tirupati l tuesday l november 04, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l ANANTAPUR EDITION Centre launches ` 1 lakh crore Research & Development fund Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a `1 lakh crore fund to spur private sector investment in research and development Want to foster culture of R&D: Modi Govt’s focus on ease of doing research Modi launched the Research, Development and Innovation Fund at the first-ever Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave in Delhi. He said the government would support high-risk, high-impact projects to help India emerge as a science and technology powerhouse. “Our goal is to foster a culture of research and development,” Modi said ■ ■ He said the government was focusing on the ‘Ease of Doing Research’ to foster a modern ecosystem of innovation in India | p7 “Government has introduced significant reforms. We have streamlined incentives and supply chain frameworks to accelerate the transition of prototypes from the lab to the market,” PM said 0.6% of GDP is how much India spends annually on R&D 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 Russia, China testing “Russia’s testing, China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it...We have to talk about it, otherwise you people are going to report. They don’t have reporters that are going to be writing about it,” Trump said Don: Pak on list of nations doing N-weapons test ‘9.8L cr investments on cards’ 410 moUs likely to be signed during event E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ Vijayawada Stating that Andhra Pradesh stood first in attracting huge numbers of domestic investments in the country, HRD and Information Technology minister Nara Lokesh welcomed the companies driven by speed to choose the State as their destination to start their companies. Addressing a press conference on Monday, Lokesh announced that 410 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be IT Minister Nara Lokesh announced that 410 MoUs are expected to be signed at the CII Partnership Summit to be held in visakhapatnam on 14 & 15 signed at the CII Partnership Summit to be held on November 14 and 15 in Visakhapatnam. Around `9.8 lakh crore investment commitments will be unlocked thus generating 7.5 lakh proposed jobs across the State. “We are working on a mission mode providing best in class policies to the investors. Glad to share that Andhra Pradesh got US $ 125 billion (`10 lakh crore) investments in the last 16 months. We are first in attracting domestic investments and will be the first in foreign direct investments (FDIs) very soon with our theme - Speed of D o i n g B u s i n e s s, ” L o ke s h shared. Explaining about the CII Partnership Summit, Lokesh said the summit will embody a threeway partnership between the people, the government, and corporates, aligning growth with opportunity and shared prosperP4 ity  . If validated, it could raise serious concerns about Pak’s compliance with global norms claim if substantiated, could raise serious concerns about IsIn a provocative new claim lamabad’s compliance with inthat has stirred debate, US ternational norms. Pakistan President Donald Trump listed last conducted public nuclear Pakistan among several na- detonations in May 1998, followtions that are currently con- ing India’s Pokhran-II tests. ducting nuclear weapons tests, Islamabad has not yet issued a statement that could have far- any official response, though reaching global implications. its long-standing position In an interview aired on CBS maintains that its nuclear proNews’ 60 Minutes, Trump de- gramme is purely defensive fended his administraand governed by strict tion’s controversial decommand-and-control cision to resume nuclear mechanisms. The comtesting after more than ments have drawn We’re going to three decades. He said scrutiny from both test because countries like Russia, strategic analysts and they test and China, North Korea, others test. And inter national diploand Pakistan were al- certainly North mats, who warn that ready conducting such Korea’s been such allegations could testing. tests, while the US had strain Washington’s alPakistan’s “held back”. ready complex relabeen testing He claimed the US tions with Islamabad does not “necessarily and heighten tensions Donald Trump, know” where these across South Asia. US President “powerful” nations are Amid growing questesting nuclear weapons, but tions about the scope of the asserted the testing is being planned US testing, Energy done. “They they test way un- Secretary Chris Wright clari, der, underground where peo- fied in a Fox News interview ple don’t know exactly what’s that the administration’s prohappening with the test. You posal does not involve live nufeel a little bit of a vibration. clear detonations. “These are They test and we don’t test. We system tests — non-critical exhave to test,” he said. plosions,” Wright explained. The remarks mark the first “They involve all other parts time a sitting US president has of the nuclear weapon to make publicly talked about Pakistan sure they deliver the right gecontinuing nuclear testing, a ometry and safety functions.” J ayan t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Remnant of the TNSTC bus after a truck hit it in Ranga Reddy district | PTI One of the vehicles damaged in the accident near Jaipur on Monday Reckless driving two days, 29 deaths 19 killed as truck rams into bus in Telangana S i dd h ard h a G at t i m i @ Hyderabad IN one of the worst road tragedies in Telangana in recent memory at least 19 people, in, cluding 14 women and a 10month-old baby, were killed and 25 injured when a gravelladen tipper lorry rammed a TGSRTC bus near Mirzaguda village in Chevella mandal of Rangareddy on Monday . The collision occurred around 6.15 am on the Hyderabad–Bijapur highway. Police said the tipper, carrying gravel from Patancheru to Man- neguda, was overloaded and speeding when its driver tried to overtake another vehicle. To avoid a pothole, the driver swerved abruptly veered into , the wrong side and crashed into the oncoming bus carrying 72 passengers. The impact was catastrophic. The front of the bus was crushed beyond recognition, killing both drivers — truck driver Akash Kamle (24) of Maharashtra, and RTC driver Dastagiri Baba. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered. 14 dead near Jaipur as truck hits parked cars rajes h asnan i @ Jaipur A day after 15 people were killed and two injured in Phalodi district of Rajasthan when a mini bus collided with a trailer along the Bharatmala Highway a tragic , road accident in Jaipur’s Harmada area on Monday afternoon left 14 people dead and over 18 injured. A speeding dumper truck lost control and rammed into 17 vehicles, creating devastation that eyewitnesses termed “unbearable to watch.” The accident occurred around 1 pm near the Loha Mandi area of Harmada. According to Jaipur District Collector Jitendra Soni, the dumper truck was heading towards the Loha Mandi petrol pump when its brakes gave up. The impact was so severe that the truck crushed vehicles for over 300 metres before coming to a halt. Eye-witnesses said the driver appeared to be drunk. An ex-gratia of `2 lakh has been announced for the next of kin of each deceased. AP’s Sricharani spins her way to WC glory Biren tapes tampered, S N A G A R A J A R A O @ Kadapa In a remarkable journey from the rural heartlands of Andhra Pradesh to the global stage, 21year-old Nallapureddi Sricharani from Erramallapalli village in Veerapunayunipalle mandal, Kadapa district, has etched her name in cricket history . The left-arm orthodox spinner played a pivotal role in India’s triumphant campaign at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, helping the team clinch its maiden title in the women’s category and bringing immense pride to her hometown. Hailing from a humble background, Sricharani overcame poverty and hardships to emerge as a standout performer. In the tournament, she featured in all nine zubeen garg murdered, says assam cm Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday claimed that cultural icon Zubeen Garg did not die in an accident in Singapore. It was a clear case of murder, even as the investigation into the death was underway | P8 From training at the Kadapa stadium to shining on the world stage, Sricharani has showcased sublime talent Madhavi Reddy, Kadapa MLA matches, claiming 14 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 33.42 and a stingy economy rate of 4.96 – making her India’s second-highest wicket-taker. Her spellbinding displays were particularly evident against powerhouses like Australia and England, where her guile and control turned matches in India’s favour. “This is India’s first-ever Women’s World Cup win, and Sricharani’s contribution has been invaluable,” said Kadapa MLA R Madhavi Reddy, speaking to reporters at her of fice on Monday. “From training at the Kadapa stadium to shining on the world stage, she has showcased extraordinary talent and brought laurels to the district and the State.” The MLA praised the encouragement given to women in sports by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, pledging full support for aspiring athletes in the region. Sricharani, who completed her BSc at VRSS Degree College in Veerapunayunipalle in 2024-25, is the daughter of Nallapureddi Chandrashekar Reddy, a Grade-1 Foreman at Dr MVR Rayalaseema Thermal Power Project (RTPP), and Renuka. Her passion for cricket ignited in childhood, inspired by her maternal uncle Kishore Reddy , the only cricketer in the family . Starting as a fast bowler, she transitioned to spin after initial struggles. Her rapid ascent began with stellar performances at the state and national levels, complemented by her athletic prowP4 ess in other sports.  top forensic lab tells SC of a plea filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (Kohur), seeking a courtAudio recordings allegedly monitored probe into certain implicating former Manipur leaked audio clips that allegedChief Minister N Biren Singh ly implicate Singh in instigatin the 2023 ethnic violence in ing the ethnic violence. the state were tamA two-judge bench pered with and are not comprising Justice Sanscientifically fit for jay Kumar and Justice voice comparison, the Alok Aradhe directed National Forensic Scithat a copy of the NFence Laboratory SL’s report be shared (NFSL), Gandhinagar, with all parties and listhas informed the Sued the case for further Biren Singh preme Court. hearing on 8 December. “As the said audio is Kohur alleged that the tampered with, no opinion on tapes, shared by an anonymous the similarity or dissimilarity whistleblower, contained phone of the speakers could be of- conversations held by Singh, fered,” the NFSL told the court. “establishing the complicity of The submission of the NFSL the highest functionary and were made during the hearing others” in the ethnic violence. S UCHIT R A K A LYA N M O H A N TY @ New Delhi LIC bets big on growth in AP’s housing, infra sectors E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ Visakhapatnam LIC Housing Finance Ltd. (LIC HFL) has projected strong growth prospects for Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, citing increasing demand in the housing sector and ongoing infrastructure developments. “We are very upbeat about the growth trajectory of the State. It is one of the states that will do well in terms of development,” said Tribhuwan Adhikari, Managing Director and CEO of LIC HFL, during an interaction with the press in Visakhapatnam on Monday . LIC HFL has 303 marketing offices across the country, including 20 Area Offices and 3 Cluster Offices in Andhra Pradesh, with a Deputy Regiona l M a n a g e r ’s O f f i c e i n Vijayawada. The company holds a 19.46 per cent share in the individual home loan segment in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. During FY 2025-26, it disbursed `5,634.71 crore in the region, and as of September 2025, its outstanding loan portfolio in both states stood at `63,000 crore. For Q2 of FY 2025-26, LIC HFL reported a net profit of `1,353.87 crore, up 2% year-onyear. Total disbursements during the quarter were `16,313 crore. Revenue from operations increased 3% to `7,163 crore, while Net Interest Income (NII) rose to `2,038 crore. The company’s loan book grew 6% to `3,11,816 crore, with the individual home loan segment accounting for `2,64,096 crore. P4 night after Recognition, fame and riches, India women wake up to new reality go m es h S @ Navi Mumbai As the embers of the beautiful night melted in the dawn, Indiawomen woke up to a new reality – the World Champions. Harmanpreet Kaur and her team must have realized life will no longer be the same again. With last night’s extraordinary viewership numbers (running above 30 crore) and the win turning into the most-discussed topic over the last 24 hours, the fortunes have changed. The team bagged $4.48 million (`40 crore) as prize money . Add to that the `51 crore the Indian cricket board (BCCI) announced. Close to `100 crore for the team, an amount that eclipses any figure the team received since they started playing in World Cups 50 years ago. The Harmanpreet Kaur with the WC trophy at the Gateway of India on Monday | pti World Cup prize-money had seen a nine-fold increase from the runner-up $500,000 they got in 2020 at the MCG. The brand of women’s cricket has been steadily growing and from Sunday night, leading sports apparel companies to food delivery apps started using stars’ faces to promote their brands. Smriti Mandhana has been the most recognised face and the top earner. Harmanpreet is close behind. The likes of Pratika Rawal, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma could be the new faces soon. In terms of cricket, the BCCI is planning to usher in changes. “Whateverchanges we have seen after 1983 in men’s cricket, we hope and expect the samething to happen now,” BCCI secretary Devajit P11 Saikia told this daily  .