MANGALURU l sunday l October 12, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l CITY EDITION Protecting girl child must be core Priority of digital governance: CJI B R Gavai on Saturday flagged the heightened vulnerability of the girl child in the digital age and said that protecting her must be the core priority ‘Today’s challenges more sophisticated’ Need better enforcement, education: gavai “From online harassment, cyberbullying, and digital stalking to the misuse of personal data and deepfake imagery, the challenges have grown both in scale and sophistication,” Gavai said. Despite constitutional and legal guarantees, many girls across India continue to be denied fundamental rights and even basic necessities, he added ■ ■ Gavai emphasised that laws addressing online sexual exploitation, digital trafficking, and cyber harassment must be complemented by effective enforcement, as well as robust education and awareness Tagore’s poem, Where the Mind is Without Fear, captures the very essence of what is sought for girls in India, CJI said | P7 CJI was speaking at an event organised by SC’s juvenile justice committee 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 hunt on for 3 Odisha student raped near Bengal college E x p ress ne w s ser v i c e @ Bhubaneswar A 23-year-old MBBS student from Odisha was allegedly raped by three unidentified men near her college in West Bengal’s Durgapur in Paschim Bardhaman district, police said on Saturday The woman’s moth. er said the crime occurred around 10 pm outside a private medical college campus on Friday night when the second-year student had stepped out of the college campus with a male friend for dinner. The woman’s parents reached Durgapur on Saturday after getting a call from their daughter’s friends.“We came here this morning and lodged a complaint with the police. The college performed well academically, and that’s why we sent our daughter to study medicine here,” the woman’s father said. P8 `35K cr push to boost farm output US envoy-designate PM Modi launches two key agriculture schemes, urges farmers to tap global markets M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched two major agricultural schemes with a cumulative outlay of `35,440 crore, including a mission for self-reliance in pulses. Launching the schemes at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute campus here, Modi urged farmers to increase production to meet domestic and global demand. “On one hand, we have to be self-reliant. On the other, we also have to produce for the global market. Friends, we must knock on the doors of the world,” Modi said, asking farmers to focus on crops that have global demand. The two schemes—`24,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) and a `11,440 crore Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses—are aimed at “changing the fate of millions of farmers”, he said. Gill-ton heights India captain Shubman Gill continued his rich vein of form as he notched up a fifth 100 in seven Tests since being named captain. His ton strengthened India’s hold in the second Test of the series against West Indies in New Delhi. A look... Shub’s the man The No. 4 displayed his full range of strokemaking on a largely batting friendly surface as he brought up his 10th century of his Test career. He entertained the 15,000+ weekend crowd to an exhibition of classy batting against both pace and spin as India raced passed the 500 mark before declaring after lunch. Hosts finally declared at 518 for five Better display from visitors In front of Brian Lara, Vivek Richards and the board CEO, Chris Dehring, they put up and improved showing. As many as three batters got starts with the impressive Alick Althanaze taking the attack tot he spinners. But he was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav. They still trail by 378 runs with six wickets in hand express read Mysuru rape-murder: Minor stabbed 19 times Malayalam actor in the dock for abusing cabbie Mysuru: In a new development in the Mysuru rape-murder case, the police said the accused, K S Karthik, who was arrested after being shot in the leg, had stabbed the 10-year-old girl 19 times, leading to her death. City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar confirmed to the reporters that the crime took place on Thursday morning | P5 Mangaluru: A case has been filed against Malayalam film actor Jayakrishnan and two others for allegedly abusing a taxi driver here on Thursday night. The police said two of the accused have been detained. In his complaint, Ahmad Shafiq stated that the accused called him a “Muslim extremist” and a “terrorist” | P5 Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interaction with farmers at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, in New Delhi on Sunday | PTI PM-DDKY aims to transform 100 low-performing agricultural districts based on the Aspirational Districts Programme model. The scheme will focus on enhancing crop productivity and diversification, improving irrigation and storage facilities, and ensuring credit access in the selected districts. Modi urged farmers to increase cultivation acreage by 35 lakh hectares by 2030 to boost production and achieve self-reliance, as it targets raising production from the current 252.38 lakh tonnes to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31, thereby reducing import dependency . The PM also inaugurated In no hurry to become CM: DKS E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ Bengaluru Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday stated that he is in no rush to occupy the chief minister’s post, and that his statements are being twisted. Speaking to the public at Lalbagh Botanical Garden at the ‘Walk With Bengaluru Citizen’ initiative to address people’s concerns and deliver good civic administration, Shivakumar said, “I am not in a hurry to occupy the CM’s chair. I am in politics to serve the people and not to do politics. I am working day in and day out to serve the people.” Shivakumar, who looked upset about media reports making claims of his statement on the CM’s post, asked for proof that he had made such a remark. “I have not made any such statement, nor is there any need for me to make such a statement. I know my goal. God will give me the opportunity when the time is ripe. I am currently focused on serving the people of Bengaluru and Karnataka. But the media is trying to create a controversy I will file a defamation case if the . media twists it,” he added. CONTINUED ON P5 Deputy CM DK Shivakumar interacts with the public at Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru on Saturday | Express Highest Grosser Kantara: Chapter 1 in `500-cr club, sets pan-India benchmark A S H A R A D H A A @ Bengaluru Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1 has emerged as a boxoffice phenomenon, redefining the reach of Kannada cinema across India. Released on October 2, Kantara: Chapter 1 has already amassed over `500 crore globally in its opening weekend. Hombale Productions, which has backed the film, announced that the first week numbers (global box office) stand at `509.25 crore. In India, the Hindi and Kannada versions have amassed over `100 crore, with the Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam versions contributing `64 crore, `31.5 crore, and `26.5 crore, respectively Interestingly the original . , Kantara (2022) concluded its lifetime run at `450 crore. “What truly matters is that audiences of all ages and backgrounds are coming to watch the film; we made this cinema for them, and if they enjoy it, that is the ultimate satisfaction for me as a technician and for the entire team,” says Rishab Shetty who not only starred in , the film but also directed the cultural phenomenon. Commenting on the success of Kantara: Chapter 1, noted Tamil Nadu distributor and theatre owner Tiruppur Subramaniam says, “Non-Tamil films usually run only in multiplexes, and have limited reach beyond cities. But Kantara: Chapter 1 is an all-centre film and even single screens in villages are running housefull.” Echoing his sentiment, Narayan Gowda, owner of the Veeresh Theatre in Bengaluru, says, “Family audiences are turning up in large numbers, and in four days, we earned `60 lakh. We expect to hit the `1-crore mark in eight days.” This has been the story, not just in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, but all across India. While Akkshay Rathie, Director, Ashirwad Theatres, Nagpur, believes that the Hindi version could reach `200 crore next week, Aamer Bijli from PVR Inox Ltd, reveals, “Within five days, it crossed 30 lakh admits in PVR INOX cinemas.” Mirroring this sentiment, Ganesh of Kamala Cinemas, Chennai, says, “Budget and language don’t matter if the content connects.”That’s probably why many Tamil Nadu theatres are planning to shift Kantara: Chapter 1 to their main screens. Ruban Mathivanan, owner of Chennai’s GK Cinemas, says, “At this rate, the footfall will only increase in the coming days and there will be no drop.” Summing it up, Kishore Kumar of Vaishnavi and Vaibhavi Cinemas, Bengaluru, says, “With no major releases until December 5, Kantara: Chapter 1 is on track for a 50-day blockbuster run, a milestone we haven’t seen in Kannada cinema for a long time.” What truly matters is that audiences of all ages and backgrounds are coming to watch the film; we made this cinema for them — Rishab Shetty Fans throng Santosh Theatre in Bengaluru during the release of Kantara: Chapter 1 Pic: Kevin Nashon projects valued at over `5,450 crore in agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and food processing sectors, while laying the foundation stone for additional projects worth `815 crore. These included Artificial Insemination Training Center at Bengaluru and in Jammu & Kashmir; Centre of Excellence at Amreli and Banas; Establishment of IVF Lab in Assam under Rashtriya Gokul Mission; Milk Powder Plants at Mehsana, Indore and Bhilwara; Fish Feed Plant under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana at Tezpur, Assam; Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, Inte g rated Cold Chain, and Value Addition Infrastructure, among others. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary were present during the event. W IT H T H IS ISS U E Life in the Time of Solitude PLUS 12 P AGES meets PM & EAM J ayan t h J a c o b @ New Delhi amiD tariff tensions rocking India-US ties, US Ambassadordesignate Sergio Gor on Saturday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. “Glad to receive Mr Sergio Gor, Ambassador-designate of the US to India. I’m confident his tenure will further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” PM Modi wrote on X. Gor said the US values its ties with India and “under the strong leadership of President Donald J Trump and Prime Minister Modi, I’m optimistic about the days ahead for our nations”. He presented Modi with a signed and framed photograph from a joint press conference at the White House earlier this year, featuring Trump’s handwritten message: “Mr Prime Minister, you are great”. “I had an incredible meeting with Prime Minister Modi. We discussed bilateral issues, including defence, trade and technology,” Gor said, adding that the discussion also touched upon critical minerals—an increasingly strategic domain for both economies amid global supply chain realignments. US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor meets External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Saturday | PTI The US Senate confirmed Gor as the country’s next ambassador to India on Wednesday. He arrived in Delhi on Friday . Earlier in the day, the ambassador-designate also held meetings with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. “Discussed the India–US relationship and its global significance. Wish him the best for his new responsibility,” Jaishankar wrote on X. Gor’s visit marks a significant diplomatic step ahead of his formal assumption of office early next year. It comes at a sensitive time, as steep US tariffs have driven bilateral ties to their lowest point in decades. Gor, a close aide of Trump and a key figure in Republican circles, is on a six-day visit along with US Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Michael J Rigas.