tirupati l saturday l july 11, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION pushback against tag on calls from 140/1600 series as spam TRAI tells Trucaller caller ID applications or telecom operators cannot tag calls originating from 140 and 1600 number series as ‘spam’ ‘only customers can block promo calls’ In a press note on Friday, TRAI said under Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation, any tagging, blocking or filtering calls originating from 1600 series numbers is not permitted. It also said customers have the right to allow or block promotional calls from 140 series numbers by registering their preference on DND registry ■ 5.25 lakh 1600 for service calls, 140 telemarketers ■ TRAI said it has mandated use of 1600 series for service calls by banking, financial and insurance entities and by govt entities for govt-to-citizen communication; while 140 is for telemarketers In response, Truecaller CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala said both 140 and 1600 series numbers are used by spammers, hence they are blocked users of truecaller label such calls as spam daily 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 Govt: E20 cuts mileage; can’t offer other options Relentless and unstoppable Kylian Mbappe and Co beat Morocco to book a spot in thirdconsecutive semifinal. A look... Oil ministry says benefits of ethanol blending outweigh drawbacks RAK E SH KU M AR @ New Delhi Task Force to combat SM menace soon S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada In a decisive and multipronged legislative push, the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved the setting up of a high-powered State Task Force and a dedicated Social Media Response Cell to counter cyberbullying and systemic digital defamation. Briefing mediapersons on the outcome of the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the Secretariat on Friday Minister for Informa, tion and Public Relations Kolusu Parthasarathy stated that the government will adopt zero tolerance against character assassination on social media. The State plans to deploy advanced digital forensic technology to track rogue handles, appoint Special Public Prosecutors for cyber offences, and train station house officers to crack down on obscene content targeting P4 women and minors.  THE Union petroleum ministry on Friday acknowledged that the use of E20 (20% ethanolblended petrol) can reduce vehicle mileage by up to 5%, but ruled out offering consumers a choice between pure petrol, E10, and E20, citing logistical a n d i nv e s t m e n t - r e l a t e d constraints. In a detailed explainer, the ministry said stocking three different grades of petrol at over 1 lakh retail outlets across the country would create enormous logistical challenges, raise handling costs, complicate inventory management, and cut operational efficiency . The ministry also pointed to the massive investments made in India’s ethanol ecosystem. It said public sector banks have financed nearly `1 lakh crore annually for ethanol production and related infrastructure, including dedicated ethanol plants, distilleries, storage facilities and logistics networks. “If, after creating this capacity, we were to arbitrarily revert to E10, what happens to these investments? What happens to the surplus production capacity? What happens to thousands of crores invested by farmers, cooperatives, entrepreneurs, financial institutions and public sector companies in good faith based on a national policy?” it said. It maintained that E20 is Ethanol programme saved `1.90 lakh cr in forex: Govt The government on Friday said the ethanol-blended petrol programme has helped the sugar economy, boosted farmer income, and saved the country over `1.90 lakh crore in foreign exchange since 2014-15. Joint Secretary in the food ministry Ashwani Srivastava said ethanol has become central to the agricultural economy by creating new markets for surplus crops and reducing India’s dependence on imported crude oil cleaner and more efficient than both pure petrol and E10. However, it acknowledged that E20 is currently more expensive to produce than pure petrol when international crude oil prices are around $70 per barrel. It becomes more economical only if crude prices rise to $120-130 per barrel, as ethanol is procured at a relatively stable price of about `71 per litre. The ministry’s explanation comes as global crude prices have largely remained in the $70-80 per barrel range over the past year, except for a brief spike to around $125 per barrel during the West Asia conflict. India’s crude basket averaged $70.99 per barrel in FY26, fall- ing to $62.20 per barrel in December and $63.03 per barrel in January . “Nearly 20% of every litre of petrol sold in India today is domestically produced ethanol. That ethanol is procured at around `71 per litre, a price that does not fluctuate every morning with Brent crude, geopolitical conflicts or shipping disruptions,” it added. The ministry said the transition to higher ethanol blending was undertaken after extensive consultations with automobile manufacturers. The roadmap for E20, prepared by an InterMinisterial Committee, has been in the public domain since 2021. Ethanol blending has risen steadily from 8.1% in the 202021 ethanol supply year to 10% in 2021-22, 12.1% in 2022-23, 14.6% in 2023-24, 19.2% in 202425, before achieving the 20% target in the current ethanol supply year. To counter concerns over vehicle compatibility, the ministry cited field data from automakers. It said Maruti Suzuki serviced 2.84 crore vehicles in FY26, including 1.5 crore nonE20-compliant vehicles, without reporting E20-related corrosion, abnor mal wear or reduced component life. Hero MotoCorp has reported similar field experience. “This real-world evidence is far more reliable than isolated anecdotes,” the ministry said. `10 cr gold loan fraud by bank appraiser unearthed E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Eluru In one of the largest banking scandals in the district in recent years, police unearthed a gold loan fraud at Bank of Baroda’s Jangareddigudem branch, and arrested the bank’s official gold appraiser for allegedly misappropriating pledged ornaments valued at `10 crore. Disclosing this at a press conference here on Friday, Eluru Superintendent of Police K Pratap Siva Kishore said the accused, Chalapaka Raju (40) of Velamapeta in Jang areddigudem, was arrested. Following intensive searches, a special investigation team recovered 4.120 kg of stolen gold ornaments valued at `5.71 crore, along with `10 lakh in cash, bringing the total re- covery to `5.81 crore. The institutional fraud came to light after the Senior Branch Manager of the Bank lodged a formal complaint. Acting on the complaint, Jangareddigudem police registered Crime No. 198/2026 under Sections 318(4), 316(5), 336(3), and 305(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A com- prehensive probe was launched under the direct supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sushmitha R. A deep forensic audit of the bank’s vault exposed severe irregularities across 176 gold loan accounts. Investigators revealed that Raju abused his position of trust to systematically siphon P4 off gold ornaments.  Hasina to return in dec to revive awami league Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is living in India after she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government, is preparing to voluntarily return to Dhaka by December to revive her Awami League | P9 Les Bleus march on Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele were on target as France surged past Morocco 2-0 to book their place in the World Cup semifinals on Thursday. The win sends the 2018 champions into last four for the third straight World Cup. They will play the first semifinal on Tuesday Three Lions face Haaland threat Live on Unite8 and Zee5 (IST Sunday*) Today’s matches England’s quest to end 60 years of WC pain will face another test when the team takes on Erling Haaland’s Norway. They have Harry Kane but England would hope to overcome defensive deficiencies Norway vs England @ Miami Stadium | 2.30 AM* THE Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has clarified that state songs must be played or sung first in government functions, followed by the National Song (Vande Mataram) and National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana), in that order. Issuing fresh directions to all state governments, Union Territory (UT) administrations and central ministries, the Union home ministry directed the states and the UTs to strictly adhere to the sequence. “In some of the States, State Song is also sung and played along with National Anthem/National Song. It is stated that whenever State Song is sung or played with National Song/National Anthem, both the National Song and National Anthem shall be sung or played together; and National Song will be sung or played first followed by National Anthem,” the MHA said in its order dated July 9. Further clarifying the protocol to be observed in functions that play a state song along with the National Song/Anthem, an official said: “In such cases, state songs should be sung first followed by the National Song and the National Anthem.” The latest MHA directive also called for strict adherence to the correct script and text, and diction and pronunciation while playing or singing the National Song and National Anthem. To facilitate compliance, the MHA said the authentic text as well as the correct pronunciation of the National Song and the National Anthem is available on the ministry’s website. The MHA said its orders contain an exhaustive list of occasions during which the National Anthem / National Song “shall be played or sung” as well as occasions where they “may be sung or played”. The MHA requested all state governments, UT administrations and central ministries to issue suitable instructions to institutions and organisations under their jurisdiction to ensure strict adherence to the prescribed norms. E x p r e s s Re a d Lokesh gets `1,595 cr investment promise Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh concluded Day 6 of his South Korean investment promotion tour on Friday. In high-level bilateral meetings in Seoul, he secured a major `1,595-crore manufacturing commitment from Shinhyup Electronics and advanced structural talks for heavy maritime infrastructure and automated EV corridors | P4 After a high-intensity contest against Egypt, Lionel Messi’s Argentina will want to bring their A game vs Switzerland in the last quarterfinal Argentina vs Switzerland @ Kansas City Stadium | 6.30 AM* State song first, then Nat’l Song in govt events: MHA M UK E SH RA N J A N @ New Delhi Messi chases another WC semifinal Manyam tops Health & Nutrition rankings Paravathipuram: ParvathipuramManyam district has secured top position in the Health & Nutrition Theme among 112 Aspirational Districts across the nation in the delta rankings of Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) announced by the NITI Aayog for the quarter ending March 2026. The district has also secured 2nd Rank in the Basic Infrastructure Theme in the country | P3 poll reform ‘One Nation, One Election’ mechanism by ’29: JPC head p r ee t h a n a i r @ New Delhi A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the proposed legislation on simultaneous elections is working to create a mechanism that could make the ‘One Nation, One Election’ reform fully operational by the 2029 general elections, said panel head P P Chaudhary on Friday . Addressing reporters on the sidelines of the panel’s two-day meeting in Goa, Chaudhary said that nearly 99% of civil society stakeholders consulted so far have backed the proposal, which aims to curb an estimated `7 lakh crore economic loss caused by frequent polls. On the timeline for implementation, he said the committee was examining vario u s o p t i o n s, indicating that the refor m could become operational by P P Chaudhary the time the next general elections are due in 2029. He said there is also a possibility of bringing some states into alignment before 2029 if political parties and the chief ministers of those states voluntarily agree to synchronise their electoral cycles. Highlighting the economic rationale behind the proposal, Chaudhary cited findings placed before the high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind. He quoted a study submitted to the Kovind panel estimating that holding polls separately across the country results in an economic loss of nearly `7 lakh crore, while synchronised elections could generate equivalent gains for the economy . R a m te m p l e Rescue op A police officer, assisted by locals, rescues children after flash floods hit Mendhar in Poonch dist, Jammu & Kashmir on Friday | PTI Small notes, big pain: Donation counting staff quit n a m i ta b a j pa i @ Lucknow Drive to reclaim Brahmani lands begins E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kadapa/Vijayawada Signalling the end of a longdrawn legal battle, the Kadapa district administration has initiated a massive drive to reclaim nearly 13,000 acres of land originally allotted to the defunct Brahmani Steels project. Moving swiftly on executive orders, the Jammalamadugu revenue authorities have already taken possession of 3,000 acres, with active measures underway to reclaim the remaining 10,000 acres. The high-profile industrial land dispute dates back to 2007, when the erstwhile AP government headed by Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy allotted 10,707.53 acres of public land to Karnataka-based mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy for setting up a steel plant near Jammalamadugu at a subsidised price of `18,000 per acre. Concurrently , another 3,118 acres of land was set aside in the vicinity for a dedicated airport project. However, the venture completely derailed after Janardhan Reddy illegally mortgaged the government-allotted lands with Axis Bank to secure a loan of `350 crore without obtaining clearance from Collector.  P4 As many as 23 people hired from an external agency by the State Bank of India branch in Ayodhya for counting donations at the Ram Mandir there resigned en masse on Friday amid the ongoing investigation into the alleged embezzlement of offerings, reducing the strength of counting personnel to a little more than a dozen. Earlier, there were 40 counting personnel at the temple. Those who quit said the counting at the temple had become more time consuming and tedious as the number of `10 and `20 denomination notes be- ing offered by devotees had increased significantly after the donation theft came to light. As per sources, the counting staff, deputed by SBI, had a common refrain that they used to collect 70 to 80 bundles of `500 notes earlier, allowing quick completion of the counting process. Now, they barely manage 15 bundles of `500 notes a day. Earlier, the work was carried out in two shifts. The employees said each staff member earlier worked a six-hour shift, but the system has now been changed to a single shift from 9 am to 6 pm. While their salaries have remained unchanged, their work- sc to hear donation theft case on july 13 The Supreme Court will hear on July 13 a batch of PILs seeking an independent and time-bound investigation into irregularities in donations collected for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The petitioners have urged the court to order an SIT inquiry or a courtmonitored probe into claims of diversion of temple funds, citing lack of transparency in the collection and accounting process. ing hours have increased, prompting them to resign, they said. They further said that while donations were earlier counted on tables and chairs, the exercise is now conducted while sitting on the floor. Security and vigilance at the counting centre have been tightened considerably . Sources said the Ram temple trust is now preparing to introduce QR code-enabled identity cards with digital security features, a common uniform for all outsourced employees at the temple and a digital entry-exit tracking system to maintain a record of every employee’s movement.