Germany, Netherlands exit on day of drama Established powers shown the door after losing on penalties at hands of Paraguay and Morocco. This is Germany’s first shoot-out loss after four successive wins while Netherlands’ losing run on penalties continued Today's matches (IST) TIRUNELVELI l wednesday l july 01, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l city EDITION While Paraguay’s players are joyous, Germany’s players wear a dejected look after their penalty shoot-out on Monday | AP | P11 England vs DR Congo (9:30 PM); Belgium vs Senegal (1:30 AM*); USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (5:30*) (*Thursday) 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 Beach mining: Row over more time for IREL S G odson W i s e ly D ass @ Thoothukudi In order to facilitate the IREL (India) Limited to obtain mining lease for quarrying seven critical minerals from beach sand, the Natural Resources Department of the Tamil Nadu government had extended the validity period of reservation for approval of 1,144.06 hectares of land for mining in eight coastal villages of Kanniyakumari district for one more year till June 10, 2027. The order issued by the TVK government on June 10 has drawn criticism from political parties, environmentalists and fishers as the TVK had passed a resolution against the same project two years ago. The government has extended the land reservation validity by citing national security and strategic importance of atomic minerals. The Ministry of Mines, in a notification dated June 11, 2021, reserved 1144.06 ha in eight coastal villages.  P5 E x p re s s R ead HC upholds death sentence in rape case Madurai: The Madras HC on Tuesday confirmed the death penalty imposed on a man for sexual assault of three girls in Tirunelveli in 2023 | P4 W IT H T H I S I S S U E 4 pages of doctors’ day special supplement Data-driven rollout of GRAM-G scheme today P r e e t ha N a i r @ New Delhi The Centre has rolled out the new framework for the rural job scheme VB-GRAM G, marking a decisive shift from the demand-driven approach of the UPA-era MGNREGA to a datadriven planning system powered by technology. Set to be implemented from Wednesday , the new framework seeks to transform how rural jobs are identified, prioritised and implemented for 125 days a year. At the centre of the new framework is the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan (VGPP), which will replace conventional village-level “wish list” planning with a technology-led, geospatially enabled, and resourceoptimised model of rural development. Gram panchayats will now use integrated digital platforms such as Yuktdhara, PM Gati Shakti, Bhuvan and IndiaWRIS to map existing public assets, identify infrastructure gaps, and design development works based on real-time geospatial data. The framework identifies five focus areas as water security rural infrastructure, liveli, hoods, disaster mitigation and climate resilience. A key departure from MGNREGA is the move from activity-based planning to outcomebased governance. Instead of tracking only the number of works completed, the new system will measure improvements in water security liveli, hood generation, infrastructure quality and climate resilience. Water security has been accorded top priority, with the Centre linking expenditure norms directly to groundwater stress levels. At least 65% of spending is proposed for overexploited and critical groundwater blocks, around 40% in semi-critical regions, and 30% in safe groundwater zones. Climate vulnerability assessments have also been integrated into gram panchayat planning. Villages will map exposure to droughts, floods, heatwaves, cyclones and other extreme weather events. From now, gram panchayat plans will be prepared through Gram Sabha consultations and approved by local-level resolutions. These plans will then be uploaded onto the Yuktdhara portal and consolidated at block, district, state and national levels. They will then be integrated into the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack (VBNRIS), a digital repository . policy clarity in a year E20 at experimental stage, Centre tells SC s u c h i t ra ka lyan mohan t y @ New Delhi HC’s order directing OMCs to consider enhancement of ethanol allocation to VINP Distilleries would destabilise the national policy R Venkatramani, AG Litigation floodgates The Centre said entire ethanol allocation was over in October, 2025. If one supplier’s quota was enhanced, others would claim parity which would open litigation floodgates. THE Union government informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the 20 per cent ethanol blending programme in petrol is still an “ongoing experiment” and the impact of the policy would be clearer by next year. The SC was hearing a plea filed by BPCL challenging an order of the Karnataka High Court which directed OMCs to revisit the distribution and enhancement of ethanol allocation for 2025–26. In a relief to OMCs, the Supreme Court Tuesday directed maintaining status quo with regard to the HC order. A two-judge bench of justices MM Sundresh and Sheel Nagu issued notice to dedicated ethanol plants. “Till the next date of hearing, status quo,” SC said. The plea before the High Court was filed by VINP Distilleries and Sugars, a Dedicated Ethanol Plant (DEP), which was bound under a long-term offtake agreement to exclusively supply ethanol to BPCL, HPCL, and IOCL. In 2025, the OMCs allowed procurement from non-DEPs too, and fresh tenders left VINP with just 1.44 crore litres against its 9.26 crore-litre bid. VINP moved the High Court. Couple found dead, kin allege caste murder M oham e d S a l ah u d e e n B @ Mayiladuthurai A 19-year-old Scheduled Caste youth and a 17-year-old girl belonging to MBC community were found dead under mysterious circumstances inside a thatched shed near Sathankudi village in Tharangambadi taluk of Mayiladuthurai district on Tuesday . The deaths triggered protests by the youth’s relatives and political parties, who alleged that the two are victims of honour killing and the case of suspicious death booked by the Poraiyar police must be changed to that of murder. The deceased were identified as M Parthiban, a mason of Pudupalayam village, and a 17-year-old girl from neighbouring Sathankudi village who had recently completed Class 12. Sources said the two were in a relationship, and the girl’s family was against it. Police have registered three separate cases.  P5 Swiss giant MSC to invest $1.4 bn in Vizhinjam port for 49% stake VA RS H A SO M A RA J & A RS H A D K H A N @ T’Puram / New Delhi Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)—the world’s largest shipping transport company— will invest $1.397 billion (about `13,220 crore) to acquire a 49% stake in Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd (AVVPL), the con- cessionaire of the Vizhinjam port in Kerala, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) said on Tuesday . The deal will boost the port’s visibility on the global shipping map and bring in additional cargo volumes ahead of schedule, APSEZ said. The pact, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expect- ed to capture a higher share of Bangladesh cargo, which currently relies on rival Southeast Asian hubs, it added. After the transaction, which values AVVPL at $2.85 billion, APSEZ will hold 51% in AVVPL and retain majority control. MSC’s investment, billed as the largest private foreign investment in an Indian port, will be made through its arm Terminal Investment Ltd (TiL). Ashwani Gupta, whole-time director and CEO of APSEZ, said: “Vizhinjam port has emerged as a premier transshipment hub and ramped up at an unprecedented pace, becoming the first Indian port to earn the unique distinction of crossing 2 million TEUs within 18 months of operations.” Suresh Babu, former managing director of Vizhinjam International Seaport, said the deal shows Kerala’s ability to attract FDI through private participation. “This is a landmark investment... To reap its full benefits, the long-delayed road and rail connectivity to the port must be completed. Kerala should pursue this as a joint project with the Centre and expand its scope to include Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli, which would make it even more beneficial.”