hyderabad l sunday l may 25, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE City EDITION like a bad dream, covid cases creep up; experts say no worry One case of the newly emerging COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 and four instances of LF.7 type were detected in India, according to INSACOG data WHO says it’s not a variant of concern Man, 84, with comorbidities dies in B’luru As of May 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies LF.7 and NB.1.8 subvariants as ‘Variants being Monitored’, not as ‘Variants of Concern’ or ‘Variants of Interest’. But these are the variants that are reportedly driving the rise in Covid cases in China and parts of Asia. In India, the most common variant remains JN.1, comprising 53% of samples ■ ■ Delhi recorded 23 new cases, Thane 10, Andhra Pradesh recorded four in the last 24 hours, Telangana confirmed one. In Bengaluru, a 84-year-old man with comorbidities, who also had Covid, died Doctors in Delhi advised people not to panic and said the new strains are not severe; and that most patients only reported mild symptoms 273 new cases THAT were reported in KERALA this MONTH ALONE 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 miss world ’25 Performing like monkey, says Miss UK, leaves Group photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union ministers, chief ministers and administrators of various states and Union Territories at the NITI Aayog Governing Council meet in New Delhi on Saturday | PTI Modi chants Centre-state unity mantra to achieve Viksit goal M U K ES H RAN J AN @ New Delhi TG riled at AP’s plans for lift irrigation scheme designed to draw water from the dead storage of the Polavaram Project, asks Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) to take immediate action | P5 WITH THIS ISSUE Stadium to Screen PLUS 12 PAGES Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged all states to develop at least one tourist destination at par with global standards by providing the full range of facilities, including infrastructure, while addressing the Gover ning Council of NITI Aayog. Giving special emphasis to tourism, he said, ‘One State, One Global Destination’, would lead to the development of neighbouring towns as well as tourist places. Chairing the 10th edition of the NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting, Modi said if the Union government and states work together like Team India, no goal is impossible to achieve. He urged all chief ministers to make the spirit of solidarity trickle down to the district and village levels. Noting that India collectively should work in a manner so as to bring change in the lives of common people, Modi said, “Only when people feel the change, it will transform into a national movement.” healthcare delivery focus The prime minister emphasized the need to focus on health services delivery. He urged the CMs to check if oxygen plants are functional in the context of possible Covid-related challenges. He also asked states to expand telemedicine coverage Modi also sought to expedite the pace of development. “We have to increase the speed of development,” he added. “This is the century of technology and it should be integrated in every field from governance to agriculture,” he said, adding: “Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local are the strategies through which the vision of Viksit Bharat can be achieved. We should encourage it wholeheartedly .” The theme of this edition of the meeting was ‘Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047’. “Viksit Bharat is the goal of every Indian. When every state is Viksit, then Bharat will be Viksit. This is the aspiration of its 140 crore citizens,” Modi said, adding that India is getting rapidly urbanised. The prime minister issued a call to work towards future ready cities. Growth, innovation and sustainability should be the engine for the development of our cities, he added. Modi recommended reforms in public and private sectors for working women with focus on their ease of working. “We must work towards inclusion of women in our work force. We must make laws, policies so that they can be respectfully integrated in the workforce.” The Governing Council includes all state chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers. The PM is the chairman of Niti Aayog. This was the first national meeting of chief ministers after Operation Sindoor. According to officials, there was complete unanimity in praising the armed forces for their precision strikes against terror targets in Pakistan. 31 states/UTs participate in the meet The meeting was attended by CMs and Lt Governors representing 24 states and 7 UTs, out of a total of 36. There was no-show from Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar and Pondy, Niti Aayog CEO B V R Subrahmanyam said Op Sindoor not one-off initiative Modi said Operation Sindoor against Pakistan should not be treated as a oneoff initiative, adding “we must adopt a long-term approach.” He urged all states to modernise their approach to civil preparedness Revanth seeks PM’s support for Telangana Rising E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support Telangana’s efforts in becoming a major player in India’s semiconductor ecosystem. Calling on Modi in Delhi, Revanth stated that Telangana is aligned with India’s Semiconductor Mission and aims to emerge as a hub for ad- ‘Unity is vanced semiconductor and strength’ electronics manufacturing. Stating that Hyderabad al- Revanth ready hosts a strong ecosys- proposes a tem, with global R&D cen- task force, tres such as AMD, Qualcomm led by the and NVIDIA and major man- PM and CMs ufacturers like Foxconn and to harness Kaynes, Revanth highlight- the potented Telangana as an attrac- ial of countive investment destination try’s metro by pointing out the state’s of- cities | P4 ferings including seismic safety industrial land availability skilled , , workforce and supportive infrastructure. He requested Modi’s intervention to secure ISM project approval for Telangana, stating that this would boost investor confidence and contribute towards India’s target of $500 billion electronics production by 2030. He said ISM approval would help generate high-value jobs and strengthen India’s global position in semiconductor supply chains.  Continued on P4 Monsoon arrives in Kerala KTR says certain issues best raised internally, keeps focus on Cong, BJP 8 days ahead of schedule Express News Service @ Hyderabad ens @ T’puram TWO people died in Kannur while widespread damage was reported from across the state, especially in the northern districts, as the Southwest monsoon made an early onset over Kerala on Saturday. Bayas Oroyana, a Jharkhand native, died in a landslide while working on the NH 66. Earlier in the day , another landslide claimed the life of Ratheesh, 52, at Azhiyur in Kannur. The India Meteorological De par tment (IMD) has sounded red alert for Malapppuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod on Sunday. On Monday, all districts, barring Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha, will be placed under red alert. In view of the landslide threat, the Idukki and Wayanad administrations have imposed restrictions on entry into tourist spots. In Wayanad, where a minor landslip was re por ted, the collector has ordered a halt to operation of quarries. This marks the earliest onset of the Southwest monsoon in Kerala in the last 16 years. The IMD said this year’s onset was eight days ahead of the normal schedule of June 1, and was the earliest after 2009, when it set in on May 23. The monsoon this year will be above normal, IMD officials said. In Kozhikode, restoration work underway after a high tension tower collapsed following heavy rain on Saturday. IMD has sounded red alert in the district | PTI IMD forecasts heavy rains for Telangana till May 29 Express News Service @ Hyderabad The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rainfall alert for Telangana until May 29, forecasting thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (30–40 kmph) across the state. The IMD expects temperatures to drop by 5–7°C below normal in the coming days. A low-pressure area may form over the west-central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal by May 27. Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are likely at many places, with an orange alert issued for districts including Adilabad, Kumurambheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Rajanna Sircilla and Sangareddy . Isolated heavy rainfall is likely in Hyderabad, Medchal Malkajgiri, Nizamabad, Rangareddy and other districts from May 26 to 28. The southwest monsoon is expected to reach Telangana in early June. Hyderabad witnessed rainfall on Saturday evening, resulting in traffic congestion in areas such as Punjagutta, Ameerpet, Jubilee Hills, Begumpet, and Gachibowli. TGCSB cracks cyber slavery racket, arrests two | p3 The BRS leadership on Saturday sought to retain the party’s focus on its criticism of the Congress and BJP by allowing itself to be sidetracked by the letter written by MLC K Kavitha to party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao. At a press conference held at Telangana Bhavan, BRS working president KT Rama Rao made only passing references to the letter. He described it as an internal party matter, best addressed within party fora. “It would be good to express certain issues inter- nally,” he said, before turning his focus to attacking the Congress government and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy . When pressed, Rama Rao added that during preelection reviews, many party leaders had submitted feedback in writing to the party president. He called the BRS a democratic organisation where members are free to offer suggestions. “This formula applies to all,” he remarked, reiterating that internal issues should remain within party discussions. Asked about Kavitha’s reference to “devils” in her letter, Rama Rao dismissed the specu- lation: “The devil for Telangana is Revanth Reddy and the ghost is the Congress Party. Our focus is on removing both.” He also addressed claims of “coverts” within the BRS, stating such elements exist in all parties and would eventually reveal themselves. Elsewhere, senior BRS leader T Harish Rao cancelled a scheduled press conference. According to his aide, this move was intended to prevent the conversation from shifting toward internal matters. Kavitha, meanwhile, remained out of public view, staying at her residence and not meeting her parents after returning from the US. Sh r e ya V e r o n i c a @ Hyderabad TILL Saturday the 72nd edi, tion of Miss World was progressing as planned: A polite parade of poise, sequins and diplomatic smiles. Then came an unscheduled firework display by none other than Miss England 2024, Milla Maggie. Having left the competition on May 16, allegedly due to “personal reasons”, Maggie re-emerged in tabloid The Sun with claims that make Bridgerton look like a documentary . “I went there to make a difference, but we had to sit like performing monkeys,” The Sun quoted her as saying, suggesting the Miss World experience was less about world peace and more about looking glamorous. Maggie, 24, didn’t stop there. In tones more suited to exposés than tiaras, she claimed the whole affair resembled a sort of high-end cattle fair, where women were “paraded to impress wealthy individuals” and she was made to feel “like a prostitute being farmed out for entertainment.” Understandably, this did not go down too well in Hyderabad which is hosting the pageant. The state government was swift in its response. Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary for Youth Advancement, Tourism and Culture, said, “This is just an exaggerated situation.” The Miss World Organisation (MWO) said Maggie cited health reasons for her departure. Meanwhile, the show goes on. England has now dispatched a replacement contestant, Charlotte Cox, to Hyderabad. Julia Morley, chairperson and CEO of MWO, attempted to close the chapter with a terse message: “We responded to Maggie’s departure with compassion.” Miss England 2024 Milla Maggie said they had to sit like monkeys | Vinay Madapu england series Touch of hinterland as Gill set to lead Test team F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai Shubman Gill, the first India Test captain from Punjab since Bishan Singh Bedi (1976-78), will usher Indian cricket into a new era. Unlike Bedi, who though was born in Amritsar but played domestic cricket for Delhi, Gill, in fact, will be the first to have represented Punjab in age group cricket before being made the Test captain. With the England tour, Gill, who doesn’t hail from a cricketing power centre, is set to lead a squad of 18 mostly comprising players like him. Among the players for the five-Test series starting June 20, only five were born in metro cities like Chennai, Beng alur u and Hyderabad, considered hubs of Indian cricket. It can be argued that Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal represent Delhi and Mumbai, the two cities known for their cricketing culture, in the domestic circuit but even they shifted their base to pursue the game. Pant was born in Haridwar, Uttarakhand while Jaiswal’s birth place is Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh. Similarl y, S h a r d u l Thakur, who is making a comeback, plies his trade for Mumbai but he was born in Palghar, a town in the Konkan division of Maharashtra. In the last 25 years, it was MS Dhoni from Ranchi, Jharkhand, who set the trend when he took over the Test captaincy from Bengaluru-born Anil Kumble. Before Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly led the side. In fact, Dravid was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh but shifted his base to Bengaluru. The 25-year-old Gill will succeed Mumbai’s Rohit Sharma, who in turn took the mantle from Delhi’s Virat Kohli. As many as three players selected were born in Uttar Pradesh — Yashasvi, Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav. A couple of them were born in Gujarat — Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Besides, six were born in states like Punjab (Gill), Rajasthan (Karun Nair). Maharashtra (Thakur), Bihar (Akash Deep), MP (Arshdeep Singh) and Andhra Pradesh (Nitish Kumar Reddy). Though most of the cricketers headed to big centres but there seems to be a pradigm shift, a trend where players from non-metros have started shining.  P7 and 11 Last year or so we have looked at Shubman. We are hopeful he is the guy who is going (to take team forward) — Ajit Agarkar, chief selector