MADURAI l sunday l november 21, 2021 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l LATE CITY EDITION Service providers can now verify your vaccine status With your consent, IRCTC, travel and entertainment agencies and employers can conduct checks before providing a service Facilitating Travel and in-person work Social media outreach component The Union Health Ministry activated a CoWIN feature on Saturday that lets private and government agencies use your name and mobile number to validate your status (fully, partially or not vaccinated). Their attempt will trigger an OTP that you have to share with the service provider. The government said this will help in making travel and in-person work safer ■ ■ This feature also lets you share your vaccination status from CoWIN on social media and inspire others to take their doses The Union government is determined to accelerate the pace of Covid-19 vaccination. With 21.65 crore doses not yet used by states and UTs, the CoWIN feature could boost vaccine uptake 44 cr people aged 18-44 got 1st dose; only 18.9 cr got the 2nd in this age group 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 TN kids policy aims to curb abuse, other crimes Farmer unions decide T M u r u g a n a n d h a m @ Chennai Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday released the State’s first-ever policy on children. Affirming the commitment towards ‘zero tolerance to any form of violence against children’, the policy aims to give equal importance to protection of children and prevent violence against them. This policy comes in the wake of the increasing incidents of sexual assaults against schoolchildren and other crimes. Setting benchmarks on par with ‘Creating safe spaces’ Introduction of a child protection policy in all panchayats and urban bodies to create child safe spaces in the State and set up a child safeguarding policy in all schools international standards, the policy aims at the overall wellbeing of children. An exclusive multi-sectoral advisory group will be constituted at the State level for the implementation of this. TN will also do a child budget analysis regularly so that ad- equate resources are allocated based on the needs of children. The policy will be revised every five years by reviewing outcomes/impact achieved in a time-period through evidence-based appraisal of sustainable development goals. The key aspects of the policy include tracking children from 0-18 years including children of migrant labourers, street children and providing them access to a formal school in their neighbourhood. It also envisages the introduction No ‘positive’ proof of conspiracy in Aryan Khan case, says Bombay HC E x p r e ss N e ws S e r v i c e @ Mumbai Dedicated to duty Following in her husband’s footsteps, Jyoti Deepak Nainwal, wife of martyred Naik Deepak Kumar who was shot in the line of duty in 2018 while serving in Jammu and Kashmir, graduated from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai on Saturday. After the passing out parade, she is congratulated and kissed by her daughter at the Academy | special arrangement | P4 Gehlot cabinet reshuffle could end tussle with Sachin Pilot R a j e s h A s n a n i @ Jaipur IN what could end the tussle between Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, at least for now, the much delayed cabinet reshuffle is likely to take place on Sunday with at least five Pilot loyalists finding a berth in the ministry. There can be a maximum of 30 ministers. Gehlot held a cabinet meeting on Saturday evening and took the resignations of all his ministers, paving the way for the CM and the Congress high command to reorganize the ministry in the way they deem fit. The cabinet meeting was preceded by a resolution moved by state PCC chief and education minister Govind Dotasra, which suggested that all ministers resign. This was promptly approved. Talking to media after the meeting, transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said, “We have submitted our resignations to Ashok Gehlot and all the MLAs have been asked to be present at the party office at 2 pm on Sunday . Whatever will be decided by the CM and the party high command will be followed.” Earlier, Dotasra met Congress’ Rajasthan in-charge Ajay Maken following which he said all the new ministers would be welcomed at a special function at the party headquarters before the oath-taking ceremony . On Saturday, the political corridors here were abuzz over who all would make it to the new Gehlot ministry Whether . Pilot will figure in the reshuffle is a question even as hectic lobbying for berths continued through the day . W I T H T H I S I SSU E The Young Finfluencers PLUS 12 PAGES There is no “positive evidence” of any conspiracy between Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and fashion model Munmun Dhamecha to commit drug-related offences and there is also nothing objectionable in the WhatsApp conversations among them, the Bombay High Court said in a bail order. The court said the trio did not conspire to commit the offence under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The court granted bail on October 28 to Khan as well as Merchant and Dhamecha. A detailed copy of the order was released on Saturday . “This Court has not has not noticed any positive evidence against the Applicants” on the issue of conspiracy the order stated. , The court noted that no drugs were found in Aryan’s possession, and the quantity recovered from Arbaz and Munmun were “small” under the NDPS Act.  P10 of a child protection policy in all panchayats and urban bodies to create child safe spaces in the State and set up a child safeguarding policy in all schools to make institutions a safe place for children, and form an Internal Complaints Committee under the POSH Act. “Though TN fares better on many of the indices compared to the national average, the issues that are preventable and needs attention include malnutrition, infant mortality rate,” the policy emphasised.  P4 express read TN gets forensic DNA profile search tool to track victims Chennai: Tamil Nadu has become the first State in the country to get ‘Forensic DNA profile search tool’, developed by the State Forensic Sciences Department. Chief Minister MK Stalin handed it over to the State police chief. The tool will help in gathering profileof victims of human trafficking | P4 Karur girl dies by suicide owing to sexual harassment Karur: A 17-year-old girl died by suicide on Friday, allegedly due to sexual harassment. She was pursuing Class 12 at a private school, was under depression for the past few months after losing her loved ones, police said. One of her relatives said, “We don’t have faith in the police investigation.” | P4 to press ahead with protests as planned Lucknow mahapanchayat on Monday, daily tractor march to Parliament will start from November 29 Earlier this month, the SKM had announced its plan to observe one A day after Prime Minister Naren- year of the agitation. It said 500 dra Modi announced the repeal of farmers would take out tractor the three contentious farm laws and marches to Parliament every day appealed to the agitating farmers to during the winter session starting return home, the plea appeared to November 29. have fallen on deaf ears Gurnam Singh Charuas the Samyukt Kisan ni, a union leader, said Toll stir Morcha, an umbrella the issues of the minicontinues body of farmers’ unions, mum support price, cases on Saturday said they will registered against farmFarmers are continue the protests, iners and compensation to refusing to cluding the mahapanchathe families of deceased vacate the toll yat in Lucknow on Nofarmers would be disbarriers in vember 22, tractor march cussed again on Sunday . Punjab and on November 29 and othThe SKM reiterated Haryana till the er rallies. The morcha anthat its agitation was not SKM takes a nounced the decision afjust against the repeal of final decison. ter a meeting of the the three laws but also for Their protest is unions to discuss the fua statutory guarantee for said to have ture course of action. remunerative prices for caused a `2,500 “The Lucknow maall farm produce. crore loss hapanchayat and the trac“We will present these tor march will continue. views to the government We will also celebrate one year of whenever it talks to the farmers. e the protest at the Singhu border,” the have said that the talks should conSKM said. Terming the PM’s an- tinue. If this issue is heading tonouncement on Friday a one-sided wards a resolution, it should go that affair, the leaders said, “Until we are way Bharatiya Kisan Union leader ,” satisfied, the protest will continue.” Rakesh Tikait said. P9 Express News Service @ New Delhi