THURSDAY 04 JULY, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard SOUTH AFRICA NEW UNITY GOVT TAKES CHARGE POLL FINDS HARRIS, NOT BIDEN, HAS BETTER CHANCE OF BEATING TRUMP President Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in as President on Wednesday, the first of its kind in the country after 30 years of rule by the ANC Indian-origin US Vice President Kamala Harris is better placed to beat Donald Trump than President Joe Biden, according to a CNN poll | P9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 Markets on a roll, Sensex at 80,000 level A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi REGISTERING a new landmark for India’s equity market this year, the BSE Sensex scaled the 80,000-mark on Wednesday. The 30-share benchmark hit a high of 80,057.90 during the first 30 minutes of the trading session. The Nifty50 index also touched an all-time high of 24,294.60. The Sensex has added the latest 10,000 points in less than seven months as it had first breached the 70,000 mark on December 11, 2023. Its journey from 60,000 to 70,000 was a lengthy one as it took 1.5 years for the market to add the previous 10,000 points. Sensex had scaled the 60,000 mark on September 24, 2021. What is notable is that the index has added about 8,000 points from the lows of June 4, the general election result day Sensex had ended the . June 4 session with a massive loss of 4,390 points, or 5.74%, at 72,079.05. Much of Wednesday’s early gain is attributed to a sharp pick-up in HDFC Bank shares. The stock opened 3% higher and hit a high of 1,792 per share as its weightage is expected to shoot up in the MSCI index. “The focus of market activity today will be HDFC Bank which will continue its upward move factoring in the news of potentially increasing the weightage of the stock in the MSCI Index. The delivery based buying in the stock witnessed in the last many days has the potential to continue for a few more days pushing the stock further up and imparting resilience to it. As the weightage of HDFC Bank in Nifty increases there will be more delivery based buying by ETFs and also active funds,” said V K Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist, Geojit Financial Services. He added that the US Fed’s take on inflation is also positive news for equity markets globally “The Fed’s next rate action is likely to be a rate . cut. RBI also is likely to follow suit with a rate cut in the next policy meeting,” he said. Road to 80K Sensex has given a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.8% since July 1990 1K JUL 1990 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K NEW DELHI BSE m-cap ( lakh cr) 3 JUL, 2024 445 lakh crore 6.9 25 73 100.4 188 2000 2005 2010 2015 2024 2020 OT services at LNJP in flux A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi A couple of days after the Lok Nayak Hospital terminated 51 contractual paramedical staff, the operation theatre services continued to be paralysed on Wednesday with several surgeries being rescheduled. In an internal communication to the hospital’s medical director, the administration admitted the shortage and expressed its inability to provide anaesthesia services in full strength. “... an acute shortage of OT technicians has occurred at various locations, including emergency and routine OTs/ICU/Gas Plant/PSA Plant/STC. In view of above, it is not possible to continue Anaesthesia services in full strength as earlier,” the letter from Anaesthesia department read. However, the department said that the emergency surgeries will not be affected. J8.00 PAGES 12 Ex-Allahabad HC judge Brijesh Srivastava to head 3-member panel, submit report in 2 months; Yogi flags conspiracy angle Godman’s name missing in FIR, manages to duck cops N A M I TA B A J PA I & P R A B H AT S H U K L A @ Lucknow / Hathras A day after the stampede in Hathras claimed 121 lives, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday announced a judicial probe led by former Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastava into the tragedy. Retired IAS officer Hemant Rao and former IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh are the other members in the judicial commission. Speaking to reporters after visiting the spot and meeting the injured persons admitted in hospitals, Yogi said a conspiracy angle can’t be ruled out. He said the panel will look into all aspects of the tragedy and submit its report within two months. To prevent such mishaps from recurring, the judicial commission will also suggest the standard operating procedure to be followed during such events, Yogi said. Referring to the initial report filed by the special investigative team led by ADG Agra zone Anupam Kulshreshtha, Yogi said the volunteers of Bhole Baba, in whose event the stampede happened, were managing it and district administration officials were not allowed inside the pandal. Police personnel were stationed outside the pandal. Yogi said the volunteers fled soon after the stampede without making any effort to help the injured. Re- Baba’s blessing & slippery slope Bags and other belongings lying at the scene a day after a massive stampede that took place after a satsang in Sikandara Rao area in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday | PTI ferring to pictures and videos of the baba seen with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, he said it showed the baba’s political connections. On why the baba’s name was missing in the FIR, which only named the organisers, Yogi said the initial report was filed against those who sought permission for the event. “As the investigation progresses, the ambit of the FIR will also expand to include all those responsible and accounta- ble for the tragedy he added. ,” Meanwhile, eyewitnesses and locals who rushed to the spot immediately after the tragedy blamed the organisers for poor management. Locals said the crowd was so large that national highway abutting the venue was cut off for up to 5 km on both sides, blocked by buses carrying devotees from far-off places. Because of this, ambulances took an hour to reach the spot. P8 After the ‘Satsang Sabha,’ when devotees rushed towards the convoy of Bhole Baba to take his blessings, the godman’s personal security personnel and Sewadars stopped them by pushing and shoving. Consequently, the people started falling into the narrow slippery slope, resulting in the tragedy, according to preliminary reports N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow NARAYAN Saakar Hari alias ‘Bhole Baba’ at whose ‘Satsang Sabha’ 121 lives were lost in a stampede continues to remain at large, said the Uttar Pradesh Police. Hathras DSP Sunil Kumar said though the manhunt had been launched on Tuesday night, the godman is yet to be arrested. The UP police raided Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri district in search of him. “We did not find Baba inside the campus... He is not here,” he said. Additional DG, Agra Zone, Anupam Kulshreshtha, said that seven districts under the zone had tasked their special operations group (SoG) teams to nab the organisers of the ‘satsang’. “We are moving in a systematic manner. We will catch the organisers and then as the probe progresses, names of others will be added,” said the officer. Late on Tuesday night, the police registered an FIR against Baba’s Mukhya Sewadar Devprakash Madhukar and a number of unnamed organisers, but Bhole Baba’s name was missing. The FIR, lodged under Sections 105, 110, 126(a), 223 and 238 of Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS), claims that over 2.5 lakh people from various districts had gathered for the satsang whereas the organisers had sought permission for 80,000. The FIR also stated that the bodyguards of the godman stopped the devotees, who were rushing to take his blessings in the field, leading them to fall in a ditch over one another fatally . UP Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, too, confirmed overcrowding of the venue as the main reason for the tragedy . Modi breaks silence, says Manipur violence declining BREAKING his silence on Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that violence in the trouble-torn state is declining and security and social stability are improving. He saw in them a positive trend towards peace. Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address, Modi said, normal life has been restored in most parts of Manipur with schools, colleges, offices, businesses and other institutions functioning normally in the state. Manipur, however, is facing floods now, he added. Amid walkout by the Opposition, Modi said law enforcement agencies have lodged more than 11,000 FIRs and arrested over 500 suspects in Manipur after the eth- DECISIVE UK GENERAL ELCTION TODAY nic violence erupted in the state. “Our government is continuously making efforts to restore normalcy and it is showing results. Union home minister Amit Shah camped there and steered all efforts of peace,” he said. In a stern message, he said, “I want to warn all the elements trying to add fuel to the fire in Manipur to stop such activities. A time will come when Manipur itself will reject such people.” Keeping up his tirade against the Congress, Modi said the grand old party was the “biggest opponent of the Constitution” and was anti-SC, ST and OBCs. Taking a swipe at the Opposition for its walkout, he said, “They are unable to digest the people’s mandate to the NDA to serve the nation. That’s why they never face the government on the floor.” P7 Thursday’s election is expected to deliver the most diverse Parliament in the country’s history, including in the number of MPs of Indian heritage | P9 Kharge with Sonia Gandhi after walking out of the Rajya Sabha | PTI Kharge raps RSS Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of being antiConstitution, quoting an article from Organiser’s November 30, 1950 edition M U K E S H R A N J A N @ Ranchi Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan (centre) receives the resignation letter from Chief Minister Champai Soren (fourth from right) at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi | PTI was decided to make Hemant Soren the chief minister again. Soon after the meeting, he was unanimously elected as the leader of the JMM legislative party. Hemant Soren told reporters that all the formalities have been completed. “Every- thing will be disclosed soon,” he said. Confirming his resignation, Champai Soren said, “Earlier, a change of guard was done in the state and I was given the responsibility. You all are aware of the developments since then. Now Hemant Soren is back and the alliance partners took a decision to choose Hemant babu as our leader once again,” said Champai Soren. Jharkhand health minister Banna Gupta said a copy of the letter of support from alliance members has been handed over to the Governor. “It is an appeal to the Governor to pave the way for the formation of a new government in the state,” he said. If sworn in, Hemant Soren will be the 13th chief minister of Jharkhand. Sources said Champai Soren is likely to be appointed as the chairman of the UPA coordination committee or the working president of the JMM. A WALK IN THE CLOUD The national capital gets respite from the high humidity, with IMD recording ‘intense rainfall’ in South Delhi’s Aya Nagar observatory, on Wednesday | PTI | P3 Isro plans to prepare defence against Earth-impacting Asteroid Apophis P U R A N C H O U D H A R Y @ Bengaluru Champai exits, Hemant stakes claim to be CM JHARKHAND Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren on Wednesday staked his claim to form the Jharkhand government, hours after Champai Soren resigned as chief minister. Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a land scam case in January. He was released on bail last week. Hours before his arrest, he had resigned as Jharkhand chief minister and Champai Soren was sworn in. Earlier on Wednesday, a meeting of INDIA bloc MLAs was held at the official residence of the chief minister in Ranchi. During the meeting, it SEPT 10 IS WHEN BIDEN AND TRUMP WILL FACE OFF IN THE NEXT DEBATE Judicial probe into Hathras stampede R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi 6 FEB, 19 OCT, 4 MAR, 23 MAY, 21 JAN, 24 SEP, 11 DEC, 2006 2007 2015 2019 2021 2021 2023 GAGANYAAN MISSION ON TRACK Country’s ambitious Gaganyaan Mission has been in the works for a couple of years now. On the sidelines of a programme to mark International Asteroid Day in Bengaluru on Wednesday, ISRO Chairman S Somanath said the G-1 unmanned mission is getting ready for launch by the year-end. The crew module is under preparation. “This year, we have four-four experiments in the pipeline. We are looking at December to send the sub-module, keep it in orbit for a few days and bring it back to Earth,” he said. AFTER the Moon and the Sun, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath is looking at asteroids — not just to land on them, but to prepare defences against their possible catastrophic impacts on Earth. The ISRO chief is eyeing opportunities to explore/observe Asteroid 99942 Apophis — measuring 335 metres across and considered one of the most hazardous ones that could impact Earth — which is estimated to pass our planet at a dangerously close distance of less than 32,000 km on April 13, 2029. “India should be able to observe this asteroid... Discussions are in the process on how ISRO can contribute, maybe by preparing an instrument for the mission or providing other kinds of support for what is jointly being done by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Source: European Space Agency Asteroid Apophis, the 335-metre-wide asteroid that will pass Earth at a distance of 32,000 km on April 13, 2029 Agency), ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA,” he said. “If an asteroid hits Earth, the impact can be disastrous. We need to prepare for planetary defence. If a 100-metre diameter asteroid hits us, it can be fatal, an entire nation could be wiped out. If a 2-km diameter hits the Earth, the entire planet could be destroyed,” he said while inaugurating a workshop on Planetary Defence for students at the ISRO headquarters on Wednesday .
Express Network Private Limited publishes thirty three E-paper editions of The New Indian Express newspaper , thirty two E-paper editions of Dinamani, one E-paper edition of The Morning Standard, one E-paper edition of Malayalam Vaarika magazine and one E-paper edition of the Indulge - The Morning Standard, Kolkatta.