EXPLORE MUMBAI'S NEW EATERIES 29 DECEMBER 2024 NEW HEALTH COLUMN REDDY, SUNDAR LEAD INDIAN FIGHTBACK AT MCG www.thestatesman.com PAGE 16 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 PAGES 16 |` 5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR Nation bids farewell to Manmohan Singh WEATHER Generally clear. Partly cloudy in the evening. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 28˚C and 18˚C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 73% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 DECEMBER Oppn slams govt over issue of Manmohan memorial, ‘shoddy arrangments’ F Min. 55% TEMPERATURE Max: 28.7˚C SUN RISES 06:15 hrs MOON RISES 04:44 hrs The mortal remains of India’s 14th PM were consigned to the flames with full state honours at Delhi’s Nigambodh Ghat Min: 18.4˚C SUN SETS 17:02 hrs MOON SETS 15:26 hrs New Moon on 31 December THUMBNAILS Nitish Reddy (105*) scored his first international century as India staged a strong comeback in the fourth Test against Australia, at the MCG, in Melbourne on Saturday. n ANI Putin apologises over plane crash: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev for the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 in which 38 passengers were killed near Aktau in Kazakhstan. Amid speculation that the airliner was hit by Russian anti-aircraft fire, Mr Putin, in a phone call with Mr Aliyev, said Russian air defence systems were in action in the city of Grozny, where the aircraft attempted to land, to repel an attack by Ukrainian combat drones. (Pg 9) ormer Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was cremated with full state honours at the Nigambodh Ghat here on Saturday. The mortal remains of Singh, the key architect of India’s economic liberalisation, were consigned to the flames as per Sikh rituals, in the presence of family members, friends, colleagues and dignitaries. Prior to the cremation, Sikh priests and family members of the former Prime Minister recited verses from the Gurbani. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi paid their last respects to Singh by placing a wreath near his mortal remains. Among others who offered their tributes were Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, LoK Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Delhi Lieutenant STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 DECEMBER The last rites of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are performed at the Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi on Saturday. n ANI Governor VK Saxena, and several leaders from the Congress. Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, and foreign dignitaries including King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Foreign Minister of Mauritius, Dhananjay Ramful also paid tributes to the former Prime Minister. The final journey of the 14th Prime Minister of India began from Congress headquarters to the cremation ground at Nigambodh Ghat. Earlier, this morning the mortal remains of the former Prime Minister were brought to the Congress headquarters, where Gursharan Kaur, Dr Singh's wife, led the family in paying their respects. Prominent Congress leaders, including Mr Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, DK Shivakumar, Ashok Gehlot, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, paid their last respects to the veteran Congress leader. As the funeral procession moved through the streets, throngs of Congress leaders, workers and supporters followed, chanting “Manmohan Singh Amar Rahe”. Singh passed away at 9.51 p.m. on Thursday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the National Capital at the age of 92. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and other top leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday accused the BJP government of not allocating a place for cremation and memorial of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and called it an insult to the departed leader. Mr Gandhi in a post on ‘X’ wrote: “The present government has completely insulted Dr Manmohan Singh, the great son of Mother India and the first Prime Minister of the Sikh community, by conducting his last rites at Nigambodh Ghat today.” “Till date, respecting the dignity of all the former Prime Min- Delhi LG asks CS to probe alleged collection of data in the name of Mahila Samman scheme STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 DECEMBER Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Saxena has asked the Chief Secretary to conduct an inquiry regarding alleged collection of data by some non-government people by getting forms filled by women with regard to the controversial Mahila Samman Yojna. The LG has noted that the Women and Child Department of the GNCT has clarified that it will be launching a portal when the said scheme is notified, while it had also asked the people through a notification, cautioning them to not fill any forms given by unauthorised persons. This follows after Congress leader and former MP Sandeep Dikshit in a representation to the LG alleged that the Chief Minister of Delhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal have been announcing that the government is going to give every female in Delhi (above the age of 18 years) an amount of Rs 1,000 per month, while also announced that if their party is elected back in 2025 Vidhan Sabha elections, they will raise the amount to Rs 2,100 pm. Mr Dikshit also alleged that they are going door to door making women sign some forms. Accordingly, the Principal Secretary to the LG has written to the Chief Secretary, asking to conduct an inquiry through TN varsity sexual assault case: HC constitutes SIT, orders 25 lakh compensation M C RAJAN CHENNAI, 28 DECEMBER Pulling up the police over the investigation into the rape of a girl student of Anna University inside the varsity campus, Madras High Court on Saturday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to take over the probe and ordered an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the victim besides directing the state government to take action against the Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner. The student, pursuing second year Mechanical Engineering at the university, a premier institution for technical education located in the heart of Chennai, was sexually assaulted after her boyfriend was thrashed the night before Christmas Eve. On a complaint from her, the police arrested the accused, Gnanasekaran (37), running a roadside biriyani shop, and whose wife is an employee of the university. Passing interim orders on two PILs, a Christmas Vacation Bench of SM Subramaniam and V Laksh- minarayanan, constituted the SIT comprising three women IPS officers. They are Sneha Priya, Ayman Jamal and Brinda. The SIT would also probe the FIR leak case as well. The Bench then ordered Rs 25 lakh compensation to the victim and directed the varsity to extend free education and hostel facilities apart from providing necessary psychological support considering the trauma she had undergone. Taking exception to City Commissioner of Police (CoP) A Arun claiming in a press conference that there is only one accused who had been arrested, the Bench during the hearing on Friday observed that this amounted to preempting the investigation. The LG has noted that the Women and Child Department of the GNCT has clarified that it will be launching a portal when the said scheme is notified, while it had also asked the people through a notification, cautioning them to not fill any forms given by unauthorised persons. the Divisional Commissioner in the matter of collecting personal details by non- government people. On the other hand, the Commissioner of Police has been asked that he may direct on field officers to take legal action against the person allegedly breaching privacy of the citizens by collecting their personal details in the garb of providing benefits. The Principal Secretary to the LG has also mentioned to the Delhi Police chief that the Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) may be advised to take action against those private persons allegedly organising camps for the fraudulent involvement of the government schemes. Meanwhile, the LG also mentioned that the CS may bring the matter to the notice of the Election Commission of India through the chief electoral office, as such a kind of canvassing is happening ahead of the polls. The LG has also asked the CS and Police chief to conduct an inquiry into the alleged presence of Punjab government's intelligence personnel near Mr Dikshit's residence, as he is a prospective candidate in the upcoming assembly election. isters, their last rites were performed at authorised sites so that every person could pay homage without any inconvenience. Dr Manmohan Singh deserves our highest respect and a memorial. The government should have shown respect to this great son of the country and his proud community,” Mr Gandhi said. Congress leader KC Venugopal slammed the “shoddy arrangements” at Manmohan Singh’s funeral, saying the “monumental insult” to the former PM was “unacceptable”. The “attempts to cut corners were for all to see, and there were many instances where the family was insulted and the overall dignity and protocol befitting Dr Singh's stature was completely lacking,” he said. (BJP hits back: Pg 5) Joe Biden, China mourn Singh’s demise NEW DELHI, 28 DECEMBER Paying rich tributes to Dr Manmohan Singh, US President Joe Biden has said that the unprecedented level of cooperation between his country and India today would not have been possible without the former Prime Minister’s strategic vision and political courage. “From forging the U.S.India Civil Nuclear Agreement to helping launch the first Quad between Indo-Pacific partners, he charted path-breaking progress that will continue to strengthen our nations ~and the world ~ for generations to come. He was a true statesman. A dedicated public servant. And above all, he was a kind and humble person,'' he said in a statement released by the White House. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson also offered condolences to the Indian government and people, as well as to the family of Singh. SNS Jaishankar meets Trump’s key aide in Washington STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 DECEMBER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks in Washington with Mr Michael Waltz, US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the post of National Security Adviser. “Delighted to meet Rep. @michaelgwaltz this evening. Enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation on our bilateral partnership as well as current global issues. Look forward to working with him,” the Minister said in a social media post on X last night. He also held two days of discussions with Indian con- sul generals posted in Washington. “Concluded a very useful two day conference of team @IndianEmbassyUS and our Consuls General in Washington DC today. Confident from the deliberations that the continuous growth of the ndia-US partnership will be accelerated,'' he wrote on X. The meeting was attended by Indian consul generals based in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston and Atlanta. It discussed opportunities for deepening India-US partnership, focusing on technology, trade and investments.