Fee on UPI transactions above `2K postponed In a major relief to UPI users, the decision to levy a Merchant Discount Rate of 0.4 per cent on transactions over `2,000 has been deferred. The National Payments Corporation of India said that the MDR on UPI transactions shall be implemented immediately after Diwali on a date to be notified separately | P12 SAMBALPUR l wednesday l october 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION 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 ‘Resistance’ Introspect, Dakshyata Vikas Yojana gets cabinet nod to continue, don’t blame says Rahul the SIR: Shah E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi RA J E SH K U M AR THA K U R @ New Delhi A mock impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi Metro train rides by MPs to challenge travel restrictions, and protest programmes at the denotified Jantar Mantar were among the proposals discussed in the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, civil society representatives, and student representatives on Tuesday. According to sources, the meeting explored ways to keep the protests going and decided to sustain the agitation for the restoration of democracy Leader . of Opposition Rahul Gandhi told the leaders that they could take Wednesday off to visit their constituencies but should be ready to return to the capital at 24 hours’ notice from Thursday the sources said. , Speaking to reporters, Rahul said the protest will continue. Wednesday He said those responsible for off day the alleged ‘vote theft’ would be Rahul Gandhi told brought to justice, naming leaders that they Prime Minister Narendra could take Modi, Home Minister Amit Wednesday off Shah and the CEC. “No matter but should be what happens, no matter which ready to return to institution plays a role or not, the capital at 24 political resistance will continue, people’s resistance will con- hours’ notice from Thursday tinue and it will triumph,” he added. Among those who attended the high tea meet at Rahul’s residence on Sunehri Bagh Road were Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi; RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha; Samajwadi Party leaders Harendra Malik, Anand Bhadauria and Mohibullah Nadvi; CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby; CPI leaders D Raja and P Sandosh Kumar; JMM’s Mahua Maji; and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. AISA chief Neha Bora and CPI(ML)leader Dipankar Bhattacharya were also present. UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to introspect why his party has been losing elections rather than playing negative politics over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In his first public comments on the ongoing protests, Shah said electoral credibility and public confidence can’t be secured through wild allegations and street protests alone. Instead, he said, opposition parties need to demonstrate their acceptance among voters through sustained public engagement and service. “I want to ask Rahul ji: Is this (election de‘Negati0ve feat) the result of SIR? politics’ Do you dismiss the popShah accused the ularity of the BJP and Congress of Modi ji? The SIR started indulging in only after 2024,” Shah “negative politics” said, adding that the and advised the Congress and its allies party to try and would face a crushing connect with the defeat for the fourth public to win their consecutive time in the trust 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Shah cited the BJP’s performance in Gujarat’s municipal elections as evidence of the party’s continued popularity and electorate’s enduring faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lighting into Rahul, Shah said the Congress leader is trying to manufacture political momentum through media events and baseless allegations, insisting that such tactics would not help re g ain public confidence. The state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, on Tuesday approved the Dakshyata Vikas Yojana, a flagship skill development scheme with an outlay of `450 crore. Chief secretary Anu Garg told mediapersons that the scheme to be implemented for two years will aim at strengthening employability and preparing Odisha’s youth for emerging opportunities in India and abroad. It will target to cover 4.2 lakh youths through industry-aligned skill training, digital skilling, overseas employment support and institutional strengthening. The government will provide CM Mohan Charan Majhi and chief secy Anu Garg at the post-cabinet briefing placement-linked short-term training to 1.17 lakh youth and offer digital skilling to three lakh youth in emerging field such as AI, cloud computing, data analytics and cyber security. The scheme will also support targeted projects for vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities, jail inmates, transgender persons and particularly vulner- able tribal groups, she added. Skill hubs will be established in higher education institutions to offer placement-linked National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) aligned courses to students alongside academic programmes. Besides, the programme will provide foreign language training in languages such as German and Japanese along with cultural orientation, certification support, visa assistance, travel support and post-placement services, she added. The cabinet also approved the continuation of the Chief Minister Skill Development Fellowship under which 40 fellows will be deployed across districts to support in demand assessment, assessing skill gap and industry Ladakh integral part of India, MEA to China J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Reiterating that the Union Territory of Ladakh is an “integral and inalienable part of India,” New Delhi on Tuesday rejected China’s assertion that it has “never recognised” the region. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said “no amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact”. India’s response came amid Beijing’s objection to New Delhi’s decision to standardise the names of 28 geographical locations and features in Ladakh. The strong rebuttal came soon after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning objected to India’s announcement, reiterating Beijing’s refusal to recognise Ladakh as an UT. What the MHA list of Oct 2 covered The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the list of 28 locations on October 2, covering a range of geographical features, including 10 peaks, two mountain passes, seven land areas, three mountains, two water bodies, two glaciers, a valley and a river. “India’s move is illegal and invalid; it cannot alter the objective fact that the western sector of the China-India border has always belonged to China,” Mao said, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s response to a media query . Jaiswal, however, said the exercise was administrative and intended to improve the identification of geographical features on official maps. Refer- ring to an Ministry of Home Affairs announcement, he said the 28 sites were identified with standardised names on the official Survey of India map in consultation with the UT and local stakeholders. “Identifying these places formally on the Survey of India map of UT of Ladakh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large,” he said. The MHA announced the list on October 2. This is the latest incident in a broader contest between India and China over territorial claims and use of geographical names to assert sovereignty . Beijing has repeatedly issued standardised Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which India has rejected. partnerships. A Skilled-In-Odisha Digital Hub will be established for end-to-end candidate tracking and monitoring skilling outcomes. The cabinet also approved the Urban Storm Water Drainage Management and Improvement Programme (USWDMIP) with an outlay of `500 crore to address the challenges of recurrent waterlogging, localised flooding and related public health concerns in cities and towns. Garg said the scheme will cover urban local bodies and selected block headquarters to revamp, modernise and expand the capacity and efficiency of drainage systems which are under increasing pressure due to rapid urbanisation. express read Reshuffle buzz as MoS L Murugan resigns New Delhi: Union Minister of State L Murugan resigned from the council of ministers and the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, stating he wanted to return to Tamil Nadu to strengthen the BJP’s state unit ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The move has fuelled speculation of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle. In a four-page letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, requested to be relieved of his ministerial duties and allowed to give up his RS seat | P7