MONDAY 06 MAY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR UNDERSTANDING A MONARCH ‘POK, AN INTEGRAL PART OF INDIA, IS BACK IN NAT’L CONSCIOUSNESS’ P7 P5 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 41 AND 24 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 63 % Max: 41.1 °C (+2) SUN RISES 5:36 hrs MOON RISES 04:45 hrs P4 Modi: No quota on basis of religion as long as I’m alive ‘SP and Congress are now eying women's Stridhan and Mangalsutra’ Min. 19 % STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HARGAON (SITAPUR), 5 MAY Min: 27.7 °C (-2) SUN SETS 19:00 hrs MOON SETS 17:11 hrs P TEMPERATURE THUMBNAILS Tourists enjoy rafting on Beas River in Manali on Sunday. ANI Several detained in Poonch: Several persons were detained for questioning on Sunday as the Indian Army launched massive search operations in the Surankot Sector of the Poonch district where a soldier of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was killed and five others injured in an ambush by Pakistan backed (Page 5) terrorists on Saturday evening. rime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that Congress wants to implement Karnataka model of reservation in the country and vowed that he would never allow it. “As long as Modi is alive, I will not allow reservation on the basis of religion," he declared at an election rally in Hargaon in Sitapur. The PM added that the Samajwadi Party and Congress are now eying women's Stridhan and Mangalsutra. "The Constitution does not allow reservation on the basis of religion but the INDIA bloc, as part of its appeasement policy, is planning to give the share of reservation of SC/ST, OBC to Muslims. They also have an eye on your 'mangalsutra', your field, your property because even former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that Muslims have the first right PM Narendra Modi performs puja as he offers prayers at Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, in Ayodhya on Sunday. ANI on resources. The Congress wants to implement the Karnataka model of reservation in the country," Mr Modi said. Mr Modi said that BJP works on the mantra of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas in which every section of the society is benefitted. But the princes of SP and Congress are doing appeasement politics to please a certain section of society. Accusing the Congress and the INDIA bloc of planning to redistribute the country's wealth to their vote bank, the PM said: “I will stand like a wall against NADA SUSPENDS PUNIA FOR NOT GIVING DOPE SAMPLE FIR FILED AGAINST CHANDRABABU NAIDU them if they attempt to do this. They also say that they will bring back Article 370 in Kashmir but I will not allow that to happen." The Prime Minister also said that the opposition bloc also wants to end the free ration scheme, stop free healthcare schemes for the poor, and remove Vande Bharat trains, if they come to power. "Will they also convert Ram Mandir into a hospital or try to bulldoze the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor? To stop this, you will have to vote for BJP. Each vote that you cast for BJP will come to me. I have come to seek your blessings because I have much more work to do," Mr Modi said. The PM said Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur are called the sugar bowl of Uttar Pradesh but the previous Samajwadi Party government in the state has added bitterness to the lives of sugarcane farmers. “The sugarcane was wasted and payment was not made. Yogi government has removed all these shortcomings and has given the same amount of money to sugarcane farmers in seven years that SP and BSP did not give to the sugarcane farmers in their 10 years of rule," the PM claimed.PM Modi said that government was also working on making this area a hub for banana farming. Referring to Nighasan to Dhaurahara road and Gola to Shahjahanpur road, Mr Modi said that the people of Sitapur and Lakhimpur can proudly say that they are no less than anyone in the case of development . P12 Campaigning for 3rd phase ends; BJP, Opp leave no stone unturned STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 MAY Campaigning for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections that saw leaders of the BJP and the Opposition INDIA bloc leaving no stone unturned to woo voters in their favour, came to an end on Sunday evening. The polling for the third phase in 94 parliamentary constituencies spread across 12 states/Union territories, along with the Betul seat, will be held on Tuesday (7 May). The states/UTs where polling will take place in the third phase are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. In all, 1,351 candidates are in the fray in the third phase. Prominent among the candidates from the BJP are Union ministers Amit Shah and Jyotiraditya Scindia, and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, while from Congress for- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with Telangana CM Revanth Reddy during a public meeting in Adilabad on Sunday. ANI mer Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh is in the fray. Mr Shah is the BJP’s nominee from Gandhinagar (Gujarat) seat, Mr Scindia from Guna (Madhya Pradesh), Mr Chouhan from Vidisha seat, while Mr Singh is contesting from Rajgarh seat. Other key contenders in the fray are Dimple Yadav, wife of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, from Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh) parliamentary constituency, and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal from Dhubri (Assam) seat. The campaign was marked by a war of words between the BJP and the Congress over the grand old party’s manifesto ‘Nyay Patra’ with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling Rahul Gandhi as Shehzada’ (prince). Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi countered PM Modi’s jibe calling him ‘Shahenshah’ (emperor), who lives in palaces. The general elections are being held in seven phases between 19 April and 1 June. The first phase of polling was held on 19 April, and second on 26th April. The first phase recorded 66.14 per cent voter turnout while the second saw a turnout of 66.71 per cent. ‘False & malicious’: Govt on reports that FSSAI Indian Army, IAF to jointly deploy Predator allows 10 times more pesticide residue in herbs drones in Gorakhpur, Sarsawa airbases STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 MAY The Union Health Ministry on Sunday said the media reports claiming that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) allows 10 times more pesticide residue than the allowed limit in herbs and spices, are false and malicious. The Ministry said that India has one of the most stringent standards of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in the world and MRLs of pesticides are fixed differently for different food commodities based on their risk assessments. "Pesticides are regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA and FW) through the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIB and RC) constituted under Insecticide Act,1968. The CIB and RC regulate the manufacturing, import, transport, storage of pesticides and accordingly the pesticides are registered/ banned/ restricted," it said. The ministry said the Scientific Panel on Pesticides Residues of FSSAI examines the data received through CIB and RC and recommends the MRLs after performing risk assessment considering the dietary consumption of Indian population and health concerns in respect of all age groups. Total pesticides registered by the CIB and RC in India are more than 295, out of which 139 pesticides are registered for use in spices. Codex has adopted a total 243 pesticides out of which 75 pesticides are applicable for spices, it said. "A pesticide is registered on many food commodities with different MRLs based on risk assessment data. For instance, the use of Monocrotophos is allowed on many crops with different MRLs such as rice at 0.03 mg/kg, citrus fruits at 0.2 mg/kg, coffee beans at 0.1 mg/kg and cardamom 0.5 mg/kg, chilli at 0.2 mg/kg," the Ministry said. The MRL of 0.01 mg/kg was applicable in case of pesticides for which MRLs have not been fixed. This limit was increased to 0.1 mg/kg only in cases of spices and is applicable only for those pesticides which are not registered in India by CIB ‘Political conspiracy going on against me’, says HD Revanna and RC, it said. The Ministry said the MRLs fixed by CODEX for Myclobutanil used for chilli is 20 mg/kg whereas the limit set by FSSAI is 2mg/kg. Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is the food safety and quality standard-setting body created by the UN. For Spiromesifen, used for Chilli, Codex limit is 5 mg/kg whereas FSSAI limit is 1 mg/kg. Similarly, Codex standards for Metalaxyl and Metalaxyl-M used for black pepper is 2mg/kg whereas the limit set by FSSAI is 0.5 mg/kg, it added. Recently, leading Indian spice brands MDH and Everest came under scrutiny when Hong Kong and Singapore suspended sales of certain spice blends. This suspension was triggered by findings indicating elevated levels of a pesticide deemed unsuitable for human consumption due to its association with long-term cancer risks. AGENCIES NEW DELHI ,5 MAY The Indian Army and the Air Force are planning to jointly deploy MQ-9B Predator drones at air bases in Sarsawa and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, for upgrading their surveillance capabilities all along the Line of Actual Control with China from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. The drone deal, expected to be worth around USD 4 billion is being done at tri services level with the Indian Navy leading the negotiations for it with the American side. “The MQ-9B drones require a significant runway length for take off and landing which are available with the Indian Air Force. That is why, the Army dornes are planned to be deployed with the IAF at airbases in Sarsawa and Gorakhpur," defence officials told ANI. The IAF and the Army will have eight each of these highly capable long endurance drones and would be able to cover almost all the areas of interest along the LAC with China with support from other existing assets, the officials said. As per of the drone deal with the US, 31 MQ-9B drones are being acquired of which 15 would be for coverage of the maritime zone and would be deployed by the Indian Navy. The IAF and the Army will have eight each of these highly capable long endurance drones and would be able to cover almost all the areas of ON A HOT DAY AGENCIES Molestation allegations cheap drama, says Bengal Governor STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BENGALURU, 5 MAY Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Revanna, who was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in a kidnapping case linked to the obscene video scandal in which his son is embroiled, said on Saturday that it is a political conspiracy against him and he has never seen anything like this in his political career. Mr Revanna was brought to the Bowring & Lady Curzon Hospital for medical examination after he was arrested yesterday by SIT officials. “It’s a political conspiracy going on against me. In my 40 years of political life, I have never seen anything like this,” he said to the reporters outside the hospital. “There is no blame on me in politics. A complaint was made against me on April 28. However, no evidence was found in this case. With the malicious intent of arresting me, they filed a kidnapping case against me and arrested me," Mr Revanna added. Additional Chief Met- interest along the LAC with support from other existing assets, the officials said. The American side has given its letter of acceptance to the Indian side at a price tag of around USD 4 billion. The American side is also looking at indigenisation of the parts and weapons to be used by the drones. There is also a provision of transfer of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 5 MAY JD(S) leader HD Revanna being taken into custody by SIT officials in Bengaluru on Saturday. ANI ropolitan Magistrate Arvind B. Kattimani later in the day allowed the SIT custody of Mr Revanna till 8 May. During his questioning by SIT officials on Saturday night and Sunday morning, sources said, Mr Revanna refuted the charges of kidnapping and sexual harassment levelled against him. Mr Revanna maintained that he was not involved in any of the cases and it was a conspiracy to finish him and his family off, the sources added. HD Revanna and his son, Prajwal Revanna, who is the sitting MP and candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency are facing a probe by a SIT, constituted by the Karnataka government, over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation following a complaint by a woman who worked in their household. Earlier, a special court in Bengaluru rejected the interim bail application of Mr Revanna and Prajwal Revanna in connection with the alleged "obscene videos" case. The Holenarsipura MLA and his associate were booked under Sections 364A (kidnapping for ransom), 365 (kidnapping with intent to cause harm), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. Women, with cloth covering their heads, walk on the Kartavya Path on a hot summer day, in New Delhi on Sunday. ANI technology of some equipment to Indian entities under the agreement, they said. With a flight time of over 36 hours at heights over 40,000 feet, the drones can be armed with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and smart bombs, this fighter-sized drone specializes in(intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) missions. The Predator drones are expected to significantly enhance India's ability to conduct unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols, particularly in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and along its land borders with China and Pakistan. MQ-9B has proven to be a critical asset in safeguarding India's security interests as it was used to extensively to monitor anti-piracy operations from naval headquarters to get a clear picture of the actions taking place almost 3,000 km from Indian shores. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has said the molestation allegations against him are a “cheap political drama” at the behest of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Speaking to a Malayalam news channel, Ananda Bose said that many people are trying to pull him down. However, they would fail in their attempts, he added. “Many people are trying to pull him down. No one should think that I will fall like that,” he said. “The state government has no power to announce a probe against the governor. Will take strict action if it crosses the legal limits,” the governor said. The Governor’s response came in the wake of West Bengal Police launching an inquiry after a contractual woman employee lodged a complaint on Thursday evening, accusing him of molesting her. The Kolkata Police on Friday set up a team to probe the allegations of sexual harassment against Bose by a contractual employee of Raj Bhavan. In her written complaint to the Hare Street police station, the woman alleged that the governor sexually harassed her, first on 24 March and later on 2 May after summoning her to his chamber on the pretext of offering her a permanent job. The West Bengal Raj Bhavan has not responded even though the investigation team has written to it seeking CCTV footage of the two rooms where the molestation is said to have taken place. The Raj Bhavan employees, who were given notices to testify, have reportedly not appeared before the investigation team No criminal procedures can be initiated against the President of India and Governors of States while they are in office as per Article 361 of the Constitution.
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