MONDAY 28 OCTOBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR RBI GOVERNOR GETS TOP CENTRAL BANKER AWARD ‘WE SEVERELY HARMED IRAN’S DEFENCE CAPABILITIES’ P9 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. MIST IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 34 AND 20 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. TEMPERATURE P6 Min: 20.1 °C (+3) SUN SETS 17:39 hrs MOON SETS 15:31 hrs THUMBNAILS A young girl at the Diwali Bazaar hosted by the Blind Relief Association on Lodhi Road, Delhi, displaying an array of intricate, handcrafted bracelets and jewellery. SNS Stampede at Bandra Railway Station in Mumbai leaves 9 injured: At least nine people were injured in a stampede at Bandra railway station in Mumbai early on Sunday when passengers tried to board a train heading toward Uttar Pradesh. The condition of seven people is stable while two have suffered critical injuries. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said the stampede occurred due to the very heavy rush before Diwali. (Pg 5) ‘As far as terrorism is concerned, India has adopted a zero tolerance policy’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BONGAON, 27 OCTOBER E xternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India will focus on de-escalation once the disengagement agreement between India and China to end the military standoff in eastern Ladakh is fully implemented. “India and China on 21 October reached a disengagement agreement whereby soldiers belonging to both the countries will resume patrolling as they did before the 2020 border face-off. The agreement is anticipated to ease patrolling in the Depsang and Demchok areas where patrolling will be restored. However, for implementation of this agreement, it will need some time,” he said at a press conference in Mumbai. He further said the next level is de-escalation and the third larger issue is how to manage the border and how to negotiate the boundary settlement. In response to a question, Mr Jaishankar said India has emerged as a leader in fighting terrorism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Further, amid tense global scenarios and ongoing Iran-Israel and UkraineRussia war, he said that India is ready to provide all possible support in the times to come. As far as terrorism is concerned, India has adopted a zero tolerance policy, he asserted. “I am in Mumbai which has become a counter terrorism centre for the country and for the world especially after the 26/11 terror attacks. The UNSC’s Counter Terrorism Council Summit was recently held in Mumbai and in the same hotel which was attacked by the terrorists. We have to be very clear. KTR kin embroiled in rave party allegation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HYDERABAD, 27 OCTOBER A huge political storm was triggered in Telangana after a raid by Cyberabad police during a party at the farmhouse of the brother-in-law of BRS working president KT Rama Rao. While the brother-in-law Raj Pakala was booked for possessing liquor in quantities above permissible limits without an excise license, a guest was arrested for testing positive for cocaine use. While the BRS blamed the Congress government led by Revanth Reddy of conspiring to trap Mr Rao who has been aggressively attacking the government for its failings, Union minister for home affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleged the Congress was shielding the BRS leader and his family members and demanded CCTV footage of the search. Meanwhile, when police went to search the residence of the BRS working president, allegedly without a warrant, party leaders, MLAs and activists obstructed them and two leaders were arrested. According to police, on the intervening night of 26/27 October a raid was organised by Narsingi police, special operation team and excise officials at a farmhouse in Janwada after receiving information about a rave party. There were 21 men and 14 women at the party where liquor was served. No permission was sought from the excise department for serving liquor and seven unauthorised foreign liquor bottles were found along with 10 Indian ones. Drug tests were conducted with kits and a person called Vijay Madduri tested positive for cocaine. According to the FIR, the women refused to cooperate for the drug test. However, no drugs were found in the entire premise which was searched by sniffer dogs. The FIR read: “He said his owner Pakala Raj has one software company, in the name of ETG software company at Nanakramguda and Vijay is the CEO of that company. Moreover, he is also having one own company in the name of Fusion AIX software company, he acts as CEO (sic). Occasionally, they used to get together on weekends and used to consume drugs and play with poker coins… Raj Pakala asked him to consume cocaine which he had with him, Vijay agreed and consumed cocaine.” We say zero tolerance for terrorism and we should not have a repeat about what happened in Mumbai. It cannot be day time doing business and nighttime terrorism… this will not be accepted. We will expose terrorism and then we will act,” he said. On the Kashmir issue, Mr Jaishankar said: “We have been very clear that there is cross border terrorism… we have felt that there are many ways to deal with the issue. When Assembly elections were held, voter’s turnout was more than 60 per cent and it was a big statement considering the people’s response. Who wins is a secondary part. India won that day, that many people put their faith in the government’s move to scrap article 370 and remove the hold of separatist policy.” The minister said that he went to Pakistan recently with a clear message that India would not compromise on its zero tolerance policy. On the issue of entry of illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar, he said the government’s focus is to tighten the border security. Mr Jaishankar strongly pitched for a double engine government to achieve the Viksit Bharat goal. “For Viksit Bharat, Viksit Maharashtra is necessary. Maharashtra is the most industrialised with a long history. There are factories, technology, research, quality of people, environment but there are new possibilities. With the implementation of Centre’s India Middle East Economic Corridor initiative, Maharashtra will benefit a lot with investors investing in ports, logistics, roads and railways. Investors are interested to invest in the state,’’ he added. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 OCTOBER second largest manufacturer today. India, which once was the biggest buyer of Defence Equipment in the world, is now also exporting to 85 countries. Today, in Space Technology, India has become the first country to reach the South Pole of the Moon. And one thing I like the most is that this campaign of self-reliance is no longer just a government campaign now; the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is becoming a people's campaign - we are achieving success in every field," the Prime Minister said. “In this festive season, we strengthen this campaign of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. We do our shopping with the mantra of Vocal for Local. This is the new India where the Impossible is just a challenge... where Make in India has now turned into Make for the world, where every citizen is an innovator, where every challenge is an opportunity. We not only have to make India self-reliant, but also strengthen our country as a Global Powerhouse of Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday called for change in West Bengal, as he sought to set the tone for the 2026 Assembly elections. Mr Shah arrived in Kolkata on Saturday night and attended a Border Security Force (BSF) event in Bongaon on Sunday. Even at this official event, Mr Shah voiced a political message, calling for change in Bengal in the 2026 Assembly elections. He stated that if the BJP comes to power, the problem of illegal immigration in West Bengal will be resolved. The BJP government would stop illegal immigration through the Bangladesh border. He also targeted chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Mr Shah inaugurated the Passenger Terminal Building and Maitri Gate at the Petrapole border. Speaking there, he said: “In the past 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done a lot of work across the country. The people of Bengal have some grievances, but don’t worry; the BJP government will address those grievances after the 2026 elections. Under Modi's leadership, Sitharaman seeks enhanced support from int’l financial institutions for SDGs the West Bengal Land Port Authority is doing an excellent job. The development of the entire area is ongoing. MP Shantanu Thakur informed me that five to six thousand people come from the Bangladesh border every day for treatment at Kalyani AIIMS. Bring change in the state in 2026, and we will put an end to illegal immigration. Development is the sole objective of the Modi government.” The Trinamul Congress has consistently accused the central BJP of not giving West Bengal its due funds. In response, Union home minister Amit Shah said: “What has Mamata given to Bengal in the last 10 years? Trinamul is allied with Congress. When Con- gress was in power at the Centre, Bengal received Rs 2.9 crore. In the last 10 years, Modi’s government has given Rs 7.74 crore to Bengal. But the funds provided by Modi end up as victims of corruption in Bengal. ‘Achhe din’ (good days) for Bengal are not far away. We will make Bengal more prosperous and fruitful.” Union home minister Amit Shah also noted that trade between Bangladesh and India has increased under the Modi government. “When Modi came to power, trade with Bangladesh was at Rs 18,000 crore, and it has now reached Rs 30,000 crore. Business and employment have increased, which has also created job opportunities in Bengal,” he said. WALKING IN THE SMOG STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 OCTOBER Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sought enhanced support from international financial institutions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the G7 African Ministerial Roundtable, the minister discussed country-specific solutions to development finance challenges, and G7 initiatives for development in Africa, on the sidelines of Annual Meetings 2024 in Washington, DC. "FM @nsitharaman especially focused on enhanced support from international financial institutions, especially through the increased lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) as vital to achieving Sustainable Development Goals." the ministry said in the post on X. She called for scaling up access to long-term and affordable financing for development, supported by structural reforms and policy measures to promote domestic resource mobilisation and attract foreign investment to build long-term financial resilience to attain Sustainable Development Goals. Highlighting the deep-rooted partnership between India and Africa, Mrs Sitharaman said: “Prime Minister Naren- Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi stresses on importance of self-reliance, addresses ‘digital arrest’ issue Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that selfreliance has not only become India's policy, it has become a passion. The world is amazed to see the success story of the nation which was doing wonders in every field, he said. In the 115th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Modi said: “Self-reliance has not only become our policy, it has become our passion. It was not very long ago, just 10 years ago, when someone said that some complex technology was being developed in India, many people would not believe it and many would ridicule it. But today the same people are amazed to see the success of the country. India, which is becoming self-reliant, is doing wonders in every field.” “Just think, India, which used to import mobile phones once upon a time, is the world's P12 Disengagement first step, Shah calls for change in Bengal de-escalation next: EAM ahead of 2026 Assembly polls NEW DELHI, 27 OCTOBER Min. 54 % Max: 34.2 °C (+2) SUN RISES 06:31 hrs MOON RISES 03:37 hrs P10 BARCELONA THRASH REAL MADRID 4-0 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % COLONIAL RECKONING innovation," he said. Mr Modi also talked about “digital arrest” in today's episode of 'Mann Ki Baat'. “I will reiterate that there is no system like digital arrest in the law, this is just a fraud, deceit, it is a lie, a gang of criminals and those who are doing this are enemies of society. To deal with the fraud that is going on in the name of digital arrest, all the investigative agencies are working together with the state governments,” Modi said. He said for synchronisation among investigative agencies, a National Cyber Co-ordination Centre has been set up. "Thousands of such fraudulent video calling IDs have been blocked by the agencies. Lakhs of SIM cards, mobile phones and bank accounts have also been blocked. Agencies are doing their job, but for protection from scams in the name of digital arrest, it is very important that everyone is aware, every citizen is aware. Those who are victims of this kind of cyber fraud should let as many people as possible know about it. You can use #SafeDigitalIndia for awareness," the Prime Minister said. Mr Modi also urged schools and colleges to involve students in the campaign against cyber scams. "We can fight this challenge only with the collective efforts of society," the Prime Minister said. In his address, the Prime Minister said youths were creating original Indian content which was a reflection of India's culture which was being watched worldwide. “The animation sector has today taken the form of an industry that is giving strength to other industries. Virtual Reality tourism today is getting famous… On October 28, World Animation Day will be celebrated. We must resolve to make India a global animation powerhouse.” dra Modi has redefined this partnership with 10 guiding principles aimed at supporting Africa's growth through capacity-building, enhanced public services, and addressing Climate Change, among others". The Union finance minister underlined India's support to Africa in areas like infrastructure development and the health sector, offering technical expertise and technology transfers, it added. People at Kartavya Path near the India Gate in New Delhi on a smoggy Sunday. SNS MGNREGS sees surge in rural employment: 2,923 cr person days generated over last 10 yrs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 OCTOBER Rural employment under MGNREGS witnessed a rapid increase in the last 10 years with 2,923 crore person days generated between FY 201415 to FY 2024-25, the Ministry of Rural Development said on Sunday. The Ministry was responding to reports in some sections of the media that rural employment under MGNREGS has dipped by 16 per cent in the first half of the current year. According to the ministry, the increase over the last decade, from 1,660 crore generated between FY 2006-07 to FY 2013-14 was 76 per cent. “It may be noted that the total person days generated between FY 2006-07 to FY 2013-14 were 1,660 crore, whereas, the total person days between FY 2014-15 to FY 2024-25 has been 2923 crore. Since MGNREGA is a demand driven scheme and current FY is still ongoing, hence, it is not possible to fix an exact target of person days generation. However, the states/UTs can send proposal for labour budget revision as per the local felt needs (sic),” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry also said it is an inaccurate assessment to state that the budget of MGNREGA and workers' wages are being cut continuously. The Budget estimate for the scheme has been on an increasing trend. “During the FY 2013-14, the Budget allocation was Rs 33,000 crore only at BE stage which is Rs 86,000 crore during the current FY 2024-25, which is the highest since inception. Further, it is stated that in FY 2024-25 the minimum average notified wage rate has increased by 7 per cent," the Ministry said. According to the government, job card verification is a continuous process under MGNREGS. This exercise is conducted by states/UTs with the help of the Aadhaar number as a tool for de-duplication. Job cards can be cancelled, after due verification, only if it is a fake job card. As per NREGASoft, during FY 2023-24, the total number of job cards deleted by the states/UTs was 1.02 crore, whereas, in the current FY 2024-25 as of 26.10.24, it is 32.28 lakh. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) aims at enhancing livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.