TUESDAY 09 JANUARY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR DEMOCRATS’ DILEMMA ‘150 PC GROWTH IN PROCESSED FOOD EXPORTS IN 9 YEARS’ P8 SENSEX 71,355.22670.93 WEATHER Generally sunny, but clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 25°C and 14 °C respectively. P6 NIFTY 21,513.00197.80 SHAMI LIKELY TO MISS TWO TESTS AGAINST ENGLAND HYD SHOWS FAITH IN POLL GUARANTEES OF CONGRESS P4 ` vs $ 83.13 GOLD 64,175.00 P12 SILVER 76,400 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 75.792.35 India-Maldives diplomatic row escalates further RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY India summons Maldives envoy over derogatory remarks against PM Modi Max. 78 % STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY TEMPERATURE Min. 66 % Max: 25.3°C Min: 14.4°C SUN RISES SUN SETS 6:18 hrs 17:08 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 4:02 hrs 14:49 hrs Full Moon on 11 January THUMBNAILS A glimpse of the statue of 'Jatayu' at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, in Ayodhya on Monday.  ANI Mahua Moitra gets show cause notice for not vacating government bungalow: Former TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra was issued a notice on Monday by the DoE for not vacating her government bungalow, a source in the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said. The Trinamool Congress leader was earlier asked to vacate the house by January 7 after her allotment was cancelled. ONGC begins oil production in KG basin: The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation started oil production from its much-delayed flagship deep-sea project in Krishna Godavari basin in Bay of Bengal, helping reverse years of decline in output, the company said. ONGC has started producing from the Cluster-2 project in KG-DWN-98/2 block and will slowly (P8) ramp up output. ndia on Monday summoned Maldives High Commissioner Ibrahim Shaheeb to the foreign office amid a row over the derogatory remarks made by three Maldivian ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his visit to Lakshadweep. Though there was no official word on the Maldivian envoy's meeting with Indian officials, it is understood that he was firmly told that New Delhi was not satisfied with mere suspension of the three ministers and that the onus of repairing bilateral ties rested solely with Male. Hours later, Indian High Commissioner to Maldives Munu Mahawar met with Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, Ambassador at Large, at the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Male. "High Commissioner of India to Maldives, Munu Mahawar had a pre-arranged meeting with Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, Ambassador at Large at MoFA, Maldives, today to discuss bilateral issues,’’ the Indian High Commission said in a social media post on 'X'. The Indian High Commission in Male on Sunday took up with the Maldivian government the issue of offensive comments made against Modi by certain leaders of the EaseMyTrip suspends all Maldives flight bookings I STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY Ibrahim Shaheeb, Maldives Envoy exits the MEA at South Block, in New Delhi on Monday. He had reached the Ministry amid row over the Maldives MP's post on PM Modi's visit to Lakshadweep.  ANI archipelagic state. An embarrassed Maldivian government swung into action immediately, suspending the three ministers -- Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef and Mahzoom Majid. Modi had visited the Union Territory of Lakshadweep on January 2 for the inauguration and foundation laying ceremony of several development projects. Subsequently, he had shared some pictures of his visit, including an "exhilarating experience" of him trying his hand at snorkeling and sitting on a chair near a beach under pristine blue skies and ocean. "For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshad- weep has to be on your list," he wrote along with pictures in a message to promote local tourism. Reacting to the images of Lakshadweep posted by the Indian leader, Mariyam Shiuna had made d i s p a ra g i n g remarks in a social media post which she deleted later. Other Maldivian lawmakers - Malsha Shareef and Mahzoom Majid - also made similar remarks against PM Modi, with one of them accusing India of targeting Maldives' tourism. Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Za m e e r s a i d t h ese remarks against foreign leaders are "unacceptable" and do not reflect the official position of the Maldives government. Gangasagar Mela: Mamata pitches for more central funds STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GANGASAGAR, 8 JANUARY Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today said that the state government goes all out to improve infrastructure for the Gangasagar Mela without taking any grant from the central government. But, she also made a strong pitch for central assistance for the annual religious fair, which can go a long way in making the island accessible for the pilgrims. Miss Banerjee visited Sagar Island to inaugurate the Gangasagar fair today. She also visited Bharat Sevashram Sangha's Gangasagar centre and temple and inaugurated a project for women self-help groups. Miss Banerjee also offered puja to Kapil Muni’s Ashram. She said that the Centre only provided funds for organizing Kumbh Mela but the state alone worked for a comprehensive development for Gangasagar, which hugely facilitated devotees from India and abroad. The CM added that it is a smooth and hassle-free journey to reach Sagar Island for a holy dip and puja at Kapli Muni’s Ashram. The chief minister, Miss Banerjee inaugurated multiple government projects virtually from here Mamata said, “We don't bid farewell to those who are competent even if their age is 60-year-old. We utilize their expertise and experience in our work." Later, she mentioned, "An unusual event has occurred." Pointing to the current chief secretary Bhagabati Prasad Gopalika, Mamata stated, "Three people are working together, two former and one current chief secretary.” Their 'extension' after retirement is not new for her. She has given more weightage to experience. The Chief Minister stated, “Gangasagar is the largest fair. Earlier, everyone used to say, 'sob tirtha bar bar, Gangasagar ekbar’ (Visiting Gangasagar only once suffices), but now they say, ‘all other pilgrimages once, Gangasagar repeatedly’.” Explaining the reason, she indicated that development in the region has occurred since the change in government. However, reaching Gangasagar is still challenging, as unlike other parts of the country with road and rail connectivity, the only way to reach Gangasagar is through water routes. Travelling by boat is the sole option. Despite this, the chief minister claimed that 80 to 90 lakh people visit the fair every year. He stated that the Maldives remains committed to fostering a "positive and constructive dialogue" with all its partners, particularly its neighbours. The India-Maldives diplomatic row erupted at a time when the new Maldives President, Mohamed Muizzu, who is considered "pro-China" was all set to take off for China. Significantly, he has already asked India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldivian soil. Tourism is the largest foreign exchange earner for the Maldives, with India and Russia sending the most visitors, around 209,000 each last year. Maldives is targeting 2 million arrivals for 2024. PM Modi congratulates B’desh PM Hasina NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for a historic fourth consecutive victory in the Parliamentary elections. "Spoke to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and congratulated her on her victory for a historic fourth consecutive term in the Parliamentary elections. I also congratulate the people of Bangladesh for the successful conduct of elections. We are committed to further strengthen our enduring and people-centric partnership with Bangladesh." he said in a post on X. SNS DGCA makes significant changes in fatigue risk mgt system for flight crew STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The revised FDTL regulations are effective forthwith and the airline operators are required to comply with them latest by 1 June, 2024. NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has made significant changes in the regulations pertaining to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) for flight crew, in line with the international best practices. These regulations have been instrumental in managing fatigue related aviation safety risks for more than a decade now. In a social media post, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, ''A bunch of much-awaited reforms in Flight Duty Time Limitations for our pilots has come through. After in-depth analysis of pilot rosters, fatiguerelated reports and direct feedback from pilots, we have introduced revised “FDTL Regulations” that include, increased rest periods, redefining night duty, and regular fatigue reports to be shared by airlines.'' In addition, he said, the government will soon transition towards a new regime of fatigue management i.e. Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS), which will be a data-driven approach to enhance monitoring of flight crew fatigue. ''These changes — that are very much in line with international best practices — will ensure India has the necessary arsenal, as it prepares to clinch the largest domestic aviation market title in the future,'' the minister wrote. The revised FDTL regulations are effective forthwith and the airline operators are required to comply with them latest by 1 June, 2024. This will ensure sufficient time for the airline operators to adapt to the changes while taking into account the logistics, system changes and consequential arrangements arising out of the amendments in revised FDTL regulations. With a view to address and mitigate concerns on pilot fatigue through a data driven approach, the DGCA collected and analysed extensive numbers of pilot rosters along with pilot fatigue reports submitted by airline operators. Based on the study and analysis, some of the key areas inducing fatigue such as maximum Flight Duty Period, Night Duty, Weekly Rest Period, Flight Duty Period Extension etc. were identified.The revised FDTL regulations have been formulated after extensive data analysis and feedback from various stakeholders which includes airline operators, pilot associations and individuals.The world-wide best practices (FAA – USA and EASA – EU) have also been taken into consideration in amending the regulations while keeping in mind the specific operating environment in India. CMYK In a significant move amid the boycott Maldives campaign online, ticket booking platform EaseMyTrip has decided to suspend all Maldives flight bookings. The move comes following the derogatory remarks made by some ministers, now suspended, against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent visit to Lakshadweep. Nishant Pitti, cofounder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the company, took to social media X, formally Twitter, stating, “In solidarity with our nation, @EaseMyTrip has suspended all Maldives flight bookings.” Lakshadweep became the talk of the town globally after PM Modi's recent visit to the archipelago. The picturesque islands witnessed an unprecedented surge in worldwide search interest. The trip was criticised by some Maldivian ministers, who made derogatory remarks against PM Modi. Bilkis Bano case: SC sets aside remission of 11 convicts PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court on Monday quashed the remission of sentence granted to 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano gangrape and murder of nine members of her family including her three-yearold daughter during the 2002 Gujarat riots and in a severe indictment of Gujarat government said that it had usurped the jurisdiction of Maharashtra government in granting remission and had acted in “tandem and complicity” with one of the convicts. Quashing the August 10, 2019, Gujarat government order granting remission of sentence and directing 11 convicts to surrender before the concerned jail autoroutes within two weeks, Justice B.V. Nagarathna heading a bench also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said, “Given Section 432 (7) read with Section 432 (1) and (2) of the CrPC, we hold that the Government of the State of Gujarat had no jurisdiction to entertain the prayers seeking remission (of sentence)” … it was not the appro“as priate Government…Hence, the orders of remission dated 10.08.2022 made in favour of (11 convicts) are illegal, vitiated and therefore, quashed.” The judgment said that the May 13, 2022, judgment of the top court, which formed the basis for the grant of remission to 11 convicts, was obtained by one of the convicts Radhedshyam Bhegwandas Shah @ Lala Vakil by “surreptitiously” approaching the top court in writ jurisdiction and “committed fraud on this Court by misrepresenting” August 5, 2013, Bombay High Court judgment/order.