tuesDAY Chinese economy grows 2.3% in 2020, bucks global trend january, 2021 China, the 1st to be hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and the earliest to recover too, registered 6.5% growth in the 4th quarter of 2020 19 epaper.morningstandard.in Only major economy to grow last year Chinese economy staged a steady recovery on the back of radical virus containment measures and emergency relief for businesses facebook.com/TheMorningStandard twitter.com/TheMornStandard Lawaypora ‘BODIES WON’T BE RETURNED’ Police rules out handing over bodies of the trio, saying they were involved in militancy Page 8 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l J8.00 l Size of GDP swells to $15.42 trillion GDP of the world’s second-largest economy grew to $15.42 trillion in 2020, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. The growth, though the lowest in 45 years, is a remarkable achievement considering the economy suffered a 6.8% slump in the first quarter after it went into lockdown after the Wuhan crisis PAGES 12 China is the only major economy to grow last year China’s job market grew at 5.6%, creating 11.86 mn jobs, completing 131.8% of the whole-year target Mamata to contest from Suvendu’s fortress E xpress N ews S ervice Mamata’s game plan Mamata wants to confine Suvendu’s campaigning to Nandigram @ Kolkata BJP workers stage a protest against Amazon Prime over its web series ‘Tandav’ at Bandra in Mumbai on Monday | Pti After multiple cases, Tandav cast apologises Police team leaves for Mumbai to question five persons named in the FIR at Lucknow E xpress N ew S ervice @ Lucknow/Patna/New Delhi At least three criminal complaints were filed in various parts of the country against Saif Ali Khan starrer web series Tandav-I, forcing the cast and crew of the series to issue an apology late in the evening on Monday. While an FIR was filed in Lucknow, two complaints were lodged with the courts in Delhi and Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of Hindus and promoting discord among communities. The series, released on January 15 and aired on Amazon Prime, is said to be a commentary on the prevailing political situation of the country Other . than Khan, the other prominent actors are Dimple Kapadia, Gauhar Khan, Sunil Grover and Zeeshan Ayub. A statement from the cast and crew of the series said: “Today during a discussion, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting infor med us about a large number of grievances and petitions received on various facets of the web series,” it said. “Tandav is a work of fiction and any resemblance to acts and persons and events is purely coincidental. The cast and crew did not have any intention to offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community race, religion or religious , beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead.” “The cast and crew of Tandav take cognizance of the concerns expressed by the people and unconditionally apologize if it has unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments,” the statement added. Amazon Prime refused to comment on the controversy . A Delhi court will take up on Jan 23 a complaint seeking action against Amazon Prime and the makers of the series. In Mumbai, BJP MLA Ram Kadam alleged in his complaint that the series has “insulted Hindu gods and goddesses” while referring to a particular scene and demanded its deletion. BJP MP Manoj Kotak also wrote to I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar asking him to regulate content on OTT platforms. A media advisor in the UP infor mation directorate said there was no tolerance for those playing with the people’s sentiP3,8 ments.  UPPING her game in the upcoming West Bengal elections, Trinamool Congress supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would contest from Nandigram against her once trusted lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari, who joined the BJP last month. It was Nandigram, the epicentre of farmers’ movement, that propelled her to power 10 years ago. “It is my lucky place. I will contest from here,” she said while addressing a rally in Nandigram, adding that she would also contest from her own Bhowanipore constituency in south Kolkata. Banerjee’s is a political move to challenge the Adhikari family members, who claim to be the king makers in the district She also wants to cut the Adhikari family’s influence in the district. Suvendu’s younger brother Dibyendu and father Sisir Adhikari are TMC Lok Sabha members from Tamluk and Kanthi. Both gave Banerjee’s Nandigram rally on Monday a miss CM Mamata Banerjee reaches out to supporters at Nadigram | Pti with 16 seats. Nandigram came into the political spotlight in 2007 after 14 villagers were killed in police firing for protesting against a proposed SEZ project, cleared by the then Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front government in Bengal. A senior TMC leader said Mamata wants to confine Suvendu’s political activities to Nandigram. “The BJP has assigned Suvendu to secure victory in all 35 seats in East Mid- napore, West Midnapore and Jhargram districts. The CM’s announcement is a pressure tactic as Suvendu’s political activities will be confined to East Midnapore district,” the TMC leader added. Accepting Mamata’s dare, E x p r e ss r e a d Transgenders get voice in Kerala First love jihad case in MP T’puram: In a landmark decision, the Kerala government on Monday decided to include transgender as gender option in all application forms in its departments in an effort to further reach out to the marginalised section. Bhopal: Police in Madhya Pradesh have filed the first case under the state’s new ‘anti-love jihad’ law, after a woman from Barwani accused a 25-year-old married man of physically assaulting her over her refusal to marry him | P8 Delhi Covid watch status of cases Recovered Death Active cases Total +ve Today 362 08 -161 Cumulative 6,19,501 10,754 2,335 6,32,590 Patient Management Total beds Occupied Vacant h os p i ta l 10,128 1,055 9,073 c a r e c e n tr e 7,392 34 7,123* h e a l t h c e n tr e 307 06 301 *235 beds of CCC are occupied by persons under quarantine including travellers who came by Vande Bharat Mission and Bubble flights 1,079 Home Isolation Testing Status 32,368 18,155 RTPCR/CBNAAT/ TrueNat tests conducted Rapid antigen test conducted today 99,23,591 5,22,294 Total tests done so far Tests per million Containment Zones as on date: 2,253 Source: Delhi health bulletin | January 18 The Bombay High Court on Monday held the media trial by Republic TV and Times Now against Mumbai Police in the case pertaining to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput was prima facie contemptuous. “Criticism of city police by TV media was unfair, in view of the material placed on record. The city police was at the very basic stage of probe,” the court said. R-DAY parade to feature India’s first woman fighter pilot M ayan k S in g h @ New Delhi FRESH START A teacher takes class after schools in Delhi reopened for the students of Class 10 and 12 on Monday | Shekhar Yadav | P5 Bombay HC finds media trial in SSR case contemptuous E xpress N ews S ervice @ Mumbai Sunvendu said he will defeat her by 50,000 votes or he will quit politics. “If I cannot defeat her with half lakh votes in Nandigram I will quit politics. She only remembers Nandigram when election time comes,” Suvendu said. “The Trinamool is no more a political party now. It has become a private limited company ,” The Bengal unit of the BJP said the decision shows Mamata’s ‘nervousness’. BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh, however, dubbed Mamata’s announcement as a tactical move as the West Bengal CM is unsure about her win from Bhawanipore seat. “Didi is not confident about her win from Bhawanipore so she is looking for a safe seat. She is testing the waters in Nandigram for that. No matter where Trinamool leaders go, p8 we will defeat them.”  A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice G S Kulkarni observed that the media ought to avoid discussions and debates relating to criminal investigations and said they should confine themselves to informative reports in such matters in public interest. During the hearing for over last six months, the high court had expressed concerns over media trial. It asked the media not to cross boundaries, and indicated that it will lay down guidelines. The court said trial by media interferes with the criminal investigation and runs counter to the code framed under the Cable TV Act. It directed that the Press Council of India’s guidelines on crime reporting be made applicable to electronic media as well till the electronic media formulates its own norms. The bench said the media should observe restraint in discussions about ongoing investigations so as not to prejudice the rights of the accused and witness. It said publishing an alleged confession by an accused as if it is admissible evidence without letting the public know about its inadmissibility should be avoided. Calling for sensitivity, the bench advised against character assassination of suicide victims. The country’s first woman fighter pilot, Flt Lt Bhawana Kanth, will be debuting in this Republic Day Parade. The Rafale fighter jets will also be participating in the parade flypast. Bhawana said it is a matter of pride for her. “I have been watching the Republic Day Parade on TV and now becoming a part of it on Rajpath is a matter of pride for me, she said. She was part of the first batch of three women fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force that joined in 2016. Bhawana is from Bihar and joined the fighter squadron in November 2017, becoming operational in March 2018 after her solo flying in MiG 21 Bison. She wishes to fly every IAF Member of fighter. IAF tableau Two Rafale fighters will Bhawana will be be participating in the flyalong with IAF’s past for the first time. Ratableau that will fales, one each, will be flyshowcase mock- i n g i n E k l av y a a n d ups of the Tejas, Brahmastra formation. In light combat Eklavya formation, it will helicopter and be flanked by two Jaguars the Sukhoi-30 and two MiG 29s. Rafale multirole fighters fighter plane. The officer is were officially inducted currently posted into the IAF in September in Rajasthan last year and 8 of them have since joined the force. As many as 42 aircraft (IAF and Army) will be participating in the flypast this year. There will be 15 fighters, 5 transport aircraft, 17 helicopters, one vintage and four Army Aviation helicopters. The flypast will culminate with Rafale fighters flying Victor Charlie (Vic) formation. A Bangladesh Army Contingent is also participating in the Republic Day parade as a special invitee to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of 1971 war. Teachers can’t be called for other Speechless Siraj rises above tears, jeers duties without permission: Sisodia five-star S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Chennai Being in hard quarantine in a foreign land while grieving the loss of a family member can be soulcrushing. The easier option is to go back, to comfort as well as be comforted. Being racially abused is dispiriting. It can leave one feeling worthless. Leading the bowling attack in just the third Test can be equally daunting, in a different way. It’s fair to say Mohammed Siraj aced that latest challenge, becoming just the fifth Indian bowler to grab a five-for at The Gabba. Even though India may not chase down 328 (if weather relents) on the final day to win the series, Siraj held his end of the bargain on the fourth day of the final Test India to chase 328 on Day 5 India were set a challenging target to chase on the final day of Brisbane Test. If India manage to draw against hosts, they will retain the BorderGavaskar trophy | P11 against Australia. And how. His latest act in what has been an emotional series left the Hyderabadi speechless. He visibly struggled to hold back the tears while returning with the match ball. His father died days after India landed in Sydney in November. The son of an autorickshaw driver, the pacer hadn’t even bowled with a proper cricket ball till seveneight years. He spent his time playing tennis ball cricket. At the Gabba, he went to fight for his father’s dreams and his dreams. “I hope he could have been there to watch this day Because of . his blessings I have got a five-wicket haul. I am speechless. I got strength after talking to mom and my focus was on realising my dad’s dreams,” Siraj said later. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi Why the order came from govt Recently, several teachers were deployed for vaccination and deployed for duty in view of the bird flu situation in Delhi. After complaints, teachers were relieved from inspection duty In a much relief to overburdened school teachers, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday issued directions to district administrations not to put them on non-teaching duties such as executive or field related work without prior approval from him. In a communiqué to the chief secretary asking him to send directions to all DMs, Sisodia said that requisition for teachers for coronavirus pandemic related duties should be sent to the Directorate of Education, who will render teaching staff ‘keeping balance between academic requirement and Covid related duties’. “Considering the importance of education as well as the emergency related Covid duties, henceforth, the district authorities may be directed not to summon the services of any teacher for any other administrative/field related work, other than Covid related duties.,” said Sisodia, who also holds the charge of the education department. “If in any emergency situation the District Authorities feel the necessity of teachers, then prior permission of the education minister shall be mandatory .” Noting that teachers are summoned directly, Siosdia said discretion is necessary so that education activities are not seriously disrupted.