HYDERABAD  FRIDAY  NOVEMBER 29, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 36  LATE CITY EDITION TRAI ASSURES NO DELAY IN OTP DELIVERY AS NEW RULES TO KICK IN The regulator said the new regulations meant to improve message traceability and combat fraud will not affect the delivery of bank OTPs NEW REGULATIONS TO TAKE EFFECT ON DEC 1 The new norms, likely to take effect on Sunday, will require telecom service providers to trace the origin of bulk messages, including one-timepasswords. Some reports had said this would delay delivery of messages, including OTPs. “This is factually incorrect. It will not delay delivery of any message,” the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in a post on X TRAI OCT DEADLINE PUSHED ON TELECOS’ REQUEST ■ ■ TRAI has directed telecom providers, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, to implement traceability in their systems October 31 was initially fixed as the date for the new regulations to kick in. But this deadline was extended amid concerns raised by telecom operators about potential for service disruptions | P10 HAD PROPOSED TO INCREASE SCRUTINY OF USERS SENDING OVER 50SMSes A DAY 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 Mahayuti leaders discuss Maha power-share formula with Shah Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar hold talks with the Union home minister S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai EIGHT days after the ruling Mahayuti’s thumping victory in Maharashtra, its leaders Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar held talks with Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi amid indications that the final call on chief ministership could be made in a day or two. The meeting is also expected to discuss cabinet berths. Highly placed sources said out of total 42 ministerial slots in the outgoing government, the BJP wants to retain at least 50% while giving the Shiv Sena 30% and the NCP 20%. Sources said the RSS wants a senior party leader elevated as chief minister, adding the message has been conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “RSS was silent in Lok Sabha polls, therefore BJP’s tally crashed from 23 to 9 in Maharashtra. But in the state polls, its cadre was active and that changed the final outcome. We have to promote a strong and young leader, therefore this is the best time to elevate Fadnavis as CM and later project him as the face of the BJP at the Centre,” said sources requesting anonymity . However, the BJP top brass is considering other names as well. “Fadnavis is a Brahmin. In the state elections, OBCs voted unitedly for the Mahayuti as did Marathas in large numbers. So, the BJP leadership is evaluating if they have a suitable OBC or Maratha candidate in the party for the top post, hence the delay in the final call,” said top sources. Ajit Pawar is certain to retain his position as deputy 50:30:20 BJP proposes a 50:30:20 formula for portfolio sharing with Shiv Sena and NCP Ajit Pawar hoping to keep all plum portfolios he had in the outgoing government BJP uneasy with Shinde’s proposal on promoting his son as deputy chief minister chief minister (DCM) and wants to keep the weighty portfolios he held in the previous government. He is pushing for finance, agriculture etc. Shinde wants Home and Urban Development if he is not made the chief minister. “Shinde proposed that his son Shrikant Shinde be elevated as DCM but the BJP is lukewarm, as it would weaken its campaign against dynasts. Shinde, however, argues that it is for the Shiv Sena to decide its DCM candidate, not the BJP. The flux has prompted many senior Sena leaders to enter the DCM ring,” said sources. Sources said many senior NCP and Sena ministers in the last government are unsure whether they will be part of the new dispensation. “Keeping everyone happy this time around will be tough because the number of MLAs is more. The massive mandate is good for stability but it is not easy to keep everyone in good humour,” said a senior NCP leader requesting anonymity . New marking system for SSC E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad THE School Education department decided to introduce a new marking system for SSC exams, replacing the existing grading system. From the 2024–25 Inter exams, students will be awarded marks instead of grades. According to an order issued on Thursday there will no long, er be marks for internal assessments. Instead, 100% of the marks will be based on external assessments. Changes to answer booklets PRIYANKA MAKES DEBUT Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi takes pictures of sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after she took oath as a Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, holding a copy of the Constitution, on Thursday. (Inset) The photo Rahul shot and shared on Instagram. Parliament remained paralysed for the third day over Manipur and Adani row | PTI | P7 BANGLADESH Buzz on tough talk as Jaishankar meets Modi P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AMID escalating tensions in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation. There is speculation that Jaishankar may make a statement in both Houses of Parliament on Friday, if there are no disruptions. In response to TNIE’s query on the possibility of the government making a statement on the issue, Jaishankar said, “We haven’t decided anything yet”. Sources said Jaishankar’s meeting with Modi lasted for half an hour. The meeting comes in the wake of the recent arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and the increasing attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, MoS for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in the Rajya Sabha that it is the responsibility of the Muhammad Yunus-led administration to protect the minorities. In a written reply to a question, he said New Delhi has expressed its concerns to Dhaka. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said officials of the foreign ministry will brief the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on Bangladesh on December 11. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concerns over the attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh but said she will abide by the Centre’s decision. In a relief to ISKCON, the Bangladesh High Court on Thursday rejected a petition filed by a lawyer seeking a ban on the group’s activities the country. The petition was moved after a prosecutor was killed in clashes between security personnel and supporters of Chinmoy, who was earlier P9 linked to ISKCON. As per a separate order, a booklet of 24 pages will be provided for various exams: SSC public, SSC advanced supplementary and minor examinations. Instead of eight pages of main and supplementary sheets and a graph sheet, a 24-page booklet will be provided for five subjects and 12-page booklets for physical science and biological science from March 2025. (From left) Students queue for mid-day meal at Maganoor Zilla Parishad High School in Narayanpet district; a student fills a glass from water containers; (inset) dust seen on the unusable water tanks on the premises | CHITHALURI REVANTH Apathy, negligence & worms on the menu at Maganoor ZPHS C H I T H A L U R I R E V A N T H @ Maganoor A visit to the Zilla Parishad High School at Maganoor, which We saw that the collector got has been in the news for three worms in her plate when she instances of food poisoning in a came to our school on November span of just one week — Novem21 to have lunch with us. We saw ber 20, 21 and 26 — revealed her reaction... After she saw the worms, she ordered fresh food to shocking details of official inbe prepared — Students difference, apathy and total disregard for student health. There is a government primary Students told TNIE that their school, Margadarsi school and a health was put at risk by their government high school in the teachers, who remained indifvicinity... But how can only ferent to their complaints of students from Maganooor ZPHS wor m-infested food being be affected? — Varadarajan, served to them as part of the kirana shop owner on Kurkure being mid-day meals. They also said blamed by for food poisoning that though the district collector herself was served wormSeethakka’s take infested food, the officials re 42 incidents of food mained unshaken from their poisoning reported in apathy and the situation did residential schools this year not improve. Shockingly, this was not the  Government has not first wave of food poisoning determined whether the cases reported from the school. cause of food poisoning in A local said more than 80 stuthe Wankidi Tribal Welfare dents were affected on SeptemResidential School is food or ber 18 and 20, 2022. “Those inciwater contamination. dents never made it to the front  Substandard food materials pages,” the local added. being supplied to institutions The latest wave of food poisoning cases has left students scared,  Government delays in but they are unwilling to talk releasing bills for suppliers to their teachers, saying that it would hardly make a difference. A Class VIII student, GROUND fast, Pawan said. Pawan (name changed), “After I had my lunch REPORT said most of the stuon Monday (November dents are from BC and SC 25) at 1 pm, I started sufcommunities and they come fering from a stomachache. I to the school from across 10 vil- did not tell the teachers but lages. Some travel more than went to the hospital on my own. four kilometres to attend class- Fortunately, I am better now,” CONTINUED ON P4 es without having their break- he added. CCI launches probe against Google EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Thursday launched an investigation into Google after online gaming firm WinZo accused the US tech giant of anti-competitive practices. In the order, the regulator asked its director-general to wrap up the probe and submit a report in 60 days. WinZo, an online gaming platfor m, has alleged that Google’s policies for hosting apps on the Play Store are unfair. It says Google’s Developer Distribution Agreement and Developer Program Policies are one-sided, adding that Google restricts hosting of gaming applications that offer Real Money Games (RMP) in India. As a result, customers are forced to download the WinZo app from its website. Additionally, when users download the app on Android devices, misleading warnings are displayed, which WinZo claims tarnish its reputation. The CCI has taken notice of these allegations and ordered an investigation into Google’s business practices, citing concerns over discriminatory conduct. The regulator noted that exclusion from the Play Store is tantamount to denial of market access. As for the disclaimer that pops up while downloading the app, the CCI said the warning is peculiar to the Google-operated Android OS and is completely illegal. CM cracks whip on negligent staff, vows strict action EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad TAKING serious note of the recent food poisoning incidents in government educational institutions across the state, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed district collectors to conduct frequent inspections of schools, hostels and residential institutes to keep the quality of food being served to students in check and submit detailed re ports on their findings. He stated that the administration would not hesitate to dismiss or initiate stringent action against officials and staff found negligent in providing quality and nutritious food to the students. Following the chief minister’s directions, several district collectors in the state made surprise visits to government schools or hostels in their respective districts. Bhadradri Kothagudem Collector Jitesh V Patil made a surprise visit to the BC Welfare Gurukul School in Vepalagadda in Sujathanagar in Kothagudem town. He supervised the way food was being servedto the students and later enquired about the problems faced by students in the school. CONTINUED ON P4 Book Surekha for defamation: Court E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad A Nampally court on Thursday ordered the registration of a case under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Endowments Minister Konda Surekha. The directive came during the hearing a defamation petition filed by veteran actor Akkineni Nagarjuna. The court also ordered Surekha to appear personally before it on December 12. The case pertains to allegations made by Surekha linking BRS working president KT Rama Rao with the divorce of actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha. Following her remarks, Nagarjuna, father of Chaitanya, filed a defamation case. Separately Rama Rao also filed a petition in the Nampally court , over the same issue. Both Nagarjuna and Rama Rao had previously appeared in court, where their statements were recorded. INSIDE NOD FOR KAZIPET COACH UNIT I P2 Mild intensity blast in Delhi’s Rohini area, second in forty days U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi NSG personnel at the site of the blast in Delhi’s Rohini on Thursday | PARVEEN NEGI A mild-intensity explosion at the entrance of a park near Delhi Police’s Crime Branch office in Rohini on Thursday cocked a snook at the security apparatus in the national capital at a time when Parliament is in session. This was the second blast in Rohini’s Prashant Vihar area in the past 40 days. On October 20, a mysterious blast had taken place near Central Re- serve Police Force (CRPF) school in Rohini. Its probe is still underway. Thursday’s blast took place just 2 km away from the site of the earlier explosion outside the CRPF school. It left the driver of a milk distribwution van injured. He was identified as Chetan Khushwaha, 27. There was no damage to his van, though. “He was taken to Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital from where he was discharged after first aid,” a senior officer said. A Delhi Fire Service officer said a call regarding an explosion near Bansi Sweet Shop, Prashant Vihar, Rohini was received at 11.48 am following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Senior police officers also reached the site followed by multiple security agencies, including the bomb disposal squad of the National Security Guard (NSG) and National Investigative Agency (NIA).