CMYK MONDAY www.thestatesman.com 09 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 GOVT TO GIVE LOANS TO 9,000 FARMERS: FINANCE MINISTER ICON OF ODIYA LITERATURE P7 WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 23 °C and 13 °C respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY P8 P10 Govt’s expert teams to visit Uttarakhand Min. 48 % Max: 23.1 °C (-2) SUN RISES 06:18 hrs MOON RISES 18:19 hrs Min: 12.2 °C (-2) SUN SETS 17:9 hrs MOON SETS 07:23 hrs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Full Moon on 7 January THUMBNAILS Congress leader Rahul Gandhi leads the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Karnal on Sunday.  ANI HP cabinet expansion: After a delay of almost a month, seven MLAs were inducted as cabinet ministers in the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh government on Sunday.Governor, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly inducted ministers in a graceful ceremony held at Raj Bhawan.Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena read the proceedings. Those who were administered cabinet rank oath include senior most Dr Col. Dhani Ram Shandil (82) from Solan Assembly constituency, while the son of sixtime former Chief Minister Virbhadra’s son Vikramaditya Singh (33) from Shimla rural Assembly segment was the youngest. NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY n the wake of the land subsidence incident in Joshimath, Secretary Border Management and members of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will visit Uttarakhand on Monday and assess the situation. This was decided after a high-level review meeting which was held on Sunday by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the Joshimath situation. Mr P K Mishra, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, on Sunday held a high-level review of building damage and land subsidence in Joshimath. Cabinet Secretary; Home Secretary; senior officials of Government of India; and members of National Disaster Management Authority, Chief Secretary and DGP of Uttarakhand, DM and Officials of Joshimath; Senior officers of Uttarakhand; and experts from IIT Roorkee, National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology also attended the high-level review through Video Conference (VC). It was informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is concerned and has reviewed the situation with Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. During the high level meeting on Joshimath, Uttarakhand chief sec- I Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducts a ground inspection of the landslideaffected areas, in Joshimath.  ANI Mr P K Mishra, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, on Sunday held a high-level review of building damage and land subsidence in Joshimat One team of NDRF and four teams of SDRF have already reached Joshimath. retary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu informed that state and district officials with the support of central experts have assessed the situation on ground. He informed that a strip of land with a width of around 350 metres is affected. One team of NDRF and four teams of SDRF have reached Joshimath. The district administration is working with the affected families to evacuate and relocate them to safer places with adequate arrangements for food, shelter and security. SP and Commandant of SDRF are stationed at the site. Residents of Joshimath are being informed of the developments and their cooperation is being sought. Advice of experts is being sought to formulate the short-medium-long term plans. Further, Secretary, Border Management and all four members of NDMA will visit Uttarakhand tomorrow. They will undertake a detailed assessment on the findings of the technical teams (NDMA, NIDM, NDRF, GSI, NIH, Wadia Institute, IIT Roorkee) that have just returned from Joshimath and advice the state government on immediate, short-medium-long-term actions to address the situation. The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister stressed that the immediate priorities for the state should be the safety of the people living in the affected area. The state government should establish a clear and continuous communication channel with the affected people. Immediate efforts should be to arrest the deterioration in the situation through practical measures that may be feasible. An inter-disciplinary investigation of the affected area should be undertaken. Experts from a range of central institutions ~ NDMA, National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), GSI, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) should work closely with the state of Uttarakhand in the spirit of “Whole of Government” approach. The PM also held a telephonic conversation with the Uttarakhand CM and inquired about the steps taken for the safety and rehabilitation of the affected residents of Joshimath. According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), PM Modi inquired about the progress of immediate and long-term action plans to mitigate and resolve the concerns of residents.Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand CM directed the formation of a coordination committee at the government level, led by the Additional Chief Secretary, and at the local level under the chairmanship of the commissioner of Garhwal, to mobilise urgent relief and rescue of the civilians affected by the Joshimath landslide and subsidence. (See also Page 5) MHA swings into action to tackle J&K targeted killings Security personnel conduct a search operation after two militants were killed in Balakote sector of Poonch on Sunday. SNS & AGENCIES into operation in the last few days with the banning of two terror organisations and designating three people involved in recent targeted killings as terrorists. According to sources, following the targeted killings of six civilians in Rajouri, Jammu, in two separate incidents at the beginning of 2023, the Home Ministry on the instructions of Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the heads of security agencies to crack down on targeted killings and ensure maximum security in the Jammu region. A Home Ministry official said that the terrorists have changed their strategy to spread terror in J&K by carrying out targeted killings in the relatively safer Jammu region to spread fear and panic among the people. The Ministry has taken several swift measures in the last three to four days to crackdown on these killings. The MHA on January 4 declared Ijaz Ahmed, the chief recruiter of the terror organisation Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), as a terrorist. ‘India has largest & most talented diaspora in world’ For 7th time, Govt gets extension to frame CAA rules NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY The recent spate of targeted killings by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir continues to pose a major challenge for the security forces to maintain peace and safeguard the lives of common citizens living in the Union Territory. Terrorists are continuously targeting Hindu families, Kashmiri Pandit community and government employees in the Valley. Therefore, the Union Home Ministry has now swung into action to  ANI stop such incidents further from taking place in the Valley. According to government sources, the Union government has prepared a concrete plan to neutralise the terrorists who are involved in carrying out such targeted killings in the Valley. This plan has come Modi to inaugurate PBD in Indore AGENCIES Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Monday (January 9). "Looking forward to being in the vibrant city of Indore tomorrow, 9th January to mark Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD). This is a great opportunity to deepen the connect with our diaspora, which has distinguished itself globally," Modi tweeted. The event will continue till January 10. The theme of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal".Over 3,500 diaspora members from nearly 70 different countries have registered for it, according to official sources. On Monday, after the Prime Minister inaugurates the event, it will be addressed by Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the special guest of honour, Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi. Bharatiya Divas Convention is being held in Indore under the theme of this PBD Convention: “Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal”. The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being organised in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh Government. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India. It provides an important platform to engage and connect with the overseas Indians and to enable the diaspora to interact with each other.The first event of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. In his inaugural address at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Mr Jaishankar said this relationship between the Indian community living abroad and the motherland was very much in evidence amidst the NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY Hailing the Indian community living abroad, external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India has the largest and most talented diaspora in the world. In his inaugural address at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Indore, the external affairs minister said, “What is perhaps unique about us is the intensity of the bonding between the community abroad and the motherland. And that is a two-way street which is promoted particularly by activities like the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas.” The three-day 17th Pravasi DJOKOVIC BEATS KORDA FOR 92ND TOUR-LEVEL TROPHY P12 WINTER CHILLS Secretary Border Management & NDMA members to assess Joshimath situation Max. 91 % TEMPERATURE NURSES’ STRIKE: SUNAK OPEN TO DISCUSSING PAY RISES challenges of the Covid pandemic. “On its part, the Government of India undertook the Vande Bharat Mission and the Vaccine Maitri initiative, which were focused significantly on our diaspora-centered partners. We recognize too the tremendous response that we got from the PIO-NRI community during the most difficult moments of our own Covid experience. So as we meet today, I can truly say that our bonds have become even stronger as a result of all the trials and tribulations that we went through during the Covid period," the External Affairs Minister said.He said the identity of a diaspora is very much derived from how closely it is connected to its roots. "Here too, our efforts have been to encourage easier exposure to Indian culture and traditions abroad. Many of our Embassies, in fact I think most of them today now offer yoga, dance and music classes. We ask them also to support and facilitate community functions and collective activities," the external affairs minister said. NEW DELHI, 8 JANUARY The Rajya Sabha committee has accepted the Centre's request for six more months to frame rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) for the seventh time in a row. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that more time was needed to frame the rules of the Act, without which it could not be implemented.The decision of the Lok Sabha committee is still awaited. According to sources, the time was extended by the Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation in the Rajya Sabha till December 31, 2022 and in the Lok Sabha till January 9, 2023. Sources said that the MHA sought an extension of six months, on which the Rajya Sabha committee extended it till June 30.While attending a programme in November, last year, Union home minister Amit Shah said that there had been a delay in implementing the Act due to ANI the Covid. CMYK People sit around a bonfire to warm themselves on a cold winter day, in Ajmer on Saturday. ANI A matter of personal anguish: Tata Sons chief on AI incident SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI , 8 JANUARY The urination incident onboard an Air India flight between New York and Delhi on November 26 last year is a “matter of personal anguish”, said Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Sunday. In a statement, Chandrasekaran said, "The incident on Air India flight AI102 on November 26th, 2022, has been a matter of personal anguish to me and my colleagues at Air India. Air India's response should have been much swifter. We fell short of addressing this situation the way it should have been." He further said that the Tata Group and Air India stand by the safety and well-being of the passengers and crew with full conviction. "We will review and repair every process to prevent or address any incidents of such unruly nature," he added. Earlier, after facing back- lash, Air India had issued show cause notices to four of its cabin crew and one pilot and de-rostered them pending investigations. On Friday, Air India chief executive officer (CEO) Campbell Wilson also asked the airline staff to report any instances of "any improper behaviour on board to authorities at the earliest even if the matter appears to be resolved". In a letter to Air India employees, the CEO stated that timely action is necessary against those who don't follow the flight rules. Campbell said, "This week has, 'regrettably', been dominated by media headlines of which you are no doubt familiar. The repulsion felt by the affected passenger is totally understandable and we share her distress." He reiterated the importance of reporting untoward incidents onboard flights to authorities, even if the crew believes it has been resolved. Meanwhile, Delhi's Patiala House Court on Saturday sent accused Shankar Mishra, who had allegedly urinated on a co-passenger, to 14 days of judicial custody. Accused Shankar Mishra's lawyer moved a bail plea in Delhi's Patiala Court. The plea will be heard on January 11.Mishra was arrested by Delhi Police from Bengaluru on Friday night. Notably, the Delhi Police has so far recorded the statements of three crew members of Air India today in connection with the case.