SATURDAY 07 ELON MUSK’S STARLINK GETS INDIA LICENCE FOR BROADBAND INTERNET JUNE, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard EID IN GAZA PRAYERS IN RUBBLE AND SCARCE FOOD Elon Musk’s Starlink has bagged a licence for satellite internet services, a milestone towards launching commercial operations in India LICENCE HOURS AFTER TRUMP-MUSK SPAT Palestinians across Gaza Strip marked the start of one of Islam’s most important holidays with prayers outside destroyed mosques & homes early Friday. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 Double delight: RBI cuts repo by 50 bps, CRR 1% Signals pause in rate cut cycle for the time being; releases `2.5L cr into banking system sense of certainty to the market with a 50 bps cut. THE Reserve Bank of India Malhotra said the Monetary (RBI) has ‘frontloaded’ the dose Policy Committee’s decision of relief for borrowers. On Fri- was taken in view of durable day the central bank’s rate-set- disinflation and the need to , ting panel surprised the Street boost private consumption and with a 50 basis point cut in the investment. “Inflation has sofrepo rate—the benchmark lend- tened, with headline CPI falling ing rate—to 5.5% against the to 3.2% in April—below the 4% expectation of a 25 basis target,” he said. “We now point reduction. The project inflation for FY26 panel also shifted its polat 3.7%, down from our icy stance from ‘accomearlier forecast of 4%.” modative’ to ‘neutral’, On reverting to the signalling an end of rate ‘neutral’ stance from ‘accut cycle for now. With commodative’, he clariFriday’s cut, RBI has fied this change indicates lowered the repo rate by a “very limited space” a cumulative 100 basis for further monetary polMPC will points (bps) in 2025. icy action. A neutral To ease liquidity con- carefully assess stance will mean rates in data to chart ditions, RBI also anfuture can go either way . out future nounced a 100 bps cut in “It will depend on how course of the cash reserve ratio the data comes in. If monetary policy (CRR) from 4% to 3%, to growth is weaker, it can be implemented in four Sanjay Malhotra, mean it will go down. If RBI guv tranches starting Sepgrowth is good, inflation tember 6. This is expectis going up, the repo rate ed to release `2.5 lakh crore into can go up,” he said. the banking system. Meanwhile, real GDP growth Speaking to the media, RBI for FY26 has been retained at Governor Sanjay Malhotra said 6.5%, with Q1 projected at 6.5% the move was aimed at ensuring and Q2 at 6.7%. The governor policy certainty. He said RBI said the domestic economy recould have done the rate cut in mains resilient, supported by tranches, but it wanted to give a several positive factors. P10 D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi 7 HIGHS AND LOWS 6 5 4 3 40 50 50 50 35 REPO RATE (%) 25 0 CHANGE (BPS) -25 4.4 4.9 5.4 5.9 6.25 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.25 MAY ’22 JUNE AUG SEP -25 6 DEC FEB ’23 JUNE SEP ’24 DEC FEB ’25 APR EXPRESS READ ANSWER KEY HC grants relief to CLAT candidates The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Consortium of National Law Universities to award marks to candidates for two disputed questions in the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2025 for PG students. The HC ruled in favour of the candidates on two out of the three questions that had been challenged before the court. P4 NO TRACE OF CALLER Death threat to CM, probe ordered A death threat to CM Rekha Gupta was made on the emergency helpline in Ghaziabad, prompting police to launch a probe to trace the caller, officials said on Friday. Police have so far not been able to identify the person who made the threat call on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. GUJARAT UPROAR Cong neta held for Op Sindoor post Gujarat Congress general secretary Rajesh Soni has been arrested by Gandhinagar Cyber Crime Branch over his social media posts on Operation Sindoor, triggering a political storm. Soni reportedly shared videos and images on his Facebook page related to Op Sindoor, undermining the morale of the Army. -50 5.5 JUNE  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 MODI DEDICATES PROJECTS WORTH `46,000 CRORE TO NATION RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR & F AYA Z W A N I @ Katra / Srinagar PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lit into Pakistan, accusing the ‘unfortunate neighbour’ of conspiring to derail the economy and empowerment of Jammu and Kashmir through the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. “Pakistan attacked both insaniyat (humanity) and Kashmiriyat (Kashmir’s social harmony) in Pahalgam. It wanted to spark communal riots in India and rob Kashmiris of their livelihood,” Modi said in his first visit to J&K after the April 22 terror attack. His comments came while addressing a rally after inaugurating the world’s highest single-arch rail bridge over the Chenab river, India’s first cable-stayed Anji bridge, and flagging off Vande Bharat trains to mark the completion of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link that providies direct train connectivity to the Kashmir Valley . In all, Modi inaugurated development projects worth `46,000 crore for the region. “On the night of May 6, doom was let loose on Pakistan’s terrorists,” Modi said, adding that Pakistan will be reminded of its shameful defeat whenever it hears the name Operation Sindoor. “The edifice of terror that Pakistan built over the years was reduced to rubble in minutes. Development and peace of J&K is the Modi guarantee which nothing can hamper,” he said. He also lauded the people of Jammu and Kashmir for ‘LIVELIHOOD HIT’ PRAISE FOR ADIL PM praised the courage of Syed Adil Shah, who was killed by terrorists when he tried to save tourists from bullets Top: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, MoS Jitendra Singh, J&K L-G Manoj Sinha, and CM Omar Abdullah during inauguration of Chenab rail bridge; Above: Vande Bharat flagged off by PM, crosses the rail bridge on Friday | PTI standing firm against terrorism. Reaffir ming the Centre’s commitment to J&K’s all-round development, he said improved railway connectivity would transform the region with all-weather connectivity . Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was present on the occasion, praised the successful completion of the rail link—a feat he said even the British attempted but failed. He also used the occasion to reiterate his demand for restoration of statehood to J&K. He joked he was demoted from the CM of a full-fledged state to CM of a Union Territory, while L-G Manoj Sinha, who was MoS earlier, got a promotion. He expressed confidence that J&K would regain statehood under the Modi’s watch. P7&8 @ Bengaluru RCB officials at the Cubbon Park police station in Bengaluru on Friday | PTI was, allegedly trying to escape. , The other three are employees of the DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited. Its director and vice- president Sunil Mathew, manager Kiran Kumar and Sumanth, working in the ticketing section, were also arrested from the airport. The arrests were made in the early hours of Friday after the Cubbon Park police registered three FIRs, including a suo motu FIR against the RCB franchise, DNA Entertainment Private Limited and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Administrative Com- CARNEY INVITES MODI TO ATTEND G7 SUMMIT J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IN a major signal of improving ties between India and Canada following erosion of diplomatic relations under former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday confirmed his participation in the upcoming G7 Summit, to be held in Kananaskis, Alberta, from June 15–17. Confirming his attendance, Modi said he looks forward to meeting the newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney . Taking to X on Friday, Prime Minister Modi said. “Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit.” India’s ties with Canada turned frosty under Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau over a host of issues, including the activities of Khalistani separatists in the country . mittee. FIRs were registered accusing them as responsible for the deaths of 11 people in the stampede at different gates of the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday . All four were taken for medical tests at Bowring Hospital on Friday morning around 11.05 am. They were produced before a local court in the evening before being remanded in judicial custody till June 19. Policemen also searched the houses of office bearers of KSCA Administrative Committee on Friday A search was also . made at the residence of Dr T Venkata Vardhan, MD of the event management firm. P5 Ex-secy HC Gupta acquitted in coal block allocation case A Delhi court on Friday acquitted former coal secretary H C Gupta, ex-joint secretary K S Kropha, and former director K C Samaria in a case linked to alleged irregularities in the allocation of the Mahugarhi coal block in Jharkhand. The case dates back to the coal allocation scam that shook the country a decade ago. For Gupta, this marks a second acquittal in coal block-related cases, though he has been convicted in five others. His appeals in those matters are pending before the Delhi High Court. The CBI, which has filed 19 cases against him, is also contesting his first acquittal. Twelve of those cases remain pending before trial courts. While the three former officials were cleared on Friday, Special Judge Sanjay Bansal convicted JAS Infrastructure Capital Ltd and its then director, Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, on charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy in relation to the same coal block. At present, 29 coal scam-related cases filed by the CBI remain pending before two special courts, while 27 have already been disposed of. Parallelly the ED earlier this , year had informed the Supreme Court that 45 complaints, equivalent to chargesheets under the PMLA, remain pending in connected proceedings. India launches pre-feasibility study to divert Chenab water J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi Modi said the Pahalgam attack directly impacted local workers in J&K—horse riders, porters, guides, shopkeepers and guest house owners EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi OMAR RAISES STATEHOOD ISSUE Op Sindoor will haunt ‘unfortunate neighbour’ Pak forever: PM in J&K Stampede: RCB marketing head, 3 others arrested IN connection with the death of 11 persons in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the IPL title triumph celebration of RCB, four persons, including the marketing head of the RCB franchise, were arrested in a joint operation by the Central Crime Branch(CCB) and Cubbon Park police, when they were reportedly flying to Mumbai on Friday . Nikhil Sosale, the marketing head of RCB franchise, was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport when he Starlink is the third company after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications to get a licence from the Dept of Telecommunications to provide satellite internet services in the country. A fourth applicant, Amazon’s Kuiper, is still waiting for approvals. Notably, the licence came hours after an ugly, public spat between Musk and Donald Trump | P10 GREEN GUARD Mahender Kumar from Gopalpur Timarpur village keeps bushes on the roof of his auto to escape from rising mercury in the capital | SAYANTAN GHOSH | P4 B’DESH ELECTION TO BE CONDUCTED BY APRIL NEXT YEAR INDIA has launched a prefeasibility study for the construction of the ChenabRavi-Beas-Sutlej link canal project aimed at diverting water from the Chenab currently flowing into Pakistan under the currently inactive Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). The project proposes to channel 15-20 million acrefeet (MAF) of water from the Chenab to Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, as part of a broader effort to strengthen domestic water infrastructure and assert greater control over Indus basin resources. The move follows the effective suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty under which India was permitted to use 20% of the basin’s water. Additionally, a team has begun assessing the existing canal structures across Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. An officer involved in planning the study at the Ministry of Jal Shakti stated, “We need to evaluate if the water diverted from the Chenab through these canals is being delivered in proper condition and determine investment required for restructuring the canal system.” In addition to the ChenabRavi-Beas-Sutlej link canal project, India is fast-tracking several new storage and run-of-river projects to support these initiatives. Under the IWT, India was allowed to use up to 20% of the water for non-consumptive purposes, and plans to demand permission to use up to 40% of the water in case of renegotiations, an officer said. Interim government chief Muhammad Yunus on Friday said that national elections will be held by the first half of April 2026 amid demands from major political parties to hold polls by December. | P9 Over 100 flights/day to be cancelled at IGIA for 3-mnth runway upgrade S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi STARING June 15, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport will undergo a major upgrade, resulting in the closure of one of its runways till September 15. A total of 114 daily flights, both incoming and outgoing, will be cancelled during this time. Additionally, 86 arrival and departing flights will be rescheduled daily . Briefing mediapersons on Friday at the new Udaan Bhavan near Terminal 3, Delhi International Airport Limited CEC Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said, “Delhi airport operates 1,400 flights daily The . 114 flights that will be cancelled represents between 7% and 7.5% of that figure. Passengers will get inconvenienced in the short term but definitely stand to benefit in the long run.” The timing of 43 flights arriving and departing flights have been adjusted from peak hours to non-peak hours. Major impact on connectivity to key metro and tier-1 cities to and from Delhi have been avoided to maintain network stability and passenger convenience during the runway closure. The CEO highlighted minor reduction of incoming flights from these key cities: two each from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai, one each from Patna, Guwahati, Chennai and Kolkata. The main aspect in the upgradation involves making one of the two ends of the runway known as 10/28 into a CAT-III compliant one by upgrading its Instrument Landing System (ILS). “ILS uses radio signals to provide pilots with precise lateral and vertical guidance on how to approach the runway and allow flights to land in extreme fog conditions. We are readying the runway before the festive season starts,” Jaipuriar said. A new flight schedule for the 90-day period has been prepared in consultation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, airlines, the DGCA and the Air Traffic Control, he added.