MONDAY 10 JUNE 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WORK TO RESUME IN AMARAVATI AFTER NAIDU’S WIN CHURN IN UTTAR PRADESH P6 REETIKA CLINCHES SILVER IN BUDAPEST RANKING SERIES ‘INDIA HAS GROWN SPECTACULARLY UNDER MODI’S LEADERSHIP’ P4 P5 Partly cloudy sky. Hot and humid weather very likely.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 39 °C and 30 °C respectively. Tryst with history: Modi Prime Minister for 3rd time RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Mr Modi was sworn in at the head of a 72-member council of ministers by President Murmu WEATHER Max. 83 % Min. 58 % Max: 39.2°C (+4.7) SUN RISES 04:51 hrs MOON RISES 07:9 hrs Min: 29.8°C (+2.6) SUN SETS 18:20 hrs MOON SETS 21:12 hrs TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 22 June THUMBNAILS Tourists throng Aguada Fort amid Red Alert issued by IMD for heavy rainfall in Goa, in Candolim on Sunday.  ANI JEE Advanced results: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras announced on Sunday the result of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2024. Ved Lahoti from IIT Delhi zone topped with 355 out of 360 marks. Dwija Dharmeshkumar Patel from IIT Bombay zone is the highest-ranked female candidate. A total of 1,80,200 candidates took both Paper 1 and Paper 2 in the JEE (Advanced) 2024 exam, which was held on 26 May. 48,248 candidates have qualified, including 7,964 female candidates. Gauff-Siniakova clinch women's doubles S title in French Open: Last-minute pair, Coco Gauff and Katerina Siniakova clinched the French Open doubles title in Paris on Sunday, overcoming Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in a gripping final. The AmericanCzech registered a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory, marking Gauff's first Grand Slam doubles title and Siniakova's eighth. Seeded no. 5 in the draw, Gauff and Siniakova only paired up for the French Open due to injuries sidelin(Pg 12) ing their expected partners. DEEPAK RAZDAN NEW DELHI, 9 JUNE rime Minister Narendra Modi became PM again for a third consecutive term, taking oath on Sunday as the head of a 72member National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Modi and his Council of Ministers in the presence of a distinguished gathering, which included several leaders from India’s neighbourhood, Chief Ministers, members of Parliament and several thousand eminent personalities from different fields. Mr Modi became the second Prime Minister after Mr Jawahar Lal Nehru to continue in the position for a third consecutive term. Along with Mr Modi, the President swore in BJP stalwarts from the previous Narendra Modi government, like Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The others who took oath as Cabinet Ministers included Mr Pralhad Joshi, Mr Sarbananda Sonowal, Mr Jual Oram, Mr Giriraj Singh, Mr Virendra Kumar, Mr AshwiniVaishnaw, Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia, Mr Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ms Annapurna Devi, Mr Kiren Rijiju, Mr Hardeep Singh Puri, Mr G Kishan Reddy, Mr Chirag Paswan and Mr C R Patil, P President Droupadi Murmu administers the oath of office to BJP leader Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India for the third consecutive term during the swearing-in ceremony in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on Sunday.  ANI Rajnath Singh JP Nadda Amit Shah S Jaishankar A notable entry into the ministry this time was BJP president J P Nadda, who played a crucial role not only in the BJP’s poll campaign but also engaged in parleys with alliance partners after results were declared. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan was also inducted into the Union Cabinet in recognition of his role in ensuring BJP’s victory in all 29 Lok Sabha seats of the state. Mr H D Kumarasw- Nitin Gadkari J Scindia N Sitharaman Shivraj Chouhan Ashwini Vaishnaw HD Kumaraswamy amy (Janata Dal-S) from Karnataka and Mr Ram Mohan Naidu of Telugu Desam from Andhra Pradesh took oath as Cabinet Ministers. Ministers from the previous government to continue in office included Mr Piyush Goyal, Mr Shekhawat, Mr Jyotiradiya Scindia, Mr Giriraj Singh, Mr Mansukh Mandaviya, and Ms Anupriya Patel. Performance and representation determined the inclusion of existing Ministers in the new government. The new Ministry had as many as 11 representatives from the BJP’s NDA partners like the Telugu Desam Party and the Janata Dal (U). The Ministers of State (Independent charge) included Rao Inderjit Singh, Dr Jitendra Singh, Mr Arjun Ram Meghwal, Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav and Mr Jayant Chaudhary. Ministers of State included Mr Jitin Prasada, Mr Shripad Yesso Naik, Mr Pankaj Chaudhary, Mr Krishan Pal, Mr Ramdas DGCA derosters ATC staff following near-miss incident at Mumbai airport AGENCIES The potentially disastrous situation unfolded when an inbound IndiGo flight attempted to land at Runway 27 while an Air India flight was still in the process of taking off. NEW DELHI, 9 JUNE The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) derostered the Air Traffic Control (ATC) staff involved in a near-miss incident at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Saturday morning, an official said on Sunday. The potentially disastrous situation unfolded when an inbound IndiGo flight attempted to land at Runway 27 while an Air India flight was still in the process of taking off. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, involving IndiGo flight 5053 arriving from Indore’s Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport and Air India flight 657 departing for Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. A video circulating on social media captured the tense moments of the event. The footage shows the Air India flight accelerating down the runway, seemingly unaware of the IndiGo flight descending towards the same runway. The proximity of the two air- craft highlighted a severe lapse in coordination. As the IndiGo flight approached closer to the ground, the Air India flight managed to take off just in time, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic collision. Sources indicate that the pilots of the Air India flight were likely unaware of the impending danger posed by the land- ing aircraft. The aviation watchdog's decision to de-roster the ATC staff is part of a comprehensive investigation into the incident. An official from the DGCA said: "We have initiated an inquiry to determine the root cause of this grave error and to implement measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. The safety of passengers is our utmost priority." Meanwhile, IndiGo said that the flight from Indore was given landing clearance by ATC at Mumbai Airport. “The Pilot in Command continued the approach and landing and followed ATC instructions. At IndiGo, passenger safety is paramount to us, and we have reported the incident as per procedure,” said the airline spokesperson. Air India on Sunday issued a statement regarding the June 8 incident, and said that the Mumbai-Trivandrum flight was cleared by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to enter the runway. "AI657 from Mumbai to Trivandrum was on take-off roll on June 8. The Air India aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control to enter the runway and subsequently cleared for take-off. The Air India aircraft continued with the take-off roll in accordance with laid down procedures," the airline said in its statement. “An investigation has been initiated by the authorities to find out more on the clearance given to the [aircraft],” it added. Athawale, Mr Ram Nath Thakur, Mr Nityanand Rai, Ms Anupriya Patel, Mr V Somanna, Chandra S. Pemmasani, Mr S P Singh Baghel, Ms Shobha Karandlaje, Mr Kirti Vardhan Singh, Mr B L Verma, Mr ShantanuThakur, Mr Suresh Gopi, Dr L Murugan, Mr Ajay Tamta, Mr Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Mr Kamlesh Paswan, Mr Bhagirath Choudhary, Mr Sanjay Seth, Mr Ravneet Singh Bittu, Mr Durga Das Uikey, MsRakshaKhadse,MrSukanta Majumdar, Mrs Savitri Thakur, MrTokhan Sahu, Mr Raj Bhushan Chaudhary, Mr Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma, Mr Harsh Malhotra and Mr George Kurian. Bihar got a sizable representation in the government as Jitan Ram Majhi (HAM), Chirag Paswan (LJP), Nityanand Rai, Satish Chandra Dubey, Ram Nath Thakur (JD-U), Giriraj Singh, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Mr Lalan Singh (JD-U) were included. Uttar Pradesh got nine Ministers including Mr Rajnath Singh, Mr Jitin Prasada, Mr Pankaj Chaudhary, Ms Anupriya Patel, Mr B L Verma, Mr Jayant Chaudhary. From Telengana, Mr Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Mr G Kishan Reddy were included. Haryana got three nominees: Mr Krishan Pal Gujjar, Mr Rao Inderjit Singh, and former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Punjab was represented by Ravneet Singh Bittu. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) did not get any representation; it was offered a minister of state (independent charge) berth, but is holding out for a Cabinet post. P12 At least 10 pilgrims killed as terrorists ambush bus in Reasi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 9 JUNE At least ten pilgrims were killed and 33 others injured when terrorists on Sunday evening ambushed a bus carrying them to the Shiv Khouri temple in the Reasi district of Jammu. The exact number of casualties was yet to be confirmed by the authorities. However, sources said that six bodies have so far been sent to the hospital at Pouni. Terrorists reportedly shot the driver of the bus, as a result of which the vehicle plunged into a deep gorge near the Teryath village near Pouni in Reasi. The driver, identified as Vijay Kumar, is reported to have died on the spot. Reports said that the unidentified terrorists fired from US-made M-4 and AK assault rifles.Army and paramilitary forces have cordoned the area and launched search for the terrorists. Empty AK-type bullet shells have been found in the area. According to sources, it is the same group of terrorists who were hiding in the upper reaches of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts. A rescue operation was immediately launched by locals and the Army and police joined later. Mohita Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, said that the bus which was on its way to Reasi from Shiv Khori was attacked by a group of terrorists hiding there who opened fire on the vehicle. The driver of the bus lost control over the vehicle and it fell down into a Reports said that the unidentified terrorists fired from US-made M4 and AK assault rifles. Army and paramilitary forces have cordoned the area and launched search for the terrorists. The exact number of casualties was yet to be confirmed by the authorities. However, sources said that six bodies have so far been sent to the hospital at Pouni. deep gorge. The injured persons have been shifted to Naryana Hospital and District Hospital Reasi. The SSP added that they were on high alert from past many days and the whole Shiv Khori Shrine is under tight security as per intelligence inputs. She added that village defence groups (VDGs) have also been put on alert. WINNING WAYS India's Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma celebrate the dismissal of Pakistan's Babar Azam during their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 match at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Sunday. India won by six runs, successfully defending a total of 119 all out in a low-scoring match.  ANI Rahul’s ‘NEET’ take on Modi, vows Patnaik’s trusted aide Pandian quits active politics to be voice of students in Parliament STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 9 JUNE: AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 9 JUNE Congress' MP-elect Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi over the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination, as he promised to become the voice of the students in Parliament. He reiterated the poll promise by the Congress party to formulate a law freeing the students from paper leak adding that the party has made a 'robust plan'. "Narendra Modi has not even taken oath yet and the scam in NEET exam has devastated more than 24 lakh students and their families. 6 students from the same exam centre top the exam with maximum marks, many get such marks which are technically not possible, but the government is continuously denying the possibility of paper leak," Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X. “Congress had made a robust plan to deal with this 'paper leak industry' which is being run in collusion with the education mafia and the government machinery. In our manifesto, we had pledged to free the students from paper leak by making a law," he added. He further claimed the support of the youth in the country towards the opposition coalition, INDIA bloc. "Today, I assure all the students of the country that I will become your voice in Parliament and strongly raise the issues related to your future. The youth have expressed confidence in INDIA - INDIA will not allow their voice to be suppressed,” he said. Earlier on Saturday, Congress general secretary (organisations) KC Venugopal targeted the BJP for destroying the future of students. Under fire from several quarters, including a section of the BJD, Kartik Pandian, who had led the election campaign for the party from the front, on Sunday quit active politics. Political circles here had started pointing accusing fingers at Mr Pandian as the sole reason for the BJD's electoral debacle. Mr Pandian, the most powerful bureaucrat-turnedpolitician, was the most trusted lieutenant of BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik. He had served for over a decade, as a secretary to the then CM Patnaik and was widely regarded as the ‘de facto’ chief minister. In a meticulously planned manner, Mr Pandian toured the entire state in a helicop- ter as 5T Chairman and handled the grievance cell of Mr Patnaik, thereby doing the groundwork for the elections. He took VRS and joined the BJD on 28 November, 2023. The power that he wielded was immense. He deputed for Mr Patnaik in election campaign meetings and was the lone BJD leader who toured the state seeking votes for the party candidates. The BJP, right from PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on down targeted Mr Pandian, dubbing him as an ‘outsider’, Tamil babu who has held CM Patnaik captive. They also hyped the ‘Odia Pride’ issue and asked people of the state not to tolerate an ‘outsider’ who is being groomed as the next chief minister . However, following the BJP's loss in the recent elec- CMYK tions, Mr Pandian faced severe backlash from party cadres. In a video-recorded statement today, Mr Pandian conceded that he failed to effectively counter the political narrative during the elections. “My only intent was to assist Naveen Babu, as anyone would do for his mentor or family. Perhaps it was my shortcoming for not countering certain political narratives effectively. I reiterate that I entered politics solely to support Naveen Patnaik. I had no desire for a specific political post or power; therefore, I neither ran as a candidate nor held any post in the BJD." Mr Pandian emphasised his humble beginnings and claimed that the only properties he owned are those inherited from his grandparents. Reflecting on his tenure, Mr Pandian said: "For the past 12 years, I have worked tirelessly from early morning till midnight, focusing on Odisha and Naveen Babu. My intent in joining politics was purely to assist Naveen Babu. Now, I consciously decide to withdraw from active politics. I apologize if I have hurt anyone in this journey or if the campaign narrative against me contributed to the BJD’s loss. I will always keep Odisha in my heart and my guru, Naveen Babu, in my thoughts." Mr Pandian's exit comes amid the BJP's strategic focus on Odia pride, which resonated with voters during the high-octane poll campaign. On Saturday, the BJD president Naveen Patnaik had come out in defense of Mr Pandian to try and quell the storm within the party. Significantly, he did drop a hint of what was coming by saying Mr Pandian should be remembered for the good work that he had done. In retrospect, the line was a clear indication that Mr Pandian would quit politics.