tirupati l saturday l february 08, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Modi to meet Trump next week during two-day U.s. visit: MEA Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach the US on February 12 for a two-day working visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday Trip comes as India faces don’s tariff threat Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said the visit will give further direction and momentum to the India-US relationship. “There is a clear convergence of interests between the two in several areas,” he said. It also comes as India faces Donald Trump’s tariff heat. The Republican has launched a global trade war by raising tariffs on goods from China, Canada and Mexico | P7 ■ Sep 21 prime minister to visit france on Monday ■ “The fact that the Prime Minister has been invited to visit the US within barely three weeks of the new administration taking office shows the importance of the India-US partnership,” Misri said Prior to his US visit, Modi will be in France from February 10-12 to co-chair the AI Action Summit with President Emmanuel Macron When prime minister Modi last visited the u.s. 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 CYBER SECURITY Figured out GROWTH RBI forecasts FY26 growth at 6.7% on better Rabi harvest, tax relief INFLATION Inflation rate pegged at 4.2% in FY26 CHEAPER LOANS Home, auto, small business loans to see a drop in interest rates Banks to have ‘bank.in’ and non-bank financial entities ‘fin.in’ domain names to check cyber security threats RBI tango with FM gives 1st rate relief in five yrs Interest rate cut by 25 bps; guv says RBI will support growth while keeping inflation down BENN K OCHU V EEDAN @ Mumbai SEEKING to build on the feelgood factor generated by the Budget, which announced significant tax cuts, the Reserve Bank of India on Friday cut interest rates by 25 basis points to 6.25%. This is the first rate cut in five years and, together with the income tax relief, could give a big boost to consumption-driven growth. The immediate impact of the rate cut is that it will make home, auto, and small business loans cheaper; loans on floating interest rates will automatically come down by 25 bps. The latest cut brings curtains on the second longest high interest rate regime since the rate revision on October 22, 2008 ended a 5.1-year wait for the repo to fall from 8% after the global financial crisis that began in September 2007. Friday’s rate correction comes after five years, as the last cut was in May 2020 when RBI cut rates by an unconventional 50 bps to 4% during the peak of the pandemic. While industry as well as the markets were not im- express read Nod to new South Coast Rly zone pressed by the nominal 0.25% repo rate cut as they expected more, what is striking in the policy announcement this time is the tone of new governor Sanjay Malhotra’s statement; it says the monetary policy should be more accommodative to growth concerns than inflation. This signals a shift in approach by the central bank as taming inflation is the legal mandate of the monetary authority . RBI expects economic activity to improve with agricultural output remaining upbeat, while manufacturing is set to recover in the second half of 2025. Accordingly, Malhotra said the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is confident of the economy growing at 6.7% next fiscal compared to 6.4% in FY25. On inflation, the MPC sees prices moderating and finally aligning to the lower end of the target through the year. It sees inflation closing this fiscal at 4.8% and 4.2% in FY26. On the tax cuts in the Budget, Malhotra said household consumption would improve on the back of better employment P10 conditions.  four-member Special Investigation Team formed in Punjab to probe the racket; Fir registered Cuffing avoidable, shared concerns with US: Centre J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Amid widespread outrage over mistreatment of 104 deportees from the US, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Friday said India has registered concerns with the US authorities, adding handcuffing was avoidable. “It is a valid issue to raise and we continue to emphasise to the US authorities that there should be no mistreatment. We will continue to take up any instances of mistreatment that come to our attention. Action needs to be taken across the system against the underlying ecosystem that thrives on promoting illegal immigration,” the foreign secretary said. Asked whether India, like Brazil and Colombia, had protested the use of handcuffs and chains on deportees, Misri said, “We have been in touch with the US and have regis- domain name raises suspicion Link for paying the fee redirected candidates to a UPI QR code, raising concerns about the notification’s authenticity. The complainant pointed out that the website appeared suspicious, as govt website domain names typically end in .gov.in or .nic.in mp sathish cautions unemployed youth Rajya Sabha MP Sana Satish advised unemployed youth to be cautious of fake job notifications. He urged them to verify the authenticity of such posts before applying or paying any exam fees. At the time of filing this report, the website remained active Nellore: The Red Sanders AntiSmuggling Task Force (RSASTF) arrested eight inter-state red sander smugglers and seized 195 logs weighing approximately 6 tonnes, valued at `4.20 crore. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who also holds the portfolios of Forest and Environment, commended the RSASTF | P3 ent. In the US system, it was described as a national security operation. We will consider any alternatives,” he said. A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, marking the first group of Indians deported under the Trump administration’s crackdown. Misri dismissed the US classification that India was uncooperative. “Every country seeks assurance that those being deported are its citizens, as there are legal and security considerations at play .” Almost all of the 104 Indians deported by the US entered it in January via Mexico, and while most of them were helped by travel agents based in Dubai, some went through agents in Delhi and the UK. As per officials who questioned the deportees at the Amritsar airport, many of them got in touch with the agents in Dubai through their local partners in India. Most of them paid several lakhs of rupees to these agents, travelled for months through multiple countries, before reaching the US. Mandeep Singh, 29, from Punjab contacted a Dubai-based agent who had earlier helped him reach Spain. After paying `1 crore, he landed in Dubai. From there, he travelled to Ar- S Trimurthulu @ Kakinada Days after the National Rural Development and Recreation Mission (NRDRM) posted advertisements for over 13,000 vacancies in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Union Ministry of Rural Development has clarified that the job notification is fake. The notification was posted on https://nrdrm.com/career .html, the NRDRM website, and presented as a department under the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. The Union Ministry issued its clarification following a complaint lodged by social activist MVR Phanindra from Kakinada with the Indian Cyb e r C r i m e C o o rd i n at i o n Centre. The recruitment drive, which advertised 13,762 posts across 10 categories, included vacancies for positions such as district project officer, account officer, technical assistant, data manager, and computer operator, among others. Interested candidates were asked to fill the application form available on www.nrdrm.com or www. nrdrmvacancy.com between February 5 and February 25. Candidates were to be selected based on a written test. Additionally, applicants from the OC (Other Castes) and BC (Backward Classes) categories were required to pay an exam fee of `399, while those from the SC (Scheduled Castes), ST (Scheduled Tribes), and Below Poverty Line (BPL) categories were asked to pay `299. The link for paying the fee redirected candidates to a UPI QR code, raising concerns about the authenticity of the notification. In his complaint, Phanindra pointed out that the website and job notification appeared suspicious, as government website domain names typically P4 end in .gov.in or .nic.in.  Ranked Ministers to infuse competition: CM S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Ex-APCC chief joins YSRCP RSASTF seize 195 red logs, arrest 8 In a related development, the US has notified about 487 other individuals, believed to be Indian nationals, against whom removal orders have been issued. Of these, the nationality verification process is underway for 295. Identifying details have been supplied to India ob 298 individuals, Misri said Ad on 13k vacancies fake: Union Ministry New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the establishment of South Coast Railway Zone. This will include a portion of the Waltair division, which will be renamed the Visakhapatnam division. Created in accordance with the AP Reorganisation Act, it is expected to improve efficiency in railway operations | P7 Anantapur: Former APCC chief Sake Sailajanath joined the YSRCP in the presence of party president & former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the YSRCP central office on Friday. Former Anantapur DCC president Pratap Reddy also joined the YSRCP. Sailajanath said he joined the YSRCP because he resonated with Jagan’s policies | P4 H a r p r e e t B a j w a @ Chandigarh 487 more Indians face deportation tered our concern.” Responding to yet another question of whether there is any record of the government of the day (Congress-led UPA) protesting the use of restrains since 2012, the foreign secretary said there was none. Misri stressed that while the deportation process itself was not new, this latest one was “somewhat different” from previous repatriations, as it was classified by the US as a “national security operation”, while answering a question why a military aircraft was used. “This deportation is differ- Most of deportees entered u.s. in Jan, via agents in dubai Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sees off NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery following his visit to the State Secretariat on Friday | Express A day after disclosing the rankings of Ministers based on their performance in clearing files, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu clarified that the exercise was intended to encourage competition among his Cabinet colleagues. According to the rankings revealed by Naidu on Thursday he stood sixth, while Min, isters Nara Lokesh (IT & HRD) and Pawan Kalyan (Deputy Chief Minister) ranked eighth and tenth, respectively At the . bottom of the table was Vasamsetti Subash (Factories and Labour), with key portfolio Ministers such as those handling Finance, Water Resources, Revenue, and Home also trailing behind. Providing clarity on the matter via a post on ‘X,’ Naidu said assigning ranks to Ministers based on file clearance was not meant to either elevate or demote anyone. Instead, it was aimed at promoting healthy competition among the Ministers to expe- From the lowest-ranking employee at the village level to the CM, everyone must work together to solve people’s problems and elevate the State from its current challenges N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister dite governance, he explained. Naidu reflected on the confidence of the people, highlighting the historic 93% strike rate in favour of the NDA in the 2024 elections. He affirmed that his government has been working relentlessly from day one to fulfil the aspirations of the people. “We are putting efforts into restoring systems that were dismantled during the previous regime. While implementing welfare schemes like pension increases, free g as cylinders, and affordable meals at Anna Canteens, we are also focusing on development by improving infrastructure and attracting investments. We are committed to fulfilling every promise, including the implementation of the ‘Super Six’ schemes, despite the challenges,” Naidu emphasised. He further stressed that everyone in the gover nment should aim to meet targets in a timely manner. Naidu believes that the best results can be achieved only through P4 teamwork.  menia, and then to Serbia. From there, reached Tijuana in Mexico. He then walked for over 100 km through jungle, and finally entered the US, only to be detained by the border police. Robin Handa, 26, from Haryana paid an agent `43 lakh that his parents got by selling one acre of land. He started his journey on July 24 and, after travelling through multiple countries, reached the US on January 22. He was detained at the border and send to a camp. In Punjab, the police have begun a crackdown on “fake travel agents”. A four-member Special Investigation Team has been constituted to look into the issue. The police registered a case on Friday against a person on a complaint filed by one of the deportees, who alleged that he paid `60 lakh to migrate to the US through the legal route, but was cheated. HC junks plea for CBI probe in MUDA case Yat h i r a j u @ Bengaluru The High Court of Karnataka on Friday dismissed a petition filed by Mysuru-based social activist Snehamayi Krishna seeking its direction for a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 compensatory MUDA sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife B M Parvathy . The material on record nowhere indicates that the investigation conducted by the Lokayukta police is partisan, lopsided or shoddy for the case to be referred to CBI for further investigation or re-investigation, Justice M Nagaprasanna said while delivering the verdict dismissing Krishna’s petition. Granting liberty to the Lokayukta police to place its probe report before the special court to try criminal cases against sitting and former MPs/MLAs, which passed an order to register an FIR, the high court said it is for the petitioner to avail all such remedies under the law. The court said the investigation reports by the Inspector General of Police of Lokayukta and the Additional Director General of Police should be placed before the special court. In the considered view, the case needs no re-investigation, further investigation or denovo investigation by CBI, the court added. Krishna said he would challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court. “We will file an appeal in the Supreme Court,” the petitioner said. farmers on edge 12 lakh chicken deaths in Godavari districts; Ranikhet disease suspected K V S a i l e n d r a @ Rajamahendravaram Poultry farmers in the Godavari districts are on edge after the mysterious death of over 12 lakh chickens in recent days. It is suspected that the cause could be Ranikhet disease (Newcastle disease) or Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). Officials from the Animal Husbandry Department have sent samples to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal to confirm the cause of the sudden and high volume of deaths. With more than two crore poultry birds in East Godavari district, the most affected areas are Undrajavaram and Peravali mandals, resulting in severe losses for local farmers. To monitor the situation, the Animal Husbandry Department has formed expert panels, with two teams assigned to each mandal to inspect poultry farms. Speaking to TNIE, Srinivasa Rao, a senior officer from the Animal Husbandry Department in Rajamahendravaram, stated that samples from the deceased chickens were sent to NIHSAD three days ago.  P4 QUICK GLANCE Ranikhet (Newcastle) disease Respiratory signs: Gasping, coughing, sneezing and rales  Diarrhoea  Partial or complete drop in egg production may occur. Eggs may be abnormal in colour, shape, or surface Nervous signs: Tremors, paralyzed wings & legs, twisted  Mortality is variable but necks, circling, can be as high as 100% spasms, & paralysis Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)  Ruffled feathers  Drop in egg production or  weight loss  Slight respiratory disease  Diarrhoea  Mortality can approach  100% within 48 hours Source: WOAH & NIHSAD