HYDERABAD THURSDAY OCTOBER 17, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 16 LATE CITY EDITION DIWALI BONANZA FOR CENTRAL GOVT STAFF/PENSIONERS AS DA/DR UP 3% The government’s decision is with effect from July 1 this year and will benefit more than 1 crore employees and pensioners ahead of Diwali DA/DR NOW AT 53% OF BASIC PAY/PENSION CABINET CLEARS HIGHER MSP FOR RABI CROPS Earlier, the Centre had hiked DA/DR by 4 percentage points to 50% from January 1 , 2024. With the latest hike, DA and DR are now 53% of the basic pay/pension of central government employees / pensioners. The DA hike is based on the 12-month average of All India Consumer Price Index-Industrial Workers, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said after the Cabinet meeting ■ ■ The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also cleared the price hikes for six rabi crops, with increases ranging from `130 to `300 per quintal for 2025-26 marketing season beginning April 2025 The Minimum Support Price for wheat has been increased by `150 to `2,425 per quintal, a move that comes ahead of key state elections | P7 `9,448 crore ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPLICATION OF THE DA/DR HIKE ON THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT 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 India violated sovereignty of Canada: Trudeau 1 US, UK, and other members of the Five Eyes group ask India to probe Canadian charges Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi of suspects. The RCMP felt it had reached the threshold as it CANADIAN Prime Minister was soon turning to be a threat Justin Trudeau on Wednesday to public safety he added. , said there were clear indicaTrudeau said that when he tions that India had violated apprised Prime Minister NarenCanadian sovereignty alluding dra Modi in September 2023 (on , to the murder of Khalistani the sidelines of the G20 Summit radical Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Delhi) about the informain British Columbia last year. tion, he said that there were CaHe was testifying before a nadians who were involved in federal commission probing hate speeches and India would into foreign interferlike them arrested. “I ence in the country. told Modi that the Trudeau named gangpeople in Canada had ster Lawrence Bishfreedom of speech noi jailed in India, as and we would work one of the conduits with India if it came for criminal activito terrorism.’’ ties in Canada at the Earlier in the day, INDIA ASKED alleged behest of the Canada’s allegations FOR PROOF Modi government. found resonance in Trudeau said Indi- Trudeau said they the Five Eyes intellian diplomats were engaged with the gence alliance it is collecting informa- Modi govt as they part of. The grouping tion of Canadians wanted to know if includes the UK, the who were opponents Indian agencies US, Australia, and of or in disagreement were involved in New Zealand. “When with the Modi gov- harming Canadians it comes to the Canaernment. They passed as they needed to dian matter, we have the information to be accountable. made it clear that the their gover nment, But India sought allegations are exw h i c h e m p l o y e d evidence, he said tremely serious and criminals like the they need to be taken Lawrence Bishnoi gang to seriously And we wanted to see . harm Canadians, he alleged. the government of India coopThe Royal Canada Mounted erate with Canada in its invesPolice (RCMP) wanted to dis- tigation,” State Department rupt this chain, which is why spokesman Matthew Miller they went public on Monday he told reporters. “Obviously they , , said. “We wanted to question have not,” he said. “They have the Indian diplomats but since chosen an alternate path.” they didn’t agree we asked As for Britain, its Foreign them to leave the country .’’ Commonwealth and DevelopTrudeau alleged that Indian ment Office said, “The Governdiplomats were involved in cov- ment of India’s cooperation ert, clandestine activities, and with Canada’s legal process is were withholding family visas the right next step.” 2 CHENNAI UNDER WATER 1. Dr Ambedkar Nagar at Veppampatti in Pallikaranai inundated following rainfall on Wednesday morning 2. Residents crossing a flooded Vyasarpadi road on a boat | ASHWIN PRASATH, SHIBA PRASAD SAHU HC junks AIS officers’ plea on postings EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad THE Telangana High Court on Wednesday dismissed all seven writ petitions filed by All India Service (AIS) officers and directed them to report to their respective state cadres by the end of the day in compliance with the orders of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). A bench of Justice Abhinandan Kumar Shavili and Justice Laxmi Narayana Alishetty was hearing the writ petitions challenging the DoPT directive, which ordered their reassignment to their originally allotted state cadres. AIS officers Ronald Rose (Secretary Energy , Department, Telangana), Vani Prasad (Secretary, Youth Affairs, Tourism, Culture, and Sports Department, Telangana), Amrapali Kata (Commissioner, GHMC) and Vakati Karuna (Secretary Women and , TELANGNA RELIEVES FOUR IAS OFFICERS, TWO FROM AP REPORT With the High Court rejecting the petitions of four IAS officers in Telangana and ordering them to report to the Andhra Pradesh government, the Telangana government on Wednesday relieved them and appointed new officers in their place. Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari issued orders to this effect. After the Central Administration Tribunal (CAT) rejected their petitions challenging the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) orders, IAS officers Srijana Gummalla and Siva Sankar, who were serving in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday reported to the Telangana chief secretary. Child Welfare Department, Telangana) were originally allocated to Andhra Pradesh but were working in Telangana. Likewise, Hari Kiran, Gummala Srijana and Siva Sankar Lotheti, who were originally allotted to Telangana, were serving in Andhra Pradesh. They were TG GOVT POSTS NEW OFFICERS IN PLACE OF RELIEVED BUREAUCRATS SC Development Principal Secretary N Sridhar given Full Additional Charge (FAC) of Youth, Tourism and Culture department, in place of A Vani Prasad Principal Secretary, Finance department Sandeep Kumar Sultania given FAC of the Energy department and named CMD of GENCO and TRANSCO, in place of Ronald Rose SC Development Commissioner TK Sreedevi was given FAC of Women and Child Development department in place of Vakati Karuna Transport Commissioner K Ilambarthi was appointed GHMC commissioner in place of Amrapali Kata Health Department Secretary Christina Z Chongthu was posted as AYUSH director while Health department director RV Karnan was posted as Chief Executive Officer, Aarogyasri Care Trust Susheel Kumar, director, Mines and Geology( Retired ) was posted as MD, Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation Limited (TSMDC) for a period of two years or until further orders ordered to join their respective state cadres by October 16. These officers had moved the high court seeking suspension of the DoPT’s directive until November 4, 2024, when their case would be heard by the Central Administrative Tribunal in Hyderabad. However, the bench rejected their pleas, stating that the court could not interfere in the administration of the states by halting the DoPT’s order. Justice Shavili, during the hearing, stressed the role of AIS officers as bureaucrats who must serve wherever they CONTINUED ON P4 are posted. TERRORISM WON’T BOOST TRADE, JAISHANKAR’S VEILED DIG AT PAK Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif (R) greets EAM S Jaishankar in Islamabad | PTI INFORMAL TALKS Foreign minister S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar held casual talks on two occasions since Tuesday evening, sources said TAKING a jab at Pakistan’s policy of nurturing and exporting terror, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday that three evils—terrorism, extremism, and separatism—are holding back regional cooperation initiatives. Speaking at the 23rd Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Islamabad, Jaishankar said these evils should be rooted out before any progress can be made on trade and people-topeople connect. “ O u r e n d e avo u r s w i l l progress only when our commitment to the SCO Charter remains firm… this means be- ing firm and uncompromising in countering the ‘three evils’. If activities across borders are characterized by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-topeople exchanges in parallel,” Jaishankar said in remarks that were seen as directed towards Pakistan. In a veiled reference to China, with which India has an ongoing border dispute, Jaishankar said that trade and connectivity initiatives must recognise territorial integrity and sovereignty, and it is essential to have an “honest conversation” on lack of trust. “If trust is lacking or coop- eration inadequate, if friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address,” he added in an indirect reference to China’s assertive behaviour. Jaishankar also emphasised the need for comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council to make the global body more representative, transparent and efficient. “The SCO must be in the lead of advocating such change, not hold back on a matter of such importance,” he said. Ahead of the deliberations, Pakistan PM Shebaz Sharif shook hands with Jaishankar and received him. Blindfold off from SC’s new Statue of Justice @ New Delhi A new Statue of Justice unveiled in the Supreme Court library for judges does not have the iconic blindfold and the sword. The new open-eyed statue instead holds a copy of the Constitution of India in the left hand. There, however, is no change in the scales of justice in her right hand. Commissioned by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, the idea behind removing the blindfold was to send a message that the law is not blind in the country The blindfold in the co. lonial era statue signified equality before the law. And the sword had represented authority and the power to punish injustice. A well placed source said Justice Chandrachud believes that India should move forward from the British legacy. According to the CJI, the law is never blind; it sees everyone equally . Quoting the CJI, the source said, “the statue should have the Constitution in one hand and not a sword, so that a message goes out to the country that she dispenses jus- Boy held for hoax bomb threats to three flights SHEKHAR SINGH & UJWAL J A L A L I @ New Delhi COLONIAL LEGACY PURGED S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y NEW BEGINNING Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha being greeted by Chief Ministerdesignate Omar Abdullah before the latter’s swearing-in, in Srinagar | PTI | P8 tice according to the Constitution.” While the sword is a symbol of violence, courts deliver justice according to constitutional laws, Justice Chandrachud reasoned. The court complex already has a mural on the Lady of Justice in classical Indian attire with more or less the same theme. Holding the scales of justice in her right hand and looking upward at the scales, she stands atop a lotus. On the other hand is the Constitution of India. Murals of Mahatma Gandhi and the Chakra complete the iconography in that restricted section of the court. AT least 20 flights had to be grounded at different airports in and outside the country in the past 48 hours following hoax bomb threats, prompting the Ministry of Home Affairs to seek a report from the civil aviation ministry . Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and CISF. “I am deeply concerned over the recent disruptive acts targeting Indian airlines, affecting both domestic and international operations... our law enforcement agencies are pursuing all the cases,” he said. Senior aviation ministry officials said that the threats targeted four IndiGo flights, two SpiceJet, and one Akasa Air, causing disruption and concern among passengers. “Six hoax threats were received on Monday seven on Tuesday and , as many on Wednesday an of,” ficial told this newspaper. Multiple FIRs have been filed by law enforcement agencies of different states, which include three cases being registered by Mumbai Police and eight by Delhi Police. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police has detained a 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon for allegedly sending threats to three flights. The boy reportedly created a social media account in his friend’s name to send the threats. Empowered HYDRAA to also protect GHMC roads EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad WITH the state government formally issuing orders delegating additional powers to Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA) under GHMC Act 1955 to enable it to protect public assets and for disaster management within GHMC limits, a section of citizens are optimistic that the agency will turn its attention to encroachment of footpaths by commercial establishments and vendors. The orders issued by MAUD Principal Secretary M Dana Kishore on Wednesday say that “under Section 374B of the GHMC, 1955, the HYDRAA commissioner is hereby empowered to protect public assets like roads, drains, public streets, water bodies, open spaces, public parks, etc ...”. Interestingly, the state government, while issuing the ordinance on October 5, added Section 374B to the GHMC Act, 1955. The ordinance conferred powers to HYDRAA to protect water bodies, gover nment lands, public spaces and parks from encroachments. In contrast, the orders issued by the MAUD department on Wednesday say that HYDRAA is “empowered to protect public assets like roads, drains, streets ...”. GHMC is one of the biggest urban local bodies in the country with an extent of about 650 sq km. A release from the MAUD department says: “In the context of growing urbanisation, there is increased vulnerability of these public assets from encroachments. Protection of these public assets has assumed greater significance as most of these assets act as lung spaces for the city environs, useful for future recreational and essential community needs as well as indispensable to mitigate climate change effects....” EXPRESS READ 7 dead as car plunges into canal in Medak Medak: Seven members of a family died while another is undergoing treatment after a car fell into a roadside canal in the suburbs of Usirikapally village in Shivampet mandal on Wednesday. Toopran DSP S Venkat Reddy said the family had attended a function at Sitarampally thanda in Wargal mandal and were returning home when the accident occurred | P3
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