The New Indian Express Wishes its Readers a Our offices and press will remain closed today & there will be no issue of the paper on Sunday HYDERABAD  SATURDAY  SEPTEMBER 07, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION WRESTLERS PHOGAT, PUNIA JOIN THE CONGRESS AHEAD OF HARYANA POLLS Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia were at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest against ex-WFI chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh VINESH MAY CONTEST FROM JULANA SEAT BOTH QUIT RLYS BEFORE ENTERING POLITICS The two star grapplers met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence and later joined the party at the AICC headquarters. Sources said the party may field Phogat from the Julana seat in Haryana while Punia may not enter the fray. Speaking to the media, Phogat alleged the BJP maligned her while the grand old party stood with her during her tough moments ■ ■ Before joining the Congress, Phogat and Punia resigned from Indian Railways. However, it is not clear if the resignations have been accepted Congress leader K C Venugopal said Phogat received a showcause notice from the Railways after she met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday. Sources said it was for violating service rules on meeting political leaders | P7 October 5 POLL DATE FOR 90 SEATS IN HARYANA; RESULTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON OCT 8 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 BJP promises 5 lakh jobs, terror-free J&K Immediate relief needed for TG: CM to Chouhan EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad CHIEF Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday told Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that the state needs immediate relief and that too on par with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh which suffered similar damage. At a meeting with Chouhan at the Secretariat, Revanth said that preliminary estimates put the loss at `5,438 crore and this figure may be revised upward once final reports are reREPORT ON P2 ceived. Article 370 has become history, will never return: Shah F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy briefs Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and MoS Bandi Sanjay about the losses Telangana suffered due to the recent rains, at the Secretariat in Hyderabad on Friday Telangana inks pact to make WTC a reality A J AY T O M A R @ Hyderabad A model of the 20 lakh sq ft World Trade Centre Shamshabad to be the space at WTC Shamshabad, of which 2 lakh sq ft will be exclusively for AI companies  This WTC is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2025  It will be part of a 20 lakh sq ft facility and will host GCC and other tech Fortune 500 companies as well  This WTC may be expanded to 1 crore sq ft in a phased manner, based on demand WTCFC proposed at AI City (Mucherla) to be 10 lakh sq ft  WTCFC to house companies at the forefront of AI and emerging technologies  The idea is to make it one of the largest capacity building initiatives in the field of global AI domain  World Trade Centre Association gave the licence for WTCFC in a record one week, given the bold vision of the Telangana government AICC APPOINTS MAHESH KUMAR GOUD AS new TPCC president, replacing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy who has led the party to victory in 2023 polls | P4 EXPRESS READ Two held for selling liquor-laced ice cream Hyderabad: Excise cops arrested two persons for selling ice cream laced with liquor from “One and Five”, a parlour in Jubilee Hills. The accused were identified as Dayakar Reddy and Shoban while the owner is absconding | P2 Karnataka HC quashes tatkal ticket case Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka has quashed the proceedings against Gaurav Dahake from Aurangabad, an IIT graduate, who set up a startup, ‘buyhatke.com’, to help people book Tatkal tickets within 40 seconds | P5 Pic: Sri Loganathan Velmurugan 20 lakh sq ft The AI school in AI city will have short-term and long-term courses on all disruptive technologies including AI. It is a reskilling model. We will offer diplomas and degrees IT Minister D Sridhar Babu during an exclusive interaction with TNIE FULL INTERVIEW: P3 THE state government on Friday signed a MoU with the World Trade Centres Association (WTCA) for the establishment of a World Trade Centre Future City (WTCFC) within the proposed AI City . With a built-up space of 10 lakh square feet, the proposed WTCFC will house companies at the forefront of AI and emerging technologies and is poised to be one of the largest capacity building initiatives in global AI domain. IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu said that the upcoming AI City is pivotal to the state government’s target of increasing IT exports from $32 billion to $200 billion. “This partnership is a testament to Telangana’s commitment to driving economic growth through global collaboration. It will accelerate our IT export goals and position Telangana firmly among the world’s leading AI innovators,” he added. WTCA executive director (business development) Robin Van Puyenbroeck expressed admiration for the speed at which the WTC license for Telangana was granted. “Typically, securing a licence for a new World Trade Centre is a lengthy process. However, given the bold vision of Telangana’s leadership, we expedited the process, approving the licence within a record one week,” Puyenbroeck told CONTINUED ON P2 TNIE. THE BJP on Friday released its manifesto for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir elections, promising to root out terrorism, create five lakh jobs for youth, facilitate return of migrant Kashmiri Pandits, and bring out a white paper to fix responsibility of those involved in the emergence of militancy . The document, titled Sankalp Patra, was released by Union home minister Amit Shah at a press conference in Jammu. it contains 25 promises that include developing the J&K economy through tourism, construction of 10,000 km of new rural roads, women’s financial security and self-reliance, addressing the illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi settlements, among others. It also promises steps for the reconstruction of Hindu temples and shrines. Shah arrived in Jammu on Friday for a two-day visit. In a snub to the National Conference, which is seeking restoration of Article 370, Shah asserted that the special provision has become a history and can never be restored. According to the manifesto, abrogation of Article 370 has ensured peace and prosperity . “In the poll manifesto, we have made a lot of promises. Our big promise is creation of a peaceful, secured, developed and prosperous J&K. We are close to the goal. If we get a mandate, I want to tell the people of J&K that its youth will also contribute to the development of country and J&K. Youth will work to make J&K a paradise,” Shah said. Shah also criticised other parties for mindlessly demanding restoration of statehood, noting that he has made a commitment on the floor of Parliament that it would be restored at an appropriate time after the Assembly polls. Home minister Amit Shah (C) releasing BJP’s manifesto | PTI No talks with Pak, says Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday clarified that India is not in favour of talks with Pakistan until it stops supporting terrorism. “Talks and bombs cannot go together,” he emphasised Call to change B’desh flag, anthem Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi AMID the continuing uncertainty in Bangladesh after prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled on August 5, a section in the country is lobbying to get the national flag and the national anthem changed. The flag was designed by Narain Das and the anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, written by the Bard of Bengal Rabindranath Tagore. “A lot of interest that has been generated about changing the national flag and anthem. Brig General (Retd) Abdullahil Amaan Azmi was among those who recently proposed this,” Prof Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, a political commentator in Bangladesh, told this newspaper. Brig Gen Azmi is the son of Ghulam Azam, the former ameer (chief) of Jamaat-e-Islami. He was among the victims of forced disappearance under Hasina’s regime. “The Bangladeshi flag has no symbol depicting Islam, like a crescent, nor does the anthem depict the 1971 freedom struggle. So, a lot of Bangladeshis are now open to the idea. For all one knows, suddenly a new flag and anthem could come into play a source in Dhaka said. ,’’