MONDAY 01 JANUARY 2024 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR KTR ATTRIBUTES BRS DEFEAT TO FAKE PROPAGANDA ‘ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR WILL GO ON FOR MANY MORE MONTHS’ P9 WEATHER Mainly clear sky with fog/mist in the morning.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 25 °C and 16 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 91 % TEMPERATURE Max: 24.6°C (-1) SUN RISES 06:16 hrs MOON RISES 20:55 hrs Min. 57 % Min: 16.6°C (+3) SUN SETS 17:3 hrs MOON SETS 09:27 hrs New Moon on 11 January THUMBNAILS People gather at the Clock Tower to celebrate the New Year's Eve, at Lal Chowk, in Srinagar on Sunday.  ANI Nandini Chakraborty appointed new Home Secretary: The state government on Sunday elevated former Principal Secretary for tourism and hill affairs Nandini Chakraborty to the post of Home Secretary while her predecessor B P Gopalika was appointed as the new Chief Secretary. Nandini is the second woman after Leena Chakraborty to have become the state's Home Secretary. (SEE PG 3) P4 P6 Govt constitutes 16th Finance Commission STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 31 DECEMBER he Centre on Sunday appointed Dr. Arvind Panagariya, former Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, and Professor, Columbia University as the chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, an official notification by the Ministry of Finance said. Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey has been appointed as Secretary to the Commission, the notification said. “The Government of India, with the approval of the President of India, has constituted the Sixteenth Finance Commission, in pursuance to Article 280(1) of the Constitution," the Ministry said in a statement. Members of the 16th Finance Commission would be notified separately, the statement said. The 16th Finance Commission will make recommendations as to the distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of STATUTORY BODY T STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 31 DECEMBER Dr Panagariya is the Jagdish Bhagwati professor of Indian Political Economy at Columbia University.  Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey has been appointed as Secretary to the Commission  The Sixteenth Finance Commission will make recommendations as to the distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes to be divided between them and the allocation between States of the respective shares of such proceeds, as well as the principles which should govern the grants-in-aid of the States out of the Consolidated Fund of India. taxes which are to be, or may be, divided between them under Chapter I, Part XII of the Constitution and the allocation between the States of the respective shares of such proceeds. The panel will also make recommendations on the principles which should govern the grantsin-aid of the revenues of the States out of the Con- examples of public participation and have got inspiration from them. After reaching this stage, we have to resolve to grow afresh with new energy and at a faster pace and it is such a pleasant coincidence that tomorrow's sunrise would be 2024's first sunrise. We would have entered 2024," the PM said. Mr Modi highlighted the wonderful performance of Indian athletes in Cricket, Asian Games and Asian Para Games. "This year, our athletes have also performed outstandingly in sports. Our athletes won 107 medals in the Asian Games and 111 medals in the Asian Para Games. In the Cricket World Cup, Indian players won everyone's hearts with their performance...Now, Paris Olympics will be organised in 2024 for which the entire nation is encouraging athletes," PM Mr Modi said. He also recalled one of the greatest moments of the year when India successfully landed on the moon and said that he receives congratulatory messages even today. “Even today, people send messages congratulating me for the success of Chandrayaan-3. I am sure, just like me, you would be proud of our scientists, especially our women scientists,” Mr Modi said. solidated Fund of India and the sums to be paid to the States by way of grants-in-aid of their revenues under Article 275 of the Constitution for the purposes other than those specified in the provisos to clause (1) of that article; and the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities in the State on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State. The 16th Finance Commission may review the present arrangements on financing Disaster Management initiatives, with reference to the funds constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (53 of 2005), and make appropriate recommendations thereon. The 16th Finance Commission has been requested to make its report available by the 31st day of October 2025, covering a period of five years commencing on 1 April 2026. attacks on merchant ships STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 31 DECEMBER The Indian Navy said on Sunday that it has substantially enhanced maritime surveillance in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Adenefforts in Central/North Arabian Sea and augmented force levels in the wake of recent incidents of attacks on merchant vessels transiting through international shipping lanes. Task Groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and render assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incident. Aerial surveillance by longrange maritime patrol aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAs) has been enhanced to have complete maritime domain awareness. Heavy agenda awaits SC as it resumes work after winter break PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 31 DECEMBER A heavy agenda awaits the Supreme Court as it resumes its working from Tuesday ~ 2 January 2024 – after twoweeks-long winter holidays ~ that includes, besides hearing of an important matter by seven-judge Constitution Bench, the adjudication of TMC leader Mahua Moitra’s challenge to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha, likely decision by the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker on the cross petitions seeking the disqualification of rival Shiv Sena lawmakers in the State assembly and the inaction by certain Governors in the Oppositionruled states on the laws passed by the respective state legislatures and sent them for assent. As a part of its calendar, a seven-judge Constitution Bench will adjudicate a number of issues including whether the 2018 amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, could have been brought and passed as a Money Bill (part of the 2018 Finance Act) and whether a P12 NEW BEGINNING AWAITS Dr. Arvind Panagariya, former V-C of NITI Aayog is the chairman Maintain the spirit of developed India Navy steps up surveillance in ’24: PM in year’s last ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in Arabian Sea after recent Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that India is brimming with selfconfidence, imbued with the spirit of a developed India and self-reliance and stressed that the nation should maintain the same spirit and momentum in 2024 as well. "India is brimming with self-confidence, imbued with the spirit of a developed India; the spirit of self-reliance. We have to maintain the same spirit and momentum in 2024 as well," Mr Modi said in this year's last episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat' monthly radio show. Addressing the nation, the Prime Minister recounted several achievements of 2023 and urged the people to take a resolve to grow afresh with new energy in 2024. "In these 108 episodes, we have seen numerous RONALDO ENDS 2023 AS WORLD'S TOP GOAL SCORER ECONOMIC COMPASS Speaker is disabled from acting on the petitions seeking the disqualification of lawmakers under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution if he has been served with notice of removal. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari (both since retired) and Justice C.T. Ravikumar by a 27 July 2022 judgment while upholding the validity of various stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act empowering the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to arrest, provisionally attach properties suspected to be the proceeds of crime, had left it for a larger seven-judge bench to decide the question whether some of the 2018 amendments to the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 could have been enacted by the Parliament by way of a Finance Act. The petitioners have challenged the introduction of amendments to PMLA Act as a Money Bill, part of 2018 Finance Act. On the question whether a Speaker gets disabled to act under Tenth Schedule of the Constitution if a notice seeking his removal has been served on him, the Bench would be revisiting a 13 July 2016 fivejudge Constitution Bench judgment which had held that a Speaker cannot act in exercise of his powers under the Tenth Schedule, if notice for his removal as Speaker is pending. Other important issues that would be adjudicated by the seven-judge Constitution Bench include ‘Interplay between breach of privilege and fundamental rights’, ‘Whether central institutes like Aligarh Muslim University can have minority status’ and the ‘Validity of sub-classification within SC/ST quotas.’ Also awaiting adjudication by a five-judge constitution bench, is the Kejriwal government’s challenge to the validity of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023, vesting in the Lieutenant Government powers to override the recommendations by the Authority in the transfer and posting of senior ranking bureaucrats serving under the Delhi government. Besides this, a number of judgments are awaited to be pronounced that includes judgment on the challenge to the validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act which was inserted in furtherance of the 1985 Assam Accord, Electoral Bonds, pre-mature release of convicts in the Bilkis Bango gangrape and murder of nine members of her family including her threeyear old daughter during 2002 Gujarat riots. In Bilkis Bano case judgment was reserved on October 12, 2023. Towards effective surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Indian Navy is operating in close coordination with the Coast Guard. The Navy said the piracy incident on MV Ruen approximately 700 nautical miles from the Indian coast and recent drone attack on MV Chem Pluto, about 220 nautical miles South West of Porbandar indicates a shift in maritime incidents closer to the Indian EEZ. “The overall situation is being closely monitored by the Indian Navy in coordination with national maritime agencies. The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring safety of merchant shipping in the region,” an official statement said. The US claimed that the strike on MV Chem Pluto was fired from Iran. IAF to extend life of Sukhoi-30 MKI fleet by more than 20 years NEW DELHI, 31 DECEMBER Having started the induction of Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets about two decades ago, the Indian Air Force is now planning to extend the service life of its Russian-origin combat aircraft by more than 20 years. The IAF has inducted 272 of the Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft operating in its fleet and the twin-engine planes are going to be the mainstay of the force for at least the next 1520 years. IAF is also working on boosting the capabilities of the aircraft by equipping it with major upgrades in terms of indigenous advanced radars, avionics and weapon systems. It is working to upgrade its fleet of Sukohi-30 MKI fighters with indigenous weapon systems and radar namedVirupaaksha. The Su30MKI is a multi-role air dominance fighter that can carry a versatile array of weapons including the Astra Mk-1 longrange air-to-air missile and an AGENCIES array of bombs. A view of the last sunset of the year 2023, in Kolkata on Sunday.  MOUL MONDAL Poila Baisakh named Bengal's State Day, ‘Banglar Mati Banglar Jal’ State Song STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 31 DECEMBER: The Bengal government on Sunday notified that Poila Boisakh, (the first day of the month of Boisakh of the Bengali calendar year) will be observed as State Day and it will be named Bangla Divas. The directive, issued by by Harikrishna Dwivedi, the outgoing chief secretary, also stated that the song ‘Banglar Mati Banglar Jal’ composed by Rabindranath Tagore, will be the State Song and made its incorporation mandatory in all government events. “The State Day shall be celebrated by all the people of West Bengal with respect and dignity every year. The State Song shall compulsorily be played with due respect in all state government functions at the start of the function and the National Anthem shall be All state government functions and programs will commence with a rendition of the 'State Anthem' for one minute and 59 seconds, concluding with the National Anthem. played compulsorily at the conclusion of it," the notification said. As per the order, all should stand at attention when the State Song is played and mass singing of it should be encouraged.The necessity for the declaration of State Day and State Song for West Bengal has been felt for a long time, taking into consideration its rich glory, culture and heritage, the order added. Previously proposed by the Trinamul Congress in the state Assembly, the idea of celebrating 'State Anthem' and 'State Day' has gained approval. A committee headed by Deputy Speaker Ashis Banerjee, had recommended observing the “West Bengal Day” on Poila Baisakh. This was later endorsed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Despite an initial decision to make the song 'Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal' the 'State Anthem,' disagreements arose over altering a few words, but eventually, the original version prevailed.