HYDERABAD l wednesday l may 20, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late cITY EDITION Board to meet on Friday to clear dividend The Reserve Bank of India may transfer a record surplus of up to `3.4 lakh crore this week to the government, according to a Bloomberg report Payout could EXCEED budget ESTIMATE RBI’s board will meet on Friday to approve the dividend, the news agency reported quoting sources. The surplus, generated through RBI’s activities in the year ended March, will shore up the government’s finances in the ongoing fiscal 2026-27 as the crude price rise inflates India’s import bill, widens the current account deficit, and exacerbates the foreign fund selloff RBI to transfer over `3 lakh cr to govt to cushion economic stress ■ ■ RBI pays the dividend from income earned on its investments, foreign-exchange holdings and fees from printing currency notes In FY27 Budget, the government estimated `3.16 lakh crore in payouts from the RBI, state-run lenders, and other financial institutions. The central bank typically accounts for the bulk of this transfer `2.7 lakh cr RBI’s dividend transfer to the government last year 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 US extends waiver on oil sanctions The US extended its ‘waiver’ on sanctions for the purchase of seaborne Russian crude already in transit for the third consecutive month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “a temporary 30-day general licence to provide the most vulnerable nations with the ability to temporarily access Russian oil currently stranded at sea” Standards for blended petrol notified The Centre has notified fresh fuel standards for petrol blended with up to 30% ethanol. However, the notification only sets out the technical specifications and quality parameters required for introducing these higher ethanol blends in the market. It does not make the nationwide rollout or sale of E30 fuel mandatory at this stage Petrol, diesel prices hiked for second time in 4 days Weather whiplash Fuel prices up 90 paise/litre; OMCs still losing nearly `750 cr a day Use ammonium sulphate instead of urea: ICAR Just four days after the price hike, the Modi government has once again increased the prices of petrol and diesel. Having set the stage, preaching about savings while shifting the burden of their failures onto the public - this effort is in full swing Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress President The sad thing is that a severe economic storm is coming, which no one can stop, which we have never experienced in our lives Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Even after the recent revision of 91 paise per litre, fuel prices in India have risen by only about 4%, among the lowest increases anywhere in the world outside heavily subsidised Gulf economies Amit Malviya, BJP IT cell head TG HC orders encroachment-free footpaths, action on illegal parking J I T E N DRA C H OU B E Y @ New Delhi RAK E S H KU M AR @ New Delhi four days after increasing petrol and diesel prices by a steep `3 per litre, state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Tuesday raised automobile fuel prices by another 90 paise, taking the cumulative hike to `3.90. Following the latest increase, petrol and diesel prices rose to `98.64 and `91.58 per litre, respectively, from `97.77 and `90.67 in the Delhi national capital region. In Mumbai, petrol prices rose 91 paise to `107.59 per litre, while diesel prices increased by 94 paise to `94.08 per litre. In Kolkata, petrol climbed to `109.70 per litre, while diesel was priced at `96.07. In Chennai, petrol prices increased by 82 paise to `104.49 per litre, while diesel prices rose by 86 paise to `96.11. On May 15, the three OMCs—Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation—raised fuel prices for the first time in four years citing huge under-recoveries (selling below cost of production/procurement). The conflict in West Asia due to the war between Iran and US has disrupted the movement of cargo through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route that transports nearly 20% of global crude supply. Global crude oil prices have surged by over 50% due to the conflict in the region. Brent crude was trading at $110.9 a barrel. The cumulative hike of `3.90 is still lower than the `10-15 increase expected by many analysts. Reacting to the earlier price hike of `3, the petroleum ministry had on Monday said despite the price revision, OMCs were still losing nearly `750 crore per day by selling petrol, diesel and LPG below cost. Earlier, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said that the under-recoveries of OMCs would cross `2 lakh crore in the first quarter of FY27. The latest round of hikes is expected to further feed into retail inflation. Analysts estimate that the fuel price increase alone could push inflation up by 20-25 basis points in June. Only the walls of a house remain standing after heavy winds accompanied by rain blew away its tin roof at Manchippa village in Mogpal mandal of Nizamabad district on Tuesday evening. Meanwhile in Hyderabad, a woman shields her child from the harsh summer sun with her saree | EXPRESS, SRI Loganathan Velmurugan T G N a i d u @ Hyderabad WITH the Iran war triggering a shortage of fertilizers and a spike in prices, the Centre has asked states to consider ammonium sulphate as a substitute for urea in rice cultivation. In a recent communication to state governments, the director-general of Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) suggested ammonium sulphate be used for paddy as an affordable option. ICAR comes under the Union agriculture ministry . The rationale behind the move is that while urea is in short supply am, monia sulphate can fill the gap. India has the capacity to manufacture ammonia sulphate. Also, it can be imported from alternative sources such as South Korea, Japan, Belgium, China, and Russia. Till now, India used to import most of its fertilizer requirements from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Israel—all of which are impacted by the war. India manufactures three out of the four key fertilizers—urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), muriate of potash (MOP), and complex (combination of N, P K nutrients)—with MOP being , 100% import dependent. But the domestic production is not in sync with the rising demand and imports are crucial to meet the requirements. However, scientists warn against promoting ammonium sulphate in crops. Dr Virender Singh Lather, former principal scientist at ICAR, said high doses of sulphur can be toxic to crops grown in waterlogged and heavy soil conditions, like paddy . The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed traffic police and civic authorities to intensify efforts to clear footpath encroachments, regulate illegal parking and improve pedestrian infrastructure across Hyderabad. Justice NV Shravan Kumar issued the directions while hearing a writ petition filed by B Surender and two other elderly citizens seeking better road maintenance, garbagefree public spaces and obstruction-free pavements in Hyderabad and other urban centres. The petitioners told the court that encroachments, irregular parking and the absence of proper pavements had made it State raises upper age limit for direct recruitment to 44 en s @ Hyderabad The Telangana government has raised the upper age limit for direct recruitment in public services from 34 to 44 years for one year. Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao issued orders to this effect. The relaxation applies to upcoming recruitments notified by state agencies, excluding uniformed services such as police, excise, fire, prisons and forest departments. The government said the decision followed representations from unemployed youth seeking relaxation in age criteria to compete in recruitments. This is the latest in a series of relaxations since Telangana’s formation. The then government granted a 10-year relaxation in 2022 for two years, while the Congress government in 2024 increased the upper age limit to 46 years for two years. drives to remove encroachments following directions issued by the court in February 2026. Recording the submission, Justice Shravan Kumar directed the Municipal Administration and Urban Development principal secretary, the joint commissioner of police (traffic) and the GHMC commissioner to step up enforcement and address the issues raised in the petition. The court also directed authorities to secure pavements with permanent protective fixtures, ensure regular road maintenance and act against irregular parking. Authorities were asked to file a status report. The matter was adjourned to June 9, 2026. Pharmacies go on strike today Hyderabad: The Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Telangana, on Tuesday said that to meet emergency and regular medical needs, pharmacy stores attached to hospitals will remain operational during the bandh on May 20. The DCA has also asked major pharmacy chains like Apollo and MedPlus to keep their outlets open on Wednesday | P2 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad BRS official spokesperson Manne Krishank on Tuesday alleged that assigned lands belonging to SC/ST beneficiaries in Arpanpally of Kesamudram mandal in Mahbubabad district were illegally transferred via the Bhu Bharati portal to the name of Rajya Sabha member Vem Narender Reddy’s son, Vem Krishna Bhargav Reddy, for black granite mining. Addressing reporters here, Krishank alleged that Narender Reddy misused the Bhu Bharati portal for illegal land ownership transfers and mining operations. He alleged that around 15 acres of assigned land were linked to the family and were being used for black granite mining through a firm “Sri Sai Krishna Granites”, which, according to him, was run in the name of Narender Reddy’s wife, Vem Vijayalakshmi. Presenting copies of land passbooks, survey details, mining department records and election affidavits, Krishank questioned how assigned and prohibited lands were converted and registered despite legal restrictions.  continued on p4 US approves follow-on support for Apache, M777s TMC nominee drops out days before repoll E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi SU B H E N DU M AI T I @ Kolkata Just two days before repoll in West Bengal’s violence-hit Falta assembly constituency, Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan, a close aide of party general secretary and MP of Diamond Harbour Abhishek Banerjee, withdrew his candidature, triggering calls for his suspension. Falta is among the seven assembly segments in the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency in South 24 Parganas district, Yet no TMC heavyweight, including Abhishek, went for canvassing there, leaving Khan to fend for himself. For the record, Khan said Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s promise of a special package for the area’s development prompted him to take the call. Several TMC MLAs, including Kunal Ghosh, Ritobrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha demanded his suspension. While Suvendu said Khan “ran away as he won’t get any polling agent”, the TMC blamed it on intimidation of party workers, alleging the poll panel “continues to turn a blind eye”. difficult for pedestrians, particularly senior citizens, to move safely or access public transport. They said pedestrians were often forced onto busy roads because footpaths were blocked or missing. The court observed that unauthorised parking was causing congestion and obstructing the free movement of buses and other vehicles. It also noted allegations that several footpaths had either been encroached upon or were unavailable in many areas. During the hearing, counsel for the respondents informed the court that the GHMC, in coordination with the traffic police, had already begun special Vem misused Bhu Bharati to transfer assigned lands to son: BRS Talking heads Prime Minister Narendra Modi with (from L) his Nordic counterparts Jonas Gahr Støre (Norway), Petteri Orpo (Finland), Ulf Kristersson (Sweden), Kristrún Frostadóttir (Iceland) and Mette Frederiksen (Denmark) during the Nordic-India Summit, in Oslo, Norway on Tuesday. They agreed to elevate their relationship to a Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership | PTI The United States has cleared $428 million worth of sustainment and logistics support for India’s Apache attack helicopters and M777 howitzers, both of which form key elements of the Indian military’s frontline combat capability . According to notifications issued on Tuesday by the US Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the US State Department cleared a $198.2 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) package for follow-on support services for India’s Apache helicopter fleet, along with a separate $230 million package for sustainment support for the M777 ultra-light howitzer system. The Apache package includes engineering, logistics and technical s u p p o r t s e r v i c e s, spares, repairs, training, technical publications and other programme-related assistance, with Boeing and Lockheed Martin being the principal contractors. India had signed a government-to-government deal with the US in September 2015 for 22 AH-64E Apaches for the Indian Air Force under a contract worth around $2.1 billion. They were delivered between 2019 and 2020 and are primarily deployed at Pathankot and Jorhat. Subsequently in February 2020, India , signed another contract worth around $800 million for six AH64E Apaches for the Army Aviation Corps. Deliveries, delayed due to supply-chain disruptions, began in 2025, with the helicopters assigned to an Army aviation squadron at Jodhpur. In a separate notification, the US announced the approval of sustainment support for the M777s — part of a $737 million deal signed in November 2016. SIT to probe HC registrar’s plaint on posts against judge in Bhageerath case c h i th a l u r i r e v a nth @ Hyderabad Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar on Monday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe social media posts alleging that Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar attempted to influence a High Court judge in connection with a POCSO case involving his son. The SIT will function under the supervision of Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) N Swetha. The case was registered following a complaint by High Court Registrar BS Chiranjeevi over what he termed “concocted” social media posts circulated on May 14. The posts alleged that Sanjay was trying to influence senior vacation judge Justice T Madhavi Devi to secure anticipatory bail for his son, Bandi Sai Bhageerath, accused in a POCSO case involving a minor girl. The registrar stated that the posts had been widely circulated among judges, advocates and the public, harming the image of the judiciary . Police booked the case under Name Vaibhav Raghunath Gaikwad, IPS Chaitanya Kumar, IPS V Arvind Babu K Satish Reddy N Dilip Kumar G Ram Babu Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2) and 267 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Designation Task Force DCP CCS/DD DCP Cyber Crimes DCP Cybercrime PS Inspector Cybercrime PS Inspector CCS Inspector Initially re gistered at Charminar police station, the case was later transferred to the Hyderabad Cybercrime police. Meanwhile, police recorded statements from some friends of Bhageerath in connection with the alleged offence. The victim’s mother alleged that her daughter had been harassed by him on three occasions in 2025. Police are questioning witnesses and gathering further evidence.