FRIDAY 23 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 ‘GOVT CAPTURING DEMOCRACY THROUGH FINANCIAL TERRORISM’ SHARMILA ARRESTED; CALLS HER BROTHER A DICTATOR IMPLICATIONS OF PYONGYANG-TOKYO TALKS P5 P4 P7 SENSEX 73,158.24535.15 WEATHER Sun and a few passing clouds. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 28 °C and 20 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 63% Max: 28.8°C SUN RISES 6:03 hrs MOON RISES 4:41 hrs ` vs $ 83.8313 PAISE GOLD 64,095.00 CM warns officials with poor work ethic Mamata announces Rs 2 lakh compensation for kin of 4 Chopra kids Min. 59% Min: 20.4°C SUN SETS 17:36 hrs MOON SETS 5:25 hrs TEMPERATURE NIFTY 22,217.45162.40 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 22 FEBRUARY hief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday raised concern over the poor work ethic of a section of government officers and the resultant lackadaisical progress of various development works in the state at a meeting with tribal and Kurmi community leaders at Nabanna Sabhaghar today. Expressing her ire at a section of government officials, who she said have not been doing their jobs in time, she is reported to have said that the resultant delay in accomplishing various projects in a time-bound manner had left the government in a fix. Sources quoted Miss Banerjee as having said at the meeting today, that there are some officers, who were not doing their work in time. As a result the government was having to face embarrassment.Why In this context, the chief minister issued a caution to a section of the officers concerned who have been lax in doing C New Moon on 24 February THUMBNAILS A mesmerizing view of beautiful snowcapped Pir Panjal mountains in Banihal area of Ramban district on Thursday.  ANI ED issues 7th summons to Kejriwal in Delhi excise scam: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued seventh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appear before it in connection with the alleged excise policy scam, said the sources. Kejriwal has been asked to appear before the financial probe agency on 26 February, said the sources. Earlier, on Monday, Kejriwal skipped the ED’s sixth summons in connection with the alleged excise policy scam. their jobs in time, saying that their work would now be assessed by her. She was particularly scathing on the officers concerned after the leaders of various tribal and Kurmi communities expressed their disappointment about various projects, which they claimed were either nonstarters or were progressing at a snail’s pace despite repeated reminders to the local BDOs. Miss Banerjee is said to have asked the chief secretary BP Gopalika to take steps so that the officials concerned should pull up their socks and issue a stern warning to be responsive enough in expediting various developmental works in a timebound manner. Sources said that Miss Banerjee had agreed that there were some flaws in the appointment of teachers by the school education department, and furthermore a series of petitions moved by the BJP in court also disrupted the appointment of teachers. The chief minister, according to the sources, has proposed to promote para-teachers as a stop- gap measure. She is reported to have told the officers concerned that should appointment of teachers be delayed due to legal tangles, para-teachers should be promoted. Meanwhile, the chief minister has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the family of the four children died in Chopra recently. The chief minister had earlier trained her guns at the Centre for not sending any agency to probe the death of the four children which she blamed on the negligence of the Border Security Force. Govt supporting rural economy for Viksit Bharat: PM Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 FEBRUARY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said a Developed India will be realised only if the country has a strong rural economy, and unlike previous governments, his government takes a holistic view of rural activities to encourage their growth. He was speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), known for its Amul brand, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad. Mr Modi said governments earlier had a fragmented view of the rural economy. This neither allowed rural India to prosper nor gave farmers an opportunity to improve their economic lot, he said. Mr Modi said his government is paying attention to small farmers and how to improve their lives. The government is focusing on animal husbandry, fisheries, giving their farmers Kisan Credit Cards. Bee-keeping is being encouraged and farmers are supplied seeds which can tolerate climate change. The Prime Minister said the Union Cabinet, late onWednesday, decided to bring changes in the National Livestock Mission to encourage domestic breeds. Financial aid will be given to help turn wastelands into grazing pastures. Premia for insurance of animals is being reduced to make animal rearing profitable. The government has constituted a Rs 30,000 crore fund to modernise infrastructure related to animal husbandry, he said. Dairy cooperatives are being provided credit at lower rates and thousands of crores of rupees are being spent on modernisation of milk plants, he said. Talking about Amul, the Prime Minister said many brands came after Independence, but there was nothing comparable to Amul. He said “Amul has become the symbol of the strength of the Pashupalaks of India.” The Prime Minister said, “Amul means trust, development, public participation, empowerment of farmers and the technological advancements through time.” He said Amul is the inspiration of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Amul products are exported to more than 50 countries around the world, He said more than 18,000 milk cooperative committees and a network of 36,000 farmers are associated with it. More than 3.5 crore litres of milk is being processed per day, and the associated livestock breeders get online payments of Rs 200 crores every day. The origin of Amul, Mr Modi said, lay in the Kheda Milk Union under the guidance of Sardar Patel. With the expansion of cooperatives in Gujarat, the GCMMF came into being. He said: “It is a great example of balance between cooperatives and government.” Lok Sabha elections 2024: AAP-Congress Delhi deal finalised,4-3 seat sharing likely STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 FEBRUARY The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have finalised their seat-sharing alliance for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, news agencies, quoting highly placed sources, reported on Thursday. As per the sources, both parties have locked the deal for a four-three alliance, with the AAP contesting four seats and Congress settling for three. The seat-sharing alliance came through after several rounds of deliberations this week and today, as well as a meeting held at KC Venugopal's house in Delhi. During the meeting, KC Venugopal and Mukul Wasnik were present from the Congress side, while Sandeep Pathak, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi were representing the AAP. According to reports, the AAP is likely to contest from New Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi and North West Delhi Lok Sabha constituencies. East Delhi, Chandni Chowk and North East Lok Sabha constituencies will be spared for Congress. A formal announcement in this regard will be made by both parties. In addition to this, it has also been learned that Congress is likely to give AAP one seat in Haryana, while AAP will support the Congres for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. In Gujarat, the AAP is demanding three seats, while the Congress is willing to concede two; however a final agreement on this is awaited. Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely said on Thursday that the final decision on seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with the AAP will be announced soon. CMYK INDIA LOOK TO SEAL SERIES; ENGLAND EYE REDEMPTION P12 SILVER 75,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 82.970.06 Defending champs CSK face RCB in IPL 2024 opener TRIDIP BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 22 FEBRUARY Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will host Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the opening match of IPL 2024 on 22 March. On Thursday, the IPL released a partial schedule comprising an initial set of 21 matches between 22 March and 7 April. The IPL final is expected to be played on 26 May, with just five days between that and the opening match of the men's T20 World Cup, to be played in the US and the Caribbean from 1 June. Like in 2009, 2014 and 2019, the IPL 2024’s biggest roadblock was the fact that it is expected to clash with the general elections. In the past, the cricket carnival coincided with the polls twice, leading to confusion regarding hosting the event. The 2009 edition was moved entirely to South Africa, whereas in 2014, the IPL was played in two halves – the first in the UAE and the other back in India. In 2019, the two events did not collide, and hence the IPL, starting 23 March, was played entirely in India. This time, the IPL council has therefore decided to announce the schedule partially, and the second half of the tournament schedule is expected once the Election Commission of India reveals the dates of the national elections, which are expected to take place in the months of April and May. There are four doubleheaders in the initial schedule including two on the opening weekend. On March Russian skier killed in Gulmarg avalanche STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 22 FEBRUARY 23, Punjab Kings will play the day match against Delhi Capitals at home followed by Kolkata Knight Riders hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens. On 24 March, Rajasthan Royals play their first game against Lucknow Super Giants while Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians open with an away-fixture against Gujarat Titans, his former team. The Capitals are the only franchise that won't play any games at their home ground, Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla, in the 22 March- 7 April period; both those games will be held at the ACAVDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Capitals, Titans and RCB will play five of their 14 matches in this 17-day window. KKR will play only three matches; all the other franchises have been slotted to play four games. It's likely Punjab Kings will play their home games at a brand new venue, in Mullanpur on the outskirts of Chandigarh, instead of their traditional home in Mohali. While it feels like just last month that Ravindra Jadeja struck a boundary off the last ball to take Chennai Super Kings to their fifth IPL title, the fact remains that it's been eight long months since that epic night in Ahmedabad. A Russian skier was killed when a massive avalanche hit the Afarwat area of Gulmarg in North Kashmir on Thursday while six of his compatriots and a local guide have been rescued. The incident took place at a busy time for the ski destination on account of the 4th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games, with more than 800 youths from different parts of the country gathered at Gulmarg. The Winter Games were inaugurated by Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday even as authorities had warned of avalanches in the area following heavy snowfall earlier this week. The sports meet was unaffected by the incident. Reports said six of the seven skiers from Russia, who were trapped when the avalanche hit the area, were rescued, one of them in an injured condition. Teams of the Army, Tourist Ski Patrol Police, and the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering rushed to the spot to launch a rescue operation. Helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were deployed for the mission. Nuzhat Gull, secretary, the J&K Sports Council, said all Khelo India athletes were safe after the avalanche hit the Khilanmarg area of Gulmarg. All the fixtures are being run as per schedule, she added. The avalanche site is located far from the Kongdoori area where the 4th Khelo India Winter Games are underway. The ongoing sporting events remain unaffected by the incident.