WEDNESDAY www.thestatesman.com 13 JANUARY 2021 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 |` 5|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PM & CABINET SHOULD GET JAB FIRST TO ALLAY FEAR: BAGHEL KARNATAKA CABINET EXPANSION LIKELY TODAY P4 Mainly clear sky. Dense fog in the morning. The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 18 and 04 degrees Celsius respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min: 62% P10 Min: 04.3°C (-3) SUN SETS 17:45 hrs MOON SETS 17:53 hrs THUMBNAILS Vendors sip tea on a cold afternoon, in the Capital on Tuesday. SUBRATA DUTTA Trump calls move to impeach him ‘ridiculous’: President Donald Trump, a Republican under pressure to resign after his supporters carried out a deadly breach of the US Capitol last week, on Tuesday called preparations to impeach him in US Congress "absolutely ridiculous" and said they were causing "tremendous anger." Trump, speaking as he boarded Marine One at the White House for a trip to Texas, called his likely impeachment in the House of Representatives on Wednesday a "continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics." Spurious liquor kills 12: About a dozen people died and several became sick in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh on 11 January after consuming liquor, alleged to be spurious. According to police, the incidents took place in villages under jurisdiction of two police stations in the district. A police station in charge P5 has been suspended in the matter. India logs 12,584 new cases, lowest in seven months India recorded 12,584 new cases of coronavirus, the lowest in around seven months, taking the country's COVID19 caseload to1,04,79,179, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll increased to 1,51,327 with 167 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.The number of people who have recovered from the disease surged to 1,01,11,294 pushing the national COVID-19 recovery rate to 96.49 percent,while theCOVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.44per cent. The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh. There are 2,16,558active coronavirus infections in the country whichcomprises 2.07per cent of the total caseload,the data stated. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakhonAugust 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and50 lakh onSeptember 16. It went past60 lakh on September Won’t call off stir: Farmers NEW DELHI, 12 JANUARY T he Supreme Court Tuesday stayed the implementation of controversial new farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a 4member committee to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers' unions protesting at Delhi borders. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justice AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said that it will pass an order to this effect. The top court stayed the implementation of the three laws -- the Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act against which several petitions have been filed challenging their constitutional validity. The bench which read out four names of members of the committee said that it will look into the farmers' grievances on the issue. The four names of members include Bhupinder Singh Mann, President of Bhartiya Kisan Union; Anil Ghanwat, President of Shetkeri Sangthana, Maharashtra; Pramod Kumar Joshi, director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute, and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati.During the hearing, the top court sought the cooperation of the protesting farmers and NEW DELHI, 12 JANUARY made it clear that no power can prevent it from setting up a committee to resolve the impasse over the controversial farm laws. The observation of the bench asking protesting farmers' unions to cooperate assumes significance in view of reports that they would not go to any apex court-appointed panel for resolution of the dispute and wanted the laws to be repealed. Before pronouncing the order, the bench commenced the hearing and asked the farmers' unions to cooperate and go before the committee to be appointed by it to resolve the dispute.“We are concerned about protecting the lives and property of citizens of India and we want to solve the problem,” said the bench. In the proceedings, conducted through video conferencing, it reiterated that the apex court has powers to suspend the legislation in order to solve the problem.The bench said those who “genuinely want resolution, will go to the committee” on farm laws.“This is not politics. There is a difference between politics and judiciary and you will have to cooperate”, it said to farmer unions.When the bench was informed that an appli- cation has been filed before it alleging that a banned organisation is extending support to the agitating farmers, the top court asked attorney general K K Venugopal about it.Venugopal told the bench that 'Khalistanis' have infiltrated into the ongoing farmers' protest to which the bench asked him to file an affidavit in this regard. The top law officer said that he will do so byWednesday. The top court also issued notice on a separate application filed by the Centre through Delhi police seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor or trolley march or any other kind of protest which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations of the Republic Day on January 26. In the application, the Centre has said that it has come to the knowledge of the security agencies that a small group of protesting individuals or organisations have planned to carry out a tractor march on the Republic Day.On Monday, the apex court had pulled up the Centre for its handling of the farmers' protest against the new farm laws saying it is extremely disappointed with the way negotiations between them were going and it will con- Farmer leaders and opposition parties welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday to stay the implementation of the three farm laws, but some of them expressed doubts over the neutrality of the committee formed by the top court to end the impasse over the contentious legislations. The agitating farmers also asserted that they would not call off their protest until the newly enacted legislations are repealed. “It is clear that the court is being misguided by various forces even in its constitution of a committee. These are people who are known for their support to the 3 Acts and have actively advocated for the same,” a statement issued by All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee PTI said. stitute a committee headed by a former Chief Justice of India to resolve the impasse. The eighth round of talks between the Centre and the farmer unions on January 7 headed nowhere as the Centre ruled out repealing the contentious laws, while the farmers' leaders said they are ready to fight till death and their 'ghar waapsi' will happen only after 'law waapsi'. First flight with Covishield lands in Delhi from Pune SNS & PTI NEW DELHI/PUNE, 12 JANUARY The first consignment of Covishield vaccines rolled out of the Serum Institute of India facility in Pune early Tuesday and reached Delhi a few hours later, setting in the process a massive pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19 that begins on January 16. The vaccine movement has started, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said onTwitter. Four airlines will operate nine flights to transport 56.5 lakh doses of the vaccine from Pune to 13 cities across the country on Tuesday.Covishield is developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and manufactured by the SII. The first two flights operated by “SpiceJet and GoAir from Pune to Delhi and Chennai have taken off”, the minister said.“I P12 SC puts farm laws on hold, sets up panel SNS & PTI TEMPERATURE Max: 17.6°C (-2) SUN RISES 07:15 hrs MOON RISES 08:15 hrs P5 Farmers asked to cooperate and go before the committee by apex court WEATHER Max: 100% BUMRAH WILL BE MISSED IN BRISBANE TRUMP ISSUES EMERGENCY IN WASHINGTON DC am happy to share that SpiceJet has carried India's first consignment of COVID vaccine today. The first consignment of Covishield consisting of 34 boxes and weighing 1,088 kg was carried from Pune to Delhi on SpiceJet flight 8937,” said Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director, SpiceJet.The SpiceJet flight carrying the vaccines landed at Delhi airport around 10 am. It left for the national capital around 8 am. A 'puja' was performed before the three temperaturecontrolled trucks rolled out of Serum Institute gates shortly before 5 am and moved towards the Pune airport, about 15 km away, from where the vaccines were flown across India. The “vaccine to kill the disease is being loaded onto the aircraft for distribution all over the country now”, Pune airport tweeted. Workers carrying the first batch of the Covid-19 vaccines at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital in the Capital on Tuesday. ENDLESS WAIT NEW DELHI,12 JANUARY 10479179 216558 12584 18385 151327 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. TUESDAY 12 JANUARY 2021 28, 70 lakh onOctober 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh onNovember 20 and surpassed the onecrore mark on December 19. According to the ICMR,18,26,52,887 samples have been tested up toJanuary 11 with 8,97,056 samples being tested on Monday. The 167 new fatalities 1.1 cr Covishield, 55 lakh Covaxin procured SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 12 JANUARY There will be a gap of 28 days between two doses of Covid-19 vaccine and its effectiveness will begin 14 days after the second dose, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Addressing a press briefing, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said vaccine effectiveness will be seen only after 14 days. “So we urge people to keep following COVID appropriate behaviour,” he said. Bhushan said there will be a gap of 28 days between two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. India will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16 with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers. India had recently granted emergency use authorisation to two vaccines, Oxford's Covishield being manufactured by Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Both vaccines, the statement from the Health Ministry said, have established safety and immunogenicity. Dr V K Paul member, NITI Aayog member, said these two vaccines have been tested in thousands of people, they are the safest and there is no risk of any significance. Bhushan said that as said earlier, there will be a sequential rollout of COVID-19 vaccination. “Healthcare workers (approximately one crore) will be on the top priority, followed by frontline workers (approximately 2 crore) and prioritized age groups (approximately 27 crore). The cost of healthcare workers and frontline workers will be borne by the central government,” Bhushan said. Days before the commencement of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 1.1 crore Covishield and 55 lakh Covaxin vaccines have been procured at a cost of Rs 200 and Rs 206 per dose, respectively. "As many as 110 lakh (1.1 crore) doses of Covishield vaccine are being procured from the Serum Institute of India for Rs 200 per dose, excluding taxes. A total of 55 lakh doses of Covaxin vaccine are being procured from Bharat Biotech," Union Health Secretary said The cost of 38.5 lakh doses of Covaxin is Rs 295 per dose, excluding taxes. Bharat Biotech is providing 16.5 lakh doses of Covaxin free of cost to the Central government. PM Modi hits out at dynastic politics SNS & PTI NEW DELHI, 12 JANUARY Farmers protest against farm laws at Singhu Border, in the Capital on Tuesday. SNS DEEPAK SNS & PTI Describing dynastic politics as the “biggest enemy of democracy”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said it has to be rooted out completely and asserted that the fortune of those who have been winning elections on the basis of surnames are now dwindling. Addressing the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival through video conference, Modi exhorted young people to join politics and said the “poison of dynastic politics” will continue to weaken democracy unless they enter it.“The biggest enemy of democracy still exists and that is dynastic politics. Dynastic politics is such a challenge before the country and it has to be rooted out,” Modi said. “It is true that (in politics) the fortunes of those who have been winning elections on the basis of surnames are dwindling. But in politics, this disease of dynastic politics is not completely finished. There are still people whose politics is aimed at saving their family,” he said in an apparent swipe at several opposition parties, including the Congress. It is never “nation first” for those practising dynastic politics and it is all about “me and my family” for them, he said. “Like all sectors, politics also needs youth. Their thinking, energy, enthusiasm is needed by the politics in the country. Earlier there was the sentiment that if any youth used to turn toward politics, then their family used to say that the youth is going astray,” Modi said. Noting that people used to say everything can change but not politics, Modi said today the people of the country have become so aware that they stand with honest people and give them a chance. The people stand res- olutely with people who come in politics with honesty and are committed to welfare, he noted. “The awareness that has come in the country has created pressure, those whose legacy was corruption, their corruption has become a burden on them. This is the power of the awareness of the common citizen,” Modi said. Three national winners of the festival also expressed their views during the event in the central hall of Parliament. In his address, Modi also paid rich tributes to Swami Vivekananda, whose birth anniversary fell on Tuesday, and said his ideals have inspired people, including during the freedom struggle, of every generation. include 40 fromMaharashtra, 20 from Kerala, 16 from West Bengal, 15 from Chhattisgarh and 13 from Delhi. A total of 151327 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 50,101 from Maharashtra followed by 12,228 from Tamil Nadu, 12,144 from Karnataka,10,691 from Delhi, 9,957 from West Bengal, 8,504 from Uttar Pradesh, 7,131 from Andhra Pradesh and 5,447 from Punjab. Delhi adds 386 cases, 16 deaths: Delhi today identified 386 fresh cases of Covid-19 following 75,913 tests, according to the Delhi government's latest health bulletin. It recorded 16 Covid deaths, which took its toll to 10,707, the health bulletin said. The city’s cumulative tally of coronavirus infections thus climbed to 6,30,892, with the positivity rate dipping to 0.51 per cent. As many as 545 Covid patients recovered during the past 24 hours, which raised the cumulative number of such recoveries in the national capital to 6,17,006, the bulletin said. (SEE P2) Ready for any challenge from China, Pakistan: Army chief NEW DELHI 12 JANUARY Even as he expressed hope that the ongoing Sino-Indian military stand-off in eastern Ladakh would be resolved through talks, chief of Army staff, Gen. M M Naravane today made it clear that his force was ready to meet any eventuality along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). On the potential of a twofront threat from China and Pakistan, he asserted that the collusive approach of the two main adversaries of India in both military and non-military spheres was part of his force’s strategic calculus and planning. Addressing a press conference ahead of the Army Day, Gen Naravane noted that the situation along the LAC was the same as it was last year. “There has been no decrease in strength either on their side (China) or on our side as far as the friction points are concerned...the status quo continues,” he added. In an apparent reference to the capture of certain strategic heights by the Indian Army along the southern bank of Pangong Lake, the Army chief said his force would hold on to positions in eastern Ladakh based on national interests and goals. The morale of the troops was high and there was no cause for concern on any front. He said talks with China was an ongoing process. “We will ensure that through the medium of these talks, we reach a solution which would result in disengagement from the friction areas, followed by de-escalation. Once this has been achieved, then an overall de-escalation and a reduction in strength of the troops in forward areas." On Pakistan, the Army chief said the neighbouring country continued to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy. “We reserve the right to respond to crossborder terrorism at a time of our choosing with precision,” he said. Speaking on Jammu and Kashmir, he said the situation has improved, but it has not reached a level in which the Army could contemplate moving troops SNS out of the UT.