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 ■ ■ BHUBANESWAR l monday l august 03, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 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 10 coastal districts put on alert as Hirakud water reaches Mundali E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar The state government has put 10 coastal districts on alert as water released from the Hirakud dam on Friday reached Mundali barrage on Sunday morning, heightening possibility of submergence of low-lying areas in the delta area. Official sources said though the flood situation is improving gradually, Sunday night would be crucial for the region as a huge volume of water would pass through the Mahanadi river system. Special focus was on Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara, which have been identified as highly vulnerable districts. The other districts in the basin on alert are Angul, Boudh, Sambalpur, Subarnapur and Nayagarh. Field-level officers have been asked to remain alert during A flooded village in Kendrapara the night, they said. Engineer-in-chief of Water Resources department Dillip Kumar Rout informed that water flow through Mundali had increased to 5.73 lakh cusec on the day against 4.74 lakh cusec on Saturday “Maxi. mum flow through the Mundali could be around 7 lakh cusec on Monday afternoon, after which the water level will start receding. There will not be any fresh flooding if there is no further heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the Continued on P5 river,” he said.  E x p r e s s Re a d CM warns drug mafia of bulldozer action Bhubaneswar: Joining the national campaign against substance abuse and narcotics trade launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi pledged to make Odisha drug-free and warned the drug mafia and narcotics syndicates of strictest punishment, including bulldozer action. He said the government will be unsparing to those who target the youth | P3 Rain eases in Kerala, death toll rises to 11 Kochi: The state had a respite from heavy rain for most of Sunday, but the impact of the downpour witnessed over the past two days continued to be felt, with the death toll in rainrelated incidents rising amid widespread damage. As many as 11 people have lost their lives so far. Meanwhile, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for all districts on Monday | P5 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 mediof society, yoga cal help without worrying about stigand meditation — ma and highlighted the role of sociit’s essential etal support, yoga, meditation and youth stay away rehabilitation centres. “If a youth from harmful has mistakenly fallen into addiction, addictions it 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. 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 evacuating people from their flooded homes at Moozhikkal in Kozhikode. Kerala has reported 11 deaths after torrential rains triggered landslides and floods. The state is bracing for heavy rainfall on Monday | VINCENT PULICKAL | P5