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 The airport we never see NATION Setting a direction Nepal flash floods highlight risks for wider Brahmaputra basin Page 7 Page 6 Friday, 28 August 2026 SPORTS PERSPECTIVE EDITORIAL | Page 4 Dinusha’s seven-hour vigil helps Sri Lanka avoid whitewash in Colombo Page 12 Nepal-Tibet border disaster: Death toll rises to 359; 288 Indians missing PARWINDER SANDHU New Delhi, 27 August A t least 359 people have been killed in devastating floods and mudslides along the Nepal-Tibet border, while 288 Indian nationals remain missing and around 200 others are stranded on the Chinese side, as rescue and relief operations continue amid widespread destruction and severely disrupted communication networks. Nepali police said on Thursday that at least 359 people had died in the flooding that struck the Himalayan border region a day earlier. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India was in constant contact with authorities in Nepal and China to coordinate the rescue and evacuation of its citizens affected by the disaster. In a post on X, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) warned of the possibility of another major flood after the flow of the Lhende River was obstructed around 18 kilometres above the Rasuwagadhi border area, leading to the formation of a lake covering about 0.11 square kilometres. Authorities urged people living in downstream 18th BRICS Summit set for 12-13 Sept: MEA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 27 August India will host the 18th BRICS Summit on 12-13 September at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, bringing together leaders of the member nations and partner countries as well as outreach invitees, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the world leaders expected to attend the summit. However, there is still a question mark on whether Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who has also been invited as the head of a partner country, will attend the summit, given the current state of Dhaka’s relations with India. The MEA said India’s BRICS Chairship is guided by the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of “Humanity First.” In addition to these areas, the leaders will exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperationoncommonpriorities and share perspectives on global and regional matters of mutual importance. India is a founding member of BRICS, and has previously held its Chairship three times in 2012, 2016 and 2021. India assumed its fourth BRICS Chairship on 1 January 2026. The year 2026 also marks a significant milestone as BRICS completes twenty years since its establishment. Under India’s Chairship this year, over 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been held in over 25 cities across India to further strengthen the BRICS strategic partnership across three fundamental pillars: political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. areas to remain highly vigilant. Nepal said the flash flood, which struck the Bhote Koshi River at around 8:40 a.m. local time on Wednesday, had affected riverine areas in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and other districts, causing extensive loss of life and property. The Nepal government has intensified search, rescue and relief operations and appealed for financial assistance to support immediate relief as well as long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction. Briefing reporters on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the situation as “dynamic”, saying communication networks across several affected districts had been badly damaged, making it difficult to establish contact with people on the ground. “The three or four districts that are affected by this, all the communication channels are broken. So, we are not able to talk to anyone,” he said. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is coordinating with Nepalese authorities, project officials, tour operators and state governments to verify the safety and whereabouts of Indian nationals. The government has not given any codename to the ongoing rescue and evacuation effort. Mr Jaiswal said 73 Indian citizens were working at the Trishuli 1 power project, with the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu remaining in touch with the project head to obtain further information about them. India has also stepped up humanitarian assistance to Nepal. Two Indian Air Force flights have delivered a total of 47.5 tonnes of relief material to the flood-hit country. Mr Jaiswal said 21 Indians, all from Tamil Nadu, had been rescued and were expected to reach Kathmandu before arrangements were made for their return to India. Several groups of Indian pilgrims and travellers were in the affected region when the floods struck. These included two groups from Tamil Nadu comprising 37 and 49 people undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through separate tour operators, besides 32 people from West Bengal, 61 Indians from different states and 33 people from Kerala. The MEA cautioned that the figures were preliminary and could change as authorities continued to verify information and establish contact with more affected people. • Related reports: Pgs 5, 9 Bengal CM Adhikari promises new growth path for the state STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 27 August The new BJP government in Bengal will take the state towards socio - economic progress and prosperity by adhering to the principles of cooperative federalism, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Thursday. Speaking at an event organised by TV9 Media Group to mark the first 100 days of the new administration, Chief Minister Adhikari said this was precisely where the previous Mamata Banerjee-led government had faltered, pushing the state backwards. Mr Adhikari alleged that the former government had “miserably failed” to follow cooperative federalism, opposing almost every proposal from the Centre and thereby stalling several beneficial projects. Ambitious initiatives such as a new airport, a new port, and other major infrastructure projects never materialised due to this obstructionist approach, he said. The new government has already begun clearing these projects on a fast-track basis, he said. Outlining his administration’s priorities, Mr Adhikari emphasised education, healthcare, r ule of law, transparency, and zero tolerance for corruption. He asserted that, like the BJP government at the Centre, the state government would follow a “nation first” philosophy without compromise. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister inaugurated LTM’s new Global Delivery & AI Competency Center in Kolkata. PM Modi to attend SCO summit in Kyrgyz Republic The facility, part of L&T Group’s long-term commitment to West Bengal, will serve as a strategic technology and innovation hub. The centre represents a significant milestone in LTM’s growth journey in India, reflecting continued investment in regional expansion, talent development, and technology innovation. It will enhance global delivery capabilities and AI initiatives while creating opportunities for skilled professionals across West Bengal and neighbouring states. Highlighting Kolkata’s strong educational ecosystem, skilled talent pool, and growing digital infrastructure, L&T officials said the centre would act as a hub for collaboration, innovation, and delivery excellence, supporting global clients while contributing to the state’s economic development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other world leaders at the group photograph during a ceremony to welcome Heads of States of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), in Tianjin, China, Monday, 1 September 2025. FILE PHOTO NIKHIL VYAS New Delhi, 27 August Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a four-day visit to Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic from 29 August, primarily to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with SCO leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. The Russian President and the Chinese President are also expected to participate in the BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi on 12-13 September. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), at the invitation of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, PM Modi will undertake a State Visit to Tashkent on 29-30 August. This will be the Prime Minister’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan. During the visit, the Prime Minister will hold delegation-level talks with President Mirziyoyev to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The two leaders would review cooperation in trade and investment, defence, digital connectivity, energy, education and people-to-people domains and set the agenda for the road ahead. From Tashkent, at the invitation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Zhaparov, the Prime Minister will travel to Bishkek to participate in the 26th SCO Summit on 31 August ~ 1 September. Addressing a special media briefing here on Thursday, MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George said: “The SCO was established with the primary goal of countering the three evils of terrorism, separatism, and extremism, which continue to remain a challenge.” PM Modi urges India to expand Olympic footprint ahead of 2036 Games STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 27 August Joint Exercise Indian Coast Guard and Vietnam Coast Guard personnel take part in the second edition of joint sea exercise 'Sahyog HOP TAC' off the Chennai coast, aimed at enhancing interoperability, coordination and operational familiarity, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. AGENCIES Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for the country to expand its presence across Olympic sports, particularly in disciplines where it has traditionally had little or no representation, as part of its preparations for the 2036 Olympics. Speaking virtually to youngsters during the Khelo India Dialogue, Mr Modi said India’s limited participation across Olympic disciplines had restricted its medal opportunities and stressed the need to identify and develop talent from an early age. “This time, from the Red Fort, I drew the country’s attention to a major challenge in sports. This challenge is related to the Olympics. The bitter truth is that India’s teams don’t participate in half of the sports that are a part of the Olympics,” PM Modi said. He pointed out that India’s participation had remained limited over the years, directly affecting its chances of winning medals. “That is, we do not compete for a very large part of the medal tally. And this has been the situation for a long time now. In the 2012 Olympics, India participated in only 13 sports. In more than 20 sports, India did not participate,” he said. PM Modi said India should look beyond its traditional strengths and develop expertise in sports such as surfing and sports climbing, where the country’s geography could offer an advantage. “There are so many sports whose names people in the country have probably heard of. Other countries win medals in those sports. And we do not participate in those sports. We have to acquire the skills in these sports to increase the medal tally in these sports as well. For example, surfing and sports climbing,” the PM said.