The Editorial Page: Bringing back Indian-origin faculty will need changes in policy, culture 10 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2025 JOURNALISM of COURAGE NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES ₹7.00 (₹8 RAIPUR, ₹15 SRINAGAR) l www.indianexpress.com DA I LY F R O M : A H M E DA B A D , C H A N D I GA R H , D E L H I , j A I P U R , KO L K ATA , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , N AG P U R , PAT N A , P U N E , VA D O DA R A Ahmedabad to host 2030 CWG; ready to welcome world, says PM India to push for yoga as medal sport; badminton, hockey, wrestling, T20 cricket and shooting may see return HEARINg ON PlEAS CHAllENgINg S.I.R. We, the People of India TEN Of INDIA'S recent ICC Women's World Cup winners — including player of the tournament Deepti Sharma and breakout stars Sree Charani and Kranti Gaud — are in the pool for the Women's Premier League mega auction which starts at 3.30 pm. ● Business as Usual By EP UNNY dELHI AIR SHOWS IMPROvEMENT, gRAP-3 gIvES WAY TO gRAP-2 dATA ON SOURcES OF POLLUTION 7 YEARS OLd New Delhi, November 26 ON NOVEMBER 20, the Supreme Court accepted the recommendations of a Union Environment Ministry panel on the definition of Aravalli Hills ostensibly to restrict mining: any landform that is at an elevation of 100 m or more above the local relief will be considered as part of Aravalli Hills along with its slopes and adjacent land. What the panel did not mention is that by this definition,morethan90%oftheAravali Hills will not be counted as Aravallianymoreandbepotentially open to mining and construction with severe environmental ramifications, including the quality of air in the National Capital Region. New Delhi, November 26 A TWO-JUDGE bench of the Supreme Court Wednesday red-flagged what it called a “growingtrendin”thetopcourt “of verdicts pronounced by Judges,whetherstillinofficeor not and irrespective of the time lapse since pronounced, being overturned by succeeding benches or specially constituted benches at the behest of some party aggrieved by the verdicts prior in point of time” and said this “would undermine” the “court’s authority”. Observing that “in the »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 ArAVAllIhIlls INrAjAsThAN ● Above 100m E. EXPlAINED Why it matters for NcR pollution Source: FSI analyses of data, data from 15 districts As air pollution tightens its chokehold on Delhi, the contribution of the Aravallis assumes importance. While the upper Aravalli is an important barrier to finer pollutants like PM2.5, the lower hills block heavier sand particles. Together, they also function as key wildlife corridors between protected areas, such as Sariska and Ranthambhore. For, as per an internal assessment by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), reviewed by The IndianExpress, barely 1,048, or just8.7%,of12,081AravalliHills 20morhigher,spreadacross15 districts in Rajasthan, are 100 m or more in height. The 20m height cut-off is crucial for a hill'sfunctionasawindbarrier. Aravalli extends from Delhi in the north to Gujarat in the south through Haryana and Rajasthan. Rajasthan accounts for nearly two-thirds of the moun- 8.7% ≤100m 1,048 Jay Mazoomdaar SC frowns on ‘growing trend’ of own benches reversing Court orders Ananthakrishnan g ● exclusive ≤80m 1,594 ● EXPrEss 5,009 PAgE 4 Can intruder with Aadhaar be allowed to vote, asks SC If case made out, can always direct ECI to extend draft roll publication Forest Survey of India underlined importance of lower hills as barriers to sand, deadline, says CJI-led bench dust flowing east; Secretary says SC appreciated panel’s recommendations ≤60m 2,656 THE CONgRESS’S TOP leadership will meet in the Capital to review the party’s recent Bihar poll debacle. The party won only six Assembly seats, down from 19 in 2020. cITY Forest Survey had red-flagged but Govt took green shield off 90% Aravalli Hills ≤40m happening today »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 REASON: ITS NEw 100-METRE HEIgHT CUTOff fOR DEfININg ARAVAllI HIllS 12,081 WITH THE Commonwealth Sport’s General Assembly in Glasgow on Wednesday formally confirming Ahmedabad as the venue of the 2030 Commonwealth Games, India is likely to push for the inclusion of yoga as a medal sport at the centenary edition. Indian officials said they were "well-prepared" to deliver a controversy-free Games, unlike the 2010 edition in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said: “Delighted that India has won the bid to host the Centenary Commonwealth Games 2030. Con- gratulations to the people of India and the sporting ecosystem. It is our collective commitment and spirit of sportsmanship that has placed India firmly on the global sporting map... We look forward to welcoming the world”. India would “prefer” that the event be held in October 2030, Ashwini Kumar, principal secretary, Gujarat government, said, adding that the exact dates would be worked out closely with Commonwealth Sport. As the host, India can propose up to two new or traditional sports. An official from the Indian delegation said one of the sports identified is yoga. ≤20m Mumbai, November 26 1,07,494 Mihir Vasavda Up to 20m The Indian delegation in Glasgow included Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi and IOA president PT Usha. IOA/GUjARAT GOVERNMENT President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Union Ministers J P Nadda and Kiren Rijiju, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge read the Preamble during Constitution Day celebrations at Central Hall on Wednesday. PTI REPORT, PAGE 6 tain range. For decades, the hills have been under severe pressure from mining, both legal and illegal, and other development activities such as construction. Last year, the SC had asked the government to come up with an uniform definition of the Aravalli. While the FSI has been using a 3-degree slope yardstick to define Aravalli Hills since 2010, a technical committee formed for the purpose in 2024 modified the benchmark and proposed to identify as Aravalli Hills any landformwithaslopeofatleast 4.57 degrees and a height of at least 30m. These yardsticks would effectively cover upto 40% of the Aravallis. Yet, the ministry prescribed the 100-m definition to the SC in an unsigned report as part of its affidavit. It also conflated slope and height parameters to justify the new definition, proposed subjective height »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 Self-reliance in mind, Cabinet nod for Rs 7,280-cr rare earth magnets plan Soumyarendra Barik New Delhi, November 26 THE UNION Cabinet Wednesday approved a Rs 7,280-crore rare earth manufacturing programme, as India looks to cut relianceonimportsforthecritical elements crucial to sectors ranging from electric vehicles and aerospace to defence and electronics. The government said that the ‘Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets’ is a first-of-its-kind initiative, and aims to establish 6,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) of integrated rare earth permanentmagnet(REPM)manufacturing in India, to enhance the country’s self-reliance and positioningitasakeyplayerinthe global REPM market. India’s consumption of rare earthpermanentmagnetsisexpected to double by 2030, but it currentlymeetsitsdemandprimarily through imports, the government said. Currently, China has a stranglehold over these critical elements, and it hadintroducedexportcontrols on the magnets in April, in responsetothetariffsimposedon it by the US. The Indian Express had »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 Ananthakrishnan g New Delhi, November 26 AMID THE political debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in states, the Supreme Court inquired Wednesday if “intruders” who may have Aadhaar cards to avail social security benefits should also be allowed to vote. Hearing arguments on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the SIR exercise, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, heading a bench that also had Justice Joymalya Bagchi, said, “Aadhaar card is the creation of a statute (and valid) to the extent that it acknowledges the benefits or privileges based upon it. Nobody can dispute that. After all, anAadhaarcardispreparedfor a particular object and a particular statute. There can’t be any dispute on that.” “Suppose there are persons who intrude from a different country, from neighbouring countries they come to India, they are working in India, staying in India, somebody working as a poor rickshaw-puller, somebody working as a labourer on a construction site, if you issue an Aadhaar card to him so that he can avail benefit of subsidised ration or for any benefit, that’s something part ofourconstitutionalethos,that is our constitutional morality. But does it mean that because he has been given this benefit, he must now be made a voter also?” he said. The CJI made these »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 SIR supervisor kills self day before wedding, kin allege dismissal threat Bhupendra Pandey Lucknow, November 26 SUDHIR KUMAR, a 35-yearold revenue clerk (lekhpal), allegedly died by suicide at his home in Bindki, in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district, on Tuesday, a day before he was to get married. With his relatives alleginghewasthreatenedwith dismissal from service for not completing work as a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) supervisor, police have filed an FIR against senior officials on abetment charges. Sudhir, his family said, belonged to the Dalit community andhadsecuredthejobin2024 after years of struggle – from selling eggs by the roadside to working as an MNREGA worker. OnWednesday,theLekhpal Association staged a protest anddidnotallowpoliceandthe administrationtotakethebody for an autopsy till a case was registered. It also issued a call for a boycott of SIR work from Thursdayunlessactionistaken against those responsible for the death. Hemant Kumar Mishra, SHO of the Bindki police station, confirmed that an FIR has »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2 2-0 SERIES LOSS TO SOUTH AFRICA AFTER 3-0 WHITEWASH AGAINST NEW ZEALAND LAST YEAR Beating India in India used to be a dream, now it is being sold free Sriram Veera AndGautamGambhirhasbeen the coach who has watched Rome burn on both occasions. BEATING INDIA in India in India lost the second Test at Test cricket used to be a career Guwahati by 408 runs, and the goal, a dream for most overseas series 0-2. It was their biggest teams.The‘finalfrontier’asthe Test defeat by runs. It was also Australian great Baggy Green- South Africa’s first series win in er Steve Waugh termed it. Even India in 25 years. The Indian henevermanagedtobreachthe batsmen averaged 15.23 in the fortress.Thesedays,thatdream twoTests,thesecond-lowestfor is selling free, along them in any Test with flight tickets to series, and worst at PAGE 1 India. First, New home. Until last NoZealand with a 3-0 vember, India had whitewash late last lost just two series at year, without their talisman home since 2000. Now, in a Kane Williamson, and now, year’stime,theyhavelosttwice. South Africa, without their Seldom has a long-held lodestar pacer Kagiso Rabada. dominant home record been Mumbai, November 26 anchor surrendered so meekly. Even West Indies’s Test embers at home flickered briefly after the retirement of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. Australia are still hanging on to theirs andhenceIndia’stwotriumphs there are treasured. South Africa too denied India even after AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn retired. Losing isn’t a crime, but India whimpered out without a fight. The stand-in captain Rishabh Pant said pithily, “it's a little disappointing, you know, but as a team we need to get better.” Gambhir put up a combative front on his own future Gautam Gambhir and Rishabh Pant at the ACA Stadium, Barsapara in Guwahati, on Wednesday. PTI as coach. “It’s up to the BCCI to decide... I'm the same guy who gotresultsinEnglandaswellas in the Asia Cup and in the Champions Trophy.” He said hisplayersneededtocaremore fortheteam.“Thereneedstobe better accountability and it cannot be taught by anyone. It comes from care. How much you care about cricket and how much you care about the team and people sitting in the dressing room is important as well,” he added. India’s thought process has been strikingly muddled. On what basis, especially after the debacles against New Zealand, didGambhirthinkascrambled omelette of a pitch at Eden Gardens with four spinners could work for him? A look at his own dressing room would haverevealedthebatsmen’sinability to cope. Former coach Rahul Dravid used to obsess about the pitches. But he knew what tracks suited his team — that’s how India rebounded in the home Test series against England after the first Test loss, withasinexperiencedamiddle order as it is now. Gambhir inexplicably hasn’t yet shown that he knows what pitch suits his boys. It’s as if he had a personal wish to try playing with four spinners on a Kolkata ak- hada and see what happens. When Axar Patel, second best batsman of that Test after Temba Bavuma, nearly dragged India to a heist, Gambhir dropped him for the second Test to draft in Nitish Reddy. whose potency with the ball has been severely depleted due to frequent injuries. And yet everytimehekeepshisplacein the side without a solid run in domestic cricket. Of late, the BCCI has asked Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play domestic cricket to avoid rustiness. The same rule isn't applied for youngsters to learn the art of batting in »CONTINUED ON PAgE 2