tirupati l tuesday l august 20, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Nepal to export close to 1,000 MW of power to India, says Jaishankar External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called it a new milestone after holding talks with his Nepalese counterpart Arzu Rana Deuba in Delhi 251 MW to be sourced from 12 projects power exports to india grow 24 times Nepal was already exporting 690 megawatts (MW) of electricity from 16 hydropower projects to India. Now, an additional 251 MW of power, sourced from 12 hydropower projects, will be exported, taking the total power exports to India to 941 MW. Nepal exported electricity worth more than `10 billion to India in the last fiscal, a statement said ■ ■ Nepal’s electricity exports to India began in October 2021 when New Delhi approved the import of 39 MW. In less than three years, this figure has grown over 24 times, the Indian Embassy in Nepal said “Glad to note that Nepal will be exporting close to 1,000 MW of electricity to India, a new milestone,” Jaishankar wrote on X 10,000 MW of power to be exported by nepal over the next 10 years, as per an agreement 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 food poisoning 3 kids die in anakapalle hostel, 35 hospitalised E xpress N ews S ervice @ Visakhapatnam Calcutta High Court lawyers stage a protest against the alleged sexual assault and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar College and Hospital, in Kolkata on Monday | PTI Intimidation steps up protests TMC MP seeks HC protection; top docs appear for police questioning after leading march E xpress N ews S ervice @ Kolkata Transfer racket With the streets of Kolkata continuing to see protests by people from all walks of life against the horrific rape and murder of a PG student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray on Monday moved the Calcutta High Court fearing arrest, and two leading doctors faced police questioning for allegedly spreading misinformation on social media. The CBI continued interrogation of former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh for the fourth straight day and also prepared for a polygraph test on Sanjoy Roy a civic volunteer , arrested in the case. The CBI got a local court approval for the lie detector test, days after performing a psychoanalysis A senior CBI officer said, “a racket of transfer-posting of doctors was functioning at RG Kar. The going rate for each transfer was around `20-30 lakh. The victim protested against the illegal system in various forums.” irregularities Former APSFL MD suspended E xpress N ews S ervice @ Vijayawada AP State FiberNet Limited (APSFL) former Managing Director M Madhusudhan Reddy was placed under suspension on charges of committing serious irregularities and financial mismanagement in APSFL during his tenure. The 2008 batch IRAS official, who was on deputation to the AP government, was suspended under sub rule (1) of rule 20 read with sub rule (1) of rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1965. An order to this effect was issued by Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad on Monday . The order read, “These irregularities have significant financial repercussions, resulting in revenue loss to the State exchequer and undue gains to several private persons. On perusal of all the available evidences and representations received through various forums, it is understood that these irregularities were committed by him directly with the connivance of several past and present employees in APSFL.” The State government had initiated disciplinary proceedings against Reddy under the Central Civil Services (CCA) Rules, 1965. Further, the government said there were reports that he is still influencing some of the employees, and trying to cover up his misdeeds. There are apprehensions of tampering of records and destruction of evidence by the staff under the influence of Reddy as many employees in APSFL are private persons hired during his tenP4 ure as the MD, it said.  RG Kar ex-principal Sandip Ghosh Prepare a module/scheme for protection of doctors and medical service personnel against any violence in the hospitals — Delhi Medical Association plea to SC, which will hear case the suo motu at 10.30 am today test on him. “I have moved Calcutta High Court against the illegal notice of the police, intimidation and high-handedness. The matter is likely to be heard on Tuesday the MP said. ,” On Sunday, the police summoned Ray a three-time mem, ber of the Upper House, for his post on X, which said: “CBI must act fairly Custodial inter. rogation of Ex Principal and Police Commissioner is a must to know who and why floated suicide story Why wall of hall . demolished, who patronised Roy to be so powerful, why snif fer do g used after 3 days.100s of such questions.” Senior doctors Kunal Sarkar and Subarna Goswami, responded to another crackdown attempt by the police for post- ing about the incident on social media. They led a march of hundreds of healthcare professionals from Calcutta Medical College to Kolkata Police headquarters, before they appeared for questioning. Doctors on strike tied black rakhis as a mark of protest. In various parts of the state, women tied black rakhis to their brothers. Artists gathered at the Academy of Fine Arts for a protest rally and lawyers of the Calcutta High Court joined them. Governor C V Ananda Bose said, “In West Bengal, democracy is degenerating… Today, we have to take a pledge to protect our daughters or sisters. This society should become a place where women feel happy and secure. We have failed in our mission to our sisters. This is the time for all men to correct themselves.” In a tragic incident, three children died and 35 others were hospitalised due to food poisoning at a hostel run by the Parisudhatma Agni Stuthi Aradhana T r ust (PASA Trust) at Kailasa Patnam in Kotavuratla mandal of Anakapalle district.  The deceased children have been identified as K Shraddha (7) of Balabadram village and T Joshua (7) of Nimmalapalem in Chintapalli mandal, and G Nithya (Bhavani) (8) of Rellala Palem in Koyyuru mandal. Anakapalle district SP M Deepika said 35 out of 86 children affected by food poisoning are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals. She said all 86 children experienced varying levels of illness, with some being more severely affected, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions, who did not receive proper care, and that most of these children are under observation. A few children, who are in a more critical condition, Visakhapatnam District Collector MN Harendhira Prasad receiving the children affected by food poisoning, at the King George Hospital on Monday | EXPRESS have been shifted to the King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam. Among those transferred to KGH, one girl is said to be in a very critical condition. Deepika also confirmed that three students, who fell ill after consuming the food on Saturday, had died by midnight on Sunday . “Upon investigation, it was found that the PASA Trust is operating a hostel for tribal Now, CRPF officer killed in poll-bound Udhampur No licensing regime for OTT apps: Govt R AK E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi The government has decided not to bring popular over-thetop (OTT) apps such as WhatsApp, Skype, and Telegram under the licensing regime. According to sources, the exclusion of OTT apps from the consultation process during the formation of the Telecom Bill makes it impossible to subject them to any licensing. The Cellular Operators As- sociation of India, which represents Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, have been pushing for the inclusion of OTTs under the licensing regime, citing similarities in the services offered. However, everal industry bodies, including the Internet & Mobile Association of India, Nasscom, Broadband India Forum, and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum have cautioned against this move. The Telecommunication Bill 2023, which proposed various changes in the telecom sector, was passed in both Houses of Oarliament in December 2023. However, there was confusion whether the bill would cover OTT services. Later, the then communication minister Ashwini Vaishnaw clarified that OTTs are regulated by the Information Technology Act, and the process will continue to stay that way . Express read Infant trafficking gang busted in Vizag bonds of unity A student ties a ‘rakhi’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Raksha Bandhan celebrations with school children in New Delhi on Monday | PTI Modi to visit war-hit Ukraine on August 23 Yes h i se l i @ New Delhi Narendra Modi will travel to Kyiv and hold talks with President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy on August 23, in the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since 1992. Modi’s visit comes a day ahead of the Ukraine National Day, which falls on August 24. It also comes weeks after he visited Russia and held talks with President Vladimir Putin, drawing criticism from Zelenskyy . “Prime Minister’s engagements in Kyiv will touch a range of aspects of bilateral ties,” a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said. The two leaders are also likely to discuss the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. India has always been advocating diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the conflict, Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said. Before visiting Ukraine, Modi will travel to Poland and hold talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Modi is also expected to interact with the Indian community in Poland. The visit, the first by an Indian PM in 45 years, comes as Poland and India mark 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Visakhapatnam: The police have busted an inter-state gang involved in the kidnapping and selling of infants, arresting 17 persons and rescuing six infants from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Addressing the media here on Monday, Commissioner of Police Shanka Brata Bagchi said the investigation was initiated following complaints lodged at Gajuwaka and Three Town Police Stations | P3 F aya z w a ni @ Srinagar CM Chandrababu Naidu inaugurates industrial units at Sri City on Monday | Express CM: It’s time to focus on ‘Speed of Doing Biz’ E xpress N ews S ervice @ Tirupati Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has asserted that it is time to focus on ‘Speed of Doing Business’ rather than ‘Ease of Doing Business’ to elevate the State’s industrial landscape. “Andhra Pradesh has always been at the forefront of industrial development. With our strategic location, skilled workforce and proactive governance, the State is the ideal destination for industries. Since 2015, we’ve been ranked No. 1 in ‘Ease of Doing Business’, but it’s time now to focus on ‘Speed of Doing Business’ to truly elevate our industrial landscape,” he said. During his visit to Sri City on Monday the Chief Minister reaf, firmed AP’s status as a premier destination for industrial investment by emphasising its commitment to enhancing ‘Ease of Doing Business’. Speaking at an event where he inaugurated 16 industrial projects and laid the foundation stone for eight new ones, he urged industrialists to focus on reducing product and logistics costs, leveraging the State’s superior connectivity He also witnessed the . signing of MoUs between Sri City and five new companies, signalP4 ling a commitment to further growth.  Rampant sexual abuse in Mollywood EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ T’Puram Casting couch, sexual harassment, blackmailing, unofficial ban, gender discrimination, lack of basic facilities including toilets and changing rooms, rampant alcohol and drug abuse, denial of remuneration, and lack of a proper legal system to address the problems are some of the key issues faced by women working in the Malayalam film industry. According to the Justice Hema Committee, constituted to look into harassment faced by women in the field, the industry is controlled by a group of 10-15 men. This powerful lobby, which the report terms ‘mafia’, children, who reside there and attend school daily Upon . learning about the deaths of two children, we traced all 86 children, informed their parents, and ensured that the children were admitted to hospitals,” the SP said. Deepika revealed that the food that caused the poisoning was donated to the hostel in the afternoon, and was originally cooked in the P4 morning.  can impose unofficial bans and banish anyone. Almost five years after the committee submitted it, the Kerala government released the report on Monday under the RTI Act, after a slew of legal battles before the State Information Commission and the Kerala High Court. The three-member panel, headed by Justice K Hema, had former IAS officer K B Valsala- As long as the power structure exists Malayalam film industry... constitution of ICC (Internal Complaints Committee) will be of no use Justice K Hema committee report kumari and veteran actor Sarada as its members. The government released a 233-page report after removing close to 65 pages from the original document, which is based on testimonies of more than 50 professionals, including actors and technicians. The most important finding of the panel is about an all-male power group. It says these individuals are prominent persons who are at the forefront of the Malayalam film industry. “Certain actors in cinema (some of them are also producers, distributors, exhibitor or directors) — all male — gained enormous fame and wealth and they are in full control the whole industry now,” the report said. A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) inspector was killed in a terrorist attack in assembly election-bound Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Monday . A police official said terrorists attacked an area domination patrol team comprising the local police and CRPF personnel at Chill in Dudu area of Udhampur. The security forces returned the fire, and in the ensuing gunfight CRPF inspector Kuldeep Kumar of the 187th battalion sustained bullet injuries, the official said. Kumar was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to injuries. Udhampur will go to polls on October 1, the final phase of the three-phase elections. Soon after the attack, additional troops reached the area and a massive manhunt was launched to track down the terrorists with the help of drones and sniffer dogs. Monday’s attack comes five days after terrorists and security forces engaged in a series of gun battles in a day-long encounter in the dense Akar forest area of the neighbouring Doda district during which an Army captain was killed. Earlier, on August 11, two soldiers and a civilian were killed in an encounter in a remote area in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. On July 16, four Army personnel, including a captain, died after being injured in a gunfight with heavily armed terrorists in a forest area of the Doda district of J&K. There has been a sudden surge in terror attacks in the Jammu region in which over a dozen security personnel, mostly from the Army were killed. The militants have changed their strategy and are resorting to jungle warfare and hit and run attacks along forest areas. About 4000 more troops including 500 elite para commandos have been deployed.