WOMEN BORROWERS GROW 22% OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS: REPORT TUESDAY 04 The report, released by NITI Aayog CEO B V R Subrahmanyam on Monday, showed bulk of the loans was for meeting consumption demand MARCH, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard UKRAINE FRANCE MOOTS PARTIAL CEASEFIRE France on Monday said a plan for a one-month truce between Russia and Ukraine would test Moscow’s commitment to ending the war PAGE 9 SELF-MONITORING CREDIT HABIT SEES SPIKE A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI J8.00  DU student dies in hit-and-run while delivering newspapers N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi Call comes ahead of all-party meet on delimitation EX P R ESS N E WS S E RV I CE @ Nagapattinam WILDLIFE SAFARI Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a lion safari at Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, on the occasion of the World Wildlife Day, in Gujarat’s Junagadh district on Monday | PTI U.P. WOMAN ON DEATH ROW IN U.A.E. EXECUTED ON FEB 15 S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi A 33-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district on death row in the United Arab Emirates was executed on February 15, but it was communicated to the Indian embassy only on February 28, the Ministry of External Affairs told the Delhi High Court on Monday The submis. sion was made during the hearing of a plea filed by the woman’s father seeking to know her whereabouts. “The authorities are providing all possible assistance; her cremation will be held on March 5,” Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma said, adding that arrangements were being made to enable the woman’s family to travel to Abu Dhabi to perform her last rites. With no legal recourse left, Justice Sachin Datta disposed of the plea, calling the entire episode a “sad and unfortunate” incident. Shahzadi was working as a caregiver in Abu Dhabi when her employer’s infant son passed away on December 7, 2022, after a routine vaccination. Thereafter, a video surfaced showing her confessing to the crime. However, her father alleged it was obtained through torture by her employer. The employer’s family handed her over to the Abu Dhabi police on February 10, 2023. She was sentenced to death on July 31, 2023 and the appellate court dismissed her appeal on February 28, 2024. The MEA said the Indian embassy extended all help including filing mercy petitions. CHIEF Minister M K Stalin on Monday encouraged newly-married couples to bear children as early as possible, referring to the proposed delimitation of parliamentary constituencies that is expected to be done on the basis of population. His comment comes ahead of the March 5 all-party meet he has called for to discuss the issue. Solemnising a wedding organised by DMK’s Nagapattinam district secretary N Gowthaman’s family, Stalin, while winding up his speech with the appeal he usually makes to newlyweds to name their children in Tamil, said, newly married couples were earlier advised to not rush with childbearing. “There is no need to say that now,” he said. “A scenario has currently developed where parliamentary constituChief Minister encies are M K Stalin delimited on the basis of population and the number of MPs would be higher when the population is high. Hence, I would not ask the couples to postpone their childbearing like in earlier times and, rather, would encourage them to bear children as early as possible,” he said. The DMK and other parties in south India have raised concerns about a proportional loss of representation when delimitation is done, according to the 84th amendment, on the basis of the first census completed after 2026 (the 2021 census has not yet been conducted). With the number of Parliamentary and Assembly seats set to be allocated in proportion to a state’s population, political parties in the south fear that their states, which have slowed population growth, may end up with a smaller share of representation. Can’t completely stop use of mobiles in schools: HC S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi THE Delhi HC recently ruled that imposing a complete ban on students using smartphones in schools is neither “practical nor desirable”. Instead, it suggested guidelines to regulate smartphone usage, emphasising their role in ensuring student safety and coordination with parents. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani observed that technology has become an integral part of education, making an outright prohibition on smartphones unfeasible. “A complete ban on smartphones by students attending school is both undesirable and unworkable,” he stated. The ruling came in response PAGES 12 Bear children soon, so TN wouldn’t lose seats: CM to couples RASH DRIVING A 19-year-old DU student, who worked as a newspaper vendor, died when his bicycle was hit by an unidentified vehicle in Rohini. The deceased has been identified as Rishal Singh, a resident of Budh Vihar. According to police, they received information about the accident on Saturday around 6.30 a.m., which occurred at a red light near the RTO office on the dividing road between Sectors 15 and 16. Police reached the spot and found a damaged bicycle with newspapers scattered all around. They found that the injured was already shifted to BSA hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead, a senior police officer said. Rishal, who was pursuing his graduation, used to work as a newspaper distributor in the morning. The officer said the initial inquiry revealed that an unknown vehicle had hit him. Ghanshyam, Rishal’s uncle, said that the victim was pursuing his BA in his first year and used to attend Sunday classes. “We received information around 8 a.m. on Saturday regarding the incident. He was a very hardworking boy who distributed newspapers every morning. His father works in a factory and suffers from a respiratory issue,” he added. He further demanded that the police identify the vehicle and punish the accused. Rishal’s sister, Poonam, said he used to earn around `12,000 monthly to fund his education and support his family. She added that he wanted to become a stenographer. A case has been registered under sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the BNS at KNK Marg police station.  The report, published by TransUnion CIBIL, Women Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog and MicroSave Consulting said as of December 2024, 2.7 crore women were monitoring their credit, a 42% spike from the previous year. Women’s share of the total self-monitoring base increased to 19.43% in December 2024, up from 17.89% in 2023, it said | P10 SMARTPHONE USAGE The court said schools should arrange for students to deposit their smartphones during school hours Phones should not be allowed inside classrooms, school vehicles Students should be educated on responsible online behaviour and dangers of excessive screen time Smartphone to be used for safety, communication purposes Institutions should have the discretion to tailor smartphone policies to their unique needs to a petition filed by a minor student challenging restrictions on smartphone use at Kendriya Vidyalaya. The school administration urged the court to establish clear guidelines on the matter. While acknowledging concerns about excessive screen time, cyberbullying, and digital addiction, the court emphasised that smartphones also serve critical functions, particularly in enabling communication between students and parents for safety purposes. “The policy on regulating and monitoring the use of smartphones in school should be made in consultation with parents, educators, and experts, to evolve a balanced approach that addresses the needs and concerns of all parties involved,” it stated. The court said that the policy should establish transparent, fair, and enforceable consequences for violation of the rules, ensuring consistent application without being excessively harsh. The HC also advised schools to regularly reassess their smartphone policies to address evolving technological challenges. A copy of the judgment has been sent to the CBSE, the Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. P4 Rework formula on population skew, says TDP P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi WITH the d elimitation row intensifying, the NDA government’s key ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Monday said the current delimitation formula needs rework to address the concerns of the South. He expressed confidence that the Centre has taken cognizance of the issue, adding Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent ‘pro rata’ statement was a signal in the right direction. TDP parliamentary party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said the reconfiguration of parliamentary seats based on Lavu Sri Krishna the current census data could drastiDevarayalu cally cut their representation in the Lok Sabha. “If the number of seats is increased on the existing formula of population census, Southern states will lose a considerable number of seats. That will invariably reduce our bargaining power in the foreseeable future in Parliament. We are seeing it after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Our bargaining power has been reduced compared to a big state with big numbers,” he said. Amit Shah had recently assured that after delimitation, on pro rata basis, not a single seat will be reduced in any southern state. “The government needs to rework the formula in such a way that seats are not increased only the basis of population. For example, like they give weightage to economically backward states when distributing central funds,” he said. EXPRESS READ Man held from Delhi in Himani murder case The Haryana Police arrested a man in connection with the murder of Congress worker Himani Narwal. The suspect, Sachin, who is from Bahadurgarh, was apprehended in Delhi. He confessed to murdering the woman he had been in a relationship with, in a fit of rage. P4 Over 6K river dolphins in country, finds survey The first population estimation of riverine dolphins in India revealed the presence of 6,327 dolphins in the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus river systems, a report said. UP leads with 2,397, followed by Bihar 2,220, Bengal 815, Assam 635, J’khand 162, Raj and MP 95, and Punjab 3. P8 BUCH BREATHER HC STAYS FIR AGAINST EX-SEBI CHIEF Bombay High Court to hear on March 4 pleas by former Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and five others in case of alleged stock manipulation | P8 SC lifts job bar on visually-impaired in lower judiciary S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi IN a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that visually-impaired persons cannot be denied the opportunity of employment in judicial services and struck down provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Judicial Service Rules that excluded them. The court said, “It is high time that we view the right against disability-based discrimination, as recognised in the RPwD Act (Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act) 2016, in the same stature as a fundamental right, thereby ensuring that no candidate is denied consideration solely on account of their disability .” The court’s two-judge bench, headed by justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, pronounced the judgment on a batch of petitions — including a representation from a visually-impaired candidate’s mother from Madhya Pradesh — for denying quota to these candidates in judicial services of certain states. The candidate’s mother had last year written to the then Separate cut-off CJI challenging a rule in the for candidates Madhya Pradesh Judicial New Delhi: The Supreme Services (Recruitment and Court held that a Service Conditions) Rules that separate cut-off is to prevented visually impaired be maintained and candidates from being apselection made pointed in the state judicial accordingly for visuallyservices. The court converted impaired candidates as the letter into a suo motu petiindicated in line with the tion and decided to hear it. judgment in Indra In the 122-page judgment, Sawhney case. Justice Mahadevan held that visually impaired candidates cannot be said to be ‘not suitable’ for judicial service and they are eligible to participate in selection for posts in judicial service. The verdict said the amendment made in Rule 6A of the Madhya Pradesh Judicial Service (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1994, “falls foul of the Constitution, and is hence, struck down to the extent that it does not include visually impaired persons who are educationally qualified for the post to apply”. It also said that the provision to Rule 7 relating to additional requirements violated the equality doctrine and the principle of reasonable accommodation. “Any indirect discrimination that results in the exclusion of PwDs, whether through rigid cut-offs or procedural barriers, must be interfered with...,” the court said. SILLY POINT Congress spokesperson gets no (K)Shama for body-shaming Rohit P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE Congress on Monday distanced itself from its national spokesperson Shama Mohamed’s ‘body shaming’ remarks on India cricket captain Rohit Sharma, saying that the party “does not endorse any statements” that undermine the legacy of sporting icons. A day before India versus Australia Champions Trophy semifinal match in Dubai, a needless controversy erupted after Shama, in her now-deleted post, said Sharma is “fat for a sportsman” and “Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!” And TMC leader Saugata Roy echoed her. The Congress was quick to respond after strong backlash from cricket fans and BJP leaders. In a statement on X, Congress leader Pawan Khera asked Shama to delete her so- cial media posts and exercise greater caution in future. “Dr. Shama Mohammed, National Spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, made certain remarks about a cricketing legend that do not reflect party’s position,” he said. “She has been asked to delete the social media posts from X and has been advised to exercise greater caution in the future. The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard and does not endorse any state- The INC holds contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard & does not endorse any statements that undermine their legacy — Pawan Khera, Cong leader What is so world-class about him when compared to his predecessors? He is a mediocre captain as well as a mediocre player — Shama Mohammed, Cong spokesperson ments that undermine their legacy he added. ,” The BJP waded into the controversy accusing the Congress , of ‘body-shaming’ and disrespecting the World Cup cham- pion. Responding to a post praising Sharma, Shama asked what was so world class about him when compared to his predecessors like Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, M S Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri. “What is so world-class about him when compared to his predecessors? He is a mediocre captain as well as a mediocre player who got lucky to be the captain,” she wrote. INDIA VS AUSTRALIA India are 100 overs away from advancing to their fourth straight ICC final. Australia, however, could be tricky opponents. A look at the the first Champions Trophy semis... SPIN IT TO WIN IT On some tired Dubai decks, India’s spinners have had a lot of fun. They will deploy the same strategy against Australia, who has only one frontline spinner in Adam Zampa. Both teams, however, have depleted pace P11 bowling attacks. Live: 2.30 PM IST, Dubai