THURSDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 14 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 34 °C and 28 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 84 % The government is expected to table a Bill on simultaneous elections in the forthcoming Winter Session of Parliament NIKHIL VYAS Min. 72 % TEMPERATURE Max: 34.5˚C SUN RISES 05:24 hrs MOON RISES 18:31 hrs One Nation, One Election gets Cabinet clearance PM Modi hails Cabinet’s decision NEW DELHI, 18 SEPTEMBER Min: 28.2˚C SUN SETS 17:35 hrs MOON SETS 06:24 hrs I New Moon on 3 October THUMBNAILS Devotees perform the 'Tarpan' ritual on the first day of the 'Pitru Paksha' at Parade Ground near Sangam, in Prayagraj on Wednesday. n ANI Mpox infection confirmed in man undergoing treatment in Kerala's Malappuram: A 38-year-old youth at Edavanna in Kerala’s Malappuram district, who is under observation at Manjeri Medical College Hospital, was confirmed to have Mpox, said Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday. The youth, who returned from Dubai last week, reached Manjeri Medical college hospital with fever and rashes on his hands on Monday. n a move that has far-reaching implications for the country, the Centre has given its nod to simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies recommended by the HighLevel Committee formed to go into the proposal. The committee, led by former president Ram Nath Kovind, also advocated elections to urban bodies and panchayats within 100 days of Parliamentary elections. Following the approval of the committee’s recommendations by the government, a Bill on simultaneous polls for the lower house of Parliament and the Assemblies is likely to be introduced in the forthcoming Winter session of Parliament. Once cleared by both Houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, it will become a law. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accepted the rec- NEW DELHI, 18 SEPTEMBER President Droupadi Murmu with former President Ram Nath Kovind and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as the Union Cabinet approves the government's 'One Nation, One Election' proposal in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday. n ANI ommendations of the HighLevelCommittee.Thecommitteeextensivelyconsulted a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including political parties and experts, before preparing the report. It received extensive feedback indicating overwhelming support for simultaneous elections in the country. Confirming the approval of the recommendations of the Kovind Committee report by the Central government at a press conference here, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said: “The Union Flood situation: Mamata slams Centre for failing to implement Ghatal Master Plan STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 18 SEPTEMBER Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came down heavily on the NDA government for its failure to implement the Ghatal Master Plan which has left the residents of the region vulnerable to devastating floods. Miss Banerjee visited flood-hit Ghatal on Wednesday to make an on-the-spot survey and assess the situation. Visiting Pursura in Arambagh subdivision of Hooghly district, the worst-affected in the district, Miss Banerjee said it was purely a man made flood. “I have personally spoken to the DVC and the chief minister of Jharkhand requesting them to release the water in a controlled manner so that both states are saved from a flood-like situation, but they are least bothered about the people of Bengal.” “We have repeatedly asked the central government to carry out dredging in Damodar valley so that the water-holding capacity is increased... The indifferent attitude of the central government has affected West Bengal very badly,” Miss Banerjee said. In this connection, The Trinamul Congress posted on microblogging site X: “The failure of the NDA government to implement the Ghatal Master Plan has left the residents of the region vulnerable to devastating floods. Smt Mamata Banerjee personally visited Ghatal to assess the situation firsthand. The state administration is doing everything possible to mitigate the damage and provide relief.” The districts that are badly hit by the floods include East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia, East Burdwan, Hooghly and Howrah. The state government has evacuated people living in the low-lying areas and put them up in makeshift relief camps. Tarpaulins have been distributed among the affected people. The district magistrates of these districts have been asked to constantly monitor the situation. A 24x7 control room has been opened and the state chief seecretary, home secretary and other senior officials are constantly monitoring the situation. Miss Banerjee is overseeing the relief work. Miss Banerjee has been urging the Central government to clear the Ghatal Master plan, which will eliminate the flood threat in East and West Midnapore and the lower Damodar basin permanently. Cabinet has accepted the recommendations by the high-level committee on 'One Nation, One Election. Cabinet approved the proposal unanimously.” He said that the proposal would be implemented in two phases. “In the first phase, Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections will be held simultaneously, and in the second phase, local body elections (panchayat and municipal polls) will be held within 100 days of the general elections,” the Union Minister said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday welcomed the Union Cabinet's decision to accept the recommendations of the high-level committee onsimultaneouselections to the Lok Sabha and State assemblies, calling it an important step towards making democracy even more vibrant and participative. ''The Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the HighLevel Committee on Simultaneous Elections. I compliment our former President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji for spearheading this effort and consulting a wide range of stakeholders.'' he wrote. BJP President J P Nadda said the decision aims to streamline the electoral process and ensure better governance. SNS Congress, others flay One Nation, One Poll decision by Cabinet; SP and BSP support it STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE „One Nation One Election cannot work in a democracy. Elections need to be held as and when required if we want our democracy to survive,‰ Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said NEW DELHI, 18 SEPTEMBER Opposition parties have reacted sharply to the Union Cabinet’s approval of the ‘One Nation One Poll’ recommended by the Kovind Committee on Wednesday afternoon, describing it as impractical and undemocratic. Barring the INDIA bloc ally Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, the entire Opposition flayed the move of the BJP-led Central government while the main Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Congress, called it a diversionary tactic by the government. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge rubbished the decision saying: “We don't stand with this. One Nation One Election cannot work in a democracy. Elections need to be held as and when required if we want our democracy to survive.” Party General Secretary KC Venugopal said: “It is not at all practical in this country. They want to divert attention from present issues.” Registering its strong opposition to the decision, AIMMS chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that it compromises democracy. Stressing that he has always opposed it, he said: "I have consistently opposed One Nation One Election because it is a solution in search of a problem. It destroys federalism and compromises democracy, which are part of the basic structure of the constitution." The Trinamul Congress described the decision as a “cheap stunt” by the “antidemocratic” BJP. Its MP, Derek O’Brien, said it is a “classic PM Modi-Amit Shah jumla”. He wondered why Maharashtra polls were not announced along with elections in Haryana and J-K in keeping with the BJP’s policy. The AAP MP Sandeep Pathak also opposed the move. He questioned the sincerity of the government, saying only a few days back polls for four states were to be announced but the government announced elections only for Haryana and J-K and leaving Maharashtra and Jharkhand. “The point is if they can’t conduct elections in four states simultaneously, how then they would manage the same in the entire country? What if a state government falls before completing its full term. Will the President’s rule be imposed in that state,” he asked. However, the Samajwadi Party, an ally of the INDIA bloc, came out in support of the decision saying the party is all for conducting of the elections simultaneously. The party, however, said all modalities in this context should be made clear. BSP chief Mayawati also hailed the move. In a post on X, she said, “Our party’s stand on the approval given today by the Union Cabinet to hold simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha, Assembly and local bodies in the country under the system of One Country, One Election is positive, but its objective must be in the national and public interest”. Long queues outside polling booths in J&K Marital rape: Supreme Court to hear pleas for prosecution of husbands STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PARMOD KUMAR JAMMU, 18 SEPTEMBER: NEW DELHI, 18 SEPTEMBER A voter turnout of 61.13 per cent was recorded in the 24 assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir where polling was held in the first phase of the elections on Wednesday. Except for a brief suspension of polling in Kishtwar due to a quarrel between supporters of two candidates, the process remained largely peaceful. Long queues of voters were seen outside all 3,276 polling booths right from the morning when polling started at 7 a.m. Kishtwar district recorded the highest turnout at 80.14 per cent followed by Ramban at 70.55 per cent, Doda at 71.34 per cent, Kulgam at 62.60 per cent, Anantnag at 57.84 per cent and Shopian at 55.96 per cent. The Pulwama district recorded the lowest at 46.65 per cent. (Earlier report: Page 5) The Supreme Court said on Wednesday that it would consider listing of the pleas challenging the validity of Exception 2 of Section 375 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and that of the equivalent provision of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita that protects a husband from criminal prosecution for having non-consensual sex with his wife. Besides the challenge to the Exception 2 of Section 375 of the IPC and its equivalent in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the issue has landed in the Supreme Court in the wake of 11 May 2023, split verdict by a division bench of Delhi High Court on criminalising marital rape. Heading a bench comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, the Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said they were seized of a partheard matter and would assess the workload in the next two days after conducting the hearings. Chief Justice Chandrachud said this after senior advocate Indira Jaising mentioned the matter for urgent hearing. In an earlier hearing held on 22 March 2023, Indira Jaisinh and Karuna Nandy had told the court that the issues that need to be adjudicated have been agreed upon between the parties, and a common compilation is ready. The Supreme Court, on 16 January 2023, had asked the Centre to respond to the petitions challenging the con- stitutional validity of the Exception 2 to Section 375 of Indian Penal Code on the touchstone of Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, on 16 January 2023, had told the court that the issue has legal as well as “social implications” and the government would like to file its response to the petitions. “The Union of India shall file a counter affidavit by February 15, 2023. The batch of petitions will be heard on March 21,” the court had ordered. One of the pleas has been filed by Khushboo Saifi, who was one of the petitioners before Delhi High Court. Another plea has been filed by a man against the Karnataka High Court verdict which paved the way for his prosecution for allegedly raping his wife. The Karnataka High Court had on 23 March 2022 said exempting a husband from the allegation of rape and unnatural sex with his wife runs against Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution. The others are PILs, including one by AIDWA filed against the IPC provision, and have challenged the constitutionality of the marital rape exception under Section 375 IPC (rape) on the ground that it discriminates against married women who are sexually assaulted by their husbands. Under the exception given in Section 375 of the IPC, sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his wife, the wife not being minor, is not a rape. Nod for Chandrayaan-4, development of Venus Orbiter Mission Lebanon rocked by second wave of device explosions; at least 14 dead STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 SEPTEMBER The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Wednesday approved another mission to the moon named Chandrayaan-4 to develop and demonstrate the technologies to come back to Earth after successfully landing on the moon and also collect moon samples and analyse them on Earth. The Chandrayaan-4 mission will achieve the foundational technologies’ capabilities for an eventual Indian landing on the moon (planned by year 2040) and return safely back to Earth. The major technologies required for docking/undocking, landing, safe return to earth and also accomplish lunar sample collection and analysis would be demonstrated. The Union Cabinet also approved the development of a Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), which will be a significant step towards the government’s vision of exploring and studying Venus, beyond the Moon and Mars. Venus, the closest planet to Earth believed to have formed in conditions similar to Earth, offers a unique opportunity to understand how planetary environments can evolve very differently. The government has outlined an expanded vision for the Indian space programme during the Amrit Kaal that envisages an Indian Space Station (Bhartiya Antriksh Station) by 2035 and Indian Landing on the Moon by 2040. To realise this vision, a series of Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan follow-on missions are envisaged, including the develop- ment of associated space transportation & infrastructure capabilities. The successful demonstration of safe and soft landing of Chandrayaan3 Lander on the Lunar Surface has established vital technologies and demonstrated capabilities that only few other nations possess. A natural successor to the successful landing mission is the demonstration of the ability to collect Lunar Samples and return them safely back to Earth. ISRO will be responsible for the development of spacecraft and launch. The project will be effectively managed and monitored through the established practices prevailing at the ISRO. The mission is expected to be accomplished within 36 months of approval with the participation of industry and academia. All the critical technologies are envisaged to be indige- nously developed. The realisation of the mission is through various industries and it is envisaged that there would be high employment potential and technology spin-off to other sectors of the economy. The total fund requirement for the technology demonstration Chandrayaan-4 mission is Rs. 2104.06 crore. The cost includes spacecraft development and realisation, two launch vehicle missions of LVM3, external deep space network support and conducting special tests for design validation, finally leading to the mission of landing on the moon surface and safe return to Earth along with the collected lunar sample. The mission will enable India to be self-sufficient in critical foundational technologies for manned missions, lunar sample return and scientific analysis of Lunar samples. AGENCIES BEIRUT, 18 SEPTEMBER Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and multiple parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting electronic devices a day after hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and Hezbollah officials said. At least 14 people were killed and more than 450 people wounded in the second wave, the Health Ministry said. The attacks, which were widely believed to be carried out by Israel targeting Hezbollah, have hiked fears that the two sides’ simmering conflict could escalate into all-out war, and were followed by statements from Israeli leaders that indicated the Israeli military is turning its focus to the northern front, against Hezbollah. Soon after the second round of explosions, Israel’s army chief said his country has drawn up plans for additional action against Hezbollah and is ready to strike. “We have many capabilities that we have not yet activated,” Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops that the country was at the start of a new phase in the war and that the centre of gravity of the conflict was moving north. In a video statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that tens of thousands of residents evacuated from Israel's border with Lebanon will "return to their homes". The new blasts hit a country still roiling with confusion and anger after Tuesday’s pager bombings, which appeared to be a complex Israeli attack targeting Hezbollah members that caused civilian casualties, too. Tuesday’s bombings killed at least 12 people, including two children, and wounded some 2,800 others. The second wave also deepens concern over the potentially indiscriminate casualties caused in the attacks, in which hundreds of blasts went off wherever the holder of the pager happened to be. (See also Page 9)