CMYK WEDNESDAY www.thestatesman.com 14 MARCH 2018 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P6 SENSEX 33,856.78 -61.16 WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature will be around 36 and 23 degree celsius, respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.93% TEMPERATURE Max: 35.6°C (+2) SUN RISES 05:46 hrs MOON RISES 03.37 hrs HOW JAYA CAME TO BE NOMINATED BIDYA BHARATI RE-ELECTED NEPAL PRESIDENT XI EQUAL TO MAO P9 NIFTY 10,426.85 +5.45 ` vs $ 64.89 +15 PAISE GOLD 29,185.00 -30.00 Maoist extremists trigger IED, kill nine CRPF jawans in Chhattisgarh Min: 23.8°C (+2) SUN SETS 17:46 hrs MOON SETS 15:01 hrs New moon on 16 March THUMBNAILS Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai announced her next book We are displaced will focus on refugee experience. According to Entertainment Weekly, Yousafzai will begin by recounting her own experience. Foreign law firms not allowed practice in India: The Supreme Court said foreign law firms cannot set up offices in India but their lawyers could give legal advice on foreign laws. However, a bench headed by Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Uday Umesh Lalit said foreign lawyers could come to the country and participate in international commercial arbitration. Justice Goel said that even for the limited purposes they would be subject to the BCI Code. SC for separate Haj quota: The Supreme Court directed the earmarking of an “exclusive quota” for Haj pilgrims aged 70 and above and preference being given to pilgrims between 65-69 who have already applied for the pilgrimage five times or more. A bench headed by CJI said people above 70 would get the benefit of a separate quota and those between 65-69 who have applied five times or more would get preferential consideration. SBI cuts penalty charges: The SBI reduced the penalty charges on non-maintenance of average monthly balance by up to 75 per cent from April 1 as the measure had faced a public backlash for raking in huge profits by way of penal charges. However, the bank has not lowered the monthly minimum balance which has been retained at Rs 3,000 for metro customers, at Rs 2,000 for semi-urban accounts P8 and at Rs 1,000 for rural accounts. NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH he Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the 31 March deadline for linking of various services ~ such as bank accounts or mobile phone numbers ~ with Aadhaar, the 12-digit biometric number, until its Constitution Bench hearing the matter delivers its judgment on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar scheme and its enabling law. In its order, the five-judge Constitution Bench, however, also said that this extension will not affect the necessary requirement of Aadhaar number for availing “certain subsidies, benefits and services” under social welfare schemes covered under Section 7 of the The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. The Bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, accepted the submission made by Attorney General K K Venugopal in this regard. The former Karnataka High T routine in the area and one Naxalite was killed even today morning, Awasthi said that the security forces have made significant advances through their aggressive campaign against Naxalites. The security men were conducting an area-domination operation in the forest of Kistaram when the Maoists blew up the CRPF's mineprotected vehicle, he said. Injured jawans have been airlifted to Raipur for further treatment. Terming the attack as horrific and unfortunate, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, T S Singh Deo, said with the ‘Nepal crash fallout of pilot, ATC confusion’ onset of summer a ghastly retaliation from the rebels was apprehended. But the state government has been caught unawares and remained lax as it has ever been. Today's attack comes almost 11 days after security personnel killed 10 alleged Naxalites in the state. Maoist attacks inflict heavy casualties on the security with the onset of summer every year and some of the deadliest attacks including Taadmetla and Jheerum were committed during the summer. Sukma has been witnessing heavy casualties since 2009. SC CONSTITUTION BENCH Court judge, Justice K S Puttaswamy, a lead petitioner in the case, was said to have told the apex court on 22 February that several deaths had reportedly taken place due to starvation due to glitches in the Aadhaar-based public distribution system and that the court must consider granting them compensation. “We direct that the interim order passed on December 15, 2017 shall stand extended till the matter is finally heard and the judgment is pronounced,” the Bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chan- The toll in Nepal's worst aviation disaster rose to 51 today with the death of two more passengers, as Bangladeshi experts joined the probe amid reports of an apparent confusion between the pilot and air traffic control over the runway. The Dhaka to Kathmandu US-Bangla Airlines flight, with 67 passengers and four crew members on board, caught fire after it careened off the runway and ploughed into a football ground near the Tribhuvan International Airport yesterday. The Nepal Home Ministry confirmed the death of 51 people in the crash, the deadliest aviation accident in 25 years in Nepal, according to Himalayan Times. Earlier today,the hospital authorities confirmed the death of pilot Captain Abid Sultan. His co-pilot First Officer Prithula Rashid died yesterday, the Himalayan PTI Times report said. drachud and Ashok Bhushan, said in its order. The existing deadline for linking of bank accounts, mobile phone numbers, and other services with Aadhaar was extended to 31 March by this Bench in its interim order on 15 December last year. The apex court today also ruled that its interim order “shall also control and govern the Passports (1st Amendment) Rules, 2018” which insisted on the Aadhaar identification for getting passports under the “Tatkal” scheme. The direction came as senior counsel Arvind Datar, appearing for one of the petitioners, reportedly told the Bench that passport issuing authorities have made submission of Aadhaar mandatory for issuance of passports. The Attorney General sought to clarify that this requirement of Aadhaar was only for issuance of “Tatkal” passports. On 6 March, Venugopal had reportedly indicated to the Bench that the Centre was willing to extend the March 31 Aadhaar linkage deadline in view of prolonged hearing of the matter. The Bench had directed on 7 March that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will not insist on Aadhaar-only identification for NEET and other all-India examinations. Funds not enough to meet challenges, Army tells Parl panel KATHMANDU, 13 MARCH PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH Farmers under the banner of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) during their protest at Jantar Mantar in the Capital on Tuesday. AMARJEET SINGH AGENCIES WASHINGTON, 13 MARCH said in a statement issued by the White House. “His experience in the military, Congress, and as leader of the CIA have prepared him well for his new role and I urge his swift confirmation,” the US president added. The position needs to be confirmed by the US Senate. Tillerson, who is currently on a visit to Africa, had strained relations with Trump. The 65-year-old former Exxon Mobil chief executive and the president had differences over a host of issues including the US policy on North Korea and Russia. Tillerson was forced to convene a press conference in October last to deny reports that he was considering quit- BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 65.01 +0.06 We direct that the March 31, 2018, deadline for linking of Aadhaar with various services and welfare schemes stand extended till the matter is heard and judgment is pronounced by the Constitution Bench. JAI KISAN Trump sacks Tillerson, CIA chief Pompeo new secy of state After a series of public spats, US President Donald Trump today fired his beleaguered Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replaced him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. “Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job!” Trump tweeted, in a surprise announcement. Trump also announced the appointment of Gina Haspel, the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to head the agency -- the first woman selected for the top post. “I am confident he (Pompeo) is the right person for the job at this critical juncture. He will continue our program of restoring America's standing in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Trump later SILVER 38,500.00 -50.00 ‘Order not to affect Aadhaar linkage with various social welfare schemes’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAIPUR, 13 MARCH Nine CRPF personnel lost their lives and two others were injured in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh after ultras triggered an IED blast in Kistaram area of Sukma district in Maoist insurgency hit southern Chhattisgarh, police sources said. The ambush assumes significance in the wake of increasing advancement of security forces towards the ultras’ so called ‘liberated zone’ in the forests of Bastar. D M Awasthi, DG ( Anti Naxal Operation) said that the naxals targeted a patrolling party with an IED which was going from Kistaram to Palodi in an antilandmine vehicle. Patrolling party which had 11 men was moved after some naxals were spotted in the area which is near a forward CRPF camp. Claiming that exchange of fire is a P12 SC extends Aadhaar deadline till verdict STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 27% P7 INDIA COULD DO WITH A CAPTAIN WHO IS USEFUL ting, though he did not comment on a report that he had called Trump a moron after a meeting at the Pentagon. Tillerson, who had never previously held political office, was appointed as Secretary of State on February 1 last year. Trump also thanked Tillerson for his service. “A great deal has been accomplished over the last fourteen months, and I wish him and his family well,” he said. The former oil chief forged multibillion-dollar deals with Russia's state oil company, Rosneft, and was awarded the Order of Friendship by the Kremlin in 2013. Trump appointed Gina Haspel as the new CIA Direc- tor, terming her elevation as “a historic milestone”. “Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!” he tweeted. “Mike and Gina have worked together for more than a year, and have developed a great mutual respect,” Trump said. According to a senior White House official, the president wanted to make sure to have his new team in place in advance of the upcoming talks with North Korea and various ongoing trade negotiations. The official was responding to a question on the timing of Trump's announcement. Pompeo said he is “deeply grateful” to Trump for permitting him to serve as CIA Director and for this opportunity to serve as Secretary of State. “His leadership has made America safer and I look forward to representing him and the American people to the rest of the world to further America's prosperity,” he said. Pompeo said if confirmed, he looks forward to guiding the world's finest diplomatic corps in formulating and executing the President's foreign policy. Haspel has been an officer of the CIA for 30 years. She served as Pompeo's deputy for the past year. “I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity, and humbled by his confidence in me, to be nominated to be the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. If confirmed, I look forward to providing President Trump the outstanding intelligence support he has grown to expect during his first year in office,” Haspel said. CMYK Commuters hit as airlines cancel flights MUMBAI, 13 MARCH Budget carriers IndiGo and GoAir cancelled as many as 65 flights today after the country's aviation regulator DGCA grounded 11 of their A320Neo planes with faulty Pratt & Whitney engines, causing severe inconvenience to hundreds of flyers. The Gurugram-based IndiGo cancelled 47 of its 1,000-odd flights per day, the Wadia Group-promoted GoAir said it had cancelled 18 flights. GoAir has cancelled 18 flights originating from over eight cities, the airline said in a statement to PTI. GoAir operates 230 flights per day. IndiGo announced on its website the cancellations of some 47 flights across its domestic network for PTI today. The Army has said it is reeling under a severe funds crunch and struggling to even make emergency procurements when there is a real possibility of a two-front war and both China as well as Pakistan are carrying out modernisation of their defence forces in “full swing”. The Army told a parliamentary panel that the funds allocated to it in the defence budget for the next fiscal is insufficient to deal with various security challenges facing the country including from a more assertive China along the northern border and from a hostile Pakistan on the western frontier. The Army's frustrations over inadequate allocations of funds in the defence budget figured in a report of the Standing Committee on Defence which was tabled in the Lok Sabha today. Speaking at a think tank, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat talked about China's military might and said the country understood the importance of ramping up defence expenditure in sync with its economic prowess. Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Sarath Chand said inadequate allocation of funds will hit the Army's modernisation plan when Chinese military is competing to reach the level of the US. “The threat perception has been ever increasing. The last one year has seen various occurrences of external strife and internal dissidence. Just to highlight a few, we have the Doklam issue going on and China has become increasingly assertive,” he said. Lt Gen Chand said, “We have seen more and more patrolling and transgressions. Activities in Tibet has also increased over a period of years whether it is the quantum of troops or whether it is the number of personnel undertaking the exercises and also the level of exercises.” Referring to the situation along the western border, he said Pakistan has been increasing cross border firing to sup- port the militants. He said 68 per cent of the Army's equipment is in the 'vintage category', adding funds crunch will also impact the serviceability of the existing equipment and may even affect payment of instalments for past purchases. Talking about the new procurement policy, delegation of financial powers to Vice Chief of Army and several other initiatives towards modernisation of the armed forces, Lt Gen Chand told the panel that “the Budget of 2018-19 has dashed our hopes and most of what has been achieved has actually received a little set back.” He said, “Allocation of Rs 21,338 crore for modernisation is insufficient even to cater for committed payment of Rs 29,033 crore for 125 on-going schemes, emergency procurements,” he said, adding “Committed liabilities of 2017 which will also get passed on to 2018 will further accentuate the situation.” Referring to the regional security scenario, Chand said the possibility of “two front” war is a reality and the country needs to pay attention to modernisation of the Army. The Army also informed the panel that it does not have adequate resources to even undertake the construction of strategic roads near the Sino-India border. TheVice Chief of Army Staff also referred to daring terror attacks on military installations in Uri, Pathankot, Nagrota and Sunjwan Cantt in Jammu and said the defence forces must get their dues. “Peace in the neighbourhood has also been slightly affected by the recent incidents in Maldives. Overall, we have a disturbed situation and all the more important is that the defence forces should get their due,” he said.