BHUBANESWAR  WEDNESDAY  AUGUST 20, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION HARMANPREET & CO SEEK THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP TROPHY As the BCCI announced the squad for the Women’s ODI World Cup to be played in India, a look at the Harmanpreet Kaur-led squad... NO SHAFALI, RENUKA RETURNS AFTER LONG BREAK SPIN HEAVY INDIA LOOK FOR HOME GLORY One of the key debates in the lead up to the selection was whether opener Shafali Verma will get a place. However, her lean run in the T20I series vs England and with India A in Australia meant Verma did not make the cut. Seamer Renuka Singh Thakur, who had been out of action due to injury, will make a comeback in the ODIs against Australia and feature in the World Cup ■ ■ With four frontline spinners and plenty of part-time options in the squad, expect Harmanpreet and Co to use their slower bowlers to control the proceedings Despite the quality of attack, several bowlers will be playing their first ODI WC and will be looking to rise to the occasion | P15 2013 WAS THE LAST TIME INDIA HOSTED THE WOMEN’S ODI WORLD CUP 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 Beijing to resume key industrial, agri supplies to India India, China signal cautious reset amid trade, border talks Wang to visit Pak today After his India trip, Wang will travel to Pakistan on Wednesday to hold the annual strategic dialogue with Pakistan’s deputy PM and foreign minister Ishaq Dar, to be held from August 20 to 22 Borders now quiet: Doval NSA Ajit Doval, who led the border talks, highlighted the calm since last year’s disengagement. “Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquillity...” he said EAM leaves for Russia External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday reached Moscow. During his 3-day trip, he will attend key meetings and also hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi | X J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IN a sign of thaw in IndiaChina ties, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday assured External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that Beijing will resume critical exports to India, including fertilisers, rare earth minerals, and tunnel boring machines, addressing three longpending Indian demands. The move, seen as a confidence-building gesture, came just ahead of the 24th round of India-China border talks in New Delhi and was followed by Wang’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaishankar is learnt to have underlined the expectation of stable, uninterrupted supply chains for essential inputs during the discussions, which he had raised with the Chinese side earlier as well. Sources said Wang responded positively, committing to facilitate these vital goods. After the visiting Chinese foreign minister called on him, Modi said the relations between the two countries have improved. Modi “welcomed the steady and positive progress in bilateral ties since his meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, guided by mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity in, cluding the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra,” an Indian readout said, adding that Modi “reiterated India’s commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question.” Accepting the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation to attend the upcoming SCO Summit in Tianjin, Modi said he looked forward to meeting Xi again. “Stable, predictable, and constructive bilateral ties will contribute significantly to regional and global peace and prosperity he said. ,” National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Wang held the 24th round of border talks under the framework of the Special Representatives mechanism. Amid the renewed diplomatic exchanges, sources clarified there was no change in India’s position on Taiwan. “India has always maintained a relationship with Taiwan focused on economic, technological, and cultural ties — that has not changed,” a source said. India has been supporting the one-China policy thought its reflection in joint statements remained by and large absent after Chinese started issuing stapled visa to Indian nationals in Arunanchal Pradesh in 2008. Ex-judge Sudershan Reddy is Oppn’s V-P pick hati High Court and as a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High SETTING the stage for a keen Court. He retired as a judge contest for the upcoming Vice of the Supreme Court in Presidential election, the Op- 2011. position INDIA bloc on TuesThe Opposition believes day named former Supreme that Reddy’s candidature is a Court judge B Suder‘masterstroke’ as it shan Reddy as its joint will blunt the NDA‘s candidate to face NDA move to upset the rulnominee Maharashing DMK government tra Governor C P Radin Tamil Nadu. The hakrishnan on SepDMK was in a tight tember 9. spot after the NDA Calling the election picked Radfor the country’s sechakrishnan, a seaond-highest office as Sudershan Reddy soned BJP leader from an ‘ideological battle’, Tamil Nadu with an Congress president Mallikar- RSS background, as its VP jun Kharge, while announc- candidate. ing Reddy’s candidature, An Opposition leader said termed him as one of India’s Reddy’s nomination will unmost “distinguished and pro- settle the Chandrababu gressive jurists”. Before his Naidu-led Telugu Desam Parappointment to the Supreme ty a key ally of the BJP at the , Court, Reddy had served as Centre. “Though the TDP has Chief Justice of the Guwa- already extended support for P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi Cong chief Mallikarjun Kharge with other opposition leaders after announcing their Vice Presidential candidate | EXPRESS the NDA candidate, the party will be under pressure as Sudershan Reddy commands goodwill in the state,” said a leader adding that the former Judge also has also worked closely with the previous TDP government. Reddy’s candidature has also put fence sitters such as K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi THE government will introduce The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, which will have a new provision for removal of the chief minister or a minister who is arrested and detained in custody on account of serious criminal charges. The amendment bill will only be introduced and scheduled to be sent to a joint committee of the Parliament for scrutiny . The amendment in the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 was required as there was no provision of a legal framework for removal of the chief minister or a minister in such cases, sources said. According to them, the objective of the bill is to make ministers holding office accountable. Sources said that if a minister is detained in custody for 30 consecutive days, he or she “shall be removed from his office” by the Lieutenant Governor on the advice of the CM. S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE TORRENTIAL rains unleashed widespread devastation across Maharashtra, claiming seven lives and damaging over two lakh hectares of standing crops. On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis convened a virtual meeting with all divisional commissioners and instructed them to provide immediate relief, including shelter, food, and essential supplies, to those stranded due to floods and incessant rainfall. “So far, seven people have lost their lives due to the heavy rain, and several rivers have breached their danger levels. Alerts have been issued to residents in affected areas. In Sambhaji Nagar district alone, 800 villages have been impacted, with approximately two lakh hectares of agricultural land suffering crop losses. A detailed panchanama will be conducted, and compensation will be disbursed to those affected,” Fadnavis stated. In response to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) yellow and orange alerts for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, and other regions, the state government on Tuesday directed local administrations to close schools and colleges as a precautionary measure amid forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall. Severe waterlogging caused significant traffic disruptions across multiple parts of the city . @ Bhubaneswar THE Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the muchawaited six-lane access-controlled capital region ring road (CRRR) project for Odisha. The 110.87-km bypass road from Rameshwar to Tangi will be constructed in hybrid annuity mode at an investment of `8,307.74 crore. The alignment of the road project integrates three major national highways - NH-55, NH-57 and NH-655 along with NH-16 and one state highway (SH-65), providing seamless connectivity to key economic, social and logistics nodes across Odisha. Briefing about the cabinet decision, Union I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the CRRR project is a part of the prime minister’s Purvodaya vision. It will be constructed with the help of modern technology and significantly benefit Odisha and other eastern states by diverting heavy commercial traffic away from Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda, he said. Prime minister Modi con- BUMRAH IN, SHREYAS OUT Jasprit Bumrah whose last T20I was the World Cup final last year earns a recall into the side for the continental event. Shreyas Iyer continues to miss out. SEP 9-28 GILL TO OPEN TWO MYSTERY SPINNERS Varun Chakravarthy, who excelled in the same conditions in the Champions Trophy, makes it back. He will have Kuldeep Yadav for company | P15 THE proposed next-generation GST overhaul could bring down car prices by up to 10% if the tax rate is reduced from 28%to 18%, according to analysts. As part of the wider reforms to boost economic growth, the Centre has proposed moving from four tax slabs to a simplified two-rate system: 5% for es- to be the key beneficiaries,” Sunny Agrawal, head of fundamental research at SBI Securi- ties, told this newspaper. At present, vehicles are taxed under multiple slabs combining GST and cess. Small cars are taxed at 28%, whereas large cars (above 4 metres in length and 1200cc in engine size) are taxed (including cess) in the range of 43-50%. Global financial firm HSBC estimates that the proposed tax reforms could result in an 8% RAMESHWAR Map of the proposed CRRR The connectivity will facilitate faster movement of goods and passengers across the region. The bypass will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union minister gratulated the people of Odisha, especially those in Bhubaneswar and its surrounding areas, after the vital infrastructure project received the cabinet nod. “This road project will reduce congestion and boost ease of living,” he posted on X. Currently, the connectivity between Rameshwar and Tangi on the existing national highway experiences significant congestion due to high traffic volume in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The proposed six-lane access-controlled greenfield highway is expected to propel the efficiency of freight move- drop in the prices of small cars. Bigger cars, too, could also become cheaper in the range of 3-5%. HSBC added that this could mean a loss of around $4-5 billion in GST collections for the government. Meanwhile, the prospects of tax cuts have put carmakers in a tight spot as buyers are now holding on to their purses, deferring their purchase plans. ment and reduce logistics cost while driving socio-economic growth in the region. The road corridor will also enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with 10 economic nodes, four social nodes and five logistic nodes, providing increased multi-modality with one major railway station, one airport, one proposed multi-modal logistics park and two major ports. “The connectivity will facilitate faster movement of goods and passengers across the region. The bypass will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major religious and economic centres. It will also open new avenues for trade and industrial development,” Vaishnaw said. Of the proposed investment, `1,029.43 crore has been earmarked for land acquisition. The project will generate approximately 74.43 lakh persondays of direct and 93.04 lakh p e r s o n - d ay s o f i n d i r e c t employment. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed gratitude to the PM and minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin CONTINUED ON P5 Gadkari. Nalco eyes production of gallium metal in next 2 yrs operationalised, it would be the first company in India to produce gallium. China domiWITH India aiming to become n a t e s g l o b a l g a l l i u m a global semiconductor hub, production. Navratna central public sector Director (projects and techenterprise (CPSE) Nalco on nical) Jagdish Arora said NalTuesday announced that its co is the only company which gallium extraction initiative is is working on gallium extracin advanced stage and commer- tion. “One prototype facility is cial production of the rare ma- being set up at the refinery terial is likely to complant in Damanjodi. mence in two years. It will be ready in The leading alueight to nine months minium producer and then required has collaborated with tests will continue Bhabha Atomic Refor one year. Comsearch Centre (BARC) mercial production and Heavy Water of gallium will start Board (HWB) on reafter the pilot phase Brijendra Pratap search and developis over. Nalco will Singh, Nalco CMD ment (R&D) for galhave the exclusive lium extraction and right to produce galnon-nuclear applications of lium in India as so far none is heavy water. It has developed producing the rare metal in the an indigenous technology to country he said. ,” extract gallium, which is reGallium is a soft silvery metcovered as a by-product during al and mostly used in the electhe production of alumina tronics industry for semiconfrom bauxite. ductors, LEDs and lasers, Nalco will set up a 10 tonne besides in medical imaging as per year extraction plant near a substitute of mercury in its alumina refinery at Daman- thermometers and in specialCONTINUED ON P5 jodi in Koraput district. Once ised alloys. @ Bhubaneswar GST overhaul could bring down car prices by up to 10% sential items and 18% for most other goods. Luxury and sin products could face a steeper levy of around 40%. “Cars currently are under the 28% GST band and if GST is rationalised to 18%, then prices for entry-level cars can come down by 8-10%. Players like Maruti, Hyundai and Tata Motors which have a strong entry-level portfolio are likely TANGI HEMANT KUMAR ROUT There were some murmurs that the red-ball captain wouldn’t be part of the team but he makes it in a new role as vice-captain. RIDING ON HOPE A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi Mallikarjun Kharge CCEA clears 110-km-long capital region ring road worth `8,307 cr Shubman Gill was named as vice captain in one of the biggest talking points in the 15-man squad the BCCI named for the Asia Cup next month in the UAE. A look... ASIA CUP RUNS FROM He is a pro-poor man, in many of his judgments... he favoured the poor and protected the Constitution Rains bring Mumbai to its knees; rail traffic, road network crippled Bill on J&K reorg in LS today Shreyas out, Gill made Surya’s deputy M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi (BRS) and Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party in a dilemma, said a senior leader. “It will be difficult for the BRS and Jagan Mohan Reddy to go against our candidate now,” he said, adding that INDIA parties will reach out to these neutral players. The YSRCP however, has already de, clared its support for the NDA nominee.