FRIDAY 27 DECEMBER 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 POPCORN PARADOX SOUTH KOREAN OPPN SUBMITS MOTION TO IMPEACH ACTING PREZ MALAYALAM FILM MAKER MT VASUDEVAN NAIR PASSES AWAY P9 SENSEX 78,472.48q0.39 WEATHER SMOG/SHALLOW FOG IS LIKELY IN THE EVENING/NIGHT. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 20 AND 11 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. NIFTY 23,750.20p22.55 TEMPERATURE GOLD 78,595.00 P12 SILVER 1,00,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.66p0.49 The two-time Prime Minister and architect of India's economic reforms had been in poor health for the past few months STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER Min. 47 % Max: 30.5 °C (+2) SUN RISES 07:13 hrs MOON RISES 04:47 hrs ` vs $ 85.27 P8 Manmohan Singh passes away RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 100 % P6 BOXING DAY TEST: BATTERS HELP AUS DOMINATE OPENING DAY Min: 15.6 °C (+2) SUN SETS 17:33 hrs MOON SETS 14:26 hrs THUMBNAILS A view of Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas. n ANI India's defence exports touched record `21,083 crore in 2023-24: India's defence exports continue to rise touching a record Rs 21,083 crore (about $2.63 billion) in the FY2023-24, a growth of 32.5 per cent over the previous fiscal when the figure was Rs 15,920 crore. F ormer Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away here on Thursday. Singh, who had served as the Prime Minister during the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. The Congress veteran was brought to the AIIMS after his health condition deteriorated. In a statement, the AIIMS said: “With profound grief, we inform the demise of Former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, aged 92.” He was being treated for age-related medical conditions and had sudden loss of consciousness at home on Thursday, the premier institute said. “Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency at AIIMS, New Delhi at 8:06 pm. Despite all efforts, he “ "India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people's lives... Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji and I interacted regularly when he was PM and I was the CM of Gujarat. We would have extensive deliberations on various subjects relating to governance. His wisdom and humility were always visible. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the family of Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji, his friends and countless admirers. Om Shanti. Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 pm,” the AIIMS said. Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister for two terms in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2004 to 2014. He had been in poor health for the last few months. The former prime minister is survived by wife Gurcharan Singh and three daughters. Condoling the death of Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X wrote: "India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives." Manmohan Singh was a towering figure, and in a remarkable journey, he rose from humble beginnings to the highest office, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s economic and political landscape. From 1971 to 1996, Manmohan Singh held virtually all the key positions in economic policymaking. In 1991, he became 22nd finance minister, and unleashed a series of economic reforms that laid the foundation of India’s future growth and development. He is primarily known for “ “ Profoundly stunned and saddened by the sudden demise of our former prime minister Manmohan Singh ji. I had worked with him and saw him from very close quarters in the Union cabinet. His erudition and wisdom were unquestionable, and the depth of the financial reforms ushered in by him in the country are widely acknowledged. The country will miss his stewardship and I shall miss his affection. Mamata Banerjee Few people in politics inspire the kind of respect Sardar Manmohan Singh ji did. His honesty will always be an inspiration for us and he will forever stand tall among those who truly love this country as someone who remained steadfast in his commitment to serve the nation despite being subjected to unfair and deeply personal attacks by his opponents. He was genuinely egalitarian, wise, strong-willed and courageous until the end. A uniquely dignified gentleman in the rough world of politics. “ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Undoubtedly, history shall judge you kindly, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji! With the passing of the Former Prime Minister, India has lost a visionary statesman, a leader of unimpeachable integrity, and an economist of unparalleled stature... I mourn the loss of a lifelong senior colleague, a gentle intellectual and a humble soul who embodied the aspirations of India, having risen through the ranks with unwavering dedication. Mallikarjun Kharge turning around the economic history of Independent India between 1991 and 1996 as India's Finance Minister. Later, he became India’s 14th Kohli penalised for heated altercation with Konstas at MCG 64.64 cr votes polled in LS elections: ECI TRIDIB BAPARNASH STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Prime Minister with an uninterrupted tenure of 10 years (20042014), making him the country’s third-longest serving head of the Union government. NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER Former India skipper Virat Kohli has been docked 20 per cent of his match fee and awarded one demerit point for his heated exchange with Australia debutant Sam Konstas on the opening day of the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday. The incident took place early into the first session of play when Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders while moving across the pitch between overs. A heated exchange followed the confrontation, before Konstas' opening partner Usman Khawaja and umpire Michael Gough interrupted to cut the altercation short. Kohli was sanctioned for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct that relates to “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator during an International Match”. No formal hearing was required as Kohli accepted the sanctions. The collision between Kohli and Konstas evoked memories of the current Indian team's head coach Gautam Gambhir's intentional shoulder tackle of former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson in Delhi in 2008. While Gambhir’s behaviour resulted in a oneTest ban for the former southpaw, Kohli was fortunate to escape a major sanction. After the day’s play ended, Konstas suggested his contact with Kohli had been accidental. “I was just doing my gloves (up) and I think he accidentally bumped me. But I think that's just cricket, just the tension,” the 19year-old told reporters. Former cricketers-turnedcommentators Ricky Ponting and Ravi Shastri were among those to suggest Kohli was in the wrong after he barged into the batter between overs, sparking a tense exchange of words between the pair. “Have a look at where Virat walks. Virat walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation. No doubt in my mind, whatsoever,” observed former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri felt what Kohli did was “unnecessary”. NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER A total of 64.64 crore votes were polled in 2024 Lok Sabha elections as compared to 61.4 crore in the last general elections in 2019, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI). According to granular data of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections released by the poll panel, out of these, the total number of EVM votes polled were more than 64.21 crore and postal ballots 42.81 lakh. Dhubri Lok Sabha seat in Assam recorded the highest turnout at 92.3 per cent, while Srinagar parliamentary constituency in Jammu and Kashmir registered the lowest turnout at 38.7 per cent as compared to 14.4 per cent in the last general elections. According to the ECI, eleven parliamentary con- stituencies recorded less than 50 per cent turnout. The total number of NOTA votes polled were 63 lakh (0.99 per cent) in 2024 compared to 1.06 per cent in 2019, it said. More than 27 per cent voter turnout of transgender voters (third gender) was registered. A total of 12,459 nominations were filed in 2024, compared to 11,692 in 2019. Malkajgiri parliamentary seat in Telangana recorded the highest number of nominations at 114, while the lowest number of nominations were recorded from Assam’s Dibrugarh with three nominations. In the 2024 elections, 8,360 qualified as contesting candidates after rejection of nominations and withdrawals from among a total of 12,459 nominations filed across the country. The number of contesting candidates in the 2019 elections was 8,054. A total of 7,190 candidates forfeited their deposits, compared to 6,923 in 2019. The ECI said the release of data is in furtherance of its policy of maximum disclosure, greater transparency and accessibility of electionrelated data for all stakeholders including academia, research and the general public. Bank fraud cases increased to 18,461: RBI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER: In the first half of the current fiscal, the number of bank frauds witnessed a significant year-on-year increase to 18,461 cases. The amount involved in these frauds also jumped more than eight-fold to Rs 21,367 crore, data released by the Reserve Bank of India said. In its report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2023-24, the Reserve Bank of India presented the performance of the banking sector, including commercial banks, co-operative banks and non-banking financial institutions, during 202324 and 2024-25 so far. (Details on Pg 10) Our democracy's greatness is rooted in the fundamental principle of national unity: PM Modi NIKHIL VYAS Mr Modi stressed that the life of the Sahibzadas teaches people not to compromise on the integrity and ideals of the nation and similarly, the Constitution upholds the principle of India's sovereignty and integrity. NEW DELHI, 26 DECEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the magnitude of India's democracy embodies the teachings of the Gurus, the sacrifice of the Sahibzadas, and the mantra of national unity. Addressing the third Veer Baal Diwas programme at Bharat Mandapam here, Mr Modi said: "This year's Veer Bal Diwas is even more special as it marks the 75th year of the establishment of the Indian Republic and our Constitution." Veer Baal Diwas is a nationwide celebration honouring children as the foundation of India’s future. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister emphasised that in this 75th year of the Indian Constitution, every citizen of the country is drawing inspiration from the brave Sahibzadas to work for the unity and integrity of the nation. Mr Modi highlighted that the strong democracy of India was proud that this day was built on the bravery and sacrifice of the Sahibzadas. "Our democracy inspires us towards the upliftment of the last person in society," he said. "The Constitution teaches us that no one is small or big in the country," the Prime Minister said, adding that “this principle aligns with the teachings of our Gurus, who advocated for the welfare of all”. Mr Modi stressed that the life of the Sahibzadas teaches people not to compromise on the integrity and ideals of the nation and similarly, the Constitution upholds the principle of India's sovereignty and integrity. "The lives of the brave Sahibzades inspire us to uphold the integrity of our nation and never compromise on our values. Similarly, our Constitution emphasises the importance of prioritising India's sovereignty and integrity. Our democracy's greatness is rooted in the teachings of our Gurus, the sacrifices of the Sahibzades, and the fundamental principle of national unity," the Prime Minister said. Mr Modi said their government had started the Veer Baal Diwas in memory of the unparalleled bravery and sacrifice of the Sahibzades. Recalling the sacrifice of the brave Sahibzades, Mr Modi said it was imperative for today’s youth to know about their saga of bravery and therefore, it was important to recall those events too. He said that it was over three centuries ago on this day the courageous Sahibzades had sacrificed their lives at tender ages. The Prime Minister noted that despite the tender age of Sahib Zorawar Singh and Sahib Fateh Singh, their courage knew no bounds. Mr Modi added that the Sahibzades rejected all the temptations of the Mughal Sultanate, endured all the atrocities and chose to embrace the death sentence ordered by Wazir Khan with utmost bravery. The PM remarked that the Sahibzadas reminded him of the valour of Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and Guru Gobind Singh and this bravery was the spiritual strength of our faith. HeaddedthattheSahibzadas chose to sacrifice their lives but never wavered from the path of faith. The Prime Minister emphasised that ''Veer Bal Diwas teaches us that no matter how difficult the circumstances, nothing is greater than the nation and national interest''. Mr Modi said: "Every act done for the country is an act of bravery and every child and youth living for the country is a Veer Balak". Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu emphasised that patriotism fosters faith in the country's bright future. She noted that this sense of devotion inspires both children and adults to contribute to the welfare of the nation. President Murmu made these remarks while addressing the ceremony organised to confer the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar on the 17 children. Congratulating the awardees, the President stated that the nation and society take immense pride in their extraordinary accomplishments. She commended the children for their exceptional talents and boundless potential, calling them exemplary role models for other young citizens. The President underlined the importance of recognising and nurturing children's talents, a tradition deeply rooted in Indian culture. She expressed hope that by 2047, when India celebrates 100 years of independence, these award-winning children will emerge as enlightened citizens and key contributors to a developed India. Paying tribute to the courage and sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh's sons on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas, President Murmu recalled the martyrdom of Baba Ajit Singh and Baba Jujhar Singh. She also honored the sacrifices of the younger Sahibzadas, Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, who, at the ages of nine and seven, gave their lives for their faith and selfrespect. She described their sacrifices as immortal examples of bravery and devotion to the nation.