HYDERABAD l wednesday l october 01, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late cITY EDITION don, Hegseth to end ‘politically correct’ leadership in military President Donald Trump joined Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in declaring an end to “woke” culture in the US armed forces promotions based on race, gender to end trump: u.s. under invasion from within Hegseth had called military leaders to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, near Washington on Tuesday, without publicly revealing the reason. During his nearly hour-long speech, Hegseth said the US military has promoted too many leaders for wrong reasons based on race and gender. “The era of politically correct leadership ends right now at every level,” Hegseth said ■ ■ Trump bragged about US nuclear capabilities and warned the posse of top military leaders that “America is under invasion from within... the purposes of our military is only to protect our republic” In keeping with the nonpartisan tradition of the armed services, the military leaders sat mostly stone-faced through Trump’s remarks | P9 EQUAL fitness standards for both male and female soldiers in offing 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 TG expedites Musi rejuvenation after ADB loan nod 7.42 cr in final list of Bihar voters, 47L out M a n da Rav i n d e r R e d dy @ Hyderabad With the Asian Development Bank (ADB) expressing its consent to grant a loan, the state government is fast-tracking the Musi Riverfront Development Project. Of the total 55 km stretch targeted for development, the government plans to initially develop a 20.5 km segment. Work has been intensified under State topped in crimes against women in 2023 ENS @ Hyderabad Telangana topped the country in crimes against women in 2023, with 124.9 cases per one lakh population. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a total of 23,678 cases of crimes against women were registered in the state in 2023, compared to 22,066 cases in 2022 — an increase of 1,612 cases within a year. The crime rate is calculated as the number of incidents per one lakh population. In 2023, charge sheets were filed in 19,891 cases related to crimes against women. The charge-sheeting rate stood at 88.1%, higher than the national average of 77.6%. NCRB data further showed that in the final reports on crimes against women in 2023, 229 cases were classified as true but with insufficient evidence, untraced, or no clue; 21 cases were abated during investigation; and 1,071 cases were found to be false. At the national level, a total of 4,48,211 cases of crimes against women were registered in 2023, an increase of 0.7% over 2022. inside 2 women raped every day in state State recorded most food adulteration cases IN 2023 Development plan n  1A development covers Phase 9.2 km stretch of the Musi from Himayatsagar to Bapu Ghat at an estimated cost of `2,500 crore n  1B spans the stretch from Phase Osmansagar to Bapu Ghat at an estimated cost of `3,141 crore Phase 1A and Phase 1B of the project, which carries a combined estimated cost of `5,641 crore. Specifically Phase 1A is , estimated to cost `2,500 crore and Phase 1B `3,141 crore. According to a pre-feasibility report on the project accessed by TNIE, Phase 1A encompasses a 9.2 km stretch of the Musi River from Himayatsagar to Bapu Ghat. Phase 1B covers the stretch from Osmansagar to Bapu Ghat. As part of the project, the government will undertake desilting of the river to a depth of two metres. This will be complemented by physical infrastructure, including flood control embankments, pumping stations, flood walls, flood monitoring buildings, and floodproof decks. The total land required for Phases 1A and 1B is 199.89 hectares. Of this, 137.72 hectares is patta land, while the remaining 62.17 hec- tares is government-owned. Land acquisition will be carried out in accordance with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. A 50-metre buffer zone on both sides of the river has been earmarked for development. This designated area on either bank will be developed as an integral part of the project. continued on p4 PM says the 20-point plan offers a pathway to lasting stability for the war-ravaged region Modi backs Trump’s Gaza peace proposal J AYANT H J ACOB @ New Delhi India on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi terming the proposal a “viable pathway” to lasting peace, security, and development for both Palestinians and Israelis. The ambitious roadmap, unveiled by Trump during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday aims to bring an im, mediate halt to nearly two years of devastating conflict in Gaza. The plan mandates a 72-hour window for Hamas to release all hostages, both living and deceased, in exchange for a ceasefire and partial Israeli troop withdrawal. “We welcome President Donald J Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict,” Modi said. India, which supports a twostate solution and has consistently condemned terrorism, said it hopes “all concerned will come together behind President Trump’s initiative and support this effort to end conflict and secure peace”. India’s endorsement of Trump’s plan is consistent with its longstanding call for diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. Sources highlighted New Delhi’s historical support for Palestinian statehood, its early recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and its vote in favour of the “New York Declaration” on peaceful settlement earlier this month. India has maintained a delicate diplomatic balance throughout the war, condemning Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terror attack while also calling for an end to the war in Gaza. Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan proposes a ‘Board of Peace’ led by Trump and international experts, including former British PM Tony Blair, to oversee an interim government in Gaza. Central to the proposal is the reconstruction of the enclave as New Gaza alongside a renewed push for a two-state solution with secure, recognised borders. The peace push comes amid international exhaustion with the prolonged conflict, which has claimed over 66,000 lives. India is the new builder of the world... We want you to build our regions as well Israeli ambassador Reuven Azar It (Trump’s plan) provides a viable pathway to longterm and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people Narendra Modi, PM Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with US President Donald Trump at the White House | ap/pTI Ceasefire, return of hostages & aid flow to Gaza central to plan Trump’s 20-point plan outlines an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with all hostages—living or deceased—to be returned by Hamas to Israel within 72 hours. The proposal calls for a suspension of all military operations and a freeze on battle lines, followed by a phased Israeli withdrawal contingent on compliance of the terms of the peace proposal. In exchange for hostages, Israel will release 1,950 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas members who renounce violence will be granted amnesty and safe passage to leave, if they wish so. Humanitarian aid will flow into Gaza under the supervision of the United Nations and other multilateral agencies Asia Cup row: BCCI corners ACC president Naqvi The Asia Cup trophy issue spilled over to the Asian Cricket Council’s annual general meeting on Tuesday. Sources said the Indian cricket board (BCCI) registered a strong protest over the decision of not presenting the winner’s trophy to Suryakumar Yadav and Co after they beat arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in the final on Sunday . ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and interior minister of the country however, remained , defiant even forcing at least one of the BCCI representatives — former treasurer Ashish Shelar — to leave the meeting though for a brief period. Vice president Rajeev Shukla was another BCCI representative in the meeting. “The BCCI raised a strong objection for not handing over Sports cannot be played with emotions. We gave a fitting reply to Pakistan Tilak Verma, cricketer Tilak Varma, who played a key role in India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup final, gifts a cricket bat to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad on Tuesday | P5 the trophy to the Indian cricket team,” a source, who attended the meeting told this daily. “Naqvi tried to end the matter by saying the issue is not on the agenda but the BCCI representatives continued with their demand and also asked why the trophy is in the hotel and not at the ACC headquarters. Later it The Election Commission of India on Tuesday released the final voters’ list for poll-bound Bihar, dropping 47 lakh names that were on the rolls before their Special Intensive Revision began. The final list has 7.42 crore voters in Bihar as compared to 7.24 crore in the draft list. While 21.53 lakh were added to the draft electoral rolls, 3.66 lakh ineligible ones were deleted from that list. In the draft rolls, the ECI had deleted 65 lakh names from the list of 7.89 crore electors in Bihar, who were eligible to vote in the Lok Sabha elections held in 2024. The 47 lakh deletions in the final rolls include deaths, migration and illegal immigrants – Nepali, Bangladeshi and Rohing yas from Myanmar. “If any eligible person still wishes to apply for inclusion of their name in Electoral Roll, they can submit an application up to 10 days before last date for filing nominations for Figure it out Electors as on 24 June 2025: 7.89 crore Electors removed from draft list: 65 lakh Electors in draft list after SIR: 7.24 crore Ineligible electors removed from draft list: 3.66 lakh Eligible electors added to draft list: 21.53 lakh Total electors in the final list: 7.42 crore the election and if any person is not satisfied with decision of ERO regarding an entry in final electoral roll, they may, under Section 24 of the RP Act, 1950, file a first appeal before District Magistrate and a second appeal before CEO,” the EC said. The SIR controversy is yet to be settled judicially The fi. nal hearing on the matter in the Supreme Court will take place on October 7. The court had earlier said even the final voters’ list could be cancelled if any wrongdoing is found. 3.99L to vote in jubilee hills polls | p4 page 2 f i r o z m i r z a @ Chennai M U K ES H RAN J AN @ New Delhi was decided that the ACC members will resolve the issue amicably The single point agenda .” of the meeting was to elect a vice president but that was also deferred. Earlier, Naqvi’s opening remark stirred yet another controversy as he congratulated Nepal for winning a T20I series against the West Indies and Mongolia for becoming an ACC member but didn’t mention India’s Asia Cup triumph. Shelar then questioned Naqvi for not congratulating India for winning the continental tournament. Naqvi then duly obliged and extended his wishes to the winners, sources said. 2nd outfit in Ladakh says ‘no’ to talks with Centre P r e e t h a n a i r @ New Delhi THE Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has announced it will not participate in talks with the Union government until activist Sonam Wangchuk and other activists are released, and a time-bound judicial inquiry is initiated into the deaths of four persons during recent violence in Ladakh’s Leh. KDA founder-member Sajjad Kargili, in an interview with this paper, confirmed the decision, asserting that any meaningful dialogue is not possible under the current circumstances, despite the Centre’s willingness to hold talks on Ladakh. The KDA’s move comes a day after the Apex Body, Leh (ABL), the other major group leading the joint agitation for statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the sixth schedule of the Constitution, withdrew from the talks, saying dialogue with the Centre would remain suspended until normalcy is restored. In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said the government continues to welcome discussions with ABL and KDA through the High Powered Committee on Ladakh or any other platform. Festival dampener Sheep prices soar as Gandhi Jayanti closure adds to Dasara demand U M a h e s h @ Warangal Sheep and goat prices have nearly doubled across the state ahead of Dasara, with sellers and consumers pointing to the state government’s insistence on closing slaughterhouses for Gandhi Jayanti as one of the reasons for the steep hike. On ordinary days, a 10-kg sheep costs around `6,500. Ahead of the festival, prices have touched `12,000. Goat and sheep meat, which usually sells for `800 a kilo, is now being retailed at `1,200, traders said. The sharp rise is attributed not only to the seasonal demand for Ayudha Puja and Vijayadasami rituals, but also to the closure of abattoirs on October 2. With Gandhi Jayanti coinciding with Dasara, meat shops are forced to shut, pushing buyers to advance their purchases by paying inflated rates. Neeriti Deva Raju, a shopkeeper at Station Ghanpur, said, “Festival demand is always high, but this year prices spiked like never before because of Gandhi Jayanti restrictions. Villagers who usually sell to us at moderate rates also hiked their prices knowing the city markets had no other option.” The Yadav community , traditionally engaged in sheep and goat rearing in the erstwhile Warangal district, reported brisk sales, with bulk purchases made by traders supplying to urban centres. Many households and transport operators observed Ayudha Puja by sacrificing goats, while Vijayadasami continued to draw heavier demand for sheep. For consumers, however, the overlap of Gandhi Jayanti and Dasara was less welcome. “We respect the occasion, but food is also a necessity People here de. pend on meat as part of their normal diet, and forcing closure only makes things harder for common buyers,” said P Ramesh, a resident of Peddapendiyal village in Hanamkonda district. Despite such concerns, local bodies across the state issued notices to butchers and meat shop owners to remain closed on Gandhi Jayanti. While officials justified the move as a mark of respect, residents argue the one-day clampdown, combined with festive demand, only pushed prices beyond reach for many households.