THURSDAY 25 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 BHARAT RATNA FOR KARPOORI AN HONOUR TO 70 CR POOR: SHAH RAHUL ACCUSES ASSAM CM OF CORRUPTION & HATE-MONGERING P5 BIDEN DEEPFAKE EXPOSES VULNERABILITIES P10 P7 SENSEX 71,060.31689.77 NIFTY 21,453.95215.15 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. MODERATE TO DENSE FOG IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 19 AND 07 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 97 % TEMPERATURE Max: 18.3 °C (-2) SUN RISES 7:13 hrs MOON RISES 17:30 hrs French Prez Macron to arrive in Raj today STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY Min: 08.3 °C (+1) SUN SETS 17:54 hrs MOON SETS 07:46 hrs P THUMBNAILS A view of the snow-capped Pir Panjal Range, on Wednesday. ANI President to address nation on eve of 75th Republic Day: President Droupadi Murmu will address the nation on Thursday, on the eve of the 75th Republic Day. The address will be broadcast from 7 pm on the entire national network of Akashvani and telecast over all the channels of Doordarshan in Hindi followed by the English version. rime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh and Jaipur on Thursday, starting with inauguration and dedication to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 19,100 crore in Bulandshahr. The projects pertain to important sectors like rail, road, oil and gas and urban development and housing. At around 5.30 pm, the prime minister will welcome French President Emmanuel Macron in Jaipur. Along with President Macron, he will visit various places of cultural and historical significance in the city, including Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal and Albert Hall Museum. During the programme in Bulandshahr, the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation the 173-Km long double-line electrified section between New KhurjaNew Rewari on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) by flagging off goods trains from the two stations, via video conferencing. This new DFC section is important as it establishes crucial connectivity between the Western and Eastern DFCs. Further, this section is also known for its remarkable feat of engineering. It has one kilometre long double line rail tunnel with high-rise electrification, which is the first of its kind in the world. This tunnel is designed to seamlessly operate double-stack container trains. This new DFC section will help in improving the operation of passenger trains due to the shifting of goods trains on the DFC 74 dead after Russian military aircraft downed MOSCOW, 24 JANUARY Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday accused Ukrainian forces of shooting down a military transport plane, killing all 74 people aboard, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war being swapped. Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm or deny Russia’s claims about the crash in Russia’s Belgorod border region, although they said they were looking into them. Details of who was aboard or what brought the plane down could not be immediately obtained. In addition to the 65 POWs, the Il-76 transport carried a crew of six and three other passengers, the Russian military said. According to the state- ment, Russian radar registered the launch of two missiles from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region that borders the Belgorod region. The ministry did not provide evidence for its claim. Firefighters, ambulances and police rushed to the site in the Korochansky district of Belgorod, state news agency Tass reported, citing a local emergency services official. (Details on Page 9) HIGH ON JOSH Disaster management jawans take part in the final dress rehearsal for the upcoming Republic SNS Day celebrations, in Kolkata on Wednesday. ‘UNSC does not reflect today’s realities’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY The president of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, on Wednesday acknowledged that the current “outdated structure” of the Security Council fails to reflect the current geopolitical realities and wished India succeed in its quest to become a permanent member of the Council. Addressing a press conference, Mr Francis, who is on a five-day visit to India, said: “The Security Council of the UN as it currently exists harks back to a period in world history that no longer exists. Since then, the world has changed radically.” Highlighting the council's inability to make crucial decisions for international peace and security, he said the fact of the matter is that the Council has, in recent years, been progressively unable to take the decisions necessary in order to assist and support the strengthening of international peace and security largely for geopolitical reasons. The geopolitics, the global dynamics of the geopolitics, get imported into the Council, and that results invariably in the use of the veto by one or the other party, he added. On India's inclusion in the UNSC, he said: “India is a mature, highly respected member of the United Nations. It is a leader in many ways. And I'm sure that that fact is not lost on the members of the General Assembly. So, I wish the government and the people of India every success in their quest to ssume membership of the council on a permanent basis. Whether that occurs or not will be a matter for the members to determine.” track. The prime minister will also dedicate to the nation the fourth line connecting the Mathura-Palwal section and Chipiyana Buzurg-Dadri section. These new lines will improve rail connectivity of the national Capital with Southern, Western and Eastern India. The prime minister will dedicate multiple road development projects to the nation. The projects include Aligarh to Bhadwas four laning work Package-1 (part of Aligarh-Kanpur Section of NH-34); the widening of the Meerut-to-Karnal border via Shamli (NH-709A); and the four-laning of Shamli-Muzaffarnagar sec- Govt takes big decision on coal gasification P12 SILVER 75,300300 PM will launch projects in Bulandshahr& welcome French President in Jaipur Min. 60 % ASSOCIATED PRESS GOLD 63,00050 ` vs $ 83.13 INDIA BANK ON HOME RECORD AGAINST BAZBALL tion of NH-709 AD Package-II. These road projects, developed at a cumulative cost of more than Rs 5000 crore will improve connectivity and help in the economic development in the region. During the programme, Mr Modi will also inaugurate Indian Oil's TundlaGawaria Pipeline. Built at a cost of about Rs 700 crore, this 255 km long pipeline project has been completed well ahead of the scheduled time. The project will help in the transportation of petroleum products from Tundla to Gawaria T-Point of Barauni-Kanpur Pipeline with pumping facilities at Mathura and Tundla and delivery facilities at Tundla, Lucknow and Kanpur. The prime minister will also dedicate to the nation ‘Integrated Industrial Township at Greater Noida’ (IITGN). It has been developed in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects under PMGati Shakti. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 78.540.080 Govt will fulfil dreams of ‘Amrit’ generation: Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY Reiterating India’s resolve to become a developed nation by 2047, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday underlined the importance of the next 25 years for the future of the country and the present generation.“It is the government’s resolve to fulfil all the dreams of the 'Amrit Generation', create countless opportunities, and remove all obstacles in their paths”, he asserted addressing NCC cadets and NSS volunteers ahead of the Republic Day parade.(Photo) Modi reiterated that ‘Nation First’ should be the guiding principle of the 'Amrit Generation'. He told the young audience never to allow despair to set in their lives. Stressing the importance of every small contribution, he stressed “Yahi Samay hai Sahi Samay hai, Ye Aapka Samay Hai (This is the right time, this is your time).” He asked the youth to impart strength to their resolve to achieve the goal of a developed nation and to expand the horizon of knowledge so that they could give a new direc- tion to the world and gain new capabilities. The PM elaborated on the steps for creating new avenues for youth to realise their full potential and mentioned creating new opportunities in newly opened sectors. In this regard, he spoke about new opportunities in the space sector, push to Ease of Doing Business, increased role for the private sector in the defence industry and establishment of the National Research Foundation. He also talked about reforming the education system in India which allows students to attain higher education in their mother tongue and not being bound to a particular stream or subject. Encouraging the youth to engage in research and innovation, the PM mentioned Atal No alliance with Cong in Bengal: Mamata STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 24 JANUARY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY The Union Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took a major decision on coal gasification projects to reduce imports of natural gas and LPG used for domestic consumption. Briefing newspersons, Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said India has one of the largest reserves of coal. As per latest reviews last week, other than current exploration, India has 361 billion tonnes proven reserves of coal. “Even if we mine even half of it, it is sufficient for the country’s requirements for 125 years,” he said. At present, 80 per cent of the present mined coal is used for electricity production. India is at present importing 12 mmtpa of natural gas for fertilisers and 28 mmtpa of LPG for domestic consumption. Therefore, the Government has decided to encourage coal gasification projects. The first project will start in six months including tenders and production will start by 2028-29. The projects will not only reduce pollution in the country but hundreds of products will come out of the processes, including synthetic gases. The Minister said India “can’t stop coal mining because the resource is mainly located in the most backward areas of the country.” Besides, India is to become atmanirbhar in products like explosives. India faced its shortage recently, he said. The Government has created a joint venture of CIL and GAIL and a single project in ECIL command area will have investment of Rs 13,052 crores. Another CIL and BHEL joint venture has been created with total investment of Rs 11,782 crore in Sambalpur of Odisha. It will be operationalised by 202829. (Details on Page 8) Tinkering Labs which inspire creativity and innovation. He underlined that the government has created new opportunities for girl students who want to make a career by joining the Army. “Now, girl students can also be admitted to various Sainik schools”, the PM said, urging them to move forward with full confidence. “Your efforts, your vision, your potential will take India to new heights”, he added. The PM expressed delight that all the volunteers are directing their energy in the right place. He noted that personality development is natural for someone who has a sense of discipline, travelled a lot in the country, and who has friends from different regions who speak different languages. Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday made it clear that her party will not have any electoral alliance with the Congress for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and will field candidates in all the seats in West Bengal. Miss Banerjee’s declaration came a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is on his party’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra said that seatsharing talks were ongoing with the Trinamul Congress and there would be an alliance in Bengal. Miss Banerjee who is a key leader of the INDIA bloc, said: “I have always said let Congress fight in 300 seats while the regional parties will field their candidates where they are strong. We will not tolerate any kind of interference.” She said: "They did not even bother to inform me that they (the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra) will be coming to West Bengal as a matter of courtesy even though I am a part of the INDIA bloc. So there is no relation with me as far as Bengal is concerned." “I had no discussions with the Congress party. I have always said that in Bengal, we will fight alone. I am not concerned about what will be done in the country but we are a secular party and in Bengal, we will alone will defeat BJP." Miss Banerjee said. Miss Banerjee while addressing the MLAS from Murshidabad some days ago had said that the Trinamul Congress would field candidates in Murshidabad, the homeground of Congress MP and PCC president Adhir Chowdhury. “Put Adhir Chowdhury out of your mind and work together and it is not a problem at all to defeat him,” Miss Banerjee had said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had won two seats, namely Behrampur in Murshidabad and Malda. But over the years there has been massive erosion of the Congress’s vote bank in both Malda and Murshidabad. TMC pillar of INDIA alliance: Cong STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GUWAHATI, 24 JANUARY The Congress on Wednesday asserted that the Trinamul Congress is the "pillar of INDIA alliance", moments after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's declaration that her party would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the state independently. Addressing a Press conference in Lower Assam, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said: “The Trinamul Congress (TMC) is a pillar of the INDIA alliance. We cannot imagine the alliance without Mamata ji. Tomorrow, our (Bharat Jodo Nyay) Yatra is entering West Bengal. Discussions regarding seat sharing are going on, and the result will come soon which will make everyone satisfied.” Referring to claims that the Congress did not extend an invitation to the Trinamul Congress to join the Yatra in Political observers also say that Miss Banerjee’s move will put the BJP in a tight spot. The BJP depended heavily on votes from CPI-M supporters in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. With the CPI-M having an alliance with Congress and the party getting some oxygen following the Brigade meeting of DYFI, the transfer of such votes to BJP will be minimal, the observers said. On the other hand, they said, staunch supporters of Congress do not accept the alliance as they feel that the CPI-M had killed hundreds of its supporters in 34 years of Left rule in the state, and they will either abstain from voting or vote for the Trinamul Congress. In both cases the TMC will benefit. The BJP's organisation in Bengal is weak and in the Panchayat election the party was routed. Against this backdrop, the decision of Miss Banerjee will put Trinamul Congress two steps ahead of its opponents in ther ensuing Lok Sabha elections. No truck with Congress in Punjab: Mann CHANDIGARH, 24 JANUARY Bengal, the Congress spokesperson said: “The Congress president had spoken, Rahul Gandhi had spoken, the AICC in-charge had spoken... Kharge said in public meetings that all the INDIA parties are being invited, and he has spoken to all of them. I do not know in what context she has said that, but I saw that she has also said that defeating the BJP was her priority.” The Congress downplayed Miss Banerjee's remarks as "minor hiccups" in a larger journey and highlighted her strong commitment to defeating the saffron party. Mr Ramesh likened the challenges to speed breakers and red lights on a journey, emphasising that they would persevere in their spirit to defeat the BJP. Referring to Rahul Gandhi's earlier statement about a cordial relationship with the West Bengal chief minister and the ongoing seat-sharing talks, Mr Ramesh expressed hope that any differences would be resolved. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would go alone in the next Lok Sabha elections and would contest on all 13 seats in the state with no alliance with the Congress. Predicting a clean sweep, Mann said, “It’s going to be 13-0 in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. AAP is poised to secure victory in all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and would emerge as the hero in the country.” He was categorically clear in saying that there would be no alliance with the Congress in the state. On being asked about the party’s alliance with the Congress for the Chandigarh mayoral poll, Mann, without mincing words, told the media here, “The party would also contest alone on the lone seat ChandiAGENCIES garh.”