MONDAY 29 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 Fog/mist in the morning and Partly cloudy sky later. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 24 °C and 14 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Snapping ties with ‘Mahagathbandhan’, he says his alliance with NDA will remain forever Max. 93 % Min. 38 % Max: 23.7°C (-3) SUN RISES 06:17 hrs MOON RISES 19:38 hrs Min: 12.9°C (-2) SUN SETS 17:22 hrs MOON SETS 07:59 hrs TEMPERATURE Nitish takes oath as Bihar CM for record 9th time New Moon on 10 February THUMBNAILS Participants of the Republic Day Parade 2024 who attended a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu (unseen), at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on Sunday.  ANI 1 dead, 17 injured after stage collapses at Kalkaji temple in Delhi: One person died and 17 others were injured after a stage collapsed at the Kalkaji temple early Sunday. The tragic incident occurred at around 1230 am. According to police, a 'Mata Jagran' at Mahant Parishar at the Kalkaji temple was organised, which was being done for the past 26 years and there was a gathering of around 1500-1600 people. NIKHIL VYAS Congress: Nitish giving tough competition to ‘chameleons’ NEW DELHI, 28 JANUARY n a major development ahead of Lok Sabha polls this year, Janata Dal-United chief Nitish Kumar on Sunday took oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the record 9th time with the support of the BJP after walking out of the 'Mahagathbandhan'. Mr Kumar was sworn in again as the Bihar Chief Minister at a ceremony which was held at Raj Bhavan in Patna this evening, hours after he dissolved his Cabinet after snapping ties with the “Mahagathbandhan" to once again align with the saffron party. Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar administered the oath of office to Mr Kumar during the ceremony. Bihar unit BJP chief Samrat Chaudhary, and Vijay Kumar Sinha were named Deputy Chief Ministers. Mr Choudhary was on Sunday chosen as the leader of the BJP's legislature party, paving the way for him to become the Bihar Deputy Chief Min- I STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 JANUARY JD-U president Nitish Kumar with Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar after taking oath as the Bihar chief minister for the 9th time as he along with his party joined the BJP-led NDA bloc during the swearing-in ceremony, in Patna on Sunday.  ANI ister. BJP's Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and six other ministers including JDU's Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, JDU's Bijendra Prasad Yadav, BJP's Dr Prem Kumar, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) president Dr Santosh Kumar Suman, JDU's Shravan Kumar, Independent MLA from Chakai Sumit Kumar Singh took oath as ministers in the new Nitish Kumar-led government. BJP national president JP Nadda was also present at the swearing-in ceremony. Soon after the swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mr Kumar for becoming the chief minister of Bihar, and Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Sinha for becoming deputy chief ministers of the state. In a post on X in Hindi, the prime minister said: “The NDA government formed in Bihar will leave no stone unturned for the development of the state and to fulfill the aspirations of its people. I am confi- The Congress on Sunday launched a scathing attack at Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar after he severed ties with the INDIA bloc, and said the latter is giving tough competition to the "chameleons" in changing colours. "Nitish Kumar, who frequently changes political partners, is giving tough competition to the chameleons in changing colours," said Congress general secretary incharge of communica- tion Jairam Ramesh in a post on X after Kumar resigned as Bihar Chief Minister. Without naming anyone, Ramesh, who is also the Congress' MP in Rajya Sabha, said," The people of Bihar will not forgive the experts of this betrayal and those who made them dance on their tune." Attacking the ruling BJP at the Centre, he said, "It is quite clear that the Prime Minister and the BJP are scared of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and this political drama has been created to divert attention from it." dent that this team will work in a dedicated manner for my family members of Bihar." After taking oath for the ninth time as Bihar Chief Minister, Mr Kumar asserted that his alliance with NDA will remain forever, adding that now there is no question of going anywhere else. "I was with them (NDA) earlier too. We went on different paths, but now we are together and will remain so. Today, eight people have taken oath as ministers, the rest will take oath soon. Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha have been appointed as Deputy Chief Ministers," Mr Kumar told reporters. 'No reserved teacher post is Will contest all Assembly to be de-reserved': MoE, UGC seats in Haryana: Kejriwal AGENCIES AGENCIES NEW DELHI,28 JANUARY The Ministry of Education and University Grant Commission (UGC) on Sunday clarified that no reserved post for faculty members in higher education institutions will be de-reserved. This comes amid a report that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued draft guidelines for de-reserving vacancies in higher education institutes (HEIs). Talking to ANI, Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman of UGC, clarified that it is only a draft guideline and was released for public feedback. “Let me clarify that we will put out a final document that will not have any de-reservations. There has been no dereservation of reserved category positions in Central Educational Institutions (CEI) in the past and there is going to be no such de-reservation," Kumar said. In a post on X, the Ministry of Education also said it has given directives to all the Central Educational Institutions to fill up the vacancies strictly as per the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019. “Reservation in Central Educational Institutions (CEI) is provided for all posts in direct recruitment in Teacher's cadre as per the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019," the ministry said in the post. "After enactment of this Act, no reserved post is to be de-reserved. The Ministry of Education has given directives to all the CEIs to fill up the vacancies strictly as per the 2019 ACT," it added. JIND, 28 JANUARY Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said his party will contest all the 90 assembly seats in Haryana on its own, but the Lok Sabha polls will be fought as part of the INDIA bloc. Lashing out at the BJPruled state of Haryana and the previous Congress governments, Mr Kejriwal said that people in Haryana are "disillusioned" with both parties and are “looking ahead to a big political change.” He was addressing a 'Badlaav Jan Sabha' in Haryana's Jind ahead of Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Haryana. "Today people only have trust in one party, which is the Aam Aadmi Party. On one side, they see Punjab, and on the other, our government in Delhi. Today Haryana is seeking a big change. In Delhi and Punjab, people made this big change earlier and now people there are happy," he said The AAP will contest all the 90 assembly seats in Haryana on its own, but the Lok Sabha polls will be fought as part of the INDIA bloc, Mr Kejriwal said. "AAP will contest on all 90 seats and we will form the next government in Haryana and make it number 1 state in the country," he said. Nitish: State of affairs within wasn’t good AGENCIES PATNA, 28 JANUARY After handing over his resignation letter to the Governor, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, said the state of affairs in the 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) formed one and a half years ago was 'not good'. "I resigned as chief minister and requested the Governor to dissolve the government. The situation came to this pass as the state of affairs within the ruling alliance in Bihar wasn't good. I sought the advice and opinions of everyone before coming to this decision. I took all opinions and suggestions to heart. The government is being dissolved today," Nitish told reporters on Sunday. “The alliance, which was formed one and a half years ago, was sailing through choppy waters. Though we came together on the basis of a common minimum programme and promises to the people, we failed to live up to expectations and discharge our salient duties. Eventually, we fell out and even stopped being on speaking terms. I was left with no option but to sever all ties with the alliance," the JD(U) supremo said, targeting erstwhile ally RJD. The official handle of Raj Bhavan of Bihar on X posted that the Governor asked Nitish to discharge his administrative duties as the acting chief minister till a new government takes shape. “Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and asked him to act as acting Chief Minister until alternative arrangements are made," the Governor's office at Raj Bhawan posted on X. Nitish Kumar arrived at the Raj Bhavan in Patna and handed over his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar earlier on Sunday. Calling on the Governor at Raj Bhavan, Nitish told him, "We have decided to sever ties with the Mahagathbandhan in the state".The development comes amid a deafening buzz that Nitish would rejoin the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), bringing an end to the 'Mahagathbandhan' rule in the state. WINTER CHILL Tourists walk on a snow-covered road at Gulmarg after the upper reaches of the world-famous ski resort receives fresh snowfall on Sunday.  ANI Strong judicial system foundation of a vibrant democratic BRO achieves major breakthrough India, says Modi at Diamond Jubilee celebrations of SC in tunnel on highway leading to LoC STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 JANUARY Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that a strong judicial system is the foundation of a vibrant democratic and developed India coupled with the ease of justice being the right of every citizen and suggested drafting court judgements and orders in simple language for better understanding of the people. Stating that the in the changing landscape of global geopolitics, the eyes of the world are on India and its trust is constantly increasing, Prime Minister Modi emphasised the “need to capitalise on all opportunities coming our way and mentioned ease of living, ease of doing business, travel, communication and ease of justice as the nation’s top priorities.” Mr Modi said this while inaugurating the diamond jubilee celebration of the Supreme Court – that had Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated with a statue of BR Ambedkar by Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Supreme Court of India (SCI), in New Delhi on Sunday.  ANI commenced its working on January 28, 1950 - two days after India celebrated its first republic day in 1950. Mr Modi launched multiple technology initiatives - Digital Supreme Court Reports, Digital Courts 2.0 and new website of Supreme Court. Commenting on the dig- ital initiatives of the Supreme Court that were launched today, he expressed happiness about the availability of the decisions in a digital format and the beginning of the project of translation of the Supreme Court decision in the local language. He expressed the hope for similar arrangements in other courts of the country. Underlining that at the foundation of a vibrant democratic and developed India is a strong judiciary and the Supreme Court is pivotal to it, the Prime Minister said that the “makers of the Indian constitution saw the dream of a free India based on freedom, equality and justice and the Supreme Court has continuously tried to preserve these principles” and “Whether it is freedom of expression, personal freedom or social justice, the Supreme Court has strengthened India's vibrant democracy.” Recalling his suggestion to “draft laws in simple language for a better understanding of the people”, the prime minister suggested a “similar approach to drafting court judgements and orders.” Stating that “India's economic policies today will form the basis of tomorrow's bright India”, Mr Modi said, “The laws being made in India today will further strengthen the bright India of tomorrow”. Speaking on the achievements in the use of technology for the furtherance of the justice delivery system and taking the system closer to the people and making the e-filing 24x7, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said: “Let us begin the conversation on long vacations and whether alternatives such as flexitime for lawyers and judges is possible.” The chief justice said: “In the near future, we must address the structural issues affecting the judiciary, such as pendency of cases, archaic procedures, and the culture of adjournments. Our effort in our work as Judges and administrators must be to ensure dignity to the district judiciary, which is the first point of contact for citizens. Our ability to remain relevant as an institution requires us to recognise challenges and begin difficult conversations.” (Pg4) CMYK STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 28 JANUARY The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has achieved a major breakthrough of the 700 metre long Naushera Tunnel on the strategic AkhnoorPoonch Road (NH-144A). The “Golden Arc Road” is a very old and highly strategic 200 km stretch, which connects South Kashmir and Jammu region to the West of Jammu and Kashmir. Lt General Raghu Srinivasan, DG BRO, attended the breakthrough ceremony, underscoring the importance of this project signifying a major step forward in enhancing regional connectivity and facilitating smoother transportation along the National Highway. It connects important border districts of Akhnoor, Rajouri and Poonch. There are four major tunnels in this stretch, viz, Kandi tunnel, Sungal tunnel, Naushera tunnel and Bhimber Gali tunnel. The tunnel spanning an impressive 700 metres is a crucial link connecting South Kashmir and Jammu region to the western part of J&K. The construction of a pivotal infrastructure project National Highway 144A connecting Akhnoor to Poonch reached a significant milestone today as the breakthrough ceremony for the Naushera Tunnel took place. The tunnel spanning an impressive 700 meters is a crucial link connecting Akhnoor and Poonch. Last year on 25 November, the breakthrough of the Kandi tunnel was achieved signify- ing the efforts of BRO towards providing connectivity across the areas of Rajouri and Poonch. The progress of National Highway has taken pace and the project is expected to be completed by 2026 before its specified time. During his address, Lt General Raghu Srinivasan mentioned that BRO is spearheading crucial road projects to connect remote areas with major centers in the JammuPoonch region.