SAMBALPUR  THURSDAY  JANUARY 16, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  CITY EDITION META INDIA APOLOGISES FOR ZUCK’S REMARK THAT NDA LOST LS POLLS INADVERTENT ERROR, SAYS TECH FIRM’S V-P Meta India on Wednesday apologised for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s incorrect claim that the NDA government lost the 2024 Lok Sabha elections COMPANY AVOIDS PARLIAMENTARY SUMMONS Meta India’s Vice President Shivnath Thukral took to X on Wednesday to tender an apology on behalf of the company for the “inadvertent error”. “Mark’s observation that many incumbent parties were not re-elected in 2024 holds true for several countries, BUT not India,” Thukral said responding to Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s criticism of the remark ■ ■ BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who heads Parliament’s panel on Communications and Information Technology, said the matter is now closed. He had earlier said the panel will summon Meta India Zuckerberg triggered a row by claiming in a podcast that the NDA government lost the 2024 election due to its weak Covid response 1 billion USERS FOR META APPS—WHATSAPP, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM—IN INDIA 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 Odisha to roll out NEP at school-level in phases EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar AFTER higher education, the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 will be implemented at school level in Odisha. In a notification, the School and Mass Education department on Wednesday informed that for strengthening of the educational system, NEP-2020 will be implemented in the state and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) with local contextualisation will be adopted as the State Curriculum Framework for Odisha. One of the most important changes NEP aims to bring to the school education system is the transition from the exam- centric 10+2 schooling design to the new 5+3+3+4 pedagogical structure which comprises 12 years of school and 3 years of pre-schooling. The new structure focuses on age-specific learning and evaluation. According to the Ministry of Education, schooling will be divided into four stages based on age-specific learning - foundational stage for ages 3 to 8, preparatory stage for ages 8 to 11, middle stage for ages 11 to 14, and secondary stage for ages 14 to 18. Students will spend five years in the foundational, three years in the preparatory, three years in the middle, and the final four years in the secondary stages. The five years of foundational learning will start from anganwadi (pre-school) and continue till Class 2 which will mostly be activity-based learning. The three years of preparatory stage will be from Class 3 to 5 which will focus on language and numeracy skills. Similarly, the middle stage from Class 6 to 8 will incorporate learning in science, math- It will be done in a phased manner and in the first phase, the shift will be implemented in the foundational stage in the upcoming new academic session of 2025-26 – Shalini Pandit ematics, humanities, social science, among other subjects. The final secondary stage will be covered in two phases - Class 9 and 10 and Class 11 and 12. Commissioner-cum-secretary to the School and Mass Education department Shalini Pandit said the transition from 10+2 to the new education structure will not happen overnight. “It will be done in a phased manner and in the first phase, the shift will be implemented in the foundational stage in the upcoming new academic session of 2025-26,” Pandit said. As far as the NCF is concerned, the department will soon form a committee to frame the state curriculum frameCONTINUED ON P5 work. ED gets Centre’s nod to prosecute Kejriwal, Sisodia M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi WEEKS before the Delhi Assembly elections, the Centre gave its approval to the Enforcement Directorate to initiate prosecution against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the money laundering case linked to the Delhi liquor policy scam. Officials said the Union home ministry gave prosecution sanction against Kejriwal and Sisodia earlier this month. It comes at a time when the two leaders are campaigning for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections scheduled to be held on February 5. The development is significant as a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi had delayed the framing of charges against Kejriwal after he challenged the trial court’s decision to take cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the ED. Kejriwal had argued there is no specific sanction to prosecute him under provisions of the PMLA. The Supreme Court had in November mandated that the ED must obtain prior sanction for prosecution under Section 197(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (now Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita) in money laundering cases, similar to the requirement for the Central Bureau of Investigation. Sonia Gandhi inaugurates the new All India Congress Committee HQ at 9A, Kotla Road, in New Delhi on Wednesday | PTI Rahul’s claim of fighting Indian state draws BJP ire PA R V E Z S U LTA N A N D R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi A rather sharp attack by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday against RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent remarks, drew heavy retaliatory fire from BJP’s biggies. At the inaugural event of the party’s headquarters here, Rahul criticised Bhagwat’s claim that India achieved “true independence” only after the Ram temple consecration, saying it amounts to treason. “Bhagwat has the audacity to say to the country what he thinks about the independence movement and the Constitution. What he said yesterday is treason… Because he is stating that the Constitution is invalid and the fight against the British was invalid... In any other country, he would have been arrested and tried,” Rahul claimed. Rahul went on to say that the BJP and RSS have captured almost every institution in our country, adding the Congress is now fighting not just both of them but the Indian state itself. In its pushback, the BJP launched a bazooka against Rahul for claiming the Congress was fighting the Indian state. Party president J P Nadda, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, IT cell head Amit Malviya and others castigated Rahul for his ‘objectionable’ remark, adding it and exposed his mindset against India. The BJP and RSS have captured every single institution in this country and we are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Congress has a history of encouraging all those forces who want a weak India. Their greed for power meant compromising the nation’s integrity J P Nadda, BJP president “I compliment Mr Rahul Gandhi for saying clearly what nation knows that he is fighting the Indian state. It is not a secret that Mr Gandhi and his ecosystem have close links with Urban Naxal and the deep state who want to defame, demean and discredit India,” Nadda alleged. Sitharaman wondered why Rahul carried a copy of the Constitution when he was using such language. Malviya said, “Rahul Gandhi has now declared an open war against the Indian State itself. This is straight out of George Soros’s playbook”. The Congress got its new headquarters 47 years after the party made bungalow No. 24, Akbar Road its temporary head office. Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the swanky office. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said Indira Bhawan, the new HQ, had been built on the foundation of democracy, nationalism, secularism, inclusive development and social justice. Sue mastermind of Pannun plot, says top panel High-powered committee recommends expedited legal action against Vikash Yadav M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Yadav was with the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) A high-powered committee set when the alleged plot to bump up by the government in the off Pannun went sideways. He wake of a botched operation to was later sacked. bump off Khalistani radical The ministry said the panel Gurupatwant Singh Pannun on recommended expeditious leUS soil, recommended legal ac- gal action against him. tion against ‘an individual’ “The Enquiry Committee who masterminded the plot. conducted its own investigaWhile the report did tions and also pursued not name the individual, leads provided by the the Federal Bureau of US side. It received Investigation (FBI) idenfull cooperation from tified him as Vikash US authorities and the Yadav. two sides also exIn its lookout notice, changed visits. The the FBI said Yadav was Committee further exwanted in a “murderamined a number of for-hire case; conspiracy officials from differto commit murder-forent agencies and also Yadav and his hire; and money launscrutinised relevant co-conspirator dering”. The US District arranged for an documents in this conCourt, Southern District nection,” the ministry associate to of New York, issued an deliver $15,000 said. arrest warrant against It added that the panin cash in New him on October 10, 2024. York, New York, el further recommendas an advance The home ministry ed “functional imsaid in a statement that payment for the provements in systems murder the panel was formed in and procedures as also 2023 to probe the indiinitiation of steps that FBI’s wanted vidual’s links with the could strengthen Inperson notice drug mafia and criminal dia’s response capabilgangs after allegations ity, ensure systematic that a plot was hatched to dis- controls and coordinated action turb American security inter- in dealing with matters like est in 2023. this”. “After a long enquiry, the Yadav is accused of recruitCommittee has recommended ing Nikhil Gupta in May 2023 to legal action against an individ- hire the killer, who turned out ual, whose earlier criminal to be an undercover US agent. links and antecedents also Gupta was arrested in Prague came to notice during the en- and was subsequently extraquiry the ministry said. ,” dited to the US. EXPRESS READ Skin of rare melanistic tiger seized near Similipal Bhubaneswar/Baripada: Skin and other body parts of a rare melanistic tiger, unique to the Similipal landscape, were seized by forest officials from the possession of four persons in the fringe villages of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj district. A special enforcement wing of the Similipal south wildlife division conducted a raid on January 12 when the tiger hide was seized in Tentula village, while nails were recovered earlier from another accused in Balighat. PCCF (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha said the joint task force (JTF) of the wildlife wing is investigating the matter along with the STR team | P4 YOON HELD AFTER 5-HR STANDOFF Impeached South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday over his failed martial law bid, ending a weeks-long standoff with authorities and becoming the first sitting president to be detained in the nation’s history | P9 Trade deficit narrows as gold imports fall in Dec EX PRESS N EWS SERVICE @ New Delhi INDIA’s merchandise exports contracted 1% year-on-year even as imports rose 4.9% in December 2024, government data released on Wednesday showed. The trade deficit narrowed to $21.94 in December month-on-month compared to $32 billion in November as gold imports halved to $4.7 billion. In November 2024, gold imports had surged 186% year-on-year to $9.9 billion. In December 2023, the merchandise trade deficit was $18.76 billion. Services exports during the month rose by 3.25% year-on-year, while imports grew 12%. Total trade deficit (merchandise plus services) widened to $6.78 billion in December 2024 compared to $2.76 billion in the year-ago period. EXPORTS FALL 1% YEAR-ON-YEAR IN DEC 2024 Merchandise 38.39 57.15 Services* 15.63 31.63 TOTAL TRADE EXPORTS: 70.02 IMPORTS: 72.78 DECEMBER 2023 ($ BN) Merchandise 38.01 Services* 59.95 17.5 32.66 TOTAL TRADE EXPORTS: 70.67 IMPORTS: 77.44 DECEMBER 2024 ($ BN) * The latest data for services sector released by RBI is for November 2024. The data for December 2024 is an estimation Merchandise exports during April-December 2024 were $321.71 billion compared to $316.65 billion during April-December 2023. Merchandise imports during the period were $532.48 billion compared to $506.39 billion a year ago. Merchandise trade deficit during the nine- month period of the current financial year widened to $210.77 billion from $189.74 billion a year ago. Total exports during April-December 2024 is estimated at $602.64 billion, registering 6.03% growth. Total imports during the ninemonth period is estimated at $682.15 billion, showing a growth of 6.91%. According to Deepali Agrawal, deputy managing director, India Exim Bank, the trade data for December 2024 highlights India’s sustained growth momentum in nonoil, non-gems and jewellery exports, underpinned by robust contributions from both labour-intensive and technology-intensive manufacturing sectors. She said textiles, agriculture, engineering goods, and electronics have demonstrated strong and consistent growth, underscoring the diversified and resilient nature of India’s export base. She also highlighted the turnaround in the readymade garments sector, which, aft e r t wo ye a r s o f s u b d u e d performance, grew 11.6% during April–December. HC commutes death penalty to life term for 9 in triple murder E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Cuttack DEATH sentence awarded to nine persons convicted in the 2016 Rayagada triple murder over sorcery suspicion was commuted to life imprisonment by the Orissa High Court here on Wednesday . The convicts had faced trial for murder under Indian Penal Code and Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act, 2013. The Rayagada villagers Dengun Sabar, Dasunta Sabar, Aajanta Sabar, Padhantu Sabar, Dalasa Sabar, Malku Sabar, Bubuna Sabar, Lakiya Sabar and Iru Sabar - had branded the victims Asina Sabar, his wife Amabaya Sabar and elder daughter Ashamani Sabar as witches, holding them responsible for the deaths of children in their village. Accusing the trio of practising sorcery, the accused had assaulted the three before injecting pesticides in their sensitive body parts and buried them alive. Later, the accused exhumed the bodies and set them ablaze. Terming it a rarest of rare case, the court of additional sessions judge, Gunupur had awarded death sentence to nine of them on October 21, 2021. While the state government filed a Death Sentence Reference Case for confirmation of death penalty the nine convicts , filed a criminal appeal basing on which the HC commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment without remission and commutation. The division bench of Justices Sangam Kumar Sahoo and RK Pattanaik said the state has not placed on record any evidence to show that there is no possibility with respect to reformation or rehabilitation of the appellants. The reports furnished by senior superintendent of Koraput Jail in which the appellants have been lodged for more than eight years show that their conduct during incarceration has been satisfactory, the bench stated. CONTINUED ON P5