MONDAY 10 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR 'BULLYING POWERS' CALL FOR TALKS WITH IRAN NOT AIMED AT SOLVING ISSUES’ ‘INDIA WILL ALWAYS BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF PROTECTING ANIMALS’ P9 WEATHER Generally clear. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 34°C and 23°C respectively. ‘MEDIA MONITORING INITIATIVE NOT AN ATTACK ON PRESS FREEDOM’ P5 P8 India beat NZ by 4 wickets for 3rd Champions Trophy title Rohit Sharma leads from front as batters, spinners put on all-round stellar show RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY TRIDIB BAPARNASH Max. 63% Min. 55% NEW DELHI, 9 MARCH Min: 23.2˚C SUN SETS 17:43 hrs MOON SETS 03:18 hrs T TEMPERATURE Max: 34.2˚C SUN RISES 05:49 hrs MOON RISES 14:18 hrs Full Moon on 14 March THUMBNAILS Devotees break their fast (Roza) with Iftar during the ongoing Ramadan, at Jama Masjid in New Delhi on Sunday. n ANI VP Dhankhar admitted to AIIMS: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi in the wee hours of Sunday. Sources said the 73-year-old was rushed to AIIMS after he complained of chest pain and uneasiness. “He is stable and under observation,” the sources added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the AIIMS to inquire about the health of the Vice-President. He also prayed for his good health and speedy recovery. JENEATH WONG FIRST MALAYSIAN TO WIN WAAP P12 Sitharaman says GST rates to be reduced further, rationalised AGENCIES he ICC Champions Trophy final between India and New ZealandattheDubai International Stadium delivered all the hallmarks of a classic. The packed crowd was treated to a thrilling contest, with the two sides swapping control before India's batting and spin brilliance sealed a four-wicket victory for their third ChampionsTrophytitle,cementing their dominance in whiteball cricket after winning the T20 World Cup last June. Rohit Sharma spearheaded India's chase of 252 with a commanding halfcentury, forging a crucial 105-run opening stand alongside his deputy Shubman Gill. While Rohit dominated the scoring, Gill played the perfect supporting role, ensuring a solid foundation for India's pursuit. However, just as the duo seemed poised to take the game beyond New Zealand’s grasp, Glenn Phillips plucked a sensational catch off Mitchell Santner’s bowling to dismiss Gill. The arrival of Virat Kohli was met with thunderous applause from the packed India's captain Rohit Sharma hits the ball to the fence during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand, in Dubai, UAE, on Sunday. n UNI stadium, but the excitement was short-lived. Off-spinner Michael Bracewell struck first ball, trapping Kohli leg-before. Despite the setbacks, Rohit remained untroubled, keeping India on course. However, the Kiwi spinners tightened the screws, slowing the scoring rate. In an attempt to break the shackles, Rohit charged down the track against Rachin Ravindra, aiming to loft him over cover, only to be beaten in flight and stumped by Tom Latham. The Indian captain walked back after a sublime 76 off 83 balls, including seven boundaries and three towering sixes. With India needing stability, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel took charge, stitching together a 61-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Shreyas played aggressively, dispatching the spinners for a couple of sixes and fours. However, after surviving a chance on 45, he failed to capitalise, falling soon after Santnerreintroducedhimself into the attack. Joined by KL Rahul, Axar Patel rotated the strike efficiently, ensuring India stayed within sight of the target, before he miscued one to William O’Rourke off Bracewell after scoring 29. The pair of Rahul (34 not out) and Hardik Pandya (18) almost took India near the winning mark, before Pandya was undone by Kyle Jamieson. Thereafter, Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja completed the formalities. Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat. Rachin Ravindra and Will Young gave their team a flying start, putting together a 57-run opening stand in just eight overs. However, India’s spinners soon took charge, systematically dismantling the top order. Kuldeep, Varun, Jadeja, and Axar collectively dismissed the top five batters, including key players like Ravindra, Young, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, and Glenn Phillips, slowing the scoring rate as the Kiwis found themselves struggling at 200/5 in 44 overs. Daryl Mitchell shouldered the responsibility of holding the innings together by stitching crucial partnerships while Michael Bracewell ensured his side edged past the 250-run mark with a late flurry. Brief Scores: New Zealand 251/7 (Daryl Mitchell 63, Michael Bracewell 53 not out, Rachin Ravindra 37, Glenn Phillips 34; Kuldeep Yadav 2/40, Varun Chakravarthy 2/45, Ravindra Jadeja 1/30) lost to India 254/6 (Rohit Sharma 76, Shreyas Iyer 48, KL Rahul 34 not out, Shubman Gill 31, Axar Patel 29; Michael Bracewell 2/28) by 4 wickets. NEW DELHI, 9 MARCH Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates will be reduced further as the process of rationalising tax slabs is nearing completion. Mrs Sitharaman said that the revenue neutral rate (RNR), which was 15.8 per cent when GST was introduced in July 2017, has now come down to 11.4 per cent in 2023 and will decrease further. Speaking at a media event in the national capital, Mrs Sitharaman said that the work on simplifying GST slabs is almost finished. The GST Council, which is led by the Finance Minister and includes state finance ministers, is expected to take a final decision soon. “Now, at this stage, there is one more look that I would (take). The groups (GoM) have done excellent work, but I still have taken it upon myself to, once more, completely review each of the groups' works, and then probably take it to the Council to see if we can come to a final conclusion on this,” the Finance Minister stated. The GoM was set up in September 2021 to suggest changes in GST rates and slabs. This committee consists of finance ministers from six states and has been working on making the tax system more efficient. The rationalisation process includes reducing the number of tax slabs, streamlining rates, and addressing key concerns raised by different industries. The Union Minister emphasised that a final review is underway before presenting the proposal at the next GST Council meeting. “We'll take it to the next council (meeting). We are very close to coming to a final call on some of the very critical issues, reduction, rationalisation of rates, looking at the number of slabs and so on,” FM Sitharaman said. However, the Opposition Congress has called for a complete overhaul of the GST system, saying that mere rate reductions are not enough.