MADURAI  FRIDAY  AUGUST 14, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 14  LATE CITY EDITION WOMEN CONTINUE TO HOLD FAR FEWER TOP MANAGEMENT ROLES Latest data submitted in Parliament shows that women held only 17.2% of senior management positions in corporate India in 2025-26 | P12 AI generated images 9 WOMEN CEOS IN INDIA’S 500 LISTED FIRMS Of the 252,103 senior management roles recorded that financial year, women held 43,331 positions (17.2%), while men accounted for the remaining 208,772, government data presented in Parliament showed. There were only nine women chief executive officers (CEOs) leading the country’s top 500 listed firms, as per the Ministry of Corporate Affairs data ■ Last 3 WOMEN HOLD ONLY 29% OF DIRECTOR POSTS ■ On company boards, the disparity was similarly stark. Women held 10,36,694 director posts against 25,09,619 director positions held by men, which is about 29% of the total as of June 30, 2026 However, women in senior management rose from 34,879 in 2022-23 to 43,331 in 2025-26, a jump of 24%, outpacing the 12% rise in men FINANCIAL YEARS WERE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT TO COMPILE THE DATA 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 Badal survives TN signs `67K cr in conclave Stormy Parl session ends ‘kirpan’ attack pacts, 100-day tally hits `1L cr with poor productivity ALL NOISE, NO WORK Man in ‘Nihang’ attire stabs him in Nanded S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I & HARPREET BAJWA @ Mumbai / Chandigarh SHIROMANI Akali Dal president and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was on Thursday attacked with a kirpan (ceremonial dagger) inside Mata Sahib Gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra. Badal was injured and rushed to hospital, where he received three stitches on his right hand. His condition is stable. The attacker, identified as Jaspal Singh, was arrested. Police said Singh, around 60 years old, was working as a sewadar (volunteer) at the gurdwara. The motive of the attack was not fully clear. According to police sources, the attack took place when Badal, accompanied by his spouse Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, was walking down the stairs after offering prayers at the gurdwara. Taking advantage of the rush at the gurdwara, Singh, who Dope test must for all 5,000 Air India pilots L A L I T H A S @ New Delhi IN light of the positive dope test result for the captain of an Air India flight from Phuket to New Delhi, the airline has begun mandatory screening of all its cockpit crew to ensure they have not consumed any substances or medications that violate regulations. The move aims to safeguard passenger safety and restore trust in the airline. Air India group together have nearly 5,000 pilots and the testing is mandatory for all, said an airline source. In an internal communication to its pilots, the Air India Group management said, “Air India already fully complies with all regulatory requirements prescribed by DGCA, which are similar to those practiced in other major aviation jurisdictions including Europe, US. was in ‘Nihang’ attire, tried to stab Badal in the stomach. Police officer Santosh Kendre, who was part of Badal’s special protection unit, quickly intervened and confronted the attacker. During the physical skirmish, Kendre was injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with Harsimrat Kaur to enquire about Badal’s health. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a detailed investigation into the incident. “During preliminary questioning, he referred to the drug menace in Punjab but his exact reasons for attacking Badal were yet to be ascertained. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is also conducting a probe into the matter,” said Nanded SP Neelabh Rohan. Badal has Z-plus security cover. On December 4, 2024, he survived an assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar when a former Khalistan militant fired shots. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AS many as 97 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth `67,452 crore, projected to create 1,06,998 jobs, were signed at the Tamil Nadu government’s inaugural Vettri Investment Conclave held in the city on Thursday . With this, the TVK-led government said it had attracted investment commitments worth `1.02 lakh crore in 100 days of assuming office, as Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay sought to position the state as a leading destination for domestic and foreign manufacturing capital. At the closed-door event from which members of the news ONE of the most noisy and unproductive sessions in recent parliamentary history drew to a close on Thursday with both , Houses adjourned sine die after weeks of disruptions, protests and acrimony. In the finale, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the Lok Sabha for the first time during the session, as the House met only briefly before being adjourned. As soon as the Lok Sabha convened for the day on Thursday , all six stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram were played in the presence of Modi CM C Joseph Vijay, Minister S Keerthana and Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar exchanging MoUs during the Vettri Investment Conclave 2026 in Chennai on Thursday | EXPRESS media were excluded, 104 MoUs were exchanged in the presence of the chief minister, of which 97 were signed by companies. The remaining seven were institutional pacts. Together, the 104 MoUs cover 106 projects across 15 sectors, with 1,21,788 projected direct and indirect jobs across 19 districts. EXPRESS READ UK setback for TN education scheme Chennai: UK universities’ move to not recognise TN’s sponsorship letters issued under the Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship Scheme has affected over 300 marginalised students | P2 7 African serval cats found in farm Chennai: Forest officials found seven African serval cats, including three cubs, at an Erode farm owned by S K Keshavanathan, who had supplied Lar Gibbons to Chennai businessman C K Ranganathan | P2 Bar Council of India flip-flop on fiat against NALSAR grads fies the order of Chairman. All students will be entitled to get Hours after Bar Council of In- enrolled with the State Bar dia (BCI) chairperson Manan Councils of their choice,” the Kumar Mishra on Thursday subsequent circular said. said no student who graduated The initial circular drew imfrom NALSAR University can mediate scorn online. The secbe enrolled by state bar coun- ond circular said that “as recils until further orders, he ported by some reliable sources withdrew the fiat after a mas- a handful of teachers and outsive uproar. siders were instrumental The development folin instigating the innolowed the Hyderabadcent students”. It added based university’s stuthat the council will dents reportedly wait for an inquiry reopposing the participaport from the V-C. tion of Chief Justice of In the first circular, Manan Kumar India Surya Kant at the inMishra had also sought a Mishra stitution’s convocation. report from V-C on stu“After thorough discussion, dents who allegedly “mobilised the members are of unanimous a campaign” to not invite CJI view that as per the latest re- Kant for the convocation, sayport, vast majority of the stu- ing, “A student of Law, having dents of NALSAR (2026 pass no regard or respect for the out students) are innocent and highest Judicial Office of the they were not inclined to take country is not expected to be a , part in the move of disrespect. responsible or sensible AdvoAccordingly the Council modi- cate, Teacher or a Judge.” , U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi Serious matter: BCI In the first circular, BCI chief Manan Kumar Mishra had said the NALSAR matter was “serious” while accusing the teachers there of “doing nasty politics on the campus.” He had also asked the university to furnish the details of all students part of the CJI event boycott. Nagai man to pursue medical dream at 51 S I N D U J A J A N E @ Chennai A 51-YEAR-OLD pharmacy graduate hailing from Nagapattinam district has fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a doctor by securing a medical seat under the Special Category (Persons with Disabilities quota) during the Tamil Nadu online medical counselling which commenced here on Thursday . A Suresh Kumar, a father of two children, began his career as a medical representative after completing a Diploma in A Suresh Kumar Pharmacy in 1996. He subsequently added a BBA degree and PhD to his name, before securing 192 marks in the NEETUG exam conducted in June. He has been allotted an MBBS seat in the Government Medical College Nagapattinam. Asked why he did not want to leave the medical seat for young candidates, Suresh, who lives in Chennai with his family said , some doctors completed their MBBS in government seats but went abroad after graduation, leaving their obligations to their country unmet. Unlike them, he said, he was prepared to work even without a salary if posted to remote locations. “My happiness lies in serving the people in remote areas till my last breath. I’m ready to resign my job as VP at a diagnosP7 tic firm,” he said. MBBS, BDS counselling commences Chennai: The counselling for MBBS and BDS admissions for 2026-27 began on Thursday. At Omandurar Hospital, offline counselling for special category and 7.5% quota for government school students was held | P2 Significant among the pacts are Hinduja Group’s `2,500 crore ($300mn) commitment of new investment in the state, spanning renewable energy, electric mobility and financial services, which will generate 500 jobs. German auto firm Daimler has also committed `4,000 crore of fresh investP7 ment in the state. and Shah. Speaker Om Birla then adjourned the House sine die, bringing the curtains on a session that was washed out by a prolonged confrontation between the government and the Opposition over the student agitation, alleged police action against protesters, and demands for accountability from the Union home minister. Birla did not deliver the customary valedictory address in which the Speaker usually highlights the House’s performance and productivity during the session. According to PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha recorded one of its lowest productivity levels in two decades.