kozhikode l monday l june 24, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION T20 World Cup: afghanistan stun 2021 champs australia Defending a par total of 148, bowlers deliver a clinical performance as the Rashid Khan-led side beat Oz by 21 runs... Naib conjures magic in historic victory Who needs to do what to qualify? Afghanistan came close in the ODI World Cup, but couldn’t cross the line against Australia. On Saturday, however, the stars had aligned. Pat Cummins’ hat-trick didn’t matter. Neither did the fighting fifty from Glenn Maxwell. Naveen-ul-Haq (3/20) and Gulbadin Naib (4/20) rose to the occasion — sharing seven wickets between them — to take Afghanistan across the line | p11 ■ ■ For Australia, its simple. They have to beat India by a significant margin. If it is a close result, they need Bangladesh to beat Afghanistan in the evening match Afghanistan will know what they need to do when they take the field. There is a chance of three teams finishing with 2 points each 45 Mohammad Nabi has been part of int’l wins against 45 countries 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 CBI takes over NEET-UG probe, registers FIR Special teams formed, despatched to Bihar and Gujarat where cases of question paper leaks have been registered Poor turnout for retest as 50% candidates absent MUK E SH R A N J A N @ New Delhi THE Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday filed an FIR and initiated a probe into alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEETUG held on May 5 on a complaint it received from the Union education ministry officials , said. The complaint by the Department of Higher Education, now part of the FIR, cites “certain isolated incidents” in a few states during the conduct of the examination. In its communication to the CBI, the education department sought a detailed probe into conspiracy, cheating, impersonation, breach of trust, and destruction of evidence by candidates, institutes and middlemen. The department has also requested the CBI to look into the role of public servants, if any, connected with the conduct of the examination. The central probe agency has sent its teams Bihar’s Patna and also to Godhra in Gujarat, where cases of question paper leaks have been registered by local police, officials said, adding that the CBI may take over those cases. “The probe agency has accordingly registered a criminal case and initiated an investigation. Special teams have been formed by it to investigate the matter on top priority. Teams are being sent to Patna and Godhra, where local police have registered cases in this regard,” a senior CBI official said. The allegations of irregularities sparked protests in several cities and a litany of litigation. E XPR E SS R E A D Don’t blame others, IUML tells CM Malappuram: The Indian Union Muslim League on Sunday slammed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for accusing it of aligning with the Jamaat-e-Islami and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) for electoral benefits. Taking exception to Pinarayi’s remarks that IUML had lost its face by tying up with the two entities, League state general secretary P M A Salam advised the CM to look within himself following the LDF’s defeat in polls instead of blaming others. P4 Plus-I row: Govt to hold talks tomorrow T’Puram: Faced with protests from student organisations, including CPM-affiliated SFI, over the alleged Plus-I seat shortage in districts such as Malappuram, the state government has decided to hold discussions with the protesting outfits on Tuesday to allay concerns over admissions. General Education Minister V Sivankutty’s offer for talks came on the eve of the commencement of Plus-I classes in 2,076 schools on Monday. P4 decision to award grace marks was strange, as the rule book clearly states that in the event THE NEET-UG retest for 1,563 of an exam delay, extra time candidates who were previous- should be granted at the centre. ly awarded grace marks saw The source highlighted that the poor turnout as only half of top 100,000 students from 4,750 them took the re-examination centres showcased the nationconducted on Sunday across wide desire to succeed. seven centres in Chhattisgarh, The re-exam saw varied atGujarat, Haryana, Meghalaya, tendance rates across different and Chandigarh. According to states and centres. Gujarat reofficials, only 813 (52%) attend- corded the highest attendance ed the re-test, while at 100%, while Chan750 (48%) chose to digarh had the lowest 63 debarred skip it. at 0%. In Chandigarh Sixty-three The re-test was (UT), none of the two candidates have held on the orders of eligible candidates been debarred the Supreme Court appeared. In Chhatnationwide for following complaints tisgarh, of the 602 elimalpractices of irregularities in gible candidates, 291 during the NEETthe medical entrance (48.34%) appeared. UG, according to exam after 1,563 canGujarat’s Surat had the NTA. This didates were given one eligible candidate includes 17 grace marks to make who attended, achievcandidates from up for the loss of time ing a 100% attendi n s o m e c e n t r e s Bihar and 30 from ance rate. In Jhajjar, Godhra where the test started Haryana, DAV Police late on May 5. Public School and Apart from the controversy Kendriya Vidyalaya saw 287 out over the award of grace marks, of 494 (58.09%) eligible candithe coveted entrance test was dates attend. In Meghalaya, 234 also marred by allegations of out of 464 (50.43%) eligible canpaper leak, putting the Nation- didates appeared for the exam. al Testing Agency, which conEducation ministry sources ducted the tests, in poor light. said that education had been Speaking to this newspaper, “unbundled” with exam coacha high-level source in the Union ing centres being at the foreeducation ministry admitted front, driven by parents’ desire that the NTA did not “instill for their children’s success. Ofconfidence” among the public. ficials rubbished rumours that The source mentioned that the NTA portal has been hacked. K E TA N N A RO T TA M TA N N A @ New Delhi Screen grab of CBI personnel confronted by villagers in Bihar’s Nawada district Probe team attacked in Bihar A team of CBI officials probing alleged irregularities in the conduct of the UGC-NET examination was attacked by a mob in Bihar’s Nawada district after which four persons were arrested by police on a complaint from the central agency, officials said Sunday. According to police, the villagers attacked the CBI team under the impression that they were imposters trying to harass them on the pretext of investigation. The incident occurred on Saturday evening when the CBI sleuths reached Kasiadeeh village. Some officials sustained minor injuries in the scuffle Opposition parties have also latched on to the issue to put pressure on the government ahead of Parliament session. Meanwile, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad questioned two teachers who run a private coaching centre in Latur in connection with the alleged irregularities. It is to be noted that besides NEET-UG, three other exams -UGC NET, CSIR-UGC NET, and NEET-PG -- have also faced controversy. The UGC NET was cancelled by the government a day after the exam, while the CSIR-UGC NET and NEET-PG exams have been postponed. To combat exam malpractice, the central government has also notified rules to implement the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. This Act aims to prevent unfair practices in public examinations and address related issues. Also, high-level panel of experts chaired by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan has been formed to ensure transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations. Min seeks to hike state share in GST by 10% E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’ Puram In a move that would benefit Kerala, the GST Council has agreed to its demand to record the name of the state that has the rightful claim to the share of tax for sales through e-commerce platforms. Finance Minister K N Balagopal said Kerala, at the GST Council meeting in New Delhi on Saturday de, manded that the state share in GST should be increased from 50% to 60%. In a release on Sunday the , finance minister said while selling products through ecommerce sites, GSTR -8 return has to be filed. The GST levied on the e-commerce op- into the cabinet Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administers the oath of office and secrecy to O R Kelu at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan looks on. Kelu replaces K Radhakrishnan in the cabinet | Express | P4 Security forces bust Parl session to begin today Maoist fake currency amid pro-tem speaker row operation in C’garh P r eet h a N a i r @ New Delhi E ja z Ka i s e r @ Raipur Security forces on Sunday tracked down a Maoist-run facility in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh which was allegedly being used for printing counterfeit currency notes. On receiving a tip-off, a joint team of security forces comprising personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), District Reserve Guards of the Chhattisgarh Police, and Bastar Fighters — a special force formed in 2022 to fight Maoist threat — launched a joint search operation. “Recovered a cache of counterfeit notes, colour printers, more than 200 ink bottles, printer cartridges, rollers and other equipment,” Sukma police chief Kiran Chouhan said. He added that the ultras managed to escape into a nearby jungle as the forces were closing in on the facility . Sources said currency notes of denominations of `50, 100, Keralite among 2 CRPF men killed in IED blast Two CRPF jawans, including a Keralite, were killed when the ultras blew up a truck with an improvised explosive device in the Sukma district. The deceased jawans were identified as constable Vishnu R, 35, of Palode in Thiruvananthapuram, and driver Shailendra, 29, from Uttar Pradesh. The two belonged to the force’s jungle warfare unit CoBRA. The incident happened near Timmapuram village. 200 and 500 were recovered during a search. Chouhan said Maoists have resorted to printing fake currency notes to cope with a fall in cash flow amid aggressive counter-insurgency operations by the security forces. “The pressure had mounted on the extremists after several new security camps that were set up in remote areas started derailing their funding source,” Chouhan said. AMID the row over appointment of seven-term member Bhartruhari Mahtab of the BJP as pro-tem speaker, the inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha is set to begin on a combative note on Monday . The first day of the special Parliament session will see oath-taking by 280 newly elected MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers. The remaining 264 parliamentarians including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will take oath on Tuesday The focus will be shift. ed to the election of the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 26 and President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of the both Houses on June 27. The row over pro-tem speaker is likely to escalate on Monday as three Opposition MPs consider pulling out of the panel of chairpersons to assist Mahtab in carrying out the proceedings of the House till the election of the Speaker. Early this week, President Murmu appointed Mahtab as pro-tem speaker and nominated a panel of senior MPs including Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh, DMK MP T R Baalu, TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and BJP leaders Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste to assist Mahtab. Speaking to this newspaper, K Suresh said a final decision on boycotting the panel will be taken on Monday . The Opposition is up in arms over Mahtab’s appointment. They allege the claim of K Suresh, an eighth-term MP, to Final test of Isro’s reusable launch vehicle successful E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chitradurga Isro’s Reusable Launch Vehicle ‘Pushpak’ lands during Sunday’s final test | PTI It was super Sunday for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) as it successfully conducted the Reusable Launch Vehicle Landing Experiment for the third consecutive time. The third and final Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing Experiment (LEX) was conducted at 7.10 am at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Kudapura in Challakere taluk of Chitradurga. The mission demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the launch vehicle under more challenging conditions at the ATR. The vehicle, Pushpak, was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km. Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvres, approached the runway and performed a precise horizontal landing at the centreline. Because of Push- pak’s low lift-to-drag ratio aerodynamic configuration, the landing velocity exceeded 320 kmph, compared to 260 kmph for a commercial aircraft. After the touchdown, the vehicle velocity was reduced to nearly 100 kmph using its brake parachute. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director S Unnikrishnan Nair said this success bolsters Isro’s confidence in critical technologies necessary for future orbital re-entry missions. erator should be mentioned in the return. The Council decided that information of the state which should get its share from tax levied should also be included in the return. Those from Kerala, who buy products online from Amazon and Flipkart, are being levied IGST. However, the state has not been getting its share of the tax as the companies were not mentioning the name of destination state in the GSTR -8 return. “We managed to convince the GST Council that if the e-commerce operators make slight corrections, the tax issue could be resolved,” said Balagopal. ● More on P4 the post was bypassed by the government. Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says that Mahtab has had seven uninterrupted terms as a Lok Sabha member, making him eligible for the post and the Congress is trying to mislead people. The Opposition and the government are likely to lock horns over the election of the Speaker and deputy speaker posts. While the government remains secretive about its Speaker candidate, the Opposition stands firm on its claim to the deputy speaker post. The debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, which begins on June 28, may also witness stor my scenes. The Opposition will try to pressure the government on various issues including NEETUG and UGC-NET exams, new criminal laws, and the Kanchanjunga Express accident. The PM is likely to respond to debate on July 2 or 3. Both Houses will go into a brief recess and re-assemble on July 22 for Budget. tiger trApped It killed Four cows in the past 3 days at Kenichira in Wayanad The wild cat was trapped in the cage set up by the forest department late on Sunday. Earlier, the chief wildlife warden had issued an order to tranquilise and capture the 10-year-old tiger, identified as Tholpetty 7 | P5 Motorcyclist killed as bus overturns, falls on him A i s h w a r ya P r a b h a k a r an & A nna J o s e @ Kochi A two-wheeler rider waiting at Madavana traffic signal on NH 66, near Panangad, died on Sunday as an interstate bus flipped onto its side and fell on him after hitting the signal post. The 42 passengers on the bus — proceeding from Bengaluru to Varkala — had a narrow escape, with 13 of them suffering injuries. Jijo Sebastian, 33, belonging to Wagamon in Idukki, who got trapped under the overturned private bus, was rushed to a hospital nearby, where he was declared dead on arrival. He was working at a textile showroom in Kochi. According to eyewitnesses, the bus was speeding towards the traffic signal, which turned red as the vehicle approached it. The driver applied the brake, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, which hit the median before tilting and falling on the bike rider. Following the accident, the people in the vicinity including , autorickshaw drivers at the junction, rushed to the site and brought out the bus passengers, in some cases after breaking the windows. The accident on the Kundannoor-Aroor stretch of the national highway happened around 10am, and the road was wet from rain. “I was sitting on the left side of the bus. It suddenly hit the median and overtur ned. I realised that the bus had met with an accident, but I don’t remember anything after that,” said Arya, a native of Kannur and one of the in● More on P5 jured.
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