kalaburagi l friday l october 09, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Canadian poet Anne Carson awarded Literature Nobel Anne Carson won the Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday for her ‘bold and inventive’ works that fuse the classical and the modern Known for modern takes on Greek classics Carson brought a modern twist to ancient myths through her genreblending writings about love, desire and despair. In doing so, she has created new forms for contemporary literature, the Swedish Academy said. For example, her Autobiography of Red (1998) reimagines the myth of Hercules and the monster Geryon as a 20th-century coming-of-age story ■ 3rd Her reaction: They are all crazy ■ “Almost all her literary production has centred upon the intersection between the philologist’s obsession with words and the poet’s desire for new meaning,” the Academy said in a statement When asked about the Academy members’ decision to honour her, the 76-year-old told an Iceland broadcaster, “They’re all crazy” canadian to win the honour after alice munro and saul bellow 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 INDIA bloc stages Taxman losing arrest power sit-in at Rajghat among GST Council reforms UDAYA N KISHOR E & A N UP KUMAR V E RMA @ New Delhi Threshold for prosecution now `10 crore; for issuing notice, it’s `10,000 INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, staged a peaceful protest on Thursday at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Rajghat against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged election malpractices. The leaders met briefly for lunch, hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, at Connaught Place and then moved in buses towards the memorial, along with a group of supporters, where they paid floral tributes and sat in a peaceful protest. The INDIA bloc leaders said they were praying for “wisdom to the BJP government” as they alleged that the CEC in connivance with the Centre had “hijacked” the country through “a criminal conspiracy by indulging in vote theft”. The opposition leaders said they would continue their pro- P u s h p i ta De y @ New Delhi Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi along with INDIA bloc leaders en route to Rajghat on Thursday | Parveen Negi test till CEC Gyanesh Kumar resigns. They are likely to meet again on Friday in Parliament for a protest. Samajwadi Party Shiv Sena, UBT, and NCP-SCP also attended the lunch. Besides TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee and Menaka Guruswamy, CPI-M leader John Brittas and CPI leader P Sandosh were present. Later in the day, the INDIA bloc request an appointment of the President to make a representation on ‘vote theft’.  P9 The GST Council on Thursday approved a series of process reforms aimed at easing compliance for businesses, including simplifying registration and refunds, scrapping arrest powers of GST officers and raising the monetary threshold for prosecution to `10 crore from `5 crore. The Council also approved a `10,000 threshold for issuing GST show-cause notices and allowed input tax credit (ITC) on several business expenses, including employee insurance. The decisions were taken at the 57th meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and attended by finance ministers from several states. The meeting focused on process reforms to reduce compliance burdens and litigation risks for businesses. The Council also addressed a major pain point for businesses — denial of ITC because of noncompliance by vendors in the supply chain. It said genuine buyers should not lose credit because of supplier defaults. A standing committee of officers will examine the issue and submit its re- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar (R), Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and others at the GST Council meet in Delhi on Thursday | PTI Input tax credit issues “In the spirit of cooperative federalism, it was decided to have an officers’ committee to examine ITC issues. Why should an honest taxpayer face issues in claiming ITC, if the person/business pays the input tax?” Sitharaman said port within three months, after which the matter will be placed before the next Council meeting. The Council also widened the scope of ITC to several business expenses, including outdoor catering, health and life insurance, telecommunication towers and pipelines laid outside factory premises. ITC will also be allowed on free samples and goods destroyed or written off after expiry where such destruction is required by law. It also brought input services within the scope of refunds under the inverted duty structure, where businesses are left with accumulated credit because their inputs are taxed at a higher rate than their output. The benefit will be available for credit availed on or after November 1. The Council also scrapped the power of GST officers to arrest taxpayers. To curb litigation, it proposed that no show-cause notice be issued where the amount involved is up to `10,000. A common standard will govern the issuance and service of notices in cases involving alleged fraud. P12 `10Lcr Investors lose as Nifty hits 52-week low Domestic equity market crashed once again on Thursday (October 8) as soaring US bond yields and a sharp rise in Brent crude oil prices above $104 a barrel pushed the Nifty to a 52-week low | P12 TCs, Infosys, Cognizant hit US suspends IT giants from green card process YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, actor Prakash Raj and Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke lead the protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday | Express Won’t stop till CEC quits, says Dipke at B’luru rally E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Election Commission of India of “murdering democracy” and “vote theft”, at a massive protest here on Thursday . Taking part in ‘People’s Tribunal’, organised by civil society groups, citizen forums, CJP and allied organisations at Freedom Park against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Dipke said they would continue their agitation until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigned. The agitators demanded that the SIR exercise be scrapped and pre-SIR electoral rolls restored. Thousands of protesters had gathered at the venue. Voters from Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka shared their experiences of alleged exclusion from the electoral rolls. Video testimonials from people claiming to have been affected by the SIR process were also played. Protesters raised slogans, including “Vote theft”, “Don’t erase us, hear us” and “Grand Theft Democracy”. Dipke alleged that voter deletions under SIR were aimed at disenfranchising those opposed to the BJP “We will hit the streets, . reclaim democracy and continue the agitation till the CEC resigns,” he added. Claiming that people whose names had been deleted were present at the agitation, Dipke said, “People who were declared dead are standing here. So the death is not the death of these people. It is the death of democracy in this country  .” P4 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru AHEAD of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s expected visit to India this month, the US government has suspended several Indian IT giants, including TCS and Infosys, from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, a key step in the employmentbased green card process, amid allegations of abuse and fraud in US visa programmes. US Vice-President J D Vance announced the action on Thursday. Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling said Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL and Capgemini were among the companies affected. Microsoft and Adobe were also suspended, with the Labour Department citing multiple federal investigations. Vance accused the companies of using H-1B workers to replace American employees and said the programme had become “rife with fraud”. He alleged that Microsoft had laid off about 6,000 American workers while receiving thousands of H-1B approvals and filing PERM applications. The PERM programme is administered by the US Department of Labour. It generally requires an employer sponsoring a foreign worker for permanent residence to show that there are not enough qualified US workers available for the job and that employing the foreign worker will not adversely affect wages and working conditions. PERM is one of the main stages before an employer can proceed with an employment-based green card application. Indian technology firms are particularly affected because Indians account for a large share of H-1B workers. E x p r e s s Re a d Air India tickets to rise due to fuel surcharge New Delhi: Air India and Air India Express have revised their fuel surcharge across domestic and select international routes. The revised fuel surcharge, ranging between `400 and `20,855, will be reflected in new bookings from Friday | P12 Cancer drugs all set to become cheaper New Delhi: Cancer drugs will soon will see a 70% drop in retail prices as the Centre is set to cap trade margins at 30% over the cost to distributors. This will bring down prices of 110 anti-cancer drugs | P9 down the hole Industry responds A car fell into a sinkhole after a section of the road caved in on Rajiv Gandhi Salai in Chennai, on Thursday. The two occupants escaped unhurt | P Ravikumar Indian IT trade association NASSCOM downplayed the action, saying Indian firms had built a strong US workforce. But immigration and skilled talent mobility are distinct issues and must not be viewed via the same lens, it said The message to Microsoft is that you’ve got to hire American workers JD Vance, US Vice-President K’taka mulls charges for eco services in urban areas B o s k y K h a nn a @Bengaluru The state government is considering introducing charges for ecosystem services in urban areas to raise money for mitigating conflict and helping people, particularly farmers, staying in the fringes of forest areas. Officials in the forest department said the aim is to increase awareness among people of lung spaces, forest areas and the conflicts rising due to increased urbanisation. If the plan goes ahead, Karnataka will be the first state to introduce such charges, the amount of which is yet to be finalised. The forest department has sought suggestions from scien- tists, conservationists, experts, and citizens on the proposal. Officials said service charges will be used for the welfare of the people staying around forests. This is one of the many conflict mitigation plans that h ave b e e n l i s t e d by t h e department. The officials said that before implementing it, a scientific database is being created. There is a need to understand what ecological services that forests and lung spaces provide and the value of it. “Though the idea is good, but how to levy it like in the form of a green cess or in the form of a tax is yet to be finalised,” another senior official said. Sting operation attempt was made against me, claims CM E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday claimed that attempts were being made to conduct sting operations against him and other ministers after he assumed office, and said he knew who was behind the alleged operation, who was funding it and how it was being carried out. He had cautioned his colleagues at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting to be vigilant about potential sting operations on them. Home Minister Priyank Kharge defended Shivakumar’s warning, and said the CM had asked ministers to remain vigilant based on information received by the gover nment. Kharge alleged that attempts were being made to destabilise the state government and questioned the role of central agencies, including the Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate. Kharge also questioned Kumaraswamy’s allegation and urged him to substantiate his claims with evidence. “You are a former chief minister and a Union minister. Please respect the dignity of your chair,” he said. Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Shivakumar said he had evidence regarding the alleged operation but would not disclose the details at this stage. “After I became Chief Minister, attempts were made to conduct sting operations on me and other leaders. I know who the mastermind is, who is funding it and how the operation is being carried out,” he said. Shivakumar claimed that some people had approached him and that he had informed police after becoming suspicious about them. He said he had photographs and other records and could release them if required. “There is concrete information that some leaders have hired private agents for this operation,” he said.  P4 Ic o n i c d i a l o g u e d e l i v e r y Nana Patekar 1 Jan 1951 — 8 Oct 2026 Man of contradictions and fiery, mesmerising monologues N a m r ata J o s h i N ana Patekar was a star sans glamour. If one phrase could capture him succinctly it’d be “son of , the soil”. It didn’t just reflect in his favourite attire of the kurta and the gamcha but also in his rootedness in his Marathi identity and culture, his simple one BHK (bedroom-hallkitchen) life in Mumbai, and his love for farming and all things rural, towards which he fo- cused most of his philanthropic efforts through the Naam Foundation that he jointly set up in 2015 along with actor Makarand Anaspure. His rough-around-the-edges, mercurial, far-from-glitzy personality found an answering reflection in the volatile, capricious, crusty characters he came to be identified with on screen; most of them, like him, driven by fierceness, fervour, outspokenness, and a righteous rage. He first caught the audience’s eye with the grounded way he captured the angst of Intensity, individuality Nana Patekar passed away at his Goa residence on Thursday after suffering a heart attack. He was 75. “Few actors possessed the intensity, individuality and unmistakable presence that Shri Nana Patekar Ji had,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X an unemployed wastrel in N Chandra’s Ankush (1986). His popularity among the masses peaked in the zealous patriotism of films Tirangaa (1993) and Krantiveer (1994). His distinctive voice and unmistakable dialogue delivery added to the appeal. In that aspect, he was a true inheritor of the legacy of legendary Hindi film star Raaj Kumar, also known for his declamatory style. Nana’s iconic monologues were certainly not about mincing words; in fact, they whipped up the crowd and were repeated with the same gusto by his fans. Like the famous line on communal harmony in Krantiveer, which underscores that one can’t distinguish between the blood of a Hindu and a Muslim, and if the creator has treated them equally, humans have no right to drive wedges between the two: “Yeh Musalman ka khoon, yeh Hindu ka khoon. Bata ismein Musalman ka kaunsa hai, Hindu ka kaunsa? Banane wale ne ismein fark nahi kiya, tu kaun hota hai fark karne wala?” Or the sharp barb, in the same film, on how the politicians continue to enjoy power while common people perish: “Ek ek karke sab marenge! Aur yeh neta log kursi par baithkar maza lenge!”  Continued on: P10