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Rail Roko 2.0 coming? Farmers harden stance further, warn of pan-India blockade

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The warning from the farmer leaders came even as Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday urged them to give up the protests.

CHANDIGARH: The protesting farmers on Thursday hardened their stance against new farm laws despite six rounds of talks with the Centre, warning they would block rail tracks across the country if their demand for repealing the laws are not met. 

They also asserted that they stood united and any talk of division in their ranks was condemnable.

The warning from the farmer leaders came even as Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday urged them to give up the path of protest and continue talks to reach a solution on the issues related to the new farm legislations.

Various farmer unions met on Thursday and said details of the agitation to disrupt train services would be decided by the Sanyukt Kisan Manch. 

The farmer unions, which held a meeting on Thursday, said they will soon announce a date for blocking tracks across the country.

“The situation in Punjab is different because an agitation in the state has already been going for the last two months. On December 14, the agitating farmers will gherao the offices of Deputy Commissioners,’’ said a Punjab farmer leader, Buta Singh.

“We will block railway tracks if our demands are not met. We will decide on the date and announce it soon. The blocking of tracks will not be limited to Haryana and Punjab but it will be done across the country,” Singh said further at the press conference.

“The Centre has admitted that the new laws have been made for traders. If agriculture is a state subject, then the Centre does not have the right to make any laws. So, our argument that these laws will not benefit farmers has been proved right today,’’ Bhartiya Kisan Union, Punjab (Rajewal Group), Balbir Singh  Rajewal, said. 

“We warn the government not to stop farmers from coming to Delhi for agitation,’’ said Dr Darshan Pal, president of Krantikari Kisan Union.

The farmer unions had on Wednesday rejected the Centre’s proposals to make amendments in the farm laws and insisted on their repeal.

“Five rounds of talks have already been held with the government, but they remained inconclusive. So far, the government has not sent us any invitation for another round of talks. If government sends us proposal for a meeting, we will decide it in our meeting,” another farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka told a news agency.  

“We are facing a lot of difficulties due to cold weather and the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite this, we will continue our protest until our demands are met.” 

The announcement by farmers came on the day Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said it was not proper to announce the next stage of agitation when talks were continuing and urged the unions to return to the discussion table.

Tomar also urged farmer union leaders to consider proposals sent to them to break the deadlock over protests against the three new farm laws and said the government is ready for further discussions with them any time.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at various border points of Delhi for almost two weeks seeking a repeal of the new agri laws, which they claim were aimed at benefitting corporates by weakening the ‘mandi’ system and the minimum support price (MSP) regime for procurement of farm produce.

The government had on Wednesday proposed to give a “written assurance” that the existing MSP regime for procurement will continue.

However, the farmers’ unions rejected the proposal and said they would intensify their agitation until the government accepts their demand for a complete repeal of the three laws.

The government has also proposed to make necessary amendments on at least seven issues, including one to allay fears about the weakening of the ‘mandi’ system.

“Five rounds of talks have already been held with the government, but they remained inconclusive. So far, the government has not sent us any invitation for another round of talks. If government sends us proposal for a meeting, we will decide it in our meeting,” another farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka said.

Asked about solution to ongoing standoff with the government, Kakka said, “only God knows.”

“We are facing a lot of difficulties due to cold weather and the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite this, we will continue our protest until our demands are met,” Kakka also added.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh-based farmers’ organisation AIKCC, not one of the 40 unions that are protesting at Delhi borders seeking repeal of the farm laws, on Thursday welcomed the government’s gesture to keep the dialogue open with farm leaders.

B S Mann, founder of Bhartiya Kisan Union and chairman of All India Kisan Coordination Committee (AIKCC) — that represents 20-odd state level farmer organizations — said the committee’s suggestions made to the government in June for some changes in the three farm laws have “prima facie” been accepted.

“It was noticed by the national committee that all the suggestions were prima facie accepted by the government which will lead to end this current stalemate,” AIKCC said in a statement.

It was also observed that the government should announce slew of reforms in regulation in the follow up of less government and more governance, it said.

Weddings major cause of continuing spread of COVID-19 in Goa: Official

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PANAJI: Weddings are one of the major reasons why new coronavirus patients are emerging in Goa, a senior official said on Thursday.

Goa Medical College and Hospital Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar said recently almost a hundred persons, all from one family, tested positive for the infection.

All of them had attended a wedding, he told reporters.

People attend weddings without wearing masks, and this was one of the main reasons new cases were emerging, he said.

People are now treating coronavirus infection casually like the common cold, Dr Bandekar said.

“The fear that was there in people’s minds is slowly disappearing because of which people are behaving casually,” he said.

People must follow social distancing, wear masks and use sanitizers to avoid a second coronavirus wave from hitting the state, he said.

On Thursday, 95 persons tested positive in the coastal state, taking the caseload to 49,131.

The death toll in the state is 703.

Accept farmers’ demands with immediate effect: Former Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot to Centre

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Congress leader Sachin Pilot asked the Center to accept the demands of the agitating farmers with immediate effect.

Former Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot

JAIPUR:  Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Thursday asked the Centre to accept the demands of the agitating farmers with immediate effect.

“The farmers are fully alert and capable to protect their future, right and lands and the central government cannot confuse them with any vicious and undemocratic efforts,” he tweeted.

He said the central government should immediately accept all the demands of the farmers.

Thousands of farmers are currently staying put at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in protest against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

They have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.

There have been multiple rounds of talks between representatives of the protesters and the government but the logjam continues.

APMC Bill cleared in Legislative Council amid Congress walkout

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Earlier, during the debate, Minister Somashekhar said that the amendment will help farmers as it allows them to sell their produce at a place of their choice.

Workers load vegetables on to inter-state trucks at APMC Yard in Bandipalya of Mysuru

BENGALURU: Amid a walkout by Congress members, the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (Regulation & Development) (Amendment) Bill, which will allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere, was passed by the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

After a lengthy debate which lasted more than five hours, Co-operation Minister S T Somashekhar proposed passage of the Bill. The Congress members, who alleged that the amendment had some hidden agenda and it was done on instructions from the BJP-led Union Government, walked out of the House. Though the JD(S) members demanded that the Bill be put to vote by division and entered the well of the House, the Bill was passed by voice vote.

Earlier, during the debate, Minister Somashekhar said that the amendment will help farmers as it allows them to sell their produce at a place of their choice. “As of now, they have to sell their produce only at APMCs. Also, the APMC Vigilance Committee was penalising farmers Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 and booked cases against them if found selling their produce outside APMCs. This is also repealed from the Act,” he said.

Opposition members expressed fear that the Bill will change the way the farm sector functions and that it may put farmers in trouble. JD(S) MLC Marithibbegowda said that only 30 per cent of agricultural produce was coming to the APMCs and the rest was being sold outside by farmers. 

Opposition leader S R Patil, said that APMCs cannot help farmers with Minimum Support Price (MSP) if the amendment is made. “I am sure the APMCs will vanish in a few years if the bill is passed,” he added and walked out of the House, while other members of the Congress party followed him.Somashekhar said that the amendment had nothing to do with MSP and it will continue even after the Bill is enacted.

Karnataka’s active Covid-19 cases at lowest, recovery at highest

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Active cases had been on the rise since then, except on December 5 and December 7 when it declined from the previous day.

Active cases had been on the rise since then, except on December 5 and December 7 when it declined from the previous day. The biggest decline in active cases was on October 22, when the number fell from 1,00,440 cases to 92,927, a drop of 7.48%. The active cases fell below the 30,000- mark on November 12. Karnataka recorded the highest recovery rate as on Wednesday at 96.09%. It had crossed the 98%-mark on November 30, but in the following days it fell as the number of daily additions to positive cases was more than those discharged.

October 22 saw the 13,550 patients being discharged, which is the highest so far in a single day. The state’s positivity rate (the number testing positive for every 100 persons tested) has been steadily declining. It has dropped to 7.48% from the highest it reached – 12.54% – on September 27. Health officials say this is heartening, as the number of tests per day has crossed 1.15 lakh from 10-15,000 in the initial days of the pandemic. The positivity rate fell below 10%-mark on November 5, below the 9%-mark on November 17, and below the 8%-mark on November 30.

Pandemic putting democracy under threat: Study

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STOCKHOLM: More than six in 10 countries around the world have adopted measures during the Covid-19 pandemic that threaten democracy or human rights, a report by democracy institute International IDEA said Wednesday.

The study, which examined the situation in almost all countries of the world, concluded that 61 percent of nations “implemented restrictions that were either illegal, disproportionate, indefinite or unnecessary” in at least one area of democratic freedoms.

Among countries widely considered democracies, 43 percent fell into this category, a figure that rose to 90 percent for authoritarian regimes, according to the Stockholm-based intergovernmental organisation.

“It was to be expected that authoritarian regimes that had less checks and balances would use the excuse provided by the pandemic to tighten their grip,” secretary general Kevin Casas-Zamora.

“What is more surprising is that so many democracies have adopted measures that are problematic from the standpoint of democracy and human rights.” 

India, a democratic country, held the unenviable top spot, with measures of “concern” in nine of 22 areas studied — including freedom of movement, freedom of expression and freedom of the press — ahead of Algeria and Bangladesh with eight areas of concern.

They were followed by China, Egypt, Malaysia and Cuba, which each had seven.

Russia was the top European nation with six, a score shared by Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Jordan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

IDEA examined the various measures adopted around the world to determine if they were problematic from a democracy and human rights standpoint, regardless of effectiveness from a health perspective.

Along with India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Iraq — all considered democracies, albeit some of them “fragile” — were among the top 15 countries with the worst records.

“The pandemic is an accelerator of trends that were in place before the virus struck,” Casas-Zamora said.

“Countries that were highly authoritarian in most cases have become more authoritarian, (while) democracies that were facing real challenges in their ability to uphold the rule of law and basic human rights have seen those challenges worsen,” he added.

Five European Union countries were mentioned: Bulgaria with three areas of concern, Hungary (two) and Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia (one each).

Among the major Western democracies, only the United States was singled out, with two areas of concern: “freedom of association and assembly”, and “predictable enforcement”. 

Israel had five areas of concern and Argentina two.

Among the most frequent concerns were restrictions on press freedoms in the name of fighting disinformation, excessive use of force such as deploying troops to enforce rules or internment camps for the sick, corruption in emergency supplier contracts, and blaming migrants for the pandemic.

The study also praised several countries as role models for having combined effective health measures with a respect for democratic principles.

They were Iceland, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Taiwan, Uruguay, Cyprus, Japan, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

France, Italy, Canada, Germany, Britain and Spain were not mentioned among the top performers, but did not present any concerns either.

IDEA refuted the idea that undemocratic nations had done better at containing the new coronavirus.

Havana’s and Beijing’s apparent success in fighting the virus “has been achieved at a high democracy and human rights cost,” the report noted.

IDEA said its conclusions were based on global observations of the impact of Covid-19 on democracy, launched in July with the European Commission.

According to the institute, 55 percent of the world’s population currently live in a democracy. In the 162 countries assessed, it counted 99 democracies, 33 authoritarian governments and 30 “hybrid” governments.

US President-elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter faces federal investigation over ‘tax affairs’; ‘Chinese dealings’

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The tax investigation was launched in 2018, the year before the elder Biden announced his candidacy for president.

US President-elect Joe Biden (R) with son Hunter Biden (L) (Photo | AP)

WASHINGTON: The Justice Department is investigating the finances of  US President-elect Joe Biden’s son, including scrutinizing some of his Chinese business dealings and other transactions, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The revelations put a renewed spotlight on questions about Hunter Biden’s financial history, which dogged his father’s successful White House campaign and were a frequent target of President Donald Trump and his allies. They also come at a politically delicate time for the president-elect, who is weighing his choice to lead an agency that is actively investigating his son.

The tax investigation was launched in 2018, the year before the elder Biden announced his candidacy for president. Hunter Biden confirmed the existence of the investigation on Wednesday, saying he learned about it for the first time the previous day.

“I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” he said in a statement.

It isn’t clear which entities or business dealings might be tied up in the probe, though the person with knowledge of the matter said at least some of focus was on his past work in China. Federal investigators served a round of subpoenas on Tuesday, including one for Hunter Biden, according to another person familiar with the investigation.

Investigators did not reach out until recently because of Justice Department practice against taking overt investigative actions in the run-up to an election, one of the people said. The people familiar with the investigation insisted on anonymity to discuss an ongoing probe.

Hunter Biden has a history of international affairs and business dealings in a number of countries. Trump and his allies have accused him of profiting off his political connections, and have also raised unsubstantiated charges of corruption related to his work in Ukraine at the time his father was vice president and leading the Obama administration’s dealings with the Eastern European nation.

Late Wednesday, Trump tweeted a quote from New York Post columnist Miranda Devine claiming, “10% of voters would have changed their vote if they knew about Hunter Biden.”

Biden is actively assembling his Cabinet, but is yet to name a nominee to lead the Justice Department. That person could ultimately have oversight of the investigation into the new president’s son if it is still ongoing when Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20.

The transition team said in a statement, “President-elect Biden is deeply proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger.”

The revelations could also add weight to Trump’s broad accusations that Biden was weak on China. Trump took a tough line on China during the campaign as he tried to deflect blame for the coronavirus. Biden has rejected the characterization that he was weak and said that, unlike Trump, he would rebuild global coalitions to check China’s power.

A New Yorker profile on Hunter Biden last year detailed some of his business work in China, including how he accompanied his father on a 2013 trip to Beijing, where he met with a business associate. He also acknowledged having received a diamond from a Chinese energy tycoon interested in liquified natural gas projects.

He downplayed the idea that the gift could have been intended to affect his father’s policy. He told the magazine he gave the diamond to an associate.

“What would they be bribing me for? My dad wasn’t in office,” he said.

Hunter Biden has been caught up in controversies before. While his father was vice president, Hunter joined the Naval Reserve and was discharged after testing positive for cocaine in his system, later revealing a yearslong struggle with addiction.

He also joined the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma in 2014, sparking concerns about the perceptions of a conflict of interest given the elder Biden was deeply involved in U.S. policy toward Ukraine. An investigation by the Republican-led Senate did not identify any policies that were directly affected by Hunter Biden’s work.

In the weeks before the election, Trump supporters used the existence of a laptop they said was connected to Hunter Biden — and the emergence of someone who maintains he had business discussions with him — to raise questions about Joe Biden’s knowledge of his son’s activities in Ukraine and China. The president-elect has said he did not discuss his son’s international business dealings with him and has denied having ever taken money from a foreign country.

The laptop surfaced publicly in October when The New York Post reported on emails that it said had come from Hunter Biden’s laptop and that it said it received from Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer.

A third person familiar with the matter said the tax investigation does not have anything to do with the laptop.

In a CNN interview last week, President-elect Biden addressed the business dealings of his son Hunter and his brothers, pledging that they would avoid any perceived conflicts of interest during his time in office.

“My son, my family will not be involved in any business, any enterprise that is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict, where there’s appropriate distance from the presidency and government,” Biden said.

COVID- 19 Update tally rises to 97.64 lakh with 31,521 fresh cases

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New Delhi, Dec 10: India’s COVID-19 caseload climbed to 97,67,371 with 31,521 fresh infections, while the total number of recoveries surged to 92.53 lakh, pushing the national recovery rate to 94.74 per cent, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Thursday.

The death toll rose to 1,41,772 with 412 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 92,53,306.

The active caseload remained below 4 lakh for the fourth consecutive day. There are 3,72,293 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprise 3.81 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5.

It went past 50 lakh on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, and 90 lakh on November 20.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 15,07,59,726 samples had been tested up to December 9 with 9,22,959 being tested on Wednesday.

The 412 new fatalities include 75 from Maharashtra, 50 from Delhi, 47 from West Bengal, 35 from Kerala, 26 from Haryana, 20 each from Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

The total 1,41,772 deaths reported so far in the country include 47,902 from Maharashtra followed by 11,900 from Karnataka, 11,836 from Tamil Nadu, 9,813 from Delhi, 8,867 from West Bengal, 7,987 from Uttar Pradesh, 7,045 from Andhra Pradesh and 4,980 from Punjab.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

Global Teacher Award winner Ranjitsinh Disale tests COVID-19 positive

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Global Teacher Award winner Ranjitsinh Disale tests COVID-19 positive

Mumbai, Dec 9: Ranjitsinh Disale, a school teacher from Maharashtra who won a global award having USD 1 million prize money, on Wednesday tested positive for COVID- 19.

Taking to Twitter, Disale, 32, said late on Wednesday night that he and his wife have tested positive for the infection.

“My wife and I have tested COVID-19 positive. We are following the medical advice and resting at home in isolation with mild symptoms. I urge everyone who has been in contact with me to take necessary precautions. Thank you for all your support,” he said on the micro-blogging site.

After winning the coveted Global Teacher Award last week, Disale, a resident of Solapur district, had met several prominent personalities, including Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

His family member said that he started feeling unwell a couple of days back and visited Barshi rural hospital in Solapur district where he and his wife tested positive.

“None of his other family members has tested positive for the coronavirus infection. Both Disale and his wife have mild symptoms and they have isolated themselves at their home,” he said.

Disale, who teaches at a state government school in rural Solapur, had hit the headlines when he won the international award having a prize money of USD 1 million (around Rs 7 crore).

He had met the governor on Tuesday and the CM and MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Monday in Mumbai.

Last week, BJP leader Pravin Darekar had visited Disale’s home to felicitate him on his achievement.

The ZP primary school teacher from Paritewadi, a village with less than 2,000 people, was recognised for his efforts to promote girls’ education.

Disale has said he will share 50 per cent of the prize money among his fellow finalists.

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