TIRUNELVELI l sunday l july 06, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city EDITION On the eve of his 90th birthday, Dalai Lama says he’s not done yet The Dalai Lama on Saturday put to rest rumours surrounding the announcement of his successor, saying he hopes to live for another 30-40 years 15,000 Rijiju to attend birthday celebrations Speaking at a prayer ceremony ahead of his 90th birth anniversary on Sunday at the main Dalai Lama temple in McLeodganj, Tenzin Gyatso said that he has “clear signs and indications” that the blessings of the Avalokiteshvara are with him. The Dalai Lama’s birth anniversary celebrations on Sunday will be attended by cabinet minister Kiren Rijiju | P8 The Dalai Lama at a prayer ceremony in McLeodganj on Saturday | PTI people expected to join the birthday celebrations on sunday 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 ADR knocks SC’s door over Twenty years on, Bihar spl poll roll revision Thackeray cousins Calls ECI order impractical, flags possible disenfranchising of lakhs Fight goes to top court S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi press clusive TN has just one govt-run IVF centre S ara v anan M P @ Madurai Amid increasing demand for affordable infertility treatment, only one government facility — the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Government Hospital for Women and Children at Egmore in Chennai — offers the high-cost In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment in Tamil Nadu, compared to 697 private institutions offering the service across districts. The prohibitive cost of the treatment in private facilities, which runs into lakhs, makes it unaffordable for patients. The spatial distribution of these private institutions, too, is skewed in favour of larger cities, making it difficult for people from smaller towns and villages to access them. A recent UN report revealed that India’s fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, well below the replacement rate of 2.1. (Replacement rate refers to the fertility rate needed for a population to maintain its current size). Access to infertility treatment plays a crucial role in addressing the issue of falling fertility rate.  P5 WITH THIS ISSUE Desi Cool PLUS 12 P AGES Amid mounting concerns, the Association For Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Saturday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. It claimed that the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s exercise was violative of Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, 326 of the Constitution, provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. “The SIR order, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting free and fair elections and democracy in the country the petition said. ,” It pointed out that the documentation requirements, lack of due process as well as the unreasonably short timeline for the electoral roll revision would result in removal of names of lakhs of genuine voters from the poll rolls. The petition charged that the Spl Summary Revision already over between Oct 29, 2024 and Jan 6, 2025. Why fresh iteration with new parameters? 1 Exclusion of Aadhaar or ration cards as id proof makes the poor vulnerable to exclusion from poll roll, says ADR 2 The petition claims that the ECI shifted the onus of being on the voters’ list from the state to the citizens ECI shifted the onus of being on the voters’ list from the state to citizens. It excluded identification documents such as Aadhaar or ration cards, which makes marginalised communities and the poor more vulnerable to exclusion from voting. “The Declaration as required under the SIR process is violative of Article 326 in so far as it requires a voter to provide documents to prove his/her citizenship and also citizenships of his/her mother or father, failing which his/her name would not be added to the draft electoral roll and can be deleted from the same,” the ADR said. It termed the ECI’s order as unreasonable and the timeline 3 Over 3 crore people could be excluded from voting due to the the requirements as mentioned in the SIR order Chopra wins S w aroo p S w aminathan @ Bengaluru 86.18 Neeraj Chopra won NC classic with a 86.18m throw organising a world-class athletics event in India. And Chopra’s role in this shouldn’t be understated — Saturday ushered in the bir th of Chopra the administrator. It was all about putting in place the building blocks towards securing a legacy off the field. Moving forward, the NC Classic could see multiple disciplines. At least that’s what he hopes. Two-time Olympic medallist & World No 1 javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra lets out a roar at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru on Saturday | vinod kumar T p l ace m e n t b o n a n z a Arts, science grads buck trend, hit pay dirt 90% Loyola College has managed to place 945 of 1,048 students Students pursuing science who had opted for campus and arts courses in colleges in placements this year. Two MSc Tamil Nadu seem to have (chemistry) students from the bucked the global trend of a college bagged job offers from lacklustre job market with a pharmaceutical company , record placements and AC G Wo rl d , f o r i t s impressive pay packagCroatia location with a Sunday package of `15 lakh per es this year. The gambit to invite Special annum, while an MSc companies from across (zoology) student has sectors for the placement received `12 lakh per ansessions without relying num offer from an educasolely on software firms has tional organisation based in paid rich dividends to colleges the UAE. Similarly, some BSc as the average pay package of- and MSc (physics) students fered doubled in most colleges have been absorbed by the and more than 90% of students space startup, Angikul Cosgot placed. mos, while IT companies have Binita J ais w al @ Chennai hired maths graduates and postgraduates. “This trend should be an eye-opener for students and parents who are unable to think beyond computer science and AI-related courses. For any research work, there is a need for manpower with strong knowledge in core s u b j e c t s, ” s a i d S Princely Samuel, director, placement cell, Loyola College. “This year, the average annual salary package has increased to `7-`8 lakh compared to last year’s `3-`4 lakh,” Samuel said.  P5 Petition says ECI fiat lacks recorded reasons supported by evidence or transparent methodology impractical to conduct SIR in Bihar where elections are due in November 2025. There are many who may be able to procure the documents but the short timeline mentioned in directive may preclude them from being able to supply the same within the time period, the ADR said. “Bihar is a state with high poverty and migration rates where many lack access to documents like birth certificates or parental records. As per estimates over 3 crore voters and more particularly from marginalised communities could be excluded from voting due to the stringent requirements as mentioned in the SIR order.” On Neeraj’s big night, IN sport, there are no satisfaction guarantees. This truism, though, has had several exceptions. From an Indian context, the one modern athlete who has come closest to shattering this maxim has been Neeraj Chopra. The 27-year-old guarantees wins or podium places. Since June 2021, 24 meets ago, he has only known two sporting pincodes. First or second. Whatever the magnitude of the competition — Olympic Games, World Championships, top-tier invitations or low-key season openers — the Indian has risen to the occasion. Shortly after 7.30 pm on a cool but windy evening at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Chopra, already a two-time Olympic medallist, added another line to an already glittering CV As soon . as Sahil Silwal hurtled down the runway to mark the beginning of the NC Classic, the javelin ace entered into the history books for the sheer scale and ambition of conceptualising, ideating and 4 students from arts and science colleges got placed PNB fraud case bury the hatchet Nirav Modi’s brother held in US on charges of laundering su d hir surya w anshi @ Mumbai M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi SHIV Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he and his cousin, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, have joined forces in the interest of ‘Marathi pride’ while sharing a political stage with him after nearly 20 years. Uddhav sounded bullish when he said he and Raj will capture power in the Mumbai civic body elections and Maharashtra together. “We have come together to stay together,” he asserted. At the public rally titled ‘ waj Marathicha’ to celebrate A the rollback of two government resolutions on introducing Hindi as a third language from Class 1 in state schools, Uddhav said, “We won’t let the government impose Hindi on us.” MNS leader Amit Thackeray, Raj’s son, was seen sharing a hug with Uddhav’s son Aaditya on the stage. Uddhav alleged that the people in power in Maharashtra, are “slaves of two Gujaratis. Chief Minister Devendra Fad- US authorities have arrested fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi’s younger brother, Nehal Modi, following extradition requests from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), officials said on Saturday . Nehal was taken into custody on Friday, US officials told Indian authorities. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for July 17, during which Nehal Modi, a Belgian nationNehal Modi al, may seek bail — a move expected to be contested by US prosecutors, officials said. The arrest stems from a joint extradition plea submitted by the ED and the CBI. The proceedings, led by US federal prosecutors, are based on two charges — one count of money laundering and one count of criminal conspiracy Nehal (46) is an accused in . the `13,000 crore Punjab National Bank fraud. MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray | PTI navis and Eknath Shinde are in power, not to serve the interest of Maharashtra and Marathi manoos, but of their bosses in Delhi. We will never tolerate Hindi in Maharashtra. We will fight to safeguard our culture and language.” Raj, in a lighter vein, credited Fadnavis with bringing him and Uddhav together, a feat even Balasaheb Thackeray could not accomplish. “Your power is in the legislature, ours on the streets,” Raj said to thunderous applause.