tirupati l sunday l february 07, 2021 l `8.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION in a first, 34 women inducted into CRPF’s Elite CoBRA Unit After a 3-month training, they will be deployed in Naxal-hit districts of Chhattisgarh like Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur Breaking gender-based stereotypes 35 years of glorious service CRPF Director General A P Maheshwari underlined the induction as a step towards defeating gender-based stereotypes. An all-woman brass band of the country’s largest paramilitary was also commissioned at the force’s Kadarpur camp near Gurugram during a ceremony to mark the 35th Raising Day anniversary of its first women battalion known as the 88 | P7 ■ ■ Raised on Feb 6, 1986, 88 Mahila battalion has served the country with distinction for 35 years. It has been part of many UN missions. It comprises six units with over 1,000 women in each CoBRA was raised in 2009 for intelligence-based jungle warfare operations. It had been an all-male affair for this unit till now Martyrs 7 personnel of 88 battalion have made the ultimate sacrifice so far 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 Confine Peddireddy to his residence till end of panchayat elections, SEC directs DGP E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Vijayawada DELHI karnataka odisha (From left) Securitymen at the barricaded Ghazipur border in New Delhi during the farmers’ chakka jam on Saturday; police arresting agitators in Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar | PTI, Ashishkrishna HP, Biswanath Swain We will sit here till October 2. After that, we will do further planning. We will not hold discussions under pressure. Nobody can touch the farmlands. Farmers will protect them. Both farmers and soldiers should come forward - Rakesh Tikait, farmers’ leader Kisans ready for long haul, to protest till Oct Set Gandhi Jayanti deadline for govt to repeal farm laws; Tikait says won’t wilt, insists talks only on equal terms E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Announcing that the agitation against the farm laws would go on till October, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait declared on Saturday that talks with the government would not happen under any pressure. Addressing farmers during the nation-wide chakka jam protest, Tikait said they were giving the government time till October 2 to repeal the contentious laws, till then they would stay put on the borders.It was not clarified if the deadline had anything to do with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.He said there was no chakka jam in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand as they had inputs that some people might take advantage of the protest and could indulge in violence. “If the government is placing nails on our way then we will grow crop there. We are ready to talk but it has to be on an equal platform, no pressure tactics will work,” he said. In sharp contrast to the farmers’ tractor rally on January 26, which turned violent, Saturday’s protest was completely peaceful and took place under heavy security cover in Delhi and adjoining states. With the Capital, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand out of the ambit of the road blockade, vehicular movement was affected mainly in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Roads were blocked in several places in Punjab and Haryana from 12 noon to 3 pm. Farmers parked tractors, trailers and other vehicles on national, state highways and oth- Explore options to revive Vizag steel plant as it is an icon of AP: CM to PM 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 Saturday dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to reconsider the disinvestment of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and explore other options to put the plant back on track. The Andhra Pradesh government will cooperate with the Centre to put the plant back on track and the State and the Centre together can revive the plant for unlocking greater value to the society and in particular to the people of AP he said. , In the wake of in principle approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for 100 per cent strategic disinvestment of the VSP Jagan , apprised the Prime Minister of the sacrifices made by the people of the State to get the steel plant set up in Visakhapatnam. “This plant is realised only after many sacrifices by our people. The people of AP rallied for the steel plant in which 32 people had laid down their lives. On April 17, 1970, the then Prime Minister of India, announced the government’s decision to establish a steel plant at Visakhapatnam culminating the decade-long public agitation ‘Visakha Ukku - Andhrula Hakku’ in the erstwhile undivided AP Jagan said. ,” He said Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of VSP is the largest , public sector industrial unit in the State providing employment to around 20,000 people directly and indirectly “It is In. dia’s first shore-based integrated steel plant and a producer of long steel products catering to the requirements of the construction, infrastructure, manufacturing and automobile secP4 tors,” Jagan said.  er roads. Ambulances and school buses were not stopped. Women took part in large numbers in Sangrur and Ludhiana. Punjabi actors Binu Dhillon and Dev Kharoud with singer Pammi Bai participated in the blockade in Patiala. There were similar scenes in Rajasthan. Most cities saw tractor rallies on state and national highways. Meanwhile, farmers in Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand expressed solidarity by staging protests in their P7 respective states.  In another instance of a Supreme Court judge praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an open forum, Justice M R Shah described the PM as a “popular, loved, vibrant and visionary leader”. Speaking at the Gujarat High Court’s diamond jubilee celebration, which was attended by Modi also, on Saturday Justice , Shah said: “I feel proud and privileged to participate in this function to release the commemorative stamp of Gujarat High Court and that too, by our most popular, loved, vibrant and visionary leader, honourable Prime Minister Narendabhai Modi. I consider it a very special privile ge to be a part of this function.” only one to lavish praise on Modi at the function. Gujarat Hight Court chief justice Vikram Nath said the Prime Minister was popular because of his commitment to the country’s development. Le gal experts expressed reservation over sitting judges openly praising members of the political executive, saying the conduct of judges must be in consonance with institutional ethics. They said as the judiciary Relationship has to be correct, not cordial SC advocate Sanjay Hegde recalled when CJI M N Venktachaliah was sworn in, PM P V Narasimha Rao hoped for a cordial relationship between the judiciary and government. Prompt came Venktachaliah’s response that the relationship had to be correct, not cordial Peddireddy moves Court against SEC order Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy moved the High Court, challenging SEC N Ramesh Kumar’s directive to the DGP to confine him to his residence till the completion of panchayat elections. The House Motion petition filed by Peddireddy in the HC terming the decision of SEC unilateral, is likely to come up for hearing on Sunday. Cong’s draft law to protect Sabarimala TDP MLA Ganta quits post for cause of VSP Visakhapatnam: TDP MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao has submitted his resignation to his post in protest against the Centre’s decision to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Ganta, who represents Vizag North Assembly segment, said his resignation letter was sent to the Speaker | P4 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram Four states get nod to borrow addl `5K crore New Delhi: The Finance Ministry has granted nod to four states — Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab — to borrow an additional `5,034 crore for undertaking ease of doing business reforms. With this, the number of states accorded nod to borrow additionally goes to 12. SC judge’s lavish praise of PM creates ripples The effusive praises were mutual as Modi hailed the judiciary for performing “its duty well in safeguarding people’s rights, upholding personal liberty, and also in the situations when national interests need to be prioritised”. This is not the first time Justice Shah has praised the Prime Minister. In 2019, Justice Shah, while being sworn as the chief justice of the Patna High Court, had termed Modi as a role model. Justice Shah was not the There was no road blocking in UP and Uttarakhand, as announced by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), as there were fears of anti-social elements disrupting the protest. However, the UP Police deployed 144 PAC companies, six paramilitary companies, with senior officers at the state and national highways. In parts of western UP, a number of farmer leaders were placed under house arrest EXPRESS READ G u j ara t H C d i a m o n d j u b i l ee K a n u S a r d a @ New Delhi No road block in UP, U’khand over fears of anti-social elements In a move that may further widen the rift between the State Election Commission (SEC) and the State government, SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar on Saturday directed Director General of Police Gautam Sawang to confine Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy to his residence till the end of panchayat elections (February 21). The SEC further directed the DGP to ensure that the minister does not have access to the media to prevent him from making possible ‘inciteful utterances’ that will have an adverse impact on the ongoing panchayat elections as well as on general law and order situation in Chittoor and elsewhere in the State. The SEC took serious note of Peddireddy’s warning to the Collectors and Returning Officers in the State while address- was the final arbiter of legality and the constitutionality of the executive’s actions such statements do not bring credit to the institution. Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde said: “It reminds me of an effusive letter written by the late Justice P N Bhagwati to Indira Gandhi on her return to power. He was criticised for it. The wall of separation between the government and the judiciary must be maintained at all times.” Echoing Hegde’s sentiments, Supreme Cour t advocate Shwetank Sailakwal said: “The judiciary and executive are independent and function within a framework provided by the constitution. Beyond that any relationship, be it cozy or otherwise, shouldn’t be allowed in P7 a healthy democracy  .” ing the media in Tirupati on Friday . He reportedly asked the Collectors and Returning Officers not to obey the directions of the SEC and if they follow the commission’s instructions (in preventing unanimous panchayat elections), they would be blacklisted. The ruling YSRC hit back at the SEC for acting in an unconstitutional manner and said it would knock the doors of the court for justice. “SEC Ramesh Kumar is acting as per the instructions of TDP chief and Opposition Leader Chandrababu Naidu,” the ruling YSRC leaders alleged. In his orders, Ramesh Kumar said Peddireddy’s warning to the Collectors, who are also the District Election Authorities and Returning Officers with dire consequences if they follow the SEC’s instructions, was a serious breach of Rule of Law and tenets of the Constitution of P4 India.  history-maker Joe Root celebrates after reaching a double century on day two of the first Test. His 218 is the highest by an overseas player at Chennai | BCCI | P11 14 projects worth `1.14L cr allotted to AP: Jaishankar E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Asserting that Andhra Pradesh was not neglected in the Union Budget, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said 14 projects worth `1.14 lakh crore were allotted to the State, besides other schemes and fund allocations. He visited the city on Saturday to interact with representatives of industry and commerce and create an aw a r e n e s s a m o n g them on how the Union Budget would help the State and the country as a whole to achieve economic growth as it laid emphasis on increasing manufacturing capability thereby gen, erating more employment. Speaking to the media, he said the budgetary allocations are made with national perspective. He said AP was given its due share in the budget. The 14 projects allotted to AP include Visakhapatnam Chennai Industrial Corridor, Green Energy Corridor, AP Urban Water Supply and Septage Management Improvement Project, AP Rural Roads Project, AP Irrigation Livelihood Improvement Project, Health Systems Strengthening Project, Power for All 24x7, Disaster Recovery Project and new railway lines of 1,917 km and doubling lines of 3,700 km. The Production Linked Incentive Scheme will benefit AP as three of the 19 manufacturing clusters are located in the P4 State, he said.  THE Congress in Kerala on Saturday released the draft of a law it promised to enact for the protection of traditional practices at the Sabarimala temple if it came to power. Releasing the document in Kottayam, senior party member Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the law will ensure two-year jail term for people violating the traditional rituals of the shrine. The draft — Sabarimala Ayyappa Devotees (Protection of Religious Rights, Customs and Usages) Act, 2021 — proposes entry restrictions with the permission of the temple thantri. Thiruvanchoor said the draft, prepared by former director general of prosecution T Asaf Ali, will be the UDF’s trump card while going to the polls in less than three months’ time. “The LDF government has been dilly-dallying on the Sabarimala legislation, saying it cannot do anything since the matter is before the Supreme Court. In reality the , state government can intervene since it comes under the concurrent list,” said Thiruvanchoor. W IT H T H IS ISSUE The K Wave PLUS 12 PAGES