DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2020, PUNE, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES SINCE 1932 `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM RELEASES PM-KISAN TRANCHE TO OVER 9CRORE FARMERS Himachal’s‘love jihad’ law has intent clause, which ProtestsanOppositionploy,saysPM, HC had struck down signalsnoyieldondemandforrepeal GAGAN Himachal &APURVAVISHWANATH Pradesh SHIMLA,NEWDELHI, Chief DECEMBER25 MinisterJai TargetsMamatafor denying PM-Kisan, RamThakur Experiment WHILE THE BJP governmentin askswhy no stir forAPMC in Kerala Himachal Pradesh brought into with laws forcealaw lastweek requiring a other BJP-ruledstates. PM rural person to give prior notice to au- Section 7ofthe Himachal Act HARIKISHANSHARMA ED Noblink for ayear or thorities forconverting to an- requires an individual to submit housing &RAVISHTIWARI likeon other religion and outlawing a “declaration” of intention to NEWDELHI,DECEMBER25 PLAIN E conversions solelyfor marriage, convert freelyand withoutcoer- ● landlaws EX two, change in 2012,the state High Courthad cion from one religion to the scheme lags AMONTH intothe farmers' struckdownsimilar provisions other,tothe DistrictMagistrate. protests at the capital’s borders, UNLIKE CLIMBDOWN on in an older version brought by The provision also requires the way behind PrimeMinister NarendraModi the land ordinance, PM if needed: the then Congress government priestorreligious figurepresid- effectively drew aline on Friday has put his foot down on as unconstitutional and violative ing over the conversion to give a targetin re-affirming his endorsement of the farm laws.This even Rajnath of fundamental rights. month’s notice to theDM. the three laws andblaming his as talksare on with Severalprovisions in the On August30, 2012,atwo- politicalopponents forwhat he unions on the new Himachal Pradesh Freedom of judgeBenchofthe High Court Pune district said wastheir bid to “mislead” labour codes. By target- DIPANKARGHOSE Religion Act, 2019,havebeen had struckdownthe Himachal farmers. ing the Opposition, the NEWDELHI,DECEMBER25 emulated almostwordtoword Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, His remarks markhis PM has also dared them by Uttar Pradesh in the anti-con- 2006,passedduring the then ATIKHRASHID strongestpublic assertion to wage apoliticalbattle BACKINGTHE Prime Minister’s version lawthat it passedlast Congress regime, thathad con- PUNE,DECEMBER25 againstthe demand that the againstthese laws. messagetofarmers on thenew month, and whichisbeing tainedthe exact same provision, laws be repealed. By framing it farm laws,Defence Minister looked uponasanexampleby CONTINUEDONPAGE2 WITH ONLY8,867homes con- as an event attendedbyvirtually Rajnath Singhstruckaconcilia- structed in Pune districtsince its the entireCouncil of Ministers, Slamming the Opposition for PM NarendraModi with Leader of OppositionGhulam Nabi tory tone Fridaywhen he asked launchin2016-17, the Pradhan the Prime Ministerindicated his what he calledits “dogali”(dou- Azad at afunction to markformer PM ABVajpayee’s birth farmers to “experiment” with the MP Govt debates its version Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin resolve to use his political capi- blespeak) policy over the new anniversary, in the Central Hall of Parliament on Friday. PTI newlawsfor “one-twoyears” be- scheme is lagging waybehind taltopush these laws. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 fore seeking the settargetof21,818rural anychange, of law today, includesalimony homes by 2020-2021. while Home Among the issues hampering MinisterAmit the implementation of the Farmers respond: It’s clear Govt will not back Shah said the IRAMSIDDIQUE Madhya PMAY(G), whichaims at con- government BHOPAL,DECEMBER25 Pradesh CM structing homes forall homeless had an “open Shivraj families in rural areas by 2022 down, we are prepared forthe longhaul mind” on any ENSURINGALIMONY or mainte- Singh and is one of the flagship pro- clausethat nance forwomen forced into Chouhan grammes of Prime Minister retary of BKU(Dakaunda) and ‘Painful to farmers felt marriagefor the purpose of reli- NarendraModi, arethe fact that RAAKHIJAGGA working committee member of see farmers wasnot in gious conversion and aprovision manybeneficiaries do notown CHANDIGARH,DECEMBER25 the All India Kisan Sangharsh protesting’ their interest. to declaresuchmarriages null the newlaw will replacethe ex- plots to construct houses,short- Coordination Committee Singh said and void aresome of the clauses isting MP Dharma Swatantrya ageand highcostofsand and in- RESPONDINGTOthe Prime (AIKSCC), said the Prime he spoketo that will be partofthe Madhya Adhiniyam, 1968,law.The BJP sufficient financial assistance. Minister’s speechFriday, farmer Minister's speech showedthat Prime MinisterNarendraModi Pradesh Freedom to Religion Bill, government argues thatthe 1968 Under the scheme, an- unions, protesting againstthe the government wasnot going twodays ago, and he had em- 2020, whichisall settobedis- lawisoutdated andisbeing re- nouncedin2015, abeneficiary newfarmlaws, warnedofa to repeal the laws. phasisedthe needtocontinue cussedinaspecial Cabinetses- workedin lightofthe experience gets Rs 1.2lakh as central assis- “long struggle”, saying it wasev- “Butwewill notleave (the talkswith farmers. He said it siononSaturday, ahead of being of the past50yearsinthe state tance forthe construction of a ident that the government borders of Delhi) till these arere- was “painful” to see farmers put up in the upcoming three- regarding forced conversions, house of aminimum 25 square seemedtobeinnomood to back pealed. Our fight is againstthe protesting. daywinter session that will start with improved definitions and metres. The beneficiaryalso gets down on the laws. undemocratic ways…first, they Addressing arallyinDwarka, on December 28. higher penalties to prohibitsuch Rs 12,000 under the Swachh AAP MPs protestinthe Central HallofParliament,Friday. PTI JagmohanSingh,general sec- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Once passedbythe Assembly, CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Bharat Mission (SBM) forcon- struction of toilets and Rs 18,000 under the Mahatma Gandhi NationalEmployment Guarantee AS ROLLOUT OF COVID-19 VACCINE NEARS Scheme forworking on the con- struction. Thus, the total fund re- Dry run planned in 4states: AAI seeks 2.5 acres in Pune; ceivedfromthe government stands at Rs 1.5lakh per unit. Dataobtainedfromthe Pune focus on delivery,cold airports and airlines prepare zillaparishad shows that the CONTINUEDONPAGE2 chain, adverse event watch to be hubs for distribution coronavirus, India could be just KAUNAINSHERIFFM days away from granting regula- PRANAVMUKUL B USINESSASUSUAL NEWDELHI,DECEMBER25 tory approval forthe shot. The in- NEWDELHI,DECEMBER25 oculationexercise is expected to BY UNNY FORTWO days at the beginning beginsoonafter. Withover10 mil- THE AIRPORTS Authority of India of next week,Indiawill hold a lion totalinfections,India is the (AAI) is close to finalising an dryrun forthe largest andmost world's second worstaffected arrangement withthe Indian Air ambitious mass immunisation country, even though dailycase Forcetoreceive 2.5acres of land programme in itshistory. numbershave beenfallingconsis- adjacent to Puneairport, to be Thedummyvaccinationexer- tentlyoverthepastthreemonths. utilisedfor thetransportofvac- cise will becarriedout in twodis- The dryrun will proceed cines from thefacilitiesofvac- The Serum InstituteofIndia trictseachoffourstatesatthefour through four keysteps, which cine manufacturer Serum in Pune. Express file corners of the nation —Andhra will be monitored closelybythe InstituteofIndia nearby. Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, and central government: “The transfer of the land, Assam—onDecember28and29. ■ Eachdistrictwill receive whichiscurrentlyownedbythe change, and AAI has finalisedthe Withseveralcountriesaround the dummyvaccine for100ben- IAF,toPune airport has been a plan forthis,” asenior govern- the worldhaving already begun eficiaries from the nearestdepot; longstanding demand of the AAI. ment official said. vaccination againstthe novel CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Theyhaveasked foraland ex- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 With CPMsince Class5,21-year-old is settobeThiruvananthapuram mayor PAGE 1 "Ours is aparty family,"says fa- cal bodies arereserved for ment. “But all my teachers and ANCHOR ther KMRajendran, explaining women, while topelected posts friends arereallyhelpful. Iwill Arya's interestinpolitics. arekeptaside forwomen foral- figureout away to continue my Rajendran, wifeSreelatha,anLIC ternateterms. The lastmayor be- studies as well,” she says. agent, and son Aravind, who did ing popular leader VKPrasanth, The family, that livesina ARUNJANARDHANAN automobileengineering and it wasthe turn of awoman to smallhouse in CHENNAI,DECEMBER25 worksinthe Middle Eastnow, hold the post. The twowomen Thiruvananthapuram paying a areCPM members too. leaders the CPMhad projected rent of Rs 6,000 permonth, ARYA RAJENDRAN, 21 and asec- The 21-year-old firstbecame as mayorcandidates both lost neverdiscouraged her participa- ond year B.Sc Maths student, associated with the party when the election. tion in politics, including exten- could be the country's youngest she joinedits children's collec- Despite being active in poli- sive travel across Kerala. “Ihave mayorever. The daughter of an tive Baalasangham as earlyas tics foryears, Arya had to keep visited almost all thedistrictsin electrician, whose entirefamily Class 5. "Later,Ibecame the dis- Arya Rajendran. Facebook her academic lifeapart. Both her the state. But my onlytravelout- aresupportersoftheCPM,Arya