Colour photos on EVMs starting with Bihar polls File photo BHUBANESWAR l thursday l september 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE CITY EDITION New Delhi: Photos of candidates will be printed in colour on the EVM ballot paper starting with the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar. The candidates’ face will now occupy three-fourths of the photo space on the EVM ballot paper. Additionally, the names, serial numbers of all candidates, and the NOTA option will be printed in larger, bold fonts | PTI 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 Majhi hails PM’s vision, leads 1.49 cr tree plantation E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday extended his warm wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 75th birthday and called it a ‘day of joy’. Participating in a series of programmes - ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Abhiyan’, ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ and ‘Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar’ - to mark the occasion, the chief minister said the visionary leadership of Modi has given India new momentum and direction. Historic development achievements across the nation, including Odisha, have been possible under the PM’s guidance. “I pray Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath for the Prime Minister’s good health, long life and continued energy to serve the nation,” Majhi told mediapersons. Praising Modi’s selfless service to the nation, the CM said Modi is the first Prime Minis- ter, born after India’s independence, who has consistently prioritised the country’s interests throughout his 55-year political career. He has dedicated his life to serve Mother India; his vision, leadership and work style are unique and his life is a testament to the values of service and dedication, inspiring others to follow, Majhi Continued on P5 said.  FTA with India by year-end: EU Strategic framework evolved for enhanced ties on trade, security, climate, tech J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi The European Union set a firm target to conclude its longpending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India by the end of 2025 and unveiled a new sweeping strategic framework aimed at expanding the bloc’s ties with New Delhi. The New Strategic EU-India Agenda, adopted through a Joint Communication by the European Commission and the EU’s High Representative on Wednesday outlines a broad vision for enhanced cooperation spanning trade, security, climate, technology, and global governance. “Europe is already India’s biggest trading partner, and we are committed to finalising our Free Trade Agreement by the end of the year,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Now is the time to focus on reliable partners Asia cup After drama, Pakistan, India to meet again E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai OH, Pakistan. Nobody does drama like them and Wednesday lived up to expectations. In the afternoon, they were on the verge of forfeiting their must-win encounter against UAE. In the night, they edged past UAE to set up round two against India on Sunday in a Super 4 match. On a good deck, Pakistan, who have struggled for consistency only managed 146, a , total UAE appeared to have in their sights before losing their way at the end. At one point, it didn’t seem like the match was going ahead. UAE had already started their warm-ups in while the Pakistan players remained in the team hotel as the fall-out over the Andy Pycroft issue rumbled on. The entire episode goes back a few days after their game against India. They had alleged that match referee had asked the two captains to not shake hands at the toss, a regular sight. So, they wanted Pycroft removed for the remainder of the tournament but the organisers and the International Cricket Council (ICC) were unmoved. PCB relented after some backchannel lobbying. Chair, Mohsin Naqvi, had multiple formal talks before giving the green signal. Will there be handshakes on Sunday? There’s nothing to suggest the India will now go back. Europe is open for business. And we are ready to invest in our shared future with India — Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President and double down on partnerships rooted in shared interests and guided by common values. With our new EU-India strategy, we are taking our relationship to the next level — advancing trade, investment and talent mobility, strengthening joint economic security and deepen, ing industrial cooperation in defence.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the new agenda, calling it a forward-looking initiative to strengthen bilateral ties. “…Delighted to know about the ‘New Strategic EU-India Agenda’ adopted today he post,” ed on X. “India is ready to take the India-EU relationship to the next level. It is our shared commitment, shared goal, and shared responsibility .” The announcement marks a key policy priority for the EU, which comes amid a changing geopolitical landscape of growing push for resilient supply chains and diversified trade partnerships. The Joint Communication talks about untapped potential in trade and investment and sets out measures to reinforce supply chain resilience, enhance cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, and deepen engagement through the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC). Expanding security, def ties The strategy significantly advances security and defence ties, proposing a dedicated EU-India Security and Defence Partnership. Areas of focus include maritime security, cyber defence and counterterror. A Security of Information Agreement will be negotiated to facilitate the exchange of classified info birthday bonding Narendra Modi holds a child as he tours the Health Kiosks and the PM MITRA Park Pavilion in Dhar on Wednesday | PTI In a first, private firm vets NIRF rankings S L A L ITHA @ New Delhi INDIA Rankings 2025 released by the Union education ministry a fortnight ago was vetted by a private consultancy firm— the first such instance since the inception of the prestigious rankings in 2015. Global consulting firm EY, currently associated with various government projects, was entrusted with the task. Multiple sources privy to the matter told this newspaper that the decision to rope in EY for double verification of data was taken in the backdrop of an inexplicable surge in rankings by some institutions and the shocking slump registered by a few others. “It was heartening to note that the firm (EY) endorsed the rankings made by us and did not find even a single error,” claimed an official with the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) team. The rankings were delayed Rankings’ parameters The parameters assessed for the rankings are teaching, learning & resources; research and professional practice; graduation outcome; outreach and inclusivity, and perception by six weeks this year due to the additional verification process. “Post-Covid, we were releasing the rankings by July and August. It was done in June since 2015 when we commenced the ranking process. Our original plan was to release by mid-July this year. But due to the third-party verification, we were able to release them only by the first week of September,” said an official. NIRF is a part of the National Board of Accreditation, an autonomous body set up in 1994 to evaluate the qualitative competence of the professional courses offered in India.