YK MYK REGIONAL PARTIES ARE JITTERY AT RAHUL'S DIG TO THEM ON IDEOLOGY OPINION RANCHI THURSDAY, 19 MAY, 2022 PG-12, YEAR—12, ISSUE—10 (RNI NO: JHAENG / 2012 / 44137) DELHI LG ANIL BAIJAL RESIGNS, CITES 'PERSONAL REASONS' NEW DELHI: Delhi's Lt Governor Anil Baijal resigned on Wednesday, citing personal reasons. According to the sources, Baijal sent his resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind. A 1969 batch IAS officer from the AGMUT (Arunachal PradeshGoa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre, he served as 21st Lt Governor of Delhi for a period of five years and four months from December 31, 2016 to May 18, 2022. As the Lt Governor, he had been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over several issues. Baijal had also served as Union Home Secretary during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. UK INFLATION RATE HITS 40-YEAR HIGH AS ENERGY BILL SOARS LONDON: Britain's Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 9.0 per cent in the 12 months to April 2022, the highest level since 1982, the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Wednesday. "Inflation rose steeply in April, driven by the sharp climb in electricity and gas prices as the higher price cap came into effect," said Grant Fitzner, ONS chief economist, adding around three-quarters of the increase in the annual rate in April came from utility bills. Fitzner said the ONS also published new modelled historical estimates Wednesday which show that CPI annual inflation was last higher 40 years ago. MORE ON PG 9 BUSINESS Morning India Rs. 5 AT A GLANCE CABINET APPROVES AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL POLICY ON BIOFUELS 2018 HC Bench to hear mining, MGNREGA scam cases today PUJA SINGHAL ASKED TO REST IN THE MIDST OF HER INTERROGATION SANJAY SAHAY RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court is all set to hear the case related to allotment of mine to Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the alleged operation of shell companies by his close associates on Thursday. The case would be heard through video conferencing from 10: 30 am. The issue of handing over the case related to the Mnrega scam in Khunti districts to CBI would also be taken up by the court. Earlier the court had directed for submission of the details of the 16 FIRs lodged in connection with the Mnrega scam. It may be stated here that a person Shiv Shankar Sharma has filed a Public Interest Litigation in this regard and prayed for inquiry by the CBI and the Enforcement directorate. days of rule, those in power have earned Rs 3500 crore as bribe. He added much more money has been collected from mining department in other districts. Besides, there has been illegal earning from transfer-posting, liquor, road, building and land loot. Godda Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey also tweeted to inform that ED has recovered the draft of the Chief Minister Hemant Soren's mining lease from mobile phone of Singhal. He said that the sequence of revelations regarding the Mnrega and mining scam is continuing. Power Minister tells states to build up coal stocks for monsoon NEW DELHI: Union Power Minister R.K. Singh has written to various states asking them to direct state gencos to take immediate steps to import coal for blending in order to meet their requirement during the monsoon season. The Minister, in separate letters to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and West Bengal, has expressed concern that the tender process for coal import has either not started or not completed in these states. He asked the state gencos to lift entire quantity of coal offered under RCR mode expeditiously to build coal stock. He stressed that in case of failure on either account, it would not be possible to give additional domestic coal to make up the shortfall. Also if the RCR allocation is not lifted, it will be allocated to other needy state gencos and if present state of affairs continues, it may lead to shortage of coal in states during monsoon, adversely affecting the power supply situation in the states, he warned. Singh highlighted that due to increase in demand and consumption of electricity, the share of coal-based generation has increased and the total coal consumption by power plants has also increased. He added that CENTRE ASKS STATES TO BE BETTER PREPARED IN VIEW OF MONSOON NEW DELHI: Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Wednesday said that the central and state governments should be better prepared in view of the South West Monsoon so that the losses due to natural disasters such as floods, cyclones and landslides can be minimised. He stressed on the need for building up capacities and response reflexes to ensure round the clock preparedness throughout the year. Bhalla said that through continued efforts over the last several years, the disaster management system has been able to reduce the impact. PG 5 materialisation of domestic coal is only about 88 per cent of total requirements. In order to ensure minimum required coal stocks in power plants before the onset of monsoon, the Minister directed that the thermal power plants owned by the state gencos and IPPs must use all the sources to maintain adequate coal stock. 12 DEAD IN SALT FACTORY WALL COLLAPSE IN GUJARAT'S MORBI CORONA METER INDIA TOTAL CASES: 43,127,199 TOTAL DEATHS: Even as Enforcement Directorate (ED) continued interrogation of accused persons in connection with Mnrega and mining scam and money laundering on Wednesday, the suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal complained of headache and uneasiness in the middle of the exercise and was advised rest by a doctor. The ED also interrogated chartered accountant Suman Kumar and the district mining officers of Pakur and Dumka. Reports say that the mining officers have informed about illegal stone mining in the Santhal Paragana region and its transportation to Bangladesh. The officials have, however, not confirmed the information. Meanwhile former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi tweeted to say that officers have revealed that around Rs 17 crore were collected as bribe only from illegal mining of stone, sand and coal in four days adding during the 830 524,293 WORLD TOTAL CASES: 524,316,969 TOTAL DEATHS: 6,293,182 MORBI: At least twelve workers were killed and 15 feared trapped in the wall collapse of a salt factory in the Halvad GIDC of the Morbi district in Saurashtra region of Gujarat. The Morbi district administration has claimed that 90 per cent of the rescue operation has been completed. Sharing information about the tragic incident, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Brijesh Merja said that around 12 p.m., a wall collapsed in the Sagar Salt factory situated in Halvad GIDC. Till the time he briefed the media in Gandhinagar, 12 dead bodies of the workers were found from the debris. He added that 90 per cent of the rescue operation has been completed, but it is not yet clear what caused the wall collapse. It is a matter of investigation, which will be done by the police. Soon the state government will announce compensation for the family members of the victims, he said. Flood in Karnataka Rainwater enters a house after heavy rainfall, at the HSR Layout in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Cabinet gives more powers to board of state-owned cos NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the proposal for empowering the boards of state-owned companies to decide on the closure and divestment of their units or subsidiaries. The proposal intends to reform the functioning of PSEs, by allowing greater autonomy to the Board of Directors of the Holding PSEs for taking decisions and recommend for timely existing from their investment in subsidiaries, units or JVs, which will enable them to monetise their investment in such subsidiaries, units, JVs at an opportune time or close their loss-making and inefficient subsidiaries, unit, JV at right opportunity, the government said in a statement on Wednesday. This will result in expeditious decision making and saving of wasteful operational and financial expenditure by the PSEs, the statement added. Presently, the Board of Directors of holding or parent public sector enterprises have been delegated certain powers to make equity investments to establish financial joint ventures and whollyowned subsidiaries and undertake mergers or acquisitions, subject to certain ceilings of net worth. However, the Boards of Directors of Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) do not have powers for disinvestment or closure of their sub- sidiaries or units or stake in Joint Ventures, except for some limited powers given to Maharatna PSEs for minority stake disinvestment in their subsidiaries. Therefore, approval of the Cabinet was needed for both strategic disinvestment and minority stake sale or closure of the subsidiaries or units or sale of their stakes in a joint venture, irrespective of the size of operations or capital deployed of such subsidiaries. A G Perarivalan SC orders release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict NEW DELHI: Invoking its extraordinary power under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court Wednesday ordered the release of A G Perarivalan, who has served over 30 years in jail in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao said the Tamil Nadu state cabinet's advice recommending the premature release of all seven convicts in the case was binding on the governor. The apex court also discarded the Centre's argument that the president exclusively has the power to grant pardon in a case under section 302 the Indian Penal Code, saying this would render article 161 (power of governor to grant pardon) functionless. The bench, also comprising Justice B R Gavai, held that states have the power to advise and aid the governor in case of pleas of pardon under article 161 made by convicts in murder cases. Article 142 of the Constitution deals with the Supreme Court's power to exercise its jurisdiction and pass order for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it. The article was also used in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case. The Centre had earlier defended the Tamil Nadu governor's decision to send the mercy plea of Perarivalan to the president. Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj had said that only the president can decide the plea regarding remission, commutation and mercy plea of an individual convicted under the central law. SHARP RISE IN PAK'S DEFAULT RISK IN GLOBAL BOND MARKETS KARACHI: Taking cue apparently from a sharp rise in Pakistans default risk in global bond markets, foreign investors have returned to the selling counters in the domestic market, as they pulled out $12 million (Rs 2.34 billion) by offloading Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) in a single day, media reports said. Cumulatively, in the first 10-and-a-half months of the current fiscal year 2021-22, they have sold PIBs and T-bills worth a net $590.39 million, according to the central bank's data on Tuesday, The Express Tribune reported. "Pakistan's default risk measured through the Credit Default Swap (CDS) has spiked to 16 per cent in global bond markets," Head of Research at Arif Habib Limited (AHL), Tahir Abbas, said while talking to The Express Tribune, adding: "It (CDS) usually hovers around 6-8 per cent." The yields on Pakistan's Eurobond maturing in 2024 have also shot up to somewhere around 14-15 per cent as compared to around 7-8 per cent when the economy stood stable in the recent past. BMA Capital Executive Director Saad Hashemy pointed out that such a sharp increase in the country's default risk (to 16 per cent) came after 2008. However, Pakistan has never defaulted on any international payments and it would find a way out this time around as well, he said, The Express Tribune reported. Muslim bodies shouldn’t interfere in Gyanvapi mosque case: JUH NEW DELHI: After the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) decided to offer legal assistance to the Muslim side in the Gyanvapi mosque case, Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani, the President of Jamiat Ulama-iHind, has said that there should be no interference from Muslim organisations and people should not get provoked. He said the Jamiat Ulama-iHind sympathetically appeals to all the people of India, especially the Muslims, that "they should not hit the streets on the issue of Gyanvapi mosque and all kinds of public demonstrations should be avoided". "In this regard, the Masjid Intezamiya Committee (mosque management committee) is a party in various courts of the country. It is believed that it will fight this case vigorously till the end. Other Muslim organisations of the country are urged not to interfere directly in this case in any court. If they want to provide help or assist in the case, they can do that through the Masjid Intezamiya Committee," Madani said. The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind also said that scholars and public speakers are urged to refrain from participating in TV debates and discussions on this issue. The case is sub-judice, so provocative debates and social media speeches are by no means in the interest of the country and the nation, it said. Madani said the Gyanvapi mosque issue is being discussed at the judicial level these days, and some mischievous elements and biased media are trying to create a strife between the two communities by fanning religious emotions. Meanwhile, Delhi Police has registered an FIR against a Delhi University professor for posting provocative content on social media after 'discovery' of 'Shivling' inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi during a video survey. "A complaint was received last night against one Ratan Lal, Prof of History at Hindu College, DU, regarding a deliberate and malicious post on Facebook intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting a religion or religious beliefs," Deputy Commissioner of Police Sagar Singh Kalsi said. He said that a legal action has been initiated in this regard and the police have registered a case under sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code at the Cyber Police station north district. The DU professor had allegedly posted derogatory content along with the latest picture of Shivling that was found at the Gyanvapi mosque. The complainant, a Delhi-based Advocate, Vineet Jindal, had written to the Delhi Police stating that the statement made by Dr Ratan Lal is not only 'instigating and provoking' but also stirring emotions among the Hindu religion followers. "Our constitution provides every citizen with the freedom of speech and expression but the misuse of this right is inexplicable when it threatens the harmony of the country and provokes its citizens based on community and religion and threatens the security of the nation then it is considered as a grave offence," Jindal told IANS. Demanding punitive legal action against the professor, Jindal further said that Rattan Lal's remarks show his intent of activating enmity between different groups on the ground of religion which is against the ideology of a secular democratic country like India.