29062024-TT-01.qxd 6/28/2024 11:10 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 179 | 22 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 HIMACHAL PRADESH FORMER JHARKHAND CM HEMANT SOREN GETS BAIL NATION /thetribunechd HEAVY RAIN TRIGGERS LANDSLIDES IN DODA DISTRICT J&K BIDEN, TRUMP CALL EACH OTHER ‘LIAR’ AT PREZ DEBATE WORLD HARYANA GIRL FASTEST TO HIT DOUBLE TON IN TEST CRICKET BACK PAGE saturday | 29 june 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com ReadyfordiscussiononNEET: Minister after Oppn stalls LS Not allowed to speak, govt avoiding key issue: Rahul Neeraj Mohan Tribune News Service Vehicles are crushed after a portion of the roof at the Delhi airport’s Terminal-1 collapsed amid heavy rainfall on Friday. PTI Roof collapses at Delhi airport after heavy rain; 1 dead, 6 hurt Govt orders probe| NDA, Oppn trade charges |All airports to be inspected A vehicle moves through a waterlogged road in New Delhi. PTI Capital downpour beats 88-yr record New Delhi: The monsoon arrived in Delhi on Friday, bringing the capital to its knees. Besides the killing of one person in the Delhi airport’s Terminal-1 roof collapse, three more lives were lost in rain-related incidents. The city recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, the highest for June in 88 years — since 1936. BACK PAGE Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service The first batch of 4,603 pilgrims for the Amarnath Yatra reached Kashmir on Friday. They will start their journey towards the holy cave in Anantnag on Saturday. Local residents and the administration welcomed the inaugural group of pilgrims as they reached Pantha Chowk in Srinagar. Srinagar DC Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat said they were committed to ensuring the safety and comfort of all pilgrims. INSIDE Now, beneficiaries to get wheat, not ‘atta’, in Punjab CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government has decided to halt its flagship scheme for distribution of “atta” to beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act. Instead, the beneficiaries will get only wheat. A decision to this effect was conveyed at a meeting of all district managers of MARKFED, presided over by Managing Director Girish Dayalan, on Thursday. MARKFED is the implementing agency for the scheme. INSIDE U’KHAND COPS NAB GURUGRAM FIRM STAFFER INSIDE we are ready to face any issue,” Pradhan said outside Parliament. He said the government’s responsibility was towards the youth and students of the country. “When the government is ready to put forth its side then what is the confusion? We are going to take the strictest action and the CBI is India off increased watch list: FATF NEW DELHI: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has said in its report that India’s steps to combat money laundering, terror financing and proliferation financing were found compliant with the guidelines of the FATF The . FATF has removed two countries — India and Kuwait — from its increased monitoring list following successful on-site visits. BACK PAGE Misri, envoy during Galwan crisis, new Foreign Secy New Delhi, June 28 Deputy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri, a 1989-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was today appointed the next Foreign Secretary. He will take charge on July 15, succeeding Vinay Mohan Kwatra. monsoon season has set alarm bells ringing in Shimla. Following heavy rain for over three hours on Thursday night, muck and debris entered a couple of buildings and washed away a retaining wall in the lower Mehli locality of the city. In Malyana, three vehicles were buried under the debris. The villagers had to dig out the vehicles from underneath the debris this morning. The state capital and its surrounding areas received heavy rain; Shimla received 84.3 mm of rain. In Mehli, rainwater and muck entered house. INSIDE Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Biased, selective facts: Indiaon religious freedom report of US JAMMU/SRINAGAR: accused in Patna, it nabbed 2 persons from Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh in paper leak case ■ Among them was Ehsanul Haque, principal of Oasis School, from where paper was leaked SHIMLA: The first rainfall of the Tribune News Service Amarnath Yatra from today, pilgrims throng Kashmir ■ Day after CBI arrested two going to nab everyone (involved). We will not spare anyone,” Pradhan said. In the morning, Congress MP KC Venugopal submitted an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha to discuss the “unprecedented cases of paper leaks”, including those of NEET-UG and UGC-NET. It aimed at highlighting the “failures” of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts over a dozen national competitive exams. Before adjourning the House till noon, Speaker Om Birla said, “I have received 22 notices on the NEET paper leak case. The President has already indicated in her speech that there would be a continued on page 6 Deluge in Shimla, vehicles buried, muck enters houses Shubhadeep Choudhury New Delhi, June 28 A day after a portion of the new terminal building of Jabalpur airport in Madhya Pradesh caved in, a cab driver died and six persons were injured after a portion of a canopy at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal-1 collapsed on Friday as Delhi witnessed a heavy spell of rain, the highest in a single day of June in 88 years. Operations were suspended at the Terminal-1, which has only domestic flights by IndiGo and SpiceJet. More than 100 flights that were to be operated from T1 were cancelled by both these carriers. Further, all SpiceJet operations at T1 were shifted to T3, continued on page 6 New Delhi, June 28 Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said the government was ready for a discussion on the controversy over NEET-UG, but that “should take place as per tradition and by maintaining decorum”. Talking to the media after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day amid protests by the Opposition demanding a discussion on irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG, the minister appealed to them not to confuse the students. “The President spoke about the exam in her speech yesterday and it shows the government’s intention that SCHOOL PRINCIPAL HELD New Delhi, June 28 Denouncing the US State Department’s report on International Religious Freedom for 2023, India on Friday said it was ‘deeply biased’ and ‘visibly driven’ by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive outlook. “We reject it,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal today as he read out a statement. He said, “The exercise itself is a mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selective usage of facts, reliance on biased sources and a onesided projection of issues.” ‘ACTION IN PANNUN CASE AFTER PANEL REPORT’ MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, while responding to questions on Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell’s response on the issue, said, “We have constituted a high-level committee. We will take appropriate action as and when the report is out.” The MEA spokesperson said, “This (bias) extends even to the depiction of our constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India.” The report selectively picked incidents to advance a pre-conceived narrative, Jaiswal added. In some cases, the validity of laws and regulations was questioned by the report, as was the right of legislatures to enact them, said Jaiswal, adding that the report also appeared to challenge the integrity of certain judgments given by Indian courts. The MEA statement said, “The report has targeted regulations that monitor misuse of financial flow into India. Suggesting that the burden of compliance is unreasonable, it seeks to question the need for such measures.” It went on to turn the tables on the US, saying “the US continued on page 6 Turning doubters into believers, India a win away from T20 glory New Delhi, June 28 Doubts of India progressing further in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup were raised after the Indian think tank picked four spinners for the tournament. Fans and avid cricket watchers were baffled with the idea of Virat Kohli opening the batting alongside skipper Rohit Sharma with both stars on the wrong side of their 30s. Twenty20 is for young blood, they said. While former skipper Virat has not hit his run scoring form yet, the team led by Rohit has quickly turned doubters into believers with eight consecutive victories. The team is on the cusp of lifting the title. NEED TO STAY CALM It is so important we stay composed because that helps you make good decisions. We have been very steady and calm, and that has been the key for us. ❝ Rohit Sharma, INDIAN SKIPPER But having already faltered twice against Australia in the finals in little over a year, there are lingering doubts whether the team can cross the final hurdle. India lost the World Test Championships as well as the big World Cup at home to Australia last year. Further, the last ICC trophy that was won by Team India was way back in 2013, when the side led by MS Dhoni lifted the Champions Trophy. Post a 68-run win in the semifinal against England, Rohit was quick to point out how his team has played the moments during the game well. He wants to continue the same. “We understand the occasion (final). It is so important we stay composed because that helps you make good continued on page 6 c m y b SERVING AS DEPUTY NSA Vikram Misri, a Kashmiri Pandit, has served as private secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi (May-July 2014), and ex-PMs IK Gujral (1997-1998) and Manmohan Singh (2012-2014) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared his name. Misri has been serving as the Deputy NSA since January 1, 2022. Misri was India’s envoy to China from January 2019 to December 2021 — a period when relations between the two countries plummeted to a sixdecade low with the armies locked in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation along the 832 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Misri takes over at a time when ties with China have improved, but remain far from continued on page 6
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).