THURSday 54.2% 13 FEBRUARY, 2025 was the year-onyear inflation in coconut oil price in january 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Jan retail inflation at 5-month low of 4.31% as food prices ease egyptian prez sissi may skip gaza relocation talks Retail inflation was 4.31% last month, down from 5.1% recorded in Jan 2024 due to a decline in the prices of vegetables, eggs and pulses Inflation falls for third straight month Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will not travel to the US for talks if the agenda includes Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 Retail inflation is the lowest since August’s figure of 3.65%. After touching 6.21% in October, it has fallen consistently. Inflation in the food basket fell to 6.02% in January, down from 8.02% in the year-ago month. Top three states which had higher inflation than the national average were Kerala (6.76%), Odisha (6.05%) and Chhattisgarh (5.85%) | P10 Tough bill coming to curb illegal immigration Pre-poll freebies Salient features Mandatory registration of foreigners upon arrival Restrictions on movement, name change O bligation on universities, colleges, medical institutions and owners of hotels, residential premises to report accommodation to foreigners B urden of proof on individuals to establish they are not foreigners O nus on transport carriers to remove any foreigner denied entry into India Sajjan Kumar convicted in ’84 riots case S h e k h a r S i n g h @ New Delhi A special court on Wednesday found former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar guilty in a case of killing a father-son duo during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court delivered the verdict and scheduled the sentencing arguments for February 18. “The accused has been held guilty as per a separate judgment. The case is now listed for sentencing on the next hearing date,” the court noted. Kumar was charged in 2021 under multiple IPC sections, including 302 (murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting while armed), 149 (unlawful assembly), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323 (causing hurt voluntarily), among others. The prosecution said on November 1, 1984, a mob allegedly led by Kumar attacked and killed Jaswant Singh and his son, Tarun Deep Singh, in West Delhi’s Raj Nagar. The case was based on an FIR lodged following a September 9, 1985 affidavit by a complainant whose identity was protected. A SIT was formed by the MHA in 2015 to revisit cases from 1984 riots. The complainant recorded her statement on November 23, 2016. Kumar was arrested in this case on April 6, 2021, while serving a life sentence in a separate 1984 riots case in Tihar. Two more cases are still pending against him. Offences & penalties Entry without valid documents: Up to 5 years imprisonment or `5 lakh fine Use of forged documents: 2-7 years imprisonment and `1-10 lakh fine Overstaying Visa duration: Up to 3 years imprisonment or `3 lakh fine Abetment of immigration violation: 7 years imprisonment M UKE S H RANJAN @ New Delhi A draft legislation with more teeth to curb illegal immigration is likely to be introduced in Parliament in the second leg of the ongoing Budget session. Called the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, it has provisions of a jail term of up to seven years for any person who uses a fake passport or arranges for someone’s illegal entry into India. The bill also puts the onus on transport carriers to remove any foreigner denied entry into the country and empowers the immigration officer to arrest such individuals without an arrest warrant. The draft bill seeks to replace four existing laws – The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, Foreigners Act, 1946 and Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000. Quoting the contents of the draft bill, a source said, “any foreigner whose entry has been refused shall be handed over to the transport carrier by the Immigration Officer and it shall be the responsibility of that carrier to ensure his removal from India without delay .” It also has provisions to slap Modi, Macron firm up plans to take strategic cooperation to next level India, France to jointly develop N-reactors, AI JAYANTH JACO B @ New Delhi india and France on Wednesday decided to strengthen their strategic partnership as Prime Minister Narendra Modi sat down with French President Emmanuel Macron to firm up plans to bolster cooperation in the critical areas of nuclear energy and artificial intelligence (AI). Both countries will join hands to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) as well as advanced modular reactors (AMRs). New Delhi and Paris will also work together to develop safe, secure and trustworthy AI. France has already announced plans to invest 110 billion euros in AI. Modi and Macron agreed to enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region with a joint declaration of intent for ‘triangular development’ to support the economic growth of countries in the region. The two leaders also visited Marseille—the second-most populous French city after Paris—where Macron hosted a private dinner for Modi. There they jointly inaugurated India’s Consulate General and toured the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility . “The area of SMRs and AMRs has come up in more recent times, but has progressed quite quickly and the reason that you see a letter of intent is because both countries feel that there are real possibilities in taking this forward in the very near future,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters during a briefing in Marseille. Misri said the demand for SMRs and AMRs has been identified as crucial, as AI will require vast amounts of electricity. “The amount of electricity that will be needed, if it is going to be sustainable, then it has to be something like nuclear power-driven electricity That is the area in . which SMRs and AMRs can play a key role,” he added. As for the trilateral cooperation, India and France will look to deliver projects in third countries “by seeing how we can leverage our respective strengths and our capabilities, whether it is in terms of financial support or technical collaboration or capacity-building collaboration,” Misri said. 10,000 Both sides reached an understanding on ‘triangular development Indian students expected cooperation’ to to study in France provide in 2025; the number to go up to financial 30,000 by 2030 support and technical Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit collaboration to to France from Feb 10-12 was his sixth implement tour to the country in 10 years projects in third countries across the Indo-Pacific KEY TAKEAWAYS Nuclear energy to be a major component of India’s energy mix India, France intend to jointly develop Small Modular Reactors and Advanced Modular Reactors India and France to join hands to develop ethical AI that works for the public good and respects human rights France to support India’s bid for permanent UNSC membership India opens consulate in Marseille; the decision to open a Consulate General in Marseille was announced during Modi’s visit to France in July 2023 The bilateral roadmap on AI envisions that the norms reflect democratic values and promote human development. A commitment to safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems, advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and fostering international cooperation on AI capacity-building while respecting international law and human rights are the at core of the IndiaFrance Declaration on Artificial Intelligence. A joint statement issued after the meeting between Modi RSS shifts to renovated office at old address RSS has moved back its office to its old address at Jhandewalan Road, after its extensive renovation is complete. The renovated premises, spread across 5 lakh square feet over 3.75 acres, house three 13-storey towers and around 300 rooms | P4 hundred reasons to smile Shubman Gill celebrates his ton against England in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. India won by 142 runs in the last ODI | PTI | P15 100% Delhi delivery of houses under Centre’s scheme Delhi and Chandigarh have achieved 100% success under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), a Centre’s scheme facilitating access to affordable housing for low and moderate income groups. According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (Mo- and Macron said the leaders commended the progress in collaboration in the construction of Scorpene submarines in India, including indigenisation, and the work to integrate DRDO-developed Air Independent Propulsion into P75-Scorpene submarines. Both leaders welcomed the commissioning of the sixth and final submarine of the P75 Scorpene-class project, INS Vaghsheer, on January 15, 2025. Modi also invited the French Army to explore the Pinaka rocket launcher. P7 E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi T h e S u p re m e C o u r t o n Wednesday criticised the practice of political parties giving freebies ahead of the elections, saying it has made people unwilling to work. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih said people were not willing to work as they were getting free ration and money . “Unfortunately, because of these freebies, which just on the anvil of elections are declared, like ‘Ladki Bahin’ and other schemes, people are not willing to work.” It was hearing a plea concerning the right to shelter of homeless persons in urban areas. “Rather than promoting them to be part of the mainstream of the society by contributing to the development of the nation, are we not creating a class of parasites?” the bench asked. During the hearing, one of the petitioners alleged that providing shelter to the homeless is last on the government’s priority list. When the petitioner claimed the authorities showed compassion only for the rich, the court expressed its displeasure. “Don’t make a speech of Ramlila Maidan in this court,” Justice Gavai told the petitioner. “Don’t make a political speech here. We won’t permit our courtrooms to be converted into a (place of) political battle. How do you say the compassion is shown only for the rich? Even for the government, how can you say this?” Justice Gavai said. One of the petitioners placed on record a chart showing Judge cites Maha farm labour shortage Prashant Bhushan, appearing for one of the petitioners, said there was hardly anybody in the country who did not want to work, if they had work. To this, Justice Gavai said, “You must be having only onesided knowledge. Because of the freebies in Maharashtra, which they just announced prior to the elections, agriculturists are not getting labourers.” state-wise position on the number of homeless persons, available shelters and the capacity of such homes. The bench asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to find out from the ministry concerned if the figure mentioned in the chart depicted the correct position. For his part, the Attorney General said the Centre was in the process of finalising the urban poverty alleviation mission, which would address various issues, including the provision of shelter for the urban homeless. The bench asked him to verify from the Centre the time frame within which the scheme would be applicable and also place on record the aspects covered by it. P3 tariff match trump prepares reciprocal import taxes President Donald Trump plans to sign an order that would require that the country’s tariffs on imports match the tax rates charged by other nations during their trade with the US | P9 As h i s h S r i v a s ta v a @ New Delhi Silkyara-Polgaon tunnel to be completed by April Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi Letter of Intent signed between Department of Science and Technology and Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique to establish the Indo-French Center for the Digital Sciences creating a class of parasites, says SC Review of AAP appointments tops bureaucrats’ first 100-day agenda Express read The Silkyara-Polgaon tunnel on Yamunotri Highway in Uttarkashi of Uttarakhand is expected to be completed by April-end, officials said on Wednesday. The tunnel, part of the Char Dham Road Project, had collapsed last year. a penalty of `2-5 lakh on erring carriers. If a carrier fails to pay the penalty, it could be seized or detained. Sources said universities, medical colleges, hospitals and private residences will be made responsible for providing information about foreigners residing on their premises. The bill make registration of foreigners upon their arrival mandatory and puts restrictions on their movement, name change, and stay in protected/ restricted areas, the sources said. The burden of proof would be on individuals to establish they are not foreigners. HUA), the government has delivered all the housing units it had sanctioned for both the cities in 2015, when the scheme was launched. The Centre had sanctioned 29,976 houses for Delhi and 1,256 for Chandigarh. Among the states recording more than 90% delivery rate are Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Arunachal Pradesh. In Dadra Nagar and Haveli and Daman & Diu, the administrations have delivered 92% of the sanctioned housing units. According to MoHUA, so far 90.25 lakh units have been grounded in 36 states/UTs, and 87 lakh of them occupied. The number of houses grounded till February is 112.5 lakh, including the units completed un- der Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. States/UTs where performance is dismal are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Manipur and Meghalaya. MoS, housing, Tokhan Sahu told the Lok Sabha recently that states/UTs have been advised to expedite the construction of sanctioned houses. Amid suspense for the new chief minister and the cabinet, the city’s bureaucratic machinery has swung into action, preparing a 100-day roadmap aligned with the BJP’s ‘Viksit Delhi Sankalp Patra 2025’. A meeting of 24 top officials, convened on Monday and chaired by chief secretary Dharmendra, has set the stage for swift implementation of key poll promises, focusing on healthcare, civic infrastructure, and governance reforms. The chief secretary has also directed officials to compile a list of appointments of chairpersons and members made by the previous AAP government. The move may spark controversy as the AAP government had faced allegations of appointing party members and close aides of ministers to various non-official posts, allegedly bypassing established laws and government regulations. According to the minutes of the meeting accessed by this newspaper, the chief secretary Unified NDMC control room on waterlogging Since waterlogging and sewage remain chronic problems during monsoons, the NDMC chairman has agreed to repurpose the civic body’s control room as a unified one for Delhi, allowing seamless data sharing between agencies for faster responses to urban problems. has directed departments to draft a cabinet note on the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, a key BJP poll plank. Officials have also been tasked with finding immediate solutions for waterlogging and sewage problems. To stream- line civic administration, a Unified Delhi Control Room will be set up in the NDMC area, ensuring real-time coordination across departments. “All departments must outline their 15-day, monthly, and 100-day targets. If any project/ scheme needs to be placed before the Council of Ministers, the Department should start preparing the Draft Cabinet Note,” read the directive issued by the chief secretary . Officials have also been instructed to compile PowerPoint presentations detailing their department’s structure, roles, challenges, and goals, which will be consolidated by the General Administration Department for review by the incoming government. The directive has stressed the importance of integrating Central government schemes that have not yet been implemented in Delhi. “Departments may take urgent action on these schemes/ programmes for taking requisite approval of the Competent Authority it has stated. ,”