TUESDAY 28 MAY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘UNFORGIVABLE BETRAYAL OF THE PEOPLE’ P4 SENSEX 75,390.50 Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain likely to occur. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely be around 32°C and 24°C respectively. RAINFALL: 189.5 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 98% Min. 91% Max: 26.6°C (-8.5) SUN RISES 04:53 hrs MOON RISES 22:03 hrs Min: 25.0°C (-2.2) SUN SETS 18:15 hrs MOON SETS 07:54 hrs TEMPERATURE P5 NIFTY 22,932.45 WEATHER Full Moon on 6 June ‘RELIGION-BASED QUOTA THREATENS INTEGRITY OF THE COUNTRY’ ‘SPIRITUAL EMPOWERMENT IS REAL EMPOWERMENT’ P10 ` vs $ 83.13 GOLD 74,370.00 People buy umbrellas from a temporary roadside shop on a scorching hot afternoon in Amritsar on Monday.  ANI Record-high dividend transfer by RBI to h govt equivalent to 0.6pc of GDP: The ratings agency Fitch on Monday said the record-high dividend transfer by the RBI to the government is equivalent to 0.6% of GDP. It further said that such a high level of dividends as a percentage of GDP is unlikely to be maintained. Notably, the board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), last week decided to transfer a record Rs 2.1 trillion dividend to the government out of the profits earned in fiscal 2023-24. (P8) P12 SILVER 93,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 82.41 Remal fury leaves six dead in Bengal CM Mamata announces `2L compensation to the next of kin of those killed STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 26 MAY yclone Remal claimed six lives, including one unconfirmed so far, ravaging several districts in south Bengal, mainly South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas, East Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly and East Bardhaman since Sunday night. Many mud-thatched-houses in Hingalganj, Jharkhali, Bakkhali Frazerganj and Gosaba in the coastal belts of Gangetic West Bengal were also damaged. With a wind speed of around 130 kmph the severe cyclone had a landfall at Mongla (Bangladesh) between the coastal belt Sagar island in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh around 11pm on Sunday. The six victims of the cyclone include four men and a 80-yearold woman. The first victim was reported in Kolkata when a man died of his injuries after a wall collapsed due to the heavy shower on Sunday night at the Bibir Bagan area of Entally in the central part of the city. Roofs of thatched huts were blown away, uprooted trees blocked roads in Calcutta as well as in the coastal districts, and electricity C THUMBNAILS ‘ONE FORMAT MIGHT DROP OFF’ poles were knocked down causing significant power disruption in various parts of the state, including in the city’s outskirts, according to officials of the state disaster management department. Around 1,200 electric poles, including 300 in South 24-Parganas were uprooted by Remal. More than 300 huts in Sundarbans were also badly damaged since Sunday, according to the officials. The state government evacuated more than one lakh people from vulnerable areas mainly in the Sundarbans ahead of the cyclone's landfall. The chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the state chief secretary B P Gopalika to prepare a detailed report on casualties and damages of properties caused by the severe cyclone. In her X handle Miss Banerjee has assured to give monetary compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family members of the deceased. Several pockets in Ballygunge, Park Circus, Dhakuria and Alipore in South Calcutta, Behala in the West and College Street, Thanthania Kali Bari, CR Avenue and Sinthi in the northern part of the city and Shibpur, Salkia, Kadamtala, Tikiapara, Ramra- jatala, in the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) area remained waterlogged since Sunday night because of heavy downpour. Suburban train services from the Sealdah terminal station were also partially suspended for at least three hours, adding to commuters’ woes, before operations limped back to normal. Flight services at the Calcutta airport resumed on Monday morning after remaining suspended for 21 hours in view of Cyclone Remal. Airport sources, however, said it will take some more time for the situation to become normal. In a later update today, the Alipore Met office said ‘Remal’ weakened into a cyclonic storm at 5.30 a.m. on Monday, about 70 km northeast of Canning and 30km west-southwest of Mongla. The system is likely to gradually weaken further. Calcutta recorded a rainfall of 146mm in the period between 8.30 a.m. on Sunday and 5.30 a.m. on Monday, the weatherman said. The city recorded a maximum wind speed of 74 kmph, while Dum Dum in the northern outskirts of the city recorded maximum wind speed of 91 kmph, the Alipore weather office said. Kejriwal seeks 7-day interim bail extension to undergo medical d tests: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has filed a fresh plea with the Supreme Court requesting extension of his interim bail for undergoing a series of medical tests in view of his health complications, sources said on Monday. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, in his application, requested the court that he will surrender on June 9 after getting the required medical tests done. It has also been mentioned in the plea that a senior doctor has prescribed a host of full body tests which are necessary to be carried out before the AAP leader surrenders, they said. Since Kejriwal was taken into custody, he had witnessed weight loss, the sources said, adding that a sudden rise in ketone levels could be indicative of kidney damage, serious cardiac ailments and even cancer. Delhi Minister and senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said the party supremo’s bail extension has been sought to rule out the possibility of any serious health complications. “The doctors say Kejriwal’s weight loss and the high level of ketones indicate there could be a possibility of some serious issue, and to rule out any doubts, the kidney test and a PET scan of the whole body have been suggested,” he said. Kejriwal was granted interim bail by the apex court on May 10 up to June 1, in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi liquor policy scam. He was arrested on March 21 and was later sent to judicial custody after his custodial remand with the Directorate of Enforcement. Religion is personal, festivals are universal, says Mamata Revanna conveys his willingness to appear before SIT on 31 May in a video message STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JD-S MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexually abusing many women, announced in a video message that he would appear before the SIT on May 31 and fully cooperate in the investigation. The grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, who is seeking a fresh term in the Lok Sabha from Hassan as an NDA candidate, is at the centre of a brazen sexual scandal involving him in the exploitation of hundreds of women in his constituency. He left the country on April 27, a day after voting for the Lok Sabha elections in his constituency. In the self-made video, Revanna said, "I will appear before SIT on 31 May." He further said, "...When elections were held on 26th April, there was no case against me and no SIT was formed, my foreign trip was preplanned. I came to know KOLKATA, 27 MAY ThechancesofNarendraModi's return to power are slim and the saffron party will get around 200 seats in the ongoing general election, Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said today. She was addressing a rally in Burrabazar in support of the party'snominee,three-timeMP Sudip Bandyopadhyay. BJP has fielded Tapas Roy, who left Trinamul and joined the saffron brigadewhileCongresshasfielded veteran leader Pradip Bhattacharya.MissBanerjeeurgedthe people not to vote for the BJP as it has failed to give employment totheyouthandcontrolspiralling price rise. “Modi will come and tellsomanyliesbutheneverspeaks onunemployment.IITgraduates have failed to get jobs. Unemployment is at an all time high. Modi is not concerned at all he will come and speak volumes of lies.IhaveneverseenaPrimeMin- ister telling such lies. He has failed to keep promises and now is talking about guarantees. Rest assured these are all lies. He comes to disturb peace in Bengal. Here people from different communitiesandfaithlivepeacefully and happily.This is our culture and tradition.We respect all religionsandgotoattendthereligious festivals of every religion. I personally go to temples, mosques and churches. We believe that religion is personal butfestivalsareuniversal.BJPdoes notbelievethisandletslooseone community against the other." Miss Banerjee assured the cyclone-hit people that the state government would take care andthosewhosehouseshavebeen eitherfullyorpartlydamagedwill be built or repaired. Crops have beendamaged.“Fromyesterday evening I have been monitoring thereliefworkandkeptconstant touch with the disaster management department.” She said the ECI "has deliberately made seven phase election so that Modicouldgotodifferentplaces to do campaign. His election is scheduled on the last day,” she saidadding,“inBengalsevenphase electionhasbeendeliberatelydone just to keep pressure on the government.IfinTamilNaduwhich has 40 Lok Sabha seats, an election could be held in a day then why not in Bengal?”she asked. ShesaidBJPhasconspiredwith Congress and CPM to defeat Sudip Banerjee. "A media close to the BJP has distorted my speechandcirculatedit.Inmany areas fake videos against Sudip Banerjeehavebeenshowntowoo the voters. Please do not misunderstandme.Ifyoudonotlike me, it’s fine, but do not form any Between Jan-Apr, users faced over `1750 crore loss due to cybercrime STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 MAY According to the data available on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, between January and April 2024, over 740,000 complaints were lodged related to cybercriminal activities leading to monetary losses worth over Rs 1,750 crore. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) stated that in May 2024, an average of 7,000 cybercrime complaints were recorded daily. This marked a significant surge of 113.7 per cent compared to the period between 2021 and 2023, and a 60.9 per cent increase from 2022 to 2023. Additionally, 85 per cent of these complaints pertained to financial online fraud. The significant escalation in reported cases is evident from 2019 to 2024, with 26,049 complaints recorded in 2019; as many as 257,777 (in 2020); 452,414 (2021); 966,790 (2022); 1,556,218 (in 2023) and 740,957 in the first four months of 2024 alone. Further, the data from I4C said that the investment scams resulted in a loss of Rs 222 crore across 62,687 complaints, while dating apps caused losses amounting to Rs 13.23 crore in 1,725 complaints. The total financial toll inflicted by cybercriminals on Indians from January to April 2024 reached Rs 176 crore. It is to be highlighted that the report said that most victims fell prey to online investment fraud, gaming apps, algorithm manipulations, illegal lending apps, sextortion, and OTP scams. In 2023, the I4C reported over 100,000 investment fraud incidents. Digital arrests resulted in a loss of Rs 120 crore across 4,599 cases in the initial four months of 2024. Trading scams accounted for 20,043 cases, leading to a loss of Rs 1,420 crore to cybercriminals during the same period The I4C, established by the Ministry of Home Affairs, serves as a framework for law enforcement agencies to combat cybercrime. opinion against me on the basis of fake news." She urged people to vote for Banerjee to form a strong,sensibleandseculargovernment at the Centre.“Vote for Trinamul as it would be a powerful component in the INDIA bloc." Miss Banerjee later took part in a roadshow in favour of Sudip Banerjee. CM to skip INDI bloc meet: TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said that she can't join the INDI bloc meeting on 1 June as voting is scheduled for nine seats inWest Bengal on the same day. Banerjee said, "The INDIA team is holding a meeting on June 1. I have told them I can't join as we have an election on 9 seats in West Bengal on the same day. Punjab, Bihar & UP also have elections on June 1. On one side is the cyclone, and on the other side, it is elections - I have to do everything. Cyclone relief is my priority right now." STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 MAY about the allegations while I was on my trip... '' Prajwal Revanna alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders spoke about his sex abuse videos which made him go into depression and isolation, adding that it was a political conspiracy. “Rahul Gandhi and many other Congress leaders started talking about it and against me and a political conspiracy was formed against me... On Friday 31st May at 10 am I will appear before SIT and provide all information related to the investigation. I will support the investigation. I have faith in the judiciary..." he said. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is undertaking the process of canceling Prajwal's diplomatic passport under the provisions of the Passports Act of 1967 as well as related regulations. The Siddaramaiah-led Congress Government in Karnataka has written a letter to the MEA seeking the revocation of the diplomatic passport of the suspended JD-S leader. According to sources, the MEA is currently processing the Karnataka government’s request in this regard. Revanna is wanted in sex abuse cases after a pen drive containing his purported obscene videos went viral. After the videos went viral and a woman filed a case against him, he fled to Germany. On May 23, his grandfather Deve Gowda, in an emotionally charged message, warned him of ‘isolation’ if he didn’t return and face the law. The patriarch wrote an open letter directed to people vilifying the family over Prajwal’s sex scandal. Sanchar Saathi initiative: DoT and MHA get tough on SMS scammers STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 MAY The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has taken decisive action to protect citizens from potential SMS fraud through the Sanchar Saathi initiative, the Ministry of Communications said on Monday. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), MHA, provided information about the misuse of eight SMS headers for sending fraudulent communications for committing cybercrime. According to an action taken report (ATR) by DoT, more than 10,000 fraudulent messages were sent using these eight headers in the past three months. The principal entities that were owners of these eight SMS headers were blacklisted. All the 73 SMS headers and 1,522 SMS content templates owned by these principal entities were blacklisted. None of these principal entities, SMS headers, or templates can now be used CMYK to send SMS to any telecom operator. The DoT has prevented further potential victimisation of citizens by blacklisting these entities. The DoT reiterates its commitment to safeguarding citizens against cybercrime. Citizens can report sus- pected fraud communications at the Chakshu facility on Sanchar Saathi to help DoT in the prevention of misuse of telecom resources for cyber-crime and financial frauds. "It is not permitted to use mobile numbers for telemarketing activities. If a consumer uses their telephone connection to send promotional messages, their connection will be liable for disconnection on the first complaint, and their name and address may be blacklisted for two years," the Ministry said. Telemarketing calls can be identified by their prefixes: 180, 140, and 10-digit numbers are not permitted for telemarketing. To report spam, dial 1909 or use the DND (Do Not Disturb) service. Modi government reshaped Union Budget, improved credibility and sanctity: Nirmala Sitharaman STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27MAY Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday highlighted that over the last decade, the Union budget has become a 'strategic blueprint for equitable development'. She said that the Narendra Modi-led government has reshaped the Union budget from a mere record of expenditures to a strategic blueprint for equitable distribution with a vision of transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in governance. Taking to the social media platform X, the finance minister said, “We make judicious and efficient use of every rupee collected from our taxpayers and give them a transparent picture of public finances.” In a thread of posts, she said, "Our budgets are characterized by fiscal prudence, transparency, and inclusiveness, ensuring investments in social development and infrastructure.” The last decade has witnessed a substantial improvement in the sanctity and credibility of the Union Budget, leaving past constraints and archaic practices behind, she said in her tweet. “Guided by PM Narendra Modi’s vision of transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in governance, our government has reshaped the budget from a mere record of expenditures into a strategic blueprint for equitable development.” "This starkly contrasts the @INCIndia-led UPA government's repetitive practice of hiding the deficits through off-budget borrowings and issuance of 'Oil Bonds', which somewhat covertly shifted the fiscal burden to future generations. Under UPA, standard fiscal practices were routinely changed to make Budget numbers look favourable.”