factory output down, inflation eases The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) slipped to a three-month low of 5% in April whereas retail inflation fell to 4.75% in May, shows government data. The fall in IIP was mainly on account of poor show by the manufacturing sector, whose growth decelerated to 3.9% in April compared to 5.5% a year ago. In contrast, mining and power segments performed well. Mining output growth accelerated to 6.7% in April while power generation increased by 10.2% tirupati l thursday l june 13, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION 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 Close to 50 Indians dead in Kuwait building blaze Most died due to suffocation; minister sent to oversee assistance Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi Video grab of smoke billowing after a fire broke out in a building in Mangaf, Kuwait on Wednesday | PTI Indians admitted in multiple hospitals reported stable Over 30 Indians have been admitted at the Al-Adan hospital, six others at Farwaniya Hospital, 11 in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital and six in Jahra Hospital. They are said to be stable. “Another 6 are expected to be shifted to Jahra hospital today from the Mangaf site,” the Indian mission wrote on X. The Emir of Kuwait assured full probe and accountablity Close to 50 Indian are feared dead in a massive fire that broke out around dawn in Kuwait in a building housing nearly 200 foreign workers. Most of the victims were asleep and died due to suffocation, sources said. The fire started in a kitchen of a six-storey building in the Mangaf area, south of Kuwait City which is densely populated with mi, grant labourers. Most of the deceased were Indian nationals from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and elsewhere. Their ages ranged between 20 and 50 years, Major General Eid Al-Owaihan, head of the interior ministry’s General Department of Criminal Evidence, was quoted as saying by Arab Times. “We received a report of a fire at 6 am,” he added. Given the scale of the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent the new Minister of State for External Affairs, K V Singh, to Kuwait to oversee assistance to all the affected people. “Minister Singh will also oversee the repatriation of mortal remains of those who have passed away in this tragic incident,” according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Besides, Modi announces ex-gratia relief of `2 lakh to the families of deceased Indian nationals from Prime Minister Relief Fund. The Non-Resident Tamils Welfare Department, too, opened two helplines. For calls within India: +91 1800 309 3793 and for calls from foreign countries: +91 80 6900 9900, +91 80 6900 9901. India’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Adarsh Sawaika, has been visiting those injured in various hospitals and extending all possible assistance. The embassy also set up a helpline. “In connection with the tragic fire accident involving Indian workers today the Embassy has put , in place an emergency helpline number: +96565505246. All concerned are requested to connect over this helpline for updates,” the Indian Embassy in Kuwait said in a post on X. Indians constitute 21% of Kuwait’s population and 30% of its workforce. Prime Minister Narendra Modi embraces N Chandrababu Naidu (right) soon after the latter was sworn-in as Chief Minister | Prasant Madugula Megastar Chiranjeevi, PM Modi and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan greet the gathering at Kesarapalli near Vijayawada on Wednesday | Prasant Madugula pm magic on display Home or tourism as naidu takes oath BERTH likely for Pk S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth time in his four-decade-long political career on Wednesday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, Cabinet Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Bandi Sanjay and a host , of NDA leaders. It was a star-studded event as Superstar Rajinikanth and Megastar Chiranjeevi were also in attendance. Governor S Abdul Nazeer administered the oath of office and secrecy to Naidu and his 24 Cabinet colleagues, including Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, at a grand event held in Kesarapalli on the outskirts of Vijayawada. Besides 21 TDP MLAs, one BJP and three JSP legislators have been inducted into the Cabinet. Interestingly, even before the por tfolios were announced, Amit Shah and Pawan Kalyan’s brother Chiranjeevi took to X and congratulated the JSP chief for being appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister. Throughout the event, the camaraderie between Modi, Naidu and Pawan was on full display send, ing clear signals that the NDA partners stand united. The Prime Minister hugged Naidu soon after the latter took oath as Chief P3 Minister. Express News Service @ Vijayawada Soon after assuming charge as the Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu conducted a meeting with his ministers at his residence in Undavalli on Wednesday . While it was expected that an official announcement on the portfolio allocation would be made, there was no development on that front. It has been learnt that a formal announcement regarding Cabinet berths will be made on Thursday . During the meeting, Naidu reportedly told his ministers that portfolios will be allocated as per their desires and capabilities. He asked them to coordinate with officials and do complete justice to their portfolios. Ministers will play a significant role in the reconstruction of the State, which has suffered damage on all fronts in the past five years, sources said quoting the Chief Minister. Speculations have been rife about the portfolios that will be allocated to the MLAs. Besides being appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister, it is also likely that JSP chief Pawan Kalyan will be given the Home portfolio. However, sources said the actor-politician may be allocated Panchayat Raj and Rural Development or Tourism and Cinematography They added that TDP gen. eral secretary Lokesh is being considered for IT, Industries or P3 Education.
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