TUESDAY 04 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR BIHAR BUDGET: NITISH GOVT LINES UP SOPS FOR WOMEN STALIN URGES TN PEOPLE TO HAVE MORE CHILDREN P8 SENSEX 73,085.94 q112.16 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. STRONG SURFACE WINDS (SPEED 20-30 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 27 AND 14 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. TEMPERATURE P5 NIFTY 22,119.30 q5.40 ` vs $ 87.28 Min. 29% Max: 31.1˚C (+3.7) Min: 09.6˚C (-3.8) SUN RISES SUN SETS 06:42 hrs 18:23 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 10:02 hrs 23:20 hrs GOLD `87,730 Champions Trophy INDIA vs AUSTRALIA Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Time: 2:30 pm (IST) Head to head In Champions Trophy 2 4 Total matches Devotees dressed as Lord Hanuman take part in an annual religious procession organized by the Sri Hanuman Chalisa Parivar in Amritsar on Monday. nANI Jaishankar to leave for UK, Ireland today: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will leave here on Tuesday on an official visit to the United Kingdom & Ireland from 04 -09 March. India and the UK share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which has strengthened across diverse areas including Defence & Security, Trade & Economy, Health, Education, and people-to-people ties. During the visit, Mr Jaishankar will be holding discussions with his counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and meet several other dignitaries as well as Indian community members, the Ministry of External Affairs said today. TRIDIB BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 3 MARCH T 1 Australia India he last time India faced Australia in an ICC knockout fixture was the ODI World Cup final at home in November 2023 in which the Kangaroos left Indian fans heartbroken after spoiling their unblemished run even as Pat Cummins kept his word of “silencing the crowd”. In 2024, India managed to return the favour in their final Super Eight stage clash against the Aussies with a 24-run win, to book their place in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. 1 No result Cut to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the two teams are poised to face each other in another crucial knockout clash, with the winner getting a chance to make it to Sunday’s title clash against the winner between South Africa and New Zealand. In the past, India has faced Australia four times in the Champions Trophy, winning two games and losing one. One game between the sides ended in a no result. India have so far enjoyed a near-perfect campaign in the tournament, registering convincing victories against Bangladesh, Pakistan before beating the other semifinalists — New Zealand, to SC allows Allahabadia to resume his show maintaining standards of morality & decency PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 3 MARCH maintain the desired standards of morality and decency so that viewers of any age group can watch, the petitioner is permitted to resume ‘The Ranveer Show.’ The livelihood of around 280 employees that depend on the telecast of his show also weighed with the court in relaxing its earlier order. In the last hearing of the matter on February 18, the top court had directed Ranveer Allahabadia and his associates to be “off from show business for some time”. Taking note of the submission by the Attorney General R Venkatramani and the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta saying that to prevent telecast or airing of programmes which are not acceptable in terms of known moral standards of our society, some regulatory measures may be required, the bench asked the central government to propose measures to regulate contents of the programmes on the YouTube channels and social media platforms. It asked the Solicitor General, appearing for the Central government, to deliberate upon and suggest some measures that shall not impinge on the fundamental right of free speech and expression but also be effective enough to ensure that it is within the bounds of reasonable restrictions under Article 19 of the constitution of India. top the Group Stage table, and set their date against the Australians for Wednesday’s semifinal. On the other hand, a stunning win in the opener, followed by two rain-hit games, sealed Australia’s spot in the semi-finals. Australia's path to the semi-finals has been a case of resilience and subsequent favourable results. Despite losing five of their touted starting XI before the tournament even began, they have demonstrated admirable mental toughness in the face of adversity. With India operating as a well-oiled unit and SC notice to Centre on plea challenging IT Blocking Rules AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 3 MARCH The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea challenging the IT Rules which makes it optional to issue a blocking request notice to the originatorofthedigitalcontent. A Bench of Justices BR Gavai &AGMasihsoughttheCentre’s reply to the petition seeking quashing of Rules 16, 8 & 9 of the Blocking Rules, 2009 and declaring them ultra vires the Constitution’s Articles 14, 19, & 21. The plea challenged the constitutional validity of these provisions, arguing that by makingtheissuanceofablocking request notice to the originator of the content optional, vests unguided discretion in the authorities whether or not toissuenoticetotheoriginator, hence violates the originator's right to be heard prior to their content being blocked. Population of Asiatic lions in Gir rising steadily: PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the steady rise in population of Asiatic lions at Gujarat’s Gir wildlife sanctuary and also praised the role of tribal communities in the surrounding areas in preserving their natural habitat. Modi also said the population of tigers, leopards as well as rhinos have increased in the past ten years. In a post on X, the prime minister said, "In the last many years, collective efforts have ensured that the population of Asiatic Lions is rising steadily." The Prime Minister made these announcements after undertaking a lion safari at P12 SILVER `97,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.20 Battle lines drawn: India set for stern Aussie test 1st Semi-Final THUMBNAILS The Supreme Court on Monday allowed YouTuber and Podcaster Ranveer Allahabadia to resume his podcast ‘The Ranveer Show’ maintaining the desired standards of decency and morality and emphasised the need for a mechanism to regulate vulgar content in programmes telecast on YouTube and other online social media platforms. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh permitted the resumption of ‘The Ranveer Show’, subject to furnishing of an undertaking that his podcast shows will maintain the desired standards of morality and decency. The bench said, “As of now, the petitioner was restrained from airing any shows. Subject to the petitioner furnishing an undertaking that his podcast shows will P9 AUSTRALIA NAME COOPER AS REPLACEMENT FOR MATTHEW India have so far enjoyed a near-perfect campaign in the tournament, registering convincing victories RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 92% ADRIEN BRODY WINS OSCAR FOR 'THE BRUTALIST' the Gir sanctuary in Junagadh district, on Monday morning, coinciding with the World Wildlife Day. PM Modi was seen donning a safari outfit and holding a camera to capture glimpses of Gir's Asiatic lions. Modi reiterated the commitment to protect and preserve the incredible biodiversity of our planet today on the occasion of World Wildlife Day. In a post on X, he said: “Today, on #WorldWildlifeDay, let’s reiterate our commitment to protect and preserve the incredible biodiversity of our planet. Every species plays a vital role—let’s safeguard their future for generations to come! We also take pride in India’s contributions towards preserving and protecting wildlife.” Modi further said, “In the last many years, collective efforts have ensured that the population of Asiatic Lions is rising steadily. Equally commendable is the role of tribal communities and women from surrounding areas in preserving the habitat of the Asiatic Lions.” The pictures shared from his social media handles showed PM Modi taking a closer view of the majestic Asiatic lions at the national park and also taking their snaps. more importantly, playing all their matches at the same venue in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, they would be eager to continue the momentum in familiar conditions. The challenge is now very much on Australia, not only to execute in a knockout game but to get their tactics and plans in order. With less game time and multiple injury woes to deal with, the Kangaroos will have to battle those challenges. Ahead of the crucial encounter, young all-rounder Cooper Connolly has been added in place of the injured Matthew Short, who suffered an injury during the Afghanistan encounter. Connolly has thus far featured in six internationals for Australia, of which three have been ODIs. He's a left-handed batter who bowls left-arm spin as well. Despite the fact, India can’t afford any complacency against an Aussie side that specialises in stepping up in huge tournament games. “Australia, as we know, has a rich history (in) ICC tournaments … we do understand that,” India captain Rohit Sharma said. “It’s about us, what we want to do against (that) opposition and try and do that right. We’ll just have to be focused on what we need to do on that particular day. It’s going to be a great contest,” he added. Govt determined to restore statehood of J&K: LG Sinha STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 3 MARCH Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the administration is determined to restore full statehood to the region and it will continue discussions with all stakeholders to make this happen. He was addressing the opening of the 40-days budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly that is being held after a gap of seven years. “One of the foremost aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is restoration of full statehood. My government remains steadfast in its commitment to addressing this legitimate desire of the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir”, he said. “My government recognises the emotional and political significance of the statehood for the people and is actively engaging with all stakeholders to facilitate this process in a manner that ensures peace, stability and progress”, the LG added.