MONDAY www.thestatesman.com 25 JULY 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 LET GO OF PAKISTAN MOSCOW & TEHRAN P6 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. LIGHT RAIN/THUNDERSHOWERS. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 36 AND 27 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Trace RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 61% Max: 35.7 °C (+1) SUN RISES 05:39 hrs MOON RISES 03:12 hrs Min: 27.1°C (0) SUN SETS 19:17 hrs MOON SETS 16:56 hrs TEMPERATURE P7 THUMBNAILS A drone is being used to keep vigil as devotees in large number gathered at Har ki Pauri Ghat to collect the Ganga water during the ongoing ANI Kanwar Yatra, in Haridwar on Sunday. Six killed as house collapses due to blast in Bihar's Chhapra: Six people were killed when a house collapsed due to a blast at Chhapra in Saran district of Bihar on Sunday, said Saran Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar. Efforts are being made to rescue people trapped under the debris, he added. The forensic team and bomb disposal squad are on the spot."We are investigating the reason behind the explosion. The forensic team and bomb disposal squad have also been called," SP said. Girls outshine boys in ISC exam : The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Sunday announced the class 12 or Indian Scho- ol Certificate (ISC) exam results. Eighteen candidates have shared the top rank in CISCE class 12 examination with a score of 99.75 per cent. The second rank has been shared by 58 candidates who scored 99.50 per cent while 78 candidates scored 99.25 per cent to share the third rank. In the results, the girls outshined the boys again. I n his farewell address to the nation, President Ram Nath Kovind today said that he had discharged his responsibilities to the best of his ability during his five-year term and underlined his firm belief that the country was getting equipped to make the 21st century, the century of India. He expressed his deep gratitude to all fellow citizens and elected representatives. “I have been inspired and energised by my interactions with citizens during my visits across the country,” he said. The president recalled his visits across the country during his term in office, especially his meetings with jawans, paramilitary personnel and the police . “When I was growing President Ram Nath Kovind addresses the nation on the eve of demitting office, in New ANI Delhi on Sunday. up in a small village, the nation had only recently achieved independence. There was a fresh wave of energy to rebuild the country; there were new dreams. I too had a dream, that one day I would be able to participate in a meaningful way in this nation-building exercise. A young boy living in a mud house could not have any idea Union minister Smriti Irani on Sunday sent legal notice to the Congress and its senior leaders Pawan Khera, Jairam Ramesh, Netta D'Souza over their "malicious allegations" against her daughter and asked them to tender a written unconditional apology. She also asked them to withdraw the allegations they have made against her 18-year old daughter with immediate effect. The notice, sent through her lawyer, said that these allegations have been made with the knowledge of their falsity, or at least in careless disregard of the truth. “The false allegations were intended to hurt the reputation of our client as a minister and a person in public life, and also to outrage her modesty and that of her daughter. These are serious offences under the IPC and also a tort about the highest Constitutional office of the Republic. But it is testament to the strength of India’s democracy that it has created pathways to let each citizen take part in the shaping of our collective destiny. If that Ram Nath Kovind from village Paraunkh is addressing you today, it is solely thanks to the inherent power of our vibrant democratic institutions,” he said. Kovind said that among the most memorable moments of his life has been visiting his home during his term and touching the feet of his teachers at Kanpur to seek their blessings. “This connection with our roots has been the essence of India. I would request the younger generation to continue this tradition of staying connected with their village or town, their schools and teachers,” he added. NEW DELHI, 24 JULY The Union ministry of health and family welfare held a high-level review meeting on the monkeypox disease on Sunday following the detection of the fourth case of the virus in the country. Earlier in the day, Delhi reported its first case of the zoonotic infection after a CM Arvind Kejriwal said there was no need to panic as the situation was under control NEW DELHI, 24 JULY Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held a meeting with the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states to discuss the developmental work undertaken by them. The Mukhyamantri Parishad was held at the BJP headquarters in the national capital under the chairmanship of party President JP Nadda. The meeting, also attended by BJP chief J P Nadda, also discussed the party's strategy for the Assembly elections to be held in some states in the coming months. The meeting was attended by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Haryana chief minister M L Khattar, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, among others. Sources said Modi shared with the CMs his views on how The outgoing president laid emphasis on education and healthcare. He said the National Education Policy would go a long way in making it possible for young Indians to connect with their heritage and also find their feet in the 21st century. The pandemic, he said, has underlined the need to further improve the public healthcare infrastructure, expressing happiness that the government has accorded top priority to this task. During his address, the president recalled the freedom struggle and paid tribute to the freedom fighters. President-elect Murmu will take oath as the 15th President of India on Monday. She will be the first tribal person to occupy the country's highest constitutional post. 31-year-old man with no history of foreign travel tested positive for the virus. The resident of west Delhi is undergoing treatment at the state-run LNJP hopsital.He was admitted to hospital around making the addressees liable to penal damages. “In the circumstances as mentioned hereinabove, we hereby call upon addressees to tender a written unconditional and unequivocal apology forthwith not later than 24 hours from the receipt of this notice, which should be widely disseminated in print media and on social media. “Unconditionally withdraw the allegations with immediate effect and cause to remove all such false information from all platform(s) disseminating the allegations, including but not lim- ited to the allegations. “Cease and desist from disseminating any content whatsoever, arising out of or in any connection with the allegations and/or similar content thereto in respect of our client and her daughter, Zoish Irani.Ensure that all the record of the allegations is permanently deleted and the same is never disseminated recirculated in future,” the legal notice read. In case of failure to act as mentioned above, Irani would be constrained to initiate appropriate civil and criminal proceedings against them, the notice warned. three days ago with fever and skin lesions. His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune on Saturday, which came out positive. In a statement, the Union health ministry said, "A 31-year-old male resident of Delhi was isolated at Lok Nayak Hospital as a suspected case of Monkeypox. A confirmation of the diagnosis has been done by the National Insti- P12 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE 4th monkey pox case: Govt holds high-level meet SNS & AGENCIES NEERAJ WINS FIRST SILVER IN WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS PM meets CMs of BJP-led states to review their developmental work In his farewell address, President expresses deep gratitude to citizens Irani sends legal notice to Congress over ‘malicious allegations’ against daughter INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JULY P10 India on path to own 21st century: Kovind STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JULY Max.89% POPE HEADS TO CANADA AS INDIGENOUS GROUPS SEEK FULL APOLOGY tute of Virology (NIV), Pune.” Delhi reported its first case of Monkeypox but chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said there was no need to panic as the situation was under control. The patient, who has been admitted to a city hospital, has no history of foreign travel. This is the fourth confirmed case of monkeypox virus being reported in India. He had recently attended a stag party in Himachal Pradesh’s Manali. “Further public health interventions like identification of the source of infection, enhanced contact tracing, testing sensitisation of private practitioners etc are being carried out,” the ministry further said. The first three case of the virus were detected in Kerala – all of them in July. SEE PAGE 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP National president JP Nadda during Mukhyamantri Parishad meeting at BJP headANI quarters, in New Delhi on Sunday. they must push forward the party's developmental agenda in their respective states, especially the schemes meant for the weaker sections. He also heard the views of the CMs on how the party should gear up for the Assembly elections. Assembly elections are to be held in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year and Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland next year.CMs and deputy chief FACT FILE TOTAL CASES 4,38,88,755 ACTIVE CASES 1,52,200 NEW CASES ED told to fly arrested WB minister to Bhubaneswar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 24 JULY 20,279 NEW RECOVERIES 18,143 TOTAL DEATHS 5,26,033 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. SUNDAY 24 JULY 2022 Delhi recorded 729 cases and two deaths HANGING CLOUDS Dark clouds hover over the Taj Mahal, in Agra on Sunday. ministers of 18 states where the BJP is in power on its own or in alliance with other parties put forth their governance report in front of the Central leadership during the meeting. With the BJP gearing up for the upcoming assembly polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the meeting was also attended by senior party leaders and included deliberations on achieving a 100 per cent target of all centrally sponsored welfare schemes and flagship programmes. ANI After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) appealed to Calcutta High Court today for shifting the arrested cabinet minister Partha Chatterjee from the state-run SSKM hospital, the court directed the agency to take Mr Chatterjee to AIIMS Bhubaneswar tomorrow morning in an air ambulance.The court has directed that apart from the ED officials accompanying the minister, an SSKM medical officer, and the advocate of the minister will also travel with him to Bhubaneswar. The court has also directed that the medical report of the minister, compiled by a special team of doctors at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, will have to be handed over to the ED investigating officer, the SSKM medical officer, and the minister’s advocate. The report has to be submitted by 3 pm tomorrow since Mr Chatterjee is scheduled to appear before a special court in Kolkata tomorrow at 4 pm. The court further instructed the ED to arrange for a video conferencing facility through which the minister will appear before the special court in Kolkata from Bhubaneswar.Meanwhile, a Kolkata court on Sunday remanded Arpita Mukherjee to one-day ED custody. Agniveer Airforce recruitment New India capable of giving befitting reply to enemies: Rajnath exam begins amid tight security STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 24 JULY ASIAN NEWS INTERNATIONAL KANPUR , 24 JULY The first-ever examination for the recruitment in Indian Air Force through the new ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme began across the country on Sunday morning amid tight police security. This exam is being conducted in many parts of the country including Delhi, Kanpur and Patna. This exam is being conducted from 24 July to July 31 across the country. In many cities of UP, the examination is being held for the recruitment of Agniveers in the Air Force.In Kanpur, Police have made tight security arrangements to conduct the Agniveer Airforce examination. Along with This exam is being con ducted from 24 July to July 31 across the country the deployment of police personnel, Air Force personnel have also been deployed in all the examination centres. All the centres are also being monitored by CCTV and drones. A total of 11 centres have been assigned for the Agniveer exam, out of which six are in Kanpur Outer. The exam is being conducted in three shifts. A total of 31,875 candidates are appearing for this exam in Kanpur today and in every shift, 625 students will attend. Speaking to ANI, an Air Force aspirant said, "I have come here from Meerut to give Agniveer Airforce exam. We are very happy that after so much interruption we are able to give the exam. We have prepared for our exam and we will give our best." The Indian Air force has received a total of 7,49,899 applications under the Agniveer recruitment scheme. This exam for the Air Force will be held till July 31. The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers. The Agnipath scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that a strong and confident new India is well-equipped to give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye towards our territory. Rajnath weas speaking at a function organised here by the Jammu People’s Forum to pay homage to the martyrs of the 1999 Kargil war. He recalled the contributions of those soldiers who laid down their lives for the country during the war with Pakistan. He met family members of security personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty and also honoured them (in photo). “India has become a strong and confident nation which is well-equipped to protect its people from anyone who tries to cast an evil eye,” said Raj- nath. He stated that it was the spirit of national pride at the core of their values who protected the unity and integrity of India. He asserted that the sole aim of the Governme- nt, led by Prime Minister Na-re ndra Modi, is to safeguard the interests of the Nation and it has taken a series of steps to develop a self-reliant defence ecosystem that provides indigenous state-of-the-art weapons and equipment to the armed forces to fight all kinds of future wars. Speaking about the country’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, when China occupied India’s area in Ladakh in 1962, Rajnath said I will not question his intentions that can be good but the same does not apply to policy. However, today’s India is one of the most powerful countries in the world, he added. Sharing his views on the numerous challenges faced by India post-independence, he said, the entire area of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh became the ‘Main War Theatre’ during 1948, 1962, 1965, 1971 and 1999 wars, when enemies tried to cast an evil eye, but whose plans were thwarted by the gallant Indian soldiers. He also paid respects to the Indian soldiers who displayed unmatched bravery during the Galwan valley incident and ensured that the Indian tricolour continues to fly high. “After tasting defeats in direct wars of 1965 and 1971, Pakistan adopted the path of Proxy War.For over two decades, it has tried to ‘Bleed India with Thousand Cuts’. But, time and again, our brave soldiers have shown that no one can disturb the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India,”the Defence Minister added, assuring the Nation that the Armed Forces are ready to face all future challenges. He termed the Kargil War victory as a prime example of jointness among the three Services and their coordination with the Government which safeguarded the sovereignty and integrity of the nation during testing times. “The Kargil war underlined the dire need to achieve jointness and self-reliance in the defence sector. It has been our endeavour to achieve these qualities to remain prepared for future challenges. Setting up of Joint Theatre Commands and reforms to achieve self-reliance in defence are the steps taken in that direction,” he added. Rajnath stated that J&K will always be an integral part of India and the Government is ensuring that the Union Territory, like the rest of the country, touches newer heights of progress. On PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan, the Defence Minister stated that these areas are illegally occupied by Pakistan and a resolution to free it has been unanimously passed in the Parliament of India. A number of serving Armed Forces personnel as well as veterans, including Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain Bana Singh, were among those present on the occasion.