chennai l friday l February 13, 2026l `9.00 l PAGES 40 l late city EDITION seattle to pay $29 million to kin of indian student who died in ’23 The family of Jaahnavi Kandula, killed in January 2023 when she was hit by a speeding police car in Seattle, will receive $29 million in settlement had gone to u.s. on student exchange callous remarks drove lawsuit Jaahnavi, 23, was hit by a police car driven by officer Kevin Dave as she was crossing a street in Seattle on January 23, 2023.  Dave was driving at more than 119 kmh when he fatally hit Jaahnavi. The student hailed from Adoni in Andhra Pradesh, and was studying in a Bengaluru college from where she was sent to the US on a student exchange programme ■ ■ The lawsuit by Jaahnavi’s parents was in “reference to callous remarks” made by Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer, who said Kandula’s life had “limited value” and they should just write a cheque Dave was fired subsequently, while Seattle’s civilian watchdog found Auderer’s comments damaged the department’s reputation | P13 100 feet away jaahnavi was thrown after being hit by the car CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Inflation cools to 2.75% Govt green light to procure 114 Rafales as govt overhauls index Ja v a r ia Ra n a @ New Delhi Veg prices tumble under new CPI series with 2023-2024 as base year P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi RETAIL inflation eased to 2.75% year-on-year in January , helped largely by a sharp fall in prices of key vegetables and pulses, even as jewellery and select food items registered price rise, government data released on Wednesday showed. The latest inflation print also marks the first release of the Consumer Price Index with a revised base year of 2023-2024, replacing the 2011-12 series. The revision, based on the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023–24, expands the basket to reflect current consumption patterns, especially the growing role of services and digital spending. The data, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Prog ramme Implementation, showed that inflation in rural areas stood at 2.7% while urban inflation was marginally higher at 2.77%. Food inflation, measured by the Consumer Food Price Index, was 2.13%. A steep fall in prices of essential kitchen staples played a major role in keeping headline inflation contained. Garlic Food sheds weight; housing gains Categories Food and beverages Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels Transport Clothing and footwear Health Personal care, social protection & miscellaneous goods and services Furnishings, household equipment & routine household maintenance Information and communication Education services Restaurants and accommodation services Paan, tobacco and intoxicants Recreation, sport and culture prices fell 53.05%, onion 29.27%, potato 28.98%, arhar (tur) dal 24.90% and peas slipped 15.56% on an annual basis. At the same time, some items witnessed extraordinary inflation. Silver jewellery soared 159.67%, tomato prices 64.80%, copra 47%, gold, diamond and platinum jewellery 46.77%, and coconut oil shot up 40.44%. The revised series expands the basket from 299 items to 358. Rural house rent has been CPI 2012 Weight (%) 42.617 16.888 6.394 6.527 5.9 CPI 2024 Weight (%) 36.753 17.665 8.796 6.383 6.1 4.006 5.038 3.656 4.469 3.323 3.513 3.246 2.38 1.547 3.609 3.333 3.348 2.989 1.516 included, as have modern consumption elements such as OTT subscriptions, online services, and CNG/PNG. Outdated items like VCRs and cassette players have been removed. The updated series also incorporates e-commerce prices in 12 major cities. “New items have been added to capture changes in the economy and consumer behaviour,” MoSPI secretary Saurabh Garg recently told this newspaper. World leaders gather in Delhi for AI summit j aya n th j ac o b @ New Delhi INDIA is set to host one of the most consequential technology gatherings of the decade as the AI Impact Summit kicks off at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam on February 16. The first global AI summit to be held in the Global South, the five-day event brings together world leaders, policymakers, and the biggest names in artificial intelligence under one roof. Seven Presidents, two Vice Presidents, and nine Prime Ministers have confirmed their presence, signalling that AI governance is at the centre of global diplomacy . Among the Presidents are Brazil’s Lula da Silva, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Estonia’s Alar Karis, Slovakia’s Peter Pellegrini, Sri Lanka’s Anura Dissanayake, Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic, and Switzerland’s Guy Parmelin. The summit, which will conclude on February 20, will see PMs from nine countries— Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan, Bhutan’s Tshering Tobgay Croatia’s , Andrej Plenkovic, Finland’s Petteri Orpo, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Netherlands’ Dick Schoof, Kazakhstan’s Oljas Bektenov, and Mauritius’ Navinchandra Ramgoolam. Industry leaders include Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. The summit will serve as a platform for discussions on the impact and future of AI. Today’s Matches 11am: Australia vs Zimbabwe (Colombo), 3pm: Canada vs UAE (New Delhi), 7pm: USA vs Netherlands (Chennai) WITH THIS ISSUE CHENNAI’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 40 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Polling officials begin the counting of votes cast in Bangladesh’s national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, on Thursday | AP Counting begins after peaceful B’desh polls Yunus call to uphold democratic decency “I call upon political parties and candidates to uphold democratic decency, tolerance and mutual respect even after the final results are announced. Differences of opinion will exist, but in the national interest, we must remain united,” Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said The first significant results may be available overnight... Voting was peaceful though there were a few minor disruptions in some districts -Bangladesh Election Commission C ounting of votes began in Bangladesh on Thursday evening after peaceful polling earlier in the day for the crucial general elections to elect Parliament members and decide on a referendum on constitutional reforms. While the interim gover nment and the election commission hailed the process, deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina called the polls “a well-planned farce” and demanded a “free, fair and inclusive elections Bayezid Milky under a neutral careSenior journalist based taker government”. in Dhaka At the time of going to the press, there was no official word on the polling percentage, though the poll rolls had nearly 13 crore voters. What was visible though was a good turnout in the morning, but no subsequent voter rush at polling booths for the rest of the day. People just came in ones and twos to cast their ballots. Without going into the numbers, the election commission claimed the turnout was satisfactory . This is a straight fight between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman, 60, and an 11-party alliance led by the Bangladesh Jamaat e Islami and the nascent National Citizen Party (NCP). As per initial trends, BNP candidates appeared to be leading the race with Jamaat struggling to put up a decent show. In the early rounds of counting for the referendum, negative votes were more than the ‘yes’ votes. Top BNP and Jamaat and NCP leaders said they would accept the verdict if the process is not rigged.  Continued on: P13 AHEAD of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India next week, the defence ministry on Thursday accorded acceptance of necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals worth around `3.6 lakh crore, including the much awaited gover nment-to-gover nment deal for 114 Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft estimated at about `3.25 lakh crore. The final contract for the jets is unlikely to be signed before early 2027, sources said. The AoN marks the first formal step in the procurement process, after which commercial negotiations and contract finalisation follow. The time- line for conclusion varies depending on the negotiations. Under the proposal, the Indian Air Force is expected to receive 88 single-seat and 26 twin-seat Rafale fighters. Around 18 aircraft are likely to be delivered in fly-away condition, while the remaining 96 will be manufactured in India with up to 60 per cent indigenous content. Sources said the overall Rafale package includes an estimated `2.5 lakh crore for the aircraft and associated systems, with weapons and support elements taking the total value to around `3.25 lakh crore. This includes procurement of 100-120 SCALP airlaunched cruise missiles, for More anti-submarine P-81s for Navy cleared New Delhi: The DAC also approved the acquisition of six more P-8I long-range reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the Indian Navy, for `28,000 crore, to strengthen surveillance `2,700 crore. The missile was used during Operation Sindoor to strike targets in Bahawalpur and Muridke in the early hours of May 7. The contract will incorporate provisions for upgrading 73.5% investment MoUs have moved into execution, says CM at conclave C S hi v a k u m a r @ Chennai In a bid to put an end to persistent criticism from the opposition parties that the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed by the DMK government have failed to transform into actual investments, Chief Minister MK Stalin, amid glowing tributes from global industry leaders, on Thursday showcased that 73.5% of the MoUs signed since 2021 have moved into execution. Addressing the first-of-itskind Conversion Conclave 2026 organised in Chennai, with elections around the corner, Stalin cited the state’s achievements under the ‘Dravidian Model’ and said, “This data is for all those who have been asking questions about the conversion of MoUs,” adding that the commitments have turned into factories, jobs and production. Industries Minister TRB Rajaa presented a scorecard of the state’s investment performance since DMK returned to power in 2021 in the middle of the second wave of Covid-19. According to the data, TN signed 1,179 MoUs, involving a total committed investment of `12.37 lakh crore and a project- Indian Rafales to the future F5 standard once available, while the existing fleet would be brought up to the F4 configuration, which includes enhanced sensor fusion, improved connectivity and expanded weapons capability . The DAC also approved procurement of additional longrange surface-to-air missiles for Project Sudarshan Chakra. The proposal pertains to replenishment of missile stocks for the S-400 air defence system, with around 280 missiles estimated to be worth approximately `3,000 crore. Among other approvals, the DAC cleared buy of Air-Ship Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellites for Air Force. SC allows TN to submit proposal to UPSC for a new DGP panel S U C H I T R A K A LYA N MO H A N T Y @ New Delhi Industries Minister TRB Rajaa presents a memento to CM MK Stalin during the Conversion Conclave 2026 at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai, on Thursday | Martin Louis ‘TN’s economic growth outpaced nat’l average’ CM MK Stalin asserted that TN’s economic growth has significantly outpaced the national average with a growth rate of 11.19%. “While India’s manufacturing sector growth last year was 4.5%, the state’s growth was three times higher at 14.7%,” he said ed employment for 36.52 lakh people. Of these, 867 are in advanced stages of implementation, with more than a third already operational. At the event, the CM also laid foundation stones for 71 new projects involving an invest- ment of `36,968 crore, and inaugurated 52 completed projects with an investment of `31,934 crore. Together, both sets of projects are expected to create 82,664 jobs. He said the conclave was held to demonstrate that the state’s industrial strategy did not end with investor summits or headline-grabbing announcements. “Our success does not stop with signing MoUs. We follow through until factories are inaugurated and offer letters (for jobs) reach our youth,” he added. Additionally, two new MoUs were signed, committing `5,000 crore in investment and 5,000 jobs.  MORE ON P4 E x p r e s s Re a d HC tells Dhoni to pay `10 lakh for translation Fire at Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai Goyal: Textile sector to get Dhaka-like benefit Chennai: The Madras HC has directed former captain of Indian cricket team MS Dhoni to pay `10 lakh for translation of documents, relating to the 2014 defamation suit he had filed against two TV channels and a retired IPS officer in connection with allegations related to the IPL match-fixing scam | P2 Mumbai: A fire broke out in the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai on Thursday night. As per preliminary information, the blaze erupted at the Survey Yard building located inside the Naval Dockyard at 10.15 pm. An official said the spot where the fire erupted was diagonally opposite the Gateway of India New Delhi: India, like Bangladesh, will receive the benefit of zero-duty access to the US market for garments made using US-origin cotton and man-made fibres under the proposed India-US trade agreement, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday, amid widespread concerns | P14 The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu government to submit within a week a revised proposal to the UPSC for constituting a fresh Empanelment Committee for selecting a permanent DGP for Tamil Nadu. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said the UPSC should make its final recommendation within two weeks thereafter. The court also said the appointment must be made forthwith after the UPSC’s recommendation. Senior advocate P Wilson, who argued for the Tamil Nadu government, said that the UPSC had constituted a five-member selection committee for the DGP examination as per the Supreme Court guidelines and that two representatives of the state government, namely the DGP and the Chief Secretary, were included in it. Wilson argued that since G Venkataraman, the DGP incharge, is also a candidate under consideration for the DGP post, the TN government requested the UPSC, vide its letter on September 17, 2025, to substitute the Home Secretary , who is at the rank of Additional Chief Secretary in his place. , However, the UPSC rejected the Chief Secretary’s request. Wilson contended that the subject of Law and Order is with the State List of the Constitution, and Tamil Nadu has the right to be adequately represented in the Empanelment Committee and to have the best DGP  . P7 Red tape: 360 Dalit families live in dark for 40 yrs J E YA L A K S H M I R A M A N U J A M @ Madurai For the nearly 360 Dalit families residing at Theerthakadu village near Vandiyur within Madurai city limits, the tug-ofwar between the city corporation and the state revenue department over issuance of land pattas has meant a life without electricity, drinking water, roads, drainage, and sanitation facility for more than 40 years. Though the locality falls under ward 38 of the Madurai City Corporation and is part of the Madurai East Assembly constituency represented by Commercial Taxes Minister P Moorthy, for the authorities, the life of 1,200 residents is a matter unspoken, unheard, and unseen. According to a few residents, several poor Dalit families set- Due to lack of electricity, children of around 360 SC families residing in Madurai’s Theerthakadu area are forced to study under candlelight | KK Sundar tled down on barren land strips located on the city’s outskirts over the years in batches and they were promised patta for nine acres and 13 cents of land by successive governments. Only 68 families, however, received e-pattas from Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin in De- cember last year. This delay in issuing pattas hampered the transfer of common land area for development of amenities by the state revenue department to the city corporation, leading to the delay in creating basic facilities in the locality . Unwilling to put up with this official apathy any longer, the Theerthakadu SC Residents Protection Welfare Association has decided to boycott the upcoming elections. Raising slog ans such as “enough is enough”, the residents have pasted posters in and around the village announcing their decision to not vote in any election until they are provided with basic facilities. Speaking to TNIE, Muthamil Pandian, president of the association, said, “We have decided to boycott the Assembly polls in protest against this neglect for over 40 years. We are also planning a rally to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in Chennai in the next few days.” During TNIE’s visit to the village, resident N Mullaikodi (35) said more than 350 SC families have been living in the locality since 1983.  P7