TUESDAY www.thestatesman.com 17 MAY 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 ‘BJP WORKS TO SUPPRESS TRIBALS’ CULTURE’ P5 P9 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY WITH POSSIBILITY OF DUSTSTORM/THUNDERSTORM. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 41 AND 28 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 59% TEMPERATURE Min: 30.8°C (+4) SUN SETS 19:06 hrs MOON SETS 07:07 hrs THUMBNAILS Devotees celebrating the 2566th Buddha Jayanti SNS at Shanti Stupa, in the Capital on Monday. India rejects OIC's comments on J&K: India today rejected the comments made by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it should refrain from carrying out its communal agenda vis-a-vis India at the behest of ''one country'' ostensibly Pakistan."We are dismayed that the OIC Secretariat has once again made unwarranted comments on the internal affairs of India. Man arrested in Bihar for making fake FB ID of Shah PATNA, 16 MAY The Gopalganj police have arrested a person for allegedly creating a fake Facebook ID of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and making abusive remarks about former MLA of Baikunthpur, Mithilesh Tiwari. The incident came to light after Tiwari filed a complaint with the Mohamadpur police on Sunday. After investigation, the police arrested a person named Vicky Kumar Singh. "We have arrested a person named Vicky Kumar Singh from Devkali village," said Anand Kumar, SHO of Mohamadpur police station. Following the arrest of Vicky, former JD-U MLA Manjeet Singh reached Mohamadpur with his supporters and ANI sat on a dharna. NEW DELHI, 16 MAY The nation will witness a landmark event in the history of indigenous warship building tomorrow when two frontline warships of the Indian Navy-Surat, a Project 15B Destroyer and Udaygiri, a Project 17A Frigate--will be launched concurrently at Mazgaon Docks Limited, Mumbai. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest for both events. The Project 15B class of ships are the next generation stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy being built at the Mazgaon Docks Ltd, Mumbai. ‘Surat’ is the fourth ship of Project 15B Destroyers which heralds a significant makeover of the P15A (Kolkata Class) Destroyers and is named after the commercial capital of the state of Gujarat and also the second-largest commercial hub of western India after Mumbai. Surat city has a rich maritime & shipbuilding history and vessels built in the city in the P12 P10 India logs 2,202 fresh cases of Covid in the last 24 hours India-Nepal ties unshakable: PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 MAY P rime Minister Narendra Modi today hailed the ties between India and Nepal as "unshakable like the Himalayas" and he assured the neighbouring country of New Delhi's support in the development of the hydropower sector and in encouraging interested Indian developers to expeditiously explore new projects. The growing friendship between India and Nepal would work for the benefit of the entire humanity amid the kind of global situation that was emerging today. ''The devotion to Lord Buddha binds us together, makes us members of one family,'' he said at a Buddha Jayanti event in Lumbini in the Himalayan nation. Modi paid a day-long visit to Lumbini to Nepal, coinciding with the occasion of Buddha Purnima, at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba. As PM, this was Modi’s fifth visit to Nepal and first to Lumbini. Upon arrival, the two Corbevax price slashed to `250 per dose PMs visited the Mayadevi temple, within which lies the birthplace of Lord Buddha. At the temple, they attended prayers conducted as per Buddhist rituals and made offerings. They also lit lamps and visited the historical Ashoka Pillar, which carries the first epigraphic evidence of Lumbini being the birthplace of Lord Buddha. They also watered the holy Bodhi tree that was brought as a gift by Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Nepal in 2014. PM Modi and Deuba participated in the "Shilanyas” ceremony for the construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Her- itage at a plot in Lumbini belonging to the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) based in New Delhi. The plot was allocated to the IBC by the Lumbini Development Trust in November 2021. After the "Shilanyas” ceremony, the two leaders also unveiled a model of the Buddhist centre, which is envisaged as a Net-Zero compliant world-class facility that would house prayer halls, meditation centre, library, exhibition hall, cafeteria and other amenities and would be open to Buddhist pilgrims and tourists from around the world. At a bilateral meeting later, the two leaders fol- lowed up on their discussions held on 2 April in New Delhi. They discussed specific initiatives and ideas to further strengthen cooperation in various sectors, including culture, economy, trade, connectivity, energy and development partnership. The two sides agreed in principle to establish sister-city relations between Lumbini and Kushinagar, which are among the holiest sites of Buddhism and reflect the shared Buddhist heritage between the two countries. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the progress made in bilateral power sector cooperation in recent months, which covers the development of generation projects, power transmission infrastructure and power trade. Deuba invited Indian companies to undertake the development of the West Seti hydropower project in Nepal. The two PMs agreed to further expand educational and cultural exchanges to bring the people of the two countries closer. A luncheon was hosted in honour of the Indian PM by Deuba. Chinese carrying out capability enhancement near LAC AGENCIES GUWAHATI , 16 MAY The Chinese army is carrying out capability enhancement in terms of infrastructure, and operational capability close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in a large measure, said General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command Lt Gen RP Kalita on Monday. Briefing media persons here, Lt Gen Kalita said, "We talk about border villages created close to LAC which have dual-use possibilities. If we put everything together, it would suffice to say that PLA is carrying out capability enhancement whether in infrastructure, or operational capability in a large measure." He emphasized that India is acting towards enhancing infrastructure and operational capabilities in order to respond to any emergent situation. "All our agencies, includ- Rajnath to induct 2 warships into Navy STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE WHEN CAMARADERIE WON THE DAY India and Nepal ink a slew of MoUs Min: 15% Max: 42.4°C (+2) SUN RISES 05:29 hrs MOON RISES 20:42 hrs ‘UK WILL ACT ON N IRELAND RULES IF EU WON’T’ ‘KIM BLASTS PANDEMIC RESPONSE AS COVID OUTBREAK SURGES’ 16th and 18th centuries were known for their longevity (of more than 100 years). The ship Surat has been built using the Block construction methodology which involved hull construction at two different geographical locations and has been joined together at MDL, Mumbai. The first ship of this class was commissioned in 2021. The second and third ships have been launched and are at different stages of outfitting/ trials. ‘Udaygiri’, named after a mountain range in Andhra Pradesh, is the third ship of Project 17A Frigates. These are follow-ups of the P17 Frigates (Shivalik Class) with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems. ‘Udaygiri’ is the reincarnation of erstwhile ‘Udaygiri’, the Leander Class ASW Frigate, which saw numerous challenging operations in its illustrious service to the country spanning over three decades from 18 Feb 1976 to 24 Aug 2007. ing armed forces, are continuously monitoring this situation. We are also upgrading our own capabilities whether in terms of infrastructure or in terms of operational capabilities. If we talk about the LAC in the eastern theatre, across the LAC in Tibet there has been a lot of development in the infrastructure which is taking place. We all keep hearing about it," Lt Gen stated. "The other side is constructing and upgrading their roads and tracks and connectivity. New airports and helipads are being constructed. Activities being undertaken to improve infrastructure so that they are in a better position to respond to any emergent situation," he added. The military standoff with China has been going on for over two years now when the Chinese side attempted to change the status quo unilaterally by moving troops in large numbers against Indian positions. In view of the Chinese threat, the Indian Army has shifted six Divisions that were earlier deployed in counterterrorism roles and after taking care of the Pakistan front. The Indian Army has been doing rebalancing and realignment of its forces which were earlier more prepared for the Pakistan threat than the challenges faced from the Northern borders. Senior government sources said that after this rebalancing and realignment exercise was done over the last two years, two divisions (around 35,000 troops) have been feeding up from counter-terrorism roles for looking after the China border deployment. One division from Rashtriya Rifles was taken out from counter-terrorism roles from Jammu and Kashmir and has now been deployed in the Eastern Ladakh sector and would be there along with the 3 Division already based there, they said. Likewise, an Assam-based Division under the Tezpurbased Gajraj Corps has been pulled out of its counterinsurgency role from the state and now its mandate is to look after the China border in the northeast, they said. The 17 Mountain Strike Corps which earlier had tasks in the Ladakh sector also has now been confined to the Northeast only and has been given one more Division based out of Jharkhand. IANS HYDERABAD, 16 MAY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 MAY India has reported 2,202 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Monday. The ministry also informed that 191.37cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive which has brought down India's Active caseload which currently stands at17,317. As per the ministry statement, the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) is now at 4,25,82,243 The active cases in the country stand at 0.04% with the recovery Rate currently at 98.74%. There were 2,550 recoveries in the last 24 hours while the total recoveries stood at 2,550 recoveriesinthelast24hourswhich Vaccine maker Biological E. Ltd (BE) on Monday announced that it has reduced the price of its Covid-19 vaccine corbevax, from Rs 840 to Rs 250 a dose inclusive of GST, for private Covid-19 vaccination centres. For the end user,the price would be Rs 400 a dose, including taxes and administration charges. The Hyderabad-based company said it has lowered the price of its vaccine with the aim of making it more affordable and help increase the reach to protect the maximum number of children against the virus. The decision comes within weeks of Biological E. receiving Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for children between 5 and 12 years of age. The previous private market price for the vaccine was Rs 990 per dose, including taxes and vaccine administramakes the total Recoveries to 4, 25, 82,243. The daily positivity rate tion charges. Corbrvax is also offered in a single-dose vial, making it more convenient for vaccine administration. It eliminates vaccine wastage, which is a major advantage for private hospitals. The Corbevax vaccination slot can be booked through the Co-WIN app or the Co-WIN portal for children aged 12 to 17. FACT FILE TOTAL CASES 4,31,23,801 ACTIVE CASES 17,317 NEW CASES 2,202 2,550 NEW RECOVERIES TOTAL DEATHS 5,24,241 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. MONDAY 16 MAY 2022 Delhi recorded 377 new cases and 1 death in the country is 0.74% and the weekly positivity rate is 0.59%. DGCA issues show cause notice to IndiGo Airlines over Ranchi airport incident SNS&AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 16 MAY The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) inquiry found inappropriate handling of passengers by the IndiGo staff thereby resulting in certain non-conformances with the applicable regulations. On May 7, staff of Indigo airlines had barred a specially-abled child accompanied by parents from boarding a flight at the Ranchi airport as he was in "a state of panic", following which the aviation regulator DGCA had ordered a probe and asked the airline to submit a report. The fact finding committee formed by DGCA to probe the incident has submitted their report on Monday. The statement released by DGCA reads that a fact finding enquiry was ordered by DGCA into the unfortunate event of denying boarding to a special child along with the family at Ranchi Airport by Indigo Airline on May 7, 2022. The committee has submitted its report. The proceedings of the committee were partly held in the open and partly in camera as per the request of the affected family, it reads. "The findings of the committee prima facie indicate inappropriate handling of passengers by the Indigo staff thereby resulting in certain non-conformances with the applicable regulations," it mentioned. In view of this, it has been decided to issue a show cause notice to the concerned airline through its authorized representative to explain as to why suitable enforcement action should not be taken against them for the non-conformances, it reads. It further mentioned that to meet the ends of justice, the Airline has been provided an opportunity for personal hearing as well as for making written submissions in the next ten days from today i.e. till 26th of May 2022. SC to hear challenge to survey Gyanvapi mosque today SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 16 MAY The Supreme Court will on Tuesday hear a plea against the Allahabad High Court order which dismissed a petition challenging a Varanasi court's order to appoint an advocate as a court commissioner to inspect the Gyanvapi mosque complex. A bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and P.S. Narasimha will hear the plea filed by Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Varanasi. On May 13, the apex court had declined to immediately stop the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, and agreed to list the matter. Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the petitioner, mentioned a plea before the top court filed by the Committee seeking a stay on survey of the complex. The plea challenged the validity of Allahabad High Court's April 21 order, which dismissed the plea against the A Varanasi court on a suit filed jointly by five Hindu women, last month ordered an inspection of the premises through advocate commissioner Ajai Kumar Mishra civil court's order for the survey. Ahmadi mentioned the plea before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana. The bench said: "We don't know anything about the matter... We have no details. How can we pass the order?" Ahmadi said "please grant status quo", and added that the mosque has been covered under Places of Worship Act. The bench said: "Let me look at the papers, let me see..." A Varanasi court on a suit filed jointly by five Hindu women, last month ordered an inspection of the premises through advocate commissioner Ajai Kumar Mishra. The Allahabad High Court affirmed the civil court order. The petitioners urged the court for year-long access to pray at a shrine behind the western wall of the mosque complex. The women petitioners also want permission to pray to other "visible and invisible deities within the old temple complex". On May 12, a Varanasi court ordered resumption of the video survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, including the basement and closed rooms. The Muslim parties had objected to the survey. The court said the survey report should be submitted on May 17. The Varanasi court also declined to entertain the demand of Muslim parties to remove advocate commis- Lawyers claim presence of Shivling AGENCIES VARANASI, 16 MAY After the survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi concluded, lawyers on Monday claimed that a Shivling was found in the Gyanvapi Mosque. "It was the third day of the survey. A stone was found there. We are claiming it to be Shivling. It is around 3 feet tall. It was at the spot where Muslims performed wuzu. They had claimed it to be a fountain but after cleaning it was found to be Shivling," lawyer Deepak Singh said. "We have filed an appeal before the court that this place be secured as it can be tampered with. Court has ordered the same," Singh added. Advocate Subhash Chandra Chaturvedi, who was part of the survey team, said that the team found a pond sioner Ajai Kumar Mishra, instead appointed two addi- and there is a well-like structure in the middle of the pond. "They claimed it is a fountain. We raised the doubt that the fountain is constructed at the top but how can it be inside the water. After the water was removed, a black Shivling-like stone was found. It is definitely the Shivling of Adi Viseshwar. They claimed it was a fountain. But we are certain that the Shivling must be very deep under the ground. We had apprehensions that the Shivling might be tampered. Therefore, the administration has been requested to cordon off that area and keep it safe," Chaturvedi said. As the third day of the court-ordered videography survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi concluded on Monday, the Hindu petitioner in the case, tional commissioners ~ lawyers Vishal Singh and Sohan Lal Arya claimed that the committee found a Shivling at the complex. Arya, who accompanied the court commission for the mosque survey, said that they have found "conclusive evidence". This comes a day ahead of the Supreme Court's hearing on a plea seeking a stay on the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex. A bench, headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, will hear the plea of the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee tomorrow, May 17. The three days long survey, however, has been completed. Speaking to media persons here, Arya said, "Shivling....Jiski Nandi pratiksha kar rahi thi... The moment things became clear the chants of 'Har Har Mahavdev' resonated in mosque premises." Ajay Pratap Singh ~to assist him.