CMYK FRIDAY www.thestatesman.com 01 FEBRUARY 2019 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PARRIKAR FLOWN TO DELHI FOR AIIMS TREATMENT NO INTERIM RANCOUR BJP’S REBUFF TO CONGRESS P6 SENSEX 36,256.69 +665.00 WEATHER Mainly cloudy sky. Maximum-minimum temperature likely to be around 27-14 degree celsius, respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY NIFTY 10,830.95 +179.00 ` vs $ 71.04 +4 PAISE Min. 37% Max: 25.8°C (-1) SUN RISES 06:15 hrs MOON RISES 03.25 hrs Min: 12.5°C (-3) SUN SETS 17:25 hrs MOON SETS 14:31 hrs New moon on 4 February THUMBNAILS Poet, lyricist and film director Gulzar addressing the audience at the inauguration of “Ye Baat Yaad Rakhna “, son et lumiere in Hindi, at the Jorasako Campus of RBU on Thursday. SNS BJP, Cong win bypolls: Ruling BJP on Thursday won the Jind bypoll in Haryana which also saw the newly floated JJP scoring convincingly higher than the parent party INLD and Congress candidate Randeep Singh Surjewala settling for the third spot. The Congress, ruling in Rajasthan, touched the halfway mark in the 200-member Assembly with its candidate Shafia Zubair defeating her BJP rival by a margin of over 12,000 votes in Ramgarh poll. GDP growth rate revised upwards: The government on Thursday revised the economic growth rate upwards to 7.2 per cent for 2017-18 from 6.7 per cent estimated earlier. “Real GDP or GDP at constant (2011-12) prices for 2017-18 and 2016-17 stand at Rs 131.80 lakh crore and Rs 122.98 lakh crore, respectively, showing growth of 7.2 per cent during 2017-18 and 8.2 per cent during 2016-17 (from earlier estimate of 7.1 per cent),” CSO said. SC summons Sahara chief in SEBI case: The Supreme Court directed Sahara group chief Subrata Roy to appear before it on Feb 28 for failing to deposit Rs 25,700 crore in the SEBISahara case for returning investors' money, warning that “the law will take its own course” now. Roy was sent to Tihar Jail by SC on March 4, 2014 and came out on parole after spending over two years in prison on May 6, 2016 to perform the last rites of his mother. GOLD 32,085.00 +210.00 Rafale jets to soon join IAF: President SNS & PTI NEW DELHI, 31 JANUARY he Indian Air Force is preparing to welcome the new generation ultra-modern Rafale fighter aircraft in its fleet to strengthen its strike capabilities, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said. The government has been facing attack from the opposition over the multi-crore aircraft deal. Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament at the start of the Budget Session, he said neglecting the country's defence needs, even for a moment, will prove detrimental to the present and future of the country. He said the new agreements relating to the defence sector signed last year, the purchase of new defence equipment and indigenous production under the 'Make in India' initiative have all helped in boosting the morale of defence forces and in increasing the country's military self-reliance. “After a gap of many decades, the Indian Air T I-T concessions, farm relief package may figure in Budget NEW DELHI, 31 JANUARY Income-tax concessions for individuals, a farm relief package, support for small businesses and possible populist spending measures may be part of the Budget that Finance Minister Piyush Goyal will present on Friday as the government makes a last-ditch attempt to woo voters ahead of the gen- eral elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's sixth and final budget before the polls due by May is supposed to be an interim budget or a Vote on Account. But it is widely expected that Goyal may go beyond seeking Parliament nod for government expenditure for four months of next fiscal. PTI Force is preparing to welcome, in the coming months, its new generation ultra-modern fighter aircraft Rafale and strengthen its strike capability,” he said. The Congress and other Opposition parties have been attacking the government over the Rafale CBI grills Mamata aide; ED raids target Maya officials STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA/DELHI, 31 JANUARY : The CBI today questioned a close aide of chief minister Mamata Banerjee in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches in the residences of some state officials in connection with alleged irregularities of over Rs 111 crore in construction of memorials in UP during BSP supremo Mayawati's tenure. The CBI had given notice to Mr Manik Majumdar, who has been Miss Banerjee's secretary since her early days in politics, to appear before it, sources said. But he had expressed his inability to come to the agency's Salt Lake city office on the ground of his age and health. Considering his application, the CBI team reached Mr Majumdar's residence in Kalighat to question him and record his statement. The sources said the CBI suspected Mr Majumdar was a key player in managing the Trinamul’s funds and as such had knowledge about the purchase of Miss Banerjee's paintings allegedly by the Saradha group chief Sudipta Sen. After the mining case that had alleged links to former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, the ED filed a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to investigate allegations of irregularities in the construction of memorials, including statues of BSP founder Kanshi Ram and the party's poll symbol "elephant", during Mayawati’s rule between 2007 and 2012 taking cognisance of a state vigilance department complaint of 2014. The UP Lokayukta had earlier indicted Mayawati's two Cabinet colleagues ~ Nasmeedunin Siddiqui and Babu Singh Kushwaha ~ besides 12 BSP MLAs and several others for alleged "wrong-doings" in the purchase of sandstone for the memorials. Rahul tears into PM over 45-yr-high unemployment STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 31 JANUARY Seizing on media reports about the country's unemployment rate being at a "45year high", the Congress and other Opposition parties today tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi, charging that such reports again exposed the "total failure" of the BJP-led government in fulfilling its promise to create two crore jobs annually. Gunning for the PM, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, while playing on Modi's name and one-liners, tweeted: "NoMo Jobs! The Fuhrer promised us 2 Cr jobs a year. 5 years later, his leaked job creation report card reveals a National Disaster. Unemployment is at its highest in 45 yrs. 6.5 Cr youth are jobless in 2017-18 alone. Time for NoMo2Go. #HowsTheJobs." Gandhi also tagged a Business Standard report that broke the story on the issue today. Making startling revelations, the report stated that according to the National P2 Cong: ‘President's address a summary of lame excuses for non-performance’ Max.89% TEMPERATURE P6 Sample Survey Office (NSSO)'s Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the country's unemployment rate was at a 45-yearhigh of 6.1 per cent in 201718. The report said the NSSO survey found that joblessness was higher among urban youths as compared to their rural counterparts. This was described as the first comprehensive annual household employment survey conducted by a government agency after PM Modi's demonetisation move in November 2016. The NSSO's survey report was said to be at the centre of a raging row as two National Statistical Commission (NSC)'s independent members ~ P C Mohanan, also its acting chairperson, and J V Meenakshi ~ recently resigned alleging the government's bid to withhold the NSSO's report on employment as a reason for their move. The Congress blasted the Modi government for "destroying yet another venerable institution like the NSC", but the government denied such charges, saying the two members had not expressed any concern in recent NSC meetings. Slamming the government, the Congress party's chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted: "Modiji, Unemployment rate is at a 45year high. This is why the NSSO report was kept under the wraps. This is why members of NSC resigned. Promise of 2cr jobs turned out to be a cruel joke! India does not want a govt that has left the future of our youth in jeopardy." Hitting back at the Congress, the BJP targeted Gandhi for describing PM Modi as a "Fuhrer" ~ a title assumed by the German dictator Adolf Hitler. The BJP reportedly fired a "Mussolini" barb at Gandhi, likening him to the Italian dictator. “It's clear that he (Rahul Gandhi) has inherited Mussolini's short-sightedness and has myopic understanding of issues. EPFO's real data shows sharp increase in jobs, created in just the last 15 months. Only a man who hasn't ever held a proper job and is totally jobless can peddle such #FakeNews!” the BJP tweeted. Report cited by newspaper not finalised, says Niti Aayog vice-chairman Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar, who had previously mounted a defence of lowering of UPA-era GDP growth rates, at a press conference on Thursday said the report cited by the newspaper “is not finalised. It is a draft report”. CMYK deal, alleging corruption and accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of favouritism. The President also referred to the 2016 'surgical strikes' carried out on terror launch pads across the border and said, “Through the surgical strike on cross border terror posts, India has shown its new policy and strategy.” Noting that India has been a staunch supporter of friendly ties with all countries, the President said there is need to constantly strengthen the country's capabilities to tackle any challenges. The Congress described the President's address as “a summary of lame excuses for non performance”. BOULT IN FULL SWING TOO HOT TO HANDLE P12 SILVER 40,500.00 +250.00 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 61.85 +0.20 New SC bench to hear Rao case as third judge recuses SNS & PTI Verma may face action NEW DELHI, 31 JANUARY The Supreme Court on Thursday set up a fresh bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra to hear a petition challenging the Centre's decision to appoint M Nageswara Rao as interim CBI Director after Justice N V Ramana recused himself from hearing it citing social reasons. Justice Ramana expressed his disinclination to hear the matter saying he belongs to Andhra Pradesh, from where Rao hails, and had attended the wedding of the IPS officer's daughter who is married to an advocate known to him. He became the third judge of the apex court to recuse himself from hearing the matter after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and the second senior-most judge in the top court Justice A K Sikri. Both had recused themselves earlier from adjudicating the case. The matter would now come up for hearing on Friday before a bench, also comprising Justice Navin Sinha. Justice Mishra is number five in seniority among the judges of apex court after the CJI and Justices Sikri, S A Bobde NEW DELHI, 31 JANUARY and Ramana. Hearing of the matter by Justice Mishra assumes significance as he authored a recent judgement in which he came down heavily on a section of lawyers, who criticise judges in the media and attribute “political colour” to judgements. Justice Mishra was also the target of some activist lawyers when he was dealing with some sensitive matter assigned to him by the then Chief Justice of India. Sources said he had protested in the meeting of apex court judges after the case handled by him was mentioned at the January 12, 2018 press conference by the four judges including the present CJI Ranjan Gogoi. The plea filed by an NGO, which has challenged Rao's appointment as interim CBI Director, came up for hearing on Thursday before a bench comprising Justices N V Ramana, M M Shantanagoudar and Indira Banerjee. Ousted CBI director Alok Verma is likely to face departmental action for defying a government order asking him to join as chief of Fire Services on Thursday, the day of his superannuation, and this may include suspension of pensionary benefits, officials said. According to the officials, this non-compliance of the directive amounted to violation of service rules for all India services officers. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had directed Verma to take charge as director general of the Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards on Thursday. As Verma did not take up the new assignment he is likely to face departmental action which may include suspension of pensionary benefits, officials said. A new CBI chief is likely to be named tomorrow. PTI