NEW DELHI 22 DECEMBER 2024 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in Stepping Across the Worry Lines PLUS: 12 PAGES A Run of the Salt Desert MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE VOICES DELIVERY OF INSTANT GRATIFICATION Give Hormones a Shot Anand Neelakantan Sheila Kumar Ajai Sahni Neha Sinha Sunaina Anand Balbir Punj Shankkar Aiyar Nanditha Krishna Of Our Non-violent Ancestors AMMA SPEAKS MAESTRO’S SALUTE TO THE MEXICAN SPIRIT EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi Congress says it’ll challenge the move in court P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi CENTENARIAN’S SPIRIT Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Kuwait-based retired IFS officer Mangal Sain Handa, 101, upon his arrival in Kuwait, on Saturday. On Friday, Handa’s granddaughter Shreya Juneja had requested the PM to meet her Nanaji | PTI | P7 PLAN TO FORMALISE SPECIAL CESS FOR DISASTER RELIEF D I PA K M O N D A L @ Jaisalmer THE GST Council on Saturday decided to formalise a procedure for states to levy special cess to raise money for disaster relief. This was decided after Andhra Pradesh sought the Council’s permission to levy a 1% cess on goods and services in the highest rate bracket of 28%. Andhra Pradesh request for a 1% cess will be referred to a Group of Ministers (GoM) as was done previously for a similar request by Kerala in 2018. At a press conference after the GST Council meeting, Finance Minister Nir mala Sitharaman said that since similar re- quests have been made earlier as well, “we are of the view that there should be a laidout procedure to deal with such requests in future”. Besides floods, several states wanted drought to be brought under the definition of disaster, she added. Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav told the media that the state in August and September had faced unprecedented rains a n d fl o o d , wh i ch caused severe financial loss to the state. “…we will need a sum of `15,000 crore to come back to normalcy There. fore, we requested the Council to allow us to levy a cess of 1%,” said Keshav, adding that most states were supportive of the Andhra’s demand. Meanwhile, the 55th GST Council meeting ended without any major decisions being taken. The much-awaited decision on lowering GST rates on health and life insurance premium has been deferred as the Council was of the view that the issue needs more discussions. Among the changes in tax rates, the Council decided to increase the GST rate from 12% to 18% on sale of all old and used vehicles, including electric vehicles. Caramelised popcorn would attract 18% GST as it comes under P10 sugar confectionery . IN a move that drew sharp criticism from the Opposition parties and RTI activists, the Centre on Friday amended the ‘Conduct of Election Rules’ to prevent public scrutiny of certain electronic documents such as CCTV footage and video recordings of polling. Based on the Election Commission’s (EC) recommendation, the Union Law Ministry amended Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict certain documents that were to public inspection till now. Rule 93(2)(a) earlier stated that “all other papers relating to the election shall be open to public inspection”. The amended version says “all other papers as specified in these rules relating to the election shall be open to public inspection.” Acting upon a complaint filed by advocate Mehmood Pracha, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently directed the EC to provide videog raphy, security camera footage, and copies of documents related to votes polled at a polling station during the recent Haryana assembly elections. Pracha had sought video and CCTV footage, and copies of Forms 17-C Parts I and II related to the polls. Coming down heavily on the amendment, the Congress said it would challenge it in court. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the tweak was a “vindication” of its assertions regarding the “rapidly eroding integrity” of the electoral process managed by the Election Commission in recent times. For their part, the Law Ministry and EC officials said documents such as nomination forms, appointment of poll agents, results and election account statements are mentioned in the Conduct of Election Rules, but electronic documents such as CCTV footage are not. “There have been instances where such electronic records have been sought, citing the rules. The amendment ensures that only papers mentioned in the rules are available for public inspection,” an EC official said. He added that the misuse of CCTV footage from inside polling booths could compromise voter secrecy and could be used to generate fake narratives using AI. “All such material is available to candidates, including footage. After the amendment, too, it will be available to them.” RTI activist: Huge setback for transparency Prominent RTI activist Anjali Bharadwaj said it is a huge setback for transparency. Rule 93(2) was amended to restrict access to poll-related records after court orders disclosure. “Applications we filed under Rule 93(2) in May 2024 for copies of Form 17C are still pending,” she said Schools told to identify Bangla migrant students AAP, BJP spar over ED probe on Kejriwal I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi IN a setback to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, L-G VK Saxena has recommended the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to approve the ED’s proposal to prosecute him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam, according to Raj Niwas officials. The development comes ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections. A senior Raj Niwas official said, “The L-G has recommended to MHA. The final decision will rest with MHA, as per established norms in Delhi.” The case against Kejriwal stems from a PMLA investigation into alleged irregularities in now-scrapped excise policy, THE Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has directed schools to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrant children and ensure that they are not issued birth certificates. The directive comes days after the L-G Secretariat ordered a crackdown on illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, with the issue becoming the latest flashpoint between the ruling AAP and BJP ahead of the Assembly polls. The order, dated December 18, mandates action to remove encroachments by the migrants. The civic body directed all MCD zones to remove encroachments by illegal Bangladeshi migrants. An action taken report has been sought by the MCD deputy commissioner by December 31. The order issued by the deputy commissioner stated, “The education department will take appropriate preventive meas- Awaken Non-violence within Rule tweak cuts access to certain poll documents Pegasus liable in WhatsApp suit: US court WITH a US court finding Israel’s NSO Group — which sells spyware Pegasus — liable in a lawsuit filed by WhatsApp in 2019 flagging breaches in devices, snooping is back on the front burner, including in India. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, on Friday granted a motion by Mark Zuckerberg-owned WhatsApp and found NSO liable for hacking and breach of contract, Reuters reported. In 2019, WhatsApp sued the NSO Group accusing it of accessing WhatsApp servers without permission to install the Pegasus software on mobile devices. The suit alleged the intrusion allowed the surveillance of 1,400 people. In 2020, NSO appealed a trial judge’s refusal to award it “conduct-based immunity”, a law doctrine protecting foreign officials acting in their official capacity, Reuters said. The US Supreme Court last year turned away NSO’s appeal against the lower court’s decision, allowing the lawsuit to proceed. The ruling assumes significance as over 300 mobile numbers in India, including those of ministers in the Modi government, Opposition leaders, journalists and business magnates were allegedly infected with Pegasus in 2021. The Centre, however, categorically denied allegations of surveillance using that spyware. Soon, several petitions were filed in the Supreme Court seeking a probe. The court set up a committee of technical experts, which found no conclusive evidence on the use of the spyware in phones examined by it. Its report is yet to be released publicly . The Ambiguous World of Murakami MCD directive The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has directed schools to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrant children and ensure that they are not issued birth certificates. The civic body’s directive comes ahead of Assembly elections in Delhi. ures to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants while giving admission in municipal schools. It is requested that proper identification and verification drives may be undertaken to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrant children in schools.” Meanwhile, the public health department has also been directed to exercise caution while issuing birth registration and certificate. Zonal authorities have been told to conduct verification drives to identify instances of birth certificates already issued to illegal migrants. EXPRESS READ Fadnavis keeps Home, Shinde Urban Development Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday allocated portfolios to his council of ministers, retaining the crucial Home department with him, an official statement said. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde has been allocated Urban Development, Housing and PWD (public enterprises) while Ajit Pawar, another deputy CM, Finance and Planning. Delhi tableau not approved for R-Day parade The Delhi government’s tableau for the Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path has not been approved by the expert panel, according to defence ministry sources. The reasons for expert committee’s turning down Delhi’s proposal are not immediately known. The tabluex from 15 states and UTs have been selected for January 26 parade. A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi AAP SAYS ED MUST SHOW ORDER COPY The AAP rejected claims that the L-G has granted sanction to ED to prosecute ex-CM Arvind Kejriwal. “... Had the L-G granted prosecution sanction, why isn’t the ED showing its copy,” Manish Sisodia, also an accused in the excise policy case, asked. with the ED seeking to proceed with charges against him. Following the Supreme Court’s directive mandating the L-G’s approval for prosecuting government officials in money laundering cases, the ED had approached the chief secretary seeking sanction. The file was subsequently forwarded to the L-G, who made his recommendation on November 5, sources said. The AAP however, dismissed , the claims as “false and misleading.” In a strongly-worded statement, the party demanded that the ED make the approval letter public. “AAP strongly refutes reports claiming the L-G has granted prosecution sanction to the ED. These false claims are an attempt to distract the public from pressing issues like BJP’s disrespect towards Babasaheb Ambedkar,” the party’s official statement read. CM Atishi accused the BJP of fabricating the story to mislead citizens. “If L-G sahab has indeed granted permission to prosecute Kejriwal ji, why is the ED hesitant to make the approval public? This is nothing but a conspiracy to divert attention from real issues,” she posted on ‘X’. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh questioned the authenticity of the claims, calling them “fabricated”. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva welcomed the L-G’s move, reiterating allegations of graft against Kejriwal. COLD WIND, RAIN School winter break declared from Jan 1-15 I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi THE Directorate of Education (DoE) announced on Saturday that all government schools in the city will be closed for winter vacation from January 1-15, 2025. However, students in Classes IX-XII can enhance their academic skills through remedial classes during this break. The remedial sessions will focus on core subjects such as English, Mathematics, and Science for Classes IX and XI. Classes X and XII will concentrate on revising crucial pre-board topics and practice exam questions. To ensure all students are informed, the DoE has instructed schools to notify parents and students about the classes through various communication channels, including School Management Committee meetings, student diaries, and SMS. Meanwhile, Delhiites woke again to a chilly morning and dense fog on Saturday The India . Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of worsening conditions with colder winds and rainfall expected in the coming days. The weather office has forecast light rainfall on December 26, after which the mercury is expected to dip further. On Friday the capital record, ed a maximum temperature of 23°C, which is slightly above normal. However, the city began its day in cold and foggy weather, with a minimum temperature dropping to 7.5°C, maintaining the chill. The IMD has forecast dense fog over the weekend, which could reduce visibility. While the rain expected after Christmas may briefly improve air quality colder winds could cause , temperatures to drop further. WEDDING BELLS Love-all start: Sindhu-Sai set for match close to heart A J AY T O M A R @ Hyderabad THERE is always a sprinkling of condiments to add flavour to a celebrity marriage. The brouhaha it generates is sometimes bewildering. When P V Sindhu announced her engagement and marriage to a Hyderabad entrepreneur, interest grew as date of marriage neared, especially surrounding the identity of her to-be-husband Venkata Datta Sai. As Udaipur gets decked up for the marriage on Sunday, Sindhu would be ready for a different match. Something close to her heart and soul. As the two went about inviting guests, the man who stole Sindhu’s heart was in the limelight as well. Sai is a Hyderabad-based IT professional and Executive Director at Posidex Technologies. His father G T Venkateshwar Rao is the managing director at the same company . “The two families are friends and have known each other for a long time,” Sindhu’s father P V Ramana told this newspaper over the phone from Udaipur. He explained that the pre-andpost wedding dates have been finalised keeping in mind the next season. “He is an avid sports follower and an active supporter. Who doesn’t follow sports these days?” asked Ramana. Sai’s career has been equally dynamic and has a sporting touch too. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance and a Master’s degree in Data Science and Machine Learning from the International Institute of Information Technology Bengaluru. , Sai began at JSW as an intern and later worked as an inhouse consultant (2018-19). He then became the managing director of Sour Apple Asset Management while also contributing to Posidex since December 2019. Sai also managed the Delhi IPL team. Reflecting on the experience, Sai writes: “My BBA in finance and economics pales in comparison to managing an IPL team...” Match, court, love the words Sindhu would have grown up hearing will now be part of her life when she ties the knot in a royal wedding apparently with Rajasthani flavour in Udaipur – the venue of many a high-profile destination weddings. A reception is slated in Hyderabad a couple of days later.