RNI NO.: DELENG/2005/15351 millenniumpost.in REGD. NO.: DL(S)-01/3420/2018-20 PUBLISHED FROM DELHI & KOLKATA VOL.16, ISSUE 76 | Wednesday, 17 March, 2021 | New Delhi | Pages 12 | Rs 3.00 NO HALF TRUTHS AAP TO PROTEST AT THAROOR IN LS: UNIVERSITY WHO: VACCINE I’M ALWAYS JANTAR MANTAR CAMPUSES HAVE NO ROLLOUT UNAFFECTED SEARCHING FOR AGAINST BILL RAISING LONGER REMAINED BY CONCERNS OVER SOMETHING: L-G’S POWERS PG3 INCLUSIVE SPACES PG5 ASTRAZENECA PG8 RANDEEP PG12 Maharashtra in beginning Not all banks will be privatised: FM of 2nd Covid wave, says Says interest of workers will be protected; Cong asks govt to accept demands of unions Central team report OUR CORRESPONDENT Minister Indira Gandhi so Highlights that the poor and small and NEW DELHI: Amidst » “I want to assure it is not medium businesses can make huge uproar from the that the institutions are use of them. Opposition and bank unions going to be closed or The government wants over privatisation of public workers are going to be to hand over the country’s sector banks, Union Finance removed. Whether it is wealth to a few by privatising minister Nirmala Sitharaman the salaries or scale or nationalised banks, he alleged. on Tuesday assured that the pension of employees, all “We demand that the interests of workers of such will be taken care of” government should come banks will be completely clean on the issue. The protected. » Sitharaman’s statement demands of the workers of While addressing the comes at a time when the nationalised bank must be media after announcing bank unions have called accepted,” he said. Cabinet decisions, the Union for a two-day nationwide On the other hand, Burdi flyover wears a deserted look during a complete lockdown, in minister said: “I want to assure Railways minister Piyush strike to protest against Nagpur, on Tuesday it is not that the institutions are Goyal on Tuesday asserted PTI Union minister Nirmala the privatisation of two going to be closed or workers Bank employees shout slogans during a protest on the second day of the Sitharaman addresses the that Indian Railways will are going to be removed. nationwide strike, in Patiala, on Tuesday PTI press on Tuesday NAVEEN SHARMA public sector banks never be privatised but said India records 24,492 new cases, 131 deaths Whether it is the salaries or private investment should be scale or pension of employees, to disruption in services as too will continue to function government to accept the (LIC) employees have given a encouraged for more efficient OUR CORRESPONDENT 7-11 inferred in its report that all will be taken care of.” over 10 lakh employees have after privatisation. demands of the nine unions strike call on March 18, Leader functioning. the administrative mechanism Stressing that not all banks joined the protests. In her Budget Speech of PSBs that are on a two-day of the Opposition in Rajya Replying to a discussion NEW DELHI: Maharashtra is should be re-instated to the will be privatised, the Finance Further, stressing on on February 1, Sitharaman strike and accused the Centre Sabha and senior Congress on Demands for Grants for in the beginning of the second level witnessed in August- minister said: “We have the operations of banks, had announced that the of working for the benefit of a leader Mallikarjun Kharge Railways in the Lok Sabha, COVID-19 wave, a central team September 2020 to contain/ announced a Public Enterprise Sitharaman said there are quite government proposes to take few “crony capitalists”. said. Goyal said there has been no report has said, highlighting suppress Covid transmission. Policy and identified four areas a few banks in the economy up the privatisation of two Congress leader Rahul Despite so many people death of any passenger in rail that there is very limited active “ln all the districts visited where public sector presence but “we need banks which will Public Sector Banks (PSBs) Gandhi alleged that selling going on strike and protesting accidents in the past two years effort to track, test, isolate cases by the central team, the test will be there. Financial sector be able to scale up”. and one general insurance Public Sector Banks to the policy of privatisation, the and the Railways has been and quarantine contacts, and positivity rate was high, ranging too is included in this. But, Recollecting the move company in the year 2021-22. “cronies” will compromise the government is neither listening putting an enormous focus on there is no adherence to Covid from 51 per cent in Mumbai not all banks are going to be where the government had This would requirecountry’s financial security. He to them nor looking to solve passenger safety. appropriate behaviour among to 30 per cent in Aurangabad, privatised.” merged 10 PSU banks into 4 legislative amendments and she also accused the government their problems. The Lok Sabha later passed people in rural and urban implying that there are lot many Sitharaman’s statement major entities last year, she said: had proposed to introduce the of “privatising profit” and The government has taken the Demands for Grants for areas. cases that are not being tested comes at a time when bank “We need more banks of the amendments in the ongoing “nationalising loss”. a decision to privatise two Railways for 2021-22. India, meanwhile, recorded and there is high transmission unions have called for a two- size of the State Bank of India Budget session of Parliament Public sector bank public sector banks without “Indian Railways will never 24,492 new COVID-19 cases, in the community,” the report day nationwide strike to protest (SBI) to meet the aspirational itself. The government has employees began their two-day consulting the 75 crore account be privatised. It is a property registering more than 20,000 underlined. “The absence against the privatisation of two needs of the country.” merged 14 Public Sector Banks strike on Monday, employees of holders, Kharge told reporters of every Indian and will cases for the sixth day in a row, of rigorous tracing, testing public sector banks. She emphasised that even in the last four years. general insurance companies outside Parliament. remain so,” Goyal said, adding taking the infection tally past and containment is leading State-run banks have been those banks which are likely to Meanwhile, the Congress will strike on March 17, and He said top 14 banks were that it will remain with the 1.14 crore, the Union Health to sustained community on strike since Monday, leading be privatised, the institutions on Tuesday asked the Life Insurance Corporation nationalised by former Prime Government of India. ministry said on Tuesday. transmission,” it said. The total cases in the “The case-contact ratio country rose to 1,14,09,831, is more than 1:20. Though it while the death toll increased appears high, a deep dive into Shah interfering in EC’s work: Mamata to 1,58,856, with 131 fresh the methodology of contact New Delhi world’s most polluted fatalities, the ministry data tracing revealed that the main PRITESH BASU on a wheelchair even 200 throughout the night and updated at 8 am showed. concept of contact tracing was km away from Kolkata, holding meetings. Instead Based on the central team not clearly understood by field- capital for 3rd straight year: Report MEJIA: Trinamool said: “Will the Union Home of running the country, he report, Union Health Secretary level staff, who were mainly Congress (TMC) supremo, minister run the country or (Shah) is conspiring whom Rajesh Bhushan has written listing the immediate family on Tuesday, upped her hatch conspiracy sitting in to kill, whom to get arrested a letter to the Maharashtra and neighbourhood contacts, OUR CORRESPONDENT one of the major contributors to attack on Union Home Bengal overnight to harass and against whom (central) government, stating “measures for the sake of listing. India’s leading PM2.5 emission minister Amit Shah and us? I respect the EC and want agency has to be pressed. such as night curfews, weekend “The high-risk contacts NEW DELHI: Twenty-two of sources across cities, the report stated that he was interfering free and fair elections. But Houses of industrialists lockdowns etc. have very in workplace settings, social the world’s 30 most polluted said. with the functioning of the who is Amit Shah to interfere have also been raided. limited impact on containing/ settings and family settings cities are in India, with Delhi Contextualising the global Election Commission (EC) in day-to-day functioning Notices have been sent to suppressing the transmission” were not investigated and being ranked as the most IQAir report in the Indian and the move to change of the EC. My security the Home Secretary. Leaders and urged the state to focus on listed,” the report highlighted. polluted capital city globally, a context, Avinash Chanchal, her security-in-charge was in-charge (Vivek Sahai) has of farmers’ agitation in strict containment strategies, Maharashtra Health new report said on Tuesday. Climate Campaigner at a part of a ploy to kill her. been removed. What do they Nandigram are being issued strengthening surveillance and minister Rajesh Tope has The report is prepared by Greenpeace India said while Threatening to stage a sit-in want? Do they want to kill warrants. Will everyone augmenting testing. demanded 2.20 crore COVID- Swiss organisation, IQAir, in the many cities, including Delhi, protest, ‘if needed’ in front me,” Banerjee said. who took part in Nandigram In a letter to Maharashtra 19 vaccine doses from the form of the ‘World Air Quality have recorded marginal of the EC’s office, she said The EC had changed and Singur agitations face Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte, Centre for the ongoing Report, 2020’, which has been Haryana, and Muzaffarpur in improvements in air quality Shah, instead of looking her security-in-charge after notices?” Bhushan said even though inoculation drive in the state.