vijayawada l saturday l november 16, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION PCB’s PoK CT Trophy tour: BCCI protests, ICC puts it on hold ICC on Friday put on hold Champions Trophy tour of disputed Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) following BCCI’s strong objection Photo: Twitter BCCI takes up issue with international body PCB had tweeted that they would take the trophy to PoK. “Get ready, Pakistan! The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 trophy tour kicks off in Islamabad on 16 November, also visiting scenic travel destinations like Skardu, Murree, Hunza and Muzaffarabad,” it tweeted. BCCI secretary Jay Shah reportedly protested with the ICC quite strongly ■ 1996 ‘discussions on’ over trophy tour ■ ■ The tournament, last held in 2017, is already in a limbo after BCCI refused to send its team to Pakistan for the tournament PCB announced the tour without prior knowledge of all stakeholders PCB is saying that discussion between the PCB and the ICC are going on the Trophy tour | P11 Last global men’s event in pak was when they co-hosted World cup 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 The name is Bond... for top RNG award Lifetime achievement award goes to Ruskin Bond, Non-fiction award to Neerja Chowdhury, Fiction award to Aishwarya Jha journos must be daring, says chinmaya mission head Mukes h R a n j a n @ New Delhi Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman awardees Ruskin Bond (represented by granddaughter Srishti), who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award (4th from L), Non-fiction award winner Neerja Chowdhury (6th from L) and Fiction award winner Aishwarya Jha (3rd from L) with (from L) TNIE CEO Lakshmi Menon, TNIE CMD Manoj Kumar Sonthalia, Chinmaya Mission global head Swami Swaroopanandaji, TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, and TNIE Editor Santwana Bhattacharya, in New Delhi on Friday | Shekhar Yadav P r a c h i S at r a w a l @ New Delhi “Words steer the mind and heart, revealing the truth that uplifts and transforms,” said Swami Swaroopanandaji, Global Head, Chinmaya Mission, as he inaugurated the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman 2024 at Bharat Mandapam on Friday . An evening dedicated to celebrating the enduring power of storytelling, the awards brought together luminaries from India’s literary and journalistic circles to honour exceptional voices in fiction, non-fiction, and lifetime achievement. The Sahithya Samman, instituted in memory of Ramnath Goenka, the visionary founder of The New Indian Express group, pays tribute to the trans- Finance talks on at a snail’s pace S V Krishna Chaitanya EXPRESS IN BAKU The climate finance talks at COP29 are going on at a snail’s pace with no significant headway although five days have passed. Yalchin Rafiyev, COP29 lead negotiator, on Friday called upon the parties to use the precious time wisely. “...talk to each other and take ownership of building bridging solutions. We must be honest. We believe that the pace of their work is currently too slow. We cannot afford to leave too much work to be covered later in the summit at t h e p o l i t i c a l level.” At a high-level ministerial, India on behalf of the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) made a statement reiterating its demand from the developed countries for $1.3 trillion annually until 2030. “We are at a crucial juncture in our fight against climate change. What we decide here will enable all of us, particularly those in the Global South, to not only take ambitious mitigation action but also adapt to climate change. This COP is historic in this context,” lead negotiator Naresh Pal Gangwar said. formative force of literature. Speaking at the event, Chairman and Managing Director Manoj Sonthalia described the awards as “a powerful testimony to the resilience, complexity , and beauty of the human experience.” He added, “Today, we honour authors whose works have risen above the ordinary to touch the extraordinary .” Elaborating on the significance of the awards, Editor Santwana Bhattacharya said: “An entity so utterly mundane, familiar, and yet also a stranger— this is what the word is. It was iconised by our founder Ramnath Goenka. Imagine a blank editorial, a silence that echoes through the ages; such aware- ness would not be out of place in a poet. It is fitting, therefore, to have a literary award instituted in his honour.” One of the highlights was the Lifetime Achievement Award to celebrated author Ruskin Bond, represented by his granddaughter Srishti Bond. In a heartfelt video message, the 90-year-old author expressed his gratitude: “This is a happy moment for me... I only wish I could be with you. I am sending my beloved granddaughter Srishti to receive it.” The Non-fiction award went to veteran journalist Neerja Chowdhury for How Prime Ministers Decide, a meticulous exploration of pivotal decisions Row over PM’s plane snag as Rahul’s chopper delayed M U K E S H RANJAN @ Ranchi the special IAF aircraft carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday developed a snag, stranding him in Jharkhand’s Deoghar airport for over two hours till a replacement plane came from Delhi. The incident caused a ripple effect with Congress leader Rahul’s Gandhi’s helicopter being denied permission to take off from Godda, due to the airspace restrictions in the region for the PM’s visit. Officials said Modi waited inside the grounded IAF aircraft for 2 hours and 15 minutes till the alternative plane arrived. Modi was supposed to return to Delhi after addressing a poll rally in Bihar’s Jamui, around 80 km from Deoghar. As a precautionary measure, the region’s airspace was declared a no-fly zone. Around this time, Rahul was caught in a similar situation with his helicopter being grounde d f o r t wo h o u r s , prompting protests from the Congress. The Congress and JMM wrote to the Election Commission demanding a level-playing field for all parties, saying the PM’s poll campaign can’t take precedence over others’. by six Indian Prime Ministers. “To receive a literary award in Ramnath Goenka’s name is an honour,” she said. Jury chair, author and former diplomat Pavan Varma shed light on the rigorous selection process: “Each work presented a unique lens on India. The sheer depth of research and narrative scope in Neerja Chowdhury’s book set a new benchmark for contemporary non-fiction.” In the Fiction category debut , author Aishwarya Jha received the award for The Scent of Fallen Stars, a poignant tale of love and longing. Quoting V S Naipaul in her acceptance speech, Jha said, “Fiction reveals... I feel honoured to receive this award that celebrates India’s diP7 versity and beauty  .” Hailing the doyen of the Indian media, Ramnath Goenka, as a “great independent thinker”, Swami Swaroopanandaji, the global head of Chinmaya Mission, on Friday said responsible journalists have to be daring and courageous and should write facts without prejudice to convey the truth. The Swami was the chief guest at the 2nd edition of the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman ceremony in Delhi. Swaroopanandaji in his address said writers “are those who protect and spread the knowledge to the world”. Reminding people about the timeless impact of epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata on the lives of the people, SwarooResponsible panandaji dwelt on the journalism role of Sanjaya, advisor should be of the blind King Dhricourageous, tarashtra in the Mahabfearless and harata. “Sanjaya narindependent. rated the developments The wellbeing of society in the Kurukshetra war should be at as it unfolded to his the core of blind king without prejresponsible udice and with a lot of journalism clarity he said. ,” The spiritual leader Swami cautioned that when Swaroopanandaji fact and truth are muddled and falsehood is spread as fact, the situation becomes very harmful for the society . Noting that he did not see any difference in the various forms of writing – fiction, non-fiction or media reporting, he said, “In either form, if a writer is able to bring out the better self of people to think independently, the work should be considered a great success.” Talking about the difference between fact and truth, he said, “When fact is told without prejudice it becomes truth.” Authors of books, he added, “should lead us with their writings to allow us to live in unity and harmony. Such writings benefit the society forever.” Massive fire in UP hospital, 10 newborns dead N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow Ten newborn babies died of burn injuries and suffocation after a massive fire broke out at the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) of Rani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh late on Friday night. Jhansi Range DIG Kalanidhi Naithani said the ward had 54 children in all and 44 were rescued after the accident, which occurred around 10.45 pm. Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said a short circuit in the NICU was believed to have caused the fire. “A committee has been formed under Jhansi Divisional Commissioner to probe the incident. It will submit a report to the CM,” he added. The fire led to a stampede-like situation with people trying to flee. Doctors and medical staff were seen evacuating patients by breaking the windows of the ward filled with smoke and doors blocked by flames. Panic and screams of parents of victims gripped the medical college where the incident occurred. Parents were seen pleading with authorities to save the lives of their children. The fire brigade rushed to the site soon after the incident and the district administration also called in the Army to help out. The bodies of 10 newborn babies were recovered. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. The CM directed officials and doctors to reach the spot immediately for relief work. Yogi has sought a report on the incident from Jhansi divisional commissioner and DIG within 12 hours. debt in state stands at `9.74 lakh crore, says naidu S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday revealed that the State incurred a debt of `9,74,556 lakh crore under the previous YSRC government. Listing the components of the debt, Naidu explained it includes `4.3 lakh crore State debt, `80,914 crore Public Account Liabilities (PAL), `2.47 lakh crore corporations debt, civil supplies debt of `36,000 crore, power sector debt of `34,267 crore, `1.13 lakh crore outstanding dues to vendors and `21,980 crore dues to employees. Participating in a discussion on the Budget in the CM N Chandrababu Naidu called on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi on Friday | Express State Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister said anyone who has doubts regarding the numbers can verify the account books. Charging the YSRC admin- istration with financial mismanagement, Naidu said the previous government did not take any initiative in the direction of wealth creation. “Looting was committed in a novel manner in the past five years and institutions were damaged. The mistakes and debts of the YSRC government have become a curse for the State,” he remarked. The Chief Minister said per capita income dropped drastically, while expenditure shot up significantly due to the inefficient governance of the YSRC. He added that growth rate decreased to 10.6% in 2023-24 from 13.5% P4 in 2018-19.  express read 13,497 vacant teacher posts will be filled: Min Vijayawada: Minister for HRD N Lokesh said steps will be taken to fill all vacant teacher posts in the State before the next academic year. Replying to a question in the State Assembly, he said a total of 13,497 teacher posts are vacant as of June 2024 in the School Education Department | P4 8 MoUs inked with IIT-M to transform Amaravati Vijayawada: The State government signed eight MoUs with IIT Madras on Friday to transform Amaravati into an international city and ensure the benefits of advanced technology and research reach the people of the State | P3 harsh reality MPDO falls ill during visit to tribal hamlet, carried in doli U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam Ananthagiri Mandal Development Parishad Of ficer (MPDO) Kumar was carried in a doli after he fell sick during his visit to Karri Guda, a remote hilltop village in Gumma Panchayat of Alluri Sitarama Raju District on Thursday . Following the death of a 70year-old woman and the hospitalisation of a 48-year-old man at King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam, the District Collector had instructed the MPDO and the Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) to visit Karri Guda. The officials, accompanied by medical staff, trekked eight kilometres to reach the village and held a health camp to assess whether there was any fever or diarrhoea outbreak among the residents. Karri Guda, like many tribal hamlets in the district, suffers from a lack of basic infrastruct u re, i n cl u d i n g ro a d connectivity . Kumar, who led the visit, had to face the challenges villagers endure daily. While trekking down the hill, he experienced a sudden drop in blood pressure. With no road access to arrange for immediate transpor- tation, the villagers carried him on a doli (makeshift stretcher) for several kilometres to Gumma village. The irony of the situation underscores the hardships faced by tribals. While a road for the village was sanctioned and approved by the Forest Department, construction is yet to begin as approvals from the Collector’s Of fice remain pending. K Govind Rao, Andhra Pradesh Tribal Association Fifth Schedule Sadhana Committee president, elaborated on what had happened and said, “We hope the sanctioned road is constructed soon, and the work begins without further delay .” Govind further mentioned, “Forest officials received the proceedings copy from the collector’s office on Friday and announced that road construction would begin on Sunday .” Ananthagiri MPDO was shifted to Gumma village in a doli I express