hyderabad l friday l june 19, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 36 l LATE City EDITION Latest IMD data puts Monsoon rain deficit at whopping 41% With the southwest monsoon stalled over Maharashtra, India is facing a nationwide rainfall deficit of 41% between June 4-18, the IMD said A dried-up pond at Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary, Tirunelveli dist | KARTHIKALAGU IMD’s reasons for weak monsoon surge There are five main factors behind the slowdown in monsoon’s northward progress. First, the current monsoon flow lacks a strong surge from the Arabian Sea, according to IMD. Second, low-level southwesterly winds associated with the monsoon circulation have weakened over the Arabian Sea. Third, the cross-equatorial flow over the western Indian Ocean ■ 4-5 days weak phase of madden-julian oscillation ■ IMD said the fourth reason is cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, or an offshore trough along the west coast that facilitates monsoon advancement, are absent The last factor is the weak phase of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), a moving system of wind, cloud, and pressure that brings rain more wait for maharashtra for rainfall to resume, predicts IMD 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 Nation First The Core Policy Freedom from the colonial mindset – Rajpath becomes Kartavya Path, and a new Naval Ensign in honour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vishwas ke, Vikas ke, Jan-Kalyan ke Uddhav Sena on the verge of a split, again India-UK free trade pact to kickstart on July 15; bid to energise economy on fast track PM meets French CEOs The PM also met Benoit Bazin, Chairman and CEO of SaintGobain, Martin Sion, CEO of Alstom, and Arthur Mensch, co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI. The talks were part of the broader effort to draw investment Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday positioned India as a global hub for inclusive technology and innovation, telling business leaders and entrepreneurs at the VivaTech Summit 2026 in Paris that technology can drive progress only when it is accessible to everyone. He also met top French CEOs to discuss fresh investments and expansion plans across sectors including artificial intelligence, shipping, logistics, railways and construction. Speaking at VivaTech, Europe’s largest technology and startup event, where India is the Country Partner and has set up the largest national pavilion, Modi highlighted India’s technology-led transformation over the past decade and presented a vision of AI that prioritises inclusion and broad-based growth. “When it comes to technology along with , innovation, what matters is access. Technology can lead to progress only when it is democratised. India believes that in this era of disruption, technology must deliver for all,” Modi said. His comments assume significance amid growing global debates over access to advanced AI technologies and recent restrictions by the United States on the use of certain cutting-edge AI models by foreign nationals. Using a phrase that drew applause from the audience, Modi said: “For India, AI means ‘All Inclusive’.” He said artificial intelligence should be leveraged to improve lives, expand access to services, accelerate economic growth and support sustainability goals. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the PM’s discussions focused on strengthening collaboration across shipping, logistics, railways, construction and AI. Prominent among the key meetings was the one with Rodolphe Saade, Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM, where discussions centred on maritime shipping, logistics and global supply chains. Saadé said: “I believe India has a major role to play in the supply chains of the world. The fact that we are now in a position to build container ships in India is definitely a good step forward. The future of India is happening now.” Rythu Bharosa from June 30; sub-panel to study VB-GRAMG e x press ne w s ser v i c e @ Hyderabad The state government on Thursday announced that it would be gin disbursing nearly `9,000 crore under the Rythu Bharosa scheme from June 30, constitute a Cabinet sub-committee to examine the implications of the Centre’s proposed changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) under the VB-GRAMG framework, and press the Union government for a larger share of urea produced at the Ramagundam Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL) plant for Telangana farmers. The decisions were taken at an informal Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the Secretariat. Briefing the media later, Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Thummala Nageswara Rao and Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) said the chief minister would formally launch the Rythu Bharosa payments at a Rythu Sammelanam in Madhira, Khammam district, on June 30. Continued on p4 Cabinet decisions n Rythu Bharosa funds from June 30 (`9,000 cr) n Cabinet subpanel to study MGNREGS/ VB-GRAMG changes n Larger RFCL urea share sought for Telangana n Bonus continued for seven fine-rice varieties n Push for Metro Phase-II approvals n bus travel Free for NEET candidates (2.95 lakh students) HC stays e-auction of Raidurg land on sbi plea | p5 turning a blind eye Hyd sucks 96% of its groundwater, pollutes the rest K h yati S hah @ Hyderabad Hyderabad is not just draining its future from the ground. It is also polluting what remains. The city’s groundwater extraction has reached 96% of its annual availability, according to the latest assessment by the Telangana Groundwater department, leaving Hyderabad closer to exhausting its renewable groundwater reserves than any other district in the state. The figure places Hyderabad in the “critical” category of groundwater stress, just short of the “over-exploited” classification, where annual extraction exceeds annual recharge. In effect, the city is consuming almost every drop of groundwater that nature replenishes each year. The warning signs extend beyond Hyderabad’s municipal How groundwater stress is classified Over-exploited SOCIAL media App Telegram was banned “temporarily” to prevent misleading crores of students so that they do not come on the streets, the Centre told the Delhi High Court on Thursday claiming that the app was the most preferred platform for terror activities. The Centre made the submission after Justice Tejas Karia questioned how can the rights of 150 million people just be stopped because one set of citizens is appearing in examinations. “The question is can you block somebody else’s rights to protect someone else’s rights,” the judge asked. The judge reserved verdict on Telegram’s plea challenging the government order banning the platform till June 22 in view of the NEET re-exam. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, said Telegram, because of its architecture, was a “Frankenstein”. “If a country like ours cannot take preventive action, where do we go?” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the government, said Telegram operates through cloud, “even if we block something and someone does a mischief, law enforcement agency can’t reach the person... This is the most preferred platform for terrorist activities,” the SG submitted. To this, the bench asked, “How can we stop rights of 150 million people?” The law has been laid down in the Anuradha Bhasin judgment of the SC, the bench said. Prime ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that CETA will come into force on July 15. The final legal text and details of the agreement are expected by July 1 Critical u d ayan kish o re @ New Delhi Final FTA text by July 1 TOP & BOTTOM DISTRICTS Komaram Bheem Asifabad 15% Mancherial HIGHEST GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION 24% Peddapalli Rajanna Sircilla 65% 22% Mulugu 22% Siddipet 69% Jangaon 60% Rangareddy Above 100% HC questions ban, Centre says terrorists also use Telegram “Balancing has been done in a manner that does not impact FTA. Also, the proportionate benefits and market access to both sides under Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement have been preserved,” the official said Semi-critical USA vs Australia l 12:30 AM Scotland vs Morocco l 3:30 AM Brazil vs Haiti l 6 AM Turkiye vs Paraguay l 8:30 AM Live on United8 Sports & ZEE5 (All IST Saturday) J ayanth J a c o b @ New Delhi Deft balancing 90%-100% India’s No. 1 Arjun Erigaisi defeated world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen with the black pieces in Round 6 of the World Rapid Team Championship in Hong Kong. The win helped Team MGD1 beat WR Chess 3.5-2.5 and lifted Arjun to world No. 2 in the live rapid rankings. With four rounds remaining, his all-Indian team sits second in the standings, a point behind Dragon Chilling led by Ding Liren. India has secured additional concessions under the free trade agreement with the United Kingdom, resolving all outstanding issues that had delayed its implementation, setting the stage for its roll out on July 15. The gains include an extension of the social security contribution exemption for Indian professionals working temporarily in the UK from three years to five years and a resolution of concerns over Britain’s proposed steel safeguard measures. The Ministry of Commerce on Thursday said around 85% of India’s steel exports have been kept outside the UK’s new import restrictions. “The key issue which was holding us back was the new steel measures. Around 85% of our exports to the UK are outside the steel measures,” an official said. The UK had announced a 60% reduction in tariff-free steel import quotas from June and imposed a 50% duty on shipments exceeding those quotas to protect its domestic steel industry In its pushback, In. dia had warned that it could revisit the concessions under the FTA if the issue remained unresolved. Since nearly 85% of India’s steel exports to the UK fall outside the product categories covered by the British safeguard regime, it will ensure continued market access through a combination of countryspecific quotas, residual quotas and an authoriseduse mechanism. Of India’s nearly $900 million steel exports to the UK, only about $137 million will now be subject to the new safeguard measures. Sources said both countries spent the last two months negotiating the outstanding issues. Under the revised agreement, Indian professionals employed by Indian companies in the UK, as well as employees transferred to subsidiaries or affiliated entities, will be exempt from making social security contributions in the UK for up to five years, provided they continue contributing to India’s social security system and obtain a Certificate of Coverage (CoC). Earlier, the exemption was limited to three years. As for the UK’s proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), discussions will continue separately . Union commerce ministry official Safe Arjun defeats Carlsen, now #2 in rapid chess P u shpita De y @ New Delhi Modi call to democratise technology Multiple areas have been negotiated. Course corrections in multiple areas have been discussed and finalised. We have resolved all issues 70%-90% As the Shiv Sena (UBT) appears to be headed for a second major split, six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs skipped the parliamentary party meeting on Thursday, signalling that a formal crossover to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is imminent. The MPs who skipped the meeting are Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure. The party issued a show cause notice to them to explain their absence within seven days. Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje attended the meeting, along with Sanjay Raut, the party’s lone Rajya Sabha MP . Sources said all six dissident MPs have signed a letter seeking a merger with the Shinde-led Sena and submitted it to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The process, however, is not complete as the Speaker’s office requires the physical appearance of some of the MPs for verification and that is “expected to happen in the coming days”, they said. UK steel deal clears FTA rollout path Below 70% P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi Today’s matches CBC 22201/13/0017/2627 Dream of a Naxal-free India becomes a reality, with a strong crackdown on terrorism 60% Hyderabad 96% limits. Across the metropolitan region, 26 mandals and tahsils in Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts have already been classified as critical or over-exploited, in- 19% Suryapet Mahbubnagar 67% LOWEST GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION dicating that pressure on groundwater reserves is spreading across the urban agglomeration. What makes the situation particularly alarming is that this is not happening during a drought. During the 2021–22 water year, Telangana received 1,181 mm of rainfall against a normal annual average of 906 mm. Groundwater levels rose in 98% of the state’s observation wells between the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon periods. Across much of Telangana, aquifers recovered. Hyderabad’s did not. Instead, the city continued drawing down groundwater at a pace that left it perilously close to exhausting its annual replenishment. “What is particularly concerning is that the situation is unfolding at a time when groundwater conditions across much of Telangana have actually improved,” said Kalpana Ramesh, founder of The Rainwater Project. “The state receives between 900 mm and 1,000 mm of rainfall annually, which is enough to significantly recharge groundwater if it is properly harvested. The challenge is that a large portion of rainwater flows into stormwater drains and leaves the city instead of percolating into the ground.” The danger lies not only in how much groundwater is being extracted, but in the quality of the water that remains underground. Monitoring carried out during 2021 found nitrate concentrations ranging from 6 mg/l to 166 mg/l before the monsoon and reaching as high as 259 mg/l after the monsoon. Fluoride concentrations ranged between 0.25 mg/l and 3.68 mg/l during the pre-monsoon period and between 0.35 mg/l and 3.33 mg/l after the monsoon.  Continued on p2