WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR MD AND CEO OF INDUSIND BANK RESIGNS ‘DMK HAS PERFORMED WELL DESPITE BEING ENCIRCLED BY SNAKES’ P8 SENSEX 80,288.38 p70.02 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. STRONG SURFACE WINDS(SPEED 20-30 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 37 AND 25 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 63% TEMPERATURE Max: 37.5 °C (-1.5) SUN RISES 05:41 hrs MOON RISES 08:23 hrs Min. 34% Min: 24.5 °C (+0.7) SUN SETS 18:56 hrs MOON SETS 22:13 hrs THUMBNAILS Chithirai festival, which celebrates the marriage of Sri Meenakshi (Goddess Parvati) and Sundareswarar (Lord Shiva), begins with great joy, at Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai on Tuesday. nANI Delegates from India discuss tariff, nontariff matters with USA: Representatives of India’s Department of Commerce visited the Office of the US Trade Representative in Washington, DC, and had fruitful discussions on a wide range of subjects covering tariff and non-tariff matters, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement on Tuesday. This meeting follows earlier bilateral discussions held in March in New Delhi. (P10) P10 NIFTY 24,335.95 p7.45 P7 ` vs $ 85.15 GOLD `98,935 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 63.68 PM holds high-level security meeting PM Modi expresses complete faith & confidence in the professional abilities of Indian armed forces PARWINDER SANDHU NEW DELHI, 29 APRIL A s Pakistan continued to indulge in unprovoked cross border firing for a fifth day, a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was held at his residence, here today. The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and the Chiefs of the three services. The meeting comes a day before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), slated to be held on Wednesday. Though there is no official communique from the government regarding the proceedings of tonight’s meeting, it is anticipated that plans pertaining to military action following the Pahalgam terror attack were discussed. According to government sources, Mr Modi expressed complete faith and confidence in the professional abilities of the Indian Armed Forces and declared that it was the country’s national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism. It was also reported that Mr Modi met Home Minister Amit Shah following the meeting. On Sunday, during his radio show Mann ki Baat, Mr Modi had spoken about delivering the harshest response to the preparators of the Pahalgam terror attack. Assuring justice to the families of the victims Mr Modi said that he was deeply agonised and understood the anger seething within every citizen owing to the attack. Stating that the Pahalgam terror attack is the frustration of those who patronise terrorism, Modi said that it shows their cowardice. “This attack in Pahalgam shows the desperation of the patrons of terrorism; displays their cowardice… at a time when peace was returning to Kashmir, there was a vibrancy in schools and colleges, construction work had gained unprecedented pace, democracy was getting stronger, the number of tourists was increasing at a record rate, people's income was increas- ing, new opportunities were being created for the youth,” he had said. “The enemies of the country, the enemies of Jammu and Kashmir, did not like that. The terrorists and the masterminds of terror want Kashmir to be destroyed again and hence they executed such a big conspiracy,” he added. An army spokesperson said that during the night of 28-29 April, Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, as well as the Akhnoor sector. “Indian Army responded in a measured and effective manner to the provocation,” said the spokesperson. Liberal Party to retain power in Canada ‘Pak defence minister’s open admission exposes the rogue state’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 APRIL India has claimed that the Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s open admission of his country’s history of supporting and funding terrorist organisations has exposed Pakistan of being a "rogue state fuelling global terrorism and destabilising the region.” Underlining Khawaja Asif’s confession of Islamabad funding and supporting terrorist organisations, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Yojna Patel, had asserted: “This open confession surprises no one and exposes Pakistan as a rogue state fuelling global terrorism and destabilising the region.” Speaking at the launch of a Right of Reply at the hybrid launch event for the ‘Victims of Terrorism Association Network’ (VoTAN) of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism when Pakistan’s delegate made a reference to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, Ms Patel condemned terrorism "in all its forms". She said the confession exposed Pakistan as a “rogue state” fuelling terrorism across the world. "The whole world has heard the Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif admitting and confessing Pakistan's history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations in a recent television interview,” she said asserting “the world can no longer turn a blind eye. I have nothing further to add”. Mr Asif, in an interview to Sky News, admitted that the country had been supporting and training terrorists for the "last three decades" but pinned the blame on the United States and the West. “Well, we have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, you know, and the West, including Britain,” Mr Asif had said. Meanwhile, a day after Mr Asif said “next two to three days are crucial” and “something imminent will happen now,”, the central government blocked his X (formerly Twitter) account. AGENCIES PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 29 APRIL tected came as the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing the central government said: “Terrorists cannot claim privacy rights.” The remarks from the bench came as senior advocate Dinesh Dwivedi, appearing for some petitioners, told the court that the basic issue in the case was whether the government had the Pegasus spyware and was using it. The bench allowed senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, to place on record a judgment by a US District Court wherein it has given a finding that India is one of the countries where there was a hack. The finding by the US District Court was given in a case instituted by the messaging app WhatsApp against Pegasus. Mr Sibal asked the bench to order the release of the Justice Raveendran Committee report to the affected individuals, redacting portions which might be sensitive. However, senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for another petitioner, said the Justice Raveendran Committee report should be disclosed without any redaction, saying that we follow a system of open court. The bench said that any report touching on the security and sovereignty of the country will not be disclosed but affected individuals can be informed of the report. “Yes, individual apprehension must be addressed but it cannot be made a document for discussion on the streets,” said the bench. The court adjourned the hearing till 30 July 2025. The top court had on 27 October 2021, set up an expert committee under the supervision of Justice R.V. Raveendran – the former Supreme Court judge - to probe into the alleged snooping of the mobile phones of political leaders, top court judges, media persons, and eminent people using Pegasus spyware. The top court had appointed the committee while criticising the Centre for flagging national security and the fight against terrorism to stonewall any public disclosure of information. NEW DELHI, 29 APRIL The Centre on Tuesday cleared the appointment of Supreme Court judge, Justice B.R. Gavai, as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI). “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from 14th May, 2025,” said a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice. Incumbent CJI Sanjiv Khanna is due to retire on 13 May on attainment of the age of 65 years. He had recommended Justice Gavai as his successor earlier this month. ‘Govt modernising country’s education system to meet needs of 21st century’ SHAHID K ABBAS NEW DELHI, 29 APRIL Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the government is modernising country’s education system to meet the needs of the 21st century. “We are modernising the country's education system according to the needs of the 21st century,” Mr Modi said while addressing the YUGM (meaning “confluence” in Sanskrit) Conclave at Bharat Mandapam. “A new National Education Policy has been introduced in the country. It has been prepared keeping in mind the global standards of education,” Mr Modi added. “The government is bringing world-class knowledge within every student’s reach in the country,” he said YUGM is a collaboration aimed at advancing future P12 SILVER `1,00,500 Justice BR Gavai appointed Govt having spyware for security not wrong; misuse against civil society individuals to be examined, says SC as next Chief Justice of India The Supreme Court on Tuesday said a country possessing spyware for security purposes is not wrong but using it against a civil society person will be looked into. “What’s wrong if a country is using spyware? To have spyware is not wrong; against whom you are using it is the question. You can’t sacrifice the security of the nation,” a bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh said. The bench, however, made it clear that “A civil individual who has the right to privacy will be protected under the Constitution.” The observation by the bench that the right to privacy of a civil individual will be pro- CSK EYE REDEMPTION, PBKS TARGET PLAYOFFS PRINCIPLES OF POTSDAM DON’T APPLY TO UKRAINE technologies for a developed India. The conclave is a firstof-its-kind strategic gathering that has gathered together leaders from government, academia, industry, and innovators at Bharat Mandapam. Asserting that the “country’s future is dependent on its youth, which is why it is crucial to prepare them for India’s bright future,” the Prime Minister underlined “New Education Policy is driving transformation in the country.” Emphasising that the New Education Policy is driving transformation in the country, Mr Modi added: “Our endeavour is to empower the youth with skills that make them self-reliant and position India as a global innovation.” Expressing confidence that the efforts to enhance India's innovation capacity and its role in deep-tech would gain momentum through this event, the Prime Minister remarked that super hubs at IIT Kanpur and IIT Bombay were focusing on AI, intelligent systems, and biosciences, biotechnology, health, and medicine. Welcoming the launch of the Wadhwani Innovation Network, he said it reaffirms the commitment to advancing research in collaboration with the National Research Foundation. Congratulating the Wadhwani Foundation, IITs, and all stakeholders involved in these initiatives the Prime Minister also extended a special appreciation to Romesh Wadhwani for his dedication and active role in fostering positive changes in the country's edu- cation system through collaboration between the private and public sectors. “One Nation, One Subscription has given the youth the confidence that the government understands their needs, today students pursuing higher education have easy access to world class research journals,” Mr Modi underlined. Reasserting that India's university campuses are emerging as dynamic centres where Yuvashakti drives breakthrough innovations, Mr Modi emphasised “the trinity of Talent, Temperament and Technology will transform India's future.” “It is crucial that the journey from idea to prototype to product is completed in the shortest time possible….We are working on the vision of Make AI in India, and our aim is- Make AI work for India,” the Prime Minister said. Justice Gavai, in line to be the 52nd CJI, will have a tenure of over 6 months, and he will demit office on 23 November 2025. Justice Gavai was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on 29 May 2019. Appointed as Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in November 2003, he became a permanent Judge in November 2005. Before elevation to the Bench, he practised in constitutional law and administrative law, and acted as Standing Counsel for Municipal Corporation of Nagpur, Amravati Municipal Corporation, and Amravati University. He was appointed as Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor in the Bombay High Court, Nagpur Bench in August 1992 and served till July 1993. AGENCIES OTTAWA, 29 APRIL Canada's Liberal Party is set to retain power under Prime Minister Mark Carney after a closely-fought election with an unintended boost from US President Donald Trump, who helped unleash a wave of nationalism in a country known for its understated demeanour. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre conceded defeat and congratulated Mr Carney early Tuesday morning, sealing his victory. Declaring victory, Mr Carney said: "We will build an independent future for our great country." At 9 a.m. (6:30 p.m. in India), with results still coming in, it was not clear if the Liberal Party would have a majority on its own. The party had won or was leading in 168 seats, four short of a majority in the 343-member House of Commons. It had 152 seats in the last parliament. The Conservative Party had won or was leading in 144 seats. Conservative Party leader Poilievre, was projected to lose his own Carleton seat in Ontario. The National Democratic Party, led by Khalistan sympathiser Jagmeet Singh suffered a rout, winning five seats and leading in two, while Mr Singh himself lost the election. PM Modi congratulates Mark Carney: PM Modi, on Tuesday, congratulated his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the electoral victory of his Liberal Party saying: “I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership and unlock greater opportunities for our people.” Kharge, Rahul urge Modi to convene special Parl session on Pahalgam attack STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 APRIL Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to convene a special session of both Houses of Parliament at the earliest to take up the issue of Pahalgam terror attack. “This will be a powerful demonstration of our collective resolve and will to deal with a brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on innocent citizens,” Mr Kharge said in his letter. “The terror attack in Pahalgam has outraged every Indian. At this critical time, India must show that we always stand together against terrorism. The Opposition believes that a special session of both Houses of Parliament should be convened, where the representa- tives of the people can show their unity and determination,” Mr Gandhi said in his letter to the Prime Minister. “At this moment, when unity and solidarity is essential, the Opposition believes that it is important to convene a special session of both houses of Parliament at the earliest,” Mr Kharge states. All political parties across political affiliations had on Thursday unitedly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir and called for efforts to maintain peace in the state. The condemnation of the attack was demonstrated at the all-party meeting called by the government on Thursday in the aftermath of the terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 people dead and several injured.