TUESDAY 29 APRIL 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00| LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P8 SENSEX 80,218.37 p1,005.84 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. THUNDERY DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS EVENING. OCCASIONAL SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS(SPEED 10-20 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 39 AND 25 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RUSSIA DECLARES 3-DAY CEASEFIRE IN UKRAINE FOR WWII VICTORY DAY KHARGE TARGETS PM MODI FOR SKIPPING ALL-PARTY MEETING KARNATAKA CM SIDDARAMAIAH GETS TROLLED P5 NIFTY 24,328.50 p289.15 P9 ` vs $ 85.02 GOLD `98,020 TEMPERATURE The meeting came in the wake of Pak resorting to unprovoked cross-border firing STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 28 APRIL Min: 23.2 °C (-0.6) SUN SETS 18:55 hrs MOON SETS 21:02 hrs THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 APRIL Schoolchildren take part in an awareness campaign against child marriage ahead of 'Akshaya Tritiya' festival in Bikaner on Monday. n ANI India's industrial production growth marginally accelerates to 3 pc in March: India's industrial production growth marginally accelerated to 3 pc in March from 2.7 pc in February, data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) said on Monday. On an annual basis, the growth in March was down from 5.5 pc in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal, mainly due to poor performance of manufacturing, mining and power sectors. The growth rates of the three sectors, Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity for the month of March 2025 are 0.4 pc, 3 pc and 6.3 pc respectively. (P10) D efence Minister Rajnath Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday at the latter’s residence amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The meeting came in the wake of Pakistan resorting to unprovoked cross-border firing on the fourth day in a row. “During the (intervening) night of 27-28 April 2025, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the Line of Control in areas opposite Kupwara and Poonch districts. Indian troops responded swiftly and effectively,” an Army spokesperson said. Earlier on Sunday, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan met the defence minister to update him about the decisions taken by the armed forces after Pakistan sponsored the terror attack that resulted in the death of 26 tourists. A crucial meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence is also scheduled to take place in the Parliament House Annexe on Monday afternoon. Following the attack at Baisaran meadow, considered to be the deadliest attack in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike, which claimed the lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans, the Indian Army had launched major search operations in the area. Lambasting Pakistan for the attacks, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) Chief Farooq Abdullah said their was a need for action that prevents such attacks in the future. Stating that Pakistan has “murdered humanity”, Abdullah, while speaking to the media, said it should not expect India to compromise on its principles. "I used to favour dialogue with Pakistan every time. How will we answer those who lost their loved ones? Are we doing justice? Not Balakot, today the nation wants such action to be taken so that these kinds of attacks never happen," Abdullah said. Spain, Portugal hit by massive power outage, millions left without electricity AGENCIES BARCELONA, 28 APRIL A major power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, including their capitals, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines. Authorities said the cause was not immediately known, though one Portuguese official said the problem appeared to be with the electricity distribution network in Spain. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime minister’s residence, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited power distributor Red Eléctrica to follow efforts at restoring grid operations. The countries have a combined population of over 50 million people. It was not immediately clear how many were affected. A couple of hours later, Spain’s electricity network operator said it was recovering power in the north and south of the peninsula, which would help to progressively restore the electricity supply nationwide. Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems outside ABVP dents Left-dominated JNUSU, wins joint secy post STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 APRIL Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) marked a dent in Left parties dominated Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) as it won the Joint Secretary post, the organisation’s victory in any Central post after a drought of nine years, while the Left United retained President, Vice-President, and Secretary posts. According to the JNUSU Election Committee, United Left (UL) candidate Nitish Kumar, a Phd scholar won for President's post, polling, 1702 votes while his near rival, ABVP’s Shikha Swaraj could only secure 1,430 votes while Tayabba of SFI managed 918 votes. As Vice-President, UL’s Manisha secured victory by BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 65.65 Rajnath briefs Modi on Omar’s soul-stirring security preparedness speech on Pahalgam Min. 26 % Max: 40.4 °C (+1.4) SUN RISES 05:42 hrs MOON RISES 07:23 hrs P12 SILVER `1,00,500 RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 59 % KKR TO FIGHT FOR PLAYOFF HOPES, DC EYE MOMENTUM Left United retains President, Vice-President, and Secretary posts. polling 1,150 votes while his near rival, Nittu of ABVP could only manage 1,116 votes. Similarly, on the General Secretary post, UL’s Munteha emerged victorious by polling 1520 votes while his near rival, ABVP’s Kunal Rai could only manage 1,406 votes. Meanwhile, on Joint Secretary post, ABVP pulled a surprise and ended its drought of nine years as its nominee Vaibhav Meena came out as victorious polling 1,518 votes while his near rival, UL’s Naresh could only manage 1,433 votes. (SEE P2) the country, an official said. Video aired on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona. Spain’s traffic department is asking citizens to avoid using their cars as much as possible due to the power outage, which has affected traffic lights and electrical road signage. Portugal’s E- Redes said parts of France also were affected. In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit the capital, Lisbon, and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts of the country. Portuguese police placed more officers on duty to direct traffic and cope with increased requests for help, including from people trapped in elevators. Portuguese hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Gas stations stopped working and trains stopped running. Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Also in Portugal, courts stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected. Traffic lights in Lisbon stopped working. Rejecting the two-nation theory in the wake of Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir repeatedly raising it, the JKNC chief said Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians are all one. "We regret that our neighbour today also does not understand that it has murdered humanity. If they think that we will go with Pakistan by doing this, we should clear their misunderstanding. We did not go with them in 1947, so why will we go today? We threw the two-nation theory into the water at that time. Today, we are also not ready to accept the two-nation theory. Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian, we are all one. We will give a befitting reply to them," Abdullah said. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that the Pahalgam terrorist attack has shaken the entire country, but he would not use this occasion to press for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Omar was speaking in the special session of the J&K Assembly here to condemn the targeted terrorist attack. The resolution of condemnation was moved by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary during the special session, which began with the members observing a two-minute silence to pay homage to those killed in the tragedy. Referring to some members of the House who demanded restoration of statehood to defeat terrorism, Omar said “The security in Jammu and Kashmir is not in the hands of the UT's elected government. But I will not use this occasion to seek statehood. How can I push for statehood now? I do not believe in cheap politics”, Omar said, winding up the discussion on a resolution unanimously passed on the Pahalgam terror attack in the legislative assembly. “We have talked about statehood (with the Central government) in the past and we will continue to talk about it in future, but not right now”. “Curse be on me if I go to the Centre and push for statehood at this moment,” he said.“From Arunachal to Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, the entire country has been affected by this attack. We have witnessed several attacks. We have seen attacks on the Amarnath Yatra camp, attacks in several villages of Doda. We have seen attacks on the villages of Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs. However, this attack in Baisaran on civilians has happened after 21 years. We were thinking that these attacks were now part of our past”. Omar said his government would strengthen the people's crusade against terrorism, which can be defeated only with the support of the public. He cautioned that the government should avoid any step that will alienate the people of Kashmir. “Terrorism will finish only when people are with us. Given people's outrage 26 Rafale-M cleared for takeoff: India & France ink `63,000 cr defence pact PARWINDER SANDHU NEW DELHI, 28 APRIL In a major move to bolster the Indian Navy’s air might, a deal between India and France for the purchase of 26 Rafale-Marine (Rafale-M) fighter jets worth Rs 63,000 crore was signed here today. As part of the inter-governmental deal between India and France, the country would receive 22 single-seater variants and four twin-seater variants of the jet, designed in accordance with its Naval fleet’s requirements. Set to replace the MiG-29 K fleet, the new fleet will operate from INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. With the first lot of jets expected to be delivered in the coming years, it is scheduled to be completed by 2031. As part of an Inter-Gov- ernmental Agreement (IGA) model between India and France, the jets are designed in accordance with India’s Naval fleet’s requirements. Apart from the fighter jets, the deal would also include weapons, a simulator, spares, associated ancillary equipment, personnel training, and logistical support from the French. It also includes setting up of production facility for Rafale Fuselage as well as Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities for aircraft engine, sensors, and weapons in India. A statement from the Ministry of Defence stated that the IGA has been signed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of Armed Forces of France Sebastien Lecornu. The signed copies of the agreement, aircraft package supply protocol, and weapons package supply protocol were exchanged by Indian and French officials in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh at Nausena Bhawan, here today. The clearance was given by the Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier this month. Currently, the Indian Air Force holds 36 Rafale fighter jets, first inducted in 2016, stationed at two air bases at Ambala, in Haryana and Hasimara in West Bengal. India blocks 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for ‘provocative’ content; writes to BBC over Pahalgam terror attack reporting STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 APRIL The central government has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives, and misinformation against India amid tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 people were gunned down and several others sustained injuries. The decision comes on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), days after India announced several punitive measures, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, against Pakistan for its involvement in cross- border terrorism. The banned YouTube channels include those of leading Pakistani news outlets such as Dawn, ARY News, Geo News, Samaa TV, Bol News, Raftar, and Suno News. Additionally, YouTube channels of prominent journalists, including Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, and Umar Cheema, have been blocked. Uzair Cricket, The Pakistan Reference, Razi Naama, and Samaa Sports are other wellknown YouTube Channels that are among those blocked by India for spreading false and provocative agendas. According to the Centre, the banned YouTube channels were involved in spreading provocative and communally charged content. They were also found to be disseminating false and misleading narratives against India following the Pahalgam terror attack. The channels had a total of 63 million subscribers. Meanwhile, the Centre has also written to BBC India head Jackie Marti, conveying its strong sentiments regarding the British broadcaster’s reporting on the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The government has flagged the BBC’s use of “militants” for the terrorists who killed Indian and foreign tourists. India is closely monitoring the BBC’s reporting on the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district. The government is also believed to have objected to the BBC referring to Jammu and Kashmir as “Indian-administered Kashmir”. A BBC article with a headline "Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists" was also flagged by several users as it sounded misleading. The headline appeared to blame India for the killings, and Pakistan suspended visas for Indians after the attack. At least 26 people, including a foreign national, were killed in the targeted attack on tourists at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district. against the terror, this is the beginning of its finishing if we take proper steps”. “We should not take any step that will alienate people”. Referring to the unprecedented and spontaneous protests across Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said Srinagar's Jamia Masjid for the first time observed a two-minute silence before Friday prayers. “We can understand its meaning. We will try to strengthen this change”, the Chief Minister said. “No Parliament or any state assembly can understand the pain of the loss of 26 people in the Pahalgam carnage more than the J&K Assembly”.He also warned social media handlers of spreading fake news in the wake of the terror attack. “I warn them to desist from this immediately, as we will not tolerate the spread of falsehood”, Omar said. GA Mir (Congress) said that the spot where the attack happened was considered one of the safest tourist places in J&K. The attack was a major security lapse, and those responsible owe an explanation. He said that the BJP government at the Centre had been claiming the elimination of terrorism after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, but now they should explain how this unfortunate attack happened. SC issues notice on plea to regulate explicit content on social media, OTT platforms PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 28 APRIL The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Central government, Over The Top (OTT) – Netflix, Amazon Prime, Alt Balaji, Ullu, ALTT, X (formerly Twitter), Meta Inc, Google, Mubi, Apple, and the social media platforms on a public interest plea (PIL) seeking to regulateandprohibitthestreaming of obscene contents. Stating that the issue raised by the PIL petitioner is of “important concern”, a bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih sought response from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Alt Balaji, Ullu, ALTT, X (formerly Twitter), Meta Inc, Google, Mubi, Apple and others seekingtheregulationofobscene content on OTT platforms and social media. However, the bench clarified that the issue raised in the petition is a policy matter and falls in the domain of the Central government. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearingforthePILpetitioners, highlighted the issue of content circulating on OTT and social media platforms without any regulation or checks. He appeared for the PIL petitioners, UdayMahurkar,SanjeevNewar, Sudeshna Bhattacharjya Mukherjee, Shatabdi Pande, and Svati Goyal, who approached the apex court. Representing the Central government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that the obscene content was present even in some regular programmes. Pointing to the depth of perversity in some of the programmes, Solicitor General Mehta said that some programmes are so perverted that even two respectable men cannot sit together and watch them.