DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Modi Sarkar ki Guarantee Government of India India becoming world’s manufacturing hub CBC 22201/13/0148/2324 Scan for more information Hamara Sankalp Over 200 mobile manufacturing units in the country now as compared to two in 2014; India is the second largest mobile manufacturing country in the world Viksit Bharat INDIA-MALDIVES HIGH-LEVEL CORE GROUP HOLDS FIRST MEETING MaldivesGovtpushesforwithdrawalof Indiantroops,setsMarch15deadline Discussed mutually workable solution for continuing operation of aviation platforms for humanitarian aid: MEA DIVYA A NEW DELHI, JANUARY 14 A DAY after Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu took an indirect jibe at India for “bullying”, his government on Sunday set a March 15 deadline for India to withdraw its military personnel from the country. Thedeadlinewasannounced by a senior official in the Muizzu government on a day the India-Maldives high-level core group held its first meeting in Male on Sunday. “In this meeting, on behalf of PresidentMuizzu,theMaldivian delegation proposed the re- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu in Beijing on January 10. Reuters file Rahul yatra begins: In mandir season, Cong says BJP using Ram for votes Manipur suffered due to BJP ideology, hatred... will restore peace, says Rahul moval of Indian troops by March 15,” Ahmed Nazim, policy director at the President's Office, told reporters, according to a Reuters report. “This date was proposed in the agenda by the government and specifically the President. These discussions are ongoing,” he said. Local media reports also quoted Nazim on a March 15 deadline. “Indian military personnel cannot stay in the Maldives. This is the policy of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPLAINED TOP 10 TRENDS OF 2024 YOURMONEY, YOURLEADERS, YOURWORLD Investor and author Ruchir Sharma speaks to economist and psephologist Prannoy Roy PAGE 11 Sankhadeep Banerjee Milind Deora with CM Eknath Shinde in Mumbai on Sunday Rahul Gandhi in Manipur’s Thoubal district on Sunday. AICC MANOJ C G IMPHAL, JANUARY 14 HOPING TO generate muchneeded political momentum to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections barely a couple of months away, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday began his second yatra in a little over a year, calling for a “harmonious and equitable” society as against what he said was the BJP’s politics of “violence, hatred and monopoly”. BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Deora joins Shinde Sena: ‘Cong intent on opposing everything PM says, does’ ALOK DESHPANDE & ZEESHAN SHAIKH MUMBAI, JANUARY 14 IN A setback to the Congress in Mumbai ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, former MP Milind Deora quit the party on Sunday and joined the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 The loss, gain CONGRESS HAS lost its only available candidate who could have contested the Mumbai South LS seat. The Shinde Sena gains a face with deep links in business circles and Delhi’s political circuit. ARMY DAY 2024 Delhi AQI severe, restrictions back on cars and construction A RED initiative appears 84 112 137 78 in today’s edition of The Indian Express. These pages are an initiative of the marketing solutions team of The Indian Express Group and contain content paid for by advertisers. These pages should be read as advertisement. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, JANUARY 14 THE AIR quality in Delhi turned ‘severe’ Sunday, prompting officials to bring back a ban on construction and on the running of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers. Delhi’s average AQI on Sunday was 447. Saturday’s AQI was 399.Accordingto officialsat the India Meteorological Department, low wind speed and high moisture levels, which aid accumulation of pollutants, contributed to this. The Union government’s Commission for Air Quality Management(CAQM),whichhas CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Can a nylon shuttle match one made of feathers? IIT researchers may have answer PAGE 1 ANCHOR SHIVANI NAIK MUMBAI, JANUARY 14 EVERY TIME Sanjay Mittal, 55, held a badminton shuttlecock made of feathers, all he thought of was the cruelty inflicted upon birds. This got the IIT Kanpur aerospace engineering professor thinking. Could a nylon alternativereplicatetheflightpatternof a duck or goose feather shuttle CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE SCIENCE BEHIND BADMINTON SHUTTLES SYNTHETIC SHUTTLECOCK FEATHER SHUTTLECOCK 1. Shuttlecocks are traditionally made from duck feathers, but the nylon ones are more durable. 2. Using a wind tunnel, three Indian researchers studied the aerodynamics of shuttles “Our study opens up the possibility for improved designs that make the nylon shuttlecock structurally stiffer so that it more closely mimics the aerodynamic performance of feather 3. At higher speeds, a synthetic shuttlecocks. This could be a game-changer” shuttlecock buckles, Sanjay Mittal, deforms into a square, and IIT Kanpur vibrates radially Army to let Lt Cols who specialise in niche tech opt out of command posts AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, JANUARY 14 ARMY OFFICERS specialising in nichetechnologiessuchasartificial intelligence, robotics and drones, among others, can now continue in the same domain on promotion to Colonel instead of gettingposted outfor command assignments, The Indian Express has learnt. According to sources, the ArmyisbringinginanewHRpolicy under which Lieutenant Colonelsapprovedforpromotion to the rank of Colonels can vol- untarily continue in their field of expertiseandnotmoveforcommand appointments, which is the standard practice at present. Only about 30-40 per cent of Lieutenant Colonels are approved for the rank of Colonel. This will also be applicable for officers specialising in niche areas like space, information technology, nano technology, weapons,ammunitionaswellas in information operations, specific languages and other important projects. The idea, as per sources, is to promote domain specialisation in the Army. However, such officers who choose to remain in their selecteddomain,will haveto forgo command assignments. They willalsonotbeeligibleforsubsequent career courses such as senior command, higher command or equivalent courses. As per the policy, the officer will continue in his domain of specialisation for two years, after which his/ her further extension will be decided by a board of officers,basedonhisperformance and the organisational requirements at that time. In case he/ she does not get an extension, the officer will be posted to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Footfall down, Gulmarg businesses look to the skies — awaiting snow BASHAARAT MASOOD GULMARG, JANUARY 14 WITH SNOW eluding Gulmarg so far this winter, the slopes of theskiresorthaveremainedlifeless and the tourist buzz usually feltthereduringthistimeof year has been absent. “If Gulmarg is a movie, then the snow is the hero. When the hero is missing, the movie becomes a flop,” said Waseem CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 The ski resort has seen little snowfall this year. Shuaib Masoodi