SAMBALPUR l friday l march 20, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION 14% of rajya sabha lawmakers are billionaires: adr report Around 14 per cent of Rajya Sabha MPs are billionaires, according to a report released on Friday by Association for Democratic Reforms six bjp, five inc MPs have OVER `100 CR EACH brs mp is richest, aap mp poorest The report is based on an analysis of affidavits of 229 out of 233 Rajya Sabha MPs. The report said 31 MPs (14 per cent) having a net worth of billions of rupees. Among major parties, six BJP MPs, five Congress MPs, four YSRCP MPs, two AAP MPs, two BRS MPs, and three NCP MPs have declared assets exceeding `100 crore ■ Among major parties, the average assets per MP is `28.29 crore for BJP, `128.61 crore for Congress, `17.7 crore for TMC, `574 crore for AAP ■ BRS MP Bandi Partha Saradhi has declared the highest assets at over `5,300 crore, followed by AAP’s Rajinder Gupta with over `5,053 crore; AAP MP Sant Balbir Singh is the poorest with `3 lakh in assets `27,638 cr is the The total asset of 229 sitting MPs 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 Crude shock as oil spikes Shed Chinese drone parts in mission mode: Rajnath to ind Price soars to $113 a barrel after Iran’s retaliatory strike on Qatar gas infra BSE Sensex J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi With Chinese components deeply embedded in drone supply chains worldwide, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday made a strong pitch for India to urgently indigenise production and wean itself off such dependencies. Speaking at the National Defence Industries Conclave in New Delhi, he said lessons from ongoing conflicts have underscored the growing centrality of drones and counter-drone systems in modern warfare. Indigenisation, he said, must extend beyond the platform level to the entire component ecosystem. “India must move in mission mode to become a global hub for indigenous drone manufacturing,” he From moulds added. and software to The presengines and ence of such batteries, every parts in drones element must operating be produced in along the senIndia... Most drone-producing sitive northern and eastcountries still depend on er n borders critical imports has long been from China a source of anxiety within Rajnath Singh the defence establishment. In 2024, an Army drone operating near the northern borders was reportedly hijacked by Pakistan, with the vulnerability traced to a Chinese-made autopilot system used for navigation. The Army Design Bureau had submitted a comprehensive framework to the defence ministry last year to phase out Chinese-origin components in UAVs. Sources said the proposal has been under review for nearly a year and is expected to be rolled out soon, likely before May It is also set to be incorpo. rated into the updated Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2026. e xp r e s s r e a d HC pulls up OPSC for 50% quota cap breach Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has held that the Odisha Public Service Commission’s (OPSC) 2024-25 recruitment advertisement for medical officers violates the constitutional 50 per cent ceiling on reservations laid down by the Supreme Court. The ruling came on March 17, while considering a petition filed by 82 applicant doctors challenging the advertisement pertaining to recruitment in the Odisha Medical and Health Services Cadre which OPSC had issued on March 18, 2025 | P2 74,750.92 75,354.18 74,207.24 Energy pain Crude oil climbed to $118.62 a barrel after Iranian hits on Saudi, Qatar energy sites $118.62 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e $120.00 $117.50 73,950.96 $115.00 Previous close: 76,704.13 $112.50 -2,496.89 (-3.26%) Social media image of the Haifa oil refinery that was hit by missile fragments from an Iranian salvo on Thursday | X RAK E S H K U MAR @ New Delhi GLOBAL crude oil prices surged on Thursday after Iran bombed a Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG hub, as a retaliatory strike against Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field on Wednesday. Brent crude rose around 6% on Thursday to touch $113.6 per barrel. Hinting at more escalation, Iran threatened further attacks if its energy infrastructure was hit again. The situation has raised concerns for India, which depends on energy imports from West Asia as 90% of the country’s day LPG imports and 47% of LNG imports come from this region, with Qatar being a key supplier. Ras Laffan is one of the world’s largest natural gas processing hubs operated by QatarEnergy Iran’s attack on . it triggered a major fire and forced production halts. Qatar’s foreign ministry said most incoming missiles were intercepted, but one hit the facility. QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi said the attacks damaged infrastructure accounting for 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity with re, pairs expected to take years. Underscoring the implications for India, Sujata Shar- 20 Open 09:00 ma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said: “Any disruption in Middle East directly impacts us. The key question is how we deal with such risks. We are addressing this through diversification of supply sources. For crude oil, we have already diversified significantly—about 70% of our crude now comes from regions outside the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Similarly, for LPG, we are expanding sourcing beyond traditional suppliers. For LNG, we are also sourcing from US and Australia.” I n d i a ’s L N G supplies were already under pressure after Qatar declared force majeure on some deliveries. Industry analysts say it could take months to fully restore gas production at affected facilities. While India can diversify LNG imports, higher transportation costs may push up prices. Despite rising crude prices, the government has said there will be no immediate increase in petrol and diesel prices. The crude shock has also spooked equity markets, with equity investors’ wealth eroding by `12.87 lakh crore on Thursday as BSE Sensex tanked 3.2%. Close 15:00 Day’s developments Govt secures additional gas for urea plants via spot auction; output to rise by 13,000 tonnes a day Pentagon seeks `200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war Hegseth says all 11 Iran submarines taken out Missile fragments from Iran salvo hits Haifa oil refinery, damage minor, says Israel minister Qatar calls energy plant strikes ‘dangerous escalation’ Europe, Japan say they would act to stabilise energy markets and join “appropriate efforts” to open Strait of Hormuz $113.60 March 19 d i pa k m o n d a l @New Delhi Hours after the sudden resignation of HDFC Bank’s part-time chairman Atanu Chakraborty rattled markets and investors alike, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday said the second largest bank remains financially sound, well-capitalised and adequately liquid, with no concerns on governance or conduct. I n h i s re s i g n at i o n l e t t e r, Chakraborty had flagged concerns over “certain practices at the bank that were not in congruence” with his personal values and ethics. RBI said it has taken note of recent developments at the bank and approved a transitional arrangement for the position of part-time chairman, adding that it will con- Atanu urged to reconsider HDFC MD and CEO S Jagdishan said Chakraborty has been asked to reconsider his decision, elaborate on his concerns and rework parts of his letter tinue to engage with the bank’s management on the way forward. This comes amid market turbulence following the top-tier exit. Shares of HDFC Bank plunged 5.11% to `798 at close. Chakraborty later told the media that his resignation was a routine affair, without elaborating. During the analyst call, interim chairman Keki Mistry said the board and management are completely cohesive and united, empha- J AYA N T H J ACO B @ New Delhi CALLING the escalating attacks on energy infrastructure in West Asia ‘deeply disturbing’, India on Thursday pushed for urgent de-escalation even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi worked the phones to contain the crisis centred around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy and trade. “India had previously called for the avoidance of targeting civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure. Recent attacks are deeply disturbing and only serve to further destabilise an already uncertain energy scenario for the whole world. Such attacks are unacceptable,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson, External Affairs Ministry . Modi, in multiple conversations with world leaders, stressed diplomacy as the only viable path forward. “We agreed on the need to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy for de-escalation and restoration of peace,” he said after speaking with Sultan of Oman. In his call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Modi highlighted the “urgent need for de-escalation. “India and France are working to reduce tensions in the region and to keep diplomacy at the heart of our efforts for peace,” Macron later said. After speaking to Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Modi said on X. “Attacks on energy infrastructure are condemnable and can lead to avoidable escalation.” Jaiswal confirmed that disruptions in the Strait have begun to impact supplies. sising that there has never been any kind of discussion on any matter contentious in terms of governance at the board level. He highlighted that strong oversight mechanisms are in place through independent board committees which oversee key areas such as risk management, compliance, and audit. “What caused that letter to be sent today is something which, really, to my mind, defies logic,” Mistry said, adding that any minor issues are addressed promptly with clear timelines. He had earlier alluded to a possible personal issue behind Chakraborty’s abrupt exit but declined to elaborate. Market sources say Chakraborty has a tussle with the bank’s CEO. 120 fall ill after eating prasad contaminated by dead snake E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kendrapara Around 120 people including 40 children and women fell ill after consuming prasad that allegedly contained a dead snake during a religious event at a temple in Nuagaon village under Pattamundai police limits here on Wednesday night. The incident came to light when some devotees, who were eating the prasad comprising rice and dalma, noticed a dead snake in the food and panicked. The food was prepared by villagers for around 400 people as part of a ‘Bhagabata Katha’ programme at the local temple. Locals suspect the snake may have accidentally fallen into the cooking vessel and gone unnoticed. “It was only during serving that some people spotted the dead snake in the dalma,” said Bibhuti Das (52), a villager. Another villager, Nagendra Mallick (54), said after consuming the food, many started feeling uneasy , especially after learning about the presence of a dead snake in the dalma. Basanti Mallick (60) said many had already eaten the food before the discovery. “Once the snake was found, people immediately stopped eating, but by then several devotees had already consumed the prasad,” she added. The villagers then rushed to the hospital. However, doctors said no clear symptoms of food poisoning were detected. Medical officer of Pattamundai sub-divisional hospital Dr Nirakar Parida said, “We $110.00 Attack on infra unacceptable, says India RBI says all’s well, but HDFC Bank shares slip examined the people who came in and did not find any sign of food poisoning. Many reported uneasiness and vomiting, likely triggered after they came to know about the snake in the food.” A medical team was sent to the village on Thursday morning as a precautionary measure to monitor the health of those who had consumed the food. Kendrapara chief district medical officer Dr Manoranjan Rout, said, “Villagers panicked after spotting the dead snake in the dalma. I spoke to the medical officer in Pattamundai, who confirmed that all those affected are currently stable.” Naveen served the contractors, we work for farmers, says CM mile connectivity of irrigation facilities. He said special emphasis has been laid on expeditWith BJD president and former ing mega, medium and minor chief minister Naveen Patnaik irrigation projects to bring leading the opposition from the more cultivable land under asfront and cornering the Mohan sured irrigation. Charan Majhi government on Highlighting the achievevarious issues in recent days, ments and priorities of the Wathe latter on Thursday launched ter Resources department, Maa fierce counter-attack saying jhi said his gover nment is the previous government led by focusing on expanding irrigaformer had reduced irrigation tion coverage, modernising caprojects in the state into a con- nal systems, and ensuring effitractor-driven system, primari- cient water use in agriculture. ly benefiting outside He informed the House agencies from south Inthat several major and dia, rather than servmedium ir rig ation ing the interests of the projects are being expestate’s farmers. dited to provide assured Replying to the diswater supply to farmcussion on demand for ers, particularly in grants of Water Redrought-prone regions. sources department in Taking a dig at the prethe Assembly, Majhi vious BJD gover nsaid while slogans like ment, the chief minisThe focus was ‘farmers’ welfare’ were ter alleged that despite never on timely repeatedly raised, the being in power for over completion or quality irrigation ground reality was two decades, it failed to that irrigation infra- support to farmers create durable irrigastructure was designed but on contractor tion infrastructure in networks that and executed to favour several regions. He thrived under select contractors. claimed that many political “The focus was nevprojects were delayed patronage er on timely compleor left incomplete, adtion or quality irriga- Mohan Charan Majhi, versely affecting agriChief Minister tion support to farmers cultural productivity . but on contractor netMajhi informed the works that thrived under politi- House that the BJP government cal patronage,” he remarked. is working in “letter and spirit” In a pointed remark, Majhi, to implement schemes aimed at though, expressed his apprecia- expanding irrigation coverage tion for the regular attendance and strengthening water reof the leader of Opposition in source management. He said the Assembly He said Naveen is better planning, monitoring and . now attending proceedings utilisation of water resources more consistently which was would not only enhance agriculmissing in the early phase of tural productivity but also conhis role as leader of tribute to the broader vision of Opposition. a ‘Samruddha Odisha’. Highlighting the initiatives The chief minister also untaken by BJP government over derlined the allocation of the last 18 months, the chief `16,488.92 crore for the departminister said his government ment, stating that the enhanced has shifted the focus back to budgetary support would help farmers by prioritising comple- accelerate irrigation projects, tion of pending irrigation improve infrastructure and enprojects, improving water-use sure sustainable water manageefficiency and ensuring last- ment across the state. @ Bhubaneswar Woman dies newborn found with stitches Tension flared up at Pandit Raghunath Murmu MCH after a woman died and her newborn boy was found with grievous injuries, allegedly due to a botched surgery | P4