CMYK MONDAY 16 JANUARY 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WHY MISQUOTING KING IS A POTENT POLITICAL TOOL RAJNATH SINGH URGES ARMED FORCES TO CULTIVATE ADAPTABILITY P5 KOHLI BECOMES FIFTH HIGHEST RUN SCORER IN ODI CRICKET POPE’S ROLE IN VATICAN FINANCIAL PROBE AGAIN CENTRE-STAGE P7 P10 Partly cloudy sky with Fog/Mist in the morning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 26 °C and 17 °C respectively. Nepal aircraft crash: All 72 on board killed RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Exceptional work by Rlys in T’gana: Modi 5 Indians among passengers; 12 of the deceased have been identified Max. 94 % P12 KATHMANDU POST/ANN WEATHER TEMPERATURE Max: 26.2 °C (+1) SUN RISES 06:19 hrs MOON RISES ------- hrs Min. 48 % Min:19.4 °C (+5) SUN SETS 17:14 hrs MOON SETS 11:24 hrs Full Moon on 22 January THUMBNAILS A sadhu performs a ritual on the bathing day of the Makar Sankranti at Gangasagar. SNS Army rescues 172 Zojila tunnel workers trapped in avalanche: The Indian Army has rescued from an avalanche 172 trapped workers engaged in construction of the Zojila tunnel near Sonamarg in Kashmir. The workers constructing Ladakh's tunnel on Kashmir side opening were trapped when an at around 5.40 pm an avalanche struck the workshop area of Megha Engineering and Industry Limited, the company involved in ongoing construction of the Zozila tunnel near village Sarbal, Sonamarg, said a defence spokesman on Sunday.Another large avalanche two days earlier on 12 January in close proximity had claimed the lives of two MEIL workers. BENGALURU, 15 JANUARY A PM Narendra Modi flags off the Vande Bharat Express train connecting Secunderabad with Visakhapanam. ANI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HYDERABAD, 15 JANUARY Nepalese rescue workers and civilians at the crash site The ATR 72 aircraft of Yeti Airlines crashed at Nayagaun between the old Pokhara airport and the Pokhara International Airport, Sudarshan Bartaula The aircraft involved in the incident was 15 years old and previously flown by India’s Kingfisher Airlines and Thailand’s Nok Air before Yeti took it over in 2019, according to records on Airfleets.net. Irish, one Australian, one Argentinian, two Koreans and one French national. Of the 68 bodies which got charred by the fire, 12 have been identified. After identifying the bodies, the process of handing them over to their family will begin, officials said. The India embassy in Kathmandu has opened two helpline numbers ~ Diwakar Sharma: +9779851107021 for Kathmandu and Lt Col Shashank Tripathi: +977-9856037699 for the Pokhara region ~ to help the kin of the deceased Indian passengers. Images and videos shared on Twitter showed plumes of smoke billowing from the crash site as rescue workers, Nepali soldiers gathered around the wreckage to find survivors. The aircraft’s fuselage was split into multiple parts that were scattered down the Pained by the tragic air crash in Nepal in which precious lives have been lost, including Indian nationals. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI gorge. An emergency meeting of the Nepal Cabinet held on Sunday, following the accident, has announced a national day of mourning on Monday for the loss of lives in the crash. The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has formed a five-member probe committee under Nagendra Ghimire, former secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, to investigate the accident.The government has also directed that every domestic airline’s aircraft undergo rigorous inspections before taking a flight. The aircraft involved in the incident was 15 years old and previously flown by India’s Kingfisher Airlines and Thailand’s Nok Air before Yeti took it over in 2019, according to records on Airfleets.net.(With SNS/ age ncy inputs) Four from UP died, one was doing an FB Live broadcast: Four of the five Indians killed in the plane crash at Pokhara international airport in Nepal on Sunday morning were from Ghazipur of Uttar Pradesh.The five Indians on board the flight have been identified as Abhishek Kushwaha (25), Vishal Sharma (23), Anil Kumar Rajbhar (28), Sonu Jaiswal (28) and Sanjay Jaiswal. Of these, Abhishek, Vishal, Anil and Sonu were residents of Ghazipur. They had gone to Nepal three days back on 13 January to pay obeisance at the Pashupatinath temple. Sonu Jaiswal was doing a Facebook Live broadcast when the crash took SNS place. 16 Opp parties agree on joint stand on Remote Voting proposal SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 15 JANUARY Sixteen opposition parties gathered for an all-party meeting convened by the Congress here on Sunday to discuss the joint strategy for the meet convened by the Election Commission on Monday to demonstrate the concept of Remote Electronic Voting Machines for migrant voters. On the opposition meet- SNS & AGENCIES POKHARA/KATHMANDU, 15 JANUARY n ATR-72 aircraft of Nepal’sYeti Airlines crashed on Sunday morning while landing at Pokhara, in all probability killing all 72 people, including five Indian passengers, on board. The Rescue Co-ordination Centre of the Tribhuvan International Airport informed that so far 68 bodies have been recovered from the crash site and search for the remaining four is underway.The ATR 72 aircraft of Yeti Airlines, with registration number 9N-ANC had taken off for Pokhara from Kathmandu at 10:30 a.m. It crashed at Nayagaun between the old Pokhara airport and the Pokhara International Airport, Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesperson ofYeti Airlines, told the Post.A total of 68 passengers and four crew members were on board the aircraft. This was the country’s deadliest airplane accident in three decades. It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.The aviation authority said the aircraft last made contact with the airport from near Seti Gorge at 10:50 a.m. before crashing.Among the passengers are three infants, three children and 62 adults. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the passengers included 53 Nepalis, five Indians, four Russians, one ing at the Constitution Club, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said: “The participating opposition parties deliberated on the questions to be placed before the EC regarding REVMs. It was decided that the ECI's response to the questions raised by the parties in tomorrow’s meeting will be collectively be considered later and the opposition parties will take a joint stand on the issue.” He also said that though Samajwadi Party and Nationalist Congress Party were not present in Sunday's meeting due to unavoidable reasons, they had conveyed their solidarity. The Trinamul Congress also gave the meeting a miss. Mr Singh claimed that the migrant labour numbers are under question and the parties will raise the issue with the Election Commission over the exact number of migrant labourers and the supplier of the chip in the RVM machine.On Trinamul Congress’ absence, Mr Singh said they are not yet aware of the stand of the party but will discuss and update about their ‘Terrorist infra intact on other side of border’ view.CPI leader D Raja said all those parties who attended today's meeting will raise the issue with the Election commission tomorrow.The Opposition leaders also disclosed they will meet on 25 January to deliberate on the same issue and get further consensus.The parties which attended today’s meeting were Congress, JD(U), Shiv Sena, CPI(M), JMM, RJD, National Conference, VCK, RSP , IUML and CPI. Contradicting the claims of the BRS government that Centre was neglecting, Telangana Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that there has been “exceptional progress” in railways in the state during the past eight years. The Prime Minister today virtually flagged off the indigenously designed and built Vande Bharat Express between the two Telugu states.In his address, Mr Modi said, “In the past eight years there has been exceptional progress in Telangana in railways. The Budget prior to 2014 for railways in Telangana was less than Rs 250 crore while today it has become Rs 3,000 crore. Many areas in the state including Medak have been connected for the first time by rail.” He went on to add that in the past eight years 325 km of new railway tracks have been laid in the state. More than 250 km of track multi tracking have been completed and electrification of railway tracks have gone up by three times. Very soon electrification work of all broad gauge routes would be completed in the state, he said. Touching upon Andhra Pradesh, he said the construction of 350 km of new railway lines and 800 km of multi tracking were complete. Prior to 2014 only 60 km of railway tracks were electrified annually but this has gone up to 220 km annually. “Wherever there is gati or speed there is pragati or progress. Whenever there is progress it leads to prosperity,” said Mr Modi. He went on to say: “Vande Bharat is a symbol of New India’s capability and resolve” while adding it was the symbol of that India which has begun traversing the path of rapid development to reach its destination. He also highlighted the link between connectivity and speed which contribute towards “sabka vikas”. The Prime Minister said earlier the railways had a poor image but in the past eight years the problems were addressed and now travelling by Indian Railways has become a pleasant experience. He cited theVistradome coaches, heritage trains to promote tourism, kisan rail to carry farm produce and the Metro network in two dozen cities as instances of change in railways during his tenure. The Prime Minister also paid tribute to the Army on the occasion of Army Day. Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande on Sunday saidtheceasefireonthewestern frontier has largely held, but expressed concern over the terrorist infrastructure being intact on the other side of the border.In his address on the occasion of the Army Day Parade, being held in Bengaluru for the first time, he stated that the ceasefire is intact in the western frontier and there has been a reduction in the number of ceasefire violations. "However, proxy terrorist outfits to gain visibility are indulging in a new tactic of targeted killings," he underlined." In Jammu and Punjab's International Border Sector through drones drugs and weapons are being supplied. Necessary actions have been initiated through counter drone jammers and spoofers," he said. “There is reform and changes in the directions of betterment in the interior regions of Jammu and Kashmir.The Kashmiri common man has refuted violence and is becoming an integral part of the government plans and programmes,” he said.While referring to the volatile situation at the India-China border, Gen Pande said that steps have been taken to ensure peace along the northern border of the country. “We are ensuring the strong defence postures at the LAC to ensure that we are fully prepared to face any contingency situation,” he said. Titular eighth Nizam of Hyd dies STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HYDERABAD, 15 JANUARY Mukarram Jah, the eighth titular Nizam of Hyderabad passed away yesterday in Istanbul, Turkey at the age of 89. The Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced a state funeral for Jahafterthefamilyissuedastatement informing he would be buried in the Asaf Jahi family tombsaccordingtohislastwishes.Mukarram Jah was born to Prince Azam Jah and Princess Durrushehvar in France in 1933.While he was the grandson of the last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan of the prince- ly state his mother was an Ottoman princess,the daughter of the last Caliph. His father Azam Jah the Prince of Berar was passed over and Mukarram Jah was chosen by his grandfather as his heir and successor.His coronation took place on 6 April 1967. However, the last Nizam had signed the Instrument of Accession on 17 September 1948 and the State of Hyderabad was integrated into the Union of India. Statesman Vintage Car Rally wows car aficionadoes STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 15 JANUARY After a Covid pandemic-caused hiatus, the Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally was back in all its glory with the 56th edition of the event being held in the National Capital on 15 January. The presence of Delhi’s vintage car owners and fans made it a gala event as the 56th edition of The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally was jointly flagged off by Indian Oil Corporation Chairman cum Managing Director Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) chairman Amit Yadav, Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, and Israeli ambassador to India Naor Gilon at the Statesman House. Chairman of The Statesman R P Gupta and Editor and Managing Director of The Statesman Ravindra Kumar were prominent among those who were present on the occasion. In his opening remarks during the flagging off ceremony of the Rally, Editor and Managing Director of The Statesman Ravindra Kumar expressed thanks to the owners of the motoring beauties for having preserved their vehicles with affection and care. He also thanked all those who came to view these cars. Talking to the Statesman after the flagging off ceremony of the Rally, the Israeli ambassador to India said he had an emotional connect with The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally as his year of birth coincides with the date on which the Rally was organised for the first time in the year in 1964 in Delhi. Lauding The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally, the NDMC chairman Amit Yadav said it is the event which has been going on for decades and this time this Rally was organised on the theme of G-20. "It was great to see people's passion and care for the Vintage and Classic cars," he said. Soon after the flagging off ceremony, the participating vintage and classic cars headed to JP Hospital, Greater Noida via Mahamaya overbridge and then took a U-turn to reach the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium near India Gate at 12 pm. Addressing the audience ahead of the prize distribution ceremony, Indian Oil Corporation Chairman cum Managing Director Shrikant Madhav Vaidya hailed The Statesman for organising this prestigious Rally. Mr Vaidya said Indian Oil Corporation is in the business of mobility whether it is conventional fuels like petrol, diesel or any other forms of energy. “Indian Oil will remain market leader in all mobility forms,” he added The prize distribution ceremony was held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium at 3 pm. NDMC Secretary Vikram Singh Malik was also among the prominent dignitaries who attended the prize distribution ceremony. He said it was a nice experience to attend the Rally. A 1964 Fiat, once owned by former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, which is participating for the first time, was one of the centres of attrac- CMYK tion of the Rally. A 1914 John Morris fire engine, owned by the Rail Museum, which has been part of The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally practically since the latter’s inception, and smaller vintage and classic cars and outstation cars were among the other highlights of the event. Over 75 vehicles participated in the 56th Edition of The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally. The major attractions of the event were assembly of vintage and classic cars, followed by a drive through the city where cars were assessed for originality and perfor- mance on the road section, display of period and fancy dress, grand parade and live music. The Statesman has been organising the Rally since 1964 in Delhi. On March 6 last year, owing to Covid-19 restrictions, The Statesman held a vintage car ‘display’ instead of a full-fledged car rally. The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally is an annual event that takes place in Delhi and Kolkata. It’s one of the oldest, continuously-run events in India and the sub-continent. First organised in 1964 in Delhi, the rally was taken to Kolkata in 1968. Aniruddha Mittra, marshal from the panel of judges of the Rally, said these vehicles are categorised into vintages, classics, post-war and other categories, Mittra said. There were also women participants in the Rally.
The Statesman is one of India's oldest English newspapers. It was founded in Kolkata in 1875 and is directly descended from The Friend of India (founded 1818). The Englishman (founded 1821) was merged with The Statesman in 1934. The Delhi edition of The Statesman began publication in 1931. The Statesman Weekly is a compendium of news and views from the Kolkata and Delhi editions. Printed on airmail paper, it is popular with readers outside India. The Statesman (average weekday circulation approximately 180,000) is a leading English newspaper in West Bengal. The Sunday Statesman has a circulation of 230,000.