MONDAY 08 JANUARY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. SHALLOW TO MODERATE FOG IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 19 AND 09 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY TEMPERATURE Min: 8.2°C (+1) SUN SETS 17:41 hrs MOON SETS 14:28 hrs THUMBNAILS Children take part in a Nagar Kirtan as part of celebrations of the Prakash Parv (birth anniversary) of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, at Dharmatala in Kolkata on Sunday.  SNS Amid BNP boycott, sporadic violence, Bangladesh records 40pc voter turnout: Amid sporadic violence and BNP boycott and strike, an estimated 40 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Bangladesh national elections on Sunday. Addressing mediapersons on Sunday evening, Awal said: "This is the initial estimate but the figure could change after the final count," Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said. The results will be announced at or before mid(PG9) night, the official said. T he Maldivian government on Sunday suspended two ministers and a ruling coalition leader for making derogatory remarks against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, according to local media reports. The action from the Maldivian government came after massive backlash and a call to boycott Maldives as a tourist destination by several Bollywood celebrities for unprovoked hateful remarks against the Indian prime minister. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today issued a statement on the stand of the Government of India in relation to some posts on social media that are insulting to neighbouring India,” the Maldives government said in a statement. “Those who made such posts on social media while in government positions have now been suspended from their jobs, the Maldives government said in a statement. While the statement didn’t reveal their names, media reports identified them as Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef and Mahzoom Majid.(Photo) Reacting to the posts that PM Modi had made on social media about his Lakshadweep visit, Ms Shiuna had called him a “clown” and “puppet of Israel”. Reportedly, over 8,000 hotel bookings and 2,500 flight tickets to Maldives have been cancelled by Indians after the Maldivian minister insulted PM Modi on X The minister had reposted another Maldivian leader’s reaction to PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit in which he had termed the idea of competing with Maldives “delusional” and questioned how India will offer the so-called “service” that his country does. Earlier in the day, the Maldivian foreign ministry had distanced itself from their remarks, saying they were personal opinions and didn’t reflect the views of the government. “The Government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and highranking individuals. These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives...Moreover, the relevant authorities of the Government will not hesitate to take action against those who make such derogatory remarks,” a Maldives government statement issued earlier in the day said. India is understood to have strongly taken up the matter with Male through its High Commissioner. Reportedly, over 8,000 hotel bookings and 2,500 flight tickets to Maldives have been cancelled by Indians after the Maldivian minister has insulted PM Modi on X. Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed had also slammed Ms Shiuna’s “appalling” remarks and asked President Mohamed Muizzu’s government to distance itself from her comments. “What appalling language by Maldives Government official @shiuna_m towards the leader of a key ally, that is instrumental for Maldives’ security and prosperity. @MMuizzu gov must distance itself from these comments and give clear assurance to India they do not reflect gov pol- PM to open Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, to hold meetings with world leaders STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 JANUARY Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat from 8 to 10 January to inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 and attend various other important functions. On 9 January, the PM will arrive at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, where he will hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, followed by a meeting with CEOs of top global corporations. In the afternoon, he will inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show. The next day, the PM will inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in the morning. Thereafter, he will hold a meeting with CEOs of top justice system, says PM The step was taken up after massive backlash from Indian social media users STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 JANUARY Max.94% Min. 53% Max: 18.8°C (0) SUN RISES 07:15 hrs MOON RISES 05:06 hrs Maldives govt suspends New criminal laws mark paradigm shift in criminal three for insulting Modi global corporations. The PM will then travel to GIFT City where he will interact with prominent business leaders in the Global FinTech Leadership Forum. Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, conceptualised in 2003 under the leadership of Mr Modi when he was the state chief minister, has today evolved as one of the most reputed global forums for business collaboration, knowledge sharing and strategic partnerships for inclusive growth and sustainable development. The Tenth edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is being held from 10 to 12 January 2024 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Its theme is 'Gateway to the Future'. This Tenth Edition of the Summit will celebrate “20 Years of Vibrant Gujarat as the Summit of Success”. There are 34 Partner countries and 16 Partner organisations for this year’s summit. Further, the Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region will utilise the Vibrant Gujarat platform to showcase investment opportunities in the North-Eastern regions. The summit will host various events including seminars and conferences on globally relevant topics such as Industry 4.0, Technology and Innovation, Sustainable Manufacturing, Green Hydrogen, Electric Mobility and Renewable Energy and Transition towards Sustainability. In the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show, companies will display products made from world class state of the art technology. Emobility, Start-ups, MSMEs, Blue Economy, Green Energy & Smart Infrastructure are some of the focus sectors of the Trade Show. icy,” he wrote on ‘X’. The bilateral ties between India and Maldives after Dr Mohamed Muizzu took over the country's government have been strained. A day after taking oath as the new Maldives President, Mr Muizzu, who is seen as pro-China had asked India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldivian soil. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Shraddha Kapoor are among the celebrities who have come out in support of Lakshadweep as an alternate tourist destination to Maldives after the antiIndia barbs from the archipelagic country's ministers. Reacting to the Maldivian leader's remarks, Akshay Kumar said that such unprovoked hate should not be tolerated and called on people to explore Indian islands and support Indian tourism. “Came across comments from prominent public figures from Maldives passing hateful and racist comments on Indians.” “Surprised that they are doing this to a country that sends them the maximum number of tourists. We are good to our neighbors but why should we tolerate such unprovoked hate? I've visited the Maldives many times and always praised it, but dignity first. Let us decide to #ExploreIndianIslands and support our own tourism,” Kumar wrote on 'X'. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 JANUARY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the enactment of new criminal laws marked a paradigm shift in the criminal justice system. He emphasised that the new criminal laws were framed with the spirit of ‘Citizen First, Dignity First and Justice First’ and instead of working with ‘danda’, police now needs to work with ‘Data’. The PM was speaking at the 58th All India Conference of Director Generals/Inspector Generals of Police at the Rajasthan International Centre, Jaipur. He exhorted the Police Chiefs to think imaginatively to convey the emotional spirit behind the newly enacted laws to the different sections of society. He laid special focus on sensitising women and girls about their rights and protection provided to them under the new Criminal Laws. He exhorted police to focus on women safety by ensuring that women could work fearlessly ‘kabhi bhi aur kahin bhi’ (anywhere anytime). The PM underscored the need to reinforce the positive image of the police in citizens. He advised the use of social media at the police station level for disseminating positive information and messages for the ben- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will leave here on Monday on a two-day visit to London. He will be accompanied by a high-level Ministry of Defence delegation, comprising senior officials from DRDO, Service Headquarters, Department of Defence, and Department of Defence Production. This is the first visit of India's defence minister to the UK in 22 years - the last visit was by then defence minister George Fernandes to London on 22 January 2002. During his visit, Mr Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with his UK counterpart, Sec- retary of State for Defence Grant Shapps. They are expected to discuss a wide range of defence, security and industrial cooperation issues. He is also expected to call on UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and hold a meeting with Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs David Cameron. He will also interact with the CEOs and industry leaders of UK Defence Industry and meet with the Indian community there. During his visit, Mr Singh is expected to invite UK's leading defence manufacturers to invest in the defence sector in India. The two countries have also been considering cooperating on several defence projects. Mr Singh's talks with Defence Secretary Shapps would largely focus on sharing of critical technology and expanding bilateral industrial defence cooperation, people familiar with the matter said. The two sides are expected to discuss collaboration in joint development of fighter aircraft and other military platforms, they said. Mr Singh efit of citizens. He also suggested using social media for disseminating advanced information on natural calamities and disaster relief. He also suggested organising various sports events as a way to strengthen citizen-police connect. He urged government officials to stay in border villages to establish better ‘connect’ with local populace as these border villages were the ‘first villages’ of India. Highlighting the success of India’s first solar mission - Aditya-L1 and the swift rescue of 21 crew members from the hijacked vessel in Arabian Sea by the Indian Navy recently, the PM said that such achievements show that India is emerging as a major power in the world. He said that Aditya-L1 success is similar to the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission. He also exuded pride in the Indian Navy’s successful operation. He added that in line with the improving global profile and increasing national strength of the country, the Indian police should transform itself into a modern and world class police force to realise the vision of a developed India by 2047. The conference was also attended by the Union Home Minister, National Security Advisor and top civil and police officials. Like previous years, the conference was held in hybrid mode with over 500 Police officers of various ranks attending from different places across the country. It deliberated on critical components of national security, including the newly enacted major criminal laws, counter terrorism strategies, left wing extremism, emerging cyber threats, worldwide counter radicalisation initiatives etc. STANDSTILL Shikaras stand parked as the temperature dips to minus 3 degrees, causing the formation of thin ice sheets on the upper layer of ANI Dal Lake in Srinagar on Sunday. Rajnath to visit UK in first trip by a defence minister in 22 years STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 JANUARY Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jaipur on Sunday.  ANI and Mr Shapps are also expected to discuss the situation in the Indo-Pacific, West Asia and Ukraine. In April 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then British counterpart Boris Johnson had agreed on a new and expanded IndiaUK defence partnership. During his visit to India, Johnson had announced that the UK is creating an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) for India to "reduce bureaucracy and slashing delivery times for defence procurement. The British prime minister also said that the UK will help India in the co-development of military hardware, including indigenous production of fighter jets. A state- ment issued after the talks between Modi and Johnson had said the two leaders reiterated their commitment to "transform" defence and security cooperation as a key pillar of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The India-UK relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK virtual summit held between Modi and Johnson in May 2021. At the summit, the two sides adopted a 10-year roadmap to expand ties in the key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-topeople connections among others. SC to pronounce verdict on the remission for convicts in Bilkis Bano case AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 7 JANUARY The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Monday its verdict on petitions challenging the premature release by the Gujarat government to 11 people convicted for the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 riots. A Bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan had on 12 October last year reserved its verdict after hearing the petitions, including the one filed by Bano. While reserving the judgement, the apex court had directed the Centre and the Gujarat government to submit by 16 October the original records related to the remission of sentence of the 11 convicts. While hearing the matter in September last year, the top court had asked whether convicts have a fundamental right to seek remission. During the earlier arguments, the apex court had observed that the state governments should not be selective in granting remission to convicts and the opportunity to reform and reintegrate with society should extend to every prisoner.