KALABURAGI l sunday l august 09, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l CITY EDITION India plans high-risk mission to bring ‘Green Boots’ home India is seeking a specialist recovery team to retrieve the remains of Dorje Morup, a 48-yearold lance naik of ITBP, from Mt Everest’s summit Part of historic everest expedition tricky recovery has september deadline For nearly 30 years, a body known as “Green Boots” has been frozen under a rock near Mount Everest’s summit. Morup was part of a historic 1996 ITBP expedition aiming to become the first Indian team to summit Everest from the Chinese side. Three climbers reached the top; but a blizzard claimed all three. Two bodies remain missing. The third was Morup’s ■ ■ Authorities hope to return Morup’s remains to his family in Ladakh for DNA confirmation and final closure, the BBC reported Recovery from the death zone at 8,500 metres is hazardous. Temperatures can fall to -40°C, and the Chinese side lacks helicopter evacuation. ITBP aims to complete the operation by September. 300 at least 300 people have died in the region since records began CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI PM addresses IIT-D convocation; in UP, Rahul says no jobs available HDK tells govt to take over NICE project, asks motorists not to pay toll E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @Bengaluru Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 57th Convocation of IIT Delhi, flanked by Education Minister Pralhad Joshi | PTI Skeletal remains of woman found in house nearly year after death E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Bengaluru The skeletal remains of a 57year-old woman were found in the bathroom of her duplex house in Havanur Layout near T Dasarahalli in Bagalagunte. The remains, suspected to be more than a year old, were discovered around 8 pm on Friday . The deceased was identified as Dakshayani Umesh, from Savadatti taluk in Belagavi district. The house doors that were locked for more than a year were found opened on Thursday night by the neighbours. Suspecting somebody had tried to commit theft, the neighbours informed the police. The Bagalagunte police who came to the spot found the skeletal remains inside the bathroom. The skeletal remains have been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for further examination. The police contacted her brother Mahesh Basappa (50), a businessman residing in Nelamangala and informed him about the skeletal remains of his sister. P5 Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi interacts with students in Prayagraj on Saturday | PTI Question Rahul: Youth ideas, Modi lit a light tells Gen Z in darkness I f r a h M u f t i @New Delhi N a m i ta b a j pa i @ Lucknow ADDRESSING the 57th convocation of IIT Delhi on Saturday Prime Minister Narendra Modi ex, horted graduating students to question ideas accepted without a thought while stressing that they should not stop at questioning but summon the courage to find solutions too. Challenges, he said, become opportunities for only those who innovate boldly . Returning in person to IIT-D after a virtual address during the pandemic, the prime minister told the Class of 2026 that an IIT education’s true value lies beyond degrees, CGPA or placements. “Your degree tells the entire world that you know exactly how to solve highly difAmidst all this ficult problems,” he said. rapid change, The PM recalled IIT-D’s remember hostel rivalries among Kumy words: the maon, Aravali, Karakoram, Vindhyachal, Nilgiri, Kaione who lash and Himadri, and locontinuously cal favourites like Jia learns is the one Sarai’s poha and Satpura who will win mess parathas, saying campus memories would enerNarendra Modi, gise them amid future Prime Minister responsibilities. He advised students to keep their curiosity alive in life.”The fundamental reason for the success of many alumni was that they boldly identified those crucial questions which the world had stopped considering as questions.” The university conferred degrees on over 3,000 graduating students, including 587 PhD scholars, during the ceremony which also saw , the first graduating batches of Bachelor of Design, Executive MBA, MSc in Biological Sciences and MA in Culture, Society Thought. , Of the 587 PhD graduates, 245 were women, on which PM Modi said it would have been “a little nicer” to see one or two more daughters on that list, before correcting himself: “not one or two, but far more.” CONGRESS MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday described India’s youth as the country’s “greatest strength,” asserting their power was unmatched and unparalleled. Addressing the ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ programme, he told a large gathering of students and competitive exam aspirants: “You are the power and pride of India. When I say this, I am talking about every Indian citizen.” The Congress leader said nations like China, America and Russia were often called major global powers, yet their strength paled in comparision to the potential of Indian youth. In a nearly 20-minute adToday, education dress, he took a jibe at the certificates have education system, noting that families spent hardno meaning in earned money on BA and India because MA degrees that failed to they cannot give generate employment. Only a dozen out of every 1,000 you jobs. All youngsters, he claimed, sedoors of cured permanent jobs. employment “This evening, I want to are closed speak to you about dard (pain), data, and daulat Rahul Gandhi, LoP (wealth),” Rahul said. He argued that all doors of employment were “closed”, blaming a decline in manufacturing, difficulties in securing loans, exam paper leaks and artificial intelligence replacing jobs for hurting young people’s prospects. Despite waterlogging and muddy patches at the venue, the event drew a sizeable crowd. On the recent student protests across the country, Rahul said the youth had “lit a light in the darkness” by confronting their fears and, in doing so, helped change the nation. “We will never resort to hatred or violence. We will change the system with love and affection,” he said, urging the audience to follow the same path. Students present at the venue raised concerns about hostel problems and competitive examinations. India opts for France-led FCAS to enter sixth-generation fighter race J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi India has begun efforts to join France’s sixthgeneration fighter programme, choosing its Future Combat Air System (FCAS) over the rival British-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Prog ramme (GCAP), as it seeks a foothold in next-generation combat aviation. In its Action Taken submission to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, the defence ministry said it had “initiated efforts in a concerted manner to co-join” FCAS, a programme spearheaded by the French government. The disclosure, contained in the committee’s Twenty-Fifth Report for 2025-26 tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday provides , clarity on a choice the ministry had left open in March. It had then told the committee that the Indian Air Force was looking to join one of the two competing sixth-generation fighter programmes. The move comes as major military powers race to develop combat aircraft designed around stealth, artificial intel- No clarity on nature of participation There is no clarity yet on the precise form of participation in FCAS, including whether it is seeking an observer role, a development partnership, production workshare or access to specific tech. The panel has sought a “status report, roadmap, timeline” on the sixth-gen programme in its next submission ligence (AI), advanced sensors, electronic warfare and mannedunmanned teaming. Unlike conventional fighter programmes, sixth-generation systems are being developed as a “system of systems”, with the crewed fighter expected to operate alongside unmanned aircraft, remote carriers and other networked assets while receiving and sharing data across the battlespace. The technology has growing relevance for India as China expands its air-combat capabilities. The People’s Liberation Army Air Force operates the J-20 and J-35 stealth fighter and is developing a wider ecosystem involving unmanned systems, long-range weapons, airborne sensors and electronic warfare capabilities. It has also flown two prototypes of its sixth-gen fighters. The choice of France also comes against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding bilateral defence ties. FCAS was originally conceived by France, Germany and Spain as a broader combat system comprising a new-generation fighter, unmanned remote carriers, advanced sensors and a combat cloud. The fighter was intended to eventually replace France’s Rafale and the Eurofighter. It was, however, was hit by disagreements between French company Dassault Aviation and Airbus over the division of work, development leadership and intellectual property . Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday urged the State Government to immediately take over the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project by NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise) and stop all toll collection on the stretch. He also urged motorists not to pay the toll. T he JDS state president ter med the NICE and proposed Bidadi Township projects as two faces of the same coin and said that both issues will be raised in the upcoming monsoon session of the legislature. “The State Gover nment must wake up to the serious observations made by the high court on the NICE project. The court pointed to serious irregularities in the implementation of the project and questioned the manner in which the toll is being collected. NICE must immediately stop collecting the toll,” he said. “If the government fails to act, people will have to take up the issue them- selves,” he said. Giving the gover nment a two-week deadline to stop toll collection, he said JDS will launch an agitation if nothing is done by then. “The high court observed that ‘the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project appears to be one of the biggest scams in the state’ and stated that the matter is appropriate for an independent investigation by a team of experts into allegations of fraud and other offences, along with a forensic audit of the project accounts,” he said referring to the HC judgment of July 29. He questioned the State Government’s silence despite the court’s observations. “The government is expected to protect the interests of the people. Why is it quiet while a private company is allegedly exploiting the public?” he asked. “Vested interests have benefited from land acquired in the name of the NICE project. Over 20,000 acres have been accumulated and kept as a land bank,” he said.  CONTINUED ON P5 Badal party on BJP’s page on delimitation H a r p r ee t B a j w a @ Chandigarh A day after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering speculation about a SAD-BJP alliance for the 2027 Punjab assembly elections, the Akali party on Saturday demanded the immediate implementation of the women’s reservation bill and a fair and equitable delimitation to ensure equal representation to all states. “After detailed deliberations on key issues before Parliament, the SAD demands a fair and equitable delimitation that ensures equal representation to all states,” Badal said, adding his party supports the Union government’s proposal for a uniform increase of 50% seats across all states. SAD has just one MP in the Lok Sabha. Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said his party had earlier opposed delimitation based on the 2011 Census, but after deliberations it decided to support the Centre’s proposal for a uniform expansion of seats. He was, however, cagey on an electoral alliance with the BJP in Punjab, which goes to polls in a few months. Responding to questions on Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s claims on a possible BJP-SAD tie-up, he said it shows the fear of AAP . State govt wasting water from TG Halli Reservoir every day B o s k y K h a nn a @Bengaluru The State Government is wasting around 2.2 tmcft of water from Tippagondanahalli (TG Halli) Reservoir, the first manmade dam built in 1933 and located around 35 km from Bengaluru on Magadi Road. Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) officials said the reservoir has 2.2 tmcft of water standing at 58 feet, which has been ignored and not utilised. “To ensure that the machinery that was recently repaired and restarted at a cost of Rs 230 crore is not wasted, we are pumping 4 MLD of drinking water downstream to Manchanabele Dam and Magadi villages. The rest of the water is standing idle and is being lost to evaporation and leakage. The positive takeaway is that the groundwater table in the region is good and farmers are happy ,” said a BWSSB engineer. “Bengaluru does not need the 4 tmcft from the Mekedatu project when this existing water body is left neglected. The DPR for Mekedatu does not include the pipeline to be laid to Bengaluru. In the case of TG Halli, there is already an existing pipeline which was also repaired recently. On the directions of Indian Institute Science, an additional ozonisation plant was added to treat water to make it fit for consumption in 2024. It was supplied to Bengaluru in 2024 on a trial basis, but was stopped on government orders,” the official said.  CONTINUED ON P5 No UPI user fee for you, Govt assures consumers ENS Economic Bureau @ New Delhi THE government on Saturday reiterated that consumers will not have to pay any fee for making UPI payments and that a vast majority of merchant transactions will continue to remain free, even if merchant discount rate (MDR) is introduced in the future. The clarification comes after Parliament passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to amend Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act (PSS Act), enabling introduction of MDR on UPI transactions. Centre rubbishes ‘external pressure’ jibe The government rejected reports that external pressure had influenced its decision to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act (PSS Act). “Some of the media reports have suggested external influences may be driving policy changes. This is completely false.” The government said the amendment does not impose any charges on UPI transactions. Any MDR, if intro- duced, would apply only to a limited set of merchant transactions above a specified threshold and at a nominal rate, significantly lower than MDRs applicable to debit and credit cards. “All person-to-person transactions will continue to be free of charge,” the government said in a statement, adding that the vast majority of merchant transactions would also remain free. Once the amendment comes into force, the UPI and Services Steering Committee, headed by E x p r e s s Re a d 2 die after Kerala RTC bus overturns on E-way Manipur govt opens NHs for all communities Canada deports 3,323 Indians, 3 times US total BENGALURU: The driver and conductor of a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus were killed while 24 passengers sustained injuries after the bus overturned on the BengaluruMysuru Expressway after hitting a signboard near Bidadi at 6.30 am on Saturday. The bus was on its way to Bengaluru from Kozhikode in Kerala P5 Imphal: In a major step towards restoring normalcy, Manipur Govt announced national highways in the state will be reopened for free movement of people from all communities P8 NEW DELHI: Canada deported 3,323 Indian nationals in first six months of 2026—almost three times the 1,273 Indians the United States deported to India in nearly seven months P7 WITH THIS ISSUE The Brain Game Brigade PLUS 12 P AGES the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), will decide on the MDR, if any . The amendment is an enabling provision aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of UPI, rather than an immediate move to impose charges on users or merchants., the government said. A similar clarification was issued by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday followed , by the Payments Council of India (PCI) on Friday . The Centre argued that with UPI transaction volumes expanding rapidly, the payment infrastructure needs investment in cybersecurity, fraud prevention and technology . fcra bill missing from govt house agenda Proposed legislation finds no mention in agenda for Monday’s Business Advisory Committee meeting, as Opposition seeks withdrawal | P7