TUESDAY 01 APRIL 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR SHAH HAILS NCB, DELHI POLICE SONIA GANDHI SLAMS CENTRE OVER NEP P5 SENSEX 77,414.92 P8 NIFTY 23,519.35 ` vs $ 85.56 P9 GOLD `92,255 Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 33˚C and 27˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY SILVER `1,04,000 Fadnavis rejects Raut’s claim on PM Modi’s retirement STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 48% MUMBAI, 31 MARCH Max: 35.0˚C (+0.3) Min: 27.2˚C (+2.6) SUN SETS 17:51 hrs MOON SETS 20:03 hrs Full Moon on 13 April THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 31 MARCH Children hug each other as they celebrate the Eid ul-Fitr festival, at Taj Mahal in Agra on Monday. nANI IFS officer Nidhi Tewari appointed private secretary to PM Modi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed Ms Nidhi Tewari, a 2014 batch Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer, as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ms Tewari, who was serving as the Deputy Secretary, Prime Minister's Office, was appointed as PM Modi's Private Secretary in Level 12 of the pay matrix. Her appointment, according to an official notification issued on March 29, will be “on co-terminus basis or until further orders, whichever is earlier.” I n her message on the occasion of Eid on Monday, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee held the two main opposition parties in the state, namely BJP and CPI-M, responsible for propagating communal tension in the state. “Ram-Bam these days raises the question of whether I am a Hindu or not. My answer is that I am Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh at the same time, and at the end of the day, I am an Indian. What are the opposition parties doing? They are just dividing people. My life is dedicated to the country," the chief minister said while addressing a gathering at Red Road in central Kolkata on the occasion of the Eid festivities. Miss Banerjee emphasised the need for communal harmony, particularly against the backdrop of the violence in Mothabari of Malda district, that prompted 61 arrests and suspension of internet services in the area. The chief minister also issued a note of caution about possible attempts to create communal tension in the state over the forthcoming Ram Navami festival on 6 April. “They will try to create riots. Don’t get trapped," she said. The party’s general secretary and Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, accompanied her on the dais. Assuring Muslims in the state,she said: “Divisive politics won’t be tolerated. Didi is with you, the whole (West Bengal) government is with you.” She also came down heavily on the saffron camp and said: “If they (BJP) have problems with the minorities, will they change the Constitution of the country?” The chief minister also hit out at the Left, saying: “Aaaj lal aur gerua ek ho gaya). Let it be. It’s a matter of shame. But I can assure you I will not let Few ‘powerful people’ opposing Waqf legislation, says Kiren Rijiju STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 31 MARCH Rejecting the opposition to the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday alleged that a few "powerful people" are objecting to the legislation and accused them of ''misguiding" the people. "Who are these people who are opposing this bill? There are a few powerful people who have encroached upon the Waqf properties. They are misguiding people. They are saying the bill is unconstitutional. It's everyone's right to criticise things, but criticism must have some substance in it," he said. The amendment bill is in the interest of poor Muslims, children, and women. It would ensure accountability and transparency when it comes to managing properties under the Waqf board, the minister said. He wondered why some people are saying that the Waqf Amendment Bill is unconstitutional. ''Waqf rules have been in existence since before independence. All these provisions are already in existence. If the Waqf Act has been in existence since before independence, then how can it be illegal?'' he asked. Mr Rijiju alleged that innocent Muslims are being misled into believing that the government is going to snatch the properties and rights of the Muslims. ''The false things being spread by some people are very harmful for our society and the nation. I would like to request everyone to please identify those leaders who are lying. These are the people who misguided the country during the CAA. I am very proud to say that the minorities are the safest in India and they enjoy the best rights of freedom in India," he added. Regarding the letter sent by the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) extending support to the bill and requesting MPs from the state to do the same, Mr Rijiju said that many organisations across religious lines are supporting the legislation. "The request letter sent by the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council is extremely important for everybody. Many of the organisations across communities are supporting the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. We must understand that the Bill is basically in the interest of the poor Muslims, children, and women, and also to ensure that the properties of the Waqf are managed in a transparent and accountable manner. We ensure the welfare of the common people," Mr Rijiju, who is also the Minority Affairs Minister, said. Significant financial rule changes to come into effect today STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE y financial re eforms NEW DELHI, 31 MARCH With commencement of the new financial year – from 1 April– several significant financial rule changes will come into effect. These changes range from impacting taxpayers, UPI users, and credit card holders. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced new directives for the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to improve security and efficiency. These guidelines mandate banks and third-party UPI providers, such as PhonePe and Google Pay, to implement measures for deactivating inactive numbers from 1 April. For the Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework, taxpayers accessing the GST portal will be required to use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) as an added security measure. Also, from April 1, the EWay Bills (EWB) can only be generated for base documents that are no older BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.01 BJP, Left playing communal politics, says CM Mamata TEMPERATURE SUN RISES 05:30 hrs MOON RISES 06:36 hrs P12 CM emphasised the need for communal harmony particularly against the backdrop of Mothabari violence WEATHER Max. 89% FRANCE'S LE PEN SENTENCED LSG GEAR UP FOR PBKS CHALLENGE TO FOUR YEARS IN JAIL UPI Security Enhancement ts NPCI has mandated banks an third-party UPI nd providers to deactivate inact tive numbers from 1 April to enhance security an efficiency. nd -Way Bill Changes rs accessing the GST portal mus use st ctor Authentication (MFA), and E E-Way Bills be generated for base documen no older nts days to improve compliance. Unified Pension Scheme Up pdate Employees with at least 25 ye ears of service will receive a pension equal to 50 of their average 0% basic salary from the last 12 months, ensuring better financial stability, post-retirement. than 180 days, a step aimed at enhancing compliance and curbing tax evasion. Under the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) scheme, employees with a minimum of 25 years of service will be entitled to a pension amounting to 50% of their average basic salary from the last 12 months, ensuring financial stability after retirement. This initiative is part of broader measures to enhance pension benefits for government employees. The credit card holders will see changes in their reward points and benefits. Axis Bank is set to revise the benefits of its Vistara Credit Card. Further, the SBI SimplyCLICK and Air India SBI Platinum Credit Card users will face adjustments in their reward structures. Another change will be introduced within the DigiLocker app. Investors will be able to store their demat account holding statements and consolidated account statements directly in DigiLocker. Within the app, users can designate nominees who will have view-only access. For the Mutual Funds, under the new rule, the fund houses must deploy funds raised through new fund offers (NFOs) within 30 business days. If no investment is made within 60 days, the AMC must stop new investments and allow investors to exit without any penalties. any harm come to you.” “We are secular. Navratri is on. I extend my best wishes for that as well but we do not want anyone to create chaos…Common people do not create chaos, but political parties do. We are ready to sacrifice our lives for all religions…The duty of the majority is to protect the minority, and the duty of the minority is to stay with the majority,” she said. Referring to her speech at Kellogg College at Oxford University last week, where she was heckled by protesters she said: “I was asked, are you Hindu? I said, I am Hindu, I am Muslim, I am Sikh… I said I am Indian first. What can you do?” Miss Banerjee was in the UK for a week-long official trip between 22 and 28 March. Again without naming BJP, the chief minister issued an appeal to the people not to listen or interact with those political forces who were propagating divisive politics. “Just give them a fitting reply at the right time. They are trying to dictate what people will eat and what they will wear. I do not want any riot-like situation to surface in the state,” the CM said. Miss Banerjee also claimed that she followed the path of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday dismissed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut's claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the RSS in Nagpur yesterday to discuss his retirement plan once he turns 75 in September and that the PM's successor will be from Maharashtra. ''No, not a chance...there is no need to search for his successor. He is our leader and will continue," he declared in Nagpur. “In our culture, when the father is alive, it is inappropriate to talk about succession. It is a Mughal tradition that children think about succession even when the father is alive. The time has not come to discuss it," the chief minister said, referring to Mr Raut’s claim that Modi’s successor would come from Maharashtra. Mr Fadnavis said, “In 2029, we will see Modi as the Prime Minister of India once again. There is no need to search for his successor. Discussing succession when the leader is still active is inappropriate in Indian culture”. At a press conference, Mr Raut claimed that PM Modi had discussed his retirement plan with the RSS leadership and that his successor would be from Maharashtra. "RSS will decide the successor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and he will be from Maharashtra. That's why Modi was called to Nagpur to discuss it at a closeddoor meeting," said Mr Raut, a Rajya Sabha member and a close confidant of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. He, however, did not reveal the source of his information. To Mr Raut's claim that the next PM will be from Maharashtra, Mr Fadnavis, who is one of the tallest BJP leaders in the state, said he has nothing to do with the matter. Though Mr Fadnavis refuted Mr Raut's claim about the PM's retirement, it has sparked speculation about whether Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who is from Nagpur and is also seen as being close to the RSS, would replace Mr Modi.