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 72,426.64376.26 K’TAKA HIGH COURT DISMISSES KERALA CM’S DAUGHTER’S PLEA P9 NIFTY 22,040.70129.95 P4 ` vs $ 83.032 PAISE GOLD 62,290220 Mainly clear sky with fog/mist in the morning.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 28 °C and 18 °C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.6mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY TEMPERATURE Max: 29.0°C (-1) SUN RISES 06:8 hrs MOON RISES 10:32 hrs Min. 52 % Min: 20.7°C (+2) SUN SETS 17:33 hrs MOON SETS ---- hrs Full Moon on 24 February THUMBNAILS A dog squad of Delhi Police marches past during the 77th Raising Day parade of the force in the Capital on Friday. SNS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY he 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 fur- T ther 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 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 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 80.800.93 Farmers’ protest: All eyes on 4th round of talks on Sunday evening Calls it assault on democracy; accounts later de-frozen by Appellate Tribunal Max. 93 % P12 SILVER 75,6001,100 Congress claims govt froze bank accounts WEATHER KARGIL WAR VETERAN’S SON JUREL IMPRESSES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY 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. However, later in a post on X, Mr Maken wrote, “On our petition, the Income Tax Department and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) has said that we have to ensure that Rs 115 crores have to be kept in the banks. This 115 crore is the lien marked in the bank accounts. We can spend an amount over and above that.” 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 Central 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 a disturbance under the name of protest, trying to take undue advantage. Meanwhile, as a mark of support to their brothers who are staying put at the Farmers at National Phagwara Highway during the Bharat Bandh protest in Jalandhar on Friday. ANI Punjab-Haryana border, a ‘Bharat Bandh’ was observed in various places in Punjab and Haryana and also at some places in Uttar Pradesh. People faced issues and inconvenience at places in Punjab and Haryana's Hisar as passenger buses also stayed of the roads in support of 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. 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 Bharat Bandh call 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. Cong incapable of looking into future: Modi ` 85k crore defence projects cleared by govt STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY Prime 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 PMcandidate 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. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 FEBRUARY The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Friday accorded approval for Acceptance of Necessity (AoNs) for various capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 84,560 crore. In the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbharta’, the approvals accorded under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lay special emphasis on the procure- Putin critic Navalny dies at 47 in prison 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 of Navalny’s death and the prison service would look into it in line with standard procedures. Navalny, Russia's most prominent Opposition leader, won a huge following with his criticism of corruption in Vladimir Putin's Russia. He was jailed in early 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recuperating from a near-fatal poisoning attack with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent, an attack he blamed on the Kremlin. Paytm Payments Bank gets reprieve till 15 Mar 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. CMYK ment of various equipment from Indian vendors. The DAC has accorded AoN under the Buy {Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM)} category for procurement of a new generation of anti-tank mines having seismic sensors and provision of remote deactivation with additional safety features. To enhance the operational efficiency and domination in the Tactical Battle Area for engaging targets that are Beyond Visual Line of Sight by the mechanised forces, the AoN under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category has been accorded for procurement of Canister Launched Anti-Armour Loiter Munition System. Further, to strengthen the air defence systems, especially the capability to detect slow, small and low-flying targets as well as surveillance, detection and tracking of dif- ferent targets, the AoN has been accorded for procurement of Air Defence Tactical Control Radar under Buy (IndianIDDM) category. The AoN for procurement of Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance and MultiMission Maritime Aircraft, through Buy and Make category, has been granted by the DAC for strengthening the surveillance and interdiction capabilities of the Indian Navy and the ICG over the country’s vast maritime area.
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