CMYK FRIDAY 03 MARCH 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘MAJORITY OF VOTERS NOT KEEN ON INDIAN-ORIGIN HARRIS AS PRESIDENT’ SC SETS UP COMMITTEE TO PROBE HINDENBURG CONTROVERSY P8 P11 P4 ‘THERE IS A CHANCE TO WIN’ P12 crisis can be Build consensus on global ‘Ukraineonly through resolved issues: PM to G20 nations dialogue, diplomacy’ WEATHER Mainly clear sky with fog/mist in the morning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 28 °C and 17 °C respectively. Meeting was attended by foreign ministers of the US, UK, China and Russia RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % Max: 27.5 °C (+1) SUN RISES 06:19 hrs MOON RISES 06:48 hrs ASHOK TUTEJA Min. 42 % Min: 16.1°C (+2) SUN SETS 17:18 hrs MOON SETS 17:53 hrs TEMPERATURE VIJAYAN’S FORMER SECY SIVASANKAR FAILS TO GET BAIL gainst the backdrop of the widening gulf between the Western world and Russia over the Ukraine conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appealed to the G20 nations to build a consensus on major global challenges and not allow issues they could not resolve together to come in the way of those they could. “As you meet in the land of Gandhi and the Buddha, I pray that you will draw inspiration from India's civilisational ethos ~to focus not on what divides us, but on what unites us all,” he told the foreign ministers of the G20 countries holding their two-day meeting here ahead of the G20 Summit later this year. The meeting, hosted by external affairs minister S Jaishankar, was attended, among others, by the foreign ministers of the US, UK, Russia and China. Noting that the G20 meeting was taking place at a time of deep global divisions, Modi said it was natural that the discussions of the foreign ministers were affected by the geopolitical tensions of the day. “We all have our positions and our perspectives on how these tensions should be resolved. However, as the leading economies of the world, we also have a responsibility towards those who are not in this room. The world looks upon the G20 to ease the challenges of growth, development,economic resilience, disaster resilience, financial stability, transnational crime, corruption, terrorism, and food and energy security. In all these areas, the A Full Moon on 07 March THUMBNAILS Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders lays a wreath at the memorial of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, at Sriperumbudur, in Kanchipuram on Thursday.  ANI 3 acquitted in Hathras rape-murder case: In a m significant development, an SC/ST court has acquitted three people accused in the 2020 Hathras rape and murder case and held one person guilty. The court announced that out of the four accused, Sandeep, Ravi, Luv Kush and Ramu, only Sandeep has been held guilty of the crime. A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in PG5 Hathras on 14 September, 2020. G20 fails to agree on joint statement because of differences over Ukraine issue Ladakh stand-off must be resolved in the interest of ties, Jaishankar tells Chinese FM NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH G20 has the capacity to build consensus and deliver concrete results,” he added. Acknowledging that multilateralism was in crisis today, the PM said the architecture of global governance created after the Second World War was to serve two functions. First, to prevent future wars by balancing competing interests. Second, to foster international cooperation on issues of common interests. “The experience of the last few years- financial crisis, climate change, pandemic, terrorism, and wars clearly shows that global governance has failed in both its mandates.” He said it must also be admitted that the tragic consequences of this failure were being faced most of all by the developing countries. “After years of progress, we are at risk today of moving back on the Sustainable Development Goals. Many developing countries are struggling with unsustainable debt while trying to ensure food and energy security for their people. They are also the ones most affected by global warming caused by richer countries,” he added. The PM said the world has in recent times seen the most disastrous pandemic of a century and the loss of thousands of lives in natural disasters. “We have seen global supply chains break down during times of stress. We have seen stable economies suddenly overwhelmed by debt and financial crises. These experiences clearly show the need for resilience in our societies, in our economies, in our healthcare systems, and in our infrastructure.” The G20, he said, has a critical role to play in finding the right balance between growth and efficiency on one hand and resilience on the other. “We can reach this balance more easily by working together,” he said, hoping the foreign ministers would have ambitious, inclusive, action-oriented discussions by rising over differences. External affairs minister S Jaishankar today discussed with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang various challenges in bilateral ties and firmly told him that the military stand-off in eastern Ladakh must be amicably resolved in the large interest of the overall relationship. At the 45-minute meeting on the margins of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting, Jaishankar also told Qin that it was necessary to restore peace and tranquility along the border areas. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Jaishankar acknowledged that there were real problems between the two countries that needed to be discussed openly and candidly. “Met Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of #G20FMM this afternoon. Our discussions were focused on addressing current challenges to the bilateral relationship, especially peace and tranquility in the border areas. We also spoke about the G20 agenda,” Jaishankar tweeted. (See Pg5) NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Italian PM Giorgia Meloni in New Delhi.  SUBRATA DUTTA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH As Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni showered fulsome praise on his leadership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reiterated that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine could only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and that India was ready to contribute to any peace process. “From the very beginning of the Ukraine conflict, India has made it clear that this dispute can only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and India is fully prepared to contribute to any peace process,”he said at a joint press interaction with his Italian counterpart after wide-ranging talks between the two leaders. The PM said all countries have been affected by the crisis of food, fuel, and fertilizers arising out of the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine conflict. “These have had a particularly negative impact on developing countries. We have expressed our shared concern about this and have emphasized joint efforts to solve these problems. We are also giving priority to this subject during India's G20 presidency,” he added.In her remarks, Foreign ministers of the G20 countries today failed to come out with a joint statement due to sharp differences between the Western nations on the one side and the Russia-China combine on the other on the Ukraine conflict. External affairs minister S Jaishankar was left with no choice but to release a “Chair's Summary and Outcome Document” as the host of the meeting. He admitted that there were “divergences" in the meeting and it could not arrive at a common position on the Ukraine war after Foreign Ministers held discussions at the start of a two-day event in Delhi under India's presidency of the grouping. SNS Meloni described PM Modi as the most loved of all global leaders as the two countries announced the establishment of a ‘startup bridge’ between them. “PM (Modi) is the most loved one of all (leaders) around the world. This is really proven that he has been a major leader and congratulations on that,” the Italian leader said as Modi smiled. She also hoped that India, having the G20 presidency, could play a central role in facilitating a negotiating process for the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. “Keeping the multilateral community together is important and we hope the Indian presidency can do it even more,” she added.Meloni told Modi that India could rely on Italy and its cooperation for the G20 summit later this year. “I believe there is a lot we can do together,” she added. BJP keeps Tripura & Nagaland, mends fences with old ally in Meghalaya SNS& AGENCIES AGARTALA/KOHIMA/ SHILLONG, 2 MARCH The BJP retained power in Tripura for the second straight term by winning 32 seats, one more than the magic figure of 31 in the 60-member state assembly, for which elections were held on February 16. According to the results declared by the Election Commission on Thursday, the tribal-based Tipra Motha Party (TMP), which for the first time contested 42 seats on its own, emerged as the second largest party securing 13 seats. The CPI-M won 11 seats while the Congress bagged three. The CPI-M-led Left Front, which contested the elections in a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress, had fielded 47 candidates while 13 seats were allotted to the Congress. BJP ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) won the Jolaibari seat in southern Tripura.However, the Trinamul Congress, which carried out a high-voltage campaign in Tripura in the run-up to the elections, failed to open its account in the state. Most of the top BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Manik Saha, his cabinet colleague Ratan Lal Nath and Union minister Pratima Bhowmik, were reelected from Town Bordowali, Mohanpur and Dhanpur, respectively. However, Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Jishnu Dev Varma lost Apex Court orders panel comprising PM, LoP, CJI for selection of ECs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH In an important judgment to strengthen the independence of the Election Commission of India and to prevent any executive interference in its functioning, the Supreme court on Thursday unanimously ruled that the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners (ECs)will be appointed by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition (LoP) or the largest opposition party and the Chief Justice of India (CJI). Divesting the Prime Minister of the sole authority in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners, a fivejudge constitution in Charilam against TMP's Subodh Deb Barma by a narrow margin of 858 votes. State BJP President and first-time contestant Rajib Bhattacharjee lost in Banamalipur against former state Congress chief Gopal Chandra Roy by a margin of 1,369 votes. As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) crossed the majority mark by winning 37 seats in Nagaland, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday thanked the people of the state. ‘Don’t threaten the Chief Justice’, heated exchanges between CJI, SCBA president SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH bench headed by Justice K.M. Joseph said that the arrangement that has been put in place today for the selection and appointment of CEC and the ECs will continue till parliament enacts a law in conformity with it. The court in its order said, “We declare that as far as appointment to the posts of CEC and the ECs are concerned, the same shall be done by the President of India on the basis of the advice tendered by a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister of India, the LoP in the Lok Sabha and, in case, there is no such Leader, the Leader of the largest Party in the Opposition in the Lok Sabha having the largest numerical strength, and the CJI. Modi said that the double-engine government will keep working for the state's progress. As the counting of votes for the Nagaland Assembly elections continues, the BJP and its alliance partner crossed the majority mark needed to form the government in the state. According to the latest trends shared by the Election Commission at 6:10 pm on Thursday, BJP won 12 seats while NDPP won 25 seats. Congress bagged 6 seats and is leading on one seat. The Republican Party of India (Athawale) got two seats in the Assembly elections. The newbie Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which contested at 15 Assembly constituencies this year, also managed to open their account by securing a win on two seats. The Naga Peoples Front has won two seats. Nagaland chief minister and NDPP candidate Neiphiu Rio won the Northern Angami-II Assembly constituency, trouncing Seyievilie Sachu of the Congress by a mammoth margin of 15,824 votes. Nagaland BJP chief Temjen Imna Along on Thursday won the Assembly election from the Alongtaki constituency. The state BJP chief defeated Janata Dal (United) candidate J Lanu Longchar by a margin of 3,748 votes.The state also got its first woman MLA, since it attained statehood 60 years ago, today, after Hekani Jakhalu, a candidate of the ruling NDPP won the Dimapur-III Assembly constituency. In Meghalaya, which threw up a hung Assembly, Assam chief minister Himan- Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Thursday told the senior advocate and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Vikas Singh to not threaten him, during a hearing on the listing of the petition to convert a parcel of land which was allotted to the Supreme Court into chamber blocks for lawyers. Singh mentioned the matter before a bench headed by CJI and comprising Justice P Narasimha and sought .S. hearing on a case relating to an allotment of a parcel of land for lawyers' chambers. Singh said the matter has not been listed for six times. The CJI replied that it will be listed in ordinary course. Singh submitted that then "I have to come to your residence..." This statement angered the Chief Justice Chandrachud and he told Singh not to threaten the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice shouted at Singh, “Leave this court right now... You cannot cower us down!” Singh raised his voice and pressed for hearing in the matter, as he is answerable to the Bar. CJI replied, "Mr Vikas Singh, please do not raise your voice. As a president of the Bar, you should be a mentor and leader of the Bar. I am sorry you are reducing the level of the dialogue...you filed an Article 32 petition claiming that a land which is allotted to the Supreme Court of India should be handed over to the Bar for the purpose of construction of chambers..."The Chief Justice further added, "we will deal with the matter when it comes. Please do not try to twist our arm..." Singh said the court can dismiss the matter but then do not list it. CJI replied that he has given a date to Singh and it will be taken up on March 17, and it will not be listed at serial number 1. The CJI told Singh, “I am the Chief Justice of this court. I have been here since 29 March 2000. I have been long enough in this profession for 22 years. I have never allowed myself to be brow beaten by a member of the Bar, by litigant, or by any one else. And, I will not do that in the final two years of my career." Singh said he is not seeking any favour and people have been waiting for 20 years CMYK for the chambers, and if the Bar is cooperating with the court it does not mean that Bar should be taken for a ride. Chief Justice told Singh to sort out his agendas outside the courtroom and called out the next matter. According to the SCBA president the matter has been listed six times and not taken up and the matter was also mentioned three times. The Appu ghar land came to the Supreme Court on a petition by the SCBA and the bar was given only one block with reluctance and now the land on which 40 per cent was to be used for chamber construction, which was to begin during CJI Ramana's tenure. However, it got deferred because the Bar association wanted the entire land to be for chambers and its petition is pending and not being taken up for hearing. ta Sarma said that his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma called Union home minister Amit Shah to seek support to form a government in the state. Earlier, Sangma dropped a subtle hint of a possible post-poll alliance, as the latest counting trends pointed to the likelihood of a hung Assembly. According to the latest trends shared by the Election Commission at 6:33 pm on Thursday, the ruling National People's Party (NPP) won 21 seats and was leading in 5, while the BJP won 2 seats. The TMC, which is the principal Opposition in the state, won 5 seats while the Congress won 5 seats.The People's Democratic Front bagged 2 seats while the United Democratic Party won 11 seats. The Northeast state saw a triangular contest as Congress and CPI-M, which have been arch rivals for years, stitched a pre-poll alliance to defeat the ruling BJP . (More reports inside) Health Ministry receives Porter Prize 2023 for managing Covid situation DEEPAK RAZDAN NEW DELHI, 2 MARCH In a significant recognition of the Indian Government's holistic strategy for control and containment of Covid-19, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has been bestowed the Porter Prize, 2023. The prize was announced at “The India Dialog” organized by the Institute for Competitiveness(IFC) and the US Asia Technology Management Center (USATMC) at Stanford Univer sity, on 23 and 24 February. It was presented to the MoHFW in the virtual presence of Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and FamilyWelfare, and Mr Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, MoHFW. The theme of the conference was “The Indian Economy 2023: Innovation, Competitiveness and Social Progress.”The prize recognizes the strategy followed by the Government of India in managing Covid-19, and the approach and involvement of various stakeholders especially involvement of ASHA workers in the industry to create PPE Kits. The prize noted that “the idea of vaccine development and vaccine manufacturing and the scale that India achieved, was tremendous. India has delivered more than 2.5 billion doses today, which has just been amazing. The ministry took all the necessary steps to combat the Covid situation in the country.” Experts noted that the strategies followed by India in its Covid management have been very successful. They elaborated on the three cornerstones of India’s strategy~containment, relief package, and vaccine administration.