HYDERABAD l friday l may 01, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 36 l LATE CITY EDITION China-Pak military axis deepens as Pak navy gets Hangor-class sub | p7 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 Fast track nod for China FDI in seven sectors D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi express read HC suspends bar on fee collection by colleges Hyderabad: In a setback to the state’s DBT-based academic fee policy, the Telangana High Court has suspended a clause in a GO that barred higher colleges from collecting tuition fees until scholarship amounts were credited into students’ bank accounts | P4 Kavitha can register party with ‘TRS’: ECI Hyderabad: The Election Commission has granted approval to former MLC K Kavitha to register her political party by the name “Telangana Rakshana Sena”. Curiously, on April 25, Kavitha had declared that her party would be called Telangana Rashtra Sena | P4 ACB searches offices of Commercial Taxes Hyderabad: The ACB on Thursday conducted inspections at Commercial Taxes department offices across the state. According to ACB sources, the inspections were part of a routine drive. An official said that details would be provided on Friday. THE government has identified seven critical sectors/manufacturing activities for faster approval of investments from China, a senior official told this newspaper. These are capital goods, electronic capital goods, electronic components, polysilicon and ingot wafer, advanced battery components, rare earth permanent magnets, and rare earth processing. Capital goods include plant machinery, heavy equipment or accessories required for manufacturing. Electronic capital goods mean equipment and machinery used for manufacturing lithium-ion battery, mobile phones etc. Electronic components include display module, camera module, printed circuit board, enclosures for mobile phones, etc. Polysilicon is the primary raw material used to produce silicon wafers. This is melted in a crucible to produce an ingot, which is a solid cylindrical or block-shaped mass of crystalline silicon. More sectors could be added to this list, a document reviewed by this daily showed. Under the amended Press Note 3 framework, the Cabinet has introduced an expedited approval mechanism to clear investment proposals from countries sharing a land border with India (land-bordering countries or LBCs) in specified manufacturing sectors within 60 days. These are referred to as LBC investments. In March this year, the government eased restrictions on investments from neighbouring countries, including China, to encourage inflows into critical sectors. The restrictions were introduced in 2020, at the peak of tensions between India and China. 600 proposals await govt approval After India put FDI curbs through Press Note 3 in April 2020, investments from China dropped. According to DPIIT, nearly 600 investment proposals from China are awaiting approval. The amended PN3 is expected to clear the backlog and open up the investment flow into India Investments to be cleared with caution Officials said while India is open to investments from all countries, including China, it will proceed with caution. “We are keeping our eyes wide open. Safety and security are paramount. The govt is willing to facilitate investments, but only with due diligence,” said an official Brent crude hits $126 as endless wait Trump reviews war plan Procurement at A G E N C I ES @ Tehran / Washington FRESH provocative statements from Iran and fears of renewed attack by the US caused oil prices to fluctuate on Thursday and surge toward their highest levels since the war with Iran began on February 28. Oil prices struck a four-year high on Thursday, with international benchmark Brent crude soaring more than 7% to $126 a barrel, before easing in afternoon trading. In a show of defiance against US threats, Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday said Tehran will now call the shots, claiming it has an upper hand in the crisis. In a written message, Khamenei said Iran would respond with Haj fare up by $100 due to aviation fuel cost hike New Delhi: Amid strong opposition to a hefty airfare hike for Haj pilgrims following the spike in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices, the Centre on Thursday said it had scaled the fare down to an additional `10,000 per individual. Union minister of minority affairs Kiren Rijiju said though airlines had sought $300-400 more per pilgrim, the government negotiated and settled it at $100. Demanding revocation of the circular, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, “Are pilgrims being punished for going through the Haj Committee?” “long and painful day strikes” on US positions if Washington renewed attacks. “We have already seen the fate of your bases in the region; we will also see your warships face the same,” he added. He also reasserted Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, complicating US plans for a coalition to reopen the waterway . According to news site Axi- 62 os, Trump is expected to receive a briefing on new plans for potential military action in Iran from Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command. Dropping hints that resumption of attacks was likely Israe, li Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that it was “possible that we may soon have to act again” against Iran.  P10 Amend abortion law on rape: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O HA N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear a curative plea by AIIMS, Delhi regarding the medical termination of a 15-year-old rape survivor, as it asked the government to consider amending the law to permit rape survivors to terminate unwanted pregnancies even beyond 20 weeks. “Unwanted pregnancy cannot be thrust on a person. Imagine, she is a child. She should be studying now. But we want to make her a mother. This is a case of child rape. The victim will have a lifelong scar and trauma. It is now a fight between foetus vs child. A minor child cannot be forced to bear a pregnancy. Law needs to be organic and in sync with evolving times,” said a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The court asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for AIIMS, to speak to the parents of the victim and left it for them to decide whether or not to end the pregnancy . The AIIMS had argued that since it’s been 30-weeks of pregnancy the foetus is now a viable , life and termination would not be successful. “The child would be born with serious deformities, organ failures and even the minor victim would face lifelong issues, such as not even being able to go through another pregnancy Bhati said. ,” But the CJI contended that “In cases of child rape, the choice to bear or terminate pregnancy should always be with the victim.” He also urged the media to be extra sensitive while reporting this case. The court exercised its extraordinary powers under Article 142 to override statutory time limits, and directed that the minor and her parents be provided comprehensive psychiatric and medical counselling to take the final call. Another bench had on April 24 allowed the minor to terminate her pregnancy . Enumamula crosses 20 days U M a h e s h @ Warangal The wait for procurement of maize at Enumamula Agricultural Market has become agonising for several farmers, having crossed the 20-day mark. While farmers allege negligence and lack of response from officials in purchasing the maize crop, private traders are making the most of the situation, but at the cost of the tillers. A good number of farmers TNIE spoke to at the market yard, Asia’s largest agricultural market, said that they have been waiting for nearly three weeks to complete sales. With Markfed yet to begin procurement, many said they were forced to sell to private traders at `1,782 per quintal, well below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of `2,400. In some cases, prices dropped to `1,609. Data from market authorities accessed by TNIE showed that 22 licenced private traders were actively purchasing maize, though in limited quantities, at these lower rates. At the market yard, heaps of maize lay exposed while farmers waited near weighing points. Some spread their produce to dry, uncertain about when procurement would begin. R Komuraiah, a farmer from Upparapalle village in Chennarapeta mandal, alleged that officials had not initiated weighing operations and had failed to supply gunny bags and tarpaulin sheets.  continued on P3