FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Friday, 05 December 2025 SPORTS WORLD Pentagon aware of survivors, attacked anyway EDITORIAL PAGE NATION No leadership talks during Delhi visit, says Shivakumar Jail without conviction BRIEFLY Indian crew member freed from Houthi captivity in Yemen: New Delhi: India on Thursday welcomed the release of Indian crew member Anilkumar Raveendran, who was on the ship MV Eternity C and under detention in Yemen since 7 July this year, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Mr Raveendran (52), an Army veteran from Kayamkulam in Kerala, had been held captive by Houthi rebels in conflict-ravaged Yemen. A native of Pathiyoor, he had been detained by security forces under the Houthi-controlled Yemeni administration since 7 July. He was working as a security officer aboard the Liberian-flagged cargo vessel MV Eternity C when it was attacked and eventually sunk in the Red Sea. "Anilkumar Raveendran reached Muscat yesterday and is expected to travel back to India soon,” the MEA said in a statement. JPC accelerates ‘One Nation, One Election’ review: New Delhi: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) reviewing the government's flagship "One Nation, One Election" initiative has scheduled two crucial meetings on 10 and 17 December to gather expert advice on the proposed legislative reforms. The committee, chaired by P P Chaudhary, is tasked with the detailed examination of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, both central to synchronising national and state elections. The committee is under a tight deadline, required to submit its report to Parliament by the first day of the last week of the ongoing Winter Session. Page 6 Page 11 Page 8 PM Modi rolls out red carpet as Putin arrives on 2-day visit NIKHIL VYAS New Delhi, 4 December R ussian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening for his high-profile two-day State visit to India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, breaking protocol, receiving him at the Palam Technical Airport. During his India visit, Mr Putin will attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit on Friday and hold talks with PM Modi. Mr Putin was given a red carpet welcome at the airport. In a rare gesture, PM Modi broke the standard protocol and went to the Airport and personally welcomed Putin upon his arrival amid tight security arrangements. The two leaders shook hands and warmly hugged each other before departing from the airport together in the same car. They also briefly watched and applauded a cultural performance as part of the welcome ceremony. In a post on X, PM Modi said: “Delighted to welcome my friend, President Putin to India. Looking forward to our interactions later this evening and tomorrow. India-Russia friendship is a time tested one that has greatly benefitted our people." Later in the evening, PM Modi hosted the Russian President for a private dinner at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence, mirroring the gesture Mr Putin made when he hosted PM Modi during the latter's visit to Moscow last year. The two leaders also held talks at the dinner table. Mr Putin's visit will further boost strategic, defence, energy, and trade ties between the two nations. This marks Mr Putin's first trip to India since Russia's war with Ukraine started in 2022. Ahead of Mr Putin's arrival in Delhi, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov expressed confidence that Russia and India can reach their shared goal of achieving USD 100 billion in trade turnover by 2030, citing rapid growth in recent years and expanding cooperation across multiple sectors. During the high-profile visit, President Putin will hold key talks with PM Modi on Friday where many important agreements including trade and economy sectors are expected to be signed. Parliament clears bill to hike central excise on tobacco, replacing GST cess STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 4 December The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, received Parliament's approval on Thursday after being passed by the Rajya Sabha. The legislation, which the Lok Sabha had cleared on Wednesday, replaces the existing GST compensation cess on tobacco products with increased central excise duties. Introduced on 1 December, the bill amends the Central Excise Act, 1944. Its primary goal is to adjust the tax structure on tobacco, discontinuing the compensation cess once all liabilities are settled and providing fiscal space for a duty hike. This move maintains the “sin tax” incidence on tobacco while modernising India’s indirect tax framework. Since the rollout of GST in 2017, tobacco has remained subject to a unique three-part tax structure: GST, a compensation cess (designed to offset revenue losses for states), and central excise duty. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the bill ensures the overall tax burden remains stable postcess phaseout by allowing the central excise duty to be raised. She clarified that the government's intention to maintain a high tobacco tax would not negatively impact farmers. The government is actively encouraging tobacco farmers to diversify through existing programmes, she said, informing TAX INCREASES ACROSS TOBACCO CATEGORIES: 8 Unmanufactured Tobacco: Duty rises from 64 per cent to 70 per cent. 8 Cigarettes: Duty surges dramatically from the existing Rs 200–735 per thousand to between Rs 2,700 and Rs 11,000 per thousand. 8 Chewing Tobacco: Duty quadruples to 100 per cent. 8 Hookah/Gudaku Tobacco: Increases to 40 per cent. 8 Smoking Mixtures: Sees a jump to 325 per cent. that the Crop Diversification Programme, running since 2015-16 under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, is already in place across 10 tobaccogrowing states to help farmers transition to alternative crops like pulses, oilseeds, and horticultural products. ‘Insecure govt blocking visitors from meeting LoP’ New Delhi: Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s arrival, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi government of deliberately obstructing visiting foreign leaders from meeting him. Addressing the press on Thursday, Mr Gandhi called the alleged policy a violation of long-standing democratic conventions and attributed it to the Centre’s “insecurity.” “It has always been a convention that visiting leaders meet the Leader of Opposition. This used to happen during Vajpayee ji’s and Manmohan Singh ji’s governments,” Mr Gandhi said. “But now, when foreign dignitaries visit India ~ or when I am abroad ~ the government advises them not to meet the LoP. This is their policy. It reflects their insecurity.” Ashes 2nd Test: Root’s century gives England edge Page 16 Supreme Court issues directions to ease BLOs’ work stress PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 4 December The Supreme Court on Thursday stepped in to address growing concerns over the stress caused by the increased workload being borne by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in addition to their regular duties, directing the concerned State governments to deploy additional manpower to ease their work pressure. A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed all concerned State governments to “depute additional staff” so that the long working hours spent by BLOs on SIR duties can be reduced. The Court also said that individual requests for exemption from the SIR duty, if backed by specific reasons, must be examined sympathetically and dealt with on a case-to-case basis. The Bench clarified that States are obligated to provide the required workforce to the Election Commission of India (ECI) whenever the SIR exercise demands additional personnel. APEX COURT’S DIRECTIONS: n States must deploy extra staff so that existing BLOs are not overburdened. n Requests for exemption for specific reasons must be considered on case-to-case basis, and if needed, the person should be replaced. n Any BLO who still feels aggrieved may approach the court for appropriate relief. The Court issued three directions - States must deploy extra staff so that existing BLOs are not overburdened; Requests for exemption owing to specific reasons must be considered on case-to-case basis, and if needed, the person should be replaced; and Any BLO who still feels aggrieved may approach the Court for appropriate relief. These directions came while the Bench was hearing an application filed by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which flagged serious distress among BLOs—including instances of suicide allegedly linked to the pressure of meeting SIR deadlines. Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing TVK, told the Court, “We have details of 35 to 40 BLOs who have committed suicide. These are Anganwadi workers and teachers. They are being issued Section 32 notices under the Representation of the People Act, threatening two years’ imprisonment if deadlines are missed. In Uttar Pradesh alone, 50 FIRs have been filed. There was even a young man who wanted leave to attend his wedding. He was refused, and he ended his life. This is a human story.” BJP may engineer communal violence, don’t fall into trap: Mamata Banerjee STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 4 December Trinamul Congress chairperson and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today urged people not to fall into the BJP’s trap or participate in communal violence. She was addressing a massive rally in Murshidabad this afternoon. Miss Banerjee alleged that the saffron party might spend money to engineer communal unrest and create social disturbance. “Do not fall into the BJP’s trap. Maintain peace and focus on social development. We are running 94 schemes, and more will follow. The BJP is trying to mislead people with false information about Wakf properties. They loot votes and spread lies,” she said. On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out by the Election Commission of India, Miss Banerjee remarked: “We are not against SIR, but why is it being carried out in haste? Assembly elections will be held in Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam in 2026. SIR is being conducted in three opposition-ruled states, but not in Assam. The BJP must explain why Assam is being spared.” She further alleged: “Union Home Minister Amit Shah thought we would oppose SIR, giving them an excuse to impose President’s Rule and stop elections in Bengal. We are not fools. We have not fallen into his trap.” Miss Banerjee assured that Trinamul Congress workers would assist people in approaching the Election Commission with their documents once the draft electoral roll is published. The state government, she said, will open help desks to guide citizens. “Keep your documents ready. I assure you there will be no NRC detention camps in Bengal,” she reiterated. Criticising the BJP, Miss Banerjee said: “The saffron party has targeted a particular community. Migrant workers from these districts who speak Bengali are branded as Bangladeshis. Bengali dialects differ across districts. The BJP has insulted Bengali speakers and shown disrespect to great sons of Bengal such as Raja Rammohan Roy, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Rabindranath Tagore. I am proud to be Bengali and will continue to speak my mother tongue. The BJP did not participate in the freedom move ment, while Bengal produced the highest number of revolutionaries.” 32 cheetahs, 21 locally born, survive ups & downs of Project Cheetah Indigo cancels over 550 flights, VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 4 December Marking International Cheetah Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday shared photographs of what he called “one of the most remarkable creatures” and reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting the species. He noted that Project Cheetah, launched three years ago, aimed not only to save the animal but also to revive India’s lost ecological heritage and strengthen biodiversity. Launched in September 2022 amid much skepticism, Project Cheetah faced several ups and downs in the past three years. Currently, there are around 32 cheetahs, including 21 born on Indian soil, across major sanctuaries. Yet, in the early phase, several big cats brought from Namibia and South Africa also died due to various reasons. Intended to reintroduce a species that went extinct in India in 1952, the ambitious project spearheaded by PM Modi began with the relocation of African cheetahs to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Eight cheetahs arrived from Namibia in September 2022, followed by 12 from South Africa in February 2023, marking the world’s first intercontinental movement of a large carnivore for re-wilding. According to officials, 21 cubs were born in India, and the survival rate of above 61 per cent (higher than global averages) despite challenges such as enclosure-related stress and conflicts with other predators, is significant. The significant boost came in November 2025 with the birth of five secondgeneration cubs to Mukhi, one of the first cheetahs born in India. Born in March 2023 to Jwala ~ one of the Namibia transplants ~ Mukhi was the sole survivor of her litter during a harsh summer and was abandoned shortly after birth. On 3 December, three more cheetahs were released into the wild in Kuno, bringing the free-ranging population to 16. The government is planning to import another eight to ten cheetahs from Botswana or Namibia by the end of the year, and discussions with Kenya are also underway. The project also suffered several setbacks in the initial stages. Since the beginning of the project, as many as 24 cheetahs have died. Between September 2022 and January 2024, 10 translocated adults and early-born cubs died due to issues like kidney ailments, heart failure, and infections. By September 2024, total deaths had increased to 13 adults and 11 cubs. Recently, a female cheetah was killed by a leopard. Officials maintain that the long-term goal is to build a stable cheetah population, restore the species’ role as a top predator, expand its range, and contribute to global conservation. Survival rates are improving, the freeroaming population is growing, and upcoming translocations will help enhance genetic diversity and open new habitats ~ signs that the project is gradually stabilising and showing that it is working, they add. airports in chaos for third day DEEPSHIKHA VERMA New Delhi, 4 December Domestic airline IndiGo on Thursday cancelled more than 550 flights from three major airports, extending disruptions for the third consecutive day. The carrier is struggling to maintain operations due to a shortage of pilots following the introduction of new flight-duty and rest-period rules. IndiGo's flight disruptions worsened after the pilots' association accused the carrier of “creating” the crisis to exert pressure on regulators. IndiGo said in a statement that its network had been “significantly disrupted” over the past two days and extended its apologies to affected passengers. The airline added: “To contain the disruption and restore stability, we have made calibrated adjustments to our schedules. These measures will remain in place for the next 48 hours, allowing us to gradually normalise operations and improve punctuality across the network.” IndiGo has blamed “an accumulation of several operational challenges” for hundreds of its flights getting cancelled and many delayed over the past two days. An employee source revealed that in an internal email, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers cited “minor technology glitches, schedule changes, adverse weather, increased congestion in the aviation ecosystem, and the rollout of the newly implemented FDTL norms” as factors affecting operations. The introduction of new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms for pilots on 1 November has led to numerous flight cancellations, even though airlines had ample time to prepare for the change, which was initially scheduled to take effect on 1 June 2024. Over 550 IndiGo flights were cancelled on Thursday as chaos continued at major airports across India, with thousands of fliers affected. On Wednesday, IndiGo cancelled around 200 flights. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has sought a detailed explanation from IndiGo about what has led to the crisis and its plans to mitigate the ongoing delays and cancellations.