India put on priority watch list for IP rights The US on Tuesday once again placed India on its ‘priority watch list’, stating that New Delhi remains one of the world’s most challenging major economies for protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. The report has listed eight countries in its ‘priority watch list’ including China, Indonesia, Russia, Argentina and Venezuela visakhapatnam l wednesday l april 30, 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 Pawan fumes at Pakistan supporters: ‘Go and live there’ Bhagwat makes rare visit to the PM’s residence E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e After a day of marathon meetings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rare guest at home — RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Bhagwat had been to his official’s residence on very few occasions ever since Modi took over as prime minister in 2014. Coming as the meeting did after Modi chaired two high-level meetings on the country’s response to the Pahalgam carnage, it sparked speculation about the RSS’s stance on the possible kinetic action against Pakistan. Union home minister Amit Shah is also said to have participated in the meeting with Bhagwat. According to a senior BJP source, the RSS chief may also have addressed other ongoing issues between the organisation and the government. A BJP leader noted that the Pahalgam attack had disrupted the party’s organisational momentum, including the process of electing a new BJP president. Recently, during a book launch, Bhagwat had emphasised the king’s duty to protect the people and take all necessary measures to ensure their safety. He also remarked that while India adheres to the principle of non-violence, confronting perpetrators of violence is an inherent part of that principle. Without naming Pakistan, he stated that India does not provoke or harm its neighbours but seeks to guide even the violent towards a path of non-violence. @ Vijayawada Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan said, “If you want to speak in support of Pakistan after such a massacre, then you should go live there.” Pawan declared firmly, questioning the morality of those defending religiously motivated killings. He strongly condemned the brutal Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, including that of Jana Sena activist Somisetty Madhusudhan Rao. Addressing a solemn tribute meeting held at the CK Convention Centre in Mangalagiri on Tuesday Pawan Kalyan lashed , out at those attempting to justify such heinous acts on religious grounds, calling it “unacceptable and anti-national.” He reminded the audience that Kashmir is an inseparable part of India and asserted that it should not be exploited for votes and seats. The Deputy Chief Minister announced `50 lakh in financial assistance to the family of S Madhusudhan Rao from Kavali, and reiterated that the attack had shaken the nation’s conscience. “Madhu went to Kashmir because he believed it was ours. Is this how we repay innocent citizens?” he asked, visibly emotional. The leaders observed a two-minute silence P4 for the victims.  RA J E S H K U M AR THA K UR @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi with defence minister Rajnath Singh and military chiefs, at a meeting in Delhi on Tuesday | PTI Full freedom to forces Modi gives them operational freedom to decide the mode, targets and timing of action against terror RA J E S H K U M AR THA K UR Bhagwat comes calling @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday gave the security forces full operational freedom to to decide the mode, targets and timing of their decisive action against the terror outfits responsible for the Pahalgam brutality against tourists and also smash their ecosystem. The directive came at a marathon meeting at his residence with defence minister Rajnath Singh, the chiefs of the armed forces and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Modi expressed complete confidence in the professional abilities of the armed forces. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan was part of the meeting. Sources said the PM, after listening to inputs from the top officers, underscored the national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism. Parallelly Union home secre, tary Govind Mohan held a high- After a day of marathon meetings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rare guest at home — RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Coming as the meeting did after Modi chaired two meetings on the response to the Pahalgam carnage, it sparked speculation about the RSS’s stance on the possible kinetic action level meeting with chiefs of Central Armed Police Forces and two other central security agencies. Among those who attended the meeting were the Directors General of Border Security Force Daljit Singh Chaudhary, National Security Guard Brighu Srinivasan and Assam Rifles Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera, sources said, adding that Additional Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal Anupama Nilekar Chandra was present. After the meeting with the defence leadership, Modi also met with Union home minister Amit Shah. By earlier announcing that the security forces would go the ends of the earth to bring the perpetrators of the Pahalgam massacre to justice, adding that the terrorists would be subjected to punishment beyond their imagination, the PM set the bar very high for kinetic action. Sources suggest that the final contours of the response may be decided during the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, scheduled for Wednesday following a meeting of the Union Cabinet. The buzz is the government is preparing for a multipronged offensive against terror — diplomatically and, if required, militarily — including possible strikes on terror camps in the days ahead. Naidu tells bankers to support Swarnandhra S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The 231st State-Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the State Secretariat on Tuesday unveiled an annual credit plan to the tune of `6.60 lakh crore for 2025-26. T his amounts to an increase of 22 percent, compared to the 2024-25 fiscal target. A target of `4.58 lakh crore has been fixed for the priority sector, including `3.06 lakh crore for agriculture sector and `1.28 lakh crore for MSME sector. Additionally , ` 2.02 lakh crore has been earmarked for the non-priority sector. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister stated that Andhra Pradesh is undertaking massive initiatives over the next four years with a focus on development, wealth creation, and pover ty eradication. As part of the Swarnandhra Vision-2047, the government is prioritising projects and goals to be completed by 2029, he said Justice Gavai appointed next CJI Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was on Tuesday appointed the next Chief Justice of India. He takes charge on May 14 Justice Gavai, the 52nd CJI, was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in 2019. He will have a tenure of over six months He was part of a five-judge Constitution bench which in December 2023 upheld the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in J&K Another bench he was part of annulled electoral bonds scheme He was also part of a fivejudge bench which approved the Centre’s 2016 decision to demonetise `1,000 and `500 denomination notes Justice Gavai was part of a Constitution bench, which by a 6:1 majority held that states are empowered to make subclassifications within the Scheduled Castes and urged banks to extend full support and exceed the targets set under the 2025-26 credit plan. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister stated that Andhra Pradesh is undertaking massive initiatives over the next four years, focusing on development, wealth creation, and poverty eradication. As part of the Swarnandhra Vision-2047, the government is prioritizing projects and goals to be achieved by 2029. He urged banks to extend full support and exceed the targets set under P4 the 2025–26 credit plan.  express read US plans to cut tariffs on foreign auto components New Delhi: In what could turn out to be a positive development for India’s auto component companies, the US government is planning to reduce the impact of its tariffs on American carmakers by easing some duties on foreign vehicle parts. Nod for Pak natl, son to stay in Vizag on medical grounds Visakhapatnam: Indian government has granted temporary permission to a Pakistani national, and his son to stay in Visakhapatnam on medical grounds. The man and his elder son are Pak citizens, while his wife and younger son P4 hold Indian citizenship. faux pas Double trouble: NCERT textbook’s rhino blunder sparks outrage among public P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @Guwahati THE National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has come under fire for incorrectly depicting the Indian rhinoceros with two horns in a Class 4 math textbook. The illustration, featured in the “did you know” section, has sparked outrage among the public. The statement accompanying the illustration contains several errors, including the claim that the Indian rhinoceros has two horns and that its horn has medicinal value. Conservationist Bibhav Kumar Talukdar ex- pressed concern that this misinformation could trigger more rhino poaching. “Greater one-horned rhino itself reflects it is a one-horned rhino ... Further, the rhino is also What the book said The Indian rhinoceros is found in Northeast India. Floods and medicinal value of their horns have led to a reduction in their population. In the early 1900s, their population was driven to near extinction. But with recent conservation measures, there are now around 4,000 of them found in flood plain ecosystem of Brahmaputra valley in Assam, besides the foothills of Eastern Himalayas,” Talukdar, secretary general and CEO of Assam’s leading wildlife NGO Aaranyak, said. He also said the statement that rhino horn has medicinal value could lead to more poaching of endangered species. Assam education minister Ranoj Pegu instructed the State Council of Educational Research and Training to examine the matter. “I have not seen the NCERT textbook. If it is erroneous, the SCERT will inform the NCERT,” he said. PM Modi congratulates Carney, seeks reset in ties J AYANTH J AC O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Canadian prime minister Mark Carney on his Liberal Party’s stunning victory in the federal elections, expressing hope for a reset in India-Canada relations after years of strain under former PM Justin Trudeau’s leadership. Notably Khalistan sympathiser Jag, meet Singh failed to retain his seat and resigned as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) after the party’s disastrous showing with seat count plummeting from 24 to 7. Congratulating Carney and the Liberal Party, Modi said: “I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership and unlock greater opportunities for our people. India and Canada are bound by shared democratic values, a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, and vibrant people-to-people ties.” Modi’s message indicates a hopeful turn in India-Canada relations, which have faced multiple diplomatic flashP9 points under ex-PM Trudeau’s watch.