EVEN IF IT'S DIFFICULT FOR YOU, CRACK A SMILE: MAN ON A SPICY MISSION DRAVID’S MESSAGE TO GAMBHIR PAGE 13 PAGE 12 CITY GIRL GOES GLOBAL WITH AI 28 JULY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd Facebook.com/thestatesman PAGE 15 India’s National Newspaper since 1818 PAGES 16 | `5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Generally cloudy sky.Light to Moderate rain / thundershower very likely to occur. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely be around 32°C and 28°C respectively. Modi to states: Set tangible goals for ViksitBharat@2047 Mamata walks out of NITI Aayog meeting STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 JULY RAINFALL: 1.9 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Miss Banerjee alleged that her mike was muted 5 minutes into her speech Max. 91% Min.73% Max: 32.2 °C (-0.4) SUN RISES 05:6 hrs MOON RISES 22:40 hrs Min: 28.0°C (+1.3) SUN SETS 18:20 hrs MOON SETS 10:54 hrs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI/KOLKATA, 27 JULY TEMPERATURE New Moon on 04 August 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. hief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday walked out of the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by the Prime Minister alleging that she was not given adequate time to speak at the meeting. Miss Banerjee was the only representative of the Opposition INDIA bloc to attend the ninth meeting of the NITI Aayog’s Governing Council that was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in Delhi. Talking to reporters after walking out of the meeting, Miss Banerjee alleged that her microphone was muted five minutes after she started speaking. “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,” Miss Banerjee said. “I attended the meeting keeping in mind the interests of all states in a federal structure. I was the only representative there on C 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 BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER MAMATA BANERJEE minutes behalf of the Opposition parties. Why is this government doing biased politics in the Union Budget? I want clarifications from them (Central government).I have spoken in the meeting for all states,” she said. “Earlier, the Planning Commission had its economic power but now the NITI Aayog has nothing in this regard.The Central gover nment should empower the NITI Aayog with economic freedom, otherwise bring back the Planning Co mmission again,”she said. “The Centre has withheld funds for our state under different national schemes like MNREGA, Awas Yojana etc. How can a country run if the government does such biased politics?They stopped the mike when I raised such issues seeking clarification. It’s illegal and a kind of humiliation to me and all Opposition parties. I won’t be there in any meeting in future,” she said. Chief ministers belonging to the other INDIA bloc constituents had earlier decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting. Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren who was supposed to attend the meeting did not turn up. Miss Banerjee also alleged the Centre is not providing food subsidy to Bengal. “They are yet to release one lakh and seventy one thousand crores rupees under different schemes for our state,” she added. On Friday, before leaving Kolkata for New Delhi, Miss Banerjee had said:“I will walk out of the meeting if I am not allowed to speak.” Refuting Miss Banerjee’s allegation, Union finance minister Nirmala 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, Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin came out in support of his Bengal counterpart. In a post on microblogging platform X, he said: "Is this Cooperative Federalism? Is this the way to treat a CM? The Union BJP government must understand that opposition parties are an integral part of our democracy and should not be treated as enemies to be silenced. Cooperative Federalism requires dialogue and respect for all voices.” Prime 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, Mr Modi 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. An Approach Paper for a Vision for Viksit Bharat at 2047 was tabled before the participants of the meeting. 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 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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi on Saturday.  ANI states must have investorfriendly 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 PM said, calling it a form of competitive federalism. 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. Giving an idea of their future plans, the states’ representatives 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 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 BV 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. Army soldier killed in terror PM Modi may visit attack in J&K’s Kupwara dist Ukraine next month EAM calls for ‘effective’ code of conduct for South China Sea STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AGENCIES 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 progress". Further details about the 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. 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 organisations. 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. AGENCIES 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 sides ~ it will mark the first-ever 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. Manu Bhaker qualifies for 10M pistol finals S S RAMASWAMY PARIS, 27 JULY Young Haryana markswoman Manu Bhaker brought cheers to the Indian camp by qualifying for the finals of the women’s 10m 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. However the rifle shooters were disappointing as both of India’s teams in the 10m mixed contest as well as Sarabjit Shooter Manu Bhaker in action during the 10m Air Pistol Women’s event in the Olympic Games Paris 2024, in Paris on Saturday.  ANI 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 number of inner tens scored, the latter scoring one more than the Indian marksman. 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. The bigger disappointment came in what had been touted as a good medal hunting ground for the Indian pairs in the 10m mixed pairs pistol event.TwoIndianpairstookpart Mr Modi’s trip, which is still not confirmed, could take place in the latter half of August 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". Mr Modi visited Russia on 8-9 July, drawing criticism from Mr Zelenskyy, as well as the United States and other Western nations. NEW DELHI, 27 JULY 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- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar interacts with scholars from Lao, 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- DIVINE PATH 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,RamitaandArjun Babutashot628.7toendupsixth while the more recognised pair ofElavenilValarivanandSandeep Singh shot 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. Men's hockey team kick off campaign with win:The Indian Men's Hockey Team began their Paris 2024 Olympics campaign with a stunning 3-2 win against New Zealand. Goals by Mandeep Singh, Vivek Sagar and Harmanpreet Singh helped India bounce back twice and ensured a strong start for India in Pool B. 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 45 July. Mr Jaishankar also mentioned the realisation of the Nalanda University resolution, highlighting it as an "important commitment" to the EAS. 2-day meet of BJP CMs kicks off in Delhi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 JULY Devotees pull a cart carrying Lord Shiva's idol during the Kanwar Yatra during the month of Sawan, in Haridwar on Saturday.  ANI A key two-day long meeting of Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states commenced at the party headquarters in the national capital on Saturday. The meeting which commenced this evening was held under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was also attended by senior party leaders including Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president and Union Minister JP Nadda. Apart from discussing the outcomes of the recently held Lok Sabha elections and assembly by-elections, the meet also focussed on the saffron party’s preparations for the state assembly elections that are due this year, sources said.