protesting
against the violence which
broke out during the farmers'
tractor parade in the city.
;^]VcaPUUXRYPb^]ZTha^dcTbX]2P_XcP[
?0AE4B7B70A0Q
6DAD6A0
In view of violence during
Tuesday's tractor parade at
several locations in Delhi, the
Gurugram Police was put on
high alert on Wednesday.
Gurugram Police chief K K
Rao directed the entire police
force including senior police
officials to ensure that law and
order in the district is main-
tained. In his directions, Rao
said law and order should not
be disrupted at any cost.
According to official
sources strict instructions have
been issued in the Gurugram
district adjoining the national
Capital as a precautionary mea-
sure.
*XUXJUDPRQKLJKDOHUWDIWHU
YLROHQFHLQ'HOKLNLVDQUDOO
BC055A4?AC4AQ =4F34;78
Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar slammed the Delhi
Police and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government for
mishandling the farmers’ on Tuesday.
Terming the violence unfortunate, he said the Delhi Police
failed to control the situation. Kumar accused the Delhi Police
of acting at the behest of its handlers in the Union Home
Ministry. It is evident from the manner in which the police
filed 22 FIRs against 200 farmers including leaders of the farm-
ers’ unions for the violence and mayhem,he
added.
The Congress president further said It was the duty of
the police to properly guide them on the designated route but
instead police tried to use force on the farmers, which led to
the disorder. Meanwhile, Kumar welcomed the Election
Commission’s decision to hold bye-elections to the five vacant
seats in the Municipal Corporations of Delhi. He said that the
people of Delhi are fed up with the mind-boggling corrup-
tion in the BJP-ruled MCDs and the Delhi Government, due
to which sanitation workers, doctors, nurses, paramedics,
teachers and others have been on strike for the past few weeks,
seeking their wages and arrears.
2^]Vb[Pb_^[XRT00?6^ec
U^a²XbWP]S[X]V³UPaTab³
BC055A4?AC4AQ =830
The just concluded 65th
national freestyle senior
men’s wrestling champi-
onship in Noida stadium was
successful as it attracted 252
wrestlers in 10 weight cate-
gories from across the coun-
try with huge wrestling
lovers’ turnout.
Throughout two days of
the championship, Wrestling
Federation of India (WFI)
president Brij Bhushan
Sharan Singh was seen in the
stadium encouraging
wrestlers and distributing
medals to them. In an inter-
action with The Pioneer,
Singh gave insights into
India’s position rise in the
world in freestyle wrestling.
He said he is hopeful that
India wrestlers would win at
least 4 medals in upcoming
Tokyo Olympics scheduled to
be held from July 24, 2020 but
was postponed due to coron-
avirus pandemic. Singh said in
the last many years since tak-
ing over as WFI president he
has worked to popularise the
game and it has yielded pos-
itive results.
He said earlier Greco-
roman men’s freestyle
women’s freestyle used to be
organised together but this
time it was shelved off due to
Covid-19.
WFI’s newly appointed
Vice President Dr Zubed Ur
Rehman said grapplers who
participated in the champi-
onship were tested for
Covid-19. Organising com-
mittee president GN Singh
said for the first time in
India, American-made OH
air purifier machines were
put in the stadium to kill
Covid virus through hydrox-
yl radicals. Railways won
the championship with Army
holding second position and
Haryana stood at number
three.
8]SXP]faTbc[TabfX[[
fX]#TSP[bX]C^Zh^
[h_XRb)F58RWXTU
?=BQ 347A03D=
The Dehradun district
administration will con-
duct camps in six blocks at the
Gram Panchayat level from
the next week for the immedi-
ate redressal of public griev-
ances.
The administration is
organising such camps under
the Uttarakhand chief minis-
ter’s quick response team
(QRT). The teams on these
camps will make efforts to
resolve most of the issues
immediately and even those
matters that require a certain
time period to be addressed
will be resolved within a given
time frame. This was informed
by the chief development offi-
cer (CDO), Nitika Khandelwal
who will also monitor the
progress of these camps in the
blocks. According to
Khandelwal, the first camp
will be conducted on February
3 in Doiwala block from 11
AM and the administration has
done preparation for the
remaining five camps in five
blocks till March 10. Moreover,
Khandelwal has also appoint-
ed the project director of
District Rural Development
Agency (DRDA), Vikram
Singh as a nodal officer of the
district level QRT team. She has
instructed the officials con-
cerned to resolve all the issues
of the public immediately and
keep the record of every com-
plaint they receive and resolve
in the camps from local resi-
dents.
B?=BQ 347A03D=
How rarely we come across
a book which deals with
women empowerment in a
matured manner rather than
advocating exaggerated free-
dom of women on the name of
feminism and women empow-
erment?
“Indomitable Susan With
HIV”, a book by Prof. Suvasish
Mukhopadhyay is one such
masterpiece which have tack-
led the delicacy of feminism
with utmost precision. The
role of a female in various
capacities as daughter, wife,
daughter-in-law, sister-in-law
and the mother in her various
phases of life. The aliment of
the protagonist’s husband add
an irresistible element in the
story which gets further a chill-
ing experience for the readers
being her widow in the latter
half of the story. The various
hardships in terms of financial,
emotional, compromise along
with her silent revolution are
enough to engage the readers.
The insightful outlook towards
women empowerment makes it
quite relatable and make this
masterpiece a must
read!
?=BQ 347A03D=
Accusing the administra-
tion of Cantonment Board
of Dehradun (CBD) to be
biased towards some local
shopkeepers during their recent
anti-encroachment drive in the
Premnagar area of Dehradun,
the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
stated that they condemn such
discrimination by the admin-
istration and will protest
against it.
According to the state
spokesperson of Aam Admi
Party (AAP), Ravindra Anand,
the Cantt board recently
demolished many encroach-
ments in Premnagar area but
the illegal establishments of
those who have connections in
the board remained untouched.
Why some were provided with
relaxations while others with
no privileges were not given
any chance? enquired Anand.
He further added that if the
board will continue such a
biased attitude towards the
locals in future, AAP will be
forced to protest against the
MCD board
administration.
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3. RP_XcP[
347A03D=kC7DAB30H k90=D0AH !'!!
?=BQ 347A03D=
The 72nd Republic
Day was celebrated
with patriotic fervour
and enthusiasm at the
Parade Ground in state
capital Dehradun on
Tuesday.
The Governor
Baby Rani Maurya
hoisted the national
flag and reviewed the
parade held on the
occasion. The person-
nel of the army, ITBP,
police, PAC,
Homeguard and PRD
took out a march past
at Parade Ground to
mark the Republic Day.
While folk artistes of the state
performed on the occasion, the
governor also awarded police
personnel for commendable
performance.
A number of tableaux were
also taken out by different
government departments and
organisations on various gov-
ernment schemes and works on
the occasion. These included
the tableaux by forest depart-
ment, SDRF, Rural
Development Department,
UREDA, Dehradun Smart City
Limited (DSCL), MDDA, edu-
cation department, tourism
department, horticulture
department, health department
and industry department. The
tableaux of the health and
rural development depart-
ments were jointly adjudged
the best followed by the tableau
of DSCL in second position
and education department in
the third place.
Chief minister Trivendra
Singh Rawat, MPs Mala Rajya
Laxmi Shah, Naresh Bansal,
Dehradun mayor Sunil Uniyal
‘Gama’, local MLA Khajan Das,
chief secretary Om Prakash,
director general of police
Ashok Kumar and others were
also present on the occasion.
?=BQ 347A03D=
Chief minister Trivendra
Singh Rawat unfurled the
national flag at the CM resi-
dence on Republic Day here on
Tuesday. He also administered
the oath of the constitution’s
preamble to the officials, per-
sonnel and police personnel on
the occasion.
Wishing the people of
Uttarakhand on the occasion,
Rawat wished for their happi-
ness and prosperity. Rawat
paid tributes to the freedom
fighters remembering those
who made the supreme sacri-
fice and worked for the unity
of the nation. Speaking on the
occasion, he said that India has
emerged as a strong republic
with the world viewing India
today. He said that despite
limited resources, Covid-19
was under considerable control
in the nation and state. He said
that the scientists had pre-
pared the vaccine against
Covid-19 in a considerably
short time and that the nation
is moving swiftly towards com-
plete control on Covid. The
country is on the path of
progress under the leadership
of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, he added. Later, the CM
also unfurled the national flag
at the BJP State office. While
attending another event on the
occasion at Gandhi Park, the
CM said that the scene creat-
ed by some anarchist elements
in the name of farmers in
Delhi on Republic Day should
not have happened. A farmer
cannot indulge in such actions
on such an occasion, he said,
while adding that this type of
an incident is a cause of con-
cern for all. Rawat said that he
respects the farmers who did
not indulge in the rioting,
adding that the State govern-
ment is committed to ensure
that such an incident does not
take place in Uttarakhand.
Stating that the genuine farm-
ers have understood what had
happened in Delhi, the CM
said that there is no logic
behind damaging government
property in the manner seen in
the national capital. Reiterating
that the farm laws are fully in
the interests of the farmers,
Rawat stressed that the Central
and State governments are
committed to ensuring the
welfare of farmers.
?=BQ 347A03D=
The Kedarkhand tableau of
Uttarakhand was exhibited
as part of the Republic Day
parade at Rajpath in New Delhi
on Tuesday. The state’s tableau
was received with considerable
appreciation by the crowds
which started clapping in
enthusiasm as the tableau came
on Rajpath. The State’s infor-
mation department deputy
director and team leader of the
tableau team, KS Chauhan and
12 artistes performed as part of
the tableau on the theme song
of Jai Jai Kedara.
The front portion of the
tableau displayed the state ani-
mal musk deer, state bird
monal pheasant and state
flower Brahmakamal whereas
behind these a model of the
Kedarnath temple compound
was displayed along with devo-
tees. Behind the temple, the
Divya Shila- the large boulder
which protected the shrine
during the 2013 disaster, was
also exhibited as part of the
tableau.
?=BQ 347A03D=
Noted orthopaedic surgeon
Dr Bhupendra Kumar
Singh Sanjay and Prem Chand
Sharma were conferred the
Padma Shri award for distin-
guished service the field of
medicine and agriculture
respectively. Chief minister
Trivendra Singh Rawat and
others have congratulated the
two for the prestigious recog-
nition.
A prominent orthopaedic
and spine surgeon based in
Dehradun, Dr Sanjay regular-
ly gives his services through
free camps for disabled
patients. Having seen various
aspects of road traffic accidents
in his 40 years of professional
experience, he also undertakes
efforts to raise public awareness
about the impact of road traf-
fic accidents in India. Along
with his team, he has organised
225 free health camps which
earned him an entry in India
book of records in 2017. He
had also removed the largest
bone tumor of the femur
weighing 16.5 kg from a 35-
year-old patient- a feat which
had featured in the Guinness
Book of World Records in
2005. He also entered the
Limca Book of Records in
2002, 2003, 2004 and 2009 for
different innovative and suc-
cessful surgical achievements,
like hip replacement surgery in
a 98 year old high-risk patient,
re-implantation of autoclaved
tumor bone to save the limb
and life of a teenager girl suf-
fering from bone cancer, for
removing the largest bone
tumor and for doing a suc-
cessful spine operation in an 88
year old man.
The other Padma Shri
recipient from Uttarakhand,
Prem Chand Sharma is a pro-
gressive farmer and horticul-
turist based in the Chakrata
area of Dehradun district. Born
in a farming family, he was
involved in agriculture since a
young age. However, due to
comparatively less profit in
traditional agriculture systems,
he decided to experiment in
farming starting with the
organic cultivation of pome-
granates in 1994. After his ini-
tiative succeeded, he motivat-
ed others in the region to do
the same. He then prepared a
nursery of 1.5 lakh saplings of
high yielding pomegranates in
2000 and distributed these to
farmers in the region. Later in
2013, he formed the fruit and
vegetable producers committee
in the region with 200 farmers.
Sharma also played an impor-
tant role in the development of
agriculture and horticulture in
the region by opening Krishi
Sewa Kendra at the village
level. Involved in agriculture
and horticulture for about three
decades, he motivated farmers
in the Jaunsar-Bawar region to
increase cultivation of cash
crops for increasing their
income.
?=BQ 347A03D=
Taking cognizance of the
less number of allotments
as compared to the applications
received under the ambitious
Chief Minister Solar Self
Employment scheme to pro-
vide self employment oppor-
tunities in solar power sector,
the secretary power and alter-
native energy Radhika Jha has
directed the officers of
Uttarakhand Renewable
Energy Development Agency
(UREDA) and Uttarakhand
Power Corporation Limited
(UPCL) to expedite the process
of allotment of projects.
A total of 529 entrepre-
neurs have so far applied for the
scheme and out of them only
75 projects have been approved
by the UREDA. Not happy at
the slow pace of the scheme,
the secretary has directed that
the officers concerned should
ensure that the required pen-
dency in the applications are
complete so that all the appli-
cants get the approval to start
the project.
With an objective to pro-
vide self employment oppor-
tunities to the youths who
have returned back to their
native places due to the pan-
demic of Covid-19 and the
small and marginal farmers, the
state government launched,
Chief Minister Solar Self
employment scheme on
October 8 last year.
Jha said that on the sug-
gestion of the chief minister
Trivendra Singh Rawat the
solar power plants of 20 MW
capacity on 25 KVA trans-
formers have been approved. In
a review meeting the CM had
suggested that since the
Uttarakhand Power
Corporation Limited (UPCL)
mostly has transformers of 25
KVA in the mountainous areas,
the solar power plants of 20
MW capacity should be
approved. In view of the sug-
gestions made by the district
magistrates (DM), the govern-
ment has made some changes
in the process of allotments so
that more and more people are
attracted towards the scheme.
It is worth mentioning here
that the tentative cost of a 25
MW solar power plant is about
Rs 10 lakhs. The banks are pro-
viding loans for the scheme. A
25 MW plant roughly produces
38000 units of power in a year.
The power produced by
the entrepreneur would be
purchased by UPCL as per the
Power Purchase Agreement
(PPA) with the producer. It is
estimated that an entrepre-
neur can earn Rs 1.70 lakh
from a 25 MW power plant
annually.
?=BQ 347A03D=
Though the Municipal
Corporation of Dehradun
(MCD) claimed last year to
provide employment opportu-
nities to over 10,000 locals with
the projects like smart vending
zonesandweddingpointsacross
the city, the corporation is still
waiting for the approval of the
State Government to start these
projects. Last year, the corpora-
tion announced the construc-
tion of 19 smart vending zones
and about10 wedding points
across the city. The senior offi-
cialsalsoaskedwardcounsellors
to recommend locations to set
upweddingpointswhichcanbe
used by locals for conduct of
wedding ceremonies in afford-
able rates. However, the officials
informed that the MCD had
sent a proposal to State
Government in October for the
approvaloftheseprojectsbutthe
corporationhasnotreceivedany
response so far. We have sent
the proposal last year but the
government's approval is still
pending for the construction of
vending zones and wedding
points.Wehavetheplansbutwe
can execute them only after get-
ting government's nod, said
municipal commissioner, Vinay
Shankar Pandey.
According to the officials,
the corporation has collected
the data of most of the active
local vendors in the city which
will help the MCD team to plan
the construction of smart vend-
ing zones accordingly. The cor-
poration will commence the
preparation for these projects
like floating the tenders accord-
ingly as soon as they get the
approval, as per the officials.
?=BQ 347A03D=
The number of novel
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
cases in Uttarakhand
increased to 95826 on
Wednesday with the state
health department reporting
85 new cases of the disease.
The department also report-
ed the death of three patients
on Wednesday which
increased the death tally from
the disease to 1639 in the state.
The health authorities dis-
charged 96 patients from dif-
ferent hospitals of the state fol-
lowing their recovery on the
day. A total of 91419 patients
have so far recovered from the
disease. The recovery per-
centage in the state now
stands at 94.40 percent and
the sample positivity rate is
4.57 percent.
Two patients of the dis-
ease were reported dead at
Mahant Indiresh hospital
Dehradun on Wednesday
while one patient succumbed
to the disease at Sushila Tiwari
government hospital
Haldwani on the day.
The state health depart-
ment reported 44 new cases of
Covid-19 from Dehradun, 20
from Nainital, 11 from
Haridwar, six from Udham
Singh Nagar, two from
Pithoragarh and one each
from Bageshwar and
Champawat districts on
Wednesday. No new case of
the disease was reported from
Almora, Chamoli, Pauri,
Rudraprayag, Tehri and
Uttarkashi districts on the
day.
With an increasing num-
ber of recoveries and reduc-
tion in the number of new
cases, the active cases of the
diseases are decreasing rapid-
ly in the state. The state now
has only 1439 active cases of
the disease. Dehradun is at the
top of the table of active cases
with 308 cases while with 272
active cases Nainital is at sec-
ond position. Haridwar has
191, Almora 128, Bageshwar
125, Udham Singh Nagar 113,
Pithoragarh 73, Tehri 65,
Uttarkashi 61, Pauri 50,
Rudraprayag 26, Chamoli 18
and Champawat nine active
cases of the disease.
Meanwhile 144 health
workers were vaccinated in
two vaccine sessions held in
the state on Wednesday. These
sessions were held in Pauri
districts. A total of 14690
workers have so far been vac-
cinated in 231 vaccine sessions
in the state.
?=BQ 347A03D=
Expressing unhappiness over
lesser number of hospitals
being empanelled in the recent-
ly launched State Government
Health Scheme (SGHS) and
other anomalies in the proce-
dural issues in the scheme, the
state government employee
associations have demanded
that their suggestions should be
included in the scheme. In the
SGHS launched on January 1
this year, cashless treatment is
provided to the employees and
pensioners of Uttarakhand gov-
ernment. The scheme was dis-
cussed in detail in a meeting of
the high power committee of
the State Employees Joint
Council Uttarakhand on
Wednesday. The general sec-
retary of the council, Arun
Pandey said in the meeting that
it was discussed that the num-
ber of hospitals empanelled in
the scheme is very less. The
multispecialty hospitals like
Max hospital Dehradun, Fortis
and Kailash hospitals are not
included in the scheme.
Similarly the Mendanta hospi-
tal Gurugram, Gurudev
Hospital Rudrapur and others
are not providing medical facil-
ities to the employees under the
scheme. Pandey further added
that many empanelled hospitals
are hesitating to provide better
care and facility due to the less
package offered under the
scheme. In the meeting the
employee leaders asserted that
the employees are facing many
problems in the scheme and
the state government should
convene a meeting of different
employee associations to dis-
cuss the issue. Pandey said
that the suggestions proposed
by the employee associations
should be included in the
scheme. He said that a website
of the scheme should be
launched so that all informa-
tion regarding the cashless
scheme is readily available to
the employees.
The meeting was attended
by Thakur Prahlad Singh,
Nandkishore Tripathi, Shakti
Prasad Bhatt and others.
?=BQ 347A03D=
Promoting the recycling of
domestic garbage in the
city, the Dehradun Mayor Sunil
Uniyal 'Gama' inaugurated the
new benches constructed from
the recycled materials by a
N o n - G o v e r n m e n t a l
Organisation (NGO), Waste
Warriors in Gandhi Park on
Wednesday.
The benches are made
from the cardboard prepared
by recycling the waste like
juice boxes and milk cartons
thrown by locals in dumps.
Appreciating the initiative
of the organisation, 'Gama'
stated that preparing useful
products from waste materials
like the sturdy benches installed
in Gandhi Park can resolve var-
ious garbage related issues in
the city. It will also raise aware-
ness among people about prop-
er garbage disposal and com-
pels them to look at the garbage
in a different way, said the
mayor. According to him, such
initiatives will not only con-
tribute to reducing waste dis-
posal issue in the city but will
also increase better employ-
ment opportunities for rag
pickers. Further, the officials
also informed that the corpo-
ration will possibly soon install
such benches in the premises of
the municipal corporation too.
Moreover, the municipal com-
missioner, Vinay Shankar
Pandey and chief municipal
health officer, Dr Kailash Joshi
were also present during the
inauguration ceremony besides
the mayor.
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?=BQ =4F34;78
The National Investigation
Agency (NIA) has taken up
probe into the murder of
Comrade Balwinder Singh
Sandhu of Punjab. Sandhu was
a Shaurya Chakra awardee and
hewasshotdeadbytwouniden-
tified men in the early hours of
October 16, 2020 at the resi-
dence-cum-school run by him
in Bhikiwind, Tarn Taran,
Punjab.
After committing the mur-
der, the assailants had imme-
diately escaped on a motorcy-
cle. A case FIR No: 174 /20
dated October 16, 2020 was
filed under Indian Penal Code
(IPC) Sections relating to mur-
der and common intention
besides provisions of the Arms
Act in connection with
Sandhu’s murder on the state-
ment of the wife of the
deceased, Jagdish Kaur.
“During the peak of ter-
rorism in Punjab, Comrade
Balwinder Singh and his fam-
ily had fearlessly fought ter-
rorists. For this fearless fight,
the Government of India,
awarded him “Shaurya Chakra”
in 1993. Besides Balwinder
Singh Sandhu and his wife
Jagdish Kaur, his elder broth-
er Ranjit Singh and his wife
Balraj Kaur had also received
the Shaurya Chakra,” the NIA
said in a statement.
During the initial investi-
gation by Punjab Police, it was
revealedthatthekillingwasexe-
cuted under a conspiracy
hatched by Pakistan-based
KhalistaniterroristLakvirSingh
Rode and his handlers in
Pakistani intelligence agency,
ISI, it said.The killing of
Comrade Balwinder Singh was
executed through Sukhmeet
Pal Singh alias Sukh Bhikariwal
of village Bhikariwal, Kalanaur,
Gurdaspur, a gangster- turned-
terrorist, it further said.
“Considering the gravity of
the offence and its inter-state
and international ramifica-
tions, the Ministry of Home
Affairs, Government directed
NIA to take up the investiga-
tion of the case. In compliance
of these directions, NIA has re-
registered the case and has
taken up the investigation,” it
added.
?=BQ =4F34;78
The Enforcement
Directorate (ED) has
attached movable property in
the form of seized cash
amounting to C 80 lakh in a
money laundering case related
to corruption and criminal
misconduct by MP Dixit, the
then Chairman-cum-
Managing Director of South
Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (SECL).
Dixit had allegedly
demanded and agreed to accept
illegal gratification of C1 crore
for illegally favouring a private
entity Maruti Clean Coal
Power Ltd. (MCCPL).
Investigation under
Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PMLA) was
initiated on the basis of the FIR
registered by CBI, Anti-
Corruption Unit (ACU)-II,
New Delhi under Indian Penal
Code Section relating to crim-
inal conspiracy and provisions
of the Prevention of
Corruption Act, 1988 against
Dixit, Vijendra Singh, Surojit
Samanta, VN Singh, Bajrang
Lal Aggrawal, Ram Avatar
Aggarwal, Sanjay Singh, Vinod
Baid and Naveen Sharma.
“Investigation under
PMLA revealed that accused
MP Dixit, the then Chairman-
cum-Managing Director of
South Eastern Coalfields Ltd.
(SECL), had demanded and
agreed to accept illegal gratifi-
cation of C 1 crore for illegal-
ly favouring a private entity
namely Maruti Clean Coal
Power Ltd. (MCCPL). MP
Dixit in connivance with oth-
ers, through a maze of events,
attempted to indulge in acqui-
sition of C 80 Lacs as part pay-
ment which was received by
VN Singh on behalf and
instructions of MP Dixit. The
amount of C 80 Lacs acquired
as a result of criminal activities
related to the scheduled offence
of criminal conspiracy and
corruption, being proceeds of
crime, has been provisionally
attached under PMLA,” it said,
adding, further investigation is
under progress.
?=BQ =4F34;78
The World Health
Organisation (WHO) has
taken exception to the bilater-
al deals on Covid-19 vaccines
being carried out between
countries and companies,
warning that such moves were
putting at risk the promise of
Covax, the WHO led global
initiative aimed to ensure rapid
and equitable access to the
jabs against the pathogens.
“Of some 50 countries
where Covid-19 vaccines are
being administered, nearly all
are wealthy nations and 75 per-
cent of doses have been
deployed in only ten countries,”
said WHO Director-General
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
in his speech at a meeting in
Geneva. COVAX is the global
initiative to ensure rapid and
equitable access to COVID-19
vaccines for all countries,
regardless of income level.
“At least 56 bilateral vac-
cine deals have been signed,
which fragments the market,
forces countries to compete,
and drives up prices of Covid-
19 vaccines,” he pointed out.
Vaccine nationalism is
self-defeating and inefficient,
leaving the world's poorest and
most vulnerable people at risk,
he warned. The emergence of
rapidly spreading variants
makes the urgent and equitable
rollout of vaccines all the more
important.
It is understandable that
governments want to prioritize
vaccinating their own health
workers and older people first.
But it is not right that younger,
healthier adults in rich coun-
tries are vaccinated before
health workers and older peo-
ple in poorer countries, Tedros
said.
The situation is com-
pounded by the fact that most
manufacturers have prioritized
regulatory approval in rich
countries where the profits are
highest, rather than submitting
full dossiers to WHO, he said.
To put it bluntly: many coun-
tries have bought more vaccine
than they need.
The WHO chief called on
all manufacturers of vaccines
that meet international stan-
dards of safety, efficacy, and
quality to prioritize their sub-
mission to WHO for
Emergency Use Listing, the
Xinhua news agency reported.
He stressed that Covax
needs to receive extra doses
soon, and not the leftovers
many months from now.
Last week, COVAX had
announced that, pending
WHO emergency use listings,
nearly 150 million doses of the
AstraZeneca/Oxford candidate
are anticipated to be available
in the first quarter of 2021, via
existing agreements with the
Serum Institute of India (SII)
and AstraZeneca.
2021 could be a year with
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0A270=09HC8Q =4F34;78
The proposed C 9,167-crore
multipurpose hydropower
dam on river Ujh in Jammu
Kashmir's Kathua region is
inching towards reality. The two
central green panels have given
nod to the diversion of 4,350
hectares of land including about
680 hectares of forest land and
felling of over two lakh trees for
the project, which they said is
of ‘national importance’.
The project, which envis-
ages construction of a 116-
metre dam, is part of India’s
endeavour to step up use of the
water available under the Indus
Water Treaty and is proposed
on rive Ujh, a tributary of
River Ravi that flows into
Pakistan--a part of the Indus
river basin system.
It was considered for envi-
ronment and forest clearance
by the Union Environment
Ministry’s expert appraisal
committee (EAC) and forest
advisory committee (FAC)
respectively in December 2020.
Both the expert panels have
recommended clearance to the
project. Wildlife clearance was
already granted to the project
in August 2020.
The project comprises of a
116-metre high concrete face
rockfill dam, a powerhouse of
installed capacity 186
megawatts and a barrage 11.5
kilometre downstream of the
dam, ensuring annual irriga-
tion of about 31,380 hectares.
During its meeting on
December 22, 2020, the FAC
observed that this project is of
“national importance which
provides geopolitical strategic
advantage in form of more
effective use of water of Ujh
River.”
“This project will amelio-
rate the agricultural and power
sectors in the otherwise barren
Kandi area. It will also be a
boon in the dry Kandi belt
which is reeling under the
peril of impending water crisis
during the dry season and also
reduce the miseries of floods in
the monsoons,” noted the min-
utes of the FAC’s meeting.
The minutes highlighted
that that the panel accepted the
“justification” given by the JK
authorities regarding “consid-
ering a patch of compensatory
afforestation area that is of
less than five hectares after
detailed deliberation on the
overall proposal.”
The FAC recommended
the project after “thorough
deliberation” and noted that a
large number of trees are pro-
posed to be cut due to the pro-
ject. “Every effort shall be made
to ensure that trees are felled
only when felling is unavoidable
and it shall be done in a phased
manner. The administration
shall therefore also ensure that
compensatory afforestation is
taken up in the first year of the
construction of the project,
and adequate post-planting
measures are taken to ensure
healthy growth of the regener-
ated forest,” as per the minutes.
The panel also asked the
authorities to ensure that the
resettlement and rehabilitation
plan is not proposed over for-
est land.Following FAC nod,
the project was discussed by
ministry’s EAC for river valley
and hydroelectric project which
noted that in all 52 villages with
3,700 families are likely to lose
their homes in the land acqui-
sition process for construc-
tion of the dam.
“The project will provide
relief from the miseries of
floods to the people living in
the area. The project has the
scope of indirect benefits such
as pisciculture, tourism and
other progressive development.
Job opportunities will drasti-
cally improve in this area. At
present most of the population
sustains on agriculture and
allied activities. There are no
major industries or other
avenues of occupation in the
area,” the EAC’s minutes said.
It further said that the “ter-
restrial fauna in the Ujh multi-
purpose project” area includes
mammals, birds, reptiles, but-
terflies and amphibians. Some
of the birds found in the region
include Black-winged Kite,
Great-horned Owl, Black-faced
Banting, Blue-throated barbet,
Common Hawk Chuckoo,
Common Indian Nightjar and
Common myna … Some of
them (mammals) found in the
project vicinity are Asiatic
Jackal, Barking deer, Common
Grey Mongoose, Grey Musk
Shrew, Himalayan Hoary bellied
squirrel, Himalayan palm civet,
Himalayan rat, House Rat,
Indian Fox besides jungle cat
and leopard, which have the
highest protection under India’s
wildlife laws.
The panel has also called for
review of the project regarding
its impact on environment
“after five years of its commis-
sioning.”
?=BQ =4F34;78
Flagging health of the soil
and post-harvest manage-
ment as major areas of concern
for the Indian farm sector,
Agriculture Minister Narendra
Singh Tomar on Wednesday
said the Government has set up
a C1 lakh crore fund under
Aatmanirbhar Bharat pro-
gramme to strengthen the stor-
age infrastructure and reduce
post-harvesting losses.
Speaking at a panel dis-
cussion on 'Unlocking
Innovation to Transform Food
Systems' during the World
Economic Forum's week-long
online Davos Agenda Summit,
the minister also said more
than 80 crore people are being
provided adequate food
through the National Food
Security Act, under which the
Government provides five kg of
wheat and rice per person, per
month at a highly subsidised
price of Rs 2-3 per kg.
He was replying to a query
on what actions the govern-
ment of India was taking to
catalyse innovations and seek
fresh solutions to transform the
food systems. Tomar said nutri-
tion is a big focus and priority
area for the country and the
Government has launched a
National Nutrition Mission
also.
On the other hand, wider
research by the Indian Council
for Agriculture Research
(ICAR) is taking place for pro-
ducing new varieties that can
reach everyone. The concern
is primarily of the soil health.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched a programme in 2016
under which 12 crore farmers
have been given soil-health
cards. We are now emphasising
on adoption of these cards to
use balanced fertilisers in a
more efficient manner and to
increase productivity, Tomar
said.
Production and produc-
tivity are being ramped up by
strong research and develop-
ment network and we already
seeing an upward trend in agri
production, he said, adding
that ICAR is focussing on
developing climate-resilient
and nutritious varieties. Tomar
further said, Post-harvest
management is also a major
concern for us and to deal with
that, Prime Minister Modi has
given a slogan of making India
self-reliant.
Under the Aatmanirbhar
Bharat Yojana, we have set up
a USD 13 billion dollar (Rs 1
lakh crore) fund for strength-
ening agri-infrastructure and
cold storage, hence reducing
post-harvest losses, he said.
“As far as agriculture is
concerned, we are also laying
emphasis on Research and
Development for production
productivity. It is our effort to
see that the crop can be man-
aged in a proper manner after
harvesting,” he said. Speaking
in the same panel, global fer-
tiliser major Yara
International's CEO Svein Tore
Holsether said as minister
Tomar said, it all comes down
to soil health and technology
can improve soil health.
Healthy soil can not only
provide better quality and
increased farming, but it also
leads to reduced carbon foot-
print and the opportunity to
capture carbon from the
atmosphere as well, he said.
Besides, a large agriculture sec-
tor has a direct effect on the
economy as a whole. With the
tech connectivity and farming,
we can really benefit each
farmer and society as a whole,
Holsether added.
?38G8C=4H;0D=34A8=620B4
?=BQ =4F34;78
At least 23,28,799 people
have been vaccinated in
countrywide Covid-19 vacci-
nation program till date on
Wednesday since January 16
with nine people dying after
taking the jab. However, the
Union Health Ministry said
that these deaths were in no
way linked to the vaccine
“The cumulative number
of healthcare workers vacci-
nated against Covid-199 has
crossed 23 lakh on Wednesday.
A total of 23,28,779 beneficia-
ries (till 6 pm) were vaccinat-
ed through 41,599 sessions, as
per the provisional report. A
total 2,99,299 beneficiaries
were vaccinated on
Wednesday alone through
5,308 sessions held till 6 pm,”
said the Ministry.Final reports
would be completed for the
day by late tonight.
At least 79 per cent of
beneficiaries vaccinated on
Wednesday were from five
States Karnataka, West Bengal,
Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The Ministry said that on
the twelfth day of the vacci-
nation drive, 123 AEFIs have
been reported while a total 16
persons have been hospital-
ized so far. 0.0007 per cent
people have recorded hospi-
talization against vaccinations.
In the last 24 hours, one
person who is suffering from
bacterial sepsis has been hos-
pitalized at Apollo Hospital,
Chennai.Hewasvaccinatedon
23rd January and was hospital-
ized on 24th January, said the
Ministry.
“Total 9 deaths have been
reported so far. None of these
deaths have been causally
linked with COVID-19 vacci-
nation,” it added.
In the last 24 hours, one
person aged 23 years, a resi-
dent of Odisha has died. The
post-mortem report is await-
ed, the Ministry said adding
that no case of serious/severe
AEFI/Death attributable to
vaccination till date.
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renewed hope that we can
overcome the acute phase of
the pandemic, he said. We
cannot succeed as countries
acting alone. Global solidarity
is the only way forward.
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BANGALORE: VK Sasikala, former
general secretary of the AIADMK
and aide to late J Jayalalithaa was
released from the Parappana Agrahara
Central Prison in Bangalore on
Wednesday morning, it was officially
announced by the Government of
Karnataka and her nephew TTV
Dhinakaran.
Hectic parleys are underway in
Chennai where Chief Minister
Edappady Palaniswami and his deputy
O Panneerselvam are chalking out
strategies to counter the moves from
Sasikala camp. EPS had meade it clear
during his trip to the national capital
that Sasikala has no place in the
AIADMK.
“There are possibilities of former
ministers and MPs joining Sasikala in
days to come. Anwar Raja, the former
Ramanathapuram MO and Gokula
Indira, former Tamil Nadu minister are
likely to cast their lots with Sasikala,”
said G Satyamurthy, veteran scribe and
long time specialist in AIADMK mat-
ters.
But Sasikala is undergoing treat-
ment for Covid-19 at the Victoria
Hospital in Bangalore where she was
admitted on January 20.
A medical bulletin issued by the
hospital on Wednesday said though she
has been tested negative for the pan-
demic, as per medical protocol, she
would be discharged on tenth day
(January 30) if she is asymptomatic and
free of oxygen support for at least three
days.
“The decision for her to continue
treatment in Victoria Hospital has been
taken by her and her family members,”
said the bulletin signed by medical
superintendent and director cum
dean of the hospital.
A team of astrologers are working
to find out the auspicious day for
Chinnamma (as she is addressed by
party cadre) to return to Chennai. It
was on February 15, 2017 she left for
Bangalore to serve the four-year rig-
orous imprisonment term slapped on
her by the Special Court Judge in con-
nection with the disproportionate
asset case.
Her nephew Sudhakaran, cousin
Ilavarasi and former chief minister
Jayalalithaa were the co-accused in the
case. Since Jayalalithaa bfreated her last
on December 5, 2016, the supreme
Court which upheld the trial court ver-
dict had released her from the case.
Since her departure to Bangalore,
the AIADMK of which she was the
general secretary went a total trans-
formation as the Edappadi
Palaniswamy and O Panneerselvan duo
took control of the party and eased out
the Mannargudi Mafia (as Sasikala and
her relatives were known) from the
AIADMK.
Dhinakaran launched the Amma
Makkal Munnetra Kazhakam
(AMMK) in 2017 reportedly with the
blessings of Sasikala. The split in the
AIADMK had its repercussion in the
2019 Lok Sabha election as the DMK-
led alliance swept the polls by wrest-
ing 38 out of the 39 constituencies in
the State.
While the DMK-led front polled
52.3 per cent votes, the AIADMK and
its allies had to cintent with just 31.26
per cent votes. The general feeling is
that had the AIADMK faced the polls
unitedly, the result would have been
different. PNS
BPbXZP[PaT[TPbTSUa^YPX[
B0D60AB4=6D?C0Q :;:0C0
Board of Control for Cricket
in India president Sourav
Ganguly was on Wednesday
hospitalised with cardiac dis-
comfort barely three weeks after
being discharged from a hospi-
talwherehewastreatedforheart
blockage.
The former Team India
captainwasrushedtotheApollo
Hospital ---after the State
Government created a special
“green corridor” for hisvehicle -
-- following mild chest pain and
uneasiness, sources said adding
he had a disturbed sleep on
Tuesday night.
The former Indian south-
paw had undergone an angio-
plastyearlythismonthafterdoc-
tors treating him found more
than 90 percent blockage in one
of his coronary arteries. The
other two arteries also have
similar blockages and the doc-
tors had decided to address
those problems at a later date.
The doctors said his ECG
and echocardiogram reports
were not normal adding he an
angiogram to ascertain his con-
dition would be conducted on
Thursday.
Incidentally Ganguli’s elder
brother Snehashis Ganguli also
a former first class cricketer and
Bengal captain too underwent
an angioplasty days after the
BCCI president was treated for
the same ailments. Their father
Chandidas Ganguli too had
similar problems sources said.
The doctors were
tightlippedonwhetherhewould
require more angioplasties. “A
team of four doctors led by Dr
Aftab is monitoring his condi-
tion, and they will take the
decisionasandwhennecessary,”
family sources said adding the
cricketer was doing fine at pre-
sent.
Earlier the doctors treating
him at theWoodlands Hospitals
had said that “he would not
require a by-pass surgery at
this moment as he is compara-
tively young and fit. He would
return to normal life within 3-
4 weeks.”
Meanwhile, anxious calls
had started pouring in from all
parts of the country with Home
Minister Amit Shah being
among the first persons to
enquire about the cricketing
legend’s health. He called up
Bengal BJP observer Kailash
Vijaybargiyatoenquireabouthis
health, sources said.
:D0A274;;0??0=Q :278
As the number of Covid-19 patients in
Kerala crossing the 72,000 mark by
Wednesday,theIndianMedicalAssociationhas
issued a note of caution of an impending hike
in the pandemic. According to the latest data
releasedbyKKShylaja,MinisterforHealth,the
Test Positivity Rate in the State as on
Wednesdaywas11.07percentwhile5,659new
patients were diagnosed with the pandemic on
a single day.Though all States are registering
a drastic reduction in the number of patients
diagnosed with Covid-19, situation in Kerala
is alarming, warns the IMA which has called
for stringent preventive measures to check the
pandemic.
A joint statement signed by Dr Rajiv
Jayadevan, former president of IMA, Dr T V
Ravi and Dr Atul Manual, office bearers of the
Kerala chapter, says that Kerala has the high-
est per centage of Covid-19 patients in the
country. “It is with concern we are watching
the hike in the TPR on a daily basis while the
IntensiveCareUnitsinhospitalsacrosstheState
are getting filled up to capacity. The situation
calls for emergency measures as the State is on
the verge of a third wave of attack by the pan-
demic,” said the doctors.
80)2^eXSRPbTbaXbX]V
bXcdPcX^]VaPeTX]:TaP[P
Jammu:AnArmyjawan,deployedonRoad
Opening party duty, was killed and three
others received splinter injuries when an
improvised explosive device (IED) explod-
ed near Shamshipura area of Khanabal in
Kulgam district on Wednesday.
The IED blast took place when jawans
oftheroadopeningpartyweresanitisingthe
generalareanearKhanabalinKulgam.Soon
after the blast took place the entire area was
cordoned off by the security forces to con-
ductgeneralsearchesinthearea.Meanwhile,
all the four injured jawans were rushed to
the 92 Base hospital in Srinagar.
Defence PRO in Srinagar Col Rajesh
Kalia said, “The IED blast took place
around 10.15 a.m in which four jawans of
the road opening party received splinter
injuries in general area
Shamshipura,Khanabal in Kulgam district
on Wednesday”.
Defence PRO said, all the four injured
jawansweregivenfirstaidandrushedtothe
92 Base hospital where one of them suc-
cumbed to his injuries.
]TYPfP]ZX[[TS
^cWTabX]YdaTSX]843
Q[PbcX]:d[VP
Amaravati: Government employee associations
in Andhra Pradesh have been assured by the State
Government of safety in the forthcoming pan-
chayat elections.
The state government promised it will make
sure there are no hiccups.Chief Secretary Aditya
Nath Das spoke to the employee unions and told
them about the model code of conduct and their
duties.
As it is not an easy task to carry out elections
and vaccination at the same time, he informed the
employees that the state government had written
to the central government for guidance.
Das also told the employees that he will dis-
cuss with State Election Commissioner
Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar about the concerns
raised by the employees.
Meanwhile, representative of the employees
union Venkatrami Reddy said they requested the
government to provide all facilities for protection
duringelectionduty.”Werequestedthegovernment
to grant compensation of Rs 50 lakh to those
employees who succumb to coronavirus during
election duty,” said Reddy.
They also requested the government not to
deploy women employees over 50 years of age for
election duty, including those employees suffer-
ing from health problems. The employees' repre-
sentatives said they will extend all support for the
elections. Chandrasekhar Reddy, another repre-
sentative, said they requested Das to vaccinate
employees and then deploy them on election duty,
which he said will discuss with the SEC.
Bopparaju Venkateshwarlu, revenue employ-
ees representative, said he requested the chief sec-
retary to ensure that employees receive PPE kits
which the SEC promised them. IANS
Panaji: The political leadership in Goa
should take lessons from global lead-
ers like Russian President Vladimir
Putin and all 40 MLAs in the State
should volunteer to get themselves vac-
cinated with Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin'
vaccine, doubts about whose efficacy
continue to linger, Goa Opposition
MLAs said on Wednesday.
“Covid management has become
a carnival (in Goa). If you vaccinate
people with Covaxin and if it impacts
people negatively, it will create a big-
ger problem,” former Deputy Chief
Minister and Goa Forward MLA Vijai
Sardesai said.
“If you have confidence in the vac-
cine, let the leaders get vaccinated first.
Even Putin got it administered to him-
self first,” Sardesai said, adding that Goa
ranked 23rd out of 29 states in terms
of vaccine coverage, which he said,
meant that people of Goa had no faith
in 'Covaxin'.
Sardesai was speaking during a
congratulatory motion moved in the
state Assembly to congratulate Prime
Minister Narendra Modi for efficient
handling of the Covid-19 crisis, as well
as quick roll-out of the country's vac-
cination programme.
The motion was moved by BJP
MLA from Shiroda constituency
Subhash Shirodkar, who said that at a
time when countries around the world
were exploring options for a second
lockdown, India had already launched
headlong into a vaccination drive.
“Our indigenously developed vaccine
will be administered not just in India,
but also in neighbouring countries,”
Shirodkar said.
“Except Pakistan, all our neigh-
bours are using our vaccine (Covaxin).
Even Brazil is using the vaccine,” Goa
Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho
said.
Opposition MLA and former min-
ister Rohan Khaunte however urged
the government not to give people a
sense of “false confidence” about
Covaxin, which he said had not been
put through the critical third stage tri-
als.
“I request the CM to ensure that all
40 MLAs should take the vaccine
first, only then people will get confi-
dence to get themselves vaccinated,”
Khaunte said, adding that MLAs were
being asked as to why they were not
one of the first lot to be vaccinated.
Summing up the discussions on
the congratulatory motion, Chief
Minister Pramod Sawant thanked the
Prime Minister for imposing a quick
lockdown, which Sawant said kept
Covid-19 cases in the country to the
minimum.
“We are sad that more than 700
have died (in Goa). But we have also
managed to save more than 50,000.
Suggestions are welcome but we need
to stand together in this time of need,”
Sawant said.
“The PM is being praised global-
ly for his leadership,” he said. IANS
Patna: Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Afzar Shamshi
was shot at by three unidentified assailants from close range in Bihar's
Munger district on Wednesday.
Munger Superintendent of Police (SP), Manavjit Singh Dhillon, told
IANS that Shamshi received a gunshot injury in the lower back side of
his head and was referred to Patna for treatment.
“We have arrested one person identified as Lalan Kumar Singh in
connection with the case,” Dhillon said.
The incident took place at nearly 12.30 p.m. when Shamshi was on
his way to Ramsakha Satyabhama Evening Inter College at Munger.
Shamshi is a professor in this college and also has an influential role in
its administration.
After reaching the college gate, Shamshi stepped out of his car and
entered the college. At the same time three assailants fired three to four
times at him and one of the bullets hit him in the lower back side of his
head.
Shamshi fell to the ground in an unconscious state. The college's staff
rushed him to the Sadar hospital.
“Shamshi gave a statement and his condition is said to be stable. The
Bihar BJP leader alleged that one of the college faculty identified as Lalan
Kumar Singh is responsible for the attack. The accused pressured Shamshi
to hand over the finance department of the college to him and also want-
ed other departments as well which led to a dispute between them,”
Dhillon told IANS.
“We have arrested Lalan on charges of attempt to murder and crim-
inal conspiracy and efforts are on to nab three other persons who were
allegedly hired by him to execute the crime,” he added.
Following the incident, the BJP state President Sanjay Jaiswal, said
he would talk to Director General Of Police (DGP) S.K. Singhal for speedy
investigation in the matter.
“The incident is extremely shocking and painful,” he
added.
Maintaining law and order is turning out to be quite a challenge for
the Bihar police with Indigo Airlines Bihar Chief Rupesh Kumar Singh
being gunned down on January 12, an Agriculture official Ajay Kumar
kidnapped and murdered on January 20, a youth killed in Patna city on
January 26 and now the latest case of the BJP Spokesperson being shot
at in
Munger. IANS
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Pradesh Congress
Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran said on
Wednesday that he would not contest the Assembly elec-
tions slated to be held this year.
The former Union Minister of State for Home said
that he would instead continue as state party chief and
lead the Congress-led UDF to electoral victory, just as it
had done by winning 19 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the
2019 general elections in the state.
“I will not contest in the coming elections. My sole
aim is to bring the Congress and the UDF back to power
in Kerala. The misrule and anti-people policies of the Left
government has taken a toll on the state's people. My can-
didature is not a big issue. As a responsible state
Congress President, I am working tirelessly to bring back
the party to power,” Ramachandran told IANS on
phone.
The seven-term MP has thus put to rest speculations
on his candidature from the Kalpetta seat in Wayanad dis-
trict or Koyilandi in Kozhikode district.
Ramachandran, who enjoys an unblemished politi-
cal track record, has been a “giant killer”. He had defeat-
ed CPI-M's then sitting MP P Sathidevi by a huge vote
margin from the red bastion of Vatakara in Kozhikode
district in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
It was after several decades that the Congress had
wrested the seat from the CPI-M. Kozhikode is the home
town of Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former CPI-
M Secretary and Politburo member Kodiyeri
Balakrishnan.
There were rumours that Ramachandran would be
projected as a chief ministerial candidate along with
Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala, and that the
Congress high command would make Kannur MP K
Sudhakaran as the KPCC chief if Ramachandran opted
to throw his hat in the electoral ring.
Even Sudhakaran had told the media that he would
like to become the KPCC President and that he would
do justice to the post. IANS
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Jammu : A sensational case of
fraudulent loot of 1.34 crores
from the Ministry of Minority
Affairs has come to light after
a team of Jammu and Kashmir
Crime Branch Wednesday
arrested one of the accused hail-
ing from West Bengal.
“A team headed by a
Deputy Superintendent of
Policeproceededto WestBengal
and arrested accused Selim
Sekh of Tinsatabighi Berabad
village in Malda district. He was
wanted in many FIRs pertain-
ing to fraudulent siphoning of
Government funds,” a Crime
Branch statement said.
The investigations were
going on in the case FIR no
04/2020 U/S 420,468, 120b-
RPC, 66(D)IT Act, 5(2) PC Act
of Crime Branch Kashmir.
Sharing details of modus
operandi of the accused, the
crime branch statement said,
the accused in criminal con-
spiracy with co-accused
uploaded fake application forms
on the National Scholarship
Portal for Merit cum Means
Scholarship under the Minority
Quota for Jammu and Kashmir
students during 2018-19 for
Kulgam district. Subsequently,
fake verifications were con-
ducted from institutes that did
not exist in states mentioned in
the application forms.
The accused allegedly
showedfakebeneficiariesasres-
identsofKulgamdistrictandthus
gotitverifiedbythedistrictSocial
Welfare Officer through deceit
andmanagedtotransferRs1.34
crore from the Ministry of
MinorityAffairsintoaccountsof
463fakebeneficiariesinbranch-
esofStateBankofIndia,Bankof
Baroda, United Bank of India
(now PNB), Allahabad Bank,
IDFC Bank and Bangiya Vikas
Gramin Bank in different dis-
tricts of West Bengal. PNS
%DUUHVWV%HQJDOPDQIRU
XSORDGLQJIDNHDSSOLFDWLRQ
IRUPVRQ163LQ- .
Agartala: At least 87 teachers
and 17 police personnel were
injured in a pitched battle on
Wednesday with the security
forces knocking down the tents
in which thousands of Tripura
Government schoolteachers,
who had lost their jobs follow-
ing the court's verdict, have
been holding sit-in protest for
the past 52 days demanding
restoration of their jobs.
Inspector General of Police
(Law and Order) Arindam
Nath told IANS that 223 agi-
tating teachers were arrested as
they assembled near the official
residence of Chief Minister
Biplab Kumar Deb.
West Tripura District
Magistrate and Collector
Shailesh Kumar Yadav, before
the gathering of the teachers
near the CM's residence, had
promulgated prohibitory
orders 144 Cr Pc in the entire
Agartala Municipal
Corporation areas banning
assembly of five or more peo-
ple.
“In all 87 teachers and 17
police personnel were injured
in today's (Wednesday) inci-
dents (police lathicharge, use of
water cannon and burst of tear
gas shells). The agitating teach-
ers also damaged four police
cars. Considering the situation,
the prohibitory orders were
extended for another 48 hours,”
Yadav told the media.
Police spokesman Subrata
Chakraborty said that two
cases were registered against
the agitating teachers.
The injured teachers,
including many women, were
admitted in the Agartala
Medical College and Hospital
and Indira Gandhi Memorial
hospital here.
Opposition Communist
Party of India-Marxist,
Congress and other political
parties condemning
Wednesday's incident said that
“indiscriminate police action
and lathicharge were barbaric”.
Ruling Bharatiya Janata
Party said that the teachers' agi-
tations were backed by the
CPI-M and politically moti-
vated. “The teachers had lost
their jobs following the courts'
verdict. The BJP government
has been making alternative
arrangements for them. Only
few hundred teachers with
political purpose are organising
agitations,” BJP spokesman
Nabendu Bhattacharjee told
the media.
Referring Wednesday's
police action, CPI-M state sec-
retary Gautam Das said that
Tripura never witnessed such
police barbarism.
“An unprecedented num-
ber of security personnel were
deployed to deal with the hap-
less teachers. Police used lathi,
water cannon and burst tear gas
shells to disperse the teachers'
gatherings.
“Ten policemen collective-
ly seen used their batons on a
teacher. Women teachers were
also not spared by the man
policemen,” Das, also the
party's central committee
member, told the media.
Braving the cold weather,
men and women teachers con-
tinued their indefinite sit-in in
Agartala since beginning the
protest on December 7 last
year, demanding their rein-
statement.
The agitating teachers from
undergraduate to postgraduate
level have rejected the BJP-led
government's appeal to apply
afresh for the vacant posts in
different departments for
which separate notifications
were issued at the end of last
year.
Dalia Das, joint convener
of the Joint Movement
Committee (JMC), which is
spearheading the stir since last
year, said that of the 10,323
retrenched government teach-
ers, 84 persons died due to var-
ious reasons, including three
persons who committed sui-
cide.
“Many out of the 10,323
teachers after losing their jobs
fell sick due to depression and
economic paucity and 84 of
them died. The family mem-
bers of all the retrenched teach-
ers are in great distress, espe-
cially of those who have died,”
she said.
Small kids, children and
family elders of the agitating
teachers occasionally take part
in the round the clock sit-in.
Both Chief Minister and
Education and Law Minister
Ratan Lal Nath have on a
number of occasions request-
ed the agitating teachers to
compete for around 9,000
vacant posts in various depart-
ments, including the Education
Department, for which the
state government issued
recruitment notifications.
Nath repeatedly accused
the previous Left Front gov-
ernment for the teachers' plight
and told the media that the
government cannot provide
jobs to any one without fol-
lowing the stipulated formali-
ties, including conducting
interviews.”The Supreme Court
had relaxed the stipulated age
limit for government jobs for
these teachers - they should
avail the scope,” he said.
After visiting the hospital,
where the injured teachers are
being treated, former Chief
Minister Manik Sarkar, who is
now the opposition leader, told
the media that after the Tripura
High Court and the Supreme
Court had terminated the jobs
of 10,323 government teachers
in 2011, 2014 and 2017, the
then Left Front government
had created 13,000 posts to
accommodate these teachers
alternatively.
He said the BJP leaders
before the 2018 Assembly polls
had promised to regularise
their jobs if they came to
power, but nothing has been
done by them for these teach-
ers. Sarkar, who's also a polit-
buro member of the CPI-M,
recently led separate delega-
tions of Left MLAs to Governor
Ramesh Bais and the Chief
Minister and requested them to
take suitable steps for the teach-
ers' reinstatement.
On the government's offer
of jobs, JMC leader Das said
the teachers have already com-
pleted their government service
for seven to 10 years and sev-
eral of them crossed their stip-
ulated age limit and the state
government's offer is “unrea-
sonable” and against the inter-
est of the teachers.
She said the protesters had
suspended their agitation ear-
lier after the Chief Minister on
October 3 last year assured to
take steps to resolve their prob-
lems permanently within two
months.
“Today (Wednesday) we
have planned to meet the Chief
Minister at the civil secretari-
at. Before that we had taken
one of our injured woman
teachers to the hospital and at
that time police suddenly start-
ed lathi charging on teachers,”
Das told the media.
“After waiting for more
than two months, we resumed
our sit-in stir on December 7
but the state government is yet
to take any step. We would
soon intensify our agitation,”
Das said.
The state government had
earlier given a lump-sum finan-
cial aid of Rs 35,000 each to
8,882 government school
teachers, who lost their jobs on
March 31 last year, as the
courts in their verdicts had
cited “discrepancies in recruit-
ments”. IANS
eTa X]YdaTSX]_^[XRTcTPRWTaR[PbWX]CaX_daP
C=A067D=0C70Q D108
In a second arrest in less than
one year, the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) has arrested
former chairman of Yes Bank
Rana Kapoor in a money laun-
dering case linked to the Mack
Star Group-Rs 4300 crore PMC
Bank scam case.
Rana Kapoor is the third
person to have been arrested in
the Mack Star Group-PMC
Bank scam case. On January 23,
ED had arrested Mehul Thakur
and Madan Gopal Chaturvedi
in this year. A day ahead of
these arrests, the ED conduct-
ed raids at ten premises includ-
ing the residence of former
underworld don Bhai Thakur
and offices of Viva Group
which is controlled by his fam-
ily.
Sixty-three-year-old Rana
Kapoor -- who had earlier been
on March 8 last year for alleged
money laundering involving
Yes Bank and scam-hit reality
company Dewan Housing
Finance Limited (DHFL) – is
currently in jail in the DHFL
case.
Rana Kapoor, who faces the
charge of sanctioning a Rs.200-
crore loan to Mack Star
Marketing Pvt. Ltd (a group of
the HDIL promoters Rakesh
Wadhawan and Sarang
Wadhawan), was produced
before a PMLA court which
remanded in ED custody till
January 30.
The ED’s charge against
Rana Kapoor is that he had
siphoned off the loan amounts
and given a lifeline to HDIL’s
group companies to settle their
outstanding with Yes Bank to
prevent them from becoming
NPAs.
HDIL’s Rakesh Wadhawan
and Sarang Wadhawan, who are
also prime accused in the PMC
Bank scam, held a stake in
Mack Star which is under the
ED scanner for a Rs.200-crore
loan given by Yes Bank for ren-
ovating its premises.
This is the second time
Kapoor has been arrested in less
than 10 months. It may be
recalled that on March 8 last
year, the ED had arrested Rana
Kapoor on March 8 this year for
alleged money laundering
involving Yes Bank and scam-
hit reality company Dewan
Housing Finance Limited
(DHFL).
The ED’s contention was
that the value of the property
mortgaged with DHFL was
inflated to Rs.750 crore against
the cover-up loan of Rs.600
crore to M/s DOIT Urban
Ventures (India) Pvt. Ltd
(DUVIPL). The money alleged-
ly laundered by Kapoor was
used for personal purposes and
hence alleged that there was a
criminal conspiracy between
Kapoor and the DHFL in the
deal.
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Mumbai:The Covid-19 deaths in Maharashtra
dropped to 32 and the infections came down to
2,171,even asthenumberofpeopledischargedfrom
various hospitals across the State climbed to 2,556.A
day after Covid-19 claimed 57 lives and infected
2,405 others, the daily death tally slid to 32, while
the infections dropped to 2171.
With fresh deaths, the total pandemic deaths
climbed from 60,862 to 50,894 on Wednesday.
Similarly, with 2171 new infected cases, total infec-
tions in the state climbed from 20,13353 cases to
20,15,524.
As 2556 patients were discharged from the hos-
pitals across the state after full recovery, the total
numberofpeopledischargedfromthehospitalssince
the second week of March last year went up to
19,20,006 The recovery rate in the state rose mar-
ginally from 95.24 per cent to 95.25 per cent..
With six fresh deaths, the Covid-19 toll in
Mumbairosefrom11,317to11,323,whiletheinfect-
edcaseswentupby435totriggerajumpintheinfec-
tionsfrom306740to307174 to3,04,653.Meanwhile,
the number of “active cases” total cases in the state
dropped from 43,811 to 43,393. The fatality rate in
the state stood at 2.53 per cent.
Pune district, which continued to be the worst-
affected city-district in Maharashtra, saw the total
number of cases increase from 3,86,220 to 3,86,543.
while the total number of deaths in Pune went up
from 7906 to 7910. PNS
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