DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 DDA VC cites inquiry which refers to ‘L-G role’ in tree felling case ‘SAFE HOUSES, URBAN DENS’ Citing ‘Naxalism in urban areas’, Maharashtra Govt tables Bill In affidavit to Supreme Court, DDA VC points to mail which DDA engineer had earlier termed as ‘manipulated’ MALLICA JOSHI & JATIN ANAND NEW DELHI, JULY 11 TEN DAYS AFTER a Delhi Development Authority (DDA) engineersubmittedadeposition in the Supreme Court stating that an email sent from his account allegedly implicating the L-G for felling of trees in the Southern Ridge was “manipulated… and changed with malicious intent”, DDA Vice Chairman Subhasish Panda wrote to the L-G’s Principal Secretarypointingoutthataninquiry had revealed that an email by the engineer had mentioned In midnight visit, J&K cops detain HC Bar Association’s chairman Nazir Ahmad Ronga booked under PSA, says family BASHAARAT MASOOD SRINAGAR, JULY 11 THE JAMMU and Kashmir police havedetainedthechairmanofthe J&K High Court Bar Association Nazir Ahmad Ronga following a midnight visit to his home in Srinagar,hissonsaidonThursday. The family claims they were informed in the morning that advocate Ronga has been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Ronga’s son Umair Ronga, also an advocate at the Srinagar High Court, first posted online, “My father, advocate N A Ronga, hasjustbeenarrestedinadeeply disturbing turn of events. At 1.10 am,acontingentof J&KPolicearrived at our home without any arrest warrant, merely stating, ‘It’s an order from above (uper se orderhai)’.Weareleftinastateof shockand profounddistress.We can only hope this is not another instance of the PSA being misused to intimidate the members of the Bar Association.” Speaking to The Indian Express, Umair said, “This morning,whenhewasbeingtakenfor a medical check-up, police told ushehasbeenbookedunderthe PSA.Weweretoldthathewould CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 that the HLG (Honourable Lieutenant-Governor) had directed the clearing of trees. A fresh affidavit filed by DDA in the Supreme Court on Wednesday includes a letter written on June 28, 2024, by Panda to Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary to the L-G, which states: “In compliance of the… (Supreme Court) order an inquiryhasbeeninstitutedbyme by constituting a three-member committee of senior officials of DDA to identify the person(s) who entrusted the job of felling of treestothecontractorwithout waiting for permission from the honourable Supreme Court. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Jail term even if not a member of ‘unlawful organisation’ but ‘aids’ it MUMBAI, JULY 11 VIZHINJAM WELCOMES FIRST MOTHERSHIP The Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL) in Thiruvananthapuram, India’s first deepwater trans-shipment port, received its first mothership, MV San Fernando, on Thursday. The 300-metre-long Marshall Islands-flagged ship berthed at VISL after arriving from Xiamen in China. PTI REPORT,PAGE12 PM’S MEETING WITH ECONOMISTS Budget focus likely on jobs, rural economy and manufacturing AANCHAL MAGAZINE NEW DELHI, JULY 11 A RENEWED THRUST on jobs, alongside a concerted push to manufacturing and rural businesses, were the key issues flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting with economists on Thursday. With less than a fortnight for the presentation of the Union Budget 2024-25 on July 23, the Prime Minister is learnt to have also touched upon the complexities of Centre-state relations, particularly with the Centre funding many programmes or schemes, and states not assum- NEW DELHI, JULY 11 THE NUMBER OF workers employed in the informal sector in 2022-23 has dropped by 16.45 lakh or about 1.5 per cent to 10.96 crore compared to 11.13 crore in 2015-16, according to the latest Annual Survey of Unincorporated Enterprises (ASUSE) for 2021-22 and 202223 released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). Thedataavailableforthefirst time since 2015-16, provides an understanding of the impact of the three major exogenous shocks viz., demonetisation in UGC-NET row: JNU may go back to own entrance exam for PhD BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY VIDHEESHA KUNTAMALLA NEW DELHI, JULY 11 PM Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a meeting with economists in Delhi. ANI ing full accountability over implementingtheseontheground. The meeting was held in the NITI Aayog office with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Principal Secretary P K Mishra also present. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 After three shocks, 16.45 lakh jobs lost in informal sector over 7 yrs AANCHAL MAGAZINE The key provisions ALOK DESHPANDE UNINCORPORATED ENTERPRISES SURVEY 2022-23 Number of entities 2015-16 Number Number Number of workers of entities of workers Uttar Pradesh 89.94 lakh 1.57 crore 89.99 lakh 1.65 crore West Bengal 88.68 lakh 1.36 crore 78.31 lakh 1.05 crore Maharashtra 60.97 lakh 1.16 crore 47.79 lakh Tamil Nadu 42.29 lakh 0.85 crore 49.48 lakh 0.97 crore Bihar 37.01 lakh 0.59 crore 34.46 lakh 0.53 crore All-India 6.50 crore 10.96 crore 6.34 crore November 2016, rollout of the Goods and Service Tax in July 2017, and the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, on the growthof unincorporatedenter- 0.91 crore 11.13 crore prises and the employment in these enterprises. The ASUSE for 2021-22 and 2022-23 also showed that the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 JAWAHARLAL NEHRU University (JNU) has started discussionsongoingbacktotheold systemof conductingitsownentrance examination for PhD admissions. This move comes in the wake of the recent cancellation of the University Grants Commission-NationalEligibility Test(UGC-NET)adayafteritwas held,followingquestionsoverits integrity. Confirming this, JNU Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit said: “We have begun the process and are taking the opinion of all stakeholders.” The UGC-NET is a crucial examination for entry-level teaching jobs and PhD admissions in universities. Sources told The Indian Express that Pandit initiated the move on July 3 and it may take up to eight weeks to reach a decision. A source said: “JNU is not abandoning UGC-NET. Rather, it is considering holding its own PhD entrance exams, as many other Central universities do.” It was only in April that JNU hadannounceditwouldtakethe UGC-NETscoresintoaccountfor PhD admissions, in line with the National Education Policy 2020, instead of the National Testing Agency (NTA) entrance test. The NTAwasgiventhechargeof conducting computer-based tests for PhD admissions three years ago, with the change seeing CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 GOVT & POLITICS J&K OVERDRIVE: FOREST SEARCHES, INTERSTATE MEET AND DETENTIONS P 6 STATING THAT the “menace of Naxalism”is“increasinginurban areas... through Naxal frontal organisations”, the Maharashtra government on Thursday tabled the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, which proposesjailtermevenif apersonis “not... a member of an unlawful organisation”, but “contributes/ receives/solicitsanycontribution oraid”or“harbours”itsmember, as well as for those who “promote or assist in promoting a meeting” of such groups. TheBillgrantsthestatetheauthority to declare an organisation as “unlawful” — a decision which can be reviewed by an advisory board set up by the state government. Citing “safe houses and urban dens of the Maoist network” inMaharashtra,itsayssuchgroups seek to “propagate their ideology ofarmedrebellionagainsttheconstitutionalmandate”. The Bill defines an “unlawful activity”asonewhichconstitutes a danger or menace to public order, peace and tranquility; interferes with maintenance of public order, “administration of law oritsestablishedinstitutionsand personnel”; designed to show criminal force to any public ser- 3-YEAR JAIL TERM, Rs 3 lakh fine for member of an ‘unlawful organisation’. 2-YEAR JAIL TERM, Rs 2 lakh fine even if not a member, but “contributes/ receives/ solicits any contribution or aid” or “harbours” a member. 3-YEAR JAIL TERM, Rs 3 lakh fine if a person “manages/ assists in management” such an organisation or “promotes/ assists in promoting” its meeting or any member. 7-YEAR JAIL TERM, Rs 5 lakh fine if a person commits/ abets/ attempts/ plans to commit “any unlawful activity” of such an organisation. vant;indulginginorpropagating acts of violence, vandalism, use offirearms,explosivesordisruptingcommunicationsbyrail,road, air or water; “encouraging or preachingdisobediencetoestablished law and its institutions”; collecting money or goods to carry out unlawful activities. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Three acres ‘gifted’ to Karnataka CM’s wife under scanner, his poll affidavits show mismatch JOHNSON T A BENGALURU, JULY 11 ASSET AFFIDAVITS filed by Karnataka Chief Minister M Siddaramaiah across the past threeassemblypollscontainseveral inconsistencies in submissionsregardingtheownershipof a3.16-acreparcelof “agricultural land”inMysorethatwas“gifted” to his wife 14 years ago, according to an analysis of official documents by The Indian Express. This land parcel, which was giftedtotheChief Minister’swife B M Parvati Siddaramaiah in 2010byherbrother,isalsoatthe LAND IN FOCUS 2010: Siddaramaiah’s wife gets 3.16 acres in village on Mysore outskirts as gift from brother 2013: No mention of this land in Siddaramaiah’s poll affidavit 2024: Opp says land exchange illegal; Siddaramaiah says ready to return plots, ‘give Rs 62 crore compensation’ centre of a political storm in the state with the BJP calling for protestsinMysore,thehomedis- 2018: Ownership listed in poll affidavit, land valued at Rs 25 lakh 2023: Poll affidavit shows plots allotted by govt inside Mysore in exchange for the village land now valued at Rs 8.33 crore trict of Siddaramaiah, on July 12. The BJP and JD(S) have CONTINUED ON PAGE 2