WEDNESDAY 25 `3,927 FEBRUARY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in COST OF TWO-DOSE GARDASIL-4 VACCINE IN THE OPEN MARKET facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard MERZ IN CHINA WORLD ORDER TOP CONCERNS OF VISIT The German Chancellor is expected to raise Chinese backing for Russia’s position in the Ukraine war, though no change from China is foreseen PAGE 9 NATIONWIDE HPV DRIVE FOR U-14 GIRLS TO PREVENT CERVICAL CANCER A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 The programme directed at girls under 14 years of age will use a single-shot Gardasil, a quadrivalent HPV vaccine that provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18, which cause cervical cancer, as well as types 6 and 11. It is in line with WHO recommendations, which identify HPV vaccination as a central pillar of the Global Strategy to Eliminate Cervical Cancer | P7 IAF looks at parallel Russian upgrade as Super Sukhoi awaits nod J A V A R I A R A N A @ New Delhi EVEN as the Indian Air Force’s plan to upgrade 84 Su-30MKI fighters under the Super Sukhoi programme awaits clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security, the service is eyeing a parallel upgrade of a similar or larger number of aircraft with Russia to sustain operational readiness, sources in the defence and security establishment said. EXPRESS READ DGCA grounds Pawar crash firm’s aircraft The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded four aircraft operated by VSR Ventures. Then Deputy CM of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar and four others were flying in an aircraft from this company on January 28 when it crashed in Baramati, killing all of them. An audit team found noncompliance issues of approved procedures, DGCA said. Top Maoists surrender, T’gana unit now defunct C H I T H A LU R I R EVA N T H @ Hyderabad FOUR senior leaders of the banned CPI (Maoist), including Politburo member Tippiri Thirupati and Central Committee member Malla Raji Reddy, surrendered before Telangana DGP B Shivadhar Reddy on Tuesday . The police said the Telangana State Committee of the Maoist party had become defunct after the reintegration of State Committee secretary Bade Chokka Rao and State Committee member Nune Narsimha Reddy into the mainstream. The DGP said the movement, which began in Telangana, appeared to have reached its end. “Many cadres have died or surrendered, and based on that, I am saying this,” he said. The surrendered leaders are Thirupati, 62, a Central Committee and Politburo member and in-charge of the Central Military Commission, who had been underground for 44 years; Raji Reddy, 76, a senior underground leader for 46 years and a State Committee member; Chokka Rao, 47, a State Committee member underground for 28 years; and Narsimha Reddy 62, a State Com, mittee member who was underground for 36 years. According to the police, 11 cadres from Telangana remain underground within the CPI (Maoist), but only one, Muppidi Sambaiah, was active. This step comes as India moves towards formalising the procurement of a fifth-generation stealth fighter, with Russia’s Su-57 emerging as a leading contender. A Russian team has recently visited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s Nashik facility, signalling deeper engagement between the two sides. The parallel engagement with Moscow is intended to offset long execution timelines associated with the HAL-led upgrade, which is expected to take at least seven years once it receives approval. There are concerns within the establishment about whether the projected timeline for Final Operational Clearance can be met. “Relying solely on the indigenous upgrade could push timelines well into the next decade. A parallel track is therefore being considered to ensure operational readiness is not affected,” a source said. The source added, “Moreover, with the Super Sukhoi upgrade limited to 84 aircraft, a parallel route is needed for the remaining Su-30MKI fleet of around 175 aircraft.” THE KERALAM STORY GETS CABINET’S NOD Decision to change name comes ahead of Assembly poll M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi THE Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cleared the Kerala government’s proposal to rename the state as Keralam. The move comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Kerala, expected in April or May . The decision was taken following a resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly in 2024 and forwarded to the Centre. It noted that the state is called ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam, while it has been officially listed as ‘Kerala’ in the First Schedule of the Constitution. Explaining the process, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said it would now be forwarded to the President. The President will then refer it back to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for its views and formal passage. Thereafter, with President’s approval, the proposal will return to the Centre, and Parliament will take up the constitutional amendment to effect the name change. Officials noted that while Article 3 grants Parliament the authority to change a state’s Historical roots In Malayalam, the state is called ‘Keralam’, a form rooted in Dravidian linguistic tradition, ancient political history, and early historical records including the inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka The name ‘Keralam’ will manifest the state’s heritage with all its authenticity and uphold its pride Home Minister Amit Shah name through legislation, the process includes specific safeguards. A Bill for such a change can’t be introduced in either House of Parliament without President’s recommendation. If the proposal affects a state’s name or boundaries, the President must first seek the views of the state legislature within a stipulated time frame. The proposal to rename Kerala was examined by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Following approval from Home Minister Amit Shah, a draft Cabinet note was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department for their expert opinion. Both de par tments, functioning under the Ministry of Law and Justice, concurred with the proposal, paving the way for the next constitutional steps in the renaming process The resolution adopted by the Kerala Assembly underscored the cultural and linguistic basis for the demand for name change. It also highlighted that since the days of the freedom struggle, there has been a sustained demand for a united Kerala for Malayalamspeaking people. The equation for T20 WC semifinal qualification With two matches to go in the Super 8s, a look at different scenarios for India to qualify... Scenario 1 South Africa beat West Indies and India to win against Zimbabwe and WI — India and SA qualify Scenario 2 South Africa lose to WI and Zimbabwe; India beat WI and Zimbabwe — WI and India qualify Scenario 3 SA lose to WI and Zim, India beat Zimbabwe but lose to WI — WI go through, three teams on two points and it will come down to NRR Scenario 4 SA beat WI and Zim, India lose to Zim but beat WI — SA go through, other three teams on two points and will come down to NRR Today’s Match Suryakumar Yadav during a practice session ahead of T20 World Cup match against Zimbabwe at MA Chidambaram Stadium, on Tuesday | ASHWIN PRASATH | P11 7pm: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka (Colombo) The proposed Russian track is expected to focus on strengthening the aircraft’s electronic warfare suite and radar. Moscow has also offered the more powerful AL-41 engines to replace the current AL-31s, and the IAF is evaluating the proposal. Once negotiations between the two countries are completed, a separate proposal will be taken up for Acceptance of Necessity by the Defence Minis- try This will mark the first for. mal step in the procurement process, followed by commercial negotiations and finalisation of the contract. “The approach is likely to mirror the MiG-21 Bison upgrade model, with parallel roles for Indian and Russian agencies. The idea is to address the squadron crunch and avoid a capability gap, especially as the IAF looks to maintain adequate 4.5-generation capability amid a potential two-front threat,” the source explained. Under the homegrown upgrade programme, HAL, in partnership with DRDO, will lead the modernisation. It will centre on Virupaksha AESA radar and an upgraded avionics suite. The aircraft will carry BrahMos-ER cruise missiles, Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and Rudram anti-radiation missiles. Tata Sons board bid to hand Chandra a third term runs into Noel trouble Voting put off Sources said Chandrasekaran himself proposed deferring the vote on his reappointment saying an institution of Tata Group’s stature can function effectively only if Tata Sons and Tata Trusts are aligned in decisionmaking B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai IN a new twist to the Tata Group’s power struggle, the board of Tata Sons on Tuesday deferred a decision on granting a third term to chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran. According to informed sources, the move follows objections by Noel Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts which owns 66.4% of the holding company of the $120-billion Tata conglomerate spanning software, semiconductors and airlines. Noel Tata was the only board member who did not support Chandrasekaran’s reappointment, while the remaining di- SHIRTLESS STIR Rioting charges added against IYC members N I T I N R AWAT, U DAYA N K I S H O R E & P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi DELHI Police has added rioting charges in the case related to the protest by the Indian Youth Congress during the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam and arrested eight people, including its chief Uday Bhanu Chib, officials said on Tuesday According to the police, the crime was . part of a “deep-rooted conspiracy” and substantial evidence has been obtained. Special Commissioner of Police Devesh Chandra Srivastava said that on February 20, while the meet was on, a pre-planned attempt was made to breach the security cordon in the presence of dignitaries and foreign delegates. “The aggressive elements were brought under control,” he said, adding that some cops were injured while restraining the protesters. In a related development, a Delhi court on Tuesday sent Chib to four days of police custody till February 28. Meanwhile, Congress leaders strongly criticised the arrests. In a post on ‘X’, LoP Rahul Gandhi said that he is proud of his fellow members of the Youth Congress. “It is in our blood and a democratic right of every Indian. The Congress Party and I stand firmly with our fellow members. Showing the mirror of truth to power is not a crime; it is patriotism,” he wrote. rectors backed a third term. Typically, Tata Sons’ shareholders and board approve the appointment or reappointment of a chairman one year in advance to ensure stability and continuity, or to provide sufficient time for a new leader to settle in and chart strategy . Chandrasekaran, 62, who has led the group since February 2017 and completes his second term in February 2027, is learnt to have requested that the board defer the decision to allow for wider consultation and consensus following the differences. The development is seen as unu- sual, given that the trusts he works with closely had greenlighted another term for him as far back as October 2025. If the third term is approved, the board would need to amend a clause that sets the retirement age for top executives at 65. Another term would have seen Chandrasekaran complete his tenure in 2032 at the age of 69. Noel Tata is learnt to have set four conditions for supporting the reappointment. First, Tata Sons should not pursue listing. Second, the company should remain debt-free. Third, its coffers should not be strained by excessive capital expenditure in high-risk ventures. And fourth, deep losses from acquisitions such as Air India and BigBasket must be contained. SC allows deployment of judges from J’khand, Odisha for Bengal SIR unmapped categories to be decided in the state. The bench led by CJI Kant THE Supreme Court on Tues- said, “If the CJ of Calcutta HC day expanded the pool of judi- is of the opinion that further cial manpower to conduct the human resources would be reSpecial Intensive Revision (SIR) quired, he is at liberty to apof electoral rolls in West proach the CJs of Orissa and Bengal, allowing CalcutJharkhand High Courts ta High Court Chief for serving and former Justice Sujoy Paul to judicial officers from deploy additional civil those states, who shall judg es, over and then undertake the above the 250 district pending exercise.” judges who are alThe last date of publiready on the job. cation of the final elecIf Aadhaar has It also opened a toral roll is February 28. window to requisi- been fraudulently “If the verification exprocured on an tion judicial officers ercise undertaken in reindustrial scale, from Jharkhand and spect of logical discrepthen it requires to Odisha to participate ancies/unmapped be statutorily in the exercise. regulated. RP Act remains incomplete, the Calcutta HC Chief was amended, and ECI may publish the fiJustice Sujoy Paul Aadhaar brought nal list on February 28, had on February 22 in to prove identity followed by supplement written to Chief Juslists,” the court said. - Supreme Court tice of India (CJI) Invoking its extraorSurya Kant that even dinary powers under if one judicial officer decides Article 142, the court declared 250 matters a day, it will take at that voters enlisted in such least 80 days to complete the subsequent supplementary SIR in West Bengal. He said lists shall be deemed to have that there were around 50 lakh been part of the final list to be cases of logical discrepancy/ published on February 28. S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi A mother waited for her son’s call, a family got his death news H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh THE house in Gobind Nagar on Sultanwind Road in Amritsar has not slept. Thirty-one-year-old Swarajdeep Singh, one of the two pilots of the air ambulance that crashed in Jharkhand near Ranchi on Monday might, was among the seven people who lost their lives in the accident. Just before take-off, Swarajdeep had called his mother. He told her that he was flying from Ranchi to Delhi and would call again after landing. It was rou- tine. He always called before flying. He always called after landing. He never forgot. But Monday was different. When the phone did not ring, they tried calling him. It was switched off. They kept waiting. Then the news flash appeared on television—a crash, loss of contact around 7.20 pm, an air ambulance gone down. Names began to scroll. His name was there. In that moment, the house changed forever. Swarajdeep had only rejoined duty two days earlier. He had been home on leave, spending time with his wife and their four-month-old son. Seven months ago, Swarajdeep joined the medical aviation company. It felt like life was finally settling. He had married two years earlier. He is survived by his parents, grandparents, wife, a fourmonth-old son and a brother. His father, Amrik Singh, sits quietly as visitors gather. His eyes are tired. “He spoke to his mother before take-off,” he says again and again, as if holding on to that last moment. He said he would call after landing, the father repeats himself.” He is in shock. “We kept waiting for his call. When we saw the news and his name among the victims, it was hard.” Family friend Lovpreet Singh described the pilot as helpful by nature. They said he had struggled for some time after obtaining his pilot’s licence and had even given tuitions at home while looking for stable employment. Becoming a pilot had been his childhood dream. Relatives, friends and neighbours gathered at the family’s residence. The mortal remains of Swarajdeep are expected to reach Amritsar on Wednesday . Until then, the family waits. Not for the routine call. But for their son to return home one last time. CRASH-LANDING The wreckage of a Pawan Hans helicopter that crashed into the sea 300 metres away from its scheduled landing place at Mayabunder helipad in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Tuesday. All seven on board were safely rescued | PTI