HYDERABAD l tuesday l august 25, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late cITY EDITION ex-diplomat Akbaruddin, two others join RBI central board Ex-diplomat Syed Akbaruddin, ex-bureaucrat Annie Mathew and Boston Consulting Group’s Janmejaya Sinha were appointed on Monday Syed Akbaruddin Annie George Mathew Janmejaya Sinha part-time, non-official directors board now has 14 members including guv They were appointed as part-time, Non-official Directors for four years. Syed Akbaruddin is a 1985-batch Indian Foreign Service officer and served as India’s permanent representative to the UN from 2016 to 2020. Annie George Mathew retired as Special Secretary of the Union Finance Ministry. Janmejaya Sinha is the Chairman of Boston Consulting Group (India) ■ ■ With the latest appointments, the board has 14 members, including governor Sanjay Malhotra and four deputy governors Industrialist Anand Mahindra and former ISRO Chairman Somanath Panicker joined last week. Other members include former Audit & Accounts Service officer Revathy Iyer and economist Sachin Chaturvedi 21 is the maximum sanctioned strength of the rbi central board 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 Putin offers to step up fertiliser supply to India PM Modi looks forward to meeting Russian prez at SCO, BRICS summits, says Jaishankar 4-fold jump in trade JAYANTH JACOB @ New Delhi RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has offered to increase fertiliser supplies to India, signalling Moscow’s intent to deepen one of the most important pillars of the bilateral economic relationship. The offer came when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Putin in Moscow on Monday . Putin—who is expected to visit India next month for the BRICS summit—said Russia is ready to help meet India’s agricultural requirements. He highlighted fertilisers alongside fuel as an important component of Russia’s economic support to India. “One of these issues— not just fuel—is the supply of mineralisers (fertilisers). We are doing everything we can to resolve the issue for Indian farmers, for agriculture; we are increasing these exports and are prepared to continue doing so,” he said. The offer comes as fertilisers have become an important element of India-Russia economic ties. Russia has emerged as India’s largest supplier of fertilisers, particularly urea, with Indian fertiliser imports from Russia rising by almost 40% in 2025. Putin also pointed to the broader expansion in bilateral trade. Jaishankar conveyed Prime Minister Modi’s plans for future meetings with Putin, saying Modi looked forward to meeting the Russian president at the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan and welcoming him to India for the BRICS Summit. The two leaders are also expected to hold their annual bilateral summit at a mutually convenient time. Jaishankar said the trade between India and Russia has increased 4-fold in 5 years, from around $13 billion in 202122 to nearly $60 billion in 2025-26 S Jaishankar with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday | PTI We are doing everything we can to meet the needs of Indian farmers and agriculture sector Vladimir Putin, Russian president Struggling to find job in US, Hyd man kills self E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad A man from Hyderabad allegedly died by suicide after hanging himself in his room in the US on August 21, reportedly following difficulties in finding a job after completing his master’s degree. suicide PREVENTION According to a GoFundMe helpline page, he moved to Texas in 2024 (24x7) to pursue a master’s degree. During his stay in the US, he also learnt Spanish. According to reports, the deceased’s family lives in Dammaiguda. His death has left his Contact: family and friends devastated, Tele MANAS and they have sought the help counsellors at: of officials to bring his mortal 14416 (OR) remains back to Hyderabad. Mohammed Fazil Biabani, 1800-89-14416 who said he had worked with the deceased at Amazon, remembered him on social media as “a fit, well-spoken, kind and exceptionally polite person” who was always professional and respectful. US eyes $103K fee on H-1Bs New Delhi: The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed a $103,265 fee on H-1B petitions, potentially raising costs for employers hiring foreign professionals, particularly Indians. The proposal applies to capsubject petitions, including the advanceddegree exemption | P7 US trip cancellation an insult to state: Revanth express news service @ Hyderabad I r e d d y S r i n i v a s R e d d y @ Hyderabad Criticising the Centre for denying political clearance for his proposed US visit, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday termed the move an insult to four crore Telangana people and discrimination against the state. He said it went against the spirit of federal cooperation and urged people to condemn the Union government’s decision. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat after returning to Hyderabad from the UK leg of his trip, Revanth, visibly angry said his office had submit, ted the programme schedule to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “Unfortunately the MEA gave clearance to , visit the UK, but denied permission to visit the US.” Addressing speculation about planned meetings with US vice-president JD Vance or New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Revanth said the proposed trip was focused on official engagements with universities and other stakeholders. “Without an official appointment, no programme The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Disciplinary Committee is likely to recommend action against Minister Konda Surekha over her daughter’s comments and against Planning Board vice-chairman G Chinna Reddy over his recent remarks. IFS recall Sources said the fuels buzz panel has already The state submitted a prelimi- government nary report and is has cancelled expected to send its deputations detailed findings to of several TPCC president B Indian Forest Mahesh Kumar Goud Service and AICC in-charge officers. The Meenakshi Natara- move was jan on Tuesday . made without The report has Surekha’s now set off specula- knowledge, tion within the par- sources told ty over what comes TNIE | p4 next. Sources said suspension is among the possible actions, while in Surekha’s case, the bigger question is whether she could also lose her Cabinet berth. The panel, sources said, was not satisfied with Surekha’s explanation and felt she should have condemned or distanced herself from her daughter’s remarks.  COntinued on p4 CM A Revanth Reddy speaks at a press meet at the Secretariat on Monday 75-yr-old PM active on IG, up your game, MLAs told Revanth urged Congress legislators to avoid public spats & counter the Oppn on social media. Pointing to 75-year-old Narendra Modi engaging with the public on Instagram, he urged them to engage more with the public on the platform will happen. Social media and media are speculating. Any meeting would require MEA clearance. Mamdani is the elected mayor of New York; he is not an anti-social element.” He said the trip was an official visit, with Indian embassy officials overseeing the proceedings and participating in meetings. “There is no secrecy involved.”  COntinued on p4 Monsoon session of Assembly from September 7 | p4 Shah push for AI-led intel analysis to deal with security threats E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday called for greater use of artificial intelligence to analyse intelligence inputs and strengthen India’s response to emerging national security threats, while directing security agencies to take strict measures against infiltration. Speaking at the inaugural session of the ninth two-day National Security Strategies (NSS) Conference-2026 here, Shah directed agencies to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for tackling national security challenges based on AI-driven analyses of information available on the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) platform. Shah stressed on an integrated approach to counter terrorism and radicalisation, including cases under the UAPA. He emphasised strengthening implementation of MHA’s PRAHAAR scheme, expediting trials and making greater use of provisions allowing trials in absentia. The first day’s deliberations focused on major security challenges, including counter-terrorism, intelligence fusion, narcotics control, deportation of illegal migrants, cybercrime and Pakistan-backed proxy warfare. Held in hybrid mode, the conferences has more than 850 participants, including DGPs and domain experts from specialised fields. Before inaugurating the conference, Shah paid tribute at the Martyrs’ Column, and placed a wreath in memory of Intelligence Bureau personnel who made the supreme sacrifice. The NSS Conference has been held annually in hybrid mode since 2021. SC panel steps up sexual assault probe SUCHITRA KALYAN MOHANT Y @ New Delhi Illegal buildings UNDER hydraa SCANNER Following the Gachibowli building collapse, 38 unauthorised buildings have been identified, nine demolished, 28 notices issued and one structure sealed | p3 The Supreme Court on Monday said that it has asked the HighPowered Enquiry Committee (HPEC), which had been set up to examine allegations of police violence during the NEET paper leak stir, to prioritise complaints of sexual assault faced by women protesters. A bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued the direction after senior advocate Shobha Gupta urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of the alleged sexual assault and molestation of women Surekha may face axe as Cong draws line on ‘dissenters’ protesters during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on July 20. Gupta asked the court to create mechanism for alleged victims to directly send complaints. CJI Surya Kant—although he did not take suo motu cognis a n c e — h o w e v e r, said, “the committee has been requested to examine it on a priority basis, and immediately submit an interim report.” Justice Bagchi pointed out that an independent writ petition was filed on the same cause, and the HPEC has been asked to examine the issue. CJP calls for Sept 5 Delhi march The Cockroach Janta Party on Monday called for a protest march in Delhi on September 5, accusing the Centre of failing to honour the promises it made. The march will begin at India Gate and proceed to Delhi Police HQ E x p r e s s Re a d Op Sindoor cyber attack: Student questioned Peddapalli: A joint NIA, Gujarat Police and Ramagundam NTPC police team searched the house of engineering student Muzammil Khan in Ayodhya Nagar on Monday as part of a multi-state probe into suspected cyberattacks on Indian government websites during Operation Sindoor. Muzammil was questioned for several hours, and a laptop and mobile phone were reportedly seized. He later said he had joined an online group for an AI course but left it months ago | p2 ‘Family shame’ behind dad’s murder order Hanamkonda: A 33-year-old woman was allegedly strangled to death by a software employee at the behest of her father, who wanted to prevent her behaviour from bringing “shame” to the family, police said on Monday. The accused, A Vinod Kumar, was arrested after the decomposed body of Ankathi Manasa was found in the boot of a car parked in an isolated area of Elkathurthy village on August 20 | P2