BHUBANESWAR l thursday l may 19, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION U.S., global banks unveil plan to tackle food crisis Anthony Blinken Billions of dollars to be spent on helping farmers, boosting fertiliser supply and developing land for food production World bank to contribute $30 billion Blinken chairs meet on food security The US Treasury Department said several global development banks will work together to address the food security crisis exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The World Bank announced it will contribute $30 billion for projects to address food crisis. The Asian Development Bank and the African Development Bank, among others, will also chip in ■ ■ A two-day Global Food Security Call to Action meeting of foreign ministers from 30 countries, chaired by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken began past midnight on Wednesday, in New York Russia and Ukraine produce a third of the world’s wheat, and the disruption of supply due to the war has led to prices soaring 193 million people experienced acute food insecurity worldwide in 2021 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI PM’s economic advisory panel proposes urban job guarantee scheme E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi With income inequality in the country becoming starker, the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) on Wednesday proposed implementing an urban employment guarantee scheme on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The panel raised concerns Sale deed registration of apartments comes to a halt Jab-o-meter May 17 13,09,721 doses Take May 18 11,91,074 doses Total: 1,91,78,14,826 NATIONWIDE may 17 may 18 odisha may 17 may 18 1,569 1,829 Fresh cases 2,467 2,549 Recoveries 19 33 Deaths 03 08 0 20.17% Casual 33.5% Regular salaried 45.78% Selfemployed Source: Periodic Labour Force Survey 2019-20 over growing inequality as captured in The State of Inequality in India Report released by it. The report said the labour force participation rate in the country was 51.5% in 2019-20, which was better than the 49% in 2017-18. However, the participation rate of those educated till higher secondary over three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 was significantly low at 40-43%. The clamour for an urban jobs scheme has been growing louder in recent times with increasing income inequality and job losses. Experts said an urban-focused employment guarantee scheme will go a long way in supporting consumption. Talking to this newspaper earlier this year, BJP MP and chairman of the parliamentary committee on finance Jayant Sinha had said that a scheme like MGN- REGA for urban informal sector workers could be designed with the help of digital infrastructure that the government has already built. The EAC-PM also recommended that raising minimum income and introducing a universal basic income are some of the measures that can reduce the income gap and facilitate equal distribution of earnings in the labour market. SC invokes spl powers, frees Perarivalan after 31 years Days after Orissa High Court raised concern over registration of sale deeds of apartments without adequate compliance to the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) (RERA) Act - 2016, the practice has been stopped by the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) from Wednesday . The IGR under Board of Revenue, Odisha has asked all registering officers in the State to refuse to register an instrument for transfer of immovable property the alienation or transfer of , which is prohibited by the State or Centre. “With the RERA Act mandating transfer of common areas in favour of the Association of Apartment Owners, sale deeds presented for registration which contain clauses contrary to it cannot be executed and be refused under section 22-A of the Registration Act - 1908,” stated IGR Jyotiprakash Das in his letter to the officials. Das also asked the officials to strictly comply with the interim order of the High Court issued on May 12 in which the court had asked IGR to strictly enforce the section 22-A of the Registration Act and ensure that sale deeds registered hereafter strictly abide by the provisions of the RERA Act and rules made thereunder. The move, meanwhile, is likely to have huge financial implications on the State exchequer as the government had been earning hundreds of crores every year from registration of sale deeds of immovable property with the real estate sector contributing a sizeable amount to it. RERA activist Bimalendu Pradhan, who had filed a PIL in the HC in this regard, said the delay on part of the State government to bring any suitable law for registration of Association of Allottees in line with the provisions of RERA has led to this situation. Pradhan also said that Association of Allottees and transfer of the land along with the common area is only a part of the problem. “The planning authorities are also required to issue occupancy certificates in a timely manner. Otherwise, this will also hamper the registration of sale deeds. In such situation the sub-registrars will also remain helpless,” he said. Fresh cases Recoveries Deaths Income profile Apex Court refers to Article 161, says advice of State Cabinet binding on Governor; Arivu credits mother’s struggle; Stalin welcomes verdict, Congress circumspect S u d a r s a n M a h a r a n a @ Bhubaneswar your shot Figure it out 90% of India’s population survives on less than `25,000 a month 6.82% of total annual wages earned by richest 1% 35% of total annual wages earned by richest 10% 1.7% of the total annual cumulative wages earned by poorest 10% 13 15 0 E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Chennai “Let me breathe; I’m free after 31 years,” said A G Perarivalan, a life convict in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, after the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered his release by invoking its extraordinary power under Article 142 of the Constitution. A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, B R Gavai, and A S Bopanna, who held that the advice of State Cabinet is binding on Governor in exercise of powers under Article 161 of the Constitution, said the Governor’s referral to the President the recommendation of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet (to grant pardon to all seven convicts in the case) two-and-a-half years after such a recommendation was made doesn’t have constitutional backing. Non-exercise of power under Article 161 or inexplicable delay in exercise of such power, which is not attributable to the prisoner, is subject to judicial review of the court, said the judges rejecting the Centre’s argument that in some cases President and not the Governor is the competent authority to grant pardon. Chief Minister MK Stalin hailed the verdict as a victory for State rights and federalism. “The verdict has established that Governors cannot interfere in political and policy decisions of State governments. It is important to note that the judges have said that when Governor becomes inactive, court will intervene,” the CM told reporters at the secretariat. Speaking to reporters, Perarivalan credited his mother, 74-year-old Arputhammal, for her sacrifices and nonstop efforts that eventually led to his release. “She has faced insults, she was ignored, and she suffered agony . Despite all that she was persistent and fought for me without a break for 30 Tamils all over the world gave me love and affection and treated me like their own son. I need to pay my gratitude to a lot of people and wish to do that in person AG Perarivalan AG Perarivalan and his mother Arputhammal met Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday to express their gratitude | Express long years,” he said. “For both of us, me and my mother, it is the truth and justice on our side which gave us the strength to fight,” he said. Arputhammal profusely thanked everyone from the State government to a whole lot of sympathisers for their support in getting her son released. Thanking all those who stood by him in his long struggle, Perarivalan a brief TIMeLIne June 11, 1991: CBI arrests 19-year-old AG Perarivalan in Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case 1999: SC upholds TADA court’s death sentence to the seven convicts September 9, 2018: The AIADMK government recommends to Governor Banwarilal Purohit the release of all seven convicts May 18, 2022: SC orders release of Perarivalan invoking Article 142 Pre-monsoon mess It is important to note that the judges have said that when Governor becomes inactive, court will intervene An aerial view of relief workers on a tractor helping out residents of an inundated street in Vaddarapalya near Horamavu in Bengaluru on Wednesday. At least two persons were reported dead following heavy overnight pre-monsoon showers. Many areas received 50 mm to 150 mm rains. The Met department forecast more rains for the next 24 hours | Shriram B N MK Stalin, Chief Minister paid tributes to Senkodi, who took her life demanding the release of the convicts, former SC judges, Justices Krishna Iyer and K T Thomas, and retired IPS officer Thiyagarajan, who admitted in the court that he had omitted to record a part of Perarivalan’s confession that proved his innocence in the case. “Tamils all over the world gave me love and affection and treated me like their own son. I need to pay my gratitude to a lot of people and wish to do that in person through the course of my life,” Perarivalan said. While the AIADMK, the BJP, Left parties, the PMK and various Tamil outfits welcomed the verdict, the State unit of the Congress was circumspect in its reaction. “We do not wish to criticise the judgment of the Supreme Court,” Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief KS Alagiri said in a tweet. “At the same time, we want to emphasise that the perpetrators are murderers and that they are not innocent.” The CM said the State government will study the full verdict and take steps for release of the other six convicts in the case. Day after, CBI arrests Karti’s aide in money-for-visa case E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ Chennai The CBI on Wednesday arrested chartered accountant S Bhaskararaman, a close associate of Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram, a day after raiding the latter’s premises in connection with a `50 lakh bribery case for clearing visas of 263 Chinese nationals working at a power plant in Punjab. Bhaskararaman was arrested since he was not cooperating in the investigation, CBI sources said. He was later produced before a local CBI court, which issued a transit remand to fly him to New Delhi. Bhaskararaman was among the five named in the first information report (FIR) in the case. Other booked include Karti, Vikas Makharia, representing Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, Mansa (Punjab); Bell Tools Limited, Mumbai (Maharashtra) and unknown public servants and private persons. The FIR alleged that Karti was approached through Bhaskararaman to get visas to bring in more Chinese professionals so as to expedite work on the thermal power plant. The visas issued were beyond the ceiling imposed by the Union home ministry. Karti allegedly negotiated the `50 lakh speed money deal through Bhaskararaman to provide the visas. The deal happened in 2011 when Karti’s father P Chidambaram was Union home minister at that point in time. Odisha govt to provide `428.95 cr to develop mega aluminium park E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Other key decisions Merger of district rural development agencies with Zilla Parishads Five amendments to Lokayukta Act Legislation for setting up a self-financed private unitary DRIEMS University Construction of in-stream storage structure across river Kuakhai Construction of barrage-cum bridge across Ib river in Sundargarh district In a bid to boost creation of industrial infrastructure in the State, government has decided to extend budgetary support of `428.95 crore to develop the mega aluminium park at Angul. The financial support includes compensation to be paid by the government for land acquisition for the project. A proposal in this regard was approved at the meeting of the State Cabinet held on Wednesday virtually Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik presided over . the meeting in which 32 proposals were cleared. The mega aluminium park project to be executed through the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), will be completed within three years. The development of the project has been kept under focus sector as per Vision 2025 and is being monitored under the 5T framework regularly. The Cabinet maintained that considering the present scenario of industrialisation in other states, the State needs to provide land at competitive price with world class infrastructure to attract entrepreneurs to set up units in the parks. The Cabinet also approved the proposal of IDCO to procure over 871 acre of land for its land bank from Tata Power Company Limited. The land at Barang tehsil in Cuttack district was leased out to set up a coal-based power plant. The land will now be utilised for attracting other industrial projects. The government will extend financial assistance of `62.38 crore for recovery of the land. Amid the raging controversy over the Srimandir Parikrama project, the Cabinet approved allotment of one acre and 320 decimal of land to 13 displaced mathas without payment of consideration value of government land under rehabilitation and resettlement package. Stamp duty and registration fees will also be remitted for the 13 mathas. CONTINUED ON: P5 e x p r e ss r e a d Pre-poll blow food security sheena bora case sports code violation lancet study preserving heritage Ahmedabad: In a blow to the Congress in poll-bound Gujarat, Patidar leader Hardik Patel resigned from its primary membership on Wednesday, saying its leadership is not serious about issues facing the people. He accused the party of being more concerned about chicken sandwitch than Gujarat. The party hit back saying his words were scripted by BJP | P7 New Delhi: Representatives from India took part in a meeting of G7 development ministers in Berlin on Wednesday during which ways to mitigate the food security crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine, were discussed. At the start of the two-day meeting, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze proposed that a global food security alliance be set up and accused Russian President Putin of using hunger as a weapon | P7 New Delhi: Indrani Mukerjea, arrested for the alleged murder of her own daughter, is set to leave Mumbai’s Byculla women’s prison after the Supreme Court granted her bail on Wednesday. The court said six-and-ahalf years in prison is too long a term and that the trial will not be completed soon as only 68 of 237 witnesses have been examined | P8 The Supreme Court appointed a threemember Committee of Administrators (CoA) headed by former judge Anil R Dave to manage the affairs of the All India Football Federation and ousted the Praful Patel-led executive committee that was at the helm even after completing its term. S Y Qureshi and Bhaskar Ganguly are also part of the CoA | P11 One in six deaths globally was due to pollution, with about 9 million dying due to exposure to pollution, and the highest number of casualties were reported in India, according to Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 published in the Lancet. India saw over 23.5 lakh premature deaths due to all types of pollution. About 16.7 lakh fatalities were caused by air pollution and 6.1 lakh due to household air pollution | P7 In a glittering ceremony, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled the revamped Tara Tarini Temple here on Wednesday bringing the curtains down on the five-day Pratistha Mahotsav of the shrine, preparations for which started a month back. Describing the day as auspicious, he sought the blessings of Goddess Tara Tarini | P4 Hardik Patel finally pulls the Cong plug India takes part in G7 ministers’ meet Indrani granted bail after 6.5 years in jail SC-appointed CoA takes India has most deaths due to pollution over from Praful & Co CM dedicates revamped Tara Tarini shrine