visakhapatnam l monday l july 21, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION UIDAI to start biometric update of kids via schools The UIDAI said it is working on a project to start biometric updates of children through schools in a phased manner Project depends on consent of parents will help students avail many benefits According to UIDAI, over 7 crore children have not updated their biometrics for Aadhaar, which is mandatory after attaining the age of 5 years. “The project will be done only after parental consent. We are at present testing the technology and it should be ready in 45-60 days,” PTI quoted UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar as saying ■ ■ Updating biometrics will ensure seamless usage of Aadhaar in availing services such as school admissions, registering for examinations, availing benefits of scholarships, DBT schemes, etc Under the project, the UIDAI will send biometric machines to each district which will be rotated from school to school AADHAAR Can be deactivated if biometrics UPDATE IS NOT DONE BY AGE 7 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 Bihar poll roll revision, Op Sindoor top House agenda In all-party meet, govt agrees to discuss all issues raised by Oppn 100 MPs sign petition calling for Varma’s impeachment RA J E SH K UMAR T HA K UR @ New Delhi From left: Minister of state Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and J P Nadda and MoS L Murugan chair the all-party meet in New Delhi on Sunday | PTI RA J E SH K UMAR T HA K UR @ New Delhi AMID persistent demand by the Opposition for debates on multiple pressing issues in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament, the BJP-led government on Sunday signalled its willingness to engage in discussions—particularly on the success of Operation Sindoor— provided all opposition party leaders adhere to Parliamentary traditions. The government dropped the hint during an all-party meeting, chaired by Union Minister J P Nadda, a day before the start of the Monsoon session. As many as 54 leaders of different parties and independent MPs attended the meet on Sunday . The Opposition demanded a statement from the PM on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in poll-bound Bihar. There was also a strong call from the Opposition for a clarification from the government on the alleged US mediation during Operation Sindoor resulting in a ceasefire. According to sources, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju affirmed that the govern- Crisis on Plate Nellore’s famous Chepala Pulusu losing its flavour D S u r end r a K u m a r @ Nellore Restaurants across Nellore are witnessing a sharp decline in the availability of genuine Chepala Pulusu, the famed fish curry synonymous with the region’s culinary identity . Once celebrated nationwide, this signature dish-traditionally crafted from sweet-water Korameenu (Red Snapper) sourced from the Pennar river delta-is rapidly losing traction among food establishments and patrons alike. Traditionally, Korameenu was naturally found in various rural water bodies, particularly during dry seasons when canals and ponds dried up, exposing the muddy bottoms where these fish reside. However, in recent years, the changing climatic conditions have severely impacted their natural breeding grounds, raising fears of the species becoming extinct. Currently, this fish is rarely found in villages, and urban hotels are serving fish curry made with farm-bred Korameenu, which lacks the natural flavour of its wild counterpart. According to experts, fish raised in specially prepared tanks taste different from those found in natural settings. Adding to the crisis is the increasing presence of invasive species like catfish and jellyfish varieties, which feed on ingenious fish, including KorP4 rameenu.  ment would respond appropriately when discussions take place on US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire assertions concerning the India-Pakistan conflict. Rijiju told reporters after the meeting: “There should be government-opposition coordination in running Parliament smoothly; not confrontation. The government is open to discussions within rules, conventions.” Many Opposition leaders also demanded a debate on the intelligence failure behind the Pahalgam attack. On these demands, Rijiju said the matters raised at the meeting would be taken up at the Business Advisory Committee of both houses, where a final decision would be taken. After the meeting, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi told reporters that his party sought Prime Minister Modi’s statement on Trump’s claims, “lapses” which led to the Pahalgam attack and SIR in Bihar. “We hope that the PM will fulfil his moral duty he said. ,” CPI(M)’s John Brittas and Supriya Sule of NCP-Sharad Pawar demanded that the PM respond on Pahalgam attack P10 and Bihar’s SIR. taking appears to be no further doubt regarding the move to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma. The Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said over 100 MPs have already signed a notice to bring a motion in Parliament for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma, crossing the threshold of support required for tabling the impeachment exercise in the Lok Sabha. “The signature (exercise) is underway and it has crossed 100 already Rijiju told report,” ers after the all-party meeting, while adding that it is for the Business Advisory Committee, a group of parties which finalises the agenda in their respective House, to decide when the motion will be moved. A motion for the removal of a judge has to be signed by not less than 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha. The motion is likely to be brought in the Lower House. With Parliament’s Monsoon Session beginning from Monday, the government has made it clear that it will bring the motion during this sitting of Parliament and has been receiving support from all parties. Varma, who has been kept off judicial work, has protested his innocence and has moved the Supreme Court against the in-house committee’s findings. SIT to probe Dharmasthala mass grave allegations VI N C E N T D ’ S O U Z A @ Mangaluru THE Karnakata government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a comprehensive and impartial probe into a series of alleged crimes, including murders, sexual assaults, and disappearances of women and girls spanning over two decades in the Dharmasthala region of Dakshina Kannada district. The state government’s decision comes on the heels of a chilling testimony by a former sanitation worker employed by the Dharmasthala temple administration, who told the police he was forced to burn and bury the bodies of hundreds of women, including schoolgirls, between 1998 and 2014. He claimed the victims were raped and murdered before being disposed of in secret. The SIT will be led by Pranav Mohanty, DGP, Internal Security Division. The team includes IPS officers M N Anucheth, Soumya Latha, and Jitendra Kumar Dayama. The SIT will operate out of the Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police’s office and will have Decision after women’s panel push In a post on X, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the decision to set up an SIT follows a request from the Karnataka State Commission for Women, which has taken a serious note of the allegations and demanded an unbiased investigation. The Commission cited both the media reports and the court statement of the sanitation worker as deeply concerning and indicative of possible systemic criminal activity P h a n i nd r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada Former CM and YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is likely to be summoned by the probing agency for questioning to find the conclusion of money trail in the alleged multi-crore liquor scam during his regime. The preliminary chargesheet submitted to the ACB court Vijayawada by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Saturday has corroborated the alleged role of YS Jagan, suspecting him as the recipient or final beneficiary in the money trail. In the 305-page document submitted to the ACB court, the name of YS Jagan was mentioned three times and SIT officials substantiated through several witnesses that he (Jagan) used to receive an average amount of MU K E SH RA N J A N @ New Delhi Cloudburst aftermath at Thunag of Seraj valley, in Mandi on Wednesday | ANI floods, 22 cloudbursts, and 19 landslides. Estimates put the financial loss to the state at over `1,200 crore. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, 146 roads are blocked, 28 power transformers out of tigation across other police stations in Karnataka. The SIT is required to provide regular updates to the Director General and Inspector General of Police, and submit a detailed investigation report to the government at the earliest. Calls for an SIT had been growing from multiple quarters, including the sanitation worker himself. Former Supreme Court Judge V Gopala Gowda also had urged the government to arrest those responsible without delay and ensure a transparent investigation through the SIT. Welcoming the SIT probe, Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala spokesperson K Parshwanath Jain said it bring facts to light and end speculations. SIT may summon Jagan for questioning in liquor scam `50-60 crore every month in the form of commissions from liquor distilleries. According to the chargesheet, YSRCP leaders called for a meeting with owners of the distilleries after the formation of YSRC gover nment in 2019. The meeting was held by the Sajjala Sridhar Reddy (A6) at Hotel Park Hyatt in Hyderabad, where in the owners of the distilleries were told to cooperate with the orchestrated sale of liquor by raising planned indents and issuing manual OFS to select suppli- Expert panel to assess recurring natural disasters TAKING note of the frequent, high-intensity natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh, the Centre will form a team of experts from various disciplines to assess the situation in the hill state and suggest measures to deal with cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides, and torrential rainfall. Confirming the development, officials said on Sunday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the formation of a multi-sectoral central team to visit Himachal Pradesh, which witnessed nearly 120 deaths and widespread damage to infrastructure, houses, and crops in the ongoing monsoon season. In the past month alone, the state has witnessed 33 flash access to all district resources. It has also been granted authority to bring in additional personnel and officers as needed. The team is tasked with investigating the FIR registered at Dharmasthala Police Station, but also any related cases of unnatural deaths, sexual assault, murders and disappearances reported or discovered during the course of the inves- service, and 58 water supply schemes affected. The central team will comprise experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roor- kee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune, a Geologist, and the Indian Institute of Technolo g y (IIT) Indore. “The home minister’s direction came following a recent meeting in which he was apprised that Himachal Pradesh has witnessed an increase in the frequency and intensity of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and torrential rainfall, causing widespread loss of life, damage to infrastructure, livelihoods and environmental degradation,” a senior official of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said. The Centre has already deputed an inter-ministerial team for on-the-spot, first-hand assessment of the damages in the state. The team is currently visiting the affected areas. ers in the state. During the meeting, the owners were warned that no orders will be issued to them if they do not accede to their proposals. Under the threat of loss of business, several distilleries agreed to pay kickbacks at a commission rate of 12 percent. Soon, the percentage was increased to 20 percent of the base price in the order for supply (OFS). “The collected amounts were eventually handed over to Kesireddy Rajasekhar Reddy (A1). Rajasekhar Reddy would then pass the money to Vijay Sai Reddy (A5), Mithun Reddy (A4), Balaji Govindappa (A33) who would transfer it to former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. On an average, `50-60 crore was collected every month. This is further corroborated by the statements of the listed witness,” the chargesheet states.  P4 express read Mudragada’s condition is stable, say doctors Kakinada: Kapu patriarch and former minister Mudragada Padmanabham aka Padmanabha Reddy is currently undergoing treatment for high blood pressure and elevated sugar levels. Doctors informed the media, and YSRCP leaders that his condition is stable, and there is no need for concern | P4 520 cricketers take part in APL player auction Visakhapatnam: Seven teams are participating in the fourth season of the Andhra Premier League (APL). Similar to the IPL, a player auction was held at a hotel in Visakhapatnam, where allrounders fetched high prices. Around 520 cricketers participated in the auction, hoping to secure contracts | P3 manchester test MP Mithun Reddy sent to judicial custody till August 1 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada A day after the arrest of YSRC senior leader and Rajampet MP PV Mithun Reddy in connection with the alleged multicrore liquor scam, the probing agency Special Investigation Team (SIT) produced the latter in the ACB court in Vijayawada on Sunday. The ACB court judge P Bhaskara Rao sent Mithun Reddy to undergo judicial remand till August 1 at Rajamahendravaram central prison. MP Mithun Reddy was named as fourth accused in the FIR registered by the APCID officials, which was later referred to the SIT. Following a complaint lodged by AP State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) to the Principal Secretary, Revenue (Excise), highlighting several irregularities in the sale and supply of liquor between 20192024, particularly regarding the adoption of manual issuance of OFS (order for supply) to promote certain brands of liquor and other allegations, Excise department called for a departmental inquiry which revealed the anomalies such as suppression of popular brands and unfair business practises. According to the SIT remand report, Mithun Reddy (A4) was said to be the core conspirator from inception to execution, orchestrating policy changes and coordinating with co-accused to secure kickbacks from disP4 tilleries and suppliers.  PIC: FIDE/Anna Shtourman Injury dampener for India; Reddy, Akash Deep latest concerns TNIE in England Firoz Mirza @manchester It has been drizzling even on Sunday. Though sporadic, it rained too. The pitch in the middle of Old Trafford cricket ground is covered and is expected to be damp. The India team that reached here by train on Saturday evening had a closed-door practice session but indoors. It was gloomy and overcast, ideal conditions for pacers. However, for India, inside the dressing room it is less than ideal even after a fun-time spent at Manchester United’s training centre at Carrington. If the suspense over Jasprit Bumrah’s appearance in the fourth Test was not enough, India suffered a huge blow as Nitich Reddy is likely to be ruled out of the remaining two Tests on Sunday This is after Akash . Deep’s availability came under scanner due to injury Though . the nature of Reddy’s ailment is not known, Akash Deep ap- Ravinder Jadeja, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah and Shubman Gill at the Man United training centre | BCCI X parently has groin issue. With the fast bowling all-rounder seems unlikely to take the field, India would be worried right now. He lent stability to the lower order and also chipped in with wickets. Reddy claimed three wickets (all at Lord’s) in the two Tests he has played. Arshdeep Singh, another pacer, has already sustained a cut in his bowling hand in Beckenham a few days ago and is unlikely to make his debut here. They do have Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna yet the team management has flown in Haryana speedster Anshul Kamboj as a cover. Calling up a back-up bowler in the middle of a series usually don’t paint a very rosy picture. What makes it more intriguing is Manchester weather. The Met Department issued yellow warning for Sunday and Monday for heavy and perhaps thundery spells. There is forecast of light rain throughout the match as well. With the surface expected to be damp, India would be in a huddle to find their best possible combination P11 before Wednesday  . humpy reaches semis, beats Yuxin Song in quarters Koneru Humpy has once again made history by becoming the first Indian to advance to the semifinals of the FIDE Women’s World Cup chess tournament in Batumi Georgia on Sunday | P11