TUESDAY www.thestatesman.com 22 NOVEMBER 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 KAZAKH PRESIDENT WINS NEW TERM FAROOQ TO JOIN BHARAT JODO YATRA P5 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. HAZY IN THE EVENING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 29 AND 18 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 70% P9 DJOKOVIC EQUALS FEDERER’S RECORD P5 Modi also talked about the farmers and highlighted the government's introduction of nano fertiliser for the farmers STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min: 18°C SUN SETS 16:51 hrs MOON SETS 15:35 hrs NEW DELHI, 21 NOVEMBER rime Minister Narendra Modi today launched broadside against the Congress, daring the grand old party to a ''face off'' on the issue of development rather than discussing his ''aukat'' (status). Addressing election meetings on a whirlwind tour of his home state of Gujarat, the PM, indirectly referring to attacks on him by Congress leaders, said; "They talked about showing me my 'aukat'...called me many names...I have no 'aukat'. You belong to the royal family, I hail from an ordinary family, and I have no problem. I am a servant and a servant with little to do. You called me ugly, low caste, death dealer, dirty sewer worm and now you talk about showing me my aukat." He said he has no ''aukat'' but the Congress leaders should discuss the issue of development and make Gujarat develop. ''Come to the field. Let there be a face off," he added while addressing a rally in the Dudhrej area of Gujarat's Surendranagar. In an obvious reference yet again to Rahul Gandhi walking with social activist Medha Patkar during his ''Bharat Jodo Yatra'', the PM said the Congress leader travelled by P putting his hands on the shoulders of the people who made Gujarat "thirsty". The PM had yesterday also sharply attacked Rahul for walking along with Patkar, who, he alleged, did everything to derail the Narmada Pro- ject. "You should ask them with what face are they coming to seek votes from you. They did everything to stall the Narmada project for decades together and ensured that no money, includ- ing that from the World Bank, was able to come to Gujarat. They were constantly maligning the reputation of Gujarat," he said. Attacking the 'padyatris' of Rahul's ''Bharat Jodo Yatra'', Modi said, "People doing padayatra don't even know how cotton and groundnut are grown. Some 80 per cent of the country's salt is made in Gujarat. When we came, we changed the status of Agarias (salt farmers of Kutch). We have encouraged small businesses.'' He said that he was successful in providing 24 hours electricity supply to the people of the state when he was the chief minister. "When I was the chief minister, I decided to provide 24-hour electricity to Gujarat-which was termed 'impossible' by the Congress leaders. But the people inspired me to do this difficult work and that's why I could deliver 24hour electricity to the villages in Gujarat in the last 10 years." Modi also talked about the farmers and highlighted the government's introduction of nano fertiliser for the farmers. The Centre, he said, was getting urea for the farmers at the rate of Rs 2,000 but was selling it to them for Rs 270. The coming days of Surendranagar, he said, would be golden. At least 162 killed, 700 injured in Java earthquake AGENCIES CIANJUR, 21 NOVEMBER A strong, shallow earthquake toppled buildings and walls on Indonesia’s densely populated main island on Monday, killing at least 162 and injuring hundreds as people fled into the street, some covered in blood and debris. Officials were gathering information on the toll of those injured and killed by the quake in the remote area. Emergency workers treated the injured on stretchers and blankets outside hospitals, on terraces and in parking lots in the Cianjur region, about three hours drive from the capital, Java. The injured, including children, were given oxygen masks and IV lines and were being resuscitated. Residents, some crying and holding children, fled damaged homes after the magnitude 5.6 quake shook the region in West Java province in the late afternoon, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). It also caused panic in the greater Jakarta area, where high-rises swayed and some people evacuated. P12 Let's discuss Gujarat's development & not my status: PM tells Congress Min: 51% TEMPERATURE Max: 29°C SUN RISES 05:53 hrs MOON RISES 03:57 hrs 'ACT EAST POLICY' HAS HELPED DEVELOP NORTHEAST ‘India stands in solidarity with Indonesia’ AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 21 NOVEMBER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday expressed solidarity with Indonesia over the loss of lives in an earthquake and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Rescue teams and civilians in Cianjur were looking for people buried in collapsed He said that India stands in solidarity with Indonesia and its thoughts are with the bereaved families. "Saddened to hear news about the loss of life and property in Java, Indonesia from the earthquake. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Wish the injured a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with Indonesia at this difficult time," Jaishankar tweeted. brick homes. In many homes, chunks of concrete and roof tiles fell inside bedrooms. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said that the death toll reached 62 and hundreds were injured. More than 5,000 people are being evacuated. Twenty-five people were still stuck buried in the debris in Cijedil village, said agency spokesman Abdul Muhari. Several landslides closed roads around the Cianjur district. Among the dozens of buildings that were damaged was an Islamic boarding school, a hospital and other public facilities, the agency said. Power outages were reported. Ridwan Kamil, West Java governor, said that the local government, national police and Indonesian military were still gathering information. Most of the victims and survivors were taken to the government hospital in Cianjur. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency recorded at least 25 aftershocks. The country of more than 270 million people is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. PM Modi to distribute over 70,000 appointment letters to new recruits STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 NOVEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi will distribute about 71,000 appointment letters to newly inducted recruits tomorrow under the Rozgar Mela. He will also address these appointees on the occasion. The Rozgar Mela is a step towards fulfilment of the PM's commitment to accord the highest priority to employment generation. The Rozgar Mela is expected to act as a catalyst in further employment generation and provide meaningful opportunities to the youth for their empowerment and participation in national development directly. Earlier in October, appointment letters were handed over to 75,000 newly inducted appointees under the Rozgar Mela. The physical copies of the appointment letters to the new appointees will be handed over at 45 locations across the country (except Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in view No more Air Suvidha forms: Rules eased for Int’l passengers SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 21 NOVEMBER The self-declaration forms for Covid vaccination that had to be filled in by incoming international passengers on the Air Suvidha portal will no longer be necessary, the government has said. The decision will come into effect from midnight. A notice from the Civil Aviation ministry this evening read, "In the light of sustained declining COVID-19 trajectory and significant advances being made in COVID-19 vaccination coverage both globally as well as in India, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has issued revised 'Guidelines for International Arrivals". Under the revised guidelines of the health ministry, the submission of self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal stands discontinued, the aviation ministry said. It, however, added a statutory warning: The rule could be reviewed if needed given the Covid situation. The form on the aviation ministry's Air Suvidha portal was mandatory for incoming international passengers. In it, passengers had to declare their vaccination status, including the number of doses received and their dates. This was in line with the rules in most nations. The ministry, however, said it was preferred that the passengers be fully vaccinated. It was also preferable that all precautionary measures for Covid -- including the use of masks and social distancing at airports -- be continued. Last week, the aviation ministry said the use of masks was no longer compulsory during air travel, but passengers should use them to prevent another surge of coronavirus. Till then, the use of masks on flights was mandatory. The ministry said the decision was taken in line with the government's policy of a graded approach to Covid-19 management. Over the last few weeks, Covid figures have been shrinking. Official data this morning showed that currently, active cases (6,402) comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections. Goods train crashes into Odisha’s Korai station; three killed, several injured Government launches framework to safeguard consumer interest from fake e-commerce reviews STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAJPUR, 21 NOVEMBER At least three persons were killed and four others injured as eight wagons of a goods train derailed and rammed into the passenger waiting room at Korai Station in the BhadrakKapilas Road Railway section under the Khordha Road Railway Division of East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Monday. The deceased have been identified as Parvati Bindhani (56), Kandhei Bindhani (36), both of Ochhinda and Abjun Bibi (47) of Fazalpur village, officials said. The freight train was heading towards Chhatrapur in Ganjam from Dongoaposi when the mishap occurred about 6.44 a.m this morning. After tearing into the hall, three to four wagons came to a halt after hitting against the foot over bridge. The ticket counter of the station also got damaged due to the impact of the collision. Local people, police, RPF, ODRAF & fire services engaged in rescue operations. The injured were admitted to the Korei hospital. Three hundred passengers stranded at Haridaspur were accommodated in another train while 45 other passengers were provided with food and transport by the railways. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw condoled the death of three persons . He announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for critically injured passengers and Rs 25,000 for those who sustained minor injuries. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has expressed deep condolences and announced exgratia of Rs 2 lakh to each to the next of kin of the victims. NEW DELHI, 21 NOVEMBER The Centre today launched a framework for safeguarding and protecting consumer interest from fake and deceptive reviews in e-commerce. Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, along with senior officers of the department and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) launched the framework titled Indian Standard (IS) 19000:2022 ‘Online Consumer Reviews — Principles and Requirements for their Collection, Moderation and Publication. The standards will be applicable to every online platform which publishes consumer reviews. Aided by the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a steady rise in e-commerce transactions across the country. Reviews posted online play a significant role in making purchase decisions and consumers exceedingly rely on reviews posted on e-commerce platforms to see the opinion and experiences of users who have already purchased the good or service. Given that e-commerce involves a virtual shopping experience without any opportunity to physically view or examine the product, it is essential that reviews are gen- uine and authentic. Taking cognizance of the impact of fake and deceptive reviews and protection of consumer interest in e-commerce, the Department of Consumer Affairs constituted a committee to develop a framework for checking fake and deceptive reviews in ecommerce on 10 June. The committee included various stakeholders including ecommerce companies, indus- of the Assembly election). In addition to the categories of posts filled earlier, posts of teachers, lecturers, nurses, nursing officers, doctors, pharmacists, Radiographers and other technical and paramedical posts are also being filled. A significant number of posts are being filled by the Ministry of Home Affairs in various Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). The PM will also launch the Karmayogi Prarambh module. The module is an online orientation course for all new appointees in various government departments. It will include a code of conduct for government servants, workplace ethics and integrity, human resource policies and other benefits and allowances that will help them to get acclimatised to the policies and transition smoothly into the new roles. They will also get an opportunity to explore other courses on igotkarmayogi.gov.in platform to enhance their knowledge, skills and competencies. try associations, consumer organisations and law chairs. The standard will initially be voluntary for compliance by all e-commerce platforms. The BIS will also develop a Conformity Assessment Scheme for the standard within 15 days to assess compliance. The standard prescribes specific responsibilities for the review author and the review administrator. For the review author, these include confirming acceptance of the terms and conditions, and providing contact information and for the review administrator, these include safeguarding personal information and training of staff. ''Violation of the standards by any entity may be considered as an unfair trade practice or violation of consumer rights and a consumer may submit such grievances to the National Consumer Helpline, Consumer Fora or the CCPA,'' the Department of Consumer Affairs said. The standard provides for responsibilities of organization including developing a code of practice, and necessary stipulations for terms and conditions like accessibility, criteria, and ensuring content does not contain financial information etc. The standard also provides for methods for ‘Verification of Review Author’ through email address, identification by telephone call or SMS, confirming registration by clicking on a link, using a captcha system etc. to check traceability and genuineness of the review author. With respect to moderation, the standard provides for both automated and manual moderation and provides checks for analyzing the review content. ‘NEP 2020 envisages universalisation of credit framework’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 NOVEMBER: Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan today participated in the stakeholders’ consultation on the draft National Credit Framework (NCrF) at IIT Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisages universalisation of credit framework for removing barriers between knowledge, skills and employability, establishing a credit accumulation and transfer system for all kinds of learning for ensuring seamless mobility between learning and skilling pathways. He said that to reap a demographic dividend, India has to provide a level-playing field and equal opportunities to all.This can only be achieved by recognising, accounting and formalising all kinds of conventional, unconventional and experiential knowledge repositories. The minister stated that the NCrF will provide an opportunity to recognise applied aspects of knowledge and skills. It will also create new possibilities for lifelong learning and skilling. The NCrF will boost per capita productivity, empower all and lay a strong foundation for India to lead this century, he added. Pradhan underlined that the NCrF will be a key to enhancing the economic convertibility of education, bringing a vast majority of the country's population under the fold of formal education and skilling, achieving GER targets and accelerating India’s march towards becoming a $5 tn economy.