WEDNESDAY www.thestatesman.com 15 JUNE 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 BIDEN TO VISIT SAUDI AND ISRAEL NEXT MONTH PARTY TIME P6 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY WITH VERY LIGHT RAIN/ THUNDERSHOWERS TOWARDS AFTERNOON/EVENING ACCOMPANIED WITH GUSTY WINDS (SPEED 30-40 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 40 AND 31 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RUSSIANS CONTROL 80% OF CONTESTED CITY IN EASTERN UKRAINE P9 P10 Centre unveils troop tour-of-duty scheme Scheme is called Agnipath and youth selected under it will be known as “Agniveers” RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE Max: 44% I Min: 34% TEMPERATURE Max: 39.6°C (0) SUN RISES 05:23 hrs MOON RISES 20:38 hrs Min: 31.2°C (+3) SUN SETS 19:21 hrs MOON SETS 06:57 hrs THUMBNAILS National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel rescue residents from flood-affected areas, in Guwahati on Tuesday.  ANI IPL media rights sold for ` 48,390 cr; Star India wins TV: The IPL TV and digital rights for the 2023-2027 cycle have been sold to Star India and Viacom18 respectively for a whopping Rs 48,390 crore for 410 matches at e-auctions on Tuesday. "Since its inception, the IPL has been synonymous with growth and today is a redletter day for India Cricket, with Brand IPL touching a new high with e-auction resulting in INR 48,390 cr value. IPL is now the 2nd most valued sporting league in the world in terms of per match value!," BCCI secretary Jay Shah (See page12) tweeted. Police kill 3 terrorists tasked to attack Amarnath pilgrimage: In a major success, J&K Police in an encounter in the wee hours in Srinagar gunned down three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, including two Pakistanis, who had infiltrated with the intention to target the upcoming Amarnath pilgrimage. As per the documents and other incriminating materials, one of the killed terrorist has been identified as Abdullah Goujri from Faisalabad, Pakistan. n a far-reaching move, the government today unveiled an attractive recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the armed forces. The scheme, cleared by the Union Cabinet, is called Agnipath and the youth selected under it will be known as “Agniveers”. The scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the armed forces for a period of four years. Announcing the scheme in the presence of the three services chiefs, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed Agnipath as a “transformative initiative” that will bring about a huge change and open up opportunities for the nation’s youth. He said the scheme will strengthen India's security while providing a youthful profile to the armed forces. The Agnipath scheme has been designed to provide a youthful profile of the armed forces. It will provide an opportunity to the youth who may be keen to don the uniform by attracting young talent from the society who are more in tune with contemporary technological trends and plough back skilled, disciplined and motivated manpower into the society. It will enhance the youthful profile of the armed forces and provide a fresh lease of ‘Josh’ and ‘Jazba’ whilst at the same time bringing about a transformational shift towards more tech-savvy armed forces – which is indeed the need of the hour. It is envisaged that the average age profile of Indian armed forces will come down The scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the armed forces for a period of four years “Agniveers'' will be given an attractive customised monthly package along with Risk and Hardship allowances as applicable in the three services The eligible age will be in the range of 17.5 to 21 years  Defence minister Rajnath Singh with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande during a joint press conference regarding the announcement of Agnipath Recruitment Scheme, at the National Media Centre, in New Delhi on Tuesday.  SNS New CDS will be appointed soon, says Rajnath The new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will be appointed soon, defence minister Rajnath Singh said today. “The appointment of the CDS will be made soon. The process for it is underway,” he said at a media briefing here at which the “Agnipath” recruitment scheme for the armed forces was rolled out. by about 4-5 years by the implementation of this scheme. An official note said the dividends of short military service to the nation, society and the youth of the nation are immense. This includes the inculcation of patriotism, teamwork, enhancement of physical fitness, ingrained loyalty to the country and availability of trained personnel to boost national security in times of external threats, internal threats and natural disasters. This is a major defence policy reform introduced by the government to usher in a new era in the human resource policy of the three services. The policy, which comes into immediate effect, will hereafter govern the enrolment for the three services.“Agniveers'' will be given an attractive customised monthly package along with Risk and Hardship allowances as applicable in the three services. On completion of the engagement period of four years, they will be paid a one-time ‘SevaNidhi’ package which shall comprise their contribution including accrued interest thereon and matching contribution from the government equal to the accumulated amount of their contribution including interest. The ‘Seva Nidhi’ will be exempt from Income Tax. There shall be no entitlement to gratuity and pensionary benefits. ''Agniveers'' will be provided with a non-contributory Life Insurance Cover of Rs 48 lakh for the duration of their engagement period in the Indian armed forces. During this period of service to the nation, the ''Agniveers'' will be imparted with various military skills and experience, discipline, physical fitness, leadership qualities, courage and patri- otism. The avenues and opportunities that will open up for their progress in the civil world after the ''Agniveer'' tenure would certainly be a big plus for nation-building. Moreover, the ‘Seva Nidhi’ of approximately Rs 11.71 lakh would aid the “Agniveer” to pursue his/her future dreams without the financial pressure, which is normally the case for young people from the financially deprived strata of society. The individuals, selected for enrolment in the armed forces as regular cadre, would be required to serve for a further engagement period of a minimum of 15 years and would be governed by the existing terms and conditions of service of Junior Commissioned Officers/ Other Ranks in Indian Army and their equivalent in the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force and that of Non-Combatant enrolled in the IAF, as amended from time-to-time. The enrolment will be undertaken through an online centralised system for all three services with specialised rallies and campus interviews from recognised technical institutes. The eligible age will be in the range of 17.5 to 21 years. ‘KARTHIK DESERVES ALL THE ACCOLADES’ P12 Modi govt to recruit 10 l people in next 1.5 years STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE Reviewing the status of human resources in all departments and ministries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today instructed that recruitment of 10 lakh people be done by the government in a mission mode in the next 1.5 years. In a tweet, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said;“ PM @narendramodi reviewed the status of Human Resources in all departments and ministries and instructed that recruitment of 10 lakh people be done by the Government in a mission mode in next 1.5 years.” The PMO's announcement is significant, coming as it does at a time when the nation is grappling with increasing unemployment, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Opposition has come down heavily on the Modi government in recent months, accusing it of taking virtually no step to fight unemployment. A large number of government jobs are also said to be lying vacant. India’s urban unemployment rate jumped to 12.6 per cent in the AprilJune quarter of 2021, compared to 9.3 per cent in the January-March quarter. It, however, eased from the 20.8 per cent level seen during the first wave of the Covid pandemic, the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) shows. At a marathon meeting with all the Central government secretaries in April, the PM had talked about the recruitment drive. Modi’s direction to expedite the filling of vacancies gains importance in the light of the Opposition making unemployment a big issue in the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Union Minister for home Amit Shah thanked the PM for the instructions given to make 10 lakh recruitments in a mission mode in 1.5 years in all government departments and ministries. In a tweet, he said; "The basis of New India is its youth power, to empower them Shri Modi is working continuously. Shri Modi’s directive to Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the Jagatguru Shrisant Tukaram Maharaj Temple, in Dehu, Pune, on Tuesday.  ANI make 10 lakh recruitments in a mission mode in all government departments and ministries in 1.5 years will bring new hope and confidence among the youth.” The Union Home Ministry has taken steps to fill up the vacancies as per the instructions of the PM. Meanwhile, Modi also stated that his government was fully dedicated to serving the poor and marginalised. The government has always worked to ensure effective and transparent service delivery to the poor, he said and shared a MyGov tweet thread and articles from his website and Namo App. The PM tweeted; “Our government has always worked to ensure effective and transparent service delivery to the poor. #8YearsOfGaribSeva. Ours is a Government fully dedicated to serving the poor and marginalised. These articles highlight the key efforts towards #8YearsOfGaribSeva.” Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for the development of Phase I of New Greenfield Airport at Dholera, Gujarat at an estimated cost of Rs 1305 crore, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Tuesday. Mamata meets Pawar ahead of Oppn meet Heraldcase: ED quizzes Rahul Gandhi for 2nd consecutive day SNS/AGENCIES Left leaders, including CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja, also met Pawar during the day NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence (in pic) ahead of an Opposition meeting tomorrow to discuss fielding a common candidate in the presidential poll.“Our honorable chairperson @MamataOfficial met Shri @PawarSpeaks today. Two stalwart leaders set the stage for the meeting of all progressive opposition forces; set to happen tomorrow at the Constitution Club, New Delhi. Our resolve to fight divisive forces grows stronger!'' the Trinamul Congress tweeted. The Opposition is trying to build a consensus around Mr Pawar for the July 18 election though the former Union minister and former Maharashtra chief minister does not seem to be keen on contesting. Left leaders, including CPI(M) gen- Parliament’s Monsoon Session likely from 18 July eral secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja, also met Mr Pawar during the day, and according to Mr Yechury, has conveyed his decision not to contest the Presidential poll. “I have been informed that Pawar will not be the Opposition face for the presidential poll, other names are under consideration,” news agencies quoted Mr. Yechury as saying. Miss Banerjee has convened the Opposition leaders' meeting on 15 June in a bid to Rath Yatra: Cricket, antakshari to bridge ‘communal’ gap in Guj STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AHMEDABAD, 14 JUNE NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE The Monsoon Session of Parliament is likely to be held from July 18 to August 12, sources said. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has recommended that the Monsoon Session can be held between July 18 and August 12, 2022, as per top sources. The upcoming session is likely to have 17 working days. During the session, elections for the President and the Vice President are ANI likely to be held. unite the opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and prepare a joint strategy for the presidential polls. She had written letters to 22 Opposition leaders, including the Left parties, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and Pawar, among others, urging them to attend the 15 June meeting in New Delhi. The BJP, mean- while, has authorised party president J P Nadda and defence minister Rajnath Singh to hold discussions with all political parties on the presidential poll. CPI general secretary D Raja said that Left parties are likely to attend the meeting convened by Banerjee in the national capital on Wednesday at Constitution Club to discuss the name for Opposition President candidates. Speaking to ANI, Mr Raja said, "Left parties are likely to attend the meeting because left parties want all secular democratic parties, which are in opposition, to remain United. That is our concern and let us see how things are going to emerge tomorrow."Mr Yechury, meanwhile, has in a letter to Miss Banerjee that the CPI-M will be represented at the meeting by the party’s RS leader, Elamaram Kareem. Like the proverbial silver lining to dark clouds, cricket matches and ‘Antakshari’ games would seek to bridge the communal divide in the ‘riot-prone’ old city areas during the next fortnight. Though the cricket matches with mixed HinduMuslim teams are being organised against the backdrop of the controversy around Nupur Sharma’s utterance on Prophet, the city police’s effort for confidence building among the two communities is aimed at peaceful celebration of Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra on 1 The police have already arranged some ‘peace community’ meetings between the two communities living in these old city areas July.The cricket tournament between teams comprising both Hindu and Muslim youths from communally sensitive areas of the old city will be organised during the next two weeks. As many as six communally sensitive areas through which the Yatra passes have been chosen as venues of these cricket matches. The mixed teams of Hindus and Muslims from local areas would bridge the gap between the two communities ahead of the Rath Yatra, feel police officials behind the idea. The annual Rath Yatra, to be held for the 145th time this year, had been the cause of communal tension in the past when it passed through its nine-kilometre route in the minority-dominated old city under police security. The minority populated areas of the old city like Shahpur, Kalupur, Jamalpur, Dariapur and Khadia are currently witnessing protests against the remarks on the Prophet. The local police personnel are in touch with clubs and community leaders in these areas to form the cricket teams comprising players from both the faiths. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 JUNE As Congress MP Rahul Gandhi appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the National Herald case for the second consecutive day today, Delhi Police detained several party leaders and workers for trying to march towards the ED office in support of Rahul Gandhi. After more than four hours of questioning in the first round on day-two, the ED commenced its second round of quizzing Rahul in connection with an alleged money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper. The 51-year-old Congress leader this time was accompanied by a lawyer with him when he deposed before the FACT FILE TOTAL CASES 4,32,36,695 ACTIVE CASES 50,548 NEW CASES 6,594 NEW RECOVERIES 4,035 TOTAL DEATHS 5,24,777 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. TUESDAY 14 JUNE 2022 Delhi on Tuesday registered 1,118 fresh Covid cases and 2 deaths in the last 24 hours Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrives at the ED office for the second consecutive day, in New Delhi on Tuesday.  ANI investigators of the federal agency at 4.34 pm after an 80 minutes' lunch break. The Lok Sabha member from Wayanad in Kerala was questioned till 3.15 pm from 11.07 am when he appeared before the ED headquarters to join the investigation in the case. Earlier in the day, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel staged a protest outside AICC headquarters. While sitting at the dharna, Bhupesh Baghel lambasted the BJP government for misusing investigative agencies and suppressing the voice of the opposition. Baghel has termed the ED's action as political bias and malicious. Congress leaders and workers took out a march to the ED office in solidarity with the Rahul Gandhi. KC Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, Deepender Singh Hooda, Ranjeet Ranjan, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Imran Pratapgarhi & other Congress leaders were taken into police custody and sent to different police stations. Castigating the BJP government, Baghel said as long as the Centre continues to perpetrate the atrocities, the protest will continue. Killer cop was suffering from imaginary encounter-phobia INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 14 JUNE Chodup Lepcha, Kolkata Police's constable, who killed a woman by indiscriminately firing on the streets of the city before killing himself on June 10, had developed an imaginary encounter-phobia since the time he joined service a little over a year back. In fact, many of his colleagues had reported to the higher officials that Lepcha even often refused going to raid duties expressing fear that he might be involved in any encounter which might ultimately take a toll of his life. During just a year of service, he was also given three postings in short intervals because of his erratic behaviour. According to Kolkata Police sources, because of his expertise in accurate target shooting during the training period, Lepcha's first posting was with the Special Task Force (STF), a posting for which generally police personnel have to wait for years. But he shifted out of STF because of his imaginary encounter-phobia. Once while accompanying a raiding STF team, he got down the vehicle midway complaining that he was being taken in an encounter-mission.“He even tried to make a social media post of that sequence which he failed because of the timely intervention of his colleagues,” confirmed a city police official, who did not wish to be named. His second posting was in the traffic department. Bill passed to replace Governor as Visitor at private varsities KOLKATA, 14 JUNE The West Bengal Private University Laws Amendment Bill, 2022, was passed without voting as the principal opposition BJP staged a walkout from the state Assembly. The Bill aims to replace the governor with the state's education minister as a 'Visitor' to private universities, intensifying the unprecedented face-off between Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This comes a day after the West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 which sought to replace governor Jagdeep Dhankhar with CM Mamata Banerjee as the chancellor of all state-run universities. The move drew criticism from the BJP with the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari saying that he will take up this issue during his meeting with the Governor. Reacting to this, state education minister Bratya Basu said, “About the opposition, I have nothing to say. We have brought a Bill to change our Governor from the post of the chancellor only. We offered and suggested that chief minister will be the chancellor and the whole house accepted it. Now we are sending it to Governor." “Why can't the CM be the chancellor of state universities if the Prime Minister is the chancellor of a central university, Visva Bharati? You can go through the recommendations of the Punchhi Commission,”he added. ANI