tirupati l monday l june 17, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION T20 World Cup 2024: The who, why and when of Super 8s With the group stages coming to an end on Monday, a look at the teams that have progressed, what lies ahead and more... How the groupings are made? While the top two teams from each group advanced, their seedings in Super 8s will be based on initial grouping. For example, Afghanistan will remain C1 even if they finish below West Indies in Group C as the former will be replacing New Zealand in the original grouping made by the global cricketing body before the tournament | p11 ■ 3 Who will face India and when? ■ India, who will be A1, are up against Australia (B2), Afghanistan (C1) and either of Bangladesh/Netherlands (D2). They will begin their Super 8s journey against Afghanistan on Thursday The other Super 8s group will feature England, both the tournament hosts — West Indies, United States — and South Africa matches were abandoned due to rain during group stages so far 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 Shah seeks Kashmir-like zero-terror plan in Jammu Says Centre committed to rooting out terrorism from the region M U K E S H RAN J AN @ New Delhi UNION Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asked security agencies to replicate their success in tackling terrorism in the Kashmir Valley in the Jammu division as well. Noting that the fight against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is in its decisive phase, Shah directed security agencies to implement ‘area domination’ and ‘zero-terror plans’ in Jammu like they did in Kashmir. Chairing a high-level meeting to review the prevailing security situation in Jammu & Kashmir in the wake of recent terror attacks, Shah directed the security agencies to work on a mission mode and ensure quick response in a coordinated manner, officials said. Reiterating the Centre’s ‘zero-tolerance policy’ against terrorism, Shah said the government will root out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. The gover nment’s efforts have yielded great results in Kashmir with significant reduction in terror-related incidents and improvement in the law and order situation, which is “reflected in the record inflow of tourists in the Valley”, he added. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Israel pauses fighting during daytime along key aid route Age n c i e s Amid warnings about dire shortages of food and other essentials in the Gaza Strip, Israel on Sunday announced it will pause fighting during daytime along a route in the southern part of the Strip to facilitate aid deliveries. “A local, tactical pause of military activity for humanitarian purposes will take place from 8.00 am (0500 GMT) until 7.00 pm (1600 GMT) every day until further notice along the road that leads from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Salah al-Din road and then northwards,” a statement by the Israeli military said. Overland access restrictions and the closure of the key Rafah crossing with Egypt since Israeli forces seized it in early May have made it tough to get essential supplies to those in need. The “tactical pause,” which applies to about 12 kilometers of road in the Rafah area, falls far short of a complete cease-fire that has been sought by the international community, including Israel’s principal ally the United States, , AP News reported. The United Nations welcomed the Israeli decision. “We hope this leads to further concrete measures by Israel to address longstanding issues preventing a meaningful humanitarian response in Gaza,” UN aid agency OCHA’s spokesman Jens Laerke P9 said in an email to AFP.  Palestinian children collect food aid in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip | AFP Home Minister Amit Shah during a high-level meeting to review security situation in Jammu & Kashmir and preparedness for Amarnath Yatra, in New Delhi on Sunday | PTI Manoj Sinha, Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Army Chiefdesignate Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, CRPF Director General Anish Dayal Singh, BSF Director General Nitin Agarwal, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police R R Swain and other top security officials attended the meeting, which was held in the wake of terror attacks in Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts. The attacks came within a span of four days last week, killing nine pilgrims and a CRPF jawan, and leaving several others injured. On Thursday Prime Minister , Narendra Modi had reviewed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and directed the “deployment of the full spectrum” of “counter-terror capabilities” in the region. Later on Sunday, Shah chaired another meeting to review the preparations for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, which is scheduled to begin on June 29. During the deliberation, the minister was given a thorough briefing on the measures taken to ensure a safe and peaceful Yatra, officials said. During his interaction with the law enforcement and security agencies, the Union home minister appreciated them for the successful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections in the Union territory, which witnessed record voter turnout compared P8 with past elections.  INDIA bloc will support TDP’s Speaker candidate, says Sena’s Sanjay Raut consensus candidate will be decided. Our leaders will take a SHIV Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay call,” said Rao. However, the Raut on Sunday said the INDIA TDP leader was noncommittal bloc will support the Telugu whether the TDP sought the Desam Party if it fields its can- Speaker’s post. “Whether we didate for the Lok Sabha Speak- claimed the post or not, I can’t er. Election to the post of the LS say he said. ,” Speaker is slated for June 26. “As partners, we support the Talking to reporters, Raut decisions taken by the NDA claimed the T DP government and vice wants to field its canversa,” he added. Parl session didate. “If that hapThe TDP’s position from June 24 pens, INDIA bloc is at odds with the The first partners will discuss JD(U), which pledged the issue and try to Parliament session to support the candiwill be held from ensure that all the INdate nominated by June 24-July 4, DIA alliance partners the BJP. Speaking to outgoing LS extend support to the this paper, JD(U) Speaker Om Birla TDP he said. ,” leader K C Tyagi said Raut added that if said on Sunday. He that by convention, the BJP gets the said he has no role the ruling party has in Speaker’s Speaker’s post, it will the right to nominate break the TDP JD(U), election and it’s for the Speaker because , political parties to its number is also the and the outfits of Chirag Paswan and decide on the new highest. “The stateSpeaker, deputy Jayant Chaudhary. ment by INDIA bloc “We have the experileaders is intended to ence that BJP betrays the peo- create confusion among the ple who support it,” Raut said. NDA partners,” said Tyagi. TDP spokesperson K RamNDA allies are set to meet on mohan Rao told this newspaper June 23 to decide their candithat the NDA partners will sit date. N Chandrababu Naidu’s together and decide the candi- TDP with 16 seats and Nitish date, adding that there are no Kumar’s JDU with 12 are crucracks in the alliance and it is cial to the governmentt, as the stable. “All the partners of the BJP failed to secure the seats to NDA will have a meeting and a form government on its own. Fresh row erupts over Rushikonda buildings E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada A fresh controversy erupted on Sunday as Bheemili MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao visited the buildings constructed atop Rushikonda by the previous YSRC regime. Terming the buildings ‘Raja Mahal’, the TDP leader raised concerns over the secretive nature of the project and lack of transparency in its construction. Questioning the rationale behind the extravagant expenditure, he pointed out that the buildings have been referred to as the camp office, five-star ho- tel and a tourism project over the last three years. Criticising the previous YSRC government for its proposal to establish three capitals, he accused the party of “manipulating” the thriving Haritha resorts in the Rushikonda area. He lashed out at the YSRC for demolishing Praja Vedika, built under the TDP government, citing lack of permissions, and splurging `500 crore on the ‘secret project,’ which violates many norms in Rushikonda. “However, Jagan was voted out of power without even getting to experience the opulence of the palace he built,” ed, he said a decision will be taken after Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to the building. Buildings are govt-owned, says YSRC A view of the buildings constructed atop Rushikonda in Vizag | G satyanarayana Ganta quipped. Further, he stated that deliberations are underway to decide the building’s fate. Noting the “infeasible manner” in which the palace was construct- Centre has taken note of NEET lapses, guilty to face serious action: Pradhan E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar AMID nationwide outrage over the NEET-UG fiasco, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said the Centre has taken note of two incidents of lapses in the test and those found guilty will face serious action. Pradhan also said that the Centre is mulling necessary reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA), an autonomous agency under the Education Ministry, tasked with conducting the nationwide medical entrance exam. “Two incidents of lapses pertaining to NEET has come to fore. Initial information was that some students were upset for getting less time in the exam and awarded grace marks. However, the government rejected it Dharmendra Pradhan and on the recommendations of the Supreme Court, ordered a retest of 1,563 candidates in six centres,” he said. He also said some irregularities have come to light at two places. “I assure students and parents that the government has taken serious note of it. All these matters will be taken to their logical conclusion and accountability will be fixed on those found guilty for the laps- es,” he said. “No matter how senior official of NTA someone is, if lapses are found they will face strict action,” he added. The Union Minister said the NTA also needs a lot of improvement. “The NTA is an autonomous organisation. However, it needs reforms and the government has taken this into consideration,” he said while reassuring the students that the guilty will not be spared and will get the harshest punishment. Notably, allocation of grace marks and allegations of question-paper leak in the NEET UG exam has muddied the testing system that selects students for the medical colleges. After the Supreme Court’s observation, the NTA has revoked grace marks awarded to the 1,563 students and has announced a retest on June 23. P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Festival designs A girl getting henna applied on her hands on the eve of Bakrid, in Kozhikode on Sunday | E Gokul express read ‘Anna Canteens will be revived in 3 weeks’ Justin Trudeau mum on inviting Modi for next G7 Vijayawada: Anna Canteens, which used to offer meals for just `5 prior to the YSRC regime, will be revived within three weeks, and the price for a plate will be the same, said minister P Narayana Apulia: Canada PM Justin Trudeau dodged a question on whether he would invite PM Modi to next G7 summit in Canada, saying, “I will have more to say about next G7 when we assume the Presidency” Why teach riots? NCERT’s spin on lesson cuts Express news service @ New Delhi Amid furore over the omission of references to Gujarat riots and Babri masjid demolition in the Class 12 syllabus, NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani sought to justify it saying such topics won’t benefit students. Such content can create ‘violent and depressed citizens’, he said in an interview to PTI. “Should we teach our stu- dents in a manner that they become offensive, create hatred in society or become victim of hatred? Is that education’s pur pose? Should we teach about riots to such young children,” he said, adding that hatred and violence should not be the focus of school textbooks. The comments come at a time when new textbooks have hit the market with several dele- tions and changes. The revised Class 12 political science textbook does not mention the Babri masjid but refers to it as a “three-domed structure”. It has pruned the Ayodhya section from four to two pages and deleted details from the earlier version. It instead focuses on the Supreme Court judgement that paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the site where the dis- puted structure once stood before it was torn down by Hindu activists in December 1992. The changes in textbooks have triggered a controversy with critics accusing NCERT of promoting saffronisation of the school curriculum. Rejecting such notions, Saklani said: “If something has become irrelevant ... it will have to be changed. Why shouldn’t it be changed? I don’t see any saffronisation here.” Denouncing the allegations, YSRCP in a post on X said, “The buildings in Rushikonda are government-owned assets and not private property. They do not belong to anyone. These buildings were constructed keeping in mind the priority given to Visakhapatnam by the previous government. It is up to the present government how P4 to use them.”  GHMC official shifted after demolitions at Jagan’s home E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Khairatabad Zonal Commissioner Bhorkhade Hemant Sahadeorao was transferred on Sunday, a day after the unauthorised structures in front of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s residence near Lotus Pond in the city were demolished. The demolition took place under the supervision of Hemant, a 2018-batch IAS officer. GHMC in-charge Commissioner Amrapali Kata issued orders transferring him “on administrative grounds with immediate effect”. It has been alleged that Hemant did not inform higher officials about the demolition of the structures. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy holds the Municipal Administration portfolio. It has been learnt that a minister from South Telangana, who passes daily through the road on which Jagan’s house is located, wanted a senior GHMC official to remove the illegal structure. The senior GHMC official, in turn, is said to have brought the same to the notice of zonal commissioner, sources said. Higher officials were reportedly irked as neither officials informed the GHMC commissioner about the demolition drive. Taking to X, BRS leader Manne Krishank said: “If Hemant was not from BC Caste, he wouldn’t have had to face the punishment. Why not take action on Minister who ordered this Officer to conduct demolitions of structures at YS Jagan garu’s residence @revanth_anumula.” New TTD EO takes charge, vows to address all issues E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Tirumala Senior IAS officer J Shyamala Rao took charge as the executive officer (EO) of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in Tirumala on Sunday The State . government had issued orders on Friday to replace AV Dharma Reddy with Shyamala Rao. Soon after arriving in Tirumala, Rao and his wife first had darshan of Lord Varaha Swamy . Later, he headed to the Srivari temple through the Vaikuntam Queue Complex and offered prayers to Lord Venkateswara. Dharma Reddy had handed over the charge to JEO Veerabrahmam, who handed it over to Shyamala Rao inside the temple’s Ranaganayakula Mandapam. Later, priests performed Vedaseervachanam and TTD officials offered Prasadams and theertham to the new EO. Speaking to mediapersons, Rao said he prayed for the State’s well-being. “Every job has challenges. The TTD, which is the world’s richest and most popular temple, has issues and challenges aplenty. But I will face them all,” he added.  P4