TUESDAY 22 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 REVANTH URGES PUBLIC NOT TO TAKE LAW IN THEIR OWN HANDS KHARGE HOLDS CEC MEET P4 SENSEX 81,151.27 MAINLY CLEAR SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 35 AND 20 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 94 % TEMPERATURE ` vs $ 84.07 Min: 20.4 °C (+2) SUN SETS 17:45 hrs MOON SETS 12:38 hrs THUMBNAILS Director general of Police Gujarat State, Police commissioner of Ahmedabad City, and police personnel pay tribute to the fallen heroes of the police services on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, in Ahmedabad on Monday.n ANI German Chancellor to visit India this week: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will pay an official visit to India from 24 to 26 October for the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi, it was officially announced on Monday. Chancellor Scholz visited India twice last year, for a bilateral state visit in February 2023 and to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September 2023. On 25 October, Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Scholz will co-chair the intergovernmental consultations. Scholz will be accompanied by senior ministers in his cabinet for the IGC consultations. P9 GOLD 80,535.00 P12 SILVER 1,01,000 ASHOK TUTEJA NEW DELHI, 21 OCTOBER I n a significant development that could lead to an improvement in their ties after over four years of heightened tensions, India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), leading to disengagement and a resolution of the eastern Ladakh military stand-off which began in April-May 2020. This announcement was made by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri this afternoon at a media briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia from October 2223 to attend the BRICS Summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping will also attend the summit and the breakthrough in talks on the military stand-off may now lead to a bilateral meeting between Mr Modi and the Chinese leader. ''As you are aware of the events of 2020 in several years along the LAC, we have been in discussions with Chinese interlocutors, both at the diplomatic and the military levels. These discussions in the past had resulted in the resolution of the stand-off at various locations. However, there were a few areas or locations where the stand-off had not been resolved,'' the foreign secretary said. ''Now as a result of the discussions over the last several weeks, an agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the LAC in the India-china border areas and this is leading to disengagement and eventually a resolution of issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020,'' he added. The patrolling arrangements agreement extends beyond the areas along the LAC where there has already been a disengagement of military personnel over the past few years, and include the so far unresolved areas of Demchok and Depsang, it is learnt. The Ladakh stand-off brought the relationship between the two neighbours to a new low. There have also been a few clashes between the troops on both sides, including the one at Galwan in June 2020, in which the Indian Army lost 20 soldiers, and China lost an unspecified number of troops. The last meeting at the diplomatic level between the two sides under the institutional Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held in Beijing in August at which the two sides had a frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views on the situation along the LAC to narrow down the differences. It was agreed between the two sides to resolve the outstanding issues at the earliest. Apparently, the upcoming summit at Kazan in Russia where both Mr Modi and Mr Xi will be present, compelled the two sides to expedite a settlement. PM may seek discharge of Indian nationals working for Russian Army STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 OCTOBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to again take up with Russian President Vladimir Putin the early discharge of nearly 20 Indian nationals who are yet to be discharged from the Russian Army when the two leaders hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at Kazan from October 22-23. At a media briefing here this afternoon ahead of the PM's visit to Russia, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "around 85 Indians (who were illegally contracted to fight for the Russian Army in the Ukraine conflict) have returned from Russia. Unfortunately, some of them lost their lives. Nearly 20 Indians still remain there." He said Indian Embassy officials PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 21 OCTOBER have been in close touch with their interlocutors in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence of Russia on the issue of Indians still working for the Russian Army. PM Modi will visit Russia on October 22-23 to attend the 16th BRICS Summit. The summit, themed 'Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security,' will provide an Same with the word secularism.” The top court’s observations came as BJP leader Subramanian Swamy – one of the petitioners – said the two words inserted in the preamble of the constitution in 1976 cannot bear the date of the original preamble which was framed in 1949. The bench posted the matter for hearing in the third week of November. Besides Swamy, the top court was hearing petitions by the lawyers Balram Singh, Karunesh Kumar Shukla, and Ashwini Upadhyay. Swamy, in his petition, said the two words, inserted in the preamble through the 42nd Constitution Amendment Act of 1976 during the Emergency, violated the basic structure doctrine enunciated in the famous Kesavananda Bharati case judgment by the 13-judge bench in 1973, by which power of the parliament to amend the constitution was barred from tinkering with the basic features of the Constitution. Swamy contended that the framers of the constitution had specifically rejected the inclusion of these two words in the constitution and alleged that these two words were thrust upon the citizens even though the framers had never intended to introduce socialist and secular concepts in democratic governance. Rajya Sabha member and the Communist Party of India leader Binoy Viswam also approached the top court asserting that 'secularism and socialism' are inherent to the constitution and are basic features of the Constitution. important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues. The summit offers a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and to identify potential areas for future collaboration. Mr Misri said PM Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and invited leaders. Patrolling pact could help restore pre-2020 situation in border areas: Jaishankar ASTATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 OCTOBER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the patrolling arrangements pact between India and China would help a return of the situation that existed in border areas before AprilMay 2020. During an interaction in the capital, he said the agreement between the two sides was a "positive and good" development. "What Foreign Secretary (Vikram Misri) has said is what I can also say, that we reached an agreement on patrolling and with that we have gone back to where the situation was in 2020. We can say that the disengagement process with China has been completed...There are areas which for various reasons after 2020 because SC stays NCPCR recommendation to shift madrasa students to formal schools PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 21OCTOBER The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recommendation to states/Union territories to shift students studying in unrecognized madrasas, which are not compliant with Right to Education Act, 2009, to formal schools. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra by an interim order restrained the central and the State governments from acting on the communications issued by the child rights body. The top court’s stay of the NCPCR recommendation and order restrain the central and the State governments from acting on it came as senior advocate Indira Jaisingh told the bench that the sweeping nature of the NCPCR's directive lacked legal authority and it would adversely impact the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. The senior advocate Indira Jaisingh appeared for the petitioner Muslim religious body - Jamiat Ulema-E-Hind. The national child rights body had raised serious concerns about the functioning in Madrassas and has called for stopping their state funding unless they comply with the RTE Act, 2009. On June 07, 2024, the NCPCR wrote to the Chief Secretary of the state of Uttar Pradesh directing that the recognition of Madrassas not complying with the RTE Act be withdrawn. On June 25, the NCPR wrote to the Centre’s Ministry of Education to issue directions to all the States/Union Territories to conduct inspections of the existing Madrasas with the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Code. The NCPCR had recommended that the recognition and UDISE Code of Madrassa that do not comply with the norms under the RTE Act be withdrawn with immediate effect. In the wake of the NCPCR recommendations, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary wrote to all District Collectors to conduct a detailed investigation of all governmentaided/recognised madrassas in their respective districts that admit non-Muslim children and for immediate admission of all children enrolled in Madrassas into government schools. India’s achievements give hope to the world, says PM Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 OCTOBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said when the world struggles with worries of one kind or another, Indians are talking about the current century as their own, and India shines like a ray of hope amidst challenges from global situations because of a sense of positivity. Addressing an event in the national capital, he said in recent years, the world has been facing difficult situations one after another, whether it was Covid-19, or the economy, inflation, unemployment, or climate change, armed conflicts or disruption of global supply chains. These tensions and conflicts became the subject of discussions at seminars and global summits, he said. India was a BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 74.37 India,China reach agreement on ‘patrolling arrangements’: Misri Secularism has always been held as part of Constitution: Supreme Court The Supreme Court said on Monday that secularism has always been held to be part of the basic structure of the constitution and the words ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ on the preamble of the constitution should not be seen through Western lenses. Observing that ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ in the preamble need not be looked at through the Western lens, a bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said, “Socialism can also mean that there should be equality of opportunity and wealth of the country should be distributed equally. Let's not take the Western meaning. It can have some different meanings as well. SPINNING TRACK EXPECTED IN PUNE It's said the two sides have decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas Min. 49 % Max: 34.7 °C (+2) SUN RISES 06:27 hrs MOON RISES 21:52 hrs P8 NIFTY 24,781.10 WEATHER PUTIN HOSTS SUMMIT picture of contradiction in these circumstances. The global situations did make a difference to India, but its sense of confidence to go ahead made Indians feel the current century belonged to them, the Prime Minister said. He said India has been advancing in every field and the speed and scale of its progress is unprecedented. The biggest needs of the current era are stability, sustainability and solutions and Indian people have given their single-minded support to this. In the last 60 years, they have for the first time given their mandate to a government for a third consecutive term in office. “This is a message of stability. Haryana had Assembly elections recently. People have again given strength to the need for stability,” the Prime Minister said. Mr Modi said his government had completed nearly 125 days of its third term. In these 125 days, he said, three crore new houses have been approved for the poor. Work has started on infrastructure projects worth Rs 9 lakh crore. “We have started 15 new Vande Bharat trains, work on eight new airports has been started,” he said. In these 125 days, a package of Rs 2 lakh crore has been for the youth. “We have directly transferred Rs 21,000 crore to the bank accounts of farmers, we have arranged for free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh for the elderly above 70 years of age,” the Prime Minister said. Look at the scope of the work being done in India, he said. Rooftop solar plants have been installed in five lakh houses. More than 90 crore trees have been planted under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign. Not only this, 12 new industrial nodes have been approved too, he said. Sensex and Nifty, which give a sense of the economy’s health, have grown by six to seven per cent. “Our forex has increased from 650 billion dollars to over 700 billion dollars. This list of India's achievements is very long. And I am talking only about 125 days,” he said. “You also have to note that in these One Twenty Five Days...what topics did the world come to India to discuss? What global events took place in India in One Twenty Five Days? An international assembly was held in India to discuss telecom and digital future,” he said. There was a global fintech festival held in India, the global semiconductor ecosystem was discussed in India, and international conferences on the future of renewable energy and civil aviation were held in India, the Prime Minister said. PM Modi meets his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and remarked that Bhutan is a very special friend of India. Responding to a post by the Bhutanese PM, Mr Modi posted: “Glad to have met you in Delhi this morning, PM Tshering Tobgay. Bhutan is a very special friend of India's and our cooperation will continue to get even better in the times to come.” Mr Tobgay had posted on X: “Always happy to meet my friend, H.E. Prime Minister @narendramodi ji; Expressed my gratitude to the Government & people of India for their steadfast goodwill & cooperation. We reaffirmed our commitment to advancing our special bond of friendship from strength to strength. they had blocked us so we had blocked them. So what has happened is we have reached an understanding which will allow the patrolling," he said. "I think the understanding to my knowledge is that we will be able to do the patrolling which we were doing in 2020. I think it's a good development. It's a positive development and I would say it's a product of very patient and very persevering diplomacy. We've been negotiating since September 2020, when I met my counterpart Wang Yi, in Moscow at that time...I think it creates a basis that peace and tranquility, which there should be in the border areas, which there was before 2020, we will be able to come back to that," the minister added. Ministry of Civil Aviation plans to put those who make hoax bomb threats on a no-fly list STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 OCTOBER The Centre is considering amending existing laws to deal with false bomb threats on aircraft and plans to put those who make such threats on a no-fly list, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said on Monday. In the past few days, Spice Jet and Air Asia flights received five bomb threats each, with multiple airlines receiving a total of 30 bomb threats in the last four days. "From the Ministry, we have thought of some legislative action if it is required. We have come to the conclusion that there are two areas that we can explore 1) Amendment in Aircraft Security Rules... one of the ideas that we want to propagate by changing these rules is that once we catch hold of the perpetrator who is behind this, we want to put them in the no-flying list... 2) Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act," the Civil Aviation Minister said while addressing a press conference here. On "UDAN Yojana", Naidu said under the "UDAN Yojana" the government is planning to start 50 more airports or enhance the capacity of existing airports. "We are envisioning the UDAN scheme for 10 more years. We want to take it forward for 10 years because in the next 5 years, we are planning to start 50 more airports or enhance the capacity of existing airports. Upto 2047, we feel that we have the capacity to increase the airports to more than 200. We have 157 today and we can take it up to 350," he said.