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 ■ ■ visakhapatnam l tuesday l november 25, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Dharmendra: 8 December 1935 - 24 November 2025 A life lived king-size N a m rata J o s h i @ Mumbai D harmendra made a soft landing in Hindi cinema singing Mukesh’s “Mujhko is raat ki tanhai mein awaaz na do” in Arjun Hingorani’s Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960), a sad, star-crossed love story about the poor and disempowered in Mumbai, who are unabl e t o r i s e ab ove t h e i r circumstances. The film also showcased a facet of Dharmendra’s personality that he came to be identified with for the rest of his life—his unquestionable handsomeness. The audience could not take its eyes off the chaste good looks and trim body he sported as a young street salesman-turned-boxer. A few years down the line, the screen caught fire, metaphorically in O P Ral, han’s Phool Aur Patthar (1966) when Garam-Dharam, as he later came to be called, loomed over a sleeping Meena Kumari and took his shirt off to thoughtfully shield her from the cold. At a time when fitness was not quite the characteristic of a Hindi film hero, Dharmendra rang in a new paradigm of robustness. A legacy carried forward by the likes of Vinod Khanna and Salman Khan, and practically every single contemporary male star. However, there has been a significant difference: Dharmendra’s was not about sculpted, gym-toned, six-pack abs but a rugged, healthy male ideal. His mascu- linity before getting taken over by the action and stunts and loudness in the 80s was also underlined with a quiet tenderness, overwhelming romance and playful humour. Dharmendra remained impervious to the superstardom of his contemporaries, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, but didn’t get celebrated as much for his own. Despite the diversity of roles in over 300 films and 65 years in the film industry dotted with innu, merable hits, being the He-Man ended up defining Dharmendra and confining him as well. But for every action entertainer like Raj Khosla’s Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), and Nasir Hussain’s Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), there was Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s hilarious Chupke Chupke, and the same filmmaker’s poignant Satyakam. And of course, there was Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay. Through the 80s, 90s and 2000s, his career began sliding, and his own children and nephew—Sunny, Bobby, Esha and Abhay Deol—took to showbiz. He later retired to his farmhouse in Lonavala. It took Sriram Raghavan to celebrate the Garam-Dharam magic in Johnny Gaddar (2007). And, ironically it’s Raghavan’s , Ikkis, a few weeks away from release, that’d perhaps be his last, and posthumous, performance. From a mar tyr in Haqeeqat to the father of one in the Raghavan film, hopefully it , would be the fitting finale for the multi-layered person and P8 actor Dharmendra was.  He was iconic, a phenomenal actor who brought charm and depth to every role. The manner in which he played diverse roles struck a chord with people — Narendra Modi, prime minister He never forgot his roots. He was a man of the earth and he remained very close to his real self... I didn’t see any change in him with stardom and popularity — Sharmila Tagore, actor Farewell, my friend. I will always remember your golden heart and the moments we shared. Rest in peace, Dharam ji — Rajinikanth, actor Halt ops, give us Level up: PMO to babus on cabinet notes 3-mth window: Maoists to govt s u m i t k u m ar sin g h @ New Delhi 53 CJI rd On his first day as CJI, Justice Surya Kant set a new norm on mentioning cases for urgent listing, saying they must be made in writing. Oral requests only under extraordinary circumstances Page 7 express read Harassment India raps China on Arunachal India has launched a sharp diplomatic protest against China after an Arunachal Pradesh woman was detained and harassed for nearly 18 hours at the Shanghai Airport when Chinese immigration officials refused to recognise her Indian passport. A strong demarche was issued in Beijing and Delhi on the same day | P7 agri-boost New programme for farmers’ uplift Vijayawada: AP government on Monday launched the Rythanna Meekosam initiative to strengthen water security, promote demand-based farming, boost agri-tech and support food processing. As part of it, statewide programs will be held till Nov 29, with workshops on Dec 3 | P4 governance Naidu: Ensure all services to people Vijayawada: CM Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to ensure all government services reach people effectively and earn public trust. He said municipal works need public approval, while rural and MGNREGA projects require Gram Sabha consent | P3 Letter to CMs of MP, Maha and Chhattisgarh seeks time for collective call on surrender E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur THE Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zonal Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist) has sought time until February 15, 2026, to arrive at a collective decision on surrendering arms and accepting the government’s rehabilitation package. The MMC committee operates in the dense tri-junction forest region of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — a strategically vital corridor used by Maoist cadres to move between different areas of the Dandakaranya Special Zone. In a signed press release issued in the name of Anant, spokesperson of the MMC Special Zonal Committee, the outfit addressed Chief Ministers of the three states — Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh) and M o h a n Ya d av ( M a d h y a Pradesh) — requesting a halt to anti-Maoist operations. The letter released to the media claimed that the proposal has the approval of Politburo member Sonu Dada and Central Committee members Satish and Chandranna, all of whom have reportedly renounced armed struggle and surrendered. Acknowledging the lack of Request to convey message on radio Maoist leader Anant requested that his message be run on radio to ensure it reaches cadres soon. “Allow us to meet representatives and journalists, so that we can declare a date on laying down arms,” he said secure and rapid communication channels within the underground network, the statement said: “Since we do not have a fast mechanism to contact one another, the requested period till February 15, 2026, is required. This is well within the March 31, 2026, deadline set by the government.” Reacting to the development, Bastar Range Inspector General of Police P Sundarraj said, “The remaining Maoist cadres and their depleted leadership now have no option except to shun violence and join the social mainstream. Such a press note has emerged when the organisation has crumbled... They are now leaderless, directionless and demoralised. As per directives of governments and desire of the native population, troops are committed to bring an end to the left-wing extremism as early as possible.” IN a sharp message to the bureaucracy the Prime Minister’s , Office (PMO) has ordered all ministries to stop working in silos, drop blame games and prepare only “high quality” cabinet notes that match Indian policies and projects with global standards. The strongly worded directive, issued last week, asks secretaries to shed “routine bureaucratic mindset” and focus on “value addition” while drafting or commenting on cabinet notes — proposals which ministers submit before the government for approval on major policy decisions. The PMO made it clear that these instructions reflect Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s per- THE consumption pattern of Indian households has changed dramatically over the past decade with the share of monthly per capita expenditure on food falling below 50% for the first time and a larger portion going to non-food items such as durable goods, a new study reveals. According to the study which , compares data from the Household Consumption Expendi- A senior officer said that currently each secretary optimises for his/her own ministry’s interest rather than the country’s interest. When a major infrastructure project involves five ministries, the Prime Minister often gets five different agendas that pull in different directions. “This needs to end at the outset,” the officer told this newspaper sonal views and must be strictly followed by all. “Finalisation of cabinet notes should be monitored regularly to avoid delays. Ministries must focus on value addition rather than routine comments,” the note reads. It emphasises early inter-ministerial consultations and, if required, face-to-face meetings to iron out differences instead of letting files gather dust in endless back-and-forth. The PMO said: “Proposals submitted to Cabinet Committ e e s re l at i n g t o va r i o u s projects/schemes/programmes and policies should, wherever possible, incorporate details of benchmarking with global standards with respect to that proposal.” T he PMO also war ned against the tendency to push files with narrow departmental views, and to keep in mind the overall public interest while conce ptualising a policy proposal. 10 India went from 95/1 to 105/5, losing four wickets for ten runs. This is the worst collapse for these wickets for India at home since 1984 jansen-sational spell Marco Jansen (C) took six wickets to help South Africa gain a massive 288-run lead against India in the 2nd and final Test | pti | P11 ‘Smart’ move: Family cards in AP Homestay plan for multiple benefits by June 2026 to ease sankranti rural hospitality E x p ress N e w s S ervi c e @ Vijayawada The State government is planning to implement Family Benefit Mana g ement System (FBMS) treating each family as a unit and issue smart family cards by June, 2026. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday conducted a review meeting at the State Secretariat on Family benefit management system and directed the officials to utilise the system for empowerment of families. He directed the officials to update the data of welfare schemes and civic services being provided to people and incorporate them in smart Family cards. The Chief Minister directed the officials to make arrangements to issue smart family cards with QR code to 1.4 crore families by June. He said the cards should comprise static and dynamic data including Vaccination, Aadhaar, FBMS ID, caste certificate, ration card, nutrition food, scholarships and pension particulars. He said details of all the serv- ices being provided to people should reflect in family cards. He said that the family cards are aimed at rendering civic services in a transparent manner and at the same time help for selecting eligible beneficiaries for welfare schemes. The Chief Minister said that the family cards will help resolve the issues of welfare schemes easily and the people should be able to get government welfare schemes and benefits through family cards. He said that data of every individual should be updated by  P4 January 2026. Bulk of household spending goes to durables: Study D I PA K MO N D A L @ New Delhi onus on pulling together in same direction ture Surveys of 2011-12 and 2023-24, household spending is shifting from basic necessities to asset-building items such as domestic appliances. The findings are part of a working paper released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. The paper says the gap in asset ownership between the bottom 40% (B40) and the top 20% (T20) of households is narrowing. Mobile phones have emerged as the primary medium for information, entertainment and communication, with near-universal ownership across both urban and rural areas and all consumption groups. Among B40 rural households, mobile phone ownership rose from 66.5% in 2011-12 to 94.3% in 2023-24, it noted. Television ownership in rural areas, too, increased from 49.6% recorded in the 2011-12 survey to 61.1% in 2023-24. Interestingly in urban areas, , television ownership declined from 80.4% to 78.5%, a trend the study attributes to mobile phones replacing TV screens. Refrigerator ownership among both rural and urban households tripled. Ownership of air conditioners/air coolers and washing machines also rose across rural and urban areas, including B40 households. stays in wg dist KV SAILENDRA @ Rajamahendravaram West Godavari, long celebrated for its vibrant Sankranti traditions and the sanctity of its Pancharama temples, is preparing for a n e w ch a p t e r i n r u r a l hospitality . The district, which attracts thousands of visitors around Sankranti in January, has often struggled to offer enough accommodation during the festive season. Now, a fresh initiative aims to transform that gap into a meaningful opportunity — both for tourists seeking authentic experiences and for local families hoping to benefit from the steady inflow of visitors. To address the perennial shortage of lodging and support rural livelihoods, the Andhra Pradesh government has launched an ambitious homestay project across the district. The Tourism Department has already identified more than 90 homes that can be readied for guests, while MEPMA (Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas) is preparing another 50 homestays in Bhimavaram, Tanuku and Palakollu. But this programme goes beyond simply creating rooms for travellers. It is a deliberate effort to build cultural bridges. Visitors will have the chance to immerse themselves in village rhythms — eating traditional meals cooked in local kitchens, observing age-old customs, and spending time with communities known for their warmth and hospitality . Women’s groups are at the forefront of this effort, taking responsibility for organising, maintaining and P4 curating these stays. “Departments should not focus only on their limited turf but look at the larger national perspective,” it stated, especially in multi-ministry schemes. To ensure speed and quality, the finalisation of every cabinet note will now be tracked closely. Ministries have been told to incorporate global benchmarking wherever possible so that India’s policies match the best in the world. Officials say repeated logjams and inter-ministry turf wars in recent months have prompted the tough directive from the PMO. With several big-ticket refor ms and infrastructure projects in the pipeline, the government wants to cut red tape and deliver faster results, a source said. Global experts to drive vision for healthy AP E x p ress N e w s S ervi c e @ Vijayawada The State government has formed a high-level advisory committee of 10 internationally renowned health experts to prepare a comprehensive action plan for its ‘ arogyandhra A Pradesh’ vision. The initiative was approved by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu following a proposal from Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav, and aims to integrate global expertise and innovative strategies to strengthen the State’s healthcare system. The committee’s formation aligns with the Chief Minister’s Swarna Andhra Vision 2047, which targets universal health protection by the centenary year of Independence. The government has already set up advisory groups to address the 10 major diseases in the State. It has also initiated partnerships with institutions such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Tata MD, IIT Chennai and Swasth, in addition to several Union Government-sponsored health schemes. hockey gives hope for a new beginning Amir Ali, whose father is a roadside mechanic, would be seeking for a better life with a commendable show at Jr Hockey World Cup | P11