tadepalligudem l saturday l august 29, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Industrial PRODUCTION MODERATES TO 6.7% in July AS mining contracts National Statistics Office data released on Friday showed that mining & quarrying shrank 0.9% in July against 1% growth in June and 10.7% a year ago Index for June revised from 7.3% to 8.8% Manufacturing slows but holds firm The Index of Industrial Production for June was revised from the provisional estimate of 7.3% to 8.8%. According to NSO, the July headline number of 6.7% was “supported by 7.3% growth in manufacturing and strong growth of 8.7% in electricity & gas supply”. Growth in manufacturing, which carries the largest weight in the index, moderated to 7.3% in July from 9.5% in June ■ ■ In the manufacturing sector, 19 out of 23 industry groups have recorded a positive year-on-year growth in July 2026, data showed Top 3 contributors in July are: ‘Manufacture of electrical equipment’ (28.3%), ‘Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers & semi-trailers’ (22.2%), and ‘Manufacture of machinery and equipment’ (12.1%) 5.4% The Index of Industrial production recorded in july 2025 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 Family of AP NRI goes missing in Nepal floods constituency development Realise targets of AP Vision: Naidu E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada A four-member Telugu NonResident Indian (NRI) family hailing from Parvathipuram reportedly went missing following flash floods and mudslides on the Nepal-Tibet border. The missing family has been identified as Santosh Kumar Sahu (47), his wife Surabhi (43), and their two children, Spandan (18) and Saina (13). According to family sources, Santosh is the elder son of Subhash Sahu from Panda Street in Parvathipuram. He has been living in London for the past 20 years. Subhash Chandra Sahu went to South Africa to see his younger son Murali after he lost his wife. Santosh who came to India, along with his family , embarked on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Manasarovar via Nepal a few days ago. However, the tragedy struck while Santosh’s vehicle was crossing a bridge in the border corridor during flash floods. A tour guide alerted Santosh’s relatives back home about the accident after the vehicle was swept away in the deluge. The distressing news has plunged the Santosh’s family, relatives, and local community into deep anguish. Santosh’s kin appealed to disaster relief teams to intensify search operations in the affected region for the missing NRI family . Setting a concrete roadmap to place Andhra Pradesh at the forefront of national growth, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed Cabinet Ministers, lawmakers, and District Collectors to aggressively implement the Swarna Niyojakavargam Vision Action Plans across all 175 Assembly constituencies in the State. Addressing a comprehensive review meeting via video conference from his camp office on Friday the Chief Minister interacted , with MPs, MLAs, Collectors, young professionals, knowledge partners, and field staff. Naidu highlighted that Andhra Pradesh has created a historical precedent by becoming the first State in the country to formulate and implement localised, constituencyspecific action plans—an initiative that has already earned widespread national recognition and praise as a benchmark for local administration. Emphasising that political governance must be actively demonstrated at every administrative tier, he tasked elected representatives with leading the implementation drive from the front. He urged lawmakers to conduct rigorous and continuous review of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in their respective regions, warning that field-level inspections should not degenerate into routine formalities but should remain completely transparent and accountable to the public. To ensure scientific planning, the Chief Minister instructed administrative teams to map local natural and human resources, analyse regional data through the State’s newly established ‘Data Lake’, and leverage advanced technological tools to optimise P4 service delivery  . @ Parvathipuram-Manyam Relatives look at photos (above) of flash flood victims displayed outside a morgue for identification, in Kathmandu on Friday; and Minister S Jaishankar with TN tourists who arrived in Delhi from Nepal | PTI 320 Indians missing, toll tops 580 Around 400 Indians stranded but safe in Tibet; tunnel specialists being sent for rescue ops E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi At least 320 Indian nationals remain uncontactable and around 400 others are stranded but safe on the Chinese side following devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border as India stepped up efforts to trace its citizens and offered Kathmandu a range of rescue and relief assistance. The floods have killed at least 584 people, 579 in Nepal and five in Tibet, while Nepalese authorities put the number of missing around 1,900. The scale of destruction has complicated rescue operations, with fears of further flooding disrupting efforts in several areas. “The damage is just incredible,” Lila Pieters Yahia, the UN resident coordinator for Nepal, said on Friday, adding that more than 40 bridges had been Valmiki scam Karnataka govt blinks, minister Nagendra quits D E VARAJ B HIR E HALLI @ Bengaluru IN a major setback to the Congress government in Karnataka, Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra resigned on Thursday just 25 days after , being inducted as a minister. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has been facing pressure to drop Nagendra ever since the latter was inducted as minister in the cabinet expansion on August 3. Nagendra said he is stepping down to avoid embarrassment to the party and the CM. He added that he will also resign from the Assembly and dared BJP leaders, who were calling for his ouster, to contest against him. He categorically denied all allegations made against him in the `187 crore Maharshi Valmiki ST Corporation scam. This is the second time that Nagendra is resigning as minister over the same issue. The first time was on June 6, 2024 when Siddaramaiah was chief minister. Infosys Public Services CEO Gopisetty unreachable Infosys Public Services CEO Lax Gopisetty has been unreachable after devastating Nepal floods, the company said in a statement. The company said it was working with relevant agencies to gather information and establish contact with him. “We remain in close communication with the family and are providing all necessary support during this difficult time,” Infosys said destroyed or badly damaged and “over 40 km of road completely destroyed.” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 400 Indians stranded on the Chinese side were in touch with their families. The Indian embassy in Beijing is coordinating with Chinese authorities on their evacuation, he added. By Friday evening, 153 Indian nationals had safely crossed from the Chinese side into Nepal by land, officials said. Jaiswal said 320 Indians remained uncontactable while around 100 additional people of Indian origin were also out of contact. Some of the latter may have been travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra but hold other nationalities. Meanwhile, 21 from Tamil Nadu rescued from the flood-hit areas arrived in New Delhi on Friday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received them at the Delhi airport. The rescued group told Jaishankar about the sudden flooding and expressed gratitude to the Nepal Army for bringing them out. Deal done for US Javelin anti-tank missile system @ New Delhi Infrared guidance The big draw of the Javelin is its guidance. Its imaging infrared seeker locks on to the target before launch, allowing the gunner to fire and immediately withdraw an estimated cost of $45.7 million, together with trainers, simulation rounds and spares. The quantity India has contracted is understood to be smaller. Lt Gen Ajay Kumar, former Director General of Infantry, said in October 2025 that the Army was pursuing 12 launchers and 104 missiles. A Congressional notification records approval for a possible sale and not the quantity eventually ordered. One month on tour What’s more remarkable is that he has spent the majority of the last month on tour in the US playing two GCT events before advancing to the final. In all, he has played over 50 games and 70 hours To ensure scientific planning, Naidu directed administrative teams to map local natural and human resources, analyse data through ‘Data Lake’ and leverage tech tools to optimise service delivery Visakhapatnam: Two years after its inauguration, the Andhra Pradesh State Food Laboratory in Visakhapatnam is yet to become fully functional, with shortage of staff limiting the utilisation of the infrastructure and equipment provided at the facility | P3 After trailing 9-3 in the summit clash of the four-man Grand Finals, the 21-year-old showed his gumption and class by taking the lead in the Rapid section of the final before sealing the win in the Blitz format. The Grand Chess Tour is a series of elite events between the world’s best players before the top four players of the preliminary stages advance to the final. It’s held across all three established time controls (Classical, Rapid and Blitz) ‘Map local resources’ Vizag food lab still faces staff shortage On Thursday, R Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour 2026. A look at how he won it... Explaining the GCT Naidu, CM E x p r e s s Re a d Pathbreaker Pragg Keeping nerve against Fabiano in the final JAVARIA RA N A indian Army has signed a formal contract with the US to procure the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missile system, a weapon it has been seeking since 2009. “BIG news! India plans to buy the battle-tested Javelin anti-tank system,” US envoy to India Sergio Gor wrote on X. He said the purchase could open the way to co-production of the missile in India. Gor linked the development to remarks made by the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue earlier this year, where Hegseth said India would acquire the system. The purchase is being processed under the Indian Army’s emergency procurement powers, which allow Service Headquarters to conclude urgent acquisitions within a delegated financial ceiling of `300 crore. The quantities involved are limited. In November last year, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible sale to India of 100 Javelin rounds, one fly-to-buy missile and 25 launch units at “We are still very much focused on contacting all the Indians there,” Jaishankar said. India has also intensified humanitarian assistance. A third military flight carrying 10 tonnes of relief supplies departed for Kathmandu on Friday, taking India’s emergency assistance since Wednesday night to 47.5 tonnes. The latest consignment includes portable generators, dignity kits, food packets and water-purification tablets. An 11-member team of doctors, paramedics and tunnel-rescue specialists was also sent. Jaishankar said tunnel specialists were being sent because people could potentially be trapped at a hydropower project. He also reviewed the crisis with senior officials, with India’s ambassadors in Kathmandu and Beijing joining virtually . The ultimate goal of governance extends beyond providing monetary aid to making every underprivileged family in State economically self-reliant $404,354 The money Pragg earned by winning the GCT this year Polavaram water for North Andhra on Sept 2 Visakhapatnam: Godavari waters are set to reach North Andhra through the Polavaram Left Main Canal on September 2, with the State government working on a plan to store and distribute up to 27 TMC of water for Visakhapatnam region | P4 Political activity for local polls begins in villages Y B r a h m a j i @ Vijayawada With local body elections expected to be held in the next couple of months, political activity has gained momentum in villages across Andhra Pradesh. Aspirants have already begun groundwork to mobilise public support. Earlier, elections to a large number of panchayats were unanimous. The upcoming gram pancha- yat elections are likely to witness a tough contest unlike in the past due to presence of multiple parties in the fray . T hough panchayat polls are officially held without party symbols, political affiliations are expected to play a major role. Aspirants backed by the TDP, YSRCP Jana Sena and BJP are , gearing up for the poll battle. Notably, the elected gram panchayat bodies in the 2021 A test to NDA rule Though local body elections cannot be directly treated as a referendum on the performance of the NDA government, the results could nevertheless provide an indication of the people’s mood in rural Andhra Pradesh elections completed their fiveyear tenure on April 2, 2026. The State government appointed 5,770 Special Officers to administer 13,096 panchayats un- til elected bodies are formed. The previous panchayat elections witnessed several allegations of political pressure, attacks on opposition candidates and electoral malpractices. The YSRCP claimed 10,382 of the total 13,097 panchayats that went to polls, while TDP bagged 2,063 and BJP-Jana Senaaround 100. Against this backdrop, the forthcoming elections coming two years after the formation of the coalition government assume significance.  P4 Why Penguin pressured Sonia to purge loaded political portions of her memoir E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The central point of contention between Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Penguin Random House India (PRHI) was the publisher’s demand to retract passages containing her “frank” assessment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and references to mishandling of “Chinese incursion” during his tenure, a senior party function- ary said. According to the functionary, the passages were not based on ‘hearsay’ but on Sonia’s ‘relevant interactions’ and assessment. The functionary described the remarks as “candid” saying Sonia had written about what she had observed and experienced in her dealings with the prime minister as “both as the leader of a political party and a person in public life”. The functionary said the is- sue was not about routine factchecking but with “substantive changes to the political content of the memoir”. The concern, according to the functionary, was that substantially “altering” or “removing” those passages would change the “character” of Sonia’s account and “assessment” of contemporary political events. PRHI, however, denied that it decided against publishing the memoir because Sonia refused Nov 10 release Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin, had recently announced that Belonging will be released worldwide on Nov 10 editorial changes, and said it is “not the publisher of the book in India”. “Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish Belonging because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances,” PRHI said on Friday It main. tained that fact-checking and making editorial recommendations are a normal part of its role. “It is both our prerog- ative and our responsibility to fact check and provide authors with recommendations that are in the best interests of their books,” it said. Senior Cong ress leader Ashok Gehlot alleged that Penguin India wanted changes to portions concerning “Modi, the RSS and China’s ‘occupation of Indian territory.’ Penguin Worldwide is ready to publish the book worldwide in its original form, but Penguin Random House India wants changes in India, he said. “The real issue is that pressure was put on Penguin India to remove the portions related to Modi, the RSS, and the occupation of Indian territory by China during Modi’s rule. This is the murder of democracy,” Gehlot alleged. Following the controversy, HarperCollins is reportedly close to finalising an agreement to publish and distribute the book in India.