visakhapatnam l saturday l february 28, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION pakistan says it is in ‘open war’ against neighbour afghanistan Pak army claims it killed 274 taliban men Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan on Friday, and said the neighbours are in “open war” following months of tit-for-tat clashes | P9 Mast Qalandar vs ‘reaching their collar’ Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said his forces “killed 274 Taliban personnel, while 400 were injured”. Twelve Pakistani soldiers were killed, while 27 others injured, he added. AFP journalists heard shellfire and gunfire in Torkham, with Afghan soldiers heading towards the frontier after overnight bombardment by Pakistan ■ ■ “Our patience has run out. Now it will be Dama Dam Mast Qalandar,” Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in a post on X However, Taliban govt spokesman Mujahid said the recent strikes were intended to send a clear message that “our hand can reach their collar.” He claimed Taliban had seized 19 Pakistani military posts 55 pakistani soldiers killed in latest round of attacks, says taliban 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 Kejri, others let off in excise scam GDP projected to Special judge Jitendra Singh raps CBI for procedural lapses, refuses to put accused on trial It’s a historic verdict. The court has proved that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are kattar imaandar (staunchly honest). I challenge the PM to hold fresh polls in Delhi. If BJP wins over 10 seats, I will quit politics UDAYAN KI S HOR E @ New Delhi 10L families set to get houses by year-end E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Speaking on budgetary allocation for housing in the Assembly on Friday Chief Minis, ter N Chandrababu Naidu laid out an ambitious growth vision for Andhra Pradesh. “The coalition government is working to make every poor family’s dream of owning a home a reality. Already, over three lakh houses have been handed over to beneficiaries, and by the end of this year, more than 10 lakh families are expected to celebrate housewarming ceremonies,” he said. Naidu urged homeless families to apply for housing benefit, while warning that those indulged in irregularities during the previous regime would face strict legal action. He emphasised that the government’s long-term goal is to ensure that by 2029, every poor family will have both a home and a free plot of land. Families without house sites will get two cents in urban areas and three cents in rural areas. The government has set clear milestones on housing front. Three lakh housewarmings by Ugadi, 2.26 lakh by June, and 2.10 lakh by September. Both the Centre and the State government share the responsibility of providing housing for all, and corrective measures are being taken to address past mismanagement,” the Chief P4 Minister explained.  Today’s Match 7pm: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Pallekele) A Delhi court on Friday discharged former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and 22 others, including deputy CM Manish Sisodia and ex-BRS leader K Kavitha in the alleged excise scam, finding it unworthy of trial as it junked the CBI chargesheet. Hours later, the CBI moved the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order. Trial court special judge Jitendra Singh also pulled up the CBI for procedural lapses, violation of constitutional principles and relying on hearsay evidence. He also found the ‘South Group’ label for the excise policy accused particularly inappropriate, adding he will recomme n d a de par tme n t al inquiry against the investigating officer of the case. — Arvind Kejriwal, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal gets emotional as he addresses the media on Friday | PTI “Prosecution case, as presented in the chargesheet, rests largely on surmises, conjectures, and inferential leaps unsupported by cogent material,” the judge said. Singh said that the policy was the outcome of a structured gov- Satyamev Jayate (truth alone triumphs). This (case) was a web of lies. Judiciary has cut right through it. Who will account for the time that I lost with my kids (due to her incarceration for five months)? — K Kavitha, Telangana Jagruthi president ernmental process involving multiple departments, expert committees and cabinet-level approvals, and the decisions, even if later withdrawn or criticised, “cannot by themselves give rise to criminal liability unless supported by clear evidence ‘Govt plans to clear `2,500 cr Aarogyasri dues under OTS’ S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The State government is contemplating clearing the `2,500 crore dues of the YSR Aarogyasri Scheme (Now, NTR Vaidya Seva) left pending to network hospitals by the previous regime, under the One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme. In an exclusive interview with TNIE to mark the launch of AP Dialogues, Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education Y Satya Kumar Yadav said the Health and the Finance departments are in consultation with the managements of network hospitals and banks to clear the pending dues under the OTS, exuding confidence that the issue will be resolved soon. Though the NDA government is making prompt payment to network hospitals for treating patients under the N T R Va i dya Seva Scheme now, dues to the tune of `2,500 crore under the YSR Aarogyasri left by the previous regime, are still pending. The network hospitals had threatened to stall the NTR Vaidya Seva services if the YSR Aarogyasri dues were not cleared at the earliest. Hence, the government has come up with the OTS option to clear the dues, he said. Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav during AP Dialogues in Vijayawada on Friday | Prasant Madugula “In fact, the NDA government has cleared the bills to the maximum extent under the NTR Vaidya Seva. As we inherited `2,500 crore Aarogyasri dues, we are now focusing on clearing them,” he said. T he coalition gover npress ment has spent clusive `7,500 crore on the implementation of NTR Vaidya Seva in less than two years, compared to `11,500 crore expended by the previous regime on YSR Aarogyasri in five years. Quality medical treatment worth `350 crore is being extended to patients under the Vaidya Seva per month on an average,” he said. The coalition government has spent `7,500 cr on implementation of NTR Vaidya Seva in less than two years, compared to `11,500 crore expended by the previous regime on Aarogyasri in five years. Quality medical treatment worth `350 crore is being extended to patients under NTR Vaidya Seva per month Satya Kumar, Minister ‘extra-marital affair’ Just before polls, Vijay’s wife calls it quits P r a b h a k a r Ta m i l a r a s u @ Chennai SANKGEETHA Vijay, wife of actorpolitician and Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay Chandrasekar, has filed a divorce petition before the Chengalpattu court alleging cruelty and adultery The family . court has summoned Vijay to appear before it on April 20. Sankgeetha accused her husband of having an extra-marital relationship with an actress and that he has subjected her to “persistent mental cruelty neglect and desertion”. , If required, she said she would implead the actress as second respondent. She urged the court to hold incamera proceedings to protect the privacy and dignity of the parties and their children. On December 3 last, Sankgeetha filed the petition before the Principal District Judge Court, Chengalpattu, under provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954. The petition was transferred to the family court on February 24. After Vijay Sankgeetha ‘Withdrew emotionally, distanced himself’ In her petition, Sankgeetha alleged that Vijay “gradually withdrew emotionally, distanced himself from conjugal life and excluded her from his social and professional engagements” the first hearing in the case on Thursday, the family court adjourned the matter to April 20 and directed Vijay to appear in person. In her petition, Sankgeetha said the marriage was first registered in the UK on July 10, 1998, and later solemnised according to Hindu rites in Chennai on August 25, 1999. The petition stated that the marriage was initially cordial and that she devoted herself to family life and raising their children while supporting Vijay’s professional commitments. However, she alleged that in April 2021 she discovered that Vijay was involved in an adulterous relationship with an actress, which caused “deep emotional pain and mental suffering”. Despite assurances that the relationship would end, she claimed their association continued. Sankgeetha also contended that attempts to resolve the dispute amicably through legal notices and personal discussions between 2021 and 2025 failed. She alleged that financial restrictions were imposed on her and that the marital relationship had irretrievably broken down. Seeking dissolution of marriage, she has requested permanent alimony residence at matrimonial home or , an equivalent accommodation. of quid pro quo, personal gain, or misuse of office”. Prosecution case does not disclose even the threshold of prima facie suspicion, far less the “grave suspicion” mandated by settled principles of criminal jurisprudence, the court said. Observing that the judicial task was not to secure a convenient outcome or to endorse a dominant narrative, but to uphold the rule of law, the judge refused to put the accused on trial. The judge rejected the charge that Kejriwal as the then CM exercised overarching control over the conspiracy relating to the formulation and implementation of the excise policy say, ing the only principal material relied upon to implicate him was the statement of approver, which was “without any independent corroboration”. E x p r e s s Re a d SC Collegium proposes Lisa Gill as next Chief Justice of AP High Court New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended transfer of Justice Lisa Gill, Judge, High Court of Punjab and Haryana, to High Court of Andhra Pradesh and for her appointment as the Chief Justice of that High Court with effect from the date the vacancy would arise | P4 grow 7.6% in FY26 under new series PU S HPITA D E Y @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Friday released a new series of annual and quarterly National Accounts with 2022-23 as the base year, replacing the 2011-12 series, and raised India’s real GDP growth estimate for FY26 to 7.6% from 7.4% projected earlier. Quarterly data showed that real GDP growth in Q3 of 2025-26 eased to 7.8% from 8.4% in Q2. In the corresponding year-ago period, the Old Revised economy recorded 8% growth. Real GDP growth (%) Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said that given the revised data, strong Q3 performance, and an improving outlook for capital flows and trade frameworks, FY27 real GDP FY24 FY25 FY26 growth projection was revised upNominal GDP growth (%) ward from 6.8-7.2% range to 7-7.4% with upward risk. The CEA added that with full-year growth estimated at 7.6% for FY26, the economy would need to expand by over 7.8% in Q4 to meet the projection. The base year revision aims to FY24 FY25 FY26 better capture structural changes in the economy, incorporate new data sources, refine estimation methodologies, and enhance coverage and accuracy . MoSPI Secretary Saurabh Garg highlighted the adoption of double deflation in the new series. “Earlier, single deflation methods were used in several sectors. Now, double deflation has been implemented in agriculture and manufacturing. This means more accurate measurement of real value added.” Old Vs New Series 9.2 7.2 6.5 7.1 7.4 7.6 11 12 9.8 9.7 8 8.6