DHARMAPURI l Monday l April 07, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Protesters march in U.S. cities against Trump ‘devastation’ Thousands of protesters flooded streets of US cities Saturday to oppose policies of Trump, in the largest demonstration in his new stint lens on ‘outrageous administration’ helplessness in face of trump tirade Opponents of Trump’s policies — from government staffing cuts to trade tariffs and eroding civil liberties — rallied in Washington, New York, Houston, Florida, Colorado, and Los Angeles, among other locations. “This outrageous administration is causing us to lose our allies across the world,” said Diane Kolifrath, 64, a bike tour guide ■ ■ Trump has angered many Americans by moving aggressively to downsize, unilaterally impose conservative values and pressure even friendly countries over trade, causing stock markets to tank Many Democrats are irate that their party, in minority in the Congress, has seemed so helpless to resist Donald Trump’s moves 1,200 locations in 50 states witnessed protests as part of hands off rally 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 cbc 46101/13/0002/2526 Government of India BJP-led govt has allotted TN more BJP neglecting TN, state must give funds than UPA regimes, says Modi it befitting reply in polls: CM Stalin PM inaugurates new Pamban bridge, claims some have habit of complaining without reason PM launches 2 India-backed rail projects in Sri Lanka Express news service @ Ramanathapuram The BJP-led central government has provided Tamil Nadu three times the funds allocated by the earlier UPA regimes, of which the DMK was a part, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Rameswaram on Sunday in an indirect attack on the , Dravidian major which is in power in Tamil Nadu. His government’s allocations had boosted Tamil Nadu’s economic and industrial growth, he said. “Yet, some people have a habit of complaining without reason and they keep crying about things. Let them cry he ,” added, during his address at a government event to open the first vertical span sea railway bridge at Pamban and flag off a train service linking the island to the mainland. He also dedicated various completed projects worth `8,300 crore to the nation and laid foundation stone for the four-laning works of a section of NH-40. Chief Minister MK Stalin, who earlier urged the PM to allay TN’s concerns about delimitation, skipped the event, although s t at e m i n i s t e r s we re i n attendance. Stating that the centre has prioritised TN’s infrastructure, Modi said the railway budget for the state had increased seven-fold in the past decade, from `900 crore before 2014 to over `6,000 crore now. In tri-lingual speech in Tamil, Hindi and English, the PM in- express read NHRC to probe deaths of 7 treated by quack New Delhi: Seven persons have died allegedly after being treated by a fake cardiologist at a missionary hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district, prompting the National Human Rights Commission to launch a probe into the matter, officials said on Sunday. Heatwave alert for North, Central India New Delhi : The IMD on Sunday issued heatwave alerts for Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Punjab during the next 4-5 days. IMD has also advised residents to take precautionary measures as temperatures will by 2-4°C over the next four days. JAYANTH JACO B @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging off a dedicated train service connecting the island to the mainland on Sunday | Express voked Tamil culture, tradition and language. Mocking leaders from Tamil Nadu for writing to him in English, he said, “Sometimes, I am surprised when I receive letters from some leaders of Tamil Nadu —not a single one signs their name in Tamil. Tamil is a matter of pride, and I urge everyone to at least sign their names in Tamil to honour this glorious language.” Touching on the ongoing ar- 3,700 rescued in 10 yrs Touching on the ongoing arrests of TN fishers by the Sri Lankan Navy, Modi said, “Due to efforts of the Indian government, over 3,700 fishermen have been brought back safely from Sri Lanka in the last 10 years.” rests of TN fishers by the Sri Lankan Navy, Modi, who was returning from his two-day visit to the island nation, said the centre stands firmly with fishermen in times of crisis. “Due to the efforts of the Indian government, more than 3,700 fishermen have been brought back safely from Sri Lanka in the last 10 years. Of these, over 600 fishermen were freed just in the past year. You may also remember that some of our fishermen were sentenced to death. But we worked tirelessly to bring them back alive and reunite them with their families in Bharat.” Noting that several states have started providing medical education in regional languages, the prime minister urged the state government to introduce medical courses in Tamil.  P5 prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two major India-backed railway projects in the historical city of Anuradhapura in north-central Sri Lanka on Sunday, before wrapping up his three-day trip to the island nation. Accompanied by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Modi of ficially launched the upgraded MahoOmanthai railway track and the newly installed signalling system for the Maho-Anuradhapura segment. Both projects are backed by Indian assistance. These upgrades are expected to enhance connectivity and safety across Sri Lanka’s northern rail network. The projects, executed by IRCON International, are seen as a significant contribution by India to Sri Lanka’s infrastructure development. Earlier in the day, Modi and Dissanayake visited the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple which houses the sacred Bodhi tree, believed to be a sapling brought from India by Sanghamitta, Emperor Ashoka’s daughter. CPM picks Kerala veteran Baby as general secretary ANIL S @ Madurai THE 24th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which concluded in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, on Sunday, elected veteran Kerala leader M A Baby as its sixth general secretary . The 71-year-old’s elevation to the top post was on expected lines, though there was some initial opposition from the West Bengal unit. A former Kerala minister, Baby is the second leader from the state CPM to lead the party , after E M S Namboodiripad. Baby is also the first Christian to lead the party . Speaking to TNIE, Baby said the election was unanimous. “It was West Bengal secretary Mohammed Salim who proposed my name, and it was backed by Dr Ashok Dhawale, whom some of you had projected as the general secretary candidate,” he said. Being chosen to lead the party through trying times, Baby said strengthening the party at places where it is weak and taking on the Sangh Parivar-led BJP are the major tasks before him. The party congress also elected an 85-member Central Committee (CC) with 20% women representation. Adhering to the age cap of 75 years, seven veterans, including Prakash Karat, Manik Sarkar, Brinda Karat, and Subhashini Ali, stepped down. The Karats, Sarkar and Ali along with three other veterans — Biman Basu, S Ramachandran Pillai and Hannan Mollah — were made special invitees to the CC. Jammu & Kashmir leader Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami and P K Sreemathy from Kerala too were exempted from the age criterion and retained in CC. Express news service @ Coimbatore/Nilgiris Alleging that the BJP disregarded Tamil Nadu on key issues, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday evening asked the people to provide a befitting reply to the national party in the upcoming Assembly polls that it will never find a place in the state. He was speaking at the Valli Kummi performance— organised by DMK ally Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi— at the Codissia grounds in Coimbatore, after inaugurating the Nilgiris Government Medical College and Hospital earlier in the day . Speaking at Nilgiris, the CM had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide assurance while he was on “Tamil soil” that the delimitation exercise would not adversely impact the percentage of southern states’ representation in the Parliament. However, the Generic Name Used For Metformin 850mg Diabetes Telmisartan 40mg Hypertension Atorvastatin 10mg Cholesterol Drug Type Generic Chief Minister M K Stalin addressing a gathering organised by DMK ally KMDK at the Codissia grounds in Coimbatore on Sunday evening | Express PM made no such announcement during his speech in Rameswaram. Referring to this later in the evening, Stalin asked, “What can we do about those who do not address important public issues?” The centre is taking revenge on TN for not voting for the BJP, the CM said. “Winning 40 seats in the 2024 polls was a testimonial for the DMK regime, and we will register a similar Cost of 10 tablets Cost of 10 Cost of 10 in CM’s Pharmacy tablets in Jan tablets in pvt (with discount) Aushadhis pharmacies K13.3 K19.8 na Branded Generic K32.88 K29 K43.85 Generic Branded Generic Generic Branded Generic K8.7 na K5.9 K66.7 K12 K18 K8.8 K23 na K202.6 na K55.32 CM pharmacies beat Jan Aushadhis on med prices s i n d u j a j a n e @ Chennai Outlets of the Mudhalvar Marundhagam (Chief Minister’s Pharmacy), inaugurated last month by Chief Minister M K Stalin across Tamil Nadu, seem to be selling medicines at lower prices not only compared to private pharmacies but also the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra (Jan Aushadhi) outlets, which operate on a similar model under the union government. A comparison of commonly-used medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol purchased by TNIE from outlets in Chennai revealed that generic medicines at CM’s Pharmacies are roughly 30% cheaper than those at Jan Aushadhi outlets. The price difference appears to stem from two factors: the easy availability of generics in CM’s Pharmacies and discounts of up to 25%, which are not offered at Jan Aushadhi outlets. While the Jan Aushadhi outlets are expected to sell generic medicines, visits to three stores in Chennai showed that the staff offered branded generics by default—which are costlier than generics—and provided generic alternatives only upon insistence. In contrast, CM’s Pharmacies dispensed generics by default in the outlets visited by TNIE. Generics refer to drugs sold under their chemical formulation names, while branded generics are the same drugs marketed under brand names of companies. Both contain identical active ingredients and are considered bioequivalents.  P5 women power In a first, all-women tri-services crew to circumnavigate Indian Ocean m aya n k s i n g h @ New Delhi A remarkable tale of determination and sisterhood is unfolding in the Indian Ocean. In a first for the tri-services, eleven fearless women officers from the armed forces will start sailing around the Indian Ocean from Monday . The Samudra Pradakshina expedition kicks off on April 7 from Mumbai’s Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre, and promises to be a testament to women power and inter-services camaraderie. The leadup to this moment has been nothing short of herculean. The team, comprising six Army officers, one Navy officer, and four Air Force officers, underwent rigorous training at the Army Adventure Nodal Centre for Blue Water Sailing, under College of Military Engineering in Pune. With little to no sailing experience, they began from scratch, mastering theoretical and practical aspects of sailing, as well as building the physical strength and stamina needed for the grueling demands of the sea. “T he selection process spanned over a year and tested physical fitness, endurance, teamwork, leadership qualities, psychological resilience, and boat-handling capabili- ties,” said a source. The training regimen was exhaustive. The crew embarked on several training expeditions, gradually increasing in complexity and distance. They started with short day trips, progressing to day and night expeditions covering significant distances. Their training routes included voyages from Mumbai to Karanja, Murud, Goa, Kochi, Porbandar, Lakshadweep and back. The expedition, which will cover over 4,000 nautical miles in 55 days, will be on board the IASV Triveni. The mission will set a record as the first tri-services team to circumnavigate an ocean, a senior official said. victory in the 2026 Assembly polls. Our alliance will win and continue on,” he added. After distributing welfare assistance to people at the Ooty Government Arts College on Sunday morning, Stalin also said that DMK deputy secretary and Nilgiris MP A Raja would initiate the filing of a case in the Supreme Court against the Waqf (Amendment) Act on Monday  . P5 Dallewal ends 131-day fast in Punjab, vows to fight on H a r p r ee t B a j w a @ Chandigarh PUNJAB farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Sunday said he was ending his hunger strike which he had started on November 26, 2024, to press for various demands of agitating farmers including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops. Addressing a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) ch i e f s a i d , “ Yo u h av e asked me to end the fast. I respect your sentiments and accept your order. I wanted to continue until all 12 demands were met, but as more farmers urged me to mobilise support nationwide, I decided to accept their appeals.” He reaffirmed the fight for a legal guarantee on MSP and said protests could resume if needed. The announcement came a day after Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu appealed to him to end his fast. britain to shelter its trade from trump tariffs British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday vowed to “shelter” the UK’s businesses from the storm unleashed in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s flurry of global trade tariffs | P9