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 ■ ■ bengaluru l monday l august 03, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Govt launches 100-wk drive against drugs PM exhorts youth to take pledge against drug abuse for ‘Viksit Bharat’ Ra j e s h ku m a r t h aku r @ New Delhi CM: Will protect state, our people’s interests E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ B e n g a l u r u Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday said protecting the interests of the state and its people will remain the government’s highest priority as it deals with the Cauvery water-sharing dispute. He appealed to political parties and Kannada organisations not to go ahead with a bandh, called on August 13, over the issue. Addressing reporters after an all-party meeting on the Cauvery situation following directions from the Cauvery Water Management Authority and Cauvery CM DK Shivakumar with Union Water Regulation Committee to Minister HD Kumaraswamy release water to Tamil Nadu, during the all-party meeting Shivakumar described the day on Sunday | Express as “historic” and said the entire state is closely watching the outcome of the deliberations. “I was born and brought up in the Cauvery basin. I am the son of a I requested Vijay (Tamil Nadu CM) that we meet in a farmer and have personally exbetter atmosphere because I perienced agriculture,” he said. do not want anyone raising He said the interests and welslogans against my friends… fare of Karnataka’s people are We have to live together and paramount and neither he nor work together his government will do anything DK Shivakumar, Chief Minister to harm the state’s interests. “Our government has worked at every stage to safeguard Karnataka’s interests while ensuring justice from the days of Gundu Rao, SM Krishna, Veerappa Moily and till Siddaramaiah’s term,” he said. P4 E x p r e s s Re a d 3 killed in landslide in Thirthahalli Shivamogga: Three members of a family, including a threeyear-old child, were killed after a landslide triggered by heavy rain buried their makeshift home at Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district on Sunday | P4 5-yr-old chokes on toy in snack packet, dies Mysuru: A five-year-old boy died after choking on a plastic toy from a packet of snack in Gowripura village in Hunsur taluk of Mysuru district on Saturday. His parents gave him the snack to stop him crying | P3 cabinet expansion likely today Congress high command, fearing backlash, will reveal the list of new ministers only at the last minute | P4 PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the country’s youth to take a pledge against substance abuse, saying drugs can give them a “high” for some time, but would make their entire career and personal life “low”. Launching the ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’,a 100-week campaign against drugs, Modi said that youngsters must be protected from the grip of addiction as the nation marches towards the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. “When the country has set the goal of building a developed India, it is essential that the youth stay away from harmful addictions to remain physically and mentally healthy and full of self-confidence,” Modi said. Speaking after virtually launching the nationwide campaign, he called for open communication within families to prevent young members from falling into the vicious cycle of addiction, and assured the youth that the government stands firmly with them in this battle. He highlighted unprecedented nationwide crackdowns, massive seizures of narcotics worth thousands of crores, and a sharp rise in arrests One can get rid of substance abuse of drug dealers and smugglers. He with the support urged families to seek timely medical of society, yoga help without worrying about stigma and meditation — and highlighted the role of societal it’s essential support, yoga, meditation and rehayouth stay away bilitation centres. “If a youth has from harmful mistakenly fallen into addiction, it addictions absolutely does not mean that all Narendra Modi, PM their paths are permanently closed,” Modi said. The prime minister appealed to college and university professors to discuss perils of drug abuse alongside regular coursework and help build a strong anti-addiction movement on campuses. Outlining the campaign’s roadmap, Modi said every Sunday for the next 100 weeks would feature dedicated activities centred on art, culture, sports and meditation. “The coming 100 Sundays will absolutely become 100 strong steps in the direction of a completely drug-free India,” he said. Long after probe, 158 exam cases await trial Muke s h Ran j an @ New Delhi At least 158 cases linked to alleged irregularities in recruitment and entrance examinations are awaiting trial in various courts despite the completion of the CBI probe, sources said, adding that some of the cases have been pending for more than two decades. The CBI has now decided to approach high courts, requesting that these long-pending cases be shifted to the new Special Fast-Track Courts being established under the newly passed antipaper leak law. Delhi accounts for nearly 25 such cases, some dating back to 2000, in which investigations have been completed, but trials are yet to begin. These include alleged irregularities in the AIIMS PG entrance examination (2010-11), the Delhi Univer- sity Medical and Dental Entrance Examination (2011), the Common Admission Test (CAT) (2004), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) recruitment (2013), and teachers’ recruitment examinations. Bihar has five pending cases, including three linked to the alleged NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, besides two cases relating to the Pre-Medical Test (PMT) examinations of 2003 and 2011, sources said. Other states with significant pendency include Jharkhand and Karnataka with five cases each, Maharashtra with three, including two related to the alleged NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, Rajasthan with eight, Tamil Nadu with 14 and Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal with 10 cases each. In Himachal Pradesh, three cases, including the 2022 police constable recruitment exam, are awaiting trial. 25 cases awaiting trial in Delhi. These include the AIIMS PG recruitment examination of 2010-11 and Delhi University Medical and Dental Entrance of 2011 Push for speedy trial The CBI will convey to high courts that it will provide dedicated special prosecutors to conduct trials and ensure all resources are available to finish them faster CWG 2030 Over to Amdavad after Glasgow show E x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai OVER the past 10 months, Amdavad has quietly been witness to a lot of sporting complexes come up. It has also hosted a wide variety of international events to show to the sporting world that its doors are open. Sometime between now and 2030, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will announce the host city for the 2036 Games. But in 2030, Amdavad will be decked up as it welcomes the athletes and other non-playing staff from over 70 countries and territories for the next edition of the Com- CS president Donald Rukare with Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi | pti monwealth Games. That wait ended on Sunday night in Glasgow as the Closing Ceremony saw Scotland handing over the CWG flag and host baton to India. Dignitaries including Gu- jarat’s deputy chief minister, Harsh Sanghavi, were present. If the 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was truncated, the 23rd edition could possibly be its biggest and grandest in terms of scale, number of athletes and ambition. The staging of the Games will be seen as a spectacle, further proof that India is capable of putting together a grand showpiece. With the city’s Olympicsized plans, governments at all levels as well as bureaucrats will want to leave no stone unturned to ensure there are no scandals or controversies like in 2010. P11 Fourth place for India Despite many key sports like wrestling & shooting missing, the athletes beat expectations as India finished fourth with 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver, nine bronze). Of the 13, women won eight gold medals, a praiseworthy achievement. Rescue workers evacuate people from their flooded homes at Moozhikkal in Kozhikode. Kerala has reported 11 deaths in rain-triggered landslides and flash floods. IMD forecast heavy rainfall in the state on Monday | VINCENT PULICKAL | P5