DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, JULY 21, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `7.00 (`8 RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 FAST-TRACKED AFTER OP SINDOOR Drone swarming to smarter war rooms: Army’s AI roadmap for ops by 2026-27 ALL-PARTY MEET ON EVE OF MONSOON SESSION Opp flags Pahalgam, Bihar SIR, Govt says House must function Govt accepts demand for discussion on Op Sindoor; Opp insists on PM response Modi to be ‘guest of honour’ at Maldives’ Independence Day celebrations Task force to be set up under DGIS, to oversee implementation of niche tech AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, JULY 20 FROM COORDINATED drone missions (or drone swarming) and real-time battlefield monitoring to combat simulations for troop training, information warfare, and data-backed decisionmaking — the Indian Army is learnt to have drawn up a detailed roadmap identifying key areas where it plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Big Data Analytics by 2026–27. According to sources, one of theimmediateprioritiesistoimprove battlefield awareness usingAItoolsthatcanprocesslarge volumes of information quickly. These include text summarisers built on Large Language Models (LLMs) to scan and condense long reports, AI-powered chatbots, voice-to-text systems, facial recognition, and tools that can detect unusual patterns or threats. AI will also be used to analysefeedsfromdrones,satellites,aircraftandgroundsensors, and fuse this data in real time to support faster, more informed decision-making. Although the use of AI has beendiscussedbytheArmyinthe past, it is now being fast-tracked, inthewakeoflessonslearntfrom Operation Sindoor — the Army’s cross-border operation in May targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Aspartof thispush,anAItask force under the Directorate General of Information Systems (DGIS), with representatives from other Army directorates, willsoonbesetuptooverseethe implementation of niche technologies across the force. This will include areas such as training and capacity building, data sharing, maintenance and support, integration, promoting research and development, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 To boost surveillance, Govt taps global firms for high-resolution satellite imagery NEW DELHI, JULY 20 WITHHIGH-RESOLUTIONsatellite imagery proving to be indispensable in evolving battlefield situations, the government is learnt to have reached out to multiple global commercial earth-observation satellite players for sourcing it. The initiation of talks with thesesatelliteimageryproviders comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor in May, where it has been inferred that China provided live inputs through satellite support to Pakistan. Senior Army officials have since said thatwhenthe DGMO-level talks were on, Pakistan flagged information about “specific vectors” on the Indian side that were being primed and readied for ac- NEW DELHI, JULY 20 Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi and Jairam Ramesh; (right) Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and J P Nadda during an all-party meeting on Sunday, a day ahead of the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Amit Mehra ASAD REHMAN NEW DELHI, JULY 20 THE GOVERNMENT on Sunday accepted a key Opposition demand for a discussion on Operation Sindoor during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, sources told The Indian Express, even as INDIA bloc leaders insisted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should respond in House on the Pahalgam terror attack,aswellasonUSPresident Donald Trump’s claims of brokering the ceasefire between GOVT & POLITICS RIJIJU: OVER 100 MPs HAVE SIGNEDNOTICE FOR IMPEACHMENT OF JUSTICE VARMA P 5 India and Pakistan. Indicating a stormy start to the Monsoon Session from Monday, the Opposition leaders raised the issues at the all-party meeting on Sunday. They also demanded a discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rollsin poll-bound Bihar. The government, however, is yet to take a call on the matter, sources said. After the all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government had taken note of the points raised by the Opposition. “The NDA,UPA(INDIAbloc)andthose in between have presented their opinions. We will take all these issues to Parliament, what is to be discussed and what not will be decided in the BAC (Business Advisory Committee),” he said. BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi will travel to the United Kingdomandthe Maldives from July 23 to 26, the government said on Sunday. While India and the UK are likely to formally sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during the visit, Modi will be the guest of honour at the Maldives' Independence Day celebrations. This will be Modi’s first trip to the two countries after the change in leadership there. “At the invitation of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, Prime MinisterNarendraModiwillpay an official visit to the United KingdomfromJuly23-24,2025,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. “During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will hold wide ranging discussions with Prime Minister Starmer on the entire gamut of India-UKbilateral relations. They will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance. Prime Minister is also expected to call on His Majesty King Charles III. During the visit, the two sides will also review the progress of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with a specific focus on trade and economy, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate, health,educationandpeople-topeople ties,” it said. ThiswillbeModi’sfourthvisit to the UK, but the first since Starmer came to power after he led the Labour landslide to end 14 years of Conservative rule in July last year. Since then, the two leaders have met a couple of times on the sidelines of multilateral meetings — at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, inNovemberlastyear,andtheG7 leaders’summitinKananaskisin Canada in June this year. While the India-UK Free Trade Agreement was finalised in May this year, the pact is expected to be signed during CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘In the Opposition, you will see a reluctance to protect their base vote’ KANHAIYA KUMAR, CONGRESS LEADER AND NSUI IN-CHARGE PAGE 13 Behind ● the move JHARKHAND CEO AFFIDAVIT IN HC LAST YEAR INDIA’S SATELLITES, including the Cartosat and RISAT, have played a big role in helping defence forces to strategise and maintain real-time situational awareness, but there are some limitations in their capabilities. The move to rope in global players is aimed at plugging these gaps. tion, likely from satellite inputs facilities by China. “We are in talks with commercial satellite imagery providers. We have to deepen CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EC seeks proof from existing electors, its officer said enrolment has clear safeguards NOT ON BEST TRACK Over100buseswet-leasedbyBEST Undertakingareparkedamid overgrowngreeneryat theMumbai’sWadaladepot,following legal disputes and unpaid contractor dues. Claimed by multiple banks, these buses are under custody of a Court Receiver. BEST owns 437 buses, while 2,157 are run in wet lease pacts with private contractors. In 2014, BEST owned 4,288 buses. Amit Chakravarty Hand over control of JDU, ally tells Andhra ex-CM Jagan got Nitish; calls CM’s son ‘nai ummeed ’ kickbacks in `3,500-cr liquor ‘scam’: CID probe SANTOSH SINGH PATNA, JULY 20 NDA CONSTITUENT and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha Sunday advised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to give up the reins of the Janata Dal (United), saying it was no longer “feasible for him to simultaneously manage both the government and the party”. With this, Kushwaha became the first BJP and JD(U) ally to make this suggestion. First trip to the two countries after change in leadership there SHUBHAJIT ROY E E X P L A I NE D AANCHAL MAGAZINE & ANIL SASI Inking of India-UK trade pact, ties with Maldives focus of PM visit this week File Once a confidant of Nitish Kumar, Upendra Kushwaha (left) quit JD(U) in 2023 Though Kushwaha did not suggest Kumar should transfer the responsibility to his son NishantKumar,hecalledthelatter a “nai ummeed (new hope)”. Taking to X to wish Nishant on his birthday, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief wrote: “On this joyous occasion, heartfelt birthday wishes to Nishant, the new hope of JD(U) … On this occasion, I humbly request honourable Shri Nitish Kumar Ji to kindly accept the truth, considering the sensitivity of the time CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SREENIVAS JANYALA HYDERABAD, JULY 20 THEANDHRAPradeshCIDprobe into the Rs 3,500 crore alleged liquorscamhasfoundthatYSRCP chief YSJaganMohanReddywas among those who allegedly received kickbacks, The Indian Express has learnt, although the agency has not named the formerChief Ministerasanaccused in the case. The CID filed its CID has not named him as accused in the case SPORT HOW PRAGG, INDIA’S RISING CHESS STAR, ECLIPSED CARLSEN TWICE IN A WEEK P 16 EXPRESS NETWORK chargesheet in a Vijayawada court on Saturday. The court is yet to take cognizance of it. According to sources, the probe has found that an amount CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PATNA HOSPITAL MURDER: PRIME SUSPECT ARRESTED IN KOLKATA PAGE 7 DAMINI NATH NEW DELHI, JULY 20 WHENTHEElectionCommission (EC) announced a “Special IntensiveRevision”(SIR)ofBihar’s electoral rolls on June 24, it cited the need to ensure that all electors on the revised roll meet the eligibility criteria of age and citizenship — including those who were added after 2003, the year thelastintensiverevisionwasundertaken in the state. But barely a year earlier, when the question of alleged illegal immigrants became a flashpoint during the Assembly elections in neighbouring Jharkhand, the poll panel’s top officialin the state haddefended the EC’s “elaborate provisions” for preparing electoral rolls — particularly those relating to citizenship.Incidentally,thelastintensive revision in Jharkhand was also conducted in 2003, the same year as Bihar. In fact, in an affidavit filed in Jharkhand CEO K Ravi Kumar WHAT WILL NOT COUNTINBIHAR AN EXPRESS SERIES PART 13 the Jharkhand High Court on September 3, 2024, in a case involvingallegedillegalimmigrants CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘My political, acting lives were separate... now both are coming together’ LIZ MATHEW NEW DELHI, JULY 20 FORMER UNION MinisterSmriti Irani surprised many when she announced she was reprising herroleasTulsiViraniinthelimited series reboot of popular TV drama Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi BahuThi—acharacterthatmade her a household name. Speaking to The Indian Express, Irani discusses her return to acting, how the entertainment industry has changed, balancing her life — and reiteratesthatsheisnotoutof politics. Excerpts: Why did you decide to return totoday’syouth,totoday’stimes. to acting? Knowingthatitisalimitedseries, It is a limited series. I was howcanyounotworkandenjoy keentohaveapartnershipwitha the benefit of this combination cohortledbyUday coming together? I (JioHotstar vice have never done chairman Uday OTT before. I am Shankar), who has moreinanobservaa background in tion mode with an newsandhasseen expectation to act. THE EXPRESS Delhi from up close, and of When you stepWITH course, Ekta ped onto the set, SMRITI IRANI (Kapoor). She has how did people BJP LEADER undergone a huge respond? Was it creativejourney...(I anydifferentfrom wanted to ) see how she would a decade ago? perceivethingsfromtoday’sperIwastoldthatIhadtositwith spective, issues that are relevant the younger generation to do a INTERVIEW Tashi Tobgyal/ File Smriti Irani surprised many by announcing she was reprising her role as Tulsi Virani in the reboot of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi — a character that made her a household name readingsothattheygetcomfortable. I sat with them for oneand-a-half hours. A decade ago, when I used to do acting, there wasneveranypreparation.Now, there is a lot of it. When I sat with them, they wantedtoknowthepoliticaldiscourse, state politics, how Parliament functions, how legislation is done, etc. Not just actors, but the writers, creative directors, too. I felt it became less of a media workshop, more of a politicalworkshop.Theyarekids from different states, speaking different languages, with different ideologies. All of us come together, sit, and talk politics. That was surreal. I managed to keep both my lives separate. My political and acting life were far from each other. Those on the sets tell me we did not know that you knew howtolegislateoradminister.So, a lot of my old colleagues ask me how come we didn’t know all these. Those people in politics with me for the last few decades hadnotseentheothersideof me for a decade. I just went to Bijnor to visit a bereaved colleague. Suddenly, a karyakarta came up and said, ‘Didi, my mother wanted me to get a picture with you’. They all came to know that the show was coming up. Now bothworldsarecomingtogether, which never happened earlier. How will you balance these two roles? I always did. I had a break only when I became a Cabinet minister. But I am so glad that as a Cabinet minister, I became so prominentthatpeopleneverenvisioned me as anything but a minister. I had organisationalresponsibility even in 2003. When I was national secretary twice and national president of the (BJP)Mahila Morcha,Iwasinthe media even then. But my role as a Cabinet minister became so CONTINUED ON PAGE 2