bhubaneswar l saturday l december 20, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l jeypore EDITION donald Trump suspends green card lottery programme VISA The the US President blamed the green card lottery programme for allowing the Brown University shootings suspect to enter the US move is certain to invite legal challenge The diversity visa programme makes up to 50,000 green cards available each year to people from countries with little representation in the US. The lottery was created by Congress, and the move will invite legal challenges. The decision comes after it was found that the shooting suspect, had used the visa to enter the US. He hailed from Portugal ■ 20 mn in keeping with anti-immigrant stance ■ Trump has long opposed the diversity visa lottery. While pursuing deportation, Trump had sought to limit avenues to legal immigration Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Friday she is asking the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the programme. “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in US” | P11 people applied for the 2025 GREEN CARD visa lottery 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 Odisha gets `67,000 crore investment proposals at Majhi’s roadshow in Hyd Yunus admin shaken A girl rescues books from a shop near the premises of the Prothom Alo daily newspaper in Dhaka | AP/PTI Student leader’s death roils B’desh Media offices torched in Dhaka; Hindu youth lynched in Mymensingh; Indian mission in Chattogram attacked J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Bangladesh has slipped into one of its most volatile moments since the 2024 students-led uprising, with political violence, attacks on the press, and the brutal lynching of a Hindu minority man pushing the country closer to the brink ahead of the national elections set for February 12, 2026. Tensions soared on Thursday night after news broke about the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of the July uprising and a candidate in the upcoming elections. Hadi died in a Singapore hospital, six days after he was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka. In protest, hundreds of mostly young protesters poured into the streets, setting fire to the offices of Prothom Alo, the country’s largest daily and The Daily Star. Both , dailies missed their print editions for the first time in their history Sources . said the papers may have been targeted for being seen as pro-Sheikh Hasina and pro-India. In another incident on Thursday night, a Hindu man was lynched in Mymensingh city over alleged blasphemy . The victim, identified as 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, a factory worker, was beaten to death by a mob, hanged from a tree and later set on fire. Videos of the gruesome killing circulated widely on social media, fuelling fear. The spiralling violence has further shaken the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has already been under fire for failing to restore order since taking office in August 2024. The Yunus administration dismissed the attacks as the work of “a few fringe elements” and warned against mob violence. “We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of properties,” it said in a statement, adding: “At this critical hour, we call upon every citizen to honour Hadi by rejecting and resisting violence, incitement and hatred.” The interim government also condemned the attacks on the media, calling them “tantamount to an attack on free media” and a major obstacle to democratic progress. As for the lynching of the Hindu youth, it said “the perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared.” The unrest has not been confined to Dhaka. Protesters vandalised the already demolished structure of 32 Dhanmondi, the former home of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and hurled bricks and stones at the residence of the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges, detaining 12 protesters.  P9 Known for anti-India stand Sharif Osman Hadi (pic) was a key figure in July uprising. Known for his anti-India stand, he circulated some maps showing Indian areas as part of ‘Greater Bangladesh’ No one can stop the democratic progress through threat, terrorist activities or bloodshed —Muhammad Yunus We cannot help but take note of the govt’s relaxed attitude towards the security of news outlets — The Daily Star H e m ant K u m a r Ro u t @ Bhubaneswar In one of the major regulatory overhauls in recent times, the Odisha government has effected technology-driven reforms to curb illegal mining and plug revenue leakages. Making automated access control systems, single-entry and single-exit stockyards, AI-based camera surveillance, AI edge processing and real-time video streaming mandatory, the Steel and Mines department has made some significant changes in the rules and regulations mandating how minerals will be traded, transported and stored. As per the operational guidelines issued by the department for implementation of the Odisha The AI-driven Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining and Regplatform will ulation of Trading, Transportation and Storage) capture, transmit, store and monitor Rules, 2025, a unified state-controlled digital platform will serve as the single source for mineral in real time all administration. data related to The platform will capture, transmit, store and mineral production, grade monitor in real time all data related to mineral analysis, storage, production, grade analysis, storage, transportatransportation tion and dispatch. It will be seamlessly integratand dispatch ed with field-level devices such as online bulk analysers, weighbridges, radio frequency identiOfficials fication (RFID) systems and AI-enabled cameras, ensuring end-to-end digital oversight of mineral operations. A major reform introduced under the new rules is the compulsory adoption of direct bulk sampling and analysis, replacing traditional manual sampling methods. Mineral grade will now be determined continuously through online analysers installed on conveyor belts or dispatch systems. Accordingly the analyser-generated data will form the final and , binding basis for calculation of royalty District Mineral Founda, tion (DMF), National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) and CONTINUED ON P7 other statutory dues. @ Bhubaneswar The fresh violence has shaken the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, which is facing criticism for failing to restore order in the country since taking office in August 2024 State launches AI-driven reforms to curb illegal mining and plug revenue leakages TG to examine power plant option in state Express News Service Odisha attracted investment intents worth around `67,000 crore during the two-day Odisha investors’ meet held by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at Hyderabad. The proposed investments would generate employment opportunities for 56,000 people. While 13 MoUs were signed representing a total investment potential of `27,650 crore and an estimated 15,905 jobs, proposals worth `39,131 crore were received, which could create ove r 4 0 , 0 0 0 e m p l o y m e n t opportunities. Addressing industry leaders and investors on Friday, Majhi said Odisha is poised to emerge as a key growth engine of India and the investors’ meet serving as a catalyst to convert intent into tangible outcomes. “The state is positioning itself as a future-ready investment destination through policy stability, competitive costs and a facilitative governance framework,” he stated. Drawing attention to the changing geography of the state’s industrial growth, the chief minister said Odisha is emerging as a key destination under the national vision of Purvodaya, supported by strong Hyderabad: The Telangana government will examine the feasibility of setting up a thermal power plant at the Naini coal block in Odisha, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu said on Friday . He held a special meeting with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at a hotel in Begumpet, where the proposal was discussed. Bhatti Vikramarka said that, as per the directions of the state government, a team of officials from the Energy department would conduct a detailed study at the pit-head of the Naini coal block, which is being operated under the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). He stated that the officials would visit the Naini region to assess the technical and financial viability of establishing a thermal power plant. Based on the findings and estimates submitted by the team, the government would take an appropriate decision in due course. ENS Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Industries minister Sampad Chandra Swain hold discussions with industry representatives in Hyderabad on Friday Odisha is poised to emerge as a key growth engine of India and the investors’ meet serving as a catalyst to convert intent into tangible outcomes Mohan Charan Majhi, CM infrastructure, fiscal discipline and responsive governance. He highlighted the state’s strategic advantages, including its extensive coastline, port-led development, expanding industrial corridors and multimodal connectivity, positioning itself as a natural gateway to domestic and global markets. Environmental responsibility part of CSR, says SC bench s u ch i t r a k a lyan m ohanty @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday held that companies cannot claim to be socially responsible while disregarding the protection of wildlife and fragile ecosystems affected by their operations. A two-judge bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar while hearing submissions in the longrunning case on conservation of critically endangered Great Indian Bustard held that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) cannot be divorced from a company’s environmental responsibility “CSR funds are not acts of philan. thropy but instruments to discharge constitutional and fiduciary duties, particularly where corporate activities threaten endangered species,” the bench said. The case was filed in 2019 by environmentalist M K Ranjitsinh seeking urgent measures to prevent the extinction of the Great Indian Bustard, whose populations have declined due to habitat loss and collisions with overhead power lines in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Disposing of the writ petitions, the court ruled that survival of the Great Indian Bustard is non-negotiable, adding firms benefiting from natural landscapes must shoulder responsibility for conserving them. “What businesses find crowded, expensive and competitive elsewhere, they will find accessible, scalable and facilitative in the state. Our role as a government is clear to enable growth, ensure timely approvals and provide policy stability so that investors can focus on building and expanding,” Majhi said. The event brought together over 500 delegates including senior leadership from top corporates, industry associations and business chambers to explore new investment opportunities and strengthen partnerships. CONTINUED ON P7 Learning Malayalam, Priyanka tells Modi at Speaker’s ‘chai pe charcha’ P r e e tha N a i r @ New Delhi A light-hearted exchange over ‘Wayanad tur meric’ and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Ethiopia visit figured in the friendly conversation between Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the PM at the customary tea hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday after the , conclusion of the Winter Session of Parliament. Priyanka, the Congress MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, is understood to have told Modi that she is learning Malayalam so that it helps while c o nve r s i n g w i t h h e r constituents. She also asked the PM about his recent three-nation trip to Africa and the Middle East. Modi is learnt to have said that the impression many people have in India about Ethiopia is quite different from the actual position of that country which is pro, gressing very well socially and economically . The tea party is a customary meeting hosted by the Speaker with leaders of different parties after every session. The Opposition had stayed away from the meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the tea party | PTI since the 2024 Monsoon Session alleging that its members were not allowed to speak during debates. Congress sources said the party decided to attend it this time around following a decision by AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge. While the Opposition remains opposed to the bills, they felt the Chair was relatively fair during this session. This, they said, was in contrast to the previous session, when they were not allowed to speak. When SP leader Dharmendra Yadav observed that the Winter Session was one of the shortest, the PM told him in a friendly manner that it was good for his throat as he didn’t have to shout for too many days, inviting laughter from those present, sources said. RSP’s N K Premachandran too complained about the short session, with Speaker Birla reminding him that he had given him ample opportunities to speak on any subject. Priyanka joined in, saying that many MPs like her always look at Premachandran’s conduct in the House and try to learn various aspects of parliamentary proceedings, sources said. Those who attended the tea party included Manickam Tagore, Kumari Selja, Mohd Jawed, Supriya Sule, A Raja, Ram Mohan Naidu, Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Chirag Paswan. polarising juggernaut Dhurandhar past Baahubali, Dangal; eyes `1K cr-club Link with identity Dhurandhar clings to the popular ideas of patriotism, slyly encouraging autocracy. That explains the brutal ‘pushback’ against the critics who panned it. When a movie is so linked with identity, any critique of the film appears like an attack on identity itself. Should we be so insecure about our identity that we allow a film to define it? Even these lines are blurring. Dhurandhar is just the tip of that iceberg. B H H a r s h @ Hyderabad At a time when most films struggle to go beyond a week or two in their theatrical run, Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar has done the seemingly impossible. After earning more than `200 crore in its first week, the film outdid those figures in week two. For small films that sometimes pick up gradually, it’s a great accomplishment. For a big moneygrosser like Dhurandhar, it is almost like spotting a shooting star. The film centred on an Indian intelligence operative (Ranveer Singh as Hamza Ali Mazari), who infiltrates Pakistan’s underworld, has been receiving rave reviews from celebs and fans, even if quite a few critics haven’t taken a shine to it. And the juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down. After breaching the `500 crore mark in 10 days, Dhurandhar has earned over `700 crore globally, and is well on track to enter the `1,000 crore club. In its run so far, the film has comfortably crossed the domestic collections of landmark films like SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali, Rajinikanth’s 2.0, Aamir Khan’s Dangal, and Prab- has’ Salaar. There is a case to be made about the blurring lines between fact and fiction in Dhurandhar, with the disclaimer saying it is a work of fiction, but it includes audio and visuals from real-life incidents. On the surface, Dhurandhar probably works like a conventional gangster drama, and the apolitical audience members are enjoying it superficially . On the other hand, it frequently scrapes on our real wounds made by turbulent ties with Pakistan. This illusion is what has made the film and its responses a major talking point.