tirupati l monday l september 25, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION Rowing, shooting medals On a day when China prevailed over India in a number of close contests, the country's rowers and shooters opened the medal count hours after the start of the Hangzhou Asian Games. A look at how Sunday went Ramita bags two medals In shooting, Ramita Jindal upstaged Mehuli Ghosh as the former won an individual bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle event. Before the individual final, the duo, in the company of Ashi Chouksey, won a silver in team event Dominating performance Two-time world champion, Nikhat Zareen, came through a big test as she beat Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Tam in the first round of the 50kg category. The two had met in the final of the Worlds earlier this year | P11 The rowing team boat club: water-shed moment O ne of the most gruelling of sports was always expected to open India’s tally and so it proved with India winning two silvers and a bronze in the picturesque setting of the Fuyang Water Sports Centre A s expected, China dominated the water but the Indians, most of them who were introduced to the sport after joining the Army, put up a creditable show Five medals is what India finished with on the opening day 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 Defence ties India to post more military attaches in Africa MAYA N K SI N GH @ New Delhi In the group photo, Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman awardees Perumal Murugan (fifth from left), Anirudh Kanisetti (extreme right) and Devika Rege (third from left) with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik (fourth from right), TNIE CMD Manoj Kumar Sonthalia (extreme left), TNIE CEO Lakshmi Menon (second from left), TNIE Editor Santwana Bhattacharya ( fourth from left), TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla (third from right) and author and economist Bibek Debroy, at the Odisha Literary Festival in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. Left: Devika Rege receiving the Best Fiction trophy from TNIE CMD Manoj Kumar Sonthalia. Right: Perumal Murugan receiving the citation in the Literary Excellence category from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik | DEBADATTA MALLICK Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman launched Perumal Murugan, Anirudh Kanisetti & Devika Rege get inaugural awards instituted by The new Indian Express B i j o y P r a d h a n @ Bhubaneswar After more than a decade of the remarkable journey of Odisha Literary Festival (OLF), the one-of-its-kind in Eastern India, The New Indian Express Group on Sunday added another feather to its cap by launching the first edition of literary awards in the memory of its legendary founder and freedom fighter Ramnath Goenka. Announcing the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman (RGSS) in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, chairman and managing director of TNIE Group Manoj Ku- INSIDE mar Sonthalia said the award has been instituted to celebrate and honour literary excellence among both veterans and debutants. As chief guest of the ceremony Naveen present, ed the RGSS award for literary excellence to celebrated Tamil writer Perumal Murugan for his contribution to Indian literature. Murugan was presented with a signature trophy , a cash award of `2 lakh and a citation. The award for Best Non-Fiction writing went to Anirudh Kanisetti for his work, Lords of the Deccan: Southern India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas, while Devika Rege was chosen for her novel Quarterlife in the Best Fiction category Both . were presented the RGSS trophy `1 lakh cash prize , each along with citations. The awardees were chosen by a distinguished jury headed by noted author and chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Bibek Debroy . Elaborating on the institution of the RGSS award, Sonthalia said, “The trophy has a legacy It was personally . chosen by Ramnathji for excellence in journalism and it is a fortunate stroke of serendipity that we are here in Bhubhaneshwar and its motif is inspired by the Sun Temple at Konark.” The Sun, guiding the vehicle giving it a sense of direction and providing the moving force symbolises continuous movement of time. The motif thus suggests that a writer too functions with a sense of mission, direction and purpose, dispelling the darkness of ignorance and enlightening the readers, he said.  Continued on: P5 Lal Ded is Kashmiriyat, shared culture of Hindus, Muslims: Vasisht P5 projection Winning MP & C’garh, close contest in Raj, claims Rahul PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi WITH the crucial assembly elections just a few months away, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said his party will “certainly win Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, probably win Telangana, and there is a ‘very close’ contest in Rajasthan”. Speaking at a media conclave here, he claimed this is also the BJP’s internal assessment, adding that the saffron party is “in for a surprise in 2024 elections” as the opposition bloc INDIA will emerge victorious. Reiterating his demand for a nationwide caste census, the former Congress chief said the BJP is indulging ‘diversonary tactics’ to take attention away from the demand for a caste census. He was referring to the row over BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s derogatory remarks against BSP leader Danish Ali in Lok Sabha. The country is facing issues such as concentration of wealth, huge inequality in wealth, massive unemployment, huge unfairness towards the lower caste, OBCs, and tribal communities, and price rise, he said. Gandhi added that the Congress learnt an important lesson in Karnataka that the BJP wins elections by “distracting and not allowing us to construct our narrative, and so we fought the polls constructing our party’s narrative,” he said, adding that now the party is controlling the narrative in Telangana, Chhattisgarh and other states with a positive agenda and the BJP is nowhere to be seen. He said INDIA bloc offers a great deal of flexibility among the opposition leaders. @ Chandigarh/New Delhi A day after confiscating two properties of Canada-based Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, controller of the banned Sikh For Justice (SFJ), the Centre is learnt to be exploring options to seize assets belonging to 19 other fugitive Khalistani terrorists under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). T h e g ove r n m e n t could also revoke their Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards to prevent them from entering the country . Intelligence sources said the government might invoke Section 33(5) of the UAPA to confiscate their properties. It is part of the effort to stifle their finances and prevent the Khalistanis from using terror funds against India. If and when it happens, it could be India’s strongest-ever action against these fugitives. The National Investigation Agency on Sunday reportedly put out a list of 19 fugitive Khalistani extremists who are residents of the UK, the US, Canada, Dubai and Pakistan, among other countries, whose properties are likely to be confiscated. They are Paramjit Singh Pamma, Kulwant Singh Muthra, Sukhpal Singh, Sarabjeet Singh Bennur, Kulwant Singh alias Kanta, Gurpreet Singh alias Baaghi and Dupinder Jeet (in UK), Wadhwa Singh Babbar alias Chacha, Ranjit Singh Neeta (in Pakistan), Jay Dhaliwal, Harpreet Singh alias Rana Singh, Harjap Singh alias Jappy Singh, Amardeep Singh Poorewal and S Himmat Singh B i j a u C h a k i @ Bhubaneswar Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday heaped fulsome praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rating him eight out of 10 in performance over the last nine years. In a free-wheeling interview with TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla at the Odisha Literary Festival 2023 here, Naveen highly appreciated the Prime Minister’s performance in foreign policy and other matters. “I will give eight out of 10 points to the prime minister for what he has done for the country he said. To a question on his performance ,” in domestic matters, Naveen said Modi has helped reduce corruption. “There is less corruption in this government,” he stated. Replying to a question on his government’s relationship with the NDA at the Centre, he said the state has cordial relations as it wants development. “And, it is important to have the Centre as a partner in that development,” he added. Cinema is collaborative art, says Hansal Mehta P5 NIA looks to seize assets of 19 other fugitive Khalistanis H a r p r ee t B a j w a & Ye s h i Se l i Naveen gives PM 8 on 10 (US), Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada (Dubai), Gurjant Singh Dhillon (Australia), Lakhbir Singh Rode (Europe) and Canada and Jatinder Singh Grewal (Canada). Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen said that intelligence on Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing in June was shared among the Five Eyes partners – (US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada), based on which Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pointed an accusing finger at India. “There was shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners that helped Canada make the statements that the prime minister (Trudeau) made,” Cohen told CTV News. “There was a lot of communication between Canada and the US about this, and I think that’s as far as I’m comfortable going,” Cohen said. skill development scam spl ACB court extends Naidu’s remand till Oct 5 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada A special court for Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) cases in Vijayawada on Sunday extended the judicial remand of TDP supremo and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu till October 5. Currently lodged at the RajahBail plea mundry Central Prison, the 73-year-old was hearing arrested for his alleged role in the AP State today Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) scam on September 9. ACB court will The ACB court on Friday had granted twohear Naidu’s day custody of Naidu to the State Crime Inbail plea on vestigation Department (APCID) for investiMonday. CID’s gation into the case. After the APCID’s pleas seeking custody ended at 5 pm, Naidu was produced PT Warrant before the ACB court via videoconference. against Naidu The probe agency sought the court to extend are also likely the TDP leader’s remand as well as custody to come up for for further questioning. hearing While seeking a 15-day judicial remand of Naidu, the CID submitted to ACB judge BVS Hima Bindu that former IAS officer, Dr PV Ramesh, during his interactions with the media was seeking to distort the proceedings of investigation and the content of his stateP4 ment made under Section 164 of CrPC.  AFTER supporting the 55-member African Union to become a permanent member of the G20, India has decided to step up its defence ties with African countries. India will post more defence attaches in Mozambique, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Tanzania, and Ivory Coast, sources said. This is in addition to the presence of military officers in South Africa and Kenya. The new DAs will be drawn from all three services—the Army Navy and Air Force. The , , Army will send DAs to Mozambique and Ethiopia. The Navy, which already has naval attaches in Kenya and South Africa, will post new officers to Djibouti and Tanzania, sources said. The Air Force will send an officer to Ivory Coast, along with additional attaches to Spain and Armenia. These officers will have a three-year tenure. Their responsibilities include bolstering defence cooperation, training, procurement, and security They also keep track of . military technologies in the countries they are posted in. Multiple sources from the three services told TNIE that there is a renewed focus on Africa and more postings are under consideration. “More such movements will take place based on a fresher look and the way things are shaping,” said an official. This is part of a larger strategy to counter China’s influence in the region. “The increase in DAs will enhance security engagement with the African continent and understand the security challenges the African countries face,” said Ruchita Beri, consultant, MP-IDSA, New Delhi. express read Lokesh set to resume padayatra next week Vijayawada: TDP general secretary Lokesh is set to resume his Yuva Galam padayatra from next week. He had suspended the walkathon at Podalada in East Godavari district following the arrest of his father and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu | P4 V’wada-Chennai Vande Bharat train flagged off Vijayawada: PM Modi virtually flagged off the Vande Bharat Express in nine routes, including the one running between Vijayawada and Chennai. The train has stoppages at Tenali, Ongole, Nellore and Renigunta, which is 9 kms from Tirupati | P2 security breached Miscreant takes TTD’s electric bus for a spin E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Tirumala double delight Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill (right) smashed centuries in the second ODI against Australia in Indore, helping India secure a 99-run victory | Express | P11 An unidentified person stole an electric bus, operated by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) for providing free transportation to devotees, early on Sunday even as security blanket was in place in view of the ongoing nine-day Salakatla Brahmotsavams. The bus was stolen from a charging station around 5.30 am. Popularly known as the Dharma Rathams, these buses ferry pilgrims from one place to another in and around Tirumala, including Papavinasham. The incident has left senior TTD officials puzzled as the bus was stolen at a time when near- The Dharma Ratham was traced at Birada Vada village in Naidupet | Express ly 3,900 police officers, 2,000 vigilance staff, hundreds officials from the transport department were guarding the hillock. “We suspect that the accused had the knowledge of operating electric buses. The night watchman and vigilance staff at the charging station were asleep in a room when the theft took place,” TTD officials said. On noticing that the e-bus was missing, the staff immediately alerted the Tirupati police and vigilance staff, who began tracking it through CCTV footage. Further investigation revealed that the accused had taken the bus for a spin to Naidupet via Tirupati, Renigunta and Srikalahasthi. Locals alerted the police after finding the bus abandoned at Birada Vada village on the highway near Naidupet. Simultaneously, the police also tracked the vehicle with the help of GPS. Speaking to TNIE, general manager of TTD’s transport wing Sesha Reddy said the accused might be someone who knew where the bus would be parked and how it is operated. Further, he also suspected differences between the accused and the bus drivers to be the reason for the theft.