Cabinet nod to projs worth `1.74l crore The Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared upward cost revision from `43,129 crore to `79,459 crore for the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery project at Pachpadra in Balotra district, two hydroelectric projects in Arunachal Pradesh worth `40,000 crore, and the second phase of Jaipur Metro (42 km) with an outlay of `13,000 crore. Fertiliser subsidy was increased in view of war tirupati l thursday l april 09, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION 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 Tenuous truce Both sides fire missiles despite ceasefire; U.S. claims it will work with Iran to ‘dig up’ enriched uranium External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with his Bangladesh counterpart Khalilur Rahman during a meet in Delhi | PTI Delhi, Dhaka dialogue signals measured thaw J aya n t h J a co b @ New Delhi In a bid to reset ties after months of strain, India and Bangladesh on Wednesday signalled a measured thaw, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Bangladeshi counterpart Khalilur Rahman agreeing to explore new proposals to deepen bilateral cooperation through existing institutional mechanisms, even as the Bangladesh side reiterated its request to extradite former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, both sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal. “Pleased to host FM Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh and his delegation this afternoon. We discussed strengthening our bilateral relationship in its various facets. Also exchanged views on regional and global developments. Agreed to remain in close touch,” Jaishankar said in a post after the meeting. An External Affairs Ministry statement highlighted India’s intent to rebuild engagement, and said “External Affairs Minister reiterated India’s desire to engage constructively with the new Government and further strengthen bilateral ties. The two sides agreed to explore proposals for deepening the partnership through the relevant bilateral mechanisms. Follow-on official meetings are expected to take place at an early date.” It added that both sides also “exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest” and agreed to undertake consultations on key bilateral issues. A statement issued by Bangladesh outlined the scope of the high-level engagement. “Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman met Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Oil and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi today with Prime Minister’s Ad,” viser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir and High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah also present. It added that the delegation also held talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval shortly after arriving in the capital. Dhaka also outlined its policy direction under the new leadership. ‘MAVIGUN costs just 10% of Amaravati’ S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada YSRCP chief and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has placed the MAVIGUN Corridor proposal at the centre of his political narrative, describing it as the most practical solution to Andhra Pradesh’s long-pending capital issue. Addressing YSRCP leaders from Tadepalligudem constituency on Wednesday, Jagan accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of leaving the State without a capital even after 12 years, while highlighting MAVIGUN as a ready-made alternative that could function from day one. Jagan explained that the corridor — MA (Machilipatnam), VI (Vijayawada), GUN (Guntur) — spans 110 km. This stretch could be declared a capital corridor. “They are wasting `2 lakh crore on Amaravati, and just 10% of that is enough to build a magnificent capital here. From day one, it will be functional,” he contended.  P4 a g e n c i e s @ New Delhi IRAN, the United States and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire in an 11th-hour deal brokered by Pakistan that headed off US President Donald Trump’s threat to unleash a bombing campaign to destroy Iranian civilization. But hours after the announcement, Iran and Gulf Arab countries re por ted new attacks Wednesday . It was not clear if the strikes would scuttle the deal, which US Vice President J D Vance called “fragile”. Even before the new attacks, much about the truce agreement was unclear as the sides presented vastly different visions of the terms. Iran said the deal would allow it to formalise its new practice of charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial transit lane for oil. The ceasefire could formalise a system of charging fees in the Strait and give it a new source of revenue. The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge ships. It also was unclear whether any other country agreed to this condition. Pakistan, which helped to mediate the deal, and others said fighting would pause in Lebanon, where Israel has day launched a ground invasion against the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Israel said it would not, and strikes hit Beirut on Wednesday . The fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes, elimination of which were end goals for US and Israel in going to war, also remained unclear. Trump said the US would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran didn’t confirm it. Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart. A short time later, the United Arab Emirates’ air defences fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait’s military forces, meanwhile, responded to an “extensive wave” of drone attacks. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted nine drones. Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif urged restraint after reports of ceasefire violations. This came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised “ceasefire violations” by Israel with Pakistani mediators on Wednesday China, Russia, the UK, India and . all EU nations lauded the peace initiative. 40 Kerala THREE STATES Counting date: May 4, 2026 assam 140 seats: Single phase seats Single phase 2.71 cr 883 Candidates 30,495 Polling stations Total voters 2021 result (total seats: 140) LDF - 99 seats UDF - 41 seats 2021 turnout 77.9% 2.49 cr 1,100 Total voters 126 1 Non-aggression from the US 2 Acceptance of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program 3 Lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions and resolutions against Iran 4 End of all resolutions against Iran at the IAEA 5 End of all resolutions against Iran by the UN Security Council 6 Full Iranian control over Strait of Hormuz via its armed forces 7 Withdrawal of US forces from all bases in the region 8 Hormuz toll to raise funds for compensation for damage suffered during the war 9 Release of all Iranian assets frozen abroad 10 UNSC resolution making any deal binding Smoke and mirrors A US official said Wednesday the 10-point ceasefire plan published by Iran is not the same set of conditions agreed to by the White House for pausing the war. “The document reported by media outlets is not the working framework,” the senior official said on condition of anonymity. The statement adds to concerns over the fragility of the truce declared late Tuesday. Trump had said in his declaration of a twoweek truce for further negotiations that “we received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.” Iranian state media then published its own 10-point plan. These items would run contrary to Washington’s public statements about what it wants Iran to do. India urges lasting peace, pushes for Ukraine momentum Candidates 2021 result NDA - 75 seats (total Grand Alliance seats: 126) 50 seats 9.44 lakh Puducherry 30 seats: Total voters Single phase 2021 result (total seats: 30) NDA - 16 seats UPA - 8 seats Independents - 6 seats 2021 voter turnout 83.4% 8w x 8h J aya n t h J a co b @ New Delhi India on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, expressing hope that the pause in hostilities would pave the way for lasting peace in West Asia and potentially reinvigorate diplomatic efforts to find peace in Ukraine conflict. The External Affairs Ministry said: “We welcome the ceasefire reached and hope that it will lead to a lasting peace in West Asia. As we have continuously advocated earlier, de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict.” Highlighting the broader consequences of the conflict, the statement added: “The conflict has already caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks. We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz.” India, which has long-standing economic and strategic stakes in the region, remains particularly concerned about disruptions to maritime trade routes. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil shipments, has been at the centre of escalating tensions, raising alarm in New Delhi over energy security and the safety of millions of Indian nationals living across West Asia. Despite sustained military attacks, Iran has demonstrated continued capability to strike regional targets using missiles and drones. Its leadership has also weathered both external attacks and internal unrest without visible signs of collapse. The truce itself was announced shortly before a planned escalation. US President Donald rump said the agreement followed conversations with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir, a claim echoed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The ceasefire has raised cautious optimism globally . RBi holds repo rate, governor hints at long time pause | p10 BATTLE ROYALE IN Assembly elections April 9, 2026 Iran’s reported charter of demands 1.37 lakh acres of Inam lands removed from Sec 22-A ambit E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to complete Resurvey 2.0 of lands and distribute 1.12 crore new pattadar passbooks by March 2027. He observed that land disputes had multiplied under the previous regime in the name of resurvey . “The present NDA government is moving swiftly to resolve the land disputes,” he said. So far, survey has been completed in 6,976 villages, with 22.79 lakh passbooks already distributed across 5,717 villages. For the re- maining 1,259 villages, around 9 lakh passbooks will be issued by July this year, he explained. The Chief Minister instructed that both resurvey and passbook distribution must be completed in full by March next year, with clear monthly targets. Between July and March, 80 lakh passbooks are to be distributed, ensuring accuracy and transparency . In a major relief measure, he announced the removal of 1.37 lakh acres of village service Inam lands from the purview of Section 22-A, along with another 1 lakh acres of other service Inam P4 lands.  Time to act on women’s quota At the special sitting of Parliament commencing April 16, MPs must approach the bill to advance women’s reservation with a sense of responsibility and purpose, writes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding it is a moment to rise above differences and act with unity | P7 Sabarimala case Court can decide if a religious practice is superstition, says SC S U C HITRA KA LYAN M O HANT Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it has the powers to strike down religious practices or superstitions—even if they are rooted in faith—if they violate public order, health and morality A nine-judge Constitu. tional bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, hearing a batch of review pleas challenging the Sabarimala judgment, rejected the Centre’s submission that a secular court can’t decide on superstitions. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that even if a practice is superstitious, it is not for the court to determine that. “Under Article 25(2)(b) of the Constitution, it is for the legislature to step in and Questions enact a reform law,” he said, while stress- on locus ing that ‘constitutional morality’ cannot The bench be a ground for judicial review to decide asked how essential religious practices and beliefs. persons who The bench categorically clarified that are not it doesn’t agree with the line that the leg- Ayyappa islature has the ‘last word’ in such mat- devotees could ters, stressing that courts cannot shy challenge a away from testing contentious practices temple custom. “Why should against constitutional principles. The bench also questioned how per- this court sons who are not devotees of Lord Ayyap- concern with a pa could challenge a centuries-old temple non-devotee?” custom in the top court. The Supreme asked Justice Court had in 2018 struck down the re- BV Nagarathna striction on the entry of women in the age group of 10-50 years to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, based on a public interest litigation filed by an organisation named Indian Young Lawyers Association. Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said two previous Supreme Court verdicts on decriminalisation of consensual gay sex and adultery provisions based on the doctrine of constitutional morality were “not a good law”. AP totally free from Left-Wing Extremism, development need of hour: DGP P h a n i n d r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta has announced that Andhra Pradesh is now free from Left-Wing Extremism. The significant mile- stone has been achieved a day ahead of the March 31 deadline set by the Centre under Operation Kagar, he said. Expressing satisfaction over the achievement, the DGP said the sustained and intelligencedriven combing operations over the past few years had effectively dismantled the CPI (Maoist) leadership and its infrastructure in the State. Several top Maoist leaders, including Madvi Hidma and Nambala Keshava Rao were neutralised in security operations. Meanwhile, senior ideologue Ganapathi is believed to have fled to Nepal, and strategist Misir Besra is said to be hiding in Jharkhand. According to police data, Maoist influence in AP has sharply declined, with dozens of cadres surrendering in the past few years. Over 100 Maoists have laid down their arms in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring regions after the launch of intensified operations, reflecting weakening organisational strength and de- clining recruitment. Speaking to TNIE, the DGP said the Maoist strongholds hardly witnessed development over the years. He opined that there is a need to focus on development of those areas and P4 upbringing of tribals.