CMYK SATURDAY www.thestatesman.com 25 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 UK CONSERVATIVES LOSE 2 ELECTIONS IN BLOW TO JOHNSON ‘ISRAEL KEEN ON STRONGER TIES’ P7 WEATHER One or two spells of rain/thundershower very likely. Temperature likely to be in the range of 32-26 degrees Celsius. TEMPERATURE Max: 33.2°C (0) SUN RISES 04:54 hrs MOON RISES 01:20 hrs New moon on 29 P10 Min: 27.3°C (+1) SUN SETS 18:24 hrs MOON SETS 14:24 hrs June THUMBNAILS Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi at the induction ceremony of Made-in-India Infantry Combat vehicles, in Leh on Friday.  ANI Parameswaran Iyer to take over as NITI Aayog CEO: Parameswaran Iyer, the man who is credited with building thousands of toilets as part of Swachch Bharat Mission, will now be heading the country's top think-tank, NITI Aayog. "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Parameswaran Iyer as the new Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog for a period of two years after the tenure of incumbent Amitabh Kant concludes on June 30," it was announced on Friday. Bengal govt schools to reopen from 27 June: All government and government-sponsored schools will reopen from Monday. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has given permission for reopening schools and necessary notification in this regard has been sent to the respective district magistrates, said education minister Bratya Basu on Friday. The summer vacation was for a month and a half and was to end on 15 June but it was extended by another 11 days till 26 June due to the extremely hot weather conditions. Now, schools will reopen Pg3 from 27 June. Murmu files nomination, Pawar meets Uddhav to defuse Maha crisis seeks support from Opp SNS & AGENCIES MUMBAI, 24 JUNE Amidst the continuing political crisis in Maharashtra due to revolt in the Shiv Sena, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar arrived at Matoshree, the residence of the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai. The leaders were accompanied by state minister Jayant Patil and NCP leader Praful Patel. The leaders are expected to discuss ways to prevent the fall of the MVA government, which also includes Congress. Ajit Pawar said earlier in the day that the NCP stands with the chief minister and will try to “keep the government stable”. The crisis continued to plague the Shiv Sena with rebel leader Eknath Shinde claiming the support of at least 38 party MLAs, along with a dozen Independents. After addressing the district chiefs of Shiv Sena on Friday, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has called a meeting of the party's national executive committee tomorrow at 1 p.m. The meeting will be held in Shiv Sena Bhavan which the chief minister will join virtually. Earlier today, Thackeray convened a meeting of the district chiefs virtually wherein he said that the rebel MLAs who are camping in Guwahati want to “break the party”. “I have said earlier also that I don't have anything to do with power. The people who used to say that they would roupadi Murmu, the BJP-led NDA presidential nominee, today filed her nomination papers for the 18 July poll even as she sought the support of top Opposition leaders for her candidature. Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed her name for the nomination while defence minister Rajnath Singh seconded it. The second set of her nomination papers was proposed by the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states while the third set was proposed by MPs and MLAs from Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. The fourth set of nomination papers carried the signatures of the MPs and MLAs from Gujarat. PM, Rajnath, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP National president JP Nadda and other senior ministers like Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal were among those pre- D National Democratic Alliance Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda during filing her nomination papers for the Presidential election, at the Parliament, in New Delhi on Friday.  ANI sent at Parliament when the 64-year-old Mrs Murmu filed her nomination. That the NDA was leaving no stone unturned to ensure a handsome victory for Mrs Murmu was clearly evident as the chief ministers of all BJPruled states, including Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), M L Khattar (Haryana) and Himanta Biswa The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the appeal filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of Congress leader Ehsan Jafri who was killed during the violence at Ahmedabad's Gulberg Society in 2002, challenging the SIT's clean chit to the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others during the riots in the state. A bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C.T. Ravikumar upheld the decision of the magistrate in accepting the final report submitted by the SIT and rejecting the protest petition. The bench said the appeal Sarma were also present when she filed her nomination. In addition to representatives of NDA partners, YSR Congress leader V Vijayasai Reddy, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders Tukuni Sahu, Sasmit Patra and Jagannath Saraka were also present. Before filing her nomination, Mrs Murmu is understood to have spoken to Congress President Sonia Gand- hi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Trinamul Congress chief and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking their party's support for her candidature. The Opposition leaders, who have announced former Union minister Mr Yashwant Sinha as their joint candidate for the presidential election, were, however, noncommittal. Mr Sinha, the presidential nominee of the combined Opposition, is expected to file his nomination papers on 27 June after touring parts of the country to seek the support of different parties for his candidature. Mrs Murmu, a former Governor of Jharkhand minister of Odisha, will be the first tribal woman to hold the highest constitutional post if she wins the election. The last date for filing nominations is June 29. Polling will be held on July 18 and the counting of votes will take place on 21 July. Modi to hold bilateral talks with Biden at G7 Summit STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden and other world leaders on the margins of the G7 Summit in Germany on 2627 June, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said today. At a media briefing ahead of Modi's tour, he said; “At the invitation of the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the PM will be travelling to Schloss on the midnight of 25 June to participate in the G7 Summit.”Kwatra said that during During the Summit, the PM is expected to speak in two sessions that include Environment, Energy, Climate, Food Security, Health, Gender Equality & Democracy VINAY KWATRA FOREIGN SECRETARY the Summit, the PM is expected to speak in two sessions that include Environment, Energy, Climate, Food Security, Health, Gender Equality and Democracy. Asked how India would respond if the recent controversy over the remarks Gujarat riots: SC dismisses Jafri’s plea against SIT clean chit to Modi NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE P12 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE Min. 63% INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE P11 NDA presidential candidate called up Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar & Mamata Banerjee RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.89% TOUGH CHALLENGE AWAITS INDIA AGAINST A BOLD ENGLAND PAKISTAN IMPOSES 10 PER CENT SUPER TAX ON LARGE INDUSTRIES The Supreme Court, in its verdict in the case, said there is "no tittle of material" to prove that 2002 Gujarat riots were preplanned and the inaction of some state officials can't be the basis to term it as a state-sponsored crime against the minority community. filed by Zakia Jafri is "devoid of merits and deserved to be dismissed". Detailed judgment in the matter will be uploaded later in the day. In December last year, the top court had reserved the verdict on Jafri's plea. During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the SIT, submitted that the top court should endorse the decision taken by the Gujarat High Court on Jafri's plea. He added that it will become an endless exercise, being pushed by some motives of social activist Teesta Setalvad ~ the second petitioner in the petition. Concluding the arguments, Rohatgi submitted before the bench that nobody had “raised a finger” against it on the probe in the 2002 Gujarat riots. Jafri challenged the 2017 Gujarat High Court order rejecting her plea against the SIT decision. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, cited work done by Setalvad's organisations and added that to paint somebody anti-Gujarat is unfair. (See Pg 4) made by now suspended two BJP functionaries against Prophet Muhammad was raised during the PM's visit, the top Indian diplomat said; “As far as the Prophet issue is concerned, almost all Gulf countries have a clear understanding of India’s position. We have stated our stand on various platforms. I don’t think that will be taken forward anymore.” On apprehensions that India might again come under pressure to change its position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kwatra said India has had a very clear policy on the India’s second consignment of relief items reaches Kabul STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE Expressing solidarity with Afghanistan in the wake of the recent devastating earthquake,India today delivered the second consignment of relief assistance for the people of the quake-hit nation. “Second consignment of India's earthquake relief assistance for the people of Afghanistan reaches Kabul,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. Earlier, the MEA in a press release said the Government of India has dispatched 27 tonnes of emergency relief assistance in two flights for the people of Afghanistan . issue since the hostilities started.Regarding India's oil purchases from Russia, he said India's policy in this matter too was dictated by its energy security considerations.On his way back from Germany, the PM will make a brief halt in the UAE to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also take the opportunity to congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Rebel Maharashtra Shiv Sena MLAs with party leader Eknath Shinde at Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati on Friday. ANI The Shiv Sena had earlier filed a petition with the Deputy Speaker, seeking to disqualify 12 MLAs supporting Shinde’s rebellion The rebel MLAs are preparing to move SC once notices are issued to them The Eknath Shinde camp is also expected to move the Election Commission and stake claim for the party and the symbol If they have courage, they should go among people without taking the name of Balasaheb and Shiv Sena UDDHAV THACKERAY MAHARASHTRA CHIEF MINISTER rather die than leave Shiv Sena have fled today,” the Shiv Sena chief said during his virtual address at the meeting. “ I had never thought in my dreams that I would become the chief minister. I have left Varsha Bungalow but not the will to fight,” he added. In other developments, the rebel group led by Shinde has submitted a list of 37 MLAs to Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly Narhari Zirwal. The list, submitted late on Thursday, has also attached two resolutions stating that Shinde continues to be the chief of Shiv Sena Legislative Party, and MLA Bharat Gogavale has been appointed new Chief Whip. Meanwhile, two Independent MLAs, part of the Eknath Shinde camp, have called for the removal of Deputy Speaker Zirwall, who is Tapan Deka is new IB chief, Goel gets 1-yr extension as RAW chief US apex court strikes down abortion rights STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON, 24 JUNE NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE Senior IPS officer Tapan Kumar Deka was on Friday appointed Intelligence Bureau chief, replacing Arvind Kumar whose extended tenure ends on June 30. Deka, who has been handling the operations wing of the IB, takes over as the new chief for two years, according to an official order issued by the Personnel Ministry. He is a 1988 batch officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre. The tenure of Samant Goel, who has been heading the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), has been extended by one more year, the ministry said in another order.Deka has been tracking terrorists and reli- Tapan Kumar Deka Samant Goel gious radicalization for the past two decades. Essentially an expert on northeast affairs he was sent by home minister Amit Shah to Assam after the anti-CAA violence broke out in 2019. Deka is credited as the man who broke the back of the Indian Mujahideen group and also the one who investigated the 26/11 attacks. The Narendra Modi government also rewarded Secretary (R&AW) Samant Goel by giving him an unprecedented second extension after a two-year fixed tenure for building up operational capability and accountability of India’s external agency. An Af-Pak expert, Goel, a Punjab cadre officer, is a plain-speaking officer and brings total commitment to his job. He works closely with both Shah and Doval. Covid vax prevented over 42 l deaths in India: Lancet Kashmir to host G-20 INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI,24 JUNE Vaccines developed to fight Covid-19 helped prevent more than 42 lakh potential deaths in India in 2021, according to a mathematical modelling study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. The estimates based on excess deaths from 185 countries and territories showed that globally 19.8 million out of a potential 31.4 million Covid19 fatalities were prevented in the first year of the vaccination programme. A further 599,300 lives could have been saved if the World Health Organization's target of vaccinating 40 per cent of the population in each country with two or more doses by the end of 2021 had been met.“Our findings show that millions of lives have likely been saved by making vaccines available to people everywhere, regardless of their wealth. However, more could have been done. If the targets set out by the WHO had been achieved, we estimate that roughly 1 in 5 of the estimated lives lost due to Covid-19 in low-income countries could have been prevented," said lead author Dr Oliver Watson, from Imperial College London. Since the first Covid-19 vaccine was administered outside of a clinical trial setting on December 8, 2020, almost two thirds of the world's population has received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine (66 per cent). Despite the incredible speed of the vaccine roll-out worldwide, more than 3.5 million Covid deaths have been reported. Howev- er, the team found that, based on officially recorded Covid deaths, an estimated 18.1 million deaths would have occurred during the study period if vaccinations had not been implemented. The Covid-19 Vaccine Access initiative (COVAX) has facilitated access to affordable vaccines for lower income countries to try to reduce inequalities, with an initial target of giving two vaccine doses to 20 per cent of the population in countries covered by the commitment by the end of 2021. The WHO expanded this target by setting a global strategy to fully vaccinate 70 per cent of the world's population by mid-2022, with an interim target of vaccinating 40 per cent of the population of all countries by the end of 2021. Alarming: India logs 17,336 cases STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE FACT FILE NEW DELHI, 24 JUNE TOTAL CASES Showing a significant rise in the number of Covid cases, India reported 17,336 fresh infections in the last 24 hours, stated the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday. With this, India’s active caseload now stands at 88,284 with active cases now constituting 0.20per cent of the country’s total positive cases. As per the data shared by the ministry, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.59per centwith 13,029 patients having recovered in the last 24 hours taking the cumu- from NCP . The Deputy Speaker, meanwhile, has approved Shiv Sena's proposal to appoint MLA Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena legislative party leader in the state Assembly. The Shiv Sena had earlier filed a petition with the Deputy Speaker, seeking to disqualify 12 MLAs supporting Shinde’s rebellion. It is understood that the rebel MLAs are preparing to move Supreme Court once notices are issued to them.The Eknath Shinde camp is also expected to move the Election Commission and stake claim for the party and the symbol, sources added. Earlier today, Sanjay Raut, the Sena's spokesperson, alleged that Maharashtra alliance leader Sharad Pawar had been threatened by a Union minister. (See Pg5) 4,33,62,294 ACTIVE CASES 88,284 NEW CASES 17,336 13,029 NEW RECOVERIES TOTAL DEATHS 5,24,954 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. FRIDAY 24 JUNE 2022 Bengal recorded 657 cases and two deaths lative tally of recovered patients to 4,27,49,056. CMYK working group meet STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 24 JUNE In an encouraging development, Jammu and Kashmir will host meeting of a working group during the 2023 meetings of G-20, group that brings together the world’s major economies. The Union Territory government has set up a fivemember high level committee for overall coordination. This will be the first major international summit to be held in Jammu and Kashmir after the erstwhile state’s special status was abrogated and it was divided into two union territories on 5 August 2019. According to an order issued here on Thursday, the Union Territory’s housing and urban development department principal secretary will be chairman of the committee which was formed in response to a 4 June communication from the Ministry of External Affairs. “Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of a committee…for overall co-ordination of G-20 meetings to be held in the Union Territory of J&K,” the order issued by Principal Secretary, General Administration Department, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said. G20 member nations are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the US. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v.Wade. Friday’s outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The decision, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by ab- ortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court that has been fortified by three appo- intees of former President Donald Trump. Both sides predicted the fight over abortion would continue, in state capitals and in Washington, and Justice Clarence Thomas, part of Friday’s majority, called on the court to overturn other high court rulings protecting same-sex marriage, gay sex and the use of contraceptives. The ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step. It puts the court at odds with a majority of Americans who favored preserving Roe, according to opinion polls. Alito, in the final opinion issued Friday, wrote that Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed the right to abortion, were wrong the days they were decided and must be overturned. Authority to regulate abortion rests with the political branches, not the courts, Alito wrote.AP (See Pg10)