BHUBANESWAR  SATURDAY  JUNE 21, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 14  LATE CITY EDITION GOVT PANEL TO CHECK FAIRNESS OF ENTRANCE EXAMS, NEED FOR COACHING The Ministry of Education has set up a panel to suggest ways to reduce students’ dependency on coaching centres for transition to higher education TO PLUG GAPS IN CURRENT SCHOOLING SYSTEM FLAGS PROLIFERATION OF ‘DUMMY SCHOOLS’ “The committee will examine the gaps in the current schooling system that contribute to students’ reliance on coaching centres, particularly the limited focus on critical thinking, logical reasoning, analytical skills and innovation and the prevalence of rote learning practices,” news agency PTI quoted a senior Ministry of Education official as saying on Friday ■ ■ Many students prefer to take admission in ‘dummy schools’ so that they can focus solely on their preparations for competitive exams. They don’t attend classes and directly appear in the board exams The panel will also study the effectiveness and fairness of competitive entrance examinations and their influence on the coaching industry 9-MEMBER COMMITTEE TO BE HEADED BY HIGHER EDUCATION SECRETARY VINEET JOSHI 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 Declined Trump to be in the holy land of Lord Jagannath: PM B I J O Y P R A D H A N @ Bhubaneswar PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he declined US President Donald Trump’s invitation for a luncheon meeting in Washington since he did not want to miss being in Odisha, the sac re d l a n d o f M a h ap r ab h u Jagannath. Addressing a massive gathering in Bhubaneswar to mark the first anniversary of Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government in the state, the prime minister said it was more important for him to be in the land of Jagannath. “Just two days ago, I was in Canada attending the G7 Summit when I received a call from Presi- dent Trump. He said since you are already in Canada, why don’t you come down to Washington? We will have a lunch together and have a conversation. He extended a very warm invitation. I thanked the President of America for the invitation but told him it was very important for me to visit the land of Lord Jagannath. With due respect, I declined his offer,” Modi said. The prime minister said Lord Jagannath is not only an object of worship but also a source of immense inspiration, and he did not want to miss the opportunity to be in the land. Launching various projects worth over `18,600 crore and releasing the Odisha Vision Iran eases curbs to fly out 1,000 stranded Indians J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IN a major diplomatic move, Iran has eased its airspace restrictions to facilitate the evacuation of Indian nationals stranded there amid escalating conflict. The decision, described as a special gesture by Iranian authorities, allows India to operate emergency evacuation flights to bring its citizens home safely . Three special flights operated by Iran’s Mahan Air will carry 1,000 Indians, including a large number of students, pilgrims, and others, from Iran’s Mashhad and Ashgabat to New Delhi, diplomatic sources said. The first flight will reach India on Friday at 11.30 pm. The other two flights will land at 3.00 am and 4.30 pm on Saturday . The evacuation effort comes under Operation Sindhu, which successfully brought back 110 Indian students from Iran. The students were first moved to Armenia, from there flown to Doha, and finally arrived in Delhi on Thursday morning. Iran’s deputy chief of mission in New Delhi, Mohammad Javad Hosseini, on Friday reiterated Tehran’s commitment to the safety of foreign nationals and highlighted the cooperation between Iran and India in times of crisis. He said about 10,000 Indians are living in Iran and those wishing to return are being evacuated, hinting at more evacuation flights ahead. The evacuation comes amid mounting regional instability as the conflict between Iran and Israel entered the eighth day on Friday . Iran continued to launch ballistic missiles at Israel, hitting buildings in Haifa and injuring 31. Israel said it carried out air strikes targeting Iran’s missile launchers. Meanwhile, several Indians remain stranded in both Iran and Israel. Journalist Raavish Zaidi, a Lucknow native, had a narrow escape when an Israeli missile struck his office inside the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting headquarters in Tehran. His father Amir Abbas Zaidi rued that Raavish could not attend teh last rites of his mother, who passed away a few days ago in Lucknow. Shia cleric Maulana Saif Abbas said he was approached by several families whose relatives are stranded in Iran. He said many families travelled to Iran for pilgrimage. “Unfortunately war broke out. Thousands are stuck... , and running out of essentials,” he said. P11 (With inputs from Namita Bajpai in Lucknow) PM Narendra Modi unveils Odisha Vision-2036 document in presence of Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday | DEBADATTA MALLICK Document @2036 and @2047, he congratulated Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and his government for giving a fresh momentum to the development of the state. Modi said in recent years, the Tharoor on fresh diplomatic push, leaves for Russia 2-week assignment handed by Modi comes at a time when Pak-US axis is building up P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi DAYS after wrapping up a multi-nation tour on Operation Sindoor, the Centre has assigned Congress MP Shashi Tharoor a second round of diplomatic outreach to countries such as Russia, the UK and possibly Greece, said sources. The Thiruvananthapuram MP who left for Moscow on Fri, day, is on a two-week mission, said sources familiar with the developments. The mission aims to further bolster India’s position among all-weather allies and to amplify the country’s voice, said sources. During the two-week trip, Tharoor will be liaising with Indian diplomatic missions in various countries. His visit to Russia assumes significance amid the softening of the ties between the US and Pakistan. India has reasons to worry after Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, recently held a one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House for more than two hours. Sources said that the government was keen on sending Tharoor for another round of diplomatic push as the all-party delegation led by him was considered as one of the most im- pactful ones. The team led by Tharoor has also visited the United States, where they met Vice President J D Vance and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. During the meeting with Landau, the Tharoor-led delegation explained to him India’s stance against terrorism, with Operation Sindoor being launched in response to the brutal April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tharoor and all the other members of the all-party delegations of Operation Sindoor at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg last Tuesday, sources said that the PM held a separate meeting with Tharoor the next evening. “The PM spoke with Tharoor for an hour on the new assignment and his responsibilities,” said the source. During his meeting with the MPs, the PM is learnt to have said that such endeavours could be institutionalised in future. Tharoor, who is the head of the standing committee of the External Affairs Ministry has , also chaired the meeting of the panel on June 17. It was not clear whether Tharoor had informed the Congress leadership about the new diplomatic mission. Dalai Lama may name reincarnation on July 2 B A L A C H A U H A N @ Bengaluru LEEDS FROM FRONT India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill score hundreds in the first Test against England at Leeds on Friday. Gill became the fifth Indian to score a hundred in the first Test as leader. India scored 359 for 3 on Day 1 | AP | P13 THE ageing Dalai Lama, Tibet’s highest spiritual leader, will make an important announcement, most likely on his reincarnation on July 2, four days before he turns 90. Speaking to this paper, Penpa Tsering, president of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) revealed that the Dalai will make an “important announcement on July 2. It is likely to be on his reincarnation.” The Dalai is scheduled to meet senior leaders of the four Buddhist sects - Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma and Gelug between July 2 and 4 at Dharamshala, the headquarters of the CTA. The identity of the Dalai’s reincarnation is keenly awaited not only by Tibetans but by people in the Himalayan region as well, from Lhasa to Arunachal Pradesh, as they look up to him as their spiritual guide. China, too, wants to know, as it sees the Dalai as a separatist leader and symbol of Tibetan resistance. In March 2011, the Dalai relinquished his role as the political head of the Tibetans in exile and handed it over to the CTA. He had said that his successor will be born in a free world, in a clear message to China on claim on having the sole right to choose the next Dalai Lama. “It is important to remember that the Dalai is not only the leader of all the Tibetans, but also of one million Indian Himalayans,” noted Tibetologist Claude Arpi said. country has experienced the development model of BJP. “You have seen the model of Congress governments, famed for delaying, obstructing and derailing development projects. Widespread corruption was their hallmark. Now you have experienced the development model of the BJP government in past decade. Several states witnessed the formation of BJP governments for the first time and they have entered a new era of social and economic transformation,” he said. Citing the example of Assam, Tripura and Odisha, the prime minister said a decade ago, Assam was plagued with instability sepa, PAGE 3, 7 ratism, and violence. 8W X 8H Viksit roadmap for $1.5 trillion economy by 2047 H E M A N T K U M A R R O U T @ Bhubaneswar ODISHA on Thursday laid out a bold and time-bound strategy to become a developed state by 2036 and a $1.5 trillion economy by 2047. Released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Vision-2036 blueprint, part of the broader ‘Viksit Odisha for Viksit Bharat’ agenda, sets ambitious targets to rapidly urbanise, double employment and attract massive investments to the state. The vision has focused on six foundational pillars - people first, rural empowerment, people-centric governance, prosperity for all, our legacy our pride, and technology leading the way, covering priority areas like women-led development, quality education, universal healthcare, green energy, smart agriculture, and cultural revitalisation. The state has set a target for creation of over one crore new jobs, backed by massive investments in manufacturing, green energy, agriculture, skilling and tourism. A core part of this plan is the creation of world-class economic agglomerations. It envisages a BhubaneswarCuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BCPPER), which will be developed into a $500 billion hub, contributing to one-third of the state’s GSDP by 2047. This urban-industrial corridor will integrate innovation hubs, ports, high-tech manufacturing zones, educational institutions, medical tourism centres, and smart cities. Three more regional agglomerations Bargarh-Jharsuguda-Sambalpur, Berhampur-Chhatrapur-Gopalpur, and Jeypore-Koraput-Sunabeda will also follow the BCPPER model. The vision sets a target to increase Odisha’s urbanisation from the current 17 per cent (pc) to 40 pc by 2036 and 60 pc by 2047. CONTINUED ON P7