MONDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 14 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR TRUMP NAMES FOSSIL FUEL EXECUTIVE CHRIS WRIGHT AS ENERGY SECY P10 WEATHER Thunderstorms. Storms could contain frequent lightning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 29°C and 19°C respectively. NEW DELHI/IMPHAL, 17 NOVEMBER Min: 19.8˚C SUN SETS 16:52 hrs MOON SETS 08:21 hrs TEMPERATURE U New Moon on 1 December THUMBNAILS The Line of Control in Keran sector receives fresh snowfall, in Kupwara on Sunday. n ANI GRAP-IV in Delhi-NCR: In response to worsening air quality in Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management has decided to activate Stage-IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) from Monday. Delhi's daily average Air Quality Index (AQI) rose sharply to 441 by 4 p.m. on Sunday, and further escalated to 457 by 7 p.m, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. This spike prompted an emergency meeting of the GRAP Sub-Committee, where the decision to involve GRAP-IV measures was taken. nion Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday convened a high-level meeting with senior officials in the national capital to assess the security situation in Manipur. Sources indicated that the Home Minister planned to hold a detailed review meeting on Monday to discuss the concerns and strategies surrounding the fragile security scenario in Manipur. The development comes after a curfew was imposed in the valley districts in Manipur and internet services were suspended as fresh protests erupted against the killing of six people, whose bodies were found in Jiribam and neighbouring after they were allegedly kidnapped by Kuki militants. Amid the protests, and civil society organisations demanding the resignation of elected legislators over the government’s failure to protect civilians and end the Kuki-Meitei conflict, now in its 18th month, Photo shows an MLA's house being burnt. n SNS NDA ally National People’s Party (NPP) on Sunday withdrew its support to the Manipur government. Mr Shah convened the review meeting after he returned to his residence in Delhi, postponing his planned visit to Vidarbha, where he was expected to attend a series of rallies ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls on 20 November. Three women and three children who were staying in a relief camp went missing after a gunfight between security forces and militants in Jiribam district on 11 November, with Meitei organisations alleging that they were kidnapped by militants. Protests erupted in the I-T ultimatum to taxpayers: Disclose assets held abroad, or face penalty of `10 lakh STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 NOVEMBER: Failure to disclose assets held abroad or income earned on foreign shores in the ITR can attract a penalty of Rs 10 lakh under the anti-black money law, the Income-Tax (I-T) Department cautioned taxpayers on Sunday. The department issued a public advisory as part of a compliance-cum-awareness campaign launched recently by it on Saturday to ensure that such information is reported by the assessee in their Income Tax Return (ITR) for assessment year (AY) 2024-25. The advisory specified that foreign asset, for a tax resident of India in the previous year, includes bank accounts, cash value insurance contracts or annuity contracts, financial interest in any entity or business, immovable property, custodial accounts, equity and debt interest, trusts in which a person is a trustee, beneficiary of settlor, accounts with singing authority, any capital asset, etc., held abroad. “Failure to disclose foreign asset/income in the ITR can attract a penalty of Rs 10 lakh under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015,” the advisory stated. The I-T department said taxpayers falling under this criteria must mandatorily fill the foreign asset (FA) or foreign source income (FSI) schedule in their ITR even if their income is below the taxable limit or the asset abroad was acquired from disclosed sources. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has also launched a ComplianceCum-Awareness Campaign for Assessment Year (AY) 2024-25 to assist taxpayers in accurately completing Schedule Foreign Assets (Schedule FA) and reporting income from foreign sources (Schedule FSI) in their income tax returns (ITR). In a statement, CBDT said informational messages will be sent via SMS and email to resident taxpayers who have already submitted their ITRs for AY 2024-25. Imphal valley since Saturday morning following news that the lifeless bodies of the kidnapped civilians, including an infant, have been found in a mutilated state. Protesters attacked the homes of several state ministers and MLAs and clashed with security forces, leading to injuries. Following the developments, the Ministry of Home Affairs had said on Saturday that all security forces have been directed to take necessary steps to restore order and peace in Manipur. In light of continued tensions, the Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Anish Dayal Singh also reached Manipur on Sunday. Blow to AAP: Minister Kailash Gahlot quits party, Cabinet STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 NOVEMBER In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the national capital, seniorpartyleaderandminister Kailash Gahlot resigned from the Cabinet as well as the party on Sunday. MrGahlot,inhisresignation letter to AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal,mentionedtheparty's political ambitions taking over from the commitment towards the people of Delhi that according to him, left many promises unfulfilled, as the reason for his move. Mr Gahlot has been with the AAP since its inception and has been an important minister in former CM Kejriwal and his successor Atishi's Cabinet. (Details on Pg 9) COP29: India expresses dissatisfaction with developed countries over climate finance STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 NOVEMBER India has expressed dissatisfaction over the unwillingness of developed countries to engage with the developing world on the Climate Finance and Mitigation Work Programme (MWP) at CoP29 being held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Reacting to the interventions by developed countries asking for including mitigation paras from Global Stocktake at CoP28 into the MWP, India regretted the insistence of developed countries to expand scope of MWP from what was agreed in the past, thus inhibiting progress on the agenda item. India aligned its stance with the views expressed by the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs), the Arab Group and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN). On Saturday, New Delhi delivered its statement at the closing plenary of the Subsidiary Bodies on the ‘Agenda on Sharm el-Sheikh Mitigation P12 Shah reviews security situation in Manipur AGENCIES Min. 52% Max: 29.4˚C SUN RISES 05:51 hrs MOON RISES 19:05 hrs P5 NDA ally NPP withdraws support to BJP government in Manipur RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 72% ‘INDIAN ECONOMY CAPABLE OF HANDLING GLOBAL SHOCKS’ ‘NA MANIPUR EK HAI, NA MANIPUR SAFE HAI’ Ambition and Implementation Work Programme (MWP)’, at CoP29. India expressed serious concern over the progress the CoP29 made during the week. “We have seen no progress in matters that are critical for developing countries. Our part of the world is facing some of the worst impacts of climate change, with far lower capacity to recover from those impacts or to adapt to the changes to the climatic system for which we are not responsible,” the Indian statement said. The statement further said: “We notice a tendency to ignore the decisions taken in the past – related to the Sharm el-Sheikh mitigation ambition and implementation work programme at CoP27 and the context of the Global Stocktake in the Paris Agreement, where it informs the parties for undertaking climate actions.” India stressed that the MWP was established with specific mandate that it shall be operationalised through focused exchanges of views, information and ideas, noting that the outcomes of the work programme will be nonprescriptive, non-punitive, facilitative, respectful of national sovereignty and national circumstances, while taking into account the nationally determined nature of nationally determined contributions and will not impose new targets or goal. Expressing frustration on the unwillingness to engage on this issue by the developed countries during the past week in this Finance CoP, the statement said: “If there are no means of implementation, there can be no climate action. How can we discuss climate action, when it is being made impossible for us to act, even as our challenges in dealing with the impacts of climate change are increasing?” India asserted that those with the highest capacity to take climate action have continuously shifted goalposts, delayed climate action, and consumed a highly disproportionate share of the global carbon budget. (See also Page 11) Meanwhile, the Conrad Sangma-led National People's Party (NPP) has withdrawed its support to the BJP-led N Biren Singh government, alleging that it has completely failed to control the ethnic violence in the state and restore normality. The NPP has seven MLAs in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, while the BJP has 37 MLAs and enjoys the support of the Naga People's Front (NPF) with five MLAs, one JD(U) MLA and three Independents. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an apex body of the Meitei community, has given a 24hour ultimatum to the Centre and the state government to take “decisive action” against armed groups or face public anger, as violent protests continued in the valley districts and the houses of several ministers and MLAs were attacked by mobs. A group of 13 civil society organisations also called for the resignations of all 50 Meitei MLAs in Manipur, including Chief Minister Singh, citing a lack of political will and warning of a potential public uprising. WOMEN’S ASIAN CHAMPIONS TROPHY: INDIA BEAT JAPAN 3-0 P14 India, Nigeria reaffirm their commitment to jointly fight terrorism, piracy, radicalisation NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 17 NOVEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to jointly fight terrorism, piracy and radicalisation. Mr Modi is on a State Visit to Nigeria from 17-18 November. He held official talks with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja on Sunday. Earlier in the day, Nigeria conferred its second-highest national award, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first official visit to the country. This made PM Modi the second foreign dignitary to receive this honour after Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who received the award in 1969. Mr Modi and Mr Tinubu had a restricted meeting followed by delegation-level talks at Abuja's Aso Rock Villa, which serves as the office and residence of the Nigerian Presidency. PM Modi recalled his warm meeting with President Tinubu at the G-20 Summit in New Delhi. He noted that the two countries enjoy special bonds of friendship defined by a shared past, common democratic values and strong people-to-people ties. The Prime Minister conveyed his sympathies to Pres- Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu confers Nigeria's second highest honour, the Grand Commander of The Order of the Niger (GCON), on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Abuja on Sunday. n ANI ident Tinubu for the destruction caused by the recent floods in the country. President Tinubu thanked the Prime Minister for India’s timely assistance with relief material and medicines. The two leaders reviewed the ongoing bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to further strengthen IndiaNigeria Strategic Partnership. Expressing satisfaction at the progress of ties, they agreed that there was immense potential for collaboration in the fields of trade, investment, education, energy, health, culture, and people-to-people ties. Mr Modi offered India’s experience in agriculture, transportation, affordable medicine, renewable energy, and digital transformation to Nigeria. President Tinubu appre- ciated the development cooperation partnership offered by India and its meaningful impact in creating local capacities, skills, and professional expertise. “The two leaders also discussed enhancing defence and security cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to jointly fighting terrorism, piracy and radicalisation,” a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. Mr Modi and Mr Tinubu also discussed global and regional issues. President Tinubu acknowledged India's efforts to amplify the concerns of developing countries through the Voice of the Global South Summits. The two leaders agreed to work together to meet the development aspirations of the Global South.