YK MYK TIBET LISTED AS SECOND LEAST-FREE REGION IN WORLD, SAYS REPORT 4TH TEST: INDIA 24/1 AFTER SPINNERS ROCK ENGLAND WORLD SPORTS Morning India Rs. 3 KOLKATA FRIDAY, 5 MARCH, 2021 PG-12, YEAR—7, ISSUE—288 (RNI NO: WBENG / 2014 / 56803) WEATHER TODAY MAX 33 C MIN 16 C Sky will be partly cloudy. AT A GLANCE TMC gears to 'welcome' PM I-T finds huge Modi by putting up Mamata's undisclosed income in raids on posters across Kolkata Taapsee, Kashyap EPFO RETAINS 8.5 PC INTEREST ON EPF DEPOSITS FOR 2020-21 NEW DELHI: Retirement fund body EPFO on Thursday decided to retain 8.5 per cent annual rate of interest on provident fund deposits for the current financial year for its more than five crore active subscribers. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation's (EPFO) apex decisionmaking body Central Board of Trustees decided to fix 8.5 per cent rate of interest for 202021 at its meeting in Srinagar on Thursday. NEW DELHI WORLD BOOK FAIR FROM TODAY NEW DELHI: The 29th edition of the annual New Delhi World Book Fair, organized by the National Book Trust (NBT), India will be held virtually from March 6 to 12. The event will be inaugurated by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the Union Education Minister, at a virtual ceremony on March 5. in the presence of Professor Govind Prasad Sharma, NBT Chairman and Yuvraj Malik, NBT Director, according to an official statement. The e-press conference for the book fair is scheduled to be held at the NBT Headquarters on March 4, 2021. CORONA METER INDIA TOTAL CASES: 1,11,58,922 TOTAL DEATH: 157,487 WORLD TOTAL CASES: 115,896,653 TOTAL DEATH: 2,573,882 NEW DELHI: The Income Tax Department has detected financial irregularities of over Rs 650 crore after it raided two film production companies, two talent management companies and a leading actress, the Central Board of Direct Taxes claimed on Thursday but did not take any names. The statement from the CBDT came as raids on the homes and offices of Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu, director Anurag Kashyap and his partners who launched the now shuttered Phantom Films continued in Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad for the second day. The searches also covered some executives of celebrity and talent management companies KWAN and Exceed, officials said. A day later, without naming the people or companies searched, the CBDT said the entities searched were mainly engaged in the business of production of motion pictures, web series, acting, direction and talent management of celebrities and other artists. Official sources identified the entities raided as Pannu and the four former promoters of Phantom Films -- Kashyap, director-producer Vikramaditya Motwane, producer Vikas Bahl and producer-distributor Madhu Mantena. They also identified the celebrity and talent management companies as Kwan and Exceed. The second film production company that was raided belongs to Kashyap, the sources said. “Evidence of huge suppression of income by the leading film production house compared to the actual box office collections has been unearthed," the statement from CBDT, the administrative body of the IT Department, claimed. "The company officials have not been able to explain discrepancy of around Rs 300 crore," it said. Evidence related to "manipulation and under-valuation" of share transactions of the production house amongst the film directors and shareholders, with a tax implication of about Rs 350 crore has also been found and is being further investigated, it alleged. "Evidence of cash receipts by the leading actress amounting to Rs 5 crore has been recovered and further investigation is going on," the CBDT claimed. Also, "non-genuine or bogus expenditure" to related concerns by the leading producers and directors having tax implication of about Rs 20 crore has been detected, the statement said. "Similar findings have been made in the case of the leading actress also," it alleged. KOLKATA: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mega rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds on March 7, Trinamool Congress has asked the party's ward coordinators to put up flags and posters featuring Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in every nook and corner of the city with the poll 'Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chai' written on them. Senior leaders like MP Abhishek Banerjee, state president Subrata Bakshi, senior Minister and administrator of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Firhad Hakim, and TMC’s poll consultant Prashant Kishor met the ward coordinators at the party headquarters on Thursday. "During the meeting, the party leadership asked the coordinators to ensure that flags, festoons, and posters of Mamata Banerjee with the poll slogan 'Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chai' (Bengal wants its daughter) are put up in every nook and corner of the city,” news agency PTI reported a TMC leader as saying after the meeting. This has to be done to ensure that the prime minister, during his visit, doesn't miss out on the political message -- the state stands with Mamata didi," he added. The leadership has reportedly asked all party members to work in unity to ensure the BJP's defeat in the upcoming assembly election. "During the meeting, our leaders asked us to work together and ensure that the BJP is defeated. We were told to iron out differences and reach out to people with the developmental work done by the state government in the last ten years," one of the coordinators said. Previously, Trinamool Congress delegation had met Election Commission officials to complain that the use of PM Modi's photographs in hoardings informing people of various central schemes violates the poll code. Taking cognisance of the matter, ECI on Wednesday asked all petrol pump dealers and other agencies to remove hoardings advertising central government schemes that carry photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the premises of the facilities within 72 hours. TMC demands removal of Dy EC Sudeep Jain KOLKATA: The ruling TMC in West Bengal on Thursday demanded the removal of Sudeep Jain, the Deputy Election Commissioner in-charge of the State, accusing him of being biased against it and breaking norms of the federal structure. TMC spokesperson Sougata Roy said that party leader Derek O' Brien has written to the Election Commission demanding that Jain be removed as he has a "track record" of being biased against it during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "During the last parliamentary polls, Sudeep Jain had taken several steps which were not only against the norms of the Election Commission but also against those of the federal structure. We don't have any faith in him. "We (TMC) apprehend that this time too he will take steps which will either directly or indirectly help the BJP," Roy said at a press conference here. "We want him to be removed as in-charge of elections in West Bengal for the sake of free and fair polls. We have already written to the Election Commission where we have placed our demand," he said. The State election this time, will see a stiff contest between the TMC and BJP and will be held in eight phases beginning with polling in 30 seats on March 27. Votes cast in the poll for all the 294 seats will be counted on May 2. Sourav says no to political innings KOLKATA: Former Indian captain and now BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has momentarily refused to open a new innings – one on the murky pitch of party politics. Belying expectations that he would attend PM Modi's March 7 Brigade Rally in Kolkata and perhaps join the saffron party, Ganguly has informed the BJP high command that his present health condition does not permit the plunge. Ganguly suffered a mild heart attack in December last year and blockages were found in four of his arteries, necessiating implant of stents. He was in and out of hospital for a while. "Though he has recovered , he is in no condition to go for extensive campaigning," sources close to Ganguly said. "His family is totally against him taking the risk."Ganguly has been courted by the BJP top brass for a while now to be their “Bengal face”. Speculation mounted over his meeting with Governor Jagdeep Dhankar and his several meetings with Home Minister Amit Shah, whose son Jay Shah is BCCI secretary. Ganguly became the BCCI president owing to strong support from boards of BJP-run States and shares a pleasant working relationship with Jay Shah. Sources say the BJP top brass has been courting Ganguly ever since the last Parliament elections when the party set its sights on West Bengal. Backing him for BCCI's top job was part of the plan to woo Ganguly, whose leadership skills as India's cricket captain, especially his noholds barred aggression, have impressed many in the saffron party. The BJP top brass need “a real Bengali hero” to turn the tables on Mamata Banerjee – and Ganguly, some in the party thought, was their answer . But Ganguly's health, and possibly his doubt about the timing to join politics, seem to have foreclosed the possibility of a dramatic “Dada versus Didi” battle in politically charged West Bengal. BIDEN ISSUES HIGH ALERT ON CHINA Vows to deepen India partnership NEW YORK: Issuing a high alert about the growing dangers to the international system from China, President Joe Biden has called for building alliances with likeminded countries and said the US will deepen its ties with India. The Interim National Security Guidance he released on Wednesday singled out China as the only "competitor" capable of mounting a sustained challenge with its multifarious capabilities to the international order. He said in the document that the US will support China's neighbours and declared, "We will deepen our partnership with India." Introducing the document, he said it would "convey my vision for how America will engage with the world" and guide his administration while Washington begins work on a new National Security Strategy. He sketched a vision of a cooperative of democracies to face China, which "has rapidly become more assertive". He called Beijing "the only competitor potentially capable of combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system". To counter this as well as the challenge from Russia, the US will have to "promote a favorable distribution of power to deter and prevent adversaries from directly threatening the United States and our allies, inhibiting access to the global commons, or dominating key INSIDE US WELCOMES STEPS TO RETURN J-K TO FULL ECONOMIC, POLITICAL NORMALCY WORLD regions", he said. "We can do none of this work alone. For that reason, we will reinvigorate and modernise our alliances and partnerships around the world," he said. "Our democratic alliances enable us to present a common front, produce a unified vision, and pool our strength to promote high standards, establish effective international rules, and hold countries like China to account," he said. Envisaging the framework for the alliance of democracies to face the China challenge, he said, "Beyond our core alliances, we will also double down on building partnerships throughout the world, because our strength is multiplied when we combine efforts to address common challenges, share costs, and widen the circle of cooperation." India not utilizing vax to full capacity: Delhi HC NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday showed apprehensions over non-utilization of coronavirus vaccine to its full capacity by the country, asserting that it is either being donated or sold off to foreign countries rather than being provided to Indians. Justice Vipin Sanghi made the observations while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation concerning vaccination of judges, court staff and lawyers on priority and for them to be treated as frontline workers so that they could receive it without limitations of their age or physical condition. In the recent phase of the vaccination drive which commenced on March 1, the government is inoculating only those who are over 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions. The priority was first given to the healthcare and frontline workers. Justice Sanghi said, "If the capacity of the two vaccine manufacturers were being utilized to the full and then the restrictions were to be put, it would have been one thing. We should not have the situation where we are not even utilizing the full capacity." His remarks came after Covishield and Covaxin vaccine manufacturers Bharat Biotech and Serum Insititute of India apprised that the capacity to vaccinate the judicial staff is available. "They have the full capacity to manufacture and supply. We are not utilizing it because of our restricted control approach. We are either donating or selling it off to foreign countries rather than giving it to our own people. It is well settled and the experts are also saying that there should be a sense of urgency in this process of vaccination," the judge said. He said that the present petition is to find out if the whole judicial system can be prioritized without age limit and co morbidity. The court then issued slew of directions. Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India have been directed to file affidavits on -capacity to manufacture the vaccines and the unutilized capacity. The Government of India has been asked to indicate the transport capacity of the vaccine and the extent to which it is being used. The Centre has also been asked to explain the rationale over strict class of persons that can be vaccinated. Delhi High Court Bar Association and Bar Council of Delhi have been asked to file an affidavit disclosing the judicial strength. "It should indicate how many of them would get covered by the existing policy and how many would be left out," said the Court. Delhi Government has been directed to carry out inspection of medical facilities in court complexes and to report whether vaccination centers could be created there. The matter will now be heard on March 10. This comes after the announcement that physical hearing of the matters in the court will begin on a daily basis from March 15. On Wednesday, the court had observed, "With increased footfall, there is likelihood of the rate of infection amongst those who attend the Courts spiking, once the full-fledged physical functioning of Courts in Delhi resumes." GIVE PRIORITY IN TREATMENT TO ELDERLY AMID PANDEMIC: SC TELLS PVT HOSPITALS NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed that elderly people be given priority in admission and treatment at private hospitals besides at government medical institutions amid the COVID19 pandemic. A bench of justices Ashok Bhushan and R S Reddy modified its earlier order of August 4, 2020, by which it had directed only government hospitals to give priority in admission and treatment of elderly people looking at their vulnerability to coronavirus. The bench took note of submission of senior advocate Ashwani Kumar, petitioner inperson that except Odisha and Punjab no other state has given details about the steps taken in pursuance of the earlier directions issued by the top court on his plea. The top court granted three weeks' time to all the states to respond to the fresh suggestions made by Kumar to provide relief to the elderly people. MORE ON PG 7