Telangana Backward Classes (BC) Commission will make a formal announcement on the caste survey soon. Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Secretary Lokesh Kumar D.S., along with Commissioner Anita Ramachandran and Deputy Commissioner Sudhakar held a crucial meeting with the Telangana Backward Classes (BC) Commission here on Saturday. They engaged in discussions with the Commission’s Chairman G. Niranjan and members Rapolu Jayaprakash, Tirumalagiri Surender, Bala Lakshmi and Member Secretary Bala Maya Devi.

The focus of the meeting was to deliberate on the procedures required to conduct a caste enumeration in the State. It was agreed that a formal announcement on the caste survey would be made soon. The meeting also discussed the logistics of conducting field-level observations and it was indicated that a district-wise schedule for this purpose will be released shortly.

S. Rithik Easwaran in action in the TNCA President XI vs Hyderabad held in Tirunelveli.
| Photo Credit: SHAIKMOHIDEEN A

A double bluff, a seven-wicket haul, a well-carved-out century, a slim lead, and a wagging tail were the highlights of the penultimate day’s play in the Buchi Babu semifinal between TNCA President’s XI and Hyderabad here on Wednesday (September 4, 2024).

In the second over of the day, left-arm pacer C.V. Milind made a strategic call, shifting a fielder from midwicket to deep square leg and positioning another at fine-leg.

M. Mohammed (47, 80b, 6×4) — anticipating a short delivery after the field changes — was done in by a full-length delivery that swung away.

This broke the 98-run seventh-wicket association between Mohammed and S. Rithik Easwaran. The latter reached his milestone (100, 140b, 9×4, 2×6) and gave his team the lead before it was bowled out for 327.

Stellar numbers

Left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan, who quickly dismissed Jhathavedh Subramanyan, Gurjapneet Singh, and Rithik, finished with figures of (31.4-3-95-7).

In its second essay, Hyderabad was immediately pushed onto the back foot as Mohammed and left-arm pacer Gurjapneet got rid of Rahul Singh and M. Abhirath in a span of eight deliveries. Off-spinner S. Mohammed Ali removed Nitesh Kannala, leaving the visitor in a spot of bother at 28 for three.

Rohit Rayudu (61, 104b, 7×4, 1×6) and Hima Teja (37, 81b, 2×4) put the innings back on the rails with an 86-run fourth-wicket union, pushing the lead past 100.

However, Gurjapneet (three for 27) and Mohammed (three for 39) struck under the afternoon sun as Hyderabad was reduced to 154 for seven.

But T. Ravi Teja (33 batting, 56b, 2×4) and Milind (37 batting, 76b, 1×4, 1×6) produced a fighting 73-run eighth-wicket stand to swell the visitors’ advantage to 213.

Hyderabad:

In what may turn out to be the biggest cyber financial fraud from an individual reported to Telangana’s Cyber Security Bureau, a 75-year-old man has lost Rs 13 crore. The victim had retired as a senior manager of a public sector unit.

Sources said the man had reportedly received a proposal for investment through WhatsApp on July 1 and within 10 days, he had invested Rs 4 crore, lured by the impressive profits projected by the scammers.

When his account showed Rs 10 crore, he wanted to withdraw. Then he was told that he would need to pay GST, CGST, conversion tax, foreign exchange tax and so on, and he ended up paying up another Rs 9 crores within 15 days, hoping to recover his investment money and the “returns” he had made.

To make these investments, he had withdrawn money from mutual funds and other savings and transferred it through his own bank account.

It was only after about 50 days that he realised that he had been defrauded.

On Monday, he went to the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau to file a complaint.

But the delay in reporting the matter left little hope of recovery. Of the total Rs 13 crore that went out of his bank, the police was able to save only Rs 20 lakh.

The amount had been withdrawn through cheques, ATM cards and such from multiple accounts spread across states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala. Rs 2 crore was withdrawn from faraway Dubai..

The police are questioning a couple of people in Hyderabad, from where some money had been withdrawn as well.

As Hyderabad grapples with incessant rains, gig workers who have been braving the adverse weather conditions shared the challenges they face while delivering food and groceries and transporting passengers to their destinations.

“I had to pay ₹650 out of my own pocket to the company for this raincoat,” said Hemant Kumar, a food delivery worker, as he delivered an order in Banjara Hills. “The company doesn’t do much for our welfare, and sometimes customers don’t understand our problems. If my bike breaks down in the rain or if it rains heavily and the order is late, the customer complains to the company. This affects my rating.”

Mohammed Jawed, a cab driver, underscored the severe toll that the persistent rains have taken on those in his profession. “During rains, we have to deal with bad roads, and waterlogging that damage our cars, both in the long and short term,” he said. The situation is exacerbated by the high cost of repairing modern vehicles, where even a faulty sensor — which he says is an expensive component — can lead to significant financial strain.

He recounted how bikes belonging to those within his network were recently submerged in water during heavy downpours. Insurance companies often refuse to cover such damages, categorising them as acts of God. Moreover, cab drivers and those who pick up and drop passengers have to deal with the possible repercussions of being unable to take rides due to rains. “Because it rains, the customer is unable to walk 50 metres. If heavy rains prevent me from reaching a customer, and suppose I have to cancel the ride, the customer might lodge a complaint. This could lead to my driver ID being temporarily suspended by the company,” he explained.

Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), a body working for the welfare of gig and platform workers, recently submitted a memorandum to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), seeking comprehensive insurance for workers and better access to early warning systems in the aftermath of heatwaves experienced across the country earlier this year. Shaik Salauddin, State President, TGPWU, said that while heat waves do pose a health hazard for workers, intense spells of rain too have a similar effect on them.

“There is a need for more real-time information about road conditions, water-logging and which areas to avoid. Recently, a video clip went viral which showed a delivery worker in Ahmedabad working in knee-deep water, which is not good. The life and safety of workers is important. If done right, the algorithms can quickly give the right information to workers. The companies do not provide insurance. This is the right time for the government to step-in and table the long-awaited bill for gig and platform workers,” Mr Salauddin said.

A Hyderabad woman recently claimed that a Swiggy Genie delivery partner stole her laptop and then demanded Rs 15,000 to return it. Nishitha Gudipudi, a civil engineer, took to LinkedIn to share the details about the shocking incident. She said that her husband booked Swiggy Genie a few days ago to pick up his backpack from one office to drop at another city’s Madhapur area. The delivery partner picked up the backpack with the laptop inside, however, in between the ride he switched off his phone, the woman said. 

“He basically stole the laptop and intitially we thought okay partially error at our end too to use genie to deliver the laptop but how things took a turn after is what really surprised and scared us,” Ms Gudipudi said. 

The LinkedIn user said that when her husband reached out to customer care, they were unable to identify the delivery agent who was on their booking and ended up sending two pictures asking which one came to pick up the parcel. Ms Gudipudi and her husband suspected that Swiggy’s system allows a person to register using his Aadhar or PAN and then permits anyone to use their credentials. 

The “most of all the scariest part,” according to Ms Gudipudi was when the couple contacted the Swiggy agent via WhatsApp and the delivery executive claimed that his friend used his login. “I’ll check and get back,’ the agent told the couple. However, immediately after the call they received a message from the same number demanding Rs 15,000 to have the laptop delivered through Rapido. 

Also Read | Pic Of Old Plane Boarding Passes Goes Viral, Internet Spots Shocking Detail

In her post, Ms Gudipudi shared screenshots of the WhatsApp conversation between her husband and the person who demanded the money. She also shared pictures of the man registered with Swiggy, the other man who Swiggy accepted to log in through facial recognition. 

Swiggy has not reacted to the incident yet.

Meanwhile, in the comments section, one user wrote, “I regret the situation; however, the Swiggy team should take action and resolve it. Otherwise, the public’s trust, human ethics, and customer satisfaction have all decreased”. 

“That’s horrible and absolutely unacceptable, Nishitha. ‘Middlemen’ companies like Zomato, Swiggy, Ola, Uber etc need to understand that focusing on security is extremely important for them,” commented another. 

“In the hunger for growth, all these ride-hailing and food-delivery companies stopped enforcing KYC norms. I was amazed when a few months ago, one if their hub managers openly threatened me on LinkedIn for posting against the nuisance created by their riders, and the social media team,” wrote a third user. 

New Delhi:

Popular actor Nagarjuna’s N-Convention centre is being demolished by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA), owing to allegations of encroaching the Full Tank Level (FTL) area and buffer zone of the Thammidikunta Lake.

The FTL refers to the spread of any water body upon which construction is restricted. A buffer zone also remains established with the FTL area to prevent encroachments upon water bodies.

Earlier this year, the zonal commissioners of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) were tasked with forming lake protection committees to prevent encroachments upon water bodies in and around the city. Recently, the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) has also revealed that the extent of lakes in Hyderabad was reduced by 61 per cent between 1979 and 2024.

Nagarjuna’s Convention Centre allegedly stood on 1.12 acre of the FTL area and an additional 2 acre within the buffer zone. According to official sources, the FTL area of Thammidikunta Lake is approximately 29.24 acre.

The property was under scrutiny for several years. However, the GHMC had not taken any action against it. The management of the convention centre allegedly used influence to bypass regulatory actions from concerned authorities.

An official complaint against the convention centre was filed to HYDRA on Wednesday by Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Telangana’s Minister of Roads and Buildings. He also enclosed with his complaint the FTL map pointing out the encroachment along with a Google Earth map.

The actor took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) following the demolition drive. “The land is a Patta land, and not even an inch of tank plan is encroached. As a law-abiding citizen, if the Court before which the matter is pending, had decided against me, I would have carried out the demolition myself.” he wrote.

Pained by the unlawful manner of demolition carried out in respect of N Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and Court cases.
I thought it fit to issue this statement to place on record certain facts for protecting my reputation and to indicate that we have not done any…

— Nagarjuna Akkineni (@iamnagarjuna) August 24, 2024

He also claimed that no notice was issued to him prior to the demolition this morning.

The Congress government recently constituted HYDRA for Telangana Core Urban Region (TCUR) for disaster management, asset protection and other functions. They are responsible for managing and protecting government assets such as parks, layout open spaces, playgrounds, and lakes.

HYDRA is headed by IPS officer AV Ranganath and it has been demolishing illegal structures in the state to reclaim encroached land of water bodies. Earlier this month, they demolished unauthorised constructions in the heritage lake Bum-Rukn-Ud-Dowla in Shastripuram, and near the Gandipet reservoir in Rangareddy district.

Hyderabad:

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark that Congress and BRS had given Hyderabad “on lease” to AIMIM, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday asserted that the people of Hyderabad are not cattle, adding that they are the citizens, not the property of political parties.

PM Modi on Wednesday trained guns at Congress and BRS and alleged that for all these years, Congress and BRS have given Hyderabad to AIMIM on “lease.”

“Modi came to Telangana and said that the Hyderabad seat had been given on lease to Owaisi. The people of Hyderabad are not cattle. We are citizens, not the property of political parties. For forty years, Hyderabad has defeated the evil ideology of Hindutva and entrusted AIMIM. Inshallah, Hindutva will be defeated again,” Mr Owaisi posted on X.

He further turned the focus towards electoral funding. Mr Owaisi criticised PM Modi and said, “Modi is bonded to those who gave his party Rs 6,000 crore through electoral bonds. In return, he has leased/sold India’s assets to his sponsors.”

“Modi appeased them so much that today, 21 people have more wealth than 70 crore Indians in total. Those 21 are his real parivar,” he added.

Modi came to Telangana and said that the Hyderabad seat has been given on lease to Owaisi.

The people of Hyderabad are not cattle. We are citizens, not the property of political parties. For forty years, Hyderabad has defeated the evil ideology of Hindutva and entrusted AIMIM.… pic.twitter.com/F5YO1RxsXY

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) May 8, 2024

Earlier, speaking to ANI, the AIMIM chief claimed that PM Modi is frustrated, adding that AIMIM has been defeating the BJP for 40 years.

“We have been defeating BJP for 40 years…in 2014 and 2019, PM Modi came but AIMIM won here…I want to ask PM, where is the money for PM care funds, in which bank is the electoral bond money?…unemployment and inflation are increasing…this year PM Modi wants to change the constitution so that he can end the reservation. He says that we are infiltrators and our daughters give birth to so many children, this is wrong. Will a Muslim take out the ‘Mangalsutra’ from a Hindu woman? Prime Minister is frustrated,” he added.

On Wednesday, addressing a rally in Telangana’s Karimnagar, PM Modi trained guns at Congress and BRS and alleged that for all these years, Congress and BRS have given Hyderabad to AIMIM on “lease.”

“For all these years, both these parties (Congress and BRS) have given Hyderabad to AIMIM on lease. If someone has challenged the AIMIM for the first time, it’s BJP. More than AIMIM, it’s Congress and BRS who are rattled by the challenge from the BJP. Both are helping AIMIM to win in Hyderabad,” he added

Madhavi Latha is set to face Asaduddin Owaisi, who is a four-time Lok Sabha MP from the Hyderabad constituency. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time that the BJP has fielded a female candidate from the Hyderabad constituency.

Asaduddin Owaisi, who has served four terms in the Lok Sabha as the elected representative from Hyderabad since 2004, was previously elected as an MLA twice in the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Before Mr Owaisi, who won the seat for the first time in 2004, Hyderabad was represented in the Lok Sabha by his father, Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, from 1984. Apart from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, all assembly seats in Hyderabad, except Goshamahal, are held by the AIMIM.

The Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency comprises seven assembly segments–Bahadurpura, Chandrayangutta, Charminar, Goshamahal, Karwan, Malakpet and Yakatpura. All assembly seats, except Goshamahal, are presently held by the AIMIM.

Voting for all 17 seats in Telangana will take place on May 13 in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. In the 2019 general election, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) won nine seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party four, Congress three and AIMIM one seat.

The BJP had won four seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections out of the 17 at stake in Telangana, namely Secunderabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, and Adilabad.

Lok Sabha polls are being held across seven phases till June 1 and votes will be counted on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, addressing lawyers at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Sunday, remarked that greater collaboration between judges and lawyers is a prerequisite for strengthening the legal system and making it resilient for future challenges.

While addressing a gathering of over 600 advocates, the Chief Justice of India emphasised the importance of enhancing collaboration between judges and lawyers to find solutions for the betterment of the legal system and the administration of justice.

The CJI was addressing an event organised to mark the 75th Marathwada Liberation Day, also known as Marathwada Mukti Sangram Din.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Chandrachud shared the importance of the Marathwada liberation movement in Marathi.

The CJI unfurled the national flag at the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court, in accordance with the annual tradition to commemorate a day of historic significance to Marathwada, Maharashtra and the nation.

Speaking to the lawyers, the CJI cautioned against lawyers resorting to strikes and boycotting courts. He emphasised that issues could always be amicably resolved by discussion and co-operation between the Bar and the Bench.

Emphasising the need to ensure that women are given a significant voice in the legal system, as legal professionals, the CJI said it is a constitutional duty of every member of the legal profession to provide substantive institutional support and encouragement to women lawyers.

He also encouraged all lawyers to provide proper guidance and support to the young members of the legal profession.

Though India obtained freedom from British rule on 15 August 1947, a few princely states including Hyderabad (which was under the Nizam) refused to merge with the Union of India.

There was popular unrest against the Nizam and a movement for liberating Marathwada gained roots. The populace was subjected to unrelenting atrocities. Innumerable people sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Marathwada. Amid the unrest, the government of India launched a military operation named Operation Polo.

On 17 September 1948, the Nizam eventually surrendered and agreed to the merger. There were several internal freedom movements such as the Marathwada Mukti Sangram which ensured that India became a union of states.

Hyderabad:

A couple travelling on a two-wheeler was stopped by three minors who allegedly abused the youngster driving the bike presumably for taking a girl belonging to another community on his bike, police said on Tuesday.

The video of the purported ‘moral policing’ of the incident, which took place on August 26, went viral on social media.

The trio, who are minors were subsequently arrested after a case was booked on Monday, a police official said adding the couple in the video was not identified.

The trio, police said, stopped the couple while they were going on a two-wheeler and after getting to know that the youngster driving the bike belonged to another community they started abusing him by questioning on “why was he taking the girl belonging to another community with him?” In the video, one among the trio is heard questioning the biker what is her (pillion rider) name and where he was taking her even as the bike rider asks him “what was his problem?” He then starts abusing the biker. After being told by the biker that “she is my friend”, the trio ask her to get down from the bike.

However, the trio later left the place, though, one among the trio filmed the incident and afterwards posted it on social media, police said.

Based on the video, the police booked a case on its own at Jubilee Hills Police Station against the trio and apprehended them and as they are minors their parents were also served with notices, the official said.

Further investigation was on.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In Telangana, there is a stark difference in socio-economic indicators between the districts around Hyderabad, the capital, and those far away from it. This is the fourth story in a series of Data Points exploring the inter-district differences in the southern States. The district-wise variations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka were discussed earlier.

Given that the State of Telangana was formed barely a decade ago and the frequency of data across many indicators is poor, it is tough to provide time-series comparisons to show how the State has grown. But in general, Telangana was neither at the top nor at the bottom of the health, education and environment-related parameters analysed across States.

An analysis of district-wise data shows that development is limited to certain pockets of Telangana. 

Chart 1 | The chart shows the per capita income at current prices for 2020-21. 

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The top seven districts on this indicator (other than Hyderabad) were Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Medak, Mahabubnagar, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, and Siddipet. Notably, all these districts are located next to Hyderabad or just one district away from it. However, peripheral districts such as Wanaparthy, Jogulamba Gadwal, Narayanpet, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, and those that are far from the capital but not in the periphery, such as Mahabubabad, Jagtial, and Hanumakonda, featured at the bottom of the per capita income list. Vikarabad is an exception. It is relatively close to Hyderabad but has the lowest per capita income in Telangana.

Chart 2 | The chart shows the share of women aged 20-24 years who married as teenagers. 

While more than 35% of women married as teenagers in the peripheral districts of Khammam and Jogulamba Gadwal, about 10% of such women were in Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri.

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Chart 3 | The chart shows the share of children under five years who were underweight in 2019-21. 

Over 50% of children, the highest in the State, were underweight in Adilabad, the northernmost district. In contrast, Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri had 25% or less of underweight children.

Chart 4 | The chart shows the share of households with improved sanitation in 2019-21. 

Less than 65% of households had access to improved sanitation in the three peripheral districts in the north — Adilabad, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, and Nirmal, which featured at the bottom of the list. In contrast, Hyderabad and two nearby districts — Siddipet and Medchal-Malkajgiri — were among the top five districts where more than 84% of the households had access.

Chart 5 | The chart shows the number of government hospital beds available per lakh population in a district as of 2020-21. 

Nirmal, Narayanpet, and Kumuram Bheem Asifabad featured among the bottom five, while Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Mahabubnagar featured among the top five.

Chart 6 | The chart shows the number of people employed in factories per one lakh population as of 2018-19. 

Contract workers were not included. Among the top seven districts, except Nizamabad which leads other districts by a wide margin on this indicator, the rest were located around the capital district.

Chart 7 | The chart shows the number of employees working at MSMEs per one lakh population as of 2020-21. 

Among the top seven districts, except Karimnagar which leads other districts by a wide margin, and Suryapet, the rest were located around the capital district.

Chart 8 | The chart shows the Gross Enrolment Ratio at the high school level (2021-22). The top three districts were Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, and Hyderabad.

vignesh.r@thehindu.co.in and rebecca.varghese@thehindu.co.in

Lathika V. is interning with The Hindu Data Team

Source: National Family Health Survey, Telengana State Statistical Abstract, and Telengana Socio-Economic Outlook 2023

Also read |Growth model of Telangana is an idea whose time has come: KTR

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