24042024-TTB-01.qxd 4/23/2024 11:50 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 113 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 DELHI 3 TERRORISTS KILLED RAJOURI OFFICIAL, SAYS EYEWITNESS J&K HEZBOLLAH STRIKES DEEP INTO ISRAELI TERRITORY WORLD /thetribunechd TMC, CONG CANNOT CAN’T DEPEND ON IMPORTS SCRAP CAA: SHAH IN FOR CRITICAL TECH, SAYS BENGAL INDIA VOTES ARMY CHIEF BACK PAGE wednesday | 24 april 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com SC turns heat on IMA: ‘Complaints of Kejriwal, Kavitha’s judicial custody unethical conduct, put house in order’ extended till May 7 Says not just Patanjali Ayurved, FMCG firms also publishing misleading ads ❝ Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 23 Having kept Patanjali Ayurved co-founders Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna on tenterhooks over “misleading” advertisements of the company, the Supreme Court on Tuesday turned the heat on petitioner Indian Medical Association (IMA) for its alleged unethical conduct over recommending overpriced drugs and line of treatment “for valuable consideration”. “The petitioner (IMA) also needs to put its house in order. There are several complaints with regard to alleged unethical conduct of the IMA…misuse of their position in recommending highly expensive medicines, extraneous medicines for valuable consideration,” a Bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah said. Senior counsel PS Patwalia, representing the IMA, said the association would respond to the issues raised by the Bench. The Bench expanded the scope of the proceedings, saying that “we must clarify that we are not here to gun for Ramdev at the Supreme Court complex in New Delhi on Tuesday. ANI TELLS MINISTRIES, NMC TO FILE AFFIDAVITS a particular party, or a particular agency or a particular authority. This is absolutely a PIL, since it’s in the larger interest of the consumers…” “It’s not just limited to respondents (Patanjali Ayurved and its co-founders) before this court, but other FMCGs (fast-moving consumer goods) also publishing NEW DELHI: Asia continued to bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023, making it the world's most disaster-hit region, said a report by World Meteorological Organisation. BACK PAGE Decide on prosecution: HC to WB in job scam case KOLKATA: The Calcutta HC has directed West Bengal chief secretary to decide by May 2 on grant of sanction for prosecution of former public servants arrested by the CBI in school jobs case. BACK PAGE Salman firing: Cops recover two pistols from Tapi MUMBAI: The Mumbai police found two pistols and magazines from the Tapi river in Gujarat during a search operation to recover weapons allegedly used in firing at Salman Khan’s house. BACK PAGE For Ladakh LS seat, BJP drops sitting MP, picks LAHDC chairman NAMGYAL UPSET, SAYS IT IS INJUSTICE The nomination of Tashi Gyalson draws a strong response from Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who says the BJP replaced a ‘sitting MP without providing transparent and compelling justification’. “This is injustice with a dedicated worker,” he said ing transparent and compelling justification”. “I have communicated my disagreement to the party leadership through proper channels regarding this injustice with a dedicated worker. Hundreds of BJP activists and my supporters from across Ladakh have also voiced their disapproval. We will carefully evaluate the situation and determine our next course of action,” the statement read. Sources said continuing protests against the BJP-led Centre had rattled senior party leaders, leading to apprehensions that it could lose the seat it had won consecutively in 2014 and 2019 if it did not change its candidate. continued on page 8 New Delhi, April 23 Having faced the wrath of the Supreme Court over publication of “misleading” advertisements, Patanjali Ayurved and its co-founders Swami Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the company had published an unconditional apology in 67 newspapers across India. NEXT HEARING ON APRIL 30 two weeks, posts matter for further hearing on May 7 ■ Senior counsel PS Patwalia, representing the IMA, says the association will respond to the issues raised by the Bench Asia most disaster-hit region in 2023: WMO report Jammu, April 23 Amid protests against the Centre over the statehood issue and demand for inclusion of the UT in Sixth Schedule, the BJP sprung a surprise on Tuesday by fielding Tashi Gyalson for the Ladakh Lok Sabha poll, dropping the sitting MP , Jamyang Tsering Namgyal. Gyalson is the chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC). Gyalson, who was earlier a member of the People’s Democratic Party, was expelled by the party for demanding the UT status for Ladakh in 2016. He joined the BJP in 2019. After being elected as the councillor from Lingshed in Leh in 2020, Gyalson was elevated to the position of the chief executive councillor-cum-chairman of the LAHDC, Leh. He is known for development works in the region. However, Gyalson’s nomination drew a strong response from Namgyal. In a statement on his social media account, Namgyal said the BJP replaced the “sitting MP without provid... — Supreme Court Bench ■ Bench asks various ministries, IMA and NMC to file affidavits in IN BRIEF Arjun Sharma CENTRE NEEDS TO ACTIVATE ITSELF If this (misleading advertisements) is happening, the Union of India needs to activate itself and so do the state licensing authorities… AFFECTING HEALTH FMCGs also publishing misleading ads and taking the public for a ride; affecting the health of babies, school-going children and senior citizens. Is apology same size as ads: Top court to Patanjali A Bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, which had on April 16 said that the proposed contemnors were “not off the hook”, sought to know why the apology was published only yesterday. “Was it of the same size as your earlier ads?” asked Justice Kohli referring to the “misleading” advertisements that were published by Patanjali Ayurved in newspapers in December last year. As senior continued on page 8 Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 23 A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Telangana leader K Kavitha in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam till May 7. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended the custody of Kejriwal and Kavitha after they were produced before the court through video-conferencing on the expiry of their remand. Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges is pending before the Supreme Court. It will be heard on April 29. Earlier, the Delhi High Court had rejected a similar plea, stating that the ED had provided sufficient evidence to support their claim that Kejriwal was allegedly involved in framing the now-scrapped policy and demanding a bribe of Rs 100 crore, which was allegedly used to fund AAP’s election campaigns in Punjab and Goa. On Monday, Kejriwal, who is a Type-II diabetes patient, received his first insulin shot Arvind Kejriwal K Kavitha INSULIN FOR DELHI CM Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who is a Type-II diabetes patient, was administered insulin for the first time in Tihar Jail on Monday after his blood sugar level rose to 320 mg/dl, said officials. in 32 days after his blood sugar level spiked to an alarmingly high 320 mg/dl. Earlier, a Delhi court had rejected his plea for administering insulin to him. Opposing the plea, the ED had told the court that Kejriwal was intentionally consuming mangoes, sweets and tea (with sugar) to manipulate his blood sugar level. It had argued that Kejriwal wanted to create a medical ground for his bail. Special Judge Baweja yesterday directed constitution of a medical board by the Director, AIIMS, to assess the CM’s condition and determine whether insulin was necessary. (With PTI inputs) misleading ads and taking the public for a ride, in particular, affecting the health of babies, school-going children and senior citizens who have been consuming their products,” it said. “If this (misleading advertisements) is happening, the Union of India needs to activate itself and so do the state licensing authorities… You can’t just shrug your shoulders off and say I have conveyed the complaint to the state authorities and it’s for them to do what they are doing,” the Bench said. Without referring to the controversy over added sugar content in baby food sold by Nestle in India, it said recent continued on page 8 Row over spices, govt seeks details from Singapore, HK PM opens new front against Cong, says it wants reservation based on religion New Delhi, April 23 India, the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices, has sought details from food safety regulators of Singapore and Hong Kong, which have reportedly banned certain spices of Indian brands due to quality concerns. Only 1of 60 products taken for testing: Everest The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has also directed Indian embassies in both countries to send a detailed report on the matter. It has also sought details from the Indian firms, MDH and Everest, whose products have allegedly been banned for “containing pesticide ethylene oxide beyond permissible limits”. “Details have been sought from the companies. Root cause of the rejection and corrective actions will be determined along with the exporters concerned,” a ministry official said. The official said an industry consultation was also scheduled to discuss the issue of mandatory testing of ethylene oxide in spice continued on page 8 Hammers ‘wealth redistribution’ charge yet again at Rajasthan rally Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 23 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday sharpened his anti-Congress pitch accusing the principal opposition party of violating the Constitution by pushing for religion-based reservation to benefit a “favoured community” when it was in power. Opening a new front and promising to defend the constitutional provisions for reservation to SCs/STs and OBCs at a rally in Rajasthan’s Tonk Sawai Madhopur on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said his “90second reference revealing the truth had rattled the opposition party”. “I unveiled some truths in Rajasthan recently. Why is the Congress so afraid of the truth? I have only exposed its dangerous intentions of seizing people’s property and redistributing it among favoured individuals.... “In its manifesto, the Congress boldly states its intention to conduct surveys of people’s Ensure children below 12 seated with parents: DGCA to airlines New Delhi, April 23 The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has mandated airlines to allocate seats for children up to the age of 12 years with at least one of their parents/guardians, who are traveling on the same Passenger Name Record (PNR). The airlines are required to maintain a record of these seating arrangements. Move follows plaints of separating travellers for not paying extra The development comes in the backdrop of numerous complaints from passengers travelling in groups about being seated separately, especially from their children, if they choose not to pay extra for seat selection on the flights. In this regard, the aviation regulator has revised the Air Transport Circular titled, “Unbundle of services and fees by scheduled airlines”. The DGCA said some unbundled services were provided on an “opt-in” basis by airlines and were not mandatory. “There is also a provision for auto seat assignment to the passengers who have not selected any seat for web check-in before scheduled departure,” the statement said. — TNS HP issued over 3K challans for illegal mining since Jan Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally in Tonk district of Rajasthan on Tuesday. PTI CONG TRIED TO CUT SC/ST & OBC QUOTA After forming the government at the Centre in 2004, the initial Congress move was to decrease the quota for SCs/STs in party-ruled Andhra Pradesh and introduce religion-based reservation for a favoured community. Narendra Modi, PRIME MINISTER ❝ property, going far enough to suggest assessment of the sacred ‘Mangalsutra’ worn by women. One of their leaders floated the absurd idea of conducting X-ray scans to uncover the stashed away wealth of people. They even threatened to grab excess assets...,” the PM said, repeating his “Congress will redistribute people’s wealth” charge. In fresh jabs at the BJP’s direct rival in Rajasthan, Modi recalled the erstwhile Congress-led UPA regime’s attempts to bring religionbased reservation: “It is Modi’s guarantee from a continued on page 8 edit: Exercise restraint SHIMLA: As many as 3,028 challans have been issued for illegal mining across Himachal Pradesh and a fine of ~1.73 crore has been collected from January 1 to April 21 this year. Of the total challans, 2,480 have been compounded while the remaining 548 have been sent to the courts. Apart from this, 14 cases of illegal mining have also been registered and as many as 256 vehicles involved in illegal mining impounded. The police said the number of challans increased by 44 per cent as compared to the same period last year when 2,099 challans were issued. INSIDE 19 Haryana schools sans students, 811 make do with lone teacher Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 23 As many as 19 government schools in Haryana have zero enrolment, while 3,148 others have a student strength of below 50. Further, of the 14,562 schools in the state, 811 are being run by a single teacher. These facts have come to the fore in the minutes of the Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting for consideration of the Annual Work Plan and Budget for 2024-25 of ‘Samagra Shiksha’ for Haryana. The Secretary, School Edu- cation and Learning, has suggested rationalisation of schools with sufficient number of teachers, especially at the elementary level. Further, there is pendency in the completion of infrastructure facilities (since inception) in the state i.e. additional classrooms (4.18 per cent), boys’ toilets (0.97 per cent), girls’ toilets (1.71 per cent), integrated science labs (50.69 per cent), information and communication technology (17.2 per cent), smart classrooms (1.4 per cent) and skill education labs (13 per cent), according to the minutes. INFRA FACILITIES PENDING INTEGRATED SCIENCE LABS 50.69% INFO & COMMUNICATION TECH 17.2% SKILL EDUCATION LABS 13% ADDITIONAL CLASSROOMS 4.18% SMART CLASSROOMS 1.4% HIGH VACANCY IN INSTITUTES KGBV: 45.14% | SCERT: 49.3% | DIET: 59.29% Concerning previous nonrecurring approvals, for which no action has been taken by Haryana over the years, the PAB has reiterated Today’s issue is of 16 pages, including four-page Delhi Tribune. c m y b as per the ‘Samagra Shiksha’ framework, these are committed liabilities that will become the sole responsibility of the state after a point in time i.e. five years after the approval. On Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), the state has been asked to design measures to fill vacancies, given 45.14 per cent of seats are still vacant. “Out of the six Type I approved KGBVs, two are yet to be made functional. Similarly, of 36 Type IV KGBVs, three are yet to be made functional,” say the minutes of the meeting that took place on February 22. The minutes have been released recently. The PAB points out a high vacancy in teacher education institutes. The State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT), Gurugram, is facing 49.3 per cent vacancies in academic positions. In the District Institute of Education and Training (DIETs), 59.29 per cent of the posts are vacant. “Considering the important role of these institutions in empowering teachers, the vacant positions in the SCERT and DIETs may be filled on a priority basis to strengthen these institutions. In addition, continued on page 8
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).