DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES भारत िनवार्चन आयोग Election Commission of India Ayushmann Khurrana Android Actor UNION MINISTER FOR PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS PAGE 12 THE WORLD CHINA’S RISING SHARE IN LAPTOP IMPORTS Licensing curbs were imposed in Aug and almost immediately deferred till Oct, when plan was dropped ■ Imports (in lakh) A KEY AMENDMENT to the Prevention of Corruption Act by the Central government in July 2018 has resulted in Maharashtra’s Anti Corruption Bureau waiting for months and years to initiate inquiry against officials for alleged financial irregularitiesinalmosttwo-thirds of its cases. As per data obtained by The Indian Express from the state ACB, of the 547 requests sent as on March 2024 for approval to conductaninquiryagainstanofficial suspected to have been involved in a financial irregularity, the ACB received approval in 5%: Rise in overall laptop imports from FY23 to FY24 SOUMYARENDRA BARIK & RAVI DUTTA MISHRA NEW DELHI, APRIL 7 No.of ACB*requestsfor initiatinginquirypending foroverfourmonths IN JANUARY, nearly 90 per cent of thelaptopsandpersonalcomputers (PCs) imported by India came from China. In the month before that, Beijing’s share was well over 89 per cent and, in November, the figurewas83 per cent. In all, until January in the 2023-24 financial year (FY), Department 81** Revenue 45 Rural Development 40 Public Works 33 Health 17 *Anti-Corruption Bureau ** Two of the 81 requests have a pendency of below 90 days only 51 cases. While permission wasrejectedin126cases,inquiry could not be carried out in as CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PERFECT LANDING A fighter aircraft lands on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in Unnao on Sunday as part of the IAF’s Gagan Shakti-24 exercise. The 10-day drill, which began on April 1, involves emergency landing facility operations at various locations. The drills aim to test preparations for relief ops during calamities as well as enhance overall operational capabilities of the military. PTI Little love for Opp, but voters ‘In-camera’ meetings, no rallies: say ‘missing vipaksh not good’ Manipur sees muted campaign SUKRITA BARUAH MEERUT, GHAZIABAD, APRIL 7 IMPHAL, APRIL 7 Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a roadshow in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur on Sunday. PTI Ghaziabad Municipal Authority's claim over the land. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MORE REPORTS PAGES 6, 7 75 Jan 6.89 3.29 50 25 0 6%: Rise in Chinese laptop exports from FY23 to FY24 THE MEIRA Paibis of Imphal’s Chingamakha area begin their nightly vigil at a small “guardpost” at 9 pm. On Saturday, at around 9.40 pm, two women volunteers working for the Congress candidate from Inner ManipurLokSabhaconstituency joined them for 10 minutes. “We’re going to different places tonight to meet some people who have good connectionsintheirneighbourhood,especiallywomen,sothattheycan know our candidate better, and Sukrita Baruah A Meira Paibi group listens to campaign volunteers. can get people in the locality talking,” said one of the volunteers.After a short, quiet conversation with the Meira Paibis — nearlyeightoutof 10laptopssold inIndiacamefromChina,shows an analysis by The Indian Express of the Commerce Ministry’s import-export data bank. Thisrisingtrendcamedespite NewDelhi’sattemptstodiscourage laptop and PC imports from China. These efforts included a short-lived notification by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in August 2023, whichplacedtheimportof these CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘UNDO COLONIAL LEGACY’ AFTER YEAR OF VIOLENCE LIZ MATHEW 100 Source: Commerce & Industry Ministry THE WAIT CONTINUES Urban Development 89.97% 70.22% Dec 5.2 0 89.80% 82.82% 64.45% Nov 15 82.70% ■ China share (in %) Oct 13.06 20 10 In 6 years, two-thirds of probe requests by anti-graft unit pending IN BJP BASTION: MEERUT AND GHAZIABAD “THE RAM Temple has been built…But what about our small neighbourhood temple for Hanumanji?” asks Indra Raj Singh, a resident of Arthalavillage in Ghaziabad, head of the orDECISION ganising com2024 mittee of the local Hanuman Temple which was brought down for reconstruction. Work on it is stalled due to the China share in total imports rose from 70% in Aug-Oct to 87.5% in Nov-Jan 5 MUMBAI, APRIL 7 PAGE 10 THE SUPREME Court has, from time to time, expanded the fundamental rights chapter to include various facets of a dignified existence. However, this is the first time that it has included the “right against the adverse effects of climate change”. MAHARASHTRA MOHAMED THAVER ISRAEL TO JOIN CAIRO TALKS, REDUCES GAZA TROOPS TO READY FRESH OPS RUSSIA FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT CHINA TO DISCUSS UKRAINE WAR CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E Expanding ● scope Sep 15.07 SARBANANDA SONOWAL Article 21 recognises the right to life and personal liberty while Article 14 indicates that all persons shall have equality before law and the equal protection of laws. These Articles are important sources of the right to a cleanenvironment andthe right against the adverse effects of cli- mate change,” it said. While the bench, also comprisingJusticesJBPardiwalaand Manoj Misra, gave the ruling on March21, thedetailed order was only uploaded on Saturday evening. “Despite governmental policy and rules and regulations recognising the adverse effects of climatechangeand seekingto combat it, there is no single or umbrella legislation in India which relates to climate change andtheattendantconcerns,”the court noted. “However,this does Aug 10.43 IN A significant ruling, the Supreme Court has expanded the scope of Articles 14 and 21 to includethe“rightagainsttheadverse effects of climate change”. “Article 48A of the Constitution provides that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlifeof thecountry.Clause(g) of Article 51A stipulates that it shall be the duty of every citizen CJI D Y Chandrachud wrote the ruling for the bench Jul 10.15 NEW DELHI, APRIL 7 of India to protect and improve thenaturalenvironmentincluding forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife,andtohavecompassion for living creatures. Although these are not justiciable provisions of the Constitution, they are indications that the Constitution recognises the importance of the natural world,” a three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has said. “The importance of the environment, as indicated by these provisions, becomes a right in other parts of the Constitution. E X P L A I NE D ANANTHAKRISHNAN G Licence uncertainty saw PC imports up, China share spiked after plan scrapped Jun 8.3 Right against adverse effects of climate change part of rights to life, equality: SC SHIPMENTS FELL AFTER CURBS LIFTED May 5.85 INDIA URGENTLY NEEDS TO SHIFT TO SOLAR POWER, SAYS CJI-LED BENCH States owe a duty of care to citizens... right to a healthy, clean environment part of this duty: Court ‘If anybody has any objection to CAA, please go to the court of law and file a petition’ CBC 52101/13/0005/2425 iOS Apr 7.74 BY UNNY Stay Informed. Stay Updated. Scan & Download the Voter Helpline App, your voting guide to get all relevant information on elections. #IVoteForSure #MeraVoteDeshKeLiye BUSINESS AS USUAL `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 the powerful Meitei women activists of Manipur — they move to their next stop. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Land portions from 10 cantonment boards to be run by local bodies HARIKISHAN SHARMA AREATOBESHRUNK IN THE first such largescale exercise, the Centre is learnt to have decided to shrink the land under the jurisdiction of 10 key cantonment boards across five states, and put them under the state local bodies instead. It is learnt that the move is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s overall plan to “undo the colonial legacy” and also usher in a “range of governance reforms”, said a source on condition of anonymity. Theaffected areas,adding up to about 20,000 acres — almost half of the 10 cantonment boards'combinedareaof 45,000 acres — includes mostly private propertiesandlandhousingmunicipal amenities like water and Cantonment NEW DELHI, APRIL 7 Area* Ramgarh Cantt 7,500 Deolali Cantt 7,000 Dehradun Cantt 2,250 Mathura Cantt 1,000 Clement Town 1,000 Nasirabad Cantt 550 Babina Cantt 350 Shahjahanpur Cantt 75 Fatehgarh Cantt 50 Ajmer Cantt 40 *in acres sewerage pipelines, said the source.Whiletheseareaswillbe placed under the jurisdiction of the state local bodies, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 IIT-Delhi lends hand to students: Support panel, campus stay with kin for some PAGE 1 ANCHOR YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW E VIDHEESHA KUNTAMALLA AN XPRESS RTI APPLICATION TO EASE pressure on students strugglingwithstudies,whichin extreme cases has resulted in suicides, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has formed a panel of teachers and students to help its undergraduate students with a “poor academic record”, and in “exceptional cases” has also permitted a few students to stay with a family member on campus, The Indian Express has learned. “In a few exceptional cases, thedepartmentshaveidentified at least three such students who they believe require additional support and must stay with a familymember.Insuchcases,the student is allowed to live with a family member on campus and advised not to live alone in the NEW DELHI, APRIL 7 hostel.Studentsinsuchcasescan use the premises of a hostel we have on campus which also has thefacilitytocookfood,”amember of the panel — Academic Progress Group (APG) — told The Indian Express. According to documents accessed by The Indian Express throughtheRighttoInformation Act, the APG has so far identified 192 undergraduate students at the institute as “academically adrift”, emphasising that these students need academic help. The APG was formed in September last year, soon after the death of a student, Anil Kumar, who died by suicide in IIT-Delhi’s Academic Progress Group has identified 192 undergraduate students as ‘academically adrift’. File his hostel room. Kumar hailed from Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district and was pursuing B Tech in Mathematics. Thisyear,therehavebeenfive studentsuicidesattheIITsacross India—twoatIIT-Kanpurandone each in Delhi, Roorkee and BHU. An official notification on the formation of the panel said: “It (APG) will be empowered to interface with academic units and hostels and intervene as required. It will also suggest policy changes that may be needed.” According to official records, the constitution of the APG was revised on March 5 with the inclusionof two studentmembers in the eight-member panel. The APG has so far analysed the academic records of undergraduate students on probation and backlog, held discussions with several students and provided recommendations for changes at the institute. The recommendations are classified into two categories: “Immediate Implementation” and for “Broader Discussion”. For immediate implementation,theAPGhasidentifiedthat“a major cause of backlog students not being able to complete their degree requirements is the nonavailabilityofhostelaccommodation beyond nine semesters”. “It is recommended that 30 hostelseatsbereservedforbacklogstudentsbeyondninesemesters.Theaccommodationwillbe provided subject to 75% attendance in lectures, tutorials and laboratory sessions. The recommendations for hostel accommodation will be made by the APG,” it has said. The APG has also recommendedincreasingtheeffectiveness of the existing tutoring system run by the Board of Student Welfare (BSW) and the Dean of Students. TheBSWprimarilyconsistsof studentrepresentativesfromeach CONTINUED ON PAGE 2