THURSDAY 25 APRIL, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard INDONESIA AUTOMATIC CASH REFUND IF FLIGHT DELAYED BY 3 HOURS OR MORE IN U.S. SUBIANTO DECLARED PRESIDENT ELECT Country’s highest court rejected challenges to his landslide win lodged by two losing candidates PAGE 11 WEAK I.T. INFRA RBI curbs on Kotak against adding online customers B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai IN a major blow to prominent private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday barred it from onboarding new customers through its online portal and mobile app. The RBI also ordered the bank to stop issuing fresh credit cards, citing “serious deficiencies” in the Mumbai-based lender’s IT risk management. RBI had earlier taken similar actions on others in the lending/payments space. However, this is by far the biggest punitive action on a large commercial bank. “These actions are necessitated based on significant concerns arising out of Reserve Bank’s IT examination of the bank for the years 2022 and 2023 and the continued failure on its part to address these concerns in a comprehensive and timely manner. Serious deficiencies and non-compliances were observed in the areas of IT inventory management, patch and change management, user access management, vendor risk management, data security and data leak prevention strategy, business continuity and disaster recovery rigour and drill etc” the regulator said. The curbs are only on onboarding new customers via online and mobile modes. The bank can continue to serve its existing customers, RBI clarified. “Our branches continue to welcome new customers, providing them with all services, apart from issuance of new credit cards,” Kotak Mahindra Bank said. It added that it has taken steps to adopt new technologies to strengthen its IT systems and is working with RBI to resolve the pending issues. In December 2020, RBI had barred HDFC Bank from issuing new cards and launching digital initiatives after red flags were raised about repeated technological outages at the lender. The restrictions were later lifted. The White House issued new rules on Wednesday requiring airlines to provide automatic refunds in case of flight cancellations or significant delays A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS NEW DELHI Attacks party over Pitroda’s remarks on inheritance tax Cong’s loot won’t stop even after you die: Modi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Raipur/Bhopal/Bengaluru CONGRESS leader Sam Pitroda’s faux pas on inheritance tax in the US gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi fresh ammunition on Wednesday to attack the party over its proposed wealth redistribution. Indian Overseas Congress chairman Pitroda, in an interview, said that in the US, 55% of a person’s wealth is “grabbed” by the government when he or she dies and only 45% goes to children. He called in “an interesting law”. Addressing a campaign rally in Chhattisgarh, Modi cited Pitroda’s comment and said the Congress will loot people during their lifetime and even after death. “Congress ka mantra hei Congress ki loot ‘zindagi ke saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi,” Modi said borrowing the Life Insurance Corporation’s famous tagline. To control the damage, the Congress distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments. Party leader Jairam Ramesh said Pitro- da’s comment on inheritance tax does not reflect the party’s views on the subject. “I would like to categorically state that Congress has no plan on the inheritance tax,” Ramesh said. In Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar and Betul, both reserved constituencies for tribals, Modi recalled a three decade old Congress decision in Karnataka to add all Muslim castes to the backward caste basket. “Congress has always been working at snatching the rights of SCs, STs and OBCs to bolster its vote bank,” he charged. In his sharp reposte, Kar nataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described it as an irresponsible statement. Siddaramaiah said based on the Chinnappa Reddy Commission report, and taking consideration of the social and economic status, Muslims were brought under ‘2B’ of the OBC category in the state. “But this has been there for the last three decades. During this period, BJP in the state or Centre never questioned P9 it,” he pointed out. WAYANAD offers an interesting paradox. It is probably the only constituency in India where one cannot see Congress flags flutter at any party convention even though its candidate is none other than Rahul Gandhi. It is also one constituency in Kerala where nobody is unsure of who the winner would be. And in this paradox lies the story of this picturesque constituency, considered the “safest Congress seat” in the country . Clearly, bitter lessons the party learnt in 2019, when Rahul contested from Wayanad for the first time, prompted the Congress to avoid its own, as well as ally IUML’s, flags this time. That Rahul took refu g e i n Waya n a d , where the Muslim League calls the shots, was something the BJP had gone to town with in 2019. Visuals of Rahul campaigning amid a sea of League flags went viral. And that had seriously impacted the Congress’ fortunes in north India. Congress leader Sam Pitroda said his views on inheritance have nothing to do with the Congress party. “I mentioned US inheritance tax in the US only as an example in my normal conversation on TV. Can I not mention facts?” he asked Till you are alive, the Congress will impose more tax and after your life ends, it will impose the burden of inheritance tax on you Narendra Modi J8.00 PAGES 14 ED to SC: Kejriwal desperately tried to skip appearance S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @New Delhi THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the liquor scam case has submitted its reply to the Supreme Court saying that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had desperately tried to save himself from appearance before it by allegedly evading the nine summonses. The ED reply on Wednesday came in compliance with the SC’s earlier orders asking the agency to file its response to Kejriwal’s appeal. The ED has said it arrested the CM when he could not secure a restraining order against his arrest from the Delhi HC on March 21. “He is the main accused in the case,” the ED said. The agency said the CM’s argument held no water that his arrest was meant to prevent him from participating in his party’s election process. The plea was wrong that he was stopped in participating in a constitutional democratic process (election). The ED argued that if there was enough evidence against an accused person, whose political clout is huge, and the agency arrests him/ her, then one could not say that his arrest was illegal. One could not say that one’s participation in an electoral process would be adversely affected if one is arrested, it said. “If these arguments are taken into consideration, then no political leader would be arrested despite involvement in a case,” the ED said. Kejriwal on April 10 knocked the doors of the Supreme Court against the dismissal of a plea of his arrest and remand in the scam case. His appeal challenging the rejection of arrest and remand was also pending for hearing before a two-judge bench of the top court. The matter is due to come up for a hearing on April 29. $43 BN THE SIZE OF REFUNDS ISSUED BY TOP U.S. AIRLINES BETWEEN 2020 AND 2023 Kerala Oppn cries foul as L-G meets church heads ahead of polls ANU KURUVILLA & JAISON WILSON @ Kochi/Pathanamthitta TWO days before Kerala votes in the Lok Sabha elections, Delhi Lt-Governor V K Saxena arrived in Kochi on Wednesday and met heads of various churches, including Syro-Malabar Church Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, Major Archbishop Emeritus George Alencherry, and evangelist leader Tangu Brother in Kottayam. Though the L-G’s office said Saxena’s visits were “personal and unrelated to the elections”, political opponents termed them as the BJP government’s “intimidation tactics” ahead of the polls. However, Saxena’s request for an audience with the heads of Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church in Ernakulam and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kottayam was denied. Thomas J Netto, the Archbishop of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, with whom Saxena had sought an audience on Thursday also excused himself saying a , meeting on poll-eve will send confusing signals to people, said sources. On the L-G’s visits, CWC member Ramesh Chennithala accused the Centre of misusing its power. “This kind of parley will not make any impact. The Christian community will rally strongly behind the Congress and UDF. The Union government will not succeed,” he said. It’s “intimidation tactics”, said Prof K V Thomas, Kerala’s special representative in New Delhi. “This is a threat to the minority community he added. ,” Visit not related to election: PRO L-G’s PRO Rakesh Ranjan said the visit was personal and unrelated to the elections. He said that the L-G has been frequently visiting Kerala as he’s a constitutional authority and was participating in a hospital function following an invitation. Fr Antony Vadakekkara, PRO of Syro Malabar Church, said Saxena met Archbishop Thattil at Mount St Thomas in Kochi. “It was a courtesy call during which both discussed non-political topics,” he said. Ecological disaster: Corals in Gulf of Mannar show signs of mass bleaching S V K R I S H N A C H A I TA N YA @ Chennai SHOW’S ON Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor and BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar perch atop cranes as workers of political parties converge at Peroorkada in Thiruvananthapuram for Kalashakottu, marking the end of campaign | BP DEEPU | MORE REPORTS ON PG 5, 6, 7, 9 & 10 Left, BJP hope to prick Rahul’s ‘balloon’ C I T H A R A PA U L @ Kochi ‘MY OWN VIEWS’ The Congress, hence, has been extremely careful this time. Instead of flags, it has been using balloons – in shades of saffron, green and white. It is the demography of Wayanad constituency – Muslims form 35% of population and Christians 13% — that m a ke s i t a safe bet for the Congress. Rahul had won with a margin of 4,31,770 votes in 2019, a record in Kerala. Despite the desperate efforts of the Congress to underplay the ‘Muslim connection’, the BJP has not allowed it to go unnoticed. Every top BJP leader who came to Wayanad made it a ILLUSTRATION: MANDAR PARDIKAR point to take a dig at Rahul for contesting from a place “where the majority is in minority”. Though there is no hype around Rahul’s candidature this time compared with 2019, ironically it is this same factor, , which the BJP has been harping on, that will help him this time as well. If there was someone who had ardently hoped that Rahul would not be contesting from Wayanad this time, it would be Annie Raja. A feisty face of the CPI — and also a close friend of Rahul — Annie was the first to hit the campaign trail. Her name was announced at a time when there was speculation that Rahul would not be contesting from Wayanad, as there was stiff opposition from the CPM and the CPI against him running against an INDIA bloc ally . However, the state Congress unit relentlessly pleaded with Rahul to contest again from the same constituency Moreover, . the lack of such a sure-shot ‘safe seat’ elsewhere in the country also may have prompted Rahul to choose Wayanad yet again. CONTINUED ON P5 ALARM bells are ringing in the biodiversity-rich Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve as the coral reefs there have started to show early signs of mass bleaching (death of corals). The state forest department has ordered rapid underwater PRESS surveys to assess CLUSIVE the situation. In March, TNIE had reported about NOAA (Na- A completely bleached Porites colony in Gulf of Mannar| EXPRESS tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) of the US NOAA had forecasted that Speaking exclusively to issuing a red alert for Gulf of bleaching would occur between TNIE, Jagdish S Bakan, direcMannar as “above normal” sea the last week of May and the tor, Gulf of Mannar Biosphere surface temperature (SST) is first week of June. However, Reserve, said coral bleaching likely to trigger mass bleaching bleaching has started as early was spotted in some pockets of leading to coral mortality. as third week of April. the reserve last week. “Because Setback to Cong as former minister resigns from party E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi THE Delhi Congress received a setback when former Delhi minister and AICC member Rajkumar Chauhan quit the party a day after the city Congress’ disciplinary committee met, party sources said. Chauhan was reportedly involved in an altercation with AICC Delhi in-charge Deepak Babria on Sunday . The disciplinary committee held a meeting on Tuesday and left it to the AICC to decide whether to take any action on complaints against Chauhan. During a meeting held on Sunday at the residence of Babria, a heated argument reportedly erupted between the two. The party’s disciplinary committee, under the chairmanship of Narendra Nath, unanimously decided that the AICC should act against Chauhan. “When I started speaking in the meeting, Babria repeatedly asked me to ‘get out’. I was trying to tell him that the candidate, who has got the ticket (Udit Raj), is abusing every caste,” said Chauhan. “I am a four-time MLA. An outsider was telling me to get out. That’s why I was angry he added. ,” SC issues contempt notice to DDA vice-chief over felling trees despite orders ing the court that despite a prior order prohibiting tree felling, THE Supreme Court issued a the DDA proceeded with the accontempt notice to the vice- tion. On March 4, the top court chairman of the Delhi Develop- had denied DDA permission to ment Authority (DDA) on cut 1,051 trees. “They must apWednesday for the unauthorized ply their mind to whether alterfelling of over 1,000 trees to build natives can be examined to save the trees. Moreover, an approach road bethey want to construct tween Chattarpur Road the road through a forand SAARC University est. No permission is near Maidan Garhi. Justices B R Gavai obtained for it under Prima facie, we and Sandeep Mehta the Forest Act,” the find that the observed that the DDA court said. DDA’s action of had disregarded the “We direct the DDA cutting trees court’s previous order to re-examine the profor the road construction is in to halt tree cutting. posal by employing ex“Prima facie, we find contempt of this perts in the field. The court’s orders that the DDA’s action of exercise to be undercutting trees for the dated February 8 taken by the DDA is and March 4 road construction is in necessary for ensuring contempt of this court’s that public work is carSC Bench orders dated February ried out with a mini8 and March 4,” said the court. It mum number of trees being has scheduled a hearing on the felled,” the court said in its matter for May 8, directing the previous order. The top court said DDA being vice-chairman to explain why contempt proceedings should an instrumentality of the state is duty-bound to make an atnot be initiated against him. The contempt notice stemmed tempt to protect the environfrom advocate K Parameshwar, ment by felling only those trees acting as amicus curiae, inform- that are absolutely mandatory . E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi of the NOAA alert, we have been constantly monitoring the situation. Thoothukudi-based Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI) and Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) were roped in to carry out field and modelling studies,” Bakan said. NCSCM has expertise in undertaking ocean circulation modelling to understand the distribution of ocean temperature around the coral areas of Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay . “MODIS satellite data would be used to monitor the SST from April to June 2024,” Bakan said, and added that necessary work orders to SDMRI and NCSCM were already issued. EXPRESS READ 56 candidates score 100% in JEE-Main The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced the results for engineering entrance exam JEEMain. Fifty-six candidates achieved perfect 100 NTA score, the maximum from Telangana, while 39 candidates were debarred from taking JEE-Main for three years for using unfair means in the exam. Hosps told to prepare heat relief action plan In view of the rising temperature in the city, the Delhi government has asked hospitals to initiate a heatrelief action plan and ensure preparedness to deal with the situation. The health facilities have been directed to maintain a database of patients coming in with heat-related illnesses. P3 Cyber fraud mitigation centre of MHA soon The Ministry of Home Affairs is working on forming a new wing called Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre to deal with online financial fraud, sources said on Wednesday. They said the FMC will onboard all agencies dealing with such crimes, including the government, banks, telecom service providers, etc. P9
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