DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES ALL-WEATHER SONAMARG TUNNEL J&Kiscrownofcountry, needstobeprosperous: PMopensnewgateway Right thing at the right time, he says on Omar reference to statehood for J&K NEW DELHI, JANUARY 13 saying “the right thing will happen at the right time”. “This is Modi. If he makes somepromises,hefulfillsthem… Everything has a time, the right things will happen at the right time,” Modi said, apparently in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ONE OF the suggestions mooted atameetingtoreviewtherecent debacle of India’s Test team in Australiawastheintroductionof a performance-based variable pay structure for the players, The Indian Express has learnt. Present at the meeting to review the 1-3 series defeat were captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of senior selection committee Ajit Agarkar. The Indian Express understands that the thinking behind the move is to ensure that players are more “accountable” and, ifwarranted,faceapay-cutbased ontheirperformance.Thesystem is said to be formulated on the linesofhowcorporatehousesappraise their employees annually. According to the suggested system,if theperformanceisnot up to the mark, it would impact a player’s earnings. “It was one of the suggestions given that players should be held accountable and if their performance is deemed not fit as per expectations, they should face variable pay-cuts,” a source said. Itwasonlylastyearwhenthe BCCI introduced an incentive CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 STATING THAT Indian and Chinese troops are still locked in a “degree of standoff” along the Line of Actual Control, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said Monday that the Indian Army is looking at diplomatic negotiations to resolve the situation and “restore trust” between the two sides. Addressing a press conferenceinNewDelhiaheadof Army Day on January 15, General Dwivedialsospokeonterroremanating from Pakistan. He said only four youth from J&K had joined militant ranks last year, and that 60% of all terrorists killed, and 80% of those active, werefromPakistan.This,hesaid, showedthat violenceinJ&Kwas entirelyorchestratedbyPakistan. In the backdrop of tensions over fencing at the border between India and Bangladesh, he E CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E X P L A I NE D Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of the Z-Morh tunnel in J&K on Monday. PMO via PTI On table after Australia Test series loss: Performance-based variable pay MUMBAI, JANUARY 13 BRENDAN DABHI & KAMAAL SAIYED AHMEDABAD, SURAT, JAN 13 DEEPTIMAN TIWARY SONAMARG (GANDERBAL), JANUARY 13 DEVENDRA PANDEY 3 cops suspended for ‘custodial torture’ of Amreli woman in Vekariya case Army chief on LAC: Degree of standoff, looking at talks to restore trust Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Monday. PTI BASHAARAT MASOOD PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi Monday inaugurated the strategic Sonamarg tunnel in Kashmir which is crucial to the government’s all-weather connectivity plan for the Valley and Ladakh, including for security reasons. Earlier called the Z-Morh tunnel due to its shape, the 6.4kmpassage,nowtobeknownas Sonamargtunnel,isthefirststep towards the connectivity plan, with the next being the completionof theZojilatunnelconnecting Sonamarg in Kashmir with Drass in Ladakh. Thepublicrallyfollowingthe inauguration of the tunnel saw striking bonhomie between PM Modi and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday. At the same time, to Abdullah’s prodding on the awaited return of statehood toJammuandKashmir,Modirefrained from giving a timeframe, `5.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Dialling down the ● tension SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES Ajit Doval and Wang Yi held talks in Beijing last month following a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi. Both sides now want to dial down the tension and work to restore trust along the boundary. THE MAHA KUMBH BEGINS Devotees at the Triveni Sangam on the first day of the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj Monday. Over 2 crore people are likely to take part in the Amrit Snan Tuesday. Vishal Srivastav REPORT,P11 DAM TO CUT RANTHAMBHORE INTO TWO SECTIONS Rajasthan river-link lifeline could submerge 37 sq km in tiger reserve THREE POLICE personnel have beensuspendedinAmreliaftera woman, arrested for allegedly trying to defame local BJP MLA Kaushik Vekariya, claimed she was assaulted in custody, police stated Monday. However, the woman's lawyer claimed that only"lowerrankpersonnel"were targeted in the police action. The Patidar woman, meanwhile, met Gujarat DGP Vikas SahayMondayseekinganinvestigation against the police officers under whose direction she was allegedly "paraded" in public for "crime reconstruction" on December 29. The 25-year-old CONTINUEDONPAGE2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY All care will be taken to minimise impact... if unavoidable, double, triple forest land will be integrated: Top official JAY MAZOOMDAAR NEW DELHI, JANUARY 13 THE FLAGSHIP river-link irrigationproject,whichwillprovidea lifelineto23districtsinRajasthan, envisagesthesubmergenceof 37 sqkmintheRanthambhoretiger reserve effectively cutting it into twosections,accordingtoproject documents reviewed by The Indian Express. The submergence will be caused by the largest dam proposed under the ParbatiKalisindh-Chambal-Eastern CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 WHAT THE PROJECT ENTAILS Proposed submergence area PROPOSED DOONGRI DAM CHAMBAL RIVER BANAS RIVER Sawai Madhopur ECONOMY Ranthambhore tiger reserve RAJASTHAN MADHYA PRADESH Parbati river RUPEE BREACHES 86 MARK AGAINST DOLLAR FOR FIRST TIME PAGE 14 Smart RELATED REPORT PAGE 12 We are closed today on the occasion of MAKAR SANKRANTI There will be no edition of The Indian Express on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. Indian killed fighting for Russia, had made pleas to return home Binil T B (right) and Jain T K, both from Kerala, travelled to Russia in April last year SHAJU PHILIP THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JANUARY 13 A MAN from Kerala was killed while fighting for the Russian Army in the country’s war with Ukraine, and his relative was seriously injured, The Indian Express has learnt. Thefamilyof32-year-oldBinil T B, a resident of Wadak-kancheryinKerala’sThrissurdistrict,received a message a few days ago that he and his relative Jain T K (27) had been injured in a drone attack.Thefamily,however,could not establish contact with them. Saneesh, a relative of the two men,said,“Binil’swifeJoicy,who hasbeenintouchwiththeIndian embassy in Moscow, got the information. When she called CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad
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