kochi l Monday l November 09, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Delhi air quality ‘very poor’ amid Diwali celebrations Delhi’s air quality stood at 371, in the ‘very poor’ category, on Sunday evening as residents stepped out to celebrate the festival of lights Quality Set to worsen to ‘severe’ today Transport sector largest contributor The national capital’s air quality is forecast to turn ‘severe’ (401-500) on Monday following Diwali celebrations, combined with vehicular emissions, as well as the peak stubble-burning season. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, air quality is likely to remain in ‘severe’ category for a few days. The city’s average AQI on Saturday was 369. ■ ■ Of the 59 monitoring stations that recorded data on Sunday, air quality was in ‘severe’ category at 12 and in ‘very poor’ category at 22. PM2.5 was the predominant pollutant in national capital Transport sector was set to be largest contributor to city’s pollution on Sunday (19%). Stubble burning is set to contribute 3.5% | P7 450 Jahangirpuri recorded the worst AQI in the city on Sunday 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 ‘Time Bank’ to reward elderly support Cong prez post Kodikunnil gets support from senior party leaders S o v i Vid yad h ara n @T’Puram M S Vid ya n a n da n @ T’Puram As the selection of new state Congress president has entered a crucial phase, senior leader Kodikunnil Suresh’s prospects seems to have received a boost, with the influential trio of A K Antony V M , Sudheeran and Mullappally Ramachandran—whose advice the high command seeks on the state’s matters at critical junctures — learnt to be backing him. Chief Minister V D Satheesan is also learnt to be in favour of Kodikunnil. Meanwhile, ano t h e r s t ro n g contender for the post, Revenue Minister A P Anil Kumar— also a Dalit leader— has the backing of AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. The final choice may well decide who holds the upper hand in the party’s state unit as Satheesan and Venugopal are supporting different candidates. An eight-time MP, Kodikunnil has risen through the ranks from the KSU unit level to the DCC, KPCC and AICC. Several other senior leaders who had backed Satheesan in the race for the CM’s post are also in his favour. According to the leaders supporting Kudikunnil, the trio’s support stems from the fact that he had missed out on the post three times. Kodikunnil first lost out to Mullappally on grounds of seniority. The next time, he stepped aside for K Sudhakaran after the high command promised him a chance in future. On the third occasion, as the selection came just ahead of the assembly elections, the high command opted for a Christian face to woo the com● More on P4 munity’s votes. GOA’s Palolem Beach best in Asia, sixth in global list It has been adjudged the best beach in Asia and ranked sixth among the world’s top 25 in Beach.com’s global index, the state tourism dept said Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers sweets to security personnel on Diwali in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, on Sunday | PTI In Bastar, Modi cautions against ‘Dimagi Naxals’ PM says total eradication of Maoist, Naxalite terror has made this Diwali extraordinary forests, but ‘dimagi Naxals’ (their ideological supporters) Prime Minister Narendra have taken control of several Modi on Sunday celebrated Di- organisations,” he said. wali in the once terror-scarred Emphasising the noteworthy Chhattisgarh’s Bastar, describ- shift in national security policy ing the total eradication of since 2014, the PM also conMaoist and left-wing extremist trasted past decades of heavy terror as significant for India’s casualties, such as the tragic internal security . 2010 Dantewada ambush that Addressing troops on the claimed 76 CRPF personnel, ground at a CRPF camp, PM with recent milestones, noting Modi noted that this that for the first time year’s Diwali is exin 47 years, not a single traordinary, marking CRPF soldier lost their the first time in 40-50 life in the line of duty years that the entire We gave security over the past year. forces freedom to country is completely Modi alleged that take necessary free from Maoist and decision. We also previous governments Naxalite terror, ena- worked to stop the tied the hands of secubling development to support that Left- rity forces during finally take root in Wing Extremism ground operations and received from long-neglected tribal denied them the freecertain people heartlands. dom to retaliate effecwithin the While celebrating tively against Maoist the military victory government and attacks. “We gave secuthe system over ar med insurrity forces the freedom gents, Modi issued a to take every necesNarendra Modi sharp warning against sary decision. We also what he termed “Dimagi Nax- worked to stop the support that als” who he said have infiltrat- Left-Wing Extremism received ed various organisations and from certain people within the political parties, and urged citi- government and the system,” zens to remain vigilant against he said. ongoing attempts to undermine Citing a World Bank report, the nation’s Constitution and the PM said 50 crore people had democratic fabric. come out of extreme poverty in “We must remember one India over the last 12 years. more thing. Naxalites have What decades of ‘garibi hatao’ been eliminated, but the threat slogans could not achieve, the is not over yet. Armed Naxal- country accomplished in just ites have disappeared from the 12 years, he said. E J A Z K A I S E R @Raipur What if the 60 minutes you spent helping an elderly person today earn you assistance in your hour of need, years later? This is the principle behind Time Bank, a communitybased mutual support system that Keralam plans to introduce statewide. The proposal assumes significance as nearly one in four people in the state is projected to be aged 60 and above by 2036. The newly-established department of senior citizens has drawn up the proposal for Time Bank, treating voluntary service hours as a social resource and creating a mechanism for reciprocal community support. The concept was first intro- How it would work Volunteers earn credits by helping senior citizens; every hour of service is digitally recorded Credits earned can be redeemed for help or transferred to relatives Students may use credits for grace marks, travel coupons Senior citizens can volunteer and earn credits too Digital platform will track volunteers and credits Volunteers will be mobilised through NSS, NCC, Kudumbashree duced in Elikulam panchayat in Kottayam under the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC). “Under the proposed system, time that registered volunteers spend helping senior citizens will be digitally recorded and converted into time credits,” director of the department Arun S Nair told TNIE. Though detailed guidelines are yet to be formalised, the department envisages allowing participants to redeem accumulated credits for assistance when required or transfer them to their family members, following models practised in countries such as the UK. Since Govt circular relaxing norms for self-financing courses sparks row E x press Ne w s S er v i c e @ T’Puram The higher education department’s recent circular granting relaxations to aided autonomous and self-financing colleges on starting new courses and increasing enrollment has stirred a political back and forth. The order, issued on Friday waives the , need for self-financing autonomous colleges and aided-autonomous institutions to procure a no-objection certificate (NOC) for new selffinancing courses or increase seat intakes in existing selffinancing courses. Aided-autonomous institutions, however, would need to inform the government in advance. The circular also requires self-financing colleges to renew their NOCs only once every three years, instead of the current annual basis. The issue took a political turn with Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan stating that the move opens the higher education sector up to commercialisation. Denying allegations of corruption, Higher Education Minister Roji M John responded that the circular was aimed at fostering academic autonomy . According to the order, government and aided colleges must procure an NOC for starting new courses or per manently increasing seats in already existing courses in the aided stream, but they need not renew the same. Unaided or self-financing colleges will require an NOC for every new course. After completing admission procedures, each college should report the updates on new courses and increases in seats to the government. Demanding an urgent withdrawal of the order, Pinarayi said the move surrenders the sector in the hands of profit-oriented corporatestyle private managements. “Granting permission to increase seats at will, without any study and bypassing existing regulatory frameworks, paves the way for the commercialisation of education,” he wrote in a Facebook ● More on P4 post.  EXPRESS READ Church wants Christian to head minorities panel T’Puram: Amid the delay in appointments to various boards and commissions, the Church is pushing for a Christian as head of the Kerala State Commission for Minorities, a request Congress is learnt to be considering seriously. According to sources, Church representatives have met top govt officials and conveyed their suggestions in this regard | P4 Morphing cases in state quadruple since 2022 T’Puram: Morphing cases (nonconsensual intimate imagery) in the state have quadrupled in four years, according to the data with the State Crime Records Bureau. While the total number of morphing cases registered in 2022 was 19, it reached 81 in 2025. However, 2026 saw 81 cases being registered within just nine months | P5 Trump offers UFC boss WH press secretary job West Palm Beach: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has offered the job of White House press secretary to his friend and UFC boss Dana White, an announcement unconventional even for the norm-busting president. White said on Saturday that he plans to meet with Trump on Monday at the White House | P9 Train collision in Egypt kills seven, injures 100 Rajnath pays homage to war heroes in Sikkim Gangtok: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Sherathang near Nathu La in Sikkim on Sunday and paid homage to fallen soldiers at the war memorial. Addressing Army personnel stationed at the IndiaChina border, Singh said such memorials served as a lasting tribute to war heroes who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. The defence minister also paid tribute to the families of armed forces personnel who lost their loved ones while serving the nation. students may have to wait several years before they need to redeem the credits, the department is also exploring options to make them usable earlier, including as grace marks in academics or for travel and fuel coupons. A digital platform will form the backbone of the system, incorporating volunteer registration, recording of service hours and a time-credit mechanism, supported by a mobile app or web portal and a management information system dashboard. The department plans to mobilise volunteers through the National Service Scheme, NCC, Student Police Cadets, Scouts & Guides, Kudumbashree, youth clubs, educational institutions and residents’ associations. ● More on P4 Quake unsettles Japan An employee crouches amid books that fell off the shelves in Toyota after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake shook central Japan early Sunday. Though there were no deaths, the quake shattered storefront windows and caused transport disruption across the country. Around 10.53am (JST), a 4.3-magnitude quake also struck the Kumamoto region | AP Cairo: Two trains collided south of the Egyptian capital on Sunday, derailing several carriages, killing seven and injuring around 100 people, according to the authorities. Egypt’s railway authority said a train travelling from Giza to Fayoum crashed into the rear of another service heading south from Cairo to Aswan city | P9 Nat’l women’s panel orders impartial Donors pour in, 100 units blood collected in 2 days probe into J’khand activist’s death f o r 4 - y r - o l d c an c er pa t ien t S u n i l Pati l @ Belagavi It was a community-driven gesture to help a four-year-old Karnataka girl suffering from B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL), a type of blood cancer. The initiative to support Vanshika Shashikant Hosmani, being treated at KLE Dr Prabhakar Kore Hospital and MRC and Cancer Hospital, Belagavi, successfully collected 100 units of blood, providing crucial support for her ongoing treatment. Vanshika was diagnosed with cancer recently and is expected to undergo treatment for approximately three years. According to her doctors, she is likely to require frequent transfusions of blood products, including packed red blood cells and platelet concentrates, during her treatment and chemotherapy . Following an appeal from Vanshika’s family the Incredi, ble Belgaum Foundation, in association with corporator Shankar Patil, organised a special blood donation drive at KLE Hospital on November 6 and 7, seeking support from voluntary donors. The appeal received an overwhelming response from donors, volunteers and well-wishers, completing the target of collecting 100 units of blood, said Vinayak Naykoji of Incredible Belgaum. Vanshika’s father Shashikant Hosamani said, “We shifted to Belagavi for our daughter’s treatment. We are new to this city and were worried about arranging such a big requirement of blood throughout the year. Incredible Belgaum and people of Belagavi connected and we are overwhelmed with such great re- sponse.” The campaign, titled “Save Vanshika – One Little Life, One Big Mission”, highlighted the importance of continued voluntary blood donation for patients undergoing prolonged cancer treatment. While the 100-unit collection provided immediate support, Vanshika’s treatment is expected to continue for some years, during which she may require further blood and platelet transfusions. The organisers urged eligible donors to continue supporting patients in need of blood. “Every donor is a hero. Every donation matters,” Naykoji said. MU K E S H R A N J A N @Ranchi Taking ‘suo motu’ cognisance of the alleged suicide of tribal activist Nisha Bhagat, who had in a Facebook Live video alleged harassment by Jharkhand government, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has requested a detailed action taken report within seven days. In a social media post, the commission stated that chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar had sought an impartial and thorough investigation and information on steps taken on complaints previously filed by the victim, besides steps to ensure BJP demands CBI probe The BJP has demanded a CBI investigation into the matter. Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi questioned the state’s law-and-order situation and protection of tribal rights. The CPI (ML) also called for an impartial inquiry. the preservation of the Facebook Live recording and other digital evidence. “No woman’s suffering or cry for help should go unheard,” the NCW said. In the nearly 11-minute video that she posted hours before ending her life on November 6, Bhagat is seen crying and alle ging that speaking out against the “Hemant Soren government and its land brokers meant inviting death”. She speaks emotionally about her alleged fight against land mafia and voices frustration over the administration’s response to her complaints. She also expresses concern over the distress her death would cause her parents in the video, which ends abruptly She . was found dead at her residence in Ranchi hours later.