NEW DELHI 31 MAY 2026 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in PLUS: 12 PAGES The Retreat Within TESTING TIMES A Recipe for Resistance Anand Neelakantan Santwana Bhattacharya Ravi Shankar Santosh Mehrotra Anuja Chandramouli Shankkar Aiyar S Vaidhyasubramaniam Sailing Against the Tide MAGAZINE Barking Up the Right Tree EXCLUSIVE VOICES The Stories Along the Way Get Shorty SWAMI SUKHABODHANANDA SPEAKS Building an Ethical Workplace Resilient India faces headwinds from Wasia, weak monsoon outlook: FinMin D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi Karnataka Congress leader D K Shivakumar with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and outgoing CM Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Saturday | SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT DKS to take oath on Wednesday Keep swearing-in low key, says Rahul; new cabinet to be a mix of old and new faces D E V A R A J B H I R E H A L L I @ Bengaluru PHOGAT FAILS TO QUALIFY FOR ASIAN GAMES Vinesh Phogat was knocked out of the Asian Games selection trials on Saturday after losing to Meenakshi Goyat 4-6 in a tense semifinal bout of women’s 53kg event, dashing hopes for her comeback | P11 EXPRESS READ Eight rescued as building caves in Eight people have been rescued from debris after a four-storey building collapsed near Saket metro station in south Delhi on Saturday. The building had a coaching institute on the ground floor and construction work was underway on upper floors. It is suspected those rescued maybe students. | P3 DEPUTY Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was on Saturday elected Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and will be sworn in as Karnataka’s 18th Chief Minister at 4.05 pm on Wednesday The ceremony will be held at the . Glass House, Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru, with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administering the oath of office. Shivakumar fixed the auspicious date and time after consulting personal astrologers. Around 20 MLAs are expected to be sworn in as Cabinet ministers alongside him, though names are yet to be officially confirmed. At the CLP meeting, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah proposed Shivakumar’s name as new CLP leader. Senior leader Dr G Parameshwara seconded the proposal and all 135 Congress MLAs, two associate members, and one Raita Sangha MLA approved it unanimously The swearing. in was initially planned on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha but was shifted to the more modest Lok Bhavan on the advice of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who preferred a low-profile event. Following the CLP meeting, Shivakumar, accompanied by Siddaramaiah and senior legislators, called on the Governor at Raj Bhavan, staking claim to form the government. The Governor issued formal permission for the swearing-in. Party general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said, “Under the leadership of Shivakumar, the Congress will return to power again with the support of Siddaramaiah in the 2028 assembly election in Karnataka.” According to sources, there are indications that the new cabinet will have a mix of both old and new members. Humbled to be unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party ... We remain committed to serving the people D K Shivakumar Encomiums for Sidda at CLP meet At the CLP meeting, newly elected leader Shivakumar moved a resolution praising the service rendered by Siddaramaiah during his tenure as chief minister, and sought the support of legislators. Five MLAs — Raju Kage, Rahim Khan, GT Patil, P Koliwad and H V Venkatesh — were not at the meeting INDIA’S economy remains resilient despite escalating global uncertainties triggered by the conflict in West Asia, but rising energy prices, a weakening rupee, mounting inflationary pressures and the prospect of a below-normal monsoon pose significant risks to growth and price stability, the Finance Ministry said in its Monthly Economic Review (MER) for May 2026. The ministry said the nearterm outlook for the economy is one of cautious resilience, with domestic fundamentals remaining broadly intact. Manufacturing and services activity continues to expand, the la- Int’l para-athlete found murdered International para-athlete Chirag Tyagi was found murdered in Ghaziabad on Saturday. Police said Chirag’s body was found in Hindon area. He had a bullet mark on his back, police said. Chirag, from Basantpur Saithli village in Ghaziabad, had competed in 100 metre and 400 metre sprint and brought glory to India. The report said recent increase in petrol and diesel prices could trigger direct and indirect inflationary effects, while any further rise in global energy prices could erode the inflation cushion. Food inflation risks have risen after IMD projected a deficient monsoon that could compound inflationary pressures bour market remains stable and the country’s foreign exchange reserves provide a substantial buffer against external shocks. However, it cautioned that the global environment has become materially more challenging since the outbreak of the West Asia conflict, with elevated crude oil prices, tighter financial conditions and slowing growth across major econo- mies creating headwinds that India cannot fully escape. “The near-term outlook for the Indian economy is one of cautious resilience,” the report said, while warning that forecasts of a below-normal monsoon and a likely moderation in economic activity could weigh on consumption demand in the months ahead. The review noted that the conflict has disrupted energy J A V A R I A R A N A @ New Delhi THE Indian Navy’s next frontier of self-reliance lies not in shipbuilding, but in mastering critical technologies, from AIenabled combat systems and autonomous platfor ms to quantum-secure networks and sovereign design capability, outgoing Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi told this newspaper in one of his final interviews before demitting office on Sunday . He said the Navy is currently steering about 140 major R&D projects across 25 Defence Research and Development Organisation laboratories. “The next frontier of indigenisation lies in critical technologies and sovereign design capability The Indian Navy’s . modernisation story is increasingly being written in Indian shipyards and Indian laboratories,” he said. On the subsurface domain, he said the Navy is in the final stages of procuring six next- I leave with immense confidence that the Indian Navy is stronger, more capable, more indigenous, more networked, and better prepared than ever before Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi generation conventional submarines equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) under Project-75(I). Also, a contract for 31 MQ-9B Sky/Sea Guardian high-altitude longendurance remotely piloted aircraft has been placed, with deliveries beginning in 2029. “The undersea domain remains central to maritime deterrence. It is not just about having submarines but about having underwater domain awareness and the ability to respond faster than any potential adversary,” he said. On carrier aviation, Tripathi identified the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter as the cornerstone of India’s long-term indigenous carrier air power roadmap. “The future must be shaped by an indigenous carrier-borne fighter ecosystem to secure our national maritime interests, anytime, anywhere, anyhow,” he said. The strategic necessity of Carrier Battle Groups was aptly demonstrated during Operation Sindoor, when their deployment forced the adversary’s navy to remain confined to ports and the Makran coast, he said. Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan will succeed Tripathy as the next Navy chief. Q&A: P7 IMD alert for rain and thunderstorms in city A D I T I R AY C H O W D H U R Y @ New Delhi ABHISHEK ROUGHED UP Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee wears a helmet after stones, shoes and eggs were hurled at him during a visit to Sonarpur in South 24-Parganas district of West Bengal on Saturday to meet victims of post-poll violence | PTI | P8 HEAVY rains along with thunderstorms and lightning hit several parts of Delhi on Saturday, bringing relief after heatwave. The weather department issued a yellow alert for Sunday, predicting that similar conditions will persist. The sudden change in weather comes hours after the IMD issued red and orange alerts, predicting strong winds, moderate to heavy rains and thunderstorms. With rains forecast for Sunday, residents have been ad- vised to remain indoors, avoid taking shelter under trees, stay away from weak structures and unplug electrical appliances during thunderstorms. The weather change is being driven by western disturbance affecting north-west India, along with cyclonic circulation, which has enhanced moisture and instability over the region, the IMD said. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 24.6°C, two notches below normal. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 36°C. Iran conflict’s positive side: India Inc goes for recycled plastic J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi THE ongoing Iran conflict has had an unexpected positive spinoff for the environment. The beneficiary: India’s plastic recycling industry . Before the conflict began, virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was the go-to packaging product for India Inc. This was despite the fact that the government had mandated adding 40% of recycled PET or r-PET to their procurement. Two important ingredients for virgin PET were imported from countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain. With the conflict disrupted that critical supply chain, it gave the recycled plastic industry a huge breakthrough. From a pre-conflict monthly sourcing of about 5,000 tonnes of rPET, orders has now surged to around 15,000 tonnes a month. Goutham Jain, Director General of the Association of PET Recyclers (APR) Bharat, said, “If the war crisis persists, production capacity could reach markets, trade routes and supply chains, reviving inflationary pressures globally. Brent crude averaged $120.4 per barrel in April before easing to $108.3 in May, while supplychain disruptions intensified. The ministry flagged a growing divergence between retail and wholesale inflation. Consumer price inflation rose marginally to 3.48% in April, remaining below the Reserve Bank of India’s medium-term target of 4%. In contrast, wholesale price inflation accelerated to 8.3%, a 42-month high, driven by elevated energy prices, rupee depreciation and favourable base effects. The inflation outlook, it said, warrants close monitoring. OUTGOING CHIEF OF NAVY CHARTS THE NEXT FRONTIER Dope test must for govt jobs: Sukhu The Himachal Pradesh administration has made dope test mandatory for people before joining government service. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has sought details of the action taken against government staff found involved in trafficking of heroin. He said that strong action would be taken against the drug mafia. Food inflation risks alive and kicking Call for strong deterrent If a company does not meet its recycled plastic usage target, it faces either no penalty or a mere `2.90/kg penalty. In contrast, penalties in the European Union exceed `50/kg, serving as a strong deterrent, said Deepak Rungta, an r-PET manufacturer 180,000 tonnes annually .” Significantly, the cost of manufacturing virgin PET has shot up from `90/kg to `135/kg, while that of food packaging- grade r-PET climbed from `95/ kg to `115/kg. The Food Safety Standards Authority has approved r-PET production capacity of around 300,000 tonnes, which represents 40% of the total PET consumption in the country This approval is based . on new regulations from the environment ministry, which mandates the inclusion of at least 40% r-PET in food packaging. However, the usage of rPET at present in food packaging is only about 20%. Experts say the regulations are slanted towards virgin plastic consumers as they allow industries to defer their recycling targets without immediate penalties or minimal penalties. ISI-underworld module busted, 8 held in terror conspiracy case N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi DELHI Police said on Saturday that it has busted a terroristcriminal network linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Mumbai underworld. The Special Cell arrested eight people, including a Nepalese national, in the operation. The police claimed the accused were conspiring to carry out grenade attacks and targeted shootings at vital installations, security establishments, and police personnel in Delhi and other parts of the country . The police said the accused worked at the behest of ISI handlers Shahzad Bhatti, Munna Dawood Jhingada, and associate Yawar Khan. The accused Jhingada is a worked at Dawood Ibra- the behest of him’s hench- ISI handlers man, who is Shahzad Bhatti, a c c u s e d o f Yawar Khan carrying out and Munna an attack on Jhingada, who Chhota Rajan is a Dawood in Bangkok in Ibrahim’s aide. 2000 at Ibrahim’s behest. Jhingada remained in a Thai jail for 17 years for the attack. The Special Cell recovered four Pakistan-made hand grenades, two Glock pistols, and 24 live rounds from three operatives held in the operation. The accused have been identified as Vijay alias Shooter, 23, , a resident of Uttar Pradesh; Nitish Paswan, 23, a resident of Jharkhand; Taoqeer Rizwan Ahmad Shaikh, 27, and Sajid Mehboob Shaikh, alias Arbaz Khan, 27, both residents of Maharashtra; Harvinder Singh, 28, Gagandeep Singh, 28, and Manjeet Singh, 23, all residents of Punjab; and Lama Ang Kami, 66, from Nepal. Lama was tasked to arrange a hideout for operatives in Delhi and handle finances for Jhingada. Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Anil Shukla said the arrests led to the dismantling of an international network. The module was involved in a criminal conspiracy to execute grenade attacks and firing at vital installations, security establishments and cops in Delhi and Mumbai, he said.