THURSDAY www.thestatesman.com 28 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 P6 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. HEATWAVE CONDITIONS AT ISOLATED PLACES. STRONG SURFACE WINDS(SPEED 35-45 KMPH) DURING THE DAY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 43 AND 23 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 42% TEMPERATURE Max: 40.8°C (+2) SUN RISES 05:44 hrs MOON RISES 04:22 hrs Min: 24.9°C (+1) SUN SETS 18:54 hrs MOON SETS 15:43 hrs THUMBNAILS On a hot afternoon at Rajpath, in the Capital on Wednesday.  SUBRATA DUTTA LIC IPO price band at Rs 902-949 per share: Life 9 Insurance Corporation (LIC) has set its price band for the Initial Public Offer (IPO) at Rs 902 to Rs 949 per equity share. The public offer starts on 4 May and will remain open for bidders till 9 May, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said. The size of LIC IPO is set to be the largest so far in the country. (P8) NDMA issues public notice regarding filing of claims for Covid death compensation: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a public notice regarding filing of claims for compensation in case of deaths due to Covid in the light of a Supreme Court order.There will be an outer limit of 60 days from the Supreme Court order issued on 24 March, 2022, for deaths occurring prior to 20 March, 2022. For future deaths, 90 days’ time from the day of death due to Covid-19, will be given to file claim for compensation. P9 PM appeals to states to reduce VAT on fuel Says some states reduced taxes but others did not leading to higher cost of fuel P rime Minister Narendra Modi today appealed to the states to reduce taxes on petrol and diesel prices like the centre has done in order to provide relief to the common man. “Some states reduced taxes but some states did not pass on the benefit to the people, leading to higher cost of petrol and diesel in these states. This is not only injustice to the people of the state but practically harms the neighbouring states also,'' he said at a meeting with the chief ministers to review the Covid-19 situation in the country. In this connection, Modi noted that states like Karnataka and Gujarat under- Fuel price row: Opp slams PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 APRIL The Opposition-ruled state governments have reacted sharply to PM Modi's remarks during the Covid-19 review meet on Wednesday. They have accused him of lying to 'cover his failures', treating non-BJP states with a 'step-mother attitude' and attempting to deflect criticism targeted at the central government. KT Rama Rao, Telangana minister and working president of the rul- ing Telangana Rashtra Samithi, took to Twitter to allege that fuel prices had shot up because of the central government. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for asking states to reduce VAT on fuel prices and termed their meeting as “onesided and misleading”. Banerjee said her government has spent Rs 1,500 crore in the last three years to subsidise petrol and diesel prices in the state. took tax reduction for the welfare of the people despite revenue loss while their neighbouring states earned revenue by not reducing the tax.Similarly, the PM recalled that last November a request was made to reduce VAT but many states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Jharkhand did not do so for some reason. Noting that 42 per cent of the revenue at the centre was going to the state governments, he said; “I urge all the states to work as a team in this time of global crisis by following the spirit of cooperative federalism.” He emphasised that in the current global scenario, coordination between the central and state governments in economic matters was necessary for the strength of India's economy. In the conditions imposed by global events, this spirit of cooperative federalism became all the more important, he observed in the context of petrol and diesel prices. DETRITUS OF WAR TN:11 people electrocuted during temple procession SNS/ AGENCIES CHENNAI, 27 APRIL Eleven persons were electrocuted and 16 others injured when the top of a chariot belonging to Appar mutt touched an overhead power cable in Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday morning. According to police, the accident took place in Kalimedu village. The top of the chariot came into contact with a high transmission-line, which was about 30 ft high, at a road turning just near its destination.District officials rushed to the spot to carry out rescue efforts. Police said while three people died on the spot, eight others who were severely injured succumbed to their injuries later.An eyewitness to the accident said the car turned into a road and suddenly people started falling. A fire department official told the media that the organisers did not get any permission from the MISHAP  Eleven persons were electrocuted and 16 others injured when the top of a chariot touched the overhead power cable  Tamil Nadu CM Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the dead  President & PM expressed their condolences and the PM announced Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin visits Kalimedu village, in Thanjavur on Wednesday. department which is normally done.The officials said the car had several decorative lights at the top and when it touched the high tension cable, the accident happened.Condoling the death chief minister M.K.Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the dead. Stalin will be travelling to Thanjavur and meet the families of the dead and injured to console them. A condolence resolution was passed in the state Assembly."I have instructed my colleague minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamoezhi to reach the spot and oversee relief operations; have already announced Rs 5 lakh each in financial assistance for people who passed away,' Stalin said. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed their condolences and the PM announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. An FIR has also been registered and an investigation has started in connection with the incident.  ANI an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. NEW DELHI, 27 APRIL PM Narendra Modi holds a virtual meeting with the chief ministers on ANI the Covid situation in the nation, in the Capital on Wednesday. states in the last weeks. “Increasing cases show that we need to stay alert,” he added. Modi was happy that India fought a long battle against Corona in the spirit of cooperative federalism enshrined in the Constitution.The PM mentioned that schools have opened after a long time but some parents were worried over the increased number of cases in some places. He expressed satisfaction that more and more children were getting vaccinated. He recalled that in March, a campaign to vaccinate those in the 12-14 age group was started and only yesterday permission was granted for giving Covaxine to the children in the 6-12 age group.“Our priority is to vaccinate all eligible children at the earliest. For this, as before, special campaigns will also be needed in schools. Teachers and parents should be aware of this,” he said. A precautionary dose was available for all adults in the country to strengthen the vaccine protective shield. Teachers, parents and other eligible people could take the precautionary dose, PM added. Modi said the Omicron wave was handled with determination and without panic. In the last two years, all aspects of the fight against Corona, whether health infrastructure, oxygen supply or vaccination have been strengthened. In the third wave, none of the states saw the situation getting out of control.During the third wave, India witnessed up to 3 lakh cases per day and all states effectively handled the situation and also allowed the Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn to align in straight line this week after 1000 yrs ASIAN NEWS INTERNATIONAL The alignment of all eight planets occurs once in After 1,000 years, a rare and unique about 170 years BHUBANESWAR , 27 APRIL system is termed as the first kind of planet parade. The alignment of three planets on one side of the Sun is very common and can be seen for many days in a year. Similarly, the alignment of four planets occurs once a year while that of five planets occurs once in every nineteen years. The alignment of all eight planets occurs once in about 170 years. “Secondly, when some planets appear in a small sector of the sky at the same time regardless of their visibility conditions, from Earth's point of view we term the event also as a planet parade. A planet parade of this type last happened on April 18, 2002 and July 2020 when all planets of the Solar system that are visible to the naked eye lined up in a row in the evening sky," said Pattnaik. He said the third type of planet parade is on rare occasions where there are favourable condi- tions for observation of all or some of the planets. These events are also referred to as planet parades. Three planets can be simultaneously observed in the same part of the sky several times a year. “During the last week of April 2022, a rare and unique planet parade will take place when Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up in the eastern sky around one hour before sunrise. This will be a planet parade of the third kind as described above. The last such parade of these planets occurred in 947 AD around 1,000 years ago," Pattnaik said. “One hour before sunrise on April 26 and 27, the moon along with four planets will be visible within 30 degrees from the eastern horizon in a near-perfect straight line. If the conditions are right, one can see Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn in a line without the need for binoculars or telescopes. On April 30, the brightest planets - Venus and Jupiter - can be seen very close together. Venus will be 0.2 degrees south of Jupiter," he added. FACT FILE TOTAL CASES 4,30,65,496 ACTIVE CASES 16,279 NEW CASES 2,927 2,252 NEW RECOVERIES TOTAL DEATHS 5,23,654 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. WEDNESDAY 27 APRIL 2022 Delhi recorded 1,367 cases and one death social and economic activity to continue. “This balance should inform our strategy in future also,” he said. LUCKNOW, 27 APRIL NEW DELHI, 27 APRIL A destroyed tank and a damaged apartment building from heavy fighting are seen in an area controlled by Russian(SEE PAGE 10) backed separatist forces in Mariupol,Ukraine. AP UP: Many illegal loudspeakers removed from religious places STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE astronomical event will take place during the last week of April when four planets including Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will align in a straight line in the eastern sky for around one hour before the sunrise, said Subhendu Pattnaik, Deputy Director, Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Bhubaneswar. Speaking to ANI, Subhendu Pattnaik said, "During the last week of April 2022, a rare and unique planet alignment will occur, which is popularly known as 'planet parade'' Although there is no scientific definition for 'planet parade', it is being widely used in astronomy to denote an event that takes place when planets of the solar system line up in a row in the same area of the sky." Pattnaik further explained the three most common types of 'planet parade'. He said when planets line up on one side of the Sun as seen up above the plane of our solar P12 Final hearing on plea challenging sedition law on 5 May, says SC Challenges posed by Covid not fully over: PM Underlining that vaccination was the biggest safeguard against Covid, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked the people not to take the challenge posed by the virus lightly, saying Omicron and its subvariants could create problems as was being witnessed in many European countries. “Corona challenge is not fully over. The subvariants are causing surges in many countries,” he noted at a meeting with the chief ministers to review the Covid-19 situation in the country.Noting that India has been able to deal with the situation better than many countries, Modi drew attention to the increase in the number of cases in some IGA WITHDRAWS FROM MADRID OPEN P5 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 APRIL Min: 18% MYANMAR COURT SENTENCES SUU KYI TO 5 YRS FOR CORRUPTION INDIA WILL ENGAGE WITH WORLD ON OWN TERMS WEAKENING RUSSIA The Uttar Pradesh police today said hundreds of loudspeakers have been removed from religious places and thousands regulated across the states after dialogues with leaders of different religions, as part of an initiative started on orders of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. In a law-and-order meeting review meeting last week, Yogi Adityanath had ordered special measures after the clashes in Delhi's Jahangirpuri, and also because the festivals of Eid and Akshay Tritiya are likely to fall on the same date early next month. One of those directions was to remove illegal loudspeakers from religious places and to regulate noise from sanctioned ones as per various court directions. The chief minister Yogi Adityanath also said no new permissions for loudspeakers would be given. Pictures tweeted from various UP police Twitter handles in the last few days show loudspeakers being removed from both temples and mosques and many religious leaders speaking in AGENCIES favour of this. The Supreme Court today directed the Central Government to file its response by the end of the week after hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Sec 124A (Sedition law) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice N V Ramana, and also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli, asked the Central government to file its response by the end of this week. The apex court said it would commence the final hearing in the matter on 5 May and would not entertain any request for adjournment of the matter. Section 124-A (Sedition law) of the IPC makes any speech that brings or to bring into hatred or contempt or disaffection towards the government established by law in India a criminal offence punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. There are a batch of petitions filed before the Supreme Court challenging the Constitutional validity of the sedition law. The petitioners in the case include the Editors Guild of India (EGI) and former Major-General S G Vombatkere, and many others. “This court’s main concern is the misuse of law, leading to a rise in the number of cases. We need to hear on this point and that too in a detailed manner,” the CJI said. The court noted in its order that senior advocate Kapil Sibal will lead the arguments from the petitioner's side in the matter. During the course of the hearing, senior advocate Sanjay Parikh today told the Supreme Court that the petition filed by PUCL (People's Union for Civil Liberties) has not been listed. KCR envisages key role for TRS in nat’l politics STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HYDERABAD, 27 APRIL TRS will play a key role in national politics, according to a resolution passed in the party’s plenary today, although its president K Chandrasekhar Rao harped on formulating a common alternative agenda instead of simply forming political fronts against the NDA. The party also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for suggesting a cut in VAT imposed by states to reduce fuel prices instead of removing the cess on petrol and diesel imposed by the Centre. TRS today held its plenary at HICC with 3000 participants to mark its 21st foundation day and 13 key resolutions were passed by the party which gave an inkling at its future course. Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has obviously envisioned a key role in national politics for TRS, very different from its past where it had functioned as merely a regional party formed to fight for a separate state. He said that many people have suggested that Telangana Rashtra Samithi should be turned into Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao offering floral tributes to the statue of Telangana Thalli at the TRS Party plenary meeting on the 21st anniverSNS sary of TRS party formation day, in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Bharatiya Rashtriya Samithi and hence the party was building a huge party office in the national capital. When a young state like Telangana can achieve remarkable success in development within such a short time why can’t the country replicate that success, he asked.Referring to his meeting with Communist leaders from Kerala Mr Rao said if their agenda was to form a political front only to remove BJP from power then he was not interested. Instead of political fronts he harped on changing the agenda, making it people centric and forming people’s fronts. “We need a common agenda, a new integrated agricultural and industrial policy,”said the TRS president. He however, warned against communal politics and the importance of protecting the secular fabric of the country which was also included among the key resolutions passed in the plenary while hitting out at the BJP for the erosion of federal values and spirit. “Around 30 lakh people work in Bengaluru in top jobs in IT sector. Another 30 lakh jobs get supported because of this but in Karnataka they are questioning what you wear, what you eat,” said Mr Rao warning it would hamper development. The other key resolutions adopted by the TRS included control of inflation and price rise, implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women, establishment of Backward classes welfare ministry as well as backward caste census and levying taxes within divisive pool. Local issues like paddy procurement and sharing of Krishna water also featured in the list of resolutions.Meanwhile state BJP criticised Mr Rao for skipping the meeting with the Prime Minister.“ At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modiji is interacting with chief ministers of states on emerging Covidsituation in the country, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao the aspirant Desh ka Neta is absent from the meeting and preferred to join his jubilant TRS party celebrations,” said BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri.