HUBBALLI  TUESDAY  JANUARY 19, 2021  `7.00  PAGES 14  CITY EDITION CHINESE ECONOMY GROWS 2.3% IN 2020, BUCKS GLOBAL TREND China, the 1st to be hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and the earliest to recover too, registered 6.5% growth in the 4th quarter of 2020 SIZE OF GDP SWELLS TO $15.42 TRILLION ONLY MAJOR ECONOMY TO GROW LAST YEAR GDP of the world’s second-largest economy grew to $15.42 trillion in 2020, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The growth, though the lowest in 45 years, is a remarkable achievement considering the country’s economy had suffered a 6.8% slump in the first quarter in 2020 after it went into lockdown following the Wuhan virus outbreak ■ ■ ■ Chinese economy staged a steady recovery on the back of radical virus containment measures and emergency relief for businesses China is the only major global economy to have grown last year China’s job market also grew at 5.6%, creating 11.86 million new urban jobs in 2020, completing 131.8% of the whole-year target 8.2% PROJECTED GROWTH OF CHINA’S ECONOMY IN 2021 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 Speechless Siraj rises above tears and jeers Group D worker dies after jab in Ballari district S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Chennai Health Department cites autopsy report, says it was due to massive cardiac arrest THIRTEEN No of wickets for Siraj in this series, the highest by an Indian BEING in hard quarantine in a foreign land while grieving the loss of a family member can be soul crushing. The easier option is to go back, to comfort as well as be comforted. Being racially abused is dispiriting. It can leave one feeling worthless. Leading the bowling attack in just the third Test can be equally daunting, in a different way . It’s fair to say Mohammed Siraj aced that latest challenge, becoming just the fifth Indian bowler to grab a five-for at The Gabba. Even though India may not chase down 328 (if weather relents) on the final day to win the series, Siraj held his end of the bargain on the fourth day of the final Test against Australia. And how. His latest act in what has been an emotional series left the Hyderabadi speechless. He visibly struggled to hold back the tears while returning with the India chase 328 on Day 5 India were set a challenging target to chase on the final day of Brisbane Test. If India manage to draw against hosts, they will retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy | P13 match ball. The tears, though, also told a wider story of his struggles. His father died days after India landed in Sydney in November. The son of an autorickshaw driver, the 26-year-old driver hadn’t even bowled with a proper cricket ball till seveneight years. He spent his time playing tennis ball cricket, admitting that concepts like seam and swing were alien to him. But, thanks to a common trait running through this Indian team — ability to fight and create your own destiny — he has fought his way through the system. Through tennis ball NO MORE FREE RICE UNDER ANNA BHAGYA? A S H W I N I M S R I PA D @ Bengaluru A policeman gets a Covid vaccine shot at Dasappa Hospital, run by the BBMP, in Bengaluru on Monday | SHRIRAM BN EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru KARNATAKA reported the death of a Group D employee, who was administered the ‘Covishield’ vaccine on Monday the Day 3 of the mega-vac, cination drive. But the State Health Ministry said that the death was not due to the vaccine, but because of a cardiac arrest as confirmed by the autopsy report. The deceased, Nagaraj M, who had a history of diabetes and hypertension, was working at the Government Hospital in Sandur of Ballari district. After the vaccination on Saturday, he attended work the next two days. On Monday , he complained of chest pain and was admitted to the hospital, but passed away in the evening, said a health department official from Ballari. An expert committee will be set up to probe Nagaraj’s death as per the directions of Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar. Health Department officials said that the postmortem report will be further studied and if required, vital organs will be sent to the laboratory for further testing. The Health Department release said, “Nagaraj passed away due to a massive heart attack. Monday mor ning when he came to duty he com, plained of chest pain at around 9.30 am and collapsed. He was treated immediately and referred to Jindal Sanjeeveni Hospital. But he couldn’t be saved. The districtlevel AEFI Committee met and had detailed discussions. The conclusion is that the death was due to cardiorespiratory arrest secondary to acute antereo septal wall MI.” Meanwhile, three more cases of adverse effects due to the vaccine were reported from Hunsur in Mysuru district and two from Chitradurga district. In Hunsur, a woman complained of chills within an hour of getting the vaccine. She was kept under observation for an hour and discharged. At the Kyasapura primary health centre in Chitradurga, a frontline worker felt an itching sensation soon after the vaccination and was immediately shifted to the district hospital where he was treated and then discharged. In Hassan, two senior doctors had fever and pain. They recovered after required medicine was administered to CONTINUED ON: P5 them. EXPRESS READ Media trial hinders justice: Bombay HC Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday said media trial leads to obstruction of justice. It also held that prima facie reportage by some news channels, following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, were “contemptuous”. Rafale to feature in Republic Day parade New Delhi: The newly inducted Rafale fighter aircraft will feature in India’s Republic Day parade on January 26 and culminate the flypast by carrying out the ‘Vertical Charlie’ formation, the Indian Air Force said on Monday. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kolkata She also wants to cut his family’s influence in dist Suvendu’s younger brother Dibyendu and father Sisir Adhikari are TMC LS members @ Haveri THE Union Gover nment should release special grants of `5,495 crore to Karnataka as recommended by the the 15th Finance Commission in its report for 2020-21, demanded Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai during a virtual meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday . “We request the Union Government to accept the recommendations and release the special grants to us, as Karnataka is one of the best tax governed states,’’ said Bommai, attending the meeting on behalf of Chief Minister B S AT least three criminal complaints were filed in various parts of the country against Saif Ali Khan starrer web series Tandav, forcing its cast and crew to issue an apology on Monday evening. While an FIR was filed in Lucknow, two complaints were lodged with the courts in New Delhi and Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of Hindus and promoting discord among communities. The series, released on Jan 15 and aired on Amazon Prime, is said to be a commentary on the prevailing political situation of the country Oth. er than Khan, the other prominent actors are Dimple Kapadia, Gauhar Khan, Sunil Grover and CONTINUED ON: P9 Zeeshan Ayub. THERE is pin drop silence and students are listening to their teacher in rapt attention. Only in this case, the teacher is a YouTube channel! With schools shut even after the lockdown, the students were in a fix. Vidyagama programme was also stopped by the state government. Haveri Block Education Officer M H Patil then came up with the idea of a YouTube channel to reach out to the 10th standard students. He held a meeting with teachers of Haveri taluk and the idea was supported by the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI). And the ‘Varada Jnanavahini’ channel took off some three months ago and already over 2,000 SSLC students have subscribed to it. Subject experts teach lessons of 10-minutes duration each, which can be watched by the students during their free time. CONTINUED ON: P7 CONTINUED ON: P4 @ Bengaluru Haveri students turn to YouTube teacher! A R U N K U M A R H U R A L I M AT H Sources in Food and Civil Supplies Dept EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE E X P R E S S N E W S E R V I C E @ Lucknow/Patna/New Delhi Mamata’s game plan Didi wants to confine Suvendu’s campaigning to Nandigram We are still discussing whether to charge a nominal amount for this rice or give it along with regular rice. The CM will call us for a pre-budget meeting and discuss this issue on the sly On one side, the gov. ernment is spending crores and on the other, the scheme is being misused. If a nominal amount of Rs 2-3 is charged per kg, the government will get some revenue, which can be used to procure other essentials for the beneficiaries,’’ the sources said. The government is also planning to introduce fortified rice, which will have added micronutrients, to the beneficiaries. “Experts have pointed out that the regular rice is not helping beneficiaries get required nutrients,” the department sources said. State seeks `5k cr in Central funds Tandav cast, crew forced to issue apology Didi’s Nandigram googly to upset Suvendu’s plans UPPING her game in the upcoming West Bengal elections, Trinamool Congress supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would contest from Nandigram against her once trusted lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari, who joined the BJP last month. It was Nandigram, the epicentre of farmers’ movement, that propelled her to power 10 years ago. “It is my lucky place. I will contest from here,” she said while addressing a rally in Nandigram, adding that she would also contest from her own Bhowanipore constituency in south Kolkata. Banerjee’s is a political move to challenge the Adhikari family members, who claim to be the king makers in the district with 16 seats. IF everything goes as per the proposal, the poor in Karnataka may have to pay for the food grains under the ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme which is free now. Government sources said that only a nominal amount will be charged and the money collected will be given back to the beneficiaries. At present, 5 kg of rice per individual per month is given to families holding below poverty line (BPL) cards. Over 1.22 crore families and 4.27 crore individuals are benefiting from the scheme. While the rice is free for BPL cardhold- ers, Rs 15 per kg is charged for families holding above poverty line (APL) cards. Every month, the government requires 2.18 lakh metric tonnes of rice and crores of rupees for the scheme. Sources in the Food and Civil Supplies Department said that experts have suggested to the government to reduce the quantity of rice and to supply other essentials instead. “The allocated rice is more than the consumption. At some public distribution system shops, the rice under the scheme is being sold illegally, allowing mushrooming of agents who are making money For primary students After the success of this programme, ‘Chinnara Jnana Vahini’ , a channel for primary school students, was launched a month ago. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai during a video conference with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in Bengaluru on Monday | EXPRESS Yediyurappa, who holds the finance portfolio too. The Centre should share the commission’s devolution formula for the next four years to help states initiate the budget exercise, he added. He said that the Union Government should consider the state’s interest while revising the estimates to avoid an adverse impact on the state’s expenditure commitment and not to revise it downwards. After heavy floods caused havoc in the state in August and September last year, the Union Government released ` 1 , 3 6 9 c ro re a s a g a i n s t `2,261 crore. P4 tournaments. Through Ranji Trophy Through India A tours. . Through the IPL. Through a tragedy Through racial abuse. . At the Gabba, he went to fight for his father’s dreams and his dreams. He emerged with a smile on his face and happy tears down his eyes. “My dad had wished that his son would play and the entire world would watch him,” he said after the day’s play “I hope he could have . been there to watch this day Be. cause of his blessings I have got a five-wicket haul. I am speechless. I got strength after talking to mom and my focus was on realising my dad’s dreams.” SOUDHA ACTION Joint House session from January 28 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru THE joint session of the Karnataka Legislature will be held from January 28 to February 5. The Governor, Vajubhai Vala, will be addressing the joint session on January 28. While the first day of the session is limited to the Governor’s address, discussions on the address and other issues will be held during the remaining six days. Both the Houses were convened last during the Winter Session in December, and were adjourned sine die on December 10. However, the Council met for a day again on December 15 for the no-confidence motion against Chairman K Pratapchandra Shetty The Council . had witnessed high drama over with Congress members manhandling and pulling down the Deputy Chairman from the Chair. The government had earlier indicated that the Budget session is likely to be held in March. 1st WOMAN TO BE PART OF R-DAY PARADE Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth will be part of this year’s R-Day parade, the first woman fighter pilot to do so | P9