THURSDAY 12 Nov 5 SEPTEMBER, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in WHEN THE U.S. WILL HOLD THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard DON RATTLED BY SHARP ATTACKS FROM V-P ENERGY GRID US ANNOUNCES $700 MN AID FOR KYIV Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced over $700 million in aid for Ukraine on Wednesday during a visit to Kyiv, aiming to bolster the energy grid. PAGE 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Harris went on the offensive right from the start of the ABC News debate, attacking Trump on various issues. One of their most intense exchanges was on abortion. She slammed Trump’s push to end the federal right to abortion. Trump tried to defend saying the states should determine abortion policy. He tore into Harris as too liberal and a continuation of the current administration KAMALA PUTS TRUMP ON THE DEFENSIVE IN THEIR FIRST DEBATE Kamala Harris and Donald Trump engaged in a fiery debate on Tuesday, their first and the only direct face-off before the US elections VOTERS FEEL HARRIS BESTED TRUMP A CNN snap poll conducted soon after the debate had 63% of registered voters saying Harris did better than Trump. Conservative Fox News too agreed, calling Harris “a clear winner” of the debate | P9 India to drive global semicon industry: PM It’s Rahul’s turn N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India is poised to play a significant role in driving the global semiconductor industry forward. He was speaking after inaugurating SEMICON India — 2024, a three-day exhibition, at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The prime minister said h i s g ove r n m e n t w i l l d o everything to make India a semiconductor powerhouse, adding that it is a dream to have an Indian-made chip in every device in the world. He said India is building a robust semiconductor workforce comprising 85,000 technicians, engineers, and research and development experts. The country, he added, must prepare its students and professionals to contribute to the growth of the sector. India has attracted investments exceeding `1.5 lakh crore for its semiconductor sector in a short span of time, Modi said adding that the country possessed a “three-dimensional power” — a reformist government, a rapidly expanding manufacturing base and a large, aspirational market appreciating and embracing technology — that can propel the growth of the chip industry . CABINET CALL Nod for free health cover for all over 70 Drawing an analogy between the semiconductor industry and a diode, where energy flows in only one direction, Modi said India’s semiconductor sector was unique, featuring special “diodes” where energy flew in both directions. He explained that while industries invested and generated value, the government reciprocated by offering stable policies and promoting the ‘Ease of Doing Business.’ Modi said the goal is to have India make not just the chips but the finished products too. The prime minister stressed the need to have supply chains that are resilient from shock events like Covid-19. “Resilience of the supply chain is very important,” he said. “Whether it is mobile manufacturing, electronics, or semiconductors, our focus is clear — we want to build a world that doesn’t stop or pause in times of crisis but keeps moving forward,” the prime minister said, adding that, “When the chips are down, you can bet on India.” Modi said India is one of the largest consumers of semiconductors, which enabled the creation of world-class digital public infrastructure. This small chip, played a crucial role in ensuring last-mile delivery across the country, he said. The second phase of the Centre’s chip policy, Semicon 2.0 is expected to be in place in 3-4 months, Union Information and Broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Shah, Mayawati, Shinde criticise statement on abolishing it ‘when India is a fair place’ @ New Delhi 6 million jobs With India’s electronics sector now valued at over $150 billion, the Prime Minister outlined a goal to grow the country’s electronics sector to $500 billion and create as many as 6 million jobs by the end of this decade Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects an exhibit during the inauguration of SEMICON India 2024, in Greater Noida | PTI It is our dream to have an Indian-made chip in every device in the world. We will do everything that is needed to make India a semiconductor powerhouse Narendra Modi talks, a delegation of 30, instead of 12-15 proposed by the government, live telecast of THE standoff between the the interaction for transparprotesting junior doctors and ency immediate arrest of oth, the West Bengal government er accused in the rape-murder continued on Wednesday with of the doctor, resignation of the latter rejecting the dethe city Police Commissionmands for Chief Miniser, suspension of the ter Mamata Banerjee’s Director of Medical presence and a live Education as well as broadcast as pre-cont h e D i re c t o r o f ditions for talks to reHealth Services, and solve their monthdisciplinary action long agitation. against ex-princiThousands of junpal Sandip Ghosh. ior doctors from On Tuesday, the across the state con- No meeting can be principal secretary , tinued their sit-in health, had sent an held with so many conditions. protest — more than email the students, They did not take 28 hours since Sepinviting them for tember 10 — outside any proactive steps talks. The students to resolve the the Swasthya Bhaturned it down, saysituation van (the state health ing the letter was department head- Chandrima Bhattacharya “insulting”. quarters) against the Reacting to the horrific rape-murder of a students’ email, minister of trainee doctor at RG Kar Med- state for health Chandrima ical College and Hospital on Bhattacharya urged the stuAugust 9, with students from dents not to get provoked by several Kolkata colleges join- unnecessary politics. ing them on Wednesday . The agitating junior docResponding to the chief sec- tors, however, said, “We have retary’s mail for a meeting at been non-political from day the state secretariat at 6 pm, one. We will continue our the students insisted on the movement demanding justice CM’s presence during the for the victim.” EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Kolkata Junior doctors during their dharna, in Kolkata on Wednesday | PTI RG KAR HEARING OF 51 DOCTORS PUT OFF Authorities at RG Kar on Wednesday deferred the hearing of the 51 doctors who were issued notice for allegedly promoting a culture of intimidation, endangering the democratic atmosphere of the institution Bhagwat’s comment that the reservation policy could do with a ‘social review’ kicked up UNION home minister and the a huge controversy forcing him , BJP’s principal election strate- to clarify that he did not mean gist Amit Shah on Wednesday to say practice should end. made a blistering attack on On Wednesday, BSP chief Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Mayawati and Maharashtra for his comment that the Con- CM Eknath Shinde also hit out gress will think of scrapping at Gandhi for his remark. reservation when India is a fair “Rahul Gandhi’s views replace. Rahul, who is currently flect his petty mentality It has ... on a trip to the US, been Cong ress’s had made the rehabit to do politics mark on Tuesday in the name of reliwhile answering a gion and caste,” question posed by Shinde said. students of the Mayawati said Georgetown Unithat when not in versity in Washingpower, the Conton DC. gress talks about ‘NOT AGAINST “By speaking SC, ST and OBC; RESERVATION’ about abolishing but when in power, reservations in the Claiming that his it works against c o u n t r y, R a h u l statement was their interests, addGandhi has once “misrepresented”, ing, “People should again brought the Rahul Gandhi said on be cautious of this Congress’s anti- Wednesday that he is conspiracy .” reservation face to not against reservation Shah also acthe forefront. The and will try to take it cused the Congress thoughts that were beyond the 50% cap leader of making in his mind eventustatements aimed ally found their way out as at hurting the country’s image words,” Shah posted on X, add- and meeting people who work ing that nobody will be able to against India’s interests. scrap reservation as long as the On Tuesday, Rahul had met BJP is around. some US lawmakers, including Reservation is a touchy sub- Ilhan Omar, a known India-critject and several leaders have ic who made a controversial come under attack in the past trip to Pakistan-occupied Kashfor expressing their opinion on mir in April 2022—an act India it. In 2015, weeks before the Bi- considers as a violation of its har elections, RSS chief Mohan sovereignty . RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR Bengal govt rejects terms set by junior docs for talks M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi AHEAD of the Assembly elections in Haryana and J&K, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved `5 lakh free health coverage for all senior citizens aged 70 years and above under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), irrespective of their income. The free health cover will benefit approximately six crore senior citizens in 4.5 crore families at an annual cost of `3,437 crore. “With this approval, all senior citizens of 70 years and above irrespective of their socio-economic status would be eligible to avail the benefits under the scheme. Eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card,” Union Information and Broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. Senior citizens from families already covered under the scheme will get an additional top-up cover up to `5 lakh per year for themselves, which they do not have to share with the other members of the family, the minister said. Senior citizens, who are already availing benefits of other public health insurance schemes such as the Central Government Health Scheme, ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme, and Ayushman Central Armed Police Force may either stick to their existing scheme or can opt for the AB PM-JAY. Those who are covered by private health insurance policies or the Employees’ State Insurance scheme will be eligible to avail benefits under the scheme. The Ayushman Bharat Yojana is the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme, which provides health cover for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore people from 12.34 crore families. In another decision, the Union Cabinet approved budgetary support to build enabling infrastructure for hydro electric projects with a total outlay of `12,461 crore. to get into the quota firing line Semicon 2.0 soon 2IN J&K ENCOUNTER; OPERATION ONGOING TERRORISTS KILLED Two terrorists affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad were killed in an operation in upper reaches of Basantgarh in Jammu & Kashmir’s Udhampur on Wednesday | P7 S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi University Vice-Chancellor to swiftly address a representation seeking the introduction of women’s reservation in the upcoming Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) poll. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela urged the university to resolve the petition within three weeks. Filed by Shabana Hussain and represented by advocate Ashu Bidhuri, the plea calls for 50% reservation for women in the DUSU polls, emphasising the lack of female participation due to the influence of money and muscle power in the elections. It also calls for the Centre, UGC, and the university to reserve 50% of seats for female candidates in both DUSU and college student union elections. The plea stresses the need for reservation for women to foster gender equality It notes that a . notification for the DUSU polls In barely 2 months, Shruthi loses her family, fiance LIFE has not been fair to Shruthi S. The resident of Chooralmala had not even got over the pain of losing nine members of her family includ, ing her parents and younger sister, to the devastating July 30 Wayanad landslides that life dealt her another blow. On Wednesday, the 24-yearold lost Jenson, her fiance, her pillar of strength, and the man who had held her hand as she had mourned her family . The couple to-be was involved in a road accident near Kalpetta in Wayanad on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, Jenson, 27, died of head injuries at WIMS Medical College, where he had been placed on ventilator support. The doctors said that he died of brain haemorrhage and multiple clots. Shruthi fractured her leg in the incident and is under treatment at a hospital in Kalpetta. Shruthi and Jenson got engaged on June 2, after a decadelong relationship. The engagement had brought the duo’s families, both from different religions, together. However, her life came crashing down two months later, when the landslides tore through her home- town, killing nine members of her family including her father , Sivanna, mother Sabitha, and younger sister Sreya. A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi A six-day-old baby lost her life in the absence of a neonatal ventilator at a Delhi government-run hospital, sources said on Wednesday. The incident took place at Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital on Tuesday in Jahangirpuri. Born to 24-year-old Kavita, the infant was battling breathlessness and high fever. She was put on oxygen support, but without access to a neonatal ventilator, her condition deteriorated. “Since no neonatal ventilator was available, we put the child on oxygen support and administered antibiotics. Her SPO2 level was maintained with the support of oxygen. But she died,” a doctor said. Hospital’s Medical Superintendent Digbijoy Dutta said all nearby government hospitals, including Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Lok Nayak Hospital, were contacted but none of them responded positively He . said the hospital had only one ventilator bed, which was occupied by another patient. ‘Address women quota in DUSU polls’ WAYANAD SURVIVOR E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kalpetta No ventilator in govt-run hosp, 6-day-old dies Shruthi, who was working as an accountant at a hospital in Kozhikode at the time, was spared from the disaster by sheer luck. While she was grappling with the grief of losing her family, Shruthi found solace in Jenson, a childhood friend. He stood by her and turned into her strongest support system as they navigated through the emotional pain and trauma caused by the calamity . Soon, plans for their marriage began taking shape and arrangement got under way . However, things took a turn for the worse on Tuesday when , the van in which Shruthi, Jen- son and others were heading to Kozhikode collided with a private. Nine people, including Shruthi, Jenson and her cousin Lavanya, were injured. Jenson, who was driving, suffered serious head injuries. Though she survived, the tragedy has scarred Shruthi emotionally. The couple was looking forward to starting a new chapter in their lives after the landslides, with a court-registered marriage. During her tough times, Jenson’s unwavering support and love had given Shruthi hope. On Wednesday, she was stripped of that too. has been issued, with nominations starting on September 17, 2024, and the election scheduled for September 27, 2024. Hussain has raised concerns about challenges faced by women despite 75 years of Independence. She underscored that the Constitution guarantees equality and participation for women, and highlighted the importance of political representation for women in a male-dominated society to achieve genuine empowerment. EXPRESS READ FIR for malicious post against judiciary lodged The Delhi Police on Wednesday lodged an FIR in connection with an alleged “malicious” post on ‘X’ against the judiciary following a complaint from the Supreme Court administration. Sources claimed that the post referred to a family member of the CJI. ED attaches `30 cr assets of Nirav Modi The ED has attached assets worth `29.75 crore of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi in the Punjab National Bank fraud case, officials said on Wednesday. The assets are in the form of bank deposits, land, and buildings.