vijayawada l tuesday l december 31, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Former U.S. prez and human rights advocate jimmy Carter dies at 100 James Earl Carter Jr. 1 Oct 1924 - 29 Dec 2024 Winner of 2002 Nobel Peace Prize During his single term at the White House, Carter’s initiatives led to the 1978 Camp David Accords, which ended hostilities between Israel and Egypt. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Human rights was a fulcrum of his foreign policy decisions. Condoling the death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Carter “a statesman of great vision” | P11 Democrat Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president of the United States between 1977 and 1981, died in Georgia on Monday at the age of 100 A village in Haryana is named after him ■ ■ In 1978, he visited India, becoming the third US president to do so. He travelled to a village in Haryana, where he left a lasting impression on its residents. They later renamed their village ‘Carterpuri’ The 1979 Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan tarnished his reputation. He lost the subsequent re-election bid 43 years Since he left the white house, making his the longest U.S. post-presidency 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 Honouring Gen Zorawar would have had more locational relevance Shivaji statue on Pangong Tso triggers debate MAYANK S IN G H @ New Delhi A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji on the banks of Pangong Tso in Eastern Ladakh, inaugurated by the Indian Army unit there a few days ago, triggered a lively debate on social media on its locational relevance. The Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps proudly posted on X that the statue of Shivaji was inaugurated on December 26 at an altitude of 14,300 ft, before it ran into a verbal crossfire. While some veterans applauded it, others suggested that honouring the memory of Dogra General Zorawar Singh (1784-1841) instead with a statue there would have been more appropriate, as he was an ace in mountain warfare and had annexed Ladakh and parts of Tibet. It was at Finger 4 on the North Bank of the Pangong Tso lake where Indian soldiers and Chinese PLA troops got into a scuffle in May 2020. Bilateral relations went south before they were recently restored. Chushul councillor Konchok Stanzin said, “As a local resident, I must voice my concerns about the Shivaji statue at Pangong. It was erected without local input and I question its rel- evance to our unique environment and wildlife.” Political activist Sajjad Kargili echoed Stanzin, adding: “These should not be placed in environmentally sensitive areas like Pangong, which require careful preservation”. Brigadier Hardeep Singh Sohi (Retd), defended the gesture, saying it was meant to boost morale of the troops. “In infantry units where the handto-hand combat chances are more, heroes associated with the Units are given a high pedestal by Cdrs (Commanders) to boost morale of troops. Statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji by a Maratha unit on banks of Pangong Tso lake is a step in that direction.” But Maj Gen B S Dhanoa (Retd) and Col Sanjay Pande (Retd) questioned the move. “There are the statutes (or laws) of war, but of late our armed forces are studying the “statues of war”...,” he wrote on Maj Gen Birender Dhanoa (Retd) quipped on X. Col Sanjay Pande (Retd) said Zorawar Singh died fighting in Tibet. The Leh Fort is called Zorawar Fort. “Zorawar Singh fought wars 180 years back, weather was as found today He . deserves to be there.” Telugu Talliki Jala Harathi proj on anvil The government will provide viable gap funding and also pay money to private operators in the future. However, no charges will be collected from water users, he explained.   Revealing that he had already discussed the project with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Chief Minister said the hybrid concept report of the project will be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon.   “We will complete the Detailed Project Report in a couple of months, and tenders will be invited. If funds are mobilised on time, the project can be completed within three years,” he maintained.   Speaking to mediapersons at the State Secretariat on Monday he gave a PowerPoint pres, entation on taking Godavari P4 water to Banakacherla.  Govt likely to implement free bus travel for women scheme from Ugadi RBI warns pvt banks against writing off loans S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The State government has proposed the Telugu Talliki Jala Harathi project to take Godavari water to Banakacherla in Kurnool district through the Krishna river in a hybrid model, said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.   The project has been estimated to cost `80,000 crore if it is taken up immediately Assert. ing that the completion of the project is his life ambition, Naidu felt that once it is completed it will be a game changer for Andhra Pradesh.   Mentioning that the project cost will go up if its execution The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji inaugurated on the banks of Pangong Tso in Ladakh on December 26 Maratha regiment raised the statue Army sources said a Rashtriya Rifles unit comprising troops of the Maratha Regiment “got the statue raised within its area of responsibility with resources voluntarily collected from serving and retired personnel.” No historical or cultural relevance Political activist Sajjad Kargili said there is no cultural or historical relevance of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Ladakh. “While we respect his legacy, imposing such cultural symbols here is misplaced.” SIPB approves `1.82L cr investments of 9 projects The State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the Secretariat on Monday, approved `1.82 lakh crore investments of nine projects. The major industrial projects, including BPCL refinery, will provide employment to 2.63 lakh people in the State is delayed, Naidu said the government is contemplating executing the project in a hybrid model through private partnership besides Central and State funds. P h a n i n d r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy and APSRTC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao to ensure the implementation of free bus travel scheme for women from Ugadi.   At a review meeting with the Transport Minister and APSRTC officials at the State Secretariat on Monday, Naidu asked for the report of the Group of Ministers on the feasibility of the scheme, and other factors involved in its imple- mentation, which is already being implemented neighbouring States.   The Group of Ministers was headed by the Transport Minister, while Ministers for Women and Child Welfare, Tribal Welfare, and Home are its members. Also, the Principal Secretary to the Government in the Transport, Roads & Buildings Department is the convener, re- Registration of land to cost more from Feb Trump case verdict upheld E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada The State government has decided to increase the land registration charges from February 1, 2025. Minister for Revenue, Registration and Stamps Anagani Satya Prasad informed that the hike in land registration charges will be 15 to 20% on an average. Holding a review meeting at the office of the Registration and Stamps IG in Tadepalli on Monday he directed officials to , submit a report by January 15 on the areas where the registration charges could be increased and the areas which need reduction of charges. “The State is slowly recovering from the indiscriminate debts made by the previous YSRCP regime. However, it has been decided to increase land registration charges as the State needs more revenue for the implementation of development schemes. It has been proposed to increase the registration charges in the areas where growth corridors are located, and where the value of land is P4 high,” he said.  sponsible for coordinating the proceedings and meetings of the group.   Speaking to TNIE, Ramprasad Reddy said the Group of Ministers will visit Bengaluru on January 3, and Delhi on January 6 to study the modalities of the free bus travel there, and formulate the best model to implement it in the State.   “Efforts are being made to implement the poll promise of free bus travel for women from Ugadi. A report on the free bus travel scheme will be submitted to the Chief Minister soon after taking all the issues into consideration,” the Transport Minister added. Australia team celebrates a wicket against India on Monday | AP India lose Melbourne identity to Aussies G O m e s h S @ Melbourne AS Rohit Sharma sat on the dais for the fifth time this year to address the media after a Test match defeat, there was a sense of unease. The usual Rohit charisma was missing. The wit and humour and those frank admissions have deserted the room. Once again he was there to discuss another loss. The gloom before the New Year’s Eve night is not something the India team would have wanted. Yet, it was, after Australia beat them here on Monday More than the loss, the . way India capitulated is something the team management should ponder about. India had lost their last seven wickets for just 34 runs in 20.4 overs and what looked like a well-deserved draw, ended in a loss. As the bandwagon shifts to Sydney, India trail Australia 1-2 with one last Test to play for. The press conference freflected Rohit’s sombre mood. He was struggling, like his form and innings, to find the apt words. With guns training at his batting and leadership, there is little Rohit can do. In the five innings he played in Australia, he scored only 31 runs at an average of 6.2, considered dismal by his standard. By the look of Rohit, there seemed to be something ominous brewing within. With India needing him and the other senior player Virat Kohli most to salvage a draw, both perished in the most pitiable fashion. They had been the anti-thesis to the mercurial Jasprit Bumrah, who once again finished with a fivewicket haul. Such had been the dependency on his bowling, he had bowled almost one-third of overs sent down by India in the second innings. Kohli once again showed his vulnerability outside off and when he fell India were staring down the barrel. If not for young Yashasvi Jaiswal (84) and Rishabh Pant partnership of 88, India would have folded up their innings well before the last session. “There are things that we as a team need to look at,” Sharma P13 said.  jeans editing Carlsen says Anand isn’t ready for FIDE job E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai The Magnus Carlsen saga has taken new twist. A couple of days after being disqualified from the World Rapid Chess championships in New York for wearing jeans, the former world champion took a dig at Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand, who is a deputy president in the international chess federation (FIDE). While speaking to an online app, Carlsen said the disqualification was ‘draconian’ and criticised the FIDE for mishandling the issue. He even said that there was no grown-ups to discuss with in FIDE and called the officials “robots” unable to make independent decisions. “Well… let’s go back to a couple of days ago. I did have some choice words for FIDE in my interview with you. And I would say that it was a bit imprecise. I definitely mean it when it comes to certain people in FIDE. No question about it,” he said.  “We had long conversations with Anand yesterday and others, which generally didn’t lead anywhere. It was generally the same answers that arbiters are basically robots who cannot think on their own, who have no way to even deviate slightly from... I don’t even know if I broke any rules. I still haven’t gotten a clear answer on that,” Carlsen said. Anand told Chessbase India that Carlsen was penalised for breaking rules. Carlsen said he did not break any rules, and he feels for all his good qualities, Anand is not ready for this job. B e n Ko c h uv e e d a n @ Mumbai THE RBI has warned private sector banks against writing off loans to make their books look good. This practice might be masking delinquencies in the unsecured lending segment, RBI said in its Financial Stability Report (FSR). Its concern comes in the backdrop of data showing improvement in GNPA ratios, which fell to a decadal low in 2024-25. At the system level, GNPAs fell to a 13-year low of 2.6% in the September 2024 quarter. On the other hand, net NPAs plunged to 0.56% during this period. US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Manhattan trial court’s verdict that former US president Donald Trump sexually abused columnist E Jean Carroll in mid-1990s, dismissing his appeal | P11