kochi l tuesday l January 28, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION India and China agree to resume Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who is in Beijing on a two-day visit, held wide-ranging talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday Direct flight services to be restarted both sides should seize opportunity: Wang During their talks, the two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of this year. “The relevant mechanism will discuss the modalities for doing so as per existing agreements,” a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said. They also agreed in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries ■ ■ “The two sides should seize the opportunity... commit to mutual understanding, mutual support, and mutual achievement,” Wang said On resuming the provision of hydrological data and boosting other cooperation related to trans-border rivers, it was agreed to hold an early meeting of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism 2025 marks 75 years since India and China established diplomatic relations 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 Waqf Bill gets feting new ideas, old wisdom JPC nod with 14 amendments I shared insights into making campuses more inclusive in the session titled, “A Campus for Everyone: Making Higher Education Inclusive.” Prof Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, UGC Chairman, spoke on the need to rebuild India’s examination system in his session on “Testing Times.” Moderated by Prof S Vaidhyasubramaniam, Kumar proposed adaptive testing models and emphasised aligning entrance exams with school curricula to reduce the reliance on coaching centres. In a forward-looking session on AI, Shekar Nair, Co-founder of Upekkha, tackled the hype and reality of AI. Nair emphasised the need to adapt to AI-driven changes in the workplace. Those who fail to embrace AI risk being replaced by it, he said. Express News Service @ Chennai Report expected to be tabled in Parliament ahead of February 5 Delhi assembly polls P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi What is new Right to appoint officer to determine whether a property is Waqf or not given to the state govt instead of the District Collector in proposed bill Mandatory clause to include 2 non-Muslims in Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards dropped. Proposes change in composition of the Waqf Board by increasing it to three members, including a scholar What next JPC will circulate final draft among the members on Tuesday It will meet on January 29 to adopt the report Report to be submitted to LS Speaker on Jan 31 and tabled in Parliament before Feb 5 Delhi polls A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) scrutinising the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill approved it on Monday setting the tone for its ta, bling for discussion and passage during the forthcoming Budget session of Parliament. While the panel led by BJP MP Jagadambika Pal adopted 14 amendments suggested by the ruling NDA members, all those proposed by the Opposition were rejected 10:16 by voice vote. The bill, introduced during the Monsoon session, had proposed 44 amendments to the Waqf Act, 1995. While the Opposition was up in arms against the panel chairman for allegedly breaking rules and bulldozing the proceedings, Pal said that the amendments were put to vote in a democratic manner. However, DMK MP A Raja said, “The chairman himself called the names of the mover of the amendments (given by us) and he himself moved the amendments on our behalf and conducted the head count. And he announced the rejection of our amendments. We will move the Supreme Court if it becomes a bill.” Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Pal said one of the alterations aims to empower the state government to appoint an officer to determine whether a property is Waqf or not — instead of the District Collector who was given absolute powers to do so in the proposed bill. In the Waqf Act 1995, that power is vested in survey commissioners and additional commissioners. The panel also approved changes to another contentious provision that mandated the inclusion of two non-Muslim members in the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards. It dropped the term mandatory and proposed changes in the composition of the Waqf Board by increasing it to three members, including a scholar. Another change was on the ‘Waqf by user’ provision. While the bill knocked it off entirely the , panel approved amendments that said the the ‘Waqf by user’ law will not apply retrospectively , so long as the property is registered. However, Congress MP and JPC member Imran Masood contested the proposal saying 90% of Waqf properties are not registered. Uttarakhand 1st state to implement uniform civil code Constitutional and civil rights of people across all religions have become uniform, says CM Pushkar Singh Dhami | P10 Relief for BJP as RSS steps in to pacify rebel leaders in Palakkad M a n o j V i s w a n at h a n @Kochi With the party staring at a huge embarrassment, Monday was a day of trial and anxiety for the Kerala unit of the BJP. Eight Palakkad municipal councillors including the chairperson had decided to resign, making the leadership squirm as losing power in Palakkad would have been suicidal for the party By the end of the . day, however, the BJP state unit heaved a sigh of relief as the RSS intervened and assured the rebels that their grievances would be taken up with the national leadership. T h e i m m e d i at e provocation was the appointment of Prasanth Sivan as the president of the party’s Palakkad East unit. Palakkad municipality chairperson Prameela Sasidharan, national council member N Sivarajan and state treasurer E Krishnadas were among the leaders who had decided to resign. “Six people had contested three posts in Palakkad dis- 3 Christians, 4 women named dist presidents Thrissur: Three persons from the Christian community figured in the list of BJP’s 27 new district presidents in Kerala, indicating the party’s move to take its Christian outreach efforts to the grassroots leadership. Four women were also among those named as district presidents. P6 trict. The names of three, who received the most votes, were sent to Delhi. There was an emotional reaction as a seventh person, who was not in the race, was appointed the Palakkad East district president. The RSS leadership intervened and convinced us,” a senior BJP leader from Palakkad told TNIE. He said the RSS leaders shared their concerns. “They assured to take it up at the right forum. There was no decision to resign from the party. We the BJP men stand for some values and cannot take emotional decisions,” he said.  ● More on P6 mpactful conversations and thought-provoking debates marked the 13th edition of the ThinkEdu Conclave, presented by SASTRA University, held at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai on Monday. A stellar lineup of speakers, from policymakers to academicians, reflected on the contemporary challenges and opportunities in education and beyond. The day began with a Saraswati Vandana by the students of MOP Vaishnav College for Women, followed by ceremonial lighting of lamp. In his welcome address, Prabhu Chawla, editorial director of The New Indian Express, highlighted the legacy of ThinkEdu as India’s leading education conclave, underscoring its commitment to fostering dialogue between modernity and traditional knowledge. Prabhu Chawla also cautioned against the over-reliance on artificial intelligence (AI), emphasising the importance of balancing pro g ress with values. INSIDE NHRC Chairperson V Ramasubramanian inaugurates the 13th edition of ThinkEdu Conclave 2025 in Chennai by lighting the lamp on Monday; (from left) SASTRA University V-C S Vaidhyasubramaniam, Dinamani Editor K Vaidiyanathan, TNIE CEO Lakshmi Menon and Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla are seen | P Ravikumar The inaugural session featured Justice V Ramasubramanian, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), who tackled the complex relationship between rights, duties, and the Indian soul. Moderated by Dinamani editor K Vaidiyanathan, Justice Ramasubramanian highlighted India’s diversity as both a strength and challenge. assess performance, not dna of nhrc: Ramasubramanian I P7 He underscored the need to balance rights with duties to build a just society He raised . concerns about the delay by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) in according accreditation to the NHRC. Following this, Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, delved into India’s parliamentary proceedings. In a session moderated by senior journalist Kaveree Bamzai, Tharoor decried the rising animosity between the government and opposition, emphasising the need to restore trust and communication in Parliament. Dr Ujwala Chakradeo, ViceChancellor of SNDT Women’s University, and Prof Basuthkar J Rao, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad, tharoor: Engaging with people rewarding than attending Parl I P7 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump discussed a range of issues, including the wars in West Asia and Ukraine, in their first telephonic conversation after the latter was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. “Delighted to speak with my dear friend President @ realDonaldTrump @POTUS,” he said. “We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership. We will work together for the welfare of our people and to- Checks at US gurdwaras for illegal immigrants Officials from the US Department of Homeland Security have started visiting gurdwaras in New York and New Jersey to search for undocumented immigrants after Trump administration removed protections shielding religious places from immigration and customs enforcement actions. P9 wards global peace, prosperity and security Modi wrote , ,” on X. Modi congratulated Trump on his “historic second term”, the Prime Minister’s Of fice (PMO) said in a statement. The two leaders discussed various aspects of the wide- ranging bilateral Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and measures that could be taken to advance it, including in the areas of technology, trade, inve s t m e n t , e n e r g y, a n d defence, the PMO said in the statement. They exchanged views on The afternoon sessions shifted focus to political and cultural narratives. In “The Culture Project: Values for the Viksit Bharatiya,” Mukunda CR, joint general secretary of the RSS, advocated for a three-language policy encompassing one’s mother tongue, a regional language, and a career language. Director told me not to take characters home: Karti I P7 Modi, Don discuss West Asia, Ukraine J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Politics, culture, aspiration global issues, including the situation in West Asia and Ukraine, and reiterated their commitment to work together to promote global peace, prosperity, and security, it said. They agreed to remain in touch and meet soon at a mutually convenient date. EXPRESS READ Out on bail, murder accused hacks 2 to death in Palakkad Palakkad: A man accused of killing a woman in 2019 hacked to death her husband and mother-in-law at Boyan Colony in Palakkad district on Monday. The accused, Chenthamara, who was out on bail, is at large. The deceased are Lakshmi, 68, and Sudhakaran, 50. P6 Tigress that killed plantation worker in Wayanad found dead Kalpetta: A tigress that killed Radha, 47, a coffee plantation worker, at Pancharakolli near Mananthavady has been found dead despite forest department’s attempts to tranquillise it. P6 18 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express