PIC: BCCI HYDERABAD  MONDAY  FEBRUARY 03, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION INDIA U19 WOMEN’S TEAM ON TOP OF THE WORLD The Niki Prasad-led side beats South Africa in the final to successfully defend their title... ALL-ROUND TRISHA STANDS OUT FOR CHAMPIONS She was already a World Cup winner in 2023, but this time, G Trisha was the key architect behind India’s success story. With 309 runs and seven wickets, she was instrumental in India’s unbeaten run to the final. Even in summit clash, the Bhadrachalam native took three wickets and scored 44* to help India get the better of South Africa by nine wickets. Fittingly, she was the Player of the Match in the final and the Player of the Tournament | P11 SECOND TITLE FOR COACH NOOSHIN ■ ■ Revered coach Nooshin Al Khadeer added another trophy to her cabinet having won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2023 She, along with captain Niki Prasad, had been with this batch of players for several months in the lead up to the WC with several camps and domestic tournaments being the key to putting together a strong squad 17 WITH 17 SCALPS, VAISHNAVI SHARMA WAS THE LEADING WICKET-TAKER 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 BCs OVER 56% OF TG POPULATION Govt likely to pass resolution to urge Centre to amend law raising the quota above 50% cap Cong sets up ‘EAGLE’ panel to monitor EC’s conduct of polls P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi DAYS before the Delhi Assembly elections, the Congress on Sunday set up an eight-member panel—‘Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE)’— to monitor the conduct of free and fair elections by the Election Commission. “It is a very serious message from Congress that the Election Commission is a constitutional body, and so far, its conduct has not been in line with its constitutional responsibilities of conducting free and fair elections,” senior Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty told this newspaper. “The group will coordinate and ensure that the EC is held responsible for the conduct of free and fair elections,” Chakravarty said. Congress treasurer Ajay Maken and senior leaders Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek Singhvi, Chakravarty, and Pawan Khera are members of the panel. According to a statement, the panel will first look into the alleged manipulation of Maharashtra voters’ list. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that there has been an increase of nearly one crore voters in Maharashtra between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, adding that “something wrong” has taken place. (17.43%) (10.45%) (12.56%) 61,84,319 37,05,929 44,57,012 The Planning department, which acted as the nodal agency for conducting the caste survey submitted its report based , on the Supreme Court’s judgment on sub-classification within SC and ST reserved categories. A committee, headed by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, reviewed the findings and recommendations. Principal Secretary (Planning) Sandeep Kumar Sultania gave a detailed presentation to the Cabinet sub-committee members, including Uttam, Dansari Anasuya alias Seethakka, Ponnam Prabhakar and C Damodar Rajanarasimha. Despite hurdles such as legal challenges and alleged orchestrated campaigns, the Telangana government completed the survey within a year of passing the resolution in the DATASPEAK Total Muslim population Other Castes (OCs) BCs SCs (OCs): 44,21,115 (13.31%) ‘16 lakh people opt out’ STs (56.33%) THE Backward Classes (BCs) account for 56.33% of people in the state, of whom 10.08% are BC Muslims. These figures were revealed by the state government after it conducted the Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste Survey a compre, hensive door-to-door household survey covering 3,54,77,554 people and 1,12,15,134 families. The remaining population includes 17.43% SCs, 10.45% STs and 12.56% Muslims, of which 2.48% are OC Muslims. OCs make up 13.31% of Telangana’s total population. Of the total, 50.51% were male and 49.45% female, the survey revealed. Telangana is the third state in the country after Bihar and Karnataka to conduct a caste survey to determine caste-wise demographics. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called for “jitni abadi, utna haq” (rights proportionate to population) in the state in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly elections. With this demographic data, the Congress government is expected to pass a resolution urging the Union government to amend the Constitution to exceed the 50% reservation cap set by the Supreme Court, putting the onus on the Centre to act on the demand. In the 2018 rural body elections, the then BRS government reduced the BC quota from 34% to 23%, restricting total reservations to 50%. 1,99,85,767 B K A R T H E E K @ Hyderabad Ministers present the caste survey report to the media at the Secretariat in Hyderabad on Sunday GENDER DISTRIBUTION 50.51% 49.45% 13,774 (0.04%) SURVEY PARTICIPATION  Total individuals surveyed: 3,54,77,554 (96.9% of the total population)  Total households surveyed: 1,12,15,134  Total households in the state: 1,15,78,457 ASSEMBLY SESSION BEGINS TOMORROW The third meeting of the fourth session of the third Telangana Legislative Assembly has been scheduled for 11 am on Tuesday (February 4). The notification was issued by Legislature Secretary V Narasimha Charyulu on Sunday. State Assembly. The data collection process faced obstacles, including 1.03 lakh houses that were locked, 1.68 lakh families initially hesitant to participate and over 84,000 houses misclassified due to non-residential us- age or because the occupants were non-Telangana residents. Nevertheless, 96.9% of the population participated, while around 16 lakh individuals (3.1%) opted out for various CONTINUED ON P4 reasons. WILL COLLECT MORE TAXES IN FY26: FINMIN OFFICIAL D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi THE government is confident of achieving the income tax collection target for FY26 despite massive tax cuts offered in the Budget 2025-26—a move that will result in a revenue loss of `1 lakh crore . As per the Budget estimate, personal income tax collections could be `14.38 lakh crore in FY26, a 14.4% increase over the revised estimate of `12.57 lakh crore for FY25. The FY25 budget estimate for tax collection was `11.87 lakh crore. The FY26 tax collection target is achievable, says a top finance ministry official, adding: “Our estimate for income tax collection in FY26 is conservative.” According to the official, with the tax slabs being revised and tax rates having been lowered for most in the existing slabs, individuals earning over `12 lakh but avoid paying taxes, would like to come under the tax net. On Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a slew of sops to ease the burden on the taxpayers. Her personal income tax proposals include an increase in the threshold up to which no tax is levied US tariff war with China, PM backed tax cut, but it took Canada starts; Ind spared time to convince officials: FM J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump late on Saturday imposed broad tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China, sparking swift retaliation from North American neighbours. India was notably exempt despite Trump frequently labelling the country as a “tariff king.” India contributes only 3.2% of America’s overall trade deficit, but has a $35 billion trade surplus with the US. China, Mexico, and Canada are the top contributors to the US trade deficit, with Asian giant contributing the highest at 30.2%, Mexico 19%, and Canada 14%, according to the Research and Information System (RIS). Trump said a levy of 25% on Canadian and Mexican imports as well as an additional 10% tax on Chinese goods would come into effect on Tuesday . “We have big deficits with all three of them,” Trump said. In response, both Canada and Mexico said they were preparing similar tariffs on US goods, while China said it would take “necessary countermeasures” to defend its interests. Amid ongoing tariff threats, India has emphasised that its economic ties with the US are special and highlighted the established mechanisms between the two countries to discuss trade matters and related issues. “India-US relationship is very strong, multifaceted and the economic ties are something which is very special...We have established mechanisms between the US and India to discuss any matter or trade matters or matters related to trade,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week. India has been making the right noise to improve its trade relations with the US, with the Union Budget announcing a reduction in customs duties on imported motorcycles. India has also taken steps to open the nuclear sector to private investment as part of a strategic move. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi was fully behind the idea to cut taxes for the middle class but it took time to convince the bureaucrats, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday . Presenting her eighth straight budget on Saturday, Sitharaman raised the personal income tax exemption to `12 lakh from `7 lakh earlier, and also rejigged the tax brackets in such a way that those earning higher could save up to `1.1 lakh. In an interview to PTI on Sunday, she said while Modi was quick to agree to the tax relief, it took a bit of convincing to get on board the officials in the finance ministry and the Central Board of Direct Taxes who are tasked to ensure revenue collection to meet welfare and other schemes. “We have heard the voice of the middle class” who had been complaining about their aspirations not being met despite being honest taxpayers, she said. Explaining the thought that went behind the big announcement, Sitharaman said the tax cuts were in the works for some time. She said the new rates would “substantially reduce the taxes of the middle class and leave more money in their hands, boosting household consumption, savings and investment”. RTI appeals pile up in commissioner-less TG M A N DA RAV I N D E R R E D DY @ Hyderabad THE Right to Information (RTI) appeals are piling up as all state infor mation commissioner posts, including that of the chief information commissioner (CIC), have remained vacant for the last two years. The state information commission has been defunct since February 2024. According to information provided in response to an RTI application filed by Vakrala Rohith, convener of a youth-run NGO, Council for Transforming India, 10,688 appeals were pending before the commission as of December 28, 2024. Though there is no specific time limit for disposing of appeals, the backlog and delay in addressing them have raised concerns among RTI activists. As per the RTI Act, 2005, the state information commission consists of one chief information commissioner and up to 10 information commissioners. Buddha Murali, who served as CIC on full additional charge, demitted office in September 2022, and no successor has been appointed since. Similarly, in- formation commissioners Katta S h e k a r Re d dy, G u g u l o t h Shankar Naik, Syed Khaleelullah, Myda Narayan Reddy and Mohd Ameer demitted office in February 2023, and the government has not appointed replacements. The government is the competent authority to appoint the commissioners. It invited applications for the posts of CIC and information commissioners in July 2023 and June 2024, receiving over 200 applications. However, no decision has been made to fill the vacant poCONTINUED ON P4 sitions. NO CIC SINCE SEPT ’22 Buddha Murali, who served as CIC on FAC, demitted office in September 2022. No successor has been appointed by the government since then Arrest foils wanted criminal’s burglaries, murder plot E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad NOTORIOUS criminal Battula Prabhakar (30), who fired two rounds at a Cyberabad police team on Saturday, confessed during questioning that he had planned to kill a person and carry out more than three burglaries at educational institutions in the city . This was revealed by Madhapur DCP G Vineeth while speaking to the media on Sunday. He stated that Prabhakar on income. The income threshold was increased from `7 lakh to `12 lakh, making any income up to `12.75 lakh tax free (after including the standard deduction of `75,000). The new tax slab also significantly reduces the tax burden on all with the highest tax rate of 30% applicable on income over `24 lakh from the earlier `18 lakh. The new tax slab also increases the basic exemption limit from `3 lakh to `4 lakh, which means the first `4 lakh would attract no taxes. All these changes have been made under the new tax regime. The finance minister has said that her income tax proposals would lead to a revenue loss of `1 lakh crore. The move to increase the income tax threshold to `12 lakh would also result in one crore taxpayers going out of the tax net. Meanwhile, the finance ministry official mentioned earlier says that with the announcements, more taxpayers might shift to the new tax regime. According to the official, 78% taxpayers have already opted for the new tax regime, and with the latest changes, more taxpayers would join the new system. had planned burglaries at three educational institutions and intended to kill a former inmate of Visakhapatnam Central Jail, where he was lodged in 2022. The police seized three country-made guns, six magazines, 451 live rounds and other items from his possession. Vineeth added that the CCS Madhapur team not only arrested a dangerous criminal but also prevented several crimes by apprehending him. Watched YouTube videos on how to dodge cops For the past two years, cops from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been searching for Prabhakar. He wears masks and hand gloves while committing offences. He also watched YouTube videos on how to avoid being apprehended by the police. Meanwhile, Cyberabad DCP (Crimes) K Narasimha said Prabhakar was arrested in 2020 and served time in Visakhapatnam Central Jail. During his incarceration, he was allegedly humiliated by another inmate, who remains in jail. “Prabhakar planned to kill that person upon his release. He travelled to Bihar twice and procured three firearms to eliminate him. The accused has been carrying weapons for the last eight months,” Narasimha CONTINUED ON P3 added. STAYED IN FIN DIST For a month, Prabhakar was staying with a software employee in Gowlidoddi, near the American Consulate EXPRESS READ Kumbh gears up for ‘zero-error snan’ Lucknow: After the Mauni Amavasya stampede that claimed at least 30 lives, the Maha Kumbh Mela administration is on its toes to ensure compliance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s directive of “zero error” ahead of Monday’s final Amrit Snan on Basant Panchami | P8 Report on Waqf Bill to be presented today New Delhi: The government is likely to present the report of the Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, in Lok Sabha on Monday. According to the List of Business, the JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal, along with BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, will present the report in the Lower House | P7 5 killed as bus falls into gorge in Gujarat Dang: Five persons were killed and 35 others injured when a private bus carrying pilgrims hailing from Madhya Pradesh fell into a deep gorge in Gujarat’s Dang district early on Sunday, police said. The pilgrims were heading for Dwarka when the accident occured. Seventeen people suffered serious injuries