MADURAI  FRIDAY  SEPTEMBER 04, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 14  LATE CITY EDITION DAYS AFTER HIRING VARTHAMAN, FLY91 ORDERS 40 NEW AIRCRAFT FLY91, which recently welcomed former Air Force Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman as pilot, on Thursday ordered 40 new ATR 72-600 aircraft $1 BN ORDER ONE OF LARGEST FOR ATR PLANES SECOND INNINGS FOR IAF VETERAN It is the single-largest order for ATR turboprop planes by a regional carrier globally, valued at $1 billion. “The landmark order for 40 aircraft will provide the scale to build a much larger regional network and connect more unserved and underserved cities across the country,” the airline said in a release. Varthaman joined the airline as a commerical pilot in August ■ ■ Varthaman downed a Pakistani jet amid an aerial combat during ‘Operation Bandar’ in 2019. He was held captive for three days by Pakistan. In 2021, he was honoured with the Vir Chakra award The 43-year-old took premature retirement from the Indian Air Force in March, after completing more than 20 years in service 280 WEEKLY FLIGHTS CURRENTLY OPERATED BY FLY91 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 10-year plan to State to get 20L sqft, `1,200-cr new secretariat strengthen def diplomacy, arms trade footprint E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai CHIEF MINISTER C Joseph Vijay on Thursday said a new integrated Secretariat and Legislative Assembly complex, spread across 20 lakh square feet, would be established in Chennai at an estimated cost of `1,200 crore. While the CM did not specify the location of the proposed complex, a few sites, including land parcels in Guindy, Foreshore Estate and Nandambakkam, are under the government’s consideration, J A V A R I A R A N A @ New Delhi INDIA on Thursday unveiled its first consolidated public blueprint for defence diplomacy , with defence minister Rajnath Singh releasing the ‘RAKSHA’ framework, a 10-year roadmap aimed at expanding military partnerships, defence capacity building, indigenous manufacturing, arms exports and maritime security The framework rests on four pillars: . strategic partnerships, capacity building, indigenous defence manufacturing and exports, and maritime security. The defence ministry said it “marks a shift in India’s strategic engagement”, linking national security objectives with greater international defence cooperation. The document sets a “10-year roadmap to strengthen global security partnerships” and seeks to “position India as a key defence manufacturing hub”, as India looks to leverage its expanding domestic defence industry to build deeper strategic relationships and increase exports. Defence exports reached an all-time high of `38,424 crore last year, rising 62.66% from `23,622 crore in the previous financial year. Defence public sector undertakings accounted for 54.84% of exports and private companies for 45.16%. Exports by DPSUs rose 151% year-on-year, while private-sector exports increased 14%. India now exports defence equipment to more than 80 countries and has set a target of `50,000 crore in annual defence exports by 2029. The maritime-security pillar focuses on strengthening India’s role as a “Net Security Provider and First Responder” in the Indian Ocean Region. It builds on the Navy’s sustained operational presence in the region, including mission-based deployments, antipiracy operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief missions. Capacity building, meanwhile, covers military training, exchanges, institutional cooperation and assistance to partner countries, particularly in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Army Chief Gen Dhiraj Seth, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon, Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Air Marshal Tejinder Singh were among those present at the launch. according to a senior official, who said Vijay would finalise the location after returning from his foreign trip. Making the announcement under Rule 110 in the Assembly Vijay said the government , aims to replace the current fragmented administrative setup at Fort St George with a new, state-of-the-art administrative complex, as the existing location faces space constraints and limitations due to its status as a historical structure. “To ensure efficient, world- Chennai: CM Vijay on Thursday announced that TN will establish a Motor Sports City with an international-standard racing track capable of hosting Formula-1 races, and an Olympic City to train athletes to win medals at Olympics and international competitions | P2, P4 CM C Joseph Vijay addressing the Assembly on Thursday | EXPRESS class administration for the coming century it is necessary , to consolidate all government departments into one modern, WHIPLASH AGANST BAR BODY Law students out of BCI’s ambit: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Defence minister Rajnath Singh releasing the RAKSHA document on defence diplomacy | PTI IN a major setback to the Bar Council of India, the Supreme Court on Thursday said taking disciplinary action against law students was beyond the statutory body’s remit. The court quashed two BCI notifications to bar the enrolment of NALSAR University graduates and seeking a probe against the students and faculty for their campaign against the Chief Justice of India, saying they were bad in law. This was despite the BCI itself withdrawing them within The August 14 mess The controversy had erupted on August 14 after the BCI directed State Bar Councils not to enrol NALSAR’s 2026 grads as advocates until further orders over allegations relating to a campaign against CJI Kant’s proposed visit to the university hours of their issuance. The bench said it is the institution’s job to take action against students. The BCI has no power over them till they enrol as advocates. “We are of As defence diplomacy is a core pillar of India’s foreign policy, this document provides a clear, actionable vision for the next decade, ensuring that India remains an anchor of peace, stability, and rulebased order in an evolving global landscape ‘Are we slaves?’ Kenya orders Tata Chem out Defence ministry IN a setback for Tata Chemicals, Kenyan President William Ruto said on Thursday that he has directed Tata Chemicals to cease operations in the country, saying the Indian firm’s centurylong presence at Lake Magadi in Kajiado County did not benefit the country . He said his government would bring in new investors to take over the site. Ruto said any new investor for the resources around Lake Magadi should establish both a glass processing plant and a chemical processing facility locally before being allowed to operate. He said he asked the Mumbai-based company’s unit to leave because it had been exporting raw soda ash rather That Tata company than processing it domesti- had that contract cally into finished goods. for 100 years. They have not built The announcement escaanything in lates an ongoing dispute that Kajiado... Are we began weeks ago. In an earslaves to other lier regulatory disclosure to people? stock exchanges, Tata Chemicals said that its subsidiary William Ruto, Tata Chemicals Magadi Ltd Kenyan president received a notice on July 28 from the Kenyan government to suspend mining operations. Later, in a separate order, the company was asked to halt soda ash exports. In a statement dated August 17, the company said operations were suspended on July 28 pending the outcome of a government review. When contacted, Tata Chemicals declined to respond to the Kenyan president’s remarks. Strategic ties The new framework focuses on strategic partnerships, capacity building, indigenous manufacturing, exports and maritime security CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS Nepal’s first female helicopter Captain Priya Adhikari during relief and rescue operations in flood-hit Rasuwa on Thursday. She has reportedly flown around 100 rescue sorties in less than a week | PTI D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi DOLLAR DEPOSITS After $ deluge, RBI fights excess liquidity B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai THE exceptionally high dollar haul of $137.34 billion through Reserve Bank of India’s special dollar-rupee forex swap facility has created a problem of plenty for the banking system, which is now loaded with `10 lakh crore of excess liquidity . Analysts say RBI needs to drain the surplus liquidity before it puts downward pressure on short-term interest rates or creates inflationary pressures. They suggested a combination Motor Sports and Olympic cities in the offing of liquidity-management tools, including VRRR (variable rate reverse repo) auctions, raising the cash reserve ratio (CRR), and deploying the Market Stabilisation Scheme and Open Market Operation sales. Aditi Gupta, economist at Bank of Baroda, said system liquidity moved from a surplus of `1.6 lakh crore initially to `6.7 lakh crore by August-end and further to `9.7 lakh crore as of September 2. Radhika Rao, senior economist at DBS Bank, suggested a temporary CRR hike. Upasna Bhardwaj, chief economist at Kotak Mahindra Bank, said Cash Management Bills and Treasury bills could be more effective tools. So are sell-buy forex swaps. Action taken RBI has been absorbing the excess liquidity, having already announced VRRR auctions totalling `53.5 lakh crore between August 6 and September 2 to manage the liquidity surplus, said Aditi Gupta, economist at Bank of Baroda the opinion that the Advocates Act, 1961... does not confer any express or implied power upon the BCI or any State Bar Council to take any disciplinary action against the students of law. Such a power is preceded by registration of a law graduate as an advocate under the said Act. So far as students are concerned, it is their parent institution or the authority prescribed under the regulations/ byelaws of such institution which alone are competent to take disciplinary action,” the bench said. accessible, and eco-friendly complex,” the CM said. The new complex would have fire-safety systems, facilities ensuring access for persons with disabilities, greenbu i l d i n g i n f r a s t r u c t u re, adequate parking space, conference halls, and public serv- ice centres. Vijay said the decision to establish a new secretariat had become necessary due to the expansion of the government’s administrative responsibilities and the severe constraints on further development at Fort St P7 George. Vijay promises 29,108 new police posts in five years E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai TO address the shortage of personnel in the police department, Chief Minister Vijay on Thursday announced a slew of measures, including creation of 29,108 new posts over the next five years. A total of 10,000 police personnel, half of them women, would be recruited this year, the CM said. “The state government will increase the representation of women in the police force from the present 22% to 30%,” Vijay added. Underscoring the need to address crime against women and drug menace, Vijay said the new posts will include positions in Singappen Special Task Force and Anti-Narcotics Force. The CM made the announcements while presenting the demand for grants for the Home P7 Department in the Assembly . Don’t run away: CM After LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin sought to corner Vijay over alleged spike in crimes and poor law and order, the CM said he will answer all the charges on Monday. “But don’t run away when I start speaking,” the CM said before leaving the Assembly | P4