tadepalligudem l friday l october 17, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION D cause for concern as India gets D rating in global pension index The Mercer Global Pension Index 2025, built on adequacy (40%), sustainability (35%) and integrity (25%)—ranked India at 43.8 points score of 43.8 versus global avg of 64.5 low income replacement level for seniors The global average score of the pension index was 64.5. This year’s top performers included The Netherlands (85.4), Iceland (84.0), Denmark (82.3), Singapore (80.8), and Israel (80.3)—all earning an ‘A’ grade for robust and sustainable pension systems. India’s pension system continues to face structural gaps that undermine retirement security for most ■ ■ Adequacy remains India’s weakest link, earning an ‘E’ grade (34.7). This reflects extremely low income replacement levels for retirees On Sustainability, India scored 43.8 (‘D’ grade), indicating concerns about the system’s long-term resilience; in Integrity, India’s pension system fared slightly better with a ‘C’ grade (58.4) 29% of india’s elderly get pension, 71% remain financially vulnerable 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 MAD Scramble Govt denies Trump-Modi phone call for india bloc on ending Russian oil procurement seat deal BIHAR drama MEA says safeguarding the interests of consumers in a volatile energy scenario is priority J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi RAMASHA N K AR @ Patna WITH just hours left for the nomination deadline for the first phase of Bihar elections, the INDIA bloc is yet to firm up the seat-sharing formula. In stark contrast, the NDA has already announced its candidates for all 243 seats. According to sources, the demand for higher seat allocation by influential regional parties, including Mukesh Sahani-led Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), and the pushback by the others is the reason for INDIA bloc’s seat-sharing stalemate. While Sahani, an ex-minister, has demanded 24 seats, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Unusual VIP demand Yadav is reportedly ready to . Mukesh Sahani-led Vikassheel give only 15 to VIP Meanwhile, senior ConInsaan Party initially sought 60 seats but later climbed gress leaders including down to 28. “The unusual AICC in-charge of Bihar demand of VIP complicated Krishna Allavaru, the parseat-sharing negotiations,” ty’s state unit chief Rajesh said a senior RJD leader Kumar and Congress Legislature Party leader Shakeel Ahmed met RJD chief Lalu Prasad to reach a consensus. Senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge also spoke to Lalu over phone. Sources said there is also dispute over the seat demand by the Congress and RJD. While the Congress leadership is firm on contesting 60 seats, the RJD is reportedly willing to give only 54 seats —14 less than it contested in 2020. Meanwhile, Bihar BJP chief Dilip Jaiswal took a dig at INDIA bloc’s stalemate. He also accused the RJD and Congress of “insulting” Sahni, who he claimed enjoyed respect when he was with the NDA. India on Thursday clarified that no phone call took place between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Wednesday regarding the country’s oil imports from Russia and reiterated that its energy sourcing policy remains consistently focused on safeguarding the interests of Indian consumers, while responding to Trump’s claim that Modi had assured him of halting such purchases. “On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The clarification came after Trump, speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday, claimed Supplies very beneficial to India, says Russian envoy Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov on Thursday stressed the importance of Russia’s oil supplies to India in the context of US pressure to stop it, describing them as “very beneficial” and aligned with India’s national interests. “The Indian government is acting, having in mind the national interests, and our cooperation is very much in tune with those interests,” Alipov said that Prime Minister Modi had assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil. “I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big step,” Trump said. “Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing,” the US president said. “India is a significant im- @ New Delhi The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday strongly defended the Bihar poll roll revision, terming the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ‘accurate’, and told the Supreme Court that the petitioners—political parties, NGOs, individual persons, and others—were making “false allegations” to discredit the robust exercise. The ECI told a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi that not a single appeal has been filed by any voter against name deletion since the publication of the final roll. Taking strong exception to the Association for Democratic Refor ms (ADR)’s charge that there was a “disproportionate exclusion of Muslims”, it said the “communal approach” of the petitioner must be deprecated, adding that the electoral rolls database does not capture any information about electors’ religion. Appearing for the ADR, lawyer Prashant Bhushan argued that fresh deletions have happened in the draft rolls and the final roll has not been published. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kurnool Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Andhra Pradesh as a key contributor to the success of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, saying the state is emerging as a major growth hub. “Today the world views India , as the new manufacturing center of the 21st century with the , vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat being the foundation of this major expansion Trumpin All ministers calls up Putin fresh peash push Donald Trump held a crucial phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin Thursday, a day before Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets the US president to push for Tomahawk missiles | P9 VSP revival: State govt converts `2,400 cr power dues into equity E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Visakhapatnam The Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to convert pending power dues of Rs 2,400 crore into equity for the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), a move aimed at stabilizing the public sector unit’s financial position and supporting its revival plan. State Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao said the decision reflects the gover nment’s commitment to strengthening key industries and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the steel plant. “Converting dues into equity gives the plant fiscal stability and allows for operational flexibility It is a step that secures . both the institution and the livelihoods connected to it,” he stated. Palla noted that the initiative forms part of a broader revival strategy being implemented in coordination with the Centre. This decision reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. The steel plant will continue as a public sector enterprise Palla Srinivasa Rao, State TDP President “Of the Rs 11,500-crore financial package earlier announced for the plant, Rs 9,500 crore has already been released to Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). This decision consolidates the financial foundation of the plant and signals the government’s clear intention to support its recovery,” he added. Addressing concerns raised express read CM Naidu to attract investors in London Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will tour London from November 2 to 5 to invite investors to the CII Partnership Summit 2025 to be held in Visakhapatnam on November 14 and 15. The Andhra Pradesh government, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), will organise the Partnership Summit. The flagship event aims to bring together industry leaders, investors, and policymakers from across the globe. AP’s growth key to India’s global power status: PM Poll body raps charges on SIR deletions in SC SUCHITRA K ALYA N MOHA N TY porter of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,” Jaiswal said in a statement earlier on Thursday. He also pointed out that India is also expanding its energy export from the US. “Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing,” Jaiswal said. He further outlined India’s broader energy approach, noting that stable prices and secure supplies remain the twin goals of its policy This . includes diversifying sources of supply and adapting to changing market conditions. India has increased its oil imports from Russia over the past two years, citing competitive pricing amid global volatility. The government has repeatedly said that these decisions are based on economic considerations rather than political pressure. The Trump administration had imposed 50% tariff on key Indian imports, including 25% additional penalty linked to Russian oil purchases. by certain trade unions, Palla dismissed claims that the plant could not function without captive iron ore mines. He clarified that ores with less than 40% iron content were commercially unviable and that the plant could reach breakeven with a production capacity of 60% - around 15,000 metric tonnes per day . “With the third blast furnace operational, production has begun to improve steadily,” he asserted. Palla stated that workers have shown renewed commitment to restoring productivity , while alleging that some groups were attempting to spread misinformation. “Those responsible for past irregularities are now misleading employees with false claims,” he alleged. He was critical of the previous government led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy stating that poor indus, trial policies and delayed payments had pushed the plant into debt exceeding Rs 38,500 P4 crore.  quit, Guj govt shake-up today D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad In a dramatic political reset, all 16 ministers in the Gujarat cabinet submitted their resignations to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel ahead of a sweeping ministerial reshuffle and expansion on Friday The oath. taking ceremony is scheduled for 11.30 am. All BJP MLAs and outgoing ministers have been directed to remain stationed in Gandhinagar. A BJP legislative party meeting was held at the CM’s residence on Thursday evening. While Union home minister Amit Shah arrived in Gandhinagar, party president J P Nadda is expected to fly in on Friday . The new team may have 27 ministers — the peak permitted strength since Gujarat has a 182-member assembly . A deputy chief minister could also be named. Earlier in the day nation, al (organisation) general secretary Sunil Bansal got into a huddle with key state leaders. The Swarnim Complex, which houses ministe- Bhupendra Patel rial offices, has undergone a quiet overnight cleanup. Six to seven MLAs are likely to be elevated as parliamentary secretaries. Caste and regional equations are at the heart of the reshuffle. While both the CM and BJP state president Jagdish Panchal hail from Ahmedabad, the politically sensitive Saurashtra that is increasingly being influenced by AAP’s Gopal Italia, is expected to get a larger slice of power. Jayesh Radadiya and Jitu Vaghani are strong contenders for berths, with Vaghani tipped to be the new home minister. Patidar representation is likely to increase as well, while Thakor leaders from North Gujarat are expected to get prominent portfolios. South Gujarat, may see reduced weightage. success,” he said. However, the Prime Minister lamented that previous governments had neglected Andhra Pradesh’s potential, causing a setback to the nation’s progress. “A state that could have propelled national progress was left to struggle for its own development,” he added. In contrast, PM Modi expressed satisfaction that under the current government, Andhra Pradesh is witnessing rap- id growth in manufacturing. To further this growth, he announced the launch of an Advanced Night Vision factory in Nimmaluru, marking another step towards self-reliance in the defence sector. The factory will enhance India’s capability to produce night vision equipment, missile sensors, and drone guard systems, and elevate the country’s defence exports to new P4 heights.