The New Indian Express wishes its readers a Happy Republic day COIMBATORE  THURSDAY  JANUARY 26, 2023  `9.00  PAGES 14  LATE CITY EDITION PAY DAY, PAY DAY: WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE GETS BIG The Indian cricket board (BCCI) announced on Wednesday that five WPL teams were sold for `4,669.99 crore ADANI BID OF `1,289 CRORE IS THE HIGHEST BOARD GETS RICHER BY `5,650.99 CRORE Having missed out on a chance to buy a men’s team, the Adani Group made the highest bid of `1,289 crore in the auction to secure Ahmedabad as one of the five franchises. Others include Mumbai Indians (`912.99 crore), Delhi Capitals (`810 crore) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (`901 crore). Capri Global (`757 crore) will be based out of Lucknow ■ ■ ■ After adding media rights value — sold for `951 crore — the BCCI has made `5,650.99 crore even before a ball is bowled at the WPL The average cost of a team — `933.99 crore — is 10 times more than the cost of what WNBA teams were sold for A total of 22 games will be played in the inaugural season `447.60cr WAS MUMBAI INDIANS’ BID IN 2008. IT’S `842 CR LESS THAN ADANI’S BUY 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 Biggest of Padmas to Mulayam, S M Krishna E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi FORMER Uttar Pradesh chief minister late Mulayam Singh Yadav, ex-foreign minister in the UPA government S M Krishna, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and ORS pioneer Dilip Mahalanabis were among the luminaries selected for the country’s second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan. A total of 106 Padma awards were announced on Wednesday — six Padma Vibhushan, nine Padma Bhushan and 91 Padma Shri. No one has been named for PADMA VIBHUSHAN PADMA BHUSHAN PADMA SHRI VANI JAIRAM GETS PADMA BHUSHAN Singer Vani Jairam (Padma Bhushan) is among the six Padma awardees from Tamil Nadu. Vadivel Gopal, Masi Sadaiyan, Palam Kalyana Sundaram, Dr. Veluchamy and Kalyanasundaram Pillai have been chosen for Padma Shri P4 the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award. Eminent architect B V Doshi (posthumous), industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, educationist and social worker Sudha Murty, actress Raveena Ravi Tandon and noted singers Vani Jairam and Suman Kalyanpur were also on the list. Among the awardees are 102year-old Mangala Kanti Roy, the oldest living folk musician of West Bengal, and expert snake catchers Vadivel Gopal and Masi Sadaiyan. Dr Ratan Chandra Kar was recognised for his exemplary Snide Pompeo remark on Sushma rapped Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday took offence to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s condescending remarks about his predecessor Sushma Swaraj, in his book titled Never Give an inch: Fighting for the America I love. Pompeo said he never considered Swaraj as an “important political player”, while describing her as a “goofball’’ and “heartland political hack’’. His book was in the news as he claimed that India and Pakistan were “this close” to a nuclear war after the Pulwama attack in 2019. Jaishankar hit back, saying, “I have seen a passage in Secretary Pompeo’s book referring to Sushma Swaraj ji. I always held her in great esteem and had an exceptionally close and war m relationship with her. I deplore the disrespectful colloquialism used for her.” In contrast, Pompeo had good things to say about Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. “On the Indian side, my original counterpart was not an important player on the Indian foreign policy team. In- stead, I worked much more closely with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, a close and trusted confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” Expressing his fondness for ‘J’ which stands for Jaishankar, he wrote, “my second Indian counterpart was Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. In May 2019, we welcomed “J” as India’s new foreign minister. I could not have asked for a better counterpart. I love this guy English is . one of the seven languages he speaks, and his is somewhat better than mine.” work that brought Jarawa tribe from the verge of extinction during the measles epidemic in 1999 while 99-year-old V P Appukuttan Poduval, a freedom fighter from Payyanur in Kerala was honoured for his relentless efforts for the upliftment of the weaker sections of society for the past eight decades. Also among the Padma awardees is 81-year-old Ghulam Muhammad Zaz, the 8th generation Santoor craftsman from a family based out of Srinagar that is known for making the finest Santoors in Kashmir for the past 200 years. EXPRESS READ HC junks ban on gutkha, pan masala sale in TN Chennai: The Madras High Court in an order dated January 20 has quashed the notification issued by the commissioner of food safety banning the sale and manufacture of gutkha and pan masala in Tamil Nadu and quashed the criminal proceedings launched on the basis of the ban imposed by the notification. A bench of Justices R Subramanian and K Kumaresh Babu said the Food Safety and Standards Act does not provide for complete ban on sale of gutkha products and it only provides for limited power to impose a temporary ban under certain circumstances. P6 TN DIGEST Ten years on, trial court acquits all eight accused in Sruthi case Chennai: Chengalpattu Sessions Court on Wednesday acquitted all eight accused in the case pertaining to the death of sixyear-old Sruthi, who was run over by the rear wheels of her school bus after she slipped through a hole in the vehicle floor. The acquittal comes 10 years after the incident and a prolonged trial. Additional district judge K Kayathri said the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. The prosecution had produced 35 witnesses in the case | P4 MNM extends support to Congress in Erode East bypoll Chennai: MNM president Kamal Haasan has announced his party’s unconditional support to Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan in the bypoll to Erode East Assembly constituency. The announcement was welcomed by Chief Minister MK Stalin, EVKS Elangovan and TNCC president KS Alagiri. Asked whether this stance of MNM would last for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Kamal said MNM’s current stand did not have any link to the Lok Sabha elections. “The stand on LS polls will be taken after a year.” | P6 64% samba paddy damaged, Ramnad ryots seek govt relief Ramanathapuram: Samba paddy cultivation in the district came to an abrupt end after 64% of the crop suffered damage due to a drought-like situation. According to a report from the agriculture department, the Kadaladi, Mudukulathur and RS Mangalam areas were highly affected as more than 70% of the paddy crop withered. The farmers have urged the state government to announce the district as drought-hit and provide them compensation | P6 WELCOME, CHIEF GUEST Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, before proceeding with the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan | SHEKHAR YADAV Guv invites CM for R-Day reception at Raj Bhavan tion Tamil Nadu governor. The governor and CM will face each other for BURYING the hatchet with the state Republic Day celebrations on the government over the unsavory inci- Marina. dents of January 9 in the Tamil Nadu Earlier in the day when asked about , assembly when he deviated from the the DMK’s stand on attending the ‘At approved text during his customary Home’ reception, party organising secaddress, Governor RN Ravi retary RS Bharathi said the on Wednesday called up DMK president would make Chief Minister MK Stalin an announcement. Allies of and invited him for the ‘At DMK – Congress, VCK, CPI, Home’ reception to be held CPM, and Thamizhaga Vazhat the Raj Bhavan on Thursvurimai Katchi – said they day as part of the Republic would boycott the event alDay celebrations. The goverleging that the governor has nor’s secretary also met the been engaging in ‘undemoCM and handed over the govcratic’ activities. ‘Tamizhnadu ernor’s invitation to him. Congress legislature party Vazhga’ After the fracas and upleader K Selvaperunthagai roar over the governor’s Speaking at Voters said the Governor has been Thamizhagam-Tamil Nadu Day’ celebration on delaying his assent to many Wednesday, the remark, the CM and other Bills, including the one banDMK’s allies had boycotted governor ended his ning online rummy. He is speech with the Pongal celebrations held trying to run a parallel govat the Raj Bhavan. Inciden- Tamizhnadu Vazhga ernment against the popular (Hail tally, the Raj Bhavan’s invigovernment, and Congress Tamil Nadu) tation for the celebration too MLAs would boycott his rewas printed with Governception, he added. ment of India emblem instead of the CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan Tamil Nadu state emblem and the invi- said the governor had changed his tation used ‘Thamizhaga Aalunar’ in- stance relating to his Thamizhagamstead of ‘Tamil Nadu Aalunar’ trigger- Tamil Nadu remarks after a huge oping strong political reactions. Now, the position to that. He also refuses to give invitations for R Day celebrations have his assent to 21 Bills passed by the state Tamil Nadu emblem and the descrip- assembly . E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai BBC docuseries row snowballs Jamia Milia Islamia thwarts students’ bid to show the film; Bengal univs plan screening ing of the documentary adding , that no permission has been A day after the Jawaharlal Ne- given for it. It also warned the hru University, University of students of strict disciplinary Hyderabad and a few campuses action if they fail to adhere to in Kerala screened the contro- the directives. versial BBC film on the 2002 Throughout the day, there Godhra riots, Left-afiliated stu- was heavy deployment of podent groups of Delhi’s lice in and around the Jamia Milia Islamia AK Antony’s university area. The tried to show the film police blocked around son quits but the administration party posts 1 km stretch of the and police thwarted road from both sides Congress veteran using anti-riot vehithe move. Hours before the A K Antony’s son cles and buses. scheduled screening, Anil quit all party Po l i c e h a d a l s o posts citing Delhi Police detained placed water cannons over a dozen students. ‘intolerant calls’ in front of the varsity and ‘abuses’ Deputy Commissioner gate to disperse protesfrom partymen of Police (southeast) tors in case of any over his tweet Esha Pandey said the ruckus, but it was not Jamia University ad- against the BBC used as the protest was documentary ministration had intackled immediately . for med police that Meanwhile, SFI said some students were creating it will screen the documentary ruckus on the streets following at Kolkata’s Presidency Univerwhich 13 students were de- sity on January 27 at an open tained, four of them SFI mem- air field. A separate group of bers, around 4 pm to ensure students said they will screen peace in the area. the documentary on February The action came after the 1 at the unversity. A similar university administration had event will be organised at the asked students not to partici- Jadavpur University by the All pate in any gathering or screen- India Students’ Association. UJ WA L JA L A L I @ New Delhi Sania gets final call Playing her last Grand Slam tournament, Sania Mirza has a chance to win her seventh major title by reaching the Australian Open mixed doubles final with compatriot Rohan Bopanna on Wednesday The unseeded Indian pair knocked out third seeds Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski 7-6(5) 6-7(5) 10-6 in the semifinal in one hour 52 minutes “I’m not a crier but I’m almost there right now, I feel the love for the last 18 years I have been coming here. It feels like home for me,” Sania said Sania-Bopanna will meet Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos of Brazil, who beat Olivia Gadecki and Marc Polmans 4-6, 6-4, 11-9