TIRUCHY l wednesday l july 02, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION stealth frigate INS Tamal latest induction into the navy shipborne surface to air missile key usp 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 An improved version of Shtil missile is the primary weapon for anti-air defence of the Russian-manufactured frigate INS Tamal Russian tech helps make in india plan ■ ■ 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 longterm 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 custodial death CM says sorry to the victim’s mom, transfers probe to CBI Hard talk on terror at Quad meet Jaishankar says India will exercise right to defend against terror, expects partners to understand J ayan t h J a c o b @ New Delhi E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ Chennai Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday ordered the transfer of the probe into the custodial death of B Ajithkumar (27) from the state police to the CBI. The victim, a temple security guard in Sivaganga district, died after being thrashed by policemen in a theft case on Saturday night. The CM spoke to Ajithkumar’s family over the phone on Tuesday “I am very sorry Stay . . strong,” he told the victim’s mother. The CM shared the video of his telephonic conversation with the family on his ‘X’ handle. In a message accompanying the video, Stalin said, “While six policemen were initially suspended, five were later arrested for murder. The district SP has been put on compulsory wait, and a DSP B Ajithkumar has been suspended.” “The Madras HC has allowed CB-CID probe. But with five policemen facing allegations, I have directed transferring the investigation to CBI,” he said. Meanwhile, the Madras HC on Tuesday ordered S John Sundarlal Suresh, IV Additional District Judge of Madurai, to conduct an inquiry and submit a report by July 8. The CM’s decision comes amid criticism from various quarters. While principal opposition AIADMK demanded a CBI probe, saying people had lost faith in the Tamil Nadu police, TVK leader Vijay had demanded an SIT probe. BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran wrote a letter to the NHRC chairperson urging a high-level independent investigation into the incident. More reports: P4 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 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- Want to have similar meets every 5-6 mths: U.S. 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”. Whopping 767 Maha farmer suicides recorded in 3 months su d h i r sur ya w ansh 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 farm 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 also demanded increasing the finan- 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” cial aid for the deceased from the current `1 lakh. In his written reply 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 eligible 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 in that period. The Congress lawmakers alleged that the Maharashtra government had failed to extend financial help to the kin of the deceased farmers immediately . 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. Pree t ha 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 | P10 100 crore,165 courses TN’s ‘sure success’ scheme to help unemployed youth get a shot at jobs E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ Chennai During the third anniversary celebrations of the Naan Mudhalvan scheme on Tuesday, Chief Minister M K Stalin launched a new initiative, the Vetri Nichayam (sure success) scheme, aimed at providing free short-term skill training for unemployed youth aged 18 to 35. The state government has allocated `100 crore for the first phase, which targets training 75,000 youngsters in the coming year in col- laboration with top training institutes and companies to help them get jobs. Under the initiative, skill training will be offered across 38 industrial sectors through 165 courses, delivered via over 500 training institutes. A dedicated mobile application, Skill Wallet, has been launched for the scheme to help youth access information on training programmes and employment opportunities. Apart from covering all the training costs, special focus will be provided to youth from socially and economicallybackward communities, including disabled persons, tribals, Sri Lankan Tamils, those from fisher community, minorities, youth from Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board tenements and sanitary workers. Youngsters, whose families are already covered under various other government schemes, will also be identified and enlisted for the training session under Vetri Nichayam. P7 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 | P11 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 R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi E x p ress N e w s S er 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. Eight killed, 5 injured in blast at firecracker unit H ar i n i M @ Virudhunagar Eight workers died and five others were injured on Tuesday morning after alleged mishandling of pellets by workers led to an explosion at Gokulesh Fireworks at Chinnakamanpatti near Sattur in Virudhunagar district. At least 20 workers were at the unit at the time of the blast. The death toll may go up as two of the injured have suffered 100% burns. Seven escaped without injuries, sources said. CM MK Stalin extended his condolences to the families of the victims and has ordered a solatium of `4 lakh to be paid to the families of the deceased, `1 lakh to those severely injured, and `50,000 to those with minor injuries. The deceased were identified as K Lakshmi (25) of Mathiyasenai, K Vairamani of Soolakarai, C Chellapandi of Anupankulam, R Mahalingam (55) of Meenampatti, K Ramajeyan (27) of Servaikaranpatti, R Ramamoorthi (39) of O Kovilpatti, Nagapandi of Servaikaranpatti and Punniyamoorthi of Virudhunagar. Revenue officials said the unit has a Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) licence and has been operating for a decade. “The The debris after the explosion at Gokulesh Fireworks in Chinnakamanpatti | express The blast may have been triggered by the mishandling of pellets by workers during transit. The structures gutted in the fire include the pellet transit shed and drying platforms — Official blast may have been triggered by the mishandling of pellets by workers during transit. The structures gutted in the fire include the pellet transit shed and drying platforms,” an official said. While seven sheds were completely destroyed, three sustained partial damage. The Sattur town police have registered a case under the Explosives Act against owners T Kamalkumar and two others as well as foreman Ravi. Ravi has been arrested, while the others are absconding. Speaking to TNIE, D Manmadharaja (68), watchman of the unit, said the explosion occurred around 8.30am when 20 workers were handling chemicals.  P7