HYDERABAD l friday l may 22, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 38 l late cITY EDITION Pulwama ‘conspirator’ Burhan shot dead by unknown men in PoK A key accused in the 2019 Pulwama attack, Hamza Burhan alias ‘Doctor’, was shot dead in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir, Indian intelligence officials said File PIC Was designated a terrorist by mha in 2022 Supplied explosives to terrorists Burhan, identified as Arjumand Gulzar Dar from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, was allegedly shot by unidentified gunmen in Muzaffarabad, sustaining multiple bullet injuries that proved fatal, officials added. Burhan was designated a terrorist by the Union home ministry in 2022 under UAPA, following findings by NIA in its probe into the Pulwama attack ■ ■ The February 14, 2019 suicide bombing at Lethpora in Pulwama district killed 40 CRPF personnel after a JeM operative rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a security convoy Investigators alleged Burhan played a crucial logistical role in the attack by supplying explosives and grenades to the terrorists ISI bURHAN HAD CLOSE TIES WITH isi AND WAS associated with Al-BadR TERROR OUTFIT 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 India-Africa meet postponed over Ebola virus scare US offers ‘separate treatment’ for India under Sec 232 probe Workers cover themselves from the scorching heat during the heatwave in UP’s Prayagraj on Thursday | PTI P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi Decision after fresh outbreak in DR Congo; fliers from affected countries to be screened EX P RE S S NEW S S ERVI C E @ New Delhi INDIA and the African Union have postponed the Fourth India–Africa Forum Summit, originally scheduled to be held in New Delhi from May 28 to 31, amid growing concerns over the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa. The decision comes at a time when India was preparing to unveil an ambitious roadmap to deepen its strategic, economic and developmental partnership with the African continent after a gap of nearly a decade. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India and the African Union had held consultations on the “evolving health situation” and agreed that it would be “advisable” to convene the summit at a later date. “Recognising the importance of ensuring the full participation and engagement of African leaders and stakeholders, and mindful of the emerging public health situation on the continent, consultations were held between the Government of India, the Chairperson of the African Union, and the African Union Commission,” the MEA said. The decision to postpone the summit was taken against the backdrop of a fresh outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which the World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern. More than 136 deaths have reportedly been linked to the outbreak so far. The summit was expected to bring together leaders from across Africa along with representatives of the African Union Commission to chart a broader framework for cooperation in sectors ranging from trade, energy and technology to healthcare, capacity building and digital infrastructure. Several African leaders had already confirmed their participation. The postponement of the summit will delay what was being viewed as a major diplomatic push by India to reinforce its engagement with Africa amid intensifying geopolitical competition for greater influence on the continent. IBCA summit, too, postponed The first International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit, which was scheduled to be held in New Delhi on June 1 in conjunction with the India-Africa summit, too, has been postponed in view of the Ebola outbreak. “In order to ensure broad and active participation from all Range countries, including African countries, the First IBCA Summit will be convened at a later date,” an official release said. IBCA, a global initiative for the conservation of seven major big cat species, was launched by PM Narendra Modi on April 9, 2023. It was formally established on March 12, 2024. Airports issue advisory All major international airports in India have issued health advisories for passengers arriving from Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, asking them to report symptoms or exposure history to airport health authorities before immigration clearance Heatwave alert Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions likely in Punjab, parts of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, east UP from May 21 to 27, says IMD Vidarbha, coastal Andhra and Yanam expected to face heat wave conditions from May 21-25 Heat wave conditions in isolated pockets of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal on May 21, 22; Telangana from May 21-24; Odisha May 21-25 In TG, Munagala, Suryapet recorded the highest temperature at 46.5°C | P2 IN the ongoing trade talks with the US, India has secured relatively favourable terms on several items facing investigation under Section 232, including pharmaceutical products, auto parts and aircraft components, a commerce ministry source familiar with the matter said. “As far as certain other products are concerned which are under Section 232 investigation, there is a separate treatment for them also. We have got exemption for aircraft parts and, to some extent, on auto parts. We also have a framework to work on generic pharma,” the source told TNIE. Under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the US government can impose tariffs on imports on grounds of national security concerns. Washington has invoked the provision to levy duties on sec- RGIA issues health advisory Rajiv Gandhi International Airport officials on Thursday issued an Ebola health advisory for passengers arriving from high-risk African countries, asking travellers to report symptoms such as fever, fatigue, vomiting or bleeding to airport health authorities and seek help if symptoms develop within 21 days | P2 E x p r e s s Re a d Singing Vande Mataram mandatory in WB madrasas Kolkata: The West Bengal Directorate of Madrasah Education has directed all state-sponsored, aided and recognised madrasas to mandatorily sing Vande Mataram during morning assembly prayers with immediate effect. Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education Minister Khudiram Tudu defended the move, questioning why madrasas should be exempt when recognised schools already follow the practice | P10 Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday announced a hike in minimum wages for workers in Telangana, a move that the gover nment said would benefit nearly 1.11 crore workers across the state. Making the announcement at the Secretariat along with Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy, Revanth said the government had categorised workers into four groups — unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled — before revising the wages based on the recommendations of a Cabinet sub-committee that held extensive consultations with stakeholders. Under the revised struc- Category Unskilled Semi-skilled Skilled Highly Skilled Municipal Corporations (Zone 1) `16,000 `17,000 `18,500 `20,000 ture, the minimum wage for unskilled workers has been increased from `12,750 to `16,000, for semi-skilled workers from `13,452 to `17,000, for skilled workers from `13,772 to `18,500 and for highly skilled workers from `14,607 to `20,000. The revised wages Cricket fans in Hyderabad have spent the week glued to ticketing apps, hoping for a chance to watch Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli in action against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their final IPL league-stage clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Friday . For many, the excitement q u i c k l y g ave w ay t o frustration. Tickets disappeared within minutes of release, queue Rural and others (Zone 3) `15,000 `16,000 `17,500 `19,000 `14,000 `15,000 `16,500 `18,000 will come into effect from June 1. Revanth said the revised wages were determined after taking into account inflation, rising prices of essential commodities, house rents and other living expenses. Criticising the BRS govern- n Number of semi-skilled workers: 20,94,455 n Number of skilled workers: 15,64,329 ment for not revising wages during its decade in power, the chief minister said the Congress government was c o m m i t t e d t o wo rk e r s ’ welfare and encouraging industries to prioritise Telangana youth in recruitment.  Modi meets ministers amid shuffle buzz Amid speculation over a Cabinet reshuffle after the NDA government completes 12 years in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a crucial meeting of the Council of Ministers | P9 CONTINUED ON P4 NEET-UG: NTA faces heat from MPs BJP’s Cabinet buzz P r e e tha Na i r @ New Delhi Amid the row over the cancelled NEET-UG exam, top officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA) came under intense scrutiny from a Parliamentary panel on Thursday over the question paper leak and related irregularities. According to sources, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh informed the panel that the question paper was not leaked through the agency’s system, adding that the CBI is investigating the breach. The panel summoned the officials amid multiple arrests by the CBI, which included teachers and intermediaries allegedly linked to the ques- tion paper leak prior to the exam. During the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, several opposition MPs grilled the NTA officials on the steps they have taken to strengthen the exam system. Sources said that when MPs questioned how the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) paper was leaked, Singh responded that it had not been compromised through the NTA system. Several MPs then pressed him on how the leak occurred and why the exam had to be cancelled and a retest conducted. Singh, however, said that the matter is being probed by the CBI. According to sources, some opposition MPs demanded that the investigation report be shared with the panel, but BJP members argued that the CBI should be allowed to complete its probe without interference. Kohli frenzy fuels ticket demand ahead of SRH-RCB clash numbers crossed one lakh and social media was flooded with black-market offers, many of them suspected scams. “I was eagerly waiting for the match because I was really excited to watch Kohli play,” said Mohammed Faiz, who tried booking tickets for hours. “I was waiting from around 3 pm, but the queue on the District Municipalities (Zone -2) n under coverage: 9,37,455 Firms n Number of beneficiaries: 1,11,56,204 n Number of unskilled workers: 74,97,420 e x c ite m e n t y o r k e d Ta m r e e n S u lta n a & S i ddha r dha G att i m i @ Hyderabad tors such as steel, aluminium, automobiles, aircraft and their parts, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. These tariffs currently range between 10% and 50% on a range of strategic products. Some Indian exports, including steel, aluminium, and autoparts face tariffs of 2550% under Section 232. Generic pharmaceuticals, however, currently attract no tariff. In the India-US joint statement signed in February 2025, the US had agreed to provide Revised wages pic: Sri Loganathan Velmurugan @ Hyderabad Directorate General of Health Services Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said a US delegation is expected to visit India next month for further negotiations on the proposed agreement. This follows the talks held in April in Washington between Indian and US officials India with “negotiated outcomes with respect to generic pharmaceuticals and ingredients”, contingent on the findings of the Section 232 probe. “So comparatively, when I look at our terms of settlement, the terms are better than any competitor for India,” the source added. Indian negotiators have been pushing for product-specific relaxations as part of the broader bilateral trade discussions. The development comes at a time when India and the US are continuing negotiations for a proposed bilateral trade agreement, with both sides aiming to conclude an interim arrangement before moving towards a broader pact. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India from May 23 to 26. The four-day visit, his first visit to India since taking office, will focus on trade, defence and energy cooperation. CM June 2 gift: Minimum wages hiked for workers E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e Passengers with symptoms must immediately report to airport health officer or health desk before immigration clearance Delegation coming app was too long. It is disheartening because we do not get many chances to watch him play here.” Fans said demand for the SRH-RCB fixture far exceeded that of a regular league game, driven largely by RCB’s recent winning streak and the possibility of watching Kohli l i v e i n Hyderabad. Twenty-yearold Richa Kaushik said she and her friend ke pt the booking app open on phones and laptops from around 3.30 pm, continuously refreshing pages in the hope of getting through. “The moment bookings opened around 5 pm, queue positions had already crossed one lakh. Even after waiting till nearly 9 pm, the tickets were sold out,” she said. Kaushik, who is in Hyderabad from Mumbai for her summer vacation, said the disap- pointment only worsened after black-market sellers began flooding social media. “There were so many scams on Instagram. The algorithm somehow figured out that I was looking for tickets,” she said. “People were selling tickets at three times the original price. A seat that originally cost around `750 to `2,000 was being sold for `3,000 to `4,000.”  CONTINUED ON P5 I have never seen Kohli play in real life and this felt like my chance. The demand was unbelievable. I was willing to pay the official price, but the booking experience was extremely frustrating – Lakshmi Bhati, a student now comes with a Bhageerath question I r e ddy S r i n i v as R e ddy @ Hyderabad Talk of a Cabinet expansion — whether at state level or in Delhi — usually sets off the same familiar exercise in political circles: who is in, who is out, who has Delhi backing, and who merely thinks they do. But this time, conversations around a possible Union Cabinet reshuffle have acquired an additional layer in Telangana BJP circles — the POCSO case involving Bandi Sai Bhageerath, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar. These days, discussions within the BJP and media circles do not stop with the usual guessing game over Cabinet berths. They inevitably circle back to one question: what happens to Sanjay? And from that one question, several political scenarios have begun taking shape. One line of discussion is straightforward enough. If, as expected, Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes ahead with a Cabinet expansion in the coming weeks, Telangana is expected to get at least one Minister of State berth, pos- sibly even two. Alongside that, there is also speculation that some leaders currently in the Union Cabinet could be shifted to organisational responsibilities. I n t h o s e c a l c u l at i o n s, Mahbubnagar MP D K Aruna, Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender and Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind are among the names being discussed most actively for MoS positions. Rajya Sabha member K Laxman too is said to be lobbying strongly for a berth. As for Union minister G Kishan Reddy, party leaders do not expect him to be dropped altogether. The more common assessment is that there could be a reshuffle of portfolios rather than a complete exit. But the real political intrigue lies elsewhere. The Bhageerath controversy has forced the Telangana BJP into an uncomfortable internal conversation: whether the leadership can politically afford to retain Sanjay in the Union Cabinet if the issue continues to gather attention, or whether replacing him quietly before an expansion would be the safer option. CONTINUED ON P4