LIVE! PM to hand over Arjun tank to Army in Chennai

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Fri, 12 February 2021

PM to hand over Arjun tank to Army in Chennai

Timeline Refresh

23:50 PM to hand over Arjun tank to Army in Chennai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hand over the Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Army in Chennai on Sunday and also inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of several projects in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

A PMO statement on Friday said these projects, including the launch of a Chennai Metro project and a petrochemical complex in Kerala, will add crucial momentum to the growth trajectory of these states and help hasten the pace for them to realise their full development potential.

In Chennai, Modi will hand over to the Army the state-of-the-art the Arjun tank, which has been indigenously designed and developed, and manufactured by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, DRDO along with 15 academic institutions, eight labs and several MSMEs, it noted.

Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are expected to be held in April-May.

During his visit, the prime minister will inaugurate the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension, completed at a cost of Rs 3,770 crore, and commission passenger services from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar.

This 9.05 km long extension will link North Chennai with the Airport and Central Railway Station.

The PMO said he will also inaugurate the fourth railway line between Chennai Beach and Attipattu stations.

This 22.1 km section, laid at a cost of Rs 293.40 crore, traverses through Chennai and Thiruvallur districts and will ease up traffic from Chennai Port.

This section connects the Chennai Port and Ennore Port, and passes through major yards, providing operational flexibility for the movement of trains, the PMO said.

Modi will inaugurate the electrification of a single-line section of 228 km, completed at a cost of Rs 423 crore. This will enable free flow of traffic without the need for a change of traction between Chennai Egmore and Kanyakumari and would result in saving of Rs 14.61 lakh per day on fuel cost, it added.

He will also lay the foundation stone for the extension, renovation and modernization of the Grand Anicut Canal System and the Discovery Campus of IIT Madras.

The canal is important for irrigation in the delta districts and the modernization exercise will cost Rs 2,640 crore, leading to an improvement in its water-carrying capacity.

The Discovery Campus of IIT Madras will be built at Thaiyur near Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore in the first phase over an area of 2 lakh sqm. -- PTI

Three Bharatiya Janata Party members in Lok Sabha on Friday moved a breach of privilege notice against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying by asking members to observe silence to mourn death of farmers during agitation without the permission of the Chair was a contempt of the House.

In a dramatic move, Gandhi on Thursday led his party members and those from the TMC and the DMK to observe a two-minute silence by standing to mourn the death of farmers during the ongoing agitation.

Claiming that "200 farmers" have died during protests, he had said he was doing this as the government has not paid tributes to them.

This was perhaps for the first time in recent history that some members stood in silence to mourn deaths without being asked to do so by the Chair.

BJP MPs Sanjay Jaiswal, Rakesh Singh and P P Chaudhary moved notice against Gandhi.

Jaiswal said that Gandhi directed his party members to observe silence without taking permission from the Speaker. The House should take action against him, he said.

Singh alleged that Gandhi has shown an unparliamentary behaviour and that has impacted the dignity of Parliament.

He alleged that Gandhi works against the rules of Parliament.

Sharing similar views, Chaudhary said that: "It is gross misconduct and it is a serious breach of privilege". -- PTI

23:32 Disengagement process on in Pangong Tso areas

Chinese and Indian militaries continued to pull back armoured elements and thinning down of troops in areas around Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh as part of an agreement reached between the two sides on the disengagement process, military sources said on Friday.

While armoured elements like battle tanks and armoured personnel carriers are being withdrawn from friction points in the south bank of Pangong Tso, troops are being pulled back from the north bank areas, they said.

The sources said withdrawal of armoured elements from the south bank of Pangong Tso is almost complete and temporary structures erected by both sides will be demolished in the next few days.

"The disengagement process will take time as both sides are together carrying out verification of the withdrawal of troops and military hardware," said a source.

The disengagement of troops and armoured elements is limited to the friction points where the two sides were on an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, sources said.

After a nine-month standoff, the two militaries reached the agreement on disengagement in the north and south banks of Pangong lake that mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a "phased, coordinated and verifiable" manner.

On Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a detailed statement in Parliament on the disengagement pact.

According to the agreement, China has to pull back its troops to east of Finger 8 areas in the northern bank while the Indian personnel will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3 in the region.

Similar action will take place on the south bank of the lake as well, Singh said in Parliament. -- PTI

People come on road after tremors

23:21 Update: Quake of 6.1 magnitude jolts north India

A high intensity earthquake of magnitude 6.1 hit Delhi NCR and several other parts of north India on Friday night.

According to the National Centre for Sesimology, the epicentre of the quake was Amritsar.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km at 10.34 pm, it added.

However, there were no immediate reports of any loss of life or damage to property.

Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com

Earthquake tremors were felt in Delhi-NCR and some parts of north India on Friday night.

More details are awaited.

Agricultural reform is a domestic policy issue of India, the Leader of the House of Commons has said in Parliament, reflecting the UK government's stance over the farmer protests in New Delhi.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, in response to demands for a debate over the issue in the chamber from Opposition Labour MPs on Thursday, acknowledged that the issue is a "matter of concern" for the Commons and across constituencies in the UK and that Britain will continue to champion human rights globally, including through its current chairmanship of the United Nations.

"India is a very proud democracy and a country with which we have the strongest possible relations. I happen to think that over the next century, our relationship with India may well be our most important relationship with any country in the world," said Rees-Mogg, a senior Conservative Party member of Parliament who serves as the party's Leader in the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament.

"As India is our friend, it is only right that we make representations when we think that things are happening that are not in the interests of the reputation of the country of which we are a friend," he said, adding that UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has raised the matter with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his India visit in December last year.

"The UK government will continue to follow the farmers' protest closely. Agricultural reform is a domestic policy issue for India. We will continue to champion human rights globally, and having the chairmanship of the UN Security Council this month is a part of that," Rees-Mogg noted.

The leader was responding during a regular Business of the House sitting as MPs debated matters to be addressed in upcoming Parliament sessions.

Labour's shadow Leader of the House, Valerie Vaz, had raised the issue of the farmers' protests being considered for a backbench debate by the Petitions Committee after an e-petition on the official parliamentary website crossed the required threshold of 100,000 earlier this month.

However, the debates, usually held in Westminster Hall within the Commons complex, remain suspended due to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions and she sought a "hybrid" solution of using live streaming as a possible option.

"Satyagraha is the Gandhian peaceful protest that is in the Indian DNA, but we have seen scenes of terrible violence against those who are protecting their livelihoods. I have had no response to my letter to the

Foreign Secretary (Raab) yet," said Vaz, a Goan-origin MP.

Fellow Labour MP Tanmanjit Singh Dhesi also pushed for a debate over the largest protest on the planet, in the main Commons chamber itself.

"Given our serious anxieties, more than 100 honourable members signed a letter to the Prime Minister (Boris Johnson) seeking his intervention. Well over 100,000 constituents -- incredibly, from every single one of the 650 UK constituencies -- have signed an online petition, including more than 3,000 from my Slough constituency," said Dhesi, the first turbaned Sikh MP in the Commons. -- PTI

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday revealed plans by farmer leaders to hold meetings in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat and said protesters in Delhi will not return home until the Centre reaches an "agreement" with them.

It was not immediately clear if the remark made at a "mahapanchayat" in Bahadurgarh was a climb down from Tikait's earlier assertion that there will be no "ghar wapsi" unless the laws are withdrawn.

The government has been telling farmer unions to consider an option other than the complete repeal of the laws.

He said the government will have to talk with the farmer unions' committee spearheading the agitation against the laws.

"This agitation will continue until the Government of India talks to the committee and arrives at an agreement. Till that time, farmers will not return home," he said addressing a mahapanchayat organised by the "Dalal Khap 84" near the Tikri border.

He also claimed the agitation is spread across the country and not limited to Punjab, Haryana or Uttar Pradesh as being projected by some.

More "mahapanchayats" will be held in coming days, he said, adding that they will go to Gujarat as well.

Tikait alleged that farmers from Gujarat were being pressured not to lend support to the agitation.

"If anyone from Gujarat wants to come here to support the agitation and if it is found they are coming, police are being send to their homes," he alleged.

"We will hold meetings in Gujarat and other states," he said. -- PTI

20:57 Centre spent Rs 7.95 cr to promote farm laws

The Centre has spent over Rs 7.95 crore in five months till January for a publicity campaign to bust myths about the new farm laws, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed Parliament on Friday.

Out of this, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry committed Rs 7,25,57,246 for release of advertisements between September 2020 and January 2021 on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, he

said.

Tomar, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, further said the print advertisements have been published through the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC) in Hindi, English and regional language newspapers for

"clarifications related to farm laws including on myth and realities, etc" for creating awareness among the farmers and other stakeholders.

The Agriculture Ministry has incurred an expenditure of Rs 67,99,750 on production of three promotional and two educational films on the farm laws for its wider publicity through electronic media, social media and webinars.

Besides, miscellaneous expenditure of Rs 1,50,568 was incurred on development of creatives for print advertisement, the minister added.

On expenses incurred on overseas publicity campaign, the minister said there was "nil" expenditure as per the information received from the ministry of external affairs.

However, the missions/posts, as part of regular diplomatic work shared the latest developments, the government's considered position and useful information on the farm laws, including frequently asked question etc on their social media accounts in their outreach to the diaspora, he said.

The related government departments have also created awareness through social media platforms, he added.

Responding to another query, Tomar said the government engaged itself actively and constantly with the agitating farmers' unions and 11 rounds of negotiations were held to resolve their issues.

During various rounds of negotiations, the government had been requesting the agitating farmers' unions "to discuss the farm laws clause by clause" in order to resolve their concerns on the clauses bothering them, he said.

"However, farmers' unions never agreed to discuss the farm laws except for the demand for their repeal," he noted.

The farmers' protest at Delhi borders has entered its third month. Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, are agitating seeking repeal of the new laws, introduced by the Centre

last year, saying they are pro-corporate and could weaken the mandi system.

The 11 rounds of the talks between the Centre and 41 protesting farmer unions has so far remained deadlocked even though the former has offered concessions including suspension of the legislations for 18 months, which the unions have rejected. -- PTI

The country has turned bankrupt under the Modi government and its image has been dented on social, political and international fronts, Congress MP Manish Tiwari alleged here on Friday.

Addressing a rally in support of party candidates for Mohali municipal body elections slated for February 14, he said there is a debt of Rs 18 lakh crore now on the central government.

"The country's economy that grew at 8 percent every year during Manmohan Singh as PM has now fallen to minus 7.7 percent," he said.

"The Modi government has dented the country on social, political and international fronts by turning it bankrupt," he asserted. -- PTI

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

20:40 Modi meets newly-elected Rajya Sabha MPs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met the newly-elected Rajya Sabha MPs of the BJP.

Former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, party's national general secretary Arun Singh and Neeraj Shekhar were among the MPs who met the prime minister.

"Met newly elected @BJP4India Rajya Sabha MPs. Wished them the very best for their Parliamentary innings," Modi tweeted. -- PTI

Telugu film star Ram Charan is collaborating with celebrated filmmaker Shankar for a pan-India movie, the makers announced on Friday.

Produced by 'Dil' Raju, known for backing Telugu hits Dil, Arya, Bommarillu and Nenu Local, the yet-untitled film will release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Raju said he is elated to team up with Charan and Shankar for the project.

"We are bringing this movie to the pan-India audience with a vision of creating cinema that will entertain the masses," the producer said in a statement.

Besides this film, Charan, 35, will be seen in director SS Rajamouli's much-anticipated period action movie Rise Roar Revolt (RRR) and in a supporting role in his father Chiranjeevi's Telugu action-drama Acharya.

Raju has two Hindi remakes scheduled for release -- Shahid Kapoor-starrer Jersey and cop thriller Hit with Rajkummar Rao.

He is also producing Telugu courtroom drama Vakeel Saab, starring Pawan Kalyan, which is a remake of Amitabh Bachchan-Taapsee Pannu's Pink.

19:45 Lok Sabha to meet at 10 am on Saturday

The Lok Sabha will convene at 10 am instead of the usual 4 pm on Saturday, Speaker Om Birla has announced.

The Rajya Sabha had been meeting at 9 am due to Covid-19 distancing norms.

Since the Upper House went into recess on Friday and would reconvene only on March 8, the Lok Sabha would meet in the morning.

Birla announced the new timing in the House on Friday after the Question Hour.

Some Rajya Sabha members also sit in the Lok Sabha chamber.

The Lok Sabha has been meeting at 4 pm and some of its members sit in the RS chamber to maintain social distancing amid the pandemic outbreak.

The new shift in Parliament came into place in the Monsoon session. There was no winter session.

The lower house will go into recess on Saturday evening and reconvene on March 8.

Actor Emraan Hashmi has been roped in to play the villain in the third installment of superstar Salman Khan-led 'Tiger' franchise.

The action-thriller, backed by Yash Raj Films (YRF), features Khan and Katrina Kaif as spy agents -- Tiger and Zoya.

"Emraan (Hashmi) will be playing the villain in the third part of 'Tiger' franchise," a source close to the film's production told PTI.

Tiger 3 will mark first collaboration among Hashmi, Khan and Kaif. Also, it's for the first time that the actor is working on a YRF project.

Ek Tha Tiger (2012), the first movie in the franchise, chronicled the story of an Indian R&AW agent code-named Tiger, who falls in love with a Pakistani spy (Kaif) during an investigation.

The sequel, Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), saw Tiger and Zoya go on a mission to save a group of hostages held by a militant terrorist organisation in Iraq.

The film was said to be inspired from the 2014 abduction of Indian nurses by ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).

Ek Tha Tiger was helmed by Kabir Khan, while the second film was directed by Ali Abbas Zafar.

Maneesh Sharma will be the directing the third installment.

"The shoot for the third part will begin from next month. Currently, the makers are locking the schedule," the insider said.

Hashmi will next be seen in Sanjay Gupta's Mumbai Saga and Chehre, which also stars Amitabh Bachchan.

The Rajya Sabha clocked 99 per cent productivity during the two-week long first part of the dual phase budget session of Parliament, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said Friday.

The House broke for a three-week recess on Friday after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's reply to a discussion on the budget for the fiscal year beginning April 1. The recess will allow parliamentary committees to examine the budget allocation for various ministries.

Parliament will now meet on March 8 for the second part of the Budget session.

"I am happy to inform you that this part of the session has been quite productive with the House clocking 99 per cent productivity," Naidu said before adjourning the proceedings till March 8.

Besides discussion on the Budget, the House also debated for 15 hours on a motion thanking the President for his address to the joint sitting of Parliament at the start of the Budget session. Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied to that debate earlier this week.

"The productivity of the House during this week has been 113 per cent as against the productivity of 82 per cent during the first week," he said. "As against the total scheduled time of 45 hours 4 minutes, net of only 30 minutes has been lost due to disruptions," Naidu said.

Naidu, who is also the Vice President of India, said during the first part a total of 27 hours and 11 minutes were spent on debate and discussions.

Over 60 per cent of the total functional time was spent on discussing Motion of Thanks to the President and the General Budget for 2021-2022, he said. "About 100 members spoke on these two subjects alone."

As against the total loss of 4 hours 24 minutes during the first week, the members sat for an extra 3 hours 54 minutes during the second week.

A total of 88 issues of public importance have been raised. These include 56 Zero Hour and 32 Special Mentions. Also, 55 Starred Questions were orally answered.

During the two weeks, three Bills were passed -- The J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021; The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The Major Ports Authority Bill, 2020, he added. -- PTI

18:59 Trivedi's resignation is not a setback: TMC

Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi did not discuss the issues plaguing him with West Bengal chief minister and party chief Mamata Banerjee before his resignation in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, the party's official spokesperson and former RS MP Vivek Gupta said.

Gupta also said Trivedi's resignation was not a setback for the TMC and will not affect the party's poll campaign in the state.

"We are all trying to speak to him but instead he is busy talking to others. This is the first time that we have heard that he is feeling suffocated or claustrophobic or he is affected by the violence," Gupta said.

"In his constituency which is Barrackpore from where he lost the last election, it is BJP's Arjun Singh who won. So, if he is really affected by the violence then is his indication towards the violence perpetrated by the BJP?," Gupta said while addressing a press briefing.

The leader further said from 2010-2019, violence, specially political violence was absent from the state.

"By nature we Bengalis are peace loving. We believe in fighting with brains and not physically. We have no tradition of wrestling or contact sports. We are into arts culture and we have a creative spirit. We are shocked at Dinesh Trivedi's statement.

"He is one of the founder members of the party, a four-time RS member and (former) railway minister. Mamata Banerjee has given him respect... Last year, after he lost the election, he was nominated as Rajya Sabha member by the party. So I don't think he has any reason to be upset with the party," he said.

Gupta also said maybe during the last year when people had to wear masks, Trivedi had found a "more suitable mask.

"His resignation is not a setback for the party, maybe personal loss for people like me who have worked closely with him or have learnt from him. Our campaign will go on as usual. Someone else will take his place," he said.

Gupta further said, "I do not think he has discussed his issues or resignation with (Mamata) didi. Before taking such a stand he should have discussed with the party leader. Maybe he was driven by some other agenda or he took an emotional decision." -- PTI

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said in Puducherry on Friday that the assembly polls due in the next few months would be held simultaneously in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.

He was addressing reporters in Puducherry before ending his two-day visit, along with a team from the Election Commission, to the Union Territory to review its poll preparedness.

Asked about voting rights of members nominated to the Territorial Assembly, he said the Supreme Court had in 2018 ordered such members had voting rights.

He read out the provisions for nomination of members in the Union Territory Act and from the extracts of the apex court judgement on voting rights for nominated legislators.

Arora said he and his team have had discussions with the officials of various departments such as the enforcement departments and state-level bankers committee, among others.

"It was a fruitful meeting," he said.

The Chief Election Commissioner further said the commission would ensure free, fair, inducement-free and COVID-19-safe elections.

He said there would be zero tolerance to misuse of money power and illegal distribution of freebies and other inducements to voters.

He said the number of polling booths would be increased from 952 to 1,564 in the Union Territory.

The election official said it was also insisted at the meeting that no polling station should be above theground-level as the aged and physically challenged voters should face no difficulty.

He released a booklet on SVEEP (systematic voters education and electoral participation) and also flagged off a vehicle to highlight the chief features of SVEEP. -- PTI

18:12 SC panel meets 12 farmer unions from 8 states

The Supreme Court-appointed committee on Friday held consultations with 12 farmer unions and peasants from eight states, including West Bengal, on the controversial farm laws enacted by the Centre recently.

This is the seventh meeting held by the panel so far.

The three-member committee is holding consultations with stakeholders, both online and in person.

In a statement, the committee said it held its interactions through video conference with farmers, farmer unions and farmer producer organisations.

Twelve farm unions and farmers from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal participated in the detailed deliberations with the committee members, it said.

"All the participating farmer unions, FPOs and farmers gave their detailed views and suggestions on the three farm laws," the committee added.

On January 12, the apex court had stayed the implementation of the three contentious farm laws for two months and asked the committee to submit a report within two months after consulting the stakeholders.

Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi's borders for over two months seeking repeal of the new legislations, introduced by the Centre last year, saying they are pro-corporate and can weaken the mandi system.

The 11 rounds of talks between the Centre and 41 protesting farmer unions have so far remained deadlocked, even though the ruling dispensation has offered concessions, including suspension of the legislations for 18 months, which the unions have rejected. -- PTI

At least eleven people have died and 36 injured after an explosion at a private firecracker factory in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar.

The incident happened while some chemicals were being mixed to produce fireworks, police said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the blast.

"Fire at a firecracker factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu is saddening. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover soon. Authorities are working on the ground to assist those affected," he tweeted.

The PM also announced Rs 2 lakh each for kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 for seriously injured

Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami also announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the families of those who died in the blast and Rs 1 lakh to the severely injured.

17:26 Javadekar joins indigenous Twitter replica Koo

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar on Friday began using India's micro-blogging platform 'Koo', joining several ministers who already created their accounts on it. Making the announcement through his Twitter handle, Javadekar said, "I am now on #Koo also, the #MakeInIndia micro-blogging platform. Follow me @prakashjavadekar on #KooApp. The application was launched 10 months ago but in the last few weeks it saw a massive surge in user base as Union ministers and government departments have endorsed the homegrown microblogging platform amid a spat with Twitter.

Minister of Railways, Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Tuesday tweeted that he was on Koo and asked people to connect with him. The information technology ministry used Koo to broadcast its stand on Twitter's non-compliance with its order to take down allegedly inflammatory content by some farmer protesters, while ministers urged people to switch platforms. These developments have led to a surge in the user base of the Indian rival.

Koo, which has startling similarities with Twitter, now has over three million users, Koo co-founder Mayank Bidawataka had told PTI on Thursday. Koo has a yellow bird as its logo in contrast to the blue bird of Twitter. "We had two million users with about 1.5 million active users. Now, we have now crossed the 3 million-mark," Bidawataka had told PTI. Twitter has 17.5 million users and is ardently used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet ministers to communicate with the public. PTI

Former US President Donald Trump was "sicker than publicly acknowledged" with COVID-19 when he tested positive for the disease in October last year.According to a report from The New York Times (NYT), Trump experienced extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to four people familiar with his condition. It was also reported that his condition "was so poor" before he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Centre from the White House officials believing that "he may need to be put on a ventilator".

The people familiar with the former President's health said that "he was found to have lung infiltrates, which occur when the lungs are inflamed and contain substances such as fluid or bacteria. Their presence, especially when a patient is exhibiting other symptoms, can be a sign of an acute case of the disease. They can be easily spotted on an X-ray or scan when parts of the lungs appear opaque, or white." His blood oxygen level "was cause for extreme concern, dipping into the 80s", according to the people familiar with his evaluation. The disease is considered severe when the blood oxygen level falls to the low 90s.

"Trump had trouble breathing and a fever on October 2, the day he was taken to the hospital, and the types of treatment he received indicated that his condition was serious," NYT reported.

Trump's medical team at Walter Reed downplayed the severity of the situation when he was at the hospital.

Within hours of the Uttarakhand glacier collapse, videos of the catastrophe taken by locals began to emerge, as did satellite images captured in the aftermath.

They've provided vital clues for researchers who have been poring over the images and data trying to pinpoint exactly what sent a torrent of water down the vast valleys, leaving bridges, dams and buildings shattered in its wake.

This is what the satellite images of the devastation look like.

Equity benchmark indices ended flat on Friday but private banks showed some gains despite a volatile trading session.The BSE S&P Sensex closed 13 points or 0.02 per cent higher at 51,544 but the Nifty 50 fell by 10 points or 0.07 per cent to 15,163.Sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were mixed with Nifty private bank and financial service up by 0.9 per cent. But Nifty FMCG was down by 1.5 per cent and metal by 1.7 per cent.

Among stocks, ICICI Bank climbed up by 2.6 per cent to Rs 647.50 per share while Axis Bank surged ahead by 1.2 per cent, HDFC Bank by 0.8 per cent and State Bank of India by 0.7 per cent.

The other gainers included Adani Ports, Infosys, Wipro, HDFC, Bajaj Finserv and Grasim.

However, diversified conglomerate ITC was down by 3.8 per cent to Rs 217.70 per share after reporting a consolidated net profit of Rs 3,587 crore in Q3 FY21, down 11 per cent from Rs 4,050 crore year-on-year.

Energy majors Coal India, ONGC, GAIL and NTPC along with metal giants Tata Steel and Hindalco were also in the negative territory.

16:56 Tikait to join 7 mahapanchayats in 3 states

Beginning Sunday, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait would be attending seven farmers' meetings planned across Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan to garner support for the ongoing stir against the new farm laws. These farmers' meetings, which will culminate on February 23, are part of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha's outreach programme, BKU's media in-charge Dharmendra Malik said. These "kisan mahapanchayat" are scheduled to be held in Haryana's Karnal, Rohtak, Sirsa and Hisar districts, and Maharashtra's Akola and Rajasthan's Sikar, he said.

Thousands of farmers are encamped at Delhi's border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur since November with a demand that the Centre repeal the three farm laws enacted in September and make a new law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The government, which has held 11 rounds of talks with the protesting farmers unions, has, however, maintained that the laws are pro-farmer. Tikait, the national spokesperson of the BKU, has been leading the protestors at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border and said the farmers won't end their movement until their demands are not met. PTI

16:28 Not conceded any territory to China: Govt

The defence ministry issues a statement on the territory occupied by China in India. "The assertion that Indian territory is up to Finger 4 is false. Territory of India is as depicted by map of India and includes over 43,000 sq km currently under illegal occupation of China since 1962. Even LAC, as per Indian perception, is at Finger 8, not Finger 4."

India on Friday said it has not conceded any territory as a result of the agreement finalised with China for disengagement of troops in Pangong lake areas in eastern Ladakh.

Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government has "ceded" Indian territory to the Chinese and raised questions over the agreement, the Ministry of Defence issued a strongly-worded statement, saying the effective safeguarding of country's national interest and territory in the Eastern Ladakh sector has taken place because the government reposed full faith in the capabilities of the armed forces.

"Those who doubt the achievements made possible by the sacrifices of our military personnel are actually disrespecting them", the statement said. The ministry also made certain clarifications in the statement, and said, "the assertion that Indian territory is up to Finger 4 is categorically false. The territory of India is as depicted by the map of India and includes more than 43,000 sq km currently under illegal occupation of China since 1962." "Even the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as per the Indian perception, is at Finger 8, not at Finger 4. That is why India has persistently maintained the right to patrol upto Finger 8, including in the current understanding with China," the MoD said.

Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended flat after choppy trade on Friday, tracking weak cues from global markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex gyrated 543.96 points before closing 12.78 points or 0.02 per cent higher at its new closing record of 51,544.30.

The broader NSE Nifty, however, slipped 10 points or 0.07 per cent to 15,163.30. ICICI Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising over 2 per cent, followed by Axis Bank, Infosys, HDFC twins, Bajaj Finserv and SBI. On the other hand, ITC, ONGC, Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel and Titan were among the laggards. According to Anand James, Chief Market Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, risk appetite trickled down and equities pared gains with several cities across globe entering fresh lockdowns.

"Indian equities were in the green in the first half with Bank Nifty rising over 1 per cent, but VIX rose in the second half, and traders opted cut down long bets across sectors, going into the weekend," he said.

Elsewhere in Asia, most bourses remained closed for holidays. Stock exchanges in Europe were trading on a negative note in mid-session deals. Meanwhile, the global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.72 per cent lower at USD 60.70 per barrel. PTI

"As of Friday afternoon, ED raids have been going on at the house of Newsclick's Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha for close to 80 hours. Prabir Purkayastha and author Githa Hariharan have been detained in their house since the beginning of the raid.

"Earlier, the Newsclick office was raided for over 36 hours and some equipment vital to our functioning as a news organisation was seized. Communication devices of directors and senior management have also been seized, which has, therefore, limited their ability to return to work or indeed, respond to queries of the media. Despite this harassment, Newsclick has cooperated fully with the authorities, and will continue to do so. We have nothing to hide, as we have operated completely in accordance with the law.

"We are, however, disturbed to note reports in various media outlets based on information allegedly provided by senior officials of the Enforcement Directorate. The selective leak of misleading facts is nothing but a malicious attempt to smear the image of Newsclick and discredit our journalism. It also constitutes a violation of the sanctity of the legal and investigative process.

"As mentioned in our editorial statement of February 10, these raids appear to be part of a trend of deploying government agencies against those who refuse to toe the establishment's line.

"We are deeply thankful for all the solidarity that we have received, and would like to convey to our well-wishers that we will resist all attempts at intimidation and continue our independent journalism."

16:09 TMC: Trivedi wasn't a grassroots worker anyway

TMC MP Saugata Roy as Dinesh Trivedi resigns from RS: "We didn't know he'd resign. However, it isn't a shock. He wasn't a grassroots leader, had lost LS elections. Mamata Banerjee sent him to RS. 'Trinamool' means grassroots. It'll give chance to other grassroots workers to emerge."

TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi announced his resignation from the Rajya Sabha on Friday, saying he feels suffocated in the House as he is unable to do anything for the violence going on in his state, West Bengal.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday granted interim bail to two men accused of organising a comedy show in Indore, during which stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui allegedly insulted Hindu deities.

Faruqui, who was arrested on January 1 and was in jail since January 2, was set free on bail last week. A single bench of the high court comprising Justice Rohit Arya granted bail to the two co-accused Prakhar Vyas and Adwin Anthony. Comedian Faruqui and five others involved in organising the show in Indore were arrested following a complaint by Eklavya Singh Gaud, son of local BJP MLA Malini Laxman Singh Gaud.

The MLA's son had alleged that objectionable comments were made about Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the show held on January 1. PTI

Also read: What you must know about Munawar Faruqui

15:20 FM makes a dig at 'damad' Robert Vadra in parl

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Rajya Sabha makes a dig at Robert Vadra, without naming him.

-- Number of digital transactions via UPI from Aug 2016 till Jan 2020 - over 3.6 lakh cr. UPI is used by who? The rich? No. Middle class, smaller traders. Who are these people then? Is Govt creating UPI, facilitating digital transactions to benefit rich cronies? Some damads? No.

-- Loans sanctioned under Mudra Yojana - more than Rs 27,000 crores. Who takes Mudra Yojana? Damads?

When the opposition raises objections, the FM says caustically, "'Damad', I didn't think is the trademark of Indian National Congress. Damad har ghar mein hota hai. Magar Damad Indian National Congress mein ek specialised naam hai."

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya

15:05 Dinesh Trivedi welcome to join us: BJP

BJP General Secy Kailash Vijayvargiya reacts after TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi tenders his resignation in Rajya Sabha: "Not just Dinesh Trivediji, whoever wants to do honest work, cannot stay in Trinamool Congress. If he wants to join Bharatiya Janata Party, we will welcome him."

"If you sit here quietly and cannot do anything, then it is better that you resign from here and go to the land of Bengal and be with people," he said in the Upper House of Parliament. Trivedi said the world looks at India when something happens.

"What I mean to say is the way violence is taking place in our state. Sitting here, I am feeling perplexed as to what should I do," he added. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP said he is unable to bear various incidents that are happening in West Bengal.

"I am grateful to my party that it has sent me here, but now I feel a little suffocated. We are unable to do anything and there is atrocity (going on). My voice of conscience is saying what Swami Vivekananda used to say -- arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached," Trivedi said, while announcing his resignation from the House.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh said there is a due process for resigning from the House and asked Trivedi to submit his resignation in writing to the chairman.

14:34 FM slams 'false narrative' of crony capitalism

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Rajya Sabha: "It's a Budget which clearly draws on the experience, the administrative capacities and also exposure that the PM had during his long elected tenure - both as CM and as PM of this country. He is known for his commitment towards development, growth and reforms.

It is worth mentioning that 800 million people were provided free foodgrains, free cooking gas provided for 80 million people and cash directly was given to 400 million people, farmers, women, divyang and also the poor and needy.

"It has now become a sort of habit for some in the Opposition to constantly allege, in spite of what we are doing for the poor and the steps taken for helping the poor and needy of this country, a false narrative is created to accuse - saying that this Govt works only for cronies."

Former ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar was granted bail by a special PMLA court here on Fridayin connection with the ICICI Bank-Videocon money laundering case.

The special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) had on January 30 summoned Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, Videocon Group promoter Venugopal Dhoot and other accused in the case after taking cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) charge sheet. Accordingly, Chanda Kochhar appeared before special court judge A A Nandgoankar. Following her appearance, her lawyer Vijay Agarwal filed her bail application. The court allowed the same on a bond of Rs 5 lakh.

The ED had arrested her husband Deepak Kochhar in September 2020 after it filed a criminal case for money laundering based on an FIR registered by the CBI against the Kochhars, Dhoot and others. PTI

Bhartiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Friday said the ongoing farmers' protest will go on for indefinite period as there is no planning regarding the duration yet.

"Farmers' protest will go on for indefinite period as there is no plan currently. It might continue till October," Tikait told ANI. He said this in response to the statement of Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader Gurnam Singh Charni that the farmers' protest will continue till October.

Tikait had earlier warned the farmers' agitation will not conclude unless government repeals the three newly enacted agriculture laws and it may go on till October.

On Friday he mentioned that the farmers do a protest every year on October 2 at the Ghazipur border.

"Tear shells and bullets were fired at the farmers on October 2, 2018, at the Ghazipur border. Every year we do a programme here at the Ghazipur border and will also do it this year," he said.

Asked about the debates in the Parliament on the farmers' issues, Tikait said it is good that the issue is being raised and debated in the Parliament.

He further said there must be a genuine reason that the country's farmers are protesting for so long.

"The entire nation's farmers are on streets protesting, there must be a reason to it. If the farm laws are not accepted by the farmers, then what is the compulsion of not repealing them?" Tikait asked.

-- ANI

13:47 TMC's Dinesh Trivedi resigns from Rajya Sabha

Trinamool Congress's Dinesh Trivedi today quit the Rajya Sabha over the violence being perpetrated in the state of West Bengal.

Speaking in the Upper House, he said, "I am resigning from Rajya Sabha today. There is violence happening in my state. We cannot speak anything here."

He added, "Grateful to my party that they've sent me here. I'm feeling suffocated that we're not able to do anything over violence in the state. My soul tells me that if you can't do anything sitting here, then you must resign. I will continue to work for people of WB."

Raini village was cut off in the floods

13:30 Uttarakhand body count increases to 37

Body recovered from the riverbank near Maithana village today. Total of 37 bodies recovered so far: District Magistrate Chamoli, Uttarakhand.

Two persons were rescued while 168 are still missing following the glacier burst in Chamoli, District Magistrate Swati Bhadoriya on Friday.

As many as 206 people went missing after the glacier burst.The rescue operations continued at Tapovan tunnel in Chamoli district on the sixth day following the disaster.

"Our teams are continuously searching for bodies. A team has also been deployed to search for bodies along the river. All agencies involved in rescue operation are working round the clock," said PK Tiwary NDRF Commandant, at Tapovan tunnel in Chamoli district.

13:25 Kangana given security in MP after threat

Madhya Pradesh police have put in place thick security cover around Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut in the wake of a threat by some state Congress leaders that they would not allow her shoot for a film if she did not apologise to farmers over her tweets, an official said on Friday.

Shooting for "Dhaakad", Ranaut's new film, is going on in Sarni area of Betul district.

Talking to PTI over phone, Sarni City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Abhay Ram Choudhary said, "Security has been tightened for the actress after MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra directed Betul Superintendent of Police Simala Prasad to do so." Police personnel equipped with batons and firearms are deployed around the coal handling plant (CHL) near a power project, where the shooting is on, he added.

"Police will man gate numbers two and four of the CHL, from where actors usually enter the shooting venue," Choudhary said. An inspector has been assigned to oversee Ranaut's safety at the resort, located around 45 kms from Sarni town, where she is during for the shoot, he said. "We will ensure that she does not face any disturbance during the shoot," the CSP added. As per the film schedule, her shoot at Sarni would end on February 17," the police officer said.

The urban poor got poorer during the Covid pandemic

13:00 Urban job guarantee scheme must: Economist

Noted development economist Dr Jean Dreze has strongly advocated an urban employment guarantee scheme as part of efforts to address the twin problems of poverty, particularly during exigencies like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and gender inequality through governments programmes and policies.

The suggestion was made by Dreze at a three-day International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE II 2021), organised by the Gender Park under Kerala governments Department of Women and Child Development in association with UN Women on Thursday.

The scheme, which he called as Decentralized Urban Employment and Training (DUET), could be utilized for keeping public places like educational institutions, hospitals and bus and railway stations clean by taking the services of jobless people in cities and towns. At least one third of such jobs under DUET could be offered to women, Dr Dreze said and explained that under the scheme the government should issue job stamps to the employers instead of providing funds in cash in order to eliminate corruption in the form of ghost employees. Such employment should be offered only to those enrolled with workers' cooperatives to be launched under the scheme. He appealed to the Kerala government to try out the suggestion through a pilot project before scaling it up.

12:54 Class IX to XII classes reopen in Bengal

Kolkata: Schools in West Bengal today reopened for classes 9 to 12, following COVID-19 protocols. Bad idea, given the 12-hour bandh call by Left parties.

Left activists demanding jobs clashed with police in central Kolkata's Esplanade area on Thursday as they tried to break through barricades during their march towards Nabanna, leading to injuries to several participants and also the police.

Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organising committee head Yoshiro Mori announced his resignation on Friday over his remarks about women talking too much, which were branded "sexist" at home and abroad.

The 83-year-old former Prime Minister stepped down seven years after being appointed president of the organising body by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Mori made the announcement at a special meeting of its executive members.

Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto said at a press conference that she received a phone call from Mori on Thursday morning and was told of his planned resignation, Kyodo News reported."The government will make further efforts to restore trust and firmly disseminate the big concept of diversity and harmony, both domestically and internationally," Hashimoto said.On February 3, Mori complained about what he believes is women's tendency to talk too much and to have "a strong sense of rivalry" when he was asked about increasing gender diversity among board members of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC).However, a day later he issued an apology but insisted that he has no plan to step down.

The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and Twitter India on a plea seeking a mechanism for regulating content and advertisements spreading hatred through fake news and instigative messages via bogus accounts.

A bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian issued notice to the Centre and Twitter Communication India Pvt Ltd on the plea filed by one Vinit Goenka, which said there are hundreds of fake Twitter handles and bogus Facebook accounts in the name of eminent people and high dignitaries.

Advocate Ashwini Dubey, appearing for Goenka, said directions are needed for establishing a mechanism to regulate hateful content on the social networking site. The bench said that it is issuing notice in the matter and tagging the plea with other pending matters.

The plea filed through Dubey said, These fake Twitter handles and Facebook accounts use real photo of constitutional authorities and eminent citizens. Therefore, common man relies upon the messages published from these Twitter handles and Facebook accounts. The PIL said that fake news is the root cause of many riots, including the one in Delhi earlier this year, and bogus accounts are used to promote casteism and communalism which endangers fraternity and unity of the country.

It is submitted that presently total number of Twitter handles in India is around 35 million and total number of Facebook accounts is 350 million and experts says that around 10 per cent Twitter handles (3.5 million) and 10 per cent Facebook accounts (35 million) are duplicate/bogus/fake, the plea said. -- PTI

Aparna Sen. Pic courtesy, Vistaas PR

12:26 Aparna Sen, Konkona come together for 'The Rapist'

Applause Entertainment and Quest Films have joined hands for the upcoming movie titled The Rapist, which will focus on the aftermath and trauma of a violent sexual crime.

The film will be directed by one of the most celebrated filmmakers of India, Aparna Sen.

The project by Applause Entertainment comes after the success of its popular shows like Scam 1992 and Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors.

The Rapist will feature National film award-winning actor Konkona Sen Sharma, Arjun Rampal, and Tanmay Dhanania.

The film will tell the story of three protagonists and how their lives are interwoven because of one horrific incident.

The pre-production of The Rapist is currently underway while principal photography is set to begin in March.

File pic

12:13 Rescue via tunnel under Tapovan tunnel today

Two persons were rescued while 168 are still missing following the glacier burst in Chamoli, District Magistrate Swati Bhadoriya on Friday. 36 dead bodies have been recovered so far, she informed. As many as 206 people went missing after the glacier burst.

The rescue operations continued at Tapovan tunnel in Chamoli district on the sixth day following the disaster.

"Today, we will try to drill and gain entry into a smaller tunnel which is 12 meters below the existing tunnel as there might be a possibility of human presence there," DGP Uttarakhand Ashok Kumar.

"We have sent a team of SDRF & NDRF for recce after we received information about the formation of a lake in the area above Raini village.

"There's a possibility that water is being accumulated above Raini village near Tapovan area. Many aerial recces have been done. An 8-member SDRF team sent today on foot to assess the situation. Further action to be taken after evaluation."

Earlier on Thursday, the rescue operation was temporarily halted following a rise in the level of water in the Rishiganga River. Around 30 people are feared trapped inside the tunnel.

The Chamoli Police also informed that the water level in the Rishiganga is rising and the people living in nearby areas are being alerted.The police have requested people to be on alert and not to panic.

A glacier broke in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand on Sunday, which led to massive flooding in Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers and damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project.

11:51 Chanda Kochhar arrives in court

Former MD & CEO of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar arrives at Mumbai Sessions Court after she was summoned in ICICI Bank-Videocon loan case.

Offence is the best form of defence for the Centre. Responding to the statement of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on India-China issue on Friday, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said he (Rahul) must ask his grandfather (Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru) about who has given up India's territory to China.

"He must ask his grandfather (Jawaharlal Nehru) about who has given up India's territory to China, he will get the answer... Who is a patriot and who is not, the public knows it all," Reddy said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister RK Singh also said that the Bharatiya Janata Party government has shown the neighbouring countries that India will fight back if attacked."Our government has shown all the surrounding countries, especially in the north and west, that if you attack India, we will fight back and the world has seen it," Singh said.

He further added that Rahul Gandhi's statement is both unparliamentary and immature."He neither understands anything nor does he put an effort to understand things. I think his statement is both unparliamentary and immature," Singh added.

Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given away Indian Indian territory to China.

"The Indian position at the beginning of the situation in Eastern Ladakh was status quo-ante on April 2020. Now sheepishly, the Defence Minister makes a statement and we find that Indian troops are now going to be stationed at Finger 3. Finger 4 is our territory. That is where our post used to be. Why has the Prime Minister given up Indian territory to the Chinese?" he said at a press conference.

11:11 Kharge likely to become leader of Oppn in RS

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to replace Ghulam Nabi Azad as the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the party has written to the chairman of the Upper House of Parliament in this regard, sources said.

The Congress has written to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu for appointing Kharge to the post of leader of opposition after Azad's retirement, they added.

The post will fall vacant after Azad's tenure as a Rajya Sabha member ends on February 15.

Azad is a member of the Upper House from Jammu and Kashmir, which does not have an assembly currently after it was made a Union territory with the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.

Kharge, a Dalit leader from Karnataka, was the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019.

The grand old party could not get the leader of opposition's post in the previous and the current Lok Sabha as its numbers were less than the mandated 10 per cent of the total number of seats in the Lower House for claiming the post.

11:07 Rajya Sabha session for Saturday is cancelled

Rajya Sabha's sitting on Saturday has been cancelled, an official order from the RS secretariat stated.

"Members are informed that as announced in the House today (11.02.2021), the sitting of the Rajya Sabha fixed for Saturday, the 13th February 2021 has been cancelled. Accordingly, there will be no sitting of the House on that day," the order dated February 11 said.

The Budget Session began on January 29 with an address by President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of two houses of Parliament.

The first part of the session was scheduled to continue till February 15, however, it was later rescheduled to end on February 13.

The second part of the session will be held from March 8 to April 8.

Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur on Friday said Union Budget-21 is a hope to build a new, stronger and self-reliant India.

The minister said the Budget will set India on the path of becoming an economic and manufacturing powerhouse.

In Lok Sabha on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi attacked the Centre over farm laws while Union ministers hit back, accusing the Congress leader of spreading lies.

Salman Khan tweeted this image of himself

10:36 Salman thanks fans after court relief in false affidavit case

After getting relief in the alleged false affidavit presentation case from the Jodhpur district and sessions court on Thursday, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan extended his vote of thanks to fans for supporting and loving him throughout his tough days.

Khan hopped on to his social media accounts and shared a debonair picture of himself on Friday.

With the post he wrote, "To all my fans.. thank u for your love support n concern. Khayal rakho apna n parivaar ka (Take care of yourself and your family). God bless n loveee u," he captioned the post.

With the post hitting the photo-sharing platform, it garnered more than 1 million likes while scores of the Bajrangi Bhaijaan star's fans chimed into the comments section and left lovestruck messages for him.

This post came after the Jodhpur district and sessions court dismissed a petition filed by the Rajasthan government that alleged Salman Khan had presented a false affidavit related to the Arms Act in the blackbuck poaching case.

he petition stated that Khan said that his arms licence has been lost. However, investigations revealed that the actor has submitted it for renewal in Mumbai's Bandra.

On the other hand, another PIL earlier stated that the actor had submitted an affidavit citing the reason for not appearing to the court, which is an ache in his ear but he was found busy in a film shooting. However, the trial court has earlier quashed both of the petitions.

The lawyer representing the government said, "We have not received the copy of judgment yet. After receiving it we will think to take the matter to the high court."

Salman Khan was booked under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act for poaching two chinkaras in Bhawad village on September 26-27, 1998, and one chinkara in Mathania on September 28, 1998.

10:26 Left calls for 12-hour Bengal bandh

As Bengal geared up to reopen schools after a year, deserted roads and blocked trains greeted residents on Friday. While shops were shut in Siliguri amid 12-hour bandh call, protesters blocked rail track at Kanchrapara railway station in North 24 Paraganas.

The state government, however, said that no bandh will be observed and all government offices will remain open and employees staying away except for emergency, will result in a pay cut.

This comes amid tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Trinamool Congress ahead of the Bengal elections.

Union Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the "war" is not just to remove Mamata Banerjee from power in West Bengal or to strengthen the BJP but to turn the state into 'Sonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal), while the CM urged people not to allow the BJP to come to power and let the state live in peace.

Both the parties are indulged in an intense battle and are often seen attacking each other during election rallies.

Veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is all set to be the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha following the exit of another veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Congress has picked Mallikarjun Kharge as Ghulam Nabi Azads replacement. Congress will be informing the Rajya Sabha chairman on the appointment.

Ghulam Nabi Azad was among the four members in the Rajya Sabha who retired on Tuesday. Azad was given an emotional farewell by the House and PM Modi, who broke into tears while heaping praises on the Congress leader.

In his speech, PM Modi said it would be difficult for anyone to fill the shoes of Ghulam Azad as he cared not only about his political affiliation but also about the country and Rajya Sabha.

Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway will retire on February 15 while the terms of Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Shamsher Singh Manhas will end on February 10.

India has reported 9,309 new COVID19 cases, 15,858 discharges, and 87 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the health ministry data.

Total cases: 1,08,80,603

Total discharges: 1,05,89,230

Death toll: 1,55,447

Active cases: 1,35,926

Total Vaccination: 75,05,010

09:43 PM has given away territory to China: Rahul

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given away Indian Indian territory to China, alleged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday and said that the prime minister and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would have to answer for this.

"After our troops worked hard and captured the Kailash ranges, why have they been asked to move back? What has India got in return for this? The more important strategic area - Depsang plains, why have the Chinese not moved back? Why have they not withdrawn from Gogra and Hot Springs? Narendra Modi has given away Indian territory to China and has bowed his head before them," he alleged.

The Congress leader further called PM Modi a 'coward' who cannot stand up to the Chinese.

"The Prime Minister is a coward who cannot stand up to the Chinese. He is spitting on the sacrifice of our army. He is betraying the sacrifice of our army. Nobody in India should be allowed to do it. It is the responsibility of the PM to protect the territory of this country. How he does it is his problem, not mine," he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had on Thursday informed the Parliament that India would not allow an inch of our territory to be taken by anyone.

"India's strategy and approach during disengagement talks with China is based on directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that we will not allow an inch of our territory to be taken by anyone. It is a result of our firm resolve that we have reached the situation of an agreement," he had said.

The two countries have been engaged in a stand-off along the Line of Actual Control since April-May last year. While China began amassing massive military strength along the LAC, India responded with a befitting build-up.

-- ANI

09:23 Cong poses 8 questions to Centre on Ladakh

The Congress questioned Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs statement on the disengagement exercise between Indian and Chinese troops on the LAC and accused the government of "compromising national security and India's territorial integrity".

Congress chief spokesperson and general secretary Randeep Surjewala alleged the government was "disengaging its troops in Ladakh without giving an assurance as to when would there be status quo ante as on April 2020 when unprovoked Chinese incursions into India's territory and military build-up started".

"Modi government is brazenly compromising 'National Security' & India's 'Territorial Integrity'. This is clear from Defence Minister's statement in Rajya Sabha today on the Chinese Incursions in Eastern Ladakh," Surjewala said in a presss briefing.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scared of even uttering the word 'China', much less ensuring that Chinese are pushed back decisively from illegal occupation of India's territory in Depsang Plains, Gogra-Hot Springs Sector, Pangong Tso Lake Area and Chumur, Southern Ladakh," Surjewala alleged.

"Defence Minister, on the other hand, seeks to mislead and misinform, without giving full assurance on Chinese withdrawal from India's territory in aforementioned areas," Surjewala further alleged.

The Congress listed out 8 questions for the government on India-China border tension and Rajnath Singh's statement on the matter:

1. Modi government and Defence Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh refuse to give an unequivocal assurance for restoration of 'Status Quo Ante' as on April, 2020 by the Chinese i.e. the date and month when unprovoked Chinese incursions into our territory and military build-up started. Can the Prime Minister and Defence Minister explain their complete and total failure in protecting India's territorial integrity?"

2. Modi government has always maintained that there has to be 'complete disengagement and withdrawal of troops by the Chinese in entire Ladakh area'. Why is Modi government then agreeing to a selective disengagement only in Pangong Tso Lake Area and that also by presumably changing the LAC to India's disadvantage?

3.Even in Pangong Tso Lake Area, India was occupying Finger 4 and was patrolling upto Finger 8 on the North Bank. India's stance has been clear and unequivocal - LAC is upto Finger 8. As per Defence Minister's statement, Indian troops will withdraw now to Finger 3. Does it not tantamount to redrawing the LAC to India's disadvantage and creating a buffer zone between Finger 3 and Finger 8, i.e., on our side of the LAC? Is this not a blatant compromise on India's territorial integrity?

4. Our forces had shown extraordinary courage and valour in face of the Chinese aggression and had occupied the vantage points on 'Kailash Ranges' on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake Area. Defence Minister's statement today would mean that our Armed Forces will be withdrawing from these vantage points in Kailash Ranges on the Southern Bank. Will the Prime Minister and Defence Minister explain as to why is Modi Government agreeing to withdraw Indian Armed Forces from dominant positions in Kailash Ranges where the Chinese are at a disadvantage, without any quid pro quo by China? Does it not compromise National Security?

5. One of the most strategic and provocative incursions into the Indian territory by Chinese is in 'Depsang Plains'. Chinese have occupied our territory 18 kilometres inside the LAC upto Y-Junction (bottleneck) and are stopping our Armed Forces from patrolling upto the PP-10, PP-11, PP-11A, PP-12 and PP-13. This has also jeopardized one of the most important and strategically placed Air Strips i.e. DBO Air Strip (DBO-Daulat Beg Oldi).

Even in the year 2013, China had intruded upto the Y-Junction and there was nearly a six months long stand off between Indian and Chinese Forces. The then UPA-Congress Government and our Armed Forces successfully pushed the Chinese back to LAC at that point of time without ceding any territory.

Why is Modi Government not mentioning a word of pushing the Chinese back to original position on LAC and removing Chinese incursions upto Y-Junction in Depsang Plains? Can such brazen incursion into our territory by the Chinese be tolerated?

6. Chinese aggression and incursions have continued in 'Gogra-Hot Springs'. Why are the PM and Defence Minister completely mum on pushing the Chinese back from Gogra-Hot Springs?

7. As per reports, Chinese are also patrolling upto Chumur in Southern Ladakh. Why are the PM and Defence Minister not addressing this important strategic issue at all?

8. A senior Minister, Gen V.K. Singh undermined India's position by making statement contrary to National Interests and giving a handle to China to unjustifiably paint India as the aggressor. Why are PM and Defence Minister absolutely mum on this unpardonable compromise of India's National Security by a sitting minister? Why has Mr. V.K. Singh not been sacked for undermining India's strategic position? Does the PM and Defence Minister's silence indicate that the statement was made by Shri V.K. Singh at the behest of the Modi Government? If so, what is the reason for this brazen compromise of India's National Security?

The rescue operations continued at Tapovan tunnel in Chamoli district on the sixth day following the glacier burst, informed the State Government on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, the rescue operation was temporarily halted following a rise in the level of water in the Rishiganga River. Around 30 people are feared trapped inside the tunnel.

As many as 36 bodies have been recovered from different areas hit by the glacier burst in Chamoli district, while 204 people are still missing.

The Chamoli Police also informed that the water level in the Rishiganga is rising and the people living in nearby areas are being alerted.

The police have requested people to be on alert and not to panic.

-- ANI

US President Joe Biden has been very clear about "restoring compassion and order" to the country's immigration system, the White House said and noted that a series of executive actions signed by him in the last few weeks are just the beginning.

"The executive actions signed thus far are just the beginning," a White House spokesperson said.

"President Biden has been very clear about restoring compassion and order to our immigration system, and correcting the divisive, inhumane, and immoral policies of the past four years, which is our focus in the coming weeks and months," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson was responding to a question on an influential immigration advocacy group representing Indian-Americans urging the Biden administration not to issue the most sought-after H-1B work visa to any individual born in India, till the time the discriminatory country-cap on green cards or permanent legal residency is removed.

In a statement, Aman Kapoor, president of Immigration Voice called on the Biden administration to use its authority under INA Section 212(f) to exclude any new individual born in India who are not currently in the United States legally from obtaining a new H-1B visa for the first time in Fiscal Year 2022.

-- PTI

Top government sources said that the first phase of disengagement, currently underway in Pangong Tso in Ladakh, will be complete in 15-20 days. The strategic heights India has occupied in the south bank will be the last to be vacated in this phase, they added.

"There is an agreement. A mutual verification will happen at every step. The Kailash range will see disengagement once we are satisfied with the way things progress in other parts of Pangong Tso," a senior officer was quoted as saying.

The disengagement of tanks and armoured vehicles in south bank was completed by Thursday evening; there were more than 100 tanks on both sides.

The 10th Corps Commander meeting will be held 48 hours after disengagement in Pangong Tso is complete. This is when other friction points like Depsang and Gogra Hotsprings and Demchok will be discussed, sources said.

"This is a positive step. The Chinese have agreed to go back to Finger 8 in the North Bank. From here on, we expect the process to play out as planned. The Chinese rapidly led out their tanks from the south bank yesterday. But let's see how things play out," said the top source.

The Aam Aadmi Party claimed on Thursday that the Centre had sanctioned more than 2 acres of posh land at just Rs 2 crore to the Delhi BJP to build its office, a charge rejected by the saffron party as baseless.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed the land at the Deendayal Upadhyaya Marg was not for building any political party office, but a school.

"At one side, the BJP government harasses the ruling party of Delhi and try to evict them from their party office. On the other side, it provides land to the BJP at negligible prices," the legislator said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Bharadwaj demanded that the Delhi BJP must disclose how could they get 10,000 square yards of land in "just Rs 2 crores". "Here, no one can buy 2 yards of land with this money!" he said.

"On behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party, I want to ask the BJP whether it is true that this land was sanctioned to build schools or not," he said.

The Delhi BJP said the AAP was describing the land as a 10,000 sq yard though it was only 809 sq metres and the amount was deposited in 2001 at the prevailing rates. It said the ruling party was showing the amount in today's time, which was a "total lie".

Bharadwaj added that the Centre had asked AAP to pay crores of rupees as rent for the party office, alleging that the BJP government "had also tried to evict us from this office repeatedly".

"The BJP should come clean and tell us whether they have any shame or not to own such a party office despite having such a negligible number of assembly seats in Delhi," he added.

Reacting to it, BJP general secretary Kuljeet Singh Chahal said: "On the contrary, it is the AAP which has constructed its office on government land."

Neither the AAP has the land allotted for this, nor deposited any amount in this regard, Chalal alleged.

He said the government policy was that all political parties should be allotted land in Delhi and it had applied accordingly for land for its office in 2001.

The party then moved the Delhi High Court for getting this piece of land and it was on May 12, 2010, that the land was allotted to us, Chalal said, adding the BJP really had to work very hard for this.

He accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of running a government like "land-grabbers" who cared neither for the Constitution nor courts.

"In order to do his own politics, Kejriwal does not even have respect for the national flag," he alleged. -- PTI

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