BHUBANESWAR  TUESDAY  FEBRUARY 04, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 14  LATE CITY EDITION TRUMP TARIFFS : RUPEE PLUNGES 55 PAISE TO LOW OF 87.17 AGAINST $ Rupee suffered significant pressure from sustained foreign fund outflows and strong US dollar demand from oil importers SURGE IN U.S. DOLLAR INDEX WEAKENS RUPEE FIIS OFFLOADING EQUITIES LED TO FALL Forex traders said the plunge was due to a surge in the US dollar index after US President Donald Trump levied tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, triggering fears of a broad trade war. “We expect the rupee to trade with negative bias on strong US dollar and FII outflows amid weak domestic markets,” said Anuj Choudhary, Mirae Asset Sharekhan ■ ■ Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey on Monday said there is no concern over the rupee value, and the Reserve Bank of India is managing the volatility of the local currency | P12 Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth `1,327.09 crore in the capital markets on Saturday, contributing to the fall 319 POINTS DROP IN THE 30-SHARE BSE SENSEX ON MONDAY 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 In the works, PM-Trump talks in the US on Feb 13 INTERIM ORDER Centre, states can’t reduce forest cover: Apex court S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Both sides exploring possibility of scheduling it after Paris AI summit J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to Washington for a meeting with President Donald Trump after attending the AI summit in Paris on February 10 and 11. While there has been no official word from either the White House or the External Affairs Ministry both sides are looking at Feb, ruary 13 and 14 as the possible dates. The Indian side has been eager for an early engagement between the two leaders, hoping that their strong personal rapport would help establish a foundation for deeper collaboration, especially as the new US administration begins implementing measures such as raising tariffs and cracking down on illegal immigration. If these plans work out, the two leaders could hold discussions on February 13 to lay out the roadmap for their future cooperation. During his trip, Modi is also expected to hold meetings with business leaders. The prime minister will be attending the AI Action Summit in France on February 10-11 at the Grand Palais after which he will be travelling to Washington. According to a statement from the Élysée Palace, the AI summit will gather heads of state and government, international organisation leaders, business executives, academics, NGOs, artists, and civil society members. If the subsequent US trip is firmed up, Modi will arrive in Washington on February 12 depending on his final engagements in France. “The leaders (Modi and Trump) discussed plans for Prime Minister Modi to visit the White House, underscoring the strength of the friendship and strategic ties between our nations,” a White House read out said after a phone call between Modi and Trump on January 27. President Trump has said Modi was likely to visit the White House for a meeting in February. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, en route to Joint Base Andrews from Florida, Trump said on the day of is phone call with the Indian prime minister: “I had a long talk with him this morning. He is going to be coming to the White House, probably in February We have a very good . relationship with India.” Rahul raps slide in manufacturing P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi IN a departure from his usual combative mode, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi addressed the Lok Sabha on Monday touching upon all the key is, sues that currently dominate the Budget season — unemployment, border security, Election Commission, China and caste census — among others. He began his address on a conciliatory note, saying that both the Congress-led UPA governments and the BJP-led NDA failed to address the burning issue of unemployment. Though he hailed the prime minAttempt to ister for his flagship ‘Make in India’ hurt image initiative, he pointed out that NarenJaishankar dra Modi failed because manufacaccused Rahul turing went from 15.3% of GDP to of damaging 12.6% now, the lowest in 60 years. India’s image “The record of the country in orabroad. “Rahul ganising production is dismal,” he Gandhi’s lies said, adding that India has handed may have over production to the Chinese. political intent, Showing his mobile phone, Rahul but they harm said though it is assembled in India, the nation all the components including the internationnetwork are owned by China. he ally,” he said also alleged that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was sent to the US to secure an invite for the PM to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President. In his pushback, Jaishankar said, “Rahul Gandhi deliberately spoke a falsehood about my visit to the US... At no stage was an invitation for the PM discussed. It’s well-known that our PM doesn’t attend such events. India is generally represented by Special Envoys.” From right, Chandrika Tandon, Wouter Kellerman and Eru Matsumoto accept the Grammy for their album, Triveni | AP Indra Nooyi’s sis wins Grammy R U PA M J A I N @ Chennai CHANDRIKA Tandon, a Chennai-born Indian-American businesswoman and musician, claimed her first Grammy at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025. She is the elder sister of Indra Nooyi, former chairperson and chief executive officer of PepsiCo. Chandrika, 71, won the prestigious award in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category for her album Triveni. A captivating blend of Vedic chants and modern world music, Triveni is a collaboration with South African flautist Wouter Kellerman and Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto. The album’s title, inspired by the confluence of three sacred rivers in India, symbolises the fusion of diverse musical traditions, resulting in a meditative journey of inner healing. Chandrika’s win marks the culmination of a career that spans both business and music. Born into a Tamil Brahmin family, she studied at Madras Christian College before earning an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. She went on to become the first Indian-American woman elected partner at McKinsey ...A moment that reminds me that music is love, music ignites the light within all of us, and, even in our darkest days, music spreads joy and laughter - Chandrika Tandon & Company, later founding Tandon Capital Associates. Despite her business success, Chandrika’s passion for m u s i c n e ve r w ave r e d . Trained in Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, she earned her first Grammy nomination in 2011 for her album Soul Call. Triveni, released in 2024, includes seven tracks, each representing a step in a spiritual journey with pieces like , Pathway to Light and Seeking Shakti. In her acceptance speech, Chandrika expressed her gratitude, saying, “Music is love, music is light, and music is laughter.” Her win is a tribute to her commitment to both business and art, proving it’s never too late to pursue your passions. BEYONCE’S FIRST GRAMMY: P11 A two-judge bench led by justices B R Gavai and K Vinod Chandran, directed the Centre to submit a status report in three weeks. The SC stressed it will not allow any reduction in forest area without compensatory land being provided IN a stern warning, the Supreme Court on Monday restrained the Centre and state governments from reducing forest areas without providing compensatory land. The interim order came after a batch of petitions challenged amendments to the 2023 forest conservation law, which allegedly excludes nearly 1.99 lakh square kilometres of forest land from the definition of “forest”. A two-judge bench led by justices B R Gavai and K Vinod Chandran, directed the Centre to submit a status report in three weeks. The court stressed it will not allow any reduction in forest area without compensatory land being provided. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament in 2023. The pleas challenged the constitutionality of the amended law, seeking it to be struck down. The petitioners argued that the 1996 Godavarman judgement by the Supreme Court mandated protection of forests regardless of classification or ownership. They cited the ‘India State of Forest Report 2021’, which states that total forest and tree cover accounts for 24.62% of the country’s geographical area area. 196 FALL ILL DUE TO FOOD POISONING AT WEDDING Around 196 people fell ill due to food poisoning at a mass wedding ceremony in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district, officials said on Monday Odisha gets `10.6K cr in Rail budget, up `13 cr from last yr E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bhubaneswar ODISHA has received an allocation of `10,599 crore in the railway budget for 2025-26, marking an increase of `13 crore from the provision of `10,586 crore for the state last year. Announcing this at a media conference in New Delhi on Monday, Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this year’s allocation is a 12.5-fold increase from the average provision of `838 crore in the railway budget for Odisha during the 2009-2014 period. Describing the railway budget as historic for Odisha, Vaishnaw said, there will be record investment and growth in railway infrastructure in the state. Stating that the budget includes `2,379 crore for development of 59 stations across Odisha, including key hubs like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Sambalpur, and Rourkela, Vaishnaw said currently 48 new track projects are underway with a total of 4,784 km, which are being developed at an investment of `73,723 crore. The minister said Odisha has received more than `10,000 crore annually for railway development over the past three years, contributing to a total investment of `78,000 crore in the state in the last 10 years of NDA government. An additional `20,000 crore worth of projects have also been sancThe ongoing tioned, he added. projects Vaishnaw said the multiand future tracking project from Kolkata investments will to Chennai is progressing rapstrengthen Odisha’s idly and significant work has been completed between Kolk- position as a key player in India’s ata and Bhadrak. The thirdline work is already underway railway network and contribute and the fourth line will be procto the regional essed in the near future. economic He said that between 2014growth 2025, over 2,046 km of new Ashwini Vaishnaw, tracks have been constructed Railway minister in the state, surpassing Malaysia’s entire rail network in scale. Odisha has also achieved 100 per cent electrification with 1,516 km of track electrified, he said. The Railway minister said the Kavach safety system has been sanctioned for 1,898 km of rail lines in the state with ongoing work and tendering for 645 km. A total of 1,000 locomotives will be integrated with the system to enhance safety . Six Vande Bharat trains now run across Odisha, connecting 17 districts with 25 unique stoppages, he said. Budget’s agri focus to boost rural jobs, curb migration: Pradhan E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bhubaneswar UNION Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said Odisha will be the biggest beneficiary of the Union Budget-2025. Odisha being an agriculture-based economy, will immensely benefit from the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana aimed at covering 100 districts with low productivity, moderate crop intensity and below-average credit parameters. Many districts of Odisha will get special attention under the programme, he said. The minister said the comprehensive multisectoral rural prosperity and resilience programme will generate ample opportunities in rural areas which will address the problem of migration from Odisha. “Cotton Technology Mission will hugely benefit farmers in districts like Kalahandi, Balangir, Kandhamal, Koraput, Rayagada, Nuapada, Ganjam, Gajapati, Boudh, Sonepur and Bargarh. The credit limit for Kisan credit card holders has The comprebeen increased from `3 lakh to hensive multi`5 lakh. This will benefit 40 sectoral rural lakh Kisan credit card holders prosperity and in the state,” he added. resilience programme will Asserting that Odisha will generate ample get maximum benefit from the opportunities in comprehensive programme for rural areas and vegetables and fruits, Pradhan address the said it is a leading state in vegproblem of etable production and farmers migration will get a fair price for their from Odisha produce. Dharmendra The minister further said, Pradhan, Union Min airports at Jamadarpali in S a m b a l p u r, B i r s a l i n Dhenkanal, Rasgobindpur in Mayurbhanj, Rangeilunda in Ganjam and Raikala in Keonjhar are likely to be developed, increasing regional connectivity, under the modified UDAN scheme that will connect 120 new destinations. “The proposed national framework to promote Global Capability Centres in emerging Tier-II cities will enable Odisha to set up such centres in cities like Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Balasore and Berhampur. Various cities of the state can be developed with the Urban Challenge Fund of `1 lakh crore,” Pradhan said. CONTINUED ON P7 No political alliance with Congress: Draft CPM resolution PA R V E Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi IN its draft political resolution for the 24th party congress released on Monday the Commu, nist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) said its attitude to the Congress is determined by the need for broader unity among secular forces. However, it said it cannot have a political alliance with the Congress. The party acknowledged that the Congress, the main secular opposition party, has a role to play in a common struggle against the BJP and in the “broader unity to be forged among secular forces”. It pledged to continue to work with INDIA bloc on core issues as it seeks “mobilisation of all secular forces against Hindutva ideology . “CPM will cooperate with INDIA bloc in Parliament and on agreed issues outside Parliament. We will join hands with all secular forces on issues of authoritarian onslaughts against democracy use of dra, conian laws to suppress dissent and opposition to efforts to subvert the Constitution,” the resolution said. However, the draft vehemently called for strengthening the independent support base of the party. It emphasised that there should be more attention on independent political campaigns and mass mobilisations around the political platform of the party with special focus on ideological work and movement to counter the ideology and activities of the Hindutva forces. The draft was jointly released by CPM Polit Bureau members Tapan Sen, Ashok Dawle, Nilotpal Basu and its coordinator Prakash Karat in New Delhi. The resolution will be taken up in the party congress in Madurai from April 6 to 9. EXPRESS READ Court issues NBW against IAS officer over death of PA Privilege motion against Sonia for ‘demeaning’ Prez Murmu USAID gets new acting director — Marco Rubio Malkangiri: The court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) here has issued non-bailable warrant (NBW) against IAS officer Manish Agarwal in connection with the mysterious death of his personal assistant (PA) during his tenure as Malkangiri collector in 2019 | P4 New Delhi: A group of BJP MPs on Monday submitted a breach of parliamentary privilege notice against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, accusing her of using “derogatory and slanderous words” to describe President Droupadi Murmu during her address to a joint session of Parliament last week | P9 Washington: Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday announced USAID was not disappearing but would come under his control after Elon Musk said the humanitarian agency will be shutting down. I’m the acting director of USAID,” Rubio told reporters on a visit to El Salvador | P11