FRIDAY 19 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 Generally cloudy sky with light rain very likely. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 20 °C and 16 °C respectively. RAINFALL: Trace RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 89 % TEMPERATURE Max: 20.3°C (-6) SUN RISES 06:19 hrs MOON RISES 11:14 hrs Navy rescues vessel under drone attack MV Genco Picardy, with 22 crew on board, including 9 Indians, reported no casualties Min. 71 % Min: 16.3°C (+2) SUN SETS 17:15 hrs MOON SETS ---|--- hrs Full Moon on 25 January THUMBNAILS Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to author Bani Basu at the inauguration of the 47th Kolkata International Book Fair, in Kolkata (Page 2) on Thursday.  BISWAJIT GHOSHAL STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 JANUARY he Indian Navy’s guided-missile destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam, mission deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations, came to the rescue of a cargo vessel, the Marshall Island-flagged MV Genco Picardy (photo), that had come under a drone attack early on Thursday morning. Upon receiving a distress call, INS Visakhapatnam, undertaking anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden, intercepted the vessel at 0030 hrs on 18 January. The MV Genco Picardy with 22 crew on board, including nine Indians reported no casualties, and that the fire that had resulted from the drone attack was under control, the Navy said on Thursday. Bomb disposal specialists from INS Visakha- T The incident comes amid growing concerns over Houthi militants stepping up attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues. patnam boarded the vessel to inspect the damaged area. “Specialists, after a thorough inspection, have rendered the area safe for further transit. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call,” the Navy said. The incident comes amid growing concerns over Houthi militants stepping up attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues. Speaking to mediapersons on Thursday, an MEA spokesperson said New Delhi is deeply con- cerned over the recent attacks on the vessels in the Red Sea as it serves as an important shipping lane for the world including India. MEA official spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian Navy is assisting to secure the shipping lanes as India accords importance to freedom of commerce in the region. "We have made our position very clear. It's a matter of concern for us. we gave a lot of importance to freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce in that region. Whatever is happening there not just impacts us, but impacts economic interest of so many people. That is where we are, we are closely monitoring our position, looking at the unfolding situation with close watch," he said. While addressing the MEAe weekly briefing, he also mentioned the recent visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to Iran last week and said that in conversation with the Iranian side, Mr Jaishankar discussed various regional and global issues including the unfolding situation in the region. He said: "When the External Affairs minister visited Iran, he made a joint press statement while he was there. This issue of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the violence there, the destabilising nature of things there was discussed. We are deeply concerned about the whole situation.” Monetary policy must remain disinflationary, GDP to touch 7pc next fiscal: RBI Governor STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 JANUARY Monetary policy in India must remain actively disinflationary despite the recent sharp fall in core inflation, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Headline inflation has substantially eased from its highly elevated level of the summer of 2022 underpinned by steady moderation in CPI core inflation. There is easing of price momentum across core goods and services. “This would show that our monetary policy action of increasing the repo rate by 250 basis points between May 2022 and February 2023, together with rebalancing of liquidity, is working,” the governor said. Even as the cost-push pressures induced by high commodity prices and supply-side shocks have eased, adverse transitory food price shocks with their increasing incidence and intensity, are imparting considerable volatility to headline inflation, he added. Mr Das added that going forward, the inflation outlook would be considerably influenced by food prices, which remain uncertain. Recurring food price shocks could lead to de-anchoring of inflation expectations and generalisation of price pressures. Monetary policy, amidst these uncertainties, needs to be alert and remain actively disinflationary to steer inflation towards the target rate of 4per cent on a durable basis. Needless to add that a stable inflation will provide the bedrock to India’s growth ambitions, he said. Shaktikanta Das further said that amidst an uncertain and challenging global macroeconomic environment, the Indian economy presented a picture of confidence, positivity and optimism. “Turning to the outlook on inflation and growth for the next financial year, our research teams are in the process of making a comprehensive assessment for our forthcoming February 2024 monetary policy. “At this stage, our expectation is that the CPI inflation will average around 4.5 per cent in FY 2024-25,” he added. Removal of troops: India, Maldives seek mutually workable solution, says MEA 16 schoolkids, teachers drown in boat accident in Vadodara STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE As many as 16 school children and teachers were drowned as a boat capsized in Harni Lake, located on the outskirts of Vadodara, on Thursday, officials said. The tragic accident occurred while the group of 27 students along with their teachers, was on a picnic. Preliminary reports suggest that the students and some teachers from New Sunrise School in Panigate arrived at the lake around 4.30 p.m. for a picnic and boarded a boat that became overloaded. The incident has prompted a massive search operation NEW DELHI, 18 JANUARY India and the Maldives are seeking a “mutually workable solution” for “continued operation” of Indian aviation platforms, the Ministry of External Affairs said onThursday, four days after Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu asked the Indian government to withdraw Indian troops from the island before 15 March. “The next meeting is to be held in India to take discussions forward. So that is where the situation as far as the Maldives is concerned,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing. Asked if India received a formal request from the Maldives to withdraw Indian military personnel from the archipelago,MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “Whatever was discussed was put out in the Press release. That is where the situation actually stands.” “It is an ongoing process. Both sides held discussions on finding mutually workable solutions...This is an ongoing discussion, so things will go forward or things will be discussed in the next meeting of the core group subsequently soon.” India and the Maldives held a core group meeting on 14 January in which both sides deliberated on finding a "mutually workable solution" to ensure the "continued operation" of Indian aviation platforms providing humanitarian and Medvec services, the MEA release issued at the time said. The next meeting will be held in New Delhi. During the core group meeting, both nations delved "on several aspects of the bilateral relationship," the spokesperson said. AGENCIES VADODARA, 18 JANUARY for the missing students, with 10 already rescued and efforts on to locate the others.. Vadodara's Chief Fire Officer Parth Brahmbhatt said that the boat was carrying students on a picnic when it overturned in the lake during the Ram Lalla idol installed in sanctum sanctorum of Ayodhya temple Devotees gather inside the under-construction Ram Temple after the idol of Lord Ram was brought ahead of its Pran Pratishtha ceremony, in Ayodhya on Thursday.  ANI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AYODHYA, 18 JANUARY The main ritual of Ram Lalla's Pran Pratistha in the grand Ram mandir was organised on Thursday and His idol was installed in the sanctum sanctorum amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. The stationary idol of Ram Lalla was taken to the sanctum sanctorum late Wednesday night. By Thursday evening, the idol ~ sculpted by Mysuru-based artiste Arun Yogiraj ~ was formally seated in its place. Lord Ganesha is invoked before starting any Hindu ritual, so the pratistha started this morning with the paying of obeisance to Ganesh and Ambika. During the puja, the Lord Ram Lalla idol, which weighs 150-200 kg, was bathed with the water of holy rivers and other material. After that, Ganeshambikapujan, Varunpujan, Chaturvedokta Punyahvachan, Matrikapujjan,Vasordharapujan (Septa Ghrit Matrika pujan), Ayushya Mantra chant, Nandishraddha, Acharyadichiritvigvaran, Madhuparkpujan, Mandappravesh, Prithvi-KurmAnant-Varaah-Yagyabhumi-pujan, Digrakshan, Panchgavya-Prokshan, Mandapang and Vaastupujan were held to complete the ritual by late evening today. On Wednesday, a smaller silver statue of Ram Lalla was taken on a tour of the Ram temple complex. Chief host Dr Anil Mishra took the statue on a palanquin and took it on a tour of the city. CMYK afternoon. Some residents heroically rescued a few children before the arrival of the fire service personnel. Gujarat Education Minister Kuber Dindor said that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and fire brigade per- sonnel were actively involved in the search efforts. Vadodara MP Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt has assured that strict action will be taken against those responsible. The MP also stated that the rescued students have been transported to various hospitals. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the children who perished in the accident as he described the incident as "extremely heartbreaking". He said that the rescue operation for the students and teachers on board was in full swing and assured immediate relief and treatment would be provided to the victims. The Prime Minister's Office, in a statement, expressed sorrow over the loss of lives due to the accident and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for the injured to recover quickly. It was announced that an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reacted to the news with deep sorrow, urging the Gujarat government and administration to hasten relief and rescue operations.