FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Partly cloudy. Rain likely in the afternoon. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 36 °C and 29 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 79 % India will not let Pakistan’s agenda be implemented in J&K, says Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 19 SEPTEMBER Min. 69 % TEMPERATURE Max: 36.2˚C SUN RISES 05:24 hrs MOON RISES 19:11 hrs 'Balle-balle' in Pakistan over Cong-NC alliance: PM P Min: 29.3˚C SUN SETS 17:34 hrs MOON SETS 07:29 hrs New Moon on 3 October THUMBNAILS An elderly woman voter shows her finger marked with indelible ink after casting her vote through the postal ballot under the 'voting from home' facility for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, in Srinagar on Thursday. n ANI India set to become third-largest economy by FY30-31, states S&P Global: India is on track to become the third-largest economy by fiscal 2030-31, driven by a robust projected annual growth rate of 6.7 per cent, a report by S&P Global projected on Thursday. The country has emerged as the fastest-growing large economy at an 8.2 per cent growth rate in FY24. rime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India will not let Pakistan's agenda be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, as he reiterated that no power on the earth can bring back Article 370. Mr Modi was addressing a poll rally at the Katra town in the foothills of the Vaishnodevi shrine. Earlier in the morning, he addressed a rally in Srinagar. Referring to Pakistan's defence minister Khwaja Asif supporting the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance on the issue of restoration of Article 370 and 35A, Mr Modi said “Our neighbours are very excited about their alliance. Pakistan's defence minister has supported the manifesto of Congress and National Conference. He has said that Pakistan and Congress-National Conference alliance are on the same page when it comes to Article 370”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets supporters during a public meeting for the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, in Katra on Thursday. n ANI Pakistan is doing “balleballe” (a phrase used in many Punjabi songs to express a feeling of happiness) over the Congress-NC alliance, the PM said. “Congress-NC wants to implement Pakistan's agenda in J&K. The same agenda of Pakistan which ruined generations in Jammu and Kashmir and caused our bloodshed, these people want to implement the same here again," he said. Mr Modi said that ter- rorism and separatism have weakened after abrogation of Article 370. He said: “Each vote given to Congress will implement the manifesto of PDP and NC. They want to bring back Article 370. Congress-NC alliance is being applauded in Pakistan that is very happy with the Congress-NC manifesto and has openly extended its support. Congress is ready to compromise with your culture and heritage for PM Modi to hold substantive talks with Biden on bilateral, global issues during US visit: MEA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 SEPTEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold wide ranging talks with US President Joe Biden on bilateral issues as well as global developments, including the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, when the two leaders meet on the margins of the Quad Summit in Delaware later this week. At a press briefing on Thursday ahead of the PM's visit to the USA from 21-23 September, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the meeting between the two leaders gives the PM an opportunity to thank President Biden for his pioneering role in strengthening the India-U.S relationship and for the several new initiatives such as the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies. This is likely to be Mr Modi’s final official meeting with Mr Biden, who has announced that he will not be running for re-election. Agreements related to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and the IndiaUS Drug Framework will also be exchanged between the two countries during Mr Modi’s visit. He will also hold bilateral meetings with Japan Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the Quad Summit. Asked if a meeting between the PM and former US President Donald Trump was also scheduled, Mr Misri said: "There are many meet- ings which we are trying to fix. Right now, I will not be able to tell you about any specific meeting. We are looking from all angles as to how much time we have and with whom we can hold meetings. We will keep updating you about the meetings." Mr Trump, who is in the running for the US presidency as the Republican Party candidate, earlier announced that he would be meeting Mr Modi during the latter’s visit to America. Mr Misri said the PM's visit combines very important bilateral and multilateral aspects. There will be interactions with a variety of foreign partners at the level of the Prime Minister. There will be interaction with the large Indian diaspora in the USA and there will be engagement with a host of business and industry leaders, amongst others. India dismisses Pannun’s lawsuit as unwarranted STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 SEPTEMBER India on Thursday firmly rejected the civil lawsuit filed by ‘Khalistan’ supporter and designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in a US court, alleging the involvement of the government in an alleged plot to assassinate him. Reacting to reports about the lawsuit , Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said: “As we've said earlier, these are completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations. Now that this particular case has been lodged. It doesn't change our views about the underlying situation.” He said the antecedents of the person behind this case are well known. Centre initiates probe into death of EY employee STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 SEPTEMBER Amid outrage over the death of a 26-year-old chartered accountant with Ernst and Young (EY) India, the Union government on Thursday said it has initiated a "thorough investigation" into the allegations made by the deceased's mother. Anna Sebastian Perayil, who worked with EY India, allegedly died due to workrelated stress, bringing renewed attention to the importance of work-life balance and mental health in the workplace. The Union Labour Ministry said it has taken up a complaint and will be investigating the circumstances that led to the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil. "Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil," Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Labour & Employment, wrote on X. "A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice & @LabourMinistry has officially taken up the complaint," Ms Karandlaje said. She posted this on X in response to former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar's post, which shared a news article on Perayil and called the death "disturbing at many levels". "I rqst Govt of India @mansukhmandviya @ShobhaBJP to investigate these allegations made by the mother of unsafe and exploitative work environment that claimed the life of young, full of future Anna Sebastian Perayil," Mr Chandrasekhar wrote. Anna's mother, Anita Augustine, wrote a letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, blaming the com- pany's backbreaking workload for her death. She said: "Anna would return to her room utterly exhausted, sometimes collapsing on the bed without even changing her clothes, only to be bombarded with messages asking for more reports. She was putting in her best efforts, working very hard to meet the deadlines.” Reacting to the allegations, EY India issued a statement saying that Anna's death was an "irreparable loss" to the company. "That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us," the statement read. "While no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, we have provided, and will continue to provide, all assistance as we always do in such times of distress," the company said. the sake of a few votes. “They do not see anything except their vote bank that is why they only deepened the divide between Jammu and Kashmir. They have always discriminated against Jammu whereas we have brought Jammu to the mainstream. “Due to the appeasement politics of the Congress, National Conference, and PDP, our Kashmiri Hindu and Sikh brothers and sisters have suffered a lot. The BJP has announced special schemes for them." Earlier, addressing a well attended rally in Srinagar, Mr Modi praised the people of Kashmir for strengthening the Indian democracy. “Today the world is seeing how the people of Jammu and Kashmir are strengthening the democracy of India and I congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir for this,” he said. Mr Modi’s visit has come ahead of the second phase of polling for 26 assembly seats on 25 September. India faces terror threats from ISIL, Al Qaida linked groups: FATF The report said India is not a destination for money laundering proceeds of crime and noted that IndiaÊs main sources of money laundering originate from illegal activities committed within the country. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 SEPTEMBER: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Thursday praised India's efforts to tackle illicit finance, but noted that the country faces serious terrorism and terrorist financing threats, including those related to ISIL or Al Qaida. The FATF recently released its India mutual evaluation report on combating terror financing and anti-money laundering regime. A joint FATF-APG-EAG assessment of the country’s measures to tackle illicit finance concluded that India has implemented an antimoney laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) framework that is achieving good results, including on risk understanding, access to beneficial ownership information and depriving criminals of their assets. India has achieved a highlevel of technical compliance across the FATF recommendations and has taken significant steps to implement measures to tackle illicit finance, according to the latest report. The report said India is not a destination for money laundering proceeds of crime and noted that India’s main sources of money laundering originate from illegal activities committed within the country. These proceeds may be laundered within India, laundered abroad, or laundered abroad and returned to India for re-integration into the licit economy. CM Mamata threatens to cut ties with Damodar Valley Corporation over flood crisis STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 19 SEPTEMBER An anguished Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned on Thursday that the state government will sever all ties with the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) after the latter released more than 5 lakh cusecs of water without informing the state government. “The DVC has released more than 5 lakh cusec of water without informing the state governmnent. This has caused flood-like situation in vast areas of south Bengal. This is happening every year. I have written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi but he is not listening to us,” Miss Banerjee, who was visiting the flood-hit areas in Udaynarayanpur and Amta in Howrah, said. Miss Banerjee said: “I have spoken to the chairman of DVC and told him that there had been rain for 4 to 5 days and this has caused floodlike situation in some areas. So, before releasing water inform us. I have spoken to Hemant Soren, Chief Minister of Jharkhand." “Once the water recedes, a survey to assess the quantum of crops damaged will be carried out and the farmers will get money under crop insurance. Those whose house got razed to the ground will get compensation,” she said. “We have set up 50 lakh pucca houses. We had planned 11 lakh pucca houses in December but will increase the number by one lakh. The Centre does not release the funds needed to set up pucca houses" she maintained. Miss Banerjee said the border with Jhargram will be sealed for three days as the national highway in some pockets are under water. Miss Banerjee said the priority now is to ensure that those in the relief camps get food, baby food and other relief materials. “ I have asked the health centres to keep medicines to combat diarrrhoea and snake bite,” she said. Miss Banerjee also called upon the junior doctors protesting over the rape and murder of their colleague in the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital to end their agitation and return to work in light of the health crisis likely to develop in the wake of the floods. (See also Page 2) Jr docs to end sit-in, partially resume work STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 19 SEPTEMBER In a late-night development, the agitating junior doctors have finally decided to withdraw their sit-in-protest programme at the Swasthya Bhawan, state health department headquarters, from Friday. They will also partially resume work in government medical colleges from Saturday. According to the striking doctors, they will rejoin duty in the general emergency departments at various government medical colleges and hospitals, but not in any other department. After a general body meeting, the leaders of the pro- testers told reporters tonight that they would withdraw the protest programme on Friday after a rally from Swastha Bhawan to the CGO Complex at Salt Lake, housing the CBI offices, demanding prompt justice for the rape and murder of the 31-year old post graduate doctor. “Today, on the forty-first day of our movement, we can affirm that we have achieved initial success regard- ing the five demands for justice for Abhaya that sparked our protest,” the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front said a its statement. “Due to our movement, we have been able to halt the heinous conspiracy to cover up the incident and the malicious attempts to undermine the investigation,” the statement said. “We have fought on the streets, and we are also fighting in the High Court and Supreme Court. However, our struggle is not over. It will continue until justice for Abhaya is served and until the actual perpetrators, along with those who sought to protect them, are identified and punished,” it said. (See also Page 3)