DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA Modi Sarkar ki cbc 22201/13/0312/2324 Guarantee NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 27 THERULESforimplementationof theCitizenship(Amendment)Act (CAA), which was enacted by ParliamentinDecember2019and spawned protests in parts of the country, are likely to be notified within the next fortnight or so, sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Tuesday. “Icannottellyouthedate,but they will be notified before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes into force,” an official of the MHA said. The MCC comes into force when the Election Commission announces polls. It is expected thattheLokSabhapoll dateswill be announced sometime next month. `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Empowering tribal communities PM-JANMAN with total outlay of ₹24 thousand crore to ensure socio-economic welfare of tribal communities CAA rules likely to be notified before poll code, to seek proof of India entry, religion DEEPTIMAN TIWARY Despite its enactment four years ago, the CAA could not be implemented because the rules were not notified. Sources said the rules will specify the evidence needed for applicantstoprovetheircredentialsandeligibilityforcitizenship under the new law. The CAA allows non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to Scan for more Information Hamara Sankalp apply for Indian citizenship through the naturalisation process — the applicants must belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Jain and Buddhist communities. The legislationgrants citizenshiponthe basis of the assumption that these communities faced religious persecution in these three Islamic countries. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BJPstunsCong inHimachal,SP inUPasmany MLAscross-vote CMSukhuintroubleafterSinghvi loses tie-breaker,partyrushingobservers BY UNNY MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 27 Prime Minister Narendra Modi with astronauts-designate (from left) Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. PTI Astronaut wings for Gaganyaan’s IAF pilots, PM calls them 4 Shakti 146 181 75 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 27 SIX YEARS after he announced the decision to send Indians into space, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday presented to Sitharaman will be guest at Adda today As FM, has presented six Budgets in a row ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 27 UNIONMINISTERof Financeand Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has been in charge of two key portfolios in the NarendraModi-ledgovernment, and as India’s longest serving full-time woman Finance Minister, she has presented six Budgets in a row — equalling the record of Morarji Desai. At a time when the global economy faces a slowdown, economic growth and development of India is being closely watched for being an outlier among emerging economies. Sitharaman has steered the Indian economy through the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Viksit Bharat RS POLLS: BJP 10, CONG 3, SP 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL 118 REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2024, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES Government of India ● the nation the four selected astronauts-designate who have been undergoing training under anonymityforthelastfouryears. The four candidates — Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair (47), Angad Pratap (41), Ajit Krishnan (41) and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla (38), all officers of the Indian Air Force — will follow in the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma, the first and only Indian to have CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A STATUS CHECK ALL NDA ALUMNI P 15 P8 SENDING A worrying signal to the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, party candidate and Congress Working Committee member Abhishek Manu Singhvi was defeated Tuesday in the election for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the state after nine MLAs — six from Congress and three Independents — voted against him, resulting in the victory of theBJPnomineeHarshMahajan. In Uttar Pradesh, Congress’s INDIA bloc ally Samajwadi Party tootookahitafteratleastsevenof its MLAs cross-voted in favour of the BJP, resulting in the defeat of Keytest before Lok Sabha polls THE RAJYA Sabha elections for 15 seats in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka were an acid test for the parties in the countdown to the Lok Sabha elections which are likely to be announced next month. This is also the time when alignments are being formed. one of the SP’s three candidates. Inall,theBJPwon10of the15 Rajya Sabha seats in UP, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MARATHA QUOTA STIR Speaker orders SIT probe to find ‘who sponsored and instigated’ Jarange ALOK DESHPANDE & VALLABH OZARKAR MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 27 MAHARASHTRA ASSEMBLY Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Tuesday ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the statements made by Maratha social activist Manoj JarangePatilwhichwilllookinto those behind “sponsoring and instigating Manoj Jarange Patil”. TheprobecomesinthebackdropofthelanguageusedbyPatil incriticisingMaharashtraDeputy ChiefMinisterDevendraFadnavis andaccusationsmadebyhimthat Fadnavis was conspiring to eliminate him. The harsh language CONTINUED ON PAGE 2