hyderabad l saturday l august 29, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE 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% 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 ■ 5.4% Manufacturing slows but holds firm ■ 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%) 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 India to buy US Javelin anti-tank missile system J AVARIA RANA @ New Delhi 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 ss N e w s S e 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 Pathbreaker Pragg On Thursday, R Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour 2026. A look at how he won it... $404,354 The money Pragg earned by winning the GCT this year Keeping nerve against Fabiano in the final 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 | P11 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. “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 . @ Hyderabad Telangana recorded a 7.15% rise in overall crime over the three-year period from 2023-24 to 2025-26, with narcotics cases emerging as a major concern, according to the latest crime review by the state police. Overall cases rose from 2,65,377 in 2023-24 to 2,84,363 in 2025-26. Narcotics cases in- E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad 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 er with trainers, simulation rounds and spares. Lt Gen Ajay Kumar, former Director General of Infantry , said in October 2025 that the Ar my was pursuing 12 launchers and 104 missiles. A Congressional notification records approval for a possible sale and not the quantity . The Javelin can be set to attack from above, where the armour of a tank is thinnest and carries a tandem warhead intended to defeat explosive reactive armour. Raidurg plot fetches `269 cr per acre S B a c h a n J e e t S i n g h @ Hyderabad Vamsiram Builders bid a record `269 crore per acre for a 5.38-acre land parcel in the Knowledge City layout at Raidurg Panmaktha in Serilingampally at the e-auction conducted by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) on Friday . The fir m bid a total of `1,447.22 crore for plot (P2), in Survey No. 83/1 measuring 26,023.78 sq yd. This surpassed last week’s record bid for Plot P1 in the same layout. The 5.25acre P1 plot, auctioned on August 21, fetched `264 crore per acre, with the total value working out to `1,386 crore. Together, the two auctions have generated `2,833.22 crore Money matters  Plot P2, measuring 26,023.78 sq yd, surpassed last week’s bid for Plot P1  The 5.25-acre P1 plot, auctioned on August 21, fetched `264 crore per acre from 10.63 acres, with an average realisation of `266.53 crore per acre. TGIIC has already received 25% of the auction value of Plot P1 as the first-stage payment. Friday’s auction saw competitive bidding from developers, with the final price reaching `269 crore per acre, about 53% above the upset price of `175 crore per acre. The bid increment was fixed at `1 crore per acre or multiples thereof. The plots are located in the Raidurg IT and commercial corridor and offer unlimited FSI, multi-use zoning and road connectivity They are ready for . immediate construction, with no change of land use required, while approvals can be obtained through the single-window system. Officials said the `269 crore per acre realisation was the highest achieved in a recent government land auction in Hyderabad. The auction was conducted through the MSTC e-auction platform, with JLL as the transaction adviser. “Today’s auction reflects strong demand for strategically located land in Raidu r g , ” T G II C VC & M D K Shashanka said. Drug cases spike 46% but ‘grave crimes’ in state dip E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e 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 ShangriLa Dialogue earlier this year, where Hegseth said India would acquire the system. The purchase is being processed under the Army’s emergency procurement powers, which allow Service Headquarters to conclude urgent acquisitions within a delegated financial ceiling of `300 crore. The quantities 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 an estimated cost of $45.7 million, togeth- Telangana crime: Numbers tell the tale  7.15% rise in overall crime from 2023-24 to 2025-26  46.1% rise in narcotics cases from 2,026 to 2,960  10.33% dip in grave crimes from 2024-25 to 2025-26  13.29% dip in cyber crime from 2024-25 to 2025-26 creased from 2,026 to 2,960 during the period, while the crime rate per lakh population rose from 3.68 to 5.12. At the same time, grave crimes, cybercrime and economic offences declined in 2025-26. DGP CV Anand, who chaired the half-yearly crime review meeting with senior officers at the DGP Office on Friday, directed officers to focus on crime analysis, monthly reviews, field inspections and the use of technology for crime prevention.  related report on P5 Will run out of coal in 4 days: TGGENCO’s SOS to Centre Golden ties Endowments Minister Konda Surekha ties a gold rakhi to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, at the latter’s residence in Hyderabad on Friday | P4 Citing shortfalls in the quality and quantity of coal supplied by the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), the Telangana Power Generation Corporation Limited (TGGENCO) has requested the Power Ministry to allocate an additional 5 million tonnes of coal from Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) at the notified price. The coal stocks at TGGENCO’s thermal power stations are currently sufficient for only four days, against the 26-day stock requirement prescribed by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), it said in a letter to the Power Ministry . The shortage is also affecting generation, with several units operating at partial loads due to inadequate supplies of highergrade coal. The 500 MW and 800 MW units of Kothagudem Thermal Power Station (KTPS) StageVI and VII, and the units of Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS), are designed to use G9/ G10 grade coal, TGGENCO said. “The anticipated peak power demand is over 260 GW during the c o m i n g months, and all the coalbased thermal units of TGGENCO will need to operate at their rated capacities to meet the increased demand,” it said. All TGGENCO thermal stations have long-term coal linkages with SCCL totalling 28.87 MTPA, sanctioned by the Ministry of Coal. However, linkage materialisation from SCCL was only 76%, while quality materialisation against the FSA grade was around 40% in FY 2025-26, TGGENCO said. “It is pertinent to mention that the linkage materialisation from SCCL is only 76%, and the quality materialisation with respect to FSA grade is around 40% for FY 2025-26. Due to this shortfall in quality and quantity, the generation at TGGENCO’s power stations is severely affected,” the corporation said. TGGENCO said four of the five 800 MW units of YTPS had achieved commercial operation, while the remaining unit was scheduled to achieve COD in September. Once all five units are operational, YTPS will require around 50,000 tonnes of coal a day  . continued on p4 K’taka govt blinks, minister Nagendra quits D EVARA J B HIREHA L L I @ Bengaluru IN a major setback to the Congress government in Karnataka, Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra resigned on Friday just 25 days after be, ing inducted as a minister. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has been facing pressure to drop Nagendra ever since the latter was inducted as min- ister 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 al- legations 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. Why Penguin pressured Sonia to purge loaded political portions of her memoir E x p r e ss N e w s S e 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.