tirupati l thursday l may 15, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION India rejects China renaming places in Arunachal pradesh India has firmly rejected China’s latest attempt to rename locations in Arunachal Pradesh, calling it a “vain and preposterous” effort arunachal an integral part of india: mea china’s move amid regional unstability New Delhi’s reaction came after China renamed 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh. In a strongly worded statement, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reaffirmed India’s stance and said, “Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India | P9 ■ ■ Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian argued that the move is within China’s “sovereign rights”. “The Chinese government has standardised the names of some parts of Zangnan (Arunachal) India’s sharp response comes at a time when regional dynamics remain tense, particularly due to the recent response to Pakistan 2017 was when china had renamed parts of arunachal for 1st time 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 Includes 3 new hydro projects Converting run-of-river projects into storage structures Plans for more Indus basin projects readied for Cabinet J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi New CJI sworn in Justice B R Gavai after taking oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India, at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday, as President Droupadi Murmu looks on | PTI State govt removes Kadapa mayor over violation of rules Express News Service @ Vijayawada/Kadapa The Andhra Pradesh government has removed Kothamaddi Suresh Babu from the Kadapa Mayor post, accusing him of violating municipal rules to benefit his family’s business. In its order (G.O.RT. No. 446) on Wednesday , the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department claimed Suresh Babu violated the GHMC Act, 1955, by awarding civil works contracts worth `55.64 lakh to Vardhini Constructions, a company owned by his wife, Jayasree, and son, Amaresh. The controversy kicked off when Kadapa MLA Madhavi Reddappagari filed a complaint with the Vigilance and Enforcement Department, flagging what she called “huge irregularities” in Kadapa’s municipal contracts. The department’s probe revealed that Vardhini Construc- tions, registered as a Class-V category contractor in 2023, bagged 10 projects under Suresh Babu’s watch. Seven of these, including laying CC roads and desilting storm drains in the 12th and 29th divisions, were completed, netting ` 33.65 lakhs. Three other contracts, like CC road works in Buddayapalli, are still pending. The State government says this setup breaches Section 221(h) of the GHMC Act, which forbids elected members or their kin from having stakes in municipal contracts, labelling it a clear conflict of interest. Suresh Babu, a YSRCP leader in his second mayoral term since 2021, got a show-cause notice on March 24, 2025. In his May 7 response, he claimed he didn’t know about the contracts, which were under `10 lakhs and handled by the Municipal Commissioner, P4 not the council.  doned due to Pakistani roadblocks. They include the Bursar After putting the Indus Wa- project (800 MW) on the Maruters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, sudar river within the Indus the government is considering basin. Also, the Uri Stage II (260 three new hydropower projects MW) on the Jhelum commison the Indus River Basin be- sioned in 2013-14 is yet to realsides fast-tracking two other ise its full potential. projects. Additionally, discus“As many of our projects sions are underway among top have not moved forward in the officials to convert the existing past four decades, the governrun-of-river hydro projects into ment is aiming to scale up opstorage projects. erations as soon as possible. The treaty signed in 1960 re- Since the treaty is on hold, the stricts India’s usage of the government will not entertain we s t e r n r iv a ny o b j e c t i o n s ers—Indus, from Pakistan,” Additional Jhelum, and said a senior officpower points Chenab — to er in the Ministry benefit Pakiof Jal Shakti. stan. Ever since, The Permanent Pakistan has Indus Commisbeen stalling Ins i o n , wh i ch i s 4 5 dian proposals mandated to meet 1 3 2 to construct hyannually, has aldropower plants ready been on the on the three rivback burner since 1 Sawalkot Stage II ers under varitwo years. ous pretexts. Many of India’s 2 Kirthai Stage II India put the large and medium 3 Dulhasti Stage II treaty in abeyscale projects on 4 Uri Stage II* ance following the Indus basin a horrific terhave been stalled 5 Bursar project rorist attack on since 1984. The Sa* Uri Stage II commissioned but April 22 in Pawalkot hydropowfull work yet to be completed halgam, killing er project (1,856 26 people. MW) had to be The Ministry of Jal Shakti shelved despite its conceptualihas prepared detailed project sation in 1984 following Pakireports for submission to the stani opposition. While the Cabinet. The proposed projects Kirthai-II (930 MW) was conare Sawalkot Stage II (1,856 ceptualised way back in 1984, MW), Kirthai Stage II (930 MW) work on Kirthai I is in its preand Dulhasti Stage II (260 MW) construction stage. on the Chenab. Dulhasti Stage-II (260 MW) Besides, the ministry has re- over the Chenab was conceived quested Cabinet approval to in 1997-98 and the Bursar fast-track projects that had ei- project (800 MW) on the Maruther slowed down or been aban- sudar river in 2008. express read ReNew to set up `20k cr energy complex in A’pur Girls outshine boys in POLYCET-2025 Vijayawada: In a major boost to Andhra Pradesh’s renewable energy landscape, ReNew has announced a `22,000 crore investment to set up India’s largest single-site renewable energy complex at Bethapalle in Guntakal constituency | P3 Vijayawada: Girl students outperformed boys in the Polytechnic Common Entrance Test (POLYCET)-2025, with a pass percentage of 96.9% compared to 94.38% for boys. The results were announced by HRD Minister Nara Lokesh | P3 PM Surya Ghar lights up over 23k homes in State E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Guntur Andhra Pradesh is steadily turning its rooftops into power hubs, with over 23,000 households now generating their own electricity under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. The Centre’s flagship scheme, which aims to promote clean, affordable energy, is being implemented across the state by the three power distribution companies - AP Central Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APCPDCL), AP Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL), and Eastern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh Limited (APEPDCL). So far, more than 12 lakh applications have poured in, but only 22,822 rooftop solar installations have been completed, feeding over 79,000 kW of solar power into the grid. APEPDCL leads the tally with 10,584 in- stallations, followed by APCPDCL with 7,984 installations and APSPDCL with 4,254 installations. Explaining how the scheme works, APCPDCL Deputy Executive Engineer Ratnakumari said that the electricity generated through Solar Rooftop Photovoltaic (SRTPV) systems is fed directly into the state grid. The DISCOM adjusts this against the consumer’s electricity bill. “For example, if the solar system generates power worth `80 and the household’s total consumption is `100, the consumer pays only `20,” she said. Eligibility requires at least 100 square feet of rooftop space, and apartment complexes can also apply. The scheme offers up to 60% subsidy - `30,000 for 1 kW systems, `60,000 for 2 kW, and ` 78,000 for 3 kW, with the typical installation cost ranging from `60,000 to ` 80,000.  P4 21 pak crew barred from disembarking BSF jawan Purnam Shaw after being handed over to India | PTI Paradip: Security agencies have barred 21 Pakistani crew members from disembarking a crude oil tanker that arrived at Paradip Port on Wednesday. Sources said the decision was taken keeping in mind the tense situation with Pakistan How India bypassed Chinese air defence systems to hit Pak m aya n k s i n g h @ New Delhi IN a show of strength of the technological might of India’s armed forces, the government on Wednesday said Chinese air defence systems supplied to Pakistan were hoodwinked during Operation Sindoor, with the mission wrapped up in 23 minutes. “Air Force bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defence systems ... demonstrating India’s technological edge,” the government said. All three services of Pakistan have a major presence of Chinese weapons and systems including the Air Defence systems, J-10, JF-17 fighters, submarines and warships to include a few. On the night of 7-8 May, Pakistan tried to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India, but those were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Grid and Air Defence systems. On May 8, India targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan, apart from taking down an Air Defence system in Lahore. India’s multi-tier defence prevented Pakistan Air Force attacks on Indian airfields and logistic installations on the night of May 9-10. All strikes were executed without loss of Indian assets. The use of long-range drones to guided munitions made the task easier, the Centre said, adding the strikes were highly effective. MP minister gets it from HC for gutter language Anu r a a g S i n g h @ Bhopal An FIR was filed against state minister Vijay Shah after an appalled Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday lit into him for his scurrilous remarks, saying he used the “language of the gutters” against Col Sofia Qureshi, who was part of the national briefing on Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The court took suo motu cognisance of media reports and digital evidence, after which it ordered the police to file an FIR against him on charges of promoting enmity and hatred. Shah had obliquely referred to Col Qureshi as the “sister of terrorists”. Col Qureshi, along with Wi n g C o m mander Vyomika Singh, was the face of the ar med forces Vijay Shah media briefing. Castig ating Shah, the bench said the armed forces were perhaps the last institution in this country that reflect integrity, industry, discipline, sacrifice, selflessness, character, honour and indomitable courage. It directed that the matter to be listed on top priority for Thursday “At the func. tion in Raikunda village in Mhow (Indore), the minister made nauseating remark against Col Sofia Quraishi by way of an innuendo,” the court observed. Sources said the BJP top brass in New Delhi is extremely angry Shah may be asked to . step down as cabinet minister soon, they added. Cabinet approves HCL-Foxconn semiconductor joint venture in UP r a k e s h k u m a r @ New Delhi THE Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a `3,706 crore semiconductor plant at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, to be set up by the HCL-Foxconn joint venture to manufacture display driver chips for mobile phones, laptops and automobiles. Union minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said with this approval, India now has six semiconductor units in advanced stages of construction. “With this sixth unit, Bharat moves forward in its journey to develop the strategically vital semiconductor industry,” said Vaishnaw. The new plant near Jewar Airport in the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) region will manufacture display driver chips for a wide range of devices including mobile phones, laptops, automobiles, and PCs. It is designed for a capacity of 20,000 wafers per month, with an output of up to Ashwini Vaishnaw | PTI Multiplier effect Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the new plant will attract investments. ‘‘Once this unit is there, the display panel plant will also come to India. This will meet 40% of India’s capacity’’ 36 million chips monthly . Foxconn is the biggest manufacturer of electronic products, including Apple’s iPhone. The unit is expected to attract an investment of `3,700 crore. Vaishnaw emphasised HCL’s legacy in hardware develop- ment and manufacturing, and Foxconn’s global leadership in electronics production. Together, the companies aim to strengthen India’s semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. The minister also highlighted the growing presence of global semiconductor partners in India. He said leading equipment manufacturers have established operations in the country. Additionally, gas and chemical suppliers like Merck, Linde, Air Liquide, and Inox are preparing to support the industry’s expansion. India launched a `76,000 crore incentive scheme in December 2021 to build a robust semiconductor ecosystem. As part of this mission, Tata Electronics, in collaboration with PSMC, is setting up a `91,000 crore-semiconductor fabrication facility in Dholera, Gujarat, which will focus on producing power management chips. Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test is also investing in Morigaon, Assam, for packaging technologies. a sigh of relief Amid heatwave conditions, IMD predicts early onset of Southwest monsoon in State U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam Favourable atmospheric conditions are developing for the further advance of the southwest monsoon over parts of the South Arabian Sea, Maldives, Kanyakumari as well as additional regions of the south and central Bay of Bengal, according to the latest update from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This indicates the likelihood of an early onset of the southwest monsoon in Andhra Pradesh, possibly four to five days ahead of the usual date of June 4. However, officials clarified that the monsoon’s arrival in Andhra Pradesh can only be confirmed after it sets in over Kerala. Typically the monsoon , reaches Kerala around June 1, with a standard deviation of seven days. This year, the IMD forecasts it may arrive as early as May 27. The official onset of the monsoon over the Indian mainland is marked by its arrival in Kerala. “We are expecting an early onset over Kerala around May 27, with a model margin of plus or minus four days. Based on this, an early onset over Andhra Pradesh is also likely, provided there are no interruptions such as cyclonic circulations or other synoptic developments. We will have a clear confirmation in our upcoming extended range forecast, which will be issued by May 16,” Dr Sagili Karuna Sagar, Scientist at IMD Amaravati, told TNIE. According to the Long Range Forecast (LRF) issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in April, Andhra Pradesh is expected to receive abovenormal cumulative rainfall during the upcoming southwest monsoon season. Last year, the monsoon arrived in state on June 2, two days ahead of the normal onset date. The state received a total of 629.2 mm of rainfall, signifi- cantly higher than the seasonal average of 521.6 mm. The AP State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) has forecast varying weather conditions across the state over P4 the next two days.  We are expecting an early onset of monsoon over Kerala. Based on this, an early onset over Andhra Pradesh is also likely, provided there are no interruptions. —Dr Sagili Karuna Sagar, Scientist, IMD Amaravati