FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 BRIEFLY ‘US-Pak ties not at the expense of India’ | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Monday, 27 October 2025 21st century the century of ECI expected to announce India and ASEAN: PM Modi launch of pan-India SIR STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 26 October P New Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended his country’s ties with Pakistan, saying they are part of a “mature foreign policy,” while asserting that Washington’s association with Islamabad does not come at the expense of its deep and historic relationship with India. “I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India,” Rubio told reporters on Saturday, describing US ties with Pakistan as part of a “mature, pragmatic foreign policy,” adding that New Delhi also maintains relations with countries that are not allies of the USA. | rime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid stress on the strong and growing ties between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, asserting that the “21st century is our century, the century of India and ASEAN.” Addressing the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit virtually, Mr Modi hailed the partnership as a defining force for regional stability and global progress. The Prime Minister highlighted the historic and cultural bonds binding India and ASEAN, stating: “India and ASEAN together represent almost a quarter of the world’s population. We do not just share geography; we are also connected by the thread of deep historical ties and shared values. We are fellow travellers of the Global South.” Despite global uncertainties, Mr Modi noted: “ The India–ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has witnessed sustained progress, emerging as a robust foundation for global stability and development.” He praised ASEAN as a cornerstone of India’s Act East Policy and reaffirmed India’s full support for ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Mr Modi underscored India’s commitment in key areas of cooperation, saying: “We have stood firmly with our ASEAN friends in every disaster. Our collaboration in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), maritime security, and the blue economy is growing rapidly. In view of this, we are declaring 2026 as the ‘ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation.” Highlighting broader collaborative fronts, PM Modi spoke of strengthening ties Piyush Goyal heads for Brussels as FTA talks enter crucial phase Jayant Narlikar, India’s renowned astrophysicist, science communicator, and Padma Vibhushan awardee, has been selected posthumously for the Vigyan Ratna Puraskar ~ the country’s highest scientific honour. Narlikar, who passed away on 20 May this year at the age of 86, was celebrated for his bold and unconventional ideas in cosmology. He challenged the Big Bang theory ~ which posits that the universe originated from a single massive explosion ~ and, along with Fred Hoyle, proposed steady state theory, suggesting that universe has always existed, with new matter continuously created over time. The Ministry of Science and Technology announced the second edition of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar on Sunday. Page 3 elections are taking place or are due, as the grassroots poll machinery is busy with it and may not be able to focus on SIR, the sources said. The SIR in such states will be held in later phases. Unlike the annual or pre-election Special Summary Revision (SSR), which only adds or deletes names, the SIR is a comprehensive exercise where electoral rolls are prepared afresh, requiring all registered voters to submit new enumeration forms. The expected announcement follows the conclusion of a pivotal two-day Conference New Delhi, 26 October Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, will visit Brussels, Belgium on 27–28 October to hold high-level discussions with Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Trade of the European Union, a statement from Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday. Discussions are expected to cover key areas of the proposed FTA, including market access, non-tariff measures, and regulatory cooperation. The visit will also serve to review progress achieved so far and to identify areas requiring further convergence. During his visit, Mr Goyal will also hold a bilateral meeting with Commissioner Šefčovič followed by a working dinner, where both leaders are expected to reaffirm the shared ambition to strengthen the India–EU The Election Commission of India is widely expected to announce the launch of a nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls on Monday, following a crucial two - day conference that finalised preparations for the exercise. The anticipation stems from a Press Conference the poll panel has scheduled for 4:15 p.m. on Monday, with sources in the ECI indicating that the briefing would be about the SIR schedule. While complete details are still awaited, the sources indicated the exercise could begin on 1 November and is likely to initially cover some 10 to 15 states, including the five states where Assembly elections are due in 2026 ~Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal ~ along with a few others. The ECI will not hold the electoral roll cleanup exercise in states where local body of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) last Thursday at the India International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management in New Delhi. The conference, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar (photo), along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, was intended to firm up the SIR rollout roadmap. The SIR is a comprehensive exercise where electoral rolls are prepared afresh, requiring all registered voters to submit new enumeration forms. This differs from the annual or pre-election Special Summary Revision (SSR), which only adds or deletes names. “This conference is not a routine check but a reaffirmation of our commitment to strengthen the foundation of our democracy through precise electoral roll management,” said CEC Kumar. He stressed that the “accuracy and inclusiveness of voter lists are non-negotiable,” and sought full preparedness from all states and Union territories. MUSKAN BHATIA New Delhi, 26 October New Delhi, 26 October Narlikar honoured with Ratna Puraskar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE in education, tourism, science and technology, health, green energy, and cybersecurity. “We will continue to preserve our shared cultural heritage and deepen people-to-people connections,” he added. PM Modi expressed confidence that “India’s developed vision for 2047 and the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 will create a bright future for humanity. The 21st century is our century, the century of India and ASEAN.” During his address, the PM also paid tribute to the late Queen Mother of Thailand, Sirikit, who passed away recently, expressing his “deep condolences to the royal family and people of Thailand on behalf of all Indians.” The summit, hosted by Malaysia under the leadership of Prime Minister Dato Seri’ Anwar Ibrahim, and held concurrently with the 47th ASEAN summit, involved a comprehensive review of India-ASEAN relations. trade and economic partnership. The development comes amid the India–EU partnership gaining renewed strategic depth following the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier this year. The ongoing India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations is at a crucial stage as both sides intensify efforts to conclude a comprehensive, balanced, and mutually beneficial trade agreement at the earliest. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has also held talks with European Commission (EC) Director General for Trade (DG-Trade) Sabine Weyand in Brussels. In June 2022, India and the EU bloc resumed negotiations for a comprehensive FTA, an investment protection agreement and a pact on geographical indications after a gap of over eight years. It was stalled in 2013 due to differences on the level of opening up markets. Getting ready Devotees purchase puja essentials on Kharna, the second day of the four-day-long Chhath Puja, at Geeta Colony in the capital on Sunday. SUBRATA DUTTA Suspects arrested over the theft of Lamps of joy in former Maoist terror-hit areas: PM crown jewels from Louvre museum STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 26 October AGENCIES Paris, 26 October Suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewels from Paris’ Louvre museum, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday, a week after the heist at the world’s most visited museum that stunned the word. The prosecutor said that investigators made the arrests on Saturday evening, adding that one of the men taken into custody was preparing to leave the country from Roissy Airport. French media BFM TV and Le Parisien newspaper earlier reported that two suspects had been arrested and taken into custody. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau did not confirm the number of arrests and did not say whether jewels had been recovered. Thieves took less than eight minutes to steal jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) last Sunday morning. French officials described how the intruders used a basket lift to scale the Louvre’s façade, forced open a window, smashed display cases and fled. The museum’s director called the incident a “terrible failure.” Beccuau said investigators from a special police unit in charge of armed robberies, serious burglaries and art thefts made the arrests. She rued in her statement the premature leak of information, saying it could hinder the work of over 100 investigators “mobilised to recover the stolen jewels and apprehend all of the perpetrators.” Beccuau said further details will be unveiled after the suspects’ custody period ends. French Interior minister Laurent Nunez praised “the investigators who have worked tirelessly, just as I asked them to, and who have always had my full confidence.” The Louvre reopened earlier this week after one of the highest-profile museum thefts of the century stunned the world with its audacity and scale. The thieves slipped in and out, making off with parts of France’s Crown Jewels ~ a cultural wound that some compared to the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019. In the 127th episode of his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday lauded the resilient spirit of India’s citizens this festive season, observing how lamps of joy illuminated even those regions once overshadowed by Maoist terror. Mr Modi emphasised the people’s strong desire for the complete eradication of Maoist violence, which had long threatened the future of their children. “This time, the festive lamps of joy shone brightly even in places that were once shrouded in the darkness of Maoist terror,” the Prime Minister said. “The people living there have expressed a strong desire for the complete eradication of this menace. Their hope is now rekindled, and the light of peace and progress is gradually replacing the shadows of fear.” Mr Modi also spoke about the enthusiasm surrounding the government’s GST Bachat Utsav, a festival of savings launched to coincide with the festive season. He noted the encouraging rise in the purchase of indigenous products, thanks to growing consumer preference for locally made goods. “During this festival season, something heartening has been observed: a significant rise in the purchase of indigenous products across markets,” the PM said. “Many people have shared messages with me, proudly listing the locally made goods they have chosen to buy this time.” Further, the Prime Minister recalled his appeal to citizens to reduce edible oil consumption by 10 per cent, a call that has witnessed a positive response. “Friends, in my earlier letter, I had urged everyone to reduce the consumption of edible oil by 10 per cent~ a call that has been met with an encouraging and positive response from the people,” he added. Lauding the enduring spirit of India’s cultural unity and progress, PM Modi highlighted the recent celebrations of Diwali and the ongoing devotion of Chhath Puja, which unite millions across Bihar, Jharkhand, and Purvanchal. “Thekua is being prepared, ghats are adorned, and markets bustle with life. Everywhere, devotion, affection, and tradition converge,” Modi said, praising the dedication of women observing the Chhath Vrat. He called the festival a beautiful symbol of social harmony and encouraged all Indians, wherever they are, to experience its unique spirit. PM Modi also commemorated the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, describing it as a momentous occasion for the entire nation. Modi lauded Patel as one of modern India’s greatest luminaries, highlighting his brilliance as a student and lawyer, and his unwavering dedication to the freedom movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. “Sardar Patel’s towering personality encompassed many qualities. He excelled in his studies both in India and Britain and was among the most successful lawyers of his time. Yet, inspired by Gandhiji, he dedicated himself completely to India’s freedom struggle,” the Prime Minister said.