hubballi l wednesday l july 02, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION stealth frigate INS Tamal latest induction into the navy An improved version of Shtil missile is the primary weapon for anti-air defence of the Russian-manufactured frigate INS Tamal shipborne surface to air missile key usp Russian tech helps make in india plan Describing the latest version of the missile, sources from Russia said the Russian Shtil-1 is a shipborne, medium-range, multi-channel, verticallaunch Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system. It provides omnidirectional collective defence of ship squadrons as well as omnidirectional individual defence of ships against attacks by enemy anti-ship missiles and aircraft ■ ■ Trials of Shtil-1 with 9M317ME SAMs fitted aboard the frigate Tamal were completed at a Baltic Sea range before its delivery to India Sources term the transfer of as being “in line with Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation, which is evolving, on the basis of long-term contracts and the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative | P7 8th INS Tamal is the eighth ship that Russia transferred to the Navy 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 caste Survey Decline in SC no.s in state raises red flags Hard talk on terror at Quad meet Jaishankar says India will exercise right to defend against terror, expects partners to understand J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi B a n s y K a l a p pa @ Bengaluru In a surprising twist, the latest Scheduled Caste survey, being overseen by Justice Nagamohan Das in Karnataka, has revealed a decline in the SC population, even as national and historical state data suggest a steady upward trend. While the SC population in the state as per the 2011 census was 18%, it may have reduced by one or two per cent as per the latest SC survey pending the completion , of the enumeration. The discrepancy has triggered a concern among policymakers, demographers and social justice advocates. Justice Das confirmed that t h e r e is a decline in SC numbers. “Yes, I too have noticed the decline. It could either be because SCs have migrated out of Bengaluru to other districts -which is supported by higher SC figures in 13 districts -- or due to social taboo. Many may have hesitated to identify themselves as SCs.” The survey officially concluded in all parts of the state on Monday but has been given , a six-day extension only in Bengaluru city and its urban periphery, which Justice Das believes could explain the apparent dip in numbers. He said, “We have covered 95% of other areas and there is no issue there. But for Bengaluru and surrounding urban areas, we have sought time till July 6 to complete data collection.” Sources said, “Verification may have filtered out false claims. During the survey, respondents were required to submit caste certificates or ration cards.” Act of economic warfare: minister External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday described the Pahalgam terror attack as an act of economic warfare, adding India no longer separates terror groups from the states that support them Want to have similar meets every 5-6 mths: U.S. In the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday asserted that India will not hesitate to defend its citizens against terrorism and expects its strategic partners to stand in solidarity, at a meeting of Quad foreign ministers in Washington. “A word about terrorism in the light of our recent experience — the world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated. And India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” Jaishankar said, addressing his counterparts from the US, Japan and Australia. The strong statement came as in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 civilians dead — mostly tourists in a cross-bor- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the strategic importance of the grouping. “We would like to do this every five-six months. These are important strategic partners and allies of the US. We have shared priorities — we talk about ideas and concepts,” he said der terror attack, underscoring India’s growing assertiveness on counterterrorism in multilateral groupings such as the Quad. Set against the backdrop of growing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, the Quad meeting also reaffirmed the group’s commitment to a free, open, and rulesbased regional order. “We are all committed to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said. “It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” Jaishankar said. He added that the bloc was becoming “more cohesive, nimble and focused”. No discussion on leadership change in state, says Surjewala D e v a r a j B H i r eh a l l i @ Bengaluru AICC General Secretary, Karnataka in-charge, Randeep Singh Surjewala maintained here on Tuesday that his ongoing meetings with party MLAs is an organisational exercise and there is no discussion on the issue of leadership change, even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar camps batted for their leaders. “This is an organisational exercise. If you (media) ask me whether opinions were collected from MLAs for any change in leadership, the answer remains no,” he said, addressing the press conference along with Shivaku- Notice to MLA State Congress president DK Shivakumar issued a notice to Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain for issuing statements, seeking an explanation within a week. mar. Surjewala instructed party leaders that if they have any issues, they should resolve them with the CM and DCM, who is also the party state president. During the meetings, the MLAs were asked about their performance in their assembly constituencies besides hearing their grievances and aspirations. Surjewala said he ex- plained to them the limitations in the government and what best can be done to fulfill their demands. He said the MLAs were asked about the status of the guarantees and how they were benefiting the people. Shivakumar too said Surjewala’s exercise is about party organisation and not about leadership change. “Surjewala is here to receive pleas from MLAs and also give guidance on the party organisation. He is trying to bring discipline in the party amid public statements by some of the MLAs. Neither the cabinet expansion nor leadership change was discussed. We are not in a hurry for that and our only focus is 2028,” he said. P4 Parliamentary panel meeting cut short over Medha Patkar party MPs stormed out of the meeting, with some calling A parliamentary panel meetPatkar ‘anti-national’. ing on Rural Development and According to sources, a BJP Panchayati Raj was MP told the meeting postponed abruptly on that “Pakistan Prime Tuesday as BJP MPs Minister could have boycotted it in protest been invited for the against the presence of meeting”. activist Medha Patkar A BJP MP told this and actor-turned-activpaper they were not inist Prakash Raj, who formed about the depoMedha Patkar were invited to appear sition of Medha Patkar before the committee. and Prakash Raj while The meeting saw stormy panel head Saptagiri Sankar scenes as former Union minisUlaka said it is a normal practer and BJP MP Parshottam tice to invite civil society memRupala along with other ruling bers on various issues. P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Nature’s tandav The Panchvaktra Mahadev Temple at the confluence of the Beas and Suketi rivers flowing in spate after a cloudburst, in Himachal’s Mandi dist on Tuesday | PTI | P8 The Quad, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, has emerged as one of the cornerstones of India’s strategic engagements amid a volatile regional landscape. India is set to host the next Quad summit later this year. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasised the need for secure and diversified supply chains, particularly around critical minerals — a veiled reference to overdependence on China. “Countries not part of the Quad will benefit from it,” he added. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong reinforced the group’s shared vision for “peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” while Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya highlighted the “strength and unity” the Quad. X factor Trump-Musk feud US president Donald Trump threatened to deport his former ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk as the two fought over the tax bill | P9 Key Cabinet decisions on job creation, Olympics preparation `1 l cr SCHEME Khelo Bharat TO CREATE Niti aims for 3.5 CRore JOBS a fitter india RA K E S H K UMAR @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai IN a bid to boost employment generation, especially in the manufacturing sector, the Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme with an outlay of `99,446 crore. The scheme is expected to create 3.5 crore jobs across the country over a two-year period, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said while announcing the scheme. Of these, 1.92 crore beneficiaries are expected to be first-time entrants into the workforce, the minister said. The benefits of the scheme will apply to jobs created between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2027. The scheme comprises two components— Part A, which targets firstHow to time employees, and Part B, qualify which incentivises employFirms with ers to create additional jobs. fewer than 50 Under Part A, first-time workers must employees registered with hire two more the Employees’ Provident workers. Fund Organisation (EPFO) Larger firms will receive support equivamust add 5 lent to one month’s EPF wage new staff and (up to `15,000), paid in two inkeep them for stalments. The first instalsix months ment will be provided after six months of continuous employment, and the second after 12 months of service. Under Part B, the scheme focuses on encouraging employers to create additional jobs across all sectors, with emphasis on manufacturing. Employers will receive incentives of up to `3,000 per month per new employee for two years, provided the employee remains in sustained employment for at least six months. For the manufacturing sector, the incentives will be extended to the third and fourth years as well. With the major objective of making India a sporting powerhouse and inculcating sports culture among the masses, the new Khelo Bharat Niti was approved by the Union cabinet. It will supersede the National Sports Policy of 2001. It also aims at engaging the youth of the country while trying to build a fitter India. The new Khelo Bharat Niti will aim to bring in more transparency and accountability in sports governance while driving necessary changes to usher in a robust mechanism to promote sports in our day to day lives. The policy also has 2036 Olympics in mind for which India has already entered the Promoting bidding process. According to the ministry statement, “It business lays out a visionary and straAnother key tegic roadmap to establish feature of the India as a global sporting policy is to powerhouse and a strong promote the contender for excellence at business side inter national sporting of things with events, including the 2036 Olthe sports ympic Games.” market The policy also speaks expanding about making sports part of exponentially. the school curriculum. “In alignment with the National Education Policy 2020, the NSP 2025 proposes to: Integrate sports into school curricula,” said the document. Interestingly both sports , and education are state subjects. The policy , which is a guiding document for a better sports ecosystem, is aiming for establishing comprehensive sports programmes for all groups from grassroots to elite level. The policy also speaks about introducing more leagues with the help of National Sports Federations (NSFs), something the ministry has been trying to bring in for some time. Whopping 767 Maharashtra farmer Post stampede, police issue SOP for crowd mgmt suicides recorded in three months E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru s u dh i r s u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai THE Maharashtra government on Tuesday revealed in the legislative assembly that between January and March this year, at least 767 farmers died by suicide across the state. A majority of them hail from the Vidarbha region. The disclosure was made by the state government after Congress MLAs sought data on the rising farmer suicides in Maharashtra, particularly in Vidarbha. They also wanted to know how the state government was extending help to the deceased farmers’ families. Congress MLAs demanded increasing the financial aid for the deceased from the current `1 lakh. Makrand Patil, relief and rehabilitation minister and NCP MLA, said the government will extended all possible help to the affected farmers. Patil said between January and March this year, 767 farmers in the state died by suicide. Of them, 376 farmers were eli- Steps to curb deaths The state government said it has undertaken measures to stop the suicides. “Govt is extending compensation for crops that get damaged due to rain or natural calamity” gible for the Maharashtra government’s compensation. Patil said as many as 257 farmers died by suicide in western Vidarbha’s Yawatmal, Amarawati, Akola, Buldhana and Wasim districts alone. Of them, the families of 76 farmers got financial help from the state government while 74 applications were or disqualified. In Hingoli district of Marathwada, 24 farmers killed themselves. The Congress lawmakers alleged that the Maharashtra government had failed to extend financial help to the kin of the deceased farmers immediately . Following the stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which claimed 11 lives and injured over 60 people, the Karnataka police have issued a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for crowd management at public events and mass gatherings. The move comes after Home Minister G Parameshwara announced that the government would create specific guidelines to prevent such tragedies in the future. The SOP emphasises prioritising safety to life, protection of rights, de-escalation of conflict and prevention of damage to property. It notes that mod- ern gatherings are often spontaneous and driven by social media, requiring adaptive strategies and rapid coordination. On June 26, Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) MA Saleem circulated the SOP to all police commissioners, inspectors general, superintendents of police (including Railways), and other senior officers across the state. The SOP mentions simulation-based risk assessment, mandatory venue safety audits and close coordination with event organisers. The police are required to assess potential high-risk zones, footfall estimates and emergency preparedness before approving any large-scale event. Event-specif- ic crowd management plans must include roles for police and security staff, movement control, medical aid and evacuation routes. The SOP encourages the use of digital ticketing, biometric verification and separate access points for VIPs and general attendees. Trained personnel should be deployed at key access points and highdensity areas on the ground. Entry screening, queue management, signage and communication infrastructure (such as public address systems) must be in place before any event begins, it adds. Officers must follow strict conduct during events — avoiding confrontation, maintaining professionalism, and ensuring minimal use of force. In emergencies like stampedes or fires, designated response teams must act according to predefined protocols.  P4