BHUBANESWAR  TUESDAY  FEBRUARY 18, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION INDIA’S MAIDEN TRIALS FOR DEEP SEA EXPLORATION SUCCESSFUL India’s fourth generation deep-ocean capsule Matsya-6000 has successfully completed its wet testing at the L&T harbour near Chennai Matsya-6000 FIRST STEP TOWARDS MANNED DEEP SEA MISSION ■ Three TO REACH 6,000 METRES BELOW OCEAN BY 2026 The first manned harbour trial of Matsya-6000 was conducted by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, between Jan 27 and Feb 12. It is the first step towards manned deep ocean exploration. In the next stage, the submersible will undergo shallow-water demonstrations at depths of up to 500 metres by the end of this year ■ The fortnight-long harbour trials, at a depth of two metres, assessed Matsya-6000’s performance across various parameters Matsya-6000 is expected to reach a depth of 6,000 metres in the Indian Ocean by 2026. It is a part of the Centre’s Samudrayan project to study underwater resources and biodiversity PERSONS CAN BE ACCOMMODATED INSIDE MATSYA-6000 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 MAJHI SETS ‘SAMRUDDHA ODISHA’ BALL ROLLING B I J AY C H A K I @ Bhubaneswar C HIEF Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday presented the annual budget of `2.9 lakh crore for 2025-26 in the Assembly . The second budget of the BJP government, which is `25,000 crore more than the `2.65 lakh crore provisioned in 2024-25, focuses on setting the platform for Samrudhha Odisha through inclusive growth of all sections of people, he said. “We are laying the foundation for Samruddha Odisha 2036 - a vision for prosperous and empowered Odisha. For us, Samruddhi is more than just economic growth, it signifies job creation, inclusive development and equitable opportunities for every citizen,” he said. BUDGET SIZE The chief minister said special thrust has been given on transformative sectors like infrastructure, urban development, agriculture, increasing irrigation potential, port-led development, industralisation and sports. The agriculture sector allocation has increased by 12 per cent to `37,838 crore. Sixteen new initiatives have been announced in the budget which include Antyodaya Gruha Yojana of `2,603 crore, Suabhadra Surakhya of `153 crore, Samruddha Sahara health sector provision has also increased to `23,635 crore. `17,998 crore has been allocated for undertaking various women and child-centric policies and welfare measures. The budget outlay is proposed to be financed mainly through revenue receipts of `2,32,000 crore and borrowing and other receipts of `58,000 crore. The total revenue receipts for 2025-26 include state’s own tax of `66,000 crore, own non-tax revenue of `60,000 crore, state’s share in central taxes for `64,408 crore and grants from Centre for `41,592 crore. Capital outlay of `65,012 crore estimated is 6.1 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), which is one of the highest among all major states in the country and points towards the robust economic fundamentals of the state. Besides, the administrative expenditure is proposed at `1,08,000 of `408 crore, model mandis of `50 crore and Atal Bus Stand of `1,266 crore. Stating that providing a robust social security net for citizens are priorities for the government, Majhi said `41,272 crore has been allocated for the education sector while the H 2.9L cr We are laying the foundation for Samruddha Odisha 2036 - a vision for prosperous and empowered Odisha Mohan Charan Majhi, Chief Minister PROGRAMME EXPENDITURE H 1.7L cr ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE H 1.08L cr FISCAL DEFICIT Unrest in KIIT varsity over Nepali student’s suicide; Oli sends officials Holding areas, new SOPs to ease crowding at stns A S I S H M E H TA @ Bhubaneswar @ New Delhi fice of the university and reported the abuse but no action was A 20-year-old Nepali student’s taken. They alleged the authorisuicide after allegedly being ties asked them to vacate the harassed by a fellow student on hostels and dropped them off at Sunday evening sparked tension Cuttack railway station without at KIIT University here while any support to travel back home. drawing intervention from the There are about 500 Nepali stugovernment of the former’s dents studying in KIIT. As the matter grabbed attencountry . While students held campus- tion, a post on Nepal Prime Minister’s official Facebook wide protests which threatpage said his governened to spill out of conment was working on trol, the university on the issue through diploMonday morning asked matic channels. “Our the international stuEmbassy in New Delhi dents from the neighhas dispatched two ofbouring country to vaficers to counsel Nepali cate the campus but students affected in Odrevoked the decision isha. Additionally, arlater in the day as it inrangements have been vited diplomatic interThe state government is made to ensure they vention by Nepal. Exseized of the have the option to eipressing concern on the matter and ther remain in their matter, Nepal Prime coordinating hostel or return home, Minister KP Sharma with the Oli took to social media external affairs based on their preference,” Oli’s post on X to inform that two officministry. The stated. ers from the country’s accused has With the issue balEmbassy in New Delhi been arrested looning into a huge conwere dispatched to OdiSuryabanshi Suraj, troversy, the KIIT ausha to look into it. Higher Edu min thorities issued a fresh The victim, a third notice in the evening year B Tech student, ended her life by hanging at saying, “Students from Nepal about 4.30 pm on Sunday when who wish to continue to stay in her roommates were away to at- the hostels are allowed to do so. tend the university’s annual The university authorities are fest. The incident led to outrage encouraging the students to among other students from Ne- stay in the campus.” In the nopal who launched a strong tice, the university said alternative arrangements for classes protest. The students alleged that the will be made once the Nepali victim had earlier reached out students, who have left, return to the international relations of- to the campus. CONTINUED ON P5 RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR IN the wake of the stampede at the New Delhi railway station on Saturday, the Ministry of Railways on Monday announced a slew of measures to prevent untoward incidents as it identified 60 railway stations across the country that experience high footfalls. To begin with, the railways will develop ‘permanent holding areas’ in these busy stations to manage crowds especially during peak times and strictly regulate their flow to platforms. Passengers will have to wait in the holding areas and allowed to enter the platform only as per the departure timing of their respective trains. This is to avoid overcrowding of station areas. In response to a query from this newspaper, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said railway experts will design access routes from holding areas to platforms in such a way that there is no scope for overcrowding. One such holding area was set up at the New Delhi station on Monday itself. The same will be extended to key stations in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and other states that regularly witness large crowds. The 60 stampede-prone stations have been identified based on the number of de- Passengers try to board an overcrowded train amid a huge rush owing to Mahakumbh Mela, at Patna railway station on Monday | PTI parting and originating passengers. They include Patna, Ara, and Buxar in Bihar; Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh; and Surat in Gujarat, besides New Delhi, Bangalore, and Coimbatore. The rail ministry is in the process of developing a comprehensive manual on crowd management by consolidating existing provisions and a standard operating procedure would be developed to manage passenger surges during festivals and special events. Also on the cards is a nationwide campaign to educate passengers on the dangers of sitting on stairs, which often leads to stampede-like situations during crowded times. “Feedback from all stakeholders, including vendors, would be taken into account, and related problems would be resolved within six months,” Vaishnaw added. DEVOTEES STRUGGLE AT PATNA STATION Patna: Prayagraj-bound passengers at Patna railway station on Monday faced a tall order while boarding trains. Eyewitnesses told local newspapers that passengers forced open bolted doors of Vikramshila Express and Magadh Express and occupied toilets, while many were seen hanging by the doors VAISHNAW RULES OUT CONSPIRACY Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday ruled out any conspiracy behind the New Delhi stampede and claimed there was also no extraordinary rush at the platforms at the time of the incident. “No conspiracy looks at the moment,” he said while interacting with mediapersons CURBS ON PLATFORM TICKETS The Northern Railway on Monday announced that platform tickets would not be sold between 4 pm and 11 pm for the next one week at the station to ensure proper crowd management. Over 10 trains were diverted from Delhi owing to the restrictions on the New Delhi Railway Station BJP, Congress lock horns over Sam Pitroda’s ‘China’ view PREETHA NAIR & RAJESH KUMAR T H A K U R @ New Delhi AMID sharp criticism from the BJP, the Congress on Monday distanced itself from its leader Sam Pitroda’s remarks on China, and said his views do not belong to the party. China remains India’s foremost external security and economic challenge, Congress said. Pitroda, chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, in an inter- view to IANS news agency said , the perception of China as a threat to India is being blown out of proportion and that New Delhi should stop considering Beijing as an enemy . Clarifying the party’s stand, Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary (communications) said on X, “The views expressed by Sam Pitroda on China are most definitely NOT the views of the INC ... China remains our foremost foreign policy ex, crore. The outlay for disaster risk management funds will be `4,000 crore. Transfers from state will have an outlay of `8,000 crore. The rural and urban local bodies will get `3,311 crore and `4,559 crore on the recommendations of 15th Finance Commission and 5th State Finance Commission respectively. The budget provides `1,70,000 crore for programme expenditure, which is 58.62 per cent of the total outlay . The chief minister said that the state will generate revenue surplus of about 3 per cent of the GSDP and fiscal deficit will be limited to 3.2 per cent of the GSDP for 2025-26. Stating that Odisha has embarked on a journey of renewed development as per the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’, the chief minister said that by 2036, Odisha aspires to be 500 billion dollar CONTINUED ON P5 economy. ternal security as well , as economic challenge. The INC has repeatedly raised questions on the Modi Govt’s approach to China, including the PM’s public clean chit to it on June 19, 2020.” At a press conference, BJP national spokesperson and MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said Pitroda’s remarks symbolise the mindset of the Congress and are in line with its leaders’ statements in suppor t of China. “The ‘mohabbat ki dukan’ of the Congress is for anti national forces, be it George Soros or China,” Trivedi said. In the past too, Pitroda’s controversial comments have put Congress in a spot. In May last year, he resigned from his post for allegedly making racist comments during a podcast. However, he was reinstated after the 2024 elections. Congress had to scramble for cover after Pitroda endorsed a US model inheritance tax law in India last year. On the eve of Ram temple inauguration, Pitroda had said that unemployment and inflation are more real issues than Ram temple. The Congress party had distanced itself from his statement. H 34,200 cr New Schemes & Initiatives  Antyodaya Gruha Yojana `2,603 Cr  Atal bus stand `1,266 Cr  Samrudha Sahara `408 Cr  Swachha Odisha `261 Cr  Subhadra Surakhya `153 Cr  Shri Jagannath Darshan Yojana `30 Cr  NODC `200 Cr  SODC `200 cr  Odisha Pusti Mission `100 Cr  Saheed Laxman Nayak Adarsh Vidyalaya `100 Cr  Bakulabana Unnayan `50 Cr  Ama Similipal Yojana `50 Cr  Model Mandi `50 Cr  Aame Padhiba Aama Bhasare `25 Cr  Mukhyamantri Kanya Bibaha Yojana `12 Cr  O-SAMPARK `10 Cr Gyanesh Kumar picked as CEC, Vivek Joshi is EC P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi Congress slams govt THE selection committee head- Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said by ed by Prime Minister Naren- removing the Chief Justice of India from the dra Modi on Monday picked selection committee, the government has Election Commissioner Gy- made it clear it wants to control, and not preserve the credibility of the EC. AICC anesh Kumar as the new Chief treasurer Ajay Maken, said, “When the SC Election Commissioner. A 1988-batch IAS officer from has indicated that they will hear the case on Kerala cadre, Gyanesh Kumar the constitution of the committee on the will replace Rajiv Kumar, who February 19, this meeting should have been postponed.” demits office on Tuesday . Haryana Cadre IAS officer Vivek Joshi has was held at the South been appointed ElecBlock office of the tion Commissioner. prime minister. The announcement The appointment of came shortly after a the new CEC has bemeeting of the seleccome a political flashtion committee also Gyanesh Kumar point between the rulcomprising Union ing party and the home minister Amit Shah and Opposition. the Leader of Opposition in As per Section 7 of the ApLok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. pointment, Conditions of ServDuring the meeting, Rahul ice and Term of Office) Act, asked the government to defer 2023 to the law, the President the decision on the new CEC will appoint the Chief Election till February 19 when the Su- Commission and other Elecpreme Court will take up a pe- tion Commissioners on the rectition challenging the constitu- ommendation of a selection tion of the selection committee. committee headed by the prime He questioned the composition minister and consisting of the of the committee and the nu- Leader of the Opposition in merical advantage enjoyed by Lok Sabha and a member of the ruling party . the Union Council of MinisAccording to sources, Rahul ters to be nominated by the left the meeting after submit- prime minister. ting his dissent note and was Kumar is the first CEC to be not present when the shortlist- appointed under the new law. ed names were discussed. The His term will run till January meeting lasted 30 minutes and 26, 2029. PLACES OF WORSHIP ACT CASE POSTED TO APRIL S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday deferred hearing to the first week of April on a batch of petitions in connection with the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The CJI-led bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar expressed its displeasure that far too many intervention applications had been filed in the case. “We will not take up the Places of Worship Act matter today Too many ... petitions filed. List sometime in April. There is a limit to interventions being filed. Enough is enough,” the bench said, making it clear that the top court would not entertain any new petitions on the matter. The case will now be heard by a threejudge bench. Introduced during the Ayodhya movement, the Act seeks to protect status quo of all religious structures as they stood on August 15, 1947, and prohibits courts from entertaining cases which dispute the character of places of worship. The Congress, the RJD, CPI (M), and IUML sought intervention pleas. BJP’s Ashwini Upadhyay had challenged the law in 2021.