tirupati l friday l december 27, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION China to build world’s largest dam close to Indian border China on Thursday approved the construction of the world’s largest dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to its border with India $137 billion project at himalayan gorge Worry over china flooding northeast Costing $137 billion, it is set to be the world’s biggest infra project till date. The dam is to be built at a huge gorge in the Himalayan reaches where the Brahmaputra makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh. Construction poses huge challenges as the project site is located along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes regularly occur ■ ■ An official statement on Wednesday sought to allay concerns about earthquakes, saying “a solid foundation has been laid for the sciencebased, secure, and high-quality development” of the project There are worries in India, given the massive size of the dam, that China could weaponise it and flood areas in the northeast during war 300 bn kWh of power to be generated each year, enough for annual needs 30 cr houses 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 CWC plans campaign against attack on the Constitution Party pushback against barb on distorted map E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Belagavi Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with Rahul Gandhi and others during the Congress Working Committee meeting to mark the 100th anniversary of its Belgaum session presided over by Mahatma Gandhi, in Belagavi, on Thursday | Nagaraja Gadekal Naushad Bijapur & Subhash C h a n d r a N S @ Belagavi The extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) at Belagavi on Thursday sealed its commitment to revamp the party organisation in the coming months and fight “antiConstitutional” sentiments taking sway across India. The CWC resolved to commit to protecting the Indian Constitution and the ideals of the Indian Independence Movement. Accordingly the CWC resolved , to launch the “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan Abhiyan”, beginning with a rally in Belagavi on Friday (December 27) and culminating in a rally at Mhow on January 26, 2025, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Constitution coming into force and the founding of our Republic. During this month, rallies and marches will be organised in every block, district, and state as well. The CWC met on Thursday Samvidhan Bachao Padayatra The Congress said it will launch a year-long public outreach from January 26, 2025 called the Samvidhan Bachao Rashtriya Padayatra in which all leaders will participate to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s historic taking over of the Presidency of Indian National Congress at its 39th Session in 1924. It expressed concerns over alleged state-sponsored increase in communal and ethnic hatred, particularly targeted against minority communities. Manipur, which has been on the boil since May 2023, continues to be met with indifference by the prime minister and his government, it said. Communal tension, it alleged, has deliberately been stoked in Sambhal and other places for the RSS-BJP’s nar- row political gain. The Places of Worship Act, 1991 to which the Congress is firmly committed in letter and spirit has also come under needless and reckless debate, the CWC opined. The CWC also condemned in the strongest terms, the manner in which peaceful protests by Congress were dealt with by the governments in BJP-ruled states like Assam and UP. A number of Congress workers lost their lives. This is totally unacceptable, and it only reflects the anti-democratic mindset of the BJP. The meeting demanded a socio-economic caste census be conducted at the earliest. The 50% ceiling on quota for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs must be increased so as to further enhance the benefits to these three disadvantaged groups. Reservations must be on the basis of social, economic, or educational backwardness determined through appropriate means, the CWC said. Congress leaders on Thursday downplayed the controversy over party posters with “distorted” India map put up here for the centenary celebrations of the 1924 Congress session and said BJP was needlessly spreading false information. Reacting to BJP’s allegations that some posters had the distorted map, Congress leader Priyank Kharge said they were put up by some private companies. Those posters have already been removed. BJP is making baseless allegations in this regard, he added. Reacting to BJP leader Amit Malviya’s social media post on the alleged distorted map, KPCC president D K Shivakumar said those posters have been removed. The party has taken measures to hold the event successfully and meaningfully . BJP and JDS stated that the map did not have the Gilgit region of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir as well as the Aksai Chin region now under China, which are integral parts of Jammu and Kashmir. “Amit Malviya’s job is to spread fake news. Look at the cases filed against him in this state and across the country,” Priyank Kharge told a section of the media. “He (Amit Malviya) is the king of misinformation and fake news.” he said. Kohli shoulder bumps Konstas, ICC penalises G o m e s h S @ Melbourne What is India versus Australia match without a dash of controversy and pinch of heated exchanges. What makes this even more riveting are the two protagonists involved. One a teenager on debut and the other a veteran of 121 Tests and at 36, is almost double the former’s age. Sam Konstas and Virat Kohli. The two cricketing figures of contrasting fame clashed on the field. In short, there were two headlines on Day One here — Konstas’s fiery knock (60 off 65 balls) and his shoulder episode with Kohli after 10th over. Konstas was on fire, hitting the almost-invincible Jasprit Bum- rah, including a sux, in the most unconventional style in Tests, especially by an opener. The two were seen engageming in verbal altercation after Kohli seemed to have nudged the youngster on his shoulder while walking to the other end. Later, the match referee fined Kohli 20 per cent of match fee after hearing. “Kohli was found to have breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct... which relates to ‘inappropriate physical contact with a Player...’,” the ICC stated. Though former players criticsed Kohli, Konstas later said, “I was just doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped me. I think that’s just cricket and can happen with tension. I think the emotions got to P11 both of us.”  skating prodigy President Droupadi Murmu presented Jessy Raj Mathrapu, an artistic skater from Mangalagiri in Guntur district, with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in New Delhi on Thursday. As many as 16 other children were honoured with the award for their exceptional contributions in various fields | Express TDP irked over Visakha Dairy chief’s induction into BJP S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The TDP has expressed its ire over the induction of Visakha Dairy Chairman Adari Anand Kumar into the BJP after his resignation from the YSRCP. Several TDP leaders have accused the BJP’s State leadership of making decisions unilaterally, without consulting alliance partners. Anand Kumar was inducted into the BJP on Wednesday in the presence of party State President and Rajahmundry MP D Purandeswari. The management of Visa- kha Dairy has been accused of misusing funds and running the dairy for personal gain. It is alleged that the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Directors, all from the same family, reduced milk procurement charges, causing losses to dairy farmers despite rising fodder prices and rearing costs. In November, State Legislative Assembly Speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu appointed a House Committee to investigate the allegations. In response to the issue, a TDP leader stated that while there is nothing wrong with inducting leaders from other parties, the induction of Anand Kumar, who is facing corruption charges, into the BJP is objectionable, especially with an ongoing probe against him. Another leader pointed out that the BJP did not consult with alliance partners — TDP and JSP — before inducting Anand Kumar. He questioned whether Purandeswari would welcome leaders who worked against her in the elections if they joined the TDP without P4 her knowledge. Manmohan Singh, India’s PM from 2004 to 2014, passes away E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi FORMER prime minister and renowned economist Dr Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday night. He was 92. Singh was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi around 8 pm in a critical condition after “sudden loss of consciousness”. A hospital statement said he died due to age-related medical conditions. “Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to medical emergency at AIIMS Delhi at 8.06 pm. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.51 pm,” said the bulletin. He is survived by Manmohan Singh 26 Sept 1932 - 26 Dec 2024 wife Gurcharan Singh and three daughters. The government declared national mourning of seven days EC unveils ‘world’s largest datasets’ on LS, Assembly polls MU K E S H RAN J A n @ New Delhi tHE Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday released the world’s largest electoral dataset unveiling 42 statistical reports on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and 14 reports each on four state assembly elections— Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Officials said these reports—98 in all —have been put out in the public domain for the sake of transparency as well as to promote research. According to the statistical datasets, as many as 64.64 crore voters exercised their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year with women voters outnumbering men. The female voter turnout stood at 65.78% compared to 65.55% for male electors, data showed. Female contesting candidates were 800, as against 726 in 2019. The number of nominations filed stood at 12,459 in 2024, compared to 11,692 in 2019, as 8,360 candidates contested elections as against 8,054 in 2019. According to officials, such granular data is not shared by any of the election management bodies in democracies Women candidates Maharashtra had the highest number of women contesting candidates with 111 in the fray, followed by 80 in Uttar Pradesh and 77 in Tamil Nadu. Out of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, there were 152 seats where there were no women candidates across the world. A senior ECI official said these statistical reports would be a ‘treasure trove’ for academicians, researchers, and election watchers worldwide for in-depth analysis and policy insights. He said the ECI’s move to proactively share the massive dataset would silence critics alleging non-disclosure of electoral data by the national election watchdog. The official added: “This exhaustive data set empowers stakeholders to slice and dice data for a granular level analysis with comparison from data sets of previous elections already available on ECI website. These reports will facilitate time-series analysis to track long-term outlook and shifts in electoral and political landscape.” heavywarning foralert rain two days imd issues Under the influence of a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, rainfall is expected in the South Coastal Andhra Pradesh districts, and Rayalaseema for next two days | P3 and cancelled all programmes scheduled Friday . Singh, who was finance minister under the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, was the architect and the brainchild of economic reforms in 1991 that pulled India from the brink of bankruptcy and ushered in an era of economic liberalisation. T he refor ms changed the course of India’s economic trajectory . Singh served as PM from 2004 to 2014 and was credited for shaping the nation’s growth path. He retired from the Rajya Sabha in April after a 33-yearlong stint. In his final speech in Parliament, he had strongly criticised demonetisation, describing it as “organised loot and legalised plunder.” crystal-gazing India poised to grow at 6.5% in FY25, says FinMin report EXPRE S S NEW S S ER V I C E @ New Delhi DESPITE GDP growth slipping to 5.4% in the second quarter, India’s economy will grow at 6.5% in FY25, according to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) under the finance ministry The Nirmala Sithara. man-led ministry’s confidence stems from a pickup in urban consumption, gaining traction in industrial activities, and healthy signs of rabi crop. In its November Economic Review, the DEA noted that India’s growth prospects in FY26 will remain strong when viewed through the lens of domestic economic fundamentals. According to the report, GDP growth in the third quar ter looks ‘brighter’ as reflected in the performance of high frequency indicators for October and November. “Industrial activity is likely to gain traction. The October and November 2024 PMI remained firmly in the expansionary range, supported by new business growth, strong demand, and advertising efforts,” said the report. It also expects a good rabi crop with an increase in Minimum Support Price for rabi crops, high reservoir level and adequate fertiliser availability . Another factor, according to the report, that can boost the economy is the pick-up in public capex, which it said will support the cement, iron, steel, and electricity sectors. focus on infra & education Naidu’s native village set for transformation D S u r e n d r a K u m a r @ Tirupati Naravaripalle, the native village of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, is set for a major transformation in the coming six months. With the Chief Minister focusing on the holistic growth of his hometown, a special officer has been appointed to oversee the development of Naravaripalle, similar to the approach taken in Kuppam. During his recent visit for his brother’s last rites, Naidu shared his plans with District Collector S Venkateswar, which also cover the neighbouring areas of Rangupeta, Kandullava a r i p a l l e, a n d C h i n n a Ramapuram. A door-to-door survey under the slogan “One Family, One E n t re p re n e u r ” h a s b e e n launched to understand the specific needs of residents. Land has already been ident fied for constructing an Indo Power Substation, and tenders for the project have been invited. Additionally, an ATM-CDM (Cash Deposit Machine) facility A view of Naravaripalle village in Tirupati district | Express linked to the Union Bank of India will be set up in the area. In Chinna Ramapuram Panchayat, efforts are underway to improve BSNL internet quality , and services like e-buses and e- autos are set to be introduced soon. Infrastructure projects worth crores of rupees are also progressing rapidly, including 11 water works costing `41 lakh, five CC roads estimated at `81 lakh, and street lights worth `21 lakh. These projects are expected to be completed by February A . new road connecting Ithepalle and Rangampeta will link the Naidupeta-Puthalapattu sixlane national highway to the Madanapalle-Tirupati fourlane national highway improv, ing regional connectivity . P4