tirupati l monday l august 12, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION India develops 109 high-yielding, climate-resilient seed varieties The new seed varieties unveiled on Sunday span 61 crops and were developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research ‘Good yield even in adverse weather’ Will boost farmers’ income: agri minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the seeds at three experimental agriculture plots at Delhi’s Pusa Campus in the presence of farmers. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said these seeds are climate-friendly and can bring good yield even in adverse weather. The government said the seeds are biofortified and will help combat malnutrition ■ ■ The field varieties include cereals, millets, forage crops, oilseeds, pulses, sugarcane and cotton. For horticulture, Modi released new varieties of fruits, vegetables, plantation crops, tubers and spices The agriculture minister said with the introduction of new seeds, the government hopes to enhance farm productivity and farmers’ income 34 field crops are among the 61 crops for which the new seed varieties have been developed 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 Hindenburg: Oppn seeks JPC probe against Sebi chief Buch had disclosed her investments, recused to avoid conflicts of interest, says regulator curities laws. The report further alleged that recent amendments to Reit Regulations, 2014 were A day after US short-seller made to benefit Blackstone, Hindenburg Research levelled al- where Buch’s husband Dhaval is legations against Sebi chairper- a senior advisor. son Madhabi Puri Buch, the OpSeveral other Opposition parposition parties demanded a ties including TMC and AAP also joint parliamentary committee demanded a probe into the matprobe against Buch and her res- ter. TMC MP Mahua Moitra ignation from the post. asked if Buch had disclosed her Congress MP Rahul Gandhi ownership stakes to Sebi when said the integrity of the market she was a whole-time member. regulator, which is entrusted AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the with safeguarding the SC should take note of do not wealth of small retail the fresh allegations by discredit investors, has been Hindenburg. India: BJP compromised by the alMeanwhile, Sebi has legations against its By endorsing the urged investors to rechair person. “Why Hindenburg report, main calm and do due hasn’t Sebi chairper- the Opposition is diligence before reactson Madhabi Puri Buch trying to “discredit ing to the Hindenburg resigned yet? If invesreport. It also cautioned the country’s tors lose their hard- financial watchdog investors that the US earned money who will , short-seller might be and create be held accountable— instability through holding short positions PM Modi, the Sebi wild allegations”, in the securities covChairperson, or Gau- BJP MP Sudhanshu ered in the report. tam Adani?” he said in Responding to allegaTrivedi alleged a post on X. tions of conflict of inIn its report released late on terest, the markets regulator Saturday night, the New York- said: “Sebi has adequate internal based company claimed that mechanisms for addressing isBuch and her husband had stakes sues relating to conflict of interin obscure offshore funds used in est, which include disclosure the alleged Adani money siphon- framework and provision for recing scandal. It alleged that Sebi usal... Relevant disclosures rehad failed to take action against quired in terms of holdings of the Adani group despite allega- securities and their transfers tions of financial irregularities have been made by the chairperand market fraud. It also ques- son from time to time. The chairtioned Sebi’s decision to issue a person has also recused herself show-cause notice to Hindenburg in matters involving potential P10 in June, alleging violations of se- conflicts of interest.”  PREE T HA NAIR & B e n n K o c h u v e e d a n @ New Delhi / Mumbai The Tungabhadra dam, where crest gate No 19 broke down after its chain link cut off on Sunday | Express Panic as Tungabhadra dam’s crest gate breaks K i ra n Ba l a n n a n ava r @ Koppal/Hosapete Panic gripped areas along the downstream of Tungabhadra reservoir in Karnataka after one of its crest gates got detached and washed away into the river early on Sunday morning. A large amount of water is gushing out of the gaping hole between the dam structure and the present water level. The reservoir, also called the Pampa Sagar Dam, reached its capacity of 162 ft recently . There are apprehensions that over 12 lakh hectares of farmlands in Ballari, Raichur, Koppal and Vijayanagara districts of the state could be flooded. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority cautioned people living along the banks of Krishna river to keep vigil. Around 12.50 am on Sunday , the crest gate No 19 of the dam, which has 33 sluice gates, detached from the chain link and fell into the river. By evening, a total of 2 lakh-plus cusecs of water had gushed out of the reservoir. Kar nataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar visited the site following the emergency. He said two contractor firms have been approached to repair the damaged gate of the Tungabhadra dam. “We have informed two experienced contractors about it and provided them with designs. Their team too visited the place in the night. They are also trying to restore the gate of the dam,” the Deputy Chief Minister Kurnool dist put on alert to mitigate loss Express News Service @ Kurnool/Vijayawada A high alert has been sounded in Kurnool district after one of the crest gates of the Tungabhadra dam washed away. All villages and towns downstream of Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar and Pulichintala projects have also been alerted. Taking stock of the situation on Sunday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav to ensure mitigation of flood loss in Kurnool, besides rendering all possible assistance to the Tungabhadra Dam authorities. People, especially farmers of Kurnool and Anantapur districts, have been assured that every measure will be taken to mitigate flood loss. The water from the Tungabhadra dam is being released at the discharge rate of nearly 1 P4 lakh cusecs.  Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi Days after she resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister and fled the country, Sheikh Hasina blamed the US for the crisis that led to the fall of her government. In her undelivered speech, the transcript of which was shared with her party workers, Hasina said that had her government handed over the strategically located St Martin Island to the US, the situation would have been different. St Martin Island is located about 9 km south of Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. “I could have remained in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal,” she said. Hasina had hurriedly left the country and could not deliver the speech. This newspaper had earlier reported on the alleged US role in the crisis. Protests continued in Bangladesh on Sunday even as the police force remained passive. “The policemen are sitting in civil clothes in their respective stations. They have a list of demands which includes setting up a separate ministry for them,’’ Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, a political commentator in Dhaka told this newspaper. Gunshots were fired at protesters outside Ismali Bank in Dhaka where a scuffle broke out between the protesters and the bank officials. At least five people were injured. Meanwhile, eleven Bangladesh nationals were apprehended while trying to infiltrate into India. Inscription reveals Simhachalam temple’s links with Eastern Gangas life ambition A girl’s ‘vision’ to be a jurist to render justice to the needy Inscription deciphered recently K K a lya n K r i s h n a K u m a r @ Vijayawada A visually challenged young girl named Chala Nirmala of Ramasagaram village in Anantapur district has an extraordinary ambition to become a judge, and she shared it with none other than Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur at a conference on the Juvenile Justice Act held in Guntur on Saturday . Impressed by her determination, the Chief Justice encouraged Nirmala saying “You will certainly achieve it.” The 11th grader has a sharp memo r y, advanced computer skills and strong English proficiency. These qualities have fuelled her confidence to crack CLAT (Common Law Admission Test). Now, she is taking online CLAT coaching from Vedantu. “I am studying hard, mastering every concept and sharpening my skills, because I believe that with determination and hard work, I can overcome any obstacle,” she asserted, while speaking to TNIE. “Becoming a judge is not just a dream, it’s my goal, and I want to prove that physical disability is not a hindrance to scale career heights,” Nirmala P4 averred. US fuelled violence in Bangladesh, says Hasina (From left) India shooter, and one of the flagbearers for the closing ceremony, Manu Bhaker (L) with her coach and other members of the contingent on Sunday; Neeraj Chopra’s medal was the silver lining as India finished with six medals | PTI In the end, India’s campaign a case of glass half full T he lights are dimmed. The curtains are slowly drawing close. The show is over. Tales of valour, extraordinary human feats, moments of joy and ecstasy loss, es and despair are slowly being stored in the leaves of Olympic history Just like when a theatre . gets over, the lights switch on in the hall, it’s time for the audience to wake up to reality and discuss the acts each athlete played. Paris soaked in the summer sun. There was a feeling of emptiness as the grandest sporting show on the planet ended on Sunday USA and China are firm. ly perched on the top. Somewhere in the bottom half was India, 71 with one silver and five bronze. For a country that won seven medals in Tokyo 2020 in 2021 including a gold, this seemed a case of one step backward. If one adds the six fourth fin- ishes and VInesh Phogat’s heart- She felt that the primary objecbreaking disqualification, then tive would be to save and protect one can say it was just about al- them. “They are the future of right. Nothing to celebrate ex- our country and we need to precept for the medallists. serve them,” she said. The backdrop under which the Chef de mission Ga g an athletes competed too should be Narang, London Olympic bronze considered. The Sports Author- medallist, said that it was a credity of India said they had spent itable performance. “There are about `470 crore for the 21 players who medpreparation of the athalled,” he said alluding letes in the last Olympic to the 16-member hockTNIE @ olympics ey team. He also felt that cycle. There was no lack of support from SAI, nathe athletes should be tional sports federations guided well. “Wrap them (NSFs) and some NGOs. in cotton wool,” he said. Perhaps that prompted The sports administraIndia badminton team tors right from SAI to Indraneel Das coach Prakash PaduNSFs must go into a Paris kone to say that the athhuddle and find where letes also should take they went wrong. They some responsibility . must find a solution to India’s inIndian Olympic Association ability to reach the double-digit president PT Usha, who had fin- mark. Or else the six here will ished fourth at the 1984 Games, count for nothing. For a nation felt that we should think about that wants to bid for the 2036 Olthe future. There are quite a few ympics, six medals definitely debutants (about more than half won’t reflect the sporting superiof the 117-strong contingent). ority on the global stage. Bishnu Mohan Adhikari, an epigraphist from Paralakhemundi in Odisha, has decoded the inscription on a pillar in ‘Asthana Mandapam’ of Simhachalam temple, which had remained undeciphered until now. The ancient inscription reads “Aatreya Gotravathi Sri Sri Sri Nilamani Pattamahadei Sada Seva Raghunathapur.” The main temple was constructed in the 13th century under the reign of Gajapati Langula Narasingha Deva I. This temple stands as a testament to the artistic contributions of the Eastern Ganga dynasty Bishnu Mohan Adhikari U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam A recent breakthrough in deciphering ancient inscription at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Simhachalam has shed new light on the temple’s historical connection with the Eastern Ganga dynasty Bishnu Mohan Adhikari, a . 28-year-old epigraphist from Paralakhemundi in Odisha, decoded the inscription on a pillar in temple’s ‘ sthana MandaA pam’, which had remained undeciphered until now. The inscription in two rows a n d t h re e c o l u m n s re a d “Aatreya Gotravathi Sri Sri Sri Nilamani Pattamahadei Sada Seva Raghunathapur.” Written in Odia, it reveals a donation made by Queen Gajapati Nilamani Pattamahadei of the Eastern Ganga dynasty for the Sada Seva or daily offerings to the presiding deity Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. The inscription also mentions the queen’s gotram, referring to her as ‘Aatreya Gotravati’ and her royal estate, Raghunathapur, which was part of Ganjam district during the Madras The inscription on a pillar in ‘Asthana Mandapam’ of Simhachalam temple (right) Epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari I express Presidency. “Raghunathapur was an estate of importance, managed by the Khemundi Gangas of Paralakhemundi after the decline of the Eastern Kadamba rule. The estate extended from Bendi to Kotabommali, with its capital at Tekkali, is now located in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh,” explained Bishnu. He mentioned that Simhachalam temple has been a major place of worship, and a key site for the Vaishnavite faith for nearly a thousand years, alongside Sri Jagannath in Puri and Srikurmam in Srikakulam. “The main temple, a masterpiece of Kalingan Peedha architecture, was constructed in the 13th century under the reign of Gajapati Langula Narasingha Deva I. Although the construction was supervised by Akthayi Senapati, the temple was consecrated by Langula Narasingha Dev’s son Bhanudeva I in 1268 CE. This temple, with its rich architectural heritage, stands as a testament to the artistic and spiritual contributions of the Eastern Ganga dynasty he elaborated.  P4 ,”