TUESDAY 25 NOVEMBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard MANCHESTER GENE THERAPY SAVES 3-YR-OLD A three-year-old boy thrives as he becomes the first person in the world with Hunter syndrome to receive a ground-breaking gene therapy. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 DHARMENDRA: 8 DECEMBER 1935 - 24 NOVEMBER 2025 A LIFE LIVED KING-SIZE N A M R ATA J O S H I @ Mumbai D HARMENDRA made a soft landing in Hindi cinema singing Mukesh’s “Mujhko is raat ki tanhai mein awaaz na do” in Arjun Hingorani’s Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960), a sad, star-crossed love story about the poor and disempowered in Mumbai, who are unable to rise above their circumstances. The film also showcased a facet of Dharmendra’s personality that he came to be identified with for the rest of his life—his unquestionable handsomeness. The audience could not take its eyes off the chaste good looks and trim body he sported as a young street salesman-turned-boxer. A few years down the line, the screen caught fire, metaphorically in , O P Ralhan’s Phool Aur Patthar (1966) when Garam-Dharam, as he later came to be called, loomed over a sleeping Meena Kumari and took his shirt off to thoughtfully shield her from the cold. At a time when fitness was not quite the characteristic of a Hindi film hero, Dharmendra rang in a new paradigm of robustness. A legacy carried forward by the likes of Vinod Khanna and Salman Khan, and practically every single contemporary male star. However, there has been a significant difference: Dhar- mendra’s was not about sculpted, gym-toned, six-pack abs but a rugged, healthy male ideal. His masculinity before getting taken over by the action and stunts and loudness in the 80s was also underlined with a quiet tenderness, overwhelming romance and playful humour. Dharmendra remained impervious to the superstardom of his contemporaries, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, but didn’t get celebrated He was iconic, a phenomenal actor who brought charm and depth to every role. The manner in which he played diverse roles struck a chord with people — Narendra Modi, prime minister He never forgot his roots. He was a man of the earth and he remained very close to his real self... I didn’t see any change in him with stardom and popularity — Sharmila Tagore, actor Farewell, my friend. I will always remember your golden heart and the moments we shared. Rest in peace, Dharam ji — Rajinikanth, actor as much for his own. Despite the diversity of roles in over 300 films and 65 years in the film industry dotted with innu, merable hits, being the He-Man ended up defining Dharmendra and confining him as well. But for every action entertainer like Raj Khosla’s Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), and Nasir Hussain’s Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), there was Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s hilarious Chupke Chupke, and the same filmmaker’s poignant Satyakam. And of course, there was Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay. Through the 80s, 90s and 2000s, his career began sliding, and his own children and nephew—Sunny, Bobby, Esha and Abhay Deol—took to showbiz. He later retired to his farmhouse in Lonavala. It took Sriram Raghavan to celebrate the Garam-Dharam magic in Johnny Gaddar (2007). And, ironically it’s Raghavan’s , Ikkis, a few weeks away from release, that’d perhaps be his last, and posthumous, performance. From a martyr in Haqeeqat to the father of one in the Raghavan film, hopefully it , would be the fitting finale for the multi-layered person and P8 actor Dharmendra was. Halt ops, give us Level up: PMO to babus on cabinet notes 3-mth window: Maoists to govt S U M I T K U M A R S I N G H @ New Delhi 53rd CJI On his first day as CJI, Justice Surya Kant set a new norm on mentioning cases for urgent listing, saying they must be made in writing. Oral requests only under extraordinary circumstances PAGE 7 HOCKEY GIVES HOPE FOR A NEW BEGINNING Amir Ali, whose father is a roadside mechanic, would be seeking for a better life with a commendable show at Jr Hockey World Cup | P11 Letter to CMs of MP, Maha and Chhattisgarh seeks time for collective call on surrender E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur THE Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zonal Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist) has sought time until February 15, 2026, to arrive at a collective decision on surrendering arms and accepting the government’s rehabilitation package. The MMC committee operates in the dense tri-junction forest region of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — a strategically vital corridor used by Maoist cadres to move between different areas of the Dandakaranya Special Zone. In a signed press release issued in the name of Anant, spokesperson of the MMC Special Zonal Committee, the outfit addressed Chief Ministers of the three states — Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh) and M o h a n Ya d av ( M a d h y a Pradesh) — requesting a halt to anti-Maoist operations. The letter released to the media claimed that the proposal has the approval of Politburo member Sonu Dada and Central Committee members Satish and Chandranna, all of whom have reportedly renounced armed struggle and surrendered. Acknowledging the lack of INDIA GATE 22 NABBED FOR USING PEPPER SPRAY ON COPS N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi DELHI Police has arrested 22 people for allegedly refusing to disperse from the CHexagon at India Gate, using chilli spray on police personnel, obstructing officials from performing their duties, and blocking the road during a protest over the worsening air quality in the national capital. Two cases have been registered— one at Parliament Street and another at Kartavya Path police station. Six men were arrested under BNS sections in the case registered at Kartavya Path, with the remaining arrests linked to the Parliament Street case. A police officer said the protesters had gathered at India Gate on Sunday They . were told that the location was not a designated protest site. “They were asked not to protest here since people come to visit India Gate with their families.” Despite the warning, the officer said, the group broke down the barricades erected to ease pedestrian traffic and moved onto the C-Hexagon. As traffic slowed, police asked them to move so that vehicles could pass. But, the officer said, when police tried to remove them, “they manhandled police, and some of them even used chilly spray on police personnel”. Asked whether the gathering had been connected to protests over slain Maoist Madvi Hidma, the officer said the probe was examining all angles. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Request to convey message on radio Maoist leader Anant requested that his message be run on radio to ensure it reaches cadres soon. “Allow us to meet representatives and journalists, so that we can declare a date on laying down arms,” he said secure and rapid communication channels within the underground network, the statement said: “Since we do not have a fast mechanism to contact one another, the requested period till February 15, 2026, is required. This is well within the March 31, 2026, deadline set by the government.” Reacting to the development, Bastar Range Inspector General of Police P Sundarraj said, “The remaining Maoist cadres and their depleted leadership now have no option except to shun violence and join the social mainstream. Such a press note has emerged when the organisation has crumbled... They are now leaderless, directionless and demoralised. As per directives of governments and desire of the native population, troops are committed to bring an end to the left-wing extremism as early as possible.” IN a sharp message to the bureaucracy the Prime Minister’s , Office (PMO) has ordered all ministries to stop working in silos, drop blame games and prepare only “high quality” cabinet notes that match Indian policies and projects with global standards. The strongly worded directive, issued last week, asks secretaries to shed “routine bureaucratic mindset” and focus on “value addition” while drafting or commenting on cabinet notes — proposals which ministers submit before the government for approval on major policy decisions. The PMO made it clear that these instructions reflect Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s per- ONUS ON PULLING TOGETHER IN SAME DIRECTION A senior officer said that currently each secretary optimises for his/her own ministry’s interest rather than the country’s interest. When a major infrastructure project involves five ministries, the Prime Minister often gets five different agendas that pull in different directions. “This needs to end at the outset,” the officer told this newspaper sonal views and must be strictly followed by all. “Finalisation of cabinet notes should be monitored regularly to avoid delays. Ministries must focus on value addition rather than routine comments,” the note reads. It emphasises early inter-ministerial consultations and, if required, face-to-face meetings to iron out differences instead of letting files gather dust in endless back-and-forth. The PMO said: “Proposals submitted to Cabinet Committ e e s re l at i n g t o va r i o u s projects/schemes/programmes and policies should, wherever possible, incorporate details of benchmarking with global standards with respect to that proposal.” T he PMO also war ned against the tendency to push files with narrow departmental views, and to keep in mind the overall public interest while conce ptualising a policy proposal. 10 India went from 95/1 to 105/5, losing four wickets for ten runs. This is the worst collapse for these wickets for India at home since 1984 JANSEN-SATIONAL SPELL Marco Jansen (C) took six wickets to help South Africa gain a massive 288-run lead against India in the 2nd and final Test | PTI | P11 “Departments should not focus only on their limited turf but look at the larger national perspective,” it stated, especially in multi-ministry schemes. To ensure speed and quality, the finalisation of every cabinet note will now be tracked closely. Ministries have been told to incorporate global benchmarking wherever possible so that India’s policies match the best in the world. Officials say repeated logjams and inter-ministry turf wars in recent months have prompted the tough directive from the PMO. With several big-ticket refor ms and infrastructure projects in the pipeline, the government wants to cut red tape and deliver faster results, a source said. EXPRESS READ Rank-based retirement age in ICG irrational: HC The Delhi High Court on Monday set aside rank-based retirement age provision in the Indian Coast Guard, while holding the rule as “unconstitutional” & unsupported by rational justification. It passed the order while allowing a batch of pleas challenging the rules. | P3 India raps China on Arunachal woman issue India has lodged a diplomatic protest with China after an Arunachal Pradesh woman was detained and harassed for 18 hours at the Shanghai Airport as Chinese immigration officials refused to recognise her Indian passport. A demarche was issued in Beijing and Delhi the same day. | P7 Capital chokes, all offices to work at 50% strength I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi WITH many areas of Delhi choking under an AQI soaring past 400, the city government on Monday ordered both government and private offices to immediately shift to a 50% on-site staffing model, making workfrom-home must for the rest of their employees. The move is part of emergency measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III, triggered when pollution levels slip into the “severe” zone. Earlier, L-G V K Saxena cleared staggered office timings for departments under the Delhi government and MCD to reduce congestion on roads. In the order issued by the Department of Environment & Forests under Section 5 of the WORK-FROM-HOME MANDATORY FOR THE REST The move is part of emergency measures under the GRAP Stage III, triggered when pollution levels slip into the “severe” zone. Strict workfrom-home policies have been asked to be implemented while keeping vehicular movement linked to office commutes to a minimum. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the administration said, “All GNCTD government offices must ensure that not more than half their staff is physi- cally present. Administrative Secretaries and Heads of Departments may summon additional personnel only when essential to maintain emergency Bulk of household spending goes to durables: Study D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi THE consumption pattern of Indian households has changed dramatically over the past decade with the share of monthly per capita expenditure on food falling below 50% for the first time and a larger portion going to non-food items such as durable goods, a new study reveals. According to the study which , compares data from the Household Consumption Expendi- ture Surveys of 2011-12 and 2023-24, household spending is shifting from basic necessities to asset-building items such as domestic appliances. The findings are part of a working paper released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. The paper says the gap in asset ownership between the bottom 40% (B40) and the top 20% (T20) of households is narrowing. Mobile phones have emerged as the primary medium for information, entertainment and communication, with near-universal ownership across both urban and rural areas and all consumption groups. Among B40 rural households, mobile phone ownership rose from 66.5% in 2011-12 to 94.3% in 2023-24, it noted. Television ownership in rural areas, too, increased from 49.6% recorded in the 2011-12 survey to 61.1% in 2023-24. Interestingly in urban areas, , television ownership declined from 80.4% to 78.5%, a trend the study attributes to mobile phones replacing TV screens. Refrigerator ownership among both rural and urban households tripled. Ownership of air conditioners/air coolers and washing machines also rose across rural and urban areas, including B40 households. and public services.” Private offices, too, have been told to limit in-person attendance to 50%. The rest must work from home— “mandatorily”—and offices have been urged to implement staggered timings and strict WFH policies while keeping vehicular movement linked to office commutes to a minimum. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 PIT BULL ATTACKS, BITES OFF 6-YEAR-OLD’S EAR A six-year-old boy was mauled by a pit bull, leaving the child screaming while clutching his bleeding head, and a man picking up his severed ear off the street, in north-west Delhi’s Prem Nagar area. | P3