FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Wednesday, 29 October 2025 SPORTS WORLD Rahul slams BJP-JDU govt over Bihar’s development BUSINESS BRIEFLY INDIA Bloc releases manifesto for Bihar polls: New Delhi: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Mahagathbandhan on Tuesday released its manifesto for the Bihar Assembly elections. The highlight of the manifesto is 'Bihar Ka Tejaswi Pran' (Tejashwi's pledge for Bihar) as it seeks to tell electors that the young and dynamic RJD leader will be the driving force of the Grand Alliance, even if it forms the next government in the poll-bound state. Tejashwi has already taken centre-stage in the elections with tall promises of government jobs to every family and financial aid under 'Mai Bahin Maan Yojana' for crores of women in the state. The manifesto was released at a joint press conference in Patna. Besides Tejashwi Yadav, VIP's Mukesh Sahni, Dipankar Bhattacharya from CPI(ML), Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Akhilesh Prasad Singh were present on the stage during the launch. Page 12 NATION Tata Trusts board votes to remove Mehli Mistry Page 10 Focus on SKY’s batting as countdown for T20 WC preparation begins Page 5 Trump praises Japan’s new Prime Minister Page 9 East Asia summit adopts Kuala Lumpur declaration 20th East Asia Summit Reviews cooperation and future direction at its 20th anniversary. AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 28 October L eaders at the East Asia Summit (EAS) reaffirmed their strong commitment to multilateralism based on international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, which is the ''indispensable foundation'' of a more peaceful and prosperous world. The 20th East Asia Summit, which adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Monday, underscored the importance of enhancing mutual understanding, respect, trust and friendship, as well as settlement of differences and disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, and with the common interest to maintain, promote, and sustain peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. The Summit decided on several concerted efforts to strengthen the East Asia Summit, which includes retaining of the informal nature of the East Asia Summit to allow for interactive discussions and candid deliberations among leaders on strategic, political and economic issues of common concern and collaborative engagement for mutual interest and benefit; and cooperation in joint activities and projects in implementing the East Asia Summit Plan of Action (2024-2028) in tandem with the ASEAN 2045. The statement underlined how it recognises that the region and the world are facing geopolitical tensions and conflicts, economic challenges, and current and emerging security and other transboundary challenges that require collective collaboration for peace as well as social and economic progress. It called to support ASEAN's continuous efforts to mainstream and implement the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), while reaffirming that the AOIP is intended to enhance the ASEAN Community-building process as well as strengthen and complement cooperation with partners. The statement noted, its "commitment to the East Asia Summit, sitting at the apex of the ASEAN-centred regional architecture, as a Leaders-led forum for dialogue and cooperation on broad strategic, political and economic issues of common interest and concern, with the aim of promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity in East Asia". Mamata blames BJP, ECI for ‘SIR-related death’ in Panihati STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 28 October Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came down heavily on the BJP and the Election Commission of India after a 57-year-old person in North 24-Parganas committed suicide after failing to bear the anxiety following the declaration of NRC. Pradip Kar a resident of Mahajyoti Nagar in Panihati in North 24-Parganas committed suicide after failing to bear the stress and anxiety after implementation of SIR was declared. Miss Banerjee said as he wrote in his suicide note about his anxiety which led him to end his life, an FIR should be filed against Amit Shah, Union home minister and Gyanesh Kumar, chief election commissioner for causing anxiety in people. The BJP has unleashed a reign of terror by the threat to implement NRC and SIR. “No one knows whether their names will be dropped from the electoral roll. Once their names are dropped they will not get any benefit offered by the state government or the Centre,” she had said earlier. In Assam, the names of 19 lakh people had been dropped from the electoral roll after NRC and of these 12 lakh people were Hindus. “NRC and SIR have been implemented just to scare people and drop the genuine voters to help the BJP to w i n t h e e l e c t i o n ,” sh e said. Cyclone Montha barrels towards AP Will cloud seeding reduce Delhi air pollution? STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Delhi's air pollution isn't going to end. Smoke from factories, cars, and stubble burning in the nearby states of Punjab and Haryana chokes the city. The Diwali fireworks have also made things worse. The air quality index (AQI) is presently at a dreadful level (about 300), and if things become any worse, it might cross the danger mark at any time. The Delhi government is preparing to perform "cloud seeding," or make artificial rain, to address this scary situation. The seeds of rain will be planted in the skies over Delhi for the next three days, October 28, 29, and 30, if everything goes as planned. The Delhi government has already tried cloud seeding from IIT Kanpur to Delhi, passing through Meerut, Khokar, and Burari. Hyderabad, 28 October As Cyclone Montha barrelled towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, the state government has assured that if required army would be deployed to tackle the fallout of the landfall. Meanwhile, the public has indulged in panic buying and stocking up, leading to a steep rise in prices of essential items. Most of the districts have witnessed incessant rainfall even before the cyclone crossed the coast. Traffic will be stopped on roads and national highways in Krishna and Godavari districts from 9 pm ahead of the landfall around Kakinada. HRD minister Nara Lokesh said, “The goal of the government is only one -there should be no loss of life.” He also said, “We will deploy the army if necessary.” He reminded chief minister N Chandrababu Reddy was experienced in handling cyclones, particularly Hudhud and Titli, which had hit North Andhra in the past. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also monitoring the situation. He said there was a possibility of flooding in 1328 villages. A total of 1906 relief centres have been set up. A total of 3465 people, including pregnant women close to delivery and senior citizens, have been shifted to hospitals. The state has kept 11 NDRF and 12 SDRF teams on standby. The state government also plans to deploy drones to monitor flooding or other repercussions of the cyclone. Already, the districts have been witnessing heavy rainfall. The highest rainfall was recorded in the Nellore district. Srikakulam and Anakapalle also experienced heavy rainfall. The sea in Kakinada has turned quite rough with high waves as the rain and winds intensified. The surge has even entered the Kakinada-Uppada road. Telangana will also witness heavy downpour, particularly in the Southern parts of the state due to Cyclone Montha. Hyderabad woke up to overcast skies and witnessed heavy rainfall with more in store tonight. DR. SHAMIM HAQUE MONDAL What is cloud seeding? In this cutting-edge technology, rockets, planes, or drones spray clouds with silver iodide (AgI), a chemical consisting of silver and iodine that is commonly used as a pesticide in farming and as an antiseptic in everyday life. It is also widely employed in photography. You can also use potassium iodide for this. But below 147°C, the most stable form of silver iodide is hexagonal. This structure is very similar to how ice molecules are arranged. Each silver atom is connected to four iodine atoms via tetrahedral bond, just like each oxygen atom in an ice crystal is connected to four water molecules. Because of this, scientists choose this chemical first for making artificial rain. Ice particles quickly begin to accumulate around these AgI particles, causing them to become increasingly heavy. As the mass increases and exceeds the limit value, these particles can no Atomic structure of Silver Iodide and Ice longer float in the sky, falling into the earth's orbit. Cloud seeding is often done on three types of clouds: static clouds, dynamic clouds, and hygroscopic or water-absorbing clouds. In the first case, chemicals are applied to cold clouds to increase snowfall or precipitation; in the second case, chemical catalysts are used to increase vertical air movement in the clouds; and in the third case, chemical powders are sown in hygroscopic clouds to accelerate raindrop formation along coastlines. Can Delhi's air be cleaned by artificial rain? The right answer to this question depends on how much moisture is in the cloud, how hot and windy it is, and how much cloud seeding has been done. Research has demonstrated that cloud seeding can enhance the likelihood of precipitation by as much as 20%. Artificial rain can wash away PM 2.5 and PM 10 pollution in Delhi's air. But this alleviation won't last long; experts say that the pollution level will rise again in a few days. The first application of this concept, which originated in 1946, occurred during the Vietnam War. Since then, the technology has been used in various circumstances, including managing fog in airports and wildfires (in the United States) and altering rain patterns (during the Beijing Olympics in China in 2008). This cloud seeding is efficient at combating drought conditions in the Middle East's harsh temperatures, particularly in the United Arab Emirates. This is not the first time this technique has been used in India; before, it was used to control drought conditions in Marathwada, Maharashtra. This time, the device will be used to control pollution in the national capital. But this is never a long-term solution, which is why many experts have said that cloud seeding without finding out what is really causing air pollution is a bad idea. Many individuals are also worried that the toxins in rainwater could hurt our skin or lungs. Researchers have figured out, nevertheless, that the amount of silver iodide utilized in this scenario won't have much of an effect on us. However, this technology will definitely influence the environment. Experts have also warned that if cloud seeding is mixed with heavy rain, a flood will occur, and no one will be liable. Therefore, artificial rain doesn't help in the long run unless the cause of the problem is entirely removed.