THURSDAY 26 DECEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR RAJNATH AND YOGI UNVEIL VAJPAYEE'S STATUE IN LUCKNOW POPE CALLS FOR WORLD TO SILENCE ARMS P9 WEATHER Generally clear. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 29°C and 18°C respectively. BUMRAH EQUALS ASHWIN'S INDIA RECORD DELHI’S DILEMMA P5 P6 P12 30 dead as Azerbaijan PM Modi credits Ambedkar for dams, Jal Shakti schemes Airlines plane crashes STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHOPAL, 25 DECEMBER RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Authorities said there were at least 32 of the passengers survived AGENCIES Max. 68% Min. 53% ALMATY, 25 DECEMBER Min: 18.6˚C SUN SETS 17:00 hrs MOON SETS 13:16 hrs n Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashed Wednesday near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, leaving at least 32 survivors, according to officials. More than 30 people may be dead. The plane was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus. Kazakhstan’s Emergency Ministry said in a Telegram statement that those on board included five crew. A total of 29 survivors, including two children, have been hospitalized, the ministry told Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti. Another Russian news agency, Interfax, quoted medical workers as saying that four bodies have been recovered and emergency workers at the scene as saying that both pilots, according to a preliminary assessment, died in the crash. The Embraer 190 aircraft made an emergency landing 3 km from the city, Azerbaijan Airlines Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar had envisioned the construction of dams, the establishment of the Central Water Commission, and various water resources and Jal Shakti schemes in the country, but the Congress never gave credit to him for any of these. “No one knows who was the first person to emphasise the importance of Jal Shakti after independence, as the Congress government hid the truth and gave credit for everything to just one of its own leaders,” the PM said. “It was Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s vision that led to the construction of dams in the country and shaped water resources and river schemes after independence,” Mr Modi claimed. He said this during his speech after laying the foundation stone for the KenBetwa River Linking project at Khajuraho in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, the 100th birth anniversary of the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. PM Modi also released a commemorative stamp and a coin in the memory of former Prime Minister Vajpayee on his birth TEMPERATURE Max: 29.1˚C SUN RISES 06:14 hrs MOON RISES 01:56 hrs A New Moon on 31 December THUMBNAILS West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with priests during the midnight mass at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary on Christ(Report on Page 3) mas Eve in Kolkata. n ANI Man sets himself on fire near Parliament building: A man who tried to commit suicide by setting himself on fire near the Parliament building was rushed to RML hospital, a Delhi Fire Services official said on Wednesday. The official said a call regarding a man trying to immolate himself near Railway Bhawan opposite the Parliament building was received at around 3.35 pm and a fire tender was sent. The man, a resident of Baghpat in UP, apparently was troubled over a case registered against him. Wreckage of the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. n AP said earlier. Kazakhstan’s Emergency Ministry initially said 25 people survived the crash, later revising that number to 27, 28, and then 29 as the search and rescue operation continued at the site of the crash, bringing the supposed death toll down. The Prosecutor General’s Office in Azerbaijan later reported that at least 32 people survived the crash, adding that the number wasn’t final. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that some of them were in crit- ical condition. The number of survivors could mean that over 30 people may be dead. According to Kazakhstani officials, those aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhstani and three Kyrgyzstani citizens, it said. RIA Novosti quoted Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, as saying that preliminary information showed that the pilot had chosen to divert to Kazakhstan’s Aktau after a bird strike on the aircraft led to “an emergency situation on board”. Mobile phone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Other footage showed part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft, lying upside in the grass. The footage corresponded to the plane’s colours and its registration number. Some of the videos posted on social media showed survivors dragging fellow passengers away from the wreckage of the plane. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated by Khajuraho MP V. D. Sharma during an event to lay the foundation stone of the Ken-Betwa River Linking National Project on the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in Khajuraho on Wednesday. n ANI centenary on this occasion. Mr Modi charged that the Congress believes being in the government is its right, but whenever Congress governments have been in power in the past, they have done nothing about providing good governance to the people. The PM also virtually inaugurated the Omkareshwar Floating Solar Project in the Khandwa district of the state on the occasion. PM Modi also performed the 'bhoomi pujan' for the construction of 1,153 Atal Gram Sewa Sadans, costing Rs 437 crore, on the occasion. Union Water Resources Minister C R Patil and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav handed over two ‘kalash’ (urns) containing waters from the Betwa and Ken rivers, respectively, to PM Modi, who poured them over a model of the project to launch the ambitious project. According to officials, nearly 44 lakh people in ten districts of Madhya Pradesh and 21 lakh in Uttar Pradesh will get drinking water under the project, which is estimated to cost Rs 44,605 crore. Nearly 7.18 lakh agricultural families in 2,000 villages will benefit from the project, which will also generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar energy. Atishi may be ‘arrested in a fake case’: Kejriwal Govt to bring down fiscal deficit to 4.5 pc of GDP in FY26: FinMin India’s economy to grow by 6.5 pc in current, next FY: Report STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 DECEMBER The Finance Ministry has said that the government will continue its focus on improving quality spending, strengthening the social security net and bringing down the fiscal deficit to 4.5 per cent of the GDP in FY26. The ministry on Wednesday released statements on the half yearly review of the trends in receipts and expenditure and deviation in meeting the obligations of the government under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003. It said the Union government is committed to pursuing the glide path of fiscal consolidation as announced in the Budget for FY 2021-22 and to attain a level of fiscal deficit lower than 4.5 per cent of GDP by FY 2025-26. "The thrust will be on improving the quality of public spending, while at the same time, strengthening the social security net for the poor and needy. This approach would help further strengthen the nation's macro-economic fundamentals and ensure overall financial stability," it said. India's sound macroeconomic fundamentals have cushioned the country from the vagaries afflicting the global economy. "It has also helped the nation pursue growth with fiscal consolidation. As a result, India retains its pride of place as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. However, risks to growth still remain," it said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Budget for 202526 in Parliament on 1 February. Ahead of the upcoming Union Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met eminent economists and sectoral experts to elicit their views and suggestions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with a group of eminent economists and thought leaders in preparation for the Union Budget 2025-26 at NITI Aayog. NEW DELHI, 25 DECEMBER A recent EY report said India’s economy is likely to grow by 6.5 per cent in the current and the next financial year. It attributed the growth number to lower than anticipated expansion in the September quarter to a fall in private consumption expenditure and gross fixed capital formation. For the second quarter of the current Financial Year 2024-25, the Real GDP growth eased to a seven-quarter low of 5.4 per cent. This was compared to 6.7 per cent in the preceding quarter. This was primarily because two domestic demand components ~ private final consumption expenditure and gross fixed capital formation ~ together accounted for a fall of 1.5 For the second quarter of the current Financial Year 2024-25, the Real GDP growth eased to a seven-quarter low of 5.4 per cent. percentage points, the report said. The EY Economy Watch December 2024 forecasts India’s real GDP growth at 6.5 per cent for FY25 (April 2024 to March 2025 fiscal year) and FY26. It also highlights the importance of reforming India’s fiscal responsibility framework to achieve the Viksit Bharat vision by 204748. A recalibrated approach is vital for sustainable debt management, eliminating government dissavings, and driving investmentled growth, paving the way for India’s transformation into a developed economy, it said. Over 97 pc decline in malaria cases in India: Health Ministry STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Referring to the World Malaria Report 2024 released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the health ministry said the countryÊs achievements include a significant reduction in malaria cases and malaria-related deaths between 2017 and 2023. NEW DELHI, 25 DECEMBER The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday disclosed that the number of malaria cases in India have declined by over 97 per cent. Giving an update on India's progress in malaria elimination, the ministry said: “At the time of independence in 1947, malaria was one of the most pressing public health challenges, with an estimated 7.5 crore cases annually and 8,00,000 deaths. Over the decades, relentless efforts have drastically reduced these numbers by over 97 per cent, with cases declining to just 20 lakh and deaths plummeting to just 83 by 2023.” This historic achievement underscores India’s commitment to eliminating malaria and improving public health for its citizens, it said. Referring to the World Malaria Report 2024 released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the ministry said the country’s achievements include a significant reduction in malaria cases and malaria-related deaths between 2017 and 2023. “This success is further highlighted by India’s exit from the WHO’s High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) group in 2024, signifying a turning point in its fight against malaria. These achievements reflect the nation’s robust public health interventions and its vision to achieve malaria-free status by 2030,” it said. The ministry further said that in 2023, 122 districts across various states reported zero malaria cases. India’s commitment to capacity building and research has also been a cornerstone of its success, it said. “In 2024 alone, over 850 health professionals were trained through National Refresher Trainings, equipping them with the skills needed for effective malaria control. Research initiatives, including studies on insecticide resistance and therapeutic efficacy, have provided critical data to refine intervention strategies,” it said. Stating that India remains steadfast in its goal to eliminate malaria by 2030, it said, “The government is committed to achieving zero indigenous cases by 2027 and ensuring prevention of malaria re-establishment. By combining strategic frameworks, robust interventions, and community engagement, India is setting a global benchmark in malaria elimination and reaffirming its commitment to public health excellence.” STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 DECEMBER Delhi Chief Minister Atishi may be arrested in a fake case by the central agencies at the behest of the BJP, alleged AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal at a press conference here at the party headquarters on Wednesday. He claimed: “We have come across information regarding a meeting of ED, CBI and Income Tax officials who have been directed by their masters to arrest Atishi in a fake case.” “In the meeting, they (referring to central agencies), are preparing a fake case in the Transport department, NCT Delhi, against the CM and the arrest will be preceded by a raid at various AAP leaders”, he said. Mr Kejriwal added that Delhiites understand this tactic of the saffron party and will give a strong reply to them in the Delhi assembly elections by re-electing AAP in the national capital..