COIMBATORE l Thursday l July 23, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION after major legal victory, lalit Modi plans India visit Relief from Appellate Tribunal Former IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, who has been living away from the country for over 15 years, 'wants to move on in my life' after relief 'I have fought for 16 years' Tribunal sets aside penalties imposed by ED over long-running case with respect to SAFEMA ACT over conducting IPL in South Africa in 2009. It held that the foreign remittances in question were current account transactions and did not require prior RBI approval. It also ruled that Lalit Modi was not responsible for ensuring the BCCI's compliance with FEMA ■ ■ Post the ruling, Lalit Modi said: "Sixteen years I have fought and whatever I have been saying to the media and to everybody has finally emerged as the truth." On social media, the 52-year-old added: "I'm going to move on in my life and I'm looking forward to coming back to India.” 2010 lalit Modi moved to london after BCCI suspended him in 2010 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 Rice prices in TN up by `15/kg due to supply crunch As fresh groups of protesters pour into Jantar Mantar, Lok Sabha Speaker asks Parliamentary Affairs minister to issue a statement following repeated House disruptions, urges Opposition to engage in debate instead of ruckus d ay ' s d e v e l o p m e n t s 1 CJP made it clear that it will hold talks with the Centre only at or near Jantar Mantar bouring states, sources said. For instance, Rajesh R (39), who runs a rice shop in TiruRice prices in Tamil Nadu vottiyur, told TNIE that prichave experienced a sharp up- es of several varieties of ward surge over the past few low-g rade rice have inweeks, climbing by `5 to `15 creased by `10 to `15 per kg per kg. This sudden over the past month. spike is primarily “Most of the indriven by shortage of crease has been in supply of fine-quality boiled rice varieties paddy varieties, most such as Deluxe rice notably Bapatla Ponand RNR rice. Earlini and Kar nataka er, these varieties Ponni, from Andhra were sold at `1,100 to Pradesh, Telangana Ponni rice `1,250 per 25-kg bag, and Karnataka. bears brunt but the price has now While traders atgone up to around Price spike is tribute the hike to re- primarily driven `1,500 (20% jump). In duced cultivation, by shortage of contrast, premium poor irrigation, ex- supply of fine- varieties such as port demand and low- quality paddy HMT, Kollam and er arrivals, farmers varieties, most Amman Sona have so demanded measures far not witnessed a notably to boost local cultiva- Bapatla Ponni significant increase. tion of fine-quality and Karnataka The retail price of paddy varieties to caboiled rice, which Ponni, from ter to the needs of Andhra Pradesh, earlier star ted at p e o p l e i n T a m i l Telangana and around `50 per kg, Nadu. now starts at `60,” he Karnataka Most of the paddy said. procured in delta disRajesh said they tricts by the Tamil Nadu Civil usually procure rice from Supplies Corporation (TNC- wholesalers in Red Hills, SC) for Food Corporation of where stocks arrive from India (FCI) are meant for ra- Andhra Pradesh and Karnation supply For open market taka. However, lower crop . sales, the traders depend on yields in these states have afpaddy and rice from neigh- fected supply  . P7 2 Delhi HC sought views of Centre and Delhi Police on using force on protesters 3 Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike if Centre assures no action against youth 4 Delhi Police is using facial recognition system to identify suspects at the protest site 5 A total of 17 metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk were shut citing security issues 6 Centre has shifted 20 additional CRPF companies from West Bengal to Delhi amid protests D Vincent Arockiaraj @ Tiruchy E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Cockroach Janta Party supporters during the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday | Parveen negi p r eet h a n a i r @ New Delhi AS Parliament remained paralysed for the third consecutive day over the NEET controversy , the government on Wednesday said it is prepared for a detailed discussion in the Lok Sabha, even as the Opposition refused to relent unless Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. As proceedings in the Lower House were disrupted as soon as it reassembled at noon following an earlier adjournment, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to issue a statement. However, Congress leader K C Venugopal intervened to reiterate the Opposition’s demand for Pradhan’s resignation. “Our demand is simple. When the entire nation is feeling the pain of our students, all other business of the House should be set aside and this Anurag Jain appointed new NITI Aayog CEO Chennai: TVK govt has renamed the CM’s Breakfast Scheme as Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme and allocated `217.63 crore to extend it to class 6-8 students in govt and aided schools. The expanded scheme will be rolled out on Periyar’s birth anniversary, September 17 | P4 New Delhi: 1980-batch IAS officer Anurag Jain has been appointed as the CEO of NITI Aayog. Nidhi Chhibber, Director General of NITI Aayog’s Development Monitoring & Evaluation Office, is currently holding the post after former CEO B V R Subramaniyam’s tenure expired in February Terror attack Policeman on Amarnath Yatra duty shot dead F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar In the first terrorist attack in Kashmir since last year’s Pahalgam massacre, a policeman posted on Amarnath Yatra security duty was shot dead in Anantnag on Wednesday . The police said a gunman fired from close range at head constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi in the Lal Chowk area of Anantnag around 12.30 pm. Qureshi was shot from behind. He was rushed to the Government Medical College, Anantna g, where doctors deAshiq Hussain Qureshi clared him brought | Zahoor Punajabi dead. The Resistance Front (TRF), an off-shoot of Lashkar-e-Toiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Soon after the attack, the security forces launched a massive anti-terror crackdown across the Valley detaining over , 2,000 suspected overground workers. The attack was caught on CCTV. In the video grab, a gunman wearing a black cap is purportedly seen firing on a policeman. A major manhunt is on to locate the attacker. Spotlight on Commonwealth Games Pared-back edition of quadrennial international multisport event to begin with Opening on Thursday Weightlifting, a medal-rich discipline for the country, could be the main source for gold this time thanks to the likes of Mirabai Chanu, India’s flag-bearer for the Opening Ceremony. In athletics, Neeraj Chopra is bound to grab eyeballs Passing the baton to India India will receive Games’ flag during the Closing Ceremony as they are the next hosts in 2030 (Ahmedabad). Prime Minister Narendra Modi may attend Closing Ceremony India’s strength No. of athletes 78 men Rahul: 152 exam paper leaks, no convictions Youth used as tools by vested interests: Singh Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the government of destroying India’s education system saying that there was not one conviction though 152 cases of paper leak happened in past 10 years. Gandhi said the education system is not only rigged, but also unaffordable Addressing the ongoing student protests, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said, “It is extremely unfortunate that some people are attempting to use the students and youth of our country as political tools to serve their own political interests” burning issue should be top priority for Parliament,” Venugopal said. Referring to the alleged police action against the protesting students on Monday, Venugopal said their demand is that Pradhan should resign first. After the minister’s resignation, the issue can be discussed through an ad- 48 women Dates: July 23 to August 2 | 10 Sports, 6 para sports in 4 venues | 215 medal events journment motion, he said. In his response, Rijiju said the government is willing to debate the NEET paper leak issue in detail. He said the Speaker would hold consultations with floor leaders of political parties to decide the rule under which the discussion would take place, along with its date and duration. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed displeasure that while BJP and Congress members were allowed to speak, he was not given an opportunity . He maintained that when the interests of youth and students are affected, the Opposition is justified in taking the protest to the streets as well. “This is not an issue of Congress, SP BJP , ... this is an issue of students, youths. The way the government has behaved... students were thrashed. We were compelled to hold a protest outside the PM’s residence. Why can’t the PM give a statement in the House when he can make statements outside?” he asked. Addressing the House, Birla said he had heard the views of all sides and noted the government’s willingness to discuss the issue with an open mind. He urged Opposition members to participate in a debate instead of disrupting proceedings. TVK president and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday condemned the arrest of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders during the protests in Delhi against NEET irregularities and demanded the scrapping of the exam. Expressing solidarity with the opposition’s protest in Parliament, the CM said that if exams like NEET are to be abolished, education must first be moved to the State List of the Constitution. “That alone can be the only permanent solution. If there are any legal procedural complexities in doing so, as an interim solution, a Special Concurrent List should be created,” he said in a statement posted on X. “By doing C Joseph Vijay so, it must be ensured that states get full powers over matters related to education including medical education,” the CM said. “The NEET examination system has severely affected not only students but also their families. Our party’s uncompromising stand is that NEET should be abolished,” he said, and added that TVK would not make “false promises” on the issue merely for electoral gains. Meanwhile, school education minister A Rajmohan, when asked about the arrest of the protesting students in TN, said that the protesters had staged a road blockade without prior permission, disrupting traffic. “They were removed only to regulate traffic,” he said.  P7 Trump threatens 200% tariff on generic drugs P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi Nation’s eyes on weightlifting & athletics 13 disciplines A volunteer sits on the bonnet of a Delhi Police vehicle trying to make way through a crowd of protesters near Parliament Street on Wednesday | pTI Govt offers NEET talk in LS, Oppn says sack education minister first express read TN renames breakfast scheme after Kamaraj Cancel NEET, create ‘special concurrent list’, says CM US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to impose tariffs of up to 200% on generic pharmaceutical imports unless manufacturers shift production of those drugs to the US. Under the proposed pharmaceutical tariff regime, generic drug exporters worldwide have been given two years to shift production to the US, failing which a 100% tariff will be imposed from August 2028 and 200% from August 2029. “Effective August 1, 2026, all Generic Drugs being brought into the United States will continue to have a tariff of zero percent for a two-year period, after which the tariff will be raised to 100% for a one-year period, and 200% thereafter. This is done in order to re-shore Generic Pharmaceutical Production into America, with a penalty to those Companies that decide not to build Plant and Equipment within the stated period of time given to them,” Trump said in a social media post. In September last year, the Trump administration had announced plans to impose a 100% tariff on imported branded and patented medicines. However, the proposal was later revised. In April this year, the Trump administration announced tariffs of up to 100% on specified branded medicines and key pharmaceutical ingredients under the Section 232 national security framework, while exempting generic medicines. Trump’s latest announcement, aimed at boosting domestic manuf acturing, has raised concerns among In- dian drug manufacturers, which are among the largest exporters of generic medicines to the US market. In its initial response to the development, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance said tariffs alone will not help build a sustainable generic drug manufacturing base in the US. According to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories’ CEO Erez Israeli, the move will increase drug prices in the US and it is not practical to move operations there. India exported pharmaceuticals worth $25.8 billion in 2025, of which drugs worth $9.7 billion were shipped to the US. Peace along LAC a pre-requisite for Vijay’s final act sparks box office frenzy normal relations, India tells China Jana nayagan rules S u b a s h i n i V i j aya k u m a r & P r a b h a k a r Ta m i l a r a s u @ Chennai Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s Jana Nayagan was meant to be his last act before the transition from cinema to politics. Instead, after months of delay, the megastar’s 69th and final film is arriving as a cinematic celebration of a man who has already conquered the ballot box. After delays in obtaining certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which pushed its release date, originally slated for January 9, and an online leak of the film, Jana Nayagan will be released in around 1,000 screens across Tamil Nadu on Thursday . Tickets sold out within minutes of bookings opening on online platforms, with several theatres opening reservations in the wee hours. While Vijay now helms the state, one familiar feature of his film releases appears unchanged, at least in Chennai: black-market ticket sales. Several fans took to X to allege that some theatres were selling tickets for `500 to `800, while blackmarket prices ranged from `1,000 to `2,000. Many also alleged that several theatres released only a limited number of tickets online and sold the rest on the black market. While advance sales have crossed the `15-crore mark domestically, trade analysts project a massive Day 1 collection of `50-`60 crore across India.  P7 J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains the “pre-requisite” for normal India-China ties, even as he called for addressing long-standing concerns over market access, trade imbalance and supply chain predictability . The meeting, held on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, came as New Delhi and Beijing contin- S Jaishankar meets Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Manila, Philippines | PTI ue efforts to stabilise bilateral relations following the prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Reviewing the trajectory of ties since the October 2024 meeting between Prime Minis- ter Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Jaishankar said relations had been “gradually normalising”. “Peace and tranquility in the border areas is obviously the pre-requisite for normal ties. Since October 2024, both sides have engaged to ensure that this important objective is met. This will continue to need our constant attention,” he said. He said important economic issues still needed attention. “Fair market access and a trade balance rank high in that regard. There are also concerns about predictability of supply chains,” Jaishankar said.