FRIDAY 24 JANUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘IRON AGE COMMENCED FROM TAMIL LANDSCAPE’ MAHARASHTRA MINISTER CALLS SAIF 'GARBAGE' P5 SENSEX 76,520.38p115.39 WEATHER Generally clear. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 29°C and 19°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 69% Max: 29.2˚C SUN RISES 6:17 hrs MOON RISES 01:33 hrs Min: 19.3˚C SUN SETS 17:19 hrs MOON SETS 12:28 hrs New Moon on 29 January THUMBNAILS FS to visit Beijing: 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. C hief Minister Mamata Banerjee, paying homage to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary, on Thursday described him as a victim of conspiracy and questioning the mystery surrounding his disappearance. “I feel deeply saddened for him. Where did he dis- 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. Residents of two Rajouri villages quarantined over spread of unidentified disease 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 GOLD 82,480.00 Mamata Banerjee demands that Central govt declassify Netaji files in central archives AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE ` vs $ 86.40 Medical College (GMC) Rajouri. The Animal and Sheep 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 (photo) to assess the situation and review ongoing measures for the safety of the residents. appear, how did he disappear, and when did he disappear – none of us know. We could never find him again. We celebrate his birth anniversary, but we don’t know the date of his death or whether he actually passed away,” the Chief Minister remarked. “On behalf of the state government,wehavedeclassified 64 files related to Netaji to help people learn more about him. Rabindranath Tagore had called Netaji a ‘Chintan Nayak’ (a leader of thought), and we honour him as ‘Desh Nayak’ (the leader of the nation) across the country. Yet,theCentralgovernment has not declared a national holidayinhishonour.However, our state government has announced a holiday to pay him respect,” the chief minister said, adding thattheCentralgovernment should now declassify the files on Netaji that are in the central archives. JADEJA SHINES WITH FIFER ON RANJI TROPHY RETURN P7 P12 SILVER 1,04,000 CM questions mystery shroud over Netaji’s disappearance ‘India always open to legitimate return of undocumented Indians’ 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 P4 23,205.35p50.00 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE SILIGURI, 23 JANUARY Max. 84% TEMPERATURE NIFTY TIME TO TAKE A POP AT GST ABSURDITIES BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 77.17p0.50 ‘World is watching how India makes 21st century its own’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 23 JANUARY Observing 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 said. “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 excellence, and focusing on efficiency.