BHUBANESWAR  MONDAY  SEPTEMBER 09, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION INDIA REPORTS 1ST SUSPECTED CASE OF DEADLIER MPOX VIRUS STRAIN Suspected case of the new and deadlier strain of the virus in a man who arrived in India from a country experiencing mpox transmission PATIENT ISOLATED, CONTACT TRACING ON Samples have been collected and are being tested to confirm the presence of mpox, Union health ministry said. The patient has been isolated at a designated hospital and is currently stable. “The case is being managed in line with established protocols, and contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country,” the health ministry said ■ 30 INDIA WELL PREPARED, SAYS HEALTH MINISTRY ■ Urging the public not to panic, the government said the country is fully prepared to deal with such isolated travel-related cases of mpox The mpox virus is known to spread through skin-to-skin contact or sharing items like towels. As many as 15,600 cases and 537 deaths have been reported so far this year globally, according to the WHO | P7 CASES OF MPOX INFECTIONS CAUSED BY OLDER VIRUS STRAIN REPORTED IN INDIA SINCE 2022 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 Majhi launches CM-Kisan Yojana, Join us, Pak sees to benefit `46L farmers of state you as foreigners, Rajnath tells PoK M AYA N K B H U S A N PA N I @ Sambalpur CHIEF Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday rolled out the CM-Kisan Yojana which will benefit around 46 lakh farmers of the state, including the landless. Under the flagship programme, whose launch marked the Nuakhai festival, the government will spend `925 crore. Launching the scheme at the auditorium of GM university here in presence of Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a host of other ministers, Majhi said eligible farmers will receive `4,000 in two phases through direct benefit transfer. While the first instalment of `2,000 was disbursed on Nuakhai, the remaining `2,000 will be given on Akshaya Tritiya. The scheme will benefit farmers who had remained out of the ambit of PM-Kisan Yojana. Majhi said the landless farmers will get `12,500 every year in three instalments under the CM-Kisan Yojana. Of the 46 lakhs beneficiaries who received the assistance on the d a y, 8 2 , 6 6 6 w e r e f r o m Sambalpur. “Since Nuakhai also marks the beginning of Rabi season, the state government decided it would be the most appropriate time to disburse the benefits of the CM-Kisan Yojana,” he said. Not just for farmers, a scheme is also being imple- EXPRESS READ Depression to inflict heavy rains in Odisha Bhubaneswar: The IMD has predicted extremely heavy rainfall (over 200 mm) in parts of Odisha on Monday as the weather system over Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a deep depression within the next 24 hours. Under the influence, one or two places in Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Cuttack and Dhenkanal may receive extremely heavy rainfall while a few places in these five districts are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall | P3 B’desh to take steps to extradite ex-PM Hasina Dhaka: Bangladesh will take necessary steps to extradite deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India to try her on charges of mass killings during the student-led mass movement against her government, the newly-appointed chief prosecutor of the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) said on Sunday. Following unprecedented protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India | P9 Dialogue possible only if Pakistan stops terror, defence minister says during J&K election rally F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other dignitaries at the CM-Kisan launch in Sambalpur, on Sunday| EXPRESS mented to support their children’s education through Krushi Vidya Nidhi Yojna. Under the scheme, scholarship will be given to children of CM-Kisan beneficiaries for pursuing higher technical education, the chief minister said. Majhi unveiled a Krushak Odisha Unified Portal of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment department on the occasion. The portal will provide a single-window platform to address agriculture-related queries, services and grievances. Majhi also announced that efforts are on to establish the second AIIMS of Odisha in Sambalpur. Speaking on the occasion, Union minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan said farmers, poor, backward class- es and women are a priority of the Odisha government which is why the launch of CM Kisan Yojna and formalisation of MSP of paddy at `3,100 per quintal is a huge step. Pradhan lauded the Subhadra Yojana and the chief minister’s keenness to implement the ‘Riverfront Development Project’ on the banks of Mahanadi river near Ayodhya Ghat in the city as was proposed by him. Among others, Revenue minister Suresh Pujari, Panchayati Raj minister Rabi Narayan Naik, Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra and agriculture secretary Arabinda Padhee were present. Deputy chief ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida joined the launch ceremony through video-conferencing. UNION defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asked the residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to join India, saying “we consider you our own unlike Pakistan which treats you as foreigners”. He said after seeing the development in Jammu and Kashmir, PoK residents will themselves reject Pakistan and join India. “There will be so much development that the people in PoK would say that we do not want to live with Pakistan and instead will go to India,” the defence minister said while addressing an election rally in the Ramban assembly constituency in support of BJP candidate Rakesh Singh Thakur. The Union minister said there has been a sea change in the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The Union minister said Pakistan’s top law officer recently filed an affidavit in court terming PoK a foreign land. “I want to tell PoK residents that people of India don’t treat you as foreign- ers... Come and join us,” he said. In June this year, Pakistan’s additional attorney general had told the Islamabad High Court in a case related to illegal detention of PoK poet and jour nalist Ahmed Farhad that PoK is a foreign territory and “therefore not under the jurisdiction of the court”. Farhad was abducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies over some of his critical comments. He was produced in court after two weeks court and was released a few weeks later. On the campaign by Kashmir-based parties to restore Article 370, Rajnath said there has been a big change since the provision was scrapped. “After 2019, Modi gover nment spent `38,000 crore on J&K development. Earlier, pistols and revolvers used to be in hands of Kashmiri youth but now they are carrying laptops and computers,” he said. Rajnath added that talks with Pakistan will be possible only if Islamabad stops terrorism in J&K. “When Pakistan stops sponsoring terrorism in J&K, India will start dialogue with them,” he said. TMC RS MP Jawahar Sircar quits over RG Kar horror S U L A G N A S E N G U P TA @ Kolkata PUTTING pressure on the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar said he has decided to resign from Parliament and leave politics altogether, terming whatever steps taken by the state government in handling the rape and murder of the doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital “too little and quite late”. In a letter addressed to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Sircar said the widespread outrage over the RG Kar incident reflected the people’s discontent with the government. Noting that the “spontaneous outpouring of public anger” is the result of the arrogance and inefficiency of the government, he said normalcy would have been restored “if the caucus of the corrupt doctors was smashed those guilty of taking improper administrative actions punished immediately after the scandalous incident happened”. The for mer chief of Prasar Bharti said he had not seen “such angst and total no-confidence” against a government. Global human chain against rape-murder People take part in a protest march over the rape-murder of a doctor at RG Kar hospital, in Kolkata on Sunday. (Inset) Jawahar Sircar | PTI Sircar said he had “suffered patiently” for a month since the RG Kar incident, hoping for direct intervention with the agitating junior doctors, “in the old style of Mamata Banerjee”. But nothing happened. According to him, the TMC leadership erred in trying to discredit the mass protests as motivated. “The mainstream of the agitation is non-political and a spontaneous one and it is not correct to take a confrontational stand, by labelling it political,” he added. Sircar also raised a number of points about the culture of corrup- tion in the party “Though I carried . on my task in Parliament with fervour, I became increasingly disillusioned as the state government seemed quite unconcerned about corruption and the increasing strong-arm tactics of a section of leaders,” he said. Meanwhile, Governor C V Ananda Bose advised the CM to hold an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss people’s demand for justice for the deceased woman doctor. He also reportedly suggested that the Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal be replaced. People from all walks of life — from students to rikshaw pullers — hit the streets of Kolkata on Sunday in protest over the rape and murder of a medic in a state-run hospital a month ago. In south Kolkata, around 4,000 ex-students of over 40 schools, a large number of them women, walked 2 km demanding justice for the victim. Meanwhile, in solidarity with the protests in India, people in 130 cities across 30 countries including the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, and Japan formed a ‘global human chain’ against the rape-murder of the Kolkata doctor on Sunday evening Manipur CM meets guv again, seeks more powers for state to tackle violence P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati AMID speculations that he may quit amid raging ethnic violence in the state, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday met Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya for the second time in 24 hours and submitted a memorandum, demanding protection of the state’s territorial integrity and abrogation of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement. The SoO pact was signed by the Centre and the Manipur government with two umbrella organisations of Kuki insurgent groups in 2008. Since then, it has been extended periodically . The Raj Bhawan said the CM and his cabinet colleagues met the governor. But neither the Raj Bhawan nor the CM’s office shared content of the memorandum. According to sources, Singh has sought more powers to the state government to deal with insurgency. The memorandum sought handing over the Unified Command to the state and rejection of Kukis’ demand for a ‘separate administration’. Meanwhile, the Assam Rifles on Sunday deployed antidrone systems in the fringe areas to repel any rogue drones. “CRPF has also tested one anti-drone system and given it to the force deployed in the state. Some more anti-drone guns are being brought to the state by CRPF shortly the Manipur Police said, adding: “The state po,” lice have also started the process for procurement of anti-drone system to enhance its security measures and tackle threats from drones effectively After a hiatus of .” four months, fresh ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on September 1 with drones being used to mount attacks. No new incidents of violence have so far been reported on Sunday. SPs in coordination with security forces are continuously monitoring the situation — Official ON A HIGH RECORD MEDAL HAUL AT PARALYMPIC GAMES India’s para-athletes have had a memorable Paralympic Games in Paris where most of the established names lived up to expectations and many talented young athletes came up with scintillating performances to help India win record 29 medals | P11 Household food expenses mark sharpest fall in Odisha MENTALLY-CHALLENGED WOMAN GANGRAPED FOR MONTHS, 4 HELD HEMANT KUMAR ROUT @ Bhubaneswar HOUSEHOLD expenditure on food has marked the sharpest decline in Odisha in the last decade. As per the latest report of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) to the prime minister, Odisha witnessed a drop of 10.6 per cent in household expenditure on food between 2011-12 and 2022-23, which is the steepest among all states in the country . The survey which analysed household consumption expenditure, focusing on what families eat and how this has changed in the last decade, found significant improve- Healthy trend  Food expenses down from 61.4% in 2011-12 to 50.8% in 2022-23  58.6% to 50.4% in rural areas; 51.7% to 43.5% in urban areas  MPCE rose to `2,950 from `1,003 in rural areas; `5,194 to `1,941 in urban  Fruit intake increased to 85.1% households in rural, 90.8% in urban ment in the food consumption pattern and micronutrient intake. The expenditure on food declined from 61.4 per cent in 2011-12 to 50.8 per cent in 2022- 23 in Odisha. It dropped from 58.6 per cent to 50.4 per cent in rural areas and 51.7 per cent to 43.5 per cent in urban areas, which the EAC said, is a good marker of progress. The report also revealed increase in average monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) in rural areas from `1,003 in 201112 to `2,950 in 2022-23, a growth of approximately 194 per cent. In urban areas, the average MPCE grew from `1,941 in 2011-12 to `5,194 in 2022-23, approximately 167 per cent. The proportion of households consuming fresh fruits increased from 60.6 per cent to 85.1 per cent in rural areas and 75.9 per cent to 90.8 per cent in urban areas during the period. Similarly, consumption of eggs, fish and meat rose from 74.5 per cent to 88.2 per cent in rural Odisha and 79 per cent to 88 per cent in the urban CONTINUED ON P5 areas. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar/Dhenkanal IN a shocking incident, a 22-year-old mentally challenged woman was allegedly gangraped by several men for months at an abandoned building in Dhenkanal district’s Bhapur village. Police arrested four persons for their alleged involvement in the crime. They were identified as Babuli Naik (40), Biranchi Moharana (32), Abinash Parida (24) and Jiban Parida (27), all from Mahulapunji village within Sadar police limits. Initial investigation revealed the victim’s father was also mentally-challenged and they were living near the staircase of the abandoned building. The culprits took advantage of the vulnerability of the fatherdaughter duo and raped her for about a year. It is suspected that at least six to seven persons were involved in the heinous crime. Police have launched a manhunt to nab the other accused. Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida expressed shock at the incident. Taking to her X handle, she said the SP has been instructed to initiate stringent action against the culprits. The shocking details emerged when locals noticed the woman was pregnant and informed the staff of the Sakhi centre. Dhenkanal Sadar police station was aler ted following which a case was registered and four accused nabbed. Police said the woman, six months pregnant, revealed before them details of the crime and the accused. “As soon as we received information, we rushed to the village. While four of the accused have been arrested, the rest will be nabbed soon,” said Sadar police station IIC Deepak CONTINUED ON P5 Lenka.