NAGAPATTINAM l sunday l march 09, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l CITY EDITION Women trailblazers take over Prime minister’s social media a/c Women leaders from chess, science, rural entrepreneurship, empowerment and inclusive development posted their winning strategies titans from diverse fields join hands all-women security cover at pm event While Anjlee Agarwal, an advocate for universal accessibility, called for a stronger push towards a more inclusive India under the ‘Sugamya Bharat’ initiative, scientists Elina Mishra and Shilpi Soni highlighted the importance of women’s participation in science, urging more women to pursue careers in nuclear and space technology ■ ■ A security cover comprising only women police personnel was deployed at a mega event addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat’s Navsari on Women’s Day on March 8 The bandobast included 2,100 constables, 187 SIs, 61 inspectors, 16 DSPs, five SPs, one IGP and one Additional DGP rank officer 2,372 women police personnel deployed for modi’s security on march 8 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 unbeaten india’s one final push for desert glory G o m e s h S @ Chennai In sports, more often than not, history is written by winners. No matter what a team does or how far a team progresses in a tournament, holding aloft the trophy defines it. No other team knows this better than India. In the last three ICC white ball tour naments, India have reached the final three times, lost one and won one. How the third final against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy would end will be known on Sunday night. The win will also lay to rest the controversies surrounding the scheduling. One thing, however, is clear that the brand of cricket India are playing is something unique. One that head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke about from the moment he took over: winning brand of cricket, a philosophy they would want to follow. India, however, have not been able to live up to it, especially in the longest format. Home series loss after 12 years, Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss after ten years have added pressure on Gamb- hir as well as captain Rohit Sharma. A victory in Dubai is ever more important. The opponents on Sunday are New Zealand, the team India had beaten in the Group stages. The Black Caps have troubled India before and going by the records India should not slumber into complacency . Yet, for India the four-spinner theory has worked on the deviously slow wicket of Dubai International Stadium. Varun Chakravarthy is the mystery man, the guiley Ravindra Jadeja, crafty Kuldeep Yadav and ‘all-rounder’ Axar Patel will play their part again. When both teams set foot on the ground, a lot will be at stake. But for Rohit, a victory could propel him to a new height.  P11 ED seeks full details of Tasmac liquor biz S G URUVANMIKANATHAN @ Chennai A vehicle in flames after protesters clashed with security personnel in Kangpokpi district on Saturday | PTI Manipur erupts amid bid to restore free movement in state P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati Rahul warns of weeding out black sheep D i l i p S i n g h k s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad Taking Congress cadre to task in a state where the party has been out of power for decades, party leader Rahul Gandhi cautioned a gathering of 2,000 workers here on Saturday that up to 40 leaders could be weeded out, if needed, to rebuild credibility in the state. Accusing some members of aiding the BJP in the state, he said, “For nearly 30 years, we have been out of power here. But the issue isn’t just elections — it’s trust. Until we fulfill our responsibility, the people of Gujarat won’t back us, and we shouldn’t ask for their vote until we fulfill our duty…,” he said in his 25minute speech at Jade Hall. Pointing at internal challenges faced by the party, he said, “People of Gujarat want an opposition, not BJP’s B-team …If 10, 20, or even 40 people need to go, so be it. Those who don’t carry Congress in their hearts have no place in our organisation.” On Gujarat’s economic issues, he urged the leaders to move beyond speeches and slogans. Clashes broke out in Manipur’s Kuki-majority Kangpokpi district on Saturday as the Centre tried to restore free movement for people on all roads in the ethnic violence-hit state. Over a dozen protesters were injured, one of whom reportedly succumbed to injuries. The protesters attacked a state-run bus and torched at least one private vehicle. At a high-level Manipur security review meeting held in New Delhi on March 1, Union home minister Amit Shah had issued directions to restore free movement and take action against anyone attempting to create obstructions. Acting on that directive, the Manipur State Transpor t (MST) operated two buses, one on the Imphal-Kangpokpi-Senapati route and another on the Imphal-Bishnupur-Churachandpur route, with security cover by personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces. Similarly the Federations of , Civil Society (FOCS), a conglomerate of 20 Imphal Valleybased organisations, took out a peace expedition from Imphal to go to Senapati which is a Naga-majority district. The participants, who were travelling in some vehicles, were stopped at Sekmai in the Imphal West district by security forces and they returned to Imphal. Meanwhile, crowds were building in different parts of Kangpokpi district to thwart the march by FOCS and the movement of the MST bus. They erected barricades on a highway by putting boulders and burning tyres. When the MST bus entered Kangpokpi district, the protesters attempted to prevent its movement by pelting stones. This led to a confrontation and the security personnel used force to restore normalcy leading to clashes. The other MST bus travelled up to Kangvai, a small town in Kuki-majority Churachandpur district bordering Meitei-majority Bishnupur district, and returned. indefinite shutdown The Kuki-Zo Council condemned the decision to “impose” free movement despite being “fully aware” of potential violence, and announced an indefinite shutdown across all KukiZo areas from Saturday midnight 16 protesters were reportedly injured and one protester succumbed to injury. Two vehicles of the security forces were also burnt by the protesters Manipur Police express read AIADMK not hankering for allies: EPS WITH THIS ISSUE the naked truth Maha Kumbh: The Secret Life of Naga Sadhus PLUS 12 PAGES Chennai: After BJP chief K Annamalai said parties that had previously blamed BJP for electoral defeats are now seeking alliance, AIADMK chief EPS said Annamalai did not mention AIADMK, and party has never been dependent on allies since inception | P4 No Mekedatu sans TN’s nod: Minister Vellore: A day after CM Siddaramaiah said Karnataka is waiting for centre’s nod to start Mekedatu project, TN minister Duraimurugan said Karnataka can’t proceed with dam project without TN’s consent goes against the grain Plan to promote ragi via PDS fails to ‘rice’ B A n b u s e lv a n @ Chennai The pilot scheme launched by Tamil Nadu to distribute 2 kg of ragi (finger millet) instead of rice to eligible and interested ration cardholders through Public Distribution System (PDS) in Dharmapuri and the Nilgiris districts in May 2023 to promote millet consumption is yet to gain momentum, primarily due to challenges in procuring ragi from farmers. This is despite Tamil Nadu being the second largest producer of ragi, only next to Karnataka. The state’s annual produc- tion ranges between 2.27 lakh and 2.55 lakh metric tonnes (MTs), with Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Erode, Tiruvannamalai, and Salem being the top ragi-producing districts. Moreover, the minimum support price (MSP) of `42.9 per kg offered by the government at its Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) is higher than what the farmers usually get in the open market. A section of ragi farmers TNIE spoke to acknowledged that private buyers offer between `3,900 and `4,000 per 100 kg, which is less than the `4,290 they can get in DPCs. Officials and farmers say merchants’ immediate cash payment in the open market and farmers’ culture of taking loans in advance from these merchants to manage their cultivation costs are the key factors that push them to sell in open markets.  P5 pushed to sell to traders Though TN is the secondlargest producer, the state finds it difficult to procure enough ragi for PDS shops as farmers opt to sell produce to private traders instead of DPCs considering quick payments In a probe that seems to permeate the entire gamut of liquor trade in Tamil Nadu, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked Tasmac officials to provide financial records of all the 4,829 Tasmac retail outlets and details about bar licences and breweries and distilleries, etc, following its recent search at the Tasmac headquarters and regional offices. To comply with the direction, Tasmac district managers across Tamil Nadu have gathered data, and details collated so far have been submitted to the agency through the managing director’s office, officials said. A senior Tasmac official told TNIE that last year, bar licences were issued through a tender process across the state. The ED inquired about the selection process, bar owners’ details, political connections, MRP violations, bar procedures, liquor procurement, and information on breweries, distilleries, and FL2 (Recreation Clubs) and FL3 (Star hotels) licencees, including their addresses.  P5 Dealing with US push in agri market j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi AS India and the US begin trade talks, New Delhi has conveyed that it has been reducing applied tariffs in agreements with developed countries, while emphasising a “mutually beneficial” approach and “sensitive handling of sectors l i ke a g r i c u l t u re ” , a ke y focus of the Trump administration in seeking greater market access. A team of Indian officials, led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Washington from March 3 to 6 and engaged the US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US T rade Re presentative Jamieson Greer and their teams. President Donald Trump said India has agreed to cut its tariffs “way down now” because somebody is finally “exposing” them, evoking sharp reactions from opposition parties in the country . Reducing “average applied tariff significantly” has been a key aspect of India’s recently concluded mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreements with a slew of developed countries such as Australia, the Key objectives for India at U.S. talks Increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, deepening supply chain integration, ensuring India does not turn dumping ground for products, and increasing investments are key objectives UAE, Switzerland, Norway and the ongoing talks with the European Union and United Kingdom. But the “tone and substance of the talks” and “understanding each others’ concerns to get to an agreement” is the new focus. “The teams will now get into sector wise, issue-wise specifics,” said a source. Asked about various statements coming out of Washington on tariffs and trade negotiations, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a press briefing: “We have in recent times entered into bilateral trade agreements based on tariff liberalisation with several partners.... The ongoing discussions should be seen in that context.” Trump’s tarif f against India rolls out April 2.