tirupati l friday l june 19, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l anantapur EDITION Latest IMD data puts Monsoon rain deficit at whopping 41% With the southwest monsoon stalled over Maharashtra, India is facing a nationwide rainfall deficit of 41% between June 4-18, the IMD said central india has highest shortfall kharif crops will bear the brunt The country has received just 42.6 mm of rainfall against the normal of 72.2 mm between June 4 and June 18, the Met office said. IMD’s regionwise departure rainfall map shows that rainfall deficits in central India, east and northeast India, the southern peninsula, and northwest India stand at 67%, 42%, 22%, and 6%, respectively ■ ■ IMD said that “the absence of favourable large-scale meteorological conditions” was the key reason why the southwest monsoon has failed to advance into remaining parts of Maharashtra The southwest monsoon’s slow northward progress, coupled with El Nino, can have significant consequences for kharif crops 4-5 days more wait for maharashtra for rainfall to resume, predicts IMD 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 50 proposals worth `30,515 cr with 29K job potential get nod E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh took another major step toward industrial growth as the 18th State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) meeting, chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday, approved proposals from 50 companies, involving a total investment of `30,515 crore. The cleared projects are expected to generate 29,677 employment opportunities across the State. The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure that the benefits of industrial development directly reach the poor and middle class. He emphasised the need to build an industrial ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh that enables not only large firms but also ordinary people and entrepreneurs to establish enterprises. Naidu called for stronger support for startups and the effective utilisation of the State’s innovation ecosystem through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH), while directing officials to facilitate venture capital investments for startups. The Chief Minister instructed the Education Department to align academic curricula with emerging industry trends and future technologies, including robotics and advanced technology courses. He emphasised that only serious investors should be encouraged, directing officials to closely monitor approved projects to ensure P4 timely grounding and execution.  Key Policy & Investment Takeaways Core Energy Target Driving projects toward AP’s 160 GW green energy vision (Solar, Wind, Pumped Storage, BESS) Key Strategic Corridors  Bengaluru– Puttaparthi - Defence & Aerospace)  Sri City–Tiru pati–Anantapur - Automobile Hub for Royal Enfield, Isuzu, Hero & Kia Infra Innovations District cooling, piped gas, and pooled utilities for Capital Amaravati; affordable housing and satellite townships near Visakhapatnam Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu chairs the 18th SIPB meeting at Secretariat in Velagapudi on Thursday | Express Lokesh counters Shashi Tharoor on delimitation S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada The escalating war of words over the upcoming parliamentary delimitation has transformed into a high-stakes constitutional debate, with ruling and opposition leaders locking horns over regional equity and demographic realities. At the centre of the political storm is a proposed 50% proportional increase in Lok Sabha seats, a move that has sharply polarised opinion on how democratic representation should balance population g rowth with re gional development. The friction reached a boiling point when Congress MP Shashi Tharoor directed a pointed thought experiment at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Using a salary analogy, Tharoor argued that a uniform percentage hike masks severe regional disparities; if an employer earning `2 lakh and a driver earning `20,000 both receive a 50% raise, the absolute wealth gap widens despite the identical percentage. TDP national working president Nara Lokesh swiftly mounted a robust defence, countering Tharoor by invoking former President Pranab Mukherjee, who historically advocated for expanding the Lower House to 1,000 members to ensure adequate representaP4 tion.  Diaz Kane hero for Colombia sets stage alight Skipper Harry Kane, coming of a record-breaking domestic season with Bayern Munich, sparkled as his brace helped them overcome Croatia 4-2 in a thriller. The striker, who equalled England’s World Cup record of 10 strikes (Gary Linekar), will be key if they are to match the exploits of 1966 when they won it for the only time Luis Diaz, who has gone up a level over the last 12 months, was all-action as his country saw off Uzbekistan 3-1 in Wednesday’s final game in Mexico. The left-winger displayed all his typical traits as he contributed a goal and an assist to help them begin their campaign with a win Three Lions roar with four England got off their campaign to a rousing start while Colombia eased past the challenge of Uzbekistan as the World Cup’s first round comes to an end. A look... Today's matches USA vs Australia l 12:30 AM Scotland vs Morocco l 3:30 AM Brazil vs Haiti l 6AM Turkiye vs Paraguay l 8:30 AM Live on United8 Sports & ZEE5 (All IST Saturday) India-UK free trade pact to kickstart on July 15; bid to energise economy on fast track UK steel deal clears FTA rollout path P u s h p i ta De y @ New Delhi India has secured additional concessions under the free trade agreement with the United Kingdom, resolving all outstanding issues that had delayed its implementation, setting the stage for its roll out on July 15. The gains include an extension of the social security contribution exemption for Indian professionals working temporarily in the UK from three years to five years and a resolution of concerns over Britain’s proposed steel safeguard measures. The Ministry of Commerce on Thursday said around 85% of India’s steel exports have been kept outside the UK’s new import restrictions. “The key issue which was holding us back was the new steel measures. Around 85% of our exports to the UK are outside the steel measures,” an official said. The UK had announced a 60% reduction in tariff-free steel import quotas from June and imposed a 50% duty on shipments exceeding those quotas to protect its domestic steel industry In its pushback, In. dia had warned that it could revisit the concessions under the FTA if the issue remained unresolved. Since nearly 85% of India’s steel exports to the UK fall outside the product categories covered by the British safeguard regime, it will ensure continued market access through a combination of countryspecific quotas, residual quotas and an authoriseduse mechanism. Of India’s nearly $900 million steel exports to the UK, only about $137 million will now be subject to the new safeguard measures. Sources said both countries spent the last two months negotiating the outstanding issues. Under the revised agreement, Indian professionals employed by Indian companies in the UK, as well as employees transferred to subsidiaries or affiliated entities, will be exempt from making social security contributions in the UK for up to five years, provided they continue contributing to India’s social security system and obtain a Certificate of Coverage (CoC). Earlier, the exemption was limited to three years. As for the UK’s proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), discussions will continue separately . Multiple areas have been negotiated. Course corrections in multiple areas have been discussed and finalised. We have resolved all issues Union commerce ministry official Deft balancing “Balancing has been done in a manner that does not impact FTA. Also, the proportionate benefits and market access to both sides under Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement have been preserved,” the official said Final FTA text by July 1 Prime ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that CETA will come into force on July 15. The final legal text and details of the agreement are expected by July 1 PM meets French CEOs The PM also met Benoit Bazin, Chairman and CEO of SaintGobain, Martin Sion, CEO of Alstom, and Arthur Mensch, co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI. The talks were part of the broader effort to draw investment Modi call to democratise technology J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday positioned India as a global hub for inclusive technology and innovation, telling business leaders and entrepreneurs at the VivaTech Summit 2026 in Paris that technology can drive progress only when it is accessible to everyone. He also met top French CEOs to discuss fresh investments and expansion plans across sectors including artificial intelligence, shipping, logistics, railways and construction. Speaking at VivaTech, Europe’s largest technology and startup event, where India is the Country Partner and has set up the largest national pavilion, Modi highlighted India’s technology-led transformation over the past decade and presented a vision of AI that prioritises inclusion and broad-based growth. “When it comes to technology along with , innovation, what matters is access. Technology can lead to progress only when it is democratised. India believes that in this era of disruption, technology must deliver for all,” Modi said. His comments assume significance amid growing global debates over access to advanced AI technologies and recent restrictions by the United States on the use of certain cutting-edge AI models by foreign nationals. Using a phrase that drew applause from the audience, Modi said: “For India, AI means ‘All Inclusive’.” He said artificial intelligence should be leveraged to improve lives, expand access to services, accelerate economic growth and support sustainability goals. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the PM’s discussions focused on strengthening collaboration across shipping, logistics, railways, construction and AI. Prominent among the key meetings was the one with Rodolphe Saade, Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM, where discussions centred on maritime shipping, logistics and global supply chains. Saadé said: “I believe India has a major role to play in the supply chains of the world. The fact that we are now in a position to build container ships in India is definitely a good step forward. The future of India is happening now.” Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut during a press meet in New Delhi on Thursday | PTI Uddhav Sena on the verge of a split, again PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi As the Shiv Sena (UBT) appears to be headed for a second major split, six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs skipped the parliamentary party meeting on Thursday signalling that a for, mal crossover to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is imminent. The MPs who skipped the meeting are Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure. The party issued a show cause notice to them to explain their absence within seven days. Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje attended the meeting, along with Sanjay Raut, the party’s lone Rajya Sabha MP . Raut said the MPs’ no-show will be considered a violation of the party whip and legal action will be initiated to disqualify them as lawmakers. He also claimed the rebel MPs had been given an additional `10 crore, over and above the `15 crore paid earlier, and moved to a safe location in Rajasthan. He warned the party would launch ‘Operation Tudwa’ (bash up) against the “traitors”. Sources said all six dissident MPs have signed a letter seeking a merger with the Shindeled Sena and submitted it to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The process, however, is not complete as the Speaker’s office requires the physical appearance of some of the MPs for verification and that is “expected to happen in the coming days”, they said. HC’s poser on proportionality of Telegram ban EG SP appointed to probe u d aya n k i s h o r e @ New Delhi Ebola scare in Kerala A woman who arrived from South Sudan was shifted to Kottayam Medical College for an Ebola test after she developed fever, Kerala health officials said Application of mind SOCIAL media App Telegram was banned “temporarily” to prevent misleading crores of students so that they do not come on the streets, the Centre told the Delhi High Court on Thursday claiming that the app was the most preferred platform for terror activities. The Centre made the submission after Justice Tejas Karia questioned how can the rights of 150 million people just be stopped because one set of citizen are appearing in examinations. “The question is can you block somebody else’s rights to Telegram, through senior advocate Dhruv Mehta, questioned the logic behind the ban. “NEET will affect the sovereignty and integrity of India? What is the application of mind? On WhatsApp people are marketing,” Telegram’s counsel said. protect someone else’s rights,” the judge asked. The judge reserved verdict on Telegram’s plea challenging the government order banning the platform till June 22 in view of the NEET re-exam. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, said Telegram, because of its architecture, was a “Frankenstein”. “If a country like ours cannot take preventive action, where do we go?” Solicitor Gen- eral Tushar Mehta, for the government, said Telegram operates through cloud, “even if we block something and someone does a mischief, law enforcement agency can’t reach the person... This is the most preferred platform for terrorist activities,” the SG submitted. To this, the bench asked, “How can we stop rights of 150 million people?” The law has been laid down in the Anuradha Bhasin judgment of the SC, the bench said. The Centre’s counsel said the Supreme Court judgment in Bhasin does not prohibit blocking in any sense. rowdy-sheeter missing case P h a n i n d r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada East Godavari district Superintendent of Police D Narasimha Kishore has been appointed as investigation officer to conduct an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding Gade Sai Krishna’s disappearance. The disappearance of Sai Krishna, a rowdy-sheeter, after he was allegedly taken into custody by Krishna Lanka police has triggered statewide concern, prompting the State government to order a highlevel inquiry .   The rowdy-sheeter case has gained significant attention following allegations of custodial torture and a suspected lockup death at the Krishna Lanka police station. According to sources, Narasimha Kishore, along with senior officers, visited the Krishna Lanka police station on Thursday, and examined available records P4 and evidence.