WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION BILL, AN ANTICONSTITUTIONAL BILL’ NATION IN TURMOIL P6 SENSEX 80,684.45q1,064.12 WEATHER Mostly cloudy. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 28°C and 17°C respectively. NIFTY P5 24,336.00q332.25 P7 ` vs $ 84.90 Oppn says Bills target basic structure of Constitution, federal structure STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Max. 74% Min. 55% NEW DELHI, 17 DECEMBER Min: 17.3˚C SUN SETS 16:56 hrs MOON SETS 08:51 hrs mid an Opposition uproar, the Union government on Tuesday introduced two Bills related to “One Nation, One Election” in the Lok Sabha after a division of votes and they were sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions. The Constitution (One Hundred and TwentyNinth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 were introduced by Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in the Lok Sabha after members voted on it. The first Bill aims to amend the Constitution to provide for simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies and the second seeks to align the elections for Assemblies in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry. However, the Bills evoked sharp criticism from the Opposition, who TEMPERATURE A Full Moon on 31 December THUMBNAILS Commuters wear face masks as air quality deteriorates due to smog, in New Delhi. n ANI Earthquake of magnitude 7.3 jolts Vanuatu Islands: A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.3 jolted Vanuatu Islands in the early hours of Tuesday, the National Centre of Seismology (NCS) reported. The earthquake occurred at 7:17 AM Indian Standard Time (IST), the NCS noted. The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometres at Latitude 17.68 S and Longitude 168.03 E. The details were shared on X by the National Centre of Seismology. say that not only do they target the basic structure of the Constitution but also pose a threat to the country's federal structure and aim to centralise power. The Opposition had sought a division of votes over the introduction of the bills. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced the result of the vote on the introduction of the Bills. The vote showed 269 members in favour (Ayes) and 196 against (Noes). This followed Meghwal's formal introduction of the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, on ‘One Nation, One Election’ and his agreement to send the bill to a JPC in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Mr Shah said: “When the One Nation, One Election Bill was taken up in the Cabinet for approval, PM Modi had said that it should be sent to the JPC for detailed discussion. If the Law Minister is willing to send the bill to JPC, the discussion on its introduction can end.” Mr Meghwal also introduced a Bill to amend the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, as per the day's schedule. These amendments aim to align Assembly elections in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry with the proposed simultaneous elections. Opposing the Bills, Congress MP Manish Tewari said: “Beyond the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution is the basic structure doctrine, which spells out that there are certain features of the Constitution beyond the amending power of the House. The essential features are federalism and the structure of our democracy. Therefore, the Bills moved by the Minister of Law and Justice are an absolute assault on the basic structure of the Constitution and are beyond the legislative competence of the House.” Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav accused the BJP of pushing the country toward centralised control. “This Bill is nothing but an attempt to bring in dictatorship,” Mr Yadav said, as he raised concerns about the role of regional parties in a simultaneous election setup. P12 SILVER 1,00,000 GOLD 78,745.00 ONOE Bills introduced in LS, to be sent to JPC RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 28.2˚C SUN RISES 06:10 hrs MOON RISES 19:53 hrs INJURED HAZLEWOOD MAY MISS REMAINDER OF SERIES A VISION LIVES ON BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 72.87q0.65 CM Mamata Banerjee launches Banglar Bari housing scheme STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 17 DECEMBER Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched the state government’s Banglar Bari (Rural) housing scheme, announcing the release of the first instalment of Rs 60,000 to 12 lakh eligible families. Miss Banerjee, speaking at an administrative meeting at Nabanna Sabhaghar, said the state government would provide 28 lakh families funds for building pucca houses under the Banglar Bari scheme. This would be done in two phases starting today and the process would be completed before 2026. The chief minister had earlier declared that the state would launch its independent housing programme without the Centre’s support, accusing the Narendra Modi government of withholding its share of the PM-Awas Yojana funds for West Bengal for the past three years. Addressing the meeting attended physically or virtually by senior state government officials, as well as the district magistrates of all districts Miss Banerjee said the state government would provide Rs 1.20 lakh each to 28 lakh families of the state in two installments of Rs 60,000. In the first phase, which got underway today, the government will provide Rs 60,000 to 12 lakh people from 21 districts under the Banglar Bari project. The remaining 16 lakh would receive the funds in two phases. Eight lakh families will get the first installment by May-June and the process would be completed by December 2025 with the remaining 8 lakh families getting their funds. The money would be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. This would cost the state exchequer Rs 14,774 crore, Miss Banerjee said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the Centre for withholding West Bengal's rightful share, pointing out that in addition to the PM-Awas Yojana, the central government has stalled funds for other schemes, including MGNREGA, OBC scholarships, and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the chief minister said, adding that these unpaid dues have accumulated to over 1.7 lakh crore rupees. “The state is also being deprived of the share of money accrued from the cess imposed in states by the Centre,” Miss Banerjee said. ‘Indian economy to grow at healthy pace in coming quarters’ Nadda hails media for refusing to bow during the Emergency AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Replying to members during the discussion on the supplementary demands for grants in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said that the Indian economy has recorded an average growth rate of 8.3 per cent in the last three years. NEW DELHI, 17 DECEMBER Terming the subdued GDP (gross domestic product) growth in July-September quarter of the current financial year 2024-25 as a temporary blip, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that Indian economy would see healthy growth in the coming quarters. Replying to members during the discussion on the supplementary demands for grants in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said that the Indian economy has recorded an average growth rate of 8.3 per cent in the last three years. “Out of 12 quarters in the last three years, GDP growth rate was lower than 5.4% in two quarters (Q4 of FY22 and Q3 of FY23). So, it's important to understand that this drop happened in just two quarters in the last 12 quarters that we are talking about. So, let's not, sort of, pick that one and predict future. This has been a steady growth and sustained growth,” she said. India's GDP growth in July-September quarter of current fiscal 2024-25 fell to 5.4 per cent, the lowest level since Q3FY23. The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the first batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2024-25. The approval is for an additional gross expenditure of Rs 87,762.56 crore. “We are seeking the authorisation of the Parliament for gross additional expenditure of Rs 87,762.56 crores. The net cash outgo or cash supplementary is about Rs 44,182.87 crores. The technical token sup- plementaries are also mentioned,” Mrs Sitharaman said while replying to the discussion. Out of the total expenditure, a sum of Rs 19,416.35 crores is towards capital spending. “Expenditure on capital account is something I would like to take a minute to say that it is about Rs 19,416.35 crores. The balance of Rs 68,346.21 crore is on revenue account,” the Finance Minister said. Union Home Minister and Leader of the Rajya Sabha J P Nada Tuesday accused the Congress of throwing the country into darkness when it imposed an Emergency in 1975, and hailed a section of the media, especially Indian Express and The Statesman, for refusing to bow to the diktats of the then Indira Gandhi regime. Charging the Congress with the imposition of censorship on the media during the Emergency, he said, “There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently about the term ‘Godi Media’. However, people often forget the true dedication of the media. If you look at the editorials from Indian Express and The Statesman from 1975, you will find them completely blank during the Emergency. “ Raising the Jammu and Kashmir issue during the Constitution debate PM lauds Rajasthan govt's efforts to address water crisis in scarcity-hit areas STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAIPUR, 17 DECEMBER Lauding the efforts of the BJP government in Rajasthan to address the water crisis in scarcity-hit areas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the youth to add one water conservation activity to their daily routine. He said conserving water resources, utilising every drop of water is not the responsibility of the government alone but that of the entire society. Addressing a well-attended public meeting at Dadiya village here on Tuesday after laying the foundation stone for the revised PKC-ERCP canal project and initiating works or inaugurating by remote many other projects, Mr Modi said: “The water projects inaugurated today symbolised a permanent workable response (solution) to the water challenge in the scarcity-hit areas.” A permanent solution to the water scarcity will initiate the changes in the development scenario to an extent that Rajasthan, in due course will emerge as the most connected and transformed state in the country, the PM said. "We made massive efforts in Gujarat by providing waters from the Narmada and the Sardar Sarovar down to the remotest and scarcity-hit areas of Gujarat," he added. “We did not restrict our efforts to Gujarat, rather were equally concerned with hardships being faced by people in many districts of adjourning Rajasthan,” he said, adding it is a matter of satisfaction that many districts of this state right from Jalore, Sirohi to Jhunjhunu, and Hanumangarh have now been getting Narmada water. “It is not that I alone was happy, the other day, former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and former Union minister Jaswant Singh had come to (Gujarat) CMO to express their gratitude for providing Narmada waters to Rajasthan. Sri Shekhawat was very emotional while praising me for that deed," he said. He called it an irony that while many regions frequently confront draught, several others face the problem of floods and the wasteful draining off. In this context, he recalled that decades ago, late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee propounded the vision of river linking to divert excessive discharge from the perennial water-rich rivers to the rivers and streams in scarcity-prone regions. However, the Congress was never keen on mitigating the water scarcity-related hardships of the people and the party did nothing. As a result, the PM lamented that today waters from our rivers are flowing wastefully across our borders while our areas face a shortage. The Congress did not even bother to resolve the disputes related to water sharing between various states, rather the party created complications in the interstate river water disputes. Mr Modi also hailed the campaign of rainwater harvesting being spearheaded by the Water Resources Ministry with people's participation in the country. He said over three lakh rainwater harvesting structures have so far been created. This is a very effective way of recharging the (ground) water table. Underlining the role of “There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently about the term ‘Godi Media‘. However, people often forget the true dedication of the media. If you look at the editorials from Indian Express and The Statesman from 1975, you will find them completely blank during the Emergency.” NEW DELHI, 17 DECEMBER youths in a campaign of this sort Mr Modi exhorted them to add at least one activity related to water conservation to their day-to-day routine. The prime minister said the water and its adequacy is like "Paras patther" ~ philosopher's stone ~ a touch that could bring henomenal development that transforms everything, the entire scenario. However, that needs firm and sincere resolve, we in the BJP have that resolve, Mr Modi asserted, adding “We did the work resolutely, we did keep our promises and commitments, and that is why people have mandated us to power with good governance thrice in a row at the Centre”. He recounted how BJP’s towering leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat laid the foundation for a developed Rajasthan during his multiple regimes. This course of development and good governance was carried forward by Ms Vasundhara Raje during her rule now has been given a new strides by the incumbent Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and his team. in the Rajya Sabha, the Union minister pointed out that the Centre, led by the BJP, ended the ‘one nation - two Constitutions’ policy in the Union territory. “We ended the ‘one nation, two constitutions’ policy in J&K. The 106 laws passed by Parliament were not applicable there,” he stressed. Questioning the Congress on the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 under the Congress regime led by late prime minister Indira Gandhi, he asked what the need was for resorting to such a draconian move. “...Why was Emergency imposed? Was the country in danger? No, the country was not in danger. The chair was in danger. It was only about the chair. Due to this, the whole country was thrown into darkness...” he added. He asserted that India is not just the largest democracy but also the mother of democracy. Pointing out that it will be 50 years since the imposition of the Emergency next year, Nadda said the government was going to observe Anti- Democracy Day and invited Congress to join the commemoration. “It will be 50 years next year since the Emergency was imposed. We will celebrate Anti-Democracy Day. The Indian National Congress should join in. There was an evil attempt to strangle democracy during the Emergency. If you have any mercy for them anywhere in your heart, if you have any remorse anywhere in your heart, then I appeal to you that you must join Anti-Democracy Day on 25th June 2025,” he said. ‘National Testing Agency restructuring begins; it will conduct only entrance exams’ AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 17 DECEMBER The National Testing Agency (NTA) will exclusively conduct entrance exams for higher education institutions from 2025 and not recruitment exams, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced, emphasising the government's shift towards computer-adaptive, technology-driven "zeroerror" examinations. Addressing reporters at his residence, Mr Pradhan announced the restructuring of NTA to enhance efficiency and credibility of its operations. “We have started the process of restructuring the NTA by creating new posts and appointing new officers. This will bring fresh energy into the organisation,” he said. The restructuring is based on recommendations from a high-level committee chaired by former ISRO Chairman Dr. K. Radhakrishnan. The committee, constituted in June following a NEET-under- graduate exam paper leak, submitted its report to the Ministry of Education on 21 October. The committee, which was constituted on 22 June 2024, held around 30 meetings and proposed 101 recommendations to ensure the "smooth and fair" conduct of exams. Key recommendations include focussing the NTA solely on entrance exams for higher education. “The NTA will no longer conduct recruitment exams; these will now be handled by respective state, district, and central departments,” Mr Pradhan stated. He added: “We are working towards technology-driven entrance exams that ensure zero error and minimize irregularities.” The 165-page report accessed by ANI gives detailed recommendations on the operation of NTA, conduct of examinations and Standard Operating Procedures to be followed during the examinations. It proposes restructuring the National Testing Agency (NTA) with advanced governance and operational standards, transitioning to computer-based and adaptive testing methods, and improving test security using AI and biometric technology. Key recommendations include multi-session and multi-stage testing, development of secure and accessible testing centres, mobile testing units for remote areas, and a robust grievance redressal mechanism. Emphasizing mental health support and reducing exam stress, the report also outlines measures for social inclusiveness, training programs for stakeholders, and comprehensive SOPs to prevent malpractices.