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 | BHUBANESWAR | MUMBAI | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI SPORTS WORLD Festivities usher in Year of the Horse BUSINESS RBI likely to hold rates steady in FY27: Report BRIEFLY Australia knocked out, Zimbabwe progress to Super 8s: New Delhi: Former champions Australia were knocked out of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup after the Group B fixture between Ireland and Zimbabwe was washed out in Pallekele on Tuesday. The abandoned match proved decisive. While Australia were left without a mathematical chance of reaching the Super 8s, Zimbabwe advanced to the next stage of the tournament for the first time in their history. The single point shared between Zimbabwe and Ireland was enough to seal the African side’s progression, underlining a memorable group-stage run. Australia, champions in 2021, struggled to find momentum throughout the tournament. They suffered defeats in two of their three Group B matches, including an eight-wicket loss to Sri Lanka on Monday, after having earlier gone down to Zimbabwe. Those setbacks ultimately proved costly. For Australia, it marks only the second time they have failed to move past the group stage of the T20 World Cup, the previous early exit coming in 2009. Kharge calls AI Summit ‘chaos, nat’l embarrassment’ Page 9 Page 5 PM Modi, Prez Macron ink key pacts in Mumbai STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 February P rime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron signalled a new era of cooperation and spoke about elevating the India-France relationship to a "Special Strategic Partnership", here on Tuesday, emphasising that their relationship is built on "trust, openness, and ambition" which is capable of reaching from the "deep oceans to the tallest mountains." High-level talks between the French and Indian delegations headed by French President Macron and PM Modi, were held at Lok Bhavan, which is the Governor's official residence in South Mumbai. The talks resulted in a roadmap that significantly deepens defence manufacturing, technology transfer, and collaboration in emerging technologies. The meeting marked President Macron’s fourth official visit to India, underscoring the deepening bond between the two democratic powers. Addressing media persons here following the bilateral level talks, Prime Minister Modi unveiled a grand vision for the alliance, using the inauguration of a new helicopter facility to illustrate the scope of the partnership. "Today, the inauguration of the helicopter assembly line in India is another shining example of this deep trust. We New Delhi, 17 February After one and a half years of p olitical instability, Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin swore in BNP chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday as the country’s new Prime Minister. Following Rahman’s swearing-in, the new cabinet, including ministers and state ministers, took their oaths. Key leaders, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Khalilur are proud that India and France together will manufacture in India the world’s only helicopter capable of flying to the heights of Mount Everest," PM Modi announced. "And this will also be exported across the world. That means the India–France partnership has no boundaries. It can reach from the deep oceans to the tallest mountains." A key highlight of the visit was France's explicit commitment to technology transfer, a move that is expected to bolster India's indigenous defence AI deployment represents ‘fifth industrial revolution’, says Vaishnaw STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 February The deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents the “fifth industrial revolution”, with the potential to impact every aspect of the economy and society, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday. Addressing the media on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Vaishnaw said, “AI deployment is expanding across virtually every sector, and it represents the fifth industrial revolution, with the potential to impact every aspect of the economy and society. “We have seen transformative solutions, particularly in healthcare, where AI can make services more affordable, and in education, where learning can be tailored to the needs of each student. These examples demonstrate the vast possibilities that AI offers across sectors,” he said. “All the top executives are present and participating in nearly twenty sessions, reflecting the strong commitment of global AI leaders,” the Tarique Rahman becomes B’desh PM, ends an era of ‘Rule by Begums’ UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Sinner off to winning start on Doha debut NATION Page 10 South Africa v UAE Pakistan v Namibia India v Netherlands Rahman, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, and Major Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, were among those sworn in. Earlier in the day, BNP lawmakers elected in the 13th parliamentary elections took the oath as members of parliament. Rahman’s jumbo cabinet of 49 members, including 25 full ministers and 24 state ministers, was also sworn in after him. Rahman, son of Late Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and militar y general-turne d president Zia Ur Rahman, Wednesday, 18 February 2026 was catapulted to the position aft er t he B angladesh Nationalist Party and its allies won a stunning victory at elections held last week, securing 212 seats out 297 which went to the polls, filling a vacuum left by the controversial banning of the Awami League. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to Rahman and members of his cabinet on this evening, in a ceremony which broke with past practice and was held under open skies at the South Plaza of the Bangladesh National Parliament. Rahman has b e come Bangladesh's first elected male Prime Minister in 36 years, marking the party's return to power after nearly two decades and a new chapter in a political landscape long dominate d by two "Begums" - Sheikh Hasina and his mother, Khaleda Zia. (See Page 9) minister added. "We believe that human creativity is the most important thing that we have in our entire civilisation. So we must protect it; we must make sure that any system that protects and enhances human creativity is better. There shouldn't be a dilutive effect; there should be more of a complementary impact, effect on human creativity," he said. "We have to have techno-legal solutions, solutions which look at laws while they simultaneously also look at technical guardrails and technical balancing features in the AI models as well as in the way AI is deployed. This is something which will have to be taken up at a global level. This will require a consensus-building across different countries," he added. Om Birla meets B’desh PM, conveys Modi’s India invite STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 February Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who represented the swearing in ceremony of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government in Dhaka on Tuesday, met Bangladesh’s new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and hande d over an invitation from Prime Minister Modi to visit India. “India stands ready to supp or t Bangladesh’s endeavours to b uild a democratic, progressive and inclusive nation,’’ Birla told the new leader of Bangladesh at the me eting while conveying him the wishes of the Indian Prime Minister. The Speaker also met the Maldives President, Bhutan Prime Minister and other leaders on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony. capabilities. French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the partnership goes beyond buyer-seller dynamics, focusing instead on co-development and co-production. "Whether it's the Rafale aircraft, submarines, or the engines for fifth-generation fighter jets, there are many areas where we are working together with India. We believe in technology transfer, and we have tried to do the same, as you desired," President Macron stated. The French President emphasised the shared belief in "strategic autonomy," noting that both nations are working on a common roadmap to address global challenges "distinct from hegemony." He further announced that India has been invited to the space sector summit in France this July, highlighting the growing convergence in space exploration and defence. Page 12 AI stands at a civilisational inflection point, must ensure meaningful and equitable outcomes, says PM Modi AGENCIES New Delhi, 17 February Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that artificial intelligence stands at a civilisational inflection point and can expand human capability in unprecedented ways, but if left unguided, it could also test existing social foundations. Speaking exclusively to ANI, PM Modi explained the significance of the summit's motto, saying, "Today, AI stands at a civilisational inflection point. It can expand human capability in unprecedented ways, but it can also test existing social foundations if left unguided. That is why we have deliberately framed this Summit around Impact that ensures meaningful and equitable outcomes, not just innovation. The guiding spirit, "Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhaye", reflects India's civilisational philosophy. The end goal of technology should be 'Welfare for All, Happiness of All'. Technology exists to serve humanity, not replace it." He further elaborated on the structure and vision of the AI Impact Summit 2026, and noted that India's vision was to see AI's benefits distrubuted to all. "The Summit is structured around People, Planet and Progress. AI systems draw upon knowledge and data generated across societies worldwide. Therefore, we want AI's benefits to be diffused to everyone and not just hoarded by early adopters," PM Modi said. Highlighting India's role as the first country in the Global South to host such a summit, PM Modi said, "India is creating a platform that amplifies under-represented voices and development priorities. AI governance, inclusive datasets, climate applications, agricultural productivity, public health, and multilingual access are not peripheral issues for us. They are central." "Our vision is clear: AI must accelerate global development while remaining deeply human-centric," the Prime Minister added. The India AI Impact Summit 2026 marks the first time that a global convening of this scale on artificial intelligence is being organised in the Global South.