TIRUCHY l Monday l march 31, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 76 l late city EDITION Govt’s stake in Vi now 49%; converts dues into equity The Centre will convert Vodafone Idea’s outstanding auction spectrum dues of `36,950 cr into equity shares, upping its stake to 48.99% issue price based on sebi regulations equity issuance process to take 30 days The country’s third largest telecom company informed stock exchanges that the government will receive 3,695 crore equity shares at a face value `10 per share. The move is part of the September 2021 telecom reforms package aimed at helping struggling firms. The issue price is based on SEBI regulations | P10 ■ ■ Despite the increase in government’s stake, the promoters – Vodafone Inc and Aditya Birla Group — will continue to have operational control of the joint venture company Vodafone Idea will complete equity issuance within 30 days after receiving approvals, including those from SEBI `1,40,000 cr is vodafone’s agr dues as of december 31, 2024 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 AFSPA extended in Manipur for 6 mths from Apr 1 Navy mobilises two more warships with relief material for Myanmar M AYA N K SIN G H @ New Delhi Home ministry notification broadens law in parts of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh too Rescuers on the job at the Sky Villa Condo that collapsed in Friday’s earthquake in Mandalay in Myanmar on Sunday | AP Express news service @ New Delhi THE Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which gives armed forces operating in disturbed areas sweeping powers and immunity from prosecution, was on Sunday extended for six months across Manipur, except 13 police stations, in view of the prevailing law and order situation. The law has also been extended to eight districts in Nagaland and 21 police station areas in five other districts of the state for six months, according to a notification issued by the Union home ministry . The law was simultaneously extended to Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts and three police station areas in Namsai district in Arunachal Pradesh for six months beginning April 1. Manipur has been under President’s rule since February 13 after Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who was heading a BJPled government, resigned on February 9 following ethnic violence that claimed more than 260 lives since May 2023. Police station areas in Manipur where the AFSPA will not be in force are: Imphal, Lamphal, City, Singjamei, Patsoi, Wangoi in Imphal West district, Porompat, Heingang, Irilbung in Imphal East district, Thoubal in Thoubal district and Bishnupur and Nam- Naval ships deployed Security personnel conduct a search operation near Imphal West in Manipur | PTI Calls for withdrawal There have been demands for the complete withdrawal of the law from the Northeast.Manipuri activist Irom Chanu Sharmila fought against the law by remaining on hunger strike for 16 years, before ending it in 2016 bol in Bishnupur district and Kakching in Kakching district. In Nagaland, Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek and Peren districts in Nagaland have been brought under AFSPA from April 1, 2025, unless withdrawn earlier. In Arunachal Pradesh , Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts and the areas falling within the jurisdiction of Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district have been brought under the law. Health facilities destroyed INS Karmuk is an indigenous missile Corvette and LCU is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and advanced systems. Apart from other operations, the ship can be deployed for amphibious operations and disaster relief An initial report on earthquake relief efforts issued Saturday by the UN noted the severe damage or destruction of many health facilities, and warned that a ‘severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts’ The Indian Navy on Sunday moved out two more warships towards Yangon city in Myanmar, carrying major relief material onboard to provide aid to the nation after the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28. This is following the deployment of two ships INS Satpura and Savitri from the Eastern Naval Command that set sail for Yangon on March 29 as part of the Navy’s immediate response. In a statement, a Naval spokesperson said, “Naval ships Karmuk and LCU-52 from the Andaman and Nicobar Command set sail for Yan- gon to assist in the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. Approximately 52 tonnes of relief material have been loaded on board, including HADR pallets consisting of essential clothing, drinking water, food, medicines, and emergency stores.” In the after math of the earthquake that left around 1,600 dead and thousands injured, the Indian government launched Operation Brahma for rendering assistance to Myanmar. So far, 137 tonnes of relief material have been delivered to Yangon in addition to rescue teams, specialised medical compliments and the ships to extend India’s help. Modi visits RSS headquarters Trump threatens tariffs for 1st time after becoming PM on buyers of Russian oil S U D HIR S U RYA W A NSHI & R A J ESH K U M A R TH A K U R @ Mumbai/New Delhi prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters—his first visit to the Nagpur-based organisation after becoming prime minister 11 years ago. The visit comes months after reports of friction between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological parent RSS. Modi visited the memorial of RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, accompanied by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and paid floral tributes. He also laid the foundation stone of Madhav Netralaya PM Narendra Modi with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat during the foundation stone laying of Madhav Netralaya in Nagpur | pti Premium Centre, a new extension building of Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute & Research Centre, named after late RSS chief Madhavrao Golwalkar. Speaking at the function, Modi lauded the Sangh, calling it the ‘banyan tree’ of India’s immortal culture. He said the RSS provides a clear direction toward life’s purpose. “RSS volunteers are working selflessly in various spheres in different parts of the country. This large vatvruksh is not an ordinary one. RSS is synonymous to service,” he said. After his visit to the RSS headquarters, Modi paid a visit to Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, where Dr B R Ambedkar embraced Buddhism. Later in the day, Modi travelled to Chhattisgarh, where he laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects worth more than `33,700 crore related to various sectors. J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was “pissed off ” at Russian President Vladimir Putin and warned he would impose secondary tariffs of 25% to 50% on buyers of Russian oil if Moscow blocks his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The threat, if it materialises, could have wider ramifications for both India and global market stability . Speaking to NBC News, Trump also threatened Iran with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran failed to reach an agreement with Washington over its nuclear programme. In his first comments since Iran PAC chemical hauled in truck With this issue 2 ‘asphyxiated’ after saving worker who fainted in tank e x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ Erode 8 Sections 64 PAGES preponed tn reschedules exams amid rising heat Annual examinations for classes 1 to 5 for schools under the Directorate of Elementary Education have been advanced to April 7-17, instead of the previously scheduled dates of April 9-21, considering the rise in mercury levels | P2 Rescue underway after Kamakhya Express derailed near Manguli station in Cuttack on Sunday | RASHMIRANJAN MOHAPATRA 1 dead, 15 hurt in Odisha train derailment H e ma n t K uma r R o u t @ Bhubaneswar One person was killed and at least 15 others were injured after 11 coaches of the 12251 Bengaluru-Kamakhya AC Superfast Express derailed near Nergundi in Cuttack, Odisha on Sunday . The accident occur red around 11.45 am when the train, en route from Bengaluru to Kamakhya in Assam, was negotiating a curve after crossing the Mahanadi river. Sources said a major tragedy was averted as the train was moving slowly when the accident, possibly caused by track issues, took place. The deceased was identified as Suvankar Roy (22) from West Bengal. The injured were rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, with three still under treatment, and one in critical condition. A Guwahati-bound passenger reported hearing a noise before the train vibrated and derailed. Police said Suvankar, who hailed from Alipurduar in Bengal, jumped off and died. Senior Railway officials visited the accident site and announced `5 lakh for the deceased’s kin and `2.5 lakh for the grievously injured. Train services on the busy Howrah-Vijaywada route were disrupted, with 21 trains being diverted. The Railways has ordered a probe. The accident comes two years after the Balasore tragedy that killed over 290 and injured 1,000. A cut above: Stanley performs 100th liver transplant SIN D U J A J A NE @ Chennai In a significant milestone, the Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant Centre at the Gover nment Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai performed its 100th cadaveric liver transplant on March 3, becoming the first government healthcare institution in the country to achieve this feat. The achievement comes 16 years after Stanley became the first in the government sector in India to successfully transplant a liver into a 43-year-old Chennai woman under the deceased donor programme on January 29, 2009. The milestone surgery this month was performed by a team led by Dr S Jeswanth, director of the liver transplant institute, and a team of doctors from Rela Hospital. Stanley and Rela Hospital work together on liver transplanta- The Ministry of External Affairs-led HADR efforts are progressing in conjunction with the Integrated Defence Staff, the Army Air Force and , the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF). The Army also expanded its operations closer towards the quake-hit areas. The Army team, comprising 118 personnel including medical and communication units, airlanded at Naypyidaw airport at 11:30 pm (Myanmar time) on March 29. The operation is being led by the Commander of the 50 (I) Para Brigade. Mandalay located 160 miles , north of the current base, has been identified as the primary area of operations.  P9 tions under an Memorandum of Understanding. The donor was a 49-year-old man, who had been declared brain dead at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Sources said the organ recipient is doing well now. This accomplishment has been a long time coming for Stanley which , has led the way in the country’s government sector; it was also the first government facility in the country to attempt a liver transplant in 1995, although the effort by DR R P Shanmugam, a professor in Surgical Gastroenterology was unsuccessful. , The 2009 operation was performed by the institute’s former head of Surgical Gastroenterology, Dr R Surendran. The doctor, who was instrumental in establishing the liver transplant centre, recalled the sense of relief and joy he felt as the organ recipient, M Sayeed Fathima, opened her eyes the day after the surgery . P5 The owner of an auto wash facility and a worker died of suspected asphyxiation after the duo rescued another worker, who had fainted inside the empty chemical cargo tank of a lorry while cleaning it, near Chithode in Erode district on Sunday . The deceased were identified as M Yuganandan (50) and K Chandran (54) — both are from Palakkattur near Lakshmi Nagar in Bhavani in Erode district. The worker who had firs fainted, S Chellappan (52) of R N Pudur in Chithode, has been undergoing treatment at a hospital. According to the police, Chandran and Chellappan worked at Yuganandan’s facility Sri Dharani Service Station, , in Konavaikal on the SalemCochin National Highway. After supplying Polyaluminium Chloride (PAC) from Hyderabad to two dyeing factories in Tiruppur, the tanker lorry driver — G Kreesh Kantharaja (48) of Sankaran Kovil in Tirunelveli — took the vehicle to the wash facility for cleaning on rejected direct negotiations last week, he said that US and Iranian officials were in talks. Sources in New Delhi said the comments appeared to be more of a “negotiating” tactic. India has consistently said purchasing oil from Russia, its ally is a key , component of its oil buying strategy. Western sanctions on Russia resulted in discounted oil prices, causing India’s imports of Russian oil to surge dramatically, rising from less than 1% of its total crude oil imports before the Ukraine war to an astounding 40%. In March 2025, India’s crude oil imports exceeded 5 million barrels per day . TN to include coding, AI in school syllabi for classes 6-9 Su b a s h i n i V i jayakuma r @ Chennai Fire personnel from Bhavani Station during the rescue operation | Express Sunday. The police said Chellappan, who had gotten inside the tank with a piece of cloth covering his face and without wearing any protective equipment, soon fainted inside. Noticing this, the police said, Yuganandan and Chandran got inside the tank and rescued Chellappan. However, by the time they had handed him over to fellow workers, they both fell unconscious as they too had not worn any protective gear, the police said. P5 express read Heavy rain likely in ghat areas on April 1 and 2 Shallow quake hits Tonga in Pacific Ocean Chennai: Heavy rain warning has been issued for several isolated places in the ghat areas of Coimbatore for two days – April 1 and 2. The Meteorological Department has predicted light to moderate rain at isolated places in TN on April 4 and 5 | P2 New York: A 7.0-magnitude quake struck offshore near Tonga, the US Geological Survey said Sunday, with authorities issuing a tsunami warning before giving the all-clear. The shallow quake hit 79 kilometres south of the village of Pangai in Tonga | P9 Starting next academic year, students in classes 6 to 9 in Tamil Nadu will learn the basics of computer science, artificial intelligence (AI), coding, and online tools as part of their curriculum. The State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) is in the final stage of preparing the syllabus with expert inputs and will soon begin training teachers. According to sources, the new curriculum, besides covering coding, machine learning and robotics, will also integrate online tools, such as GeoGebra (interactive math application) and PhET (Physics Education Technology) simulations, to help students understand math and science concepts that are already a part of the syllabus. These tools will be made available at the hi-tech laboratories in middle schools, and teachers and students will be trained to use them effectively . The students will also be introduced to visual-based programming tools like Scratch and Blockly which will allow them to create animations, games, and interactive stories. As they progress, the students will learn Python and other computer programming languages, enabling them to write basic programs. Students will also explore the applications of AI and machine learning and lear n patter n recognition, among other concepts. P5