visakhapatnam l tuesday l may 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Vinesh reaches gonda, wfi refuses to let her take part Despite being cleared by Int’l Testing Agency, Vinesh Phogat was not allowed to complete verification for Sr Open rankings meet in Gonda ‘WFI CHIEF WANTS ME TO QUIT WRESTLING’ Vinesh presented her arguments before WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh but those fell on deaf ears. The 31-year-old grappler alleged conspiracy being hatched against her by former WFI chief Brij Bhushan. Earlier, the two-time Worlds medallist had expressed apprehension over participating at this venue, which is considered a stronghold of Brij Bhushan | P13 ■ 3 written explanation needed: WFI ■ Reacting to Vinesh’s accusations, Sanjay Singh said the wrestler has to submit a complete explanation and it would be submitted to the WFI’s disciplinary committee, which eventually will take a call WFI highlighted the secure environment provided to Vinesh during her visit from her arrival in Gonda to her departure from the venue nUMBER OF TIMES vINESH pHOGAT HAS TAKEN PART IN THE oLYMPICS 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 Naidu backs PM Modi’s forex mission E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu strongly backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to strengthen forex reserves. Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit in Delhi on Monday, Naidu supported Modi’s call to strengthen India’s foreign exchange reserves and urged everyone to follow it as a mission. He said the current geopolitical situation is a reminder for the country to focus on self-reliance and resource conservation. Referring to the national mission outlined by the Prime Minister in Hyderabad on Sunday, the Chief Minister high- CM N Chandrababu Naidu at the CII Business Summit - 2026 in Delhi | Express lighted several key measures suggested to tackle emerging global challenges. Resharing Modi’s appeal, he said the Prime Minister had called for postponing gold pur- chases, promoting energy conservation, encouraging the use of public transport, adopting a work-from-home culture, reducing fertiliser consumption, and moving towards natural Austerity pitch spooks markets, hits sentiments Sensex down 1.7%, rupee falls to 95.31, govt reviewing pricing of petroleum products E x p r e s s Re a d Amaravati township a model project: Lokesh Vijayawada: HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh said the proposed Integrated Township in Amaravati, inspired by Singapore’s Punggol district, would become a model urban project for the country. He discussed Amaravati Economic Region plans, MICE infrastructure & digital trade with Singapore officials | P4 Naidu urges Centre to speed up P’varam proj Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu urged the Centre to release pending funds under Central schemes and support key AP projects during meetings with Union Ministers Amit Shah and C R Patil in Delhi. He pressed for speedy completion of the Polavaram Project before the 2027 Godavari Pushkarams | P4 Registration must for all AYUSH hosps in AP Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government will make registration mandatory for all AYUSH clinics and hospitals to curb fake practitioners and improve treatment standards. Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav said amendments to the AP Private Medical Care Establishment Act, 2022, have received Governor’s assent | P3 D IPAK M O N D AL @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for austerity in view of the Iran war triggered sharp reactions across markets and sectors on Monday with investors interpreting the , remarks as a signal of an imminent crisis. Equity markets tumbled over 1.5%, while the rupee—which depreciated 11.5% in the past year— plunged 82 paise to settle at a record closing low of 95.31 against the US dollar. Taking cues from the PM’s warning on economic disruptions, the BSE Sensex fell 1,312.91 points, or 1.7%, to close at 76,015.28, while the NSE Nifty50 declined 360.30 points, or 1.49%, to settle at 23,815.85. During a speech in Hyderabad on Sunday , Modi called for collective participation to help India navigate global economic disruptions, supply chain challenges, and rising prices. He urged people to avoid buying gold and cut down on foreign travel, and asked companies to revive work-from-home arrangements similar to those adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. The PM’s call for reducing petrol and diesel consumption also fuelled speculation that a retail fuel price hike was imminent. On Monday the petroleum ministry said , oil marketing companies are likely to face under-recoveries of `2 lakh crore in the first quarter of FY27. The ministry added the government is reviewing fuel pricing. Petroleum products and gold imports remain major burdens on India’s external account. In FY26, India imported petroleum products worth $172 billion while gold imports surged 24% to $72 billion. India’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $690 billion in the week ending May 1, down from a peak of $728 billion in the week ended Feb 27. The PM’s appeal for restraint on gold purchases has brought renewed attention to the free trade pact with the UAE, following which gold imports jumped from $3 billion in 2022 to $16.5 billion in 2025. Remote and hybrid work on: Nasscom On PM’s call for work from home arrangements, Nasscom said most companies have already optimised energy consumption and enabled remote and hybrid work arrangements wherever operationally appropriate to reduce energy usage and commuting Concerned about crisis: India Inc India Inc has expressed concern over the economic challenges owing to Gulf crisis. Sunil Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said the crisis has placed pressure on global economies, including India academic quest New CDS still a student at heart U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam The pursuit of knowledge has no finish line, says an old adage. For Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (retd.), recently appointed as India’s new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), this is not merely a proverb but a practised reality . Even as he prepares to shoulder one of the nation’s most formidable military responsibilities, the decorated officer continues on the disciplined path of a student, advancing his doctoral research at Andh r a U n ive r s i t y ( AU ) i n Visakhapatnam. Enrolled in the university’s Trans-Disciplinary Research Hub (TDR Hub) in 2023, the newly appointed CDS is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Department of Commerce and Management Studies under the supervision of Professor Jaladi Ravi. University officials described him as approachable and deeply interested in learning despite his seniority and achievements. “Despite his stature and achievements, he engages with research with sincerity and curiosity. He comes across as someone who genuinely values learning,” officials maintained. Born on July 21, 1965, Lieutenant General Raja Subramani, who is an alumnus of the 67th course of the National Defence Academy and the 77th course of the Indian Military A c a d e m y, h a s p u r s u e d higher studies throughout his P4 career.  farming. Naidu stressed that these measures are essential in the present global scenario marked by fuel and energy crises caused by international conflicts. Recalling his tenure as Chief Minister in the late 1990s, Naidu said he had introduced power sector reforms between 1998 and 1999 and achieved significant results in electricity generation and supply Howev. er, he noted that the reforms were politically costly and contributed to his electoral defeat in 2004, as people at the time did not fully acce pt the changes. Emphasising energy security, Naidu urged industries to generate their own power withP4 in factory premises.  Victory margin vs SIR appeals: File fresh plea, SC tells Didi s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a nty @ New Delhi Somnath anniv Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Somnath Temple in Veraval in Gujarat as part of the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav, marking 75 years of the inauguration of the restored temple dedicated to Lord Shiva | PTI Sonia, Priyanka step in to break the impasse over Kerala CM candidate K S SR E E J I T H @ T’Puram THE suspense over who will be the next Kerala chief minister deepened on Monday, a week after the election results gave a thumping majority to the Congress-led UDF, as the party’s central leadership summoned senior leaders from the state for another round of talks. The move comes after senior leader Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra favoured detailed discussions with former KPCC presidents to resolve the deadlock. Apart from Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph and working presidents A P Anil Kumar, P C Vishnunadh and Shafi Parambil, former KPCC presidents V M Sudheeran, K Muraleedharan, K Sudhakaran, and M M Decision today? Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who is on a visit to his home state Karnataka, will reach Delhi on Tuesday, earlier than his scheduled return on Wednesday. This, Congress sources said, indicates an announcement is likely on Tuesday Hassan are expected to reach Delhi by Tuesday . Mullappally Ramachandran expressed his inability to travel at short notice after which senior leader Rahul Gandhi spoke to him on the phone. According to party sources, the high command is likely to meet the Kerala leaders individually to take their inputs. The three contenders for the New Bengal govt clears land transfer for border fencing S U B H E N D U M AI T I @ Kolkata The new BJP government in West Bengal, in its first cabinet meeting, approved the long-delayed transfer of land to the BSF for fencing along the border with Bangladesh. “The transfer process of land for border fencing will start within 45 days of the formation of our government in the state, and it was our commitment. The state chief secretary and land and land reform department secretary will work together to hand over land to the BSF,” Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari said. He said that as per the knowledge he acquired during his previous tenure as the Leader of Opposition, The transfer some 90 per cent of the process will begin land required to comimmediately, and the plete the border fenccabinet has ing exercise was alempowered the chief re a dy u n d e r s t at e secretary and the acquisition. “I will secretary of the state’s land and land have to go through the revenue department papers to figure out the to complete the exact status of the land process within the required, and for which next 45 days I will need some more time,” he said. Suvendhu Adhikari While campaigning for the recently-held assembly elections in the state, top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, had accused the previous Trinamool Congress government of compromising the country’s security by delaying the land transfer to the BSF. In another major decision, the government approved rolling out the Centre’s health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat in the state. He assured that no existing social security schemes, including, Swasthya Sathi, a health scheme launched by Mamata Banerjee, will be withdrawn. CM’s post—K C Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala, and V D Satheesan—have pinned their hopes on these meetings. Although the senior leaders had met the two central observers during their visit to Kerala, the latest decision is in view of the continuing stalemate over CM selection. However, there are indications that the latest round of talks is to ward off criticism that all stakeholders were not taken into confidence. Sources said both Rahul and party president Mallikarjun Kharge would meet the leaders and seek their opinion on the choice of the new CM and the overall political atmosphere. Thereafter, the high command may summon the three CM contenders and inform them of the final decision. THE Supreme Court on Monday said former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and others can file fresh applications regarding their claim that the victory margins in 31 constituencies in the recent assembly polls in West Bengal were less than the number of voters challenging their deletion from the electoral rolls — during the special intensive revision (SIR) — before appellate tribunals. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions after senior advocate and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee referred to an earlier observation of Justice Bagchi that the court can look into the grievances if victory margins are less than the number of names deleted during the SIR. Claiming that SIR impacted the Bengal poll coutcome, Banerjee submitted that in one constituency, his party candidate lost by 862 votes while more than 5,000 names were removed from the rolls. He added that the vote gap between the TMC and the BJP was 32 lakh while 35 lakh appeals were pending before appellate tribunals. The Election Commission opposed Banerjee’s submission, saying that the only remedy was an election petition. It said it can be held accountable for issues related to the SIR only. “The law is clear ... every issue arising out of SIR could not be separately litigated,” the poll panel further argued. The bench said the mechanism for adjudication of these appeals could be improved.