BHUBANESWAR  WEDNESDAY  NOVEMBER 13, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION 35 KILLED, 43 INJURED AFTER MAN RAMS HIS CAR INTO CROWD IN CHINA Police said the 62-year-old driver, surnamed Fan, had been “triggered by (his) dissatisfaction with the division of property following his divorce” PEOPLE AT ZHUHAI SPORTS CENTRE TARGETED ATTACKER SERIOUSLY INJURED, HOSPITALISED According to police, the disgruntled man drove his small SUV into a crowd of people exercising at a sports centre in the Chinese city of Zhuhai, which is hosting a major international military airshow this week. Terming it a “major vicious incident”, local police said the horrific incident occurred at 7:48 pm on Monday. The attacker tried to flee but the police nabbed him ■ ■ Responding officers found Fan in his vehicle attempting to self-harm with a knife. They swiftly intervened and sent him to hospital Fan is still receiving medical treatment as he was unconscious due to severe injuries to his neck and other areas and is not yet fit to be questioned by the police, state-run Xinhua news agency said | P9 Zhuhai 15TH CHINA INT’L AVIATION & AEROSPACE EXHIBITION KICKED OFF ON TUESDAY P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati Given the kinds of weapons recovered and the clothes they wore, we can say that they were either armed militants or armed miscreants I K Muivah, IGP KUKI FIAT No CRPF personnel shall be allowed to leave their camp premises till they apologise, a Kuki student outfit said THREE Meitei women and as many children from the same community have been missing from restive Manipur’s Jiribam since Monday’s gunfight in which 10 Kuki ‘militants’ were gunned down by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the police. In Imphal, 13 organisations jointly announced a 24-hour total shutdown in the Imphal valley from 6 pm of Tuesday seeking government intervention to secure the release of the six individuals. Talking about the Jiribam gunfight, Inspector General of Police I K Muivah said armed miscreants had attacked the Borobekra police station and also at a nearby CRPF camp at Jakuradhor on Monday afternoon. “The militants were using RPGs and other sophisticated weapons such as AK, INSAS, SLRs. A CRPF jawan was injured in the attack and evacuated to Assam for treatment,” Muivah said. The CRPF retaliated and the firing stopped after about 45 minutes. “About 10 militants were found dead. Two elderly persons were found burned to death while three women and three minor children were found missing,” the IGP said, adding the police are trying to trace the six missing persons. The two elderly persons were from the Meitei community . Protesting the “inhumane actions” of CRPF in Jiribam, the Kuki Students’ Organisation issued a “notice” stating that “no CRPF personnel shall be allowed to leave their camp premises.” It demanded a thorough and courtmonitored probe into the “fake encounter”. 7.43 6.94 4.87 3.65 MEAT AND FISH SNACKS, SWEETS CEREALS AND PRODUCTS PULSES AND PRODUCTS FRUITS OILS AND FATS 42.18 10.99 9.69 9.51 8.43 EGG WHAT’S DRIVING THE PRICE RISE FOOD AND BEVERAGES TWO MEITEIS CHARRED TO DEATH, 6 MISSING PERSONAL CARE DAY AFTER Vegetables 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 3.17 Figures are inflation rates (%) of the items for October 2024 Inflation heat breaches RBI’s top tolerance level Retail inflation shoots up to 6.21% in October, dashes rate cut hopes M O N I K A YA D A V @ New Delhi THE spectre of inflation has come back to haunt the economy as retail inflation shot up to 6.21% in October, marking the highest level in 14 months, driven by a sharp spike in food prices. This surge was noted in the prices of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and cooking oils. Food inflation rose considerably to 10.87% in October, the highest in 15 months, up from 9.24% in September and 6.61% in the same month last year. In October, the rate of price increases exceeded the Reserve Bank of India’s upper limit for acceptable inflation (6%). Rural areas experienced a significant rise in inflation at 6.7%, while urban consumers faced a lower rate of 5.6%. The latest inflation numbers dash any IIP TURNS POSITIVE India’s industrial production grew 3.1% with all three key sectors— mining, manufacturing, and power generation—demonstrating positive trends in September. This is a notable improvement as factory output had dipped to (-) 0.1% in August hope of an interest rate cut by the RBI during its monetary policy review in December. Food prices in rural areas increased 10.7% in the month under review, while urban food inflation was even steeper at 11.1%. Meanwhile, inflation for vegetables surged from 36% in September to a five-year high of 42.2% in October. Additionally edible oil prices rose 9.5%, , the biggest jump in two years. Fruit prices rose 8.4%, while inflation for pulses decreased to 7.4%, ending a 17-month streak of double-digit price increases. On the other hand, spice prices fell 7%. Additionally in October, households , experienced an 11% increase in the costs of personal care products and services, up from 9% in September. For experts, core inflation remaining below 4% for 11th consecutive month is a big positive. “The surge in vegetable prices was due to uneven rains. Data for November suggests some moderation in vegetable prices. This, in addition to a favourable base, can lend some downside to vegetable inflation,” said Dharmakirti Joshi, chief economist, CRISIL. High drama as Uddhav’s bags checked once again S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai A day after he accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of being selective in its searches, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he was subjected to checks for the second straight day on Tuesday, when he arrived in Latur district to campaign for the November 20 assembly polls. He said official searched his luggage, like they did on Monday after his helicopter landed at Wani in Yavatmal district. Tuesday’s inspection was carried out by the election officials after the former Maharashtra CM’s chopper arrived at a helipad in Ausa of Latur ahead of his rally scheduled to be held in Kasar Shirshi village. According to a video posted on X, Thackeray is heard asking the election staffers why he was being singled out for such searches. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged cash is being exchanged for votes at the behest of BJP-Sena-NCP leaders but the EC is not acting. “Our luggage, helicopter, private jet, cars... everything is checked. They search our homes also... We don’t have a problem if it is done impartially. But, where Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, and Devendra Fadnavis are contesting, `25 crore has already reached...” he alleged. EC officials later confirmed that nothing objectionable was found in Thackeray’s bags. CANADA CONSULAR EVENT CANCELLED The Brampton Triveni temple in Canada cancelled a consular event after the police warned them of an “extremely high” threat level of violent protests | P8 Carbon market deal done? Experts wary Supplementary budget to shrink amid low spending by govt depts S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA EXPRESS IN BAKU T HE United National Climate Conference (COP29) presidency has claimed early success with the adoption of standards for carbon credits, referred to as Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, a longdebated framework designed to help nations collaborate on reducing carbon emissions. But, critics say it was pushed without adequate scrutiny and would lead to greenwashing as there are not enough safeguards. Yalchin Rafiyev, COP29 lead Yalchin Rafiyev GAME-CHANGING TOOL: COP29 “This will be a game-changing tool to direct resources to the developing world and help us save up to $250 billion a year when implementing our climate plans,” said Yalchin Rafiyev, Azerbaijan’s Dy foreign minister and COP29 lead negotiator negotiator, told the media, “This will be a game-changing tool to direct resources to the developing world.” However, Harjeet Singh, Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel NonProliferation Treaty Initiative, disagreed. “Fast-tracking carbon market rules at the start of COP29 sets a troubling precedent. Rushed rules open the door to weak, false ‘solutions’ that will only delay real climate action.” Article 6, offers two options for trading: countries can enter into bilateral agreements and set their own rules, or participate in a United Nations-supervised market open to all. This UN supervised carbon market, in which the credit price will be fixed by the market players but embedded with third party accreditation, has several loopholes. Critics argue that the benefits of Article 6 are far from guaranteed, as they could result in human rights abuses and ‘greenwashing’, in which polluters can claim environmental progress without reducing emissions. However, Martin Hession, Vice-Chair of the Article 6.4 of the Supervisory Body told this , newspaper, “there are enough safeguards to thwart greenwashing. Third party verification is integral. But, individual countries must also ensure the quality of credits.” On Article 6, India expects to conclude the deal. It hopes COP29 would be able to agree to a mechanism which uses market-based instruments (such as carbon credits) to incentivise P9 low-carbon development. Many devotees affected in Srimandir rush E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Puri UNPRECEDENTED rush was witnessed at the Shree Jagannath Temple here as thousands made a beeline to catch a glimpse of the holy Trinity here on Tuesday which marked the last five days of the month of Kartik. Over 5 lakh people are believed to have visited the shrine during the day. Till this report was filed, ‘darshan’ was continuing. Such was the rush that people had to stand in barricaded queue for more than one kilometre along Bada Danda (Grand Road). The massive turnout meant devotees had to wait for hours which resulted in discomfort to many Some pilgrims had . to be rushed to the temporary Hi-Tech Hospital where they were provided treatment. On Monday, the collector in a press release stated that elaborate arrangements have been made to conduct the ‘Panchuka’ rituals hassle-free. Over 30 platoons of police besides Shree Jagannath Temple security personnel have been deployed and lengthy barricades installed on Bada Danda to facilitate devotees’ movement in a queue CONTINUED ON P5 system. CINEMATIC DISPLAY A man looks at an installation on the journey of Odia cinema at Balijatra ground in Cuttack, on Tuesday | RASHMIRANJAN MOHAPATRA HEMANT KUMAR ROUT @ Bhubaneswar AMID low spending by several departments, Odisha’s supplementary budget for 2024-25 is expected to shrink as compared to previous financial years. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will present the supplementary budget on November 26, the first day of the winter session of the Assembly . Sources said, total expenditure of the budget provision stood at 30.93 per cent in the first six months of the financial year as compared to 35.21 per cent during the same period in previous year prompting the departments to rework on the supplementary proposals. Majhi had presented a budget of `2.65 lakh crore in July . While eight departments have spent less than 20 per cent, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department being among the lowest, 11 major departments have spent less than 30 per cent. The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department comes second after Tourism with both spending only 4.81 per cent and 4.67 per cent of their allocations, respectively . The rest of the major departments with less than 20 per cent expenditure are Sports and Youth Services (5.67 per cent), The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department comes second after Tourism with both spending only 4.81 per cent and 4.67 per cent of their allocations, respectively Sources Transport (8.38 per cent), Panchayatiraj and Drinking Water (11.71 per cent), Mission Shakti (12.73 per cent), Housing and Urban Development (18.16 per cent) and Agriculture (18.68 per cent). “Despite sufficient funds being allocated, expenditure has been slow across several key sectors, including food supplies, agriculture, education, panchayatiraj, infrastructure, women and child development. This trend could be attributed to delay in budget provisioning, project approvals and administrative bottlenecks,” sources said. Six major departments, including Works, Health, and Social Security and Empowerm e n t o f P e r s o n s Wi t h Disabilities departments have spent more than 40 per cent of their budget allocation. Earlier, the government had made it clear that the additional allocation proposals made by the departments, where expenditure is less than 30 per cent of the budget provision till September 30, will not be considered for inclusion in the supplementary budget. “Since the spending by half of the departments is less than 30 per cent, the supplementary budget for 2024-25 is expected to be around `15,000 crore or less. Departments have been asked to accelerate spending and ensure effective utilisation of the remaining funds,” said the sources. The utilisation in the Agriculture and allied sector was 27.65 per cent as against 41.65 per cent in 2023-24 and infrastructure spending was 29.4 per cent. In the last fiscal, the expenditure on infrastructure was 33.3 per cent. Similarly, the social sector spending was 32.65 per cent as compared to 39.34 per cent previous year. On the programme expenditure front, the utilisation dropped by more than 5.66 per cent as only 26.37 per cent was spent till the end of September. During the same period of last fiscal, it was 32.03 per cent. However, the total expenditure has increased by 2.54 per cent and programme expenditure by 1.39 per cent in absolute terms due to increase in budget allocation by 16.73 per cent and programme expenditure by 23.15 per cent. NEGLECT OF LEGENDS From Haripal to Gopinath, Padma awardees’ poverty fight sees no end D I A N A S A H U @ Bhubaneswar CHIEF Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s recent announcement of `30,000 monthly honorarium for Padma awardees of the state has come as a ray of hope for Jitendra Haripal, the voice behind Odisha’s cult folk song ‘Rangabati’. The money would help him buy medicines for his paralysed wife and repair his small ramshackle hut at a slum in Stationpada of Sambalpur’s Khetrajpur. The hut shelters his 13-member family . Haripal’s rendition of ‘Rangabati’ put Odisha on the global map and also fetched him the highest civilian award Padma Shri in 2017. Yet, the recognition hasn’t yet helped him secure a decent life. Haripal earns his livelihood by singing at events and attending as guest but the work flow is limited to just four or five months in a year. He is often accompanied by his young- Jitendra Haripal Gopinath Swain er son Pravat, who is also a musician, and his daughterin-law, a singer. Singing fetches the Padma awardee `6,000 to `15,000 per show and the gover nment provides him `1,200 as artiste pension. Haripal, being very selective of events, said he does not perform at music shows which are dance-oriented and vulgar in tone. “Which is why, I can muster only five to six performances in a year,” he said. While he lost his second son Pratap to an accident some years back, Haripal’s elder son Paras, an auto-driver, contributes to the family income. “However, our combined earning is not sufficient to meet the basic needs of the large family. Forget education of my grand-children or medicines for myself and my wife,” he said. His wife Mallika suffered a fall a month-and-half back and has been paralysed CONTINUED ON P5 since.