tirupati l tuesday l december 16, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Big pay day awaits stars at IPL 2026 mini auction Ten franchies will be looking to fill the available 77 spots during the auction at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 2026 David Miller Liam Livingstone Chennai, Kolkata look to reboot Eyes on All-rounders and finishers After a forgettable season in 2025, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to form a core group of players in the mini auction. It, however, will not be easy with the available pool of players. Both teams will need at least six-seven international stars, Indian and overseas, to fulfil various roles before signing back-ups ■ ■ Australian all-rounder Cameron Green and India international Venkatesh Iyer are expected to go for big money for their dynamic skills and proven credentials at the highest level Liam Livingstone and David Miller are the kind of explosive finishers teams will not hesitate to spend significant money on | P11 `64.3 Cr KKR have the highest purse going into the auction 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 revamp bill to be tabled in LS today Oppn raps 60:40 funding plan for rural job scheme P r ee t ha N a i r @ New Delhi Delhi’s Dil Beats for its Devis Presents Devis all DEVI AWARDS Powered by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, The New Indian Express group CMD Manoj Kumar Sonthalia, CEO Lakshmi Menon, Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, Editor Santwana Bhattacharya and Dinamani Editor K Vaidiyanathan with Devi Award winners Anita Kundu, Archana Jahagirdar, Dr Meenakshi Jain, Dr Radhika Batra, Rina Dhaka, Shradha Sharma, Simran Sharma, Smita Prakash, Sudha Bhattacharya and Sonia Mathur in New Delhi on Monday | Parveen Negi Lokesh seeks NSTI in Vizag to boost AP’s skill ecosystem E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada With Andhra Pradesh aiming to build a future-ready workforce, HRD and Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh has appealed to the Centre to sanction a National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) in Visakhapatnam. In his meeting with Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, and Education Jayant Chaudhary in New Delhi on Monday, Lokesh said the proposed NSTI would play a pivotal role in strengthening advanced skill training and faculty development across the state. ASR, Vizag dists in grip of cold wave DHARMENDRA REGANA @ Visakhapatnam As winter tightens its grip over the State, the Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) and Visakhapatnam districts are witnessing a cold wave, transforming the landscape and daily life across the region. According to officials of the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Chintapalle, temperatures in the Eastern Ghats have dipped to single digits. Araku Valley in ASR district recorded a chilling 4.4°C on December 14, following even colder days when the mercury hovered close to 3°C. On Monday, temperatures stood at 8.9°C in Araku Valley, 9.2°C in G Madugula, 7.3°C in Munchingiputtu, 9.9°C in Hukumpeta and 9.6°C in Pedabayalu. For farmers in ASR district, the cold wave presents a mixed picture. While crops such as coffee and pepper, which thrive in cooler climates, are benefiting from the drop in temperature, the chill poses challenges for others. Coffee plantations in the Araku Valley are expected to yield beans with richer flavour profiles due to the extended cold spell. Paddy fields in low-lying areas of Vizag are at risk, as sudden temperature drops can stunt crop growth and P4 reduce yields.  He informed the Union Minister that the State government had already identified five acres of land at Pedagantyada in Visakhapatnam district, underscoring Andhra Pradesh’s readiness to host the institute. Lokesh said that the NSTI would function as a regional hub for faculty training, industry-linked skilling, green skills, and digital transformation. The Minister also requested special permission for largescale adoption of NCVET qualifications through SBTET-AP, noting that easing current restrictions would accelerate certification, improve employability of youth, and enhance industry acceptance of skillP4 based credentials.  Land already identified for institute: Min Nara Lokesh has informed Jayant Chaudhary that the State government has already identified 5 acres of land at Pedagantyada in Visakhapatnam district for the national institute With the government all set to introduce a bill to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and replace it with a new rural employment law on Tuesday, the Opposition launched a blistering attack for diluting the scheme and burdening the exchequer of all states. Though the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, was listed in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business for Monday the government held it , back after Opposition protests. According to sources, the government has assured the Opposition in the Business Council Meeting that the proposed legislation will be sent to the standing committee. One of the key criticisms is that the bill proposes that the Centre and states/Union territories share its cost in a 60:40 ratio. However, for North-Eastern and Himalayan states, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, the existing funding pattern of 90:10 between the Centre and the states will stay . Under the MGNREGA framework, the Centre bears the full cost of wages for unskilled manual work, up to three-fourths of material costs, and three-fourths of wages for skilled and semiskilled workers. While the new bill alters the funding structure, it retains the existing wage rates as notified under Section 6 of the MGNREGA. Criticising the proposed bill, Expected to go to a standing committee We will not allow the rights of millions of people to be snatched away by this govt — Mallikarjun Kharge “125 days” is the headline. 60:40 is the fine print... Cost-shifting by stealth, not reform — John Brittas Of employment promised as against the current 100 days What’s new? Key changes in the proposed Bill on rural job guarantee The Gramin Bill provides a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per year to rural households versus 100 days under MGNREGA 1 Unlike MGNREGA’s broad range of permissible works, the Gramin Bill narrows focus to water security, rural infrastructure, livelihoodinfrastructure, and special works to mitigate extreme weather events 2 MGNREGA was fully funded by the Centre. Gramin Bill earmarks funding in Centre/State ratio of 90:10 for North East/Himalayan states, and 60:40 for other states 3 Gramin Bill explicitly bans work during peak agricultural seasons 4 Gramin Bill establishes a new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council at Central and state level for monitoring; MGNREGA was administered by Rural Development Ministry 5 S’pore, Canada, UK issue Delhi air quality alert J ayan t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Singapore, the UK and Canada have issued advisories cautioning their citizens about hazardous air quality in Delhi as pollution levels in the national capital worsened sharply, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) nearing 500 and remaining in the “severe” category . The latest advisory came from the Singapore High Commission in New Delhi, which on Monday issued an air quality warning for its nationals in the Delhi-NCR region following the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) invocation of Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). This marks the first known instance of a for- eign mission in Delhi issuing a pollution-specific advisory . Delhi’s air quality deteriorated rapidly over the weekend, with government data showing a 24-hour average AQI of 431 on December 13. The Singapore advisory urged nationals to follow guidelines issued by India, including staying indoors as much as possible, wearing masks when outdoors, and taking additional precautions. The UK warned travelers about the health risks posed by air pollution in north India. Canada has issued similar guidance, advising travelers to take necessary precautions. Under GRAP Stage 4, authorities have imposed the strictest pollution control measures. AMID fierce protests and objections by the Opposition members, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill in the Lok Sabha. The legislation seeks to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education. The bill was introduced amid din over alleged threatening slogans raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Congress rally on Sunday . As soon as the bill was introduced, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rose to say since it is a comprehensive bill, the government would like to send it to the joint committee of both Houses for perusal. The bill proposes to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions. With a single regulator, it also seeks to tackle the challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to multiplicity of regulators. The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs. At present, IITs and IIMs are not regul a t e d b y t h e U n iv e r s i t y G r a n t s Commission. “The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan will be an apex umbrella body to provide direction for comprehensive and holistic growth of higher education and ensure coordination between the Councils,” the bill says. It adds that the entire system of regulation will be executed through technology driven single window interactive system for higher educational institutions based upon public self-disclosure. express read Tirumala ghee adulteration case: SIT to file chargesheet shortly Tirupati: The Supreme Court-appointed CBI-led SIT is set to file the chargesheet in the Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration case before the Nellore ACB Court shortly, as the probe reaches a crucial stage. So far, the investigating agency has arrested 36 accused in the case | P3 Possible travel disruptions The Singapore advisory also flagged possible travel disruptions. “We also note that given the low visibility, flights to and from the Delhi National Capital Region are likely to be affected… Travellers should take note of this, and check with the respective airlines for updates,” the statement said Higher edu regulator bill heads to JPC P r ee t ha N a i r @ New Delhi 125 Days CPI (M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas alleged that that the government removed the soul of a rights-based guarantee law and replaced it with a conditional, Centrally controlled scheme stacked against states and workers. The bill seeks to establish a “rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047”, by providing a statutory guarantee of 125 days of employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work. Another clause says, “The Central Government shall determine the State-wise normative allocation for each financial year, based on objective parameters as may be prescribed by the Central Government.” It also provides for the constitution of a Central Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council and State Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Councils to oversee, review, monitor, and effectively implement the scheme. Another significant provision allows states to pause implementation of the scheme during peak agricultural seasons by notifying specific periods covering sowing and harvesting. super watchdog Lokesh meets Pradhan, presses for Centre’s help for AP edu sector Vijayawada: HRD Minister Nara Lokesh met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi, seeking Centre’s support to strengthen education in AP. He outlined initiatives for better learning outcomes | P4 legends honoured Football legend Lionel Messi felicitated by ICC Chair Jay Shah at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta (L), footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul pose with them | pti 58-ft ‘Statue of Sacrifice’ will be built in Amaravati, says CM Naidu Vijayawada: CM N Chandrababu Naidu announced that a 58-foot statue of Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu, titled Statue of Sacrifice, will be erected in Amaravati along with a memorial park on a 6.5-acre site | P4 Cho La, Dok La passes India opens battlefields to tourists along China border in Sikkim P r a s an ta M a z u mda r @ Guwahati Bikers set off for the passes on Monday INDIA on Monday formally opened the historic Cho La and Dok La passes in Sikkim, launching regulated battlefield tourism along the sensitive border with China. Dok La pass is in Doklam plateau, which shot into limelight in 2017 during a prolonged standoff between Indian and Chinese troops, while Cho La witnessed fierce clashes in 1967. The Northeast hosts numerous such historic sites, especially in Arunachal Pradesh. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang flagged off 25 motorbikes and vehicles, inaugurating access to the passes under the ‘Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan’ initiative. A collaborative effort between the Army and Ministry of Tourism, Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan enables citizens to explore iconic war zones and sites of military valour. “Historic battlefields in re- mote, rugged terrains echo stories of unparalleled bravery and sacrifice. To boost accessibility and public awareness, the Ministry of Tourism and Army Adventure Wing collaborated on strategies to transform these sites into sustainable tourism destinations,” the ministry stated. Tamang described the open- ing of the two passes for the public as integral to the Centre’s Vibrant Village Programme, designed to boost border tourism and generate livelihoods for local communities.“The scheme opens vital border zones to regulated tourism, highlighting their profound historical and military significance,” he said. The Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan seeks to open strategically significant border areas through regulated tourism while highlighting their historical and military importance —Prem Singh Tamang, Sikkim CM Tamang expressed optimism that battlefield tourism would heighten public awareness of soldiers’ valour and sacrifices, instilling patriotism while adhering to strict security and environmental protocols. Sikkim Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism) CS Rao said his department coordinated with Army over two months to ensure secure, seamless tourist access, with basic amenities already operational amid continuing development.