AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 36 Benchmark indices Sensex & Nifty continued their record-set- India defeated Australia by 8 wickets to win second Test SENSEX, NIFTY CONTINUE ting spree on Tuesday as investor sentiment remained upbeat INDIA BEATS AUSTRALIA match on Day 4 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to square RECORD RUN, CLOSE STRONG AT amid positive domestic as well as global cues. After scaling an BY EIGHT WICKETS, the 4-match series. India stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane intra-day high of 47,715, 30-share BSE rose 259 points to finish became the first recipient of prestigious Mullagh Medalas 259 & 59 POINTS RESPECTIVELY at 47,613; while NSE Nifty settled 59 points to close at 13,933. LEVELS SERIES 1-1 announced for Player of the Match of Boxing Day Test. OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW 11°C - 25°C www.firstindia.co.in | www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia | instagram.com/thefirstindia GOVT TO INCREASE NUMBER OF GENOME ALERT: NEW COVID STRAIN SEQUENCING FOR COVID-19: HEALTH ENTERS INDIA AS 6 TEST POSITIVE MINISTRY New Delhi: Six persons contacts have also been who returned to India put under quarantine, INDIA RECORDS LOWEST EX-HIMACHAL CM from the United King- the ministry said. KUMAR’S WIFE dom have tested posi- “Comprehensive con- DAILY COVID RISE IN 6 MTHs DIES OF COVID-19 tive for the new UK tact tracing has been New Delhi: India on Tuesday has surpassed a Kangra: Wife of former variant genome of initiated for co-travel- crucial milestone in its fight against the global pan- Himachal Pradesh Chief SARS-CoV2, the Union lers, family contacts demic as the country recorded the lowest daily rise Minister and senior Health Ministry said on and others. Genome se- in over six months. Union Health Secretary said BJP leader Shanta Tuesday. quencing on other spec- that daily new COVID-19 cases are less than 17,000 Kumar, passed away on It said the mutated imens is going on. “The (16,432) after 6 months now. “Active cases in the Tuesday at the age of UK strain was detected situation is under care- country are less than 2.7 lakhs and are declining. 83. Santosh Shailja was in samples in NIM- ful watch and regular Positivity rate in the country during the last week admitted 4 days ago HANS, Bengaluru, in advice is being provid- stood at only 2.25 per cent while the cumulative where she was tested CCMB, Hyderabad and ed to the states for en- rate is 6.02 per cent.” “Daily deaths are also less positive on December one in NIV, Pune. All hanced surveillance, than 300 after 6 months. 55 per cent deaths are 24. Her husband, son, these persons have been containment, testing found to have occured in 60 years and above age daughter-in-law, two kept in single room iso- and dispatch of sam- group and 63 per cent of the deaths have occurred granddaughters, PS, lation at designated ples to INSACOG labs,” to males,” Bhushan added. With 16,432 new cases PSO and driver also health care facilities by the ministry said. in the last 24 hours, India has reported a total of tested positive for the respective state govern- COVID-19 vaccines will 1,02,24,303 cases so far, MoHFW said. —ANI virus on December 25. ments and their close work against Turn to P6 Passengers waiting at arrival area after landing of a flight from UK, in Mumbai. —FILE PHOTO PM infuses new lease of life AGRICULTURE CAN’T BE RUN in Eastern belt with EDFC SITTING IN DELHI: PAWAR Vishal Srivastav NCP supremo terms PM claim that Opposition parties behind agitation as ‘Unfair’ In what could prove to be a game changer New Delhi: NCP su- in developing coun- premo and former ag- FARMERS LATHICHARGED IN try’s eastern side, riculture minister PATNA, SEVERAL HURT Prime Minister Nar- Sharad Pawar on Tues- Patna: Several farmers were injured after police endra Modi inaugu- day accused the Centre resorted to mild lathicharge and fired water rated the New Bhau- of bulldozing three canons on a procession taken out against the pur-New Khurja sec- new farm laws without contentious farm laws in Patna on Tuesday. tion of the Eastern consulting states and The farmers were heading towards Raj Bhawan Dedicated Freight asserted that agricul- via busy Dak Bungalow crossing. According to Corridor in Praya- PM Narendra Modi ture cannot be run police, the crackdown at Dak Bungalow cross- graj via video confer- “sitting in Delhi” as it ing was preceded by skirmishes between the encing on Tuesday. also inaugurated the dustries such as alu- involves farmers toil- demonstrators and police and administrative The 351-km section, Eastern Dedicated minium industry in ing in distant villages. officials at the Gandhi Maidan, the starting point which has been built at Freight Corridor’s Pukhrayan region of As farmers’ protest of the rally, where agitators took exception to a cost of Rs 5,750 crore, (EDFC) operation con- Kanpur Dehat, dairy on Delhi borders their entry being allowed inside the sprawling will open new avenues trol centre at Prayagraj. sector of Auraiya, tex- against these laws has public ground only through one of the many for local industries in The section will tile production and entered its second gates. Police sources said the restriction was Uttar Pradesh. open new vistas of op- block printing of Eta- month and five rounds put in place to avoid a stamped-like situation. The prime minister portunity for local in- wah, Turn to P6 of talks so far have NCP Chief Sharad Pawar. failed to resolve the crisis, Pawar also NOW ANNA TO CRUSADE FOR raised questions about All or nothing: Farmers FARMERS, LAUNCH STIR IN JAN the composition of the Pune: Social activist Anna Hazare said he will Those not respecting Gandhi three-member minis- before Dec 30 talks launch an agitation in New Delhi in January on terial group negotiat- issues concerning farmers if the Centre did not ing with the unions, New Delhi: Protesting vited the protesting take a firm decision on his demands. In a press talking of Sonar Bangla: Didi saying the ruling party farmer unions Tuesday farmers for the sixth release issued in his native village Ralegan should have put for- wrote to the Centre on round of talks on Siddhi in adjoining Ahmednagar district, the Bolpur: Iterating that ward leaders with “in- the talks scheduled be- Wednesday. In its letter veteran anti-corruption crusader said he has the BJP is a “party of depth” understanding tween the two sides on on Tuesday, the Samy- decided to “resume” his protest in Delhi from outsiders”, West Bengal of agriculture and Wednesday, saying the ukt Kisan Morcha, next month and has informed the Centre about Chief Minister Mamata farmers’ issues. discussion will only be which represents 40 his agitation. The release did not provide the Banerjee on Tuesday The former union on the modalities of re- farmer unions, said the date of launch of the agitation. Hazare said he asserted that the land minister said the gov- pealing the three legisla- discussion will be only had been holding protests for cultivators since of Nobel Laureate Ra- ernment needs to take tion and giving a legal on modalities for the re- the last three years, but the government has bindranath Tagore the protests seriously guarantee on the MSP. peal of three farm laws done nothing to resolve the issues. Turn to P6 would never allow hate and it was Turn to P6 The government has in- Turn to P6 politics to triumph over secularism. Banerjee, during a rally in Bolpur, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee claimed that conspira- cies were being hatched TWO CONGRESS MLAS JUMP ON THE BJP LOK SABHA MP FROM BHARUCH to destroy the state’s in- clusive culture and cau- SAFFRON BANDWAGON IN ASSAM tioned people against Guwahati: Providing a fresh set of blow to the MANSUKH VASAVA QUITS PARTY divisive politics. grand old party in the Eastern states, two Con- “Stop this politics of gress MLAs from Assam joined arch rival BJP on Plans to resign from the Lok Sabha ha after the Bharuch my personal belief sys- violence... this divisive Tuesday, days after meeting Union Home Min- constituency of Gujarat tem. But, at the end of politics. Please steer ister Amit Shah in Guwahati. The development during the budget session; rumour at a by-election held on the day, I am a human clear of outsiders in your could hurt Congress’s prospects in Assam polls mill indicates pressure tactics at play 25 November, 1998. The bound to err. To ensure area, inform the local po- next year. MLAs, ex-PWD minister & sitting MLA seat was once a strong- that my mistakes do lice if necessary. If some from Golaghat Ajanta Neog and sitting MLA from First India Bureau the Parliament’s budget hold of Congress presi- not cause damage to goons from outside come Lakhipur Rajdeep Goala joined BJP in presence of session. dent Sonia Gandhi’s the party, I am tender- to our state to terrorise senior leaders including Himanta Biswa. Bharuch: Bharatiya The MP’s resignation key political advisor the ing my resignation. locals, all of you should Janata Party (BJP) MP comes days after he late Ahmed Patel. Please forgive me. I will put up a united fight from Bharuch constitu- wrote to Prime Minis- “The party has also submit my resig- against them,” she said.