visakhapatnam l sunday l october 12, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l late city EDITION Protecting girl child must be core Priority of digital governance: CJI ‘Today’s challenges more sophisticated’ “From online harassment, cyberbullying, and digital stalking to the misuse of personal data and deepfake imagery, the challenges have grown both in scale and sophistication,” Gavai said. Despite constitutional and legal guarantees, many girls across India continue to be denied fundamental rights and even basic necessities, he added B R Gavai on Saturday flagged the heightened vulnerability of the girl child in the digital age and said that protecting her must be the core priority Need better enforcement, education: gavai ■ ■ Gavai emphasised that laws addressing online sexual exploitation, digital trafficking, and cyber harassment must be complemented by effective enforcement, as well as robust education and awareness Rabindranath Tagore’s poem, Where the Mind is Without Fear, captures the very essence of what is sought for girls in India, CJI said CJI was speaking at an event organised by SC’s juvenile justice committee 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 K35,440 crore push to boost farm US envoy-designate meets PM, production, achieve self-reliance EAM amid efforts to reset ties PM Modi launches two key agriculture schemes, urges farmers to tap global markets M U K E SH RA N J A N @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched two major agricultural schemes with a cumulative outlay of `35,440 crore, including a mission for self-reliance in pulses. Launching the schemes at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute campus here, Modi urged farmers to increase production to meet domestic and global demand. “On one hand, we have to be self-reliant. On the other, we also have to produce for the global market. Friends, we must knock on the doors of the world,” Modi said, asking farmers to focus on crops that have global demand. The two schemes—`24,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) and a `11,440 crore Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses—are aimed at “changing the fate of millions of farmers”, he said. Lokesh to lay stone for data center today E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Visakhapatnam Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh will lay the foundation stone for Sify’s AI Edge Data Center and Open Cable Landing Station (CLS) in Visakhapatnam on Sunday . The project, being developed by Sify Infinit Spaces Limited, a subsidiary of NASDAQ-listed Sify Technologies, marks a significant step in positioning Visakhapatnam as a major data center hub in the country . The `1,500-crore project will be developed in two phases on 3.6 acres of land allotted by the State government. Once operational, it is expected to generate over 1,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities. The 50 MW AI-based Edge Data Center, along with the Open Cable Landing Station, will strengthen the digital infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh by improving submarine cable connectivity and expanding AI , computing capabilities. The new CLS is expected to serve as a strategic landing point, enabling faster data transmission between India and Southeast Asian countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interaction with farmers at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, in New Delhi on Saturday | PTI PM-DDKY aims to transform 100 low-performing agricultural districts based on the Aspirational Districts Programme model. The scheme will focus on enhancing crop productivity and diversification, improving irrigation and storage facilities, and ensuring credit access in the selected districts. Modi urged farmers to increase cultivation acreage by 35 lakh hectares by 2030 to boost production and achieve self-reliance, as it targets raising production from the current 252.38 lakh tonnes to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31, thereby reducing import dependency . The PM also inaugurated Gill-ton heights India captain Shubman Gill continued his rich vein of form as he notched up a fifth 100 in seven Tests since being named captain. His ton strengthened India’s hold in the second Test of the series against West Indies in New Delhi. A look... Shub’s the man The No. 4 displayed his full range of stroke-making on a largely batting friendly surface as he brought up his 10th century of his Test career. He entertained the 15,000+ weekend crowd to an exhibition of classy batting against both pace and spin as India raced passed the 500 mark before declaring after lunch. Hosts declared at 518 for five Jadeja among wickets again On a low, slow strip devoid of spin, the experienced Ravindra Jadeja focussed on doing the simple things right. He did that and the West Indies batters perished in different ways to give the left-arm spinner three wickets to close out the day @ Vijayawada Excise and Prohibition officials produced Adde palli Janardhan Rao, the prime accused in the sensational Mulakalacheruvu spurious liquor case, in the Vijayawada cour t on Saturday . Rao was arrested at Gannavaram airport on Friday evening, soon after his arrival from South Africa. After questioning him for nearly 10 hours, the Excise officials produced Rao before the magistrate, and he was remanded to 7 days judicial custody . As per the remand report, Rao, a resident of Ibrahimpatnam, initially ran a grocery business before starting ANR Restaurant and Bar. The bar was relocated following the Supreme Court directive on liquor outlets, and the National Highways rules, leading to severe losses. To overcome the losses, Rao allegedly entered into the illicit liquor business. He rented a room at Nizampet in Hyderabad, and procured cheap Vijayawada: The AP Private Medical and Dental Colleges Management Association (APPMDCMA) has extended its support to the ongoing strike by the AP Super Speciality Hospitals Association (ASHA), warning that they may join the stir if their issues were not resolved | P6 CM concerned over food poisoning at BC hostel Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu expressed serious concern over the food poisoning incident at BC Boys Hostel in Guntur district, and enquired about the health condition of students during a review meeting with BC Welfare Minister S Savitha | P4 liquor, which he repackaged it into 35-litre plastic cans labelled as phenyl to evade police checks during transportation. The cheap liquor consignments were sent to Ibrahimpatnam via RTC courier, where his aide Haji (A5) rebottled it in one litre bottles, and sold. In 2022, Rao partnered with six others, including Tungala Su d h ak ar, C h int a m a n e n i Krishnamohan, Mahankali Poornachandra Rao, Borra Kiran, Subha Bharati (his sister), and Sharif, to open a bar in Hyderabad named E-7, from where they continued the illicit P4 liquor business.  US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor meets External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Saturday | PTI are great”. “I had an incredible meeting with Prime Minister Modi. We discussed bilateral issues, including defence, trade and technology,” Gor said, adding that the discussion also touched upon critical minerals—an increasingly strategic domain for both economies amid global supply chain realignments. The US Senate confirmed Gor as the country’s next ambassa- New mobile app to detect spurious liquor soon: CM @ Nellore Accused in liquor case sent to remand E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e amiD tariff tensions rocking India-US ties, US Ambassadordesignate Sergio Gor on Saturday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. “Glad to receive Mr Sergio Gor, Ambassador-designate of the US to India. I’m confident his tenure will further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” PM Modi wrote on X. Gor said the US values its ties with India and “under the strong leadership of President Donald J Trump and Prime Minister Modi, I’m optimistic about the days ahead for our nations”. He presented Modi with a signed and framed photograph from a joint press conference at the White House earlier this year, featuring Trump’s handwritten message: “Mr Prime Minister, you E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Better display from visitors In front of Brian Lara, Vivian Richards and Cricket West Indies CEO Chris Dehring, they improved their showing. Three batters got starts, with the impressive Alick Althanaze taking the attack to the spinners. But he was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav. Windies still trail by 378 runs with 6 wickets in hand express read Pvt medical colleges back ASHA strike projects valued at over `5,450 crore in agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and food processing sectors, while laying the foundation stone for additional projects worth around `815 crore. These included Artificial Insemination Training Center at Bengaluru and in Jammu & Kashmir; Centre of Excellence at Amreli and Banas; Establishment of IVF Lab in Assam under Rashtriya Gokul Mission; Milk Powder Plants at Mehsana, Indore and Bhilwara; Fish Feed Plant under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana at Tezpur, Assam; Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, Inte g rated Cold Chain, and Value Addition Infrastructure, among others. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary were present during the event. J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced that the State government will soon launch a new mobile application to detect spurious liquor bottles, enabling users to scan holograms on bottles to verify authenticity instantly . Virtually inaugurating the Smart Street Vending Market at Mypadu gate in Nellore on Saturday he laud, ed the innovative initiative that provides 120 modern shops constructed using 30 modular containers at a cost of `7 crore, giving long-term stability to small street vendors. Speaking to beneficiaries via video conference, the Chief Minister said, “Some of you have struggled for over 18 years as street vendors. Today, you have got your own modern shops to do business with dignity and stability .” He commended Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P Narayana, MEPMA, and the Nellore Municipal Corporation for conceptualising and executing this project, which includes amenities like WiFi and rooftop seating. The Chief Minister announced that similar smart vending markets will soon be set up in other regions of the State. “ T h i s i n i t i a t ive h a s brought Diwali early for the people of Nellore,” he said, reiterating his commitment to empowering women and differently-abled persons through transparent allotP4 ment of shops.  The Smart Street Vending Market in Nellore, which was virtually inaugurated by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday | Express Highest Grosser Kantara: Chapter 1 in `500 cr club, sets pan-India benchmark A SHARA D HAA @ Bengaluru Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1 has emerged as a boxoffice phenomenon, redefining the reach of Kannada cinema across India. Released on October 2, Kantara: Chapter 1 has already amassed over `500 crore globally in its opening weekend. Hombale Productions, which has backed the film, announced that the first week numbers (global box office) stand at `509.25 crore. In India, the Hindi and Kannada versions have amassed over `100 crore, with the Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam versions contributing `64 crore, `31.5 crore, and `26.5 crore, re- spectively. Interestingly, the original Kantara (2022) concluded its lifetime run at `450 crore. “What truly matters is that audiences of all ages and backgrounds are coming to watch the film; we made this cinema for them, and if they enjoy it, that is the ultimate satisfaction for me as a technician and for the entire team,” says Rishab Shetty who not only starred in , the film but also directed the cultural phenomenon. Commenting on the success of Kantara: Chapter 1, noted Tamil Nadu distributor and theatre owner Tiruppur Subramaniam points out that the film will have an unrestricted run Pic: Kevin Nashon in Tamil Nadu till Diwali. “Non-Tamil films usually run only in multiplexes, and have limited reach beyond cities. But Kantara: Chapter 1 is an all-centre film and even single screens in villages are running housefull,” says Subramaniam. Echoing his sentiment, Narayan Gowda, owner of the Veeresh Theatre in Bengaluru, says, “Family audiences are turning up in large numbers, and in four days, we earned `60 lakh. We expect to hit the `1-crore mark in eight days.” This has been the story, not just in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, but all across India. While Akkshay Rathie, Director, Ashirwad Theatres, Nagpur, believes that the Hindi version could reach `200 crore next week, Aamer Bijli from PVR Inox Ltd, reveals, “Within five days, it crossed 30 lakh admits in PVR INOX cinemas.” Mirroring this sentiment, Ganesh of Kamala Cinemas, Chennai, says, “Budget and language don’t matter if the content connects.” That’s probably why many Tamil Nadu theatres are planning to shift Kantara: Chapter 1 to their main screens. Ruban Mathivanan, owner of Chennai’s GK Cinemas, says, “At this rate, the footfall will only increase in the coming days and there will be no drop.” Summing it up, Kishore Kumar of Vaishnavi and Vaibhavi Cinemas, Bengaluru, says, “With no major releases until December 5, Kantara: Chapter 1 is on track for a 50-day blockbuster run, a milestone we haven’t seen in Kannada cinema for a long time.” dor to India on Wednesday. He arrived in Delhi on Friday . Earlier in the day, the ambassador-designate also held meetings with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. “Discussed the India–US relationship and its global significance. Wish him the best for his new responsibility,” Jaishankar wrote on X. Gor’s visit marks a significant diplomatic step ahead of his formal assumption of office early next year. It comes at a sensitive time, as steep US tariffs have driven bilateral ties to their lowest point in decades. Gor, a close aide of Trump and a key figure in Republican circles, is on a six-day visit along with US Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Michael J Rigas. A possible bilateral meeting between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia later this month remains on the cards. hunt on for 3 Odisha MBBS student raped in Bengal near college campus E x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar A 23-year-old MBBS student from Odisha was allegedly raped by unidentified men near her college in West Bengal’s Durgapur in Paschim Bardhaman district, police said on Saturday . The woman’s mother said the crime occurred around 10 PM outside a private medical college campus on Friday night when the second-year student had stepped out of the college campus with a male friend for dinner. The woman’s parents reached Durgapur on Saturday morning after getting a call from their daughter’s friends.“We came here this morning and lodged a complaint with the police. The college performed well academically, and that’s why we sent our daughter to study medicine here,” the woman’s father said. A preliminary probe by police revealed that the student was left stranded by her male friend when three unidentified men accosted them. “They snatched her phone and took her to a jungle outside the campus, where they raped her. She was threatened with dire consequences if she informed anyone about it,” an officer said. The accused also demanded money from the student to return her mobile phone, he said. Meanwhile, the state health department on Saturday sought a report from the private medical college in Durgapur, a senior official said. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari spoke to the woman’s father and assured them of assistance. “Since last year’s RG Kar case, where an on-duty doctor was gang-raped, there have been several incidents where women were tortured... It’s time to have a new government,” Adhikari said. W I T H T H I S I SS U E Life in the Time of Solitude PLUS 12 P AGES