TUESDAY Net direct tax collection rises 23.5% to over `8.65 lakh crore 19 The net direct tax collection increased 23.5% to over `8.65 lakh crore till mid-September on higher advance tax mop-up from corporates SEPTEMBER, 2023 `16.61 COLLECTIONS REACH 47% OF BUDGET ESTIMATE epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard The net collections have reached 47.45% of the full-year budget estimates of `18.23 lakh crore, the finance ministry said. The steady growth in tax collection was helped by a 21% growth in advance tax mop-up. Net direct tax collection includes corporate income tax at `4,16,217 crore and personal income tax, including securities transaction tax at `4,47,291 crore twitter.com/TheMornStandard UKRAINE ON A SACKING SPREE, FIRES 6 MINISTERS Six deputy defence ministers fired following dismissal of defence minister in a graft case A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI NEW TEMPLE FOR THE LARGEST DEMOCRACY  J8.00  PAGES 12 LAKH CRORE WAS THE DIRECT TAX COLLECTION IN 2022-2023 ADVANCE TAX TILL MID-SEPT JUMPS 21% ■ The advance tax collection stood at `3.55 lakh crore till mid-September, a 21% growth against `2.94 lakh crore a year ago ■ The advance tax collection of `3.55 lakh crore as of September 16 comprises corporate income tax at `2.80 lakh crore and personal income tax of `74,858 crore. Refund of `1.22 lakh crore given AIADMK calls off BJP alliance, blames TN chief T M U R U G A N A N D H A M @ Chennai HANGING PENDULUM NEW ATTRACTION CELEBRATION TO BEGIN FROM OLD BLDG BEFORE HEADING TO NEW Government has named the six entrants after animals and birds to represent intellect, wealth, wisdom, power, dharma, speed and strength Foucault’s Pendulum hangs from skylight at Constitution Hall to signify the ‘integration of the idea of India with the idea of the cosmos’ Members will meet at 11 am at Central Hall for one-and-a-half hours before heading to the new building. Maneka Gandhi, seniormost member of the Lok Sabha, would be the first speaker at the Central Hall event followed by Shibu Soren New Parliament to take up old issue of women’s quota R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R & P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi WITH both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adjourning to meet past noon on Tuesday at the new Parliament building, it was curtains for the magnificent pre-Independence circular structure built by architectural maestros Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, which served as the Constituent Assembly and subsequently Parliament for decades. A formal griha pravesh (housewarming) is expected on Tuesday which is the auspicious Ganesh Chaturthi day before the , , official business begins. If the buzz in Parliament is anything to go by Prime Minister Narendra Modi would enter the new , Parliament bearing a pot with holy waters of the Ganges and other rivers from its Makar Dwar — one of its six gates — and participate in a havan (ritual offerings to fire) amid chanting of Vedic mantras. To make the special session of Parliament momentous, the Women’s Reservation Bill will be tabled for discussion and passing. In his last address at the old Parliament’s Lok Sabha, Modi recounted the contributions of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his successors Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Initiating a discussion on ‘Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha — Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings’, Modi said it was in this Parliament that Nehru delivered his ‘tryst with destiny’ speech at the stroke of the midnight hour, which continues to inspire. “In the same House, Atalji’s words about ‘governments may come and go; parties may be formed or disbanded; but this nation has to live on’, continues to echo,” he said. He also recalled episodes like the cash-for-vote scam during the Manmohan Singh government. “As we leave this building our mind is filled with many emotions and memories. There were clashes here as well as celebrations. This is our shared pride,” he added. The PM said the biggest achievement in the past 75 years was that the common person’s trust in Parliament continues to grow. “The decision to construct it was indeed taken by foreign rulers but the hard work and money that went into its building was of my countrymen.” Modi dedicated the last day to the over 7,500 parliamentarians who served since Independence. RS witnesses a battle of wits R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi THE first day of the five-day special Parliament session saw members resorting to poetry and humour to target the other side. Taking a swipe at the Narendra Modi-led government, Congress president and the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge wondered what’s the point in changing names when nothing else changes. “Badalna hai to halat badlo, aise naam badalne se kya hota hai? Dena hein to yuva ko rozgar do, sab ko berozgar karke kya hota hai?” (If you want to change something, change the situation; what’s the use of changing names? If you want to give something, give employment to youngsters, what will be accomplished by making everyone unemployed?), he said while opening his speech with a Hindi poem. Kharge said earlier prime ministers including Atal Bihari Vajpayee had given their statements in the House many times but Modi seldom does it. Addressing Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Kharge said: “The problem is that the prime minister does not even listen to you. Whenever the opposition looks up to the Chair, your look at the BJP leaders.” To this, Dhankhar said: “Main majboor nahin, majboot hoon (I am not helpless, I am strong). Responding to Kharge’s charges, Union minister and Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said the Congress members walk out whenever the prime minister is in the House. CABINET MEETING Women’s Reservation Bill may be introduced today or tomorrow Security personnel at the new Parliament building’s Makar Dwar, one of its six gates, a day before it would start functioning, in New Delhi on Monday | PTI The Union Cabinet at its meeting on Monday is learnt to have cleared the much-sought after Women’s Reservation Bill. The meeting went on for one-and-a-half hours but there was no official word on its decisions. Sources said the government may introduce the bill on Tuesday or Wednesday. The bill seeks to reserve 33% seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies though there are demands to raise the resevation to 50% |P7 CPM not to be part of the grand Oppn alliance K S S R E E J I T H @ T’Puram IN a setback to the Opposition INDIA bloc, the CPM has decided not to be part of the grand alliance. The party Politburo, in a two-day meeting, has also decided not to go for seat-sharing with other parties, as part of the alliance. The CPM leadership has informed leaders of the Congress and other constituents of the alliance that its decision not to nominate a party representative to the coordination committee of INDIA was taken on the basis of this political position. “The CPM does not enter into any political alliance unless there is a basic understanding,” senior PB member Prakash Karat told TNIE. “We cannot form an alliance with the Congress, TMC, or Shiv Sena. We will go for seat adjustments in each state according to the political situation prevailing there,” he said. Enlightening politics: Buddhist studies preferred choice of DUSU candidates I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi Majority of the DUSU candidates every year are either from the law faculty or from my department... Meritorious students are coming here through the NTA exam. I can’t stop them from taking admission Indra Narain Singh, HoD, Buddhist Studies dept 300 MA seats There are 300 seats in Masters programme in the Buddist Studies department. The DU has a total of 86 departments on the campus. THE department of Buddhist Studies at the University of Delhi may not be a top academic choice of many students. However, the department seems to be quite popular among students contesting Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections. This year, 43% of DUSU candidates belong to the Buddhist Studies department. In fact, all four top candidates of the BJP’s student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), are pursuing Masters in Buddhist Studies. Professor Indra Narain Singh, head of the Buddhist Studies department, however, said the trend is nothing new. “Majority of the DUSU candidates every year are either from the law faculty or from my department. DU has now nothing to do with the admissions. Meritorious students are coming here with philosophy or history backgrounds through the NTA exam. I can’t stop them from taking admission here,” he told this newspaper. “We have 300 seats in our Masters programme,” he added. However, going by the profiles of the candidates, a transition can be observed. Take for exam- ELECTION TIME IN DU SFI ABPV PRESIDENT: TUSHAR DEDHA PRESIDENT ARIF SIDDIQUE (BUDDHIST STUDIES) VICE PRESIDENT: SUSHANT DHANKAD SECRETARY: APRAJITA JOINT SECRETARY: SACHIN BHAINSLA (ALL FOUR ARE FROM BUDDHIST STUDIES) NSUI SIX ENTRY POINTS FOR NEW PARLIAMENT AT a time when the BJP is trying to bring more parties under its fold, the AIADMK, a key partner, has called off the alliance with the party in Tamil Nadu. AIADMK’s organising secretary D Jayakumar on Monday cited continued attacks by BJP state president K Annamalai as the reason for the party’s decision to end the alliance. The decision came just days after AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had a lengthy discussion with BJP’s election strategist and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. A controversial remark made by BJP state president K Annamalai about Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai had invited strong rebuke from AIADMK leaders over the last few days. “BJP is not in the AIADMK-led alliance now. AIADMK alliance will be decided after the elections are announced. If Annamalai continues to criticise our leaders, we will retaliate strongly Jayakumar said. ,” Jayakumar asserted that the decision to call off the alliance was his party’s call and not his own. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, however, has not spoken on the issue yet. BJP sources said Annamalai went into a huddle with party leaders soon after the announcement. Meanwhile, BJP’s second-rung leaders strongly criticised Jayakumar and AIADMK on social media. BJP vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy said, “Annamalai just quoted history but AIADMK functionaries are making a mountain out of a molehill.” Later in the day he tweeted claiming the alliance be, tween BJP and AIAMDK is “intact rock solid”. VICE-PRESIDENT: ABHI DAHIYYA (BUDDHIST STUDIES) JOINT SECRETARY: SHUBHAM KUMAR CHOUDHARY (BUDDHIST STUDIES) ple, Tushar Dedha from the ABVP who is contesting the polls for the post of president. He holds BA of Arts with a combination of economics and political science from DU. He has obtained a certificate from National Cadet Corps (NCC) and has an interest in debates. Meanwhile, he is pursuing post-graduation in the Department of Buddhist Studies. From the departments like economics, political science, English and law, seven out of 16 candidates in the fray opted to take admissions in the Buddhist Studies department despite the fact that DU has a total of 86 departments on the campus. Admission in the varsity’s any department can get a student a seat in the hostel, ensuring cheap accommodation and food. In this year’s poll, apart from four top ABVP candidates, two students from NSUI and one from SFI are from the Buddhist Studies department. Only AISA doesn’t have a candidate from the department. ABVP vice-president nominee Sushant Dhankad completed BA in English and is a gold medalist at the state-level in pistol shooting. Aparajita holds a bachelor’s degree in history and Sachin Baisala is a law graduate |P4 EXPRESS READ SARDAR SAROVAR DAM SWAVLAMBAN 2023 JAMMU AND KASHMIR 13TH CENTURY TEMPLES REASONS NOT DISCLOSED MONEY LAUNDERING GAUTAM BUDDH NAGAR Cong, BJP in war of words over flood-like situation in Bharuch Indian Navy all set to induct 118 indigenous tech & products soon Charred body of soldier recovered as ops against militants enter 6th day ‘Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala’ a UNESCO World Heritage Site 30 Indians, including 19 Malayali nurses, held, jailed in Kuwait Soren fails to get SC relief on ED summons, told to approach HC All schools, colleges to stay shut on Sept 22 due to MotoGP The Gujarat Congress on Monday alleged a flood-like situation in Bharuch district was caused due to the BJP government’s urge to please PM Modi on his birthday because excess water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam was suddenly released, instead of gradually over days, into the Narmada river on September 17. The BJP, however, refuted the allegations saying the dam received a huge amount of water within 36 hours from the upstream, which forced it to release water on September 17, PM’s birthday |P8 In pursuit of expanding the profile of indigenously developed tech, the Navy is preparing to induct 118 such technologies and products soon. The announcement will be made during the 2nd Edition of the Navy’s Naval Innovation and Indigenisation (NIIO) Seminar – ‘Swavlamban 2023,’ scheduled to take place on October 4–5 2023. The Navy announced after an examination, 113 winners under Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC) 7 SPRINT and 5 winners in the DISC 7 SPRINT-PRIME category have been declared. The Army and police intensified search operation, which continued for 6th day on Monday, in dense Gadole forest area of Kokernag in J&K to track down LeT militants, who are involved in the killing of four security men, including three top officials. Troops have recovered body of a soldier, who had gone missing after the outbreak of encounter on Wednesday. Another charred body has been recovered from the forest area and its DNA testing is being done. The security men are using sophisticated Hiron drones for the aerial surveillance |P8 The ‘Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala’, the Hoysala temples of Belur, Halebid and Somnathapura in Karnataka, have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The world body made the announcement in a post on X on Monday, a day after Santiniketan received the coveted tag. The decision was taken during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee currently underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ‘Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala’ were on UNESCO’s Tentative list since April 2014 |P5 At least 30 Indians, including 19 Malayali nurses working in a private clinic at Maliya city in Kuwait, have been arrested and jailed. They have been detained following a raid by the Kuwait Manpower Committee at the hospital on September 13. The kin of some of the nurses alleged that the authorities have not stated as to why they were arrested, even five days after the police action. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy has begun talks with the Kuwaiti authorities as per the instruction of the Central government |P5 The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s plea against ED summons in a case of alleged money laundering. A bench of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Bela M Trivedi granted Soren the liberty to approach the Jharkhand HC for relief in the matter. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi claimed that this is a complete case of a witch-hunt. “Mr Rohatgi, why don’t you go to the high court? No no, go to the high court. We will permit you to withdraw,” the bench said |P7 All schools in Noida will remain open only till 2 pm on September 21 and stay closed on September 22 on account of the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show and MotoGP race in Greater Noida, officials said on Monday. All colleges and universities have also been directed to stay closed for offline classes but if required, they can have online classes, according to an official order passed by the district administration. The MotoGP is being held at Buddha International Circuit, Greater Noida from September 22-24 |P3