WEDNESDAY 26 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR FADNAVIS ALLEGES SULE LINK TO BLACKMAILERS OF BJP MINISTER ‘ANNOUNCEMENT ON AUTONOMY SOON TO UPHOLD STATE’S RIGHTS’ P6 SENSEX 78,017.19 p32.80 WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 34˚C and 24˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm Min. 41% Min: 23.7˚C (-0.4) SUN RISES 05:36 hrs MOON RISES 02:35 hrs KOLKATA, 25 MARCH W SUN SETS 17:49 hrs MOON SETS 13:38 hrs New Moon on 29 March THUMBNAILS Security forces continue a cordon and search operation in the Saniyal area of Hiranagar on Tuesday for the second consecutive day after receiving input regarding the presence of terrorists in Kathua. nANI Rekha Gupta presents 'historic' Delhi Budget: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday presented the newly-elected BJP government's maiden budget in the state Assembly, allocating Rs 1 lakh crore for the development of the national capital with a focus on women's safety, water supply and sanitation, infrastructure, and cleaning of the Yamuna river. The outlay is Rs 24,000 crore higher than the budget estimates of the previous year when the Aam Aadmi Party was in power. Army denies drone stray report: The Indian Army has categorically denied as "completely baseless and factually incorrect” reports suggesting that an Indian Army Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) veered into Chinesecontrolled territory in the Eastern Theatre and was subsequently hacked by the Chinese Army. The report published by alphadefense.in claimed that Chinese personnel temporarily took control of the RPA before returning it to their Indian counterparts. est Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today made a compelling case for investment in the state at the business summit ‘Opportunities in West Bengal’, held at St. James’ Court in London. Addressing UK-based industrialists, investors, and dignitaries, she highlighted Bengal’s industrial potential and assured them of a business-friendly environment. The summit, which began at 7 p.m. IST, showcased Bengal’s strengths through a special video presentation, Dhonilo Ahoban, illustrating the state’s progress in industry, infrastructure, employment, sports, and culture. Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram K. Doraiswami, emphasised Bengal’s strate- gic location as the gateway to North-east India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. In a significant development, Manchester City, reigning champions of the English Premier League, announced plans to open a football school in Kolkata. During Banerjee’s visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the British club and Techno India, owned by Satyam Roy Chowdhury. Representing Techno India NEW DELHI, 25 MARCH The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Finance Bill, 2025 with 35 amendments, one of which eliminates the 6 per cent digital tax on online advertisements. Replying to the debate on the bill, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: "I have proposed to remove (the) 6 per cent equalisation levy for advertisements. Equalisation levy on online advertisements to be abolished to address uncertainty in international economic conditions." Marking a significant shift in digital taxation policy, the Finance Bill 2025-26 has proposed to withdraw the 6 per cent Equalisation Levy on STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 MARCH TMC and Congress MPs held a protest in Parliament on Tuesday against the Union government for allegedly stopping transfer of MNREGA funds to West Bengal. Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and lawmaker Priyanka Gandhi also joined the protest for a short period of time. Speaking to reporters on the issue, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said: "We have been saying that Central funds due to Bengal should be given to the state... Shivraj Chouhan (Union Agriculture Minister) is against the Bengali people. They have been trying to form a government there (West Bengal), but they will not be able to do so... They are not doing anything for the poor. Shivraj Chouhan online advertising services starting 1 April 2025. The proposal to remove the Equalisation Levy on online advertisements is believed to be aimed at showing an accommodative stance to the US, which has threatened to introduce reciprocal tariffs from 2 April. The Finance Minister informed the House that the new Income Tax Bill will be taken up for discussion in the Monsoon session of Parliament. She said the new income tax bill, which was introduced in the House on 13 February, is currently being vetted by the Select Committee. The Select Committee has been mandated to submit its report by the first day of the next session of Parliament. The Monsoon session of Parliament is usually convened in July and runs through August. With the passage of the Finance Bill 2025, the Lok Sabha has concluded its role in the Budget approval process. The Bill will now move to the Rajya Sabha for consideration. After the Rajya Sabha approves the Bill, the Budget process for 2025-26 will be complete. According to Budget documents, the total capital expenditure estimated for the financial year 2025-26 is Rs 11.22 trillion. The Budget proposes a gross tax revenue collection of Rs 42.70 trillion and a gross borrowing of Rs 14.01 trillion. Further, Rs 5,41,850.21 crore has been allocated for Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) for FY26 compared to Rs 4,15,356.25 crore for FY25. 83,668 WhatsApp accounts used for ‘digital arrest’ blocked: Home Ministry AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 25 MARCH The ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’ (I4C) set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs has identified and blocked more than 83,668 WhatsApp accounts and 3,962 Skype IDs used for 'digital arrest', Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Apart from this, over 7.81 lakh SIM cards and 2,08,469 IMEIs have been blocked by the Government after receiving police complaints, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. A 'digital arrest', so-called, is a cybercrime where scam- P16 SILVER `1,01,000 at the signing was Debdut Roy Chowdhury, Satyam’s son. Manchester City officials also presented a club jersey to Mamata Banerjee as a token of appreciation. During her speech, Banerjee expressed gratitude to Manchester City for their initiative and highlighted Bengal’s passion for football and cricket. She frequently references Bengal’s sporting culture during her foreign visits, and this occasion was no exception. Mr Doraiswami praised Bengal’s economic growth under Miss Banerjee’s leadership, citing the state’s contributions to India’s GDP, its thriving iron and steel industries, and its prominence in agriculture, particularly Darjeeling tea and jute production. He encouraged British businesses to invest in key sectors such as IT, healthcare, tourism, and manufacturing, assuring them of full support from the Indian High Commission. Miss Banerjee reaffirmed Bengal’s commitment to fostering an industry-friendly ecosystem, mentioning the formation of a special committee, led by the Chief Secretary, to facilitate investments. She stressed that Bengal offers world-class infrastructure and a skilled workforce, making it an ideal destination for international investors. A key agenda of her visit includes advocating for a direct London-Kolkata flight and establishing a Biswa Bangla counter in London to promote Bengal’s handcrafted products, mangoes, litchis, sweets, garments, and leather goods. The Bengal delegation is also exploring collaborations in SMEs, IT, and large-scale industries, with discussions underway to organise a dedicated Bengal exhibition at the Indian High Commission in London this November. The summit featured prominent figures such as UK India Business Council Chairman Richard Heald, FICCI President Harshvardhan Agarwal, and industrialist Swaraj Paul. Several MoUs are expected to be signed, with sources indicating that multiple UK firms will soon visit Bengal to explore investment opportunities. TMC, Cong protest against MGNREGA funds delay LS passes Finance Bill 2025 with 35 government amendments; new I-T Bill in Monsoon Session STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GOLD `90,330.00 Mamata makes case for UK investment in Bengal STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE TEMPERATURE Max: 33.0˚C (-1.7) ` vs $ 85.69 P10 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 72.79 Eye on judiciary, Dhankhar holds all-party meeting English Premier League champs Manchester City announces plans to set up football school in Kolkata RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 91% P5 NIFTY 23,668.65 p10.30 KKR, ROYALS AIM TO BOUNCE BACK TRUMP OFFICIALS TEXTED WAR PLANS TO A GROUP CHAT mers impersonate law enforcement officials to falsely accuse individuals of crimes and extort money or personal information by threatening arrest or imprisonment. Since 2021, Mr Kumar said, a Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System for reporting financial frauds and stopping siphoning off funds by fraudsters has saved more than Rs 4,386 crore in more than 13.36 lakh complaints. Clarifying that the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) does not separately compile or publish specific data regarding 'digital arrest' scams, the MoS said the MHA has set up the I4C as an attached office to deal with all types of cyber crimes in the country, in a coordinated and comprehensive manner. Sharing details of avenues for citizens to report 'digital arrests' and other cyber crimes, he said the ‘National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal’ (https://cybercrime.gov.in) has been launched, as a part of the I4C, to enable the public to report incidents pertaining to all types of cyber crimes. is a 'Dalal' for the rich people.” Opposition MPs, including Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor and K C Venugopal joined the demonstration on the issue on Parliament premises. However, amid opposition MPs' protests in the Lok Sabha against the alleged delay in the payment to some states for the rural employment scheme, the India, China agree to strengthen mechanism for peace along LAC STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 MARCH India and China, on Tuesday, agreed to maintain and strengthen relevant diplomatic and military mechanisms for maintaining peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The 33rd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held this afternoon in Beijing. The Indian delegation was led by Mr Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, while the Chinese delegation was headed by Mr. Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Held in a positive and constructive atmosphere, the meeting comprehensively reviewed the situation along the LAC in the India-China border areas,” an official statement said. The two sides explored various proposals to give effect to the decisions taken during the 23rd meeting of the Special Representatives (SRs) on the India-China boundary question in Beijing in December 2024 and to advance effective border management. They agreed to maintain and strengthen relevant diplomatic and military mechanisms towards this end. They also exchanged views on early resumption of cross-border cooperation and exchanges. government asserted that it has never discriminated against any state in the release of MGNREGA funds. The Lok Sabha witnessed protests over the issue during Question Hour with DMK and TMC MPs entering the Well of the House. Speaker Om Birla urged them to return to their seats, but they did not budge. Following this, the House was adjourned till 12 Noon. A few days ago, TMC MP Banerjee said the benefits of MGNREGA were not being passed to Bengal. “The constant stand taken by the ministry is that 25 lakh cases of fraud have been detected. We are saying you take immediate steps, investigate, initiate criminal proceedings, and arrest the guilty, but you cannot stop the funds for 10 crore people because of 25 lakh cases. If there is corruption, why aren’t you acting on it?” STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 MARCH An all-party meeting was held in Parliament on the issue of the controversy surrounding Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court under the chairmanship of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Leader of the House JP Nadda and Leader of tbe Opposition in the upper house Mallikarjun Kharge were present in the meeting, along with floor leaders of the DMK, BJD, BRS, CPM, UBT, AGP, TMC, Congress, and BJP, sources said. Justice Varma has been caught in the eye of a storm after wads of burnt currency were allegedly found at his home during a fire. The incident has caused a widespread debate on corruption within and accountability on the part of the judiciary. According to sources, the discussion in the meeting centred on key judicial matters in light of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act having been struck down by the Supreme Court even as it was passed by Parliament and approved by 16 states in 2015. The Modi government is exploring the revival of the NJAC, the sources said. As soon as the Rajya Sabha met for the day, Mr Dhankhar said, while referring to the 99th Constitutional Amendment that would have created an NJAC: “It concerns the sovereignty of Parliament, the supremacy of Parliament, and whether we are at all relevant. If we effect an amendment in the Constitution, and that is not executable. If a constitutional amendment is not executable, I have no doubt the Parliament is possessed of the power. Any power...in any institution to ensure what emanated from the Indian Parliament, sanctified by a requisite number of State Legislatures, holds the field.” He said the Upper House, keeping its dignity in mind, demonstrating dignified conduct, unanimously created a legal system in 2015, and that constitutional structure that emanated unanimously with one abstention from Parliament endorsed by state legislatures should be the rule of law because it was sanctified by the President by appending her signatures under Article 111. “Now is the befitting occasion for all of us to reiterate that because that was a visionary step endorsed by Parliament. And imagine if that had taken place, things would have been different,” he said. Seeking members' suggestions on a very important point, he noted: ''What emanated from Indian Parliament as a historic development with rare convergence of unity since independence found acceptance by needed State Legislatures. We need to reflect on what happened to that.''