HYDERABAD  FRIDAY  NOVEMBER 22, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 36  LATE CITY EDITION MASS FEDERAL JOB CUTS IN DOGE’S BLUEPRINT FOR MEGA U.S. REFORMS Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy provided the blueprint for an unprecedented US government reform in an op-ed on the Wall Street Journal CRACKDOWN COMING ON WORK FROM HOME DRIVING CHANGE THROUGH EXECUTIVE ACTION The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will suggest job cuts after identifying the minimum number of employees required at each federal agency, Musk and Ramaswamy wrote. Federal employees will not have the option of work from home. “If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them,” they wrote ■ ■ DOGE, they wrote, will present a list of ‘illicit’ regulations to President Donald Trump, who can then pass executive orders to pause them The 2022 US Supreme Court ruling that restricted the Environment Protection Agency’s power to regulate carbon emissions will be a reference in their crackdown on regulations, the two wrote | P9 $500 bn HOW MUCH DOGE HOPES TO HELP THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SAVE EACH 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 WAR CRIMES The defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian govt officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars and lied about the bribery as they sought to raise capital from US - US Attorney Breon Peace International court issues arrest warrant against Bibi US court cloud over Adani Bribery charges against Adani Group chairman, 7 others $250 million kickbacks to Indian govt officials to sign power supply contracts $200 mn paid in Andhra alone A G E N C I E S @ The Hague THE International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’ military chief Mohammed Deif, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with their war that began more than a year ago. The warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant focus on allegations Israel has used food as a weapon in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza, a charge Israeli officials deny . The warrants were issued by a three-judge panel in a unanimous decision. The panel said there were reasonable grounds to believe they “intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival”, including food, w at e r, m e d i cine, fuel and electricity . The decision came six months after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the warrants. Reacting sharply Netanyahu , said Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions”. He said: “There is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza.” The ICC is a court of last resort that only prosecutes cases when domestic law enforcement authorities cannot or will not investigate. Israel is not a member state of the court. Despite the warrants, none of the suspects is likely to face judges in The Hague anytime soon. Member countries are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that. KENYA CANCELS ADANI PROJECTS Kenyan President William Ruto said that he has cancelled multimillion-dollar airport expansion and energy deals with Adani after US indictments. He said the decision was made ‘based on new information’ RAHUL DEMANDS IMMEDIATE ARREST Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded immediate arrest of Gautam Adani. “Why is he roaming around like a free man?” he asked, demanding his arrest GLOWING TRADITIONS President Droupadi Murmu and Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy attend the Koti Deepotsavam at NTR Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday. “Lightning lamps during Karthika Maasam is an age-old tradition of our country. By lighting lamps, we moved from darkness to light and from ignorance to knowledge. This festival is also signifies victory of truth over falsehoods,” the President said | P4 CURIOUS TIMING, QUIPS BJP The BJP said all the states mentioned in the US indictment were at that time ruled by opposition parties. It also questioned the timing, just before the start of Parliament session A RS H A D K H A N & B S N M A L L E SWA R A R AO @ New Delhi / Vijayawada THE US Department of Justice (DoJ) has indicted Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and seven others on bribery charges involving over $250 million in payments to Indian government officials to secure solar energy contracts. The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York charged Adani and others with conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, as well as substantive securities fraud, for their involvement in a multi-billion dollar scheme to deceive US investors and global financial institutions with false and misleading statements. The indictment alleges that between 2020 and 2024, the accused conspired to pay bribes to officials in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu & Kashmir to secure lucrative solar energy supply contracts. These con- tracts were expected to generate post-tax profits exceeding $2 billion over an estimated 20year period. The prosecutors said the Adanis raised more than $3 billion in loans and bonds by hiding their corruption from lenders and investors. Following the reports, Adani Green Energy cancelled plans to raise $600 million in US dollardenominated bonds. The other executives who are indicted are Vneet S Jaain (ex-CEO of Adani Green), Ranjit Gupta, Rupesh Agarwal, Saurabh Agarwal, and Deepak Malhotra. An indictment is the formal charges prepared by prosecutors and returned by a grand jury to start criminal proceedings. It is not a conviction and the accused remains innocent until proven guilty in court. Adani Group denied the allegations and called them baseless, adding that it will take all possible legal steps. “The Adani Group has always upheld Blasts from past force IAS officers to go into a huddle I R E D DY S R I N I VAS R E D DY @ Hyderabad THERE is palpable fear among bureaucrats in the state after inquiries have been ordered into scams involving their colleagues that allegedly took place under the previous BRS dispensation. The probe into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, financial irregularities in the conduct of the Formula E race, Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) investigation into IAS officer Amoy Kumar’s role in the ir- Lagcherla: Report sought Former BRS MLA booked Over claims of police violence in Lagcherla, the NHRC has issued notices to the chief secretary and DGP, directing them to file a report within two weeks | P4 Police have booked former BRS MLA Banoth Shankar Naik and his aides for allegedly grabbing land at New Shayampet in Hanamkonda | P3 regularities in land transactions and GST scam, among others. Several IAS officers and some non-cadre officers recently met at a star hotel in Shamshabad. The meeting, chaired by a senior IAS officer, was reportedly attended by 20 to 23 officers. Day after food poisoning, Maganoor ZPHS students served worm-infested meal again C H I T H A L U R I R E V A N T H @ Hyderabad IT was the second consecutive day of distress for students at the Maganoor Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS). A day after several children were hospitalised due to food poisoning after having lunch, the school management allegedly once again served worm-infested food for midday meal (MDM) on Thursday . Adding to their woes, those students undergoing treatment at the Mahbubnagar Government Hospital complained of finding insects in the upma As stated by DoJ itself, “the charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.” All possible legal recourse will be sought - Adani Group Worms seen in lunch served to the students of Maganoor ZPHS in Narayanpet district on Thursday served as breakfast. Meanwhile, the students who attended school on Thursday said they were shocked to discover worms in their lunch again. When they protested, the school staff asked them to wait, claiming that fresh food would be cooked and served. However, a student said, “We come from other villages and find it tough to wait until fresh food is prepared.” Several students alleged that the rice served was undercooked and every plate had at least one insect. “We are hungry and have no food to eat. What do we do now?” lamented another student. CONTINUED ON P5 During the meeting, they reportedly decided that they would strictly adhere to established norms, guidelines and business rules going forward, fearing that they would find themselves in trouble, should there be a change of guard. No more following oral orders The officers reportedly resolved not to follow oral orders from the chief minister or other members of the Cabinet and sign documents blindly. They have decided to go strictly by rules and follow established procedures. Sources said the officials expressed embarrassment over the prospect of facing inquiry commissions and fighting legal cases initiated by probe agencies, particularly because they believed they had not done anything wrong. The meeting has apparently caused a stir in government circles. It remains to be seen how the government will handle the situation and what developments will unfold in the coming days. They made the decision after seeing the difficulties IAS officers are facing, including some even after retirement. For example, former chief secretary Somesh Kumar appeared before the judicial commission probing irregularities in the execution of KLIS. CONTINUED ON P4 READY FOR With the five-Test series between India and Australia getting underway in Perth on Friday, a look at some key talking points... THUNDER DOWN UNDER PACE VS PACE CAPTAINS FACE-OFF In the absence of a fulltime captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will step in to lead the side for the second time in his career. India lost to England, but times have changed since then. After a long time, two pacers — Bumrah and Pat Cummins, his Australian counterpart — would lead their sides CHANCE FOR YOUNGSTERS TO STEAL THE SHOW In Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel, India have batting stars who have not yet played the longest format in Australia. This is their opportunity to make an impact in the series. Jurel, who played in the A series, managed to impress many, but for others, this is the golden opportunity to prove their mettle ‘BAGGAGELESS’ INDIA SEEK QUICK TURNAROUND India are going into the series after a 0-3 loss against New Zealand on home soil. Multiple players, including Kohli, Sharma, and Bumrah, could not make their mark in the series. “We are not carrying any baggage from the New Zealand series,” said captain Bumrah ahead of the Perth Test. It is time to show that in Perth EYES ON WTC TABLE In the five-match series, both teams’ eye would also remain on the World Test Championship points table where currently five teams are fighting to make it to the final of the event. India need to win at least four matches in their last series of the cycle to make it to their third consecutive WTC final in England and is steadfastly committed to maintaining the highest standards of governance, transparency and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions of its operations,” it said. Adani shares crashed up to 23% on Thursday . In another investigation, the US Securities and Exchange Commission said that hundreds of thousands of dollars were paid or promised to officials in Odisha to buy 500 MW power from the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) to which Adani Green Energy was supplying power. SEC also alleged that Adani paid $200 million to Andhra officials following his meeting with the then chief minister. Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party strongly condemned the allegations, saying they were false. In his pushback, Tamil Nadu electricity minister V Senthil Balaji said the electricity corporation run by his government does not have any commercial ties with Adani’s firm. Bandi orders report on enemy properties in TG E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad MINISTER of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar has directed officials to prepare a list of ‘enemy properties’ under the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI) and submit a detailed report by the first week of January Prelimi. nary estimates indicate there are 234 such properties in the state. At a meeting with officials from the CEPI office in Mumbai and the state revenue department, the MoS instructed the formation of a separate committee to identify these properties. He stated that after the officials submit their report, the Union government will take further action. Enemy properties are those left behind by individuals who migrated to China and Pakistan during and after the wars with these countries: The 1962 SinoIndian war and the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. Such properties are classified as “enemy properties” under the Enemy Property Act of 1968. As per the MoS, there are about 13,000 such properties across 21 states and two Union Territories, with an estimated market value running into thousands CONTINUED ON P5 of crores. India demands $600 billion in grants as climate finance from developed nations S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA EXPRESS IN BAKU Y EAR after year, COP after COP, we keep discussing what needs to be done without addressing how it is to be done,” said Leela Nandan, deputy leader of the Indian delegation at COP29 and secretary of the Union environment ministry . Talking at an open-ended ‘Qurultay’ summit convened by the COP29 presidency after it released a set of decision draft texts, including the one on New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), Nandan said the climate talks began with a clear focus on enablement through the NCQG. “However, as we approach the conclusion, we see a troubling shift towards mitigation without the cor responding means of implementation. This is unacceptable. Mitigation ambitions are meaningless without the financial support to make them a reality .” The NCQG must reflect fi- nance as the critical enabler for developing nations to formulate and implement their ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This requires specificity—on structure, quantum, quality, timeframes, access, transparency and review. “We demand a mobilisation goal of $1.3 trillion, with at least $600 billion in grants or grant-equivalent resources. Proposals to expand the contributor base, introduce macroeconomic and fiscal conditionalities, or push for carbon pricing and private sector-driven investment flows Leela Nandan are contrary to the NCQG mandate. This goal is about financial support, not an investment target,” Nandan said. India also said climate action in developing countries must remain country-driven, aligned with national priorities and cir- cumstances, and rooted in sustainable development goals and poverty eradication. On mitigation, India said it rejects the prescriptive approach in the draft. Introducing targets for 2030, 2035, and 2050 in a manner that shifts responsibility onto developing nations while ignoring the historical emissions of Annex I countries creates a crisis of climate leadership. Annex I parties must shoulder their obligations. Their emissions continue to rise, and they have yet to close the pre-2020 mitigation gap. On just transition, the draft text unacceptably reinterprets the shared understanding. Transitioning must begin globally, with developed countries taking the lead in mitigation. Domestic transitions in developing nations cannot succeed when constrained by the inaction of developed countries, India said in its statement. India said this is the Finance COP—the enabler COP. “If we fail to achieve a meaningful outcome, we fail in our fight against climate change. Developed countries have a clear responsibility to fulfill their commitments. Climate justice and the survival of millions depend on it,” Nandan said. LATEST NEGOTIATING TEXT REJECTED BY ALL The latest negotiating draft text on the NCQG for climate finance has once again failed to specify a concrete funding target. This has frustrated developing nations, which had hoped for a firm commitment to address their escalating needs for climate adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage. The NCQG, set to replace the $100 billion per year commitment under the Paris Agreement, is critical to scaling up financial support from developed to the developing nations post-2025 | P9