DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2023, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 24 PAGES INDICTMENT FILED IN MANHATTAN COURT, INDIAN CITIZEN HELD DECISION 2023 TELANGANA VOTES TODAY Total electors 3.17cr Total Candidates: 2,290 2018 RESULTS BRS 88 INC 19 AIMIM 07 TDP 02 BJP `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 US accuses Indian official of plotting to kill separatist Pannun in New York Indian got money delivered to hitman who was undercover US official, says indictment, links plot to Nijjar murder 01 Others 02 RESULTS ON DEC 3 EXPLAINED CLIMATE INDIA AT THE CLIMATE SUMMIT P20 SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 29 UNITEDSTATES federalprosecutors have accused an Indian intelligenceofficialof planningand directing a plot, from India, to allegedly kill Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. The plot allegedly in- volved another Indian citizen and two individuals, a source and a hitman, who turned out to be undercover US officers. The allegations are in an indictment filed by the US Department of Justice in a federal court in Manhattan. The Indian official, according to the indictment, was working with a CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Why this is significant THE CLAIMS in the indictment and the visits of the CIA chief and US NSA to India before the Canadian PM’s remarks are a pointer to the pooling of intelligence between the Five Eyes partners. It’s also a test of Indo-US ties that have grown exponentially across sectors. Govt forms probe panel; CIA chief, US NSA flew to India, raised plot concern, says Post SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 29 DAYSAFTERDelhisaiditwasexamining inputs provided by the US on an alleged plot to kill KhalistanseparatistGurpatwant Singh Pannunin the US, the government said Wednesday it had constituted a high-level inquiry committee on November 18 to probe into “all the relevant aspects of the matter”. Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said India will take necessaryfollow-upactionbasedon the findings of the committee. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Over 81 crore poor to get free foodgrain for Goals derailed, world leaders meet in Dubai to another 5 years: Govt bring climate on track EXPRESSATCOP28 AMITABH SINHA DUBAI, NOVEMBER 29 IN CONVERSATION Spiritual leader and founder of Isha Foundation Sadhguru with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, at the Express Adda in Mumbai on Wednesday. Pradip Das BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY CABINET GIVES EXTENSION TO PMGKAY ALL INDICATIONS are that time may have already run out on efforts to keep the global rise in temperatures within 1.5 degree Celsiusfrompre-industrialtimes. And yet, world leaders, business corporations,climatenegotiators and activists are congregating in Dubai for the next two weeks to makeonemoreattempttowards that goal, keeping a glimmer of hopebycommittingtosomeenhanced and effective climate action in the short term. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among those travelling to Dubai for COP28, the climate conferencewhichbeginstomorrow and which, like every year, willsee arangeof globalleaders, headsof statesandgovernments. Modi, who will make an appearance at the climate conference for the third time, after his CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 HARIKISHAN SHARMA NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 29 IN POLL SEASON, the Union Cabinet has cleared the extensionof thePradhanMantriGarib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) — which aims to provide free foodgrains to 81.35 crore people undertheNationalFoodSecurity Act(NFSA)—forfiveyearsbeginning January. The scheme is estimated to cost the government Rs 11.80 lakh crore in subsidies in five years, said an official statement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the extensionof thescheme,whichwasto end this December, during election rallies in Madhya Pradesh SCHEME BENEFITS `11.80 lakh cr Esitmated cost of food subsidy for five years Persons under NFSA@ Urban Rural 62.49 cr 18.85 cr Foodgrain entitlement Priority households 5* Antyodaya Anna 35* Yojana families @as on Oct 31 *kg per month and Chhattisgarh in November. The Union government had CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Manipur’s UNLF bids farewell to arms, Shah says pact is historic SUKRITA BARUAH & DEEPTIMAN TIWARY GUWAHATI, NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 29 GRANDSON HELD FOR COUPLE’S MURDER IN US, FAMILY IN SHOCK AT VADODARA PAGE 10 IN THE first known instance of a valley-based insurgent group (VBIG) from Manipur entering intoapeacepactwiththeCentre, the Union government said Wednesday that the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a Meitei insurgent outfit, has signed a Peace Agreement with the Government of India and the Government of Manipur. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 The UNLF, Manipur valley’s oldest insurgent group. ANI FORMER IAS OFFICER ARRESTED Dahod fake govt offices case: 52 of 100 projects of Rs 11.7 cr approved in 2020-21 ADITI RAJA VADODARA, NOVEMBER 29 DAYS AFTER a former Gujaratcadre IAS officer was arrested in Dahod district for allegedly running six fake government offices that received grants worth Rs 18.6 crore for implementing "irrigation-related projects", more details havebeenrevealedinthe FIR linked to the matter. Police Former IAS officer B D Ninama have said teams will be sent to thesitesof 100projectscommissioned through fake offices to siphon off around Rs 18.60 crore from the grantsunder the "tribal sub-plan" in the Dahod district. Racketeers, who had set up thesixfakeoffices,couldinclude more government officers, as per the officials. They allegedly received Rs 11.74 crore for the alleged fraud in the financial year 2020-2021 when52projectswereapproved under three fake offices. The Dahod district police, whichisinvestigatingthealleged multi-crore fraud by conman CONTINUEDONPAGE4 THE WORLD GAZA CEASEFIRE ENTERS FINAL DAY, MEDIATORS PUSH TO SEEK EXTENSION PAK COURT REVOKES NAWAZ’S GRAFT CONVICTION THAT OUSTED HIM PAGE 21 Hindus, Muslims together saved 41 lives: Chief of firm in final tunnel rescue act PAGE 1 ANCHOR AVANEESH MISHRA UTTARKASHI, NOVEMBER 29 THE HEAD of the company whose employees dug the last stretch of the Uttarakhand tunnel that led to the rescue of 41 trappedworkers onTuesdayhas underscored the diversity of faiths in his team, saying the job couldn’t have been done alone. Speaking to The Indian Express, Vaqeel Hasan, who owns Delhi-based Rockwell Rescued workers board an IAF helicopter for Rishikesh from Chilanyasaur in Uttarakhand, Wednesday. Chitral Khambhati Enterprises, said: “In our team, there are both Hindus and Muslims, and people from both religions worked hard to save these 41 lives. None of them could have done this alone, and this is the message I want to give to everyone… We should all live in harmony and not spread the poison of hate. We all want to give our 100 per cent for the country… Please convey my message to everyone.” Twelvepeoplefromhiscompany – six from Delhi and six from Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr – were called into actionwhenthedrillingmachine CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Ahmedabad