02122022-TTC-01.qxd 12/2/2022 12:32 AM Page 1 13 AT ~1.46L CR, GST KITTY UP 11% IN NOV BUSINESS /thetribunechd CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 142 NO. 332 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2021-2023 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 INDIA SNUBS CHINA OVER DRILL OBJECTION BACK PAGE friday | 2 december 2022 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com COUGH SYRUP HAI TO ALVIDA KHANSI For more information, please call or WhatsApp us: +91 977 921 4455 / care@torquepharma.com PM calls for fundamental mindset shift Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 1 India formally assumed the G20 presidency on Thursday with both President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailing the occasion. “On this occasion, I extend my best wishes to Team India for a successful presidency under the theme Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (world is one family). In the time-honoured tradition of ‘atithi devo bhava’ (guest is akin to God), I welcome all delegates to India,” said the President. PM Modi said the previous 17 presidencies of the G20 delivered significant results for ensuring macro-economic stability, rationalising international taxation and relieving debt-burden on 200 MEETINGS OVER NEXT YEAR ■ Nearly 200 meetings to be held in 32 sectors in multiple locations across India ■ 100 monuments are being illuminated for a week COLLABORATIVE EFFORT India’s G20 presidency will be consultative, collaborative and decisive. S Jaishankar, EAM ❝ countries. “However, as India assumes this important mantle, I ask myself: can the G20 go further still? Can we catalyse a fundamental mindset shift — to benefit humanity as a whole? I believe, we can,” declared PM Modi. During the G20 presidency, India will hold about 200 meetings in 32 different sectors in multiple locations across India. The G20 summit to be held next year will be one of the highest-profile international gatherings to be hosted by India, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the key element would be taking G20 closer to the public and making it truly a people’s G20. “It is a memorable day. We’ve formally assumed the presidency today. A key element of our presidency will be taking G20 closer to the public continued on page 9 INDIA ASSUMES G20 CHAIR TO ALSO HEAD UNSC FOR 1 MONTH The logo of G20 summit on a wall of the Red Fort. TRIBUNE PHOTO Gujarat records 60% turnout in Phase-1 New Delhi, December 1 A moderate voter turnout of 60.23 per cent was recorded in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections covering 89 seats across 19 districts of Saurashtra-Kutch and southern regions of the state on Thursday with the polling ending on — by and large — a peaceful note, officials said. The electoral fate of 788 candidates who were in the fray in the first phase was locked in electronic voting machines (EVMs). While the final voting figure was awaited, the average turnout stood provisionally at 60.23 per cent, the Election Commission (EC) said. The voter turnout of 66.75 per cent was recorded in the first phase of the 2017 Badal’s son-in-law Kairon All-woman SC Bench takes up bail part of SAD rebel front pleas, matrimonial transfer cases Chandigarh, December 1 A day after the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) excluded him from the revised core committee, former MP Jagmeet Brar today opened a fresh front against the party’s leadership and claimed to have roped in 12 more “sidelined bigwigs” in the parallel group ‘SAD Unity and Co-ordination Panel’ that he recently floated. Insisting that the Badal family had “ruled the party for too long”, Jagmeet said their aim was to “strengthen” the Akali Dal. The prominent among the 12 members named on the panel were SAD continued on page 9 SPURIOUS DRUGS 3 months on, cops yet to act against ‘offender’ couple Ambika Sharma Tribune News Service Solan, December 1 About three months after the registration of a case of forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy, the Sirmaur police are yet to act against a couple who had allegedly furnished a forged Bachelor of Pharmacy degree for obtaining a drug manufacturing licence for their Kala Amb-based firm Vardhman Pharma. Furnished fake degree for drugs licence The degree was in Meenakshi Jain’s name while her husband MC Jain had furnished it to the Himachal Drugs Control Administration (DCA) for the grant of licence. A bachelor’s degree in pharmacy or science is mandatory for obtaining a drug manufacturing licence from the State Drug Controlling Authority, according to the rules under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Vardhman Pharma was allegedly caught manufacturing spurious medicines during raids by the drug authorities in 2013 and 2016. continued on page 9 JAGMEET BRAR DISSIDENTS’ CLUB Adesh Partap Kairon | Bibi Jagir Kaur | Sucha Singh Chhotepur | Ravikaran Singh Kahlon | Rattan Singh Ajnala | Gaganjit S Barnala | Sukhwinder Singh Aulakh | Alwinder S Pakhoke | Parveen Nusrat | Harbans Singh Manjhpur | Amandeep S Mangat | Narinder S Kaleka New Delhi, December 1 After more than four years, an all-woman Bench on Thursday assembled to hear transfer petitions involving matrimonial disputes and bail matters. The all-woman Bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Bela M Trivedi — which sat in Court No. 11 of the Supreme Court — took up 32 cases listed before it, starting with 10 transfer petitions involving matrimonial disputes followed by 10 bail matters. This is the third time in the history of the Supreme Court that an all-woman Bench has been set up. The first such THIRD SUCH BENCH 1st set up in 2013 2nd in 2018 Bench comprising Justice Gyan Sudha Misra and Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai was constituted in 2013 while the second one of Justices R Banumathi and Indira Banerjee was set up in 2018. The Supreme Court didn’t Haryana all set to bring policy on phasing out old vehicles Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 1 Haryana is all set to introduce a policy to phase out old vehicles. This is in sync with the Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme of the Centre to encourage the scrapping of vehicles that have attained the critical age of 10 years in case of diesel vehicles and 15 years in case of petrol vehicles. But it will be voluntary and not mandatory. The state Cabinet under CM Manohar Lal Khattar today approved this policy draft. The policy will be effective for five years after its notification in the official gazette. The state policy will Will be voluntary, not mandatory INCENTIVES ■ Exemption in motor vehicle tax ■ Registration fee rebate DISINCENTIVES ■ Fitness fee, other transport services to cost more ■ Eco compensation to be charged be applicable to all end-oflife vehicles, Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs), registering authorities and departments which are supposed to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the registration of RVSFs. An incentives-based system will be introduced to facilitate the phasing out of unfit vehicles. Furthermore, disincentives will be put in place to make the use of old unfit vehicles a costly affair. Monetary benefits will be given to the buyers of vehicles to encourage them to scrap their old vehicles. Under this policy, exemption will be available to the extent of 10 per cent of the motor vehicle tax chargeable or 50 per cent of the scrapped value as mentioned in the continued on page 9 have a woman judge during the first 39 years. It was only in 1989 that Justice Fathima Beevi broke the glass ceiling and was elevated as a judge to the Supreme Court. And in the last 72 years of its existence, it has seen only 11 women judges. Since its inception in 1950, the Supreme Court has never had more than four sitting women judges. At present, the top court has three women judges Justice Kohli, Justice Trivedi and Justice BV Nagarathna, who is expected to become the first woman Chief Justice in 2027. — TNS EXCISE POLICY SCAM AAP’s Nair received ~100 cr kickbacks, ED tells special court New Delhi, December 1 AAP leader Vijay Nair, arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy case, received Rs 100 crore in “kickbacks” from a ‘south business group’ controlled by some businessmen and politicians, the ED has informed a special court here. In its remand report to take custody of arrested accused Amit Arora, the ED also informed the court that leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), some of whom are part of the government, considered the policy as a “device” to allegedly generate illegal funds at the cost of continued on page 9 Lapid apologises, but insists Kashmir Files‘vulgar film’ Chandigarh, December 1 International Film Festival of India is not new to controversy… but what happened on the concluding day of its 53rd edition at the closing ceremony truly was unceremonious and, predictably, stirred up a hornet’s nest. As jury head Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid singled out Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files, one of the 15 films vying for the Golden Peacock, the criticism of the film even to the most objective mind seemed out of place and out of context. That a film that the jury thought wasn’t worthy of any award or honour should have become a target of such acerbic criticism was indeed unwarranted as the Israeli filmmaker, known for speaking out his mind, termed it “vulgar” and a “propaganda”. Two days later, post a row and pressure from no less than his country’s ambassador Naor Gilon, the maker has tendered an apology. Though Lapid has called it a “total apology”, it is only a half-hearted and veiled one and is unlikely to assuage the flared sentiments of The Kashmir Files team, which was quick to defend the movie. Lapid’s apology can only rub salt in the wounds of those who felt outraged, especially filmmaker Agnihotri. The Israeli filmmaker remained almost unapologetic while expressing regret: “I didn’t want to insult anyone, and my aim was never to insult people or continued on page 9 IN BRIEF SC reserves judgment on delimitation plea NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a plea challenging setting up of a delimitation panel in J&K on grounds that it violated Constitution. INSIDE Two held for harassing Korean YouTuber People line up to cast their vote in Rajkot on Thursday. PTI Assembly poll. Barring a few untoward incidents and reports of technical glitches in EVMs at some places, the voting process, which commenced at 8 am, was largely peaceful, Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer P Bharathi said. continued on page 9 MUMBAI: The Mumbai police on Thursday arrested two men for allegedly molesting and stalking a South Korean woman YouTuber here. PTI Cops move HC against discharge of Tharoor NEW DELHI: Police have moved the HC against discharge of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in the case of his wife Sunanda's death, 15 months after he was let off. BACK PAGE Face-recognition at 3 airports DigiYatra to be launched at 4 more by March next Lionel Messi waves at fans. AP/PTI ARGENTINA BEAT POLAND MEXICO BEAT S ARABIA CROATIA VS BELGIUM MOROCCO BEAT CANADA 2-0 2-1 0-0 2-1 New Delhi, December 1 Passenger data shared for DigiYatra would be saved in an encrypted format in a decentralised manner, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said here today. Scindia was speaking at IGI Airport after launching DigiYatra, a facial recognition technology for air passengers. Besides Delhi, the facility was today simultaneously introduced for Ben- galuru and Varanasi airports. DigiYatra will be launched at four more airports, Hyderabad, Pune, Vijayawada and Kolkata, by March next year. It would later be rolled out at other airports, said Scindia. It will be available for willing passengers taking domestic flights. In Delhi, DigiYatra will be available for passengers taking domestic flights from Terminal 3 (T3). continued on page 9