HYDERABAD TUESDAY AUGUST 20, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 16 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 GarG Power Products PVt.Ltd. 5-36, type-I, 10/a, Prashanthi Nagar, Kukatpally, Hyderabad - 500 072, India. Phone: +91-40-23074040 / 50, cell No. 99481 23459, e-mail: garg@gdpl.org, website: www.gdpl.info Harassed girl dies after tying rakhi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE SUICIDE PREVENTION HELPLINE @ Hyderabad 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 X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ 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.” STAYING PUT Kaynes Hyd unit to open on Aug 23 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad KAYNES Technologies, a semiconductor manufacturing company, on Monday announced that it would be inaugurating its advanced electronics unit at Kongara Kalan on August 23, putting to bed speculations that it was planning to shift to Gujarat. Making it clear that it was committed to continuing its relations with Telangana, Kaynes CEO Raghu Panicker said that the company will partner in the development of the state. Panicker called on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the Secretariat on Monday and invited him to the inauguration of the OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Testing) unit. This unit is under consideration of Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM). Panicker said that the OSAT unit will start operations soon after the ISM’s permission is received. In March 2024, rumours began swirling that Kaynes planned to move from Telangana to Gujarat. However, there was no official word from the company or from the government till Monday . 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 Subar na 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.” No licensing regime for OTT apps: Govt R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi THE government has decided not to bring over-the-top (OTT) communication 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, has been pushing for the inclusion of OTTs under the licensing regime, citing similarities in the services offered. However, several 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. PM TO VISIT WAR-HIT UKRAINE ON AUG 23 Y E S H I S E 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. The Telecommunication Bill 2023, which proposed various changes in the telecom sector, was passed in both Houses of Parliament 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 Intellectuals write to Rahul on Rajiv statue Hyderabad: In an open letter to AICC leader Rahul Gandhi, intellectuals from a cross section of Telangana society expressed their opposition to the decision to install a statue of Rajiv Gandhi in front of the Secretariat where a Telangana Talli statue was meant to be installed | P4 CM extends support to orphan girl in Adilabad Hyderabad: Responding to the tragic situation of an 11-year-old girl, M Durga, who was left orphaned after her mother, M Gangamani, died by suicide in Beltaroda village, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday directed officials to ensure full support to the child | P2 IN a heart-rending incident, a minor girl undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mahabubabad, tied rakhi to her brothers hours before she breathed her last on Sunday . The girl, reportedly a 17-yearold diploma student, took the extreme step of consuming poison as she was allegedly being harassed by a local youth. According to Narsimhulapet police, she took the extreme step three days ago and was rushed to the hospital. “She was undergoing treatment but her condition deteriorated and she breathed her last on Sunday the police said. ,” On her deathbed, the girl expressed a desire to tie rakhi to 040-66202000 & 66202001 (Call between 11 am and 9 pm) Screengrab of the suicide victim tying rakhi to her brother before her death her brothers. A video of the incident, which soon went viral on social media, shows her fondly kissing her brothers on their foreheads after tying rakhi to their wrists. Soon after this, she passed away . In her complaint to the police, the girl alleged that she attempted suicide as she was harassed by a man. Although the police confirmed to TNIE that the accused is an adult (aged above 18 years), they did not disclose his name or further details of the case. “We have registered a case under POCSO Act and an investigation is under progress,” a police officer said and added, “The accused is currently absconding. A team has been formed and efforts are on to nab him.” HEMA COMMITTEE REPORT Rampant sexual abuse in Kerala film industry E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ 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 roles and 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’, 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 Valsalakumari 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 cin. ema (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. At the behest of this group, many individuals, including famous actors, were banned from cinema. Offending any member of the group, even for a silly reason, could invite a ban. “If a member from the power group is not pleased with someone in cinema (be he/she an actor, producer, director or anyone in cinema, however efficient), because of even personal prejudice, all the members of the power group join hands, and such a person is prevented from working in cinema,” it added. The report noted that members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) are being targeted for the simple reason that they protested against atrocities in the industry . The panel said there should be a forum to address the issues. Some farmers did not get loan waiver, agrees Uttam EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MAJOR FINDINGS 1 Sexual demands made to women for their very entry into cinema 2 Torture of women who refuse sexual demands 3 Silencing of women under threat of ban from work in cinema 4 Malayalam film industry is in the clutches of an all-male power group comprising 10-15 people 5 Cyber attacks unleashed by ‘fan clubs’ on those who draw the ire of the power group 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 @ Hyderabad ACKNOWLEDGING that some farmers have not been able to avail the farm loan waiver scheme due to issues with Aadhaar, ration cards, bank passbooks etc., Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday asserted that the state government was committed to extending the scheme to all eligible. Addressing a press conference at Jal Soudha along with Minister Jupally Krishna Rao and MLC T Jeevan Reddy, Uttam said that there was nothing like ineligibility as officials are working on sorting out all the technical issues. Stating that over eight lakh farmers have availed loans of `2 lakh and above, he said that as per the policy decision, `2 lakh will be credited into the bank accounts of the farmers only after they clear the remaining loan amount. Asked about the issues related to ration cards, he said that the mandal agriculture officers will visit the residences of beneficiaries to verify their families. Stating that as many as 1.2 lakh farmers have given incorrect Aadhaar details, Uttam said that some of them provided 11 or 13 digits instead of the standard 12 digits Unique Identification Number. Additionally there were discrepancies , in the names in the Aadhaar database and in bank accounts of 1.61 lakh farmers, he said, adding that the corrections required are being made. Uttam also pointed out that 4.83 lakh farmers do not have ration cards, and agriculture officers have been directed to visit their homes to collect deCONTINUED ON P4 tails.
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