HYDERABAD  SUNDAY  JANUARY 12, 2025  `12.00  PAGES 26  LATE CITY EDITION NOW META, AMAZON NIX DIVERSITY PROGRAMS AHEAD OF JAN 20 Tech giants join Ford, McDonald’s, John Deere and Walmart in scaling back their diversity, equity and inclusion programs ahead of Trump inauguration META OUTLINES SWEEPING CHANGES TO DEI DEI INVITES IRE IN THE LOS ANGELES WILDFIRE Meta outlined widespread changes, including elimination of its diverse slate hiring approach and the disbanding of its DEI team in an internal memo, which was leaked online. The move by US companies comes after recent Supreme Court decisions on how courts will approach DEI going ahead. Amazon said it is winding down outdated programs ■ ■ Besides the SC decision, the move by companies comes as Trump, who has long riled against tech giants for being biased towards him, is set to become the president Elon Musk targeted DEI during the Los Angeles wildfire. He said, “They prioritised DEI over saving lives and homes” 81 ANTI-DEI BILLS IN COLLEGES WHICH HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED IN 28 STATES 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 NTA exams may CM plans new OGH works by Jan-end go UPSC way for better security EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad Would involve DM, SP to make the process of conducting entrance tests fully secure K A V I TA B A J E L I - D AT T @ New Delhi Uddhav’s Sena to go it alone in civic body polls S U D H I R S U R YA N V A N S H I @ Mumbai IN a seismic shift that threatens to upend Maharashtra’s political landscape, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has announced its decision to contest the upcoming local body elections on its own. The decision was conveyed on Saturday by senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, who said that the move to go solo has the backing of party chief Uddhav Thackeray and is meant to preserve the party’s organisational growth and provide more opportunities for its workers. “We are confident in our strength and will fight the elections on our own ... whatever happens, will happen,” he said. The development raises questions about the future of the MVA coalition, particularly in light of the recent drubbing in the Maharashtra assembly elections, which saw the MVA suffer a humiliating defeat. The Shiv Sena (UBT) bagged just 9.96% of the vote share, a drop from the 16.72% it got in the Lok Sabha elections six months earlier. The Congress has welcomed decision, with leaders citing the challenges of transferring votes between parties. A senior Congress leader acknowledged difficulties in securing votes from Shiv Sena (UBT) supporters, adding that the party now sees an opportunity for growth and expansion. THE government is mulling to conduct all entrance exams to higher education institutions (HEIs) using the UPSC model to ensure strict security and avoid any future allegations of cheating and mismanagement, highly placed sources said. The Union education ministry is considering this approach so as to involve all state and district administrations during the entrance exams, which will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). “Now, the government is thinking of conducting all entrance exams to HEIs using the UPSC model. The UPSC model means the district administration and the state government are involved in the entrance exam process,” the source told this paper. UPSC exam centres are heavily secured by district administrations, with the collector and superintendent of police involved in the entire process. The government is looking at applying the same rigour for conducting various entrance exams, which include CUETUG, CUET-PG, JEE-MAINS, and NEET-UG. NEET-UG was mired in controversy following allegations of cheating and mismanagement last year. The source said the entire state administration is involved in the UPSC exams. “This will help make the entire exam procedure much more secure as the state administration will be Why big reforms A series of reforms are being undertaken so as to make NTA a globally-recognised exam body. “NTA handles one crore students. This is huge as compared to any other country. It will increase,” the source said part of the process. The government’s thinking is to conduct all exams related to admission in such a fashion. Also, the state administration will feel part of the exam system.” The plan to adopt the UPSC model was discussed following the recommendation of the committee led by former ISRO Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan. The committee was set up to suggest exam reforms, better security protocols, and their operation by the education ministry following the NEETUG fiasco. Last month, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced that NTA will focus solely on conducting entrance exams for admission to higher education institutions. The idea was to make the system “error-free”. CHIEF Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed officials to make all necessary arrangements to lay the foundation stone for the new Osmania Hospital, equipped with state-ofthe-art facilities, by the end of January . Chairing a review meeting on the project’s progress with officials, at his residence on Saturday the chief minister en, quired about land availability at Goshamahal. He instructed officials to ensure that the site, currently under the possession of the Police department, is transferred to the Medical and Health department at the earliest. He also asked officials from both the departments to expe- Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy gives suggestions to officials at a review meeting at his residence on Saturday on the construction plans for the new Osmania Hospital. dite the land transfer and related works. Officials presented the design and sample maps for the 20 arrested for the horrific rape of Kerala minor, hunt on for 40 more J A I S O N W I L S O N @ Pathanamthitta A day after the shocking revelation that more than 60 people had raped a minor over five years, the police arrested 20 people, including a juvenile. Police have registered six cases, including under the POCSO Act, with more to follow. Based on the survivor’s statement, the police had on Friday arrested five persons. On Saturday they ar, rested 15 more, including a 17-year-old boy A special in. vestigation team, headed by Pathanamthitta Deputy Superintendent of Police S Nandakum a r, i s q u e s t i o n i n g t h e accused. The girl, who belongs to a NCW SEEKS STATUS REPORT IN THREE DAYS The National Commission for Women has taken cognizance of the case and has directed the state police to submit a report within three days. The survivor is currently receiving counseling and support at a shelter home, police said. Scheduled Caste community, had revealed her ordeal to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members who subsequently informed the police. According to the survivor’s account, the sexual abuse began when she was 13, with Subin, the son of her father’s friend, luring her into a ROOF COLLAPSE AT UTTAR PRADESH STATION SITE Rescue operation underway at Kannauj railway station after an under-construction building there collapsed injuring 23 labourers. Six have been rescued with three sustaining critical injuries. The incident happened around 2.30 pm on Saturday when the shutter collapsed during casting of the roof. Officials said around 35 people were working at the site | PTI | P10 MOOD SPOILER Sankranti demand triples bus operators’ greed CHAOS AT TOLL PLAZAS Nalgonda: With Sankranti holidays starting, heavy traffic congestion was seen at Panthangi and Korlapadu toll plazas on the Hyderabad to Officials at Panthangi said that nearly one lakh vehicles passed toward Vijayawada between noon on Friday and 6 pm on Saturday. They said that they expect an additional 20,000 to 30,000 vehicles to cross the plaza by Saturday midnight. A J AY T O M A R @ Hyderabad Hundreds of vehicles seen waiting to cross the Panthangi toll plaza on NH-65 on Saturday TGSRTC: HIKE DUE TO OVERHEADS The TGSRTC on Saturday stated that fares for special buses were revised due to the additional expenses incurred on diesel and maintenance of buses. The TGSRTC increased ticket prices for special buses by up to 50% as per a GO. The revised fares are applicable only for special buses and on January 10, 11 and 12, and on January 19 and 20 (return journeys) new hospital building. Revanth suggested several modifications to the design, stressing the need to incorporate mod- WHILE private travel operators hike ticket prices every year for buses plying to the districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana during the Sankranti season, this year the fares have been increased abnormally—up to 200%. The sight of long queues at Ameerpet, SR Nagar, Lakdikapul, and other pickup points indicates growing demand, creating an opportunity for travel operators to profit. While several passengers say they can understand to some extent the fare hikes during special occasions, similar to increases in flight ticket prices, they argue that the government should enforce a cap on ticket prices, which are now becoming “exorbitant and unreasonable.” Notably, on special occasions, the TGSRTC also raises the fare by 50% on its fleet of special buses. However, tickets for other TGSRTC buses, including seater and non-AC options, remain available at regular rates. C Manasa, a Kadapa-bound student waiting for her bus at Irrum Manzil on Friday, said that she shelled out `2,100 for the ticket. “Usually, the ticket (to Kadapa) is around `900 to `1,000, but many operators are charging `2,000 to `3,000. Passengers may tolerate a fare hike of `200 to `300, but such an increase is unreasonable,” she said. Sheikh Vali said he was willing to pay premium fares but opined that any fare hike “should be reasonable.” “I believe there is nothing wrong with paying a premium price. Even the TGSRTC cannot mobilise enough staff to cope with the demand. But the fare hike should be reasonable. Charging `3,000 for a ticket that usually costs `1,000 is not right. It needs to be controlled,” said Vali. CONTINUED ON P7 cycle of sexual exploitation that would continue for years. When the girl turned 16, Subin took her to a secluded rubber plantation and sexually assaulted her. He also recorded videos of the act on his phone. This was followed by regular sexual abuse, police said. Subin’s actions were enabled by a network of accomplices, who shared explicit visuals and videos of the girl. The perpetrators used the girl’s father’s mobile phone to communicate with her. Police have identified 40 individuals as potential perpetrators and are working to bring them to book. District Superintendent of Police V G Vinod Kumar said legal action against the perpetrators will continue. ISRO WITH THIS ISSUE ON TRACK FOR SPADEX docking after it corrected the drift anomaly between the two Space Docking Experiment satellites | P7 PARENTAL GUIDANCE PLUS 12 PAGES ern facilities. He directed them to finalise the designs with a forward-looking approach and ensure provision for robust road network, adequate parking facility mortuary and other , infrastructure within the hospital premises. The chief minister also stressed the importance of aligning the hospital’s design with future projects, such as road expansions and construction of flyovers. Additionally, he highlighted the need for parks and green spaces within the hospital campus to provide a relaxing environment for patients and visitors. He stressed that the new hospital should match the standards of corporate hospitals, ensuring advanced medical facilities and infrastructure. EXPRESS READ More BRS MLAs set to join Congress: TPCC chief Hyderabad: TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Saturday revealed that some more BRS MLAs are expected to join the ranks of the ruling Congress after Sankranti. The remarks assume significance in the wake of speculation about the possible arrest of BRS working president KT Rama Rao in the Formula-E race case | P6 Nod for Game Changer special shows withdrawn Hyderabad: A day after the Telangana High Court’s directions, the state government on Saturday issued a memo cancelling permissions for additional early morning shows of the movie “Game Changer” scheduled for January 16. The memo also cancelled permission given to the exhibitors to hike ticket prices | P6 Five from Hyd drown in Kondapochamma project Siddipet: Five youths, all residents of Musheerabad in Hyderabad, drowned in the Kondapochamma reservoir in Siddipet district on Saturday while trying to take a selfie. They were identified as Danush (20), Lohith (17), Jatin (17), Sahil (17) and Dineshwar (17) — all residents of Musheerabad in Hyderabad | P7