WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR SHAH TO INAUGURATE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVERFRONT PROJECT IN ASSAM 'CHALO JANTAR MANTAR': KERALA CM VIJAYAN P4 SENSEX 73,128.77 199.16 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. DENSE TO VERY DENSE FOG IN THE MORNING. COLD WAVE CONDITIONS AT ONE OR TWO PLACES. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 21 AND 04 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 100 % TEMPERATURE Max: 20.7°C (0) SUN RISES 7:10 hrs MOON RISES 11:25 hrs Min. 45% Min: 4.3 °C (-3) SUN SETS 17:40 hrs MOON SETS 23:15 hrs THUMBNAILS Army personnel take part in rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade 2024, near Kartavya Path, in New Delhi on Tuesday ANI Parliament security breach case: The Delhi Police on Tuesday opposed the bail plea of accused Neelam Azad, arrested in the Parliament Security Breach case and stated that the material, evidence and other documentary evidence show her complicity in the offence and thus, disentitle her to be released on bail. Prima facie there are reasonable grounds against the accused person which negate the enlargement on bail considering the fact that the investigation is pending, said Delhi Police. NIFTY 22,032.30 65.15 ‘INDIA BLOC WELL-PLACED INDIA SEEK TO REFINE APPROACH IN FINAL T20I TO DEFEAT BJP IN 2024 BEFORE WORLD CUP LOK SABHA POLLS’ P5 ` vs $ 82.97 11 PAISE P10 GOLD 63,330 SILVER 76,500 Govt follows the principles of Ram Rajya, says PM Modi Modi is on a two-day visit to Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, will inaugurate several projects STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 JANUARY P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday visited Palasamudram in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri Satyasai district and inaugurated the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN). Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said the institute would play an important role in the collection of taxes by the government. Recalling that Gandhiji used to say Ram Rajya is real democracy, the Prime Minister said Ram Rajya stood on four pillars – people can walk with head held high, no discrimination, protection of the weak, and duty is above all. Such a government will allow easy business and make the country a global leader in economy, he said. Mr Modi said he met young officers who would lead the country in the Amrit Kaal of Independence. There is a need to follow the system of tax collection that prevailed during Ram Rajya, he said. The Sun collects water-moisture from Earth and then showers on it for its good and prosperity. “Our tax collection system should be similar. We undertook several reforms for the objective,” he added. Businessmen were harassed, and so the government brought the Goods and Services Tax (GST), income tax reforms, and faceless returns system. This has resulted in record tax collections. The government is returning the money collected to the people through various schemes. He said the government increased the tax exemption limit from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 7 lakh tax. Citizens have saved Rs 2.50 lakh crore. With greater tax collections, many schemes were started for public welfare and infrastructure investment. This has convinced tax payers to respond positively and their number is increasing. “Whatever we collected, we offered at the feet of the people. This is nothing but sushasan (good governance),” he said. The prime minister said the campaign against corruption must continue. NACIN should provide India with a modern ecosystem for trade and commerce. It should create a friendly environment to make India an important partner for global trade and promote ease of doing business through tax, customs and P12 narcotics. During his visit, the prime minister visited the first floor of NACIN to view the Antiquities Smuggling Centre, Narcotics Study Centre and Wildlife Crime Detection Centre. He visited the ground floor to view the X-Ray and Baggage Screening Centre, followed by a visit to the academic block to plant some saplings and interact with construction workers. He interacted with some trainee officers and released a book titled 'Flora of Palasamudram' and presented an accreditation certificate to NACIN. Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were present. Earlier on Tuesday, Modi offered prayers at the Veerabhadra temple in Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh. It’s a place that holds special significance in the Ramayana. He chose traditional attire on his visit to the temple. He is on a two-day visit to Andhra Pradesh and Kerala on 16 and 17 January. The Prime Minister has visited Lepakshi just six days before the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the grand Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 77.980.42 Attacks on ships in India's vicinity a matter of concern: Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 JANUARY External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed grave concern over the attacks on ships in the vicinity of India, saying such threats have a direct bearing on the country's energy and economic interest. "There has recently been a perceptible increase in threats to the safety of maritime commercial traffic in this important part of the Indian Ocean. This situation does not benefit anybody," he said at a joint press statement with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian after wideranging talks between them in Tehran. He emphasised that it was important that this issue was "speedily addressed", in an apparent reference to the targeting of merchant vessels in the Red Sea by Iranianbacked Yemen's Houthi rebels. Mr Jaishankar, who was in Iran on a two-day visit as part of the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two countries, also said that both India and Iran were concerned about recent events in West Asia and emphasised the importance of preventing further escalation of violence and hostilities in the region. He reiterated India's position for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue. ''On the issue of Palestine, let me reiterate India's longstanding support for a two-state solution where the Palestine people are able to live freely in an independent country with secure borders.'' On the Chabahar Port in Iran, Mr Jaishankar said he has assured the Iranian leadership of India's full commitment to the strategic port project. Iranian media said Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, during his meeting with Mr Jaishankar, emphasised the need for speeding up implementation of IranIndia agreements, including the Chabahar Port Development Plan, and the need to compensate for the delay in the implementation of commitments. Mr Raisi also referred to the deep-rooted relations between Iran and India, and the efforts to fulfil the will of the high officials of the two countries in order to develop and improve the level of relations in political, economic, science and technology, transportation & energy sectors.
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