TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 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 BUDGET WORTH RS 2.94 LAKH CR PRESENTED IN AP ASSEMBLY ‘HEMANT BABU, COUNTDOWN FOR YOUR EXIT HAS BEGUN’ P6 P5 SENSEX 79,496.15 NIFTY 24,141.30 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 31˚C and 23˚C respectively RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 94% TEMPERATURE Max: 30.5˚C (-0.5) SUN RISES 05:47 hrs MOON RISES 13:38 hrs ` vs $ 84.40 VARUN SHINES WITH MAIDEN 5-WICKET HAUL JAPAN’S PARLIAMENT RE-ELECTS STRUGGLING LEADER ISHIBA AS PM P10 GOLD 79,315.00 P16 SILVER 93,000 ‘India-Russia partnership will serve the world well’ BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 72.45 Vote Trinamul for further development: Mamata EAM also said that devising appropriate methods of cooperation is essential for both India & Russia Min. 50% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min: 22.8˚C (+1.6) NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER E SUN SETS 16:54 hrs MOON SETS 00:43 hrs Full Moon on 16 November THUMBNAILS Devotees celebrate the Chunari Manorath festival, at Yamuna River in Mathura on Monday. n ANI 11 militants killed in encounter with CRPF in Manipur's Jiribam: Eleven suspected militants were killed in an encounter with the Central Reserve Police Force in Jiribam area of Manipur on Monday, sources said. According to the sources, a CRPF personnel is also critically injured in the encounter. Violence erupted in the northeastern state on May 3 last year following clashes during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category. Earlier, Manipur Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Singh asserted that they want peace and normalcy to return to the state, adding that these are very challenging times and they have been trying to tackle it with the best possible strength. xternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said a partnership between an India that has an 8 per cent growth rate for multiple decades ahead, and a Russia that is a key natural resources provider and a major technology leader, will serve both of the countries and the world well. ''A growing Russian appreciation of Make In India as a program to deepen business will certainly help to take forward our cooperation in many domains,'' he said at the India-Russia Business Forum in Mumbai. The session was also attended by Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, who is here for the 25th session of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation to be held in New Delhi on Tuesday. Noting that the business meet is being held barely three months after the Annual Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and their interaction on the margins of the BRICS Summit last month in Kazan, Mr Jaishankar said those occasions have provided a strategic direction, whose economic dimension the two nations seek to realise. The Indian minister observed that the world is moving towards greater multi-polarity and devising appropriate methods of cooper- ation is essential for both India and Russia too. ''Moreover, Russia has consciously focused more deeply on Asia since 2022. This has created many more avenues of cooperation. That we have a long history of strong convergence and deep friendship allows us to make the best of both factors. That the two economies are so complementary is also a key consideration,'' he added. He also highlighted certain key developments in bilateral ties. ''Our bilateral trade is today at $66 billion. This makes the goal of reaching $100 billion by 2030 more than realistic. The balance of trade, however, needs urgent redressal since it is so one-sided. It is imperative that non-tariff barriers and regulatory impediments are speedily addressed for this to happen,'' he added. Mr Jaishankar noted that the India-Eurasian Economic Union trade in goods negotiations commenced in March this year and the two countries need to vigorously take it forward. ''The first ever bilateral Investment Forum took place in Moscow in April 2024. We also need to expedite negotiations on the Bilateral Investment Treaty,'' he added. The programme for cooperation in regard to the Russian FarEast from 2024-29 was signed in July during the Annual Summit. It encourages other related activities including in the connectivity sphere, the minister said. He said that mutual settlement of trade in national currencies is Justice Sanjiv Khanna sworn in as Chief Justice of India PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Monday was sworn in as Chief Justice of India. He was administered the oath of office by President Droupadi Murmu in the Ganatantra Mandap, Rashtrapati Bhavan. Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna is the 51st Chief Justice of India. He will have a tenure of six months and three days. He will demit office on May 13, 2025. Chief Justice Khanna has succeeded Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, who retired on November 10. Chief Justice Khanna was elevated as judge of the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019. The swearing-in-ceremony was attended amongst others by the Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Min- ister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, other members of the Union Cabinet and other dignitaries. Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Sanjiv Khanna enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. Initially he practiced in the District Court at Tis Hazari complex in the national capital. Later he moved on to Delhi High Court and also practiced at different tribunals. Justice Khanna’s field of specialization covered constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law and the taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law and medical negligence. He had a long tenure as the Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department. In 2004, he was appointed as the Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. He had also appeared and argued in a number of criminal cases at the Delhi High Court as an Additional Public Prosecutor and as an amicus curiae. Elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and he was made a permanent judge in 2006. As a judge of the Delhi High Court, he was Chairman/Judge-in-charge of the Delhi Judicial Academy, Delhi International Arbitration Centre, and the District Court Mediation Centre. As a Supreme Court judge, he was Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee, from June 17, 2023, till December 25, 2023. He is presently the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority and a member of the Governing Council of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal. Now as CJI, Justice Khanna will be the patron-in-Chief of NALSA. Justice Khanna was part of the bench that took suo motu cognizance of media reports on the allegations of sexual harassment against then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi in April 2019. In 2019, he authored the lead judgment for the Constitution bench, ruling that the Right to Information (RTI) Act extends to the office of the Chief Justice of India. Pure fiction, completely untrue: Russia denies Trump-Putin conversation AGENCIES MOSCOW, 11 NOVEMBER Russia on Monday denied US media reports which claimed that the US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have spoken over phone after the former's win in the presidential election, last week. "There was no conversation... This is completely untrue, it is pure fiction," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow during a daily media briefing. The Russian President's Press Secretary also questioned the credibility of the US media publications that had published reports of the alleged conversation between the two leaders, earlier in the day. Gambhir plays down NZ debacle, looks forward to Oz tour TRIDIB BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER Under fire after a 3-0 series whitewash at home against New Zealand, the Indian cricket team will look to turn things around and retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for a third consecutive time during their upcoming tour of Australia for a challenging fiveTest tour, starting with the first Test at Perth from November 22. The series also holds significance as a World Test Championships final berth is at stake after Rohit Sharma’s men slipped to second spot following the drubbing against the BlackCaps. For a team that has been near-invincible at home, this loss was significant—it marked their first Test series defeat on home soil since 2012 and the first 3-0 whitewash at home this century, as the Indians struggled to cope with New Zealand’s spin attack. Despite the heavy backlash following the series loss, head coach Gautam Gambhir showed no signs of concern, shrugging off all the uproar at the pre-departure presser on Monday. “What difference does it make, the social media talk? What difference does it make in my life or for that matter, in anyone else’s life?” Gambhir said. “When I took up this job, I knew it was going to be a highly difficult job and highly prestigious job. Honestly, I don't feel the heat because there are some incredibly tough people in that dressing room who have achieved some great things for the country and will continue to do so. “It's an absolute honour to be coaching them and coaching India,” he added. Gambhir was candid enough to acknowledge that New Zealand were the superior side and outplayed the hosts in all departments in the recent series, but the former India opener is eager to put behind the setback while emphasising on the lessons learnt, and shift the team's focus to the upcoming challenge against Australia. “The learning is that we accept that we were outplayed. I am not going to sit here and defend. I think we were outplayed in all three departments, they were more professional and we accept that,” he said. “The criticism that we are receiving, we take it with both hands and we keep moving forward, we keep getting better every day. My relationship with Rohit (Sharma) has been incredible. Before the New Zealand series, we had an incredible Test in Kanpur (against Bangladesh).” “I know we haven’t played our best cricket but that doesn't change anything. Australia is a new series, Australia is a new opponent and we go out there thinking we can definitely win the series,” the two-time World Cup winner said. “We have no concerns about Virat and Rohit. I think they're incredibly tough men, they've achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot in the future as well,” he said. of great importance, especially in the current circumstances. Special Rupee Vostro Accounts are right now an effective mechanism. However, even in the short run, a better trade balance with national currency settlements is the answer. He observed that the signing of a bilateral agreement between the customs authorities of the two countries in May 2024 on Authorised Economic Operators, has had a big impact on smoothening the ease of doing trade. The three connectivity initiatives between the two sides, the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor and the Northern Maritime Route, all need continued attention, he said. He also drew Russia's attention to the importance of non-economic domains, such as education and film as contributions to a larger societal but also an economic connection between the two countries. He was confident that the business community in both countries would note and appreciate the strong direction given by the governments to take forward bilateral trade and investment ties. ''It is natural that there would be concerns, such as banking and payment related issues, logistical challenges like shipping, insurance and reinsurance as well as market access. Obviously, we have to find solutions that work to the comfort level of those actually involved in trade,'' he added. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 11 NOVEMBER Few hours before the campaign for the by election in six Assembly constituencies comes to an end , chief minister and Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Baneerjee urged the voters of these areas to cast their vote in favour of her party that looks after them throughout the year and not cast a single vote to the BJP. She said this at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport before leaving for her north Bengal tour this afternoon. By-elections in six Assembly seats, Sitai, Madarihat, Taldangra, Midnapore, Haroa and Naihati will take place on Wednesday. "Cast your vote in favour of Trinamul Congress as we look after you throughout the year and do not cast a single vote in favour of the BJP," she said. She said voting for the Trinamul Congress means supporting development of the areas. She thanked the people for supporting Trinamul Congress candidates in the Lok Sabha election. Miss Banerjee said she was visiting Darjeeling after nearly one-and-a-half years. "I did not go during the Lok Sabha election. I want the people of Darjeeling to stay well. I always want Darjeeling to remain good and the people of Terai and Dooars to stay well." Asked to comment on the forthcoming Assembly election in Maharashtra, she said, "I do not want to comment on the election in another state but will urge people not to vote for the BJP." Miss Banerjee will hold an administrative review meeting with the senior officials of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. She will also hold meetings with the members of GTA and other development boards of the Hills. She will return to the city on Friday. Campaign for J’khand Assembly’s 1st phase polls ends STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER The high-octane campaigning for the first phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections came to an end on Monday evening. The leaders of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-led alliance and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) left no stone unturned to woo the voters during their campaign. Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president JP Nadda, key leaders from the saffron party who campaigned extensively in the state, included Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while for the Congress its national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were in the forefront. Shah, who is also former chief of the BJP, addressed three rallies in different parts of Jharkhand on the last day of campaigning, and exuded confidence that the saffron party would form the government. He accused the JMM-Congress led government in the state of indulging in corruption. “The alliance of JMM and Congress which has made Jharkhand a bastion of corruption is about to be wiped out from the state. NDA will form the government in Jharkhand,” Shah said. He said the BJP is committed to the protection and promotion of tribal culture.