tirupati l thursday l december 04, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Specialist team from UK examines ailing Khaleda Zia A four-member UK specialist medical team arrived in Bangladesh on Wednesday to assist in the treatment of the former prime minister Will help chart advanced treatment plan Chiefs of three forces pay rare joint visit The UK specialists led by Dr Richard Beale of King’s College London reviewed 80-year-old Zia’s condition and assessed the treatment by the local medical team. The foreign doctors will work with the local team to help formulate an advanced treatment plan. Zia was admitted to a private hospital in Dhaka on November 23 with infections of heart and lungs | p9 ■ ■ In a rare joint public visit, the chiefs of Bangladesh’s three armed services visited the ailing former prime minister at the hospital The interim government directed Army and Air Force helicopters to conduct test landings near the hospital on Thursday as part of a Special Security Force protocol, which it said was for Zia’s protection Three The number of times Zia has taken oath as Bangladesh Prime Minister 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 ‘Raithanna Meekosam’ Focus on 5-point plan to make agriculture profitable: CM Rupee breaches 90-mark for the first time B E N N K OCH U V E E DA N @ Mumbai The rupee’s freefall deepened on Wednesday, breaching the 90-per-dollar mark for the first time, hitting a new low of 90.29 in the morning trade after opening flat at 89.96. It closed the day’s session at an all-time low of 90.15. Wednesday marks the sixth consecutive day of fall for the rupee as traders bet the subdued trade and portfolio flows will keep Asia’s worst perform- ing currency under pressure, while analysts project the next level for rupee at 92-93. However, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran sought to downplay the currency slide, saying the weakness has had no impact on inflation and the currency will recover in 2026. “Right now, it’s not hurting our exports or inflation. I am not losing my sleep over it. If it has to depreciate now probably Massive chaos as over 200 IndiGo flights cancelled Insiders attribute it to Emirates’ hiring spree L a l i t h a S @ New Delhi Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu participates in the Raithanna Meekosam programme at Nallajerla | EXPRESS E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Nallajerla (East Godavari) Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said the NDA government is moving ahead with a 5-point plan to make agriculture profitable, and ensure farmer welfare. Participating in the Raithanna... Meekosam programme at Nallajerla on Wednesday, he interacted with farmers, reviewed inter-cropping practices, and honoured those adopting innovative cultivation methods. Naidu stressed that agriculture is the backbone of the State economy with 62% of the population depending on farming and allied sectors. “The government is committed to ensuring remunerative prices for agricultural produce, and reorienting agriculture to meet changing market demands,” he asserted. Farmers, he said, must focus not only on traditional crops but also on allied activities such as dairy poultry and aquaculture to en, , hance their income. The Chief Minister highlighted irrigation reforms, pointing out that thousands of TMC of water from the Krishna and Godavari rivers is going waste into the sea every year. He promised to link the two rivers to ensure every acre receives irrigation water. Groundwater recharge, reservoir management, and canal networks will be strengthened to prevent P4 drought in the State, he said.  Thousands of fliers across airports in the country on Wednesday had a harrowing time as crew shortage at IndiGo resulted in cancellation of at least 200 flights besides delaying many others. This was the second consecutive day that IndiGo failed to operate a large number of flights. A massive recruitment drive by an international airline at Delhi and Mumbai this week is a key reason for it, said multiple sources. IndiGo attributed the disruption to multiple reasons, including unforeseen operational challenges. The shortage is of both the cockpit and cabin crew, the sources stressed. At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport alone, 67 flights were cancelled, of which 37 were departures. Flights to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Srinagar were among those that were nixed. Over 70 flights were cancelled from Mumbai and Bengaluru air por t until Wednesday evening. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad witnessed irate scenes after 13 flights were cancelled to various cities apart from 18 incoming flights. Airline sources said, “Emirates has been having a recruit- Irate fliers at the Delhi airport | X ment roadshow in Mumbai and Delhi the last two days and IndiGo crew have been making a beeline for it.” An aviation source blamed it on IndiGo mismanagement, which, however, attributed part of the problem to the DGCA’s revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that kicked in from November 1. Increased weekly rest for pilots from 36 hours to 48 hours and limiting night landings by pilots to two instead of six are part of the revised FDTL mandate. Later in the day, the DGCA said IndiGo had cancelled 1,232 flights in November, of which 755 were due to the FDTL, adding it is probing the current cancellations. The Federation of Indian Pilots blamed the ongoing disruption on “IndiGo’s prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in flight operations.” express re a d TDP MP urges Centre to protect interests of AP tobacco farmers Vijayawada: Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu on Wednesday backed the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, while urging the Union government to take parallel measures to safeguard the interests of tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh | P4 Amaravati set for eco-friendly makeover, says MA&UD Minister Vijayawada: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P Narayana announced that Amaravati will soon undergo a large-scale beautification. Under the master plan, 30% of the city has been earmarked for ‘blue and green’ zones for a vibrant eco-friendly environment | P3 Series goes to decider Virat Kohli scored a 53rd ODI ton but South Africa hunted down 359, the 3rd highest successful chase in the format’s history, with Aiden Markram hitting a 100 | PTI/AFP | P11 Vizag to host IFR, MILAN & IONS in Feb U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam is gearing up to host triple maritime convergence from February 15 to 25, 2026, including the International Fleet Review (IFR), Exercise MILAN, and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs. This marks the largest assembly of maritime forces and naval leadership ever organised in the country at a single location. Addressing the media aboard INS Himgiri and INS Mumbai on Wednesday, Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC), said preparations are progressing rapidly for the mega event. He confirmed that 61 nations have already committed to participate, with 23 foreign warships and two aircraft carriers expected to sail into Visakhapatnam for the IFR. The Vice Admiral noted that the triple-event convergence reflects the Prime Minister’s MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision, which expands India’s SAGAR doctrine across the wider Indo-Pacific. The Presidential Fleet Review is scheduled for February 18, where President Droupadi Murmu will review the assembled naval fleet at the designated anchorage off VisakhapP4 atnam.  is the right time,” he said at an event in Mumbai. With Wednesday’s fall, the rupee’s value eroded 5.7% so far this year, putting it on track for its steepest annual decline since 2022, and making it the worstperfor ming Asian currency . The fall also underscores a divergence in the domestic and external macroeconomic position of the nation. While GDP growth has been stronger-than-expected, punitive US tariffs and weak capital flows have piled pressure on the rupee. “Every day that we do not have a trade deal, the forex demand from trade deficit and outflows keep pushing the dollar, while forex supply is relatively thin and inconsistent,” HSBC said in a note. “We had one month of net inflows in October, but without any more trade deal headlines since then, net flows have become flat.” S U BH E N D U MAITI @ Kolkata Now, it’s not hurting exports or inflation. I am not losing my sleep over it Anantha Nageswaran Govt blinks, rolls back Sanchar Saathi order ARSHAD K HA N @ New Delhi The government on Wednesday withdrew its order directing phone makers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app, following strong backlash from opposition parties, digital rights activists, and manufacturers including Apple and Google. The reversal came a day after the telecom ministry clarified that the state-run cybersecurity app is not mandatory and that users may activate or deactivate it. “Given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance, Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” a statement by the ministry read. Sources said this is the first time phone makers have been asked to pre-install a government-owned app. The mandate also meant operational difficulties for phone makers. Earlier in the day, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia sought to dispel privacy concerns saying the Sanchar Saathi app neither enables nor allows snooping. HC sets aside its order sacking 32,000 teachers in West Bengal Russia’s MAX Russia is the only country where phone makers need to pre-install a state-run app. MAX, a state-backed messaging service, must be installed by default on all phones and tablets In a relief for the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal ahead of the assembly elections, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday set aside a singlejudge order that had cancelled the appointment of 32,000 primary school teachers. “After being in service for nine years, if they are removed now, there could be an adverse impact on their families,” observed the division bench of justices Tapobrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra. “For cancellation of the entire exam, there must be a finding on systemic malice as borne out by the evidence on record. That is not the case,” the bench said. It noted service cannot be terminated due to ongoing criminal proceeding. Following the Teachers’ Eligibility Test held in 2014, a total of 42,500 primary school teachers were appointed. The appointments of 32,000 of them were cancelled by a single bench of Justice Abhijit Ganguly over alleged manipulation in the recruitment process. Ganguly is now a BJP MP from Tamluk in East Midnapore.