vijayawada l saturday l july 04, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Top defence panel approves Acquisition Worth `52,000 crore Op Sindoor’s influence on priorities The approvals by the DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, pointed to how Operation Sindoor influenced acquisition priorities, as counter-drone systems, layered air defence, anti-tank weapons and persistent surveillance platforms were on the shopping list. The Army’s request for the indigenous Akash-Tarang, an anti-UAV system, was cleared The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting on Friday cleared major capital acquisition proposals worth around `52,000 crore | P9 First meet after big shake-up at the top ■ ■ This was the first DAC meet since a shake-up at the top, with Gen Raja Subramani taking over as Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Dhiraj Seth as Army chief and Admiral Krishna Swaminathan as Navy chief DAC’s “acceptance of necessity” is the first of the procurement steps, which includes tendering, technical evaluation and cost negotiations 2,300 indigenous anti-tank guided missiles, 100 launchers, 5 simulators okayed 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 Govt plans separate law to address AI challenges Ronaldo & Co advance after VAR drama Ramos’ late decider Existing legal framework inadequate to regulate evolving tech: IT secy RA K E S H K U M AR @ New Delhi With policymakers across the globe grappling with the challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), from disinformation to cyber security threats, the government is considering the option of bringing in a separate legislation to regulate AI, IT secretary S Krishnan said on Friday . India’s existing legal framework has managed to address the initial concerns around AI, such as deepfakes and labourrelated issues. However, as the AI technology evolves and new threats emerge, a dedicated regulation or law may be required to deal with them, Krishnan added. “In AI and cybersecurity the , regulations regarding the legal process in India have been adequate in addressing our initial concerns... We addressed these by making new rules under the existing laws. But now we feel that we may need to think more deeply and make additional regulations. We may need to make a new law,” Krishnan said. Without giving a timeframe for the proposed law, he said: “It is a conversation which has commenced... My minister (IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw) and I have both been on record earlier that we will look at AI regulation when the time is right, and it appears that the time is getting right, and we will start looking at it.” meta summoned over child sex abuse vids IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed his ministry to summon Meta officials over Instagram ads promoting child sexual abuse material. According to sources in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the govt has sought an explanation from Meta. The move follows a BBC report on paid Insta ads with the key words “rape video” and “child video”. These advertisements allegedly redirected users to Telegram channels that sell child sexual abuse material. Meanwhile, Meta representatives met MeitY officials on Friday in connection with the government’s earlier notice on the proposed “usernames” feature on WhatsApp The IT secretary, who was speaking on the sidelines of a CII cybersecurity event in Delhi on Friday also acknowledged , the knotty issue of VPN (virtual private network) service providers refusing to register in India and offering services from other countries. “There is a system for VPNs to register, but many do not register in India and offer services from elsewhere. We have to look at both technology solutions and legal solutions to address this issue,” he said. VPN encrypts internet connection and routes it through a remote server to enhance privacy security and access to re, , stricted content. It provides anonymity to users who can bypass government censorship and access sites that are banned in their country . Krishnan said the government has asked Google Play Store and Apple App Store to remove three Chinese apps— BAT-BMS, Lossigy and Epochi-ion—after they were found to have been misused to disable battery-operated vehicles remotely The decision was taken . after viral videos showed erickshaws being rendered inoperable through a remote shutdown feature in the BATBMS app, triggering concerns over cybersecurity risks associated with internet-connected vehicle management systems. “A couple of apps came to our notice. Both have been taken down,” Krishnan said, adding that any other app found to be similarly misused would also be blocked. Today’s matches: Canada vs Morocco 10.30 PM, France vs Paraguay 2.30 AM* (IST Sunday) Earlier, Spain had advanced to last 16 stage with a scintillating 3-0 win over Austria in Los Angeles. Two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and a Pedro Porro header sealed victory for the Spaniards. Switzerland also advanced with a 2-0 win over Algeria At the point of contact, the tech shows a small spike as seen in the image | FIFA Media Tech denies Croatia Portugal were stunned when Josko Gvardiol prodded home an apparent equaliser. Yet VAR chalked off the goal after a chip embedded in the ball detected that it had brushed Croatia striker Igor Matanovic while Mario Pasalic was in an offside position in the build-up Pre-quarters from today The last-16 stage begins today with Canada facing Morocco before France’s tie vs Paraguay 4 China firms get waiver for bids in power infra projects RA K E S H K U M AR @ New Delhi Exemption sought in Jan THE Centre has granted a twoyear exemption to four Chinalinked electrical equipment makers with manufacturing facilities in India, allowing them to participate in government tenders for critical power infrastructure projects. The four companies are TBEA Energy India, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese company TBEA Group; Nanjing Electric India, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese power equipment manufacturer Nanjing Electric; New Northeast Electric India, which has technology transfer ties with Chinese power sector companies; and Taikai Electric (India), a subsidiary of China-headquar- The Ministry of Power had sought the exemption in January to prevent delays in key transmission and power projects. The move is expected to increase competition in procurement across the power, transmission and distribution, renewable energy, industrial automation, and infrastructure sectors over the next two years tered Taikai Group. The exemption has been granted by the finance ministry under the Public Procurement Order (Rule 144(xi) of the General Financial Rules, 2017), which restricts companies from countries sharing a land border with India, including China, from participating in government procurement without prior approval. TNIE has reviewed the copy of the order. Following the 2020 border clashes, Chinese bidders were required to obtain political and security clearances before bidding for public contracts. In May 2026, the finance ministry notified new rules allowing overseas companies with Chinese shareholding of up to 10% to invest in India under the automatic route. With the exemption, these companies will be eligible to bid for public sector contracts involving critical power equipment, particularly high-voltage transformers and gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), where domestic manufacturing capacity remains limited. 4 of marriage party killed as truck rams auto E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Ongole Pre-wedding celebrations turned into a horrific tragedy when a speeding truck rammed into a stationary auto-rickshaw and waiting relatives near Cumbham on the AmaravatiAnantapur National Highway in the early hours of Friday, leaving four persons dead. The deceased were identified as Avula Ankalu (22), his wife Alakananda alias Anjamma (18), Avula Nagesh (18) and Avula Nagalakshmi (4). All the victims hailed from Nallabanda Bazaar in Giddalur. According to the police, the mishap occurred around 1:15 am at the Sri Siddhi Vinayaka Swamy temple junction. The marriage party had travelled from Giddalur with the bride, P4 Avula Veerakka.  CM launches JSW Steel Plant works in Kadapa APTDC invites Expression of Interest for R’konda palace S N a g a r a j a R a o @ Kadapa Scripting a new chapter in the industrial landscape of the drought-prone Rayalaseema region, Chief Minister N Chand r ab abu N a i d u fo r m a l ly launched the ground-level construction works of the `16,350crore JSW Rayalaseema Integrated Steel Plant at Sunnapurallapalle in Jammalamadugu constituency on N ee l i m a E at y @ Visakhapatnam Days after the Cabinet SubCommittee recommended developing the nearly `450-crore Rushikonda Building Complex into an international-standard resort under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) from hospitality operators, hotel chains, resort developers, infrastructure developers and investors for the operation, maintenance and further development of the property along with an adjoin, ing 9 acre land parcel at the foothills. The EOI marks the first formal step towards implementing the committee’s recommendation to develop the Rushikonda complex into a hospitality project while providing public access to parts of the property . According to the Expression of Interest, the project will be taken up in two phases. The first covers the operation and maintenance of the existing Rushikonda Building Complex, along with its commercial operation and scope for P4 further development.  Goncalo Ramos headed Portugal into the lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time before Croatia saw a last-gasp equaliser ruled out for offside in Toronto. Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo had helped haul his team back into the contest, burying a 68thminute penalty to cancel out Croatia’s opener 3 cheers for Spain Friday . F lanked by JSW Group Chairman and Managing Director Sajjan Jindal and Union Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, the Chief Minister also grounded the colocated JSW Neo Energy Solar Captive Power Project. Concurrently, Naidu virtually inaugurated the JSW Industrial Park spanning 1,166 E x p r e s s Rea d AP plans to introduce digital currency for ration distribution Iran in Mourning The coffin of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei carried into the Mosalla Grand Mosque ahead of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on Friday | AP | P11 Vijayawada: The State government is planning to introduce the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) system on a pilot basis in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam later this year to bring greater transparency and accountability to the Public Distribution System (PDS). The advanced technology will help improve delivery of ration while ensuring efficient use of public funds | P4 RSS raps Ayodhya temple donation theft, seeks action against guilty RAJ E S H K U M AR T H A K U R a n d N a m i ta B a j pa i @ New Delhi/Lucknow The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday broke its silence over the sensational donation theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, with general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale observing that the condemnable act had deeply hurt the sentiments of the entire society and demanding stringent punishment for the guilty . Emphasising the need to restore public confidence, Hosabale said the prevailing confusion and uncertainty must come to an end. “In this regard, we expect the temple management and Reverberations in UP The pilferage of donations has already snowballed into a political controversy, particularly in UP, one of the seven states due to hold assembly elections in 2027 the UP government-appointed special investigation team (SIT) to take all necessary initiatives.” He appealed to the Hindu community to exercise patience and restraint, urging them not to allow anti-national forces to exploit the incident. Hosabale said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust should treat the theft as an exceptionally serious matter and take steps to rectify all shortcomings in the temple management. This is crucial to ensure that the faith and reverence of crores of Ram devotees remains unbroken, he said. “We all are extremely pained and angered,” Hosabale said in a video message, recalling that the temple was a symbol of reverence and devotion owing to the sacrifices of generations of Ram devotees. The controversy has already claimed its biggest casualty with Trust general secretary Champat Rai putting in his papers. Hosabale’s statement came days before the RSS’ annual Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak Baithak in Belagavi, Karnataka. CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu with JSW Group CMD Sajjan Jindal at the launch of steel plant works in Kadapa | Express acres in Vizianagaram district, backed by an initial investment of `531 crore from Jindal Group to build plug-and-play manufacturing infrastructure for upcoming industries. The JSW steel facility will be executed in two distinct phases to achieve an ultimate production capacity of 2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by March 2028, collectively creating over 2,700 direct jobs.  P4