visakhapatnam l tuesday l july 21, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Core sector output growth at five-month high of 5% in june Core sector output grew 5% year-on-year in June, driven by robust growth in iron ore, power and cement production, official data showed iron ore sector reports 44% growth ■ 3.2% 9 sectors now in index of Core Industries Among the nine sectors, iron ore recorded the sharpest growth of 43.9% in June, followed by electricity and cement at 9.8% each. Steel output rose 4.6%, while coal production increased 1.4%. On the other hand, natural gas (-7.4%), refinery products (-4.7%), crude oil (-4.2%) and fertilisers (-3.3%) contracted during the month, the data showed ■ The June data marks the first release of the revised Index of Core Industries with the base year updated to 2022-23 Also, under the revised series, iron ore has been included as a separate core industry owing to its extensive use in industrial production, increasing the number of core sectors to nine | P10 was the year-on-year core sector growth in May 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 Sub-Registrar Offices won’t be privatised, assures Naidu S V I S W A N AT H @ Vijayawada Making it clear that Registration Service Kendras (RSKs) are being established solely to provide faster and more citizen-friendly registration services, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asserted that there is no question of privatising SubRegistrar Offices. He directed officials to counter the false propaganda in the name of privatisation of Sub-Registrar Offices. During a review meeting at the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) Centre at Secretariat on Monday, the Chief Minister said the government is committed to providing better registration services to the people. “Registration Service Kendras (RSKs) are being introduced to simplify registration services. These centres will function on the lines of Passport Seva Kendras. Just as Passport Seva Kendras have made passport processing faster and more convenient while the statutory process continues with the government, RSKs will similarly improve the registration process,” he said. The CM observed that certain groups were deliberately spreading false propaganda regarding the initiative. He also assured document writers that there was no need for concern and said the government would ensure alternative livelihood opportunities are provided without af fecting their employment. The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure that subsidies under the Deepam2.0 scheme are credited to beneficiaries in a systematic manner on predetermined P4 dates.  Govt’s emissary J P Nadda meets CJP leaders as protest march to Parliament turns violent; several injured Centre blinks as CJP protest turns violent tripura shocker nitin r awat @ New Delhi Security personnel use batons and tear gas on agitators during a protest march at Sansad Marg in New Delhi| PTI Union minister J P Nadda meets CJP’s Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka | Express Oppn stalls Parl over 1 NEET-UG paper leak Delhi High Court sought a comprehensive medical report from Safdarjung Hospital on Sonam Wangchuk’s health after his wife moved court alleging he was forcibly kept there P r eetha N ai r @ New Delhi THE Monsoon Session of Parliament got off to a tumultuous start on Monday as protests over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak rocked both Houses and spilled onto the streets, setting the stage for a combative session. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments as Opposition MPs demanded discussion on the baton charge on protesting students and action against those responsible for the alleged leak of the medical entrance test paper. They also targeted the government over the alleged Ram temple donation row. In the Lok Sabha, proceedings were adjourned four times amid slogan shouting and placard displays by Opposition members. The protests began soon after the House assembled at 11 am for Question Hour, forcing Speaker Om Birla to adjourn proceedings until noon. The protests followed a morning meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders, where the Opposition decided to jointly raise issues concerning students. The DMK and AAP did not attend the meeting. The Rajya Sabha, too saw multiple adjournments after the Opposition members protested against the police action against protesters. 2 Key metro stations, such as Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Patel Chowk were shut. There was commotion and sloganeering at these stations 3 Education Minister Pradhan met Home Minister Amit Shah at the latter’s office in the Parliament House. However, it was not immediately known what transpired in the meeting 4 Amid the uproar in the Lok Sabha, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced a Bill to replace an ordinance that increased the strength of the Supreme Court from 34 judges to 38 5 The bill to make insult to Vande Mataram a punishable offence could not be introduced in the Rajya Sabha due to the protests IN one of the biggest mobilisations against the Union government in the last 12 years, the streets of Lutyens’ Delhi came to a halt on Monday when a massive crowd of protesters marched towards Parliament from Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged question paper leaks. The scenes inside Parliament were equally tumultuous, but it was on the streets of New Delhi that the youth’s angst met the belligerence of police. The protest venue, Jantar Mantar, was cleared by evening, but the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said that its founder Abhijeet Dipke and three others — Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo — are still continuing the sit-in protest in front of Kerala House. Wangchuk, whose hunger strike entered the 23rd day, wrote an open letter in the evening, saying he will continue his fast over police actions against the protesters. Police resorted to lathicharge and burst teargas shells to disperse protesters—who drew from across the country and all strata of life—on most roads leading to the Parliament complex. Paramilitary personnel, in riot gear, joined cops to prevent protesters from reaching Parliament. The government snapped internet services. A video surfaced in the morning, showing workers erecting metal barricades to restrict the agitators. However, when the crowd swelled and tried to move ahead, police used force and fired teargas shells. Many protesters said they were brutally assaulted by police. According to the RML Hospital, 65 medico-legal cases were in till 7 pm. The scale of the protest prompted the government to approach the protesters for talks it had resisted since the protest started at Jantar Mantar on June 20. Union minister J P Nadda and CJP members Das and Ranka held a meeting, during which CJP members raised three demands: immediate release of Wangchuk, resignation of Pradhan and `1 crore compensation for all NEET aspirants who had committed suicide. Nadda assured them he will put across their message to the party’s top leadership. Liquor transport scam: `20,884-cr irrigation push in R’seema A1, A4, A8 in SIT custody S g u r u s r i k anth @ Vijayawada E x p r ess N ews S e r vi c e @ Vijayawada The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged multi-crore Andhra Pradesh liquor transport scam took custody of three key accused former APSBCL Managing Director Donthireddy Vasudeva Reddy (A1), Kesireddy Rajasekhar Reddy alias Raj Kesireddy (A4), and Karumuri Sunil (A8) - after obtaining a prisoner transit (PT) warrant on Monday . The three were brought to Vijayawada from Chanchalguda Central Jail in Hyderabad for further interrogation in connection with the alleged irregularities in liquor transportation contracts. Following their arrival, the accused underwent mandatory medical examinations before being produced before the ACB Court in Vijayawada. The court remanded all three to judicial custody for two weeks and directed that they be lodged in Chanchalguda Central Jail after the completion of the legal formalities. According to the SIT’s remand report, the accused allegedly caused a loss of about `192 crore to the State exchequer by manipulating liquor transportation tenders. Officials investigating the case alleged that the tender process was deliberately changed from a decentralised system to a centralised model without obtaining mandatory t approval from the State governP4 ment.  4 INDIANS KILLED in attack on ship leaving Ukraine poRT Four Indian nationals on board a merchant vessel were killed in an attack on the ship when it was leaving Ukraine’s Odesa port, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday. Another Indian has been hospitalised in a critical condition | P9 Rayalaseema, long defined by its struggle against water scarcity is witnessing one of its most , ambitious irrigation drives under the Chandrababu Naiduled coalition government. With irrigation works worth `20,884 crore currently underway, the programme aims to stabilise irrigation over 4.37 lakh acres and extend benefits to nearly 9.80 lakh acres, while creating an ad- ditional 52 TMC of water availability . For decades, despite multiple projects, reliable water at the farm level remained elusive. The present strategy shifts focus from announcements to execution — completing legally approved projects, modernising canals and reservoirs, strengthening lift irrigation systems, and reviving traditional water bodies to build long-term water security . Among the flagship projects, the Handri–Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) has received investments of over `3,880 crore in a year, with another `3,145 crore for canal strengthening to carry Krishna waters to tail-end areas. In a statement, the State government has announced the details of the irrigation projects in the State. The project supports irrigation across 6 lakh acres and provides drinking water to 33 lakh P4 people.  DGP found hanging at police HQ chamber P r asanta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar was found hanging in the washroom of his official chamber at the Police Headquarters in Agartala on Monday and was declared dead minutes , later at a hospital in the city . “I am deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic demise of Anurag, IPS, Director General of Police, Tripura, who was found 1994 batch hanging in the washroom of his ofIPS officer   ficial chamber today Tripura Chief ,” The 1994 batch IPS Minister Manik Saha said. Saha added that Dhankar was im- officer was 60, and mediately rushed to Agartala Gov- is survived by his ernment Medical College & Govind wife and son. Ballabh Pant Hospital, where doc- Dhankar was due to retire in 11 months. tors declared him brought dead. Dr Pradip Bhowmik, Head of the He served in Tripura Department of Medicine at the hos- for around 18 years pital, told media that the DGP was in various positions brought around 12 pm. “We could and was appointed not detect a pulse or blood pressure. the state’s DGP We immediately began administer- in May 2025 ing CPR. A team of doctors did everything possible, but as he could not be revived, we declared him dead at 12.48 pm,” Bhowmik said. “The cause of death will be known after post-mortem,” he said. Opposition parties demanded an impartial probe into the circumstances leading to the death. CPI(M) leader and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Tripura Assembly , Jitendra Chaudhury, said an officer like Dhankar, who had faced many challenges in his career and successfully navigated them, would not take his own life without major reasons. State BJP president Abhishek Debroy assured that there will be a magisterial-level probe and the truth surrounding Dhankar’s demise will be out shortly . E x p r e s s Re a d CM clears new Thalli-Bidda Express fleet Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday inspected and approved the final design of 500 upgraded Thalli-Bidda Express vehicles, which will provide free transport for pregnant women, postpartum mothers and newborns across AP. Equipped with GPS, air conditioning and other safety features, the fleet will also serve high-risk pregnancies | P4 `522-cr power infra boost for Pushkarams Vijayawada: The State government has approved a `521.58crore power infrastructure package to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply during Godavari Pushkarams. The project includes new substations, transmission lines and transformer upgrades. The State Distribution Reforms Committee also cleared `176.04 crore for SCADA modernisation | P3 football wins Messi ends World Cup in tears as La Roja say two cheers e x p r ess news se r vi c e There was no fairytale ending. There was no surreal comeback. Sunday evening stood still in time as the tears rolled down his face. On one end of the New York/New Jersey Stadium, Lionel Messi stood transfixed, wondering if this was the end of his Argentina journey after a mostly angelic month at the World Cup where he bent time and space like only he could. Next to him, amid a crestfallen bunch of colleagues, the Spanish were just getting started with the celebrations. A second star on the jersey The victorious Spanish team with the FIFA World Cup trophy on Sunday. (Right) Lionel Messi sheds tears after match | AP a just reward for the side that had most played like a team throughout the 40 days in US, Mexico and Canada. There is a certain irony because in the land where stars are venerated and deified — it was no surprise that Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Michael Olise, Vini Jr, Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland routinely made head- lines in the country of Hollywood — the nation with an ethos for the collective burnt the brightest when the competition got serious. The final itself went on predicted lines as the Europeans, whose only previous win came in 2010, suffocated Argentina before killing them slowly and softly In extra-time, they fi. nally put Argentina out of their misery Ferran Torres crashing , the ball into the roof of the net in the first-half of extra-time. In the end, it was no surprise that the South Americans had as many red cards as shots on goal P11 after 120 minutes.