TUESDAY 22 APRIL 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘DETAILED INVESTIGATIONS INTO FORMER DGP'S KILLING’ ‘EXCEL IN COMBAT SKILLS, REMAIN MENTALLY STRONG’ P5 SENSEX 79,408.50 p855.30 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 36˚C and 27˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 87% Min. 64% Max: 34.4˚C (-1.5) Min: 27.1˚C (+0.9) SUN SETS 17:59 hrs MOON SETS 11:23 hrs ` vs $ 85.38 GOLD `99,585.00 THUMBNAILS The People’s Pope e Francis’ Firsts l The first pope from the Americas. CRPF in a joint operation with Jharkhand police neutralised eight Maoists during an encounter and recovered arms, ammunition and other materials in Lugu hills under Lalpania area, in Bokaro on Monday. nANI BCCI unveil annual contracts: Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were re-included in the annual contract list for the national men's team that the BCCI unveiled on Monday. Rishabh Pant has been upgraded to Group A even as seven players have been handed the central contract for the first time. The contracts will be valid from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. Retaining its earlier format, with players slotted in four categories — A+, A, B and C, the BCCI announced a 34-player list, which didn’t feature the fast bowling contracts handed last year. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah continue to be retained in the A+ category. Ravichandran Ashwin was the obvious exclusion from the list after the star off-spinner announced his international retirement in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar series Down Under last year. (P16) l The first from the Jesuit order to be His last public elected pope. day appearance, a d before his death h l The first to take — to bless the name of thousands of Francis, after St. people in St. Francis of Assisi. Peter’s Square l The first to visit and treat them t to a surprise Iraq, meeting its popemobile rom mp top Shiite Muslim through the cleric in 2021. azza, d drawing i ild cheers and pplause. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was b born Dec 17, 1936, to c. Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires, A s Argentina, the eldest of five children. He be ecame a archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and ele evated to cardinal in 2001. o He was elected the 266th po on M ope March 13, 2013. Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives ith iti f with critiques of capitalism and climate change. As Bue enos Air res archbi ishop, Fr rancis denied himsel the d lf luxurie his es predec cessors enjoye riding ed, the bu us, cookin his ng own meals m and regula arly visiting i iti slums. . De ly p eeply pained by the passing of His Holiness Po Francis. In this hour of grief d Ho Po ope ra and rem remembra ra ance, my heartfelt condolences to the global Catholic community. tf fe es Ca ty y. Pop Francis w ll always be remembered as a b ope Fra r wi ay re re beacon of compassion, humility an ty nd spi iritual iritua courage by millions across the world. — NARENDRA MODI, PM ra ro AGENCIES VATICAN CITY, 21 APRIL P ope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died on Monday. He was 88. Bells tolled in churches from his native Argentina to the Philippines and across Rome as news spread around the world after the announcement, which was read by Cardinal Kevin Farrell from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” said Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, who takes charge after a pontiff’s death. Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday — a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, drawing wild cheers and applause. Beforehand, he met CM Mamata lays foundation for `16,000 cr power plant in Salboni BISWABRATA GOSWAMI SALBONI, 21 APRIL NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL Apparently taking exception to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar questioning the April 8 Supreme Court judgment on setting a timeline for the President and governors to give assent to the Bills enacted by the state legislatures, the Supreme Court said on Monday that it is being accused of “interfering with executive and legislative functions”, while hearing a public interest plea (PIL) seeking direction to the Central government to frame regulations to prohibit the streaming of alleged obscene content on Over The Top (OTT) platforms. Telling the petitioner SILVER `1,01,000 of two units of 800 MW each. According to the company, the first unit is scheduled for commissioning in 42 months and the second in 48 months. "This is a landmark project. I must congratulate the Jindal Group and all their officials," said Miss Banerjee at the event, where she lit a digital ceremonial lamp and unveiled the foundation plaque. “A total of 1,600 MW will be generated — 800 each in two phases — and 23 districts will benefit from this initiative,” she said. Describing the upcoming plant as a “special type of eco-friendly initiative,” the chief minister stressed its significance in meeting the growing energy demand of the state. She said the project is expected to create employment for nearly 15,000 people and praised the transparent competitive bidding process through which JSW secured the contract. Reiterating her govern- ment's focus on strengthening energy infrastructure, Miss Banerjee announced plans for two additional power units to be developed in West Bengal. “Bengal needs more and more power. We are committed to meeting that demand,” she said. The chief minister pointed out that the number of electricity consumers in West Midnapore alone has risen from 1.87 lakh to 2.30 lakh in recent years, reflecting the region's growing energy needs. “We are continuously upgrading our infrastructure to keep pace with rising demand,” she added. briefly with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Francis performed the blessing from the same loggia where he was introduced to the world on March 13, 2013 as the 266th pope. From his first greeting that night — a remarkably normal “Buonasera” (“Good evening”) — to his embrace of refugees and the downtrodden, Francis signaled a very different tone for the papacy, stressing humility over hubris for a Catholic Church beset by scandal and accusations of indifference. After that rainy night, the Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought a breath of fresh air into a 2,000-year-old institution that had seen its influence wane during the troubled tenure of Pope Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation led to Francis’ election. He implored the world to use COVID-19 as an opportunity to rethink the economic and political framework that he said had turned rich against poor. World leaders on Monday extolled Francis’ commitment to the most marginalized members of society. Flags flew at half-staff in Italy, and tourists and the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square. When the great bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began tolling, visitors stopped in their tracks to record the moment on their phones. Francis’ death sets off a weekslong process of allowing the faithful to pay their final respects, first for Vatican officials in the Santa Marta chapel and then in St. Peter’s for the general public, followed by a funeral and a conclave to elect a new pope. (See Page 9) ‘India likely to sign bilateral trade pact with US by fall of this year’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL India is in advanced discussions with the United States to finalise a bilateral trade agreement, and the first phase of the pact could be signed by the fall this year, said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. “The progress of the agreement or the trade agreement that we are working on, at least the first tranche, is something which we hope to conclude positively by the fall this year,” she said. SC takes exception to PM meets US Vice-President Vance, statements against it discusses trade deal & other issues PARMOD KUMAR P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 66.45 Pope Francis dies at 88 on Easter Monday The Pope was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Friday, February 14, 2025, after suffering from a bout of bronchitis for several days. New Moon on 28 April Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday laid the foundation stone for a 1,600 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power plant at Salboni in West Midnapore of Junglemahal, calling it a landmark initiative in the state's journey towards industrial and infrastructure growth. The greenfield project, to be developed by JSW Energy with an investment of Rs 16,000 crore, marks the conglomerate’s first foray into the energy sector in eastern India. The plant will consist P6 He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St Peter’s Square TEMPERATURE SUN RISES 05:12 hrs MOON RISES 00:27 hrs P4 NIFTY 24,125.55 p273.90 DC, LSG BATTLE FOR MOMENTUM LIQUIDITY DISCONNECT that the issue raised by him is a policy matter falling within the domain of the Central government, a bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih remarked, “… We are accused that we are interfering with the executive and legislative functions.” It is for the Central government to frame regulations in this regard, the bench told the PIL petition. As advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for the PIL petitioner Uday Mahurkar and others, urged the bench to hear the matter, the bench asked him to serve a copy of the petition on the counsel of the central government and posted the matter for hearing in May, 2025. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday welcomed US Vice-President J D Vance and his family, amid indications that the two countries are exploring the possibility of concluding a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) at an early date. The two leaders were assisted by their top aides during the meeting held at the PM's 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence here. Mr Vance's delegation includes representatives from the Pentagon and the State Department. The two leaders are expected to delve into matters related to trade, economic collaboration, and defence partnerships. The talks between the two leaders will be followed by a dinner being hosted by the PM in honour of the American leader. Earlier, Mr Vance arrived in the national capital on his first official visit to India, accompanied by his wife, Usha, and their three children. He received a Guard of Honour on arrival at Palam Air- port. Union Railways and Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw received the American leader at the airport. The high-level visit is expected to focus on enhancing strategic, economic, and defence ties between the two nations. Hoardings welcoming Vice-President Vance had been set up around Palam Airport in anticipation of his arrival. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have a comprehensive strategic global partnership (with the US). All relevant issues will be discussed. We are very positive that the visit will give a further boost to our bilateral ties.” Rahul questions EC’s impartiality in Maha polls STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL The BJP on Monday labeled Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a "traitor" for questioning the impartiality of the Election Commission of India during an event in the United States. Citing voter turnout figures in the previous Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Gandhi scion on Sunday asserted that there was “something very wrong with the system.” Gandhi, who is currently visiting the United States, made the observation during a talk at Brown University in Boston. “More people voted in the Maharashtra Assembly elections than there are adults in Maharashtra. The Election Commission gave us a voting figure for 5.30pm, and between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm, 65 lakh voters voted. This is physically impossible to happen,” the Congress leader asserted. Accusing the poll panel of compromising its impartiality, the Congress leader alleged that the Election Commission had refused to provide video evidence of the voting and even changed laws to prevent it. "… it takes (approximately) 3 minutes, and if you do the Math, it would mean that there were lines of voters till 2 AM, but this did not happen...When we asked them for the videography, they not only refused but they also changed the law….," Gandhi alleged. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday came out strongly against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments on the Election Commission of India made during an event at Boston. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Gandhi of insulting the country on foreign soil. Mr. Gandhi, who is currently visiting the United States, made the observation during a talk at the Brown University in Boston that the poll panel was “compromised.”