HYDERABAD MONDAY JUNE 24, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 12 LATE CITY EDITION T20 WORLD CUP: AFGHANISTAN STUN 2021 CHAMPS AUSTRALIA Defending a par total of 148, bowlers deliver a clinical performance as the Rashid Khan-led side beat Oz by 21 runs... NAIB CONJURES MAGIC IN HISTORIC VICTORY WHO NEEDS TO DO WHAT TO QUALIFY? Afghanistan came close in the ODI World Cup, but couldn’t cross the line against Australia. On Saturday, however, the stars had aligned. Pat Cummins’ hat-trick didn’t matter. Neither did the fighting fifty from Glenn Maxwell. Naveen-ul-Haq (3/20) and Gulbadin Naib (4/20) rose to the occasion — sharing seven wickets between them — to take Afghanistan across the line | P11 ■ ■ For Australia, its simple. They have to beat India by a significant margin. If it is a close result, they need Bangladesh to beat Afghanistan in the evening match Afghanistan will know what they need to do when they take the field. There is a chance of three teams finishing with 2 points each 45 MOHAMMAD NABI HAS BEEN PART OF INT’L WINS AGAINST 45 COUNTRIES 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 CBI takes over NEET-UG probe, registers FIR Special teams formed, despatched to Bihar and Gujarat where cases of question paper leaks have been registered Poor turnout for retest as 50% candidates absent M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Isro’s Reusable Launch Vehicle ‘Pushpak’ lands during Sunday’s final test | PTI ISRO’S REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE TEST SUCCESSFUL EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chitradurga IT was super Sunday for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) as it successfully conducted the Reusable Launch Vehicle Landing Experiment for the third consecutive time. The third and final Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing Experiment (LEX) was conducted at 7.10 am at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Kudapura in Challakere taluk of Chitradurga. The mission demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the launch vehicle under more challenging conditions at the ATR. The vehicle, Pushpak, was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km. Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvres, approached the runway and performed a precise horizontal landing at the centreline. Because of Pushpak’s low lift-to-drag ratio aerodynamic configuration, the landing velocity exceeded 320 kmph, compared to 260 kmph for a commercial aircraft. After the touchdown, the vehicle velocity was reduced to nearly 100 kmph using its brake parachute. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director S Unnikrishnan Nair said this success bolsters Isro’s confidence in critical technologies necessary for future orbital re-entry missions. EXPRESS READ Flyover on NH65 to cut Hyd-Vijayawada travel time Hyderabad: Roads & Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the construction of a flyover on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada NH 65 at Chityal in Nalgonda district. The flyover will reduce travel time between Vijayawada and the Telangana capital. The minister said that 17 black spots on the national highway will be rectified by the end of this year | P4 ANOTHERCONGRESS BRS MLA JUMPS SHIP, JOINS Jagtial legislator M Sanjay Kumar on Sunday became the fifth BRS MLA to join the grand old party | P4 After fly ash, BRS fires fresh salvo at Ponnam EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy on Sunday released an audio clip in which Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar is allegedly heard instructing Revenue officials not to distribute Kalyana Lakshmi cheques through the Huzurabad legislator. Playing the purported clip at a press conference, Kaushik called the instructions a violation of protocol. He alleged that Ponnam instructed the local tahsildar and RDO not to distribute the cheques through the MLA. As per the earlier GO issued in 2016, the local MLA had the powers to distribute the cheques, the pink party legislator said. Meanwhile, responding to a legal notice sent to him by the transport minister, Kaushik said that he would release some more evidence in the fly ash scam in the erstwhile Karimnagar district. He reiterated that though the maximum load capacity per truck was 32 tonnes, 80 tonnes of fly ash were being transported Transport min serves defamation notices Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar served defamation notices to BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and former MP J Santosh Kumar and demanded an unconditional apology from them for “falsely” making corruption charges. On June 8, Kaushik alleged the minister was involved in a scam of `100 crore through the illegal transportation of fly ash from the NTPC. The minister also served notices to a newspaper and TV channel for publishing the allegations. in each truck. The BRS MLA said that he was ready for an open debate with Ponnam on the issue. The Huzurabad MLA also said he was maintaining a ‘black book’ and noting down the names of officials who were violating the rules. “Black days will start for these officials once the BRS returns to power,” Kaushik said. THE Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday filed an FIR and initiated a probe into alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEETUG held on May 5 on a complaint it received from the Union education ministry officials , said. The complaint by the Department of Higher Education, now part of the FIR, cites “certain isolated incidents” in a few states during the conduct of the examination. In its communication to the CBI, the education department sought a detailed probe into conspiracy, cheating, impersonation, breach of trust, and destruction of evidence by candidates, institutes and middlemen. The department has also requested the CBI to look into the role of public servants, if any, connected with the conduct of the examination. The central probe agency has sent its teams to Bihar’s Patna and also to Godhra in Gujarat, where cases of question paper leaks have been registered by local police, officials said, adding that the CBI may take over those cases. “The probe agency has accordingly registered a criminal case and initiated an investigation. Special teams have been formed by it to investigate the matter on top priority. Teams are being sent to Patna and Godhra, where local police have registered cases in this regard,” a senior CBI official said. The allegations of irregularities sparked protests in several cities and a litany of litigation. decision to award grace marks was strange, as the rule book clearly states that in the event THE NEET-UG retest for 1,563 of an exam delay, extra time candidates who were previous- should be granted at the centre. ly awarded grace marks saw The source highlighted that the poor turnout on Sunday as only top 100,000 students from 4,750 half of them turned up at the centres showcased the nationseven re-examination centres wide desire to succeed. spread across Chhattisgarh, The re-exam saw varied atGujarat, Haryana, Meghalaya, tendance rates across different and Chandigarh. Officials said states and centres. Gujarat re813 (52%) of the eligible candi- corded the highest attendance dates attended the reat 100%, while Chantest while 750 (48%) digarh had the lowest 63 debarred chose to skip it. at 0%. In Chandigarh Sixty-three The re-test was (UT), none of the two candidates have held on the orders of eligible candidates been debarred the Supreme Court appeared. In Chhatnationwide for following complaints tisgarh, of the 602 elimalpractices of irregularities in gible candidates, 291 during the NEETthe medical entrance (48.34%) appeared. UG, according to exam after 1,563 canGujarat’s Surat had the NTA. This didates were given one eligible candidate includes 17 grace marks to make who attended, achievcandidates from up for the loss of time ing a 100% attendi n s o m e c e n t r e s Bihar and 30 from ance rate. In Jhajjar, Godhra where the test started Haryana, DAV Police late on May 5. Public School and Apart from the controversy Kendriya Vidyalaya saw 287 out over the award of grace marks, of 494 (58.09%) eligible candithe coveted entrance test was dates attend. In Meghalaya, 234 also marred by allegations of out of 464 (50.43%) eligible canpaper leak, putting the Nation- didates appeared for the exam. al Testing Agency (NTA), which Education ministry sources held the tests, in bad light. said that education had been Speaking to this newspaper, “unbundled” with exam coacha high-level source in the Union ing centres being at the foreeducation ministry admitted front, driven by parents’ desire that the NTA did not “instil for their children’s success. Ofconfidence” among the public. ficials rubbished rumours that The source mentioned that the NTA portal has been hacked. K E TA N N A R O T TA M TA N N A @ New Delhi Screen grab of CBI personnel confronted by villagers in Bihar’s Nawada district PROBE TEAM ATTACKED IN BIHAR A team of CBI officials probing alleged irregularities in the conduct of the UGC-NET examination was attacked by a mob in Bihar’s Nawada district after which four persons were arrested by police on a complaint from the central agency, officials said Sunday. According to police, the villagers attacked the CBI team under the impression that they were imposters trying to harass them on the pretext of investigation. The incident occurred on Saturday evening when the CBI sleuths reached Kasiadeeh village. Some officials sustained minor injuries in the scuffle Opposition parties have also latched on to the issue to put pressure on the government ahead of Parliament session. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad questioned two teachers who run a private coaching centre in Latur in connection with the alleged irregularities. It is to be noted that besides NEET-UG, three other exams— UGC NET, CSIR-UGC NET, and NEET-PG—have also faced controversy. The UGC NET was cancelled by the government a day after the exam, while the CSIR-UGC NET and NEET-PG exams have been postponed. To combat exam malpractice, the central government has also notified rules to implement the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. This Act aims to prevent unfair practices in public examinations and address related issues. Also, high-level panel of experts chaired by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan has been formed to ensure transparent, smooth, and fair conP4, P7 duct of examinations. Parl session to begin today Security forces bust amid pro-tem speaker row Maoist fake currency P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AMID the row over appointment of seven-term member Bhartruhari Mahtab of the BJP as pro-tem speaker, the inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha is set to begin on a combative note on Monday . The first day of the special Parliament session will see oath-taking by 280 newly elected MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers. The remaining 264 parliamentarians including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will take oath on Tuesday The focus will be shift. ed to the election of the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 26 and President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of the both Houses on June 27. The row over pro-tem speaker is likely to escalate on Monday as three Opposition MPs consider pulling out of the panel of chairpersons to assist Mahtab in carrying out the proceedings of the House till the election of the Speaker. Early this week, President Murmu appointed Mahtab as pro-tem speaker and nominated a panel of senior MPs including Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh, DMK MP T R Baalu, TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and BJP leaders Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste to assist Mahtab. Speaking to this newspaper, K Suresh said a final decision on boycotting the panel will be taken on Monday . The Opposition is up in arms over Mahtab’s appointment. They allege the claim of K Suresh, an eighth-term MP, to the post was bypassed by the government. Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says that Mahtab has had seven uninterrupted terms as a Lok Sabha member, making him eligible for the post and the Congress is trying to mislead people. The Opposition and the government are likely to lock horns over the election of the Speaker and deputy speaker posts. While the government remains secretive about its Speaker candidate, the Opposition stands firm on its claim to the deputy speaker post. The debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, which begins on June 28, may also witness stor my scenes. The Opposition will try to pressure the government on various issues including NEETUG and UGC-NET exams, new criminal laws, and the Kanchanjunga Express accident. The PM is likely to respond to debate on July 2 or 3. Both Houses will go into a brief recess and re-assemble on July 22 for Budget. operation in C’garh E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur SECURITY forces on Sunday tracked down a Maoist-run facility in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh which was allegedly being used for printing counterfeit currency notes. On receiving a tip-off, a joint team of security forces comprising personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), District Reserve Guards of the Chhattisgarh Police, and Bastar Fighters — a special force formed in 2022 to fight Maoist threat — launched a joint search operation. “Recovered a cache of counterfeit notes, colour printers, more than 200 ink bottles, printer cartridges, rollers and other equipment,” Sukma police chief Kiran Chouhan said. He added that the ultras managed to escape into a nearby jungle as the forces were closing in on the facility Sources said currency notes of denomina. tions of `50, 100, 200 and 500 were recovered during a search. Chouhan said Maoists have resorted to printing fake currency notes to cope with a fall in cash flow amid aggressive counter-insurgency operations by the security forces. “The pressure had mounted on the extremists after several new security camps that were set up in remote areas started derailing their funding source,” Chouhan said. In a separate incident, two CRPF jawans were killed when the ultras blew up a truck with an improvised explosive device in the Sukma district. The deceased jawans were identified as constable Vishnu R, 35, from Kerala, and driver Shailendra, 29, from Uttar Pradesh. The two belonged to the force’s jungle warfare unit CoBRA. The incident happened near Timmapuram village between Silger and Tekalgudem camps of the security forces. Telangana junior doctors to begin statewide strike today A A R T I K A S H YA P @ Hyderabad AROUND 6,000 junior doctors from 26 medical colleges across Telangana will begin an indefinite strike from Monday They . allege the state government has not acted on their longpending demands such as a green channel for timely disbursement of stipends to junior doctors, house surgeons and others. The junior doctors will be boycotting outpatient (OP) services, elective surgeries and ward duties. Earlier on June 18, the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA) submitted a letter to the director of medical education, listing their demands and intimating the DME about a strike from Monday in case the authorities failed to take tangible action. In response to the doctors’ demands, the finance department on Saturday issued orders to the DME to release funds worth `123.32 crore for the year 2024–25. However, the doctors said that allocating an annual budget was not enough and that the funds should also be released to them on time. They noted that similar amounts had been sanctioned on a quarterly basis earlier as well but there were delays in disbursing the stipends. ‘Faculty members to look after OP, ward rooms’ The strike would put pressure on outpatient and other services in government medical colleges. Dr B Nagendar, superintendent, Osmania General Hospital told TNIE that while junior doctors were going on elective work strike, they would still be on emergency duty. “Faculty members will look after operation theatres, ward rooms and OP. We have instructed the HoDs of all departments to arrange for faculty members to ensure health services are not affected,” he said. Dr CH G Sai Sri Harsha, T-JUDA president, told TNIE, “The finance department should clear all obstacles in releasing stipends to resident doctors by creating a green channel. It should also issue a circular stating stipends will be credited before the 10th of every month to all junior doctors.” Dr Harsha said that previous representations to the health minister and the deputy chief minister had not yielded results and that the doctors were forced to call a strike. CONTINUED ON P4
Express Network Private Limited publishes thirty three E-paper editions of The New Indian Express newspaper , thirty two E-paper editions of Dinamani, one E-paper edition of The Morning Standard, one E-paper edition of Malayalam Vaarika magazine and one E-paper edition of the Indulge - The Morning Standard, Kolkatta.