tirupati l saturday l august 31, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Vistara to merge with Air India from Nov 12, deal gets govt nod Singapore Airlines (SIA) said the Indian govt has cleared its `2,058.50 crore FDI into the enlarged Air India Group as part of Vistara-Air India merger No immediate change in schedule, aircraft Concerns over service POST-MERGER From September 3, those trying to book Vistara for travel on November 12 or beyond will be redirected to Air India’s website. Customers who have already booked Vistara will automatically have their reservations converted to Air India flight numbers. Though flight numbers will change, the aircraft fleet, flight schedules, and crews will largely remain the same till early 2025 ■ Vistara, which has 90 aircraft, is known for its excellent service quality and in-flight experience, while Air India gets panned for its older planes and disruptions due to crew shortage. Industry experts have flagged concerns whether Air India will be able to match up to Vistara’s high standards ■ The merger will create one of the world’s largest airline groups | P10 25.1% Stake Singapore Airlines will get for investing `2,058.5 cr in Air India group 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 Strong words EAM: Era of non-stop talks with Pak over Y ESHI SELI @ New Delhi THE era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday. Speaking at a book launch here, he said all actions—positive or negative—will have consequences, adding that nobody can expect India to remain a silent spectator in matters concer ning its core national interests. “As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, Article 370 is done. India is not passive and whether events take a positive or negative direction – either way we react,” Jaishankar said while speaking at the release of former ambassador Rajiv Sikri’s book, Strategic Conundrums: Reshaping India’s Foreign Policy. Commenting on the turmoil in India’s neighbourhood, he said neighbours are “always a conundrum” and so are “major powers”. He, then, went on to explain that major powers are challenging because of their broad interests. Their agendas will sometimes align with India but can also differ, he remarked, adding that mature countries work their way around such complexities. As for Bangladesh, Jaishankar said the small nation is “India locked” and the strong people-to-people connections can’t be ignored. “When people say that happened in Bangladesh, this happened in Maldives... they need to look around. Which country doesn’t have challenges, complexities vis-a-vis with its neighbours?” he noted. On India’s delicate ties with China, he said Beijing presents a ‘double conundrum’ because it is both a neighbour and a major power, making it complex challenge to deal with. express read State Legislature to go paperless soon Vijayawada: The State Legislature will soon go paperless. To make the process digital, the AP Legislature will become part of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) administered by Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs | P4 Heavy rains likely in AP for two days Vijayawada: The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of Andhra Pradesh over the weekend. The rainfall is expected to occur on Saturday and Sunday, accompanied by strong surface winds | P3 Those who consider Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their deity and have been deeply hurt, I bow my head and apologise to them Narendra Modi, prime minister Modi apologises over collapse of Shivaji’s statue GDP growth slips to 15-month low in Q1 MO N IKA YADAV @ New Delhi POOR performance of the agriculture and services sectors pulled down India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in the April-June 2024 quarter to a 15-month low of 6.7%, against 8.2% in the yearago period, government data released on Friday showed. The agriculture sector registered a 2% growth during April-June 2024, down from 3.7% in the same quarter a year ago. Trade, hotels, transport, communication and services related to broadcasting moderated to 5.7% from 9.7%, as per data released by the National Statistical Office. The NSO data also indicated that India’s gross value added or GVA, which measures the growth in supply by subtracting net product taxes from GDP showcased a 6.8% , g rowth rate in the April-June quarter. The latest GDP growth rate is less than the Reserve Bank of India’s estimate of 7.1% for the same period and also lowest in the past five quarters. Explaining the dip, Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran said it could be due to reduced government spending during the general elections. “Growth momentum has remained strong, with the slowdown in the first quarter anticipated due to elections and less spending by the Government ,” he said. The CEA noted that the final consumption expenditure and net exports have remained resilient, even as the growth rate in agriculture and livestock sectors appears to be Takes a swipe at Rahul Gandhi for insulting Veer Savarkar, another son of the land two students detained Hidden cams in girls washroom spark protests S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai Visited Raigad in 2013: PM “In 2013, when my party projected me as the prime ministerial candidate, the first thing I did was to visit Raigad Fort. I bowed before Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue and sought his blessings,” Modi recalled in his address at Palghar Shinde, Ajit said sorry A few days ago, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Ajit Pawar had extended their apology. However, the Opposition continues to demand Shinde’s resignation With assembly elections in Maharashtra around the corner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sought to limit the political damage caused by the recent collapse of a 35-ft statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the state, by apologising to the legendary ruler and all those who were hurt by it. Modi had inaugurated the statue at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day . The prime minister was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of the `76,000-crore Vadhvan Port project in Palghar district located adjoining Mumbai. “The moment I landed here, I first apologised to Shivaji over the statue collapse. I also apologise to the people who were hurt by the collapse,” he said. “Those who consider Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their deity and have been deeply hurt, I bow my head and apologise to them. For us, nothing is bigger than our deity he added. ,” The statue was erected to honour the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards pioneering maritime defence and security and its historical linkage with the mod, ern Indian Navy . Modi also took a swipe at the Opposition for insulting and abusing another famous son of the land, Veer Savarkar. “Our values are different, we are not those who keep abusing and insulting the great son of Mother India, the son of this land, Veer Savarkar. They are not ready to apologise, they are ready to go to the courts and fight,” he added, taking potshots at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. However, the Opposition said there can be no pardon for the corruption in the construction of the statue. NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never condoned corruption and negligence. “Maharashtra follows the path shown by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. So, sir (Modi), Maharashtra will not forgive this mistake. The people who are responsible for this lapse will have to face punishment,” Patil said. E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Avani Lekhara celebrates her gold medal with coach Suma Shirur at Chateaurous on Friday | AP shooting for the stars 10th India are 10th on the overall standings India also won a silver medal through Manish Narwal in the men’s 10m air pistol (SH1) final at Chateauroux avani’s historic gold Avani Lekhara became the first Indian to win two successive Paralympic gold medals with a recordbreaking performance. She bettered her Olympic record set in Tokyo to finish ahead of South Korea’s Lee Yunri. Mona Agarwal won bronze on her maiden Paralympics in SH1 air rifle | P11 athlete on track India won their first track medal at the Paralympics in Paris when Preethi Pal finished third in T35 category Actor files plaint against YSRC leaders, IPS officers Express News Service @ Vijayawada Mumbai-based actress Kadambari Jethwani and her mother arrived in Vijayawada on Friday to lodge a formal complaint with NTR district commissioner of police SV Rajashekhar Babu, seeking action against YSRC leader Kukkala Vidyasagar and a few IPS officers who allegedly foisted false cases against her. She was accompanied by her legal counsel during her visit to Vijayawada city police office. The doctor-turned-actress has accused the Ibrahimpatnam police of registering a false forgery case against her based on a complaint lodged by Mumbai-based actress Kadambari Jethwani and her mother meet NTR district Police Commissioner SV Rajashekhar Babu on Friday | Express Vidyasagar. She alleged that she was threatened to withdraw the sexual assault case she had filed against a Mumbai-based businessman. During her meeting with the CP Jethwani reportedly said a , reaching its lowest point. Nageswaran said India is positioned to achieve a GDP growth of 6.5-7% in FY25, as projected in the Economic Survey. He added that growth exceeding 7% is attainable, especially since the Budget includes measures to enhance employment generation. He added that a decrease in net FDI does not indicate a lack of confidence in the Indian economy; rather, it reflects profitable exits in FY24. This trend should serve as an encouragement for future investment, he observed. fake forgery case was registered against her and her family members in Ibrahimpatnam police station in February She . alleged that YSRC leaders, along with police officials, tried to silence her with intimida- tion and threats. According to sources, the actress told the CP that she was released on bail only after she agreed to certain conditions. “The document pertaining to the case was fabricated and my signature was forged. Before the case was registered in Ibrahimpatnam, a few officials from Andhra Pradesh tried to force me to follow their instructions and threatened me with dire consequences,” she reportedly told Rajashekhar Babu. She complained that several YSRC leaders known to Vidyasagar and other police officers also prevented her from submitting her bail petition in the court for more than a P4 month.  Ibrahimpatnam police booked a false forgery case against me based on Vidyasagar’s complaint. I was threatened to withdraw the sexual assault case I had filed against a businessman. YSRC leaders & police officers prevented me from submitting bail plea Kadambari Jethwani Tension prevailed at Seshadri Rao Gudlavalleru Engineering College in Gudlavalleru near Gudivada as hundreds of students launched a protest late on Thursday alleging that two final , year students had installed hidden cameras in the girls hostel washroom.   Responding to the incident, Chief Minster N Chandrababu Naidu directed Minister Kollu Ravindra, district Collector DK Balaji and SP R Gangadhar Rao to launch a thorough probe. The students withdrew their protest on Friday evening only after police searched the entire college and found no hidden cameras. However, the two accused were taken into police custody and investigation in the case is underway . Around 11 pm on Thursday, hundreds of inmates of the girls No hidden hostel stormed out and raised cameras were slogans, demanding justice. found in the They alleged that two persons girls hostel. Two had installed hidden cameras in students were the bathrooms and recorded taken into custody. No their private videos. The stu- videos were dents claimed that over 300 vid- found eos were recorded by the duo using the hidden cameras, and R Gangadhar Rao, circulated among boys in the Krishna SP college. They said some of the videos were even sold to others. As news about the incident spread, locals also joined the students in their protest. More than 200 girls reportedly vacated the hostel. Parents rushed to the college and demanded a thorough investigation into the incident. As the situation snowballed out of control, the management and police forces rushed to the college. As the protests continued on Friday morning, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, HRD Minister Nara Lokesh and Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha instructed the officials concerned to conduct a detailed probe into the incident and take appropriate action against those P4 behind it. Minister Kollu Ravindra speaking to protesting students at Seshadri Rao Gudlavalleru Engineering College in Krishna district on Friday | Express 2 more YSRC MLCs submit resignation JD(U), TDP join Oppn walkout from Waqf JPC Express News Service @ Vijayawada In a fresh blow to the YSRC, two MLCs have reportedly resigned from the Legislative Council on Friday. Over the past few days, MLC Peethala Sujatha, Rajya Sabha MPs Mopidevi Venkataramana and Beeda Mastan Rao have resigned from their posts. As per reports, Balli Kalyan Chakravarthy and Katti Padma Sree have submitted their res- Karri Padmasri, Balli Kalyan Chakravarti ignations. Kalyan is the son of former Tirupati MP Balli Durga Prasad Rao. He entered politics after his father’s death in 2020. As the YSRC chose Dr M Gurumoorthy for the bypoll to Tirupati Lok Sabha seat, Kalyan was nominated to the Legislative Council under the MLA quota. Katti Padma Sree, a social worker from the BC community, was nominated under the Governor’s quota. The YSRC has a strength of 31 in the 58-seat Legislative Council. If resignations of the three members are accepted, the party’s strength will come down to 28. P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi The second Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Friday ran into rough weather after Opposition MPs and the ruling NDA allies staged a walkout over several amendments in the proposed legislation. Sources said the Opposition walked out after officials of the minority affairs ministry failed to provide satisfactory replies regarding the pro- posed omission of Section 40 from the Waqf Act 1995, which currently allows Waqf boards to decide if a property is a Waqf or not. The Opposition also alleged that the government was trying to mislead the public by giving misinformation regarding the bill. Sources said DMK’s A Raja questioned the government’s intention to remove Section 40, which was included by amending the Waqf Act 1995 in 2013 under the Manmohan Singh government. As per Section 40 of the Waqf Act 1995 (as amended in 2013), the state Waqf Board is empowered to decide any question that arises as to whether a particu- An amendment passed by Parliament included Section 40 in the law. How can the government overrule the law? A Raja, DMK Lok Sabha member lar property is a Waqf property or not. “An amendment passed by Parliament included Section 40 in the law. How can the government overrule the law?” Raja asked. Sources said that members of the Opposition Congress, DMK, and AAP along with TDP and JD(U) boycotted , the meeting after they alleged that officials could not answer their sharp questions. AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi joined the Opposition walkout.