visakhapatnam l tuesday l october 29, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Former Karnataka hc judge K S Puttaswamy passes away Played lead role in RIGHT TO PRIVACY CASE His petition played a pivotal role in declaration of right to privacy as a fundamental right by the Supreme Court. In a landmark verdict in August 2017, a nine-judge bench declared the right to privacy a fundamental right under Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution. The Aadhaar scheme subsequently received legislative sanction Justice Puttaswamy, 98, was the lead petitioner who had moved the SC in 2012 challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar scheme K S Puttaswamy 8 Feb 1926 - 28 Oct 2024 aDVOCATE turned EMINENT JURIST ■ ■ ■ SC underlined privacy to be “the constitutional core of human dignity” Born on February 8, 1926, Puttaswamy studied at Maharaja’s College, Mysore and obtained a law degree from Govt Law College, Bengaluru He was enrolled as an advocate in January 1952 and practised in Mysuru. He became the Karnataka High Court judge on November 28, 1977 2012 When justice Puttaswamy moved SC challenging the Aadhaar SCHEME 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 Lokesh invites Tesla to set up EV, battery units in Anantapur war against terror S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Infantry combat vehicles take position during a search operation following a terrorist attack on an army convoy, at Akhnoor sector in Jammu on Monday | PTI | P8 Census likely in early 2025 Speculation on LS seat delimitation; NDA ally TDP demands policy rejig RAJE S H K U MAR THAK U R a n d P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Strong indications from the Centre on Monday suggested that the much-delayed decadal Census exercise would begin in early 2025, potentially followed by the controversial delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies. Since Census is a humongous exercise, it will take over a year for it to be wrapped up and the report cannot be published before 2026. The year 2026 is significant because Article 82 of the Constitution says, “Provided also that until the relevant figures for the first Census taken after the year 2026 have been published, it shall not be necessary to readjust.” Speaking to this newspaper, The fine print former chief statistician Pronab Sen said the delimitation process can be carried out after completing the Census operations in 2026 if the government so desires. “We are at the end of 2024. If the process of Census starts today, the earliest you will be able to finish the exercise is by MarchApril 2026. It takes a year and a half just for preparation. The first step is house listing and it will take 7-8 months. Then the process of preparing for the Census begins. The Constitution says that the delimitation should be based on the first Census on or after 2026,” he said. Delimitation runs the risk of upsetting states in the South as they stand to lose political clout 82 article National Register of Citizens to be updated; no caste census clarity in the Lok Sabha for being successful in population control. Speaking to this paper, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an NDA ally sought reworking of , the delimitation exercise. TDP MP and Parliamentary party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said, “The delimitation of Lok Sabha seats on the basis of population may lead to Andhra Pradesh losing out in representation as we successfully controlled population through family planning programmes. The state shoudn’t be punished for that. We want to have consultations with the government and various other stakeholders in reworking the policy .” As for the other demand on Upon the completion of each census, the allocation of seats in the House of the People to the States and the division of each State into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted by such authority and in such manner as Parliament may by law determine: including caste census, no decision has been taken on it yet. The government appears cautious about including caste data in the Census, possibly in view of assembly elections in states like Bihar. The Census originally scheduled for 2020-21, got delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Year 2025 will represent the start of a new Census cycle — 2025-2035, 2035-2045 and so on. The whole exercise will begin with the updation of the National Register of Citizens. Enumerators are expected to compile data on at least 31 heads, including household composition, amenities, demographic details like whether the head of the household belongs to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. Provided further that such readjustment shall take effect from such date as President may, by order, specify and until such readjustment takes effect, any election to the House may be held on the basis of the territorial constituencies existing before such readjustment; Provided also that until the relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2026 have been published, it shall not be necessary to readjust (a) the allocation of seats in the House of the People to the States as readjusted on the basis of the 1971 census; and (b) the division of each State into territorial constituencies as may be readjusted on the basis of the 2001 census, under this article Hyd-Vizag IndiGo flight receives hoax bomb threat U s h a P e r i /A j ay T o m a r @ Visakhapatnam/Hyderabad An IndiGo flight (6E 409) that took off for Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad Airport on Monday afternoon received a hoax bomb threat, resulting in the flight being delayed by about two-and-a-half hours at the Visakhapatnam International Airport for its onward journey to Mumbai. The threat was reported after the plane had already taken off from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad at the scheduled time of 1:22 pm and arrived on time in Visakhapatnam at 2:31 pm, an IndiGo staffer told to this newspaper. In a post on a social media platform, the Hyderabad airport management received a threat, stating that a bomb had been planted in the plane. Upon receiving the alert, airport authorities at Visakhapatnam prepared to conduct a thorough inspection of the aircraft upon its arrival by the bomb disposal squad and P4 sniffer dogs.  TTD ramps up security in Tirumala & Tirupati in wake of bomb threats B Mu r a l i @ Tirumala In the wake of several hotels and the TTD-run Varadharaja Swamy temple receiving hoax bomb threats over the past three days, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has stepped up security in and around the temple town. After assessing the situation, TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao directed Chief Vigilance and Security Officer (CVSO) S Sridhar to deploy special teams to ensure continuous vigilance and address similar threats. Speaking to TNIE, Sridhar explained, “Based on the EO’s orders, we have made special arrangements such as appoint- On March 15, a mock drill was conducted at the Srivari temple in Tirumala ing a dedicated night security officer for overall control, as well as a night in-charge officer for the command control in Tirumala.” Currently, the special night security officer carries out at least six surprise inspections per week. As part of the security plan, developed in coordination with Tirumala police and the Traffic Department, night security has been enhanced and additional patrolling vehicles have been deployed in and around Tirupati. OCTOPUS commandos will be involved to ensure a blanket of security across Tirumala. The CVSO pointed out that the TTD security wing also maintains an active communication channel with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for shared information and reP4 al-time coordination.  Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD), IT, Electronics and Communications Nara Lokesh on Monday visited Tesla Headquarters in Austin, US. During a meeting with Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja, the IT Minister discussed investment opportunities for the global EV manufacturing company in Andhra Pradesh and pitched Anantapur as the perfect spot for EV and battery units. Emphasising that Tesla is a global leader in electric vehicles, clean energy solutions and battery storage, Vaibhav said inclusive growth is being achieved through battery power storage, solar panel, solar shingles, driving innovation, power walls and other products. Nara Lokesh with Perot Group chairman Ross Perot Jr. in Dallas | Express He pointed out that after achieving 18.8% growth rate last year, a revenue of $97 billion was generated with a market capitalisation of $832 billion dollars. Stating that Andhra Pradesh, under the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has set a target to generate 72 GW of renewable energy by 2029, Lokesh sought the co- A n o t h e r Ta t a j e w e l ED RAIDS Siddu’s 1st pvt plant for PREMISES ofothers military plane close aide, takes wings D i l i p S i n g h Ks h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad This C-295 aircraft factory reflects the new work culture of New India Narendra Modi, prime minister Policy shift Under the C295 deal, 56 aircraft are to be delivered to the country. Sixteen of them will be supplied directly by Airbus from Spain. The remaining 40 will be produced in India by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, according to an official press release After an impressive roadshow in Gujarat’s Vadodara, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez jointly inaugurated the Tata Advanced System Limited (TASL)-Airbus plant to manufacture C-295 military aircraft in the city . It is the country’s first assembly line where at least 18,000 components of the aircraft will be manufactured. “Till now we had the vision of Make in India, now proudly we extend it to Make in India, Make for the World,” Modi said in his address. Commissioning the project shows India’s work culture has changed for good, he said. The country cannot only commission project on time but can manufacture and deliver goods on time. In October 2022, the foundation stone of the project was laid, and within two years, work on production of a C-295 has started, he said. Modi also recalled that another plant to manufacture Bombardier train coaches was commissioned in record time. Now, coaches manufactured there are exported, proving India means business, he pointed out. For his part, Sanchez called the Tata group a “giant among giants”. “Today, we are not only officially inaugurating a cutting-edge industrial facility ...This partnership between Airbus and Tata will contribute to the progress of the Indian aerospace industry and will open new doors for the arrival of other European companies,” he said. Spain is an integral part of the Airbus consortium that represents values of cooperation, modernity and progress, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez during a roadshow in Gujarat’s Vadodara on Monday | PTI Growth of Artificial Intelligence disrupting jobs: Finance min report M o n i k a Ya d a v @ New Delhi The growing deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in several sectors is casting a shadow over employment stability in India, the Department of Economic Affairs under the Union finance ministry said in its monthly economic review. “Anecdotal reports of the deployment of Artificial Intelli- gence displacing workers are beginning to emerge. That needs watching,” said the report for September. The Economic Survey 202324, tabled in Parliament in July , also flagged concerns of more and more companies turning to AI tools to replace human talent. “While AI has considerable potential for boosting productivity it also has the poten, tial to disrupt employment in certain sectors,” said the survey . The survey had posited that routine tasks, including customer service, would likely witness a high degree of automation while creative sectors would see extensive usage of AI tools for image and video creation. It operation of global innovators like Tesla to make the goal a reality . Highlighting Naidu’s contributions in developing the automobile industry in the State, the IT Minister said notable companies like Kia and Hero Motors have plants in the State. “Now, the Chief Minister has shifted his focus to EVs and renewable energy he added. ,” Asserting that Anantapur is ideal to establish units for manufacturing of EVs and battery products, Lokesh elaborated on the investor and industryfriendly policies being implemented in the State. Further, he noted that innovative battery power storage solutions are required for establishing data centres and IT hubs in the State and observed that Tesla could play a crucial P4 role for the same.  called for political decisions to ensure the technology benefits everyone rather than creating disruptions across the board. Analysing hiring trends, the finance ministry’s report noted that there was a 7% decline in job opportunities in September 2024 compared to the same month last year. It said the Naukri JobSpeak index witnessed an annual growth of 6% in September 2024, driven by a resurgent IT sector. “Sectors such as FMCG and Oil & Gas also underwent significant growth and continued ascent in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning roles. However, hiring trends were largely favourable for experience-holders,” it said. The ED on Monday raided the residences of K’taka CM Siddaramaiah’s close aide, ex-MUDA officials, and a builder, to gather more documents on alleged irregularities in allocation of sites by MUDA 4 RSS workers get lifer for killing CPM man in 2011 EX P RE S S NEW S S ER V ICE @ Kannur four RSS workers were on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a CPM worker at Thalassery in Kerala’s Kannur district in 2011. The Thalassery Additional Sessions Court also ordered each of the convicts—Pranu Babu, Nidheesh, Shijin, and Ujesh—to a pay fine of `50,000 to the family of the victim, Ashraf. There were eight accused in the original chargesheet. Two of them—Shijith and Sujith— died before the trial began. Two others—Binesh and M R Sreejith—were acquitted citing lack of evidence. As per the case, eight persons associated with the RSS and BJP attacked CPM worker Ashraf around 9.30 am on May 19, 2011, while he was selling fish on the Kappummal-Subedar road in Thalassery. They allegedly killed him due to political enmity . The prosecution said the reason behind the attack was that Ashraf and some other CPM members allegedly destroyed RSS flags during a rally to celebrate the victory of CPM leader K K Narayanan in the Assembly election from Dharmadam in May 2011. According to the chargesheet, the accused persons assembled unlawfully armed with deadly , weapons, and committed rioting. They wrongfully restrained Ashraf, preventing his escape. Thereafter, they voluntarily inflicted grievous injuries on the victim, it said. Ashraf was critically injured with wounds all over his body . He died at 3.50 am on May 21 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode. A total of 26 witnesses were examined by the prosecution in the court.