china eases grip, Alibaba splits bhubaneswar l wednesday l march 29, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Chinese e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group plans to overhaul its sprawling $257-billion empire by splitting into six business verticals as it looks to react faster to market changes and increase value The six units are Cloud Intelligence Group, Taobao Tmall Commerce Group, Local Services Group, Cainiao Smart Logistics Group, Global Digital Commerce Group and Digital Media and Entertainment Group Each unit will have a CEO as well as a board of directors and will retain the flexibility to raise outside capital and seek initial public offering, except for Taobao Tmall Business Group that handles China commerce, which will stay wholly owned by Alibaba Group The revamp comes a day after its founder Jack Ma returned home ending a year-long stay abroad and when China is easing its regulatory crackdown on private firms 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 Ukraine students to get 2 attempts to clear MBBS: SC Govt had offered them one shot at the final exams following a panel’s recommendation s H RUTI kA K K AR @ New Delhi IN a major relief to Indian medical students who were forced to return from Ukraine, China and the Philippines due to war and Covid-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed them to clear their final examination in two attempts, without enrolling in any medical college in India. This is applicable to MBBS students who returned to India in their penultimate year of studies and completed the course through online mode. The examination will be in line with the existing National Medical Council (NMC) syllabus and guidelines, a bench of judges B R Gavai and Vikram Nath said. The bench was hearing a batch of pleas fled by students who had to leave their studies mid-way and return to India. Earlier, the Centre had told the SC that it was ready to offer penultimate year students one chance to clear the final exams (both theory and practical) but the court modified it to two, considering the special circumstances of the case. The Centre said the theory exam would be held centrally on the pattern of Indian MBBS exam, while the practical exam would be conducted by designated government medical colleges. The students will also have to complete two years of compulsory rotatory internship, of which the first year will be free and the second year paid as decided by the NMC. The SC had in December 2022 asked the Centre to find a solution to the ‘humane problem’ faced by the medical students. “We are sure that the Union of India will give due importance to our suggestion and find out a solution for these students, who are undisputedly an asset to the nation and, particularly, when there is a dearth of doctors in the country it had said. ,” Following the suggestion, the government formed a committee of experts. The Centre submitted its recommendation to the Supreme Court via an affidavit, which the court accepted on Tuesday with one modification in favour of the students. The affidavit also made it clear that the relaxation in rules is only for the present matter and will not be treated as a precedent for issues that may arise in the future. Indian Navy is always combat ready: Adm R Hari Kumar Hemant Kumar Rout @ INS Chilika (Odisha) Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar on Tuesday said Indian Navy is keenly watching the emerging situations and is always combat-ready . “Indian Navy is well prepared. We are the largest resident naval power in the Indian Ocean region. Ships, aircraft and submarines are monitoring and every movement is under surveillance. We are strategising as per the developments. Agniveers passing out will add to the naval strength,” he told after reviewing the maiden night passing out parade (POP) of the first batch of 2,585 Agniveers, including 272 women, at INS Chilika. The Agnipath scheme was rolled out in June last year. This is the first time Indian Navy recruited women below the officer level. Admiral Hari Kumar Agniveers march past during their passing out parade at INS Chilika | DEBADATTA MALLICK complimented the Agniveers for the excellent drill movement that reflected a huge level of motivation, pride and cohesion achieved through their training. It was a red letter day for INS Chilika as the Agniveers of the Navy passed out first among the three branches of the armed forces with flying colours. “There are many firsts associated with the event. This was the Navy’s first batch of Agniveer trainees comprising both men and women sailors, who were inducted for the first time. The POP in the night was also conducted for the first time,” he said. Continued on P5 express read Drive against corruption led Oppn unity: PM New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the Opposition was coming together due to his government’s campaign against corruption, adding that the clampdown on graft would continue without being obstructed by “false allegations.” After inaugurating an extension of the BJP headquarters, Modi said that at a time when India’s strength is rising to a new high, it was natural that “anti-India” forces within and outside the country would join hands | P7 US watching Rahul case; internal matter, says govt Express News Service @ New Delhi The United States is watching Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s case in courts, US Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Monday. “The US engages with the Indian government on a shared commitment to democratic values, including freedom of ex- pression. Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any dem o c r a cy, a n d we ’ r e watching Rahul Gandhi case,’’ Patel said in a briefing while responding to a question regarding Rahul’s conviction in a defamation case and disqualification from Parliament. On being asked whether the US was engaging with India or Rahul, he said, “I don’t have any specific eng agements to read out” though it is normal “to engage with members of opposition parties in any country where we have bilateral relationships”. A BJP lawmaker in Gujarat had sued Rahul for defamation for his Modi surname slur in 2019. However, Union I&B minister Anurag Thakur dismissed the US remarks at a media event, saying the official had made a generic statement. “It is our internal matter. No one is above the Supreme Court. There are judicial and constitutional institutions. They (the US) have made a generic statement,” he said.