THURSDAY www.thestatesman.com 05 JANUARY 2023 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR OF BLEAK SKIES AND SILVER LININGS PUNJAB REFUSES TO SHARE WATER WITH HARYANA P7 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. MODERATE TO DENSE FOG IN THE MORNING COLD WAVE CONDITIONS AT ISOLATED PLACES. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 18 AND 04 DEGREES CELCIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % TEMPERATURE Max: 16.5°C (-3) SUN RISES 07:15 hrs MOON RISES 16:10 hrs Min. 62 % Min: 04.4°C (-3) SUN SETS 17:39 hrs MOON SETS 06:49 hrs THUMBNAILS A scenic view of snow-clad mountains, in Srinagar on Wednesday. ANI Sonia Gandhi admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital: Former Congress president and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the National Capital on Wednesday for treatment of a viral respiratory infection, hospital authorities informed. Dr Ajay Swaroop, chairman (Board of Management), Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said Sonia Gandhi was admitted to the Department of Chest Medicine under the care of Dr Arup Basu and his team. According to the sources, both Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi returned to Delhi from UP where the Bharat Jodo Yatra is currently at. P3 P10 UP civic polls: SC stays HC order on OBC quota Top court’s order came on an appeal by UP govt against Allahabad HC order STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 JANUARY n a breather to theYogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Allahabad High Court’s order directing the holding of the urban local body’s election in the State without OBCs reservation. Putting on hold the High Court order directing the conduct of urban local bodies election in the State without OBCs reservation, a Bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y.Chandrachud and Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha directed the State Backward Commission to submit by March 31, 2023, a report on the political backwardness of OBCs for giving them quota in the local bodies. Noting that the term of the existing urban local bodies was ending on 31 January 2023, and thereafter there would be a vacuum, the top court also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to issue notification for the I We cannot have vacuum in governance. The government is at liberty to issue a notification allowing the discharge of financial obligations. However, no major policy decisions are to be taken in the meantime THE BENCH Putting on hold the HC order directing the conduct of urban local bodies election in the State without OBCs reservation, a Bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y.Chandrachud and Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha directed the State Backward Commission to submit by March 31, 2023, a report on the political backwardness of OBCs for giving them quota in the local bodies appointment of administrators to carry out the day-to-day affairs of urban local bodies in the interregnum. The top court’s order came on an appeal by the Uttar Pradesh government against the Allahabad High Court order. Issuing notice on the plea by the Uttar Pradesh government and others, including one of a leader of Samajwadi Party Dr. Rajpal Kashyap seeking the holding of local bodies election with OBC reservation, the court tagged the other pleas with the one filed by the Uttar Pradesh government. On 27 December the MY WORK IS DONE IN EUROPE: RONALDO POPE PRAISES ‘GENTLE’ BENEDICT AHEAD OF FUNERAL Lucknow Bench of the High Court had asked the state government to hold the elections by 31 January, even in the absence of OBC reservation. The High Court by its order, that was stayed today had directed, “It is further directed that until the triple test/conditions as mandated by Supreme Court in K. Krishna Murthy and Vikas Kishanrao Gawali is completed in all respects by the State Government, no reservation for Backward Class of citizens shall be provided and since the term of Municipalities has either ended or shall be coming to an end by 31.01.2023 and the process of completion of triple test/conditions being arduous, is likely to take considerable time, it is directed that the State Government/State Election Commission Shall notify the elections immediately. While notifying the elections the seats and offices of Chairpersons, except those to be reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, shall be notified as for general/open category.” In the course of the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the Other Backward Classes’ list is not being changed and only the political backwardness of communities already on the list will be considered. While the Yogi government moved the top court on 29 December, the Samajwadi Party also filed a petition in the Supreme Court opposing the High Court order to hold the urban body elections without reservation of the OBCs.The court has given all the parties three weeks’ time to respond to the notices issued today. P12 PM- chief secys meet to focus on ‘aspirational dists’ PM Narendra Modi will chair the second national conference of State Chief Secretaries in New Delhi from 5 to 7 January DEEPAK RAZDAN NEW DELHI, 4 JANUARY Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the second national conference of State Chief Secretaries here from 5 to 7 January to discuss issues covering the “aspirational” districts programme, women’s empowerment and swatcchta (cleanliness) campaigns.The first conference of the Chief Secretaries was chaired by the Prime Minister in June last year in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. Modi took the initiative to strengthen partnership between the Centre and State Governments. Young district collectors and magistrates from States and Union Territories will turn up in the Capital, and be joined by officials from several Union Ministries, to brainstorm the issues. Mr Parameswaran Iyer, the Chief Executive Officer of Government think-tank Niti Aayog will lead discus- sions on the Aspirational Districts’ Programme (ADP), a Government flagship programme anchored by Niti Aayog. Launched by the Prime Minister in January 2018, the Aspirational Districts Programme aims to quickly and effectively transform 112 most under-developed districts across the country in five thematic areas – health and nutrition; agriculture and water resources; education; financial inclusion and skill development; and basic infrastructure.Most of the identified districts have crossed the State averages in various fields but have Blocks which continue to lag behind. The 2022-2023 Union Budget had provided to focus on these Blocks. Under the programme, selected districts are encouraged to first catch up with the best district in their States, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country by competing with, and learning from others in the spirit of competitive and cooperative federalism.Niti Aayog is working closely with respective subject Ministries and various development partners to fast-track progress at the district level. Govt approves National Green Hydrogen Mission NEW DELHI, 4 JANUARY The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today appro- ved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an initial outlay of Rs.19,744 crores. This includes an outlay of Rs.17,490 crore for the SIGHT programme, Rs.1,466 crore for pilot projects, Rs. 400 crore for R&D, and Rs. 388 crore towards other mission components.The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) will formulate the scheme guidelines for the implementation of the respective components. The Mission will result in the following likely outcomes by 2030: Development of green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country; over Rs. Eight lakh crores in total investme- nts; creation of over six lakh jobs; cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports of over Rs. One lakh crores and abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions. India’s Green Hydrogen production capacity is likely to reach at least 5 MMT per annum, with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW.SNS