tirupati l friday l september 06, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Sebi staffers protest demanding chairperson Buch’s resignation A large number of employees protested outside the Securities Exchange Board of India’s headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday Regulator’s press release sparks anger Over 200 employees took part in protest The protesters demanded the resignation of Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch. They are also wanted the capital markets regulator to withdraw a press release issued on Wednesday refuting allegations of toxic work culture at its offices. Last month, some 500 Sebi employees signed a joint letter to the finance ministry highlighting the alleged harassment faced by them ■ ■ The protesting employees, numbering over 200 as per one estimate, assembled in front of Sebi headquarters in the morning and stood there for about 90 minutes. None of them spoke to the media In the press release, Sebi claimed that some “external elements” were misleading and instigating its employees to further its interests 1st Madhabi puri Buch is the first female chaiperson of SEBI 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 Putin proposes Army to step in to plug Budameru canal breach India mediation on Ukraine war Express News Service @ Vijayawada China and Brazil, too, could be go-betweens; botched ’22 deal could be the starting point Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi Are we ready to negotiate with them? We have never refused to do so, but not on the basis of some ephemeral demands, but on the basis of those documents that were agreed and actually initialled in Istanbul —Vladimir Putin Meet today on fresh aid to Ukraine Pentagon will on Friday host a meeting in Germany of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, comprising over 50 nations that have funded and armed Ukraine to discuss fresh aid for the war Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that he trusted partners like India to resolve the ongoing war with Ukraine. “India, China, Brazil are countries we have trust and confidence in and they will provide us a helping hand in resolving the conflict with Ukraine,’’ President Putin said while fielding questions during a discussion at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Putin was in conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. He said he was in touch with these countries and and they had confidence in one another. Putin said the basis of the talks could be an aborted deal reached between the two sides in Istanbul in 2022. Its terms were never made public. “We managed to reach an agreement, that is the whole point. The signature of the head of the Ukrainian delegation who initialled this document testifies to this, which means that the Ukrainian side was generally satisfied with the agreements reached,” Putin said. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Ukraine on August 23, he had urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sit across the table with President Putin to resolve the matter, adding India was ready to play an active role to restore peace in the region. Days later, he briefed Putin on the outcome of his dialogue with Zelenskyy . Separately, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, referring to the “highly constructive, even friendly relations” between Modi and Putin, said the Indian PM can “lead the line on getting first-hand information from the participants in this conflict”, as he “freely communicates with Putin, Zelenskyy and the US.” He, however, said there are “no specific plans” on Modi mediating on the issue. Ukraine had earlier said it wouldn’t directly engage with Russia but was looking at a coalition of intermediaries to end the war. Terming the flooding of Vijayawada a ‘Jal Pralay Union ,’ Minister for Agriculture and Far mers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said army will be deployed to plug the breach of the Budameru rivulet. The Union Minister promised all possible support from the Centre to the State in providing relief and rehabilitation to the flood affected people. Shivraj Singh on Thursday extensively toured the flood affected areas on foot and also conducted an aerial survey, besides visiting the place where Budameru breached, and the Prakasam Barrage. Later, he held a meeting with the State government officials to assess the flood damage. Speaking to mediapersons along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Minister of State for Rural Development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Shivraj Singh said the Centre responded swiftly to the State government’s call and despatched NDRF teams, Indian Air Force and army helicopters to take up relief and rescue operations. The Union Minister lauded the relief measures taken by the State government, which ensured minimum loss of life and property during ‘Jal Pralay’. “If the government had not responded swiftly, the situation would have been worse,’’ he said. “After my interaction with the people, who were surrounded by the flood water for five days, I found that they are satisfied with the provision of food and water. It is for the first time that food and milk packets have been supplied to the flood affected people using Dairy farm owner dies after saving 4 & cattle Essentials’ kits for flood-hit from today As floodwaters have slightly receded, relief efforts in the floodaffected areas of Vijayawada have gained momentum The State government will supply 25 kg of rice, 1 kg of dal, 1 litre of cooking oil, 1 kg of sugar, 2 kg of onions, and 2 kg of potatoes in two bags to flood victims across 179 ward and 3 village secretariats in Vijayawada from Friday BPCL, HPCL and IOC to set up free service centres at 12 locations to repair the damaged gas stoves of flood affected people drones,’’ he said. Mentioning that the Prakasam Barrage was constructed 70 years ago with a discharge capacity of 11.90 lakh cusecs, the Union Minister said, “Now, we think of how to increase the discharge from the barrage. The illegal mining during the previous regime is one of the reas o n s fo r t h e b re a ch o f Budameru. For now, we will focus on relief.’’ Shivraj Singh said the crop damage is very high and banana plantations, horticulture and floriculture crops have been severely affected. “It is estimated that 1.80 lakh hec- 80 medical camps set up in the affected areas Crop damage The IMD Amaravati Centre has 1.80 lakh hectares issued a weather forecast indicating significant rainfall Affected and thunderstorms across farmers various regions in Andhra 2 lakh Pradesh for the next few days farmers IMD forecast tares of crops have been damaged, and two lakh farmers are affected. NDRF teams and the agriculture ministry officials are assessing the crop damage.” Maintaining that the Centre will extend all possible support, he criticised the previous regime for not paying the insurance premium of farmers under the Fasal Bima Yojana which would have helped the affected farmers. “Now, with the support of the present State government, we will try to provide relief to the affected farmers under Fasal Bima P4 Yojana,’’ he said. P h a n i n d r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada In a tragic incident, Palisetti Chandrasekhar (32) lost his life after heroically saving four people, and around 50 cattle in his dairy farm at Ajit Singh Nagar during the Budameru flash floods. Chandrasekhar of Krishna Lanka was running the dairy unit in Kota Vari Street of Ajit Singh Nagar, along with his two brothers, for the past one year. In the early hours of Sunday, he received information from his elder brother Syamsundar about Budameru flash floods. Chandrasekhar, an expert swimmer, rushed to Ajit Singh Nagar, and freed the cows and buffaloes in his dairy farm with the help of Syamsundar and another brother Koteswara Rao, and two workers as the floodwater submerged the entire cattle shed within no time. Want to create many Singapores in India, says Modi; 4 MoUs signed Trudeau govt reduced to a minority Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi With the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) led by Khalistani sympathiser Jagmeet Singh snapping ties with Canada’s ruling Liberal Party Prime , Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has been reduced to a minority . The simple majority mark in the House of Commons at present is 167 since there are four vacancies. Trudeau’s Liberals with 154 MPs are 13 short of a majority It was NDP with . 24 MPs that had propped up the Liberals since 2022, forcing Trudeau to bend over backwards to keep it happy by taking a soft line on Khalistanis, annoying New Delhi in the process and making the country a sanctuary for anti-India forces. This break-up has increased the chances of a snap federal election, which was scheduled in October 2025. Singh accused Trudeau of taking credit for their ideas. He said that they introduced the pharmacare framework and instilled the idea of a Palestine state with Trudeau. “We’ve torpedoed our reputation, sold off our ideas,’’ Singh lamented. According to the Indian diaspora, Trudeau’s popularity has dipped due to his position on temporary migrant workers — which has a big percentage of Indians. ‘The Canadian government is looking at send back 70,000 foreign workers who are caregivers, truck drivers, workers. There is an increasing level of uncertainty and a lot of bias. Trudeau must go,’’ an Indian expat told this newspaper. Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu explains the flood damage to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at a photo exhibition organised in Vijayawada on Thursday; sanitation workers sprinkle bleaching powder after cleaning the flood-hit areas | Express / Prasant Madugula KISS OF HARMONY Pope Francis, right, kisses the right hand of Nasaruddin Umar, grand imam of Istiqlal Mosque, after an interreligious meeting, in Jakarta on Thursday | AP | P9 INDIA and Singapore on Thursday elevated their ties to a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ after the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore PM Lawrence Wong. The two countries also signed four MoUs for cooperation in the semiconductor industry, digital technologies, s k i l l d e ve l o p m e n t , a n d healthcare. Modi extended an invite to Wong to visit India, which he accepted. “Singapore isn’t just a partner country; Singapore is an inspiration for any developing country We in India also want . to create many Singapores within itself. I am happy to state that we will progress on this front together. Our ministerial roundtable is a path Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong during their visit to AEM Holdings Ltd, in Singapore, on Thursday | PTI breaking mechanism for cooperation in skilling, digitalisation, mobility, semiconductor and cyber security,’’ said Modi, who met his counterpart for the first time since the latter became Singapore PM in May . During the bilateral talks, both leaders reviewed the progress of India-Singapore relations and agreed that elevation of the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership would give a boost to India’s Act East Policy . The two leaders reviewed existing cooperation in the fields of defence and security, maritime domain awareness, education, AI, fintech and science and technology . Modi also announced the setting up of an Invest India office in Singapore, which will be a handholding office for investors in Singapore in various areas identified in the six pillars. India and Singapore will be celebrating 60 years of bilateral relations in 2025. Modi also announced that India would open its first Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre in Singapore. Palisetti Chandrasekhar While rescuing the cattle, he noticed that his two brothers and workers were being swept away by the strong water current. Immediately, he went to their rescue, and managed to take them to safety . “After freeing the cattle and rescuing us, Chandrasekhar tried to climb onto the roof. Unfortunately he slipped in his at, tempt and hit a cement pillar, which caused him severe head injury. He was swept away by the floodwater within no time,” P4 lamented his brothers. express read YSRC MLC Appi Reddy, ex-MP Suresh arrested Guntur: Police on Thursday arrested YSRC MLC Lella Appi Reddy and former Bapatla YSRC MP Nandigam Suresh in connection with the attack on the Telugu Desam Party headquarters in Mangalagiri in Guntur district in 2021. Suresh was taken into custody by a team of police in Hyderabad and he was sent to 14-day remand. Appi Reddy was arrested in Bengaluru | P4 Sexual harassment: TDP MLA suspended Tirupati: The Telugu Desam Party leadership suspended Satyavedu MLA Koneti Adimulam in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment against him by a woman party activist. The victim directly reported the sexual harassment of the MLA to TDP supremo and Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu. State TDP president Palla Srinivasa Rao confirmed MLA’s suspension | P4 Commerce ministry ranking Andhra stands second; Kerala tops in ease of doing business reforms EXPRESS N EWS SERVICE @ Kochi kERALA, which has been trying hard to shake off its antiindustry image, got a major boost on Thursday with the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry ranking it the top state in the country in ‘ease of doing business reforms’. This is the first time that Kerala has been ranked number one in creating an industryfriendly environment. According to the ranking, Andhra Pradesh is at the second spot, followed by Gujarat. Maharashtra is at 14th. Curiously, India’s most industrialised state Tamil Nadu does not figure in the list. Kerala topped in implementing seven citizen-centric reforms and two categories of business-centric reforms. Andhra Pradesh performed well in implementing five citizen-centric reforms and five business-cen- tric reforms, while Gujarat excelled in implementing three citizen-centric reforms and two business-centric reforms. The two categories of busi- ness-centric reforms that Kerala topped are 1) obtaining utility permits-business, and 2) paying taxes. The seven citizencentric reform areas where Pecking order 1 Kerala 9 2 Andhra Pradesh  5 8 Haryana 3 Gujarat 3 3 9 Odisha 4 Rajasthan 5 Tripura 3 6 Uttar Pradesh 3 Top achiever numbers 7 Andaman & Nicobar  2 10 Assam 12 Karnataka 1 2 13 Madhya Pradesh 1 2 14 Maharashtra 1 15 Manipur  1 16 Puducherry 1 17 Punjab 1 1 11 Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu  1 Kerala came first are 1) online single window system 2) certificates (urban local bodies) 3) certificates—department of revenue 4) obtaining utility permits 5) public distribution system—department of food and civil supplies, 6) transport and 7) employment exchange. The ranking was announced by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal at ‘Udyog Samagam’, a conference of industries and commerce ministers of states, in Delhi on Thursday. Goyal handed over the award to Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeve, who was accompanied by the top officials of the state industries department. “Out of 30 reform areas, Kerala got top achiever status in nine categories. This is the first time that we are topping in industry-friendly ranking in the country said Rajeeve. ,” “In the last such ranking on an industry-friendly environment, Kerala made a big leap from 28th spot to 15th spot,” the minister added.