hyderabad l thursday l november 27, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE City EDITION Officially india’s, amdavad to host 2030 C’wealth Games Amdavad (aka Ahmedabad) has been formally ratified by the Commonwealth Sports general body for the Centenary CWG on Wednesday 74 15-17 The number of sports Commonwealth Sport has confirmed for 2030 Delegates of the 74 Commonwealth member nations and territories ratified the only bid after its executive committee forwarded the recommendation last month sports that are confirmed Athletics & para athletics, swimming & para swimming, table tennis & para table tennis, bowls & para bowls, netball and boxing are among confirmed names, said CS Commonwealth Sports chief Donald Rukare and CGA president PT Usha new look more disciplines to be added soon ■ ■ ■ Though sports like cricket, badminton, archery, shooting are not yet confirmed, there is all likelihood that they will be included later Presently, archery, badminton, 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball, beach volleyball, cricket T20, cycling, diving, hockey, judo, rhythmic gymnastics, rugby sevens, shooting, squash, triathlon and wrestling are being considered for 2030 Two new traditional sports can be added. Yoga likely to be added Local resonance & global appeal The 2030 team will work closely with CS and the International Federations to shape a dynamic and exciting sport programme that will have a strong local resonance and global appeal 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 Could defer date of post-SIR draft roll in TN, WB: SC Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks after virtually inaugurating Safran’s MRO facility in Hyderabad on Wednesday. (Right) Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu at the Rafale engine MRO unit Indian aviation sector taking new flight: Modi E x press N e w s S er v i c e @ Hyderabad Asserting that India’s aviation sector is set to take a new leap, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the country is now promoting ‘Design in India’ across sectors on an unprecedented scale. The prime minister was speaking after virtually inaugurating Safran Aircraft Engine Services India’s LEAP engine MRO facility at GMR Aerospace in Hyderabad. Urging the Safran team to look beyond manufacturing and explore opportunities in aircraft engine and component design from India, he said the country’s vast MSME ecosystem and its young, skilled workforce would act as strong pillars of support for such ambitions. He said: “From today, India’s aviation sector is taking a new flight.” The PM said that Safran’s latest investment will help position India as a global Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub. He recalled his meeting with the Safran Board and Management on November 24, noting that he had always sensed their confidence and optimism regarding India. He expressed hope that Safran’s investments would continue with the same momentum in the years ahead. Pointing out that India’s aviation sector has grown at a rapid pace in recent years, he said the country now ranks among the fastest-growing domestic aviation markets in the world. “Today, India’s domestic aviation market is the third largest globally he noted. ,” Modi said the aspirations of Indians are soaring to new heights, driving unprecedented demand for air travel. To keep pace, airlines across the country are rapidly expanding their fleets. “Indian airline companies have placed orders for more than 1,500 new aircraft,” he said. Modi highlighted a long-standing challenge: nearly 85 percent of India’s MRO work used to be carried out overseas, leading to high costs, longer turnaround times, and aircraft being grounded for months. “This situation is untenable for a large aviation market like India,” he said. Continued on P4 CM invites PM to TG Rising Global Summit ens @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and global investors to attend the Telangana Rising Global Summit – 2047, scheduled for December 8 and 9 at the upcoming Bharat Future City . Revanth also urged the PM to declare the Bengaluru–Hyderabad corridor as a dedicated Defence and Aerospace Corridor, arguing that the region has already emerged as a natural hub for the sector. The chief minister participated in the virtual inauguration of Safran Aircraft Engine Services India’s LEAP engine MRO facility at GMR Aerospace in Hyderabad by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Revanth also laid the foundation stone for Safran’s M88 military engine MRO facility at GMR Aerospace & Industrial Park. Addressing the gathering, Revanth said the state government would unveil a comprehensive roadmap for Telangana’s development through its vision document at the global summit.  continued on p4 Hearing on pleas challenging nationwide SIR; political parties creating a scare, alleges ECI don’t have any power now? Court can always say the CJI said. ,” THE Supreme Court on WednesFor its part, the ECI told the day said it would not hesitate to court that some political parties extend the deadline for the pub- are creating a ‘scare’ about the lication of the draft electoral SIR being undertaken in Tamil rolls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala. Nadu if the petitioners make a “Political parties are creating strong case, while the Election unnecessary scare,” the poll Commission of India panel said. (ECI) claimed that some Advocate Prashant political parties were Bhushan said the SIR trying to create “a was being conducted in scare” about the Special a “great hurry”. Intensive Revision (SIR) The bench asked the of electoral rolls. ECI to file its counter‘Reason to A bench of Chief Jusaffidavit to the petitions challenge tice Surya Kant and relating to Tamil Nadu not good Justice Joymalya and West Bengal by Deenough’ Bagchi made the oral cember 4 and December observation while hear9, respectively . That the SIR ing petitions challengThe bench also posted was never ing the SIR exercise in the pleas seeking deferconducted the two states. ment of the Kerala SIR before is not a The remark about exto December 2, while ground to tending the deadline for asking the ECI and State challenge the publication of the draft Election Commission to Election rolls came after the parfile their responses by Commission’s ties appearing in the December 1. SIR in decision to SIR for West Bengal Tamil Nadu has been carry out this raised concerns about challenged by DMK, exercise in the court fixing the next CPI(M), and actor Viseveral states, date of hearing to Dejay’s TVK. The AlADthe SC said cember 9, which they MK, on the other hand, claimed was the date for publica- has filed an application supporttion of the draft roll as per the ing the SIR. SIR schedule. During the hearing, the bench “So what? If you make out a observed that the EC has “inhercase, then we can direct them to ent power to determine correctextend the date. Can that date ness of entry in Form 6”. (publication of draft roll) be a The hearing will continue on ground for the court to say we Thursday . U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi `7,300 cr push for rare earth atmanirbharta M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Amid a shortage of rare earth magnets blamed on China’s export restrictions, the Centre on Wednesday approved a `7,280-crore scheme to boost domestic manufacturing of these critical materials. Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters that the ‘Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPM)’ has been approved with a financial outlay of `7,280 crore. The aim is to establish 6,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) of integrated manufacturing in the country Vaishnaw added. , “This first-of-its-kind initiative aims to establish 6,000 metric tonnes per annum of integrated rare earth manufacturing in India, thereby enhancing self-reliance and positioning India as a key player in the global market,” a government statement noted. “The total financial outlay of the scheme is `7,280 crore, comprising sales-linked incentives of `6,450 crore on REPM sales for five years and a capital subsidy of `750 crore for setting up an aggregate of 6,000 MTPA of REPM manufacturing facilities,” the statement said. China controls about 60% of global rare earth mining and nearly 90% of refining and processing capacity In . April, it imposed restrictions on Sintered REPM exports, tightening supply to India’s automobile and electronics sectors. Lost empire: Gambhir times for India s w aroop s w a m inat han @ Guwahati AS soon as Marco Jansen ran behind and took the catch to condemn India to their worst Test defeat in history (in terms of runs), attention and the focus had turned towards multiple things. What seems astonishing is that India allowed a proud home record to be smashed to bits. For a side that had lost four home Tests from the beginning of 2013 to the end of 2023, they have now endured a run of five losses in seven Tests in 13 months. By any measure, this makes for grim reading. Coach Gautam Gambhir, one of the few constants in all of those losses, offered transition but he was categorical in saying he wasn’t using that as an excuse. Sure, this team has had a The South African team celebrates with the trophy after winning the Test series | PTI significant amount of churn over the last year in terms of retirements, new non-playing staff and some injuries. But the top management legislate for this in all elite teams. This team either clearly hasn’t or thought the ones who were coming in as replacements were readymade. The team management including the coach seemed confused with what kind of pitch the team wanted and what kind of combination would succeed. Gambhir said: “That is why it is called transition. That is why these guys need time. Whether it’s the batting unit or the bowling unit. I don’t think ever in Indian cricket something like this has happened where the transition is happening in the spinbowling department and in the batting department as well... in both skillsets.” Going forward, the coach wants the BCCI to prioritise Test — something they have already been doing to a vast extent. He also questioned the logic of ending a full white-ball tour of Australia days before the first Test. A question he should ask his employers, BCCI. With India playing no home WTC Test in all of 2026, this gives all stakeholders a chance to reassess and reset. An empire is over, the fortress is in ruins. The BCCI needs to rebuild the team with focus on future.  P11 Towering inferno Smoke and flames rise as a fire engulfs apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, killing at least 36 people. Over 250 others are missing. The fire, which broke out in the afternoon, continued late into the night | AFP | P9 India: Hasina extradition SI selected for AP Group II job in soup for selling revolver plea under scrutiny Chi t ha l uri R e v an t h J ayan t h J a c o b @ New Delhi India on Wednesday confirmed it has received a request from Bangladesh to extradite former PM Sheikh Hasina and said the matter is under examination through “ongoing judicial and internal legal processes”. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “The request is being examined as part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes. We remain committed to the best interests of Bangladesh, including peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country and will continue to engage constructively in this regard with all stakeholders.” Hasina has been living in exile in India since August 5 last year following the collapse of her government after violent protests. Last week, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka sentenced her to death in absentia for “crimes against humanity” linked to her government’s handling of the unrest. Following the verdict, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry had requested Hasina’s return in a formal letter to New Delhi, calling her a “fugitive accused”. @ Hyderabad After reportedly incurring losses in online betting, a subinspector (SI) working at the Amberpet police station, B Bhanu Prakash Reddy, allegedly sold his service revolver and the gold recovered from an accused in a theft case. The matter came to light after police detained and questioned him about the missing revolver and gold. This development comes close on the heels of the suspension of Task Force SI D Srikanth Goud by Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar for allegedly helping two accused escape from police custody The escaped persons from the Telangana police a . were later arrested and an in- few days ago and surrendered vestigation was launched. his ID card, but failed to hand Speaking to TNIE, a senior over his service revolver. police official said that Bhanu When senior officials asked Prakash had been him to retur n the working at the Amberweapon to process the pet police station for relieving orders, the SI the past one-and-a-half claimed that it was years. missing. A 2020 batch officer Following an interhailing from Kadapa nal inquiry the police , district, Bhanu Prasuspended him on Satkash recently cleared urday for gross neglithe Group II examina- Bhanu Prakash gence. “We suspect tion conducted by the that he pledged the Andhra Pradesh Public Serv- gold recovered from a theft acice Commission (APPSC). Ac- cused after suffering losses in cording to a source in the po- online betting,” a senior police lice department, after being official said. selected for the Group II post, In addition to the suspenhe applied for relieving orders sion, two cases have been reg- istered against Bhanu Prakash for criminal breach of trust and dereliction of duty . The SI had handled a case involving the theft of 50 grams of gold ornaments from the house of complainant Sathya Mangala Venkataramana. He recovered 43 grams of gold from the complainant’s maidservant and conveyed the recovery to Venkataramana. The case was settled in a Lok Adalat on September 17. However, when Venkataramana later approached the SI for the return of the gold, Bhanu Prakash claimed he was on leave in Vijayawada and continued to delay the handover on one pretext or another. e x p r e ss r e a d AP CM says no to review of Krishna water sharing Vijayawada: Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday asserted that Andhra Pradesh will not lose its rights over Krishna river waters and directed officials to present strong arguments before the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal | P5 Two teens killed in basketball accidents Chandigarh: A junior national level basketball player and another teen died in similar accidents during practice in Haryana after the basketball hoop’s iron pole fell on them, police said. Both tragedies put a spotlight on crumbling sports infrastructure in the state.