WEDNESDAY 19 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR INDIA-US FRIENDSHIP WILL GROW: TULSI GABBARD FAMILIAR TUG OF WAR IN MALDIVES P7 SENSEX 75,301.26p1,131.30 WEATHER Generally clear. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 36°C and 26°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 81% 22,834.30p325.55 ` vs $ 86.55 THUMBNAILS A butterfly feeds on a flower's nectar at the beginning of spring on the outskirts of Agartala, on Tuesday. n ANI IAEA chief calls for global collaboration in nuclear science: Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi on Tuesday highlighted the importance of global collaboration in nuclear science and capacity-building. He was inaugurating the S N Bose Building at the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan in New Delhi. He pointed out how people from every region and corner of the country came together rime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the Mahakumbh this year showcased India's grandeur to the world and effectively addressed doubts and apprehensions held by some regarding the nation's capabilities. “Mahakumbh is a manifestation of the collective resolve, devotion, and dedication of the people, inspired by their unwavering faith,” he added, making a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha on the grand festival which recently concluded at Prayagraj. The PM also remarked on the profound awakening of national consciousness witnessed during the Mahakumbh, highlighting how this consciousness propels the nation towards new resolutions and inspires their fulfillment. He noted that when people speaking different languages and dialects chanted "Har Har Gange" at the Sangam, it reflected the essence of "Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat" and enhanced the spirit of oneness. Mr Modi observed that the Mahakumbh demonstrated the absence of discrimination between the small and the great, showcasing India's immense strength. Noting that the inherent unity within the nation is so profound that it overcomes all divisive efforts, the PM highlighted that this unity is a great fortune for Indians and a significant strength in a world facing fragmentation. Prime Minister Modi remarked on the profound awakening of national consciousness witnessed dur- ing the Mahakumbh, highlighting how this consciousness propels the nation towards new resolutions and inspires their fulfillment. He emphasised that the Mahakumbh effectively addressed doubts and apprehensions held by some regarding the nation's capabilities. “This also gave a befitting reply to those who doubt our strength.” Mr Modi highlighted that the connection to traditions, faith, and heritage is a valuable asset for contemporary India, reflecting the nation's collective strength and cultural rich- ness. Stressing that the Mahakumbh has yielded many invaluable outcomes, with the spirit of unity being its most sacred offering, the Prime Minister pointed out how people from every region and corner of the country came together in Prayagraj, setting aside individual egos and embracing the collective spirit of "we" over "I." Underlining the immense efforts required for the grand organisation of the Mahakumbh, comparing it to the legendary Bhagirath's endeavour to bring the Ganga to Earth, Mr Modi mentioned his emphasis on the importance of "Sabka Prayas" during his address from the Red Fort. He noted that the Mahakumbh showcased India's grandeur to the world. Highlighting the transformative journey of the nation, drawing a parallel between the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya last year and the Mahakumbh this year, PM Modi remarked that these events reinforce the nation's readiness for the next millennium. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE LS adjourned for day after uproar by Oppn STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 MARCH The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday amid Opposition ruckus following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in the House on the recently concluded Mahakumbh in UP’s Prayagraj. Earlier, the Lower House witnessed pandemonium while the Prime Minister spoke on Mahakumbh. The Opposition members trooped into the Well, demanding the inclusion of stampede tragedy in the statement. Amid uproar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla cited Rule 37 and said that it categorically states that the Prime Minister or any Minister can make a statement in the House without taking any questions. Amid the pandemonium, the Speaker adjourned the House till 1 p.m. NEW DELHI, 18 MARCH External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday hit out at the United Nations for turning the ''invasion'' of Kashmir into a dispute and bringing the attacker and victim at par and called for having a "strong and fair" world body. In remarks at the Session on ‘Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations’ at the Raisina Dialogue, he described the occupation of parts of Kashmir by Pakistan as "the longest standing illegal occupation" of territory by another country after the Second World War. “If you don't have an order, then you are looking at a very anarchic world. I think we do need an international order just like we need a domestic order. Just like you need a society in a country, you need an international version of that and its not just big countries who will benefit if there is no order. I would argue that any country that would take risks, which would have extreme positions, which would test the system will actually use the disorder to its advantage. “I mean we have seen it in our own neighbourhood. You don't have to a big country to l Butch Wilmore and Sunita William bid farewell to the International Space ms t Station — their home since last sp pring — departing aboard a SpaceX capsule a auts. alongside two other astrona e NEW DELHI, 18 MARCH l Th capsule undocke in the wee hours and he ed aim for a splashdow off the Florida coast by med wn early evening, local tim weather permitting. me, stitution of India, voting right can only be given to a citizen of India; an Aadhaar card only establishes the identity of a person. “Therefore, it was decided that the linking of EPIC with Aadhaar will be done only as per the provisions of Article 326 of the Constitution, Section 23(4), 23(5) and 23(6) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and in line with the Supreme Court judgement in WP(civil) No. 177/2023,” the poll panel said in a communiqué. Accordingly, technical l T two astronauts expected to be gone just The nching on Boeing’s new a week or so after laun St tarliner crew capsu on 5 June. So many ule problems cropped up on the way to the p u spa station that NA eventually sent ace ASA Starliner back empty and tr r ransferred the test pilots to SpaceX, pus shing their homecom ming into February. consultations between UIDAI and the technical experts of ECI are to begin soon, it said. The meeting came days after the ECI sought suggestions from all national and regional political parties in a bid to further strengthen the electoral processes. In the wake of criticism from Opposition parties including Congress over the duplication in EPIC, the ECI had earlier said that this “long pending” issue will be resolved within the next three months. l Their plight captured the world’s attention, giving new meaning to the phrase “stuck at work.” Wh hile other astronauts had logged longer spacefligh hts over the decades none ha to decades, ad deal with so much uncertaint or ty see the length of their mission expand by so much. Israeli strikes across Gaza kill over 400 Palestinians AGENCIES DEIR AL-BALAH, 18 MARCH indicating that Israel could soon launch renewed ground operations. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office said. The attack during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan could signal the full resumption of a war that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused wide- spread destruction across Gaza. It also raised concerns about the fate of the roughly two dozen Israeli hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive. The renewal of the campaign against Hamas, which is supported by Iran, came as the USA and Israel stepped up attacks this week across the region. The USA launched deadly strikes against Iran- be a risky country. I have smaller neighbours who have done a pretty good job. So, first of all, we should all understand the importance of an order,” the minister said. He said: “Now, the old order, it was an order, it was a product of its times. But, why I felt its virtuals were exaggerated was I think the rule maker and rule-taker had somewhat different perspective because I also said in the same interview that if you are at the receiving end of those rules or the application of those rules, we had issues and let me give you two or three practical examples. “You know, if you capriciously, you know, if it suits your interests, somebody is good, not good, well, I'll make up my mind how they're going to do and you apply that order to the same country on the same issues differently." Homecoming for NASA stuck astronauts A’s STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health officials. The surprise bombardment, the deadliest in Gaza since the start of the 17month war, shattered a ceasefire in place since January. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas refused Israeli demands to change the ceasefire agreement. Officials said the operation was openended and was expected to expand. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel’s actions. The Israeli military ordered people to evacuate eastern Gaza, including much of the northern town of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south, and head toward the center of the territory, BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 71.60p0.53 Mahakumbh showcased India's Jaishankar slams UN grandeur to the world: PM Modi for calling Kashmir invasion a dispute EPIC-Aadhaar linking to be as per provisions of Article 326, RP Act: ECI The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday said that the linking of Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) and Aadhaar will be done as per the provisions of Article 326 of the Constitution, Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1950 and relevant Supreme Court (SC) judgements. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners (ECs) Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi with the Union Home Secretary, Secretary Legislative Department, Secretary MeitY and CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and technical experts of the poll panel for discussion on the linking of EPIC and Aadhaar at the Nirvachan Sadan. The ECI said while, as per the Article 326 of the Con- P12 SILVER 1,13,000 GOLD 91,000.00 P New Moon on 29 March PUNJAB KINGS SKIPPER SHREYAS DETERMINED TO WIN IPL 2025 P6 NEW DELHI, 18 MARCH Min: 26.4˚C SUN SETS 17:47 hrs MOON SETS 08:19 hrs TEMPERATURE P5 RITA SACHDEVA Min. 48% Max: 36.2˚C SUN RISES 05:41 hrs MOON RISES 22:09 hrs NIFTY GERMANY STEPS UP allied rebels in Yemen, while Israel has targeted Iranbacked militants in Lebanon and Syria. A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu’s decision to return to war amounts to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages. Izzat alRisheq accused Netanyahu of launching the strikes to try and save his far-right governing coalition and called on mediators to “reveal facts” on who broke the truce. Hamas said at least four senior officials were killed in Tuesday’s strikes. There were no reports of any attacks by Hamas several hours after the bombardment, indicating it still hoped to restore the truce. The strikes came as Netanyahu comes under mounting domestic pressure, with mass protests planned over his handling of the hostage crisis and his decision to fire the head of Israel’s internal security agency. re l Wilmor and Williams quickly transition from guests to ned ed full-fledge station crew members conducting s, experime ents, fixing equipment and even spacewalking together. hours over nine With 62 h spacewalks, Williams set a record: ks the most time spent spacewalking over a car reer among female astronaut ts. 1.4 billion Indians have always taken great pride in your achievements. Recent developments have yet again showcased your inspirational fortitude and perseverance. Even though you are thousands of miles away, you remain close to our hearts. The people of India are praying for your good health and success in your mission... After your return, we are looking forward to seeing you in India. It will be a pleasure for to host one o most illustrio daughters. PRIME MINIS NARENDRA M IN A LETTER LETT TER SED ADDRESS MS. WILL LIAM SC judges to visit Manipur relief camps on 22 Mar Maha CM Fadnavis blames Chhaava while Nagpur remains under curfew PARMOD KUMAR STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 MARCH MUMBAI, 18 MARCH A delegation of six Supreme Court judges led by Justice BR Gavai – the senior most top court judge after the Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna - will visit the relief camps in violence affected Manipur on 22 March to strengthen legal and humanitarian support. The delegation to be headed by Justice Gavai will include Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice MM Sundresh, Justice KV Viswanathan and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotishwar Singh. The judges will visit relief camps in Manipur on 22 March 2025 on the occasion of the Duodecennial Celebration of the High Court of Manipur. There will also be distribution of essential relief materials to IDPs. (Details on Page 4) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a detailed statement in the state legislative assembly on Tuesday on the Nagpur riots that are now under control though at least 11 police stations across the city are still under curfew. Mr Fadnavis confirmed that rumours spread on social media sparked the violence. "I don't want to criticise any movie. Today in Maharashtra, the movie 'Chhawa' brought out the true history of Sambhaji Maharaj before us. After that, people's emotions have been ignited on a large scale in the state," he said. "Anger against Aurangzeb is also coming out on a large scale. Despite all this, it is very important to maintain law and order in Maharashtra. Everyone should exercise restraint. If the social order here remains orderly, it will help us move in the direction of progress we are on. But I warn you that if anyone tries to riot, action will be taken against them regardless of their caste or religion," he added. The chief minister claimed that the incident in Nagpur was well-planned. “After the incident in the morning of Monday, there was complete peace. However, in the evening, it came to light that some people deliberately carried out an attack because a trolley full of stones had been found. Some people have been seen piling stones on houses. Weapons have also been seized in large quantities. Vehicles have been set on fire. Some specific houses and establishments have been targeted. Therefore, a well-planned pattern orchestrated by some people is visible,” he said. Mr Fadnavis said that on Monday, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal had protested in the Mahal area of Nagpur, raising slogans like 'Remove Aurangzeb's grave'. At this time, they burnt a symbolic grave made of grass mat. The Ganesh Peth police registered a case against the protesters at 3:09 p.m. After that, the atmosphere was calm.