team from UK examines ailing Khaleda Zia A four-member UK specialist medical team arrived in Bangladesh to assist in the treatment of the former prime minister Khaleda Zia. 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. In a rare joint public visit, the chiefs of Bangladesh’s three armed services visited the ailing former prime minister at the hospital vijayawada l thursday l december 04, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION 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 Massive chaos as over 200 IndiGo flights cancelled Insiders attribute it to Emirates’ hiring spree E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Nallajerla (East Godavari) L a l i t h a S @ New Delhi 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 enhance 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. At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport alone, 67 flights were cancelled. 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 recruitment roadshow in Mumbai and Delhi the last two days and In- Govt blinks, rolls back Sanchar Saathi order ARSHA D 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. Irate fliers at the Delhi airport | X diGo 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.” Russia’s MAX B E N N K O CH U V E E D A N @ Mumbai 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 express read Protect AP tobacco ryots: MP Vijayawada: TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu backed the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, while urging the Centre to take measures to safeguard the interests of tobacco farmers in AP Rupee breaches 90-mark for the first time Package for specially abled Vijayawada: Reaffirming his government’s commitment to welfare of persons with disabilities, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced comprehensive package of seven welfare measures for them 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 performing 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,” he said in Mumbai. 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 lo- cation. Addressing the media aboard INS Himgiri and INS Mumbai on Wednesday, Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding-inChief, 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 Visakhapat- nam 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.