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  • 2021/01/08  · Kundli, Ghazipur to Palwal and Rewasan to Palwal. As the march started from all...
12
I n an unprecedented assault on democracy in the US, thousands of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building here and clashed with police, r es u l t in g in f o ur de a t h s and interrupting a constitu- tional process by Congress to affirm the victory of President- elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the election. The Electoral College votes of Biden and Harris were final- ly approved early on Thursday after both the Senate and the House of Representatives rejected all objections raised by the Republicans to the votes in the States of Pennsylvania and Arizona. In the presidential election held on November 3, Biden and Harris received 306 elec- toral votes, while President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence got 232. The count- ing of Vermont’s three electoral votes put Biden and Harris over the 270-threshold needed to win the presidency. In a statement released just after the certification was finalised, Trump at long last acknowledged his election loss. He said that even though he disagrees with the outcome, “there will be an orderly tran- sition on January 20th." “I have always said we would continue our ... Fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this rep- resents the end of the greatest first term in presidential his- tory, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!” The 78-year-old Democratic leader and his 56- year-old Indian-origin deputy will be inaugurated on January 20, it was announced after the constitutional process was finally completed by a joint ses- sion of Congress. In the violence on Wednesday, four people died, including one woman who was shot by a police officer, amid protests and rioting on Capitol Hill that resulted in dozens of demonstrators being arrested, police said. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee called the rioting by pro-Trump demonstrators “shameful” during a news con- ference. One woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police during the rioting. Police said three other people — a woman and two men — died after appar- ently suffering “separate med- ical emergencies” near the Capitol grounds. The joint session of Congress, which is normally a ceremonial step, was halted for several hours when sup- porters of Trump breached the Capitol. Proceedings resumed and continued through the night after the building was cleeared. Vice President Pence brought the Senate session back into order and proceeded with the verification process. “The announcement of the state of the vote by the President of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected President and Vice President of the United States, each for the term beginning on the 20th day of January 2021...,” Pence said following the count of all of the state’s Electoral College votes. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday joined the world leaders in con- demning the violence let loose by the US President Donald Trump’s supporters and tweet- ed, “Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must con- tinue. The democratic process cannot be allowed to be sub- verted through unlawful protests.” P4 T housands of farmers on Thursday hit the road at Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur and Rewasan borders of Delhi, tak- ing out tractor rallies to esca- late agitation against the new farm laws. The farmers said their march on Thursday is just a rehearsal for their proposed January 26 tractor parade dur- ing which they will attempt to move into the national Capital from different parts of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The tractor march started from four different points — Singhu to Tikri Border, Tikri to Kundli, Ghazipur to Palwal and Rewasan to Palwal. As the march started from all borders, the protest sites wore a desert- ed look. From Ghazipur border, Rakesh Tikait, the spokesper- son of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) lead the rally in which there were around 500 tractors, some cars and bike. With Punjabi songs and slogans, farmers on tractors started their rallies around 11 am. Meanwhile, the crowd thinned at the Singhu Border, the main protest site, but life continued as usual. Langars kept dishing out meals, and medical camps dis- tributed medicines to all those who stayed back, particularly the elderly and the women. Logs for bonefire have been brought in huge quanti- ties to keep people warm in the chilling temperature. Meanwhile, the KMP expressway was dotted with tractors and farmers the whole day. Several protesters lined on the route to provide fellow farmers with all kinds of sup- plies, including peanuts, tea, and newspapers. Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of Bharati Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), whose union is one of the largest farmer organisations in Punjab, claimed farmers participated in the march with over 3,500 tractors and trolleys. He said they will not accept anything less than the repeal of the three farm laws. Yogendra Yadav on Thursday claimed people are still joining the protest in a large number and it will be intensified in coming days. “Today’s tractor rally was just a trailer for the Government. Around 5,000 tractors were there today in the tractor march. If the Government does not repeal these laws till January 26, we will enter Delhi on our trac- tors,” said Yadav. “Women are also joining the protest and they have also come forward to hold one day hunger strike against the Centre’s new farms laws. On Thursday, 11 women whose husband died during the protest sat on one day hunger strike,” said Yadav. “We are the sons of soil. If the laws are passed, we will starve to death. This rally is our way of telling the Government that we will not give up unless it gives in to our demands,” said Jaspal Singh Deol from Punjab’s Chamkaur Sahib. The eighth round of talks between protesting unions and the Central Government is scheduled to be held on Friday. Following the tractor rally call, the Delhi, Gurugam and Uttar Pradesh (UP) police tightened its security along the borders. The police also divert- ed routes and closed the KMP expressway for commuters for a few hours which led to traf- fic jams at several places. Braving severe cold and sporadic rain, the farmers have been camping at Delhi borders. T he Supreme Court on Thursday expressed con- cern over large gatherings of farmers protesting against the new farm laws at Delhi borders and drew a parallel with Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz. The top court was hearing a plea seeking various reliefs including CBI probe into the matter related to assembly of people at Anand Vihar Bus Terminal and the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in the national Capital after the nationwide lockdown was announced last year to contain the pandemic. “The same problem is going to arise in farmers’ agi- tation. I do not know if farm- ers are protected from Covid. So, the same problem is going to arise. It is not that everything is over,” said Chief Justice SA Bobde, heading a Bench, also comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian. The court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appear- ing for the Centre, whether protesting farmers are protect- ed from Covid-19. Mehta replied, “certainly not”. Mehta said he will file a report within two weeks on what has been done and what needs to be done. The plea, filed by lawyer Supriya Pandita, alleged that the Delhi Police had failed to control the congregation of people and the Nizamuddin Markaz chief Maulana Saad was still evading arrest. Advocate Om Prakash Parihar, appearing for the peti- tioner, said no statement has been made by the Centre about the whereabouts of Saad. The SC told Parihar, “Why are you interested in one per- son? We are on the issue of Covid. Why do you want con- troversy? We are interested that Covid guidelines should be there”. The SC issued notice in the matter after which Mehta said he will file a report. B harat Biotech on Thursday announced “successful completion” of volunteer enrol- ment for Phase-3 clinical trials of its indigenously manufac- tured Covid-19 vaccine “Covaxin.” “Covaxin successfully com- pletes Phase 3 clinical trials enrolment of 25,800 volun- teers,” informed Suchitra Ella, Joint Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International Limited. “We sincerely express our gratitude to clinical trial sites, principle investigators & healthcare workers for their relentless support and trust in our public-private partnership vaccine discovery. My deep appreciation to all the volun- teers for reposing trust and expressing pro vaccine public health volunteerism in the phase-3 clinical trials of India’s fully indigenous Covid-19 vac- cine,” she added. The announcement came days after the Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer announced successful recruit- ment of 23,000 volunteers and continued progress towards achieving the goal of 26,000 participants for the phase 3 trial of its coronavirus vaccine can- didate Covaxin in India. I ndia’s GDP is estimated to contract by a record 7.7 per cent during 2020-21 as the Covid-19 pandemic severely hit the key manufacturing and services segments, as per Government projections released on Thursday. Amid overall decline in economic activities, some respite was provided by the agriculture sector and utility services like power and gas supply, which have been pro- jected to post positive growth during the current fiscal end- ing March 2021. “Real GDP or GDP at Constant Prices (2011-12) in the year 2020-21 is likely to attain a level of 134.40 lakh crore, as against the Provisional Estimate of GDP for the year 2019-20 of 145.66 lakh crore... “The growth in real GDP during 2020-21 is estimated at -7.7 per cent as compared to the growth rate of 4.2 per cent in 2019-20,” said the first advanced estimates of nation- al income released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). The contraction in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), however, would not be as steep as projected by certain international agencies like the IMF and World Bank. NSO also estimates the Real Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices at 123.39 lakh crore in 2020-21, as against Rs 133.01 lakh crore in 2019-20, showing a contraction of 7.2 per cent. GVA does not factor in net taxes. GVA in the key manufac- turing sector is likely to see a contraction of 9.4 per cent during 2020-21 as compared to a flat growth of 0.03 per cent in the year ago period. “Mining and quarrying”, and “trade, hotels, transport, communication and services related to broadcasting” GVAs are likely to contract by 12.4 per cent and 21.4 per cent, respec- tively, said the first advanced estimates of the NSO. Washington: US Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger, first lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham and White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews have resigned fol- lowing the violence at the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. P8 C hief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that a unanimous solution will be found soon for promotion of Government servants in the State. The economy of the State which had been destroyed due to corona is now gradually improving, as the financial condition improves, all Government servants will get all pending benefits. Chouhan was addressing employees at the New Year Milan Samaroh organized by Mantralaya Employees Union at the Mantralaya Vallabh Bhavan premises on Thursday. On this occasion, Chief Minister Chouhan was felici- tated by the Employees Union on the occasion. Sangh President Sudhir Nayak, Shiv Choubey, Alok Verma, Rajkumar Patel etc. were present. Additional Chief Secretary of General Administration Department Vinod Kumar was also present. The Chief Minister said that employees are an integral part of the Government and all welfare schemes and programmes of the Government are implemented through the employees. The roadmap of Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh is ready. In the new year, let us all resolve that by implementing it fast, Madhya Pradesh will be made self-reliant and pioneers in the country. President of the Employees Union, Sudhir Nayak said that it is the privilege of the state that Shivraj Singh Chouhan became the Chief Minister of the state during the Corona period. With his administrative skills, Chouhan has worked day and night to save the state from Corona crisis. Nayak said that Chief Minister Chouhan is working continuously in the interest of employees. Continued on Page 3 RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008

2021/01/08  · Kundli, Ghazipur to Palwal and Rewasan to Palwal. As the march started from all borders, the protest sites wore a desert-ed look. From Ghazipur border, Rakesh Tikait,

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    In an unprecedented assaulton democracy in the US,thousands of supporters ofoutgoing President DonaldTrump stormed the Capitolbuilding here and clashed withpolice, resulting in four deathsand interrupting a constitu-tional process by Congress toaffirm the victory of President-elect Joe Biden and VicePresident-elect Kamala Harrisin the election.

    The Electoral College votesof Biden and Harris were final-ly approved early on Thursdayafter both the Senate and theHouse of Representativesrejected all objections raised bythe Republicans to the votes inthe States of Pennsylvania andArizona.

    In the presidential electionheld on November 3, Bidenand Harris received 306 elec-toral votes, while PresidentTrump and Vice PresidentMike Pence got 232. The count-ing of Vermont’s three electoralvotes put Biden and Harris overthe 270-threshold needed towin the presidency.

    In a statement released justafter the certification wasfinalised, Trump at long lastacknowledged his election loss.He said that even though hedisagrees with the outcome,

    “there will be an orderly tran-sition on January 20th."

    “I have always said wewould continue our ... Fight toensure that only legal votes

    were counted. While this rep-resents the end of the greatestfirst term in presidential his-tory, it's only the beginning ofour fight to Make America

    Great Again!”The 78-year-old

    Democratic leader and his 56-year-old Indian-origin deputywill be inaugurated on January

    20, it was announced after theconstitutional process wasfinally completed by a joint ses-sion of Congress.

    In the violence on

    Wednesday, four people died,including one woman who wasshot by a police officer, amidprotests and rioting on CapitolHill that resulted in dozens of

    demonstrators being arrested,police said.

    Metropolitan PoliceDepartment Chief RobertContee called the rioting bypro-Trump demonstrators“shameful” during a news con-ference.

    One woman was shot andkilled by Capitol Police duringthe rioting. Police said threeother people — a woman andtwo men — died after appar-ently suffering “separate med-ical emergencies” near theCapitol grounds.

    The joint session ofCongress, which is normally aceremonial step, was haltedfor several hours when sup-

    porters of Trump breached theCapitol. Proceedings resumedand continued through thenight after the building wascleeared. Vice President Pencebrought the Senate sessionback into order and proceededwith the verification process.

    “The announcement of thestate of the vote by thePresident of the Senate shall bedeemed a sufficient declarationof the persons elected Presidentand Vice President of theUnited States, each for theterm beginning on the 20th dayof January 2021...,” Pence saidfollowing the count of all of thestate’s Electoral College votes.

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    New Delhi: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Thursdayjoined the world leaders in con-demning the violence let looseby the US President DonaldTrump’s supporters and tweet-ed, “Orderly and peacefultransfer of power must con-tinue. The democratic processcannot be allowed to be sub-verted through unlawfulprotests.” P4

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    Thousands of farmers onThursday hit the road atSinghu, Tikri, Ghazipur andRewasan borders of Delhi, tak-ing out tractor rallies to esca-late agitation against the newfarm laws.

    The farmers said theirmarch on Thursday is just arehearsal for their proposedJanuary 26 tractor parade dur-ing which they will attempt tomove into the national Capitalfrom different parts ofHaryana, Punjab and UttarPradesh.

    The tractor march startedfrom four different points —Singhu to Tikri Border, Tikri toKundli, Ghazipur to Palwaland Rewasan to Palwal. As themarch started from all borders,the protest sites wore a desert-ed look.

    From Ghazipur border,Rakesh Tikait, the spokesper-son of Bharatiya Kisan Union(BKU) lead the rally in whichthere were around 500 tractors,some cars and bike. WithPunjabi songs and slogans,farmers on tractors startedtheir rallies around 11 am.

    Meanwhile, the crowdthinned at the Singhu Border,the main protest site, but lifecontinued as usual.

    Langars kept dishing out

    meals, and medical camps dis-tributed medicines to all thosewho stayed back, particularlythe elderly and the women.

    Logs for bonefire havebeen brought in huge quanti-ties to keep people warm in thechilling temperature.

    Meanwhile, the KMPexpressway was dotted withtractors and farmers the wholeday. Several protesters lined onthe route to provide fellowfarmers with all kinds of sup-plies, including peanuts, tea,and newspapers.

    Joginder Singh Ugrahan,

    president of Bharati KisanUnion (Ekta Ugrahan), whoseunion is one of the largestfarmer organisations in Punjab,claimed farmers participated inthe march with over 3,500tractors and trolleys. He saidthey will not accept anythingless than the repeal of thethree farm laws.

    Yogendra Yadav onThursday claimed people arestill joining the protest in alarge number and it will beintensified in coming days.

    “Today’s tractor rally wasjust a trailer for the

    Government. Around 5,000tractors were there today in thetractor march. If theGovernment does not repealthese laws till January 26, wewill enter Delhi on our trac-tors,” said Yadav.

    “Women are also joiningthe protest and they have alsocome forward to hold one dayhunger strike against theCentre’s new farms laws. OnThursday, 11 women whosehusband died during theprotest sat on one day hungerstrike,” said Yadav.

    “We are the sons of soil. Ifthe laws are passed, we willstarve to death. This rally is ourway of telling the Governmentthat we will not give up unlessit gives in to our demands,” saidJaspal Singh Deol from Punjab’sChamkaur Sahib.

    The eighth round of talksbetween protesting unions andthe Central Government isscheduled to be held on Friday.

    Following the tractor rallycall, the Delhi, Gurugam andUttar Pradesh (UP) policetightened its security along theborders. The police also divert-ed routes and closed the KMPexpressway for commuters fora few hours which led to traf-fic jams at several places.

    Braving severe cold andsporadic rain, the farmers havebeen camping at Delhi borders.

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    The Supreme Court onThursday expressed con-cern over large gatherings offarmers protesting against thenew farm laws at Delhi bordersand drew a parallel withTablighi Jamaat congregation atNizamuddin Markaz.

    The top court was hearinga plea seeking various reliefsincluding CBI probe into thematter related to assembly ofpeople at Anand Vihar BusTerminal and the TablighiJamaat congregation atNizamuddin Markaz in thenational Capital after thenationwide lockdown wasannounced last year to containthe pandemic.

    “The same problem isgoing to arise in farmers’ agi-tation. I do not know if farm-ers are protected from Covid.So, the same problem is goingto arise. It is not that everythingis over,” said Chief Justice SABobde, heading a Bench, alsocomprising Justices ASBopanna and V

    Ramasubramanian.The court asked Solicitor

    General Tushar Mehta, appear-ing for the Centre, whetherprotesting farmers are protect-ed from Covid-19. Mehtareplied, “certainly not”.

    Mehta said he will file areport within two weeks onwhat has been done and whatneeds to be done.

    The plea, filed by lawyerSupriya Pandita, alleged thatthe Delhi Police had failed tocontrol the congregation ofpeople and the NizamuddinMarkaz chief Maulana Saadwas still evading arrest.

    Advocate Om PrakashParihar, appearing for the peti-tioner, said no statement hasbeen made by the Centre aboutthe whereabouts of Saad.

    The SC told Parihar, “Whyare you interested in one per-son? We are on the issue ofCovid. Why do you want con-troversy? We are interestedthat Covid guidelines should bethere”.

    The SC issued notice in thematter after which Mehta saidhe will file a report.

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    Bharat Biotech on Thursdayannounced “successfulcompletion” of volunteer enrol-ment for Phase-3 clinical trialsof its indigenously manufac-tured Covid-19 vaccine“Covaxin.”

    “Covaxin successfully com-pletes Phase 3 clinical trialsenrolment of 25,800 volun-teers,” informed Suchitra Ella,Joint Managing Director,Bharat Biotech InternationalLimited.

    “We sincerely express ourgratitude to clinical trial sites,principle investigators &healthcare workers for theirrelentless support and trust inour public-private partnershipvaccine discovery. My deepappreciation to all the volun-teers for reposing trust andexpressing pro vaccine publichealth volunteerism in the

    phase-3 clinical trials of India’sfully indigenous Covid-19 vac-cine,” she added.

    The announcement camedays after the Hyderabad-basedvaccine manufacturerannounced successful recruit-ment of 23,000 volunteers andcontinued progress towardsachieving the goal of 26,000participants for the phase 3 trialof its coronavirus vaccine can-didate Covaxin in India.

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    India’s GDP is estimated tocontract by a record 7.7 percent during 2020-21 as theCovid-19 pandemic severely hitthe key manufacturing andservices segments, as perGovernment projectionsreleased on Thursday.

    Amid overall decline ineconomic activities, somerespite was provided by theagriculture sector and utilityservices like power and gassupply, which have been pro-jected to post positive growthduring the current fiscal end-ing March 2021.

    “Real GDP or GDP atConstant Prices (2011-12) inthe year 2020-21 is likely toattain a level of �134.40 lakhcrore, as against the ProvisionalEstimate of GDP for the year2019-20 of �145.66 lakh crore...

    “The growth in real GDPduring 2020-21 is estimated at-7.7 per cent as compared tothe growth rate of 4.2 per centin 2019-20,” said the first

    advanced estimates of nation-al income released by theNational Statistical Office(NSO).

    The contraction in theGross Domestic Product(GDP), however, would not beas steep as projected by certaininternational agencies like theIMF and World Bank.

    NSO also estimates theReal Gross Value Added (GVA)at basic prices at �123.39 lakhcrore in 2020-21, as against Rs133.01 lakh crore in 2019-20,showing a contraction of 7.2per cent. GVA does not factorin net taxes.

    GVA in the key manufac-turing sector is likely to see acontraction of 9.4 per centduring 2020-21 as compared toa flat growth of 0.03 per cent inthe year ago period.

    “Mining and quarrying”,and “trade, hotels, transport,communication and servicesrelated to broadcasting” GVAsare likely to contract by 12.4 percent and 21.4 per cent, respec-tively, said the first advancedestimates of the NSO.

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    #�������������������.#�����+�������Washington : US DeputyNational Security Advisor MattPottinger, first lady MelaniaTrump’s chief of staff StephanieGrisham and White HouseDeputy Press Secretary SarahMatthews have resigned fol-lowing the violence at the USCapitol by supporters ofPresident Donald Trump. P8

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    Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan has said that aunanimous solution will befound soon for promotion ofGovernment servants in theState.

    The economy of the Statewhich had been destroyed dueto corona is now graduallyimproving, as the financialcondition improves, allGovernment servants will getall pending benefits.

    Chouhan was addressingemployees at the New YearMilan Samaroh organized byMantralaya Employees Unionat the Mantralaya VallabhBhavan premises on Thursday.On this occasion, ChiefMinister Chouhan was felici-

    tated by the Employees Unionon the occasion.

    Sangh President SudhirNayak, Shiv Choubey, Alok

    Verma, Rajkumar Patel etc.were present. Additional Chief

    Secretary of GeneralAdministration DepartmentVinod Kumar was also present.

    The Chief Minister said thatemployees are an integral part ofthe Government and all welfareschemes and programmes of theGovernment are implementedthrough the employees. Theroadmap of AtmanirbharMadhya Pradesh is ready.

    In the new year, let us allresolve that by implementing itfast, Madhya Pradesh will bemade self-reliant and pioneersin the country.

    President of the EmployeesUnion, Sudhir Nayak said thatit is the privilege of the statethat Shivraj Singh Chouhanbecame the Chief Minister ofthe state during the Coronaperiod. With his administrativeskills, Chouhan has worked dayand night to save the state fromCorona crisis. Nayak said thatChief Minister Chouhan isworking continuously in theinterest of employees.

    Continued on Page 3

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    Under the mega event Writer's Unplugged ‘Mentors Ki Mehfil’was held on Thursday. The event was held on Facebook Live,organised by Kalaa Kabab aur Kisse.

    As the show is reaching its culmination the whole week isplanned as Writer’s Unplugged special starting from January 4where various shows are being held online describing the vari-ous aspects and behind the scenes of Writer’s Unplugged.

    In the row, the mentors are not guiding the participants thistime, but, they performed live on Mentors Ki Mehfil (HindiChapter) on Thursday.During the entire show the mentorsensured only the best is served to our audience. They used toexplain the challenges to the participants and helped them withtheir performances. They poured their skills in the participantsand brought out the best.

    The mentors who performer lives included Ishika Gupta,Saizal Gupta, Komal Mundhra, Sunit Agrawal, HimanshuDwivedi, Deepshikha Agrawal and Thakur Banarasi.

    Writer’s Unplugged is a show by Kalaa Kebab aur Kisse - start-ed as a competition among writing communities and then evolvedas a reality show.

    The show is held in two chapters - Hindi and English wherevarious challenges were given to the writers and they were markedon their writing skills.

    In the previous rounds , more than 200 writers participat-ed , and only TOP5 could make it up to The Grand Finale ofthe competition ( Hindi and English chapter together).

    The challenges given to them included - writing a letter to adead historic person about another historical event, Rewriting analready existing story from the perspective of a prominent non-living object, Freestyle Poetry, reply to Poetry , Writing a Microtalein Nav Ras.The final challenge for The Grand Finale is writingand Performing a Podcast.

    The finalists for Hindi Chapter are: Samiksha Salunke andAjay Choubey. The Finalists for English Chapter are: Sarwar Baker,Shilling Masih and Jasreen Kaur.

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    Sensation prevailed in the areaafter a 30-year-old man wasshot in his face at Arera Colonyon Thursday; tussle between twogunmen lead to the incident inwhich son of one gunman wasshot by other during dispute.

    SHO of Habibganj policeRakesh Shrivastava said thatSher Singh Baghel has beenarrested for opening fire atRajesh Singh Baghel at E 1/20 atArera Colony in the morningtoday after the verbal spate

    between victim’s father andaccused turned violent.

    The victim came to deliverlunch for his father and in thedispute he was shot by theaccused who was later arrested.Victim was shot in his face nearjaw and rushed to hospital, hiscondition is reportedly stableand would be operated onSaturday, he added.

    Panic prevailed in the areaafter gunshots were heard and itwas found that two securityguard deployed at Kapoor’shouse entered a violent fight and

    one person was injured in thefight who was shot by licensedpistol during the fight. Thesecurity guards carry pistols forsafety and protection but in theincident it was used to harm thevictim.

    The victim and accused areresidents of Bhind and are rel-atives. The police found that thevictim’s father Maan Singh andRajesh Singh Baghel aredeployed as gunman at SunilKapoor’s house at Arera Colonywho owns RKDF groups ofinstitutions.

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    From Page 1The State has made steady

    progress under his leadership.When the history of the statewill be written, the periodbefore and after Chief MinisterShivraj Singh Chouhan will becompared.

    The employees demandedthat the Chief Minister shouldallow pending promotions,pending dearness allowanceand increments, health insur-ance benefits for employees and03 higher pay scales to allemployees. Chief MinisterChouhan assured that all legit-imate demands of employeeswill be fulfilled.

    At the outset, ChiefMinister Chouhan inaugurat-ed the Health Vigilance Centreset up by the MantralayaEmployees Union inMantralaya. Oximeter, BPmachine, glucometers, vapor-izers, thermal scanners etc.have been kept in the centre.

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    Depressed for not havingchildren from marriage a45 -year-old woman commit-ted suicide by hanging with theceiling at Peergate area underKotwali police station area onWednesday.

    According to the police,deceased Mamta Saxena wasfound hanging in kitchen at herhouse and was rushed to anearby hospital where she wasdeclared dead. Police have notfound any suicide note or anyreason in the initial investiga-

    tion andIn the initial investigation

    police found that the Mamtamarried Gopal Saxena after hisfirst wife died but from themarriage she do not have anychildren while Gopal had twochildren from his first wife anddue to not having childrenMamta used to remaindepressed and which is seen asprobable reason of suicide.

    Body was sent for the postmortem after the preliminaryinvestigation. The police haveregistered a case under section174 of the CrPC and havestarted further investigation.

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    Nazeerabad police havearrested a drug peddler car-rying drugs worth Rs 1.05 lakhnear Behrawal trisection road onWednesday; Cannabis weighing5.43 kg was seized from the drugpeddler.The action was takenafter receiving information thatdrug peddler would bring goodquantity of drug and nabbed thedrug peddler.

    Police received informationthat Cannabis has been hiddenin farms near Behrawal village.A police reached rushed to thespot and find a man walkingtowards Behrawal trisection.Thepolice seized over 5 kg ofCannabis which were carried inbag. The drug peddlers was

    identified as BrijeshDuring the initial investiga-

    tion it was found that the accusedwas on his way to sell Cannabiswhich he had hidden in farms.The details of procurement andwere he was scheduled to sell thedrugs.After the initial investiga-tion police have registered a caseunder sections 8 and 20 of theNDPS Act. The crime record ofthe accused would be investi-gated. The local connection ofdrug peddlers would be investi-gated in the further investigation.

    The drug peddler used tosell drugs in small quantitieswhich helped him to evade sus-picion and arrest and this timeto make big money he tried tosell large quantity of Cannabis.

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    The Nishaptura police havebooked two fraudsterinvolved in duping a 47-year-old man to the tune of Rs 17lakh in the name of facilitatingadmission in Peoples MedicalCollege to victim’s daughter inthe year 2017.

    Police said that the victimChandrajit Singh was duped bytwo accused Manish andRakesh who duped the victimfor facilitating admission inPeoples Medical College at Rs17 lakh.

    In the case two accusedwere involved and went

    absconding after victim pro-vided money for admission.

    Notably in the year 2017the victim came into contactwith the two accused. The vic-tim wanted admission inPeoples Medical College for herdaughter and the accusedassured that they would facil-itate admission and demandedRs 17 lakh for the process.

    The victim after gettingassured provided the money intwo parts Rs 5 lakh and Rs 12lakh. After collecting moneyand documents the victim’sdaughter was not providedwith admission and her docu-ments were also not returned.The victim lodged a complaintwith the police.

    The police registered a caseof fraud against the accused.During the investigation it wasfound that few more peoplehave been duped luring thesame admission trick. '����%��������

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    The carcasses of 381 moremigratory birds were foundon Thursday at Pong wetlandin Himachal’s Kangra districtpushing the death toll of birdsto 3409 due to avian influenza-H5N1.

    With the outbreak of birdflu at Pong wetland, a team ofexperts from Wildlife Instituteof India (WII), Dehradun vis-ited the area to assess the situ-ation while a control room hasbeen set up at Nagrota Surainto oversee the entire operationsto control the outbreak.

    “Till Thursday afternoon,carcasses of 381 migratorybirds were found and thecounting of carcasses was stillon at the Pong wetland. A totalof 3409 migratory birds havedied till now due to bird flu,”said a senior official of theWildlife wing of ForestDepartment, Himachal whiletalking to The Pioneer.

    The fatality in migratorybirds has increased in the lasttwo days. On an average, deathof more than 300 migratorybirds is being reported at thePong wetland every day now,the official said.

    As per the protocol, thecarcasses are collected by thefield staff wearing a PPE kit.These carcasses are then burntand the remnants are buried ina deep pit to contain the spreadof bird flu, the official said.

    He said that the StateGovernment is following theadvisory of the CentralGovernment and all the fieldfunctionaries have been asked

    to maintain strict vigil and sur-veillance.

    It was on January 4 whenthe deadly avian influenza-H5N1 was confirmed byNational Institute of HighSecurity Animal Diseases(NIHASAD), Bhopal in fivemigratory birds, whose car-casses were found in Pongwetland.

    Meanwhile, a team ofexperts from Wildlife Instituteof India visited the Pong DamWildlife Sanctuary to assess thesituation and gave suggestionsfor control and containment ofthe outbreak.

    The State Government hasalso deputed PCCF Wildlife,HP at the site to take measuresto control the situation andDFO Wildlife Hamirpur ismonitoring the daily operationsat the site.

    The forest official said thatten rapid response teams arecurrently working in nine beatsof the Pong sanctuary area forthe collection and safe dispos-al of dead birds. Apart fromthis, 55 persons have beendeployed for daily surveillanceoperations in the area.

    He said that a control roomhas been established at NagrotaSurain to oversee the entireoperations besides receivingand disseminating all the infor-mation regarding the outbreakof bird flu.

    Notably, the Pong wetland,about 100 kms fromDharamshala, is a well-knownwildlife sanctuary and one ofthe international wetland sitesdeclared in India by the RamsarConvention.

    Around 60000 migratory

    birds have reached the wetlandduring this winter and till now,maximum fatalities have beenseen among Bar-HeadedGoose. There have also beenreports of deaths of crows,pigeons and vultures in differ-ent parts of the state.

    The humans can also getinfected by H5N1 only uponclose interaction with infectedlive or dead birds, or H5N1-contaminated environments.If infected, humans tend to fallseverely ill and also requirehospitalisation.

    Oseltamivir, an antiviralmedicine is used widely toprevent severity of the virusand death.

    THREE MORE DEADBIRDS FOUND INCHANDIGARH

    Carcasses of three morebirds were found in the unionterritory of Chandigarh tillThursday evening amid theoutbreak of bird flu in severalstates across the country.

    A day before, four birdswere found dead at the regula-tor end of Sukhna Lake whilea carcass of Common Coot wasfound on Tuesday evening.

    A carcass of Peacock wasfound at Sukhna Lake whileone dead crow each was foundin Sector 36 and Leisure Valleyhere till the evening, saidDebendra Dalai, UT ChiefConservator of Forest andChief Wildlife Warden whiletalking to The Pioneer.

    The samples have beensent to the Regional DiseaseDiagnostic Laboratory(RDDL), Jalandhar for testing,he said.

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    PNB Bank fraud master-mind Nirav Modi’s sisterPurvi Modi, alias Purvi Mehta,and her husband MaiankMehta have turned approver inthe case and also agreed toassist the authorities in realis-ing and repatriating variousassets in India and abroadworth �579 crore to theGovernment of India. Theseassets are in Purvi Modi’s nameor in the names of companiesowned by her.

    “They filed an applicationbefore the Special (PMLA)Court, Mumbai for allowingthem to seek pardon underSection 306 and 307 ofCriminal Procedure Code andundertook to make true andfull disclosure of the circum-stances and events withoutconcealing any evidence andprovide complete documents.Purvi Modi has also agreed toassist in realising and repatri-ating various assets in India andabroad totaling to �579 crore tothe Government of India,” theED said in a statement.

    These assets include oneresidential flat in (BreachCandy) Bhulabhai Desai Road,Mumbai worth �19.5 crores,two flats in Central Park South,New York, NY in the name ofa Trust worth US$ 4,995,000(Equivalent to �36.52 crore),

    one unit at Central Park South,New York, NY in the name ofa Trust worth US$ 25,000,000(Equivalent to �182.82 crores)and a Bank Account inSwitzerland in the name ofPurvi Deepak Modi with a bal-ance of CHF 20,201,500.00(Equivalent to �168.08 crores)and another bank account inSwitzerland whose beneficialowner is Purvi Modi and it hasa balance of CHF 13,009,200.00(equivalent to �108.23 crore).Other assets are a flat atMarylebone Road, London,NW15PL, UK. Worth GBP6,250,000 (equivalent to 62.1crores), a bank account inSyndicate Bank, NarimanPoint, Mumbai in the name ofPurvi Modi with a balance of�1.96 crores.

    Prosecution Complaints(chargesheets) were filed byED before the Special PMLACourt against Purvi Modi,Maiank Mehta and others inthe Nirav Modi Bank Fraudcase, the ED said.

    “Investigation underPMLA revealed that PurviModi has more than a dozenbank accounts and has own-ership of various compa-nies/Trusts abroad. Vide theirstatements and their submis-

    sions before the AdjudicatingAuthority, Purvi Modi andMaiank Mehta have categori-cally stated that all the com-panies, properties andaccounts mentioned in theProsecution Complaints(Except Pavillion PointCorporation) belongs to NiravModi. She gave her willingnessto offer all cooperation torepatriate the assets to India,”it said.

    Both of the accused statedthat the funds channelisedthrough their accounts werebelonging to Nirav Modi andon Nirav Modi’s insistence, itsaid.

    The Special Court hasallowed for grant of pardonunder Sections 306 and 307 ofCr.P.C., on condition of mak-ing full and true disclosure andfurther allowed that theaccused shall be marked asapprover in this case. Thecourt further directed that ‘theapplicant-accused shall appearbefore the Court by returningto India, for which purpose thecomplainant-prosecution shallfacilitate the approach ofaccused at earliest, and shalltake suitable steps according-ly. Further investigation in thecase is in progress, it added.

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    The National InvestigationAgency (NIA) on Thursdayconducted searches at six loca-tions, five in Jammu districtand one in Tarn-Taran districtof Punjab, in connection withinvestigation of a narco-terrormodule related to seizure ofabout 61 kg heroin along witharms and ammunitions onSeptember 20 last year at theinternational border at Arnia,Jammu.

    The searches were con-ducted at the residences of sixaccused persons— JasrajSingh, Sham Lal, Bishan Dass,Ajeet Kumar, Gurbaksh Singhand Gurpartap Singh.

    “These accused personswere arrested for hatching acriminal conspiracy for car-rying out anti-national andunlawful activities, and tohelp the terrorist organisa-tions by collecting funds andchannelizing the proceeds ofdrugs for furthering the activ-ities of such terrorist organi-sations like Babbar KhalsaInternational (BKI),” the NIAsaid in a statement.

    Gurpratap Singh of Tarn-Taran district of Punjab is thekingpin of this module. In thesecond week of September,2020, Gurpratap Singh hadreceived 10 kg heroin fromPakistan-based handlersthrough his associates. Theconsignment in the case wasalso intended to be received

    by Gurpratap Singh to fundthe activities of BKI inPunjab, it said.

    During the searches con-ducted on Thursday, digitaldevices and other incrimi-nating documents havingfinancial details and accountsnumbers have been seizedfor further scrutiny andanalysis, it added.

    Originally registered ascase FIR No. 65/2020 onSeptember 20, 2020 at PoliceStation Arnia, Jammu undervarious Indian Penal CodeSections relating to criminalconspiracy, attempt to murderand waging war against thenation and provisions of theArms Act in connection withunprovoked firing at a policepatrolling party from Pakistanside to provide cover for thesmuggling activity. Sections ofthe Narcotic Drugs andPsychotropic Substances Actand Unlawful Activit ies(Prevention) Act were addedsubsequently during investi-gation. The case was re-reg-istered by NIA on November26 and taken up for investi-gation.

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    The NIA Special Court hereon Thursday sentencedan accused and ISIS terroristShajahan VK of Kannur,Kerala to seven years rigorousimprisonment (RI) and fine of�73,000 for the offences undersection Indian Penal Code(IPC) Sections relating tocriminal conspiracy, cheat-ing, forgery, criminal breachof trust and provisions of theUnlawful Activit ies(Prevention) Act.

    The ISIS-Kannur Casewas initially registered by theSpecial Cell of the Delhi Policeas FIR No. 44/2017 datedSeptember 5, 2017 under var-ious IPC Sections and provi-sions of the UnlawfulActivities (Prevention) Actand the Passport Act.

    Shajahan was arrested onJuly 1, 2017 at IGI Airporthere on deportation by theTurkish authorities. Anotheraccused Mohd. Mustafa wasarrested from Chennai, onJuly 12, 2017. Subsequently,the NIA took over investiga-tion of the case on September5, 2017.

    “Shajahan Velluva Kandyis a member of proscribedinternational terrorist organ-isation ISIS. He had associat-ed himself with ISIS with theintention to further its activi-ties. In October, 2016, healong with his family hadgone to Turkey via Malaysiawith an intention to go to Syriato fight on behalf of ISIS,” theNIA said in a statement.

    However, while crossingthe Turkey-Syria border, healong with his family were

    apprehended by the Turkishauthorities and deported backto India on February 1, 2017.In his desperation to serve thecause of ISIS, he procured anIndian passport again on thebasis of forged documentsand in April 2017, he travelledto Turkey via Thailand andwas apprehended again whileattempting to cross to Syria.Thereafter, he was againdeported to India on July 1,2017 and was arrested, theagency said.

    After investigation, theNIA had filed a charge sheeton December 23, 2017 againsttwo accused persons--Shajahan Velluva Kandy andMohd. Mustafa.

    While Shahjahan has beenconvicted, trial against theother accused person is con-tinuing, it added.

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    Meeting India’s air qualitytargets across south Asiamay prevent 7 per cent ofpregnancy losses in the region,according to a study publishedin the Lancet journal.

    The modelling study sug-gested that pregnant women inIndia, Pakistan, Bangladesh,who are exposed to poor airquality, may be at higher risk ofstillbirths and miscarriages. Itsaid that an estimated 349,681pregnancy losses per year insouth Asia were associatedwith exposure to PM2.5 con-centrations that exceededIndia’s air quality standard(more than 40 ig/m or micro-grams per cubic meter air),accounting for 7 per cent ofannual pregnancy loss in theregion from 2000-2016.

    In the study, theresearchers included 34,197women who had lost a preg-

    nancy, including 27,480 mis-carriages and 6,717 stillbirths,which were compared to live-birth controls.

    Of the pregnancy losscases, 77 per cent were fromIndia, 12 per cent fromPakistan, and 11 per cent fromBangladesh.

    Pregnancy loss associatedwith air pollution was morecommon in the northern plainsregion in India and Pakistan.

    Previous studies have sug-gested a link between air pol-lution and pregnancy loss inother regions, but this is thefirst study, published in LancetPlanetary Health, to quantifythe burden in south Asia.

    South Asia has the highestburden of pregnancy loss glob-ally and is one of the mostPM2.5 polluted regions in theworld.

    “Our findings suggest thatpoor air quality could beresponsible for a considerable

    burden of pregnancy loss in theregion, providing further jus-tification for urgent action totackle dangerous levels of pol-lution,” said lead study authorDr Tao Xue from PekingUniversity in China.

    To carry out their analysis,the authors combined datafrom household surveys onhealth from 1998-2016 (fromwomen who reported at leastone pregnancy loss and one ormore livebirths) and estimatedexposure to PM2.5 duringpregnancy through combiningsatellite with atmospheric mod-elling outputs.

    The researchers, howevernoted several limitations oftheir study. In the surveys,they were not able to distin-guish between natural preg-nancy loss and abortions andthere was under-reporting ofpregnancy losses because ofstigma or ignoring very earlypregnancy losses.

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    With just four States—Maharashtra, Kerala,Chhattisgarh and WestBengal—accounting more thanhalf of the total cases in thecountry, the Centre is fearingthat the continued rise in infec-tion there might negate theresults gained in other parts ofthe country where cases are ondecline.

    The Centre has asked theStates to take corrective steps tocontain the infection.

    About 28.61 per cent casesare in Kerala, followed by 22.79per cent in Maharashtra, 3.99per cent in Chhattisgarh and3.89 per cent in West Bengal.

    “These states have beenadvised by the Union HealthSecretary Rajesh Bhushan tomaintain strict vigil and to takesteps to keep a check on the ris-ing cases, especially in view ofthe new coronavirus strainobserved in certain countries,which has also been reportedin a few States in India,” said asenior official from theMinistry.

    In a letter to them,Bhushan drew the attention ofthe states to their low anddeclining testing rates andwarned that any laxity at this

    crucial junction may squanderthe results of collective actionsin containing the transmis-sion.

    He advised them to analysethe surge at the district andsub-district levels to under-stand the reasons for this riseand aggressively implementthe ‘Test-Track-Treat” strategy.

    The health authorities inthe states have also beenadvised to proactively promote

    wearing of mask and otherCovid appropriate behaviourseven while the vaccinationdrive is about to begin.

    In this regard, a high-levelcentral team led by Dr SKSingh, Director, NationalCentre for Disease Control(NCDC), has been rushed toKerala to review the publichealth interventions in man-agement of Covid-19 in theState.

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    As India gears up for amassive Covid vaccina-tion drive, private investiga-tors have formed an interna-tional alliance to check cir-culation of fake vaccines. Aninitiative of Delhi-basedAssociat ion of PrivateDetectives and Investigators(APDI), the Global AllianceAgainst Fake Vaccine(GAFV) has been formed

    comprising professionalinvestigators from 16 coun-tries, while more are likely tojoin this international cam-paign initiated from India.APDI has written a letter toPrime Minister NarendraModi offering help in thegovernment’s plans to dealwith the fake COVID vaccineissue. The organisation hasalso written a similar letter toUnion Health Minister DrHarsh Vardhan.

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    Union Education MinisterRamesh Pokhriyal‘Nishank’ on Thursdayannounced the Joint EntranceExamination (JEE) Advanced2021 examination date andthe eligibility criteria for admis-sion into Indian Institutes ofTechnology (IITs). The examwill be held on July 3 while the75 percent eligibility criteriawill not be applicable this year.

    “JEE-Advanced will beconducted by IIT Kharagpuron July 3. The relaxation inadmission requirement of 75per cent marks in class 12which was announced last yearin view of COVID-19 pan-demic will be offered this yearas well,” Nishank said.The examwill be conducted by IITKharagpur.

    For admissions to IITs,apart from qualifying the Joint

    Entrance Examination (JEE)-Advanced, the candidates arerequired to secure either min-imum 75 per cent marks inclass 12 board exams or rankamong the top 20 percentile intheir qualifying examinations.

    The JEE Advanced 2021would be attempted by thosewho had qualified the JEEMains last year but could notappear for the next examsdue to the coronavirus pan-demic. As a one-time excep-tion, the National TestingAgency (NTA) has allowed thelatter BTech candidates todirectly appear for JEEAdvanced 2021.

    Ahead of Pokhriyal’sannouncement, candidateshave been requesting to scrap75 percent criteria for JEEMains, grant multiple attemptsfor JEE Advanced 2021.

    The JEE Main 2021 will beconducted four times this year,

    as per the suggestions of manystudents and parents.

    The first attempt of theexam will be from February 23to 26. The last date to registeronline is January 16.Candidates will now have achoice to attempts only 75questions out of the 90 ques-tions present in the paper.

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    The Supreme CourtThursday soughtresponses fromRajasthan AssemblySpeaker and others ontwo separate pleasagainst the merger of allsix BSP MLAs into theruling Congress legisla-ture party in the State.

    Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) and BJP MLAMadan Dilawar havefiled separate appealsagainst an order of theRajasthan High Courtwhich asked the Speakerto decide within threemonths a disqualifica-tion petition against all

    the six BSP MLAs ‘merg-ing’ with the rulingCongress party.

    A bench of Justices SAbdul Nazeer and K MJoseph, in the proceed-ings conducted throughvideo conferencing,also issued notices tothe

    Assembly secretaryand all the six MlAs whodefected and mergedwith the Congress.

    The merger was aboost to Ashok Gehlot-led State Government asthe tally of the Congressincreased to over 100 inthe house of 200 MLAs.

    ���� !0#�102-+

    The Congress on Thursdayattacked the Centre afterthe petrol price breached theall-time high in 73 years.While Congress presidentSonia Gandhi on Thursday hitout at the Modi Governmenton a range of issues includingthe fuel price rise, RahulGandhi took a swipe ques-tioning the development agen-da of the ruling regime. Boththe leaders besides the partyin a statement criticised theGovernment also for theongoing farmers’ protest.

    “I demand theGovernment to keep theprices of petrol and diesel tothat of the UPA era and giverelief to the people and rollback all the three farm laws.In independent India, thecountry is at crossroads as

    farmers are on the Delhi bor-ders for their genuinedemands while the unbridled,insensitive government isbreaking the backbone of thefarmers and middle class,”Sonia said in a statement.

    Sonia, who has beenattacking the Modi govern-ment occasionally as againstdaily criticism by her sonRahul, mentioned in herstatement that due to covid, allaround the economy is alreadyin shambles while the Modigovernment is putting moneyinto their coffers.

    Sonia alleged that despiteless cost of crude in the inter-national market the benefitshould go to the consumersbut the government is profi-teering on it.

    “In the last six years, thegovernment col lected19,00,000 crore as excise duty

    from the people. Not only this,the rising costs of the domes-tic LPG has also disturbed thehome budget,” she said.

    Rahul took to Twitter andwrote: “There has been a‘Superb development’ in theprices of petrol and diesel. TheModi government is lootingthe public by charging heavytax on fuel. This is the reasonwhy the government is notwilling to implement GST onpetrol-diesel.”

    Congress slammed the

    government and wrote: “Suit-Boot-Loot Sarkar has proveditself once again with anoth-er “historic” milestone: petrolprices are now at an all-timehigh!”

    “‘Cause looting moneyfrom the common man to fillthe pockets of middlemenand crony-capitalists is whythe BJP came to power,” theparty said in its Petrolootcampaign.

    The cost of crude isaround 51 dollars whichmeans petrol should bearound Rs 23 a litre but theprices are more than doublewhich is highest in 73 years.

    After the raise onThursday, the petrol price inDelhi increased by 23 paise alitre, the second successive dayof fuel price rise, to Rs 84.20a litre from Rs 83.97 on theprevious day. This is the high-

    est level of retail price ofpetrol in the national Capitalafter October 4, 2018 when itsprice had risen to Rs 84 a litre.

    In other metros, thoughthe price of petrol has not yetbreached the all-time highlevels, it has reached veryclose to that level and maycross it this week if fuel priceincreases further in comingdays.

    In Mumbai, petrol priceincreased to �90.83 a litre onThursday just 51 paise short ofall-time high level of �91.34reached on October 4, 2018.In Chennai, the petrol pricecurrently is �86.96 a litre, ashade lower than historic highlevel of �87.33 a litre.

    Similarly, petrol price alsoreached very close to recordlevel of �85.80 a litre inKolkata increasing to �85.68 alitre on Thursday.

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    The Kerala Government’s decisionon Wednesday to meet half theproject cost of Rs 2,815 crore in theconstruction of Angamali- ErumeliSabari Rail Route has stirred up a hor-net’s nest in the region through whichthe track is to be laid. Thousands ofresidents staying along the route of theproposed track would lose theirdwelling places and fertile farms oncethe Indian Railways resume the landacquiring process. What is disturbingthe Railway authorities in Kerala is thatthe majority of the people who wouldbe displaced because of the projectbelong to the minority communities.

    The Pinarayi Vijayan-led KeralaGovernment on Wednesday haddeclared that it would meet half thecost of Rs 2,815 crore required for the111 km long railway line fromAngamali to Erumeli to faciliate pil-grimage to the holy shrine ofSabarimala.

    The legendary Dr E Sreedharan,India’s Metro Man, sounded cautionabout the Sabari Rail project. TheKerala Government has suddenlyraked up this project only to get polit-

    ical gains for the next election. Thisrailway line will be of no use to Keralaor to the Sabarimala pilgrims. On theother hand, it will dislocate many peo-ple and cause severe environmentaldamage to the green, beautiful hillranges.” Dr Sreedharan told ThePioneer on Thursday.

    He said that automatic signallingcan be introduced on the Trivandrum-Mangalore section and the line capac-ity increased to run many commutedtrains at half the cost meant for theproject. “This will reduce the roadcongestion and road accidents,” saidDr Sreedharan.

    He said the lop-sided policies ofthe Kerala Government has resulted inthe stagnation of growth in the State.“A more urgent railway link is theextension of Trissur-Guruvayoor lineto Thirunavaya, (a project sanctionedabout 14 years back) which will reducethe running time of trains betweenErnakulam and Kozhikode by at leastone hour and the severe congestion atShornur junction too will be avoided,”he said.

    There is widespread complaintagainst the Centre and Indian Railwaysfor using high handed measures like

    threats and coercion to acquire landfor the seven kilometre stretch whichhas been built as part of the project.“This is a move to displace the popu-lation belonging to the minority com-munities from places likePerumbavoor, Kothamangalam up toErumeli. The question where wewould go from the places where wehave been living for decades remainsunanswered. The Kerala Governmenthad expressed its helplessness inacquiring land for the construction ofNational Highway in North Kerala andthe Centre was forced to shelve its planto build a six-lane track,” said P MBasheer, former councillor ofPerumbavoor Municipal Council.

    Though the decision to partfinance the project has been taken bythe Pinarayi Vijayan Government,legal experts are of the view that landacquisition process would not be easy.“The Modi Government itself hasamended the land acquisition laws andthe Railways would find the processtough. The question is whether it isworthwhile for Governments of Indiaand Kerala to squander public moneyon a white elephant,” said a KeralaHigh Court lawyer.

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    Much awaited IndustrialDevelopmental Schemefor Jammu & Kashmir, aimedat generating employment inboth manufacturing and ser-vice sectors, was made pub-lic by the Lt-Governor ManojSinha on Thursday.

    The scheme with a totaloutlay of Rs. 28,400 croreupto the year 2037 was earlierapproved by the Union governmentheaded by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Wednesday.

    The proposed scheme is like-ly to attract unprecedented invest-ment and give direct and indirectemployment to about 4.5 lakh per-sons. Additionally, because of theworking capital interest subvention,the scheme is likely to give indirectsupport to about 35,000 persons.

    Sharing details of the scheme,Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha,in a press conference, claimed themain purpose of the scheme is togenerate employment beyond gov-ernment jobs in both manufactur-ing and service sectors whichdirectly leads to the socio-economicdevelopment of the region.

    The Lt Governor also expressed

    gratitude towards the PrimeMinister for approving the NewCentral Sector Scheme forIndustrial Development of Jammu& Kashmir.

    Briefing media persons here atJammu Convention centre, Lt-GovManoj Sinha claimed the NewIndustrial Development Scheme forJ&K will give a boost to domesticmanufacturing in the region & helpJ&K in becomingAatmaNirbhar.”The Scheme willencourage new investment, sub-stantial expansion and also nurturethe existing industries in J&K”, hemaintained.

    The Lt Governor, while givingout the details of the scheme,emphasized that it will be ensuredthat the implementation of the newscheme shall be done in a manner

    which is friendly and hasslefree to the investors. It will beensured that entrepreneursfrom within J&K and outsidefind a smooth and progres-sive ecosystem for their busi-ness plans, he added.

    Further, the Lt Governoremphasized that “With ourtransparent policies, invest-ments in developing infra-structure, market orientedpolicy environment and

    skilled human capital, we aspire tobecome a growth pillar for India inthe current decade”.

    “Earlier schemes offered aplethora of incentives. However, theoverall financial outflow was muchlesser than the new scheme.Whereas, the earlier schemes haveprovided about Rs 1120 crores inall these years, this scheme shallprovide an outlay of Rs 28,400crores”, Lt-Gov Manoj Sinha said.

    He further said thatGovernment and Industry willwork closely to achieve the visionof the holistic and balanced devel-opment of Jammu and Kashmir.

    He also thanked the businessassociations and all who con-tributed through their valuablesuggestions.

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    In an apparent bid to send theright message to non-Bengalibusinessmen amid “insider-outsider” debate ahead of theAssembly elections BengalChief Minister MamataBanerjee on Wednesday saidher Government would con-tinue to support them flourishin the State.

    Aware that her repeatedbranding of the north andwestern Indian BJP politiciansas “outsiders” could alienate thenon-Bengali industrialists whohave their ancestry in BengalBanerjee said the industrialistswho were originally from otherStates but had made Bengaltheir base would get all kindsof support from herGovernment.

    A whole lot of industrial-ists from Bengal like theNeotaias, Goenkas, Agarwals,Budhias, Dalmias, Khaitans,Sonis and Sodhis belong toMarwari, Gujarati and Punjabicommunities. “She told us thatwe are as Bengalis as those whosay it as their mother languageand hence we too are the partsand parcel of this State,” busi-nessman who attended themeeting said adding the ChiefMinister asked the businesscommunity to stay united andwork for the development ofBengal.

    Reminding how Bengalhad developed a mechanismtowards ensuring ease of doingbusiness and how the forth-coming projects like Tajpursea port, Deocha Pachmi coalblock and the newly found nat-

    ural gas reserve in North 24Parganas would help trade andcommerce in days to come theChief Minister said how herGovernment had worked hardto construct a number ofleather and industrial parks inthe State besides developing theinformation technology sector.

    “The Chief Minister hadalready indulged in divisivepolitics. First she tried to drivea wedge between Hindus andMuslims through her minori-ty appeasement politics andwhen it boomeranged pitchingthe majority communityagainst her now she has raisinginsider-outsider issue tryingto segregate Bengalis fromnon-Bengalis so as to divide theBJP votes … But this mayhave repercussions in industrialinvestment because most

    investors in Eastern India arenot locals but they come fromthe western or northern part ofthe country … this is the rea-son why she might have triedto fine-tune her rhetoric today,”said BN Chakrabarty a politi-cal expert.

    Banerjee had been underconstant attack from the fellowpoliticians for repeatedly tryingto play ‘soft communal’ card ina bid to garner votes by divid-ing the communities, castesand linguistics groups.

    In fact Governor JagdeepDhankhar too had on Tuesdayattacked her policy of raisinginsider-outsider issue. “Todayit hurts me to know how thecitizens of the country arebeing called outsiders in anopen and politically consciousState like Bengal.” Dhankhar

    himself hails from Rajasthan.About 75 representatives

    from industry attended themeeting West Bengal IndustrialDevelopment Corporation(WBIDC) Chairman RajivaSinha said adding the govern-ment wanted to know fromthem what more could be donefor ease of doing business.

    “WBIDC will provide sin-gle window facility throughSilpa Sathi office (physical)and Silpa Sathi portal to all sec-tors -- large, MSME, textile,agro-processing, informationtechnology -- from next week,”Sinha said.

    Meanwhile the State BJP isall set to receive party nation-al president JP Nadda who willvisit Bengal on Saturday. Naddawould hold his first meeting atKatwa in Burdwan district.

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    New Delhi: MOS Rattan lalKataria reviewed the progressof Jal Jeevan Mission, a flagshipprogramme of theGovernment. A presentationwas made about the progress ofthe Mission by AdditionalSecretary, Department ofDrinking water and sanitationBharat Lal.

    Kataria informed that sinceIndependence till August 2019,a total of 3.23 crore ruralhouseholds (out of total 18.93crore rural households) had tapwater connections, but in ashort span of 1 year alone, 3.04crore new connections havealready been provided to ruralhouseholds under this mis-sion. Jal Jeevan mission has setan ambitious yet achievable tar-get of giving piped water con-nections to each and everyrural household with anapproach ensuring - ‘No one is

    left out’.He informed that Goa is

    the first state to provide 100%piped connection and so far 27Districts, 458 blocks, 33,516Gram Panchayats, 66,210 vil-lages have been declared tohave achieved‘ H a r G h a r J a l ’. R e c e n t l y,Kurukshetra became the 27thDistrict in India and 3rd inHaryana to have achieved thistarget.

    He credited the successprimarily to the people of thesevillages, Gram Panchayats,PaaniSamitis, public healthauthorities and other stake-holders.

    States of Telangana,Gujarat, Haryana, UT ofPuducherry are close to achiev-ing 100% coverage. Stateswhich have made goodprogress in terms of increasingthe coverage are - Himachal

    Pradesh, Bihar,U t t a r a k h a n d , M a n i p u r,Mizoram, UT of Andamanand Nicobar.

    For the Road Map ahead,2 states ( Bihar, Telangana )and2 UTs ( Puducherry, Andaman& Nicobar ) are expected toachieve 100% coverage in theyear 2021. The Ministry isworking to leverageInformation Technology toprovide latest and relevantinformation about the progressof this scheme in publicdomain through web portaland mobile apps.

    MrKataria informed thatthe project is ushering in asilent revolution as water con-nections are being provided toall rural households withoutany discrimination or biastowards any particular caste,community, religion, race orcolor. PNS

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    Chennai: Over 50 doctors andpeople for the Ethical Treatmentof Animals (PETA) Indiaappealed to the Tamil Nadu Government to immediatelywithdraw the permission for theannual bull taming event --'Jallikattu'.

    Jallikattu is typically cele-brated in the southern state ofTamil Nadu as part of thePongal celebrations, on theMattu Pongal day, which occursannually during this month.

    Over 50 doctors havesigned a letter to the Tamil NaduChief Minister, EdappadiPalaniswami and HealthMinister C. Vijayabaskar urgingthem to immediately withdrawthe permission, which the doc-tors warn poses a grave risk tothe general public because of theongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

    The appeal is in response tothe Tamil Nadu government'srecent order allowing the con-duct of Jallikattu events withhundreds of people present,People for the Ethical Treatmentof Animals (PETA) India hasalso asked the state governmentto stop Jallikattu events.

    The letter signed by 50doctors, states, “To prevent therapid spread of Covid-19 and toprotect public health, as well asto ease the pressure on thehealthcare professionals, non-essential activities such asJallikattu events, which lead tounnecessary gatherings of peo-ple, must not be allowed.”

    The letter also states, “Sincethe Tamil Nadu governmentlegalised Jallikattu in 2017, atleast 22 bulls and 57 humanshave reportedly died, while3,632 humans were injured inevents organised throughoutthe state.”

    They also warn that evenmore human deaths will likelyoccur because of Covid-19 ifJallikattu events are allowed tobe organised in the state.

    PETA India ResearchAssociate Dr. Ankita Pandeyfurther cautions that more peo-ple are expected to die this year,not only because of Jallikattuitself but also because of Covid-19. “If Jallikattu events are notstopped, if huge crowds gatherto torment bulls, society will be

    tormented, too,” she urges theTN government

    The healthcare profession-als also forewarn that the mea-sures of Covid-19 -- negativecertificates for participants andthermal screening of spectatorsas pre-conditions for allowingJallikattu are not enough tostop the spread of the virus.

    And their letter furthersays, during the incubationperiod, a contagious personmay be tested too early and pro-duce a false-negative result andnot everyone with Covid-19develops or sustains a fever.

    This event is associatedwith strength and courage andhonours the bull owners.However, it is undoubtedlycruel to animals. In 2014,Jallikattu was banned by theSupreme Court.

    But the ban on Jallikattu,considered an importantauthentic tradition and inalien-able part of rural society's cul-ture, had spurred widespreadprotests in Tamil Nadu. Afterseveral years of continuousprotests, in 2017 the TamilNadu government passed theJallikattu Bill bringing into effectthe Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals (Tamil NaduAmendment) Act, 2017, there-by allowing the conduct ofJallikattu.

    As early as 2010 itself, aninvestigation led by the AnimalWelfare Board of India con-cluded that “Jallikattu is inher-ently cruel to animals”. Animalwelfare organisations such as theFederation of Indian AnimalProtection Organisations(FIAPO) and PETA India haveprotested against the practicesince then.

    However, pro-Jallikattuactivists countering the animalactivists argue that Jallikattu hadbeen known to be practicedduring the Tamil classical peri-od (400-100 BC) and inalien-able part of the rural Tamil soci-ety's culture.

    It was common among theAyar people who lived in the'Mullai' geographical division ofthe ancient Tamil country. Later,it became a platform for displayof bravery, and prize money wasintroduced for participationencouragement. IANS

    Hyderabad: Telangana report-ed 379 new Covid-19 cases andthree deaths during the last 24hours, health officials said onThursday.

    The fresh cases pushed thestate's tally to 2,88,789 while thedeath toll rose to 1,559.

    According to director ofpublic health and family wel-fare, the fatality rate remained0.53 per cent against thenational average of 1.4 percent.

    While 44.96 per cent of thedeaths occurred due to Covid,55.04 per cent had comorbidi-ties.

    A total of 305 people recov-ered from the virus, during thelast 24 hours, taking the cumu-lative number of recoveries to2,82,177.

    The recovery rate stands at97.73 per cent against than thenational average of 96.4 percent.

    The number of active casesin the state was 5,053 including2,776 who are in home orinstitutional isolation.

    For the sixth consecutiveday, Greater Hyderabad record-ed less than 100 new Covidcases.

    The state capital logged71 new cases during the last 24hours.

    Medchal Malkajgiri dis-trict recorded the second high-est number at 37 followed byRangareddy (36), Karimnagar(19) and Warangal Urban (14).

    A total of 41,246 Covidtests were conducted across thestate during the last 24 hours.While government-run labo-ratories conducted 36,723 tests,the remaining 4,523 sampleswere tested in private labs.

    There are 19 government-run laboratories, 56 privatelaboratories and 1076 RapidAntigen test centres in thestate. Samples tested per mil-lion population ratio rose fur-ther to 1,91,983.

    The data shows that 63.9per cent of those tested positiveso far were aged between 21-50years. IANS

    Patna: A Government highschool in Bihar's Gaya districthas suspended all its classes foran indefinite period as a pre-cautionary measure after theheadmaster of the institutiontested positive for coronavirus,an official said on Thursday.

    The Gaya district admin-istration on Wednesdayannounced the closure of theschool, situated in Saraiya vil-lage.

    The state government onDecember 4 reopened all thegovernment and privateschools after a nine-month-long hiatus, in the wake of theCovid-19 pandemic.

    Sources said that over 1,000students study in the school.

    Gaya's District EducationOfficer (DEA), M. Khan said:“The principal wrote to uscomplaining of fever, a few daysback and also cited that he washaving respiratory issues. Hehad also undergone the neces-sary tests.” IANS

    ��3���������� !0#�102-+

    With 560 crows havingbeen found dead in sev-eral States on Thursday, theCentre has asked States to beprepared for any eventuality ofAvian Influenza and to ensuresufficient stock of PPE kits andaccessories required for cullingoperations.

    Panic gripped in the poul-try traders sector across thecountry with prices plungingbelow the cost of productiondue to apprehension amongconsumers. Egg prices inMumbai have dropped to Rs5.45 from Rs 5.65 since the lasttwo days, while in Delhi theyhave slipped to Rs 5.55 per eggfrom Rs 6.00 on January 2 andRs 5.65 on January 4. Prices oflive bird also dropped by Rs 20-30 per kg at farmgate.

    Taking note of the panicamong the poultry traders, theMinistry of Animal Husbandryon Thursday directed states toquell consumer reactions,

    affected by rumors andincrease awareness regardingsafety of poultry or poultryproducts that were safe for con-sumption following boiling /cooking procedures. Accordingto meat and poultry vendors,traders are picking up lessstock due to the sudden dropin the demand. According tothe Ministry of AnimalHusbandry, confirmed caseshave been found in four states-Kerala, Rajasthan, MadhyaPradesh and Himachal Pradeshso far.

    On Thursday, as many as381 crows have been founddead in Himachal Pradesh'sPong wildlife sanctuary,150 inJammu's Udhampur district,nine in Uttar Pradesh, six eachin Karnataka and inUttarakhand, four in Gujarat’sMehsana district and two inMadhya Pradesh. According toofficials, their carcasses havebeen sent to a laboratory tocheck if they died due to birdflu or some other reason.

    The ministry has suggest-ed measures to states/UTs forcontrol, containment and pre-vention of spread of the disease.“Besides increasing surveil-lance around water bodies,live bird markets, zoos andpoultry farms. Proper dispos-al of carcass and strengtheningof bio-security in poultry farmsmay be ensured,” the ministrysaid.

    Meanwhile a three-mem-ber central team comprisingUnion Health Ministry's pub-lic health specialist Dr. RuchiJain, Pune National Institute ofVirology scientist Dr. ShaileshPawar and Delhi RML Hospitalphysician Dr. Anith Jindal vis-ited Kerala’s Alappuzha andKottayam districts to held dis-cussions with district authori-ties at their collectorate. Thecentral team will also visitHaryana and HimachalPradesh to assess the situation.

    The number of deadmigratory birds at theHimachal Pradesh's Pong

    wildlife sanctuary in Kangradistrict has reached 3,409 as381 more were found dead onThursday. Meanwhile, officialssaid 64 crows have also beenfound dead in the past a fewdays in areas near the Pongwetland.

    In Delhi, Deputy ChiefMinister Manish Sisodia hassaid that there is no case ofbird flu in the national Capitalyet and asked officials to keepclose watch on poultry birdscoming in from neighbouringstates to prevent any infection.

    According to the ministryof animal husbandry, ninecrows were found dead inUttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra dis-trict, but officials said it seemslike the birds died due to cold.The deaths were reported onWednesday evening from theDala area of the district andsamples have been sent to a labin Bhopal for testing. It appearsthat the crows died due to cold,officials of UP said.

    In Karnataka, six crowshave died in the border districtof Dakshina Kannada inKarnataka and their sampleshad been sent for tests toascertain the cause of death.According to state health min-ister Dr K Sudhakar, theauthorities have been main-taining a strict vigil in the bor-der districts includingDakshina Kannada, Kodagu,Mysuru and Chamarajanagar.

    Four crows were founddead in Gujarat's Mehsana dis-trict on Thursday.

    The crows were founddead in the premises of thefamous Sun Temple inModhera village of Mehsana.

    The Centre on Wednesdayhad said that avian influenza orbird flu outbreak has beenreported at 12 epicentres inKerala, Rajasthan, MadhyaPradesh and HimachalPradesh, while Haryana is onhigh alert due to unusual mor-tality at poultry farms inPanchkula.

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    Amaravati: The Board ofIntermediate Education (BIE), theregulator of the crucial two-yearintermediate course in AndhraPradesh, will implement a teacher-student ratio of 1:40 from the nextacademic year, 2021-22, an officialsaid on Thursday.

    However, for the current 2020-21 academic year, obeying theAndhra High Court ruling, BIEwill allow a maximum number of88 students per classroom.

    “Yes, definitely we will reduceit to 40. Whatever studies theHigh Court has directed us to do,we will conduct them,” BIE secre-tary V. Ramakrishna told IANS.

    The BIE envisioned restrictingthe number of students in a class-room to 40, adhering to interna-tional standards of the teacher-stu-dent ratio, considering the endlessnumber of students corporate col-leges were cramming into class-rooms.

    However, the court allowed 88students per classroom for this aca-demic year.

    Ramakrishna himself is clue-less about who recommended this88 ratio earlier, which was existingas a government order even before

    the court recommended it.The state government has cho-

    sen not to challenge the HighCourt ruling in the Supreme Courtas students and parents are eagerto start the academic year after thetime they lost due to the coron-avirus pandemic.

    “We cannot make the stu-dents keep on waiting. Already theacademic year is almost over, theyare putting a lot of pressure on usto open colleges. Even the man-agements want colleges to beopened, they have admitted stu-dents and collected fees,” observedRamakrishna.

    In normal times, intermediateexaminations get over by Februaryend. To make up for the lost time,the BIE will extend the current aca-demic year till April and has alsoslashed some syllabus for the firstand second year intermediatecourses, in synch with the CBSE.

    Syllabus reduction was coor-dinated with the CBSE so as not toput the state students at a disad-vantage when they appear fornational competitive examinationssuch as IIT, AIIMS and others.

    Ramakrishna, a 2009 batchIndian Revenue Service (IRS) offi-

    cer has also clipped the wings ofseveral corporate colleges overconducting their own admissiontests.

    “The admissions should bemade based on the SSC (Xth stan-dard) pass or equivalency obtainedin the qualifying examination.They should not conduct any testfor admission. All the principals areinstructed to take measures to pro-vide full security to girl studentsand also follow the instructionsissued for prevention of suicidedeaths strictly,” observed the BIEsecretary.

    Likewise, intermediate col-leges have also been restrictedfrom admitting students in the sec-ond year who have completedtheir first year in Telangana inter-mediate colleges.

    “The curriculum of the syl-labus is different in both the states.If any student is interested tostudy in Andhra, they should takeadmission into first year only,” hesaid.

    Similarly, college principalshave been instructed to take theBIE's permission before admittingstudents who studied in the Xthstandard from other boards. IANS

    Firozabad (UP): A 28-year-old man dragged a 16-year-old minor girl into a field and allegedly rapedher while his friend filmed the act on a mobile phoneto blackmail her later. The alleged incident took placein Narkhi area of Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district.

    An FIR has been registered against the twoaccused men of the same village on the complaint ofthe victim and the main accused has been arrested.

    According to the father of victim, the accusedBhuri Singh had raped his daughter when she hadgone to collect fodder for cattle on December 1.

    His friend Anil Kumar, 25, had shot video of thecrime. And both of them threatened his daughter toupload the video on social media if she told anyoneabout the incident.

    The victim said that Singh and Kumar raped herseveral times over the last one month by blackmail-ing her with the video. The girl claimed that when sherefused to meet the two men earlier this month, theycirculated her video on social media.

    Additional Superintendent of Police, MukeshChandra Mishra said: “On basis of the complaintreceived from the minor girl, a case has been regis-tered against Bhuri Singh and Anil Kumar under theIPC section 376 (punishment for rape), sections of theSC/ST act and information technology act.”

    He said that while Singh has been sent to jail oncourt orders. The other accused will also be arrestedsoon. IANS

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  • Never before have globaleducation systemsundergone such stress-ful times as wereunleashed on these — and theentire humanity, in fact — by theCOVID-19 pandemic. The chil-dren suffered unprecedentedrestrictions owing to lockdownand home confinement for extend-ed durations; away from theirclassrooms, friends, classmatesand teachers. There is considerableevidence of emotional, mentaland neurological impact on chil-dren, among others. Learning hasalso suffered much.

    Mobiles, online learning andcontact with friends for the luckyfew did bring some solace but theseexperiences had their own limita-tions and inadequacies. Sufferingwas common to all, and caring wasexperienced from all sides. In thesetough times, positive vibes and ten-der, humane aspects were promi-nently evident all around. That was,and remains, the biggest ray ofhope. The pandemic is not yet overbut confidence has been regained:Vaccines are available; and humaningenuity shall overcome all adver-sity, no matter how major a deter-rent and of what magnitude theodds are. In the spirit of “We shallovercome”, things shall be put backon rails and start moving aheadmaybe with even greater vigour,confidence and assurance. Theworld’s population in the aftermathof the Coronavirus affliction wouldrequire new knowledge and newskill sets and, hence, all countriesshall strive to transform their edu-cation systems in the face of theemerging post-COVID world.

    The world will no longer bethe same to which all of us havebeen accustomed for generations.This is the time for individuals,families, communities, countriesand international organisations toenvision the measure and magni-tude of the transition, be part ofit and ensure that the rhythm ofcivilisational advancement is sus-tained. Just when the number ofCorona positive cases had startedindicating a downward trend,media reports about the detectionof a new and more dangerousstrain in the UK have practicallynumbed the world. Suddenly, thehope of the impending relief withthe arrival of the anti-COVID vac-cines has given way to disturbingapprehensions and uncertainty.

    A long battle ahead against theinvisible, albeit life-threatening,adversary appears inevitable. Itwould need people of the highesttalent, commitment, dedication

    and spirit of service, and itwould need institutions of high-er education and research to getready at the optimum level oftheir efficiency to serve a glob-al cause. There would be noinstitution of higher learningthat could afford to ignore it inthe totality of its functioning.

    The ray of hope, one wouldlike to emphasise, lies in the factthat human ingenuity wouldfinally win over. No calamity, vio-lence, war or any pandemiccould ever dampen the humanspirit to confront it, to explore theman-nature relationship and per-sistently unearth deeper secrets ofnature. This eternal human quest— symbolised by learning, re-learning and unlearning — shallcontinue with renewed vigour inthe years ahead. It would be sus-tained by the dynamic educationpolicies that would be subjectedto serious transformationsimposed by the pandemic.

    India came out with a much-delayed new education policythat underwent finalisation in thethick of the Coronavirus crisis;thus enhancing its relevance andreadiness for a pragmatic, quickand sustained response. TheNational Education Policy (NEP-2020) presents a lofty transforma-tional vision and strategicallyindicates how to move ahead.One could scrutinise it for theinclusion of experiences and itspotential to comprehend theemerging aspirations and expec-tations of people. These shall haveto be achieved by the educationsystem through enhanced levelsof quality, dynamic skill acquisi-tion, appropriate personalitydevelopment, character building,innovations and research, andeverything else that is part of the

    man-making education.Going ahead, the NEP-2020

    shall be continuously assessed inits epistemological strength onthe premise that SwamiVivekananda had put beforeIndia more than 125 years ago:“We must have life-building,man-making, character-makingassimilation of ideas.” This, hetaught us, is the summum bonumof education, an education thataims at developing the an indi-vidual’s personality. He firmlydeprecated the practice of edu-cation that drives into the minds“of the learner a mass of infor-mation in which he may devel-op no interest”. The individual-ity of every child is to be com-prehended and respected as a liv-ing and growing up entity withinnate capacities and potential-ities, which are to be drawn out.

    When the “Report toUNESCO of the InternationalCommission on Education forthe Twenty-First Century” waspresented under the title“Learning: The Treasure Within”,it accepted the philosophicalbase that Indian thinkers havepropounded since the ancienttimes. There are no limits tolearning and growing up. Theseelements need to be integralingredients in the implementa-tion of the NEP-2020.

    The Indian education systemsuffered as it ignored the much-needed transition in strategy atthe time of Independence andopted for the convenience of con-tinuing with the transplanted sys-tem. In spite of commendableexpansion in access and partici-pation, India’s youth had to wadethrough the dilution of quality,inadequacy of personality devel-opment, lack of self-confidence,

    disturbing levels of inadequacy ofentrepreneurial spirit and thespirit of caring and sharing. Thegap between the learner attain-ment and the level required/expected has become worrisome.

    On the positive side, Indialearnt from its lapses and theNEP-2020 responds to the chal-lenges as it opens its first chap-ter with the words: “Education isfundamental for achieving fullhuman potential, developing anequitable and just society, andpromoting national develop-ment. Providing universal accessto quality education is the key toIndia’s continued ascent andleadership on the global stage interms of economic growth, socialjustice, equality, scientificadvancement, national integra-tion and cultural preservation.Universal high-quality educa-tion is the best way forward fordeveloping and maximising ourcountry’s rich talents andresources for the good of the indi-vidual, the society, the countryand for the world.” The youth ofIndia have the added responsibil-ity of acquiring the highest lev-els of competence, knowledgeand entrepreneurial skills in theglobal context and requirement.Our global presence would be agreat opportunity to put India atthe high pedestal on the world’sstage. India’s youth abroad shouldbe responsible ambassadors of itsculture, history and heritage.

    India needs to uplift its insti-tutions to the level of Taxila,Nalanda, Vikramshila, Vallabhiand suchlike. The NEP-2020acknowledges it and inspiresIndia’s youth to march ahead onthe path of excellence. It recallsthe contributions made by theluminaries in the fields of math-

    ematics, astronomy, metallurgy,medical sciences, engineering,architecture, ship-building, nav-igation and many others. The tra-ditional Indian education systemproduced scholars, researchers,scientists and philosophers of thehighest calibre; whose contribu-tions were indeed astounding fortheir times, and continue toserve humanity even at this junc-ture. Can anyone in the moderncivilised world ignore the contri-butions of Aryabhatta,Varahmihir, Bhaskaracharya,Brahmagupta, Chanakya,Patanjali, Panini, Maitreyi, Gargi,Thiruvalluvur and Gautama etal? Their contributions andexemplary dedication and devo-tion were worthy of acharyas.

    The NEP-2020 has preparedthe necessary outline and strat-egy for the same. The challengeof implementation is facing thenation and the extent of successat another milestone would real-ly make a difference. The primeacceptors of the challenges thatwould unfold at the implemen-tation stage would be teachereducators, teachers and teachereducation institutions. Theywould determine the quality ofthe persons coming out of theschools and universities.

    The NEP-2020 takes a com-prehensive view on the role ofteachers: “The teacher must be atthe centre of the fundamentalreforms in education system.The new education policy musthelp re-establish teachers, at alllevels, as the most respected andessential members of our society,because they truly reshape theupcoming generations of citizens.It must do everything to empow-er teachers and help them dotheir job as effectively as possible.The new education policy musthelp recruit the very best and thebrightest to enter the teachingprofession at all levels by ensur-ing livelihood, respect, dignityand autonomy while also instill-ing in the system basic qualitycontrol and accountability.”

    The effective implementa-tion of the NEP-2020 would bepossible only through a trans-formed work culture that respectsthe learner, his sensitivities, aspi-rations and expectations. Thiscan be achieved only with theteachers who are lifelong learn-ers and personally convinced oftheir role as the builders of “NewIndia”. Only they would be ableto transform the learning envi-ronment, in which every childwho enters the system is welllooked after, her/his talent andinterests are nourished and nur-tured and s/he is prepared toenter the world of employmentfully equipped professionally,mentally and spiritually.

    (The author works in edu-cation and social cohesion. Theviews expressed are personal.)

    )���������������*���������������������� �������


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