TUESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘CHANGE INEVITABLE IN ASSAM’ STALIN RAKES UP THREAT OF DELIMITATION TO TAMIL NADU P6 SENSEX 74,454.41 q856.66 WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Shallow to moderate fog in the morning. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 30˚ C and 20˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93% ‘UKRAINE READY FOR COMPLETE PRISONER SWAP’ P13 NIFTY 22,552.50 q243.40 P10 ` vs $ 86.71 GOLD `88,965.00 CM announced the steps in the doctors’ convention titled ‘Chikitsar Arek Naam Seba’ organized by SLGRC TEMPERATURE Max: 29.4˚C (+0.5) SUN RISES 06:02 hrs MOON RISES 03:06 hrs Bonanza f doctors for Min: 17.4˚C (-0.3) SUN SETS 17:38 hrs MOON SETS 13:50 hrs Salary Hike: The govt announced ke increase. New Moon on 28 February Suspe ension Revoked: The suspension of junior doctors at Midnapore Medical College & Hospital was lifted after criticism regarding an a alleged medical negligence case. THUMBNAILS ivate Practice Rules Relaxed: nt doctors can now engage in private practic ce m radius of their workplace, up from the m limit, after completing their daily duty hours s. Grievance Redressal v ed for Doctors: The SLGRC, he formed after the R.G Kar R G. Medical College incident, aims nc to address the griev vances of doctors working in state-run ns medical institution . ns. Kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiv) carrying Kanwars on their shoulders ahead of Maha Shivartri, in Haridwar on Monday. n ANI 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. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 24 FEBRUARY T he state government on Monday announced a bonanza for doctors with hikes in their salaries, allotment of funds for their cultural entertainment inside the public sector healthcare facilities, revoking suspension of some junior medics of Midnapore Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) to lift their morale. While announcing the bonanzas in the doctors’ convention titled ‘Chikitsar Arek Naam Seba’ organized by the State Level Grievance Redressal Committee (SLGRC) at Dhanadhanya Auditorium today, chief minister Mamata Banerjee 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 Kingdom 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-topeople 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 forward-looking 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. said: “The salaries of interns, house staff, post-graduate trainees and post-doctoral trainees are being raised by Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 for senior doctors. The suspension of the junior doctors at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital is also being withdrawn.” The CM reiterated that there had been an instance of medical negligence in the matter. The state government’s decision to suspend the doctors had attracted large scale criticism since lots of circumstantial developments hinted that the death was due to administering expired Ringer’s Lactate. With the announcement senior resident doctors (SRD) like senior Call fo Professionalism for m: CM Mamata Banerjee emphasized the importance of good behavior and sympathy y in patient care, urging doctor rs to remain united and rise above politics. residents with diplomas, PG senior residents will get Rs 80,000 per month with Rs 15,000 hike while senior residents with degrees will have their salary Rs 85,000 with the same amount of hike. The existing salary of the SRDs is Rs 65,000 while it is Rs 70,000 for SRD with degree. The salary of the post post-doctoral senior doctors will shoot up to Rs 1,00,000 from the existing Rs 75,000. There will be a hike for interns, house-staff and PGTs by Rs 10,000. The SLGRC was formed by the government after the R G Kar Medical College incident to redress grievances and problems of doctors in state-run medical colleges and hospitals in West Bengal. The incident had rocked the country trig- gering agitating junior doctors to organize protests like sit-in, ceasework and fast-unto-death in the city and districts demanding justice for the victim and end of threat culture. “People reach out to you when they are vulnerable. Even though all patients cannot be saved, good behaviour, a few words of sympathy makes them happy,” Mamata said in her speech. “The doctors’ community should be one and rise above politics,” she said. With regards to the salary hike for doctors at all levels, the chief minister, announced that the monthly salary for senior state government doctors would be increased by Rs 15,000 per month. For junior doctors including postgraduate trainees and post-doctorate trainees, house-staff and interns, the monthly salary hike would be to the tune of Rs 10,000 per month. At the convention, the chief minister also announced that the doctors attached to different staterun hospitals or state-run medical colleges & hospitals would be able to do private practice after attending daily duty for eight hours at the state government health outfits. Now, government doctors can have their private practice within a 30-km radius of their hospital, up from 20 km, which was earlier the limit. West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF), an umbrella body of different junior doctors’ associations in the state which spearheaded the movement on the R.G. Kar rape and murder tragedy, did not send any representative to the convention. Healthcare not privilege but 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, EAM 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 inter- P16 SILVER `1,01,000 West Bengal CM announces pay hike for govt doctors Min. 39% RIZWAN ACCEPTS MISTAKES AFTER CHAMPIONS TROPHY EXIT national 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 responder, 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. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.99 ‘Viksit Bharat will rise from the East, Bihar an imp pillar’ IMRAN MOJIB PATNA, 24 FEBRUARY Prime 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 CongressRJD 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 important 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 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. Rat miners, Navy commandos join relief ops in Telangana STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HYDERABAD, 24 FEBRUARY A team of six rat miners, who had rescued those trapped in the Silkyara BendBarkot tunnel in Uttarakhand in 2023, on Monday joined the relief operations for bringing out the eight men trapped inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal which is the world’s longest irrigation tunnel. Rescuers have ruled out boring either through the top or the sidewalls of the tunnel. Marine Commandos (MARCOS) from the Navy and teams from L&T, IIT Madras and Uttarakhand have also reached the site to help in rescue work.