saturdAY World Chess: Gukesh, Ding play out drab draw in fourth game 30 november, 2024 Chinese world champ somewhat surpises the Indian teen with an unconventional opening with white but he reacts well hold on with black epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard 2-2 X.com/TheMornStandard Match score after four games. Fifth game is on Saturday syria Rebels storm Assad’s Aleppo Jihadists and their Turkishbacked allies reached Syria’s second city on Friday, as they launched an offensive against forces of the government. Page 9 Second draw with black for Indian A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Outside support among options if he isn’t CM, Shinde tells Amit Shah l New Delhi Bangla must protect all minorities: mea @9.5o C, coldest morning of this season in capital E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ New Delhi the capital on Friday witnessed the coldest morning of the season so far, with the minimum temperature dipping to 9.5 degree Celsius, while the Air Quality Index remained in the ‘very poor’ category at 329 for the sixth consecutive day . The Safdarjung Observatory , the city’s official weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 9.5°C, one notch below normal. This is the first time that the mercury dropped below 10°C this season. Some other weather stations saw minimum temperatures below that recorded in Safdarjung. Ayanagar witnessed the coldest morning this season with the minimum temperature settling at 8.1°C. Lodhi Road and Pusa saw a minimum temperature of 8.6°C, while the mercury in Narela was 9.2°C. The minimum temperature was 11.6°C in Najafgarh, 11.4°C in Palam, 12°C in Ridge, 13°C in Rajghat and 13.9°C in Pitampura. The national capital continued to battle pollution woes. Bawana (426) and Mundka (408) recorded air quality in the ‘severe’ category while 22 stations , remained in the ‘very poor’, according to ‘Sameer’ app, which provides hourly data. “Shinde is very unhappy as BJP top leadership had promised that if the alliance wins, he will continue as CM till 2029, but now they are reneging. This is not a good sign,” said a Sena leader l PAGES 12 Economy grows just 5.4% in July-Sept quarter, raising doubts about meeting full-year target of 6.5% M O N I K A YA D A V @ New Delhi SLOW LANE Real GDP Growth (%) 10 8 Promise unkept? J8.00 GDP growth sinks to 2-year low Sudh i r Su r ya w an s h i @ Mumbai If neither of the two options is acceptable, Shinde said the When caretaker Chief Minis- 57 MLAs in his Shiv Sena would ter Eknath Shinde met Union not be the part of next governhome minister Amit Shah in ment in Maharashtra. It would Delhi on Thursday he gave him instead extend outside support , three tough options on govern- to BJP-led government in both ment formation in Maharash- the state and the Centre. It tra. One, Shinde himself lead- would also mean withdrawing ing the government; two, his Sena’s minister for state at the Shiv Sena getting plum portfo- Centre, Prataprao Jadhav. lios in a BJP-led government; Shinde’s Sena with seven MPs and three, offering outside sup- is the fourth largest party in port both in Maharashtra and the ruling NDA. at the Centre. The BJP leadership is wary All three options are loaded because outside support carwith trouble despite Shinde’s ries the risk of instability at public posturing that the Centre, where he will not be an obthe BJP has only 240 stacle in government MPs, 32 short of a for mation in the s i m p l e m a j o r i t y. state. Shah advised “The BJP is heavily the Mahayuti leaddependent on the ers to thrash out an TDP (16), JDU (12) acceptable powerand Shinde for stasharing formula in bility and longevity Mumbai on Friday of the government. but Shinde played Shinde was the face of The BJP cannot risk the govt, so people mind games by coolignoring Shinde,” voted to give him a ly leaving for his nahighly placed sourcrepeat mandate. If he tive village Dare in is not made CM, then it es said. Satara district inJu s t i f y i n g h i s will send a wrong stead of getting into claim for chief minmessage a huddle in the Maxiistership, Shinde Senior Shiv Sena leader mum City with BJP’s told Shah that the asDevendra Fadnavis sembly election was and NCP’s Ajit Pawar. fought under his leadership. He If he does not get to be the took credit for the consolidaCM, Shinde said that he will tion of women voters thanks to not personally join the govern- his Ladki Bahin scheme, addment. But his party should be ing that the Maratha votes given weighty portfolios like came after he announced reserhome, finance and revenue. vation for them. And the decision on the deputy “Shinde also shared with chief minister representing Shah a couple of surveys that the Sena would be his, a senior said he was the preferred Sena leader said. Finance was choice of the people as chief with Ajit Pawar in the outgoing minister before, during and afgovernment. And the BJP is re- ter polling,” said the source reluctant to part with home. questing anonymity . l 8.2 6.2 8.1 8.6 7.8 6.7 6 4.3 4 5.4 Q3FY23 Q4FY23 Q1FY24 Q2FY24 Q3FY24 Q4FY24 Q1FY25 Q2FY25 Nothing to worry, says CEA Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said the overall GDP growth projection for FY25 at 6.5% is “not in danger”. He said agriculture and construction are among the ‘bright spots’, adding record production estimates for kharif foodgrains and rabi crop augur well for farm income and rural demand INDIA’s economic growth fell to a seven-quarter low of 5.4% in the second quarter of 202425, dragged down by the poor performance of the manufacturing and mining sectors. The sharp fall in the GDP growth, compared with 6.7% in the first quarter, was also driven by the slow pace in government spending and weak private consumption, according to data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). The growth was much below estimates. RBI had predicted the GDP to grow at 7% in Q2. Now, a full-year GDP growth of even 6.5% looks difficult. Manufacturing grew just 2.2% in Q2—a significant fall from 7% in April-June and the 14.3% growth seen in the yearago period. The mining and quarrying sector shrank 0.1% in Q2 of FY25 due to prolonged rainfall, which is in stark contrast to the 7.2% growth in the previous quarter and the 11.1% growth a year ago. Adding to the challenges, the growth rate for electricity gas, water supply , , and other utility services also plummeted, indicating a fall in consumption growth. It dropped from 10.4% last year to merely 3.3% this year. Construction also declined from 13.6% to 7.7%. Private consumption grew at 6% in Q2, down than 7.4% in the first quarter. The consumption slowdown was despite a lower base of 2.6% a year ago. But BJP leader Raosaheb Danve said no promise on post-poll chief ministership was made to Shinde by his party’s leaders stability matters A sulking Shinde would be bad news for the BJP as it could affect the stability of the NDA at the Centre. Shinde’s Shiv Sena is the fourth biggest party in NDA Gross fixed capital formation, which is expenditure on asset creation, grew at 5.4%, down from 7.5% in the first quarter. According to Chief Economic Advisor Dr V Anantha Nageswaran, there is no cause for alarm though the numbers are disappointing. While briefing the media, he said the global economic landscape is challenging, which is affecting India’s manufacturing sector. Key issues include a slowdown in production and the negative impact of dumping in industries like steel. Although steel consumption has increased, production levels have failed to match this growth, he added. Manufacturing has brought down the overall growth, said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, Bank of Baroda. SC halts trial court hearing on Sambhal Bunkum, says BJP The MEA on Friday said the Bangladesh interim govt must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the surge of increasing violence against minorities | P7 & 9 S U C H ITR A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Fengal landfall today Onlookers watch as rough waves batter Chennai’s Foreshore Estate beach ahead of Cyclone Fengal’s expected landfall on Saturday | Ashwin Prasath | P5 Vigilance probe into Kerala pension fraud BMW E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e owners Of the 42 beneficiaries, 38 were found to be ineligible in Kottakkal Municipality in Malappuram. Owners of BMW were among the beneficiaries, with some having ACs at their homes. @ T’puram kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal has directed a vigilance inquiry into the social security pension fraud reported in Kottakkal municipality . The department had drawn wide criticism for its approach towards government employees who illegally received the pension benefits. Balagopal has directed the departments concerned to conduct vigilance probe against officers who inquired about the eligibility of the illegal beneficiaries, revenue officers who gave income certificates and officers who sanctioned pensions. The fraud at Kottakkal Municipality was detected by the Financial Inspection Wing. Of the 42 beneficiaries examined, 38 were found to be ineligible. Owners of BMW cars too found a place in the list. Some pensioners had air conditioners at their homes, and in some cases the beneficiary couples were drawing service pension as well. Many of them had houses Kharge plainspeak at CWC meet on factionalism P r ee t ha N a i r @ New Delhi Unsparing in his criticism of his party colleagues, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asserted that ‘tough decisions’ will have to be taken and ‘accountability fixed’ for the recent electoral debacle of the party in Haryana and Maharashtra. Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in the Capital on Friday, Kharge questioned the dependence on national leaders for campaigning and urged party workers to focus on local issues. Referring to the factionalism within the Haryana unit, he said the lack of unity and statements against own party leaders harmed the party immensely . This is now the second draw with black pieces in as many games for D Gukesh, aiming to become the youngest world champion. However, it wasn’t so similar to the second game as both players tried to ask a few questions before drawing by threefold repetition after 40th move. On Saturday, Gukesh will have white pieces. Both are tied on two points | P11 Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge at CWC meet | Shekhar Yadav “Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?” he asked. “Our strength lies in the strength of the party .” Kharge urged the party to learn from its mistakes and strengthen the organisation. While chief strategist Rahul Gandhi has come under criticism from several quarters for his immoderate focus on caste census, Kharge pointed out the importance of evolving state specific strategies. “It is important to understand the different issues of the states in detail and prepare a solid campaign strategy around them. “For how long will you fight state elections on the basis of national issues and national leaders?” he asked. Kharge also asserted that the party cannot achieve success by following old methods. “You have to see what your political opponent is doing on a daily basis. We have to take decisions on time. Accountability has to be fixed,” he said. The CWC adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised, against which the party would soon launch a movement.P7 exceeding 2000 sqft area. The inspection wing reported that there could be corruption and conspiracy behind the mass enlisting of illegal beneficiaries. The department has decided to check the eligibility of all beneficiaries under the municipality . The finance department said it will expand the investigation all over the state to to weed out all ineligible persons. Officials have been asked to check the eligibility of people who draw pension through bank accounts. express read Coast Guard info leaked to Pak, 1 held in Gujarat The Gujarat ATS has arrested an Indian national for leaking classified info on Coast Guard and maritime border operations to Pakistan. The Gujarat ATS, in a release, stated that Dipesh Gohel, a resident of Dwarka, had been in contact with Pakistani Army and ISI agents via WhatsApp. | P8 The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Sambhal trial court in Uttar Pradesh not to take any further action pursuant to its order for a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. It asked the trial court to pause proceedings in the case till the mosque committee’s plea challenging the survey is listed in the Allahabad High Court. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar also ordered that the report of the commissioner who conducted the survey be kept in a sealed cover. “Peace and harmony must be maintained at any cost,” it said. On November 19, a court of civil judge of Sambhal passed an ex-parte order for a survey of the mosque by an advocate commissioner, after taking note of a plea of the Hindu side that claimed the mosque was built over a temple. On November 24, violence gripped the area and four persons were killed. “We feel that the Committee of Management, Shahi Jama Masjid, Sambhal, must challenge the order of November 19, 2024 before an appropriate court/forum as per law, including the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure,” it said. The bench clarified that it did not express any opinion on the merits of the case and fixed the matter for further hearing to the week commencing January 6, 2025. Portion of Ashoka Road caves in, traffic disrupted Traffic movement on Ashoka Road was disrupted early Friday after a portion of the road caved in near Windsor Place, according to police. A bus was trapped in the collapsed section, which was later removed with a crane, police said. The road is particularly prone to cave-ins. | P3 Police keep vigil near premises of Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal on Friday | pti TN won’t allow tungsten mining, Centre must retract nod, CM tells PM E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ Chennai Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday opposed the awarding of tungsten mining rights in Madurai district by the union government to a private firm, saying that the Tamil Nadu government will never permit any mining activity in Arittapatti and its surrounding areas considering the site’s biodiversity heritage status and opposi- tion from the local residents. A notified biodiversity heritage site falls under one of the areas proposed for mining, and commercial mining in densely populated villages will affect the people who fear that their livelihood may be lost forever, Stalin said in his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The CM urged the PM to revoke the award of tungsten mining rights and direct the Ministry of Mines to desist from inviting bids for mining without the consent of the state government. “The Union Ministry of Mines has declared Hindustan Zinc Limited as the preferred bidder for the Nayakkarpatti Tungsten block (classified as a Critical and Strategic Mineral) under Tranche IV on November 7. The block includes villages such as Kavattayampatti, Ettimangalam, A Vellalapatti, Arittapatti, Kidaripatty, and Narasingampatti. Among these, Arittapatti is a notified biodiversity heritage site, renowned for its archaeological monuments, in- cluding cave temples, sculptures, Jain symbols, Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, and Pancha Pandavar stone beds. Any mining activity would cause irreparable damage to these sites,” Stalin said in his letter. The CM also highlighted the adverse impact of commercial This issue has caused immense distress among the residents who fear losing their livelihoods permanently. PM must intervene to revoke this decision —M K Stalin, Chief Minister mining on the densely populated villages in the area. “This has caused immense distress among the residents who fear losing their livelihoods permanently he said. ,” Stalin also said that the current unrest in Madurai district was a direct result of the Union government awarding tungsten mining rights and requested the PM’s intervention to revoke the decision.