Paralympic champs return to hero's welcome
New Delhi (PTI): Swarmed by hundreds of supporters, garlanded and fed sweets, India's Paralympic medal-winners returned to a jubilant welcome on Tuesday after securing an unprecedented haul of 29 medals at the just-concluded Games in Paris.
There was the customary dhol and euphoric chants hailing them as the athletes made their way out of the Indira Gandhi International Airport this morning. Supporters, sports administrators and families of the athletes lined up to show their appreciation for the contingent.
"Thank you so much for this grand welcome," javelin thrower Sumit Antil told PTI.
He clinched a second successive gold in the F64 category by breaking his own Games record with a throw of 70.59m.
The reigning world champion became the second Indian after shooter Avani Lekhara to defend the Paralympics title.
Avani had won gold in women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event in Paris after winning a yellow metal in the same event in the Tokyo Games. She returned to the country last week after completing her events.
Antil lost his left leg below the knee after he was involved in a motorbike accident in 2015. He was an able-bodied wrestler before his accident which led to the amputation of his leg below the knee.
"When you prepare well, you automatically feel confident. I will try to breach the 75m mark soon. I have not had tea for a few days, I would like to have tea with my family," Antil said.
Archer Harvinder Singh, who is also pursuing a Ph.D in economics from Punjab University, was overwhelmed by the appreciation. He has impaired legs owing to the side effects of a dengue treatment he received as a toddler.
He became the first Indian archer to win gold in Paralympics after becoming the country's first medallist in the sport three years ago in Tokyo with a bronze.
"I like to keep myself busy. It helps my focus, the mind wanders less. Any person who is distressed or defeated can take inspiration from para-athletes," he said even as supporters showered flower petals on him and fellow archer Sheetal Devi.
Sheetal, who was born without arms, won the mixed team bronze with Rakesh Kumar after missing an individual medal by a whisker.
"I have had a great experience. I am very happy that India won two medals in archery. We have got good support and that's why we have won so many medals," she said referring to India's record overall haul because of which the country ended 18th in the medal standings.
Another Javelin thrower Navdeep, who competes in the F41 classification owing to his short stature, was lifted by his supporters as he celebrated with them. Navdeep won the gold medal with a personal best of 47.32m.
India had sent a contingent of 84 athletes, the country's largest ever for the Games. Of the total 29 medals, seven are gold, which is also a first for the country.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
