vijayawada l wednesday l july 09, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Only 53% of Class 6 students know tables up to 10: govt Representational Image half of class 3 kids know subtraction The findings were a part of a survey by Education Ministry covering 21,15,022 students in Grades 3, 6 and 9, spread across 74,229 schools in India Class 9 govt schools shine in languages According to the survey, only 55% of students in Class 3 can arrange numbers up to 99 in ascending or descending order while 58% can perform addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers. In Class 6, 53% of students know addition and multiplication tables up to 10 and can apply the four basic operations on whole numbers to solve daily life problems ■ ■ In Class 6, an additional subject ‘The World Around Us’, which covers environment and society, was introduced alongside Language and Mathematics. Students scored lowest in Mathematics (46%) In the case of Class 9, students from Central Government schools performed the best across all subjects, with a clear lead in languages 36 states were covered in the learning survey by the centre 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 Ahead of election, Nitish tweaks job quota for women Restricts 35% reservation for women in govt employment to only those who hail from Bihar too, were appointed as teachers in government-run schools in Bihar With Bihar assembly elections under the quota. less than four months away the Ni, The decision to restrict the quotish Kumar government on Tues- ta came amid intense push for imday restricted the 35% quota in plementing the domicile policy by place for women in all government the Opposition. Leader of Opposijobs since 2016, to only those who tion Tejashwi Prasad Yadav had hail from the state. supported the domicile demand of The decision was seen as an at- job aspirants for teaching positempt by Nitish to further consoli- tions in government schools, who date his already strong female took out a protest march and held vote-bank. a demonstration in Patna A final call to enforce the recently . domicile criteria was taken This is the first instance at a meeting of the state of domicile policy being cabinet chaired by Chief implemented by the state Minister Nitish Kumar. government in the recent “Only women native of past. Union minister NityBihar will be eligible for anand Rai said, “The deciNitish Kumar 35% horizontal reservation sion will ultimately make in direct recruitment women from the state selfacross all government service cad- reliant and embolden them.” res in Bihar,” said S Siddharth, adIn another pre-poll sop, the the ditional chief secretary after the cabinet decided to set up a Bihar , meeting. Youth Commission to enhancejob Till now, women from outside opportunities for them. JD(U) the state, too, were beneficiaries of spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said the 35% reservation in govern- it will make the youth self-reliant, ment jobs. skilled and job-oriented. Siddharth said, “Women from However, Tejashwi accused the other states applying for Bihar Nitish government of ‘stealing’ government jobs will be treated as the promises made by the RJD. general category They will not get “The 20-year-old tired government . the benefit of 35% women’s reser- has no vision of its own. People vation.” Earlier, candidates from want to get rid of the government,” neighbouring UP and elsewhere, he told the media. R a m a s h a n k a r @ Patna CM Chandrababu Naidu peforms Harati to River Krishna before opening the Srisailam dam gates to release water to Nagarajuna Sagar on Tuesday | Express CM calls for unified effort to tap unused river water He highlighted the early filling of the Srisailam Project as a significant milestone, with its 215 TMC capacity receiving daily inflows of 17 TMC. He noted that the Tungabhadra Dam is also full, signalling a robust water supply for Rayalaseema.“Seeing Srisailam brimming like a full vessel is heartening,” he said, emphasizing the importance of revering water as a sacred resource, akin to worshipping the Ganga, to prevent drought and ensure agricultural abundance. Naidu’s vision includes transforming Rayalaseema into a “land of jewels” through strategic water management and infrastructure development. The CM outlined a comprehensive blueprint for Rayalaseema’s growth, prioritising irrigation projects like Handri-Neeva, Galeru-Nagari, and Polavaram, with a target completion by 2027. He recalled the TDP government’s investment of `68,000 crore in irrigation from 2014–19, including `12,500 crore for Rayalaseema, contrasting this with previous YSRCP government’s mere `2,000 crore.  P4 E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Seeing Srisailam dam brimming like a full vessel is heartening N Chandrababu Naidu Chief Minister CM’s plan for R’seema CM Chandrababu outlined a comprehensive blueprint for the growth of Rayalaseema, prioritising irrigation projects like Handri-Neeva, Galeru-Nagari, and Polavaram, with a target to complete the projects by 2027 Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu emphasized the urgent need for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to harness river water that flows unused into the sea, underscoring its transformative potential for agriculture and farmer prosperity in both Telugu states. Speaking at Srisailam, after performing a ceremonial Harathi to the River Krishna and offering prayers at the Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna temple, Naidu opened four gates of the Srisailam dam, releasing water downstream towards Nagarjuna Sagar. He described water as the state’s greatest wealth, capable of alleviating farmers’ hardships and fostering a greener, more prosperous region. Naidu called for unity beyond caste and religion, urging both Telugu states to utilise the 2,000 TMC of Godavari water flowing into the sea—200 TMC for Andhra Pradesh and 100–200 TMC for Telangana—to ensure shared prosperity and a thriving future. Sattva Group to set up `1,500cr IT park in Vizag E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada In a significant boost to Andhra Pradesh’s IT growth and digital transformation drive, the Sattva Group has announced a `1,500-crore investment to develop an integrated IT campus in Visakhapatnam. The 30-acre project, titled Sattva Vantage Vizag Campus, will be a landmark development in the port city combining Grade , A office spaces, premium residential zones, and world-class infrastructure built on principles of sustainability and smart urban design. The announcement follows a series of strategic discussions between the Sattva Group and Andhra Pradesh IT Minister The State government signs an MoU with ANSR to establish a dedicated GCC Innovation Campus in Vizag as IT Minister Nara Lokesh looks on | Express Nara Lokesh, whose proactive leadership and vision have positioned the state as a prime destination for technology and infrastructure investment. The project is expected to generate over 25,000 direct jobs, contributing to the government’s efforts to promote inP4 vestments in Vizag. express read RTC’s free travel for women from Aug 15: CM Vijayawada: CM N Chandrababu Naidu announced that starting August 15, women can travel free of cost on RTC buses within their respective district boundaries under the Free Bus Travel Scheme. This move is part of the government’s commitment to fulfilling election promises and promoting women’s mobility. | P3 TTD AEO suspended for attending church prayers Tirumala: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has suspended Assistant Executive Officer A Rajasekhar Babu following allegations of violation of organisational norms. TTD initiated action after receiving reports that Rajasekhar regularly attended church prayers in his hometown, Puttur on Sunday. | P3 Trade deal ball in u.s. court: India D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi With the US government sending letters to over a dozen countries informing them of the reciprocal tariff they are likely to attract on exports to the US, the suspense over the trade deal with India continues. Even as President Donald Trump on Monday hinted that the US is hours away from announcing a deal with India, back home the government is in a wait-and-watch mode. “The ball is in the US court, we negotiated with the US officials, now it is up to them,” said an official, who refused to be identified. Citing the Vietnam trade deal announced by the US, the official said Trump has been unilaterally making a lot of announcements, which are later refutDonald Trump ed by the respective countries. The Indian government was confident of signing a limited deal by July 9, but with the US issuing a new deadline of August 1, the announcement may get delayed. The Indian government has maintained that it is not desperate for an early trade deal at the cost of the country’s interest. Dassault rubbishes Pak propaganda, says only one IAF Rafale crashed FATF: Terrorists abused e-comm sites E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi THE protracted debate on loss of the Indian Air Force’s Rafale combat jets, which Pakistan claimed to have shot down, was debunked by the CEO of Dassault, which manufactures the fighter aircraft. Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier was quoted as saying that no Rafale was shot down in combat, but India had lost one aircraft due to technical failure, and a probe into it is currently on. Trappier was quoted by French website Avion De Chasse as saying that there was no enemy engagement in the loss of a Rafale. The incident “occurred at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission, with no enemy involvement or hostile radar contact,” the report said. Terror financing watchdog FATF cited the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack to point out that e-commerce platforms were misused by terror outfits. FATF said aluminium used in IED used in the 2019 attack was procured through Amazon by terror outfits Speaking specifically on Pakistan’s allegations that three Indian Dassault Rafales were reportedly shot down during the four-day Operation Sindoor launched by India, Trappier said the allegations were “inaccurate and unfounded”. Trappier took on Pakistan for false claims in a press conference on June 15, which Avion De Chasse reported. During the press conference, Trappier formally refuted the idea of an operational failure, quoting the Spectra electronic warfare systems that had not recorded any hostile engagements during the time slot in question. Further, the friend/foe identification devices and the flight logs transmitted to Dassault indicated no losses in actual combat, he said. As per the French Intelligence and military officials, it was China which was behind the smear campaign against the Rafale fighters. RCB pip mi IPL’s business value worth over `155,000 cr S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n @ Chennai THE business value of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has jumped by over 10 per cent in the last year, according to the global investment firm, Houlihan Lokey HL, who have come . out with yearly IPL brand valuation studies, held that IPL’s current business value stands at $18.5bn (over `155,000 cr; in 2024, it was $16.4bn). The firm said that the IPL’s brand value has also surged from $3.4bn to $3.9bn (over `32,000 cr). “This g r ow t h u n d e r s c o r e s t h e league’s expanding commercial appeal, global reach and deepening fan engagement,” the report said. The 18th edition of the league, won by Bengaluru franchise for the first time last month, helped the franchise become the No. 1 in terms of brand value in the 10-team league. Its brand value in 2025 stands at just under $270mn, up by 18.5% in the last 12 months. Chennai Super Kings, who had a blowout season, fell down to third place. In fact, out of all 10 teams, the franchise registered the lowest percentage gain (less than 2%) on a year on year basis. Punjab Kings, who advanced to the final, registered a whopping Brand values have increased for all 10 teams IPL continues Teams 2025 2024 change RCB MI CSK KKR SRH 269 227 18.5% 242 204 18.6% 235 231 1.7% 227 216 5.1% 154 132 16.7% Teams 2025 2024 change DC RR GT PBKS LSG 152 146 142 141 122 131 16% 133 9.8% 124 14.5% 101 39.6% 91 34.1% All figures in $mn All data from Houlihan Lokey’s IPL Valuation Study 2025 (a copy of the report is with this daily) to show increased brand and business values (in $bn) 3.2 3.4 3.9 15.4 16.4 18.5 2023 2024 2025 Business Brand 39.6% jump in brand value. The IPL’s principal stakeholders like to compare themselves with the US’ Big Four and the EPL and HL maintain that they are expected to become bigger in the years to come as there are several built in advantages. “When benchmarked against global peers like EPL and NBA teams,” the report added, “that wrestle with high player transfer fees, variable wages and high stadium operating costs (including servicing stadium debt), IPL franchisees operate with an asset-light, revenue-guaranteed model, a structure that not only cushions downside risk but also amplifies operating leverage on the upside.” balancing act People use a raft made of banana stems to shift to a safer place from a floodaffected area at Dighal Jarani village in Hojai district, Assam, on Tuesday | PTI YSRCP ex-MLA faces TDP ire for vile remarks on Kovur MLA E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Nellore Former YSRCP MLA Nallapareddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy sparked widespread outrage after making derogatory remarks against Kovur MLA Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy during a party meeting in Padugupadu on Monday . His offensive comments drew sharp condemnation from various quarters. Later that night, unidentified miscreants vandalised Prasanna Kumar Reddy’s residence in Nellore. YSRCP leaders alleged that the TDP was behind the attack. During his speech, Nallapareddy not only questioned the personal life and character of MLA Prashanthi Reddy but also launched a vitriolic attack on her husband, Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy. Using highly object i o n abl e l a n guage, he claimed to know her “entire life history” and stated that if Prabhakar Reddy had asked him, he would have arranged a suitable bride. He further alleged that there had already been two plots to assassinate the MP and warned him to be cautious, citing his vast wealth. Hours after his remarks, a group of unidentified individuals attacked Prasanna Kumar Reddy’s residence in Nellore. Between 8:30 and 9:00 pm the mob reportedly vandalised his vehicles, destroyed furniture, shattered windows, and set clothes on fire. Prasanna Kumar Reddy was not at home during the incident. YSRCP leaders Anil Kumar Yadav, A Vijayakumar Reddy Merigi Murali, and Parvata , Reddy Chandrasekhar Reddy visited the site and blamed the P4 TDP for the violence.