bengaluru l tuesday l september 30, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l late city EDITION India to build two cross-border rail links to Bhutan for `4,000cr Under the project, the two Bhutanese cities of Gelephu and Samtse would be connected with Kokrajhar in Assam and Banarhat in West Bengal ‘relationship of trust, mutual respect’ Vaishnaw: big push for bhutan’s economy The details of the project was made public by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday. Under the two projects, 89 kms of railway lines will be laid and work is expected to be completed in the next four years. “India and Bhutan share a relationship of exceptional trust, mutual respect, and understanding,” Misri said ■ ■ India’s announcement of the railway projects have come amid efforts by China to increase its geo-strategic influence over Bhutan Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said it is crucial to have a good seamless rail connectivity for the Bhutanese economy to grow as most of the trade of Bhutan is done through Indian ports | P9 `10K Cr is india’s assistance to bhutan for its ongoing 13th five year plan 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 Economy, defence, diplomacy, AI pose existential threats. New NSS is needed H a r p r ee t B a j w a @ Chandigarh CANADA on Monday listed the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity for creating a “climate of fear and intimidation”. A terrorist listing means anything owned by that group in Canada — property , vehicles, money — can be frozen or seized, and gives law enforcement power to prosecute terrorist offences, including those related to financing, travel and recruitment. “The Bishnoi Gang is a transnationLawrence Bishnoi al criminal organization.. engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation,’’ read a statement by Canadian government. The Bishnoi gang, which was implicated in Baba Siddique’s murder in Mumbai, has grown into a transnational crime syndicate with footprints in Canada and the US and active presence in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP and Rajasthan with over 700 sharp shooters. NSS will provide guidance to all organs of the govt on policy directions AP Maheshwari, ex-CRPF chief Canada lists Bishnoi gang as terror outfit It is encouraging that the National Security Doctrine is likely to be finalised by year-end Prakash Singh, ex-DGP Lt Gen (Rtd) D S Hooda Comprehensive security doctrine on its final leg S u m i t K u m a r S i n g h @ New Delhi India’s first comprehensive security doctrine — the National Security Strategy (NSS) — is expected to be completed by December this year. The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) has almost finalised the doctrine, which provides multidimensional understanding on external and internal security challenges and threats together with real-time preparedness. “Last-minute deliberations are on. The secretariat has received all the relevant inputs from stakeholders. Once approved, the draft will be placed before National Security Council (NSC) — chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approval,” said a senior government officer. Defence modernisation, technological advancement, cyber resilience, internal security, hybrid threat management, economic stability and strategic diplomacy will be interlinked pillars of the holistic security doctrine so as to anticipate, respond and mitigate threats comprehensively . The process to formulate the NSS and the National Defence Strategy began under National ‘Congestion tax needs public transport support’ I n d r a S @ Bengaluru As part of its 90-day action plan to decongest Bengaluru, the Karnataka government has mooted the idea of a congestion tax among other traffic management measures, at a recently held high-level meeting. While mobility experts agree that congestion tax is a useful tool in principle, they point out that Bengaluru is not yet ready for such a measure due to its poor state of public transport, limited walkability and in, complete mass transit systems. The idea is to deduct congestion tax through FASTag. Prof. Ashish Verma, convener, Sustainable Transportation Lab, Indian Institute of Science, emphasised that such measures work only in tandem with strong alternatives. “Congestion charge is a tested push measure used in cities like London and Singapore. The idea is simple — when you drive into a congested area during peak times, you pay extra because each additional vehicle contributes to congestion.” No viable options “Such measures only work when push is balanced with pull. While you discourage private vehicle use, you must simultaneously strengthen alternatives — high-quality public transport infrastructure. Without these, people will have no viable options,” he added. Mobility expert Sanjeev Dyamannavar questioned the practicality of the proposal. “With Metro work already slowing traffic, what is the use of punishing vehicle owners further with a congestion tax? Public transport is in a poor state — why aren’t they improving Metro or suburban rail instead?” Srinivas Alavilli, fellow, World Resources Institute (WRI) India, supported the idea but stressed the need for balance.  CONTINUED P2 Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s watch in 2018. The NSCS was made the nodal body responsible for drafting the NSS. Deputy NSAs, domain experts, and retired military and senior police officers were drafted for the exercise. India has not had a security doctrine 26 years since the Kargil war. It’s not that India has never attempted such a doctrine before. Prakash Singh, former member of the National Security Advisory Board, said governments at different periods constituted committees that drafted them. “But they were never approved by the political establishment as they did not want to be bound down by any welldefined policy. Instead, they wanted to retain the discretion to deal with matters in the most politically convenient matter.” Major General (Rtd) Ashok Kumar said, “NSS is one of the most sought after documents by most countries. While its predictability is good, it also puts a strain for countries like India where emerging threats taking a different shape with every passing day Lt General (Rtd) .” Deependra Singh Hooda said, “The formal articulation of NSS is a very welcome step.” express read Caste survey in B’luru from October 3 Bengaluru: Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner M Maheshawar Rao on Monday said the caste survey in Bengaluru will commence from October 3. P2 100% tariff on films made outside US New York: US President Donald Trump on Monday announced 100% tariff on films made outside the US, which may impact the Indian film industry. P12 Leh Apex Body to pull out of October 6 talks FAYA Z WAN I @ Srinagar THE Leh Apex Body (LAB) said on Monday that it would stay away from talks with the Centre till peace and normalcy is restored in Ladakh. “Dialogue cannot be held under the shadow of fear and repression,” said LAB chairman Thupstan Chhewang. The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which along with LAB is spearheading the protests for special rights to Ladakh, also supports the decision to suspend talks, a KDA leader said. The next meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC), through which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) holds talks with the Ladakhi groups, is scheduled on October 6. LAB demanded a judicial probe into the violence in the September 24 protests, in which four persons were killed and 80 injured, and the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk and others detained in LAB leaders Thupstan Chhewang and Chering Dorjay at a press conference in Leh | express connection with the protests. LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay accused the police and CRPF of using excessive force against the protesting youth. Late in the evening, the Home Ministry issued a brief statement saying the government is always open to dialogues on Ladakh matters with LAB and KDA. “We would continue to welcome the discussion with LAB and KDA through the HPC on Ladakh or any such platform,” it said adding, “We are confident that continuous dialogue would yield the desired results in near future.” Top leadership of Maoists heavily depleted Its apex body is left with just 13 leaders — four members of the Politburo and nine of the Central Committee — as others have been eliminated or arrested or surrendered, a govt dossier revealed | P9 3-yr age relaxation for govt recruitment E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Bengaluru THE state gover nment on Monday issued an order granting a one-time relaxation of three years in age limit for candidates belonging to all categories in all state government recruitment, till December 31, 2027. Earlier this month, a GO was issued for a relaxation of two years as a one-time measure in the maximum age limit prescribed in the respective recruitment rules for all categories of candidates participating in the selection process for direct recruitment up to the end of December 2027. The GO issued on Monday states that after the earlier GOs, many elected representa- tives and organisations sought relaxation of age limit to five years. There were protests from various organisations, including students, forcing the government to amend its decision. Earlier, the state government had set up Justice Nagamohan Das Commision to review the implementation of internal res- CM to carry out aerial survey of flood-hit North Karnataka today E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Bengaluru Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will conduct an aerial survey of flood-affected places in North Karnataka, including Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir and Bidar districts, on Tuesday He will review relief work . with district officials at the Kalaburagi DC’s office. The CM’s visit to these areas gains significance in the wake of the BJP core committee resolving to take up the issue to corner the government on its alleged failure in dealing with the issue. Meanwhile, AICC President and LoP in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is from Kalaburagi, on Monday appealed to Siddaramaiah to take serious note of the flood crisis and release compensation to farmers. “The floods have destroyed green gram, urad and tur dal crops, and nothing is left in the fields. The CM is visiting the affected areas, and will release compensation after assessing the situation. After the report comes in, I will also write to the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking compensation for the state,” he said. Kharge said his deputy in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari and RS member Jairam Ramesh will also raise the issue with Deputy Chairperson Harivansh Narayan Singh, with regard to deploying NDRF. “I will be in New Delhi on October 5 and will ask our leaders to take up the issue with the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson, who has called a meeting since there is no parliamentary session to discuss the issue,” he added. ervation for the Scheduled Castes (SCs). The government had also decided to stop new recruitment notifications for reserved positions in civil services and other departments until further notice. The government has accepted 6-6-5 formula for the 17 per cent reservation accorded to Schedule Castes and an order was issued in August this year. Bad road claims life of 22-yr-old girl in B’luru E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Bengaluru Bad roads in Bengaluru claimed the life of a 22-year-old girl student on Monday The . victim, Dhanushree, who was heading to college, was run over by a truck after she fell from her scooter while trying to avoid loose gravel on a poorly maintained road. The accident occurred near Budigere Cross in the Avalahalli police station limits on Monday morning. The truck driver sped away from the spot after the accident.  P2 India vs Pak After Asia Cup, will drama spill over to Women’s World Cup? E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai The 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup, perhaps, ended in the most apt manner possible on Sunday . After three weeks of back and forth, multiple handshakegates, geopolitical intrigue, ugly verbals, and press conference point scoring, the posttournament ceremony finished in farcical circumstances. India refused to take the trophy from the Asian Cricket Council chair Mohsin Naqvi (also Pakistan’s interior minister), Naqvi refused to cede ground and India celebrated with an imaginary one to end the night. While the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia promised a strong protest against Naqvi’s act, the focus now shifts to what happens when India and Pakistan’s women’s teams face each other in the World Cup tie on October 5 in Colombo. Will Har manpreet Kaur shake hands with Pakistan’s Fatima Sana? Will the mood be more congenial? Will the current toxicity touch that game too? Only time will tell but the Indian captain wouldn’t be dragged to commenting on that game. Not yet, anyway . On Friday she said the focus , is on the tie versus Sri Lanka on Tuesday “Our main focus is . on that because that game is go- ing to set the tone for us. And secondly, all the teams are equally important. We can only control the things we can control. We are not going to entertain anything else on the field because we are here to play cricket and our main focus will remain on cricket only,” Kaur said during the captain’s round table in Bengaluru.