HYDERABAD  SATURDAY  JANUARY 11, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 20  LATE CITY EDITION LAURENE POWELL JOBS TO OBSERVE KALPAVAS AT KUMBH The American entrepreneur and widow of Steve Jobs is set to observe an ancient spiritual practice of austerity at Maha Kumbh UNDERSTANDING THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICE MAHA KUMBH: A SPIRITUAL GATHERING Kalpvas is a month-long period of austerity, meditation and selfpurification, deeply rooted in the Sanatan tradition. Practitioners, known as Kalpvasis, renounce comforts, live in temporary tents, and engage in daily worship, including holy dips, spiritual discourses and devotional music. The practice is meant for inner purification and spiritual growth ■ ■ The Maha Kumbh, organised every 12 years, is a religious gathering of Sanatan devotees attracting millions from around the world Laurene is likely to stay at the camp of Swami Kailashananda (pic), the Mahamandaleshwar of Niranjani Akhara. She will be there till the third Amrit Snan (royal bath) on Mauni Amavasya on January 29 JAN 13 WHEN THE MAHA KUMBH MELA KICKSTARTS IN PRAYAGRAJ IN U.P. 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 India cagey about Starlink licence after Manipur breach Govt may not give any exemption to Elon Musk firm or treat it as a special case R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi FUTURE POSITIVE Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy arrives for the CII national council meeting on Friday Future City will be a ‘net-zero city’ and compete with New York, London, Seoul & Dubai, CM says Area between ORR and RRR to be a manufacturing hub, help Hyd emerge as ‘China+1 alternative’ CM to launch four schemes on R-Day EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad REITERATING that all arable lands would be eligible for Rythu Bharosa, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday announced the launch of four new schemes on Republic Day — implementation of Rythu Bharosa with an enhanced amount of `12,000 per acre, financial assistance of `12,000 to landless workers (Indiramma Athmeeya Bharosa), issuance of new ration cards, and Indiramma houses. Speaking at the collectors’ conference here on Friday, Revanth announced that he would undertake surprise visits to various districts after January 26, Republic Day . Stating that welfare and development were the two pillars of his government, Revanth said that the collectors would play a key role in the implemen- tation of the four schemes. Making it clear that the responsibility of implementing the four new schemes lies with the district collectors, Revanth directed officials to conduct Gram Sabhas and Ward Sabhas across the state. Beneficiary lists should be announced during these meetings, he said. Highlighting irregularities in the implementation of t h e Ry t h u B a n d h u scheme, the CM stressed that only arable lands — regardless of whether a farmer has cultivated crops or not — would receive Rythu Bharosa funds. Officials must ensure that eligible farmers receive the benefits, while ineligible persons are excluded, he said. Revanth directed the collectors to appoint nodal officers at the district and mandal levels to oversee the implementation of the scheme and identify ineligiCONTINUED ON P5 ble cases. IN a setback to Elon Musk’s satellite communication company Starlink, India may not allow it to operate in the country due to security concerns. The government will do a thorough risk analysis and look at all aspects before considering the firm’s application for a licence, a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) official told this newspaper. The government’s decision comes in the wake of discovery of Starlink satellite antennas and routers from Manipur and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the DoT official said, adding: “Incidents like these have prompted the government to scrutinise Starlink’s licence application.” The Musk-owned firm has been seeking certain exemptions to enter the Indian market, citing technical limitations. Sources said the Centre was earlier open to easing some conditions for Starlink as a special case, but it is now treading very cautiously . Till date, the government has granted licences to Bharti Groupbacked OneWeb and the Jio-SES joint venture Jio Satellite Communications to provide satellite communication services in the country Musk’s Starlink and Ama. zon’s Project Kuiper have also applied for licences but neither has been approved by the government. In 2021, Starlink courted controversy when it accepted preorders from Indian consumers before obtaining the licence to operate in the country Follow. ing this, the DoT asked it to refund the pre-orders. Fresh problems for Starlink emerged in December 2024 when the company’s routers and antennas were discovered in ethnic strife-torn Manipur. Additionally, police in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands found that drug smugglers were using Starlink Mini—a portable satellite communication device with an integrated WiFi router—to communicate. Although Musk claimed that Starlink had “turned off ” its services in India, security agencies suspect the devices were used in sensitive areas like Manipur, providing internet access to militant groups. Hence the government’s rethink on Starlink. T G N A I D U @ Hyderabad DIRECTING the state government to review the permission given to the makers of the Telugu movie Game Changer to hike ticket prices, Justice B Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Friday directed that no further special shows or price hikes be al- lowed until a decision is made in the best interest of the public. Hearing a batch of writ petitions filed by Gorla Bharat Raj and two others, challenging the government’s decision to permit special shows in the early morning hours as well as increase ticket prices, Justice Reddy expressed strong dismay over the permis- Modi: Mistakes are inevitable, I’m human, not God R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi in his debut podcast described himself as a person for whom designation holds no significance in his dedication to serving the nation. In a candid tete-a-tete hosted by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, Modi said that his designations and situations may have changed but he remains the same individual who once used to sit on the floor. He said he was always willing to abandon old ideas and adopt new ones if they align with his core ideology of “Nation First.” In reply to a question if he had planned for the future beyond his tenure, focusing on training people he trusts for the next 20-30 years, Modi said, “I can see people with a lot of potential. When I was in Gujarat, I would say that I want to prepare a team for the next 20 years. I am doing it. My success lies in how I prepare my team who will be able to deftly handle things. This is my benchmark that I’ve set for myself.” Stressing the need for participation of youth in politics, he said that the country needs young leaders who are driven by a mission rather than ambition. Asked about his early approach to leadership, Modi said, “When I became CM, I said I will not do anything for myself. I will not do anything wrong out of bad intentions. I have made it a mantra of my life. Mistakes are inevitable. I must have made mistakes. I am a human too, not a god.” He reiterated his commitment to reserving one-third of seats for women in assemblies and the Lok Sabha. The government is taking the suspected use of Starlink devices in Manipur very seriously and is carefully considering all aspects before granting licence to the Elon Musk company DoT official Devotees throng the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Jiyaguda on the occasion of Vaikunta Ekadashi in Hyderabad on Friday. Meanwhile, thousands flocked the Rama temple at Bhadrachalam for darshan of Lord Rama, who appeared on Garuda vahanam in the form of Lord Vishnu | SRI LOGANATHAN VELMURUGAN sion granted for special shows. The petitioners contended that the government lacked the jurisdiction to issue such orders and criticised the special treatment given to Game Changer despite the cancellation of benefit shows. The court pointed out that while the government had officially cancelled benefit shows, special shows were indirectly allowed for Game Changer on January 10, 2025. The court also raised questions about the legal basis for the increase in ticket prices, noting that the principal (home) secretary failed to provide a clear justification for the hike. The court ordered an interim review of the ticket price hike. Don gets felony sentence without any punishment AGENCIES FAITH MATTERS HC asks TG to review special shows, ticket price hike HUSH MONEY CASE US President-elect Donald Trump was on Friday sentenced in the hush money case without any punishment. It will make him the first person with a felony conviction to serve as president. In a post online after the sentencing, Trump called the trial a “despicable charade” and said he will file an appeal. Trump’s sentence was his first-ever so far. Manhattan Judge Juan M Merchan awarded him an unconditional discharge on all 34 counts, doing legal gymnastics since he is president-elect. He was charged with 34 felonies and convicted by a jury on every count in May last year, yet he got full discharge. Trump was found guilty of fudging his business’ records to conceal a $130,000 payoff to porn actor Stormy Daniels. She was paid in 2016 not to tell the public about her sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Trump, however, rejected the claim. And the allegations didn’t have an impact on voters, who elected him to a second term. Judge Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old accused to up to four years in prison. Instead, he chose a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional issues by effectively ending the case. Merchan said when facing any defendant, he had to consider any aggravating factors before imposing a sentence. But the legal protection that Trump will have as president is a factor that overrides all others. “Despite the extraordinary breadth of those legal protections, one power they do not provide is that they do not erase a jury verdict,” Merchan observed. Briefly addressing the court virtually Trump , said, “It’s been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election, and obviously that didn’t work.” , The prosecution requested no prison, probation or fine as a sentence. Judge Merchan obliged. He called it an extraordinary case and a paradox with a lot of attention but ordinary court proceedings. Prosecutors, however, criticised Trump’s fierce attacks on the legal system. P13