BHUBANESWAR  SATURDAY  NOVEMBER 16, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION PCB’S PoK CT TROPHY TOUR: BCCI PROTESTS, ICC PUTS IT ON HOLD ICC on Friday put on hold Champions Trophy tour of disputed Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) following BCCI’s strong objection PHOTO: TWITTER BCCI TAKES UP ISSUE WITH INTERNATIONAL BODY PCB had tweeted that they would take the trophy to PoK. “Get ready, Pakistan! The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 trophy tour kicks off in Islamabad on 16 November, also visiting scenic travel destinations like Skardu, Murree, Hunza and Muzaffarabad,” it tweeted. BCCI secretary Jay Shah reportedly protested with the ICC quite strongly ■ 1996 ‘DISCUSSIONS ON’ OVER TROPHY TOUR ■ ■ The tournament, last held in 2017, is already in a limbo after BCCI refused to send its team to Pakistan for the tournament PCB announced the tour without prior knowledge of all stakeholders PCB is saying that discussion between the PCB and the ICC are going on the Trophy tour | P11 LAST GLOBAL MEN’S EVENT IN PAK WAS WHEN THEY CO-HOSTED WORLD CUP CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI The name is Bond... for top RNG award Lifetime achievement award goes to Ruskin Bond, Non-fiction award to Neerja Chowdhury, Fiction award to Aishwarya Jha JOURNOS MUST BE DARING, SAYS CHINMAYA MISSION HEAD M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman awardees Ruskin Bond (represented by granddaughter Srishti), who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award (4th from L), Non-fiction award winner Neerja Chowdhury (6th from L) and Fiction award winner Aishwarya Jha (3rd from L) with (from L) TNIE CEO Lakshmi Menon, TNIE CMD Manoj Kumar Sonthalia, Chinmaya Mission global head Swami Swaroopanandaji, TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, and TNIE Editor Santwana Bhattacharya, in New Delhi on Friday | SHEKHAR YADAV P R A C H I S AT R A W A L @ New Delhi “WORDS steer the mind and heart, revealing the truth that uplifts and transforms,” said Swami Swaroopanandaji, Global Head, Chinmaya Mission, as he inaugurated the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman 2024 at Bharat Mandapam on Friday . An evening dedicated to celebrating the enduring power of storytelling, the awards brought together luminaries from India’s literary and journalistic circles to honour exceptional voices in fiction, non-fiction, and lifetime achievement. The Sahithya Samman, instituted in memory of Ramnath Goenka, the visionary founder of The New Indian Express group, pays tribute to the trans- Finance talks on at a snail’s pace S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA EXPRESS IN BAKU THE climate finance talks at COP29 are going on at a snail’s pace with no significant headway although five days have passed. Yalchin Rafiyev, COP29 lead negotiator, on Friday called upon the parties to use the precious time wisely. “...talk to each other and take ownership of building bridging solutions. We must be honest. We believe that the pace of their work is currently too slow. We cannot afford to leave too much work to be covered later in the summit at t h e p o l i t i c a l level.” At a high-level ministerial, India on behalf of the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) made a statement reiterating its demand from the developed countries for $1.3 trillion annually until 2030. “We are at a crucial juncture in our fight against climate change. What we decide here will enable all of us, particularly those in the Global South, to not only take ambitious mitigation action but also adapt to climate change. This COP is historic in this context,” lead negotiator Naresh Pal Gangwar said. CONTINUED ON: P9 formative force of literature. Speaking at the event, Chairman and Managing Director Manoj Sonthalia described the awards as “a powerful testimony to the resilience, complexity , and beauty of the human experience.” He added, “Today, we honour authors whose works have risen above the ordinary to touch the extraordinary .” Elaborating on the significance of the awards, Editor Santwana Bhattacharya said: “An entity so utterly mundane, familiar, and yet also a stranger— this is what the word is. It was iconised by our founder Ramnath Goenka. Imagine a blank editorial, a silence that echoes through the ages; such aware- ness would not be out of place in a poet. It is fitting, therefore, to have a literary award instituted in his honour.” One of the highlights was the Lifetime Achievement Award to celebrated author Ruskin Bond, represented by his granddaughter Srishti Bond. In a heartfelt video message, the 90-year-old author expressed his gratitude: “This is a happy moment for me... I only wish I could be with you. I am sending my beloved granddaughter Srishti to receive it.” The Non-fiction award went to veteran journalist Neerja Chowdhury for How Prime Ministers Decide, a meticulous exploration of pivotal decisions by six Indian Prime Ministers. “To receive a literary award in Ramnath Goenka’s name is an honour,” she said. Jury chair, author and former diplomat Pavan Varma shed light on the rigorous selection process: “Each work presented a unique lens on India. The sheer depth of research and narrative scope in Neerja Chowdhury’s book set a new benchmark for contemporary non-fiction.” In the Fiction category debut , author Aishwarya Jha received the award for The Scent of Fallen Stars, a poignant tale of love and longing. Quoting V S Naipaul in her acceptance speech, Jha said, “Fiction reveals... I feel honoured to receive this award that celebrates India’s diP7 versity and beauty .” HAILING the doyen of the Indian media, Ramnath Goenka, as a “great independent thinker”, Swami Swaroopanandaji, the global head of Chinmaya Mission, on Friday said responsible journalists have to be daring and courageous and should write facts without prejudice to convey the truth. The Swami was the chief guest at the 2nd edition of the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman ceremony in Delhi. Swaroopanandaji in his address said writers “are those who protect and spread the knowledge to the world”. Reminding people about the timeless impact of epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata on the lives of the people, SwarooResponsible panandaji dwelt on the journalism role of Sanjaya, advisor should be of the blind King Dhricourageous, tarashtra in the Mahabfearless and harata. “Sanjaya narindependent. rated the developments The wellbeing of society in the Kurukshetra war should be at as it unfolded to his the core of blind king without prejresponsible udice and with a lot of journalism clarity he said. ,” The spiritual leader Swami cautioned that when Swaroopanandaji fact and truth are muddled and falsehood is spread as fact, the situation becomes very harmful for the society . Noting that he did not see any difference in the various forms of writing – fiction, non-fiction or media reporting, he said, “In either form, if a writer is able to bring out the better self of people to think independently, the work should be considered a great success.” Talking about the difference between fact and truth, he said, “When fact is told without prejudice it becomes truth.” Authors of books, he added, “should lead us with their writings to allow us to live in unity and harmony. Such writings benefit the society forever.” Massive fire in UP hospital, 10 newborns dead N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow TEN newborn babies died of burn injuries and suffocation after a massive fire broke out at the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) of Rani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh late on Friday night. Jhansi Range DIG Kalanidhi Naithani said the ward had 54 children in all and 44 were rescued after the accident, which occurred around 10.45 pm. Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said a short circuit in the NICU was believed to have caused the fire. “A committee has been formed under Jhansi Divisional Commissioner to probe the incident. It will submit a report to the CM,” he added. The fire led to a stampede-like situation with people trying to flee. Doctors and medical staff were seen evacuating patients by breaking the windows of the ward filled with smoke and doors blocked by flames. Panic and screams of parents of victims gripped the medical college where the incident occurred. Parents were seen pleading with authorities to save the lives of their children. The fire brigade rushed to the site soon after the incident and the district administration also called in the Army to help out. The bodies of 10 newborn babies were recovered. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. The CM directed officials and doctors to reach the spot immediately for relief work. Yogi has sought a report on the incident from Jhansi divisional commissioner and DIG within 12 hours. Row over PM’s plane snag PESA ACT TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN ODISHA AFTER as Rahul’s chopper delayed TAKING OPINION OF STAKEHOLDERS: CM MAJHI M U K E S H R A N J A N @ Ranchi THE special IAF aircraft carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday developed a snag, stranding him in Jharkhand’s Deoghar airport for over two hours till a replacement plane came from Delhi. The incident caused a ripple effect with Congress leader Rahul’s Gandhi’s helicopter being denied permission to take off from Godda, due to the airspace restrictions in the region for the PM’s visit. Officials said Modi waited inside the grounded IAF aircraft for 2 hours and 15 minutes till the alternative plane arrived. Modi was supposed to return to Delhi after addressing a poll rally in Bihar’s Jamui, around 80 km from Deoghar. As a precautionary measure, the region’s airspace was declared a no-fly zone. Around this time, Rahul was caught in a similar situation with his helicopter being grounde d f o r t wo h o u r s , prompting protests from the Congress. The Congress and JMM wrote to the Election Commission demanding a level-playing field for all parties, saying the PM’s poll campaign can’t take precedence over others’. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar CHIEF Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday said the Odisha government is committed to the development of tribal people of the state and will implement the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act after taking the opinion of all stakeholders. Addressing a function to mark the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda here, the chief minister said gram sabhas will be convened in all villages of tribal-dominated districts to get feedback CM Mohan Majhi hands over habitat rights to PVTGs on the ocassion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar, on Friday | DEBADATTA MALLICK on implementation of the PESA Act. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the national function at Jamui in Bihar, Majhi attended the event through video-conference from Bhubaneswar. He also laid the foundation stone for development projects worth `1,535 crore for the Scheduled Tribes on the occasion. Acute poverty forces woman to ‘gift’ newborn girl in Khaprakhol S A N J AY M I S H R A @ Balangir A woman allegedly ‘gifted’ her new-born girl child to unidentified persons since she could not afford to raise her due to acute poverty in San Guduchibhata village under Khaprakhol block, notorious for acute backwardness and distress migration. As per reports, Aruna Bati Nag, a mother of five, including three girls and two adult sons, recently gave birth to a girl child at Sunamudi. Aruna allegedly gave away the baby to some people as she was unable to raise her. The matter came under investigation after an ASHA worker of the area went to Aruna’s house and learnt about the development. The worker said she tried to ascertain who did Aruna gift her baby but in vain. “When I failed to gather any infor mation regarding the child, I reported the matter to the child development project officer (CDPO),” she said. The CDPO informed the matter to district child protection officer Laxmi Singh who sent a twomember team of Childline to the village to investigate the matter. “Two of our staff went to Aruna’s for investigation but she refused to cooperate, “said Laxmi. Aruna, however, told the staff she had not sold the girl but handed her over to a few people as she was unable to bear the burden of another child. After the incident, child welfare committee members S Latashree and Sandhyarani Panda along with staff Bikram Panda and Basanta Harpal also visited the village and conducted a probe. A video in which Aruna can be seen telling members of the investigating team that she did not know the address of the people who took her child is also under verification. Subsequently the Childline members , intimated the matter to village elders and the sarpanch but she still refused to budge. However, Aruna assured the team that she would produce her newborn before them within three days. “The DCPO has informed the matter to Lathore police and lodged an FIR,” said Laxmi. Aruna, who lives in a thatched house, said she and her husband have no source of income and both of them go to other states for work. Hundreds of people from Khaprakhol, Belpada, Bangomuda, Turekela and Gudvela migrate to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala for work. Stating that the prime minister launched several development projects under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Yojana (DAJGUY) at Jamui, Majhi said it aimed at improving the infrastructure in health, education and livelihood sectors in tribal regions. At least 7,667 villages in 27 districts of Odisha have been included under the scheme, he said. Projects whose foundation stones were laid by the CM included upgradation of 16 ashram schools to high schools. With `15 crore for each school, a total of `240 crore would be spent for the CONTINUED ON P5 project. EXPRESS READ Only 1 vehicle for guests; miffed CM walks to stage Bhubaneswar: The district administration virtually poured cold water on the government’s efforts to project Balijatra on a global level with presence of ambassadors and delegates from at least 14 countries by failing to make basic arrangements for the dignitaries which left Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi fuming. Miffed over the mess, the chief minister decided to walk to the South East Asia pavilion where he inaugurated the fair | P2