BHUBANESWAR  WEDNESDAY  SEPTEMBER 03, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  JEYPORE EDITION INDIA’S 1ST INDIGENOUSLY-DEVELOPED SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP UNVEILED Vikram-32-bit chip built by Isro was presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the Semicon India 2025 conference on Tuesday 32-BIT PROCESSOR CAN HANDLE EXTREME HEAT ADVANCED VERSION OF VIKRAM 16-BIT Vikram-32, officially known as VIKRAM3201, is India’s first fully indigenous 32-bit processor chip designed to operate in the harsh environmental conditions of launch vehicles. Built on a 32-bit architecture, it can efficiently handle large volumes of data. Beyond aerospace, it holds significant potential in the defence, automotive, and energy sectors | P10 ■ ■ The chip, designed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and fabricated at the 180nm CMOS semiconductor fab of Semi-Conductor Laboratory, is an advanced version of 16-bit VIKRAM1601 chip “First ‘Made in India’ Chips! A moment of pride for any nation. Today, Bharat has achieved it,” Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw wrote on X 10 SEMICONDUCTOR PROJECTS WORTH OVER $18 BILLION ARE UNDERWAY: MODI 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 CM hails PMEC Berhampur, Modi: Bihar won’t NIT-Rkl for semicon chip feat forgive RJD, Cong for abusing mom EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar CHIEF Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday hailed Parala Maharaja Engineering College (PMEC), Berhampur and NIT Rourkela for their remarkable achievements and significant contribution to India’s semiconductor mission. Calling it a moment of immense pride for Odisha, the chief minister said the development of the High Performance Multiplier IC-C2S0061 by PMEC Berhampur along with the VG Amplifier and Sensor CircuitC2S0018 and the Present Encryption Core-C2S0017 by National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, as part of India’s first Made-in-India chip initiative is a historic milestone in India’s journey towards technological leadership. On a four-day visit to Delhi, Majhi attended the SEMICON India-2025 conclave at Yashobhoomi in the national capital in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Mukesh Mahaling also accompanied him. “I had the privilege of joining #SEMICONIndia2025, a landmark platform that brought together global leaders, policymakers, researchers, startups, NDA gets opportunity to play the women card, announces five-hour Bihar bandh on Thursday RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR AND RAMASHANKAR @ New Delhi/Patna Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw sharing a lighter moment with CM Mohan Charan Majhi at Odisha Pavilion in SEMICON-2025. Health min Mukesh Mahaling also present and industry pioneers to shape the future of semiconductors in India. The launch of the first Made-in-India chip was truly inspiring, marking a historic milestone in our nation’s journey towards technological leadership,” said Majhi in his X post. The chief minister said, “The development of the High Performance Multiplier IC-C2S0061 by PMEC Berhampur, along with the VG Amplifier and Sensor Circuit-C2S0018 and the Present Encryption CoreC2S0017 by NIT Rourkela, as part of India’s first Made-in-India chip initiative, is a matter of immense pride for Odisha. These remarkable achievements showcase the talent and innovation nurtured within our state and highlight Odisha’s growing role in India’s semiconductor journey .” This is not merely a technological achievement but a decisive leap towards strategic and economic self-reliance. By reducing dependency on imports and strengthening domestic manufacturing, this breakthrough positions India as a rising global hub in electronics, he said. Majhi also inaugurated the Odisha Pavilion at SEMICON India-2025 conclave and said Odisha with its bold policies, nextgeneration infrastructure and investment-ready opportunities is poised to emerge as the next big hub for semiconductor and P2 electronics innovation. EXPRESS READ MHA frames strict rules for entry and stay under Foreigners Act ’25 GST Council meet today: India Inc, consumers eye relief New Delhi: With an aim to further tighten national security by better regulating immigration into the country, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a set of new rules under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which stipulates stricter norms for entry, stay and deportation of foreigners. The order was issued through a gazette notification | P7 New Delhi: With the GST Council meeting beginning Wednesday, industries are hoping for a simplified structure and lower levies on goods and services. For consumers, particularly with the festive season around the corner, hopes are pinned on a reduction in prices of daily-use items. The Centre has proposed a major restructuring of the GST with two-slab structure | P10 IN his first response to the recent abuse of his late mother from an Opposition platform in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said people will never forgive the RJD and the Congress for the slur. Expletives were hurled at the prime minister’s mother during the Voter Adhikar Yatra spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav in Darbhanga. Speaking to women of the poll-bound state via video conference from Delhi during the launch of a new cooperative, ‘Bihar Rajya Jeevika Saakh Sahkari Sangh’, Modi described the abuse as an insult to all mothers, sisters and daughters of the country especially Bihar. , He accused the RJD-Congress alliance in the state of dragging his late mother into politics though she had nothing to do with it. “I may forgive RJD-Congress, but people of Bihar will never pardon them. Hurling abuses at my mother is nothing for those who insult ‘Mother India’; such people must be punished,” he said. Modi went on allege that the RJD was seeking revenge, as its previous government was ousted because women voted against it. Shortly after Modi response, the ruing NDA gave a five-hour bandh call in Bihar on Thursday to protest against abusive remarks. Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said the bandh on September 4 will be from 7 am to 12 noon, adding railways and emergency services will be out of its ambit. JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha said such abuse from a public platfor m was against democratic norms. “One may differ on political ideologies, but it does mean that family should be dragged into it,” he said. He expressed surprise over the silence of senior Congress-RJD leaders on the matter. BJP playing emotional card: Cong Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar said the BJP was trying to divert people’s attention by playing the emotional card before the assembly polls. “They did a similar thing in Karnataka. Now they are trying an encore in Bihar,” he said at a press conference People who hurl abuses at mothers have the mindset that women are weak. Abusing my mother was an insult to the daughters and sisters of Bihar Quota stir ends, govt accepts most demands S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai MARATHA quota activist Manoj Jarange ended his fast on Tuesday evening, the fifth day of his hunger strike, saying the Maharashtra government has accepted most of his demands, including implementation of the Hyderabad gazetteer as documentary proof to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members, making them eligible for reservation benefits currently available to OBCs. The government accepted six out of the eight demands put forth by Jarange and constituted a cabinet sub-committee headed by BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. The panel sought two months’ time to accept Maratha and Kunbi as the same caste and sagesoyere (close relatives) as demanded by the protesters. “If any Maratha who does not have a land and revenue record to establish himself as Kunbi, and one of the persons in his clan and blood relation has the Kunbi certificate, then the self-affidavit by that clan person will help a Maratha get a Kunbi certificate. The records and self-affidavit claim will be verified by the local village committee that includes the local revenue officer, Gram panchayat secretary, and the agric u l t u r e o f f i c e r, ” r e a d a government resolution (GR) issued late in the evening. The GR stated that a dedicated scrutiny process would be conducted to verify documents and establish eligibility of persons from the Maratha commun i t y fo r Ku n b i c a s t e certificates. “The committee shall ensure that every claim is assessed in a time-bound and transparent manner,” it said. The government also issued another GR withdrawing all cases filed against protesters demanding Maratha reservation and extending financial aid and jobs to the relatives of the deceased protesters. Maratha community members stop a train during their protest at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai, on Monday | PTI 1 Protest leader Manoj Jarange Kunbi caste certificates to be issued to Marathas to get them OBC benefits 2 Govt forms panel, seeks two months to issue the relevant caste certificates 3 Jarange threatens to resume protest if demands not implemented IN DEEP WATER People walk through a flooded street after the Yamuna river crossed the danger mark in New Delhi on Tuesday | PTI FAMILY FEUD K Kavitha suspended from BRS effect,” the statement said. @ Hyderabad BRS sources said Kavitha has called a press conference on BHARAT Rashtra Samithi Wednesday where she is likely (BRS) supremo K Chanto announce her resignadrasekhar Rao on Tuestion from both the Legisday cleared the suspenlative Council and the sion of his daughter and primary membership of MLC K Kavitha from the the party . party for “anti-party acKavitha has been at tivities”. BRS general odds with the BRS leadsecretaries Soma Bharat e r s h i p f o r s e ve r a l Kalvakuntla Kumar and T Ravinder months. Following the Kavitha Rao issued a statement state government’s deciconfirming the decision. sion to order a CBI probe into “Recent activities of Kavitha the alleged irregularities in the are causing damage to the party Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation . The leadership of the party has Scheme, Kavitha accused taken serious note of those ac- former minister T Harish Rao tivities. With this, party presi- and former MP J Santosh Kudent K Chandrasekhar Rao has mar of indulging in massive decided to suspend Kavitha corruption which she claimed from the party with immediate damaged KCR’s image. M A N DA RAV I N D E R R E D DY Rayagada police present the 7 accused and the looted cash before media 3 home guards among 7 held for abducting bizman & looting `9L A S I S H M E H TA @ Bhubaneswar POLICE have arrested seven persons, including a woman and three home guards, for allegedly abducting a quarry owner and looting `9 lakh cash from him near Rupkona Chhak in Rayagada district on Monday night. The prime accused Sunita Naik of Gobarghati village in the district had allegedly planned the dacoity in connivance with the home guards posted in two different police stations, and five other associates. She along with her key accomplice Hira Naik, home guards Indramani Karkaria, Dillip Garadia and Tamana Preska, and two others Simanchal Majhi and Mukesh Nag were nabbed within hours of the incident. “The three home guards and two others, who have absconded, robbed the businessman in his moving car wearing police uniform. Efforts are on to apprehend two oth- The three home ers involved in the crime,” South western guards and range DIG, Kanwar Vishal Singh told two others, TNIE. who have The DIG said, the victim T Uma Reddy absconded, (53), is a native of Labanyagada in Gajap- robbed the ati district, and has a stone quarry and businessman in granite business. He had come to Jeypore his moving car wearing police in Koraput district recently for some uniform. work. On Monday he and his two friends Efforts are on , were travelling to Rayagada to hire some to apprehend labourers to work at his stone quarry, two others involved in the when the incident took place. Police said, Reddy had planned to meet crime Sunita, a former employee of his, on the Kanwar Vishal way in the connection. She was aware that Singh, DIG he was carrying huge amount of cash to make advance payment to the labourers. Sunita and her associate Hira met Reddy at Rupkona Chhak. While they were in discussion, seven persons arrived there in a Bolero SDUV and a bike. Out of the seven, five were reportedly in police uniform. They asked Reddy the reason behind his presence in the CONTINUED ON P5 area with a woman. No HC bail to Umar, Sharjeel, 7 others I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court Tuesday dismissed the bail pleas Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and seven others in the 2020 Delhi riots case, which left 53 dead and over 700 injured. Pronouncing the verdict, a bench of justices Naveen Chawla and Shalinder Kaur rejected challenges to earlier trial court orders denying bail to the accused — Khalid, Imam, Athar Khan, Khalid Saifi, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa ur Rehman, Meeran Haider, Gulfis ha Fat im a an d Sh a d ab Ahmed. All of them were booked under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Arrested in 2020, the accused have been jail for over five Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam years now. The bail plea of another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, was rejected by a different bench of justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar. During an earlier hearing, the bench expressed concern over the prolonged incarceration of the accused. Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna Lahiri said this was the sixth time bail being denied, adding his legal team would now move the Supreme Court as a last resort. Sharjeel Imam’s advocate Ahmad Ibrahim told this newspaper that his client would also move the SC. In its order, the bench said the right to protest is subject to reasonable restrictions. “Any conspiratorial violence under the garb of protests or demonstrations by the citizens cannot be permitted,” the order read. During the hearing, defence lawyers argued that mere participation in WhatsApp groups or making speeches could not be construed as part of a conspiracy . Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the accused intended to “globally defame the nation” by planning violence on specific days.