26122024-TTC-01.qxd 12/26/2024 12:28 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 357 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 ON XMAS, RUSSIA TARGETS UKRAINIAN ENERGY INFRA WORLD /thetribunechd 72-HOUR SHUTDOWN AGAINST ROPEWAY PROJECT J&K HIRING BY FORMAL SECTOR AT 7-MONTH LOW BUSINESS thursday | 26 december 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Congress ignored Ambedkar’s water conservation efforts: PM Lays foundation stone of Ken-Betwa river-linking project at Khajuraho Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service PM Narendra Modi pays tributes to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth centenary in Khajuraho on Wednesday. PTI New Delhi, December 25 Lauding BR Ambedkar’s contribution to the building of modern India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Dalit icon was one of the first to understand the importance of river waters for the country. Speaking after laying the foundation stone of the KenBetwa river-linking project at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, Modi said the major river valley projects in India were based on Ambedkar’s vision. The Central Water Commission was also established due to Ambedkar’s efforts, the PM said, while noting that the previous Congress governments never gave Ambedkar due credit for his work in the field of water conservation and large dam projects. Bemoaning that states continued to have disputes over the river waters even seven decades after Independence, the PM said “lack of intent and misgovernance” by previous governments came in the way of any concrete steps to resolve the issues. Modi said in the 21st century, only the nations with adequate and well-managed water resources could continued on page 10 NDA leaders go into huddle amid Cong offensive Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 25 Leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday met at the residence of BJP president JP Nadda where they discussed a range of issues, including ways to counter the Congress’ ongoing attack over Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent Discuss ways to counter anti-Shah narrative remarks on BR Ambedkar. Party sources said Shah, while addressing some concerns over the allegations levelled by the Congress, stated that the latter “edited and misrepresented his statements to create a political narrative with the help of some toolkit”. Besides Nadda and Shah, TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, JD(U) leader and minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Apna Dal (S) president and minister Anupriya Patel and JD(S) leader and minister HD Kumaraswamy were present. SHAH LAUDS CRPF FOR RESTORING PEACE IN N-E, J&K BACK PAGE “All leaders at the meeting deliberated upon countering such fake narratives and decided to instead focus on successful implementation of government policies,” the sources said. A major controversy erupted last week over Shah’s remarks during a parliamentary debate on the Constitution, following continued on page 10 Vehicle rams into ambulance taking 29 survive Kazakhstan crash KZF ultras’ bodies Rampur (UP), December 25 An unidentified vehicle rammed into an ambulance that was taking to Punjab the bodies of three suspected terrorists of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit, the police said on Wednesday. No one was hurt in the incident that occurred on the Rampur bypass on Tuesday night, but the ambulance was damaged following which the bodies were shifted to another vehicle, they said. — PTI Severe shortage of docs in Himachal’s tribal districts: CAG Dharamsala, December 25 The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India report on public health infrastructure and management of health services in Himachal has indicated severe shortage of manpower, doctors and medical specialists in the state. According to the report, the tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti were the worst hit. The report was tabled in the HP House during the recently concluded winter session in Dharamsala. INSIDE c m y b An Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed while making an emergency landing after a bird-hit in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday. As many as 29 persons survived the crash while 38 were killed. AP/PTI BACK PAGE Canadian colleges under ED lens overillegal entry of Indians into US Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 25 More than 250 colleges in Canada along with several individuals are being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the illegal immigration of Indians to the US from the Canada border. Agency probing their role in illegal immigration via Canada-US border The ED investigation is based on a case registered by the Gujarat Police against Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel and others over the death of four members of a Gujarat family who were found dead on the Canada-US border on January 19, 2022. While trying to enter the US illegally, the victims froze to death due to extreme cold. During its probe, the ED has found that the accused have been arranging admission of individuals in colleges continued on page 10