BHUBANESWAR  SATURDAY  MAY 03, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 22  LATE CITY EDITION NOW, REPAIRABILITY INDEX FOR SMARTPHONES IN THE OFFING Smartphone and tablet manufacturers will soon have to rate their products on a repairability index to help consumers make informed choices ‘TECH ENSURES PRODUCTS HAVE SHORT LIVES’ A government panel on Friday submitted a report recommending introduction of the index. “Companies are not manufacturing devices for life. They are actually forcing consumers to buy another product as they have planned for their obsolescence. Technology has made sure products have short lifespans,” said Nidhi Khare, Consumer Affairs Secretary ■ 20,000 FIVE-POINT RATING SCALE BEING CONSIDERED ■ The panel has recommended a five-point rating scale that should be prominently displayed at points of sale, on packaging, and websites The rating will be based on parameters including repairability of key components like display, batteries, camera, and speakers; ease of disassembly; availability of spare parts; and software update policies COMPLAINTS RECEIVED ON FAULTY REPAIR ECOSYSTEMS 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 NIA sees Pak Army hand in Pahalgam terror attack Preliminary report points to role of LeT, ISI, and Pak Army: Sources M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi VIZHINJAM SEAPORT COMMISSIONED Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and others during the inauguration of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday | PTI Herald case: Rahul, Sonia receive court notices S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi A Delhi court on Friday issued notice to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case, stating that the accused have the right to be heard before cognizance is taken and that this right is crucial for ensuring a fair trial. Notices were also sent to senior Congress leader Sam Pitrod a , S u man Dubey, Sunil Bhandari and firms Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd. Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court said,” “Right to be heard at any stage breathes life into fair trial,” posting the matter on May 8. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, said he supported issuing notice in line with Section 223, as clarified in the Tarsem Lal judgment. The judge noted that the complaint was at the stage of notice consideration. He explained that the question was whether Section 223 required notice to be issued to the accused before cognisance. The court held that it did, and the provision was not inconsistent with PMLA. The National Herald case revolves around a `90 crore loan extended by the Congress party to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), which owns National Herald newspaper. This loan was transferred to Young Indian for a mere `50 lakh. The Enforcement Directorate alleged that this deal led to wrongful acquisition of assets worth over `2,000 crore. ACCOU N TA B I L I T Y PUS H CWC meet calls for fitting reply to Pak terror groups P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi URGING the Centre to act with firmness in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and penalise Pakistan, a resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday said this is an opportune time to demonstrate the nation’s collective will to teach the neighbouring country a lesson for its export of terror. In another resolution, the party asked the gover nment to announce a “clear timeline” for every stage of the caste census. The meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also pressed for time-bound accountability into “serious lapses” in security and intelligence in one of the most heavilyguarded regions of the country . “The masterminds and perpetrators of this cowardly attack must face full consequences for their actions. The Congress urges the Government of India to act with Consult all parties on caste survey: Congress New Delhi: The Congress on Friday said that the caste census process must be transparent and inclusive at every step. “All political parties must be taken into full confidence. Parliament must immediately have a debate on this crucial matter.” firmness, strategic clarity and international coordination to isolate and penalise Pakistan for its continued export of terror into our territory the resolution ,” said. The meeting was attended by former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. In the second resolution on caste census, the party said it believed that the model followed by Telangana provided an effective and inclusive framework the government of India must emulate. The resolution also sought removal of the 50% ceiling on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Parliamentary party chair Sonia Gandhi and LoP Rahul Gandhi at the meeting in New Delhi on Friday | PRAVEEN NEGI THE April 22 Pahalgam attack was perpetrated by the Lashkare-Taiba (LeT), Pakistan’s InterServices Intelligence (ISI), and the Pak Army, according to a preliminary report prepared by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Sources said the report mentions the conspiracy behind the brutal attack, in which 26 people were killed, was hatched by the LeT with directions and support from the ISI and the Pak Army . The preliminary probe found the involvement of around 20 active Kashmir Valley over ground workers (OGWs) in providing logistics support to the terrorists. OWG is a term used by security agencies to refer to people who provide logistics support to militants and assist them in their surreptitious movement. According to NIA sources, the identified OGWs are currently being intensely interrogated. During interrogation, it was revealed that both the main attackers were in touch with their Pakistani-based handlers and they received specific instructions on the timing, logistics, and execution. NIA sleuths will also question two key OGWs— Nisar Ahmad alias Haji and Mushtaq Hussain—who are currently lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu to ferret out information from them. “The duo are known associates of LeT and were earlier arrested for their role in aiding terrorists involved in the 2023 attack on Army convoys in Bhata Dhurian and Totagali,” a source said. According to the NIA report, two prime suspects identified as Hashmi Musa (alias Suleman) and Ali Bhai (alias Talha Bhai) are Pakistani nationals. The NIA sleuths also performed a 3D mapping of the attack site and extracted dump data from mobile towers around the valley sources said. , “Satellite phone activity in the region spiked in the days leading up to the attack. At least three satellite phones were operational in and around Baisaran and signals from two have been traced and analysed,” said an official. A three-year-old terminally ill child in Indore became the youngest to ‘embrace death’ through the Jain practice of Santhara. She passed away on March 21 minutes after the cer- emony ended. Santhara or Sallekhana is a voluntary practice of fast unto death, which is undertaken when the end is imminent. But since patient Viyana Jain was just three, she couldn’t have taken the decision voluntarily . It was her parents Varsha and Piyush Jain, both techies, who took the call following advice from Jain guru Rajesh Muni Maharaj. Santhara was declared illegal by the Rajasthan HC in NIA found the terrorists entered Kashmir weeks before the attack and were helped by a network of OGWs, who gave them all the logistics support including shelter, navigation, and reconnaissance RECCE AT 4 PLACES, INCLUDING BAISARAN NIA said the terrorists reached Pahalgam around April 15 and did recce at Baisaran Valley, Aru Valley, Betaab Valley, and an amusement park. They chose Baisaran due to thin security SHEHBAZ SEEKS HELP FROM MUSLIM NATIONS Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait, to impress upon India to de-escalate and defuse tensions, reports said 94.93% students make the grades E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Cuttack THE overall pass rate in the annual high school certificate (HSC) examinations- 2025 dipped by 1.14 per cent from last year as 94.93 per cent students have emerged successful this year. The pass rate was 96.07 per cent in 2024. As per the results announced by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) on Friday, 4,84,863 of the 5,02,417 students who had appeared the exams this year have passed. While 1,812 students have achieved A1 grade securing more than 90 per cent marks, 12,200 have obtained A2 grade ( 80 to 89 per cent). As many as 38,831 students secured B1 (70 to 79 per cent), 84,971 got B2 (60 to 69 per cent), 1,33,882 C (50 to 59 per cent), 1,46,154 D (40 to 49 per cent) and 67,013 students obtained E ( 30 to 39 per cent). Around 17,384 students have failed to succeed in the examination. Congratulating the students for the performance, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond said, the exams this year had passed off smoothly and results published on time as the government had taken all measures to ensure foolproof test and evaluation process. Girls continued to retain their supremacy over boys CONTINUED ON P7 this year. Daru, Dham cause a stir in Odisha after Digha Jagannath temple inauguration DIANA SAHU/ RAJ KUMAR M O H A N T Y @ Puri/Bhubaneswar THE newly-inaugurated Jagannath temple at Digha in West Bengal has sparked a massive controversy over the purported use of Daru (neem wood) that had remained unused during the Holy Trinity’s Nabakalebara in Puri in 2015 for carving the deities, and naming the shrine as Jagannath Dham. Odisha Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Friday ordered an enquiry into the use of Daru in making the deities and association of Srimandir servitors in its consecration ceremony. While, the naming of the Digha temple as Jagannath Dham has caused a huge uproar as the Srimandir in Puri finds place among the four Dhams, the holiest pilgrimage sites for Hindus in the country . Taking cognizance of the controversy Harichandan said, , “These things, particularly the talks around use of Nabakalebara Daru, are completely unacceptable and have become a matter of great concern for devotees of Lord Jagannath These things have become a matter of great concern for devotees of Lord Jagannath worldwide and Odisha. The SJTA has been directed to initiate an inquiry Prithiviraj Harichandan, Minister across the world and the four crore people of Odisha. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has been directed to initiate an inquiry into all the allegations and anyone found guilty will face action under the provisions of law.” The Digha temple built by the West Bengal government was inaugurated by the state’s CM Mamata Baner jee on Wednesday. The consecration was done by secretary of Daitapati Nijog of Puri Jagannath temple Ramakrushna Dasmahapatra. The temple will be managed by the priests of International Society for GIRL, 3, YOUNGEST TO ‘TAKE’ SANTHARA FAST UNTO DEATH A N U R A A G S I N G H @ Bhopal TERRORISTS ENTERED KASHMIR WEEKS AGO MATRIC RESULT 2015. The order triggered massive protests by Jains, who argued that Santhara was for self-purification. A month later, the SC suspended the order. Viyana underwent surgery for brain tumour in Mum- bai in January. “A couple of months later, her condition started deteriorating following relapse of the brain tumour. We took her to our Jain guru. He told us her end was near and recommended Santhara,” said Varsha over phone. Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). After the consecration ceremony, Dasmahapatra claimed in an interview to a Bengali news channel that it was he who had suggested Mamata to install wooden idols of the three deities and not stone. On her request, he provided the idols of the deities which were made from Daru that was left unused after making the ‘bigrahas’ (idols) of the Trinity in Srimandir during the 2015 Nabakalebara (the ritual when new bodies are made for the Trinity from carefully selected neem wood as per the instructions of Goddess Mangala of EXPRESS READ Teen girl murdered at home by stalker Berhampur: A 16-year-old girl was reportedly murdered at her home by a stalker in Karapalli village within Gopalpur police limits in Ganjam district on Thursday | P4 Kakatpur), Dasmahapatra claimed. He, however, clarified later that he never used the term ‘Brahma Sthapana’ during the consecration ceremony of Digha temple. As Dasmahapatra drew flak from all quarters, the servitor on Friday claimed that he made no such statements. “When I had visited the Digha temple four months back, they had constructed the three idols in stone. Since, Lord Jagannath is never worshipped in any other form than neem wood, I suggested Mamata Banerjee to make the idols in wood. Accordingly, the idols of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra, all 2.5 ft-3 ft high, were made in neem wood in Puri and taken to the Digha temple for consecration. No Daru from Nabakalebara has been used for idols in Digha temple,” he told the mediapersons here. Meanwhile, Srimandir servitors, Jagannath culture researchers and experts, devotees and prominent personalities have questioned the use of the word Dham by the West Bengal government. CONTINUED ON P7 SATURDAY  MAY 03, 2025 I HEMANT KUMAR ROUT TheHemantRout Government is all set to transform the Odia Asmita slogan into a multidimensional mission aimed at upholding the cultural, linguistic, and historical legacy of the state We are planning the Asmita Bhawan in a big way. It will come in an area of around five acre on the premises of Kalamandal near Sainik School Square at an estimated cost of around `350 crore in phases Suryabanshi Suraj, Culture Minister N the first cabinet meeting, minutes after being sworn in as Chief Minister of the first BJP government in Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi took four major decisions on June 12 last year. Two among them - reopening all four gates of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri and a corpus fund of `500 crore for conservation and management of the 12th century shrine, aimed at boosting Odia Asmita (Odia pride). For Odias, Lord Jagannath is the nerve centre of cultural and social identity . Three weeks later, as he started working from the CMO in the Lok Seva Bhawan, Majhi announced a slew of measures for uplifting Odia Asmita. He mandated Odia for all official works and promised to revive, safeguard and glorify Odia language, culture and heritage. ‘Asmita’ has been the buzz word in the state ever since BJP’s aggressive campaign proved to be the game-changer in the political churn that dethroned the two-decade-old BJD government in 2024. Less than a year into its tenure, the BJP government has swiftly and decisively moved to translate the electoral promise into action. Determined to uphold the cultural, linguistic, and historical legacy the gov, ernment has launched a host of initiatives and a lot more are in the pipeline. While a dedicated corpus fund of `200 crore has been set up exclusively for the promotion and preservation of Odia identity, a blueprint has been prepared to spend around `1,000 crore this fiscal to support the efforts, focusing on the art, architecture, literature, culture, and heritage. Minister for Odia Language, Literature and Culture Suryabanshi Suraj said this cultural rejuvenation is not only an assertion of identity but also a strategic investment that seeks to secure Odisha’s position as a IN THE OFFING  `1,000 crore to be spent to support efforts on the art, architecture, literature, culture, and heritage  Foundation stone for `350 crore Odia Asmita Bhawan soon  Odia Translation Academy to upload 5.5 lakh Odia words onto the cloud BUILDING THE ODIA ASMITA EDIFICE, ONE BRICK AT A TIME beacon of indigenous pride in a globalised world. “We are set to transform the slogan into a multi-dimensional mission,” he said. Major initiatives for Odia identity Among the key projects is the upcoming Odia Asmita Bhawan, envisioned as a grand centre to celebrate Odia culture and heritage. The government has also green-lit the establishment of a world-class palm leaf manuscript museum, an Odia Translation Academy besides , extending support to research on Odia language and culture, installing Odia language chairs in universities of national and international repute and memorials like the Paika Rebellion Memorial in honour of the legendary freedom fighters. “We are planning the Asmita Bhawan in a big way. It will come in an area of around five acre on the premises of Kalamandal near Sainik School Square at an estimated cost of around `350 crore in phases. The layout design of this oneof-a-kind facility is ready and the chief minister will lay the foundation stone anytime soon,” said Suraj. The proposed Odia Translation Academy is a pioneering step towards making Odia a globally recognised and computer-friendly language. Unlike traditional literary bodies like the Sahitya Akademi, the translation academy’s primary focus will be on technology-driven language development, with an ambitious goal of uploading at least 5.5 lakh Odia words onto the cloud. “The academy will play a crucial role in expanding Odia’s digital footprint, enabling its seamless integration into artificial intelligence, machine translation, and global communication platfor ms. This initiative is about preparing Odia for the future. We want it to be ready for the digital age, AI models, and worldwide usa g e,” the minister said. Efforts are also underway to get UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status for major festivals like Balijatra and Dhanu Jatra to promote cultural tourism and international collaborations that can power Odisha’s socio-economic growth. Reviving Odia Arts and Literature A proposal has been approved to open a branch of the National School of Drama (NSD) in Bhubaneswar for aspiring theatre artists. Plans are afoot to set up e-libraries in every district and train and promote local talents in dance, music and literature. As part of a symbolic gesture to celebrate Odisha’s literary roots, the chief minister has unveiled a new edition of ‘Barnabodha’, the classic prim- er by Bhakta Kabi Madhusudan Rao, considered his seminal work for Odia language learning. Special secretary of OLL&C department and director of I&PR department Deba Prasad Dash said the focus is not just on creating infrastructure but also on nurturing the spirit of Odia identity in every corner of the state. “NSD has been approached to set up a training centre for performing artists at Bargarh where Dhanu Jatra artists can be trained. Odissi Research Centre will be given a facelift and local talents will be imparted professional training. A three-member team has been tasked for talent scouting,” he said. Mass Movement for Odia pride For the first time, the state gover nment observed Odia Pakhya, a fortnight-long celebration from April 1 to April 14, to transform Odia identity into a grassroots movement. Each day of Odia Pakhya was dedicated to a theme - from traditional dress, folk art appreciation, Odia literacy drives, to celebrating Odia cuisine, honouring folk artists and heritage walks - ensuring active participation from schools, colleges, government offices, and local communities. “This will be observed every year and there will be Swar nima Odia Pakhya in 2036,” informed Suraj. More financial incentives and better support structures are being readied to empower folk artists and performers, ensuring they not only survive but thrive. THIS EDITION INCLUDES 8 PAGES ANNIVERSARY SUPPLEMENT EXPRESSIONS