BHUBANESWAR l tuesday l september 16, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION three ministers inducted by nepal’s new PM Karki sworn in Nepal’s interim PM unveiled her first ministers on Monday, as the nation seeks to restore order after deadly clashes ousted PM KP Sharma Oli Nepal’s new ministers (from left) Kulman Ghising, Om Prakash Aryal and Rameshwor Khanal after being sworn in on Monday in Kathmandu | PTI seasoned advocate is new home minister parliamentary polls in six months Om Prakash Aryal, an advocate known for cases tackling corruption and human rights, takes the critical home minister post, as well as law, justice and parliamentary affairs. Kulman Ghising, former director of Electricity Authority, has energy, infrastructure, transport and urban development, while Rameshwor Khanal, was handed the finance minister post | P9 ■ ■ The Cabinet, mandated to hold parliamentary polls within six months, now has four members, including Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who will oversee the remaining ministerial portfolios President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office to the new ministers at a ceremony at the President’s Office, Sheetal Niwas 10.5% is the most recent unemployment rate of nepal, as per an estimate 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 lays foundation stone for 27 US team arrives for trade talks today industrial projects worth `25K cr PUSHPITA D E Y @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday laid the foundation stones for 27 industrial projects spread across 12 districts. The projects entail an investment of `25,400 crore spanning key sectors such as renewable energy, rare earth minerals, textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and downstream industries with a potential to create 52,000 direct and indirect employment. Addressing the event organised by the Industries department at OUAT campus here, Majhi said, “Odisha is now moving from promise to performance, from potential to prosperity with every step steeped in Odia Asmita. Our focus remains on the youth of our state. I am proud to share that in just one year, out of 77,885 employment opportunities created, 56,859 (around 80 per cent) have gone to Odia people.” “This is not just mere statistics but a testimony to the committed performance of our gover nment. Each project grounded today is not just an investment figure but a symbol of trust in Odisha’s capability and governance,” he added. The chief minister said the government is determined to ensure that industrial opportunities reach every corner of the state, enabling inclusive and sustainable progress. Odisha is moving up the value chain from being recognised for its mineral wealth and primary industries to becoming a hub for CM Mohan Majhi with investors at the groundbreaking ceremony, on Monday Major projects  SRF Limited: Chemicals and chemical products in Ganjam with `10,000 cr investment  Epsilon Carbon Ashoka Pvt Ltd: Chemicals and chemical products in Jharsuguda dist with `5,806 cr investment  Shri Bajrang Power & Metallics Ltd: Rare earth minerals in Khurda dist with `2,096.60 cr investment  Ferro Alloys Corporation Ltd: Ferro alloys in Bhadrak dist at `1,221 cr investment  MAS India Clothing Pvt Ltd: Textiles and apparel in Khurda dist with `1,211.87 cr investment  Linde India Limited: Oxygen and other gases in Jajpur dist at `1,303.50 cr investment  Greenply Group: Paper, wood & forest-based products in Koraput with `606 cr investment high-value manufacturing and globally competitive products. “This shift is at the heart of our vision for Samruddha Odisha @ 2036 and Viksit Bharat @ 2047,” he said. The chief minister said in the last 15 months his government has approved 260 indus- trial projects with investment of `5.6 lakh crore, which will create employment opportunities for around 3.6 lakh people. Foundation stones for 84 industrial projects have already been laid, which are likely to bring in over `2 lakh crore investment and generate around 1.64 lakh employment, he said. He said the state government has created a conducive environment for industrial development by formulating suitable policies and providing sectorspecific incentives. Bureaucratic hurdles have been minimised to ensure a smooth experience for industrialists. He also called upon all industries, entrepreneurs and industrial institutions to participate in the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ campaign by planting as many trees as possible in their respective areas. He emphasised the importance of balancing development and environmental conservation. Minister for Industries Sampad Chandra Swain said the state is offering unmatched opportunities for investors with its progressive policies, responsive governance and worldclass infrastructure. Teenage girl raped in front MBBS-BAMS proposed of boyfriend in Puri, 2 held integrated course Ra j K u ma r M o h an t y / A s i s h M e h ta @ Bhubaneswar/Puri IN another shocking incident, a teenage student was allegedly gangraped by two youths in front of her boyfriend at the popular tourist spot Baliharichandi beach under Brahmagiri police limits of Puri. The incident though took place on Saturday came to light after a formal complaint was registered on Monday . In fact, the victim was initially reluctant to report the matter but Puri police persuaded her to lodge the complaint and swung into action by arresting the two accused. Police sources said, the survivor along with her male friend had gone to Baliharichandi beach on Saturday afternoon where they encountered the accused, who started recording videos of the couple and tried to extort money from them. This led to a heated exchange and the accused overpowered the victim’s friend and assaulted him. Later, they took turns to sexually assault the girl. After the incident, the accused youth fled the spot but the matter reached the police which sent in a team and traced the vic- tim. The girl shared the details of her ordeal and even gave description of the accused. However, she initially refused to lodge a formal complaint, fearing social stigma. Police, though, continued its probe and tried to convince the survivor to report the crime. “On Monday, she lodged a complaint with Brahmagiri police and we immediately arrested the accused,” Puri SP Prateek Singh said. Police registered a case under section 70 of BNS and sent the girl for medical examination to the district headquarters hospital. The cops also seized mobile phones of the accused to check videos of the couple Sources, however, said the two had deleted the videos before police apprehended them. The devices would be sent to the State Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Bhubaneswar for examination and retrieve the data. The youths involved in the crime are all locals and their criminal antecedents are being verified, police said. The incident comes as a chilling reminder of the Gopalpur incident in June when a 20-year-old student was gangraped by 10 persons in front of her male friend. PUT OFF The proposed integrated medical course, combining MBBS and BAMS at JIPMER in Puducherry, has been put on hold following strong protests | P7 US TikTok deal done, Trump-Xi talks on Friday US chief negotiator and Assistant Trade Representative for south and central Asia Brendan Lynch arrived in Delhi on Monday night to revive the trade talks that were stalled after the Trump administration waged a tariff war on Indian goods ostensibly to penalise India over its trade ties with Russia. Lynch and his team of negotiators will hold formal talks with Indian officials on the India-US bilateral trade agreement on Tuesday, confirmed US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that Washington has reached a ‘framework’ deal with China on the ownership of TikTok’s American operations. US President Donald Trump will speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday to finalise the deal, he added | P9 Rajesh Agarwal, India’s chief negotiator and a special secretary commerce ministry , . This will be the first in-person discussion between the representatives of the two countries after the US levied a 50% tariff on several Indian goods. While the exact agenda of the meeting has not been disclosed, the visit makes it clear that both sides want the talks to resume at the earliest. Negotiations were put on hold after US President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on several Indian goods and India termed the move a ‘unilateral’ decision. The resumption of talks SC stays a few provisions of Waqf Amendment Act Abolition of ‘waqf by user’ prima facie not arbitrary: Interim order SUCHITR A K A LYA N M OH A N TY What ’s in, what ’s out @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the operation of the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, in its interim orderbut stayed the implementation of certain parts of the law to ‘balance the equities’ and ‘protect the interests of parties’, including the criteria of fiveyear practice of Islam for dedicating property towards waqf. “Section 3 of the Amended Waqf Act (AWA), which says, ‘any person showing or demonstrating that he is professing Islam for at least five years’ shall stand stayed” until rules are framed on how to determine whether a person has been practicing Islam for at least five years, a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih ruled. However, it is nondescriminatory the court said. , The bench stayed a provision on the District Collector adjudicating on the rights of individual citizens, saying it would violate the principle of separation of powers. Till a tribunal adjudicates on the matter, no SC says law can be stayed only in the rarest of rare cases Says number of non-Muslims in central waqf councils cannot exceed 4 out of 22 third party rights can be created against any parties, the court said. As for appointing nonMuslims to manage waqf properties, it allowed the Centre to nominate not more than three of them into the 11-member Central Waqf Council constituted under Section 14 of the AWA, and four non-Muslims out of 22 under Section 9 of AWA. The court refused to stay an amendment allowing the appointment of a non-Muslim as a CEO for the board, but suggested that every effort should be made to appoint a Muslim to the post. Refusing to stay the provision abolishing the concept of Provision on five-year practice of Islam for dedicating property as waqf stayed for want of rules, but it is not arbitrary or discriminatory Provision barring declaration of tribal lands as waqf properties upheld Deletion of ‘waqf by user’ provision prima facie not arbitrary ‘waqf by user’, the court said, the requirement of registration came in from the Waqf Act of 1923. If waqfs were not registered since 102 years, they cannot raise their grievance now, the court said. “If the legislature, on noticing misuse of the waqf properties, finds that after the enactment of the impugned Act all such applications should be accompanied by a copy of the waqf deed, the same cannot be said to be arbitrary the court observed. ,” If ‘waqf by user’ is abused to encroach government properties, the legislature can take steps to delete it. It approved the provision to abolish ‘waqf by user’ prospectively . express read Row as Centre denies nod for Sikh jatha to Pak Chandigarh: The Centre’s decision not to allow a Sikh jatha to Pakistan has triggered protests with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann saying cricket matches between with Pakistan were allowed but Sikhs are denied permission to access to their sacred shrines | P8 PM Modi raises the pitch on infiltrators in Bihar pole star vaults to the sky Armand Duplantis created history by breaking his world record in pole vault again at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday. This is the 14th time the Swede has broken the world mark | AP Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday gave his guarantee that action would be taken against all infiltrators and accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and other Opposition leaders of shielding them | P8 handshake gate Pakistan threatens to pull out of Asia Cup if match referee not removed F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai A day after India refused to shake hands with Pakistan after recording a comprehensive win in the Asia Cup match, the issue snowballed into a major controversy . In a letter to the International Cricket Council, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) threatened to withdraw from the Asia Cup if their demand of immediate removal of match referee Andy Pycroft is not met. The letter was written soon after the match. Interestingly former , BCCI secretary Jay Shah is the ICC chair. “The ICC has been told specifically that if the match referee Pycroft will not be changed, Pakistan will not play any more Asia Andy Pycroft Cup match,” a PCB source told this daily Interestingly Pycroft . , was given the similar responsibility by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which incidentally is headed by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, for the second match between Hong Kong and Sri Lanka on Monday . Besides, the PCB has also requested the comes days after Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged positive assessment about the trade ties. The visit by the US team was originally scheduled for August 25-29, but it was called off amid high tensions over the massive US tariffs. Trump slapped an additional 25% tariff on August 6 and it became effective from August 27, taking the total tariffs on Indian goods to 50%. The US remains India’s largest trading partner with bilateral trade crossing $130 billion last year. ICC not to send the 69-year-old Pycroft, who is a former Zimbabwe player, to Pakistan for the upcoming tour of South Africa. The Pakistan board made the demand through a separate letter sent to the ICC on Monday morning. SA are scheduled to play two Tests, three T20Is and as many ODIs in Pakistan with the series starting with the fiveday match on October 12. The PCB held the match referee responsible for the ‘no handshakes’ fiasco wherein India players refused to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts after Sunday’s match and alleged that Pycroft violated the spirit of cricket and MCC Laws hence failed in discharging his duties. The PCB alleged Pycroft took Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha to one side be- fore the toss and instructed him that there will be no handshakes at the toss. Pakistan may play India again and the PCB source said they have not decided on the future course of action. “We are waiting for ICC’s response. If that is accepted then we will decide on the future respecting the spirit of the game,” said the source. Final hearing on October 7, SC verdict for pan-India SIR s u c h i t r a kalyan m o h an t y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday said it was presuming that the Election Commission, being a constitutional authority , was following the law during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and cautioned that the entire exercise would be set aside in case any illegality is found at any stage. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi fixed October 7 for hearing final arguments on the validity of SIR in Bihar, and refused to offer any “piecemeal opinion” on the exercise. The bench also emphasized that its “judgement in Bihar SIR will be applicable for pan-India SIR”. The court clarified that it can’t stop the poll panel from conducting a similar exercise for revision of electoral rolls across the country The bench, . however, allowed petitioners against the Bihar SIR exercise to also argue on the pan-India SIR on October 7. The publication of the final electoral roll on September 30 will not make any difference to the adjudication of the case, the bench said. “What difference will the final publication of the electoral roll make to us? If we are satisfied there is some illegality, we can set it aside,” the bench told the petitioners who have challenged the SIR exercise. The top court is currently hearing a batch of pleas — questioning the validity of SIR — filed by NGO ADR, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, RJD MP Manoj Jha, Congress leader K C Venugopal and Mujahid Alam. In another development in the same case, the court, while hearing a plea by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay refused to , modify its September 8 order directing the Election Commission to permit use of Aadhaar as the 12th document for proof of identity as part of SIR in Bihar. The bench said Aadhaar was made acceptable as an interim arrangement.