THURSDAY www.thestatesman.com 15 SEPTEMBER 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 ‘INDIA AIMS TO LEAPFROG IN QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY WITH INDUSTRY'S HELP’ ‘OFFICIAL LANGUAGE HINDI UNITES NATION IN THREAD OF UNITY’ P5 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN/THUNDERSHOWERS AT MOST PLACES ACCOMPANIED WITH GUSTY WINDS (SPEED 30-40 KMPH). RAINFALL: 0.0 MM RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.95% TEMPERATURE Max: 33.6°C (0) SUN RISES 06:06 hrs MOON RISES 21:37 hrs P8 This change may allow Sourav Ganguly & Jay Shah to have longer tenures NEW DELHI, 14 SEPTEMBER Min. 65% Min: 26.4°C (+1) SUN SETS 18:26 hrs MOON SETS 11:44 hrs THUMBNAILS People walk along the newly named Kartavya Path amid heavy rainfall, at India Gate, in New Delhi on Wednesday.  ANI Indian tennis great Naresh Kumar passes away: Former Indian tennis player and Davis Cup captain Naresh Kumar, who was a mentor to Olympic medallist Leander Paes, passed away in Kolkata on Wednesday. He was 93. He is survived by his wife Sunita, son Arjun, and two daughters -- Gita and Preah. All India Tennis Association (AITA) condoled the demise of Indian tennis legend, calling it an irreparable loss. Kumar rose to prominence in 1949, making the latter stages of the Indian International championships and Northern Championships. (PG12) P10 BCCI’s constitution rejig proposal cleared by SC SNS & AGENCIES T he Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to amend its constitution relating to the cooling-off period for the board’s president, secretary and other office-bearers. This amendment may enable board president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah to have longer tenures in the BCCI. The Supreme Court was hearing a plea from the BCCI for permission to change the rules relating to the “cooling off” period for the president, secretary and other office bearers. The petition also sought a direction for the extension of the tenure of BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah. The petition was filed in 2020. The tenures of Sourav Ganguly as BCCI president and Jay Shah as BCCI secretary are set to expire in Sept 2022 A Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli allowed the BCCI to amend its constitution. “We are of the considered view that the amendment would not dilute the original objective. We accept the proposed amendment,” the Bench said. Currently, BCCI and state board office bearers are barred from holding office for more than six consecutive years, being required to undergo a mandatory 3-year “cooling off period” thereafter. With the approval of the proposed amendment to the BCCI’s constitution, the cooling-off period for office bearers will kick in after two consecutive terms at either the BCCI or at the state association level. The office bearers can now have a maximum of 12 years at one go: two three-year terms at the state association level and two three-year terms at the BCCI, and after this, the cooling-off will be applicable. The tenure of Sourav Ganguly as BCCI president and Jay Shah as BCCI secretary is set to expire in September 2022. In 2019, the General Body of the BCCI during an AGM on 1 December 2019, proposed six amendments, including one in Rule 6 of the Con- stitution, which had barred BCCI and state board office bearers from holding office for more than six consecutive years. According to the current rules, any person who has been an office bearer in the BCCI or state cricket body, or any combination, has to undergo a mandatory 3-year "cooling off period" following a maximum sixyear term in office. During this period, they cannot hold office in either a state body or in the BCCI. This would effectively bar the current office bearers of the BCCI from holding any posts either in the BCCI or any state board, for the next three years. Before his appointment to the BCCI, Ganguly had served as president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) from 2014, while Jay Shah was an office bearer in Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) since 2013. FACT FILE SOMBRE MARCH TOTAL CASES 4,45,10,057 ACTIVE CASES 45,749 NEW CASES 5,108 Inclusion of 15 tribal communities in the ST list gets cabinet approval: In a meeting of the Union Cabinet, on Wednesday, a big decision was taken regarding castes like Gond-Bharia. The Cabinet approved a proposal to include about 15 tribal communities in the Scheduled Tribes list in five states namely Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. NEW RECOVERIES 5,675 TOTAL DEATHS 5,28,216 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. WEDNESDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2022 The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall in London. AP SEE PG 10 Goa: Another jolt to Cong as 8 MLAs cross over to BJP SNS&AGENCIES PANAJI, 14 SEPTEMBER In a big jolt to Congress in Goa, a group of eight MLAs led by Michael Lobo, who was removed from the post of leader of the opposition, joined the ruling BJP on Wednesday. With this, the number of BJP legislators has gone up to 28 and strength to 33 in the 40-member Assembly. Congress had 11 MLAs among the 40 members of the House. While BJP had 20 MLAs, which now increased to 28. However, the BJP had the support of two MGP legislators besides three independent MLAs. Hence, the strength of the saffron party has gone up to 33 and that of Congress reduced to three. Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar F-16 package for Pakistan, India worried: Rajnath to US Def. Secy STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant with Congress MLAs who joined the BJP at Assembly Complex, in Porvorim.  ANI Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes are the eight legislators that have switched allegiances. After the formalities of the merger, Lobo along with Digambar Kamat and chief minister Pramod Sawant addressed the media at the Assembly complex. Michael Lobo, speaking to the media, said that eight Con- gress MLAs had called a CLP meeting in the morning and after discussion decided to merge with BJP.“We took the resolution of the merging party and handed over a copy to the legislative secretary. We gave one copy to chief minister Pramod Sawant and informed the Assembly speaker about it,” Lobo said. “We have joined BJP to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Pramod Sawant and also for the development of Goa," Lobo said. Kamat said in politics, decisions are based on circumstances. Calling the defection of its eight MLAs to the BJP the murder of democracy, the Congress unit in Goa on Wednesday said that the wrath of the public against the saffron party will reflect in the Lok Sabha elections. “Murder of democracy by BJP is going on across India. They are rattled by the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. CM was claiming that they had enough numbers, then what was the need to take more MLAs? That means BJP had an agenda to finish the opposition as 67 per cent voters had voted against them," Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar said, addressing a press conference here. NEW DELHI, 14 SEPTEMBER Defence minister Rajnath Singh today conveyed to the US, India’s concerns over its decision to provide a sustenance package for Pakistan's F-16 fleet during a telephonic conversation with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. The Biden administration approved a $450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan to help it meet current and future counterterrorism threats, in Washington’s first major security assistance to Islamabad in four years.The Defence Ministry said Rajnath and Austin reviewed the multi-faceted India-US defence cooperati on and reiterated mutual commitment to further strengthen military-to-military ties. India and Nepal have agreed to “expeditiously progress” on project proposals for the Ramayana Circuit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced today. The circuit includes major pilgrimage sites in India and Nepal that are related to the Ramayana, such as Ayodhya in India and Janakpur in Nepal. The decision was taken during talks between Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and his Nepalese counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyal who concluded a two-day visit to India today. The two foreign secretaries reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation between India and Nepal, including economic and com- The decision was taken during talks between Foreign Secy Vinay Kwatra and his Nepalese counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyal mercial cooperation, enhancing connectivity, development cooperation, trade, culture, and people-people relations. They noted with appreciation the progress on many projects and initiatives announced during the recent visits of Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba to India in April and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lumbini in Nepal in May. The recent progress in bilateral cooperation in the power sector, including through the export Delhi recorded 142 cases and zero death Fake review posts: E-com entities may face heavy penalty NEW DELHI, 14 SEPTEMBER Soon e-commerce entities may face heavy penalty for posting fake reviews of products, as the government is finalising guidelines to curb such practices.According to highly-placed sources, a committee formed by the Department of Consumer Affairs is finalising changes in the norms related to fake reviews, which were formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in 2021. Once the changes are made in these norms, they would become mandatory and entail penalty on e-commerce firms for posting fake reviews and also for getting fake reviews done of rival entities. According to the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, penalty on e-commerce entities for posting fake reviews of products and giving inflated ratings would be imposed, and the penalty amount could range from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. India, Nepal to work on project proposals for Ramayana Circuit STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 SEPTEMBER SMRITI HELPS INDIA BEAT ENGLAND BY 8 WICKETS ZELENSKYY VISITS RECENTLY RETAKEN, DEVASTATED CITY of power from Nepal to India, was appreciated. It was also agreed that both sides will work to further strengthen such cooperation in keeping with the Joint Vision Statement on Power Sector Cooperation In terms of connectivity projects, the progress made in operationalisation of the Kurta-Bijalpura segment of the Jayanagar-Bardibas rail link and Bathnaha-Nepal Custom Yard segment of the Jogbani-Biratnagar rail link, considered significant steps in further strengthening the peoplepeople links, was noted with satisfaction. Both sides also agreed to expeditiously implement an extension of the petroleum pipeline from Amlekhgunj to Chitwan and the construction of an LPG pipeline from Motihari to Chitwan. Overloaded bus mishap kills 12, injures 25 in J&K STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 14 SEPTEMBER Atleast 12 passengers were killed and 25 injured on Wednesday morning when an overloaded minibus plunged into a gorge near the Line of Control (LoC) in Sawjian area of Poonch district.Six seriously injured persons have been airlifted in IAF helicopters to Jammu for treatment. The injured were rushed to Mandi hospital for treatment, Mandi Tehsildar Shehzad Latif said. The mishap occurred while the bus was on its way to Mandi from Sawjian. Rescue operation by the Indian Army and police were immediately launched. Initial reports suggest that the driver lost control over the speeding vehicle. A magisterial probe has been ordered into the accident. See Pg5 P12 Union Cabinet approves signing of guarantees for Women’s World Cup Football from 11-30 October STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 SEPTEMBER The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today approved the Signing of Guarantees for hosting the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Under 17 Women's World Cup in India from 11-30 October 2022. The seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament will be the first-ever FIFA women's competition to be hosted by India. Carrying on the positive legacy from the FIFA Under-17 Men's World Cup 2017, the nation is preparing for a seminal moment for women's football when the best young female footballers from across the world will be showcasing their skills. The financial outlay of Rs. 10 crore assistance to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for Field of play Maintenance, Stadium power, Energy & Cabling, Stadia & Training Site Branding, etc. will be met from the budgetary allocation for the Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs). An official note said the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 has the The seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament will be the first-ever FIFA women's competition to be hosted by India   The event will not only promote football as the sport of choice among Indian girls but is also poised to leave a lasting legacy that will facilitate girls and women in the country to embrace football and sports in general  The AIFF has proposed holding of the competition matches in 3 venues namely; (a) Bhubaneshwar; (b) Navi Mumbai and (c) Goa potential to strengthen women's football in the country. Carrying on the positive legacy from the FIFA Under 17 Men's World Cup 2017, the nation is preparing for a seminal moment for women's football when the best young female footballers from across the world will be showcasing their skills to lift the coveted trophy. The following objectives have been contemplated in Murmu to attend Queen’s funeral order to leave behind a positive legacy: ~ increase the representation of women in football leadership and decisionmaking bodies; ~ inspire more girls to play football in India; ~ advocate for genderinclusive participation by normalising the concept of the equal game from a young age; ~ opportunity to improve football standards for women in India; and ~ improve the commercial value of the women's game. The FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup is a prestigious event and would be held for the first time in India. It would encourage more youngsters to participate in sports and help develop the sport of football in India. The event will not only promote football as the sport of choice among Indian girls but is also poised to leave a lasting legacy that will facilitate girls and women in the country to embrace football and sports in general. FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2022 will be the 7th edition of the tournament in which 16 teams, including India, will participate. Modi meets Bhutan King STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 SEPTEMBER President Droupadi Murmu will visit London on 17-19 September to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and offer condolences on behalf of the Government of India. This will be the first time that the President will be travelling abroad after assuming the highest constitutional post in July. Queen Elizabeth II, the former head of state of the UK and Head of the Commonwealth of Nations passed away on 8 September. President Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed condolences at the demise of Queen Elizabeth II. External affairs minister S Jaishankar visited the British High Commission in New Delhi on 12 September to convey India's condolences. India also observed a day of national mourning on 11 September.In the 70 years of the reign of Queen Eliz- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 SEPTEMBER This will be the first time that the President will be travelling abroad after assuming the highest constitutional post in July abeth II, India-UK ties have evolved, flourished, and strengthened immensely. She played an important role in the welfare of millions of people around the world as the head of the Commonwealth, a statement issued by the ministry of external affairs said. The funeral of Queen Elizabeth will be held at Westminster Abbey on September 19 and there will be a committal service in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the castle's King George VI Memorial Chapel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today had a meeting with King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in New Delhi during which the two dignitaries discussed various ideas to further strengthen the close and unique IndiaBhutan friendship.Modi also conveyed his appreciation for the guiding vision provided by successive Druk Gyalpos in shaping relations between India and Bhutan. In a tweet, the PM said; “Had a warm meeting with His Majesty the King of Bhutan. Discussed various ideas to further strengthen the close and unique IndiaBhutan friendship. Conveyed my appreciation for the guiding vision provided by successive Druk Gyalpos in shaping our relations.” French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, who is on an official visit to India, also called on Mr Modi today. We are one problem less with China: EAM on disengagement STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 SEPTEMBER “We are one problem less with China on the border,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar remarked today while referring to the completion of the disengagement process by troops of India and China at Gogra Hotsprings (PP15) in eastern Ladakh. He was addressing a joint press conference with visiting French foreign minister Catherine Colonna (in photo) after wide-ranging talks between the two leaders. His remark came a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Samarkand in Uzbekistan for the SCO Summit at which he will come face-to-face for the first time with Chinese President Xi Jinping after the India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh that began in April-May 2020. In an apparent reference to China recently blocking the listing of Abdul Rauf Asghar, deputy chief of the JeM and younger brother of Masood Azhar, as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council, Jaishankar said all countries must realise that such actions were ultimately not in their own interest in the fight against terrorism. On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Indian minister said India's consistent stand has been that the two countries must return to dialogue and diplomacy. He noted that the two world leaders who have been urging both Russia and Ukraine to return to the negotiating table were Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. On the aggressive posturing by China on maritime issues, the French minister said India and France shared the view that there should be freedom of navigation. “We want to make sure that there is a balance of power so that each one of us can develop our own strategic autonomy,” she added.