HYDERABAD l wednesday l december 03, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late cITY EDITION In U-turn, govt says Sanchar Saathi app is not mandatory Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday in a volte-face said the fraud reporting app can be deleted if users so wish not for snooping, says union minister phone makers not chuffed with order Many opposition leaders and critics viewed the Sanchar Saathi app as a snooping attempt, as they felt it could listen to calls and monitor messages. Scindia stepped in to defuse the crisis and denied allegations that it was an app for snooping. “If you want to delete it, then delete it... it will remain inactive till users register,” Scindia said outside Parliament | P12 ■ ■ Some phone makers, such as Apple, were reportedly opposed to the mandate. Apple is keen to discuss the issue with the government for a middle path, as the ‘order cannot be implemented in its current form’ The move mimics a similar mandate by Russia in August, requiring a state-backed messaging app MAX to be pre-installed on all phones 1.5 crore people have already downloaded the sanchar saathi application 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 Putin visit to spur trade, defence ties gy imports. Of this, India exported goods worth $4.9 billion, Russian President Vladimir while imports from Russia Putin’s visit to India on Decem- stood at $63.8 billion. ber 4-5, his first in four years, Fertiliser imports remain a will anchor a renewed central pillar of India’s push to accelerate Inengagement with Rusdia-Russia economic sia. New Delhi currentcooperation with a sely sources 3-4 million ries of deals spanning tonnes of fertilisers antrade, health care, monually from Moscow, bility, media and ecoand both sides are looknomic cooperation set ing to further deepen We are looking to be signed. this supply partnerat the possibility Along with the ongoship to ensure agriculof increasing ing dialogue on detural security . imports fence, security space A key economic defrom India and nuclear cooperaliverable is the IndiaDmitry Peskov, tion, the visit is expectEurasian Economic ed to place emphasis Kremlin spokesman U n i o n F re e T r a d e on narrowing the trade Agreement, for which gap. Bilateral trade between In- the first round of negotiations dia and Russia surged to a took place last year. Ministry record $68.7 billion in FY25, of External Affairs officials driven by a sharp rise in ener- said the intent is to “have the J AYANTH J A C O B @ New Delhi Summit spotlight express read  India’s 1st women’s FIFA–AIFF academy in state & India’s 2nd Men’s FIFA–AIFF academy to be announced during TG Rising Global Summit Stone laid for UAV manufacturing unit Hyderabad: The foundation stone for a UAV production facility, estimated to cost `850 crore, was laid in Maheshwaram on Tuesday. It will manufacture up to 300 V-BAT drones every year | p2  Govt to showcase state’s rich heritage, arts, culture and cuisine  CM, along with Deputy RRTS CM, reaches Delhi to Praja Valayam invite Prime Minister (Rural Ring Road) Narendra Modi | p4 Telangana Maniharam Flight delays wreak havoc, city too hit Hyderabad: Several flights to and from RGIA were delayed by more than an hour on Tuesday. Also, 58 departures from Bengaluru International Airport were delayed. Chennai airport also saw partial disruptions, with 12 IndiGo services cancelled | p7 Saudi crash survivor returns | p2 agreement soon,” with the FTA expected to significantly boost market access on both sides. Another development is the finalisation of a pact on mobility of skilled and semi-skilled workers. This is expected to ease labour movement. Coinciding with Putin’s visit, a two-day India-Russia Business Forum will be held in Delhi, focusing on expanding Indian engineering exports to Russia, scaling up Russian imports of Indian pharma and food products, and enhancing collaboration in digital services. These discussions align with the ambitious bilateral goal of achieving $100 billion in trade by 2030. Putin will be accompanied by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and a high-level delegation representing business and industry . Path to ‘TG Rising’ via ring road, rly corridors M a n d a R a vi n d e r R e d d y @ Hyderabad The state government is expected to outline its firm belief that the road to rapid development of the state and making Telangana Rising a reality is through a dynamic network of major road and rail infrastructure projects that will link villages, towns and cities seamlessly . The Telangana Rising Vision Document, to be released by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on December 9, outlines the development of the Praja Valayam (Rural Ring Road), highspeed RRTS corridors and the Telangana Maniharam border road by 2047. The Praja Valayam, a 770-km rural ring road located beyond the existing Regional Ring Road, will connect several district headquarters and key towns. Officials said it will significantly improve access between villages and major urban centres. In addition, the government is proposing a 1,150-km outer ring road along the state’s boundary, named ‘Telangana Maniharam’. The vision document also proposes upgrading 11 radial roads totalling 2,550 km, along with developing an east–west corridor of 375 km and a north– south corridor of 430 km. The road network expansion plan includes increasing national highways from 4,983 km to 6,500 km to strengthen primary corridors between major cities and hubs. State highways are planned to grow from 1,687 km to 8,600 km, linking district headquarters, towns and industrial centres.  continued on p4 House census from Apr ’26, population count in ’27 E X P R E S S NE W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi Opposition leaders K Kanimozhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and others during a protest against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, at Parliament complex in New Delhi on Tuesday | PTI Two-day SIR debate in LS from Tuesday To be preceded by Vande Mataram discussion on Mon P r e e t h a N a ir @ New Delhi Breaking the deadlock in Parliament, the Union government on Tuesday announced that the Lok Sabha will hold a debate on the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram on December 8 (Monday), followed by a discussion on electoral reforms, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls underway in nine states and three Union Territories, on December 9 and 10. Both discussions have been allocated 10 hours each. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will initiate the debate on Vande Mataram, Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will reply to the debate on electoral reforms on December 10. The decision was taken after an allparty meeting and a Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in the afternoon as both Houses of Parliament had not been functioning over the Opposition’s demand for a SIR debate. Speaking to reporters, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the special discussion on the 150th anniver- Extend sir deadline in Kerala, SC asks poll panel The Supreme Court asked the ECI to consider extending the December 11 deadline for submitting enumeration forms in Kerala’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls by approximately one week | P7 Stray dogs bite off disabled boy’s ear Expr e ss N e ws S e rvic e @ Hyderabad Vande J&K A Vande Bharat Express train runs along the elevated Katra-Jammu track on a foggy morning on the outskirts of Jammu on Tuesday | PTI On Tuesday, a day before International Day of Persons with Disabilities, stray dogs attacked an eight-year-old disabled boy, Premchand (Chintu), in Shivaganga Colony, Hayathnagar. The boy, who is speech impaired, sustained deep wounds on his waist and hands, and one of his ears was bitten off. Locals rushed to his aid after noticing the dogs dragging him. They managed to drive the animals away with sticks, preventing further harm. He was shifted to Nallakunta Government Hospital in a ‘108’ ambulance for emergency treatment. Mansoorabad corporator and GHMC Deputy Floor Leader Koppula Narsimha Reddy visited the spot soon after receiving information and alerted the Mayor, GHMC commissioner, LB Nagar zonal commissioner and the civic body’s veterinary wing. He expressed concern over recurring incidents involving stray dogs in several parts of Hyderabad and criticised the failure to address repeated complaints from residents. He also questioned the response of the veterinary team, which said the dogs had been sterilised. He urged the state government and GHMC to ensure full medical support for the child’s family and to take firm measures to prevent such incidents in future. ‘Follow SC order’ The TG High Court directed officials to ensure that SC’s order on animal birth control (ABC) is complied with | p5 Parents allege pvt schools hiking fees, blame delayed rules M e g h n a N at h @ Hyderabad With no regulatory framework in place, several private schools have reportedly raised annual fees by about 50% for the upcoming year. Parents are vexed over the fact that the draft Bill to set up the Telangana Private Schools Fee Regulation and Monitoring Commission remains pending, even as the admissions for the 2026–27 academic year have begun. Since the last week of November, admissions for pre-primary (LKG–UKG) and primary classes (1–5) have opened. Parents said that fees have risen shar ply across the board — from small-budg et schools with limited infrastructure to international schools. For ins t a n c e, s c h o o l s t h a t charged `80,000 for Class 1 last year now quote between `1.1 lakh and `1.5 lakh. Insistence on full payment Some parents also alleged that schools are insisting on full payment before confir ming admission. Suresh, a parent from Secunderabad, said: “When I went to a private school for my daughter’s Class 1 admission, the authorities said we had to pay the entire amount upfront to book a slot. Only then would the admission be confirmed.” Hyderabad Schools Parents Association (HSPA) secretary K Venkat Sainath criticised the delay in establishing a regulatory mechanism. He told TNIE that despite repeated representations, court petitions and meetings with the Telangana Education Commission, fee hikes have continued unchecked.  continued on p5 The draft Bill is being studied by the Cabinet subcommittee A TEC member sary of Vande Mataram will start at 12 noon and go on for the full day On Tues. day there will be discussion on election , reforms. “When we discuss poll reforms, you can raise many issues related to it and its process. For Parliamentary democracy the election process is , extremely important. So, finally every, body agreed.” He reiterated that the SIR is an administrative exercise carried out by the Election Commission and should not be isolated from the larger debate on electoral reforms. Speaking to this paper, an opposition MP informed that the opposition and the government reached a consensus on the smooth functioning of the Lok Sabha this week. Floor leaders of the INDIA bloc will meet at 9.45 am on Wednesday in Parliament to finalise their strategy for the ongoing Winter Session. Opposition leaders claimed victory as they said a consensus was reached during the BAC meeting and the all-party meeting on holding an exhaustive discussion on electoral reforms, the SIR exercise, and the suicide of booth-level officers (BLOs). The discussion can be initiated in either House. We have decided that it will be taken up in the Lok Sabha first Kiran Rijiju, minister Oppn strategy meet today Floor leaders from various INDIA bloc parties will meet at 9.45 am on Wednesday in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, to discuss their joint strategy in Parliament THE long-delayed national population census, which will include caste enumeration for the first time, will be conducted in two phases starting April 2026, the Centre informed Parliament on Tuesday . Responding to a question from Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said Phase I (House Listing and Housing Census) will take place between April and September 2026, while Phase II (Population Enumeration) is scheduled for February 2027, with March 1, 2027, as the refCensus 2027 will also be erence date. done through Snow-bound digital means areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Nityanand Rai Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Ladakh will be covered in September-October 2026. In his written response to to another question from Rahul on whether the government plans to publish the draft questions and seek inputs from public or people’s representatives, Rai said the Office of the Registrar General and Census commissioner was in the process of finalising the questionnaire. Around 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors will be deployed for the exercise. The timeline has been fixed to avoid clashing with board examinations, Rai said.