Shamli (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 28 (AN): Amid the ongoing protest against the new farm laws, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday asked the farmers to keep their tractors ready stating that they may have to reach the national capital anytime.
“This is my appeal to farmers that they should continue to work in their fields and also keep their tractors ready with their tanks full of oil as they may have to come to Delhi anytime,” he told reporters here.
He alleged that the Centre formulated the new farm laws without the consent of the farmers and demanded the government to take back the laws.
“You formulate laws without asking us, and then ask us to point out the shortcomings. When the entire laws are black then they should be taken back. They (Centre) want to lock grains inside a locker, want to do business on hunger in the country, then that will not happen,” the farmer leader said.
“It is necessary to hold mahapanchayats across the country because this is the problem of the entire nation. Dharna will also continue alongside these panchayats. As of now, we have planned programs till March 24. We will travel across the country,” Tikait said.
He also asserted that the ‘dharna’ will continue as the government has not agreed with the farmers’ demands.
On February 24, addressing a Kisan mahapanchayat in Rajasthan’s Sikar, Tikait had threatened the Central Government and said that if the three laws are not repealed, the farmers will ‘gherao’ the Parliament on 40 lakh tractors.
Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. (ANI)

Aizwal (Mizoram) [India], February 28 (ANI): No new COVID-19 cases were reported in Mizoram in the last 24 hours, the state health department informed on Sunday.
However, five people recovered from COVID-19, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 20.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state now stands at 4,423, including 4,393 recoveries.
According to the health department, the recovery rate in the state is 99.23 percent.
A total of 10 people have succumbed to the virus in Mizoram till now. (ANI)

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 28 (ANI): The Srinagar-Leh highway which was closed for 58 days has been reopened on Sunday for vehicular traffic after the snow has been cleared along the Zojila pass, informed the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
Vehicles carrying essential commodities were initially allowed to move towards Leh-Laddakh from the Zojila pass.
According to BRO, snow clearance of Zojila Pass is a big challenge owing to snow accumulation of 30-40 feet, threats of avalanches and inclement weather conditions.
“Due to the ongoing border dispute in Eastern Ladakh, keeping Zojila pass open for an extended period was a strategic requirement. BRO with grit dedication to serve the nation, kept Z-axis trafficable till December 31 last year,” read a statement issued by the organization.
“Snow clearance was resumed again on February 7 and link up with Drass was made on February 15. The pass has been declared opened February 28,” it said.
“In recorded history, this has been the earliest opening of Zojila and also a minimum period of closure of this axis,” the statement further said. (ANI)

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 28 (ANI): Amid the criticism of Congress by its own leaders, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said Congress party “must set their house right” and asked them must to unite to fight the “divisive forces” of the country.
“It is a problem in their house and they have to set their own house right. I want the Congress to be strong and I want the Congress to unite and fight divisive forces of the country. Congress must unite and Congress must become strong,” Abdullah told reporters.
“People look forward to Congress, in trying to sort things out in the country. They have been a party for nearly 150 years,” he added.
Senior Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma on Saturday had stated that the G-23 or the group of 23 dissenting leaders are seeing the Congress party “getting weaker” and are raising their voice for the betterment of the party.
On the death of Krishna Dhaba owner’s son, the J-K National Conference leader today said, “It’s unfortunate those who shout from the top of the mountain that everything is well. They should answer: Lt Governor should answer and the DGP should answer who say everything is well.”
“They have to find what is the cause and find why it’s happening and try to treat the cause,” he added.
On February 17, terrorists belonging to the ‘Muslim Jaanbaz Force’, an offshoot of proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba attacked Krishna Dhaba’ in Srinagar’s Durganag area when 24 foreign diplomats were visiting the union territory.
The son of the owner of popular food joint Krishna Dhaba, who was injured in the terrorist attack on the eatery, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday morning. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Sunday intercepted and seized 21,60,000 cigarette sticks of foreign origin worth over Rs 4.75 crores at a Container Freight Station (CFS) near Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai.
“Specific intelligence was received by officers of the DRI, Mumbai, that a large number of cigarettes of foreign origin was being attempted to be smuggled into India in an import consignment arriving from Dubai. Hence, the DRI officers identified the suspected consignment and intercepted it at a CFS near Nhava Sheva Port,” read the official statement by the DRI.
“The examination of the said Import consignment was done under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 which resulted in the recovery of cigarettes of foreign origin. A total of 21,60,000 cigarette sticks of smuggled cigarettes, valued at Rs 4,75,20,000, were seized,” the statement added.
An investigation by the DRI had revealed that the consignment was imported using the Importer Exporter Code (IEC), which had been obtained by misusing Know Your Customer (KYC) documents.
No arrest has been made so far but the DRI has some leads about the persons involved in this smuggling racket. (ANI)

North 24 Paraganas (West Bengal) [India], February 28 (ANI): A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker in Nimta has accused Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers of breaking into his house and brutally attacking him and his octogenarian mother on Saturday morning.
BJP worker Gopal Majumdar from Nimta area in North 24 Paraganas district has alleged that three TMC workers attacked his house and attacked his mother in the early morning of Saturday.
“They hit me on my head and neck. They punched on my face too. I am scared. They asked me not to tell anyone about it. My whole body is in pain,” Shova Majumdar, the mother of BJP worker Gopal Majumdar told ANI.
The Nimta area falls in the North Dumdum Assembly constituency.
An FIR has been registered in the local police station. Investigation in the matter is currently underway.
Political violence has been regularly making headlines in poll-bound West Bengal. The elections for the 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal will begin on March 27. The state is going to witness eight-phase Assembly polls this year. (ANI)