TUESDAY 16 DECEMBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard David Miller BIG PAY DAY AWAITS STARS AT IPL 2026 MINI AUCTION BONDI BEACH SHOOTING SUSPECTS HAD POSSIBLE IS LINKS A father and son who killed 15 people attending a Jewish festival on Sydney’s Bondi Beach had possible links to the Islamic State group PAGE 9 Liam Livingstone 2026 CHENNAI, KOLKATA LOOK TO REBOOT After a forgettable season in 2025, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to form a core group of players in the mini auction. It, however, will not be easy with the available pool of players. Both teams will need at least six-seven international stars, Indian and overseas, to fulfil various roles before signing back-ups | P11 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 `64.3 CR KKR HAVE THE HIGHEST PURSE GOING INTO THE AUCTION Stories of grit take centre stage at 36th edition of Devi Awards E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi THE 36th edition of the Devi Awards in Delhi honoured 12 women for their invaluable contribution in various fields while breaking societal norms. The Monday evening was abuzz at the ITC Maurya not with speeches or spectacle, but with quiet authority; what unfolded was a celebration of women who shaped their worlds through persistence, intellect, and purpose. The 36th edition of the awards, the seventh in Delhi, was less about applause and more about acknowledgement of their journeys. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari was the chief guest, while Chief Minister Rekha Gupta served as the Guest of Honour at the event, which com- menced with a welcome address importance of skill and merit. by Express Publications (Ma- Gupta said India has long emdurai) Pvt Ltd CEO Lakshmi powered women. From Rani Menon setting the tone for the Lakshmibai to Kalpana Chawla, day. This was followed by the women have broken barriers. The women felicitatlighting of the lamp as Delhi’s Dil Beats for its Devis ed included Smita PraEPMPL CMD Manoj kash, editor and CEO Sonthalia. Editorial Diof ANI, for her contrirector Prabhu Chawla, bution to journalism; Menon, and Editor Simran Sharma, paralSantwana Bhattacharympian swimmer and ya were present on the gold medallist at the stage along with the 2024 Para Championchief guests. ship in Japan; and Dr Gadkari said women DEVI have played a vital role AWARDS Radhika Batra, paediatrician and public in shaping India’s hishealth expert, for her tory and society adding , work in combating that recognition comes from the quality of one’s work. child malnutrition. Also honoured were Sudha “A person’s work becomes their trademark,” he said. Gadkari Bhattacharya, professor and geremarked, “Respect should not neticist, for her contribution to be demanded; it should be com- molecular biology; Aditi Manmanded,” while stressing the galdas, dancer and educator, for Presents Powered by her work in Kathak and contemporary dance; and Sonia Mathur, senior advocate at the Supreme Court, for her contribution to legal affairs. The list featured Archana Jahagirdar, founder and managing partner of Rukam Capital, for promoting entrepreneurship; Anita Kundu, mountaineer, for her conquest of Everest; Shradha Sharma, founder and CEO of YourStory, for championing India’s start-up ecosystem; Meenakshi Jain, Member of Parliament and historian, for her scholarly work on Indian history and religion; Rina Dhaka, fashion designer and entrepreneur, for her new-age approach to fashion; and Lakshmi V Venkatesan, founder of Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust, for her inspiring work with young people. P3 Local story TRAILBLAZER DEVIS Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Express Publications (Madurai) CMD Manoj Kumar Sonthalia, CEO Lakshmi Menon, Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, Editor Santwana Bhattacharya, and Dinamani Editor K Vaidiyanathan with Devi Awards winners Anita Kundu, Archana Jahagirdar, Dr Meenakshi Jain, Dr Radhika Batra, Rina Dhaka, Shradha Sharma, Simran Sharma, Smita Prakash, Sudha Bhattacharya, and Sonia Mathur in New Delhi on Monday | PARVEEN NEGI REVAMP BILL TO BE TABLED IN LS TODAY Oppn raps 60:40 funding plan for rural job scheme P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi LEGENDS HONOURED Football legend Lionel Messi felicitated by ICC Chair Jay Shah at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta (L), footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul pose with them | PTI S’PORE, CANADA, UK ISSUE DELHI AIR QUALITY ALERT J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi SINGAPORE, the UK and Canada have issued advisories cautioning their citizens about hazardous air quality in Delhi as pollution levels in the national capital worsened sharply, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) nearing 500 and remaining in the “severe” category . The latest advisory came from the Singapore High Commission in New Delhi, which on Monday issued an air quality warning for its nationals in the Delhi-NCR region following the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) invocation of Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). This marks the first known instance of a foreign mission in Delhi issuing a pollution-specific advisory Delhi’s air quality dete. riorated rapidly over the weekend, with gover nment data showing a 24-hour average AQI of 431 on December 13. The Singapore advisory urged nationals to follow guidelines issued by India, including staying indoors as much as possible, wearing masks when outdoors, and taking additional precautions. The UK warned travellers about the health risks posed by air pollution in north India. Canada issued similar guidance, advising travellers to take necessary precautions. Under GRAP Stage 4, authorities have imposed the strictest pollution control measures. P4 Possible travel disruptions The Singapore advisory also flagged possible travel disruptions. “We note that given the low visibility, flights to and from the Delhi National Capital Region are likely to be affected… Travellers should take note of this, and check with the respective airlines for updates,” the statement said WITH the government all set to introduce a bill to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and replace it with a new rural employment law on Tuesday, the Opposition launched a blistering attack for diluting the scheme and burdening the exchequer of all states. Though the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, was listed in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business for Monday the government held it , back after Opposition protests. According to sources, the government has assured the Opposition in the Business Council Meeting that the proposed legislation will be sent to the standing committee. One of the key criticisms is that the bill proposes that the Centre and states/Union territories share its cost in a 60:40 ratio. However, for North-Eastern and Himalayan states, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, the existing funding pattern of 90:10 between the Centre and the states will stay . Under the MGNREGA framework, the Centre bears the full cost of wages for unskilled manual work, up to three-fourths of material costs, and three-fourths of wages for skilled and semiskilled workers. While the new bill alters the funding structure, it retains the existing wage rates as notified under Section 6 of the MGNREGA. Criticising the proposed bill, EXPECTED TO GO TO A STANDING COMMITTEE We will not allow the rights of millions of people to be snatched away by this govt — Mallikarjun Kharge “125 days” is the headline. 60:40 is the fine print... Cost-shifting by stealth, not reform — John Brittas Higher edu regulator bill heads to JPC P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi 125 DAYS Of employment promised as against the current 100 days CPI (M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas alleged that the government removed the soul of a rights-based guarantee law and replaced it with a conditional, Centrally controlled scheme stacked against states and workers. The bill seeks to establish a “rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047”, by providing a statutory guarantee of 125 days of employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work. Another clause says, “The Central Government shall determine the State-wise normative allocation for each financial year, based on objective parameters as may be prescribed by the Central Government.” It also provides for the constitution of a Central Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council and State Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Councils to oversee, review, monitor, and effectively implement the scheme. Another significant provision allows states to pause implementation of the scheme during peak agricultural seasons by notifying specific periods covering sowing and harvesting. SUPER WATCHDOG What’s new? KEY CHANGES IN THE PROPOSED BILL ON RURAL JOB GUARANTEE The Gramin Bill provides a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per year to rural households versus 100 days under MGNREGA 1 Unlike MGNREGA’s broad range of permissible works, the Gramin Bill narrows focus to water security, rural infrastructure, livelihoodinfrastructure, and special works to mitigate extreme weather events 2 MGNREGA was fully funded by the Centre. Gramin Bill earmarks funding in Centre/State ratio of 90:10 for North East/Himalayan states, and 60:40 for other states 3 Gramin Bill explicitly bans work during peak agricultural seasons 4 Gramin Bill establishes a new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council at Central and state level for monitoring; MGNREGA was administered by Rural Development Ministry 5 AMID fierce protests and objections by the Opposition members, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill in the Lok Sabha. The legislation seeks to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education. The bill was introduced amid din over alleged threatening slogans raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Congress rally on Sunday . As soon as the bill was introduced, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rose to say since it is a comprehensive bill, the government would like to send it to the joint committee of both Houses for perusal. The bill proposes to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions. With a single regulator, it also seeks to tackle the challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to multiplicity of regulators. The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, and institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs. At present, IITs and IIMs are not regul a t e d b y t h e U n iv e r s i t y G r a n t s Commission. “The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan will be an apex umbrella body to provide direction for comprehensive and holistic growth of higher education and ensure coordination between the Councils,” the bill says. It adds that the entire system of regulation will be executed through technology driven single window interactive system for higher educational institutions based upon public self-disclosure. CHO LA, DOK LA PASSES EXPRESS READ India opens battlefields to tourists along China border in Sikkim P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati Bikers set off for the passes on Monday INDIA on Monday formally opened the historic Cho La and Dok La passes in Sikkim, launching regulated battlefield tourism along the sensitive border with China. Dok La pass is in Doklam plateau, which shot into limelight in 2017 during a prolonged standoff between Indian and Chinese troops, while Cho La witnessed fierce clashes in 1967. The Northeast hosts numerous such historic sites, especially in Arunachal Pradesh. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang flagged off 25 motorbikes and vehicles, inaugurating access to the passes under the ‘Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan’ initiative. A collaborative effort between the Army and Ministry of Tourism, Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan enables citizens to explore iconic war zones and sites of military valour. “Historic battlefields in re- mote, rugged terrains echo stories of unparalleled bravery and sacrifice. To boost accessibility and public awareness, the Ministry of Tourism and Army Adventure Wing collaborated on strategies to transform these sites into sustainable tourism destinations,” the ministry stated. Tamang described the open- ing of the two passes for the public as integral to the Centre’s Vibrant Village Programme, designed to boost border tourism and generate livelihoods for local communities.“The scheme opens vital border zones to regulated tourism, highlighting their profound historical and military significance,” he said. The Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan seeks to open strategically significant border areas through regulated tourism while highlighting their historical and military importance —Prem Singh Tamang, Sikkim CM Tamang expressed optimism that battlefield tourism would heighten public awareness of soldiers’ valour and sacrifices, instilling patriotism while adhering to strict security and environmental protocols. Sikkim Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism) CS Rao said his department coordinated with Army over two months to ensure secure, seamless tourist access, with basic amenities already operational amid continuing development. SC flags illegal dhabas on NHs, expressways The Supreme Court on Monday mulled issuing pan-India guidelines to prevent road accidents, flagging construction of illegal “dhabas” on both sides of NHs and expressways. NIA files chargesheet against 7 people, LeT The NIA on Monday filed a chargesheet against seven people and two terrorist organisations, LeT and TRF, in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people. P8