THURSDAY 14 MARCH 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 P10 SENSEX 72,761.89906.07 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY BECOMING MAINLY CLEAR SKY TOWARDS AFTERNOON. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 30 AND 15 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY RUSSIA IS READY TO USE N-WEAPONS IF SOVEREIGNTY IS THREATENED, SAYS PUTIN AS AMERICA BRACES FOR A RESURRECTION PRESIDENT MURMU GIVES ASSENT TO U’KHAND UCC ACT P7 NIFTY 21,997.70338.00 P9 GOLD 65,840420 ` vs $ 82.84 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH Max: 31.4 °C (+3) SUN RISES 6:30 hrs MOON RISES 09:43 hrs Min: 13.0 °C (-2) SUN SETS 18:29 hrs MOON SETS 23:05 hrs P A view of the snow-covered Key Gompa, the main Buddhist monastery of Spiti Valley, in Lahaul and Spiti on Wednesday.  ANI Haryana chief minister wins confidence motion: A day after taking oath as Haryana's new chief minister, Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday won the floor test during a special session of the state assembly in Chandigarh. The confidence motion was passed with a voice vote in the state assembly. Saini on Tuesday took oath as the state’s new Chief Minister, hours after Manohar Lal Khattar and his entire (P3) cabinet resigned from their posts. Switch to new FASTag: NHAI to Paytm FASTag users rime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday interacted with beneficiaries of government schemes from disadvantaged sections like Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes, and sanitation workers via video conferencing, and sanctioned credit support to one lakh entrepreneurs from the groups. On the occasion, Mr Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Utthan evam Rozgar Adharit Jankalyan (PM-SURAJ) national portal also. Addressing the beneficiaries, he said about three lakh people had joined the programme from 470 districts virtually. This was another huge occasion being watched by the nation on the welfare of Dalits, backward and deprived sections. The programme provided a glimpse of the government’s commitment towards the underprivileged, he said. A financial assistance of Rs 720 crore was transferred directly to the bank accounts of one lakh beneficiaries of the disadvantaged sections hailing in 500 different districts of the country. “Such a system of DBT was unimaginable during the previous governments,” he said. The SURAJ Portal will facilitate financial assistance to the disadvantaged sections of society, similar to direct benefit transfers from other government schemes and free from middlemen, commissions and recommendations. The PM said Ayushman Bharat Cards and PPE kits have been distributed to Safai Mitras engaged in sewer and septic tank BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 82.481.02 shramiks. The expansion of the services is part of the welfare campaign for SCs, STs and OBCs, along with the deprived sections. Referring to his interaction with the beneficiaries, Mr Modi expressed satisfaction with how the welfare schemes reached the Dalits, deprived and backward communities. He said this makes him emotional as he is not separate from them and he sees in them his family. The prime minister said the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047 cannot be achieved without the advancement of the deprived segments. He said he has broken the mindset of the past and it is being ensured that facilities available to others like gas connection, bank accounts, toilets etc. are available to Dalits, backwards, deprived, and tribals. He said many generations of the deprived segments were lost in just securing basic amenities. “After 2014 the government reached the segments devoid of any hope and made them partners in the nation’s development,” he said. The biggest beneficiaries of schemes like free ration, free medical treatment, pucca houses, toilets, and Ujjwala gas connection are people on the periphery, the deprived segments. “Now we are working with the goal of saturation in these schemes”, the prime minister said. The prime minister also mentioned schemes for nomadic and semi-nomadic communities and the NAMASTE scheme for Safai Karamcharis. Talking about eliminating the inhuman practice of manual scavenging, the prime minister pointed out that 60,000 sufferers have been given financial assistance to rebuild a life of dignity. NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, and Anurag Singh Thakur, former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai figure in the second list of 72 candidates announced by the BJP on Wednesday evening for the Lok Sabha elections. Mr Khattar had earlier resigned from the position of Haryana chief minister on Tuesday. The list was released after a marathon meeting of the BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC) on 11 March, which was presided over by party president JP Nadda, and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top leaders. The party had released its first list of candidates for 195 seats on 2 March. The BJP today named its candidates for 20 seats each in Maharashtra and Karnataka, 7 seats in Gujarat, 6 seats each in Haryana and Telangana, 5 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 2 seats each in Uttarakhand, The party is yet to announce its Lok Sabha candidates from two major states of North India – Bihar and Uttar Pradesh Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, and one seat each in Tripura and Dadar and Nagar Haveli. The party is yet to announce its Lok Sabha candidates from two major states of North India – Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Union minister Nitin Gadkari will be contesting from Nagpur Lok Sabha seat. Other Union Ministers Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North), Anurag Singh Thakur (Hamirpur), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad), and Shobha Karandlaje (Bangalore North) are on the second list of candidates. Mr Khattar will be contesting from Karnal Lok Sabha seat, Mr Bommai from Haveri, and former Uttarakhand Chief Minis- ter Trivendra Singh Rawat from Hardwar. Some of the other prominent candidates are Rao Inderjit Singh Yadav (Gurgaon), BJP Secretary Pankaja Munde (Beed), Anil Baluni, who is the national chief spokesperson of the BJP, will contest from Garhwal, and Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South. Also, the BJP announced the name of Harsh Malhotra who will contest from East Delhi constituency, a seat held by former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir. Yogendra Chandolia will contest from North West Delhi (SC). In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic (NDA) won a total of 303 seats, leaving the Congress way behind at 52 seats. ‘EC will share electoral bonds info on time’ SC to hear on 15 March plea Details of Electoral Bonds purchased & encashed given to ECI: SBI tells SC STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH To ensure seamless travel experience and avoid inconvenience at toll plazas, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has advised Paytm FASTag users to procure a new FASTag issued by another bank before 15 March. This will help in avoiding penalties or any double fee charges while commuting on national highways, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said on Wednesday. In line with the guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India regarding restrictions on Paytm Payments Bank, the Paytm FASTags users will not be able to recharge or top-up the balance after 15 March. However, they can use their existing balance to pay the toll beyond the stipulated date. For any further queries or assistance related to Paytm FASTag, users can reach out to their respective banks or refer to the FAQs provided on the IHMCL (Indian Highway Management Company (P 8) Limited) website. SILVER 75,200900 Modi launches PM-SURAJ national portal;3L people had joined programme Min. 26 % THUMBNAILS P12 PM Modi interacts with Gadkari, Khattar, Bommai in BJP’s second list of 72 disadvantaged groups candidates for LS polls Max. 91 % TEMPERATURE ‘ROHIT IS A SPECIAL PERSON & AN OUTSTANDING LEADER’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 13 MARCH Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday said the Election Commission will share all relevant information related to the electoral bonds. Mr Kumar, who was talking to media-persons here after reviewing the election preparedness in Jammu and Kashmir, said the EC has received details related to the electoral bonds from the State Bank of India (SBI). “We have three pillars – disclosure, disclosure and disclosure. Disclose everything to people. The commission has been in favour of transparency. SBI has given us in time, and we have received it. We will disclose it on time,” the CEC said. The Supreme Court had directed the SBI to submit the details of electoral bonds purchased since 12 April 2019 to the EC, which has been direct- The State Bank of India informed the Supreme Court that it has furnished to the Election Commission of India the details of Electoral Bonds sold and redeemed from 1 April 2019 onwards. The bank stated it had provided the information related to the electoral bonds purchased, date of purchase, name of the purchaser and their denomination and the details of each bond redeemed by political parties, date of encashment and their denomination – between 1 April 2019, to 15 February 2024. It also informed that during this period a total of 22,217 Electoral Bonds were purchased and 22,030 bonds were encashed. Chairman, State Bank of India Dinesh Kumar Khara in his affidavit of 12 March 2024, stated that from 1 April 2019, to 11 April 2019, 3,346 Electoral Bonds were purchased, and out of that 1,690 were encashed by the different political parties, and between 12 April 2019, to 15 February 2024, 18,871 Electoral Bonds were purchased and 20,421 were encashed by the various political parties. The last figure includes the bonds that were purchased between 1 April and 11 April but encashed later. Thus, during the period from 1 April 2019, to 15 February 2024, a total of 22,217 Electoral Bonds were purchased by different entities and 22,030 bonds were encashed. ed to share the information on its official website by 5 pm on 15 March. On the issue of simulta- neous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Kumar did not make any announcement and said that the changes in the number and composition of Assembly seats in the UT post-2019 and the J&K Reorganisation Act have changed the situation. There has been no delay on part of the ECI with regard to the holding of polls in J&K. However, he added that the ECI would hold Assembly polls at the earliest. It is only three months since the J&K Reorganisation Act was notified in December 2023, and as such there is no delay from our side in holding the Assembly elections. He said that the Commission is concerned about holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections but the final call on whether to hold two elections simultaneously, will be taken through thorough consultations with the security agencies and political parties. He, however, said that elections will be held soon without much delay. Majority of political parties we met in Srinagar and Jammu demanded that Assembly and Lok Sabha polls be held simultaneously, Mr Kumar said. One thing is sure that we want early Assembly polls in J&K. Elections will be held in a peaceful manner. “There will be free and fair polls in J&K,” the CEC said. challenging law dropping CJI from panel to select CEC & ECs PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to list on Friday, a batch of petitions challenging the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act 2023, which dropped Chief Justice of India from the panel for the selection of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners. The petitioners have sought to restrain the Central government from going ahead with the appointment of two Election Commissioners. Two vacancies of the Election Commissioners have arisen following the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel last week and earlier retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey. One of the petitioners has contended that the appointments against two vacancies be made in pursuance to March 2, 2023 top court judgment that the appointment of CECs and Two vacancies of the Election Commissioners have arisen following the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel last week and earlier retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey. ECs should be done by the President on the advice of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India Upon a mentioning by advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for an NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), seeking an urgent listing of the matter, Justice Sanjiv Khanna heading a bench, also comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Bela M Trivedi, said that the matter will be listed for hearing on Friday. Soon after the mentioning by Prashant Bhushan, Justice Khanna said that they have received a message from Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and would list the plea for hearing this Friday. “I just got the message from the Chief Justice, the matters are listed for Friday", Justice Khanna told Bhushan. The petitions by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), Dr Jaya Thakur - General Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee, Sanjay Narayanrao Meshram, Dharmendra Singh Kushwaha and advocate Gopal Singh, have challenged the new law enacted and notified in December 2023, that replaced the earlier law - the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991 and diluted directions in the March 2, 2023, top court Constitution bench judgment. PM Modi launches key semiconductor projects worth ` 1.25 lakh crore STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid foundation stones for three semiconductor projects worth about Rs 1.25 lakh crore, and said 'Made in India' and 'Designed in India' chips will play a major role in taking India towards self-reliance and modernisation. Addressing the “India’s Techade: Chips for Viksit Bharat” programme, he said the beginning of the projects was a historic occasion for the country and they will play a key role in making India a semiconductor hub. The projects included a semiconductor fabrication facility at the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR), Gujarat; an Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility at Morigaon, Assam and another Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility at Sanand, Gujarat. Mr Modi said the 21st century is technology-driven and it cannot be imagined without electronic chips. India had missed opportunities thrown up by the first, second and the third industrial revolutions, due to some reasons, but the country is well on the mark for the fourth industrial revolution. The PM noted that the government showed urgency in the matter. The semiconductor mission was announced two years ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi listens to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at the foundation stone-laying of three semiconductor facilities, via video conferencing, in New Delhi ANI on Wednesday. and within a few months, first MoUs were signed and now the foundation stones for the three projects have been laid. “India commits, India delivers and democracy delivers,” he said. The Prime Minister said India is primed to take on commercial production for the semiconductor sector. “The day is not far when India will become a global power in the manufacture of products for the semiconductor sector,” he said. Mr Modi said that India’s semiconductor dreams were first envisioned during the 1960s, but the then governments failed to act upon them due to a lack of will and the effort to convert resolutions into accomplishments. The Prime Minister said the government now had a for- ward-thinking and futuristic approach and there are plans for semiconductor manufacturing, and to compete with developed countries in the field. He said the project launch programme was a dream of the youth of the country as they were the real stakeholders of the future of the country. More than 60,000 colleges, universities and educational institutes were connected with the event. The youth is witnessing how India is working in a multi-pronged fashion for self-reliance and a strong presence in the global supply chain. “A self-confident youth changes the destiny of the nation,” PM Modi said. The Prime Minister said only a handful of nations in the world are manufacturing semiconductors and there was a need for a reliable supply chain after the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. India is keen to play a crucial role in this and highlighted the country’s tech space, nuclear and digital power, he said. India will gain a strategic advantage in the future for policy decisions have been taken on Ease of Doing Business and simplification of laws. In the last few years, he said more than 40,000 compliances have been abolished and rules for FDI have also been simplified. FDI policies in defence, insurance and telecom sectors have been liberalised. He said India had a growing position in electronics and hardware manufacturing where PLI schemes have been provided for large-scale electronic and IT hardware manufacturing and electronic clusters created, thereby giving a platform for the growth of the electronic ecosystem. India is now the second largest mobile manufacturer in the world. Highlighting the initiation of India’s Quantum Mission, the establishment of the National Research Foundation to encourage innovation and the expansion of India’s AI Mission, the Prime Minister said that India is now moving in the direction of technology advancement, apart from technology adoption.