WEDNESDAY 23 OCTOBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR BLINKEN ARRIVES IN ISRAEL SEEKING A CEASE-FIRE ‘CAN'T IMAGINE BETTER REPRESENTATIVE THAN PRIYANKA FOR WAYANAD’ P10 SENSEX 80,220.72q930.55 WEATHER Scattered thunderstorms. May contain frequent lightning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 29°C and 25°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 88% P6 NIFTY 24,472.10q309.00 Min. 81% New Moon on 1 November THUMBNAILS Workers work at a construction site on the banks of River Ganges during the preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh 2025 festival, in Prayagraj on Tuesday.n ANI IMF keeps growth forecasts for India unchanged at 7 pc for FY25, 6.5 pc for FY26: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) the growth forecasts for India unchanged at 7 per cent for FY25 and 6.5 per cent for FY26. It holds that the pentup demand accumulated during the pandemic has been exhausted as the economy reconnects with its potential growth. (P12) KOLKATA, 22 OCTOBER The government on Tuesday set up a task force to monitor safety and security issues in state-run medical colleges, a day after chief minister Mamata Banerjee held talks with a delegation of agitating junior doctors at Nabanna on Monday evening. On Tuesday, the state secretariat Nabanna issued a notification on the constitution of the 11-member task force headed by the chief secretary, Manoj Pant. The task force also includes home secretary Nandini Chakraborty, director general of police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar, principal secretary in charge of the health department, Narayan Swaroop Nigam, Kolkata commissioner of police Manoj Verma, two representatives each of senior resident doctors and junior doctors, one female medical student and one member of the state level grievance SILVER 1,10,000 GOLD 80,605.00 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 75.45p1.16 PM Modi meets Russian Prez Putin, calls for end to Ukraine conflict Administration gearing up for Cyclone Dana: CM Mamata Banerjee NEW DELHI, 22 OCTOBER ith cyclonic storm Dana, which is gaining in strength, expected to have an adverse impact on at least nine Bengal districts between 23 and 26 October, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced the closure of all schools and colleges in these districts for four days as a precautionary measure. Addressing a press conference at Nabanna today, the chief minister said: “Cyclone Dana, whose landfall is likely on 24 October with a wind velocity of 135 kmph, will most likely cause extensive damage or have an adverse impact on at least nine districts of West Bengal, including in North and South 24-Parganas, East Midnapore, and adjoining districts like Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Bankura, West Midnapore and Jhargram. As a precautionary measure, we have decided to shut down all schools and educational institutions in these nine districts from tomorrow till 26 October.” Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centres in these nine districts will also remain closed. Miss Banerjee said that seven IAS officers, who are principal secretaries of various departments, have been deputed to oversee the relief and rehabilitation measures already put in place in those districts and coordinate with the district administration. Miss Banerjee said that the state government On Tuesday, the state secretariat Nabanna issued a notification in connection with the constitution of the 11-member task force headed by the Bengal chief secretary, Manoj Pant. redressal committee. Miss Banerjee held prolonged discussions with the delegates of the protesting junior doctors at Nabanna Sabhagriha on Monday evening to resolve the impasse in the state healthcare services caused by the sit-in-protests and fast-unto-death agitation by the doctors across the state since 9 August when the 31 year-old woman doctor was brutally raped and murdered inside her workplace at R G Kar Medical College Hospital, triggering outrage throughout the country. Safety and security for doctors, patients and other medical and non-medical employees inside government medical colleges and hospitals, removal of Mr Nigam, formation of state and collegelevel task forces etc were prominent points in the 10point charter of demands of the junior doctors that were discussed in the meeting with the chief minister. Miss Banerjee had assured the junior doctors in the meeting to form the task force within 24 hours to do away with ‘threat culture’ sponsored allegedly by a section of doctors and medical students inside the teaching hospitals’ campuses. The agitating junior doctors, under the banner of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, withdrew their fast-unto-death programme at Esplanade on Monday night following requests of parents of the victim doctor. Miss Banerjee had also appealed to them to withdraw the hunger strike and join work during the meeting. is fully prepared to tackle any kind of situation. “Integrated control rooms have already been opened and are in operation. Fishermen have been advised to desist from venturing out to sea during that period. District administrations have been asked to shift people staying in lowlying areas to safer places,” Miss Banerjee said. The chief minister said district administrations are on full alert, particularly in coastal areas. NDRF and SDRF teams have been deployed to carry out relief and rescue operations. Miss Banerjee added that ministers and MLAs who hail from the nine districts have been asked to stay put in their respective districts to coordinate with the district administration and will not be required to join the cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on 24 October at Nabanna. Ferry services have been suspended in different districts in the state, especially those which are likely to be most affected by the cyclonic storm. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday that a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is likely to turn into a severe cyclonic storm by 23 October and hit Odisha and West Bengal coasts on 24 October. The region is likely to receive heavy rainfall till Friday. The wind speed is likely to reach 60 kilometres per hour (kmph) along the coastline and increase to 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph, from 24 October night till 25 October morning, the IMD has said. India, China reach patrolling agreement, but ‘trust issues’ persist, says Army chief STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 OCTOBER A day after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced an agreement between India and China to resume patrolling along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh ~ signalling potential disengagement and de-escalation of forces ~ Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi highlighted ongoing “trust issues” between the two countries. On Monday, Mr Misri said that as a result of discussions that have taken place over the last several weeks, an agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control and this is leading to disengagement and eventually a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in the wake of the deadly Galwan Valley clash of 2020. Speaking at an event organ- ised by the United Service Institution of India, General Dwivedi said that trust remains a key issue. Both nations need to reassure each other before carrying out the disengagement process, the Army chief said. “As of now, we are trying to restore the trust. That will happen once we are able to see each other and we are able to convince and reassure each other that we are not creeping into buffer zones that have been created. Patrolling gives us that kind of advantage... And as we are restoring trust, the other stages will also follow...” he said. Naidu, Stalin add to clamour for more children in south India AGENCIES AMARAVATI, 22 OCTOBER Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s call to people to have more children and his Tamil Nadu counterpart M. K. Stalin’s ‘why not 16 children’ remark have added to the clamour for demographic balance in south India, where the falling fertility rate is causing concern. While Mr Naidu’s stand for begetting more children is not new, his proposal to bring in a law that one can contest panchayat or municipal elections only if he has more than two children underscores that he is keen to go beyond mere words. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president, for the last few years, has been advocating an increase in population rate in tune with the national average. However, Mr Stalin’s call close on the heels of Mr Naidu’s latest assertion appears to have given a push to the whole debate. Mr Stalin on Monday sug- P16 Schools to stay closed in 9 south Bengal districts State govt sets up task force on safety, security in medical colleges STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE ` vs $ 84.07 W Min: 25.8˚C SUN SETS 17:05 hrs MOON SETS 11:35 hrs KEY SPORTS REMOVED FROM CWG 2026 P12 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 22 OCTOBER TEMPERATURE Max: 29.6˚C SUN RISES 05:36 hrs MOON RISES 22:23 hrs ‘INDIA WELL POSITIONED TO CAPITALISE ON NEW GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES’ gested that perhaps it was time that newly-weds considered having 16 children, instead of '16 forms of wealth' as suggested in the Tamil blessing. “That blessing does not mean you should have 16 children... but now a situation has arisen where people think they may have to, literally, raise 16 children and not a small family,” he said at an event where 31 couples tied the knot under a government-funded marriage scheme. Mr Stalin’s suggestion came a day after Mr Naidu revealed that his government was plan- ning legislation allowing only those with more than two children to contest local body elections. “At one time, if you had more than two children, you couldn't contest panchayat or municipal elections. Now I am bringing a new law. Only if you have more than two children, you can contest panchayat or municipal elections and get more benefits for your family,” he said at a gathering at Amaravati. The TDP-led NDA government in August repealed the legislation that barred people with more than two children from contesting local body elections. "At one time, I had called for observing family planning but I am now making an appeal to people to beget more children," said Mr Naidu while calling for maintaining demographic balance. Voicing concern over the fertility rate in the state declining to 1.5-1.7, he called for increasing it to 2.1 per cent, at par with the national fertility rate. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of children a woman (15-49) would have if she lived to the end of her childbearing years and gave birth in line with current fertility rates. “Population in north India is growing but it’s declining in south India. You should keep this in mind,” Mr Naidu had said at a public meeting in August. “If we don’t think with foresight, the population will decrease. The ageing population will increase. If children are not born, who will take care of the elderly,”he asked. Hewarnedthatthedemographic crisis may land the state in a situation similar to that of Europe, China, and Japan, which have ageing populations. Andhra Pradesh is not the only state facing the situation. The average Total Fertility Rate of five southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) is 1.73 against the national average of 2.1. In contrast, the average TFR of five big heartland states (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Jharkhand) is 2.4. According to officials, the average male reproductive age in Andhra Pradesh is 32.5 years which is likely to go up to 40 by 2047. Similarly, the female reproductive age in the state is now 29 years and this is expected to go up to 38 by 2047. It is believed the number of people who can contribute to economic development will come down drastically. Currently, 11 per cent of Andhra Pradesh’s population is aged above 60 years. This is likely to go up to 19 per cent by 2047. ASHOK TUTEJA Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday renewed his call for an early end to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and said India is prepared to extend all possible cooperation in this endeavour. At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Kazan in Russia, Mr Modi said: “As I have said earlier, we believe that the problems should be resolved in a peaceful manner. We fully support the early establishment of peace and stability. All our efforts give priority to humanity. India is ready to provide all possible cooperation in the times to come.” The meeting between the two leaders took place on the margins of the BRICS Summit. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval were part of the Indian delegation at the talks between the two leaders. Mr Modi pointed out that he has been in touch with the Russian leader ever since the hostilities erupted. He also spoke about the growing partnership between the two countries, noting that he had visited Russia just three months back. “My two visits to Russia in the last three months reflect our close coordination and deep friendship. Our Annual Summit in Moscow in July has strengthened our cooperation in every field,” he added. Prime Minister Modi also stated that in 15 years, the BRICS has earned a name for itself and now many countries in the world want to join it. He said he is looking forward to participating in the BRICS Summit on Wednesday. Mr Modi also spoke about India's historic links with Kazan. He said India's decision to open a Consulate at Kazan will give a boost to ties between the two nations. In his remarks, Mr Putin recalled that he had held “very good discussions” on several issues with PM Modi when they met in July. “We also spoke on the telephone a lot of times. I am very grateful to you for accepting the invitation to come to Kazan. During the upcoming BRICS Summit today with other leaders, we should take some very important decisions,” he said. The Russian President said the role of India and Russia in the BRICS is very important since both countries are founding members of the grouping. Kalyan Banerjee breaks glass bottle during stormy JPC meet, hurts himself STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 OCTOBER The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill had another stormy sitting on Tuesday where Trinamul Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee broke a glass bottle and hurt himself while arguing with BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay during the meeting. JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal later suspended Mr Banerjee for one day and two meetings of the JPC following a motion by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. The JPC meeting that was hearing various stakeholders and experts on the Bill was attended by many eminent personalities, including retired judges and Supreme Court lawyers. According to sources, Mr Kalyan Banerjee wanted to speak, although he had already taken his turn earlier and wanted to get a chance again during the presentation. BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay objected to the disruption from Mr Banerjee and a heated exchange ensued between them. Mr Banerjee picked up a glass water bottle, hit it on the table and hurt himself. Due to the incident, the meeting adjourned for some time. Soon after, he was taken for medical aid, wherein he received four stitches in his hand. In today's meeting, the committee was scheduled to hear views and suggestions from representatives of Justice in Reality and Panchasakha Prachar, both based in Cuttack, Odisha.