CMYK WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Mainly clear sky with fog/mist in the morning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 28 °C and 17 °C respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 94 % Min. 51 % Max: 28.7 °C (+3) SUN RISES 06:18 hrs MOON RISES 08:25 hrs Min:18.7°C (+4) SUN SETS 17:20 hrs MOON SETS 20:8 hrs TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 08 February THUMBNAILS Workers installs National Flags at Kartavya Path, in the Capital on Tuesday. SUBRATA DUTTA Govt calls all-party meeting ahead of Budget Sesp sion : The government has called an all-party meeting ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament which will begin on 31 January.The meeting is scheduled to be held at noon on 30 January. India beat NZ: India defeated New Zealand by 90 runs in the third and final ODI match in Indore on Tuesday, making a clean sweep of the 3-match series and also taking the number one spot in ODI rankings, replacing England. (Earlier report on P12) Digvijaya Singh’s remark on Balakot ‘ridiculous’: Rahul Publishing RAW & IB inputs in public domain is a serious issue: Rijiju Singh had accused BJP govt at the Centre of ‘spreading lies’ about surgical strikes SNS & AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JHAJJAR-KOTLI (JAMMU), 24 JANUARY istancing himself from the controversial remarks of senior party leader Digvijaya Singh questioning the 2016 surgical strikes across the LoC, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he completely disagrees with what Mr Singh said and also described his remarks “ridiculous”. “We don't appreciate Digvijaya Singh's personal views. His views are outlier views. We are absolutely clear that the Armed Forces do their job exceptionally well and they do not need to provide proof of that,” Rahul Gandhi said, addressing a Press conference here while leading the Yatra on the Jammu~Srinagar highway.Asked why action was not taken against Mr Singh, who has in the past too embarrassed the party with such remarks, Mr Gandhi said the Congress was a democratic party and not a dictatorship D SII launches 1st made-in-India HPV vaccine for cervical cancer SNS & AGENCIES Actor Urmila Matondkar joins Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary in-charge (Organisation) KC Venugopal during Bharat Jodo Yatra, at Sitni bypass Nagrota, in Jammu on Tuesday.  ANI like BJP and RSS where conversation on issues is not allowed. We allow debate and discussion within the party, he said. “We struggled for independence of the country while BJP and RSS stood with the British rulers”, he added. Digvijaya Singh while speaking in Jammu on Monday accused the BJP government at the Centre of “spreading lies” about surgical strikes. Responding to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks that Rahul Gandhi was defaming the country by claiming there was hatred in India, the Con- gress leader asked: "How is a padyatra that is uniting the people of India harming the interest of the nation?" Mr Gandhi said Rajnath Singh has no option but to say what BJP’s bosses are asking him to speak. I can see how the hatred and violence that Rajnath’s party is inflicting upon the country and defaming the nation. If you look at the newspapers abroad, they are all asking what has happened to India’s traditional values under the BJP rule, he said.“I am very respectful and cannot accept India as a nation of violence and Cong must clarify its stance,says Ravi Shankar Prasad :Attacking Rahul Gandhi for dubbing Digvijaya Singh’s “surgical strike proof” remark as his “personal views”, the BJP on Tuesday alleged that Congress resorts to these tactics “whenever the party is trapped” due to its leaders’ statements against the Armed Forces. Recalling the old statements of Congress leaders, including those of Rahul Gandhi in connection with the Armed Forces, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad demanded the party to clarify its stand over the issue of terrorism and national security. Hitting back at the Congress leader, Mr Prasad, in a press conference, said that for the first time, Rahul Gandhi said that he has respect for the Army, and asked if he was not able to make Digvijaya Singh understand this in the 1000s of km of Bharat Jodo Yatra. hatred. Nothing can be achieved through hatred”, he said. Rahul Gandhi said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra has changed the narrative within the country and that comments made by any leader do not change the fact that the Yatra has been a success. "The Yatra has achieved something fundamental. It has shown that there are two visions of India - one is hatefilled and angry and the other one is love-filled and affectionate. Millions of people have walked across the country and the Yatra has changed the Chief guest Egyptian Prez El-Sisi, lands in India for R-Day celebrations NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY Chief Executive Officer of Serum Institute of India (SII), Adar Poonawalla, on Tuesday announced the launch of the first made-in-India Human Papillomavirus (HPV) “CERVAVAC” vaccine, for the prevention of cervical cancer.The launch took place in the presence of home minister Amit Shah, Adar Poonawalla, and the Director of Government & Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India, Prakash K Singh (in photo). “On the occasion of India's National Girl Child Day and Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, @SerumInstIndia is pleased to launch the first Rajnath Singh reviews Aero India 2023 prep STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY made-in-India HPV vaccine by the hands of our Hon'ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji. @PrakashKsingh7," tweeted Adar Poonawalla. ‘CERVAVAC’ is an outcome of a partnership of DBT and BIRAC with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supported by Serum Institute of India Private Limited for the indigenous development of quadrivalent vaccine through its partnership programme ‘Grand Challenges India’. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived here this evening on a three-day visit to India as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs received President Sisi and his delegation at the airport. “This visit will further deepen the long-standing friendship,” between India and Egypt, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted while posting a few pictures of the brief ceremony held at the airport to welcome the visiting dignitary. President Sisi is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including five ministers and senior officials. This is for the first time that the President of Egypt has been invited as chief guest on India's Republic Day. A military contingent of the Egyptian Army will also participate in the Republic Day parade. India and Egypt are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. Egypt has also been invited as a ‘Guest Country’ during India’s Presidency of G-20 in 2022-23. President Sisi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow. President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary in the evening. He will have a bilateral meeting and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest. President Sisi will also interact with the Indian business community. NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY Aero India 2023 from 13-17 February in Bengaluru will not just be an event, but a display of the growing prowess of the defence & aerospace sector and the rise of a strong and self-reliant ‘New India’, defence minister Rajnath Singh said today.He was reviewing the preparations for Aero India during the apex committee meeting held in New Delhi. The defence minister was given a detailed account of the arrangements of the 14th edition of Asia’s largest aero show.He exhorted all the stakeholders to ensure foolproof arrangements for the participants. The five-day event will be the biggestever aero show organised at Air Force Station, Yelahanka in a total area of around SNS 35,000 sqm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awardees (PMRBP) at his residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg today.The Prime Minister presented souvenirs to all the awardees and discussed their achievements on a one-to-one basis, which was followed by interaction with the entire group. He engaged in an openhearted interaction in the informal setting. The children asked him various questions about the challenges they face and sought his guidance on a variety of topics. He suggested the awardees should start by solving small problems, gradually build capacity, enhance capability and develop confidence to solve bigger problems as they go ahead in life.Discussing the issue of mental health and Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar Awardees 2023, in New Delhi on Tuesday.  ANI problems faced by children, he talked about tackling stigma around the issue and the important role of family in tackling such issues. Several other topics were also taken up by the Prime Minister during the interaction, including the benefits of playing Chess, taking up art & culture as a career, research & innovation, spirituality, among others.The Government of India has been conferring the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to children for their exceptional achievement in six categories namely Innovation, Social Service, Scholastic, Sports, Art & Culture and Bravery. Each awardee is given a medal, SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY Aviation regulator DGCA imposed a financial penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Air India for not reporting the incidents which occurred on AI-142 ParisNew Delhi flight on 6 December 2022. Two incidents had occurred in the Air India flight. While one passenger who was caught smoking in the lavatory, was drunk and not adhering to the crew instructions; another passenger allegedly a cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh and certificate. This year, 11 children from across the country, under different categories of Bal Shakti Puraskar, were selected for the PMRBP-2023. The awardees, belonging to 11 States and UTs, include six boys and five girls, namely: Aadithya Suresh, M. Gauravi Reddy, Shreya Bhattacharjee, Sambhab Mishra, Rohan Ramchandra Bahir, Aditya Pratap Singh Chauhan, Rishi Shiv Prasanna, Anoushka Jolly, Hanaya Nisar, Kolagatla Alana Meenakshi and Shauryajit Ranjitkumar Khaire. Yesterday, on Prakaram Diwas, the Prime Minister interacted with youngsters who were selected under the ‘Know Your Leader’ programme to participate in the ceremony to honour Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Central Hall of Parliament.This interaction also took place at his residence. CMYK narrative of the country," he said.On the BBC documentary controversy, Rahul Gandhi said: "If you read our scriptures, if you read the Bhagavad Gita or the Upanishads, you will see that it is written in it that the truth cannot be hidden. The truth always comes out. So you can ban, you can suppress the media, you can control the institutions, you can use the CBI, ED, etc but the truth will come out. No amount of banning, oppression and frightening people is going to stop the truth from coming out.” Law minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court collegium publishing sensitive inputs of Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) on candidates recommended by the collegium for judgeship, is a serious issue. He made the remarks while addressing the media at the felicitation of award winners of the e-courts project. He added that if a person is working for the nation, then he may think one day his RAW and IB files can be made public. “It is a matter of concern... It is a serious issue and one day I will speak on this," he said, while responding to a query regarding the collegium's recent statements in public domain citing objections raised by the Central government to recommendations made regarding the judges' appointment.The law minister declined to comment further on the collegium resolutions. Mr Rijiju added: “No one should make a comment on a judicial order. But these are administrative orders and not judicial. I have seen some tweets that are making comments about NJAC is contempt. The order of the bench is totally different and this is all administrative." Last week, the apex court collegium published on its website resolutions reiterating names of some advocates for judgeship in various high courts. The apex court cited inputs by RAW and IB on candidates, whose files were returned by the Centre to the collegium for reconsideration. In a statement, in connection with appointment of openly gay lawyer Saurabh Kripal as a judge of the Delhi High Court, the collegium said: "From the letters of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) dated 11 April 2019 and 18 March 2021, it appears that there are two objections to the recommendation which was made by the collegium of this court on 11 November 2021 approving the name of Saurabh Kirpal namely: (i) the partner of Saurabh Kirpal is a Swiss National, and (ii) he is in an intimate relationship and is open about his sexual orientation". DGCA slaps `10L fine on AI over Paris-New Delhi flight incidents PM interacts with PMRBP awardees, presents souvenirs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 JANUARY relieved himself on a vacant seat and blanket of a fellow female passenger when she went to the lavatory. Accord- ingly, the DGCA issued show cause notice to the Accountable Manager of Air India as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations. Air India submitted a reply to the show cause notice on 23 January and the same was examined, said a senior DGCA official on Tuesday."Enforcement action in the form of Financial Penalty of Rs 10,00,000 has been imposed on Air India for not reporting the incident to DGCA and delaying in referring the matter to its Internal Committee, which is a violation of applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements," said the official.Earlier, in the Air India peeing incident which occurred on 26 November 2022 flight, the regulator on 20 January had imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended the License of pilot-in-command for three months. Air India on Tuesday said that in light of “mitigating circumstances’ and the financial detriment already incurred by the crew during their period of de-rostering in wake of the peeing case, it considers that the licence suspension of the Commander "excessive" and will be assisting him with an appeal. Oscars:RRR’s song Naatu Naatu nominated for ‘Best Original Song’ SNS & AGENCIES NEW DLEHI, 24 JANUARY Rejoice all 'RRR' fans! History has been created. SS Rajamouli's magnum opus ‘RRR’ has made it to official Oscars nominations. The film's song 'Naatu Naatu' has officially entered the Oscars race in the 'Best Original Song' category.After a great winning streak at Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, the film has officially entered the race for the Academy Awards.Earlier, 'Naatu Naatu' bagged the Golden Globes for the category 'Best original Song'. The song also won the Critics Choice Award in the same category. The film also bagged the 'Best Foreign Language Film' at the Critics Choice Award. If 'RRR' wins the Oscars, it will be the most memorable, remarkable, golden moment for the Indian film industry. Talking about India's performance at the Academy Awards so far, the first Oscars that was one by an Indian artist was for costume designing. Bhanu Athaiya bagged the Oscars in 1983 for designing the costumes in the 1982 historical film ‘Gandhi’.In 2009, British film set in India 'Slumdog Millionaire' bagged 4 Oscars.Music Maestro AR Rahman who gave the music to this film won the Oscars for ‘Best Original Song’ and ‘Best Original Score’. Gulzar won the prestigious award for ‘Best Lyrics’ for the same film and Resul Pookutty got the Oscars in the ‘Best Sound Mixing’ category. Coming back to ‘RRR’, the film is a fictional story based on the lives of two Telugu freedom fighters, Alluri Seetharama Raju and Komaram Bheem. Ram Charan and Jr NTR played lead roles, respectively. Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn and Shriya Saran also starred in the film. This lyrical composition of 'Naatu Naatu' by MM Keeravani, high energy rendition by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, unique choreography by Prem Rakshith, and lyrics by Chandrabose are all the elements that make this 'RRR' mass anthem a perfect dance craze.