tadepalligudem l sunday l january 05, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city EDITION Cowpea seeds germinate in space on ISRO craft within four days ISRO says cowpea seed sent to space on PSLVC60 POEM-4 have germinated under microgravity condition within four days of launch of the mission Eight seeds sent to study plant growth All measures of growth being monitored ISRO sent eight cowpea seeds to study plant growth in space. “Life sprouts in space! VSSC’s CROPS experiment onboard PSLV-C60 POEM-4 successfully sprouted cowpea seeds in 4 days. Leaves expected soon,” ISRO said on X. The experiment is being done to demonstrate seed germination and plant sustenance until the two-leaf stage, it added ■ ■ ISRO said it is monitoring all passive measurements, such as camera imaging, oxygen, carbon dioxide concentrations, relative humidity, temperature, and soil moisture for plant growth The fourth stage of the rocket carrying POEM-4 platform has been in orbit with 24 experiments at an altitude of 350 km since Tuesday 470 km Altitude at which chaser satellite for docking experiment is orbiting 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 NSA Sullivan arriving for final round of talks today To meet his counterpart Doval; address young bizmen at IIT, Delhi US-India partnership — from space, defense, and strategic technology cooperation to shared security priorities in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” said a White House statement. During his two-day visit, Sullivan will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and is expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sullivan will also visit the IIT, Delhi, where he will meet young Indian entrepreneurs and deliver a speech at the institute, highlighting the key steps taken to strengthen the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), a highpoint of bilateral ties under the Biden administration. “This will be Sullivan’s final trip to the Indo-Pacific region as National Security Advisor. “He’s very excited and looking forward to these conversations at this critical time,” US National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said. “The two national security advisors will take stock of the progress that the two countries have made over the last four years,” a senior official said. They will also “continue to finalise some ongoing initiatives that were important priorities for us to wrap up to continue our technology cooperation,” the official said. lease event of Ram Charan starrer ‘Game Changer’ at Vemagiri on Saturday, he said, “We have good locations at Mummidivaram, Godavari River, Parvathipuram, Gandikota and others. Why do not you make films at the scenic locations in AP?” He pointed out that the entire film industry did not support the NDA alliance in the last elections. “But we never showed bias against them. I am of the view that there is no need for heroes to come to the government seeking benefits to the film industry It is the duty . of producers and directors to approach the government,” he said. Making it clear that the TDP-led NDA government is ready to talk with the film industry elders on the issues being faced by them, he promised to look into the issues with a holistic approach. “Our Telugu film industry is flourishing because of Raghupathi Venkaiah J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi on the edge of their seat Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, along with his wife Bhuvaneswari and grandson Devansh, witnesses the Indian Navy’s Operational Demonstration at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam on Saturday | Express ‘Andhra model will ensure strengthening of govt schools’ K K a lya n K r i s h n a K u m a r Outgoing US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will visit India on Monday for a final round of talks with his counterpart, Ajit K Doval, and other senior officials as the two countries look to burnish their ties that enjoy a groundswell of bipartisan support. The discussions will cover a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues, along with finalising ongoing initiatives as the Joe Biden administration concludes its tenure. Congressman Michael Waltz will succeed Sullivan on January 20, when Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. “National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will travel to New Delhi, India on January 5-6 for a capstone meeting with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval that will span a range of issues across the breadth of the Overall, the message we intend to leave is one of real gratitude for the friendship and partnership Biden and Modi enjoyed over the last four years Senior US administration official K V S a i l e n d r a @ Rajamahendravaram Ej a z k a i s e r @ Raipur Expressing concern over the declining enrolment in government institutions, HRD Minister Nara Lokesh has said efforts are underway to make them competitive through the Andhra model of school education. Speaking after launching the Dokka Seethamma Midday Meal Scheme at a junior college in Payakapuram on Saturday, he said `86 crore will be spent per annum for the midday meal scheme in 475 junior colleges in the State. Lokesh highlighted the importance of Intermediate education and urged students to pursue higher studies without interruption. “Teachers, parents, and students are my brand ambassadors,” he said, appealing for collective efforts from donors, alumni, and voluntary organisations to create exemplary institutions. The HRD Minister outlined significant reforms taken up by the State government, including updating the curriculum, improving infrastructure, and conducting regular parentteacher meetings. He announced plans to introduce APEAPCET and NEET materials, inter nal assessments, and special training in key subjects. A five-star rating system for colleges based on academic performance and infrastructure has been introP4 duced to boost quality  . A day after the police found the body of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, the authorities resorted to bulldozer justice banned by the Supreme Court a few weeks ago, as they demolished the “illegal” property owned by the accused. The police arrested three, including, Ritesh Chandrakar and Dinesh Chandrakar — both cousins of Mukesh. The main road con- A bulldozer razing the property of tractor, Suresh Chandrakar, the accused | Special Arrangement is absconding. Ritesh and Dinesh are his siblings. demolished the house of the Mukesh had allegedly ex- accused using bulldozers. posed irregularities in his The murder led to a war road construction. of words between the ruling Mukesh, 33, was BJP and the opposimissing since Janution Congress. State ary 1. He had reporthome minister Vijay edly gone to attend a Sharma said Suresh meeting with Suresh. is a local Congress Later his mobile leader, adding all his phone went offline. bank accounts have Mukesh’s brother been frozen. HowevYuktesh lodged a er, Congress spokesMukesh Chandrakar missing person comperson Sushil Anand plaint on January 2. Shukla claimed that On Friday evening, his Suresh had joined the BJP body was found in a septic last month. tank on the premises owned Condemning the murder, by Suresh. The incident led the Editor’s Guild said, “The to jour nalists staging a young journalist’s death is a strong protest demanding matter of grave concern as justice for the victim. it raises suspicion of foul A 11-member special in- play The Press Council of .” vestigation team has been India expressed concern constituted to probe the inci- over murder and sought a dent. Following the CM’s di- report from the Chhattisrectives, the administration garh government. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan emotionally appealed to the Telugu film industry elders to come to Andhra Pradesh, and explore good locations for film shooting and set up film schools. The State government, headed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, will stand by the Telugu film industry and resolve all issues , being confronted by it, he promised. Participating in the pre-re- Toxic waste: MP to lob ball to HC A n u r a a g S i n g h @ Bhopal In an attempt to tamp down the agitation at Pithampur in Dhar district against the of Union Carbide’s toxic waste, the state government on Saturday sought to lob the ball back into the judicial domain, saying it will seek fresh court orders. The toxic waste was transported to Pithampur from Bhopal following a Madhya Pradesh High Court order last month to do so within four weeks. “Keeping in mind the people’s concerns, we’ve decided to not take the incineration forward. The government will apprise the court on the concerns of the locals and await their next order,” said Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. He had chairing an emergency meeting over the issue in Bhopal late on Friday night. The High Court is scheduled to hear on January 6, the 2004 petition on which it had ordered the state government on December 3 to shift the toxic waste out of Bhopal. s y d ne y t h r i l l e r Pant strikes, Bumrah scare as Test goes to the wire Fifteen wickets fell. India took four-run lead. The pitch is still assisting seamers. The match is evenly poised, may be tilting towards India, but the day was dominated by two players on the field and one off it. The Sydney crowd for the fifth and final Test couldn’t have expected such a gripping day. And the third day would be as thrilling with match and series poised for photo finish. The focus on the second day was on two players – Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. And Owning the Weekend Bulldozer justice a day after cops Promote film training in AP: PK to Tollywood find journo’s body @ Vijayawada GO m e s h S @ Chennai WITH THIS ISSUE off the field on rested skipper Rohit Sharma. Pant had come for criticism after the ‘reckless’ shot that got him out in the second innings of Melbourne Test. In the first innings, he scored one of the slowest 40 of his Test career off 98 balls. On Saturday, Pant broke the shackles and did what Pant does best. A blistering 29-ball halfcentury ensued. This is the second fastest fifty by an Indian in Tests. At one ball short, the fastest one is against his name as well. His 61 helped India take a healthy 145-run lead after the bowlers restricted the home team to just 181 runs in the first innings. What seemed heartening is that India managed to edged out Australia without Jasprit Bumrah – the highest wicket-taker of the series — after lunch. Bumrah was the second player who was in focus throughout the day. He walked off the field at about 1.20pm. About 40 minutes later, he left the stadium for a scan and came back only two and a half hours later. Every move of Bumrah was followed. If he doesn’t take the field in the second innings it will give Aussies psychological edge. “The medical team is monitoring him,” Prasidh Krishna, who took three wickets, said. Off the field Rohit Sharma made an appearance on the official broadcasters channel to clear his position in the team. He said he made way for Shubhman Gill because he was not doing well and that he has not retired. “I am not going anywhere,” P11 is how Rohit signed off.  Japsrit Bumrah celebrates a wicket against Australia. Later, he went off the field with injury | PTI PLUS 12 PAGES Naidu, NTR, ANR, Krishna, Shoban Babu and Chiranjeevi,” he said. “We are not interested to attribute motives and political colour to Telugu film industry We view it as a Telugu film . industry We never look the in. dustry with a partial attitude,” Pawan Kalyan said. The NDA government in the State will respond positively to the pleas of the film industry for the ticket price hike of big budget films and benefit shows at the time of new releases to P4 encourage the industry  .