SATURDAY 05 OCTOBER 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 ‘INDIA TO NEAR DOUBLE PER CAPITA INCOME IN NEXT 5 YEARS’ IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER PRAISES MISSILE ATTACK P9 SENSEX 81,688.45q808.65 NIFTY P8 25,014.60q235.50 P7 ` vs $ 83.56 GOLD 78,295.00 PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 36 AND 26 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. Maha Deputy Speaker jumps off Mantralaya RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY AGENCIES WEATHER Max. 90 % TEMPERATURE Min. 53 % Max: 36.5 °C (+2) SUN RISES 06:17 hrs MOON RISES 09:16 hrs In protest over quota issue; he & other protesters land in safety net MUMBAI, 4 OCTOBER Min: 24.8 °C (+3) SUN SETS 18:02 hrs MOON SETS 19:18 hrs THUMBNAILS A boatman rows his boat on the Dal Lake, in Srinagar on Friday. n ANI IAF show cause over rape charge: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has slapped a showcause notice on a wing commander after a court of inquiry probing allegations of rape against him found that he violated protocols, official sources said The notice was served on the fighter pilot, who is posted at Ambala air base, on Thursday, they said. In the show-cause notice, the IAF asked the officer why his services should not be terminated, they said. A group of seven to eight tribal legislators from ruling and Opposition parties led by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal on Friday jumped from the third floor at the Mantralaya into the safety net erected there to protest against the state government’s move to provide reservation to the Dhangar community from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. They also opposed the state government’s proposal to release a government resolution treating Dhangars and Dhangads as one and the same. The shocking incident took place when the state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was underway on the 7th floor of the Mantralaya. The legislators also threw some papers during their protest. Mr Zirwal, who was accompanied by Kiran Lahamte, Hiraman Kosekar and Sunil Bhusara and BJP MP Hemant Sahara were angry over Chief Minister Shinde not giving them time for discussion and taking them into confidence on a politicallysensitive issue of providing reservation to the Dhangar community from the ST category. They said that despite waiting for more than seven hours on Thursday, the Chief Minister did not turn up for the meeting. As the legislators were shouting slogans while ROHIT FEARS SERIES WIN AGAINST B’DESH MAY GO UNNOTICED ‘MP AIMS TO LEAD IN HEALTHCARE’ sitting in the safety net, the police had a tough time bringing them to the nearest floor. Senior police officers were seen trying to convince them, but the legislators were quite adamant. The protest by the tribal legislators and MP caught the police unawares and they had to mobilise personnel quickly. The Mantralaya staff gathered in large numbers to see the protest by the legislators and MP. The tribal legislators were insisting that their fight would continue till they get justice. They were also demanding that the state government recruit tribal youth under the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996. Mr Zirwal, who was quite agitated, broke into tears and said: “We have taken this step in the larger interest of the tribal community and also of the children whose future should not go waste. We are tribals first and legislators or MPs later.” Mr Zirwal said although the tribal youth were recruited under the PESA Act, most of them were told to go home citing they would not be able to stay at work. He added that nearly 6,500 such youths were currently protesting outside the homes of the tribal legislators asking them to help them or face the consequences. Mr Zirwal’s blood pressure in the meantime shot up, forcing the police to rope in a team of doctors for his treatment. P12 SILVER 99,990 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 78.09p0.47 EAM Jaishankar to visit Pakistan for SCO Heads of Government meet The decision comes after months of speculation on whether India will participate in the summit, given the current state of relationship with Pakistan. India held the chair of the SCO in 2023 and PakistanÊs then Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto visited Goa for a meeting of the SCO foreign ministers. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 OCTOBER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Pakistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government meet to be held on 15-16 October, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday. ''The External Affairs Minister will lead our delegation at the SCO summit to be held in Islamabad on 15-16 October,'' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing. The decision comes after months of speculation on whether India will participate in the summit, given the current state of relationship with Pakistan. India held the chair of the SCO in 2023 and Pakistan’s then Foreign Minister The SCO comprises India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Lately, it has emerged as an influential economic and security bloc. Bilawal Bhutto visited Goa for a meeting of the SCO foreign ministers. Pakistan holds the rotating chairmanship of the SCO. Islamabad had in August invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the meeting being hosted by it. The SCO comprises India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Lately, it has emerged as an influential economic and security bloc. Though Mr Jaishankar is expected to have bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other participating nations, a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart is highly unlikely. Meanwhile, the spokesperson criticised Pakistan for hosting radical preacher Zakir Naik. “We are not surprised that a fugitive from Indian justice has received a high-level welcome in Pakistan. It is disappointing and condemnable, but as I said, not surprising,” he said. Tirupati laddu row: Supreme Court sets up independent SIT, CBI to monitor probe Russia-Ukraine conflict reminds us of need to build strong defence industrial base: Rajnath PARMOD KUMAR STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 OCTOBER The Supreme Court on Friday established an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations of animal fat being used in the preparation of laddus at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. The laddus are distributed as prasadam to devotees and worshippers of Lord Venkateswara. The SIT, formed by the Supreme Court, supersedes the one already constituted by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu's government. A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan stated, "We don't want this to become a political spectacle. An independent body will inspire confidence" as the issue involves the sentiments of millions of devotees worldwide. The newly constituted SIT will consist of two officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) nominated by the CBI Director, two officers from the Andhra Pradesh police nominated by the state government, and a senior official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The SIT will be supervised by the CBI Director. The Supreme Court clarified that the formation of a new SIT does not reflect on the credibility of the members of the SIT constituted by the Andhra Pradesh government. The court dismissed petitions seeking its intervention in the matter, stating: "We will not allow the Court to be used as a political battleground." The Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, appearing for the central government, defended the SIT set up by the Andhra Pradesh government and suggested that it could be supervised by a central officer. He emphasised that if the allegations were true, they were "unacceptable" and that devotees across the country and food safety authorities were involved. The ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh is an alliance partner of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Andhra Pradesh government, expressed a desire to proceed with the SIT constituted by the state and suggested adding an officer of the court's choice to the team. He asserted that there were no allegations against the existing SIT. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Rajya Sabha member and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman YV Subba Reddy, advocated for an independent investigation team. He argued that the SIT set up by the state government could not be expected to conduct an impartial investigation given the previous statements made by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. NEW DELHI, 4 OCTOBER Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is a reminder for India to build a strong defence industrial base, which can be bolstered and expanded with time. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to empowering India's defence industry by working handin-hand with it and realise the vision of making India a global manufacturing hub. Addressing the seventh annual session of the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) in New Delhi, Mr Singh asserted that the government, in its third consecutive term, will provide a renewed thrust to its ongoing efforts towards developing a robust, innovative and self-reliant defence ecosystem. He enumerated the steps taken to attain ‘Aatmanirb- harta’ in defence, including the creation of defence industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, issuance of positive indigenisation lists (PILs), corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board, handholding of private industries by DRDO, and unveiling of Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020. On the 10 PILs notified with over 5,500 items, the defence minister stated that the idea is to equip the armed forces with platforms/equipment manufactured on Indian soil. Terming the lists as dynamic and not static, he exhorted the industry to achieve complete self-reliance for these items within the stipulated time and keep shortening the list. He also stressed the need to assess and identify products that can be added to the PILs in view of the rapid changes being witnessed in the field of defence across the globe. Mr Singh emphasised that due to the government’s efforts, an environment conducive to ease of doing business in the country has been created, and a target set for making India's defence industry export-oriented. While he lauded the major contribution of the private sector in taking the defence exports to a record high of over Rs 21,000 crore in Financial Year (FY) 2023-24, he called upon the industry to keep in mind the export and import figures and strive to reduce the ratio between the two with a target-oriented approach. Mr Singh expressed happiness over the fact that the annual defence production touched a record high of Rs 1.27 lakh crore in FY 202324. While the share of DPSUs was Rs one lakh crore, private companies contributed about Rs 27,000 crore. Haryana heads for the hustings, main contest between BJP and Congress 28 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh operation AGENCIES CHANDIGARH, 4 OCTOBER Haryana heads to Assembly elections on Saturday, with the contest likely to be a bipolar one between the two traditional archrivals ~ the state's ruling BJP that is banking on a third successive stint with to its “double-engine” government despite internal rebellions, and the principal opposition Congress,whichiseyeingtodethrone it, citing "existing resentment" among crucial sections like farmers, employees, unemployed youth, and wrestlers. While both the BJP and the Congress are contesting 89 seats, political observers told IANS that the presence of candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the state's once-prominent Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), contesting in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the INLD’s breakaway faction Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is in the fray with the Azad Samaj Party, besides some BJP rebels who are in the fray as Independents, have made the contest triangular or multi-cornered on a few seats. Haryana, where soldiers, wrestlers, and farmers predominate, is the first state to go to the polls after Lok Sabha elections where both the Congress and the BJP won five seats each in the state. After thwarting foes within, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda (77), who served as the Chief Minister from 2004 to 2014, has campaigned across the state to ensure the return of the party to power, by dislodging BJP’s first-time Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, an Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader. For Mr Hooda, BJP’s national issues like inflation and the Agnipath military recruitment scheme and the state’s growing unemployment, law and order and resentment among employ- ees, who are unhappy with the existing National Pension System started by the Centre, are among the major poll planks. In its election manifesto, the Congress promised to revert to the old pension scheme and Rs 2,000 monthly payment to women, besides the monthly social security pension of oldage people, handicapped and widows will be raised to Rs 6,000, cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500 each and 300 units of free electricity every month to every household. Meanwhile, despite the repealing of the controversial farm laws by the BJP-led Central government in 2022, farmers in Haryana and neighbouring Punjab are still protesting and inruralHaryana,wherewrestling is a way of life, there is unhappiness over the "injustice" to women athletes over the alleged sexual harassment by a former BJP parliamentarian. A confident Mr Hooda told a news agency there is a straight contest between the Congress and the BJP, adding that "the people are upset with government policies and they are going to show the BJP the door this time". On the other hand, the BJP aims to achieve a hat-trick of victories, promoting its "nonstop Haryana" vision and highlighting the advantages of a double-engine government, while targeting the Congress for anti-reservation sentiments, and dynastic politics. The BJP has made 20 promises, and interestingly, five of these overlap with those in the Congress’ "7 Guarantees". The BJP claims its 53-page ‘Sankalp Patra’ is more realistic with its resolve for “non-stop development of Haryana” than its rival Congress’ “populist” manifesto. The Congress says the BJP’s manifesto has stamped failures of its own government as it could not fulfil promises made in the 2014 and 2019 polls. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAIPUR, 4 OCTOBER Security forces killed at least 28 Maoists in a major operation along the DantewadaNarayanpur border in Chhattisgarh on Friday. According to police sources, the bodies of 28 Maoists have been found, with unofficial estimates suggesting that the toll could exceed 30. The joint forces, including the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Cobra Battalion, launched the operation following intelligence reports of Maoist presence in the area. During a search operation, AK-47s, Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), and other automatic weapons were recovered. The encounter took place in the dense forests of Abujhmad, a notorious Maoist stronghold. According to officials, a fierce exchange of gunfire occurred before security personnel recovered seven bodies of the insurgents and a quantity of arms and ammunition. The operation by security forces coincided with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai's visit to South Bastar, where he, along with Assembly Speaker Dr. Raman Singh, inaugurated and laid the foundation for development projects worth 167.21 crore. During his visit, the Chief Minister also handed over keys to self-help groups to facilitate local bus services, boosting rural connectivity.