FRIDAY 03 JANUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘MY GOVT NOT FACING PRESSURE FROM PM OR HOME MINISTER’ ‘ARTICLE 370 THE REASON BEHIND TERRORISM IN KASHMIR VALLEY’ P8 SENSEX 79,943.71p1,436.30 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. SMOG/SHALLOW FOG IS LIKELY IN THE EVENING/NIGHT. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 17 AND 08 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 100% TEMPERATURE Max: 16.2˚C (-3) SUN RISES 07:15 hrs MOON RISES 10:30 hrs NIFTY P9 24,188.65p445.75 Min: 07.6˚C (+1) SUN SETS 17:37 hrs MOON SETS 21:09 hrs ` vs $ 85.75 GOLD 79,350.00 PM Modi to inaugurate multiple projects today He will lay foundation stone of Veer Savarkar College at Roshanpura THUMBNAILS Cold and hazy weather blanketed New Delhi on Thursday. SUBRATA DUTTA Never directed to end DallewalÊs hunger strike, says SC: The Supreme Court said that it has never directed to end the hunger strike of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on a fast-unto-death, but is only concerned with his health. A Division Bench of the court said that shifting Dallewal to the hospital should not mean that he will not continue his fast but that the medical facilities are available which will ensure that no harm is caused to his life. (P8) NEW DELHI, 2 JANUARY P rime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Veer Savarkar College at Roshanpura, Najafgarh and will also inaugurate multiple development projects in the national capital on Friday. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Mr Modi will lay the foundation stone of three new projects in Delhi University worth over Rs 600 crore. It includes an academic block in the Eastern Campus at Surajmal Vihar in East Delhi and an academic block in the Western Campus at Dwarka. It also includes building Veer Savarkar College at Roshanpura, Najafgarh, having state-of-the-art facilities for education. "In line with his commitment of ‘Housing for All’, the Prime Minister will visit newly constructed flats for the dwellers of Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) clusters under the In-Situ Slum Rehabilitation Project at Swabhiman Apartments, Ashok Vihar, Delhi, at around 12:10 PM, on January 3. Thereafter at around 12:45 PM, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects in Delhi," the PMO said in a statement. Mr Modi will inaugurate the 1,675 newly constructed flats for the dwellers of JJ clusters and also hand over keys to eligible beneficiaries at Swabhiman Apartments in Ashok Vihar, Delhi. The inauguration of newly constructed flats will mark the completion of the second successful In-Situ Slum Rehabili- Centre amends prison rules across states to address caste-based discrimination STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 JANUARY officials concerned of the states and UTs, also instructed to implement the said amendments, ensuring strict compliance as per the directions of the SC. It is a step which marks a significant effort to uphold prisoners' dignity and eliminate social biases within the country's correctional framework. The top court had highlighted caste-based discrimination and unconstitutional practices within prison systems, directing the Centre and the state governments to act promptly with regard to the same. All references and definitions of "habitual offenders" in the impugned prison manuals and rules have been declared unconstitutional by the court. As per the ministry communication, a habitual offender will now mean a person who, during any continuous period of five years, has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for more than two times for offences committed on different occasions “and not constituting parts of the same transaction”, with the sentence not having been reversed. AUS TO REPLACE MITCH WITH BEAU WEBSTER FOR FIFTH TEST P11 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 68% In a step towards discouraging caste-based discrimination and addressing the issue with regard to prisoners, the Ministry of Home Affairs has amended the prison manual rules across the states and union territories. It has also redefined the 'Habitual Offender' term in accordance with the principles of the Constitution, as per the amendments in the prison manual. The MHA had sent a communication to the Chief Secretaries, Directors General/ Inspectors General of the prisons of all the states and the UTs regarding the amendments in the “Model Prison Manual, 2016” and the “Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023” in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court on 3 October 2024. The Home Ministry in a written communication on 30 December 2024, to the FM MEETS FINANCIAL SECTOR, CAPITAL MARKET STAKEHOLDERS tation Project by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The objective of the project is to provide the residents of the JJ clusters in Delhi with a better and healthier living environment equipped with proper amenities and facilities. For every Rs 25 lakh spent on construction of a flat by the government, eligible beneficiaries pay less than 7 per cent of the total amount, comprising Rs 1.42 lakh as a nominal contribution and Rs 30,000 for five years of maintenance. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate two urban redevelopment projects- the World Trade Centre (WTC) at Nauroji Nagar and the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) TypeII Quarters at Sarojini Nagar. The World Trade Centre at Nauroji Nagar has transformed the area by replacing over 600 dilapidated quarters with state-of-the-art commercial towers, offering around 34 lakh square feet of premium commercial space with advanced amenities. The project incorporates green building practices, with provisions such as a zero-discharge concept, solar energy generation, and rainwater harvesting systems. The GPRA Type-II Quarters at Sarojini Nagar includes 28 towers that house over 2,500 residential units, offering modern amenities and efficient use of space. The project’s design incorporates rainwater harvesting systems, sewage and water treatment plants, and solarpowered waste compactors encouraging ecoconscious living. P12 SILVER 99,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 75.51p0.87 Manu Bhaker, Gukesh D among 4 athletes to be awarded Khel Ratna TRIDIB BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 2 JANUARY Double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker and chess world champion D Gukesh are among the four athletes finalised for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, the Sports Ministry announced on Thursday. Indian men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and Paralympic gold medal winner Praveen Kumar will be the other two recipients of the prestigious award that will be conferred upon them by President Droupadi Murmu, at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital on 17 January. The Khel Ratna is the highest sporting honour for sportspersons in India. The sports ministry also named 32 athletes, including 17 para-athletes, for the Arjuna awards. The announcement came as a relief for shooter Manu Bhaker, whose name was initially missing from the list of nominees for the Khel Ratna award. Manu’s father Ram Kishan and coach Jaspal Rana were furious over the snub. Later, Manu acknowledged a potential oversight in the nomination process, and clarified that she was not concerned with awards and remained focused on winning more lau- rels for the country. “With regards to the ongoing issue for my nomination for the most prestigious Khel Ratna award - I would like to state that as an athlete my role is to play and perform for my country. Awards and recognition keeps me motivated but are not my goal. I believe there has been a lapse, maybe on my part while filing for the nomination which is being corrected. Irrespective of the award I shall remain motivated to win more medals for my country. It is a request to everyone, please do not speculate on this matter,” Manu had posted on social media. The 22-year-old Bhaker became Independent India's first athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics with her bronzewinning show in the 10m air pistol individual and 10m air pistol mixed team events in August. In the same Games, Har- Govt constitutes Working Group to revise WPI base AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 2 JANUARY The government on Thursday announced the constitution of a Working Group headed by NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand for revising the base of the current series of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) from 2011-12 to 2022-23. The Working Group has been asked to submit its final report to the Office of the Economic Adviser within 18 months. The members of the group include representatives from the RBI, the Finance Ministry's Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Statistics, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. SBI Chief Economist Soumya Kanti Ghosh has also been appointed a member. The non-official members include Economist Surjit Bhalla; Shamika Ravi, Member, Economic Advisory Council to PM; Dharmakirti Joshi, Chief Economist, Crisil; Nilesh Shah, MD, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management; and Indranil Sengupta, CoHead and Economist, Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The terms of reference of the Working Group will be to suggest the commodity basket of WPI and PPI (producer price index) with base year 2022-23 in the light of structural changes in the economy. The group will review the existing system of price collection and suggest changes for improvement. It will also decide on the computational methodology to be adopted for WPI / PPI and examine the methodology for compilation of PPI approved by Technical Advisory Committee on Statistics of Prices & Cost of Living and suggest further improvement in compilation and presentation and recommend roadmap for switch over from WPI to PPI. The working group will further examine the method of computing the linking factor adopted so far and suggest The members of the group include representatives from the RBI, the Finance Ministry's Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Statistics, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. SBI Chief Economist Soumya Kanti Ghosh has also been appointed a member. appropriate changes in the method of computing the linking factor, if necessary. Besides, the working group can suggest any other improvements as may be necessary for enhancing the reliability of WPI / PPI. The Chairman of the Working Group is permitted to co-opt experts of other agencies, as may be considered necessary. manpreet Singh led the Indian men’s hockey team to a second consecutive bronze medal, which helped them match the feats of the sides of the 1968 Mexico City and 1972 Munich editions of the Summer Games. On the other hand, para high-jumper Praveen found himself as one of the recipients after being crowned the T64 champion in the Paris Paralympics. The T64 classification is for athletes who have one or both legs missing below the knee and rely on a prosthetic leg for running. Meanwhile, the 18-year-old Gukesh D recently became the youngest ever World champion while also helping the Indian team win a historic gold in the Chess Olympiad last year. “The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17, 2025 (Friday) at 1100 hours,” the sports ministry said in a release. West Bengal CM Mamata accuses BSF of facilitating infiltration STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 2 JANUARY Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday trained her guns on the Border Security Force (BSF) again, accusing it of facilitating infiltration in the state, allowing killers to sneak in, and also pulled up the state police and district administrations for being silent on the issue. In the same vein, Miss Banerjee said that it was nothing but a design of the Centre to tarnish the image of the state. Miss Banerjee, while condemning the murder of a Trinamul Congress councillor, Dulal Sarkar, in Malda today, pulled up the state police for its negligence, even as she slammed the Border Security Force for allowing infiltration into the state, while the state police, DMs, SPs remained silent spectators. BGT 2024-25: Struggling Rohit doubtful starter for Sydney Test PM to send ceremonial TRIDIB BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 2 JANUARY Amid rumours of Rohit Sharma mulling at Test retirement after the completion of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday refused to clear the uncertainty over the out-of-form skipper’s participation for the fifth and final Test, starting Friday at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Having missed the tour opener in Perth that India won by 295 runs under Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit has since struggled with the bat, managing only 31 runs in the next three Tests at an average of just 6.20, and his side desperately needing a win to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and keep their slim hopes of ICC World Test Championships Final qualification alive. As a result, Rohit could struggle to find a place in the Playing XI for the final Test, and the speculations gained momentum when Gambhir fronted the pre-match press conference on match eve instead of the customary practice of the captain addressing the media. With his side trailing 1-2 in the series and the opportunity of extending their hold on the BGT Trophy to a full decade still in the offing if they win in Sydney, the 43-year-old Gambhir remained coy of Rohit’s participation at Thursday's presser. “Everything is fine with Rohit. I don't think it's anything traditional (that a captain must speak to the media the day before a Test). If the coach is there, that should be fine, that should be good enough. We will have a look at the wicket and finalise it tomorrow (Friday),” said Gambhir. When quizzed again on whether Rohit would play at the SCG, Gambhir continued, “I just said that we’re going to have a look at the wicket and announce a playing XI tomorrow (Friday). The answer remains the same.” The chances of Rohit’s axing from the final Test increased after the veteran opener wasn’t a part of the main group of batters in the practice nets even as India completed their slips catching practice without him, and Virat Kohli moved to the first slip for the drills, KL Rahul to second, Nitish Kumar Reddy to third. The only time the 37-yearold put on his pads at India’s only training session between the fourth and fifth Tests, was when he batted for around 15 minutes and only faced throwdowns. In case Rohit misses the final Test, Shubman Gill, axed in Melbourne, could return to action. The head coach did reveal seamer Akash Deep would miss the final Test with a back issue. Gambhir, who in 2009 batted almost 11 hours to save a Test match against New Zealand in Napier, also quashed media reports of handing a dressing down to his team following their meek surrender at the MCG where India lost seven wickets in the final session to lose the Test by 184 runs, and concede the series lead 2-1 to the Aussies. “There were some honest words, that's all I can say, and honesty is very important. Honesty is extremely important if you want to go on and achieve some great things,” he said. “There is only one discussion – it's the team-first ideology that matters. It's a team sport, and you've got to play what the team needs you to do. People can play their natural game, but still, in a team sport, individuals only contribute. “You have to expect players to do what the team needs you to do, whether they have to bat sessions, whether they have got to be attacking. Because that is all that matters in a team sport for me,” he added. Ravichandran Ashwin’s mid-series retirement has triggered a transition phase in the current set-up with a lot of other senior members of the side gradually approaching the sunset of their respective careers, Gambhir felt that team performance is paramount as he believes that there is enough potential in the country to take Indian cricket forward. “Honesty is the most important thing for any transition. It is not about phasing out senior players or getting the youngsters in. Ultimately, the only thing that can keep you in that dressing room is performance,” he said. chadar to Ajmer Sharif Dargah tomorrow STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 JANUARY Union Minister for Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju will present a ceremonial ‘chadar’ sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer on 4 January. This tradition is observed annually during the Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, where the Prime Minister's chadar is offered at the Dargah Sharif. The Union Minister for Minority Affairs customarily represents the Prime Minister during this significant occasion. Since assuming office as Prime Minister, Modi has offered a 'Chadar' to Ajmer Sharif Dargah ten times. This will be the 11th time he has This tradition is observed annually during the Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, where the Prime Minister's chadar is offered at the Dargah Sharif. participated in this tradition. Last year, during the 812th Urs, the 'Chadar' was presented to the shrine by then Union Minister Smriti Irani and Jamal Siddiqui, along with a delegation representing the Muslim community, on behalf of the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has emphasised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to promote peace, unity, harmony, and brotherhood in the country by sending a 'chadar' to Ajmer Sharif.