vijayawada l sunday l september 28, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l late city EDITION Blockbuster India-Pak Final at t20 Asia cup tourney today Men in Blue take on arch rivals in the T20 Asia Cup final in Dubai today. This will be their firstever meeting at this stage of the competition... Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav Pakistan skipper Salman Agha Time for cricket to take centre stage Emotions running high on both sides The controversies, largely non-cricketing, between India and Pakistan have been the biggest talking point of the tournament. India refused to shake hands with the Pakistan team. The reactions from either side since has only added to the prevailing tensions. Under pressure, both teams will look to hold their nerves and focus on playing good cricket ■ ■ India have maintained that they are there to play cricket, but the Super 4s match showed how much it matters to them On the eve of the final, Pakistan captain Salman Agha said that every individual has the right to express emotions. “I won’t stop anyone as More on P13 long as it is not disrespectful,” he said.  Eight The number of Asia Cup titles India have won 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 Pak epicentre of global terror, says Jaishankar Cm exhorts NDA MLAs to strive for state’s growth ‘Set aside personal agendas’ @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has urged MLAs to set aside their personal agendas, and strive collectively for the development of the State. Speaking during a discussion on the implementation of the Super Six, and other NDA poll promises in the State Assembly on Saturday, Naidu emphasised the importance of unity under the ‘double-engine government’ to achieve rapid economic growth. “The double-engine government, with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has enabled us to implement numerous development programmes in just 15 months. This is a team effort, and any misstep by an individual could harm the State. Hence, MLAs must avoid per- ‘Auto Drivers Sevalo’ launch on October 4 Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced the launch of the Auto Drivers Sevalo scheme on October 4. Under the scheme, `15,000 per annum will be provided to each auto and cab driver. As many as 2,90,234 drivers are eligible for the scheme, and it is expected to cost `435 crore per annum sonal agendas as they hinder our goal of developing the State on all fronts,” Naidu said, during a PowerPoint presentation. Highlighting welfare initiatives, he announced the launch of the Auto Drivers Sevalo scheme on October 4. Under the scheme, `15,000 per annum will be provided to each auto and cab driver with own vehicle. As many as 2,90,234 drivers are eligible for the scheme, and it is ex- Stampede in Vijay’s Karur rally D V i n c e n t A r o c k i a r a j @ Karur At least 39 people, including eight children and 16 women, died following a stampede and crowd surge during Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay’s election campaign at Veluchamipuram in Karur on Saturday evening. At least 50 more are under treatment at various hospitals across the city. The death toll may rise as a few of them are critical. Chief Minister M K Stalin has left for Tiruchy on a flight late on Saturday He will . reach Karur by road. Stalin, who convened a meeting of top state officials at the secretariat to review the situation late on Saturday, said a commission of inquiry headed by Justice Aruna Jagadeesan 39 Dead 50 Injured CM announces `10L each to kin of dead; panel led by ex-judge to probe incident will probe the stampede. The state has also announced a compensation of `10 lakh each to families of the victims, and `1 lakh each to those admitted with critical injuries. As per sources, the stampede broke out in the evening, around 7.30 pm, just as Vijay was addressing the huge crowd that was waiting for hours to get a glimpse of him. The crowd soon swelled and became uncontrollable, and a number of persons including party workers and a few children fainted Jaya n t h Ja c o b @ New Delhi and fell down in the crowd. According to a few eyewitnesses that TNIE spoke to, the power supply was disrupted and lights went out due to the pushing and jostling in the crowd. With the loudspeakers also failing, people moved closer to hear Vijay speak. In the process, they pushed one another, causing several to fall, which led to the tragedy they said. , President Murmu, PM Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other leaders have expressed their condolences. pected to cost `435 crore per annum, he said. Naidu detailed the NTR Bharosa pension scheme, under which `2,745 crore is being distributed to 63.50 lakh beneficiaries per month, with 59% being women. The State spends `32,143 crore per annum on social security pensions, surpassing Telangana (`8,179 crore) and Kerala (`7,295 crore). He criticised the previous regime for delaying pensions before polls, noting that the current dispensation ensures 97% distribution of pensions on the first day itself. The Stree Shakti scheme has facilitated 8.86 crore free bus trips for women so far, boosting RTC occupancy raP4 tio, Naidu said.  express read Police now looking at possible Pakistan links of Wangchuk, says DGP Srinagar: Climate activist and Magsaysay awardee Sonam Wangchuk, who was arrested on Friday in connection with the Leh violence, is being investigated for alleged links to Pakistan and violation of foreign funding rules, Ladakh Director General of Police S D Singh Jamwal said on Saturday. Wangchuk is accused of being a key instigator in the Leh violence, in which four persons were killed and 80 others injured. “We recently arrested a Pakistani intelligence operative who sent videos of Wangchuk’s speeches across the border,” Jamwal said. “His speech acted as incitement, as he referred to the Arab Spring and the recent unrest in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka,” Jamwal said. remembrance Assam’s heart still misses a beat called Zubeen i n d r a n e e l das @ Mangaldai WHENEVER Zubeen Garg’s name is uttered, Susmita still sheds tears. Arup Barua has not watched him perform but every 5-10 minutes he can hear his voice inside him. In Mangaldoi town, some 65km away from Guwahati, a bunch of people took out a procession with a banner of Zubeen Garg, humming his songs with tears in eyes and love in their hearts. The air was heavy and the mood sombre as the dusk settled in. They were not alone. Every street corner and every place, small or big, has its own poster and its own way of remembering Zubeen. No one has touched a chord with the entire population of a state as Zubeen. In fact, his fame goes beyond it. He is here, there and everywhere with his songs playing in the background. He is on everyone’s lips at every gathering. Zubeen’s body of work rose above politics, religion, caste, creed and brought the state together like no other. Even after one week since he passed away in Singapore on September 19, the state remains in mourning. People light candles near a portrait of the music icon in Guwahati | PTI No one asked businesses to shut shops, they did it on their own. His passing has touched Assam so much that even the euphoria of Durga Puja, which begins from Sunday with Shasti, may not be enough to lift the gloomy mood of the state. The collective grief that descended upon the state on September 19 will take a long time to heal. Zubeen’s words —“Mur kunu jaati nai, mur kuno dhormo nai, moi okol manuh (I don’t belong to any caste, I don’t have any religion, I am just a human being)” will remain immortal. Forever. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar termed Pakistan as the “the epicentre of global terrorism” and demanded “relentless pressure” on the ecosystem that enables cross-border terror in his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday . “We have a neighbour that is the epicentre of terrorism,” Jaishankar said, referring to Pakistan without naming it, and referenced the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. “Terror hubs operate at an industrial scale, terrorists are publicly glorified, and financing of terrorism continues unabated,” he said. Opening his speech with “Namaskar from the people of Bharat,” Jaishankar said that India will continue to maintain its freedom of choice and act as a leading voice of the Global South. “While asserting our rights, we must also firmly face up to threats. Countering terrorism is a particular priority. Those who condone it today will face External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks at the UN General Assembly | PTI its consequences tomorrow,” he warned. Jaishankar also took aim at the paralysis within the UN system, saying the world body was in a “state of crisis”. “As the UN’s ability to forge common ground diminishes, belief in multilateralism also recedes. We must ask ourselves: has the UN lived up to the expectations of its member states?” He reiterated India’s longstanding call for comprehensive reforms in the UN, especially the Security Council, stating that “most member states Electricity bills set to decline by 13 paise per unit from November S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada Here is a good news for the people of the State as there will be a 13 paise per unit decline in their power bills for one year from November. For the first time since its establishment in 1999, the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) has directed Distribution Companies (Discoms) to refund the true-down amount to consumers in 12 equal monthly instalments from November 2025. The refund rates are `0.1328 per unit for APSPDCL, `0.1343 for APCPDCL, and `0.1312 for APEPDCL, applicable to power consumption from April 2024 to March 2025, and refund will reflect in power bills from November 2025 to October 2026. The APERC on Saturday released its Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment (FPPCA) True-Up Order for the financial year 2024-25 after a thorough review of public objections and suggestions. It has approved a true-up amount of `1,863.64 crore, sig- W I T H T H I S I SS U E E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e India will continue to maintain freedom of choice, minister tells UN nificantly lower than the `2,758.76 crore claimed by Discoms resulting in a reduction of `895.12 crore. In 2024-25, Discoms collected `2,787 crore at a rate of 40 paise per unit monthly. After accounting for this, it has been determined that a net refund of `923.55 crore is due to consumers. The order also details variations in sales, energy dispatch, and transmission and distribution (T&D) losses for the three Discoms — APSPDCL, APCPDCL and APEPDCL. Total sales approved stood at 69,680 million units (MU), with energy dispatch at 77,261 MU, and T&D losses at 9.87%, compared to the claimed 10.17%. On power purchase costs, the APERC approved `44,624 crore against Discoms’ claim of `45,476 crore, down from `34,517 crore approved in the Retail Supply Tariff (RST) Order for FY 2024-25. The per unit power purchase cost was adjusted to `5.74/kWh for APSPDCL, `5.78/kWh for APCPDCL, and `5.75/kWh for APEPDCL, compared to RST-approved rate of `5.27/kWh. Small Town, Big Deal PLUS 12 PAGES strongly desire change” to reflect contemporary realities. On the economic front, Jaishankar flagged the risks posed by rising “tariff volatility and uncertain market access”, a veiled reference to recent US tariffs targeting Indian exports, including penalties linked to India’s energy ties with Russia. “De-risking has become a major compulsion for developing economies,” he said, underlining the uneven playing field and calling for trade policies free from “non-market factors”. Jaishankar also addressed the shifting geopolitical landscape, referring to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as the two major active conflicts, but noted that “innumerable other hotspots don’t even make the news”. “Bharat will always maintain its freedom of choice,” he said, “and will continue to be the voice of the Global South.” Earlier in the day, India rebutted Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ’s remarks on Operation Sindoor, calling them “absurd theatrics”, accusing Islamabad of glorifying terror on a global platform. house panel Hike in former MLAs’ pension to `50k mooted E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Committee on Amenities has proposed an increase of the minimum pension of former legislators to `50,000 per month from the existing `30,000, to a maximum of `70,000. It has also mooted extension of medical facilities to former legislators on par with All India Service Officers. The House Committee, while noting that the salary and allowances of the members were last revised in 2016, has recommended that the government rationalise the salaries and allowances of the legislators keeping in view the general rise in price level. The report of the committee was tabled in the Assembly on Saturday . The committee met on September 25 under the chairmanship of Assembly Speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu, and discussed the amenities being provided to the legislators and former members. The Speaker opined that keeping in view the financial condition of the State, it is better to recommend to the government only on the essential amenities for now. The committee noted that the minimum monthly pension of former legislators is `70,000 in Manipur, `60,000 in Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh, and ` 5 0 , 0 0 0 i n H a r ya n a a n d Telangana.