tirupati l monday l december 01, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION virat marks another milestone with sensational ton in ranchi The No 3 batter made a statement, alongside Rohit Sharma who scored a fifty, with a remarkable hundred against South Africa... senior pros step up as india take 1-0 lead At 37, Kohli shows he is still top of world Opener Rohit Sharma hit a fifty before Virat Kohli went on to hit a 120ball 135 that took India to 349/8 with the help of late fireworks from Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. South Africa came close to chasing it but Kuldeep Yadav (4/68) and Harshit Rana (3/65) delivered as bowlers kept calm to secure India a 17-run win | P11 the 37-year-old was in his zone as he put behind the struggles of recent months to show why he is still the best in business ■ With 11 fours and 7 sixes, Kohli played one of the most sublime innings of his already storeyed ODI career ■ From straight drive to upper cuts to flicks to lofts down the ground, 52 It was Kohli’s 52nd ODI century 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 Poll panel extends SIR schedule by one week Submission of forms to conclude on December 11; draft electoral rolls to be out on Dec 16; final list on Feb 14, 2026 SIR may heat up Winter Session starting today PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha monitors the movement of Cyclone Ditwah from the RTGS Centre at the State Secretariat on Sunday | Express Cyclone weakens, AP dists still alert E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Cyclone Ditwah, which has weakened into a deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal, is expected to further weaken into a depression by Monday morning.   Despite the reduced intensity , coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, particularly from Nellore to Krishna, remain on high alert for heavy rainfall, and possible flash floods.   Home Minister V Anitha, Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar, and Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav, held review meetings with their respective departments on Sunday. They directed district administrations in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema to remain vigilant, and be prepared to tackle any emergency .   According to the India Mete- orological Department (IMD), the system moved northwards at 5 kmph during the past six hours, and lay centered at 5:30 pm near latitude 11.8°N and longitude 80.6°E. It was positioned about 90 km east of Cuddalore, 130 km northeast of Karaikal, 90 km east-southeast of Puducherry, 180 km northnortheast of Vedaranniyam, and 140 km south-southeast of Chennai.   The minimum distance of the depression’s center from the north Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coast was about 80 km. The IMD forecast indicates the system will continue to move nearly northwards, parallel to the Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coastline, and weaken further into a depression by Monday morning. Doppler Weather Radars at Karaikal and Chennai are closely monitoring its progress. AMID complaints of inadequate time for voter-list verification, the Election Commission of India on Sunday extended the entire schedule of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by one week across nine states and three Union Territories. In an official statement, the ECI announced that the submission of enumeration forms, originally scheduled to conclude on December 4, will now continue until December 11. The draft electoral rolls will now be published on December 16 instead of December 9, and the final voters’ list on February 14, 2026, against the earlier deadline of February 7. The SIR is being rolled out in Goa, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. The Election Commission has come under scrutiny after reports of deaths and alleged suicides involving Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from multiple states, with Opposition parties linking the incidents to mounting work pressure during the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls. According to reports, several BLOs, tasked with door-to-door verification, form collection and polling-station rationalisation, were working long hours to meet tight deadlines. The families and colleagues have alleged that the stress and work- House and urged the Rajya Sabha chairman to allow a discusTHE stage is set for a stormy sion on the SIR exercise on start to Parliament’s Winter Monday, the first day of the Session on Monday, with the Winter Session of Parliament, Opposition demanding a full said a source. discussion on the Special Inten“Opposition parties conveyed sive Revision of electoral rolls, that they want Parliament to while the ruling party is push- run smoothly They also sought . ing for a discussion on 150 years a short discussion on the urof Vande Mataram. gent need for further electoral During the Business Adviso- reforms at 2 pm on Monday If . ry Committee (BAC) the discussion is not meeting of the Rajya held, the government Sabha on Sunday, the must be held responsigovernment declined ble for disrupting Parto clarify whether any liament, they said,” The opposition debate would take parties feel if no the source said. place on the broader discussion is held A senior opposition topic of electoral re- on SIR, this means leader said they also forms, despite repeatthe government suggested titles, indoes not want ed demands from the cluding “urgent need Parliament to Opposition. for further electoral function Earlier, at an all-parreforms” or “urgent ty meeting, the Oppo- Pramod Tiwari, deputy n e e d t o f u r t h e r sition parties put up a leader of Oppn in RS strengthen integrity united front demandand transparency of ing discussions on SIR, electoral process” for labour codes and national secu- the discussion. “However, the rity. Parliamentary Affairs Parliamentary minister said Minister Kiren Rijiju had stat- they will get back,” he added. ed that the decision on a discusWhile the government is sion on the SIR would be taken pushing for a discussion on at the BAC meeting. Vande Mataram, Opposition At the BAC meeting chaired said they would not cooperate by Vice President and Rajya unless there is a debate on SIR Sabha Chair man C P Rad- or electoral reforms. hakrishnan, opposition leaders The government has listed 13 agreed to cooperate to ensure legislative bills and one finansmooth functioning of the cial bill for passage. PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi Booth Level Officers assist a voter in filling out the enumeration form for the Special Intensive Revision, in Bikaner, Rajasthan | PTI load may have contributed to the deaths, prompting widespread outrage and demands for accountability . The sharpest attack came from the Trinamool Congress, which accused the Election Commission of having “blood on their hands,” arguing that the SIR timeline was “unrealistic” and had placed an unprec- 100% digitisation in Lakshadweep Lakshadweep and Goa completed distribution of enumeration forms. The former also registered 100% digitisation of forms. Form distribution status in Rajasthan, Bengal, MP, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Andaman & Nicobar, and UP is over 99%, while it is over 98% in Kerala and TN, the EC said edented burden on field-level officials. A 10-member TMC delegation on Friday met with the EC and alleged that around 40 SIR-related deaths had occurred in West Bengal so far, accusing the poll panel chief of having “blood on his hands”. However, the EC has dismissed the charges. Other Opposition parties including Congress, DMK, CPI(M) and Samajwadi Party also questioned whether the EC had adequately assessed on-ground constraints before imposing the revised schedule. The Congress said the EC realised that the SIR cannot be completed in such a short time. Congress leader and party’s deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari, told reporters that the EC and the Election Commission should shed ego and hold the exercise as per the schedule of 2003 when the last such exercise was held. Eager wait for gazette notifications on SCoR, capital E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Visakhapatnam/Vijayawada As the Winter Session of Parliament begins on December 1, Andhra Pradesh’s long-pending demands are once again poised to take centrestage. The gazette notification for the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone and the formal recognition of Amaravati as AP’s capital have become emblematic of promises made but not yet delivered. For the people of north coastal Andhra and capital region alike, the Winter Session is a express read Himachal makes paper leak non-bailable offence Chandigarh: Himachal Pradesh has become the first state to make paper leak and organized cheating a non-bailable and cognizable offence, with three years jail term and fine up to `10 lakh for individuals and `1 crore for agencies conducting examinations | P8 13 Bangla fishers held off Srikakulam coast Srikakulam: Kalingapatnam marine police on Sunday detained at least 13 Bangladesh fishermen who had strayed into Indian waters near Musavanipeta coastal village under Etcherla mandal in the district. The police seized the boat and brought the fishermen to the shore | P4 India’s biggest wildlife survey begins today Kurnool: In a bold initiative to decode the secrets of India’s wild heartlands, the All India Tiger Estimation-2026, the country’s most exhaustive wildlife survey, will commence on December 1. The first phase will mobilise forest officers across 1,256 beats covering 36,914 sq km | P3 crucial test for political will and administrative resolve. The SCoR Zone, sanctioned under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act nearly a decade ago, has inched forward in recent months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the zonal headquarters in Visakhapatnam in January followed by the , appointment of a General Manager and senior officials. Construction of permanent headquarters and staff quarters at Mudasarlova is progressing, while temporary of- fice space has already been prepared at VMRDA’s ‘The Deck’. Railway unions argue that the zone is ready in all but name, with the gazette notification being the final step to unlock boundary restructuring, staff redistribution, and long-delayed railway projects across coastal Andhra. Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee member Chalasani Gandhi underscored that earlier expansions of railway zones did not face such prolonged delays, crediting coordinated pressure from public representatives for faster outcomes. He expressed confidence that with the involvement of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu, and Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharat, the Centre will move swiftly . Sribharat has already announced that the SCoR office is set to commence operations in January, alongside `300 crore redevelopment works of Visakhapatnam Railway Station.P4 Research at risk as no air cargo for lab animals: LASA scientists U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam A complete halt in the air transport of laboratory animals within India has emerged as a major roadblock for scientific research, causing delays, financial losses and severe stress to transported animals. In a conversation with TNIE, Dr Vijay Pal Singh, President of the Laboratory Animal Scientists Association (LASA) and senior scientist at CSIR-IGIB, New Delhi, and Dr RK Shakthi Devan, LASA Secretary and Senior Lead Scientist, Head Veterinary Science Biocon Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Center, said the discontinuation of live-animal cargo services has forced research institutions to depend entirely on road transport, an option that is neither safe nor humane for sensitive laboratory species. Dr Pal explained that Air India was once the only airline accepting live laboratory animals. “Earlier, we could book animals and receive them on the same day. Now, the same journey takes two to three days Dr Vijay Pal Singh, President, and Dr RK Shakthi Devan, Secretary of LASA in Visakhapatnam | G Satyanarayana by road,” he said. The discontinuation was reportedly due to issues related to positive-pressure cabins in the designated sections of the aircraft. Laboratory animals such as immunocompromised or genetically modified models and diseasefree strains require controlled environments. Long road journeys, he noted, expose them to heat, stress and limited feed and water. More than 15 species of laboratory animals are used in research worldwide, including horses, mice, rats, rabbits, cats, dogs, pigs, monkeys, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, birds, and several amphibian and reptile species. “Keeping the animals in the same cage for two or three days is not acceptable. Many die in transit. When animals suffer, our research suffers,” Dr Devan added. These animals are supplied by Union government-approved research centres and licensed breeders. Every study involving animals requires clearance from the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA). According to LASA, the problem escalated after Air India stopped transporting live lab animals following its transition from a government-run enterprise to a private operator.  P4 No domestic airline is ready to accept laboratory animals. Keeping the animals in the same cage for two or three days is not acceptable. Many die in transit. When animals suffer, our research suffers Dr RK Shakthi Devan, Secretary of LASA Govt to bring bill to impose 70% cess on tobacco PM Narendra Modi on the last day of the DGP/IGP conference in Raipur on different aspects of India’s security infrastructure | X tech-led police reforms key for viksit bharat: pm ideology and surrendered in Dantewada, about 400 km PRIME Minister Narendra south of Raipur. Twenty-sevModi on Sunday urged the en among them carried a cupolice forces to change the mulative bounty of `65 lakh, way they work and are per- the Dantewada police said. ceived by the public, stressDiscussions ranged wideing the need for greater pro- ly—from planning policing fessionalism, empathy, and reforms up to 2047 to tackquicker response time. ling terrorism, ensuring Speaking on the last day of women’s safety through the 60th All India Confer- tech, bringing back Indian ence of Director Generals fugitives abroad, and imand Inspector Genproving forensic inerals of Police in vestigations. Modi R a i p u r, M o d i also spoke about pushed for innovaraising public tive policing strate- There’s a need to awareness about make effective g i e s b a c ke d by new criminal laws use of databases technology . that have replaced T h e t h re e - d ay integrated under old colonial-era event at the Indian NATGRID, and link rules and the imthese systems Institute of Manportance of monithrough AI to agement focused on toring banned generate ‘Viksit Bharat: Segroups while develactionable curity Dimensions’ oping areas liberatintelligence and brought togethed from Left Wing Narendra Modi, PM er top police officExtremism. ers from across the On natural disascountry. Modi highlighted ters, the PM emphasised betthe benefits of linking data ter disaster preparedness through the National Intel- and coordination, especially ligence Grid with artificial with cyclones and floods. He intelligence to turn informa- said quick planning and tion into actionable intelli- team effort are key to saving gence that can help fight lives and reducing damage. crime more effectively . Modi also awarded the The call from the PM to President’s Police Medals to radically transform police Intelligence Bureau officers. infrastructure came on a More than 700 officers joined day when 37 cadres of CPI the event virtually with sen, (Maoist) relinquished their ior government officials. e j a z k a i s e r @ Raipur D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi The Central government is set to replace the Compensation Cess with a new levy of 70% or higher on tobacco and tobaccorelated products. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will introduce the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha on Monday to replace the existing GST Compensation Cess currently imposed on these products. Under the new Bill, tobacco and related products will attract a 70% cess over and above 40% GST, while cigarettes will face a specific cess ranging from `2,700 to `11,000 per thousand sticks, depending on length. The move is aimed at safeguarding tax revenues once the Compensation Cess is phased out. According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons, the Compensation Cess on tobacco and related products will be discontinued after all interest payments and loan liabilities under the cess account are fully settled. The amendment is intended to provide the government with fiscal space to increase the central excise duty on tobacco to “protect the tax incidence”. The proposed overhaul reflects the government’s intent to maintain the historically high tax burden on tobacco. Currently, tobacco, cigarettes and related items are taxed at 28% GST, plus a compensation cess of 5–290%. The FM will also introduce the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025, which proposes a new cess on pan masala and possibly other products to be notified later.