tirupati l tuesday l october 01, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION Modi speaks to Bibi as Israel steps up lebanon campaign Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the situation in West Asia amid conflict in Lebanon Crucial to prevent escalation, says modi ‘Israeli special Forces enter Lebanon’ “Terrorism has no place in our world. It is crucial to prevent regional escalation and ensure the safe release of all hostages,” Modi wrote on X. Meanwhile, a report said Israeli forces have conducted small-scale, targeted raids in Lebanon in recent weeks. The Wall Street Journal reported that the troops entered tunnels dug by Hezbollah on the Lebanese side near border ■ ■ Sources told the US daily that the raids are a precursor to a wider ground operation that could begin this week. The troops are tasked with gathering intel and destroying Hezbollah’s assets near the border Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant on Monday said Israel will use all its capabilities, including ground forces, to achieve its objectives | P9 1,000 people have been killed in the last two weeks, Lebanese authorities said 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 SC: Keep God away from politics Says no concrete proof on use of adulterated ghee in Laddu, raps Naidu for going to press S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday criticised Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for making a statement about the alleged use of adulterated ghee in preparation of Tirumala Laddus, even before a First Information Report (FIR) was registered and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe into the issue. A two-judge bench of the apex court, comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan, sought to know where was the justification for Naidu to go to the press on September 18 when a probe had already been ordered by the State into the allegations. Observing that Gods should be kept away from politics, the court said, “There was no concrete proof that the adulterated ghee was actually used in the preparation of Laddus. There were five suppliers. Ghee sup- Whether such a statement should have been made that affects the sentiments of the devotees? What was the need of going to the press when SIT was ordered? Prima facie there is nothing at least to show at this stage Supreme Court Telugu Desam Party @JaiTDP The TDP-led NDA government in the State will not compromise on protecting the sanctity of Tirumala. It will not play politics. As declared earlier by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, an overhaul of the administration will begin at Tirumala, which under the previous YSRC government was not administered properly SIT inspects process to test quality of Laddus The Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted to probe the alleged irregularities in supply of cow ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), inspected the marketing godown near the Srivari temple in Tirumala on Wednesday. They also verified the process involved in testing the quality of the Laddu Prasadam. The team reportedly spent over 4 hours, inspecting the flour mill plied by one supplier was found to be substandard.” The Supreme Court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by for mer Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman and YSRC leader YV Subba Reddy BJP senior leader , Dr Subramanian Swamy histo, rian Vikram Sampath, Vedic speaker Dushyanth Sridhar and Sudarshan news anchor Suresh Chavhanke. In their petitions, Dr Swamy and Subba Reddy had sought a court-monitored investigation into the allegations of use of animal fat to make Srivari Laddus in Tirumala. Noting that an FIR was registered on September 25 and an SIT was constituted on September 26 to probe the matter, the top court was of the view that when investigation into the matter was under process, it was not appropriate for the high constitutional authority to make a statement (on September 18) which can affect the sentiments of crores of people. “You know, it has not just affected the sentiments of one lakh or two lakh persons, but crores and crores,” the bench remarked. After going through the lab report, the bench told senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who was appearing for Andhra Pradesh, “It is not clear at all and it is prima facie indicating that this was rejected ghee which was subjected to the test. If you yourself have ordered investigation, where is the need P4 to go to the press?”  Pilot project of Skill Census launched from Mangalagiri K K a lya n K r i s h n a K u m a r @ Vijayawada IN a first in the country, the Skill Census project was launched from Mangalagiri. As part of the pilot project, Skill Census will be conducted in Mangalagiri Assembly Constituency and Tullur mandal. Data collection will be carried out in 100 Village Secretariats. A total of 675 enumerators will conduct the census, covering 1,61,421 families, including 1,35,914 in Mangalagiri constituency and 25,507 in Thullur mandal. A dedicated mobile app — Naipunyam — has been developed for this purpose. The enumerators have been trained and technical teams have also been formed to assist the field teams. Elaborating on the procedure, an official from the Skill Development Corporation told TNIE that enumerators are gathering information from individuals aged between 18 and 40 regarding their educational qualifications, employment status, willingness to undergo training if they are unemployed, and preferred courses or trades. The primary objective of the Skill Census is to identify skills among youngsters and provide them with necessary training so as to ensure better job prospects for them. The mapping of enumerators to specific households has alP4 ready been finalised.  Yashasvi Jaiswal (left) scored 72 while R Ashwin took two wickets to reduces Bangladesh to 26/2 on Day 4 | PTI | P11 Records galore in Kanpur Batters give hosts pole position After bowling out Bangladesh for 233, India batters tormented visiting bowlers to rewrite records at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. They broke the record for the fastest team 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 in men’s Test cricket before declaring at 285/9 India broke an array of records to take the driver’s seat on day four of the second Test against Bangladesh Run-rate hits roof Throughout their first innings, India’s scoring rate never dropped down below eight which also is the highest in men’s Test innings (min 200 balls). Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (71 off 51) and KL Rahul (43 off 68) slammed a half-century each while skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scored at a quick pace to give India a lead of 52 runs. R Ashwin then reduced the visitors to 26/2 giving India a hope of victory, which otherwise was heading for a draw after more than two days of no-play e x p r e ss r e a d Can clip HYDRAA tentacles: T’gana HC Hyderabad: Clarifying to HYDRAA and revenue officials that GO 99 could be declared invalid if demolitions continue without due process of the law, The Telangana High Court on Monday made it clear that officials not complying with court orders could spend time in Chanchalguda or Cherlapally jail | P4 CBI busts organised cybercrime globally Hyderabad: The CBI has busted a well-organised cybercrime network by placing under arrest 26 people following raids in 32 locations in Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Visakhapatnam. The illegal call centres facilitated the accused to target their victims globally. As many as 11 were nabbed from Vizag Siddique gets interim protection from arrest Kochi: Supreme Court on Monday granted actor Siddique interim protection from arrest in a rape case registered against him based on a complaint by an actress. While considering the actor’s plea, a bench issued notices to the state government and the victim and sought their replies within two weeks laddu row Anticipatory bail plea filed by AR Dairy E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Managing Director of AR Dairy Foods Private Limited Rajasekharan R on Monday filed a petition in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, seeking anticipatory bail in the case filed against him in connection with the alleged supply of adulterated ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). AR Dairy is based in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. In his plea, the petitioner sought an interim stay against his arrest and other proceedings against him. He maintained that the case was registered against natural justice and without any explanation being sought from him. The petitioner maintained that samples were not collected or analysed as per the norms of The Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006. Rajasekharan further claimed that the case was registered against him purely for political reasons. Further, he appealed to the High Court to take these issues into consideration and grant him anticipatory bail and issue an interim stay in the case. TTD marketing and procurement wing general manager Murali Krishna had given a written complaint to the Tirupati East Police station on September 25, stating that AR Dairy had violated the tender agreement and supplied adulterated ghee even though higher officials of the TTD had flagged the low quality of the essential ingredient. Siddu buys peace as wife offers to return all land K a r t h i k K K & B a l a C h a u h a n @ Mysuru / Bengaluru On a day the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathy BM and others in the MUDA site allotment case, a letter written by Parvathy to MUDA surfaced on Monday offering to surrender all the 14 plots that are at the heart of the controversy . In her emotional letter to the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) commissioner, which is undated, Parvathy requested swift action to take back all the sites. “I have never sought wealth, property or riches. I have lived , carefully, ensuring that no stain touches my husband’s political career due to my actions,” the letter read. Parvathy mentioned that she had not discussed her decision with her husband, her son — Dr Yathindra, who is an MLC, or other family members. “This is a decision I made after consulting my conscience. The day the allegations surfaced, I had made up my mind to return the plots. However, some well-wishers advised me to reconsider as they believed these accusations were politically motivated. But my decision remains unwavering,” she stated. “The land plots, which were given to me by my own brother as part of our family ties, have turned into a controversy I never imagined that . these plots could cause my husband to face unfair accusations,” she lamented. Earlier in the day the ED’s Bengaluru zonal , office registered the case under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ED sources, on condition of anonymity, said the ECIR has been filed based on the FIR registered by the Mysuru unit of Karnataka Lokayukta last weekend. The Lokayukta police invoked charges of corruption, cheating and forgery against against Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathy, his brother-in-law (Parvathy’s brother) Mallikarjuna Swamy and a former landowner — Devaraju — from whom Swamy had purchased land and gifted it to Parvathy. The FIR mentions charges of corruption, cheating and forgery in the allotment of 14 MUDA housing sites in upscale Vijayanagar area of Mysuru to Parvathy in 2021. S u d h i r s u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai Ahead of Maharashtra assembly elections, the state cabinet on Monday decided to give ‘Rajmata Gomata’ status to indigenous cows. A government resolution said, “Since Vedic times, the significance of cows in human life is religious, scientific, and economical and hence it is called as Kamdhenu.” Desi cow milk has high nutritional value and is an important part of the human diet, the government resolution said. The resolution highlighted the concerns about the rapid fall in the number of desi cows in the state. “The newlyaccorded status to the animal would encourage farmers to raise cows,” it added. Some of the indigenous cow breeds in Maharashtra are Devni and Lalkandari in Marathwada, Khillar in western Maharashtra, Dangi in northern Maharashtra and Gavlau in Vidarbha. There are 46,13,632 desi cows in the state, according to the 2019 census, a drop of 20.69 per cent compared to the earlier census figures. Mithun Da joins the pantheon of Dadasaheb Phalke awardees @ Chennai Veteran actor and BJP politician Mithun Chakraborty will be bestowed with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award—the government’s highest recognition in the field of cinema— this year. Once a sympathiser of the Naxal movement in Calcutta, Chakraborty became a Rajya Sabha MP on a Trinamool Congress ticket in 2014. However, he moved to the ruling BJP in 2021 ahead of the West Bengal Legislative As- sembly election that year. Earlier this year, he was also awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour in the country . Making the announcement on X on Monday Union Minis, ter for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw wrote, “Mithun Da’s remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations! Honoured to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor, Sh. Mithun Chakraborty Ji for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema.” The award will be presented at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony on October 8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reshared the post and wrote on X, “Delighted that Shri Mithun Chakraborty Ji has been conferred the I only wish to tell everyone that if I have reached this far, why can’t you? You should have the dedication and motivation. You should have the resilience to face difficult situations —Mithun Chakraborty prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, recognizing his unparalleled contributions to Indian cinema. He is a cultural icon, admired across generations for ED’s ECIR has been registered based on an FIR filed by the Lokayukta police against the CM, his wife Parvathy, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and then landowner — Devaraju — from whom Swamy bought land and gifted it to Parvathy Vendetta tool, says congress “It is no secret that the ED has become an instrument of harassment, vendetta, revenge, and vengeance,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said special status for desi cows in poll-bound maha g o v t ’ s h ig h e st r e c o g n iti o n E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e ECIR based on FIR by lokayukta his versatile performances. Congratulations and best wishes to him.” A star in the 80s, Chakraborty has had a decreased presence on the silver screen in recent times. Although he was part of Bengali-language films like Kabuliwala (2023) and Projapati (2022), his last Hindi outing was the controversial The Kashmir Files (2022). He also served as the head judge or ‘grandmaster’ on the popular dance reality series Dance India Dance from 2009 to 2018. Mithun Da, as he was better known, made his acting debut with Mrinal Sen’s 1976 film Mrigayaa, for which he won the National Award for Best Actor. He bagged two more National Awards for 1992’s Tahader Katha (best actor) and 1998’s Swami Vivekananda (best supporting actor). Mithun Da’s claim to fame, however, was his distinctive dancing style in the 1982 superhit Disco Dancer, which is widely credited for ushering in the era of disco dancing in India through chartbusters like ‘I Am A Disco Dancer’. The cabinet also approved a proposal by the animal husbandry department to give a subsidy of `50 per day for each indigenous cow. This decision is expected to benefit over 46 lakh cow owners across the state. In another major decision, the state cabinet accepted the second and third reports of the Justice Shinde committee, set up to finalise the protocol for issuing Kunbi-Maratha and Maratha-Kunbi certificates based on historical records. The acceptance of the Justice Shinde panel report by the state cabinet is a significant move to placate the Maratha community protesting for inclusion in the OBC category, amid a backlash by backward communities. Putin vows to reach all goals in Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to achieve all his “goals” in Ukraine and celebrated the second anniversary of annexing four Ukrainian regions, as his army claimed fresh advances in the conflict. Moscow has captured dozens of Ukrainian towns and villages this year, pressing forward even as Kyiv mounts a cross-border offensive into Russia page 9