FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI Page 6 Ajit air crash under scanner as Rohit Pawar seeks intl probe Page 9 Internet banned amid clashes in Manipur: Imphal: The Manipur government has suspended internet services for five days from Tuesday as clashes, violence between two communities continued for the third consecutive day at Ukhrul district. Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand had been monitoring the situation and deputed Losii Dikho, Deputy Chief Minister to meet representatives of the affected communities. Even though MLAs of the two communities discussed the situation at Litan, Ukhrul district, clashes continued. So far about 30 houses have been completely gutted in the latest spell of violence. Ashish Das. District Magistrate, Ukhrul today sent a request to Home Commissioner, N Ashokumar to suspend internet services. Page 8 New Delhi, 10 February The Union government on Tuesday issued revised guidelines for social media platforms, making it mandatory to label AIgenerated content and specifying a 3-hour deadline for such platforms to take down such content once it is flagged by the government or ordered by a court. Intermediaries offering tools that enable the creation or dissemination of “synthetic content” must ensure such material carries a clear and prominent label. Where technically feasible, platforms are also required to embed permanent metadata or provenance identifiers to trace the origin of such content, the Ministry of Electronics Page 12 NATION Cong submits no-confidence against ‘partisan’ Speaker VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 10 February E scalating its confrontation with the BJP-led NDA government, the Congress on Tuesday moved a no-confidence notice against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that he acted in a “blatantly partisan” manner in conducting the business of the House and abused the constitutional office by making “blatantly false” allegations against Congress MPs. Mr Birla is understood to have decided not to occupy the Speaker’s chair until the no-confidence matter is disposed of. According to sources, the Speaker has taken “a moral position” to convey a message to the opposition that any notice expressing a lack of confidence in the Chair should be addressed and concluded without delay. He is understood to have also commu- nicated this to leaders across party lines, including Opposition members who met him on Tuesday. Opposition leaders said the motion had the backing of several parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, Left parties, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), among others. The Trinamul Congress said it had advised the Congress to first approach Mr Birla with a formal appeal before moving a no-confidence motion against him. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee was quoted as saying that his party would back the motion if the Speaker failed to address the Opposition’s concerns within two to three days. “We, the undersigned, hereby give notice of a resolution for Govt asks social media platforms to take down unlawful AI content in 3 hours STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE T20 WC: Seifert, Allen power NZ to record 10-wicket win Page 5 Not the destination B'desh election campaign ends, opinion polls indicate tough BNP-Jamaat contest BRIEFLY and Information Technology (MeitY) said in a notification. The notification also barred the digital platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, from allowing the removal or suppression of AI labels or associated metadata once they have been applied. The social media companies will be required to deploy automated tools to detect and prevent the circulation of illegal, sexually exploitative or deceptive AI-generated content, according to the MeitY order. “An intermediary shall periodically inform its users, at least once every three months, in a simple and effective manner through its rules and regulations, privacy policy, user agreement, or any other appropriate means," about the consequences of violating rules related to AI misuse. Wednesday, 11 February 2026 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL | the removal of Shri Om Birla from the office of Speaker Lok Sabha, in terms of the provisions of Article 94(c) of the Constitution of India, because of the blatantly partisan manner in which he has been conducting the business of the Lok Sabha,” the notice read. On several occasions, leaders of Opposition parties have not been allowed to speak, which is their basic democratic right in Parliament, it alleged. Carrying around 118 signatures, the letter refers to several instances, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi not being allowed to complete his speech during the discussion on thr Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, the Speaker not initiating action against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for making unsubstantiated charges against women MPs of the Congress, and the suspension of eight opposition MPs. Rollout of state’s new beneficiary schemes brought forward to 1 April STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 10 February With the Assembly elections approaching, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today announced that the rollout of the much-vaunted Banglar Yuva Sathi and Krishak Bandhu schemes will be advanced. Originally scheduled to begin on 15 August, both schemes will now be launched on 1 April, coinciding with the start of the new financial year. The move is expected to benefit jobless youths and landless farm labourers, who will be entitled to receive financial assistance of Rs 4,000 annually. At a Press conference at Nabanna, Miss Banerjee stated that unemployed youths aged between 21 and 40 years, who have passed the Madhyamik examination but remain without jobs, will be eligible to receive Rs 1,500 per month for up to five years, or until they secure employment. She clarified that applicants Former Army Chief Gen Naravane endorses Penguin statement on his ‘unpublished’ memoir THE NOTIFICATION ALSO BARRED THE DIGITAL PLATFORMS, SUCH AS FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE, FROM ALLOWING THE REMOVAL OR SUPPRESSION OF AI LABELS OR ASSOCIATED METADATA ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN APPLIED. THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES WILL BE REQUIRED TO DEPLOY AUTOMATED TOOLS TO DETECT AND PREVENT THE CIRCULATION OF ILLEGAL, SEXUALLY EXPLOITATIVE OR DECEPTIVE AI-GENERATED CONTENT, ACCORDING TO THE MEITY ORDER. Where an intermediary becomes aware of any violation in relation to the creation, generation, modification, alteration, hosting, displaying, uploading, publishing, transmitting, storing, updating, sharing or otherwise disseminating of information as synthetically generated information, "it shall take expeditious and appropriate action". According to the updated guidelines, the social media platforms need to deploy reasonable and appropriate technical measures, including automated tools or other suitable mechanisms, to not allow any user to create, generate, modify, alter, publish, transmit, share, or disseminate any such synthetically generated information that violates any law for the time being in force, including the Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023), the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (32 of 2012), and the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 (6 of 1908). STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 10 February Former Army Chief General M M Naravane (Retired) on Tuesday confirmed that his memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, has not yet been published, endorsing a statement issued by Penguin Random House India. In a post on X, referencing the publishing house’s statement, Gen Naravane wrote, "This is the status of the book." Penguin Random House India issued a fresh statement earlier today in response to an allegation by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, clarifying that the book was announced and listed for White House issues fact sheet on India-US trade deal, details interim agreement amid oil, tariff questions STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 10 February Amid lingering uncertainty over the India-US trade understanding announced by US President Donald Trump last week, the White House has released an official fact sheet outlining key elements of the agreement and addressing several concerns surrounding the deal. According to the White House, President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have reached a framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal trade, while reaffirming their commitment to continue negotiations toward a comprehensive US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). While the trade deal has been publicly announced, it has not yet been formally signed. However, both governments have shared selective details of the interim arrangement, with the White House now offering greater clarity on Washington’s position. One of the most contentious claims emerging from the announcement relates to India’s energy imports from Russia. President Trump and the White House have stated that India has committed to stopping the purchase of Russian oil as part of the trade understanding. However, no official confirmation has been issued by New Delhi on this point. Russia, for its part, has said it has received no communication from India regarding any such decision. Similarly, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has refrained from confirming the claim, reiterating instead that the government’s energy procurement policies are guided by the need to safeguard the interests of 1.4 billion Indians. Despite this lack of confirmation from Indian authorities, the White House has reiterated its position in the fact sheet, linking India’s alleged commitment on Russian oil to tariff relief offered by the US. “President Trump agreed to remove the additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India in recognition of India’s commitment to stop purchasing Russian Federation oil. Accordingly, the President signed an Executive Order last Friday removing that additional 25 per cent tariff,” the White House said. The key terms of the India–US Trade deal as per the White House Fact Sheet include: Tariff Reductions: India must not be beneficiaries of other government schemes, except scholarships. “Besides scholarships, youths who benefit from Aikyasree, Medhasree, or smart cards will still be eligible under the Yuva Sathi scheme. They will continue to receive support until they find jobs,” she said. Turning to farmers’ welfare, Miss Banerjee highlighted provisions under the Krishak Bandhu scheme, announced in the interim budget. Landless sharecroppers will receive Rs 4,000 annually, disbursed in two instalments of Rs 2,000 each. Camps modelled on Duare Sarkar will be organised across all 294 Assembly constituencies between 15 and 26 February, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., to facilitate applications. Each camp will host three departments ~ the Youth Services Department will oversee the Yuva Sathi scheme, while the Agriculture and Power Departments will manage farmers’ benefits. Explaining further, the Chief Minister said: “Under Krishak Bandhu, we provide Rs 2 lakh as compensation to beneficiaries in the event of death, along with crop insurance. Farmers owning more than one acre of land receive Rs 10,000 annually, while those with one kaatha of land receive Rs 4,000. Landless farm labourers must register at these camps to access financial assistance of Rs 2,000 twice a year.” will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products. These include dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, select pulses, soybean oil, wine, spirits, and other products. Increased Purchases from the US: India has committed to buying more American goods and services, including over $500 billion worth of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural products, coal, and other items over time. Addressing Non-Tariff Barriers: India will work to resolve non-tariff barriers affecting bilateral trade in identified priority sectors. Rules of Origin: Both countries will negotiate rules of origin to ensure that trade benefits primarily accrue to the United States and India. Digital Trade Commitments: India will remove its digital services taxes and has committed to negotiating robust bilateral digital trade rules. These will address discriminatory or burdensome practices and include provisions prohibiting customs duties on electronic transmissions. Economic Security and Supply Chains: The two countries will strengthen economic security alignment to enhance supply-chain resilience and innovation. This includes cooperation to counter non-market policies of third parties, as well as coordination on investment reviews and export controls. Technology Cooperation: The United States and India will expand bilateral trade in technology products and deepen joint technology collaboration. pre-order but hasn't yet entered publication, distribution, or sale. Any circulating copies are unauthorised and constitute copyright infringement, it said. “A book is considered published only when it is available for purchase across retail channels,” Penguin Random House said in the statement. “Pre-order is a standard publishing practice. It allows readers and retailers to place advance orders. The book is not yet published or available” it said. The publisher added that it remains “committed to clarity and transparency in the books we publish.” Earlier today, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi cited a post on X made by General Naravane's in December 2023, announcing the availability of his book. “Hello friends, my book is available now. Just follow the link. Happy Reading, Jai Hind. This is the tweet Mr Naravane made. Either he is lying, which I don't believe, or the Penguin (publisher) is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth. Penguin says the book has not been published. But the book is available on Amazon. Gen. Naravane has tweeted, “Please buy my book” in 2023. I believe Naravane ji over Penguin. Do you believe Penguin over Naravane ji? I believe Naravane ji has made certain statements in his book which are inconvenient for the Government of India and the Prime Minister. Obviously, you have to decide if Penguin or the former Army chief is telling the truth,” the Congress MP said. French Prez Macron to visit India next week STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 10 February French President Emmanuel Macron will pay an official visit to India on 17-19 February at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to primarily attend the AI Impact Summit, it was officially announced here on Tuesday. During the visit, the two leaders will hold discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas as enshrined in the Horizon 2047 Roadmap. In addition, the leaders will discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, the Ministry of External Affairs said. The two leaders will also be in Mumbai to jointly inaugurate the IndiaFrance Year of Innovation, which will be celebrated throughout 2026 in both countries. On 19 February, President Macron will participate in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The visit follows PM Modi’s visit to France in February 2025 and reflects the mutual trust and depth of the India–France Strategic Partnership, as well as the shared commitment of the two countries to deepen it further, the MEA said. The visit comes amid an uncertain global political and economic scenario. PM Modi and President Macron, who enjoy a close personal relationship, are also expected to discuss how the recent India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is going to enhance trade between their two nations.