CMYK SATURDAY www.thestatesman.com 16 JANUARY 2021 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC* KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WHY NITISH KUMAR LOST HIS COOL BIDEN ANNOUNCES $1.9 TRILLION VIRUS STIMULUS PACKAGE P10 WEATHER Fog/mist in the morning and mainly clear sky later. Temperature most likely in the range of 25-14 degrees Celsius. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.83% TEMPERATURE P5 P7 EC nod to use its data for Covid vaccination Stage set for roll-out of world's biggest vaccination drive against Covid-19 Min. 48% PRESS TRUST OF INDIA Max: 24.2°C (-1) Min: 14.5°C (N) SUN RISES SUN SETS 06:18 hrs 17:13 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 08:04 hrs 19:22 hrs Moon next quarter on 21 January THUMBNAILS Goa prepares to welcome the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2021) in Panaji on Friday.  PIB CBI arrests wife of Rose Valley group chief: The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Subhra Kundu, wife of the jailed owner of Rose Valley Group chairman Gautam Kundu, from Kolkata on Friday in connection with the probe into the multi-crore chit fund scam, sources in the agency said. Sleuths of Economic Offences Wing of the CBI apprehended Subhra Kundu and will take her to Bhubaneswar after obtaining transit remand from a court in Kolkata, P3 they said. India, Nepal bid to restore normalcy to ties: In the sixth India-Nepal Joint Commission Meeting co-chaired by External Affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Nepalese counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Nepal on Friday requested India for early supply of coronavirus vaccines, as the two countries held a comprehensive review of bilateral ties including border management, connectivity and trade, in the first high-level meeting after relations nosedived following boundary row. P4 NEW DELHI, 15 JANUARY he Election Commission will extend “full assistance” to the government in identifying targeted beneficiaries at the polling station level for the Covid-19 vaccination drive, but wants health authorities to delete the data once the inoculation exercise is over, sources privy to the development said on Friday. On 31 December, last year, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora requesting the commission’s help in identifying people above 50 years of age at the polling station level, the sources said. On the issue of data security, the home secretary wrote that the government is complying with the current best practices for ensuring cyber security. He has assured the poll panel that the data will be used only for the purpose of vaccination, the sources said. The Election Commission (EC), after detailed deliberations, wrote back to the home secretary on 4 January, saying it has decided to render “full assistance” in the vaccination drive. But it asked the government to ensure that the data is strictly used for the limited purpose for which it has been sought, the sources said. The commission also said that the data should be deleted once the vaccination exercise concludes. According to guidelines for the Covid-19 vaccination drive, the latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and assem- T REAL MADRID OUT AS GARCIA STRIKES TWICE ‘GLOBAL RIGHT HAS NO NARRATIVE FOR FUTURE’ P12 Govt-farmers talks end in deadlock; Centre asks union leaders to be flexible SC to hear anti-farm law pleas on Monday INDIA GEARS UP FOR V-DAY with comorbidities  Cost of vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers will be borne by the central government Dr  Prime Minister Tomorrow is HARSH Narendra Modi an important VARDHAN will launch India's day...it is the last UNION HEALTH MINISTER Covid-19 vacci- phase of the battle against coronavirus. I nation drive on 16 January say this is probably the beginning via video of the end of Covid now which is conference going to start tomorrow  According to guidelines for the Covid-19 vaccination drive, the latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be used to identify the priority population over the age of 50 years  Shots will be offered first to an estimated one crore healthcare workers, and around two crore frontline workers, and then to persons above 50 years of age, followed by persons younger than 50 years of age bly elections will be used to identify the priority population over the age of 50 years. Twelve identity documents, such asVoter ID, Aadhaar card, driving licence, passport and pension document, will be required for beneficiary identification. According to the government, the shots will be offered first to an estimated one crore healthcare workers, and around two crore frontline workers, and then to persons above 50 years of age, followed by persons younger than 50 years of age with associated comorbidities. Cost of vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers will be borne by the central government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch India’s Covid vaccination drive on Saturday via video conference. A total of 3,006 session sites across all states and Union territories will be virtually connected during the launch at 10.30 a.m. Mr Modi said the country on Saturday would enter a “decisive phase” in the fight against the pandemic. On the eve of the roll-out, Union health minister Harsh NEW DELHI, 15 JANUARY Farmers during a protest against the farm laws at Delhi’s Singhu border on Friday.  SNS 15,590 new cases, 191 deaths PRESS TRUST OF INDIA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 15 JANUARY The government on Friday asked protesting farmers to form an informal group to prepare a concrete proposal about their objections and suggestions on the three farm laws for further discussion at their next meeting on 19 January to end the long-running protest at various Delhi borders, but unions stuck to their main demand of a complete repeal of the three Acts. As nearly five hours of talks between 41 unions and three Central ministers did not reach a decisive stage in the ninth round of talks at Vigyan Bhawan here, the two sides decided to meet again the next Tuesday. Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar told farmer leaders at the meeting that the government has been flexible in its approach and urged the same from them. Incidentally, the tenth round of talks has been scheduled for a day when With 15,590 new coronavirus infections reported in the last 24 hours, India on Friday continued with its streak of low single-day cases, increasing the overall tally to 1,05,27,683, according to the Union Health Ministry. The number of people who have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country has climbed to 114. Bengal logs new 623 cases: Bengal today registered 623 fresh Covid-19 cases, along with 16 deaths linked to the coronavirus. The state’s total Covid19 case count is 5,64,098 with the death toll at 10,026. There are 7,223 active cases. Kolkata recorded 171 cases and 5 Vardhan reviewed the preparations and visited the dedicated Covid control room set up at the Nirman Bhawan premises of the health min- 1,05,27,683 2,13,027 15,590 15,975 1,51,918 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. FRIDAY 15 JANUARY 2021 deaths. In the last 24 hours, 656 patients were discharged from hospitals. istry, the health ministry said in a statement. An online digital platform Co-WIN will be used to drive the vaccination programme. NEW DELHI, 15 JANUARY a Supreme Court-appointed committee to resolve the impasse is also likely to hold its first meeting. A day before that, the apex court is likely to hear a petition against a tractor rally call given by the protesting farmers for the Republic Day on26 January. After the meeting, Tomar told reporters that two separate deliberations can run parallelly as the farmer unions want to continue their talks with the government and the court-appointed panel has also been set up with an aim to resolve the crisis and a solution can emerge from anywhere. “Discussions happen at various platforms and a solution can emerge from anywhere... Our effort is to find a solution at the earliest through dialogue so that the farmers’ protest ends. Farmers are sitting in cold weather amid the threat of Covid-19 and the government is concerned about that also and is therefore engaging with farmers with an open mind,” he said. No one should test India’s patience: Naravane New parl building construction begins STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW DELHI, 15 JANUARY Chief of the Army Staff, Gen M M Naravane today said his force, while remaining committed to resolving disputes through dialogue and diplomacy, has been swift and decisive in its response to counter any attempts by China to unilaterally change the status quo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Speaking on the occasion of Army Day, he said 2020 had been a year full of challenges and opportunities for the Indian Army. Brave Indian soldiers gave a befitting reply to India’s “adversaries”, many laying down their lives in the highest traditions of the force, he said in reference to the 15 June Galwan valley clash with the Chinese Army. The sacrifice of the soldiers would not go in vain, he added. “We are com- CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat and Army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane during Army Day celebrations in New Delhi. IANS mitted to resolve disputes through talks and political efforts but no one should make any mistake of testing our patience,” he said. Referring to the situation along the Line of Control, General Naravane said Pakistan continues to shelter terrorists and 300 to 400 of them are waiting in training camps on the Pakistani side of the LoC to infiltrate into India. “There was an increase of 44 per cent in the ceasefire violations last year which is proof of Pakistan’s sinister plans. There were also attempts to smuggle weapons using drones,” he added. In his message, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat paid homage to soldiers who have sacrificed their lives. “Your dauntless courage, indomitable spirit and unparalleled devotion to duty in the true traditions and ethos of the Indian Army will continue to inspire future generations,” he said. Drones of the Indian Army carried out mock kamikaze attacks and first-aid delivery exercises as the service showcased its latest assets during the Army Day parade held at the Cariappa ground on Friday. This is the first time drones featured at the parade that also had detachments of the upgraded anti-aircraft weapon system Schilka, BrahMos missile system, infantry fighting vehicle BMP-2, T-72 bridge laying tanks and multi-rocket launcher system Pinaka. Gen Naravane conferred gallantry awards and unit citations at the event, which was also attended by Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat. The Indian Army said it carried out a live demonstration of “drone swarming capability” using 75 indigenously designed and developed drones, which executed an array of artificial intelligence (AI) enabled simulated offensive missions and close support tasks, at the event. NEW DELHI, 15 JANUARY The construction work of the new Parliament building started on Friday, over a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the project under the government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment plan. The new Parliament building will have a triangular shape and is expected to be completed by the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022. The government plans to hold the monsoon session of Parliament in 2022 in the new building. “The construction work of the Parliament building has started,” an official said. Excavation work has started at the site where a sufficient number of labourers have been engaged to ensure that the project is completed on time, the official said. The new Parliament building will have a triangular shape and is expected to be completed by the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022 Prime Minister Modi had laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building on 10 December last year. Earlier this week, a 14member heritage panel gave its approval to the new Parliament building while also giving the go-ahead to the Central Vista redevelopment project. The Supreme Court had asked the Centre to seek prior approval from the panel and other relevant authorities before starting the construction of the new building. The construction work could not start earlier as the government had assured the Supreme Court that no construction or demolition work would commence till the apex court decided the pending pleas on the issue. The new building is being constructed by Tata Projects Ltd. The project is estimated to cost Rs 971 crore. Tata Projects Ltd. said despite the 35-day delay in the commencement of the construction work, it is confident that it will be able to deliver the project on or before time. The new structure will come up in front of the existing Parliament that was built nearly 94 years ago at a cost of Rs 83 lakh at that time and would eventually be turned into a museum. The Supreme Court is likely to hear on Monday the pleas challenging the three farm laws and also the pleas seeking the removal of farmers camping at various Delhi borders. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and Vincent Saran will take up the petitions on 18 January. On 12 January, the top court stayed the implementation of the three farm laws until further orders. The hearing assumes significance after Bhartiya Kisan Union President Bhupinder Singh Mann, a key member of the court-appointed expert panel, recused himself. SNS Farmer leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan said after the meeting that the unions urged the Centre to repeal the three laws, but the Centre was unwilling to do so. Ugrahan said the union leaders also raised the issue of NIA raids on transporters in Punjab who are supporting farmers' protests and were providing logistic support for the agitation. More reports on Page 5 11 dead in K’taka road accident DHARWAD (K'TAKA), 15 JANUARY Eleven people including nine women were killed in a road accident near Itigatti cross on the city outskirts on Friday, a senior police official said. Dharwad (Rural) Superintendent of Police, P Krishnakant said most of them were residents of the district headquarters town of Davanagere, and they were on their way to Goa. The mini-bus they were travelling in collided head-on with a tipper. “Eleven people, including the driver, were killed and nine injured”, Krishnakant said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident. The PMO tweeted, “Saddened by the loss of lives due to a road accident in Karnataka’s Dharwad district. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families.”PTI 2020 was one of three warmest years on record: UN weather agency PRESS TRUST OF INDIA UNITED NATIONS, 15 JANUARY The year 2020 was one of the three warmest years on record and rivalled 2016 for the top spot, indicating the pace of the “human-induced” climate change which is now as powerful as the force of nature, the UN weather agency has said. All five datasets surveyed by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) concur that 2011-2020 was the warmest decade on record, in a persistent long-term climate change trend. The warmest six years have all been since 2015, with 2016, 2019 and 2020 being the top three. The differences in average global temperatures among the three warmest years are indistinguishably small. The average global temperature in 2020 was about 14.9C, 1.2 ( 0.1) C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) level. The confirmation by the World Meteorological Organisation that 2020 was one of the warmest years on record is yet another stark reminder of the relentless pace of climate change, which is destroying lives and livelihoods across our planet, Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said. He pointed out that at 1.2 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, the world is already witnessing unprecedented weather extremes in every region and on every continent. We are headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius this century, he said. Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top priority for everyone, everywhere, he said. La Nina, which began in late last year, is expected to continue into the early-middle part of 2021. La Nina refers to the largescale cooling of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation, namely winds, pressure and rainfall. It usually has the opposite impacts on weather and climate as El Nino, which is the warm phase of the so-called El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). MAKING PEACE WITH NATURE THE DEFINING TASK OF 21ST CENTURY  All five datasets surveyed by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) concur that 2011-2020 was the warmest decade on record, in a persistent long-term climate change trend  The warmest six years have all been since 2015, with 2016, 2019 and 2020 being the top three. The average global temperature in 2020 was about 14.9C, 1.2 ( 0.1) C above the pre-industrial (18501900) level The exceptional heat of 2020 is despite a La Nina event, which has a temporary cooling effect, WMO SecretaryGeneral Petteri Taalas said. La Nina and El Nino effects on average global temperatures are typically strongest in the second year of the event. It is remarkable that temperatures in 2020 were virtually on a par with 2016, when  The WMO pointed to sustained heat and wildfires in Siberia, diminishing Arctic sea ice and record-breaking hurricanes in the Atlantic as being among the climate events that most stood out in 2020 we saw one of the strongest El Nino warming events on record, he added. This is a clear indication that the global signal from human-induced climate change is now as powerful as the force of nature, Taalas said. The extent to which the continued cooling effects of La Ninathis year may temporarily diminish the overall long-term warming trend CMYK remains to be seen. The WMO pointed to sustained heat and wildfires in Siberia, diminishing Arctic sea ice and record-breaking hurricanes in the Atlantic as being among the climate events that most stood out in 2020. The UN weather agency said that temperature is just one climate change indicator. Greenhouse gas concentrations, ocean heat content, global mean sea level, sea ice extent and extreme events are also factors. The WMO’s consolidated global temperature update incorporates information from five leading international sets of data. It also uses datasets that combine millions of meteorological and marine observations, including from satellites, with models to produce a complete reanalysis of the atmosphere. The combination of observations with models makes it possible to estimate temperatures at any time and in any place across the globe, even in data-sparse areas such as the polar regions, according to WMO. The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2C, preferably to 1.5C degrees, compared to pre-industrial levels. However, the global average temperature in 2020 had already approached the lower limit of the temperature increase that the Agreement seeks to avert. Moreover, there is at least a one-in-five chance that the average global temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5 C by 2024, according to?WMO's Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, led by the United Kingdom's Met Office. The 2021 Met Office annual global temperature forecast also suggests that next year will again be one of the earth's hottest years.?