FRIDAY 24 JANUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘IRON AGE COMMENCED FROM TAMIL LANDSCAPE’ MAHARASHTRA MINISTER CALLS SAIF 'GARBAGE' P5 SENSEX 76,520.38p115.39 WEATHER SMOG/SHALLOW FOG LIKELY IN THE EVENING/NIGHT. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 23 AND 10 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 100 % TEMPERATURE P8 23,205.35p50.00 THUMBNAILS Indian Air Force aircraft fly over Samvidhan Sadan during the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi. n ANI Auction annulled: The Union Ministry of Mines on Thursday announced that the government has decided to annul the auction of Nayakkarpatti Tungsten mineral block in Tamil Nadu to protect the heritage area. The decision was taken after a meeting on Thursday with a delegation of Ambalakarars from Madurai of Tamil Nadu with the Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy Minister at his chamber in the Ministry of Mines in the national capital.(P5) O Services Examination, he could have been a senior officer in the British Indian government and led a comfortable life. However, the PM said Netaji chose the path of difficulties and challenges in the quest for Independence, along with wandering in India and other countries. “Netaji Subhas was not bound by the confines of a comfort zone. Today, we all need to step out of our comfort zones to build a Viksit Bharat,'' he said, emphasising the importance of becoming globally the best, choosing India always open to legitimate return of undocumented Indians: Jaishankar AGENCIES WASHINGTON, 23 JANUARY going on and a resulting sensitivity which is there. But we have been consistent; we have been very principled about it, and that remains our position, and I conveyed that very clearly to US State Secretary Marco Rubio,” he added. Mr Jaishankar, however, also emphasised that India is very much supportive of 'legal mobility' between two countries and wants Indian skills and talent to have great opportunities at the global level. He added that India is firmly opposed to illegal migration, adding it is not "reputationally good" and also leads to several illegal activities. “As a government, we obviously are very much supportive of legal mobility because we do believe in a global workplace. We want Indian talent and Indian skills to have the maximum opportunity at a global level," the EAM said. “At the same time, we are also very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration. because you also know that when something illegal happens, many other illegal activities get joined into it... this is not desirable. It's certainly not reputationally good...So we have with every country, and the US is no exception,” he added. The Foreign Minister, during his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also pointed out the long waiting period for getting US visas and said it is not serving the relationship well. excellence, and focusing on efficiency. Remarking that Netaji formed the 'Azad Hind Fauj' for the country's independence by including brave men and women from every region and class, Mr Modi highlighted that despite having different languages, their common sentiment was the country's freedom. He emphasised that this unity is a significant lesson for a 'Viksit Bharat' today. Just as unity was essential for 'Swaraj' then, it is now crucial for a 'Viksit Bharat', remarked the PM as he highlighted India’s digital economy to grow twice as fast as overall economy STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 23 JANUARY The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in a report, said India’s digital economy is poised to grow nearly twice as fast as the overall economy. This will contribute nearly one-fifth of the country’s national income by 20292030. The report, titled ‘Estimation and Measurement of India's Digital Economy’, highlighted the sector’s transformative potential, and states that the digital economy’s share is expected to surpass agriculture and manufacturing in less than six years. According to the MeitY report, as of 2022-23, the digital economy contributed 11.74 per cent of India’s national income, equivalent to Rs 28.94 trillion ($368 billion) in Gross Value Added (GVA) and Rs 31.64 trillion ($402 billion) in GDP. Residents of Rajouri villages quarantined over unidentified disease STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 23 JANUARY In a bid to break the cycle of deaths due to unidentified causes in the border district of Rajouri, residents of two villages, Badhaal and Larkuti, have been quarantined in safe places. Containment has already been imposed in Badhaal village which has witnessed 17 deaths, including of 13 children, in the past about 45 days. Three girls of a family and a boy were flown in an IAF helicopter to the medical college hospital at Jammu on Wednesday evening after they fell ill with unidentified symptoms. Rajouri's Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma has ordered the immediate shifting of close contacts and high-risk persons of affected families from Badhaal village to the Nursing College and Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri. The Animal and Sheep GOLD 82,480.00 Husbandry Department has been tasked with deploying officials to manage and take care of domestic cattle left behind in the village, ensuring their safety and proper upkeep. BJP leader and former minister Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali has complained that men, women, and children from Badhaal and Larkuti villages were forcibly taken from their houses to be quarantined. This has created panic among the people, he alleged. Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Anand Jain, visited Badhaal village to assess the situation and review ongoing measures for the safety of the residents. The Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri was directed for immediate relocation of close contacts and highrisk contacts of the affected families from Badhaal village to Nursing College and Government Medical College Rajouri. Instructions were issued to Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs), Block Development Officers (BDOs), and their subordinate staff to facilitate the seamless movement of the identified individuals to the designated facilities. The designated officers and their teams will oversee the well-being of the relocated residents upon their arrival in Rajouri and provide essential support and other necessities during their stay, it was ordered. The Divisional Commissioner directed all concerned officials to work in close coordination to ensure the effective implementation of the measures. To cope with the health crisis in Badhaal village, the District administration has introduced an array of preventive measures to halt the situation from further escalating. the favourable environment for India's progress globally. He stressed the importance of drawing inspiration from Netaji and focusing on India's unity. The PM noted that in the last ten years, the country has demonstrated that rapid development makes the life of the common man easier and also increases military strength. He highlighted that in the last decade, 25 crore Indians were lifted out of poverty, which is a huge success. He said modern infrastructure is being built everywhere, be it village or city and spoke about the ''unprecedented'' increase in the strength of the Indian Army and the country's growing role on the world stage. The PM expressed confidence that the day is not far when India will become the third largest economic power in the world. He urged everyone to keep working continuously for 'Viksit Bharat' with one goal, one objective, inspired by Netaji. P12 SILVER 1,04,000 The PM said the foremost and important goal of Netaji Subhas Bose was Azad Hind bserving that the world is watching how India makes the 21st century its own, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday cautioned citizens to stay vigilant against those who seek to weaken the country and disrupt its unity. He was delivering his address via video message on the occasion of ‘jayanti’ of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, commemorated as “Parakram Diwas”. “Today, when we are engaged in achieving the resolution of Developed India (Viksit Bharat), the legacy of life of Netaji Subhas will constantly inspire us,'' the PM remarked. He said the foremost and important goal of Netaji Subhas Bose was Azad Hind. To achieve this goal, Netaji stood steadfast with his decision on one single criterion Azad Hind. He added that Netaji was born in a prosperous family and having cleared the Civil JADEJA SHINES WITH FIFER ON RANJI TROPHY RETURN P7 ‘World is watching how India makes 21st century its own’ NEW DELHI, 23 JANUARY Min: .11.0 °C (+3.5) SUN SETS 17:54 hrs MOON SETS 13:00 hrs Clarifying India's stance, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that New Delhi is open to the "legitimate return" of Indian nationals living 'illegally' abroad, including in the United States. The Foreign Minister affirmed that India's position on the issue has been "consistent" and "principled," and he did clearly convey this to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “We have always taken the view that if there are any of our citizens who are not here legally, if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been open to their legitimate return to India. So it's not a position unique to the United States,” Mr Jaishankar said at a press conference in Washington DC, on Wednesday (local time). “I understand right now that there is a certain debate ` vs $ 86.40 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 50 % Max: 24.8 °C (+4.5) SUN RISES 07:13 hrs MOON RISES 03:33 hrs NIFTY TIME TO TAKE A POP AT GST ABSURDITIES PM Modi pays tribute to Bal Thackeray on his birthday STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 23 JANUARY Paying rich tributes to Bal Thackeray on his birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the late Shiv Sena supremo never compromised on his core beliefs and always contributed towards enhancing the pride of Indian culture. In a post on X, the PM wrote: “I pay homage to Balasaheb Thackeray Ji on his birth anniversary. He is widely respected and remembered for his commitment to public welfare and towards Maharashtra’s development. He was uncompromising when it came to his core beliefs and always contributed towards enhancing the pride of Indian culture.” (Page 5) BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 77.17p0.50 Foreign secretary Misri to visit China this week STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 23 JANUARY In a major step towards normalisation of Sino-India ties, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will visit Beijing on 26-27 January for a meeting of the Foreign Secretary-Vice Minister mechanism between the two countries. “The resumption of this bilateral mechanism flows from the agreement at the leadership level to discuss the next steps for IndiaChina relations, including in the political, economic, and people-to-people domains,” The Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. The proposed trip follows recent efforts by the two countries to ease tensions after a breakthrough in October last year to end the prolonged military stand-off at eastern Ladakh. Mr Misri’s trip is likely to focus on easing visas, resuming direct flights, and strengthening economic ties between the two neighbouring countries. Last month, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval had travelled to Beijing to meet Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. During the meeting, NSA Doval had emphasised that the resumption of the meeting between special representatives of both countries for the boundary question after an interval of five years is an important move to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and is of great significance for advancing bilateral relations. India and China had also decided to give "positive directions" for cross-border cooperation and exchanges, including resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, data sharing on trans-border rivers and border trade, during the 23d meeting of the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China which was attended by NSA Doval and Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and China's Minister of Foreign Affairs.