YK MYK WEATHER TODAY MAX 32 C MIN 18 C CPI-M MAY NOT GAIN BY ALLYING WITH CONG IN BENGAL POLLS OPINION Sky will be clear. EASE IN COVID RESTRICTIONS LIFTED INDIA’S OCT SERVICES OUTPUT: PMI BUSINESS Morning India Rs. 3 KOLKATA THURSDAY, 5 NOV, 2020 PG-12, YEAR—7, ISSUE—170 (RNI NO: WBENG / 2014 / 56803) US PRESIDENTIAL RACE TOO CLOSE TO CALL TRUMP CLAIMS ‘FRAUD’ IN ELECTORAL PROCESS AS COUNTING OF VOTES CONTINUES IN KEY STATES WASHINGTON: The race for the White House between Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden was poised for a photo-finish, even as the incumbent Republican president on Wednesday claimed "fraud" in the counting of votes and said he would approach the Supreme Court to stop it. With millions of votes still being counted and several swing states yet to declare results, both Trump and Biden say they are on course for victory in the 2020 presidential election, one of the most divisive and bitter in American history. Tuesday's election saw tight races in many key battleground states with Biden winning 224 electoral college votes and Trump closely behind with 213. The winner of the 2020 presidential election should have at least 270 electoral college votes out of the 538- member electoral college. Fox News, considered to be the favourite news network of the president, gave him only 213 electrocal college votes while crediting 238 votes to Biden. It also gave 50 per cent of the popular vote to the Democratic challenger and 48.4 per cent to Trump. No major US media has projected a clear winner in the election. President Trump called the election "a fraud on the American public" and said, "Frankly, we did win this election." He also said he planned to take the battle to the Supreme Court to stop the counting of votes. "All of a sudden everything just stopped. This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this ALL OF A SUDDEN EVERYTHING JUST STOPPED. THIS IS A FRAUD ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. THIS IS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO OUR COUNTRY. WE WERE GETTING READY TO WIN THIS ELECTION. FRANKLY, WE DID WIN THIS ELECTION election," Trump said, without citing any evidence of a fraud in the electoral process. "We will win this, and as far as I'm concerned, we already have won it," Trump, 74, said in remarks to supporters in the White House East Room at 2 am. "Our goal now is to ensure integrity, for the good of this nation. This is a very big moment. This is a major fraud on our nation. We want law to be used in a proper manner. So we'll be going to the US Supreme Court. "We want all voting to stop. We don't want them to find any ballots at four o'clock in the morning and add them to the list," Trump said, amidst applause from his supporters. Reacting sharply, Biden's campaign manager called Trump's statement as "outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect." "If the president makes good on his threat to go to court to try to prevent the proper tabulation of votes, we have legal teams standing by ready to deploy to resist that effort. And they will prevail," Jen O'Malley Dillon said. "The president's statement tonight about trying to shut down the counting of duly cast ballots was outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect. It was outrageous because it is a naked effort to take away the democratic rights of American citizens," Dillon said in a statement. AT A GLANCE EX-CS APPOINTED JSSC CHAIRMAN RANCHI: Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday approved the appointment of former chief secretary (CS) Sudhir Tripathi as the chairman of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). An IAS officer of 1985 batch Tripathi has also served as Chairman of Jharkhand Public Service Commission from April 1 2019 to 26 September 2020. He was the CS of Jharkhand from February 28 to March 2019. The JSCC comprise of a chairman and two members. Presently an IAS officer Prashant Kumar is in additional charge of the post. One of the posts for members is vacant. The tenure of the JSSC commission is five years or upto to 65 years. CORONA METER Trump was currently leading in other major battle ground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan where projections are yet to be made by the US media outlets. A national race in which a record number of Americans voted amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is boiling down to just a handful of states: Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Polls before the Election Day suggested possible outcomes ranging from a comfortable win for Biden, to a narrow victory for Trump where he loses the national popular vote but once again carries enough battleground states to win in the electoral college. But Trump's decision to move the Supreme Court has brought uncertainty. The mainstream American media has criticised the president. Home Minister Amit Shah arrived Kolkata Arnab arrested as Maha Police reopens 2018 case MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Police's Raigad unit on Wednesday morning raided the home of Republic TV owner and arrested its Chief Editor Arnab Goswami in an abetment to suicide case. A senior police officer Sachin Vaze said that Goswami was arrested in the abetment to suicide case of 2018, which had been closed earlier and has now been reopened. A police team swooped on the Republic TV's chief and picked him up from his home even as his family protested while his colleagues started rushing to the spot for live coverage. The channel strongly slammed the move for "parading the editor of a top Indian news channel like a criminal, pulled by the hair, threatened, not allowed to drink water" after 20-30 policemen barged there. Speaking from one of the vehicles, Goswami said he was assaulted, even as his shaken colleagues made direct emotional appeals to Supreme Court and High Court judges "seeking justice" for what was happening right in the middle of Mumbai, in a telecast of the developments. Goswami managed to speak from a police van that he was assaulted, his son was beaten and his in-laws were pushed aside, and he was likely to be taken to Alibaug in Raigad. INDIA TOTAL CASES: 8,269,651 TOTAL DEATH: 123,154 WORLD TOTAL CASES: 47,457,209 TOTAL DEATH: 1,213,534 BLATANT MISUSE OF STATE POWER AGAINST ARNAB GOSWAMI, REMINDS US OF EMERGENCY: AMIT SHAH INTERACTION BY CHIEF MINISTER MAMATA BANERJEE WITH REPRESENTATIVE OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND FOLK TRADITIONAL ARTISTS AT NABANNA SABHAGHAR ON WEDNESDAY SMP observes Vigilance Awareness Week KOLKATA: India's only riverine port Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata, previously known as 'Kolkata Port Trust', has organised various programmes here this week to celebrate the theme of 'Vigilant India, Prosperous India' as per the directives of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), the apex integrity body of the country, Vigilance Department The celebrations which began with the administration of ‘Integrity Pledge’ by Vinit Kumar, Chairman, SMP to all employees and the officers of the KoPT through a digital platform. In this connection, two webinars were organized by the Chief Vigilance Officer, SMP, including an Open House session with Estate tenants, also on e-platform. The other seminar on a similar web platform was conducted by G. Bhattacharya, former CPMG, WB Circle and Ex-CVO, Union Ministry of Mines on “Corruption and Vigilance Awareness”. A handbook on Transparency Charter and Pensioners’ was also released on the occasion. In the Valedictory programme of the Vigilance Awareness Week-on 2 November SMP Chairman, in his keynote address stressed on CVC directives. He also unveiled the Annual Vigilance Magazine “ALOKE” in presence of A. K. Mehra, Deputy. Chairman SMP, Preeti Mahto, Chief Vigilance Officer and other Senior Officers. The necessary social distancing in view of COVID-19 Pandemic was maintained everywhere. In his speech the CVO said Preventive vigilance was more important this year due to COVID pandemic . PAGE 7 KOLKATA: It was nearby 9.30 at night. Union Home minister Amit Shah reached DumDum airport on Wednesday. Elaborate preparations have been made by the state BJP leaders to welcome Union Home minister Amit Shah here on Wednesday night on a two day visit to West Bengal to review the organisational strength of the party before the next year's Assembly elections and boost the morale of BJP workers. Informing this BJP West Bengal state President Dilip Ghosh said here, after spending the night in the city the Union Home minister on his first visit to the state after recovering from Covid-19 infections, would leave for Bankura on Thursday morning to hold his first organisational meeting there with the BJP District Presidents of East and West Burdwan, Birbhum, Bankura and Purulia to get a first hand view about the party's preparedness at the district level to face the ruling Trinamool Congress in 2021 state Assembly elections and secure majority in the 294 member house. Elaborating his tour programme at Bankura, Ghosh said soon after his arrival there, Shah would first garland the statue of tribal leader Birsa Munda there before holding his first organisational meeting at Rabindra Bhavan. Later he would have his lunch at the house of a local tribal family at Chaturdihi village and spend some time there with the local BJP workers and tribal leaders. In the afternoon he would hold another meeting with party leaders at Rabindra Bhavan and hold a Press Conference there, Ghosh said and added that the Home minister might also meet some local intellectuals to know their views about the present political situation in the state. After spending the night in Bankura, Shah would return to Kolkata on November 6 to hold similar meetings with the district party leaders of Jhargram, East and West Midnapore, Hooghly, Howrah and Nadia districts. According to party sources, apart from Ghosh himself, the party's All India Vice President Mukul Roy, and central Observers Kailash Vijaybargiya, Arvind Menon and state Party Vice President Jayprakash Mazumdar, Sayantan Bose Locket Chatterjee, MP and Pratab Banerjee would remain present in the meetings among others. I&B Min forms panel for ‘fresh look’ into TRP guidelines COMMITTEE WILL ADDRESS ‘NEEDS OF STAKEHOLDERS’ AND MAKE NECESSARY RECOMMENDATIONS T he Centre has notified a committee, headed by Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati, with an eye to assess the existing rating system of the TV channels. The order from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting dated November 4 read, "Based on the operation of the guidelines for a few years, there is a need to have a fresh look on the guidelines, particularly keeping in view the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), technological advancements/interventions to address the system and further strengthening of the procedures for a credible and transparent rating system, a committee is hereby constituted to study the different aspects of the television rating system in India as they have evolved over a period of time." This committee is tasked to address the "needs of the stakeholders" and make necessary recommendations for a rating system which shall be "robust, transparent and accountable". The committee will have four members, including a chairman. The committee comes into existence in the aftermath of the alleged TRP scam in which it was alleged that certain TV channels manipulated TRPs in return for payment. The CBI has already registered an FIR in a case of alleged manipulation of Television Rating Point (TRP), based on a complaint filed in Uttar Pradesh. TRP is calculated in India by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) using a device called Bar-O-Meter, which is installed in over 45,000 households across the country. The device collects data about a pro- gramme or channel watched by members of these households on the basis of which weekly ratings are issued by BARC. Meanwhile, with economic activities gaining momentum, India is poised to recover fast and may reach the pre-Covid levels of economic parameters by the current financial year's (FY21) end, according to a report by the Department of Economic Affairs. The Monthly Economic Review for October, however, noted that the recovery may get impacted if the second wave of novel coronavirus infection gets triggered. "India stands poised to recover at a fast pace and reach preCovid levels by the end of the year - barring the incidence of a second wave that may be triggered The order from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting dated November 4 read, "Based on the operation of the guidelines for a few years, there is a need to have a fresh look on the guidelines, particularly keeping in view the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), technological advancements/interventions to address the system and further strengthening of the procedures for a credible and transparent rating system. by the fatigue with social distancing. The continuous improvement in forward looking RBI indices of consumption and business sentiment for the next year augurs hope of a strong economic rebound," it said. It noted that that the growth prospect for the Indian economy is also corroborated by the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) October 2020 projection of 8.8 per cent real GDP growth of India in FY 2021-22, highest among its global counterparts. The report noted that a steady contraction of active Covid-19 cases and a low case fatality rate has instilled measured optimism in India that the worst is behind now. At the same time, a second wave of the pandemic in advanced nations is a grim reminder of how reality hits back when caution is compromised, it added.