World Chess: Gukesh, Ding play out drab draw in 4th game Chinese world champ somewhat surpises the Indian teen with an unconventional opening with white but he reacts well hold on with black. This is now the second draw with black pieces in as many games for D Gukesh, aiming to become the youngest world champion. However, it wasn’t so similar to the second game as both players tried to ask a few questions before drawing by threefold repetition after 40th move. On Saturday, Gukesh will have white pieces. Both are tied on two points | P13 hubballi l saturday l november 30, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION 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 Celebrating women achievers; Devi Awards in Bengaluru today E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru It’s time to celebrate the accomplishments of women achievers again with The New Indian Express on Saturday after nine years. The , Devi Awards is back in Bengaluru after 2015. From a serial entrepreneur to a handloom revivalist; a theatre personality to an Olympian; an inclusive activist to a historian of science and technology, the Devi Awards will celebrate the women who have made an impact in Karnataka and beyond. Instituted by The New Indian Express in 2014, the Devi Awards are designed to recognise and honour professional women, who, through their exceptional work in different sectors, are changing the lives of people around them. This year, in its 29th edition, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will present the prestigious awards to 12 women achievers. Two-time Olympian Anju Bobby George who serves as senior vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India and runs the Anju Bobby Sports Foundation; theatre exponent Arundhati Nag who founded the popular Rangashankara; NIMHANS Director Dr Pratima Murthy; serial entrepreneur who is the co-founder and chairperson of Portea Medical Meena Ganesh; author Samhita Arni who passionately retells mythology; inclusive activist Alina Alam, founder and CEO, Mitti Cafe; educationist Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, who is founder and managing trustee of Neev Schools; handloom revivalist Pavithra Muddaya, who is the cofounder of Vimor; science and technology historian Jahnavi Phalkey who is the founding director, Science Gallery Bengaluru; classical dancer Nirupama Rajendra; researcher Dr Vatsala Thirumalai, who is Professor and Dean (Research) at National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research; and restaurateur Sonali Sattar, who started Grasshopper, an early starter in standalone fine-dining restaurants, will be honoured with the prestigious awards today at the gala event to be held at the Hotel ITC Gardenia in Bengaluru. The prestigious De vi Awards was instituted in New Delhi in December 2014, and has since paid tribute to about 300 women achievers from across the country in the preceding 28 editions. GDP growth sinks to 2-year low Economy grows 5.4% in July-Sept quarter, raising doubts about meeting full-yr target of 6.5% M O N I K A YA D A V @ New Delhi INDIA’s economic growth fell to a seven-quarter low of 5.4% in the second quarter of 2024-25, dragged by the poor performance of the manufacturing and mining sectors. The sharp fall in the GDP growth, compared with 6.7% in the first quarter, was also driven by the slow pace in government spending and weak private consumption, according to data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). The growth was much below estimates. RBI had predicted the GDP to grow at 7% in Q2. Now, a full-year GDP growth of even 6.5% looks difficult. Manufacturing grew just 2.2% in Q2—a significant fall from 7% in April-June and the 14.3% growth seen in the year-ago period. The mining and quarrying sector shrank 0.1% in Q2 of FY25 due to prolonged rainfall, which is in stark contrast to the 7.2% growth in the previous quarter and the 11.1% growth a year ago. Adding to the challenges, the growth rate for electricity gas, , water supply and other utility , services also plummeted, indicating a fall in consumption growth. It dropped from 10.4% last year to merely 3.3% this year. Construction also declined from 13.6% to 7.7%. Private consumption grew at 6% in Q2, down than 7.4% in the first quarter. The consumption slowdown was despite a lower base of 2.6% a year ago. Gross fixed capital formation, which is expenditure on asset creation, grew at 5.4%, down from 7.5% in the first quarter. According to Chief Economic Advisor Dr V Anantha Nageswaran, there is no cause for alarm though the numbers are disappointing. While briefing the media, he said the global economic landscape is challenging, which is affecting India’s manufacturing sector. Key issues include a slowdown in production and the negative impact of dumping in industries like steel. Although steel consumption has increased, production levels have failed to match this growth, he added. express read Halt proceedings in mosque dispute: SC New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered a Sambhal trial court to halt proceedings in the case over the Shahi Jama Masjid and its survey at Chandausi while directing the UP government to maintain peace in the town | P9 11 killed as bus overturns in Maharashtra’s Gondia Gondia: At least 11 passengers were killed and 25 others injured after a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus overturned in Gondia district of the state on Friday afternoon, police said. Outside support among options if he isn’t CM, Shinde tells Amit Shah S u d h i r S u r ya w an s h i @ Mumbai warm greetings Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday | Express | P4 fir filed against seer over remark The Upparpet police have filed an FIR against Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamsthana Mutt seer Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swamiji for his remarks on disenfranchising Muslims | P4 When caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday he gave him , three tough options on government formation in Maharashtra. One, Shinde himself leading the government; two, his Shiv Sena getting plum portfolios in a BJPled government; and three, offering outside support both in Maharashtra and at the Centre. All three options are loaded with trouble despite Shinde’s public posturing that he will not be an obstacle in government formation in the state. Shah advised the Mahayuti leaders to thrash out an acceptable power-sharing formula in Mumbai on Friday but Shinde , played mind games by coolly leaving for his native village Dare in Satara district instead getting into a huddle in the Maximum City with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and NCP’s Ajit Pawar. If he does not get to be the CM, he said he will not personally join the government. But his party should be given weighty portfolios like home, finance and revenue. And the decision on the deputy chief minister representing the Sena would be his, a senior Sena leader said. Finance was with Ajit Pawar in the outgoing government. And the BJP is reluc- tant to part with home. If neither of the two options are acceptable, Shinde said the 57 MLAs in his Shiv Sena would not be the part of next government in Maharashtra. It would instead extend outside support to BJP-led government in both the state and the Centre. It would also mean withdrawing Sena’s minister for state at the Centre, Prataprao Jadhav. Shinde’s Sena with seven MPs is the fourth largest party in the NDA. The BJP leadership is wary because outside support carries the risk of instability at the Centre, where the BJP has only 240 MPs.