visakhapatnam l wednesday l may 18, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION all green card petitions to get processed in 6 months? An advisory panel has voted to recommend the US president that all green card applications be processed in six months will push for streamlining of process could benefit thousands of Indians The President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (PACAANHPI) has recommended that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) remove redundant steps, introduce automation wherever possible and improve its internal dashboards and reporting systems to speed up the process ■ ■ Additionally, the panel will recommend that the National Visa Center, which schedules and conducts visa interviews, double its human resource capacity over the next three months The proposals, if adopted, may benefit thousands of Indians, some of whom have been waiting for decades to get green card 4,21,358 pending interviews in april. only 65K family green cards issued in 2021 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 Protect ‘Linga’, Wholesale inflation at record high of 15% let Muslims free entry to pray: SC The Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi that is in the eye of a storm | PTI tearing hurry?” he asked. However, the bench refused to issue a stay order. The court issued notices to the petitioners and the UP government and posted the matter for next hearing on May 19. In Varanasi, trial court judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar sacked his court-appointed advocate commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra for engaging a private cameraman for the Gyanvapi survey who leaked information to the media in violation of the confidentiality mandate. It was special advocate commissioner Vis h al Singh wh o ou t e d Mishra’s lensman R P Singh, who has now been tasked with submitting the survey report and granted two days to do so. Meanwhile, a couple of fresh petitions were filed seeking permission to perform puja of the ‘Shivalinga.’ project to be functional by 2023 Greenko Group Joint MD Mahesh Kolli said out of 5,230 MW, 3,000 MW would be solar, 550 MW wind and 1,680 MW would be a pump storage with a capacity for six hours. The project is expected to be commissioned by 2023, he said. Group CEO and MD Anil Chalamalasetty said they have pioneered the concept of energy storage which was possible due to policy support at the national & State level 15.08% 13.83% 5.54% 3.68% E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kurnool Asserting that Andhra Pradesh would be at the forefront of generating renewable energy once the world’s largest Integrated Renewable Energy Storage Project (IRESP) is executed, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said the project would be a game changer in generating renewable energy . Jagan performed the first cement pouring ceremony for the IRESP, which is being established by the Greenko G r o u p i n Ku r n o o l , o n Tuesday . Appreciating the organisation for setting up the world’s Suspecting trafficking, cops detain 26 children Guntur: An orthopaedic from AP, Dr Giri Kumar Patil, who was stranded in war-ravaged Donbas in Ukraine, has decided to return home. He had earlier refused to flee as he was not allowed to airlift his wild cats to India | P3 Visakhspatnam: Suspecting a case of child trafficking, the GRP deboarded 26 kids at Vizag railway station, who reportedly boarded the MuzaffarpurYeshwanthpur Express in Bihar to join a madarasa in Kasargod | P2 CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy performed the first concrete pouring ceremony of the world’s largest 5,230 MW Integrated Renewable Energy Storage Project (IRESP), developed by Greenko Group, at Kurnool district on Tuesday | Express With no takers, Cyclone Asani-hit farmers dump mangoes in canals S N a g a r a j a R a o @ Kadapa There seems to be no end to the woes of mango farmers in Annamayya district as the inclement climate has made it impossible for them to yield profits for their produce. Unseasonal rains in November and December last year during the flowering stage delayed the harvesting of the fruit. Normally, mangoes are harvested in the month of March but this year, it began only in May. Meanwhile, Cyclone Asani came as a rude shock for farmers who thought they could make good returns on the produce once the harvesting is done. The strong winds and rains induced by the cyclone damaged the fruit as it dropped from the trees. Distressed far mers are dumping the produce in canals and streams as traders are not willing to buy the damaged fruit. One farmer from Siddavatam mandal dumped seven tonnes of mango in a canal after failing to sell them. Elaborating on the extent of the loss, another farmer from Bakharapet in Siddavatam mandal said, “In one acre, 130 mango tress can be grown. A sum of `250 is spent on planting a sapling which amounts to approximately `40,000.including `10,000 as labour charges. Traders are not purchasing mangoes which fell from trees due to strong winds due to Asani. We expected good prices this year as business had taken a hit due to Covid D Surendra Reddy, farmer Additionally, `30,000 is spent for fertilisers, drip and other facilities. Hence, as much as `2.40 lakh per acre is spent on cultivating mangoes including transportation charges.’’ Farmers in Rayachoti, Rajampeta, Railway Kodur segments in Annamayya district cultivate mango in large areas. Strong winds under the influence of the Asani damaged the mango trees in the district. Hence, they have resorted to dump the produce as they are not in a position to afford the travelling charges. Farmers discard mangoes by the road at Kasireddy Kunta in Kadapa district as traders are not buying the produce, damaged due to Cyclone Asani | Express Apr 2022 Just a few days ago, retail inflation data registered an eightyear high at 7.79% in April. In a bid to tame inflation, the RBI this month raised the repo rate by 40 basis points to 4.4% and cash reserve ratio by 0.5%. Meanwhile, days after the Union commerce ministry banned wheat exports, on Tuesday it gave some relaxation to consignments registered with the customs on or before May 13. It also allowed a wheat consignment headed for Egypt, which was already under loading at the Kandla port. “The order served three main purposes: ensure India’s food security and check inflation, it helps other countries facing food deficit, and it maintains India’s reliability as a supplier. The order also aimed to provide a clear direction to the wheat market to prevent hoarding,” the Centre said in a statement. Ap will lead renewable energy sector, says jagan express read Andhra doc stranded in Ukraine to return home Oct 2021 -1.57% Apr 2020 Apr 2019 Oct 2018 Apr 2018 Oct 2017 Apr 2017 Oct 2016 Apr 2016 Oct 2015 0.00% -1.9% -4.76% Apr 2015 1.31% 3.62% 0.87% -3.42% 3.24% Apr 2021 1.27% Oct 2020 3.85% 3.72% 10.74% Oct 2019 6.70% 5.06% Oct 2014 The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that the area where a ‘Shivalinga’ was indicated to have been found in the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi a day ago should be fully protected, but the rights of Muslims to enter and offer prayers must not be infringed. The court was hearing a petition challenging a Allahabad High Court order that had permitted the inspection and videography of the premises. “In order to obviate any dispute on the meaning and content of the order of the trial judge, the operation and ambit of the order dated 16 May 2022 shall stand restricted to the extent that the District Magistrate, Varanasi shall ensure that the area where the Shivalinga is stated to have been found, shall be duly protected. The above direction shall not in any manner restrain or impede the access of Muslims to the mosque or the use of the mosque for namaz and religious observance,” a bench led by Justice D Y Chandrachud said in its interim order. Senior advocate Hufeza Ahmadi, appearing for the Anjuman Islamia Masjid Committee, sought a stay in the trial court’s proceedings in Varanasi. “The order (to seal the wuzu khana where the Shivalinga was said to have been found) was passed ex-parte without serving to us...What was the policy committee may frontload rates by another 25-50 basis points. FY23 could thus further see rates going up by 100-125 basis points, with the RBI now showing its intent to keep real rates above neutral,” said Madhavi Arora, lead economist at Emkay Global Financial Services. making sense of WPI peak y-o-y (%) Oct 2013 P r at h m a S h a r m a a n d N a m i ta B a j pa i @ New Delhi/Lucknow Apr 2014 Advocate commissioner leading survey of Gyanvapi sacked; 2 more days to file report India’s wholesale price-based inflation jumped to an all-time high of 15.08% due to acrossthe-board rise in prices, including those of food and fuel. Continuous high inflation — both retail and wholesale — would further put pressure on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to hike interest rates in its June monetary policy . The WPI inflation has been in double digits perpetually for the last 13 months. Overall inflation in food articles was recorded at 8.35%. In the food basket, the highest inflation was observed in the items like vegetables, potato, fruits and wheat at 23.24%, 19.84%, 10.89% and 10.70%, respectively Crude pe. troleum and natural gas rose by 69.07% year-on-year, while petrol witnessed a surge in prices by 60.63%. In the fuel and power baskets, inflation stood at 38.66%, whereas in manufactured products it was 10.85% and oil seeds 16.10%. Also, oore inflation accelerated for the third consecutive month to 11.1 per cent from 10.9 per cent in March 2022. “We see June’s policy to be super-live, and the monetary Apr 2013 M o n i k a Ya d a v @ New Delhi CM nominates BC leader from TS to Rajya Sabha E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada In a surprise move, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy nominated BC Welfare Association national president and former TDP MLA Ryaga Krishnaiah to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday .   The nomination of senior leaders V Vijayasai Reddy former MLA TDP Beeda , Mastan Rao and advocate S Niranjan Reddy, however, was on the expected lines.   The YSRC, once again, has stuck with its policy of empowering the Backward Classes (BC) by choosing two BC leaders to represent the party in the Rajya Sabha. Two leaders from the Reddy community have been nominated for the remaining two seats. It may also be noted that Krishnaiah and Niranjan Reddy are from Telangana. Sources said, Krishnaiah and his clout’s role in leading several agitations for the welfare of BCs for over four decades—forcing successive governments to issue GOs in favour of the community —played a major role in the YSRC choosing the leader for the post from P4 Telangana.  largest solar energy storage plant in Andhra Pradesh, Jagan said the 5,230 MW project will help deliver cost-effective, flexible and clean energy round the clock. “Its capability to generate clean solar, wind and hydro energy round the clock is the beauty of the project,” the chief minister remarked, adding that certain components of the solar and wind power would be used to pump the water back into the reservoir during the non-peak hours so that it can be used in the peak hours. “The project would place Andhra Pradesh at the forefront in the renewable energy sector,’’ Jagan noted. Ensuring all possible help for the project, the chief minister said the $3-billion project would help decarbonise the economy . In an exclusive offer, he invited those who have an interest in green power as well as in decarbonising economies and added that the State has the capacity to generate over 33,000 MW power due to its weather conditions and available resources. A CBI official gestures to the media during a raid at Chidambaram’s residence in Chennai | R Satish Babu Cash-for-visa: CBI raids premises of PC, Karti E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Keeping up the pressure on senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram, the CBI on Tuesday raided his son Karti’s residence and office premises across nine cities, in a fresh case relating to alleged acceptance of `50 lakh bribe for facilitating visas for Chinese employees working for a power project in Punjab. The raids were carried out at Chidambarams’ properties in Chennai, Mumbai, Koppal, Mansa and Jharsuguda, CBI sources said, even as the agency was wary of disclosing the nature of documents it seized in the course of its operations. Karti is alleged to have taken the bribe in 2011 for facilitating visas for about 300 the Chinese employees working at the Talwandi Sabo Power Project in Punjab. A super-critical 1,980 MW thermal power project, the Talwandi Sabo plant is located at Banawala in Mansa district. This is the second time Karti has come under the CBI’s scanner. He was previously probed in the AircelMaxis and the INX Media cases. Karti was arrested in 2018 in the INX Media case. This was followed a year later with the CBI ar resting Chidambaram. As per the FIR, Karti accepted a gratification of `50 lakh for facilitating visas for the Chinese nationals. The money was allegedly sent to an account of one of Karti’s companies to “devise a back door way to defeat the home ministry ceiling on visa”.