TUESDAY 09 APRIL 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘PM MODI HAS GIVEN PERMANENT GUARANTEE SCHEMES TO POOR’ ‘PM, SHAH’S IDEOLOGICAL ANCESTORS SUPPORTED MUSLIM LEAGUE’ P4 P5 SENSEX 74,742.50 ` vs $ 83.31 NIFTY 22,666.30 ‘IN EVERY JOURNEY, BALANCE IS VERY IMPORTANT’ GAMBHIR HAILS DHONI AS INDIA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL CAPTAIN P11 GOLD 71,043.00 P12 SILVER 79,096 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 90.51 Maldivian politician Mariyam Shiuna apologises after ‘insulting’ post on Tricolour RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY ‘Corrupt will have to go to jail, this is Modi's guarantee’ PM also said that after Independence, Cong thought it had secured a licence to loot STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Max. 68 % STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 38 & 18 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. Min. 21 % TEMPERATURE Max: 37.1 °C (+2) SUN RISES 6:01 hrs MOON RISES 06:52 hrs NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL Min: 17.4 °C (-3) SUN SETS 18:44 hrs MOON SETS 19:33 hrs THUMBNAILS Children wearing traditional attires participate in the 'dhol badan workshop' organised by the Pub Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan ahead of the Rongali Bihu festival in ANI Guwahati. Veteran Cong leader Veerappa Moily announces retirement: Veteran Congress leader, former Union Minister, and former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily on Monday announced his retirement from electoral politics. "This is the end of my electoral politics. It’s finished at this stage," the 84year-old leader, who was reportedly a ticket aspirant from Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha Seat, said. However, the party allotted the seat to Youth Congress leader Raksha Ramaiah. P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he had stopped the Congress' “loot” of the country and was therefore receiving abuses, but it was “Modi’s guarantee, the corrupt will have to go to jail; let them give him any threat.” Addressing a large BJP election rally in Bastar in Chhattisgarh, he said after Independence, the Congress thought it had secured a licence to loot. He cancelled this “licence” when people voted him to power in 2014. “Why should not they abuse him when their licence is cancelled; he is, however, safe as crores of people of the country provide him a protective shield,” he said. The Prime Minister said during the Congress rule, corruption had become the country’s identity. The worst to suffer from corruption are the poor, as it deprives them of their rightful due, he said. Before 2014, there were scams of lakhs of crores of rupees. One Congress Prime Minister had said only 15 paise reached the people when one rupee was sent by the Central government. Who took the 85 paise? The Modi government, he said, shut down the “estab- lishment” of loot of the Congress. He said his government was able to deposit Rs 34 lakh crore in the bank accounts of the poor under various schemes. If it was Congress rule, and just 15 per cent of the amount reached the targeted beneficiary, there would have been a massive loot of public money. As much as Rs 28 lakh crore out of the total Rs 34 lakh crore would have been lost in the “transfers.” The Prime Minister said tempers have been running high ever since he shut down the middlemen’s commissions, Strict action is being taken against the corrupt in Chhattisgarh also. Those who cheated the youth are under probe. “Angered by this, they are threatening to break my head with a lathi, but Modi is the son of a poor, walks with his head held high, and will not be cowed down by their threats,” he said. “You tell me, those who looted the poor, should they get the punishment or not? If somebody intrudes into someone's house and starts looting, everyone in the family joins to retaliate. For Modi, mera Bharat is mera Parivaar (my India is my family). That is why I am trying to save my country, my family from the loot,” he said. He said, “I say bhrashtachar hatao, they say bhrashtachari bachao.” Mr Modi said the Opposition is not holding rallies for elections, but to save the corrupt. They can give any threat to me, but the corrupt will have to go to jail, this How many will be jailed before polls? asks top court; grants bail to YouTuber PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Tamil Nadu government “If before elections, we start putting behind the bars everyone who makes allegations on Youtube, imagine how many will be jailed”, as it (top Court) restored the bail of a YouTuber 'Sattai' Durai Murugan, accused of allegedly making a derogatory speech against the Chief Minister M K Stalin in 2021. Setting aside the Madras High court order cancelling the bail, earlier granted to 'Sattai' Durai Murugan on November 2021, a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that he could not be said to have misused the liberty granted to him. As senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appearing for Tamil Nadu government urged the bench to impose certain conditions on the Youtuber to dissuade him from making scandalous remarks against the Chief Minister Stalin while on bail, Justice Oka said, “Who shall decide whether a statement is scandalous or not.” Observing that Murugan did not misuse his liberty by protesting and expressing his views, the bench ordered, “He continues to be on bail for two and half years ... All the same, we do not find grounds to cancel bail. We thus quash the High Court order cancelling bail, and restore the earlier order granting bail. Needless to say, cancellation of bail can be applied for if deemed fit.” The top court order restoring bail to Murugan came while hearing his plea challenging the High Court order cancelling his bail. Cancelling the bail, earlier granted to Murugan, the High Court had observed that within a few days of giving an undertaking before the court, he indulged in further offence and made derogatory remarks against the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. It was alleged that Murugan made certain derogatory remarks with an intention to breach public peace and tranquility and on a complaint of a DMK member, police registered a case against him. Murugan was arrested in October 2021. The Madras High Court had in November 2021 granted bail to Murugan, however, later a division bench of the High Court cancelled his bail. In 2022, the top court had granted him interim bail. is Modi’s guarantee, he said. Ram Navami is close, he said, and for the first time in 500 years, Ram Lalla will give darshan in a magnificent temple and not in a tent shelter. Chhattisgarh is Ram Lalla’s maternal home and has special reason to celebrate. The Congress and the INDI alliance are, however, not happy with the Ram temple, he said. The Congress’ first family had declined the invitation to attend the Pran Pratishtha, he said. Those who disagreed with this were thrown out of the party, and those who attended the ceremony were expelled from the party for six years. This shows that Congress can go to any extent to ensure its policy of appeasement. The Congress manifesto has the imprint of the Muslim League, he said. The party even today does not care about people’s issues. It is the BJP which is trying to implement all promises made to people. The Prime Minister said his government’s schemes had brought 25 crore people out of poverty. The Ayushman medical centres were initiated from Bastar only and they are providing free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. “I know poor mothers are reluctant to put financial burden on their children for their personal medical treatment. That is why I decided to take care of them,” he said. NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL Maldivian politician Mariyam Shiuna, who was suspended for derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year, has triggered a fresh row with her social media post allegedly disrespecting the Indian national flag. In the now-deleted post, the Maldivian leader had shared Maldivian Opposition's campaign poster in which she had replaced the party's logo with an image representing the Ashok Chakra that appears in the white band of the Indian national flag. The post triggered severe backlash from Indian social media users following which Shiuna deleted her post. Later, she clarified that it was an "unintentional mistake" and apologised for the same. "I would like to address a recent social media post of mine that has garnered attention and criticism. I extend my sincerest apologies for any confusion or offense caused by the content of my recent post," she wrote in a post on 'X'. Clarifying her actions, she said, "It was brought to my atten- M-cap of BSE-listed firms crosses all-time high of `400 trillion STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL For the first time ever, the market capitalisation (m-cap) of BSE-listed firms reached an all-time high of Rs 401.10 trillion on Monday morning, following a record rally in equities, wherein the 30-share BSE Sensex scaled its lifetime peak. This is for the first time ever that the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies has gone past the coveted Rs 400 trillion mark. In early trade, the 30share BSE benchmark jumped 425.62 points to reach a new record high of 74,673.84. Riding on this rally in equities, the mcap of BSE-listed companies reached an all-time high of USD 4.81 trillion. Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti, Tata Steel, Bajaj Fin- serv, Power Grid, Reliance Industries, Axis Bank and JSW Steel were the major gainers from Sensex while Wipro, Nestle, HDFC Bank and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards. Notably, the journey from Rs 300 trillion to Rs 400 trillion was covered in 9 months as the m-cap of BSE-listed firms had hit the Rs 300 trillion mark in July last year. With this, India became the world’s fourth largest equity market. Further, the m-cap of BSE-listed companies surged to an all-time high of Rs 355 trillion in December last year. Amid the Indian market hitting highs, Seoul and Tokyo were trading in the positive territory while Shanghai and Hong Kong quoted lower. Wall Street ended with gains on Friday. As per the exchange, the Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 1,659.27 crore. Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 1.36 per cent to USD 89.93 a barrel. Let there not be any contest: Supreme Court on Centre-state funds row AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL Let there not be a 'contest' between the Centre and states, the Supreme Court remarked, while hearing the Karnataka government's plea seeking a direction to the central government to release financial assistance for drought management on Monday. The apex court's observation came when it noted that various state governments are approaching court these days. A bench of justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta asked the Attorney General and Solicitor General to take instructions on the Karnataka Government plea and come back to court in two weeks. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before the Supreme Court that instead of filing the petition, the state government would have talked to the union government. He also questioned the timing of these petitions. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for the Karnataka government. Karnataka government, in the plea filed through advocate DL Chidananda, urged the top court to direct the Centre to forthwith take a final decision and release the financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the state. The plea also sought to declare that the action of the government in not releasing the financial assistance for drought arrangement as per the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is exfacie violative of the fundamental rights of the people of the State of Karnataka guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India. Kerala Government said that the impugned action of the Central Government in denying financial assistance to the State is ex-facie viola- tive of the fundamental rights of the people of Karnataka guaranteed under Articles 14, and 21 of the Constitution of India. Further, the impugned action of the Central Government is violative of the statutory scheme of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Manual for Drought Management and the Guidelines on Constitution and Administration of the State Disaster Response Fund and National Disaster Response Fund, the state government said. Karnataka Government submitted that under the Manual for Drought Management, the Central Government is required to make a final decision on the assistance to the State from the NDRF within a month of the receipt of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT). The plea said that Karnataka is reeling under severe drought, affecting the lives of its citizens. "For the Kharif 2023 season as a whole, after fulfilling all the Indicators of the Manual for Drought Management 2020, a total of 223 out of 236 taluks are declared as drought-affected during Kharif 2023 with 196 taluks categorized as severely affected and the remaining 27 categorized as moderately affected. The Southwest Monsoon (SWM) set in over the coast of Karnataka on 10th June 2023, as against the normal onset of 5th June. The SWM gradually advanced thereafter and covered the entire State on 24th June, as against the normal coverage date of 15th June. The delayed onset coupled with the sluggish progress of SWM during June resulted in Malnad districts and North Interior Karnataka districts with large agricultural land recording large deficit rainfall. After strictly adhering to the procedure outlined in the Manual for Drought Management-2020, Karnataka notified 223 out of 236 taluks as drought-affected. Cumulatively for the Kharif 2023 season, the agriculture and horticulture crop loss have been reported in more than 48 lakh hectares with the estimated loss (cost of cultivation) of Rs.35,162 crore, the plea further said. The State Government has sought Rs 18,171.44 crore under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), through three Drought Relief Memorandums submitted in September-November 2023 ie, Rs.4663.12 crore towards crop loss input subsidy, Rs. 12577.9 crore towards gratuitous relief to families whose livelihood has been seriously affected due to drought, Rs.566.78 crore for addressing the shortage of drinking water relief then and Rs.363.68 crore towards cattle care. Crops have failed, and reduced water availability has affected domestic, agricultural, and industrial-hydel energy water supply, it added. Karnataka Government said that agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for a large section of the State, hence present drought situation has damaged crops, and affected livestock, leading to lower yields, reduced income for farmers, increased food prices and increased shortage of water in urban and rural areas. As well due to reduced groundwater levels and shortage or no water storage in lakes as well as reservoirs. "The total estimated loss due to crop damage in the State is Rs. 35, 162.05 Crore and the assistance sought from the Government of India under NDRF is Rs. 18,171.44 Crore. In terms of the Disaster Management Act, of 2005, the Union of India is under obligation to render financial assistance to the State Governments. The post triggered severe backlash from Indian social media users following which the minister deleted the post. tion that the image used in my response to the Maldivian opposition party MDP ( Maldivian Democratic Party) bore a resemblance to the Indian flag. I want to make it clear that this was entirely unintentional, and I sincerely regret any misunderstanding it may have caused." Shiuna further said that "Maldives deeply values its relationship and the mutual respect we share with India" and that she will be more vigilant in the future. Shiuna was among the three Maldivian leaders who were suspended from their posts for making derogatory remarks against Modi on social media in January this year. Reacting to Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, Shiuna had made derogatory remarks against the PM. Her remarks triggered a massive diplomatic row with Maldivian Opposition leaders even demanding President Mohammed Muizzu's resignation. Two arrested for ‘nuclear bomb’ threat at IGI airport STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL Two passengers were arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here for allegedly proclaiming that they were carrying "nuclear bombs" during a security check, police said on Monday. They said the two were later released on bail and the matter is being thoroughly investigated. According to police, it was on April 5 that the security supervisor of Akasa Aviation lodged a complaint with IGIA Police Station where the two passengers during the security landing process check (SLPC) expressed dissatisfaction with the security screening, questioning its necessity despite prior checks. "Despite due explanation given by the airline staff regarding the security protocol, the passengers became irate and one of them angrily stated that they were carrying a nuclear bomb. The airline then offloaded the passengers in view of ensuring safety of the other passengers and the airplane," a senior police officer said. During investigation, it was revealed that the two -Kashyap Kumar Lalani and Jignesh Malani -- were business contractors in the construction industry. They were based in Rajkot, Gujarat, and had come to Delhi's Dwarka to meet a business associate regarding work. Consequently, a case was registered under sections 182/505 (1) (b) IPC based on the complaint and subsequent inquiry, police added.
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