THE SUNDAY Vol. 37 No. 21 | Sunday, February 15, 2026 32 Pages | `5 & for Pune `7 | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation ‘US consumers bear 95% of Trump tariffs’ REFORM | New market-linked model aims to unlock `4L cr investment and transform cities `1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund approved Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI In a twin policy push aimed at reshaping India’s urban landscape and strengthening its innovation economy, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) and a Rs 10,000 crore Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0. The Urban Challenge Fund, with a total Central Assistance (CA) of Rs 1 lakh crore, is designed to catalyse nearly Rs 4 lakh crore in urban investment over the next five years. The Cabinet described the decision as a “paradigm shift” from traditional grant-based financing towards a market-linked, reform-driven and outcomeoriented model of infrastructure creation. The Fund will be operational from FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31, NORWAY’S FORMER PM ARRESTED Kasara-Manmad link The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Saturday approved three multitracking projects of the Ministry of Railways at a total cost of INR 185.09 billion. The projects cover 12 districts across the states of Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka, increasing the existing network of Indian Railways by about 389 kilometres and will be completed up to 2030-31, the Cabinet said in a press release. This includes the Kasara-Manmad railway project worth INR 101.54 bln. SEE CITY, NATION with an extendable implementation period up to FY 2033–34. It gives effect to the Budget 2025–26 vision of developing cities as growth hubs, promoting creative redevelopment and strengthening water and sanitation infrastructure. Under the framework, central assistance will cover up to 25 per cent of a project’s cost, provided that at least 50 per cent of the project cost is raised from market sources. These may include municipal bonds, bank loans and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). The remaining share will be contributed by States, Union Territories (UTs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) or other sources. At least half of total project financing must be mobilised through market instruments, marking a decisive move to deepen municipal financial markets and attract private capital into urban infrastructure. 4Contd on | nation METRO MISHAP Agencies Shefali Pandit & Sweety Bhagwat MUMBAI 4Contd on | nation POWER PROJECTION IN NORTHEAST : An Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands at the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) in Dibrugarh district, Assam, on Saturday. The Prime Minister arrived at the Northeast’s first ELF to attend an aerial display by the IAF featuring fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters. He also inaugurated the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu across the Brahmaputra in Guwahati, constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 3,030 crore. SEE NATION National interest above all else: Tarique Rahman Agencies DHAKA Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday said the party would follow a foreign policy that protects the country’s interests in its dealings with China, India, and Pakistan. Speaking to journalists at a post-election press conference at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka, Tarique said Bangladesh’s foreign policy will be 1 killed, 3 hurt in Mulund OSLO Epsiten files release has claimed its first European victim, former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, who was taken into custody at his home on Thursday after being charged with “aggravated corruption” following a police investigation into his alleged ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The charge comes after the Council of Europe lifted Jagland’s diplomatic immunity, which he held as secretary general of the body from 2009 to 2019. Jagland denies criminal liability and has said he is willing to cooperate with investigators. Elden Law Firm confirmed to CNN that Jagland is “charged with aggravated corruption,” adding that he “denies all charges.” Økokrim, Norway’s investigative agency for economic and environmental crime, said it will now question Jagland as part of its ongoing probe. The agency’s director, Pål Lønseth, said searches were carried out at Jagland’s residence in Oslo on Thursday, as well as at 2 other properties in Risør and Rauland, BBC reports. Vidhi Santosh Mehta MUMBAI Part of Metro pillar collapse at LBS Road, Mulund, in Mumbai. PIC: VIJAY GOHIL In a tragic incident, Ramdhan Yadav, a passenger in an autorickshaw and the sarpanch of Bar Khani village in Jaunpur, was crushed to death after a portion of the parapet wall of an under-construction Metro Rail bridge collapsed onto a passing autorickshaw and a Skoda car in Mulund West on Saturday afternoon. Three others, including the autorickshaw driver, were injured in the mishap. The accident occurred around 12.15 pm near the Johnson & Johnson premises on the busy LBS Road. A segment of the parapet wall fell from a height near Pier P196 of Metro Line 4, striking the moving autorickshaw and the car. Ramdhan Yadav was travelling in an autorickshaw driven by his relative, Rajkumar Indrajeet Yadav (45) and Mahendra Pratap Yadav (52). He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Police said Rajkumar is in critical condition and undergoing treatment in the ICU, while Mahendra and Deepa Ruhiya (40), who was driving the Skoda, are reported to be stable. 4See also | city Donald Trump talks up Iran regime change Agencies WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump on Friday said a change in power in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen,” as the Pentagon sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East and officials disclosed preparations for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long military operations if ordered. Asked why a second carrier was being deployed, Trump said: “In case we don't make a deal, we'll need it ... if we need it, we'll have it ready.” Two US officials told Reuters that the military is preparing for a potentially prolonged campaign against Iran, a move that could mark a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the two countries. 4Contd on | nation Was Epstein strangled to death? FPJ News Service MUMBAI The cause of Jeffrey Epstein’s death should be formally reinvestigated, according to Dr Michael Baden, the pathologist who witnessed the convicted paedophile’s post mortem examination. In an interview with The Telegraph, Dr Baden said he remains unconvinced by the ruling of the New York Medical Examiner’s Office that Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex traffick- In an interview to a UK newspaper, the pathologist who witnessed the paedophile’s post-mortem points out the inconsistencies of the official narrative ing charges in 2019. “My opinion is that his death was most likely caused by strangulation pressure rather than hanging,” Dr Baden, who was hired by Epstein’s estate and attended the autopsy as an observer on behalf of the family, told The Telegraph. “Given all the information now available, further investigation into the cause and manner of death is warranted.” Although Dr Baden did not conduct the autopsy himself, he was present during the examin- ation on August 11, 2019. He said that at the time, both he and the medical examiner agreed that “on the basis of the autopsy report and the information available, more information was needed to determine the cause and manner of death.” A redacted version of Epstein’s post mortem report released in December by the US justice department marked the “manner of death” as “pending”, leaving the boxes for both suicide and homicide blank. 4Contd on | nation guided by “the greater interests of Bangladesh and its people.” He placed emphasis on Bangladesh’s national interest. It would come come first. Foreign policy would be based on mutual respect, non-interference, and strategic autonomy. There would be no co country-centric policy. Asked about the main challenges he would face as head of government, Tarique said, “We have several challenges. Our economy faces challenges, and the country’s law and order situation is a concern. We must ensure the security of the people. The previous government politicized almost all institutions. Therefore, we must ensure good governance.” 4Contd on | nation READING THE DHAKA TEA LEAVES Ashwin Ahmad NEW DELHI The Congressional Budget Office has said that US consumers bear 95 percent of the cost of the tariffs imposed in 2025, according to its latest budget and economic outlook. Reacting to the report, Brendan Duke, a tax and budget expert at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and former BidenHarris National Economic Council official, wrote on X: “Wow. CBO estimates that U.S. consumers bear 95 PERCENT OF THE TRUMP TARIFFS.” Congressional Budget Office projects a starkly different picture As Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman readies to take oath, speculation mounts on just how he will tackle the many problems that the country faces. Among them, the sluggish economy, the law and order situation, worsening relations with India, and fraying communal harmony after a spate of communal attacks. He added: “Basically, foreign firms bear 5% of them, U.S. companies bear 30% of them but other U.S. companies get to raise prices on consumers from less competition so that nets to zero. And consumers pay rest.” 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation