01012024-TTC-01.qxd 01-01-2024 00:23 Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 1 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 /thetribunechd PLENTY OF ROOM TO INS VIKRANT GETS NEW BOOST MUSHROOM RADAR, MISSILE LAUNCH CULTIVATION INFOCUS PLATFORM BACK PAGE UP TO ~12.5L REWARD FOR INFO ON TERROR ACTIVITIES J&K AFTER BELGOROD ATTACK, RUSSIAN AIRSTRIKES POUND KYIV WORLD monday | 1 january 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com THE TRIBUNE WISHES ITS READERS A HAPPY NEW YEAR India’s self-confidence soaring, momentum must continue:PM In 108th Mann Ki Baat, asks people to share artistic creations on Ram Temple Aksheev Thakur Tribune News Service WELCOMING 2024 Fireworks over Sydney Harbour during New Year celebrations on Sunday. AP/PTI India ramps up security in Arabian Sea as US thwarts Houthi attack on vessel Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 31 On a day of fast-paced developments, a major shipping company suspended its operations for 48 hours through the Red Sea, US Navy helicopters downed two missiles after being attacked by Yemen-based Houthi rebels while the Indian Navy announced the formation of task groups comprising war- IN BRIEF India-UAE joint military exercise from tomorrow NEW DELHI: The joint military exercise — Desert Cyclone 2024 — between India and the United Arab Emirate will be held from January 2 to January 15 in Rajasthan. INSIDE Int’l alert sparks checks on Boeing 737 Max fleet NEW DELHI: Three airline opera- tors — Akasa Air, Air India Express and SpiceJet — have started checks on their 737 Max fleets after an international advisory on a potential safety concern related to loose bolts was issued. IANS DETOUR TO HIT TRADE ■ If trade via Red Sea is restricted further, India’s trade with Europe, US and western Africa will be hit ■ Alternative route is via southern tip of Africa; takes extra 10 days for travel from India to Europe ■ The longer route is bound to raise fuel and manpower costs ships, planes and UAVs to protect the vital trade route. Yemen sits at the eastern edge of the narrow Bab elMandeb Strait, connecting the Arabian Sea with the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. If the trade through Red Sea is restricted further, India’s business with Europe, US and western Africa could be impacted, raising fuel and manpower costs. The alternate route through the southern tip of Africa is 40 per cent longer, continued on page 10 New Delhi, December 31 There is excitement and enthusiasm in the country over Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and people should share artistic creations in this regard using common hashtag #ShriRamBhajan, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 108th episode of his monthly radio show ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday as he listed India’s achievements in 2023. The consecration ceremony of Ram Temple will take place on January 22. Asserting that India was brimming with self-confidence, PM Modi urged people to maintain the momentum in 2024. “Today every corner of India is brimming with self-confidence, imbued with the spirit of a developed India; the spirit of selfreliance. We have to maintain the same spirit and momentum in 2024 as well,” he said. The PM said he continued to receive congratulatory messages on the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) successful launch of Chandrayan-3. He A special broadcast of PM Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ organised by the Indian Minorities Foundation near the Jama Masjid in Delhi. ANI KEEP NATION FIRST, WORK FOR WELFARE We have to work for development of India keeping in mind the Panch Pran (pledge)… There is no greater mantra than ‘nation first’. Adhering to this, Indians will make our country developed and self-reliant. Narendra Modi, PM ❝ LISTS 2023 ACHIEVEMENTS ■ Continue to receive messages on Chandrayaan-3 success ■ Success for ‘Naatu-Naatu’, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ at Oscars ■ 107 medals in Asian Games; 111 in Asian Para Games pointed to India becoming the world’s fifth largest economy and the success of Panagariya to head finance panel Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 31 The government has constituted the 16th Finance Commission with former NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya as its chairman. Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey, a 1998-batch IAS officer from the Karnataka cadre, has been appointed as the secretary. Other members of the commission would be notified separately, said an official news release. Panagariya was the first vice-chairman of NITI Aayog FIRST VICE-CHAIRMAN OF NITI AAYOG Arvind Panagariya was the first vice-chairman of NITI Aayog after PM Modi came to power in 2014. Mentored by free-market votary Jagdish Bhagwati, Panagariya has done stints at the World Bank and allied institutions after PM Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. Mentored by free-market votary Jagdish Bhagwati, Panagariya has done stints at the World Bank and its allied institutions. He currently teaches at Columbia University whose economics teaching faculty once had Milton Friedman, Joseph Stiglitz and Bhagwati. The commission is expected to make its report available by October 31, 2025, covering a period of five years from April 1, 2026. The Finance Commission is a constitutional body set up every five years and is responsible for giving non-binding continued on page 10 Punjab refuses to send Living near power unit for tableau for Bharat Parv 40 yrs, locals to shift at last Sanjeev Singh Bariana Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 31 Continuing his tirade against the Centre over the rejection of Punjab’s tableau for the Republic Day parade, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today refused to send the state’s tableau for display at Bharat Parv saying the martyrs who featured in the creation didn’t deserve a place in the “rejected category”. Mann’s reaction came in response to the Centre’s com- Centre says state didn’t adhere to R-Day theme munication dated December 30, which said that the “state/UT not selected for the Republic Day parade will be given an opportunity to display its tableau during Bharat Parv, being organised separately at Red Fort from January 23-31”. The CM maintained the martyrs of the stature of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, continued on page 10 Mukesh Tandon Tribune News Service Panipat, December 31 The new year is set to finally bring relief to residents of Panipat’s Khukhrain village, who have been waiting to shift to a new location for the last 40 years. The villagers of Khukhrain, adjoining Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS) and a cement plant, have now been promised by the district administration that they would be moved out by January 31. Panipat villagers to relocate by January 31 The power plant was set up in 1979 while the cement unit came up in 2005-06. The villagers have been living in a pathetic condition due to the proximity to the two plants. The water discharged by the thermal plant raised the watertable over the years, causing walls of houses to develop cracks, continued on page 10 ISRO to ring in 2024 with satellite to study black holes Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 31 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will usher in the New Year with a foray into a new area of measuring cosmic X-rays. The 25-hour countdown commenced on Sunday morning for the liftoff scheduled from Sriharikota at 9.10 am on January 1. The X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) will piggyback on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C58) FIVE-YEAR MISSION ■ PSLV-C58 rocket will carry X- ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) and 10 others to be deployed in low-earth orbits ■ XPoSat will investigate polarisation of X-ray from celestial sources, including black holes; mission life is 5 years << ISRO will launch its first X-ray Polarimeter satellite on Jan 1. ANI rocket along with 10 other satellites for deployment in low-earth orbits. Cosmic X rays are widely prevalent in the atmosphere and two-thirds of it come from celestial objects such as clusters of galaxies, black holes and remnants of exploding stars (supernova remnants). The XPoSat, with a mission life of five years, will be among the very few satellites that will investigate and measure the polarisation of intense X-ray sources in space. This will enable scientists reach the source of celestial sources emitting these rays. The launch of the XPoSat will be the second ISRO venture in a continued on page 10 c m y b ■ Team India’s show in WC; women team win in U-19 T-20 WC ■ 40th rank in Global Innovation Index, up from 81st in 2015 ■ Most Indian varsities in QS Asia University Rankings the G20 Summit. Urging citizens to put “nation first” in every work they undertook, the PM said: “The record business on Diwali proved that every Indian is giving importance to the mantra of ‘Vocal For Local’.” India’s twin wins at this year’s Oscars for “RRR” song “Naatu Naatu” and documentary “The Elephant Whisperers” also found mention in PM’s address. He said the world saw India’s creativity and understood the country’s connection with the environment through its entertainment industry. “When ‘Naatu Naatu’ got the Oscar, the whole country rejoiced. Who was not happy when they heard about the honour given to ‘The Elephant Whisperers’? Through these, the world witnessed India’s creativity and understood our bonding with the environment,” he added. He then lauded the athletes for bagging 107 medals in Asian Games and 111 medals in Asian Para Games. “Indian players won everyone’s heart with their performance in the Cricket World Cup. The victory of our women’s cricket team in the Under-19 continued on page 10 Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, foundedbyGeelani, bannedfor5years New Delhi, December 31 The government on Sunday declared pro-Pakistan separatist group Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, founded by late hardline separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani, as a banned organisation for the next five years. OUTFIT WAS INVOLVED IN FORBIDDEN ACTIVITIES: SHAH The action, announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is a response to the group’s involvement in fomenting terrorism and spreading anti-India sentiment within the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. “The Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, J&K (TeH), has been declared an ‘unlawful association’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The outfit is involved in forbidden activities to separate J&K from India and establish Islamic continued on page 10