tadepalligudem l saturday l december 13, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION type 2 diabetes wonder drug ozempic makes india debut Ozempic is now available in India as 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg in ‘FlexTouch Pen’ - an easy-to-use, once-weekly pen device, at `2,200 per week popular as a weight loss drug GLOBALLY Danish pharma major Novo Nordisk’s type 2 diabetes injection Ozempic is also popular globally for its weight-loss benefits. A prescribed Ozempic injection would start with a 0.25 mg dose for four weeks at a total cost of `8,800. This is the company’s second medicine with semaglutide as the active ingredient to be launched in India after its weight-loss drug Wegovy ■ 11.4% pricing remains competitive, says md 9 ■ On its pricing, Novo Nordisk India Managing Director Vikrant Shrotriya said, “It remains competitive to offer Ozermpic at a price like this” One reason for Ozempic being launched late in India was to do with uninterrupted supplies, Shrotriya said, adding that the injection would be directly imported from Denmark, where it is produced of indians are living with diabetes as per world health organization 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 die as bus plunges into gorge Other big-ticket Cabinet decisions `12K cr for Census okayed The Union Cabinet approved `11,718 crore for conducting the Census of India, 2027, which would include the caste enumeration for the first time. The Census will be conducted in two phases — house-listing and housing census from April to September, 2026; and population enumeration in February 2027. This will be the first digital census, minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said | P7 Express News Service @ Visakhapatnam Nine pilgrims from Chittoor district were killed and 27 others injured when a private travel bus fell into a gorge on the Tulasipaka stretch of the Chinturu-Maredumilli ghat road in Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district in the early hours of Friday . The bus, operated by Vigneswara Travels, was carrying 37 passengers at the time of the accident. The group was travelling from Araku Valley, and was scheduled to reach the Bhadrachalam temple later in the morning. Teams from Maredumilli and Chinturu police stations, along with locals, carried out rescue operations. The deceased were identified as Krishna Kumari, SV Nageswara Rao, Srikala Devi, Siva Sankara Reddy, Sunanda, Dorababu, Sailaja Rani, Shyamala and Kaveri Krishna. A survivor said the group had started from Chittoor on Saturday to tour Uttarandhra. “We visited Simhachalam temple on Thursday, and reached Araku by evening. While on our way to Bhadrachalam, the bus suddenly fell into the gorge around 4.30 am at a sharp P4 turn,” she recalled.  Cabinet clears 100% FDI in insurance P U SH P ITA DEY @ New Delhi The private travel bus which fell into a gorge on the Tulasipaka stretch of the Chinturu-Maredumilli ghat road in Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district on Friday | express India isn’t on new US silicon supply chain grp May reflect Delhi’s AI status J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi A new US-led strategic initiative, named Pax Silica, which aims to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven global silicon supply chain, has been launched without the inclusion of India amidst crucial trade negotiations between the two countries. The US State Department defined the initiative as focused on the entire silicon supply chain, “from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics.” The inaugural Pax Silica Summit will have Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the UK, Israel, the UAE and Australia. The US State Department emphasised the group’s critical role, and said: “Together, these countries are home to the most important companies and investors powering the global AI supply chain.” The objective of Pax Silica is clearly strategic at a time when building alternative to Chineseled supply chains on critical minerals and emerging technologies are in focus. The alliance seeks “to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence, Opening nuclear sector The Cabinet is also learnt to have approved a bill that seeks to open up the civil nuclear power sector for private participation. Called the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, the proposed legislation aims to help the country achieve its target of 100 giga watts of atomic energy capacity by 2047. and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.” The initiative, which responds to “increasing risks from coercive dependencies” and a collective desire to secure all strategic “stacks” of the technology supply chain — including software, foundation models, semiconductors, and mineral refining --signals a concerted effort to establish a trusted economic order for the AI era. India’s exclusion is interesting, given that critical minerals have recently become a central focus of the bilateral relationship. In fact, the US and India in 2024 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on critical minerals supply chains, an important example of India’s bilateral cooperation in this sector, which aims to leverage “the two countries’ complementary strengths to ensure greater resilience in the critical minerals sector.” India’s absence from Pax Silica suggests that while the US and India are collaborating on mineral resilience, Delhi may not yet be perceived as a core, end-toend partner in the advanced segment of the global AI production ecosystem. There was no immediate reaction from Indian side THE Union Cabinet on Friday approved a proposal to raise the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in insurance firms from 74% to 100%, and usher in a set of structural reforms to strengthen the sector. The move is expected to draw substantial foreign capital, increase competition, and improve customer services across India’s insurance market. The government is likely to introduce the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in Parliament on Monday a senior finance min, istry official confirmed. By lifting the cap, the government aims to attract long-term global investors and deepen the sector’s capital base. “A more open market is expected to foster greater competition, leading to innovative product development, superior customer service standards, and the adoption of global best practices and technology,” said Narendra Ganpule, partner and insurance industry leader, Grant Thornton Bharat. The Centre expects that the higher ownership limit will unlock fresh global capital, enabling companies to scale operations, expand distribution, develop new products and enhance service standards. The government believes higher investment and competition will help extend insurance coverage to a wider population. Greater competition could also create jobs and improve efficiency . The reforms form part of a broader push to expand insurance penetration and align with the government’s long-term vision of achieving ‘Insurance for All by 2047’. To give effect to the changes, amendments to the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999, and the Insurance Act, 1938 will be introduced as part of the comprehensive legislative exercise. Alok Rungta, MD and CEO of Generali Central Life Insurance, said reforms may open doors for new players, who were waiting for 100% FDI to enter the market. RA J ESH K U MAR THAK U R @ New Delhi THE Union Cabinet on Friday cleared a proposal to set up a single higher education regulator to replace multiple bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC). Sources said the government is likely to present a bill in the ongoing Parliament session, which concludes on December 19. The bill—previously called the Higher Education Commission of India Bill—has been renamed the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill. The move is in line with the National Education Policy which moots , a new unified body to subsume UGC, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). However, medical and law colleges will remain outside the new regulator’s scope, sources said. An official told this paper that the unified regulator is expected to have three major functions: regulation, accreditation and the setting of professional standards. Funding—considered the fourth pillar—is not expected to come under the regulator at this stage, with financial autonomy proposed to remain with the administrative ministry . The regulatory system is in need of a complete overhaul to re-energise the higher education sector and enable it to thrive — NEP 2020 `1,583 cr project Cognizant lays stone for vizag 8k-seat campus U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam Global IT giant Cognizant performed the groundbreaking ceremony for its upcoming 8,000-seat campus in Visakhapatnam on Friday in the presence of Chief Minister , Nara Chandrababu Naidu. The new facility to be developed in three phases by 2033, , involves an investment of `1,583 crore. Construction of the first phase will begin in 2026, with a capacity for 3,000 associates when it is completed in early 2029. The subsequent phases will increase the overall seating capacity to 8,000.While the original proposal envisioned an 8,000-seat centre, discussions between the Chief Minister and Cognizant CEO S Ravi Kumar led the company to commit to generating 20,000 jobs in the region, enhancing its overall investment impact. Welcoming Cognizant’s expansion, Naidu said the project aligns with his government’s vision to make AP a preferred destination for global enterprises. “This facility is a landmark step in advancing our vision of transforming Andhra Pradesh into a world-class destination where global enterprises can build, innovate, and grow,” he said, adding, “This investment will generate 20,000 high-quality jobs, enhance the region’s digital capabilities, and contribute significantly to the State’s innovation-driven and technology-enabled growth. HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh said Cognizant’s decision to set up operations in Visakhapatnam marks an important step in the city’s emergence as a major technolP4 ogy hub and financial centre.  Plan to develop VER into $125 bn economy by 2032 Express News Service @ Visakhapatnam Red flag on ‘birth tourism’ The US Embassy in India on Friday issued a public warning to tourist-visa applicants of a tough stance against what it called “birth tourism” | P7 Single regulator to replace UGC, AICTE & NCTE Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu reviews Vizag Economic Region’s progress and future development plans at a high-level meeting on Friday | express The State government has set an ambitious target to develop Vizag Economic Region (VER) into a $125-135 billion economy by 2032. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the region’s progress and future development plans at a high-level meeting held in Vizag on Friday, with ministers, senior officials, public representatives, and district collectors. The review focused on the VER Master Plan, and examined 49 major projects aimed at improving road and rail con- nectivity port development, lo, gistics infrastructure, and integrated growth across nine districts, including Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Parvathipuram Manyam, Anakapalle, Kakinada, East Godavari and Konaseema. This region spans 38,000 sq km, has a population of 1.65 crore, a GDP of $52 billion, and contributes 30% to the State’s Gross Domestic Product. The Chief Minister directed departments, including Industries, Commerce, Municipal Administration, Tourism, Infrastructure, Roads, IT, Agri- express read dramatic comeback Vinesh training in Bengaluru as she takes big step towards LA28 f i r o z m i r z a @ Chennai In a dramatic turnaround of events, one of India’s most decorated wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat has announced her intention to come out of retirement on Friday She has posted on X that . the fire is still burning and she would take one final shot at an Olympic medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Though the announcement seemed sudden, the wrestler had hinted her comeback when she moved to Bengaluru with her just-born child for training. Vinesh along with her husband Somvir Rathee welcomed a baby boy into the family in July Soon . after, she started fitness sessions at Pratap Sports School, Kharkhoda in Sonepat, Haryana. Om Prakash Dahiya, Vinesh’s childhood coach, said his ward has already moved to Bengaluru to train. “She is already in Bengaluru. Once again, the goal is to win an Olympic medal. She is accompanied by a wom- an there as she needs someone to take care of her son and training,” Dahiya said. As always, Olympic Gold Quest is supporting her. Vinesh, multiple World Championships, Asian Games and Common- ‘WITH BABY BY MY SIDE’ “...So here I am, stepping back toward LA28 with a heart that’s unafraid... And this time, I’m not walking alone my son is joining my team, my biggest motivation, my little cheerleader on this road to LA” culture, Forest, Health, Education, Skill Development and Energy to prepare individual action plans tailored to the needs of VER. The plans will focus on seven identified growth drivers, including global port-led development, next-generation IT, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, planned urbanisation, and world-class infrastructure. Key proposals include seven new railway projects, nine road projects, and a 77-km Vizag Metro corridor, along with the development of manufacturing clusters, agri zones, food parks, P4 and fishing harbours.  wealth Games medallist, suffered heartbreaks at the Olympics not once but thrice. From her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games where she was stretchered out after suffering a knee injury on the mat to unfathomable loss at the 2021 Tokyo Games to disqualification hours before the gold medal bout for being 50 grams overweight at the 2024 Paris Games, the 31-year-old somehow always had a torturous outing at the world’s biggest stage. But the road to glory will not be easy Vinesh, who contested . and won from Haryana’s Julana constituency during the Assembly elections last year, has to start from scratch. She was an Indian Railway employee but resigned before joining politics. Now she has to earn her berth first in district and then state squad before making it to the Haryana team for the next P11 nationals in 2026.  SOP to tackle urban e-waste Vijayawada: In a major push to strengthen urban environmental governance, the AP government has introduced a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to regulate the collection and scientific disposal of electronic waste across all 123 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). The directive comes amid growing concerns over the rising volume of discarded electronic items entering municipal waste streams | P3