tadepalligudem l friday l august 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION women continue to hold far fewer top management roles Latest data submitted in Parliament shows that women held only 17.2% of senior management positions in corporate India in 2025-26 | P10 AI generated images 9 women ceos in india’s 500 listed firms Of the 252,103 senior management roles recorded that financial year, women held 43,331 positions (17.2%), while men accounted for the remaining 208,772, government data presented in Parliament showed. There were only nine women chief executive officers (CEOs) leading the country’s top 500 listed firms, as per the Ministry of Corporate Affairs data ■ Last 3 women hold only 29% of director posts ■ On company boards, the disparity was similarly stark. Women held 10,36,694 director posts against 25,09,619 director positions held by men, which is about 29% of the total as of June 30, 2026 However, women in senior management rose from 34,879 in 2022-23 to 43,331 in 2025-26, a jump of 24%, outpacing the 12% rise in men financial years were taken into account to compile the data 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 Badal survives Naidu inaugurates ‘Primary ‘kirpan’ attack Gateway’ to Capital Region Man in ‘Nihang’ attire stabs him in Nanded S UDHIR S URYAWAN S HI & HARPREET B A J WA @ Mumbai / Chandigarh Shiromani Akali Dal president and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was on Thursday attacked with a kirpan (ceremonial dagger) inside Mata Sahib Gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra. Badal was injured and rushed to hospital, where he received three stitches on his right hand. His condition is stable. The attacker, identified as Jaspal Singh, was arrested. Police said Singh, around 60 years old, was working as a sewadar (volunteer) at the gurdwara. The motive of the attack was not fully clear. According to police sources, the attack took place when Badal, accompanied by his spouse Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, was walking down the stairs after offering prayers at the gurdwara. Taking advantage of the rush at the gurdwara, Singh, who was in ‘Nihang’ attire, tried to stab Badal in the stomach. Police officer Santosh Kendre, who was part of Badal’s special protection unit, quickly intervened and confronted the attacker. During the physical skirmish, Kendre was injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with Harsimrat Kaur to enquire about Badal’s health. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a detailed investigation into the incident. “During preliminary questioning, he referred to the drug menace in Punjab but his exact reasons for attacking Badal were yet to be ascertained. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is also conducting a probe into the matter,” said Nanded SP Neelabh Rohan. Badal has Z-plus security cover. On December 4, 2024, he survived an assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar when a former Khalistan militant fired shots. S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada Marking a major milestone in establishing high-speed and seamless connectivity to the State Capital Amaravati, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu formally inaugurated Phase-2 of the E-3 Seed Access Road alongside two newly constructed steel bridges at Undavalli on Thursday . Describing the project as the “Royal Road” and primary gateway to the capital region, the Chief Minister stated that the operationalisation of this 9-lane arterial corridor represents the first concrete step toward building a world-class urban centre designed to anchor the economic future of the State. Accompanied by Municipal Administration and Urban De- velopment Minister P Narayana and Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar, Naidu unveiled the inauguration plaque at Undavalli before walking across the new steel bridges to inspect the infrastructure firsthand and address a large public gathering. Constructed by the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) at an estimated cost of `1,519 crore, the 21.77-km E-3 Seed Access Corridor spans from Dondapadu to NH-16 near Manipal Hospital in Tadepalli, passing through Rayapudi, Venkatapalem, Penumaka and Undavalli. Built as a 60-metre-wide gridbased transit backbone modelled on the structured access roads of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, the corridor directly connects all N-series roads (N1 to N17) in the capital layout. While the 14.35-km Phase-1 stretch was completed previously the newly opened 3.92-km , Phase-2 incorporates two major steel engineering structures—a 110-metre bridge over the Buckingham Canal and a 280-metre bridge spanning Kondaveeti Vagu and the Guntur Channel—built at a comP4 bined cost of `82 crore. E x p r e s s Re a d Dope test must for Air India pilots New Delhi: In light of the positive dope test result for the captain of an Air India flight, the airline has begun mandatory screening of all its cockpit crew to ensure they have not consumed any substances or medications that violate regulations. The move aims to safeguard passenger safety. Fresh web options for MBBS to stay Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday refused to stay the implementation of Government Order (GO) 102, issued by the Medical and Health Department, allowing students to exercise web options before every round of counselling for MBBS and BDS admissions | P4 All noise, no work Stormy Parl session ends with poor productivity PREETHA NAIR @ New Delhi one of the most tumultuous and unproductive sessions in recent parliamentary history drew to a close on Thursday with both Houses adjourned , sine die after weeks of disruptions, protests and acrimony In the finale, Prime Minister Naren. dra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the Lok Sabha for the first time during the session, as the House met only briefly before being adjourned. As soon as the Lok Sabha convened for the day on Thursday all six stanzas of the national song , Vande Mataram were played in the presence of Modi and Shah. Speaker Om Birla then adjourned the House sine die, bringing the curtains down on a session that was largely washed out by a prolonged confrontation between the government and the Opposition over the student agitation, alleged police action against protesters, and demands for accountability from the Union home minister. Significantly Birla did not deliver the custom, ary valedictory address in which the Speaker usually highlights the House’s performance and productivity during the session. According to data from PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha recorded one of its lowest productivity levels in two decades, with only two sessions since 2004 witnessing less functioning. Question Hour could not be completed even once during the session amid protests. Amid the protests, as many as 12 Bills were passed by the Lok Sabha, including two that had earlier been cleared by the Rajya Sabha. Of these, only two saw a debate, while the remaining Bills were passed without discussion. The best and worst The bill to amend antipaper leaks law saw elaborate discussion lasting 10 hours. But only two MPs spoke during the debate on the Vande Mataram bill Centre’s climbdown The govt had to retreat on some of its legislative plans. The biggest climbdown came on the contentious FCRA bill, which was referred to JPC