KOCHI l saturday l august 29, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION Industrial PRODUCTION MODERATES TO 6.7% in July AS mining contracts National Statistics Office data released on Friday showed that mining & quarrying shrank 0.9% in July against 1% growth in June and 10.7% a year ago Index for June revised from 7.3% to 8.8% Manufacturing slows but holds firm The Index of Industrial Production for June was revised from the provisional estimate of 7.3% to 8.8%. According to NSO, the July headline number of 6.7% was “supported by 7.3% growth in manufacturing and strong growth of 8.7% in electricity & gas supply”. Growth in manufacturing, which carries the largest weight in the index, moderated to 7.3% in July from 9.5% in June ■ ■ In the manufacturing sector, 19 out of 23 industry groups have recorded a positive year-on-year growth in July 2026, data showed Top 3 contributors in July are: ‘Manufacture of electrical equipment’ (28.3%), ‘Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers & semi-trailers’ (22.2%), and ‘Manufacture of machinery and equipment’ (12.1%) 5.4% The Index of Industrial production recorded in july 2025 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 Miffed at CPM rebuke, CPI to firm up response national leader said. For the CPM, the issue appears to Stung by the CPM’s blunt have assumed significance refusal to concede the depu- beyond the post itself. Yieldty leader of opposition post ing to the CPI’s demand and its public ridicule of the could signal acceptance of a party, the CPI is gearing up larger role for its junior ally to firm up its response to its within the LDF, while standdominant LDF ing firm would help partner. the CPM retain its The CPI state leadgrip over the opposiership is set to hold tion front. an extraordinary CPM leaders said meeting with its nathe CPI’s increasingtional leaders in ly critical stance toNew Delhi on Sepwards former chief Sept 1 tember 1, on the sideminister Pinarayi meeting lines of the party’s Vijayan has unsetThe CPI state national rally at tled sections of the Ramlila Maidan, to leadership is set to party Resentment is . hold a meeting deliberate on the isreportedly mountsue and decide the with its national ing among leaders leaders in New next course of acand cadre who feel Delhi on tion. “The latest dethe CPI has breached September 1 to velopments and the the limits of coalistate unit’s stand on discuss the deputy tion ethics. leader of the issue will be conBoth parties have veyed to the national opposition issue stepped up their leadership,” a state public attacks on secretariat member said. each other. The CPI has acThe CPI state leadership is cused Pinarayi of adopting seeking a more visible role an authoritarian approach in the LDF parliamentary by making unilateral stateparty’s affairs. “There is a ments despite an agreement view that the CPM cannot to resolve issues through bisimply brush aside the dep- lateral talks. uty leader issue. The immeThe CPM has been critical diate question is whether to of the CPI since the final leg turn it into a sustained po- of the LDF government’s ● More on P4 litical confrontation,” a CPI term.  K S SR E E J I T H @T’Puram Relatives look at photos (above) of flash flood victims displayed outside a morgue for identification, in Kathmandu on Friday; and Minister S Jaishankar with TN tourists who arrived in Delhi from Nepal | PTI 320 Indians missing, toll tops 580 Around 400 Indians stranded but safe in Tibet; tunnel specialists being sent for rescue ops E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi At least 320 Indian nationals remain uncontactable and around 400 others are stranded but safe on the Chinese side following devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border as India stepped up efforts to trace its citizens and offered Kathmandu a range of rescue and relief assistance. The floods have killed at least 584 people, 579 in Nepal and five in Tibet, while Nepalese authorities put the number of missing around 1,900. The scale of destruction has complicated rescue operations, with fears of further flooding disrupting efforts in several areas. “The damage is just incredible,” Lila Pieters Yahia, the UN resident coordinator for Nepal, said on Friday, adding that more than 40 bridges had been Valmiki scam Karnataka govt blinks, minister Nagendra quits D E V A R A J B H IR E H A LLI @ Bengaluru IN a major setback to the Congress government in Karnataka, Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra resigned on Thursday just 25 days after , being inducted as a minister. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has been facing pressure to drop Nagendra ever since the latter was inducted as minister in the cabinet expansion on August 3. Nagendra said he is stepping down to avoid embarrassment to the party and the CM. He added that he will also resign from the Assembly and dared BJP leaders, who were calling for his ouster, to contest against him. He categorically denied all allegations made against him in the `187 crore Maharshi Valmiki ST Corporation scam. This is the second time that Nagendra is resigning as minister over the same issue. The first time was on June 6, 2024 when Siddaramaiah was chief minister. Infosys Public Services CEO Gopisetty unreachable Infosys Public Services CEO Lax Gopisetty has been unreachable after devastating Nepal floods, the company said in a statement. The company said it was working with relevant agencies to gather information and establish contact with him. “We remain in close communication with the family and are providing all necessary support during this difficult time,” Infosys said destroyed or badly damaged and “over 40 km of road completely destroyed.” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 400 Indians stranded on the Chinese side were in touch with their families. The Indian embassy in Beijing is coordinating with Chinese authorities on their evacuation, he added. By Friday evening, 153 Indian nationals had safely crossed from the Chinese side into Nepal by land, officials said. Jaiswal said 320 Indians remained uncontactable while around 100 additional people of Indian origin were also out of contact. Some of the latter may have been travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra but hold other nationalities. Meanwhile, 21 from Tamil Nadu rescued from the flood-hit areas arrived in New Delhi on Friday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received them at the Delhi airport. The rescued group told Jaishankar about the sudden flooding and expressed gratitude to the Nepal Army for bringing them out. Deal done for US Javelin anti-tank missile system Pathbreaker Pragg On Thursday, R Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour. A look at how he won it... @ New Delhi Infrared guidance The big draw of the Javelin is its guidance. Its imaging infrared seeker locks on to the target before launch, allowing the gunner to fire and immediately withdraw simulation rounds and spares. Lt Gen Ajay Kumar, former Director General of Infantry, said in October 2025 that the Army was pursuing 12 launchers and 104 missiles. A Congressional notification records approval for a possible sale and not the quantity . The Javelin can be set to attack from above, where the armour of a tank is thinnest and carries a tandem warhead intended to defeat explosive reactive armour. One month on tour The Grand Chess Tour is a series of elite events between the world’s best players before the top four in the preliminary stages advance to the final. It’s held across all three established time controls (Classical, Rapid and Blitz) What’s more remarkable is that he has spent the majority of the last month on tour in the US playing two GCT events before advancing to the final. In all, he has played over 50 games and 70 hours E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi The enforcement directorate (ED) has registered a case under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) against Reporter Broadcasting Company over alleged violations in the remittance of around `126 crore to overseas entities in connection with a proposed event in the state featuring football star Lionel Messi and the Argentina national team. According to ED sources, the agency initiated the proceedings after its preliminary financial inquiry indicated that substantial amounts were transferred to foreign bank accounts, citing business agreements and arrangements related to the proposed event. The proposed football event, however, did not materialise. Reporter Broadcasting Company — the event sponsor — allegedly transferred around `126 crore to foreign entities, purportedly towards securing contracts and making logistical arrangements for the visit of Messi and the Argentina team, the sources said. The ED is examining whether the overseas remittances complied with RBI regulations and whether the transactions had a genuine underlying commercial purpose. Sources said preliminary scrutiny has raised questions over the nature of the transactions and the entities that ultimately received the funds. The agency has collected contractual documents and details of the financial transac● More on P4 tions.  Exam reforms panel seeks feedback After trailing 9-3 in the summit clash of the four-man Grand Finals, the 21-year-old showed his gumption and class by taking the lead in the Rapid section of the final before sealing the win in the Blitz format. Explaining the GCT ED registers FEMA case over `126 cr fund transfer E x p r e s s Re a d Keeping nerve against Fabiano in the final J A V A RI A R A N A indian Army has signed a formal contract with the US to procure the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missile system, a weapon it has been seeking since 2009. “BIG news! India plans to buy the battle-tested Javelin anti-tank system,” US envoy to India Sergio Gor wrote on X. He said the purchase could open the way to co-production of the missile in India. Gor linked the development to remarks made by the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue earlier this year, where Hegseth said India would acquire the system. The purchase is being processed under the Army’s emergency procurement powers, which allow Service Headquarters to conclude urgent acquisitions within a delegated financial ceiling of `300 crore. The quantities are limited. In November last year, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible sale to India of 100 Javelin rounds, one fly-to-buy missile and 25 launch units at an estimated cost of $45.7 million, together with trainers, “We are still very much focused on contacting all the Indians there,” Jaishankar said. India has also intensified humanitarian assistance. A third military flight carrying 10 tonnes of relief supplies departed for Kathmandu on Friday, taking India’s emergency assistance since Wednesday night to 47.5 tonnes. The latest consignment includes portable generators, dignity kits, food packets and water-purification tablets. An 11-member team of doctors, paramedics and tunnel-rescue specialists was also sent. Jaishankar said tunnel specialists were being sent because people could potentially be trapped at a hydropower project. He also reviewed the crisis with senior officials, with India’s ambassadors in Kathmandu and Beijing joining virtually . Messi visit row $404,354 The money Pragg earned by winning the GCT this year New Delhi: The Centre’s recently constituted task force on Friday invited suggestions from students, parents, teachers and other stakeholders on reforms in public examinations to make them transparent and secure. Suggestions can be submitted online, through WhatsApp on the designated number, or via email by September 13. P7 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express 30% rural allowance hike proposed for MCH docs A N N A J O S E @ T’Puram In an effort to address the long-pending issue of acute staff shortage at rural health facilities, especially medical college hospitals (MCHs), the health department has proposed a 30% hike in the remoterural allowance for doctors. This, it believes, will help improve facilities and services and attract specialist doctors to MCHs in Idukki, Kasaragod and Wayanad. Though the state government has established MCHs in all districts, many of the institutions, including those in Kasaragod, Palakkad, Wayanad, Pathanamthitta and Idukki lack adequate doctors, affecting patient care and specialised services. “Several medical colleges have the infrastructure, but lack doctors to ensure that specialised treatment and services are available and accessible to patients. Providing a remoterural allowance would motivate doctors to choose these medical colleges for work,” a department source said. The department has identified Wayanad, Idukki and Kasaragod as remote and rural MCHs. The move comes at a time when concerns have been raised over some newly established MCHs operating essentially as upgraded general and taluk hospitals, with se- vere staff and infrastructure deficits. Dr Ajith Prasad, president of Kerala Government Postgraduate Medical Teachers Association, said mere infrastructure alone cannot help ensure better treatment and medical education. “We have been demanding the creation of posts, not just for doctors, but for nurses, lab assistants and office staff, and infrastructure development at medical colleges across the ● More on P4 state,” he said.  Why Penguin pressured Sonia to purge loaded political portions of her memoir E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The central point of contention between Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Penguin Random House India (PRHI) was the publisher’s demand to retract passages containing her “frank” assessment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and references to mishandling of “Chinese incursion” during his tenure, a senior party function- ary said. According to the functionary, the passages were not based on ‘hearsay’ but on Sonia’s ‘relevant interactions’ and assessment. The functionary described the remarks as “candid” saying Sonia had written about what she had observed and experienced in her dealings with the prime minister as “both as the leader of a political party and a person in public life”. The functionary said the is- sue was not about routine factchecking but with “substantive changes to the political content of the memoir”. The concern, according to the functionary, was that substantially “altering” or “removing” those passages would change the “character” of Sonia’s account and “assessment” of contemporary political events. PRHI, however, denied that it decided against publishing the memoir because Sonia refused Nov 10 release Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin, had recently announced that Belonging will be released worldwide on Nov 10 editorial changes, and said it is “not the publisher of the book in India”. “Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish Belonging because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances,” PRHI said on Friday It main. tained that fact-checking and making editorial recommendations are a normal part of its role. “It is both our prerog- ative and our responsibility to fact check and provide authors with recommendations that are in the best interests of their books,” it said. Senior Cong ress leader Ashok Gehlot alleged that Penguin India wanted changes to portions concerning “Modi, the RSS and China’s ‘occupation of Indian territory.’ Penguin Worldwide is ready to publish the book worldwide in its original form, but Penguin Random House India wants changes in India, he said. “The real issue is that pressure was put on Penguin India to remove the portions related to Modi, the RSS, and the occupation of Indian territory by China during Modi’s rule. This is the murder of democracy,” Gehlot alleged. Following the controversy, HarperCollins is reportedly close to finalising an agreement to publish and distribute the book in India.