bhubaneswar l monday l august 31, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late CITY EDITION Over 2.63 lakh appeared the NEET-PG 2026 across the country on Sunday, but not at two centres in Jaipur due to an internal power failure CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Indo-Uzbek uranium pact on Bilateral ties elevated; 11 agreements signed; $5-bn trade target set Uzbekistan will remove visa requirements for Indian citizens for stays of up to 30 days, which will encourage tourism, business travel and wider people-to-people contact. Indians travelling to Uzbekistan would be able to use UPIenabled applications within a year 1 2 In the joint statement, India and Uzbekistan “unequivocally condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in all forms and manifestations” and reiterated zero tolerance to terrorism. Both sides called for action against terror outfits and their financing networks Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with Uzbekistan’s highest state honour. Modi described the recognition as a moment of “great pride” and dedicated it to the 140 crore Indians, saying it reflected the strength and depth of IndiaUzbekistan relations 3 J AYANTH J ACO B @ New Delhi INDIA and Uzbekistan on Sunday agreed to establish a long-term arrangement for uranium supplies from Uzbekistan to India as part of their civil nuclear cooperation, while elevating bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The decision was taken during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent, where the two sides also set a target of increasing annual bilateral trade to $5 billion by 2030. The two sides also signed 11 agreements covering areas including trade, investment, infrastructure, critical minerals, mining, defence, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, information technology, education and digital public infrastructure. Uranium emerged as a key new area of cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector. During delegation-level talks, Modi said the two countries would establish a long-term arrangement for uranium supplies from Uzbekistan. “We will also establish a longterm arrangement for the supply of uranium,” Modi said, adding that India and Uzbekistan should develop a roadmap to fully realise the potential of their partnership. Secretary (West) in the MEA Sibi George later said discussions on uranium supplies had been “positive” and that the two countries were close to signing an agreement shortly . He said the upgraded strategic partnership would include a for- Justice Bhuyan calls for hiring top jurists as SC judges s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi eign minister-level coordination group and elevate the existing ‘joint commission mechanism’ from secretary-level to ministerial. The two sides called for concerted action against terrorist organisations and their financing networks, safe havens and infrastructure, while stressing that those responsible for terrorism, as well as their backers, facilitators and affiliates, must be brought to justice. Cooperation in intelligence-sharing, law enforcement, countering violent extremism, organised crime, illicit drug trafficking and cyber threats will also be strengthened. Defence cooperation is another area where the two countries intend to move beyond traditional exchanges. Modi said India and Uzbekistan would encourage their defence industries to establish direct linkages and pursue co-development and co-production of military equipment. Highlighting Uzbekistan’s strategic importance, Modi said: “Uzbekistan is at the heart of Central Asia and is at the heart of India’s engagement in the region,” describing a stronger bilateral partnership as a “powerful force for peace, progress and prosperity in Central Asia.” SUPREME Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan on Sunday strongly favoured appointing distinguished jurists as judges of the top court, saying such a move would diversify the bench and enable reputed scholars to contribute to decisionmaking. Speaking at the 13th convocation of National Law University, Delhi, Justice Bhuyan said Article 124(3) (c) of the Constitution specifically provides for this category. Yet, in more than 76 years, no one other than high court judges or practising lawyers have been elevated to the Supreme Court. “It is regrettable that this provision has remained one of our Constitution’s unused mandates,” he said. Either the Centre and the Collegium believe Indian academia lacks sufficient depth for serious consideration, or the provision has simply not been explored properly, he said. He pointed out that distinguished academics routinely serve as judges of constitutional courts in the United States, Britain, Canada and Kenya. The purpose of the “distinguished jurist” clause, he said, was to bring in judges whose academic scholarship would free them from rigid technical constraints and equip them better to handle complex public law issues. Nepal toll nears 800, rescue ops intensify E X P R E SS N E W S S E R V IC E @ New Delhi INDiA has stepped up its rescue and relief operations in flood-hit Nepal, deploying tunnel engineers, doctors, paramedics and forensic experts as rescuers race against time to reach people feared trapped in hydropower tunnels on the fifth day of the disaster. Nepal’s disaster authority said 781 people had died and 2,502 remained missing. Across the border in China’s Gyirong County, authorities reported 16 deaths. Bodies have been recovered from eight affected districts as security forces and specialist teams continue clearing debris and searching inundated areas. As of 5:30 pm on Sunday, 149 Indian nationals had been rescued, an update from the government said. India has so far provided 68.5 tonnes of relief material and deployed specialised technical and forensic teams. A fourth Indian flight carrying 11 tonnes of assistance reached Nepal on Sunday. The latest consignment included a tunnel technical team and equipment for search-and-rescue operations, forensic equipment for DNA analysis and essential relief supplies. The supplies included blankets, sleeping bags, tarpaulin, plastic sheets and hygiene kits. An 11-member Indian tech- CM directs salary deduction of staff not paying alimony to wife, children E xp r e s s New s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar nical team, comprising doctors, paramedics and tunnel engineers, in Kathmandu conducted reconnaissance of hydropower tunnels in the flood-hit Trishuli area of Nuwakot district. The team carried out an aerial survey of Chilime and Langtang before beginning work around the tunnel sites. The rescue effort is focused on the Upper Trishuli hydropower complex, where authorities received information that around 350 people could be trapped inside a tunnel. An 82-member joint team of the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police has been working since Friday night to clear debris and reach those believed to be trapped. On Sunday, Nepal’s military airlifted heavy machinery to the remote site, with rescuers reaching the entrance of one tunnel. Oxygen supplies and cameras are being prepared for deployment once a safe passage is P9 created. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed that court-ordered maintenance and alimony payable by government employees to their wives or children be directly deducted from their salaries and transferred to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts. The decision came after complaints were received during the chief minister’s grievance hearings that some government employees were allegedly failing to comply with the court orders directing them to pay maintenance or alimony . As per the chief minister’s office (CMO), two or three such cases The decision came are being reported at alafter complaints were received most every grievance during the CM’s hearing. Taking a strict view of the matter, Ma- grievance hearings that some govt jhi directed departemployees were ments to ensure that allegedly failing to employees comply with comply with the court orders and that court orders their wives or children directing them to do not suffer because of pay maintenance or alimony delays or deliberate non-payment. Official sources Under the new instructions issued by the state government, once a court order directing payment of maintenance or alimony is received, the departmental drawing and disbursing of ficer (DDO) concerned will deduct the amount specified by the court from the employee’s monthly salary while preparing the salary bill. The deducted amount will then be transferred directly to the bank account of the employee’s wife or eligible CONTINUED ON P5 children.