FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 BRIEFLY PM likely to meet Trump on sidelines of G7: New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit France and Slovakia from 14 to 18 June, culminating his trip with participation in the 52nd G7 Summit under the French presidency. The visit is expected to include bilateral meetings with several world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, including a possible meeting with US President Donald Trump amid rising tensions in West Asia and growing concerns over maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. India has been invited as a partner country to the G7 Summit, marking its 13th participation in the grouping and Mr Modi’s seventh consecutive appearance. The summit will focus on global challenges related to peace, security, economic growth, sustainability and artificial intelligence. | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 11 June P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday underscored the critical role of Centre-state cooperation in transforming India into a developed nation by 2047, asserting that the collective efforts of the Union and state governments would be instrumental in achieving the vision of “Viksit Bharat.” Chairing the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, the Prime Minister called for coordinated governance, effective policy implementation and a shared commitment to ensuring that the benefits of development reach every citizen. The high-level meeting, held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre under the theme “Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat @2047”, brought together Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors, Union Ministers and senior policymakers to deliberate on a long-term roadmap for equitable and sustainable development. The Governing Council, NITI Aayog’s apex decision-making STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE body, focused on creating a framework that places people at the centre of India’s development journey as the country prepares for the centenary of its independence. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s resilience in the face of global uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, inflationary pressures and energy security challenges. He stressed that despite these headwinds, India continued to maintain strong economic momentum and is well-positioned to pursue its long-term developmental ambitions. Mr Modi urged As for terrorism, the world must be clear on zero tolerance. On all these issues, there was a meeting of minds between India and Bulgaria. New Delhi, 11 June Mr Jaishankar said. “As for terrorism, the world must be clear on zero tolerance. On all these issues, there was a meeting of minds between India and Bulgaria” he added. During his visit, Mr Jaishankar interacted with the senior leadership with discussions focusing on bilateral cooperation, partnership between India and the European Union and what the two countries can do together going forward. On Wednesday, high-level talks were held with Bulgarian leaders, including Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova, focusing on expanding bilateral cooperation across a wide range of sectors and strengthening India’s engagement with Bulgaria and the European Union. During his talks with his Bulgarian counterpart, Mr Jaishankar noted that both sides “reviewed the full spec- Cong dismisses speculation over TMC’s merger STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 11 June Even as the crisis in the Trinamul Congress deepened further, the Congress on Thursday dismissed as “baseless” the speculation over the possibility of a merger of the Mamata Banerjee-led party with the grand old party. At a media interaction here, Congress Organisation General Secretary K C Venugopal said all reports suggesting the merger were “baseless rumours”. He said the recent meetings between TMC leaders Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee and the top Congress leadership were “routine engagements as part BHUBANESWAR PM urges Centre-state synergy to realise Viksit Bharat vision ‘Dialogue, diplomacy only solution to conflicts’ External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday that the only solution to the conflicts in West Asia and Europe is dialogue and diplomacy. In remarks to the media after a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Velislava Petrova-Chamova in Bulgaria, he noted how the world is passing through an exceptionally volatile and uncertain future with multiple major conflicts. “Where economic risks are concerned, the answer is in supply chain resilience and in further diversification. It is important that maritime trade is neither impeded nor endangered. On behalf of the Global South, India has also repeatedly underlined concerns of energy, food and fertilisers,” | of INDIA alliance’s discussion”. “How can I respond to rumours and speculation?” he wondered when asked for reaction to the reports about the possibility of the TMC’s merger into his party. “Of course, we will work together against the anti-democratic BJP government,” he added. There was intense speculation in political circles on Wednesday that the beleaguered former Chief Minister of West Bengal was weighing the option of merging her TMC into the Congress in the wake of the exit of a large number of her party MLAs and MPs from the party following its defeat in the recent Assembly elections. AT A MEDIA INTERACTION, CONGRESS ORGANISATION GENERAL SECRETARY K C VENUGOPAL SAID ALL REPORTS SUGGESTING THE MERGER WERE “BASELESS RUMOURS”. HE SAID THE RECENT MEETINGS BETWEEN TMC LEADERS MAMATA BANERJEE AND ABHISHEK BANERJEE AND THE TOP CONGRESS LEADERSHIP WERE “ROUTINE ENGAGEMENTS AS PART OF INDIA ALLIANCE’S DISCUSSION”. Meanwhile, the TMC suffered another jolt when Rajya Sabha member Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Upper House and the party. His departure follows the exits of senior TMC leaders Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev from the Upper House. Another TMC Rajya Sabha member Rukmini Mallick is learnt to have written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, expressing her desire to resign from the House. states to actively support and implement key flagship programmes of the Union government while ensuring that welfare schemes and development initiatives effectively reach citizens at the grassroots level. The discussions also examined areas where states may require additional support from the Centre, reflecting an effort to strengthen collaboration and improve the delivery of public services. Participants emphasised the need for coordinated governance and seamless policy execution to sustain growth and development outcomes across the country. A central focus of the meeting was the formulation of an Inclusive Human Development Framework built around four key pillars: foundational human capital and future-ready skills, productive employment and entrepreneurship-led growth, health and nutrition, and equity and dignity for all. LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | Friday, 12 June 2026 3 Indian seafarers confirmed killed in US strike on tanker ARTI BALI New Delhi, 11 June Three Indian seafarers were confirmed dead on Thursday after the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello was struck by US forces in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday. A second vessel carrying more than 20 Indian seafarers came under attack from US forces off Oman’s Shinas port on Thursday, marking the third assault on ships with Indian crew in just seven days and underscoring the dangers facing commercial shipping in West Asia amid the escalating regional conflict. The deceased killed in the missile strike on the Settebello were identified as deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya and chief engineer Patnala Suresh. The tanker had a crew of 28, including 24 Indians and four others ~ two reportedly from Pakistan, one Ukrainian and one Russian. While 21 Indian sailors were rescued, the three missing crew members were later confirmed dead. The deaths prompted India to summon the US Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Jason Meeks, and lodge a strong protest. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had last night summoned the US diplomat to register a “strong protest” over the killings. “Yesterday, we condemned the attack on a ship off the coast of Oman in which, unfortunately, we lost three Indian nationals. We had summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires here to register a strong protest,” Mr Jaiswal said at an interministerial briefing on Thursday. Mr Jaiswal stated that efforts are underway to bring the mortal remains of the deceased seafarers to India at the earliest The Indian Embassy in Oman confirmed another maritime incident involving a vessel near Shinas port. The targeted vessel, MT Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissauflagged bitumen tanker, was sailing near Shinas when it was attacked. Evacuation of the crew was immediately initiated with assistance from the Royal Navy of Oman. Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Mukesh Mangal, said all Indian crew members were safe and no casualties had been reported. (Representational image) Abhishek Banerjee appears before CID after obtaining court protection S. JAISHANKAR, MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE trum of India-Bulgaria relations and explored new avenues for cooperation, particularly in the context of the IndiaEU FTA negotiations conclusion, the Strategic & Defence Partnership, and the Comprehensive Mobility Cooperation Framework.” Mr Jaishankar is also scheduled to visit Finland during his ongoing foreign tour. | Kolkata, 11 June Hours after Calcutta High Court granted him interim protection from arrest in connection with a police probe into the alleged signature forgery case, Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee appeared before a team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for questioning on Thursday evening. The Diamond Harbour MP reached CID headquarters Bhabani Bhavan at around 5.50 pm, soon after he landed in Kolkata on his return from New Delhi. Earlier in the day, Calcutta High Court directed that no coercive legal action can be taken against Trinamul Congress national general secretary without the court's permission while at the same time, the making it clear that Banerjee must fully cooperate with the CID investigation into the alleged forged-signature case involving TMC MLAs. The order came after Mr Banerjee’s counsel, Ayan Bhattacharya, informed Justice Kausik Chanda that his client would appear before CID investigators at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The lawyer also assured the court that Mr Banerjee would respond to summonses issued by the investigating agency between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. whenever required. Earlier in the day, Mr Banerjee’s counsel faced tough questions from Justice Chanda during the hearing. The judge sought to know when the TMC leader would appear before the CID and directed the lawyer to provide an answer within 10 minutes. Justice Chanda subsequently directed that investigators would be free to seize documents relevant to the case and interrogate Mr Banerjee if necessary. The court emphasised that the TMC leader must cooperate with the investigation. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled after two weeks, and the CID has been directed to submit a status report on the progress of the probe. Mr Banerjee had approached the High Court seeking protection from arrest and other coercive measures by the CID in connection with the alleged forged-signature case in the West Bengal Assembly. Opposing the plea, the CID informed the court that three notices had already been issued to Mr Banerjee and that the validity of all those notices had expired. The investigating agency argued that the petition was therefore not maintainable and that Mr Banerjee was free to appear before the CID without requiring any special protection. HAL files FIR against aerospace supplier over alleged forged documents in Tejas Mk-1A programme PARWINDER SANDHU New Delhi, 11 June Defence public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has initiated criminal proceedings against a Hyderabad-based aerospace components manufacturer after an internal verification exercise allegedly uncovered the submission of fabricated quality certification documents linked to supplies for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1A programme. According to reports, an FIR was lodged at a police station in Bengaluru following a complaint by a senior HAL official. The complaint names the chief executive of Tec Aero Devices, a supplier engaged in manufacturing aircraft components for the Tejas Mk-1A project. HAL said that the company had received multiple purchase orders for the production of aircraft parts after submiting the necessary vendor approvals and certifications. The orders reportedly covered dozens of component categories required for the indigenous fighter aircraft programme. As per procurement requirements, suppliers are mandated to furnish authentic test and inspection reports for every batch of components delivered. These reports are intended to certify critical quality parameters such as material strength, hardness, structural integrity, corrosion resistance and other technical specifications. The complaint states that concerns arose after discrepancies were noticed in documents submitted by the supplier. A subsequent audit and verification exercise conducted by HAL's quality assurance team reportedly revealed that 199 test reports submitted in support of component supplies were not genuine. The reports had allegedly been attributed to a Hyderabad-based inspection agency. However, during verification, the agency informed HAL that it had not issued any of the documents in question and claimed that its name and authorised signatures had been misused. Following the findings, HAL issued a show-cause notice to the supplier seeking an explanation. Although the company later acknowledged procedural lapses and sought leniency, HAL rejected the request and removed the firm from its approved vendor list for a period of three years. Payments relating to the disputed supplies were also withheld pending further action. Police have registered a case under provisions relating to cheating, forgery and the use of forged documents. Investigators are examining the circumstances under which the alleged falsified reports were submitted and whether they had any impact on the supply chain of the Tejas Mk-1A programme. The development comes as HAL continues to strengthen quality assurance mechanisms for India's indigenous defence manufacturing programmes, where stringent certification and testing standards are considered critical for operational safety and reliability.