TUESDAY 17 JUNE 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR CM SARMA SLAMS CONG FOR ‘APPEASEMENT POLITICS’ P8 SENSEX 81,796.15 p677.55 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. One or two spells of rain / thundershower very likely to occur. RAINFALL: 005.0 mm IRAN MISSILE ATTACKS ON ISRAEL KILL 5 FORMER NITI AAYOG CHIEF AMITABH KANT RESIGNS P5 NIFTY 24,946.50 p227.90 ` vs $ 86.06 GAMBHIR SET TO REJOIN TEAM INDIA IN LEEDS P9 GOLD `1,02,180 P12 SILVER `1,06,800 Cyprus supports India in its fight against terrorism: Modi BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.70 Mamata slams BJP over deportation of Bengalis from other states PM also thanked Cyprus for reiterating its support for India’s permanent membership of UNSC RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 91% NIKHIL VYAS Min. 75% NEW DELHI, 16 JUNE TEMPERATURE Max: 31.9˚C ( -1.9 ) Min: 27.7 ˚C ( +0.7 ) SUN RISES 04:52 hrs MOON RISES 22:28 hrs SUN SETS 18:23 hrs MOON SETS 09:10 hrs New Moon on 25 June THUMBNAILS 165 Infantry Bn (Territorial Army) (Home & Hearth) Assam observe 84th Assam Regiment Raising Day by organising a wreath laying ceremony at Assam Regiment War memorial located at Babupara Traffic Point in Imphal on Monday. nANI Israel strike cuts off Iran's state TV during live broadcast: Iran's state-run news agency said that its government TV station abruptly stopped a live broadcast after an Israeli strike. During a live broadcast, the sound of an explosion could be heard as the news presenter hurried off camera amid dust and debris wafting in the air. Israel had issued a warning to evacuate the area ahead of impending strikes. E ven as India and Cyprus shared concern over the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe, Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday thanked the Mediterranean nation for strongly condemning the Pahalgam terror attack and expressing solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism. Modi also thanked Cyprus for reiterating its support for India’s permanent membership of a reformed UNSC as he held wideranging talks with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia. The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including bilateral matters as well as global developments, including the conflicts in West Asia and Europe. Addressing a joint press briefing with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia after the two leaders held bilateral talks, Modi said India and Cyprus have expressed shared concerns over the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe and both the countries believe that "this is not an era of war". This statement holds significance amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel and Russia-Ukraine. "We expressed worry over the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe. We believe this is not an era of war," PM Modi said. Later, after concluding his twoday visit to Cyprus, PM Modi left for Canada where he will be attending the 51st G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on Tuesday. Earlier, addressing the joint press conference, PM Modi said, "We are grateful to Cyprus for supporting India's permanent membership in the Security Council." "After two decades, an Indian Prime Minister has visited Cyprus. This is an opportunity to write a new chapter in the India-Cyprus partnership. President Nikos Christodoulides and I held bilateral Central government notifies population census, to be conducted in two phases STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 JUNE The Ministry of Home Affairs, on Monday, issued an official notification for population census in the country. The exercise that to collect humongous data, including the caste details, will be conducted in two phases, it said. The first phase, to cover the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and two hilly states – Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand – will begin on October 1, 2026. The rest of the country will be covered during the second phase that will start on March 1, 2027. "A census of the population shall be undertaken during the year 2027. The reference date for the said census shall be 00.00 hours of March 1, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and snowbound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand,” the notification issued under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948 (37 of 1948), read. "In respect of the Union territory of Ladakh and snowbound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date shall be 00:00 hours of October 1, 2026," it added. Notably, this is the first time that caste enumeration will be undertaken as part of the mammoth census exercise. The Central government, in a recent cabinet meeting, had given clearance for caste enumeration in the Census, saying it would enable it to frame policies with better precision. The green light for castebased Census also stirred political slugfest with the Congress claiming that the Modi government was forced to include its idea of social justice and social empowerment. The BJP mocked the Opposition, saying they only claimed to be champions of the backward classes but it was the NDA government which was effecting a decisive change at the ground level. The last Census of India was conducted in 2011 in two phases – Phase I and Phase II. Phase I had House Listing from 1 April to 30 September 2010. Phase II had a Population Enumeration (PE) exercise from 9 February to 28 February 2011. The population census that was to be conducted in 2021 had to be postponed due to the outbreak of COVID19 pandemic across the country. talks. Cyprus's Vision 2035 and India's Viksit Bharat 2047 have similarities. That is why we will be working together towards our shared growth. Over the next five years, we will develop a robust roadmap to provide strategic direction to our cooperation," PM Modi said. "We are grateful for Cyprus' continued support in India's fight against cross-border terrorism. To prevent terrorism, drugs and arms trafficking, a mechanism for realtime information exchange between our agencies will be developed," he added. Christodoulides said he and PM Modi discussed expanding bilateral ties and synergy in various sectors, and agreed to work on FATF slams ‘brutal’ Pahalgam terror attack AGENCIES PARIS/NEW DELHI, 16 JUNE In a major development, the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Monday severely condemned the "brutal terrorist attack" in Pahalgam on April 22, stating that it could not have taken place without "money and the means" to move funds between terrorist supporters. "Terrorist attacks kill, maim and inspire fear around the world. The FATF notes with grave concern and condemns the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters," the FATF said in a statement on Monday after its plenary meeting. As many as 26 innocent tourists were massacred in the Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. Air India flight: Investigators recover cockpit voice recorder from crash site STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 JUNE The investigators on Monday recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), a crucial piece of evidence to know what happened in the last few minutes, from the crashed Air India flight in Ahmedabad. The CVR captures audio from the cockpit, including pilot conversations, alarms and ambient sounds. The flight data recorder (FDR), which logs crucial flight parameters like altitude, speed and engine performance, had been recovered from the debris on Friday. Together both CVR and FDR form what we call ‘black box’ in common terminology. Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash, helped by teams from the US and the UK. On Sunday, officials from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) surveyed the site of the plane crash. Moreover, officials from Boeing, the manufacturer of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft, also visited the accident site to help the investigators. Following the accident, doctors said 270 bodies had been recovered from the site of the crash. More than 90 victims have been identified through DNA matching, Dr Rajnish Patel of Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital said on Monday. He added that 47 of the identified bodies have been sent to their families. Among the identified victims is Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat, whose funeral was conducted on Monday. Rupani, whose political career spanned more than 50 years, was laid to rest with full state honours in Rajkot city. A high level committee under the chairmanship of Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan has been formed by the government which includes Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation, Senior Officials from Home Ministry, Officials of Home Department and State Disaster Response Authority of Gujarat, Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad, Director General of Inspection and Safety in the Indian Air Force and Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. defence cooperation, innovation, and tourism. "We discussed expanding our bilateral relations and synergy in various areas. We want to work on defence cooperation, crisis management, tourism, innovation and Artificial Intelligence. We agreed to work together so that we can produce concrete results," the Cyprus President said. PM Modi held official talks with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia. During the talks, the leaders reaffirmed the shared values that underpin India-Cyprus relations and they reiterated support for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other. The Prime Minister also reiterated India’s support for Cyprus’s unity and for a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus Question based on UN Security Council resolutions, international law, and the EU Acquis. Both leaders took stock of the ongoing cooperation in various aspects of the bilateral relationship, including trade and investment, science and research, cultural cooperation and people-to-people ties, and explored avenues for collaboration in the new areas of fintech, start-ups, defence industry, connectivity, innovation, digitalization, AI and mobility. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 16 JUNE Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP in the Assembly, alleging that Bengali-speaking Indians are being discriminated against based on their language. She accused the BJP-ruled states of branding Bengalis as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh & being deported. She cited a recent incident in Maharashtra where three migrant workers from West Bengal were sent to Bangladesh allegedly for speaking Bengali. "On one hand, you are branding Indians as Bangladeshis for their spoken word, and on the other, you are depriving these people, who hold voter ID, PAN, and Aadhaar cards, of the right to earn their livelihood in your states," she added. According to the West Bengal Migrant Workers Development Board, the three workers—two from Murshidabad and one from East Burdwan—were detained in Mumbai, suspected of being Bangladeshis, and deported without notifying the state administration. “You must be ashamed that you are labelling bona fide Indian citizens as Bangladeshis just because of the language they speak. One should feel proud to speak in Bengali, as well as Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi. If you ask me, I can speak in all these languages,” she said, adding, “You are depriving these people of the right to earn their livelihood in your states,” she said, triggering strong protests from BJP legislators.
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