TUESDAY A 1ST: US TRANSPORTS SMALL NUCLEAR REACTOR ON PLANE FEBRUARY, 2026 A microreactor was flown on a cargo plane from California to Utah, showing nuclear power can be deployed quickly for use 17 epaper.morningstandard.in PUSH BY TRUMP TO PROMOTE MICROREACTORS facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard INDIA-B’DESH TIES ‘NOT CAPTIVE TO EXTRADITION’ BNP Secy General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that Bangladesh’s relationship with India will not be “held captive” over ousted PM Sheikh Hasina PAGE 9 This gets us closer to deploying nuclear power when and where needed to give our warfighters the tools to win A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 US official 19% OF POWER GENERATED IN US IN 2024 CAME FROM NUCLEAR SOURCES Shaping solutions for the world 9-judge SC bench SABARIMALA CASE Modi opens India AI Impact Summit; Vaishnaw seeks global consensus on copyrights issue Being here among innovators, researchers and tech enthusiasts gives a glimpse of the extraordinary potential of AI, Indian talent and innovation Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Sarvam AI stall at the India AI Impact Expo in New Delhi, as Sarvam’s co-founder Pratyush Kumar looks on | PTI Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister The opening day witnessed long queues and packed sessions across the venue. Heavy traffic congestion and confusion at the entry gates left many participants, dignitaries, exhibitors, and speakers stranded outside for extended periods. Several attendees took to social media to express their frustration. While some complained about long waiting times, others flagged the lack of UPI payment facilities at food counters, poor mobile connectivity, and inadequate signage and instructions. VIP security arrangements further compounded the inconvenience, with several areas of the venue cordoned off from 2 pm. The rush was especially visible at the food courts spread across the venue, all of which remained heavily crowded throughout the day. ship to a larger bench. However, the order was silent on any stay of the September THE Supreme Court on Mon- 28, 2018 judgment which alday said a nine-judge bench lowed entry of women of all will from April 7 begin the age groups to the hilltop final hearing on petitions re- shrine in Kerala. lating to discrimination Besides the Sabarimala against women at religious case, the verdict also replaces, including ferred to issues of Sabarimala Temple, entry of Muslim and on the ambit of women into religious freedom. mosques and of A three-judge Parsi women into bench of Chief Justhe holy fire place tice Surya Kant and of an Agiary, to justices Joymalya the larger bench. Nodal Bagchi and Vipul M More than 50 recounsel for Pancholi, said, view petitions had both parties been filed urging “The nine judge bench shall begin the Supreme Court The benchhearing the review appointed lawyer not to interfere case on April 7, 2026 with religious Krishna Kumar at 10.30 am.” practices. Singh as nodal I n S e p t e m b e r counsel for parties The bench said 2018, a five-judge it will look at sevsupporting the Constitution bench, en related quesreview. It also by a 4:1 majority tions during the appointed verdict, had lifted Shashwati Pari as hearings, such the the ban that pre- nodal counsel for scope of the right vented females beto freedom of relithose opposing tween 10 and 50 from gion, the interplay the review entering the Ayyapbetween rights of pa shrine at Sabarimala in persons under Article 25 and Kerala and held that the Hin- rights of religious denomidu religious practice was “il- nations under Article 26, the legal and unconstitutional.” scope and extent of the word On November 14, 2019, an- “morality” under Articles 25 other five-judge bench head- and 26, and whether it ined by then Chief Justice cludes constitutional moralRanjan Gogoi, by a majority ity and scope and extent of of 3:2, referred the issue of judicial review with regard discrimination against wom- to a religious practice under en at various places of wor- Article 25. @ New Delhi Global platforms like yours (Motion Picture Association) and Netflix should be aware of the cultural context of the country in which they are operating Long queues, packed sessions on Day One to hear pleas on religious bias S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y Narendra Modi, Prime Minister R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit, the largest congregation of AI experts, bringing together heads of state and government, ministers, global technology leaders, researchers, multilateral institutions, and industry stakeholders in Delhi. The five-day summit from February 16 to 20, will deliberate on the role of AI in advancing inclusive growth, strengthening public systems, and enabling sustainable development. “Inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam. Being here among innovators, researchers and tech enthusiasts gives a glimpse of the extraordinary potential of AI, Indian talent and innovation. Together, we will shape solutions not just for India but for the world,” said Modi. In a separate social media post, Modi said the event, which will be attended by OpenAI founder Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and others, is themed “Sarvajana Hitaya” (happiness for all), reflecting a shared commitment to harnessing Artificial Intelligence for humancentric progress. He welcomed the dignitaries — over 100 government representatives, including more than 20 heads of state and government and 60 ministers and vice ministers — along with more than 500 global AI leaders comprising CEOs, founders, academicians, researchers, CTOs, and representatives of philanthropic organisations. Minister of Electronics and IT (MeitY) Ashwini Vaishnaw said India is engaging with industry stakeholders to identify appropriate technical and legal frameworks to ensure that AI does not infringe upon the copyrights of content creators. During a conversation with US media mo gul Charles Rivkin, the minister said India is also seeking global consensus on the copyright issue. V Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor, said AI adoption cannot happen by drift.It requires commitment to aligning tech progress with mass employability . Controversial `80,000 crore Great Nicobar Project gets NGT green light RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi AFTER a prolonged wait, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday cleared the controversial Great Nicobar Project worth `80,000 crore, after disposing of the challenges against it. A six-member special bench of NGT found no substantial grounds to interfere with the mega infrastructure project, observing that adequate safeguards had been incorporated into its environmental clearance. Conservationists had opposed it, saying it will cause massive ecological damage and threaten tribal communities. The Congress called the NGT clearance “deeply disappointing”. Party leader Sonia Gandhi had warned last year that it poses an existential danger to the island’s indigenous communities and is being insensitively pushed through by the government. During the hearing, the special bench recorded that all emerging concerns had been examined and addressed by a h i g h - p owe re d c o m m i t t e e tasked with revisiting the project’s environmental clear- 8 BURNT ALIVE IN ILLEGAL CRACKER FACTORY BLAST IN RAJASTHAN Eight workers were burnt alive at a factory fire in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi township on Monday. A preliminary investigation into the matter has revealed that firecrackers were allegedly being manufactured illegally at the unit. Shah: Insurgency in J&K, Northeast to end by ’29 Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said terrorism would be completely eradicated from Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast by 2029. He added, in the Northeast, more than 10,000 youths have already surrendered due to peace efforts. P7 D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi CHIEF negotiator Darpan Jain will lead a delegation to Washington next week to finalise the legal text of the proposed India–US trade agreement, the Commerce Ministry said on Monday . Following the joint statement agreed earlier this month, the framework deal is now being converted into a formal legal agreement, said Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal. “The effort is to see that we can finalise and sign the legal agreement in March 2026,” he told reporters when asked about the timeline. On the proposed reduction in the reciprocal tariff from 25% to 18%, Agrawal said the US is processing the matter and that India expects it to be completed soon. “Our expectation is that it should be done this week. If not, the team will be there next week and we can pursue the matter and understand why it is taking time,” he said. The US has already removed the 25% additional tariff imposed after India agreed not to buy crude from Russia. However, the 25% reciprocal tariff has not yet been reduced to 18%, as agreed by both sides. Overall, the US imposed an additional 50% tariff on Indian goods -- 25% as a reciprocal tariff and another 25% linked to India’s oil purchase from Russia. Agrawal said most favoured nation (MFN) tariffs remain unchanged,meaning the effective tariff on Indian goods will be 18% plus MFN rates. H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh EXPRESS READ Twelve students, all male, scored a perfect 100 percentile in Paper I of the Joint Entrance Examination (Mains) 2026 for BE and BTech courses. The top ranked female candidate scored a 99.99 percentile. OBC candidates rule the list. P3 Indian team to visit US to fix legal text of the trade deal Mann back to hosp amid Punjab cabinet rejig buzz ance granted in 2022. “Considering the strategic importance of the project and taking into account the other relevant considerations, we don’t find any good ground to interfere,” NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said. The project is expected to boost India’s presence in the Indian Ocean Region amid increasing pressures from foreign powers. The project spans 166 sq km and requires the diversion of 130 sq km of forest land. A transshipment port, along with several associated projects such as a dual-use civil and military airport will be built in the Great Nicobar Island. 12 candidates, all male, get perfect 100 in JEE The microreactor used in Sunday’s Operation Windlord can generate up to 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 5,000 homes The experiment comes amid plans by Trump administration to promote the manufacturing of small reactors to meet the growing power demand sparked by artificial intelligence and data centres STARS, STRIPES & SENA US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor (R) with Lt General Manoj Kumar Katiyar during a visit to the Western Command of the Indian Army in Chandimandir | EXPRESS | P4 PUNJAB Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attended an AAP rally on Monday as part of the state government’s anti-drug campaign, amid growing rumours of a cabinet reshuffle. The Yudh Nashean village defense committee organised the event in the Moga district’s Killi Chahal village. After the rally, he went back to Fortis Mohali hospital. Sources claim that Mann attended the rally under the supervision of doctors and returned with them because he has not yet been “discharged” from the hospital. On Tuesday a health bulletin , is likely to be released. Party sources claimed that for the last few days, there have been discussions between CM Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, on the likely appointment of two deputy chief ministers. Kejriwal was in Punjab on Sunday There . was a discussion on appointing Sanjeev Arora, a Hindu face, as a deputy CM, but nothing has been finalised, a source said. For a likely SC face, Mann is Talk of adding 2 Dy CMs There was a discussion between CM Mann and Arvind Kejriwal on adding a Hindu and a Dalit faces in the Punjab cabinet as deputy chief ministers, say sources. said to be pushing for Women and Child Development Minister Dr Baljit Kaur. Meanwhile, some party leaders are pitching for Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who is a senior SC leader. Also a controversy has erupted after Punjab Chief Secretary K A P Sinha and Director General of Police Guarav Yadav addressed the oath taking function of village defence committees. This is probably the first time that top functionaries of the bureaucracy and the police have addressed such an event. MCD gets `1,330 crore from CM fund for upkeep of city roads A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi THE Delhi government has proposed to allocate nearly `1,330 crore for Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to undertake road paving and develo p m e n t p ro j e c t s fo r t h e financial year 2026–27. Sanitation services and the maintenance of roads with a width of less than 60 feet fall under the jurisdiction of the MCD, the government said. These projects include the constr uction, re pair and strengthening of nearly 1,000 kilometres of roads, a move expected to significantly curb dust pollution, particularly during the post-monsoon months of October and November when pollution levels rise sharply in Delhi. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday said that this sup- port reflects the government’s commitment to decentralised and effective governance. Special allocations have also been made under the Chief Minister’s Development Fund. Directing officials to ensure timely execution, the Chief Minister instructed that all major road improvement works be completed by 30 September 2026. She emphasised the need to fast-track administrative procedures, undertake advance Roads below 60 feet in width under MCD jurisdiction Sanitation services and the maintenance of roads with a width of less than 60 feet fall under the MCD jurisdiction. It is expected to use extra funds for construction, repair and strengthening of 1,000 kms of roads. preparations and ensure complete transparency in the tendering process. Timely completion of these works, she said, would provide relief to citizens from pollution and further strengthen the Capital’s infrastructure. To modernise the city’s sanitation system, the government has also approved a project worth `2,300 crore under a 10year operational expenditure. Today’s Matches 11am: New Zealand vs Canada (Chennai) 3pm: Ireland vs Zimbabwe (Pallekele) 7pm: Scotland vs Nepal (Mumbai)