SATURDAY 17 FEBRUARY 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 ZELENSKYY SIGNING SECURITY AGREEMENTS WITH GERMANY, FRANCE ‘ASSEMBLY A PLACE OF WORSHIP’ P7 SENSEX 72,426.64376.26 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. MIST/ SHALLOW FOG IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 27 AND 08 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 27 % Max: 27.2 °C+3) SUN RISES 6:58 hrs MOON RISES 11:49 hrs Min: 07.3 °C (-4) SUN SETS 18:12 hrs MOON SETS 02:22 hrs THUMBNAILS A dog squad of Delhi Police marches past during the 77th Raising Day parade of the force in the Capital on Friday. SNS CM moves motion of confidence in Delhi Assembly: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal moved a motion of confidence in the Delhi Assembly on Friday after alleging that The BJP had tried to poach two of the AAP MLAs. Kejriwal has sought a vote of confidence in the house, and the motion will be taken up for discussion at the session on (Details on Page 2) Saturday. ` vs $ 83.032 PAISE GOLD 62,290220 P12 SILVER 75,6001,100 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 80.800.93 Modi: Cong incapable Cong claims govt froze its accounts, calls it of looking into future assault on democracy The PM was addressing a Viksit Bharat, Viksit Rajasthan programme P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday made a big attack on the Congress Party and said the party lacked capacity to frame productive policies with a long-term vision, and is incapable of looking into the future, nor has any roadmap for it. He was addressing a Viksit Bharat, Viksit Rajasthan programme, via video conferencing, after launching and dedicating to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 17,000 crore in Rajasthan. The Prime Minister said the projects relating to sectors like roads, railways, solar energy, power transmission, drinking water and petroleum and natural gas, had materialized after the election of a ‘double-engine’ government in the State recently. He said the whole nation is today confident the NDA will cross the 400 seats tally in coming general elections. “I am confident Rajasthan will go the same way and express its faith in Modi’s guarantee more strongly,” the Prime Minister said. Addressing a rally in Rewari, Haryana later, after launching development projects worth Rs 9750 crores, Mr Modi said he is confident of NDA crossing the 400 seats score in the next elections because of Rewari’s blessings, where he had addressed his first public programme after being nominated PM-candidate in 2013, and Rewari blessed him with more than 272 seats in the 2014 polls. “I now hear people saying NDA Government, crossing 400,” he said. Modi said the Congress loses its sleep when Modi fulfils all his guarantees. The Congress refuses to learn, even though it was taught a lesson in the recent Assembly elections, the Prime Minister said. The party has only one agenda – abuse Modi, and whosoever abuses Modi the most, is honoured by the party, he said. The Congress Party does not even mention Viksit Bharat (developed India) because Modi is working for it. The Congress does not speak of Vocal for Local because Modi promotes it. When India becomes the world’s fifth largest economy, the whole Farmers' protest enters Day 4, all eyes on fourth round of talks on Sunday evening STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY The farmers' stir entered day four on Friday with all eyes now on the fourth round of talks to be held on Sunday between the farmer unions and the Union ministers. The farmers continued their protest at the PunjabHaryana's Shambhu and Khanauri borders, while there were reports of confrontation between them and police at the Shambhu where tear gas was used to disperse the agitating farmers who tried to move towards the barricades. Haryana Police on Friday once again appealed that all must cooperate to maintain the law and order situation and said that some people are trying to provoke the police at Shammbhu border despite assurance given by them for peaceful protests. Police also said that some anti- social elements are trying to create disturbance under the name of protest, try- P4 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY Max. 97 % TEMPERATURE P9 NIFTY 22,040.70129.95 KARGIL WAR VETERAN'S SON EXCELS IN CRICKET K’TAKA HC DISMISSES KERALA CM’S DAUGHTER’S PLEA Farmers at National Phagwara Highway during the Bharat Bandh protest in Jalandhar on Friday. ANI ing to take undue advantage. Meanwhile, as a mark of support to their brothers who are staying put at the PunjabHaryana border, a ‘Bharat Bandh’ was observed at various places in Punjab and Haryana and also at places in Uttar Pradesh. People faced issues and inconvenience at places in Punjab and Haryana's Hisar as the buses also stayed of the roads in support to the bandh call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha. The farmers also held demonstrations at several places in Punjab while the markets were shut in support of the demands made by farmers which includes a legal guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. In support of the agitating farmers, reportedly, some toll plazas were made free for a couple of hours while farmers gathered there to show their support to the protesters at the Shambhu border. Farmer leader Gur- nam Singh Charuni from Kurukshetra has said that tolls will be free between 12- 3 and there will be a tractor march at the Tehsils on Saturday and on Sunday, a meeting of Khaps, farmers, and labor unions has been called at the Brahma Sarovar park in Kurukshetra. Meanwhile, stepped up security measures were in place across the national capital, especially at the borders in view of the farmers' march proposed by their unions and the call of the Bharat Bandh given by them. Following the meeting of farmers that took place on Thursday, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Arjun Munda had told reporters that the meeting ended on a positive note and the issues will be discussed in detail at the meeting on Sunday evening. He had said that both sides will find a solution peacefully. nation rejoices, but not the Congress Party, the Prime Minister said. When Modi says India will become the world’s third biggest economic power during his third term in office, the Congress remains glum, while the whole nation is proud and self-confident, the Prime Minister. Whatever Modi says or does, the Congress will say or do the opposite, even if it results in harm to the nation, he said. “The Congress is obsessed with one agenda – oppose Modi, and do it strongly,” he said. The Congress is spreading such stories about Modi that can divide society, he said. When a party is in the grips of a family, and dynastic system, this is what happens with it. Today, everybody is leaving the Congress where only one party is seen to be in command, he said. This kind of politics does not inspire the young India, he said, particularly the first time voters, who have big dreams, big aspirations and want India to be developed. Viksit Rajasthan, Viksit Bharat is a roadmap for all first time-voters. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY The Congress on Friday said the Income Tax authorities had frozen the bank accounts of the country’s largest Opposition party, calling it an “assault” on democracy. However, the accounts were later defrozen by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal pending a further hearing next week. The development comes with the Lok Sabha elections due in just a couple of months. In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote: “Power drunk Modi government has frozen the accounts of the country’s largest Opposition party - the Indian National Congress - just before the Lok Sabha elections. This is a deep assault on India's democracy." The Congress chief further said: “The 'unconstitutional' money collected by the BJP would be utilised by them for elections, but the money collected by us through 'crowdfunding' shall be sealed.That is why I have said that there won't be any elections in the future.” Mr Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, appealed to the Judiciary to "save the multi-party system in this country and protect India's democracy". He also said the party will take to the streets and fight strongly against this "autocracy" of the incumbent government. Echoing similar sentiments, Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi in a post on X while taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Don't be afraid Modi ji. We have never bowed down before dictatorship, nor will we ever bow down.” He also said every Congress worker will fight “tooth and nail” to protect the country's democracy. Congress treasurer Ajay Maken, speaking at a Press Paytm Payments Bank gets reprieve till 15 March STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY The Reserve Bank of India has further extended the date to stop all transactions for Paytm Payments Bank till 15 March. Earlier, it had asked the Fintech giant to stop Payments Bank operations from 29 February. “No further deposits or credit transactions or top ups shall be allowed in any customer accounts, prepaid instruments, wallets, FASTags, National Common Mobility Cards, etc. after March 15, 2024 (extended from the earlier stipulated timeline of February 29, 2024), other than any interest, cashbacks, sweep in from partner banks or refunds which may be credited anytime,” the RBI said in a statement. It also said that no banking services, other than those referred, like fund transfers, irrespective of name and nature of services like AEPS, IMPS, etc., BBPOU and UPI facility should be provided by the bank after 15 March 2024. However, for the purpose of withdrawal or utilisation of available balance by customers or wallet holders, such fund transfers including AEPS, IMPS and UPI may be allowed anytime, it said. There are some of the arrangements that remains unchanged after 29 February. Highlighting them, the RBI said the Nodal Accounts of One97 Communications Ltd and Paytm Payments Services Ltd maintained by Paytm Payments Bank Lim- ited are to be terminated at the earliest, in any case not later than 29 February 2024. Settlement of all pipeline transactions in nodal accounts referred to in Nodal Accounts of One97 Communications Ltd and Paytm Payments Services Ltd, shall be completed by 15 March 2024 and no further transactions shall be permitted thereafter. Also, the withdrawal or utilisation of balances by its customers from their accounts including savings bank accounts, current accounts, prepaid instruments, FASTags, National Common Mobility Cards, etc. are to be permitted without any restrictions, upto their available balance. The RBI has also directed that withdrawals upto their available balance should be facilitated by the bank from all accounts and wallets, excluding the ones that are frozen or lien marked by Law Enforcement or judicial authorities. conference at the party headquarters, claimed that the accounts of the Congress as well as its youth wing have been frozen and asserted that the democracy is under attack. Mr Maken said that the issue was related to financial year 2018-19. The Income Tax department has asked for a recovery of Rs 210 crore from the party and added that the first reason was that the filing of the IT returns were delayed by 40-45 days. “Since 2019 was an election year, the Congress party submitted the receipts of Rs 199 crore which were spent on the elections. Of this amount Rs 14.40 lakh had been deposited in cash by some Congress MPs and MLAs from their salaries. It was shocking that the IT department had imposed a penalty of Rs 210 crore on the cash deposit of Rs 14.40 lakhs,” he said. Congress MP Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha in a post on X said: “Indian National Congress can operate its accounts with a lien of the IT Dept thereon. Direction by ITAT Delhi. Prayer for interim relief will be heard on Wednesday.” NCP vs NCP: Sharad Pawar seeks urgent hearing in SC NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY NCP leader Sharad Pawar on Friday sought an urgent hearing of his plea against the Election Commission's recognition of the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party. Seeking an urgent listing of the petition, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi informed the bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud of the likelihood of Sharad Pawar facing the whip of the Ajit Pawar faction in the Maharashtra assembly session which is going to start on 20 February. “Matter of extreme urgency. Because of the Election Commission order, Sharad Pawar will be subject to the whip of Ajit Pawar. Session in Maharashtra starts next week. We have not been given any symbol at all,” Singhvi told the court, seeking the listing of the case on SNS 19 February. (Details on Page 5) Putin critic Alexei Navalny dies at 47 in prison CCPA seeks public view on guidelines AGENCIES MOSCOW, 16 FEBRUARY Jailed Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison Friday, Russian authorities said. He was 47. Navalny, who was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism, felt unwell after a walk, according to the Federal Penitentiary Service, and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived to try to revive him, but he died. "Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established,” the prison service said in a statement. Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into his death. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Putin was informed In a string of cases he was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges widely condemned by independent rights groups and in the West as retribution for his opposition to the Kremlin. of Navalny’s death and the prison service would look into it in line with standard procedures. Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on microblogging site X that the politician’s team had no confirmation of his death so far and that his lawyer was traveling to the town where he was held. Navalny, Russia's most prominent Opposition leader, won a huge following with his criticism of corruption in Vladimir Putin's Russia. His exposes, posted on his YouTube channel racked up millions of views and brought tens of thousands of Russians to the streets, despite Russia's harsh anti-protests laws. He was jailed in early 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recuperating from a nearfatal poisoning attack with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent, an attack he blamed on the Kremlin. In a string of cases he was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges widely condemned by independent rights groups and in the West as retribution for his opposition to the Kremlin. Late last year he was moved to a remote Arctic prison colony in Rus- sia's Yamalo-Nenets region in northern Siberia. His allies decried the transfer to a colony in a region about 1,900 kilometres northeast of Moscow, as yet another attempt to force Navalny into silence. The last post on Navalny's Telegram channel, which he managed through his lawyers and team in exile, was a tribute to his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, posted on Valentine's Day. Before his arrest, he campaigned against official corruption, organised major anti-Kremlin protests and ran for public office. He gained attention by focusing on corruption in Russia’s murky mix of politicians and businesses; one of his early moves was to buy a stake in Russian oil and gas companies to become an activist shareholder and push for transparency. for misleading ads in coaching sector STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY In a step towards tightening the noose over coaching centres, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has sought public comments on Draft Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector. The Draft Guidelines are placed on the website of the Department of Consumer Affairs. The draft Guidelines have been framed after detailed deliberations with all stakeholders including coaching institutes, law firms, Government and Voluntary Consumer Organizations (VCO’s) and are now being put up for public consultation. As per the draft guidelines, any person who engage in coaching shall be considered to be engage in a misleading advertisement if it employs practices like concealing important information related to name and duration of the course or any other important information which can influence a consumer's decision to choose their services or making false claims regarding success rates, number of selections, or rankings of students in any competitive exam without providing verifiable evidence. If an institution falsely represents that students' success is solely attributable to the coaching, without acknowledging the individual efforts of the students, it will be considered a false practice. The draft also said the institutes should not create false sense of urgency or fear of missing out that may heighten anxieties amongst students, or parents. Any other practices that may mislead consumers or subvert consumer autonomy and choice. The proposed Guidelines seek to prevent such misleading advertisements which affect consumers as a class. Misleading advertisements by the coaching sector will be governed as per Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the proposed guidelines will bring clarity to the stakeholders and protect consumer interests, Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.