YK MYK FREIGHT CORRIDORS WILL HELP IN DEVP OF NEW GROWTH CENTRES NATION Rs. 5 RANCHI FRIDAY, 8 JAN, 2021 PG-12, YEAR—10, ISSUE—244 (RNI NO: JHAENG / 2012 / 44137) WEATHER TODAY MAX 26 C MIN 16 C Sky will be partly cloudy. AT A GLANCE COVID STRUCK: INDIA'S FY21 GDP EXPECTED TO SHRINK BY 7.7% NEW DELHI: India's first advance estimate of national income on Thursday showed a contraction of 7.7 per cent in real GDP for FY 21. On a year-on-year basis, Asia's third largest economy had grown by 4.2 per cent in 2019-20. "Real GDP or GDP at Constant Prices (201112) in the year 2020-21 is likely to attain a level of Rs 134.40 lakh crore, as against the provisional estimate of GDP for the year 2019-20 of Rs 145.66 lakh crore, released on May 31, 2020," the First Advance Estimates of National Income for financial year 2020-21 said. "The growth in real GDP during 2020-21 is estimated at -7.7 per cent as compared to the growth rate of 4.2 per cent in 201920." TIME TO CANCEL TRAIN TICKETS BOOKED BETWEEN MARCH-JULY 2020 EXTENDED NEW DELHI: In a decision that would bring smiles on the faces of the rail passengers, the Indian Railways on Thursday decided to extend the time of cancellation of reserved train tickets booked between March 21 to July 31 last year from the ticket reservation counter from six months to nine months. CORONA METER INDIA TOTAL CASES: 1,03,95,950 TOTAL DEATH: 150,373 WORLD TOTAL CASES: 87,786,541 TOTAL DEATH: 1,894,308 EAT AND DRINK TO YOUR HEART’S CONTENT IN 2021 LIFESTYLE & TRENDS Morning India PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TWEETS TRIGGER CAPITOL HILL ‘SIEGE’ DEADLY DAY IN US NEW YORK: "We're going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue ... and we're going to the Capitol ... we're going to try and give our Republicans ... the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country". Outgoing US President Donald Trump gave his diehard mob precise instructions for the "wild" spectacle he wanted on January 6, and they unleashed mayhem at the US Capitol with relative ease. Now, he is finally backing off. After stewing for months over his "stolen election" fantasy, Trump finally acknowledged his defeat in the November 2020 election and announced there would be an "orderly transition on January 20th" after Congress certified Presidentelect Joe Biden's victory. "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th," Trump said in a statement posted to Twitter by his social media director Dan Scavino just before 4 a.m. on January 7. Trump's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts have been muzzled for posting excusing and justifying violence. "While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!" Trump added. After Trump spent weeks spinning baseless claims that the election was stolen, his supporters stormed the US Capitol Wednesday and unleashed bedlam, smashing windows, and forcing lawmakers into hiding for hours until the National Guard was called in. WORLD BIDEN NOMINATES JUDGE MERRICK GARLAND AS US ATTORNEY GENERAL Members of the violent mob in the Capitol building. Police fired teargas as the rioters pushed inside the gleaming white edifice. Congress affirms Biden’s win over Trump after Capitol chaos WASHINGTON: For the first time since the November 2020 election, US President Donald Trump on Thursday conceded against Presidentelect Joe Biden, saying that there would be an "orderly transition of power" on January 20, shortly after Congress affirmed the Democrat's Electoral College victory. "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. "I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. "While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presi- dential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again," Trump said in a statement which was posted on the social media by senior White House aide Don Scavino since Twitter and Facebook temporarily blocked the President. Trump statement came shortly after Vice President Mike Pence announced before a joint session of Farmers’ protest shouldn’t become replica of Tablighi meet, says SC NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre what it has learnt from the Nizamuddin Markaz congregation earlier this year amid Covid-19, and the same situation may arise with the protesting farmers, if precautionary measures are not taken to contain the spread of Covid-19. Citing the ongoing farmers protest at various Delhi borders, a bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde asked the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, "You must tell us what is happening?" The bench also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian queried further, whether farmers protesting at various Delhi borders are taking precaution to contain the spread of Covid-19. When the Solicitor General replied in negative, the top court said it could potentially become a situation like the Nizamuddin Markaz congregation in the national capital, which happened in March last year. Mehta replied that he will find the status. The top court asked the Centre to file a report on the steps taken so far to contain Covid and issued notice on a plea filed by Supriya Pandita through advocate Omprakash Parihar. The top court emphasized that it is concerned if precautions are not being taken against the spread of Covid in CM Soren fiat to make Covid-19 vaccination successful SANJAY SAHAY RANCHI: The State government has identified 99.89 lakh people, including 1.5 lakh health workers and two lakh front line workers under the vaccination programme. While reviewing the preparation for the vaccination and cold chain management at the Project Bhawan, Chief Minister Hemant Soren asked the officials to make all efforts for the success of the programme. He said that the government should coordinate with private health centres and identify the vaccination centres in this regard. During the meeting, Health Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni said that a dry run Congress at about 4 a.m. on Thursday morning that Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had won 306 votes over his and Trump's 232. On Wednesday night, lawmakers formally tabulated each state's Electoral College votes, a final step before Biden will be inaugurated as the country's 46th President. The joint session commenced on Wednesday after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building, deemed as the citadel of American democracy, on Wednesday afternoon, forcing proceedings to count Electoral College votes cast in the November 3, 2020 presidential election to halt. WASHINGTON: US President-elect Joe Biden has formally announced appellate court Judge Merrick Garland as his nominee for the post of the US attorney general. Biden announced the key nominations for the Department of Justice on Thursday. Besides Garland, Lisa Monaco, the homeland security adviser to former President Barack Obama, has been appointed to the post of deputy attorney general. In 2016, thenPresident Barack Obama nominated Garland to serve on the US Supreme Court, but his nomination languished in the Republican-controlled Senate at the end of the former president's term. Garland is a Department of Justice veteran and independent jurist on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. A consensus-builder, Judge Garland has worked under Democratic and Republican administrations. He led probe into some of the most highprofile cases and crises in modern history, including the "Unabomber". on vaccination would be held in all the districts on Friday. He added that earlier 275 volunteers were identified for the dry run in six districts of the state. Kulkarni said committees headed by the chief secretary at the state level and the deputy commissioners at the district level have been formed for the cold chain management. The inspection of the cold chains by the deputy commissioners are at the final stages, he stated. He said that priority of the vaccination campaign has been set, adding that the health workers which would include the Anganwadi workers, would get them first. He said the policemen, armed forces, home guards, jail authorities, disaster management teams, civil defence groups, municipal employees and the revenue employees would be given the medicine as frontline workers. He said that over 62.97 lakh people who are above 50 years of age suffering from diabetes, high blood pres- sure, cancer and lung-related disease would also be covered. The health secretary said that as many 275 vaccine storehouses have been created across the state, adding that they are located at the state level, regional levels, community health centres and the primary health centres. He added that the training of the vaccinators is going on continuously. He stated that the vaccinated persons would be provided with digital certificates. A system would also be set up for reporting and tracking of the adverse impact of vaccination. Health minister Banna Gupta was present on the occasion. Bhairav Singh outside court in Ranchi on Thursday. Mastermind of attack on CM’s convoy surrenders HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE TO BEGIN PROBE ON JAN 9 RAJ KUMAR RANCHI: Bhairav Singh, who was identified as the mastermind of the attack on the chief minister's convoy on Monday at Kishoreganj Chowk on Harmu Bypass road under Sukhdeo Nagar police station, today surrendered before a city court before he could be arrested. The development took place in the afternoon when the youth accompanied by his three lawyers turned up before the court with a surrender petition attracting the attention of many present in the court. "As Singh surrendered, the court forwarded him to Birsa Munda Central Jail for 14-day judicial custody," a civil court lawyer informed this sharing the development. "A police official present in the court attempted to arrest him before he could enter the court but his advocate restrained police from doing so. On which exchange of hard words also took place between police and lawyers," the lawyer said, adding that Singh has been booked under more than 15 IPC sections, including an attempt to murder besides others. Meanwhile, two-member high power committee comprising Secretary of revenue and land reform department K.K.Soan and I.G Akhliesh Jha will start a probe in the matter of attack on the CM's convoy from January 9. How the probe will continue is not certain but the committee has been directed to complete the probe as expeditiously as possible to identify the security lapses and take proper action. Apart from the inquiry of the high power committee, police will also expedite the probe. For this, police have taken the main accused of attack Bhairav Singh on seven-day remand from the court of judicial magistrate Abhisekh Prasad. Before Singh surrendered, he told a section of the media that his intention was not to attack the CM's convoy but to raise voice for people on the street of the state capital. "I was not aware that the CM was expected to pass through the road where I was agitating that time," Singh said. Later a video showing Singh surrounded by a crowd became viral in social media. In the video Singh was heard saying loudly that he was not worried about going to jail for the protection of sanctity of a woman in the state and the government instead of threatening the protestors of dire consequences should nab the criminals who brutally murdered a woman. Singh also made an appeal to the people through the video that the agitation against brutality should not stop despite his absence as the level of brutality done against a woman in the state is not less than what was done with Nirbhaya. large gatherings. The bench said it is trying to ensure that Covid-19 does not spread and asked the Centre to ensure guidelines are strictly followed. Pandita had moved the top court questioning the role of Centre, Delhi government and Delhi police for allowing the huge congregation, including foreign delegates at Nizamuddin Markaz, which risked the health of people amid Covid-19. The top court also asked the Centre to issue guidelines for the prevention of large gatherings, and Mehta agreed to comply. The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a statement denying media reports that action is likely to be taken by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde in connection with allegations against a senior sitting judge of the top court. The statement issued by the Supreme Court said: "Media has recently been reporting about complaints making insinuations against members of the higher judiciary and that action is likely to be taken by the Chief Justice of India. The Supreme Court is being quoted as the source of the information." 4 INJURED IN WATER TANK FACTORY BLAST IN GIRIDIH New bodies to run affairs of panchayat raj BOKARO: As many as four workers were seriously injured in a blast that occurred at a plastic water tank making factory located at the Labor Welfare Center in Maktapur-Argaghat in Giridih on Thursday evening. The injured included Rinku Das, Guddu and Raju from Giridih apart from Yuvraj Singh, a resident of UP. The injured were rushed to Sadar Hospital in the city for immediate treatment. According to eyewitnesses there, the blast was so tremendous that many houses in the vicinity trembled. After the sound of blasting in the densely populated city, there was an atmosphere of chaos in the area. RANCHI: The State government has issued orders for the formation of executive committees at various levels of the panchayat raj system after the five-year tenure of elected representatives expired in the state. Notably, the elections of the panchayat raj representative could not take place due to the Covid pandemic in the State. In a letter issued by the rural development department, the deputy commissioners have been asked to form a committee comprising the mukhiya of the dissolved panchayat along with all ward members, block panchayati raj officer, block coordinator, and circle inspectors. In the Scheduled MORE INSIDE MI NEWS SERVICE COVID-19 VACCINES 'COVISHIELD', 'COVAXIN' TO BE AVAILABLE SOON NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said that the COVID-19 vaccines 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin' are on the verge of being available in the country. The Health Minister, while addressing a press conference, said, "COVID-19 vaccines 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin' are on the verge of being available in the country. Our efforts are to ensure seamless last mile delivery of the vaccine." The Minister further stated that some priority groups have been decided for vaccination as advised by the experts' group formed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. MORE INSIDE The deputy commissioners have been asked to form a committee comprising the mukhiya of the dissolved panchayat along with all ward members, block panchayati raj officer, block coordinator, and circle inspectors. In the Scheduled Area, the local village heads known by different names would be included as members. Area, the local village heads known by different names would be included as members. The head of the executive committee would be known as pradhan, instead of mukhiya. The block panchayat raj officer, block coordinator and circle inspectors would be present as a repre- sentative of the government in the committee but they would not have the right to vote. Similarly in the Panchayat Samiti, the pramukh of the dissolved Samiti, former members and concerned subdivisional officer (SDO) and circle officers (CO) would be members. The head would be known as pradhan of the working committee of panchyat samiti. The SDO and CO would be present in the meeting as government representatives but they would not have the right to vote. At the Zila Parishad level, the chairman of the dissolved body, members, executive officer, director DRDA, and project director ITDA would be the members. The head would be known as pradhan, Zila Parishad.