tuesdAY 23 july, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard pa k i s ta n sailor missing after fire erupts aboard navy vessel in Mumbai cops seal Imran’s party office The HQ of former PM’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was sealed off and Raoof Hasan, a founding member of the party and head of its press dept, was arrested. Page 9 MUTED GROWTH FORECAST Survey says GDP growth in FY25 would slow to 6.5-7% from 8.2% in FY24 The projection is lower than 8.2% estimated in 2023-24 and RBI’s forecast of 7.2% The muted projection is due to global uncertainties and various domestic challenges SURVEY SURPRISES Review FDI policy to bring investments from China Chinese firms can make in India, to tap export market Govts should “renounce some powers” to help improve governance Artificial intelligence could impact workers, regardless of whether they are low-killed or high-skilled Private sector and state govts need to do more to create jobs: Corporates must invest in tandem with their profit growth and states need to formulate policies and incentives for job creation Private companies contribute to ‘toxic mix of habits’ among workforce such as social media, screen time, sedentary habits, and unhealthy food Excessive speculation and overconfidence of retail investors in stockmarket a matter of grave concern One sailor was missing after a fire erupted onboard INS Brahmaputra, which was undergoing refit at Mumbai’s Naval Dockyard, on Sunday night A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l J8.00 Growth story pared with dose of realism Economic Survey contradicts the government’s anti-China stance; seeks to shift the responsibility of job creation to the private sector D I PA K M O N D AL @ New Delhi INDIA’s march towards Viksit Bharat in 2047 may not be a walk in the park amid rising global uncertainties, climate change risks, and the ‘huge pall of uncertainty’ cast by artificial intelligence (AI). Premised on this reality check, the Economic Survey 2023-24, tabled by Finance Minister Nir mala Sitharaman in Parliament on Monday, presents a mixed picture of hope and high water. Though the Survey asserts that India’s economy is on a “strong wicket and stable footing, demonstrating resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges”, it outlines in great length the challenges ahead. In this context, the report pegs GDP growth rate at a conservative 6.5-7% for FY25, lower than the estimates of many domestic and international agencies. “It is not that we are not optimistic about growth, we are just making aware of the challenges it faces going forward,” said Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran. He outlined three major challenges facing India’s growth – geopolitical tension and growing inward looking economic policies in the developed world; climate change and global To boost manufacturing and plug India into the global supply chain, it is inevitable that India plugs itself into China’s supply chain Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran warming; and, the AI casting a huge pall of uncertainty on workers across all skill levels. Overcoming these challenges will need a ‘grand alliance’ of Union, state governments, and the private sector, says the Survey. The three stakeholders should work in tandem for generating productive employment by reducing the skill gap, boosting the MSME sector by easing compliance burden, de-cluttering financing bottlenecks, and managing the China conundrum, it adds. Raising concerns about inequality and the poor health of the young population, the Survey ticked off the private sector for encouraging sedentary habits among employees. With the external sector remaining uncertain, the Survey says the domestic sector should do the heavy lifting. Notably, the Survey seeks to shift the responsibility of job creation to the private sector. “Employment generation is the real bottom line for the private sector,” says the CEA, under whose supervision the Economic Survey report was drafted. It also says that private sector investment has not been commensurate with the benefits it received from the corporate tax rates in 2019. Cautioning that the deployment of AI could have deleterious impact on jobs, the Survey says deploying capital- and energy-intensive AI is probably the last thing a lower-middleincome economy needs. In a clear departure from the general anti-China stance of the government, the Survey bats for more Chinese investment to boost domestic manufacturing, adding that India must ‘plug itself ’ into China’s supply chain. “Whether we do so by relying solely on imports or partially through Chinese investments is a choice that India has to make,” it says, hinting that the anti-China policy has not been helping India. P7 & 10 l 2000 PAGES 12 Kanwar yatra SC stays order to eateries to show owners’ details S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday issued an interim stay on directives issued by the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh asking eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names, addresses and mobile numbers of their owners. “Food sellers may be required to display the kind of food they are serving. But, they must not be forced to display the name/identity of the owners and also the employees,” a two-judge bench comprising justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti said. It was hearing pleas filed by the Association For Protection of Civil Rights, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and Prof Apoorvanand, challenging the state governments’ orders. During the hearing, Justice Bhatti said he used to frequent a vegetarian restaurant in Kerala run by a Muslim. “Without disclosing the name of the city, there is a vegetarian hotel run by a Hindu. There is another vegetarian hotel run by a Muslim,” Justice Bhatti said. “I was going to the hotel run by a Muslim for vegetarian food. When it comes to food standards and safety he , was displaying everything,” he said. The bench issued notices to all three states and asked them to file their responses in time for the next hearing slated for July 26. Welcoming the order, the Congress said it hopes Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make BJP CMs aware of their raj dharma. Sparks fly over NEET-UG on budget session day 1 P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Facing heat from the Opposition on the opening day of the Budget session in the Lok Sabha over the NEET-UG row, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan rebutted all charges on Monday during Question Hour, saying his government is not hiding anything, adding there is no evidence of paper leak in the last seven years. Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi led the offensive, alleging many are convinced that the Indian exam system is a fraud. “The education minister has blamed everybody except himself. I don’t even think he understands the fundamentals of what is going on here... The issue is that there are millions of students in this country who are extremely concerned about what is going on and who are convinced that the Indian exam system is a fraud,” Rahul charged. Countering the argument, Pradhan said “only one case” of malpractice has come to light in Bihar and the CBI is investigating it. “Regarding anomalies and information of some malpractices, out of 4,700 centres, due to proactive approach of Bihar Police, only kamala tries to mop up democrat support Vice-President Kamala Harris has moved swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House after President Joe Biden announced his decision to step aside | P9 Minister Dharmendra Pradhan speaks in the Lok Sabha on Monday | PTI SC sets up IIT panel The SC asked the IIT-Delhi director to set up an expert panel to go into a NEETUG’s Physics question for which the answer key said there were two correct answers. The panel was directed to submit its report by Tuesday noon | P7 in one place in Patna and surrounding points, there is an incident of anomaly. CBI is getting into the details. Some action has been taken. We are hiding nothing. Everything is on record,” he said. While Rahul demanded a one-day discussion on the issue, the minister said, “I am here at the mercy of my leader, the prime minister. When- ever question of accountability comes, my government is answerable to that.” When other Opposition leaders like SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Modi government will create new records in paper leaks, Pradhan hit back, saying: “I do not want to do politics, but I have a list of how many paper leaks happened when Akhilesh Yadav was CM.” Later, writing on X, Pradhan questioned why the Congress-led UPA failed to implement bills to stop malpractices in educational institutions, including the Prohibition of Unfair Practices Bill, 2010, when it was in power. “The LoP and his cabal are all but shedding crocodile tears. The ground reality on paper leaks during the UPA regime and when Akhilesh was at the helm of UP, will open a can of worms for both Gandhi and Akhilesh,” Pradhan wrote. “Maybe Rahul Gandhi understands the fundamentals and maths of unfair practices too well. That explains why Congress govt failed to implement the bills to stop malpractices in educational institutions, including Prohibition of Unfair Practices Bill, 2010,” he said. off to lanka Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir and T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav before leaving for Sri Lanka tour on Monday. India will play three T20 matches in the island nation | PTI | P11 Govt rules out special category status to Bihar P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi The Centre on Monday ruled out granting a special category status to Bihar, a longstanding demand of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), a crucial ally of the NDA government. JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha on Sunday voiced his party’s demand for the status at an all-party meeting. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), also a BJP ally and the , opposition RJD also raised the same demand at the meeting. Responding to the government move, RJD hit out at Nitish Kumar demanding his resignation. “He should resign immediately RJD chief Lalu ,” Prasad told reporters. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on the first day of the monsoon session, MoS for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary cited an inter-ministerial group ‘No case made out’ report prepared in 2012 to as- MoS for Finance Pankaj sert that a case for granting Chaudhary cited a 2012 special category status to Bi- inter-ministerial group har is not made out. report to assert that a The minister said a special case for a special category category status was granted in status to Bihar is not the past by the National Devel- made out. opment Council to some states which were characterised by many features necessitating special consideration. These included hilly and difficult terrain, low population density or sizeable share of tribal population, strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries, economic and infrastructural backwardness and non-viable nature of state finances, he said in reply to a question by JD(U) MP Rampreet Mandal. “Earlier, the request of Bihar for special category status was considered by an Inter-Ministerial Group which submitted its report on March 30, 2012. The IMG concluded that based on the existing NDC criteria, the case for special category status for Bihar is not made out,” the minister said. The Congress-led UPA was in power at the time. ‘Comradely yours’ to be CPM ‘mantra’ in temples E X P RE S S N E W S S ER V I C E @ T’Puram Apparently taking lessons from its past “mistakes and failures”, the CPM is up for a major policy shift, allowing its cadre to practise religious rituals and visit temples and other places of worship. It doesn’t stop there. The party members are also encouraged to take the reins of temple management. This newspaper, on June 21, reported that the CPM would take a more “liberal” stance on matters of faith and beliefs. The three-day state-level Shift in Hindu votes During review of 2024 Lok Sabha poll, it has been found that the rigid stand on matters of faith had cost the CPM dearly and that there was a significant swing in the Hindu votes to BJP. leadership summit of the CPM, which concluded in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, decided to reverse some of the resolutions okayed by the party’s Palakkad plenum in 2013. The plenum had restrained party leaders from performing religious rituals and going to temples. It had also banned party members from being part of temple committees. The decision that “party members should not conduct rituals like ‘Ganapathi homam’ as part of housewarming ceremony” had triggered a controversy then. The 2024 Lok Sabha election debacle had a catalytic effect on the CPM’s major policy shift. During the review of the election results and analysis of the voting pattern, it dawned on the leadership that the rigid stand on matters of faith had aerial solution Saving crops: MP turns to copter in battle against antelopes An u r a a g S i n g h @ Bhopal Farmers battling nilgai, blackbucks and hordes of deer feeding on the crops may breathe easy A possible aerial . solution is in the offing. It needs no killing; just relocation to a prey base for predator felines, including the African cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh. The state forest department has floated tender for hiring a helicopter that first drive herds of blackbucks into specially created bomas (enclosures). The antelopes will then be translocated for enriching the prey base of African cheetahs, tigers and leopards. At hand will be experts from When INS brahamputra was commissioned into service South Africa, who are partners of the cheetah reintroduction project. If all goes well, the translocation of blackbucks will start after the end of monsoon from Shajapur district, where crops are damaged by two main antelopes, nilgais (blue bulls) and blackbucks. A state forest department of- ficial said the helicopter-driven technique will be executed on the ground, starting from Shajapur, which is around 260 km from Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary located on the MPRajasthan border. The area is likely to be the second home to African cheetahs in India. “Experts from South Africa will first give the live demon- stration of the technique in the pilot phase in Shajapur,” said the official. Using the copter, the herds of black-bucks will be located in the areas where they’ve been damaging the crops, followed by chasing of the herds into specially created bomas. They will be transported to national parks for the big feline predators, the official said. cost the party dearly There was . a significant swing in the Hindu votes to the BJP The cracks . that appeared in its citadels in Malabar sounded the alarm bells for the party . The CPM has assessed that the Sangh Parivar has tightened its grip over the believers through its closely knitted networks in temples. When the CPM cadre vacated their positions in temple management committees, it was Sangh Parivar men who took over, said CPM state secretary M V Govindan after the summit. Express read 1 dead, 24 hurt as DTC bus rams into metro pillar in Punjabi Bagh A 45-year-old woman was killed while 24 others sustained injuries after a DTC bus in which they were travelling in rammed into the pillar of a Delhi Metro flyover in west Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh area on Monday. The accident took place near Shivaji Park metro station, Rohtak Road, according to DCP (West) Vichitra Veer. P3
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