KOCHI l saturday l july 27, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l LATE city EDITION NEET-UG 2024 Ranks change as nta RELEASES final revised RESULTS The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday announced the final results of the controversy ridden medical entrance exam NEET-UG 2024 Representational Image 44 toppers lose 5 marks after revision Now, 17 candidates share All India Rank 1 Final results were released after the Supreme Court dismissed pleas seeking re-test. The earlier scores were revised taking into account SC’s decision on the correct answer to an ambiguous physics question, which NTA said had two answers. As a consequence, 5 marks were cut from those who chose the incorrect option. They include 44 students who had scored full marks earlier With the announcement of the final results of the medical entrance test, 17 candidates now share the top rank, down from 61 in the revised results Among the 17 toppers, 4 are from Rajasthan, 3 from Maharashtra, 2 each from Delhi and UP, and 1 each from Bihar, Chandigarh, Kerala, Punjab, TN and West Bengal. Sreenand Sharmil from Kannur is the topper from Kerala | P7 23,33,297 Number OF STUDENTS WHO APPEARED FOR THE 2024 MEDICAL ENTRANCE TEST 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 No capital city as unhygienic as T’Puram: HC E x p r e s s New s Se r v i ce @Kochi Some facts and figures from the Opening Ceremony 85 No. of boats 205 Delegations Indian athletes wave the Tricolour from a boat on the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday | AP Surreal ceremony opens paris games T HE Eiffel Tower stood attentive, as if trying to capture the moment that will forever be embossed in the annals of Olympic history adorned , with a bouquet of adjectives: outrageous, bold, wild, yet beautiful and sublime. The Seine flowed majestically as ever beside it. The Trocadero stood on the other side where the dignitaries sat in the immersive settings of the Opening Ceremony It all began at 7.30 . TNIE @ olympics pm Paris time, with Indraneel Das football legend ZinedParis ine Zidane starting off things in a humorous skit. On a wet evening, Paris did not need an invocation of the spirits or intervention from divinity For once, . the city that had been an inspiration for many poets, artists, writers and composers was its own muse. From the depths of its heart, it sang melodious tunes and ushered in a new-age world of sport — an apt reflection of the central theme of unity and brotherhood the Opening Ceremony tried Mamata, Soren to attend NITI Aayog council meet today M U K E SH RAN J AN @ New Delhi West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will participate in the ninth meeting of the NITI Aayog governing council on Saturday for some time if she is allowed to speak, as will her Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren, amid a boycott by other CMs of Opposition-ruled states. The meet will discuss a range of issues, including a Viksit Bharat@2047 document. Mamata Banerjee “If they allow me to record our voice, I will do so. Else, I will leave in protest. I will try to speak on behalf of our Hemant Soren state. As far as I know, Hemant (Soren) is also going to speak for his state. On behalf of us (INDIA bloc), we will speak for everybody,” Mamata said in Kolkata. Upon her arrival in Delhi, she went ballistic against the NITI Aayog, saying it should be scrapped and the Planning Commission brought back. “Since the NITI Aayog came up, I have not seen a single work being done because they d o n’ t h ave p owe r, ” s h e charged. 18 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express to showcase. On Friday, the city wished for a dry evening. But the day started on a damp note. The biggest wish on Friday would have been to keep the rains away There was some . rain but not heavy enough to send the joyous crowd home. The gigantic screens on the course of the river captured every movement of the 85 boats ferrying about 6800 athletes over 6 km c h e e r e d by o ve r 3,00,000 spectators congregating on the banks on various stages to watch their favourite athletes float by; like how dreams float in the air. The Games are an opportunity to celebrate Paris in its essence. ‘Us’ is the underlying theme and the ceremony was an amalgamation of history and innovation, heritage and creativity. It celebrated a city that has always been imbued with thought, art, festivity and daring, a world-city where the plurality of living together first emerged, birthing along with it, the possibility of an P13, 14 ‘Us’. 6,800 Attending athletes 6KM Distance between Pont d’Austerlitz (starting point) and the Pont d’lena (end) 3.2L Spectators in 124 ground stands 170 Cameras 200 Rehearsal days 2,000 Artists 1,800 Costumes Highlighting the “pathetic” condition of Thiruvananthapuram due to waste, the Kerala High Court on Friday said no other capital city was i n s u c h a n u n hy g i e n i c condition. During a special sitting it held following the death of a sanitation worker who had gone missing in the filth-filled Amayizhanchan canal, the division bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas and Justice Gopinath also suggested the authorities visit Sri Lanka to understand its waste manage- The garbage-filled Amayizhanchan canal in Thiruvananthapuram | File Pic ment methods. The HC observed that the report of the amici curiae appointed to assess the condition of Amayizhanchan canal in Thiruvananthapuram, presented an embarrassing situation for the state. Modi calls out pak for Terror on Kargil anniv ‘Agnipath scheme implemented at behest of armed forces for reforms’ M AYAN K SIN G H @ Dras Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called out Pakistan for using proxy war to stay relevant, in his address to mark the 25th anniversary of India’s victory in the Kargil war. “Today, I am speaking at a place from where the masters of terror can hear my voice directly. I want to tell these patrons of terrorism that their nefarious intentions will never succeed,” Modi said at the Kargil War Memorial in Dras, Ladakh. Referring to Pakistan’s deceit when India was making all efforts to maintain peace, he said, “Falsehood and terror were brought down to their knees by truth...We not only won the war, we presented an incredible example of truth, restraint and strength.” PM Narendra Modi pays tribute at Kargil War Memorial in Dras on Friday | PTI Modi asserted that the nefarious intentions of terrorists will never be fulfilled. “Our bravehearts will trample all the terror attempts.” Modi paid homage to the bravehearts, who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty on the occasion , of 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas. He also witnessed the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project in Ladakh, virtually. The project consists of a 4.1 km Sudhakaran, Satheesan draw daggers C y n t h i a C h a n d r a n @T’Puram With the competition and oneupmanship between state Congress chief K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan breaching the limits and threatening to dampen the spirits of party workers stirred up by the Lok Sabha poll results, many senior leaders think it’s time for the high command to intervene and rein in the two leaders. A day after Sudhakaran snubbed him by cancelling a circular he issued in his capacity as the Congress legislature party leader, an apparently annoyed Satheesan boycotted the Thiruvananthapuram district executive meeting, which he was scheduled to preside on Friday The meeting was . slated as part of the Congress’ ‘Mission 2025’ programme. The two leaders have shared a strained relation for quite some time. A few days ago, the Sudhakaran camp had approached the party national leadership against Satheesan, alleging that the LoP’s loyalists had been deliberately planting stories against the KPCC chief. On Thursday Sudhakaran had called an , online meeting of KPCC office-bearers where a few general secretaries targeted Satheesan for coming up with a circular on the strategy to be adopted for local body polls. Sudhakaran came out with a sixpage circular, cancelling Satheesan’s dossier. Sudhakaran, who is in Delhi as the Parliament is in session, had no qualms in admitting there were certain issues with Satheesan. But they would be resolved soon through talks, he said. Satheesan denied issuing any cir● More on P4 cular. Relationship: it’s Complicated A day after Sudhakaran cancelled the circular he issued in his capacity as Congress legislature party leader, an apparently annoyed Satheesan boycotted the T’Puram district executive meeting, which he was scheduled to preside on Friday 1 A few days ago, Sudhakaran camp had approached the Cong national leadership against Satheesan, alleging that the LoP’s loyalists had been deliberately planting stories against the KPCC chief. 2 Paradigm shift as PSU sale put on ice DI PA K M O NDA L @ New Delhi IN a marked departure from its aggressive privatisation pitch in the past, the Narendra Modi-led government seems to have quietly put the disinvestment drive on the back burner. Confirming this paradigm shift, top government sources told this newspaper that privatisation of public sector companies is no longer a priority for the Centre. The new line of thinking is that there is great value to be unlocked in some of the State-owned entities on the block, and that it makes more sense in holding on to such enterprises and making them profitable than giving them away at low prices. “There has been a change of emphasis and a change of orientation, more towards a balanced view of the benefits of holding versus the benefits selling off. But disinvest- Disinvestment proceeds (in G crore) 50K 50,000 40K 50,300 35,293 16,500 30K 32,885 13,534 20K 10K 2024-25* 2023-24 “Thiruvananthapuram is currently in a dire state. Nowhere else can you find a capital city in such an unhygienic condition. All capital cities in the world are...visual treat. Even in India, most of the capital cities are visual treats. But the report of the amici curiae pointed out that every part of Thiruvananthapuram is piled up by garbage. How could this happen in a place which is under the nose of the government,” asked the bench. It suggested that authorities visit countries like Sri Lanka to understand their waste management methods. 2022-23 2021-22 2020-21 2019-20 * Budget Estimate | Source: Department of Investment and Public Asset Management ment will continue, but will not be the sole priority said a source. ,” This, however, doesn’t mean privatisation plans are on hold; only that sell-off is no longer the priority of the government, which will continue to look for ways to pare down its holdings in some public sector entities. The Budget has estimated `50,000 collection from disinvestment in FY25. Last year, disinvestment pro- There has been a change... more towards a balanced view of the benefits of holding versus the benefits selling off A source ceeds stood at `16,500 crore against revised estimates of `30,000 crore. Despite its best efforts, the government could privatise only two PSUs – Air India and Neelanchal Ispat Nigam – so far. Stake sale in IDBI Bank is ongoing, and that is the only PSU which may go to a private entity as the government and LIC— which together hold 94.7% in the bank—look to sell 46% stake to a new entity . long twin-tube tunnel to be constructed at an altitude of around 15,800 ft on the NimuPadum-Darcha Road to provide all-weather connectivity to Leh. Once completed, it will be the highest tunnel in the world. The Shinkun La tunnel will not only ensure swift and efficient movement of the Army and equipment but also foster economic and social development in Ladakh. Lauding the defence forces for the reforms in the defence sector, Modi dwelt at length on the Agnipath scheme. “The pur pose of the Agnipath scheme is to keep forces young and continuously battle-ready ,” Modi asserted, while criticising its politicisation. “The truth is that Agnipath scheme will increase the strength of the forces and the country will get capable youth,” he added. “If you want to understand how cities are kept clean, you don’t have to travel far. Just go to Sri Lanka and see the number of tourists visiting the country and the cleanliness of the roads and streets. You can’t find a single piece of litter. Sri Lanka is not a rich country,” the bench commented. It also referenced Singapore’s waste management techniques, where plastic waste is burnt to generate substantial energy, such as electricity. The court urged authorities to seek expert help and adopt waste management techniques used in ● More on P4 other countries. EXPRESS READ Woman swindles G20 cr over 4 years Thrissur: A 40-year-old woman was taken into custody for embezzling nearly J20 crore since 2020 from the company where she had been working for 18 years. The accused is Dhanya Mohan, an AGM at Manappuram Comptech and Consultants Ltd | P7 1 more case of amoebic meningoencephalitis Kozhikode: Amoebic meningoencephalitis has been confirmed in a three-and-ahalf-year-old boy from Kannur, taking the total number of cases in the state to five. The boy from Pariyaram is under treatment in Kozhikode | P7 Couple charred to death Pathanamthitta: A couple hailing from Thukalassery in Tiruvalla, was charred to death in their car at Vengal in Pathanamthitta district on Friday. Tiruvalla DySP Ashad S confirmed it was suicide | P7
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