bengaluru l saturday l august 30, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 22 l late city EDITION 3-member panel formed to probe landslide on Vaishno devi route Committee to submit report within 2 weeks The probe panel will be headed by additional chief secretary, Department of Jal Shakti. Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Inspector General of Police B S Tuti are the two other members. The three-member committee will submit its report within two weeks to Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday constituted a three-member panel to inquire into the reasons behind the landslide ■ 34 yatra stopped before cloudburst: Board ■ ■ The committee will examine the reasons behind the tragedy, point out lapses, and suggest appropriate preventive measures The probe comes amid protests against Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for allegedly allowing the yatra despite weather warnings The Board said it stopped the pilgrimage ahead of the cloudburst Pilgrims were killed and 20 others injured in the landslide on aUGUST 26 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 Robust govt spending boosts Q1 growth India, Japan unveil 10-yr economic roadmap GDP grows 7.8%, beats estimates Di pak M on d al @ New Delhi AMID unprecedented global uncertainties precipitated by US President Donald Trump’s tariff war, India’s GDP grew to a 5-month high of 7.8% in the April-June quarter, beating all estimates and surprising many . Most analysts had expected India’s growth to come in below 7% during the period. Even the RBI projection for the first quarter was a moderate 6.5%, which showed the spectacular resilience of the Indian economy . The strong performance was driven by a buoyant services sector, which registered a substantial real GVA (gross value added) g rowth of 9.3%, and the manufacturing sector, which grew 7.7% during the quarter. Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran said the growth was broad-based. “Agriculture GVA rose 3.7%, which is usually expected to be modest in this quarter. Manufacturing expanded by 7.7%, while services also recorded strong growth, consistent with robust PMI services readings in recent months,” he said. Both manufacturing and construction sectors demonstrated robust growth, with 15 12 9 6 3 6.9% 6% 9.7% 9.3% 9.5% 4.8% Q2 After seeing the resilience of Q1 growth, we are retaining the growth rate projections for current fiscal at 6.3-6.8% V Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor 5.6% 8.4% Q3 Q4 Q1 2022-2023 Q2 Q3 2023-2024 Q4 7.8% 7.4% 6.4% 6.5% Q1 In absolute terms, the real GDP for Q1 of 2025-26 is estimated at B47.89 lakh crore, up from B44.42 lakh crore in the same quarter last year. The nominal GDP for the quarter stands at B86.05 lakh crore, up 8.8% Crests and troughs 13.5% Q1 Q2 V Velayu d ham @ Chikkaballapur Real GDP at `47.89 lakh crore GVA rates of 7.7% and 7.6%, respectively The agriculture . and allied sector also showed healthy improvement, rising to 3.7% from 1.5%. Private consumption grew 7%, lower than 8.3% a year ago but still strong. The CEA said rural consumption had held up well. “We would even argue that urban consumption hasn’t been as weak as some indicators suggest. Rural consumption has been supported by sharply rising real wages in agriculture,” he said. Gover nment spending provided a boost, with final consumption expenditure rising 7.4% during the quarter. Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF)— spending on infrastructure and asset creation—rose 7.8%, higher than 6.7% in Q1 FY25. Economists attribute the Q1 growth to front-loaded government spending and a surge in exports to the US, which grew 22% during the three-month period. The Q1 GDP numbers were for the period before Trump imposed tariffs on Indian goods. Analysts fear GDP data for the second quarter may take a hit with the impact of the US tariffs on Indian goods factored in. Q3 2024-2025 Q4 Q1 FY26 Farm owner dumps swine flu-hit pig carcasses into village lake Prime ministers Narendra Modi and Shigeru Ishiba | PTI world counting on India, says Modi in Japan Jayanth Jaco b @ New Delhi Amid a shifting global trade landscape, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday used his first foreign visit since the US imposed sweeping 50% tariffs on key Indian imports to deliver a clear message from Tokyo: the world is counting on India. “The world is not just watching India. It is counting on India,” Modi said, addressing top business leaders at the India-Japan Economic Forum alongside his Japanese counterpart China ties to stabilise Shigeru Ishiba. India and Japan unveiled a economic 10-year economic roadmap order: PM aimed at long-term stability, Given the strategic cooperation, and mu- volatility in the tual resilience. Its centerpiece world economy, is to secure critical supply it is important chains, expand AI and digital for India and cooperation, and deepening China to work private sector investment. together to Japan committed to mobils- bring stability ing 10 trillion yen (approxi- to the world mately $68 billion) in private economic order, investment in India over the Modi said | P11 next decade — a move widely seen as a vote of confidence in India’s economic trajectory at a time of global realignment. “We have laid a strong foundation for a new and golden chapter in our Special Strategic and Global Partnership,” Modi said. “This roadmap aligns with the priorities of both nations and meets the challenges of a changing world.” The summit launched the India-Japan Economic Security Cooperation Initiative, aimed at a “whole-of-nation” approach to bolster strategic sectors like semiconductors, rare earths, clean energy AI, telecom, and biotech.  , P11 otitis in cattle a concern A pig farm owner has dumped carcasses of nearly 50 to 60 pigs that were infected with African swine flu in the lake at Hebburi village of Chintamani taluk in Chikkaballapur district, highly infecting the water body . District Health Officer Dr SS Mahesh said a team of doctors reached Hebburi village on Friday and tested people for any infection. The village has 206 houses with a population of around 700 people. Though the village is 3 km from the lake, all measures are being taken, he added. Villagers are not showing any signs of fever. However, the samples of villagers will be taken for a week. They have been advised to wash their hands and legs thoroughly in Dairy farmers from Ramanagara and Kolar, around Bengaluru Urban district, are facing a new challenge as their cattle are developing otitis (an ear infection), which has become a cause for concern. P7 the mor ning and evening, he said. The Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Biological (IAH and VB) has confirmed it as the highly contagious for m of swine flu. Another team of officials has camped at the far m owned by Venkata Reddy and is culling all the pigs at the farm and disposing them of as per procedure, said Chikkaballapur Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry Dr Rangappa. Man strangles daughter, burns body in K’buragi E x p ress N e w s S er v ice @ Kalaburagi AN 18-year-old was strangled to death by her father at their home and later her body was burnt in an attempt to destroy evidence in Kalaburagi, said the police on Friday . The deceased was identified as Kavita. The police suspect it was an instance of honour-killing. The murder took place at Melakunda village, a few kilometres away from Kalaburagi City on Wednesday With no vil, . lager coming forward to register a complaint, an assistant sub-inspector at Fartabad Police Station, Ashok Jamadar, said he had to step in. The police have registered an FIR against Kavita’s father, Shankar Kollur, and two others, Sharanappa Kollur and Dattappa, for murder. Police sources said that Kavita, a Lingayat, was in love with Malappa Pujari, a Kuruba, and an auto-rickshaw driver. A few days ago, Kavita’s family came to know about her relationship with Malappa and tried to dissuade her. She said she wanted to marry Malappa and if the family members opposed it, she would elope with him. On Wednesday, Shankar strangled his daughter with his hands at their house. With the help of his nephew, Sharanappa, and another relative, Dattappa, Shankar poured pesticide in her mouth and claimed that Kavita committed suicide by consuming pesticide. They later burnt her body in a field belonging to Shankar’s brother, Mahalingappa. The police are yet to arrest the accused. Reliance to partner with Meta, Google to bring affordable AI solutions to Indians R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi Unveiling its mega plans for the artificial intelligence space, India’s largest conglomerate Reliance Industries on Friday announced a wholly owned subsidiary, Reliance Intelligence, to bring AI solutions for users in India and select international markets. RIL will also join hands with global tech giants Meta and Google to bring cutting-edge AI tools to India. Reliance Intelligence will build gigawatt-scale, AIready data centres, powered by green energy and engineered for training and inference at a national scale. Also on the cards is a joint moitra tmc mp booked for comments on shah Mahua Moitra has stoked a row with her words against Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of failing to check infiltration from Bangladesh and allegedly stating his “head should be cut off and put on the table”. The BJP has filed a police complaint | P12 Jio listing next year Jio Platforms, the entity that houses Reliance Industries’ telecom and digital businesses, is gearing up for an initial public offering and stock market listing in the first half of 2026 | P15 venture with US firm Meta to build and scale enterprise AI solutions for businesses, with an initial joint investment of `860 crore ($100 million), with Reliance holding a 70% stake and Meta holding 30%. Announcing the details on Friday, RIL’s chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said partnering with Meta fulfils the firm’s vision of providing AI to every Indian and enterprise by combining Meta’s most widely adopted open source Llama models with our deep expertise across multiple industries. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals. RIL also announced expansion of its partnership with Google Cloud. Reliance will build a modern cloud data centre in Jamnagar, along with associated network infrastructure. The facility will meet Google Cloud’s global technical specifications and standards, making it capable of handling advanced AI workloads. weathered wares Vegetable vendors struggle to find customers as they wait by the side of a flooded road in Gokarna on a rainy Friday | express Plea to extend SIR by a week to be heard on Sept 8: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday decided to hear on September 8 the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) plea seeking one more week for filing claims and objections on voter registration as part of the special intensive revision (SIR) in Bihar. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the RJD, mentioned the matter before a three-judge bench of justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, seeking a week’s extension to the September 1 deadline. Bhushan said the RJD and a few other parties have filed ap- plications seeking the extension of the September 1 deadline. The SC in its order agreed to bunch it with other matters on September 8. Bhushan said over 1,75,000 claims and objections were made before and after the August 22 court order. The August 22 order directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allow the 65 lakh excluded voters to submit their claims online besides physical submissions in poll-bound Bihar. The number of claims dou- bled from 84,305 on August 22 to 1,78,948 on August 27 in just five days, the RJD said. When the bench asked the petitioners why they hadn’t approached ECI for relief, Bhushan claimed the poll panel had not considered their request. “Unless extended, genuine electors whose names have been erroneously deleted by the EC will not be able to submit their claims and consequently will be barred from exercising their right to vote in the coming elections.” A team from different departments, including Dr SS Mahesh, veterinary, revenue and police officials, is carrying out the culling operations, he said. It was Venkata Reddy who informed veterinary department officials about flu-like symptoms in his pigs at the farm. But before that, he had dumped in the lake the carcasses of the pigs that had died due to the infection. As the carcasses started decomposing, giving out a foul smell, the villagers too had alerted the officials. The officials then collected samples and sent them to IAH and VB. The lab informed that it was African flu, Rangappa said. The lake is now being cleaned and chlorinated. Revenue officials will put up a board warning people to stay away from the lake and not to use its water till further notice.  CONTINUED ON P7 dasara row Yaduveer does U-turn, says Banu Mushtaq must clarify E x p ress N e w s S er v ice @ Mysuru Mysuru-Kodagu MP and scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar on Friday did a U-turn from his previous statement of welcoming the government’s decision to select International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara festivities this year. He said, “ After seeing her earlier statements about Kannada and Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, I feel our sentiments have been hurt. Unless she clarifies or withdraws those remarks, I cannot support her inaugurating the Dasara.” He said his opposition is not against his party BJP’s decision. “The party’s stand is my stand. But personally, unless there is a clarification, I am against her inaugurating the Dasara,” he said. He also hit out at Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for his statement that Chamundi Hill is not exclusively a Hindu religious site. “Chamundi Hill has always been a Hindu shrine. How can it be a centre of faith for others? Such statements are absurd and laughable,” he said. Meanwhile, members of the H i n d u J a g a r a n a Ve d i ke marched to the DC’s office on Friday and submitted a memorandum demanding that the government replace Mushtaq with someone else to open the festivities. express read Man arrested for raping Yadgir student yadgir: Police arrested the main accused who allegedly raped a 17-year-old student of a residential school in Shahapur taluk, who delivered a baby boy in the washroom of the school hostel on Wednesday. Yadgir SP Prathwik Shankar said that Bharamanna, the girl’s neighbour in her village, had raped her about nine months ago. The 29-year-old accused, who is married and has a child, has been booked under the POCSO Act, as well as the Prevention of Atrocities Act | P7 28 GP members in Gokak taluk dismissed Belagavi: In a sweeping action against irregularities, the state government has dismissed the president, vice-president and 26 members of the Shindikurabet Gram Panchayat in Gokak taluk, following proven charges of illegal property transfer. All 28 members have also been barred from contesting polls for the next six years. The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department issued the order, signed by Additional Chief Secretary Uma Mahadevan, following an inquiry | P4