tirupati l friday l february 13, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION seattle to pay $29 million to kin of indian student who died in ‘23 The family of Jaahnavi Kandula, killed in January 2023 when she was struck by a police car in Seattle, will receive $29 million in settlement had gone to u.s. on student exchange callous remarks drove lawsuit Jaahnavi, 23, was struck by a police car driven by officer Kevin Dave as she was crossing a street in Seattle on January 23, 2023.  Dave was driving at more than 119 kmh when he fatally hit Jaahnavi. The student hailed from Adoni in Andhra Pradesh, and was studying in a Bengaluru college from where she was sent to the US on a student exchange programme ■ ■ The lawsuit by Jaahnavi’s parents was in “reference to callous remarks” made by Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer, who said Kandula’s life had “limited value” and they should just write a cheque Dave was fired subsequently, while Seattle’s civilian watchdog found Auderer’s comments damaged the department’s reputation | P9 100 feet jaahnavi was thrown 100 feet away after being hit by the car CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Inflation cools to 2.75% Govt green light to procure 114 Rafales as govt overhauls index J a v a r i a R a n a @ New Delhi Veg prices tumble under new CPI series with 2023-2024 as base year PUS H PI TA D E Y @ New Delhi RETAIL inflation eased to 2.75% year-on-year in January , helped largely by a sharp fall in prices of key vegetables and pulses, even as jewellery and select food items registered price rise, government data released on Wednesday showed. The latest inflation print also marks the first release of the Consumer Price Index with a revised base year of 2023-2024, replacing the 2011-12 series. The revision, based on the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023–24, expands the basket to reflect current consumption patterns, especially the growing role of services and digital spending. The data, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Prog ramme Implementation, showed that inflation in rural areas stood at 2.7% while urban inflation was marginally higher at 2.77%. Food inflation, measured by the Consumer Food Price Index, was 2.13%. A steep fall in prices of essential kitchen staples played a major role in keeping headline inflation contained. Garlic Food sheds weight; housing gains Categories Food and beverages Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels Transport Clothing and footwear Health Personal care, social protection & miscellaneous goods and services Furnishings, household equipment & routine household maintenance Information and communication Education services Restaurants and accommodation services Paan, tobacco and intoxicants Recreation, sport and culture prices fell 53.05%, onion 29.27%, potato 28.98%, arhar (tur) dal 24.90% and peas slipped 15.56% on an annual basis. At the same time, some items witnessed extraordinary inflation. Silver jewellery soared 159.67%, tomato prices 64.80%, copra 47%, gold, diamond and platinum jewellery 46.77%, and coconut oil shot up 40.44%. The revised series expands the basket from 299 items to 358. Rural house rent has been CPI 2012 Weight (%) 42.617 16.888 6.394 6.527 5.9 CPI 2024 Weight (%) 36.753 17.665 8.796 6.383 6.1 4.006 5.038 3.656 4.469 3.323 3.513 3.246 2.38 1.547 3.609 3.333 3.348 2.989 1.516 included, as have modern consumption elements such as OTT subscriptions, online services, and CNG/PNG. Outdated items like VCRs and cassette players have been removed. The updated series also incorporates e-commerce prices in 12 major cities. “New items have been added to capture changes in the economy and consumer behaviour,” MoSPI secretary Saurabh Garg recently told this newspaper. Textiles to get benefits on par with Dhaka in final deal: Govt P u s h p i ta D ey @ New Delhi INDIA, like Bangladesh, will receive the benefit of zero-duty access to the US market for garments made using US-origin cotton and man-made fibres under the proposed India–US trade agreement, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday . “In the final agreement, India will also get what Bangladesh received under the yarnforward and cotton-forward provisions. If specific cotton or yarn is imported from the US, processed in India, and exported back to the US, it will receive the same benefit as Bangladesh,” Goyal said. The clarification comes amid concerns that Indian exporters could lose their competitive edge to Bangladesh in the US market following the US–Bangladesh trade deal announced on February 9. Under that deal, the US agreed to zero-duty entry for garments made with USorigin cotton and man-made fibres, triggering uncertainty within India’s textile export community . Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had on Wednesday cautioned that if Bangladesh imports US cotton at zero duty, it would further weaken India’s competitiveness, potentially devastating the domestic textile sector. Following these developments, garment exporters from across the country met Goyal. The minister, however, assured that “textile exporters would derive maximum benefit from the proposed deal.” Today’s Matches 11am: Australia vs Zimbabwe (Colombo), 3pm: Canada vs UAE (New Delhi), 7pm: USA vs Netherlands (Chennai) Polling officials begin the counting of votes cast in Bangladesh’s national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, on Thursday | AP Counting begins after peaceful B’desh polls Yunus call to uphold democratic decency “I call upon political parties and candidates to uphold democratic decency, tolerance and mutual respect even after the final results are announced. Differences of opinion will exist, but in the national interest, we must remain united,” Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said The first significant results may be available overnight... Voting was peaceful though there were a few minor disruptions in some districts -Bangladesh Election Commission C ounting of votes began in Bangladesh on Thursday evening after peaceful polling earlier in the day for the crucial general elections to elect Parliament members and decide on a referendum on constitutional reforms. While the interim gover nment and the election commission hailed the process, deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina called the polls “a well-planned farce” and demanded a “free, fair and inclusive elections Bayezid Milky under a neutral careSenior journalist based taker government”. in Dhaka At the time of going to the press, there was no official word on the polling percentage, though the poll rolls had nearly 13 crore voters. What was visible though was a good turnout in the morning, but no subsequent voter rush at polling booths for the rest of the day. People just came in ones and twos to cast their ballots. Without going into the numbers, the election commission claimed the turnout was satisfactory . This is a straight fight between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman, 60, and an 11-party alliance led by the Bangladesh Jamaat e Islami and the nascent National Citizen Party (NCP). As per initial trends, BNP candidates appeared to be leading the race with Jamaat struggling to put up a decent show. In the early rounds of counting for the referendum, negative votes were more than the ‘yes’ votes. Top BNP and Jamaat and NCP leaders said they would accept the verdict if the process is not rigged.  Continued on: P9 AHEAD of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India next week, the defence ministry on Thursday accorded acceptance of necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals worth around `3.6 lakh crore, including the much awaited gover nment-to-gover nment deal for 114 Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft estimated at about `3.25 lakh crore. The final contract for the jets is unlikely to be signed before early 2027, sources said. The AoN marks the first formal step in the procurement process, after which commercial negotiations and contract finalisation follow. The time- line for conclusion varies depending on the negotiations. Under the proposal, the Indian Air Force is expected to receive 88 single-seat and 26 twin-seat Rafale fighters. Around 18 aircraft are likely to be delivered in fly-away condition, while the remaining 96 will be manufactured in India with up to 60 per cent indigenous content. Sources said the overall Rafale package includes an estimated `2.5 lakh crore for the aircraft and associated systems, with weapons and support elements taking the total value to around `3.25 lakh crore. This includes procurement of 100-120 SCALP airlaunched cruise missiles, for More anti-submarine P-81s for Navy cleared New Delhi: The DAC also approved the acquisition of six more P-8I long-range reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the Indian Navy, for `28,000 crore, to strengthen surveillance `2,700 crore. The missile was used during Operation Sindoor to strike targets in Bahawalpur and Muridke in the early hours of May 7. The contract will incorporate provisions for upgrading Focus on development of Rare Earth Corridor in State: Naidu to officials E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has instructed senior officials to prepare comprehensive proposals for various development projects announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, with special emphasis on the Rare Earth Corridor to be set up in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts. At a review meeting held at his camp office on Thursday, the Chief Minister emphasised that all the departments should fully utilise funds allocated to Andhra Pradesh under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes to qualify for additional grants. He pointed out that the previous regime had failed to spend sanctioned funds, leading to lapses in issuance of utility certificates, and instructed the officials to ensure proper spending on various development works, and compliance. Naidu directed the departments to align the State development proposals with the Central schemes, and also take advantage of the newly introduced “challenge mode” funding mechanism. He stressed the importance of planning strategically so that Andhra Pradesh secures cm highlights priority projects Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu outlined several priority projects, including the East Coast Industrial Corridor from Mulapeta to Krishnapatnam, container and equipment manufacturing units, and value-chain industries for major minerals. Naidu also proposed sectoral hubs such as a Mega Textile Park in Palnadu, a Sports Manufacturing Hub in Tirupati, and electronics component manufacturing in Hindupur maximum allocations in upcoming budgets. The Chief Minister outlined several priority projects, including the East Coast Industrial Corridor from Mulapeta to Krishnapatnam, container and equipment manufacturing units, and value-chain industries for minerals. He also proposed sectoral hubs such as a Mega Textile Park in Palnadu, a Sports Manufacturing Hub in Tirupati, and electronics component manufacturing in Hindupur. ‘Speed of Doing Biz’ helps Nellore attract `500 cr defence unit D S u r end r a K u m a r @ Nellore Every time N. Chandrababu Naidu assumes office as Chief Minister, he introduces a distinct administrative focus and drives it consistently through his tenure. In his current term, the emphasis has been on the “Speed of Doing Business”, a principle he has repeatedly highlighted to officials, industrialists and investors over the past one and a half years. The government’s priority has been to ensure faster industrial approvals and quicker implementation of projects on the ground. Ministers are also vying to attract companies and industrialists from neighbouring states to Andhra Pradesh. Reflecting this approach at the district level, Nellore District Collector Himanshu Shukla has taken the Chief Minister’s vision forward by persuading a major company that had initially planned to establish its unit in Donakonda of Prakasam district to choose Nellore instead, underscoring the emphasis on speed of doing business. Premier Explosives Limited (PEL) subsequently decided to shift its proposed project to Nellore after delays reportedly slowed P4 progress at the earlier location.  In Capital Amaravati, Naidu proposed semiconductor design projects under India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, along with a Health City Ecosystem featuring Bio-design, MedTech Park, and Bio-Pharma Shakti Mission. He also highlighted medical tourism opportunities under the “Heal in AP” policy . On infrastructure and transport, he stressed the need for effective use of the 1,000 electric buses sanctioned by the Centre for AP and preparation , of plans to secure more. In agriculture, he highlighted the potential for higher allocations to coconut, cocoa, cashew, and coffee crops, while encouraging large-scale food processing projects. Finally, Naidu underlined the scope for developing Tirupati as a major tourism destination in the State, reinforcing his vision of leveraging Central schemes to accelerate AP’s industrial, technological, and agricultural growth. Indian Rafales to the future F5 standard once available, while the existing fleet would be brought up to the F4 configuration, which includes enhanced sensor fusion, improved connectivity and expanded weapons capability . The DAC also approved procurement of additional longrange surface-to-air missiles for Project Sudarshan Chakra. The proposal pertains to replenishment of missile stocks for the S-400 air defence system, with around 280 missiles estimated to be worth approximately `3,000 crore. Among other approvals, the DAC cleared buy of Air-Ship Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellites for Air Force. E x p r e s s Re a d Fire renders 14 families homeless in K’seema Amalapuram: A massive fire tore through All Castes Colony in Mamidikuduru mandal of Ambedkar Konaseema district on Thursday. Authorities confirmed that a gas cylinder explosion triggered the fire. Eleven houses were destroyed in the fire, and 14 families were rendered homeless. However, no casualties were reported | P3 Permanent infra for all IIITs in State soon Vijayawada: Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh has said that efforts are on to provide permanent infrastructure in all the four IIITs in the State. “As the Centre rolled out the SASCI scheme, we are now trying to get some sort of funds out of that scheme by preparing DPRs,” Lokesh informed the Assembly during the Question Hour | P4 Urban local bodies to hold ‘Happy Sunday’ Vijayawada: The State government has launched “Happy Sunday – A CommunityLed Urban Happiness and Neighbourhood Engagement Movement” across all Urban Local Bodies in the State. Activities will be organised on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of every month. Participation will remain voluntary | P3