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...1 day ago  · on January 26, Modi was quot-ed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi...

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P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday affirmed that his Government’s propos- al to suspend implementation of the farm laws for 18 months still stands as negotiations with agitating farmers to resolve the deadlock continue. In the all-party meet that he chaired before the presen- tation of the Union Finance Budget on Monday, the Prime Minister reiterated Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s comment that “he is a phone call away for the talks.” Even as the Government has offered to put the new laws in abeyance for 18 months, a dominant section of protesting farmers and Opposition parties are adamant on their repeal. The nine rounds of talks have failed to provide a break- through in the ongoing 56-days farmers’ protest on the outskirts of Delhi. The Budget Session may have heated discussion on farm laws, military face-off with China on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and eco- nomic situation post-Covid-19. On the “unfortunate vio- lence” in the national Capital on January 26, Modi was quot- ed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi that “law will take its own course”. As the Government held out the offer, a number of Opposition parties demanded more discussion on the laws. Joshi also said the Government is ready for dis- cussions on a range of issues that the Opposition wants. He said discussion will be taken up in the second half of the Budget Session. “During the all-party meet, PM Narendra Modi assured that GoI (Government of India) is approaching the farm- ers’ issue with an open mind. The PM said GoI’s stand is same as it was on January 22 - the proposal by the Agriculture Minister still stands,” the Parliamentary Minister said after the meeting. “He (the Prime Minister) reiterated what (Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh) Tomarji said — that he (the Agriculture Minister) is a phone call away for talks,” Joshi added. The meeting took place a day after 20 Opposition parties underlined their support of the protesting farmers — by boycotting the President’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament — and included a discussion on the Republic Day violence and, in particular, the incident at the Red Fort. Opposition parties con- demned the violence but also demanded an investigation into how “outside elements” had infiltrated the farmers’ move- ment. Joshi said the Prime Minister reaffirmed the impor- tance of smooth functioning of Parliament and comprehen- sive debates on the floor of the House. He added that “frequent disruptions mean smaller par- ties suffer as they can’t express themselves adequately.” Modi said that it is for the bigger parties to ensure Parliament functions smooth- ly, there are no disruptions and thus, the smaller parties are able to voice their views in Parliament. He highlighted the role India can play to further glob- al good in a many sectors and referred to the skills and prowess of “our people, which can be a force multiplier to global prosperity,” said Joshi. Turn to Page 4 W hile agitating farmers’ unions boycotted talks with the Supreme Court- appointed committee, as many as 17 farmers’ organisations from 11 States and Union Territories participated in the deliberations over the farm laws and the minimum support price. These groups are not the part of the ongoing protests by 41 unions at Delhi borders. This was the second round of deliberations between farm- ers’ organisations and the com- mittee members. The organisations from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh gave their frank views and detailed suggestions on the farm laws. According to the commit- tee, the farmers’ unions par- ticipated in the deliberations, given suggestions in details and expressed their viewpoints over the three laws. The third round of deliberations with farmers’ organisations will be held on February 3. The com- mittee has also invited com- ments, views and suggestions from the public and all stake- holders engaged in the agri- culture activities including dairying and fisheries on the three laws by February 20. The committee comprises agricultural economists Ashok Gulati and Dr Pramod Joshi, and Shethkari Sangathana pres- ident Anil Ghanwat. Another member BS Mann had recused from the committee following the pressure of farmers unions in Punjab. The Supreme Court had on January 12 set up the commit- tee to give a report to the court on the farm laws following con- sultations with all stakeholders. The Supreme Court had also stayed the implementation of three farm laws. The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha continues to protest at Delhi’s borders — Tikri, Singhu, and Ghazipur. P eeved over developments at the Ghazipur border site of farmers’ protest, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) on Friday re-launched its stir over the new farm laws, just a day after it had announced with- drawing its protest in Noida. BKU (Lok Shakti) chief Thakur Sheoraj Singh Bhati called on the union’s support- ers, who were camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida, to now reach Ghazipur border, where BKU members are stay- ing put. In a video message, Singh also appealed to BKU (Lok Shakti) supporters in western Uttar Pradesh to reach the farmers’ mahapanchayat that was convened in Muzaffarnagar. Turn to Page 4 T he Supreme Court Collegium is understood to have withdrawn its approval to a proposal for the appointment of an additional judge of the Bombay High Court, Justice P V Ganediwala, as a permanent judge of the court following her two controversial verdicts in sexual assault cases. The decision was taken after the judge faced flak for her interpretation of sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a source said. Justice Pushpa Ganediwala recently acquitted a man accused of groping a 12-year- old girl’s breast because he did not make skin-to-skin contact and days earlier, ruled that holding the hands of a five- year-old girl and unzipping the trousers do not amount to “sexual assault” under the POCSO Act. On January 27, the Supreme Court stayed the Bombay HC order acquitting the man after Attorney General KK Venugopal said the order would set a dangerous precedent. Turn to Page 4 A lmost a fortnight after its vaccine Covishield along with the Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin became part of India’s mega vaccination drive against Covid-19, Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) on Saturday said that it was hope- ful of launching Covovax — developed in partnership with American vaccine developer Novavax — by June this year. The US-based pharma firm’s Covid jab was found to be 89.3 per cent effective in a trial in the United Kingdom. Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the world’s biggest vaccine maker, tweeted that they have already applied for local trials for the vaccine candidate in India. “Our partnership for a Covid-19 vaccine with @Novavax has also published excellent efficacy results. We have also applied to start trials in India. Hope to launch #COVOVAX by June 2021!” Poonawalla tweeted. Earlier this month, India began the world’s largest inoc- ulation drive after the drug regulator DCGI cleared Covishield and Covaxin. Turn to Page 4 F ormer West Bengal Minister Rajib Banerjee, who recent- ly quit the Trinamool Congress, joined the BJP in Delhi on Saturday along with a few other leaders of the State’s rul- ing party after meeting senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP pres- ident JP Nadda is away in Tamil Nadu. The TMC leaders flew in here by a special plane. Banerjee and MLAs Prabir Ghosal and Baishali Dalmiya, who was recently expelled from the TMC, and former Howrah Mayor Rathin Chakraborty met senior central BJP leaders before they were inducted into the party. “They have joined the BJP,” party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said following the meeting. Former TMC MLA Parthasarathi Chattopadhyay and actor Rudranil Ghosh had also accompanied them on their visit to meet BJP leaders in the national Capital. BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy and Vijayvargiya arrived in Delhi with them. The TMC, which has been facing exodus of a number of leaders ahead of the Assembly election due in April-May, said that those who are leaving do not have long political history. Earlier in the day, Banerjee said he had a word with Union Home Minister Amit Shah who called him to Delhi. “After I resigned from the TMC, I received a call from the BJP leadership.... Amit Shah ji told me to come over to Delhi. He also requested me to pass on the information to five other important public figures who wanted to serve people in a better way to accompany me. “If I get an assurance on the State's development, if I get an assurance that I can work for the betterment of people, I will join the BJP,” he told reporters at the Kolkata airport. The TMC in West Bengal was on Friday rocked by a fresh bout of desertions as Banerjee quit the party and several other leaders rallied behind him, deepening the crisis in the party. Turn to Page 4 A team of Delhi Police Special Cell on Saturday visited the blast site near the Israel embassy to collect more evidence as part of its ongoing probe. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) too reached the IED blast spot and inspected the area. The National Security Guard (NSG) has been roped in by the Centre to examine characteristics of the explosives used in the explosion. Investigators probing the blast near the Israel embassy have not come across any- thing concrete yet as most of the CCTV cameras near the site of the explosion were non- functional at the time of inci- dent, said the official police sources. A CCTV footage of the Israel embassy blast site obtained by the Special Cell team has revealed that a cab had dropped two persons who walked towards the spot near the embassy where the IED explosion took place on Friday evening. Cops have contacted the driver of the vehicle and sketches of the two people are being prepared “We have recovered some CCTV footage but have not obtained anything concrete yet as most of the CCTV cameras near the embassy are non- functional. The footage showed a vehicle moving suspiciously near the embassy just before the explosion,” said the source. It was claimed that the cab driver himself had called police, he has been identified and is being questioned and verifying his statements. Turn to Page 4 F armers protesting at the three sites on Delhi borders held a day-long fast, between 9 am and 5 pm, as they observed “Sadbhavna Divas” to mark the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Meanwhile, hundreds of farmers stayed put at the Ghazipur Border on Saturday morning, as more supporters poured in at the protest site on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad following which Delhi Police shut down NH-24 highway and all roads leading to Ghazipur border. Union Home Ministry temporarily suspended internet services in Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri borders and their adjoin- ing areas from 11 pm of 29 January to 11 pm of 31 January to “maintain public safety and averting public emergency” amid the farmers’ protest. Meanwhile, a second notice has been issued by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch to nine farmer leaders, including Rakesh Tikait. Delhi Police carried out raids in Punjab’s Jalandhar on Friday to arrest Jugraj Singh and Navpreet Singh who hoisted the Nishan Sahib flag at Red Fort on January 26. Meanwhile, 38 cases were registered till now in farmer’s rally matter and 84 persons have been arrested,” said police. Turn to Page 4 B JP national president JP Nadda on Saturday said his party’s alliance with the AIADMK would continue for the Assembly elections, due in Tamil Nadu in a few months. Both parties would face the polls together, he said, address- ing a public meeting, his first in the run up to the Assembly elections expected in April or early May. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi facil- itated projects like the defence corridor for Tamil Nadu while the state was “ignored” during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime. Turn to Page 4
Transcript

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    Prime Minister NarendraModi on Saturday affirmedthat his Government’s propos-al to suspend implementationof the farm laws for 18 monthsstill stands as negotiations withagitating farmers to resolvethe deadlock continue.

    In the all-party meet thathe chaired before the presen-tation of the Union FinanceBudget on Monday, the PrimeMinister reiterated AgricultureMinister Narendra SinghTomar’s comment that “he is aphone call away for the talks.”

    Even as the Governmenthas offered to put the new lawsin abeyance for 18 months, adominant section of protestingfarmers and Opposition partiesare adamant on their repeal.

    The nine rounds of talkshave failed to provide a break-through in the ongoing 56-daysfarmers’ protest on the outskirtsof Delhi.

    The Budget Session mayhave heated discussion on farmlaws, military face-off withChina on the Line of ActualControl in Ladakh and eco-nomic situation post-Covid-19.

    On the “unfortunate vio-lence” in the national Capitalon January 26, Modi was quot-ed by Parliamentary AffairsMinister Pralhad Joshi that“law will take its own course”.

    As the Government heldout the offer, a number ofOpposition parties demandedmore discussion on the laws.

    Joshi also said theGovernment is ready for dis-cussions on a range of issuesthat the Opposition wants. Hesaid discussion will be taken upin the second half of the BudgetSession.

    “During the all-party meet,PM Narendra Modi assuredthat GoI (Government ofIndia) is approaching the farm-ers’ issue with an open mind.

    The PM said GoI’s stand issame as it was on January 22 -the proposal by the AgricultureMinister still stands,” theParliamentary Minister saidafter the meeting.

    “He (the Prime Minister)reiterated what (AgricultureMinister Narendra Singh)Tomarji said — that he (theAgriculture Minister) is aphone call away for talks,”Joshi added.

    The meeting took place aday after 20 Opposition partiesunderlined their support ofthe protesting farmers — byboycotting the President’saddress to a joint sitting ofParliament — and included adiscussion on the RepublicDay violence and, in particular,the incident at the Red Fort.

    Opposition parties con-demned the violence but alsodemanded an investigation intohow “outside elements” had

    infiltrated the farmers’ move-ment.

    Joshi said the PrimeMinister reaffirmed the impor-tance of smooth functioning ofParliament and comprehen-sive debates on the floor of theHouse.

    He added that “frequentdisruptions mean smaller par-ties suffer as they can’t expressthemselves adequately.”

    Modi said that it is for thebigger parties to ensureParliament functions smooth-ly, there are no disruptions andthus, the smaller parties areable to voice their views inParliament.

    He highlighted the roleIndia can play to further glob-al good in a many sectors andreferred to the skills andprowess of “our people, whichcan be a force multiplier toglobal prosperity,” said Joshi.

    Turn to Page 4

    �������������� 012��1345

    While agitating farmers’unions boycotted talkswith the Supreme Court-appointed committee, as manyas 17 farmers’ organisationsfrom 11 States and UnionTerritories participated in thedeliberations over the farmlaws and the minimum supportprice. These groups are not thepart of the ongoing protests by41 unions at Delhi borders.This was the second round ofdeliberations between farm-ers’ organisations and the com-mittee members.

    The organisations fromAndhra Pradesh, Gujarat,Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,Odisha, Tamil Nadu,Telangana, Uttarakhand and

    Uttar Pradesh gave their frankviews and detailed suggestionson the farm laws.

    According to the commit-tee, the farmers’ unions par-ticipated in the deliberations,given suggestions in detailsand expressed their viewpointsover the three laws. The thirdround of deliberations withfarmers’ organisations will beheld on February 3. The com-mittee has also invited com-ments, views and suggestionsfrom the public and all stake-holders engaged in the agri-culture activities includingdairying and fisheries on thethree laws by February 20.

    The committee comprises

    agricultural economists AshokGulati and Dr Pramod Joshi,and Shethkari Sangathana pres-ident Anil Ghanwat. Anothermember BS Mann had recusedfrom the committee followingthe pressure of farmers unionsin Punjab.

    The Supreme Court had onJanuary 12 set up the commit-tee to give a report to the courton the farm laws following con-sultations with all stakeholders.The Supreme Court had alsostayed the implementation ofthree farm laws.

    The Sanyukt Kisan Morchacontinues to protest at Delhi’sborders — Tikri, Singhu, andGhazipur.

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    Peeved over developments atthe Ghazipur border site offarmers’ protest, the BharatiyaKisan Union (Lok Shakti) onFriday re-launched its stir overthe new farm laws, just a dayafter it had announced with-drawing its protest in Noida.

    BKU (Lok Shakti) chiefThakur Sheoraj Singh Bhaticalled on the union’s support-ers, who were camping at theDalit Prerna Sthal in Noida, tonow reach Ghazipur border,where BKU members are stay-ing put.

    In a video message, Singhalso appealed to BKU (LokShakti) supporters in westernUttar Pradesh to reach thefarmers’ mahapanchayat thatwas convened inMuzaffarnagar.

    Turn to Page 4

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    The Supreme CourtCollegium is understood tohave withdrawn its approval toa proposal for the appointmentof an additional judge of theBombay High Court, Justice PV Ganediwala, as a permanentjudge of the court following hertwo controversial verdicts insexual assault cases.

    The decision was takenafter the judge faced flak for herinterpretation of sexual assaultunder the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences(POCSO) Act, a source said.

    Justice Pushpa Ganediwalarecently acquitted a manaccused of groping a 12-year-old girl’s breast because he did

    not make skin-to-skin contactand days earlier, ruled thatholding the hands of a five-year-old girl and unzippingthe trousers do not amount to“sexual assault” under thePOCSO Act.

    On January 27, theSupreme Court stayed theBombay HC order acquittingthe man after Attorney GeneralKK Venugopal said the orderwould set a dangerous precedent.

    Turn to Page 4

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    Almost a fortnight after itsvaccine Covishield alongwith the Bharat Biotech’sCovaxin became part of India’smega vaccination drive againstCovid-19, Pune-based SerumInstitute of India (SII) onSaturday said that it was hope-ful of launching Covovax —developed in partnership withAmerican vaccine developerNovavax — by June this year.

    The US-based pharmafirm’s Covid jab was found tobe 89.3 per cent effective in atrial in the United Kingdom.

    Adar Poonawalla, CEO ofthe world’s biggest vaccinemaker, tweeted that they have

    already applied for local trialsfor the vaccine candidate inIndia. “Our partnership for aCovid-19 vaccine with@Novavax has also publishedexcellent efficacy results. Wehave also applied to start trialsin India. Hope to launch#COVOVAX by June 2021!”Poonawalla tweeted.

    Earlier this month, Indiabegan the world’s largest inoc-ulation drive after the drugregulator DCGI clearedCovishield and Covaxin.

    Turn to Page 4

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    Former West Bengal MinisterRajib Banerjee, who recent-ly quit the Trinamool Congress,joined the BJP in Delhi onSaturday along with a fewother leaders of the State’s rul-ing party after meeting seniorBJP leader and Union HomeMinister Amit Shah. BJP pres-ident JP Nadda is away inTamil Nadu.

    The TMC leaders flew inhere by a special plane.

    Banerjee and MLAs PrabirGhosal and Baishali Dalmiya,who was recently expelled fromthe TMC, and former HowrahMayor Rathin Chakrabortymet senior central BJP leadersbefore they were inducted intothe party.

    “They have joined the BJP,”party general secretary KailashVijayvargiya said following themeeting.

    Former TMC MLAParthasarathi Chattopadhyayand actor Rudranil Ghosh hadalso accompanied them ontheir visit to meet BJP leadersin the national Capital. BJPnational vice-president MukulRoy and Vijayvargiya arrived inDelhi with them.

    The TMC, which has beenfacing exodus of a number ofleaders ahead of the Assemblyelection due in April-May, saidthat those who are leaving donot have long political history.

    Earlier in the day, Banerjeesaid he had a word with UnionHome Minister Amit Shahwho called him to Delhi.

    “After I resigned from theTMC, I received a call from theBJP leadership.... Amit Shah jitold me to come over to Delhi.He also requested me to passon the information to fiveother important public figureswho wanted to serve people ina better way to accompanyme. “If I get an assurance on theState's development, if I get anassurance that I can work forthe betterment of people, I willjoin the BJP,” he told reportersat the Kolkata airport.

    The TMC in West Bengalwas on Friday rocked by a freshbout of desertions as Banerjeequit the party and several otherleaders rallied behind him,deepening the crisis in theparty.

    Turn to Page 4

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    Ateam of Delhi PoliceSpecial Cell on Saturdayvisited the blast site near theIsrael embassy to collect moreevidence as part of its ongoingprobe. The NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA)too reached the IED blast spotand inspected the area. TheNational Security Guard (NSG)has been roped in by the Centreto examine characteristics ofthe explosives used in theexplosion.

    Investigators probing theblast near the Israel embassyhave not come across any-thing concrete yet as most ofthe CCTV cameras near thesite of the explosion were non-functional at the time of inci-dent, said the official policesources.

    A CCTV footage of theIsrael embassy blast siteobtained by the Special Cellteam has revealed that a cabhad dropped two persons whowalked towards the spot nearthe embassy where the IEDexplosion took place on Fridayevening. Cops have contactedthe driver of the vehicle andsketches of the two people arebeing prepared

    “We have recovered someCCTV footage but have notobtained anything concrete yet

    as most of the CCTV camerasnear the embassy are non-functional. The footage showeda vehicle moving suspiciouslynear the embassy just beforethe explosion,” said the source.

    It was claimed that the cabdriver himself had called police,he has been identified and isbeing questioned and verifyinghis statements.

    Turn to Page 4

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    Farmers protesting at thethree sites on Delhi bordersheld a day-long fast, between 9am and 5 pm, as they observed“Sadbhavna Divas” to mark thedeath anniversary of MahatmaGandhi.

    Meanwhile, hundreds offarmers stayed put at theGhazipur Border on Saturdaymorning, as more supporterspoured in at the protest site onthe Delhi-Meerut Expresswayin Ghaziabad following whichDelhi Police shut down NH-24highway and all roads leadingto Ghazipur border.

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    services in Singhu, Ghazipur,Tikri borders and their adjoin-ing areas from 11 pm of 29January to 11 pm of 31 Januaryto “maintain public safety andaverting public emergency”amid the farmers’ protest.

    Meanwhile, a secondnotice has been issued by theSpecial Investigation Team(SIT) of the Crime Branch tonine farmer leaders, includingRakesh Tikait. Delhi Policecarried out raids in Punjab’sJalandhar on Friday to arrestJugraj Singh and NavpreetSingh who hoisted the NishanSahib flag at Red Fort onJanuary 26.

    Meanwhile, 38 cases wereregistered till now in farmer’s

    rally matter and 84 personshave been arrested,” said police.

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    BJP national president JPNadda on Saturday saidhis party’s alliance with theAIADMK would continue forthe Assembly elections, due inTamil Nadu in a few months.

    Both parties would face thepolls together, he said, address-ing a public meeting, his firstin the run up to the Assemblyelections expected in April orearly May. He said PrimeMinister Narendra Modi facil-itated projects like the defencecorridor for Tamil Nadu whilethe state was “ignored” duringthe Congress-led UnitedProgressive Alliance regime.

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    Ateam of forensic experts onSaturday visited the RedFort to collect evidence in con-nection with the violence thatbroke out at the iconic monu-ment on Republic Day. TheCrime Branch of Delhi Policeis investigating the matter andseveral teams have been formedto identify the culprits.

    The force has termed thevandalisation at the fort as an“anti-national act”. “A team offorensic experts visited RedFort and it is collecting evi-dence,” an official said.

    The protesting farmers hadclashed with police during thetractor parade called by farmerunions to highlight theirdemand for repeal of theCentre’s three farm laws.Around 50 police personnelwere injured.

    Many of the protesters,driving tractors, reached theRed Fort while some of themhoisted religious flags on itsdomes and the flagstaff at theramparts, where the nationalf lag is unfurled by the Prime Minister onIndependence Day.

    On Friday, the Delhi Police

    had issued an appeal in leadingnewspapers asking people toshare any evidence or information about the violence.

    “All members of the public,

    including media persons, whoare witnesses to the incidents orhave any information about theincident or have captured anyactivity on their mobile phonesor camera, are hereby request-

    ed to come forward and givetheir statements/footage/pic-ture in their possession atroom number 215, secondfloor, Old Delhi PoliceHeadquarters, ITO during

    office hours, on any workingday or contact on 8750871237or 011-23490094 or send e-mail [email protected],” the appeal stated.

    �������������� 012��1345�

    Delhi Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia wasawarded the “Mahatma” awardfor promoting excellence ineducation.

    Speaking on the occasion,Sisodia said that MahatmaGandhi played a crucial role inthe independence movementby involving the people withprivilege in the service of dis-advantaged people. “The role isbeing played today by the folksinvolved in Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) followingthe Gandhian principles,” hesaid.

    Mahatma Award is insti-tuted by Aditya Birla Group tocelebrate the work of socialimpact leaders and changemakers.

    Rajashree Birla and RatanNaval Tata have been some ofthe recipients of this award inthe past. The other awardeesthis year included AzimHashim Premji, FounderChairman of Wipro andShabana Azmi, Indian actressamong others.

    Deputy CM Sisodiaacknowledged that quite a lotof work has happened inimproving the education sys-tem since our independence. “It

    is unfortunate that the currenteducation system caters to onlyfive per cent of our students.These students have become

    highly capable after passing outand earned accolades across theglobe. However, we have stillnot been able to cater to the rest95 per cent of our students,” hesaid.

    “We have not been able toset a minimum benchmark ofquality education in our coun-try because of which many ofour students are deprived ofquality education. DelhiGovernment is workingtowards setting up a mini-mum benchmark for qualityeducation for our schools,” headded.

    �������������� 012��1345

    Senior AAP leader and MCDin-charge Durgesh Pathakon Saturday said that a recentreport by NationalEnvironment Tribunal, CentralPollution Board and IIT-Delhidepicts a loss of �450 crore toDelhi’s environment owing tothe three landfills in the nation-al Capital.

    The analysis report alsostates that the landfills haveruined the underground waterreserve up to 10-15 kms of areaaround those mountains, headded.

    Pathak said that, the peo-ple of Delhi have collectivelydecided to vote for the KejriwalGovernment in the upcomingmunicipal elections as theyhave realised that the BJP hasfailed to effectively run theMCD in the last 15 years.

    Dictating the figures, hesaid that there is 90 lakh MT ofgarbage in Bhalswa landfill, 50

    lakh MT of garbage in Okhlalandfill, and 140 lakh MT ofgarbage in Ghazipur landfill.

    Pathak said, “In the last 15years the biggest achievementof the BJP-ruled MCD hasbeen building three Taj Mahalsin Delhi, one in Bhalswa, onein Okhla and one in Ghazipur.These are the Taj Mahals ofgarbage that welcome you inDelhi from various routeswhether you enter fromHaryana or Uttar Pradesh. Thebiggest symbols of the corrup-tion and inefficiency of the BJPin the MCD are these threegarbage mountains standing in

    Delhi.”Citing a report of ‘National

    Environment Tribunal’, CentralPollution Board and IIT-Delhi,he said in the report they havefound out that these threegarbage mountains have cost aloss of �450 crores to the envi-ronment of Delhi. If you studythe report in detail, they havesaid that the garbage moun-tains have ruined the under-ground water reserve up to 10-15 kms around those moun-tains. This has also affected theenvironment around that areaand made it difficult for thepeople residing in that area.

    �������������� 012��1345

    As part of its campaign to “expose”the “corrupt” practices of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — ruledmunicipal Corporations, the AamAadmi Party (AAP) has completed2,500 “Mohalla Sabhas” on Saturday inwhich 90 per cent of those participat-ed agreed that the corporations havefailed to maintain civic amenities.

    Senior AAP leader and MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said that theAAP has completed all 2,500 MohallaSabhas in which 2.5 lakh people par-ticipated.

    “There was great enthusiasmamong the people for AAP and around90 per cent of the people agree that theBJP has failed in running the MCD.After an analysis of the discussions held,99 per cent people agreed that BJP hasfailed in ensuring cleanliness and 100per cent agreed that BJP does corrup-tion, he added.

    Pathak said that people are per-

    turbed by the corporations and haveagreed that the BJP has failed to run itand they have decided that they willvote for the Kejriwal government in theupcoming municipal election.

    ������������ 012��1345

    The Delhi Disaster ManagementAuthority (DDMA) relaxed institu-tional quarantine norms for fliers fromthe United Kingdom, introduced inDecember, 2020 in the light of new strainof Covid-19, which had emerged there.

    The order dated January 29, 2021and signed by Chief Secretary Vijay Devreleased on Saturday stated the fliersfrom UK who test negative for Covid -19 on Delhi arrival would no longer haveto complete seven days institutionalquarantine, which was compulsory,however, seven days home quarantine iscompulsory.

    The order said that the step wastaken after e review meeting noted lowpositivity rate among UK returnees.

    “Now, therefore, in exercise of powerconferred under section 22 of DisasterManagement Act-2005, the undersigned, in his capacity as chairperson, stateexecutive committee, DDMA, GNCTDhereby directs that all authorities con-cerned shall ensure strict compliance ofStandard Operating Procedure (SoP)issued by Ministry of Health and Family

    Welfare, Government of India from timeto time in this regard with immediateeffect and shall adequately inform andsensitize the field functionaries aboutthese instructions for strict compliancein letter and spirit. Further, strict sur-veillance to be kept on persons who aretested negative at the airport and keptin home quarantine,” the order stated.

    Under the old rule, people whoarrived in Delhi from the UK had tocomplete seven days of institutionalquarantine followed by another sevendays of home quarantine even if theyseven days of home quarantine even if

    they tested negative for Covid -19 onarrival.

    Earlier, who tested positive weremoved to special wards in Covid dedi-cated hospitals — Lol Nayak.

    “The situation has now beenreviewed and considering the low pos-itivity rate of UK returnees, it has beendecided that the additional measure ofcompulsory institutional quarantine oftravellers who test negative may not berequired furthermore. strict surveil-lance to be kept on persons who testedpositive at the airport and kept inhome quarantine,” said the order.

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    The Centre is going to tablea Bill in the Budget Sessionof Parliament banning all pri-vate cryptocurrencies such asBitcoin in India and to dealwith the creation of a legislativeframework for an official dig-ital currency. The Reserve Bankof India (RBI) is exploring theoption of issuing a digital ver-sion of the rupee, which couldserve as the Central BankDigital Currency (CBDC).

    The Bill, ‘TheCryptocurrency andRegulation of Official DigitalCurrency Bill, 2021’ is to betabled in the Lok Sabha Sessionas per the papers placed beforethe Parliament bulletins.

    “To create a facilitativeframework for creation of the-official digital currency to beissued by the Reserve Bank ofIndia. The Bill also seeks toprohibit all private cryptocur-rencies in India, however, itallows for certain exceptions topromote the underlying tech-nology of crytptocurrency andits uses, said the purpose of theBill in the papers placed beforethe bulletins.

    For the past six-sevenyears, including India manycountries were looking for theintroduction of the digital cur-rencies, when Bitcoin like cryp-to currencies started floodingin the World and their tradesbecame proffered in many sec-

    tors. The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) is also exploring theoption of issuing a digital ver-sion of the rupee, which couldserve as the Central BankDigital Currency.

    The proposed bill will pro-vide the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) with the necessary legalpowers to develop a centralbank-backed digital currency(CBDC), according toParliament Bulletin on the newBills to be placed before LokSabha and Rajya Sabha.

    The Government wants topromote the use of blockchainacross various use-cases, thisbill is expected India’s entry theglobal race of digital currenciesor CBDCs while at the sametime banning “private” crypto-currencies like Bitcoin andEthereum among others.Recently China also bannedprivate operators in this field byregularising the governmentoperation on digital or crypto

    currency.The Government’s deci-

    sion to introduce TheCryptocurrency andRegulation of Official DigitalCurrency Bill, 2021 comes aweek after the RBI said it hadbegun exploring the possibili-ty of issuing and developing adigital currency or digitalRupee.

    This is a reversal of theRBI’s position. Back inDecember 2019, RBI GovernorShaktikanta Das said that it wasvery early to speak on CBDCs.“Some discussions are goingon. Technology has yet not fullyevolved. It is still in very incip-ient stage of discussions and theRBI we have examined it inter-nally,” Das said. Indian cryptofounders are taken aback bythis news, but still hope that theGovernment will work with theindustry to ensure that there issome legality to their opera-tions going forward.

    ���������.��� 012��1345

    Agroup of women weaversfrom Tharu tribe in thenorthern buffer of DudhwaTiger Reserve in the Terai regionof Uttar Pradesh are weavingtheir dreams on looms to churnout magnificent colourful car-pets (cotton durries) and anarray of grass-woven products.

    Under the banner of TharuHath Karga Gharelu Udyog – aSelf Help Group (SHG) of thesetribal women from LakhimpurKhiri district in Uttar Pradeshhave recorded a significantincrease in revenues from sale ofcotton carpets and handmadewares made of locally availableMunj grass such as baskets forchapati, planters, fruit baskets,jewellery containers, table mat,paper weight, coasters, etc.

    In 2019-20, they recorded asale of Rs 2.08 lakhs with a netprofit of 80,000. However, thiswas not possible till a few yearsago when these women werestruggling with the traditionallooms which due to excessmoisture caused by flooding ofthe area during monsoonsaffected their output and qual-ity. Timely technological inter-vention and funding supportfrom the Science for Equity,Empowerment andDevelopment (SEED) Divisionof the Central Department ofScience & Technology (DST)under the Union Science andTechnology Ministry has comeas a boon for the SHG, scalingup the production and ensure

    quality. The World Wide Fund

    (WWF) implemented the tech-nology, reducing the inconve-nience caused to the women andalso increased the efficiency ofoperations with quality pro-duction through a number ofways.It has also set up a centrefor production in terms of tech-nological interventions, modi-fication, and improvisation.

    WWF provided financialaid, implementing the technol-ogy, fixing the base of the looms.It also added a second set of ped-als in them, making them oper-able by two weavers, therebyreducing the production time ofthe durries and weaving com-plex designs.

    Wooden shuttles used tra-ditionally were replaced withfiberglass shuttles, which are

    lighter and more efficient. Two pulley based designs -

    Garrari system and Rope rollersystem were designed to avoiddisruption of work continuitywhile adjusting the thread rollerand durrie roller of the loom forgetting a blank thread panel toweave, said an official from theMinistry.Arti Rana, President ofthe Tharu Hath Karga GhareluUdyog at Gabroula village, said“We used to work in a makeshiftstructure earlier and were neverable to work during the rains.

    Now with the productioncentre in place, the number ofworking days and our produc-tivity has increased.”

    As earnings had been good,strength of the group hasswollen from a meagre ten topresent 2,600 women, majorityof them hailing from nearby vil-lages such as Goubrolla,Mangalpurva, Chandanchowki,Balera, Bendari and Dhusia inthe Lakhimpur Khiri district inUP among 42 villages inside thetiger reserve.

    They had been traditional-ly engaged in these handicraftwork which has now been chan-nelised commercially, aug-menting their livelihood.

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    The CBI on Saturday arrest-ed a Deputy Director ofEmployees’ State InsuranceCorporation (ESIC) fordemanding and accepting abribe of �50,000 from the com-plainant.

    The arrest came after theCBI laid a trap against DarbaraSingh, Deputy Director (In-charge Regional Director),ESIC Regional Office, Jammufor demanding and accepting abribe of Rs 50,000 from thecomplainant in the matter.

    A case was registered on acomplaint against the arrestedDeputy Director.

    The complainant, an

    employee of a private firm hasalleged that his firm providessecurity services to differentprivate institutions. It was fur-ther alleged that the com-plainant came to know in themonth of December 2020 thata Notice has been issued to thefirm by ESIC, Regional Office,Shastri Nagar, Jammu. Knowingthis, the complainant and theowner, both visited the office ofESIC to meet the said DeputyDirector. During the meeting,the accused official of the ESICallegedly told the complainantthat their papers were not prop-er and ESIC would impose apenalty of �23,90,850 on themif they would pay him a bribeof �2 lakh, he can reduce the

    penalty amount. After negoti-ation, it was told to pay thebribe in four instalments of�50,000 each.

    “The CBI laid a trap andcaught the accused red-handedwhile demanding and acceptinga bribe of �50,000 (as part oftotal bribe of �2 lakh). Searcheswere conducted at the premis-es of accused in Chandigarh,Mohali and Jammu which ledto recovery of cash of about �7lakh and documents related toproperties,” the CBI said in astatement.

    The accused is being pro-duced before the Court ofSpecial Judge for CBI Cases,Jammu for further action, itadded.

    ����� 012��1345

    Congress on Saturdaylaunched a campaign titledthe ‘Naukri Do Ya DegreeWapas Lo’ (Give employmentor take back degrees) to sensi-tise the Central Governmentover the rising unemploymentacross the country.

    The campaign will be takenacross the country by the grandold party’s students’ wingNational Students Union ofIndia (NSUI).

    Congress has been rakingup the unemployment issuecontinuously and has claimedas per government statistics theunemployment rate in thecountry is at the highest in 45years.

    NSUI national PresidentNeeraj Kundan said that themain motive behind this cam-paign is to point out the reali-ty to a government that has nointerest in giving jobs to theyouth.

    “We would be collectingfive lakh degrees of unem-ployed students. By this, abun-dant evidence will be providedto the Government which willbring out the reality of the CentralGovernment for hiding theactual data of unemployedpeople from the youth of thiscountry,” Kundan said address-ing the media at Congress

    headquarters.NSUI General Secretary

    Nagesh Kariyappa also saidthat youth empowerment andemployment-generation shouldbe the foremost duty of gov-ernment.

    “Considering the facts, abig challenge in India is theabsence of decent work in theorganised sector for the gener-ation of youth. As whatever theGovernment is presenting infront of the public is not thetruth, there is an indispensableneed to look into the fallencharacteristics of youthemployment,” he said.

    At the launch, NSUI alsohighlighted that in 2014, theBJP had promised to generatemore than two crore employment opportunitiesevery year and now, this sumsup to 12 crores and failed toprovide the same.

    “They betrayed the youthof the nation. According to thereport of the National SampleSurvey Office, the rate ofunemployment rose to 6.1 percent in 2017-18, which was 2.2per cent in 2011-12,” the NSUIchief added.

    Congress said that theparty, besides raising the ongo-ing farmers’ protest and fallingeconomy in the Parliament, willalso raise the growing resent-ment within youths due to nojobs in the country.

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    Consumer rights are “impor-tant rights” and non-man-ning of posts and inadequateinfrastructure in district andstate consumer commissionsacross the country woulddeprive the citizens of redressalof their grievances, the SupremeCourt has said.

    The apex court said thiswhile hearing a plea that hasraised the issue of alleged inac-tion by governments in appoint-ing the president, members andstaff in the district and state con-sumer disputes redressal com-missions and the lack of ade-quate infrastructure to run these

    fora.A bench of justices Sanjay

    Kishan Kaul and HrishikeshRoy said the issue raised in theplea is important but the peti-tioner, a law student, has filed a“very sketchy petition” and itdoes not show proper groundwork.

    “We have given a thought tothe matter and consider it tooimportant an issue to be thrownout because of the laxity in col-lection of material and placingthe same before us and thus,consider it appropriate that thesame should be converted intoa suo motu proceeding toenquire into the issue placedbefore us,” the bench said.

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    From Page 1The sources have found that the

    conspiracy of this blast was hatchedabroad and they wanted to take helpof locals to execute this plan.

    The day was well chosen as onthat day agencies were busy tacklingother events such as beating retreat,and the focus of Delhi Police was onState borders. The intention was toshow their presence on an interna-tional level.Another source said thatforensic experts have also collectedsome samples from the crime scenethat will ascertain the chemical com-position used in the low-intensityimprovised explosive device (IED).

    Official sources said ball bearingsseized from the spot were found scat-tered on the ground and the impactof the explosion was felt within aradius of 20-25 metres.

    A half-burnt cloth and polythenebag recovered from the explosion sitenear the Israel Embassy is beingexamined by the authorized agencies.Its link to the incident is yet to beascertained.

    Further cops are questioning afew Iranians living in the nationalCapital. The foreign nationals beingquestioned include those whose visashave expired.

    Meanwhile, probe agencies areinvestigating the Telegram accountfrom which the viral screenshot wassent that claimed Jaish-Ul-Hind hastaken responsibility for the explosion.

    Jaish ul Hind, an unknown orga-nization, has claimed responsibilityafter a screenshot claiming to be frommessaging service Telegram has goneviral on social media in which ‘Jaish-Ul-Hind’ claimed it was behind theblast.

    However cops reiterate that untilany concrete evidence is found it is

    difficult to say. Jaish-Ul-Hind claims,“By the grace and help of AlmightyAllah, soldiers of Jaish-Ul-Hind wereable to infiltrate a high security areain Delhi and carried out an IEDattack. This Allah willingly began aseries of attacks which would targetmajor Indian cities and pay back inkind to the atrocities committed bythe Indian state. Wait and we arewaiting too.”

    The minor blast took place onFriday evening in a high-securityzone of the national Capital. No onewas injured. An envelope addressedto the Israeli Embassy and contain-ing a note was found at the site of theblast.

    Initial investigations revealedthat the IED was planted in a flowerpot on the median near Jindal Houseon A P J Abdul Kalam road outsidethe Israeli embassy, sources said onFriday. Delhi police has already reg-istered a case while the NIA is alsolikely to register a case.

    A 10-member team from theForensic Science Laboratory (FSL)had on Friday visited the blast siteand collected residues which includemetallic swab and ball bearings.

    Delhi Police Commissioner S NShrivastava too had visited the site inthe evening and took stock of the sit-uation. The blast took place whenPresident Ram Nath Kovind, VicePresident M Venkaiah Naidu andPrime Minister Narendra Modi werepresent a couple of kilometres awayat the Beating Retreat ceremony at theculmination of the Republic Day cel-ebrations.

    The explosion took place on aday when India and Israel marked thecompletion of the 29th anniversaryof establishment of their diplomaticrelations.

    From Page 1Covishield has been developed in partner-

    ship with the Oxford University and British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca.

    On the 15th day of launch of the country-wide vaccination, the number of healthcareworkers vaccinated against the pathogen hascrossed the 37 lakh mark. On Saturday alone,2,06,130 beneficiaries have been given jab till 7

    pm.Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat,

    Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Rajasthan, West Bengal and Andhra Pradeshhave reported more than 1 lakh vaccination withUttar Pradesh topping the list at over 4 lakh vac-cination. To push the vaccination pace, theGovernment has asked the States to give jab tothe frontline workers as well from February 1.

    At least 71 AEFIs have been reported sinceJanuary 16 when the vaccination drive waskicked off.

    From Page 1Praising Tamil as the world’s oldest language,

    Nadda, who is here on a one day visit, said when theright person assumed the right place, it led to rightdecisions.

    After Prime Minister Narendra Modiassumed the top office, a ‘safe destiny’ was assuredfor the nation and Tamil Nadu as well, he said. Beit projects like the defence corridor or allocation offunds for Tamil Nadu, the situation changed onlyafter the BJP came to power at the Centre, he said.

    Nadda recalled that Modi had quoted a coupletfrom ‘Tirukkural’ to soldiers at Ladakh and also citedthe Prime Minister’s ‘Yaadum Oorey’ reference ofTamil poet Kaniyan Poongundranar in his speechat the United Nations General Assembly in 2019.Dwelling on Tamil, he said the Tamil people had aunique combination of entrepreneurship, econom-ic and cultural ethos.

    The BJP top leader’s Tamil pitch assumes sig-nificance Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had somedays back alleged that the saffron party had norespect for Tamil language and culture. Naddapraised Madurai as a ‘pious land,’ home of GoddessMeenakshi and recalled the link the temple city haswith Mahatma Gandhi, who decided to use onlydhoti during his visit here. BJP Tamil Nadu unitchief L Murugan said it was his party’s Vetri ‘VetriVel’ yatra that prompted DMK president M K Stalinto ‘hold a Vel’ days ago.

    ‘Vel’ is the spear-like weapon of Lord Murugaand the saffron party had last year held a ‘Vel yatra’in Tamil Nadu. Accusing the DMK of double stan-dards,Murugan alleged that the then Chief MinisterM Karunanidhi was a mute spectator when Tamilskilled in 2009 in the civil war in Sri Lanka. Theparty gave a standing ovation to Nadda for the AIIMSHospital project for Madurai by the Centre. Earlier,when the BJP national chief arrived at the venue ofthe public meeting, he was greeted with slogans of‘Vetri Vel, Veera Vel.” An ancient war cry, it denotesvictory and valour with Lord Muruga’s ‘Vel.’ Nadda,who arrived here last night, was accorded a warmwelcome by party cadres. He visited the famousMeenakshi temple, garlanded a statue of freedomfighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar andchaired a core committee meeting of the party.

    From Page 1The collegium headed by

    Chief Justice S A Bobde, at ameeting held on January 20, hadokayed the proposal for makingJustice Ganediwala a permanentjudge.In two other judgmentsthis month, Justice Ganediwalaacquitted two men accused ofraping minor girls after notingthat the testimonies of the vic-tims did not inspire confidenceto fix criminal liability on theaccused.”No doubt the testimo-ny of the prosecutrix (victim) issufficient for conviction of theaccused. However, the sameought to inspire confidence ofthis court. It ought to be of ster-ling quality,” she said in one ofthe judgments.Justice Pushpa

    Virendra Ganediwala was bornon March 3, 1969 at Paratwadain Maharashtra’s Amravati dis-trict. She was a panel advo-cate for various banks and insur-ance companies and was also anhonorary lecturer in variouscolleges of Amravati and gavelectures to the MBA and LLMstudents of the AmravatiUniversity.She was directlyappointed as a district judge in2007 and was elevated as anadditional judge of the BombayHigh Court on February 13,2019. Besides the CJI, jus-tices N V Ramana and R FNariman are part of the three-member collegium, which takesdecisions with regard to highcourt judges. PTI

    From Page 1“Yesterday, an MLA of

    Ghaziabad had reachedGhazipur protest site along withhis armed supporters. This acthas distressed the soul of (BKUleader) Rakesh Tikait. Anannouncement was maderegarding his arrest and endingof the protest there, but the MLAvitiated the atmosphere thereand Tikait broke down,” Bhatisaid. “BKU (Lok Shakti) will nottolerate any policy of suppres-sion. The government or admin-istration can take any action butno MLA or public representativecan act cruelly with the farmersand BKU (Lok Shakti) will nottolerate this,” he added.

    Bhati said his faction willstand shoulder to shoulder withTikait’s BKU in the fight againstthe new contentious farm laws.

    BKU (Lok Shakti) hadbeen camping at the Dalit PrernaSthal in Noida since December2, demanding the rollback of thethree new farm laws, legalizationof the minimum support pricefor crops and implementation ofrecommendations of theSwaminathan Committeereport.

    Bhati, the faction’s nation-al president, had Thursdayannounced ending the protest inview of the violence duringfarmers’ tractor parade in Delhion Republic Day.

    He and some other of hisunion members later Thursdayalso met with Union AgricultureMinister Narendra Singh Tomar.

    On the union chief ’scall, office bearers of BKU (LokShakti) attended the mahapan-chayat in Muzaffarnagar, whilescores of supporters reachedGhazipur border to join the stirthere on Friday evening. PTI

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    The small and tiny industriesin Tamil Nadu, reelingunder heavy crisis due to a hostof issues, have come out withan action plan to revive the sec-tor through a series of measuresto revive and reenergise theunits.

    Tamil Nadu Small andTiny Industries Association(TANSTIA), an umbrellaorganisation representing sixlakh units that employ morethan a crore workers, has askedthe Union Finance MinisterNirmala Sitaraman to offersome relief which the formerhopes would not only save theworkers but create more jobs.

    “Policies like demonetisa-tion, GST and natural disasterslike Chennai floods, landslidesand Covid-19 have broken thebackbone of these small andtiny units. If the Governmentis willing to offer the sectorsome relief measures, it isgoing to be a win-win situationfor all,” said S Vasudevan, gen-

    eral secretary, TANSTIA.The representation sub-

    mitted by TANSTIA to theFinance Minister requests cer-tain concessions in taxes andoffering some additional taxbenefits to the small and tinyindustries sector which SAnburuajan, president, |TANSTIA describes as inbornissues.

    “We give special consider-ation to infants in the familieswhich face health issues. Thisspecial consideration is offeredto bring such children back tonormalcy,” said Anburajan.

    The list of demands byTANSTIA include a separateincome tax slab for the microand small enterprises. As ondate all industries are charged25 per cent tax. But we wouldlike the government to bringdown the tax rate for microunits to 15 per cent and thesmall sector to 20 per cent, saidthe 23 point charter ofdemands submitted by the sec-tor to the Finance Minister. Ithas pleaded that the maxi-mum interest rates on loans

    availed by the MSME unitsfrom Banks and Non-BankingFinancial Companies should becapped at eight per cent.

    The women entrepreneurswho come forward to set upunits should be given tax incen-tives so that more womenwould come forward which inturn would lead to generationof more jobs, said the memo-randum. The TANSTIA andother organisations represent-ing medium and small indus-tries have been pleading withthe Centre for reasonable con-cessions for the revival of thesector.

    The TANSTIA has sub-mitted a memorandum that haslisted 22 other demands alsoinclude the setting up of a sep-arate MSME Board whichwould offer solutions to thegrievances faced by the sectoron a day-to-day basis, low pre-mium insurance exclusively tothe sector, legislation of a pol-icy which makes it mandatoryfor all Multi NationalCorporations (MNCs) to pro-cure 50 per cent of the com-

    ponents needed for their man-ufacturing from themMSMEs.

    The association’s demandlist include framing of rulesthat offer an easy exit policy tothe entrepreneurs who find itdifficult to sustain the units setup by them. “A promoter whofinds the unit unviable andunsustainable should have thefreedom to wind it up withoutany delay,” said Anburajan.This has been a long standingdemand by the MSME unitsbut opposed by the militanttrade unions and politicians inthe country.

    The entrepreneurs havealso demanded that all unitswhose annual turnover is lessthan Rs two crore be liberatedfrom the shackles of GST.

    “We offer a vibrant andprofitable MSME sector, if theunion government expresses itsreadiness to implement thedemands. We reiterates that itis going to be a win-win situa-tion for all stakeholders if thesedemands find positiveresponse, “ said Vasudevan.’

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    Thiruvananthapuram: With6,282 new Covid cases onSaturday, it seems there is norespite from the pandemic inKerala which had once flattenedthe curve during its initial stages,wining accolades across the globewith international media alsopraising the Kerala governmentand Health Minister K.K.Shailaja.

    Exactly one year after the firstCovid positive case in the coun-try was identified in Kerala'sThrissur, the state government isgroping in the dark over theincrease in cases even though thehealth minister has been putting up a braveface.

    The number of recoveries has touched7,032 giving a glimmer of hope for healthworkers.

    The state has tested 59,759 samples onSaturday, a far cry from the 1,00,000 daily sam-ples which the state has been testing since long.Test positivity rate on Saturday was 10.51 percent.

    71,469 people are under treatment at var-

    ious hospitals in the state, the highest numberof Covid patients under treatment in the coun-try while 18 deaths were reported on Saturday,taking the total death toll to 3,722.

    2,17,434 people are under observation invarious areas of the state. Of this 2,05,926 peo-ple are under home/institutional quarantinewhile 11,508 are under observation at varioushospitals in the state.There are four newhotspots in the state. The total hotspots in thestate now stand at 396. IANS

    Agartala: In a shocking incident,a leader of the ruling BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) in Tripura,Kripa Ranjan Chakma, wasgunned down on Saturday byunidentified gunmen, the policesaid, adding that a combingoperation has been launched tonab the assailants.

    The police said that two tothree assailants with armsattacked the house of the 35-year-old BJP leader in Manikpur

    in Dhalai district in the weehours of Saturday and shot thetribal leader who died on thespot.

    A large contingent of secu-rity forces led by senior officershas launched a search operationin the tribal dominated area tonab the attackers. A local suspecthas been detained in connectionwith the incident.

    The BJP has termed theincident as a “political conspir-

    acy” ahead of the elections to theTripura Tribal AreasAutonomous District Council, apolitically important constitu-tional body.

    “It is very shocking thatKripa Ranjan Chakma has beenkilled. He was a very pro-activeand dedicated person whoworked for the welfare anddevelopment of the tribals,” BJPspokesman NabenduBhattacharjee said. IANS

    Srinagar: On a specific informa-tion provided by New Delhi-based Wild Life Crime ControlBureau, a team of J&K Police,CRPF and officials of the forestdepartment raided the Shirporaarea in south Kashmir's Anantnagdistrict and recovered a largequantity of contraband wildlifeproducts, including eight leopardskin, four musk deer pods and 38bear gall bladders, officials said onSaturday.

    One person identified as GulMohammad Ganai, a resident ofShirpora Anantnag, has beenarrested in connection with thecase. The police have filed a caseand seized all the recoveredbanned items. Further investiga-tions are on.

    The police said that a largequantity of contraband wildlifeitems have also been recoveredfrom Jammu as part of the sameoperation. IANS

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    Moradabad: Ten persons were killedand 13 grievously injured in a collisionbetween a truck and a mini-bus on theMoradabad-Agra highway in UttarPradesh on Saturday. The injured havebeen admitted to the government hospital and district hospital inKundarki, the police said.

    The accident occurred near Nanpurvillage on the Moradabad-Agra high-way. Of the 13 injured persons, some aresaid to be critical.

    Additional Superintendent of Police(ASP) Ashok Singh said, “A private buson the Moradabad-Agra highway wascarrying passengers from Kundarki toMoradabad. As soon as the busapproached the Nanpur culvert, a can-ter which came from the front hit thebus. As a result, the canter overturnedwhile the front side of the bus was dam-aged. At this time, a third vehicle alsohit the bus.”

    After receiving information aboutthe accident, Moradabad police officials

    reached thesite.

    The bodies of the victims wereextricated from the damaged vehiclesand sent to the Moradabad mortuary.Following the accident, long traffic jams

    were witnessed on the highway.The deceased have been identified

    as Rafiuddin's son Kamruddin (36), res-ident of Dhakia Jumma village,Kundarki; Babban's son Feroz (35), res-ident of Kali Masjid, Kundarki; Mehendi

    Hasan's son Ghulam Mohammad (30);Ashak Hussain's son Rizwan (35), a resident of MohallaKayasthan, Kundarki; Mahesh's sonJitendra, a resident of Govind Nagar,Katghar Police Station; Sadan's sonRizwan (20), resident of Kundarki;Budhasen's son Karan Singh (40), res-ident of Safilpur village; Ramcharan'sson Ashok (30), Pipli resident; Umesh'sson Vishal (24), resident of Supani andLakhan Singh's son Rajveer Singh (42),Kundarki.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathhas mourned the deaths of the ten peo-ple. He expressed his condolences to thebereaved families and prayed for peaceto the departed souls.

    The Chief Minister announcedfinancial assistance of Rs two lakh eachto the kin of the deceased and treatmentto the injured persons.

    Yogi Adityanath also announced Rs50,000 to each of the injured in the acci-dent. IANS

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    ������Mumbai:The Mumbai PressClub on Saturday demandedimmediate withdrawal of mul-tiple FIRs against six journal-ists and publishers, includingRajdeep Sardesai and MrinalPande, for “their coverage andcomments” made in connec-tion with farmers’ protest rallyin the national capital onJanuary 26.

    Apart from Rajeep Sardesaiand Mrinal Pande, the otherjournalists and publishersagainst whom multiple FIRswere filed were: Vinod Jose,Zafar Agha, Paresh Nath andAnant Nath.

    Condemning the filing ofmultiple FIRs against six jour-nalists and publishers, theMumbai Press Club rooted forthe immediate withdrawal ofthese FIRs against the 6 jour-nalists, and called upon the

    Union government to stopusing coercive and threateningpractices, like filing of casesunder the UAPA Act, pressingcharges of sedition, etc againstnewspapers and journalists.

    “The events that took placearound the farmers rally onRepublic Day were chaotic andinformation was not easilyavailable.…In these circum-stances, to pin blame on thejournalists for being responsi-ble for the violence and dis-ruption, is reprehensible,”Mumbai Press Club President

    Gurbir Singh said. “Worse still is the attempt

    of the Police to stick seditioncharges on the journalists usingarchaic laws. It shows the grow-ing intolerance of the Uniongovernment against those whodo not toe the line of the rul-ing establishment,” Singh said.

    “The Mumbai Press Clubsees the filing of these FIRs aspart of a dangerous trend in thecountry against the FourthEstate which seeks to demo-nize, and then neutralize, thosewho cover events and issuesthat are not in sync with thegovernment’s policies,” he said,citing the instance of KeralaUnion of Working Journalists(KUWJ) office bearer SiddiqueKappan’s arrest by the UPPolice under the stringentUnlawful Activities(Prevention) Act (UAPA). PNS

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    Houston: A federal appealscourt on Friday ruled that theUS Government could resumeexpelling immigrant childrenwho cross the southern borderunaccompanied by a parent.

    The US Court of Appealsfor the District of ColumbiaCircuit’s stay of a lower courtruling allows President JoeBiden’s administration toresume expulsions begun byformer President DonaldTrump under a public healthpolicy citing the Covid-19 pan-demic.

    The appeals court issued astay that had been requested bythe Trump administration inNovember shortly after a fed-eral judge barred the practice.

    All three judges on thepanel that issued Friday’s orderwere nominated by Trump,who enacted newly restrictivemeasures on immigrationthroughout his presidency. Thejudges are Gregory Katsas,Neomi Rao and Justin Walker.

    Trump’s Republicanadministration institutedexpulsions early in the pan-demic, saying it had to restrictborder crossings to preventthe spread of the virus, thoughpublic health officials later saidthey were told to issue anorder allowing the expulsionsby former Vice President MikePence. Border agents conduct-

    ed more than 180,000 expul-sions in just the last threemonths of 2020.

    Immigration agencies havecontinued expelling most bor-der crossers — adults as well asparents and children together— in Biden’s first days. TheDemocrat has signaled he willroll back other Trump admin-istration policies restrictingimmigration, but his advisershave also said they are con-cerned about allowing allmigrants to cross the borderimmediately. It’s unclearwhether Biden will implementexpulsions of unaccompaniedchildren now.

    At least 8,800 children wereknown to have been expelledprior to the federal court order.They included children asyoung as 9 who were deniedthe chance to request asylum orother protections under USLaw. Many children, including

    some babies with their parents,were detained in hotels in bor-der states before being placedon deportation flights beforeanother judge barred that prac-tice.

    The US Department ofHomeland Security did notimmediately comment, nor didthe US Department of Justice.

    American Civil LibertiesUnion lawyer Lee Gelerntcalled the appeals court’s rulinga “temporary setback.” “Wewill continue to litigate this caseon behalf of these vulnerableunaccompanied children, whoare in need of protection andlegally entitled to apply for asy-lum,” Gelernt said in a state-ment.

    “But we hope the Bidenadministration will not makeongoing litigation necessaryby rescinding this illegal poli-cy created by the Trumpadministration.” AP

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    US Secretary of State TonyBlinken has spoken overphone with Pakistan’s ForeignMinister Shah MahmoodQureshi and discussed theaccountability of convicted ter-rorists responsible for the bru-tal murder of American jour-nalist Daniel Pearl, according tothe State Department.

    Pearl, the 38-year-oldSouth Asia bureau chief for TheWall Street Journal, wasabducted and beheaded whilehe was in Pakistan investigat-ing a story in 2002 on the linksbetween the country’s power-ful spy agency ISI and al-Qaeda.

    State DepartmentSpokesperson Ned Price saidon Friday that Blinken rein-forced America’s concern overPakistan Supreme Court’s rul-ing acquitting Pearl’s killers.

    “Blinken and Qureshi dis-cussed how to ensure account-ability for convicted terroristAhmed Omar Saeed Sheikhand others responsible for thekidnapping and murder ofAmerican journalist DanielPearl,” Price said in a readoutof the call.

    In addition, Blinken and

    Qureshi discussed the impor-tance of continued US-Pakistancooperation on the Afghanpeace process, support forregional stability, and thepotential to expand our tradeand commercial ties, Pricesaid.

    The Pakistan ForeignOffice said in a statement thatthe two leaders discussed“recent developments in theDaniel Pearl case” and Qureshi“underscored that it wasimportant and in the mutualinterest that justice is servedthrough legal means.”

    Qureshi congratulatedSecretary Blinken on assuminghis office, underscoringPakistan’s commitment to forg-ing a comprehensive partner-ship with the United Statesbased on the convergence ofinterests on a whole range ofissues, it said.

    Qureshi told Blinken thatpeace in Afghanistan througha negotiated political settlementwas one of the fundamentalconvergences between the twocountries.

    He said it was essential tohave a reduction in violenceleading to the ceasefire and towork towards securing aninclusive political solution inAfghanistan.

    United Nations: The UN coun-terterrorism chief is urgingcountries to repatriate the27,000 children stranded in amassive camp in northeasternSyria, many of them sons anddaughters of Islamic Stateextremists who once controlledlarge swathes of Iraq and Syria.

    Vladimir Voronkov told aninformal meeting of the U.N.Security Council on Friday that“the horrific situation of thechildren in Al Hol (camp) is oneof the most pressing issues in theworld today.” The 27,000 chil-dren “remain stranded, aban-doned to their fate,” vulnerableto be preyed on by IslamicState enforcers, “and at risk ofradicalisation within the camp,”

    he said. Al Hol, the largestcamp for refugees and dis-placed Syrians in the country, iscurrently home to almost 62,000residents, according to U.N.Humanitarian officials.

    More than 80 per cent arewomen and children, manywho fled there after Islamic Statemilitants lost their last Syrianstronghold in 2019. There are anumber of other camps in thenortheast as well.

    Voronkov said there arechildren from 60 countries inthe camps who are the respon-sibility of their member states,not of Syria or the groups thatcontrol the camps. Kurdishfighters are guarding Al-Holand other camps as well as thou-

    sands of Islamic State fightersand boys in prisons.

    He said a number of coun-tries — including Russia andKazakhstan that convened thevirtual meeting — “have col-lectively repatriated nearly 1,000children and their family mem-bers.”

    Voronkov said the experi-ences of the returnees are beingcompiled “and what we seethus far is that fears of securityrisks have been unfounded.”The executive director of theU.N. Counterterrorism Centerstressed that children “must betreated primarily as victims” andyoungsters under the age of 14should not be detained or pros-ecuted. PTI

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    Moscow: Russian police haveissued a strong warning againstparticipating in protestsplanned for Sunday to call forthe release of jailed oppositionleader Alexei Navalny, theKremlin’s most prominent foe.

    The warning comes amiddetentions of Navalny associatesand opposition journalists anda police plan to restrict move-ment in the center of Moscowon Sunday. Navalny was arrest-ed on January 17 after flyingback to Russia from Germany,where he had spent five monthsrecovering from nerve-agentpoisoning.

    His detention sparkednationwide protests one weekago in about 100 cities; nearly4,000 people were reportedarrested.

    The next demonstration inMoscow is planned forLubyanka Square. The FederalSecurity Service, which Navalnyclaims arrange to have him poi-soned with a Soviet-era nerveagent on behalf of the Kremlin,is headquartered in the square.

    The Russian governmenthas denied a role in the 44-year-old’s poisoning.

    The city police departmentsaid much of central Moscowfrom Red Square to Lubyankawould have pedestrian restric-tions and that seven subway sta-tions in the vicinity would beclosed on Sunday.

    Restaurants in the area alsoare to be closed, and the icon-ic GUM department store onRed Square said it would openonly in the evening. AP

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    Berlin: Germany says drug-makers will deliver at least 5million doses of coronavirusvaccines to the country in thenext three weeks.

    The Health Ministry sayson Twitter that Germany hasalready received 3.5 milliondoses in the past five weeks andadministered 2.2 million shots.

    Health Minister JensSpahn says the new figures fordeliveries from Pfizer,Moderna and AstraZenecawere “good news after a diffi-cult start.” Germany has giventhe first shot to about 2.2% ofits 83 million population.Nearly half a million peoplehad received both shots bySaturday. It’s recommendedthe second shot be given 21 to28 days after the first. AP

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    Washington: As the Bidenadministration considerswhether it should pull remain-ing US Troops out ofAfghanistan in the comingmonths, some fear for the fateof an American who could beleft behind: an abducted con-tractor believed held by aTaliban-linked militant group.

    On the one-year anniver-sary of Mark Frerichs’ abduc-tion, family members and othersupporters are urging the Bidenadministration not to withdrawadditional troops without theNavy veteran being releasedfrom captivity. Frerichs wasabducted one year ago Sundaywhile working in the countryon engineering projects. U.S.Officials believe he is in thecustody of the Haqqani net-work, though the Taliban havenot publicly acknowledgedholding him.

    “We are confident that he’sstill alive and well,” his sister,Charlene Cakora, said in aninterview with The AssociatedPress. “We don’t have anythinking that he’s dead or that

    he’s injured.” For U.S.Diplomats, Frerichs’ captivity isa piece of a much larger geopo-litical puzzle that aims to bal-ance bringing troops home,after a two-decade conflict,with ensuring regional peaceand stability.

    Biden administration offi-cials have made clear that theyare reviewing a February 2020peace deal between the UnitedStates and the Taliban, con-cerned by whether the Talibanare meeting its commitment toreduce violence in Afghanistan.

    The Trump administra-tion, which had made therelease of hostages anddetainees a priority, endedwithout having brought homeFrerichs, who is from Lombard,Illinois. He is one of severalAmericans the Biden adminis-tration is inheriting responsi-bility for, including journalistAustin Tice, who went missingin Syria in 2012, as well as USMarine Trevor Reed andMichigan corporate executivePaul Whelan, both of whom areimprisoned in Russia. AP

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    ����������������"������������� Washington/New Delhi:Unknown miscreants havevandalised, broken and ripped

    from the base a statue ofMahatma Gandhi in a park inthe US state of California,evoking a strong responsefrom India which sought athorough investigation andappropriate action againstthose responsible for the“despicable act.”

    The 6-ft tall, 650-pound(294 kg) bronze statue ofGandhi, in the Central Park ofthe City of Davis in NorthernCalifornia, appeared to havebeen sawed off at the anklesand half its face was severedand missing, local DavisEnterprise daily reported.

    The vandalised statue ofMahatma Gandhi was foundby a park employee in the early

    hours of morning of January27, the police said.

    The statue is beingremoved and will be stored ina safe place until it can be eval-uated, said Davis City coun-cilman Lucas Frerichs.

    Investigators are stillunsure of when exactly thestatue was torn down or whatthe motive may have been, TheSacramento Bee reported. PTI

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    Bangladesh’s Governmentsent a fourth group ofRohingya Muslim refugees toan island in the Bay of Bengalon Saturday, ignoring callsfrom human rights groups fora halt to the move.

    The 1,466 Rohingya whohad been living in the sprawl-ing refugee camps of Cox’sBazar were sent Saturday toBhasan Char, an island specif-ically developed to accommo-date 100,000 of the 1 millionRohingya who have fled fromneighbouring Myanmar. Thatfollows 1,776 refugees whomade the trip on Friday.

    The relocations began inDecember and have been crit-icised by human rights groups,who say many of the refugeesare being forced to moveagainst their will.

    Prime Minister SheikhHasina and her government

    have denied that and said therelocations will continue.

    Bangladesh has said that ultimately it is up toMyanmar to take the refugeesback and has called on theinternational community toput pressure on Myanmar’sGovernment to ensure theirsafe return.

    More than 1 millionRohingya have fled waves ofviolent persecution in theirnative Myanmar and are cur-rently living in overcrowded,squalid refugee camps in Cox'sBazar district.

    “My people and relativescame here earlier. They said itis better here. So, we came,”Aman Ullah, a Rohingyarefugee, said Saturday after hisarrival on Bhasan Char.

    Another said he came vol-untarily. “We were asked tocome. And we came here at ourown will,” said MohammedNuruddin.

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    Thiruvananthapuram:CMPinarayi Vijayan will inaugu-rate on February 1 a three-dayvirtual global conclave thatseeks to lay down the roadmapfor Keralas long-term devel-opment by factoring in per-spectives from top economists,industry leaders, administra-tors and planners amid achanged world order due toCOVID-19.

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    SpiceJet on Saturday said itwill start 20 new domesticflights, including 16 servicesthat will be connecting Jaipurto various cities of the country.

    The remaining four flightswould be on the Kolkata-Pakyong route and Delhi-Dehradun route, said the airline’s press release.

    All 20 new flights wouldbe started in February, it stat-ed.

    Jaipur would be connect-ed through 16 new flights tovarious cities such asDehradun and Surat, it said.

    Shilpa Bhatia, ChiefCommercial Officer, SpiceJetsaid, “There can’t be a bettertime to launch multiple flightsto connect this picturesqueand historical city with othermajor cities owing to the per-fect weather conditions fortravel and tourism.”

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    Pause on price hike of petroland diesel continued onSaturday for the third day in arow after rising consecutivelyon Tuesday and Wednesdayincreasing pump prices forboth auto fuels by 60 paisa perlitre in Delhi.

    With price on hold, petrolcontinued to be available atnew record high of Rs 86.30 alitre in Delhi while diesel wasat Rs 76.48 per litre.

    Across the country as wellthe fuel prices remained atWednesday’s level. In Mumbai,petrol is priced at Rs 92.86 alitre while in Chennai its is atRs 88.82/l and in Kolkata Rs87.69/l. Diesel on the otherhand is at Rs 83.30 a litre inMumbai, Rs 81.71 in Chennaiand Rs 80.08 in Kolkata.

    Though firm global crude

    and product price is the reasonfor the increase in retail priceof petrol and diesel.

    it is interesting to note thateven though crude has beenhovering just over $55 a barrelfor some time now, OMCshave gone in for both a pausein price of auto fuels as wellincrease in its retail prices onconsecutive days.

    Informed sources said thatoil companies may be buildingbuffer on retail price of petroland diesel to prevent any sharpprice increase of governmentdecided to further raise exciseduty on the two products tomobilise addition al revenue.

    Crude price have remainedfirm for last few weeks in wakeof unilateral prod uction cutsannounced by Saudi Arabiaand a pick up in consumptionin all major economies globally.

    ����� )45%3&

    Public sector Satluj Jal VidyutNigam Ltd (SJVNL) onSaturday said it was awardedanother mega hydropower pro-ject in Nepal through interna-tional bidding, includingChinese companies.

    SJVNL Chairman andManaging Director Nand LalSharma said that the Nepalesegovernment has allotted 679MW Lower Arun HydroElectric Project located in theSankhuwasabha and Bhojpurdistricts.

    It will generate 3,561 mil-lion units per annum.

    The Investment Board ofNepal at its meeting on January29, chaired by Prime MinisterK.P.Oli, awarded the project tothe SJVNL.

    Expressing deepest grati-tude to the Prime Minister,Sharma said the project would

    be completed in a time-boundmanner.

    He said the projects beingdeveloped by SJVNL in Nepalwould result in overall devel-opment and boost mutual eco-nomic growth in India andNepal.

    Earlier, SJVNL was award-ed the construction of 900MW Arun III hydroelectricproject and 217 km long 400kV associated transmissionsystem.

    With addition of the LowerArun Hydro Electric Project,SJVNL’s portfolio now stands at8,960.5 MW.

    SJVNL’s present installedcapacity is 2,016.51 MW andaims to be 5,000 MW compa-ny by 2023 and 12,000 MWcompany by 2030, a company’sstatement said.

    The company also has apresence in the field of energytransmission.

    ����� 012��1345

    The BSE has become thecountry’s first exchange tocomplete deliveries of Goldmini contracts under BSE-BISIndia Good Delivery Standardon its commodity derivativesplatform on January 29, 2021.

    Even though the BSE hadlaunched India’s first ‘options ingoods’ contracts on gold miniand silver kg based on spotprices in June 2020, these con-tracts were delivered using ser-ial-numbered gold barsapproved by the LondonBullion Market Association(LBMA). The Gold mini‘options in goods’ contractsdelivered on Saturday weredelivered based on BSE-BISIndia Good Delivery Standardsin alignment with “Make inIndia” and “AtmanirbharBharat” initiatives.

    Commenting on this mile-stone, Sameer Patil, ChiefBusiness Officer, BSE, said,“The deliveries and acceptance

    of Indian refined gold in allBSE gold contracts will encour-age greater involvement bydomestic market players andwiden the array of acceptablegold for delivery of Bullion.”

    The exchange executeddelivery of Gold mini to thetune of more than Rs 49 lakhsin the Gold mini ‘Options inGoods’ framework at theexchange designated vault inAhmedabad, Gujarat. Therefined gold delivered on theexchange platform was pro-duced by Parker PreciousMetals LLP.

    In addition to these refiner-ies, M D Overseas Pvt. Ltd.,Augmont Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.and Sovereign Metals ltd. arealso empanelled by BSE todeliver serial-numbered goldbars on the exchange plat-form.The BSE’s ‘options ingoods’ contracts have provedextremely beneficial and costefficient for jewellers, bulliondealers and other physical mar-ket participants.

    ����� 012��1345

    The Centre has lined up anintensive legislative agendawith over 20 bills for the BudgetSession of Parliament whichbegan on January 29.

    A major portion of the leg-islative agenda would includeintroduction and passage ofseveral economic bills that aimat carrying the reform agendaof the government.

    Among the bills lined upfor consideration during theBudget session of Parliamentinclude legislation’s coveringdelicensing of country’s elec-tricity distribution sector,amendments to CompetitionCommission of India andPFRDA legislations, creation ofnew development financialinstitution, ban on privatecryptocurrencies.

    These would be besides theFinance Bill 2021-22 thatwould form part of bulk ofbudget proposals made byFinance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on February1.Among the economic legis-lations is the CCI Amendment

    Bill that aims to carry out cer-tain essential structural changesin the governing structure ofthe CCI including expansion ofCCI activities across India byopening Regional Offices.

    The other bill to be intro-duced during Budget Sessionwill be the Pension FundRegulatory and DevelopmentAuthority (Amendment) Bill,2021 that proposes to amendPFRDA Act allowing for sep-aration of NPS Trust fromPFRDA while also strengthen-ing the institution.

    The government will alsointroduce the National Bankfor Financing Infrastructureand Development (NaBFID)Bill, 2021 to set up a newDevelopment FinancialInstitution (DFI) as a provider,enabler and catalyst for infra-structure financing and as theprincipal financial institutionand development bank forbuilding and sustaining a sup-portive ecosystem across thelife-cycle of infrastructure pro-jects.

    Another bill would beCryptocurrency and

    Regulation of Official DigitalCurrency Bill, 2021 that willcreate a facilitative frameworkfor creation of the official dig-ital currency to be issued by theReserve Bank of India.

    The Bill also seeks to pro-hibit all private cryptocurren-cies in India, however, it allowsfor certain exceptions to pro-mote the underlying technolo-gy of cryptocurrency and its

    uses.The government will also

    introduce the Mines andMinerals (Development andRegulation) Amendment Bill,2021 that would carry forward

    reforms in the sector allowingfor better regulations thatattract investment and removedcumbersome processes andclearances.

    Yet another economic leg-

    islation would be introductionof the much delayed Electricity(Amendment) Bill, 2021 thatproposes to de-license the dis-tribution business and bring incompetition, appointment of

    member from law backgroundin every Commission,strengthening of APTEL,penalty for non compliance ofRPO, prescribing Rights andDuties of Consumers.

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    Industry body PHDChamber on Saturday saidit looks forward to a growth-oriented budget for FY22which ensures demand gen-eration. According to SanjayAggarwal, President, PHDChamber of Commerce andIndustry, “Going ahead welook forward to a vibrantgrowth-oriented budget whichensures a great support todemand creation in the econ-omy with lower interest ratesfor consumers and business-es.”

    Besides, Aggarwal saidthe industry body expects thebudget to reduce compliancesfor Micro, Small, and MediumEnterprises (MSMEs) vis-a-visease of doing business at theground level.

    He also cited the need forthe budget to lower the taxregime to increase personaldisposable income whichwould be instrumental inrejuvenating the economicgrowth trajectory in the com-ing times.

    Earlier, on last Friday, theEconomic Survey 2020-21suggested that economic

    recovery would be supportedby a supply-side push fromreforms and easing of regula-tions, push to infrastructuralinvestments, boost to themanufacturing sector throughproductivity-linked incentiveschemes, recovery of pent-updemand for services sector,increase in discretionary con-sumption subsequent to roll-out of the vaccine and pick upin credit, given adequate liq-uidity and low interest rates.

    Union Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman wouldpresent Budget 2021-22 inParliament on Monday.

    ������������������


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