SATURDAY 15 JUNE 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PAWAN GETS PANCHAYATI RAJ, NAIDU RETAINS L&O ‘STRUGGLE DID NOT DETER ME’ P7 SENSEX 76,992.77181.88 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Possibility of rain / thundershower in some areas. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32 °C and 29°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 87 % Min. 54 % Max: 37.4°C (+2.9) SUN RISES 04:52 hrs MOON RISES 11:39 hrs Min: 30.1°C (+2.9) SUN SETS 18:22 hrs MOON SETS -------- hrs TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 22 June THUMBNAILS Goats are brought to Zakaria Street for sale ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival, in Kolkata on Friday.  BISWAJIT GHOSHAL Delhi LG approves prosecution of Arundhati Roy & Sheikh Showkat Hussain under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act: Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy and former Professor of International Law in Central University of Kashmir, Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain, in a case relating to their alleged provocative speeches at a public function in 2010, Raj Niwas officials said on Friday. Saxena sanctioned the prosecution of Arundhati Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain under IPC section 45 (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The FIR in the matter was registered on a complaint made by Sushil Pandit on 28 October, 2010. P4 NIFTY 23,465.6066.70 P6 ` vs $ 83.562 PAISE GOLD 71,890270 G7 summit: Modi also met Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Pope Francis STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE P Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, in Apulia, Italy, on Friday.  ANI and the upcoming Summit on Peace being hosted by Switzerland,” the Ministry of External Affairs said. India has already decided to attend the summit to be held in the city of Lucerne in Switzerland on 15-16 June though the level of its representation is yet to be announced. President Zelenskyy is keen on India's participation in the Peace Summit, given the role New Delhi can play in bringing the ongoing conflict to an end. Mr Modi is attending the 'Outreach Session' of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Italy. Mr Modi also met Pope Francis upon reaching the Summit after he was welcomed by Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni. Visuals from the session showed PM Modi sharing a hug with Pope Francis. Mr Modi also had a bilateral meeting with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak, after which the two leaders expressed satisfaction over the progress made in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the two countries. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy. Mr Sunak congratulated PM Modi on his historic third consecutive term. The two leaders reaffirmed the shared commitment of both countries to further strengthen bilateral relations while discussing regional and FIRE IN THE CITY multilateral matters of mutual interest. The two countries have been negotiating the FTA since January 2022. There are indications that the long-awaited trade deal between the two countries will be signed after general elections in the UK scheduled to be held in July. When completed, it will be the first comprehensive FTA that India has signed with a European country. Mr Modi and Mr Sunak also discussed the implementation of the Roadmap 2030 and expressed happiness on progress in all areas of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including regular high-level political consultations, defence and security, trade and economic collaboration, critical and high technology sectors and people-to-people ties. He also met French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G7 summit, and agreed to further intensify strategic defence cooperation between their two countries with increased focus on 'Make in India'. They also agreed to expand cooperation in the realms of AI, critical and emerging technologies, energy and sports, while working closely in the context of the forthcoming AI Summit and United Nations Oceans Conference, both to be hosted in France in 2025. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE Ahead of the election for the post of Speaker for the 18th Lok Sabha, Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi has made it clear that his party along with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will back the candidate nominated by BJP for the key post in the Lower House of Parliament. With all focus now on the election to the Lok Sabha Speaker's post, Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi has said his party and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and will be lending its support to the candidate nominated by the BJP for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker. Talking to a news agency, Mr Tyagi said: “JDU (Jana- ta Dal-United) and TDP (Telugu Desam Party) are strongly in the NDA. We will support the person nominated (for Speaker) by the BJP ." He was asked about remarks of some Opposition leaders that the new Lok Sabha Speaker may be from TDP or JD-U. The BJP which is short , of the majority mark in the Lok Sabha, is leading a coalition government with its allies at th e Centre. The JD-U leader's comments are an indication that the saffron party is likely to put up its nominee for the Speaker's post and the candidate may not be from among allies of the party. The election for the post of Speaker is scheduled for 26 June in the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE As Parliament prepares for its first session after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, the new Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Kiren Rijiju, said the government wants to begin on a positive note and sought cooperation from the MPs for smooth running of Parliament. For the first three days of the session starting from 24 June, only Lok Sabha will sit for oath and affirmation of its newly elected members. On the third day, on 26 June, the new Lok Sabha Speaker will be elected. President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on 27 June in the Lok Sabha chamber. The Rajya Sabha will have its sittings from 27 June. Both Houses will have a discussion on the President’s address during the session, which will conclude on 3 July. Mr Rijiju said the country wants to see a vibrant democracy through sound debate and discussion in Parliament and the government will work with Opposition parties. He urged all political parties to jointly work together as Team India. SC issues notice on plea for CBI probe into alleged paper leak in NEET exam The Supreme Court on Friday sought replies from the Central government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) on a batch of petitions seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged instances of paper leak in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 exam held on 5 May this year. Issuing notice on the batch of petitions and seeking response within two weeks, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta tagged the present petitions with earlier petitions raising similar issues, which are listed for hearing on 8 July. The bench declined to pass any ex-parte order for a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024. Firefighters in action after a massive fire broke out in the Acropolis Mall, in Kolkata on Friday.  SNS JeM threatens to blow up Ram temple in Ayodhya; security agencies on high alert A state of high alert was sounded in Ayodhya on Friday after terror outfit Jaishe-Mohammed threatened to blow up the Ram temple. Surveillance at the Ram temple has been intensified, and special precautions are being taken to secure key locations, including the Maharishi Valmiki Airport. SSP Raj Karan Nayyar visited Maharishi Valmiki Airport on Friday and took stock of the security arrangements. In an audio message that has gone viral, Jaish-eMohammed has threatened to blow up the Ram temple. In response to this threat, The election for the post of Speaker is scheduled for 26 June in the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha. ‘We want to begin 18th LS on a positive note’ ‘Centre committed to protect interests of NEET examinees’ NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE AYODHYA, 14 JUNE BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 81.260.42 JD-U and TDP to support BJP candidate for LS Speaker: Tyagi PARMOD KUMAR STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE P12 SILVER 90,500200 ‘Will do everything to help end Ukraine war’ rime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday told Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that India continues to encourage a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, assuring him that New Delhi will do everything within its means to support an end to the war. “Had a very productive meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. India is eager to further cement bilateral relations with Ukraine. Regarding the ongoing hostilities, reiterated that India believes in a human-centric approach and believes that the way to peace is through dialogue and diplomacy,” Mr Modi wrote on microblogging platform 'X' soon after the meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy. The Indian PM welcomed the Ukrainian leader with a warm hug and is believed to have inquired about the situation in the war-torn country. He also thanked President Zelenskyy for his warm wishes on his assuming office for the third term. “Both leaders had a productive meeting in which they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations. They also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine RAIN THREAT LOOMS OVER INDIA’S FINAL GROUP CONTEST STALIN’S TRIUMPH Surveillance at the Ram temple has been intensified, and special precautions are being taken to secure key locations, including the Maharishi Valmiki Airport. security and intelligence measures have been significantly enhanced. Security around the Ram Mandir, its adjacent approach roads, and other major establishments has been bolstered as a precautionary measure. The name of this organisation surfaced during the terrorist attack on the Ram Janmabhoomi complex in 2005. Jaish-e-Mohammed has been continuously spewing venom against the Ram Janmabhoomi. Even before the Pran Pratistha of Ram Lalla's idol, this terrorist organisation had issued similar threats. Since the construction of the Ram temple, the central government has been consistently working out new arrangements regarding its security. It has also proposed an NSG centre in Ayodhya. SSP Raj Karan Nayyar, however, expressed ignorance about any threat to the Ram temple from the terrorist organisation. He said he had no information about any such audio. SSP Nayyar informed the media that the security at Ayodhya Dham is already tight. Security arrangements have been categorised into different zones, with teams formed under the leadership of senior gazetted officers. Security personnel have already been deployed in various areas, he said. Apart from the District Police, many PAC companies have also been deployed. Security arrangements at important places are monitored round-the-clock. The entire area is monitored through CCTV cameras. Any real-time inputs generated are promptly relayed to the personnel on the ground from the control room. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE Students stage a protest outside the Ministry of Education over the alleged irregularities in the NEET exam, in the Capital on Friday. SUBRATA DUTTA The bench also issued notice on a transfer petition by the NTA seeking transfer to the top court a petition before a High Court also alleging paper leak and irregularities in the conduct of NEETUG 2024. The NTA’s plea too was tagged with the matters listed for 8 July. Amid a raging row over the National Eligibility-cumEntrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) examination, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday asserted that the Centre is committed to protect the interests of NEET examinees and also assured that no student’s career will be at jeopardy. He further informed that counselling process of NEET will be underway soon. The Union Education Minister's remarks came in the wake of students demanding investigation into the ongoing NEET examination row. In a post on X, Mr Pradhan said: "Central govt. is committed to protect the interests of NEET examinees. I want to assure the students that all their concerns will be addressed with fairness and equity. No student will be at a disadvantage and no child’s career will be at jeopardy. Mr Pradhan also met a few students who appeared for the NEET exam accompanied by their parents after they had requested a meeting with him. The minister addressed their concerns and assured them that no injustice would be done to the students. Kuwait tragedy: Bodies of victims arrive in Kerala STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The mortal remains of 31 people ~ 23 from Kerala, 7 from Tamil Nadu and one from Karnataka ~ were handed over to the authorities in Kochi. KOCHI, 14 JUNE An Indian Air Force aircraft carrying the mortal remains of 45 Indians, who died in a building fire in Kuwait's Mangaf, landed in Kochi airport at 10.25 a.m. on Friday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who coordinated with the Kuwait authorities regarding repatriation, was on board the aircraft. The mortal remains of 31 people ~ 23 from Kerala, 7 from Tamil Nadu and one from Karnataka ~ were handed over to the authorities in Kochi. After clearance, the remaining 14 bodies will be sent to Delhi in the same aircraft. The victims include 23 from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, three each from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, CMYK Family members of a victim who lost his life in the Kuwait fire incident break down near his mortal remains, at the Cochin International Airport, in Ernakulam on Friday.  ANI two from Odisha, and one each from Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Haryana. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, ministers, Union Minister Suresh Gopi and Opposition leader VD Satheesan received the mortal remains of 31 victims from Kerala at the airport. The public paid homage to the deceased at the airport. Ambulances took the bodies of the victims from Ker- ala and Tamil Nadu to their respective homes after a guard of honour. The body of the Karnataka native will be airlifted, authorities said. At least 50 workers, including 45 Indians, were killed and 49 others injured in a building fire in Kuwait's Mangaf on Wednesday. According to the Indian embassy in Kuwait, a total of 176 Indian workers were in the housing facility, of whom 45 died and 33 were hospitalised.