SUNDAY www.thestatesman.com 24 APRIL 2022 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 | `5.00 |LC KOLKATA |NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P4 WEATHER Humid weather with high discomfort level. Temperature likely to be in the range of 38-26 degrees Celsius. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.88% TEMPERATURE Max: 38.1 °C(+2) SUN RISES 05:09 hrs MOON RISES 00:04 hrs New moon on 01 Min: 27.5 °C(+1) SUN SETS 18:00 hrs MOON SETS 10:57 hrs May THUMBNAILS A mirage appears at Rajpath near India Gate due to the rise in the temperature, in New Delhi on Saturday. ANI Delhi court sends 5 Jahangirpuri accused to 8-day d police remand: Delhi's Rohini court on Saturday sent five accused to police remand till May 1 and four accused to judicial custody in connection with the Jahangirpuri violence case. Recently, Delhi Police has invoked National Security Act (NSA) against the five accused who were further remanded on Saturday. Reliance Industries calls off deal with Future retail: Almost 21 months after signing an agreement for a Rs 24,713-crore deal with Kishore Biyani-led Future Group to acquire its retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing assets, Reliance Industries Ltd today said the transaction cannot go ahead as secured creditors of the latter have (P8) voted against it. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 23 APRIL P5 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 23 APRIL day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu, several opposition parties especially Congress, NC, CPI(M), CPI, IDP DSS and certain social organizations on Saturday jointly called for immediate restoration of statehood of Jammu and Kashmir and restoration A of democracy through early Assembly elections after total review of the draft delimitation report. Addressing a joint press conference, senior leaders of Congress, National Conference, CPI (M), CPI, IDP besides different social organizations including Dogra Sadar Sabha, J&K Labana Sabha, J&K Refugee Forum and others, demanded restoration of statehood and asked the Prime Minister to make announce- ment in this regard on Sunday when he comes to Jammu. They demanded that Assembly elections should be held at the earliest, following the delimitation but only after review of the draft report which is "unfair and unjust", is unacceptable in present form. JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that different political and social organizations have come together to raise a NEW DELHI, 23 APRIL Observing that the recent television coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the incidents in North-West Delhi violated the programme code, the government today advised private TV news channels against making false claims and using scandalous headlines. In a detailed advisory, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry called for adherence to the provisions of Section 20 of The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. An official release said the ministry has found that in the recent past several Satellite TV channels have carried out coverage of events and inci- united voice over certain basic issues confronting the people of Jammu and Kashmir and work together to secure these goals which include, Restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, as committed on the floor of the Parliament, without any further delay. Total review of the draft report of the delimitation Commission in order to make it fair and just to the ground Covid surge: PM to hold meeting with CMs on Wednesday realities and geographical situations in consonance with the settled norms of delimitation as the present draft report is unacceptable in the present form. Modi to launch slew of projects worth `20,000 crore in J&K STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 23 APRIL Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow amid unprecedented security on his first tour of the area since the abrogation of article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019 that split the region into two Union Territories. During his much-anticipated visit, the PM will participate in the celebrations of National Panchayati Raj Day and address all the Gram Sabhas across the country. He will visit Palli Panchayat in Samba district. He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development initiatives worth around Rs 20,000 crore. He will also launch the Amrit Sarovar initiative. Since the introduction of constitutional reforms in J & K in August 2019, the government has been focused on bringing about wideranging reforms to substantially improve governance and enhance ease of living for the people of the region at an unprecedented pace.The projects being inaugurated and whose foundation stones are being laid in this visit will go a long way in facilitating provision of basic amenities, ensuring ease of mobility and development of infrastructure in the region, the PMO said. The PM will inaugurate the Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel, built at a cost of over Rs 3100 crore. The 8.45 Km long tunnel would reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 km, and reduce journey time by around one and a half hours. It is a twin tube tunnel – one for each direction of travel – with the twin tubes being interconnected by a cross passage every 500m, for maintenance and emergency evacuation. The tunnel would help establish an all-weather connection between Jammu and Kashmir, and bring the two regions closer.Modi will lay the foundation stone of three road packages of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, being built at a cost of over Rs. 7500 crore. SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 23 APRIL Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with chief ministers on the emerging Covid-19 situation in the country on Wednesday through video conference, official sources said on Saturday. Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan will make a presentation on the matter, they said.With 2,527 coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of cases rose to 4,30,54,952, while active cases have increased to 15,079, according to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday. As per the Ministry's data, the country witnessed a total of 1,656 recoveries in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery rate to 98.75 per cent. The total number of recoveries reached 4,25,17,724. As per the Ministry's data, a total of 4,55,179 tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours taking the cumulative tests to 83.42 crore. A total of 187.46 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under NationwideVaccination Drive, the Ministry said. FACT FILE TOTAL CASES 4,30,54,952 ACTIVE CASES 15,079 NEW CASES 2527 NEW RECOVERIES 1,656 TOTAL DEATHS 5,22,149 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 08.00 A.M. SATURDAY 23 APRIL 2022 Bengal recorded 31 fresh cases and one death Once situation normalises in J&K, Sr Cong decision makers all nominated, barely fight polls, says Prashant Kishor AFSPA will be removed: Rajnath STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Felicitating the veterans of 1971 Indo-Pak war at a function in the city on Saturday, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh described them as an important asset of the nation, who are an inspiration to every Indian. Paying tributes to those, who made the supreme sacrifice in their services, Singh stated that an in-service soldier is India’s strength and a veteran is an ever-lasting inspiration to stand by that strength.Over 300 war veterans,Veer Naris and their families attended the ceremony organised by the state government to honour the valour, dedication and sacrifice of the brave-hearts, who fought the enemy and ensured victory in the 1971 war. Bangladeshi veteran of 1971 war Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir was awarded with a Padma Shri and some of veterans of 1965 war were also felicitated at the function. I & B Ministry to private channels: Desist from using scandalous headlines STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE P12 P10 J&K Oppn to petition PM on statehood & early elections GUWAHATI, 23 APRIL India Post today denied that it was involved in any activities like announcing subsidies, bonus or prizes based on certain sur veys and quizzes. ''Public receiving such notifications/messages /emails are requested not to believe or respond to such fake and spurious messages or share any personal details. It is also requested not share any personally identifiable information such as date of birth, account numbers, mobile numbers, place of Birth & OTP etc,'' an official statement said. It said India Post over the recent days has been observing various URLs/Websites getting circulated in social media such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and through emails / SMS containing tiny URLs/ Short URLs, claiming to be providing government subsidies through certain surveys, quizzes. PANDYA LEADS GUJARAT TO VICTORY A day ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Jammu & Kashmir, political parties up the ante Min. 29% India Post warns public against fraudulent websites MACRON IN POLE POSITION, LE PEN RACING HARD JAISHANKAR CALLS ON MAURITIUS PM ‘ENSURE SOCIAL JUSTICE IN JUDGES’ APPOINTMENT’ dents in a manner which appears to be unauthentic, misleading, sensational and using socially unacceptable language and remarks, offending good taste and decency, and obscene and defamatory and having communal overtones. The advisory cited the Ukraine-Russian conflict and the incidents in North-West Delhi in particular where TV news content and debates have been found in violation of the Programme Code. In the case of reporting on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the ministry found channels making scandalous headlines unrelated to the news item and journalists making unsubstantiated and fabricated claims and using hyperbole in order to incite the audience. “Our forces in the 1971 war comprised soldiers from every religion. But that did not win us the war. It was the strong thread of ‘Indianness’ that held our soldiers together which ensured our victory,” said Singh, while paying homage to field marshal Sam Manekshaw, general Jagjit Singh Arora, Lt gen JFR Jacob, major general Sujan Singh Uban and air chief marshal IH Latif for leading India to a historic triumph in the Bangladesh war.The victory provided India with a strategic advantage as there has never been any tension on the Indo-Bangladesh border because Dhaka remains New Delhi’s friend, commented Singh and also credited the coordination between New Delhi and northeastern states that has ensured peace and stability on the Indo-Bangladesh border.Singh appealed to the citizens to safeguard the unity and integrity of the country with the same nationalism and patri- otism with which the soldiers protect the borders. Speaking about the removal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from many areas of the region, Singh asserted that it was the outcome of durable peace and stability in northeast India. Some people believe that the Indian Army does not want AFSPA to be removed, but in reality, the military prefers a minimal role in internal security. Once the situation normalises in Jammu & Kashmir, the AFSPA would be removed from there as well, he added.Singh voiced the government’s unwavering commitment to strengthen the country’s security apparatus to deal with internal and external threats, adding that India has taken a firm stand to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and have protected the citizens from the menace. He assured the people across the country that the government does not and will not hesitate to take bold decisions to protect the unity and integrity of the great country. INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 23 APRIL In his presentation to the Congress top brass, electoral strategist Prashant Kishor flagged that the biggest worry is that members of decisionmaking bodies in the party are all nominated, not necessarily connected at the grassroots and barely fight elections. For the 2024 general elections, Kishor has suggested a "a pan-India avant-garde campaign to reach, connect and mobilise all of India for a mega movement leading to reincarnation of Congress and election of a transformational government". To win, 45 per cent of votes are required which means a target of 30 crore, Kishor has said. Within the country's digital consciousness, the BJP and its leaders currently score vastly above the Congress, he pointed out. With a theme of "India Deserves Better", Kishor has suggested to the Congress to build a unified platform to provide strategic support and resources to non-political influencers and mount a sustained campaign against the ruling dispensation. In his presentation, Kishor said his "Reincarnation of Congress" is about "preserving the soul, creating a new body". The inspiration of the campaign is the symbols of Nataraja namely Creation, Protection, Liberation, Destruction, Concealment and Connect. The resolves include the creation of a new Congress which will be a political platform of choice for the masses. Destroy a sense of entitlement, lack of accountability and sycophancy, Kishor said in the presentation. It notes that perhaps for the first time, Congress leadership does not appear fully aligned in terms of goals, strategy, method, approach, tactics and the way forward; leading to a complete lack of cohesion, at times confusion and stalemate. There is a need for a non-Gandhi Working President/Vice President who can effectively work on the ground as per direction of Congress leadership, it suggests. It advocates a Congress Plus alliance structure with a national character but having 5-6 partners. The Congress should contest 75-80 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats with a few regional alliances like NCP, DMK, JMM, YSR Congress and TMC. On beefing up the organisational structure, Kishor has called to Identify and meaningfully engage 15,000 grassroots leaders and activate 1 crore foot soldiers across India. Real justice will be a casualty if we strive for instant justice: CJI Ramana STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 23 APRIL The CJI Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana said that people expect instant justice now-adays, but they do not realize that real justice will be a casualty if we strive for it. ""From 5 day test match, we have moved on to 20-20 format. We prefer short duration entertainment over a 3-hour long movie. From filter coffee, we have moved on to instant coffee. In this era of instant noodles, people expect instant justice. But they do not realize that real justice will be a casualty if we strive for instant justice," the CJI Ramana said. He said this, while speaking on the occasion to lay foundation stone for Administrative Block of Madras High Court and inaugurated the Court buildings located in Namakkal and Villupuram Districts in Chennai. The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana, said that the judiciary has to overcome conflicts through constructive resolution to ensure social order to give Justice to the needy. We judges have to sharpen our ideas and perceptions. We need to expand our knowledge base and adopt technology as an enabler. There cannot be a gap between the mind of a judge and the needs of the society. Ultimately, we are entrusted with the duty to deliver justice for all, the CJI said. "Dispensing justice is not only a constitutional duty, but also a social one. Conflicts are inevitable for any society. But constructive resolution of conflict is integral to maintain the social order," the CJI Ramana said. “Constructive conflict resolution is not a mere technical job. Particularly in a coun- try like India, judges cannot blindly apply the rules, procedures and statutes. After all, conflicts have a human face. We are constantly aware about our duty to render justice, not merely procedural, but also substantial," the CJI Ramana said. Before rendering any deci- sion, the judges have to weigh several socio-economic factors and the impact of their decision on the society, the CJI said and added that the judiciary should never be viewed as a mere enforcer of law. It is an engine of social integration. The people of this country look up to the judiciary in times of distress. They firmly believe that their rights will be protected by the courts. "It is necessary to contemplate how to improve the functioning of the judiciary, how to reach out to the people and fulfil their justice needs," he said. Justice Ramana, being a strong proponent of “Indianization of the Justice Delivery System”, he said that by Indianisation, he meant moulding the Indian Judicial System for the benefit of the Indian populace. "It is a multidimensional concept. It calls for inclusivity, providing access to people to participate in the proceedings, removal of language barrier, reforms in practice and procedure, development of infrastructure, filling up of vacancies, augmenting the strength of judiciary and so on," the CJI Ramana said. He said that he was deeply aware about the problems being faced by the judges, advocates and litigants. The Court functioning is greatly inhibited due to lack of infrastructure- both physical and personnel. "Inclusivity does not stop with only representation of women. The social and geographical diversity of the nation must find reflection at all levels of the judiciary. With the widest possible representation, people get to feel that it is their own judiciary. Everyone has a voice in this system, and they form a substantial part of it. In fact, we are awaiting a day where a persons’ gender, orientation, birth or identity would not act as a barrier," the CJI said. He also gave example that a judge from rural background is better placed to appreciate issues concerning the rural population.