WEDNESDAY 21 AUGUST 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR BIDEN DELIVERS FINAL DNC SPEECH POLICE OFFICERS PROTECTING MAIN CULPRITS: RAHUL P8 SENSEX 80,802.86p378.18 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain / thundershower very likely to occur.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 31 °C and 27 °C respectively. RAINFALL: 15.0mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 95 % Min. 84 % TEMPERATURE Max: 30.4˚C (-1.6) SUN RISES 05:16 hrs MOON RISES 18:43 hrs NIFTY 24,698.85p126.20 P9 ` vs $ 83.79 New Moon on 3 September THUMBNAILS Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker receives a warm welcome at the Velammal Nexus School in Chennai on Tuesday. n ANI Protest over sexual assault of school girls in Maharashtra: Amid nationwide protests over the brutal rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor, two young female students from a school in Maharashtra's Badlapur were allegedly sexually assaulted, leading to widespread public outrage. The situation escalated on Tuesday when protesters, angry over the alleged police inaction, blocked train services at the Badlapur railway station, prompting the police to res- ort to lathicharge to disperse the crowd. (Page 5) P5 GOLD 72,650.00q120 Doctors’ safety: SC sets up National Task Force PARMOD KUMAR Retired Army, cops to be put in charge of security T he Supreme Court on Tuesday setup a high-powered National Task Force (NTF) made up of nine eminent doctors, as well as the Cabinet Secretary, Union Home Secretary and the Health and Family Welfare Secretary to go into the issue of safe working conditions for doctors, nurses and other medical professionals. Days after the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata sparked nationwide protests, the apex court suo motu took up the case and directed the task force to submit an interim report within three weeks and a final report within two months. The court also urged doctors across the country who are protesting over the issue to withdraw their agitation and resume their duties. Announcing the National Task Force to be headed by the Director General, Medical Services (Navy) Surgeon Vice-Admiral Arti Sarin, Chief Justice KOLKATA, 20 AUGUST D.Y. Chandrachud, heading a bench also comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, said: “As more and more women join the work force.....the nation cannot wait for another rape for things to change on the ground.” The NTF has been tasked with formulating effective recommendations to address safety, working conditions, and well-being of medical professionals, among other related matters. The top court directed the Central Industrial Security Force to take over security at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The reason why we have decided to take this suo motu matter is because this is not a matter related to a particular murder which took place in a hospital in Kolkata. It raises systemic issues related to the safety of doctors across India, the top court said. The Chief Justice Chandrachud said: “…we must evolve a national consensus. There must be a national protocol to create safe conditions of work. If women cannot go to a place of work and feel safe, we are denying them equal opportunity. We have to do something right now to ensure that the conditions of safety are enforced.” The court took exception to the handling of the situation by the West Bengal government as it said: “As horrific details have emerged in the course of media reportage, the bru- The state government has decided to recruit retired army and police personnel to supervise security arrangementsinimportant state-run medical colleges and hospitals. The state police headquarters issued a directive to all SPs in districts and police districts, to hire retired police officers of inspector rank and above and ex-personnel from thethreeservicesassecurity officer in important government healthcare facilities to supervise security Agencies arrangements. tality of the sexual assault and the nature of the crime have shocked the conscience of the Nation. The name and graphic images of the deceased have been widely circulated on social media without regard to her privacy or dignity.” P12 SILVER 87,000p1000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 76.60q0.080 Cancel lateral entry ad for senior posts: Govt STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 20 AUGUST Nation cannot wait for another rape for things to change, says top court NEW DELHI, 20 AUGUST Min: 27.0˚C (+0.6) SUN SETS 18:5 hrs MOON SETS 05:31 hrs FOR ME, IT'S JUST A NUMBER: SMITH CONG FIGHT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE HAS THWARTED BJP'S PLANS: KHARGE The government on Tuesday asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel the advertisement related to lateral entry in higher bureaucracy. The UPSC had recently issued an advertisement for the appointment of 45 Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries in Central Ministries. The proposal was strongly questioned by Opposition parties. Personnel and Training Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has written a letter to UPSC Chairman Preeti Sudan saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is of the firm belief that “the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in the Constitution, particularly concerning provisions of reservation.” Dr Singh urged the UPSC “to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on 17.8.2024.” This step would be significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment, he said. “It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from The UPSC had recently issued an advertisement for the appointment of 45 Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Dy Secretaries in Central Ministries. marginalised communities get their rightful representation in the government services,” the Personnel Minister wrote. The Minister said that for the Prime Minister, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of the government’s social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity. He said that since the lateral entry positions have been treated as specialized and designated as singlecadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments, and this aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of Mr Modi’s focus on ensuring social justice. The Minister, at the same time, recalled that as a principle, lateral entry was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, constituted in 2005 and chaired by Mr Veerappa Moily. India, Malaysia elevate ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership:PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 20 AUGUST Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that India and Malaysia have decided to elevate their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as the two nations signed eight accords and considered possibilities of defence cooperation between them. At a joint press meet with his Malaysian counterpart Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim here after wide-ranging talks between them, Mr Modi noted that the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between the two countries is completing a decade. He said he discussed with Mr Ibrahim all areas of mutual cooperation extensively. ''We observed that our bilateral trade is making steady progress. Trade between India and Malaysia can now be settled in Indian Rupee (INR) and Malaysian Ringgits (MYR),” he said. The PM said an investment worth $5 billion from Malaysia to India has been worked on last year. “We believe that there is still a lot of potential in economic cooperation,” he said.