06022021-TT-01.qxd 2/5/2021 10:47 PM Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | vol.141 no.36 | 24 pages | ~6.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2021-2023 established in 1881  himachal pradesh OLI SEEKS PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR EARLY ELECTIONS WORLD /thetribunechd SC GRANTS INTERIM BAIL TO COMEDIAN FARUQUI BACK PAGE 3 FINAL BIDS RECEIVED FOR PMC BANK RESOLUTION: RBI BUSINESS /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com saturday | 6 february 2021 G-Sec Non-Jats too at Shamli meet Retail investors get directsteps to raiseaccess RBI approves structural reform | Move part of ~12 lakh cr It’s now about rural, not agri economy| Hry gears up for ‘chakka jam’ today Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service Farmers wave the Tricolour during a ‘kisan mahapanchayat’ in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh. PTI NO ‘CHAKKA JAM’ IN TRUDEAU’S REMARKS TRICOLOUR ROW: KIN UP, U’KHAND: UNIONS CAN HARM TIES: GOVT OF DECEASED BOOKED The Centre has told Canada that remarks on its internal affairs by its top leaders, including PM Justin Trudeau, had the potential to harm bilateral ties between the two countries. TNS Rana opposes extradition to India The motion in opposition of Rana’s extradition was filed by his attornies early this week before the US District Court Judge in Los Angeles, Jacqueline Chelonian. Rana’s extradition is barred under Article 6 of the US-India extradition treaty because he has previously been acquitted of the offences for which extradition is sought, his attorneys argued. The US Government, which is supporting his extradition, is expected to file its motion soon. — PTI Washington, February 5 Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, has opposed his extradition to India, arguing that he has previously been acquitted of the offences for which his extradition is sought. Rana (59), a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested in June 2020 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 persons, including six Americans, were killed. He has been declared a fugitive by India. 28 Nawanshahr school students test covid positive Pfizer withdraws plea on emergency use ofvaccine Jalandhar, February 5 With the government allowing regular classes, 28 students of Government High School at Saloh, Nawanshahr, have tested positive for Covid19. The students are in home New Delhi, February 5 Pfizer today withdrew its application seeking grant of “emergency use authorization” for its Covid-19 vaccine in India after subject experts at the national regulatory body sought additional data denying immediate approval for the grant of licence. The subject expert committee of the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation met on February 3 to review the application by Pfizer, which has not presented any bridging data on its vaccine from India. The experts took note of the serious adverse events during post-market authorisation of the vaccine such as anaphylaxis and Bell’s palsy. Pfizer said, “We will continue to engage with the authorities and resubmit our approval isolation. Two teachers in a government school in Karnana have also tested positive. Jagjit Singh, DEO (Secondary), said: “We will ensure that all student in the district are tested.” Civil Surgeon Dr GS Kapur said the students were mostly asymptomatic. INSIDE Will allow extra chance to UPSC aspirants: Govt New Delhi, February 5 The Centre and UPSC have agreed to grant an extra chance to candidates who are not agebarred and exhausted their last attempt for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) in 2020 during Covid-19, the SC was told on Friday. The one-time relaxation will be applicable only to CSE 2021 for those who were not age-barred and appeared in their last attempt during the pandemic, the Centre told a Bench. BACK PAGE Das at a media briefing. Retail investors are presently permitted to indirectly buy government securities, but this is the first time they will be offered the direct route. The apex bank’s monetary policy committee decided to make no changes in the interest rates as the “need of the hour was to back growth,” said Das. Other steps to ensure funds for the industry did not get crowded out as the RBI raised Rs 12 lakh Protest limited to farmers of one state: Tomar’s dig at Pb Mukesh Ranjan Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 5 Ahead of Saturday’s “chakka jam” call by farm unions, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday said the government’s offer to amend the laws did not mean they had any flaw. Tomar said none from the protesting unions or their sympathisers had been able to point out any lacuna in the laws. Countering the Opposition’s claim that farmers across the country were agitated over the three laws, he TEARS INTO OPPN IN RAJYA SABHA For two months, I kept asking farm unions what is ‘kala’ (black) in the laws. I didn’t get the answer... Nobody (from the Oppn benches) tried to point out the provisions in the laws that are against the farmers. Narendra Singh Tomar, AGRI MINISTER ❝ said in the Rajya Sabha that the protest was limited to the “farmers of one state who have been misled”. In an apparent reference to Punjab, Tomar wondered why farmers there were questioning laws that retained mandis, but allowed them the freedom to sell outside mandis without attracting any taxes. “The reverse is happening in this case. Protests should have targeted the Punjab Government’s practice of levying continued on page 7 4G mobile Net restored in J&K after 18 months Jammu, February 5 High-speed mobile Internet services are being restored in Jammu and Kashmir, 18 months after being suspended in August 2019 when the Centre abrogated the special status of the erstwhile state. Rohit Kansal, spokesperson for the J&K administration, tweeted Friday evening, “4G mobile Internet services are being restored in the entire J&K.” The services, according to sources, are likely to resume from Friday midnight. These were restored in Ganderbal and Udhampur in August last year. — TNS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A COMMERCIAL SPACE IN BRIEF AT NEW CHANDIGARH’S THRIVING BUSINESS LOCATION 24 names for posts of HC judge cleared NEW DELHI: The SC Collegium Bridging trials to prove safety needed COVID-19VACCINATION has cleared 24 names for appointment as judges in Allahabad, Calcutta, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh HCs. — TNS Snow blocks 465 roads in Himachal INDIA 52,90,474 3,31,029 1,150* TOTAL DAY’S COUNT ADVERSE EVENTS *TOTAL COUNT SO FAR SHIMLA: Snowfall has thrown life out of gear in HP with no traffic movement on 465 roads, 144 in Shimla district. The supply of essentials was hit. — TNS 7 MORE VACCINES IN LINE Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said two Covid vaccines are already in use, while work is on on seven others, three of them in the third phase of trials. request with additional information, as it becomes available in near future.” — TNS HC judge, staff to be quarantined CHANDIGARH: With the reader of a judge in the Punjab and Haryana HC testing positive, the judge and court staff are being quarantined. — TNS on Saloh school shut; 2 teachers also infected Wanted for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack Kin of a Pilibhit farmer who died in a road mishap near Ghazipur have been booked for allegedly insulting the Tricolour after a video of his last rites showed the body draped in the Tricolour. ❝ crore for the government in a “non-disruptive” manner including a graded restoration of the cash reserve ratio (CRR), permitting NBFCs to join the Rs 1lakh-crore special facility for stressed sectors and continuation of relaxation to banks that will free up Rs 1.53 lakh crore in the next six months. Indians will also be allowed to make remittances to International Financial Service Centres (IFSCs) while foreign portfolio investors can invest in defaulted corporate bonds. — TNS i pre Fear of violence and disruption during cane harvesting has forced farmers’ unions to call off ‘chakka jam’ in UP and U’khand. The leaders were told the situation could go out of hand. TNS INDIA ENTERS SELECT GROUP This (direct G-Sec access) is a major reform placing India among a select few countries which have similar facilities. The need of the hour is to back growth. Shaktikanta Das, RBI GOVERNOR s an artist New Delhi, February 5 Amid the growing opposition to the Centre’s agri laws, farmers in thousands today turned up for a “kisan mahapanchayat” in western Uttar Pradesh’s Bhainswal village in Shamli. The protesters reached the village on tractors, two-wheelers, four-wheelers as well as on foot, defying prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC. Ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, this is the fourth major farmers’ meeting in western UP after Muzaffarnagar, Mathura and Baghpat. Sources say BJP’s rivals in the state are trying to make it an agitation regarding rural economy, not just farm economy, by including non-jats, especially the Dalits.The meeting today was attended by members from “all castes and professions,” they say. So far, the protests against the farm continued on page 7 New Delhi, February 5 The Reserve Bank on Friday permitted retail investors to directly buy government securities (G-Sec) as part of measures to maintain availability of funds in the market and also raise Rs 12 lakh crore debt on behalf of the Centre during 2021-22. Details of the facility will be shortly worked out. “This is a major structural reform placing India among a select few countries which have similar facilities,” said RBI Governor Shaktikanta Tribune News Service Ropar, February 5 The unabated illegal mining on the Swan riverbed in Ropar has put a bridge at Algran on the Kalwan-Nangal highway in danger. With the authorities concerned turning a blind eye and the illegal miners digging deep to excavate sand and gravel, the foundation of the bridge’s piers (main support of bridge) lies exposed. Fearing the bridge may collapse in a year or two if immediate repair wasn’t car- The foundation of Algran bridge has weakened due to mining. TRIBUNE PHOTO SIX LETTERS, NO RESPONSE ■ Swan riverbed level near the bridge has fallen from 310.500 metres to 306.307 metres over the years ■ Two of the bridge’s 13 piers are the worst affected ■ PWD officials have written to higher-ups six times, but to no avail Today’s issue is of 24 pages, including 8-page additional pullout. ried out, local Public Works Department (PWD) officials have written a letter to their higher-ups seeking an assistance of Rs 80 lakh. Posted on December 21, the letter was addressed to the PWD Chief Engineer and the Anandpur Sahib Sub-Divisional Magistrate. In fact, it’s not the first time the district PWD officials have written to the higher-ups. On July 5, 2016, the Ropar Deputy Commissioner was informed that due to illegal mining, the continued on page 7 Disclaime Image Arun Sharma her Illegal mining endangers highway bridge in Ropar HURRY! FEW UNITS LEFT. 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