SATURDAY ARMY PLACES EMERGENCY ORDER FOR LONG-RANGE ISRAELI ROCKETS 03 JANUARY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard IRAN CRACKDOWN TRUMP HINTS AT US INTERVENTION Rockets to have striking range of 300 km US President Donald Trump has warned that if Iran ‘violently kills peaceful protesters’, his administration ‘will come to their rescue’ A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 The Army has entered into a contract with an Indian company Nibe for the supply of Israeli rocket system Elbit. The procurement will be made under the Emergency Procurement clause of the defence procurement procedures. The Army expects the order to be executed and delivered in tranches within 12 months for rockets that will come in 150-km and 300-km range variants | P8 EC rejects TMC’s bid to push BLAs at SIR hearing sessions M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Vice President of India C P Radhakrishnan and The New Indian Express group Chairman Manoj Kumar Sonthalia, his wife Kalpana Sonthalia, TNIE CEO Lakshmi Menon, Editor Santwana Bhattacharya, Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, Dinamani Editor K Vaidiyanathan, TN ministers Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and Ma Subramanian with the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman recipients Chandrashekhara Kambara, Neha Dixit, Subi Taba and Sudeep Chakravarthi, at an event in Chennai on Friday | ASHWIN PRASATH Dinamani boxed V-P: FEARLESS item led me to MEDIA, LIT VITAL V-P’s office: CPR FOR DEMOCRACY E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai I am really affirmed that stories from the farthest places in the map also belong to the centre of the literary world in India Subi Taba, RNGSS winner for Best Fiction History, politics, biographies... people, all come alive as narrative non-fiction. There is no better time to be a writer Sudeep Chakravarti, RNGSS awardee for Best Non-Fiction When news is determined by the buying mood of the target audience and political masters, I hope this award will help in putting the lives of workers at the forefront Neha Dixit, RNGSS awardee for Best Debut ON PAGE 7 Reservoir of human experience Where varied voices converge Chandrashekhara Kambara conferred the RNGSS Lifetime Achievement Award EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chennai STRESSING that no nation can emerge without fearless journalism and deep literature, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Friday said freedom of expression remains the cornerstone of Indian democracy. He was speaking at the third edition of the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman (RNGSS), The New Indian Express (TNIE) group’s annual literary award honouring excellence in Indian writing, which was held in the city . At the event, legendary playwright Chandrashekhara Kambara was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his decades-long contribution to literature, particularly Kannada poetry thea, tre and folklore-based writing. Kambara is among India’s most revered literary figures — a Kannada writer, thinker, playwright, folklorist and theatre activist whose life’s work has profoundly shaped the nation’s cultural imagination. Subi Taba won the RNGSS for Best Fiction for Tales from the Dawn-Lit Mountains, Sudeep Chakravarti received the award for Best Non-Fiction for Fallen City: A Double Murder Political , Insanity, and Delhi’s Descent from Grace, while Neha Dixit won the Best Debut award for The Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian. Speaking at the event, Vice President Radhakrishnan paid rich tributes to Ramnath Goenka, doyen of Indian print journalism and the visionary founder of The New Indian Express group, saying he stood firm for journalistic integrity, intellectual courage and democratic values during some of the most challenging periods in the nation’s history . “Goenka remains the conscience keeper of Indian democracy. His commitment to fearless expression continues to inspire generations,” he said. Recalling Goenka’s resistance during Emergency, the Vice President said he demonstrated the power of silence by publishing a blank editorial as a mark of protest a g ainst press censorship. Addressing the gathering, TNIE CMD Manoj Kumar Sonthalia said the award was a tribute to writers who wield the pen with courage, imagination and integrity . He recalled the legacy of Ramnath Goenka, describing him as a steadfast believer in the power of the printed word, not merely as a vehicle for news, but as an engine of ideas and an instrument of change. TN ministers Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and Ma Subramanian, TNIE Editor Santwana Bhattacharya, Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, CEO Lakshmi Menon and Dinamani Editor K Vaidiyanathan participated. RECALLING that reading a news item in Tamil daily Dinamani, a sister publication of the TNIE group, shaped his political journey and eventually led him to one of the country’s highest constitutional offices, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Friday said fearless journalism has the power to change lives, as he paid tribute to Ramnath Goenka at the third edition of the Ramnath Goenka Sahitya Samman (RNGSS) in Chennai. The Vice President said a boxed item carried next to Dinamani’s masthead, a format which has now changed, reported a protest by the Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP against the , Turkish Consulate in Delh i . T h e p ro t e s t w a s against Turkey’s decision to ban books written by former President S Radhakrishnan, including The Hindu View of Life. “Nobody questioned it (book ban) at that time. Goenka believed Only Jana Sangh, under ideas must the leadership of Vijay circulate freely, Kumar Malhotra ji, staged questions must a dhar na outside the be asked — Turkish Consulate. That and more impressed me,” he said. importantly, Radhakrishnan added answered that he spent nearly a year searching for the party before eventually joining Jana Sangh, a decision, which he said, has now led him to the office of the Vice President. Equating fearless journalism with Goenka, Radhakrishnan described him as a towering figure in public life who stood firm for journalistic integrity intellectual courage , and democratic values during some of the most challenging periods in the nation’s history “He remains the conscience-keeper . of Indian democracy he said. ,” “He believed ideas must circulate freely , questions must be asked — and more importantly answered — and that centres of , power must always be held accountable,” CONTINUED ON P7 the V-P added. Another missive to South to rectify minimum age norm for Class 1 kids EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Education has again shot off a letter to six states asking them to adhere to the minimum age criterion of six years for admission to Class 1 as mandated by the National Education Policy 2020. On February 9, 2023, the ministry had directed all states and Union Territories that the date of admission to Class 1 must be set at six years. According to officials, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh are yet to adhere to the age criterion. “We have written to these states in the past as well, asking them to abide by this criterion. We will continue to do so. Chhattisgarh has informed us that they will adopt it shortly ,” said a senior official. The official added that these states continue to admit students in Class I even when they are five years old as had been done in the past. “Six years is what we consider as the right age for imparting school education,” he said. Three years of pre-primary education before LINKED TO NEP The age requirement is linked to NEP 2020’s revamped 5+3+3+4 school structure, under which children aged 3-8 years fall within the foundational stage. This stage comprises three years of pre-school education followed by two years of primary schooling that is necessary . Fixing a common age criterion across the country is important in view of the high inter-state mobility by people, the official stressed. “The transportability of the student becomes smooth when the same pattern and rules on education are followed across the country .” Another official told this newspaper that the revised NCERT textbooks for Class 9th and 11th will be out in April 2026 (before the academic year begins). “The books for Class 10th and 12th will be ready by April 2027,” he said. Responding to a query on Tamil Nadu’s refusal to open Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Schools, the official said, “Tamil Nadu has been asked to come for discussions.” THE Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected the Trinamool Congress’ request to allow the party’s booth level agents (BLAs) at the hearing sessions regarding the draft voters’ list. The ongoing second stage of the three-phase Special Intensive Revision exercise focuses on hearing sessions on claims and objections. Sources said if the TMC’s request is accepted, the poll panel will have to accept similar demands from other political parties — six national and two state parties. This would mean at least 11 individuals at each hearing ta- ble, comprising one electoral registration officer, one assistant electoral registration officer, one micro-observer, and eight BLAs from these eight political parties, besides the voter, who usually comes with one or two companions. If such a crowd is allowed to swarm a single table, it would be impossible for the electoral officers to conduct the hearing process, EC sources added. According to the ECI website, TMC and All India Forward Bloc are among the two state parties in West Bengal that are registered with the poll panel. The national parties are the BJP INC, CPI(M), , AAP BSP and NPP , . TMC claimed the ECI deliberately rejected the party’s plea because other registered political parties in the state, especially the BJP do not have , enough strength to field BLAs for all hearing tables. ECI sources said the poll panel cannot operate on such assumptions. “The Commission has to apply uniform rules for all political parties and the rules are framed on the basis of their practical applicability . Hence, the uniform rule for not allowing BLAs at the hearing sessions is applicable for all political parties,” an ECI source said. Cold pushes city power demand to 5,603 MW, further rise expected UGC forms probe panel in Dharamsala girl assault case EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE national capital’s electricity demand is once again nearing record levels, as Delhi’s winter peak demand is now projected to touch around 6,000 MW this season, according to estimates by the State Load Dispatch Centre. On the first day of 2026, Delhi recorded a peak power demand of 5,603 MW, followed by 5,596 MW on Friday Power dis. tribution companies BRPL and BYPL claimed that they successfully met demand across their respective areas. Last winter, Delhi’s peak demand stood at 5,655 MW, while projections for 2025–26 suggest a further rise, signalling a new seasonal high. Within the BSES network, winter peak demand is expected to rise to around 2,570 MW in BRPL areas and about 1,350 MW in BYPL areas, compared to 2,431 MW and 1,105 MW respectively last winter. Overall, BSES expects to manage nearly 3,900 MW of demand across its distribution zones during the winter months. City’s other power distributor, Tata Power, said that the surge in demand reflected evolving consumption patterns driven by prevailing weather conditions and increased electricity usage across sectors. Like BSES, it also claimed that it successfully met the spike. PRIVATE EVS OKAYED AS SHARED TAXIS Chief Minister Rekha Gupta made an announcement on Friday that could spike the demand for power by many notches in the coming months. At a strategy meet to devise ways to control air pollution, Gupta announced that her government has agreed to allow privately owned electric vehicles (EVs) to be used as shared taxis. This decision has the potential to spur EV sales in the city and burden the power infrastructure. | P3 BSES officials said a significant portion of the future demand in its areas of operation would be met through renewable energy “Over 50 per cent . of BSES winter power supply—approximately 2,336 MW—will come from green sources, including solar, wind, hydro, waste-to-energy hybrid , projects, and rooftop solar installations,” an official said. To optimise resources, BSES is also banking surplus winter power with partner states, such as Goa, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, to be drawn back during peak summer months. In addition, the discoms are deploying AI and machinelearning tools for precise load forecasting and real-time power management. @ New Delhi The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to constitute a fact-finding committee to look into the death of a woman student at Government Degree College in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. It has assured stringent action against those responsible for forcing the 19-year-old student to take the extreme step. The UGC has called the death as suicide, though no official statement has made to this effect by the local police. The UGC said it had taken cognisance of the tragic suicide. “It has been decided to constitute a Fact Finding Committee. UGC assures that culprits will not be spared, and stringent action will foll o w. S t u d e n t s a f e t y i s paramount.” Three students of the college have been booked for ragging and voluntarily causing hurt, while a professor has been booked for sexual harassment of the student. She died during treatment at a hospital in Ludhiana on December 26, after she was assaulted by her seniors. Her father’s complaint to the authorities said that three senior students—Harshita, Aakriti, and Komolika—had beaten his daughter on September 18 last year, and college professor Ashok Kumar, subjected her to obscene acts. DARWINIAN DEVOLUTION In new jobs scheme, govt to hire ‘human langurs’ A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi DELHI Assembly has admitted what everyone already knew: the monkeys are winning. They swing in daily unplug a , wire here, snap a dish antenna there, and occasionally—it happened in 2017—venture into the House itself. Clearly something , drastic had to be done. Enter the langur. Or rather, the idea of a langur. Real langurs? Banned since 2012 following an environment ministry circular. So, the bureaucracy did what it does best—improvised. First came langur cutouts. Cardboard sentinels proudly placed at vantage points. For about five minutes, the monkeys were mildly confused. Then they figured it out. Soon, they were sitting atop the cutouts, using them as observation towers for their next mischief. Then came Plan B: humans who can sound like langurs. The Assembly authorities are now hunting for people whose career highlight is convincingly mimicking real langurs to terrify monkeys. This has officially become a simian-versus-simian issue, ex- cept one side is human, on contract, and paid by cheque. The theory is solid. Monkeys fear langurs. Langurs don’t fear contracts. Humans fear penalties. Everyone is motivated. A tender has been floated. Cost: a modest `17.5 lakh. Five langur-voiced experts per day, Monday to Friday Two on Sat. urdays. Eight-hour shifts. For good measure, the mimicry artists will tag along a real langur. Performance will be monitored. This is important. If your “langur speak” sounds less like a langur, you’re out. Immediate removal. Absence will cost `1,000 a day Failure to scare monkeys? . Even costlier—dignity. There will be insurance, discipline, and safety norms clauses. The Assembly has tried everything since 2020. Langur mimics came and went. Results were mixed. Some monkeys fled. Others stared back, unimpressed. Still, hope springs eternal. Officials insist this is a humane, non-harmful deterrent. If it works, Delhi may have invented a whole new profession. If it doesn’t, well— the monkeys already know where to sit with their tails hanging.