BJP HAS 'STRUCK DEALS' WITH REGIONAL PARTIES, INDEPENDENTS: OMAR ABDULLAH 08 SEPTEMBER 2024 ‘ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOOL SERVES NOBLE GOAL OF SHAPING FUTURE GENERATIONS’ ‘GOING TO BE CHALLENGED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS’ www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 12 PAGE 10 PAGE 5 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 PAGES 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. LIGHT RAIN/THUNDERSHOWERS. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 34 AND 25 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: 000.6 Mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % Min. 68 % TEMPERATURE Max: 34.4 °C (0) SUN RISES 06:03 hrs MOON RISES 11:22 hrs Min: 24.5 °C (-1) SUN SETS 18:34 hrs MOON SETS 21:16 hrs THUMBNAILS Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture of Lord Ganesha using 20 types of fruits on the occasion of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, in Puri on Saturday.n ANI Three killed as 3-storey building collapses in Lucknow: At least 3 people were killed and around 28 were injured when a three-storey building in the Transport Nagar area of the state capital collapsed on Saturday evening. NDRF and SDRF teams rushed to the spot and rescued over 30 people from the debris. Unconfirmed reports suggest 4 people may have been killed. The building, known as Harmilap building, is reported to have housed a medicine warehouse, police said. According to the latest information, 30 people have been evacuated so far. (P3) Five killed in renewed Terrorism will return to J&K if NC-Cong alliance violence in Manipur Government deploys military helicopter, anti-drone systems STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE IMPHAL, 7 SEPTEMBER A t least five people died in renewed violence in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Saturday, even as the state government deployed a military helicopter to conduct aerial patrolling and put into service anti-drone systems to repel weaponised drones used by militants in recent attacks elsewhere in the troubled state. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, meanwhile, met Governor L. Acharya on Saturday evening amid the fresh incidents of violence. Mr Singh rushed to meet Mr Acharya after an emergency meeting of MLAs and ministers at the chief minister’s secretariat, official sources said. According to police, suspected Kuki militants carried out an attack at Nungchappi village in Jiribam district in the night, killing 63-year-old Yurembam Kulendra Singha, who was asleep in his home. This was followed by a heavy exchange of fire between armed groups in the vicinity of Rashipur village, in which Baspatimayum Lakhi Kumar Sharma (41) died. Both Singha and Sharma belong to the Army and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel dismantle a Kuki militant bunkers in Jiribam district on Saturday. nIANS Meitei community. Security forces led by senior police officials later rushed to the area, and they were also fired upon. The security personnel also retaliated, according to authorities. While searching the area, three bodies of suspected militants were found, police said. Intermittent firing continued until noon in several mountainous villages in Jiribam district, adjoining Assam. Meanwhile, tensions continue to rise in other parts of Manipur in the wake of rocket attacks that struck two civilian-populated locations in Bishnupur district. The attacks yesterday led to the death of Centre dismisses Puja Khedkar from IAS with immediate effect STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 SEPTEMBER The government has discharged Puja Khedkar, IAS probationer (MH 2023) from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with immediate effect as an inquiry found she had availed of more chances than were available to her under her category, and was therefore ineligible to be recruited to the IAS. An order issued in this regard said: “She was ineligible to be recruited to the Indian Administrative Service. The Central Government by an order dated 06.09.2024 discharges Ms. Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, IAS Probationer (MH:2023), from the Indian Administrative Service under Rule 12 of IAS(Probation) Rules, 1954, with immediate effect.” The order said the inquiry was ordered after reports emerged that she may have been ineligible to be a candidate for the Civil Services Examination (CSE), 2022, and previous CSEs. The order said: “As reports emerged that Ms Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, IAS Probationer (MH:2023) may have been ineligible to be a candidate at the Civil Services Examination (CSE)2022 and previous CSEs, a single member Committee was constituted on 11.07.2024 to verify her candidature claims.” “The single member Committee submitted its reports on 24.07.2024. Taking note of the findings and conclusions of single member Committee report, Government proceeded for a summary enquiry according to the provisions of Rule 12 of IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954, including Abu Dhabi Crown Prince to visit India next week STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 SEPTEMBER Relations between India & the UAE are set to get an impetus as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is due to pay an official visit to India on 9-10 September at the invitation of PM Modi. This would be his first visit to India as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. He will be accompanied by several ministers from the UAE government and a business delegation. On 9 September, the Crown Prince will meet PM Modi and hold discussions on a wide range of areas of bilateral cooperation. He is also scheduled to call on President Mumru. He will also visit Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. On 10 September, the Crown Prince will visit Mumbai to participate in a Business Forum, in which business leaders from both countries will participate. “India and the UAE share historically close and friendly ties. In recent years, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India & the UAE has deepened in a range of areas including political, trade, investment, connectivity, energy, technology, education, and culture. The Crown Prince’s visit will further reinforce strong India-UAE bilateral relations and open avenues for partnership in new and emerging areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs said. giving Ms Khedkar a reasonable opportunity,” the order said. “It is seen that Ms Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, IAS Probationer (MH:2023) had applied and appeared for the CSE between 2012 and 2023. As per the information submitted by Ms. Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, IAS Probationer (MH:2023) herself in her Civil Services Examination (CSE) application forms between CSE-2012 to CSE-2023, it is seen that she had availed more attempts at the Civil Services Examination than the maximum permissible number of nine (9) attempts in her claimed category (OBC and PwBD), which she had exhausted by attempting the Civil Services Examinations between 2012 and 2020 i.e., prior to the CSE-2022 itself,” the order said. 78-year-old RK Rabei and injuries to six other civilians in Moirang Khoiru Leikai. Briefing the media, Manipur Inspector General of Police, Intelligence, K Kabib, in the wake of yesterday’s Moirang incident in which an elderly man was killed, there was a large gathering of volunteers and miscreants from both sides but immediately senior officers, rushed to the spot and they deployed additional forces. "A military helicopter was also deployed for patrolling and conducting aerial surveys. There were a lot of fire exchanges. The situation was brought under control," he added. The officer said there was an attempt to loot arms at the 7th MR (Manipur Rifles) at Khabeisoi and the 2nd MR (Manipur Rifles) in Imphal. “The combined security forces deployed at these locations dispersed the mob and repelled the attempt. Some vehicles belonging to the miscreants were also damaged. While the reinforcement party from our police was returning, they were fired upon by some miscreants at Khabeisoi, in which two of our officers got injured," he said. He further said that a reinforcement led by senior officers. rushed to the spot and controlled the situation and evacuated these two officials. "Now they are out of danger... Yesterday, at late night, it was dark and many bystanders were nearby. That is why our police did not retaliate in the direction from where the fire was coming... We used only tear-smoke munitions on the miscreants and some blank fires in the air," the IPS officer said. "The security situation was reviewed at the highest level and our police have intensified the combing operations from yesterday, and today morning it was increased in fringe areas," he said. comes to power: Shah SP SHARMA JAMMU, 7 SEPTEMBER Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that terrorism will return to Jammu and Kashmir if the National Conference-Congress alliance was voted to power in the upcoming Assembly elections. The Home Minister said there will be no talks with Pakistan until peace is restored and also ruled out restoration of crossborder trade, which he said generated funds that went to terrorists. Mr Shah, who was addressing a largely attended meeting of BJP workers here, said these elections are an opportunity for the people of J&K to choose between terrorism, peace and development. Earlier in the morning, Mr Shah also held a meeting of the core committee of the BJP in which the party’s strategy for the Assembly elections was discussed. He said that the NCCongress alliance wants to release stone pelters, separatists and terrorist sympathisers to again destabilise Jammu and Kashmir. “They want to push the border districts of Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu into the fire of terrorism”, the Home Minister said. He said that the alliance will not be in a position to form a government in J&K and urged the youth of Kashmir to vote carefully as they have seen the sufferings during the rule of the three dynasties ~ Abdullahs, Muftis and Congress. “Kashmir bore the impact of terrorism for decades, 10 years of the Modi government brought terror incidents down by 70 per cent. There were governments in Kashmir that turned a blind eye to terrorism. There are people who would come here and become chief ministers when there was peace and when there was terrorism, they would go to Delhi and drink coffee in coffee bars. After many years, the Amarnath Yatra was carried out fearlessly, the cinema halls have reopened and were screening movies till late in the night in the valley, Tazia procession was carried out in the valley after more than three decades,” Mr Shah said. He said the NC-Congress alliance wants to start talks with Pakistan, but this will not happen until there is peace in J&K. The Home Minister said that the upcoming Assembly elections are historic as this is for the first time after Independence that the election is being held under one Tricolour and not two flags, one Constitution authored by Babasaheb Ambedkar. “There can't be two PMs in the country, there can only be one PM whom people of Kashmir to Kanyakumari elect and that is PM Narendra Modi,” he said. Asking the party workers to campaign wholeheartedly, Mr Shah said: “I want to make it clear that the BJP will fight the elections with full strength and will win. Those days are gone when someone else decides whose government will be formed, now the people of Jammu and Kashmir will elect the government of their choice”. New applicants for Aadhaar will have to apply for NRC: Assam CM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GUWAHATI, 7 SEPTEMBER Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has ramped up efforts to tackle illegal immigration, announcing new directives aimed at strengthening the detection process of undocumented foreigners in the state. As part of the state's new strategy, the government will issue a notification mandating that individuals would have to apply for the NRC (National Register of Citizens) to be eligible for Aadhaar cards, beginning 1 October. The rule will be enforced across all districts except tea garden areas, which have been exempted. All new applicants for Aadhaar cards in Assam need to submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN), Mr Sarma said on Saturday. A detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) will be prepared for the purpose and this will be implemented from 1 October, he said. The submission of the application receipt number of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will stop the "influx of illegal foreigners" and the state government will be ''very strict" in issuing Aadhaar cards, he said. Mr Sarma observed that immigration control had slowed after the National Register of Citizens (NRC) update but asserted that the state government is taking action to address this issue. "In the last few months, we have apprehended or repelled 20 to 30 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and the crackdown will intensify,” Mr Sarma stated. Mr Sarma has expressed concerns regarding the issuance of Aadhaar cards in districts like Dhubri, where the number of cards reportedly exceeds the population, suggesting possible fraudulent activities. The Assam government is also addressing concerns about illegal immigrants using alternate routes through Tripura to reach southern cities in India, including Bengaluru and Coimbatore, for employment opportunities. In recent months, 35 infiltrators were apprehended, and many were found using these routes to evade detection. Assam's police forces, along with the Border Security Force (BSF), are working in coordination with Tripura to prevent these illegal entries. Mr Sarma also emphasised that any political instability in Bangladesh could potentially fuel cross-border migration, which in turn could impact insurgent groups like ULFA (I). Therefore, maintaining border security and vigilance is critical for both regional stability and countering insurgency threats, he said. ‘World looks complicated today as it is witnessing period of great change’ You can prepare students to build Viksit Bharat, PM Modi tells teachers STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 SEPTEMBER STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 SEPTEMBER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Saturday observed that the world is 'messy' today for a variety of reasons, the notable one being that it is witnessing a period of great change. He was addressing a Global Town Hall event with "Keeping Course: Actions and Solutions for a Messy World” as its theme. ''...even as the world looks complicated, India’s desire and determination to ensure its stability and contribute to its prosperity is only stronger,'' he said. Mr Jaishankar noted that the developments being witnessed today are difficult, unpredictable and perhaps even chaotic. ''After all, any transformation is a process with outcomes and the players involved often do not have prior understandings in that regard about either. In truth, the instincts and interests that drive change are mostly competitive. Therefore, by its very nature, we cannot usually forecast accurately where a world in serious flux ends up,'' he added. He said it is the task of those in foreign policy to assess trends, read the landscape and fashion strategy for their particular national interest. The minister referred to some of the key directions and developments in international relations. Over the last few decades, he said the world has witnessed the unfolding of globalisation that has driven a rebalancing in the world order. That has matured to a point where there is talk of a genuine multi-polarity emerging in the near future. This is a far cry from anything that the world has experienced since 1945. It is not just that there will be more players of con- sequence; it is also that their relative weight has undergone a big shift. ''Furthermore, the approach of nations to global issues is also no longer the same. Many big powers are now content to do less and the newer ones more reticent about stepping forward. In many situations, it is left to the regionally significant players to sort out their own particular mess. Beyond this, we are also looking at a more sharpened contestation between the US and China on a range of areas. If we also take into account that technology advances like AI, electric mobility, space or drone can shape balances of power more strongly, then the global calculus looks even more daunting,'' he added. Appreciating teachers’ innovative techniques in their teaching work, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suggested that they take their students on educational tours to acquaint them with the diversity of Indian culture and also promote tourism. In his interaction with teachers given national awards on the Teachers’ Day, the Prime Minister said for educational tours, they should prefer areas which are of interest to their students. The students can be assigned to prepare notes on different aspects of culture of a region, he said. If students of a region, like Goa, visit North East, it would boost economic activity of the region, the Prime Minister said. To meet the needs of the visiting students, the local cities would have to create many facilities, like transport, eating places, and home-stay, he said. Modi said the travel of students from one region to another would force the development of infrastructure. New possibilities for jobs would emerge. If schools decide on 100 different destinations for the educational tours over two years, this can bring a revolution in the tourism sector. The Prime Minister said travelling around the country would educate the students and at the same time encourage a high-employment sector of tourism. The students would learn faster during their tours which cover the subjects they study as part of curriculum, he said.