28112021-TTB-01.qxd 11/27/2021 11:30 PM Page 1 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 141 NO. 328 | 18 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2021-2023 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HARYANA INDIA BOUNCE BACK, BOWL OUT KIWIS FOR 296 SPORT /thetribunechd UKRAINE PRESIDENT FEARS COUP BACKED BY RUSSIA WORLD HP’S LOST SCRIPT: CJI: LEGISLATURE DOESN’T EFFORTS ON TO REVIVE ASSESS IMPACT OF LAWS TAKRI SPECTRUM IT PASSES BACK PAGE sunday | 28 november 2021 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Review plans on easing travel curbs: PM amid Omicron fears Tribune News Service JR HOCKEY WC INDIA THRASH POLAND 8-2, SET UP QF CLASH AGAINST BELGIUM SPORT TMC reluctant to coordinate with Congress in Parl Kolkata, November 27 The Trinamool Congress today said it was “disinterested” in coordinating with the Congress during the winter session of Parliament, but maintained it would cooperate with other Opposition camps on various issues concerning people’s interest. New Delhi, November 27 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday advised review of plans to reopen international travel amid concerns around Omicron “variant of concern” even as the WHO asked countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing, expand vaccination and reinforce physical distancing and masks. “We need to be proactive in light of the new variant,” the PM said at a two-hour review meeting with top officials. He flagged the need to monitor all international arrivals, test incoming passengers with focus on “at-risk” countries and review plans for easing of international travel restrictions. Advising improvement in the second vaccine dose coverage, intensive containment and active surveillance in high-burden areas and active genome-sequencing, the PM asked people to be more cautious by way of masking and social distancing. He also asked officials to review paediatric facilities, stocks of essential medicines and ventilators and medical oxygen availability in prepa- A swab sample being collected at Ranchi railway station. PTI OMICRON, A SUPER-SPREADER ■ On Nov 25, Omicron found in 77 samples in South Africa, in four samples in Botswana and one in Hong Kong in Gauteng (SA) with variant displaying multiple mutations across the virus genome POOR SHOW BE PROACTIVE 31% 21% 100 of South-East Asia population fully vaccinated of the region’s population partially vaccinated crore people yet to get even a single dose the new variant. Narendra Modi, PM MASKS MUST: WHO The WHO has advised strict enforcement of distancing, masks, hygiene, containment, surveillance and sequencing New strain has cast shadow over Russian President Putin’s Dec 6 visit and India’s fiscal recovery. BACK PAGE ration for any potential future wave. The meeting came as India witnessed a low of 8,318 new Covid cases with vaccination expanding. The Africa Centres for Dis- ease Control (CDC) has issued a statement strongly discouraging the imposition of travel ban for people originating from countries that have reported Omicron variant. Pb panel to probe laxity in drug cases Tribune News Service The TMC “most probably will not attend” the Opposition parties’ meeting convened by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on November 29, a TMC leader said. The party’s snub to the Congress came days after Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, continued on page 6 ❝ We’veinto be of proactive view SHADOW OVER PUTIN’S VISIT, FISCAL RECOVERY Jupinderjit Singh WINTER SESSION ■ Sudden spike seen in cases Chandigarh, November 27 Amid the blame game over drug menace in Punjab, the state government has set up a three-member committee headed by the Chief Secretary which will report within a week if there was any delay in initiating action against peddlers. Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has asked the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Home) and IN BRIEF Air Force Chief to embark on 5-day Egypt visit NEW DELHI: Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari will pay a five-day visit to Egypt beginning Sunday which is expected to bolster ties between the two countries. PTI Delhi HC junks petition against Khurshid’s book NEW DELHI: Free speech is not to be exercised only if it falls in line with the majoritarian view, the Delhi HC said while dismissing a plea against Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s new book. PTI Patna-bound flight makes emergency landing NAGPUR: A Patna-bound Go First flight from Bengaluru with 139 pas- sengers on board made an emergency landing at the Nagpur airport on Saturday due to a glitch in one of the engines of the aircraft. PTI Justice in 26/11 trial long overdue: Blinken WASHINGTON: On the 13th anniversary of the 26/11 attacks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has emphasised the need for speedy trial of the perpetrators of the 2008 carnage by LeT terrorists. PTI Chief Secy, Principal Secy, DGP to ascertain role of STF, A-G’s office SS Randhawa, Deputy CM DGP to ascertain if the Special Task Force (STF) on drugs had ‘deliberately’ delayed action on the pretext that a sealed report submitted by it to the High Court was yet to be opened. The move comes in the wake of a fresh attack by Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on the Channi government on the matter and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) alleging that the state government was conspiring to ‘falsely implicate’ its senior leader Bikramjit Singh Majithia in a drug case. continued on page 6 Up to 20% hike in salary for Himachal employees Tribune News Service Shimla, November 27 The Himachal Pradesh Government today announced new pay scales for its employees, giving them a hike in the range of 15-20 per cent. The government also reduced the period of contractual service for regularisation from three years to two. Addressing representatives of the Himachal Pradesh NonGazetted Employees Federation here, Thakur said the new pay scales would be effec- Contract period for regular jobs cut to 2 years tive from January 1, 2016. The pay of January 2022 would be payable in February as per revised pay scales, he said. The revised salary and pension would put an additional burden of Rs 6,000 crore annually on the exchequer. “The state has been spending about 43 per cent of its total budget on employees continued on page 6 Few takers for Hry’s edu diploma course Tribune News Service Rohtak, November 27 Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd), offered by 342 self-financing colleges across Haryana, has got a dismal response as over 86 per cent seats remained vacant after the first counselling. Of the total 18,550 seats, merely 2,570 were filled. The remaining 15,980 found no takers. Around 4,000 students had applied for admission in the course, sources said. The Colleges blame govt for no jobs, want norms eased OF 18,550 SEATS, 16K STILL VACANT ■ 18,550 seats for Diploma in Elementary Edu, but 2,570 filled ■ Self-financing colleges for more quota for candidates from other states ■ They also want quota seats to be converted to general State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), is now planning to conduct second counselling to give another chance to aspirants, the sources said. The development is a setback for the self-financing colleges, which have asked the authorities to enhance quota for candidates from other states and convert seats under reserved categories to general. The two-year course was discontinued in all government-run district institutes for teachers’ training over two years ago after the New Education Policy (NEP) was implemented. Satish Khola, president, Haryana Self-Finance Private College Association, said candidates from Haryana did not want to pursue the course as no recruitment of primary teachers was done in the past continued on page 6 “Imposing ban on travellers from countries where a new variant is reported hasn’t yielded a meaningful outcome. Rather Covid safety protocol should be encouraged,” Africa CDC said. On the new variant (B.1.1529), it said some of the mutations it carried had been detected in previous variants Alpha and Delta and had been associated with increased transmissibility and immune evasion. “Many other identified mutations are not yet well characterised and have not been identified in other currently circulating variants. More investigations are underway to determine the possible impact of these mutations on the capacity of the virus to transmit more efficiently, impact vaccine effectiveness and evade immune response and cause more severe or milder disease,” said the CDC. In view of the surge in cases elsewhere globally and detection of Omicron, the WHO appealed to countries in the South-East Asia Region (SEARO) to scale up surveillance, strengthen public health and social continued on page 6 Farm leaders at a press conference at Singhu. PHOTO: MUKESH AGGARWAL No penalty for stubble burning, says govt; farmers call off tractor rally Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 27 Appealing protesting farmers to end their agitation, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday said the Centre had agreed to their demand to decriminalise stubble burning. With the government listing the Farm Laws Repeal Bill2021 for passage in both Houses of Parliament on Monday, Tomar said there was no cause for farmers’ agitation any more. Hours later, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions spearheading the protests at the Delhi border, called off its November 29 tractor march to Parliament. The minister said the farmers’ demand originally was to repeal the laws and that had been agreed along with UNIONS ON MSP PANEL Farm unions will be part of panel announced by PM Modi for reviewing the MSP regime. ❝ NS Tomar, MINISTER their demand to decriminalise stubble burning. On the issue of MSP he said , farmer organisations would be part of the committee the PM had announced for review of minimum support price regime and for the realisation of crop diversification and zero budget farming goals. On the farmers’ demand to withdraw cases registered against them during the course of the year-long agitation against farm laws and for compensation to the families continued on page 6 Repeal Bill to be tabled tomorrow NewDelhi, November 27 Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will move the Farm Laws Repeal Bill-2021 for passage in both Houses of Parliament on the first day of the winter session on Monday. The BJP and Opposition Congress have issued whips to their MPs to be present on the day. The new Bill states that though “only a small group of farmers is protesting” against the laws, the need of the hour is to take everyone along for inclusive growth. “I think after the PM announced the farm laws will be repealed, there is no cause for agitation and no justification for it. The farmers should show a big heart and return home,” he said. — TNS