THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l saturday l july 27, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION NEET-UG 2024 Ranks change as nta RELEASES final revised RESULTS The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday announced the final results of the controversy ridden medical entrance exam NEET-UG 2024 Representational Image 44 toppers lose 5 marks after revision Now, 17 candidates share All India Rank 1 Final results were released after the Supreme Court dismissed pleas seeking re-test. The earlier scores were revised taking into account SC’s decision on the correct answer to an ambiguous physics question, which NTA said had two answers. As a consequence, 5 marks were cut from those who chose the incorrect option. They include 44 students who had scored full marks earlier ■ With the announcement of the final results of the medical entrance test, 17 candidates now share the top rank, down from 61 in the revised results ■ Among the 17 toppers, 4 are from Rajasthan, 3 from Maharashtra, 2 each from Delhi and UP, and 1 each from Bihar, Chandigarh, Kerala, Punjab, TN and West Bengal. Sreenand Sharmil from Kannur is the topper from Kerala 23,33,297 Number OF STUDENTS WHO APPEARED FOR THE 2024 MEDICAL ENTRANCE TEST 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 No other capital city as unhygienic as T’Puram, says HC Modi calls out E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kochi Highlighting the “pathetic” condition of Thiruvananthapuram due to waste, the Kerala High Court on Friday said no other capital city was i n s u c h a n u n hy g i e n i c condition. During a special sitting it held following the death of a sanitation worker who had gone missing in the filth-filled Amayizhanchan canal, the division bench of Justice Bechu The garbage-filled Amayizhanchan canal in Thiruvananthapuram | File Pic Kurian Thomas and Justice Gopinath also suggested the authorities visit Sri Lanka to understand its waste management methods.The HC observed that the report of the amici curiae appointed to assess the condition of Amayizhanchan canal in Thiruvananthapuram, presented an embarrassing situation for the state. “Thiruvananthapuram is currently in a dire state. Nowhere else can you find a capital city in such an unhygienic condition. All capital cities in the world are...visual treat. Even in India, most of the capital cities are visual treats. But the report of the amici curiae pointed out that every part of Thiruvananthapuram is piled up by garbage. How could this happen in a place which is under the nose of the government,” asked the bench. It suggested that authorities visit countries like Sri Lanka to understand their waste management methods. “If you want to understand how cities are kept clean, you don’t have to travel far. Just go to Sri Lanka and see the number of tourists visiting the country and the cleanliness of the roads and streets. You can’t find a single piece of litter. Sri Lanka is not a rich country,” the bench commented. It also referenced Singapore’s waste management techniques, where plastic waste is burnt to generate substantial energy, such as electricity. The court urged authorities to seek expert help and adopt waste management techniques used in ● More on P4 other countries.  Mamata, Soren to attend NITI Aayog meet today M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Some facts and figures from the Opening Ceremony 85 No. of boats 205 Delegations Indian athletes wave the Tricolour from a boat on the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday | AP T Surreal ceremony opens paris games HE Eiffel Tower stood attentive, as if trying to capture the moment that will forever be embossed in the annals of Olympic history adorned with , a bouquet of adjectives: outrageous, bold, wild, yet beautiful and sublime. The Seine flowed majestically as ever beside it. The Trocadero stood on the other side where the dignitaries sat in the immersive settings of the Opening Ceremony It all began at 7.30 pm Paris . time, with football legend Zinedine Zidane starting off things in a humorous skit. On a wet evening, Paris did not need an invocation of the spirits or intervention from E X PRESS READ Couple charred to death in car, suicide confirmed Pathanamthitta: A couple in their sixties was charred to death in their car at Vengal in Tiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district on Friday. The victims were identified as Raju Thomas, 69, and his wife Laiji Thomas, 63, both residents of Thukalassery in Tiruvalla. Tiruvalla DySP Ashad S confirmed it was suicide. “It is learnt that family issues prompted the couple to end their lives,” he said. P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express TNIE @ olympics Indraneel Das Paris divinity For once, the city that . had been an inspiration for many poets, artists, writers and composers was its own muse. From the depths of its heart, it sang melodious tunes and ushered in a new-age world of sport — an apt reflection of the central theme of unity and brotherhood the Opening Ceremony tried to showcase. On Friday, the city wished for a dry evening. But the day started on a damp note. The biggest wish on Friday would have been to keep the rains away There was some rain but . not heavy enough to send the joyous crowd home. The gigantic screens on the course of the river captured every movement of the 85 boats ferrying about 6800 athletes over 6 km cheered by over 3,00,000 spectators congregating on the banks on various stages to watch their favourite athletes float by; like how dreams float in the air. The Games are an opportunity to celebrate Paris in its essence. ‘Us’ is the underlying theme and the ceremony was an amalgamation of history and innovation, heritage and P11, 12 creativity  . 6,800 Attending athletes 6KM Distance between Pont d’Austerlitz (starting point) and the Pont d’lena (end) 3.2L Spectators in 124 ground stands 170 Cameras 200 Rehearsal days 2,000 Artists Factional feud: Sudhakaran, Satheesan draw daggers Cyn t h i a Chand r an @T’Puram With the competition and one-upmanship between state Congress chief K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan breaching the limits and threatening to dampen the spirits of the party workers stirred up by the Lok Sabha election results, many senior leaders think it’s time for the high command to intervene and rein in the two leaders. A day after Sudhakaran snubbed him by cancelling a circular he issued in his capacity as the Congress legisla- ture party leader, an apparently annoyed Satheesan boycotted the Thiruvananthapuram district executive meeting, which he was scheduled to preside on Friday. The meeting was slated as part of the Congress’ ‘Mission 2025’ programme. The two leaders have shared a strained relation for quite some time. A few days ago, the Sudhakaran camp had approached the party national leadership against Satheesan, alleging that the LoP’s loyalists had been deliberately planting stories against the ● More on P4 KPCC chief.  Paradigm shift as PSU sale put on ice D IPA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi IN a marked departure from its aggressive privatisation pitch in the past, the Narendra Modi-led government seems to have quietly put the disinvestment drive on the back burner. Confirming this paradigm shift, top government sources told this newspaper that privatisation of public sector companies is no longer a priority for the Centre. The new line of thinking is that there is great value to be unlocked in some of the State-owned entities on the block, and that it makes more sense in holding on to such enterprises and making them profitable than giving them away at low prices. “There has been a change of emphasis and a change of orientation, more towards a balanced view of the benefits of holding versus the benefits selling off. But disinvestment will continue, but will not be the sole priority said a source. ,” This, however, doesn’t mean privatisation plans are on hold; only that sell-off is no longer the priority of the government, which will continue to look for ways to pare down its hold- ings in some public sector entities. The Budget has estimated `50,000 collection from disinvestment in FY25. Last year, disinvestment proceeds stood at `16,500 crore against revised estimates of `30,000 crore. Despite its best efforts, the government could privatise only two PSUs – Air India and Neelanchal Ispat Nigam – so far. Stake sale in IDBI Bank is ongoing, and that is the only PSU which may go to a private entity as the government and LIC—which together hold 94.7% in the bank—look to sell 46% stake to a new entity . West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will participate in the ninth meeting of the NITI Aayog governing council on Saturday for some time if she is allowed to speak, as will her Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren, amid a boycott by other CMs of Opposition-ruled states. The meet will discuss a range of is- Mamata Banerjee s u e s, i n c l u d i n g a Vi k s i t Bharat@2047 document. “If they allow me to record our voice, I will do so. Else, I will leave in protest. As far as I know, Hemant (Soren) is also going to speak for his state. On behalf of us (INDIA bloc), we will speak Hemant Soren for everybody Mamata said. ,” pak for Terror on Kargil anniv Says Agnipath scheme was implemented at the behest of the armed forces for reforms M AYA N K SI N G H @ Dras Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called out Pakistan for using proxy war to stay relevant, in his address to mark the 25th anniversary of India’s victory in the Kargil war. “Today I am speaking at , a place from where the masters of terror can hear my voice directly. I want to tell these patrons of terrorism that their nefarious intentions will never succeed,” Modi said at the Kargil War Memorial in Dras, Ladakh. Referring to Pakistan’s deceit when India was making all efforts to maintain peace, he said, “Falsehood and terror were brought down to their knees by truth...We not only won the war, we presented an incredible example of truth, restraint and strength.” Modi asserted that the nefarious intentions of terrorists will never be fulfilled. Modi paid homage to the bravehearts, who made the su- Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute at Kargil War Memorial in Dras on Friday | PTI preme sacrifice in the line of duty, on the occasion of 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas. He also witnessed the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project in Ladakh, virtually. The project consists of a 4.1 km long twin-tube tunnel to be constructed at an altitude of around 15,800 ft on the Nimu-PadumDarcha Road to provide allweather connectivity to Leh. Lauding the defence forces for the reforms in the defence sector, Modi dwelt at length on the Agnipath scheme. “The pur pose of the Agnipath scheme is to keep forces young and continuously battleready Modi asserted. ,”