NEERAJ TEAMS UP WITH CHILDHOOD HERO BENGAL'S 'TEMPLE TOWN' 10 NOVEMBER 2024 US ELECTIONS: AN ANALYSIS www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 16 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 PAGES 20 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR Mainly clear sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 31˚C and 24˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 94% Min. 56% TEMPERATURE Max: 30.7˚C (-0.3) Min: 23.3˚C (+2.1) SUN RISES SUN SETS 05:46 hrs 16:55 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 12:21 hrs 23:42 hrs Full Moon on 16 November THUMBNAILS Children take part in a religious procession ahead of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's 555th Parkash Purab, in Patna on Saturday. n ANI India gifts fast interceptor boats to Mozambique to strengthen maritime security: As part of India's capacity-building support for friendly nations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Government of India has gifted two water-jet propelled Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC) to the Government of Mozambique. The FICs, transshipped from India aboard INS Gharial, aim to strengthen Mozambique's maritime security and counter-insurgency capabilities. BJP is spreading lies & propaganda: Oppn ‘Mahayuti will never allow Maharashtra to be MVA’s ATM’ Congress slams BJP's charge of unfulfilled guarantees in party-ruled states WEATHER Prime Minister Narendra Modi told an election rally at Akola on Saturday that the BJP-led Mahayuti will never allow Maharashtra to become an ATM cash machine for the Maha Ghotalebaaz (super corrupt) Congress-backed Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). He went on to repeat other allegations against the Congress and the MVA which he made at his election rallies in Dhule and Nashik in Maharashtra on Friday (8 November). In his speech at the poll rally for Mahayuti candidates in Akola, Mr Modi said: “The MVA stands for multicrore scams, extortion and token money. It stands for transfer-posting racket and is completely immersed in scandals, loot, and corruption.” “The Congress party knows that the weaker the country is, the stronger the Congress will be. That is why it is the nature of Congress to make different castes fight. Since Independence, the Congress never allowed our Dalit community to unite. The Congress also kept our ST community divided into different castes. The Congress gets irritated by merely hearing the term OBCs. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, 9 NOVEMBER H imachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and senior Congress leader Pawan Khera held a press conference at Tilak Bhavan here on Saturday, to expose what they alleged were "BJP's lies and propaganda". They said that through various newspaper advertisements, the BJP has attempted to mislead voters by falsely claiming that the guarantees given by the Congress party during the Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections have remained unfulfilled. At the press conference, All India Congress Committee Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera made a presentation before the media about how the guarantees given by Congress state governments have been implemented and how many people have bene- fited from them. “As soon as the Congress formed the government in Himachal, the Junior Pension Scheme was implemented in the very first cabinet meeting. Those who were getting Rs 5,000 are now receiving Rs 50,000. It was decided to give a guaranteed price of Rs 30 per kg for maize, Rs 40 per kg for wheat, Rs 45 per liter for cow milk, and Rs 55 per litre for buffalo milk, besides Rs 1,500 per month to every person above 58 years,” Sukhvinder Sukhu said. He also mentioned that sources of revenue income have been increased to fulfil these guarantees, adding that 26 killed in suicide attack at Quetta Railway Station, 62 injured People walk amid the debris after a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta, Pakistan. n AGENCIES DAWN/ANN LAHORE, 9 NOVEMBER At least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station on Saturday, local authorities and hospital officials said. The incident comes a week after a bomb blast near a girl’s school and a hospital in Balochistan’s Mastung district killed eight people, including five children. Pakistan, particularly the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, has seen a sharp uptick in terrorism-related incidents over the past year. While speaking to Dawn.com, provincial health department spokesperson Wasim Baig said that the death toll rose to 26 after two people succumbed to their injuries while 62 others were injured in the explosion. Quetta Division Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said that the blast was a “suicide attack” primarily on law enforcement agencies, while civilians were also targeted. Mr Shafqaat added that gatherings have been banned in the area while bus stations were on high alert, adding that railways have been requested to close the station and suspend train services. Speaking to Geo News, he said that besides civilians, “some law enforcement” per- sonnel were also martyred. According to Reuters, Balochistan Inspector General of Police (IG) Moazzam Jah Ansari said: “The target was army personnel from the Infantry School.” While Mr Baig did not confirm details about personnel to Dawn.com, AFP quoted him as saying: “Fourteen members of the army and 12 civilians were killed.” Mr Baig, according to AFP, said 46 members of the security forces and 14 civilians were wounded. According to a list of injured people shifted to Quetta Trauma Centre and Emergency Department ~ issued by Managing Director Dr Arbab Kamran Kasi and available with Dawn.com ~ 53 people aged between 20 and 50 years were wounded. The banned militant group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the blast. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast, praying for the deceased and the speedy recovery of the injured. He also sought an investigation report from the Balochistan government on the incident, the premier’s statement added. girls above 18 years have been given Rs 1,500 and financial assistance is also given to girls pursuing medical education and PhD. Telangana CM Revanth Reddy said that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has fulfilled all promises in Telangana. Six guarantees were announced during the Telangana assembly elections. “After the Congress government came to Telangana, the farmers of the state were given a loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh, which benefitted 22 lakh farmers and for this, Rs 18 crore was distributed to farmers, while 50,000 government jobs were given in 10 CM to visit Darjeeling from Monday STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 9 NOVEMBER Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will embark on a twoday visit to the Darjeeling Hills from Monday, where she will hold some administrative meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. She is scheduled to return to Kolkata on 15 November, according to a statement from the state secretariat. According to the itinerary, Miss Banerjee will arrive at Darjeeling on the night of 11 November. On Tuesday afternoon, she will hold a meeting with GTA (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration) members and chairmen of Development Boards in Darjeeling. On Wednesday, she is slated to inaugurate Saras Mela at Darjeeling Chowrasta. On Thursday, she will return to Siliguri after spending two days at Darjeeling. The statement also said that from now on the programme of the chief minister will be notified from Nabanna, “instead of disinformation and misinformation by a section of press”. Canada discontinues SDS visa programme; Indian students likely to be heavily impacted AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 9 NOVEMBER In a significant development having far-reaching implications for Indian students, Canada has announced the discontinuation of its Student Direct Stream (SDS) visa programme. The SDS is a key pathway for international students seeking permits for studies in Canada. It is said that the decision has come as part of the country's attempts to address “ongoing housing shortages and resource strain”. The SDS programme was launched in 2018 by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It was designed to fast-track study permit applications for students from 14 countries. These nations include Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Under this programme, the application process was faster, paving the way for quicker access to Canadian educational institutions. In a statement on its official website, the Canadian government said that the programme would be discontinued to “strengthen programme integrity, address student vulnerability, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process”. The move by the Canadian government is expected to impact international students, particularly those from the countries previously included in the SDS programme. Applications submitted by 2 p.m. ET (Eastern Time) on 8 November ~ which will be 12.30 a.m. IST on 9 November, will still be processed under the Student Direct Stream (SDS) programme, while those received after that deadline will be handled through the regular study permit stream. The SDS programme was known for its faster processing times and higher approval rates. With the discontinuation of this programme, students from India and 13 other countries will now face longer and more complex processes for visa applications. Canada is also set to considerably reduce the number of immigrants it admits for the first time in years. This will mark a major shift in policy as the Canadian government seeks to regain public support amid growing resentment. months,” Mr Reddy said. “To implement the Mahalakshmi Yojana, Rs 20,000 crore is required for five years, which amounts to Rs 4,000 crore per year and a provision has been made for it. To fulfil the promise made by Rahul Gandhi, a castewise census will be implemented in Telangana from January 2025,” Mr Reddy said. “PM Modi had tweeted that we did not give loan waiver in Telangana, but after I sent him the loan waiver report, he deleted that tweet. The BJP has nothing to say, so they are misleading people against Congress,” Mr Reddy said. The Congress alleged that despite being in power at the Centre for 10 years, the BJP has nothing significant to show in terms of achievements. It alleged that the BJP is using its financial power to spread false propaganda against the Congress-led coalition despite the Congress implementing the guarantees given to voters during the Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh elections, benefitting millions of people in these states. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, 9 NOVEMBER The Congress played various games to ensure that the OBCs never have a separate identity,” the Prime Minister claimed, repeating allegations he made on Friday at Dhule and Nashik in Maharashtra. “The Congress wants different castes within SC society tokeepfightingandquarreling among themselves. The Congress knows that if they keep fighting, their voice will be dispersed, their votes will be dispersed, and as soon as this happens, the way will be paved for Congress to come to power,” Mr Modi alleged. The PM said: “Today, the country is concerned about another sensitive issue. In the J&K Legislative Assembly, Congress and its allies passed a proposal to restore Article 370. I ask you, should Article 370 be reinstated in Jammu and Kashmir?” The crowd responded with loud shouts of “no”. MrModiallegedthatCongress and its allies neither care about Dr Ambedkar's Constitution, nor the courts, nor the sentiments of the country. “From Nehru until today, the ruling family of the Congress has repeatedly insultedDrAmbedkar.During the time of Congress, Dr Ambedkar was not given credit for any major work done by him,” Mr Modi alleged. “The Congress is snatching away the rights of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. Cheating the SCs is both Chaal and Charitra of the Congress party. You all must remember that Ek hai to safe hai (If we are united, we are safe),” he said, urging people to foil all attempts by the Congress to divide people on the lines of castes, religion, and creed. He referred to the schemes launched by the Centre and the BJP-backed Mahayuti government to empower farmers. “Our resolve is that the farmer himself should be so empowered that he emerges as the hero of the country's progress. Therefore, we are increasing the income of farmers and reducing their expenses. When we started the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, the Mahayuti government supported it. The result is that farmers in Maharashtra are getting Rs 12,000 annually,” he stated.