12022025-TTB-01.qxd 2/12/2025 12:17 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 42 | 20 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HARYANA ON PAROLE, RASHID RAISES ISSUE OF CIVILIAN DEATHS J&K /thetribunechd AHEAD OF MAGHI BATH, PRAYAGRAJ BARS ENTRY OF VEHICLES NATION FREE ALL HOSTAGES RELIEF TO ADANI? BY SATURDAY OR TRUCE TRUMP HALTS FOREIGN ENDS: ISRAEL WORLD GRAFT LAW BACK PAGE wednesday | 12 february 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Modi pitches for global efforts to ensure inclusive, sustainable AI that benefits all Endorses Paris declaration | US, UK refuse to sign it | India to host next summit Ahead of PM’s US visit, India says AI regulationsecondary Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 11 India on Tuesday endorsed the Paris AI summit declaration on “inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi batting for an AI future that is “for good and for all”. The US and the UK did not sign the statement, in what was seen as the first blow to concerted efforts at developing and regulating the technology. The statement mentioned among priorities “ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all and making AI sustainable for people and the planet”. India, meanwhile, said it would host the next AI summit later this year, a development France confirmed. Earlier in his opening address to the Paris AI Action Summit, which he co-chaired with French President Emmanuel Macron, Modi called for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that upheld humanity’s shared values, PM Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron at Palais de lElysee in Paris on Monday. AP/PTI NEED TO SKILL PEOPLE FOR AI-DRIVEN FUTURE Loss of AI’s disruption. History has ❝to tech...jobs isneedmost-fearedskilling our people for anshown work doesn’t disappear due We to invest in AI-driven future. Narendra Modi, PM addressed risks and built trust. Noting that AI was writing the code for humanity and developing at an unprecedented scale, the PM said, “We must think deeply and discuss openly about innovation and governance. Governance is not just about managing rifts but also about ensuring access to all, especially in the continued on page 6 New Delhi, February 11 As co-chair of the Paris AI Action Summit, India on Tuesday emphasised that the current focus should be on fostering AI innovation, with regulation taking a secondary role. This stance aligns with the views expressed by US Vice-President JD Vance, who cautioned against excessive regulation that could stifle the AI sector. Speaking ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, S Krishnan, Secretary of Information Technology and part of the Indian delegation, said the existing domestic laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act, were sufficient to address challenges such as deepfakes and AI-related misrepresentations. “We see AI as more of an opportunity than a risk in India’s case. Unlike the West, we do not have many white-collar jobs, so AI could create significant continued on page 6 Captain among 2 of Army killed, one hurt in Akhnoor IED blast Arjun Sharma Jammu, February 11 Two Army personnel, including a Captain, were killed while another was seriously injured when an improvised explosive device (IED), suspected to have been planted by Pakistan-based terrorists, exploded along the Line of Control in Laleali area of Akhnoor sector in Jammu. According to information, an Army team was on an area domination patrol close to the LoC when the blast occurred. The injured were rushed to a hospital where two of them succumbed to their injuries. The entire area was cordoned off after PLANTED BY ULTRAS ■ The IED is believed to have been planted by terrorists ■ The Army team was on a patrol when the blast occurred SC: Don’teraseEVM data till verification DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission to respond to a plea seeking directions to allow verification of the burnt memory and symbol loading units of electronic voting machines (EVMs). The court asked the EC not to erase or reload data in the EVMs while carrying out verifications. INSIDE NEW ■ Injured were shifted to hospital where 2 of them succumbed the explosion, said officials. The deceased have been identified as Captain Karamjit Singh Bakshi and Naik Mukesh. In a post on X, Army’s Nagrota-based White Knight Corps said, “Suspected IED blast reported at Laleali in Akhnoor sector during a fence patrol, resulting in two fatalities. Our troops are dominating the area and continued on page 6 Aspirant ends life in Kota,7thcasethisyr KOTA: An 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Swai Madhopur district allegedly hanged himself in his PG room early Tuesday. The youth, Ankush Meena, did not leave behind any message. Ankush had been preparing for NEET-UG in Kota for over one and a half years and was living in a PG in Pratap Nagar. INSIDE No swap, UT to sell land for Hry Assembly Dushyant Singh Pundir Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 11 The Chandigarh Administration has rejected a proposal for land swap by the Haryana Government to construct its new Vidhan Sabha, citing the absence of any such provision in the UT Master Plan-2031. Instead, the UT Adminis- 10-acre site near rly light point valued at ~640 cr tration is considering offering Haryana the 10-acre plot it has chosen for the Assembly building near the railway light point for purchase at market rates. Currently, the plot is valued at approxi- mately Rs 640 crore. In lieu of the 10-acre plot, Haryana had offered Chandigarh 12 acres of land in the Saketri area of Panchkula district. However, the UT Administration turned down the proposal due to multiple reasons, including planning constraints, accessibility issues and a natural drain that continued on page 6 Kejri’s ‘unity’ call to Punjab legislators at Delhi huddle, terms loss learning curve Ujwal Jalali & Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service SENSEX TANKS 1,018 POINTS AMID TRADE WAR FEARS CLOSES AT 76,293.60 Stock markets down for 5th day due to across-the-board selling, foreign fund outflows and fresh tariffs fanning trade war fears Benefitstocontract staff: HP stares at huge fiscal burden Shimla, February 11 With the SC upholding the High Court decision on the grant of seniority and increments to contractual staff, the Himachal Government is exploring options to avoid huge financial burden on granting benefits to the eligible staff. The issue is likely to be discussed at the Cabinet meet on February 13. INSIDE Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann addresses the media in New Delhi. MR BHUI ❝ SWITCHING SIDES CONGRESS CULTURE Switching sides is Congress culture… They talk about others but do not worry about themselves. Rather than counting our MLAs, Partap Bajwa should focus on the number of Congress legislators in Delhi. Bhagwant Mann, PUNJAB CM said the party was united. The meeting comes amid assertions by Opposition leaders in Punjab of a possible breakup in the party legislature in the aftermath of the electoral High on toxicity, Punjab, Haryana groundwater unsafe for drinking Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 11 The groundwater in several districts of Punjab and Haryana contains uranium, nitrates, arsenic, chloride and fluoride in concentrations exceeding the permissible limits, according to the Annual Ground Water Quality Report-2024 released by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). The groundwater in 20 districts of Punjab and 16 districts of Haryana contains uranium levels exceeding the permissible value of 30 parts per billion (ppb) in samples collected in May 2023. In 2019, 17 districts in Punjab and 18 in Haryana were affected. In Punjab, the num- REPORT BARES IT ALL ■ According to the Central Ground Water Board’s annual report, the groundwater in several districts of both states contains uranium, nitrates, arsenic, chloride and fluoride in excess of the limit ■ The groundwater in 20 districts of Punjab and 16 districts of Haryana contains uranium levels exceeding the permissible value of 30 parts per billion ber of affected districts has increased. Water with uranium concentrations above 30 ppb is not safe for drinking, as it can cause damage to internal organs and has been associated with urinary tract cancer and kidney toxicity. According to the CGWB report, high uranium concentrations in the groundwater may be attributed to local geology, anthropogenic activities, urbanisation and excessive use of phosphate fertilisers in agriculture. “Studies have shown that phosphate fertiliser contains uranium concentrations ranging from 1 mg/kg to 68.5 mg/kg. Hence, phosphate fertilisers manufactured from phosphate rocks may also contribute uranium to the groundwater in agricultural regions,” the report stated. Forty-two per cent of the continued on page 6 c m y b PPIN Private Limited Registered Office & Factory Address: Plot No. 255, Sector-6, IMT Manesar, Gurugram-122052, Haryana, India For any enquiry please contact: +91 9729067761 E-mail: consumercare@pilotpen.co.in | Tel.: +91 124-6926000 Website: www.pilotpen.co.in Available at all leading stores UNTRY OF CO JAPAN ORIGIN New Delhi/Chandigarh, Feb 11 Days after the poll debacle in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal today called upon party legislators from Punjab to stay united and work towards creating an “ideal model” of governance. The top leadership, which had on Sunday evening summoned the MLAs to Delhi, is learnt to have termed the loss a learning curve for the party and asked the legislators not to get disheartened as 44 per cent of the electorate in the national capital had voted for them. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who had a brief interaction with Kejriwal after the MLAs’ meeting at Kapurthala House in Delhi, later dismissed speculation of dissent within the AAP state unit and loss. The party has 94 MLAs, well above the 59 required for a simple majority in the 117member Punjab Assembly. While some Congress leaders had claimed that nearly 30 AAP legislators were in touch with them and ready to switch sides, BJP functionaries in Delhi had said the days of Mann were numbered as Kejriwal would replace him as the state chief minister soon. Amid the “flexing of political muscle” by Opposition parties, Punjab AAP leaders today asserted that “all is well in the state’s ruling party”, referring to the near-full attendance at the meeting. “The Punjab Government is performing well and the party stands united,” Devinderjeet Singh Laddi Dhos, MLA from Dharamkot told The Tribune. 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