20102024-TT-01.qxd 20-10-2024 01:33 Page 1 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 291 | 22 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH OMAR CABINET RESOLUTION SEEKING STATEHOOD GETS L-G SINHA’S NOD J&K /thetribunechd COMMITTED TO HAVING TECH-DRIVEN MILITARY, SAYS RAJNATH NATION FESTIVALS AND CINEMA: DRONE TARGETS ISRAELI EXPLORING THE MANY PM NETANYAHU’S SHADES OF JOY SPECTRUM RESIDENCE WORLD sunday | 20 october 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Rift in INDIA over seat-sharing in On Mann’s word, SKM calls off stir over procurement for now J’khand, RJD says ‘options open’ CM assures remedy in 2 days| Unions to wait till Oct 24 JMM, Cong keep 70 seats for themselves, leave 11 for allies CHARGED IN PANNUN CASE, EX-COP HAILS FROM REWARI Vikash Yadav was an assistant commandant in CRPF before joining RAW on deputation; was held in Delhi extortion case last year REPORTS ON BACK PAGE New Delhi, October 19 Fissures surfaced in the INDIA bloc ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly elections on Saturday as the RJD expressed disappointment and said “all options were open” after Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren announced that his party and the Congress would contest 70 seats, leaving the remaining 11 for alliance partners. Addressing a press conference in Ranchi, Soren said the INDIA bloc partners Ex-CM Champai, son in 1st BJP list Shubhadeep Choudhury Over 30 more flights receivebombthreats NEW DELHI/ MUMBAI: Over 30 flights of various Indian airlines, including Vistara, Air India and IndiGo, received bomb threats on Saturday, sources said. So far this week, at least 70 flights of Indian carriers have received bomb threats, which have turned out to be a hoax. BACK PAGE End stir & join talks, Mamata tells docs KOLKATA: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee invited the doctors protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Hospital for talks, conditional upon the “withdrawal of their hunger strike”. The doctors, for their part, demanded fulfitlment of their demands. INSIDE Tribune News Service NEW DELHI: The BJP on Satur- Hemant Soren and Tejashwi Yadav ahead of the seat-sharing talks. PTI would contest the poll together, and the Congress and the JMM would field candidates in 70 of the 81 seats. He said the decision was taken following consultations with allies (Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) continued on page 7 Naxal operation, a police official said. Personnel belonging to the ITBP BSF and the , police’s District Reserve Guard of the police were involved in the operation. Those killed were identified as Amar Panwar (36) of Satara in Maharashtra and K Rajesh (36) of Kadappa in Karnataka. They belonged to ITBP’s 53rd Battalion. — PTI Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 19 The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of several farmer unions, on Saturday decided to call off its protest against the alleged tardy procurement of paddy. The move followed a meeting of SKM representatives with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who assured them of smooth procurement of the entire produce of the farmers. The CM reportedly sought two days’ time from the unions to resolve all issues concerning the procurement. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann holds a meeting with a delegation of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha in Chandigarh. His meeting with the farmer union leaders, commission agents and leaders of mandi labour unions lasted a little over two hours. Finance Min- ister Harpal Cheema and Food and Supply Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak were also present. Mann reportedly continued on page 7 GST panel favours exempting life, term insurance Two ITBP men killed, two cops hurt in Chhattisgarh IED blast Narayanpur, October 19 Two ITBP personnel were killed and two policemen injured on Saturday when Naxalites carried out an IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, the police said. The incident occurred around noon near Kodliyar village in Abujhmaad when joint teams of security personnel were out on an anti- day fielded former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren, his youngest son Babulal Soren and CM Hemant Soren’s sister-in-law Sita Soren in the first list of 66 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. State BJP president Babulal Marandi will defend Dhanwar segment, Champai will contest from Seraikella tribal seat and Sita from Jamtara. BACK PAGE Ruchika M Khanna VP: Lure of foreign educationadisease NEW DELHI: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar has equated the rising trend of students pursuing foreign education to a “disease”, warning parents of its impact on children’s future and country’s economy. BACK PAGE New Delhi, October 19 Term life insurance policies and senior citizens’ health insurance premium are likely to be exempted from GST as most members of a state ministerial panel favoured cutting taxes to benefit the common man, an official said on Saturday. The GoM to decide on GST on health and life insurance premiums in its meeting on Saturday decided to exempt Today’s issue is of 22 pages, including six-page Spectrum. LUXURY WATCHES, SHOES MAY COST MORE GoM on GST has recommended rejig of tax rates on host of goods ■ GST on shoes above ~15,000 per water of 20 litres and above pair to go up from 18% to 28% to be cut from 18% to 5% ■ Wrist watches costing over ■ GST on bicycles costing less than ~25,000 to draw GST of ~10,000 to be cut to 5% from 12% 28%, up from present 18% ■ Notebooks will also see reduc- ■ GST Council to take call on the tion of GST to 5% from 12% recommendations next month ■ GST on packaged drinking GST on premiums paid by individuals, other than senior citizens, for health insurance with coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh. However, 18 per cent GST will continue to be levied for health insurance cover of over Rs 5 lakh. Separately, the GoM on GST rate rationalisation, too, met on Saturday and suggested that the GST Council rejig tax rates on a host of goods, including packaged drinking water, bicycles, exercise notebooks, luxury wrist watches and shoes. A final decision on GST on health and life insurance premiums as well as rate rationalisation is continued on page 7