hyderabad l tuesday l november 04, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late cITY 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 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 ■ 0.6% Govt’s focus on ease of doing research ■ 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 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 19 dead as overloaded tipper rams RTC bus at Chevella Horror on the road S i d d h a r d h a G at t i m i Don: Pak on list of nations doing N-weapons test 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 that lamabad’s compliance with inhas stirred debate, US Presi- ternational norms. Pakistan last dent Donald Trump listed Paki- conducted public nuclear detostan among several nations that nations in May 1998, following are currently conducting nu- India’s Pokhran-II tests. clear weapons tests, a statement Islamabad has not yet issued that could have far-reaching any official response, though global implications. its long-standing position mainIn an interview aired on CBS tains 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 scruWe’re going to three decades. He said tiny from both strategic test because countries like Russia, analysts and internathey test and China, North Korea, others test. And tional diplomats, who and Pakistan were al- certainly North warn that such allegaready conducting such tions could strain WashKorea’s been testing. tests, while the US had ington’s already comPakistan’s “held back”. plex relations with been testing He claimed the US Islamabad and heighten does not “necessarily tensions across South Donald Trump, know” where these 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 clarider, underground where people fied in a Fox News interview don’t know exactly what’s hap- that the administration’s propening with the test. You feel a posal does not involve live nulittle bit of a vibration. They clear detonations. “These are test and we don’t test. We have system tests — non-critical exto test,” he said. plosions,” Wright explained. The remarks mark the first “They involve all other parts of time a sitting US president has the nuclear weapon to make publicly talked about Pakistan sure they deliver the right gecontinuing nuclear testing, a ometry and safety functions.” J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi @ Hyderabad In one of the worst road tragedies in Telangana, at least 19 people, including 14 women and a 10-month-old baby were killed and 25 oth, ers injured when a gravelladen tipper lorry rammed a TGSRTC hire bus near Mirzaguda village in Chevella mandal of Rangareddy district on Monday morning. The collision occurred around 6.15 am on the Hyderabad–Bijapur highway. Police said the tipper, carrying gravel from Lakdaram in Patancheru to Manneguda, 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 of the road, and crashed into the oncoming bus carrying 72 passengers. The capacity of the bus was 35. The impact was catastrophic. The front of the bus was crushed beyond recognition, killing both drivers — Akash Kamle (24) of Maharashtra, who was driving the tipper, and RTC driver Dastagiri Baba, who had been on the Tandur–Hyderabad route for five years. Upon impact, more than 50 tonnes of gravel, far above the permissible load of 30–35 tonnes, spilled into the overturned bus and also onto the road, trapping passengers under its weight. Eyewitnesses and rescue workers described the scene as nightmarish. Dozens of passengers were pinned down, struggling for breath as gravel filled the mangled interior. Survivors cried for help while villagers rushed to assist before police and emergency teams arrived. Chevella police reached the spot by 7 am and pressed JCBs into service to clear the wreckage.  continued on P2 The casualties 14 women among those killed; 25 others injured in mishap on the Hyd–Bijapur highway  72 passengers were on board the bus, which was designed to seat 35 14 dead near Jaipur as truck hits parked cars r a j e s h a s n a n i @ Jaipur  3 people each from two families, three sisters studying in Hyderabad, and a newly-wed couple with their 10-mthold baby were among those who died  Bus driver Dastagiri Baba and lorry driver Akash Kamle (24) from Maharashtra also died in the crash Cause & impact 50 tonnes of gravel, more than the permissible 30–35 tonnes, was being carried by the tipper from Lakdaram (Patancheru) to Manneguda. The overloaded lorry veered into the opposite lane after attempting to overtake another vehicle and struck the oncoming bus The impact crushed the bus’s front; the gravel load toppled onto the vehicle, suffocating passengers seated on the right Rescue & relief The response Rescue operations begin soon after; a JCB used to clear the gravel 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. `7 lakh ex gratia announced by state govt (`5 lakh from govt + `2 lakh from TGSRTC) Helplines 9912919545, 9440854433 The probe Govt orders magisterial, departmental inquiries TGSRTC says bus had valid fitness and insurance certificates `2 lakh to the kin of the deceased and `50,000 to injured announced by PM Chief minister expresses grief, directs immediate relief to the injured One of the vehicles damaged in the accident near Jaipur on Monday Tragedy reignites debate over delayed highway project E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Express Impact Revanth vows to complete SLBC works E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to completing the long-pending SLBC tunnel, announcing compensation for those affected by the 40-km project, described as the world’s largest of its kind. Revanth, accompanied by Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy reviewed the helicopter, borne VTEM Plus Magnetic Geophysical Survey at Mannevaripally in Achampeta mandal, Nagarkurnool district. The survey conducted by NGRI, was , launched on Monday to assist the `4,600 crore project, which aims to irrigate 3 lakh acres by lifting 30 tmcft from the Krishna river.  continued on P4 Following TNIE publishing a collage — ‘Danger Still Lurks’ — which highlighted how the foot-over-bridge at Erragadda remained neglected even after a rape was reported on the FOB, the authorities cleaned it up on Monday | Sri Loganathan Velmurugan The road accident that claimed 19 lives on Monday morning in Chevella mandal has once again highlighted the cost of delayed highway expansion in Telangana. The collision occurred on the Hyderabad–Bijapur highway, where four-lane works were set to begin after being stalled for eight years. The crash came just three days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) cleared the long-pending APPA Junction–Manneguda four-lane project, which covers Rajendranagar, Chevella, and Parigi constituencies. Following the order, officials were instructed to begin work on the Moinabad–Chevella stretch where the accident took place. The project had been held up for years by a petition from environmental activists seeking to protect roadside trees. During this period, over 300 people have reportedly died in accidents along the narrow, congested road. Parigi MLA Ram Mohan Reddy had cited these figures last week while welcoming the NGT’s clearance. Residents and commuters said Monday’s tragedy caused , by an overloaded lorry losing control and veering into a passenger bus, underlined the hazards of travelling on a single-lane highway with no divider. “The road has become a death trap. Everyone knew it, but nothing moved for years,” said a local resident. The NGT’s southern bench, led by Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, approved a revised National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) proposal that preserves most of the roadside A JCB moves the mangled remains of the bus to clear the road for traffic trees. Of the 950 trees along the route, only 150 will be translocated instead of being cut down. With this assurance, the petitioners withdrew their case, allowing the tribunal to lift the stay and direct the immediate start of work. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy subsequently instruct- ed officials to fast-track construction. However, Monday’s crash has reignited debate over the years of delay and the human toll it took. Locals said that had the widening works been completed earlier, many of these deaths, including those in Monday’s accident, might have been prevented. night after Recognition, fame and riches, India women wake up to new reality g o m e s 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 Saikia told this daily  . P11