tirupati l saturday l december 27, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION President confers PM Rashtriya Bal Puraskar on 20 children Cricketing sensation Vaibhav Suryawanshi (pic), singer Esther Lalduhawmi Hanamate, and judoka Yogita Mandavi among 20 awarded on Friday President Droupadi Murmu confers the award on ten-year-old Shravan Singh, who delivered water and milk to soldiers during Op Sindoor champions across six fields awarded of x factor, and the supreme sacrifice The award is in recognition of exceptional achievements in the fields of bravery, social service, environment, sports, art & culture and science & technology. President Murmu said it is owing to talented children such as Vaka Lakshmi Pragnika that India is considered a chess powerhouse. Ajay Raj and Mohammed Sidan P, who saved lives of others, were feted too ■ ■ Cricketer Vaibhav Suryawanshi was feted for making “a name for himself in a highly competitive sport”, the President said Nine-year-old Coimbatore resdident Vyoma Priya, awarded posthumously, had lost her life while trying to save a six-year-old during an electrical accident in their gated community park | P7 9 awardees among the 20 are sportspersons 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 Promote our epic heroes for values: CM Visa hassle India presses US to resolve H-1B delay E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Tirupati JAYA N T H JAC O B @ New Delhi INDIA on Friday said it has taken up with the US the issue of delays, cancellations and difficulties in scheduling H-1B visa appointments amid mounting concerns that recent regulatory changes have affected thousands of Indian nationals. “The Government of India has received several representations from Indian nationals who are facing delays or problems with the rescheduling of their visa appointments,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “While we do understand that visa-related issues pertain to the sovereign domain of any country, we have flagged these issues and concerns of our nationals to the US Randhir Jaiswal, side, both in MEA spokesman Delhi and in Washington.” The latest disruptions follow a series of policy changes announced by Washington, including a steep fee of $100,000 for first-time H-1B visa applicants and a move away from the random lottery system towards prioritising applicants with higher skills. From December 15, the US also expanded social media vetting to all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, a step that has led to widespread appointment cancellations and rescheduling months later. Jaiswal said India is actively engaging with US to address the issues faced by Indians. The changes apply to H-1B visas, which allow US firms to employ foreign professionals in specialised fields such as technology, engineering and medicine, as well as H-4 visas issued to dependents. Reports say thousands of Indians have been affected with several people who travelled to India specifically to renew their visas being stranded. A hotel owner in West Bengal’s Siliguri pastes a notice banning Bangladeshis | PTI MEA: Relentless attack on B’desh Hindus worrying Shares deep concern over unremitting hostilities against minorities in the country JAYA N T H JAC O B @ New Delhi Unremitting hostilities against the minorities in Bangladesh is a matter of grave concern — MEA 2,900 cases of violence The MEA said that over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities, including cases of killings, arsons, land grab have been reported during the tenure of the interim government INDIA on Friday expressed deep concern about the “unremitting hostilities” against Hindus in Bangladesh and condemned attempts to dismiss the continuing violence against religious minorities as media exaggeration or political violence. New Delhi also reacted cautiously to the return of Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman to Dhaka after 17 years of exile, stressing that the development should be viewed in the context of ensuring inclusive polls. He reiterated India’s stand that the upcoming parliamentary elections there must be free, fair, and inclusive. “The unremitting hostilities against the minorities in Bangladesh including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists are a matter of grave concern. We condemn the recent killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh and expect that the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The comments came in the wake of a string of incidents targeting religious minorities in Bangladesh amid a rapidly evolving political landscape following the ouster of former PM Sheikh Hasina. Two Hindu men were lynched in two separate incidents in a span of a week. Jaiswal said India is closely monitoring the developments across the border and underlined that protection of minorities is integral to democratic credibility . Referring to the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das on December 18, Jaiswal said New Delhi has unequivocally condemned the incident and sought swift accountability. On the killing of another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, on December 24, Jaiswal appeared to link it to hostilities towards minorities. When asked about BNP’s acting chairman Rahman’s return, Jaiswal struck a measured note, saying it should be seen in the context of ensuring inclusive elections. He refrained from commenting on Bangladesh’s internal political rivalries. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has emphasised the need for connecting the younger generation with India’s rich heritage. Speaking at the inaugural session of the 7th Bharatiya Vigyan Sammelan at National Sanskrit University in Tirupati on Friday, he urged parents and teachers to teach the stories of our epic heroes Rama, Krishna, Arjuna and Hanuman to children, highlighting their virtues, courage and wisdom to inspire and motivate them. India’s mythological heroes embody far greater values, strength and ideals than fictional characters like Spiderman, Batman or Superman, he observed. Naidu said understanding the epics helps the youth to differentiate between good and evil, instills moral values and fosters pride in India’s timeless contributions to Pil in Delhi HC to cut GST for air purifiers Stay off legislative turf: Govt on GST nudge U d aya n k i s h o r e @ New Delhi THE Centre on Friday opposed a PIL seeking reduced air purifier rates, telling the Delhi High Court that judicial intervention would violate the principle of ‘separation of powers.’ “This will open up a Pandora’s box,” the Centre told a vacation bench of justices Vikas Mahajan and Vinod Kumar after the court questioned why the rates couldn’t be brought “within reach of the common man”. Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman, for the Centre, said there was already a legislative process involving parliamentary standing committee reports and GST Council deliberations. “How can this process be scuttled through a court process?” he asked. On the court’s earlier sug- Key demands of the PIL The petitioner submitted that on medical devices, GST was five per cent whereas it was 18 per cent for air purifiers. He sought a direction to authorities to charge five per cent on air purifiers as well considering the capital’s pollution crisis gestion for a virtual GST Council meeting given Delhi’s air pollution crisis, the Centre said it was “not possible” as regulations require physical presence of all members. “This is not a PIL at all. GST is only a ruse...We are scared from the constitutional perspective. It is doctrine of separation of powers,” the ASG said, adding the Centre couldn’t commit to a Council meeting date. The bench had noted that International cybercrime network busted, 14 held E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Cybercrime Wing of Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department, along with the Department of Telecommunications, has busted an international cybercrime network by arresting 14 persons, including a foreign national. Disclosing this to newsmen on Friday, Cybercrime SP Adhiraj Singh Rana said criminals from various countries procured highly advanced communication devices, and looted more than `20 crore from around 60 gullible persons. The gang had caused a revenue loss to the DoT. The CID seized 1,496 SIM cards, 14 SIM boxes, 22 mobile phones, eight routers, seven cameras, three UPS, and one laptop from the gang. The cy- berfraudsters mainly from South East Asian countries such as Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia, used SIP softphones operating on laptops to route internet-based VoIP calls to foreign VoIP and SIP servers. These calls reached the FTTH broadband connection installed at the local operators residing in India. “The SIM box connected to this broadband converted international calls into local GSM calls, and routed them though multiple Indian SIM cards installed in the SIM box to various mobile network towers. As a result, the call received by the victim appeared to be from the Indian number, and people are being cheated in the name of OTP and job scams, investment frauds and P4 other crimes,” he said.  air purifiers are pricey rang, ing from `10,000-12,000 `60,000. “It is beyond the reach of a common man. Why not bring it down to a reasonable level...What is the difficulty in the GST Council meeting?” it asked. The ASG said, “It is a loaded petition, we want to know who is behind this...Somebody wants a monopoly in air purifiers...Health ministry is not even a party The .” court permitted the Centre to file a counter-affidavit within 10 days. express read `90.50 cr sanctioned for BC scholarships Vijayawada: BC Welfare Minister S Savitha has said `90.50 crore has been sanctioned towards scholarships for OBC, EBC and DNT (Denotified and Nomadic Tribes) students pursuing education in government, private and aided institutions during the 2025-26 academic year | P4 4 officials suspended over illegal construction tsunami remembrance Women perform Ganga Puja at Pedajalaripeta in Vizag on Friday to mark the 21st Tsunami anniversary | G Satyanarayana Rajamahendravaram: West Godavari District Collector Ch Nagarani has ordered the suspension of four officials for failing to prevent the unauthorised construction of a Shivalayam on government and ZP road land at Prathipadu | P4 Medically unfit RTC staff to get alternative jobs E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Cybercrime SP Adhiraj Singh Rana explains the modus operandi of international cybercrime network at a media conference in Vijayawada on Friday I Express philosophy ethics and govern, ance. He underscored the importance of preserving India’s knowledge systems while advancing science and technology for the future. In a major relief, the State government has provided alternative employment to APSRTC employees, who have been declared medically unfit. Special Chief Secretary MT Krishna Babu issued an order in this regard on Friday . As per the orders, the benefit has been extended to beyond Re f l e c t i n g o n a n c i e n t achievements, he referred to Indus Valley civilisation’s urban planning, the global spread of yoga, the foundations of Ayurveda, and renowned centres of learning such as Takshashila and Nalanda. He recalled the contributions of great Indian thinkers, including Aryabhata, Bhaskaracharya, Charaka, Dhanvantari and Kautilya, describing them as enduring sources of inspiration. He noted that platforms like the Bharatiya Vigyan Sammelan provide an important space to reflect on Indian identity, culture, and intellectual heritage. “The Sammelan is playing a vital role in presenting Indian knowledge traditions to the world, and expanding their global understanding,” P4 Naidu said.  RTC drivers. Alternative jobs will be provided to RTC employees, who became medically unfit on or after January 1, 2020, following the merger of the Road Transport Corporation with the State government. Earlier, the policy of providing alternative employment was limited only to drivers, who were declared medically unfit. “The new deci- sion expands the scope to include drivers, conductors and all other categories of RTC employees. The government has decided to offer alternative employment to employees, who are medically unfit in 21 identified categories, while working in the RTC. The same policy will continue even after the merger, ensuring that employees declared medically unfit in these 21 categories are accommodated with suitable alternative jobs,” reads GO. Medically unfit employees may be given posts such as record tracer and assistant mechanic, depending on eligibility If an employee is not eligible . for any post in the RTC, the government has directed that suitable jobs be provided in other departments based on their P4 qualifications.  CEO among three held for gang-rape in moving car R a j e s h A s n a n i @ Jaipur Three persons, including the CEO of a private IT company , have been arrested in connection with the alleged gang-rape of the firm’s female manager in a moving car after a birthday party in Udaipur. Police said a local court on Thursday sent the accused to four-day police custody They . identified the accused as GKM IT Pvt Ltd’s owner and CEO, Jitesh Sisodia, a senior female executive of the firm and her husband Gaurav Sirohi. The horrific incident allegedly took place on December 20, while the complaint was lodged on December 23. As per the FIR, the alleged assault followed a birthday and New Year’s party organised by the CEO at a hotel in Udaipur. The victim said she reached the hotel around 9 pm. The CEO, the senior female executive and her husband were also present. The party reportedly continued till 1.30 am. The victim said when she began feeling unwell late at night, the senior female executive offered to drop her home. Around 1.45 am, they left the hotel in the victim’s car. The executive’s husband and the CEO were present in the vehicle as well. Midway during the journey , the accused allegedly purchased a intoxicant and forced the victim to consume it, following which she passed out. When she partially regained consciousness, she saw the CEO sexually assaulting her in the moving car, the victim said in her statement. She alleged that despite her repeated pleas, the accused dropped her home only around 5 am. The victim told the police that her car’s dashcam recorded audio and video of the entire incident. The footage allegedly shows the presence and involvement of all three accused. Police officials are examining its footage.