vijayawada l sunday l june 22, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l late city EDITION advance tax, high refunds hit net direct tax collections refund issuances rose by 58% in 1st quarter Advance tax, an indicator of corporate profitability and income of individuals, grew a meagre 3.87% to `1.56 lakh crore between April 1-June 19, 2025. In the same period in 2024, advance tax collection had recorded an annual growth of 27%; on the other side, refund issuances rose by 58% to `86,385 crore till June 19 this fiscal, govt data shows Net direct tax collection in Q1 dipped 1.39% to `4.59 lakh crore, on slowdown in advance tax mop-up and higher refunds corporate tax collections see a dip ■ ■ Advance tax paid by corporates saw a growth of 5.86% to `1.22 lakh crore, while those by non-corporates, including individuals, HUFs and firms, dropped by 2.68% to `33,928 crore, as per govt data During April 1-June 19, 2025, net corporate tax collection saw a slowdown of `1.73 lakh crore, a decline of over 5% year on year 12% is the rate by which securities transaction tax grew this fy 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 AP’s Guinness feat Yoga Day event sets new record E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Visakhapatnam The International Yoga Day, organised at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam, set multiple records. The g rand event marked the culmination of the month-long “Yogandhra” campaign, conducted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. As part of the campaign, the state provided training to over 1.44 lakh yoga instructors, registered more than 2.17 crore participants across 1.4 lakh locations, and saw over 3 lakh people participate at a single location in Vizag. Additionally , certificates were issued to 1.7 crore participants. The event also set another record, with at least 22,122 tribal students performing a mass P4 Surya Namaskar. WITH THIS ISSUE Let’s get Personal PLUS 12 P AGES Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and others perform yoga on the occasion of the International Yoga Day at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam on Saturday I Express Yoga is Pause Button for humanity: PM Modi calls for peace & unity, says that by embracing yoga, nations can work towards a harmonious global community S r e e n u B a b u Pat i v a d a @ Visakhapatnam On the occasion of the 11th International Yoga Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the launch of “Yoga for Humanity 2.0,” a global initiative emphasizing the importance of inner peace in global affairs. He highlighted that yoga has the potential to transform the world by shifting the focus from conflict to cooperation, and from tension to resolution. Yoga, the Prime Minister said, is the “pause button that humanity needs to breathe, balance, and become whole again.” He also stressed the need for every country and society to integrate yoga into their lifestyle and public policy, fostering a collective effort towards creating a peaceful, balanced, and sustainable world. By embracing yoga, nations can work together towards a more harmonious and cooperative global community . The Prime Minister was the chief guest at the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations, organised in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, and performed yoga along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu mid-east crisis Ayatollah names his successors, army brass replacements Operation Sindhu: 310 Indians brought back from Iran a g e n c i e s @ Tehran WARY of assassination, Iran’s supreme leader mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications to make it harder to find him, three Iranian officials familiar with his emergency war plans say The New York Times , reported on Saturday . Ensconced in a bunker, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, picked an array of replacements down his chain of military command in case more of his valued lieutenants are killed. And in a remarkable move, the officials add, the leader has named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, as well. The names of his successors were not revealed, but Khamenei’s son Mojtaba was not among the contenders. The extraordinary series of steps are being seen as an attempt to preserve the Islamic Republic ever since Israel’s attacks on June 14. In normal times, Ayatollah lives and works in a highly secure compound in central Tehran called the “beit rahbari” — or leader’s house — and he seldom leaves the premises. His retreat to a bunker shows how furiously Tehran has been struck in a war with Israel. Iran’s top officials are quietly making preparations for a wide range of outcomes as the war intensifies and as President Trump considers whether to enter the fight, according to the Iranian officials. “It is clear that we had a massive security and intelligence breach; there is no denying this,” said Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran Parliament’s speaker, Gen Mohammad Ghalibaf, in an audio recording analysing the war. “Our senior commanders were all assassinated within one hour.” An Indian student reunites with parents after returning from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu on Saturday | PTI J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi AS tensions between Israel and Iran entered their ninth day, India intensified its evacuation efforts under Operation Sindhu, bringing home over 800 Indian nationals stranded in the conflict zone. A special evacuation flight from Mashhad, Iran, landed in New Delhi on Saturday, carrying 310 Indian citizens. Earlier in the day another flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, , repatriated evacuees who had transited from Iran. “This brings the total number of Indians evacuated to 827,” confirmed Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, adding that the mission is on. “Operation Sindhu continues,” he said. In a gesture of regional solidarity India also facili, tated evacuation of Sri Lankan and other South Asian nationals. Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra expressed gratitude for India’s assistance in evacuating its citizens. Among the evacuees were 256 Indian students, mostly from J&K, who arrived in Delhi early Saturday Many of them described . days of anxiety and disruption in Iran before being flown to safety. This is the second evacuation flight from Iran after the first on Friday with 290 Indians. Govt presses B’desh on review of Ganga treaty J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi After the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the government has now decided to renegotiate the Ganga River Water Treaty with Bangladesh, which is set to expire next year. India has communicated to its counterpart that it requires more water to meet its developmental needs. The new treaty will likely to be shorter, lasting 10 to 15 years. The shorter duration will foster flexibility and adaptability for both nations moving forward. The Ganga Water Treaty was signed on December 12, 1996 on sharing of water, particularly around the Farakka Barrage.“Before Pa- press clusive halgam, we were inclined to extend the treaty for another 30 years, but the situation changed drastically afterward,” stated a senior officer at the Ministry of External Affairs who participated in a meeting with the Bangladeshi counterpart earlier in May . “It was a routine meeting, held twice a year, but it also provided an opportunity to express our concerns regarding the increasing need for water to support domestic development, which will influence the terms of the new treaty,” the officer explained. The current arrangement provides 35,000 cusecs of water alternately for 10 days each to both countries during the lean season. Before the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, we were inclined to extend the treaty for another 30 years, but the situation changed drastically afterward A senior Officer in MEA Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan, and others. This year’s theme is “Yoga for One Ear th, One Health.” Andhra Pradesh marked the 11th International Yoga Day with unprecedented enthusiasm, with over three lakh citizens participating in a historic mass yoga demonstration held along a 28-km stretch from RK Beach to Bhogapuram. Addressing the large gathering here, Prime Minister Modi said, “Yoga isn’t just an exercise. It’s a way of life. Yoga is for all, beyond boundaries, backgrounds, age or ability. Yoga promotes personal discipline and is a system that takes us from ‘Me to We.’ Eleven years on, yoga has become an integral part of the lifestyle of millions across the globe.” P4 Express read DGCA asks Air India to remove its 3 officials New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA has ordered the removal of three top personnel of Air India in its flight operations department from all roles related to crew scheduling and rostering due to their serious and repeated lapses. Air India said it had complied with the DGCA directive I P10