23022021-TT-01.qxd 2/22/2021 11:26 PM Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | vol.141 no.53 | 12 pages | ~5.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2021-2023 established in 1881  haryana DON’T SUPPORT SEPARATISTS IN TIBET: CHINA TO US WORLD /thetribunechd FUTURE-RIL DEAL: APEX COURT TO HEAR AMAZON PLEA BUSINESS /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com tuesday | 23 february 2021 Pb among 5 states logging 86% cases; jab for 50+ from March Tribune News Service COVID-19VACCINATION New Delhi, February 22 Fuelled by a surge in cases in Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Punjab, India’s Covid-19 active caseload today crossed 1.50 lakh for the first time in 17 days and the fresh cases saw the steepest rise in five days. The Health Ministry today recorded 1,50,055 active cases as against 1,45,634 yesterday, clocking 4,421 cases in a day. Active cases have been rising since February 17, when the load was 1,36,549. The daily new cases have also been outstripping the recoveries for five days with 14,199 new infections today as against 9,695 new recoveries. The deaths today were 83, taking the toll to 1,56,385. The Health Ministry said 86.3 pc of the new cases today were from Maharashtra (6,971), Kerala (4,070), Tamil Nadu (452), Karnataka (413) and Punjab (348). continued on page 9 INDIA TOTAL DAY’S COUNT ADVERSE EVENTS New Delhi, February 22 The government has set up a coordination committee comprising officials from the Ministries of Home, External Affairs and Commerce, besides the Niti Aayog, for case-by-case vetting of Chinese foreign investment proposals stuck for nearly a year. The plan is to divide the proposal into sensitive and nonsensitive categories. There could be faster clearances for proposals from automobiles, electronics, chemicals and textile sectors while the ones in sensitive categories such as Varavara Rao gets 6-month bail on medical grounds Mumbai, February 22 The Bombay High Court on Monday granted interim bail for six months on medical grounds to ailing poet and activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. The court said it could not be a “mute spectator” and permit 82-year-old Rao’s health condition to deteriorate in custody. — PTI IN BRIEF MC poll on symbols: HP to decide today SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet will on Tuesday take a call on the issue of holding the municipal corporation elections on party symbols and bringing them under the ambit of the anti-defection law. INSIDE Disha in one-day police custody A Delhi court on Monday sent 22-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi, arrested for alleged involvement in sharing a “toolkit” on social media related to the farmers’ protest, to one-day police custody. — TNS 1,14,24,094 3,07,238 0 PUNJAB AMONG 5 STATES TOLD TO REFOCUS ON CONTAINMENT AND RT-PCR TESTING SPIKE IN PUNJAB ■ 200 & 350daily cases for past several days A health worker during door-to-door screening at Dharavi, Mumbai. PTI Dhuri hospital yet to open for all SANGRUR: Though there has not been a single delivery in the past one month at the Dhuri Civil Hospital, declared Covid Care Centre for infected expectant mothers, women in 70 Sangrur villages have to opt for private clinics that charge Rs 20,000-25,000 per delivery. When contacted, Dr Rishma Bhaura, Senior Medical Officer, Dhuri, said they had written to their seniors, requesting that normal deliveries be resumed at the hospital. INSIDE Panel to vet Chinese investment NEW DELHI: EAM OFFERS MAURITIUS $100 MN DEFENCE CREDIT LINE BACK PAGE $2 BILLION AT STAKE ■ 150 Chinese proposals are on hold since April 2020 ■ Are worth $2 billion; include those routed by Japanese and US firms via Hong Kong ■ The plan is to divide the proposals into sensitive and non-sensitive categories data generation and finance may see slower clearances. Among the proposals is a car plant to be set up by US giant General Motors in collaboration with Chinese firm Great Wall ($1 billion investment). SAIC, owner of UK brand MG Motor, plans to invest $250 million. In April last year, the government had amended the FDI policy to keep out China. The approach was in line with Germany, Italy and Australia to safeguard Covid-hit industries that could be soft takeover targets. — TNS ■ 5,000 cases in a period of 21 days starting Feb 1 ■ 3,019 active cases on Feb 21 as against 2,101 on Feb 1 ■ 583 highest number of active cases in SBS Nagar INFECTION TALLY 1,78,459 DEATH TOLL 5,754 VAX HESITANCY: 79,000 of 2.06 lakh healthcare workers opt for vaccine, showing hesitancy Lifer for 12 in Hisar double murder case Tribune News Service Hisar, February 22 The district court on Monday sentenced 12 persons to life imprisonment for a double murder that took place in Barchhapar village of the district 11 years ago. Two of the convicts are visually impaired. Additional District and Session Judge Gurvinder Singh Wadhwa had held the accused guilty on February 11. The court pronounced the quantum of punishment today. INSIDE IMA slams Vardhan over promoting Patanjali’s Coronil CM quits as Congress govt falls in Puducherry New Delhi, February 22 The Indian Medical Association on Monday questioned Health Minister Harsh Vardhan about promoting Patanjali’s “unscientific” ayurvedic tablet Coronil as the first evidence-based medicine for Covid-19 and sought a public explanation from him. “Being the Health Minister of the country and a modern medicine doctor, how ethical is it to promote an unscientific product before the country? How justified it is to release a false, fabricated and unscientific product? If Coronil is so effective, why spend Rs 35,000 crore on vaccinations?” IMA asked Vardhan in a letter. The apex body of doctors accused the minister of violating the Medical Council of India’s Code of Ethics by promoting a drug with continued on page 9 New Delhi, February 22 The Congress-led coalition government in Puducherry fell on Monday after Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and his fourmember Cabinet resigned ahead of voting on the confidence motion in the Assembly. The ruling alliance had plunged into minority on Sunday after two MLAs (one each of the Congress and the DMK) quit. Even as Speaker VP Sivakolundhu declared the confidence motion defeated today, the CM said the motion was not put to vote and the Speaker’s declaration was “invalid”. The Congress and the DMK slammed the BJP for “murdering democracy” saying they would seek legal opinion on whether nominated MLAs could vote on a trust vote. Narayanasamy continued on page 9 V Narayanasamy leaves after attending the special session. PTI ANOTHER SETBACK ASSEMBLY SEATS 33 (30 ELECTED, 3 NOMINATED) CONG ALLIANCE 12* OPPN 14** MAGIC MARK: 14 (IN 26-MEMBER HOUSE DUE TO 7 VACANCIES) *Cong 9, DMK 2, Ind 1; **AIADMK 4, AINRC 7, BJP 3 (nominated MLAs) MP found dead in Mumbai hotel MUMBAI: In a case of purported suicide, Dadra & Nagar Haveli MP Mohan S Delkar was found hanging in a Mumbai hotel room on Monday morning, officials said. The prima facie cause of death of Delkar, the leader of the Bharatiya Navshakti Party, is suspected to be suicide by hanging, and police have recovered a suicide note from the spot, said an official. —IANS SC allows Karti to travel abroad NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed Congress MP Karti Chidambaram to travel abroad on a condition of depositing Rs 2 crore though the ED insisted on deposit of Rs 10 crore. Karti is being investigated in the INX Media money laundering case. — PTI BJP runs into resistance in western UP too Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 22 After BJP leaders faced resistance in Punjab over the new farm laws, such scenes are being seen at the party’s western Uttar Pradesh bastion while its leaders are attempting to reach out to their support base, especially CASTE LINES BLUR Villagers oppose The support to farmers’ agitation attempts to create caste from non-Jats and Muslims is divide to disrupt stir threatening the saffron party’s carefully crafted caste equations Jats, in rural areas. The BKU’s Dharmendra Malik claimed that head of ‘Jawla khap’ Sachin Chaudhary refused to meet Union Minis- ter Sanjeev Balyan, “who had been sent by Home Minister Amit Shah”. In a video posted by Malik, Chaudhary can be heard saying that “no one from the ruling BJP should try to meet him individually. They should meet the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and its decision will be final (regarding the agitation against the three farm laws)”. Prof Sudhir Panwar, a Samajwadi Party leader from Bhainswal (Shamli), whose continued on page 9