WARANGAL  MONDAY  JANUARY 04, 2021  `7.00  PAGES 28  CITY EDITION SWEEPING WAR POWERS TO XI IN CHINA’S NEW DEFENCE LAW Effective Jan 1, the decision-making powers on military policy rest with Xi Jinping-led Central Military Commission (CMC) RIGHT TO MOBILISE MILITARY, CIVILIAN ASSETS PROVIDES LEGAL GROUND TO LAUNCH WAR State Council – China’s cabinet – will have a no say in defence matters as the revisions place sweeping powers into the hands of CMC to mobilise both military and civilian resources to defend its assets both in China and abroad. ‘Disruption’ and protection of ‘development interests’ added as grounds for mobilising and deploying troops and reserve forces | P9 ■ ■ Including ‘development interests’ provides legal grounds for the country to launch war to defend national development interests The CMC is now formally in charge of making national defence policy and principles, while the State Council becomes a mere implementing agency to provide support to the military 2 YEARS TIME TAKEN BY THE NATIONAL PEOPLE’S CONGRESS TO PASS THE LAW 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 Nod to Covaxin triggers concern, political joust GOVT’S CASE “COVAXIN is more likely to work against newer variants like N501Y Variant (UK variant) & any other that may arise due to antigenic drift as it contains immunogens (epitopes) from other genes in addition to those from Spike protein,” says Harsh Vardhan EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi Covaxin data shows it not only produces antibodies in all participants but also sensitises ‘CD4 T lymphocytes that imparts durable immune response, says Vardhan A medic conducts a dry run of Covid-19 vaccination on a health worker, at the Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala on Sunday | PTI Public hearing for NIMZ on January 20 V N I L E S H @ Hyderabad lages as a mark of protest. In the one village where the surTHE public hearing for the vey was conducted, 70 per National Investment and cent of the people had opManufacturing Zone (NIMZ), posed the project. Zaheerabad, which is proThe survey also revealed posed to come up in 12,635 that most of the people in that acres at Nyalkal and Jharasvillage are solely dependent angam mandals, will be held on agriculture and allied acon January 20. tivities for livelihood. ChangHowever, it remains to be ing the area to an industrial seen as to how the hearing zone and subsequent change goes, as the project in land use will affaces a headwinds in fect the livelihood of Facing the form of opposimany . headwinds tion from residents For this, the report of 17 villages which stressed the need to It is to be seen fall under the project how the hearing skill the youth to site. The public heartake up new jobs in goes, as the ing is considered an the industries. It also project faces important step in headwinds from pointed out various moving closer to obenvironment imresidents of 17 taining an Environpacts of the proposed villages. The mental Clearance. public hearing is project and related Of the 12,635 acres mitig ation measconsidered an required for the ures. There are four key step in NIMZ, the Telangana moving closer to r e s e r ve d f o r e s t s State Industrial In- obtaining an EC within a 5-km radius frastructure Corpoof the NIMZ. ration (TSIIC) has to On the benefits of acquire 9,710 acres, the project, the reof which 7,461 acres is private port stated the NIMZ, Zaland, according to data preheerabad, may contribute to sented in the draft Environthe annual industrial output mental Impact Assessment/ of `44,000 crore and generate Environmental Management direct and indirect employPlan report of the project. ment for 2.66 lakh people by According to the report, the 2040. It will also enhance local State government officials infrastructure, including had planned to conduct a soroad and rail network. The cio-economic survey in three NIMZ would focus on automovillages, but the residents did bile, electrical machinery, not let them do so in two viltransport equipment, etc. MP drafting law to make vandals pay up REGULATORY approvals to a couple of coronavirus vaccines on Sunday set off a political slugfest, with a section of the Opposition questioning the nod to Bharat Biotech’s homegrown Covaxin, since it is yet to complete phase 3 trials. While Congress leaders sought full disclosure of Covaxin’s data, BJP chief J P Nadda tore into the Opposition for coming up with “wild theories” to “ridicule” the accomplishments. The Congress remained divided, with chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala hailing the scientific community, but deputy leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor asking searching questions on the haste in according POSITIONING FOR POWERPLAY Junglemahal vote share (LS poll)  BJP  TMC PURULIA 2014 7.15% 38.87% 2019 49.33% (+42.18) 34.19% (-4.68) JHARGRAM 2014 9.73% 54.6% 2019 44.56% (+34.83) 43.72% (-10.88) WEST BENGAL Covaxin is based on whole inactivated coronavirus; only 7 per cent persons receiving 6 microgram dose had mild symptoms Bharat Biotech’s candidate yet to finish phase 3 trial, points out Oppn; bid to ridicule scientific community, says Nadda BANKURA 2014 20.31% 39.1% 2019 49.2% (+28.92) 36.5% (-2.6) BISHNUPUR 2014 14.11% 45.5% 2019 46.25% (+32.14) 40.75% (-4.75) MIDNAPORE 2014: 14.26% 46.5% 2019: 48.62% (+34.36) 42.32% (-4.19) Electorate in Scheduled Tribes 27% Junglemahal Scheduled Castes & OBCs 35% PRANAB MONDAL & P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Kolkata/Guwahati CALL them spoilers, proxies or B-teams, with Assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam just months away, two political parties have thrown their hat in the ring, one in each state, with the sole aim of damaging bigger and more established players. While the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has declared that it will contest Kamrup Metro Tinsukia ASSAM Dibrugarh Sivasagar Kamrup Jorhat Nagaon try of Home Affairs, which had deliberated on the Covid-19 management plan, noted that the data on safety and efficacy has not been reviewed in the case of Covaxin. Tharoor warned that the approval is premature, saying Covaxin’s use should be avoided as it could be dangerous. Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Giriraj Singh took potshots at the Opposition. “Our in-house cynics M/s Golaghat AGP in 2016 elections contested 26 seats WON 14 Seats won by AGP in Upper and Central Assam 9 the WB elections, not for the first time though, newbie Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has entered the fray in Assam. Most do not give them any chance and say they will be mere also-rans. But they are expected to be crucial tools in the hands of the serious contenders to play the role of a spoiler The JMM is expected to damage the chances of the BJP, benefiting the Trinamool Congress, as both are expected to vie for the votes of tribals, among whom the BJP has made major inroads recently The AJP could do the . same to the Asom Gana Parishad, a BJP ally, and this could be to the advantage of the Congress. Like the AGP, the new party’s leadership comes mainly from former activists of the All-Assam Students’ Union with regionalism its ideological mooring. Political circles believe JMM and AJP have been propped up by TMC and Congress respectively to do what the All-India Majlis-eIttehadul Muslimeen did to the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar last year. In the closely contested Bihar elections, Asaduddin Owaisi’s party contested 14 seats, winning five and hurting the RJD. Why the BJP believes JMM is a TMC proxy is not far to seek. In the 2016 Assembly polls, the Jharkhand party contested 23 seats, 14 of them in tribal-dominated districts Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura and West MidCONTINUED ON P8 napore. Owaisi ties up with firebrand Sufi cleric for WB elections A I H I K S U R @ Hyderabad IN what is being seen as a major development ahead of the West Bengal elections, the AIMIM has entered into an alliance with a firebrand cleric from an influential Muslim sufi order of the Furfura Sharif in Hooghly district. On Sunday, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi secretly landed in the State and met with the order’s top leader, Abbas Siddiqui, who has been vocal in his anti-TMC stance, at his residence in Hooghly After the meeting he said, . “We will back him (Siddiqui), stand by him and act according to his advice and plan.” But it is unclear if Siddiqui will contest the elections under the banner of the AIMIM or will float an outfit of his own. Vocal in his stance against the Bengal government, he had earlier said his outfit would contest from 35-40 seats. This was Owaisi’s second meeting in relation to the elections. In December 2020, AIMIM leaders of the State had visited Hyderabad, and he took stock of the situation in context of the polls. Siddiqui’s relatives were also present during Sunday’s discussion. He is a peer (spiritual guide) of the Furfura Sharif, a shrine 50 km from Kolkata. The shrine is considered to be holy among Bengali Muslims and holds vast influence among followers. The outfit’s chief, Peerzada Toha Siddique, is at loggerheads with Siddiqui. CONTINUED ON P4 HYDERABAD GETS NEW ARCHBISHOP THE ESSENTIAL CAMPUS DIGEST YOUR LIFE COACH 28 PAGES, INCLUDING 16 OF edex (TABLOID) E N S @ Hyderabad AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi landed in Kolkata in a hush-hush manner fearing reprehension from the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, AIMIM members from the State said. Sources said Owaisi had initially planned to hold a virtual meet with Furfura Sharif ’s Abbas Siddiqui, but he changed his mind at the last minute. AIMIM leaders from WB told Express that the meeting was kept under wraps, as the AIMIM leaders were allegedly being targeted by the State administration. The party leaders had to go “underground” as the TMC government allegedly arrested scores of MIM workers for “no reason”. During the anti-CAA/NRC/ NPR protests, the leaders were not permitted to protest. It is important to note that the TMC, too, has been against CAA-NRC-NPR. 17 killed in cremation ground roof collapse Ghaziabad: Seventeen people, most of them attending a funeral, were killed and 15 others injured when the roof of a shelter at a cremation ground in Uttar Pradesh’s Muradnagar collapsed on Sunday, police said | P8 @ Bhopal WITH THIS ISSUE MIM chief’s secret visit to Kolkata EXPRESS READ EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE TAKING a leaf out of UP’s book, Madhya Pradesh is drafting a stringent law with a provision to auction the properties of stone-pelters to recover damages caused to public property or individuals. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s decision comes close on the heels of three incidents of clashes between two communities during the Ram temple fundraising processions taken out in Ujjain, Indore, and Mandsaur districts. “Their act not only causes damage to properties, but also poses a risk to human lives. While peaceful protests are the right of the citizens, vandals and arsonists have to be severely dealt with,” Chouhan said. When introduced, MP will become the second state after UP to have such a law. Jairam, Tharoor & Akhilesh are behaving true to form,” tweeted Puri. While Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and BSP head Mayawati lauded the scientific community SP chief Akhilesh , Yadav, who on Saturday said he would not take a ‘BJP vaccine’, advised the government on Sunday to avoid a cosmetic approach. CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury called for full disclosure of data of the trial phases. SPOILERS THREATEN TO MUDDLE POLL PLAY IN BENGAL AND ASSAM AGP stronghold  Upper districts  Central districts approval to Covaxin. The Congress troika demanded Union health minister Harsh Vardhan’s explanation on why mandatory protocols and verification of data had been done away for Covaxin. Soon enough, Vardhan reacted sharply, saying: “Disgraceful for anyone to politicize a critical issue”. Sharma, who heads the Parliamentary panel on the Minis- Johnson warns of more lockdown measures (L) Catholic bishops walk to the altar for the installation ceremony of Most. Rev. Poola Anthony (extreme right in pic above) as the new Archbishop of Hyderabad, at Saint Mary’s School in Secunderabad on Sunday | S SENBAGAPANDIYAN | P3 Most. Rev. Poola Anthony took over the charge of the Archdiocese from outgoing Archbishop Thumma Bala during a Pontifical High Mass. He becomes the fifth Archbishop of Hyderabad Archbishop Poola said his priorities will be to provide options for the poor in terms of education and healthcare. Helping those affected with Covid-19, irrespective of their community and religion, will be his focus too London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely as the country reels from a new coronavirus variant. Johnson, though, insisted he has “no doubt” that schools are safe and urged parents to send their children back into the classroom in areas of England where they can | P9 HASSLE-FREE Now, booking an LPG refill cylinder just a missed call away EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad BOOKING a cooking gas cylinder is now just a missed call away for Indane Gas consumers. Indian Oil LPG customers anywhere in the country can give one missed call on 8454955555 to book an LPG cylinder refill. However, the facility which is accessible only for , domestic LPG cylinders, has its pros and cons. Telangana has around 1.12 crore domestic LPG consumers, of which around 45 lakh are in Hyderabad. “The new facility is going to make booking hassle-free for consumers. Booking refills via missed calls is a faster way to procure an LPG cylinder. This facility will be of immense help to elderly customers, those living in rural areas and people who are not adept with the Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRS),” Jagan Mohan Reddy, general secretary of the Telangana LPG Dealers Association, said. Customers can also book a cylinder via WhatsApp or SMS. For booking a cylinder via WhatsApp, they will need to type REFILL and send it to 7588888824. However, consumers will not be able to file complaints through this service. “If they want to raise complaints, they will have to use the IVRS facility,” added Jagan.