TUESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘CHANGE INEVITABLE IN ASSAM’ STALIN RAKES UP THREAT OF DELIMITATION TO TAMIL NADU ‘UKRAINE READY FOR COMPLETE PRISONER SWAP’ P8 SENSEX 74,454.41 q856.66 WEATHER MIST LIKELY IN THE MORNING.PARTLY CLOUDY SKY.THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 28 AND 12 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 97 % TEMPERATURE P4 NIFTY 22,552.50 q243.40 ` vs $ 86.71 P9 GOLD `88,965.00 THUMBNAILS Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated with a garland made of fox nuts (makhana) during the release of the 19th instalment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, in Bhagalpur on Monday. Union Ministers Chirag Paswan, Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan) Singh, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha and others also present. n ANI IMRAN MOJIB PATNA, 24 FEBRUARY Miscreants attack Bangladesh's air force base in Cox's Bazar: In a major incident of lawlessness that is currently prevailing in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus, several miscreants launched an ambush attack on an Air Force Base in Cox's Bazar on the southeast coast of the country. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media division of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, stated that some miscreants from Samity Para, adjacent to the Air Force base in Cox's Bazar, carried out the ambush and the Bangladesh Air Force is taking necessary action in this regard. Local media reported that several people have been injured in the clashes as the air force personnel fired several rounds on the protestors. P rime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress party and praised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar while addressing a mammoth gathering in Bhagalpur on Monday. Modi called Nitish Kumar his ‘Laadla (favourite) Chief Minister,’ at the same time he tried to invoke the memory of crime and corruption in Bihar during the RJD rule. He said, “The Congress-RJD rule brought bad reputation to Bihar. But we are committed to developing the state. We will achieve the lost glory of Patliputra. Viksit Bharat will rise from the East and Bihar is the most impor- tant pillar of Eastern India and a symbol of India's cultural heritage.” He also criticised RJD Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav for his remarks about the Mahakumbh. “People who are annoyed with the Ram temple are not leaving any opportunity to curse the Maha Kumbh. I know that Bihar will never forgive those who abuse the Maha Kumbh,” he said. On this occasion, the Prime Minister released more than Rs 22,700 crore of Kisan Samman Nidhi funds to the account of 9.8 crore farmers across the country. He also launched a couple of other projects aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of farmers. “Had there been no NDA governments, farmers across the country, including Bihar, would not have received the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. In the last six years, every single penny of this has reached directly into the accounts of the farmers,” he said. He emphasised that the four pillars of Viksit Bharat – the poor, farmers, youth and women -will remain priority of the NDA governments in the centre as well as in Bihar, as the NDA government has worked for their development during the last decade. He recounted various schemes launched for farmers including Healthcare not a privilegebut fundamental right: Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 FEBRUARY Underlining healthcare is a fundamental right and not a privilege in this day and age, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday asserted that the Global South cannot be a hostage to uncertain supply chains and the vagaries of the global economy. ''The Covid period was a real learning experience. We must be better prepared for the next challenge. All of us want to strengthen healthcare systems, enhance patient safety and ensure affordable access. These goals would be better achieved if we collaborate more closely,'' he said addressing the 12th International Health Dialogue here. Pointing out that India envisages health as central to development and development as key to international cooperation, he said that in recent years, many of the country's global initiatives have revolved around health security. ''This is a domain where India has been a first respon- der, a development partner, a supply chain link, a health solution provider, a knowledge centre and in many ways, an exemplar. Allow me to dilate on these different dimensions,'' he added. The minister recalled that when the Covid pandemic started engulfing the world, initial deliberations envisaged India as potentially the biggest concern. ''Ironically, India not only looked after its own needs, but actually stepped forward to contribute to the world. We provided medicines to a 150 nations, vaccines to 99 countries and 2 international organizations, as well as masks, PPE kits, gloves and ventilators.'' Equally important, he said, was that India chose to do this when its own vaccination programme was still unfolding. A large number of developing nations received ‘Made in India’ vaccines, either through India's ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative or other global programmes. ''This was in contrast to many developed countries, who had stockpiled vaccines to multiples of their population. Indian medical teams also went out in the Indian Ocean region to deal with pressing situations in some smaller states,'' Mr Jaishankar added. This, however, was not just an exception made during the Covid era. ''In fact, it is part of our approach to the world both before and after. Recently, we dispatched 66.5 tonnes of medical supplies to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. India, UK agree to resume free trade talks STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 FEBRUARY India and the United Kingdom have resumed negotiations towards a trade deal between the two countries, Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in a statement on Monday. This announcement has been made by Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade of the United Kingdom Jonathan Reynolds. Notably, Jonathan Reynolds is in Delhi to relaunch talks on the Free Trade agreement (FTA) between India and the United Kingdom. It is to be highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his United King- SILVER `1,01,000 Modi releases over Rs 22,000 crore for installment of PM-KISAN to 9.8 crore farmers Min: .10.7 °C (-1.1) SUN SETS 18:18 hrs MOON SETS 15:26 hrs Kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiv) carrying Kanwars on their shoulders ahead of Maha Shivartri, in Haridwar on Monday. n ANI P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.99 ‘Viksit Bharat will rise from Stormy start to the East, Bihar an imp pillar’ 1st session of 8th Min. 37 % Max: 27.5 °C (+2.0) SUN RISES 06:49 hrs MOON RISES 05:44 hrs RIZWAN ACCEPTS MISTAKES AFTER CHAMPIONS TROPHY EXIT dom counterpart Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November 2024 to underline the importance of resuming trade negotiations at an early date. Both the countries have a close partnership, built through collaboration on security and defence, new and emerging technologies, climate, health, education, research and innovation, green finance and people-to-people contacts. At the centre of this relationship is the collective aspiration to deliver economic growth and sustainable development. "Securing a trade deal with what is soon-to-be the third biggest economy in the world is a no-brainer, and a top priority for me and this Government. That is why I'm flying to New Delhi with our top negotiating team to show our commitment to getting these talks back on track," Reynolds said in a statement released by the British High Commission in India prior to meeting with Piyush Goyal. Both sides have agreed to resume negotiations towards a balanced, mutually beneficial and a forwardlooking deal that delivers mutual growth and builds on the strengths of the two complementary economies, Ministry of Commerce said in its statement. The strengthening of the trading relationship between our two countries has the potential to unlock opportunities for business and consumers across both our nations and build further on our already deep ties, it added. Currently, the UK and India rank as the sixth and fifth largest economies globally, with a trade partnership valued at £41 billion, supporting more than 600,000 jobs across both countries. crop insurance and offering fertiliser and seeds on subsidised rates. Even during the Corona period the government made sure that farmers did not face any shortage of seeds and fertiliser. He took a dig at Lalu Prasad Yadav and said that those who embezzled government funds meant for livestock feed can’t understand this. If it was not the NDA government, even today farmers would have suffered for fertilisers and seeds. Modi said, “Those who could eat animal fodder could never change the condition of the farmer. The NDA government has changed their situation. We did not let the farmers face shortage of fertilisers even during the Corona crisis.” Earlier, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also recounted how the agriculture roadmap of Bihar government increased the income of agricultural households in Bihar that has surpassed the national average. He thanked the prime minister for focusing on Bihar’s development and allocating budget for projects in various sectors including agriculture, aviation and tourism. He reiterated his stand that he will continue to develop Bihar under Modi’s leadership. Delhi Assembly NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 24 FEBRUARY The first day of the first session of the newly constituted eighth Delhi Assembly commenced on Monday on a stormy note with AAP leader Atishi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, alleging that pictures of Dr BR Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh have been removed from the Chief Minister's office. The three-day Assembly session which commenced today will continue till February 27. Congratulating new Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on his election, Atishi said photos of B.R. Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh had allegedly been removed from the Chief Minister’s Office. Atishi's remarks, without the permission of the Chair, resulted in uproar in the House. The AAP members resorted to sloganeering in the House and were on their feet, with BJP members countering their charges. The Delhi Assembly Speaker expressed his displeasure over the sloganeering by the AAP legislators. "The Opposition is behaving irresponsibly. You will get time. An attempt is being made to hurt the dignity of the House. I urge opposition members to take their seats and allow the House to function. AAP members have come with an intention to disturb the House. You should not have made it a political platform. The opposition does not want the House to run smoothly," he said.