WednesdAY 14 october, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Fee on UPI transactions above `2K postponed till diwali fest Anthropic In a major relief to UPI users, the decision to levy a Merchant Discount Rate of 0.4 per cent on transactions over `2,000 has been deferred | P10 ‘AI worms may infect devices’ move follows public backlash Small artificial intelligence models may be only months away from being able to behave like a computer worm, the AI giant said. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 PAGES 12 l The National Payments Corporation of India said on Tuesday that the Merchant Discount Rate on UPI transactions shall be implemented immediately after Diwali on a date to be notified separately. The decision comes amid Opposition protests that termed it a tax, and said MDR imposition above `2,000 will burden consumers. Ladakh integral part of India, says MEA  J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi LoP Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and other INDIA leaders address a joint press meet | PARVEEN NEGI ‘Resistance’ Introspect, to continue, don’t blame says Rahul SIR: Shah P R EETHA NAI R @ New Delhi UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to introspect why his party has been losing elections rather than playing negative politics over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In his first public comments on the ongoing protests, Shah said electoral credibility and public confidence can’t be secured through wild allegations and street protests alone. Instead, he said, opposition parties need to demonstrate their acceptance among voters through sustained public engagement and service. “I want to ask Rahul ji: Is this (election defeat) the result of SIR? Do you dismiss the popularity of the BJP ‘Negative and Modi ji? The SIR started politics’ only after 2024,” Shah said, Shah accused adding that the Congress and the Congress of its allies would face a crushindulging in ing defeat for the fourth con“negative secutive time in the 2029 Lok politics” and Sabha elections. advised the Shah cited the BJP’s perparty to try and formance in Gujarat’s muconnect with nicipal elections as evidence the public to of the party’s continued popwin their trust ularity and electorate’s enduring faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lighting into Rahul, Shah said the Congress leader is trying to manufacture political momentum through media events and baseless allegations, insisting that such tactics would not help regain public confidence. UT of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact Randhir Jaiswal, MEA What the MHA list of Oct 2 covered The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the list of 28 locations on October 2, covering a range of geographical features, including 10 peaks, two mountain passes, seven land areas, three mountains, two water bodies, two glaciers, a valley and a river. ognise Ladakh as an UT. “India’s move is illegal and invalid; it cannot alter the objective fact that the western sector of the China-India border has always belonged to China,” Mao said, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s response to a media query . Jaiswal, however, said the exercise was administrative and intended to improve the identification of geographical features on official maps. Referring Murugan resigns amid cabinet reshuffle buzz R A J ESH K U M A R THA K U R @ New Delhi A mock impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi Metro train rides by MPs to challenge travel restrictions, and protest programmes at the denotified Jantar Mantar were among the proposals discussed in the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, civil society representatives, and student representatives on Tuesday . According to sources, the meeting explored ways to keep the protests going and decided to sustain the agitation for the ‘restoration of democracy Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi .’ told the leaders that they could take Wednesday off to visit their constituencies but should be ready to return to the capital at 24 hours’ notice from Thursday, the sources said. The bloc is planning a mega rally at Delhi’s Ramlila grounds on November 1 and plans to mobilise 5 lakh people. Speaking to reporters, Rahul said the protest will continue. He said those responsible for the alleged ‘vote theft’ would be brought to justice, naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the CEC. “No matter what happens, no matter which institution plays a role or not, political resistance will continue, people’s resistance will continue and it will triumph,” he added. Among those who attended the high tea meeting at Rahul’s residence were Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi; RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha; SP leaders Harendra Malik, Anand Bhadauria and Mohibullah Nadvi; Left leaders M A Baby and D Raja; JMM’s Mahua Maji; and TMC’s Mahua Moitra. AISA chief Neha Bora and CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya were also present. P3 & P7 Reiterating that the Union Territory of Ladakh is an “integral and inalienable part of India,” New Delhi on Tuesday rejected China’s assertion that it has “never recognised” the region. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said “no amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact”. India’s response came amid Beijing’s objection to New Delhi’s decision to standardise the names of 28 geographical locations and features in Ladakh. The strong rebuttal came soon after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning objected to India’s announcement, reiterating Beijing’s refusal to rec- R A J ESH K U M A R THA K U R @ New Delhi Third MoS to resign from cabinet in recent months L Murugan is the third MoS to quit in recent months, after George Kurian and Ravneet Singh Bittu, who resigned in June and July, respectively. Other possible exits include Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Giriraj Singh and Annapurna Devi. However, there is no official word yet. ‘Want to strengthen BJP in Tamil Nadu’ L Murugan has cited his desire to strengthen the BJP in Tamil Nadu as the reason for his resignation. “I wish to devote my full time and energy to preparing the party for the 2029 LS elections, working towards another term under your (PM Modi) leadership,” he wrote. UNION Minister of State L Murugan resigned from the council of ministers and the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, stating he wanted to return to Tamil Nadu to strengthen the BJP’s state unit ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The move has fuelled speculation of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle. In a four-page letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, requested to be relieved of his ministerial duties and allowed to give up his RS seat. “I want to go to every village (in TN), meet our people, stand beside our karyakartas,” he wrote. Recalling his journey as the son of daily wage labourers, he called his five years in government as the “greatest honour” of his life. Murugan was elected to the RS in September 2021 and reelected from Madhya Pradesh in April 2024. His term runs till April 2030. The vacation of his seat set off speculation on who it was meant to accommodate. Murugan is the third MoS to quit in recent months, after G e o r g e Ku r i a n a n d Ravneet Singh Bittu, who resigned in June and July respectively . Other possible exits include Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Giriraj Singh and Annapurna Devi. However, there is no official word yet. Those who failed to get an RS berth include Consumer Affairs MoS BL Verma. MoS Pankaj Chaudhary and Harsh Malhotra, too, are holding ministerial posts while serving as BJP presidents of UP and Delhi respectively . to an Ministry of Home Affairs announcement, he said the 28 sites were identified with standardised names on the official Survey of India map in consultation with the UT and local stakeholders. “Identifying these places formally on the Survey of India map of UT of Ladakh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large,” he said. The MHA announced the list on October 2. This is the latest incident in a broader contest between India and China over territorial claims and use of geographical names to assert sovereignty . Beijing has repeatedly issued standardised Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which India has rejected. Express read 450 indigenous kamikaze drones The Army has inducted 450 indigenous Nagastra-1R loitering munitions, its largest single batch of such ‘kamikaze’ drones till now, as it scrambles to build a bigger precision-strike arsenal after Operation Sindoor. Loitering munitions hover over a target area before diving into it with their warheads. The Nagastra family has already been battle-tested, Defence minister Rajnath Singh said. 10 dead as boat capsizes in Bihar At least 10 people died when a country-boat boat carrying 15-20 people capsized at the Ganga river in Bihar’s Vaishali district late on Tuesday. The incident took place when the victims were crossing the river to attend a post-funeral feast. Most of the victims were stated to be young and children | P8 c’garh rights body FIR filed against CJP’s Das, Ranka for breaching barricades at Jantar Mantar BURNING QUESTION: WHY RAVANA, NOT DURYODHANA? express news service @ New Delhi E J A Z K AISE R @ Raipur Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and others for allegedly trespassing into Jantar Mantar without authorisation, officials said on Tuesday . Earlier in the day Das, Ran, ka and other CJP members breached the barricades at Jantar Mantar and were detained. The action came a day after police de-notified the area as a designated protest site in the national capital. Paramilitary companies till Oct 20: Cops to MHA The Delhi Police has asked the MHA to extend the deployment of 273 paramilitary companies in the city until October 20, citing the possibility of protests by CJP and other organisations | P3 Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued a standing order on October 11 designating Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as the new sites for protests. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said on X that Ajinkya Shinde had also been detained. “Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police,” Dipke said. The CJP members said that they had entered Jantar Mantar to reclaim their right to protest at the erstwhile designated site and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. festive time A worker decorates a Durga Puja pandal ahead of the festival, in Kolkata | pti Plugging leaks Nilekani bats for tech to make exams secure Sanaa Saudi arabia hits oil facility The Saudi-led coalition carried out new airstrikes on oil facilities west of Sanaa, according to residents of Yemen’s capital | P9 P u s h p i ta D e y @ New Delhi INFOSYS co-founder Nandan Nilekani on Tuesday said exam paper leaks can be prevented through a systematic approach that addresses the root causes of the problem, advocating the use of technology to make examinations more secure. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 in New Delhi, Nilekani, who heads the high-powered task force on exam reforms, said paper leaks were a solvable problem. “The way to do that is to really have a massive bank of questions. And only at the last minute generate the question paper for that day,” he said, adding that this would reduce the scope for leaks and eliminate the economic incentive to obtain question papers in advance. He said computer-based testing could further strengthen the process. On the impact of artificial intelligence on employment, Nilekani dismissed concerns that AI would lead to widespread job displacement, calling it “hogwash”. While AI is automating tasks such as coding, he said, it would also create demand for new skills and generate more work in enterprise transformation. However, companies would need to reskill their employees, he added. The moment you have a question paper, that creates economic incentive for it to be sold Nandan Nilekani, Infy co-founder Ravana has a problem. Every Dussehra, he is set on fire, while Duryodhana, the arch-villain of the other great epic, gets off scot-free despite arguably having a worse record. Now, a citizen in Chhattisgarh wants to know why The citi. zen took the matter to the Chhattisgarh State Human Rights Commission, leaving its officials scratching their heads. He argued that burning Ravana in effigy every Dussehra amounted to discrimination and an infringement of the king’s rights. Commission officials are used to complaints about custodial torture, police excesses and injustice. But a complaint about a demon ‘Infringement of king being burnt? That was a the king’s rights’ first. “We were left befuddled,” commission chairman A citizen has moved State Girdhari Nayak told this Human Rights Commission, newspaper. He explained to arguing burning Ravana the complainant that the in effigy every Dussehra commission dealt with huamounted to discrimination man rights, not mythological and an infringement of the dilemmas. The answer was king’s rights. simple enough: Ravana is not a human being, or manav, and so falls outside the commission’s jurisdiction. Nayak rejected the complaint and advised the citizen to approach an appropriate forum. Which forum in this world of manavs would hear a demon king’s case, however, remained unclear. Ravana’s problem, it turns out, is not discrimination but eligibility Duryodhana, meanwhile, has es. caped both the flames and legal scrutiny . Nayak said the panel had received roughly 74,000 cases between 2000 and 2026. Of these, 3,000-4,000 complaints were baseless, frivolous or offbeat. About 900 cases remain pending. Duryodhana can breathe easy for another year. Ravana, as usual, has a date with the fire.