SAMBALPUR  MONDAY  APRIL 07, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  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 BJP-led govt allotted TN more funds than UPA regimes: Modi PM inaugurates Pamban bridge, claims some have habit of complaining without reason Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging off a dedicated train service connecting the island to the mainland on Sunday | K K SUNDAR 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 state ministers were in 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 invoked Tamil culture, tradition and language. Mocking leaders from Tamil Dallewal ends 131-day fast in Punjab, vows to fight on H A R P R E E 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 last year to press for various demands of agitating farmers including a legal guarantee on MSP for crops. Addressing a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) chief said, “You (farmers) have 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-unto-death. 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.” 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 arrests 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. PM launches two India-backed rail projects in Sri Lanka J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi 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 threeday trip to the island nation. Accompanied by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Modi officially launched the upgraded MahoOmanthai railway track and the newly installed signalling system for the Maho-Anuradhapura se gment. 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. “These landmark railway modernisation projects implemented under the India-Sri Lanka development partnership represent a significant milestone in strengthening north-south rail connectivity in Sri Lanka,” External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Earlier in the day Modi and Dissanay, ake visited the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple. The temple houses the sacred Bodhi tree, believed to be a sapling brought from India by Sanghamitta Theri, daughter of Emperor Ashoka. CPM picks Kerala veteran Baby as general secretary CM’s 2-day Delhi visit to push industry hopes A N I L S @ Madurai @ Bhubaneswar 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. investments in the petrochemical sector, enhancing infrastructure and job creation in CHIEF Minister Mohan Cha- the state. “These MoUs not only ran Majhi embarked on a two- represent a commitment to inday visit to New Delhi on Sun- dustrial growth but also align day to forge critical industrial with the broader goals of Atpartnerships, attract invest- manirbhar Bharat, aiming for ments and amplify the Make- self-reliance and sustainable in-Odisha mission. development to empowThe visit is a key step er every citizen with under the ambitious economic opportuniUtkarsh Odisha roadties,” the CM said bemap which envisions fore leaving for Delhi. Odisha as a developed IOCL is likely to set state by 2036 when it up a naphtha cracker marks 100 years of project with an investstatehood. The CM is ment of more than scheduled to meet `61,000 crore at Paradsome union ministers ip. The project is a on Monday and attend part of the company’s These MoUs not the investors’ summit investment proposal only represent a on Tuesday . of around `1 lakh commitment to The Chief Minis- industrial growth crore that includes exter’s Office (CMO) said but also align with pansion of its Paradip Majhi will engage in a the broader goals refinery . of Atmanirbhar Majhi is also schedseries of initiatives Bharat, aiming for uled to tour the HCL that are aimed at bolself-reliance and Technologies campus stering the state’s insustainable in Noida and engage dustrial landscape. development with its top leadership Odisha will sign several high-impact MoUs Mohan Charan Majhi, to explore avenues in Chief Minister the IT and ITeS sectors. with major players Odisha aims to become like Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Indian Stra- a key destination for high-tech tegic Petroleum Reserves Ltd industries and digital innovation, further diversifying its in(ISPRL) and Petronet LNG. These agreements are ex- dustrial landscape beyond tradipected to usher in substantial tional sectors. CONTINUED ON P5 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE