17012024-TTC-01.qxd 1/17/2024 12:57 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 8 NO. 17 | 20 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 PANCHAYAT, URBAN LOCAL BODIES POLLS IN UT SOON: L-G J&K RAMASWAMY DROPS OUT OF US PRESIDENTIAL RACE, ENDORSES TRUMP WORLD /thetribunechd GOVT LEVIES 50% NAGAL FIRST INDIAN SINCE DUTY ON EXPORT OF 1989 TO BEAT A SEED MOLASSES BUSINESS AT A SLAM SPORT wednesday | 17 january 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Modi Sarkar ki Guarantee CBC 22201/13/0162/2324 Government of India Ease of Doing Business ensuring rapid development Scan for more information Hamara sankalp Cargo movement on inland waterways increased 7 times; Handling capacity doubled at major ports Viksit Bharat CM from War rooms at airports, Scindia Stop Punjabon R-Day, hoisting flag lists steps to tackle fog delays Pannuntellsgangsters Sufficient CISF manpower to reduce security queues |90 flights hit in Delhi Tribune News Service SC refuses to quash FIR against Naidu in skill corp scam Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 16 The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s petition seeking quashing of an FIR against him in the Skill Development Corporation scam case even as it deliv- SPLIT VERDICT ON PRIOR SANCTION TO PROSECUTE HIM ered a split verdict on prior sanction to prosecute the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. A Bench of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Bela M Trivedi, which upheld the remand order passed by a magistrate’s court and the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s continued on page 16 New Delhi, January 16 The Central Government on Tuesday announced several more measures to alleviate the misery of air passengers who have been impacted all over the country due to the cascade effect caused by a massive disruption of operations in Delhi and other northern Indian airports due to persistent fog. The new instructions, which follow a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued on Monday, are primarily aimed at greater responsiveness and sensitivity from the government apparatus continued on page 16 edit: chaos at airports Dense fog covers the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Tuesday. ANI EATING ON TARMAC: NOTICE ISSUED FIVE MORE DAYS OF FOG The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has issued notices to IndiGo and Mumbai airport operator after a video went viral showing passengers having food on the airport tarmac on Sunday. Very dense fog and cold wave conditions are likely to continue in North India over the next five days, said the IMD on Tuesday. Minimum temperatures will be in the range of 2-5°C over most parts in the region. ‘Can’t attend Modi-RSS event’: Rahul on temple consecration Says has no plans to visit shrine when yatra crosses UP Neeraj Mohan MAMATA’S ‘HARMONY RALLY’ ON JAN 22 Tribune News Service Another cheetah dies at Kuno; 10th so far BHOPAL: Namibian cheetah Shaurya died at the Kuno National Park in MP on Tuesday, state Forest Minister Nagar Singh Chouhan said, making it the 10th such fatality since the reintroduction of African big cats in India in 2022. The exact cause of the feline's death would be known only after autopsy, said a Forest Department statement. INSIDE Chiephobozou (Kohima), Jan 16 Stating that he needn’t wear the tag of his religion on his sleeve, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said the RSS and the BJP had made the Ram Temple consecration ceremony a completely political Modi function and that was why top Congress leaders had declined the invitation to attend the “political event”. “Some people use religion for political gains, but for me, religion is a way to live happily and respect others. People Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced on Tuesday that she would lead a “rally for harmony” in Kolkata on January 22, the day the Ram Temple consecration ceremony will be held in Ayodhya. << Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses supporters in Kohima. PTI should keep their religion personal,” he said, emphasising the need for individuals to fol- Deepfake akin to forgery under new IT rules, notification in week Aditi Tandon CRIMINAL LIABILITY PROVISIONS Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 16 New rules to address a rapidly growing misuse of deepfake technology are all set to be notified in seven to eight days with the government in the process of explicitly defining criminal liability for such acts. Minister of State for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday continued on page 16 ■ Govt to notify criminal liability in fresh norms, says MoS, IT ■ Victims or those with knowledge of content being deepfake can file case ■ Govt won’t hesitate to block social media platforms found in violation of rules TEPID RESPONSE TO ADVISORY There has been mixed response to compliance. I had said at time of advisory if it is not followed through completely, we will notify very clear amended IT rules. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MOS FOR IT ❝ low their faith without showcasing it or leveraging it to continued on page 16 Baddi town most polluted in country SOLAN: Baddi was the most polluted town on Tuesday with an ambient air quality index (AQI) of 416 while New Delhi registered an AQI of 371 and Noida 288. On January 14, it was the third most polluted place with an AQI of 438, which was less than Noida (456) and Delhi (447), as per the data released by the CPCB. The AQI reflects the worsening air quality in the industrial town that houses a huge number of industries. INSIDE Arsenic, fluoride in Haryana groundwater high Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 16 The arsenic level in a groundwater sample at Chhara village in Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar) is 0.299 mg/l, close to 30 times more than the permissible level. The sample was drawn from a hand pump. At Sui in Bawani Khera (Bhiwani), the arsenic level in the water of a dug well is 0.2 mg/l, 20 times CAN CAUSE CANCER, SKIN LESIONS ■ Groundwater at 51 habitations ■ Arsenic has been recognised in 18 districts in Haryana found contaminated with arsenic ■ At 136 locations in 20 districts in the state, it has been found contaminated with fluoride as a toxic element and is considered a health hazard ■ Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking water can cause cancer and skin lesions the permissible level, while in the neighbouring Bohal village, a water sample from a dug well recorded more than 11 times the permissible limit. The maximum permissible limit of arsenic for drinking purposes is 0.01 mg/l or 10 ppb. Arsenic has been recognised as a toxic element and is considered a health hazard. Longterm exposure to arsenic from drinking water can cause cancer and skin lesions, says the WHO. It has also been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Groundwater in 51 habitations across 18 districts in Haryana is contaminated with continued on page 16 c m y b Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 16 Designated Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is believed to be under the protection of US security agencies, has again issued a threatening video, this time calling on all gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Pannun also threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi and dared him to attend the Republic Day function on January 26 without security. “I dare Modi…. If you are a popular leader, come to Delhi on R-Day without security and the SFJ (Sikhs for Justice) is going to avenge the assassi- THREATENS PM TOO ■ Terrorist Pannun dared PM Modi to attend Republic Day function without security ■ Pannun said ‘if you’re a popular leader, come without security’ ■ The SFJ would avenge Nijjar’s ‘assassination’ by raising a Khalistan flag, he added nation of (Hardeep Singh) Nijjar by raising Khalistan flag,” he said in the video purportedly issued by him. Pannun though focused his ire in the latest video on the Punjab CM. He asked gangsters not to allow Mann to unfurl the Tricolour in Ludhiana on Republic Day. The video also embedded a clip where the Punjab CM vowed continued on page 16 IN BRIEF Iran ‘attacks’ militant bases in Pakistan JERSUALEM: Iran has “targeted” bases of Jaish al-Adl militant group in Pakistan, potentially further raising tensions in West Asia amid Gaza war. INSIDE Nihang kills youth over ‘sacrilege’ bid in shrine PHAGWARA: A Nihang allegedly killed a youth on the premises of gurdwara here over an alleged sacrilege attempt on Tuesday morning. INSIDE
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).