VOL. 32 NO. 35| MUMBAI, PUNE, INDORE, BHOPAL SUNDAY| JANUARY 3, 2021| 13 PAGES US Congress overrides Trump veto of defence budget WASHINGTON: The US Congress has overwhelmingly overturned Donald Trump's veto of the annual $740 billion defence policy bill, delivering a resounding bipartisan rebuke to the President in his final days in the (Report on Pg 11) White House. Coronavirus Cases 84,561,001 Deaths 1,838,378 Kane and Son help Spurs up to third after beating Leeds Quality at Value LONDON: Harry Kane and Son Heung-min each scored and provided an assist as Tottenham Hotspur won 3-0 against Leeds United to go third, in the Premier League on Saturday. Son also set up the third with a corner headed in by Toby Alderweireldfive minutes into second half. (Report on Pg 14) Dada stable after angioplasty, nation heaves a sigh of relief FPJ SPORTS DESK Kolkata/Mumbai Fast News K’taka shops, biz to remain open 24x7 BENGALURU: All shops and commercial establishments with 10 or more staff are now allowed to operate on a 24x7 basis on all days of the year in Karnataka. The move is aimed to generate employment and give a push to the economy. However, the state government issued a circular stating that employee should not be made to work more than 10 hours a day. "All employers shall not require or allow any person employed to work therein for more than eight hours in any day and forty-eight hours in any week. The period of work including overtime shall not exceed 10 hours in any day," the government order said. IAF, NDRF try to extinguish wildfire MANIPUR: As many as four IAF helicopters and 59 personnel of NDRF swung into action to help firefighters extinguish the wildfire raging at Dzuko valley range on Manipur-Nagaland border on Saturday. In addition, 35 SDRF, 32 personnel of Manipur Fire Service were also deployed at the spot. As the firefighter team struggled on the ground, four IAF Mi-17 V5 helicopters loaded with bambi buckets were deployed to spray waters from the air. It is learned that only two choppers were deployed initially. However, two more joined the operation later in the afternoon. Former HM Buta Singh dies at 86 NEW DELHI: Former Union home minister and senior Congress leader Buta Singh passed away at the AIIMS here on Saturday morning. He was 86. Singh had been in a coma since October last year, when he was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after he suffered a brain hemorrhage. His family said Singh died around 7.10 am. He will be cremated at the Lodhi Road crematorium here later in the day. Singh was an eighttime MP and also served as the governor of Bihar. Singh remained in public service for a long time. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, PM Narendra Modi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh condoled his demise. Former Indian skipper and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Saturday has undergone angioplasty after he suffered a ‘mild’ cardiac arrest. His health condition is stable now, doctors in the medical team said. "Sourav Ganguly is stable after undergoing angioplasty He is conscious . and stable now. He has a minor cardiac issue while doing some workout in his home gymnasium," said Saroj Mondal, the head of medical team treating him. The doctor said that Ganguly 48, was , immediately moved to the hospital and all necessary medical treatments were provided. "He underwent angiography and angioplasty He is now stable. . There are multiple issues for cardiac attack. He will be able to join his daily activities soon," said Mondal, who also heads the cardiology department of the state-run SSKM Hospital. Sources said that there are two more blockages in his heart for which he will be treated. A stent insertion has been done as 90 per cent blockage was found in one of his arteries. He will be monitored for the next 48 hours. Ganguly suffered a sudden blackout following mild chest pain during a workout session at his Behala residence this morning. He called up his family doctor who advised him to get admitted to a hospital immediately He . was moved to Kolkata's Woodlands Hospital at around 1 pm. He became the BCCI's 39th president succeeding C K Khanna, who was the interim head of the Board since 2017. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Sad to hear that Sourav Ganguly suffered a mild cardiac arrest and has been admitted to hospital." Banerjee also wished him a speedy and full recovery " . Sources close to Ganguly said that an ECG test was conducted upon him after he was rushed to the hospital. He is now stable and out of danger. A medical team, led by state-run SSKM Hospital's cardiology department head Saroj Mondal, is looking af- STATE GOES ON VAX DRY RUN MODE n n Maha govt all set to launch Covid-19 vaccination after Centre’s nod Booths with capacity to jab 100 people at a time to be set up soon SANJAY JOG Mumbai Even as it is waiting for a nod from the Centre, the Maharashtra Government has launched massive preparations across the state for smooth execution of the much-awaited Covid19 vaccination drive. Interestingly booths on , the lines of our polling booths, will be set up with three sections -- one for identification of a citizen; another section for actual vaccination and a third section where a citizen who has been vaccinated will be kept under observation for half an hour. Minister of Public Health Rajesh Tope shared these details on Saturday after attending a dry Staff of Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar prepare for the vaccine drive on Saturday run in his hometown, Jalna. He added that if the citizen even after observation feels restless he or she will be admitted in the hospital for further treatment. At every booth 100 people will be vaccinated at a time. Tope said that after the vaccination, it will be mandato- 4L health workers yet to register for vax jab SWAPNIL MISHRA Mumbai The state is making preparations on a war-footing to ensure the Covid vaccine jabs are given to all its frontline soldiers. More than seven lakhs healthcare workers across Maharashtra have registered themselves for the vaccination drive on a priority basis. However, the state health department is still expecting another four lakh workers to register themselves. Health officials said that around 12 lakh HCW will get the Covid-19 vaccine on priority . So far, details of over 7.22 lakh healthcare workers from the state — including doctors, nurses and paramedics — have been uploaded onto the CoWin app, which has been developed by the Centre to track vaccination and dosage. Around four lakh from this number are employed in the public sector. The rest, three lakh are employed in private healthcare facilities. Pak gives Rs 2.35cr to buy Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor’s houses PTI New Delhi Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday approved the release of Rs 2.35 crore to purchase the ancestral houses of legendary Bollywood actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor located in the heart of this city The government . declared both the houses as national heritages. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmud Khan formally approved the proposal, allowing the authorities concerned to purchase the ancestral havelis at a rate determined by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Communication and Works Department a few weeks back. Source - Worldometer Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar Muhammad Ali Asghar, following a report of the Communication and Works Department, has fixed the price of Dilip Kumar’s four marla (101 square metre) house for Rs 80.56 lakh while that of Raj Kapoor’s six marla house (151.75 square metre) for Rs 1.50 crore. Twelve lakh HCWs will get vaccinated on priority Photo BL Soni “A sizable chunk of healthcare staff has still not registered for the vaccine. There are an estimated 12 lakh healthcare workers in the state — from both the public and private sectors. The list includes non-medical support staff as well,” said a senior health official. Dr Dilip Patil, state immunisation officer said there are around 3.50 lakh HCW including ASHA workers who are yet to register at CoWin-29. The deadline for the registration was December 25. However, the state health department has extended the registration period to an unlimited time. “By Comedian held for ‘indecent’ remarks on Hindu deities FPJ BUREAU Indore A stand-up comedian and four others were arrested on charges of passing indecent remarks against Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show in Indore, said a police official. Police said the comedy programme was held at a cafe on Friday A complaint was . filed by Eklavya Singh Gaur (36), son of local BJP MLA Malini Laxman Singh Gaur, based on which comedian Munawar Faruqui and four others were arrested, police said on Saturday . Gaur and his associates had gone to the show, where they objected to the comments and created a ruckus over it. (With PTI inputs) next week all the HCWs will complete their registration process. Mumbai is yet to finish but is in the process,” he said. Till December 25, around 16,102 healthcare workers in Maharashtra had contracted Covid-19. Out of these, 11,000 were working in the government sector. A total of 178 health workers have succumbed to the infection in the state. Among this, 46 were doctors, 11 were nurses and 121 were paramedical workers and other staffers who were involved in the Covid19 treatment. CONTD. ON P6 Photo BL Soni ry for the citizen to wear masks and follow social distancing. Further, they should not remain complacent but take care till the next dose. ‘’Emergency use of the corona vaccine is expected to be approved soon. After that, the vaccination campaign will be implemented in four phases,’’ said Tope. The minister noted that initially around 3 crore people comprising medical staff workers, frontline workers, people above 50 years and those with co-morbidities but below 50 can be administered the vaccine. Tope said training of 18,000 is being completed. The second phase is fulfilling the cold chain requirements and the third is logistics including the vaccine price and other things. Tope said every person selected for vaccination in the first round will get an SMS. CONTD. ON P6 Free vaccine for 3 crore people in Phase-1: Min The government will provide free coronavirus vaccines to three crore people who have been on the frontline in the first phase, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday . The government will give priority to one crore healthcare workers and two crore frontline workers when India begins the rollout of Covid vaccine. An expert panel of India’s central drug authority on Saturday recommended granting permission for restricted emergency use of the indigenously developed n n n n n COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin with certain conditions, a day after giving similar direction for the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, sources said. Covaxin has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR. Government SOPs for UK fliers Self-paid RT-PCR test: Passengers travelling from the UK to India from Jan 8 to 31 will do a mandatory self-paid RT-PCR test at airport Self-declaration form: Passengers will have to submit selfdeclaration form on www.newdelhiairport.in at least 72 hours before travel and carry negative RT-PCR test with them Institutional isolation: Passengers who test positive at the airport will be isolated in an institutional isolation facility in an isolation unit 14-day quarantine: Those who are negative on testing with RT-PCR at the airport would be advised home quarantine for 14 days New virus strain: If genomic sequencing indicates presence of new mutant virus then patient will continue to remain in separate isolation unit till test comes negative 5 Indian players in isolation after they ‘step out for a bite’ BCCI, Cricket Australia probe possible protocol breach FPJ BUREAU Mumbai Five Indian players including vice-captain Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant are in isolation after a video emerged of them "eating at an outdoor venue" in Melbourne on New Year's day . Besides Rohit and Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini, have all been separated from both the India and Australia squads. The five Indian players, however, will be able to train "in accordance with the strict protocols that have been put in place to ensure the ongoing safety of all members of the Indian and Australian squads," Cricket Australia said in a media release. A screengrab of the video shows the five Indian players at a restaurant in Melbourne Courtesy: Navaldeep Singh/Twitter Both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Australian board have also launched an investigation for a potential breach of the biosecurity protocols. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia (CA) were alerted about a video posted on social media that purported to show Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini eating FULL STORY ON P14 out. Detail story on Page 14 ter Ganguly's health check-ups at the hospital. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar also paid a visit to the hospital along with his wife Sudesh Dhankhar. “It is sad. I wish him speedy recovery and get back to normalcy said former ,” Indian skipper Dilip Vengsarkar. “It’s shocking news. Hope nothing is too serious. I wish and pray that he should get back to normalcy at the earliest,” said MSK Prasad, chairman of the BCCI selection committee. (With inputs from agencies) 26/11 TERROR ATTACKS MASTERMIND, LAKHVI ARRESTED IN PAKISTAN FPJ BUREAU & PTI Mumbai/Islamabad The 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operations commander Zaki-urRehman Lakhvi (61) was arrested on Saturday in Pakistan on terror financing charges, according to an official statement. The arrest came amidst growing international pressure on Islamabad to bring to justice terrorists roaming freely in the country . The UN proscribed terrorist Lakhvi, who was on bail since 2015 in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case. He was arrested by the CounterTerrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab province. Sources in CTD told PTI that Lakhvi was arrested from Lahore. “Following an intelligencebased operation conducted by the CTD Punjab, proscribed organisation LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was arrested on charges of terrorism financing,” the CTD said in an official statement. It further said that Lakhvi was arrested in a case of terrorism financing registered in a police station of CTD Lahore. “Lakhvi is accused of running a dispensary using , funds collected for terrorism financing. He and others also collected funds from this dispensary and used these funds for further terrorism financing. He also used these funds for personal expenses,” the CTD said. Terror Trail n n Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was designated as a global terrorist by the UN in December 2008 The LeT, led by JuD chief Hafiz Saeed is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed over 166 innocent people The CTD said that in addition to belonging to proscribed organisation LeT, Lakhvi is also a UN designated individual. “His trial will be held before the Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore,” it added. Lakhvi was designated as a global terrorist by the UN in December 2008 for being associated with LeT and alQaeda and for "participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts by in , conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf or in support of" both the entities. Proscribed terrorists and entities are subject to an assets freeze. Farmers threaten to hold ‘Tractor Parade’ on R-Day 7th round of talks may be held on Monday FROM OUR BUREAU New Delhi The agitating farmers' unions on Saturday threatened to enter the national capital with a ‘Tractor Parade’ on the Republic Day , the day their protest on the borders completes two months, hardening the position ahead of the seventh round of talks with the government on Monday They . also warned not to test the patience of the farmers protesting in the bone-chilling cold. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the coordination body of over 40 farmers unions, held a press conference at the Press Club of India to give a clear and direct ultimatum to repeal the three contentious farm laws and give statutory guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the next round of talks or be ready for the direct confrontation. The Morcha also declared the timetable of various programmes at local and national level if the Monday talks fail, all its seven leaders of the national coordination committee vowing to intensify their movement. Asserting that their stir has reached a decisive turn, they noted, “We had told the government right on day one that we would not budge until the anti-farm laws are totally withdrawn." Asked if they would seek Delhi Police permission for the "Tractor Parade" on a day when British premier Boris Johnson will be the chief guest at the ceremonial parade on the Rajpath, their leader Darshan Pal shot back, "Do we require permission even for a Republic Day parade? The farmers constitute a majority and symbolise the highest power in the country Other ." leaders said the detailed programme of January 26 has not finalised. CONTD. ON P6