BHUBANESWAR  WEDNESDAY  JULY 09, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION ONLY 53% OF CLASS 6 STUDENTS KNOW TABLES UP TO 10: GOVT REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE HALF OF CLASS 3 KIDS KNOW SUBTRACTION The findings were a part of a survey by Education Ministry covering 21,15,022 students in Grades 3, 6 and 9, spread across 74,229 schools in India According to the survey, only 55% of students in Class 3 can arrange numbers up to 99 in ascending or descending order while 58% can perform addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers. In Class 6, 53% of students know addition and multiplication tables up to 10 and can apply the four basic operations on whole numbers to solve daily life problems | P7 ■ 36 CLASS 9 GOVT SCHOOLS SHINE IN LANGUAGES ■ In Class 6, an additional subject ‘The World Around Us’, which covers environment and society, was introduced alongside Language and Mathematics. Students scored lowest in Mathematics (46%) In the case of Class 9, students from Central Government schools performed the best across all subjects, with a clear lead in languages STATES WERE COVERED IN THE LEARNING SURVEY BY THE CENTRE 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 Dassault rubbishes Pak propaganda, says only one IAF Rafale crashed FATF: TERRORISTS ABUSED E-COMM SITES EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE protracted debate on loss of the Indian Air Force’s Rafale combat jets, which Pakistan claimed to have shot down, was debunked by the CEO of Dassault, which manufactures the fighter aircraft. Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier was quoted as saying that no Rafale was shot down in combat, but India had lost one aircraft due to technical failure, and a probe into it is currently on. Trappier was quoted by French website Avion De Chasse as saying that there was no enemy engagement in the loss of a Rafale. The incident “occurred at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission, with no enemy involvement or hostile radar contact,” the Terror financing watchdog FATF cited the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack to point out that e-commerce platforms were misused by terror outfits. FATF said aluminium used in IED used in the 2019 attack was procured through Amazon by terror outfits report said. Speaking specifically on Pakistan’s allegations that three Indian Dassault Rafales were reportedly shot down during the fourd ay O p e r at i o n S i n d o o r launched by India, Trappier said the allegations were “inaccurate and unfounded”. Trappier took on Pakistan for false claims in a press conference on June 15, which Avion De Chasse reported. During the press conference, Trappier formally refuted the idea of an opera- tional failure, quoting the Spectra electronic warfare systems that had not recorded any hostile engagements during the time slot in question. Further, the friend/foe identification devices and the flight logs transmitted to Dassault indicated no losses in actual combat, he said. As per the French Intelligence and military officials, it was China which was behind the smear campaign against the Rafale fighters. 448 detained as govt MAMATA starts action against B’deshis, Rohingyas ACCUSES ASSAM GOVT OF TRYING TO IMPLEMENT NRC said, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directions, a Special Task Force A S p a r t o f t h e m a s s ive (STF) has been constituted for statewide crackdown against identifying foreign nationals illegal immigrants, Odisha Po- living illegally in the state. “A lice has identified 448 suspected drive was launched by the STF Bangladeshis and Rohingyas within different police limits in since Monday night and shifted the district during which 444 them to the holding centres people were identified and for verification. shifted to two holding Jharsuguda police centres for verification,” rounded up as many as he said. 444 people suspected to The holding centres be Bangladeshi nationhave been set up at als and Rohing yas, Black Diamond College while in Jagatsinghof Engineering and pur, four persons were Technology in Jharsudetained. They had alguda sub-division and le gedly ar rived in another at Surabhi Paradip a fortnight Kalyan Mandap in The document verification of the back. Brajrajnagar sub-divi444 people Police sources said, sion. The documents shifted to the of the 444 detained in of these individuals Jharsuguda, many holding centres is are being thoroughly continuing. had been living for a examined to ascertain Further action will long time and were their nationality, Parbe initiated even employed in difmar said. accordingly The MHA has asked f e re n t ind ustries, mines and also en- Himanshu Kumar Lal, all states and Union IG, Northern Range Territories (UTs) to set gaged as masons and up STF in every dishouse painters in the district. Briefing mediapersons trict to identify and deport illeon Monday Northern Range IG gal Bangladeshi and Rohingya , Himansu Kumar Lal said, “The settlers. The STF is headed by document verification of the SP or DCP and functions in co444 people shifted to the hold- ordination with additional dising centres is continuing. Fur- trict magistrate, civil supplies ther action will be initiated officer, chief district medical officer, DSP and district intelliaccordingly .” Jharsuguda SP Smit Parmar gence bureau. CONTINUED ON P5 A S I S H M E H TA / M AYA N K B H U S A N PA N I @ Jharsuguda/Bhubaneswar Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called on the opposition parties to unite against “the BJP’s divisive and oppressive machinery” | P8 Ahead of election, Nitish tweaks job quota for women Restricts 35% reservation for women in govt employment to only those who hail from Bihar too, were appointed as teachers in government-run schools in Bihar WITH Bihar assembly elections under the quota. less than four months away the Ni, The decision to restrict the quotish Kumar government on Tues- ta came amid intense push for imday restricted the 35% quota in plementing the domicile policy by place for women in all government the Opposition. Leader of Opposijobs since 2016, to only those who tion Tejashwi Prasad Yadav had hail from the state. supported the domicile demand of The decision was seen as an at- job aspirants for teaching positempt by Nitish to further consoli- tions in government schools, who date his already strong female took out a protest march and held vote-bank. a demonstration in Patna A final call to enforce the recently . domicile criteria was taken This is the first instance at a meeting of the state of domicile policy being cabinet chaired by Chief implemented by the state Minister Nitish Kumar. government in the recent “Only women native of past. Union minister NityBihar will be eligible for anand Rai said, “The deciNitish Kumar 35% horizontal reservation sion will ultimately make in direct recruitment women from the state selfacross all government service cad- reliant and embolden them.” res in Bihar,” said S Siddharth, adIn another pre-poll sop, the the ditional chief secretary after the cabinet decided to set up a Bihar , meeting. Youth Commission to enhancejob Till now, women from outside opportunities for them. JD(U) the state, too, were beneficiaries of spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said the 35% reservation in govern- it will make the youth self-reliant, ment jobs. skilled and job-oriented. Siddharth said, “Women from However, Tejashwi accused the other states applying for Bihar Nitish government of ‘stealing’ government jobs will be treated as the promises made by the RJD. general category They will not get “The 20-year-old tired government . the benefit of 35% women’s reser- has no vision of its own. People vation.” Earlier, candidates from want to get rid of the government,” neighbouring UP and elsewhere, he told the media. R A M A S H A N K A R @ Patna A S I S H M E H TA @ Bhubaneswar BALANCING ACT People use a raft made of banana stems to shift to a safer place from a floodaffected area at Dighal Jarani village in Hojai district, Assam, on Tuesday | PTI IPL’s business value worth over `1.55 lakh cr THE business value of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has jumped by over 10 per cent in the last year, according to the global investment firm, Houlihan Lokey HL, who have come . out with yearly IPL brand valuation studies, held that IPL’s current business value stands at $18.5bn (over `1,55,000 cr; in 2024, it was $16.4bn). The firm said that the IPL’s brand value has also surged from $3.4bn to $3.9bn (over `32,000 cr). “This g r ow t h u n d e r s c o r e s t h e league’s expanding commercial appeal, global reach and deepening fan engagement,” the report said. The 18th edition of the league, won by Bengaluru franchise for the first time last month, helped the franchise become the No. 1 in terms of brand value in the 10-team league. Its brand value in 2025 stands at just under $270mn, up by 18.5% in the last 12 months. Chennai Super Kings, who had a blowout season, fell down to third place. In fact, out of all 10 teams, the franchise registered the lowest percentage gain (less than 2%) on a year on year basis. Punjab Kings, who advanced to the final, registered a whopping Brand values have increased for all 10 teams IPL CONTINUES TEAMS 2025 2024 CHANGE TEAMS 2025 2024 RCB MI CSK KKR SRH 18.5% 18.6% 1.7% 5.1% 16.7% DC RR GT PBKS LSG 269 227 242 204 235 231 227 216 154 132 D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi WITH the US government sending letters to over a dozen countries informing them of the reciprocal tariff they are likely to attract on exports to the US, the suspense over the trade deal with India continues. Even as President Donald Trump on Monday hinted that the US is hours away from announcing a deal with India, back home the government is in a wait-and-watch mode. “The ball is in the US court, we negotiated with the US officials, now it is up to them,” said an official, who refused to be identified. Citing the Vietnam trade deal announced by the US, the official said Trump has been unilaterally making a lot of announcements, which are later refutDonald Trump ed by the respective countries. The Indian government was confident of signing a limited deal by July 9, but with the US issuing a new deadline of August 1, the announcement may get delayed. The Indian government has maintained that it is not desperate for an early trade deal at the cost of the country’s interest. Drivers’ strike paralyses public transport services, affects essential supplies RCB PIP MI S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Chennai TRADE DEAL BALL IN U.S. COURT: INDIA 152 146 142 141 122 CHANGE 131 16% 133 9.8% 124 14.5% 101 39.6% 91 34.1% All figures in $mn All data from Houlihan Lokey’s IPL Valuation Study 2025 (a copy of the report is with this daily) TO SHOW INCREASED BRAND AND BUSINESS VALUES (in $bn) 3.2 3.4 3.9 15.4 16.4 18.5 2023 2024 2025 Business Brand 39.6% jump in brand value. The IPL’s principal stakeholders like to compare themselves with the US’ Big Four and the EPL and HL maintain that they are expected to become bigger in the years to come as there are several built in advantages. “When benchmarked against global peers like EPL and NBA teams,” the report added, “that wrestle with high player transfer fees, variable wages and high stadium operating costs (including servicing stadium debt), IPL franchisees operate with an asset-light, revenue-guaranteed model, a structure that not only cushions downside risk but also amplifies operating leverage on the upside.” TRANSPORT services, particularly public transport and supply of fuel and LPG, were severely affected as thousands of commercial vehicle drivers launched an indefinite strike to press for fulfilment of their various demands. Under the banner of Odisha Drivers’ Mahasangha, drivers of buses, trucks, commercial vans and taxis resorted to the ‘quit steering wheel’ protest, demanding various welfare and social security measures from the government. Public transport was the worst hit as private buses stayed off road and commuters across the state had to suffer immense problems. Devotees and visitors, who went to Puri to attend the Niladri Bije, the last ritual of Rath Yatra festival, had a harrowing time as they could not board buses or other public transport to return home. This resulted in a heavy rush at the railway station in Puri. Sources said on an average, at least 200 buses operate from Puri to Bhubaneswar and Cuttack daily The number of buses oper. ating from Puri to the Twin City goes up to 300 during festive sea- sons. With the number reducing to a trickle as only government buses operated, the people faced severe inconveniences. Meanwhile, supply of petrol, diesel and LPG to different parts of the state is set to be badly affected from Wednesday if the strike continues. “Oil tanker drivers joined the protests on Tuesday. But, they have been asked to report to duty on Wednesday so that petrol and diesel can be loaded from four depots in Jatni, Paradip, Balasore and Jharsuguda, and delivered at the fuel stations across the state. If they continue, there will be an oil crisis at hand,” said general secretary of Utkal Petroleum Dealers’ Association, Sanjay Lath. Though the supply of essential commodities like vegetables was not affected on the day, traders’ bodies are apprehensive that the strike could lead to shortage if the cease work carries on. “Vegetables were delivered in Bhubaneswar markets as usual on Tuesday. However, we are anticipating the strike will possibly affect the supply a day later,” said Rajdhani Pariba (vegetables) Byabasayee Mahasangha president, Kabi CONTINUED ON P5 Swain. Passengers stranded at Baramunda ISBT as bus drivers cease work for fulfilment of their various demands, in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday | DEBADATTA MALLICK Indian nurse in Yemen to be executed on July 16 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi INDIAN nurse Nimisha Priya, who was handed a death penalty in Yemen, will reportedly be executed on July 16, but her family said they have not received any information yet. Human rights activist Samuel Jerome who is part of the team to save her, told this paper, “A letter of execution has been issued and jail authorities have officially informed me of the date. I am now back in Yemen ... there is still hope if the victim’s family accepts the blood money . Some people have come forward again to help her.” There was no official word on the development. But sources told this newspaper, “Nimisha Priya was convicted for murder in Yemen in June 2018 and a local court handed out death sentence to her. We have been closely following the matter since then.” To my T h o mas, Nimisha’s husband, said Nimisha Priya “We haven’t received any official communication. We only learned about it through media reports and are waiting.” Samuel is involved in negotiations with Yemeni authorities and the family of the vict i m , Ta l a l A b d o M a h d i . According to reports, the Yemeni public prosecutor has issued an order scheduling the execution for July 16. The death sentence was upheld by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. The ruling allowed for possibility of clemency by paying blood money to the victim’s family This aspect . is the focus of Nimisha Priya Action Council, which is working to save her life.