source: x SAMBALPUR l Monday l January 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Paatal Lok 2 actor Prashant Tamang dies of cardiac arrest Prashant Tamang, winner of Indian Idol 3 and acclaimed for his role as an assassin in Paatal Lok 2, died of cardiac arrest on Sunday morning Prashant Tamang (4 January 1983 — 11 January 2026) Shot to Fame After Winning Indian Idol 3 Death puts spotlight on heart health Tamang, 43, passed away around 9 am at his Delhi residence, his close friend and singer Mahesh Sewa said. Tamang was born on January 4, 1983. Encouraged by friends, he auditioned for the reality singing show Indian Idol in 2007 and went on to win it. He then came out with his first album Dhanyavaad in 2010 and began performing at concerts worldwide ■ Tamang’s sudden death comes amid a rising number of young people succumbing to cardiac arrest and heart-related ailments ■ Bigg Boss 13 winner and actor Sidharth Shukla, Kannada actor Puneet Rajkumar, and filmmaker Raj Kaushal are among several young celebrities who have died from cardiac arrest 2010 when tamang’s first film Gorkha Paltan was released 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 Big push to strategic ties as Modi, Hand over case Merz set for talks in Ahmedabad to a neutral probe Sabarimala gold theft CM Mohan Majhi after laying foundation stone of the project in Sambalpur CM launches ‘Drink From Tap’ project in Sambalpur E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Sambalpur Seeking to address the frequent jaundice and gastroenteritis outbreaks and persistent drinking water shortage in Sambalpur, the state government on Sunday launched a major ‘Drink From Tap’ water supply project for the city . On the second day of his visit to the city, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi laid the foundation stone for the `451.24 crore project which aims to provide 24x7 safe and pure drinking water to residents of Sambalpur. Implemented under the Centre’s AMRUT 2.0 scheme and aligned with the ‘Drink From Tap’ initiative, the project will involve laying around 340 km of pipelines across the city along with construction of one intake well and two water treatment plants of 65 MLD capacity at Sambalpur and 35 MLD at Burla respectively. These will ensure a total supply of 100 MLD of safe and potable water to the city . Speaking to mediapersons, the chief minister said the project would directly benefit nearly five lakh residents across 41 wards. “People have the right of access to safe drinking water. The drink from tap project will bring tangible improvement in health, hygiene and overall quality of life for the people,” he said. Majhi said, Sambalpur faces a shortfall of nearly 30 MLD water during peak summer. This project will bridge that gap completely and ensure round-the-clock supply of clean drinking water to every household, he said. CONTINUED ON P5 agency, says Shah E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ T’Puram UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the Sabarimala gold theft case must be investigated by a neutral agency to bring out the whole truth, alleging that the CPM-led government in Kerala is trying to protect the real culprits. Shah said the case cannot be treated as a local issue as it is closely watched by people across the country adding that the BJP , will organise protests in Kerala until a neutral agency is assigned to conduct a probe into the matter. “I demand that the Chief Minister hand over the probe to a neutral investigation agency The . BJP will carry out protests and door-to-door awareness campaigns,” Shah said while addressing the newly elected local body members of the par ty in Thiruvananthapuram. “The controversy is not just an issue of the state, but is closely being observed by people throughout the country Can peo. ple under whom the assets of Sabarimala are unsafe protect our faith?” he said. Shah expressed doubts about an investigation conducted by state police being impartial, saying that people associated with the ruling CPI(M) are under suspicion. He further alleged that even the Congress could not be absolved, claiming that evidence had emerged of the involvement of its leaders. Shah said he had seen the FIR in the case and al- Union Home Minister Amit Shah greets newly elected local body members, in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday | B P DEEPU ‘BJP CM in Kerala’ Amit Shah told party workers that the local body election victory was not the final goal and that they must work further to achieve the objective of having a BJP Chief Minister in Kerala leged that the manner in which it was drafted made it clear that it was aimed at protecting the accused. His comments came two days after Sabarimala Thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru was arrested by the Special Investigation Team constituted by the Kerala High Court in connection with the case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also looking into the financial trail in the case. The ED has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. German Chancellor’s visit to India first in Asia after taking office last year; to visit B’luru too J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi SIGNALLING New Delhi’s intent to deepen partnerships with key European powers amid shifting global geopolitics and growing economic uncertainty , Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold comprehensive talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad on Monday . Merz’s January 12-13 visit, his first to Asia since taking office eight months ago, comes in a backdrop of global challenges including Washington’s 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, and a fractious global economic order. The talks are expected to focus on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, critical technologies, defence, and skill development. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in the European Union, with bilateral trade reaching around $50 billion in 2024-25. Germany accounts for roughly one-fourth of India’s EU trade and is the ninth-largest foreign direct investor with cumulative investments exceeding $15 billion. Over 2,000 German companies operate in India. The two leaders will review the IndiaGermany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years last year, and discuss ways to enhance cooperation in trade and investment, technology edu, cation, skilling and mobility, defence and security, science and innovation research. Chancellor Merz’s Ahmedabad programme includes visiting Sabarmati Ashram, participating in the International Kite Festival, attending a skill development event, and formal talks with PM Modi at Mahatma Mandir. He will travel to Bengaluru on Tuesday to visit Bosch and the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit India next month for the AI Summit. Man bludgeoned to death in Cuttack E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Cuttack A 45-year-old man was allegedly bludgeoned to death in Khannagar area within Badambadi police limits of the city here on Saturday night. Police identified the deceased as Prakash Das of Hazari Lane in Purighat locality Lo. cals found his body lying in a pool of blood on the roadside near Khannagar Govt to ask manufacturers to pre-install WAVES in TVs Pa r v e z S u lta n @ New Delhi Buoyed by the growing popularity of WAVES, Prasar Bharati’s over-the-top (OTT) application, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is set to write to television manufacturers, urging them to pre-install the app on smart TVs. Currently most smart TVs come , pre-loaded with major OTT apps such as Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video. It comes weeks after the Ministry of Communications mandated the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones, but International withdrew the order after pushback reach from phone makers. Waves has a robust WAVES was launched in Noveminternational presence ber 2024. It combines live TV on, with users in 181 demand videos, radio, games, ecountries, according to books, and e-commerce in a single the Ministry of platform. It has already made Information & strong inroads, recording over 3.8 Broadcasting. While million downloads and 2.3 million India remains the registered users in less than a year. leading market with WAVES currently offers at least 65 over 4.2 million users, channels, including 40 live services significant traction has featuring news and entertainment been recorded in the networks, movies, TV shows, and USA, UK, UAE, games in ten languages, including Australia and France Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, and Assamese. The content includes classics from the Doordarshan and Akashvani archives, along with new programming available on the application. Prasar Bharati also recently invited licensed linear satellite TV channels to join its OTT under a revenue-sharing commercial framework. With the objective of bringing quality content to WAVES, the public broadcaster introduced a Pay-Per-View Content Sourcing Policy in October. Durga Puja Mandap on Sunday morning, and informed police. As per initial investigation, someone had smashed Das’ head with a stone, leading to fatal injuries and death on the spot. Das was unmarried and had a strained relationship with his family. He was working at the Khannagar fish market and staying alone in a makeshift hut for the last 10 years, police said. CONTINUED ON P5 naval officer posting Germany has agreed to deploy a Naval Liaison Officer at the IFCIOR, a key informationsharing hub for maritime security in the region | P7 PM Narendra Modi addresses a gathering at Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference | PTI PM: iNDIA on FAST track to be 3rd largest economy D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Rajkot Bullish on growth In a message to investors, Modi said amid global uncertainty India offers predictability, political stability and rising middleclass purchasing power PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday declared that India is rapidly advancing towards becoming the world’s third largest economy, citing controlled inflation, macro stability and global confidence as key drivers amid worldwide uncertainty . “Inflation is under control, macro stability is strong, and India today stands out with unprecedented certainty,” Modi said at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Rajkot, contrasting India’s political stability with tur moil in neighbouring countries. Highlighting India’s economic trajectory, he said, “India is the world’s fastest growing economy . Global hopes are rising.” Modi listed milestones including India being the world’s largest milk producer, number one in generic medicines and vaccines, biggest mobile data consumer, top digital payment platform through UPI, second largest mobile manufacturer, and among top three in solar power and aviation markets. “This is why global institutions are bullish on India,” he said. “The IMF calls India the engine of global growth. S&P has upgraded India after 18 years. Fitch praises our macro stability and fiscal credibility .” Modi stressed that amid global uncertainty India offers predict, ability political stability and ris, ing middle-class purchasing power.