NEW DELHI 29 JUNE 2025 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in PLUS: 12 PAGES Busybee’s Buzz is to Bee or Not to Bee Having a Whale of a Time MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE VOICES THE SWORD OF DAVID When the Brain Hits Pause Pushpesh Pant Adhirath Sethi Ravi Shankar Ganesh Saili Between Rubble and Resistance A Dazzling Comeback From Ray’s Alter Ego to Cultural Icon Sheila Kumar Prabhu Chawla Shankkar Aiyar Geetha Ravichandran Award will open Agniveer Remittance tax cut induction door into forces to 1% in latest big, beautiful bill draft Gallantry medal or participation in global event will make the cut M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi ‘DRUG MENACE’ Pinarayi firm on zumba in Kerala schools EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Kozhikode EXPRESSING the state government’s resolve not to be cowed down by opposition from Muslim organisations against the introduction of zumba sessions in schools, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty said dragging the initiative to a controversy will only help the growth of communalism. At a press conference in Kozhikode on Saturday he said , the exercise was introduced to combat drug menace among the youth. The stand of those opposing it will spread poison in society that is more dangerous than drugs, he said. Reacting to the criticism that immodest dresses are made mandatory for zumba in s c h o o l s , Sivankutty said students practise it in school uniforms. “It is mandatory for students to participate in the study exercises that are stipulated under the Right to Education Act. Parents have no choice in that and teachers are duty-bound to follow those things under conduct rules,” he said. There were veiled comments from some corners that the government may make a climbdown on the issue in the face of objections raised by some Muslim organisations. But CPM leaders have intensified their attacks against the organisations, which raised objections against zumba sessions in schools. Meanwhile, LoP V D Satheesan said the government should have held discussions with all stakeholders. “It should not be imposed on anyone,” he said. AGNIVEERS who participate in any international event or get gallantry medals, including the Sena Medal, will be inducted permanently into the services, as per a new document seen by this newspaper. They would be part of the 25% who make the cut for permanent induction after four years of serving as Agniveers. Over all, Agniveers will undergo four sets of evaluations. For context, the first batch of Agniveers are in their third round of assessment. “Agniveer recipients of the Sena medal and above like Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra, will surely be retained as permanent soldiers,” the document says. These awards are given for exceptional acts of bravery cour, age or self-sacrifice. Those who get ‘Mention in Dispatches’ will get 25 extra marks. Mention in Dispatches is awarded for distinguished and meritorious service in operational areas and acts of gallantry, which are not of a suf- PRESS CLUSIVE THREE, TWO KA ONE Tests at the regimental centre include drill, physical test and firing. The recruits get three chances in each test; only the best score is uploaded in the data. In the subsequent phases of tests, they are given two chances ficiently high order to warrant gallantry awards. Similarly ex, tra marks will be given to Agniveers getting Commendation cards from the Chief, Army Commanders and the Corps Commanders. Besides, Agniveers recruited as sportspersons and others participating in any international event will get permanent recruitment. Also, those participating in national events will be given 10 extra marks. Participation in services level events will give them six more marks in their assessment tests. The total assessment will be of 1,000 marks, which will have to be completed and entered in the data sheet three months prior to the Agniveers completing their four-year service period and returning home. As for the first batch, the assessment data entry has to be wrapped up by October 2026. Of the four levels of assessment, the first one will be within 31 weeks of the Agniveer’s induction; the second at 18 months; the third in 30 months and the last in 42 months, just six months before exiting the unit as Agniveer. To make it transparent, the first assessment is done at the regimental centre; the second and third at the unit; and the final one by the higher formation like the division/brigade under which the unit functions. $38 bn sent home from US India was the top remittance recipient in 2024. Its total remittance receipts stood at $137.70 billion during 2024 (on a calendar year basis). As per an RBI report, 28% of India’s inward remittances came from the US – making it $38 billion D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s tax on outward remittance could pinch NRIs much less than was anticipated. In its latest update to its draft, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act seeks to impose a 1% levy against the earlier proposal of 3.5% on money sent overseas by non-US citizens. The bill had originally suggested a 5% tax, which was reduced to 3.5%, and now 1%. Senate Republicans released their updated draft of the proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act on June 27 and have set a self-imposed deadline of July 4 to try to pass the bill. The updated Senate version significantly changes the remittance transfer provisions that were passed by House Republicans. Apart from proposing a muchreduced tax rate, the proposal exempts transfers from accounts held at banks and other financial institutions and also excludes transfers made via debit and credit cards issued in the United States. The remittance transfer tax will apply only to any remittance transfer for which the sender provides cash, a money order, a cashier’s check, or other similar physical instrument to the remittance transfer provider. This tax will apply to transfers made after December 31, 2025. “This should come as a huge relief to the NRI community in the US,” said Lloyd Pinto, Partner — US Tax, Grant Thornton Bharat. AHMEDABAD PLANE CRASH DNA TEST IDENTIFIES LAST VICTIM, FINAL TOLL IS 260 D I L I P S I N G H K S H AT R I YA @ Ahmedabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, aboard ISS | PTI Sky is never the limit, Shux tells PM from space B O S K Y K H A N N A @Bengaluru INDIA’S Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla, who is also the mission pilot of the Axiom-4 mission, during his interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the International Space Station (ISS), said: “Sky is never the limit, not for me, not for you, and not for the 140 crore Indians” — a progressive departure from the famed Indian Air Force motto, “Sky is the limit.” During the 18.05-minutelong conversation with the PM on Saturday, Shukla (call sign ‘Shux’) said the mission was a step towards India’s own Gaganyaan space mission scheduled for 2027, set- ting up the Bhartiya Antriksh Station (BAS) by 2035 and ISRO’s indig enous lunar manned mission by 2040. Shux told the PM that all the astronauts aboard the ISS hailing from different nationalities had expressed their desire to visit the BAS when it is ready and up in space. “I am absorbing all that I’ve learnt during my year-long training and what I am now learning on the ISS like a sponge. This will help India in the upcoming missions,” Shukla told Modi. The Prime Minister said: “This mission of Shukla is not just limited to space, but will speed up and channelise India’s Viksit Bharat journey P7 .” SIXTEEN days after the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, authorities have completed the painstaking process of DNA identification. The final unidentified victim, a 32-year-old passenger from Gujarat’s Bhuj, was matched late night. With this, all 260 victims, 241 passengers and crew, and 19 nonpassengers have now been accounted for. The final DNA identification was of Anil Lalji Khimani, a resident of Dahinsar, Bhuj, who was en route to London on the ill-fated flight. His name had appeared on the boarding list, but his remains could not be confirmed earlier due to a delay in DNA matching. His father, Laljibhai Khimani, had requested authorities to expedite the process or investigate further if the body remained unidentified. After the match was confirmed late on June 27, the hospital informed the family, and the body will be handed over today . According to Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr. Rakesh Joshi, 260 bodies have now been handed over, including Anil’s. “We completed DNA matching for 240 passengers earlier. The last remaining case was matched last night. This concludes the identification process,” he said. Among the deceased, 181 were Indians, 52 were from the UK, 7 from Portugal, 1 Canadian, and 19 non-passengers who were on the ground at the time of the crash. DNA identification was used in 254 cases, while six bodies were identified through facial recognition. Two Britishers, who were visiting Ahmedabad from London, were also among the deceased. Their DNA samples were sent for cross-reference with their families in the UK. Both the bodies have been sent to London. SWAMI SUKHABODHANANDA SPEAKS Practising the Soul of Teachings ANTI-DUMPING Now, India imposes bar on jute import from B’desh J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi INDIA has imposed immediate restrictions on import of jute and allied fibre products from Bangladesh, reflecting growing tensions in bilateral relations. These new measures apply to all land and seaports across the country, with the exception of Nhava Sheva seaport in Maharashtra, a notification from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said. However, these restrictions will not apply to goods exported by Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan. At the same time, the “re-expor t” of such Bangladeshi goods from Nepal or Bhutan into India “will not be allowed.” Under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement, Bangladesh’s jute exports currently enjoy duty-free access to the Indian market. Concerns, however, have persisted for years within the Indian jute industry about the adverse impact of dumped and subsidised imports, particularly jute yarn, fibre, woven fabrics, and bags originating from Bangladesh. “This has been putting Indian industry in disadvantageous position as there is credible evidence that Bangladeshi jute exports continue to benefit from subsidies by the government,” said a source. In response, the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties had earlier imposed anti-dumping duties on jute and related goods from Bangladesh. But those duties didn’t work to India’s benefit. TEHRAN MOURNS DEATH OF GUARD CHIEFS Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets of downtown Tehran on Saturday for the funeral of the head of Revolutionary Guard and other top commanders. | P9 EXPRESS READ FIrst Arunachali to command naval warship Security guard held in law student rape case Ashram running as drug network, yoga guru held EC says Bihar voter list revision on track Commander Ronie Chowpoo from Arunachal Pradesh’s Namsai district has become the first officer from the state to command a frontline Indian naval warship in the Eastern Fleet, according to an official statement said on Saturday. | P7 Amid widespread outrage over the alleged rape of a 24-year-old student at the South Calcutta Law College in Kolkata, the police formed a SIT to probe the ghastly crime and arrested a security guard of the college, taking the number of arrests to four | P8 A self-styled yoga guru who returned from Goa a few months ago to establish a sprawling ashram in Chhattisgarh’s Dongargarh has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody for allegedly engaging drugs and immoral activity. A day after after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav asked the Election Commission if the voter list for eight crore people can be developed in 25 days, the poll panel on Saturday said that all activities related to roll revision were on as per schedule. | P8 MIDAIR RUCKUS Pulled up for drinking, passenger goes berserk Drunk passenger aboard AI flight abuses R A J E S H A S N A N I @ Jaipur A passenger on board Air India Express flight IX-195, traveling from Dubai to Jaipur, allegedly misbehaved with a female crew member shortly after takeoff late Friday night. The passenger reportedly made derogatory comments, behaved indecently, and even attempted to touch the crew member inappropriately . According to sources, the crew member reported the incident to other staff. When they intervened, the accused began arguing with them, creating a BOOZE BOUGHT FROM DUBAI DUTY FREE SHOP A passenger misbehaved with a female crew on a Dubai-Jaipur flight and a complaint has been filed by the airline. The passenger was drinking booze that he had bought from Dubai Duty Free. commotion in the flight. Upon landing at Jaipur around 2:40 am, the airline staff handed the accused over to Central Industrial Security Force personnel, who then transferred him to the Airport Police Station. The police have begun investigation following a written complaint by the crew. The Flight IX-195 had departed from Dubai at 12:45 am on Friday The accused, seated in . 15-B, was reportedly having booze that he had purchased from Dubai Duty Free shop. A crew pointed out to him that drinking is prohibited. In response, he claimed that he was drinking “orange juice”. Despite repeated requests, the passenger refused to cooperate. With the help of other crew, the glass was taken away This led to . the flyer creating a scene. According to flight staff and witnesses, the passenger appeared intoxicated from the moment he boarded the flight. co-flyer midair, handed over to security S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi A drunk passenger on board an Air India flight from Amritsar to Delhi on Saturday created a ruckus and was handed over to security staff on arrival at the IGI Airport. The incident occurred on board flight AI 454, which departed from Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport at 6:40 am and reached Delhi’s Terminal 3 at 8:11 am. According to a source, the individual was accompanied by his wife and daughter. “The flyer abused a co-passenger on board who lodged a complaint with the cabin crew. The First Captain then alerted Air India’s security team on the ground. They took him into custody as soon as the flight landed.” In a statement, the airline’s spokesperson said, “…During cabin preparations for landing, a cabin crew noticed a passenger standing in the aisle, engaged in a verbal altercation with another passenger.” “The second passenger reported to the crew that the individual was being abusive. Our cabin crew immediately de-escalated the situation by relocating the second passenger to a business class seat for the duration of the landing.” The disruptive passenger was handed over to the airport security for further probe.