TIRUPATI l monday l november 04, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION India, China made some progress in disengagement, says Jaishankar India and China have made ‘some progress’ in disengagement, the foreign minister said while interacting with the Indian diaspora in Brisbane It opens up possibility for other steps: EAM India has big role to play in west Asia “In terms of India and China, yes, we have made some progress,” he said, adding that the disengagement of troops in eastern Ladakh, agreed by India and China, is a welcome step. S Jaishankar said it could open up the possibility that “other steps could happen” that would improve the ties further. He arrived in Australia on Saturday and will fly to Singapore later ■ ■ Jaishankar said India is “trying to do something” to bring peace in both Ukraine and West Asia. In case of the latter, India is one of the few countries that can mediate between Israel and Iran to stop a wider war He said there’s genuine goodwill and desire among nations to work with India. “We see a sentiment overall for India to succeed,” Jaishankar said Fourth Indian consulate in Australia to be inaugurated in Brisbane by Jaishankar 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 12 injured as terrorists lob grenade on Srinagar crowd CRPF vehicle was the target; L-G asks forces to crush terror outfits F AYA Z W ANI @ New Delhi A day after Srinagar witnessed the first encounter in two years, militants on Sunday carried out a grenade attack at the crowded flea market in the city , injuring 12 people, including two women. The condition of one person is critical. After the attack, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha directed security officials to use full force and crush the terror outfits. Sources said militants lobbed a grenade towards a vehicle of paramilitary CRPF at Sunday Market near Tourist Reception Centre. The attack happened in the afternoon when the place was crowded with people thronging the flea market to buy woollens and other items. “The grenade missed the intended target and exploded on a road. It caused splinter injuries to those present on the spot,” a police official said. The injured were evacuated to nearby SMHS hospital, where doctors attended to them. Medical Superintendent Dr Tasneem Showkat told this newspaper that of one the injured is in critical condition while the rest are stable. The grenade attack caused panic in the area with the people running helter-skelter. The grenade attack took place a day after an encounter Will implement UCC, tribals to be exempt: Shah MU K E S H RANJAN @ Ranchi Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that the BJP will implement the Unifor m Civil Code (UCC) in Jharkhand if it wins the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, but would keep the tribals out of the law’s ambit. “Uniform Civil Code will definitely be introduced in Jharkhand, but the tribal community will be kept out of its ambit,” Shah said. “They (The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Congress) are spreading rumours that if the UCC is intro- them.“If the BJP forms government, we will make a law to return the land to the innocent tribals of Jharkhand,” Shah said. Training his guns on Soren, Shah said the chief minister insulted Champai Soren by unceremoniously removing him from the post of CM to satisfy his lust for power. Reacting to Shah’s promise to implement the UCC, Soren vowed that neither the UCC nor the National Registry of Citizens will be implement- `1.5 lakh cr steel plant to come up in Anakapalle, create 70,000 jobs Forensic team collects samples from the attack site in Srinagar on Sunday | PTI S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada in Khyanyar area of Srinagar in which a top Lashkar commander was killed. There has been a surge in militant violence and attacks in Jammu and Kashmir after the civilian government led by Omar Abdullah took charge as chief minister on October 16. An integrated steel plant with a capacity of 24 million metric tonnes per annum is set to be established at Nakkapalle in Anakapalle district with an investment of `1.5 lakh crore. AM/NS India, a joint venture of ArcelorMittal and Japan’s Nippon Steel, will set up the plant. It is expected to create nearly 70,000 direct and indirect jobs. A formal announcement is likely to be made after the State Cabinet, scheduled to convene next week, discusses the proposal. In a post on X, the TDP termed the project ‘biggest investment in India’. Besides the integrated steel J&K Assembly session starts today The legislative assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will meet for a five-day session on Monday. NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather is set to be the speaker “The last few days have been dominated by headlines of attacks and encounters in parts of the Valley Today’s news of a . grenade attack on innocent shoppers... is deeply disturbing. There can be no justification for targeting innocent civilians,” Omar Abdullah said. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha spoke to DGP Nalin Prabhat and senior security officials. “Terrorists targeting citizens will have to pay a very heavy price for their actions. You have full freedom to crush terror outfits and leave no stone unturned to complete this mission,” Sinha told the senior security officials. plant, a proposal has been submitted for a co-terminus captive port with a total of 17 berths. The project will be taken up in two phases with an investment of `11,198 crore. It will create a total of 8,000 jobs. In the first phase, five berths will be built with a total han- press clusive dling capacity of 20.5 MMPTA. According to official sources, the proposal to establish a steel plant augurs well for Andhra Pradesh as the steel sector is only next to textiles in providing jobs. Further, they ex- plained that representatives of AM/NS contacted IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh a couple of months ago, and proposed to set up the steel plant at Nakkapalle. They emphasised that the location was strategic considering the geographical locations such as the proximity to the coast, road connectivity via NH-16, rail link to Chennai Grand Trunk and adequate water sources from the Polavaram Left Main Canal. Sources explained that the steel plant will be set up in two phases. In the first phase, the plant will produce 7.3 million metric tonnes of stainless steel per annum. Its capacity will be expanded to 24 million metric tonnes per annum in the second phase.  P4 Crop yields drop by 38% in drought-hit Annamayya After TG, AP to resume ferry services to Srisailam soon D Surendra Kumar / S N a g a r a j a R a o @ Tirupati/Kadapa K MA D HU S U D HA K AR @ Kurnool Days after the Telangana Tourism Department resumed ferry services from Nagarjuna Sagar to Srisailam in the Krishna River, its counterpart in Andhra Pradesh is gearing up to launch a similar service soon. As part of the plan, the State Tourism Department will operate two boats -- one with a seating capacity of 100 and another with 150. However, only one boat is likely to be operated in the first phase. Ticket prices for one-way trip have been fixed at `2,000 for adults and `1,600 for children, and `3,000 for adults and `2,400 for children for round trips. Speaking to this newspaper, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Srisailam unit manager B Penchal Reddy explained, “Due to ample water in the Krishna River, the services will begin in early or midNovember.” Further, he highlighted that while the Telangana government has introduced only the transport services, AP Tourism has added special tourism packages that includes transport, temple visits and accommodation. He recalled that the services were suspended last year due to the lack of sufficient water in the river and reservoir. However, following the incessant rains this year, the Krishna River is abundantly filled. Penchal Reddy stated that the special trips from Srisailam to Akka Mahadevi caves located in Nallamala forest range in Telangana will also be facilitated. He mentioned that the trip features a minimum of four-hourtravel to reach the caves from Pathalaganga in Srisailam.  P4 duced in the state, the art and culture of the tribal population will be ruined,” he said. Releasing the BJP’s manifesto, ‘Sankalp Patra’, for the upcoming elections in Jharkhand, Shah alleged that the JMM-led state government has failed to protect the tribal land from ‘intruders’. He said if the BJP forms gover nment in the state, it will bring laws to prevent the transfer of tribal land to infiltrators and take back the land already g rabbed by RUSH season People wait for trains to reach their hometowns ahead of the Chhath Puja festival, at New Delhi railway station, on Sunday | PTI express read Home Minister slams YSRC for politicising rapes & murders Union Minister vows to take measures to curb migration from Srikakulam Nellore: Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha slammed the YSRC for politicising rapes and murders. The Home Minister visited the family of the three-and-ahalf-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and murdered by a close relative in Tirupati district on Sunday. She handed over a cheque for `10 lakh to the girl’s parents & assured speedy justice | P4 Srikakulam: Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu on Sunday reaffirmed the commitment of the TDP-led NDA government to curb migration from Srikakulam district by focusing on the development of irrigation and industries. “We are advancing with a focus on completing linking of Vamsadhara and Nagavali Rivers,” he said | P3 With the State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) recently declaring 54 mandals in five districts of Rayalaseema as drought-hit during the Kharif season, The New Indian Express interacted with farmers in Annamayya district to bring to light the issues faced by them due to the lack of water. In Kalakada, a severely drought-affected mandal in Annamayya district, dwindling water resources have impacted agriculture activity With irri. gation ponds and wells drying up, farmers are struggling to cultivate their lands. Known fo r p ro d u c i n g t o m at o e s, groundnuts and paddy, the region has witnessed a sharp decline in acreage due to unfavourable conditions. This year, farmers cultivated groundnuts in 816 acres, tomatoes in 1,427 acres, and rice in 339 acres — which is around 38% to 45% less that the previous years. As a result, farmers have been fac- GROUND PICTURE 54 mandals: Drought-hit in five districts of Rayalaseema Annamayya: Worst-hit district with 19 mandals affected Parameters to declare drought 2 indicators: rainfall and dry spell 4 impact indicators: Agricultural crop area, remote sensing, soil moisture, and hydrology Report from District Collectors indicating crop losses of 33% or more ing severe losses, particularly with groundnut yield falling short of expectations. Additionally, livestock farmers are also struggling to provide fodder for their cattle. SV Naidu, a ryot from Kalakada, rued, “I planted tomatoes in 25 acres and spent up to `1 lakh. We have seen little rain this Kharif season. The quantity and quality of my produce has also declined, further forcing me to sell it at low price.”  P4 ed in the state. Senior BJP leaders including Jharkhand election in-charge Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Assam Chief Minister and co-election in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma attended the function to launch the ‘Sankalp Patra’. Shah said the BJP will launch ‘GoGo Didi Yojna’ in the state if elected. Under the scheme, `2100 will be transferred to poor women on the 11th day of every month. Besides, free LPG cylinders will be given to poor households on Diwali and Raksha Bandhan, P8 he said.  winter session Centre may table Waqf bill in next Parl session P REETHA NAIR @ New Delhi THE winter session of Parliament is likely to commence on November 25 and will continue until December 20, according to sources. During the session, the government will introduce the contentious One Nation One Election and Waqf bills. The results of the Jharkhand and Maharashtra assembly elections, which will come on November 23, will also have a significant bearing on the session. Still smarting from the Haryana defeat, the Congress and its allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are pinning their hopes on wresting power in Maharashtra while retaining the Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand. The results will dominate the tone and tenor of the session. Sources said the government may also pass a resolution to grant full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, a crucial step towards reinstating constitutional rights and safeguarding the unique identity of the region’s residents. Recently, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to discuss the issues related to the Union Territory including ear, ly restoration of statehood. According to sources, a special joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament will be held on November 26 to mark the 75th anniversary of adopting the Constitution of India. The joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is likely to be held in the Central Hall of the Samvidhan Sadan, where the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution on November 26, 1949, and it came into effect on January 26, 1950. humiliation at home Gone with the spin in less than 10 days: Why India crumbled G o m e s h S @ Mumbai INDIA did not have any tangible answer to New Zealand’s, what seemed like, an infinite variety of cricket. If the hosts perished to some immaculate pace bowling under overcast conditions, almost England– like in Bengaluru, and later, on turning tracks in Pune and Mumbai, the batters scratched their heads like students struggling to find solutions to multiple problems. Only Risabh Pant stood among the ruins. The ending seemed inevitable on Sunday. After all, for the nine days of cricket India and New Zealand have had in this series, the visitors outperformed India in almost every single one. The tenth day (of the three-Test series) was no different either as New Zealand became the first team to beat India in three consecutive Tests at home. While Tom Latham’s side was spot on in every move, captain Rohit Sharma’s every move seemed to have backfired. He admitted as much after the loss here. “Something like this will be a low point in my career. I fully take responsibility for that as a 92 New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel (3L) and Devon Conway (L) shake hands with India’s Virat Kohli (2R) and captain Rohit Sharma (2L). Ravindra Jadeja is also seen in the picture (extreme right) | AFp India have been clean swept in a Test series at home (3 matches or more) for the first time in 92 years of their history captain. I have not been at the best of my abilities right from the start of the series. With the bat, I have not been good enough,” Sharma said. It all began in Bengaluru when Sharma misread the pitch and opted to bat. The chances of recovery were slim after the 46 all out in the first innings. In search of a win, India opted for a surface that would assist spinners in Pune. However, it was Mitchell Santner who outfoxed the host batters. The second Test loss exposed the struggles of the most experienced batters against spin. In Mumbai, on another rank turner, India went into self-destruct mode. On Sunday, too, the collapse began with Sharma’s miscued pull against Matt Henry. They slumped to 29/5 and eventually fell short by 25 runs while chasing 147. India are in transition where the seniors, including Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, are in the November of their careers. India’s last home series defeat came 12 years ago. The dominance that followed and the fall in the last three weeks would make this one of the lowest phases in the history of Indian cricket.