visakhapatnam l thursday l october 29, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Cabinet approves 3% hike in DA/ DR for central govt employees Representational image ‘diwali gift’ for 1.17 cr staff and pensioners The decision will benefit more than 1.17 crore Central government employees and pensioners. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw described it as a “Diwali gift”. The hike amounts to “an increase of 3% over the existing rates of 60% of the basic pay/pension, to compensate against price rise,” an official release said | p7 The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a three per cent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) with effect from July 1 `10,000 crore impact on exchequer ■ ■ The combined impact on the exchequer on account of the increase in both DA and DR would be `10,016.10 cr per annum, the release said The DA and DR for Central government employees and pensioners are revised twice a year, one with effect from January 1 and the other from July 1. The latest announcement pertains to July 1 increase 48.5 lakh Current employees and 68.7 lakh pensioners to benefit 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 7 killed as Cyclone Arnab batters AP S G u r u S r i k a n t h / Us h a P e r i @ Vijayawada/ Visakhapatnam Seven people lost their lives across the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh in rain-related incidents triggered by the landfall of Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab in the early hours of Wednesday . The devastating storm unleashed intense gale-force winds and torrential downpours across 14 districts, ravaging an estimated 2.2 lakh hectares of agricultural and horticultural crops. Normal life and economic activity were severely disrupted on Wednesday across the coastal districts of Kakinada, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla, Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam, alongside the tribal belts of Parvathipuram Manyam and Alluri Sitarama Raju. High-velocity winds uprooted thousands of trees, snapped power lines, downed telecom towers, Puri named for RS seat vacated by L Murugan RA J E S H KU M AR THAKUR The flattened paddy crop in an agricultural field in Polavaram; an electric pole fell on a private tourist bus in Kakinada | Express and submerged low-lying habitations, triggering massive multiagency rescue and relief operations on a war footing. Cyclone Arnab completed its six-hour landfall process near Narsapur between 2 and 8 am on Wednesday packing wind speeds , of 115 to 135 kmph with peak gusts reaching 150 kmph. The system made landfall near latitude 16.45°N and longitude CM announces aid for cyclone victims CM Naidu announced an ex gratia of `5 lakh each to the families of five people who died in cyclonerelated incidents. Families whose houses had been inundated would receive 25 kg of rice. Those staying in relief camps would receive `1,000 each, he said IMD predicts heavy rainfall in Coastal AP India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall at one or two places over Coastal Andhra and Yanam, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning on Thursday. Additionally, strong surface winds are expected at isolated locations in Coastal AP 81.9°E—approximately 20 km east-northeast of Narsapur, 40 km southwest of Yanam, and 60 km southwest of Kakinada. Although the storm weakened into a severe cyclonic storm after moving inland, the India Meteorological Department warned that severe weather risks persist, issuing heavy to extremely heavy rainfall alerts for north coastal districts, including Srikakulam, Parvathipuram and Vizianagaram over next 48 hours. The deaths included three electrocution fatalities in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle districts. 65-year-old Devudu, who came into contact with a snapped live wire; 49-year-old Madhavi, who was struck by a falling electric pole at Balaji Nagar; and a 55year-old woman in Yellamanchili who stepped on an active power line outside her house. In Bhimavaram, 45-year-old Chokka Kishore was killed when a tree fell on him at Churchipeta, and Rambabu died after an electric pole crashed on him at BonP4 dada Street.  kasvhi, the youngest to get picked in wpl At 15, Karnataka and India U19 all-rounder Uma Kashvi became the youngest to be signed in Women’s Premier League. She was picked by Delhi Capitals for `10 lakh | P11 SC grills EC over use of Poor Cong show Form 6 by deleted voters in 4 states with Advises panel to reach out to Delhi voters struck off, extend deadline @ New Delhi S U C HITRA KA LYAN M O HANT Y The BJP on Wednesday named Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri as its candidate for the November 12 by-election to one Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh. The decision to nominate Puri appears to signal the BJP’s intention to retain him in the Union cabinet. It offers a clear indication of his political future amid the recent controversies surrounding him. According to sources, the BJP’s central election committee approved Puri’s candidature after deliberating on various aspects. Puri, 74, is currently the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas. His term as Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to end on November 25. The by-election in Madhya Pradesh was necessitated by former Union Minister L Murugan’s resignation. With the BJP in power in Madhya Pradesh, its candidate is expected to have a smooth passage in the by-election. Puri’s nomination comes after the Congress and several other Opposition parties accused him of lying about his interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and called for his resignation. THE Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Election Commission of India (EC) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi, questioning why deleted voters were asked to fill Form 6 which is meant for first-time voters. The court told the EC to devise a way to reach out to 47 lakh of 1.45 crore Delhi voters, whose names were deleted in the draft voter list during the ongoing SIR and suggested the deadline for the process be extended. The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices V Mohana and Joymalya Bagchi said Form 6 requires a declaration that the applicant had never enrolled anywhere before. If voters already on the rolls in 2026 filled the form it would amount to a false declaration, exposing them to prosecution, the court said. The petitioners submitted that of the 47 lakh deleted voters, 43 lakh were marked absent or permanently shifted, although many had not received enumeration forms. The SC said a person going out for work for a few months could not be treated as perma- @ New Delhi ‘Logical discrepancy’ legality not yet decided The SC on Wednesday said it had yet to adjudicate the legality of the ‘logical discrepancy’ category used by the EC to scrutinise voters during the SIR of electoral rolls and it had only permitted its use in West Bengal as an interim arrangement nent change of residence. “It cannot delete names of migrant workers, street vendors, daily wagers on that ground,” the judges said. The court advised the EC not to fix a deadline and to accept enumeration forms from deleted voters instead of asking them to fill Forms 6, 7 and 8. Urging the EC to find a way to reduce the gap of 43 lakh deletions, the court suggested it publish a list of those voters, asking them to contact the EC. The EC said it would consider accepting late enumeration forms and will extend the October 30 deadline if needed. “Your job is to act with due diligence... A voter comes and says, please put in these papers. You say, put in Form 6. How does he file Form 6?... This is structural incongruity... if he has not filled an enumeration form and draft roll having been published, he has not shifted... will you say the person forever loses the right to come in roll?” Justice Bagchi asked. “The right to vote is vital and it cannot be forfeited even if a voter is absent,” the SC said, adding that if a person had only changed their address they should be allowed to use Form 8 instead. Asking the EC to devise an effective mechanism to reach out to deleted voters, the court fixed the matter for hearing after two weeks. The SC was hearing a plea against issues in the SIR in Delhi moved by Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri. The petitioners have questioned the ‘logical discrepancy’ category in the SIR and said making deleted voters fill Form 6 forces them to make a false declaration. just 1 MLC seat Of the eight seats in Bihar, @ Bengaluru/Mumbai/Patna/Lucknow the BJP won three while the JD(U), RJD-1, and Jan Suraaj THE Congress suffered a set- won one seat each. The reback in the biennial Legisla- maining two seats went to tive Council elections as the independents. party lost all but one seat. Notably Prashant Kishor, The BJP and its alled Jan Suraaj Party lies won 16 of the 28 made its debut in the seats that went to Bihar Legislative polls on October 23 Council with its canin Karnataka, Madidate Suresh Prasharashtra, Bihar ad Rai defeating sitand Uttar Pradesh. ting Congress MLC In Congress-ruled MLC polls Madan Mohan Jha Karnataka, the BJPin Darbhanga Teachled NDA swept all Indirect, ballot- ers’ constituency . four seats. The Ja- based elections In Uttar Pradesh, to elect nata Dal (Secular) where results have members of wrested the Benbeen declared for Legislative galuru Teachers’ nine of the 11 seats, constituency from Councils of six the BJP won six Congress, while the bicameral state seats while the Salegislatures— BJP retained the majwadi Party seUP, Bihar, other three seats. cured three. Results Maharashtra, Out of the five of two seats are Karnataka, MLC seats in Maawaited. harashtra, NCP-SP Telangana, and The Cong ress’s won two seats, while Andhra Pradesh dismal performance the BJP and Shiv drew a jibe from Sena won one seat each. The Prime Minister Narendra Congress claimed its candi- Modi. “MLC elections in 28 date, sitting MLC Abhijit seats across 4 big states. Wanjari, defeated the BJP’s Elections held using ballot Sudhakar Kohale in tightly papers. Guess how many contested Nagpur Gradu- seats Congress won?” Modi ates’ constituency . said in a post on X. E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e Reschedule MPTC & ZPTC elections to be held on Nov 5 S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) has rescheduled the polling for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections from November 3 to 5. State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha announced on Wednesday that elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) would be held as scheduled on November 1, despite the impact of Cyclone Arnab on some districts. The SEC took the decision after consulting Collectors and District Election Authorities in cyclone-affected districts, and assessing the situation. Based on the assurances given by the district officials, the SEC came to a decision that there was no need to reschedule the civic polls. As per the revised schedule, polling for the MPTC and ZPTC elections will take place on November 5. Repolling, if necessary will be held on November , 6. Counting of votes and declaration of results have been rescheduled from November 5 to 7. The revised schedule with regard to the MPTC and ZPTC elections was notified by the P4 SEC on Wednesday  . DPDP Act does not curtail freedom Now, pay over 90% less for some cancer meds of press, but open to amend law: Govt S i n d u j a j a n e @ Chennai RAKE S H KU M AR @ New Delhi Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act does not infringe on investigative journalism, asserting that the Constitution guarantees press freedom. He invited editors and media professionals to engage with the government to address concerns. The minister’s pushback came a day after the Digital News Publishers Association, which represents 21 mainstream media outlets, challenged the Act in the Supreme Court. The publishers argued that the absence of exemption for journalistic activities could impede investigative reporting and threaten press freedom. The Supreme Court has Ashwini Vaishnaw sought the Centre’s response and scheduled the next hearing for November 17. According to the publishers, the provisions governing notice, consent and the deletion of personal data could make it difficult for journalists to report on public-interest matters, particularly investigations into wrongdoings. They also raised concerns about the confidentiality of journalistic sources. Vaishnaw said the Constitu- tion guarantees journalistic freedom and that the government had no intention of restricting it. “The privacy law absolutely maintains, fully maintains the journalistic freedom the Constitution guarantees. I am inviting all editors, media persons to come and have a clear, open dialogue with us. We will be very happy to explain, and if there is any doubt, we are happy to take on record any suggestion and act if there is a need to,” said Vaishnaw, who also holds the Information and Broadcasting portfolio. Sources indicated that the Centre is open to amending the law to explicitly safeguard journalistic activities. Vaishnaw noted that the DPDP Act was enacted following a Supreme Court judgment that recognised the right to privacy as a fundamental right. The national drug price regulator on Wednesday revised the maximum retail prices of as many as 543 cancer drugs brands, slashing some of them by more than 90%. Quite a few of the generic and biosimilar brands have drastically become cheaper while expensive cancer medicines like blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda by MSD Pharma, remain unchanged, as per the list released by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). The price of Palbociclib, used to treat certain breast cancers, has been reduced to `2,270 from `40,421 for one brand and pack size. The cost of chemotherapy drug Thiotepa manufactured by Samarth Life Sciences Pvt Ltd has been reduced from `80,072 to `7,150 for a 100 mg vial. Dasatinib, Lenvatinib, Abiraterone and Olaparib, used Strength & Company Name Drug Name Dosage Form Brand Name Samarth Life 100 MG Sciences Pvt Thiotepa SAMTEPA Injection Ltd Revised Pack Size Old MRP MRP (in `) (in `) 80,071.86 7,150.33 RPG LIFE 50 MG Fulbreca 5 ml vial 26,072.16 SCIENCES LTD Fulvestrant Injection RPG LIFE 60 MG Debrumab 1 ml PFS 22,031.25 SCIENCES LTD Denosumab Injection 60 mg Abbott Healthcare Bevacizumab 100 mg/4 ml BEVACIZAB 4 ml vial 21,767.70 Injection Pvt. Ltd. HETERO 50 MG HEALTHCARE Fludarabine vial 14,235.00 Injection FLUDANOX LTD 5,491.00 in the treatment of different c a n c e r s, a l s o h ave b e e n reduced. However, the cost of Ribociclib used to treat breast cancer, remains unchanged at `24,435. The cost of other originator brands, including Tagrisso, Tecentriq, Darzalex and Imfinzi, too, remain unchanged. The new prices will take effect on November 9, following the NPPA’s decision to cap trade 1 vial 5,941.00 5,930.13 2,432.00 margins at 30% of MRP for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs. The pricing was reduced after the Supreme Court questioned the high cost and the margins charged in the cancer treatment supply chain. The revised prices list reflects the information submitted by companies up to October 27. It will be updated as and when manufacturers submit their revised prices of non- scheduled anti-cancer drugs. S Srinivasan, Co Convenor of All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), said, even after reducing the prices the costlier medicines continue to stay that way. Many cancer patients in India still cannot afford them. Today the prices have been fixed based on the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013 (DCPO 2013), in which the ceiling price is calculated with a simple average formula. It ends up justifying the high cost of many medicines. “Reducing the trade margin price alone will not help. The price should be reduced based on the cost-based formula of D P C O 1 9 9 5 , ” S r i n iva s a n suggested. The regulator slashed the prices after it announced trade margin rationalisation (TMR) of 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs in public interest on October 17 to make cancer treatment more affordable.