DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2024, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES Manu Bhaker reaches final, targets her third Olympic medal today SINCE 1932 4 OF 8 HIGHWAYS UNDER BUILD-OPERATE-TRANSFER MODE Govt’s big infra push: Nod to road projects worth Rs 50,655 crore E HARIKISHAN SHARMA NEW DELHI, AUGUST 2 MIHIR VASAVDA CHATEAUROUX, AUGUST 2 Manu Bhaker during the qualifying round in Chateauroux Friday. Reuters landing on the doorstep of a feat previouslyunthinkableinIndian sport: a hat-trick of Olympic medals. At one Games. With another sublime qualifying round on Friday, Manu qualified for her third final of the Paris Olympics. She will turn up at the Chateauroux shooting range for one last time on CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 INDIA AT OLYMPICS HOCKEY India beat Australia — first time at Olympics in 52 yrs BADMINTON Lakshya Sen enters semi-finals PAGES 18, 19, 20 ALERT AFTER KILLING OF HAMAS LEADER Centre flags security of Israeli facilities, AI puts off flights to Tel Aviv MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, AUGUST 2 THE BACK-TO-BACK assassinations of a Hamas leader and a senior Hezbollah commander have prompted security agencies in India to take a relook at the safety of Israeli establishments in the country. HamasleaderIsmailHaniyeh was killed in Tehran, where he had gone to attend the inauguration of the newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian,onJuly31.Adayearlier, Hezbollah’s Fuad Shukr was killedinanairstrikeinLebanon’s capital, Beirut. Central security agencies in India have since alerted Director Generals of Police of all states and Union Territories to provide adequatesecurityarrangements to “Israeli/Jewish facilities, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 IN A big push to infrastructure spending, the Union government Friday approved eight national high-speed corridor projectsunderwhich936-kmlength highways will be constructed at a cost Rs 50,655 crore. After a meeting of the Prime Minister-chaired Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), a statement by the government said the implementation of these projects will gener- ate 4.42 crore mandays of direct and indirect employment. Four of these eight highways will be executed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, indicating the government’skeennesstoreturntoPPP (PublicPrivatePartnership)projects. In the last financial year, only one of the total 176 projects was tendered under the BOT model. Under the BOT model, the private player owns up the investmentrisk,buildstheprojects fully on its own and maintains it for a specified period. It recovers EXPLAINED After easing model concession pacts, Govt hopes to bring back private sector EXPRESSAT OLYMPICS THE WALK from the shooting rangetoAthletesVillagelastsexactly15minutes.JaspalRana,the former world champion who is Manu Bhaker’s coach, calls it a therapeutic walk. During this magical week for her, that's all it has taken Manu to declutter her mind, refocus on the next task, poreovertheimperfections,and strategise for the next match. OnceRanadropsher“home”, there is no shooting talk. This zero-fuss approach, Rana said, is one of the factors that has contributed to Manu `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES & ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM ● PPP back on track HAVING LIBERALISED the model concession agreement, the government hopes the eight projects will make the private sector assume some financial risk and return to build highways under PPP mode. Such projects also create both direct and indirect employment. the costs by collecting toll during this period, also called the concession period. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had on March 15, 2024, amended the Model Concession Agreement for Capacity Augmentation on BOT or toll projects, and made it more attractive to private players by introducing more liberal compensation,extensionof concession period, and termination payments. It also brought in a new concept called ‘construction BENGAL RATION CASE PROBE ED arrests Trinamool leader, brother after Be bridge between Centre & state, PM tells 14-hour interrogation Governors; President says prioritise poor CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SWEETY KUMARI KOLKATA, AUGUST 2 DIVYA A NEW DELHI, AUGUST 2 PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi Friday urged Governors to play the role of “an effective bridge” between the Centre and the state. He asked them to interact with people and social organisations in a manner that coopts the underprivileged. The Prime Minister made these remarks at the two-day Conference of Governors that began Friday morning at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In her opening remarks, President Droupadi Murmu too said that for the smooth CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BIG PICTURE PAGE 13 WHAT NEXT FOR WAYANAD? President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with State Governors and Union Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday. PTI THEENFORCEMENTDirectorate (ED) arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anisur Rahman and his brother Alif Noor alias Mukul Rahman in the early hours on Friday, after they were interrogated for nearly 14 hours in connection with alleged “irregularities” in the West Bengal public distribution system. Anisur, who is the TMC's Deganga block unit president, and his brother Alif were detained for questioning following raids on their properties and offices. They were produced in court later in the day and remanded in ED custody till August 12. Anisur Rahman (left) and Alif Noor were sent to ED custody till August 12. Express This comes after the ED arrested former food and civil supplies minister Jyotipriya Mallick and businessman Bakibur Rahman in connection with the same probe. The ED has also summoned Barik Biswas, considered to be a close aide of Mallick, to appear CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NETWORK TENURE CUT SHORT, BSF DG, SPECIAL DG SENT BACK TO STATE CADRES PAGE 6 TWO GAGANYAAN ASTRONAUTS PICKED FOR ISS MISSION PAGE 7 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY SC says no to SIT probe into poll bonds: ‘premature, inappropriate’ ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, AUGUST 2 OVERFIVEmonthsafteritstruck down the electoral bonds scheme, the Supreme Court on Fridaydismissedpleasforsetting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged quid pro quo in the purchase of poll bonds,sayingthe complaintsare based on assumptions that would require it to “embark on a roving inquiry”. A three-judge Bench, presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, also said the petitioners had not taken recourse to other available remediesunderthelawbeforeknocking on its door, and the court’s intervention at this stage would be both “premature and inappropriate”. “At the present stage, absent a recourse to the remedies which are available under the law to pursue such grievances, it CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kolkata