FRIDAY 05 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 UK: LABOUR HOPEFUL, CONSERVATIVES MOROSE STRATEGIC PATIENCE P6 SENSEX 80,049.6762.88 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain/thundershower. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30 °C and 26 °C respectively. GOLD 73,090710 ` vs $ 83.54 Min. 90 % Max: 29.7 °C (-2.9) SUN RISES 04:57 hrs MOON RISES 02:59 hrs Min: 26.7°C (0.0) SUN SETS 18:25 hrs MOON SETS 17:12 hrs New Moon on 06 July THUMBNAILS A man makes miniature models of chariots in Kolkata on Thursday. BISWAJIT GHOSHAL Hemant Soren takes oath as J’khand CM: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Executive President Hemant Soren was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand at a ceremony at the Ranchi Raj Bhavan on Thursday. The rest of the Cabinet ministers will be sworn in on Sunday. (Page 5) NEW DELHI, 4 JULY t took 17 years for that star count to double in the Indian team’s blue jersey after India’s valiant seven-run win against South Africa in Saturday’s T20 World Cup final in Barbados, and the newlycrownedWorld Champions proudly flaunted the specially-designed kit with ‘CHAMPIONS’ written in bold letters during their breakfast meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shortly after landing in New Delhi at around 6 a.m. IST on Thursday. Hundreds of supporters, holding placards congratulating their favourites and waving theTricolour, braved the inclement weather to welcome the Rohit Sharmaled outfit that touched down in New Delhi following a marathon trip home from the Ca-ribbean after the squad members, support staff and families were grounded by Hurricane Berylfor several days. I Their special charter flight AIC24WC ~ Air India Champions 24World Cup ~ which left Barbados around 4:50 a.m, local time onWednesday, arrived in Delhi on Thursday morning after a 16-hour journey. Fans cheered as the players came out of the airport in ones and twos. Rohit Sharma, among the last to emerge, raised the coveted trophy for the fans to catch a glimpse before boarding the bus. After a short stopover at the ITC Maurya Sheraton, where team members shook a leg with bhangra EAM meets Chinese FM, calls for restoration of peace in border areas STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 JULY finding an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh to stabilise and rebuild bilateral relations. This was the first highlevel meeting between the two sides after the Narendra Modi government assumed office in India for the third time. Mr Jaishankar highlighted the need to redouble efforts to achieve complete disengagement from the remaining areas in Eastern Ladakh and restore border peace and tranquillity in order to remove obstacles towards the return of normalcy in bilateral relations. He reaffirmed the importance of fully abiding by relevant bilateral agreements, protocols, and understandings reached between the two governments in the past. The LAC must be respected and peace and tranquillity in the border areas are always enforced, the MEA quoted the minister as saying. dancers and cut a 3-tier cake, they headed to 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, to meet PM Narendra Modi. They spent close to two hours at the PM’s official residence interacting with Mr Modi who congratulated them for their victory and later hosted them for breakfast. “An excellent meeting with our Champions! Hosted the World Cup winning team at 7, LKM and had a memorable conversation on their experiences through the tournament,” PM Modi posted on social media. The team then flew to Mumbai, where they par- AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 4 JULY The level of poverty in India is estimated to have decreased to 8.5 per cent of the population in 2023-24 from 21 per cent in 2011-12, according to a new study by economic think tank NCAER. The study is based on the latest data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS). NCAER economists led by Sonalde Desai have estimated a decline in headcount poverty ratios in rural areas over the last 10 years from 24.8 per cent in 2011-12 to 8.6 per cent now. In urban areas, the poverty level has decreased from 13.4 per cent to 8.4 per cent. The decline in poverty in rural areas has been sharper than in urban areas. The paper points out that there has been a significant increase in food subsidy SILVER 93,0001,500 ticipated in an open bus victory parade followed by a felicitation at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. In a repeat of the road show held in the city 17 years ago after Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team beat archrivals Pakistan in the final of the inaugural 2007World T20 in South Africa, Rohit Sharma’s world champions were feted with a similar victory parade from Marine Drive to theWankhedein an open bus. The heavy showers hardly deterred the enthusiasm of the crowd, who had gathered in their thousands on the 1 km Marine Drive route from Nariman Point toWankhede Stadium near Churchgate. Flanked by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, president Roger Binny, and other officials, Team India players took turns to hold the trophy and wave the Tricolour. The decibel levels rose as Rohit and Virat raised the World Cup trophy together in the open bus. At the Wankhede, loud cheers erupted from the jam-packed crowd as the players walked into the ground. During the ceremony, Rohit Sharma, who along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja bade farewell to the T20 format after the win, said: “Since the time we have come to India it’s been wonderful. This trophy means a lot to us (players) but it’s for the entire nation. It was a wonderful experience to meet PM Modi with the team. On behalf of the team, fans, I want to thank the entire nation. This is a special team, I am so lucky to lead this team.” Six arrested in UP stampede case STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HATHRAS, 4 JULY Uttar Pradesh Police arrested six sevadars associated with the organising committee of the Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari, which has been held responsible for the stampede that led to multiple deaths and mayhem at the Bhole Baba Satsang here on Tuesday. A total of 121 people, mostly women and children, lost their lives in the incident. However, the prime accused in the case, the head of the organising committee, Devprakash Madhukar, is absconding. The state police announced a reward of one lakh rupees on his head. Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Inspector General of Police National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma meets a woman who got injured in the Hathras stampede incident.  ANI (IG) Aligarh Shalabh Mathur said among the arrested sevadars, four are male and two female. He identified three of them as Upendra, Manju, and Mukesh. The sevedars were Poverty headcount ratio falls to 8.5 pc from 21 pc in last 10 years: NCAER In urban areas, the poverty level has decreased from 13.4 pc to 8.4 pc. The decline in poverty in rural areas has been sharper than in urban areas. P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 84.930.21 Heroes’ welcome for T20 World Cup winning squad TRIDIB BAPARNASH Max. 98 % External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday agreed that the current situation in border areas between the two countries is not in the interest of either side and decided to step up meetings of their diplomatic and military officials to take forward their discussions to resolve the remaining issues at the earliest. At a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, the two ministers had an indepth exchange of views on P7 After a breakfast meet with PM Modi in Delhi, the team was feted with a parade in Mumbai RAINFALL: 4.6 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY TEMPERATURE P9 NIFTY 24,302.1515.65 AFTER IPL BOOS, RED CARPET ROLLED OUT FOR PANDYA ONE IMPORTANT VISIT, ANOTHER TO FOLLOW through the public distribution system and other benefits run through multiple schemes launched by the Centre as well as the states which have benefitted the poor. This sharper decline in poverty in rural areas was also reflected in a recent SBI Research report based on the NSSO Consumer Expenditure Survey. According to the SBI report, poverty has staged a significant 4.4 per cent decline since 2018-19 and Urban Poverty 1.7 per cent decline post-pandemic, which shows that government initiatives for promoting the welfare of the bottom of the pyramid are having a significant beneficial impact on rural livelihood, the report states. Along with the sharp decline in poverty in India, there has also been a marked reduction in the rural-urban income divide in the country, the report said. According to a recent NITI Ayog discussion paper, India has registered a significant decline in multidimensional poverty in India from 29.17 per cent in 201314 to 11.28 per cent in 202223 which is a reduction of 17.89 percentage points. CMYK arrested for obstructing the police from discharging their duty. He further said that SOG teams have been deployed in all districts at the zone level to identify and arrest other accused while the evidence recovered from the spot is being included in the investigation. When asked about police action to be taken on Bhole Baba, he said: "If necessary, Narayan Sakar alias Bhole Baba will be interrogated. His name is not there in the FIR. The responsibility lies with the organiser who is named in the FIR”. The IG said: “A case has been registered under Sections 105, 110, 126 (2), 223 and 238 of the Indian Judicial Code. So far, six people have been arrested.” PM calls on SCO to combat terrorism STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 JULY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called upon the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) countries to accord priority to combating terrorism, cautioning them if left unchecked, the menace can become a major threat to regional and global peace. And in a veiled reference to China's ambitious Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) which runs through Indian territory in J & K illegally occupied by Pakistan, he also reminded the SCO of its commitment to respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of every nation while undertaking connectivity and infrastructure projects. “Priority must naturally be given to combating terrorism, one of the original goals of the SCO. Many of us have had our experiences, often originating beyond our borders,” Mr Modi stated in a statement read out by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the SCO Summit at Astana in Kazakhstan. Mr S Jaishankar is leading the Indian delegation at the summit, also being attended by the leaders of China, Russia and Pakistan. “Terrorism in any form or manifestation cannot be justified or condoned. International community must iso- Modi to visit Russia, Austria from 8 July STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 JULY Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Russia and Austria from 8 to 10 July, it was officially announced on Thursday. The PM will be in Moscow on 8 and 9 July at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. The leaders will review the entire range of multifaceted relations between the two countries and exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said. late and expose those countries that harbour terrorists, provide safe havens and condone terrorism.Cross-border terrorism requires a decisive response and terrorism financing and recruitment must be resolutely countered, Mr Modi said. He also stated that the SCO should take proactive steps to prevent the spread of radicalisation among youth.