28102024-TTB-01.qxd 10/27/2024 11:56 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 299 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  DELHI 45 KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKES ON GAZA STRIP WORLD /thetribunechd DELHI COURT TO PASS ORDER ON RASHID’S BAIL PLEA TODAY J&K SHAH SLAMS TMC FOR PM ANNOUNCES 150TH ‘STATE-SPONSORED BIRTH ANNIV CELEBRATIONS INFILTRATION’ NATION OF BIRSA BACK PAGE monday | 28 october 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Amid farm stir, Centre says will procure every grain, have enough storage space Food Minister claims there’s no crisis; cautions Punjab farmers against ‘misinformation’ Aditi Tandon CENTRE’S PLAN FOR PUNJAB Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 27 The Centre on Sunday stepped in to defuse ongoing tensions around paddy procurement challenges in Punjab. It assured farmers of procurement of “every single grain” and cautioned them against “misinformation about lack of space to store paddy”. “There is no crisis at all. Please try and understand. We have already shared the plan for creation of storage space with the Punjab Government. Movement of foodgrain outside the state is also underway. There is no problem on the ground. Either wrong information or misinformation is being spread on the ground,” said Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday. He was responding to a query by The Tribune on why the crisis came about in the first place when standard protocols on paddy procurement and foodgrain movement were in place. Joshi said as on date, the FCI had 14 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of storage space 105 kg heroin seized as major drug racket busted in Amritsar AMRITSAR: The Punjab Police on Sunday claimed to have busted a major drug racket after the seizure of 105 kg heroin and the arrest of two associates of Turkey-based drug smuggler Navpreet Singh, alias Nav Bhullar. The seizure, one of the biggest in the state, was made following a massive operation in Amritsar’s Baba Bakala on Saturday night. A huge quantity of scheduled drugs and five foreign-made pistols were also seized. INSIDE NC MLA detained at Srinagar airport with 2 live rounds SRINAGAR: An MLA of the rul- ing National Conference was detained on Sunday at the Srinagar International Airport after two live rounds were detected in his baggage, officials said. Bashir Ahmad Veeri, the MLA from Srigufwara-Bijbehara Assembly seat, was stopped for questioning at the airport when the X-ray scan led to the recovery of two live rounds from his baggage, they said. Veeri was travelling to Jammu on an IndiGo flight. — PTI ■ Total paddy to be procured from Food and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi addresses a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday. PHOTO: MANAS RANJAN BHUI HIGH-LEVEL PANEL TO MONITOR MOVEMENT ■ High-level panel set up under ■ New app created where rice the FCI CMD to monitor movement of foodgrain (13-15 LMT/month) out of Punjab millers can post grievances, which will be resolved within three working days available and this would rise to 16 LMT by November 1. Explaining there was no crisis, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra told The Tribune that over the last five years, average paddy procurement until December had been 15.5 LMT. “We will already have 16 LMT space by November 1 and would have created more by moving out more foodgrain by December. So there is no crisis,” he said. The Centre has also formed a high-level committee under Food Corporation of India (FCI) CMD Vineeta Sharma to monitor the movement of foodgrain out- Punjab is 185 lakh metric tonnes (LMT); will yield 124 LMT rice (which millers will provide) ■ Average rice procurement from Punjab till March in last five years has been 84 LMT ■ Space available with the FCI as of Sunday is 14 LMT; it will rise to 16 LMT by November 1 ■ Average rice procurement from Punjab (in the last 5 years) till December has been 15.5 LMT ■ There’s a plan to move 13-15 LMT grains from Punjab per month ■ The Centre has approved 31 LMT storage space for Punjab under the private entrepreneurship guarantee scheme ■ The storage space will be ready by June by when entire 124 LMT rice will be procured side Punjab for the kharif marketing season. To further resolve grievances of Punjab’s millers, the FCI has also created an application on which their grievances will be resolved within three working days. The app is yet to be launched but has been host- ed on the FCI website. Joshi said he had also spoken to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and asked him to speed up the procurement process through state agencies and cooperate with the Centre for foodgrain lifting. Asked why the procurement was delayed, Joshi said, “Due to heavy rains this year, the Punjab Government had specifically requested us to start procurement from October 1, which we did.” The minister said creation of space was the responsibility of the Food Ministry and the FCI, and would be taken care of. “We strongly stand by the farmers of Punjab and will fulfil our commitment to procure 185 LMT paddy. Not a single grain will be left behind. Everything will be procured by the FCI at the MSP of Rs 2,300 per quintal, which was around Rs 1,310 in 2013-14,” Joshi said. The minister said as on date, 54.36 LMT of paddy had arrived in the mandis of Punjab as against 65 LMT on this date last year. “So we are lagging behind last year by only continued on page 8 Want to focus on one job: Mann likely to quit as AAP Punjab chief RuchikaM Khanna& Ravi Dhaliwal PRESSURE OF 2 POSTS ❝ Tribune News Service Chandigarh/DeraBabaNanak, October 27 The Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab is likely to get a new state chief. Though the talk of a change in the state unit’s organisational structure has been doing the rounds for quite some time, the same was confirmed by CM Bhagwant Mann while campaigning at Chabbewal and Dera Baba Nanak on Sunday. “Holding two posts adds to the pressure of working as CM. It will be appropriate if I put in my papers as state president so that I can completely focus on my role as Punjab CM,” he said. Mann was appointed AAP’s state chief in January 2019. He has been holding the dual charge after he became CM in March 2022. The top brass is considering bringing in a young, preferably Hindu, leader. Party sources told The Tribune that the name of New and Renewable Energy Minister Aman Arora was being considered. Since AAP has already It will be appropriate if I put in my papers as the state president so that I can completely focus on my role as the Punjab CM. Holding two posts adds to pressure. Bhagwant Mann, CM MINISTER AMAN ARORA IN THE RECKONING? Sources in the Aam Aadmi Party said the top brass is considering bringing in a young, preferably Hindu, leader. The name of state minister Aman Arora is being considered, the sources said. appointed six Dalit ministers, the party, as part of its social engineering, is keen on wooing the Hindu voters by appointing a member from the community as state chief. There was a talk of appointing a new party president last year as well, but Mann apparently had his way and Budhlada MLA Budh Ram was then appointed as state working president alongside Mann. Mann’s statement came on a day he returned from Delhi, where he met top party leaders. Not only does it signal that the AAP leadership led by Arvind Kejriwal is looking at keeping party’s organisation separate from governance, it is also being perceived as a leap towards setting the ball rolling for its 2027 Punjab elections by starting to infuse a new lease of life in the party’s organisational structure. In a recent interview with The Tribune, party’s general secretary Harchand Singh Barsat had also hinted at change in the party’s state unit. He had said, “Change is always better, although it is the prerogative of national convener Arvind Kejriwal.” An anti-smog gun being used at Kartavya Path to curb air pollution in New Delhi on Sunday. PTI Before Diwali, air ‘very poor’ in Delhi, ‘poor’ in 11 Hry cities Thick smog engulfs Capital |Relief unlikely in coming days Samad Hoque & Nitish Sharma Tribune News Service NewDelhi/Kurukshetra, Oct27 Delhi’s air quality deteriorated sharply on Sunday. The Capital recorded an alarming 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 356, placing it in the “very poor” category. This marks a stark decline from the recent days when strong winds had briefly improved the pollution levels. Several areas experienced “severe” pollution levels (AQI over 400), signifying extremely hazardous air, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Data from 36 out of 40 monitoring stations was shared by the department. Among these, eight stations — Anand Vihar, Alipur, Bawana, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Wazirpur, Vivek Vihar and Sonia Vihar — had AQI readings in the “severe” category, while the remaining 28 were in the India may get 26/11 plotter’s custody soon 50 flights receive hoax bomb threat; 350 hit in 2 weeks New Delhi, October 27 At least 50 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats and two of them were diverted on Sunday, according to sources. In 14 days, more than 350 flights operated by the Indian carriers have received hoax bomb threats. Most of the threats were issued through social media. Akasa Air on Sunday said 15 of its flights got security alerts and after thorough inspections, all aircraft were released for operations. The sources in the know said IndiGo received threats for 18 flights and Vistara for 17 flights. At least two IndiGo flights were diverted following threats. Its flight 6E 133 (Pune to Jodhpur) was diverted to Ahmedabad and 6E 87 (Kozhikode to Dammam) was diverted to Mumbai, an official said. According to an IndiGo statement, the flights continued on page 8 Tribune News Service NewDelhi, October 27 Probe agencies are hopeful that Canadian-Pakistani citizen Tahawwur Rana, who was involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, might be extradited to India from the US before the year-end. Rana is learnt to have lost two appeals against the extradition process in American courts. Sources said Rana (63) now had a 45-day window to appeal in the US supreme court. An appeal filed by Rana, seeking re-hearing of his extradition case, was rejected by US court of appeals last month. The court ruled that sufficient evidence had been received from India to support the magistrate judge’s finding of probable cause that Rana had committed the crimes for which he had been charged with. Rana is a Pakistan-origin Canadian businessman. After a brief stint as a doctor in the Pakistan army, he had shifted to Canada. Later, he had set up a consultancy firm in Chicago. The RANA’S FIRM PROVIDED COVER TO HEADLEY ■ Tahawwur Rana is a Pak-ori- gin Canadian businessman ■ Accused Rana had set up a consultancy firm in Chicago ■ Its Mumbai branch ‘provid- ed’ accused David Headley cover to survey 26/11 targets company’s Mumbai branch had reportedly provided another 26/11 accused David Coleman Headley, who is currently in custody in the US, with the cover to scout and survey targets for Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). During the attacks, which began on November 26, 2008, 10 LeT terrorists stormed Mumbai and for four days targeted several areas. As many as 166 persons, including six Americans, were killed. 58% Canadians feel country taking in excess immigrants, say economy suffering JupinderjitSingh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 27 A majority of Canadians feel there is too much immigration to the country, according to a study by the Environics Institute. It further said public support for immigration to Canada was decreasing. The Asian Pacific Post reported today that according to the country’s longestrunning survey on immigration by the Environics Institute, almost six in 10 (58%) Canadians now believe the country was accepting too many immi- grants. “This reflects a 14point increase since 2023. This builds on a 17-point increase over the previous year (2022 to 2023),” said the study, uploaded on the institute’s website this week. The Environics Institute for Survey Research was established by Michael Adams in 2006 to survey public opinion on the issues shaping Canada’s future. “It is through such research that Canadians can better understand themselves and their changing society,” the institute said on its website. The study pointed out, MANY REFUGEES FAKE Over the past year, an increasing number of Canadians feel many claiming to be refugees are not real refugees and that too many immigrants are not adopting Canadian values. Environics ❝ Institute for Survey Research “Over the past year, an increasing proportion of Canadians agree that many people claiming to be refugees are not real refugees and that too THEIR CONCERNS ■ Shortage of housing for immigrants in Canada ■ State of the economy and overpopulation; potential strain on the public finances many immigrants are not adopting Canadian values. In both the cases, the opinion reflects a notable uptick in concerns following several years of notable stability.” The study said this was a notable change “over a twoyear period since Focus Canada began asking this question in 1977 and reflects the largest proportion of Canadians who say there has been too much immigration since 1998”. The study mentioned, “For the first time in a quarter-century, a clear majority of Canadians say there is too much immigration, with this view strengthening considerably for the second consecutive year. This trend is evident across the population but is most significant in the Today’s issue is of 16 pages, including four-page Delhi Tribune. c m y b Prairie provinces, while least so in Quebec.” It said Conservative Party supporters were mostly in agreement about too much immigration (now up to 80 per cent) while 45 per cent of the Liberal Party and 36 per cent of the NDP backers felt the same. Though almost seven in 10 agree that immigration has had a positive impact on the Canadian economy, but this number has declined for the second consecutive year. Since 2023, this view has weakened most significantly in the Prairie provinces and among young Canadi- ans (18-29 age group). Regarding the reasons to discourage immigration, Canadians had concerns about how newcomers could be accommodated given the lack and affordability of housing, as well as concerns about the state of the economy, about overpopulation, and the potential strain on public finances. According to Canada’s latest Immigration Levels Plan for 2024-2026, the country intends to welcome 4,85,000 new immigrants in 2024 and another 5,00,000 in both 2025 and 2026, said the Asia Pacific Post. “very poor” category. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”. With rising pollution, residents, especially children and elderly, and those with respiratory issues, have been advised to take precautions. A layer of smog engulfed the city in the early hours on Sunday, continued on page 8 HC admits CBI’s appeal against Sajjan’s acquittal in 1984 riots case New Delhi, October 27 The Delhi High Court has admitted an appeal by the CBI against the acquittal of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar and others in a murder and rioting case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. In an order passed on October 21, a Bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma granted ‘leave to appeal’ to the probe agency against the trial court’s deci- TRIAL COURT ACQUITTED HIM GIVING ‘BENEFIT OF DOUBT’ sion of September 20, 2023, and listed the matter for further consideration in December. ‘Leave to appeal’ is a formal permission granted by a court to a party to challenge a decision in a higher court. “In the opinion of this court, the CBI’s leave to appeal deserves to be granted...The leave petition is allowed... Admit,” the court said in the order. The court also admitted the appeal by the victim, Sheela Kaur, in a case against the order of acquittal and asked the registry to put up a report on the existence of any other appeals relating to the 1984 riots against the present accused persons. On September 20, 2023, Special Judge Geetanjli Goel had acquitted Kumar in the case by giving him the “benefit of doubt” and said the prosecution “failed to prove the charge against the accused persons beyond reasonable doubt”. The trial court had also acquitted two other accused, Ved Prakash Pial and Brahmanand Gupta, holding that the prosecution failed to prove the case of murder and continued on page 8