tirupati l thursday l october 24, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION BYJu’s in trouble as sc junks nclat order on insolvency proceedings The Supreme Court also annulled the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s approval of Byju’s `158.9 crore dues settlement with the BCCI bcci asked to deposit settlement amount tRIBUNAL DID NOT FOLLOW DUE PROCEDURE A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra directed the cricket board to deposit the settlement amount of `158.9 crore with the committee of creditors. Now, Byju Raveendran and his brother Riju Raveendran stand to lose control over Think and Learn Pvt Ltd or Byju’s—a company engaged in providing online educational services ■ ■ ■ The SC held that the NCLAT violated the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code procedures and cleared the settlement in a wrongful manner The SC said insolvency withdrawal plea can only be submitted through the Interim Resolution Professional and not by the parties themselves The SC order came in an appeal filed by US creditor firm Glas Trust | P10 Glas Trust Represents u.s. lenders from whom Byju’s had borrowed $1.2 billion 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 Pannun case Facilitate mutual aspirations: Xi Meaningful accountability sought by US on conspiracy Both sides must facilitate each other’s development aspirations, Xi said. They must strengthen communication and properly manage differences and disagreements, he added Friction points part of the pact The recent patrolling and disengagement agreement will cover the remaining friction points at Depsang and Demchok, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Y esh i S e l i @ New Delhi The US has said it would not be fully satisfied until there is “meaningful accountability” resulting from India’s investigations into the foiled murderfor-hire plot against Khalistani radical Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. “We continue to expect and want to see accountability based on the results of that investigation, and certainly the United States won’t be fully satisfied until there is meaningful accountability resulting from that investigation,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Wednesday . He said this in the context of the US visit of an Indian enquiry committee on the case for talks last week. Of the two main players in the alleged plot, Nikhil Gupta is in a US jail as Prague extradited him months after his arrest. The US recently named former RAW field officer Vikash Yadav as Gupta’s handler and the alleged mastermind in the conspiracy Yadav no longer . works for RAW . In an unrelated case of extortion and kidnapping, Yadav was arrested by the Delhi Police in December last year and lodged in Tihar Jail for over four months till he managed to get regular bail. Patel said that there was “valuable engagement with India’s inquiry committee last week”. Information, he said, was also exchanged between “our two governments to further our respective investigations.” Patel noted the US understands that the Indian inquiry committee will continue its investigation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with President Xi Jinping Modi, Xi talks lay BRICS for normalisation road Special Representatives to oversee peace and tranquility on border Y esh i S e l i @ New Delhi Taking off from the recent agreement on patrolling and disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday initiated steps to normalise bilateral relations by issuing directions to revive various dialogue mechanisms. The talks happened on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan for about 50 minutes, almost five years after a bloody faceoff at Galwan in eastern Ladakh in 2020. “India-China relations are important for the people of our countries, and for regional and global peace and stability Mu. tual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity will guide bilateral relations,” said Modi. Welcoming the agreement for complete disengagement and resolution of issues that arose in 2020 along the LAC, Modi underscored the importance of properly handling differences and disputes and not allowing them to disturb peace and tranquility . “The two leaders agreed that the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question will meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace and tranquility in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question. The relevant dialogue mechanisms at the level of Foreign Ministers and other officials will also be utilised to stabilise and rebuild bilateral relations,” according to the foreign office. The two leaders affirmed that stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, as two neighbours and the two largest nations on earth, will have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity . Closer India-China ties will also contribute to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world. The leaders underlined the need to develop bilateral relations from a strategic and longterm perspective, enhance strate gic communication and explore cooperation to address developmental challenges. Later, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said both Modi and Xi stressed that India and China can have a “peaceful, stable and beneficial bilateral relationship” with maturity and wisdom, and by showing mutual respect for each other’s sensitivities. He said peace in the border will create space for returning towards normalisation of bilateral relations. Cabinet approves cancellation of land for Sarada Peetham E x p ress Ne w s S er v i c e @ Vijayawada The State Cabinet took a decision to cancel the allotment of land to Sarada Peetham. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the Secretariat on Wednesday . The previous YSRC government had allocated 15 acres of government land to Sarada Peetham at Pendurthi of Visakhapatnam in 2021. The Council of Ministers pointed out that though the actual value of the land was estimated around `225 crore, the previous administration allotted it to the Sarada Peetham at a meagre `15 lakh (`1 lakh per acre). While the GO, released at the time, mentioned that the land should be utilised for activities of the Peetham and promotion of vedic education, Sri Swatmanandendra Saraswati wrote Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during the Cabinet meetin | Express a letter to the then chief minister seeking the government to allow them to utilise the land for enhancing the Peetham’s revenue. In this backdrop, the Cabinet took the decision to cancel the land allotment. Besides approving the proposal to supply three LPG refills to eligible women from Diwali under the Deepam scheme, the Council of Ministers decided to abolish seigniorage and P4 GST charges on sand. Assets worth `12 cr AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday filed the nomination for her maiden electoral battle from Wayanad, Kerala. Her mother and Cong ress Parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, brother Rahul Gandhi, and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge accompanied her to the collectorate. The bypoll in Wayanad, scheduled on November 13, was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat to retain Rae Bareli. Before filing the papers on In the elction affidavit, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra declared assets worth `11.9 cr, including her `5.63 cr house in Shimla. Her husband Robert Vadra’s assets worth `65.5 cr were also mentioned Wednesday Priyanka , held a massive roadshow. Addressing a huge gathering of supporters, she said she has 35 years of experience in the political arena, though she is fighting election for the first time. “I campaigned for my father when I was 17 years old in the 1989 elections. I had cam- paigned for many leaders including my mother and brother. This is for the first time I am asking to vote for myself,” she said. Priyanka will take on CPI veteran Sathyan Mokeri and BJP’s Navya Haridas. In his address, Rahul Gandhi said there will be two representatives for Wayanad in the Lok Sabha if Priyanka is elected. “I will be the unofficial representative and Priyanka the official face,” he said. Rahul represented Wayanad from 2019 to 2024. After filing the nomination, Rahul and Priyanka went to Puthumala and offered floral tributes at the graves of those killed in the landslide. AI for notes and efficiency! That’s what seems to have struck a chord with the government as it strives to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a big way in its functioning. Officials from various wings of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Tuesday participated in a dedicated session on AI so as to enhance productivity, decision-making and public delivery systems. The session sought to address the use of AI in official work, such as file management and notetaking in offices, since the cutting-edge tech is seen as a means to scale up productivity at humongous speed. In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on the use of tech as a tool for efficiency and productivity, Union Minister of State at the PMO, Jitendra Singh, advised the officers to try and optimise AI in government operations. During the session at South Block, Singh highlighted the role AI could play in transforming governance, streamlining operations, and improving decision-making across various gover nment departments. The session was attended by officials at all levels — from section officers to the principal secretary to the Prime Minister — focusing on different AI modules  Revocation of GO number 34/2019 of AP Basic Amenities & related GOs. The Cabinet felt that there was no use of the judicial preview adopted by the previous government in the tender system “except for getting clearance from a retired judge to the irregularities in the tenders”  Andhra Pradesh Medical Practitioners Act-1968 will be amended to remove discrimination of differently-abled and leprosy patients  Cabinet approves cancellation of land allotted to Sarada Peetham to make it available for the people E x p ress Ne w s S er v i c e @ Vijayawada YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has moved the National C o m p a n y L aw T r i b u n a l (NCLT), accusing his sister and AP Congress president YS Sharmila of illegally transferring shares of Saraswati Power and Industries — held by him and his wife Bharathi Reddy — on her and their mother Vijayamma’s names. The petition, filed last month in the Hyderabad Bench of the NCLT, sought rectification in the company’s register of members. Jagan and Bharathi al- leged that multiple share transfers were conducted in July 2024 without proper legal procedures, such as utilising transfer forms and original certificates. They requested the NCLT to annul the transfer of shares. The matter was taken up and sharmila’s letter to jagan released The TDP released a letter, purportedly written by Sharmila responding to Jagan. She claimed that her brother did not oblige by their father’s (YS Rajasekhara Reddy) wishes to divide all properties among 4 grandkids posted to November for further hearing. In the petition, Jagan said he entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2019 with Sharmila “out of love and affection,” to allocate a portion of his self-acquired assets, including shares in Saraswati Power Company, to her. However, since these assets were attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) due to ongoing legal cases, the MoU explicitly stated that the transfer would only happen once the legal issues were reP4 solved.  S u c h i tra K a lya n M o ha n ty @ New Delhi Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied by Rahul Gandhi, during the roadshow before filing the nomination, at Kalpetta | E Gokul PMO on the learning curve to harness AI @ New Delhi  Nod for proposal to supply three LPG refills to eligible women from Deepavali. A Grievance Redressal System will be set up at village and ward secretariats to resolve problems, if any, in implementing the scheme States have right to tax industrial alcohol, rules SC Enhancing efficiency RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR Decisions Jagan moves NCLT against Sharmila Priyanka files nomination for poll debut, kicks off campaign EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Kalpetta Key Cabinet in decision-making. The attendees included P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the PM, as well as Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor, advisors to the PM. The session was part of Mission Karmayogi, a capacitybuilding initiative to empower government employees. A demonstration aimed at breaking ‘hierarchical barriers’ within the PMO, showed how officials could learn advanced concepts. The session covered how AI could revolutionise sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and public delivery services. Narayana orders expedition of RERA & building permits E x p ress Ne w s S er v i c e @ Vijayawada Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister Ponguru Narayana instructed the officials to lay special focus on clearing approval for layouts and building permits. Noting that delays in processing persist in some areas despite the availability of online applications for construction permits, layouts, and occupancy certificates, he di- rected officials to lay special focus on building permits, layouts, occupancy certificates, and AP RERA approvals. He instructed them to resolve all online applications that have been delayed despite fee payments and proper documentation. Narayana on Wednesday visited municipalities and corporations in Visakhapatnam, Palakollu, Nellore, and Machilipatnam. He interacted with applicants, ensuring that most pending petitions were resolved on the spot. Opening a major revenue source for state governments, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the regulatory power over the production, manufacture, and supply of industrial alcohol lies with states and not the Centre. In a 8:1 majority ruling, a nine-judge Constitution bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud held that industrial alcohol comes within the definition of ‘intoxicating alcohol’ under Entry 8 of the State List, so the state governments can regulate and tax it. The majority bench comprised CJI Chandrachud and Justices Hrishikesh Roy Abhay , S Oka, J B Pardiwala, Manoj Misra, Ujjal Bhuyan, Satish Chandra Sharma, and Augustine George Masih. However, Justice B V Nagarathna dissented and held that states did not have the legislative competence to regulate industrial alcohol. The latest verdict overturns a 1990 seven-judge bench judgment which held that the Centre had the regulatory power over industrial alcohol. Several state governments including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala had challenged the seven-judge bench judgment The matter was referred to the nine-judge bench in 2010. During hearings, states argued the power to tax industrial alcohol is vital in the post-GST era and to monitor public health.