SATURDAY 27 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 P7 SENSEX 81,332.721,292.92 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN/THUNDERSHOWERS. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 34 AND 26 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: 039.4 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 100 % TEMPERATURE NIFTY 24,834.85428.75 THUMBNAILS National Cadet Corps cadets pay floral tribute to fallen soldiers on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, in Bikaner on Friday.  ANI Odisha CM announces 10 pc quota and fiveyear age relaxation for Agniveers in uniform services: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Friday a 10 per cent quota and five-year age relaxation for Agniveers in uniform services. Notably, the Odisha government on Thursday presented a Rs 2.65 lakh crore budget for the 2024-25 fiscal. Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said that a provision of Rs 10,000 crore has been made in the Subhadra scheme. The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday released the revised NEET UG 2024 results, with 17 students achieving a perfect score, marking a 75 per cent drop in the number of toppers from the earlier declared results. In the results announced on June 4, a record 67 candidates had scored a perfect 720 marks, tying for the top spot. Among these, six students were placed at the top due to extra marks awarded for time lost during the exam because of invigilator errors. Additionally, 44 students achieved the top rank after receiving "grace marks" for incorrectly answering a basic physics question. However, the Supreme Court on Tuesday decided that there would be just one accurate answer and anyone responding with anything other than that would not receive marks for it. A retest was also held for the students who lost time dur- GOLD 68,7301,090 ` vs $ 83.72 SILVER 84,500 P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 79.070.88 9th Niti Aayog PM Modi issues stern PM to chairCouncil meeting Governing warning to Pakistan STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE On Kargil Vijay Diwas, PM slams Oppn for politicising Agnipath scheme P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday slammed the Opposition parties for politicising the Agnipath scheme of recruitment to the armed forces and said they are deliberately misleading the youth on the issue. Amid the surge in terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Modi issued a stern warning to Pakistan and said India would defeat every terror challenge. As the nation marked the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas, the PM on Friday paid homage to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty during the Kargil war at the Drass War Memorial in Ladakh. The Prime Minister also set off the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project in Ladakh, virtually today. The Shinkun La Tunnel Project consists of a 4.1 km long twin-tube tunnel to be constructed at around 15,800 feet on the Nimu–Padum–Darcha Road to provide all- NTA issues revised NEET-UG results NEW DELHI (INDIA), 26 JULY SKY-GAMBHIR COMBO LOOK TO BEGIN STINT WITH WIN IN FIRST T20I P5 JAMMU, 26 JULY Min: 25.2 °C (-2) SUN SETS 19:15 hrs MOON SETS 12:52 hrs AGENCIES P6 S P SHARMA Min. 77 % Max: 33.3 °C (-2) SUN RISES 05:41 hrs MOON RISES 23:19 hrs BLATANT LIE: KHARGE ON PM DEFENDING AGNIPATH SCHEME EUROPE'S DEFENCE ‘NO ALLIANCE WITH AAP IN DELHI’ ing the exam. Following these corrections, the number of qualified candidates has also declined from 1316268 to 1315853 (a difference of 415). The National Testing Agency conducted a retest for 1563 candidates who had experienced time loss during the exam. The NEET UG 2024 examination, held on May 5, has been embroiled in controversy following allegations of paper leaks, irregularities, and time losses during the exam. This year's NEET UG exam saw a substantial turnout, with 13,31,321 female candidates, 9,96,393 male candidates, and 17 transgender candidates participating. Initially, 67 candidates were announced as AIR 1, capturing significant attention before the results were revised. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) was held for more than 24 lakh candidates at 4750 different Centres located in 571 Cities throughout the country including 14 Cities outside India on 05 May 2024 (Sunday). PM Narendra Modi pays tribute to the heroes of the Kargil War on the occasion of the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas at Kargil War Memorial in Kargil, Ladakh, on Friday.  ANI weather connectivity to Leh. Reacting to the criticism of the Opposition on the Agnipath scheme, Mr Modi said some people are also spreading the misconception that the government has launched this scheme to save pension money. “The question of pension for today's recruits will arise after 30 years. Why would the government take a decision on it today? It should have left it for the governments of that time. We have respected this decision taken by the armed forces because for us, national security is paramount, not politics," he said. “The Agnipath scheme is also an exam- Kanwar Yatra: SC extends stay on U’khand, MP, UP directives STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 26 JULY The Supreme Court on Friday extended its order staying the directives issued by the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh governments requiring the owners of eateries along the Kanwar Yatra routes to display their names outside such shops. A Bench comprising Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice S.V.N. Bhatti granted time to Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh governments to file their responses on the pleas as senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, told the bench that the regulations under the Food and Safety Standards Act, 2006 ~a Central law ~ requires that every food seller, including owners of ‘dhabas’, must display their names outside such outlets. ple of the necessary reforms carried out by the Army,” he said. “Some people used to think that the Army means saluting politicians, doing parades but for us, the Army means the faith of 140 crore countrymen. The goal of Agnipath is to make the Army young, to keep the Army continuously fit for war. Unfortunately, some people have made such a sensitive issue related to national security a subject of politics. These are the same people who weakened our Army by committing scams worth thousands of crores in the purchase of military equipment,” he said. The Prime Minister said that those misleading the youth of the nation today had no regard for the armed forces in the past. “These are the same people who did not build a war memorial for the martyrs even after seven decades of Independence, did not provide enough bulletproof jackets to our soldiers deployed on the border and kept ignoring Kargil Vijay Diwas.” Speaking about the Kargil war, the PM said: “In Kargil, we not only won the war, we presented an incredible example of ‘truth, restraint and strength’.” The Prime Minister threw light on Pakistan’s deceit at the time when India was making all efforts to maintain peace. “Falsehood and terror were brought down to their knees by truth,” he added. Condemning terrorism, the PM said that Pakistan has always faced defeat in the past. “Pakistan has not learnt anything from its past and has continued to wage war in the garb of terrorism and proxy wars to stay relevant,” he continued. NEW DELHI, 26 JULY Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the ninth Governing Council meeting of the Niti Aayog at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre on Saturday, where states and the Centre will work out a roadmap to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047. The meeting will be attended by chief ministers and lieutenant governors of states and Union territories (UTs), Union ministers as ex-officio members and special invitees, along with the vice-chairman and members of the Niti Aayog. The Governing Council will discuss the Approach Paper for the Vision Document on ViksitBharat@2047. The meeting will have detailed deliberations on the role of states in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. The deliberations at the meeting will aim to foster participative governance and collaboration between the Centre and state governments, and enhance the quality of life for both rural and urban populations by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of government interventions. India is on track to become the world's third-largest econ- omy with GDP crossing US$ 5 trillion and has aspirations to reach a US$ 30 trillion economy by 2047. Achieving the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047 will require a collaborative approach between the Centre and state governments, the Niti Aayog said on Friday. Besides creating a roadmap for this vision and fostering teamwork between the Centre and the States as Team India, the Governing Council of the Niti Aayog will focus on recommendations of the 3rd National Conference of Chief Secretaries held from 27 to 29 December 2023. Under the overarching theme of ‘Ease of Living’, the recommendations made by the chief secretaries’ national conference related to themes of “Drinking Water: Access, Quantity, and Quality; Electricity: Quality, Effi- ciency, and Reliability; Health: Accessibility, Affordability, and Quality of Care; Schooling: Access and Quality; and Land and Property: Accessibility, Digitization, Registration, and Mutation.” Additionally, the chief secretaries had special sessions on Cyber Security, the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, the Role of States, and AI in governance. The 3rd National Conference of Chief Secretaries was held in preparation for Niti Aayog’s 9th Governing Council meeting and had extensive discussions on the key themes. Secretaries from the government of India and Chief Secretaries from all states and UTs attended the consultative process towards defining the framework and providing suggestions for the agenda of ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’. SC notice to Bengal, ASEAN cornerstone of India’s Act East Policy, says EAM Jaishankar Kerala Governors on long-pending Bills STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 26 JULY PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 26 JULY The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the West Bengal and Kerala Governors’ offices on two separate pleas by the two states contending that the Governors were sitting on the Bills passed by respective state legislatures and sent to them for assent a longtime ago. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra issued notice to the Additional Chief Secretary, to the West Bengal Governor and the Central government. A similar notice was issued to the Additional Chief Secretary to the Kerala Governor and the Central government on the Kerala government’s petition. The top court allowed threeweek’s time to reply to the notice. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the West Bengal government, told the bench that whenever it hears a similar matter, some Bills are cleared. He also mentioned that similar things happened in the Tamil Nadu matter as well. Senior Advocate KK Venugopal, representing the Kerala government, said that the Bills are pending for eight months and that the state is challenging reference of the pending Bills to the President. The petition filed by the advocate Astha Sharma for the West Bengal government states that the Governor was withholding assent to eight Bills and this was affecting the people of the state for whose welfare the Bills were passed. The Bengal government has urged the top court to declare that the inaction, omission, delay and failure to comply with the constitutional mandate by the Governor C V Ananda Bose, is unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary, unreasonable, and malafide exercise of power. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the cornerstone of India's Act East Policy and its Indo-Pacific vision, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said on Friday. In his remarks at the opening session of the ASEANIndia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Laos capital of Vientiane, the minister said the priority that India attaches to ASEAN and East Asia Summit (EAS) platforms is evident from Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Jakarta last year on the eve of the G20 Summit hosted by India. Mr Jaishankar said Prime Minister Modi had announced a 12-point plan that has been largely acted upon. “For India, ASEAN is the cornerstone of its Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific vision that was thereafter built on it. For us, political, economic and security cooperation with ASEAN is of the utmost priority. “So too are people-to-peo- ple linkages, that we are constantly seeking to expand. It is encouraging to note that our partnership acquires ever more dimensions with each passing year. While our achievements are substantial, our ambitions must always remain high,” he said. As the Philippines will take over as the next country coordinator, Mr Jaishankar said he looked forward to working closely with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique Manalo. He congratulated Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) for the chairmanship of ASEAN. "I extend our fullest support for the successful chairmanship to Lao PDR. I also thank our colleague and Lao PDR for the warm welcome and hospitality.”“I welcome Minister Bendito Fre- itas of Timor-Leste as an Observer in this meeting, as well. Last year, Prime Minister Modi announced that we will open an Embassy in Dili. We are proceeding to do so very shortly and in fact will be undertaking high-level visits there as well," the minister said. The ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with India was convened in Vientiane on Friday and attended by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community Dato' Astanah Abdul Aziz. Timor-Leste attended as an Observer. The meeting reaffirmed both sides' commitment to further enhance the ASEANIndia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in the coming years by continuing the robust implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action and its Annex and develop its successor document which will guide both sides in realising the full potential of the CSP in the next five years. Paris on partial lockdown ahead of Olympic Games opening Ahom dynasty’s ‘Moidams’ earn UNESCO World Heritage status S S RAMASWAMY PARIS, 26 JULY The world’s fashion capital went into a partial lockdown mode from Friday morning ahead of the evening’s Olympic Games grand opening on the River Seine. This is the first time in the 128-year history of the modern games, conceptualized by French Baron Pierre de Coubertein, that the ceremonial opening of the Olympics is being held outside the main stadium. Ahead of what promises to be a unique experience for Parisians and for the rest of the world watching the television broadcast, this City of Light has imposed a lot of restrictions for the common public to move around in the city. This city is served by an exhaustive public transport system consisting mainly of metro train services Indian Olympic Association President P. T. Usha poses for a picture with athletes during her visit to the athletes' village, in Paris on Thursday.  ANI (more than a dozen routes), trams, buses and RER (double decker fast trains). Today, public announcements were made for commuters to alight at certain midway metro points and take a circular route to their respective designations that also included, on occasions, long walks of more than a kilo- metre. Security has also been ramped up with around 45,000 police personnel deployed, as per news reports. For the four-hour long opening ceremony the Indian Olympic Association has chosen veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal, in his fifth appearance in the sports spectacle, and star shuttler P V Sind- hu, two-time medal winner and participating in her third Olympics, as the country’s flag bearers. Sindhu will not only be bidding for another medal but is aspiring to join the short list of the country’s individual Olympic gold medallists – shooter Abhinav Bindra (who won the gold in 2008 in Beijing) and javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra who won the historic gold in athletics three years ago in Tokyo and is bidding to repeat the feat here. Sindhu and Chopra are among the 117 athletes, comprising 70 men and 47 women, who are taking part in these Games. They would be seen in action in 16 sports disciplines. Tennis doubles expert Rohan Bopanna is the oldest Indian participant at 44 while swimmer Dhinidi Desinghu is the youngest at the age of 14. A total of 29 track and field competitors corner the lion’s share of the 117-strong list of Indian athletes here. India’s medal hunt began yesterday in archery with India making it to the next round of men’s and women’s team events through individual ranking rounds. Tomorrow on Day 1 of the Games, Indians are scheduled to be seen in badminton, tennis, men’s hockey, shooting, rowing, table tennis and boxing. Shooting, which provided the country its third individual medal in Athens 2004 through Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, is being held well outside the city. A total of 21 men and women shooters have qualified for the Games competition and there are significant hopes of a decent medal haul from the range. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GUWAHATI, 26 JULY In a landmark development, the mound burial system of the Ahom dynasty in Assam, known as ‘Moidams’, has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This recognition was announced during the ongoing 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in India, marking a historic moment as the first cultural property from North-East India to receive this designation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed happiness over the development, stating: “A matter of immense joy and pride for India! The Moidams at Charaideo show- case the glorious Ahom culture, which places utmost reverence to ancestors. I hope more people learn about the great Ahom rule and culture. Glad that the Moidams join the #WorldHeritage List,” he wrote on X in response to a post by UNESCO announcing the development. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also expressed his elation on social media, stating: "The Moidams make it to the #UNESCO World Heritage list under the category Cultural Property. This is a great win for Assam. Thank you Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji, Members of the @UNESCO World Heritage Committee, and the people of Assam." The inclusion of Moidams in the UNESCO World Heritage List follows a rigorous evaluation process. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) had earlier recommended these burial mounds for the heritage status. Janhwij Sharma of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) confirmed that Moidams meet the stringent criteria required for UNESCO heritage designation.