Airlines can now operate at 70% of pre-Covid capacity Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday that the Centre has raised the cap on the number of domestic flights Indian airlines can operate to 70 per cent of their pre-Covid levels. Currently, the limit is 60 per cent tirupati l Thursday l november 12, 2020 l `7.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Poll outcome shows development will be the only basis for politics in the 21st century, says PM; agrees women are BJP’s silent voters, adding they turned out in large numbers; puts West Bengal govt on notice over political killings Approval of Covid policy, says Modi MA N ISH A N A N D @ New Delhi Stating that Bihar will march on the development path under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the NDA’s electoral victory across the country was an endorsement of the measures taken by the government to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. While the world paused in the face of the pandemic, India continued to take “historic decisions” to reform agriculture, education, land titles and others, Modi said. A day after the Bihar verdict, the BJP headquarters turned saffron, with party workers celebrating the victory. BJP chief J P Nadda set the tone of the celebrations, saying the verdict is an endorsement of the Covid-19 management under the PM’s leadership. “The battle that India waged against the Covid-19 pandemic has no parallel, as the principal priority has been to save the lives of the people. It was also ensured that while free ration was made available to the people, the immediate requirement of employment was also addressed,” Modi said. He was referring to the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package in which 5 kg ration and `50,000 crore worth of works of various ministries were exe- SVBC staffer sacked for watching porn at work E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Tirumala An attender working for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams-run Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC) was sacked on Wednesday, and some others are reportedly under the scanner for allegedly browsing pornographic content from the office computers. The matter came to light after the TTD ordered for a probe following a recent complaint by a devotee. Sources said a devotee, Krishnamurthy, contacted the SVBC of fice last month seeking a link to the ‘Sathamanam Bhavathi’ programme, but received a link to a porn site instead. Through the Sathamanam Bhavathi programme, devotees send photos of their relatives on occasions such as birthdays. These pictures are telecast on the channel and TTD priests offer their blessings. When Krishnamurthy asked for the link to upload photos, he was directed to a pornographic website. He lodged a complaint with TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy and executive officer KS Jawahar Reddy, who alerted SVBC managing director AV Dharma Reddy, and a probe was ordered. Officials found that at least three staff were using office computers to visit pornographic websites. A report has been submitted to the higher-ups. cuted in a few states that were at the receiving end of the migrant exodus, including Bihar. Reflecting on the poll outcome, Modi said the verdict is another indication of the “new mood” in the country, adding, “people reward those who work for development with honesty and in the interests of the nation.” He also lavished praise on Nadda for leading the BJP to victory in the polls. Referring to the BJP’s silent voter base, the prime minister said women trust the party because of their priorities for “safety and respect”. “Women are the biggest silent voters. They have shown their might in BIHAR 2020 Bihar, with a large turnout,” he added. Without naming the Congress, Modi came down heavily against dynasties, saying one large national party’s leadership has just one family. “The future is full of possibilities, and the women and the youth see hope in the BJP. The poor and the downtrodden see their representations in the BJP he said. ,” In a signal to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the prime minister flagged the BJP’s allegations of the political killings in the state, saying that “the game of deaths should never be part of democracy”. After Bihar, the BJP will go full steam in Bengal for the next year’s Assembly polls. Who are these silent voters? They are our mothers and sisters for whom the party is working relentlessly - Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Nitish thanks modi for bihar victory Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Wednesday “saluted” people for giving majority to the NDA in Bihar and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support. “I salute people for the majority they have given to the NDA. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support,” Kumar tweeted in his first reaction after the ruling coalition won majority in Bihar TMC unease as owaisi to contest wb polls Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes the victory sign at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday. BJP National President JP Nadda is also seen | Parveen Negi Axe Chirag from central NDA: JD(U) R a j e s h K u m a r T h a k u r @ Patna A day after winning a fresh mandate to rule Bihar, NDA leaders on Wednesday started putting their heads together to form the new government led by Nitish Kumar, though his JD(U) will be the junior partner with 43 seats as against the BJP’s 74. While the BJP is understandably keen on government formation, the JD(U) doesn’t quite share the enthusiasm, amid indications the new ministry could be sworn in only after Diwali (Nov 14) or even after the Chhath festival (Nov 19-20). Customers fleeced ‘GGH staff behind ambulance fraud’ IV N P P r a s a d B a b u @ Ongole Class IV employees of the Ongole Government General Hospital (GGH-RIMS) forced relatives of Covid-19 victims to shell out exorbitant amounts to transport bodies from the hospital, according to the inquiry committee that probed allegations of a ‘gang’ charging hefty fares for ambulances. Over the past few months, several relatives of Covid-19 victims said ambulance owners were fleecing them to transport bodies from the hospital and to perform the last rites on behalf of the family. Following this, the GGH medical superintendent appointed a four-member inquiry committee to conduct a probe. The committee Kolkata: With Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ulMuslimeen announcing its decision to contest the 2021 Assembly polls in West Bengal, the ruling TMC in the state on Wednesday called it a “communal force which acts as the B team of BJP”. Buoyed by the Bihar results, Owaisi had on Tuesday said AIMIM would contest in Bengal and UP — comprising CS RMO, psychiatry, SPM-wing medical officers and the GGH nursing superintendent — started its inquiry, while the Vigilance department simultaneously began a probe. According to sources, the inquiry committee found that a few Class IV employees bought ambulances in the names of their relatives and were operating them from the GGH. They colluded with a few owners of private ambulances and became a syndicate, the sources said. Upon hearing of a Covid-19 patient’s death at the GGH, these Class IV employees would contact the relatives of the deceased and give them the rates at which they would transport the body from the hospital.  P5 For, the JD(U) first wants the BJP to send a clear no-nonsense message by ejecting the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) from the central NDA before government formation, it is reliably learnt. It was the LJP that deliberately damaged the JD(U)’s chances across the state and hurt the BJP to a lesser extent in some seats, indirectly benefiting the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The LJP had dropped out of the state NDA barely weeks before polling. For the record though, JD(U)’s senior spokesperson Dr Ajay Alok denied setting terms on purging the central NDA of the LJP. He, however, said the new government is likely to be formed after Diwali. As for who will lead the new government, there was no ambiguity. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said the NDA will stick to its pre-poll announcement of Nitish Kumar staying as chief minister. The BJP expects a bigger share of power with proportional representation in the new ministry “A formal discus. sion over this between JD(U) and BJP leaders has already been held,” a BJP leader said. `1.46 lakh cr production linked incentive scheme for 10 crucial sectors E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi th e U n i o n C ab i n e t o n Wednesday approved a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme worth `1.46 lakh crore for 10 sectors to boost domestic manufacturing, create jobs and reduce dependence on imports. The scheme will be offered to white goods manufacturing, pharma, auto, telecom, textile, food products, solar photovoltic and cell battery among others, with a , total outlay of `1,45,980 crore spread over five years. Of the total outlay the larg, est pie — `57,042 crore — goes to auto and auto components, followed by advance chemistry cell (ACC) battery (`18,100 crore), drug makers (15,000 crore), telecom products (`12,195 crore), food products `(10,900 crore) and textile manufacturers (10,683 crore). Announcing the scheme, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it will help attract more investments into these sectors, promote job creation and will help in building a self-reliant India. Wednesday’s announcement is in continuation of the gover nment’s earlier PLI scheme for electronics and for active pharma ingredients with an outlay of `50,000 crore spread over five years, which takes the total outlay for such incentives to nearly `2 lakh China Suggests systematic de-escalation on lac India is perusing China’s proposal given during the 8th Corps Commanders’ meeting, sources said | P8 CM Jagan accuses TDP of aiding accused in Nandyal suicide case E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday charged the Opposition TDP with securing bail for the two policemen who were suspended and arrested in connection with the suicide of auto driver Abdul Salaam’s family in Nandyal. The Chief Minister made the accusation while speaking at the virtual celebrations on the occasion of Minorities Day, which is observed on the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Moulana Abul Kalam. Listing the government’s initiatives for the welfare of minorities, Jagan referred to the Nandyal incident and said he did not think twice about taking action against the policemen. “We are not discriminating when it comes to delivering justice,” he asserted. While we acted stringently against the policemen... this gentleman, who served as a Chief Minister, engaged a lawyer, who is his party worker, to secure bail for the policemen YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister “While we acted stringently against the policemen, the saddest thing to happen immediately was that this gentleman, who served as a Chief Minister, had engaged a lawyer, who is his party worker, to secure bail for the policemen,” Jagan said, adding that the lawyer, Vedurla Ramachandra Rao, worked as a nominee director for the State Kapu Welfare Development Corporation in 2015, and is a member of the TDP State committee. Jagan further showed documents to prove the lawyer was an member of the TDP . As soon as the bail petition was filed, the court granted it. “Our influence before them (opposition) is not proving to be enough. The court granted bail. But we did not stop fighting, and filed a bail cancellation petition in a higher court,” the Chief Minister said. Without directly mentioning former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan said those who are taking to Twitter and Zoom to boast about their concern for minorities never cared for them when they were in power. Regulation Centre brings online news portals under I&B ministry’s ambit R i t w i k a M i t r a @ New Delhi The Central government has brought online news portals such as The Wire and over-thetop (OTT) platforms like Netflix under the ambit of the Ministry of Infor mation and Broadcasting (MIB). According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat late on Tuesday night and signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, films and audio-visual programmes made available by online content providers, as well as news and current af- fairs on online platforms would come under the MIB’s purview. The order also covers news on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. The decision has evoked sharp reactions from the digital media industry “This move . is a step towards censorship of online news platforms. The government is doing this because some online news portals criticise government policies,” said Poonam Agarwal, editor, investigations, The Quint. Siddhar th Varadarajan, founding editor of The Wire, said, “The underlying impulse of involving the I&B ministry is to introduce special rules to hinder digital media, which has so far bucked the trend in print and TV spaces of giving the government a free ride.” Press Council of India chairperson Justice C K Prasad said, “We are of the view the content should be looked after by a stat- Why online content needs to be regulated The print media is regulated by the Press Council of India and the News Broadcasters Association represents television channels. But till now, there were no rules to regulate content on OTT platforms utory independent body .” Dushyantt Kohli, chief operating officer of Khabri, a digital audio platform, said he was hopeful the growth of the industry would be supported and not impeded. Cyber law expert Pavan Duggal said, “The government must lean in the direction of enabling regulation and ensure such regulations do not tantamount to arbitrary misuse of powers. The golden balance is what the government needs to search for and attain, while moving ahead in this regard.” crore over a five-year period. India Inc has welcomed the move and said its timely espe, cially when the economy is limping back to normal from the aftershocks of Covid. “The new PLI policy is transformational and will facilitate India becoming a global manufacturing hub. It identifies the right sectors and products across core in- Boost for social infra The Cabinet also decided to extend the viability gap funding scheme to social infrastructure sectors. The scheme is currently available only for projects concerning economic infrastructure dustries, labour-intensive manufacturing, export-oriented sectors and advanced technology products,” said Uday Kotak, president, Confederation of Indian Industry . With economy headed towards a sharp contraction this fiscal, the governmental indicated the manufacturing and infrastructure sector will remain the focus area to kickstart economy . SC criticises high court, gives Arnab interim bail E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Observing that personal liberty is increasingly becoming a casualty in the country , the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in a 2018 case of abetting suicide. A vacation bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee issued the order on Goswami’s petition challenging the Bombay High Court’s decision on November 9 to deny interim bail. Hours later he walked out of the Taloja jail in Raigad district. The top court also granted bail to two other co-accused, Feroze Shaikh and Neetish Sarda. Expressing deep concern at the growing trend of states targeting those who follow a different ideology than that of the government, Justice Chandrachud cited a case from West Beng al where a girl, who tweeted that the coronavirus was not being properly dealt with, was issued a police notice. “They did this, saying we will show you reality he remarked. ,” “Forget the way he (Arnab) screams and yells. I do not watch this news channel, but what concerns me is the value ascribed to human liberty We . are deeply concerned about it... If constitutional courts do not interfere today, then we are travelling the path of destruction, undeniably. We must send a message to the high courts today that please exercise your jurisdiction to uphold personal liberty Jus,” tice Chandrachud said. The court directed the accused not to tamper with evidence or influence witnesses and asked them to execute a personal bond of `50,000 each for release.