DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2024, LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Modi Sarkar ki Guarantee Government of India CBC 22201/13/0126/2324 Better healthcare facilities for everyone Scan for more information Hamara Sankalp Viksit Bharat 1.6 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs providing healthcare facilities close to home HPV IMMUNISATION PROJECT Govtsettoroll outvaccine drivetofight cervical cancer Campaign to target girls in 9-14 yrs age group, in 3 phases over 3 years NEW DELHI, JANUARY 11 The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link lit up on the eve of its inauguration. Amit Chakravarty EXPLAINED ATAL SETU, MUMBAI: PM OPENS INDIA’S LONGEST SEA BRIDGE TODAY ACROSSTHE SEAIN TWENTYMINUTES 22 km 2-carriageway, 6-lane bridge comprises 16.5-km sea link, 5.5-km land viaducts Rs 21,200cr construction began in 2018 Cost of project; 16 min Average travel time from one end to other, against current 61minutes 100 km/hr Speed limit for light motor vehicles such as cars and taxis RELATEDREPORT PAGE 11 Manipur: Day after 4 Handed whitelist of loan apps to Govt, go missing, father, son says RBI Gov; others set to face action among 3 found killed SOUMYARENDRA BARIK SUKRITA BARUAH GUWAHATI, JANUARY 11 THE BODIES of three people — including a father and son — were recovered in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Thursday, a day after four people from the Meitei community went missing from their village in the area. A fourth person, Dara Singh (55), was still missing as of Thursday evening and security forces and police were conduct- BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY ing search operations to locate him. The bodies of the three deceased—IbomchaSingh(51),his son Anand Singh (20), and their neighbour Romen Singh (38) — havebeenshiftedtotheRegional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal. Apolicestatementsaidsecurity forces were making efforts to search for the person still missing and to flush out armed miscreants from the area. All four men were residents CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 RBI collected list of loan apps from its regulated entities: Das NEW DELHI, JANUARY 11 RESERVE BANK of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday said the central bank has shared a whitelist of lending apps with the Centre. The Union IT Ministry is expected to soon take action against illegal loan apps that are not on the list, The Indian Express has learnt. In a two-part investigation published on November 20-21, The Indian Express had reported howdubiousloanappsadvertise onInstagramandFacebook,and, The Indian Express report on November 20, 2023 Karnataka: Interfaith couple assaulted HC consolidates 15 suits in hotel room, woman alleges gangrape related to dispute, says KIRAN PARASHAR ‘it’s in interest of justice’ FIVE PERSONS have been arrested in Karnataka’s Haveri district for allegedly barging into a hotel room and assaulting a Muslim woman and Hindu man who had checked in together on ASAD REHMAN LUCKNOW, JANUARY 11 PAGE 14 PAGE 1 ANCHOR CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 KRISHNA JANMABHOOMI-SHAHI IDGAH BENGALURU, JANUARY 11 THE WORLD HEARING BEGINS IN GENOCIDE CASE AGAINST ISRAEL AT THE HAGUE RUSSIAN MISSILES HIT KHARKIV AS UKRAINE FOCUSES ON DEFENCE despitewhateverfilterstheplatforms claim to use, many such apps, including those redflagged by thegovernment,continuetooffertheirservices.Ithad also reported that the RBI initially did not have a whitelist of registered loan apps, or even a negative list which is updated. Speaking at the Mint BFSI Summit and Awards on Thursday, Das said the RBI had collected a list of loan apps from its regulated entities — banks and NBFCs — and given it to the Ministry of Electronics and IT. “But, the problem is with illegal lending apps. We have already shared a list with the government. Whenever we come across any further problem, we give it to the government and there is active engagement between the RBI and concerned ministries of the government and law enforcement agencies. Coordination meetings are held ON AN application filed by the Hindu plaintiffs, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday consolidated 15 suits related to the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi IdgahMasjiddisputeinMathura. Lastmonth,onDecember14, the High Court had allowed an application for the appointment of a commission to inspect the Shahi Idgah mosque complex. Before that in May 2023, the High Court had transferred to itself all the suits on the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute. JusticeMayankKumarJainof the High Court on Thursday said Shri Krishna JanmabhoomiShahi Idgah in Mathura. File the cases have been consolidated “in the interest of justice”. A common thread in all the petitions is a prayer for the removal of the mosque from the 13.37-acre complex, which it shares with the Katra Keshav Dev temple. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Sunday. Based on the woman's allegations, police have also invoked charges of gangrape against the accused. Theaccusedarenot affiliated to any outfit, police said, though investigatorsareprobingif some of them have been involved in similar cases in the past. The men also recorded videos of the assault, which quickly spread online, grabbing the police’s attention. Haveri Superintendent of Police Anshu Kumar confirmed that IPC Section 376D (gangrape) had been invoked against the accused,inadditiontoothercharges. “We have taken five persons into CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 After complaints, Tamil film pulled from Netflix; FIR against OTT platform, actor EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, BHOPAL, JANUARY 11 TAMIL FILM Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food has been removed from Netflix amid complaints that it hurt religious sentiments. Ever since it started stream- ing on Netflix on December 29, the film has faced protests and police complaints, with claims that it contained “controversial” remarks about Lord Ram and “promoted love jihad”. The film is about a woman named Annapoorani, portrayed byNayanthara,whocomesfrom a conservative family and aims to become India’s top chef. Her friend, Farhan (portrayed by Jai), helps her navigate the challenges she faces, including cooking and eating meat. Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur registered an FIR against Nayanthara and others involved with the film based on CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 IN A significant step that can reduce the incidence of cervical cancer — the second most common cancer in women in India — the government is set to roll out a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign for girls in the 9-14 years age group. The immunisation drive, planned in three phases over three years, is likely to start from the second quarter of this year, The Indian Express has learnt. According to sources, the campaign will begin once the government has a stock of 6.5-7 crore doses of the vaccine needed for the first phase. Besides cervical cancer, the vaccine also offers protection against the HPV strains that cause cancer of the anus, vagina E E X P L A I NE D ANONNA DUTT One-fifth of global ● burden INDIA ACCOUNTS for about a fifth of the world's cervical cancer cases. With about 1.25 lakh new cases and 75,000 deaths each year, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, after breast cancer. About 83 per cent of invasive cervical cancer cases are attributed to HPV 16 or 18 in India. and oropharynx. Additionally, it also protects against the HPV strains that are responsible for CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Zero tolerance on rights violations: Army Chief on J&K civilian deaths AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, JANUARY 11 IN HIS first public comments on the deaths of three civilianswho were allegedly tortured in custody,inPoonchdistrictof Jammu and Kashmir, Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday said there would be “zero tolerance” for human rights violations. “My guidance to soldiers is unambiguous in respect for humanrightsandzerotolerancefor anyactiononthataccount.There are laid-down guidelines on what to do and what not to do in thoseareas,andforsoldierstobe abletoactinaprofessionalmanner in what they are doing,” he said in his annual address to the General Manoj Pande in New Delhi, Thursday. Renuka Puri media ahead of Army Day on January 15. After a militant attack on an ArmyconvoyonDecember21in which four soldiers were killed, thesecurityforceshadpickedup at least nine civilians for questioning from Topa Pir village in Poonch. Of these, three men — Safeer Ahmed, Shabir Ahmed CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 INDIA’S CLEANEST URBAN BODY AREAS 1.INDORE;SURAT( 1) 3.NAVIMUMBAI 4.GVMCVISAKHAPATNAM 5.BHOPAL( 1) 6.VIJAYAWADA( 1) 7.NDMC( 2) 8.TIRUPATI( 1) 9.GREATER HYDERABAD( 10.PUNE( 17) 10) REPORTS, P 5 & 10 At 79, doctor goes back to classroom, enrols for PhD at IIT -Kanpur ANONNA DUTT NEW DELHI, JANUARY 11 DRSAROJChooramaniGopalisa woman of many firsts. The first womanpost-graduatestudentof general surgery in her Agra college;thefirstIndianwomanwith a superspeciality in paediatric surgery; the first woman ViceChancellor of Lucknow's King George’s Medical University. At 79, she isn’t done yet. Dr Gopal is now back in the classroom,havingenrolledforaPhDat IIT-Kanpur on January 10. Her research, which she will now pursue at IIT-Kanpur’s Biological Sciences and Bioengineering Department, will focus on how stem cells from a person’s bone marrow or abdominal lining can help in the regeneration of damaged spinal nerves, helping patientswithspinalinjuriesorvertebraldamagegetbackontheirfeet. During her long and illustrious career, Dr Gopal has developed new techniques in paediatric surgery and devised low-cost innovations to make treatments accessible to the poor—amongthem,anewstent for hydrocephalus (buildup of fluid in the brain) and a humidifier for babies. She is a recipient of the Padma Shri as well as the country’shighestrecognitionfor physicians,theDrBCRoyAward. It was her years as a postgraduate student at Agra's Sarojini Naidu Medical College that triggered Dr Gopal's interestinregenerativemedicine.She said,“Irememberthis babyborn with a condition called meningomyelocele — a condi- Dr Saroj Chooramani Gopal (right) with her PhD supervisor, Prof Ashok Kumar tion where the spinal cord of the baby is damaged at the time of birth. It was clear to us that the baby would not be able to walk or control bowel movements. When I asked my senior what we could do for the child, he said there was absolutely nothing that could be done. I was determined then to find a way out for children like that.” While the case sparked her curiosity in cutting-edge global research in regenerative medicine, she continued her medical training. In 1973, she completed her super-specialisation in paediatricsurgeryfromAIIMSDelhi. “I became the first person to completeanMCh(superspecialisation) in paediatric surgery. The course was simultaneously started at AIIMS New Delhi, PGI Chandigarh, KEM Mumbai, and Egmore Institute Chennai for one candidate each. While I completed my MCh in three years, the others took an extra year,” she said. After her MCh, she joined BanarasHinduUniversity'sFaculty of Medicine as a lecturer (equiva- lenttoassistantprofessor)andretired as Medical Superintendent andDeanin2008. During her early years at BHU, she proposed to carry out research on the use of stem cells for the regeneration of spinal nerves in children born with congenital defects. “But they rejected my proposal. It was only after I was appointed V-C at KGMU that I was able to get my project approved,” she said. At KGMU, in 2014-15, Dr Gopal was able to demonstrate CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Lucknow