Vol. 67 No. 201 | THURSDAY | MAY 23, 2024 | 27 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper I am very proud to say that our film is a modernised version of the tale of Sati Savitri DIVYA KHOSSLA KUMAR’S SAVI THE FP BULLETIN SUNAK CALL FOR POLLS ON JULY 4 P rime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for a summer UK general election which will take place on Thursday 4 July. He had been widely expected to wait until the autumn before triggering the poll, which does not legally have to be held until January 2025. But in a surprise move, he announced the first July election since 1945, saying it is time for the country to choose its future RCB CANCELS PRESS MEET T he Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) decided to cancel both its scheduled press conference and practice session due to security concerns arising ahead of the crucial Eliminator clash against the Rajasthan Royals slated for Wednesday. Some of these security concerns stemmed from the presence of Virat Kohli in the team. Upon his arrival in Ahmedabad, Kohli was briefed about the threat perception in view of the arrest of four suspected ISIS terrorists of Lankan origin at Ahmedabad airport. SOREN REVOKES PLEA ON ARREST I n a huge setback, the incarcerated former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chief, Hemant Soren, on Wednesday withdrew his plea challenging his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement in an alleged money laundering case involving 8.86 acres of tribal land, as the Supreme Court took serious exception to his not disclosing in his petition that the Special PMLA court has already taken cognizance of the case and rejected his plea for bail. KEJRIWAL SPEAKS UP D elhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said he expects a fair investigation into the alleged assault on the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by his aide Bibhav Kumar. Speaking to the news agency PTI, Kejriwal added that the matter is currently “sub judice” and his comment might affect the proceedings. “But I expect there will be a fair investigation. Justice should be served. There are two versions of the event. Police should investigate both versions fairly and justice should be done,” Kejriwal said while speaking to PTI. Govt bond yields plunged after RBI approved the transfer of Rs 2.11L cr to the central govt Happy Kurma Jayanti crore to the central government for FY 2024 SRINATH SRIDHARAN The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced an unprecedented dividend of Rs 2.1 lakh crore for the Central government for FY24, significantly exceeding market expectations of Rs 80,000 to Rs 100,000 crore. This dividend is approximately 141% higher than the previous year’s payout and will help better manage the fiscal deficit and give the government greater room to maneuver on the expendi- (PSBs), and other financial ture side. institutions. The record-high The dividend or surplus dividend comes despite the transfer by the RBI to the Cen- RBI increasing its contintre was Rs 87,416 crore for the gency risk buffer (CRB) to fiscal 2022-23. The previous 6.5% from the previous 6%, high was Rs 1.76 the highest within lakh crore in 2018-19. the recommended In the interim range of 5.5-6.5% SPECIAL (as suggested by the budget for the current fiscal year, presented on Bimal Jalan Committee). February 1, the government This buffer is crucial for had anticipated a dividend of managing unforeseen risks INR 1.02 lakh crore from the related to depreciation of seRBI, public sector banks curities, monetary or ex, THE FPJ Khan dehydrated after ‘heat stroke’ change rate policy risks. The substantial dividend possibly stems from higher income generated from the RBI’s forex portfolio, driven by the US Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes in recent years. The fact that the RBI could deliver such a high dividend while simultaneously strengthening its balance sheet by increasing the CRB is a positive indicator of its robust financial management. CONTD. ON NATION Bail cancelled: Remand home Porsche killer for FPJ NEWS SERVICE / PUNE, MUMBAI FPJ NEWS SERVICE / AHMEDABAD hree Indian-origin students were killed while two others were injured in a car accident in the US state of Georgia last week. The five students, all 18 years old, studied at Alpharetta High School and the University of Georgia. Police believe speed may have been a factor in the deadly crash. While Aryan Joshi and Sriya Avasarala died on the spot, Anvi Sharma died during treatment at a hospital. PARITY IN HAMAS, ISRAEL UNACCEPTABLE INDIAN 10-YEAR BOND YIELD AT NEAR 1-YEAR LOW RBI ROLLS OUT FISCAL RED Calcutta HC nixes OBC status of several classes CARPETdividendNEWofREGIME FOR payout Rs 2.11 lakh Highest-ever 3 INDIAN-ORIGIN STUDENTS DEAD T EDIT T he excitement of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) winning their Indian Premier League qualifier match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad was marred by a health scare involving Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the KKR franchise owner. Khan had been in Ahmedabad for the past two days and had been relentlessly cheering KKR in the excessive heat with temperature touching 45 degrees; following the game on Tuesday he returned to the ITC Narmada Ho, tel in Vastrapur late at night. On Wednesday morning, the actor was feeling dehydrated and reportedly suffering from a heat stroke. CONTD. ON NATION The Juvenile Justice Board has cancelled the bail of the 17-year-old teen who killed two IT engineers while driving his Porsche car at breakneck speed early on Sunday The board said . that since the accused was a minor, he would be sent to the Children’s Observation Centre until June 5. On Sunday the Board had granted , bail to the 17-year-old within 15 hours of the accident and asked him to write an essay on road accidents, prompting nationwide outrage. Pune Police asked the board on Wednesday to treat the minor accused as an adult, since the crime was heinous. It argued in favour of the remand of the accused on the grounds that he was not safe outside, as he was likely to be attacked. The defence counsel, however, said the teen suffered from depression and this had driven him drink. The accused, in to turn, told the board that he wanted to stay with his mother and would feel IT IS A TIGHT SLAP ON THE FACE OF THE INDI ALLIANCE – PM MODI ARITRA SINGH / KOLKATA T he Calcutta High Court on Wednesday struck down the Other Backward Classes (OBC) status of several classes in West Bengal, declaring them as illegal. These include 77 classes of reservation created between April 2010 and September 2010, and 37 classes created under the Act of 2012. Passing judgment on petitions challenging the provisions of the state’s reservation Act of 2012 and reservations granted in 2010, the court clarified that the services of citi- I WILL SEE THAT THE COURT’S ORDER IS IMPLEMENTED – AMIT SHAH zens of the struck-down classes, who are already in service or have availed the benefit of reservation or have succeeded in any selection process of the state, will not be affected by the order. The number of enlisted persons under OBC in West Bengal after 2010 is likely to be above five lakhs, one of the lawyers representing the petitioners claimed. The CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power in West Bengal till May 2011 and thereafter the Trinamool Congress government took over. Noting that “religion indeed appears to have been the sole Students in junior colleges (classes 11 and 12) in Maharashtra may no longer be restricted by the traditional boundaries of Arts, Science and Commerce and are likely to be allowed to study subjects across the disciplines. The new draft State Curriculum Framework for School Education (SCFSE) has proposed a flexible subject plan for the higher secondary stage, which includes two languages, four elective and two mandatory subjects. The document asks schools to make arrangements for offering a wider choice of study areas to students within the next few years. (CLASSES XI AND XII) The proposed framework, which covers classes 3 to 12, is part of an exercise initiated by the state school education department to revise the school curric- criterion” for declaring these communities as OBCs, the court said it “is of the view that the selection of 77 classes of Muslims as backwards is an affront to the Muslim community as a whole.” Maintaining that this court’s mind is not free from doubt that “the said community (Muslims) has been treated as a commodity for political ends,” the bench said, “This is clear from the chain of events that led to the classification of the 77 classes as OBCs and their inclusion to be treated as a vote bank.” CONTD. ON NATION Noting that “religion appears to have been the sole criterion” for declaring these communities as OBCs, the Calcutta HC said it “is of the view that the selection of 77 classes of Muslims as backwards is an affront to the Muslim community as a whole.” The father of the minor safe at home. He said he could further slip into depression were he to be kept in a remand home. Earlier on Wednesday Maharash, tra Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar said the minor would be barred from getting a driving licence until he turned 25. FATHER IN CUSTODY: sessions A court remanded the father of the 17year-old juvenile allegedly involved in the Porsche accident which claimed two lives, and two employees of a pub, in police custody till May 24. CONTD. ON NATION L&T inks major real estate deal in MMR To redevelop 31.25L sq ft plot in Thane Students may get to study across fields MUSAB QAZI / MUMBAI I WILL NOT ACCEPT THE HIGH COURT’S ORDER – MAMATA BANERJEE ula in line with the National Education Policy (NEP). The government has approved the new SCF and curriculum for the foundational stage (pre-school and grades 1 and 2), with new textbooks for classes 1 and 2 to be introduced from the 2025-26 academic year. The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) released the draft SCF-SE for public feedback on Wednesday . The draft SCF-SE has been prepared in accordance with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) released by the Union Ministry of Education in August last year. CONTD. ON NATION BHALCHANDRA CHORGHADE MUMBAI In what could be a major real estate deal in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, L&T Parel Projects Ltd has agreed to develop a plot measuring 12.2 acres (49,386 sq m) at Panchpakhadi in Thane. L&T has inked an agreement with the current developer, Jagdale Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, to develop the said plot. The total RERA area to be developed is 31.25 lakh sq ft while the total rehab area to be developed will be 12.7 lakh sq ft. As per a notification dated October 26, 2017, the land has been declared as a slum rehabilitation area, under the provisions of Section 3C(1) of the Maharashtra Slum Area (Improvement, Clearance and Development) Act, 1971. After receiving the letter of intent from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) on December 7, 2022, Jagdale Infrastructure decided to develop the project with L&T Parel Projects Ltd. CONTD. ON NATION 3 NATIONS RECOGNISE ‘PALESTINE’ FPJ NEWS SERVICE / SOSLO Spain, Norway and Ireland have recognized Palestinian statehood, which is seen as a snub to Israel over the grinding war against Hamas in Gaza. Although 140 countries — more than two-thirds of the United Nations — have recognized the state of Palestine over the years, the simultaneous announcement by the three European nations carries additional weight. The announcements will have little immediate impact on conditions for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank or in Gaza, but the concerted move is a powerful signal of waning international patience with Israel’s policies, western analysts said. The United States and Britain have also backed the notion of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel but say it should come as part of a negotiated settlement. CONTD. ON NATION 11TH-HOUR EC CAUTION Bloodstains add to mystery TO BJP AND CONGRESS of missing Bangladesh MP FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI With just two more phases of the election to go, the Election Commission on Wednesday asked both the BJP and the Congress to desist from campaigning along caste, community language, and , religious lines. The EC asked the presidents of the two parties to issue formal notes to their star campaigners to correct their discourse, exercise care and maintain deco- rum. While doing so, the EC invoked Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act to hold party presidents accountable as the first step to rein in star campaigners. In similar letters, the EC, noting that the country’s sociocultural milieu cannot become a casualty told BJP president J , P Nadda and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge that utterances of star campaigners follow patterns and create narratives which can be damaging beyond the model code period. Referring to their respective replies to the notices issued to them on April 25, the election authority said that “technical loopholes or extreme interpretations of other political party’s utterances” cannot discharge the parties and their campaigners from the core responsibility of their own content which ought to be corrective “and not further plummet.’’ CONTD. ON NATION ARITRA SINGHA / KOLKATA The Kolkata police have found bloodstains in a flat where a three-time Member of Parliament from Bangladesh, Anwar Ul Azim, 56, was last seen, pointing to the possibility that he may have been murdered. The police are yet to recover the body . In Dhaka, Asaduzzaman Khan, the Bangladesh Home Minister announced on Wednesday morning, “ Anwar was murdered in a planned manner at a residence in Kolkata. “So far, we have come to know that all the killers involved are Bangladeshis. The police forces of both India and Bangladesh are working simultaneously to unearth the motive behind the murder and who the culprits are”. Anwarul Azim Anar, of the ruling Awami League party , went missing on May 13, a day after coming to India to seek medical treatment. According to police sources, the MP on arrival on , May 12, had put up at a friend’s house at Mondolpara in Baranagar area in Kolkata. “We had no prior intimation of the Bangladeshi MP’s arrival. We came to know about him after his acquaintance in Kolkata, Gopal Biswas, filed a missing complaint on May 18. A Special Investigation Team was formed by the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate to trace the missing politician.” CONTD. ON NATION LAST WORD No more dry days in God’s own country? WHAT MAKES THE PM TICK SHANKAR RAJ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM The Kerala government has decided to tweak its liquor policy by abolishing dry days. The decision has been taken against the backdrop of the state’s precarious financial position. Abolishing dry days has been recommended in a meeting held by Chief Secretary V Venu with top financial experts in the bureaucracy to shore up revenues. The state could generate an additional Rs15,000 crore in revenue if dry days are abolished, accord- ing to estimates and the move would also help boost tourism and MICE (meetings, industries, conferences and exhibitions) activities. However, trying to earn more money by creating more liquor addicts is no way to sustain an economy however precarious the situation is, according to experts. At present, liquor is not sold at retail shops or bars and hotels in Kerala on the first day of every month. This is in line with a system introduced in 2003 by AK Antony when he was the chief minister. The new policy has not been announced as yet because the model code of conduct is in force for the Lok Sabha elections. With no major industries to boast of, Kerala depends on two ‘Ls’ — liquor and lottery — to keep its finances in good health. In the last fiscal liquor taxes and levies generated a staggering Rs16,609.63 crore, up from Rs16,189.55 crore in 2022-23. Experts contend that if people in Kerala decide to keep away from liquor for a week, it will lead to financial disaster. The sale of liquor and beer in Kerala during the 2023-24 financial year touched Rs19,088.68 crore, up from Rs18,510.98 crore in 2022-23. Liquor is sold through 277 retail outlets owned by the State Beverages Corporation, while the state backed cooperative organisation Consumerfed also has 39 retail CONTD. ON NATION outlets. FPJ NEWS SERVICE Both admirers and detractors of PM Modi have noted his tremendous stamina and energy during his whirlwind election campaign. A man half his age may not have coped with the gruelling demands of the long-drawn seven-phase electoral drill. In an apparent explanation of his seemingly enduring energy a video has , gone viral in which PM Modi himself has given a clue to his persistence and perseverance. In the interview, PM Modi has expressed the belief that he was not born biologically , but rather, he was sent by God ‘I am convinced I am not born biologically. I am getting this energy as God sent me to do His work.’ to fulfil a mission. “I am convinced I am not born biologically the Prime Minister said. ,” “I am getting this energy as God sent me to do His work.” The Prime Minster was replying to a question as to why he does not get tired. The video has since led to a flurry of discussions on social media platforms. The FPJ was still to confirm its veracity at the time of going to the press. According to media transcripts, the quotable quote went thus: “When my mother was alive, I used to believe that I was born biologically . After she passed away upon , reflecting on all my experiences, I was convinced that God has sent me. “This energy could not be from my biological body but , was bestowed upon me by God. I believe God has given me abilities, inspiration, and good intentions for a purpose… I am nothing but an instrument. That’s why when, ever I do anything, I believe God is guiding me.”