HYDERABAD l friday l april 04, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 36 l LATE City EDITION India and Thailand elevate ties to a strategic partnership PM Narendra Modi met his Thai counterpart on Thursday where the two countries agreed to turrn their ties into a strategic partnership ALL for development, not expansionism cooperation in tourism, education Prime Minister Narendra Modi after meeting his former Thai counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra and Thailand PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra asserted that both countries support a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based order in Indo-Pacific, and believe in a policy of development, not expansionism. Modi described the meeting as a ‘delight’ ■ ■ India emphasised cooperation in the fields of tourism, culture, and education between India’s northeastern states and Thailand The Prime Minister will later join BIMSTEC leaders from Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Bhutan to oversee the signing of an agreement on Maritime Cooperation in the region $16 billion the volume of bilateral trade between india, thailand in 2023 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 Heated debate on Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha RA J E S H K U M AR THA K UR @ New Delhi The Rajya Sabha witnessed heated debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, hours after Lok Sabha passed it in the wee hours of Thursday . The debate, which continued late into the night, saw participation from more than 35 members. Introducing the bill, Union minister Kiren Rijiju rejected the Opposition’s claims that the legislation would infringe upon Muslim rights. He asserted that the amendments were made to make the law more inclusive, adding they aimed at improving the representation of women on the Waqf Board and protecting the rights of all Muslim sects. However, the Opposition termed the bill “unconstitutional” and accused the government of aiming to deprive Muslims of their rights concerning Waqf properties. Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, in his pushback, rejected the claims about the bill’s benefits. “There is nothing new except the clauses that will destroy the people,” he said, dismissing it as having no real welfare provisions for Muslims. SC slams CM again, reserves order on defections | p4 India brazens out US reciprocal tariff Sees opportunities amid challenges in Trump’s 27% levy D I PA K M ON D AL @ New Delhi india may have escaped with a milder ‘reciprocal’ tariff but the brute force of US President Donald Trump’s import levy could shake up the country’s economic prospects. Trump, in the wee hours on Thursday, announced reciprocal tariffs ranging from 10% to 49% on countries with which the US has trade deficit. He imposed a baseline tariff of 10% on all imports (effective April 5) and specific reciprocal tariffs on multiple countries (effective April 9). Some sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, copper, and energy products, will remain exempt from additional tariffs. India has a trade surplus of $35 billion with the US and Indian goods will attract 27% tariff. While this is lower than 54% on China, 46% on Vietnam, 37% on Bangladesh, and 36% on Thailand, it is still higher than what was expected. “We had expected 10-15% additional tariff,” said Ajay Sahai, CEO, Federation of Indian Export Organisations. He said exports of seafood and carpets are among the most impacted. Trump had initially put the tariff for India at 26%, but the White House later clarified that this would be 27%. While in relative terms India has an edge over its Asian peers, the gains would be limited, say analysts. The additional cost of higher tariffs is likely to be passed on to consumers, leading to an increase in prices and muted demand over the medium term, triggering a slowdown. Meanwhile, the Indian government on Thursday said it is carefully examining the implications of reciprocal tariff. The commerce ministry said it is also looking at the opportunities that may arise due to the new development. P10 MARKETS BLEED 5.54% S&P 500  4.32% Dow Jones 3.35% Nikkei 2.77% Hang Seng  1.52% Sensex  0.42% Nasdaq (Early trade figures for US markets) WHAT TO EXPECT Analysts flag global recession fears India’s FY26 GDP growth may slip 50-100 bps from expected levels Kancha Gachibowli: SC stays all activity S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi Ordering a stay on further activity in the 400 acres adjacent to the University of Hyderabad at Kancha Gachibowli, the Supreme Court, which took suo motu cognisance of the clearing of the land parcel, on Thursday asked the state government to explain the “compelling urgency” behind the exercise. “Until further orders, no activities of any sort, except the protection of the trees already existing, shall be undertaken by the state,” said a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih. Te r m i n g t h e tree-felling drive in Kancha Gachibowli as a “very serious” matter, the top court said that the interim report placed before it by the registrar of the Telangana High Court depicted an “alarming picture”. The report indicated to the court that a large number of trees were felled during the weekend. “The chief secretary will go to a temporary prison constructed at the same spot near the lake,” the bench GoM formed to find a way forward Hyderabad: The state government has constituted a group of ministers (GoM) to find a way forward on Kancha Gachibowli land. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced the decision to constitute the GoM on X. The GoM will comprise Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, IT Minister D Sridhar Babu and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. The GoM would consult with the UoH Executive Committee, student delegations, JAC, civil society groups and all stakeholders to find a resolution. said, adding “If your chief secretary wants to enjoy the state hospitality one can’t help it.” , It also warned the state that if the court later found any discrepancy or lapses, it would take strict action against the chief secretary . Directing the chief secretary to clarify whether the state had obtained the environmental impact assessment certificate for the development activities, the bench adjourned the matter for fur ther hearing to April 16.  Continued on P4 The sudden rains trapped two persons on a rock in the Musi at Chaitanyapuri Intense rains catch city off guard AARTI K A S HYA P @ Hyderabad The city saw a monsoon-like day on Thursday with hours of , intense rain and thunderstorms from late afternoon. While bringing relief from the summer heat, the rains led to traffic congestion, power cuts and flooded roads. Thunderstorms began in the early afternoon, followed by citywide rain, which intensified in the evening as commuters rushed home, worsening traffic. Thunderstorms disrupted power supply, causing outages in several areas, including Rajendranagar, Attapur, Sun City , Hydershahkote, Masab Tank, Begumpet, Nagole and parts of the Old City . Two persons were stuck in the Musi river at Chaitanyapuri as water levels suddenly rose due to the rains.  Continued on P2