SHAH FETES OFFICIALS FOR KEY ANTI-MAOIST OPERATIONS 08 JUNE 2025 RAJNATH REITERATES ZERO-TOLERANCE OF TERRORISM PONTING ENDORSES SHUBMAN GILL AS INDIA’S NEW TEST CAPTAIN www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 05 PAGE 13 PAGE 16 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR Nari Shakti’s Spirit of Entre epreneurship gets Wing gs CBC 46101/13/0009/2526 PAGES 16|` 5.00 With ove 35 crore loans, nearly 70% er of Mudra Yojana a WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Thundery development towards evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 35 °C and 28 °C respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 98 % PM, during meeting, expressed satisfaction at conclusion of India-UK Free Trade Agreement Min. 65 % AGENCIES TEMPERATURE Max: 33.7˚C (-1.5) SUN RISES 04:51 hrs MOON RISES 15:52 hrs UK Foreign Secy meets PM, backs fight against terror Min: 22.6˚C (-4.6) SUN SETS 18:20 hrs MOON SETS 02:57 hrs Full Moon on 11 June THUMBNAILS Children after Namaz on the occasion of Eid al-Adha at Jama Masjid in New Delhi on Saturday. n SUBRATA DUTTA T Rabi Sankar appointed as part-time member of Finance Commission: The President has appointed Mr T. Rabi Sankar, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), as a part-time member of the 16th Finance Commission (XVIFC). He shall hold office from the date he assumes charge until the submission of the Commission's Report or 31 October 2025, whichever is earlier. Mr Sankar's appointment follows the resignation of one of the full-time Members of the 16th Finance Commission, Mr Ajay Narayan Jha. The 16th Finance Commission was constituted on 31 December 2023, with Dr. Arvind Panagariya, former Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, as its chairman. The Commission is mandated to submit its recommendations by 31 October 2025, for the award period of five years commencing from 1 April 2026. NEW DELHI, 7 JUNE D avid Lammy, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday, conveying the UK's strong interest in further enhancing cooperation across key sectors and also expressing support for India's fight against cross border terrorism while strongly condemning the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack. “Pleased to meet UK Foreign Secretary Mr. David Lammy. Appreciate his substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, further strength- ened by the recently concluded FTA. Value UK's support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism," PM Modi posted on X after the meeting. During the meeting, PM Modi expressed satisfaction at the successful conclusion of the IndiaUK Free Trade Agreement and Double Contribution Convention and appreciated the constructive engagement by both sides that led to this milestone. Mr Modi also welcomed the growing momentum in bilateral ties and expressed satisfaction at the deepening of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He welcomed the continued collaboration under the Technology Security Initiative and noted its potential to shape trusted and secure innovation ecosystems. “FS David Lammy conveyed UK's strong interest in further enhancing cooperation across key sectors including trade and investment, defence and security, technology, innovation, and clean energy. He expressed confidence that the FTA will unlock new economic opportunities for both countries," read a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues. “UK Foreign Secretary strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and expressed support for India's fight against cross border terrorism. PM Modi underscored the need for a decisive international action against terrorism and those who support it," the statement added. The Prime Minister also conveyed his warm greetings to the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and reiterated the invitation for his visit to India at the earliest mutual convenience. “Thank you Prime Minister Narendra Modi for your warm welcome to India. Building on the Free Trade Agreement between our great countries, we will continue working together to deepen our partnership, celebrate our unique living bridge, and deliver growth and security," Lammy posted on X. We will never countenance perpetrators of evil being put at par with its victims: Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 JUNE Union Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on Saturday asserted that India will never countenance perpetrators of evil being put at par with its victims. During his meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Jaishankar thanked the Government of the United Kingdom for its condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack. “We will never countenance perpetrators of evil being put at par with its victims. I thank the Government of the United Kingdom for the strong condemnation of the barbaric terrorist attack in Pahalgam in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and for your solidarity and support to India in the fight against terrorism,” he said. He also asserted that India expects partner countries to understand the practice of zero tolerance policy against terrorism. “We practice a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and expect our partners to understand it.,” said the minister. His remarks came amid India's efforts to counter the Pakistani narrative and expose the country for harbouring terrorists and using them for crossborder attacks in India. Last month, India and Pakistan returned from the brink of an all-out war, after four days of confrontation following India's Operation Sindoor air strikes on terror groups in Pakistan and PoK. The strikes were launched to destroy the terror launchpads and training centres in response to the 22 April Pahalgam attack. KSCA secretary and treasurer resign after Chinnaswamy stampede AGENCIES BENGALURU, 7 JUNE The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has been rocked by high-level resignations in the wake of the tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2025 victory celebration at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium earlier this week. On Saturday, KSCA secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam stepped down from their posts after the horrific incident unfolded on Wednesday. The resignations come amid mounting legal scrutiny and public outrage, with both officials citing “moral responsibility” as the reason behind their decision. In a joint statement released on Saturday, the ECI refutes Rahul’s poll rigging High time to build infrastructure that stands claims as ‘completely absurd’ against tide, says PM Modi at Nice summit AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Bringing together over 350 delegates, ICDRI is addressing three key pillars to drive resilience efforts: access to finance, data, technology and early warning systems, and codes and standards. NICE, 7 JUNE NEW DELHI, 7 JUNE Strongly refuting the allegations made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi regarding alleged irregularities in Maharashtra electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday termed the charges as "completely absurd". CongressleaderRahulGandhi, in an article published in a national daily, alleged “matchfixing” by the BJP in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The article ignited a political controversy, with opposition parties claiming that it exposes the alleged scale of electoral manipulation in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections and points to the ECI's “silence” on critical questions raised by the INDIA bloc. Reacting to the allegation made by Mr Gandhi, an official in the poll panel said: “The Maharashtra electoral roll revision process was undertaken under the full glare of 1,03,727 Booth Level Agents appointed by the political parties, including 27,099 BLAs by the Indian National Congress (INC) themselves,” claiming that there was no basis for the Congress leader to insinuate vitiation of the electoral process. Meanwhile, the Congress leader on Saturday asked the poll panel to answer questions which he raised in his article. “Dear EC, You are a Constitutional body. Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions. If you have nothing to hide, answer the questions in my article and prove it by: • Publishing consolidated, digital, machinereadable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states including Maharashtra • Releasing all post5pm CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths. Evasion won’t protect your credibility. Telling the truth will." Earlier, the ECI in a statement said: "Unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to the INC on 24th December 2024 itself, which is available on ECI's website. It appears that all these facts are completely being ignored while raising such issues again and again..." The ECI stated that spreading misinformation is "disrespect towards law," and attempts to defame are "completely absurd." "Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards the Law, but also brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by their own political party and demotivates lakhs of election staff who work untiringly and transparently during elections. After any unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission by saying that it is compromised, is completely absurd," read the reply. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday gave an alarming call by saying coastal regions and islands are at great risk due to disasters and climate change, and it's high time to build infrastructure that stands firm against the tide. Speaking virtually at the seventh International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) in the run-up to the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in the southern French city of Nice, PM Modi said: "Coastal regions and islands are at great risk due to disasters and climate change. Let us build infrastructure that stands firm against time and tide, creating a stronger, more resilient future for all." The ICDRI conference is focusing on strengthening disaster-resilient infrastructure in coastal regions and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). With approximately 37 per cent of the global population residing within 100 km of the coast, contributing around $1.5 trillion to the annual global GDP, and 90 per cent of global goods transported by sea, strength- ening coastal resilience is now a global priority. Bringing together over 350 delegates, ICDRI is addressing three key pillars to drive resilience efforts: access to finance, data, technology and early warning systems, and codes and standards. The resignations come amid mounting legal scrutiny and public outrage, with both officials citing „moral responsibility‰ as the reason behind their decision. two officials said: “This is to inform that due to the unforeseen and unfortunate events that have unfolded in the last two days and though our role was very limited, but owing moral responsibility, we wish to state that last night we have tendered our resignation to our respective posts as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, by way of a letter dated 06.06.2025 to the President of Karnataka State Cricket Association.” IAF to conduct large-scale combat drills AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 7 JUNE India has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for a major Indian Air Force (IAF) exercise scheduled to take place near the southern sector of the India-Pakistan Border in Rajasthan from Saturday, 7 June, to Sunday, 8 June. The exercise is part of the IAF's regular operational preparedness and will be conducted in airspace near the border. According to the NOTAM, the aerial drill will commence at 3:30 p.m. on 7 June and conclude at 9:30 p.m. the following day. During this period, airspace over the designated region will be restricted. 269 million lifted out of extreme poverty in India over 11 years AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 7 JUNE In a significant feat under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary government, India has made key strides in the last decade in reducing its extreme poverty rate, which fell to 5.3 per cent in 2022–23 from 27.1 per cent in 2011– 12, latest World Bank data has revealed. About 75.24 million people were living in extreme poverty in India during 2022–23, a massive drop from 344.47 million in 2011–12. According to the World Bank data, this means 269 million individuals were lifted out of extreme poverty over approximately 11 years. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, which collectively accounted for 65 per cent of India’s extreme poor in 2011– 12, contributed to two-thirds of the overall decline in extreme poverty by 2022–23. “In absolute terms, people living in extreme poverty fell from 344.47 million to just 75.24 million,” showed latest data from the World Bank. The World Bank’s assessment, based on the $3.00 per day international poverty line (using 2021 prices), shows a broad-based reduction across both rural and urban areas. At $2.15 daily consumption — the earlier poverty line based on 2017 prices — the share of Indians living in extreme poverty is 2.3 per cent, which is significantly lower than 16.2 per cent in 2011-12, according to the World Bank’s estimates. The number of people living below the $2.15-perday poverty line is recorded at 33.66 million in 2022, down from 205.93 million in 2011, as per the latest data. The data further showed that this sharp decline was uniformly observed, with rural extreme poverty falling from 18.4 per cent to 2.8 per cent and urban extreme poverty reducing from 10.7 per cent to 1.1 per cent in the last 11 years. Moreover, India has also made remarkable progress in reducing multidimensional poverty.