BENGALURU l saturday l september 06, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION rain in Punjab, J&K damages fence along 110 KM of Indo-Pak border Approximately 110 km of the fence along the zero line of Indo-Pak international border has been damaged, defence sources said on Friday 65 bsf posts in punjab get inundated Of the 110 km of damaged fencing, around 80 km is in Punjab and 30 km is in Jammu sector. The fence in these areas has been submerged, uprooted, or tilted. Additionally, around 65 BSF posts in Punjab have been inundated across Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Pathankot, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Fazilka districts along the international border, with 20 posts affected in Jammu ■ 10 Days beating retreat ceremony cancelled ■ Due to the submerged border fencing, the BSF has deployed its water wing, equipped with motorboats and surveillance drones, to secure the international border. Searchlights and drones are also being used Sutlej River has inundated joint check post at Hussainiwala, leading to the indefinite cancellation of the ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony | P10 in last 10 days, BSF has nabbed drug smugglers on the border 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 Ballot papers best practice in democracy, says state EC Messaging across geographies Don: Lost Russia China biggest & India to China challenge: CDS j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi D e v a r a j B H i r e h a l l i @ Bengaluru State Election Commissioner GS Sangreshi on Friday said that switching back to paper ballots from electronic voting machines (EVMs), to conduct elections to local bodies, is not a regressive move as it is one of the best practices in democracy . “Conducting the polls through ballot paper is not challenging and should not be construed as challenging just because it consumes more time. It may take some extra time, maybe two-three hours more, to count the votes. In fact, it is one of the best practices in democracy . What is wrong with ballots? They were used twenty years ago and certain developed countries, including the US, still use this method. If the government amends certain Acts and provides adequate staff and funds, the State Election Commission (SEC) is prepared to switch to ballots,” he told the TNIE. “The Constitution does not say whether the polls should be conducted through EVMs or ballots, leaving the option to election commissions,” he added. On Thursday, the state government, through a cabinet decision, recommended to the SEC to prepare the electoral list of panchayats and local bodies, including five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), and conduct the polls using ballots instead of EVMs. The SEC is anticipating an amendment to Section 35 of the GBA Act (as there is a provision) on the preparation of electoral rolls. This is similar to Section 23 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, Section 14 of the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964 and Section 165 of the Karnataka Grama Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, 1993 that deal with the preparation of electoral rolls, he said.  CONTINUED ON P4 tech talk President Donald Trump hosts a dinner for tech titans in the presence of First Lady Melania Trump in the White House in Washington late on Thursday, hours before the Labour Department said that hiring in the US decelerated in July | AP | P11 Tata Motors 1st to pass GST cut to customers senger Electric Mobility . Tata Motors is the first automaker TATA Motors on Friday said it would to pass on the GST benefit to consumpass on full benefit of GST rate cut to ers. This is expected to put pressure customers buying its cars and on other carmakers to follow suit. SUVs from September 22, when The GST Council on Wednesthe revised rates come into day reduced levies on small effect. cars and mass-market motorWith this, prices of Tata Mocycles (engine size below 350cc) tors’ most affordable model from 28% to 18%. However, preTiago will be cheaper mium cars will now atby up to `75,000 and tract a 40% GST. The prices of sub-4 metre Council made no changSUV Nexon up to `1.55 es to the GST rate for Model Price drop lakh. Among other topelectric vehicles (EVs) Nexon Up to `1,55,000 selling models, Altroz across segments. will be cheaper by up to At present, small cars Safari Up to `1,45,000 `1.10 lakh. Punch will are taxed at 28% plus Harrier Up to `1,40,000 see a cut of up to `85,000, cess, while large cars Altroz Up to `1,10,000 Harrier price will come (above 4 metres in down by up to `1.40 length and 1200CC enPunch Up to `85,000 lakh, and Safari will see gine capacity) face a Tigor Up to `80,000 a reduction of up to combined rate (GST Tiago Up to `75,000 `1.45 lakh. plus cess) of 43-50%. “The reduction in Under the new regime, Curvv Up to `65,000 GST on passenger vehilarge cars will be taxed cles is a progressive and at flat 40% with no cess. timely decision that will make person- Ever since the GST reforms were anal mobility more accessible for mil- nounced on August 15, buyers have lions across India,” said Shailesh been delaying purchase in anticipaChandra, managing director, Tata Mo- tion of price cuts, impacting automotors Passenger Vehicles & Tata Pas- bile sales. AR S HA D K HAN @ New Delhi Advantage buyers Encroachment of buffer zone changes course of Cauvery Ashrama seeks land It was also found that there is a proposal before the government to permanently grant 1 acre 28 guntas of land to Chandravana Ashrama of Sri Durdandeshwara Mahantayogi Mutt Trust, which was granted on lease for 30 years about two decades ago. Yat h i r a j u @Bengaluru The alleged encroachment of the buffer zone along River Cauvery near Bangaradoddi dam in Srirangapatna taluk by commercial establishments like resorts, hotels, bars and restaurants and a religious institution has allegedly changed the course of the river. Following allegations of encroachment, the Mandya district administration has requested the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd (CNNL) to fix the high flood level and to conduct a survey to find out the extent of encroachment of the buffer zone, he added. Sources said the move comes after Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa took up a case and directed the district administration to clear encroachments.  P7 express read 7-year-old shoots air gun, brother dies at farm near Sirsi Uttara Kannada: A seven-year-old boy allegedly shot dead his older brother when he accidentally pulled the trigger of an air gun at a farm at Somanahalli near Sirsi on Friday. The CCTV camera footage shows the boy picking up the air gun while playing and pulling the trigger at his brother. The pellet hits Kariappa, killing him on the spot | P5 Build schools with CSR funds, name them after brands: DKS Bengaluru: The state government is planning to encourage corporates to invest CSR funds in building schools, which may be named after their brands. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said a decision will be taken in the upcoming cabinet meeting. Our goal is to build around 2,000 schools” | P2 Asia Cup done, Japan team finds spiritual solace S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n @ Rajgir Rajgir is steeped in history It was . one of the early Magadhan capitals and a spiritual place associated with Buddhism and is close to two of the behemoths of Buddhist centres — Bodh Gaya and Nalanda University And it . has a very close Japan connect too. When the venue for the Asia Cup hockey was announced, some of the Japanese players turned to the internet to find out about ‘Rajgir’. To be fair to them, the city a 150-minute drive on , a good day from Patna airport, doesn’t lend itself automatically to be a sporting destination (though it is changing of late). The place does have historical importance — it’s cultural, spiritual and educational significance goes back more than 2,500 years ago. But when Japan’s players first tried to read up about Rajgir on the internet, Japanese team in front of the Vishwa Shanti Stupa in Rajgir I special arrangement they were intrigued about what they found. They were a bit taken aback when Ippei Fujimoto, who had been here earlier with the women’s team, conveyed the message that they couldn’t drink alcohol (Bihar is a dry state). Transforming spirit to spiritualism was easy Soon enough, though, the absence . of alcohol didn’t deter them because ‘this is a place rooted in Buddhism’ and there is a distinct Japanese connect. Raiki Fujishima & Co wanted to experience that first hand, so they undertook a spiritual journey to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, a pagoda representative of world peace. The monument was built by the Japanese (in 1969). The plan was to be guided by a Japanese priest who has called Rajgir home for the last 50 years. “The priest (Buddhist monk T Okonogi) came and visited the team in the ground a few days ago,” Fujimoto, the assistant coach as well as the official translator, said. “He spent some time and passed on a few messages.” N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow US President Donald Trump has sounded a stark warning about shifting geopolitical allegiances, claiming the United States has “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China,” just days after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit where images of camaraderie between President Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi made global headlines. In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, India deal darkest, China. May they have a long soon: US and prosperous future together!” Terming India The SCO summit has sparked conas the ‘vowel’ cerns in Washington about the trilatin BRICS, US eral alignment between Asia’s largest commerce powers, all of whom currently have secretary strained relations with the West. Howard When pressed on Trump’s comLutnick said ments, MEA spokesperson Randhir India will be at Jaiswal said, “We share a comprethe talks table hensive global strategic partnership with US soon anchored in shared interests, democratic values, and people-to-people ties... We remain focused on our substantive agenda with the US.” The MEA also dismissed recent comments made by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, calling them “inaccurate and misleading.” However, Trump’s rhetoric reflects mounting trade tensions. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday identified India’s unresolved boundary dispute with China as its main security challenge, closely followed by Pakistan’s ongoing proxy war. Coming as it did amid New Delhi’s efforts to improve ties with Beijing, and US President Donald Trump’s meltdown following the recent bonding of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Chinese and Russian presidents at the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, the CDS’ statement appeared intriguing. Speaking at two events in Gorakhpur, he stressed the inseparable link between geopolitics and conflict, noting Regional that war is a medium to achieve politiinstability cal ambitions. “The boundary dispute Regional with China is India’s biggest challenge instability is and will continue to remain so,” Genanother eral Chauhan told a gathering. challenge, “The second major challenge is Paespecially the kistan’s proxy war, with a strategy of social, political ‘bleed India by a thousand cuts.’” and economic The CDS underlined that the nature unrest in the of warfare has expanded into new doneighbourmains, making it more complex for nahood, CDS said tions like India. “It now includes cyber and space. Both of our opponents are nuclear powers, and it will always remain a challenge to decide what kind of operations we want to undertake against them,” he said. He also noted that after the 2020 Galwan clash in Ladakh with China and India’s Balakot strikes in Pakistan, the government permitted all three services to undertake emergency procurements.