FRIDAY 26 SEPTEMBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard BCCI COMPLAINS AGAINST FARHAN, RAUF FOR PROVOCATIVE GESTURES T R U M P, E R D O G A N HOPE FOR RESET ON FIGHTER JET DEAL The US President will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart as he has indicated his govt’s hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara may soon be lifted. PAGE 9 The BCCI had complained to the ICC against Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan for the gestures they made during their Super 4s match versus India INDIA CAPTAIN SURYA ATTENDS HEARING A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was on Thursday told to refrain from making any comments that could be construed as political in nature by the ICC match referee Richie Richardson during an official hearing. The Pakistan Cricket Board had complained against Suryakumar’s post-match press conference after a Group A match between the two teams | P11 PAGES 12 CLEARING THE AIR NOT INTERESTED IN ASSERTING OURSELVES ON KASHMIR, SAYS U.S. P T I @ New York A man passes by the charred remains outside the BJP office building in Leh, on Thursday | PTI Day after, FCRA licence of Wangchuk’s NGO axed MHA cites financial irregularities and violation of norms by SECMOL M U K E S H R A N J A N & F AYA Z W A N I @ New Delhi / Srinagar A day after violent protests in Ladakh killed four persons and injured many, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday cancelled the FCRA licence of Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), founded by activist Sonam Wangchuk who was on hunger strike seeking special rights and statehood for the Union Territory . While cancelling the licence, the MHA cited several alleged discrepancies in the accounts of SECMOL, including a fund transfer from Sweden that was “against national interest”. Meanwhile, the CBI has launched a probe into the alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, or FCRA, norms, by SECMOL and the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), also linked to Wangchuk. While no FIR has been registered, sources said CBI officials Ambulance must reach patient before pizza is delivered: Gupta A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi “THE ambulance should reach before a pizza”—with this message, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday flagged off 11 new Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) ambulances, bringing Delhi’s fleet to 277. She announced plans to add 53 more ambulances by October and scale up to 1,000 to further improve emergency medical response. The CM unveiled a comprehensive health packa g e, launching 40 TrueNat machines, 10 Patho-Detect machines, and 27 handheld X-ray machines to enhance early detection and treatment of TB. The day featured the launch of Delhi’s first online Organ Donation Portal, which aims to bring transparency At Chacha . Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, she inaugurated a District Early Intervention Centre, which will provide screening, diagnosis, and intervention services for children with developmental delays and disabilities. Laying emphasis on quick healthcare delivery, the CM said, “We want an ambulance to reach a patient even before a pizza is delivered.” ‘Hold talks with people of Ladakh’ Opposition parties on Thursday said the Centre must hold talks with the people of Ladakh to address their aspirations. “Hold talks, don’t talk about holding talks,” said National Conference president Farooq Abdullah | P8 have been camping in Ladakh for the past week, scrutinising financial records of SECMOL and HIAL. Sources added that the probe was initiated after the agency received a complaint from MHA about alleged receipt of foreign funds in violation of rules. Curfew remained in force on Thursday in the violence hitLeh district of Ladakh while a complete shutdown was observed in the neighbouring Kargil district demanding statehood and special rights. Almost all shops, business establishments, and government offices remained shut while traffic was off roads. The police detained around 40 people in connection with Wednesday’s violence. Leh Apex Body (LAB) co-chairman Chering Dorjey said that some LAB members may also have been detained. The MHA has blamed Wangchuk for inciting violence, while the latter termed the government action a witch-hunt against him. “I don’t fear detention and police can come anytime to arrest me,” said the influential activist. There are speculations that Wangchuk, recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, may be booked under the Public Safety Act and detained. MHA had earlier issued a show-cause notice to SECMOL seeking explanation on certain financial irregularities. It was alleged Wangchuk deposited `3.5 lakh into the NGO’s FCRA account in violation of norms. SECMOL said the amount was sale proceeds of an old bus procured out of FCRA funds. KASHMIR is a “direct issue” between India and Pakistan and the US has no interest in “asserting” itself between the South Asian neighbours on the matter, a senior State Department official said here on Wednesday . The official said it is a longstanding policy of the US that Kashmir is a direct issue between India and Pakistan, adding if the US is asked to offer its good offices on any issue, it would be ready to help. US President Donald Trump has “enough crises” on his hands and “we leave that (issue of Kashmir) up to India and Pakistan to solve,” the official said. “We have no interest in asserting ourselves between India and Pakistan,” echoing India’s position on rejecting third-party mediation on Kashmir. As for Operation Sindoor, the official said, “it is a fact that the United States was involved in that crisis and absolutely helped broker that ceasefire.” The official also said President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi share a “very, very positive” relationship and will meet, adding plans were underway for the next Quad Summit, expected either later this year or in early 2026. India will host leaders from the US, Australia, and Japan for the Quad summit. The 2024 edition of the summit was held in the US at Wilmington, Delaware. “In terms of meetings coming soon, I certainly don’t want to get ahead of announcing anything for the President, but I’m sure you’ll see the two (PM Modi and President Trump) meet,” the official said. ZUBEEN BANDMATE DETAINED, MANAGER’S HOUSE RAIDED An SIT, probing the death of Zubeen Garg, detained his bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, and raided the houses of Northeast India Fest organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta & his manager Siddharth Sarma. | P8 Contract for 97 Tejas Mk1A firmed up M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi IN the face of fast depleting combat squadrons of the Indian Air Force, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has inked a deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for 97 LCA Mk1A aircraft (68 fighters & 29 twin seaters) with associated equipment for the Air Force (IAF) at `62,370 crore. It was only last month that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave its nod for the production of Tejas Mk1A, the newer and improved version of India’s single-engine, 4.5 generation delta wing multirole combat aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency . Tejas Mk1A will play an important role in mitigating the decrease in the quantity of combat jets and the overall dip in the number of combat squadrons. The Defence Acquisition Induction history of multi-role fighter Tejas is a single-engine, multirole fighter, originally meant to replace MiG-21. The first indigenous LCA was inducted in July 2016. The first IAF Squadron with Tejas was ‘45 Squadron’ Council (DAC) had given its approval in November 2023. Tejas is a multirole platform designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles. The LCA Mk-1A will have updated avionics, an updated electronic warfare suite and a beyond visual range missile capability The new variant will . be capable of firing a number of weapons from increased stand-off ranges. The MoD informed, “The advanced LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Mk1A integrates Uttam active electronically steered radar (AESA) Radar, Swayam Raksha Kavach and control actuators, with 64%+ indigenous content and 67 new indigenous items.” “Supported by 105 suppliers, the project will generate 11,750 jobs/ year over six years. Deliveries will start in 2027-28, boosting IAF capability, Atmanirb- Saini announces `2,100-monthly aid for women, 20 lakh to benefit in first phase H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh HARYANA CM Nayab Singh Saini launched the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana for women’s welfare on Thursday mark, ing the 109th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. All eligible women beneficiaries will get financial assistance of `2,100 each every month under the scheme, which Saini unveiled during a ceremony held at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula. He also launched a mobile application that will let the eligible women register for the scheme. Saini noted that nearly 50,000 women had already downloaded the app. He said, “Women will not need to visit any Common Service Centres or government offices— they will be able to apply directly from their mobile phones. Those eligible as of September 25 can begin applying immediately, while others may do so upon becoming eligible.” The Haryana cabinet last month okayed the scheme. A budgetary provision of `5,000 crore was made for the scheme by the government in March. Saini said that nearly 20 lakh women in Haryana would benefit in the first phase of the scheme, which is open to both married and unmarried women between the ages of 23 and 60 years, belonging to families with an annual income of up to `1 lakh. The beneficiaries will receive `2,100 per month directly in their bank accounts. Eligible women aged above 60 automatically qualify for the Old Age Samman Allowance Pension Scheme. har Bharat (self reliance) and India’s defence preparedness,” the ministry added. As earlier reported by this newspaper, the IAF plans to increase the profile of the indigenous combat platforms. “This is as per a long-term plan to not only add to the resources of HAL to keep its assembly lines alive but also to add more indigenously manufactured combat systems,” sources said. The IAF had ordered 83 LCA Tejas Mk1A at `46,000 crore in 2021. Once this new order is completed in the stipulated 15 years, the IAF will have 40 LCA, over 180 LCA Mark-1A and at least 120 LCA Mark-2 planes. The fast dwindling combat fighter strength has resulted in anxiety in the IAF leadership. It further came down on Friday as the MiG 21 Squadrons (23 Squadron) was number plated, bringing the current number of fighter squadrons below 30. EXPRESS READ CPWD structural audit for earthquake safety The CPWD is set to launch a safety audit of buildings, with a focus on high-risk structures in the city such as hospitals, schools and colleges. The move is in response to a Delhi High Court directive enforcing a 2019 seismic safety action plan. | P3 Wankhede sues SRK firm, Netflix for defamation GROWTH HUB PM Narendra Modi with CM Yogi Adityanath during the inauguration of ‘Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show 2025’, in Greater Noida, on Thursday | PTI | P4 Former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede has approached the Delhi HC with a defamation suit against Shah Rukh Khan’s firm and Netflix, claiming that their series ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ has tarnished his reputation. | P4 NO, MINISTER Siddu proposes, Azim Premji disposes: No trespassing through Wipro A K N I S R E E K A R T H I K @ Bengaluru WIPRO founder and chairman Azim Premji has turned down Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s request to allow public vehicles through its campus on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), to cut down traffic at Iblur Junction. Public vehicular movement through private property would not be “an effective, sustainable, long- term solution”, Premji replied in a letter addressed to the CM dated September 24. The IT czar, in turn, batted for a comprehensive, scientific study led by an entity with world-class expertise in urban transport management to develop a roadmap for effective solutions. He said Wipro will underwrite a significant portion of the cost for this study . To curb traffic congestion at Wipro chairman Azim Premji and K’taka CM Siddaramaiah | PTI Iblur Junction on ORR, the CM had sought Wipro’s permission to allow limited vehicular movement through its campus. In his letter to Premji on September 19, the CM had said preliminary assessments by traffic and urban mobility experts indicate that if Wipro opens its campus to vehicular movement, it could reduce traffic on adjoining stretches by 30 per cent, particularly during peak office hours. “As stated in your letter, urgent and effective measures are indeed required for the traffic situation, particularly along the Outer Ring Road, being an export-oriented economic hub. The problem’s complexity, stemming from multiple factors, suggests that there is unlikely to be a single-point solution or a silver bullet to resolve it,” Premji said in his reply, adding, “We believe the ... path forward is to commission a comprehensive, scientific study led by an entity with worldclass expertise in urban transport management. Such an exercise would allow us to develop a holistic roadmap of effective solutions that are implementable in the short, medium, and long term.” “Wipro will be pleased to engage in this process and underwrite a significant portion of the cost for this expert study,” he said.