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...2021/01/30  · 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 economic 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. 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 withdrawing 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. 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. 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 vehi- cle 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. 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 adjoining 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 hoist- ed 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. Madurai:BJP national presi- dent 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. PTI M aoists again made their presence in the State felt by killing two villagers in the Belaghara police station area in Kandhamal district on Friday night. The victims included the son of a Sarpanch. The ultras killed them branding them as ‘police informers’. The bodies of the duo were found at separate places in the PS area on Saturday morning. One body was recovered near the Bhandarangi Panchayat office and the other near Guchaguda village. Reportedly, the Maoists belonging to their Bansadhara- Ghumsar-Nagabali Division also put up a handwritten poster accusing the two deceased of providing infor- mation to police about five members of the banned outfit who had been killed in an encounter in September 2020. In the posters, the Maoists warned other ‘informers’ to surrender before their Jan Adalat within 15 days or else, they w be sentenced to death. And the State Government, DGP Abhay and IG (Intelligence) RK Sharma would be held responsible for the loss of lives, the poster fur- ther read.The incident has trig- gered panic in the area. E nding all speculation, the Odisha Forest Department on Saturday declared that a process to relocate tigress ‘Sundari’ from the Satkosia sanctuary in Angul district to its orig- inal habitat in Madhya Pradesh has begun. After Sundari turned hostile and killed two persons and a bullock at Baghamunda and Tainsi villages near the Satkosia sanctuary in 2018, the big cat was kept in an enclosure at Raiguda in the core area of the sanctuary. Notably, Sundari along with tiger ‘Mahavir’ was sent to Sakosia from Madhya Pradesh in 2018 as part of the country’s first inter-State tiger translo- cation project. However, Mahavir was caught in a snare and died four months after being released. When Sundari tuned hostile, for- est personnel tranquilised her and kept in the enclosure. In December last year, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan wrote to his Odisha coun- terpart Naveen Patnaik requesting him to ensure proper care of Sundari before shifting her to the Kanha Tiger Reserve in MP. BHUBANESWAR: The State registered 108 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday in 20 districts and from the State pool, with which the total pos- itive caseload increased to 3,34,958.Of the new cases, 63 were reported from quarantine and 45 were local contact cases. Sundargarh district registered the day’s highest 12 cases followed by Sambalpur and Baleswar with 10 each. Besides, one case was reported from the State pool. The number of total active cases in the State stood at 1,175 and the cumulative samples test- ed were 76,85,776. In the last four days, there were no reports of any corona deaths. Meanwhile, 138 persons recovered on the day, taking the total recover- ies to 3,31,962 in the State. PNS O n the allegation of acqui- sition of assets dispropor- tionate to his known sources of income, the Vigilance police raided assets of Basant Kumar Mohanty, retired Revenue Inspector (RI) and presently reengaged and working as in- charge RI of Puri South and Balukhanda-108, Revenue Circle. His single-storied residen- tial building at Friends Club Lane, Puri, triple-storied build- ing at Kumuti Bagicha, Puri, double-storied building at Church Lane. Puri, single-storied build- ing at his native village Kurunti, Kendrapada, houses of relatives at Friends Club Lane and at Balukhanda-151, house of associates at Church Lane, and office rooms at Puri South Revenue Circle and Balukhanda Revenue Circle were searched simultaneously and the assets traced were worth Rs 1,53,49,067 including his buildings, one plot, five two wheelers, deposits in different banks, gold and silver orna- ments, cash and household articles. While the Vigilance offi- cials reached his residence early at 3 am when Mohanty was present, he did not open the door till morning. Continued on 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 onfarm laws, military face-offwith China on the Line ofActual Control in Ladakh andeconomic 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 into

    how “outside elements” hadinfiltrated 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.

    �������������� 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 developmentsat the Ghazipur bordersite of farmers’ protest, theBharatiya Kisan Union (LokShakti) on Friday re-launchedits stir over the new farm laws,just a day after it hadannounced withdrawing itsprotest 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.

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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.

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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 showed a vehi-cle moving suspiciously nearthe embassy just before the

    explosion,” said the source.It was claimed that the cab

    driver himself had called police,he has been identified and isbeing questioned and verifyinghis statements.

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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.

    Union Home Ministrytemporarily suspended internet

    services in Singhu, Ghazipur,Tikri borders and their adjoining areas from 11 pm of29 January to 11 pm of 31January to “maintain publicsafety and averting publicemergency” 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 Police carried outraids in Punjab’s Jalandhar onFriday to arrest Jugraj Singhand Navpreet Singh who hoist-ed the Nishan Sahib flag at RedFort on January 26.

    Meanwhile, 38 cases were

    registered till now in farmer’srally matter and 84 personshave been arrested,” said police.

    Madurai:BJP national presi-dent JP Nadda 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.

    PTI

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    Maoists again made theirpresence in the State feltby killing two villagers in theBelaghara police station area inKandhamal district on Fridaynight.

    The victims included theson of a Sarpanch. The ultraskilled them branding them as‘police informers’.

    The bodies of the duo werefound at separate places in thePS area on Saturday morning.One body was recovered nearthe Bhandarangi Panchayatoffice and the other nearGuchaguda village.

    Reportedly, the Maoistsbelonging to their Bansadhara-Ghumsar-Nagabali Divisionalso put up a handwritten

    poster accusing the twodeceased of providing infor-mation to police about fivemembers of the banned outfitwho had been killed in anencounter in September 2020.

    In the posters, the Maoistswarned other ‘informers’ tosurrender before their JanAdalat within 15 days or else,they w be sentenced to death.And the State Government,DGP Abhay and IG(Intelligence) RK Sharmawould be held responsible forthe loss of lives, the poster fur-ther read.The incident has trig-gered panic in the area.

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    Ending all speculation, the OdishaForest Department on Saturdaydeclared that a process to relocatetigress ‘Sundari’ from the Satkosiasanctuary in Angul district to its orig-inal habitat in Madhya Pradesh hasbegun.

    After Sundari turned hostile andkilled two persons and a bullock atBaghamunda and Tainsi villages nearthe Satkosia sanctuary in 2018, the bigcat was kept in an enclosure at Raigudain the core area of the sanctuary.

    Notably, Sundari along with tiger‘Mahavir’ was sent to Sakosia fromMadhya Pradesh in 2018 as part of the

    country’s first inter-State tiger translo-cation project. However, Mahavir wascaught in a snare and died four monthsafter being released.

    When Sundari tuned hostile, for-est personnel tranquilised her andkept in the enclosure.

    In December last year, MadhyaPradesh Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan wrote to his Odisha coun-terpart Naveen Patnaik requesting himto ensure proper care of Sundari beforeshifting her to the Kanha Tiger Reservein MP.

    BHUBANESWAR: The State registered 108 newCovid-19 cases on Saturday in 20 districts andfrom the State pool, with which the total pos-itive caseload increased to 3,34,958.Of the newcases, 63 were reported from quarantine and 45were local contact cases.Sundargarh district registered the day’s highest12 cases followed by Sambalpur and Baleswarwith 10 each. Besides, one case was reportedfrom the State pool.The number of total active cases in the Statestood at 1,175 and the cumulative samples test-ed were 76,85,776.In the last four days, there were no reports ofany corona deaths. Meanwhile, 138 personsrecovered on the day, taking the total recover-ies to 3,31,962 in the State. PNS

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    On the allegation of acqui-sition of assets dispropor-tionate to his known sources ofincome, the Vigilance policeraided assets of Basant KumarMohanty, retired RevenueInspector (RI) and presentlyreengaged and working as in-charge RI of Puri South andBalukhanda-108, RevenueCircle.

    His single-storied residen-tial building at Friends ClubLane, Puri, triple-storied build-ing at Kumuti Bagicha, Puri,double-storied building atChurch Lane.

    Puri, single-storied build-ing at his native village Kurunti,

    Kendrapada, houses of relativesat Friends Club Lane and atBalukhanda-151, house ofassociates at Church Lane, andoffice rooms at Puri SouthRevenue Circle andBalukhanda Revenue Circlewere searched simultaneouslyand the assets traced wereworth Rs 1,53,49,067 includinghis buildings, one plot, five twowheelers, deposits in differentbanks, gold and silver orna-ments, cash and householdarticles.

    While the Vigilance offi-cials reached his residenceearly at 3 am when Mohantywas present, he did not openthe door till morning.

    Continued on Page 4

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    An MoU was signedbetween the Fakir MohanUniversity and the RegionalMedical Research Centre(RMRC) of Indian CouncilMedical Research,Bhubaneswar, on Saturday forresearch and exchange ofknowledge and information.

    The MoU would focus onjoint PhD programme in areaof Biotechnology, Life Science,Public Health and other relat-ed subjects. Joint seminars,workshops, conferences, schol-ars exchange etc. will be under-taken.

    “The recent corona pan-demic has made life difficult forpeople around the world.Therefore cutting edge researchin the area of modern biologyis the need of the hour andpublic health education isextremely important for a bet-ter and healthy life,” said Vice-

    Chancellor of FM UniversityProf Dinabandhu Sahoo,adding that inter institutionalcollaboration was the need ofthe hour and research couldn’tbe done in isolation.

    Prof Sahoo further empha-sised that the local problemsshould be given the top mostresearch and development pri-ority so that the people ofOdisha were benefited.

    Director, Regional MedicalResearch Center Dr

    Sanghamitra Pati said the stu-dents and faculty memberswould be hugely benefitedthrough the collaborationwhich was long overdue andthe MoU will benefit all thestakeholders.

    Director, Institute of LifeSciences Dr Ajay Parida;Director, Research andDevelopment, FM University,Prof BP Dash; and officials andscientists of RMRC were pre-sent.

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    BRAHMAPUR: Even as policeand excise officials are intensi-fying their crackdown againstthe illegal contraband trade, thesmugglers are trying new tech-niques to hoodwink them.

    In an example, ExciseDepartment officials onSaturday seized 20 quintals ofganja from a poultry feed-laden truck near the Kanisi areaon the National Highway-16 inGanjam distrcit and detainedone person in connection withthe seizure.The officials inter-cepted the truck based on spe-cific inputs. The estimated priceof the seized contraband wasestimated to be about Rs 3crore. During search, the ganjawas found stacked below thepoultry feed. Earlier on January10, drug peddlers had used aSUV with ‘Police Escort’ stick-er and a blue beacon to smug-gle the same in MalkangiridistrictHowever, the attempts tosmuggle the contraband provedfutile as police managed tonab the three peddlers.

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    A‘Krushak Jan Satyagraha’ was held atMG Marg in Bhubaneswar onSaturday on occasion of the Martyrs’ Dayof Mahatma Gandhi demanding repealof the three farm laws and supporting thefarmers’ agitation in New Delhi beingheld under the banner of the All IndiaKishan Sangarh Samanwaya Samiti.

    The Central Government, instead ofwithdrawing the farm laws, is trying todefame the peaceful agitation of thefarmers by false and sponsored propa-ganda, said Samiti Odisha chapter lead-ers.

    They alleged that the NDAGovernment is using the police andgoons to sabotage the farmers’ agitation.

    They demanded that the laws shouldbe scrapped in the current session of

    Parliament. Till then the farmers wouldfollow the path of Father of the Nationand continue to agitate peacefully.

    Farmer leaders Suresh Panigrahi,Jagannath Mishra, Khirod Singh Deo,Krsushnacahran Rout, YudhistiraMohapatra, Radhakanta Sethi,Jyotiranjan Mohapatra, NishikantaMohapatra and others were present.

    Meanwhile, Odisha farmers led byNavnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS)national convenor Akshay Kumar, whohad gone to New Delhi, reached the cityand went on a hunger strike at the LowerPMG here against the farm laws and theCentral Government.

    They alleged that efforts are beingmade to sabotage their agitation by usingforce. Among others, NKS State con-venor Seshadev Nanda, Nimai Ray,Sangram Kishore, Subhendu Mallick andothers were present.

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    The Jindal Steel & Power Ltd(JSPL) has been conferredwith the prestigious MahatmaAward 2020 for its humanitar-ian efforts to support the com-munities and local adminis-tration in fighting Covid-19.JSPL Foundation chairpersonShallu Jindal received the awardon Saturday at the IndiaInternational Centre, NewDelhi.

    Shallu Jindal said, “As aresponsible Corporate Citizen,we launched Mission ZeroHunger in and around theoperational geographies of JSPLand also in the national capi-tal to ensure that none is sleep-ing on empty stomach becauseof the Covid-19-inducedhuman misery. We could alsoinsulate the local communityfrom loss of livelihood andensure access to everyday cashincome during this wagecrunch period.”

    The JSPL Foundationserved nearly half a million dry

    and cooked meals to the social-ly vulnerable in Odisha,Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand andNew Delhi during the lock-down period. Hundreds ofrural women through theSHGs promoted by the JSPLFoundation stitched and dis-tributed over two lakh face-masks to the communities,health workers and so on.PPEs, hand wash, sanitizersprepared by the SHGs, ensuredeveryday cash access to thesefamilies. Thousands of farmersand artisans supported by theFoundation were protected

    from distress sale by way ofassured buy back from them ata fair price. Health care facili-ties were rolled out in two of itsmulti-specialty Hospitals inChhattisgarh namely the OPJindal Hospitals. C# care cen-tres were instituted in the JSPLplants.

    During the pandemic atthe peak, the foundationextended customised rehabili-tation training to more than3,000 children with specialneeds and contributed Rs 25Crore to PM CARES Fund tofight the global pandemic.

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    Senior journalist and founderof Vande Utkal FoundationKishore Dwibedi has beenelected as chairman of thenewly-formed World OdishaSociety (WOS) for a two-yearterm.

    He garnered an over-whelming majority of votes inan election conducted online.

    A five-time member of thePress Advisory Committee ofLok Sabha, Dwibedi is nowCMD of the OMM MediaNetwork.A 20-member work-ing committee of the WOS hasalso been elected.

    WOS founder-member

    president of Odia SocioCultural Association ofNetherlands Saswat Padhi pre-sented the mission, vision andfuture roadmap of the WOSthrough a power-point event.

    President of All RussiaOdia Samaj Santosh Mishraextended all-out support andcooperation to the new worldforum of Odias.

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    The Additional District andSessions Judge of Jajpur sen-tenced a 46-year-old man to ten yearsof imprisonment on Saturday forattempting to rape an eight-year-oldtribal girl eight years back in a villageunder the Kaliapani police station inthe district. The court also imposeda fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict, fail-ure to pay, to undergo six moremonths of imprisonment.

    Judge Gyanantra Barik convict-ed Nath Munda of a village under theKaliapani PS under Sections 376 (2)F/511 (attempted to rape) and 9 of theProtection of Children from SexualOffence Act, 2012 on the charge oftrying to rape the minor girl onAugust 13, 2013 in a field when shewas going to attend the marriagefunction of her uncle. The girl’sfather had filed an FIR with policenext day.

    The girl and 20 witnesses deposedin this case in the court. After rely-ing on the evidence, the court con-victed the accused and sentenced him,said Special Public Prosecutor RajivMohanty.

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    The National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) has asked for a report from theOdisha Chief Secretary on action taken topay compensation to the Hirakud Dam landoustees. It has further directed to submit thereport before March 5.

    Notably, 27,000 families had got dis-placed due to the construction of the mul-tipurpose dam project at Hirakud in thefifties, almost seven decades back. But thereare many people and families who are yet toget the compensation amount.

    Considering a petition of one of the landoustees Sailabala Pradhan of Brajarajnagarin Jharsuguda district, the commission hasasked Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra to sub-mit the ‘action taken report’, since all thesepeople have sacrificed for a common cause.

    “Although, the land oustees got shiftedfrom their homes and arable lands, but theywere not suitably rehabilitated and com-pensated. They got scattered to differentplaces of undivided Sambalpur, Balangir,Kalahandi and Sundargarh districts and alsoa few to Chhattisgarh (erstwhile MP). ButState Government has no record of them ason today for which the NHRC has expressedconcern,” informed petitioner Pradhan.

    In the year 2002, the State Government,vide letter no 5533, had directed theCollectors of Sambalpur, Jharsuguda,Bargarh, Subarnapur, Balangir andSundargarh to identify the land oustees andgive them 10 decimal of homestead landeach. Works began on full swing to identi-fy the left out persons and pay them theirdues including land for home. But fewmonths later it also slowed down again.

    As per the latest report only 2,000 fam-ilies out of the 27,000 have got homesteadland and the rest are deprived of the bene-fit. The land oustees further alleged that theelected representatives hardly take any inter-est and action to the grievance of the peo-ple and hence they are remaining unheardfor decades together.

    “But after direction from the NHRC weare hopeful that we will get justice even if itis late,” Pradhan said.

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    Union Petroleum andNatural Gas MinisterDharmendra Pradhan onSaturday wrote a letter toUnion Tourism and CultureMinister Pralhad Singh Patelfor his help for a detailed sci-entific excavation ofBhubaneswar’s heritage areaEkamra Kshetra.

    Pradhan urged Patel toensure that the ArchaeologicalSurvey of India (ASI) despatch-es an expert team to conduct athorough exploration to dig outheritage structures likely tohave been buried underencroachments.

    Notably, the ASIBhubaneswar Circle has recent-ly unearthed the remains of a10th or 11th centuries’Somavanshi period templefloor at the north-west cornerof the Suka-Sari Temple.

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    B H U B A N E S WA R : T h eConfederation of IndianIndustry (CII) and YoungIndians would host a megacyclothon ‘Tour de Ekamra’here on Sunday at the KalingaStadium under the aegis ofOdisha Tourism along with thepartnership of The Juggernauts.It would kick-start at 6 am. Theevent is scheduled to open witha welcome address of GouravChawla, Yi Chair BhubaneswarChapter and Managing Directorof OPULENT by HaryanaHandloom. Sachin RamchandraJadhav, Director of the StateDepartment of Tourism wouldthen deliver the themeaddress.Tour de EkamraCyclothon is being organised aspart of the ‘Odisha by Road’campaign of the OdishaTourism.

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    The Arcelor-Mittal NipponSteel India (AM/NS India)signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) withPOSCO Maharashtra Steel tosupply Hot Rolled Coils(HRC).

    Sixth such agreementbetween the two companiessince 2015, the MoU is valuedat about?5000 crore.

    As part of the agreementsigned on January 27 inMumbai, AM/NS India andPOSCO Maharashtra Steel willalso jointly work to enhance thequality of current grades anddevelop new value-addedgrades to provide the bestquality and state-of-the-artsteel products and solutions toconsumers.

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    Minister for Forests and EnvironmentBikram Kesari Arukha attending ameeting here advised the peoples’ repre-sentatives to utilise the financial grantssanctioned for the year 2020-21 to the dis-trict.

    "The benefits should reach to the peo-ple in time. Due to strong determinationof Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, theCovid-19 cases could be minimised," saidArukha.

    He also appreciated the hard work ofKandhamal MP Achyuta Samanta and dis-trict Collector Dr Brunda D for check onCovid-19.

    A sum of Rs 1340,63,24,000 was sanc-tioned for different projects for 2019-20.

    MP Dr Samanta, MLA PhulbaniAngad Kanhar, MLA BaligudaChakramani Kanhar, MLA G UdaygiriSaluga Pradhan, Zilla Parishad PresidentAkankhya Pradhan and Vice-PresidentSarati Mallikand PA, ITDA BiswaranjanNayak were present.

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    The perennial Rajyavisek andPusyavisek Utsav celebrationin Baldev Jew temple underSidhal village in Jagatsinghpurdistrict was held on Thursday.Additional District MagistrateSatchidananda Sahoo was desig-nated as Thakur Raj of templeand performed religious rituals inpresence of temple priests, tem-ple management members andhundreds of local villagers fromadjoining villages.

    Earlier, the new designated ThakurRaja ADM Sahoo was given ceremonialwelcome by villagers and temple man-agement on the village outskirts. The newThakur Raja was taken to temple premis-es in a huge procession and later the coro-nation rituals were performed for desig-nating Thakur Raj at the temple.

    After assuming new Thakur Raja forthe temple, ADM Sahoo accompanied by

    senior officials, like TehsildarJagatsinghpur Manas Ranjan Bhoi, DIPROKaminiranjan Patnaik held a meeting,where members of temple Managementwere present. They discussed ongoingdevelopmental works in the shrine.

    ADM Sahoo put emphasis on adher-ence to Covid 19 preventive guidelinesmeant for devotees after the districtadministration allowed the temple reopen-ing recently.

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    The first meeting of the NLCTalabira Thermal PowerPlant Welfare and SettlementAdvisory Committe was heldon Wednesday.

    Northern Range RDCNiranjan Sahoo presided overthe meeting in which HealthMinister and Jharsuguda MLANaba Kisore Das, Bargarh MPSuresh Pujari, Sambalpur MPNitish Ganga Deb, RengaliMLA Nauri Nayak, Northernrange DIG Narasingh Bhol,Jharsuguda Collector SarojKumar Samal, SambalpurCollector Suvam Saxena,Jharsuguda SP Bikash ChandraDash, Sambalpur SP BGangadhar, Jharsuguda ZillaParishad Chairman

    Laxminarayan Patel, NLC IndiaProject head and Director andreoresentatives of NGOsattended.

    An expenditure estimatefor the project was made for Rs19,422 crore and it was revealedthat 1447.14 acres of land hadbeen identified.

    The land has been identi-fied in Hirma, Kumbhari,Tareikela, Tumkela,Luhurkanth villages ofJharsuguda district. JharsugudaCollector presented all detailsof the projects. The RDCadvised to be careful for pol-lution hazards and welfare ofvillagers. Likewise, he directedthe Collector to pay attentionto timely disbursement of com-pensation to all the affected vil-lagers.

    Ministers , MP and MLAsadvised the project authoritiesto ensure safety of villagers andengagement of locals in projectactivities. ADM JharsugudaPradeep Kumar Sahoo gavevote of thanks.

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    The city-based Bada KhabarNews Channel Group onSaturday launched a satiricalcartoon weekly in Odia, named“Samalochana”.

    Group editor ArdhenduDas stressed upon the need formedia criticism of Governmentfor better governance and saidthe cartoon weekly would go along way in expressing theissues of the common man ofthe State in a creative manner.

    Inaugurating the weekly,BJP State president Samir

    Mohanty highlighted the needfor fearless journalism for thedevelopment of people.

    Jatni MLA Suresh KumarRoutray congratulatedArdhendu Das and the BadaKhabar Group for taking sucha pioneering step in journalism.

    Among others, journalistsPradosh Patnaik, PradumnaSatapathy, Hemant Rath,Dhirendra Mallick, BibhutiKar, Debaprasad Parija.Prabhat Mohanty, Bijay Daswere present. Bada KhabarGroup GM Kartika Ray deliv-ered a vote of thanks.

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    But when pressure mount-ed from the cops, he secretlyfled through his backdoorthrowing away some papersalong with cash. He remainedat large.

    Notably, the accused wastreated to be very powerful inthe Collector’s office havingbonhomie with higher-ups inthe State capital. After retire-ment last year, he was rein-stated forthwith in theBalukhanda Circle despite sev-eral allegations of corruptionsagainst him. Demanding hisouster, around 50 lawyers hadattempted to manhandle himby barging into his office cham-ber last year.

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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.

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    Agroup of women weaversfrom Tharu tribe in thenorthern buffer of DudhwaTiger Reserve in the Terairegion of Uttar Pradesh areweaving their dreams on loomsto churn out magnificentcolourful carpets (cotton dur-ries) and an array of grass-woven products.

    Under the banner of TharuHath Karga Gharelu Udyog –a Self Help Group (SHG) ofthese tribal women fromLakhimpur Khiri district inUttar Pradesh have recorded asignificant increase in revenuesfrom sale of cotton carpets andhandmade wares made oflocally available Munj grasssuch as baskets for chapati,planters, fruit baskets, jew-ellery containers, table mat,paper weight, coasters, etc.

    In 2019-20, they recordeda sale of Rs 2.08 lakhs with a netprofit of 80,000. However, thiswas not possible till a fewyears ago when these womenwere struggling with the tradi-tional looms which due toexcess moisture caused byflooding of the area duringmonsoons affected their outputand quality.

    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 ensurequality.

    The World Wide Fund(WWF) implemented the tech-nology, reducing the inconve-nience caused to the womenand also increased the effi-ciency of operations with qual-ity production through a num-ber of ways.

    It has also set up a centrefor production in terms oftechnological interventions,modification, and improvisa-tion.

    WWF provided financialaid, implementing the tech-nology, fixing the base of thelooms. It also added a secondset of pedals in them, makingthem operable by two weavers,thereby reducing the produc-tion time of the durries and

    weaving complex designs.Wooden shuttles used tra-

    ditionally were replaced withfiberglass shuttles, which arelighter and more efficient.

    Two pulley based designs -Garrari system and Rope rollersystem were designed to avoiddisruption of work continuitywhile adjusting the threadroller and durrie roller of theloom for getting a blank threadpanel to weave, said an officialfrom the Ministry.

    Arti Rana, President ofthe Tharu Hath Karga GhareluUdyog at Gabroula village,said “We used to work in amakeshift structure earlier andwere never able to work dur-ing the rains.

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

    As earnings had beengood, strength of the group hasswollen from a meagre ten topresent 2,600 women, major-ity of them hailing from near-by villages such as Goubrolla,

    M a n g a l p u r v a ,Chandanchowki, Balera,Bendari and Dhusia in theLakhimpur Khiri district in UPamong 42 villages inside thetiger reserve.

    They had been tradition-ally engaged in these handi-craft work which has nowbeen channelised commer-cially, augmenting their liveli-hood.

    Though Carona inducedlockdown adversely impactedthe income, things have start-ed looking up again with mer-chandise worth of Rs 42,000already sold from November2020 to January 2021. Arti (42)said that TRIFED, a depart-ment of the Union TribalAffairs Ministry is their regu-lar buyer.

    For its part, theGovernment has recognisedtheir work. The SHG was felic-itated by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in 2016 andwas awarded the RaniLaxmibai Veerta Purankar ofthe State Government.

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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 arrested

    Deputy 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 bribe

    of �2 lakh, he can reduce thepenalty amount. After negoti-ation, it was told to pay the

    bribe 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 hasbeen raking up the unemploy-ment issue continuously andhas claimed as per governmentstatistics the unemploymentrate in the country is at thehighest in 45 years.

    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 Congressheadquarters.

    NSUI General SecretaryNagesh 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 redres-sal of their grievances, theSupreme Court has said.

    The apex court said thiswhile hearing a plea that hasraised the issue of alleged inac-tion by governments inappointing the president, mem-bers and staff in the district andstate consumer disputes redres-sal commissions and the lack ofadequate infrastructure to runthese fora.

    A bench of justices SanjayKishan Kaul and HrishikeshRoy said the issue raised in theplea is important but the peti-tioner, a law student, has fileda “very sketchy petition” and itdoes not show proper groundwork.

    “We have given a thoughtto the matter and consider ittoo important an issue to bethrown out because of the lax-ity in collection of material andplacing the same before usand thus, consider it appropri-ate that the same should beconverted into a suo motuproceeding to enquire into theissue placed before us,” thebench said.

    The top court appointedsenior advocate Gopal

    Shankaranarayan and lawyerAaditya Narain as amicus curi-ae to assist it in the matter.

    “We expect them to obtainthe requisite material, analysethe same and facilitate thedata to be placed before us andthus, consider it appropriate toissue notices to all the respon-dents before us, who would beable to show as to how manyposts are occupied, how manyare vacant and what is thenature of infrastructure whichhas been made available asconsumer rights are importantrights and non-manning ofposts and inadequate infra-structure would deprive citi-zens of a redressal of the griev-ances,” the bench said in itsorder passed earlier this week.

    The apex court has postedthe matter for hearing onFebruary 22.

    The plea filed before thetop court has sought directions

    to the Centre, states and Unionterritories to fill up the vacantposts of presidents and mem-bers in the consumer com-missions, saying the “inac-tion” in making the appoint-ments is causing pendency ofcases and has led to violationof the right to a speedy disposalof cases.

    The petition, while alleg-ing that directions passed byvarious high courts regardingfilling up of vacancies in dis-trict and state consumer com-missions have been “ignored”by the authorities concerned,has said there is a lack of prop-er infrastructure to run thesecommissions smoothly.

    It has also sought a direc-tion to the authorities con-cerned to provide proper infra-structure and staff to the con-sumer commissions and file adetailed report regarding thisbefore the top court.

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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.

    ��� 012��1345

    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.”

    ����� 012��1345

    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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    The Government may putfurther checks on export ofiron ore to allow greater avail-ability of this critical input forthe domestic steel industry atcompetitive prices.

    In the wake of a pick up inglobal steel demand, andIndian iron ore getting export-ed to countries such as China,the domestic ore prices havealso shot up, almost doublingto over Rs 4,000 per tonne fromlevels of Rs 2,000 per tonnebetween June to December,2020.

    Sources said that a pro-posal to increase export dutyon iron ore is being activelyconsidered by the finance min-istry that may considerannouncing the changed levyin Budget 2021-22.

    A 30 per cent export dutyis levied currently on iron orehaving Fe (iron) content above58 per cent. Sources said thismay be increased 5-10 percent or more to prevent itsexport to markets that are will-ing to pay more to hoard theore for future use and maximise

    their gains.Though the pro-posal is to increase the levy,sources said the governmentmay also look to bring all cat-egories of ore under the exportduty structure as was availableearlier.A higher levy is expect-ed to prevent the export of ironore, tame prices and improveavailability of this raw materi-al to the domestic steel indus-try that can supply the mater-ial at competitive prices for thegrowing requirement from theinfrastructure sector.

    Along with a surge in orepricing, steel prices have alsoincreased by almost 50 per centin the last few months. Benchmark Hot-rolled coil priceshave increased by 46 per centto Rs 52,000 per tonne inNovember as compared to Rs37,400 per tonne in July thisyear. Rebar TMT, which isused in the housing and con-struction sectors, had touchedRs 50,000 a tonne.

    With demand for steelpicking up as infrastructureactivity picks up pace in thecountry, higher prices havebecome a big deterrent toinvestments.

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    New Delhi: At a time when real-ty sector is feeling the pinch ofCovid-induced economic slow-down, Saya Gold Avenue hand-ed over the keys to over 101 flatowners of the project in

    Indrapuram on the eve ofRepublic Day Jan 2021. “SayaHomes is committed to bring joyand add luxury to its customer’slife and in the coming days, weare looking forward to offeringpossession to more buyers,” saidSaya Homes MD Vikas Bhasin.

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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.

    � ���������������������/�����������������������

  • ����� �4100&5

    Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes areEngland's X-factor players in theforthcoming four-Test series againstIndia, says wicketkeeper-batsman JosButtler.

    Archer, Stokes and opening bats-man Rory Burns were rested forEngland's tour of Sri Lanka and reachedIndia early, before the rest of the squad.They began practice on Saturday evenas the rest of the team is in quarantineand will begin its practice from February2.

    “He [Archer] is certainly an X-fac-tor player. Fantastic to have Jofra backin the side. He will be excited for the bigseries in India,” said Buttler during a vir-tual interaction with the media onSaturday.

    “I think we have a few guys who cando quite amazing things with the ballobviously. James Anderson and StuartBroad are two of the best seam bowlersto have ever played the game. Jofra obvi-ously is a huge X-factor. Ben Stokes istruly a pretty good X-factor player,” hesaid.

    Buttler backed the England andWales Cricket Board’s (ECB) policy ofrotating players for the India series, say-ing that England have a hectic sched-ule and living in the bubble can be hard.

    “We are very fortunate to playcricket and do the job we love. Havingsaid that we find it challenging to bespending time away fromour family. Being in quar-antine and locked up inhotels can be tough.Thought ECB has beenforward-looking for us asan England group, so torotate players,” added Buttler.

    “At times there is frustration becauseyou want to see your best players onshow all the time. (But) it is just not pos-sible with the amount of cricket andamount of time spent in bubbles to keeppeople healthy doing that. It is impor-tant to look after yourselves. With somuch uncertainty, I find it tough,” hesaid.

    Buttler, who is vice-captain of theEngland white-ball team, will returnhome after the first Test and will latercome back to India to join EoinMorgan's side for the five-match T20Iand three-match ODI series. That willbe followed by the Indian PremierLeague (IPL).

    Asked if it will be taxing tobe playing too much of white-ball cricket, Buttler said theseries against India isimportant as it will bringtogether players and pre-pare the team for the 2021T20 World Cup, which isscheduled to be played inIndia in October.

    “I think forus and the T20team lookingahead tothe T20

    WorldCup, we

    are goingwith our blue-

    print of the 50-overWorld Cup (whichE n g l a n dw o n ) ,where wehad a very settled

    team going into thattournament. Guys were playingtogether for a long period oftime and I think that was a hugeplus for us going into thattournament,” he said.

    “The T20 side, we haven’t

    had that time together, so it is impor-tant for us to play together as a groupand get familiar with roles. T


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