tadepalligudem l monday l august 24, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Spurt in swine flu cases not due to new strain, says ICMR Delhi govt issues health advisory The clarification comes amid an increase in swine flu cases in Delhi and other parts of the country. The Delhi government has issued a health advisory urging people to follow respiratory hygiene, avoid crowded places and seek timely medical advice. The national capital has recorded over 2,300 Influenza-A cases this year, including over 1,777 H1N1 cases till Friday No new strain of H1N1 has been identified and there is no cause for panic, sources at the Indian Council of Medical Research said on Sunday ■ 114 Current vaccines offer good protection ■ The strains currently circulating are “well matched with the vaccine strains recommended for the Northern Hemisphere”, ICMR sources said Seasonal influenza, including H1N1, is mostly self-limiting. However, young children, elderly persons and individuals with underlying medical conditions may be at greater risk of complications H1N1 cases reported in Delhi on Aug 20, one of the highest in a single day 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 Doval heads to Beijing ahead of Xi’s India visit NSA to reach China on Monday to take part in crucial border talks JAYANTH JACO B @ New Delhi National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is set to travel to Beijing on Monday and Tuesday for the 25th round of talks between India and China’s Special Representatives on the boundary question, ahead of a possible visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to New Delhi next month for the BRICS summit and bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines. Doval, India’s Special Representative for the boundary negotiations, is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart, Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on Tuesday. Beyond the long-running border issue the talks are expected to take stock of the broader bilateral relationship, the efforts by both sides to stabilise ties and the likely visit of Xi to India next month. The timing is significant. Doval’s Beijing visit express read H185.75 cr AYUSH allocation for AP Vijayawada: In a major boost to traditional and alternative medicine, the Union Ministry of AYUSH has approved Andhra Pradesh’s State Annual Action Plan (SAAP) for 2026–27 with a record allocation of `185.75 cr | P3 AP clears way for 2 more data centres Visakhapatnam: The AP government has approved the allotment of land and tailor-made incentives for two major data centre projects in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli with a total investment of `1.44 lakh crore & 1,486 MW capacity. 1,618 acres allotted for afforestation Visakhapatnam: The State government has permitted the use of 1,618.265 acres of sea-accreted land in Konaseema district for compensatory afforestation linked to the proposed major beach sand mineral (BSM) mining project | P4 Boundary question Doval’s meetings with Wang will help advance dialogue on the unresolved boundary question and create the political space for a broader reset ahead of the BRICS summit. Both countries have set in motion a series of measures to rebuild trust, which includes improving connectivity, people to people ties and other measures comes just weeks before India hosts the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. While Beijing and New Delhi have not officially confirmed Xi’s participation, officials are hopeful that the Chinese president will at t e n d t h e m e e t , which will provide an opportunity for a bilateral meeting with Modi, possibly on the day of Xi’s arrival for the BRICS summit itself. This would be Xi’s first trip to India in seven years and would carry considerable diplomatic weight following years of strained ties after the 2020 military confrontation in eastern Ladakh and amidst efforts to normalise and stabilise the relationship between the two neighbours. The Special Representatives’ mechanism was established in 2003 to pursue a political framework for resolving the boundary dispute along the approximately 3,488-km India-China border. Several rounds of talks have yet to produce a final settlement, but the mechanism remains an important channel for managing one of the most sensitive aspects of the relationship. The discussions are particularly relevant as both countries seek to consolidate the easing of tensions along the Line of Actual Control and restore broader engagement. Progress on the border, however, remains central to any sustained improvement in ties. transport tenders ED arrests Karumuri in liquor scam case P h a n i n d r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada In a major development in the sensational alleged multi-crore liquor transportation scam during the previous YSRCP regime, Enforcement Directorate officials arrested former minister Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao in Hyderabad on Sunday . Nageswara Rao was taken into custody from Kondapur in Hyderabad as part of the ED money-laundering investigation into alleged manipulation of Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) transport tenders. The arrest comes days after the Supreme Court dismissed Nageswara Rao’s anticipatory bail plea. The Telangana High Court had earlier rejected his plea on July 3. The case is being investigated separately under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and stems from an Andhra Pradesh CID FIR based on a vigilance report. The ED alleges that the liquor transportation tender process was manipulated to favour certain entities, and proceeds were diverted through subcontracting arrangements. It was alleged that contracts were facilitated for Sri Sudarsana Constructions, and illegal commissions of up to `28 crore were involved. The ED had estimated the loss to the government exchequer at `195.33 crore due to the liquor transportation scam. It was alleged that 96 per cent of revenue generated through liquor transportation was diverted to syndicate accounts, while 4 per cent was routed as commissions to Sigma. `37.7 crore assets attached The ED had provisionally attached assets worth `37.7 crore linked to Nageswara Rao, his son Sunil Kumar and others in the liquor case Congress smells special session plot Smriti’s poser to Rahul p r ee t h a n a i r @ New Delhi THE delay in the formal closure of Parliament’s Monsoon Session set off fresh speculation on Sunday that the government may be keeping the door open for a special sitting to push through the Constitution amendment linked to delimitation and women’s reservation bill. The Congress pointed out that though the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die on August 13, the Presidential notification proroguing the two Houses has not been issued yet. Questioning the 10-day delay Congress general secretary , Jairam Ramesh said that pro- Former Union minister and BJP’s national general secretary Smriti Irani on Sunday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to back his recent statements with action. She asked if Rahul Gandhi could translate his support for women by backing the implementation of the women’s reservation Bill rogation ordinarily follows within two to four days of a House being adjourned sine die. In several instances, he said, the formal termination of a session has come on the day of adjournment itself. “What explains the abnormal delay now? Is the Union Home Minister still in search JeM’s Bahawalpur HQ, destroyed in Op-Sindoor, rebuilt after 15 months m u k e s h r a n j a n @ New Delhi THE Jaish-e-Mohammed’s key base, Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, has been substantially rebuilt 15 months after it was destroyed in India’s Operation Sindoor, intelligence sources here said on Sunday . The sources said the Pakistan government, allegedly with ISI assistance, provided Rs 25 crore in instalments for reconstructing the JeM facility of which around Rs 11 crore , was spent for restoring the central hall. “The renovated hall has undergone major refurbishment. Walls have been freshly plastered and painted, new marble flooring installed, and the premises thoroughly cleaned. The restoration suggests the facility is again being prepared for regular activity,” a source said. Institutional support The reconstruction at Bahawalpur has renewed concerns in India over the restoration of terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan despite the military action carried out during Operation Sindoor. Intelligence officials view this as institutional support for JeM According to intelligence officials, signs of reconstruction emerged in early 2026, when heavy machinery bricks, steel , and other material were reportedly moved to the site. Work progressed rapidly, and by later in the year the complex had regained the look of an operational facility . Also known as the Jamia Subhan Allah complex, the site lies along Pakistan’s N-5 It may be recalled that the ED had already arrested Nageswara Rao’s son, Karumuri Sunil Kumar, in the case. The ED had conducted searches at premises linked to the fatherson duo and other accused, recovering unaccounted cash & vehicles Y B r a h m a j i @ Vijayawada ty due to the continuing water shortage. The State has covered 18.902 lakh hectares in the Kharif National Highway in Bahawalpur, southern Punjab, and has long been an important ideological and training centre for JeM. Bahawalpur was among the sites targeted during Operation Sindoor, launched after the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack. On the night of May 6-7, Indian forces struck nine locations in Pakistan and PoK identified as terror infrastructure. JeM chief Masood Azhar had claimed 10 family members, including his sister and five children, and four associates were killed at the facility . Azhar, arrested in India in 1994 and freed in 1999 during the IC-814 hijacking, has since been linked to the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot, and 2019 Pulwama attacks, and is wanted for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Pakistan denies knowledge of his whereabouts. Ex-min’s son held earlier Wedding rush A newly-married couple prays at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple amid heavy rush. The temple witnessed a record 416 weddings in seven hours on the auspicious occasion of the first Sunday of the Malayalam month of Chingam | Express Rainfall deficit results in steep decline in Kharif crop acreage With barely a month left for the Kharif season to end, the crop prospects for farmers in Andhra Pradesh appear increasingly bleak as the area under cultivation remains substantially below normal amid continuing water scarcity and inadequate rainfall under the influence of El Nino. With no significant rainfall expected in the ensuing few weeks, the Kharif season seems to be heading towards a disappointing close with little scope for a substantial recovery in crop acreage. The crops already sown are facing heightened vulnerabili- of his tainted 2/3rd majority to get the Constitutional Amendment Bill on Delimitation passed in a special session?” he wrote on X. “It is true that the gap for the Monsoon session in 2015 was 28 days and in 2021 it was 20 days. But there were no diabolical moves afoot then.” season so far against the normal acreage of 30.84 lakh hectares, recording only 61% of the crop area. The crop acreage was lower than the 20.03 lakh hectares recorded during the corresponding period last year. Against 23.58 lakh hectares that would normally have been brought under cultivation by August third week, the State is short by nearly 4.68 lakh hectares, with coverage standing at only 80% of the expected area. The crop-wise data shows significant decline in area under cultivation. Paddy the ma, jor Kharif crop, has been cultivated in 9.435 lakh hectares against the normal area of 15.14 lakh hectares. Maize has stood at 0.956 lakh hectares, compared with the normal acreage of 1.57 lakh hectares, while groundnut has covered only 1.304 lakh hectares against the normal crop area 3.87 lakh hectares. Oilseed cultivation has suffered a sharp decline. The total area under oilseeds cultivation is 1.722 lakh hectares against the normal acreage of 4.50 lakh hectares, representing just 38% of the seasonal norm. Groundnut and sunflower have recorded particularly large deficits. More significantly, the current coverage is far below the final Kharif-2025 area of 29.16 lakh hectares. Last year, the State had recorded 93% of its normal Kharif acreage, whereas the current season has so far P4 reached only 61%. During the just-concluded Monsoon Session, there was talk that the government could reintroduce the Delimitation Bill, which was defeated in the previous session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reached out to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi twice to seek Congress support for the twin legislations. The Congress, however, sought an all-party meeting before proceeding with the Bills. In the recently held Congress Working Committee meeting, the party called for freezing the current strength of Lok Sabha at 543 seats for 25 years, and demanded 33 percent reservation for women be implemented from 2029 polls. CBI books former DGCA director, others in graft case E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against former director of flying training at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Anil Gill, and several aviationrelated companies for alleged abuse of official position, extending undue favours to select flight training organisations, and suspicious aircraft transactions, officials said on Sunday . The FIR, registered on August 21, names Gill, Bluethroat Aero Global Pvt Ltd, Redbird Aviation Academy Pvt Ltd, Sabres Corporate Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Sandhills Aviation IFSC Pvt Ltd, among others. Gill allegedly extended undue favours to select F lying Training Organisations, causing “detriment and pecuniary loss” to rival operators. According to the FIR, Gill facilitated procurement of training aircraft at nominal prices through “benami/shell entities managed by his close relatives” and subsequently arranged to lease them back to favoured flying training organisations at exorbitant rates, generating “massive kickbacks, illicit pecuniary advantage”. The FIR was registered on a complaint by Captain J S Dhillon, managing director of Global Aeronautics Ltd. The FIR alleged that Bluethroat Aero Global, incorporated in 2016 with Gill’s mother and maternal aunt as directors, acquired a Cessna aircraft in 2020 for `10 lakh, and another in 2021 for `37.5 lakh, well below the market price of upto `1 crore. 2 of 24 crew rescued from cargo vessel E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Visakhapatnam Two crew members of MV Ocean Winner, a Panamaflagged cargo vessel carrying around 71,000 metric tonnes of iron ore from Paradip Port, were rescued after it sent a distress alert around 700 km east of Visakhapatnam, triggering a joint search and rescue operation by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. The distress alert was received on August 22, following which an Indian Navy P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, which was on a surveillance sortie, was redeployed for the search and rescue mission in coordination with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Sri Vijaya Puram. The Navy aircraft located liferafts in the area and coordinated with MT Aisopos, a merchant vessel transiting nearby , requesting it to assist the crew. By late evening on August 22, MT Aisopos had rescued two of the 24 crew members from the liferafts. The Indian Navy continues to coordinate closely with the Indian Coast Guard in the search operation.