BHUBANESWAR  THURSDAY  JANUARY 23, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 14  JEYPORE EDITION 20 CHEETAHS TO ARRIVE FROM KENYA BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND SEPTEMBER The third batch of 20 cheetahs will arrive at Madhya Pradesh’s Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary between February 25 and Sept 25 File Photo 15-DAY QUARANTINE AT GANDHI SAGAR SANCTUARY ■ 1952 KUNO NATIONAL PARK NOW HAS 25 CHEETAHS The cheetahs will undergo a 15-day quarantine before their release into the wild, officials said. A separate enclosure has been created at the sanctuary to house them during the quarantine period. A team of wildlife scientists will inspect the facility. Efforts will be made to pair male and female cheetahs, Dr Abhijeet Pawde, a senior wildlife scientist, said ■ Twenty cheetahs—eight from Namibia in 2022 and 12 from South Africa in 2023—have been brought to India under ‘Project Cheetah’, the Centre’s initiative to reintroduce the species to India Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park now hosts 25 cheetahs, including the 12 from South Africa and their 13 cubs born here WHEN CHEETAHS WERE DECLARED EXTINCT IN INDIA 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 12 killed as they jump off train, hit by another In first meet, US flags irregular migration issue S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai Rubio’s first bilateral meet of his tenure with Jaishankar indicates trajectory of India ties AT least 12 rail passengers were killed and 55 other injured after they jumped off their train reportedly over a false fire alarm and were hit by another speeding train around the same time while crossing the tracks in Maharshtra’s Jalgaon district on Wednesday . Reports said someone on the Pushpak Express, which was traveling from Lucknow to Mumbai, pulled the chain, raising a false alarm. As the locopilots applied break to slow down the fast-moving train, sparks either from the hot axle or brake-jamming and the smoke spread into the cabin. It triggered panic among passengers who assumed a fire had broken out on the train. Dhule Jalgaon In an attempt to save themselves, some passengers jumped off the Pushpak Express unaware that the Buldhana Nashik Karnataka Express was fast approaching from the opposite direction. Aurangabad A crowd at the site of As they tried to cross the track, many of them the accident, near MAHARASHTRA were mowed down by the Karnataka Express. Pachora railway station | PTI The accident took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora, more than 400 km from Mumbai. Both trains later reached their respective `5 LAKH EX-GRATIA ANNOUNCED next stations and the accident site has been cleared, a Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced police official said. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, ex- a `5 lakh ex-gracia for the next of kin of pressing grief over the incident, said, “The tragic inci- those killed and said the government will dent of the loss of lives in a very unfortunate incident bear the cost of treatment for the injured near Pachora in Jalgaon district is deeply distressing. I pay my heartfelt tributes to them,” he said. “We are TOLL COULD INCREASE monitoring the situation and all necessary assistance is being provided immediately I am in touch with the dis- The Jalgaon district administration said 12 . trict administration,” Fadnavis said, adding, Jalgaon bodies were recovered from the track. It said General Hospital and nearby private hospitals are being the toll could go up as some of the passengers have sustained serious injuries kept ready for treating the injured passengers. J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IN his first bilateral meeting after taking charge as US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio told External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that the Trump administration is keen to strengthen the US’ strategic partnership with India and urged him to address concerns of ‘irregular migration’. Jaishankar-Rubio meeting was held at the headquarters of the State Department on Tuesday. That Rubio, a China hawk and an ardent advocate of India-US relationship, chose to have his first bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart is seen as a signal that the Trump administration is keen to bolster ties with India. During the meeting, they discussed ways to expand the strength and scope of their relationship and a possible meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a ‘mutually convenient, earliest date’. In a post-meeting briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said both sides vowed to strengthen the bilateral relationship. “Secretary Rubio also emphasized the Trump Administration’s desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration,” he said. Illegal and irregular migration was a key issue Trump raised during his campaign. In October last year, the US Department of Homeland Security deported over 1,100 Indian nationals as part of its efforts to target unauthorised migration. Across the globe, 495 repatriation flights returned 1,60,000 peope to 145 countries, including India. India has long maintained that it supports legal migration. “We have regular dialogues with the US on migration and mobility. And the idea behind that is to create more avenues for legal migration,” the external affairs ministry said. The latest meeting indicated continuity in the bilateral cooperation. The Trump administration is also keen to build on the cooperation in emerging and critical technologies, a high point of India-US relationship in Biden-Modi era. After the meeting, Jaishankar said he and Rubio “exchanged views on a wide range of regional and global issues.” Cabinet okays `252 cr package for new cold storages, revival of distressed units EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar TO tide over the scarcity of essential commodities like potato and prevent distress sale of harvested crops, the Odisha government on Wednesday came up with a scheme to encourage private entrepreneurs to set up at least one cold storage in each of the 58 sub-divisions of the state. The state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi approved a proposal of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment department for extending support in shape of capital investment subsidy, The scheme aims to enhance income of farmers by way of establishment of cold storages in uncovered and economically feasible locations Mohan Charan Majhi, CM interest subvention and electricity subsidy for a period of five years from 2025-26 to 2029-30 under the scheme entailing a cost of `252 crore. Announcing the scheme ‘Financial assistance to cold storages’ at a media briefing after the cabinet meeting, the chief minister said, the scheme aims to enhance income of farmers by way of establishment of cold HONOURING NETAJI’S LEGACY IN THE HEART OF ODISHA’S HISTORY As the nation gears up to celebrate Parakram Diwas 2025, all roads lead to Cuttack, Odisha— birthplace of one of India’s most indomitable leaders, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose | P9 Sebi moots mini SIPs at just `250 a month B E N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai SEEKING to increase financial inclusion among the underserved sections and inculcate the habit of systematic saving, capital markets regulator Sebi has proposed that fund houses launch sachet-sized systematic investment plans (SIPs) starting `250. These small-ticket SIPs would be offered at lower costs but the discounted rates would apply only for three plans per investor. According to Sebi’s consultation paper, released on Wednesday, the scheme is to help small investors who are new to the mutual fund industry Therefore, existing inves. tors and those who opt for large SIPs would be excluded. The proposal caps annual investment at `50,000 per investor, per mutual fund, without PAN. However, Aadhaar verification is mandatory Investors are expected to make . a commitment for five years (60 instalments), though there will be no restriction on closing the plan early . storages in uncovered and economically feasible locations. “It will provide better market opportunities, value-addition and processing of agriculture, horticulture and allied sector commodities, address post-harvest losses and prevent distress sale of harvested crops,” he added. Detailing about the pattern of assistance for new cold storages, Majhi said the cabinet decided to provide capital investment subsidy of 60 per cent of the fixed capital expenditure limited to `6.50 crore or whichever is lower to entrepreneurs belonging to scheduled categories, women and transgender. CONTINUED ON P7 In a signal to China, foreign ministers from Quad countries opposed any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion | P9 TRUMP NUANCES H-1B STAND Trump said he likes ‘both sides of the argument’ on H-1B foreign guest workers’ visa, noting that he likes “very competent people” coming into the country DIVERSITY STAFF SENT ON LEAVE Trump administration directs that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on leave. Agencies told to develop plans to lay them off | P11 DARKNET OPERATOR PARDONED External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting, in Washington DC | PTI D.A.V. PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BHUBANESWAR Managed by D.A.V. College Managing Committee, New Delhi. Phone No. (0674)-2391328, 2740651, 2352392, 2386185 REGISTRATION FOR NURSERY & L.K.G. (2025-26) Online registration of application for admission into Nursery & L.K.G. class of DAV Public Schools of Bhubaneswar for the session 2025-26 shall be open from 21.02.2025 to 20.03.2025 on payment of `.1000/-(Rupees One Thousand only) through Debit Card/ Net Banking. The candidate should be born between 01.09.2021 and 31.08.2022 (both days inclusive) in the case of Nursery and from 01.09.2020 to 31.08.2021 (both days inclusive) in the case of LKG. 25% of the seats, as per RCFCE Act 2009, are reserved for the candidates belonging to the Weaker Sections and Disadvantaged Groups of the society in the neighbourhood (within 1 K.M. of the school) for admission into entry class i.e. Nursery. The last date for submission of Registration Form is 20.03.2025 till 6.00 P.M. The Disadvantaged Group and Weaker Section candidates are required to register on the Govt. portal www.rteparadarshi.odisha.gov.in for admission into entry class (Nursery) under sec.12(1)(c) of the RCFCE Act, 2009 from 01.03.2025 to 20.03.2025(1st round) and from 11.04.2025 to 24.04.2025 (2nd round) as per the notification by the Govt. N.B. (1) Mere registration will not confer the right to admission. (2) A help desk for online registration is available on the concerned school campus from 11.30 A.M. to 2.00 P.M. on all working days during the above period. (3) Aadhaar No is essential for admission. (4) Before registration, detailed information regarding the parameters of Admission can be viewed on the respective school Notice Boards/Websites: Unit-VIII Chandrasekharpur Pokhariput Kalinga Nagar QUAD HAS A MESSAGE FOR CHINA - www.davunit8.org www.davcsp.org www.davpkt.org.in www.davkng.org.in Sd/- PRINCIPAL Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life for running Silk Road darknet marketplace that allegedly facilitated sale of drugs PRELIM LIST Speculation rife on Bharat Ratna picks R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi IT’S that time of the year when speculation mounts over the possible recipients of the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. Among the awardees this year could be towering politicians. There could also be a surprise element on the list that is released around Republic Day . While all sorts of names are doing the rounds, sources said industrialist Ratan Tata and former prime minister Manmohan Singh are in the preliminary shortlist for the most coveted award, albeit posthumously The demand for . conferring it on Tata picked up pace after his demise in October. The Maharashtra cabinet, too, passed a resolution recommending it. The demand for honouring Manmohan Singh came from the Congress and a few NDA partners, after he passed away on December 26. The government in its outreach offered two plots within the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal to build his memorial. Another legacy could be up for BEFORE OR AFTER grabs if Dalit icon and BSP foundREPUBLIC DAY er Kanshi Ram figures on the list. The government could BSP chief Mayawati has repeatrecommend threeedly pitched for his recognition four names for the with a Bharat Ratna. Bharat Ratna before Among the other names that are Republic Day or after doing the rounds are Samajwadi February 5, when Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Delhi is scheduled to Yadav, freedom fighter and Hingo for polls dutva ideologue V D Savarkar, educationist couple Jyotirao Govindrao Phule and Savitribai Phule, Bihar’s first chief minister Shri Krishna Singh, B P Mandal, whose Mandal Commission report triggered social engineering and gave reservations to OBCs, and former CONTINUED ON P7 Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik.