02042021-TT-01.qxd 4/1/2021 11:00 PM Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | vol.141 no.90 | 12 pages | ~5.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2021-2023 established in 1881  haryana WITH ARHTIYAS ON DBT ISSUE: CAPT PUNJAB /thetribunechd GST COLLECTION AT ALL-TIME HIGH OF ~1.23 LAKH CR IN MARCH BUSINESS AMID POLL, PHALKE AWARD FOR RAJINIKANTH BACK PAGE /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com JAB ON SUNDAYS, HOLIDAYS TOO 72,330 HIGHEST daily cases since Oct last year ■ 1,22,21,665 total number of infections ■ 459 new fatalities, highest in 116 days ■ 1,62,927 total number of deaths ■ 5,84,055 active cases, comprising 4.78% of total ■ 93.89% recovery rate, down from 98.7% ■ The government on Thursday opened up the vaccination drive to include everybody above 45 years of age ■ It has decided to keep all public and private vaccination centres operational throughout April, including on gazetted holidays MEA ON VIRUS ORIGIN for comprehen❝ We share needexpeditiously sive mechanism to PB ‘PEAK’ IN 2 WEEKS investigate origin of Covid-19. — MEA on WHO’s virus origin study In Punjab, health experts claim the EU SEEKS 10 MN ASTRAZENECA second spike is likely hit the peak by mid-April. Nodal officer Rajesh VACCINES FROM INDIA Bhaskar says they expect daily casUS DEVELOPS NEW TEST TO es to touch 4,000 in next 2 weeks. DETECT COVID IN MINUTES friday | 2 april 2021 Pak takes U-turn on imports from India New Delhi, April 1 In a setback to prospects of restarting trade via Wagah, the Pakistan Cabinet has put off the proposal to import sugar and cotton from India. The proposal was cleared a day earlier by the Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). On Wednesday, Pakistan appeared to be on course to reversing two official notifications of August 10, 2019, that banned all trade with India in protest against the change in status of J&K. But there might RAISES KASHMIR The PM has said there can be no normalisation of ties with India until they reverse their Aug 5, 2019, actions on Kashmir. Shireen Mazari, PAK MINISTER have been an internal pushback in Islamabad because at least one import proposal — for continued on page 9 edit: Pak u-turn in 24 hrs BJP leader’s house attacked in J&K One-man show, HC raps Vice Chancellor SONEPAT: SRINAGAR: CHANDIGARH: KULLU: Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur said on Thursday that all educational institutions in the state would remain closed till April 15 in view of the spike in Covid-19 cases. INSIDE A terrorist attack on the house of BJP leader Anwar Ahmad in Nowgam on Thursday left his police guard dead. The attack was carried out by four LeT men. INSIDE In a scathing indictment of Panjab University VC, the High Court has ruled that the orders putting off Senate-2020 poll were passed to usurp its powers. INSIDE Oversight, no interest cut: Sitharaman New Delhi, April 1 Less than 12 hours after slashing interest rates on small savings, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman withdrew the order on Thursday, claiming it was issued due to an “oversight”. ❝ SKM gives clean chit HP edu institutions to Lakha Sidhana closed till April 15 The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday gave a clean chit to gangsterturned-activist Lakha Sidhana wanted by the Delhi Police for the Red Fort violence. INSIDE PHASE II NANDIGRAM SEES OVER 80% POLLING | ASSAM 74% Security personnel keep a vigil as voters raise slogans at a polling booth in Nandigram on Thursday. PTI Mamata: CAPF aiding BJP Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service Kolkata, April 1 A massive turnout of 80.79 per cent was recorded in West Bengal’s Nandigram today amid a fair bit of drama as Trinamool and BJP workers almost came to blows. CM Mamata Banerjee is locked in a high-voltage contest with her former loyalist-turnedBJP nominee Suvendu Adhikari in the segment. West Bengal recorded 80.43 percent continued on page 9 WILL WIN DESPITE VOTE FRAUD, CLAIMS DIDI ■ Polling was not disrupted at booth no. 7 in Nandigram: EC ■ TMC writes to EC, alleges CRPF men misbehaved with women voters ■ Modi’s Hindutva pitch, slams TMC over antipathy for ‘ tilak, chotiwalas’ PM: EYING ANOTHER SEAT? Didi, is any truth ❝rumour thereyou are in the that going to contest from another constituency? Narendra Modi, PM ROLLBACK POLL-DRIVEN, CLAIMS CONGRESS Sitharaman tweeted: “The schemes shall continue to be at the rates which existed in the last quarter of 2020-21. Orders issued by oversight shall be withdrawn.” The now-withdrawn order had cut interest rates on schemes and reduced PPF interest rate to a 46-year low of 6.4%. The Congress was quick to hit back at the Finance Minister’s announcement of withdrawal of order. Party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked on Twitter whether it was an oversight or electiondriven “hindsight” that led to the withdrawal. — TNS