tirupati l saturday l june 15, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz appeals to Kashmiri Pandits to return to J&K It is time to reconcile and rebuild the broken bonds of the past, Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Friday Call amid Mela Kheer Bhawani festival ‘Homeland awaits return of Pandits’ He made the appeal in his address at the Friday congregation at the historic Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area in Srinagar, where he also felicitated the Kashmiri Pandit community on the occasion of Mela Kheer Bhawani. Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits paid obeisance at the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple at Tulmulla in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Friday ■ Mela Kheer Bhawani is an annual event at the Kheer Bhawani temple dedicated to Rangya Devi. It is also celebrated in other shrines and temples ■ “I would ask them (Kashmiri Pandits) to return to their homeland which awaits them and live here as they did in the past in our common and shared heritage. We owe it to our next generation,” Mirwaiz said 1990 When a large number of Kashmiri Pandits fled J&K due to militancy 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 Azadi SPEECH Delhi L-G nod to prosecute Arundhati Roy under UAPA ASHISH SRIVASTAVA @ New Delhi delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Friday gave his nod to prosecute author-activist Arundhati Roy and Sheikh Showkat Hussain, former professor of the Central University of Kashmir, under the stringent UAPA in connection with a 2010 FIR, which accused the duo of “delivering provocative speeches in public”. Roy and Hussain had allegedly called for an independent Kashmir at a conference organised under the banner of ‘ zadi A — The Only Way’ on October 21, 2010 at LTG Auditorium in Delhi. The major topic of discussion was “separation of Kashmir from India”, Raj Niwas officials said on Friday . Arundhati Roy Last October, Saxena had granted prosecution of the duo in the same case under Section 196 of CrPC for commission of Sheikh Showkat offences punHussain ishable under different sections of IPC. The case against the two was registered after a police complaint lodged by a Kashmiri social activist Sushil Pandit. He also filed a complaint before the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, Delhi. An FIR was registered on November 29, 2010 in which Roy, Hussain, Kashmiri separatist leader Sayed Ali Shah Geelani, and former Delhi University professor Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani were booked for the offences of sedition, promoting enmity between dif ferent groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc with imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration. They were also charged with the act aimed at public mischief. However, Sayed Ali Shah Geelani and Abdul Rahman Geelani passed away during the pendency of the case. Talks, diplomacy path for Ukraine peace, says Modi Naidu’s Cabinet 4.0 Kollu Ravindra Mines and Geology, Excise Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with world leaders at Italy’s Apulia on the sidelines of the G7 summit, but what caught the eye were his interactions with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pope Francis. In his talks with Zelenskyy, Modi assured that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Ukraine war, adding the way to peace is through “dialogue and diplomacy”. He said India believes in a human-centric approach to the conflict. The upcoming Swiss peace conference for Ukraine also figured in the talks. Modi described the meeting as very productive and said India is eager to further cement bilateral relations. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra were part of Modi’s delegation at the talks. The Ukranian readout said, “The president spoke about the functioning of the Black Sea transport corridor, which makes it possible to increase exports of sunflower oil to India and turnover of other categories of goods.” Later in the day, Modi met Pope Francis with a warm embrace at the Outreach session of the G7 Summit and invited him to visit India. “Met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the @G7 Summit. I admire his commitment to serve people and make our planet better. Also invited him to visit India,” Modi said in a post on X. Modi and the BJP have made several overtures to the Christian community before the general elections. Modi was seen in a light-hearted exchange with the 87-year-old head of the worldwide Catholic Church. “It is up to each of us to make good use of AI,” the Pope said in his address at the Outreach session on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, Energy Africa , and the Mediterranean. Modi also held talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron. Ponguru Narayana Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs Municipal Administration and Urban Development Konidela Pawan Kalyan (Dy CM) Vangalapudi Anitha Satya Kumar Yadav Home Affairs and Disaster Management Health, Family Welfare & Medical Education Panchayat Raj & Rural Development, RWS, Environment, Forest, Science & Technology Dr Nimmala Ramanaidu Water Resources Development Anam Ramnarayana Reddy Endowments N Chandrababu Naidu Payyavula Keshav Finance & Planning, Commercial Taxes and Legislative GAD, L&O, Public Enterprises and all other portfolios not allocated to ministers Anagani Satya Prasad Dr Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy Social Welfare, Disabled & Senior Citizens Welfare, Sachivalayam & Village Volunteer Revenue, Registration and Stamps Vasamsetti Subhash Labour, Factories, Boilers and Insurance Medical Services N Md Farooq Law and Justice; Minority Welfare K Parthasarathy Housing; Information & Public Relation BC Janaradhan Reddy Roads and Buildings; Infrastructure and Investments S Savitha BC Welfare; Economically Weaker Sections Welfare; Handlooms and Textiles Kondapalli Srinivas Tourism, Culture & Cinematography Industries & Commerce; Food Processing MSME; SERP; NRI Empowerment and Relations Gottipati Ravi Kumar Energy Dy CM Pawan gets 3 key portfolios, Lokesh in-charge of IT and HRD Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday allocated por tfolios to his Cabinet colleagues. As anticipated, Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan was appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister and given important departments such as Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (PR&RD), Rural Water Supply, Environment, Forest, Science and Technology . Naidu’s son and Mangalagiri MLA Nara Lokesh was allocated Human Resource Development, IT, Electronics and Communication, and Real Time Governance. In his previous tenure, the TDP general secretary was in charge of IT, Electronics and Communication, and PR&RD portfolios. Naidu will look after General Administration Department (GAD), Public Enterprises and all other portfolios which have not allocated to the Ministers. In line with expectations, senior leader Payyavula Keshav was given Finance, Planning, Commercial Taxes and Legislative Affairs. However, the Chief Minister sprang a surprise as he allocated Home portfolio to Vangalapudi Anitha. Anagani Satya Prasad, a first-time Minister, was given Revenue, Registration and Stamps portfolio. TDP senior leader K Atchannaidu was allocated Agriculture, Cooperation, Marketing, Animal Husbandry, Dairy development and Fisheries departments. Before the elections, the Tekkali MLA, on several occasions, had asserted that he would request Naidu for the Home portfolio “so as to HRD, IT, Electronics and Communications, RTG Gummadi Sandhya Rani TG Bharath Express News Service Nara Lokesh Women and Child Welfare; Tribal Welfare Kandula Durgesh @ Vijayawada Prime Minister Narendra Modi embraces Pope Francis at Italy’s Apulia on Friday | X Transport; Youth and Sports Nadendla Manohar Holds talks with Zelenskyy; also meets Pope Francis at G7 Summit, invites him to India Agencies M Ramprasad Reddy punish the er ratic police officers”. Another senior leader Anam Ramanarayana Reddy was given Endowments portfolio. Several of the 17 first-time ministers got key portfolios like Energy (Gottipati Ravi Kumar), Water Resources (Nimmala Rama Naidu), Roads and Buildings, Infrastructure and Investments (BC Janardhan Reddy), Industries and Commerce, Food Processing (TG Bharat), MSME, SERP, NRI Empowerment and Insurance Medical (K Srinivas). Satya Kumar Yadav, the lone BJP MLA in Naidu’s Cabinet, was allocated Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education, which is also an important portfolio. Meanwhile, it is likely that Ayyanna Patrudu will be made the Assembly P4 Speaker. K Atchannaidu Agriculture, Cooperation, Marketing, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries j syamala rao TTD gets new executive officer Express News Service @ Vijayawada Senior IAS officer J Syamala Rao was appointed as the executive officer (EO) of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad released an order to this effect on Friday. The development comes just a day after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had announced that the cleansing of official systems in the State will begin from TTD. A 1997-batch officer, Rao is currently Principal Secretary for Higher Education. He has replaced IDES officer AV Dharma Reddy After the NDA came . into power in the State, Dharma Reddy was sanctioned leave for a week from June 11 to 17 for personal reasons. Subsequently, he was relieved of the additional charge as TTD EO. SC notice to NTA, Centre on plea for CBI probe Delimitation hurdle for SRINIVAS NDA govt to implement HEGDE, DIRECTOR SUCHITRA K ALYA N M OHA N TY OF CHANDRAYAAN-1, PASSES AWAY The former Isro scientist was the mission head of India’s first lunar mission that discovered water molecules on Moon. The 71-year-old was admitted in hospital after a heart attack @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Centre on a plea seeking CBI investigation into allegations of question paper leak and other irregularities in the NEET-UG exam held across the country on May 5 this year. A two-judge vacation bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought the responses within two weeks and tagged the cases with other petitions raising similar issues. The batch of pleas will now be heard on July 8, when the top court will start functioning after the summer vacation. T he development comes a day after the NTA and the Centre told the SC that the grace marks given to 1,563 candidates in the NEET-UG exam will be cancelled. They will have the option to either take a re-test on June 23 or forgo the compensatory marks awarded for the loss of time, the court was told. The petitioners alleged cheating happened in the medical entrance exam. “Cheating in entrance exams undermines the principles of meritocracy and equal opportunities which are essential for fostering so- cial mobility and ensuring fairness in society the plea said. ,” Responding to the submission for ordering a CBI probe, the bench said the reply of the NTA was necessary before an order could be passed. As many as 67 students had scored a perfect 720 in the test in which 24 lakh students participated, with six from a centre in Haryana’s Faridabad, raising suspicions about irregularities. One dead, 35 ill due to ‘water contamination’ in K’nada village Express News Service @ Kakinada One women died and 35 others fell ill reportedly due to diarrhoea at Kommanapalli village in Thondangi mandal of Kakinada district. Water contamination is suspected to be the reason for the outbreak of diarrhoea, officials said. According to information reaching here, a 36-year-old woman, identified as Nagamani, died on Friday while she was being shifted from the Kathipudi Hospital to Kakinada Government General Hospital after she complained of diarrhoea. Following the diarrhoea outbreak, a health camp has been set up at Thondangi. Of the total 35 who fell ill, six children and as many adults have been shifted to Kakinada GGH based on the advice of doctors, while the remaining are being treated at local primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Thondangi. Kakinada GGH superintendent Dr Lavanya Kumari said all the 12 patients are safe and are being treated at a special ward in the hospital. With a population of around 3,000 people, Kommanapalli village gets water supply from two overhead water tanks, one old and one new. People who have been affected by diarrhoea were being supplied water from the old tank, District Medical and Health Officer Dr Narasimha Naik said. Samples of water and food were collected and sent to the microbiology departments in Visakhapatnam and Kakinada Government General hospitals P4 for testing. Kakinada GGH chief enquiring about health of diarrhoea patients | Express Women’s Reservation Bill successful in controlling population. To undertake the delimWith its Southern allies in itation, the government must play, the BJP-led NDA govern- conduct the decadal Census, ment may face roadblocks in which has been indefinitely implementing the Women’s postponed since 2021 because Reservation Bill, which hinges of the Covid-19 pandemic. on Census and Speaking to this delimitation. Would it politically newspaper, senior With the TDP, Congress leader help govt at all? the main ally of and Lok Sabha The question is whether the NDA, calling M P M a n i ck a m the govt would go for for consensus on Tagore said the delimitation, the delimitation after the BJP linkage with defaced setbacks in states B J P m ay f a c e limitation could like UP. “In 2019, the BJP huge challenges delay the implein implementing swept the Hindi heartland. m e n t a t i o n o f Now the landscape has the bill passed women’s reservachanged. Even if UP or during Modi 2.0. tion, adding the The 33% quota for Bihar get more seats after BJP is planning it delimitation, it may not women in the Lok for 2034. “The enbenefit the BJP,” Pronab Sabha and state tire Opposition Sen said assemblies will voted for the pascome into force afsage of the bill ter delimitation of Lok Sabha and we want it to be immediseats, scheduled for 2026. ately implemented. But the Several Opposition parties government’s real intention is from the South have raised con- to delay it,” he said. cerns that the delimitation on A TDP leader told TNIE that the basis of population would the party will not support delead to the states losing out in limitation as the State will lose representation as they were Lok Sabha seats. P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi
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