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You may follow The Indian Express’s news and analysis through the day on indianexpress.com DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES SINCE 1932 `6.00 (`8 BIHAR &RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THE EDITORIAL PAGE NO DATE SET FOR NEXT MEETING Faced pressure but FOODMATHS: IMBALANCESIN CEREALECONOMY Talksbreakdown,Centretellsfarmers went by scientists BY JEAN DRÈZE PAGE 10 wehavemadebestoffer,reconsider on vaccines: PM Bihar warns bid to dispel doubts Some forces don’t MSP to APMCs: of action for Suggests vaccination competitions by want to see this SC panel puts hospitals to move to 2nd phase quickly online posts resolved: Tomar up questions to MAULSHREESETH against govt; draw farmers BUSINESSASUSUAL HARIKISHANSHARMA LUCKNOW,JANUARY22 &RAAKHIJAGGA BY UNNY Opp calls it NEWDELHI,LUDHIANA,JAN22 HARIKISHANSHARMA CRITICISINGPOLITICS over coro- NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 navirus vaccines and trying to al- draconian TALKSBETWEEN the Centreand layfearsregarding the same, farmer unions demandingthe ■Areyou awareabout the im- PrimeMinister NarendraModi repeal of the newagriculture plications of legalising MSP? said Fridaythathehad been un- SANTOSHSINGH laws brokedownFriday after ■Do youthink theremay be risk der alot of "pressure" but leftthe PATNA,JANUARY22 weeksofnegotiation. The gov- of acquiring land by the corpo- call on when to introduce the ernmentmade it clear to the rate sector or the contractor? vaccines to scientists. IN Amove that hasbeen de- farmers that itsproposal to sus- Farmers’ representativesafter themeetinginNew Delhi on Friday. Amit Mehra ■ Thereare apprehensions that In atelevisedinteractionwith scribed as “draconian and un- pend the laws for18months was the provisions in the Actwill col- beneficiaries and vaccinators of warranted”bythe Opposition, the “best” it could offer, and lapse APMCmarkets. Do youfeel the Covid vaccines in his con- Bihar Police have issuedacircu- farmers could return to the talks so? If yes, howwill it be respon- stituency Varanasi, he also urged lar warning that those making table afterarethink. sible forthe collapseofAPMC peopletobelieve health workers “objectionable and indecent” The hardening of the Centre’s Opp partiestarget ‘rigid’Govt, markets? and doctors, andsuggestedthat commentsonlineagainstthe position wasevidentwhen, at These aresome of the ques- hospitals initiate"competitions tions raisedregarding emer- stategovernment, Ministers, the very startofthe meeting, tions in afeedbackform pre- in vaccination" so that the coun- gency use clearance to the in- MLAs, MPs and officials can be Union AgricultureMinister plan to turn up heat in Parliament pared by the Supreme Court- trycould move quicklytothe sec- digenouslydeveloped Covaxin booked under the IT Actand the NarendraSingh Tomar objected appointed committee seeking ond phase of the drive. despitesome missingdata Indian Penal Code. to the SamyuktaKisan Morcha’s Budget sessionofParliament NCPchief Sharad Pawarslated to "suggestions" of farmers and Without referring to ques- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 “Wehavebeen,oflate, get- announcement Thursday MANOJCG starting next week. participateinaprotestin other stakeholders on the three ting information aboutthe use evening that the farmer unions NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 Sources told The Indian Mumbai on January25. contentious farm laws andthe of objectionable and indecent had rejectedthe Centre’s offerto Express that Congress president “Parliament will reconvene demand forlegal guarantee for languagebeing usedagainstthe suspend the laws. WITH TALKSbetween the Sonia Gandhi is likelytoconvene in aweek’s time. It is the Budget minimumsupportprice (MSP). government, Ministers, MPs, ItislearnedthatTomartoldthe Centreand farm unions break- ameeting of Opposition leaders session, of course. But thereare The feedbackform, available MLAs and government officials unions that since the talkswere ing down, Opposition parties ahead of the session to discuss so manypressing issuesofpub- on the committee’s webpage, through social media/ Internet. scheduledFriday,theyshouldhave Fridayslammedthe strategy,and that they areal- lic concern that needtobede- contains 20 multiple-choice This is againstprovisions of the communicated their decision to Government foradopting a ready in touchwith eachother. bated and discussedfully. questions dividedinto5sections. lawand comesunder the do- the government instead of an- “rigid” stand and signalledthat The Opposition parties have Whether the Government will While Sections A, B, and Cdeal main of cyber crime... Forthisact, nouncing it to themedia first. theywillraisethe issueforcefully also decidedtohold street agita- agree howeverremains to be with the three farm laws,Section it is apttotakeactionagainst CONTINUEDONPAGE2 and“vociferously”duringthe tions over the farm laws,with CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 suchoffenders,"statesthe circu- lar issuedbyBihar Police's Economic Offences Unit (EOU). The circular,whichisdated January21and signedby EXPRESS NETWORK Additional DGP(EOU and Cyber Chief MinisterUddhavThackeray with Cyrus Poonawalla Crime) NHKhan, has been sent and Adar Poonawalla in Pune on Friday. Ashish Kale to principal secretaries and sec- retaries of all stategovernment departments. It states that the EOU isthenodal agency forcyber Fire loss Rs 1,000 cr; crime, and that all principal sec- retaries and secretaries should bring “suchmatters” to itsnotice ANOTHERMINISTER BCG, rota vaccines so that “action can be initiated”. Reacting sharplytothe circu- QUITS IN BENGAL, lar,RJD leader andLeader of BJP INVITES HIMTO capacity hit: Serum Opposition TejashwiPrasad JOIN THEIR PARTY Yadavtweetedthat “in the birth- PAGE 5 CEO Adar Poonawallasaidata place of the Republic”, Bihar Chief EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE press conferenceonFriday. MinisterNitish Kumar “has been PUNE,JANUARY22 “By God’s grace, and prayers ripping apartdemocraticvalues”. THE CITY by all of us, the fire incidenttook Yadavsaidthe Opposition VACCINE-MAKER Serum placeinanother building and willnot allowthe JD(U)-BJPgov- InstituteofIndia has said it suf- Covishield production and stock ernment to “takeawaydemo- feredlosses worthatleast wasnot affected at all,” he said. cratic rights of the people”. Rs 1,000croreinThursday’s fire, Five workersengaged in elec- JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj although the production or sup- trical and air-conditioning jobs Kumar said the government's plies of the Covid-19vaccine re- were killed in the fire thaten- move is in accordance with the mainedunaffected. gulfed thethree upperfloors of a lawand will “apply to everyone”. NORTHEAST DELHI: “The fire incidentwillnot af- newly-constructed six-storey “Thereisnothing offensive about fect Covishield supplies,but it buildingonthe Serum campus in it,” he said. BJP PLANS ‘RATH has damaged the rotavirus and Pune'sManjhariareaonThursday. ADGP Khan latersaidpolice BEFORE THE PARADE YATRA’ FOR RAM BCGvaccine manufacturingand “Wewerehoping that there will nottakeany suo motu action. MANDIR DONATIONS storagefacilities. It is abig finan- wasnolossoflife.When we got “Wewill take action onlyif Artists taking partinthe Republic Daytableauxundergo Covid-19test, in NewDelhi on Friday. Praveen Khanna PAGE 3 cial loss forus, morethan an initial reportthattherehas CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Rs 1,000 crore,”Serum Institute CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Rajasthan bats for retd IAS officer, now Green laws passed at CWCASKSFOR JPCPROBE advisor to cricket body led by CM son instance of foreign ‘AllMinisters with us’: Arnab’s chats Files plea to withdraw corruption ED powers: NHAI in HC makeBJP do some social distancing case against himand twoothers Withdrawal PLAIN E ring to aUNconference. mandeda"time-bound investi- ● symptom government has movedanap- EX EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE The submission wasmadeby LIZMATHEW&MANOJCG His WhatsApp gation” into“the breachofna- DEEPMUKHERJEE plication at the trial stageto BENGALURU,JANUARY22 aDeputy General Manager of NEWDELHI,JANUARY22 chatswith tional security,violations of the JAIPUR,JANUARY22 withdraw thecase againstthem IN ITS 2016 chargesheet, NHAI in objections to awritpe- ex-BARCCEO Official SecretsAct andthe role at aspecial courtset up forhear- the stateACB had accused THE NATIONAL Highways tition filedbythe NGO, United THE BJP and the Centrehave submittedto of the persons involved." FOUR YEARS afterchargesheets ing cases under the Prevention the three bureaucratsof Authority of India (NHAI) has Conservation Movement, avoidedreactingtothe court Congress president Sonia were filedagainstthree bureau- of Corruption Act. criminal conspiracy foral- landedintrouble in the againsta2013 notificationofthe WhatsApp chatsbetween Gandhi criticisedwhat she called crats, including an IAS officer — Twochargesheets againstthe lotting land belonging to a Karnataka High Courtfor claim- Union EnvironmentMinistrydo- Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami the “deafening” silence of the who is nowretired andisanad- three officials —GSSandhu, IAS housing society to apri- ing in