DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD,CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA,LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018-20RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2020, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES SINCE 1932 `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM RELEASES PM-KISAN TRANCHE TO OVER 9CRORE FARMERS Himachal’s‘love ProtestsanOppositionploy,saysPM, jihad’ law has intent ` 82 per kilo clause,whichHC ` 110 per kilo signalsnoyieldondemandforrepeal ` 135 per kilo had struckdown ` 72 per Dozen TargetsMamatafor denying PM-Kisan, Experiment GAGAN Himachal askswhy no stir forAPMC in Kerala &APURVAVISHWANATH Pradesh with laws SHIMLA,NEWDELHI, Chief BARC audit DECEMBER25 MinisterJai HARIKISHANSHARMA ED Noblink for ayear or RamThakur report confirms &RAVISHTIWARI likeon WHILE THE BJP governmentin NEWDELHI,DECEMBER25 PLAIN E Himachal Pradesh brought into ● landlaws ex-executives EX two, change forcealaw lastweek requiringa Section 7ofthe Himachal Act AMONTH intothe farmers' person to give prior notice to au- requires an individual to submit spiked TRPs: protests at the capital’s borders, UNLIKE CLIMBDOWNon thorities forconverting to an- a“declaration” of intention to PrimeMinister Narendra Modi the land ordinance, PM if needed: other religion and outlawing convert freelyand without coer- Mumbai police effectively drew aline on Friday has put his foot down on conversions solelyfor marriage, cion from one religion to the re-affirming his endorsement of the farm laws.This even Rajnath in 2012,the state High Courthad other,tothe DistrictMagistrate. the three laws andblaming his as talksare on with struckdownsimilar provisions The provision also requires the EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE politicalopponents forwhat he unionsonthe new in an older version brought by priestorreligious figurepresid- MUMBAI,DECEMBER25 said wastheir bid to “mislead” labour codes. By target- DIPANKARGHOSE the then Congress government ing over the conversion to give a farmers. ing the Opposition, the NEWDELHI,DECEMBER25 as unconstitutional and violative month’s notice to theDM. THE MUMBAI Crime Branch, in- His remarks mark his PM has also dared them of fundamental rights. On August30, 2012,atwo- vestigating the alleged Television strongestpublic assertion to wage apoliticalbattle BACKINGTHE Prime Minister’s Severalprovisions in the judgeBenchofthe High Court Rating Point (TRP) scam, on againstthe demand that the againsttheselaws. messagetofarmersonthe new Himachal Pradesh Freedom of had struckdownthe Himachal Fridaysaid it receivedanaudit laws be repealed. By framing it farm laws,Defence Minister Religion Act, 2019,havebeen Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, reportofBARClastweek that as an event attendedbyvirtually RajnathSinghstruckaconciliatory emulated almostwordtoword 2006,passedduring the then confirmsthat TRPs of channels the entireCouncil of Ministers, Slamming the Opposition for PM NarendraModi with Leader of OppositionGhulam Nabi tone Fridaywhen he asked farm- by Uttar Pradesh in the anti-con- Congress regime, thathad con- were manipulated under the the Prime Ministerindicated his what he calledits “dogali”(dou- Azad at afunction to markformer PM ABVajpayee’s birth ersto“experiment”withthenew version lawthat it passedlast tainedthe exact same provision, previous BARC management. resolve to use his political capi- blespeak) policy over the new anniversary, in the Central HallofParliament on Friday. PTI laws for“one-two years” before month, and whichisbeing holding it “ultra viresthe BARC or BroadcastAudience taltopushthese laws. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 seekingany looked upon as an example by Constitution of India”. Neither Research Council is responsible change, while other BJP-ruledstates. CONTINUEDONPAGE10 formeasuring TRPs of channels. HomeMinister Itsformer CEO Partho Dasgupta AmitShahsaid wasarrestedonThursdaybased Farmers respond: It’sclear Govt will not back the govern- on this report.Earlier this month, ment had an Metro car shed’s latest the Mumbai police arrested “openmind” Republic COORamil Ramgarhia, down, we are prepared for the longhaul on anyclause option: Eco-sensitive who had resignedfromBARCin that farmers Julyafter the audit reportsub- Coordination Committee ‘Painful to felt wasnot in mitted to BARC by athirdparty RAAKHIJAGGA (AIKSCC), said the Prime see farmers their interest. sprawl in Goregaon allegedlyshowedhis involve- CHANDIGARH,DECEMBER25 Minister's speech showedthat protesting’ Singh said ment in fixing TRPs. the government wasnot going he spoketo partofa500-acreprivately- Jointcommissionerofpolice RESPONDINGTOthe Prime to repeal the laws. Prime Minister SANDEEPASHAR ownedlandsprawlinPahadi (crime) Milind Bharambesaid Minister’s speech Friday, farmer “But we will notleave (the NarendraModi twodays ago, MUMBAI,DECEMBER25 Goregaon. that theyreceivedthe audit re- unions,protesting againstthe borders of Delhi) till these arere- and he had emphasisedthe need But to accede to MMRDA's portfromBARCaweek ago. The newfarmlaws, warnedofa pealed. Our fightisagainstthe to continue talkswithfarmers. IN THE wake of the Bombay request, the department will forensic audit wascommis- “longstruggle”, saying it wasev- undemocratic ways…first, they He said it was“painful” to see High Court's (HC) stay on the have to reclassify the land use sionedafter anew management ident that the government makelawswithout consultation, farmersprotesting. Mumbai Metrocar shedat plan.When Mumbai's newDP took over at BARC in Januarythis seemedtobeinnomood to back later theysay these arefor our Addressing arallyinDwarka, Kanjurmarg,the Maharashtra wasfirst placedbeforecitizens, year and receivedwhistleblower down on the laws. good… then makeamendments CONTINUEDONPAGE2 government is examining the abulk of this land wasclassified complaints,police said. JagmohanSingh, general sec- and saythe laws cannotbetaken option of relocating the project as ecologicallysensitive,and was "BARChad receivedthe re- retary of BKU (Dakaunda) and back.But whydid youmakesuch on aland parcel in Goregaon, tagged as "natural area (NA)". portinJulythis year.The report working committeemember of laws in the firstplace?” he said. MORE REPORTS whichhas been classifiedasa The DP classifies mangroves, said from aperiod of May2017- AAP MPs protestinthe Central HallofParliament, Friday. PTI the All India Kisan Sangharsh CONTINUEDONPAGE2 PAGES 5 'natural area' and a'no-develop- mudflats, ecologicallyvital salt November 2019 TRPsofEnglish ment zone' in Mumbai's devel- pans and hills, etcasNA, where and Telugu news channelshad opment plan (DP). construction activity is barred. been fudged.Itshowedthat Whilesome other alternative Barringa25-metre-wide coastal TRPs of channels likeTimesNow locations arealsobeing looked road, no construction wasenvis- had been reducedsothat AS ROLLOUT OF COVID-19 VACCINE NEARS THE EDITORIAL PAGE at, asenior stateofficial con- aged on thepatch. The remain- Republic would appear to be no. firmedtoThe Indian Express der of the land wasalso tagged 1byanalysingselectively," that the MumbaiMetropolitan as ano-development zone Bharambesaid. Dry run planned in AAI seeks 2.5 acres THEMEANING Region DevelopmentAuthority (NDZ) and shown affected by the The Mumbai police said they OFMERIT (MMRDA) has approachedthe coastalregulation zone. were unaware of thisauditre- BY PRATAP BHANU MEHTA state's Urban Development (UD) Additionally, in 2017,the portuntil lastweek.A four states: focus on in Pune; airports and PAGE 8 department forsanctioning the Brihanmumbai Municipal chargesheetinthe casenames reservationfor acar shedona CONTINUEDONPAGE2 six channels including Republic forfixing TRPs, and the policebe- delivery, cold chain, airlines prepare to be lieve that the report will provide crucial evidence againstthe al- legedly errant channels. adverseevent watch hubs for distribution The officer addedthat ac- cording to the report, in some India is the world's second worst cases "rating appeared to be pre- KAUNAINSHERIFFM affected country, even though PRANAVMUKUL decided" and that therewas NEWDELHI,DECEMBER25 dailycase numbers have been NEWDELHI,DECEMBER25 "cartelisation" of some former falling consistentlyoverthe past CONTINUEDONPAGE2 FORTWO days at the beginning three months. THE AIRPORTS Authority of India of next week,Indiawill hold a The dryrun will proceed (AAI) is close to finalising an dryrun forthe largest andmost through four keysteps, which arrangement withthe Indian Air ambitious mass immunisation will be monitoredcloselybythe Forcetoreceive 2.5 acresofland B USINESSASUSUAL programme in itshistory. central government: adjacent to Puneairport, to be Thedummy vaccinationexer- ■ Eachdistrictwill receive utilisedfor the transportofvac- BY UNNY cise will becarriedout in twodis- the dummyvaccine for100ben- cines from thefacilities of vac- The Serum InstituteofIndia trictseachoffourstatesatthefour eficiaries from thenearestdepot; cine manufacturer Serum in Pune. Express file corners of the nation —Andhra ■ Temperaturewill be InstituteofIndia nearby. Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, and trackedthrough the vaccine's “The transfer of the land, Assam—onDecember28and29. journeyfromthe depottothe whichiscurrentlyowned by the stand the requirements, because With severalcountries vaccinationsite; IAF,toPuneairport has been a asignificant amount of freight is aroundthe worldhaving already ■ An SMS willbesent in ad- longstanding demand of the AAI. expected to go out from Pune,” begun vaccinationagainst the vance to the beneficiaries with Theyhaveasked foraland ex- the official said. novelcoronavirus, India could