FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | Monday, 31 August 2026 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL Sweet and sour Page 6 Iran’s supreme leader urges Muslim rulers to confront ‘sworn enemies’ Israel and the USA NORTH-EAST Meghalaya cannot sell beauty and fear simultaneously Page 9 Page 11 Nepal flood toll crosses 780; 149 Indians rescued New Delhi, 30 August T he death toll from devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to over 780 on Sunday, as 149 Indians were rescued and search and rescue operations entered their fifth day. As per latest local media reports, the death toll in the Bhote Koshi flood-related disaster in Nepal has reached 781, while 2,502 people are still missing. The catastrophic flash floods and landslides triggered by the glacial collapse on 26 August continue to constitute a major humanitarian emergency across Nepal and adjoining Tibet, particularly along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems. The situation remains fluid, with rescue, recovery and identification operations continuing under extremely difficult terrain and weather conditions. In its latest update on Indian Relatives of those missing in the floods look at photographs of victims displayed outside the Maharajgunj campus at Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine, in Kathmandu on Sunday. ANI nationals rescued in Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said a total of 149 Indian nationals have been rescued sofarfromtheflood-hitHimalayan nation. In a post on X, the Ministry shared the list of names of the 149 Indian nationals who were rescued as of 5:30 p.m. on 30 August. India has also further stepped up its humanitarian assistance to the neighbouring nation. The fourth flight from India carrying 11 tonnes of relief assistance landed in Nepal, and the relief material was handed over. “Standing with Nepal. The 4th flight carrying 11 tonnes of relief assistance landed in Nepal, and relief material has been handed over. It consists of a tunnel technical contingent along with equipment for search and rescue operations; a team India meets fiscal deficit target for 2025-26, aims for 50 pc debt-to-GDP ratio by 2030: Sitharaman STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 30 August Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India has achieved the fiscal consolidation target set for 2025-26, reiterating that the government remains committed to maintaining fiscal discipline while continuing to support infrastructure spending and welfare programmes. Addressing the Indian diaspora in Chicago, Mrs Sitharaman said: “The government had reached the final milestone in its planned fiscal deficit reduction trajectory. India’s fiscal deficit for the year ended 31 March 2026, stood at 4.4 per cent of GDP, or around Rs 15.19 lakh crore, equivalent to 97.5 per cent of the revised estimate presented in the Union Budget.” The Finance Minister also outlined the government’s medium-term debt strategy, saying: “India is targeting a debt-to-GDP ratio of 50 per cent by 2030.” She defended India’s fiscal position by pointing to significantly higher debt levels in several advanced economies and said fiscal prudence would remain a priority. Mrs Sitharaman said the government has managed to maintain fiscal discipline without compromising spending on social welfare or public infrastructure. She also credited the government’s fiscal management for helping the economy navigate a series of external shocks since the Covid-19 pandemic. “India’s domestic economy has continued to expand at around 7 per cent or higher despite challenges ranging from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and global tariff disputes to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz,” she added. Mrs Sitharaman also highlighted the government's management of fertiliser supplies, saying India avoided a shortage by planning procurement requirements well in advance and sourcing supplies through multiple channels. She said international urea prices had risen sharply following the pandemic, increasing from around Rs 300 per bag to nearly Rs 3,000. The government absorbed much of the increase through subsidies, with support of around Rs 2,700 per bag, she said. The Finance Minister added that the government had also stepped in to support shipping and imports after international insurers became reluctant to provide coverage for vessels travelling through high-risk transit routes. of forensic experts for DNA analysis; and relief supplies, including blankets, sleeping bags, tarpaulin, plastic sheets and hygiene kits,” the MEA said in a post on X. Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava on Sunday met members of the Indian forensic teams deployed in Nepal to assist in identifying the mortal remains of victims of the devastating flash floods and reiterated that India will continue to strongly support Nepal’s ongoing rescue and relief operations. “Ambassador Naveen Srivastava met members of the Indian Forensic Team deployed to Nepal. The team will work alongsidetheirNepalicounterparts in analysing DNA samples to assist in identifying the mortal remains of the victims of the recent flash floods,” the MEA stated on X. • Related report: Page 9 NEET-PG re-exam ordered for Jaipur candidates Page 12 In strategic push, India, Uzbekistan elevate ties, seal uranium supply plan STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 30 August NIKHIL VYAS World Test Championship: Race on for the top two Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Sunday announced a major expansion of bilateral cooperation, elevating relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and unveiling plans for a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium to India, as the two leaders concluded high-level talks in Tashkent aimed at giving fresh momentum to ties between the two countries. Addressing a joint press meet after delegation-level talks at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace, Prime Minister Modi said India and Uzbekistan had decided to deepen cooperation across trade and investment, defence, energy, digital connectivity, critical minerals, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges. The two leaders also set an ambitious target of increasing bilateral trade to USD 5 billion by 2030 and agreed to strengthen institutional mechanisms to guide the rapidly expanding relationship. “Today, we have decided to elevate our relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This is a historic milestone as our strategic partnership completes 15 years,” PM Modi said. He said the two countries would now move towards setting concrete goals within the new framework to accelerate cooperation and ensure that the expanded partnership produced tangible results. “We will move towards setting specific goals within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Mr Modi said, underlining New Delhi and Tashkent’s commitment to fast-track growth in bilateral ties. One of the most significant outcomes of the talks was the announcement of a long-term arrangement for the supply of uranium from Uzbekistan The two leaders also agreed to upgrade the institutional architecture governing bilateral relations. Prime Minister Modi announced that a Coordination Council would be established at the level of the Foreign Ministers to provide direction across different areas of cooperation. The existing bilateral Joint Commission is also set to be upgraded from the Secretary level to the Ministerial level, reflecting the increasing scope and strategic importance of engagement between the two countries. Suvendu vows to ‘finish’ Trinamul democratically, block Left comeback STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 30 August The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) will conduct a re-examination for NEET-PG 2026 candidates in Jaipur on 5 September after an internal power supply breakdown disrupted the exam at two centres on Sunday. The disruptions led to chaos and protests by candidates. The NBEMS had conducted the NEET-PG 2026 examination for 2,73,096 candidates at 1,111 centres across 339 cities in 36 states and Union Territories. The 2,445 affected candidates were taking the examination at the Jaipur centres where the power disruption led to system shutdowns and prevented them from completing their test papers. to India, a move expected to strengthen India’s energy security and support its civilian nuclear energy programme. The proposed arrangement is expected to help India diversify and secure its nuclear fuel supplies as New Delhi works towards significantly expanding its nuclear power capacity. Uzbekistan, which has substantial uranium reserves, is an important potential partner in India’s broader strategy of strengthening long-term energy security and reducing dependence on a limited number of suppliers. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Midnapore, 30 August Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday declared that the BJP’s political objective in West Bengal would be to “finish” the Trinamul Congress through democratic means and prevent the CPI-M from making a comeback, while asking party workers to strengthen coordination between the organisation and the government. Addressing a BJP’s workers’ training programme in Kharagpur, Mr Adhikari said workers must remain connected with the people and pursue the twin ideological objectives of nationalism and public welfare. “Trinamul must be finished democratically and the CPI-M should not be allowed to rise again,” Mr Adhikari said, spelling out what he described as the political message conveyed to party workers. He said the BJP’s organisational activities would be guided by the ideals of Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s nationalism and Deendayal Upadhyaya’s philosophy of integral humanism. The party, he added, would have to demonstrate its commitment to public welfare through regular service programmes. Mr Adhikari said the BJP would observe two “Seva Paksha” programmes every year ~ one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on 17 September to Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on 2 October, and another from Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s martyrdom day on 23 June to his birth anniversary on 6 July. The remarks come as the BJP seeks to consolidate its political and organisational position in Bengal while keeping both the TMC and the Left under pressure. His reference to the CPI-M indicates that the BJP remains wary of any attempt by the Left to reclaim political space amid the continuing contest with the TMC. On the controversy over political slogans at Jadavpur University, Mr Adhikari said they should have been removed much earlier. Referring to slogans such as “Free Palestine”, “Red Salute” and “Kashmir Mange Azadi”, he questioned whether such messages had any place in an educational institution. “Were these slogans in the interest of the country or education?” he asked, adding that he had spoken to the university’s Vice-Chancellor and Registrar after complaints were received. On the Nepal disaster, Mr Adhikari said 39 people from Bengal had initially been reported missing. Two had subsequently returned home, leaving 37 still untraced. A control room at Nabanna is monitoring the situation, he said. PM Modi hails grassroots innovation, anti-drug drive and women’s empowerment in 137th ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme Hindutva doesn’t envisage a Bharat without Muslims, says Bhagwat STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 30 August Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed grassroots innovation, citizen-led cleanliness campaigns, women entrepreneurs and young people working for social change, while reiterating his call for a drug-free India, greater participation in the ‘Vocal for Local’ movement and sustained public commitment to the Swachh Bharat mission during the 137th episode of his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat. Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Modi said the programme had always sought to bring before the country innovative ideas and initiatives driven by the energy and creativity of ordinary citizens, and highlighted a Mumbai-based history enthusiast who has used technology to make India’s past more accessible and engaging. Mr Modi interacted during the programme with Krishna Seshadri, who has created a website, BharatRajya.com, allowing users to select a particular year and learn which rulers and kingdoms governed different parts of India at that time. “I found this quite interesting too and thought of learning more about it,” the Prime Minister said, describing the initiative as an innovative attempt to present history in an engaging format. Mr Modi praised the collaborative nature of the initiative and said such efforts could help not only students of history but all citizens understand India’s past in a more interesting manner. Speaking about the government’s ‘Nasha-mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat’ campaign, Mr Modi said the nationwide initiative was gathering momentum with the clear objective of building a drug-free youth population and a drug-free India. “Drug addiction does not just engulf a single individual; the entire family and society have to bear the consequences,” he said, commending those working to spread awareness and help people struggling with addiction. Calling upon young musicians, theatre groups, students and content creators to contribute to the campaign, he urged them to produce songs, short plays and digital content highlighting the dangers of drugs as well as the path towards recovery. “Our country has no shortage of excellent content creators. I urge them to create content in various languages that helps society in this endeavor,” he said, asking citizens to share their creative initiatives using the hashtag #NashaMuktYuva. Mr Modi also praised the patriotic fervour witnessed during August, referring to the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign and a series of national occasions, including National Handloom Day, the anniversary of the Quit India Movement, Independence Day, Partition Horrors Remembrance Day and National Space Day. He said this year’s celebrations had acquired additional significance with the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, adding that more than eight crore Tiranga selfies had been uploaded during the campaign. New Delhi, 30 August Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said Hindutva does not envisage a Bharat without Muslims, asserting that a person who believes Muslims should have no place in the country would cease to be a Hindu. Speaking at an event in New York, the RSS chief said: “If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu. If you want to call yourself Hindu, you must believe that all paths lead to the same goal and that every human has dignity. There is no difference between human beings.” Mr Bhagwat said India’s core mission and civilisational destiny is to realise and demonstrate unity in diversity. Calling diversity the “decoration” of an underlying oneness, he said humanity’s challenge is not to erase differences but to recognise the unity that binds people, societies and nature. The Hindu understanding of the oneness of humanity leaves no room for exclusion, he said, stressing the inherent inclusivity of true Hindu philosophy and Indian culture “When we say America, one word is often discussed frequently ~ pluralism. And when we say Bharat, another phrase is discussed ~ unity in diversity,” he said. His remarks, however, prompted critics to point to a “contradiction” between his message abroad and the political reality back home. “Bhagwat in New York: ‘Diversity is a decoration of our innate unity. It has to be protected.’ Wise words abroad. Silence at home. Words don’t matter. Actions must speak!” Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said.