12092024-TT-01.qxd 9/11/2024 11:12 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 253 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH NO IMMEDIATE RELIEF FOR BAJRANG IN DOPE TESTING CASE SPORT /thetribunechd KAMALA PUTS TRUMP ON DEFENSIVE IN PREZ DEBATE WORLD STIR OVER ADANI DEAL PM MODI SETS $500 BN TARGET FOR ELECTRONICS IN KENYA, FLIGHTS GROUNDED BUSINESS INDUSTRY BACK PAGE thursday | 12 september 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com At BRICS, Doval calls for action to tackle terror, digital threats Briefly interacts with Chinese FM ahead of formal meeting today Tribune News Service Protesters try to breach barricades in Shimla suburb Sanjauli on Wednesday. PHOTO: LALIT KUMAR Shimla erupts over mosque construction, many injured Protesters violate prohibitory orders, clash with cops Navneet Rathore Tribune News Service Shimla, September 11 Several protesters and police personnel were injured during a lathi-charge in Sanjauli area here during protests against the illegal construction of a mosque here. The police used mild lathicharge and water cannons to disperse the protesters and to prevent them from heading towards the illegal structure. Despite the district administration imposing Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, which prohibits gathering of five or more persons, hundreds of protesters, including those associated with several Hindu outfits, gathered at Dhalli tunnel in the morning. The protesters, who raised slogans against the state government as well as the police, tried to break the barricades at Dhalli tunnel. Earlier, the police detained a protester who was identified as Kamal Gautam, a leader of PM’s ‘naya Kashmir’ idea a farce:Rashid Hindu Jagaran Manch, at Sanjauli Chowk as he tried to hold a protest there. Some protesters indulged in stone pelting at Sanjauli market, injuring police personnel as well as some people in the crowd. The police resorted to lathicharge in which some people sustained injuries. They were immediately rushed to hospital by the police. It was after a lot of effort that the police managed to disperse continued on page 10 New Delhi, September 11 National Security Adviser Ajit Doval today stressed the need for addressing modern security challenges, including those arising out of terrorism and digital threats emanating from “information and communication technologies”. He called upon the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) framework to make joints efforts to tackle these. Doval was in St Petersburg, Russia, to attend a summit of the NSAs of BRICS. The meeting comes ahead of a summit of leaders of BRICS countries to be held in Kazan, Russia, next month. PM Narendra Modi is among those scheduled to attend the summit. The Indian Embassy in Russia posted on X, “The NSA spoke on modern security challenges, including ICT (information communication technology) issues and terrorism, and the need for addressing these through joint efforts within the BRICS framework”. ED seeks info on Majithia case from Punjab SIT National Security Adviser Ajit Doval during the BRICS NSAs’ meeting in St Petersburg, Russia. PTI Doval called for reform of multilateralism, saying that the existing structures were no longer capable of handling modern threats and sensitive issues of common concerns. “The wide participation at the meeting today testifies to the fact that there is an urgent need for reform of multilateralism if we are to restore credibility,” Doval said. Doval also had a brief interaction with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi at the venue. Doval and Wang are set to hold a bilateral meeting on Thursday on the sidelines of Our Lord! Kolkata, September 11 The West Bengal Government on Wednesday rejected junior doctors’ demands for CM Mamata Banerjee’s presence and a live broadcast as pre-conditions for talks to resolve the month-long standoff over the alleged rape-murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College. DOCS SOUGHT LIVE TELECAST OF TALKS IN CM’S PRESENCE MP Engineer Rashid after being released from Tihar Jail. PTI resentment against Modi’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and 35 A. It was not due to love for Modi ji,” he said. The Valley’s two main parties — the NC and the PDP — have described Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party as a BJP proxy and have questioned the timing of the interim bail. NC leader Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday that Rashid was granted bail to “fetch votes” for the saffron party. He said several inmates from Kashmir were lodged in Tihar Jail and needed immediate medical care. “People from across the border (PoK) continued on page 10 edit: engineer Rashid’s bail PM Narendra Modi attends Ganpati puja at CJI DY Chandrachud’s residence in New Delhi. PTI All above 70 to get ~5 lakh free treatment under Ayushman Income no bar, those eligible will get new distinct card Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 11 In a move aimed at expanding the beneficiary base of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), the Cabinet on Wednesday approved the inclusion of all citizens aged 70 and above, irrespective of income, under it. As per the proposal cleared by the Cabinet, the eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card under the AB PM-JAY. Those belonging to families already covered under the scheme will get an additional top-up cover up to Rs 5 lakh per year for themselves (which they won’t be able to share with other members of the family who are below the age of 70). The families not covered under the scheme will get a shared cover of Rs 5 lakh per year. The senior citizens aged 70 and above who are already availing of benefits of other public health insurance schemes such as the Central Government Health Scheme, Ex-Servicemen Contributory continued on page 10 Earlier in the day, the government reached out to the protesting doctors and invited them to talks. The latter, however, insisted on several preconditions before agreeing to the meeting. Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya said the government remained open to discussions, but suggested that “political forces” might be influencing the protests. This led to a quick rebuttal from the medics, who dismissed the claims as baseless. The minister urged the doctors to rejoin work by respecting the SC's direction, but didn’t reply on whether the state would take any punitive action against the protesters. — PTI Youth lured with work visa on Insta & FB, 25 Punjab travel firms booked Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 11 Amid rising incidents of travel agencies sending gullible youths to Western nations via donkey route or to Russia to fight its war against Ukraine, the Punjab Police’s NRI and Cyber Crime wings in coordination with the Protectorate of Emigrants, Chandigarh, launched a crackdown against erring agencies. The authorities booked 25 travel agencies operating from different parts of the state for illegally advertising MOST AGENCIES ACTIVE IN LUDHIANA LUDHIANA 7 Horses Immigration | Abroad Expert | Abroad Kiva | Pies Immigration | Pass Pro Overseas | Horses Immigration Consultancy employment opportunities on social media platforms, mainly Instagram (IG) and Facebook (FB). The Protectorate peace and tranquillity” along the LAC had cast a shadow on the ties. Doval’s visit to Moscow comes after PM Modi’s visit to Russia and Ukraine in the past two months. During his visit, Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was Modi’s first visit to Russia and Ukraine since the war started between Moscow and Kyiv in 2022. Notably, India has always advocated “peace and diplomacy” for resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. WB Govt rejects medics’demands, standoff persists Adil Akhzer Srinagar, September 11 As Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid walked out of jail on Wednesday, a day after a Delhi court granted him interim bail ahead of this month’s Assembly poll in J&K, he said he would fight PM Narendra Modi’s narrative of “naya Kashmir”, which had “miserably failed”. Stating that he felt stronger and would not let people down, Rashid said people of J&K had rejected “what the Centre did on August 5, 2019 (abrogation of Article 370)”. “The vote for me was a referendum against Modi’s policy, especially abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A,” he told reporters outside Tihar Jail, adding that he was “committed to working for the people’s welfare and for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue”. Asked if his party would support the BJP , Rashid said, “I will fight PM Modi ji’s policy till my last breath because he has already let the people of J&K down.” On the increase in the voter turnout in J&K in the LS poll, he said, “It was because of the BRICS conclave. Doval and Wang are also the special representatives of their countries on the issue of resolution of the boundary dispute between the two sides. For the past four years, India and China are locked in a military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. In July, Wang Yi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had met in Vientiane, Laos, on the sidelines of the ASEANrelated foreign ministers’ meeting. Jaishankar had conveyed that “disturbance to Jalandhar, September 11 The ED has sought information from an SIT probing an alleged drug case against former Akali Dal minister Bikram Majithia. ED sources said the SIT had earlier given some inputs on the case, following which the agency sought information regarding the basis of those inputs. The SIT has been investigating the case against Majithia, who was booked under the NDPS Act on December 20, 2021, on the basis of a 2018 STF report. The sources said there had been a regular correspondence between the ED and the state police. Majithia said, “If the SIT has evidence against me, it could have filed a challan by now. Why is it sitting on the case? Nothing is going to come out of the case.” — TNS JALANDHAR Aaradhya Enterprises |Karson Travel Consultancy |True Deals Immigration Services, |I Way Overseas |Videsh Yatra AMRITSAR Rahave Immigration | JS Enterprises | Power To Fly | Travel Manthan | Amaze-E-Service HOSHIARPUR RS Enterprises | Target Immigration | PS Enterprises of Emigrants had flagged the rising trend of advertising on Instagram and Facebook wherein travel agents lure OTHERS Gulf Jobs, Kapurthala | High Wings Overseas 7, SAS Nagar | PNS Visa Services, SAS Nagar | GCC Experts, Patiala | Gulf Travel Agency, Dirba | Binder BBSG Immigration, Dirba youths by offering “sure shot” jobs in foreign countries with easy documentation. ADGP Praveen K Sinha said these unscrupulous agencies had been operating and offering jobs without possessing the requisite licence and permissions. “We checked the online platforms and after verifying their credentials, FIRs were registered against them,” he said. A total of 20 FIRs have been registered under sections 24/25 of the Emigration Act at various NRI police stations in the state, including in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur and SAS Nagar. Sinha said the operation c m y b specifically targeted those illegal agencies, which were advertising on social platforms offering overseas jobs to unsuspecting victims, mostly youths, and duping them of their hard-earned money. Several instances have come to the fore where youths from Punjab and other states were tricked by unscrupulous agents into joining the Russian army. NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal recently said the government would take stern action against travel agents working illegally in the state. Union Minister Rao Inderjit with Ram Bilas Sharma after the latter filed nomination from Mahendragarh on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO No ticket, BJP Haryana ex-chief files papers from Mahendragarh Mahendragarh, September 11 BJP veteran leader and former state unit president Ram Bilas Sharma today filed his nomination papers from the Mahendragarh Assembly constituency even as the party is yet to officially name him as its candidate. Following this development, Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh, BhiwaniMahendragarh MP Dharambir Singh, former minister Om Prakash Yadav and Ateli MLA Sitaram Yadav rushed to Sharma’s residence and discussed the “emerging political scenario” with him. Sharma, a five-time MLA from Mahendragarh, is among the frontrunners for the party ticket. The BJP is still deliberating on names for this seat as it is already facing trouble that started shortly after it came out with the first list of candidates. On the delay in naming candidate, Rao said, “Ticket or not, no one has the right to insult a senior leader. On the pretext of a case, the party is saying that it is considering Sharma’s candidature. It is nothing but rubbing salt on his wounds. I believe that the FRAUD COMPLAINT AGAINST 5-TIME MLA ■ Five-time MLA Ram Bilas Sharma was named in a complaint last month ■ A local resident accused him of financial fraud and implicating her son in criminal case party will not deny ticket to Sharma, but if it does, it will be a setback not only for Mahendragarh, but also for the entire state.” He said, “The BJP runs in Sharma’s blood and he has been working to strengthen the party for decades. We all are making efforts to get the party ticket for him.” Dharambir said he had never imagined that Sharma would have to wait for the ticket as the BJP had gained prominence in the segment only due to Sharma’s efforts. The case Rao mentioned pertains to a complaint filed by a local woman last month in which she accused eight persons, including Sharma, of using financial resources of her husband and implicating her son in a criminal case. Sharma had termed the allegations “baseless”. — TNS