SUNDAY www.thestatesman.com 29 APRIL 2018 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 16+4 | `5 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR THE WONDROUS HERITAGE SITE OF ANCIENT TAXILA IS NOT MARKETED DUE TO LACK OF PUBLIC INTEREST P 10 THE TRAIL OF TIMUR IN UZBEKISTAN IS ALSO THE TRAIL OF THE ANCIENT SILK ROAD P1 Modi, Xi pledge peaceful borders WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 40 and 26 degrees Celsius respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY PRESS TRUST OF INDIA Min. 33% Max: 39.6°C (+1) SUN RISES 05:42 hrs MOON RISES 18.19 hrs Min: 28.4°C (+4) SUN SETS 18:55 hrs MOON SETS 06:02 hrs THUMBNAILS Tributes for terminally-ill British toddler Alfie Evans who died on Saturday are left outside the Alder Hey Children's hospital in Liverpool, England on Saturday. The toddler, at the centre of an international legal battle, died after P7 doctors withdrew life support. AFP Cong attacks Goyal: The Congress on Saturday demanded the removal of Union minister Piyush Goyal, alleging that financial deals of a company owned by him were a “murky saga of gratification, gross impropriety and conflict of interest”, charges dismissed as “baseless and malicious” by the BJP. The Congress claimed that four months after holding the portfolio of New and Renewable Energy, Goyal sold his entire holding in Flashnet Info Solutions (India) Limited at nearly 1000 per cent premium to a company of Piramal Group which has interests P6 in the renewable energy sector. Forces for panchayat polls: The West Bengal government has written to Odisha, Punjab, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh seeking forces for the May 14 single-phase panchayat election in the state, a senior government official said on Saturday. Four companies of security personnel were sought from each state for “full back up” to the existing force in the P5 state, the official said. 86 Odisha children adopted by foreign parents in three years: At least 86 children from Odisha have been adopted by foreign parents in a span of three years from 2015, a state minister said. "All the 86 children were given to the foreign parents from the Specialised Adoption Agency in the year 2015, 2016 and 2017," Odisha Women and Child Development Minister Prafulla Samal said in the state Assembly on Friday. P rime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have decided to issue “strategic guidance” to their militaries to strengthen communications to build trust and understanding, India's top diplomat said today, a move aimed at avoiding a Doklamlike situation in the future. Modi said his talks with Xi focussed on diverse areas of India-China cooperation. “We discussed ways to give impetus to our economic ties as well as people-to-people relations. Other areas we spoke about include agriculture, technology, energy and tourism,” he said. At the end of the two-day informal summit between Modi and Xi in the central Chinese city, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said they underscored the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in all areas of the India-China border region in the larger interest of the overall development of bilateral relations. “They issued strategic guidance to their respective militaries to strengthen communication in order to build trust and mutual understanding and enhance predictability and effectiveness in the management of border affairs,” he said. He said the two leaders directed their militaries to earnestly implement various confidence building PRESS TRUST OF INDIA China today said there is no fundamental difference with India on the issue of “inter-connectivity” and Beijing will “not be too hard” with New Delhi on the issue of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI, a multi-billiondollar initiative launched by President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013, has become a major sticking point in the bilateral ties. The BRI also includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which India opposes as it goes through Pakistanoccupied Kashmir. At the end of the twoday informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi in the central Chinese city, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said, “we feel that there is no fundamental difference between China and India on the issue of supporting inter-connectivity.” “The Indian side does not exclude this cooperation. It is also continuing to advance on interconnection. India is also a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). It is the second largest shareholder of our region,” Kong said. “As for whether India accepts the expression Belt and Road, I think it is not important and China will not be too hard on it,” he said.India had boycotted last year's Belt and Road Forum organised by China. The BRI, a pet initiative of President Xi, is aimed at promoting network of roads, ports and rail networks all over the world to spread China's influence. ignate Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN. The two leaders agreed that India and China are major powers, with strategic and decisional autonomy and they will pursue peaceful, stable and balanced relations and such a relationship will be a positive factor for stability amidst the current global uncertainties, he said, amidst increasing protectionist moves by countries like the US. They underlined that trade should be balanced, it should be sustainable, and that the two sides should take advantage of the complementarities between the two economies. Modi mentioned the importance of balancing the WUHAN, 28 APRIL This handout photograph released by India's Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Saturday shows India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping looking on AFP in a house boat, at East Lake, in Wuhan. measures agreed upon between the two sides, including the principle of mutual and equal security, and strengthen existing institutional arrangements and information sharing mechanisms to prevent incidents in border regions. They endorsed the work of the special representatives to find a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement on the boundary issue. The two sides have held 20 rounds of talks to resolve the boundary dispute and worked out different mechanisms to keep peace along the 3,488-km long Line of Actual Control. His remarks assumes significance as the 'heartto-heart' informal summit between Modi and Xi is being seen as an effort by India and China to rebuild trust and improve ties that were hit by the 73-daylong Doklam standoff last year. “The two leaders were of the view that the two countries have the maturity and wisdom to handle all our differences through peaceful discussions within the context of the overall relationships and bearing in mind, we would respect each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations,” Gokhale said. Modi and Xi underlined that as two major countries India and China have wider and overlapping regional and global interests. They agreed on the need to strengthen strategic communication through greater consultation on all matters of common interest and believe that such communication will have a positive influence on enhancing mutual understanding, he said. The two leaders recognised the common threat posed by terrorism and committed to cooperate further on counter-terrorism, he said. Asked whether the issue of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar was raised, he said the two leaders “did not go into specifics”. China has repeatedly blocked India's bid to des- Collegium to meet soon to reconsider Justice Joseph's name for elevation PRESS TRUST OF INDIA The government had returned the Collegium's recommendation to elevate Justice Joseph seeking its reconsideration, saying the proposal was not in accordance with the top court's parameters NEW DELHI, 28 APRIL Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra is understood to have decided to urgently convene a meeting of the Collegium to reconsider the name of the Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph for elevation as a judge of the Supreme Court. The government had on Friday returned the file to the Collegium which had recommended on January 10 Justice Joseph's name for his elevation as an apex court judge. A Supreme Court official said it is but natural to hold the meeting of the Collegium and it will be convened as soon as possible. However, the only ques- trade, and the scope of the possibilities of agricultural and pharmaceutical exports to China. During the meetings, Xi pointed out that ChinaIndia relations need to be stable and development based on mutual trust. “China and India should be good neighbours and good friends. They should regard each other as an active factor in the change of world power,” Xi said. “We must adopt a positive, open and inclusive attitude and correctly analyse and view each other's intentions,” he said, adding that China and India must work together to plan for allround cooperation. “It is necessary to carry out closer strategic communications, conduct timely consultations on major issues of concern to each other, firmly grasp the general direction of the development of bilateral relations...,” Xi said. “We must deal with differences in a more mature manner; we must strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs and drive regional economic integration and interconnection,” he said. The two leaders also discussed climate change, sustainable development and food security and shared their experience in terms of the preservation of the Yangtze - China's longest river - and the Ganga - India's longest river. ‘China not to push India on BRI’ WUHAN, 28 APRIL Max.59% TEMPERATURE The two leaders, meeting for a second day at Wuhan, agree to issue 'strategic guidance' to their militaries to build trust tion that remains is the availability of all the five judges of the Collegium as Justice Madan B Lokur, who is the member of the Collegium, was away from work on April 26 and 27 due to medical reasons. If the quorum is complete, the Collegium meeting will be convened immediately, the official said. Justice Joseph had head- ed the bench that had quashed the Narendra Modi government's decision to impose President's rule in 2016 when the Congress was in power in the hill state. The government returned the Collegium's recommendation to elevate Justice Joseph seeking its reconsideration, saying the proposal was not in accordance with the top court's parameters and there was adequate representation of Kerala, from where he hails, in the higher judiciary. Justice Joseph, who will turn 60 this June, has been the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court since July 2014. He was appointed as a permanent judge of the Kerala High Court on October 14, 2004 and had assumed charge of the Uttarakhand High Court on July 31, 2014. His name was recommended by the Collegium comprising Chief Justice Misra and justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph. Kathua case: BCI team backs demand for CBI probe STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 28 APRIL The Bar Council of India (BCI) committee has endorsed the demand for transferring to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the rape-murder case of a minor girl in Kathua and has also accused the media of creating an impression as if the lawyers of Kathua and Jammu were siding with the alleged rapists. The 5-member BCI team led by Justice Tarun Agarwala, former chief justice of Meghalaya High Court, made the observation in its 16 page report. The Supreme Court had on 13 April directed the Bar Council of India to submit its panel's report over the conduct of lawyers from Jammu High Court Bar Association and other local associations over the Kathua case. Other members of the BCI team that visited the scene of the alleged crime in Rasana village and also met the district judge and chief judicial magistrate of Kathua, relatives of the victim, members of the civil society and members of the Jammu High Court Bar Association and Kathua Bar Association included S.Prabhakaran, co-chairman of the BCI, Ramesh Chander G. Shah, co-chairman of BCI, Naresh Dixit, Advocate, Patna High Court and Mrs.Razia Beg, member of the Uttarakhand State Bar Council. The BCI report has held the media responsible for misrepresenting the entire episode, especially relating to the conduct of lawyers of the KBA. The media also did not report the press release of JHCBA that they were demanding fair investigation by CBI. The BCI report said that the“demand for CBI enquiry by the public, civil society, JHCBA and KBA appears to be justified”. The report gave clean chit to the KBA by pointing out that “members of the Kathua Bar Association at no point of time restricted any official of the crime branch from filing the report before the appropriate court”. “No member of the Kathua Bar Association had torn or snatched any document of the final report”. The KBA members had only raised slogans against the crime branch and in favour of CBI investigation. POCSO Act to be made gender-neutral Oppn questions Red Fort ‘privatisation’ PRESS TRUST OF INDIA SNS & PTI NEW DELHI, 28 APRIL The Centre is planning to amend the POCSO Act to provide justice to male child victims of sexual assault, the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry said, days after an Ordinance promulgated by President Ram Nath Kovind provided the death penalty for rape of girls under the age of 12. “The government has always strived to develop gender neutral laws. Government has proposed amendment in the POCSO Act to seek justice for survivors of child sexual abuse,” the Ministry said on its official Twitter handle. WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi recently supported a petition on Change.org by filmmaker-activist Insia Dariwala, who said “male child sexual abuse is an ignored reality in India”. Replying to the petition, she said a first-of-its-kind study on male survivors of child sexual abuse would be conducted. “Another much neglected sphere of child sexual abuse is male survivors. Child sexual abuse is gender neutral. Boys who are sexually abused as children spend a lifetime of silence because of the stigma and shame attached to male survivors speaking out. It is a serious problem and needs to be addressed,” she said in her response on the campaign website. Gandhi said following the petition, she had in September 2017 instructed the Nation- al Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to look into the issue. The NCPCR held a conference in this regard in November last year. “As per the recommendations that emerged from the conference, it was unanimously decided that there should be an amendment to the existing scheme for the victims of CSA to also include compensation for boys who have been sexually abused or raped,” she said. Recently, an ordinance promulgated by the president said courts were now allowed to award the maximum death penalty to those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years. According to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, new fast-track courts will be set up to deal with such cases and special forensic kits for rape cases will be given to all police stations and hospitals in the long term. Why can’t the Government even take care of our historic Lal Qila? Red Fort is a symbol of our nation. It is where India’s flag is hoisted on Independence Day. Why should it be leased out? Sad and dark day in our history NEW DELHI, 28 APRIL The Congress Saturday questioned how a private entity was given the mandate to maintain the iconic Red Fort, days after a corporate house signed an agreement with the Union Tourism Ministry under its 'Adopt a Heritage' project. The Dalimia Bharat group, under the memorandum of understanding, would maintain the monument and build basic infrastructure around it and has committed a sum of Rs 25 crore for the purpose over a period spanning five years. “They are handing over the iconic monument to a private business. What is your commitment to the idea of India, to the history of India?We know you have no commitment, but we still want to ask you,” Congress spokesman Pawan Khera asked the Narendra Modi government. “Do you have dearth of MAMATA BANERJEE CHIEF MINISTER, WEST BENGAL funds. Why funds for the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) lapse, why do they lapse. See the CAG reports. If they have paucity of funds, then why do they lapse?” he asked while talking to reporters. IndiGo Airlines and the GMR group were also in the race to bag the project. The Dalmia Bharat group has agreed to provide certain basic amenities at the 17th century monument within six months. These include providing drinking water kiosks, street furniture-like benches and signages to guide the visitors, according to the Ministry. Slamming the Modi dispensation, the CPI-M said the agreement between the Ministries of Tourism, Culture, and the ASI on one side, and Dalmia Bharat Ltd, on the other, "virtually hands over the iconic Red Fort in Delhi to the Dalmia group for a period of five years in exchange for a payment of Rs 25 crores”. The CPM asked the government to rescind the agreement. Union Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons said under the 2017 scheme the Ministry is looking at public participation to develop heritage monuments. “The companies involved in these projects will only spend and not make money. They will create amenities such as toilets, provide drinking water for the tourists so that their footfalls increase. They might put up signs outside to say that they have developed the amenities. If they are spending money, there is nothing wrong in taking credit for it,” he said. “I want to ask the Congress what they did for the past 70 years. All the monuments and facilities around them are in terrible shape,” he added. As of March 2018, 31 prospective "monument mitras" (friends of heritage sites) have been shortlisted by an Oversight and Vision Committee for developing touristfriendly amenities at 95 monuments, heritage and other tourist sites including the Red Fort, Qutub Minar (Delhi), Hampi (Karnataka), Sun Temple (Odisha), Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra), Char Minar (Telangana) and Kaziranga National Park (Assam).