vijayawada l thursday l may 29, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Industrial output slips to 2.7% in April; mining, power laggards IIP slowed to 2.7 % in April 2025 due to poor performance of manufacturing, mining, power sectors, data released on Wednesday showed industrial production growth revised capital goods segment a saving grace The factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), rose by 5.2% in April 2024, govt data showed. The National Statistics Office (NSO) also revised upwards industrial production growth for March to 3.9% from the earlier estimate of 3% released last month. The IIP growth was 2.7% in February also ■ ■ The capital goods segment growth accelerated to 20.3% in April 2025, an increase from 2.8% in the year-ago period Mining production contracted by 0.2% as against a growth of 6.8% a year ago, while power output growth also slowed to 1% in April 2025 against 10.2% in the year-ago period, official data analysis indicated 4% growth recorded by Infrastructure sector 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 Not Dilli, not Pindi. B’desh First, says BNP Monideepa Banerjie Senior journalist Part 1 B angladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, on Wednesday gave his sea of supporters in Dhaka a slogan to remember and use in elections he insisted the interim government must hold in December. “Not Dilli, not Pindi, nor any other country. Bangladesh first,” Rahman thundered to a roar of approval from lakhs of people who turned the street outside the BNP’s head office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka into a carpet of yellow BNP pennants and green and red Bangladesh flags. The Delhi dig was directed at the Awami League, which BNP has consistently claimed is in India’s pocket. The reference to Pindi is a first and directed at the growing warmth between the Muhammed Yunus government in Dhaka and the Pakistan military HQ in Rawalpindi. Last week, Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman had reportedly made the same demand — polls by December — and though the comments were officially denied later, they triggered a near crisis. Yunus threatened to resign if pushed on the issue. Political parties rushed to placate him and he relented. But he did not budge from the six-month window — between December 2025 and June 2026 — he gave himself for holding polls. There is a rider. A panel has been set up to review and fix flaws in the electoral process. Yunus insists that the reforms must be completed and implemented before polls. The BNP, which is pressing for December polls, wants elections first and for the remaining reforms to be implemented by an elected government. This debate pushed Bangladesh on edge last week. It is still teetering there. Express read Union Cabinet approves Badvel-Nellore Corridor Vijayawada:The meeting of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, has approved construction of 4-lane Badvel-Nellore Corridor with a length of 108.134 km at a cost of `3,653.10 crore on NH-67 in Design-Build-Finance-OperateTransfer (DBFOT) mode. The proposed Badvel-Nellore Corridor will provide connectivity to three Industrial Corridors of AP | P4 Manipur MLAs ‘stake’ claim to form govt P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r , RAJ E S H K UMAR THA K UR & MU K E S H RA N JA N @ Guwahati/New Delhi FORTY-FOUR MLAs are ready to form a new government in Manipur, BJP legislator Thokchom Radheshyam Singh claimed on Wednesday after meeting Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. But there was no word on who would head the new government. Singh, along with nine other MLAs — seven from the BJP two , from the National People’s Party and an independent — met Bhalla. The state has 60 Assembly seats, one of which became vacant after the death of an MLA. Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla meets the MLAs on Wednesday | PTI Asked if they would stake a claim to form government, he said, “We conveyed to the governor that 44 MLAs are ready. This is akin to staking a claim,” Singh said. He claimed that all MLAs, except the 10 from the Kuki-Zo community and five from Congress, favoured forming a government. Singh said the Centre could reimpose President’s rule if a popular government failed. Manipur has been under Central rule since February after BJP leader N Biren Singh resigned as CM, amid criticisms about his government’s handling of the clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos. Meanwhile, a section of the BJP’s central leadership dismissed the possibility of lifting President’s Rule in the short run. Some others, however, favoured government formation, citing Union home minister Amit Shah’s meeting with President Droupadi Murmu. However, the fact remains that normalcy is yet to be restored, suggesting Central rule was necessary for now. Sources in the Union home ministry said any decision on President’s Rule in Manipur would be made at the political level. As of now, they have not received any formal indication in the matter, they added. Foreigners who ‘censor’ Americans face visa ban Construction of Kadapa Steel Plant will begin in 10 days, assures Naidu Latest policy could target officials regulating US-based tech firms J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi The United States will begin imposing visa bans on foreign nationals accused of censoring Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday, signalling a sharp escalation in the country’s pushback against perceived over reach by foreign governments. Rubio did not cite specific incidents or countries, but suggested the policy could target officials regulating US-based tech companies. The move follows increasing friction between the US and some of its allies over content moderation on American social media platforms. In a statement, Rubio said the new visa restriction policy will apply to foreign nationals “responsible for censorship of protected expression in the US.” He condemned foreign governments for pressuring American platforms to adopt global content rules that could infringe on US rights. “Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Free speech is a birthright: Rubio “Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is essential to the American way of life—a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority,” said US Secretary of State Rubio will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is essential to the American way of life—a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority he said. ,” “It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants for social media posts made on US soil,” Rubio said. “It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States.” In a social media post, Rubio added: “Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over.” Though Rubio did not identify any specific individuals or nations, the announcement comes amid ongoing disputes. Brazil, for example, has clashed with platform X—owned by Trump ally Elon Musk—over court orders to remove accounts accused of spreading misinformation. The Trump administration has also sharply criticised various European countries for what it describes as censorship of online speech. S N a g a r a j a RA o @ Kadapa Kadapa Steel Plant alone will provide employment to more than 3,000 people. This marks the beginning of a new industrial era in Rayalaseema. N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister Stree Shakti resolution a game-changer: CM CM and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, described the Stree Shakti resolution for women empowerment as a game changer, promising zero tolerance to smear campaign or indecent remarks against women on social media. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that the construction of the much-anticipated steel plant in Kadapa will commence within the next 10 days. Naidu made this announcement after being re-elected as the National President of the Telugu Desam Party on the second day of the ongoing Mahanadu conclave on Wednesday The dec. laration, made by the party’s election committee chairman Varla Ramaiah, drew loud cheers from party leaders and workers. After assuming charge, Naidu addressed the party workers and revealed that the `4,500 crore, three-Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) steel project, set to be developed by industrialist Sajjan Jindal’s JSW Steel, is expected to generate over 3,000 jobs and serve as a cornerstone for industrial growth in the region. “This project alone will provide employment to more than 3,000 people,” Naidu told a cheering crowd. “It marks the beginning of a new industrial era for Rayalaseema.” Highlighting his government’s commitment to balanced development, the Chief Minister said, “Our policy is clear—decentralization of development. We are committed to developing every region of the state equally Large-scale industries must . be established in Rayalaseema to ensure balanced growth.” The Kadapa steel plant had earlier faced multiple delays. However, a recent high-level meeting between CM Naidu and JSW Chairman Sajjan Jindal at the Chief Minister’s residence in Delhi helped revive the stalled project, paving the way for swift execution. Naidu also unveiled a bold blueprint for statewide water connectivity, with the Banakacherla project taking centre stage. Calling it a transformative initiative, Naidu declared, “Once the Polavaram–Banakacherla linkage is completed, the state P4 will see immense benefits.” Theatre inspections reveal alarming violations across State K k a lya n k r i s h n a k u m a r @ Vijayawada In Kakinada district, shockingly one theatre failed to meet , 12 mandatory norms, while two other theatres failed to meet 11 and 10 norms respectively RDO . S Malli Babu, who led inspections at 11 theatres including those in Pithapuram, Samalkot, and Kakinada Urban, reported serious violations in- cluding expired fire extinguishers, lack of fire safety missing exit signage, and , unsanitary conditions. In one theatre, food quality failed to meet FSSAI standards, with cooking oil being reused repeatedly without replacement. Another was found selling tea at `110, coffee at `120, and Coke (650 ml) at `210, without FSSAI certification and no provision of drinking water. Building plans were unavailable in several cases, and automatic fire suppression systems were missing. As part of a statewide drive ordered by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, revenue and police officials have launched extensive inspections of cinema theatres across the state, focusing on safety, hygiene, pricing, and compliance with government norms. In Vijayawada, officials inspected 36 theatres, including prominent multiplexes like PVP Trendset, INOX, and Lila. , Of these, 28 were operational, 22 in urban areas and six in Ibrahimpatnam and Mylavaram. Speaking to TNIE, RDO Kavuri Chaitanya said inspections focused on fire safety, disaster preparedness, parking, and maintenance. Reports will be submitted to district collectors shortly . In East Godavari, Joint Collector S Chinna Ramudu led a multi-departmental team to inspect Geetha, Apsara, Shyamala, and Swamy theatres in Rajahmundry. Checks included fire safety certification, electrical wiring, ticketing, hygiene, P4 and water availability  . ‘Failed’ SSC student scores 96 marks in re-evaluation Biryani to dosa, Kerala eatery serves chess stars life in norway E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Guntur A Class 10 student from Bapatla district saw a dramatic turnaround in her SSC results after re-evaluation, prompting appeals for a special admission opportunity and raising concerns at the highest levels about lapses in paper correction. Tejaswini, a student at Zilla Parishad High School in Kolluru, was i n i t i a l l y d e cl a re d failed in the recently released SSC results, with just 23 marks in Social Studies. However, having scored over 90 marks in five other subjects, her family suspected an error and applied for re-evaluation. Following review, her Social Studies marks were revised to 96, bringing her total marks to 575, well within the eligibility range for admission to IIIT institutions. Unfortunately, the application deadline had already passed on May 20, even before the updated marks were issued. Her teachers and family appealed to authorities to ensure she is not denied an opportunity due to the delay . Speaking to TNIE, Bapatla district education officer (DEO) Purushottam Sriram said the matter was brought to their atP4 tention on Wednesday  . S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n @ Stavanger (Norway) AFTER obliging the vast array of autograph hunters outside the playing hall at the venue, Arjun Erigaisi got into a car and made his way to an eatery that has become the rage among Indian chess players here. It’s a trip all four Indian players — R Vaishali, D Gukesh and Koneru Humpy the others — have already made at the ongoing edition of Norway Chess. Erigaisi, featuring in Stavanger for the first time, was told about the place by R Praggnanandhaa, who tasted their food last year. The players’ favourites include lamb masala, chicken biryani and, in Vaishali’s case, podi dosa. “A Arjun Erigaisi with co-owner Nitish Kamath (right) at the restaurant in Stavanger few of the players ordered south Indian style lamb masala,” says Nitish Kamath, one of the five owners of Spisoh. “Humpy doesn’t have a set template and we have noticed that Vaishali has picked up podi dosa on a few occasions.” Spisoh — an unlikely portmanteau between the Norwegian word spis (to eat) and the Hindi word khaao—was a product of the pandemic thanks to the imagination of several first generation immigrants originally from Kerala. “We came up with the concept of a ghost kitchen,” says Kamath, who has been working in the energy sector for more than a decade. Spisoh is ‘official food partner’ this time. The onetime ghost kitchen still has only one permanent employee — a chef from Tamil Nadu who was about to go back home after losing his job in an Oslo hotel after Covid. Gukesh was one of the first Indian players to try out Spisoh’s food in 2023. Less than 10 minutes after Erigaisi bested Gukesh, the former was seen exchanging a few friendly words with Kamath outside the playing hall. “I’m going there to pick up my food,” he said.  P13 Trump tariffs forced India, Pak to declare ceasefire: US JAYA N TH JACO B @ New Delhi Trump administration officials have told a US court that President Donald Trump’s emergency tariff powers were instrumental in securing a ceasefire between India and Pakistan earlier this month. “This ceasefire was only achieved after President Trump interceded and offered both nations trading access with the United States to avert a fullscale war,” read the legal documents submitted to the US Court of International Trade on May 23. The revelation is in stark contrast to India’s official position that there was no thirdparty role in the ceasefire worked out between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan. The US assertion was part of the Trump administration’s response to a lawsuit filed by small American businesses challenging Trump’s broad use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The plaintiffs claim the law does not authorise the president to impose tariffs and argue Trump’s trade policies have inflicted economic harm.