THURSDAY 01 AUGUST 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 DIPLOMACY AROUND A CONTENTIOUS RIVER VENEZUELA'S STRUGGLE P6 SENSEX 81,741.34285.95 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain / thundershower. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30 °C and 26 °C respectively. P5 GOLD 69,820870 ` vs $ 83.72 Min. 80 % Max: 31.4 °C (- 1.1) SUN RISES 05:8 hrs MOON RISES 00:54 hrs Min: 28.2°C (+ 1.6) SUN SETS 18:18 hrs MOON SETS 15:4 hrs New Moon on 04 August THUMBNAILS Commuters ply through a flooded road amid torrential rains, near Ambedkar Park, in Lucknow on Wednesday.  ANI SC reserves order on recovery of tax on minerals by states: The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its order on the contentious issue whether the enforcing of its 25 July judgment holding that the states too have a right to tax the lands bearing mines and mineral resources would be enforceable retrospectively or prospectively. In the hearings before the court, the Central government batted for making the judgment effective prospectively across the country, with the States neither insisting on recovering of outstanding dues from the companies nor refunding (Pg 10) the royalty already collected. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 79.262.31 Wayanad landslides: Early warning given, says Shah; Kerala CM refutes Death toll rises to 245 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 31 JULY ACHUTHANANDAN KUNIYIL Max. 94 % P12 SILVER 86,5002,000 With at least 240 people still missing, rescue work on at frenetic pace RAINFALL: 4.7 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY TEMPERATURE P7 NIFTY 24,951.1593.85 SEN-SATIONAL BEHIND-THE-BACK SHOT WOWS CROWD ‘MODI GOVERNMENT PERSISTING WITH ITS DIVISIVE POLICY’ Union Home Minister Amit Shah onWednesday told Parliament that the Kerala government had been warned about a potential natural calamity like the landslides that hitWayanad district with advisories, based on early warning system, continuously on four days from 23 July, and it was up to the State government to take appropriate measures. He was responding to calling attention motion debates on the Wayanad disaster in both Houses of Parliament during which members demanded a special package of relief and declaration of the incident as a national disaster. Mr Shah said the Centre had already sent nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force on 23 July itself and three more NDRF teams were sent on Tuesday. Mr Shah told the Lok Sabha that advisory was given for shifting 4,000 families but it was not implemented. In the current disaster, 1,000 people have been shifted. Mr Shah said the government already has plans to bring in a Bill to strengthen the disaster law. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who represented Wayanad constituency in the last Lok Sabha, spoke during the short debate and said The weather dep- THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 31 JULY he death toll in the devastating landslides that struck Wayanad on Tuesday has risen to 245, with at least 240 people reported missing. Hundreds have been injured, and thousands have been displaced. With hundreds believed trapped under the debris and amid fears of more deaths, rescue teams resumed operations early on Wednesday to locate the remaining survivors. Rescue workers from the Army, Navy, and NDRF are searching under collapsed roofs and debris for victims and possible survivors of the landslides. A temporary bridge has been built by the Army on the Churalmala River for rescue operations. People who were trapped in the Mundakkai-Attamala area are being brought out using the bridge. An Air Force helicopter is also being used to airlift the injured. In poignant scenes, bodies were found in sitting and lying positions inside destroyed houses as rescue work resumed in the devastated Mundakkai village. Two Odisha natives are among those missing. They artment has predicted more rain for Wayanad and several other districts over the next couple of days.  Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 1,592 people were rescued from the landslide-affected sites in two days. He said 8,000 persons had been shifted to 82 relief camps. T Personnel of the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS conduct rescue operations in landslide-hit Wayanad district of Kerala on Wednesday.  ANI are identified as Dr Swadheen Panda and Dr Bishnu Chinhara, Delhi-based doctors who were staying in Mundakkai at the time of the tragedy. Wayanad was devastated by three landslides that occurred at Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala within a span of 4 hours early on Tuesday morning. The first landslide occurred in Mundakkai at around 1 a.m, on Tuesday during heavy rain, sweeping away houses and families. A second landslide struck near Chooralmala School around 2 a.m.Then a third landslide occurred at around 4 a.m. According to the rescue teams, more than 1,000 people have been rescued from the affected areas and have been shifted to safer places. Rescue workers are not ruling out the possibility of more people being trapped under debris in Attamala and Churalmala. Huge boulders and uprooted trees swept down from Mundakkai to Chooralmala, causing severe damage. The heavy water surge from the hilltop caused the Iruvazhinji river to flood its banks. Several houses were destroyed, a temple and a mosque were submerged, and a school building was severely damaged. Indian Army personnel on Wednesday carried out a daring rescue mission, saving 19 civilians stranded in the Ela Resort andVana Rani Resort, located beyond Mundakkai village. Despite the challenges posed by the flooding river, they utilised ropes and formed a human bridge to ensure the safe evacuation of all civilians to Chooralmala. The process of identifying the victims is going on. The bodies are kept at Meppadi Social Health Centre and Nilambur District Hospital. Heart-wrenching scenes of persons searching for their loved ones among the injured and the dead were seen in the hospitals in Meppadi and Kalpetta and other places in the district. As many as 81 relief camps have been established in Wayanad, accommodating 8,100 people. Currently, 191 people are admitted to various hospitals in the district. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks in the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi on Wednesday.  ANI it was one of the biggest tragedies to strike Kerala. He said a similar incident had taken place five years ago also, showing the area was ecologically sensitive. He said the security forces and the Army are doing good job at the disaster site. Mr N K Premachandran (RSP), representing Kollam in Kerala, said MPs can contribute from MPLADS for the rehabilitation work. Mr Tejasvi Surya (BJP) said 60 per cent of the country’s landslides are in Kerala and there were 350 deaths in five years. Despite warnings, no illegal encroachments were removed or mining reduced on heights, Mr Surya charged. Mr K C Venugopal (Congress) said politics can wait and both Central and State governments have to take relief measures. He said Rs 2 lakh compensation for the next of kin of the deceased was too little. Vijayan refutes claim In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan refuted Mr Shah’s claim of the Central government having issued an early warning to the state. Speaking to media persons, Mr Vijayan said the state always gives due consideration to weather warnings. He said that no red alert had been issued before the disaster, with the first red alert coming at 6 a.m. on the morning after the incident. “An orange alert was only issued for Wayanad district at 1 p.m. on 29 July, and a red alert followed at 6 a.m on 30 July, after the landslide had already taken place,” Mr Vijayan said. “On July 29 at 2 p.m, the Geological Survey of India issued a green alert for 30 and 31 July, suggesting a possibility of minor landslides or rock bursts. However, by then, the heavy rains had already led to a significant landslide,” he said. ‘Budget balances employment, welfare goals’ Thakur’s remarks on Rahul: Cong Hamas chief killed in Iran in alleged Israeli strike moves privilege motion against PM NEW DELHI, 31 JULY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AGENCIES BEIRUT, 31 JULY NEW DELHI, 31 JULY Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that the Budget 2024-25 has tried to balance several objectives like growth, employment, welfare spending, capital investment and fiscal consolidation. Replying to the general discussion on the Budget, she said the Budget is in continuity of the interim Budget and subsumes its features. Since 2014, the principle of Sabka Saath,Sabka Vishwas has guided government policies and will continue to do so in the next five years, which are important for the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. The FM said the capital expenditure during 10 years of the UPA rule was Rs 13.19 lakh crore. SNS (Page 5) The Congress party has moved a privilege motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha for endorsing the controversial remarks passed by BJP leader MP Thakur in the house on Rahul Gandhi's caste. The remarks made in the Lok Sabha on 30 July were subsequently expunged from official records but not before they sparked a political row. The privilege complaint was officially lodged against by Congress MP from Jalandhar, Charanjit Singh Channi, with the secretary general of the Lok Sabha. During the debate in the house on the Budget, Anurag Thakur, who represents Hamirpur in the Lok Sabha, took a swipe at Leader of During the debate in the house on the Budget, Anurag Thakur, who represents Hamirpur in the Lok Sabha, took a swipe at Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi over his caste evoking instant reaction from the Opposition benches. Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi over his caste evoking instant reaction from the Opposition benches. Even as the contentious remarks were promptly removed from the official records of the House, the incident triggered a massive uproar. Prime Minister Modi reportedly shared Mr Thakur’s expunged remarks on social media even though they were expunged. The Congress argues his act constitutes a clear violation of parliamentary privilege. “The PM tweeting the remarks that had been expunged from the proceedings of Lok Sabha clearly amounts to a breach of privilege motion against the PM," Mr Channi stated in his notice. He asked the Speaker to admit the motion and initiate privilege proceedings against Mr Modi. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital of Teheran on Wednesday, Iran and the militant group said, blaming Israel for a shock assassination that risks escalating the conflict even as the USA and other nations were scrambling to prevent an all-out regional war. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has pledged to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the group’s 7 October attack on southern Israel. The strike came just after Haniyeh had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Teheran, and only hours after Israel targeted a top commander of Iran’s ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital Beirut. “We consider his revenge as our duty,” Iranian supreme Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a predawn airstrike in Teheran, hours after he attended the swearing-in of new Iranian presidentMasoud Pezeshkian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement on his official website. He said Israel had “prepared a harsh punishment for itself” by killing “a dear guest in our home.” Bitter regional rivals, Israel and Iran risked plunging into war earlier this year when Israel hit Iran’s embassy in Damascus in April. Iran retaliated and Israel countered in an unprecedented exchange of strikes on each other’s soil, but international efforts succeeded in containing that cycle before it spun out of control. Haniyeh’s killing could also prompt Hamas to pull out of negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal in the 10-month-old war in Gaza, which US mediators had said were making progress. It could also inflame already heightening tensions between Israel and Hezbollah ~ which international diplomats were trying to contain after a weekend rocket attack that killed 12 young people in the Israelicontrolled Golan Heights. An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the killing. Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip in 2019 and had lived in exile in Qatar. Israel has targeted Hamas figures in Lebanon and Syria during the war ~ but going after Haniyeh in Iran was vastly more sensitive. During Haniyeh’s last hours in Iran ~ a close ally of Hamas ~ he was smiling and clapping at the inauguration ceremony of the new President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iranian media showed him and Pezeshkian hugging during the ceremony. Haniyeh had met earlier with Khamenei. Hours later, the strike hit a residence Haniyeh uses in Teheran, killing him, Hamas said in a statement. One of his bodyguards was also killed, Iranian officials said. Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard warned Israel will face a “harsh and painful response” from Iran and its allies around the region because of the killing. An influential Iranian parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy was to hold an emergency meeting on the strike later Wednesday. Identity fraud: UPSC cancels provisional candidature Gadkari urges FM to scrap 18 pc GST on life & health insurance premiums of Puja Khedkar, debars her from all future exams Government committed to maintaining highest standards in service: Jitendra Singh STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The government is committed to maintaining the highest ethical and professional standards within the Services, Union Minister Jitendra Singh stated on Wednesday while replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha. He informed the House that a total of 142 proceedings have been launched against IAS officers, while their IPS counterparts have seen 213 such proceedings initiated. This reflects a robust mechanism in place to address any deviations from ethical and professional standards within these prestigious services, he said. The minister said the government's commitment in the matter is evident in the ongoing efforts to conclude these proceedings efficiently. Of the 142 cases involving IAS officers, 106 are currently under way, demonstrating a proactive approach to resolving these matters, he said. ly lying about her visual and mental disabilities and faking her identity to clear the prestigious civil services examination. In a statement, the UPSCsaid: "A show cause notice (SCN) was issued by the UPSC to Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a provisionally recommended candidate of the Civil Services Examination2022 (CSE-2022) on 18th July for fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit provided for in the Examination Rules by faking her identity." The Commission said she was to submit her response to the SCN by 25 July, how- NEW DELHI, 31 JULY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 31 JULY The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Wednesday said it has cancelled the provisional candidature of Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar and permanently debarred her from all future examinations/selections. The action came in the wake of a probe against the trainee IAS officer for alleged- ever, she requested for further time till 4 August, so that she could gather the necessary documents for her response. "The UPSC carefully considered the request of Khedkar and in order to meet the ends of justice, she was granted time till 3:30 pm of 30th July so as to enable her to submit the response to the SCN. It was also categorically made clear to Khedkar that it was last and final opportunity to her and no further extension in time would be allowed. It was also conveyed to her in unequivocal terms that if no response was received by the aforesaid date/time, the UPSC would take further action without entertaining any further reference from her,” it said. Despite extension in time allowed to her, she failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed time, the statement said. CMYK AGENCIES Gadkari's letter said the 18 pc GST currently levied on life and medical insurance premiums tends to penalise individuals seeking to protect themselves and their families against life's uncertainties. NEW DELHI, 31 JULY Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to withdraw the 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on life and medical insurance premiums. The minister took up the matter after receiving a memorandum on the issue from the ‘Life Insurance Union’ of Nagpur - the Parliamentary constituency he represents in the Lok Sabha. Mr Gadkari, in a letter to the Finance Minister stated that the “main issue raised by the union is related to withdrawal of GST on Life and Medical Insurance Premium”. His letter mentions that the 18 per cent GST currently levied on life and medical insurance premiums tends to penalise individuals seeking to protect themselves and their families against life's uncertainties. He contended that taxing life insurance premiums essentially taxes the very act of preparing for unforeseen circumstances, which is counter-productive to the objective of providing financial security. The memorandum also expressed concerns that the 18 per cent GST on medical insurance premiums acts as a significant barrier to the growth of this crucial segment. The high tax rate discourages individuals from investing in medical insurance, despite its crucial role in ensuring public health and financial stability during medical emergencies, Mr Gadkari's letter states. In addition to the GST issue, "the insurance union has also raised points related to differential treatment to savings by way of life insurance, the re-introduction of IT deductions for health insurance premiums, and the consolidation of public general insurance companies,” the letter added.