WEDNESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 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 ‘ACT AGAINST BJP LEADERS MAKING 'VIOLENT' REMARKS AGAINST RAHUL’ REVANTH SLAMS BJP AND BRS OVER 17 SEPT CELEBRATIONS P5 SENSEX 83,079.66p90.88 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN/THUNDERSHOWERS ACCOMPANIED WITH GUSTY WINDS(SPEED 25-35 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 32 AND 23 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Trace RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 95 % TEMPERATURE P4 NIFTY 25,418.55p34.80 Min: 24.4 °C (-1) SUN SETS 18:22 hrs MOON SETS 07:14 hrs ` vs $ 83.84 GOLD 75,450.00 He was addressing a public meeting in Bhubaneswar to launch a women empowerment scheme THUMBNAILS Devotees carry an idol of Lord Ganesha as they take part in the immersion procession of Lord Ganesha on the last day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, in Mumbai on Tuesday. n ANI Govt advises Edible Oil Associations to maintain MRP till availability of stocks: Centre has advised the leading Edible Oil Associations advised to ensure that the MRP of each oil is maintained till the availability of edible oil stocks imported at 0 per cent & 12.5 per cent Basic Customs Duty (BCD) and take up the issue with their members immediately. (P8) P Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the gathering at the foundation stone-laying and inauguration of various development projects and the launch of the ‘SUBHADRA’, in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. n ANI also it played a vital role in the freedom movement. Dwelling on the rich historical legacy of Ganesh festival, PM said “the British who used to hate the Ganesh Utsav adhered to divide and rule policy. Even now, the power-hungry people who are busy dividing and breaking society are having problems with Ganesh Puja. You must have seen that the people of Congress and its ecosystem are angry because I participated in Ganesh Puja," he added. Modi in his first visit to Odisha on his 74th birthday after taking oath as the prime minister for the third term launched the Odisha Government’s flagship women-centric Subhadra Yojana programme which BJP had promised in 2024 poll campaign. Eligible women between the age of 2160 years would receive Rs 50,000 over a period of five years between 2024-25 and 2028-29. An amount of Rs 10,000 per annum would be credited in two installments directly to their accounts. The initiative is expected to cover more than 1 crore women. PM Modi initiated the first phase of fund transfer into the bank accounts of more than 25 lakh women beneficiaries at a function here today. The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation Railway Projects valued at over Rs 2800 crores in Bhubaneswar besides laying the foundation stone for National Highway Projects worth more than Rs 1000 crores. He said today is a special day as the NDA government has completed 100 days in office and had taken several initiatives for the benefit of the poor, dalits, youth , P12 SILVER 97,000 PM slams Cong for criticism of his Ganesh puja at CJI home rime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned people against the Congress and its ‘ecosystem’ saying they get agitated with him for performing Ganesh puja and in Karnataka they seize a Ganesh idol . Spreading hatred and poison in the society is dangerous for the country, he stated. The PM took a dig at Congress while addressing a public meeting in Bhubaneswar to launch the flagship women empowerment scheme of Odisha, ‘Subhadra Yojana’ and lay foundation stones for infrastructure programmes in the State. Implicitly referring to the criticism by the opposition parties for participating in Ganesh Puja rituals at the residence of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said “Ganesh Utsav festival is not only a festival of faith for our country, but ‘EVERY TEST MATCH IS IMPORTANT AS WTC TABLE IS STILL OPEN’ P10 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 17 SEPTEMBER Min. 56 % Max: 34.8 °C (+1) SUN RISES 06:08 hrs MOON RISES 19:13 hrs ‘WILL LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED TO RESTORE PEACE IN MANIPUR’ farmers and women. “In the last 100 days, it has decided to build 3 crore pucca houses for poor and houseless people. Rs 2 lakh crore for youths PM package has been announced and the government will provide the first salary of their first job in private companies”. The government has also decided to add 75,000 medical seats in states, provide pucca roads to 25000 villages. The budget for tribal development department has been doubled , he said. In the last 100 days, a comprehensive pension scheme for the government employees has been announced and income tax slabs for certain sections has been reduced. As many as 11 lakh ‘lakhpati didis’ have been created all over the country . Duty on imported oil has been increased to help farmers get renumerative prices within the country, export duty on basmati rice has been reduce, MSP for khariff crop has been increased, he said. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 71.94q0.21 AAP designates Atishi as Kejriwal's successor STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 SEPTEMBER After being designated as the next Chief Minister of Delhi, senior AAP leader Atishi on Tuesday said she is sad that Arvind Kejriwal is resigning from the post, and added that the party and the AAP chief have given her a huge responsibility. In her remarks after being elected as the leader of AAP's legislative party, Atishi said she will work under the guidance of the party supremo and not let anyone hinder the works of the people of Delhi. "My leader has to leave this post, it is sad, please do not congratulate me, don't put garlands," she said. The AAP leader while addressing the media said, "False corruption allegations were leveled against Arvind ji. He chose the path of agni pariksha (trial by fire)." She added that the path chosen by the AAP chief is an example not just for the country, but the entire world. She further said that along with the people of the city she takes a pledge that until Kejriwal returns as CM, she will not let any alleged conspiracy of the saffron party succeed. She alleged that the BJP AAP leader and Delhi CM-designate Atishi stakes claim to form the new government before Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, at LG Secretariat in New Delhi on Tuesday. n ANI and LG want to stop Delhi's free electricity, good government schools, mohalla clinics, and free bus travel for women, and that the saffron party has governments in 22 states, but has not provided services like in Delhi's in any of the states governed by it. The senior AAP leader also said that this could only happen under AAP's leadership and Kejriwal's guidance, where a firsttime politician is made CM. According to the party, Kejriwal proposed her name as his successor in the AAP legislative party meeting, and all the legislators unanimously agreed to his proposal. (more reports on p2) PM to visit US SC flags glorification and grandstanding over RG Kar case: SC rejects plea seeking ouster of CM Mamata, admonishes lawyer this week to bulldozer action, pauses demolitions across country attend Quad PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 17 SEPTEMBER The Supreme Court on Tuesday took strong exception and rejected a plea seeking the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the wake of the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 and warned the lawyer appearing that he would be removed from the court if he continued to treat the court as a political forum. Rebuking the lawyer for using the court as a political forum, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud heading a bench also comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said, “This is not a political forum alright. You are a member of the bar. We do not require your affirmation of what we say. What you say has to abide by the rules of legal discipline. We are not here to see what you feel about a political functionary. Your interim application is not our remit. Look I am sorry else I will have you removed from this court.” In the hearing lasting over two hours, the court was informed about the settlement that has been reached between the State government and the agitating junior doctors, sanction of work for the infrastructure upgradation in the 28 government medical colleges and hospitals that includes additional duty rooms, restrooms, washroom, installation of CCTV cameras, deployment of security personnel hired from the security agencies for one year, training of over 900 women police personnel at State police academy for deployment in medical colleges and the hospitals. The hearing saw the West Bengal government reiterating its earlier assurance that it would not take any adverse or punitive action against the agitating junior doctors for their absence if they resumed their duties. At the beginning of the hearing, the court was informed that a settlement had been reached between the State government and the agitating junior doctors in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The court was also informed that though junior doctors have signed the agreement they still have some issues that need to be sorted. Summit STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 SEPTEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the United States of America from 2123 September to take part in the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, being hosted by President Joe Biden on 21 September, it was officially announced on Tuesday. Following the request of the US side to host the Quad Summit this year, India has agreed to host the next summit in 2025. At the Quad Summit, the leaders will review the progress achieved by the Quad over the last one year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist the countries of the IndoPacific region in meeting their development goals and aspirations, the Ministry of External Affairs said. PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 17 SEPTEMBER The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that no demolition of property – residential and commercial - should occur anywhere in the country without prior permission of the court till October 1, while making clear that this direction would not apply to the unauthorised constructions on public roads, footpaths, and similar areas. A bench of Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K.V. Viswanathan ordered a halt to the practice of bulldozer justice till October 1 – the next date of hearing - while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the practice of bulldozing properties of the people allegedly involved in a criminal case. However, the court said that if unauthorised constructions, whether temples, mosques, or other religious structures, exist on public roads, footpaths, or nearby railway lines, the stay on dem- Greetings pour in for PM Modi from leaders across party lines on his 74th birthday STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 SEPTEMBER President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, among prominent leaders from across the party lines greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 74th birthday. BJP National President JP Nadda, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal extended their best wishes to the prime minister on the occasion. PM Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in Vadnagar in Gujarat. The President led the nation in greeting the prime minister on his birthday. In a post on X in Hindi, she said, "Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister Shri@naren- dramodiji on his birthday. On the strength of your personality and work, you have provided extraordinary leadership and increased the prosperity and prestige of the country. I wish that your innovative efforts with the spirit of nation first pave the way to make India a developed nation. I pray to God that you live long and always remain healthy and happy." In a post on X, Vice-President Dhankhar wrote, "Heart- felt wishes to @narendramodi ji on his birthday! In governance for over two decades, and as Prime Minister over a decade in historic third continual term, he has aroused the soul of Bharat, stimulated its cultural values, nurtured its civilisational ethos and firmly set it on the unprecedented developmental trajectory towards #ViksitBharat by 2047. With new insights and resolute will, may you continue to lead Bharat for many years to come! Pray Almighty to give you the strength and be blessed with good health." Taking to his X handle to greet the prime minister on the occasion, Home Minister Shah said, "In the form of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, the country has got such a decisive leader, who has worked to bring about a change in the lives of the deprived by bringing them into the mainstream, starting from the security of the country. Along with increasing the self-esteem of the countrymen, the global outlook towards India has also changed under his leadership. Modi ji, who has increased the prestige of the country from the depths of the sea to the heights of space, is an inspiration for peace, compassion and empathy all over the world. #HappyBdayModiji." Lauding PM Modi's com- mitment to the service of the nation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Many congratulations and best wishes to the successful Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on his birthday. Not only India but the whole world has seen and experienced his visionary and strong leadership. Modiji has led the country with full readiness, concentration and asceticism and is still doing so. #HappyBdayModiji" Commending PM Modi's leadership, Nadda said the goal of building a 'developed India' has become the resolve of every person. "Under your leadership, our goal of service, good governance and development is taking a concrete shape. Your leadership and guidance are always an inspiration for millions of BJP workers. I pray to God for your long life and good health. Best wishes! #HappyBdayModiji," he said in a post on X. olitions will not apply. The bench also said that it would, first, lay down guidelines, similar to those that the top court had laid down in 1997 in the Vishaka case, before considering individual cases. In 1997 the top court had laid down guidelines for protecting women from sexual harassment at the workplace. These guidelines came to be known as Vishaka guidelines. The guidelines were based on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). These guidelines, 16 years later, were superseded by the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. The Supreme Court was moved by several petitioners against the bulldozing of houses belonging to individuals allegedly accused in various cases. Appearing for one of the petitioners, senior advocate C.U. Singh told the court that the demolitions were taking place daily. The Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, countered this by citing an example from Madhya Pradesh, where many shops belonging to Hindus were demolished by legal procedures. In the last hearing of the matter on September 2, the top court had come down heavily on the bulldozer justice - demolishing the houses of the accused persons – and had said that the properties of the accused can't be demolished even if he is convicted. Questioning the practice of demolishing the houses of the accused persons using bulldozers, which has come to be described as ‘bulldozer justice’, the court had said that they would frame guidelines that would be applicable across the country and asked the parties to the case give their suggestions. The top court was hearing a batch of petitions questioning the illegal demolition of residential and commercial properties using bulldozers. Hezbollah members among hundreds wounded after pagers explode in Lebanon and Syria: officials AGENCIES BEIRUT, 17 SEPTEMBER Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, wounding members of the militant group Hezbollah, the Iranian ambassador and dozens of other people. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanon border. A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that “several hundred” people, including members of the group, were wounded in different parts of Lebanon when their handheld pagers exploded. He said a few Hezbollah fighters were also wounded in Syria when the pagers they were carrying exploded, and said it was believed to be an Israeli attack. It wasn’t immediately clear if people were killed. The Associated Press reached out to the Israeli military, which declined to comment. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, close to the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, said on its Telegram channel that Mojtaba Amani, Iran’s ambassador in Lebanon, has a superficial injury and is under observation at a hospital. Another semi-official Mehr news agency, also on its Telegram channel, reported that Amani was wounded by a pager explosion. Photos and videos from Beirut’s southern suburbs circulating on social media and in local media showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their pants pockets. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and to carry out targeted strikes. Lebanon’s Health Ministry called on all hospitals to be on alert to take in emergency patients and for people who own pagers to get away from them. It also asked health workers to avoid using wireless devices.