tadepalligudem l tuesday l june 03, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION IPL 2025 final: upbeat punjab face bengaluru might today Fresh from its incredible win against Mumbai, Shreyas Iyer set to lead the team against resurgent Royal Challengers in Ahmedabad Shreyas Iyer Rajat Patidar ‘Sarpanch’ Shreyas comes to the fore trophy hunting in 18th edition for No 18 The Punjab skipper is the title-defending captain but with a different franchise. He led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last year, but was not retained. He came into the auction with a statement to make. He has led from the front, inspired a bunch of uncapped Indian players to rise to the occasion. Can he go all the way against Bengaluru team? It has been the narrative from the beginning of the season. Will RCB finally win an IPL title? They had a new captain in Rajat Patidar, built a strong squad around Virat Kohli (No 18) and have dominated the season like never before. The bowling attack has played a crucial part as well. P11 Come Tuesday, expect a massive support for Kohli and Co 2022 last time a team (Gujarat Titans) won their first IPL title 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 Tesla won’t make in India: HDK GST collection ‘Drop in Cess, SGST, CGST resulted in GST decline’ Only wants showrooms; but Merc, VW, Skoda, Hyundai, Kia interested in manufacturing EVs DIPA K MO N DA L @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Despite a marginal negative growth rate of 2.24% in gross GST collections, Andhra Pradesh has demonstrated remarkable resilience and efficiency in tax collection, succ e s s f u l l y r e ve r s i n g t h e downward trend observed in November and December 2024, asserts Babu A, Chief Commissioner of State Taxes. In a detailed note issued Monday, he explained that the main reason for the negative growth was due to declines in Cess, SGST, and CGST payments, with reductions of ` 52 crores (-20.02%), ` 51 crores (-4.11%), and ` 40 crores (-4.01%) respectively . However he noted that the overall impact of these declines was minimal on the state’s actual revenue, as net revenue collections continue to demonstrate strong performance. The resilience of net collections underscores the effectiveness of state-level tax administration and enforcement efforts in ensuring steady revenue inflows, he stated. Further elaborating, Babu stated that the data from the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), Central and State tax administrations showed divergent revenue trends during April-May 2025. Central tax collections declined by 7.2 % year-over-year, while state tax administrations recorded 2.3 % growth during P4 the same period.  CM Chandrababu Naidu during a review meeting with CRDA officials at the State Secretariat in Velagapudi on Monday | Express Land pooling for Amaravati to go beyond 217 sq km E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) has approved the expansion of land pooling beyond the existing 217 sq. km limit, paving the way for large-scale infrastructure projects in Amaravati. Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana announced key decisions taken during the 48th CRDA meeting, held on Monday at the State Secretariat under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. One of the major announcements was the finalization of L-1 tenders for the construction of five administrative towers in Amaravati’s core capital area at an estimated cost of ` 3,673 crore. The GAD Tower, to be built at a cost of ` 882 crore, has been awarded to NCC. HOD Towers 1 and 2, estimated at ` 1,487 crore, will be constructed by Shapoorji & Pallonji, while L&T has been entrusted with the construction of HOD Towers 3 and 4 for ` 1,304 crore. “The construction works will begin soon and will be carried out as per the original designs prepared during the 2014-2019 period,” the minister said. He added that the development of these towers aims to bring all government departments under one roof, ensuring ease of access for citizens and efficient administration. The minister also said the state plans to build an international airport on par with Hyderabad’s Shamshabad Airport, requiring about 10,000 acres. Additionally 2,500 acres , each will be needed for a smart industrial zone and an international sports city . While a decision is pending on whether land for these projects will be acquired or pooled, the government is currently consulting far mers P4 through gram sabhas.  Elon Musk-promoted Tesla is not interested in manufacturing electric vehicles in India, Union heavy industries minister H D Kumaraswamy said here on Monday, adding that the US firm seems interested only in opening showrooms in India. However, other global players including Mercedes, Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia have shown interest in setting up manufacturing facilities in India, he added. The minister’s comments came while announcing the guidelines for the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India (SMEC). He, however, added that the real intention of companies will be known only when the application window for the scheme opens. SMEC—meant for attracting investment from global EV manufacturers—will allow companies to import complete- New Union heavy industries ministry, the scheme EV scheme Notified by the aims to bring global investments and tech to India 10k crore Annual revenue plus `3,000 cr global asset base needed for cos to apply Lower import duty of 15% (down from 70%) for EVs priced above $35,000 25% domestic value addition must be achieved in 3 yrs, and 50% in 5 yrs 4,150 crore Must be invested in India within 3 years of getting approval Import quota capped at 8,000 cars per year, for 5 yrs. Unused quota can be carried forward to next yr ly built units of EVs priced below $35,000 at 15% import duty against the currently applicable rate of 70%. Government officials said Tesla, which had initially shown interest in setting up manufacturing units in India, attended only the first stake- holders’ consultation meeting to discuss the details of the scheme. They skipped subsequent meetings. US president Donald Trump, who is against American firms setting up factories abroad, has very close links with Musk. When asked about Musk’s sikkim Landslide kills 3 jawans, 6 others missing @ Vijayawada In a major development, the State government on Monday directed the public prosecutors to file an appeal in High Court against the acquittal judgment passed by the VII Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Court for Railways in Vijayawada on May 1, 2023 pertaining to the Tuni arson case. The order issued by principal secretary (Home) Kumar Viswajeet further instructed the public prosecutor to file the appeal petition along with delay condonation petition and duly specifying the reasons for delay to avoid further legal complications. “Government, after careful examination of the matter and in exercise of the powers conferred under section 419 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act No.46 of 2023), hereby direct the Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati, to prefer an appeal before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh against the acquittal judgment passed by the railway court,” read the GO. The incident dates back to January 31, 2016, where agitated activists, who attended for ‘Kapu Garjana’ led by the former minister Mudragada Padmanabham and other leaders, stormed the Tuni railway station and set on fire Ratnachal Express and other vehicles. Following the incident, railway protection force (RPF) officials registered cases against the accused under Sec 143 IPC (unlawful assembly), Sec. 147 (rioting), Sec 148 (rioting while armed with deadly weapons), Sec 353 IPC (criminal assault on public servant), Sec 438 (committing mischief by using fire or explosive substance), Sec 120 (b), Indian Railways Act, 1989, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 and other charges. More than seven years after the incident, the Vijayawada Railway Court acquitted all 41 accused and ordered action against three RPF officials for faulty probe in the case. The investigation officers submitted the chargesheet in 2021 before the court and the judge examined a total of 25 witnesses during the trial process between 2021 and 2023. ‘Is it so difficult to be patriotic?’ Khurshid slams critics in party P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Tuni arson case: Govt to file appeal in HC against acquittal judgement E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e plans to manufacture in India, Trump had said it would be “very unfair”. Meanwhile, India and the US are negotiating a trade deal under which India is expected to lower the import duty on American cars, which at present is in the range of 70-100%. Under the recently concluded India-UK trade deal, India has agreed to reduce the tariff on cars to 10% in 10 years. However, small EVs have been kept out of the purview of the deal. The application widow under SMEC will open next week, and won’t shut for 120 days. However, the Centre can reopen the window as and when required till March 15, 2026. On the likely chances of BYD applying under the scheme, officials said the Chinese EV maker is very keen but the Indian government has no plans to grant permission. The government estimates a revenue loss of `6,484 crore per applicant under the scheme. The site of the landslide (above) that hit a military camp at Chaten in Sikkim; and rescue operations (left) in progress | PTI E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Guwahati A landslide struck an Army camp at Chaten in Sikkim’s Lachen district, killing three personnel. Four individuals were rescued while six other personnel were reported missing, a defence ministry statement said. The incident occurred on Sunday evening. The deceased were identified as Havaldar Lakhwinder Singh, Lance Naik Munish Thakur and porter Abhishek Lakhada. All three bodies were recovered. “Rescue teams are relent- lessly working around the clock under extremely challenging terrain and adverse weather conditions to locate and rescue the six personnel who remain missing,” the statement stated. “The Indian Army remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure the safety and well- Thousands of tourists evacuated Most of the over 18,000 tourists stranded in Sikkim’s Lachung and Chungthang towns following landslides were evacuated on Monday. Over 100 others are still stuck in Lachen being of all its personnel, demonstrating its unyielding spirit and dedication to duty even in the face of nature’s fury the statement added. ,” With rainfall in recent days exceeding 130 mm, roads to key tourist destinations, including Lachen, Lachung, Gurudongmar, the Valley of Flowers and Zero Point, suffered major damages. As emergency work is underway following a sudden increase in river Teesta’s water level, the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd restricted vehicular movement along National Highway 10. Days after supporting the abrogation of Article 370, Congress leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid on Monday fired another salvo, saying “it’s distressing that some at home focus on political allegiances instead of unity”. He wondered if it was so difficult to be patriotic. Khurshid, who is a part of the multi-party delegation to various countries, also expressed concern over political divisions amid India’s efforts to address terrorism. In a post on X, Khurshid wrote, “When on mission against terrorism, to carry India’s message to the world, it’s distressing that Salman Khurshid people at home are calculating political allegiances. Is it so difficult to be patriotic?” Later, speaking to the media, Khurshid said there was a need to speak in one voice irrespective of political differences. “I think when I say ‘Is it so difficult to be a patriot?’ — that is the question that has to be asked of those who are... saying things that I think I believe are not very encouraging when you want to do something for the nation,” he said. Party leader Jairam Ramesh had remarked recently that “terrorists were roaming and MPs were also roaming.” freedom from darkness express read Lights up: Jeelugulova tribals celebrate historic night with Dhimsa DSC: HC dismisses pleas seeking stay on exam U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam For the first time, the tribals of Jeelugulova, a remote PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) hamlet atop Samalamma Hill in Cheemalapadu panchayat of Ravikamatham mandal in Anakapalle district, have seen electric lights brighten their village. Marking the occasion with joy and emotion, the villagers celebrated the moment with traditional Dhimsa dance on Sunday night. The hilltop village, home to eight families and around 50 people, has long lived in darkness, relying on fire torches and kerosene lamps. Surrounded by dense forest and facing the constant threat of wild animals after nightfall, the villagers spent many years in fear and isolation. “Even to charge a mobile phone, we had to walk nearly 7 kilometres to Bangaru Bandalu, the nearest village with a power supply. Night travel often came with the risk of snake bites and injuries,” the tribals recalled. Some years ago, a few solar Triabls of Jeelugulova, a remote hamlet in Anakapalle district, celebrate after receiving electricity for the first time on Sunday night | EXPRESS panels were provided to the village by social workers, offering limited relief from darkness. However, villagers recall that these panels often became ineffective during heavy rains, as they were prone to flooding. The residents, belonging to the Kondh tribal community, primarily depend on cashew cultivation for their livelihood, while turmeric farming also supports their seasonal income. Over the years, Jeelugulova’s residents repeatedly raised their concerns at Zilla Parishad meetings in the erstwhile unit- ed Visakhapatnam district, requesting basic infrastructure like electricity and roads. “Recognise us as people, give us light,” they had appealed, often holding torches during protests. After repeated protests, their plea eventually drew the attention of the National Human Rights Commission and senior district officials. In 2022, the then District Collector of Anakapalle, Pattanshetti Ravi Subash, along with Narsipatnam RDO Ronanki Govinda Rao and other divisional offiP4 cials, visited the village.  Vijayawada: The AP High Court on Monday dismissed a batch of petitions filed by aspirants seeking a stay on the conduct of the DSC-2025 examination, scheduled for June 6, and subsequent recruitment | P3 Musk’s dad to get state guest status in UP Lucknow: Errol Musk, South African businessman and father of billionaire Elon Musk, will visit Ram temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday. He is expected to be accorded the status of state guest by the UP government | P8