BHUBANESWAR  SATURDAY  MARCH 01, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION INDIA’S ECONOMY REBOUNDS TO 6.2% IN DECEMBER QUARTER GROWTH PEGGED AT 6.5% FOR FISCAL 2024-25 Positive growth in the current fiscal and less than 7% growth expected in the next will keep India as the fastest-expanding major economy URBAN DEMAND STILL NEEDS TO MAKE UP The 6.2% growth in gross domestic product (GDP) was higher than a revised reading of 5.6% expansion in the July-September 2024 period, according to data released by the Statistics Ministry on Friday. It was, however, lower than the RBI’s estimate of 6.8% for the period. For the full 2024-25 fiscal, the government pegs GDP growth at 6.5% ■ ■ The recovery in October-December quarter was primarily driven by a revival in government expenditure due to buoyant construction sector, strong rural demand and bullish service exports | P14 However, the recovery remains uneven across sectors, with urban demand still showing signs of weakness despite festive season fillip 4.6% BY WHICH OUTPUT OF 8 KEY INFRA SECTORS ROSE IN JANUARY 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 MEMORIAM Uttam Mohanty : The Oar of Odia Cultural Life S A N J O Y PAT N A I K C elebrities are a source of life. They are a bunch of emotional rescuers with magical impact on people’s lives. They have the ability to ensure happiness amidst a pall of gloom. Uttam Mohanty was no different. He was a source of happiness not only inside the theatres but had the great fan following even in the remotest parts of the state since his arrival on the celluloid canvas. He grew as a representative of the post-Emergency Indian youth who seldom hesitated to take on a fight for the right cause. His well-built body and modern attire was a perfect transition from the dhoti-clad and soft spoken Sarat Pujari or the Akshay Mohanty (Kashyap) of the 60s. The good-bad boy characters that Uttam played perfectly matched the changing notions of Odia identity of the 70s. He sourced his romantic strength and social reforms agenda from the essentially righteous characters that carried traits of ‘bad’ or ‘negative’ on standards defined by a traditional Odia society then. Till Uttam arrived in the cinematic space by the mid-70s, being ‘direct’ was considered ‘disrespectful’ by the conservative Odia society The elders . had a right to be wrong and it was morally improper for the younger ones to challenge. If they did, they were silenced by a very popular line, ‘muhan re jabab dauchu?’ This was a line that the old patriarch in Odia cinema always used to silence familial disagreements. Uttam introduced a culture of respectful deviance. The characters that Uttam portrayed weaved an element of straightforwardness and fearlessness while remaining ethically correct - a trait that his lady-loves greatly approved of and prioritised over timidity Deviance . carried a moral and ethical justification. As evident from mythical scriptures like Mahabharata, for a greater good, smaller vices are acceptable. Uttam stood at a threshold where the notions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, especially within the youth, was fast changing. The bad was not necessarily bad as it had an ethically correct goal to achieve. This world view is reflected in a famous song in one of his blockbuster hits, ‘E duniya (world) ta danga (boat) hele kaata (oar) mora thenga (stick)’. A stick can be an oar that helps cross a river, and also a tool to set things right. During the 80s, such was his flamboyance and star value that Uttam’s absence in a film meant disaster. As the biggest money-spinner, a multi-starrer could not be conceived without Uttam where he always had the lion’s share. Because his romance was real and punches were harder than the rest. Uttam invested in his looks and physical fitness to take a distinct departure from the effeminate images that heroes had in the 60s. Some say Uttam was standing in the right place at the right time amidst right people. But Uttam was also born in a lesser known celluloid city like Baripada and emerged as a hero at a time when opportunities were less and skewed. He had no godfather in the industry and had no links in Cuttack, the filmmaking hub of Odisha then. He only had his skills to fall back upon. His rise to stardom was exemplary and pathbreaking. He certainly had his share of luck but his hard work and commitment to his profession was nonpareil, something that the succeeding generations need to learn and profess. Uttam is no more, but will remain ‘uttam’ in all senses. (The author is a writer and filmmaker) EXPRESS READ IMD forecasts more heatwave days New Delhi: After a warmer winter, prepare for a round of hotter summer days. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts above-normal heat wave conditions and temperatures in most of the country this summer. It forecasts a number of likely above-normal heat wave days from March to May 2025 over most of the country except Northeast India, extreme north India, and southwestern and southern parts of Peninsular India | P11 Rescuers carry workers to safety on Friday. Search for the remaining 25 workers will continue on Saturday | PTI AVALANCHE BURIES CAMP IN U’KHAND, 32 RESCUED 25 workers hired by contractor to widen highway remain trapped Brigade, especially trained in high altitude rescue operations, were immediately mobilised. The teams included AN avalanche that rolled down early on doctors and ambulances. Friday buried a Border Roads OrganiAccording to Disaster Management zation (BRO)camp in the high-altitude and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod village of Mana in Uttarakhand’s Kumar Suman, the situation is critical Chamoli district. Thirty-two of the 57 with the containers buried under six workers trapped under the avalanche to seven feet of snow. The bad weather have been rescued, with concern over continues. the safety of the other 25 mounting as Teams of National Disaster Response inclement weather forced a pause in Force (NDRF) and SDRF left for the rescue operations. spot, about 300 km from DehraMultiple teams comprising dun, amid continuing snowfall CHAMOLI the Army disaster response and rain. Home Minister forces battled through tough Amit Shah said rescuing ter rain and heavy snow the trapped people is the through the day to reach the government’s top priority. UTTARAKHAND men. They initially pulled out In a post on X, he said he 10 workers and then the othspoke to Chief Minister ers, sources said. Four of those Pushkar Singh Dhami and the rescued are in a critical condition, chiefs of the ITBP and the the Army PRO said. All 32 have been NDRF. taken to the ITBP camp in Mana for The trapped workers were employed treatment, the sources said. by a company involved in highway widMana, three kilometres from Badri- ening along a 50 km stretch from Mana nath, is the last village on the India- to Mana Pass. The BRO is overseeing Tibet border at an altitude of 3,200 me- this project through a contractor. Distres. The avalanche hit around 7.15 am, trict Magistrate Dr Sandeep Tiwariburying the workers inside eight con- said officials have been directed to retainers and one shed, the Army said. store traffic on blocked roads and Swift response teams, comprising repair damaged power lines. (With agency inputs) more than 100 people from the Ibex N A R E N D RA S E T H I & M AYA N K S I N G H @ Dehradun/New Delhi All efforts are being taken to rescue the trapped personnel by utilising all available resources Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister ARMY, ITBP JOIN RESCUE EFFORTS The Indian Army and IndoTibetan Border Police (ITBP) are involved in the rescue efforts; however, the highway beyond Hanuman Chatti remains closed due to weather conditions. O VA L O F F I C E D R A M A Deal fails as Trump, Zelenskyy shout it out AGENCIES THE White House on Friday witnessed unprecedented drama as visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump exchanged angry words in public, turning their discussion to end the war with into a shouting match. The last 10 minutes of the 45-minute engagement devolved into a tense back-and-forth between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President J D Vance. Zelenskyy was in Washington to sign a revenue-sharing minerals agreement with the US. He left White House without signing the deal that Trump had demanded in return for US help to end the war and support Ukraine. A joint press conference that was planned after the meeting was also cancelled. During the talks, Trump shouted at Zelenskyy and berated him for “gambling with millions of lives” and accused him of trying to trigger World War III. The talks appeared to have gone sideways after the Ukrainian leader expressed skepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s record of broken commitments. This evoked a sharp reaction from Vance, who said: “Mr President, with respect. It’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.” Zelenskyy tried to object. At this stage, Trump intervened. “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now,” Trump said pointing his finger toward Zelenskyy. “With us you start having cards,” he said, adding: “You’re either going to make a deal, or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out. It’s not going to be pretty,” Soon, Trump and Zelenskyy were talking over each other. When Trump insisted Zelenskyy was losing the Ukraine war and that Ukrainian cities have been reduced to rubble by three years of war, the latter pushed back. Every dist in India will have day Cong issues gag order on Kerala leaders care cancer centre in 3 yrs: Nadda P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bhubaneswar UNION Health minister JP Nadda on Friday said every district in the country will have day care cancer centre within the next three years. Inaugurating the 9th national summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in India’s Public Healthcare System at Puri, the Health minister said 200 districts will be covered under the scheme this year. Stating that India has made significant strides in healthcare since 2014, he said the National Health Policy 2017 has brought about a paradigm shift in approach from curative healthcare to one that encompasses curative as well as preventive, promotive and comprehensive aspects. The government has given impetus to tertiary healthcare in addition to improving primary and secondary healthcare. Nadda said the central government’s focus is on ensuring quality and affordable healthcare services for the people. Work done on Ayushman Arogya Mandir under NHM has strengthened the foundation of primary healthcare in the country . He said the decline of maternal mortality rate (MMR) in India is double that of the global decline which highlights the efforts taken in strengthening healthcare system from the grassrootlevel. The infant mortality rate (IMR) and under-5 mortality rate have also recorded a noteworthy downfall. He expressed special appreciation for Odisha on its success in reducing IMR and MMR. The Union minister also highlighted that the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2024 acknowledged India’s significant reduction of CONTINUED ON P5 malaria cases. AMID the row over Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s TNIE column hailing the achievements of the CPM-led government in Kerala, the Congress leadership on Friday said those who don’t toe the party line would face action. Speaking at the meeting of the Congress brass with Kerala leaders, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi cautioned the leaders “not to go against party line and disrespect the people of Kerala”. With Tharoor by her side, Congress’ Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi said all leaders have to work in coordination, discipline, and unity to win the upcoming local body and Assembly elections in the state. “We have got clear indication from the high command that people are looking for a change, so we should not do From left: Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, Shashi Tharoor and K Suresh | PTI anything that disrespects the people. If anyone says anything personally we will take ... strong action,” she said. According to sources, Rahul said he is emotionally connected to the state and the people. “People are yearning for a change and we should be careful about our strategies. We should not do anything wrong against the party line,” sources quoted him as saying. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said that no leaders have the right to make out-of- WIN-WIN DEAL Kangana Ranaut, Javed Akhtar bury defamation hatchet after five years S H R E YA S PA N D E @ Mumbai KANGANA Ranaut and Javed Akhtar have officially called a truce. The actor-turned-BJP MP and the veteran lyricistscreenwriter, have put an end to their compounding legal feud through mediation. After completing the formalities of the settlement, Kangana shared a photo on her social media where she was beaming in a grin standing alongside a smiling Akhtar. The actor, who earlier had some fiery exchanges with Akhtar, called him “kind” and “gracious” to have settled the matter. Their legal tussle began in 2020 when Kangana gave a TV interview after actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. In her shaky soft voice she made a big , claim about a meeting she had with Akhtar at his house. She said Akhtar pressured her to apologise to Hrithik Roshan over their much-publicised feud in 2016. Kangana even alleged that Akhtar warned her of dire consequences if she doesn’t act accordingly . Akhtar strongly rejected the claims. “Whatever Kangana said in the interview is a lie and nothing but a lie. I had told her about the agenda of the meeting on call. Didn’t call her to discuss t h e weather, political situation or America’s election in 2016,” Akhtar told the court. The man, known for writing some pow- er-packed Amitabh Bachchan dialogues wasn’t going to stay silent, was he? Neither was Kangana going to back down. She filed a counter-defamation case against Akhtar in 2021. Now, Kangana has clarified that what she said in the TV interview was due to a misunderstanding. Exiting the court after the hearing on Friday, Akhtar told the media, “The matters are finally settled. She has apologised for all the inconvenience caused to me. I will take back my case and she will take back her case.” Kangana added in her social media post that the veteran lyricist has agreed to write a song for her upcoming directorial. With the legalities settled, will we get to see a moment of “poetic justice” with their collaboration? Only time will tell. line statements in the media. At least three leaders, including M M Hassan, targeted Tharoor, saying his public comments damaged the party . When asked if the censure is directed at Tharoor, Dasmunshi said: “Why are you only pinpointing Tharoor? So many others made personal views. It has been told generally to everyone.” She also ruled out a leadership change in the state unit. It means K Sudhakaran will continue as the president. `9L CR LOSS FOR INVESTORS AS MARKETS CRASH Sensex and Nifty fell 2% on Friday, mirroring deep losses in global markets over trade war fears. The aggressive sell-off eroded investors’ wealth by `9 lakh crore | P14