12 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 SUNAK FACING CIVIL WAR IN PARTY OVER FUTURE OF HOME SECY GUV SLAMS KERALA GOVT AS KUTTANAD FARMER KILLS SELF P3 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. SHALLOW FOG IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 27 AND 14 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min: 13.8°C (-1) SUN SETS 17:30 hrs MOON SETS 16:44 hrs Rear Admiral Dhankhar takes over command of Eastern Fleet: Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar took over command of the Eastern Fleet, the Sword Arm of the Eastern Naval Command, from Rear Admiral Gurcharan Singh, on 10 November 2023. P7 Since taking office in 2014, PM introduced numerous welfare schemes & adopted policies D iwali smiles on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he smiles on the transformation India has seen, with a new style of governance pursued by him during more than nine years of his administration. Since taking office in 2014, Mr Modi introduced numerous welfare schemes and adopted policies to expand infrastructure, with positive impact on indigenous production and employment opportunities. In every decision, his mission was hundred per cent saturation, benefiting people in every corner of the country. Mr Modi’s economic campaigns and social projects were underlined by his philosophy of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. As if to leave no doubts about the intent of his programmes, he expanded it to Sabka Saath-Sabka VikasSabka VishwasSabka Prayas. As the schemes and projects ini- tiated by him saw fruition within few years of his term in office, he never missed an opportunity to lay fresh goals for himself and the nation. “We have reached among the top five economies, I emphatically say that we will be among the top three economies within this decade, and in 2047 this nation will become Viksit Bharat.” There was never a moment when he had doubts about his vision, although he saw the world passing through untold miseries, conflicts and economic distress. As India became the fastest growing economy, he asked people to pursue goals of progress tirelessly. He took just pride while saying that 13.50 crore people have come out poverty in five years. This meant poverty can be overcome; it will be a thing of the past, if the nation remains firm on its determination to march ahead, he said. The Prime Minister knew the PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Pradhanmantri Mudra Yojana, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, UPI Digital Payments and Start Up India were yielding results. But the nation had to keep its goal of Viksit Bharat always in focus. Mr Modi was able to guage the nation’s self-confidence after Chandrayaan-3’s success and the extraordinary manner India organised the G20 Summit, achieving unprecedented unanimity on all issues. Modi’s government started with Jan Dhan bank accounts in every village and a toilet revolution across the nation. The digital thrust began with Ru Pay and Aadhaar’s sinking in MGNREGA workers’ 3 Bangladeshi tourists PM: Anti-Dalit Congress & BRS charred to death at Dal pretending to oppose each other Lake houseboat fire STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HYDERABAD, 11 NOVEMBER STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 11 NOVEMBER Three tourists from Bangladesh lost their lives in a massive fire that consumed at least five houseboats on Saturday in Srinagar’s Dal Lake. The charred bodies of the tourists were recovered hours after the houseboats were reduced to ashes in the tourist hub. The three Bangladeshi nationals were staying in the ‘Safeena’ houseboat that was destroyed in the fire. The fire spread to other houseboats and tourist huts attached to them. Three bodies, including one of a man and another of a woman, were recovered from the debris of the gutted houseboats near the ghat number 9 near the boulevard. The fire broke out early in the morning and destroyed property worth crores of rupees. The cause of the fire, which consumed five houseboats P12 Diwali smiles on Modi as he smiles on confident India NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER TEMPERATURE Max: 26.3°C (-3) SUN RISES 06:42 hrs MOON RISES 06:28 hrs P10 DEEPAK RAZDAN Max.100% Min. 49% MARSH’S CENTURY HELPS AUSTRALIA CLINCH 8-WICKET WIN INDIAN DIASPORA IN AMERICAN FOCUS Three bodies, including one of a man and another of a woman, were recovered from the debris of the gutted houseboats and an equal number of huts attached to them, was not immediately known, but preliminary reports said an electric short circuit might have been the cause. National Conference leader Tanvir Sadiq, expressing grief over the death of three tourists said it is crucial that all houseboats are mandated to install fire extinguishers to avert such tragedies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday alleged that the Congress and the BRS were only play-acting and pretending to oppose each other in Telangana. But in Delhi, the PM said, the BRS was neck-deep in corruption with the AAP which was a staunch associate of the Congress-led alliance. He warned that the two parties were not only alike when it came to corruption but also were also anti-Dalit. The Prime Minister also announced that the Centre has decided to buy an additional 20 lakh MT ton of boiled rice from Telangana and directed the state government to ensure there are no tardiness in procuring rice from farmers. The BRS had been involved in a tussle with the Centre after FCI refused to buy the parboiled rice from Telangana after the state increased its production substantially following the availability of water due to irrigation projects and copious rainfall. The public rally held at Secunderabad Parade Ground today was organised by a Dalit organisation, Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi. A numerically strong group among the Dalit community the Madigas and their prominent leader Manda Krishna Madiga were also honoured by the Prime Minister as he sought their forgiveness for the betrayals by various political parties that failed to keep the promises made to them over the years. Addressing the rally, he also urged the Madiga community to be wary of the Congress as well as the BRS since both were anti-Dalit. “BRS is anti-Dalit and Congress is no less,” cautioned the Prime Minister. He pointed out that while BRS raised the demand of a new Constitution and insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar, Congress didn’t want his portrait in the Central Hall of the Parliament or to award him the Bharat Ratna. He also reminded them how BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao had promised to make a Dalit the chief minister but betrayed them later and also failed to distribute plots of land among landless Dalit families. He went on to say that the Congress and BRS were also alike when it comes to corruption. “Often one state cooperates with the other on matters of development projects. But the BRS government with the AAP government in Delhi worked together for the multi-crore Delhi liquor scam. These people cooperate not for work but for corruption,” said the Prime Minister. records. Today, India has the largest digital transactions in the world. The PM’s thrust on digital transfers of money was meant to ensure transparency in financial transactions, and elimination of corruption and middlemen. The Government’s initiatives were part of the new style of governance which tolerated no cheating with the poor. Growth of infrastructure meant more industry and employment opportunities. During the current financial year, the Government earmarked the largest ever budget of Rs 10 lakh crore for infrastructure, and provided more for States’ own initiatives. India is a leading mobile manufacturer in the world today. India’s exports have beaten all records. Highway construction jumped from 12 kilometres a day in 201314 to 30 kilometres a day in 2022-23. Metro connectivity increased from five cities in 2014 to 20 cities this year. The number of airports in the country went up (Turn to Page 5) EAM to visit Britain from 11-15 Nov STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the United Kingdom from 11 to 15 November, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday. “India and the UK have a growing bilateral partnership. During his visit, the EAM will be holding discussions with his counterpart, Foreign Secretary Sir James Cleverly and will meet several other dignitaries,” the MEA said. India and the UK share a “warm and thriving relationship”, it said in a statement. The India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was launched in 2021 along with the India-UK Roadmap 2030. “The Roadmap is a commitment to a partnership that delivers for both the countries. The EAM’s visit will give a new impetus to the friendly ties between the two countries,” the MEA said. WC: India look to maintain clean slate against Netherlands TRIDIB BAPARNASH BENGALURU, 11 NOVEMBER To begin with, the IndiaNetherlands contest is a nobrainer, at least in the context of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023, with the hosts riding on a eight-match unbeaten streak and already qualifying for the knockouts while the visitors are reeling at the bottom of the points tally, with the match merely being played as a formality. For the Netherlands, their ambitions of qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy with a top-eight finish will likely rest on them beating India at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday. However, it would be a Herculean task for the Dutch side, the only Associate nation at the World Cup and which appear to be running out of steam after consecutive defeats. India, meanwhile, have convincingly won eight games out of eight, flooring their opponents to secure the top spot in the group and a semifinal berth against the team that finishes fourth. Although on paper, the clash appears to be one between David and Goliath, it would be unfair to completely underestimate the visitors, as the Netherlands have the skills to upset any side on their day. And they showed it when they upset South Africa earlier in the tournament and their victory over Bangladesh was equally impressive. They will however need all their star players to be at their best to topple India, with the performances of Bas de Leede, Max O'Dowd, Logan van Beek and skipper Scott Edwards pivotal to their hopes. As far as India is concerned, the team management might be tempted to rest a few of the star players to keep them fresh for the semifinals, and bring in players who have been warming the bench. In such a scenario, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna and Ravichandran Ashwin could get a look in for the contest. Also, with their opening partnership witnessing a minor glitch in the last few games, India will look to fine-tune that department going into the knockouts. 50th ODI ton for Kohli? With 543 runs under his belt so far in the tournament, former India skipper Virat Kohli will look to get past the 600-mark in a 50-over World Cup for the first time in his career. But more than anything, the fans will be expecting the prolific runmachine to get to the landmark 50th ODI century. The Delhi batter got to a record-equalling 49th ODI ton on his 35th birthday against the South Africans in Kolkata, and needs one more ton to get past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. India to face NZ in semis: Page 12 Policing in India has gone hi-tech over the past decade AGRAJ PRATAP SINGH NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER Policing in India has witnessed multi-dimensional advancements during the past decade, especially in terms of becoming more hitech, more accessible to people with the incorporation of technology and much-reduced response time, and many other improvements such as stepping up security. Experts say the advancements have been made at the grassroots level with the integration of police stations and the network of police through digitalization with the evolvement of Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) that have proven a game changer in the overall functioning of the law and order agencies. According to the data published by the government, the various benefits of CCTNS are now available to each of the state police forces with the launch of a digital police portal by the government of India in August 2017 that empowers police officers with a facility that helps in the investigation, policymaking, data analytics, and research through a national database of crime record. According to a senior police official, earlier, simple recordkeeping and maintenance of records and their processing alone engaged a lot of manpower across the police system. However, the computerization and use of software not only saved a lot of time but also reduced the use of manpower which could be put to use in more crucial assignments. Now, the police have better access to records and overall data across various departments and states, which helps in not only solving cases Experts say the advancements have been made at the grassroots level with the integration of police stations and the network of police through digitalization with the evolvement of Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems that have proven a game changer in the overall functioning of the law and order agencies but also understanding, and breaking patterns of criminals which has helped in crime prevention. Police officials say detection of crime through software tools, technical assistance, and predictive nanalysis of patterns of crime various such tools have become better than before, and help in prevention as well as taking measures against criminal elements. With the police documentation processes becoming paperless to a great extent with the use of upgraded technology during the past decade, record keeping has become very efficient It has helped the complainants in a big way as they can now make use of soft copies, and store them in a better way than before. Another very important aspect of the transformation in policing is the inclusion of an advanced network and the use of CCTV over a couple of years that has helped police personnel a lot in every dimension, be it prevention of crime, solving cases, surveillance, and vigilance. The use of CCTVs has also come as a deterrent to criminal activities. Unlike in the past now antisocial elements think twice before executing a crime, or even if they do, they are unable to evade the law as eas- ily as they could earlier. It has to an extent helped reduce the blind spots in an area, especially those that are sensitive and prone to criminal activities. The police are now equipped with drones and other advanced equipment such as tablets and other devices mounted in their patrolling vehicles and PCRs that keep them connected enhancing communication through the internet. Internal communication: According to a senior officer with the SSB, one of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), internal communication of the police has witnessed a major improvement during the past decade in terms of ease, speed, and effectiveness. Now, the overall internal communication has become faster, safer effective, and barrier-free, which adds to the efficiency of police personnel in policing. There are so many things that are to be communicated, like circulars, orders and information, which have become better than before now with the technological advancements. Police units these days have their own apps which help their personnel in many ways such as accessing services and important information as part of the force. Similarly, national communication standards were released by the Union home minister during the Heads of PPDR Conference in 2020, as some states had well-developed police communication, while others were lagging behind in this respect. Therefore, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) felt the need for the formulation of national standards for the communication needs of the state police departments, including wireless communication, and bringing uniformity in the adoption of state-of-the-art technology available by all states and Union Territories (UTs). Modernisation of equipment: Under the scheme of Modernisation of Police Force (MPF), states have been provided Central assistance for acquiring advanced weaponry such as AK-47 and INSAS Rifles, police equipment such as CCTV surveillance systems, modern communication equipment, and state-ofthe-art equipment for state intelligence branches and state forensic science laboratories, a report said. The CAPFs, especially those guarding borders have advanced equipment that helps prevent trans-border crimes such as infrared cameras, long-range surveillance equipment, etc.