SATURDAY www.thestatesman.com 22 JANUARY 2022 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P3 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN/THUNDERSHOWERS ACCOMPANIED WITH GUSTY WINDS (SPEED 30-40 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 16 AND 11 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. P7 Grand Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose statue to come up at India Gate: PM Min: 60% Min: 07.6°C (0) SUN SETS 17:52 hrs MOON SETS 10:36 hrs THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Air Marshal BR Krishna, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, merging Amar Jawan Jyoti flame with the flame at National War Memorial in New Delhi on Friday. ANI T Workers carry a load on a tricycle amid low visibility due to fog, in Bhubaneswar on Friday. ANI Navy and Earth Ministry to work for Deep Water Mission: The Indian Navy and the Ministry of Earth Science have joined hands to design and develop a 'Deep Water Vehicle' that would go as deep as 6000 metres to explore India’s sea resources under the "Deep Water Mission" project. The Deep Ocean Mission is a mission mode project launched by the Modi Govenrment to support India’s Blue Economy initiatives that has potential to exponentially grow the country's Blue economy, said a officer of the Ministry of Earth Science. PG5 SC orders Supertech to refund homebuyers: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the real estate firm Supertech to process the refund to homebuyers, who have been affected due to the demolition of its two 40-story towers in Noida. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Bela M Trivedi said Supertech should do the complete refund to homebuyers, who filed the contempt petition, by February 28, and the other homebuyers who are not in PG4 court should approach it within a week. PANAJI ,21 JANUARY Utpal Parrikar, son of former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, said on Friday that he will contest the Goa assembly elections as an independent candidate from Panaji. He made the announcement a day after BJP did not give him a ticket from Panaji and gave it to the sitting MLA who had joined the party after resigning from Congress. Manohar Parrikar, a stalwart of BJP in Goa, had represented the constituency for over two decades. “I will be contesting as an independent candidate from Panaji constituency. Panjim people voted for Manohar Parrikar all these years because he stood for certain values. I also have those values in me. The time has come for me also to stand up to those values", he said.Utpal said he shares an immense bond with the people of Panaji. “I tried to convince my party (BJP) for Panjim ticket saying that people support me. But they chose an opportunist instead who joined the party in the last two years. Due to these circumstances, I had no other choice but to stand as an independent candidate for values that my father always stood up for. Let the people of Panjim decide," he added. Asked if any party has lent him support, he said, "considering the candidates that I will be fighting with, any support is always welcome." “I am not in the election for any post, fighting it for some values that I have grown up with. I will go ahead and let Panjim decide," he added BJP has fielded sitting MLA Atanasio "Babush" MonserANI rate, from Panaji. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced the setting up of a 'grand' statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the India Gate marking his 125th birth anniversary. In a series of tweets, Modi said the granite statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose would be a symbol of 'India's indebtedness to him'. “At a time when the entire nation is marking the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, I am glad to share that his grand statue, made of granite, will be installed at India Gate. This would be a symbol of India’s indebtedness to him,” he tweeted. He further announced that till the grand statue of Netaji was completed a hologram statue of Netaji Bose would be present at the same place. He said he would unveil the hologram statue on 23 January. He will also confer the Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskars, for the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 in the investiture ceremony. A total of seven awards will be presented during the ceremony, according to the PMO here. The Centre has instituted the annual puraskar 'to recognize and honour the invaluable contribution and selfless service rendered by individuals and organisations in India in the field of disaster management. The award is announced every year on 23rd January. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 51 lakh and a certificate in case of an institution and Rs 5 lakh and a certificate in case of an individual.' including 1971 and wars before and after it, were housed at the National War Memorial. "Hence it is a true 'shraddhanjali' to have the flame paying tribute to martyrs there. It is ironic that people who did not make a National War Memorial for seven decades are now making a hue and cry when a permanent and fitting tribute is being made to our martyrs," they added. NEW DELHI, 21 JANUARY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 JANUARY Parrikar’s son to fight as independent candidate P10 ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti not being extinguished, but merged’ TEMPERATURE Max: 19.6°C (-2) SUN RISES 07:13 hrs MOON RISES 21:58 hrs ANISIMOVA STUNS OSAKA Govt ridicules misinformation being spread on issue; India Gate memorial symbol of colonial past RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 100% 6 JAN COMMITTEE REQUESTS INTERVIEW WITH IVANKA TRUMP ‘EC MUST IMPOSE COVID GUIDELINES’ ‘SECURITY BREACH STAGE-MANAGED BY CHANNI GOVT’ he government today clarified that the flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate in the national capital is not being extinguished but merged with the flame at the National War Memorial, ridiculing “misinformation” being spread on the issue. “It is clarified that the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti is not being extinguished. It is being merged with the flame at the National War Memorial,” sources said. It was an odd thing to see that the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti pays homage to the martyrs of the 1971 and other wars but none of their names were present there, sources said. They claimed that the names inscribed on the India Gate were of only some martyrs who fought for the British in World War I and the Anglo-AfghanWar and thus was a symbol of the country's colonial past. Sources noted that the names of all Indian martyrs from all the wars, Centre calls all-party meet to discuss budget session on 31 Jan ASIAN NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEW DELHI, 21 JANUARY The Central Government has convened an all-party meet likely at 3 pm on January 31 to discuss Budget Session. The Budget Session will get underway on the same day with the Presidential address at 11 am followed by the laying of the Economic Survey. The Union Budget will be presented on February 1, 2022. The all-party meeting has been called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to deliberate with the opposition on issues that they would like to discuss during the session while the government will also give them a close view of the agenda and Legislative business that they would likely follow in the next one year. Sources also told ANI that the all-party meeting would be followed by a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Executive Committee and then the NDA floor leaders meeting. out because of the opposition's insistence on a discussion on Pegasus. On the other hand,Winter Session was completely washed out over the opposition's insistence for the resignation of MOS of Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son is currently in jail for allegedly mowing down protesting farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been attending these meetings and is often seen urging the opposition to allow smooth functioning of the House and that his government would allow debate on all issues. The last two Sessions of Parliament were stormy as the Monsoon Session was completely washed Indians’ death row: EAM calls Canada,US envoys INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE NEW YORK, 21 JANUARY External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Friday instructed Indian envoys to Canada and the US, Ajay Bisaria and Taranjit Singh Sandhu, "to urgently respond to the situation" where four Indian nationals including an infant have lost their lives of the US-Canada border. The minister said this in a public tweet. Neither of the two missions have responded on the microblogging site till the time of filing of this report. In a statement Thursday without identifying the victims, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stated that "on the morning of January 19, 2022, RCMP officers with the Integrated Border Enforcement Team received concerning information from their counterparts in the United States". “Specifically, the information outlined that officers with The Toronto Star reported that a Florida man has been charged with human smuggling as authorities investigate the deaths of four people in Manitoba. the US Customs and Border Protection had apprehended a group of individuals who had crossed into the US from Canada, near the town of Emerson, Manitoba. Further, it indicated that one of the adults had items meant for an infant but that no infant was with the group." “Upon receiving this information at 9.23 a.m., a search was immediately launched on both sides of the border. RCMP officers were already patrolling the area and the search began at 9.24 a.m. Extensive patrols were conducted and, at approximately 1.30 p.m., the bodies of three individuals were located on the Canadian side of the border, approximately 10km east of Emerson. RCMP identified the group as: an adult male, an adult female, and an infant. “Fearing there may be additional victims, officers continued their search and located the body of an additional male, believed at this time to be in his mid-teens.” “All victims were located approximately 12 metres from the US/Canada border." As speculation was rife that the group was being smuggled, The Toronto Star reported that a Florida man has been charged with human-smuggling as authorities investigate the deaths of four people, including a baby, who were found some 12 metres away from the Canada-US border in Manitoba. “The discovery of the bodies marked a tragic ending to a case of irregular immigration that officials, it was revealed Thursday, believe is part of a larger human-smuggling operation from Canada to the US - in a part of the continent more accustomed to migrants traveling the other way," it said. “The events began with a group of at least nine Indian nationals, all speaking Gujarati, being dropped off near Emerson, Man., on Tuesday night during a blizzard, according to court documents.” At this very early stage of the investigation, it appears that they all died due to exposure to the cold weather. Work is underway to identify the victims and an autopsy has been scheduled. The search for any possible survivors or additional victims continued throughout the evening of Wednesday, January 19, and RCMP officers continue to patrol the area today. To date, no other victims have been located." The RCMP said it will be conducting an investigation and is working in close collaboration with US Customs and Border Protection and the US Department of Homeland Security. P12 MIB blocks social media accounts for spreading fake news ASIAN NEWS INTERNATIONAL ‘Epicenter of terrorism is in our neighbourhood’ NEW DELHI, 21 JANUARY The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday blocked 35YouTube channels, two Twitter accounts, two Instagram Accounts, two websites and a Facebook, stated Vikram Sahay, Joint Secretary (P&A), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Friday for spreading misinformation. Joint Secretary informed, "The common factor amongst all these accounts have been that they operate from Pakistan and spread fake anti-India news and other content." The Ministry has issued orders to the respective social media intermediaries and internet service providers through the Department of Telecom for blocking all the accounts. “The blocked accounts have contents on Indian Arm Forces, Kashmir, India's foreign relation with other countries and the death of former CDS Bipin Rawat", said the I&B Ministry. “The blocked social media accounts had over 1.2 crore subscribers with a viewership of 130 crores",Vikram Sahay stated. The 35 accounts blocked by the Ministry were all operating from Pakistan and were identified to be part of four coordinated disinformation networks. These blocked accounts include the Apni Duniya Network operating 14 YouTube channels, and Talha Films Network operating 13 YouTube channels, stated the Information and Broadcasting release. The contents on the blocked accounts violated five separate orders issued under rule 16 of the Information Technology STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 JANUARY In a clear indictment of Pakistan for its continued support to terrorism, India today said that the recent terrorrelated incident in Texas, United States, once again demonstrated that the international network of terror, with its epicentre in India’s neighbourhood, was very much active and has long lasting implications. “This (terrorism) is a global threat that requires an unambiguous, undivided, effective and collective response. Just two days ago, India reiterated its position when it conveyed that any attack on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure was completely unacceptable; would be in blatant violation of international law; and against all civilised norms,'' Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said at a symposium on “Potential for Indo-European/German cooperation in the Indo-Pacific'', organised by ORF-NMF-KAS. Shringla said counter-terrorism was one key area of cooperation between India and its strategic partners. See also Page 4 (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. I am the face of Congress in UP: Priyanka ahead of Assembly polls ASIAN NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEW DELHI , 21 JANUARY In a big revelation, for the first time, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Incharge of Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has said that she is the face of the party in the state for the upcoming Assembly elections. During a press conference, answering a question that when other parties have Chief Ministers' faces and they too are contesting polls, who is leading Congress, she replied, "I am the face of the party. Do you see any other face from the party in the State?" Although, when asked that will she contest the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress General secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the launch of Youth Manifesto of UPCC, at the AICC office in the Capital on Friday. SUBRATA DUTTA Assembly polls, Priyanka said, "that will be decided at a right time." Priyanka Gandhi's statement will have a political impact on the polls in Uttar Pradesh, as it is the first time she made a statement like this but she is still reluctant about the disclosure of her candidature in the state. Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi released the youth manifesto in Delhi for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls in which 20 lakh jobs are promised, of which eight lakhs have been promised for women. Uttar Pradesh assembly elections will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. India logs steep hike in Covid, 3.47 l new cases in 24 hrs Health workers’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 JANUARY In a steep hike, India on Friday reported 3.47 lakh Covid19 cases and 703 fatalities in the past 24 hours, according to Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data. The daily cases registered a rise of around 9 per cent from the previous day, it said. With the fresh fatalities, the death toll climbed to 4,88,396. Meanwhile, the active caseload has risen to 20,18,825 which constitute 5.23 per cent of the country's total cases. The Omicron infection tally has risen to 9,692 across the nation, an increase of 4.36 per cent from the previous day. The recovery of 2,51,777 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally to 3,60,58,806. Consequently, India's recov- ‘Maintain status quo’: Lt Gov rejects move to lift Delhi curbs NEW DELHI, 21 JANUARY Delhi Lit Governor Anil Baijal on Friday rejected Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's proposal to lift the weekend curfew and curbs on operations of markets amidst the dip in Covid-19 positivity rate.As per sources, Baijal has asked the government to maintain status quo until the Covid-19 situation is completely under control. Chief Minister Arvind Kejri- wal on Friday wrote to Baijal seeking withdrawal of the weekend curfew and an oddeven system of opening of shops as the positivity rate registered a dip in the national capital. The weekend curfew in the national capital came into force from January 7 onwards as 17,335 fresh Covid cases were reported in the city -- the highest in the last eight months, with the positivity rate increasing to a sharp 17.73 per cent. See also Page 3 ery rate stands at 93.50 per cent. Also in the same period, a total of 19,35,912 tests were conducted across the country, taking the cumulative number to over 71.15 crore. Though the weekly positivity rate has climbed to 16.56 per cent amid sudden spike in the cases, the daily positivity rate has declined to 17.94 per cent. Isolation facility not mandatory for foreign arrivals: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) issued new guidelines on Friday for international arrivals under which isolation facility is not mandatory for people arriving from 'at-risk' countries from Saturday (January 22). The guidelines further stated, "If tested negative they (international travellers) will follow home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake RTPCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India." As per MOHFW guidelines, "If tested positive, their (international travellers) samples should be further sent for genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network. They shall be treated/isolated as per laid down standard protocol." Meanwhile, children under data leaked online INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE 3,85,66,027 20,18,825 3,47,254 2,51,777 4,88,396 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. FRIDAY 21 JANUARY 2022 Delhi registered 10,756 fresh cases & 38 deaths 5 years of age are exempted from both pre and post-arrival testing. NEW DELHI, 21 JANUARY Cyber-criminals have allegedly stolen data of thousands of people in India, including health workers, from a government server (that has even been indexed in Google Search), which includes name, mobile number, address and Covid test results. The data of over 20,000 Indians are available on the Raid Forums website on the Dark Web, and the hacker claims that they are directly coming from a government CDN (content delivery network) server. The same documents are also available freely on Google Search as "List of Beneficiaries Enrolled for CovidVaccine" with keywords like RT-PCR results. "PII including Name, MOB, PAN, Address etc of #Covid19 #RTPCR results & #Cowin data getting public through a Govt CDN. #Google indexed almost 9 Lac public/private #GovtDocuments in search engines. Patient's data is now listed on #DarkWeb. Need fast deindex," cyber security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia Rajaharia said in a tweet. The most pressing concern is that the data of thousands of health workers (available in PDF files) have been exposed online in Google Search that contains PAN numbers, Aadhaar and other personal details like mobile numbers, address, age, gender etc. The IT Ministry or the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) is yet to react to the alleged leak.