tirupati l sunday l august 23, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l anantapur EDITION Hockey World Cup: Men’s team on the brink after loss to dutch Harmanpreet & Co. lose crucial Pool E encounter 1-3 against the Netherlands. They will be out of World Cup unless Argentina beat England below-par outing on Saturday India haven’t won WC medal since 1975 The men’s team endured another frustrating afternoon at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen. In an almost must-win encounter, they began okay but just couldn’t find the forward thrust from open play. The Dutch scored twice after half-time before Harmanpreet reduced the deficit but the ask was too much and the side couldn’t muster a response. ■ ■ India are still searching for their first medal at the World Cup since the 1975 edition. It’s likely that that run will continue. They round off their campaign with a game against Argentina on Monday On Sunday, the women’s team needs a win against Australia to have a chance of advancing to the semifinals SIX no of goals harmanpreet Singh has scored at the world cup 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 Veligonda Phase-I will be inaugurated on Aug 31: CM S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada PM Modi being greeted by BJP president Nitin Nabin | PTI Day after, Raj govt says 611 schools lack own building R a j es h As n a n i @ Jaipur As many as 611 state-run schools in Rajasthan do not have own buildings, 2,047 schools lack toilets for students, and 1,049 do not have drinking water facilities, government data showed, amid a row over the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) inspection of schools in the state. The data was released a day after CJP workers were assaulted during a visit to a school in Jaipur. It came in response to an unstarred question by Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Julie. Of the 611 schools without buildings, 10 are girls’ schools. Jaipur has 38 such schools. Block-wise, Aklera in Jhalawar has the highest number of such schools at 23, followed Dipke by Khanpur booked with 16, and Jhalrapatan Police have and Phalodi registered a w i t h case against 11 each. Cockroach The data Janta Party is based on convenor Abhijeet Dipke 2025-26 UDISE figand others for ures under allegedly the Samaentering a gra Shiksha state-run framework. school in The governMaharashtra’s ment said Latur district arrangewithout ments were permission. being made for drinking water and alternative toilet facilities at schools lacking them. It has earmarked `550 crore for the repair and renovation of schools and another `450 crore for constructing buildings for schools without premises and those operating from dilapidated structures. The government also cited a Finance Department meeting held on March 13 and 14, where a roadmap was prepared to mobilise `2,500 crore annually for the construction, repair and maintenance of school buildings with a total outlay of over `12,500 crore over five years. WITH THIS ISSUE The Fearless Generation PLUS 12 P AGES Rahul Gandhi at his rally in Pune on Saturday | Express Modi’s pep Break the talk to new cage, Rahul core team tells women RAJ E S H KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the newly appointed office-bearers of the BJP’s central team to remain committed to the party’s ideology and the spirit of Nation First, with Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, which is at the core of good governance. In his first interaction with the new team, he shared insights and perspectives on strengthening organisational work and emphasised the importance of maintaining a deep connect with the people, particularly the youth, over the government’s policies and achievements. Modi reportedly advised the team not to be bothered or worried by the ‘surround sound’ outside, but to remain focused on the party’s ideological commitment. Prime Minister Later, in a post on ‘X’, Modi Narendra Modi said: “Organisational meet- shared insights and ings are all about new ideas perspectives to and perspectives aimed at further strengthen the party’s strengthening the party and organisation and deepening connect with the people. Great interaction deepen its connect with people with fellow party colleagues BJP statement and the new team!” Earlier in the day, a meeting of the party’s new core team adopted a resolution condemning the Congress decision to sing just two stanzas of Vande Mataram. Asserting that there would be no compromise on the honour and legacy of the National Song, the party resolved to oppose any attempt by the Congress to subject it to “communal pressure, political appeasement or vote-bank politics”. The BJP is also learnt to have constituted a dedicated team to spearhead its upcoming Gen Z outreach. It is expected to be rolled out shortly . Besides, the party will launch a month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan from September 17 to mark the completion of Modi’s 25 years in public life as the head of government and his dedication to P7 service at every moment.  WOMEN are India’s “biggest strength,” but a stereotypical society rooted in the Manusmriti, , has systematically ensured they are never allowed to be independent, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said here on Saturday . Addressing his party’s youth outreach programme ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ here, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said he would not deliver a political speech but would instead listen to young women’s concerns and ideas. “There is a deliberate plan to ensure women are never independent. No man has any right over women. Even after remarkable success in every field, they are still boxed into a category Rahul ,” said, urging women to “break the cage.” There is a Calling the Manusmriti deliberate plan to ensure that women “the RSS’s draconian book,” he said it worked against should never be women’s independence and independent. You are not bound to progress. “A woman belongs anyone except to herself first, and that is yourself her first identity; then other Rahul Gandhi, roles like sister, daughter, Congress leader wife, and mother come intoplay he said. ,” Citing data, Rahul said 4.5 lakh female foeticides occur every year, 80 per cent of women face harassment in some form, 29 per cent face physical violence, and at least six per cent are rape victims. He added that half of India’s women reject work opportunities over safety concerns, 60 per cent cannot step out alone, and girls’ education drops 45 per cent due to early marriage and domestic work. Only eight per cent of women own property, he said. The data presented by the Congress leader could not be independently verified by this paper. Rahul later interacted with students and working women, who spoke about education, career choices and workplace conduct. Marking the end of a threedecade wait for the droughtprone regions of Prakasam, Markapuram, Nellore and Kadapa districts, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced that Phase-I of the Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project will be officially commissioned on August 31, 2026. At a programme held at his Camp Office on Saturday, the Chief Minister handed over the third-tranche rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) compensation cheque for `250 crore to 2,027 displaced families. This brings the total R&R compensation disbursed by the NDA government to `768 crore across 6,206 affected families in just 48 days. The breakdown includes `318 crore released to 2,557 families in Phase 1, `200 crore to 1,622 families in Phase 2, and `250 crore to 2,027 families in Phase 3, leaving only `132 crore in remaining dues that the State has committed to clearing swiftly . Phase-I of the project will immediately draw floodwaters from the foreshore of the Sri- Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu hand overs a cheque for `250 crore to the Veligonda Project displaced families at his Camp Office on Saturday | Express sailam Reservoir near Kollam Vagu through twin 18.8-km tunnels drilled across the Nallamala Hills into the Nallamala Sagar reservoir. This initial phase will supply drinking water to nearly 4 lakh people and irrigate 1.19 lakh acres. Over the last two years alone, the State government has pumped `2,250 crore into accelerating civil and tunnel works to ensure the project deadline is met. Addressing the displaced families, Naidu reflected on his personal link to the project, noting that he laid its original foundation stone in 1996 following appeals from local farmers. He added that fulfilling a Govt releases Job Calendar to fill 10,060 posts Y B r a h m a j i @ Vijayawada house of cards Rescue operations underway after a multi-storey under-construction building collapsed in Hyderabad on Saturday, killing at least two persons | PTI BRICS meeting highlights youth’s SC overturns NGT order role in sustainable development against Art of Living directs refund of `5 cr fine E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Saturday set aside a 2017 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) holding Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation responsible for the damage caused to the Yamuna floodplain following its World Culture Festival held here in 2016. The court then directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to refund the `5 crore environmental compensation deposited by the foundation. A bench of justices Satish Chandra Shar ma and N K Singh passed the order on an appeal filed by Vyakti Vikas Kendra India (VVKI), the Indian organisation associated with AoL Foundation, founded by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It is to be noted that the foundation is the broader international organisation, while VVKI is a separate Indian entity linked to it. The NGT had ruled on Dec 7, 2017 that the `5 crore interim compensation paid by the foundation would be used by @ Visakhapatnam Event on floodplain The event in question, World Cultural Festival, was held from March 11 to 13, 2016. The event was organised on the active floodplain of the Yamuna river in Delhi, over an area comprising 25 hectares upstream of the DND flyway DDA for restoration and excess cost, if any would be recovered , from it. It had also held DDA guilty of contributory negligence. The top court said NGT’s finding was based on an expert committee report prepared in “violation of natural justice” without giving AoL a chance to submit evidence. The Shashi Shekhar committee’s estimate — `42.02 crore first, then `13.29 crore — was arbitrary with no conclusive proof that floodplain was “completely destroyed”, the bench said. The court further said that the event was held after necessary and due permission from all authorities. The BRICS Youth Ministers’ Meeting concluded in Visakhapatnam on Saturday with the adoption of a Joint Statement outlining areas for greater cooperation in youth development, education, skills, entrepreneurship, innovation, sports and social participation among member countries. The meeting, organised by the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, was chaired by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya, in the presence of Minister of State Raksha Nikhil Khadse and Youth Affairs Secretary Sunil Paliwal. It followed the project originally envisioned during the tenure of former Chief Minister NT Rama Rao g ave him dee p personal satisfaction. Highlighting statewide water management challenges— including a 50 per cent rainfall deficit this season caused by El Niño conditions—Naidu stressed the critical need for re gional water security through a macro-water plan, which includes completing the Polavaram Project to stabilise the Krishna Delta, conserving Srisailam storage for Rayalaseema, and pressing the Centre at the Southern Zonal Council meeting for the proposed Ganga-Godavari-CauP4 very linking initiative.  CM Chandrababu Naidu felicitates Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at BRICS Youth Ministers’ Meeting | Express BRICS Youth Summit and BRICS Youth Council Meeting held in Gandhinagar on August 19 and 20. Addressing delegates, Man- daviya highlighted India’s vision for 2047 and the need to develop young leaders to contribute to the country’s development. He pointed to the MY Bharat platform as a mechanism for volunteering, learning, leadership and civic engagement, noting that more than 25 million youth had registered on it. He stressed the need to treat young people as partners in shaping the future rather than merely beneficiaries of government programmes. The discussions focused on creating oppor tunities for youth participation in decision-making, strengthening youth-led initiatives, promoting entrepreneurship, and expanding P4 cross-border exchanges.  Bringing good news to job aspirants, the Andhra Pradesh government released Job Calendar 2026 on Saturday to fill 10,060 vacant posts in various departments through direct recruitment. The Job Calendar marks a significant step by the NDA government towards fulfilling one of its key election commitments of providing a structured recruitment roadmap for unemployed youth. The government has decided to conduct recruitment in four phases with notifications for all identified vacancies scheduled to be issued this year. The move is expected to provide much-needed clarity to thousands of aspirants who have been waiting for government recruitment notifications. The Finance Department issued GO Ms No. 81, granting permission to recruiting agencies, including the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), Andhra Pradesh State Level Police Recruitment Board (APSLPRB) and District Selection Committee (DSC) to fill the identified vacancies. Of the total 10,060 posts, 1,523 under Phase-I were already notified by the Higher Education Department on May 15, 2026. The remaining 8,537 posts will be notified in the subsequent phases. As per the calendar, 3,231 posts under Phase-II are scheduled for notification on September 15, while 2,311 posts under Phase-III and 2,995 posts under Phase-IV will be notified on OcP4 tober 15.  express read CISF to withdraw from VSP by Nov 17 Visakhapatnam: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has accorded approval for the withdrawal of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) from Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), with the process scheduled to be completed by November 17. The approval covers the entire CISF deployment at the steel plant, including both its Security Wing and Fire Wing | P3 Lokesh unveils ‘She Play’ policy for girls Visakhapatnam: The State government is bringing in a special ‘She Play’ policy to encourage greater participation of women in sports and provide more opportunities for girls at the school level, HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh announced on Saturday. “The government would focus on improving sports infrastructure in schools and creating more opportunities for girls,” the HRD Minister said | P4