MONDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘TRUMP’S APPEARANCE AT ARLINGTON A POLITICAL STUNT’ ‘OUR GOVT COMMITTED TO WELL-BEING OF GIG, PLATFORM WORKERS’ P8 WEATHER Thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. Storms could contain frequent lightning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32 °C and 27 °C respectively. P9 P4 Anti-rape Bill: Two-day special session of state Assembly to begin today Both road and rail traffic between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have halted STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Max. 90% Min. 78% HYDERABAD, 1 SEPTEMBER Min: 27.3˚C SUN SETS 17:52 hrs MOON SETS 17:37 hrs N KOLKATA, 1 SEPTEMBER Among the Telangana districts, Khammam was the worst affected with floodwaters sub­ merging most of the low­lying areas, leav­ ing people stranded and appealing for res­ cue. TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 3 September THUMBNAILS Two Asiatic lions (male named Aryaa and female Vasudha) seen at Sarthana Nature Park, in Surat on Sunday. n ANI IndiGo flight diverted to Nagpur after bomb threat: An IndiGo flight from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh to Hyderabad in Telangana was diverted to Nagpur in Maharashtra on Sunday morning following a ‘bomb threat’ on board. The ATR 72-600 aircraft departed from Jabalpur airport around 8 am and was scheduled to land at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at about 10 am. ine people have so far died in Andhra Pradesh while one person died and several people were washed away in flash floods as relentless rain disrupted life in both Telugu states following the formation of a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal. Both road and rail traffic between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have halted as roads went under water and rail tracks were submerged. Among the Telangana districts, Khammam was the worst affected with floodwaters submerging most of the low-lying areas, leaving people stranded and appealing for rescue. The government has issued flashflood risk warning for 19 districts of Telangana. While the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation commissioner urged people to remain indoors after IMD issued an orange alert for the city, all schools, NTR district revenue administration officials make special arrangements for railway passengers following severe flooding, in NTR District on Sunday. n ANI government run or private in the Hyderabad district's limits will remain closed tomorrow in view of the prevailing weather conditions and forecast of heavy rain. According to Hyderabad district collectorate the announcement for was made keeping in view children’s safety. In a tragic incident, a father-daughter duo on their way to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport were washed away in flash floods. GST collections in Aug rise 10 pc year-on-year at `1.74 lakh crore AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 1 SEPTEMBER Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections in August, in gross terms, were at `1.74 lakh crore, with a yearly jump of 10 per cent, data showed on Sunday. In August 2023, the total collection was to the tune of `1.59 lakh crore. CGST, SGST, IGST, and cess all increased year-onyear in August, official data made available showed today. So far in 2024, the total GST collection has been 10.1 per cent higher at Rs 9.13 lakh crore, as against Rs 8.29 lakh crore mopped up in the corresponding period of 2023. In April, the total GST mop-up surged to a record high of `2.10 lakh crore. Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections in July were ` 1.82 lakh crore. In May and June, the collections were at `1.73 lakh crore and `1.74 lakh crore, respectively. During the financial year 2023-24, the total gross GST The incident occurred at Maripeda mandal of Mahabubabad district where the Akeruvagu stream overflowed and water flooded a bridge at Purushothamaiahgudem. The victims were identified as Nunawat Motilal and Nunawat Ashwini from Khammam districts and while Ashwini’s body has been recovered, her father is still missing. Telangana minister Ponguleti Srinivas related that despite efforts to Tejinder Singh takes over as Deputy Chief of Air Staff MHA sets up inter-ministerial team to assess flood situation NEW DELHI, 1 SEPTEMBER rescue a labourer family in his own constituency in Paleru they were swept away and the rescue team could only save one of the family members. The adverse weather conditions thwarted efforts to rescue people by using helicopters. People were marooned in several places Khammam town since morning due to heavy flooding of the Munneru river. The floodwaters were still rising, making rescue quite difficult. Several videos of people appealing for rescue flooded the social media. The deputy chief minister requested the Indian Navy for helicopters to rescue several families trapped in Prakash Nagar and Thirthala Valya Thanda areas of Khammam town, The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), led by the Executive Director, the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), to assess damages caused by rainfall and floods in Gujarat. The IMCT will shortly visit the floodaffected districts of the state. During 25-30 August, Gujarat was severely affected by heavy to extremely heavy rainfall due to a deep depression formed over Rajasthan and Gujarat. MP and Rajasthan were also affected by heavy to very heavy rainfall. Himachal Pradesh has also been affected by various spells of heavy rainfall and SNS landslides. NEW DELHI, 1 SEPTEMBER President Droupadi Murmu Sunday lamented the fact that poor people from villages are afraid to go to court and become participants in the justice process only under great compulsion. “Often they tolerate injustice silently because they feel that fighting for justice can make their lives more miserable. For them, going away from the village to the court even once becomes a cause of great mental and financial pressure,” she said. In such a situation, many people cannot even imagine the pain that poor people experience due to the culture of adjournment. Every possible measure should be taken to change this situation, the President said. She was speaking at the valedictory session of the two-day National Conference of District Judiciary, organised by the Supreme Court of The Trinamul Congress government is all set to table a Bill providing for capital punishment for convicted rapists in a two-day special session of the state Assembly that starts tomorrow. The Bill would be tabled for discussion and passage on Tuesday, the second day of the special session. The Bill, whose full details are not yet in the public domain, reportedly proposes to treat all rape cases on a par with murder; it is also said to provide for a life term as minimum punishment for the crime of rape. The Bill is intended to address the widespread outrage and ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital earlier this month. “I will tell the Speaker to call the special session and in 10 days the law to ensure capital punishment for rapists. We will send the bill to the governor,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said at the Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad foundation day event on Wednesday. AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 1 SEPTEMBER collection was recorded at `20.18 lakh crore, with an 11.7 per cent increase compared to the previous fiscal year. The average monthly collection for the fiscal year, that ended in March 2024 stood at `1.68 lakh crore, surpassing the previous year's average of `1.5 lakh crore. The surge in recent GST collections reflects a positive trajectory for India's economy, underscoring robust domestic consumption and buoyant import activity. The figures bode well for the country's fiscal health and economic recovery efforts, signalling resilience amidst global uncertainties. India, in New Delhi. She also unveiled the flag and insignia of the Supreme Court on the occasion. President Murmu said that pendency and backlog of cases are big challenges before the judiciary and stressed the need to ponder upon the serious issue of cases remaining pending for as long as over 32 years. The President said that since its establishment, the Supreme Court of India has made an invaluable contribution as a vigilant sentinel of the judicial system of the world's largest democracy. Indian jurisprudence has a very respectable place because of the Supreme Court. She appreciated the contribution of all present and past people associated with the Indian Judiciary. She was happy to note that on the completion of 75 years of its establishment, the Supreme Court has organised many programmes that have increased people's trust and attachment towards our judicial system. The President said that the feeling of faith and reverence towards justice has been a part of the tradition of India. She referred to her address on a previous occasion and reiterated that people consider every judge in the country as God. ''Every judge and judicial officer of our country has the moral responsibility to respect dharma, truth and justice. At the district level, this moral responsibility is the lighthouse of the judi- ciary. The district-level courts determine the image of the judiciary in the minds of crores of citizens. Therefore, providing justice to the people through the district courts with sensitivity and promptness and at a low cost is the basis of the success of our judiciary,'' she added. The President said that in recent years there have been significant improvements in the availability of infrastructure, facilities, training and human resources of the judiciary at the district “I know he [the governor] won’t do anything. But he will have to sign it. Or else women will sit in front of the Raj Bhawan. This time he won’t be able to send it to the President for consideration,” Mamata Banerjee added. The chief minister had earlier written twice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for a stringent antirape law and for swift punishment for the culprits in such cases. Dhankhar also slammed Supreme Court Bar Association President Kapil Sibal for calling the shameful incident a Âsymptomatic malaiseÊ and suggesting that such incidents are commonplace. NEW DELHI, 1 SEPTEMBER Air Marshal Tejinder Singh on Sunday took over as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) of the Indian Air Force at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan) in the national capital. After assumption of his new appointment, the Air Marshal paid homage to the bravehearts, who gave the supreme sacrifice, by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial here, the Ministry of Defence said. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Marshal Tejinder was commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF on June 13, 1987. He is a Category 'A' Qualified Flying Instructor with over 4500 hours of flying, an alumnus of Defence Service Staff College and National Defence College. SNS The Bill is intended to address the widespread outrage and ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last month. RG Kar horror: VP Dhankhar hits out at ‘stray voices’ adding pain, ‘silence’ from certain sections The horrific rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in Kolkata "is barbarity expressed in extremity, shaming humanity", and not an "occasion to vie with each other", Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar said on Sunday. In his address at AIIMS Rishikesh, the Vice President lauded the healthcare community, and expressed a deep concern over the rising violence against the healthcare workers. He also lashed out at "stray voices" that only "aggravate our excruciating pain". "They are adding a bucket full of salt to our injured conscience," he said. Dhankhar also slammed Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Kapil Sibal for calling the shameful incident a "symptomatic malaise" and suggesting that such incidents are commonplace. "When it comes from someone who is a member of parliament or a senior advocate, then the culpability is of extreme degree. There can be no alibi for such demonising thoughts," the Vice President said. "I call upon such misguided souls to revisit their thoughts and publicly tender an apology." The Vice President also called out “certain NGOs” over their silence on this Prez Murmu regrets poor become participant in justice process only under compulsion STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE P12 Rain batters Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, at least 10 dead RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 32.4˚C SUN RISES 05:19 hrs MOON RISES 04:28 hrs RAVI RONGALI FINISHES 5TH IN MEN'S SHOT PUT F40 FINAL MAMMOOTTY WELCOMES HEMA COMMITTEE REPORT level. But, a lot remains to be done in all these areas. She was confident that rapid progress would continue on all dimensions of reform. She emphasised that programmes such as special Lok Adalat week should be organised more frequently. This will help in tackling the pendency of cases. All stakeholders have to find a solution by giving priority to this problem. She was happy to note that many aspects related to case management were discussed in one of the sessions of this conference. She expressed confidence that these discussions will yield practical results. The President said that the Indian Constitution provides for the power and responsibilities of the Legislative and Executive bodies at the local level through Panchayats and Municipalities. She asked if the country could think of a justice system at the local level equivalent to these. She stated that making arrangements to provide justice in the local language and local conditions can help in achieving the ideal of taking justice to everyone's doorstep. She said that when court decisions in a heinous crime like rape come after a generation has passed, the common man feels that the judicial process lacks sensitivity. She stated that it is a sad aspect that, in some cases, people with resources continue to roam around fearlessly and freely even after committing crimes. Those who suffer from their crimes live in fear as if those poor people have committed some crime. The President said that the children of women who are in prison, have their entire lives lying ahead. “Our priority should be to assess and improve what is being done for their health and education,” she said. She stated that juvenile delinquents are also in the early stages of their lives. issue. He said their "silence is much worse than the culpable act of the perpetrators of this heinous crime". "This is not an occasion to vie with each other, to earn brownie points or score political mileage, this is nonpartisan," he said, while calling for a "concerted effort". Vice President Dhankar’s comments reflect outrage by the medical fraternity over the incident in Kolkata. Meanwhile, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) on Saturday asked the Union government to implement the Healthcare Central Protection Act in the wake of ‘repeated’ physical and sexual assaults on medical professionals, particularly female doctors while on duty. During their protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, FAIMA President Dr Rohan Krishna said that although the act was in force during the Covid-19 crisis, it was not tabled in the Parliament and could not be implemented. Two killed, including pregnant woman, in Manipur flare-up STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE IMPHAL, 1 SEPTEMBER The temporary lull in the ongoing conflict between Kukis and Meiteis in Manipur came to an abrupt end on Sunday afternoon when suspected Kuki extremists dropped bombs using drones in Koutruk and Senjam Chirang villages in Imphal West District. The bombs which fell in the populated areas killed a pregnant woman and another. The deceased woman's young daughter was also injured. This was followed by a heavy barrage of gunfire from automatic weapons from the hilltops which resulted in injuries to eight others. Officials said that abrupt attack caused widespread tension and panic leading to many villagers, including women, children, and elderly persons, fleeing to safer places. The deceased and the other injured people were at their homes when the bombing and firing started all of a sudden. Many houses were also damaged. Curfew has been clamped all over Imphal West district from 7 p.m. to prevent any untoward incidents happening in the wake of the incident. Yesterday, members of the Kuki community had carried out rallies in the areas they dominate calling for the sacking of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh charging him with genocidal intentions following the leakage of audio tapes which they claim show him taking a blatantly partisan role in the ongoing conflict between the two communities. (Representational image)