vijayawada l thursday l february 26, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION slew of demands messes up BSNL director’s visit to Prayagraj BSNL director Vivek Banzal is in the line of fire for making ‘absurd’ demands linked to his proposed Prayagraj trip. He now faces a show-cause notice Wanted snan kits for a dip at the sangam unacceptable in new India, says Scindia Banzal sought six male and two female snan kits for a dip at the Sangam, including towels, undergarments, slippers, combs, mirrors, soap, shampoo, oil along with a bed sheet for general use at the ghat. Hotel and Circuit House arrangements included toiletries, shaving kits, dry fruits, fruit bowls, towels. He also wanted a boat ride and visits to a few temples ■ ■ The visit scheduled for February 25-26 was cancelled pending a full inquiry. Banzal (pic) is due to superannuate by September-end | P14 Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said an order like this is ‘unacceptable’ in new India, adding it flouts all rules and traditions and is ‘beyond absurd’. Banzal became BSNL director in October 2018 50 Personnel had to be assigned to fully manage Banzal’s trip 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 NCERT to rewrite Terror anywhere threatens peace judiciary chapter everywhere, Modi tells Knesset after SC rebuke Says India’s connection to Israel is written in blood and sacrifice; calls for diplomacy, peace S U C H ITR A K A LYA N M O H A N TY & S L A LIT H A @ New Delhi into Chapter No 4, entitled “The Role of Judiciary in our Society”... The aforesaid error is T HE S u p r e m e C o u r t o n purely unintentional and Wednesday took suo motu cog- NCERT regrets the inclusion nizance of the controversial of inappropriate material in chapter on ‘judicial corruption’ the said chapter,” it said, addin NCERT’s Class 8 social sci- ing there was no intent to quesence book and expressed its tion or diminish the authority strong displeasure, forcing the of any constitutional body . body to issue an apology and ofIt clarified that the chapter fering to rewrite the would be rewritten contentious text. “with consultation A three-judge bench from the appropriate comprising Chief Jusauthority” and the retice Surya Kant and vised book would be j u s t i c e s Jo y m a l ya m a d e ava i l abl e t o Bagchi and Vipul M students. Pancholi listed the mat- Book flags On Tuesday the book , ter for Thursday after was removed from sales backlog senior advocates Kapil by the Publications DiThe chapter Sibal and Abhishek vision of NCERT. An pegs the Singhvi mentioned the official said the online number of matter for urgent version was yet to be pending cases uploaded. consideration. “This seems to be a in the Supreme The controversy was Court at very calculated and over a section in the deep-rooted measure,” 81,000, in high text book on ‘corrupcourts at the CJI said. tion in the judiciary’ in Justice Bagchi ob- 62.4 lakh, and a chapter titled The role served that the book in district and of the judiciary in our subordinate seems to go against the society. While explaincourts at basic structure of the ing the concept of judi4.7 crore Constitution. cial accountability, it Following the SC’s notes that judges are strong remarks, the NCERT bound by a code of conduct that held a high-level meeting on requires them to remain fair Wednesday evening, which and impartial and maintain inwent on till midnight. After the tegrity in their professional marathon meeting, it issued a and personal lives. statement late in the night, When these standards are apologising for the “inappro- not upheld, the chapter said priate textual material” and its that the judiciary has internal “error of judgement”. mechanisms to ensure account“It has been observed that ability It also mentions that in . certain inappropriate textual serious cases, judges can be rematerial and error of judge- moved by Parliament through ment have inadvertently crept impeachment. J ayan t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reiterated India’s strategic partnership with Israel in an address to the Knesset and said “India’s connection to Israel is written in blood and sacrifice” and “nothing can justify terrorism.” Becoming the first Indian PM to address the Israeli parliament, Modi framed India-Israel ties through the lens of shared security challenges and historical bonds. Recalling that more than 4,000 Indian soldiers laid down their lives in the region during World War I, he said the relationship was rooted in “blood and sacrifice”, not merely diplomacy . In a direct reference to the October 7 Hamas assault and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Modi drew parallels between the two nations’ experiences. “We feel your pain. We share your grief. India stands with Israel firmly , with full conviction, in this moment and beyond,” he said. “No cause can justify the murder of civilians. Nothing can justify terrorism,” Modi asserted, underlining India’s “consistent E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Srikakulam The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Department has placed Srikakulam Municipal Commissioner H Kurma Rao under suspension on Wednesday, following a severe diarrhoea outbreak in Srikakulam town. The department issued GO Rt. No. 211, a few minutes before the visit of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P. Narayana to the diarrhoea-affected colonies in Srikakulam, suspending Commissioner Kurma Rao for alleged negligence and failure to prevent contamination of drinking water, based on a report submitted by district officials. However, the suspension of Commissioner Kurma Rao, who took charge as Srikakulam Municipal Commissioner on February 11, has sparked a heated political row within the ruling TDP-led NDA coalition government. Srikakulam MLA Gundu Shankar expressed his displeasure with the MA&UD Department over the suspension and urged the government P4 to revoke the order.  and uncompromising policy of zero tolerance for terrorism, with no double standards.” He warned that terrorism seeks “to destabilise societies, block development and erode trust,” adding that “countering terrorism requires sustained and coordinated global action, because terror anywhere threatens peace everywhere.” Even as he struck a hard line on terror, Modi balanced his remarks with a call for diplomacy . “The road to peace is not always K M A D H U S U D H A K A R @ Kurnool AP High Court slams Chief Secretary’s defiance Srikakulam Commissioner suspended Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, as Speaker Amir Ohana looks on, in Jerusalem on Wednesday | Shlomi Amsalem easy but India joins you and the , world for dialogue, peace and stability in this region,” he said, expressing support for efforts that could lead to a durable peace, including in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the visit as historic, calling the partnership “an enormous multiplier of our individual powers”. Terming Modi as “a great friend to Israel,” he said their deep personal rapport reflected the strength of bilateral ties. Modi outlined plans to broaden the economic pillar of the partnership, including talks on an “ambitious” FTA. “We are committed to expanding trade, strengthening investment flows, and promoting joint infra development.” Referring to the Bilateral Investment Treaty signed last year, he said it would “provide confidence, predictability to our businesses” Elevated to a strategic partnership in 2017, India–Israel relations have expanded significantly in defence, technology, cybersecurity and innovation. Modi’s visit — his second as PM — comes amid heightened regional tensions, reinforcing converging geopolitical interests and deepening security cooperation between the two countries. The Knesset conferred the ‘Speaker of the Knesset Medal’, its highest honour, on Modi. `10 crore raised for 11-month-old Punarvika’s life-saving treatment express read Vijayawada: The AP High Court has strongly rebuked Chief Secretary K Vijayanand for failing to implement its orders, warning that noncompliance could lead to the shutdown of courts. A division bench expressed concern that the conduct of senior officials could erode public confidence in the judiciary. In a strong observation, it remarked that keeping the soon-to-retire Chief Secretary in jail for four days would bring erring officials on track | P3 ‘Ambitious’ FTA talks on: PM Nandyal MP Dr Byreddy Shabari meets Punarvika, an 11-month-old battling a rare genetic disorder | Express In an extraordinary display of compassion, people from across the globe united to save the life of little Punarvika, an elevenmonth-old girl from Veldurthi mandal headquarters in Kurnool district, who has been battling Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA Type-1), a rare and lifethreatening genetic disorder that leads to progressive muscle degeneration. Doctors recommended a lifesaving injection costing a staggering `16 crore, placing an unimaginable financial burden on her modest family Punarvika’s . father, M Suresh, who runs a small hair-cutting shop in Veldurthi, shared his emotional struggle. “I earn my livelihood through a hair-cutting shop. I have a wife, a son and a daughter. My daughter’s name is Punarvika. Doctors detected complications while she was still in the womb. We decided to wait until delivery and assess the condition. Later, we were told it was a very rare disease requiring extremely expensive treatment. That is why I appealed to donors for help,” he said. Moved by the family’s plight, donors contributed generously through social media campaigns, raising over `10 crore so far. As contributions poured in, Suresh released a video thanking donors and requested them not to send further money once the required amount was pooled. Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh took to X to highlight Punarvika’s case, praising her as a “true braveheart”. He noted that `10 crore had already been raised and saluted the generosity of thousands of P4 people.  Veligonda project to bring prosperity to Markapuram: CM E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that the first phase of the Veligonda irrigation project will be completed by July this year, ensuring water supply to every acre in Markapuram district. On his first visit to Markapuram on Wednesday, after its formation as a district, he was greeted with an unprecedented welcome from ministers, MPs, local leaders and thousands of citizens. Walking down a ramp into the crowd at the “Veligonda Jalakala Sabha”, the CM greeted people amid loud cheers before delivering his address. Addressing the large gathering after laying the foundation stone for feeder canal works worth `456 crore, Naidu declared, “We will not indulge in ribbon-cutting dramas like past rulers who dedicated incomplete projects to the nation. I am committed to delivering results, not false promises.” He emphasised that the creation of Markapuram district fulfilled a long-standing aspiration of the people, sparing them the need to travel 150 kilometres to Ongole for administrative purposes. He also announced `50 crore for the construction of a new district Collectorate building and promised safe drinking water supply to fluoride-affected areas. Naidu explained that the Veligonda project requires a total of `9,081 crore, of which `5,451 crore has already been P4 spent.  Solar cells to face 126% anti-subsidy duty in US P U S H PITA D E Y @ New Delhi THE US has imposed a countervailing duty of 126% on imports of solar cells and modules from India, alleging that Indian manufacturers benefit from significant government subsidies. Similar duties have been levied on Indonesia and Laos. Countervailing duties, also known as anti-subsidy duties, are tariffs imposed to offset the harmful effects of foreign government subsidies on imported goods. The decision follows an investigation by the US International Trade Commission, which found that subsidised imports were causing material injury to domestic producers. In parallel, the US Department of Commerce is conducting anti-dumping duty investigations into solar cell imports. As part of the investigation, the department selected two Adani Group entities—Mundra Solar Energy and Mundra Solar PV— as mandatory respondents. The case turned more adverse after both companies withdrew from the investigation and did not provide complete responses. “This level of countervailing duty will effectively shut the US market for Indian solar panel exports. That is typically the outcome when the US imposes anti-dumping or countervailing duties—exports of the affected product from the targeted country become commercially unviable,” said Abhijit Das, former head of the Centre for WTO Studies at IIFT. In 2025, India exported solar panels worth $1.2 billion to the US. Today’s Match 7pm: India vs Zimbabwe (Chennai) Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inspects feeder canal works of Veligonda Project | Express Karnataka vs J&K Cricket caught at silly point: Headbutting makes headline in Ranji final F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai TV grab of the headbutting incident involving Paras Dogra and KV Aneesh during the Ranji Trophy final between Karnataka and J&K on Wednesday | X Headbutting is relatively unknown in cricket. An act immortalised by one of the geniuses of world football — Zinedine Zidane, found its way on to the cricket ground in Hubballi. Kar nataka’s batter K V Aneesh was born in 2001, the same year when domestic veteran Paras Dogra made his first-class debut. Almost 25 years later, the two crossed paths at the grandest stage of the domestic cricket—Ranji Trophy final — with the 41-yearold Dogra headbutting Aneesh on Day 2 with his team, Jammu and Kashmir posting 527/6. The incident took place during the 101st over of the innings when Dogra awkwardly fended off a rising delivery from India pacer Prasidh Krishna. Soon after, he rushed towards Aneesh, who was stationed in as a close in fielder and headbutted him though gently Aneesh was also . wearing a helmet. Karnataka’s experienced batter Mayank Agarwal also got involved with Dogra. Kar nataka captain Devdutt Padikkal deciding to talk to the umpires. Apparently , Aneesh was commenting on the veteran’s batting despite him scoring more than 10,000 runs in his career. The J&K skipper tried to downplay the incident saying it wasn’t a big thing after the day’s play while the on-field drama brought back memories of the past to team’s head coach Ajay Sharma. “It was just in the little heat of the moment. Not a big thing. Yeah, it is all settled now. That’s (a hot day) a different thing and it was momentary. We started talking and chatting after that so it’s all well,” Dogra told reporters. He is set to be penalised by BCCI. Former India all-rounder Sharma witnessed the scuffle from the sidelines when a past incident crossed his mind. It involved West Zone pacer Rashid Patel who chased North Zone opener Raman Lamba with a stump in his hand following an on-field altercation in 1990-91 Duleep Trophy final.