CONGRESS JOINS STALIN’S FIGHT FOR FEDERALISM 23 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com ‘MAKE IN INDIA GIVING IMPORTANCE TO PUBLICITY RATHER THAN DELIVERY’ PAGE 06 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 05 IPL 2025: CSK, MI SET TO RENEW RIVALRY PAGE 16 SINCE 1818 PAGES 16 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 34 AND 16 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 80 % TEMPERATURE Chennai meeting also calls for transparency, clarity from Union government Min. 30 % Max: 31.7 °C (+0.2) SUN RISES 06:20 hrs MOON RISES 02:49 hrs JAC demands 25-year freeze on delimitation “ M C RAJAN Min: 16.7 °C (0.6) SUN SETS 18:34 hrs MOON SETS 12:04 hrs THUMBNAILS A view of Dargah Hazratbal shrine and the Hari Parbat fort with a part of the Pir Panjal mountain range in the background in Srinagar on Saturday. nANI Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla to receive 59th Jnanpith Award for 2024: Renowned Hindi litterateur Vinod Kumar Shukla has been selected for the prestigious 59th Jnanpith Award for 2024, recognising his unique contribution, creativity, and distinctive writing style in Hindi literature. Shukla is the 12th Hindi writer to receive this highest literary honour and the first from Chhattisgarh to achieve the distinction. We will become political orphans in our own country. Our culture, identity, progress and social justice face a threat, requiring collective fight since the BJP is always opposed to legitimate rights of States CHENNAI, 22 MARCH D emanding a 25year-long freeze on populationbased delimitation to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies, the JointAction Committee (JAC) of states, also called for transparency and clarity from the BJP-led Union government. It was a coming together of several non-BJP opposition parties, including the AAP, Akali Dal, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS), AIMIM and Kerala Congress besides the Congress and Left parties. Surprisingly, the Jana Sena Party (JSP) of Pawan Kalyan, a constituent of the NDA, was in attendance following an invite from the DMK, which had taken the initiative for the JAC. With the future of INDIA Bloc hanging in the balance after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the new grouping with a declared purpose has assumed significance. The Trinamul Congress and the YSR Congress gave a miss to the meet. In a unanimous resolu- MK STALIN TAMIL NADU CM tion, the JAC which met on Saturday in Chennai, asked for extension of the freeze on Parliamentary constituencies based on the 1971 population census for the next 25 years. “Any delimitation exercise carried out by the Union government to improve the content and character of democracy should be carried out transparently, enabling political parties of all the States, State Government and other stakeholders to deliberate, discuss and contribute in it,” the resolution stated. It was also decided to hold the next meeting of PM Modi reaffirms commitment to water conservation on World Water Day STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 22 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reaffirmed India's commitment to conserve water and promote sustainable development. Highlighting the critical role of water in human civilisation, PM Modi urged collective action to safeguard this invaluable resource for future generations. The Prime Minister in a post on X said: "On World Water Day, we reaffirm our commitment to conserve water and promote sustainable development. Water has been the lifeline of civilisations and thus it is more important to protect it for the future generations!" World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, is an annual United Nations Observance focusing on the importance of freshwater. A core focus of World the JAC in Hyderabad. Giving its reasoning for the freeze demand, the resolution said that while the legislative intent behind the 42nd, 84th and 87th Constitutional amendments was to protect/incentivise states which have implemented population control measures effectively, the goal of population stabilisation has not yet been achieved. It was also decided to have a core committee of MPs to coordinate strategies in Parliament and submit a representation to the Prime Minister. Further, political parties would make efforts ‘Will leave no stone unturned for all-round growth of Bihar’ NEW DELHI, 22 MARCH Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and sanitation for all by 2030. The theme for World Water Day 2025 is 'Glacier Preservation.' In a video post, the Prime Minister further stressed the cultural and historical significance of water conservation in India. “Water is the foundation of life and the world's greatest resource. That is why our ancestors focussed so much on water conservation. From the Vedas to the Puranas, it has always been said that it is humanity's utmost duty to build lakes, dams, and reservoirs to save water," he said. PM Modi warned that a lack of water threatens not just individual well-being but also national development. He underscored the role of the Jal Jeevan Mission in ensuring water availability, management, and maintenance, particularly in rural areas. As Bihar celebrated its 113th Foundation Day with great fanfare on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he will leave no stone unturned for the all-round development of the state, which is the centre of our culture and tradition. He praised Bihar’s rich heritage and the relentless spirit of its people in driving the state’s development. “Our state, which has made Indian history proud, is passing through an important phase of its developmental journey today, in which the hardworking and talented people of Bihar have an important role. We will leave no stone unturned for the all-round development of this state, which is the centre of our culture and tradition.” SNS ECI holds all-party meetings across the country STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The ECI noted that political parties and their authorised representatives such as Booth Level Agents (BLAs), polling agents, counting agents and election agents have specific roles to play in various electoral processes, including the conduct of elections. NEW DELHI, 22 MARCH A total of 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across the country are holding all-party meetings to resolve any pending polling boothlevel issues in their respective Assembly Constituencies (ACs), the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday. The poll panel said all 788 District Election Officers (DEOs) and 36 Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all 28 States and eight Union Territories (UTs) have been directed to hold such meetings to resolve any pending issues at the district and State/UT levels respectively, within the legal framework of the Representation of People Act 1950 and 1951, Registration of Elector Rules 1960, Conduct of Election Rules 1961 and the manuals, guidelines and instructions issued by it from time to time. “These meetings have already started with the active participation of national/state level political parties. All such meetings are to be completed in the entire country in each AC, district and State/UT by March 31,” the ECI said. This is in line with the directions of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar during the conference of CEOs of all States/UTs held earlier this month in the national capital, it said. The ECI noted that political parties and their authorised representatives such as Booth Level Agents (BLAs), polling agents, counting agents and election agents have specific roles to play in various electoral processes including the conduct of elections. This grassroots-level engagement has been welcomed by political parties, with their active and enthusiastic participation in meetings across assembly constituencies, districts, and states/UTs, it said. The ECI also appealed to all the national/state political parties to avail this proactive grassroot level engagement with electoral authorities for resolving any pending issue in a time-bound manner. to table and adopt a resolution in their respective state assemblies against delimitation. In his opening address, Mr Stalin, pitching for ‘fair delimitation’, said the issue is not only about numbers but about power and our right, for reduction in seats would deprive us of our representation and our voice. “We will become political orphans in our own country. Our culture, identity, progress and social justice face a threat, requiring collective fight since the BJP is always opposed to legitimate rights of States,” he said. Unaccounted cash: CJI orders probe against Justice Verma, withdraws judicial work PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 22 MARCH Cracking the whip, the Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Saturday constituted a three-member committee to probe into the alleged recovery of a huge amount of unaccounted cash from the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma and asked the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, not to assign any judicial work to Justice Verma. The three-member committee that will probe into the allegations of the recovery of huge amount of unaccounted cash from the official residence of Justice Yashwant Verma on 14 March – the day of Holi – after a fire broke out at his residence in Delhi - includes the Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana, High Court Justice Sheel Nagu, the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and a judge of Karnataka High Court, Justice Ms. Anu Sivaraman. A statement issued by the Supreme Court of India late on Saturday evening said: “The Chief Justice of India has constituted a three member Committee consisting of Mr. Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab & Haryana, Mr. Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, and Ms. Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, for conducting an inquiry into the allegations against Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting Judge of the High Court of Delhi.” CJI Khanna also asked the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court not to assign Justice Verma any judicial work for the time being. “The Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi for the time being has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma,” the Supreme Court statement said. Asking the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma could be an indication that the proposal to transfer him to Allahabad High Court has been put on hold. The Allahabad High Court is the parent High Court of Justice Varma where he was first appointed as Additional Judge and later made a permanent judge. The Allahabad High Court Bar Association has already passed a resolution stating that Justice Verma’s return to the parent High Court is not welcome and it could not be treated as a dumping ground of a judge under a cloud. The statement further said that the report submitted by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on the incident, response of Justice Yashwant Varma, and other documents, are being uploaded on the Supreme Court website.