visakhapatnam l friday l august 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION women continue to hold far fewer top management roles AI generated image 9 women ceos in india’s 500 listed firms Latest data submitted in Parliament shows that women held only 17.2% of senior management positions in corporate India in 2025-26 | P10 Of the 2,52,103 senior management roles recorded that financial year, women held 43,331 positions (17.2%), while men accounted for the remaining 2,08,772, 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 Naidu inaugurates ‘Primary ‘kirpan’ attack Gateway’ to Capital Region Man in ‘Nihang’ attire stabs him in Nanded S U DHIR S U RYA W ANSHI & HAR P REET B A J W A @ 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 the 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 and Air India Express 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 and the United States. “We nevertheless now feel it is important to go further. Accordingly, we have decided to undertake a full screening of all Group pilots for any substances or medications that are not permitted under prevailing regulations. This testing is mandatory and will start today , August 13.” S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada 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. Marking a major milestone in establishing high-speed and seamless connectivity to the State Capital Amaravati, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu formally inaugurated Phase-2 of the E-3 Seed Access Road alongside two newly constructed steel bridges at Undavalli on Thursday . Describing the project as the “Royal Road” and primary gateway to the capital region, the Chief Minister stated that the operationalisation of this 9-lane arterial corridor represents the first concrete step toward building a world-class urban centre designed to anchor the economic future of the State. Accompanied by Municipal Administration and Urban De- velopment Minister P Narayana and Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar, Naidu unveiled the inauguration plaque at Undavalli before walking across the new steel bridges to inspect the infrastructure firsthand and address a large public gathering. Constructed by the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) at an estimated cost of `1,519 crore, the 21.77-km E-3 E x p r e s s Re a d `4 a unit procurement target set Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday instructed the power sector to focus on cost-cutting measures and renewable energy integration. He set explicit targets to reduce the average procurement price to `4.60 per unit this year, and further down to `4 by 2029 | P3 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 No further action In a post on X past midnight, Mishra said after considering all angles, “satisfied that the 2026 batch of NALSAR, Hyderabad, had no role in any disturbance or movement, the Bar Council of India has decided to close the proceedings altogether. No further action is required.” `114-cr Srikalahasti temple plan awaits centre’s nod Officials have submitted a `114.06 cr plan to the Centre under PRASAD scheme to improve pilgrim amenities at Srikalahasteeswara temple | P3 Kumki elephant operations helped reduce human fatalities by 70% in State: Dy CM U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam Deployment of trained ‘Kumki’ elephants has helped Andhra Pradesh reduce human fatalities in forest-fringe areas by 70%, while bringing down crop damage in areas affected by human-elephant conflict, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said on Thursday . Addressing a national-level conference in Vizag to mark World Elephant Day, Pawan Kalyan noted that the Kumki elephants had so far been deployed in 15 key operations to manage wild elephants. Four Kumki elephants were brought from Karnataka, and specially trained for operations involving wild elephants. Their deployment has yielded positive results in the Agency areas, he added. Seed Access Corridor spans from Dondapadu to NH-16 near Manipal Hospital in Tadepalli, passing through Rayapudi, Venkatapalem, Penumaka and Undavalli. Built as a 60-metre-wide gridbased transit backbone modelled on the structured access roads of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, the corridor directly connects all N-series roads (N1 to N17) in the capital layout. While the 14.35-km Phase-1 stretch was completed previously the newly opened 3.92-km , Phase-2 incorporates two major steel engineering structures—a 110-metre bridge over the Buckingham Canal and a 280-metre bridge spanning Kondaveeti Vagu and the Guntur Channel—built at a comP4 bined cost of `82 crore. The State has also launched its own programme to train Kumki elephants. Jayanth, a trained Kumki elephant, is currently being deployed in Parvathipuram Manyam district, while the government has set a target of training two Kumki elephants every year. “Coexistence between people and wildlife without conflict should be considered an important measure of development,” he said, stressing the need to ensure that ryots living on forest fringes can cultivate their lands without fear while protecting elephant habitats.  P4 Project Elephant At the national level, the number of elephant conservation centres has increased from 26 in 2014 to 33, while 150 jumbo corridors have been identified across the country. Special measures are being taken for elephant conservation Fresh web options for MBBS to stay Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday refused to stay the implementation of Government Order (GO) 102, issued by the Medical and Health Department, allowing students to exercise web options before every round of counselling for MBBS and BDS admissions | P4 All noise, no work Stormy Parl session ends with poor productivity P REETHA NAIR @ New Delhi one of the most tumultuous 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 Naren. dra 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 and Shah. Speaker Om Birla then adjourned the House sine die, bringing the curtains down on a session that was largely 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. Significantly Birla did not deliver the custom, ary valedictory address in which the Speaker usually highlights the House’s performance and productivity during the session. According to data from PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha recorded one of its lowest productivity levels in two decades, with only two sessions since 2004 witnessing less functioning. Question Hour could not be completed even once during the session amid protests. Amid the protests, as many as 12 Bills were passed by the Lok Sabha, including two that had earlier been cleared by the Rajya Sabha. Of these, only two saw a debate, while the remaining Bills were passed without discussion. The best and worst The bill to amend antipaper leaks law saw elaborate discussion lasting 10 hours. But only two MPs spoke during the debate on the Vande Mataram bill Centre’s climbdown The govt had to retreat on some of its legislative plans. The biggest climbdown came on the contentious FCRA bill, which was referred to JPC