DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 VIKSIT BHARAT DIALOGUE PM: Step out of comfort zone, time for India’s quantum jump BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY THE WORLD Says country on course to become a $10-tn economy by end of next decade Devotees gather in Prayagraj on Sunday, a day before the start of the Maha Kumbh. Vishal Srivastav SAUDI ARABIA URGES LIFTING OF SYRIA SANCTIONS PAGE 14 BJP announces NDA boycott of Assembly bypoll in Erode ARUN JANARDHANAN CHENNAI, JANUARY 12 THE BJP-LED NDA has joined the AIADMK and the DMDK in announcing a boycott of the February 5 Erode East Assembly bypoll in Tamil Nadu. State BJP president K Annamalai announced the NDA’s decision late on Saturday night, referring to the bypoll as a “by-election for a by-election”. This was a reference to allegations of malpractice during the 2022 bypoll held in the constituency. “The coming 2026 Assembly polls are meant to remove the DMK from power. The NDA is moving towards that target and does not want to allow the DMK toconfinepeoplelikecattleonce again,”Annamalaisaid,recalling that there were accusations at thetimeabouttheMKStalin-led party “confining” people at designated places. “All the leaders of NDA who desire people's welfare, after detailedconsultation,havedecided to boycott the Erode East bypoll. Our target is to remove the DMK in the 2026 elections and give the NDA's good governance to people," Annamalai said, adding CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Petal shower to chopper ride to holy dip, stage set for start of Maha Kumbh today An estimated 45 crore people are expected to visit Prayagraj over next 45 days MAULSHREE SETH LUCKNOW, JANUARY 12 MAHA KUMBH 2025, expected to bring over 45 crore people to Prayagraj over a period of oneand-a-half months,willbeginon Monday with the first snan, or holy bath. Even before the Kumbh officially began, the Sangam — the meeting point of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati — witnessed a huge gathering of pilgrims. According to officials, around 50 lakhpeopletooktheholybathat the Sangam in Prayagraj on Sunday. The Uttar Pradesh government’sHorticultureDepartment has made preparations to showerflowerpetalsonpilgrims on all major snan days, starting Monday.Over20quintalsof rose 4 of 10 Govt tenders can’t comply with Make in India rules Depts say sometimes it makes more economic sense; mandate doesn't create supply response, says official TENDERS FLOATED OVER LAST 3 YEARS No. of tenders Scrutinised by DPIIT 3,590 Value `1,74,145 cr Found non-compliant 1,502 `63,911 cr No. of tenderss Provisions of the 2017 order not incorporated 982 Asking for specific brands 450 Source: DPIIT records AGGAM WALIA NEW DELHI, JANUARY 12 CHINTAN VAISHNAV FORMER MISSION DIRECTOR, ATAL INNOVATION MISSION PAGE 16 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SNAPSHOTS: WHERE ALL ROADS LEAD TO SANGAM PAGE 9 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE EXPLAINED NEW DELHI, JANUARY 12 CULTURE KUMBHORIGIN, HISTORY, APPEAL PAGE 16 Stakeholders say drug shortage the primary reason; data shows clinics are far more popular among Delhi’s women YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW ANKITA UPADHYAY NEW DELHI, JANUARY 12 AFTERUNPRECEDENTEDfootfall in 2023 — 1.94 crore visits by the citizens of Delhi — the Capital’s mohalla clinics saw a 28% dip in 2024to1.39croreappointments, an application filed under the Right to Information Act and official documents sourced by The Indian Express have revealed. The decline, health department officials, doctors and experts say, is primarily due to a drug shortage that the mohalla clinics faced last year. Mohalla clinics, the centrepiece of the Aam Aadmi Party government’s health infrastructure, were first set up in October E AN XPRESS RTI APPLICATION 2015. Since then, the clinics, which are meant to be the first pointof contactforpatientswith basic illnesses, have caught the attention of many from across the world, including former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, who wrote a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal praising the project. The Capital has 546 mohalla clinicsspreadacross70assembly constituencies. A senior official fromthestatehealthdepartment CONSULTATIONS No. in lakh Year Male Female 2019 15.14 20.53 2020 12.65 15.22 2021 Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits an exhibition at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue in New Delhi. PTI 11.89 14.76 2022 52.37 68.35 2023 85.86 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 In docking trial bid, ISRO brings satellites to 3-metre distance, puts out images 108.65 2024 URGING THE youth to step outside their “comfort zone” while underlining that this is the time for a “quantum jump” to have a developednationby2047,Prime Minister Narendra Modi said SundaythatIndiaisrapidlymoving towards a $5-trillion economy and will surpass the $10trillion mark by the end of the next decade. Addressing a gathering at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue in New Delhi on National Youth Day, Prime Minister Modi said the country also hopes to host the Olympics inthenextdecadeandisworking towards it with full dedication. “India is rapidly moving towardsbecominga$5-fivetrillion economy, which will greatly expanddevelopmentandfacilities,” he said. He projected that by the endof thenextdecade,Indiawill surpass the $10-trillion mark. He said India has made rapid 75.49 64.17 Data sourced under RTI and from Delhi govt officials saidmorethan60percentofdoctorstherearewomen,whichprovides a sense of comfort that 152 Asking for specific foreign certification ‘Greatest challenge for innovation in India is cultural. Families want their children to be safe, not take risks’ Visitors to Prayagraj for the Kumbh have come from across the country and from different parts of the world. Among them was Laurene Powell Jobs, wife of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Fivemajorsnanwillstartwith the first one on Paush Purnima, which is Monday, followed by three rituals known as Shahi or AmritSnan,whichwilltakeplace on Makar Sankranti on Tuesday After record high in 2023, footfall Lifts to computers: in mohalla clinics fell 28% last year Restrictive turnover requirement PAGE 6 petals will be used for this purpose and they will be showered over an area of 4,000 hectares, officials said. TheTourismDepartmenthas announced the start of a special helicopterridefromMondayonwards to witness the Kumbh. This will be priced at Rs 1,296. According to officials, all 13 Akharas that take part in the KumbhhaveenteredtheKumbh site with their processions. 2017 ORDER TO ENCOURAGE DOMESTIC SUPPLIES Top violations RELATED REPORT EXPRESS NETWORK ENFORCING the 2017 Make-InIndia order in government procurementiseasiersaidthandone. Rules framed under the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order prohibit tenders that restrict or discriminate against domestic suppliers either by specifying foreign brands or setting eligibility conditions around turnover or production capability that may put domesticfirmsatadisadvantage. However, over the last three years, an estimated 40% of over 50 *As of November 2024 3,500 high-valuetenders,which accounts for Rs 64,000 crore, floated by Government departments were flagged as “noncompliant” with these rules by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the nodal agency for the ‘Make in India’ push, according to records reviewed by The Indian Express. From lifts to CCTV cameras, medical supplies to desktop computers, records show, departments were turning to foreign brands arguing that these made better economic — and quality — sense than their CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Jaishankar to be at Trump inaugural, will meet incoming team members Looking at continuity SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, JANUARY 12 EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Minister S Jaishankar will represent India attheJanuary20inaugurationof US President-elect Donald Trump. Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday said, “On the invitation of the Trump-Vance inaugural committee, External Affairs MinisterDrSJaishankarwillrepresent the Government of India at the swearing-in ceremony of INDIA AND the US have invested in a strong bilateral relationship in the last two decades, and support has been largely bipartisan. Delhi’s moves are part of securing the continuity of bipartisan consensus with Trump 2.0. Jaishankar has repeatedly said India is not worried about Trump, the way others are. President-elect Donald J Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America.” During the visit, the MEA said, “The External Affairs Minister will also have meetings with representatives of the incoming administration, as also some other dignitaries visiting the US on that occasion.” JaishankarvisitedtheUSinthe last week of December and met MikeWaltz,NSA-designateinthe incomingTrumpadministration. The new administration has maintained that strengthening CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A photograph released by ISRO earlier on Sunday shows the SpaDeX satellites ‘holding position at 15 metres’ ANONNA DUTT NEW DELHI, JANUARY 12 MOVING TO attempt docking in space,theIndianSpaceResearch Organisation(ISRO)broughttwo SpaDeX satellites as close as 3 metres to each other Sunday morning. After completing the manoeuvre, the space agency moved the satellites away from each other. “A trial attempt to reach up to 15 m and further to 3 m is done. Moving back spacecrafts to safe distance,” ISRO said in a statement. “The satellites will be brought back to the positions and the docking attempted only after analysing the data.” The satellites had been left at a distance of 230 metres from each other Saturday night. Early Sunday morning, ISRO brought the satellites closer — first to a distance of 105 metres between them. They were captured as tiny specks by the on-board videocamera.Thesatelliteswere then brought to 15 metres of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A legal luminary who raised voice against corruption in judiciary SADAF MODAK MUMBAI, JANUARY 12 SENIOR ADVOCATE and one of India’s leading lawyers Iqbal M Chagla, who passed away Sunday in Mumbai at the age of 85, was known as much for his legal acumen as for his tenure as President of Bombay Bar Association,whereheadvocated against corruption in the judiciaryinthe1990s,withresolutions passed against six sitting judges, even leading to resignations. Chagla was one of the most sought-afterlawyersforcorporate houses, too. Some of the famous caseshetookupincludedNestle’s fight against the ban on Maggi noodles; the split of Amarchand Mangaldas, one of India’s biggest law firms; the dispute between the Birla and Wadia families over realestateinWorli;and,thebattle betweenCocaColaandPepsiover their advertisements. HealsoadvisedCyrusMistry, who was married to his daughter Rohiqa Chagla, in the highprofile legal battle against the TataGroup–Mistrydiedin2022 in a car accident. Born in 1939, Chagla was the son of M C Chagla, the first permanent Indian Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court from 1948-58, who went on to become India’s Ambassador to the US and later UK High Commissioner, and a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s Cabinet where he held the education portfolio — and later the external affairs portfolio. Initially keen on journalism, Iqbal Chagla wanted a career in writing but studied law and was alsocalledtotheBaratGray'sInn, the professional association for barristers and judges in London. HavingcompletedhisMastersin HistoryandLawfromCambridge University,Chaglareturnedafter his mother passed away to practice in the Bombay High Court. IQBAL M CHAGLA 1939 - 2025 At the age of 39, he was designatedasasenioradvocate,and was offered judgeship at least thrice. It is believed that he was one of the first candidates who wasconsideredforappointment directly from the Bar as a judge of the Supreme Court. But Chagla refused — even though he would eventually have been elevated to the position of Chief Justice of India. His son Riyaz Chagla is now a sitting judge of the Bombay High Court. Iqbal Chagla led the Bombay BarAssociation,oneof theoldest in the country of practicing lawyers, for terms from 1990 to 1999. “He personally became a petitioner in matters before the SupremeCourtwherethejudges of various high courts were beingtransferredindiscriminately. In every major matter, I believe that he took correct and courageous decisions, never afraid of the powers that be or governments. That has been the true traditionandstandardof theBar. Iqbal set that standard,” said RafiqueDada,aformerPresident of the Bar Association who had served as vice-president during a part of Chagla’s tenure. It was during Chagla's time as Bar President that the then BombayHighCourtChiefJusticeA MBhattacharjeewasforcedtore- sign on allegations of financial misconduct. Senior advocate Yusuf Mucchala, who began his practiceatthesametimeasChaglain 1962, recalled the role played by the Association under Chagla in theriotscases.“WhentheJustice Srikrishna Commission was set up after the 1992-93 Bombay riots,hehadtakentheleadaspresident of the Association, having felt that it should help the Commission find the truth. The Associationhadfiledaffidavitson behalf of some of the victims. This stemmed from his personal belief to maintain the values of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2