THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l tuesday l april 23, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION spice-mix products sold in India under lens over cancer risk Food safety regulator starts taking samples after Hong Kong and Singapore flagged high ethylene oxide levels in spices-mix products from India ethylene oxide is a Group 1 carcinogen The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said it is taking samples of spices in powder form of all brands, including MDH and Everest—the two companies whose products are under scrutiny in Singapore and Hong Kong. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified ethylene oxide as a Group 1 carcinogen | P12 ■ A32,000 cr Four products under scrutiny ■ Singapore and Hong Kong specifically banned the sales of three pre-packaged spice-mix products of MDH—Madras Curry Powder, Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala—and Everest’s Fish Curry Masala Hong Kong food safety regulator warned that those violating the ban could face six months imprisonment and a fine of $50,000 worth of spices exported by India In fiscal year 2022-23 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 കകസർേഗഗഡ്-തതരുവനനനുരം ആറുവരര േദശീയയയത, ഗഗമീണ േററഡുകൾ വേേഭഭരത് െെെയയനുകൾ, ആധുനനകവും വൃൃൃയുുതുമമയ െറയയൽേവ സ്േേഷനുകൾ വവഴഴഴം തുറമുഖം, െകകകക കെെയ്നർ െെർമമനൽ ആയയരരൾൾ് െതതഴഴൽ െകകകക െമേേേേ, വവവർ െമേേേേ, സ്മമർർ് സസസസ, അമൃത നഗരം െഗയയൽ ഗഗഗസ് ൈൈൈ് ൈലൻ ‘േമമമമ’േയയെെ േകരരം Published by: Bharatiya Janata Party, 6A Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, New Delhi Surat of things HC nixes 24,600 school teacher jobs in Bengal to come as BJP gets 1st LS seat S u l a g n a Sen g u p ta @ Kolkata Party’s candidate Dalal elected unopposed D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad The BJP on Monday opened its 2024 Lok Sabha account from Surat by winning the constituency without any contest. In the process, Mukeshbhai Dalal became the first candidate of any party since 12 years in a general election to be elected unopposed. The last such instance was of Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav winning the Kannauj Lok Sabha bypoll in 2012 unopposed. Eight other candidates left in the Surat fray withdrew after Congress nominee Nilesh Kumbhani’s nomination form was rejected by returning officer Sourabh Pardhi on Sunday . Kumbhani’s papers had purported inconsistencies in the signatures of his proposers. The papers of the Congress dummy candidate Suresh Padsala, too, were rejected on similar grounds. “As all eight candidates who had successfully filed their papers for the Surat Lok Sabha seat withdrew on Monday Dalal has been elected , unopposed,” said Pardhi. The Surat Congress, however, claimed that the entire exercise was premeditated. Surat Congress leader Pappan Togadia told this newspaper, “I alerted party leaders and the South Gujarat Congress incharge, Usha Naidu, about plot to reject Kumbhani’s papers. But my warnings went unheeded. I believe Kumbhani will The Calcutta High Court on Monday cancelled all appointments of teachers and nont e a ch i n g s t a f f re c r u i t e d through the West Bengal School Service Commission’s (WBSSC) State Level Selection Test2016 (SLST-2016) after it found that bribes were paid to secure recruitments. The order will cancel more than 24,000 appointments. About 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the SLST-2016 for 24,640 vacant posts. A division bench of the court comprising justices Debangsu Basak and Shabbar Rashidi directed the CBI to investigate and submit a report. The court had ordered a reevaluation of the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets of candidates from the 2016 recruitment exam after it received petitions alleging irregularity The re-evaluation . brought to light that many of those selected were recruited against blank OMR sheets. Those recruited in such a way ‘Justice after years of struggle’ As the Calcutta High Court delivered its order cancelling appointments, hundreds of school job aspirants waiting outside the court premises rejoiced with many breaking into tears. “We had been waiting for this day. After years of struggle on the streets, justice has finally been delivered,” one of them said must immediately surrender the salaries they have drawn to the jurisdictional magistrate, the court said in its order. The bench directed the WBSSC to initiate a fresh recruitment process. Reacting to the court order, Chief Minister Mamata Baner- jee said her government will challenge the ‘illegal’ verdict. “The court verdict cancelling all recruitments is illegal. We stand by those who lost their jobs. We will ensure you get justice, and challenge the order in a higher court,” she said. Training her guns on the BJP Mama, Pinarayi urges EC to take action against PM’s ‘hate speech’ EXPRESS READ BJP’s Surat seat candidate Mukeshbhai Dalal after he was elected unopposed Serious lapses found in Inspection of tuskers soon join the BJP .” While the last day for filing nomination papers was Friday , their scrutiny happened the following day. The withdrawal window for candidates closed at 3 pm on Monday . The drama began on Saturday with the BJP questioning the legitimacy of signatures on Kumbhani’s papers. Subsequent scrutiny revealed that three persons who proposed Kumbhani’s candidature claimed their signatures were forged. For his part, Kumbhani alleged that his supporters had been abducted. Curiously, Kumbhani’s proposers are close relatives. All three vanished after the controversy broke. Amid a Congress scramble to legally challenge the rejection of his papers, Kumbhani left for Goa purportedly to avoid signing the papers. There is also speculation about his links with Patidar leaders Alpesh Kathiriya and Dharmik Malaviya, who quit the AAP last week and are said to be bound for the BJP . Kochi:The amicus curiae appointed by the Kerala High Court to oversee the verification process and issuance of fitness certificates for elephants paraded for Thrissur Pooram reported that the tuskers were brought without necessary documentation such as work register, movement register, and food register which should have been reviewed by forest officials before issuing fitness certificates | P2 EU eases Schengen visa norms for Indian visitors New Delhi: Indians will now be able to apply for multiple entry Schengen visa of up to five years. “Indian nationals can now be issued long-term, multi-entry Schengen visas valid for two years after having obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years,” an EU readout said. “The two-year visa will normally be followed by a five-year visa,” it added | P9 18 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express Pinarayi-Rahul spat to affect Cong: Yechury Water metro envisages ops through Kochi canals A N IL S @ T’Puram @ Kochi The verbal spat between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would prove counterproductive primarily for the Congress, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury has said. Responding to queries on anti-incumbency factor against the LDF government and the CM, Yechury felt that such issues would not, however, be reflected in Lok Sabha polls. “In this LS polls, the major factor is the anti-Modi feeling among voters and who’s best suited to achieve that objective. That’s where the understanding that a stronger Left is needed becomes important,” he said. In an interview with TNIE, Yechury expressed hope that INDIA bloc will be able to substantially reduce BJP seats in the Full interview | P5 Hindi belt. As Kochi Water Metro approaches its first anniversary, the first-of-its-kind initiative in the country has ambitious plans for the future. One notable proposal is a service through the city’s once-navigable canals. The eagerly awaited canal rejuvenation initiative — part of the Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System managed by Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) — aims to ferry passengers through these canals to various destinations. Kochi is known for its network of canals and backwaters. But, many of these waterways are now in disrepair, primarily due to illegal encroachments and waste dumping. KMRL managing director Loknath Behera told TNIE that making Kochi’s canals navigable is a long-term project and the agency is working on it. “The Kochi Water Metro plans to introduce smaller boats in A i s h w a r ya P r a b h a k a r a n Kochi Water Metro | File pic the future that can navigate through the city’s canals. Once the canal development and rejuvenation projects are under way, we may proceed with smaller boats that can carry 2025 passengers. This approach will reduce operational cost and improve city connectivity ,” said Behera. The water metro — launched on April 25, 2023 — has not only gained popularity in the city but also attracted international recognition for its 100% sustainable mode of transportation. “The canal rejuvenation project will include a water metro component. Over time, water transport in and around Kochi will be managed by the water metro,” Behera said. ● More on P6 ta said: “It has turned the courts into their extended party offices. If the BJP files a PIL, prompt action is taken and people are sent to jail. No action is initiated when others file.” She went on to allege that people aligned with the BJP are given important positions. Former judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay who joined the BJP recently said: “I have said in my verdict earlier that the Mamata government is corrupt. I thank the Calcutta High Court bench for giving such an order. Now a can of worms will be opened.” E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kannur D Gukesh shows his Candidates trophy after emerging victorious at the event in Toronto on Sunday | Stev Bonhage/fide x Gukesh youngest candidate to vie for the world crown Swaroop Swaminathan @ Chennai SOME of chess’ greatest names have called the coming age ‘the era of Indian chess’. The Polgars, Judit and Susan. Former world champions, Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. Former Candidate winner, Boris Gelfand, and the only two-time winner of the World Cup, Levon Aronian... they have all heaped praise on the next generation of Indian kids. They were all proved right in the early hours of Monday as D Gukesh, all of 17, completed a logic-defying, history-being-rewritten three weeks in Toronto as he became the youngest ever winner of the Candidates tournament, an elite eight-player field that identifies the next challenger of the World Championships (Gukesh will face Ding Liren later in the year for a shot at immortality). The Chennai boy became only the second Indian after Anand to win the event. In the 14th and final round inside the city’s Great Hall, Gukesh, sole leader by 0.5 points, drew against Hikaru Nakamura after 71 moves. Nakamura, one of the preCandidates favourites, needed a win to stay in contention. With white, he gave it his all but never got change on a day when Gukesh stayed rock solid till the very end. While that draw put Gukesh on the brink of victory, there was another match going on on the table next to theirs. It featured Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, two players who had been joint second coming into the final round. Both players needed a win while hoping the Indian didn’t win. They got the first wish but the win just wouldn’t come for either of them. Both of them kept at it gamely and agreed to draw after a marathon 109 moves and six hours of match play . It feels remarkable that if it wasn’t for an elite-level tour nament arranged in short notice, Gukesh wouldn’t have qualified. The Tamil Nadu government played a helping hand in bringing the event to Chennai. This Candidates title completes a remarkable turnaround for the GM D Gukesh. From August, he had been on a downward spiral. Post a loss to Carlsen at the World Cup, he had felt out of it. “I wasn’t in a good mental space,” he had said. Now, he must be in the good mental P13 space. Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial “redistribution of wealth” speech in Rajasthan as “antinational”, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the PM is instilling Islamophobia among the public by fabricating stories. Speaking at an election campaign in Kannur on Monday, the CM urged the Election Commission to take legal action a g a i n s t t h e P M ’s “ h a t e speech”. Pinarayi asserted that the BJP fears the growing realisation among the public that the party must be ousted from power at the Centre to safeguard the Constitution. “The BJP has decided to play the communal card to overcome this fear,” he said. During an election rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara, the prime minister had claimed that the Congress manifesto promised “redistribution of wealth” after conducting a survey. Modi cited former PM Manmohan Singh as saying in 2006 that Muslims have the ‘first claim’ on the country’s resources. Modi alleged that the Congress was set to hand over the wealth of others to “intruders” and “those who have more ● More on P6 children”. Cong attacks Modi for hate speech at poll rally | P5 Kharge prestige at stake in son-in-law’s fight RA M AKRISH N A B ADS E SHI @ Kalaburagi CONGRESS chief Mallikarjun Kharge is not contesting from the Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency but he is putting all his might to win this SC-reserved seat, which he lost in the 2019 general elections. That shocking defeat dented his image as Solillada Saradara (one who has not tasted defeat). And to reclaim his reputation, Kharge has fielded his son-inlaw Radhakrishna Doddamani in Gulbara. For the octogenarian, Kalaburagi (formerly Gulbarga) is his karma bhumi, which elected him 10 times to the Assembly and twice to the Lok Sabha. Doddamani is also Kharge’s brother-inlaw as he is the younger brother of Radhabai Kharge. In line with the popular saying in Hindi Sari duniya ek taraf, joru ka bhai ek taraf (The whole world is on side, wife’s brother on the other side), Kharge has already addressed public gatherings twice in Kalaburagi in the past month, and is visiting again on April 24. Kharge gets daily updates Illustration: Mandar Pardikar from Doddamani, while his son Priyank Kharge and strong follower Dr Sharanaprakash Patil are sweating it out in the summer heat to ensure victory . The Congress has systematically planned Doddamani’s election campaign. While the party has claimed credit for implementing the five guarantees and amending Article 371-J for Kalyana Karnataka Region, Priyank and Sharanaprakash have been meeting caste groups and working classes separately . ● More on P9
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