hubballi l saturday l october 24, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION record play: BEst-ever show for India at Para Asian Games Double medallist shooter Mona Agarwal (C) will be one of flag-bearers | pci More reward with lesser strength As the continental event comes to a close on Saturday, the country registers historic haul to occupy fourth place as of Friday. A look... Highest single-day haul on Friday Despite 168 para-athletes for this edition, which was nearly half of the contingent size that went to the Hangzhou Games in 2023, India returned with 114 medals, including 30 gold. In the previous edition, India had sent 309 para-athletes and they finished fifth on the medal tally with 101 medals, including 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze ■ ■ On the last day of their competition on Friday, India collected nine gold medals, their highest single-day haul in the ongoing edition, with top finishes registered in archery, shooting, badminton and athletics Athletics, as always, ended up being the driving force snaring 65 medals in all, 12 more than 2023 | P13 114 medals won by india including 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze 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 state of the economy Festive cheer Net FDI inflows eludes Street as went up 44% equities bleed during Apr-Aug A R S HA D K HAN @ New Delhi D I PA K M ON D A L @ New Delhi INDIAN equities continue to bleed through the festive season when buying sentiment is typically strong. The benchmark indices—BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50—settled in the red in all four trading sessions of this week, with the broader indices facing a much steeper decline. On Friday the 30-share BSE Sensex opened higher but , later plunged 797.02 points, or 1.08%, to hit an intraday low of 72,452.37. It later recouped some losses to settle at 73,123.83, down 125.56 points, or 0.17%. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 87.65 points, or 0.39%, to close at 22,600 after tumbling 315.65 points, or 1.39%, to a low of 22,372 on Friday. The Nifty Midcap 100 declined 2.21% and the Nifty Smallcap 100 fell 2.94%. Investors lost over `20 lakh crore this week as the market capitalisation of all BSE-listed firms came down from `473.46 lakh crore to `452.40 lakh crore. The decline is primarily attributed to elevated Friday’s 74,000 73,249.39 close crude oil prices amid Previous 73,123.83 growing tensions in West close Asia. At about $116 per barrel, Brent crude oil is 73,000 trading near a six-month high. For India, persistently high crude prices 72,000 pose risks to imported in9 am 11 am 1 pm 3 pm 4 pm flation, corporate marChange gins, and currency stabil-125.56 (-0.17%) ity If oil prices remain . high, it could also lead to foreign fund outflows, further hurting domestic equities. “Indian markets are currently seeing selling pressure primarily due to global factors with elevated geopolitical tensions, rising bond yields and the sharp rise in crude oil prices, which increased concerns around inflation, margins and the current account. At the same time, tighter global liquidity and higher interest rates have reduced risk off sentiment,” said Shweta Rajani, associate director, Anand Rathi Wealth Ltd. Rajani explained that historically, the festive season that starts from the Navratri days till the end of Diwali has been favourable for equities. The Nifty50 and Sensex have fallen by around 14% since the beginning of this year. If the bearish trend continues till December, it would be the first time in the past 10 years that Indian equities give negative returns in a calendar year. According to Sudeep Shah, head of technical and derivatives research at SBI Securities, the sharp correction in AI- and data centre-related stocks across global exchanges has deepened market volatility . amid the exodus of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) from Indian equity markets, net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have provided a silver lining, rising 44% year-on-year to $13.8 billion during April-August 2026, up from $9.6 billion in the first five months of last fiscal. According to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) October bulletin released on Friday net FDI stood at $3.3 bil, lion in August, supported by sustained gross FDI inflows and a moderation in the pace of outward FDI. The RBI data showed that gross FDI inflows rose 20% y-o-y to $11.1 billion during the April-August period, while net outward FDI increased 26.5% to $17.7 billion, compared with a 41.9% rise a year ago. In August, outward FDI flows moderated, with more than half directed towards Singapore, the Netherlands and the US. India recorded negaNet foreign direct and tive net FDI flows from portfolio investment August to December 2025 before recovering 2024-25 in the final quarter of Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 the previous financial Net FDI 6.2 -2.8 -2.8 0.4 year. In the current financial year, net FDI Net FPI 0.9 19.9 -11.4 -5.9 again slipped into nega2025-26 (Provisional) tive territory in May Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 and June as outward inNet FDI 5.2 2.1 -5.1 4.5 vestments exceeded inward inflows. Net FPI 1.6 -5.7 -0.2 -13.5 Financial services, 2026-27 (Provisional) communication servicQ1 Q2 es, computer services and manufacturing acNet FDI 3.1 10.7* counted for 73% of total Net FPI -9.6 -0.3 FDI equity inflows dur(Figures in $ bn) *Data for July-August ing April-August 2026. Singapore, Japan, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates and the US were the major sources of inward FDI, together accounting for around 81% of total inflows. The rebound in FDI comes amid a sustained sell-off by FPIs to the tune of $9.8 billion during April-August, data showed. RBI also reported a sharp rise in its net dollar purchases in August, buying $43.26 billion on a net basis, more than double the $18.65 billion purchased in July The increase came . amid significant inflows of NRI deposits into banks. India received around $136 billion under the RBI’s special dollar swap window, with Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank), or FCNR(B), deposits crossing $127 billion in August. Meanwhile, RBI flagged concerns over rising inflationary pressures stemming from the West Asia crisis and recurring trade tensions, alongside multi-decade-high sovereign bond yields and elevated public debt. However, it noted that sustained domestic demand and the services sector continued to support economic growth. Source: RBI bulletin BSE sensex Students use books, mobiles at KSOU exam hall in S’mogga E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Shivamogga Protesters at a march against the CEC in New Delhi on Friday | Sayantan ghosh Vigilance review finds no lapses in Gyanesh clean chit S h a n A S @ T’Puram In possible relief to embattled Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Keralam’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has found no lapses in its 2007 preliminary inquiry against him following the suicide of a Malaysian engineer involved in a road-widening project in the state. Kumar was given a clean chit in the probe at the time. Sources said the preliminary inquiry against Kumar, then secretary of public works department, was found to be in line with rules and vigilance protocols. Earlier this month, the UDF government ordered a relook into the 2007 inquiry after a Congress leader filed a complaint alleging that past probes were compromised or stopped due to pressure. The move came amid protests demanding the CEC’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Lee See Been, who served as chief project manager for PATIBEL, an Indo-Malaysian consortium involved in a road project, ended his life in Kuala Lumpur in 2006 allegedly after his bid to get bills cleared was stonewalled by officials. Kumar’s name was mentioned in one of his suicide notes, which alleged that systemic corruption was plaguing the project’s implementation. In the wake of the government’s order, the VACB scrutinised the preliminary inquiry . Sources said the assessment did not reveal any lacunae and “it appears there is no scope for any further vigilance action”. Alleged examination malpractice has come to light at the regional centre of Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) here, where students were allegedly allowed to use mobile phones and books during degree and postgraduate examinations in exchange for money. However, the regional director denied the allegations. The KSOU regional office near Alkol Circle in the city was one of the examination centres. It is alleged that students who paid money were allowed to write their examinations using books and mobile phones without interference from invigilators. While such students were reportedly accommodated on the second floor of the examination centre, those who did not pay were made to sit on the first floor. A video, purportedly showA videograb shows a ing students using books and student copying from mobile phones during examibooks at a KSOU exam nations, went viral on social centre in Shivamogga media. The university’s examinations began on October 7 and will continue till November 20. Regional director BM Swamy said he does not allow any exam-related irregularities. “Some people think that money was illegally collected to facilitate malpractice. No such malpractice happened at our Shivamogga centre. The university has also warned us against such irregularities,” he said. District administration sources said the matter has already been brought to the notice of the registrar of evaluation. PLA patrol deviation tied to LAC disturbances, says govt j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi INDIA and China continue to use established diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday amid a row over remarks , by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief Shatrujeet Kapur about an ongoing face-off in Arunachal Pradesh. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to questions about Kapur’s reported comments, said disturbances along the India-China border occur when Chinese troops deviate from “established patrolling patterns.” He, however, did not provide specific details about the reported face-off in Arunachal Pradesh and referred questions on operational matters to the Ministry of Defence. “We have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns,” Jaiswal said. “Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control,” he added. Jaiswal also said the two countries had agreed to discuss ways to improve their understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas to strengthen border management. The MEA’s remarks came after Kapur reportedly referred to a continuing face-off at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh during an address to ITBP personnel at a felicitation ceremony in Alwar, Rajasthan, on Thursday . express read Polling for four MLC seats in K’taka held Bengaluru: Polling for four Karnataka Legislative Council seats was held largely peacefully on Friday, except minor clashes near a few polling booths. Polling began at 8 am and concluded at 4 pm. As many as 43 candidates are in the fray across the four constituencies | P4 Sting op: Cong woman leader surrenders before CCB E x press Ne w s S er v i c e @Bengaluru In a major development in the sting operation case involving former chief minister Siddaramaiah, a Congress woman leader from coastal Karnataka is said to have surrendered before the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police in Bengaluru. The police, however, are yet to formalise her arrest procedures. According to highly-placed sources, the police are likely to take the Congress leader into custody for questioning in connection with the case. The woman leader’s surrender came after the police issued a notice to her to appear before the investigation officer for questioning. Speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Friday, Siddaramaiah alleged that Congress leader Kripa Alva and Rakesh Shetty, who is associated with a Kannada news channel, were behind the sting operation. Earlier, Union Minister for Steel HD Kumaraswamy had also held the duo responsible for the sting operation. It may be recalled that Siddaramaiah had filed a complaint with the cybercrime police on October 6 in connection with the sting operation row.   MORE: P4