CMYK SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘TECHNOLOGY WILL PLUG PDS GAPS’ FAMILY FEUD? P6 WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 29 °C and 18 °C respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 41 % Max: 30.8 °C (+4) SUN RISES 06:18 hrs MOON RISES 10:18 hrs Min: 18.8°C (+4) SUN SETS 17:22 hrs MOON SETS 23:6 hrs Full Moon on 08 February THUMBNAILS Rehearsals of the Beating the Retreat ceremony at Raisina Hills in the Capital on Friday.  SUBRATA DUTTA Several students detained at DU, situation normal: Amidst the ongoing controversy over a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Delhi police on Friday detained 24 students and imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) prohibiting gatherings outside the Faculty of Arts at Delhi University after scores of students gathered there to watch the controversial BBC documentary.Talking to media persons, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north), Sagar Singh Kalsi, said the situation is normal now.Earlier this afternoon, a large number of security personnel were PG5 deployed outside the Faculty of Arts. DGCA slaps `10L fine on Go Air for leaving behind passengers NEW DELHI, 27 JANUARY The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Go Air for violation of rules.On January 9, a Go Air flight on the BengaluruDelhi route took off leaving behind 55 passengers in the passenger coach at the Bengaluru airport. The aviation regulator had issued a show-cause notice to the Accountable Manager of Go First, asking as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations. Officials said that Go First had submitted its reply to the notice on January 25. “Perusal of the reply of Go First reveals that there was improper communication and coordination between the terminal coordinator (TC), commercial staff and crew regarding boarding of passengers in the aircraft," said a senior DGCA official. The official said that the airline failed to ensure adequate arrangement for ground handling, preparation of load and trim sheet, flight dispatch and passenger and cargo handling, and therefore, enforcement action in the form of financial penalty of Rs 10 lakh has been imposed for violation of CAR Section 3, Series C, Part II of the Air Transport Circular 02 of 2019. Earlier, the aviation regulator had noted that Go First failed to comply with the relevant rules in the incident of a flight leaving behind 55 passengers in the passenger coach at Bengaluru airport on January 9. In the instant case, multiple mistakes such as lack of proper communication, coordination, reconciliation and confirmation have resulted in a highly avoidable situation and therefore, DGCA issued the showcause notice. P7 P11 Criticism is a purification yajna : Modi tells students Prime Minister interacts with students, teachers, parents at Pariksha Pe Charcha 2023 Max. 92 % TEMPERATURE SEOUL TO BACK CIVILIAN AID TO NORTH IN HOPES OF TALKS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 JANUARY n the 6th edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a wide-ranging interaction with students today, and told them he believed “criticism is a purification yajna and the root condition of a prospering democracy,” but, he said, most people just levelled allegations against him, which could not be taken seriously. Mannat Bajwa, a student from St. Joseph Secondary School, Chandigarh, Kumkum Pratapbhai Solanki, 12th class student from Ahmedabad and Akash Darira, 12th class student from Whitefield Global School, Bengaluru wanted to know how the Prime Minister tackled negative views and opinions towards him from the Opposition. The sudents, teachers and parents had gathered at Talkatora Stadium for the event, where the students displayed their exhibits also. The Prime Minister said criticism required hard work and research but these days most people resorted to the easier option of making allegations. “There is a huge gulf between allegations and criticism,” the Prime Min- I Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacting with students, teachers and parents, during the 6th edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2023’, at Talkatora Stadium.  ANI ister remarked and cautioned that allegations must not be taken as criticism. Throwing light on the importance of Pariksha Pe Charcha, the Prime Minister said the millions of questions that are posed as part of the programme gave him insight into the minds of the young generation of India. “These questions are like a treasure trove for me,” he said. About 38.80 lakh registrations took place this year from 155 countries in this year’s edition of PPC. Addressing a question regarding family disappointment in the case of poor marks from Ms Ash- wini, a Kendriya Vidyalaya student from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Navtej from KV, Pitampura Delhi, and Priyanka Kumari from Navin Balika School in Patna, the Prime Minister said that there is nothing wrong with family expectations. However if these expectations, he said, are due to social status-related expectations, then it is a matter of concern. Mr Modi talked about ever-increasing standards of performance and growing expectations with every success. He said it is not good to be bogged down by the surrounding web of expectation and one should look inwards and link the Rahul scraps J&K footmarch as security arrangements ‘collapse’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 27 JANUARY Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday cancelled his footmarch soon after his Bharat Jodo Yatra entered the Kashmir valley because of “security collapse. Mr Gandhi received a rousing reception on entering the valley through the tunnel where National Conference leader Omar Abdullah (in photo), wearing a white T-shirt amidst the snow, joined him. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti will join him on Saturday. Mr Gandhi told mediapersons at Khanabal that the security arrangements "collapsed" and police personnel who were supposed to hold ropes to make a cordon around him were nowhere to be seen. “My security people became concerned and advised me against undertaking the footmarch as a result of which I had to cancel my footmarch while other party leaders and yatris continued to walk. It was not possible for me to go against for what my security people advised,” Mr Gandhi said. The Congress MP said it is the responsibility of the administration to gurantee proper security. He hoped that proper security arrangements will be made during the next three days of the Yatra in Kashmir and also the public meeting on 30 January in Srinagar. In a tweet, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who joined the Yatra when it entered Kashmir, tweeted; "I’m witness to this. The outer ring of the cordon which was maintained by J&K police simply vanished within minutes of @Rahul- Gandhi starting to walk. We had just crossed into Kashmir from Jammu & were looking forward to the 11 KM walk but unfortunately it had to be cancelled".The Kashmir Police, reacting to the allegations tweeted; “Full security arrangements were in place including 15 Coys of CAPFs and 10 Coys of JKP comprising of , ROPs and QRTs, route domination, lateral deployment and SF were deployed for high-ridge and other deployments” (sic). The police in another tweet claimed: “JKP was not consulted before taking any decision on discontinuation of Yatra after conducting 1 km yatra by organizers. Rest of yatra continued peacefully. There was no security lapse at all. We will provide foolproof security.“Only authorised persons as identified by organisers & frisked crowd was allowed inside towards the route of Yatra. Organisers & managers of BJY did not intimate about large gathering from Banihal joining the Yatra, which thronged near the starting point,” police added. expectation with one's own capabilities, needs, intentions and priorities. He urged the parents not to burden their kids with expectations and asked the students to always evaluate themselves according to their potential. He told the students to analyse the pressures and see if they are doing justice to their own potential. In such a situation the expectations can spur better performance. Addressing the questions about not knowing where to start the preparations for the exam and the stressful situation leading to forgetfulness from Arushi Thakur, a class 11th Morbi collapse chargesheet names Oreva owner Jaysukh student from KV, Dalhousie, and questions about time management during exams from Aditi Diwan from Krishna Public School, Raipur the Prime Minister stressed the importance of time management in general life with or without exams. He said while allocating time to a subject, one should take up the least interesting or most difficult subject when the mind is fresh. Answering questions on cheating in examinations, he said: “Life cannot be successful with cheating. You may clear an exam or two but it will remain questionable in life”, he added. The Prime Minister told the hard-working students not to despair at the temporary success of the cheaters and said that hard work will always benefit them in their lives. “Exams come and go but life is to be lived fully,” he said. A student from Kerala asked about the need and dynamics of hard work versus smart work. He highlighted the parable of the thirsty crow who threw stones in a pitcher to quench his thirst. One should do hard work smartly and in the areas that are important, the Prime Minister said. DJOKOVIC BEATS PAUL, REACHES FINAL P12 India issues notice to Pak for modification of Indus Water Treaty STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 JANUARY The government is believed to have sent a notice to Pakistan calling for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty. According to sources, the notice was issued on 25 January through respective commissioners for Indus Waters. New Delhi has called on Islamabad to enter into intergovernmental negotiations within 90 days to rectify the material breach of the treaty by Pakistan.Sources said Pakistan’s actions have adversely impinged the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty and their implementation. These actions have forced India to issue appropriate notice to Pakistan for modification of the treaty. Sources said India has always been a steadfast supporter and a responsible partner in implementing the treaty in letter and spirit. Despite repeated efforts by India to find a mutually agreeable way forward, Pakistan refused the dispute settlement mechanism during the five meetings of the Permanent Indus Commission from 2017 to 2022. In 2015, Pakistan called for the appointment of a neutral expert to its technical objections to the Kishenganga and Ratle Hydro Electric Projects in India. In 2016 however, it retracted the request and sought a court of arbitration to adjudicate its objections. This unilateral action by Pakistan was in contravention of the graded mechanism of dispute settlement envisaged by Article IX of the IWT, reports quoting sources said.Consequently, India made a separate request for the matter to be referred to a neutral expert. The initiation of two simultaneous processes on the same questions and the potential of their inconsistent or contradictory outcomes creates an unprecedented and legally untenable situation, which risks endangering the IWT itself, reports quoting sources said."TheWorld Bank acknowledged this itself in 2016, and took a decision to 'pause' the initiation of two parallel processes and request India and Pakistan to seek an amicable way out," the sources were quoted as per reports. India and Pakistan signed the treaty in 1960 after nine years of negotiations, with the World Bank being a signatory to the pact.The treaty sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding the use of waters of a number of rivers forming part of the Indus river system.(With agency inputs) HOLY RITUALS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AHMEDABAD, 27 JANUARY In a big jolt to the Oreva group, the police chargesheet on the Morbi bridge collapse has included the name of its owner Jaysukh Patel. At least 135 people were killed at Morbi when the 120-year-old hanging bridge on Machchhu river, recently renovated by the Oreva company, had collapsed on the evening of 30 October last year. The anticipatory bail application of Jaysukh Patel is currently pending in Gujarat High Court. During hearing of the pleas in the bridge collapse case, municipality employees have said that the renovation contract was awarded to the electronics and wall clocks manufacturing company under pressure from some “top people”. The1200-odd chargesheet on the tragedy has described Jaysukh Patel, promoter and Managing Director of Oreva group, as an ‘absconder’. Sadhus perform rituals on the banks of Sangam in Prayagraj. ANI Sania Mirza bids adieu to Grand Slam career India to get over 100 Cheetahs from SA with second-place finish at Australian Open STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 JANUARY AGENCIES MELBOURNE, 27 JANUARY Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna came second to Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos of Brazil in the Australian Open mixed doubles final on Friday at Melbourne Park as the Brazillian pair clinched their maiden Grand Slam. Sania Mirza was competing in her final Grand Slam with Rohan Bopanna where the duo were defeated 7(7)-6(2), 6-2 by Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos. Rohan Bopanna, who will turn 43 in March, and Sania Mirza, 36, had a difficult beginning because the latter was broken on his first serve. In the fourth and eighth games, the Indian pair pounced on Luisa Stefani's serves but lost the set in the tiebreaker as Rohan Bopanna once more struggled to hold his serve in the ninth game. The Indian team survived an early defeat in the second set. Rafael Matos and Luisa Stefani worked well together to break Sania Mirza’s serve in the fourth game.Sania Mirza won two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open. She won the Australian Open women’s doubles title with Martina Hingis in 2016 and the Australian Open mixed doubles title with Mahesh Bhupathi in 2009. The 2017 French Open mixed doubles sional career started in Melbourne. I couldn’t think of a better arena to finish my (Grand Slam) career at,”stated an emotional Sania Mirza in the post-match interview.The WTA Doubles World No. 1 for 91 weeks, Mirza comes in second place at the last Grand Slam competition of her career. Mirza said earlier this month that the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships in February will mark the concluMy professional sion of her profescareer started in Mel- sional tennis career. bourne. I couldn’t think of Legendary India better arena to finish my an cricketer Sachin (Grand Slam) career at... Tendulkar lauded Sania on a "glorious Grand Slam career" that inspired a whole generation of tennis talent in India and abroad. championship, Rohan Bopanna won with Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada remains his solitary Grand Slam triumph.The Indian team has defeated the defending Wimbledon winners Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski in three sets in the Australian Open 2023 semifinals. “My profes- CMYK India and South Africa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the reintroduction of Cheetahs to this country. In terms of the agreement, an initial batch of 12 cheetahs are to be flown from South Africa to India in February 2023. The cats will join eight Cheetahs introduced to India from Namibia in 2022. Restoring cheetah populations is considered to be a priority for India and will have vital and far-reaching conservation consequences, which would aim to achieve a number of ecological objectives, including re- establishing the function role of Cheetahs within their historical range in India and improving the enhancing the livelihood Following the import of the 12 cheetahs in February, the plan is to translocate a further 12 annually for the next eight to 10 years MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT options and economies of the local communities.Following the import of the 12 cheetahs in February, the plan is to translocate a further 12 annually for the next eight to 10 years, the Ministry of Environment said.The initiative to reintroduce the cheetah to a former range state following the local extinction of this iconic species due to overhunting and loss of habitat in the last century is being carried out following the request received from the government.The MoU on the reintroduction of cheetahs to India facilitates cooperation between the countries to establish a viable and secure Cheetah population in India; promotes conservation and ensures that expertise is shared and exchanged, and capacity is built, to promote Cheetah conservation. This includes humanwildlife conflict resolution, capture and translocation of wildlife and community participation in conservation in the two countries. In terms of the MoU, the countries will collaborate and exchange best practices in large carnivore conservation through the transfer of technology, training of professionals in management, policy, and science, and establishing a bilateral custodianship arrangement for cheetah translocated between the two countries. The terms of the MoU will be reviewed every five years to ensure it remains relevant.