CMYK WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR THE MANY CHALLENGES OF BEING NEPAL KOREAN TENSION P6 WEATHER Partly Cloudy sky. Rain/thundershower likely to occur in some areas towards evening/night.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 35 °C and 25 °C respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 84 % TEMPERATURE Max: 34.2 °C (0) SUN RISES 05:34 hrs MOON RISES 10:14 hrs ZELENSKYY, ATOMIC AGENCY CHIEF DISCUSS N- PLANT FEARS P7 P10 Corrupt elements joining hands: PM STOKES TO PLAY AS SPECIALIST BATTER P12 PRESIDENTIAL OFFERINGS Modi targets Opp unity, says they’re rattled after BJP wins STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 40 % NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH Min: 24.7 °C (+1) SUN SETS 17:51 hrs MOON SETS ----- hrs Full Moon on 06 April THUMBNAILS A pair of lions seen inside the enclosure at TATA Steel Zoological Park, in Jamshedpur.  ANI Provident fund body recommends 8.15 pc interest rate for EPF for FY 2022-23: The Central Board of 2 Trustees (CBT) of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has recommended an interest rate of 8.15 per cent for its subscribers for the current financial year 2022-23, up from 8.1 per cent last year.The 233rd meeting of EPG trustees was held today in Delhi under the chairmanship of Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav. The CBT recommended the figure balancing both the growth and PG8 surplus funds to have safeguards. rime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a scathing attack against the Congress and other like-minded parties, declaring that some political outfits have started a 'Bhrashtachari Bachao Abhiyan' under which all corrupt elements have joined hands. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a residential complex and auditorium of the BJP on Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg here, Mr Modi said: “All the corrupt faces of India are now coming together on one stage. At a time when India is on the cusp of achieving great things, it is natural that anti-India forces inside and outside the country are coming together.” “We have a strong foundation of Constitutional institutions. That's why to stop India from progessing, such institutions are being attacked. Agencies are being attacked if they take action, questions are being raised on court rulings. Some parties have started a Bhrashtachari Bachao Abhiyan,” the Prime Minister said. Mr Modi said, "For the first time in seven decades, action is being taken against the corrupt. When actions are taken, some people will be upset. But the Opposition's false allegations will not stop P President Droupadi Murmu along with Bengal Governor Dr. C V Ananda Bose visit Belur Math to offer prayers, (SEE PG2) in Howrah on Tuesday.  SNS Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanges greetings with BJP National President JP Nadda during the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, at Parliament House, in New Delhi on Tuesday. ANI the drive against corruption." The Prime Minister also recalled the journey of the Jan Sangh and said, "The journey began with just two Lok Sabha seats which has now gone up to 303. BJP is the only pan-India party, from East to West and from North to South. The BJP gives opportunity to the youth to make progress. "The country can never forget the black phase of 1984. The Congress got a historic mandate in that election, as it was an emotionally charged atmosphere. We were completely destroyed in that wave, but we weren't demoralised, nor did we blame others.” Earlier in the day, Mr Modi asked the BJP’s MPs to be prepared for a strong fight, saying there would be more attacks on the party from the Opposition in view of the ruling party’s performance in successive elections. He was addressing the BJP parliamentary party, which met in New Delhi for the first time in the second part of the ongoing Budget session of Parliament. The PM said the Opposition was “nervous” and “rattled” after the BJP’s performance in the Assembly elections in North-eastern states. He said they had reacted in a similar fashion after the BJP’s victory in Gujarat. “The more we win, the harsher their attacks will be and we should be ready for a strong fight,” Mr Modi was quoted as saying by BJP sources. (With input from agencies) Centre extends PAN-Aadhaar card linking dateline till 30 June 2023 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH The government has extended the deadline for linking income tax Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Aadhaar till 30 June 2023. The earlier deadline was 31 March 2023.Under the provisions of the Income Tax Act, every person who has been allotted a PAN as on 1 July 2017 and is eligible to obtain Aadhaar Number, was required to intimate his Aadhaar to the prescribed authority on or before 31 March 2023, on payment of a prescribed fee. Failure to do so would have attracted certain repercussions under the Act with effect from 1 April 2023.The date for intimating Aadhaar to the prescribed authority for the purpose of linking PAN and Aadhaar has now been extended to 30 June 2023. From 1 July 2023, the PAN of taxpayers who have failed to intimate their Aadhaar shall become inoperative. The consequences during the period that PAN remains inoperative will be that no refund shall be made against such PANs, interest shall not be payable on such refund for the period during which PAN remains inoperative and TDS and TCS shall be deducted/collected at higher rate, as provided in the Act. The PAN can be made operative again in 30 days, upon inti- mation of Aadhaar to the prescribed authority after payment of a fee of Rs.1,000.Those persons who have been exempted from PANAadhaar linking will not be liable for the consequences. This category includes those residing in specified states, a nonresident as per the act, an individual who is not a citizen of India, or individuals of the age of eighty years or more at any time during the previous year.More than 51 crore PANs have already been linked with Aadhaar to date. One time option for Ukraine-returnees Congress to hold Jai Bharat to complete MBBS, Centre informs SC Satyagraha across nation Licences of 18 pharma cos suspended STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE CM launches mega road project in Singur NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH Upon clearing the Part I and Part II examinations, the medical students will undergo two year of compulsory rotatory internship NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HOOGHLY, 28 MARCH Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee launched the Pathashree, Rastashree project at Ratanpur, Singur, on Tuesday. The project envisages the creation or upgradation of 12,000 km of roads in 22 districts of the state. Under the project Bengal will see 7,219 new roads with another 1,548 to be upgraded. Miss Banerjee said the entire expense will be borne by the state government since the Central government has stopped all development funds for Bengal. (See Page 3) The Centre on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that the students who returned to India in the wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine will be offered a single chance to clear the MBBS final, both Part I & Part II Examinations (Theory and Practical) without being enrolled in any medical college. The Centre told a Bench of Justice B. R. Gavai and Justice Vikram Nath: “The students may be offered a single chance to clear the MBBS Final, both Part I & Part II Examinations (Both Theory and Practical) as per existing NMC Syllabus and guidelines without being enrolled in any of the existing Indian Medical Colleges. They can give and clear the examination within a period of one year. Part I, followed by Part II after one year. Part II will be allowed only after Part I is cleared.” Appearing for the Central government, the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aish- warya Bhati, told the Bench that the theory examination could be conducted centrally and physically, on the pattern of Indian MBBS examination and practical could be conducted by some designated government medical colleges. Upon clearing the Part I and Part II examinations, the medical students will undergo two year of compulsory rotatory internship. First year will be free without any remuneration and the second year paid as has been decided by NMC for the previous cases. The Centre has said that the committee that dealt with the issue has emphasised that this will be strictly a one- time option and would not be precedent for similar deci- sions in future and shall be applicable only for the present matter before the court. In view of the Centre’s decision to give a one-time option to Ukraine-returned students to clear their MBBS, the court disposed of a batch of petitions filed by these students, who had completed their courses online and secured completion certificates from foreign universities but could not complete clinical training The Court had earlier asked the Central government to constitute a committee of experts to find out solutions for the students' situations. The court remarked that these students can be a national asset when the country is facing a dearth of doctors. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH The Congress Party will launch a Jai Bharat Satyagraha across the country from Wednesday to protest against the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha and to press for its demand for a probe into allegations of fraud against the Adani Group. Addressing a press conference, Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal said "The Jai Bharat Satyagraha is a protest against the erroneous conviction and disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, and to express the party's strong resolve to keep raising the voice of the people against the blatant loot of people's money and nation's wealth." As part of the protest programme, all block/mandal units of the Congress will hold ‘nukkad sabhas’ and address the public on relevant issues. Social media campaigns focusing on Rahul Gandhi's message to the poeple will also be car- Will vacate bungalow, says Rahul STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today wrote to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, saying he would abide by its order and vacate his Parliament-allotted 12, Tughlak Lane bungalow by 22 April. “Thank you for your letter of March 27, 2023, regarding the cancellation of my accommodation at 12, Tughlak Lane. Without prejudice to my rights, I will of course, abide by the details contained in your letter,” he said in a letter addressed to ried out to appeal for public support for the ‘Satyagraha’.The party will set up a war room to monitor the 'Satyagraha', which will culminate in Delhi with a big rally.On Wednesday, protests will be staged by the SC/ST/OBC/minority groups of the party at all district headquarters. On 31 March, press Mohit Rajan, Deputy Secretary in the Lok Sabha Secretariat. conferences will be held by state-level leaders at all district headquarters.Beginning 3 April, a campaign of sending postcards to the Prime Minister on the pressing issues will be launched by theYouth Congress and NSUI.From 15 April, simultaneous 'Jai Bharat Satyagraha' meetings will be held at the district headquarters. In a major development, the Central government has suspended the licence of 18 pharma companies in the country over the poor quality of drugs.A top official source on Tuesday said that the Drug Controller General of India had inspected 76 companies and the licence of 18 have been suspended, while 26 have been served show cause notice over poor quality of drugs. The Centre has also cancelled the product permission of three pharma companies. In a joint operation by Centre and the states, the action was taken against pharma companies across 20 states. The special drive had been initiated to stop the production of 'Not of Standard Quality' medicine and to ensure Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) of medicine across the country, said the source. A majority of the companies are from Himachal Pradesh (70),followed by Uttarakhand (45) and Madhya Pradesh (23). AGENCIES Umesh Pal kidnap case: Gangster Ahmad jailed for life Eyeing China, India to deepen its defence ties with African nations STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PRAYAGRAJ, 28 MARCH A Prayagraj court on Tuesday sentenced mafia don-turnedpolitician Atiq Ahmed and two others to jail for life in the 17-year-old Umesh Pal kidnapping case.The verdict came just over a month after Umesh Pal, the main witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case of 2005, was gunned down outside his Prayagraj residence on 24 February 2023.The court, however, acquitted Atiq Ahmad’s brother Ashraf, along with six others in the case. This was Atiq Ahmad’s first conviction in over 101 criminal cases registered against him.Atiq, with almost all his family members, figure in UP police records as InterState Gang number 227 with 121 gang members, and his history sheet number is 39A. Uttar Pradesh government The verdict came just over a month after Umesh Pal, the main witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case of 2005, was gunned down outside his Prayagraj residence on 24 February 2023 has already consficiated illegal property worth over Rs 1,100 crores so far from Atiq Ahmad and his aides so far. The other two convicted and awarded them life imprisonment under Section 364(A) of the IPC by the special MP/ MLA judge Dinesh Chandra Shukla were Dinesh Pasi and Khana Shaukat Hanif. They were also fined Rs 1 lakh each to be paid to the family of Umesh Pal. But seven accused including Atiq’s brother Ashraf were acquitted due to lack of substantial evidence, the court said. A total of 11 people including Atiq were named as accused in the 17-year-old case. One of the accused had died during the trial.On hearing his conviction verdict by the court, Atiq started crying, hugging his brother Ashraf. Lawyers in large numbers, meanwhile, raised slogans against Atiq demanding capital punishment. Some even tried to garland him with a shoe garland. The security personnel had a hard time to control the agitating lawyers. Ahmad and Ashraf are also accused of being involved in a conspiracy, while they were both in prison, to kill Umesh Pal. Umesh Pal was abducted 17 years ago on 28 February 2006, allegedly by Atiq and his henchmen, in what was said to be a bid to make him change his testimony in the Raju Pal murder case. On Tuesday, the MP/MLA court sentenced Atiq and two other accused to rigorous life imprisonment under Section364A/34, Section-120B, 147, 323/149, 341,342,504, 506.The entire family of Atiq is either in jail or absconding after daylight murder of Umesh Pal here on 24 February last. Meanwhile, both sides said that they will move Allahabad High Court.While Atiq’s lawyers said that as their client is suffering from several ailments, they will seek milder punish- ment, Umesh Pal's lawyers said they will oppose the acquittal of seven accused including Ashraf. Slain Umesh Pal’s widow, Jaya Pal said that though she wanted the court to give death sentence to Atiq Ahmed, still they are satisfied with the judgement. “I would appeal to the government that the Atiq’s entire family should be punished, otherwise their next target could be our family,” she said. Umesh Pal's mother Shanti Devi said that her family will accept today's verdict. “He (Atiq Ahmed) has been doing all the crimes sitting from the jail. If he dies then I will be satisfied. As my son was murdered, so he should be given similar treatment. We want death sentence for Atiq and his family involved in the murder of my son,” she said. CMYK STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH Amidst huge investments by China in the defence sector in Africa, India is also taking steps to further deepen its defence cooperation with countries in the continent. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today told the African nations that India would continue to work with them to promote regional security, foster stability and enhance their defence capabilities. He was addressing the first edition of the India-Africa Army Chiefs Conclave organised on the sidelines of the second Africa-India Joint Exercise ‘AFINDEX’ in Pune. The conclave was attended by Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Manoj Pande and mili- Defence minister Rajnath Singh with Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande during the India-Africa Army Chiefs’ Conclave, in Pune. ANI tary chiefs and representatives of 31 African nations, along with other civil and defence dignitaries. Mr Singh reiterated India’s commitment to providing support to African partner countries in all defence-related matters, including capability enhancement of their armed forces, to ensure their economic growth and social development. He emphasised that the full potential of a nation’s progress could be realised only when its security was ensured. He emphasised the need to build robust state structures which could cater to the needs and aspirations of the people. Mr Singh said that the joint exercises between India and African nations provide an excellent opportunity for the armed forces to learn from each other and promote interoperability.