HYDERABAD  THURSDAY  SEPTEMBER 19, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 18  LATE CITY EDITION AFTER PAGERS, NOW WALKIE-TALKIES EXPLODE KILLING 14 IN LEBANON Walkie-talkies exploded in Beirut and other parts of the country, killing at least 14 people in the second wave of device explosions on Wednesday SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS BLAST AT HOMES Besides walkie-talkies, fingerprint readers and several solar power systems installed in homes across the country also exploded. A girl was injured when a solar power system exploded at a home in Beirut. In the south of the city, several blasts were heard at the funeral for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by exploding pagers the day before 450 WAR MOVING NORTH, SAYS ISRAELI MINISTER ■ The new wave of device explosions has raised fears of an all-out war between Lebanon and Israel. Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant hinted that a greater confrontation with Hezbollah could be ahead ■ “The war’s centre of gravity is moving north. We are at the start of a new phase. It requires courage, determination...,” Gallant said | P11 INJURED IN THE LATEST WAVE OF DEVICE EXPLOSIONS IN LEBANON 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 Prime Minister's Package worth One Month's Salary to First-Time Employees upon Joining Workforce for Youth 100 Days of Modi 3.0 Government of India Paving the Path to Viksit Bharat CABINET STAMP ON ‘ONE POLL’ SCHEME Implementation group to be formed to take it forward M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi A day after Union home minister Amit Shah reiterated the Centre’s commitment to introducing the one nation, one poll scheme, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of a high-level panel led by former President Ram Nath Kovind on the matter. The proposal aims to bundle elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies together, followed by urban body and panchayat polls within the subsequent 100 days. They will be discussed across India on various platforms and an implementation group will be formed to take the proposals forward. A bill on the one nation, one election scheme is likely to be introduced in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. Since 18 constitutional amendments have to be made to synchronise polls, the NDA will need extra support to get is passed in Parliament. At present, the NDA has 293 in the 543-member Lok Sabha, and 119 in the 245-member Rajya Sabha. A constitutional amendment can be passed only if the proposal has simple majority in the Lok Sabha as also twothirds of the members present and voting in the House. If all 543 Lok Sabha members are present on the day of voting, the bill will require the support of 362. The Opposition INDIA bloc has 234 in the Lok Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha, the NDA has 113 MPs and the assumed support of six nominated members, while the INDIA bloc has 85. If all members of the Rajya Sabha are present on the voting day two-thirds would be 164. , The process of synchronis- A man shows his inked finger after voting in the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in Anantnag district on Wednesday | ZAHOOR PUNJABI Record 59% turnout in J&K Phase 1 polls F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar President Murmu being presented a report on simultaneous elections by her predecessor Ram Nath Kovind | PTI 18 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS To hold simultaneous elections, as many as 18 amendments to the Constitution and other statutes would be required. They include amending provisions on the preparation of the electoral roll (Article 325) ing elections would begin with the President notifying the date of the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election as the “appointed date”, the panel suggested. The tenure of all state assemblies formed via polls after the “appointed date” and before the expiry of the full term of the Lok Sabha, will be only for the period ending up to the subsequent parliamentary polls. After this one-time transitory measure, all Lok Sabha and assembly polls will be held simultaneously . If fresh polls are necessitated to constitute a new Lok Sabha in the event of a hung House or a no-confidence motion, or any such event, its will be only for the unexpired (remaining) term of the immediately preceding full term of the House. If elections are held for state assemblies, then such new assemblies — unless sooner dissolved — shall continue only up to the end of the full term of Lok Sabha, the panel recommended. The Centre should put its plan for ‘one nation, one election’ before the people. It is essential the public understands how these polls will be held KT Rama Rao, former minister It destroys federalism & compromises democracy. Multiple elections aren’t a problem for anyone except Modi & Shah Asaduddin Owaisi, MP GUKESH, VANTIKA, VAISHALI HEROICS AS INDIA TOP I P13 Raze illegal BRS party office: HC EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad EXPRESSING its strong disapproval for “blatant violation of rules” Justice T Vinod Kumar of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday ordered the demolition of a BRS party office in Nalgonda which was constructed illegally . The court gave the BRS 15 days to demolish the office on its own and directed it to pay `1 lakh to the District Legal Services Authority, Nalgonda, within four weeks as penalty . Justice Kumar also expressed strong disapproval, stating that the BRS, when in power, formulated rules only to blatantly violate them. He made it clear that the law was applicable equally to both common citizens and political CONTINUED ON P6 parties. VOTERS made a beeline outside polling stations in seven districts of Jammu and Kashmir that voted in the first phase of Assembly elections, the first in 10 years, on Wednesday. Close to 59% of the electorate cast its vote by evening, which is decidedly the highest among the past seven elections. “I stood in a long queue and voted Naidu: Animal fat used in TTD prasadam EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Vijayawada IN sensational remarks that could have far-reaching implications, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday alleged that animal fat was used instead of pure ghee for preparing prasadam offered at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala during the previous YSRC regime. He was speaking at the NDA meeting held at Mangalagiri on Wednesday in the presence of Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan and BJP state president Daggubati Purandeswari. Naidu claimed that the quality of Tirumala prasadam had become substandard during the previous dispensation, and termed it a CONTINUED ON P7 sacrilege. TG booster dose for MSMEs EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad UNVEILING Telangana’s firstever policy for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the state government on Wednesday said that it would spend `4,000 crore over the next five years as incentives to achieve a target of establishing 25,000 new MSMEs. Launching the policy here, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said that there was a need to promote MSMEs to generate employment opportunities in the state. To achieve this, the policy will offer incentives to women, SCs and STs for establishing MSMEs. The policy identifies six core areas to spur MSME growth — access to land, funds, raw material, labour, technology and markets. As per policy the government , of Telangana will facilitate access to land via construction of dedicated industrial infrastructure for MSMEs and making land available at affordable CONTINUED ON P6 prices. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy unveils MSME Policy-24 along with his Cabinet colleagues in Hyderabad on Wednesday Points to ponder  To bolster about 15,000 SC, ST and women entrepreneurs over next five years  Build inclusive businesses and usher in the era of Industry 4.0  Establishing a dedicated MSME wing under the Commissioner of Industries  Increase cap on subsidy limit on land cost from 30% to 50% (up to 50 lakh) for MSMEs run by SC and ST entrepreneurs  For SC and ST entrepreneurs, capital investment subsidy raised to 50% up to a limit of `1 crore SOPS FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS  Out of 5 MSME parks, one to be built exclusive for women-owned MSMEs and one for innovative startups  Govt to develop one small scale flatted factory in Assembly constituencies with a concentration of SHGs. The govt will encourage female members of SHGs to set up small businesses in these flatted factories  The government will provide 20% additional subsidy up to a limit of `20 lakh under T- IDEA scheme  For women-owned MSMEs, the govt will pay duty on imported samples valued up to `15 lakh patiently to cast my vote. It was my first vote since the 1987 polls,” said 72-year-old Ghulam Nabi Mir at a polling station in Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. There were long queues at all polling stations in the Tral Payeen area, a remarkable development given that Tral was known as “Kashmir’s Kandhar” during the era of militancy as it was a known stronghold of militants and separatists. “People have realised the importance of electoral politics. After the abrogation of Article 370, which disempowered us, we want to safeguard whatever is left there through our vote,” Mir said. Zubair Ahmed, a first-time voter, said he hopes the elected government will create jobs and usher in an era of development in J&K, especially in the Valley . Brisk polling was reported in Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts of south Kashmir, which voted in the phase. The first phase of polls covered 24 seats across seven districts. An election official in a polling station in Tral said it is the first time that such a large number of people are voting. “In the past, only a handful of people used to cast their votes,” she claimed.