BHUBANESWAR l thursday l april 09, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late CITY EDITION Union Cabinet approves schemes, projects worth `1.74 lakh crore The decisions include increasing the allocation for the Nutrient Based Subsidy scheme on fertilisers for the 2026 Kharif season to `41,533.81 crore A view of the Kalai-II Hydroelectric Project, the first hydropower project in the Lohit Basin in Anjaw district, Arunachal Pradesh | PTI `13,000 crore for Jaipur metro 2nd phase The Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also cleared upward cost revision from `43,129 crore to `79,459 crore for the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery project at Pachpadra in Balotra district, two hydroelectric projects in Arunachal Pradesh worth `40,000 crore, and the second phase of Jaipur Metro (42 km) with an outlay of `13,000 crore ■ 12% Fertiliser subsidy increase in view of war ■ Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the `4,317 cr rise in fertiliser subsidy is in view of higher global prices Vaishnaw noted that the ongoing situation in West Asia has had a direct bearing on fertiliser supply chains, particularly with key inputs such as potash and sulphur-based fertilisers sourced from the region Increase in phosphate, potash subsidy compared to the year-ago period 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 Tenuous truce Both sides fire missiles despite ceasefire; U.S. claims it will work with Iran to ‘dig up’ enriched uranium a g e n c i e s @ New Delhi External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with his Bangladesh counterpart Khalilur Rahman during a meet in Delhi | PTI Delhi, Dhaka dialogue signals measured thaw J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi In a bid to reset ties after months of strain, India and Bangladesh on Wednesday signalled a measured thaw, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Bangladeshi counterpart Khalilur Rahman agreeing to explore new proposals to deepen bilateral cooperation through existing institutional mechanisms, even as the Bangladesh side reiterated its request to extradite former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, both sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal. “Pleased to host FM Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh and his delegation this afternoon. We discussed strengthening our bilateral relationship in its various facets. Also exchanged views on regional and global developments. Agreed to remain in close touch,” Jaishankar said in a post after the meeting. An External Affairs Ministry statement highlighted India’s intent to rebuild engagement, and said “External Affairs Minister reiterated India’s desire to engage constructively with the new Government and further strengthen bilateral ties. The two sides agreed to explore proposals for deepening the partnership through the relevant bilateral mechanisms. Follow-on official meetings are expected to take place at an early date.” It added that both sides also “exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest” and agreed to undertake consultations on key bilateral issues. A statement issued by Bangladesh outlined the scope of the high-level engagement. “Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman met Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Oil and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi today with Prime Minister’s Ad,” viser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir and High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah also present. It added that the delegation also held talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval shortly after arriving in the capital. Dhaka also outlined its policy direction under the new leadership. IRAN, the United States and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire in an 11th-hour deal brokered by Pakistan that headed off US President Donald Trump’s threat to unleash a bombing campaign to destroy Iranian civilization. But hours after the announcement, Iran and Gulf Arab countries reported new attacks Wednesday . It was not clear if the strikes would scuttle the deal, which US Vice President J D Vance called “fragile”. President Trump is sending a team led by Vance to Pakistan for talks with Iran following the ceasefire. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are also in that team. Iran said the deal would allow it to formalise its new practice of charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial transit lane for oil. The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge ships, according to a regional official directly involved in the truce talks. The official said Iran would use the money it raises from the toll for rebuilding its infrastructure. Israel backed the US ceasefire with Iran, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal does not cover fighting against Hezbollah and attacks on Lebanon, large parts of which were bombed Wednesday . The fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes, elimination of which were end goals for US and Israel in going to war, also remained unclear. Trump said the US would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran didn’t confirm it. Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart. A short time later, the United Arab Emirates’ air defences fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait’s military forces, meanwhile, responded to an “extensive wave” of drone attacks. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted nine drones. Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif urged restraint after reports of ceasefire violations. This came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised “ceasefire violations” by Israel with Pakistani mediators on Wednesday China, Russia, the UK, India and . all EU nations lauded the peace initiative. day 40 1 Non-aggression from the US 2 Acceptance of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme 3 Lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions and resolutions against Iran 4 End of all resolutions against Iran at the IAEA 5 End of all resolutions against Iran by the UN Security Council 6 Full Iranian control over Strait of Hormuz via its armed forces 7 Hormuz toll to raise funds for compensation for damage suffered during the war 8 Withdrawal of US forces from all bases in the region 9 Release of all Iranian assets frozen abroad 10 UNSC resolution making any deal binding Smoke and mirrors A US official said Wednesday the 10-point ceasefire plan published by Iran is not the same set of conditions agreed to by the White House for pausing the war. “The document reported by media outlets is not the working framework,” the senior official said on condition of anonymity. The statement adds to concerns over the fragility of the truce declared late Tuesday. Trump had said in his declaration of a twoweek truce for further negotiations that “we received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.” Iranian state media then published its own 10-point plan. These items would run contrary to Washington’s public statements about what it wants Iran to do. India urges lasting peace, pushes for Ukraine momentum J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi India on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, expressing hope that the pause in hostilities would pave the way for lasting peace in West Asia and potentially reinvigorate diplomatic efforts to find peace in Ukraine conflict. The External Affairs Ministry said: “We welcome the ceasefire reached and hope that it will lead to a lasting peace in West Asia. As we have continuously advocated earlier, de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict.” Highlighting the broader consequences of the conflict, the statement added: “The conflict has already caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks. We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz.” India, which has long-standing economic and strategic stakes in the region, remains particularly concerned about disruptions to maritime trade routes. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil shipments, has been at the centre of escalating tensions, raising alarm in New Delhi over energy security and the safety of millions of Indian nationals living across West Asia. Despite sustained military attacks, Iran has demonstrated continued capability to strike regional targets using missiles and drones. Its leadership has also weathered both external attacks and internal unrest without visible signs of collapse. The truce itself was announced shortly before a planned escalation. US President Donald Trump said the agreement followed conversations with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir, a claim echoed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The ceasefire has raised cautious optimism globally . RBi holds repo rate, governor hints at long time pause | p10 Adani Group bets big on Odisha with `33,000 cr investment in 3 projects Express News Service @ Bhubaneswar The Adani Group on Wednesday announced three major projects worth over `33,000 crore across digital infrastructure, power and cement manufacturing sectors in Odisha, reiterating the corporate behemoth’s expanding commitments in the state. The announcement came as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi unveiled 36 industrial projects worth over `40,811 crore at a function in Bhuinpur of Khurda district. The projects - 11 completed and 25 new investments - are in the sectors of green energy equipment, metal and downstream industries, textile and apparel, plastics, tourism, agro and food processing, defence manufacturing, IT & ITES, automobiles and cement. Majhi said Odisha’s industrial growth is firmly anchored in execution, supported by a governance framework that prioritises speed, transparency , and accountability . Of the three projects by the Adani Group, a `800 crore data centre at Info Valley in Bhubaneswar will add to the digital Iran’s reported charter of demands CM Mohan Charan Majhi in an interaction with Karan Adani on Wednesday Odisha’s industrial growth is firmly anchored in execution, supported by a governance framework that prioritises speed, transparency, and accountability Mohan Charan Majhi, CM infrastructure in the state and generate about 200 high-end direct and indirect jobs. Speaking on the occasion, managing director of Adani Ports and SEZ (APSEZ) and chairman of ACC Cement, Karan Adani said the data centre is not a building full of servers but Odisha’s claim on the digital economy — the infrastruc- ture through which AI, cloud computing, and digital governance will flow for decades to come. A thermal power plant with an estimated investment of `30,181 crore near Cuttack aims to enhance energy security and provide reliable power supply to industries and households, creating around 7,000 employment opportunities. The cement manufacturing unit too is planned in Cuttack district, with an investment of `2,100 crore and is expected to generate approximately 2,500 jobs and strengthen local supply chains for infrastructure develContinued on P5 opment.  express read ‘Sick and depressed’, retired accountant kills wife, surrenders Bhubaneswar: An hour after allegedly murdering his 55-year-old wife, a 62-year-old retired accountant surrendered before the police on the outskirts of the city on Wednesday. Accused Debaraj Sarangi retired two years ago as a senior accountant in Accountant General’s office. He is reportedly suffering from depression. The incident took place in Swastik Nagar, located in Kuha panchayat under Airfield police limits | P2 Time to act on women’s quota At the special sitting of Parliament commencing April 16, MPs must approach the bill to advance women’s reservation with a sense of responsibility and purpose, writes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding it is a moment to rise above differences and act with unity | P7 Sabarimala case Court can decide if a religious practice is superstition, says SC S U CHITRA KALYAN MOHANTY @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it has the powers to strike down religious practices or superstitions—even if they are rooted in faith—if they violate public order, health and morality A nine-judge Constitu. tional bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, hearing a batch of review pleas challenging the Sabarimala judgment, rejected the Centre’s submission that a secular court can’t decide on superstitions. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that even if a practice is superstitious, it is not for the court to determine that. “Under Article 25(2)(b) of the Constitution, it is for the legislature to step in and Questions enact a reform law,” he said, while stress- on locus ing that ‘constitutional morality’ cannot The bench be a ground for judicial review to decide asked how essential religious practices and beliefs. persons who The bench categorically clarified that are not it doesn’t agree with the line that the leg- Ayyappa islature has the ‘last word’ in such mat- devotees could ters, stressing that courts cannot shy challenge a away from testing contentious practices temple custom. “Why should against constitutional principles. The bench also questioned how per- this court sons who are not devotees of Lord Ayyap- concern with a pa could challenge a centuries-old temple non-devotee?” custom in the top court. The Supreme asked Justice Court had in 2018 struck down the re- BV Nagarathna striction on the entry of women in the age group of 10-50 years to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, based on a public interest litigation filed by an organisation named Indian Young Lawyers Association. Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said two previous Supreme Court verdicts on decriminalisation of consensual gay sex and adultery provisions based on the doctrine of constitutional morality were “not a good law”.