Chennai l tuesday l september 03, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Govt summons netflix content head amid row over IC-814 series The Netflix series on the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight triggered an uproar over Hindu names of two of the hijackers Explanation to be sought on alleged distortion 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 Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will seek an explanation on these aspects from the content head of Netflix India | P9 ■ IC-814 ‘Can’t play with sentiments of people’ ■ Reacting sharply, a senior I&B ministry official said, “Nobody has the right to play with the sentiments of the people of this nation.” The official added that the OTT platform might be asked to make changes Makers of the series said the terrorists who hijacked the Indian Airlines flight had used code names, with Bhola and Shankar being two of them was hijacked by Pak-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen 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 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 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. Ahead of polls, Cabinet OKs seven farm schemes Manmad-Indore rail line and new semiconductor plant get approval Express News Service @ New Delhi lost & found A bronze statue ‘Diana of Versaille’ found in the wreckage of Titanic that sank in the Atlantic in 1912 | AP | P11 RECENT RAIDS TN colleges told to ensure POSH compliance, end drug menace Express News Service @ Chennai The Tamil Nadu government on Monday directed all higher education institutes to ensure compliance under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act and take proactive measures to tackle drug menace on campuses. The instructions were given during a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary N Muruganandam, in the presence of DGP Shankar Jiwal, other senior police officers and secretaries of various departments, in the wake of the raids by Tambaram police on apartments near a private college in Potheri on Saturday, the sexual harassment incident at NIT-Tiruchy last week, and the child sexual abuse cases at a fake NCC camp in Krishnagiri district last month. Speaking to TNIE, a top official said that the two issues of tackling sexual harassment and drug menace were discussed in detail. While only 25% of the state’s institutes have set up an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), colleges have not been vigilant in controlling the drug rackets prevalent on campus, in hostels and other student accommodations, multiple officials present in the meeting told TNIE. From next week, one police personnel will be deputed to each college every Monday for sensitising staff and students regarding these issues and also explain to them about the ‘Kaval Udhavi’ mobile app using which, one can send an emergency alert to the police control room, a senior police official said.Continued on P7 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 Natural Resource Management. Briefing the media, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, the objective of the Digital Agriculture 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 kaynes plant can churn out 63L chips a day The Kaynes semiconductor plant with an investment of `3,307 crore can produce as many as 63 lakh chips per day. It is the fourth semiconductor plant in Gujarat. Its chips will cater to a wide variety of applications, including industrial, automotive, electric vehicles, consumer electronics, telecom and mobile phones, Vaishnaw said | P12 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 outlay of `3,979 crore, would prepare farmers 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.” 1st Nitesh wins maiden gold at Paralympics Due procedure 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 on a half-width court.  P13 CBI arrestsGhosh former RG Kar principal Sandip The CBI on Monday arrested the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh in connection with the alleged financial misconduct there | P10 State records 11,743 dengue cases and four deaths so far; rain may spell more trouble 9,121 cases were recorded in tamil nadu in 2023 Chennai, Kovai lead Health department data showed that Chennai and Coimbatore accounted for nearly onefourth of all the dengue cases reported in the state. S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi 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 Uttar Pradesh, referred to an earlier affidavit filed by the state in the matter. 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”. Responding to this, the court said, “You are saying demolition only if violation of municipal laws. There is a need for guidelines, it needs to be documented,” the bench said, adding it will not protect any unauthorised construction. express read Min rebuts guv on quality of TN school syllabus Tiruchy: In a rebuttal to TN Governor R N Ravi’s claim that the state’s school syllabus is below par, school education minister Anbil Mahesh challenged the governor to engage with students preparing for competitive exams in state syllabus to understand the reality | P4 EX P RESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chennai Tamil Nadu has recorded a total of 11,743 dengue cases so far in 2024. This is a sharp increase compared to 2023 when 9,121 cases were recorded for the whole year, according to Union Health Ministry data. As the monsoon is yet to begin this year, officials said the cases will increase further. While there were 12 deaths due to dengue last year, there have been four deaths so far this year. Health department data shared with TNIE showed that Chennai and Coimbatore accounted for nearly one-fourth of all the cases. Chennai reported 1,549 cases (13.8 %) and Coimbatore recorded 1,247 cases (11.1%) cases. On Monday, Health Minister Ma Subramanian chaired a dengue and seasonal infectious disease prevention and management interdepartmental coordination meeting with higher officials from various departments including local bodies and health department, and deans of all medical college hospitals. Speaking to reporters, the minister said 57.6% of the cases were from 10 districts — Chennai, Coimbatore, Krishnagiri, Tiruppur, Tiruvallur, Theni, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Thanjavur and Tiruchy In. structions were given to local officials to strengthen surveillance in these districts and also promote awareness of dengue prevention, he said. The health minister highlighted that deaths related to dengue have significantly come down. He said 66 deaths were recorded in 2021, and 65 deaths in 2017. These were the highest deaths reported in a year, he said. The number of deaths has reduced this year because of the efforts of the health department, the minister said.  P7 Guidelines soon on bulldozer justice, says SC Enrol 2.47L students in colleges: Chief Secy Keeping their heads above water Pet lovers move their cats to safer places as they wade through the flooded Sitara Centre in Vijayawada on Monday | Prasant Madugula Chennai: Chief Secretary N Muruganandam has directed all district collectors to anchor and work with various departments to implement ‘Naan Mudhalvan —Uyarvukku Padi, 2024’, a drive to enroll over 2.47 lakh Class 12 pass-outs who had not applied for higher education | P4 Panel orders safety review of Mullaiperiyar E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kochi In a significant order, the Mullaiperiyar Supervisory Committee constituted by the Supreme Court has accepted Kerala’s demand and ordered a safety review of the 129-yearold masonry gravity dam within 12 months. The committee will meet after two months to finalise the panel of experts to carry out the review. Kerala has demanded the inclusion of independent experts of international stature in the panel. After constituting the panel, the committee has to frame the terms of reference to initialise the process for safety review. During Monday’s meeting of the supervisory committee, Kerala insisted on conducting the safety review immediately, while Tamil Nadu argued that it should be allowed to complete the interim strengthening of the dam first. According to Tamil Nadu, the Dam Safety Act of 2021 mandated to conduct safety review of major dams once in five years, and the next review is due only in 2026. However, Kerala argued that the last safety review was conducted in 2011, and the next review was due in 2021. In a status report submitted before the Supreme Court in 2022, the CWC had said that the studies by empowered committee concluded that Mullaiperiyar dam was found to be hydrologically, structurally and seismically safe. However, it said the safety review of the dam was due in 2021. Kerala toughened its stand on safety review as concerns were raised regarding the strength of the dam after the devastating Wayanad landslides on July 30.  P7