FRIDAY 29 MARCH, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard LIGHT COMBAT AIRCRAFT TEJAS MK1A’S FIRST FLIGHT SUCCESSFUL X.com/TheMornStandard The HAL said the first LA 5053 aircraft of the Tejas Mk1A series took to the skies successfully from its facility in Bengaluru on Thursday C H I N A’S G I F T ‘SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE HAS BEEN ACHIEVED’ MALE GETS TIBETAN GLACIER WATER More than a million bottles of water from melting Tibetan glaciers were sent to Maldives PAGE 11 “HAL achieved this significant production milestone with concurrent design & development amid major supply chain challenges in the global geopolitical environment subsequent to the contract signature in February 2021,” said C B Ananthakrishnan, chairman and managing director of the company. The aircraft was piloted by Group Captain K K Venugopal (Retd) A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS NEW DELHI J8.00 ROUSE AVENUE COURT EXTENDS KEJRIWAL’S ED REMAND TILL THE ALL FOOLS’ DAY CM argues his case, sees plot to crush party Jain was also present. Referring to this allegation, A Delhi court on Thursday saw Kejriwal said because of his poarrested chief minister him- sition, several ministers come self arguing his case in the to his residence and even exliquor policy scam. “I was change documents. “Is this named by four witnesses in the statement sufficient to arrest a excise policy case. Are four sitting CM?” he questioned. statements enough to arrest a On the statement of another sitting CM?” he asked. accused-turned-approver RaThe court extended the cus- ghav Magunta to the ED, the tody of Arvind Kejriwal with CM said Magunta’s father gave the Enforcement Directorate six statements to the probe (ED) by four more days till agency but did not say anything April 1 in the scam. about Kejriwal. MaThe Rouse Avenue gunta is the son of Court saw heated arBuchi Babu, chartered guments between Keaccountant of BRS The actual excise jriwal and ED lawyers leader K Kavitha, who policy scam during the hearing. too is under arrest started after the “Where is the `100 in the same case. The beginning of the crore liquor scam AAP chief argued that ED investigation money the ED keeps people are being and not when the harping on?” Kejriwal tur ned approver policy was made asked, adding that the and forced to change Arvind Kejriwal, entire liquor policy their statements. The Delhi chief minister case is a political conED investigation bespiracy to crush his gan in August 2022. Aam Aadmi Party . The 2021-22 Delhi excise policy During the previous hearing, was later scrapped. the probe agency had sought to Not opposing the ED’s deestablish Kejriwal’s role in the mand for further custody Kejri, formulation of the excise poli- wal pointed out that approver cy by citing a statement of C Sarath Chandra Reddy donated Arvind, the then Secretary of `55 crore to the BJP just after former Deputy CM Manish his arrest. “I have the evidence. Sisodia. Arvind told the ED Money trail is established. He that he was handed a draft re- donated `55 crore to BJP after port of a Group of Ministers on being arrested,” Kejriwal said. the excise policy by Sisodia at The court noted his point and Kejriwal’s residence where assured it will be investigated. former minister Satyendra MORE REPORTS ON PAGE 3 Comments by US State Dept unwarranted, India hits back Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi Arvind Kejriwal comes out of a Delhi court after his production in the excise policy scam on Thursday | PTI CUSTODY EXTENSION “...there appears to be sufficient reasons to permit further custodial interrogation, particularly keeping in view the submissions that he (Kejriwal) is required to be confronted with the material collected and statements recorded so far,” special judge Kaveri Baweja said INDIA on Thursday described the US State Department’s recent comments on the arrest of CM Arvind Kejriwal as unwarranted — its second riposte in response to two statements. Apart from weighing in on Kejriwal, the State Department also commented on the freezing of Congress funds. “ you are aware, on WednesAs day, India had lodged its strong objection and protest with the senior official from the US Embassy with regard to the comments made by the US State Department. The recent remarks by the State Department are unwarranted. Any such exter nal imputation on our electoral and legal processes is completely unacceptable,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal. The MEA said in India, legal processes are driven only by the rule of law. “Anyone who has similar ethos, especially fellow democracies, should have no difficulty in appreciating this fact. India is proud of its independent and robust democratic institutions. We are committed to protect them from any form of undue external influences,” Jaiswal added. India also reiterated that mutual respect and understanding form the foundation of international relations and states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others. HC dismisses plea seeking Kejriwal’s removal as CM E X P R ESS N E WS S E RV I C E @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL seeking the removal of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal from the chief minister’s post following his arrest in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, saying it cannot declare a breakdown of the constitutional machinery in the national capital. A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan said on Thursday that the petitioner did not show any legal provision stopping the AAP leader from running the government after his arrest to warrant any judicial interference. “It will be practically very difficult. We accept all that. However, is there any scope for judicial interference in this?” the bench, also comprising Justice Manmeet PS Arora, asked the petitioner’s counsel. “This court in its writ juris- diction cannot remove or dismiss respondent no. 4 (Kejriwal) from the post of chief minister or declare a breakdown of the constitutional machinery It is for the other or.... gans of the State to examine the said aspect in accordance with the law. The present writ petition is dismissed,” the court said. It clarified that it has not commented on the merits of the issue. Petitioner Surjit Singh Ya- REJIG EXPRESS READ HC rejects Cong plea against tax proceedings PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY FORMS NEW CABINET The Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected petitions by the Congress challenging the initiation of tax reassessment proceedings against it for a period of four years by the income tax authorities. President Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the authority for nearly two decades, remains in overall control. Of the 23 ministers in the new cabinet, three are women and six are from the Gaza Strip | P11 B’luru cafe blast: NIA arrests key conspirator The National Investigation Agency has arrested a key conspirator in Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, an official statement on Thursday said. Muzammil Shareef was picked up on Wednesday. DIDI’S IFTAR West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee during Ramzan’s Dawat-e-Iftar in Kolkata | PTI Gangster-turned-neta Mukhtar Ansari dead N A M I TA BA J PA I @ Lucknow JAILED gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died during treatment at a hospital where he was admitted after ‘Iftar’ in Banda Jail on Thursday night. He was 60. According to the official medical bulletin issued by Rani Durgawati Medical College, Banda, Ansari was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state. He died due to cardiac arrest during treatment. A panel of five doctors will conduct post-mortem. dav’s counsel argued that Kejriwal’s arrest affected the Delhi government’s credibility in the eyes of the public and his continuation as CM would obstruct the due process of law and lead to a breakdown of the constitutional machinery in the capital. Justice Manmohan said the court does not impose President’s or governor’s rule and that it is for the executive to look into the issue. Sources said Ansari, a fivetime MLA from Mau, had been fasting in the holy month of Ramzan and his condition deteriorated after he broke roza in the evening in his barrack. Ansari was admitted to the Banda district hospital following complaint of abdominal discomfort on Tuesday He was . discharged after 15 hours. Ansari, who had been in jail since 2005 in connection with 61 criminal cases, had recently alleged that he was being given poison in food. A large number of paramilitary and police personnel has been deployed in Ansari’s native district Ghazipur, his constituency Mau and Banda where he was lodged in jail, to avert any untoward incident. After the news of his death spread, a large number of people gathered outside his residence in Ghazipur. Ansari had been convicted in eight cases in the last two years, and was serving life sentence while going through the trial in many other cases. On March 13, he was awarded a life sentence in a case of arms procurement through fake documents. 18 MINS WAS THE FLYING TIME OF TEJAS MK1A’S FIRST FLIGHT PAGES 14 In first tango, RIL picks up 26% stake in an Adani arm Stake transfer to meet captive use norms R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi IN a first, rival billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani have joined hands for a business deal as Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) acquired a 26% stake in Mahan Energen Ltd (MEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Power Ltd. The deal will give RIL 500 MW of electricity from MEL’s M a d hy a P r a d e s h based power plants for captive use. “One unit of 600 MW capacity of MEL’s Mahan thermal power plant, out of its aggregate operating and upcoming capacity of 2,800 MW, will be designated as the Captive Unit for this purpose,” Adani Power said in an exchange filing. It added that RIL will pick up 5 crore shares with If a power generating unit has to be considered a captive generating plant, the captive user must hold not less than 26% of the ownership in the captive generating company. Also, 51% of the power generated must be used by the owners for their own consumption a face value of `10 (`50 crore). “The proposed investment by the Company is in compliance with the provisions of the Electricity Rules, 2005, in terms of which the Company as , a captive user, is required to own 26% proportionate ownership in one unit of MEL of 600 MW capacity with RIL being the cap, tive user of 500 MW generation capacity,” said RIL in its exchange filing. Ambani’s interests span oil and gas to retail and telecom while Adani’s focus is on infrastructure spanning sea ports to airports, coal and mining. Though considered business rivals, the two Gujarat industrialists have rarely crossed each other’s path except in the clean energy business, where the two have announced multibillion investments. Adani aspires to be the world’s largest renewable energy producer by 2030, while Reliance is building four gigafactories in Jamnagar — one each for solar panels, batteries, green hydrogen, and fuel cells. Adani is also building three gigafactories for manufacturing solar modules, wind turbines, and hydrogen electrolysers. POLITICAL SLUGFEST L-G asks cops to probe Shrinate’s Kangana remark E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi L-G VK Saxena has sought a detailed probe by Delhi Police into the alleged defamatory social media post made by Congress leader Supriya Shrinate against actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut. The L-G’s move is based on a complaint received from BJP candidate from New Delhi Bansuri Swaraj, Raj Niwas officials said on Thursday . Bansuri made a complaint to the L-G seeking a probe and registration of an FIR against Shrinate for “outraging the modesty of a woman.” The L-G has forwarded the complaint to Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and directed him to carry out the investig ation “scientifically” to ascertain the truth behind the episode and also the subsequent claims made by Shrinate, denying her involvement,” a senior Raj Niwas official said. A controversial comment was posted on social media platforms from Shrinate’s accounts against Ranaut, the BJP candidate from Mandi. Following a row, Shrinate removed the controversial remarks from all her social accounts, claiming that those were not posted by her but by someone else who had access to her accounts. KERALA LINK TO EASTER ‘WORKING DAY’ IN MANIPUR E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Kochi AMID the high-pitched election campaign, a notification by the Manipur government declaring Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday as working days for government offices, corporations and autonomous bodies in the northeastern state triggered a political slugfest between Congress and BJP leaders in distant Kerala. Following the nationwide furore, the Manipur government revised the order, restoring Easter Sunday holiday, though Saturday is to remain a working day . However, the political heat generated by the initial order continued to resonate throughout the day . “I’m shocked. As you know in our country, we have built a system of mutual respect amongst religions and faiths and particularly respect that people deserve for their special days according to their religious traditions,” said Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is locked in a triangular contest in Thiruvananthapuram. “It’s surprising and worrying,” he said. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union minister and BJP candidate in Thiruvananthapuram, said that he was “very confident” that the Manipur government would not take any such initiative. “Easter Sunday should not be a working day he said. ,” BJP state president K Surendran said the allegations regarding Easter Sunday being declared a working day were being raised by Congress and CPM “without any basis”. “The Manipur government has stated that the Good Friday on the 29th and Easter Sunday on the 31st will be observed as public holidays. It is incumbent upon both Congress and Communists to clarify their stance on condemning Hamas,” said Surendran, who is contesting from Wayanad. ELECTION STORIES ON PG 6, 7 & 10 18.4% CHRISTIAN POPULATION IN STATE Christians, who constitute 18.4% of the population in Kerala, are crucial for the chances of all the three fronts — LDF, UDF and the NDA. Meanwhile, banks across the country will remain open on March 31 for year-end settlements and smooth transition to the new financial year, though the date coincides with Easter. RURAL JOBS SCHEME Peanuts as wage hike draw barbs in poll season J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi A paltry annual hike in daily wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for unskilled workers was jeered at by the Opposition, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi promising to jack it up to `400 a day . Each state has a different daily wage rate under the scheme. Haryana was at the top of the pecking order at `374 after the revision this year while in Uttar Pradesh it was just `237. In gross terms, states like UP and Assam witnessed an increase of just `7 as compared to last year while the wage rise in MGNREGA WAGES FOR UNSKILLED MANUAL WORKERS REVISED WAGES IN 2024 WAGES IN 2023 Andhra Pradesh Assam Bihar Chhattisgarh Gujarat Goa Haryana J&K Jharkhand Karnataka 272 238 228 221 256 322 357 244 228 316 300 249 245 243 280 356 374 259 245 349 CHANGE IN % 10.2% 2.9% 7.4% 9.9% 9.3% 10.5% 4.7% 6.1% 7.4% 10.4% Goa was `28. The annual revision by the Centre is meant to mitigate inflation. A govern- Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Odisha Punjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Telangana Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal 333 221 273 237 303 255 294 272 230 230 237 346 243 297 254 322 266 319 300 237 237 250 3.9% 9.9% 8.7% 7.1% 6.2% 4.3% 8.5% 10.2% 3% 3% 5.4% Wages in rupees, States ment official termed the revision a routine exercise. Taking a dig, Rahul sarcasti- cally said, “Congratulations to MNREGA workers! The PM has increased your salary by `7. Now he might ask you, ‘What will you do with such a huge amount of money?’” Trinamool leader Saket Gokhale sharply criticised the inadequate increase of wages, especially in West Bengal. “Shameful & shocking that in today’s wage revision announced for MGNREGA, Modi Govt has increased wages for workers in Bengal by only 5%,” Gokhale posted on X. Goa topped the chart with a hike of 10.56%, while in Karnataka it was 10.4%, MP and Chhattisgarh 9.9%, Gujarat 9.3% and Bihar 7.4%.
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