THURSDAY 16 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 BIDEN, XI MEETING IS AIMED AT GETTING TIES ON BETTER FOOTING SUBRATA ROY’S STORY FROM RAGS TO RICHES P8 SENSEX 65,675.93742.06 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30 °C and 22 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY P9 NIFTY 19,675.45231.90 P6 ` vs $ 83.1419 PAISE GOLD 61,040440 Min. 46 % Max: 30.3°C (0) SUN RISES 05:49 hrs MOON RISES 07:34 hrs Seven-star Shami carries India through to WC final Min: 21.1°C (+1) SUN SETS 16:54 hrs MOON SETS 18:22 hrs TRIDIB BAPARNASH MUMBAI, 15 NOVEMBER anishing the ghosts of the 2019 World Cup semi final against New Zealand four years ago in Manchester, there was a sense of invincibility as Rohit Sharma welcomed Trent Boult with a boundary off the fourth delivery of the first over, and stayed true to the set template of setting the tone with a hurricane knock for the likes of Shubman Gill (80 not out), Virat Kohli (117 off 113) and Shreyas Iyer (105 off 77) to flourish and propel the team to the highest total in any World Cup knockout match by racking up 397 runs. In response, New B Full Moon on 27 November THUMBNAILS President Droupadi Murmu with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union MoS for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi interact with artists after paying tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda during the celebration of 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' at Parliament House complex, in the Capital on Wednesday. SNS Fire in running train, many injured: Several passengers were injured when a fire broke out in the general coach of New Delhi-Darbhanga Clone Express in Etawah on Wednesday. GRP sources said that the fire was reported in the general coaches of train number 02570 and the train has stopped at Saraibhupat station, about 10 km from Etawah. According to the information received, the fire broke out in S-1 and S-2 coaches. There was a stampede in the coach after the fire. Zealand, the finalists of the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, were kept in the hunt by Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell, who came up with a solid counterattack to put together 181 runs for the third wicket and then by a 75-run stand between Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, before Mohammed Shami (7/57) tilted the momentum with a burst of wickets to propel the home side to the 19 November final in Ahmedabad. The Kiwis lost openers Devon Conway (13) and Rachin Ravindra (13) in identical fashion, caught behind by KL Rahul off Shami, before skipper Williamson and Mitchell came together to almost dash India’s hopes. While Williamson took some time to get his eye in, Mitchell went after the Indian bowlers and went on to slam his second century of the tournament in 85 balls, before Shami arrived for a third spell to break the partnership. With New Zealand (Turn to page 12) Average St. Rate 100s Runs HS 50s 8676 254* 49.3 55.2 29 29 ODI 291 India's Virat Kohli celebrates his Century during the first ICC Men's Cricket World Cup semi-final. IANS 279 44 13794 183 58.6 93.6 50 71 T20 115 107 31 4008 122* 52.7 138.0 1 37 Virat Kohli also has scored 7 centuries and 50 fifties in IPL matches, with 113 his highest score Kohli also went past Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 673 runs, most in a single ODI World Cup, in Wednesday's semi-final and went on to become the first batter to score 700 runs in an ODI World Cup. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 82.150.32 MSMEs to be main thrust area in next week’s BGBS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 15 NOVEMBER STELLAR CAREER - Kohli in International Cricket Matches Innings Not Out TEST 111 187 11 P12 SILVER 74,7001,700 Virat Kohli scores 50th ton as India put up massive 397; New Zealand bowled out for 327 Max. 90 % TEMPERATURE BABAR STEPS DOWN AS PAK CAPTAIN FROM ALL FORMATS CAMERON BACK I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage ~in the World Cup Semi-final ~and at my home ground is the icing on the cake SACHIN TENDULKAR The Bengal government’s thrust area in the forthcoming two-day Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), scheduled to be held on 21 and 22 November, is the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). The two-day business meet is expected to be attended by business and industry leaders from different parts of the country and abroad. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be present at the inaugural ceremony that will be held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town. Meetings are likely to be held at Dhana Dhanya auditorium and Mila Mela ground. Senior state government officials will sit this week to finalise the programme schedule and the venues. It is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s target to make Bengal number 1 in MSMEs in the country. Currently it occupies the second position. The state government has launched the Bhabishyat Credit Card, which offers subsidy-linked and collateral-free loans for setting up new ventures, projects or micro enterprises in manufacturing, service and business, trading and agrobased activities.Around Kejriwal recommends suspension of 39 people dead as bus falls into 300-ft gorge in J&K, PM announces ex gratia Delhi chief secy in corruption case STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 15 NOVEMBER Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has recommended the suspension of Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar (photo, far right) to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. Mr Kejriwal has forwarded a vigilance report on charges of corruption levelled against the chief secretary to the LG, sources said. According to the sources, Mr Kejriwal has issued directions to vigilance minister Atishi to send the report to probe agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The development came a day after Atishi, after initiating a probe into the matter, submitted the 670-page preliminary report to Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the alleged corruption in the acquisition of a piece of land for the Dwarka Expressway project against Naresh Kumar. According to the report, the probe found that Naresh Kumar unduly benefited a company linked to his son in the land acquisition for the road project. Atishi, in her report to the CM, also recommended immediate removal the chief secretary, along with Addi- tional Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar, so that they do not influence the investigation, sources said. The report also mentions a “conspiracy” hatched by senior officers of the Vigilance Department, including the chief secretary, to undervalue the scale of the scam against the actual compensation award that would have resulted in a much more illicit gain to the beneficiaries, sources said. The corruption complaint alleged Naresh Kumar’s involvement in increasing compensation for a land parcel in Bamnoli village to unduly profit from an organisation linked to his son, Karan Chauhan. However, denying the allegation, Delhi Additional Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar had said on Monday that the claim of links between the chief secretary and the owners of the land acquired for Dwarka Expressway were "false and baseless". Terming it a case of character assassination of the chief secretary through false allegations, he said the top official, in fact, had taken action to undo the wrong that happened in this regard when the matter regarding the increased compensation came to light. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE CM Mamata Banerjee will be present at the inaugural ceremony that will be held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town 4,500 owners of MSME units have received the card and the applications of 17,000 owners have been approved, said Chandranath Sinha, state minister for MSME. The government has opened camps to bring 20,000 owners of MSME units under the scheme. Miss Banerjee during her trip to Spain and Middle East had spoken of the facilities that are available for MSME units in Bengal and why Bengal is the ideal destination for investors. Some of the key players in the sector are likely to come to the city to attend the BGBS. After coming to power in 2011, Miss Banerjee set up clusters for the MSME units. In the past one decade the MSME units have done excellently, giving job opportunities to youths. Rescue work for trapped workers in Yamunotri tunnel delayed STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 15 NOVEMBER DEHRADUN, 15 NOVEMBER At least 39 people lost their lives on Wednesday after their bus skidded off the road and plunged into a 300-feet gorge in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The ill-fated bus carrying 56 passengers was on its way to Jammu from Kishtwar Kishtwar when it fell into the gorge near Trungal-Assar on the Batote-Kishtwar national highway, they said. "Four critically injured persons were flown in anair ambulance to the medical college at Jammu for treatment," Deputy Commissioner, Doda, Harvinder Singh said. He said preliminary enquiry into the mishap indicated that the bus had jumped the new crash barrier and plunged into the gorge on the wrong side of the road. According to officials, Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters have been rushed to the site to rescue the injured and admit them to the medical college hospital. Expressing grief over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. "The bus accident in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir is distressing. My condolences to the families who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Rs. 50,000 would be given to the injured," he said in a post on X. Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh said all possible help is being provided to the affected people. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also expressed his condolences over the loss of lives in the accident. Work that started late Tuesday night to create an escape passage through several dozen metres of debris to rescue 40 workers trapped in the collapsed tunnel on the Yamunotri Highway was stopped midway due to problems with the drilling machine. A new machine is being flown in with the help of the Indian Air Force. The drilling work that was started with the help of a horizontal auger machine last night was stopped owing mainly to its slow pace. It was intended to insert 800 MM diameter steel pipes through about 69 metres of debris in the collapsed tunnel to create an escape passage for the workers, trapped now for over three days. (Pg 5) India to host second edition of Israel-Hamas war poses challenge to plan for IMEC: FM Voice of Global South Summit AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 15 NOVEMBER STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 15 NOVEMBER India will host the second Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS) on Friday in virtual format. The summit will be structured into 10 sessions. The inaugural and concluding sessions will be hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The theme of the inaugural leaders’ session is “Together, for Everyone’s Growth, with Everyone’s Trust” and that of the concluding session is “Global South:Together for One Future”. In addition, there will be eight ministerial sessions, a statement said on Wednesday. It may be recalled that India had hosted the inaugural Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS) on January 1213 January also virtually. This The summit will be structured into 10 sessions. The inaugural and concluding sessions will be hosted by PM Narendra Modi unique initiative brought together 125 countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform. Throughout its G20 Presidency, India has worked to ensure that the concerns of the Global South receive due cognizance and that the priorities of the Global South were duly factored in finding solutions to the most pressing global challenges. The second VOGSS will focus on sharing with countries of the Global South the key outcomes achieved in various G20 meetings over the course of India’s Presidency. The challenges posed by global developments are also likely to be discussed. Further, the summit will serve as a platform to discuss ways to sustain the momentum generated towards our common aspiration of a more inclusive, representative and progressive world order, it said. Themes of the ministerial sessions are "India & the Global South: EmergingTogether for a Better Future”; "Making Human Resources Future Ready”; "Financing PeopleCentric Development”; "Sustainable Solutions for Climate Resilience and Climate Finance”; "Affordable & Inclusive Energy Transition for Sustainable Development”; among others. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman admitted on Wednesday that the IsraelHamas war poses a challenge to the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Connectivity Corridor (IMEC) which is aimed at improving connectivity and cutting emissions. The agreement on the IMEC project was signed at a G20 meeting in New Delhi in September this year under India’s presidency. The rail and ports corridor is envisaged to pass through Israel linking the Middle East and South Asia, and part of the US strategy to counter China's Belt and Road push on global infrastructure. The corridor “is not without its geopolitical challenges and the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza is a worrying Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar presents a momento to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the IndoPacific Regional Dialogue 2023, at the Manekshaw Centre, in New Delhi on Wednesday.  ANI manifestation of these," Ms Sitharaman said at the IndoPacific Regional Dialogue 2023 here. However, she maintained that the project would be a win-win situation for all stakeholders as it will put in place a more efficient system of CMYK transportation that will reduce logistics costs, increase economic unity, create more jobs and lower carbon emissions. “It is a multimodal economic corridor that incorporates multiple networks of shipping, railways, and roadways and will also include electricity cables, high-speed data cables, and a hydrogen pipeline,” Ms Sitharaman said. The IMEC will be predominantly maritime in nature. This will connect Indian ports such as Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority in Mumbai, Mundra and Kandla (Gujarat), with West Asia’s ports including Fujairah and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and Saudi Arabia’s Dammam and Ghuwaifat ports. There will also be a rail segment that will continue the IMEC and provide connection to the Saudi Arabian cities of Haradh and Al Haditha, onward to the port of Haifa in Israel. “The final segment, which some call the Northern Corridor, will once again be a maritime segment connecting the port of Haifa to the Greek port of Piraeus and there on to Europe,” Ms Sitharaman added. The IMEC, she noted, will create a reliable and costeffective cross-border, shipto-rail transit network to supplement existing maritime and road transport, and facilitate trade and connectivity, leading to the economic integration of South Asia,West Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. “India is entirely conscious of the fact that, over the foreseeable future, India's comprehensive national power is going to remain inextricably linked to the ocean. We are seized of the pressing need to grow the maritime sector as a whole and our government is determined to provide the requisite support by way of fiscal policy and financial outlay,” the Union finance minister said. (More on Pages 5, 10)