SATURDAY 04 NOVEMBER 2023 www.thestatesman.com twitter.com/thestatesman facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘DEEP TECHNOLOGIES REWRITING THE VERY CHARACTER OF WAR’ ‘NO COMPROMISE ON IDEOLOGY’ P7 SENSEX 64,363.78282.88 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. SHALLOW FOG IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 30 AND 16 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 96 % TEMPERATURE Max: 30.0°C (-1) SUN RISES 06:35 hrs MOON RISES 23:06 hrs ` vs $ 83.264 PAISE THUMBNAILS Idols of Goddess Kali await assembly ahead of Kali Pujo at Kumartuli in Kolkata on Friday.  BISWAJIT GHOSHAL Two killed, several injured in stampede in Bihar's Chapra: Two women devotees were killed and several others injured in a stampede at a religious event in Bihar’s Chapra city on Friday morning. Over a hundred devotees had assembled for 'Gayatri Yagya' in the Masti Chak locality. As soon as the gate of the 'Yagya' was thrown open, the devotees rushed in recklessly resulting in a stampede. NEW DELHI, 3 NOVEMBER DEADLY AIR B attered by toxic air, Delhi continued to reel under 'severe' air quality on Friday as residents struggled to breathe easily. The Average Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital increased to 470 this evening, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Okhla phase-II recorded the worst air quality as per the pollution control authority data with AQI level here shooting to 499 at 4 pm ~ around 100 times the limit deemed to be healthy by the World Health Organisation. Seven areas recorded toxic air with 'severe' AQI levels measuring above 490, as per the CPCB. These include Okhla phase-II, IGI Airport, Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, Dwarka Sector-8, Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, Najafgarh, and Sirifort. According to the pollution control agency, the AQI between 401and 500, Smoky haze blanketed the skyline of the national Capital on Friday. SUBRATA DUTTA With high levels of relative humidity, dust and smog in the air rendered the city’s atmosphere hazy throughout the day. The concentration of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 exceeded the safe limit, which is also a cause of health concerns Commuters in the city experienced discomfort in breathing, along with other problems such as irritation in the eyes. under the 'severe' category, affects healthy people while seriously impacting those with existing diseases. The concentration of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 exceeded the safe limit, which is also a cause of health concerns. Commuters in the city experienced discomfort in breathing, along with other problems such as irritation in the eyes. On streets, in buses and metro trains, many people were seen wearing face masks to protect themselves from Investor-friendly policies have taken food sector to new heights: PM Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 NOVEMBER STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 NOVEMBER India’s food sector has seen significant growth due to investor-friendly policies, with the processed food industry receiving Rs 50,000 crore in FDI in the last nine years, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Modi inaugurated the second edition of World Food India 2023. Disbursing seed capital assistance for over one lakh Self Help Groups (SHG) members, the Prime Minister said the high levels of investments in the food sector were the results of the government’s pro-farmer and pro-industry policies.“We have started a PLI (produc- ‘We are becoming over-suspicious’: SC on PIL seeking EVM-VVPAT tally AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 3 NOVEMBER The Supreme Court on Friday, while hearing a petition filed by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) seeking a direction to crossverify the vote count in Electronic Voting Machine (EVMs) with votes "recorded as cast" in the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), observed that the petitioners are becoming overly suspicious. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S.N.V Bhatti heard the plea that sought a declaration that voters had a fundamental right to verify that vote has been "recorded as cast" and "counted as recorded" from the top court and cross-verification of EVM data against VVPAT records. While hearing senior Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for PIL filed by ADR, Justice Sanjiv Khanna remarked, "We are becoming over-suspicious." GOLD 61,750110 P12 SILVER 74,100700 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 87.42 SC orders AAP MP to tender unconditional apology to RS chairperson Air pollution reaches near-maximum level possible in Delhi, 100 times WHO's limits Min: 16.8°C (+1) SUN SETS 17:35 hrs MOON SETS 13:19 hrs Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday. The two leaders exchanged views on developments in the West Asian region. Both leaders expressed deep concern at terrorism, deteriorating security situation and the loss of civilian lives in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Mr Modi has been expressing concern over the activities of Hamas. The two leaders called for an early resolution of the security and humanitarian situation. Mr Modi has been expressing concern over the activities of Hamas. The two leaders called for an early resolution of the security and humanitarian situation. P9 Red alert: Toxic air leaves Delhi gasping AGRAJ PRATAP SINGH Min. 44 % PM speaks to UAE president on West Asia situation P5 NIFTY 19,230.6097.35 ‘BEST BOWLING ATTACK THAT INDIA HAVE EVER HAD’ CHHATTISGARH POLLS: AMIT SHAH UNVEILS BJP MANIFESTO Bhushan, while making his argument, had said that if only 2 per cent of EVMs were currently cross-verified and even if 10 per cent have a problem, then the chance of one of those EVMs being picked out of five randomly selected EVMs is only 40 per cent. “Election Commission is saying that counting five EVMs per constituency, which amounts to 2 per cent, gives us 99.999 per cent confidence that EVMs are fine...Now, I've been a student of Mathematics. If only 2 per cent of the VVPATs are counted...let's take only one con- stituency, even assuming that in 10 per cent of EVMs, there is a problem, the chance of one being picked up out of the 5 randomly selected is only 40 per cent" Bhushan said in the court. Justice Khanna, however, replied that it was done to ensure EVMs are not tampered with. Bhushan further requested the court to list the case on a non-miscellaneous day. He further told the bench that he wanted to show the court the judgement by the highest court in Germany. However, Justice Khanna reminded Bhushan that India has its judgements and the population of Germany cannot be compared to the numbers in India. "What's the population of Germany versus the population of UP? How can we compare? They have enough hands over there. Counting by hand also needs to progress. It's a big problem," Justice Khanna remarked. tivity-linked incentive) for the food processing sector. Under this, industry and new players are getting special assistance,” he said. Investments of thousands of crores of rupees are being encouraged in processing infrastructure for fisheries and animal husbandry. In the last nine years, Mr Modi said the share of processed foods in agriexports has increased from 13 per cent to 23 per cent. The rise in processed food exports was 150 per cent during the period. India is globally at No. 7 by making over 50,000 million USD in agro-exports, he said. India got its first-ever agriexport policy during his government’s tenure, along with a network of nationwide logistics and infrastructure, the Prime Minister said. More than 100 district-level hubs, connecting districts to global markets, have been set up. Chandrasekhar upset by leftover food on Vistara aircraft’s floor STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 NOVEMBER Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar has expressed his dismay over the condition of a Vistara aircraft's cabin. He had opted for Vistara for his return to India following his participation in the AI Safety Summit in the UK. He took to social media to express his disappointment over the state of the airline. Upon boarding the aircraft, he was disheartened by the sight of discarded water bottles and half-eaten food scattered on the cabin floor, which he captured in a photograph and shared. the toxic air. With high relative humidity, pegged at 94 per cent in the morning, as per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), dust and smog in the air rendered the city’s atmosphere hazy throughout the day. The coming 15 days would be critical as far as the city's pollution levels are concerned, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai had said. Meteorological conditions are such that the pollution is likely to be stagnant with low wind speed and drop in temperature, the minister had said. Meanwhile, the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday evening imposed Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-III as the air quality was recorded under a 'severe' level, while measures under GRAP-I, II are already in place to curb the rising pollution. Plying of BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel cars has been banned from plying on Delhi roads till further orders as part of the GRAP-III. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 NOVEMBER The Supreme Court on Friday directed AAP MP Raghav Chadha to tender an unconditional apology to Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar with regard to his indefinite suspension from the Upper House. Heading a Bench comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud expressed hope that the Rajya Sabha Chairperson would take a “sympathetic” view of the matter. The court's directive came after Chadha's lawyer recorded his statement that the MP had no intention to undermine the dignity of the House and that he would seek an appointment with the Rajya Sabha Chairperson to tender an unconditional apology. Baghel received `508 cr from Mahadev app promoters: ED AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 3 NOVEMBER Four days before the first phase of the crucial Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday claimed that state chief minister Bhupesh Baghel was paid Rs 508 crore by the promoters of the Mahadev online betting app. The ED said that it received credible inputs and conducted successful search operations on 2 November in Chhattisgarh in which Rs 5.39 crore cash has been inter- cepted in the poll-bound state. "ED conducted searches at Hotel Triton and another location in Bhilai and successfully intercepted cash courier Asim Das who was sent from UAE especially, to deliver a large amount of cash for electioneering expenses of the ruling Congress," it alleged.