SATURDAY 04 JULY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard TOP DEFENCE PANEL APPROVES ACQUISITION WORTH `52,000 CR X.com/TheMornStandard The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting on Friday cleared major capital acquisition proposals worth around `52,000 crore PA K A C C I D E N T 40 DEAD AFTER BUS FALLS INTO RAVINE At least 40 people, including women and children, were killed when a bus they were travelling in fell into a ravine in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PAGE 9 OP SINDOOR’S INFLUENCE ON PRIORITIES A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI Govt plans separate law to address AI challenges Existing legal framework inadequate to regulate evolving tech: IT secy R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi WITH policymakers across the globe grappling with the challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), from disinformation to cyber security threats, the government is considering the option of bringing in a separate legislation to regulate AI, IT secretary S Krishnan said on Friday . India’s existing legal framework has managed to address the initial concerns around AI, such as deepfakes and labourrelated issues. However, as the AI technology evolves and new threats emerge, a dedicated regulation or law may be required to deal with them, Krishnan added. “In AI and cybersecurity the , regulations regarding the legal process in India have been adequate in addressing our initial concerns... We addressed these by making new rules under the existing laws. But now we feel that we may need to think more deeply and make additional regulations. We may need to make a new law,” Krishnan said. Without giving a timeframe for the proposed law, he said: “It is a conversation which has commenced... My minister (IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw) and I have both been on record earlier that we will look at AI regulation when the time is right, and it appears that the time is getting right, and we will start looking at it.” META SUMMONED OVER CHILD SEX ABUSE VIDS IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed his ministry to summon Meta officials over Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material. According to sources in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the govt has sought an explanation from Meta. The move follows a BBC report on paid Insta ads with the key words “rape video” and “child video”. These advertisements allegedly redirected users to Telegram channels that sell child sexual abuse material. Meanwhile, Meta representatives met MeitY officials on Friday in connection with the government’s earlier notice on the proposed “usernames” feature on WhatsApp The IT secretary, who was speaking on the sidelines of a CII cybersecurity event in Delhi on Friday also acknowledged , the knotty issue of VPN (virtual private network) service providers refusing to register in India and offering services from other countries. “There is a system for VPNs to register, but many do not register in India and offer services from elsewhere. We have to look at both technology solutions and legal solutions to address this issue,” he said. VPN encrypts internet connection and routes it through a remote server to enhance privacy security and access to re, , stricted content. It provides anonymity to users who can bypass government censorship and access sites that are banned in their country . Krishnan said the government has asked Google Play Store and Apple App Store to remove three Chinese apps— BAT-BMS, Lossigy and Epochi-ion—after they were found to have been misused to disable battery-operated vehicles remotely The decision was taken . after viral videos showed erickshaws being rendered inoperable through a remote shutdown feature in the BATBMS app, triggering concerns over cybersecurity risks associated with internet-connected vehicle management systems. “A couple of apps came to our notice. Both have been taken down,” Krishnan said, adding that any other app found to be similarly misused would also be blocked.  PAGES 12  J8.00 The approvals by the DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, pointed to how Operation Sindoor influenced acquisition priorities, as counter-drone systems, layered air defence, anti-tank weapons and persistent surveillance platforms were on the shopping list. The Army’s request for the indigenous AkashTarang, an anti-UAV system, was cleared | P7 2,300 INDIGENOUS ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILES, 100 LAUNCHERS, 5 SIMULATORS OKAYED RONALDO & CO ADVANCE AFTER VAR DRAMA RAMOS’ LATE DECIDER Goncalo Ramos headed Portugal into the lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time before Croatia saw a last-gasp equaliser ruled out for offside in Toronto. Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo had helped haul his team back into the contest, burying a 68th-minute penalty to cancel out Croatia’s opener 3 CHEERS FOR SPAIN Earlier, Spain had advanced to last 16 stage with a scintillating 3-0 win over Austria in Los Angeles. Two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and a Pedro Porro header sealed victory for the Spaniards. Switzerland also advanced with a 2-0 win over Algeria TODAY’S MATCHES: Canada vs Morocco 10.30 PM, France vs Paraguay 2.30 AM* (IST Sunday) At the point of contact, the tech shows a small spike as seen in the image | FIFA MEDIA TECH DENIES CROATIA Portugal were stunned when Josko Gvardiol prodded home an apparent equaliser. Yet VAR chalked off the goal after a chip embedded in the ball detected that it had brushed Croatia striker Igor Matanovic while Mario Pasalic was in an offside position in the build-up PRE-QUARTERS FROM TODAY The last-16 stage begins today with Canada facing Morocco before France’s tie vs Paraguay 4 China firms get waiver for bids in power infra projects R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi Exemption sought in Jan THE Centre has granted a twoyear exemption to four Chinalinked electrical equipment makers with manufacturing facilities in India, allowing them to participate in government tenders for critical power infrastructure projects. The four companies are TBEA Energy India, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese company TBEA Group; Nanjing Electric India, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese power equipment manufacturer Nanjing Electric; New Northeast Electric India, which has technology transfer ties with Chinese power sector companies; and Taikai Electric (India), a subsidiary of China-headquar- The Ministry of Power had sought the exemption in January to prevent delays in key transmission and power projects. The move is expected to increase competition in procurement across the power, transmission and distribution, renewable energy, industrial automation, and infrastructure sectors over the next two years tered Taikai Group. The exemption has been granted by the finance ministry under the Public Procurement Order (Rule 144(xi) of the General Financial Rules, 2017), which restricts companies from countries sharing a land border with India, including China, from participating in government procurement without prior approval. TNIE has reviewed the copy of the order. Following the 2020 border clashes, Chinese bidders were required to obtain political and security clearances before bidding for public contracts. In May 2026, the finance ministry notified new rules allowing overseas companies with Chinese shareholding of up to 10% to invest in India under the automatic route. With the exemption, these companies will be eligible to bid for public sector contracts involving critical power equipment, particularly high-voltage transformers and gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), where domestic manufacturing capacity remains limited. SC PAUSES CAG AUDIT OF DISCOMS S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi IRAN IN MOURNING The coffin of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei carried into the Mosalla Grand Mosque ahead of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on Friday | AP | P9 RSS raps Ram temple donation theft, seeks action against guilty RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR A N D N A M I TA B A J PA I @ New Delhi/Lucknow THE Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday broke its silence over the sensational donation theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, with general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale observing that the condemnable act had deeply hurt the sentiments of the entire society and demanding stringent punishment for the guilty . Emphasising the need to restore public confidence, Hosabale said the prevailing confusion and uncertainty must come to an end. “In this regard, we expect the temple management and the UP governmentappointed special investigation team (SIT) to take all necessary initiatives.” He appealed to the Hindu community to exercise patience and restraint, urging them not to allow anti-national forces to exploit the incident. Hosabale said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust should treat the theft as ON Thursday, the Delhi government had ordered a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of power discoms. On Friday, the Supreme Court stayed the audit. At stake is `38,500 crore accumulated as regulatory assets (RA), which are scheduled to be recovered from city’s power consumers. A vacation bench headed by Justice K V Viswanathan directed the parties to maintain the status quo on the audit of the discoms by a CAG-appointed independent CA. The court clarified that the stay applies only to the CAG audit and does not bar Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) from exercising its powers. “All rights and contentions are left open,” it noted. The court issued a notice on a plea filed by the DERC, which challenged an order of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL). It stayed the order for CAG audit of discoms and fixed the matter for further hearing to July 15. The court issued notice to the Delhi government, CAG, DERC, and the Union Ministry of Power. The bench noted that the le g ality of the DERC assigning such an audit to the CAG needs closer judicial scrutiny. It also stayed an order of the APTEL, which had directed the DERC to conduct an audit through an independent chartered accountant. Appearing for DERC, Solici- tor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the audit contemplated by the SC’s August 6, 2025, judgment had to be completed before any recovery of RA could be made from electricity consumers. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Delhi government, argued that substantial public funds flow to discoms as a subsidy justifying CAG scru, tiny in the public interest. The court said RA which are created to shield consumers from sudden hikes, should not remain unresolved for long. EXPRESS READ In a first, DU V-C reappointed for second consecutive term Rift rises in Punjab Cong, Channi camp gives a week’s notice Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance due to terror: India Prof. Yogesh Singh has been reappointed as Delhi University vice-chancellor for a second consecutive five-year term. Thus Singh becomes the first V-C in the university’s history to get a successive tenure. Singh was appointed 23rd V-C of the varsity in 2021. | P4 Ahead of the assembly poll, fault lines are in the open in Punjab Congress. Leaders close to former CM Charanjit Singh Channi have given one week’s time to the high command to address concerns over retaining Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as state party chief. | P8 India on Friday reiterated that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes “credible and irreversible” steps to end support for cross-border terror, maintaining its position despite Islamabad’s recent attempts to internationalise the issue. REVIEW MEET L-G seeks zero tolerance on encroachment A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi L I E U T E NA N T- G ove r n o r Taranjit Singh Sandhu, chairing a meeting of the Advisory Council of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Friday, asked it to ensure a zerotolerance approach towards encroachment in the capital. Sandhu directed that technology be aggressively leveraged for real-time monitoring of land parcels and buildings, so that any unauthorised occupation or construction can be detected and acted upon swiftly . The DDA said 14 flying squads have been constituted under the Land Management Department of the authority for the protection of its land. It said that its field survey teams undertake daily inspections. As a result of these enforcement drives, it said, nearly 241.51 acres of government land has been reclaimed since April 2025. Apart from this, 235.96 acres of land was cleared from illegal constructions in the development areas. Sandhu was briefed about the ongoing drone survey of the entire city, which is being carried out under a tripartite agreement between the DDA, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Survey of India. Of the 1,370 square kilometer identified for survey over 1,122 , square kilometers have already been covered. The meeting was attended by MPs Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Sudhanshu Trivedi apart from officials from multiple government agencies. EPL CONNECTION Reverberations in UP The pilferage of donations has already snowballed into a political controversy, particularly in UP, one of the seven states due to hold assembly elections in 2027 an exceptionally serious matter and take steps to rectify all shortcomings in the temple management. This is crucial to ensure that the faith and reverence of crores of Ram devotees remains unbroken, he said. “We all are extremely pained and angered,” Hosabale said in a video message, recalling that the temple was a symbol of reverence and devotion. The controversy has already claimed its biggest casualty with Trust general secretary Champat Rai resigning. New TNPL team owner has stake in Leeds United G O M E S H S @ Chennai IN a first, the upcoming edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier league will see a US-based franchise owner who has stakes in English Premier League Leeds United FC. Palani Gurusamy — founder of Circlebase, an IT consulting firm — will be taking over Madurai Panthers franchise from Siechem Technologies going forward as they assembled the team at the TNPL auction in Chennai on Friday . “My family is from Kovilpatti. We moved to the US in the early 90s, went into the IT busi- ness. We also started getting into sports investments around the world. We are currently part owner of Leeds United in the UK,” Gurusamy told this daily from the US. Apart from Leeds, they also have investments in Texas Rangers (Major League Baseball), Glasgow Rangers FC (Scottish Premiership football) and women’s football teams in Ger many and the United States. What made them invest in the TNPL? Gurusamy’s answer is simple. “We all grew up with cricket and we wanted to get involved in the sport. We tried Other investment in sports Leeds United FC (EPL) Glasgow Rangers FC (Scottish Premiership) Texas Rangers (Major League Baseball) FC Victoria Berlin (German women’s football) Palani Gurusamy Bos Nation FC (Women’s football team in Boston) to do something in Major League Cricket in the US, but couldn’t get in. When this opportunity came in TNPL, and we are close to Madurai, we wanted to take the chance,” he said, adding that Mahesh S will continue to remain CEO while former TN cricketer KB Arun Karthik has been named head coach. “Whenever I come home and I talk to my classmates or friends circle, everyone talks about TNPL. There is a lot of connection to local players whom we usually don’t hear about. I think TNPL is reach- ing out to the rural areas and youngsters are actually eyeing to get in,” Gurusamy explained. He went on to add that they will retain the Madurai Panthers name for the upcoming edition as the 2018 winners have a local connection with the fans. The other team to see new owners are the Kovai Kings. Chennai-based precision manufacturing firm Nagal Comtech recently acquired the franchise. The TNPL will begin on August 4 in Dindigul, with matches also set to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from August 15 to August 28.