MONDAY 24 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR POPE FRANCIS DISCHARGED P9 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 31˚C and 23˚C respectively. NEW DELHI, 23 MARCH Min: 20.6˚C SUN SETS 17:49 hrs MOON RISES 02:34 hrs A New Moon on 29 March THUMBNAILS A crowd of shoppers at New Market in Kolkata on the last Sunday before Eid and the end of Ramadan. n BISWAJIT GHOSHAL India clamps anti-dumping duty to check flood of cheap Chinese goods: India has imposed anti-dumping duty on four Chinese products, including aluminium foil, to safeguard domestic industry as these goods were being exported by the neighbouring country at below-normal prices. The duties have been imposed on soft ferrite cores, vacuum-insulated flasks of a certain thickness, aluminium foil and trichloro-isocyanuric acid, as the inflow of these goods into the Indian market was hurting domestic manufacturers. mid suspicion of evidence tampering bid in the ‘cash at home’ of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma, senior judges and investigators probing the 14 March incident have asked the former to secure his phone and call records. Apart from conducting forensic tests on the burnt currency notes allegedly recovered from an outhouse on the premises of Justice Varma’s official bungalow, investigators are also expected to inspect call records of all phones which were present at 30 Tughlak Road, near Lok Kalyan Marg Metro, on 14 March night when the fire broke out. Call records of phone numbers, which were contacted by people present on the premises and calls received by them immediately after the fire broke out, will also be scanned as part of a technical investigation, said Delhi Police sources. In his defence, Justice Varma has denied any wrongdoing and alleged a conspiracy to malign him, outrightly rejecting the insinuation that he removed currency from the storeroom. He is also reported to have challenged the visuals of burnt wads of Rs-500 notes shown in a video given by Delhi Police to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna. The video was purportedly shot around the time of firefighting at the outhouse on the premises of Justice Varma’s official residence. Investigators suspect that an attempt to tamper with evidence may have beenmadeduringorimmediately after firefighters doused the blaze in ‘stationery and domestic articles in a storeroom’ before leaving at 1.56 a.m. on 15 March. Witness accounts of Delhi Police Control Room personnel present at the fire scene, along with firefighters, and the subsequent video recording of the fire scene have lent credence to the theory about the presence of burnt Rs-500 notes at the site. However, Justice Varma has told the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, D K Upadhyaya: “I was totally shocked to see the contents of the video since that depicted something which was not found on site as I had seen it.” He added: “It is a room which is completely disassociated from my living areas and a boundary wall demarcates my living area from that outhouse. I only wish that the media had conducted some enquiry before I came to be indicted and defamed in the press." “I unequivocally state Idea of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ applies to foreign policy too: Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 23 MARCH External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,’ applies to the country’s foreign policy too, pointing out that India is among the few countries that can simultaneously engage with Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Iran. Speaking on ‘Diplomacy in the age of Disruptions’ at a media event in Mumbai last night, he said: “Even in a sensitive domain like defence and security, Indian diplomacy ensures that both our armed forces and businesses have the widest possible selection of partners.” The foreign minister said that as far as international cooperation is concerned, India has shown the ability to forge different combinations for different domains, be it trade, technology, energy or security. “The endeavour, in the final analysis, is to keep as many doors open as possible. I have always maintained that 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' applies equally to the foreign policy." He said: “A strategic approach also helps widen options. In the current polarised era, India is among the few that can simultaneously engage Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Iran, the democratic West and the Global South, and the BRICS and QUAD. We have initiated or joined more than 40 different groupings devoted to specific agendas from renewables and biofuels to disaster resilience and connectivity,” he said. He also spoke about the challenges Indian businesses face in a volatile world and highlighted the importance of trust while advancing trade and technology partnerships. “The importance of trust and strong political relationships in advancing our trade and technology partnerships. Our diverse energy partnerships as well as choices, to meet our development demands,” he said. Mr Jaishankar also talked about the active role played by Indian embassies in pursuing India’s commercial interests, the role of concessional financing in enabling access for Indian businesses abroad, the efforts for Indian talent mobility in a global workplace and in reaching out to Indians abroad when in distress." He highlighted India's endeavours in promoting tourism, as an economic driver back home, connectivity initiatives, globally and in the neighbourhood and the key role therein for Indian businesses. "As we move forward, our diplomacy and businesses must continue to work together as Team India in the quest for a Viksit Bharat and in promoting India's interests globally,” the minister said in a social media post on X later. India receives artefacts of Mahatma Gandhi donated by his kin in South Africa UNITED NEWS OF INDIA NEW DELHI, 23 MARCH Artefacts and documents related to Mahatma Gandhi while he was in Durban, South Africa, including clothing items handspun by him, like Kasturba Gandhi’s saree with a red border, her blouse, and some khadi cloth, were today handed over by the Gandhi Development Trust and Phoenix Settlement Trust to the National Gandhi Museum in Delhi. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar witnessed the handing over of the artefacts and documents related to Mahatma Gandhi. The handing over was done by Kidar Ramgobin, the greatgrandson of Mahatma Gandhi, to A. Annamalai, Director, National Gandhi Museum. In a post on X, Mr Jaishankar said: “Privileged to witness the handing over of artefacts and documents related to Mahatma Gandhi, by @PST_GDT, South Africa to National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi. P6 P12 Conspiracy to malign, Mamata Banerjee arrives in London amid biting cold and claims Delhi HC judge rainy weather for six-day visit AGENCIES Min. 54% TEMPERATURE Max: 29.4˚C SUN RISES 05:35 hrs MOON SETS 12:35 hrs P4 ISHAN STARS AS SRH BEAT RR BY 44 RUNS IN IPL RUN-FEST Cash discovery probe: Investigators to also examine call records RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 92% COVENTRY’S CHALLENGE COPS HARASSING BRS CADRES WON’T BE SPARED: KTR “Bapu’s life and message continue to inspire generations to come.” Mahatma Gandhi arrived in South Africa in 1893 and departed in 1915. In the intervening period, he stayed for a long duration in Durban and had established the Phoenix Settlement in 1904. The Phoenix Settlement and its programme is conducted through the Gandhi Development Trust and the Phoenix Settlement Trust, which are registered Non– Profit Organisations in South Africa. The family of Mahatma Gandhi, particularly Manilal Gandhi. his son, resided in the settlement and continued to work the printing press after the departure of Mahatma Gandhi, and produced the Indian Opinion newspaper and other publications for the Natal Indian Congress. The legacy of Gandhi’s family in South Africa continues through Ela Gandhi, daughter of Manilal, and her son Kidar Ramgobin, who played a key role in the donation. In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a landmark visit to South Africa, during which he retraced Mahatma Gandhi’s historic train journey from Pentrich to Pietermaritzburg. PM Modi also visited Mahatma Gandhi’s home ‘Sarvodaya’ at Phoenix Settlement, accompanied by Ela Gandhi, and saw various artefacts associated with the formative years of Bapu’s political life. During the visit, PM Modi stated that it was in South Africa that Mahatma Gandhi found his true calling. In light of the historic and enduring legacy of Bapu’s life and connect with both India and South Africa, the Gandhi Development Trust and the Phoenix Settlement Trust (GDT/PDT) decided to donate some items which belonged tothefamilyofMahatmaGandhi back to India, to the National Gandhi Museum in New Delhi. On 21 March 2025, Kidar Ramgobin handed overe a few artefacts associated with the life of Mahatma Gandhi to A Annamalai, Director, National Gandhi Museum, in New Delhi. that neither I nor any of my family members had stored or kept any cash or currency in that storeroom at any point of time,” he said. “During the exercise to douse the fire, all staff and the members of my household were asked to move away from the scene of the incident in view of safety concerns,” said the judge, adding that after the fire was doused, they (staff and family members) saw no cash or currency on site. CJI Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry against Justice Varma. The committee includes Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana; Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Anu Sivaraman, judge of Karnataka High Court, according to a press statement released by the Supreme Court. The statement added that the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court for the time being has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Justice Yashwant Varma. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 23 MARCH Amid cold weather and intermittent rain, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in London on Sunday afternoon (Indian time) via Dubai for a six-day visit. She landed at Heathrow Airport at approximately 12:30 p.m. (IST) and is staying near Hyde Park at the St. James' Court Hotel, which is close to Buckingham Palace. Miss Banerjee has previously stayed at the same hotel during her earlier visits to London. Her original schedule was disrupted due to a power outage at Heathrow Airport caused by a fire on Friday, which led to a temporary shutdown of airport services. As a result, her departure was delayed by nearly 12 hours. She finally left Kolkata for Dubai on Saturday at 8 p.m. and took a connecting flight to London, arriving early Sunday morning (UK time). Miss Banerjee is accompanied by a high-profile delegation, including Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, Special Secretary to the Chief Minister Gautam Sanyal, Industry Secretary Vandana Yadav, and Director of Security Piyush Pandey. Several officials from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee receives warm wishes from State Governor CV Ananda Bose (unseen) before she departed for London on Saturday. n ANI the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) are also part of the team. Prominent industrialists, including Satyam Ray Chaudhuri, Mehul Mahanka, Umesh Choudhury, and Santosh Bangar, have joined her. Notably, Lata Banerjee, mother of Trinamul Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, is also travelling with the delegation. The Chief Minister has a packed schedule during her stay in the UK. On Monday, she will attend an event at the Indian High Commission in London. On Tuesday, she is set to participate in a business summit, followed by a government-level trade meeting on Wednesday. Ahead of this meeting, more Indian industrialists are expected to arrive in London to join the discussions. A key highlight of her visit will be her address at Oxford University on Thursday, where she will speak on "Social Development." After concluding her engagements, Miss Banerjee is scheduled to return to Kolkata on Friday via Dubai. Currently, London is experiencing cloudy skies with intermittent rain, and temperatures have dropped to 9 degrees Celsius. Despite the chilly weather, Miss Banerjee is expected to make the most of her visit, which aims to strengthen economic and academic ties between West Bengal and the United Kingdom.