SAMBALPUR l monday l september 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Ladakh groups open to dropping statehood demand, with rider The Kargil Democratic Alliance and Leh Apex Body are closely looking at MHA’s UT-level elected body to meet aspirations of the people Elected body with legislative powers new arrangement only for ladakh The proposed UT-level body would be elected and will have legislative powers with respect to land, culture and language, forest, environment, natural resources, and any other subject reserved under Article 240. “We have agreed to discuss in principle this model of governance. If it is satisfactory, we will accept it,” said Sajjad Kargili, co-chairman of KDA ■ ■ The UT-level elected body under Article 371 was conceptualised in a meeting in Delhi on September 9, and will only apply to Ladakh The two groups — KDA and LAB — have now climbed down from their earlier demands and have dropped their Sixth Schedule demand for constitutional safeguards under Article 371 | P8 `15 lakh Each being given by l-g to THE kin of 4 PERSONS DIED in 2025 violence 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 Don’t weaponise minerals, tech: PM Modi says BRICS must strengthen the ability to anticipate and deal with crises; calls for inclusivity in new tech adoption J AYAN T H J AC O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on the concluding day of the BRICS summit warned that the “weaponisation of technology and critical minerals” could hinder shared global progress, while calling for greater inclusivity in the adoption of new technologies and stronger cooperation with the Global South. Addressing the BRICS session on Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability Modi said on Sunday India’s , presidency had focused on translating these four pillars into practical cooperation, particularly as conflicts, pandemics, climate disasters and supply-chain disruptions increasingly affect economies and ordinary people across borders. “The weaponisation of technology and critical minerals can hinder our shared progress. Therefore, we have emphasised inclusivity in the adoption of technology Modi said. ,” His remarks come as critical minerals assume growing strategic importance for clean-energy systems, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies, making access to reliable and diversified supplies an increasingly important element of economic and geopolitical resilience. He said the interconnected nature of the world requires BRICS members to strengthen on p7 their ability to anticipate and respond to crises, pointing to initiatives including an integrated early-warning system for infectious diseases, disaster-management data guidelines and a logistics supplychain cooperation framework. On innovation, he highlighted the BRICS Incubator Network, the proposed BRICS Startup Innovation Fund and the BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture, which aims to connect artificial intelligence, geospatial technology and digital public infrastructure with the needs of farmers. Modi stressed that BRICS cooperation should extend beyond governments and involve entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, women, youth and ordinary citizens. “Our endeavour has been to ensure that BRICS cooperation does not remain limited to governments alone,” he said, citing initiatives aimed at skills development, women’s workforce participation, social security capacity building and sup, port for small businesses. On the subject of sustainability Modi said development and , environmental protection should not be viewed as competing priorities. “In Indian civilisation, nature has been accorded the status of a mother,” he said, adding that India had long believed that development and the environment were “not alternatives to each other, but are complementary .” INDIA’S BILATERAL OUTREACH ACROSS GLOBAL SOUTH Xi urges member countries to defend rules-based international order, proposes five-point agenda for greater BRICS cooperation ‘Might makes right’ logic does not hold, says Xi J aya n t h J a c ob @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the Bharat Mandapam during the BRICS Summit on Sunday; Chinese President Xi Jinping waves before boarding his aircraft upon concluding his India visit | PTI Pandemics, climate disasters, and supply-chain disruptions have shown that in today’s interconnected world, no crisis remains confined to a single region — Narendra Modi, Prime Minister India, Vietnam step up defence, industrial ties A world without rules is like a crossroads without traffic lights... Fairness and justice is a universal aspiration, and international rules must be written by all countries — Xi Jinping, Chinese President Malaysian prime minister sings at brics gala dinner Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that “the logic of ‘might makes right’ does not hold, and should have been discarded long ago,” urging the BRICS countries to defend a rules-based international order and strengthen the voice of the Global South. Addressing the concluding session of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Xi said the world was undergoing “changes unseen in a century” as the collective rise of the Global South accelerated the shift towards a multipolar order. He urged BRICS to “seize the historical initiative” and become “an active, stabilising and positive force in international affairs”. He called on developing countries to uphold sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and the peaceful settlement of disputes, while strengthening the authority of the United Nations and pushing for reforms that ensure greater participation of developing countries in global institutions. Xi called for reform of the international financial architecture to increase the representation and voice of developing economies, and urged BRICS to support reform of the World Trade Organization and the continued development of the New Development Bank. The Chinese president said BRICS should use its ties with emerging markets and developing countries to safeguard industrial and supply chains and build a large integrated market. He proposed a five-point agenda covering artificial intelligence, trade and investment, digital industries, intelligent manufacturing. BJP to make summit success a political asset for state polls National song sung at int’l match for first time express news service @ Bengaluru Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi being received by people at Biju Patnailk International Airport, in Bhubaneswar on Sunday Focus now on turning proposals into projects, jobs: CM after UAE trip E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday said his government’s immediate priority was to convert investment commitments received during his three-day UAE outreach into projects on the ground at the earliest, with the aim of creating large-scale employment opportunities for Odisha’s youth. Majhi, who received a rousing welcome at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here from ministers, MLAs and party workers af- The UAE ter returning from the Gulf nation, said the engagement government would now focus on ensuring should not be that the proposals materialise into projects viewed merely as an exercise in and jobs. securing “The government is utilising its maxi- investment but mum strength for the golden future of our as an effort to youth. The objective of the visit was to at- build long-term tract investments that can create jobs and economic ensure that young people find dignified em- partnerships ployment in Odisha after completing their Mohan Charan education,” Majhi said in his media briefing Majhi, CM after his arrival in the capital. The chief minister said with the latest commitments, Odisha’s cumulative investment proposals have crossed `22.5 lakh crore from over `20 lakh crore earlier. “The successful UAE engagements have marked another chapter in the state’s industrialisation drive following the Utkarsh Odisha: Make-in-Odisha Conclave held in Bhubaneswar in January last year. Since then, the government has undertaken investment outreach programmes in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Gujarat and Singapore, beContinued on P5 sides the UAE,” he said.  IN a first, India’s national song as well as the national anthem were played before the start of an international cricket match. After both Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana reverberated around the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Afghanistan’s national anthem was played. Curiously enough, even though the national song was played, for the purposes of record-keeping, Afghanistan will be the home team for the entirety of the three-match T20I series (the other two matches will also be held in the national capital). This is in line with a new directive issued by the Union Home Ministry from earlier this year to celebrate the 150th year of the song. “It is not possible to give an exhaustive list of occasions on which the singing (as distinct from playing) of official version of the national song can be permitted,” the order had said. “But there is no objection to the singing of the national song accompanied by mass singing so long as it done with due respect as a salutation to the mother- land and proper decorum is maintained.” Interestingly, this is not the first time of the national song preceeding the national anthem at the Arun jaitley Stadium. It’s understood that Delh i a n d D i s t r i c t C r i c ke t Association officials had this arrangement in place for all Delhi Premier League games this year. Shah sure UCC will be rolled out in all NDA states by 2029 Home Minister Amit Shah at a press conference in Mumbai on Sunday | PTI s u d h i r s u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai UNION Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that he was confident the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be implemented in all 21 NDA-ruled states and Union territors before the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029. Shah was in Mumbai to launch the 30-day Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, aimed at encouraging public participation in the government’s vision of a developed India by 2047. He said the Centre had already introduced UCC in several states and expressed confidence that all NDA-led states would follow suit before 2029. Uttarakhand became the first state to pass a UCC law, in February 2024, and has fully enforced it since January 2025. Gujarat followed last year, and Assam became the first north-eastern state to pass the UCC Bill, in May 2026. Madhya Pradesh is the latest to come on board, with its cabinet unanimously approving the code at a special meeting in July . The UCC laws in Gujarat, Assam and Madhya Pradesh are awaiting Presidential assent. Maharashtra, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, meanwhile, have set up drafting committees. Asked whether 1951 would be used as the baseline year for implementing the National Register of Citizens in Manipur, Shah said the matter was still under discussion. “We are discussing these issues with our allies and also with the political parties of Manipur. Whatever decision is taken, we will inform you,” he said. On the BJP government’s achievements, Shah pointed to the abolition of triple talaq, which he said had given Muslim women equal rights.