TUESDAY 07 JANUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR U.S. CONGRESS READY TO CERTIFY TRUMP’S ELECTION WIN PRASHANT KISHOR’S ARREST IGNITES PROTESTS AGAINST BIHAR GOVT TN GOVERNOR RAVI BOYCOTTS ASSEMBLY, LEAVES HOUSE IN A HUFF P9 P5 AUSTRALIANS PRAISE JASPRIT BUMRAH FOR BGT HEROICS P4 SENSEX 77,964.99q1,258.12 WEATHER Generally clear. Cloudy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 27°C and 16°C respectively. NIFTY 23,616.05q388.70 ` vs $ 85.79 P12 SILVER 99,000 GOLD 79,300.00 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 76.87p0.36 Centre supports Kumbh, not Gangasagar mela: CM Justin Trudeau ‘US finalising steps to strengthen nuclear energy to step down as Canada PM cooperation with India’ Gangasagar yet to be declared a national fair, laments Mamata Banerjee STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY GANGASAGAR, 6 JANUARY OTTAWA, 6 JANUARY RAJIB CHAKRABORTY Max. 75% AGENCIES Min. 64% NEW DELHI, 6 JANUARY Mamata asks people not to panic over HMPV TEMPERATURE Max: 27.2˚C SUN RISES 06:18 hrs MOON RISES 11:25 hrs Min: 16.3˚C SUN SETS 17:07 hrs MOON SETS 08:29 hrs Full Moon on 14 January THUMBNAILS A view of a snow-covered 'Lal Chowk' after fresh snowfall, in Srinagar on Monday. n ANI Nine killed in Maoist ambush in Chhattishgarh: Eight District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and the driver of their vehicle were killed in a Maoist ambush on the Kutru-Bedre road in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday. The attack, which took place near Amboli village around 2:15 pm, involved a powerful IED blast followed by gunfire. The team was returning from an anti-Maoist operation when their vehicle was targeted, police said. (Details on Pg 8) C hief Minister Mamata Banerjee has today criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government's policy regarding Gangasagar, particularly compared to the attention lavished on the Kumbh Mela. Speaking at Kapil Muni's ashram on Sagar Island after offering puja, Miss Banerjee said that the central government shows no concern for the Gangasagar Mela, whereas it invests thousands of crores of rupees in the Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh. She said that the state government requires substantial funds to protect Kapil Muni's ashram from sea erosion, but the Central government remains indifferent to this issue. The Central government allocates thousands of crores of rupees for the Kumbh Mela. However, despite more than one crore people attending the Gangasagar Mela, it has yet to be declared a national fair, she said. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GANGASAGAR, 6 JANUARY According to the Chief Minister, due to the massive funds allocated to the Kumbh Mela, people can directly reach the site via road or air. However, to reach Gangasagar, pilgrims have to cross the river, which is very inconvenient. Miss Banerjee also explained how the administration and NGOs are working to assist the general public. "If my party (TMC) gains power (at the Centre) then Gangasagar Mela will be declared as national fair,” she said. Referring to the Muriganga Bridge, the Chief Minister said that no one had thought about constructing this bridge before. She recalled a conversation with a Central government minister a few years ago in this regard, yet the bridge was not built even after four years. Eventually, her government took the initiative to construct it. Miss Bqanjere stated that despite high costs and financial constraints, the construction of the Gangasagar Bridge is essential. She said that significant progress has already been made in this project. According to her, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared for the Muriganga Bridge. However, completing the construction will take four years and require an estimated budget of Rs 1,500 crore. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday advised people not to panic over reports of a Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) case turning up in Kolkata. “In Bangalore, two cases have been reported. Here, we are yet to detect any such case. Our chief secretary has already held a meeting and taken precautionary measures," Miss Banerjee told reporters at the Kapil Muni ashram here. “We do not have any such alerts in this connection (HMPV cases). In case there are any, I will let you know. Our government is always serving the people; you have seen that during the Covid pandemic,” Miss Banerjee said. The United States is now finalising the necessary steps to remove long-standing regulations that have prevented civil nuclear cooperation between India's leading nuclear entities and US companies, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said here on Monday. “The formal paperwork will be done soon but this will be an opportunity to turn the page on some of the frictions of the past and create opportunities for entities that have been on restricted lists in the United States to come off those lists and enter into deep collaboration with the United States, with our private sector, scientists and technologists to move civil nuclear cooperation forward together,” he said. Mr Sullivan is in New Delhi to hold talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on issues ranging from space, defence, strategictechnologycooperation as well as shared security priorities in the Indo-Pacific region. Mr Sullivan later in the day met Prime Minister Narendra Modiandtheypositivelyassessed the significant advancement in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership over the last four years, especially in the key areas of technology, defence, space, civil nuclear, clean energy, semiconductors, and AI. In a post on X, Mr Modi said: “It was a pleasure to meet the US National Security Advisor @JakeSullivan46. The IndiaUS Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership has scaled new heights, including in the areas of technology, defence, space, biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence. Look forward to building upon this momentum in ties between our two democracies for the benefit of our people and global good.” The PM deeply appreciated a letter from US President Joe Biden handed over to him by Mr Sullivan. Mr Modi also reaffirmed his commitment to continue to deepen close cooperation between the two democracies for the benefit of the people of the two countries and for the global good. Justin Trudeau on Monday announced that he will step down as Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal leader once his party has chosen a new leader. Mr Trudeau, who has been the leader of the Liberal Party since 2013, and has served as the country's PM for more than nine years, announced his decision at a news conference in Ottawa, late Monday evening, India time. Facing a major revolt within his party and a dismal public opinion polls ahead of this year's general elections, Mr Trudeau also asked Governor-General Mary Simon to prorogue Parliament until 24 March. “I intend to resign as party leader and as prime minister after the party selects a new leader," said Mr Trudeau. The Liberal caucus is set to meet on Wednesday. Mr Trudeau has faced mounting challenges, particularly after Chrystia Freeland's abrupt resignation as Finance Minister on 16 December. Ms Freeland publicly slammed Mr Trudeau in her resignation letter. Earlier, Mr Trudeau's minority government lost a critical ally in September 2024 when Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party (NDP) withdrew its support.