TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard J A PA N RECORD 73 WOMEN WIN SEATS IN HOUSE A record number of women have been elected to house of representatives, projections showed, but at less than 16% they remain a minority. PAGE 9 K S PUTTASWAMY 8 FEB 1926 - 28 OCT 2024 ADVOCATE TURNED EMINENT JURIST SC underlined privacy to be “the constitutional core of human dignity” Born on February 8, 1926, Puttaswamy studied at Maharaja’s College, Mysore and obtained a law degree from Govt Law College, Bengaluru ■ He was enrolled as an advocate in January 1952 and practised in Mysuru. He became the Karnataka High Court judge on November 28, 1977 | P7 ■ ■ A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Growth of AI disrupting jobs, says finance ministry report WAR AGAINST TERROR M O N I K A YA D A V @ New Delhi Infantry combat vehicles take position during a search operation following a terrorist attack on an army convoy, at Akhnoor sector in Jammu on Monday | PTI | P8 Census likely in early 2025 SPECULATION ON LS SEAT DELIMITATION; NDA ALLY TDP DEMANDS POLICY REJIG RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR AND P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi STRONG indications from the Centre on Monday suggested that the much-delayed decadal Census exercise would begin in early 2025, potentially followed by the controversial delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies. Since Census is a humongous exercise, it will take over a year for it to be wrapped up and the report cannot be published before 2026. The year 2026 is significant because Article 82 of the Constitution says, “Provided also that until the relevant figures for the first Census taken after the year 2026 have been published, it shall not be necessary to readjust.” Speaking to this newspaper, THE FINE PRINT former chief statistician Pronab Sen said the delimitation process can be carried out after completing the Census operations in 2026 if the government so desires. “We are at the end of 2024. If the process of Census starts today, the earliest you will be able to finish the exercise is by MarchApril 2026. It takes a year and a half just for preparation. The first step is house listing and it will take 7-8 months. Then the process of preparing for the Census begins. The Constitution says that the delimitation should be based on the first Census on or after 2026,” he said. Delimitation runs the risk of upsetting states in the South as they stand to lose political clout 82 ARTICLE NATIONAL REGISTER OF CITIZENS TO BE UPDATED; NO CASTE CENSUS CLARITY in the Lok Sabha for being successful in population control. Speaking to this paper, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an NDA ally sought reworking of , the delimitation exercise. TDP MP and Parliamentary party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said, “The delimitation of Lok Sabha seats on the basis of population may lead to Andhra Pradesh losing out in representation as we successfully controlled population through family planning programmes. The state shoudn’t be punished for that. We want to have consultations with the government and various other stakeholders in reworking the policy .” As for the other demand on Upon the completion of each census, the allocation of seats in the House of the People to the States and the division of each State into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted by such authority and in such manner as Parliament may by law determine: including caste census, no decision has been taken on it yet. The government appears cautious about including caste data in the Census, possibly in view of assembly elections in states like Bihar. The Census originally scheduled for 2020-21, got delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Year 2025 will represent the start of a new Census cycle — 2025-2035, 2035-2045 and so on. The whole exercise will begin with the updation of the National Register of Citizens. Enumerators are expected to compile data on at least 31 heads, including household composition, amenities, demographic details like whether the head of the household belongs to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. P7 Provided further that such readjustment shall take effect from such date as President may, by order, specify and until such readjustment takes effect, any election to the House may be held on the basis of the territorial constituencies existing before such readjustment; PROVIDED ALSO THAT UNTIL THE RELEVANT FIGURES FOR THE FIRST CENSUS TAKEN AFTER THE YEAR 2026 HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED, IT SHALL NOT BE NECESSARY TO READJUST (a) the allocation of seats in the House of the People to the States as readjusted on the basis of the 1971 census; and (b) the division of each State into territorial constituencies as may be readjusted on the basis of the 2001 census, under this article EXPRESS READ HC asks DUSU candidates not to repeat defacement The Delhi HC on Monday directed the DUSU poll candidates for an undertaking to not deface any public property in future and granted them more time to finish cleaning up the mess. It asked the students who had expressed “remorse” to file affidavits and photographs to show the removal of posters and hoardings. | P4 AAP MLA Vinay Mishra named DJB vice-chairman AAP MLA Vinay Mishra on Monday took charge as vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and said he would make efforts to tackle the water and sewer problems. The Dwarka MLA succeeds Somnath Bharti, who had resigned as DJB vice-chairman before filing his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections in May. Atishi, Delhi Waqf Board not on same page; yet another stormy JPC session P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE meeting of the Joint Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Monday ran into rough weather after several Opposition MPs staged a walkout protesting the presentation made by the Delhi Waqf Board. Opposition members claimed that the Delhi Waqf Board administrator, who had appeared before the panel, altered the presentation without the knowledge of the Delhi government. Later, Chief Minister Atishi wrote to JPC chairman and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, saying that the report of the Delhi Waqf Board administrator, IAS Ashwini Kumar, must be treat- ed as “null and void.” The report was submitted without the government’s approval, she said. “Any (such) presentation may be cancelled till a report is submitted with the approval of the government of NCT Delhi,” the letter stated. AAP MP Sanjay Singh, DMK’s Mohammed Abdulla, Congress’ Naseer Hussain, and Mohamed Jawed, among others, walked out of the meet. The panel had called representatives of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand Waqf boards to record their oral evidence on the bill on Monday . Last year, a row erupted over the housing and urban affairs ministry’s takeover of 123 properties from the Delhi Waqf Board. However, the Delhi Waqf Board challenged the order in the high court. The Waqf Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha this August. The JPC is holding meetings to gather inputs from officials, legal experts, Waqf board members and community representatives. THE growing deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in several sectors is casting a shadow over employment stability in India, the Department of Economic Affairs under the Union finance ministry said in its monthly economic review. “Anecdotal reports of the deployment of Artificial Intelligence displacing workers are beginning to emerge. That needs watching,” said the report for September. The Economic Survey 202324, tabled in Parliament in July , had also flagged concerns of more and more companies turning to AI tools to replace human talent. “While AI has considerable potential for boosting productivity, it also has the potential to disrupt employment in certain sectors,” ‘ALL WELL ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT’ The performance of the Indian economy has been satisfactory during the first half of the ongoing fiscal year but concerns remain with regard to demand conditions going forward, the monthly economic review said said the survey . The survey had posited that routine tasks, including customer service, would likely witness a high degree of automation while creative sectors would see extensive usage of AI tools for image and video creation. It called for political decisions to ensure the technology benefits everyone rather than creating disruptions across the board. Analysing hiring trends, the finance ministry’s report noted A N O T H E R TATA J E W E L 1ST PVT PLANT FOR MILITARY PLANE TAKES WINGS D I L I P S I N G H K S H AT R I YA @ Ahmedabad This C-295 aircraft factory reflects the new work culture of New India Narendra Modi, Prime Minister POLICY SHIFT Under the C295 deal, 56 aircraft are to be delivered to the country. Sixteen of them will be supplied directly by Airbus from Spain. The remaining 40 will be produced in India by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, according to an official press release AFTER an impressive roadshow in Gujarat’s Vadodara, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez jointly inaugurated the Tata Advanced System Limited (TASL)-Airbus plant to manufacture C-295 military aircraft in the city . It is the country’s first assembly line where at least 18,000 components of the aircraft will be manufactured. “Till now we had the vision of Make in India, now proudly we extend it to Make in India, Make for the World,” Modi said in his address. Commissioning the project shows India’s work culture has changed for good, he said. The country cannot only commission project on time but can manufacture and deliver goods on time. In October 2022, the foundation stone of the project was laid, and within two years, work on production of a C-295 has started, he said. Modi also recalled that another plant to manufacture Bombardier train coaches was commissioned in record time. Now, coaches manufactured there are exported, proving India means business, he pointed out. For his part, Sanchez called the Tata group a “giant among giants”. “Today, we are not only officially inaugurating a cutting-edge industrial facility ...This partnership between Airbus and Tata will contribute to the progress of the Indian aerospace industry and will open new doors for the arrival of other European companies,” he said. Spain is an integral part of the Airbus consortium that represents values of cooperation, modernity and progress, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez during a roadshow in Gujarat’s Vadodara on Monday | PTI HC nixes closure of ‘Lottery’ Martin case, asks ED to finish probe PMO red flags state of amenities at Dholavira R S I V A K U M A R @ Chennai After the PMO flagged the poor state of preservation at Dholavira, the southern centre of the Harappan Civilisation, the ASI has issued directions to officials to work out a plan for conservation and resume excavation at the historic urban settlements; a world heritage site located in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. | P7 REVIVING the case registered against lottery baron Santiago Martin, his wife and two others in connection with the seizure of `7.20 crore unaccounted cash, the Madras High Court has ordered the police and the ED to hold probes in tandem so as to ensure the criminal case is taken to its logical end. The order passed by a division bench of Justices S M Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam on Monday on the petition filed , by ED praying for setting aside the order passed by a judicial magistrate court to close the 2012 case registered regarding the seizure, is considered a boost to the central agency . The predicate offence case was registered by the Central Crime Branch of Greater Chennai Police in 2012 following the seizure of `7.20 crore unaccounted cash on March 12, 2012, from the premises of one Naga- rajan and Moorthy linked to Martin. But they had claimed to have obtained the money through sale of a property to Martin’s wife Leema Rose. ‘STATE AGENCY MADE AN ATTEMPT TO BURY CASE’ The court held that the state agency has made an attempt to “bury the predicate offence case” against the accused persons in “a suspicious manner and on extraneous considerations” which are visible through their actions including filing of closure report. The alleged sale agreement was entered into on March 2, 2012, but the stamp paper used was released by the government on March 9 and was sold by the stamp vendor on March 13. A case under various sections of the IPC was lodged. The ED came into the scene by registering a case of money laundering in 2016 based on the predicate offence. that there was a 7% decline in job opportunities in September 2024 compared to the same month last year. It said the Naukri JobSpeak index witnessed an annual growth of 6% in September 2024, driven by a resurgent IT sector. “Sectors such as FMCG and Oil & Gas also underwent significant growth and continued ascent in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning roles. However, hiring trends were largely favourable for experience-holders, while professionals with 0-3 years of experience saw a 7 per cent decline in job opportunities vis-a-vis September 2023,” it said. The monthly economic review said the share of self-employed continued to rise in 2023-24 while the proportion of casual labour workers fell, in line with the recent trend. PREZ RACE RACIST SLURS MAR MEGA TRUMP RALLY With just over a week before Election Day, speakers at New York’s Madison Square Garden rally labeled Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” called Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris “the devil” | P9 4 RSS workers get life term for killing CPM man in 2011 E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kannur FOUR RSS workers were on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a CPM worker at Thalassery in Kerala’s Kannur district in 2011. The Thalassery Additional Sessions Court also ordered each of the convicts—Pranu Babu, Nidheesh, Shijin, and Ujesh—to a pay fine of `50,000 to the family of the victim, Ashraf. There were eight accused in the original chargesheet. Two of them—Shijith and Sujith— died before the trial began. Two others—Binesh and M R Sreejith—were acquitted citing lack of evidence. As per the case, eight persons associated with the RSS and BJP attacked CPM worker Ashraf around 9.30 am on May 19, 2011, while he was selling fish on the Kappummal-Subedar road in Thalassery. They allegedly killed him due to political enmity . The prosecution said the reason behind the attack was that Ashraf and some other CPM members allegedly destroyed RSS flags during a rally to celebrate the victory of CPM leader K K Narayanan in the Assembly election from Dharmadam in May 2011. According to the chargesheet, the accused persons assembled unlawfully armed with deadly , weapons, and committed rioting. They wrongfully restrained Ashraf, preventing his escape. Thereafter, they voluntarily inflicted grievous injuries on the victim, it said. Ashraf was critically injured with wounds all over his body . He died at 3.50 am on May 21 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode. A total of 26 witnesses were examined by the prosecution in the court.