DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2024, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 106% OF LONG PERIOD AVERAGE RAINFALL EXPECTED 122 150 187 60 Abovenormalrainfallinmostparts ofcountry:IMDmonsoonforecast Pockets in east, northeast, northwest may see less rainfall NIKHIL GHANEKAR & ANJALI MARAR Kejriwal to stay in jail, SC notice to ED on his plea against arrest NEW DELHI, BENGALURU, APRIL 15 INDIA IS likely to receive “above normal” rainfall this monsoon, the India Meteorological Department(IMD)saidinitsfirst long-range forecast for the sea- son on Monday. The country as a whole is expected to get 106 per cent of the long period average (LPA) rainfall, it said. Importantly,nearlytheentire country, except some pockets in the northwest, east and northeast, was likely to get good rainfall, the IMD said. This is the first time in a decade that the IMD has pre- dicted “above normal” rainfall at thefirststageitself,nearly45days ahead of the beginning of the four-month monsoon season. It isusuallymoreconservativewith its predictions in the first stage. India, as a whole, normally receives 870 mm of rainfall during the monsoon season. This is referred to as LPA, or “normal” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E E X P L A I NE D 16/04/2024 Below normal in ● N-E again NORTHEAST INDIA is again expected to get below normal rainfall. This region has been seeing a declining trend in monsoon rainfall in the last few years. ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, APRIL 15 THE SUPREME Court issued notice Monday to the Enforcement Directorate on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case and fixed hearing in the matter in the week commencing April 29. The bench of Justices Sanjiv KhannaandDipankarDattagave ED time until April 24 to file its response after which Kejriwal can file a rejoinder by April 26. Also Monday, a Delhi court extended the judicial custody of Kejriwal until April 23 – he was CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY In ‘tiger country’ Pilibhit, an election battle without BJP’s Gandhis this time MAULSHREE SETH PILIBHIT, APRIL 15 LOCATED NEAR the foothills of the Shivalik range, Pilibhit is a constituency where tractors dominate the roads more than anyothervehicleandwheat,rice and sugarcane are grown in turns.Largeswathesof forestencompass the Pilibhit Tiger PILIBHIT VOTE SHARE Party BJP SP BSP Cong 2014 52.06 22.83 18.68 2.78 2019 59.38 37.83 — — Cong & BSP, which were in alliance with SP, did not contest in 2019; Source: EC; figures in % Reserveandthosevisitingnotice machans(raisedplatformsmade of jute and bamboo) at every field, indicative of the dangers that farmers face daily, not just from stray cattle but also tigers. Along the highways, billboards prominently advertise institutes that assist youngsters with gettingstudyvisas or clearing competitive exams to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 OutsideSalmanKhan’shouse onSunday. Sankhadeep Banerjee SALMAN HOME FIRING Accused stayed in Panvel for 21 days, last spotted on Mira Road, finds probe MOHAMED THAVER & VIJAY KUMAR YADAV MUMBAI, APRIL 15 TWO BIKE-BORNE men, who fired multiple rounds at actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence on Sunday had been staying in Panvel for 21 days and had purchased the secondhand bike used for the crime from a local resident, an investigation by the Mumbai crime branch has revealed. Police suspect that the accused may have taken a house CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ending poll bonds pushes country to black money, all will regret, says PM Rejects North-South divide: ‘Diversity is our strength, we should celebrate it’ EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, APRIL 15 PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi has said that the scrapping of theelectoralbondschemehas “pushed the country towards black money” and “everyone will regret it”. In an interview with news agency ANI televised Monday, Modialsorejectedtheallegation of Opposition parties that there is no level playing field for them to fight the elections. He said the Opposition is trying to find “excuses”, “setting a reasoning for its impending defeat” in the Lok Sabha elections. On the electoral bond scheme — notified by the Modi government in 2018, it was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in February this year — the Prime Minister said, “In decision-making, we learn and improve. It is Opp trying to find excuses for coming defeat: PM. ANI very possible to improve in this too. But today, we have completely pushed the country towards black money. And that is why I say everyone will regret it. When they think honestly, everyone will regret it.” Data showed that the ruling BJPwasthelargestbeneficiaryof the electoral bond scheme, prompting the Opposition parties to allege that the BJP used its influence to coerce funding. On the decision to scrap the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2