THURSDAY 20 YEARS 20 FEBRUARY, 2025 THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TOOK MICROSOFT TO DEVELOP TOPOCONDUCTORS epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES QUANTUM COMPUTING LEAP WITH NEW CHIP X.com/TheMornStandard BOLSONARO The US tech giant on Wednesday unveiled Majorana 1, the world’s first quantum chip that uses a new type of material called topoconductor CHARGED FOR COUP, PLAN TO KILL LULA NEW DELHI  J8.00 BJP crosses gender Rekha on CM pick for Viksit Rajdhani 1st-time MLA named CM after legislature party meet; to take oath at Ramlila Maidan today RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi IN a loaded prediction, a senior BJP leader had on Monday told this journalist, “Delhi me vikas ka ek naya ‘rekha’ kichna hai prime minister sahib ko” (The PM has to draw a new line of development in Delhi). The wordplay barely concealed the name of the eventual pick as chief minister-designate Rekha Gupta. How sure was he about it? The senior leader was emphatic: “Go, write it on a 100 rupee note.” He recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been urging the party to set an example for Nari Shakti by assigning a woman to lead the national capital in order to make it the Viksit Rajdhani of Viksit Bharat. Gupta’s name was in circulation ever since exit polls predicted a stunning BJP victory . On Wednesday the BJP Legisla, tive Party elected her as the leader of the House. She will take her oath of office at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday . A first-time legislator, Gupta has a strong RSS background. She also earned the respect of party MLAs and has experience in governance. She cut her political teeth as a student leader of the Delhi University before becoming councillor. “She was found suitable for the post of CM, as the right candidate must have the respect of all MLAs. She is also a good listener,” sources said. Gupta’s connect with the people and her performance as general secretary of the party’s Mahila Morcha worked her favour. Other contenders for the role, such as Parvesh Verma, Satish Upadhyay Ashish Sood, Pawan , Sharma, and Shikha Roy have , less legislative experience than Gupta. Also, the Shalimar Bagh MLA enjoys popularity across various communities, including Jats (10% population), Vaishyas (8%) and others. Sources said by giving her the baton, the BJP also sought to send a message to Bihar, where elections are due later this year. Baniyas in Bihar comprise around 30.26 lakh or 2.3% of the state’s population, which gives them clout. “Our party will make a impact among women voters in REKHA (Rajasthan Eastern India, Kerala and Karnataka, Haryana, Assam, and other states, which have high women voters,” a senior BJP functionary quipped. Rekha Gupta after being elected by the BJP Legislature Party as new chief minister at the state HQ on Wednesday | PARVEEN NEGI Decision to select woman CM taken on Feb 5 evening, Gupta a front-runner from beginning like Pravesh Verma, Satish Upadhyay, and Vijendra Gupta, informing them of THE decision to go for a woman chief the party’s decision to choose Rekha minister was reportedly made shortly Gupta for leading the state into a new after the polling for assembly elections era of development,” said an insider. concluded on February 5. Gupta will lead a balanced cabinet, According to sources, PM Narendra ensuring the representation of various Modi was keen to demonstrate the par- communities, including the Punjabi, ty’s commitment to women’s empower- Jat, Sikh, Dalit, and Purvanchali ment and aimed to select a woman as groups, he added. CM ahead of Women’s Day in March. The most interesting aspect of the Rekha Gupta was chosen as the Lead- legislative meeting was that New Delhi er of the House in the Delhi Assembly MLA Pravesh Verma, who was also a at the BJP Legislature Party key contender for the position, meeting. Accompanied by BJP proposed Rekha Gupta’s name. leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, Strong contenders Satish UpadO P Dhankar, Delhi BJP chief haya and Vijendra Gupta secVirendra Sachdeva and others, onded her nomination, underGupta (50) later met L-G V K scoring the party’s commitment Saxena and staked claim to to a new phase of woman-led form a government. The sweardevelopment in Delhi. The Haring-in ceremony will take place yana factor, which was once ar the historic Ramlila Ground considered with Sushma I am fully on February 20. Swaraj, was also factored into committed to “Gupta emerged as a frontthe decision to go for Gupta. this important runner during discussions on She defeated AAP candidate opportunity to the evening of the polling day ,” Bandana Kumari in the Shalitake Delhi to new heights said a party leader. Her name mar Bagh seat by a margin of was mentioned consistently in more than 29,000 votes in the the meetings after the Delhi results. February 5 Assembly polls. She was The PM was briefed before his visit to named the CM-elect 11 days after the France and the US. results of the elections were declared Her nomination reportedly received on February 8. final approval during a meeting on Gupta will be the fourth woman CM Wednesday with PM Modi, Home Min- of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj, Sheila ister Amit Shah, and other senior lead- Dikshit, and Atishi. She will also be the ers of the party . second incumbent woman CM of the “Her (Rekha Gupta) name was sub- country along with Mamata Banerjee. , mitted for approval at the party legislaAlso, Gupta will be the only woman tive party meeting with central observ- chief minister among the states curers present. The observers separately rently ruled by the BJP . consulted other potential contenders MORE REPORTS ON P3 R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi Lokayukta clean chit to Siddu, wife in MUDA case B K L A K S H M I K A N T H A @ Mysuru THE Lokayukta Police in Karnataka gave a clean chit Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, wife Parvathi and two others in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment scam, citing lack of evidence. In a notice sent to complainant Snehamayi Krishna, an RTI activist, Lokayukta police said it conducted an investigation under various Sections of IPC, Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988, and the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act, 2011, against Siddaramaiah, Parvathi, Mallikarjuna Swamy (Parvathi’s brother) and land owner Devaraj, but found no evidence to substantiate the charges against them. The notice said further probe will be conducted into allegations of MUDA providing compensatory plots in the ratio of 50:50 from 2016 to 2024 and an additional final report will be submitted to the High Court after completing the probe. Reacting to the notice, Krishna said, “The Lokayukta notice states there is no proof to substantiate my allegations. Then, did I give them garbage? The CM is accused No 1 in the case. Therefore, government officers under the CM naturally came to his rescue.” Krishna said. EXPRESS READ Mohalla bus service now set for rebranding New Delhi: The mohalla bus service, a key initiative of the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, is likely to be rebranded under the newly formed BJP administration, according to officials. Around 200 buses, meant to navigate the city’s narrow lanes, have been waiting for clearance at the Kushak Nala depot. ‘Chhaava’ tax free in MP on Shivaji Jayanti Vicky Kaushal-starrer Hindi movie ‘Chhaava’ has been declared tax free in the Madhya Pradesh, said Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in Jabalpur on Wednesday. The announcement assumed significance as it coincided with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti. Earlier, ‘The Sabarmati Report’ was declared tax free. Rekha Gupta will work with dedication in the direction of the resolution taken by PM Narendra Modi ji to make Delhi one of the top capitals of the world Amit Shah A new chapter of Delhi’s progress is about to begin. Maa Yamuna will become identity of Delhi... Under Rekha Gupta’s leadership, development journey will get new energy and momentum Nayab Singh Saini Congratulations to Rekha Gupta ji on becoming CM. I hope she’ll fulfil all the promises made to people. We will support her in every effort for the development of the people Arvind Kejriwal AAP will always stand with new CM for Delhi’s development. It’s good that a woman is going to lead a state... I hope new CM will soon fulfil the BJP’s promise of `2,500 to women Atishi  PAGES 12 Bulk of aid to India went to US health initiatives J AYA N T H J A C O B & J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi USAID “a criminal organization” and claimed that Trump had agreed to shut it down. UNDER the Joe Biden adminisSanjeev Sanyal, the governtration, the US provided $720 ment’s economic advisor, had million in assistance to India accused USAID of playing a seover the past four years, with cret role in influencing policy 64% allocated to health initia- in the health and social sector. tives, mostly managed by the “Those concerned about USnow-defunct USAID, and $20.1 AID’s interference in Indian million for democratic partici- elections should be equally pation and civil society — a sec- concerned about USAID’s tentor that is currently sparking tacles in India’s medical syspolitical controversy in India tem and social policies. USAID over spending on voter effectively ran India’s turnout, according to National Family Health an analysis of US govSurvey from the 1990s ernment data by this ANALYSIS till it was stopped two newspaper. years ago,” he said. Ranked between 4th Musk’s figure of $21 and 5th among 15 South million spent on the Inand Central Asian dian elections aligns countries, India’s share with the US data on of US assistance over money earmarked for the past four years was democratic participa35% less than Pakition and civil society stan’s $970 million, and efforts in India. significantly higher In the 2024 election Why are we than China’s $49.7 milyear, the US allocated giving USD 21 lion during the same $5.5 million toward votperiod. However, in million to India? er turnout initiatives, They got a lot of with an additional $6.1 South Asia, Banglamoney there desh received $1.89 bilmillion spent in 2023 lion, nearly 162% more under the same categoDonald Trump than India. However, in ry. Over the past four 2022, India received $20 million years, the total commitment for more than Pakistan, totalling democratic participation was $250 million in aid, primarily $20.1 million, of which $13.25 due to post-COVID initiatives. million was disbursed. HowevThe health sector received a er, the data does not specify the total of $462 million in the past end beneficiaries. four years for various pro“Why are we giving $21 milgrammes, including fighting lion to India? They have a lot H I V- A I D S a d m i n i s t e r e d more money. They are one of through USAID. the highest taxing countries in Elon Musk, involved in the the world in terms of us; we White House’s efforts to reduce can hardly get in there because the size of the federal govern- their tariffs are so high,” ment, had previously called the Trump told reporters. MAJOR SECTOR-WISE U.S. ASSISTANCE TO INDIA FROM 2021-24 (IN MILLION USD) SECTOR 2021 2022 2023 2024 TOTAL 61 190 130 81 462 5.5 8.7 11 17 42.2 8 6.3 9 10 33.3 Education 1.9 5.6 6.3 7.5 21.3 Social protection 3.4 6.1 7.3 9.5 26.3 Health & population Environmental policy and administrative management Energy generation, renewable sources —technologies, policy THE medical reports of the five-year-old girl, allegedly sexually assaulted by a Class 12 student of the same city school have revealed that her “hymen area seems partially broken”. The accused is son of a Kenyan diplomat posted in New Delhi, According to the parents, the Class 1 student was taken for medical examination twice after the alleged assaults occurred in August last year. “Around the last week of August 2024, our daughter complained of frequent urination during the day, approximately every 30 minutes. For that, we spoke to our paediatrician over the phone, and he asked us to 200 110 280 160 250 250 210 230 550 410 390 240 14 11 9.17 15 (in million USD) India Pakistan Bangladesh China 3,629.7 TOTAL FOREIGN ASSISTANCE BY COUNTRY DURING THE BIDEN GOVT $1.89 BN PUMPED INTO B’DESH IN 4 YEARS Under the Joe Biden administration, the US spent $1.89 billion on development aid to Bangladesh over the past four years, primarily through USAID, making Bangladesh the largest recipient of American assistance in South Asia. Most of the funds were spent in Bangladesh under the head of emergency response, followed by farming | P7 BJP, CONG SPAR ON AID FOR VOTER TURNOUT The Dept of Government Efficiency (DODGE) had listed cancelled US taxpayer spending, including $21m for voter turnout in India. It sparked controversy in India, with the BJP accusing the Congressled UPA of allowing foreign forces to undermine India’s institutions. The Congress demanded a probe into the matter 25% TARIFF MAY HIT INDIAN PHARMA A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump’s plan to introduce 25% tariff on imports of automobiles, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals could be bad news for India. While the impact on the Indian semiconductor sector is expected to be negligible as the industry is at a nascent stage, the tariffs could inflict pain on pharma firms for whom the US is the largest export market. As for India’s auto industry, only 0.2% of car exports go to the US. However, higher levies on auto parts could deal a blow as the auto components segment grew 7% to $11.1 billion in the first half of FY25, with North America accounting for 31% of exports. Pharma exports to the US ‘Hymen area seems partially broken’, say medical reports of five-year-old IFRAH MUFTI AND SHEKHAR S I N G H @ New Delhi U.S. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE BY COUNTRY BETWEEN 2021-24 2024  2023 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS 2022 PAGE 9 POWERFUL QUANTUM COMPUTERS COMING SOON The new chip, Majorana 1, will help build quantum computers capable of solving industrial-scale problems in years, not decades, Microsoft said. “Imagine a chip that can fit in the palm of your hand yet is capable of solving problems that even all the computers on Earth today combined could not!” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote on X 2021 Brazil’s prosecutor-general charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with attempting a coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat. get her tested for UTI. We did the tests, and it turned out to be negative,” said the mother of the survivor told this newspaper on Wednesday . She said that frequent urination along with pain in the same area continued for a few more weeks. They saw another doctor who wrote, “The symptoms (frequency of urination, three weeks, history of manipulation present, local examination normal at present, except that hymen couldn’t be visualised).” They visited the two doctors last year on September 16 and 24, respectively . “After being asked repeatedly, my daughter told us it happened twice by the same person on her school bus. She was terrified and did not give us more details. Our doctor recommended getting the same verified by a gynaecologist, which we did the following day (on September 17) in Apollo Hospital, and she gave us a prescription confirming the same,” the mother added. As per the medical report of Rainbow Children Hospital, accessed by this newspaper, there is a history of manipulation. “Local examination normal except that hymen couldn’t be visualised,” read the report. In another report from Apollo Hospital, the medical examiners stated that there was no obvious hurt or bleeding in the vaginal area but marked redness around the urethra hymenal area, which seems partially broken. P3 reached $8.73 billion in FY24, accounting for 31% of the industry’s total exports. Indian drugmakers expect some impact as the industry heavily relies on US demand for growth. Sun Pharma generated 32% of its total revenue from the US in fiscal 2024. North America contributed 47% of Dr Reddy’s sales and 30% of Cipla’s revenue during the same period. POPE HAS PNEUMONIA IN BOTH LUNGS Pope Francis, who was hospitalised last week for bronchitis, has developed pneumonia in both of his lungs, the Vatican said late on Tuesday, adding the 88-year-old was in “good spirits” | P9