20022026-TTC-01.qxd 20-02-2026 00:38 Page 1 c m y b PRIYANKA ON ASSAM VISIT, TARGETS BJP GOVT NATION /thetribunechd 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 10 NO. 50 | 18 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 friday | 20 february 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com PM calls for ethical, transparent AI, firms to look beyond profits, stresses human-centric approach unveils India’s MANAV vision Urges THE TRIBUNE @ Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 19 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sought global standards for artificial intelligence and advocated strong ethical commitments as the cornerstone of the world’s AI development and governance architecture. Inaugurating the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, where he later addressed the Leaders’ Plenary, PM Modi batted for democratisation of AI and unveiled India’s MANAV vision for the segment. In the presence of world leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Swiss President Guy Parmelin and who’s who of the AI world, Modi elaborated the human-centric acronym. “I present the MANAV vision for AI where M stands for moral and ethical systems, A for accountable governance, N for national sovereignty, A for accessible and inclusive; and V for valid and legitimate,” PM Modi joins hands with Google’s Sundar Pichai (L), OpenAI’s Sam Altman (2ndR) and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei at the AI summit. Altman and Amodei raised fists (see pic) instead of holding raised hands. PTI AI TITANS ALTMAN, AMODEI FREEZE IN PM’S ‘JOIN HANDS’ PIC An awkward moment caught the attention of all during a high-profile group photograph with PM Modi at the summit when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei opted for raised fists instead of the hand-holding pose. said the PM, noting that India’s MANAV vision for AI would become a vital link to the welfare of mankind. Without naming any country, Modi made a compelling case for transparency in AI. “Just as sunlight is the best disinfectant, transparency is the best security. Some nations and companies believe AI is a strategic asset, so it should be confidentially developed. But WON’T LEAVE INDIA: ANIL TO SC ON PROBE BUSINESS As leaders on stage joined hands at the PM’s cue, Altman and Amodei appeared briefly hesitant. Instead of joining hands, the two lifted clenched fists in a polite, mid-air gesture. Altman later said: “I was sort of confused.” BACK PAGE our thought is different. We believe AI will be beneficial to the world when it is shared, when codes are opened.... AI should be developed as a global common good,” the PM said, adding that India saw destiny, not fear, in AI revolution. Modi also cautioned against deepfakes, saying fabricated AI content was destabilising open societies and called for watermarking of AI-generated con- tent. He further urged AI companies to look beyond profits. “AI companies carry a major responsibility to focus not only on profit, but also on purpose,” the PM said, underscoring the need for strong ethical commitments. He said since the scope of unethical behaviour in AI was unlimited, “ethical norms for AI must also be unlimited”. continued on page 8 Gear up for SIR, EC tells Punjab, Haryana, HPand other states Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 19 The Election Commission on Thursday directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of 22 states and Union Territories, including Punjab, Haryana, HP and Chandigarh, to start preparations for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls “at the earliest”. While the SIR has been completed in Bihar, the exercise is almost over in nine states and three UTs. The work is now set to begin in the remaining 17 states and five UTs. The CEOs of the 22 states and UTs have been asked to “complete preparatory work” related to SIR “at the earliest”. The SIR in the states and UTs will coincide with the first phase of Census-2027, under which the house-listing work is to be conducted in the first phase between April and September. In a letter to the CEOs of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizo- ram, Nagaland, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana and Uttarakhand, the poll body said the panIndia SIR of voters’ list was ordered in June last year. The letter recalled that the EC had, on June 24 last year, ordered that SIR would be undertaken across the country and directed all CEOs, except Bihar, where the exercise started in June 2025 itself, to initiate pre-revision activities for the exercise. After the Bihar exercise concluded, the EC announced SIR in 12 states and UTs, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday disposed of a plea against the Netflix crime thriller ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ after filmmaker Neeraj Pandey informed it that he has withdrawn the title. The top court said it was expected that there would be a quietus to this controversy in all respects. — TNS Kota man threatens to shoot Rahul, held JAIPUR: A man who allegedly put out a video threatening to shoot Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and 25 other MPs of the opposition party was detained in Kota on Thursday. Raj Singh is a spokesperson for the right-wing group Karni Sena. INSIDE UK royal Andrew held Coughup~170toenter amid Epstein files probe Himachal from April 1 sustained scrutiny of Mountbatten-Windsor’s past relationLondon, February 19 ships and activities, particularThe British Thames ly his long-established Valley police conassociation with the firmed on Thursday late financier Jeffrey that Andrew MountEpstein, who died in a batten-Windsor, the US custodial setting in younger brother of 2019 while awaiting triKing Charles III, had al on federal sex trafbeen arrested on susficking charges. Andrew picion of misconduct A tranche of docuin public office. The Mountbatten-Windsor ments released by the former duke was taken into US Department of Justice earcustody on what would have lier this year—known colloquibeen his 66th birthday. ally as the Epstein files—conAlthough the police state- tained emails and ment did not specify the correspondence that appeared continued on page 8 motive, the arrest comes amid shyam bhatia Tribune News Service the Tribune correspondent Today’s issue is of 18 pages, including four-page Jalandhar Tribune. c m y b Exercise set to begin ‘at the earliest’ ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ film title withdrawn Shimla, February 19 Entering Himachal is set to get costlier for tourists from April 1. The Himachal Pradesh Government has substantially increased the entry toll rates for private vehicles from other states. The rates have been hiked in the range of Rs 30 to Rs 250 for various categories of vehicles such as commercial, buses, trucks and heavy construction machinery entering the state through various entry points. As per the notification issued MOVE UNJUST, ILLEGAL, SAY COMMUTERS The move has triggered protests in some border areas of Punjab, with residents terming it “illegal and unjust”, saying it will impact tourism in the hill state. Officials have, however, dismissed the fears. by the government, private vehicles such as car, jeep, van or light motor vehicle registered outside the state will have to shell out Rs 170 instead of Rs 70 on entering the state. Similarly, the rates have been continued on page 8