PIC: ICC BHUBANESWAR  MONDAY  FEBRUARY 03, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION INDIA U19 WOMEN’S TEAM ON TOP OF THE WORLD The Niki Prasad-led side beats South Africa in the final to successfully defend their title... ALL-ROUND TRISHA STANDS OUT FOR CHAMPIONS She was already a World Cup winner in 2023, but this time, G Trisha was the key architect behind India’s success story. With 309 runs and seven wickets, she was instrumental in India’s unbeaten run to the final. Even in summit clash, she took three wickets and scored an unbeaten 44 to help India get the better of South Africa by nine wickets on Sunday. Fittingly, she was the Player of the Match in the final and the Player of the Tournament SECOND TITLE FOR COACH NOOSHIN ■ ■ Revered coach Nooshin Al Khadeer added another trophy to her cabinet having won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2023 She, along with captain Niki Prasad, had been with this batch of players for several months in the lead up to the WC with several camps and domestic tournaments being the key to putting together a strong squad 17 WITH 17 SCALPS, VAISHNAVI SHARMA WAS THE LEADING WICKET-TAKER 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 Will collect more taxes in FY26: FinMin official D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi is levied on income. The income threshold was increased from THE government is confident `7 lakh to `12 lakh, making any of achieving the income tax col- income up to `12.75 lakh tax free lection target for FY26 despite (after including the standard demassive tax cuts offered in the duction of `75,000). Budget 2025-26—a move that The new tax slab also signifiwill result in a revenue loss of cantly reduces the tax burden `1 lakh crore . As per the Budget on all with the highest tax rate estimate, personal inof 30% applicable on income tax collections come over `24 lakh from could be `14.38 lakh the earlier `18 lakh. The crore in FY26, a 14.4% new tax slab also inincrease over the recreases the basic exvised estimate of `12.57 emption limit from `3 lakh crore for FY25. The lakh to `4 lakh, which FY25 budget estimate means the first `4 lakh ‘Tax cut to would attract no taxes. for tax collection was stimulate All these changes have `11.87 lakh crore. growth’ The FY26 tax collecbeen made under the tion target is achieva- The income tax new tax regime. relief will ble, says a top finance The finance minister stimulate ministry official, addhas said that her indemand and ing: “Our estimate for come tax proposals income tax collection in propel growth would lead to a revenue in the next FY26 is conservative.” loss of `1 lakh crore. According to the offi- financial year, The move to increase Economic cial, with the tax slabs the income tax threshAffairs being revised and tax old to `12 lakh would rates having been low- Secretary Ajay also result in one crore ered for most in the ex- Seth said in an taxpayers going out of interview to isting slabs, individuals the tax net. earning over `12 lakh PTI on Sunday Meanwhile, the fibut avoid paying taxes, nance ministry official would like to come under the mentioned earlier says that tax net. with the announcements, more On Saturday, Finance Minis- taxpayers might shift to the new ter Nirmala Sitharaman an- tax regime. According to the ofnounced a slew of sops to ease ficial, 78% taxpayers have althe burden on the taxpayers. ready opted for the new tax reHer personal income tax pro- gime, and with the latest posals include an increase in changes, more taxpayers would the threshold up to which no tax join the new system. PIC: PTI Needed to convince officials about efficiency in collection and honest taxpayers’ voice Nirmala Sitharaman PM backed tax cut, but it took time to convince officials: FM E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi was fully behind the idea to cut taxes for the middle class but it took time to convince the bureaucrats, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday . Presenting her eighth straight budget on Saturday, Sitharaman raised the personal income tax exemption to `12 lakh from `7 lakh earlier, and also rejigged the tax brackets in such a way that those earning higher could save up to `1.1 lakh. In an interview to PTI on Sunday, she said while Modi was quick to agree to the tax relief, it took a bit of convincing to get on board the officials in the finance ministry and the Central Board of Direct Taxes who are tasked to ensure revenue collection to meet welfare and other schemes. “We have heard the voice of the middle class” who had been complaining about their aspirations not being met despite being honest taxpayers, she said. Explaining the thought that went behind the big announcement, Sitharaman said the tax cuts were in the works for some time. She said the new rates would “substantially reduce the taxes of the middle class and leave more money in their hands, boosting household consumption, savings and investment”. US starts tariff war with Mexico, Canada, China; India spared J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump late on Saturday imposed broad tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China, sparking swift retaliation from North American neighbours. India was notably exempt despite Trump frequently labelling the country as a “tariff king.” India contributes only 3.2% of America’s overall trade deficit, but has a $35 billion trade surplus with the US. China, Mexico, and Canada are the top contributors to the US trade deficit, with Asian giant contributing the highest at 30.2%, Mexico 19%, and Canada 14%, according to the Research and Information System (RIS). Trump said a levy of 25% on Canadian and Mexican imports as well as an additional 10% tax on Chinese goods would come into effect on Tuesday . “We have big deficits with all three of them,” Trump said. In response, both Canada and Mexico said they were prepar- After nudge from Centre, Odisha govt gets ready to auction 10 mineral blocks B I J O Y P R A D H A N @ Bhubneswar AFTER waiting for more than two years for a bullish metal market and a recent nudge from the Centre, the state government has finally approved the proposal of the Steel and Mines department for auction of 10 mineral blocks, mostly iron and manganese ore. The government has approved auction of four iron ore mines - Koira in Sundargarh district, and Roida-1, Putulipani and Jalahuri in Keonjhar district, whose lease period have expired since 2021. JhumkaPathiriposhi West iron ore block in Sundargarh is a v i r g i n m i n e p u t u p fo r auction. Three blocks with a mix of deposit of iron ore and manganese located at Orahuri, Bhanjikususm in Sundargarh, and Roida-D in Keonjhar district are in the auction list. The government has also given permission for auction of two virgin bauxite blocks at Karlapat in Kalahandi district and Nunapaimali in Rayagada district. Even after more than seven months of coming to power, the BJP government was reluctant to take a call on e-auction of mines fearing lack of response from bidders due to the current low metal prices, as it would lead to significantly lower revenue earnings for the state. “The decision to go for auction of 10 mineral blocks including two virgin bauxite mines in a not so conducive market situation is most possibly driven by pressure from the Union Mines minister G Kishan Reddy who during , his recent visit took up the issue with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi,” said sources in the mining industry . “It is not only Odisha, but most of the mineral-bearing states are reluctant to go for auction fearing abnormally low bids which could lead to long-term revenue loss. The state government sets floor prices for auction based on its perception of the fair value of the mine. The bidders’ perception of the fair value of the mine could be lower than the gover nment,” the sources CONTINUED ON P5 added. EVEN as the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack is getting ready to host the ODI between India and England on February 9, the directorate of Fire Services has flagged serious concerns over lack of fire safety measures in the stadium. In a letter to the additional chief secretary Revenue and Disaster Management department, the directorate said a fire safety inspection carried out in May 2022 had found absence of safety protocols and pointed out critical shortcomings, including absence of fire extinguishers, inadequate emergency exits, lack of a proper evacuation plan, and non-func- ISRAEL PM TO MEET TRUMP TO DISCUSS ‘VICTORY’ Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President to discuss countering Iran, expanding ties with Arab countries and negotiations for the second phase of the Hamas ceasefire deal | P9 Cong sets up ‘EAGLE’ panel to monitor EC’s conduct of polls P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi DAYS before the Delhi Assembly elections, the Congress on Sunday set up an eightmember panel—‘Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE)’—to monitor the conduct of free and fair elections by the Election Commission. “It is a very serious message from Congress that the Election Commission is a constitutional body, and so far, its conduct has not been in line with its constitutional responsibilities of conducting free and fair elections,” senior Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty told this newspaper. “The group will coordinate and ensure that the EC is held responsible for the conduct of free and fair elections,” Chakravarty said. Congress treasurer Ajay Maken and senior leaders Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek SECURITY DRILL A security personnel along with a sniffer dog carries out a safety check around the pitch, ahead of the India-England ODI at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack | RASHMIRANJAN MOHAPATRA EXPRESS READ 5 killed, 35 injured as bus falls into gorge in Gujarat Dang: Five people were killed and 35 others injured when a private bus carrying pilgrims hailing from Madhya Pradesh fell into a deep gorge in Gujarat’s Dang district early on Sunday, the police said. They were heading for Dwarka when the accident occured. Police said 17 people are serious. Barabati Stadium under scanner for lacking fire safety H E M A N T K U M A R R O U T @ Bhubaneswar ing similar tariffs on US goods, while China said it would take “necessary countermeasures” to defend its interests. Amid ongoing tariff threats, India has emphasised that its economic ties with the US are special and highlighted the established mechanisms between the two countries to discuss trade matters and related issues. “India-US relationship is very strong, multifaceted and the economic ties are something which is very special...We have established mechanisms between the US and India to discuss any matter or trade matters or matters related to trade,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week. India has been making the right noise to improve its trade relations with the US, with the Union Budget announcing a reduction in customs duties on imported motorcycles. India has also taken steps to open the nuclear sector to private investment as part of a strategic move. tional hydrant systems. However, even more than two years after the fire safety audit and multiple reminders to the stadium authorities in the past, no substantial action has been taken. “Despite repeated advice from the directorate, fire safety measures have not been taken by the associations concerned, in control of the complex. Public events are still being held without the fire safety certificate,” the letter stated. Sources said, the Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM) department has leased out the land of Barabati stadium in favour of Odisha Olympic Association (OOA), Cuttack, which manages it and organises cricket matches on the ground. The stadium has a capacity to seat more than 45,000 spectators. The audit has flagged that the buildings, towers or blocks have Large number of fire personnel, fire fighting vehicles and equipment will be deployed to ensure fire safety. We have asked the authorities concerned to make preventive arrangements for ensuring safety during events when fire personnel are not deployed – Sudhanshu Sarangi, DG Fire and Emergency Services not been equipped with automatic fire detection, alarm and public address systems. Automatic sprinkler systems have also not been installed in all floors including basements of the buildings, towers and blocks. The report has also listed out that the conference hall, new pavilion, gallery No-5, Corporate Box, Odisha Olympic Association, IMFA Block and press gallery require additional staircases for safe exit of spectators. While some driveways around each building, tower or block do not have required width, some others have been permanently closed at some places due to erection of brick CONTINUED ON P5 walls, it noted. Singhvi, Chakravarty, and Pawan Khera are members of the panel. Other members are: Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Nitin Raut, and Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy According to a statement, the panel will first look into the alleged manipulation of Maharashtra voters’ list. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that there has been an increase of nearly one crore voters in Maharashtra between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, adding that “something wrong” has taken place. The EC is neither answering the queries raised by the opposition nor giving the lists of voters, he said. While addressing party leaders at the inauguration of the new Congress headquarters on January 15, Rahul alleged that there is a “serious problem” with the country’s election system and that the EC needs to ensure there is transparency .