TUESDAY 30 MAY 2023 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P9 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. One or two spells of thundershower. Temperature will be in the range of 38-28 degrees Celsius. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.75% TEMPERATURE P5 Mamata likely to arrive early in Patna for Oppn meet She is likely to reach Patna on the evening of 11 June: TMC insiders KOLKATA, 29 MAY Max: 38°C Min: 28°C SUN RISES SUN SETS 04:52 hrs 18:16 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 13:45 hrs 01:23 hrs Full moon on 4 June THUMBNAILS Visitors ride e-bikes as they enjoy pleasant weather during rain at Kartavya Path in New Delhi on Monday. ANI Lone Congress MLA in West Bengal jumps ship to Trinamul: Bayron Biswas, the lone Congress legislator in the West Bengal Assembly, joined the Trinamul Congress on Monday, thus reducing the grand old party's strength to zero in the 294-member House. (P3) IAF chopper crash landing: An Apache AH-64E of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which was said to be on a routine mission, suffered a mid-air technical snag forcing the pilots to make an emergency precautionary landing in an agricultural field in MP’s Bhind district today morning. e s t Be n g a l Chief Minister and Trinamul Congress President Mamata Banerjee is likely to reach Patna a day in advance of the crucial meeting of all non-BJP parties convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on June 12. Trinamul insiders said that as per the present schedule, the Chief Minister is likely to reach Patna on the evening of June 11, which is a day ahead of the crucial opposition meeting. However, it was tight-lipped about the reasons for the Chief Minister's early arrival and whether there is any possibility of any separate meeting of her with any leader of any non-BJP party or her counterpart of any non-BJP ruled state. When Nitish Kumar, along with his deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had a meeting with Banerjee in Kolkata this month, she requested him to host the grand opposition alliance meeting at Patna only. He had agreed and finally convened that W meeting on June 12. It is yet to be seen whether the CPI-M will depute any leader for the Ju n e 1 2 m e e t i n g o n whether Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will be attending it. Meanwhile, Congress's West Bengal President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has already said that in the state, the Trinamool will continue to be an equal opponent like the BJP for his party. He had also expressed doubts if the BJP is trying to implant some 'Trojan Horses' within the opposition alliance. SACHIN, KOHLI’S LEGACIES ARE IMMORTAL P8 SNS& AGENCIES Min. 57% Praveen Srivatsava sworn in as CVC by Prez Murmu ‘GOVERNANCE GAPS NOTICED IN CERTAIN BANKS’ SITHARAMAN POSTS IMPRESSIVE REPORT CARD OF BJP'S 9-YEAR RULE ERDOGAN CALLS FOR ‘UNITY, SOLIDARITY’ AFTER SECURING 3RD TERM Chowdhury's concerns have been echoed by senior CPI-M leaders like the party's central committee member Sujan Chakraborty and party Rajya member Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya. Trinamool leaders like the Rajya Sabha member Dr Santanu Sen, however, feel that the arguments of the CPI-M and the Congress leadership in West Bengal are insignificant since they have no relevance. "When the entire country has identified Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the leader of the opposition, then what the CPI-M and Congress leaders in West Bengal say does not matter," he said. However, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari said that Congress' opposition to Trinamool in the state is just eyewash. "On one hand Adhir Ranjan is speaking of opposing Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, on the other hand, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi is the main saviour of Trinamool Congress and West Bengal g ov e r n m e n t i n t h e Supreme Court," he said. P12 Shah to reach violence-hit Manipur SNS& AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 29 MAY A day after fresh violence hit Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was set to arrive for a four-day visit to the state to assess the situation and plan further steps to restore normalcy there. The Minister will reach Manipur's capital city Imphal and stay in the state till June 1. The Home Minister will hold several rounds of security meetings during his stay in Manipur to assess the situation and plan further steps to restore normalcy, said sources. The visit was scheduled as five persons, including a Manipur Police Officer, were killed, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA's house was vandalised and over 1,000 arms and ammunition were reportedly looted by a mob from armouries of Manipur Rifles and IRB on Sunday while combined Central and state security forces gunned down more than 30 suspected Kuki militants in the state in last 48 hours. There are also reports of mob looting all arms and ammunition from the armouries of 7 Manipur Rifles at Khabeisoi, 2nd Manipur Rifles at Deulahane and 3rd India Reserve Battalion at Thoubal. As per security forces, fierce encounters are on between suspected Kuki militants and security personnel at the Kadangband and nearby Singda areas in the Imphal West district. Apart from attacking civilians in several foothills of Manipur, the militants also torched over 200 houses in three villages near Sugnu in the Kakching district late Saturday night. On May 14-15, Home Minister Shah also held a series of meetings with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and representatives of Meitei and Kuki communities as well as other stakeholders to review the measures taken for restoring peace in the state. Shah also held a meeting with the representatives of the Kuki Community from Manipur and a group of CSOs from Mizoram. During the meetings, the Home Minister reviewed the measures taken for restoring peace in Manipur which has witnessed violent clashes between two ethnic communities. He then directed strict action against the perpetrators of violence and assured complete support and help of the central government for ensuring lasting peace. Shah had then assured that the government would take all measures to protect various communities in the state, urged discussion with all factions and spread the message of peace and assured that justice would be done. Shah also stressed expediting the process of relief and rehabilitation to minimise the suffering of the people. Manipur faced violence on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The march was organised in protest against the demand for inclusion of the state's Meitei community in the ST category, following an April 19 Manipur High Court directive. Rahul says Cong will get 150 seats in MP; JD(U) to take stern action against RS deputy chairman CM Chouhan claims BJP will get over 200 PRANAV CHAUDHARY PATNA, 29 MAY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 MAY NEW DELHI, 29 MAY Vigilance Commissioner Praveen Kumar Srivastava was sworn in as the CentralVigilance Commissioner by President Droupadi Murmu here on Monday. In a tweet, the Rashtrapati Bhawan, which is the official Twitter handle of the President said: "President Droupadi Murmu administered the Oath of Office to the CVC Shri Praveen Kumar Srivastava at Rashtrapati Bhavan." Srivastava was working as the acting CVC since December last year after the completion of Suresh N. Patel's tenure as the Chief of the probity watchdog. The Commission is headed by a CVC and can have a maximum of two vigilance commissioners.SNS Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today expressed confidence that his party would win 150 seats in the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh due to be held towards the end of the year. He was talking to reporters after a meeting at the AICC headquarters convened by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss the party's strategy for the Assembly polls in the state. The meeting was attended, among others, by former state Chief Minister Kamal Nath and AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal. ''We had detailed discussions on the party's strategy for the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. Our inter- nal assessment is that we will get 150 seats...what we did in Karnataka, where we won 136 seats, we are going to repeat in Madhya Pradesh,'' Rahul said. The strength of the state assembly is 230. Reacting to the Congress leader's statement, Chief Min- ister Shivraj Singh Chouhan claimed the BJP would win over 200 seats in the state. ''The BJP is going to get more than 200 seats in Madhya Pradesh. Unko khayali pulao pakaane hai toh pakaate rahe (let him continue to dream,'' he said. The Congress formed government in the state after the Assembly polls in November 2018 since it had emerged as the single largest group. In November 2018, elections in Madhya Pradesh were held for all constituencies of the Legislative Assembly. In March 2020, a political erupted in the state due to the resignation of 22 sitting MLAs of the Congress, leading to the fall of the Kamal Nath government and the subsequent formation of the fourth Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government. All is not well with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his party ahead of the proposed meeting of non-NDA opposition party leaders in Patna on 12 June. The latest victim is likely to be the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh. The party made a scathing attack on him today for his participation at the inaugural function of the new Parliament building on Sunday, when the vice president was not even invited to the function. The party is likely to take some serious disciplinary action against him soon. Harivansh, a journalist and politician, has been the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha since August 2018 on JD(U) quota. He has been a mem- Cambodian King arrives for talks with PM Modi & other leaders Teen stabbed to death by boyfriend, accused held STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 MAY NEW DELHI, 29 MAY King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni arrived here this afternoon on a three-day visit to India that is expected to further boost ties between the two nations. He was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh. The King will have meetings with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow. He will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning following which he will pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on the King. President Murmu will host a state banquet in his honour in the evening. The visit marks the culmination of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Cambodia. This visit by the King of Cambodia is taking place after almost six decades, In a shocking and gruesome incident, a 16-year-old girl was stabbed to death by her boyfriend more than 20 times and also hit with a boulder in outer North Delhi's Shahbad Dairy area on Sunday evening, police said on Monday. Sahil (20), the accused, was arrested by the Delhi Police from Bulandshahr (UP) on Monday. A senior police official said Sahil, who allegedly stabbed Sakshi, a resident of JJ Colony in Shahbad Dairy area, to death, works as a Fridge-AC mechanic. Deputy Commissioner of Police Suman Nalwa said, "We have arrested the accused, Sahil from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh.Yesterday, we received information late at night that a girl had been murdered. Immediately, our staff reached the site of the crime and formed multiple teams to nab the accused. He was later identified and now has been arrested." She said an investigation is underway and “we will ensure that the accused gets a maximum punishment for the crime". A video of the incident is also with the last being that of the current King’s father in 1963. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India and Cambodia enjoy warm and friendly relations marked by civilisational, cultural and economic linkages and deep-rooted people-to-people ties. The multifaceted relationship is based on shared cultural values, commitment to foster economic growth, collaboration in the fields of defence and security and convergence on regional and global issues. India actively assists Cambodia in capacity building and human resource development. India has also extended grants and concessional loans for developmental projects. Conservation and restoration of the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Preah Vihar are being carried out under India's funding. New Delhi has extended a grant of $1.5 million for the purchase of demining equipment and has offered a line of credit worth $50 million for the procurement of defence equipment from India. doing the rounds on social media in which the youth, who is wearing a blue T-shirt, can be seen stabbing the girl even as around seven to eight bystanders are watching the crime taking place in front of their eyes. A man wearing a dark red-coloured shirt tries to intervene but was pushed away by the killer who continued to stab the poor girl while warning the crowd to disperse. As the girl was lying on the ground motionless, the accused kicks her multiple times before hitting her with a boulder five times. He then briefly leaves the scene, but returns shortly after to hit the girl once again with the boulder, kicks her multiple times, and then finally flees the spot. Reacting to the incident, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed shock over the brutal murder of the 16year-old girl. The incident, he said, has exposed the deteriorating law and order in the capital and indicates that the criminals have no fear of law. Delhi Education Minister Atishi also slammed LGVK Saxena and asked him to "pay attention" towards law and order in the National Capital. ber of the Upper House since 2014. The chief spokesman of the JD(U), Neeraj Kumar, while talking to reporters today said, “In order to protect his post, Harivansh ji has sold out his conscience and intellect. From the post as a journalist, the party had elevated him to a Rajya Sabha member”. The JDU had boycotted the inaugural function of the new building of the Parliament. In contrast, JDU party lead- ers organised a day-long protest dharna in Patna on Sunday. Harivansh was seated along with PM Modi and speaker Om Birla on the main dais. Other than receiving and seeing off the PM, he spoke thrice. Apart from his own speech, he also read the long messages of President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. “I don’t know what action would be taken against him by the party leadership, but his action is undoubtedly not acceptable for us”, added Kumar. After CM Nitish's JD(U) broke away from the BJP in August of last year, rumours regarding his future abounded. But at that time, party leaders determined that although the RS deputy chairman had been chosen as the NDA candidate, he did not need to resign from his position. Several JD(U) leaders, including Upendra Kushwaha, RCP Singh, and Meena Singh, have already deserted the party in the last few months. The latest is the former JDU MP from Begusarai, Monazir Hasan. Monazir resigned from the primary membership of JD(U) on Sunday. He has already sent his resignation letter to party president Lallan Singh. Odisha Cabinet approves new rural housing scheme STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 29 MAY The Odisha Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday approved a new housing scheme called "Mo Ghara" in an attempt to provide financial assistance to the lower and lower middle income households in rural pockets. Entering the fourth year of his fifth term in office, the CM’s election year announcement was a clear attempt to blow the wind out of the sail of the Opposition BJP which has been hammering home the charge of misappropriation of PMAY ( rural housing scheme) funds and irregularities in the list of such beneficiaries. The Union Government had also pulled up the state in this regard by conducting an inquiry. The BJD government had rebutted the charges and stated that the allocation of PMAY houses was much less than what was required . The state BJD leadership had even announced that if the centre fails to provide PMAY houses, the state government will do so. Today’s cabinet meeting took several decisions and the most prominent one related to the Mo Ghara scheme to cover all such families who were left out in the existing housing schemes due to stringent eligibility criteria or due to insufficient allocation by the union government and also those who had received housing assistance of smaller amounts in the past and now want to upgrade or expand their houses. This is a credit-linked housing scheme with capital subsidy which is fully funded from the State Budget. This scheme aims at construction, extension, up-gradation, completion of houses. Under the Scheme, a beneficiary can avail housing loan up to Rs. 3 lakh which can be repaid in 10 years excluding 1 year moratorium period in easy installments. They can opt for one of the four slabs of the loan amountRs. 1 lakh, 1.5 lakh, 2 lakh and 3 lakh, according to a statement issued by the State Government on Monday.The eligibility criteria framed by the government for reaping benefits under the new scheme includes among other things the below Rs 25,000 monthly income for the beneficiary family. The family, staying in a kutcha house or one pucca room with RCC roof not availing governmental housing assistance of more than Rs 70,000, is entitled for inclusion in the new scheme. Around 4 lakh beneficiaries are targeted to be covered under the new housing scheme with estimated financial implications of Rs 2,150 crore over a period of two years. A dedicated web portal is being launched for filing of online applications, monitoring and implementation of the scheme. The applications will be received through this portal from 16 June 2023. The applicant will invest a minimum of I0 percent of the loan amount as margin money either in shape of cash or kind or labor.