‘PARL’S ROLE IS TO PRESERVE CONSTITUTION’ BUDGET AND THE PM’S POLITICAL COMPULSIONS 28 JULY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd Facebook.com/thestatesman PAGE 7 PAGE 5 EVEN IF IT'S DIFFICULT FOR YOU, CRACK A SMILE: DRAVID’S MESSAGE TO GAMBHIR PAGE 12 India’s National Newspaper since 1818 PAGES 12 | `5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN/THUNDERSHOWERS. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 36 AND 29 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 95 % TEMPERATURE Developed India will be only an aggregation of developed states, says Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 JULY Min. 70 % Max: 36.3 °C (+1) SUN RISES 05:41 hrs MOON RISES 23:56 hrs PM: Set tangible goals for Viksit Bharat@2047 Min: 28.2 °C (+1) SUN SETS 19:15 hrs MOON SETS 13:58 hrs THUMBNAILS Students of Gyanganga Vidyalaya School pay tribute to former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on his 9th death anniversary, in Surat on Saturday.  ANI Three from UP killed in Navi Mumbai building collapse; narrow escape for 52: Three persons from Uttar Pradesh were killed while around 52 others had a narrow escape after a ground-plus three-storey building collapsed at Belapur town in Navi Mumbai early on Saturday morning. The tragedy occurred at around 4.30 a.m. when the residents were sleeping in their homes in the 10-year-old Indira Nivas building in Shahbazgaon, said police. At least two persons were rescued from the collapsed building. P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired Niti Aayog’s ninth governing council meet where he told states that the Viksit Bharat (developed India) goal will be achieved by 2047 only when states set their own tangible goals for development. Interacting with Chief Ministers of 20 states and Lt. Governors of six Union Territories, who attended the meeting, the Prime Minister said developed India will be only an aggregation of developed states. Many states have prepared their vision plans for the next 25 years with clear targets, while others must follow suit. Mr Modi impressed upon the states that the chief ministers and their state governments have to participate in the national effort. The meeting had before the participants an Approach Paper for a Vision for Viksit Bharat at 2047. The states have been given the Approach Paper and it is expected to be made final, after states send their plans with detailed targets for the next five years, and targets in principle for the next Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi on Saturday.  ANI 25 years. The states’ replies are expected in a month. The Prime Minister said money is not just the only thing required; there must be good governance also. The states must have investor-friendly charters to invite FDI. There is tremendous goodwill for India abroad and this should be taken advantage of. The states must convey they are ready for investment and development by presenting a good picture of law and order and transparency in procedures, the PM said. The states can compete in attracting FDI; Niti Aayog can prepare an index on how they are doing. The Prime Minister said this would be a form of com- petitive federalism. The States can plan for zeropoverty targets after the basic needs are met. The major themes of development by 2047 include ease of living including good quality drinking water; reliable electric supply, health services, schooling and ways to check drop-out rate, and easy transfers of lands and mutation processes. The Prime Minister asked the state chief ministers that steps be taken to strengthen districts which are quite large in many states, while the states are also quite large in some cases. Each district must have its vision for development by 2047. Giving an idea of their future plans, the states spoke also about demographic management, since the country is aging, and by 2047, there will be a sizable aged population. The states were asked to take care of social conditions and welfare systems for the aged, Some CMs also spoke about skill census. The states were told about linking of rivers, starting with rivers within states, then with neighbouring states for national river grids. Villages can be identified for zero poverty. The Approach Paper said “Business as usual will not do. We must create the future. It is important to channelise our innovative ideas into actions. There must be a sense of purpose, dedication and steadiness to use the Amrit Kaal in building a nation that our freedom fighters envisaged and sacrificed for.” Niti Aayog CEO B V R Subrahmanyam said the chief ministers of ten states were absent from the meeting ~ Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Puducherry. Bihar was represented by deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha. Mamata walks out of NITI Aayog meet alleging her mike was turned off, Central govt refutes allegation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI/KOLKATA, 27 JULY West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday walked out of the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra, alleging that her microphone was turned off shortly after she was speaking. The Centre, however, refuted her allegation and called it “completely false”. Talking to reporters after walking out of the meeting, the West Bengal Chief Minister claimed that her microphone was turned off after five minutes while she was speaking. “I was speaking, my mike stopped. I asked why you discriminate, why you stop me. From the Opposition side, only I am attending this meeting. You should be happy for that. Instead of that you are giving more scope to your party, your government,” Miss Banerjee said. She also asserted this was not only an insult to West Bengal but to all regional parties. Notably, the Congress earlier announced that Chief Ministers from the states governed by it would not attend the NITI Aayog meeting in protest against the Union Budget 2024 presented by Finance Min- Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee addresses the media as she arrives at NSCBI Airport after attending the NITI Aayog meeting, in Kolkata on Saturday.  ANI ister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday. The party called it “discriminatory”. Refuting Miss Banerjee’s allegation, Ms Sitharaman told a news agency: “We all heard her (Mamata Banerjee). Every Chief Minister was given the allotted time and that was displayed on the screen which was present before every table. She said in the media that her mike was put off. That is completely false.” Meanwhile, the Press Information Bureau Fact Check in a post on X wrote: “It is being claimed that the microphone of West Bengal Chief Minister was switched off during the I have come out boycotting the meeting. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak, CMs of Assam, Goa, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped from speaking after just five minutes MAMATA BANERJEE BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog. This claim is misleading. The clock only showed that her speaking time was over. Even the bell was not rung to mark it.” The government fact check unit said: “Alphabetically, West Bengal Chief Minister turn would have come after lunch. She was accommodated as the 7th speaker on an official request of the West Bengal government as she had to return early.” PM, Shah & BJP leadership meet with CMs at party headquarters PM Modi may visit Ukraine next month EAM calls for ‘effective’ code of conduct for South China Sea AGENCIES AGENCIES AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 27 JULY NEW DELHI, 27 JULY Weeks after he visited Moscow and held a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely visit Ukraine next month, multiple diplomatic sources have said. If the visit takes place ~ there has been no official statement from the Indian or Ukrainian side ~ it will mark the firstever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since its independence following the breakup of the Soviet Union. News agencies, quoting diplomatic sources, reported that India and Ukraine are looking at the possibility of a visit by Mr Modi to Kyiv around the Ukrainian National Day on 24 August. Mr Modi could also travel to Poland after concluding the trip to Ukraine, the sources are quoted as saying. The Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) passing through the South China Sea are crucial for peace, stability, prosperity, and development of the Indo-Pacific Region, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said at the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministerial meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Saturday. He stressed that a “substantive and effective” code of conduct should be in place that is “consistent with international law and should not prejudice legitimate rights and interest of nations not party to the discussions”. “The EAS process completes two decades next year and India will contribute towards a stronger EAS process,” he said in a post on microblogging platform X, mentioning the statements he conveyed at the meeting. He said the Act East Poli- NEW DELHI , 27 JULY Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) top leadership, including party President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and all Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of states ruled by the party, are attending a crucial meeting at the BJP headquarters under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The gathering comes as the Chief Ministers of all BJP-ruled states are in Delhi for the 9th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog. The BJP meeting's agenda includes discussing the election results of their respective states and formulating future strategies. The meeting includes two sessions where the BJP leadership will engage with Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers to review election results. The agenda will cover the analysis of Lok Sabha Elec- tion 2024 results to identify areas for improvement, ensuring effective implementation of central and state schemes at the ground level, and strategizing for upcoming assembly elections. The meeting will also focus on enhancing state-centre coordination to improve collaboration between states and the central government. The primary focus will be on flagship programmes, including discussions on central government schemes and their implementation in states. Successful state schemes will be reviewed, to replicate effective programmes in other states for better results. Chief Ministers will present their states' best schemes, and discussions will address the challenges faced in implementing central government schemes. The meeting also aims to foster greater coordination, improve scheme implementation, and strengthen the party's overall strategy. Attendees at the BJP headquarters include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, and Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. Also present are Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi, Tripura CM Manik Saha, Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, and Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai. The sources said that there is no finality on the trip yet as massive preparations would be required in terms of logistics and related issues. Mr Modi held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy's Apulia. At the meeting with Zelenskyy on 14 June, Mr Modi conveyed to the Ukrainian president that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and that the way to peace is through "dialogue and diplomacy". External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar interacts with scholars from Laos, including six monks, who are travelling to India for their studies under various Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) programmes, in Vientiane on Saturday.  ANI cy, announced at that 9th EAS, has completed a decade, and India will continue to “uphold ASEAN unity and centrality through our Act East Policy.” Mr Jaishankar emphasised that India remains a steadfast supporter of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and values its convergence with the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). Additionally, he stressed that the coun- try encourages more EAS members to join the IPOI. He said India has consistently contributed towards the EAS Plan of Action, citing the summit conference on Maritime Security and Cooperation held in Mumbai on 4-5 July. Mr Jaishankar also mentioned the realisation of the Nalanda University resolution, highlighting it as an "important commitment" to the EAS. Manu Bhaker qualifies for 10m pistol finals J&K: Army soldier killed in terror attack S S RAMASWAMY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PARIS, 27 JULY Young Haryana markswoman Manu Bhaker brought cheers to the Indian camp by qualifying for the finals of the women’s 10 metre air pistol event with a third-place finish on the first day of competitions in the Olympic Games today. Manu, gold medallist in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a top performer in the shooting World Cups, produced the extra effort needed at this level of competition to end up at third spot with 580 points in the 60-shot qualification round. She came up with scores of 97, 97, 98, 96, 96 and 96 and struck the inner tens on 27 occasions, the highest among the qualifiers. She will now compete for the medals tomorrow. The top eight qualifiers were led by Veronika Major of Hungary. Shooter Manu Bhaker in action during the 10m Air Pistol Women’s event in the Olympic Games Paris 2024, in Paris on Saturday.  ANI However the rifle shooters were disappointing as both of India’s teams in the 10m mixed contest as well as Sarabjit Singh in the 10m air rifle failed to progress further. Sarabjit perhaps was a bit unfortunate to miss out on the qualification as he finished ninth and lost out to eighthplaced German shooter Walter Robin on the basis of the Manu Bhakar, gold medallist in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a top performer in the shooting World Cups, produced the extra effort needed at this level of competition to end up at third spot with 580 points in the 60-shot qualification round. number of inner tens scored, the latter scoring one more than the Indian marksman. The bigger disappointment came in what had been touted as a good medal hunt- ing ground for the Indian pairs in the 10m mixed pairs pistol event. Two Indian pairs took part in the event and both finished outside the top four qualifying spots for the medal round which too was held later in the day. The lesser known of India’s two combinations, Ramita and Arjun Babuta shot 628.7 to end up sixth while the more recognizsd pair of Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh combined together for a total score of 313.7 to end up a lowly 12th. Significantly, another Indian pair of Rudransh Patil and Narmada Raju, who are not here, hold the qualification world record of 635.8, set in Cairo last year, in this discipline. Incidentally the shooting event in the Paris Games are being held at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, which is more than two hours by train from the French capital. JAMMU, 27 JULY Armed intruders from Pakistan infiltrated across the Line of Control (LoC) and attacked a forward post at Kamkari in the Machhal Sector of Kupwara in North Kashmir on Saturday morning. A Pakistani intruder was killed during the gunfight and two Indian personnel were seriously injured, one of whom, Rifleman Mohit Rathour, succumbed to his wounds in hospital. The Chinar Corps of the Army stated in the morning: "There has been an exchange of fire with unidentified personnel on a forward post in Kamkari, Machhal Sector on the Line of Control (LoC). One Pakistani personnel has been killed while two of our soldiers have suffered injuries and have been evacuated. Operations are in Sketches of the three terrorists involved in the Doda terror attack were released by J&K police on Saturday.  ANI progress". Further details about the identity of the Pakistani intruders were awaited. However, reports attributed the attack to a Border Action Team of the Pakistan Army, which has regular Pakistani troops including their SSG commandos who work closely with terrorist organ- isations. An Army statement in the afternoon said: “Taking advantage of bad weather and poor visibility along Line of Control in Machhal Sector, a group of two to three armed personnel crossed the LC and fired on a forward Army post from close proximity.” “Alert troops responded vigorously and in the ensuing exchange of fire one Pakistani intruder was killed along with recovery of weapons, ammunition and war like stores.” The statement said two Indian personnel were gravely injured in the exchange of fire. They were evacuated to the Base Hospital at Srinagar, but one of them succumbed to his injuries. The other injured soldier is in stable condition, the statement said. Pakistan-backed terrorists have during the past few days heightened their activities along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the J&K Police on Saturday released sketches of the three terrorists involved in attacks at the security forces in the Dessa area and also announced a reward of Rs. 5 lakh for each terrorist to anyone providing credible information on their whereabouts. Police said these terrorists were moving in the upper reaches of Doda and Dessa areas. They were involved in the recent terror attack at Urar Bagi area of Dessa in which four soldiers were killed. The police have also released phone contact numbers and appealed to people to provide information about the presence or movement of these terrorists on these numbers. Identity of the informer will be kept secret, police added.