DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2025, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES URGES PRIVATE SECTOR TO STEP UP Projects promised but not delivered on time: IAF chief wake-up call BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Says can’t recall single project meeting timeline: ‘Be ready now to be future-ready’ For women’s scheme, Delhi govt looks at defining family, annual income cap of `2.5 lakh FIRST NDA WOMEN GRADUATES GAYATHRI MANI The first batch of 17 female cadets graduated from the National Defence Academy in Pune on Thursday and were conferred degrees at a convocation ceremony. The Passing Out Parade will be held on Friday. Arul Horizon REPORT,PAGE12 NEW DELHI, MAY 29 DEFINING A family as husband, wife and children; capping annual family income at Rs 2.5 lakh; limiting the scheme to womenagedbetween21and60 years, and to one beneficiary per family – these are among the eligibilitycriteriabeingconsidered for the Delhi government's Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, The Indian Express has learnt. Ahead of the Delhi elections, the BJP had promised a monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 for poor women. In March, its government set up a high-level committee headed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to frame the norms, and earmarked Rs 5,100 crore for the scheme. The committee is learnt to have held its first meeting last week, days before the government completes 100 days in power. Besides Gupta, Law MinisterKapilMishra,Education Minister Ashish Sood – both members of the committee – and senior officials from the WomanandChildDevelopment wereamongthosepresentatthe meeting. “A detailed discussion was held on what the eligibility criteria should be... While it has been decided that Rs 2,500 will be given to one woman per family, there are families with more than one eligible woman... For instance,injointfamilies,elderly parents live with their children and grandchildren... So the government has decided to define a family first,” said sources. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, MAY 29 Trump crypto firm As US court blocks quiet on Shehbaz talks, most Trump tariffs, CEO of partner talks of breather for India Pak image makeover U.S. TEAM TO BE IN DELHI FOR JUNE 5-6 TALKS ahead of trade talks RAVI DUTTA MISHRA WLFI names Trump as ‘chief crypto advocate’, sons, grandson as envoys NEW DELHI, MAY 29 JAY MAZOOMDAAR WITH NEGOTIATORS from the US set to arrive in New Delhi for trade talks on June 5-6, officials intheMinistryof Commerceand Industry said they are “studying theimplications”of theUSCourt of International Trade’s Wednesday ruling that US President Donald Trump did not have the authority to impose sweepingtariffsundertheemergency economic powers law he had cited. On April 2, Trump had announcedasteep26percentreciprocal tariff on India, despite New Delhi agreeing to commence negotiations with Washington on a tradedeal.Thetariffswerepaused until July 8, and the government is keen to wrap up an interim trade deal before that. Officials are cognisant that theruling,beingviewedglobally asamajorlossof leveragetheUS EVEN AS World Liberty Financial Inc (WLFI), a cryptocurrency companymajority-ownedbyUS President Donald Trump and his family, sits on a request from a Senate sub-committee to share its communications with PakistanPrimeMinisterShehbaz Sharif thatledtoadealsignedon April 26, CEO of Pakistan Crypto Council Bilal bin Saqib Thursday drew parallels between Pakistan andBitcoinas“victimsofbadPR.” “Both Pakistan and Bitcoin have suffered from bad PR. We arelookedatasbeingdangerous, risky and unstable. But once we lookbeyondtheseheadlines,we can see a lot of potential, resourcesandtalent.SoPakistan is looking for allies,” he said at the annual gathering of the global cryptocurrency community in Las Vegas. POSTED OUT OF PAHALGAM BEFORE ATTACK NEW DELHI, MAY 29 A file photo of US President Donald Trump displaying the tariffs list at the White House in April. Reuters EXPLAINED WHY MANY TRUMP TARIFFS WERE STRUCK DOWN PAGE 14 had in pushing through trade deals, does offer a temporary breatherforIndiaandmoreflexibility in handling US demands CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD MUSK EXITS TRUMP ADMN: ‘MY TIME... COMES TO AN END’ PAGE 15 Part of the Forbes ‘30 under 30’ list of social entrepreneurs in 2020, Bilal Bin Saqib was appointed the first CEO of the PakistanCryptoCouncil(PCC)by Prime Minister Sharif on March 26. Last week, he held a “highlevel meeting” with Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir to outline the future of Pakistan’s digital economy. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MGNREGA ‘SCAM’ NEW DELHI, MAY 29 UNION HOME Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir hours after the Pahalgam terror attack, 50 tourist spots closing down, movement and strength of CRPF troops,andsuspectedlocationof terrorists — these are some of the key inputs allegedly shared by an assistant sub-inspector of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) over the last two years with Pakistan intelligence offi- cers, who posed as TV journalists and gave him Rs 3,500 per month, and an additional Rs 12,000 for crucial information, The Indian Express has learnt. Earlierthisweek,theNational Investigation Agency said it had arrested CRPF ASI Moti Ram Jat from Delhi and was questioning him. The Central agency alleged he shared classified information with Pakistani agents and was taking funds from them. He was posted with a CRPF battalion in J&K’s Pahalgam and was transferred to Delhi five days before the April 22 terror attack on the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ADITI RAJA VADODARA, MAY 29 MINUTES AFTER the Dahod Sessions court, on Thursday, dismissed the plea of district police seeking stay on the regular bail granted Wednesday to sons of Gujarat Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture, Bachubhai Khabad — Balvantsinh and Kiran — the Dahoddistrictpolicere-arrested Kiran in a second FIR lodged by the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA) of another alleged scam under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Kiran Khabad (MGNREGA) in district’s Devgadh Baria taluka. Kiran and Balvantsinh were earlier arrested in an alleged scam of Rs 71 crore in works carried out under the MGNREGA in two villages in Devgadh Baria and one in Dhanpur taluka — from where the Khabads hail. Dahod District Superintendent of Police Dr Rajdeepsinh Zala told The Indian Express that the second FIR had been lodged in IN A wake-up call to the nation andthedefenceindustryoverdelay in critical projects especially deliveryof fighteraircraft,Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said Thursday he could not recall a single instance of a project being completed within the stipulated timeline. Addressing the CII Annual Business Summit which was attended, among others, by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh andDefenceSecretaryRKSingh, Air Chief Marshal Singh said timelines (promised for military projects)area“bigissue”.Heunderlined that “we have to be ready now to be future-ready”. “Notasingleproject,thatIcan think of, has been completed on time,” he said. “So, this is something which we have to look at. Why should we promise somethingwhichcannotbeachieved? While signing the contract itself, sometimes we are sure that it is Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh in New Delhi on Thursday. ANI HC quashes Karnataka move to drop cases of 2022 Hubballi riots ‘Nirmam Sarkar’: PM targets Mamata govt over Bengal violence, jobs scam CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Pak officers posed as Minister Khabad’s son, Kiran, re-arrested journalists, got key info minutes after Dahod court upheld bail The second FIR was lodged based on complaint by DRDA from CRPF ASI: Probe MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL `5.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Dahod B-Division police station, based on the complaint of the DRDA Director BM Patel on Thursday. Zala said, “Kiran Khabad has been re-arrested in a second FIR at Dahod B-Division police station for an alleged scam under MGNREGA based on the DRDA complaint. While a probe is on toascertain the amount of scam, about 21 out of 79 works under MGNREGA in Lavaria village of Devgadh Baria had been left incomplete (and payments made)... Kiran’s agency is accused of supplying material for the projects despite being unauthorised,justlikeinthefirstFIR.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE BENGALURU, MAY 29 THE KARNATAKA High Court on Thursday struck down the state government’s decision to withdraw 43 criminal cases, including those related to the 2022 riots in Hubballi. A division bench of Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind passed the order in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Girish Bhardwaj. “The Government Order dated 15.10.24 is hereby set aside. It is declared that the order shall stand non est (non-existent or invalid) from inception. Consequences in law shall follow,” Chief Justice Anjaria said. The detailed order is awaited. The Government Order withdrawing the cases against the Hubballi riots accused, proKannada activists, and farmer leaders, among others, had set off a political controversy when it was passed last October. The BJP had staged protests and accused the state’s ruling Congress of “minority appeasement”. The Congress had defended the move, saying the government was following “due process”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Could have done a lot more, showed restraint: Rajnath on Op Sindoor AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, MAY 29 DEFENCE MINISTER Rajnath Singh said Thursday that India could have done “a lot more” beyond destroying terrorist hideoutsandPakistanimilitarybases in Operation Sindoor, but presented a great example of “coordinationof powerandrestraint”. Hesaidtheuseof indigenous systems during Operation SindoorprovesthatIndiahasthe power to penetrate any armour of the enemy. Addressing the inaugural plenary of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Annual BusinessSummit,Singhalsosaid that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a part of India and people who got separated geographically and politically will, sooner or later, voluntarily return to India. “Even after separation, the confidence and faith of the elder brother towards his younger CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ATRI MITRA KOLKATA, MAY 29 WITH LESS than a year to go for the West Bengal Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday accused the Mamata Banerjee-led administrationof fosteringviolence,corruption and lawlessness, and said people were yearning to get rid of the “nirmam sarkar” (ruthless government). “Look at what happened in Murshidabad and Malda, clear examples of the government’s cruelty. In the name of appeasement, lawlessness was allowed to flourish. Just imagine the horror: members of the ruling party markouthomesandsetthemon fire, while the police stand by and do nothing,” Modi said at a publicmeetinginNorthBengal’s Alipurduarafterlayingthefoundation of a piped gas project. “Today, West Bengal is grappling with a series of crises. People don’t want ‘nirmam sarkar’. They want change and good governance. That is why the whole of Bengal is saying that they don’t want cruelty and corruption anymore,” he said, coining the slogan, “Banglar PM Narendra Modi in Alipurduar on Thursday. ANI INSIDE MODI POLITICISING OP SINDOOR, INSULT TO WOMEN: MAMATA PAGE 10 matir chitkar, chai na aar nirmam sarkar (the soil of Bengal cries CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 Curiosity, conspiracy theories as container washes up on Kerala beach PAGE 1 ANCHOR ANIL SASI PARAVUR (KOLLAM), MAY 29 A LONE, battered shipping containerthathaswasheduponthe beach in Paravur, a small fishing hamlet between Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, is the talk of the town. The reddishbrown container, like many morethathavebeachedallalong Kerala’s coast following the recent sinking of a Liberia-registered ship, has piqued curiosity and, for now, taken a daily staple off theplatesof mosthouseholds in these parts – fish. On Sunday, May 25, MSC Elsa 3, an 184-metre-long container ship, sank while it was sailing from Vizhinjam port to Cochin port, triggering alarm in coastal hamlets all the way from Alappuzha in mid-north Kerala toKollamfurthersouth.Theship was carrying an estimated 640 containers, including 13 with “hazardous cargo”, of which 12 are said to have contained calciumcarbide.Asolidcompound, calcium carbide is not flammable by itself, but it reacts vigorously with water and moisture to produce highly flammable acetylene gas, posing a significant fire hazard. The ship also had 84 metric tonnes of diesel and367metrictonnesof furnace oil, the Coast Guard said Sunday. Around Paravur beach, men in khaki have been deployed to guard the container, lest some intrepidlocalfallspreytocuriosity and tries to prise it open. A constable has been deputed to cleartrafficaspeopleslowdown vehicles on the narrow beach road to check out the container. Taking advantage of the sudden rush of onlookers, an ice cream vendor has strategically shifted closer to this spot on the beach, The container on the beach in Paravur, Kerala. Anil Sasi adding to the problems of the constable who struggles to clear theoccasional“block”–theterm used for a traffic jam. There are a bunch of people on the beach shooting reels and shorts with the container in the backdrop, as are children in uniform, who have taken a detour on their way home from school to witness the local spectacle. In this sleepy Kerala town, where the high point of the year are the fireworks at a local temple, the coming of the container is an assured selfie moment. ValsalaSrikumar,though,has aharriedlook.“Ihavebarelysold anything. The same as Monday,” she says, standing metres away from the ice cream vendor, peddling a full stock of fish on a yard stool by the beach road. Metres away, the container bobs gently as the waves crash into it. All around the container and further south along the coast, the water is white and foamy – one reason why people are keeping off fish. Today, Valsala's husband has ventured out “to the cleaner parts” seeking a catch, but it's pointlessnow.“Whatistheuseif no one is buying,” she says. Fishing boats are moored alongthebeach,withlittleactivity at the far end where the fish- erfolk stay. A kilometre away, at OottupurayilrestaurantinParavur Kombolam,amarketwithacluster of shops, waiter Anees says clientsareshunningseafood.“This is just a phase,” he hopes. Back on the beach, there are speculative guesses on the contents of the container. The locals, helped by WhatsApp forwards and their vestigial knowledge of the periodic table, rattle off names of the multiple chemical compounds the containers ostensibly contained – all the way from arsenic to zinc, lead and mercury. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad