SATURDAY 22 JUNE, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard $20 billion WASHINGTON POST WINNETT SAYS NOT TAKING EDITOR JOB THE CURRENT NET WORTH OF THE HINDUJA FAMILY AS PER FORBES JAIL TERMS FOR FOUR MEMBERS OF HINDUJA FAMILY IN SWITZERLAND The Washington Post said on Friday that newly named editor Robert Winnett has decided not to take the job and remain in Britain instead A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 NEW DELHI J8.00 PAGES 12 HC stays trial court order on CM’s bail WORLD SEES YOGA AS AGENT OF GOOD: PM F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar THE world is looking at yoga as a powerful agent of global good, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday on the occasion of the 10th International Yoga Day Choosing the Sher-i-Kash. mir International Conference Centre on the picturesque banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar to lead the nation in celebrating, Modi said the ‘yoga economy’ has immense potential for employment generation as there is a growing global demand to learn authentic yoga from India. “Yoga helps us live in the present moment without the baggage of the past,” he noted, while observing that Jammu EXPRESS READ Subramani to be Vice-Chief of Army The Indian Army will see new faces taking over soon, as the present Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande superannuates on June 30. While Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, the present Vice-Chief of Army Staff is designated to replace Pande, NS Raja Subramani will assume charge as the new vice-chief. Stock limits on pulses till Sept 30 The Centre has imposed stock limits on pulses such as tur and chana till September 30 to keep their retail prices under control, officials said. Pulse prices have seen 30% increase compared to last year. Agriculture ministry data shows that pulse production has dipped to 23.4 MT in 2023-24 from 26.1 MT a year ago. and Kashmir can benefit by attracting more yoga tourists. The PM took part in a yoga session, which was delayed by over an hour due to rains. The event was scheduled to be held in the open but had to be shifted indoors due to incessant showers. Unmindful of the rain, scores of students joined the PM in performing various asanas on the occasion. He expressed gratitude for being present in Jammu and Kashmir, the land of Yog and Sadhna, on International Yoga Day. “The atmosphere, energy and experience from yoga can be felt in Jammu & Kashmir today,” he said. After the event, PM Modi interacted with the yoga practitioners. The city residents will continue to get relief over the weekend as the Met department has predicted a somewhat similar temperature for the next two days, with a partly cloudy sky. The maximum temperature recorded on Friday was two degrees above the normal Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga during celebration of Int’l Day of Yoga, in Srinagar | PTI A parched Delhi had some respite from the blazing sun on Friday when several parts of the city received a spell of rain, sending the mercury down by around 4 degrees Celsius. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the national capital recorded a maximum temperature of 40.4 degrees Celsius while the minimum settled at 28.4 degrees. The ongoing heatwave has so far claimed more than 100 lives in the city The home. less and the destitute lying on the streets faced the brunt of the sweltering heat. The overall heatwave death toll has reached 143 across the country said the Centre. , Bhima-Koregaon accused gets bail SHEKHAR YADAV A comparison can be odious, but the spell of extreme heatwave that swept across the national capital in the last few days appeared frighteningly close to Covid-19-like situation, if body bags brought to Nigambodh Ghat, Delhi’s largest crematorium, are an indication. As many as 435 corpses were brought to the “last resting place” between June 18 and 21. Crematorium officials said the count is 225 more than the four days’ average. On June 18, 97 bodies came for the final rites. On June 19, about 142 pyres were burnt at Nigambodh ghat. This figure is nearly thrice the average number of bodies that came to the ghat, and the highest daily toll since the pandemic when 253 cremations took place in a single day, according to officials. Officially, it was not estab- The maximum temperature recorded on Friday was two degrees above the normal while the minimum had no change. A total of 3.6 mm of sporadic rain was recorded from multiple areas. The IMD has predicted a maximum of 41 and a minimum of 29 degree Celsius for June 22. The relative humidity will continue in the range of maximum 70% and a minimum 30%. The sun throughout the day played hide and seek. The rain began a little after noon. Several residents took to social media to express their happiness, recording the rainfall with their mobile phone cameras and uploading their profiles. The Centre and the city government have been at loggerheads over the heatwave-induced severe water crisis that has hit several areas of the city Minister Atishi sat on . a hunger strike demanding the restoration of water rights from Haryana. Desperate residents in different parts of the city could be everyday waiting in long queues and running behind water tankers to meet their daily requirements. The Delhi government has been accusing the Haryana government of not releasing Delhi’s share of water through the Munak canal. It has also conveyed as much to the Centre and Haryana government. The L-G has been attacking the Delhi government, calling it “irresponsible” for not repairing “dilapidated pipelines”, which, according to him, caused 40% of the water to go to waste. The L-G has also been cornering the AAP on the water theft by tanker mafia. P4 PUTIN WON’T RULE OUT ARMING N KOREA, ASKS SEOUL NOT TO SUPPORT KYIV lished that the deaths were caused due to heat-related illnesses. Yet it does find a link as the increase in the toll was in proportion with the rise in the mercury and with the deaths reported at the major hospitals in the city. Officials have suspected that these deaths were caused due to heatrelated illnesses. “On average, 55 cremations take place in a day The number . rises slightly during winters. This reminded me of Covid-19 period when corpses lined up here,” said Suman Kumar Gupta, in-charge of the Nigham Bodh Sanchalan Samiti. On June 20, the Ghat received 124 bodies. However, with a change in the weather and a drop in the mercury on Friday , the influx of corpses reduced to 72 (till 10 pm). However, Gupta said the dramatic rise in deaths reported on June 19 had started from June 16 when the influx of corpses rose to 70. It came down to 54 on June 17. The death toll corresponds with the average as told by Gupta on June 14 and 15, when the Ghat received 43 and 53 bodies, respectively . Gupta said the number of bodies that arrived in that period saw a massive surge in deaths, were a mix of hospital fatalities, those who died at home, and deaths of homeless people cited by the police. Law to curb cheating in exams comes into effect RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi PROMISE GREEN CARD FOR ALL FOREIGN GRADUATES Former US President has promised to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from US colleges to prevent them from returning to their home countries | P9 AMID continuing uproar over the NEET-UG paper leak, the Centre on Friday brought the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 into effect. It was passed by the Lok Sabha in February this year. All offences under this Act are cognizable, nonbailable, and non-compoundable. Those found guilty of the offence can be sentenced to jail for 3-5 years. The law is aimed at curbing paper leaks and checking malpractices in recruitment exams like the Union Public Service M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicated that preparations for Jammu and Kashmir elections were underway, the Election Commission on Friday set the ball rolling for holding the electoral exercise by ordering a special summary revision (SSR) of the electoral rolls in the Union Territory . The poll panel has also ordered updation of electoral rolls in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand, where Assembly elections are due this year. SSR involves reviewing the voter list and unveiling a draft electoral roll. It is usually held prior to polls to ensure the list is as updated as possible. The process involves adding newly eligible voters and removing duplicate and deceased voters, and those who have moved out of the constituency . In identical official communications to the chief electoral officers of the three states and Jammu and Kashmir, the poll panel said the revision exercise would start from July 25 and culminate on August 20. July 1 will be the qualifying date for roll updation. Before the revision exercise, the poll panel would carry out pre-revision activities in the poll-bound states from June 25 to July 24. The draft rolls would be published on July 25, after which electors can file claims and objections till August 9. The publication of the final electoral roll will be done by August 20. The Supreme Court had in December last year directed the Election Commission of India to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30. WITH the Delhi High Court on Friday staying a trial court’s order to release AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on bail, the chief minister will have to stay in Tihar jail till the judge pronounces his order. Staying the trial court’s order, a vacation bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain, reserved his judgment on the Enforcement Directorate’s appeal, adding he would pass the order in twothree days, possibly Tuesday. “Till the pronouncement of this order, the operation of the impugned order shall remain stayed,” Justice Jain said and asked the parties to file written submissions by June 24. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, for the ED, argued that the trial court’s bail order was perverse as it was contrary to the mandate of Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. “We are not given an opportunity to represent our case in the trial court. When I tried to submit, the trial court said I have to deliver judgment. Be brief,” he said. Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhari, appearing for Kejriwal, raised a preliminary objection to the listing of the matter during vacation because the trial judge had granted bail through a resend order. “What is the justification of approaching the HC,” he asked. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singvhi described the ED’s approach as deplorable. “The accused cannot be kept indefinitely in jail... It is very unfortunate that the ASG is maligning the judge merely because an adverse order was passed,” he said. Opposing the ASG’s argument that he was not given an opportunity to argue, Singhvi said the hearing in the trial court lasted five hours out of which ED took 3.45 hours. “Where is the question of the ED being denied the opportunity to present its case,” Singhvi argued. 435 bodies in Nigambodh Ghat during 4-day peak heatwave A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi EC to update electoral rolls of J&K, 3 states S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail for two weeks to Mahesh Raut, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, for attending the rituals of his grandmother. The vacation bench said the interim bail will begin from June 26. Raut was asked to report back on July 10. POLL SEASON Reserves verdict; asks all parties to file submissions by Monday Finally, rain respite from 0 brutal heat, temp down 4 C MORE RAINS EXPECTED A Swiss court on Friday sentenced four members of the wealthy family based in the UK to between four and 4 1/2 years in prison for exploiting their domestic workers Commission, Staff Selection Commission, and entrance tests such as National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), Joint Entrance Examination and Common University Entrance Test. As for the NEET-UG paper leak’s kingpin Sanjeev Mukhiya, who is still on the run, the Bihar police has intensified raids to nab him. O n S u n d ay, a NEET-UG retest window will open for 1,563 students. Six of their total seven centres have been changed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and admit cards issued to the candidates. These students were benefici- aries of grace marks because of loss of time. After it created a national outrage, the compensatory marks were scrapped and a retest option provided with the proviso that the score in the fresh test alone will be considered for those who take it. The only centre that was not changed is in Chandigarh, where only two students will sit for the retest. Officers of the NTA and the education ministry will be present at the centres. When asked about the expected turnout for Sunday’s retest, an official responded, “Admit cards have been issued to all. We will know the turnout only on Sunday P7 .” Police detain Congress workers who were staging a protest against the NEET-UG, in Mumbai on Friday | PTI Joint CSIR-UGC-NET exam postponed The NTA on Friday announced the postponement of the Joint CSIRUGC-NET, scheduled to be held between June 25 and June 27, citing unavoidable circumstances and logistic issues Russian President said he does not rule out sending arms to Pyongyang in what the US called an ‘incredibly concerning’ remark that threatens instability on Korean peninsula. During his recent visit, Russia and North Korea signed a defence pact | P9 Cong, BJP trade charges over K’taka govt hiring BCG to oversee finances E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Bengaluru THE Congress government’s decision to hire Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for `9.5 crore for six months to oversee Karnataka’s finances has triggered a political controversy . With Opposition BJP taking exception to the decision, the ruling Congress hit back stating even PM Narendra Modiled NDA government had hired BCG to prepare its ‘Vision Document 2047’. BJP state president B Y Vi j ay e n d r a o n Thursday termed the s t a t e g ove r n m e n t ’s move outrageous. “Outrageous decision by the Siddaramaiah government to hire a foreign consultant to oversee our state’s finances. This is akin to handing over the reins to the East India Company,” he posted on ‘X’. Reacting to this, Industries Minister MB Patil said that BCG is a prestigious firm with a global presence. The state government has availed its services for many years. “The BJP should first question why PM Modi appointed BCG to prepare Vision Document 2047. Baseless allegations like this don’t deserve any attention,” he posted on ‘X’. Patil told reporters that BCG has been hired in a transparent manner by inviting tenders. “When BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai were CMs, they engaged the firm. We too have hired the firm for its guidance on financial matters.” Attacking the government, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka on Wednesday posted on ‘X’: “What is the need for hiring Boston Consulting Group when a self-proclaimed economist like Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister of the state? Not sure whether it will boost the revenues of the state. But it will definitely boost the revenues of the private consultancy firm at the cost of Karnataka’s taxpayers.” On Thursday, chairman of Professionals’ Cong ress Praveen Chakravarty criticised the Siddaramaiah government for hiring BCG. But on Friday, he retracted his statement and tendered an apology .
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