KOZHIKODE l wednesday l april 02, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Offensive and condemnable : Assam CM on Yunus’ comments yunus had urged chinese cooperation Muhammad Yunus’ comments on northeastern states kicks up a row, with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma calling it “strongly condemnable” ‘b’desh inviting china to encircle india’ Calling Bangladesh the “only guardian of the ocean” in the Northeastern region, Yunus had urged China to extend its economic influence to his country, mentioning that India’s seven sisters being landlocked is an opportunity. Yunus apparently made the comment during his recent fourday visit to China. A video of it surfaced on social media and led to furore ■ ■ Former Manipur CM N Biren Singh also joined in, accusing the neighbouring country of using the region as a strategic pawn Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the attitude of Bangladesh government is “very dangerous for the security of our North East region.” “Bangladesh is inviting China to encircle India.” | P8 20 km is the width of Siliguri Corridor, also called the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ 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 USTR lights into India ahead of tariff rollout CPM to strive to hold DIPAK M ONDAL @ New Delhi Ahead of the expected rollout of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) raised concerns over India’s trade policies. In its 2025 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, the USTR cited India’s high tariffs, restrictive digital trade rules, weak intellectual property enforcement, and unfair procurement practices as key obstacles for US businesses. The 397-page report devotes 15 pages to highlight the tariff and non-tariff barriers that skew trade in India’s favour. It says India’s average MFN (most-favoured-nation) applied tariff rate of 17% in 2023 was the highest among major economies, with agricultural products averaging 39%. The report accuses India of keeping high tariffs on a wide range of goods, including vegetable oils (45%); apples, corn, and motorcycles (50%); automobiles and flowers (60%); natural rubber (70%); coffee, rai- MSP, farm subsidy distort global prices The report highlights India’s agricultural subsidies, particularly the MSP system for rice and wheat crops, claiming that these distort global prices and put US farmers at a great disadvantage sins, and walnuts (100%); and alcoholic beverages (150%). In addition, India maintains high basic customs duties on drug formulations, including lifesaving drugs, it notes. USTR alleges India’s high tariff rates present a big barrier to trade in other agriculture and processed foods such as poultry, potatoes, citrus, almonds, pecans, apples, grapes, canned peaches, chocolate, cookies, frozen French fries, and other prepared foods used in fast-food restaurants. The report cites other nontariff barriers as well such as quality control measures, and local procurement conditions for manufacturing in India. The USTR has also flagged India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act for restricting cross-border data transfers and mandating data localisation. US president Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that the reciprocal tax would be imposed on all countries without any exception. SC’s conscience shocked over ’21 UP demolitions Orders the Prayagraj Development Authority to pay I10 lakh to each of the six petitioners whose houses were demolished. The appellants approached the top court after their plea to stop The Prayagraj Development the demolition was rejected by Authority in Uttar Pradesh was the Allahabad High Court. at the receiving end of the SuVarious other states have preme Court’s wrath on Tues- been flouted the court’s earlier day, as it slammed the “inhu- ruling barring illegal demolimane and illegal” demolition tion of houses without followof houses of six individuals in ing the rule of law. 2021, saying it had shocked its In the Prayagraj case, showconscience. cause notices were The court directfirst issued on Deed it to pay a comcember 18, 2020, pensation of `10 and pasted on the lakh each to the six six houses the individuals within same day On Janu. six weeks, after the ary 8, 2021, a demoappellants said lition notice was they did not have pasted on the same ‘Wrongly tied the means to rehouses but not sent to Atiq Ahmed’ build their homes. by registered post. “These cases “The first regisThe petitioners had shock our contered post commuclaimed that the science. Residential nication was sent state government premises of the apon March 1, 2021, had wrongly linked pellants have been received on March their properties to high handedly de6, 2021, and the gangster-politician molished. It is a demolition was Atiq Ahmed and very serious affair,” carried out the next demolished them the court said. day leaving the ap, Warning it for pellants with no opflouting the due process of law, portunity to appeal under Seca bench comprising justice Ab- tion 27(2) of the UP Urban hay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, Planning and Development Act, said, “The Prayagraj Develop- 1973,” the bench observed. ment Authority must remem“This affixing business must ber that the right to shelter is be stopped. They have lost their also an integral part of Article houses because of this,” Jus21 of the Constitution.” tice Oka said. He was referring The court’s whiplash came to the practice of pasting noafter hearing a joint plea by ad- tices rather than making efvocate Zulfiqar Haider, profes- forts to serve them in person or sor Ali Ahmed and others by registered post. S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi express read KSRTC to give courier service ‘pro’ touch Kochi: The KSRTC plans to take its ‘courier’ service to the next level by initiating measures to appoint a professional agency to run its popular logistics initiative, a development that is expected to give other courier firms a run for their money. Launched in mid-2023, the venture helped KSRTC rake in Rs 3.73 crore in revenue in little over a year, with average monthly revenue rising to Rs 50 lakh. P2 HC questions Dileep’s request for CBI probe Kochi: How can an accused in a case demand a CBI probe? A division bench of the Kerala High Court posed the question to actor Dileep, the eighth accused in the 2017 actor assault case, while hearing his plea challenging a single judge’s dismissal of his request for a CBI probe. P4 Deadly blast Debris of a firecracker warehouse after a blast in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Tuesday. At least 18 were killed, 5 injured | pti | P8 A n i l S @ Madurai Having lost hope of making an immediate comeback in its erstwhile strongholds of West Bengal and Tripura, the CPM will be focusing primarily on protecting its sole remaining turf in the country—Kerala. This gains significance, especially in view of the party assessment that the CPM has been losing its base to BJP-RSS, including in Kerala. As the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is set to begin its 24th Congress in Madurai on Wednesday the Kerala CPM , will have a major say in any decision taken. Ensuring a suitable political climate for a third term for the LDF government in the state is bound to be a major point of discussion. With the BJP-RSS eating into the Left’s political space on ground, the approach needs to be revised accordingly pointed , out a central committee member. A section in the party also demands that it’s time the CPM repositioned itself in West Bengal, especially in view of the Trinamool Congress encroaching on its vote base. Even Left Sparks to fly as LS debates Waqf bill today P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Oppn to demand division of votes during passage Setting the stage for a major showdown between the government and the Opposition, the Lok Sabha will take up the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill for discussion and passage on Wednesday with , an eight-hour-long debate allocated for its deliberation. While the gover nment is determined to push the bill through, the Opposition condemned it and called it “unconstitutional”. The government requires a simple majority of 272 votes, which should be smooth for the The opposition INDIA bloc on Tuesday unanimously decided to participate in the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and seek a division of votes during its passage. The decision was arrived at a meeting attended by all Opposition parties | P7 NDA with 293 MPs. Major BJP allies like the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (United), and Chirag Paswanled LJP (Ramvilas), who had initial reservations, have now extended support after the joint parliamentary committee adopted some of their suggestions. The BJP has 240 MPs, JD(U) 12, and TDP 16. Myanmar quake Death toll crosses 2,700 The head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, said 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing 2.08 minutes edited out ‘Empuraan’ undergoes 24 cuts, name of antagonist changed to Baldev E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Kochi Amid pressure from rightwing groups, the makers of Mohanlal-star rer L2: Empuraan have made 24 cuts to the three-hour film. Other edits include changing the antagonist’s name from Bajrangi to Baldev, removing the ‘NIA’ car nameplate, muting the audio where NIA is mentioned, altering Hindu religious structures, and removing a scene involving violence against a pregnant woman. The makers of ‘Empuraan’ have also removed a ‘thanks card’ to Union minister and actor Suresh Gopi. The release of the re-edited version will most likely happen on Wednesday sources said. , The removal of a total of 2.08 minutes from the film follows on to Kerala, its last remaining stronghold backlash from the Sangh parivar which claimed the film depicted the 2002 Gujarat riots without showing the Godhra train burning details that triggered the violence. The change from Bajrangi to Baldev follows complaints the name resembled that of Babu Bajrangi, a leader with the Gujarat unit of the Bajrang Dal, who was among those accused (later acquitted) in the Gujarat riots case. According to sources, the reedited and re-censored version of the film was expected to be released either on Tuesday evening or Wednesday though , there is still no certainty on the matter. Responding to the controversy surrounding the movie, Antony Perumbavoor of Aashirvad Cinemas dismissed rumours that Mohanlal was not fully aware of the movie’s plot. “Mohanlal watched the entire movie before its release and was fully aware of the story,” Antony told reporters in Kochi on Tuesday. He also rejected filmmaker Major Ravi’s statement that the Malayalam superstar was unaware of the ● More on P4 storyline. The BJP and several Opposition parties have issued whips for their MPs to be present in the House for the next three days. Despite the numbers favoring the BJP, the Opposition has vowed to fight the bill. After a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, Congress MP K C Venugopal said, “This bill is fundamentally against Constitutional provisions. We are going to oppose this bill.” CPI(M) MP John Brittas said they would fight tooth and nail and seek a division of votes while coordinating with parties like YSRCP and Biju Janata Dal. The Congress and other INDIA bloc members walked out of the Lok Sabha’s business advisory committee meeting, accusing the government of stifling their voice. Minorities and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Speaker Om Birla chaired the meeting and agreed on an eight-hour debate, extendable based on the House’s consensus. However, the Opposition had demanded 12 hours. State to introduce cool roof policy to beat the heat S h a i n u M o h a n @T’Puram Grappling with increasing heat stress, Kerala is all set to come up with a cool roof policy With this, Kerala . will be the second state in the country after Telangana to introduce the cool roof policy, which promotes indoor cooling strategies and empowers local self-government institutions (LSGIs) and other agencies in implementing effective heat mitigation solutions. Energy Management Centre (EMC) director R Harikumar told TNIE that the draft cool roof policy is nearing completion and will be submitted to the state government by June. He said the EMC, as part of promoting cool roofing solutions, launched a c o m p re h e n s ive campaign — ‘Kulirma’ — this year to promote the use of white, reflective rooftop paint with a high Solar Reflective Index (SRI) to reduce heat inside buildings. “We launched this campaign in all 140 assembly constituencies. Our goal is to transform 500 million square feet of roof area in the state into cool roofs. We piloted the project in anganwadis across five panchayats in Thiruvananthapuram, and studies showed that the reflective paint improves thermal comfort, prevents heat-related illnesses and enhances energy efficiency . It also helps mitigate the ‘urban heat island effect’ and lowers carbon footprints,” said Harikumar. Telangana had introduced the cool roof policy in 2023, which mandates cool roofs for government, commercial, and residential buildings (with plots of 600 sq yards or more) to address ‘urban heat island effect’ and reduce energy consumption. Harikumar said a policy with guidelines will help LSGIs and other gover nment agencies implement cool roofing. ● More on P4 Decisions crucial It’s the third time the conference is being held in Madurai. The CPM was in deep peril when the Congress was held in Madurai last time - in 1972. With yet another Madurai Congress happening, the decisions here will have a decisive role in the party’s future growth and relevance. 811 delegates The Congress will be attended by 811 delegates including a 175-strong Kerala contingent. voters prefer TMC in Bengal, he rued. “As of now, the CPM is not in a position to make a comeback either in West Bengal or in Tripura. In such a scenario, it’s of utmost importance that the LDF government in Kerala gets a third term. That alone could energise the party to even think about a transition in the other two strategic states,” said the leader. Discussions on the political resolution and organisational report will look at bringing back its mass base in these two ● More on P5 states.  Veena-Nadda meet paves way for fresh talks with ASHAs E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ T’Puram A meeting between the state and Union health ministers, Veena George and J P Nadda, has paved the way for renewed talks with the protesting ASHA workers. While previous discussions had failed to reach a resolution, Veena — now backed by an assurance from Nadda to look into key issues including the `637-crore central due that has restricted the state’s actions — hopes to reassure the ASHA workers protesting in Thiruvananthapuram. She has already expressed her intention to meet with union leaders in the next “two or t h re e d ay s ” . These developments come even as ASHA workers intenThe Union minister has sify their daynight hunger agreed to work on clearing the protest. The minis- state’s pending NHM dues for ter’s plan to 2023-24 meet Nadda on Veena George, March 20 had Health Minister failed to materialise as she could not secure an appointment, leading to criticism from the UDF and the ASHA workers. This time, however, Veena was able to present the state’s concerns and demands during a meeting at the parliament complex in New Delhi. During the meeting, she raised the demands of classifying ASHAs as workers under labour laws, increasing their incentives, and addressing the dues pending under the National Health Mission (NHM). “The Union minister informed me that incentive hike is under the government’s consideration and agreed to work on clearing the state’s pending NHM dues for 2023-24,” Veena ● More on P4 said.