BHUBANESWAR  MONDAY  AUGUST 11, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  JEYPORE EDITION AIR INDIA SET TO UPGRADE ITS DREAMLINER FLEET Air India’s move to upgrade its 26 Dreamliners is to reduce operational disruptions and better overall reliability FIRST AIRCRAFT IN CALIFORNIA FOR UPGRADE RE-CONFIGURATION TO BE DONE IF NEEDED Air India’s fleet of Dreamliners — 26 legacy 787-8s and seven 787-9s — had undergone checks, including fuel switches, after the fatal crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad. Under the $400 million fleet retrofit programme announced in December 2022, the airline has flown its first Dreamliner to a Boeing facility in California in July ■ ■ The retrofit programme entails analysis of maintenance and configuration records for these aircraft, followed by modifications based on Boeing’s service information bulletins, Air India said As part of a Reliability Enhancement Programme, the airline will upgrade the avionics of its 26 legacy B787-8 aircraft 190 NARROW-BODY AND WIDE-BODY PLANES ARE PART OF AIR INDIA’S FLEET 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 Rajnath targets Trump, says India’s rise irks some people Defence minister Rajnath Singh during the foundation stone laying ceremony of BRAHMA Project to make rail coaches, in Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh | PTI EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhopal IN a veiled dig at US President Donald Trump for his tariff action and repeated targeting of India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that some people are not willing to accept India’s economic progress and influence on the world stage. Describing India’s economy as the world’s most “dashing and dynamic”, Rajnath said that some people who consider themselves as Sabke Boss (everyone’s boss) are unable to digest India’s progress and economic development. “They think that we are everyone’s boss and how is India moving forward so fast? Many people are trying to do something, so that when things made by the hands of Indians in India go to other countries, they become more expensive than the things made in those countries,” he said of Trump’s tariff action against India. “But, I’m confident that the pace at which India is pro- gressing, no global power can stop our country from becoming a major world power,” Singh asserted during his speech after laying the foundation of BEML Rail Hub for Manufacturing (BRAHMA) -a greenfield rail manufacturing facility at central Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district. Describing Operation Sindoor as a symbol of India’s self-reliance and self-confidence, Singh asserted that the armed forces effectively utilised indigenous equipment, which played a pivotal role in the success of the operation. “India was able to reach this position only because it has taken the pledge to become Aatmanirbhar in the defence sector,” he added. Singh said India is now not only manufacturing equipment on its soil, but is also catering to the security needs of friendly nations. “When Modiji became PM for the first time in 2014, the defence sector exports from India were merely `600 crore, which 10 years later have soared to `24,000 crore.” Munir meets US military brass Pak Army chief Asim Munir, currently in the US, met top US military leaders, the army said. Munir met Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine and invited him to visit Pakistan, the Pak army’s statement said. This is Munir’s second visit to US since India’s Operation Sindoor | P9 3 youths drown in sea near Chandrabhaga, 1 rescued E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Puri THREE youths drowned in the sea off Chandrabhaga beach near the Eco-Retreat site, in two separate incidents on Sunday Both the incidents . were related to picnic parties in the area. According to reports, a group of friends holding a picnic feast near the beach went to the sea to take bath at around 3 pm. Three of them were reportedly swept in by the strong waves. While two drowned, one was rescued in time by the friends and dragged to safety . On being informed, fire personnel rushed to the spot and recovered the two bodies. The deceased have been identified as Arupananda Jena (24) and Rahul Senapati (23) from the nearby Jamtala village under the Konark police station limits. The rescued Shiv Kumar belongs to Uttar Pradesh. The bodies have been sent to the Charichhak hospital for postmortem. In another incident, one Pintu Pattnaik (20) of Pahala village in Cuttack district was washed away while bathing with his friends in the sea at the Eco-retreat beach. Pintu, who worked at a car service centre in Bhubaneswar, was also partying with his group at the beach. His friends immediately informed the police and locals. The fire services personnel retrieved the body and sent it to the Konark hospital, which referred it to the Puri headquarters hospital. His body will be handed over to the family members after postmortem. With three lives lost in one after noon, locals said the deaths occured due to lack of war ning for people and bathers ag ainst venturing into the sea during high tide. The sea had swelled dangerously and filled will strong currents because of the tide. Without any inkling of the danger, the innocent youths went inside and met a watery grave, they said. They also alleged that despite the fact that the beach near Eco-Retreat site has now become popular with visitors and picnickers, the administration has taken no step to deploy lifeguards or hoist warning signals to deter people from entering the sea during high tide or strong currents. The death has been caused due to the negligence of the administration, they stated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being received by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, in Bengaluru | EXPRESS India is the world’s fastest growing economy: Modi UPA dispensation. “In 2014, India had only 74 airports, and now, there are Days after US President Don- over 160. Then, only three naald Trump’s ‘dead economy’ tional waterways were operabarb, Prime Minister Naren- tional, now there are 30. The dra Modi on Sunday asserted country had only seven AIIMS that India is the fastest grow- and 387 medical colleges, but ing economy in the world. today we have 22 AIIMS hospi“In the last 11 years, our tals and 704 medical colleges, economy has gone from 10th adding 1 lakh more medical place to top five. We seats in the past 11 are now moving rapyears. The number idly towards becomof IITs has risen from ing one of the top 16 to 23, IIITs from 9 We are moving three economies,” he to 25, and IIMs from fast to become said after inaugurat13 to 21,” Modi said. one of the top ing the Yellow Line three economies. “Before 2014, Inof Bengaluru Metro dia’s total exports How we got this rail and laying the were only $468 bilspeed? Through the spirit of foundation stone for lion. The figure is ‘reform, perform Phase-3. $824 billion now. Inand transform’ Attributing the dia used to import Prime Minister growth momentum mobile phones; we Narendra Modi to the spirit of ‘reare among the top form, perform and five exporters of motransform’, he said: “The bile phones,” he added. journey to a Viksit Bharat India has become a global will move forward hand in example of low-cost, highhand with Digital India.” tech space missions, he said, Modi’s remarks were also emphasising that India is proaimed at Leader of Opposi- gressing in all areas of futurtion in the Lok Sabha Rahul istic technologies. “Our next Gandhi, who had drawn eco- big priority should be becomnomic parallels between the ing self-reliant in technology ,” NDA government and the Modi said. D EVA RA J B H I R E H A L L I @ Bengaluru JUMBO FACE-OFF A SHARED BURDEN AND HEAVY COST FOR BOTH SIDES The magnitude of the conflict in Dhenkanal can be gauged from the fact that the division has reported the highest number of elephant deaths as well as human casualties in wild animal attack in Odisha in last six years | P2 Work on Jeypore economic corridor to start soon: Majhi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar/ Jeypore CHIEF Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday announced that construction of the six-lane Bhubaneswar-Berhampur-Jeypore economic corridor will be started soon. On the second day of his visit to Koraput district, Majhi also inaugurated the 650-bed hospital at Shaheed Laxman Nayak Medical College built at a cost of `280 crore. Addressing a function on the occasion, the chief minister said the economic corridor will play a vital role in all-round development of Koraput district by boosting connectivity to different parts of the state. The expansion of the hospital of the medical college will be a boon for the people of the district and neighbouring region as they will no longer have to travel to other cities for availing quality treatment and health services. The new hospital will benefit the people of Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi addressing a function at Koraput also the neighbouring areas of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, he said. Announcing that all vacancies in medical and allied posts at the SLN MCH will be filled up soon, Majhi said a cancer hospital is also being built in an area of two acres adjacent to the hospital at a cost `41.15 crore. Emphasising focus of his government to provide best of healthcare in every district, the CM said there are 12 government medical colleges in the state at present and four more are coming up in Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Karnataka EC officer sends notice to Rahul for proof of ‘vote theft’ EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru/ New Delhi IN the wake of ‘vote theft’ allegations levelled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against the Election Commission at a press conference in New Delhi on August 7, the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Karnataka on Sunday served a notice to the Congress leader, asking him to share documents based on which he had alleged that a woman voted twice. Gandhi had alleged that there was an instance of duplicate voting, citing the case of one Shakun Rani, who he claimed had voted twice in the Mahadevapura constituency in the 2024 general election and had stated that the document was from the ECI. The ECI, however, stated that its preliminary inquiry found no such evidence, with Shakun Rani herself asserting that she voted only once and the “tick-marked” document Gandhi displayed not being an official record issued by a polling officer. The CEO has asked Gandhi to submit the documents he relied upon to support his allegations, so that an investigation can be conducted. Upping the ante over Rahul Rahul Gandhi Gandhi’s poll rigging claims, t h e C o n g re s s o n S u n d ay launched a web portal for people to register and demand accountability from the EC against what it called “vote theft”, and express support for the demand for digital voter rolls. “The responsibility is once again on us and you, the people of the country — join us and support the demand for transparency and fairness from the Election Commission,” Gandhi said on X, urging people to register on the portal. Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday urged the ECI to ‘clean up’ alleged fraudulent entries in voter lists. “If the ECI has access to digital lists, why doesn’t it clean up the list of fraudulent entries by itself ? How come there were 1 lakh fraudulent entries in one assembly seat? Will the ECI explain?” he said. Nabarangpur districts. He also said the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) has greatly benefited the people of the state with more than 3.46 crore covered under the scheme along with Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY). The government has already released `900 crore in lieu of cashless treatment provided to the people in best of hospitals, he said. Under the Ayushman Vayo Vandana Yojana, 8,644 senior citizens aged above 70 have received free treatment worth `35.60 crore. In Koraput district alone, over three lakh AB-PMJAY and GJAY cards have been distributed, with 9,006 people enrolled under the senior citizens’ scheme, he added. The chief minister said four private hospitals in Koraput district are empanelled under the ABPMJAY-GJAY, enabling local access to cashless treatment. Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling was present among others. EXPRESS READ Cops arrest K’para girl’s boyfriend, find 50 videos Kendrapara: Police on Sunday arrested the alleged boyfriend of the 20-year-old college student whose charred body was recovered from her house in a village under Pattamundai Rural police limits five days back. Pramod Behera was charged with abetment of suicide, as he had threatened to blackmail the girl by sharing her intimate photographs and videos | P4 Will probe ‘assault’ on RG Kar victim’s mother: Police Kolkata: The allegation by the RG Kar victim’s mother that she was assaulted by police personnel during the ‘March to Nabanna’ on Saturday will be investigated, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma said on Sunday. “The allegation is that she was beaten. Whether this is true or false, we will investigate,” he said | P8 HABITAT CONCERNS Grrr... India’s Asiatic lion population jumps 32% in five years J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi INDIA’S Asiatic lion population has grown from 674 in 2020 to 891 in 2025, a 32.2% increase, per the 16th Lion Population Estimation report released on Sunday This conser. vation success is tempered by concerns, as most lions now live near human settlements, altering their natural hunting instincts and increasing reliance on livestock or human-provided food. Asiatic lions are exclusively found in Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat. Data analysed by experts reveal only 20% of lions reside in the 258 sq. km core area of Gir National Park (GNP), Gujarat, where they can prey on wild animals. The park, with its buffer zone, spans over 1,400 sq. km. A senior Gujarat forest officer stated that the remaining lions, living near humans, “primarily prey on livestock or consume dead livestock that humans dispose of.” This proximity is troubling for locals. A June 2025 study by the Wildlife Institute of India, Gujarat Forest Department, Macalester College (USA), and NCBS (Bangalore) found lion attacks on livestock rising by 10% annually, with livestock losses per village up by 15% yearly. Human attacks, averaging 21 per The Asiatic lion in Gir National Park, Gujarat. A recent study found that Asiatic lion attacks on livestock near Gir have increased by 10% per year | ANI year, show no significant increase. “Lions receive food from locals and share space with them, while local communities benefit from enhanced livelihoods through tourism,” said Yadvendradev V Jhala, a study . author and former WII chief. To accommodate the growing population, the government expanded the lions’ habitat to 30,000 sq. km, designating Barda in Porbandar as a secondary sanctuary. GNP hosts 15 lions per 100 sq. km, but outside, the density drops to three per 100 sq. km. “Populations are sparse outside the forest, making them more habituated to living near humans. This may change their natural behaviours,” officials noted. Officials questioned why lions, like tigers requiring 7001,000 sq. km of human-free habi t a t u n d e r t h e Wi l d l i f e Protection Act, aren’t given similar protected spaces.