visakhapatnam l thursday l february 26, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 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 | P10 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 I T RA K ALYA N M O H A N T Y & S LALI T H A @ New Delhi Role of Judiciary in our Society”... The aforesaid error is purely unintentional and T H E S u p r e m e C o u r t o n NCERT regrets the inclusion Wednesday took suo motu cog- of inappropriate material in nizance of the controversial the said chapter,” it said, chapter on ‘judicial corruption’ adding there was no intent to in NCERT’s Class 8 social sci- question or diminish the auence book and expressed its thority of any constitutional strong displeasure, forcing the 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 Thursday, the ter for Thursday after book was removed from backlog senior advocates Kapil sales by the PublicaThe chapter Sibal and Abhishek t i o n s D iv i s i o n o f pegs the Singhvi mentioned the NCERT. An official said number of matter for urgent the online version was pending cases yet to be 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. tegrity in their professional After the marathon meeting, and personal lives. it issued a statement late in the When these standards are night, apologising for the “in- not upheld, the chapter said appropriate textual material” that the judiciary has internal and its “error of judgement”. mechanisms to ensure “It has been observed that accountability . certain inappropriate textual It also mentions that in serimaterial and error of judge- ous cases, judges can be rement have inadvertently crept moved by Parliament through into Chapter No 4, entitled “The impeachment. J aya nth 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 ‘Ambitious’ FTA talks on: PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, as Speaker Amir Ohana looks on, in Jerusalem on Wednesday | Shlomi Amsalem 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 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. K M A D H U S U D H A K AR @ Kurnool 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. “My daughter’s name is Punarvika. Doctors detected complications while she was still in the womb. Later, we were told it was a very rare disease requiring extremely expensive treatment. That is why P U S H PI TA D E Y @ New Delhi E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inspects Veligonda Project feeder canal works along with local farmers in Markapuram District on Wednesday | Express 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.  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. In 2025, India exported solar panels worth $1.2 billion to the US. Karnataka vs J&K Headbutting makes headline in Ranji Trophy final F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai 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. Karnataka’s batter KV 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 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. express read AP HC slams Chief Secretary’s defiance Vijayawada: The AP High Court has strongly rebuked Chief Secretary for failing to implement its orders, warning that non-compliance could lead to the shutdown of courts. A division bench expressed concern that senior officials’ conduct could erode public confidence in the judiciary | P3 Today’s Match 7pm: India vs Zimbabwe (Chennai) `10 crore raised for 11-month-old Punarvika’s life-saving treatment Naidu slams previous Government’s 126% anti-subsidy ‘ribbon-cutting’ policy, vows to deliver duty on solar cells 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 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” final — with the 41-year-old 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 it, 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 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. 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. 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.