IC 814 series row: Netflix content head summoned The Netflix series on the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight triggered an uproar over Hindu names of two of the hijackers. Several social media users claimed the makers of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack changed the names of the hijackers to ‘Shankar’ and ‘Bhola’ to play down their Muslim identity. Many also criticised the series for its “humane projection” of the terrorists. Sources said the I&B Ministry will seek an explanation from the content head of Netflix India | P9 BENGALURU  TUESDAY  SEPTEMBER 03, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 20  LATE CITY EDITION 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 RSS backs caste census, but with a rider Governor seeks explanation from S H YA M P V @ Palakkad IN a clear message to the BJP which is yet to declare its stance on the contentious caste census issue, the RSS said on Monday that it has no objection to collecting data on specific communities or castes to ensure effective delivery of social welfare schemes. However, the Sangh Parivar fountainhead added a rider: “Don’t use the census data as a political tool.” The RSS statement comes amid extensive campaigning by the opposition parties led by the Congress seeking a nationwide caste census. Addressing the media after Samanway Baithak, a three-day national coordination conclave, in Kerala’s Palakkad, RSS publicity in-charge Sunil Ambekar said: “The RSS thinks that for all welfare activities, particularly those targeting such communities or castes which are lagging behind... if the government needs the numbers, it is a wellestablished practice. But it should be done only for the wel- fare of those communities and castes. It should not be used as a political tool for elections. So we put this forth with a line of caution for everyone.” As a Hindu society, caste and caste relations are sensitive issues in India, he said. “It is an important issue for our national unity and integrity. The RSS and our affiliated organisations have always kept the national interest first. So, the caste census should be dealt with very sensitively and not on the basis Ahead of polls, Cabinet OKs seven farm schemes Manmad-Indore rail line and new semiconductor plant get approval of elections or electoral practices and politics,” he added. Ambekar said the Sangh Parivar organisations have noticed a large number of religious conversions in Tamil Nadu by missionaries. “It’s very worrisome. We will conduct a ground study and formulate a strategy,” he added. The conclave condemned the rape and murder of a female doctor in a Kolkata hospital. It was necessary to revisit laws and penal actions to expedite swift justice for women who suffer atrocities, he said. DUE PROCEDURE Guidelines soon on bulldozer justice, says SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi AHEAD of the crucial Haryana and J&K elections, the Centre on Monday approved seven new schemes to improve farmers’ lives and increase their incomes with a total outlay of `14,235.30 crore. As for Maharashtra, which will go to polls in the next few months, the Union Cabinet approved a new Railway line between Mumbai’s Malad and Indore covering 309 km at a cost of `18,036 crore. The Centre also approved a proposal of Kaynes Semicon Pvt Ltd to set up a semiconductor unit in Sanand, Gujarat. The seven schemes for the farmers are Digital Agriculture Mission, Crop Science for Food and Nutritional Security, Strengthening Agricultural Education, Management and Social Sciences, Sustainable livestock health and production, Sustainable development of Horticulture, Strengthening of Krishi Vigyan Kendra and Nat- The semiconductor plant by Kaynes will come up in 46 acres in Sanand. It is a big plant and a large portion of the production will go for Kaynes Industries —Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister ural Resource Management. Briefing the media, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, the objective of the Digital Agriculture Mission is to create a digital database related to soil profile, digital crop estimation, and yield modelling. “It also facilitates crop loans with use of modern technologies like AI and big data and helps connect farmers with buyers and bring new knowledge on mobile phones.” The scheme on Crop Science for Food and Nutritional Security with a total out, lay of `3,979 crore, would prepare far mers for climate resilience and provide for food security by 2047. As for the railway line between Manmad and Indore, the project will require more than a crore human days and will be completed in the next eight years. It is expected to significantly enhance connectivity across key regions in Maharashtra and MP, Vaishnaw said. “Manmad-Indore rail line will currently be built as single track, but it is being designed in such a way that in future it would easily be converted into double line,” he said. “The project will generate 12 lakh employment. We are looking at connecting it to the hinterland in Maharashtra, MP, and UP.” VIJAYAWADA MAROONED Pet lovers move their cats to safer places as they wade through the flooded Sitara Centre in Vijayawada on Monday | PRASANT MADUGULA THE Supreme Court on Monday questioned the practice of ‘bulldozer justice’ in some states, wherein properties of the accused or those convicted in criminal cases are demolished, saying even if a person is convicted, his or her property cannot be demolished without following the procedure prescribed by the law. The top court said it will soon lay down guidelines on the issue. “How can anybody’s house be demolished just because he is an accused? Even if he is a convict, it (house) can’t be demolished. Even after telling SC Bar, we don’t find any change in attitude,” a two-judge bench comprising justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said. The bench was hearing a joint petition filed by Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and others seeking directions to various state governments to ensure no further demolition of properties of those accused in cases of rioting and violence takes place. Senior advocate Chander Uday Singh, appearing for one of the petitioners, said even properties rented out have been demolished. He highlighted that some houses were destroyed because the tenant was involved in a criminal case. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for UP referred , to an earlier affidavit filed by the state. Mehta said the state has said that demolition of immovable property can take place “only for violation of and in accordance with the procedure prescribed in the respective applicable municipal law or law governing development authorities of the area”. The court said, “You are saying demolition only if violation of municipal laws. There is a need for guidelines, it needs to be documented.” govt on land allotted to Kharge trust EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE 19-acre govt land given free to Kharge trust: MP GOVERNOR Thaawarchand Gehlot has sought an explanation from the state government on allotment of a fiveacre plot at the aerospace park on the outskirts of Bengaluru to a trust run by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s family. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and IT,BT Minister Priyank Kharge confirmed that the governor has written to chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh seeking details regarding allotment of land to the trust. When petitions against Con- Firing another salvo at AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya alleged that 19 acres of government land was given free to the International Institute of Pali, Sanskrit and Comparative Philosophy in Kalaburgi, run by the Kharge family’s Siddhartha Vihara Trust | P4 @ Bengaluru gress leaders are submitted, the governor acts at lightning speed. But he goes slow on petitions received against BJP and JDS leaders, he alleged. BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Naraya- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru THE Karnataka Public Service Commission ( KPSC) will conduct the preliminary examination again within two months in view of some translation errors in the question paper of the exam held on August 27 to fill 350 posts of gazetted probationary officer. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah issued an order on Monday in this regard and directed the KPSC officials to act against those responsible for errors in translation. Meanwhile, BJP members slammed the government for its “negligence” in the conduct of the KPSC examination. “The re-examination will be conducted with utmost responsibility and accountability Those . responsible for the errors have been relieved of their duties,” P4 the CM posed on X. SAPLINGS of Vijayapura lemon are in great demand with its Kagzi variety getting geographical indication (GI) tag three years ago. Farmers of Vijayapura district have sold five lakh saplings so far this year, according to officials of the Horticulture Department.Vijayapura is the largest lemon growing district in the state and more than 50% of production comes from Indi taluk in the district. The officials said usually the saplings are bought by farmers from Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Bagalkot, Raichur, Dharwad and Belagavi districts. But with Vijayapura lemon getting the GI tag, far mers from Solapur, Pandhar pur and Usmanabad in Maharashtra and from some districts in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have started thronging the nurseries in the district to buy the saplings. With the demand for saplings increasing, several farmers in CONTINUED ON P4 FARMERS HIT 1st Nitesh wins maiden gold at Paralympics I still don’t feel it. Maybe when I go to the podium and the national anthem is played, it will sink in —Nitesh after match Nitesh Kumar wins gold at the Paralympics WHEN KARGIL SOLDIERS HELP NITESH PLAY F I R O Z M I R Z A @ Chennai O N that fateful Sunday in 2009, Vij e n d e r S i n g h ’s world came crashing down when he received a call from 108 (emergency number). His only son, Nitesh Kumar, had lost his left leg in a train accident in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. A junior commissioned officer with the Indian Navy, Vijender saw his son bedridden for the next six months and life lost meaning. Motivation came from unexpected quarters — amputee soldiers of the Kargil War — during a visit to the Artificial Limb Centre in Pune, where the soldiers were playing. “I kept him motivated during that period but the Kargil War amputee soldiers helped me out,” Vijender told this daily “Nitesh . saw them playing and he joined in after some time.” Nitesh was 15 then. Those six months left an indelible mark on Nitesh, who not only went on to clear the IIT entrance test and completed electrical engineering from IIT Mandi, Himachal Pradesh but also became a para-shuttler. On Monday, at the Paris Paralympics, Nitesh won gold in para-badminton. He defeated Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell in a gripping men’s singles SL3 final. With the win, India retained the SL3 gold, which Pramod Bhagat had won three years ago when badminton made its Paralympic debut in Tokyo. It was also Nitesh’s first win over Bethell in the previous 10 attempts. “I still don’t feel it. Maybe when I go to the podium and the national anthem is played, it will sink in,” Nitesh said after the match which lasted an hour and 20 minutes, with the final scoreline reading 21-14, 1821, 23-21. The SL3 category is reserved for players with severe lower limb disabilities and the matches are played P17 on a half-width court. KPSC to conduct prelims GI impact: Vijayapura farmers sell 5L lemon saplings re-examination in 2 months F I R O Z R O Z I N D A R @ Vijayapura naswamy, have questioned the allotment of land to the trust run by Kharge’s family . Narayanaswamy recently alleged that the government had hurriedly alloted five acres of land to the trust in violation of rules and regulations. He appealed to the governor to direct Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to drop Priyank Kharge from his cabinet. However, the CM and his cabinet ministers have defended the allotment of land to the trust. “Why is Chalavadi speaking only against Congress leaders and not against those from other parties? The RSS and BJP want to see the Dalits divided,” Kharge said. Birappa Waggi, a lemon farmer from Tamba village in Indi taluk, at his nursery. the district, especially from Indi taluk, have reserved most of their land for lemon nurseries. The saplings are now being sold for Rs 13 (one-year-old), Rs 25 (two-year-old and Rs 100 for bigger ones. Rahul Bhavidoddi, Deputy Director of Horticulture, said the Krishi Vigyan Kendra of Indi organises workshops and aw a r e n e s s p r o g r a m m e s periodically for farmers on raising lemon saplings and marketing them. Union slashes milk purchase price by `1.5/L B O S K Y K H A N N A @ Bengaluru PROFITS of farmers are likely to shrink with Raichur, Bellary & Koppal Districts Cooperative Milk Producers’ Societies Union Ltd (RBKMUL) reducing the milk procurement price by Rs 1.50 per litre. The decision was taken a few days ago. The other milk unions in the state are expected to take a similar decision in the coming days. The reason for this is fluctuations in the rates of skimmed milk powder and butter in the global market. A senior official from Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) said, “The procurement price has been slashed by Rs 1.50 for a litre of milk procured from Ballari, Koppal, Raichur and surrounding areas. It is based on the profit and losses balance sheet. The RBKMUL is unable to make up for losses amounting to Rs 3 crore. As we were unable to increase the milk price, it was inevitable to reduce the procurement cost.” The official said the same will be done by other unions also in the coming days. Reduction in procurement cost will depend on the balance sheet. It could vary from 50 paise to even Rs 2 per litre. The rate will also vary depending on the facilities set up by the unions such as icecream making unit, where excess milk, skimmed milk powder and other products will be absorbed to manage the costs. Although the decision to reduce the procurement rate was taken after holding the board meeting, it has not gone down well with the farmers, who are crying foul over the losses they P4 will incur. EXPRESS READ Bail for Kejriwal’s aide in Maliwal assault case NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar in the Swati Maliwal assault case, noting that he has been in custody for over 100 days. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan also took into account that the prosecution has proposed to examine over 51 witnesses and said the trial will take time. It also noted that since the chargesheet has been filed, Kumar’s release will not cause any prejudice to the investigation.