COIMBATORE l wednesday l may 20, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION RBI to transfer over `3 lakh cr to govt to cushion economic stress The Reserve Bank of India may transfer a record surplus of up to `3.4 lakh crore this week to the government, according to a Bloomberg report Board to meet on Friday to clear dividend Payout could EXCEED budget ESTIMATE RBI’s board will meet on Friday to approve the dividend, the news agency reported quoting sources. The surplus, generated through RBI’s activities in the year ended March, will shore up the government’s finances in the ongoing fiscal 2026-27 as the crude price rise inflates India’s import bill, widens the current account deficit, and exacerbates the foreign fund selloff ■ ■ RBI pays the dividend from income earned on its investments, foreign-exchange holdings and fees from printing currency notes In FY27 Budget, the government estimated `3.16 lakh crore in payouts from the RBI, state-run lenders, and other financial institutions. The central bank typically accounts for the bulk of this transfer `2.7 lakh cr RBI’s dividend transfer to the government last year 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 US extends waiver on oil sanctions The US extended its ‘waiver’ on sanctions for the purchase of seaborne Russian crude already in transit for the third consecutive month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “a temporary 30-day general licence to provide the most vulnerable nations with the ability to temporarily access Russian oil currently stranded at sea” Standards for blended petrol notified The Centre has notified fresh fuel standards for petrol blended with up to 30% ethanol. However, the notification only sets out the technical specifications and quality parameters required for introducing these higher ethanol blends in the market. It does not make the nationwide rollout or sale of E30 fuel mandatory at this stage Petrol, diesel prices hiked for second time in 4 days Fuel prices up 90 paise/litre; OMCs still losing nearly `750 cr a day Use ammonium sulphate instead of urea: ICAR R AKESH KUMA R @ New Delhi four days after increasing petrol and diesel prices by a steep `3 per litre, state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Tuesday raised automobile fuel prices by another 90 paise, taking the cumulative hike to `3.90. Following the latest increase, petrol and diesel prices rose to `98.64 and `91.58 per litre, respectively, from `97.77 and `90.67 in the Delhi national capital region. In Mumbai, petrol prices rose 91 paise to `107.59 per litre, while diesel prices increased by 94 paise to `94.08 per litre. In Kolkata, petrol climbed to `109.70 per litre, while diesel was priced at `96.07. In Chennai, petrol prices increased by 82 paise to `104.49 per litre, while diesel prices rose by 86 paise to `96.11. On May 15, the three OMCs—Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation—raised fuel prices for the first time in four years citing huge under-recoveries (selling below cost of production/procurement). The conflict in West Asia due to the war between Iran and US has disrupted the movement of cargo through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route that transports nearly 20% of global crude supply. Global crude oil prices have surged by over 50% due to the conflict in the region. Brent crude was trading at $110.9 a barrel. The cumulative hike of `3.90 is still lower than the `10-15 increase expected by many analysts. Reacting to the earlier price hike of `3, the petroleum ministry had on Monday said despite the price revision, OMCs were still losing nearly `750 crore per day by selling petrol, diesel and LPG below cost. Earlier, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said that the under-recoveries of OMCs would cross `2 lakh crore in the first quarter of FY27. The latest round of hikes is expected to further feed into retail inflation. Analysts estimate that the fuel price increase alone could push inflation up by 20-25 basis points in June. E x p r e s s Re a d `993-cr TN railway line doubling work gets nod Chennai: The Indian Railways on Tuesday approved the doubling of ChengalpattuKancheepuram-Arakkonam railway line, along a stretch of 68 km at a cost of `993 crore. The project aims to boost freight movement from the industrial hubs of Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram & Ranipet | P2 SC collegium okays 19 judges for Madras HC New Delhi: The Supreme Court collegium has approved the proposal for appointment of nine judicial officers and 10 advocates as judges of the Madras High Court. The collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant gave the approval at a meeting held on May 18 | P7 Min berth for AIADMK rebels: CPM warns TVK Chennai: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam on Tuesday said that if the ruling TVK accommodates the rebel faction of the AIADMK in the cabinet, then his party will reconsider its stand on extending support to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s government | P4 J I TEND R A CHOU B EY @ New Delhi Just four days after the price hike, the Modi government has once again increased the prices of petrol and diesel. Having set the stage, preaching about savings while shifting the burden of their failures onto the public - this effort is in full swing Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress President The sad thing is that a severe economic storm is coming, which no one can stop, which we have never experienced in our lives Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Even after the recent revision of 91 paise per litre, fuel prices in India have risen by only about 4%, among the lowest increases anywhere in the world outside heavily subsidised Gulf economies Amit Malviya, BJP IT cell head WITH the Iran war triggering a shortage of fertilizers and skyrocketing of prices, the Centre has asked states to consider ammonium sulphate as a substitute for urea in rice cultivation. In a recent communication to state governments, the director-general of Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) suggested ammonium sulphate be used for paddy as an affordable option. ICAR comes under the Union agriculture ministry . The rationale behind the move is that while urea is in short supply am, monia sulphate can fill the gap. India has the capacity to manufacture ammonia sulphate. Also, it can be imported from alternative sources such as South Korea, Japan, Belgium, China, and Russia. Till now, India used to import most of its fertilizer requirements from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Israel—all of which are impacted by the war. India manufactures three out of the four key fertilizers—urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), muriate of potash (MOP), and complex (combination of N, P K nutrients)—with MOP being , 100% import dependent. However, the domestic production is not in sync with the rising demand and imports are crucial to meet the requirements. However, scientists warn against promoting ammonium sulphate in crops. Dr Virender Singh Lather, former principal scientist at ICAR, said high doses of sulphur can be toxic to crops grown in waterlogged and heavy soil conditions, like paddy . New TVK govt firms up state’s stand on two-language policy, rejects PM SHRI S u b a s h i n i Vij aya k u m a r @ Chennai Tamil Nadu’s newly formed TVK government reaffirmed its commitment to the state’s traditional two-language policy with School Education Min, ister Rajmohan declaring on Tuesday that there would be “no compromise” on this core ideological stance. Confirming continued resistance to the central government’s threelanguage system, Rajmohan also asserted that the state will not give in to indirect pressure to implement the PM SHRI school scheme in the state. Speaking about the union government withholding the Samagra Shiksha funds to Tamil Nadu for the past two years, the minister said the move was unacceptable. “This is money meant for students, not for government officials or School Education Minister Rajmohan inaugurating a teachers’ training session on new textbooks in Chennai on Tuesday | P Jawahar us. It should not be stopped for any reason,” he said. Asked whether the PM SHRI scheme would be implemented in the state, Rajmohan ruled out the possibility and reiterated the party’s stand on language policy “Just as women’s . rights and land rights are fundamental principles of TVK, the two-language policy is also one of our proclaimed policies. We will not bow to any indirect pressure,” he said. Invoking Singapore’s development model, Rajmohan said even former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew chose English as the language to connect with the world while building the nation from scratch. “English is enough. SC sets aside HC order, gives lifer to 7 in Dr Subbiah murder case in TN SUCH I T R A KALYAN MOHANTY to the breach of principles governing the exercise of powers. The impugned judgment is unsustainable on account of erroneous appreciation of evidence,” the top court said. Primarily the trial court con, victed all the nine accused for murder and sentenced seven of them to death and two persons to life imprisonment. But when this order was challenged by the convicts in the Madras HC, the court acquitted seven accused on the grounds that the trial court adopted a callous approach by ignoring settled principles of law, and citing serious lapses in probe. According to prosecution, Dr Subbiah was attacked in 2013 with a sickle while he was on his way back from Billroth Hospital in Chennai. He sustained multiple cut injuries to his head, neck, and shoulders. The police concluded that the motive was a property dispute between Ponnuswamy’s family and the deceased and arrested the nine accused. SC bench faults HC @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a Madras High Court order and sentenced seven persons to life imprisonment in the 2013 sensational daylight murder of renowned neurologist Dr Subbiah in Chennai. “The HC’s order is not sustainable in law as it failed to appreciate the evidence led by the prosecution. The trial court’s order has been upheld,” said a bench of justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma. While the trial court had originally sentenced nine of the accused to death, the apex court took note of the state government’s decision not to press for capital punishment and commuted the sentences of seven to life imprisonment. The SC bench also said that considering the advanced age of two of the accused, Ponnuswamy and his wife Mary Pushpam, and “We are of the view that the HC committed a grave error in reversing the view of the trial court without regard to the breach of principles governing the exercise of powers,” the top court said their limited role in the conspiracy stemming from their parental obligation to protect their kids as mitigating circumstances, it did not sentence them to punishment. “In view of the forgoing discussion, we are of the view that the HC committed a grave error in reversing the view of the trial court without regard Days before repoll, TMC’s Falta candidate drops out SU B HENDU MA I T I @ Kolkata Just two days before repoll in West Bengal’s violence-hit Falta assembly constituency, Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan, a close aide of party general secretary and MP of Diamond Harbour Abhishek Banerjee, withdrew his candidature, triggering calls for his suspension. Falta is among the seven assembly segments in the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency in South 24 Parganas district, Yet no TMC heav- yweight, including Abhishek, went for canvassing there, leaving Khan to fend for himself. For the record, Khan said Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s promise of a special package for the area’s development prompted him to take the call. Several TMC MLAs, including Kunal Ghosh, Ritobrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha demanded his suspension. While Suvendu said Khan “ran away as he won’t get any polling agent”, the TMC blamed it on intimidation of party workers, alleging the poll panel “continues to turn a blind eye”. Talking heads Prime Minister Narendra Modi with (from L) his Nordic counterparts Jonas Gahr Støre (Norway), Petteri Orpo (Finland), Ulf Kristersson (Sweden), Kristrún Frostadóttir (Iceland) and Mette Frederiksen (Denmark) during the Nordic-India Summit, in Oslo, Norway on Tuesday. They agreed to elevate their relationship to a Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership | PTI There will be no compromise on our ideology he added. ,” The minister’s earlier remark that he would “look into it” when asked about the implementation of the PM SHRI scheme had sparked speculation about whether the new government was reconsidering its stand. Rajmohan’s remark on Tuesday has gained significance as the union government has linked the release of Samagra Shiksha funds to the implementation of the PM SHRI scheme. As a result, over `3,500 crore due to Tamil Nadu for 2024-25 and 2025-26 remains pending from the centre. Meanwhile, the minister distributed handbooks for teachers handling classes 1 to 3, for which new textbooks were recently introduced, and inaugurated the state-level training programme for teachers.  P7 US approves follow-on support for Apache, M777s Express News Service @ New Delhi The United States has cleared $428 million worth of sustainment and logistics support for India’s Apache attack helicopters and M777 howitzers, both of which form key elements of the Indian military’s frontline combat capability . According to notifications issued on Tuesday by the US Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the US State Department cleared a $198.2 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) package for follow-on support services for India’s Apache helicopter fleet, along with a separate $230 million package for sustainment support for the M777 ultra-light howitzer system. The Apache package includes engineering, logistics and technical support services, spares, repairs, training, technical publications and other programme-related assistance, with Boeing and Lockheed Martin being the principal contractors. India had signed a government-to-government deal with the US in September 2015 for 22 AH-64E Apaches for the Indian Air Force under a contract worth around $2.1 billion. They were delivered between 2019 and 2020 and are primarily deployed at Pathankot and Jorhat. Subsequently in February 2020, India , signed another contract worth around $800 million for six AH64E Apaches for the Army Aviation Corps. Deliveries, delayed due to supply-chain disruptions, began in 2025, with the helicopters assigned to an Army aviation squadron at Jodhpur. In a separate notification, the US announced the approval of sustainment support for the M777s — part of a $737 million deal signed in November 2016. No clarity, Tasmac pauses closure of liquor outlets near restricted areas S GU R UVANM I KANATHAN @ Chennai The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) has temporarily halted the closure of 717 liquor shops due to confusion over their exact distance from the restricted areas. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s TVK government ordered the shutdown of Tasmac outlets operat- ing within 500 metres of schools, places of worship, and bus depots immediately after assuming office. While authorities successfully closed around 150 shops under the directive, official sources said that the remaining closures have been put on hold until the precise locations and distances of these shops are verified. A senior Tasmac official told TNIE that several outlets identified for closure were found to have no proper field-level assessment regarding whether they actually fall within the prescribed 500-metre radius. “Proper measurements and verification will be carried out before taking further action,” the official said. Police slap cases on Tasmac staff for `10 cut Mayiladuthurai: A day after police booked cases under Prohibition Act against the staff of three Tasmac outlets over allegations of overcharging `10 from customers per bottle, Tasmac staff shut 42 shops for two hours in protest across Mayiladuthurai district | P2 TNIE visited several parts of Chennai, including Velachery, Medavakkam, Thiruvanmiyur and Triplicane, and found a number of Tasmac outlets continuing to function near temples, bus depots, and educational institutions. However, officials did not provide any clear response on whether these shops would eventually be closed or allowed to contin- ue operations. On condition of anonymity a , district manager of Tasmac said that several liquor outlets across the state are functioning within the prohibited 500-metre radius. “In certain areas, residents are requesting that the outlets be allowed to function despite falling within the restricted distance,” the official added.  P7