SATURDAY FLYERS CAN CARRY JUST ONE HANDBAG, SAYS REGULATOR 22 The restriction for domestic air passengers is aimed at reducing the burden of security screening to ease congestion and delays JANUARY, 2022 ENFORCE RULE STRICTLY, CISF TELLS AIRLINES epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard twitter.com/TheMornStandard MANIPUR MINISTER SAYS EASY WIN FOR BJP Thongam Biswajit feels ‘heart-to-heart’ campaign will get party big majority PAGE 8 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI   J8.00 PAGES 12 Following a directive by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the regulatory authority for civil aviation security in India, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has asked the aviation authorities to implement the ‘One Hand Bag’ rule strictly. The decision was taken after it was found that passengers carrying multiple handbags were taking more time to clear security screening MAXIMUM ALLOWED WEIGHT OF CABIN BAG THAT A FLYER CAN CARRY IN A FLIGHT LADIES’ BAG, LAPTOP BAG ALLOWED The CISF, which guards airports in the country, has asked all airlines to sensitise passengers about the rule by displaying the information prominently at vantage points at airports and including it on boarding passes as well as tickets. Ladies’ hand bag and laptop bag are exempt from the rule | P7 Priyanka Cong face in UP elections Party general secretary non-committal on entering poll fray, open to post-poll alliance EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MANIFESTO HIGHLIGHTS @ New Delhi ENDING reticence, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday almost pitched herself as the party’s chief ministerial face in Uttar Pradesh but was non-committal on contesting the forthcoming state elections. Responding to a question on the party’s CM candidate during the launch of the Congress Youth Manifesto for UP, she said: “Aapko kisi aur ka chehra dikh raha hai Congress party ki taraf se? To phir? Dikh tho raha hai na sab jagah mera chehra.” (Can you see the face of any other Congress leader? It’s mine alone that is being seen everywhere in UP). That was a brave statement, considering the party is a marginal player in UP that is set to witness a straight fight between the BJP and the SP in most seats. She had refused to project herself as the CM face during the 2017 UP polls after which the party forced Sheila IN THE NEWS T O D AY INDIA Baghel opposes rule Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has written to PM Narendra Modi opposing the proposed amendments to service rules related to IAS officers saying it’s against the spirit of federalism. In his letter on Friday, he said that if implemented, the rules may lead to “collapse” of states’ administrative system. NCM seeks report The National Commission for Minorities on Friday sought a report from the Jharkhand government on selling of meat and liquor at the Shri Sammet Sikharji hill, Jain pilgrimage site. The chief secretary has been asked to submit a report by January 31. Sammet Shikhar in Giridih, is one of the most sacred pilgrim spots for Jains as 20 Tirthankars attained moksha at the spot. INTERNATIONAL Indian Ocean drill Iran, Russia and China on Friday began a joint naval drill in the Indian Ocean aimed at boosting security at sea, Iranian state media reported. The report said the manoeuvers would cover some 17,000 square kilometres in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, and include night fighting, rescue operations and firefighting drills. P9 CONGRESS PLANS TO PROVIDE 20 lakh jobs 1.5 lakh vacant teachers’ posts in primary education sector to be filled 1 lakh vacant principals’ posts to be filled 38,000 vacant teachers’ posts in secondary education sector to be filled Priyanka and Rahul launch the Congress Youth Manifesto for UP polls | SHEKHAR YADAV Dikshit to take up that role. The party has been out of power in the state for over the last three decades and the state unit continues to be weak. As for entering the poll fray , Priyanka parried, saying: “When it is decided, you will get to know. We haven’t made a decision yet.” She, however, said her party would be open to a post-poll Opposition alliance in event of a fractured man- date. “If such circumstances arise and in the event that they do, we would be open to considering that,” Priyanka, who is Congress general secretary incharge of UP said. , Responding to a question on why the party was experimenting in the state, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said India needed a new vision, and UP being politically important had been chosen as a pilot by 8,000 vacant teachers’ posts in higher education sector to be filled Weekend curfew to stay for now, as L-G rejects Delhi govt’s proposal NATIONWIDE JAN 20 JAN 21 EXPRESS N E WS S E RVI CE @ New Delhi Fresh cases 3,17,532 3,47,254 Recoveries 2,23,990 2,51,777 491 703 He has rejected the proposal of the elected government of DelWITH Covid-19 cases in the cap- hi despite the fact that corona ital showing a southward trend cases are reducing at a very fast over the past few days, the Del- pace,” said AAP’s chief spokeshi government on Friday pro- person and MLA Saurabh posed lifting weekend curfew. Bhardwaj. “When all the marLt-Governor Anil Baijal, how- kets of Gurugram and Noida ever, rejected the proposal. are open, why is the business The Delhi Disaster Manage- community of Delhi made to ment Authority later suffer by BJP’s cenissued an order stattral government?” ing that the night curEarlier, De puty few as well as the Chief Minister Manweekend curfew will ish Sisodia said that remain in force till CM Arvind Kejriwal further orders. had approved lifting Private offices were weekend curfew, end‘Danger has allowed to function ing odd-even arrangesubsided’ with 50 per cent cament in markets and pacity However, they . allowing private of“Experts had were advised to stag- warned that Delhi fices to operate with ger the office timings 50 per cent capacity . can record one and also the number “The good news is lakh cases daily of staff so as to enthat the peak in Delhi during this wave sure that the social has gone. With over but that danger distancing protocol has been averted,” 28,000 infections, Delcan be adhered to. hi had witnessed health minister “They are also admaximum cases on Satyendar Jain vised to follow the said, adding Delhi January 12. The posipractice of work from tivity rate had also has passed the home, as far as possi- peak of this wave. gone up 10 days ago. ble,” read the order. However, the positivThe AAP governity rate is also declinment criticised the L-G’s refus- ing slowly Sisodia said. ,” al to allow lifting of weekend To contain Covid spread, the curfew and ending the odd-even Delhi government had shut ressystem in markets for opening taurants, gyms, and educationof shops. “It’s very unfortunate al institutions. However, it that the L-G has rejected the didn’t want anyone to lose job strong demand of traders and and hence, seeing the current business community with re- graph of cases, was ready to regards to the Covid restrictions. lax restrictions, he said. (Top) Air Marshal B R Krishna, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, merging the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame with the one at National War Memorial in New Delhi; (left) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s statue will be installed at India Gate | PTI the Congress. “India requires a new vision. The vision that was proposed by the BJP has completely failed. It is a disaster. And it is turning our demographic dividend into a demographic disaster. If you want to propose a new vision to India, you have to start at UP. UP occupies a weight no other state does. So, we are proposing a new way of doing things,” he said. JAB-O-METER EXPRESS NEWS S ERVI CE @ New Delhi TAKE YOUR SHOT January 20 60,79,373 doses January 21 58,37,209 doses TOTAL DOSES 1,61,05,63,199 Deaths DELHI JAN 20 JAN 21 Fresh cases 12,306 10,756 Recoveries 18,815 17,494 35 38 Deaths Netaji’s statue at India Gate; eternal flames merged A grand statue of iconic freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be installed at India Gate to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday . “This would be a symbol of India’s indebtedness to him,” Modi tweeted. The statue, made of granite, will be installed under the canopy next to the India Gate. The canopy used to have a statue of King George V, which was removed in 1968. Till the statue is completed, a 28-ft long, 6-ft wide hologram statue would be present at the spot, which the PM will unveil on Sunday The installation of . Bose’s statue will be part of the year-long celebrations to mark his 125th birth anniversary the , PMO said in a statement. While most Opposition parties welcomed the decision, the Trinamool Congress alleged it was to blunt the criticism arising from the Centre’s rejection of Bengal’s tableau on Bose for the Republic Day parade. The announcement also came on a day the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate was merged with the immortal flame at the National War Memorial. “In a befitting military ceremony, the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti was merged on Friday with the eternal flame at National War Memorial with full military honours,” read a defence ministry statement. Amar Jawan Jyoti was inaugurated on January 26, 1972 to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971 and as a tribute to the soldiers who laid down their lives. The 42-metrehigh India Gate War Memorial Arch was built in honour of more than 80,000 soldiers who died in the First World War (1914-1918) and the Third AngloAfghan War (1919). India Gate was built in 1931 and remains a memorial to the soldiers from India who died in action. The National War Memorial was inaugurated in February 2019 in honour of soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice to defend the country since P7 Independence. In UAE to meet brother, back with him in a casket H A R P R E E T BA J WA @ Chandigarh MORTAL remains of two Indians killed in a drone attack in Abu Dhabi earlier this week reached Punjab on Friday . The deceased were identified as Hardev Singh (35) from Nathoke village in Punjab’s Moga district and Hardeep Singh (28) from Mahisampur in Amritsar. These two and a Pakistani national, all staff of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, were killed on January 17 in a terror attack near the UAE capital’s airport. The drone attacks were owned by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Sukhdev Singh, elder brother of Hardev, said, “I had gone there two months ago to meet by brother. I never imagined I would bring my younger brother back home in a casket. We cremated him. My brother was The family of an Indian killed in Abu Dhabi, in Amritsar on Friday | PTI working abroad for 16 years.” Hardev is survived by his brother Sukhdev, father and mother and a sister, besides wife Amritpal Kaur and son. “My brother got married five year ago. His son is four. His wife does not live with us, she came for the cremation and left afterwards,” said Sukhdev. He added that authorities helped them and arranged everything to take the body back home. Rajbir Singh, cousin of Hardeep, said the deceased got married last April to Kanupriya Kaur. He uses to drive an oil tanker in Abu Dhabi. “Many of our relatives are there. From them we came to know that Hardeep had died in the attack. We also got a phone call from the embassy he informed. ,” Rajbir said Kanupriya, who arrived from Canada on Thursday, and Hardeep were supposed to return to India on January 19 and then move to Canada. Family members said Hardeep had spoken to them just a day before the attack. His father passed away two and-ahalf years ago. Hardeep is survived by mother Charanjit Kaur (56), wife Kanupriya and elder brother. Remains of both the deceased landed at Shri Guru Ramdas International Airport in Amritsar, from where they were taken to their respective villages for cremation. Many broke down in tears. Violence against rivals a Faunal diversity key to Unesco tag for Living Root Bridges hallmark of the Left: Shah NOMINATION CRITERIA E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Guwahati AS Meghalaya makes a pitch at getting Unesco World Heritage Site tag for the state’s unique ‘Living Root Bridges’, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has made it clear that faunal diversity and preparation of health cards will be the prerequisites for the coveted status. Dr Dhriti Banerjee, director of Zoological Survey of India, laid thrust on the twin aspects for meeting the criteria IX and X of Unesco. The Living Root Bridges, locally called Jingkieng Jri, are like a suspension bridge formed by living plant roots and highlight the symbiotic relationship between people and nature. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has sought Unesco nomination for these bridges which support many birds, animals, lichens, mushrooms, flowers, trees etc. and allow the humans to cross over for their living. The Meghalaya government recently organised a national convention and a preparatory field visit of ZSI scientists to assess the community and science-based conservation, research and development of the Living Root Bridges. Prof K Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, said the Living Root Bridges deserved the Unesco tag due to the rich micro world associated with them. The ZSI scientists visited some sites of the Living Root Bridges in East Khasi Hills for assessment of faunal diversity . They documented 83 fauna (six mammals, five aquatic and 72 terrestrial) from 11 Living Root Bridges. Six species of mammals were reported for the first time from two bridges. These included a fruit bat that was found with seeds in spit and seemed to be a potential seed disperser, ZSI. said. The Living Root Bridge site at Nohwet was observed having more diversity of butterflies, dragonflies and aquatic insects than other bridges. E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi TARGETING the communists, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said committing violence against political rivals was the hallmark of the Left rule. Addressing an event virtually to mark the Statehood Day of Tripura, Shah lauded the BJP government for restoring peace in the state and brought all round development for all sections of the people. The home minister lauded party workers for their ‘sacrifice’ and ‘dedication’ which led to formation of BJP govern- ment in Tripura after overthrowing the Left. “Violence against political rivals is the hallmark of the communists. Many BJP workers were killed, many houses were destroyed and many of our workers could not go home for years during the communist rule in Tripura,” he said. The Left Front ruled Tripura from 1978 to 1988 and again from 1993 to 2018 after which the BJP formed the government in the state. In the past too, BJP has claimed that many of its workers have been attacked or killed by Left workers in Kerala, ruled by a Left Front government.