GDP growth projections World watch 3.2% 3.2% July July 2024 2.7 (Values in per cent) April 2025 4.6 4.1 3.2 2.2 2.1 1.8 1.5 0.8 1.5 0.9 1 2.6 1.9 0.7 1.5 0.9 1.5 0.7 1 2.1 2.4 3.2 1.5 US DHARMAPURI l friday l july 19, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Revival in rural spending spurring growth in demand, says RBI report The revival of rural spending has turned out to be a bright spot in the growth of demand, the Reserve Bank of India said in its bulletin 1.9 UK EU Japan Brazil Russia JUL 2025 APR 2025 7 6.5 5 4.5 0.9 1.2 0.9 1.2 0.5 Advanced Economies APR 2024 6.8 6.5 3.3% 3.2% April JUL 2024 India China S Africa Emerging Market Economies Growth momentum quickens in Q2 of 2024-25 Food inflation persistent, not transitory The second quarter of 2024-25 began with signs of a quickening momentum in economic growth, the central bank said. The economic activity is picking up pace across advanced and emerging market economies and international trade in goods and services is also gathering momentum, the Reserve Bank said in its monthly bulletin ■ ■ However, persistent inflation in the food basket remains a concern. Consumer price inflation ticked up in June after three consecutive months of moderation amid a broad flare-up in vegetable prices The food inflation has remained at elevated levels for too long a period to be called transitory, the central bank said $15.2 billion Gross inward FDI during april-may, up from $12.3 billion during same period last year 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 SC directs NTA to publish centre-wise NEET scores let out in 1 case Shankar gets interim relief from top court S uchitra K a lya n M o ha n ty @ New Delhi S uchitra K a lya n M o ha n ty @ New Delhi Observing that a person’s liberty is involved, the Supreme Court on Thursday granted YouTuber Savukku Shankar interim release until the Madras High Court decides on the plea against his preventive detention. Shankar has been in preventive detention under the Goondas Act for the last two months. Despite the apex court’s verdict, Shankar will not be walking out of prison as he has been held in multiple cases. “Do you sincerely believe that there should be preventive detention? This is not an ordinary civil dispute. This is preventive detention. Somebody’s liberty is involved,” the two-judge bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah asked the TN gover nment while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by A Kamala, the YouTuber’s mother, challenging the wrongful detention of her son. She alleged that the state government had curtailed his freedom of speech and expression so that he could not challenge the government. Earlier, Justice G R Swaminathan of the Madras HC had quashed the detention order without waiting for a counter affidavit by the detaining authority whereas the other judge on , the Bench Justice P B Balaji decided to wait for the counter.  DY CM? Buzz over Udhaya’s Elevation in govt A state-level party leader close to the top leadership said both Chief Minister MK Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin hadn’t arrived at any decision as of Thursday evening | P4 Security personnel during an encounter with terrorists in a forest village in Doda district on Thursday | PTI Search ops on in Doda region for terrorists Army rubbishes video of Monday’s attack Heavy forests and caves being used as hideouts Search operation are on in Doda following the killing of four soldiers. Despite poor weather and terrain, security forces are determined to eliminate the terrorists and restore peace Kashmir Tigers, a shadow group of Jaish-e-Mohammad, released a purported video of the Monday attack on an Army officer on social media. But the Army dismissed it as doctored Doda is one of the heavily forested hilly districts of Jammu region. According to security officials, militants are using the caves in the dense forest area and mountain ranges as hideouts AT least two persons were killed and 35 injured when eight coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express train derailed between Motiganj and Jhilahi railway stations near Gonda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday The accident site is . about 150 km from Lucknow. According to senior officials, the loco pilot of the 23-coach train heard the sound of a blast before the derailment. The Railway Ministry has ordered a high level inquiry into the cause of the accident. RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi Amid a spurt in terror attacks in the Jammu region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to assess the situation. Officials gave a comprehensive briefing on the measures taken so far to proactively eliminate the scattered roots of localised terror links and sympathisers. Though no official details of meeting were shared with the media, sources said the aim was to stratagise and bolster security measures in the conflict-torn state. Home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, J&K’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and other senior officials in-charge of the security grid were present at the meeting. The officers presented a detailed chart of tactical strategies being used for elimination of localised terror links and neutralising terrorists. “The presentations provided an overview of the current security scenario and focused on ongoing counter-terrorism operations by the armed forces,” an official said. Hours before the meeting, two soldiers were injured in an encounter in J&K’s Doda district. Elsewhere in the Keran sector along the Line of Control, the Army foiled an infiltration attempt and gunning down two militants. Modi is learnt to have directed officials to ramp up the deployment of armed forces in areas identified as vulnerable to terror activities. He also directed the intensification of counter-terror operations. Security forces along with Capt Thapa’s coffin The mortal remains of Captain Brijesh Thapa, who was killed while combating terrorists in Doda, were brought to his hometown in Darjeeling district’s Lebong on Thursday the J&K Police have launched comprehensive operations to curb the surge in terror across the region. As part of their intensified effort, many persons suspected of helping or aiding terrorists have been arrested in the last few days. The recent spate of terror attacks are also possibly timed to impact the assembly polls that are due in September in J&K, throwing a challenge to the administration. On June 13, Modi had chaired a high level review meeting on J&K after four encounters were reported between security forces and militants. At that meeting, he had directed the security officials as well those at the helm of anti-terror operations to ensure the “full spectrum of counter terror capabilities” are deployed in the region. Since 2021, as many as 34 soldiers have been killed in J&K while security forces neutralised 40 terrorists during antiterror operations during the same period. The toll of security personnel laying down their lives in the line of duty in J&K since May this year stands at 13 — nine Army personnel and one each from the IAF, CRPF, BSF and J&K Police. Of the two casualties, officials said one person, identified as Saroj Kumar Singh (31), a resident of Araria in Bihar, died on the spot; the second person, Rahul (38) from Chandigarh, succumbed to injuries on the way to a Lucknow hospital after being referred from the Gonda district hospital. Ambulances and medical teams were rushed to the spot as news of the derailment came in. Inclement weather hampered the rescue operation initially but the police and SDRF teams completed the task in a few hours. Rescue operation underway after several coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh express train derailed near Gonda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday | ANI e x p r e ss r e a d Heavy rain predicted in Nilgiris, Kovai, Tiruppur Chennai: Heavy to very heavy rainfall may occur over isolated places over Nilgiris and a heavy rain alert has been issued to isolated places over the ghat areas of Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni and Dindigul districts by the Regional Meteorological Centre for Friday. A low-pressure area has formed over West Central and Northwest Bay of Bengal which is likely to become more marked and move northwest towards Odisha coasts during next two-three days, said bulletin CBI on Thursday arrested four MBBS students of AIIMS Patna, alleged to be part of the ‘solver module’ working with an accused in the NEETUG paper leak case. Officials said the four students were working in Pankaj Kumar, who allegedly stole the papers gave it to the solvers the testing agency to release the results by Friday 5 pm but granted time till Saturday after NTA sought more time. On the petitioners’ plea for a retest, the bench said it can’t issue such an order without concrete evidence that the alleged leak was systemic and the sanctity of the entire process was PM chairs CCS amid spurt in terror attacks in Jammu Avoid local travel, India Two dead as express train derails in UP’s Gonda Namita B ajpai @ Lucknow THE Supreme Court on Thursday directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to publish the marks obtained by students in the controversy-ridden NEET-UG 2024. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said the centre- and citywise results should be declared by Saturday 12 noon so that the hearing on the matter can be concluded on Monday the apex , court said. The bench said it wanted to ascertain whether candidates appearing at allegedly tainted centres scored more marks than those elsewhere, adding the identities of candidates must be masked. The bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, initially ordered CBI arrests four ‘paper solvers’ Biden calls in sick, may drop out of race: Report Washington: US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, halting his campaign at a critical juncture when he was facing increasing pressure about his health and concerns about his viability as a candidate. “I’m sick,” Biden, 81, wrote on X. Meanwhile, American news website Axios quoted top Democrats as saying that Biden understands the growing public mood against him and that he could leave the race as early as this weekend | P9 advises citizen in B’desh as unrest toll touches 32 affected. “The fact that there was a leak at least in Patna and Hazaribag is (made out)... The question papers have been disseminated before the exam, that is undoubted. The question is whether this is only confined to these centres—in which case there is no question of a retest—or whether this is more widespread,” it said. While refusing to hear a plea by Narinder Hooda, lawyer for one of the petitioners, requesting to stay the counselling of the exam, the bench said: “We will hear it on July 22, as the counselling is starting from July 24 and might go on for more than a month or more.” During the hearing, NTA denied the allegations that there was a systemic failure and widespread irregularities in conducting the exam. Irate at having 3 girls, Chennai father stabs infant to death E x press Ne w s S er v ice @ Chennai Anti-quota protesters clash with the police in Dhaka on Thursday | AFP Y eshi S e l i @ New Delhi With student protests snowballing in Bangladesh, leaving at least 32 people dead so far, India on Thursday advised its citizens there to avoid local travel. “In view of the ongoing situation in Bangladesh, the Indian community members and the Indian students residing in Bangladesh are advised to avoid local travel and minimise their movement outside their living premises,” an advisory issued by the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh said. Indians living in Bangladesh were advised to reach out to the High Commission in Dhaka and the Assistant High Commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna through their 24-hour emergency helpline numbers. About 7,000 Indians are estimated to be living in Bangladesh at present. Bangladesh cut off internet and mobile services as violence continued on the streets. Metro rail services, tto, were suspended and all universities and colleges shut down. Protests erupted following a June 5 ruling by Bangladesh High Court reinstating 30% quota for freedom fighters and their descendants in government jobs, which was repealed in 2018 after a massive agitation. Army units have been deployed across Dhaka to bring the situation under control. “Security has been beefed up around Gonabhawan (Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s residence) to keep off protesters. Army is said to have been deployed in Dhaka and Chittagong where the situation is most volatile,” a source said. The US embassy in Dhaka, too issued a travel advisory for its citizens.  P9 Why Bangla students are on protest The agitation is for lifting 30% quota in govt jobs for descendants of those who participated in the 1971 war. Hasina govt spiked quota but HC reinstated it. SC suspended HC order, next hearing on August 7. Yet, students are on protest as the prime minister labeled them as Razakars Quota break-up 44% Based on merit 30% Progeny of freedom fighters 10% People belonging to backward districts 10% For women 5% For minorities 1% For diffabled A 38-year-old man was arrested by the Vyasarpadi police on Wednesday for allegedly stabbing his nine-day-old daughter to death with a pair of scissors. The man, who already has two daughters aged four and two, was upset that his third child, born on June 29, was also a girl, said police. According to the police, V Rajkumar, a daily wage labourer, was hoping for a boy when his wife of six years became pregnant for the third time. However, an astrologer he consulted told him he would be having a girl. Rajkumar’s sister too raised concerns about how he would raise three daughters with his wages. “The couple then decided to get an abortion. However, since the woman was already five months pregnant, the doctors advised against it and the couple gave up on the idea. As the wife approached the due date, Rajkumar continued to hope that the baby would be a boy. But when a girl was born, he was visibly agitated,” a police officer said. On July 7, the mother went to the bathroom leaving the infant in the care of Rajkumar. In that time, he allegedly stabbed the baby with a pair of scissors. When she returned, Rajkumar told his wife that the child’s intestine had burst, resulting in severe injuries to her abdomen. Believing this, woman, along with Rajkumar, rushed the child to Government RSRM Lying In Hospital. The hospital authorities alerted child welfare officials and the police about the incident. Police said that when he was questioned at this point, Rajkumar denied any knowledge of the injury  . P5 da d, g r a n d pa b o o k e d Car driven by teen mows down migrant worker in Avinashi E x press Ne w s S er v ice @ Coimbatore A worker from West Bengal was killed by a speeding car driven by a 17-year-old boy on Avinashi Road near Peelamedu in the wee hours of Wednesday The vehi. cle went on to hit the median and catch fire trapping the Class 12 student inside the car. The boy was eventually rescued by construction workers on the spot. Police registered a case against the boy his father for al, lowing him to drive and his grandfather who owned the car. The deceased was identified as Akshay Vera(23) from Jamboni village in Jhargram district of West Bengal. He was engaged in construction work on the Avinashi Road elevated corridor. The Traffic Investigation Wing (TIW-East) said the boy, who studies at a private school, resides at Sowripalayam. The boy allegedly took the car when his parents were asleep. At around 12.50 am on Wednesday , while trying to overtake a call taxi on the Avinashi road, the minor lost control of the car and hit the construction worker, who was regulating traffic near the flyover construction site.  P5 The vehicle catches fire, trapping the Class 12 student inside | Express