now, withdraw cash from running trains Indians may shortly be able to withdraw cash from ATMs inside running trains. Indian Railways (IR) is experimenting with the idea, having installed an ATM on the Panchvati-CSMT Express between Manmad and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Maharashtra. The trail of the ‘ATM-on-wheels’ service began on April 10. The railways has received positive feedback from passengers who used the facility. tirupati l thursday l april 17, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION 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 Naidu seeks special financial assistance for rebuilding AP S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sought the support of the Centre for rebuilding Andhra Pradesh. In a detailed PowerPoint presentation to the 16th Finance Commission, the Chief Minister outlined the major projects undertaken by the State government and appealed for substantial central assistance. During his interaction with the delegation of 16th Finance Commission led by its Chairman Arvind Panagariya at the State Secretariat on Wednesday Naidu sought support from , the Centre for Polavaram-Banakacharla linkage, drinking water projects, five tourism hubs (Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, Araku, Tirupati, Rajahmundry), National Museum in Amaravati, world-class convention centre in Visakhapatnam, Quantum Valley, skill development, Ratan Tata Innovation Hub, 100% literacy, ports, fishing harbours, multi-modal logistics parks, greenfield airports, inland waterways, roads, Regional growth centres in Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati. The Chief Minister appealed to the 16th Finance Commission to extend special financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh, emphasizing that rebuilding the state is crucial not only for its future but also for the nation’s progress. “If you help us Interim SC order curbing parts of Waqf Act likely 3-judge bench led by the CJI gives the govt additional day to present its case S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi CM N Chandrababu Naidu with 16th Finance Commission chairman Aravind Panagaria I Express Vision 2047 Economic Targets  Achieve a 15% annual growth rate  Transform AP into a $2.4 trillion economy  Raise per capita income to $42,000  Boost exports to $450 billion  Increase average life expectancy to 85 years  Achieve 100% literacy and reduce unemployment to below 2% stand today, we will play a key role in India’s success tomorrow,” the CM said, urging the Commission to understand the state’s unique challenges and support its vision for a ‘Swarnandhra 2047’. Andhra Pradesh, with the longest coastline in India, acts as a gateway to Eastern counP4 tries. The Supreme Court on Wednesday stopped short of passing interim orders restricting certain sections of the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Act from coming into play giv, ing the government a day more to present its case in detail. A three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna said it will pass interim orders on Thursday on various aspects, including the contentious “waqf by user” issue. The court said normally it does not pass interim orders, but would make an exception in the present case. “Properties declared by courts as waqfs should not be de-notified, whether they are by waqf-by-user or deed waqf,” the bench said. The petitioners claimed that the amended law tramples several fundamental rights, including the right to equality and right to pursue religious practices and others. The bench wanted to know on how ‘waqf by user’ can be disallowed as many will not have the requisite documents to get them registered. ‘Waqf by user’ refers to those properties that are deemed as waqf based solely on prolonged use for religious purposes. Referring to the provision under the new Act to de-notify properties declared as waqf long ago, the CJI pointed out that the government cannot rewrite the history through changes brought in by the amendments to the waqf law. “When a public trust is declared to be a waqf 100 or 200 years ago, suddenly you say it is being taken over by the Waqf Board and declared otherwise,” the CJI said. The bench said it will also pass orders on a proviso of the Act, which states that a waqf property will not be treated as waqf when an inquiry by a Collector on whether it is a government land is under process. It will also address the issue of religious composition of the members of the Waqf Boards and the Central Waqf Council. The judges asked the law of ficer whether Muslims would be allowed to be part of Hindu religious trusts. “Are you saying that from now on, you will allow Muslims to be part of the Hindu endowment boards?” the court asked. The court said that under the Act, only eight out of 22 members of the Waqf Council would be Muslims. But Mehta said not more than two non-Muslim members, apart from ex-officio ones, would be included in the Waqf Council. He offered to state it in an affidavit. Exception in the present case, says CJI “Ordinarily, courts do not interfere at the admission stage when a law is passed. But this case may warrant an exception. If a property declared as waqf by user is denotified, it can have grave ramifications,” Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna said Violence in protests very disturbing CJI Sanjiv Khanna expressed serious concern over widespread violence during protests against the Act in West Bengal. “One thing is very disturbing is the violence that is taking place. If the matter is pending here it should not happen,” the CJI said Bench’s Key posers How can waqf-by-user properties, existing for many centuries, be asked to register? Will majority of the members of the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards be Muslims? How can the Actoverride the court’s judgments which declare properties to be waqf? Interim arrangement Choice of Acting head out of sync with the UGC ACt S h ek h a r S i n g h @ New Delhi A recent decision by the Union Ministry of Education to appoint the Secretary of Higher Education, Dr Vineet Joshi, as the acting Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), has stirred controversy with legal experts and insiders flagging a , potential violation of the UGC Act. The order, dated April 11, reads: “Dr Vineet Joshi, Secretary Department of Higher Education, Min, istry of Education is hereby entrusted the additional charge of the post of Chairman, UGC till the appointment of a regular Chairman, UGC or till he ceases to be Member, UGC or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.” However, the order isn’t aligned with provisions in Chapter II of the UGC Act. Section 5(2) of the UGC Act says upfront, “The Chairman shall be chosen from among persons who are not officers of the Central Government or of any State Government.” Besides, as per Section 6 (3) of the same chapter, the UGC vice-chairman shall officiate as chairman in the event of a casual vacancy . However, informed sources in the government said, “It is purely an interim arrangement, which didn’t arise out of a casual vacancy Therefore, the . question of any other UGC official or vice-chairman taking charge doesn’t arise. The process of appointment of UGC chairman will follow in due Continued on: P7 course.”  e x p r e ss r e a d Vance to visit India from April 18 US Vice President JD Vance will visit New Delhi from April 18 to 24 and is scheduled to meet PM Narendra Modi. The meeting is expected to take place against the backdrop of the ongoing India–US trade deal talks.