CMYK THURSDAY 02 MARCH 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P8 ASHWIN NO.1 IN ICC MEN'S TEST BOWLING RANKINGS VP: CONDUCT OF PARLIAMENTARIANS MUST MAKE US PROUD AP HOLDS INDUSTRY SUMMIT TO CHANGE PERCEPTION ‘SUSTAINABLE GROWTH NEEDS COLLECTIVE EFFORT’ P4 P5 P12 RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY G20 foreign ministers gather for Delhi meet Meeting being held amidst sharp differences over Ukraine conflict British foreign secy raises BBC tax searches with EAM Max. 98 % Min.30 % ASHOK TUTEJA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 MARCH Max: 31.9 °C (+1) SUN RISES 05:59 hrs MOON RISES 12:22 hrs Min: 23.3 °C (+3) SUN SETS 17:40 hrs MOON SETS 01:37 hrs WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32 °C and 23 °C respectively. TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 07 March THUMBNAILS Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman makes a stopover at 225 Transit Camp of IndoTibetan Border Force and meets with Army personnel while on her way to Grurudongmar Lake in Mangan on Wednesday.  ANI Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar takes charge as Vice Chief of Army: Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar on Thursday assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Army Staff.The General officer has taken over the appointment from Lt Gen B S Raju who has taken over the reins of the Jaipur-based Sapta Shakti Command. Prior to taking over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Suchindra Kumar was tenanting the appointment of Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) at the Army Headquarters. He has experience in intelligence, operations, force structuring, operational logistics and PG5 tech infusion in his recent appointments. Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj to be inducted in Delhi cabinet NEW DELHI, 1 MARCH mid sharp differences between the Western world and Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, India will host the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) in physical format on Thursday in New Delhi. The meeting will begin informally with a gala dinner to be hosted by external affairs minister S Jaishankar for the visiting foreign ministers. Representatives of 40 countries, including nonG20 members invited by India, and multilateral organisations will attend the key meeting being held under India's G20 presidency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the G20 member A Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw and Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates at the G20 Secretariat programme. ANI countries. The meeting is taking place days after a gathering of finance ministers and the Central Bank Governors of the G20 member countries in Bengaluru failed to come out with a joint communique due to differences on the formulation of references to Russia's military offensive in Ukraine.The foreign ministers are also likely to discuss ways to deal with falling economic growth, increasing inflation, lower demands for goods and services as well as increasing prices of food, fuel and fertilisers. Briefing reporters here this afternoon, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra refused to speculate on whether the G20 foreign ministers' meeting would be able to come out with a joint communique. “It would not be correct to prejudge the outcome of the meeting,” he said. The venue of the G20 FMM is the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre. Delegates from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK and the US are expected to participate in the meeting. The Russia-Ukraine conflict would be an important point of discussion given the developing situation, Mr Kwatra said, adding the “foreign ministers will be focusing on the Russia-Ukraine situation... it'll be important to what they come out with, what understanding is developed.” He added: “Issues of the impact of the RussiaUkraine conflict on the world including economic impact and impact on development will also be focused upon in the meeting.”“India's position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict is that 'This isn't an era of war'. Dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward. The agenda is for the foreign ministers to discuss in the meet,” Mr Kwatra added. India calls for multilateral action for faster extradition of fugitives STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 MARCH India today called upon G20 nations to adopt multilateral action for faster extradition of fugitive economic offenders and recovery of assets both on the domestic front as well as from abroad. Chairing the 1st Anti-Corruption working group meeting of G20 nations in Gurugram, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned developing such an administrative ecosystem for a developed India, which has zero tolerance for corruption. Jitendra Singh also stated that the Enforcement Directorate has transferred assets worth about $180 billion to public sector banks that suffered losses to the tune of around $272 billion due to frauds com- mitted by high-net-worth individuals. He said India’s view was that strengthening mechanisms for speedy confiscation of the proceeds of crime, both at home and abroad, would force the offenders to return to their home country. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly today raised the issue of recent tax searches at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices in India with external affairs minister S Jaishankar, who also held bilateral talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the margins of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting According to sources, Mr Jaishankar firmly told Cleverly that all entities operating in India must comply fully with relevant laws and regulations when the latter raised the issue of searches at BBC offices last month. Mr Cleverly later told the media that the BBC was an independent organisation and was separate from the UK government. “I didn't see the documentary but I've seen reactions in UK and India. BBC is an independent organisation and separate from the government. I enjoy a strong personal relationship with Dr Jaishankar...relationship between UK-India growing stronger by the day," said Mr Cleverly without giving a straight reply when asked about the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.On the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, in New Delhi on Wednesday.  ANI extradition of fugitive economic offenders Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, Mr Cleverly said the British judicial system was independent of the government and it was for the courts to decide the matter. Mr Jaishankar also held talks with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov who arrived here this morning to attend the G20 meeting, which is likely to witness fireworks over Russia's military action in Ukraine. The Ukraine issue is understood to have figured prominently during the meeting between the two ministers. Mr Jaishankar also held bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of some other countries. These meetings will continue tomorrow also on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting. Meghalaya, Nagaland & Tripura polls: Results today NEW DELHI , 1 MARCH Results will be declared on Thursday for assembly polls in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland with the keenlyfought battle in the three northeastern states marking the first round of polls in an electorally-crucial year. Meghalaya and Nagaland went for the assembly polls on February 27 and voting was held in Tripura on February 16. The three states witnessed high voter turnout. The BJP , which has replaced Congress as the dominant party in the northeast, is optimistic of prospects in the three states. Apart from the three states, results will also be declared in the bypolls for Erode (East) seat in Tamil Nadu, Sagardighi in West Bengal Ramgarh in Jharkhand where polling was held on February 27. Polling for Kasba Peth and Chinchwad in Maharashtra was held on 26 February. Apart from the assembly polls, the bypolls have also evoked wide interest due to battle for supremacy between two factions of Shiv Sena. Though the Thackeray-led faction is not the contesting the bypolls, it has thrown its weight behind the Maha Vikas Agadhi candidates. The bypolls are the first since the EC recognised the faction led by chief minister Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena and allotted it party name and symbol.The bypoll to the Erode East assembly seat in Tamil Nadu is significant for both the DMK and AIADMK.ANI FCRA licence of thinktank Centre for Policy Research suspended Budget incentive will mark a new beginning in planned and systematic urbanisation: PM SNS & AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 MARCH NEW DELHI, 1 MARCH Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced that AAP MLAs Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi will be inducted as Cabinet ministers in the AAP Government replacing Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain who resigned yesterday. Talking to reporters on Tuesday evening after a meeting with AAP MLAs and councillors, Mr Kejriwal informed them that the new ministers will soon join the Delhi Cabinet.The chief minister hit out at the BJP-led Centre over the arrest of Sisodia and Jain and said if both the AAP leaders had joined BJP today, they will be released tomorrow.Referring to the arrest of Sisodia, he called the excise policy case just an excuse and that there was no scam in it. SNS (See Pg5) The Central government has suspended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the public policy think tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR), sources said on Wednesday. It is learnt that the FCRA licence of the think tank was suspended last week following prima-facie inputs regarding the violation of such funding norms. The Centre for Policy Research is a non-profit dedicated to conducting research that contributes to better policies, and a more robust public discourse about the issues that impact life in India. It is learnt that the license was under scrutiny after Income Tax surveys on CPR and Oxfam India in September last year. Oxfam's FCRA licence was revoked in January 2022 after The Centre for Policy Research is a non-profit dedicated to conducting research that contributes to better policies, and a more robust public discourse about the issues that impact life in India which the NGO filed a revision petition with the Ministry of Home Affairs.The Ministry of Home Affairs suspended the CPR's license citing noncompliance of FCRA norms, said the sources. As per a senior government official, review and renewal applications of several NGOs and organisations are still under process and several licences have been revoked or have lapsed in the past six months. Earlier this year, more than 6,000 NGOs whose licenses were withdrawn had approached the Supreme Court seeking relief. However, the apex court turned down their pleas.To receive foreign grants, NGOs must register with the MHA, which assigns a unique FCRA registration number, to be renewed every five years. The MHA in September last year extended the validity of FCRA registration of all nongovernmental organisations (NGO) till 31 March 2023. FCRA registrations are renewed every five years and a large number of NGOs became eligible for renewal in October 2021. After the passage of a new FCRA law in September 2020, the MHA has extended the deadline multiple times, the latest deadline being 31 March 2023. The Prime Minister was addressing a post-Budget webinar on Urban Development with focus on planning, the sixth in the series of 12 postBudget webinars organised by the government to seek ideas and suggestions for effective implementation of initiatives announced in the Budget NEW DELHI, 1 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Union Budget 2023-24 has provided an incentive of Rs 15,000 crore for urban planning and this should mark a new beginning in planned and systematic urbanization in the country. He was addressing a postBudget webinar on “Urban Development with focus on planning,” the sixth in the series of 12 post-Budget webinars organised by the government to seek ideas and suggestions for effective implementation of initiatives announced in the Budget. The Prime Minister said it was unfortunate that in 75 years of Independence, India was able to get only one or two planned cities. India’s standing in the world would have been different if there were 75 planned cities in the 75 years of its Independence, he said. He said development of new cities and modernization of old systems in old cities comprised the major challenges of urban development in the country. Poor planning of cities or lack of proper implementation after planning can create problems in the development of the nation. The Prime Minister told the webinar participants they must consider how to strengthen the urban planning ecosystem in states, how to properly use the expertise available in the private sector and how to develop such Centres of Excellence which will take urban planning to a new level. All state governments and urban local bodies must know that they will be able to contribute to development of the country only when they develop planned urban areas. “We also have to understand very well that in ‘Amritkaal’ only urban planning will determine the fate of our cities and only well planned cities of India will determine the fate of India,”the Prime Minister said. “Our new cities should be garbage free, water secure, and climate resilient,” he said. Therefore, investment in urban infrastructure and planning should be increased inTier2 and Tier-3 cities. Be it architecture, zero discharge model, net positivity of energy, efficiency in land use, transit corridors or use of AI in public services, this is the time to set new parameters for the future cities. “We must see if children are being taken care of in Urban Planning or not. Children no longer have sufficient space for playing or cycling. We also have to take care of this aspect in Urban Planning,”he told the urban development experts. Mr Modi said that in this year's Budget, a commitment has been made to spend about Rs 80,000 crore for the PM-Awas Yojana. Whenever a house is built, several related industries like cement, steel, paint and furniture get a boost along with it, he said. Seven more baby deaths, state government alarmed Cabinet okays acquisitions for IAF, Navy worth `10,000 cr STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Unconfirmed sources at Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department headquarters, said that 44 babies have died of either adenovirus or pneumonia-like symptoms so far in the state during the past couple of months KOLKATA, 1 MARCH At least seven more babies died in two government hospitals in the city since Tuesday night as adenovirus infections and an unknown fever exhibiting symptoms of pneumonia ravage the state, affecting mainly infants below the age of two years. With the alarming surge in the number of baby deaths in different government medical colleges and hospitals, Mr N S Nigam, principal secretary in charge of the health department, visited the Medical College Hospital (MCH) and B C Roy Memorial Hospital for Children on Wednesday to take stock of the situation at the Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) and Neo-natal Intensive Care Units (NICU) at the two medical teaching institutes. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who also holds the health portfolio, held an emergency meeting with Mr Nigam Babies with co-morbidities like cardiac ailments are dying. We have taken adequate measures in PICUs and NICU’s where ailing babies are undergoing treatment N S NIGAM to prevent deaths PRINCIPAL SECRETARY, HEALTH DEPARTMENT at Nabanna on Tuesday evening and directed the latter to take all necessary measures to prevent and control the viral disease affecting very young children. “Babies with co-morbidities like cardiac ailments are dying. We have taken adequate measures in PICUs and NICU’s where ailing babies are undergoing treatment to prevent deaths,” Mr Nigam said. Two babies who were brought to the MCH from Hamidpur in Hooghly and Bagnan in Howrah with cough and cold and respiratory trouble died at the premier teaching hospital during the last 24 hours. A seven month-old baby who was referred from the state-run Imambara Hospital in Chinsurah died of adenovirus infection. He was suffering from a cardiac ailment too, sources at the MCH said. The other infant (22 days) was brought to the MCH from the Uluberia Medical College Hospital on 16 February and died of the viral disease on Wednesday. Three babies died at the B C Roy Memorial Hospital for Children on Wednesday. A four year-old from Gobardanga in North 24-Parganas was brought to the children hospital from Habra State General Hospital with severe breathing trouble and cough. He died of pneumonia at the hospital in the wee hours on Wednesday. The second baby was four days old and brought to B C Roy Hospital at Beliaghata from Barasat State General Hospital on Sunday with fever, cough and cold. The newborn died on Wednesday at the Children’s Hospital. The third baby from Canning in South 24-Parganas district died at the hospital with similar complications of chest congestions with fever and cough on Wednesday afternoon. The deaths of two other babies were also reported in Bankura Sammilani Medical College Hospital on the same day. Unconfirmed sources at Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department headquarters, said that 44 babies died of either adenovirus or pneumonia-like symptoms so far in the state during the past couple of months. The deaths of at least 18 babies were reported in the B C Roy Children’s Hospital alone while the figure is 15 in the MCH. A senior official in the health department said that the Adenovirus infections are spreading rapidly, affecting more districts in the state. As a result, district hospitals are referring affected-babies to medical colleges in Kolkata, ignoring the government’s directives not to send non-critical cases that are manageable in the districts to the city. PICUs and NICUs in city medical colleges are flooded with babies suffering from fever and cough along with respiratory trouble. CMYK STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 MARCH The Union Cabinet has approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 6,828.36 crore. The aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years. The Cabinet also accorded approval to a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for the acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships, at an overall cost of Rs 3,108.09 crore, under the Buy {IndianIDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)} category. The delivery of ships is scheduled to commence in 2026. The HTT-40 is a turboprop aircraft and is designed to have good low-speed handling qualities and provide better training effectiveness. This The Union Cabinet has approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft from HAL for the Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 6,828.36 crore, to be supplied over a period of 6 years. fully aerobatic tandem seat turbo trainer has an air-conditioned cockpit, modern avionics, hot re-fueling, running change over and zerozero ejection seats. The aircraft will meet the shortage of basic trainer aircraft of IAF for the training of newly inducted pilots. The procurement will include associated equipment and training aids including simulators. Being an indigenous solution, the aircraft is configurable for upgrades to incorporate the futuristic requirements of the Indian armed forces. The cadet training ships will cater to the training of officer cadets, including women, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirements of the Indian Navy. The ships would also provide training to cadets from friendly countries with the aim to strengthen diplomatic relations. The ships can also be deployed for evacuation of people and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR). The ships will be indigenously designed, developed and constructed at L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai. The project will generate employment of 22.5 lakh man-days over a period of fourand-half years. This will encourage the active participation of Indian shipbuilding and associated industries, including MSMEs.