916" # : % : %: ./).'"012 ! "#$$ %$& " * ?4$1? $B4-$3$-4"?-1/$11$,?1/ "$,$A?6*?77?5? 647872,?5 8?"$782$4/5$- ?44741? 1-??"/$)?-? ,$-$$,8 /114/1$)$/1B -$8-$"2- 8$6)$-8 648-$62 8@64-$$6A3$@5$6$ 7 ,)-;..#' < =$/4 $%% *3 4534$4$6 27 + 456478 greeing to discuss the four- !!! Apoint agenda of the farm- ers, the Ministry of Agriculture on Monday invited 40 protest- "# ing farmers’ unions for the next ! round of talks on Wednesday to find a “logical solution” to the current impasse over the 456478 edge of the matter said. !"# $ three new farm laws that has In Jalandhar, some bun- led to massive protests near ore than 1,500 telecom dles of Jio’s fibre cable were also " Delhi’s borders for the last one Mtowers in Punjab have burnt. Jio has 9,000 plus tow- %% month. been damaged by farmers ers in the state. " This will be the sixth time protesting against the three Another source said the & that the Centre will be making farm laws, disrupting services most common way of damag- ' % % an attempt to convince farmers in some pockets, sources said. ing the telecom towers was to %O to call off their month-long agi- Power supply to towers cut off the power supply. tation. However, a joint front of that relay telecom signals was eficiaries of the new laws. In at least one case, the farmer unions had proposed snapped and cables cut in Neither Ambani’s Reliance generator at a tower site was $$ that the talks be held on several parts of the state as group nor Adani's companies physically taken away and O P Tuesday. farmers vented their anger on are into the business of procur- allegedly donated to a local '') " & Meanwhile, reacting to the the infrastructure owned by ing foodgrains from farmers. gurudwara. Videos of Jio & Government response, farmers’ billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s “Till yesterday, 1,411 tow- employees being threatened & ) unions have agreed “in-princi- firm Jio as they saw him along ers were damaged and today and made to flee have gone # ple” to a Government propos- with infrastructure tycoon the count has gone well past viral. al for talks, but said the Centre Gautam Adani as major ben- 1,500,” a source with knowl- Continued on Page 11 * !! should have spelt out the agen- L,-M / da of the meeting in its invite. demand for repeal of three Minister Amit Shah with and Tikri Border to the Kundli- & Samyukt Kisan Morcha — " $ % ' reform laws. Union Minister Piyush Goyal Manesar-Palwal (KMP) high- & an umbrella body of 40 unions With regard to the pro- and Union Agriculture way. ) O% protesting against the con- ingness to discuss the full agen- hopeful to find an early solu- Sanjay Agarwal noted that the posed agenda by the unions for Minister Narendra Singh The last formal meeting % tentious legislations — said da items proposed by farmers,” tion to end the impasse. farmers’ groups had commu- the meeting, Aggarwal said a Tomar on the farmer crisis. took place on December 5, in the farmers have agreed to go the organisation said in a Speaking at a virtual event nicated their willingness to detailed discussion will take However, the Government which union leaders had for the meeting on the date statement. It also said the organised by Confederation of hold discussions with an open place on three farm laws, MSP letter did not make any specif- demanded a clear “yes or no” P proposed by the Centre, while Government is trying to find NGOs of Rural India (CNRI), mind. procurement system as well as ic reference to one key condi- answer from the Government * + All India Kisan Sangharsh ways to blame farmers in order he said a “wall of lies” has been “The Government of India Electricity Amendment Bill tion proposed by the unions on their main demand of the '"#! " Coordination Committee to cover up its consistent spread in a “planned manner” is also committed to logical and ordinance to tackle air pol- seeking talks on modalities for repeal of the three laws while K"1 (AIKSCC) has said the Centre adamant stand of continuing among farmers against the new solution of the relevant issues lution in and around Delhi and the repeal of the Acts. The date the sixth round of talks origi- 2 #- % has shown an unwillingness to with the three farm laws and farm laws, but it will not last with an open mind and honest NCR. given by the Government for nally scheduled for December $ " resolve the issue. Electricity Amendment Bill. long and protesting peasants intentions,” he said. The decision to finalise the next round of talks is the 9 was called off a day after an % K “The Government has Union Agriculture will soon realise the truth. However, the Government the date for next of round same day when unions have informal meeting of Shah with 2 # L# used vague and unspecific lan- Minister Narendra Singh Earlier in a letter to the letter does not specifically make talks was after a high-level also decided to hold a tractor some union leaders failed to M 3 guage, indicating its unwill- Tomar, however, said he is unions, Agriculture Secretary reference to the farmers’ key meeting held by Union Home march from Singhu Border reach any breakthrough. ! 456478 he Government on ( *+ TMonday launched a two- day dry run for coronavirus 456478 been a continuous decline in enforced; and the Standard vaccine programme in Andhra the active and new Covid-19 Operating Procedures (SOPs) Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and he Union Home Ministry cases, there is need to maintain prescribed in respect of various Assam. Ton Monday extended the surveillance, containment and permitted activities followed The focus of the dry run Covid-19 Pandemic Guidelines caution, keeping in view the scrupulously,” said the MHA will be on management of pos- for Surveillance, Containment surge in cases globally, and asking States to adhere to the sible adverse events following and Caution to January 31, ask- emergence of a new variant of Standard Operating Procedures immunisation (AEFI) as well as ing States to keep vigil on the the virus in the United (SOPs) prescribed by the on adherence and manage- tackling of new variant of the Kingdom (UK),” said the Home Union Health Ministry. ment of infection control prac- virus in the United Kingdom. Ministry in a statement. In November, the MHA tices at the session site to pre- The current guideline was The Ministry said con- had said in addition to guide- vent disease transmission. issued up to December 31. tainment zones should be lines already in place since The mock drill is being car- “The Ministry of Home demarcated carefully and pre- October, States and Union ried out in Krishna district in Affairs (MHA) issued an order scribed containment measures Territories, based on their Andhra Pradesh, in Rajkot and today to extend the earlier must be strictly followed with- assessment of the situation, Gandhinagar in Gujarat, Guidelines for Surveillance to in these zones. may impose local restrictions, Ludhiana and Shaheed Bhagat remain in force up to “Covid-appropriate behav- such as a night curfew. Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) in 31.01.2021. While there has iour promoted and strictly Continued on Page 11 Punjab and Sonitpur and Nalbari districts in Assam. The Centre had asked each drill and preparations made to checking cold storage, trans- vaccinator and the time of the of the four States to plan the administer the shots at desig- portation arrangements and immunisation. dry run in two districts and nated centres. other arrangements while fol- Continued on Page 11 preferably in five different ses- It is being conducted to test lowing all necessary protocols. sion-type settings — district the laid out mechanisms for It will also include testing hospital, community health Covid-19 vaccination in the of cold storage and trans- centre (CHC) or primary States and provide insights into portation arrangements for health care centre (PHC), any gaps to be addressed before Covid-19 vaccine and man- urban site, private health facil- the commencement of the agement of crowds at session ity and rural outreach. actual vaccination drive, sites with proper physical dis- At least 125 intended ben- according to officials. tancing, the Ministry said. New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief eficiaries each in four States They said the exercise test- As per the checklist shared Minister Trivendra Singh who had registered on the Co- ed the functionality of Co- with the States by the Union Rawat, who had tested positive WIN App were sent SMSes WIN, which is an online plat- Health Ministry, beneficiaries for Covid-19 and was hospi- informing them about the time form for monitoring the deliv- will be pre-identified and an talised in Dehradun after devel- and place of their “Covid-19 ery of Covid-19 vaccine, SMS will be sent to them in oping fever, was admitted to vaccination” under a mock- deployment of team members, advance with the name of the AIIMS in Delhi on Monday. ' " , , Q R ( , + 456478 Rahul’s office for the conclave with a ,$"2- proposal to hold the session either in he Congress is likely to propose Jaipur or Udaipur. The final decision ill now, postal stamps were usually released for Tthe name of Rahul Gandhi as its on this will be taken after Rahul’s Tgreat leaders, statesmen and monuments but the next party chief at a conclave being return from abroad. head post office at Bara Chauraha in Kanpur Nagar planned in Rajasthan by the end of Sources said the proposal for the has released postal stamps in the names of notori- January 2021.