The Ideas Page: Like Nandan Nilekani for Aadhaar, India’s AI moment needs a leader 11 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2026 JOURNALISM of COURAGE KOLKATA, LATE CITy, 18 PAGES ₹6.00 (₹12 in North East states, ₹20 in Andaman) 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 Happening today lPresident drouPadi Murmu will witness the International Fleet Review at Visakhapatnam. The exercise is likely to feature INS Vikrant leading a line-up of over 50 Indian vessels. ldenmark's king is scheduled to visit Greenland as the Nordic nation asserts its sovereignty over the Arctic island in response to US President Donald Trump's push to buy it. lunion Home minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit poll-bound West Bengal and participate in several programmes at the ISKCON temple in Mayapur. Track These and more on WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM WEST BENGAL ‘EKLA CHALO’: CAN CONGRESS REGAIN LOST GROUND, DENT TMC VS BJP PLAY PAGE 3 in ‘unPrediCtable’ world, PartnersHiP framed as ‘Progress, stability’ India and France upgrade their ties to strategic partnership Push for rafale indigenous content, mro facilities for aero engines Defence to critical minerals, tech to innovation: 21 major outcomes of talks between Modi and Macron in Mumbai Vallabh ozarkar & shubhajit roy Mumbai, New Delhi, February 17 INDIA AND France elevated their bilateral ties to a Special Global Strategic Partnership following talks in Mumbai Tuesday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. With the meeting resulting in 21 important outcomes in areas ranging from defence to critical minerals, tech and innovation to startups, advanced materials to health and skilling, Modi underlined that “this partnership will provide stability and progress” in “this era of unpredictable global dynamics”. Macron said India is one of the most trusted partners of France. “From Rafale jets to submarines, we are expanding defence cooperation,” he said. The two leaders virtually inaugurated the H125 light utility helicopter final assembly line l BOOST IN TIES H125 ligHt utility Helicopter Final Assembly Line in Karnataka inaugurated amrita nayak dutta New Delhi, February 17 The two leaders also launched: l India–France Innovation Forum lIndo-French Centre for AI in Health lIndo-French Centre for Digital Science and Technology lNational Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics of Tata-Airbus in Karnataka. “We take pride in the fact that, together, India and France will manufacture in India the world’s only helicopter capable of flying to the heights of Mount Everest and export it to the entire world,” Modi said. The facility, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, will strengthen India’s aeronautical manufacturing capabilities, lead to skilling of the »Continued on Page 2 Pm narendra modi with French President emmanuel macron in mumbai, Tuesday. SANKHADEEP BANERjEE relaTed rePorT, Page 2 THE 6TH India-France Annual Defence Dialogue, held in Bengaluru Tuesday, witnessed a strong push for enhancing indigenous content — up to 50 per cent — in the Rafale fighter aircraft to be manufactured in India, and for setting up Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) facilities in India for different varieties of French aero engines, senior officials told The Indian Express. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin, who cochaired the annual defence dialogue, discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of military equipment, »Continued on Page 2 I have known Imran Meta raises concerns over 3-hr timeline from time he was 17, for takedown of social media content treat him humanely: Gavaskar urges Pak soumyarendra barik New Delhi, February 17 Joins cricket legends in appeal to let doctors of Imran’s choosing treat him sriram Veera Mumbai, February 17 SOME OF cricket’s most celebrated figures, from Sunil Gavaskar to Greg Chappell, set aside old rivalries on Tuesday and signed a joint appeal demanding that Pakistan’s government treat the imprisoned former prime minister and World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan with basic dignity, provide urgent medical care and guarantee fair access to courts. The open letter was signed by 14 former captains spanning six decades of the game, including Mike Atherton (England); Allan Border, and Ian and Greg Chappell (Australia); Gavaskar and Kapil Dev (India); Clive Lloyd (West Indies); and John during the aI summit at Bharat mandapam, Tuesday. PRAVEEN KHANNA (the takedown window) is going to be really challenging.” According to Sherman, the government had not consulted with the industry before notifying the rules. »Continued on Page 2 Imran khan has been in custody since august 2023 Wright (New Zealand). “Greg Chappell messaged asking if I would sign the appeal along with the other former skippers and I agreed straightaway,” Gavaskar told The Indian Express. “I have known Imran since he was 17 years old when India was playing at Worcester... after »Continued on Page 2 SPORT T20 WORLD CUP: AUSTRALIA OUT, ZIMBABWE IN SUPER EIGHTS PAGE 18 l RAISING CONCERNS over India’s recently notified social media rules which prescribe strict content takedown timelines, social media giant Meta, which operates platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said Tuesday that the norms might be “challenging” to comply with from an operational standpoint. Rob Sherman, Meta vice president policy and deputy chief privacy officer, told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing India-AI Impact Summit: “Operationally, three hours “Traditionally, the Indian government has been quite consultative when it comes to these things. This is an example where I think we are concerned that had they come to us and talked to us about it, we would have talked about some of the operational challenges,” he said. Last week, the IT Ministry notified amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. One of the changes it has implemented is that social media platforms must now remove problematic content within two-three hours as opposed to Nine senior engineers held after raids in ‘Rs 960-cr JJM graft case’ Parul kulshrestha Jaipur, February 17 IN A crackdown on alleged large-scale corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested nine senior officials on Monday following early morning raids across multiple locations. Acting on findings in a case registered by the ACB, more than 15 teams conducted simultaneous operations in Jaipur, Barmer, Udaipur, Karauli, Delhi, and other locations. The action led to the arrest of nine accused, including serving and retired senior engineers of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). According to the ACB, the investigation revealed that two firms allegedly secured tenders worth approximately Rs 960 crore by submitting forged completion certificates in the name of a third company. The SIT found that fake certificates were allegedly used to qualify for major projects under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Investi- Business as Usual lok sabha speaker om Birla hands over a letter from Pm narendra modi to Bangladesh Pm Tarique rahman in dhaka, Tuesday. ANI Rahman takes charge in Dhaka, Modi extends India invitation Om Birla meets new PM, reaffirms commitment to deepen relations shubhajit roy New Delhi, February 17 TARIQUE RAHMAN, chief of the centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was sworn in Tuesday as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh, 18 months after the overthrow of the government of Sheikh Hasina. Rahman, 60, was administered the oath of office at a ceremony held in the South Plaza of the parliament building in Dhaka. The last time the BNP was in power, from 2001 to 2006, Rahman’s mother Khaleda Zia was Prime Minister. She died in December 2025, days after Rahman returned to the country from the UK where he was in self-exile for 17 years. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was among the dignitaries who attended the swearing-in cer- EDITORIAL PAGE WITH BANGLADESH, A MOMENT TO RECALIBRATE PAGE 10 emony. Representing India, Birla, in a post on X later, said he had “a constructive meeting” with Rahman. He said he handed over a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveying his wishes to Rahman and inviting him to “visit India at the earliest convenience”. “I extended warm congratulations on behalf of the people of India and reaffirmed our commitment to deepening the enduring partnership between our two neighbouring »Continued on Page 2 amid s.i.r. in bengal ‘See how Bangladesh held free & fair poll’: Mamata targets EC atri mitra Kolkata, February 17 By EP UNNY gators alleged that high-level PHED officials allegedly colluded with the firms and manipulated tender conditions to favour them. The probe further revealed that for large projects exceeding Rs 50 crore, site visit certificates were improperly included in the tender processes, bidder identities were allegedly disclosed, and tenders were withdrawn and reprocessed. This allegedly resulted in abnormally high premiums, which were later approved by senior PHED CENTRE UNVEILS FRAMEWORK FOR AI IN HEALTH CARE »Continued on Page 2 PAGE 7 INSIDE WEST BENGAL Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday targeted the Election Commission (EC), saying even a trouble-torn Bangladesh was able to conduct free and fair elections while there was a conspiracy to destroy democracy in India. Addressing a press conference at Nabanna, the headquarters of state administration, the CM said, “We were worried about the election in Bangladesh but see how they conducted it in a free and fair manner. But here is a conspiracy to destroy democracy.” Referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll in the state, Banerjee cm mamata Banerjee during a press conference in kolkata on Tuesday. ExPRESS questioned while documents like residential certificates, “family tree” were accepted during the similar exercise in Bihar but the same papers were not allowed in West Bengal. Why are these documents not »Continued on Page 2 aFTer hIs vIdeo FlayIng ‘oPen sale oF drugs’ wenT vIral, amrITsar PolIce Issued a ‘FacT check’, goT hIm To reTracT ‘Getting drugs like Zomato order’: His son dead, a Punjab cop’s helplessness Kamaldeep Singh Brar Constable Ashok Kumar Saini — who lost his son Akash last Friday, just a day after he had IT WAS a curious “fact check” been released from his latest by the Amritsar police. Twenty- rehab stint — is “like ordering four hours after a viral video of from Zomato”. Shamsher Singh Sandhu, a a Head Constable sitting with the body of his 26-year-old son leader of the ruling Aam Aadmi on the road, saying he had died Party (AAP), whose wife Surjit of drugs, and flaying their Kaur is a local municipal coun“open sale” in their neighbour- cillor, shares the “helplessness”. He says he has himhood Guru NanakPAGE 1 self admitted around pura in Amritsar, po22 addicts to drug lice put out a video of rehab centres in the the father “retractlast one-and-a-half years, only ing” his claims. But, in Guru Nanakpura, lo- to watch his efforts defeated by cated barely 7 km from the the easy availability of drugs. Noting that youths falling Golden Temple, the facts speak prey to drugs mostly belong to for themselves. Getting drugs, says Head poor families, a frustrated Amritsar, February 17 anchor Sandhu says: “How do you make people understand that drugs are bad for them?” However, Akash was not meant to be one of them. Saini talks about an intelligent son and a talented athlete, who played football for alma maters Khalsa School and Khalsa College. He went on to do B.Sc. in Hotel Management from Chief Khalsa Diwan, an Amritsarbased educational institution set up in 1902, with first-class honors. “He was a bright boy,” says Saini, focused on his career, for which he had also given up sports. Deployed with the Punjab Armed Police, the 51-year-old head constable ashok kumar saini; (right) his son akash recalls when all that started coming apart. It was 2020-21, and Saini was away on election duty in Uttar Pradesh, when he got a phone call from a concerned acquaintance. “I was told my son had fallen into bad company.” Saini’s heart sank, and when he returned home, his apprehension was confirmed: he had joined the ranks of parents fight- ing Punjab’s drug epidemic. Saini, who has one more child, a daughter, says his wife and he spared no effort navigating the costly and gruelling world of rehabilitation for the next few years. Akash spent time at rehab centres across Amritsar and nearby Sri Hargobindpur, with the family spending between Rs 15,000Rs 20,000 per month. The Head Constable is the only earning member of the family. But, every time Akash came out, their fight started all over again, Saini says. “Inside centres, addicts are healthy, they eat well, and are disciplined. But the moment they step out, the temptation is everywhere.” It’s like “a home delivery” service, says a bitter Saini. “Addicts make a phone call, and drugs are delivered right on the street. You cannot shadow your child 24 hours a day.” Saini says he tried to sell his house to move the family away, but that he could not get a fair price as Guru Nanakpura is known for its “drug activity”. Asked about this, Assistant Commissioner of Police Jaspal Singh said he didn’t have “the exact data”. “However, since the anti-drug campaign started, we have conducted many round-ups and registered several cases.” Describing Guru Nanakpura as “a slum kind of area”, Singh added that drug addiction there “is not excessively high”. “There were many addicts, but it's under control now.” Saini says he had got Akash home on Thursday last week full of hope as he had been “officially clean” for two months at the rehab centre. There was a function at the family’s ancestral home, and Saini thought it would be good for Akash to attend it. Their last conversation was Akash telling his father that he was stepping out of the house for 10 minutes. “His body was clean. I had no reason to suspect he would directly go and »Continued on Page 2