28012024-TTC-01.qxd 1/28/2024 12:45 AM Page 1 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 27 | 22 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 DAYS AFTER TIT-FOR-TAT STRIKES, GUNMEN IN IRAN KILL 9 PAKISTANIS WORLD /thetribunechd SINHA: ADMN PREPARED TO HOLD LOCAL BODIES, PANCHAYAT POLLS J&K AUTO MANUFACTURERS MAHA GOVT ANNOUNCES INDUCTING MORE OBC BENEFITS FOR WOMEN SPECTRUM MARATHAS BACK PAGE sunday | 28 january 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Nitish may return to NDA fold today; noimplosion in INDIA bloc, says Cong JD(U) president set to remain Bihar CM | Two BJP Deputy CMs likely SP offers 11 of 80 LS Aditi Tandon 122 THE MAGIC FIGURE Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 27 Janata Dal (United) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance fold on Sunday, dumping the RJD, Congress and the Left Front, and signalling a virtual end of the road for the opposition INDIA bloc. Once this happens, it will be 72-year-old Nitish Kumar’s fifth flip-flop since 2013 when he first quit the NDA in protest against the elevation of Narendra Modi as the BJP’s prime ministerial face. Nitish Kumar, who had most recently parted ways with the NDA on August 9, 2022, alleging a saffron bid to split his party, is all set to remain the Bihar CM with the BJP’s support once he dumps current government allies the RJD, Congress and the Left. seats in UP to Cong Tribune News Service ■ In a House of 243, Nitish needs Ties between the RJD and JD(U) have got strained in the recent past. FILE ALLIANCE NEARLY OVER IN PUNJAB, BIHAR, WB ❝ We had succeeded in bringing together all nonCong parties but the alliance is falling apart. In Punjab and Bihar, INDIA bloc has nearly collapsed, while in West Bengal, it is falling apart. — KC Tyagi, JD(U) GENERAL SECRETARY The BJP is likely to get two Deputy CM slots as part of the deal with Nitish Kumar, who wants former Deputy CM Sushil Modi back. In a House of 243, Nitish Kumar needs 122 MLAs to stay in power. The JD (U) has 45 and the NDA 82 with BJP’s 78 and HAM’s four. 122 MLAs to stay in power. The JD (U) has 45 and the NDA 82 with BJP’s 78 and HAM’s 4 ■ It is learnt Union Home Minister Amit Shah has endorsed the reunion with the JD(U) and BJP MLAs in Bihar were instructed to hand over letters of support in favour of Nitish at Patna meet ■ Nitish Kumar was reportedly miffed as a decision on his name as INDIA bloc convener was held back despite a broad agreement on it at the last virtual meeting of the alliance SHAH MEETS CHIRAG ■ Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda met LJP chief Chirag Paswan, who said both leaders assured the redressal of his concerns It is learnt that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has endorsed a reunion with the JD(U) and party MLAs in continued on page 6 New Delhi, January 27 The anti-BJP INDIA bloc, on the verge of decimation in Bihar, got life support in Uttar Pradesh with the dominant party of the state, the Samajwadi Party, agreeing to give 11 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats to ally Congress. “Our cordial alliance with the Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats… This trend will move forward with the winning equation. The INDIA team and the PDA (pichhdey (backwards), Dalit (Scheduled Castes), Adivasi (tribals) strategy will change history,” Akhilesh Yadav announced on X. Moments later, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said on behalf of the party, former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot continued on page 6 ICJ asks Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza Sandeep Dikshit Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 27 The UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ), by a 15-2 majority, has ordered Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide and allow humanitarian aid but stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire as had been sought by South Africa in the case it had filed against Tel Aviv. However, the ruling is still an embarrassment for Israel and its closest allies, including the US and Germany, as the 17-judge ICJ panel voted for emergency measures, which covered most of what South Africa asked for barring an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. South Africa’s petition was supported by over 75 countries, most of them from the developing bloc, but India was a glaring exception. “The state of Israel shall...take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide convention,” the court ordered in its Satya Prakash France ready for collaboration in design, manufacture of jet engine Tribune News Service Ajay Banerjee New Delhi, January 27 As two judges of the Calcutta High Court wash their dirty linen in public, the Supreme Court on Saturday stayed all proceedings before a SingleJudge Bench of Justice Abhi- Tribune News Service SC takes charge as CalcuttaHCBenches pass varying orders UK tanker MV Marlin Luanda on fire after an attack. COURTESY: INDIAN NAVY UK vessel hit by Houthis, all 22 Indian sailors safe Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 27 Yet another merchant vessel, MV Marlin Luanda, carrying naphtha, a flammable fluid, has been hit by a missile fired by Houthi rebels based out of Yemen. All 23 crew members, including 22 Indians, are safe. Indian Navy warship INS Visakhapatnam, deployed in the Gulf of Aden, responded to the distress call and augmented the firefighting efforts as multi-nation naval warships converged on the Indian Navy responds to distress call RECENT ATTACKS Jan 17: Indian Navy responds to a drone attack distress call from MV Genco Picardy in Gulf of Aden Jan 5: Navy thwarts hijack bid of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in North Arabian Sea Dec 23: Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew, targeted off India’s coast site, some 90 km south-east of Aden in Yemen. The Navy continued on page 6 STAYS ALL PROCEEDINGS IN MBBS ADMISSION CASE jit Gangopadhyay and a Division Bench led by Justice Soumen Sen which passed orders against each other in connection with alleged irregularities in MBBS admissions in state-run medical colleges in West Bengal. A five-judge Constitution Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud — which assembled on a holiday for an urgent hearing after taking suo motu cognisance of the unprecedented development in the Calcutta High Court — also stayed the implementation of directions issued by Justice Gangopadhyay on continued on page 6 New Delhi, January 27 India and France have moved forward on deepening their military partnership and are ready to collaborate on making the next generation of engines to power fighter jets. India’s Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf said on Friday Safran, the French engine manufacturer, had conveyed its readiness for a complete transfer of technology (ToT) for various developmental stages of the project. Ashraf was part of the media briefing organised by the Ministry of External Affairs on Republic Day following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. The discussion with France focuses on synchronising the engine specifications with India’s forthcoming fighter jet needs. India is currently producing Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 27 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann kick-started the state government’s flagship road safety project, the Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF), by flagging off a fleet of 144 hitech vehicles here today. He launched the initiative in the presence of DGP Gaurav Yadav, other top police officers and hundreds of police personnel dressed in 144 HI-TECH VEHICLES IN 12 DISTS ■ 144 hi-tech vehicles will be deployed across 12 districts, covering 4,000 km of state and national highways ■ Stationed every 30 km, these vehicles will be connected with pvt hospitals for prompt rescue of accident victims ■ Every vehicle will have a team of four police personnel headed by an ASI-rank officer; team will respond & rescue in 15 minutes the brand new SSF uniform. The 144 hi-tech Hilux vehicles will be deployed across 12 districts. CM Mann said the SSF’s aim was to reduce road fatali- ties by at least half in the state, and the state government would share the data on accidents by Februaryend, comparing it with that of the same period last year. He also declared a four-day holiday for SSF personnel so that they can report to duty from February 1. “Punjab is going to be the first state in the country with a separate force to prevent accidents and road crimes. The idea for the SSF took root in 2016-17, when as the Sangrur MP I sought data of accidents , and found that Punjab topped in fatalities with 14 road accident deaths a day. continued on page 6 GENOCIDE CONVENTION The state of Israel shall... take all measures in its power to prevent the commission of all One killed, two injured acts within the scope of in Manipur gunfight Article II of the Genocide IMPHAL: A village volunteer was convention. — ICJ ❝ interim ruling while asking Israel to report back in a month the steps it had taken to comply with the directions. However, Israel can ignore the ICJ’s order as there is no way to enforce it. The ICJ said it was “gravely concerned” about the fate of the hostages in Gaza and asked Hamas to immediately release them without conditions. On January 11, South Africa had told the court that Israel’s unabated attacks were bringing about “the destruction of the population” of Gaza. IN BRIEF killed and two others were injured in a gunfight between two armed groups in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Saturday. The fight broke out after armed miscreants entered the vicinity of the hill village of Satang Kuki and launched a gun and bomb attack. PTI Court summons Rabri in land-for-jobs case NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday summoned Bihar ex-CM Rabri Devi and her daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav after taking cognisance of an ED chargesheet against them in the railway land-for-jobs case. TNS AGELESS ACE FULL TRANSFER OF TECH FOR AMCA ■ French engine maker Safran has agreed to full transfer of technology for various stages of project to build next generation of engines for fighter jets ■ India is planning indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) with likely induction in eight to 10 years ■ To be designed and made in India, AMCA will have 2 versions — first with US’ GE 414 engine & second with more powerful Safran engine ■ Pact aims to explore intricacies of design phase, metallurgical components, and other vital elements crucial for advancement of jet engines fourth-generation jet — Light Combat Aircraft Tejas — using engines by US’ General Electric. It is now ready to take a leap and make an indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) planned for induction in eight to 10 years from now. The AMCA is being designed in India and will be manufactured here. Two separate versions are planned — the first will have the GE 414 engine, while the second will have a more powerful Safran engine. Ashraf said the agreement on the engine aims to explore intricacies of the design phase, metallurgical components, and other vital elements crucial for the advancement of sophisticated jet engines. “We are looking for not just manufacturing and Transfer of Technology, but work in the actual design phase, continued on page 6 Punjab CM launches ‘Sadak Surakhya Force’ for accident victims Aparna Banerji Wants humanitarian aid allowed; calls on Hamas to release hostages Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann flags off Sadak Surakhya Force vehicles in Jalandhar on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Today’s issue is of 22 pages, including six-page Spectrum. Rohan Bopanna won Australian Open men’s double title with partner Matthew Ebden. At 43, he is oldest Grand Slam champion in men’s tennis and only third Indian to win a men’s doubles title. REUTERS INSIDE Claims for DSR incentive of 1K Hisar farmers found fake Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Hisar, January 27 The Agriculture Department has found applications of over 1,000 farmers claiming the incentive for adoption of direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique on 11,500 acres in Hisar district fake. Consequently, it has rejected the claims to the tune of Rs 4.60 crore. With an aim to conserve water, the state government gives an incentive of Rs 4,000 an acre to any farmer who adopts the DSR technique for paddy cultivation. The Agriculture Department has received applications from farmers claiming direct sowing of paddy on 29,000 acres in Hisar district for the last kharif season. Hisar has a total area of 1.90 lakh acres under paddy and the state government set a minimum target of DSR technique on 8,000 acres in the district. Sources said in response to the applications, the department had got the physical ver- NO DIRECT SEEDING ON 11,500 ACRES ■ Agri Dept has received appli- cations for incentive of ~4,000 an acre for direct seeding of rice on 29,000 acres in Hisar district ■ After finding fake claims for 11,500 acres, dept is re-verifying applications for remaining 17,500 acres ification of the DSR area done with the help of agricultural officials, patwaris and village numberdars in the district. During verification, it was found that claims of over 1,000 farmers on 11,500 acres were not true. As per the applications received by the department, the total area under DSR is 29,000 acres. “Farmers even submitted the continued on page 6
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