MONDAY BAREST OF MARGINS: NEERAJ FALLS AGONISINGLY SHORT IN DL FINAL 16 SEPTEMBER, 2024 Two-time Olympics medallist Neeraj Chopra came second in Brussels Diamond League with 87.86 m throw, 0.01 m behind Anderson Peters (87.87) epaper.morningstandard.in 89.49 m facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard WAS CHOPRA’S SEASON BEST. HE ACHIEVED IT IN LAUSANNE DL E D U C AT I O N ADB ASKS PAK TO ADOPT INDIA PLAN Islamabad has been told to follow ULLAS scheme to fix its dysfunctional education system and impart quality training to its citizens, says a media report. CHOPRA ENDS SEASON WITH 2ND PLACE FINISH A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 NEW DELHI Slew of projects in Modi 3.0 In infra sector, projects worth `3 lakh crore approved, most of them on roads, railways, ports and airways Approved Wadhavan Mega Port in Maharashtra at a cost of 76,200 crore Approval of construction/ upgradation of 62,500 km of roads and bridges to connect 25,000 villages 8 new railway line projects approved generating 4.42 crore man-days of employment Minimum support price for kharif crops increased Approved Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh with an allocation of 12,100 crore Tax relief to the salaried class J8.00 3 crore houses approved under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana MUDRA loan limit increased from 10 lakh to 20 lakh PROJECTS WORTH 15 LAKH CRORE LAUNCHED WITHIN THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF MODI’S 3RD INNINGS AS PM 2 lakh crore PM package announced to promote employment and skill development among the youth 1 crore youth will receive internships at top companies, along with allowances and one-time assistance Employees earning up to 1 lakh will benefit from the government’s contribution to EPFO Employers to get reimbursement of 3,000 per month for 2 years for every new employee with an income up to 1 lakh Free insurance of up to 5 lakh to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above Waqf (Amendment) Bill aimed at reducing conflicts | MORE ON P7 In his last event of the season, the 26-year-old Indian came close to winning the Diamond League crown before missing it by just one centimetre to finish as runner-up for the second consecutive year in the season finale. Peters took the top prize while Germany’s Julian Weber finished third with a 85.97 m throw. P11 PAGES 12 B’desh, Rohingya infiltrations major threat to J’khand: Modi M U K E S H R A N J A N @ Ranchi AHEAD of the Assembly elections in Jharkhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) of playing vote bank politics by supporting Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators. Addressing the ‘Parivartan Maharally’ of the BJP in Jamshedpur, Modi charged that ‘the infiltrators’ have managed to gain influence over the JMM and are “usurping tribal land and forests”. “Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators have become a major threat to Santhal Parganas and Kolhan regions. The demography of these regions is changing fast. The tribal population is on the decline. The infiltrators are establishing control of the panchayat system, grabbing land, and committing atrocities against the daughters of the state. Every Jharkhand resident feels unsafe,” Modi said. Training his guns on the Congress, Modi called it one of the state’s three enemies, the JMM and the Rashtriya Janata Dal being the other two. He said the JMM is possessed by the ghost of the Congress. “When the ghost of Congress enters any party appeasement , becomes the only agenda of that party Modi said. ,” Continuing his attacks on the Congress, he said the JMM leaders were taking lessons on corruption from the ‘Congress school of corruption’. He called the Congress family as the most dishonest in the country . “All the streams of corruption originate from there,” he said. The prime minister accused the JMM of not fulfilling the promises it made to the people ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections. “JMM had promised to pay unemployment allowance, but none of them got any allowance,” Modi said. Kejri plays resignation card The question is kaun Will step down in a couple of days, name successor; wants snap polls in Nov Junior doctors take part in a protest march to Swasthya Bhavan in Kolkata on Sunday | PTI CBI GETS CUSTODY OF RG KAR’S FORMER PRINCIPAL AND COP S U L A G N A S E N G U P TA @ Kolkata A court on Sunday remanded former principal of Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital Sandip Ghosh and officer in-charge of Tala police station Abhijit Mondal in CBI custody till Tuesday in connection with the rape-murder case of a trainee doctor at the hospital. The two were arrested by the CBI on Saturday night. They have been charged with tampering evidence. Mondal is also accused of delaying the registration of FIR in the case. “We have got their custody for three days till September 17. Now, both will be questioned together. The duo played vital roles in the RG Kar case,” the CBI said. Both Ghosh and Mondal tried to “downplay the incident” as well as “shield” the heinous crime, the CBI told the Sealdah court. The arrests are the first by the CBI in connection with the rape-murder case. Ghosh had already been arrested by the CBI in connection with financial irregularities at RG Kar Hospital and is currently in judicial custody . Meanwhile, junior doctors on Sunday took out a massive protest march in Salt Lake demanding justice for the victim. P8 EARLY POLL JUMLA? 1 Advancing polls to November may not be possible as the EC will have only two months for preparations 2 In any case, the EC will come into play only after the Delhi CM dissolves the assembly and formally requests it to advance polls 3 Only a new CM can call a meeting of the Cabinet to take a decision on dissolving the assembly banega mukhyamantri A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi Sunita, Atishi, Rai in race? AAM Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday sought to take the high moral ground by saying he will not occupy the chief minister’s chair until he gets a fresh mandate of honesty from the voters in the national capital. Seeking to wash the taint of corruption as two Central law enforcement agencies alleged he was the prime beneficiary of the Delhi excise scam, Kejriwal said he will resign as CM in a couple of days and name a successor. He also demanded snap polls along with the Maharashtra assembly elections in November. But the election process can begin only after the chief minister dissolves the assembly and writes to the Election Commission of India. Expecting it to be held in November might be way too optimistic. In the normal course, Delhi will be due for polls in February . Just a couple of days ago, he had walked out of Tihar Jail after getting bail from a Supreme Court bench in connection with the excise policy scam. But stringent bail condi- If Arvind Kejriwal does step down, who will take his place, given that Manish Sisodia, his former deputy and out on bail in the same excise case, has already said no the CM’s chair? The question doing the rounds in power corridors is: Will it be the CM’s wife Sunita, senior minister Atishi or environment minister Gopal Rai? “I share the pain in Sisodiaji’s mind,” Kejriwal said while announcing his exit plan. Sisodia, in tur n, talked about “people’s cour t”: he would be back with D e p u t y C M ’s p o s t “only when the people say I am honest.” Kejriwal was emotional. “Sisodia’s and my decision lies in the hands of the people of the city. If people say we are honest, only then we will occupy our position,” said Kejriwal. That narrows the choice to Sunita Kejriwal. She has been active on the political ground since the Lok Sabha elections. She also stands second on the list of star campaigners for Haryana elections. The question doing the rounds is: Will it be CM’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, senior minister Atishi or environment minister Gopal Rai? AAP sources don’t discount the elevation of Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and Deputy Speaker Rakhi Bidlan. Both are close aides of Kejriwal. Arvind Kejriwal waves during a party meeting in New Delhi on Sunday | PARVEEN NEGI I want to appeal to the public, if you think Kejriwal is honest, vote for me. If you think Kejriwal is guilty, do not vote for me. Every vote of yours will be a certificate of my honesty Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi chief minister tions set by a coordinate bench disallow him from visiting the Chief Minister’s Office and the Delhi Secretariat. His signing of files in his capacity as CM was also restricted. Kejriwal made the surprise announcement while addressing party workers. “I will go to every street, I will go to every house. Until the public gives its verdict that Kejriwal is honest, I will not sit on the CM’s chair,” he claimed. As for his successor, the AAP said a meeting of the legislative party in the next two-three days will take the call. However, Kejriwal ruled out his former deputy as his suc- cessor. “The same things were said about him as were said for me. Sisodia also says that he will take over the post of Deputy CM and education minister only when the people say he is honest. It’s up to the people to take the call about me and him,” the AAP chief said. The buzz is on Kejriwal’s wife Sunita getting the baton, as she has been active on ground since the Lok Sabha elections. She is also one of the star campaigners for the Haryana elections. Other names that are being tossed around as successors are ministers Gopal Rai, Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj. P3 Simultaneous polls on govt agenda RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi DUSU POLL CAMPAIGNING AT ITS PEAK ON THE CAMPUS Hundreds of students are set to vote on September 27 as Delhi University polls may appear to be a microcosm of elections in a small city. | P4 WITH the Modi 3.0 completing its first 100 days, highly-placed sources said the government will implement the ‘one nation, one election’ initiative during its current tenure. The buzz in political circles of the national capital is that the BJP has struck an agreement with its coalition partners on this matter. “Definitely, it will be implemented in this tenure itself. It will be a reality a source said. ,” Modi mentioned the initiative during this year’s Independence Day address. “What more is there to say when the prime minister has already shown his commitment? Wait for it as it is becoming a reality remarked a ,” source within the government. Modi, in his August 15 address from Red Fort, called for national unity in support of the one nation, one election concept. He urged all parties to collaborate in this initiative. “The nation has to come forward for one nation, one election,” Modi had said. A high-level panel, chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, had recommended conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, followed by synchronised local body elections within 100 days. The Kovind panel’s report is currently with the relevant government authorities, and groundwork is underway to present it in Parliament. The Law Commission, too, is reportedly working on recommendations for holding simultaneous elections for all three tiers of government — Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies — tentatively starting in 2029. All work, no pay: 800 K’taka artistes threaten protest K I R A N B A L A N N A N A V A R @ Hosapete Artistes, who performed at ‘Karnataka Sambhrama’ event in Hampi in November last year to mark 50 years of state’s formation | EXPRESS OVER 800 artistes, who performed at the ‘Karnataka Sambhrama’ event to mark 50 years of state’s formation, are yet to get their remuneration. The event was inaugurated by CM Siddaramaiah at Hampi in November last year. With no help coming forth, they are planning to go on an indefinite protest. Deputy Commissioner MS Divakar said due to some technical issues in the Kannada and Culture Department, some artistes have not received the promised remuneration. “Steps will be taken to pay the artistes at the earliest,” he added. One of the artistes told this newspaper that he has been waiting for the last eight months for the money. “Whenever we approach the officials, they say funds will be released as soon as possible. We borrowed money to buy material to be used during our performance. We have to repay it,” he said. PTI AAP grapevine is that Kejriwal may not like to be portrayed as a promoter of dynastic politics. Then, cabinet minister Rai could be another choice. Rai enjoys close rapport with Kejriwal and was associated with the India Against Corruption movement in 2011. Then comes Atishi who has risen rapidly since Sisodia’s arrest and is currently holding more than 10 portfolios. Another cabinet minister Saurabh Bhardwaj holds key portfolios and enjoys good relationship with Kejriwal. Both Atishi and Bhardwaj became ministers after vacancies arose post incarceration of Satyendar Jain and Siosdia. ’17 NEET topper MAMC student dies by suicide U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi SAGAR PARIKRAMA Indian Navy women officers—Lt Cdr Roopa A and Lt Cdr Dilna K—will embark on the expedition of circumnavigating the globe. Selected from a pool of 17, they will undertake the expedition onboard Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Tarini shortly. | P7 EXPRESS READ Fake passport & visa Long wait for flyers due factory busted, 6 held to IndiGo aircraft snag Police have unearthed an illegal factory in Patel Nagar, where fake passports and visas were being printed, and arrested six people. The police said on Sunday the interception of a passenger who was found to have a fake Swedish visa affixed on his passport, led to cracking of the case. | P3 Passengers of a Mumbai-Doha IndiGo flight waited inside the aircraft for more than four hours on Sunday morning before being deplaned due to a technical snag. The flight, originally scheduled to depart around 4 am, finally took off at around 9.45 pm, after a delay of nearly 18 hours. A 25-year-old student at the Maulana Azad Medical College allegedly died by suicide at his hostel, an official said on Sunday The deceased, identified as . Navdeep Singh, was a secondyear MD student. No suicide note was found. DCP (Central) M Harsh Vardhan said a second year MD student informed the police around 7.10 am on Sunday about the incident. The police said a preliminary inquiry revealed that Navdeep stopped receiving calls from his parents following which his father asked his friends to check on him. When his friends went to his room, they found the door locked from inside. “The door was broken open and it was found that the youth apparently committed suicide by hanging,” the DCP said, adding inquest proceedings are on. Navdeep had qualified NEET UG paper in 2017 and secured All India Rank 1 in the exam. Navdeep, from Muktsar in Punjab, is survived by his parents and a younger brother who is doing MBBS from Chandigarh. The Resident Doctors’ Association of MAMC has expressed condolences over the incident.
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