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 | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | MUMBAI ‘India to achieve exports worth $1 tn this year’ Page 10 José Mourinho to rejoin Madrid Iran says revised terms for peace treaty with US conveyed NATION Amit Shah in Bastar for key security meet PM Modi pushes tech, green ties in Norway STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 18 May P Power Shift following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. “During that difficult time, Norway stood firmly with India against terrorism and demonstrated the spirit of true friendship. Today, as I arrive in Norway, I sincerely thank the country for that solidarity,” he said. Highlighting the changing global Page 12 Page 5 Page 9 rime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held wide-ranging talks with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store, with the two leaders unveiling an ambitious Green Strategic Partnership aimed at deepening cooperation in clean energy, maritime security, climate resilience, Arctic research, technology and global development. Addressing a joint press meet after the meeting in Oslo, Modi said India and Norway were entering a “new golden era” in bilateral ties at a time of growing global uncertainty and conflict. He described Norway as “a beautiful example of harmony between nature and human progress” and thanked Prime Minister Store for the warm welcome extended to him during the visit. Modi also recalled that his planned visit to Norway last year had been postponed Tuesday, 19 May 2026 SPORTS WORLD BUSINESS | geopolitical landscape, Modi said India and Europe were strengthening strategic engagement amid conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia. “India and Norway both believe in a rules-based order, dialogue and diplomacy. We agree that no issue can be resolved solely through military conflict,” he said, adding that both countries would continue supporting efforts for peace and the early end of conflicts. A key focus of the discussions was the implementation of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement signed last year between India and the European Free Trade Association. Modi described the pact as “a blueprint for ensuring shared progress and prosperity between India and Norway.” Under the agreement, EFTA countries have committed to facilitating investments worth 100 billion dollars in India over the next 15 years with the potential to generate one million jobs. Modi said both sides had taken“severalimportantdecisions” to translate the agreement into concrete outcomes. The two countries also elevated their relationship into a Green Strategic Partnership, with cooperation planned across clean energy, climate resilience, green shipping, blue economy initiatives and sustainable development technologies. Suvendu government rolls out pay panel, free bus travel for women • Seventh Pay Commission approved for state employees. PM receives Norway’s highest honour: New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with Norway’s highest civilian honour, the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, in Oslo on Monday, marking his 32nd international recognition and capping a two-day Nordic outreach that underscored India’s deepening ties with the region. The honour was presented during Modi’s meeting with King Harald V and Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace. The Grand Cross is the highest grade of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit and is reserved for exceptional service in advancing Norway’s interests and international relations. Congress leader V.D. Satheesan takes oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. (See Page 4) SNS • Free bus travel for women from 1 June. • Bengal ends allowances for imams, purohits. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 18 May The newly formed BJP government in West Bengal announced the constitution of the long-awaited Seventh State Pay Commission along with a series of welfare and policy measures, including free bus travel for women, a fresh review of the OBC list and the scrapping of religion-based welfare schemes from June. The decisions were taken at the second major cabinet meeting of the new government chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Nabanna on Monday. As promised during the election campaign, the BJP government announced the constitution of the Seventh Pay Commission and a package of women-centric welfare measures in the state. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, state minister Agnimitra Paul said, “The government has taken the final decision to set up the Seventh State Pay Commission to review and comprehensively revise the existing salary structure of state government employees.” She said a high-level committee or commission would soon be constituted to prepare the framework for enhancing salaries, allowances and service conditions of employees. The implementation of the Seventh State Pay Commission had been one of BJP’s flagship poll promises in Bengal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah repeatedly assuring state government employees during the campaign. However, despite earlier indications that DA issues could be discussed, the cabinet did not announce any decision regarding pending DA dues or parity with central government employees. Alongside the pay commission announcement, the cabinet also rolled out major welfare initiatives aimed at women voters. The government also announced that women across the state would be able to travel free of cost in all state-run buses from June 1. Paul said the proposal had received in-principle approval from the cabinet and would initially be implemented using the existing state transport infrastructure. The government, she added, plans to strengthen public transport through the introduction of new electric buses, details of which are expected in the full state budget next month. Officials said the scheme is likely to provide financial relief to lakhs of working women, students and daily commuters by reducing transportation expenses. The cabinet also discussed the rollout of the Annapurna Bhandar scheme. Beneficiaries of the previous Lakshmir Bhandar scheme would automatically be migrated to the new system of direct financial assistance. “Fresh applicants would also be able to apply through a dedicated portal to be opened shortly. The applicants under th e Citizensh ip Amendment Ac t (CAA) process and those who had approached tribunals would also be eligible for benefits,” Paul said. In another major policy shift, the BJP government announced that all religion-based welfare schemes run by the Information and Cultural Affairs Department and the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department would be discontinued from June. “Benefits under these schemes will continue for the current month of May, but they will be completely discontinued from June,” Paul said, adding that a detailed notification would be issued shortly. The decision is expected to impact several schemes introduced under the previous Trinamool Congress government, including monthly honorariums for Imams, Muezzins and Hindu priests. The BJP had long criticised such schemes as examples of “appeasement politics” and argued that welfare policies should not be linked to religion. The origins of the controversy date back to 2012, when the Mamata Banerjee government introduced monthly allowances for Muslim clerics, triggering legal challenges. The Calcutta High Court later struck down direct state payments to Imams and Muezzins, after which the payments were routed through the Wakf Board. In 2020, the then government expanded the benefits to include economically weaker Hindu priests as well. The cabinet also took a significant decision on the politically sensitive OBC reservation issue by ordering a fresh review of the state’s Other Backward Classes list and abolishing the existing sub-categorisation structure linked to reservation in government jobs and posts. Paul said the government would conduct a fresh enquiry and take future decisions regarding inclusion of groups in accordance with court directives. The issue has remained controversial since 2012, when the previous government included a large number of Muslim communities in the OBC list through executive orders. From Pokhran-I to Pokhran-II: India’s nuclear journey STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Jaisalmer, 18 May A 107-metre-deep shaft was dug, and a nuclear device of 1.25-metre diameter, placed on a hexagonal metallic tripod, was lowered to the bottom and packed securely by post-midnight on 17–18 May 1974. While the team of scientists spent that eventful night sleepless, giving final touches to the history-making task, in New Delhi, late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (photo left), who herself was monitoring the entire affair, was also more or less in the same state of mind. Waiting for the good news, she sat by the telephone in her chamber early in the morning, a revisit to memory lane reflects. Finally, in Pokhran at around 8:05 am on 18 May 1974, nuclear scientist Dr Pranab R Dastidar pressed the firing button of the 1,400-kg plutonium implosion fission device, to the jubilation of the team of India’s top scientists, who had been working in Pokhran throughout the night to script a golden chapter in the history of nuclear science. The earth shook with tremors and a deafening explosion made a loud announcement of India’s prowess, enabling the country to join the elite group of five nuclear-powered nations — the US, the UK, Russia, France and China. However, people from different walks of life interpreted the happenings at the army field range differently. While local residents in areas adjoining the army field firing range mistook it for a strong earthquake, the scientists monitoring the seismic instruments burst into joy at the grand success of Operation Smiling Buddha. Confirming the success and precision of the test blast, at around 8:10 am Dr Raja Ramanna, Director of India’s Nuclear Programme, telephoned Mrs Gandhi to convey the historic message: “The Buddha has smiled.” This is how the news broke to the world. Prior to this, the dream task of developing a nuclear device, though intended for peace, had remained strictly confined to the Prime Minister, around 75 selected top scientists, and senior army brass throughout the entire span of the project — from inception and research to coordination and preparation — which took almost six to seven years. Earlier, the foundation for India’s capacity-building in nuclear science and energy had begun with the formation of the Nuclear Energy Commission in 1948. This was further strengthened in phases and focused on the development of nuclear power plants. The aspiration to work on a nuclear device emerged after Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966. The political and strategic handling of the post “Buddha Smiled” situation gave India’s nuclear power programme the desired boost and accelerated the further evolution of the agenda. This received further recognition when then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (photo right) once again surprised the world in May 1998, turning the “Buddha’s Smile” into a “jolly laugh” by triggering five more nuclear tests under Pokhran-II.