wednesdAY 30 APRIL, 2025 India put on ‘priority watch list’ for IP rights violations epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard west asia israeli strikes kill 27 in gaza ‘many long-standing concerns remain’ The daily bombardment by Israeli forces and hunger is taking a toll on Gaza’s most vulnerable residents, including pregnant women and children. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l The US Trade Representative’s (USTR) 2025 Special 301 report, an annual review of the global state of IPR protection and enforcement, said that over the past year, India has remained inconsistent in its progress on intellectual property protection and enforcement. It said there is a lack of progress on many long-standing IP concerns PAGES 12 25 countries including china, russia on the list apart from india Bhagwat makes rare visit to the PM’s residence R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi with NSA Ajit Doval, defence minister Rajnath Singh and chiefs of the armed forces, at a high-level meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday | PTI Kharge, Rahul seek special House session New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, requesting him to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and demonstrate a collective resolve to take on the conspirators | P7 UN Secy Gen speaks to Jaishankar, Pak PM Srinagar: India is determined that the perpetrators, planners and backers of the Pahalgam attack are brought to justice, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday. Guterres held separate discussions with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar | P7 India brands Pak a rogue state at UN New Delhi: India has branded Pakistan a rogue state at the UN, citing Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif’s “open confession” to funding and supporting terror groups. “This open confession exposes Pakistan as a rogue state fuelling global terrorism and destabilising the region,” said Yojna Patel, Deputy Permanent Representative to UN | P7 Full freedom to forces Modi gives the armed forces full operational freedom to decide the mode, targets and timing of their action against terror outfits and ecosystems RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday gave the security forces full operational freedom to to decide the mode, targets and timing of their decisive action against the terror outfits responsible for the Pahalgam brutality against tourists and also smash their ecosystem. The directive came at a marathon meeting at his residence with defence minister Rajnath Singh, the chiefs of the armed forces and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Modi expressed complete confidence in the professional abilities of the armed forces. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan was part of the meeting. Sources said the PM, after listening to inputs from the top officers, underscored the national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism. Parallelly Union home secre, tary Govind Mohan held a highlevel meeting with chiefs of Central Armed Police Forces and two other central security BSF lodges protest The BSF has lodged a protest with Pakistan Rangers over the custody of a jawan who inadvertently crossed the international border in Punjab last week. Pakistan has remained non-committal about his whereabouts agencies. Among those who attended the meeting were the Directors General of Border Security Force Daljit Singh Chaudhary, National Security Guard Brighu Srinivasan and Assam Rifles Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera, sources said, adding that Additional Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal Anupama Nilekar Chandra was present. Later, the home secretary held a video conference with the chief secretaries of all the states and Union Territories and asked them to ensure that Pakistani nationals whose visas were revoked leave the country within Delhi cabinet approves bill to regulate school fees Nothing wrong in using Pegasus for security: SC I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi THE government possessing the Pegasus spyware for security purposes is not wrong, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday Allegations of it being used . against private individuals can be looked at, it added. “What’s wrong if a country is using spyware? To have spyware is not wrong… against whom you are using it is the question. You can’t sacrifice the security of the nation,” a bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh during the hearing of the Pegasus spyware matter. The bench said a technical committee’s report on the issue can’t be made public as it involves national security How. ever, affected individuals can be informed, it added. The SC’s remarks came while hearing petitions seeking a de- The Cabinet, led by CM Rekha Gupta, approved the Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Bill, 2025, on Tuesday after a month marked by parental frustrations, show cause notices, and requests for schools to submit audit reports concerning arbitrary fee hikes. Once tabled and passed in the Assembly the bill will become a , law and enforce strict regulations on private school fee structures. It will be levied on all 1,677 private schools in city. So far, there has been no law to regulate how private schools determine fees. According to Education Minister Ashish Sood, three committees would be formed to enact the new regulations. In consultation with the teachers and parents, these committees will set fee structures for three years based on each school’s infrastructure. He added that the fees would be hiked every three years, and the schools violating it would be taken over. “No previous governments took any steps on school fee hikes. Since 1973, no provision has been made to address this issue. For the first time, the government is drafting a bill that will outline guidelines and procedures for regulating fees in schools,” Gupta said. P4 S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi tailed probe into allegations against the government over the use of the Israeli software to snoop on activists, journalists, and others. The petitioners said targeted surveillance using militarygrade spyware is a violation of the right to privacy . Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said, “Terrorists can’t claim privacy rights.” To this, the bench said private civil individuals, who have the right to privacy, will be protected under the Constitution. During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners, said he wanted to place on record a judgment of a US District Court that mentioned India as one of the affected countries. The bench allowed this and fixed the matter for further hearing to July 30. the stipulated deadline. After the meeting with the defence leadership, Modi also met with Union home minister Amit Shah, amid growing indications of a major crackdown on terrorism. By earlier announcing that the security forces would go the ends of the earth to bring the perpetrators of the Pahalgam massacre to justice, adding that the terrorists would be subjected to punishment beyond their imagination, the PM set the bar very high for kinetic action. Sources suggest that the final contours of the government’s response may be decided during the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, scheduled for Wednesday following a meeting of the Union Cabinet. The buzz is the government is preparing for a multi-pronged offensive against terror — diplomatically and, if required, militarily — including possible strikes on terror camps in the days ahead.  More reports on p5, 7 & 8 After a day of marathon meetings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rare guest at home — RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Bhagwat had been to his official’s residence on very few occasions ever since Modi took over as prime minister in 2014. Coming as the meeting did after Modi chaired two high-level meetings on the country’s response to the Pahalgam carnage, it sparked speculation about the RSS’s stance on the possible kinetic action against Pakistan. Union home minister Amit Shah is also said to have participated in the meeting with Bhagwat. According to a senior BJP source, the RSS chief may also have addressed other ongoing issues between the organisation and the government. A BJP leader noted that the Pahalgam attack had disrupted the party’s organisational momentum, including the process of electing a new BJP president. Recently, during a book launch, Bhagwat had emphasised the king’s duty to protect the people and take all necessary measures to ensure their safety. He also remarked that while India adheres to the principle of non-violence, confronting perpetrators of violence is an inherent part of that principle. Without naming Pakistan, he stated that India does not provoke or harm its neighbours but seeks to guide even the violent towards a path of non-violence. Reacting to the Pahalgam attack, the RSS had said, “All political parties and associations should rise above their differences and condemn this terror act. Government should ensure all relief and assistance to the affected families and ensure appropriate punishment for the people responsible for the attack.” Justice Gavai appointed next CJI Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was on Tuesday appointed the next Chief Justice of India. He takes charge on May 14 Justice Gavai, the 52nd CJI, was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in 2019. He will have a tenure of over six months He was part of a five-judge Constitution bench which in December 2023 upheld the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in J&K Another bench he was part of annulled electoral bonds scheme He was also part of a fivejudge bench which approved the Centre’s 2016 decision to demonetise `1,000 and `500 denomination notes Justice Gavai was part of a Constitution bench, which by a 6:1 majority held that states are empowered to make subclassifications within the Scheduled Castes Modi congratulates Carney, seeks reset in ties with Canada Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney speaks to his supporters after winning the Canadian Federal Election on Tuesday | AFP J AYA N T H J A CO B @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Canadian PM Mark Carney on his Liberal Party’s stunning victory in the federal elections, expressing hope for a reset in India-Canada relations after years of strain under former PM Justin Trudeau’s leadership. Notably, Khalistan sympathiser Jagmeet Singh failed to retain his seat and resigned as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) after the party’s disastrous showing with seat count plummeting from 24 to 7. Trudeau had depended on NDP for support to stay in power for four years. However, last September, the NDP parted ways with Singh accusing Trudeau of yielding to corporate interests. Congratulating Carney and the Liberal Party, Modi said: “I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership and unlock greater opportunities for our people. India and Canada are bound by shared democratic values, a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, and vibrant people-to-people ties.” Modi’s message indicates a hopeful turn in India-Canada relations, which have faced multiple diplomatic flashpoints under ex-PM Trudeau’s watch. Bilateral relations touched a low point after Trudeau’s public remarks following the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023 and his open platforming of pro-Khalistani elements, which India described as interference in its internal affairs. Carney’s victory may provide an opportunity to recalibrate the relationship and India hopes that the new government will take care of its security concerns. A former central banker, Carney has emphasised diplomacy, multilateralism, and unity—qualities New Delhi hopes will extend to dealing with sensitive diaspora poliP9 tics and looking at ties with India.  Pa r t y p o s i t i o n s express read Mayor says priority is to form Standing Committee SC orders CBI probe into Supertech projects in NCR Newly elected Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh has said his priority is to form MCD Standing Committee. During the AAP’s tenure, no serious work was done, he said. There was no Standing Committee for 2.5 years, delaying major projects, he added. P3 The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed CBI to register a preliminary Inquiry and investigate the nexus between Supertech and eight banks for not-completing projects and forcing people to pay EMIs in Noida, Greater Noida and Gurugram. P4 Green Party 1 NDP 7 Bloc Quebecois 23 Majority mark 172 Liberal 168 Conservative 144  Canada has a “first-pastthe-post” electoral system  Results are preliminary and include seats where parties are leading, but not confirmed to have won  The Liberals are on course to win the most seats in key provinces of Ontario and Quebec faux pas Double trouble: NCERT textbook’s rhino blunder sparks outrage What the book said The Indian rhinoceros is found in Northeast India. Floods and medicinal value of their horns have led to a reduction in their population. In the early 1900s, their population was driven to near extinction. But with recent conservation measures, there are now around 4,000 of them Pra s a n ta M a z um d ar @Guwahati THE National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has come under fire for incorrectly depicting the Indian rhinoceros with two horns in a Class 4 math textbook. The illustration, featured in the “did you know” section, has sparked outrage among conser- vationists and the public. The statement accompanying the illustration contains several errors, including the claim that the Indian rhinoceros has two horns and that its horn has medicinal value. Conservationist Bibhav Kumar Talukdar expressed concern that this misinformation could trigger more rhino poaching. “Greater one-horned rhino itself reflects it is a one-horned rhino ... Further, the rhino is also found in flood plain ecosystem of Brahmaputra valley in Assam, besides the foothills of Eastern Himalayas,” Talukdar, secretary general and CEO of Assam’s leading wildlife NGO Aaranyak, said. He also said the statement that rhino horn has medicinal value could lead to more poaching of the endangered species. Assam education minister Ranoj Pegu instructed the State Council of Educational Research and Training to examine the matter. “I have not seen the NCERT textbook. If it is erroneous, the SCERT will inform the NCERT,” he said.