vijayawada l sunday l december 22, 2024 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION lanka out of sovereign default rating after FITCH’s upgrade The island nation’s finance ministry said it officially ended its debt default after Fitch upgraded its credit rating, paving way for easier borrowing Finance ministry hails it as a milestone Medium term interest for govt to be high Mahinda Siriwardana, a finance ministry bureaucrat, said December 20 marked a major milestone in the country’s economic recovery process as Sri Lanka officially exited sovereign default. Fitch upgraded Sri Lanka’s long-term foreign-currency default rating to CCC+ from restricted default after creditors approved the nation’s $12.55 billion debt ■ ■ Despite the debt restructuring the “general government debt/GDP and the interest/revenue ratio are likely to stay high in the medium term,” Fitch Ratings said In 2022, Sri Lanka plunged into an economic crisis, defaulted on its foreign debt due to its high debt burden amid the Covid pandemic Nov 26 Date when Lanka announced ratification of debt restructuring 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 Rule tweak cuts access to certain poll documents Pegasus liable in WhatsApp suit: US court Ex press News Se rvice @ New Delhi With a US court finding Israel’s NSO Group — which sells spyware Pegasus — liable in a lawsuit filed by WhatsApp in 2019 flagging breaches in devices, snooping is back on the front burner, including in India. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, on Friday granted a motion by Mark Zuckerberg-owned WhatsApp and found NSO liable for hacking and breach of contract, Reuters reported. In 2019, WhatsApp sued the NSO Group accusing it of accessing WhatsApp servers without permission to install the Pegasus software on mobile devices. The suit alleged the intrusion allowed the surveillance of 1,400 people. The US Supreme Court last year turned away NSO’s appeal against the lower court’s decision, allowing the lawsuit to proceed. The ruling assumes significance as over 300 mobile numbers in India, including those of ministers in the Modi government, Opposition leaders, journalists and business magnates were allegedly infected with Pegasus in 2021. Soon, several petitions were filed in the Supreme Court seeking a probe. The court set up a committee of technical experts, which found no conclusive evidence on the use of the spyware in phones examined by it. WITH THIS ISSUE Delivery of Instant Gratification PLUS 12 PAGES Congress says it will challenge it in court P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Centenarian’s spirit Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Kuwait-based retired Indian Foreign Service officer Mangal Sain Handa, 101, upon his arrival in Kuwait, on Saturday. On Friday, Handa’s granddaughter Shreya Juneja had requested the PM to meet her Nanaji | PTI GoM to examine Ap’s demand for 1% calamity cess d i pa k m o n d a l @ Jaisalmer THE GST Council on Saturday decided to formalise a procedure for states to levy special cess to raise money for disaster relief. This was decided after Andhra Pradesh sought the Council’s permission to levy a 1% cess on goods and services in the highest rate bracket of 28%. Andhra Pradesh’s request for cess will be referred to a Group of Ministers (GoM) as was done previously for a similar request by Kerala in 2018. Addressing a press briefing after the GST Council meeting, Finance Minister Nir mala Sitharaman said that since similar Allu Arjun inhumane, visited theatre without police permit: Revanth E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Even after he was forced to move out of the theatre, he waved at the people from his vehicle by opening the rooftop. Man, what kind of person is he? What can we say? Revanth Reddy, TG Chief Minister The stampede was an accident. I was not informed that permission was not given. Had I known, I would have left the theatre. There is a lot of misinformation to assassinate my character Allu Arjun, Actor Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy once again took Tollywood actor Allu Arjun to task for the stampede that occurred at Sandhya Theatre. During the premiere of Pushpa-2, a woman lost her life, and her eight-year-old son suffered asphyxiation. He has been battling for life. Stating that Allu Arjun acted inhumanely even after the death of a woman, he expressed unhappiness with film personalities extending solidarity to Allu Arjun rather than supporting the child undergoing treatment. His response came during a short discussion on ‘Rythu Bharosa’ in the State Assembly, where AIMIM Legislative Party leader Akbaruddin Owaisi raised concerns about the film star’s insensitive remarks about his movie being a ‘hit’, even after the stampede. Owaisi also asked whether the actor conducted a road show after the stampede. Responding to the query, Revanth wondered what kind of human Allu Arjun was, referring to the latter’s road show even after the uncontrollable situation at the theatre. “Allu Arjun didn’t listen when an ACP asked him to leave the theatre. Zabardasti se hamara DCP vo hero ko law and order situation dekh kar baahar le ke aaye. Baahar gaadi mein baithne ke baad, jate waqt phir rooftop nikal kar phir logon ko wave kar raha. Bhai ye kaisa insan hain? Hum log kya bolna (Our DCP noticing the law and or, der situation, had to step in and force the hero to come outside. Even after he was brought out from the theatre, he waved at the people from his vehicle by opening the rooftop. Man, what kind of person is he? What can we say? And, I can’t sit quietly in the (CM’s) chair,” he remarked. He informed the Assembly that the crew of Pushpa-2, including Allu Arjun, visited the theatre despite police rejecting permission on December 3 in response to a request. Responding to Revanth, Allu Arjun asserted that the stampede was an unfortunate accident and that there was no fault on part of anyone. He said there was a lot of misinformation to assasP5 sinate his character.  requests have been made earlier as well, “we are of the view that there should be a laid-out procedure to deal w i t h s u ch re q u e s t s i n future.” Besides floods, several states wanted drought to be brought under the definition of disaster, she added. Andhra Pradesh finance minister Payyavula Keshav told the media that the state in August and September faced unprecedented rains and flood, which caused severe financial loss to the state. “…we will need a sum of `15,000 crore to come back to normalcy. There- fore, we requested the Council to allow us to levy a cess of 1%,” said Keshav, adding that most states were supportive of Andhra’s demand. Meanwhile, the 55th GST Council meeting ended without any major decisions being taken. The much-awaited decision on lowering GST rates on health and life insurance premium has been deferred as the Council was of the view that the issue needs more discussions. Among the changes in tax rates, the Council decided to increase the GST rate from 12% to 18% on sale of all old and used vehicles, including electric vehicles. Caramelised popcorn would attract 18% GST as it comes under P10 sugar confectionery  . In a move that drew sharp criticism from the Opposition parties and RTI activists, the Centre on Friday amended the ‘Conduct of Election Rules’ to prevent public scrutiny of certain electronic documents such as CCTV footage and video recordings of polling. Based on the Election Commission’s (EC) recommendation, the Union Law Ministry amended Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict certain documents that were to public inspection till now. Rule 93(2)(a) earlier stated that “all other papers relating to the election shall be open to public inspection”. The amended version says “all other papers as specified in these rules relating to the election shall be open to public inspection.” Acting upon a complaint filed by advocate Mehmood Pracha, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently directed the EC to provide videog raphy, security camera footage, and copies of documents related to votes polled at a polling station during the recent Haryana assembly elections. Pracha had sought video and CCTV footage, and copies of Forms 17-C Parts I and II related to the polls. Coming down heavily on the amendment, the Congress said it would challenge it in court. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the tweak was a “vindication” of its assertions regarding the “rapidly eroding integrity” of the electoral process managed by the Election Commission in recent times. For their part, the Law Ministry and EC officials said documents such as nomination forms, appointment of poll agents, results and election account statements are mentioned in the Conduct of Election Rules, but electronic documents such as CCTV footage are not. “There have been instances where such electronic records have been sought, citing the rules. The amendment ensures that only papers mentioned in the rules are available for public inspection,” an EC official said. He added that the misuse of CCTV footage from inside polling booths could compromise voter secrecy and could be used to generate fake narratives using AI. “All such material is available to candidates, including footage. After the amendment, too, it will be available to them.” RTI activist: Huge setback for transparency Prominent RTI activist Anjali Bharadwaj said it is a huge setback for transparency. Rule 93(2) was amended to restrict access to poll-related records after court orders disclosure. “Applications we filed under Rule 93(2) in May 2024 for copies of Form 17C are still pending,” she said GoM to study free bus travel scheme E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The State government will constitute a Group of Ministers (GoM) to study the implementation of free bus travel scheme for women in other States. Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad issued an order to this effect on Saturday . While Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy has been appointed as chairperson of the GoM, Ministers G Sandhya Rani (Women and Child Welfare and Tribal Welfare) and Vangalapudi Anitha (Home) are the members. Principal Secretary (Transport, Roads and Buildings) has been appointed as the Convener of the GoM. The GoM has been tasked with submitting its report to the State government as early as possible so that further action can be taken. Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Punjab and Kerala are the States that are currently implementing the free bus travel scheme for women. It may be pointed out that providing free bus travel to women in the State was one of the promises under the ‘Super Six’ guarantees made by TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu in the run up to the elections. Other promises included creation of 20 lakh jobs and unemployment allowance of `3,000 per month, `20,000 financial aid to farmers per year, `1,500 to every woman and `15,000 to every schoolgoing child, and three free LPG cylinders per year for every household. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila Reddy Panel directed to submit report as soon as possible The Group of Ministers (GoM) has been tasked with submitting its report to the State government as early as possible so that further action can be taken. Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Punjab and Kerala are the States that are currently implementing the free bus travel scheme for women lashed out at the TDP-led NDA government in the State for prolonging the implementation of the scheme. Accusing the coalition government of not being sincere, she said the State government is not committed to fulfilling its promise. She pointed out that in Telangana and Karnataka, the Congress implemented the free bus travel scheme for women within 100 days of forming the government. Emphasising that the APSRTC management has already expressed its readiness for implementing the scheme, Sharmila sought to know why the Naidu government was delaying it. “The government should at least launch the scheme as a new year gift to the people and prove its sincerity she said. ,” E x p r ess r e a d PK: Govt committed to eliminating use of doli Visakhapatnam: Deputy Chief Minister (Panchayat Raj and Rural Development) K Pawan Kalyan laid the foundation stone for 19 road works worth `105 crore in Ballagaruvu village of Anantagiri mandal in Alluri Sitarama Raju district on Saturday. He said the government is committed to eliminating the use of Doli in remote tribal hamlets | P4 APSFL serves notices on film director RGV Vijayawada: Alleging that film director Ram Gopal Varma obtained pecuniary gains during the previous YSRCP regime under the pretext of telecasting his movie on the Andhra Pradesh State FiberNet Limited (APSFL) First Day - First Show platform to the tune of `1.15 crore, APSFL MD K Dinesh Kumar served legal notices on RGV on Saturday | P4 Rains likely in parts of State from Dec 23 Visakhapatnam: The IMD has predicted heavy rains in isolated parts of South Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema districts from December 23 to 26 due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday reviewed the situation and discussed measures to be taken in the affected districts | P3 Bhavani Deeksha: 30k throng Durga temple Vijayawada: As many as 30,000 devotees thronged the Kanaka Durga temple atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Saturday as the five-day annual Bhavani Deeksha relinquishment commenced. NTR district Commissioner of Police SV Rajashekhar Babu said around 6,000 police officials of various ranks have been deployed for bandobast duties | P3 we d d i n g b e l l s Love-all start: Sindhu-Sai set for match close to heart A j ay t o m a r @ Hyderabad There is always a sprinkling of condiments to add flavour to a celebrity marriage. The brouhaha it generates is sometimes bewildering. When P V Sindhu announced her engagement and marriage to a Hyderabad entrepreneur, interest grew as date of marriage neared, especially surrounding the identity of her to-be-husband Venkata Datta Sai. As Udiapur gets decked up for the marriage on Sunday, Sindhu would be ready for a different match. Something close to her heart and soul. As the two went about inviting guests, the man who stole Sindhu’s heart was in the limelight as well. Sai is a Hyderabad-based IT professional and Executive Director at Posidex Technologies. His father G T Venkateshwar Rao is the managing director at the same company . “The two families are friends and have known each other for a long time,” Sindhu’s father P V Ramana told this newspaper over the phone from Udaipur. He explained that the pre-andpost wedding dates have been finalised keeping in mind the next season. “He is an avid sports follower and an active supporter. Who doesn’t follow sports these days?” asked Ramana. Sai’s career has been equally dynamic and has a sporting touch too. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance and a Master’s degree in Data Science and Machine Learning from the International Institute of Information Technology Bengaluru. , Sai began at JSW as an intern and later worked as an inhouse consultant (2018-19). He then became the managing director of Sour Apple Asset Management while also contributing to Posidex since December 2019. Sai also managed the Delhi IPL team. Reflecting on the experience, Sai writes: “My BBA in finance and economics pales in comparison to managing an IPL team...” Match, court, love the words Sindhu would have grown up hearing will now be part of her life when she ties the knot in a royal wedding apparently with Rajasthani flavour in Udaipur – the venue of many a high-profile destination weddings. A reception is slated in Hyderabad a couple of days later.