BENGALURU  SUNDAY  AUGUST 23, 2026  `12.00  PAGES 28  LATE CITY EDITION HOCKEY WORLD CUP: MEN’S TEAM WALK THE TIGHTROPE AFTER LOSS Harmanpreet & Co. lose crucial encounter 1-3 against the Netherlands. Face a must-win clash against Argentina on Monday to have a chance POINTLESS INDIA GIVEN LIFELINE BY ARGENTINA The men’s team will have been ousted from the competition had England avoided defeat on Saturday evening but Argentina won that match. India, only team with zero points in Pool E, are last and have a sub optimal goal difference but they have a chance. That’s all they could have asked for and now the onus is on them to give themselves a chance ■ SIX SEARCHING FOR 1ST WC MEDAL SINCE 1975 ■ India are still searching for their first medal at the World Cup since the 1975 edition. On Monday, apart from that must-win clash, they also have to hope that Netherlands beat England On Sunday, the women’s team needs a win against Australia to have a chance of advancing to the semifinals | P15 NO OF GOALS HARMANPREET SINGH HAS SCORED AT THE WORLD CUP 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 Karnataka bans analogue, non-dairy paneer for 1 year EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru PM Modi being greeted by BJP president Nitin Nabin | PTI Day after, Raj govt says 611 schools lack own building R A J E S H A S N A N I @ Jaipur AS many as 611 state-run schools in Rajasthan do not have own buildings, 2,047 schools lack toilets for students, and 1,049 do not have drinking water facilities, government data showed, amid a row over the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) inspection of schools in the state. The data was released a day after CJP workers were assaulted during a visit to a school in Jaipur. It came in response to an unstarred question by Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Julie. Of the 611 schools without buildings, 10 are girls’ schools. Jaipur has 38 such schools. Block-wise, Aklera in Jhalawar has the highest number of such schools at 23, followed Dipke by Khanpur booked with 16, and Jhalrapatan Police have and Phalodi registered a w i t h case against 11 each. Cockroach The data Janta Party is based on convenor Abhijeet Dipke 2025-26 UDISE figand others for ures under allegedly the Samaentering a gra Shiksha state-run framework. school in The governMaharashtra’s ment said Latur district arrangewithout ments were permission. being made for drinking water and alternative toilet facilities at schools lacking them. It has earmarked `550 crore for the repair and renovation of schools and another `450 crore for constructing buildings for schools without premises and those operating from dilapidated structures. The government also cited a Finance Department meeting held on March 13 and 14, where a roadmap was prepared to mobilise `2,500 crore annually for the construction, repair and maintenance of school buildings with a total outlay of over `12,500 crore over five years. WITH THIS ISSUE THE FEARLESS GENERATION PLUS 12 P AGES Rahul Gandhi at his rally in Pune on Saturday | PTI Modi’s pep Break the talk to new cage, Rahul core team tells women R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the newly appointed office-bearers of the BJP’s central team to remain committed to the party’s ideology and the spirit of Nation First, with Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, which is at the core of good governance. In his first interaction with the new team, he shared insights and perspectives on strengthening organisational work and emphasised the importance of maintaining a deep connect with the people, particularly the youth, over the government’s policies and achievements. Modi reportedly advised the team not to be bothered or worried by the ‘surround sound’ outside, but to remain focused on the party’s ideological commitment. Prime Minister Later, in a post on ‘X’, Modi Narendra Modi said: “Organisational meet- shared insights and ings are all about new ideas perspectives to and perspectives aimed at further strengthen the party’s strengthening the party and organisation and deepening connect with the people. Great interaction deepen its connect with people with fellow party colleagues BJP statement and the new team!” Earlier in the day, a meeting of the party’s new core team adopted a resolution condemning the Congress decision to sing just two stanzas of Vande Mataram. Asserting that there would be no compromise on the honour and legacy of the National Song, the party resolved to oppose any attempt by the Congress to subject it to “communal pressure, political appeasement or vote-bank politics”. The BJP is also learnt to have constituted a dedicated team to spearhead its upcoming Gen Z outreach. It is expected to be rolled out shortly . Besides, the party will launch a month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan from September 17 to mark the completion of Modi’s 25 years in public life as the head of government and his dedication to P9 service at every moment. WOMEN are India’s “biggest strength,” but a stereotypical society rooted in the Manusmriti, , has systematically ensured they are never allowed to be independent, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said here on Saturday . Addressing his party’s youth outreach programme ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ here, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said he would not deliver a political speech but would instead listen to young women’s concerns and ideas. “There is a deliberate plan to ensure women are never independent. No man has any right over women. Even after remarkable success in every field, they are still boxed into a category Rahul ,” said, urging women to “break the cage.” There is a Calling the Manusmriti deliberate plan to ensure that women “the RSS’s draconian book,” he said it worked against should never be women’s independence and independent. You are not bound to progress. “A woman belongs anyone except to herself first, and that is yourself her first identity; then other Rahul Gandhi, roles like sister, daughter, Congress leader wife, and mother come intoplay he said. ,” Citing data, Rahul said 4.5 lakh female foeticides occur every year, 80 per cent of women face harassment in some form, 29 per cent face physical violence, and at least six per cent are rape victims. He added that half of India’s women reject work opportunities over safety concerns, 60 per cent cannot step out alone, and girls’ education drops 45 per cent due to early marriage and domestic work. Only eight per cent of women own property, he said. The data presented by the Congress leader could not be independently verified by this paper. Rahul later interacted with students and working women, who spoke about education, career choices and workplace conduct. THE Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FDA) has banned analogue or non-dairy paneer across the state for one year. The order prohibits the manufacture, processing, packing, storage, distribution, transportation and sale of analogue or non-dairy products that resemble paneer or are used as a substitute for paneer. Here, milk fat or milk solids are wholly or partially replaced with vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non-dairy ingredients. Such products have also been prohibited from being displayed, supplied or sold under the name “paneer”. The order states that paneer is a standardised food product under Regulation 2.1.16 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. It is defined as a product obtained from milk, with or without permitted milk solids, through precipitation using permitted acidulants followed by heating. Milk fat is considered an essential constituent of paneer, and the use of vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non-dairy fat in place of or in addition to milk fat is not permitted. The department said the absence of specific quality standards for products falling under the category of “Analogue in Dairy Context” has made enforcement difficult. It also expressed concern that such products could be sold or used as genuine paneer, potentially misleading consumers. The FDA said consumers cannot be expected to distinguish between genuine paneer and analogue products on their own, particularly when the products are marketed as paneer. The order notes that representing an analogue Priyank: Missing IAS officer Gangawar contacted govt EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru HOUSE OF CARDS Rescue work in progress after an unauthorised seven-storey under-construction building collapsed in Hyderabad on Saturday, killing 2 persons | VINAY MADAPU |P7 107 schoolchildren fall ill after lizard SC overturns NGT order found in salt container in Gadag dist against Art of Living DIRECTS REFUND OF `5 CR FINE R A G H O T TA M K O P PA R @ Gadag S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Saturday set aside a 2017 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) holding Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation responsible for the damage caused to the Yamuna floodplain following its World Culture Festival held here in 2016. The court then directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to refund the `5 crore environmental compensation deposited by the foundation. A bench of justices Satish Chandra Shar ma and N K Singh passed the order on an appeal filed by Vyakti Vikas Kendra India (VVKI), the Indian organisation associated with AoL Foundation, founded by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It is to be noted that the foundation is the broader international organisation, while VVKI is a separate Indian entity linked to it. The NGT had ruled on Dec 7, 2017 that the `5 crore interim compensation paid by the foundation would be used by Event on floodplain The event in question, World Cultural Festival, was held from March 11 to 13, 2016. The event was organised on the active floodplain of the Yamuna river in Delhi, over an area comprising 25 hectares upstream of the DND flyway DDA for restoration and excess cost, if any would be recovered , from it. It had also held DDA guilty of contributory negligence. The top court said NGT’s finding was based on an expert committee report prepared in “violation of natural justice” without giving AoL a chance to submit evidence. The Shashi Shekhar committee’s estimate — `42.02 crore first, then `13.29 crore — was arbitrary with no conclusive proof that floodplain was “completely destroyed”, the bench said. The court further said that the event was held after necessary and due permission from all authorities. IN all, 107 schoolchildren fell ill after a lizard was found in a salt container used to prepare the mid-day meal at the Gover nment Higher Primary School at Bidanal village in Mundaragi taluk of Gadag district on Saturday . It is said that the lizard was detected after the meal was served. Soon after consuming the meal, the children started vomiting and suffering from stomach aches. The teachers, with the help of villagers, shifted the children to the Mundargi Taluk Hospital. Of the 107 children, five have been admitted and are being treated as inpatients, doctors said. A doctor from the Mundargi product as paneer could create a false impression about its nature and ingredients and may also amount to misbranding. It stated that dairy analogue products are required to carry declarations about the use of non-dairy ingredients and substituted milk components as prescribed under the applicable labelling regulations. The prohibition is not a blanket ban on all products containing non-dairy ingredients. It applies specifically to dairy analogue products for which no separate quality standards have been prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and which are not standardised food products. Separately standardised products such as frozen desserts, processed cheese and mixed fat spread are excluded from the order as they are governed by their own prescribed standards.The order also prohibits food businesses from using, storing, stocking, supplying, selling or otherwise utilising analogue or nondairy paneer while preparing any food product or dish. Students, parents and teachers at the Mundargi Taluk Hospital on Saturday Taluk Hospital said, “All are out of danger now and there is no need to worry.” Education department officials, including the taluk education officer, visited the school and the hospital. The officials are now conducting an investigation into the incident. They will look at not only this specific episode, but also the preparation and distribution of mid-day meal at the school, officials said. The parents, who were initially worried, were relieved that the incident was not as serious as it was perceived to be. Sunil Halli, a parent, said, “The staff preparing the mid-day meal should be careful and not keep the containers open. We all believe in them and send our children to the school.” The staff preparing the mid-day meal should be careful and not keep the containers open. We all trust them and send our children to the school Sunil Halli, a parent of a student KARNATAKA Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday said an IAS officer who was reported missing has since established contact with the government. The senior IAS officer had reportedly gone incommunicado since Thursday evening, after which the city police had begun efforts to trace him. Amid the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids in connection with the alleged irregularities in Karnataka Public Service Commission examinations, the disappearance of senior IAS officer Gyanend r a Ku m a r Gang awar had drawn significant public attention. The 2016 batch officer, who had earlier served as Controller of Examinations at KPSC, is with the MSME department at present. Priyank Kharge told the media, “The officer has since contacted the government and clarified that he had to travel urgently to his hometown after seeking leave due to a family emergency He said, “The fact .” that his official phone was unreachable during this period appears to have led to confusion and speculation regarding his whereabouts. He is now in contact with the government and has clarified the actual situation.” Kharge had earlier said that the report about the officer going missing had come to his notice two days ago. EXPRESS READ AC mechanic held for links with Pak gangsters BENGALURU: A 28-year-old air-conditioning mechanic was arrested on the outskirts of Doddaballapur by the local police on charges of establishing contact with Pakistan-based gangsters with terror links. The suspect, S Syed Abubakar, a resident of Islampura, was allegedly in contact with Pakistan-based gangsters and an international criminal network for the last two years. He had undergone training in Kerala and Delhi and was teaching at a mosque, investigators said | P5 ‘My hands are clean’: Pinarayi rejects hawala claims THRISSUR: Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that neither he and his daughter T Veena nor any other member of his family had engaged in hawala transactions and asserted that their hands were clean. “I am fully convinced about this. These hands are clean and will remain clean,” Pinarayi told reporters in Thrissur on Saturday. Questioning the “unusual steps” taken by the ED in the case, he said that the agency normally publishes information on its website, but had issued a press release in this case | P7