BHUBANESWAR l thursday l april 11, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION Buzz on Elon Musk’s India visit to meet Modi for tesla plant The Tesla CEO is expected to visit India later this month and announce plans to set up a new EV factory in the country, say reports Date with modi as LS election kicks off “Looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister @NarendraModi in India!” Musk posted on X, without divulging his itinerary. In March, India’s electric vehicle policy lowered import taxes to 15% from 100% on some models if a manufacturer invests $500 million and set up a factory. Tesla has reportedly started making right-hand drive cars in Germany for India ■ $2 bn Tesla scouting for a local partner? ■ Some reports say Tesla has reached out to Reliance Industries for a possible joint venture to help build the manufacturing plant and allied ecosystem for the EV maker in the country Electric vehicle sales make up 2% of the total car sales in India at present and the govt targets to take it to 30% by 2030 | P12 is said to be Tesla’s proposed investment plan for India factory 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 SC junks Ramdev apology, roasts Uttarakhand govt HC confirms Vigilance court conviction, poll setback for Md Moquim SUC H ITRA K ALYAN MO H ANTY @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Cuttack Says message must go out about consequences of flouting court order ‘Congress has been reduced to a fringe party’ D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi THE Congress has been reduced to a fringe party along with , people who shout separatist slogans, and they’re happy to be there, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in an interaction with TNIE. She was responding to a question on the BJP’s limited presence in the southern states. An animated Sitharaman, who is known for her plain speaking, did not take kindly to the notion that BJP has not been able to make inroads into the South. She was quick to point out that the Congress, another national party, has been equally ineffective in southern states—especially in Tamil Nadu, where the Congress has been playing second fiddle to the DMK. Where is Congress in Tamil Nadu, where is it in Andhra (Pradesh) or Odisha, asked the finance minister, who is a Rajya Sabha A national party like Congress member from Karnataka. today is only On southern states like Kerala and Karsecond fiddling nataka moving the Supreme Court over the state parties. fund transfers from the Centre, she said the India needs a Centre has not meted out any differential good solid treatment to but some opposition-ruled national party states are politicising a non-issue. and Congress is Kerala has moved SC against the Cenfailing this tre’s cap on its borrowing capacity, while country on that Karnataka has accused the Centre of not Nirmala Sitharaman transferring drought relief fund. On Kerala, the FM said changes in the borrowing rules were brought in after the CAG raised concern over non-budgetary borrowings by certain states, and that the Supreme Court has taken note of this. On Karnataka, she said the funds would be released once the Election Commission gives a go-ahead. She also sought to demolish the argument that states contributing higher to the tax pool are getting only a fraction of that in return from the Centre. “These are separatist kinds of arguments,” said the FM. Despite the criticism of electoral bonds after the recent apex court judgment, she said electoral bonds were an improvement over the past system of electoral funding. P9 LWE-hit states to maintain deployment till end of polls There will be no reduction in security deployment in LWEaffected states even after polling in their regions is over | P3 T H E S u p re m e C o u r t o n Wednesday refused to accept the affidavits of apology filed by yoga guru Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved’s managing director Balkrishna over issuing ‘misleading’ advertisements in violation of the apex court’s directions, saying a message must go out to society at large about the consequences of violating the apex court’s order. A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah also blasted the Uttarakhand government for its failure to take legal action against Patanjali Ayurved and its subsidiary Divya Pharmacy for violations. The bench said it looked like the state’s licensing authorities were “hand in glove” with Patanjali. “What did the officers do apart from pushing files... we will not take it lightly We will . rip you apart on bona fide,” said the bench in an unusually stern rebuke, adding the authorities were in “deep slumber” for 4-5 years. The bench made these remarks while hearing a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association that Patanjali was spreading misinfor mation through advertisements claiming its products cure certain diseases such as blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma. Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency is witnessing a high-voltage contest between the families of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar, both Vokkaligas. Karnataka’s Congress heavyweight Shivakumar’s brother Suresh is taking on JDS supremo Gowda’s sonin-law and noted cardiologist Dr CN Manjunath, who is contesting on a BJP ticket. While the BJP-JDS alliance is trying to wrest the only seat that Congress won in Karnataka in 2019, Shivakumar is leaving no stones unturned to retain hold over his home turf. The constituency has a large number of Vokkaligas and both sides are trying to woo them. T h e C o n g re s s i s banking on guarantee schemes while BJP will be hoping to ride the Modi wave and Dr Manjunath’s clean image. Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha Constituency is a mix of urban and rural voters, totalling 27.53 lakh, the second-highest in the state after Bangalore North. In 2009, in the first election after Bengaluru Rural constituency’s formation the previous year, former CM H D Kumaraswamy had won with a lead of 1.4 lakh votes. After Kumaraswamy resigned as MP, DK Suresh won the bypolls in 2013. The BJP has been winning all three LS seats in Illustration: Mandar Pardikar Uttarakhand officials ignored even PMO: Dr Babu Reacting to the development, RTI activist Dr Babu K V, who has been relentlessly pursuing the case against Patanjali, said the state licensing authority of Uttarakhand was dragging its feet over the issue despite several complaints. “They didn’t respond even to the communication from the PMO,” he told this newspaper Declining to accept the apologies tendered by Ramdev and Balkrishna, the bench said: “The apologies that are on record are on paper. We think that having been caught on the wrong foot and noticing that their back is actually against the wall and having gone to town saying all kinds of things on the very next day of the order passed where your counsel had given undertaking, we don’t accept this affidavit.” The bench also pointed out that both of them attempted to “wriggle out of their personal presence” by moving applications seeking exemption claiming they were travelling abroad on that date. The applications were filed on March 30 but the flight tickets produced were booked on March 31, it noted. When senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Ramdev and Balkrishna, said “people make mistakes in life”, the bench retorted: “Even after our orders? Then they suffer.” The court fixed the matter for hearing on April 16. AAP minister under ED radar quits, calls party corrupt SC agrees to list Kejriwal’s plea soon a n u p v e r m a @ New Delhi A day after the Delhi High Court rejected Arvind Kejriwal’s plea against his arrest by the ED in connection with the liquor policy case, the Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday suffered another setback when Cabinet Minister Raaj Kumar Anand stepped down from the city government as well as primary membership of AAP. Anand, who was holding over half-a-dozen portfolios, said the APP was formed on anti-corruption plank but has now mired in the “same quicksand of graft”. He also alleged that the party has no place for Dalits. “This B’lore Rural all set for titanic clash between DKS, Deve Gowda families A s h w i n i M S r i pa d @ Bengaluru Yoga guru Ramdev arrives at Supreme Court to attend hearing on Wednesday | pti In a significant judgment, the Orissa High Court on Wednesday confirmed the conviction of Congress MLA Mohammed Moquim in a loan scam involving the Orissa Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC). This could mean Moquim, his party’s automatic choice to seek re-election from the Barabati-Cuttack Assembly constituency will now not be able , to contest in the ensuing polls. The Representation of Peoples’ Act (RPA) provides for disqualification of membership of MLAs who have been fined or convicted with punishment of more than 2 years and renders them ineligible to contest for the next six years. On September 29, 2022, Moquim, as managing director of Metro Builders Private Limited, was convicted by the Special Vigilance Court, Bhubaneswar along with former IAS officer and MD, ORHDC Vinod Kumar and two others, in connection with a scam pertaining to housing loan for the poor. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment along with a fine of `50,000. Moquim had filed the criminal appeal challenging the propriety of the trial court’s order on the ground that it was incurably defective and suf- Bengaluru — South, North, and Central for years, but it has never won Bangalore Rural since its formation in 2008. However, BJP candidates have always secured a decent number of votes. In 2019, former BJP MLC Ashwathnarayana Gowda got 6.7 lakh votes, while Suresh, then a Congress-JDS alliance candidate, won with 8.7 lakh votes. Now with the JDS as partner, the BJP is trying to make inroads here. Union Home Minister Amit Shah started his campaign in the state from Bangalore Rural and slammed Suresh for his remarks on the “demand for a separate state” for South India over alleged injustice. Dr Manjunath was the longest-serving director of the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences & Re s e a r c h i n Bengaluru. Congress describes him as a “white-collar candidate” while projecting Suresh as a grassroots leader. Raaj Kumar Anand | pti party doesn’t respect Dalit legislators, councillors and ministers. Dalits feel that they are cheated in the party,” he said. Taking a swipe at Kejriwal, he said: “He had once said that the country would change once politics changes. The politics hasn’t changed, but the politician in him has changed.” Anand, 57, is under scanner moneyball A first in Olympics World Athletics becomes the first International Federation to award prize money for medal at Olympics... CJI D Y Chandrachud said he will look into Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s request for an early listing of his plea against a high court order upholding his arrest. He asked Kejriwal’s lawyer to send an email. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court against the April 9 judgement of the high court of the Enforcement Directorate and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in an alleged money laundering case. In November last year, the ED had conducted searches at 13 WA president Sebastian Coe announced on Wednesday that the federation will distribute prize-money to all gold medallists at the Paris Olympic Games. Going ahead with better revenue and funding the prize-money will be distributed among other medallists as well. This can happen by 2028 LA Games places, including Anand’s premises. The ED alleged that evidence relating to his investments and hawala payments sent to China in 2023 was found from some of his employees. The ED claimed to have recovered `74 lakh cash along with incriminating documents during the searches. According to AAP leaders, Anand was threatened by the ED. “It appears that he was under pressure. He was given a script and he had no choice but to read it. Arvind Kejriwal says that the BJP wants to break the party and topple the governments in Delhi and Punjab,” AAP MP Sanjay Singh said. Magic numbers Photo: Parveen Negi Timeline Sept 29, 2022: Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar convicts Mohammed Moquim and others Moquim challenges his conviction, seeking a stay on conviction till conclusion of the appeal Oct 19, 2022: HC stays the conviction pending appeal, finding this to be an exception case to stay the order of conviction Vigilance files SLP before the SC Sept 22, 2023: SC orders the HC to dispose of the appeal within a period of six months from the date of order April 10, 2024: HC dismissing the appeal filed by Moquim, confirms the conviction order passed by the Vigilance court fered from gross infirmities. However, Justice BP Routray dismissed Moquim’s appeal saying the prosecution has successfully proved the charges against the appellant. The findings of the learned trial court and the conviction are thus confirmed, the order Continued on P5 stated. express read ECI mandate to states on political advts Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked the state governments to ensure clear identification of printers and publishers on printed election-related materials like posters and hoardings. In a letter to the chief secretaries and CEOs, it said all political advertisements will have to be displayed only after approval of the designated authority. Not doing so would lead to violation of model code of conduct and section 127A of the Representation of People Act, it stated. The EC said it now holds printers, publishers, and outdoor advertisers accountable for political ads. $50000 48 $2.4mn 41.68 lakh: Amount that will be given to gold medallist in each event The total number of events in athletics at the Games 20 crore: The total prize money to be distributed More on P13 I understand the nature of the transition we’ve been in. We are now operating in a completely different landscape and completely different planet from when I was competing —Sebastian Coe, WA president 44% people never checked blood pressure in Odisha Hemant Kumar Rout @ Bhubaneswar HYPERTENSION may have emerged as one of the leading causes of premature deaths in India but 44.5 per cent people in the age group of 18 to 54 years in Odisha have never got their blood pressure (BP) checked, reveals a recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The study by ICMR’s National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR) found 55.5 pc people in the state had their BP checked and it was one of the lowest in the country While the prevalence . of elevated BP was 17.2 pc, that of pre-hypertension was found to be 34.4 pc against the national average of 15.9 pc and 33.7 pc, respectively . Mayurbhanj and Nuapada were among the 20 bad performing districts in the country in terms of people measuring their blood pressure. Around 40 pc people, in 18-54 age bracket in Mayurbhanj and 42.1 pc in Nuapada got their BP checked. The measured BP rates, prevalence of pre-hypertension and raised BP exhibited wide variations across the dis- Vital parameter 55.5 pc people in Oidsha had their BP checked Mayurbhanj and Nuapada among 20 bad performing districts in India 40 pc in Mayurbhanj, 42.1 pc in Nuapada got their BP checked tricts. The study attributed the disparities to various factors including differences in healthcare infrastructure, socio-economic conditions, lifestyle choices, and urban-rural divides. “Addressing these multi-faceted factors is crucial for reducing healthcare disparities and enhancing raised blood pressure related health outcomes, both at the state and district levels,” stated the study published in the International Jour nal of Public Health (IJPH). The study flagged the growing concern about rising rates of pre-hypertension and elevated BP in younger individuals. Alcohol consumption was associated with higher odds of ever measured BP and prevalence of raised BP Continued on P5 .
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