FRIDAY 15 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 ‘NDA WILL RETURN TO POWER WITH RESOUNDING MANDATE’ SEAT-SHARING FORMULA, CABINET EXPANSION TO BE DECIDED SOON: NITISH P10 EXALOGIC SCAM: SFIO ISSUES NOTICES TO COMPANIES P5 P4 SENSEX 73,097.28335.39 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY.STRONG SURFACE WINDS(SPEED 25-35 KMPH) DURING THE DAY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 29 AND 14 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY GOLD 66,110270 ` vs $ 82.83 TEMPERATURE Min: 14.6°C (-1) SUN SETS 18:30 hrs MOON SETS 00:11 hrs THUMBNAILS A worker dries cow dung capsules for Holika Dahan ahead of the Holi, in Bhopal on Thursday. ANI India, Brazil hold first '2+2' political and military dialogue in New Delhi: The first-ever 2+2 political and military dialogue was held between India, and one of its key BRICS partners, Brazil, in New Delhi on Thursday, marking a significant milestone in bilateral relations. The discussions focused on defence, space, energy, critical minerals, tech, counter-terrorism, and regional, multilateral, and other issues of mutual interest, a post on X by the Ministry of External Affairs said. P Gyanesh Kumar is a 1988 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre while Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, also from the 1988 batch, is from the Uttarakhand cadre. from the 1988 batch, is from the Uttarakhand cadre. Mr Sandhu previously served as the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand in 2021, and later held the position of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) chairperson. Mr Kumar served as the Secretary of the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Shri Ram Teerth Trust. Additionally, he led the J&K desk at the Home Ministry in 2019 during the abrogation of Article 370. He retired as Secretary from the Ministry of Cooperation. Based on the recommendation of the selection committee, President Droupadi Murmu will appoint the two members of the poll panel. Two vacancies of election commissioners arose following the resignation of Arun Goel on 8 March and Anup Chandra Pandey's retirement earlier on 14 February. This left Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar as the sole member of the poll authority. The sole Opposition member on the panel to select Election Commissioners, Mr Chowdhury, BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 83.970.53 Modi stands for nation’s development through people’s welfare, says PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 MARCH Appointment comes five days after the resignation of EC Arun Goel resident Droupadi Murmu on Thursday appointed retired bureaucrats, Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, new Election Commissioners, the Ministry of Law and Justice said in a gazette notification. The appointment of the Election Commissioners comes five days after the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel. Earlier in the day, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury disclosed to mediapersons that a threemember committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has picked retired IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as the new Election Commissioners. The selection panel, chaired by the PM, has a Union minister and Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Mr Chowdhury, as its members. Gyanesh Kumar is a 1988 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre while Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, also P12 SILVER 77,0001,800 President appoints two new EC members STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 MARCH Max.91% Min. 32% Max: 30.4°C (+1) SUN RISES 06:29 hrs MOON RISES 09:43 hrs NIFTY 22,146.65148.95 ‘REALLY EXCITED BUT AT THE SAME TIME ALSO NERVOUS’ expressed reservations about the absence of the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee and noted a lack of transparency in the narrowing down of over 200 candidates to just six by the search committee led by the Law Minister. “I asked for the short list of the candidates and they provided a list of 212 candidates yesterday evening and today morning was the meeting time, they did not even give time to go through all the candidates... It was impossible for me to know about the background of people,” he said, adding that ten minutes before the appointment they again gave him only six names. “I didn't agree with the procedure of selecting the election commissioners. I have submitted my dissent note there.... In this committee, the government already has the majority in the selection team. From the government side, two members and from the opposition side, only one member in the team, then what was the use of the meeting,” he said, expressing his displeasure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the INDI alliance partners have come together on a programme for bad governance, corruption and to spread anti-nation agenda, while he stands for the nation’s development through people’s welfare, uprooting appeasement and to make India one of the largest economic powers in the world. He was addressing a massive gathering of PM SVANidhi beneficiaries at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here after distributing loans under the scheme to one lakh street vendors (SVs), including 5,000 vendors from Delhi, across the country. The Prime Minister said while he was trying to make the lives of the poor and middle classes better, the INDI alliance leaders have attacked him saying Modi has no family. For Modi, he said, every family of the country is his family, and that is why the whole nation is saying, “I am Modi’s family.” An alliance between dreams of the common man and Modi’s “sankalp” (resolution) is a guarantee for a glorious future of the country, he said. The Prime Minister said lakhs of street vendors from several hundred cities in the country had joined the programme through video conference. “Today’s function is dedicated to them. We saw what they meant for us during the pandemic,” he said. Mr Modi also congratulated residents of Delhi after laying foundation stones for two new Delhi Metro lines. He said one lakh vendors were getting money transfers in their bank accounts and handed over cheques to five representative vendors. “Our cities have lakhs of people running their business on pavement trolleys. Their shops may be small but their dreams are big,” he said. The Prime Minis- Mamata hurt in mishap, taken to hospital Kovind-led panel on ‘One Nation One Election’ submits report to Prez, moots two-step approach STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 14 MARCH STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 MARCH The high-level committee on simultaneous elections led by former President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu recommending a two-step approach leading to simultaneous elections. The report said as the first step, simultaneous elections would be held for the House of the People and the state Legislative Assemblies. In the second step, polls to the municipalities and the panchayats will be synchronised with the House of the People and the state Legislative Assemblies in such a way that municipal and panchayat elections are held within 100 days of holding elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies. The committee also recommended a single electoral roll and electoral photo identity cards (EPIC) for use in elections to all three tiers of the government. The Committee on Simultaneous Elections Former President Ram Nath Kovind, who heads High-Level Committee on 'One Nation, One Election', and committee member Union Home Minister Amit Shah present the report on simultaneous elections to President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday.  ANI constituted under the chairmanship of former president called on President Murmu on Thursday and submitted its 18,626-page report. The report was an outcome of extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts, and research work over 191 days, since its constitution on 2 September 2023. The other members of the committee were Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah; for- mer Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad; former Chairman of 15th Finance Commission N K Singh, former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha, Dr Subhash C Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal was a special invitee and Dr Niten Chandra was the secretary of the HLC. The com- mittee held extensive consultations with different stakeholders to understand their views on the subject. As many as 47 political parties submitted their views and suggestions, and 32 supported simultaneous elections. Of the 21,558 feedbacks received from citizens from all over India, 80 per cent of the respondents supported simultaneous elections. Experts on law, including four former chief justices of India and 12 former chief justices of major high courts, four former chief election commissioners of India, eight state election commissioners, and the chairman, the law commission of India were invited by the committee for interaction in person. Among others, apex business organisations, including CII, FICCI, and ASSOCHAM, and eminent economists said intermittent elections had adverse consequences on economic growth, quality of public expenditure, and educational and other outcomes, besides upsetting social harmony. Chief Minister and Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee was admitted to SSKM Hospital’s Woodburn Ward on Thursday night after she suffered cut injuries to her forehead at her Kalighat residence. She was discharged later in the night after undergoing treatment. The Trinamul Congress soon after the incident shared photographs of the chief minister with a deep cut in the middle of her forehead. An eight-member medical board comprising experts in general medicine, surgery, cardiology, orthopaedics and other disciplines was formed soon after she was rushed to the hospital reportedly by her nephew Abhishek Banerjee from her residence around 8 p.m. “I was not at the residence when the incident happened. So far as I know, she sustained major cut injury after she fell down suddenly somewhere in the residence. She was bleeding profusely. Doctors have attended to her promptly and several stitches were According to Trinamul Congress sources, the incident took place when Miss Banerjee slipped on the floor while walking inside her residential complex and hit her forehead against a showcase installed in her room. She was taken to SSKM hospital in Mr Banerjee’s car. performed on the injured spot to stop bleeding. She will be taken to the trauma care unit for several investigations like CT scan and MRI to see if she has developed any internal haemorrhage in her head. She is stable now and there’s nothing to be worried about till now,” said Kartik Banerjee, Miss Banerjee’s brother. “She is conscious so far I have been informed,” Kar- tik Banerjee added. Miss Banerjee was taken to the Bangur Institute of Neuroscience (BIN), located next to the SSKM Hospital around 9.30 pm for radio imaging investigations. According to party sources, the incident took place this evening when she slipped on the floor while walking inside her residential complex and hit showcase installed in her room. She was taken to the SSKM in Mr Banerjee’s car. She was holding a meeting with some of her party leaders including Abhishek, to discuss issues related to Lok Sabha polls before the accident. Senior party leaders and others ministers rushed to SSKM Hospital, as did state Governor CV Ananda Bose Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and other leaders belonging to BJP, Congress and Left have enquired about Miss Banerjee’s health condition, wishing her quick recovery. She had suffered a leg injury in Nandigram in East Midnapore during the Assembly elections in 2021. She had undergone a surgery on her leg. ECI uploads SBI-provided data on electoral bonds Centre blocks 18 OTT platforms on its website in compliance with SC directions for publishing obscene content AGENCIES NEW DELHI , 14 MARCH The Election Commission said on Thursday that it had in compliance with the Supreme Court's directions uploaded the data on electoral bonds on its website as received from SBI on "as is where is basis". The poll panel issued a press note providing the link on which the data provided by the SBI can be accessed. "In compliance of Hon'ble Supreme Court's directions, contained in its order dated Feb 15 and March 11, 2024 (in the matter of WPC NO.880 of 2017), the State Bank of India (SBI) had provided the data pertaining to the electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 12, 2024," the press note said. "The Election Commission of India has today uploaded the data on electoral bonds on its website as received from SBI on "as is where is basis". The data as received from SBI can be accessed at this URL: https://eci.gov.in/candidatepoliticalparty," it added. The poll panel said that it has "consistently and categorically weighed in favour of disclosure and transparency, a position reflected in the proceedings of the Hon'ble Supreme Court and noted in the order also". The Chairman of State Bank of India filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Wednesday apprising that in compliance with the court's order, the date of purchase of each electoral bond, the name of the purchaser and the denomination of the electoral bond purchased has been furnished to the Election Commission of India. SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara, in the affidavit, told the top court that the bank has also furnished the details to the Election Commission regarding the date of encashment of the electoral bonds, the name of political parties who have received the contributions and the denomination of the said bonds. SBI said that the data has been furnished in respect of bonds purchased and redeemed between April 12, 2019 to February 15, 2024. A total of 22,217 bonds were purchased during the period April 1, 2019 till February 15, 2024, SBI told the Supreme Court. "From April 1 to 11, 2019 total number of electoral bonds purchased were 3346 and total number of bonds redeemed were 1609," the affidavit stated. SBI further told the apex court that from April 12, 2019 to February 15, 2024 total number of electoral bonds purchased 18,871 and total number of bonds redeemed were 20,421. The affidavit was filed in compliance of the top court's direction to the bank to furnish the data of electoral bonds to poll panel by 12 March. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 MARCH The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has blocked 18 OTT platforms carrying obscene, vulgar and in some instances, pornographic content. Nineteen websites, 10 mobile phone apps and 57 social media accounts associated with these platforms have been disabled for public access in India. In a press release on Thursday, the ministry said Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur had repeatedly emphasised the responsibility of the platforms not to propagate obscenity, vulgarity and abuse under the guise of 'creative expression'. The ministry said that 18 OTT platforms 19 websites, 10 mobile phone apps and 57 social media accounts associated with these platforms have been disabled for public access in India. publishing obscene and vulgar content have been taken down. The decision was taken under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 in consultation with other ministries and departments and domain experts specialising in media and entertainment, women's rights, and child rights. A significant portion of the content hosted on these plat- forms was found to be obscene, vulgar, and portrayed women in a demeaning manner. They depicted nudity and sexual acts in various inappropriate contexts, such as relationships between teachers and students, the ministry said. The content was determined to be prima facie in violation of Section 67 and 67A of the IT Act, Section 292 of the IPC, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986. One of the OTT apps amassed more than one crore downloads, while two others had over 50 lakh downloads. The social media accounts of the concerned OTT platforms had a cumulative followership of over 32 lakh users. ter said the previous governments never cared for them, they suffered insults, they needed money and had to take loans on high interest rates. If they delayed the repayments, they were insulted and had to pay higher interest rate. They had no accounts in banks, could not even enter them, and there was no question of their getting loans earlier. The banks asked for guarantees, if they sought loans, he said. They had no record of doing trade. In such a situation, none could make a living and progress in life, he said. The earlier governments never heard their problems or took steps to alleviate their problems, he said. PM Modi meets Bhutan counterpart Tshering Tobgay NEW DELHI, 14 MARCH Bhutan Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay, who is on a visit to India, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence on Thursday, and the two leaders held productive discussions regarding the "unique and special" partnership between New Delhi and Thimphu. PM Modi thanked PM Tobgay and the Bhutan King for inviting him to visit Bhutan next week. “Glad to meet my friend and PM of Bhutan @tsheringtobgay on his first overseas visit in this term. Had productive discussions encompassing various aspects of our unique and special partnership. I convey heartfelt thanks to His Majesty the King of Bhutan and @PMBhutan for inviting me to visit Bhutan next week," PM Modi posted on X. Tobgay is on a five-day official visit to India. This is his first overseas visit after assuming office. He was received at the airport by Union Minister of State for Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ashwini Choubey . He is also expected to meet President Droupadi Murmu and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that his visit is a testament to the ties of friendship between the two countries. He is accompanied by the Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister, Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Industry, Commerce and Employment Minister, and senior officials from the Royal Government of Bhutan. AGENCIES