HYDERABAD l Monday l December 01, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE CITY 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 SIR may heat up Winter Session PREETHA NAIR @ New Delhi Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy poses for a photo during a practice session in Hyderabad on Sunday. A squad led by the CM is scheduled to take on a team comprising football legend Lionel Messi in a friendly match at the Uppal stadium on December 13 CM unveils CURE, PURE and RARE models for TG growth must adopt transparent policies, he noted, adding that future development plans Chief Minister A Revanth Red- have been drawn up under Vidy has emphasised that the sion 2047. “Core Urban Region Economy Explaining the CURE model, (CURE), Peri Urban Region the chief minister said: “Due Economy (PURE) and Rural Ag- to multiple administrative bodriculture Region Economy ies like GHMC, municipal cor(RARE)” will serve as the new porations and gram panchaydevelopment models ats functioning to help Telangana within the Outer CM to achieve a $1 trillion Ring Road (ORR), personally economy by 2034 and people are facing invite Modi, a $3 trillion economy many problems. The Rahul by 2047. As part of the gover nment has Hyderabad: CM Telangana Rising Vitherefore decided to sion Document – 2027, Revanth Reddy will develop the area personally meet the state will be dividwithin the ORR as and invite PM ed into three economCURE. There is Narendra Modi, ic regions, he said. heavy pollution here Leader of the On Sunday, the due to industries and Opposition in the chief minister held a diesel vehicles. To Lok Sabha Rahul review meeting with make it a Net Zero Gandhi and AICC his Cabinet ministers City, we have to cure president and senior officials it. We want to transon the Telangana Ris- Mallikarjun Kharge form 2,170 sq km of ing Vision Document to the summit | P4 this CURE area into and arrangements a service sector hub for the Global Summit. On the by shifting industries outside occasion, he unveiled the invi- the ORR. Under CURE developtation cards for the summit. ment, the government will reSpeaking to reporters later, juvenate the Musi river and Revanth said that the vision expand the Metro.” document comprises two comOn PURE, he stated that the ponents — vision and strategy Centre has given in-principle . To achieve the economic goals approval for the Regional Ring and targets, the government Road (RRR).  CONTINUED ON P4 M a n da Rav i n d e r R e d dy @ Hyderabad Praja Palana celebrations from today e n s @ Hyderabad Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Sunday said that the Praja Palana celebrations will be organised across the state from Monday onwards, marking the Congress government’s two years in office. Speaking to reporters along with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy he said the government , has prepared the “Telangana Rising 2047” summit roadmap. Bhatti said that grand celebrations will be held from December 1 to 6 in all erstwhile districts. “The chief minister will participate as the chief guest at the celebrations in each district,” he added. “As part of the Summit celebrations and to showcase Telangana to the world, we are inviting football legend Lionel Messi. A grand friendly football match will be held on December 13 at the Uppal stadium,” he added. FULL STORY: P4 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- pollution levels in Hyd a cause for concern With AQI regularly crossing 100 in November in the city, the situation calls for urgent steps to prevent the crisis from worsening | P3 Education technology and digital innovation will be two of the key components of the final draft of the Telangana Education Policy (TEP), which is expected to be submitted to the state government in the first week of December. The expert committee, along with sub-committee members, is giving final touches to the policy . According to the TEP expert committee, the policy is envisioned as a transformative roadmap that will improve learning outcomes, bridge disparities, foster excellence and lifelong learning, promote collaboration and ensure effective implementation on par with the National Education Policy . The TEP will also incorporate critical elements that are missing in NEP-2020 and aims to deliver a world-class, sustainable and inclusive education system, positioning Telangana as a national model for educational excellence by 2047. The government constituted the TEP committee in August as a guiding document for Telangana Rising 2047. Eleven core/sub-committees have been formed to examine specific domains and prepare detailed recommendations to develop a holistic and future-ready education framework. These include committees for infrastructure and joyful learning environment, and curriculum and pedagogy, @ Hyderabad A 55-year-old ayah at a private school assaulted a four-yearold nursery student at Poornima School in Shapur Nagar, Jeedimetla, on Saturday evening. The accused, Lakshmi, is said to have attacked the child due to a grudge against her mother, Santhoshi, who also works as an ayah at the same school. Jeedimetla Inspector G Mallesh said police received a complaint from the victim’s mother, who stated that her daughter was taken to the toilet by the accused, who then allegedly hit the girl and banged her head against the ground. A video recorded by residents shows the child being slapped and stamped on, and her head forcibly pushed to the floor multiple times. The accused stopped only after noticing someone filming the incident. 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. Chandigarh: Himachal Pradesh has become the first state to make paper leak and organised cheating a non-bailable and cognisable offence, with three years jail term and fine upto `10 lakh for individuals and `1 crore for agencies conducting examinations. The HP Public Examinations Act, 2025 has received assent | P8 among others. After examining several sectors, the final draft will include proposals such as introducing a Bill to regulate private school fees and strengthening Englishmedium education in government schools. The policy envis i o n s a c o m p r e h e n s ive, technology-driven, inclusive and outcome-oriented education system across all levels, aligned with Telangana’s $3 trillion economy target by 2035. Despite investments, digital education in Telangana continues to face challenges, including unequal access, limited pedagogical integration and inadequate data governance that restrict edtech from reliably improving learning, employability and equity . CONTINUED ON P5 The video was later shared with the child’s mother, who lodged a complaint. Police registered a case under Sections 75, 85 and 87 of the Juvenile Justice Act and Section 118(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against both the school management and the accused. THE stage is set for a stormy start to Parliament’s Winter Session on Monday, with the Opposition demanding a full discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, while the ruling party is pushing for a discussion on 150 years of Vande Mataram. During the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting of the Rajya Sabha on Sunday , the government declined to clarify whether any debate would take place on the broader topic of electoral reforms, despite repeated demands from the Opposition. Earlier, at an all-party meeting, the Opposition parties put up a united front demanding discussions on SIR, labour codes and national security. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had stated that the decision on a discussion on the SIR would be taken at the BAC meeting. At the BAC meeting chaired by Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chair man C P Radhakrishnan, opposition leaders agreed to cooperate to ensure smooth functioning of the House and urged the Rajya Sabha chairman to allow a discussion on the SIR exercise on Monday, the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament, said a source. Govt to bring bill to impose 70% cess on tobacco Himachal makes paper leak non-bailable offence Ayah arrested for assaulting 4-year-old student Ex p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e Booth Level Officers assist a voter in filling out the enumeration form for the Special Intensive Revision, in Bikaner, Rajasthan | PTI express read Telangana draft education policy stresses edtech, digital innovation ME G HNA NATH @ Hyderabad PREETHA NAIR @ New Delhi 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.