hyderabad 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 WANI @ Srinagar 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 tapgate Ex-DGP’s letter found on devices of two accused C H I T H A L U R I R EVAN T H @ Hyderabad Nearly eight months after the phone-tapping scandal broke, the name of a former director general of police (DGP) has cropped up in the case now. A highly-placed source told TNIE that a copy of a letter written during the 2023 Assembly polls by the then DGP to the Election Commission of India (ECI), asserting that no phones were tapped illegally has been , found on devices belonging to two accused in the case. The source said that during the Assembly polls, some people had sent emails to the ECI, complaining that they believed that their phones were being illegally tapped. Acting on the emails, the election panel sought clarification from the then DGP . “Responding to the ECI’s queries, the then DGP sent a letter stating that the suspicions were baseless,” the source said, adding that a copy of this letter was subsequently discovered on the devices of Additional Superintendents of Police (ASPs) — Nayini Bhujanga Rao and Mekala Thirupathanna. This information reportedly came to light after police received Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports. During Thirupathanna’s bail hearing at the Telangana High Court, the public prosecutor, who represents the state government, told the court that the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) office tapped over 4,500 mobile phones between November 15 and November 30, 2023, the day the Assembly elections were held. The Congress government has repeatedly argued in courts that this case pertains to abuse of power and deviation from official duties. The case was initially registered on March 10, 2023. Will implement UCC, tribals to be exempt: Shah M U KE S H R AN J AN @ 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- 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 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- Winter session likely from Nov 25, Centre may introduce Waqf Bill Forensic team collects samples from the attack site in Srinagar on Sunday | PTI P R EE T H A NAI R @ New Delhi 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. 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 J&K Assembly session starts today The legislative assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will meet for a fiveday 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. TG logs 32% jump in FDI, attracts `9K cr M a n da Rav i n d e r R e d dy Major FDIs to Telangana @ Hyderabad Telangana has attracted a whopping `9,023 crore through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024–25 (April to June), compared to `6,829 crore during the same period in 2023–24, marking a rise of 32%. This represents 6.68% of the total FDI received by India, placing Telangana fourth among the states in attracting foreign investments. The `9,023 crore in investment was spread across four districts: Hyderabad received `8,457.77 crore, Rangareddy `431.38 crore and Medak and Mahbubnagar `63.86 crore each. IT, pharma sectors in focus With a 32% increase in FDI inflows compared to the first quarter of the previous year (2023–24), the state government expects this trend to continue in the remaining three quarters. In 2022–23, Telangana attracted `10,319 crore in FDI and in Indian company Foreign collaborator Activity Outlay AM Green Ammonia (India) Pvt Ltd AM Green Ammonia BV, The Netherlands Manufacture of association nitrogen products `3,038.22 crore Greenko Mauritius Power generation `2,007.9 crore Greenko Solar Energy Pvt Ltd Greenko Power Projects (Mauritius) Ltd Power generation `451.47 crore Mudhra Kingsman Wealth Fund Lifesciences Pvt Ltd PCC Aurisse Special Opportunities Fund, Mauritius Pharmaceuticals `442.8 crore Crown Beers India Pvt Limited Beer production `415 crore Manufacture of electronic components `318 crore Chang YI Interconnect Foxconn Interconnect Technology (India) Technology Singapore Pvt Ltd Pte. Ltd 2023–24, it increased to `25,094 crore, which is a 143.18% increase. Officials said the state government was working to attract even more FDIs, particularly in the service, IT and pharmaceutical sectors. They anticipate that once the Future City project is realised, FDI inflows will increase significantly . Plans are also in place to draw investments in the automobile, construction and nonconventional energy sectors, which offer substantial potential and opportunities in Telangana. 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. If the government introduces the One Nation, One Election Bill in Parliament, it will face stiff resistance as several opposition-ruled states are opposed to the proposal, saying it is against the Constitution. local body polls dedicated panel to oversee caste survey for BC reservations E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad Greenko Energies Pvt Ltd AB Inbev Asia BV, The Netherlands 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 in, cluding early restoration of Following a recent Telangana High Court order, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has decided to establish a dedicated commission to conduct a caste survey on BC reservations in local body elections. On Sunday the chief , minister discussed with ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy D Sridhar Babu, , Damodar Rajanarsimha and TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud. Senior officials were also present. To avoid legal complications in the implementation of BC reservations in local bodies, the chief minister instructed officials to immediately set up a dedicated BC commission and told them to issue the relevant orders by Monday . Asserting that the government was working for the welfare of all, Revanth stressed the need for transparency in the matter of reservations in local bodies. A social, economic, educational, employment and caste survey is set to be carried out in the state from November 6. In light of this, the chief minister stressed that the HC’s orders should be adhered to, to avoid future challenges or legal issues related to BC reservations. Recently, the high court, declining to stay the survey ordered the state , government to constitute a dedicated commission to oversee it. This interim order was issued in response to a petition filed by former MP R Krishnaiah, who argued that conducting a caste survey without a dedicated commission contradicts Supreme Court directives. 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, `2,100 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, he said.  P8 1 year in office CM prepares to review promises and progress Ir e d d y S r i n i v a s R e d d y @ Hyderabad As the Congress government is set to complete one year in office on December 7, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has reportedly asked his Cabinet colleagues and the principal secretaries of all departments to submit progress reports. According to sources, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has instructed the officials to submit their reports by November 20. The sources added that the chief minister sought details related to development activities, progress of new initiatives and ongoing projects. He reportedly also asked for information on works started by the previous government, problems pertaining to those initiatives and steps taken to rectify the issues. The chief minister is believed to have sought progress reports as he wants to review the first year of his administration, assess the works carried out by each department and outline plans for the next four years. After the Congress won the 2023 Assembly elections, Revanth and his colleagues took oath on December 7. Since then, the government has been trying to implement all the guarantees the grand old party promised to the people. Among the major poll promises, the Congress government has implemented the waiver of farm loans up to `2 lakh, free bus travel for women, subsidy on LPG cylinders, increasing Rajiv Aarogyasri assistance to `10 lakh, giving 200 units of free electricity and provision of `500 bonus per quintal of superfine variety of paddy. The Revanth Reddy administration also initiated several other programmes and projects, including skill varsity Musi river re, juvenation, integrated schools and construction of lift irrigation projects. continued on P4 h u mi l i a t i o n a t h o m e Gone with the spin in less than 10 days: Why India crumbled G om e sh 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.