MONDAY 04 NOVEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PRIYANKA ATTACKS PM IN WAYANAD IN LAST PUSH, HARRIS, TRUMP FOCUS ON SUNBELT STATES P9 WEATHER Generally clear. Likely to be hazy. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32°C and 24°C respectively. CJI EXPECTED TO DELIVER SEVERAL KEY JUDGMENTS BEFORE RETIREMENT P4 NZ beat India 3-0 in historic whitewash Ajaz Patel, on ‘home’ ground, grabs 11 to help Kiwis clean-sweep hosts RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY TRIDIB BAPARNASH Max. 77% Min. 62% MUMBAI, 3 NOVEMBER Max: 32.4˚C SUN RISES 05:42 hrs MOON RISES 08:04 hrs Min: 24.8˚C SUN SETS 16:57 hrs MOON SETS 18:47 hrs jaz Patel bettered his own record at his ‘home’ ground at Wankhede with a match haul of 11 for 145, including a match-winning sixfor in the second innings to help New Zealand beat India by 25 runs in the third Test, and register a historic 3-0 clean sweep. This is the first time India have been whitewashed in a Test series at home since South Africa’s 2-0 win in 19992000 and their first-ever whitewash in a series of three or more Tests at home. The result will further complicate India’s prospects in the World Test Championships, as a tougher five-Test challenge awaits them Down Under, later this month. From an Indian perspective, batting has let the team down throughout the series, and it was no different on a crumbling Wankhede surface on day three of the final Test. With the hosts desperately looking for a win to avoid a whitewash, none of the Indian batters TEMPERATURE A Full Moon on 16 November THUMBNAILS Devotees arrive to take a dip in the Yamuna river on the occasion of Bhai Dooj, at Balua Ghat, in Prayagraj on Sunday. n ANI Threat call from Mumbai woman against UP CM: Security for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been enhanced after a threat call from a woman staying in Mumbai. A team of UP Anti-Terrorism Squad ATS and Special Task Force (STF) has left for Mumbai to interrogate the 24-year-old woman, who is accused of making the threat against the life of the UP chief minister, and who has been arrested by Mumbai police. barring Rishabh Pant posed any real challenge for New Zealand as the tourists made early inroads after setting a target of 147. Pant’s 64 off 57 raised hopes of a turnaround as he took India from a precarious 29/5 to 106/6 but once he was dismissed post lunch, the Kiwis knew they were on the cusp of scripting history. “There were a lot of mistakes we did. The first two Tests we did not put (up) enough runs in the first innings. This game we got the 30 runs [28] lead and the target was chaseable. We failed as a unit,” admitted skipper Rohit Sharma in the postmatch presentation ceremony. Resuming the day at We’ve made some progress: Jaishankar on India-China disengagement at LAC AGENCIES BRISBANE, 3 NOVEMBER Following the recent disengagement at two friction points at Demchok and Depsang Plains along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said “some progress” was made and described the development as a "welcome" step. While addressing the Indian diaspora at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, on Sunday, Mr Jaishankar noted that the recent disengagement efforts between India and China would determine the direction of the relations between the two nations and expressed his optimism about the potential for further diplomatic engagement, indicating that the recent disengagement could pave the way for additional steps. “In terms of India-China, we have made some progress. Our relations were very dis- turbed for reasons all of you know. We have made some progress in what we call disengagement,” he said. He referred to the expectations following the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan last month, noting that discussions between national security advisors and his counterparts were anticipated. “We have to see, after the disengagement, what is the direction we go. We do think the disengagement is a welcome step. It opens up the possibility that other steps could happen. The expectation after PM Modi met President Xi was that both the National Security Advisor and myself would meet our counterparts. That's really where things are,” he added. Mr Jaishankar acknowledged that the relationship between India and China had been significantly strained for various reasons, particularly due to the violent encounters in a military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh back in 2020, which resulted in casualties on both sides. He noted that while progress has been made in terms of disengagement along the LAC, challenges still remain between the two nations. He highlighted the complexities of the situation and pointed out the substantial presence of Chinese troops along the LAC, which had increased since 2020, prompting India to counter-deploy forces in response. 171/9, the visitors lost Patel after the addition of three more runs to their overnight total, leaving the hosts with an achievable target of 147 with eight sessions of play left in the match. But Patel, who started his cricketing career in the Maidans of Mumbai, and already has a 10wicket haul at the Wankhede, redeemed himself on his return to his place of birth with another 10-for, to make up for a rather ordinary series by his standards. With that feat, Patel became the most successful visiting bowler at a single Indian ground. During India’s chase, he got great help from the parttime off-spinner Glenn 12 injured in grenade blast in Srinagar market STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 3 NOVEMBER At least twelve persons, including women and men, were injured in a grenade explosion in the crowded market on Sundayneartheheavilyguarded tourist reception centre (TRC) in Srinagar. Terrorists tossed the grenade from a flyover near the local station of All India Radio (AIR) across the road and escaped from there. Security forces have launched a massive search operation in the area. Police sources said that the terrorists might have tried to target a CRPF picket, but the grenade fell in the crowded market in which the locals were injured. The attack comes a day after the security forces gunned down a Pakistani top commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Usman Lashkari. India unveils updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 NOVEMBER Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh released India’s updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), at the 16th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The document was released during a special event called ‘Roadmap for achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) targets and release of India’s updated NBSAP’, on 30 October, in Cali, Colombia. The event witnessed the presence of Mauricio Cabrera, Vice-Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Colombia; Ms Kandya Obezo, Vice-Minister of Multilateral Affairs, Colombia; and Ms Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary, CBD; Shri Tanmay Kumar, Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest P5 and Climate Change, Government of India, and C Achalender Reddy, Chairman, National Biodiversity Authority. During the event, Mr Kirti Vardhan Singh stated that the updated NBSAP, aligned with the Kunming-Montreal framework, is a vital roadmap to address the strategies to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, with a longerterm vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050. He highlighted that India had adopted the ‘Whole-ofGovernment’ and ‘Wholeof-Society’ approach in updat- ing its NBSAP. The minister further highlighted that the updated NBSAP acknowledges environmental challenges and outlines strategies to address them through ecosystem restoration, species recovery programmes, and community-driven conservation efforts focusing on the restoration of degraded ecosystems, the protection of wetlands, and the sustainable management of marine and coastal areas. The secretary in the ministry emphasised India’s governance framework for bio- diversity conservation, exemplified by the Biological Diversity Act of 2002 and its amendments of 2023. This framework includes a three-tier institutional structure comprising the National Biodiversity Authority, State Biodiversity Boards, and local Biodiversity Management Committees, ensuring effective implementation at all levels. The MoEFCC serves as the central agency responsible for coordinating biodiversity conservation efforts across India. The NBSAP update was driven by an extensive consultative process, led by MoEFCC and involving 23 central Ministries, multiple Departments, State-level organisations, communities, and other stakeholders. The updated NBSAP aligns with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, setting 23 national biodiversity targets through an extensive consultative process involving diverse stakeholders. (Another report on Pg 9) Phillips, who contributed with three wickets, to defend the modest target. India’s hunt for a facesaving victory began on a forgettable note with Matt Henry, the only pacer used for a mere three overs in the second innings, getting rid of Rohit (11) early on, before Patel weaved his magic around the likes of Shubman Gill (1), Virat Kohli (1), Sarfaraz Khan (1), Ravindra Jadeja (6), and Phillips joining the party to trap the inform Yashasvi Jaiswal (5), that reduced the hosts to 92/6 at lunch. With Pant still in the middle, India had their slender hopes pinned on the left-hander, who had all the momentum with India taking six singles and two boundaries in the first two overs after lunch, but New Zealand managed to get a decision overturned in what appeared a desperate review. A contentious DRS call from the third umpire Paul Reiffel after the southpaw was given not-out on a bat-pad catch by the on-field umpire, then triggered the turnaround again for the BlackCaps. (More on Page 12) SENIOR MEN HOCKEY NATIONALS SET TO BEGIN IN CHENNAI P12 UCC will be implemented in Jharkhand but tribals will be kept out of its ambit: Shah NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 3 NOVEMBER Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday released the BJP manifesto for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections, announcing that the saffron party will implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state if the party is voted to power, but the tribal community will be kept out of its ambit. Elections for 81 seats in the Jharkhand Assembly will be conducted in two phases on 13 and 20 November, with the counting of votes scheduled for 23 November. Releasing the BJP's Sankalp Patra (Manifesto) in Ranchi, Mr Shah also stressed that if the BJP is voted to power in Jharkhand it will also “drive out infiltrators” coming from Bangladesh. The Union Home Minister stressed BJP's track record in fulfilling commitments and said: “Unlike other parties, we take resolutions and turn them into reality. We have come with a commitment to protect Jharkhand's 'Roti, Maati, Beti' (livelihood, land, daughters), and under PM Modi's leadership, we are confident Jharkhand will embrace this journey of progress.” Criticising the current administration in the state, Mr Shah alleged that the Hemant Soren government, despite receiving over Rs 1.5 lakh crore from the Centre, has been mired in corruption instead of serving the people. “The state deserves better than misrule. The BJP stands for Jharkhand's development,” he said. Outlining the 25 resolutions to mark 25 years of the state's formation, the Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader said: “Hemant Babu, a Uniform Civil Code will certainly be implemented in Jharkhand, but the identity and heritage of the tribal communities will be fully preserved.” “Uniform Civil Code will be introduced in Jharkhand but the Tribal community will be kept out of the ambit of UCC,” he said. The saffron party, in its manifesto, also promised that all lands occupied by ‘infiltrators’ will be returned to the tribal communities. “The BJP government is being formed in Jharkhand and we will drive out these infiltrators. We will bring the law and return the land taken away from women. Hemant Soren, you have failed to provide security to the women of Jharkhand,” he added. Mr Shah further vowed to provide Rs 2,100 per month to every woman of the state if the BJP returns to power. “Under the 'Gogo Didi scheme', women will be given Rs 2,100 every month. Free LPG gas cylinders will be given on Diwali and Raksha Bandhan and the cylinders will be given for Rs 500. 5 lakh employment opportunities will be created for the youth of Jharkhand," the Union Home Minister said. The BJP has also pledged to provide 21 lakh families with their own concrete homes, with tap water connections. “To support youth in their careers, the BJP in its manifesto promises to provide a monthly stipend of Rs 2,000 for two years,” the party stated. The BJP promised to create 287,000 government jobs and offer 500,000 self-employment opportunities in order to combat unemployment. The party said that under the Laxmi Johar Yojana, gas cylinders will be provided at Rs 500, with two free cylinders available each year. The BJP promised to ensure the recruitment of 2,87,500 government positions with transparency. “For this, the process will begin in the first cabinet meeting and will complete the recruitment process on 1.5 lakh positions by November 2025,” the manifesto said.