vijayawada l saturday l february 13, 2021 l `7.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Retail inflation down to 4.06% in January The dip from 4.59% in Dec, 2020, attributed to declining veggie prices in the National Statistical Office data released on Friday at 1.89%, food basket price rise down, too Industrial production up 1% in Dec Meat, fish, egg and milk experienced an uptick in price, but it was more than adequately offset by the decrease in the rates of vegetable and confectionary. The overall rate of price rise in the food basket was 1.89% in January, down from 3.41% in December, 2020. Retail inflation has cooled down significantly owing largely to moderation in food inflation ■ Indicating continuing recovery, industrial production entered positive territory after a month. The manufacturing sector posted a growth of 1.6% but mining output declined by 4.8% ■ Power generation grew by a healthy by 5.1%, taking the overall growth of eight core sectors of the economy to 1% 4.9% Growth in consumer durables compared to -5.6% in December 2019 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI 35% govt quota in pvt varsities, English med in degree colleges ‘English med enables students to excel’ Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy opined that students will get better job opportunities with the educational reforms proposed by the State government. It will be difficult for BA and BCom students to excel in the competitive world without proficiency in English. Officials should focus on employment opportunities of students while preparing the curriculum. English should also be introduced as the medium of instruction in junior colleges. But, textbooks should be printed both in Telugu and English for the better understanding of students, the Chief Minister said Chief Minister proposes amendment to Andhra Pradesh Private Universities Act 2006 in the next Assembly Session E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada The State government has proposed allotment of 35 per cent of seats under the government quota in private universities to provide higher education opportunities to students of socially and economically backward communities. Reviewing the proposed amendments to the AP Private Universities Act, 2006 in an official meeting on Friday Chief , Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said a bill will be introduced in the ensuing session of the Legislative Assembly . He directed that a benchmark in standards be set for new universities and the existing universities should have a joint certification with 200 best educational institutions of the world, which should last for five years. He further said that this should be considered as eligible criteria for recognising a college as a private university . It was also proposed that aided colleges should be either handed over to the government or private completely if they cannot be run independently . It was also decided to introduce English as the medium of instruction in all degree colleges. The officials should come up with appropriate courses so that students do not face any trouble due to the immediate introduction of English as the medium of instruction in the curriculum of first year of degree courses. English should also be introduced as the medium of instruction in Intermediate. But, textbooks should be printed in both Telugu and English languages for the better under- standing of students, he said. Jagan opined that students will get better employment opportunities with the educational reforms proposed by the government. It will be difficult for BA and BCom students to excel in the competitive world without proficiency in English. The officials should focus on job opportunities of students while preparing the curriculum, he P5 said.  Four dead, 22 injured as mini-bus plunges 100 ft into Araku valley E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e Helpline numbers @ Vijayawada At least four persons, including an eight-month-old baby girl, were killed and 22 others injured — 10 of them critically — in a major accident on Araku ghat road in Visakhapatnam district late F riday evening. As per the information available, 26 tourists, all of them said to be from Telangana, were returning to Visakhapatnam after a visit to Araku valley when the mini-bus they were travelling in plunged at least 08912590102, 08912590100 100 ft into the valley at a bend on the ghat road around 8 pm. The vehicle, belonging to Dinesh Travels, a private operator from Hyderabad, was mangled due to the impact of the fall. The accident occurred between Dumuku and Tyda in Ananthagiri mandal about 30 km from S Kota. Police, and locals rushed to the spot and ferried the injured to the nearest hospital at S Kota. Speaking to TNIE, Visakhap- atnam Superintendent of Police B Krishna Rao confirmed that four passengers had died on the spot. The 10 critically injured were rushed to the King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam. The deceased were identified as K Saritha (30), K Satyanarayana (50), Nitya (8 months) and N Latha (30). The driver of the vehicle, Srisailam, was also among the injured. It appears there were at least six children in the bus. Among the critically injured were eight women and a seven-year-old boy. Most of them sustained P4 head and chest injuries.  Upstream lake formed by rubble on Rishiganga river adds to concern V i n e e t U pa d h yay @ Tapovan (Uttarakhand) Amid ongoing rescue efforts at the Tapovan tunnel, the detection of a new lake formed by boulders that rolled on to the Rishiganga and blocked it about 8 km upstream from Raini village, added to the worry as it could cause more havoc than Sunday flash floods if it were to burst. However, scientists said water from the lake started draining on Friday, reducing the chances of a calamity . Y P Sundariyal, head of the department of geology at the Hemvanti Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University said, “The , lake is around 250-300 metres long, 80-100 metres wide and about 25-30 metres deep. As the volume of water is huge, hypothetically if it bursts, it could cause more damages than earlier. But since the water is slow- ly draining, it will not burst. Authorities should drain it without trying to burst it, using skilled manpower.” A similar but bigger lake was formed in 1998 in the Mandakini river in Madmeshwar valley, which safely drained. “There was panic but the lake drained and the danger was averted. We hope it will happen at this lake too,” he added. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said, “We need not panic but must stay alert.” A team of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, scientists from DRDO and the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre conducted and aerial survey but could not reach it by land. Glaciologist D P Dobhal, who worked at Dehradun’s Wadia institute, said, “The rubble holding the water is huge. If loose material holding it is pushed away by water, it will be a big threat.” Rescued people in the mini-bus mishap at S Kota hospital in Vizianagaram district on Friday I Express @Bengaluru Resignation drama on RS floor by TMC member Trivedi Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi on Friday created a flutter by announcing his decision to prematurely end his Rajya Sabha membership on the floor of the House. He attributed rampant violence in West Bengal and suffocation in the party that is ‘no longer under Mamata Banerjee’s control’ as reasons for his decision to resign, leaving the party managers flustered. Soon after getting up to speak during the debate on the Budget, Trivedi said: “There are limitations here. My party has sent me here, so I am grateful. But now I can’t take what is happening any more. I am feeling suffocated. That’s why I want to resign from here. I want to work for my Bengal,” the former railway minister said. The BJP was quick to welcome him, if he wanted to make the switch. Criticising the violence, Trivedi said: “I am from the land of Subhas Chandra Bose. My soul is saying I sit here and say nothing, what is the point?” The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has registered a complaint against Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman and Secretary, Dr K Sivan, over allegations of irregularities in the recruitment of his son to ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Valiamala, Trivandrum. The complaint lodged on Janu- came through. The process of general recruitment through ISRO’s Central Recruitment Board (ICRB), comprising a screening, written test and interview, was not followed, as Sidharth had appeared only for an interview, the complainant claimed. The allegation was that the qualifications for the post advertised in November 2020 (number 738 of Scientist Engineer ‘SC’, Level 10) were tailor-made for Sidharth. Dr Sivan refused comment, but his office in Bengaluru told this newspaper that due process was followed in Sidharth’s recruitment. “Being an MTech, Sidharth’s application was screened by a competent committee, after which he attended the interview,” the ISRO Chairman’s office said. Dr Narayanan did not respond to repeated calls by this paper. Welcome step: US “We’re closely following reports of initial troop disengagement. We welcome the ongoing efforts to de-escalate,” a US State Department spokesperson said lines. As per the agreements, Chinese troops will relocate to the east of Finger 8 and the Indian Army will be based at Dhan Singh Thapa post close to Finger 4 on the north bank of the lake. As of now, withdrawal of armoured vehicles has been completed from around five locations. “The tanks were as close as 50 metres apart at some points. Now they have moved back to their administrative bases into the rear,” another Army officer said. Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that the agreement to disengage at Pangong was reached after several round of talks. “The two sides have also agreed to convene 10th round of senior commanders meeting within 48 hours after complete disengagement in the Pangong lake area, to address the remaining issues,” Srivastava said. Bone bank to come up at BIRRD in tirupati soon Dr Madanmohan, BIRRD honorary director, says the bone bank is being set up to provide more specialised services to patients I P4 Biz partner runs over YSRC corporator in brutal murder E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kakinada E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi ary 25 also named LPSC Director Dr V Narayanan, and alleged that the recruitment of Dr Sivan’s son Sidharth S was not just a conflict of interest, but also a case of “f avouritism and conspiracy”. Dr Narayanan, the complaint alleged, was in a hurry to recruit Sidharth before his anticipated transfer to Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) Full bilateral military disengagement in the Pangong lake area in Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) could take more time than thought, as the wary Indian Army is using multiple modes to verify China’s reciprocal withdrawal of troops and equipment. “We are not taking any chances this time. Additional verification mechanisms have been introduced. Apart from satellite and drone images, videography of the disengagement is also being done,” a senior Army officer said. The distrust stems from the problems the Chinese side had created both at Galwan and Hot Spring-Gogra in June last. Indian soldiers on their verification mission found partial disengagement in both sites, which snowballed into the major Galwan violence. “We have differences in perception about the position of the LAC on the north bank of the Pangong lake. But on the ground, there is no confusion about it in the south bank.” Chinese troops coming to Finger 4 were actually present inside our claim line, but in the south bank, both sides are sitting in areas of their claim Prime Minister’s Office ISRO top brass bent rules to hire Sivan’s son? Nirad Mudur & Bala Chauhan MAYAN K S INGH @ New Delhi Distressed to hear about the accident in Visakhapatnam, AP. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Prayers with the injured. May they recover soon inner voice The new lake formed upstream of the Rishiganga that is adding to the rescuers’ worry | Special arrangement Full disengagement at Pangong to take more time than thought spl teams set up to nab accused “As per the CCTV camera footage, it is a clear case of murder. We are investigating the reasons behind the murder of corporator,” Kakinada DSP B Bhima Rao said. Special police teams were formed to nab Gurajala Chinna A tense situation prevailed in the city following the murder of ninth division YSRC corporator Kampara Ramesh (47) in the small hours of Friday. He was mowed down by a car driven by his business partner. The gruesome incident was recorded on a CCTV camera. Giving the details, Sarpavaram Circle Inspector Nunna Raju said Ramesh was partying with his friends M Satish and S Vasu at Surya Water Servicing Centre in Gangarajunagar of Kakinada rural mandal on Thursday night. When his friends told him that Ramesh’s business partner Gurajala Chinna was trying to contact him for the past five days, he immediately invited the latter to the party . After the end of the party, Chinna invited Ramesh to his brother’s birthday function. A CCTV camera footage of corporator K Ramesh’s murder in Kakinada I Express heated argument ensued between the two when Ramesh refused to attend the function. While Chinna was leaving the place in a car, Ramesh tried to stop him stating that his car keys went missing. Following a heated argument, a scuffle took place between Ramesh and Chinna. The others tried to pacify them. When Chinna started his car to leave the place, Ramesh stood before the P4 vehicle to stop him. Amaravati projects with 75% work progress get panel’s nod E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada A day after the State government constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to decide the fate of unfinished projects in Amaravati, CS Aditya Nath Das chaired its first meeting on Friday in which it was decided to complete the projects, which achieved 75 per cent progress. The CS directed the Amaravati Metropolitan Region Development Authority (AMRDA) to hold talks with the executing and financial agencies engaged for other unfinished projects and submit their details so that the committee could decide on how to take them forward in the next meeting in the first P4 week of March.