eye THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE ‘EVERY TIME I HAVE WRITTEN A SCRIPT KEEPING AN ACTOR IN MIND, IT HASN’T WORKED’ AHMEDABAD,LATECITY JANUARY21,2024 18+4PAGES,`6.00 DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA Modi Sarkar ki Guarantee Government of India ‘Vocal for Local’ creating employment opportunities CBC 22201/13/0187/2324 Scan for more information Hamara Sankalp Viksit Bharat 4 times increase in Khadi sales in last 10 years; Employment opportunities created in villages through promotion of Khadi and rural enterprises' products ANNOUNCEMENT IN ASSAM SignalsendtoFreeMovementRegime GUWAHATI, JANUARY 20 MAKING IT official, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday announced that the Centre has decided to fence the entire length of the currently porous India-Myanmar border to stop free movement of people. Addressing the passing out paradeof newlyappointedcommandos of the Assam Police in Guwahati, Shah said: “Our bor- der with Myanmar is an open border. The Narendra Modi government has taken a decision that the India-Myanmar border will be secure and the whole border will be fenced like the Bangladesh border. The government is reconsidering our Free MovementRegime(FMR)agreement with Myanmar, and is going to end this ease of coming and going.” While there have been reports that the Centre is planning EXPLAINED India-Myanmar border to be fenced, says Shah E SUKRITA BARUAH ● What is FMR? THE FREE Movement Regime allows tribes living along the IndiaMyanmar border on either side to travel up to 16 km inside the other country without a visa and stay up to two weeks. It was implemented in 2018 as part of the Narendra Modi government’s Act East policy. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DECEMBER 21 KILLING OF FOUR SOLDIERS Torture of 5 more slipped under radar in Poonch, cops seek medical records ARUN SHARMA JAMMU, JANUARY 20 ADAYaftertheDecember21terror attack in Poonch on an Army convoy in which four soldiers were killed, eight civilians were picked up and allegedly tortured bysecurityforces—threeofthem died,fivewereadmittedfortreatment at Government Medical Hospital,Rajouri.Therewerefive more civilians who have alleged tortureanddetention,TheIndian Express has confirmed. All are residents of Topa Pir village in Poonch and were ad- New thaw: Taliban envoy is R-day guest in Abu Dhabi SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, JANUARY 20 THE INDIAN Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has invited Taliban’s envoy, Badruddin Haqqani, for the Republic Day celebrations in Abu Dhabi. Badruddin Haqqani, one of the sons of Jalaluddin Haqqani, was appointed Ambassador in October 2023. His brother, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is the Interior Minister of Afghanistan. Among the prominent leaders of the Taliban, the Haqqani network was involved in several terror attacks, including on the IndianEmbassyinKabulin2008. Acopyoftheinvitation,issued inthenameofIndianAmbassador to UAE Sunjay Sudhir, was tweetedbyAfghanjournalistBilal Sarwary, who is now based outside of Afghanistan. The Indian Express verified the invite. New Delhi’s view is that the Indiangovernmenthasbeenengaging with the Taliban ever sinceitsentatechnicalteamand reopened the Indian Embassy in Kabul. So the invitation to Badruddin Haqqani is in sync withthatapproach,sourcessaid. Sourcessaidtheinvitationwas addressed to the envoy of the “IslamicRepublicofAfghanistan”. TheTalibanrepresentsitselfasthe “IslamicEmirateofAfghanistan”; the “Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” was represented by erstwhile President Ashraf Ghani. Treading carefully on the issue, India has been engaging withtheTalibaninKabul,buthas notyetgranteddiplomaticrecognition to the Taliban regime. TheIndiangovernmentisfollowing the same template as the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Sriram Raghavan on his two-decade journey as director FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM During a patrol in Poonch after the Dec 21 attack. File mittedtoanotherhospitalonthe night of December 22 and discharged on January 13. They slipped under the offi- cial radar amid high-profile visits by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief Manoj Pande,bothof whomflaggedthe excesses and assured the families of justice. The Jammu and Kashmir Police is learnt to have asked the Armytoprovidemedicalrecords of these five men, identified as: Riaz (25) and his brother Farooq (19), Israel (20), Jameel (18), and Irfan (18). Said a senior police officer: “Their records are needed as the injured have to be produced before a judicial magistrate to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Citing Govt order, AIIMS shuts down OPD on Jan 22 until 2.30 pm VADODARA BOAT CAPSIZE KILLS 14 Morbi victims move SC seeking panel to examine incidents of negligence SOHINI GHOSH AHMEDABAD, JANUARY 20 THE TRAGEDY Victims Association Morbi, comprising thenextof kinof those whodied intheMorbibridgecollapseincident of 2022, has moved the Supreme Court seeking the constitutionof an expert committee to examine repeated instances of negligence on part of municipal bodies and contractors. The body said the instances of negligence are leading to incidents like the Morbi bridge collapseandtheVadodaraboatcapsize. In the latter, 12 schoolchildren, in the age group of 10-13 years, and two teachers had died after a boat overturned in Harni Lake during a school picnic on Thursday. Listing 24 incidents from January 25, 2014, to January 18, 2024, the petition has cited instances of bridge collapses and boats capsizing in places like Andaman, Gujarat, Assam, Kolkata,Maharashtra,Bihar,Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Mizoram. The ANKITA UPADHYAY NEW DELHI, JANUARY 20 Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a dip in the sea during his visit to Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday. PTI RELATEDREPORTS,PAGES11,13 ‘Darshan’ of old idol put on hold, stage set for opening tomorrow Bhagwat: Jan 22 a beginning, end bitterness MAULSHREE SETH AYODHYA, JANUARY 20 LESS THAN 48 hours before the consecration scheduled for January22,anelaborateandprotracted set of rituals around the 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla were completed Saturday. The new idol’s eyes, still covered with cloth, underwent different “adhivas” rituals, which involved draping the entire frame in a variety of flowers brought from locations across CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 RAM MANDIR AYODHYA THE INAUGURATION 1 DAY TO GO VIKAS PATHAK NEW DELHI, JANUARY 20 AHEAD OF the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, RSS SarsanghchalakMohanBhagwat has called for an end to the “bitterness”,“dispute”and“conflict”. “Now, the conflict that has CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DELHI’S ALL India Institute of MedicalSciences(AIIMS)willremainshutforhalf dayonJanuary 22inviewof theRamTempleinauguration in Ayodhya, it said Saturday. Its out-patient department (OPD) will remain closed until 2.30 pm, though emergency and critical services units will function normally. Similar arrangements have been put in place at the other CentralGovernmenthospitalsin the Capital, including the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. This comes after the Centre Thursdayordered half dayfor all offices,institutionsandindustrial establishments under it across the country “to enable employeestoparticipateincelebrations” in view of the Ayodhya event. Citing the Centre’s order, a memorandum issued by the AIIMS administration Saturday said, “The Government of India CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 2 MORE BOOKED; POLICE SAY BOAT OPERATOR AT LAKE ZONE APPOINTED NON-SWIMMERS AS HELPERS PAGE 3 LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI NATIONAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE: 2024 NOMINATION INVITED Nominations are invited for the 25th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence : 2024 which honours each year a distinguished Indian, residing either in India or abroad, for his/her sustained individual contributions and outstanding achievements of high professional order and excellence in the field of management, public administration, public affairs, education, institution building, art & culture and sports. The Awardee will be selected by a jury comprising of eminent persons. The award is given every year on October 1, the eve of the birth anniversary of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri. The honour carries an award of Rs. Five Lakh plus a citation and a plaque and the awardee is designated as Lal Bahadur Shastri fellow. EARLIER RECIPIENTS OF THE AWRD BHARAT RATNA SHRI LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI (1904 1966) Prof. (Dr.) Shiv Kumar Sarin Dr. Bakul Dholakia Dr. Randeep Guleria Smt. Sudha Murty Dr. (Mrs.) Manju Sharma Sh. Fali S Nariman Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi Dr. Prannoy Roy Dr. Apathukatha S. Pillai Dr. Rajendra Achyut Badwe Smt. Tessy Thomas Prof. Yash Pal Smt. Aruna Roy Shri Sunil Bharti Mittal Dr. E. Sreedharan Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Dr. Naresh Trehan Dr. C. P. Srivastava Smt. Ela Ramesh Bhatt Dr. R. A. Mashelkar Shri N. R. Narayana Murthy Shri Sam Pitroda Dr. C. K. Prahalad 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 NOMINATIONS MAY BE SENT IN CONFIDENCE LATEST BY MARCH 31, 2024 Nomination form may be obtained from the Director, LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, DELHI Plot No. 11/7, Sector 11, Dwarka, New Delhi 110075 Tel. 011 25307700, Email director@Lbsim.ac.in Chairman LBSIM, Delhi Ahmedabad