SAMBALPUR l Thursday l October 08, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION duo wins chemistry Nobel for solving ‘mirror image mystery’ France’s Henri Kagan and Japan’s Kenso Soai on Wednesday won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for untangling the mirror images in molecules Henri B Kagan Kenso Soai Making the preferred variant of a molecule Their Discovery shaped modern medicine Molecules exist as two mirrored variants. But in living organisms, only one variant is found. While nature produces only the variant it requires, scientists have failed to create a specific version and have always ended up with an equal mix of both. Kagan and Soai discovered a solution to this puzzle, which has transformed modern medicine | P9 ■ ■ A drug must only contain the variant of the molecule as its target to have the desired effect. The mirror version could even cause harm In 1986, Kagan discovered how to create a “greater excess” of one of the mirror images. Soai then succeeded in designing a chemical reaction that created only the chosen version of a molecule Literature Nobel prize to be announced today 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 unemployed? Borrowing costs to go up as RBI raises repo rate Aged 20 or under & wrestlers No US visas to nine In first hike since Feb 2023, key rate raised to 5.5%; RBI signals rate-hike season is on B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai THE Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday joined other central banks in biting the rate-hike bullet, delivering its first repo rate hike since February 2023. RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) raised the key policy rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 5.5%, immediately raising the interest burden on borrowers. At its policy meeting held between October 5 and October 7, the MPC signalled that higher interest rates are here to stay for some time, changing its policy stance from ‘neutral’ to ‘calibrated tightening’. This, according to analysts, is a signal that two or three more hikes could be in the offing, depend- ing on how inflation and other cember 2024. During his tenure, macroeconomic conditions RBI has delivered six rate cuts evolve in the near term. totalling 125 bps. RBI’s action sent stocks lowThe MPC, however, sent a er by 0.6-0.76%, while the rupee mixed signal by raising its breached the 97-pergrowth forecast by 40 dollar mark for the basis points to 7.1% for first time since June the current financial and closed at a fiveyear while increasing month low of 96.78. its inflation projection Bond yields hardened by 20 bps to 5.2%. by 5-7 basis points to The rate hike comes 7.25%. amid rising inflation “Rate cuts are off risks and global macrthe table for the time oeconomic pressures, Sanjay Malhotra being, and any further including the threat of action will be a hike or a drought and elevated a pause, depending on the bond yields. Typically, central evolving macroeconomic out- banks raise interest rates to look,” RBI Governor Sanjay contain inflation by moderatMalhotra told reporters. ing demand, which in turn The hike was Malhotra’s first slows economic activity RBI’s . since he assumed office in De- higher growth forecast, along- f i r o z m i r z a @ Chennai 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.25 6.25 6.00 6.25 6.00 Repo rate history 5.75 5.50 5.25 5.50 Figures in % 5.00 7 Dec 2022 8 Feb 8 June 9 Oct 2023 2023 2024 6 Dec 2024 5.50 5.50 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 7 Feb 9 April 6 June 6 Aug 5 Dec 6 Feb 5 June 5 Aug 7 Oct 2025 2025 2025 2025 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 side the increase in its inflation projection presents a complex policy outlook. “The duration and the extent of the rate hike cycle would be contingent on the actual growth-inflation developments and outlook, especially that of underlying inflation, the extent of broadening of price pressures and second-round effects of the supply shock, as well as the impact of demand impulses,” the RBI governor said. P10 express read Sitting on the fence: BJD makes a U-turn on INDIA bloc bandh support Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc members lie on the road with a copy of the Constitution in New Delhi | Parveen Negi Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling on veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani at the latter’s residence, in New Delhi | PTI Flash stir adds to ‘We will do it’ says PM pressure on CEC on Viksit Bharat, adds P r ee t h a N a i r & U d aya n K i s h o r e @ New Delhi THE face-off between the INDIA bloc and the Chief Election Commissioner spilled onto New Delhi’s streets for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, as police forcibly detained Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition MPs for the third time in two days. This came after a flash protest demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. After an hour-long standoff, police carried Rahul Gandhi into a bus and forcibly removed Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who lay on the road holdSplit ing a copy of the Constitution. The sibverdict lings and other detained leaders were recall: SC released later. Rahul said the Opposito examine tion’s protest would continue until Kumar resigned, calling it a fight to protect plea the “most sacred thing” in the country. The Supreme Later asked about the FIR against him Court for Tuesday’s eight-hour sit-in, he said, on Wednesday “I have 45 FIRs against me. My target is agreed to that there should be 100 FIRs against me. examine a plea Every FIR against me is a medal for seeking recall me.” The protest followed a luncheon for of its split verdict on INDIA bloc leaders hosted by Congress whether chief Mallikarjun Kharge at a restauchallenges to rant on Janpath in central Delhi. The the 2023 law leaders then boarded buses to head to governing the Jantar Mantar, where heavy security appointment had been deployed. When police stopped of the CEC and their buses on Ashoka Road, Rahul and Election other leaders got out and staged a sit-in, Commissioners triggering a confrontation with security should go to a personnel. As police bodily removed Ralarger hul and put him in the police bus, some Constitution Congress leaders climbed atop the bus bench | P7 and bonnet. A large posse of women personnel removed Priyanka and others and took them away in buses. The show of Opposition unity was marked by the absence of the Samajwadi Party However, SP chief Akhilesh . Yadav said, “In the future, you might hear about a meeting over tea. We could all sit down and eat samosas too... Diplomacy will continue.” As for the Cockroach Janta Party , it will launch its protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10. criticism a motivator RA J E S H K U MAR T H A K U r @ New Delhi Injecting fresh momentum into the Viksit Bharat vision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday coined a new slogan, ‘We will do it’, and called on citizens to work hard to help achieve the goal of becoming a developed country by 2047. The prime minister was addressing the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha’ held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi to mark his 25 years as the head of a government. “The dream we are seeing today in 2026 of a developed India will surely come true. There is no reason for India to stop now. A hundred years ago, we were even less than 40 crore; today, we are more than 140 crore. The 140 crore citizens together will build a developed India by 2047, and we certainly will. We Will Do It,” Modi said. He repeated the new phrase 19 times during his 50-minute address. “Viksit Bharat by 2047: we will do it. Top 3 economy: We will do it. Self-reliant India: we will do it. Global manufacturing hub: we will do it. Hosting the Olympics: we will do it. Forging ahead in space exploration: we will do it,” he said with the crowd echoing him. Modi said criticism has always motivated him to perform better. Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Modi said, “Those who tried to defeat me showed me humility. Those who tried to pull me down showed me resilience. Those who challenged me showed me the power of determination.” He said India is now advancing across multiple sectors. “The Indian Tricolour flies high in technology , sports and industry Indian . pilots are being talked about across the globe today A day will come when . the world discusses “Made in India” aircraft. These goals will be realised only if we formulate visionary policies and strive with the utmost dedication. This is not the time for rest; it is a time to move forward with purpose and to dedicate ourselves entirely to the nation,” he declared. Modi cautioned that political fragmentation for vote-bank gains remains one of the nation’s steepest hurdles, reminding citizens that when adversity strikes, it impacts every community and caste without discrimination. “When a farmer’s field lacks water, does the problem affect only one caste? When there is no electricity, does darkness fall only on one community? If the problem belongs to everyone, the solution must be for everyone,” he said. State panel to assess SEBC share in local bodies E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i ce @ Bhubaneswar The Odisha government on Wednesday constituted a commission to study the population share and political representation of socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) in local self-government institutions across the state. The commission was constituted following a decision by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi earlier in the day. The ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare department subsequently issued a notification in this regard. Headed by retired Orissa High Court judge Justice Pramath Patnaik, the commission will examine the representation of SEBC members in rural and urban local bodies, including panchayats and municipalities, and assess the nature and implication of their political backwardness. Its findings will help the government formulate appropriate measures to ensure adequate political represen- tation of SEBCs in local bodies and safeguard their rights. Retired IAS officer Bijay Kumar Pusti has been appointed a member of the commission, while Special Secretary in the department Sujata Mishra will serve as its membersecretary . The move comes after the state government introduced 11.25 per cent reservation for SEBC students in professional higher education institutions, including engineering and medical colleges. Bhubaneswar: Half an hour after announcing its support for the INDIA bloc’s Odisha bandh call on Thursday, the BJD on Wednesday backtracked, saying it would neither support nor oppose the shutdown and would maintain an independent political position. The U-turn came a day after BJD Rajya Sabha members participated in a march by Opposition MPs in New Delhi over the demand for resignation of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar | P3 In a big setback to the Indian wrestling contingent scheduled to compete at the U23 World Championships, the US Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday refused visas to nine out of 16 athletes. The wrestlers appeared for the visa interviews but were declined visas as their age was 20 or below and all of them, except one, were unemployed. The one woman wrestler, who recently got a job with the Indian Railways, was also denied visas as she could not furnish her salary and bank account details. The championship is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from October 12 to 18. A total of 24 members from the Indian contingent including 16 wrestlers appeared in the first round of interviews at the US Embassy on Wednesday The second lot com. prising 14 wrestlers will visit the Embassy on Thursday . Concerned with the development, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) mailed the US Embassy and copied it to the USA Wrestling and United World Wrestling (UWW), the world governing body. When apprised of the issue by this daily, UWW chief Nenad Lalovic said he would speak to the WFI in this regard. Later in the day Lalovic , made a call to the WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh. press clusive pic: uww UWW assured us I will speak to the that wrestlers will WFI & then speak get the visas on the issue Sanjay Kumar Singh, WFI president Nenad Lalovic, UWW president “We got a call from the UWW president. We have written to him, seeking intervention from the UWW and USA Wrestling in this matter. He assured us that our wrestlers will participate in the event,” Sanjay Kumar told this daily Meanwhile, a WFI of. ficial also confirmed that USA Wrestling also got in touch with the federation. A total of 30 wrestlers (10 each in men’s Greco-Roman, freestyle and women’s wrestling) were selected to compete in the competition. If things go as planned, they will be accompanied by coaches, medical staff and referees for the event. The wrestlers, who were denied visas, are Samarth Gajanan Mhakave, Dheeraj Kumar Malik, Sachin Kumar, Nikhil, Hardeep, Parveen, Ahilya Shatrughn Shinde, Neha P11 Sharma and Neha.