THURSDAY 04 JULY 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 UNITY'S CHALLENGE KARAT WARNS KERALA CPM UNIT OF BENGAL, TRIPURA LS DEBACLE P4 SENSEX 79,986.80545.34 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain/thundershower. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 33 °C and 26 °C respectively. RAINFALL: 47.8 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 98 % Min. 92 % Max: 29.4 °C (-3.2) SUN RISES 04:57 hrs MOON RISES 02:7 hrs Min: 24.8°C (-1.9) SUN SETS 18:25 hrs MOON SETS 16:9 hrs TEMPERATURE New Moon on 06 July THUMBNAILS A team of the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports, Pahalgam, led by Principal Col. Hem Chandra Singh, achieved a historic feat by summiting four peaks in Ladakh in 11 days.  ANI Centre issues advisory to states in view of Zika virus cases: The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday said it has issued an advisory to the states in view of the Zika virus cases reported in Maharashtra. Zika is an Aedes mosquito borne viral disease like Dengue and Chikungunya. It is a non-fatal disease. However, Zika is associated with microcephaly (reduced head size) of babies born to a?ected pregnant women which makes it a major concern. Prachanda-led govt in Nepal totters as ally walks out AGENCIES KATHMANDU, 3 JULY After a days-long political drama, the government under Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is on the point of collapse in Nepal as coalition ministers resigned en-masse, retracting support. With the expiration of the 24-hour deadline given on Tuesday, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), the key ally of the Dahal-led government walked out. The party had given a one-day ultimatum to Prime Minister Dahal to step down from the post which it called “a respectful exit.” On Wednesday, eight ministers from CPN-UML in the cabinet under Mr Dahal formed on 4 March earlier this year, tendered resignations to the Prime Minister at his residence in Baluwatar. The ministers had reached Balkot, the residence of UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and headed for Baluwatar. “We have resigned and submitted the letter to the Prime Minister a while ago. All the 8 ministers on board the cabinet from the CPN-UML have resigned informing the Prime Minister that we no longer are part of this government and withdraw our support,” Jwalakumari Sah, the former minister for agriculture told ANI over the phone. The UML and Nepal Congress on Monday night agreed to form a new government. Oli would lead a new national consensus and government for a year and a half. For the remaining term, Nepal's former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba will be the prime minister. Mr Dahal expressed reluctance to resign immediately. The office-bearers meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) held in Baluwatar on Tuesday had decided that the Prime Minister will not tender his resignation but instead face a trust vote in Parliament within 30 days of the retraction of support. P6 NIFTY 24,286.50162.65 P5 ` vs $ 83.535 PAISE Violence has declined and peace is within reach, says Modi in Rajya Sabha rime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the central government is making efforts to normalise the situation in Manipur, which has been witnessing ethnic violence since last year, contending that violence there has declined and peace is within reach. The Prime Minister was replying to the Rajya Sabha debate on the Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament on 27th June. The PM spoke for almost two hours from 12 noon, but before he spoke on Manipur and warned against politics over the state, the Opposition staged a walk-out.The Opposition wanted permission for Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to react within minutes of Mr Modi’s speech, but when he was not allowed, Opposition members kept raising slogans and staged a walk-out about 12.30 p.m. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he had allowed everyone to Opposition walks out of RS; Kharge calls out Modi for ‘lying’ in House P STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 JULY speak at length, and the House sat till late last night for that. Mr Kharge had not respected norms, and the Constitution was insulted by the walk-out, he said. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die after the adoption of the Motion of Thanks by voice-vote. The PM, in his reply, said he had spoken about Manipur at length in the last session. The government is engaged in making the situation normal in the state. More than 11,000 FIRs have been filed on the incidents and over 500 arrests made. Incidents of violence are on the decline and peace was within reach. Mr Modi said schools and colleges in Manipur are functioning normally, just as offices, while examinations are taking place. He said the Centre and the state P12 SILVER 91,500500 GOLD 72,380 Govt working to bring peace in Manipur: PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 JULY KOHLI FAILS TO FIND PLACE IN ICC’S TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT V-P CONDEMNS OPP’S WALKOUT DURING PM’S REPLY IN RS Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Wednesday said the Opposition staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha during Narendra Modi’s reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address as, he said, the prime minister was “lying" in the House. Talking to reporters after the walkout, Mr Kharge, flanked by CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other members of the parties of the INDIA bloc said: “We walked out of the House because Prime Minister Narendra Modi told lies while speaking on the Motion of Thanks to President’s address. It is his habit to lie, mislead people and speak against the truth.” government are working together for a peaceful settlement. Home Minister Amit Shah and the Minister of State for Home had spent days in the State. The PM said senior officers have also been taking rounds of the state. At present, there are floods in Manipur and two teams of the NDRF have been sent there. Mr Modi said: “We should rise over politics and help in the situation. The elements trying to put fuel to fire will be rejected by people of Manipur.” Those who know Manipur’s history know the state has had social conflict for long and the state was put under the President’s Rule ten times for this reason under previous governments, he said. In 1993 also there was violence in the state and it continued for five years. The government is ready to take help from anyone and efforts are being made to restore normalcy and peace in the state, he said. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 84.310.20 Death toll in stampede rises to 121, UP govt orders judicial inquiry STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HATHRAS, 3 JULY The death toll in yesterday's stampede at the Bhole Baba satsangin this Uttar Pradesh district rose to 121 onWednesday morning. An FIR under the provisions of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita has been registered against Chief Sevadar Devprakash Madhukar and other unknown organisers and sevadars. The stampede took place during the satsang hosted by a preacher, Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari alias Bhole Baba on Tuesday. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached Hathras on Wednesday to make an on-spot enquiry and meet the injured and the families of the deceased. Mr Adityanath went to the hospital where the injured were admitted. He briefly talked to them and enquired about their health. He also met some family members of the deceased. He also visited the incident spot along with officials amid heavy rain. Mr Adityanath, speaking later to mediapersons, announced a judicial inquiry led by a retired High Court judge into the incident. He also raised the possibility of a conspiracy behind the stampede. To investigate the incident further, an SIT has been formed under the Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath meets the victims of the Hathras stampede incident, in Hathras on Wednesday.  ANI chairmanship of ADG Agra, and a preliminary report has already been submitted, he informed. Later in the day, the UP government constituted a Judicial Commission headed by Allahabad High Court Justice ( Retd) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava to probe the incident. The toll in the incident increased to 121 from 116 after five more people succumbed to their injuries. The increased toll was confirmed by state minister Sandeep Singh to the media. The deceased included 114 women and 7 men. A total of 19 bodies have not been identified yet. Late Tuesday night, police registered an FIR against the organisers at Sikandrarao police station. The case was registered under provisions relating to culpable homicide and hiding evidence against chief sevadar Devprakash Madhukar and other unknown organisers and sevadars. Police were yet to confirm whether any of the organisers were taken into custody or not. According to the FIR, 2.5 lakh people were at the event but the organisers had taken permission for a gathering of 80,000. Besides, there was no arrangement for traffic management from the organisers’ side. “Due to the uncontrollable crowd leaving the venue, devotees sitting on the ground were crushed. On the other side of the road, the crowd running in the waterand mud-filled fields was forcibly stopped by the organisers with sticks, due to which the pressure of the crowd kept increasing and women, children, and men kept getting crushed," the FIR said. (More on Page 10) Jaishankar meets Lavrov, presses for safe Champai Soren resigns as J’khand CM, Sensex crosses return of Indians working for Russian army Hemant Soren stakes claim to form govt 80,000 mark STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 JULY RANCHI, 3 JULY External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Wednesday, met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and raised India's strong concern over Indian nationals who are currently in the zone affected by the UkraineRussia conflict. “Good to meet Russian FM Sergey Lavrov in Astana today. Wide-ranging conversation on our bilateral partnership and contemporary issues. Noted the progress in many areas since our last meeting in December 2023. Raised our strong concern on Indian nationals who are currently in the war zone. Pressed for their safe and expeditious return,” Mr Jaishankar wrote later. Several Indians were lured to Russia on the pretext of Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren tendered his resignation to state Governor CP Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi on Wednesday to pave the way for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha executive president Hemant Soren to again take over the role. Following Champai Soren's resignation, Hemant Soren staked claim to form the government. After tendering his resignation to the Governor, Champai Soren said the ruling alliance had chosen Hemant Soren as the leader. “A few days ago, I was made the Chief Minister and I got the responsibility of the state. After Hemant Soren was back, our alliance took this decision and we chose Hemant Soren as our leader. Now, I have resigned from the post of Chief Minster," Champai Soren told reporters. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AGENCIES Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar hold talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Council meeting, in Astana on Wednesday.  ANI good jobs but were forced to fight the ongoing war with Ukraine. India has repeatedly urged Russia to repatriate all those Indians who are working for the Russian Army. India has also demanded that there be a verified stop to any further recruitment of Indian nationals by the Russian Army. Moscow has been firmly told that such activi- ties would not be in consonance with the bilateral partnership. Two Indians who were recruited by the Russian Army have already been killed in the conflict. Meanwhile, Mr Jaishankar said he also discussed with Mr Lavrov the global strategic landscape and exchanged assessments and views. Koo, the homegrown alternative to X, shutting down its services STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 JULY Social media startup Koo is shutting down its services after prolonged talks for an acquisition failed. Koo was started by Radhakrishna and Bidawatka in 2019 and was launched in March 2020. The app gained prominence amidst the standoff between the Indian government and Twitter in 2021. Koo co-founders, Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, said in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday, "We explored partnerships with multiple larger internet companies, conglomerates, and media houses but these talks didn't yield the outcome we wanted. Most of them didn't want to deal with user-generated content and the wild nature of a social media company.” “A couple of them changed priority almost close to signing. While we would've liked to keep the app running, the cost of technology services to keep a social media app running is high and we've had to take this tough decision," they stated. “We were just months away from beating Twitter in India in 2022 and could have doubled down on that short-term goal with capital behind us,” the founders said. In the post, the founders said they built a "globally scalable product in a fraction of the time that X/Twitter did, with superior systems, algorithms, and strong stakeholder-first philoso- phies" Koo had positioned itself as the homegrown alternative to X (formerly Twitter). Koo will now evaluate converting its assets into a digital public good to enable social conversations in native languages, around the world, the founders said in the post. “This is very difficult and complicated tech and we've built it painstakingly in record time. We will be happy to share some of these assets with someone with a great vision for India's foray into social media" they said. “A prolonged funding winter which hit us at our peak hurt our plans at the time and we had to tone down on our growth trajectory,” the founders said. “Social media is probably one of the toughest companies to build even with all resources available as you need to grow users to a significant scale before one thinks of revenue” they added. NEW DELHI, 3 JULY Jharkhand CM Champai Soren tenders his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan in Ranchi. JMM Executive President Hemant Soren has staked claim to form the Government.  ANI Hemant Soren was released from the Birsa Munda Jail on 28 June after nearly five months in jail following bail from Jharkhand High Court in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Mr Soren had resigned as Chief Minister before his arrest on 31 January. After being released on bail, Hemant Soren said on Saturday that the state is a land of courageous people and there is no need to be scared of anyone. Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January on charges related to an alleged land scam and money laundering. The investigation concerns the purported generation of substantial proceeds through the alleged forgery of official records, involving "fake sellers and buyers" to acquire large parcels of land. Marking a significant surge, the Sensex hit the 80,000 mark in intraday trading onWednesday, registering the third fastest 5,000-point intraday rise for the index in history. The spike was propelled by HDFC Bank stock that surged 4 per cent to Rs 1794 levels. Both Sensex and Nifty opened at fresh all-time highs on Tuesday and climbed higher still, crossing 80,000 and 24,300, respectively. As per the data, Sensex took just 57 days to gain the last 5,000-points from the 75,000 mark to 80,000 levels on an intraday basis. ACE Equity data shows that the last 5,000point gain in the Sensex ~ from 75,000 mark hit on 9 April 2024 till 3 July 2024 ~ has been led by a diverse set of stocks. Mahindra & Mahindra has been the top gainer that surged over 37 per cent during this period to around Rs 2900 levels, it said. (Page 8) World Cup winning squad to land in Delhi today; celebrations lined up STATESMANN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 JULY Flt AIC24WC ~ a special chartered flight that denotes ‘Air India Champions 24 World Cup’ ~ has been arranged by the BCCI to bring the Rohit Sharma-led newly crowned World Champions home after the celebrations were confined to Barbados for the past three days because of a category 4 hurricane. The Indian team was stuck in Barbados for three days as Hurricane Beryl forced the Grantley Adams International airport in Bridgetown to be shut down. According to a source, the aircraft ferrying the Indian players, support staff, some players’ families, a few board officials along with members of the travelling media contingent, took off around 4.50 a.m. local time and will CMYK land in New Delhi on Thursday at around 6.20 a.m. IST. The team was originally scheduled to leave Bridgetown by 6 p.m. local time and reach India at 7.45 p.m. IST on Wednesday, but due to the late arrival of the flight from New Jersey (at around 2 a.m), the scheduled departure of the Indians was delayed by a few hours. The players are set to be felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a breakfast meet within hours of returning to the country. There are also plans to have a roadshow in Mumbai to honour the team, who won a senior ICC trophy after a gap of 11 years. In Mumbai, the team is expected to take a short ride on an open-top bus from the National Centre for Performing Arts in Nariman Point to the iconic Wankhede Stadium at 4 p.m. on Thursday evening.