VILLUPURAM l saturday l june 07, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l CITY EDITION Elon Musk’s Starlink gets India licence for broadband internet Elon Musk’s Starlink has bagged a licence for satellite internet services, a milestone towards launching commercial operations in India licence hours after trump-musk spat strict security rules await foreign co Starlink is the third company after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications to get a licence from the Dept of Telecommunications to provide satellite internet services in the country. A fourth applicant, Amazon’s Kuiper, is still waiting for approvals. Notably, the licence came hours after an ugly, public spat between Musk and Donald Trump | P12 ■ ■ TRAI last month recommended that satcom companies like Starlink pay 4% of their adjusted gross revenue as spectrum charges to govt—a rate steeper than what these firms had lobbied for India’s rules mandate satcom firms to demonstrate capabilities with respect to security aspects, including monitoring, before operations 550 km above earth is world’s largest low Earth orbit used by starlink 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 Double delight: RBI cuts repo by 50 bps, CRR 1% Signals pause in rate cut cycle for the time being; releases `2.5L cr into banking system sense of certainty to the market with a 50 bps cut. The Reserve Bank of India Malhotra said the Monetary (RBI) has ‘frontloaded’ the dose Policy Committee’s decision of relief for borrowers. On Fri- was taken in view of durable day the central bank’s rate-set- disinflation and the need to , ting panel surprised the Street boost private consumption and with a 50 basis point cut investment. “Inflation in the repo rate—the has softened, with headbenchmark lending line CPI falling to 3.2% in rate—to 5.5% against the April—below the 4% tarexpectation of a 25 basis get,” he said. “We now point reduction. The project inflation for FY26 panel also shifted its polat 3.7%, down from our icy stance from ‘accomearlier forecast of 4%.” modative’ to ‘neutral’, On reverting to the signalling an end of rate ‘neutral’ stance from ‘accut cycle for now. With commodative’, he clariMPC will Friday’s cut, RBI has carefully assess fied this change indicates data to chart lowered the repo rate by a “very limited space” out future a cumulative 100 basis for further monetary polcourse of points (bps) in 2025. icy action. A neutral monetary policy To ease liquidity constance will mean rates in ditions, RBI also an- Sanjay Malhotra, future can go either way . RBI guv nounced a 100 bps cut in “It will depend on how the cash reserve ratio the data comes in. If (CRR) from 4% to 3%, to be im- growth is weaker, it can mean it plemented in four tranches will go down. If growth is good, starting September 6. This is ex- inflation is going up, the repo pected to release `2.5 lakh crore rate can go up,” he said. into the banking system. Meanwhile, real GDP growth Speaking to the media, RBI for FY26 has been retained at Governor Sanjay Malhotra said 6.5%, with Q1 projected at 6.5% the move was aimed at ensuring and Q2 at 6.7%. The governor policy certainty. He said RBI said the domestic economy recould have done the rate cut in mains resilient, supported by tranches, but it wanted to give a several positive factors. D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi 7 Highs and lows 6 5 4 3 40 50 50 50 35 Repo Rate (%) 25 0 Change (bps) -25 4.4 4.9 5.4 5.9 6.25 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.25 may ’22 june aug sep -25 6 dec feb ’23 june sep ’24 dec feb ’25 apr -50 5.5 june PM dedicates Projects worth `46,000 crore to nation Omar raises statehood issue India’s Operation Sindoor will haunt Pakistan forever, says Modi in J&K RA J E SH KU M AR THAKUR & FAYA Z WANI @ Katra / Srinagar Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lit into Pakistan, accusing the ‘unfortunate neighbour’ of conspiring to derail the economy and empowerment of Jammu and Kashmir through the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. “Pakistan attacked both insaniyat (humanity) and Kashmiriyat (Kashmir’s social harmony) in Pahalgam. It wanted to spark communal riots in India and rob Kashmiris of their livelihood,” Modi said in his first visit to J&K after the April 22 terror attack. His comments came while addressing a rally after inaugurating the world’s highest single-arch rail bridge over the Chenab river, India’s first cable-stayed Anji bridge, and flagging off Vande Bharat trains to mark the completion of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link that providies direct train connectivity to the Kashmir Valley . In all, Modi inaugurated development projects worth `46,000 crore for the region. “On the night of May 6, doom was let loose on Pakistan’s terrorists,” Modi said, adding that Pakistan will be reminded of its shameful defeat whenever it hears the name Operation Sindoor. “The edifice of terror that Pakistan built over the years was reduced to rubble in minutes. Development and peace of J&K is the Modi guarantee which nothing can hamper,” he said. He also lauded the people of Jammu and Kashmir for ‘Livelihood hit’ J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi Modi said the Pahalgam attack directly impacted local workers in J&K—horse riders, porters, guides, shopkeepers and guest house owners Praise for Adil PM praised the courage of Syed Adil Shah, who was killed by terrorists when he tried to save tourists from bullets Top: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, MoS Jitendra Singh, J&K L-G Manoj Sinha, and CM Omar Abdullah during inauguration of Chenab rail bridge; Above: Vande Bharat flagged off by PM, crosses the rail bridge on Friday | PTI standing firm against terrorism. Reaffir ming the Centre’s commitment to J&K’s all-round development, he said improved railway connectivity would transform the region with all-weather connectivity . Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was present on the occasion, praised the successful completion of the rail link—a feat he said even the British attempted but failed.He also used the occasion to reiterate his demand for restoration of statehood to J&K. He joked he was demoted from the CM of a fullfledged state to CM of a Union Territory, while L-G Manoj Sinha, who was MoS earlier, got a promotion. He expressed confidence that J&K would regain statehood under the Modi’s watch. India launches pre-feasibility study to divert Chenab water Carney invites Modi to attend g7 summit J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi IN a major signal of improving ties between India and Canada following erosion of diplomatic relations under former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday confirmed his participation in the upcoming G7 Summit, to be held in Kananaskis, Alberta, from June 15–17. Confirming his attendance, Modi said he looks forward to meeting the newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney . Taking to X on Friday, Prime Minister Modi said. “Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit.” India’s ties with Canada turned frosty under Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau over a host of issues, including the activities of Khalistani separatists in the country . HC rejects plea for NEET-UG re-examination Stampede: RCB marketing head, 3 others arrested E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai IN connection with the death of 11 persons in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the IPL title triumph celebration of RCB, four persons, including the marketing head of the RCB franchise, were arrested in a joint operation by the Central Crime Branch(CCB) and Cubbon Park police, when they were reportedly flying to Mumbai on Friday . Nikhil Sosale, the marketing head of RCB franchise, was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport when he INDIA has launched a prefeasibility study for the construction of the ChenabRavi-Beas-Sutlej link canal project aimed at diverting water from the Chenab currently flowing into Pakistan under the currently inactive Indus Water Treaty (IWT). The project proposes to channel 15-20 million acrefeet (MAF) of water from the Chenab to Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, as part of a broader effort to strengthen domestic water infrastructure and assert greater control over Indus basin resources. The move follows the effective suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty under which India was permitted to use 20% of the basin’s water. Additionally, a team has begun assessing the existing canal structures across Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. An officer involved in planning the study at the Ministry of Jal Shakti stated, “We need to evaluate if the water diverted from the Chenab through these canals is being delivered in proper condition and determine investment required for restructuring the canal system.” In addition to the ChenabRavi-Beas-Sutlej link canal project, India is fast-tracking several new storage and run-of-river projects to support these initiatives. Under the IWT, India was allowed to use up to 20% of the water for non-consumptive purposes, and plans to demand permission to use up to 40% of the water in case of renegotiations, an officer said. The Madras High Court has dismissed the petitions filed by 16 candidates seeking re-conduct of the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET)2025 for admission to undergraduate (UG) courses in medicine. The candidates had prayed for a re-exam stating that they were affected by power outage at their exam centres due to sudden storm, rains and gusty winds. Concurring with the submission of the National Testing Agency (NTA) that an expert committee, which went into analysis of the performance of the centres concerned and the students, had found out that the performance was not affected, Justice C Kumarappan said the level-playing field of about two million candidates would be affected. “The authority themselves had arrived at a reasonable conclusion that there are no grounds for re-exam,” the judge said.  P5 E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru RCB officials at the Cubbon Park police station in Bengaluru on Friday | PTI was, allegedly trying to escape. , The other three are employees of the DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited. Its director and vice- president Sunil Mathew, manager Kiran Kumar and Sumanth, working in the ticketing section, were also arrested from the airport. The arrests were made in the early hours of Friday after the Cubbon Park police registered three FIRs, including a suo motu FIR against the RCB franchise, DNA Entertainment Private Limited and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Administrative Com- mittee. FIRs were registered accusing them responsible for the deaths of 11 people in the stampede at different gates of the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday . All four were taken for medical tests at Bowring Hospital on Friday morning around 11.05 am. They were produced before a local court in the evening before being remanded in judicial custody till June 19. Policemen also searched the houses of office bearers of KSCA Administrative Committee on Friday A search was also . made at the residence of Dr T Venkata Vardhan, the MD of the event management firm. e x pr e s s r e a d DMK slams EPS over delimitation claim HC okays 100% fine for illegal quarrying CHENNAI: Hours after AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said that he had told Union Minister Amit Shah, during their recent meeting in New Delhi, that Tamil Nadu’s rights should not be affected by the delimitation exercise after Census, DMK minister Regupathy questioned the AIADMK leader’s claim and accused him of ‘acting as a mouthpiece’ for BJP. “The one who had gone to legitimise his secret alliance with the BJP now claims he spoke about delimitation,” Minister Regupathy said | P4 CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ruled that the state government has the power to impose 100% penalty on the value of minerals quarried without obtaining environmental clearance mandated by the 2016 Environmental Impact Assessment notification issued by the centre. The judgment was pronounced by Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy on Thursday while disposing of a batch of petitions filed by 83 lease holders against collector’s notification imposing the fine | P2 (From left to right) Kamal Haasan, P Wilson, IS Inbadurai and M Dhanapal Kamal, 5 others file papers for Rajya Sabha election E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai Actor-politician Kamal Haasan has declared `245.86 crore in movable and immovable assets in his nomination papers filed for the Rajya Sabha polls on Friday. The value of his assets has gone up by 39% (`70 crore) compared to the `176 crore asset value declared in his nomination papers for the 2021 Assembly poll. His overall liability, however, has remained the same at `49 crore over the last four years. Six candidates, four from DMK alliance and two from AIADMK, filed the papers for the six RS seats from Tamil Nadu. DMK Rajya Sabha candidates — P Wilson, Rajathi (a) Poet Salma, and SR Sivalingam — joined the Makkal Needhi Maiam chief in filing their nomination papers for four RS seats with the assembly additional secretary B Subramaniyam in Chennai. Chief Minister M K Stalin, Deputy CM Udhyanidhi Stalin and leaders of alliance parties were present. Kamal’s income as per his tax returns for 2023-2024 was `78.9 crore, up from `22.1 crore in 2019-2020. Value of his movable assets has gone up to `59.69 crore, a rise of nearly `15 crore from `45.09 crore reported in 2021.  P5