Five dead, dozens missing in Indonesia ferry fire THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l monday l august 03, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Govt launches 100-wk drive against drugs PM exhorts youth to take pledge against drug abuse for ‘Viksit Bharat’ R a j e s h k u m a r t h a k u r @ New Delhi Long after probe, 158 exam cases await trial M u k e s h R a n j a n @ New Delhi At least 158 cases linked to alleged irregularities in recruitment and entrance examinations are awaiting trial in various courts despite the completion of the CBI probe, sources said, adding that some of the cases have been pending for more than two decades. The CBI has now decided to approach high courts, requesting that these longpending cases be shifted to the new Special Fast-Track Courts being established under the newly passed anti-paper leak law. Delhi accounts for nearly 25 such cases, some dating back to 2000, in which investigations have been completed, but trials are yet to begin. These include alleged irregularities in the AIIMS PG entrance exam(201011), the Delhi University Medical and Dental Entrance Examination (2011), and Common Admission Test (2004). Bihar has five pending cases, including three linked to the alleged NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, besides two cases relating to the Pre-Medical Test exams of 2003 and 2011, sources said. Other states with significant pendency include Jharkhand and Karnataka with five cases each, Maharashtra with three, Rajasthan with eight, TN with 14 and Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal with 10 cases each. PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the country’s youth to take a pledge against substance abuse, saying drugs can give them a “high” for some time, but would make their entire career and personal life “low”. Launching the ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’,a 100-week campaign against drugs, Modi said that youngsters must be protected from the grip of addiction as the nation marches towards the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. “When the country has set the goal of building a developed India, it is essential that the youth stay away from harmful addictions to remain physically and mentally healthy and full of selfconfidence,” Modi said. Speaking after virtually launching the nationwide campaign, he called for open communication within families to prevent young members from falling into the vicious cycle of addiction, and assured the youth that the government stands firmly with them in this battle. He highlighted unprecedented nationwide crackdowns, massive seizures of narcotics worth thousands of crores, and a sharp rise in arrests of drug dealers and smugglers. He urged families to seek timely medical help without worrying about stigma and highlighted the role of societal support, yoga, meditation and rehabilitation centres. He appealed to college and university professors to discuss perils of drug abuse alongside regular coursework and help build a strong antiaddiction movement on campuses. Outlining the campaign’s roadmap, Modi said every Sunday for the next 100 weeks would feature dedicated activities centred on art, culture, sports and meditation. “The coming 100 Sundays will become 100 strong steps in the direction of a drug-free India,” he said. STATE ON ALERT AS RAIN MISERY CONTINUES; TOLL CLIMBS TO 11 V a r s h a S o m a r a j @ Kochi The state had a respite from heavy rain for most of Sunday, but the downpour intensified in several places at night, with authorities urging people to remain vigilant. Over the past two days, the death toll in rain-related incidents has been rising, amid widespread damage and flooding. As many as 11 people have lost their lives so far, while six people were reported missing. Barring Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, all districts remained under orange alert overnight. Authorities issued a likely flash flood warning for Pathanamthitta district as the Pampa was expected to witness severe flooding following heavy rain. Cautionary announcements were issued for people living along the banks of the Pampa and the Kakkad tributary . As of Sunday evening, 273 relief camps are operational in the state, sheltering 7,674 people. A total of 30 houses have been destroyed and 293 partially damaged in the landslides and flooding that wreaked havoc on the state on Friday night and Saturday. In places where floodwater receded, residents began cleaning homes and shops, though thick deposits of mud and silt posed a tough challenge. On Sunday the bodies of two fish, ermen who went missing after their Rescue workers evacuate residents from houses flooded by the overflowing Poonoor river at Anakkayam, Moozhikkal, in Kozhikode on Sunday | Vincent Pulickal boats capsized in two separate incidents in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, were retrieved from the sea. The body of Friemon, 28, of Anchuthengu, who went missing off Muthalapozhi harbour, was retrieved from Kannanthura, 20km away An. tony 63, of Kottukal, whose boat sank , off Vizhinjam harbour on Friday was , recovered from Adimalathura. Search is still on to trace Shijin, another fisherman who went missing in the boat capsize off Muthalapozhi. In another incident, Bhanupriya, 40, a native of Coimbatore in TN, died after falling into Palakkuzhi waterfalls near Kizhakkenchery in Palakkad on Sunday She was part of a . five-member team that visited the wa● More on P4 terfalls.  Rain fury 11 deaths in rain-related incidents; 6 missing No of relief camps : 273 No of people in relief camps: 7,674 No of camps in dists: Pathanamthitta (75), Alappuzha (14), Kottayam (64), Idukki (13), Ernakulam (7), Thrissur (6), Kozhikode (36), Wayanad (28), Kannur (18) and Kasaragod (6). YELLOW ALERT: The IMD has issued yellow alert for all districts on Monday Houses fully damaged: 30 Houses partially damaged: 293 CWG 2030 Over to Amdavad after Glasgow show E x pr e s s n e w s s e rv i c e @ Chennai OVER the past 10 months, Amdavad has quietly been witness to a lot of sporting complexes come up. It has also hosted a wide variety of international events to show to the sporting world that its doors are open. Sometime between now and 2030, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will announce the host city for the 2036 Games. But in 2030, Amdavad will be decked up as it welcomes the athletes and other non-playing staff from over 70 countries and territories for the next edition of the Com- CS president Donald Rukare with Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi | pti monwealth Games. That wait ended on Sunday night in Glasgow as the Closing Ceremony saw Scotland handing over the CWG flag and host baton to India. Dignitaries including Gu- jarat’s deputy chief minister, Harsh Sanghavi, were present. If the 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was truncated, the 23rd edition could possibly be its biggest and grandest in terms of scale, number of athletes and ambition. The staging of the Games will be seen as a spectacle, further proof that India is capable of putting together a grand showpiece. With the city’s Olympicsized plans, governments at all levels as well as bureaucrats will want to leave no stone unturned to ensure there are no scandals or controversies like in 2010. Fourth place for India Despite many key sports like wrestling & shooting missing, the athletes beat expectations as India finished fourth with 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver, nine bronze). Of the 13, women won eight gold medals, a praiseworthy achievement. An Indonesian ferry carrying 271 people caught fire in waters off the main island of Java on Sunday, killing at least five people and leaving dozens missing, officials said. Rescuers and passing vessels evacuated hundreds from the burning ship The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was travelling from Indonesia’s second-largest city of Surabaya in East Java to the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, with 232 passengers and 39 crew members, when the fire broke out  P9 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 ■ ■