HUBBALLI  THURSDAY  APRIL 02, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 12  CITY EDITION IAF, HAL TO HOLD CRITICAL REVIEW MEET AS TEJAS MK1A DELAY DRAGS ON Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and the Indian Air Force will hold a critical programme review this month to finalise a revised induction timeline MEET TO ASSESS PROGRESS ON KEY REQUIREMENTS AIR FORCE GRAPPLES WITH SQUADRON SHORTAGE Sources in the defence establishment said senior IAF and HAL officials will meet in New Delhi to assess the progress made on mandatory operational requirements. “The outcome of the review will be decisive... The IAF is seeking clarity on when the first aircraft, already over two years behind schedule, will finally be inducted,” a source said | P7 ■ ■ Beyond delays in the supply of GE F404 engines from the United States, the integration and certification of the Israeli EL/M-2052 AESA radar has added to the programme’s timeline pressures The delays come as the IAF grapples with a squadron shortfall, operating just 29 squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42.5 180 TEJAS MK1A AIRCRAFT ORDERED BY THE INDIAN AIR FORCE 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 April 16-18 special session coming to add LS seats for women quota Indian tanker Jag Vasant, owned by Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd, after clearing the Strait of Hormuz, is seen anchored at the LPG discharge terminal, in Mumbai on Wednesday | PTI PM takes stock of steps to safeguard citizens from crisis J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security to review India’s preparedness amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, directing officials that “all efforts must be made to safeguard citizens from the impact of this conflict.” The second such review in recent days held at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg focused on mitigating disruptions across key sectors including energy agriculture, ship, ping, aviation, logistics and MSMEs. The government assessed supply chains and explored contingency measures to ensure stability in essenInterventions tial commodities and services. Supply proposed to be diversification for LPG and LNG, fuel taken for duty reduction and power sector emerging measures were reviewed to ensure challenges in stability of essential supplies. various other sectors such as A key focus area was energy secuagriculture, civil rity Cabinet Secretary T V Somanath. aviation, shipping an briefed the meeting about the acand logistics were tion taken to ensure supply of also discussed petroleum products, particularly LNG/LPG, and sufficient power avail- Govt statement ability Measures such as exempting . certain gas-based power plants from pooling mechanisms and increasing coal supplies to thermal stations were reviewed to ensure uninterrupted electricity during peak summer demand. The government noted that “enough coal stock exists” to meet power needs in the coming months. On the agriculture front, the PM reviewed fertilizer availability Efforts are underway to maintain urea pro. duction and coordinate imports of DAP and NPK fertilizers. States have been asked to intensify monitoring and take action against diversion and black-marketing. HC to state: File FIR against IAS officer Sindhuri DAY 33 COSTLY FUEL 25% Price hike cap on aviation turbine fuel on domestic routes announced to prevent steep rise in airfares, though ATF rates have more than doubled to `2.07 lakh due to West Asia crisis `195.50 Hike in cost of commercial LPG rates per cylinder `2 per litre Jump in XP95, Power95, and Speed fuels `51 More for 5 kg mini LPG cylinder Just 8.5% up Price of jet fuel in Delhi is `1,04,927 per kilolitre, only 8.5% higher than `96,638 in March. Earlier in the day, OMC website showed the price at `207,341.22 per kilolitre for this month CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 A G E N C I E S @ Washington, London, Tel Aviv PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Wednesday said the US could end its operations in Iran in two-three weeks with or a without a deal. However, a third US aircraft carrier, USS George H W Bush, set sail for West Asia on Tuesday. Trump is expected to address the nation on Wednesday night (6.30 am IST). The US president sharply escalated his confrontation with Europe over the war, saying he is strongly considering pulling his country out of NATO. “Oh yes, I would say it’s (US exit from NATO) beyond reconsideration,” he told a reporter at a White House briefing. In a further sign of stress on the transatlantic alliance, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain needed to forge a “closer partnership” with the EU on defence, security and the economy He vowed not . to let the UK get dragged into the war against Iran. Meanwhile, Trump claimed Iran’s president has asked for a ceasefire. Iran’s president “has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed the remarks as “false and baseless”. INSIDE SC SCEPTICAL ON BID TO LIMIT BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP | P9 CENSUS PROCESS KICKS OFF President Droupadi Murmu selfenumerating herself for Census 2027 at Rashtrapati Bhavan Prime Minister Narendra Modi did likewise. “Completed my selfenumeration. Today marks the beginning of the first phase of Census 2027, relating to house listing and housing operations,” he said on X EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru THE Karnataka High Court directed the state government to accord approval within four weeks under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act for registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri D and the then Managing Director of Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation for investigation by the Lokayukta police into alleged corruption and consequent loss to the state exchequer in the procurement of ecofriendly cloth bags by her as Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru. The court noted that a cloth bag available in the open market at Rs 13 per unit was sought to be procured at Rs 52, pursuant to a decision attributed to the DC. Further, funds earmarked for welfare schemes within urban local bodies and gram panchayaths of the district were diverted to the procurement of bags. The approval sought under Section 17A pertains to a case which, at least prima facie, discloses elements of corruption, the court said. Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the order on March 27, allowing the petition filed by Mysuru-based advocate Ravichandre Gowda NR, seeking to quash the communication issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), rejecting the approval under Section 17A of the Act. Referring to the communication issued rejecting the approval sought by the Lokayukta police, he said it is verbatim similar to the earlier order, except for the statement that Rohini has been exonerated in a departmental enquiry . Trump says war to be over in 2-3 wks, weighs NATO exit About 55,000 households across eight states, UTs did their self-enumeration on Day One P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi WITH an eye on the upcoming assembly polls, the Centre may convene a special session of Parliament from April 16-18 to bring a bill to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 so that 273 of them could be reserved for women in Lok Sabha, sources said. While the Budget Session is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, the government may prorogue it and convene a ‘special session’ ahead of the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu on April 23, and West Bengal polls on April 23 and 29. “The House will not be adjourned sine die but will be adjourned with the announcement that it will meet again on a specific date. We will meet again this month,” said a source, indicating the third week of April. The government recently proposed an early delimitation exercise to fasttrack the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act. The proposed changes include linking the Act’s implementation based on the 2011 Census for a quicker rollout and potentially increasing the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats by THE PROPOSAL Budget session supposed to end on Thursday But session unlikely to be adjourned sine die Govt planning to summon it again for 2-3 days in April 3rd week Plan to raise LS seats to 816, with 273 reserved for women Constitutional amendment bill to amend Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam to be brought Another bill to tweak Delimitation Act REDRAWING OF CONSTITUENCIES TO BE BASED ON 2011 CENSUS 50% on a proportional basis. Though Home Minister Amit Shah held discussions with some NDA allies and some non-Congress opposition floor leaders last week, consultations with the Congress and TMC were yet to take place. The Opposition has demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the roadmap. The Congress also opposed the proposal to raise the size of the Lok Sabha by 50% saying such a move would “disadvantage” smaller states in the South, Northeast, and West. The provision to provide 33% reservation to women in Lok Sabha and Amid strong blowback, FCRA Bill put on hold Although the bill was listed for consideration in the Lok Sabha on THE Centre on Wednesday put the Wednesday Parliamentary Affairs , proposed amendments to the For- Minister Kiran Rijiju said it would eign Contribution (Regulation) not be taken up for discussion afAct (FCRA) on hold amid mount- ter massive protests by the Oppoing opposition to the contentious sition members. changes and political heat As soon as the Question ahead of the Kerala AsHour began at 11 am, opsembly elections. position members, mainly While the amendment from Kerala, started raisbill has drawn sharp critiing slogans against the cisms from the CPI(M), provisions of the Bill. church groups, and the “I had told the Congress Congress which termed it party yesterday that since `22,000 cr the Bill has been intro‘draconian’, the BJP’s inflow Kerala unit chief Rajeev duced, it has been listed Currently, Chandrasekhar said the for consideration and pasCentre would not proceed around 16,000 sage for Wednesday. But, associations with the proposed amendtoday the FCRA (Amendments without addressing are registered ment) Bill is not being the concerns raised by under the FCRA taken up for discussion,” and receive various sections, includRijiju said. `22,000 crore ing Christians. He accused the Conannually, Chandrasekhar said the gress and Left parties of according to BJP’s Kerala unit has remisleading the people of quested the Centre not to the statement Kerala, which faces Aspass the FCRA amend- of objects and sembly polls on April 9. reasons of ment bill at this stage. Countering the Opposithe bill The FCRA (Amendtion charges that the bill ment) Bill, introduced in would impact minority inthe Lok Sabha last week, sparked stitutions, Rijiju said the intent is a row as it gives the Centre the to protect national security and power to appoint a designated au- interest and asserted that it was thority which would control the not aimed against any religion or funds and assets in case the FCRA organisation. It was aimed at precertificate is cancelled, surren- venting misuse of foreign contridered, or ceased. butions, he adedd. P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi state assemblies was brought by amending the Constitution in 2023, but it will come into effect after the completion of the delimitation exercise. According to the broad contours available, the number of Lok Sabha seats would be increased from the present 543 to 816, with 273 seats reserved for women. The reservation will also be done on a “vertical basis” with seats allocated for SCs and STs. The redrawing of the constituencies will be done on the basis of the 2011 census rather than the proposed 2027 census. A similar exercise will be carried out for state assemblies where seats will be reserved on a pro-rata basis. While a Constitution amendment bill will tweak the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, commonly known as women’s reservation law, another ordinary bill will amend the Delimitation Act. Once approved by Parliament, the proposed laws will come into force on March 31, 2029 and will help reserve seats for women in the next Lok Sabha elections and assembly elections in Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh. EXPRESS READ K’taka tops in snakebite toll, 277 deaths in three years Shivamogga: Karnataka has emerged as the state with the highest number of snakebite deaths in the country in both 2024 and 2025. Nationally, snakebite deaths reported under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) rose from 183 in 2023 to 370 in 2024 and 431 in 2025, more than doubling in two years. Karnataka reported 19 deaths in 2023, 101 in 2024, and a staggering 157 in 2025. | P5 MRPL runs at 120% capacity amid maritime disruptions Mangaluru: The Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) is operating at nearly 120% capacity in the wake of major maritime disruptions, said its director Nandakumar V Pillai. He said LPG has become a key focus area even as the supply chain challenges continue. “We have ramped up production by nearly 30%, reaching about 45 lakh kg per day, which is equivalent to around 10 lakh cylinders daily,” he said. K’taka kicks off Census 2027 with self-enumeration Bengaluru: Karnataka on Wednesday kickstarted the process for India’s first digital Census with Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh completing her selfenumeration on her mobile phone, setting an example for citizens across the state. The facility, introduced as part of the National Census 2027 exercise, allows people to submit their household details online through the portal https://se.census.gov.in | P4 Toddler killed as bus ploughs into crowd at Haveri bus stand 48 yrs into service, 74-yr-old Mohammed DEDICATION BEATS AGE K I R A N B A L A N N A N A V A R @ Haveri A government bus rammed into commuters waiting on a platform at the Haveri Central Bus Stand on Tuesday killing a two-year-old boy and in, juring several others. The incident has raised serious concerns over passenger safety at the facility . Eyewitnesses said immediately after entering the premises, the bus veered off course and sped towards a crowded platform. Panic-striken commuters scrambled to escape, but the vehicle rammed into the crowd. The boy died on the spot. Several injured persons, including women and elderly passengers, were rushed to the district hospital, where some of them are said to be in a critical condition. Police said the driver might have lost control of the vehicle, and the ex- act cause of the accident is under investigation. The driver allegedly fled the scene after the incident, triggering outrage among the public. Police teams arrived at the spot shortly after the mishap and have launched a manhunt for the absconding driver. A case has been registered at the Town Traffic Police Station, and the sleuths are examining the CCTV footage from the bus stand. District officials and transport authorities have visited the site and assured strict action against those responsible. They also announced compensation for the victim’s family and medical assistance for the injured. The incident has sparked anger among commuters, who have demanded improved safety measures on the premises and stricter monitoring of drivers to prevent such incidents in the future. keeps Polali temple chariot rolling ABHIJITH N KOLPE @ Mangaluru AH Mohammed, fondly known among people as Monakka from Ammunje, has been serving at the renowned Polali Sri Raja Rajeshwari Temple for the past 48 years. His primary responsibility which is manag, ing and steering the temple chariot using traditional wooden stoppers and preparing the chariot during the annual fair, is both demanding and highly skilled. Handling the massive temple chariot is no simple task. It requires precision, coordination, and deep understanding to guide it safely along its route. Despite the challenges, 74-year-old Mohammed has carried out this responsibility with unmatched expertise year after year, The chariot of Sri Polali Rajarajeshwari temple. Inset: Caretaker AH Mohammed | EXPRESS ensuring smooth continuation of this important tradition. A resident of Ammunje Kalai, Mohammed is retired, and had previously worked as sales manager at the cooperative society within the temple premises. Over time, he developed a strong rapport with the temple administration. Nearly five decades ago, when the temple authorities were planning to build a chariot, they sought his advice, recognising his background in the wood industry. Impressed by his knowledge, they entrusted him with the responsibility of managing the chariot during the annual fair. Mohammed fondly recalls the support he received during the initial days from former temple administrators Subrayya, Vittapaya, Thimmappa Shetty, Sadananda Rai and Subraya Karanth, who not only assigned him this responsibility but also stood by him throughout his journey . CONTINUED ON PAGE 5