TUESDAY 25 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 SHAH, RAJNATH TAKE OATH AS 18TH LS BEGINS TERM NEED TO FORM 'SHAHJAHANPUR DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY' P4 P10 SENSEX 77,341.08 NIFTY 23,537.85 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY LIGHT RAIN ACCOMPANIED WITH GUSTY WINDS (SPEED 25-35 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 40 AND 29 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 73 % TEMPERATURE RIYAN AMONG FOUR NEW FACES NAMED FOR ZIMBABWE TOUR P9 GOLD 74,560.00 P12 SILVER 91,700 PM to Oppn: Maintain dignity of democracy BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 84.69 Oppn stages protest at Parliament premises PM Modi also slammed the Congress citing 'Emergency Anniversary' Min. 45 % Max: 40.4 °C (+2) SUN RISES 05:26 hrs MOON RISES 22:28 hrs ` vs $ 83.49 ‘WON’T AGREE TO A DEAL THAT ENDS THE WAR IN GAZA’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min: 31.6 °C (+4) SUN SETS 19:23 hrs MOON SETS 09:36 hrs THUMBNAILS Members of the Shree Kashi Vishwanath Damru Dal perform during the ongoing Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhya temple, in ANI Guwahati. Kerala Assembly passes unanimous resolution to change state's name to 'Keralam': In a rare instance of unanimity on the floor of the Kerala Assembly, the treasury and opposition benches unanimously passed a resolution moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday seeking to change the name from Kerala to 'Keralam'. The resolution will be sent to the Centre for approval now. NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE A head of the commencement of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked the Opposition to play its role to the fullest while maintaining the dignity of democracy, saying people want substance and not slogans in Parliament. He also launched a scathing indirect attack on the Congress while pointing out that 25 June (Tuesday) marks 50 years of ''Emergency Rule'' which represents a black mark on Indian democracy. ''The new generation of India will never forget the day when the Constitution of India was completely rejected by suppressing democracy and the country was turned into a prison,'' he said. The PM exhorted the citizens to firmly resolve to protect the democracy and democratic traditions of India so that such an event never takes place again. “We will build a vibrant democracy and fulfill the dreams of the common people according to the Constitution of India,” he added. Noting the high expectations of the country from the newly-elected MPs, Mr Modi urged them to SUBRATA DUTTA use this opportunity for public welfare, and public service and take every possible step in public interest. ''I hope the Opposition will live up to the people's expectations...people want substance instead of slogans,'' he said. The PM began his statement by calling today’s occasion a proud and glorious day in parliamentary democracy as it is the first time after independence that the oath ceremony would take place in the new Parliament. “On this important day, I heartily welcome all the newly elected MPs and congratulate everyone,” he said. Terming the formation of this Parliament as a means to fulfill the resolutions of the common man, he underlined that it is a critical opportunity to achieve new speed and height with new zeal. He said that the 18th Lok Sabha is commencing today to realise the goal of building a 'Developed India' by 2047. The grand conduct of the world's largest election is a matter of pride for 140 crore citizens. More than 65 crore voters participated in the electoral process, he noted while pointing out that it is only the second time after independence that the country has given its mandate to a government for the third time. “This opportunity has come after 60 years making it a proud event in itself,'' he added. The PM expressed his gratitude towards the citizens for electing the government for the third term and said it puts a stamp of approval on the government’s intentions, policies and dedication towards the people. “In the last 10 years, we have tried to establish a tradition because we believe that a majority is required to run a government but consensus is extremely important to run a country,'' he emphasized. He said that it has been the constant endeavour of the government to serve the nation by achieving consensus and taking everyone along to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of 140 crore citizens. Underlining the need to take everyone along and speed up decision-making within the scope of the Constitution of India, he expressed happiness over the number of young MPs taking oath in the 18th Lok Sabha. He underlined that the government’s responsibility has increased three-fold as the people have elected the government for a third term. He assured the people that the government would work three times harder than before while also bringing three times the results. The PM underlined the responsibility of all MPs to collectively fulfil the resolve of a 'Developed India' and strengthen the trust of the people. He said that 25 crore citizens coming out of poverty creates a new belief that India can succeed and get rid of this evil very soon. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE Leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, on Monday staged a protest at the Parliament premises here, alleging attack on the Constitution under the Narendra Modi-led government. The Opposition leaders held the demonstration at the location where the statue of Mahatma Gandhi was there, on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha. They shouted slogans while holding aloft copies of the Constitution. “Modi ji tried to break the Constitution. Therefore, we are protesting here where the Gandhi statue was there. He is breaking every democratic norm. We want to tell Narendra Modi you should move ahead according to the Constitution,” the Congress pres- SC denies interim relief to CM Kejriwal, posts matter for hearing tomorrow India now has 533 passport application processing centres, says Jaishankar PARMOD KUMAR STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned for June 26, the incarcerated Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea against Delhi High Court’s interim order staying the Special PMLA Court’s order granting him bail in the Delhi Excise Policy case, whose money laundering dimension is being probed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED). Posting the matter for Wednesday – June 26 – as Directorate of Enforcement said that the High Court judgment on its plea challenging the Special PMLA Court granting bail to Kejriwal will come shortly, a vacation bench of Justices Manoj Misra and SVN Bhatti observed that decision of the High Court of granting interim stay of the bail order without passing a final order in the matter, was “unusual”. “In stay matters, judg- ments are not reserved but passed on the spot. What has happened here is unusual. We will have it (the matter before it) the day after,” the bench said in its order. As senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Kejriwal told the vacation bench that if the High Court could suspend the bail order on a mentioning by Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, even when the trial court had not been uploaded, the top court too could inter- vene when the judgment has been reserved, the bench said '' If the High Court has committed a mistake, why should we repeat it.'' As Singhvi told the bench ''The High Court did not wait for the order and stayed it. If the High Court can stay it without seeing the order, why can't your lordships stay the High Court order'', Justice Misra said, ''If High Court has committed a mistake, why should we repeat it?'' The High Court on June 21, 2024, had granted interim stay on the bail while reserving its order on Directorate of Enforcement’s plea. Kejriwal then approached the top court against the High Court order. Questioning the procedure of staying the bail on the first day, that too on a mentioning, as unprecedented, Singhvi told the vacation bench “Suppose the High Court dismisses ED's appeal, how does the judge compensate for the time he (Kejri- wal) lost?” Singhvi said that the High Court passed the stay order without giving any reason. The senior advocate told the vacation bench that there are several Supreme Court judgments which have held that the bail, once granted, cannot be stayed without special reasons. As Singhvi pressed for an order on Kejriwal’s application, the bench said, “If it passed an order now, it will be pre-judging the issue. It is not a subordinate court, it is a High Court,”. Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhary, also appearing for Kejriwal, told the top court that Kejriwal does not have any criminal antecedents and is not a flight risk. Opposing the plea by Singhvi, Additional Solicitor General Raju told the bench that the High Court would shortly pronounce the order on the ED”s stay application and requested for adjournment of the case. NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has so far operationalised an expansive network of 440 Post office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs), which, along with the existing 93 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs), take the total to 533 Passport application processing centres under 37 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) in the country, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday. He stated this in a message as the MEA commemorated the 12th Passport Seva Divas to mark the enactment of the Passports Act on 24 June 1967. Coinciding with this, a three-day Regional Passport Officers (RPO) Conference was organised from 22-24 June in Delhi. Dr Jaishankar appreciated the passport delivery program as one of the most successful and well-appreciated models of efficient service delivery of the Government of India. He highlighted the commendable annual growth of nearly 15 per cent in passport and related services wherein the Ministry rendered 1.65 crore passport related services to citizens in 2023. He also underlined the leveraging of the power of latest technologies to further improve the citizen experience. The RPOs Conference on 22 June was inaugurated by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh who highlighted the importance of continuous improvement of the passport delivery system and leveraging the emerging technologies to further better the citizen experience. He also presented the Passport Seva Puraskars for the best performing Passport Offices and Passport Officers, the officials of the Central Passport Organisation, State Police organizations along with personnel of the Service Provider. Mr Muktesh Pardeshi, Secretary incharge of passport Services in the MEA commended the Central Passport Organization on its achievements and stressed on the need for innovative solutions to further improve the passport issuance system through the creation of welltrained, capable and motivated cadre of Passport employees. Mamata slams PM for ‘unilateral’ Indus water treaty: Indo-Pakistan team water talks with Bangladesh examine hydroelectric projects in J&K STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 24 JUNE West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly resented the reported discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, over the sharing of the water of Ganga and Teesta, bypassing the state Bengal government. The Indo-Bangladesh Farakka Treaty (1996) will expire in 2026 and the Centre is in the process of renewing the treaty. In a letter to Mr Modi, Miss Banerjee wrote, “It is to convey my strong reservation that no discussion on sharing of Teesta water and the Farakka Treaty should be taken up with Bangladesh without the involvement of the state government. The interest of the people of West Bengal is paramount which should not be compromised at any cost.” In the letter she brought to the notice of the Prime Minister that the river morphology has changed in the eastern part of India and Bangladesh over the years, which has deprived West Bengal and negativity impacted the water availability in the state. There has been eastward migration of the Ganges (and Padma in Bangladesh) over the last 200 years, disrupting their link with several rivers in West Bengal. She further said after the Treaty was signed, keeping in view of the likely change in river morphology after the barrage construction, the then PM HD Deve Gowda in December 1996 had assured the state government that central assistance will be provided for maintenance and dredging. However, no funds were sent by the Centre. In 2005, the jurisdiction of the Farakka Barrage Project Authority (FBPA) was expanded to 120 km (80 km in the downstream and 40 km in the upstream) so that necessary anti-erosion work can be taken by the FBPA in the region. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 24 JUNE A 40-member Indo-Pakistan team along with World Bank's experts on Monday flew to Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir to examine two hydroelectric projects under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). The team arrived at Jammu on Sunday and flew to Kishtwar in helicopters to examine the power projects coming up on the Chenab River that comes under the IWT. The 9-member Pakistani team is led by Syed Ali Murtza, secretary of water resources in Pakistan. Syed Mohammed Mehar Ali Shah, Pakistan's IWT commissioner is also accompanying the team. The Indian delegation consisting of 12 members is also visiting these projects. A three-member Pakistan delegation had earlier inspected the Pakal Dul, Ratle and Lower Kalnai hydro electric power projects last time in January 2019, before the ties between the two countries froze following the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the first visit of a Pakistani delegation to Jammu and Kashmir in more than five years under the dispute settlement mechanism of the 1960 IWT. India and Pakistan signed the IWT after nine years of negotiations, with the World Bank being a signatory of the pact which sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two sides on the use of waters of a number of cross-border rivers. Immediately after landing at an army camp near, the visiting delegation visited the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) headquarters, the officials said, adding they left for the 85 MW Ratle hydroelectric power project site at Drabshalla for dam inspection.They are also visiting the 1000 MW Pakal Dul hydroelectric project on river Marusudar, a tributary of river Chenab, and other power projects during their stay in Kishtwar, the officials said. Pakistan’s initial request to the World Bank in 2016, concerning its objections to the design features of the two hydroelectric power projects, sought a settlement through a ‘Neutral Expert.’ ident said. Notably, last week, he wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman and demanded restoration of the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar, and other national leaders to their original locations in the Parliament premises. Later in a post on ‘X’, Kharge referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the media before the start of the maiden session of the 18th Lok Sabha, said, “PM Modi made a longer than usual customary address today. Clearly, even after moral and political defeat, the arrogance remains.” “The nation was hoping that Modi ji would say something on many important issues. He will show some sympathy towards the youth regarding the paper leak in NEET and other recruitment examinations, but he did not take any responsibility for the massive rigging and corruption of his government. Be it the floods in Assam and the northeast, the backbreaking price rise, the historic fall of the Rupee, or be it the exit poll-stock market scam, Modi ji is mum,” he said. On the caste census, the Congress chief said, “Modi government has kept the next census pending for a long time, PM Modi was completely silent even on the caste census.” Centre imposes stock limits on wheat to curb hoarding STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE The Centre on Monday imposed stock limits on wheat to manage the overall food security and prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation, applicable until March 31, 2025 for all states/Union territories. The ban will be applicable to Traders/Wholesaler, Retailers, Big Chain Retailers and Processors for all States and Union Territories, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said in a statement. Stock limits will be applicable to each entity individually such as Traders/Wholesaler- 3000 MT; Retailer- 10 MT for each of the Retail outlets; Big Chain Retailer- 10 MT for each outlet and 3000 MT at all their depots and Processors70% of Monthly Installed Capacity (MIC) multiplied by remaining months of FY 202425. The Removal of Licensing Requirements, Stock Limits and Movement Restrictions on Specified Foodstuffs (Amendment) Order, 2024 has been issued with immediate effect from today. The ministry also said that the respective legal entities will have to declare the stock position and update them regularly on the portal of the Department of Food and Public Distribution and in case the stock held by them are higher than the prescribed limit then they have to bring the same to the prescribed stock limits within 30 days of issue of this notification. Last week, a meeting of the Committee of Ministers was held under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation to review the prices of essential commodities. The union government had said that there is sufficient stock of wheat available to undertake market interventions, as and when required. It was highlighted that approximately 266 LMT of wheat has been procured till June 18 in RMS 2024, against a procurement of 262 LMT in RMS 2023.