thursdAY 18 september, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Windsor Castle Trump steps into royal spotlight File photo Colour photos on EVMs starting with Bihar polls President Donald Trump basked in a British royal spectacle Wednesday as King Charles III’s guest at Windsor Castle for the start of a state visit in the UK. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 New Delhi l l J8.00 Year-end goal for FTA with India: EU The strategy advances security and defence ties, proposing a dedicated EU-India Security and Defence Partnership. Areas of focus include maritime security, cyber defence and counterterror. A Security of Information Agreement will be negotiated for exchange of classified info A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi Europe is open for business. And we are ready to invest in our shared future with India Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President J ayanth J a c o b @ New Delhi The European Union set a firm target to conclude its longpending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India by the end of 2025 and unveiled a new sweeping strategic framework aimed at expanding the bloc’s ties with New Delhi. The New Strategic EU-India Agenda, adopted through a Joint Communication by the European Commission and the EU’s High Representative on Wednesday outlines a broad vision for enhanced cooperation spanning trade, security, climate, technology and global governance. , “Europe is already India’s biggest trading partner, and we are committed to finalising our Free Trade Agreement by the end of the year,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Now is the time to focus on reliable partners and double down on partnerships rooted in shared interests and guided by common values. With our new EU-India strategy, we are taking our relationship to the next level — advancing trade, investment and talent mobility strength, ening joint economic security, and deepening industrial cooperation in defence.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the new agenda, calling it a forward-looking initiative to strengthen bilateral ties. “…Delighted to know about the ‘New Strategic EU-India Agenda’ adopted today he posted on X. “India is ready to take ,” the India-EU relationship to the next level. It is our shared commitment, shared goal, and shared responsibility .” The announcement marks a key policy priority for the EU, which comes amid a changing geopolitical landscape of growing push for resilient supply chains and diversified trade partnerships. The Joint Communication talks about untapped potential in trade and investment and sets out measures to reinforce supply chain resilience, enhance cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, and deepen engagement through the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC). The strategy also proposes a possible EU-India Startup partnership and invites India to associate with the Horizon Europe research programme. In climate and energy cooperation, the EU plans to expand its collaboration on renewables, green hydrogen and green finance, as part of broader efforts to accelerate the clean transition and drive innovation. PAGES 12 15 development projects worth `1.7K crore unveiled in capital Strategic framework evolved for enhancing ties Security, def ties l New Delhi: Photos of candidates will be printed in colour on the EVM ballot paper starting with the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar. The candidate’s face will now occupy threefourths of the photo space on the EVM ballot paper. Additionally, the names, serial numbers of all candidates, and the NOTA option will be printed in larger, bold fonts | PTI birthday bonding Narendra Modi holds a child as he tours the Health Kiosks and PM MITRA Park Pavilion in Dhar on Wednesday | PTI | P8 Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated over a dozen welfare schemes worth `1,723 crore of the Delhi government on Wednesday the occasion of , Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday. Addressing a gathering at Tyagraj Stadium, he criticised the Congress’s “Voter Adhikar Yatra”, saying that the opposition party launched the campaign to “save infiltrators” as it wants to win elections with their help. The home minister asked whether infiltrators should be removed from the voter list. He questioned the Opposition, asking whom they wanted to protect by carrying out the “Ghuspaithiya Bachao Yatra”. Shah said that the leader of the main opposition party who is spear, heading this campaign, aims to win elections by relying on infiltrators. He added that the party wants infiltrators to remain on the voter list because it is seeking to win polls. Shah made it clear that the Modi government supports cleansing the voter list and removing the names of infiltrators. Shah said the Seva Pakhwada launched on Wednesday has established a tradition of car- In a first, pvt firm vets NIRF data Why the rankings matter The NIRF rankings matter to the institutions because the ratings will impact their credibility and reputation The firm endorsed the rankings prepared by us and did not find even a single error Official S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi INDIA Rankings 2025 released by the Union education ministry a fortnight ago was vetted by a private firm—the first such instance since the inception of the prestigious rankings in 2015. Global consulting firm EY, currently associated with vario u s C e n t r a l g ove r n m e n t projects, was entrusted with the task, sources said. Multiple sources privy to the information told this newspaper that the decision to rope in EY for double verification of data was taken in the backdrop of an inexplicable surge in rankings by some institutions and the shocking slump registered by a few others. “It was heartening to note that the firm (EY) endorsed the rankings made by us and did not find even a single error,” claimed an official with the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) team. The rankings were delayed by six weeks this year due to the additional verification process, said sources. “Post-Covid, we were releasing the rankings by July and August. It was done in June since 2015 when we commenced the ranking process. Our original plan was to release them by mid-July this year. But due to the third-party verification process, we were able to release them only by the first week of September,” said an official. NIRF is a part of the National Board of Accreditation, an autonomous body which evalu- ates the quality of professional courses in the country . A senior NIRF official told this newspaper, “The initiative was wholly driven by us. We were stunned at the steep rise in rankings of some institutions and the slide by some. We observed this is 13 institutions. It baffled us too. Hence, our team undertook the process of repeatedly cross checking the parameters we had assessed. We did not find any discrepancy .” The team then asked the institutions to resend the data. “We were wondering if they had not understood what we sought and may have erred. Yet everything was alright. So, just to assuage our own doubts, we decided on this unprecedented step,” the official added. asia cup Pak flip-flop delays match versus UAE Two accused of opening fire at actor’s house killed in Ghaziabad encounter E x pre s s N ew s Servi c e @ Chennai E x pre ss N ews Servi c e @ New Delhi THE Asia Cup continues to deliver for its drama... off the field. On Wednesday Pakistan , were seemingly on the verge of conceding their group stage game to UAE before they left their team hotel to belatedly play their opponents at 7.30 PM local time, one hour after the scheduled start. The entire episode goes back a few days after their game against India. They had alleged that match referee, Andy Pycroft, had asked the two captains to not shake hands at the toss, a regular sight. So, they wanted Pycroft removed for the remainder of the tournament but the organisers and the Inter national Cricket Council (ICC) were unmoved. In a who will blink first contest, PCB relented after some furious backchannel lobbying on an incident-packed Wednesday Chair, Mohsin Naqvi, had . multiple formal talks before giving the green signal to the team to leave hotel. While Pycroft was the referee for the UAE game, the PCB did get an apology from the Zimbabwean. “The ICC’s match referee, Andy Pycroft, has apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team,” a PCB release claimed. “Andy Pycroft had barred the captains of India and Pakistan from shaking hands during their match. “The ICC has expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match.” In a joint operation with UP and Haryana cops, Delhi Police Special Cell on Wednesday shot dead two members of the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar gang, who were allegedly involved in a firing incident outside Bollywood actor Disha Patani’s residence in Bareilly, near Tronica City in Ghaziabad, officials said. During the shootout, sub-inspector Rohit and head constable Kailash sustained gunshot injuries on their hands. Two head constables of UP STF, Ankur and Jai, also got hurt, but all have received medical attention and are safe. Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said that the deceased were identified as Ravinder and Arun, both resi- cool ride A man rides a horse cart amid rain in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru on Wednesday. | PTI express read SC poser on women Army officers’ hiring Two women Naxalites killed in Maha gunfight Maha Governor, CM free to buy car of choice The Supreme Court criticised on Wednesday ‘arbitrariness’ in appointment criteria for SSC women Army officers seeking permanent commission compared to male counterparts. A female Naxalite ‘commander’ and area committee member with a cumulative bounty of `14 lakh were killed in an encounter with police in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra on Wednesday. The Maharashtra government has approved a new vehicle policy that permits the governor, chief minister and deputy CMs to buy vehicles of their choice without any cost restrictions. | P8 dents of Haryana. Kushwah added that both accused “were directly involved in the firing outside Disha Patani’s Bareilly residence”. In the early hours of September 12, two unidentified men on a motorbike fired two rounds at the residence of Bollywood actor Disha Patani in the Civil Lines area of Bareilly district before fleeing. Gangsters Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara claimed responsibility for the incident on social media. In a Facebook post, it was stated that the attack was carried out in retaliation against alleged remarks made about Sant Premanandji Maharaj of Vrindavan and storyteller Aniruddhacharya Maharaj. The gangsters also claimed the firing incident was a “trailer”. “Next time, no one will be left alive.” ing for the welfare of every person. He added that in the last 11 years, PM Modi provided facilities to 60 crore poor citizens and helped 25 crore people rise above the poverty line. He described this as a very big effort and resolution. According to him, the start of Seva Pakhwada will inspire every youth to learn from the PM’s life and commit to serving others. Shah said that, regardless of the party in power, Modi has always provided more than what was due, without any discrimination. The health insurance scheme, introduced by Modi, offering coverage of up to `5 lakh, was not implemented by Delhi’s previous government. No victory procession after DUSU results: HC I F R A H M U F T I @ NEW DELHI In a move aimed at maintaining law and order during the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday imposed a strict ban on victory processions across the national capital following the announcement of results on September 19. For the first time in DUSU election history, no victory march will be allowed, as announced by Chief Election Officer (CEO) Professor Raj Kishore Sharma. Professor Sharma explained that this new rule was incor porated into the DUSU election guidelines this year, in response to past incidents of public disturbances during such celebrations. “The HC took cognizance of this provision and issued strict instructions to enforce it,” he said, stressing that the decision aims to prevent any form of public disorder or disruption linked to election-related activities. The directive was passed by a bench comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela. While the court emphasised that it was “not interfering with the election process itself,” it retained the authority to intervene if elections were not conducted in an orderly manner. “If the September 18 polls don’t take place in satisfactory order, we may stop the functioning of office-bearers,” the bench warned. The court asked police, DU officials, and the civil administration to take “all possible and permissible steps” to ensure smooth polling and strict adherence to the new guidelines. The decision reflects growing efforts to institutionalise a peaceful and transparent electoral process. p3 heavy rains Kalanban village in Poonch faces Joshimath-type land sinking F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar Kalaban village, close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s border district of Poonch, has experienced Joshimath-type subsidence after recent heavy rainfall and landslides since the first week of September. At least 76 houses, three schools, and two religious sites have been damaged, rendering ap- proximately 500-700 people homeless. CM Omar Abdullah visited Kalaban on Wednesday to assess the destruction. He pledged full assistance to displaced families, approving an immediate aid of `38 lakh in addition to the `50 lakh already allocated under the SDRF. Poonch, along with other districts in the Jammu region, experienced heavy and incessant rainfall followed by landslides, this monsoon. For the first time, people noticed the ground beneath their village beginning to give way even as the rains lashed their homes. Tehsildar Mendhar Rahul Basotra told this newspaper that the land sinking in Kalaban in Mendhar started from September 7. After the land sank, the houses, schools, mosques, and roads in the village developed cracks, causing fear among the local residents. Basotra said 76 houses, three schools, and two mosques in the village have been damaged. The roads have also developed long and deep cracks, affecting connectivity The electricity supply to . the village has also been disrupted. According to Basotra, 45 houses have fully collapsed, while many others have sustained partial to severe damage. “The affected families have moved to safer places. Most of them have shifted to their relatives’ places. The government has also set up relief centres at four places,”he said. Lal Hussain, whose house was destroyed by the subsid- ence, said the collapse was sudden. He said villagers had invested their life savings in building homes, which are now damaged and unsafe. “At present, we are living at our relatives’ place. But this cannot go on for long. The government should provide us with land in a safe zone and also help us in the construction of houses by providing adequate compensation,” he said.