HYDERABAD  THURSDAY  JANUARY 23, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 18  LATE CITY EDITION 20 CHEETAHS TO ARRIVE FROM KENYA BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND SEPTEMBER The third batch of 20 cheetahs will arrive at Madhya Pradesh’s Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary between February 25 and Sept 25 File Photo 15-DAY QUARANTINE AT GANDHI SAGAR SANCTUARY ■ 1952 KUNO NATIONAL PARK NOW HAS 25 CHEETAHS The cheetahs will undergo a 15-day quarantine before their release into the wild, officials said. A separate enclosure has been created at the sanctuary to house them during the quarantine period. A team of wildlife scientists will inspect the facility. Efforts will be made to pair male and female cheetahs, Dr Abhijeet Pawde, a senior wildlife scientist, said ■ Twenty cheetahs—eight from Namibia in 2022 and 12 from South Africa in 2023—have been brought to India under ‘Project Cheetah’, the Centre’s initiative to reintroduce the species to India Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park now hosts 25 cheetahs, including the 12 from South Africa and their 13 cubs born here WHEN CHEETAHS WERE DECLARED EXTINCT IN INDIA 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 TG secures `45K cr investment for green power projs E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad SUN Petrochemicals, a leading energy company, is set to develop three pumped storage hydropower projects in Nagarkurnool, Mancherial and Mulugu districts with an estimated outlay of `45,000 crore. These projects, with a combined capacity of 3,400 MW, will be complemented by downstream integrated solar power plants with a capacity of 5,440 MW . The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the projects was signed between senior officials of the Telangana government and Sun Petrochemicals on Thursday The investment of `45,500 crore is expected to create . over 7,000 jobs during the construction phase, according to a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). Welcoming the investment, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said, “Telangana has once again set new benchmarks. While we doubled the previous year’s achievements at Davos with `40,000 crore in investments in 2024, this watershed agreement with Sun Petrochemicals further broadens the scope and investment base of Telangana. Our government prioritises all sectors, from services to manufacturing and from innovation-driven industries to conventional powerhouses. This project will not only create a large number of jobs for our youth but will also drive impactful transformation in Nagarkurnool, Mancherial and Mulugu.” IT & Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu highlighted the diligent efforts behind the agreement, stating, “This success is the result of nearly a year of discussions and meetings among the CM, myself, state officials and Sun Petrochemicals’ leadership. It stands as one of the largest single investment milestones in Telangana since 2014.” “Telangana is putting in top efforts to become India’s number one state in green energy the CMO said. ,” Dilip Shanghvi, managing director of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Sun Petrochemicals, said, “Under the guidance of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy Telangana , has emerged as an irresistible investment destination over the past 12 months. This landmark agreement will have a transformative impact not only on the state but on the entire country, given the growing importance of P4 green energy for our economy and society .” Chief ministers of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at the WEF annual meeting on Wednesday TELANGANA MEANS BUSINESS: REVANTH Hyderabad: Asserting that he aspires to compete with China, rather than other Indian cities such as Amaravati, Mumbai or New Delhi, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, said, “China plus one is my concept. China plus one is Telangana.” These remarks were made while he was addressing investors at the WEF annual meeting in Davos on Wednesday. Sharing the stage with his counterparts from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, N Chandrababu Naidu and Devendra Fadnavis, respectively, Revanth extended an invitation to global investors. “Trust me and invest in Telangana. I am 55 years old and will be actively serving the state for the next 20-25 years. Telangana means business. So, invest in Telangana,” he urged | CONTINUED ON P4 SLEW OF INVESTMENTS With `45K cr, Sun Petrochemicals is set to develop three pumped storage hydropower projects in Nagarkurnool, Mancherial and Mulugu districts. It is expected to create over 7K jobs during the construction phase  JSW UAV Limited will set up an unmanned aerial systems manufacturing facility with `800 crore. Over 200 high-value jobs are likely to be generated HCLTech’s new state-of-the-art tech centre will be launched in Hyderabad next month. The 3.2 lakh square feet facility is designed to accommodate 5,000 IT employees.  Sridhar meets Wipro officials to discuss plans for the IT firm’s facility expansion in Hyderabad Sebi moots mini SIPs at `250/month B E N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai SEEKING to increase financial inclusion among the underserved sections and inculcate the habit of systematic saving, capital markets regulator Sebi has proposed that fund houses launch sachet-sized systematic investment plans (SIPs) starting `250. These small-ticket SIPs would be offered at lower costs but the discounted rates would apply only for three plans per investor. According to Sebi’s consulta- tion paper, released on Wednesday the scheme is to help small , investors who are new to the mutual fund industry. Therefore, existing investors and those who opt for large SIPs would be excluded. The proposal caps annual investment at `50,000 per investor, per mutual fund, without PAN. However, Aadhaar verification is mandatory . Investors are expected to make a commitment for five years (60 instalments), though there will be no restriction on closing the plan early . The paper also suggests ways to help the asset management companies (AMCs) to recover the additional costs they incur by subsidizing these sachetsized SIPs. It says the AMCs can be compensated from the investor education and awareness fund maintained by the mutual fund industry Sebi esti. mates that AMCs will be able to break even within two years. Sebi has sought industry feedback by February 6, following which it will announce final rules. In first meet, US flags irregular migration issue Rubio’s first bilateral meet of his tenure with Jaishankar indicates trajectory of India ties J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IN his first bilateral meeting after taking charge as US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio told External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that the Trump administration is keen to strengthen the US’ strategic partnership with India and urged him to address concerns of ‘irregular migration’. Jaishankar said India strongly supports legal migration. Later, talking to reporters in Washington, the minister said he flagged the delays faced by Indian citizens in obtaining US visas. Jaishankar-Rubio meeting was held at the headquarters of the State Department on Tuesday. That Rubio, a China hawk and an ardent advocate of India-US relationship, chose to have his first bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart is seen as a signal that the Trump administration is keen to bolster ties with India. During the meeting, they discussed ways to expand the strength and scope of their relationship and a possible meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a ‘mutually convenient, earliest date’. The State Department said both sides vowed to strengthen the bilateral relationship. “Secretary Rubio also emphasized the Trump Administration’s desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration,” its statement read. Illegal and irregular migration was a key issue Trump raised during his campaign. In October last year, the US Department of Homeland Security deported over 1,100 Indian nationals as part of its efforts to target unauthorised migration. Jaishankar said India needs to verify the nationality of these nationals, adding: “We are open to legitimate return of people.” Jaishankar said the Trump administration has substantial interest in the ongoing cooperation between the US and India, adding that he is optimistic about the trajectory of the bilateral ties. He said the emerging and critical technologies, semi conductors, and alternative supply chains are the focus areas of the new administration. Jaishankar said he and Rubio exchanged views on a wide range of regional and global issues. 12 die as they jump off train, hit by another S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai EXPRESS READ Mercury levels to dip; TG braces for cold days Hyderabad: The IMD on Wednesday said the minimum temperatures are likely to be 2°C–3°C below normal over the next two days across the state. In many districts, minimum temperatures will be 11-15°C during this period | P2 Kidney transplant racket under inquiry Hyderabad: Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarsimha has ordered a detailed inquiry into the alleged kidney transplant racket at Alaknanda Hospital, Saroornagar, which was busted on Tuesday| P3 Dhule Jalgaon Buldhana Nashik Aurangabad A crowd at the site of the accident, near Pachora railway station | PTI `5 LAKH EX-GRATIA ANNOUNCED Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a `5 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of those killed and said the government will bear the cost of treatment for the injured TOLL COULD INCREASE The Jalgaon district administration said 12 bodies were recovered from the track. It said the toll could go up as some of the passengers have sustained serious injuries AT least 12 rail passengers were killed and 55 other injured after they jumped off their train reportedly over a false fire alarm and were hit by another speeding train around the same time while crossing the tracks in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on Wednesday . Reports said someone on the Pushpak Express, which was traveling from Lucknow to Mumbai, pulled the chain, raising a false alarm. As the locopilots applied break to slow down the fast-moving train, sparks either from the hot axle or brake-jamming and the smoke spread into the cabin. It triggered panic among passengers who assumed a fire had broken out on the train. In an attempt to save themselves, some passengers jumped off the Pushpak Express unaware that the Karnataka Express was fast approaching from the opposite direction. As they tried to cross the track, many of them were mowed down by the Karnataka Express. The accident took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora, more than 400 km from Mumbai. Both trains later reached their respective next stations and the accident site has been cleared, a police official said. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, expressing grief over the incident, said, “The tragic incident of the loss of lives in a very unfortunate incident near Pachora in Jalgaon district is deeply distressing. I pay my heartfelt tributes to them,” he said. “We are monitoring the situation and all necessary assistance is being provided immediately I am . in touch with the district administration,” Fadnavis said, adding, Jalgaon General Hospital and nearby private hospitals are being kept ready for treating the injured passengers. QUAD HAS A MESSAGE FOR CHINA In a signal to China, foreign ministers from Quad countries opposed any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion | P9 TRUMP NUANCES H-1B STAND Trump said he likes ‘both sides of the argument’ on H-1B foreign guest workers’ visa, noting that he likes “very competent people” coming into the country DIVERSITY STAFF SENT ON LEAVE Trump administration directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on leave. Agencies told to develop plans to lay them off | P11 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting, in Washington DC | PTI Ex-Army man kills wife, boils body parts in pressure cooker EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad AN ex-serviceman was arrested for allegedly murdering his wife, chopping her body into pieces, boiling the remains in a pressure cooker and dumping them in a lake in Jillelaguda, under the Meerpet police station limits. According to police sources, the accused, Gurumurthy allegedly admit, ted to killing his wife, Puttavenkata Madhavi, 35, during questioning. After killing her, he reportedly disposed of her remains in a nearby lake. Investigators are gathering additional evidence related to the case. Meerpet Inspector K Nagaraju said that Gurumurthy and Madhavi had been married for 11 years and hailed from Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh. Gurumurthy, who retired from Army, is currently working as a security guard in Kanchanbagh. The couple had been residing in Venkateshwara Colony Jil, lelaguda, for five years. A missing person complaint was filed by Madhavi’s mother, Uppala Subbamma, on January 18. She informed the police that her daughter had a quarrel with Gurumurthy around 8 am on January 16 over petty issues. Upset after the argument, Madhavi left their home around 12 pm the same day without informing anyone and did not return, the complaint said, adding that though their relatives and neighbours searched for Madhavi, she could not be found. “The case is under investigation,” said Nagaraju. Tata, MMS lead Bharat Ratna race R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi IT’S that time of the year when speculation mounts over the possible recipients of the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. Among the awardees this year could be towering politicians. There could also be a surprise element on the list that is released around Republic Day . While all sorts of names are doing the rounds, sources said industrialist Ratan Tata and former prime minister Manmohan Singh are in the preliminary shortlist for the most coveted award, albeit posthumously The demand for . conferring it on Tata picked up pace after his demise in CONTINUED ON P10 October.