WEDNESDAY 30 OCTOBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘SARDAR PATEL DEPRIVED OF BHARAT RATNA FOR LONG’ DEMOCRATS ESCALATE ATTACKS ON TRUMP P10 SENSEX 80,369.03p363.99 PACER HARSHIT RANA CALLED UP FOR THIRD TEST AGAINST NZ P5 NIFTY 24,466.85p127.70 ` vs $ 84.07 P8 GOLD 81,155.00 Thunderstorms developing in afternoon. Storms may be severe. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32°C and 26°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY TMC writes to EC, says Shah flouted poll code Min. 75% Max: 32.4˚C SUN RISES 05:40 hrs MOON RISES 03:39 hrs Min: 26.8˚C SUN SETS 17:00 hrs MOON SETS 15:40 hrs NEW DELHI, 29 OCTOBER KOLKATA, 29 OCTOBER New Moon on 1 November THUMBNAILS People throng a market street on the occasion of Dhanteras in Lucknow on Tuesday.n ANI Over 150 hurt in Kerala fireworks blast: Over 150 people, including women and children, were injured when firecrackers stored for a Theyyam festival exploded at Anjuanbalam Veerakavu temple in Kerala's Kasargod district around midnight. At least 100 people have been admitted to various hospitals in Kasargod, Mangaluru and Kannur eight of them in critical condition, with more than 80 per cent burn injuries. (Page 6) T he Trinamul Congress has written to the Election Commission of India, accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during his visit to the state for an “official function” ahead of the by-elections in six Assembly constituencies in West Bengal. In the letter to the Election Commission, West Bengal Trinamul Congress chief Subrata Bakshi alleged that Amit Shah made “slanderous remarks” against Trinamul Co ngress chairperson Mamata Banerjee in his speech and that his “politically charged” remarks were not connected to the event in which he was participating. “During his official address at the Petrapole event, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made slanderous remarks against All India Trinamul Congress and Chairperson Mamata Banerjee with an intent to defame. The politically charged remarks ~ calling for a ‘parivartan in 2026’ ~ were in no way connected to the event in question, raising serious doubts over the Union Home Minister's intentions to maintain the line between official events and electioneering work,” the letter said. The party cited the Election Commission’s notification concerning Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in bypolls and said the guidelines state that ministers shall not combine their official visits with electioneering work or make use of official machinery or personnel for election work. It said that Amit Shah chose to make "politically coloured" remarks at an official event in Petrapole. It pointed out that Petrapole falls under the administrative district of North 24-Parganas where two Assembly seats, Haroa and Naihati, will go for bypolls on 13 November. The letter said that the Election Commission should issue “show cause notice to the Union Home Minister for violation of MCC at an official event in a poll-bound district”. The Trinamul Congress also called for directions to restrain BJP leaders “from violating MCC" guidelines ahead of the byeelections in 6 constituencies of West Bengal.” Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Passenger Terminal Building and Maitri Dwar in Petrapole, West Bengal on 27 October, built at a cost of Rs 487 crore by the Land Port Authority of India. Speaking at the event, Mr Shah had accused the TMC government in Bengal of being corrupt and had said that “ache din” will be ushered in in the state with the counting of votes in the 2026 Assembly elections. He also said that peace in Bengal can only be established when the support for illegal infiltration is stopped, leading to a complete halt of such infiltrations. He said this will usher in a new era of partnership with neighbouring countries. Bypolls for six Assembly seats in West Bengal will take place on 13 November, with the results to be declared on 23 November. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The Election Commission of India (EC) on Tuesday rejected the Congress’ allegations of irregularities in the electoral processes of the recently concluded Haryana Assembly elections, affirming that every step in the electoral process was flawless and conducted under the observation of Congress candidates or their agents. After the declaration of the results of the Assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, a Congress delegation met EC members and alleged manipulation in EVMs in Haryana. In its response to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on the representations submitted to it by the party, the EC said “it categorically rejects all baseless allegations and apprehensions conveyed by Congress regarding all aspects of the electoral process” in the Haryana polls. The EC's response, comprising 1,642 pages of evidence, detailed the presence of authorised representatives of Congress candidates at all stages, including battery placement at the time of commissioning of EVMs and throughout the polling and counting processes. PM Modi rolls out Ayushman health cover for all 70-plus citizens Govt orders reduction in said he wanted to apologise extremely dramatic pattern, MRP of 3 anti-cancer drugs to the senior citizens of Delhi has made such a politically STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 OCTOBER In line with the government’s commitment to ensure the availability of drugs at affordable prices, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has issued an order directing concerned manufacturers to reduce the MRP on three anti-cancer drugs, Trastuzumab, Osimertinib and Durvalumab. This is in pursuance to the announcement made in the 2024-25 Union Budget exempting these three anticancer medicines from cus- toms duty. The Department of Revenue has already issued a notification reducing the custom duty to nil on these three anti-cancer drugs Further, the department has issued a notification, notifying the reduction in GST rates from 12 per cent to 5 per cent with effect from 10.10.2024 on these three drugs. “Accordingly, there should be a reduction in MRP of these drugs in the market and benefits of reduced taxes & duties should be passed on to the consumers,” an official release said on Tuesday. Assault dog ‘Phantom’ killed in line of duty during Jammu counter-terror operation SP SHARMA JAMMU, 29 OCTOBER ‘Phantom’, a Belgian Malinois assault dog of the Indian Army, played a crucial role in tracking down three heavily armed Pakistani terrorists before sacrificing its life in the counter-terror operation that ended near here this morning after a 24-hour gunfight that resulted in the elimination of all three terrorists. The heroic performance of the 4-year old Phantom that ensured the success of a high-stakes counter-ambush operationatBattalintheborder area of Akhnoor has become a talking point among troops. Phantom, a highly trained sniffer dog, played a crucial role in tracking the terrorists’ trail amidst the challenging jungle terrain. As the operation progressed, Phantom detected hidden explosives and identified potential escape routes, enabling troops to tighten the cordon. Tragically, during a close encounter, Phantom sustained fatal injuries while attempting to protect the troops from a terrorist's assault. Senior officials paid tribute to Phantom’s supreme sacrifice while commending the troops’ swift and coordinated response. "Phan- BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 72.06p0.64 EC rejects Cong charges of irregularities in Haryana polls AGENCIES Max. 89% P16 SILVER 1,08,000 Shah made slanderous & politically charged remarks at govt function at Petrapole ahead of bypolls, violating model code, says Trinamul WEATHER TEMPERATURE JAPAN'S CRISIS tom’s bravery saved lives and was pivotal to the operation's success. His sacrifice will be remembered with honour," said the PRO, Defence, Jammu. Born in May 2020, Phantom was inducted into this area in August 2022, and since then, had been a vital part of multiple high-stakes missions. Phantom was trained in the Remount Veterinary Corps unit at Meerut. The operation unfolded early on Monday morning when terrorists launched a surprise ambush on an army convoy in the dense jungles of Battal. Reacting swiftly, troops engaged the terrorists, pushing them back into the dense forest. Reinforcements, including special forces, were deployed to reinforce the cordon. All three heavily armed Pakistani terrorists were killed in the 24-hour encounter. NEW DELHI/KOLKATA, 29 OCTOBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, launched the extension of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana (ABY) to cover all senior citizens above the age of 70 years across the country, except Delhi and West Bengal, to allow them to avail free hospital treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. Launching the extension of the health insurance scheme at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) here on Dhanvantri Day, Mr Modi, however, said he was pained to point out that the extension of the scheme won't apply to Delhi and Bengal as their governments “for their political interests” had not associated themselves with the scheme. He and Bengal, that the extension of the milestone scheme would not bring any benefit to them. Mr Modi said now every senior citizen of the country above the age of 70 years, irrespective of income conditions, whether poor or from the middle classes, will get free medical treatment as per the scheme. In Kolkata, Trinamul Congress leader Kunal Ghosh said that Mr Modi’s comments slamming the Bengal and Delhi governments for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme are politically motivated. “The Prime Minister, in an motivated statement through which he could mislead and confuse the common people. The Prime Minister claims that he feels sorry that the people of West Bengal are deprived of the Union government’s sponsored scheme. However, the Prime Minister is not specifying the conditions to avail of the central scheme,” Mr Ghosh said. He said that it is not quite clear who is actually eligible to avail of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and pointed out that every citizen of Bengal can avail the Swasthya Sathi, the state government’s own health insurance scheme. India-China border: Disengagement progresses in Ladakh PARWINDER SANDHU NEW DELHI, 29 OCTOBER The disengagement process between Indian and Chinese troops in the contested regions of Depsang and Demchok is anticipated to be completed soon, according to defence sources. This development, which began last week, came after a series of talks that led to an agreement for both sides to withdraw to their positions held prior to April 2020. As part of the accord, both nations will resume patrolling with a set number of personnel designated for coordination, aimed at minimising miscommunication and preventing confrontations. Sources indicated that patrol units will notify each other prior to their movements to avoid potential face-offs, ensuring that surveillance in the area remains effective. The agreed patrolling points will revert to the locations traditionally used before April 2020. However, it is important to note that this agreement pertains solely to the disengagement of troops, not their de-induction. “For now, we are focusing on disengagement. We will return to our respective areas and observe, after which we can discuss troop de-induction,” a source clarified. On Sunday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had announced that a consensus has been reached regarding patrolling and disengagement in the Depsang and Demchok areas. "It’s clear that implementing this will take time. This process involves disengaging our armies, which had come very close to each other, and returning them to their bases. We hope to restore the status quo from 2020," he had stated. He emphasized that the completion of disengagement is just the first step. The subsequent phase involves de-escalation, which cannot proceed until India is assured that similar actions are occurring on the Chinese side. "Once de-escalation is achieved, we will discuss how to effectively manage the borders," he added.