HYDERABAD  MONDAY  OCTOBER 02, 2023  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION U.S. CONGRESS AVOIDS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN LAST-MINUTE DEAL The US government has avoided a shutdown of its services after both the House and Senate agreed on a short-term funding deal till Nov 17 NEW AID TO UKRAINE BLOCKED IN THE DEAL ZELENSKYY’S WASHINGTON VISIT A NOUGHT President Joe Biden signed the short-term funding deal minutes before the deadline, by leaving out the new aid to Ukraine. A government shutdown would have meant govt staff will be on furlough (without pay) and various government services would be suspended. The Congress will need to fund the govt again in the coming weeks, which means the crisis is not yet over | P9 ■ ■ The loss of Ukraine aid was devastating for lawmakers of both parties vowing to support president Zelenskyy after his recent US visit The Senate bill had included $6 billion for Ukraine, which has now been dropped. However, Biden said the US cannot allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted and vowed to continue funding 2 million FEDERAL GOVT STAFF WOULD HAVE LOST PAY IF NO DEAL WAS REACHED 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 Modi announces Turmeric Board, tribal varsity for TS India’s Avinash Sable celebrates after winning the men’s 3000m steeplechase final on Sunday; (right) Tajinderpal Singh Toor won gold in men’s shot put event | PTI The PM also hits out at the BRS govt, accuses its leaders of corruption V I V E K B H O O M I @ Mahbubnagar noon. Two minor girls aged 9 and 11 — daughters of one of THE Central Bureau of Inves- the accused women — were tigation (CBI) on Sunday ar- also in the vehicle. rested four persons, including Subsequently, all six were two women, from Churachand- taken to Imphal airport in an pur in Manipur in connection Army helicopter. Around 5 pm, with the abduction and killing they were flown out of the state of two Meitei students. to Assam capital Guwahati, in “I’m pleased to share that a routine commercial flight. some of the main culprits re- The arrested accused will be sponsible for the abduction and produced before the Competent murder of Phijam Court at Guwahati Hemanjit and Hijam Kukis protest designated as per the Linthoingambi have against arrest orders of the Subeen arrested from preme Court, the CBI Civil society Churachandpur tosaid in a statment. It organisations in day,” Chief Minister added that the two Kuki-majority N Biren Singh posted Churachandpur on minor children have on microblogging been handed over to Sunday declared platform X (formerly District Child Protecan indefinite Twitter). “As the saytion Officer, Kamrup shutdown in the ing goes, one may abMetro District for district from scond after commit- Monday morning in their welfare and ting the crime, but protest against the protection. they cannot escape Sources said the ‘abduction’ of six the long hands of the CBI was tracking the Kuki-Zo tribals law,” Singh added. phone of one of the He said the governslain students, and ment was committed to ensur- found that it was being used by ing maximum punishment, in- the accused. cluding capital punishment, to Hemanjit (20) and Linthointhe culprits for the heinous gambi (17) went missing in July crime they had committed. when the ethnic violence in It was learnt that the CBI Manipur was at its peak. Photeam, assisted by the Manipur tos showing their bodies surpolice and Army intercepted a faced on social media recently , , Bolero in which the four ac- days after internet services cused were travelling at the were restored in the state after Henglep subdivision around a four-month blackout. P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati long multi-product pipeline from Krishnapatnam to Hyderabad, to be set up at an investment of `1,940 crore, Modi said that the project is expected to generate numerous direct and indirect job opportunities. He said the Nagpur-Vijayawada economic corridor will facilitate easier transportation and trade between Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and TelCONTINUED ON P4 angana. GST collection in Sept zooms to `1.63 lakh cr E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi THE Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection in September rose 10% year-on-year to `1.63 lakh crore. This is for the fourth time that the gross GST collection has crossed the `1.60 lakh crore mark in 2023-24. In August this year, the collections had fallen below the `1.60 lakh crore mark to `1.57 lakh crore. The total GST collection in the first six months of the financial year has crossed `9.9 lakh crore, and if the trend continues, the full year collection could cross `20 lakh crore. In the first half (AprilSeptember) of the last financial year, the total collection had stood at `8.9 lakh crore. The average monthly GST collection this year (till September) has been `1.65 lakh crore, which is 11% higher than `1.49 lakh crore during the corresponding period last year. According to a finance ministry statement, revenues from domestic transactions (including import of services) in September are 14% higher than revenues from these sources during the same month last year. MONTHLY GST COLLECTION (IN LCR) 2,00,000 1,50,000 1,00,000 APRIL MAY JUNE JULY 1,62,712 1,47,686 CBI arrests 4 for killing two Manipuri students KT Rama Rao, IT Minister 1,59,069 1,43,612 Madrid: At least 13 people were killed in a fire in a Spanish nightclub on Sunday morning, authorities said, with fears the toll could still rise as rescue workers sift through the debris. The fire broke out in the “Teatre” nightclub, also called “Fonda Milagros”, in the city of Murcia in southeastern Spain in early hours of the morning | P9 It’s a million-dollar joke that the PM is claiming that the crop loan waiver wasn’t implemented in the State. The BRS government waived crop loans twice, something no other State in the country has done 1,65,105 1,48,995 13 killed in fire at Spanish nightclub MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS National Turmeric Board for TS 1,61,497 1,44,616 EXPRESS READ VINAY MADAPU 1,57,090 1,40,885 Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in a special cleanliness programme called Ek Taarikh, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath as part of the nationwide ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, in New Delhi on Sunday | PTI PROVIDING a boost to the morale of BJP leaders and cadre ahead of the Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the setting up of the National Turmeric Board (NTB) and Sammakka-Sarakka Central Tribal University in Mulugu district at an estimated cost of `900 crore during his visit to Mahbubnagar on Sunday . During the visit, Modi laid foundation stones and inaugurated infrastructure projects worth `13,500 crore. “India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, awareness on the uses of turmeric has risen, along with its global demand,” he stated, emphasising the importance of streamlining the supply chain from production to research to benefit farmers in Telangana and across the country . He expressed confidence that the HPCL-Hassan-Cherlapally LPG pipeline project, being set up at an estimated cost of `2,170 crore, will ensure energy security in the region. Highlighting the significance of the 425-km- 1,87,035 1,67,540 SWEEPING CHANGES A man props a young girl on his arms during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meeting in Mahbubnagar on Sunday | AUG SEPT 50,000 0 TOTAL 2023-24 9,92,508 2022-23 8,93,334 TS Cong adopts K’taka model to shuffle candidates B K A R T H E E K @ Hyderabad IN a move primarily based on survey reports and aimed at bolstering the party’s prospects in the upcoming elections, the Congress high command is reportedly preparing to relocate several prominent leaders from their current constituencies to places where a lack of strong leadership was identified. This is based on the recommendations by the party’s poll strategist, Sunil Kanugolu, who previously orchestrated a similar strategy that culminated in a victory for the grand old party during the Karnataka Assembly elections. Surveys by Kanugolu’s team show that the Congress faces an uphill battle in several segments. To overcome this, the party is looking to send some senior leaders to different constituencies. According to sources, Kichannagari Laxma Reddy, who is looking to secure a ticket from the Medchal constituency, is currently being considered for a shift to the Tandur Assembly constituency . Similarly Erra Shekar, an as, piring candidate for the Jadcherla constituency, may be re- directed to the Narayanpet Assembly constituency . Analysts said that the need for such strategic relocations became inevitable for the party following the defection of MLA Pilot Rohit Reddy to ruling BRS after the 2018 Assembly elections, leaving a leadership vacuum in the Tandur Assembly constituency The Congress . had initially pinned its hopes on BRS leader and minister Patnam Mahender Reddy joining the party However, BRS su. premo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao ensured that the Congress’s attempts to poach their leader were CONTINUED ON P5 thwarted. Ex-MLA to be shifted? Sources said former Balkonda MLA Eravathri Anil Kumar is under consideration for a potential shift to represent the Nizamabad Urban segment. It remains to be seen how the Congress high command responds to the proposals. Sammakka-Sarakka Central Tribal University in Mulugu district STONES LAID FOR 4-lane greenfield highway on the Warangal-Khammam section of NH 163G 4-lane greenfield highway on the Khammam-Vijayawada part of NH-163G Multi-product pipeline from Krishnapatnam to Hyderabad PROJECTS LAUNCHED Four-laning of Suryapet-Khammam section of NH-365BB Jaklair to Krishna railway line project New buildings at the UoH (School of Economics, School of Mathematics and Statistics, School of Management Studies, Lecture Hall Complex III, School of Arts and Communication HPCL-Hassan-Cherlapally pipeline Kacheguda- Raichur train service INDIA ON TRACK FOR BIGGEST GAMES SWARO O P SWAMI NATHAN @ Hangzhou ON China’s National Day India’s , hopes of surging towards the 100-medal mark received a major boost. Athletics was at its sublime best. It helped India accumulate 15 medals, their biggest in a single day . Even before Sunday dawned at Hangzhou, the day was heaving with promise from an Indian perspective. Aditi Ashok, the overnight leader, headed into the final day as the favourite. However, she only managed to win silver. Rohan Bopanna, fresh from winning the mixed doubles gold, was one of the many interested onlookers. Even as she lamented about ‘losing gold’ to the media, shooting gave India its first gold of the day The trap team of Ky. nan Chenai, Zoravar Singh and Prithviraj Tondaiman did enough to pip Kuwait. There was a bit of history too. The women’s trap team fetched silver. Rajeshwari Kumari, who was part of the team, emulated her father and acting Olympic Council of Asia president Randhir Singh to win an Asiad medal. In badminton, the atmosphere was off the charts as the hosts fought back to complete a come-from-behind 3-2 win over India in the men’s team final. For roughly two hours of that final, the crowd had been forced to be quiet for vast swathes as India had taken a 2-0 lead. But, China are top dogs in the sport for a reason. In athletics, though, the newest darling of China’s track and field, Wu Yanni, was disqualified for a false start in the women’s 100m hurdles. India’s Jyothi Yarraji was also wrongly disqualified but she ran under protest and ended with a silver.