TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR KISHAN REDDY DEMANDS PROBE INTO IDOL VANDALISM INCIDENTS NETANYAHU MULLS PLAN TO EMPTY NORTHERN GAZA OF CIVILIANS P6 P10 SENSEX 81,973.05 NIFTY 25,127.95 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 33˚C and 27˚C respectively. RAINFALL: ‘CENTRAL BANKS SHOULD REMAIN PREPARED TO NAVIGATE CHALLENGES’ 0.0 mm ` vs $ 84.05 P12 GOLD 78,355.00 P16 SILVER 97,000 Govt also summons Canada's Charge d'affaires Stewart Wheeler to the foreign office ASHOK TUTEJA Max. 93% Min. 58% NEW DELHI, 14 OCTOBER Min: 26.8˚C (+2.0) SUN SETS 17:13 hrs MOON SETS 01:54 hrs I TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 17 October THUMBNAILS Polling officials with their election materials before leaving for their respective polling booths on the eve of the Punjab panchayat polls, at a distribution centre in Patiala on Monday. nANI J&K Lt Governor invites Omar Abdullah to form govt, oath-taking on Wednesday: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah will take oath as chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on 16 October. Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, on Monday evening, sent a letter inviting Omar Abdullah to form the next government in J&K. The principal secretary to the LG delivered the letter to Omar at his Gupkar Road residence. India eves out of semis: India's hopes of entering the Women's T20 World Cup were dashed on Monday following Pakistan's heavy loss to New Zealand in Dubai. Despite some sloppy fielding, Pakistan managed to restrict New Zealand to 110/6. Chasing a target of 111, Pakistan were bowled out for a paltry total of 56. n an unprecedented step, India on Monday expelled six Canadian diplomats and withdrew its High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and other 'targeted' diplomats after Ottawa sought to link them with the killing of 'Khalistan' supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Within hours of deciding to recall the Indian envoy in Ottawa, New Delhi said it was expelling Canadian Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert and Marie Catherine Joly, lan Ross David Trites, Adam James Chuipka and Paula Orjuela (all first secretaries). These Canadian diplomats have been asked to leave India by or before 11:59 PM on Saturday, October 19, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. As ties between the two nations touched a new low, India this evening summoned the Canadian acting high commissioner to the foreign office and conveyed to him its decision to withdraw the Indian envoy and other diplomats and officials and firmly told him that New Delhi reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Justin Trudeau Government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India. The Canadian diplomat was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian envoy and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable. ''It was underlined that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government's actions endangered their safety. We have no faith in the current Canadian Government's commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials,'' the MEA said. The Canadian Charge d'affaires, however, told reporters at the foreign office that Ottawa has provided ''credible and irrefutable'' evidence to India in the matter. Earlier in the day, in a strongly-worded statement, the MEA said, ''We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country.'' India, the MEA said, strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics. Ties between India and Canada nosedived after PM Trudeau alleged in September 2023 Indian hand in the murder of Nijjar in his country in June 2023. India has repeatedly denied its involvement and hit out at Canada for giving space to extremists and anti-India elements. The lengthy statement said since Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from New Delhi. ''This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains,'' it said. The statement said PM Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been in evidence. In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort. His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India. ''His (Mr Trudeau) naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard. That his government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-à-vis India, only aggravated matters,'' New Delhi added. It further said that under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, his government has deliberately brought in India in an attempt to mitigate the damage. This latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction. ''It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a Commission on foreign interference. It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains,'' the statement added. New Delhi alleged that the Trudeau Government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada. This has included death threats to them and to Indian leaders. All these activities have been justified in the name of freedom of speech. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 15 OCTOBER The state is all set to hold the Durga Puja Carnival on Red Road tomorrow. The venue of the carnival is Red Road, where 90 famous community Durga Puja clubs will take part. The event will start from the intersection of Red Road at Fort William. The Durga idols will be put up on open long-chassis lorries, which are generally decorated. The clubs present cultural shows on the street. Women and men, dressed in colourful attires take part in the cultural shows, where each participating club gets around five minutes. The important pujas that will take part in the carnival are Chetla Agrani, Suruchi Sangha, Ballygunge Cultural, Samajsevi, Behala Natun Dal, Tallah Prattoy, Hatibagan Sarbojanin, Simla Byayam Samity, Kashi Bose Lane, Kalighat Miloni among others. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, along with her senior cabinet colleagues, businessmen, officials of different high commissions will take their seats at the main block which resembles Govt committed to creating safer, legal MHA calls key meeting to address ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur channels for emigration: Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 OCTOBER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday reaffirmed the government's resolve to continue with efforts aimed at creating safer and legal channels of emigration abroad. ''I am sure that all the Protectors of Emigrants, empowered with technology and through their collective experiences, will gear to work relentlessly towards fulfilling our commitments to the public and to the nation,'' he said while addressing a function at the launch of eMigrate Portal and Mobile App V2.0. He urged Indian ambassadors abroad to turn towards the Indian talent and the demographic dividend that India has to offer, for sourcing work- force requirements. ''I hope that all the relevant stakeholders, including Indian workers, foreign employers and recruiting agents will utilize this portal and reap its benefits to the fullest,'' he added. Mr Jaishankar said the launch of eMigrate portal V2.0 is a testament to the government's continuing efforts to create a safer, more transparent, and inclusive mobility for Indian labour, and marks a significant milestone in its efforts to safeguard the welfare and interests of Indian citizens. He said today there is a global need for workers who have domain-specific knowledge of their field. For several reasons, this need for a welltrained workforce in different geographies is only going to grow further. ''This is clearly reflected in the pace at which we have undertaken negotiations with different countries on migration and mobility since 2015, and also, in how the mobility ecosystem of India, itself, has been taking shape,'' he added. Mr Jaishankar said that while recognising the invaluable contributions of Indian migrant workers to India's economy and global reputation, the vulnerabilities that they face in foreign lands must also be recognised. ''Our Missions, especially those in the Gulf, have dedicated labour attaches which ensure redressal of labour and other grievances. I am pleased to note that the revamped eMigrate portal also has 24 X 7 multilingual helpline numbers to attend to issues that they face which require urgent solutions, in addition to features for registering feedback for redressal,'' he added. Mr Jaishankar was happy to note that the portal is working towards broadening the social security net of emigrants through insurance policies; and the arrangement with the State Bank of India for provision of additional digital payment services with zero transaction charges. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE IMPHAL, 14 OCTOBER In a significant development aimed at addressing the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has scheduled a critical meeting on Tuesday in New Delhi, bringing together MLAs from the Meitei, Naga, and Kuki-Zo communities. This initiative comes as the region grapples with protracted violence that has led to severe humanitarian consequences. Sources indicate that, while attendance from Meitei and Naga representatives seems likely, Kuki-Zo leaders are still deliberating their participation. Cabinet Minister Letpao Haokip confirmed the MHA's proposal for the meeting but Three share Nobel in Economics for explaining why some countries are rich and others poor AGENCIES STOCKHOLM, 14 OCTOBER The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences to three US economists for providing new insights into why there are such vast differences in prosperity between nations, trying to help solve the puzzle why some countries are rich and others poor. Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and James A. Robinson from the University of Chicago in the US were awarded the coveted honour for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity. Acemoglu, Johnson and BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 77.46 90 pujas line up India recalls envoy, then for carnival today expels 6 Canadian diplomats RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 33.0˚C (+0.4) SUN RISES 05:33 hrs MOON RISES 15:05 hrs GREEN TO MISS BORDER-GAVASKAR SERIES Robinson have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity. "Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better. The laureates’ research helps us understand why," said the Academy. "Reducing the vast differences in income between countries is one of our time’s greatest challenges. The laureates have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for achieving this," said Jakob Svensson, Chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences. When Europeans colonised large parts of the globe, the institutions in those societies changed - but not in the same way everywhere. The Nobel laureates have shown that one explanation for differences in countries’ prosperity is the societal institutions that were introduced during colonisation. In some colonies, the purpose was to exploit the indigenous population and extract natural resources to benefit the colonisers. In other cases, the colonisers built inclusive political and economic systems for the long-term benefit of European settlers. "This is an important reason for why former colonies that were once rich are now poor, and vice versa," according to a statement by the Academy. The researchers also said that as long as the political system guarantees the elites will remain in control, no one will trust their promises of future economic reforms. According to the laureates, this is why no improvement occurs. However, this inability to make credible promises of positive change can also explain why democratisation sometimes occurs. “When there is a threat of revolution, the people in power face a dilemma. They would prefer to remain in power and try to placate the masses by promising economic reforms, but the population are unlikely to believe that they will not return to the old system as soon as the situation settles down,” explained the Academy. In the end, the only option may be to transfer power and establish democracy. stated that discussions among Kuki-Zo MLAs regarding their attendance are ongoing. This meeting marks a pivotal moment as it is the first of its kind organized by the MHA since the outbreak of violence over 17 months ago. The ethnic conflict, which erupted on May 3, 2023, was catalyzed by a 'Tribal Solidarity March' in response to the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The violence has led to over 230 fatalities and left more than 59,000 individuals displaced, with significant destruction of property, including over 11,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Local media reports indicate that all relevant MLAs were personally invited to the talks, with an emphasis on fostering dialogue among the warring factions. However, some Kuki-Zo MLAs have expressed their reluctance to attend due to concerns about the effectiveness of such discussions in resolving longstanding grievances. Meanwhile, the state and central governments have firmly rejected demands for separate administrations or the establishment of a Union Territory for the tribal population, despite ongoing calls from several legislators, including members of the ruling BJP party. The tension remains palpable, as the conflicting demands and community divisions highlight the complex socio-political landscape in Manipur. As the MHA prepares to facilitate dialogue among these communities, the stakes are high. Air India flight diverted to Delhi after bomb threat STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 OCTOBER An Air India flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi on Monday following a bomb threat. All passengers and crew members on board the flight are reported to be safe. The flight, which had departed from Mumbai for JFK International Airport in New York, received a special security alert. Following this, the aircraft was diverted to Delhi as per instructions from the government’s security regulatory committee. The Delhi Police confirmed that the flight was diverted to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport due to security reasons. They stated that all passengers disembarked safely and are now at the airport terminal. Standard security protocols were followed to ensure the safety of both the passengers and the crew. An Air India spokesperson mentioned that after receiving the security alert, immediate action was taken, and the flight was safely redirected to Delhi. The plane landed safely at IGI Airport, and all passengers were safely deboarded. A thorough security check of the aircraft was carried out and no suspicious material was recovered. the facade of old buildings. Around 28,000 people have been invited to witness the carnival. The carnival will start at 4 pm. Around 2,500 policemen in and around Red Road had been deployed for the purpose. The Kolkata Police has kept the divers ready at the riverfront to combat any emergency situation. Counter carnival of protest planned: Bengal’s chief secretary Manoj Pant on Sunday evening also appealed to the Joint Platform of Doctors, an umbrella body of associations of doctors, to withdraw their call for a carnival of protest (Droher Carnival) on Rani Rashmoni Avenue, at Esplanade, at 4pm on Tuesday. “We have received the email. We are discussing among ourselves what to do,” said Punyabrata Guna, a joint convener of the Joint Platform of Doctors. Medical Serice Centre, Kolkata secretary Dr Nilratan Naiya said, "A separate group has called for the carnival of protest but we are not taking part in it. We are with the junior doctors and supporting their 10-point demand.” Delhi govt imposes complete ban on firecrackers STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 OCTOBER The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Monday announced a comprehensive ban on the manufacturing, sale, storage, and bursting of all kinds of firecrackers, to combat air pollution ahead of the winter season. The ban will be effective till 1st January, 2025. This directive, issued by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, includes restrictions on online sales and deliveries, a first of its kind in the fight against pollution. The decision follows the severe deterioration in air quality typically observed in the region during the winter season, exacerbated by the use of firecrackers. The ban is part of the government’s broader initiative to mitigate air pollution and protect public health, particularly during the festive season in winter months when pollution levels spike to hazardous levels. Reacting to the ban on firecrackers, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, “The harmful effects of firecrackers on air quality are well known, and with this decision, we aim to take preventive action to ensure that our air remains breathable. The ban also includes strict measures to regulate the sale of firecrackers through online platforms.” “Delhi has faced extreme pollution levels in recent years in winters, and we must take every possible step to safeguard the health of our citizens. We urge residents to cooperate and support Delhi’s collective fight against pollution,” he said.