FRIDAY 14 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00| LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR FADNAVIS BACKS SHAKTIPEETH EXPRESSWAY K’TAKA DEPUTY CM TO REPRESENT STATE AT DELIMITATION MEET P8 SENSEX 73,828.91 q200.85 Today Holi, being a holiday in the offices of , there will be no issue of this edition dated 15 March 2025. P5 NIFTY 22,397.20 q73.30 ` vs $ 87.01 Max. 83 % TEMPERATURE Min.33 % Max: 34.4 °C (+5.5) (+3.5) SUN RISES 06:31 hrs MOON RISES 18:39 hrs Min: 18.6 °C SUN SETS 18:29 hrs MOON SETS 06:56 hrs THUMBNAILS Devotees perform rituals during the 'Holika Dahan' on the eve of Holi festival in the Capital on Thursday. n SUBRATA DUTTA aking the confrontation with the BJP-led Union government on the imposition of Hindi and the National Education Policy to another level, the DMK government of MK Stalin has decided to axe the official rupee symbol ₹ in the state Budget and replace it with its own logo, ‘ru’ (for rupee) in Tamil script, used since the British era. After releasing the first-ever economic survey for the state, Chief Minister MK Stalin, in a social media post, displayed the change in the logo. Significantly, this is the first time that a state government rejected the national currency symbol as a mark of protest. This change comes ahead of the 2025 budget presentation by Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday morning when the Assembly convenes for the Budget Session. The new logo also has the caption “ellorukkum ellam” (Everything for everyone), highlighting the DMK’s claim to inclusive government or the ‘Dravidian Model of Governance’. The state government opting for a new symbol instead of the official one has come as a bolt from the blue and has sparked off a political storm, with the BJP criticising the move as parochial. Interestingly, the official rupee symbol was designed by D Udhaya Kumar, son of a former DMK legislator, Dharmalingam. He had won the design competition announced by the Union government and it was officially adopted on 15 July 2010. His design which was accepted AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH The Section 17A mandates prior approval from a competent authority before a police officer can conduct any enquiry, inquiry, or investigation into an alleged offence committed by a public servant under the PC Act. The MHA's consent has ISRO undocks SpaDeX satellites AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH The Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday announced the successful completion of its SpaDeX mission's space de-docking, marking a significant milestone in India's future in space exploration. Union minister Jitendra Singh extended his congratulations to the ISRO team after the "SPADEX satellites accomplished the unbelievable de-docking" and said that the event was "heartening for every Indian!" “This paves the way for smooth conduct of ambitious future missions including the Bharatiya Antriksha Station, Chandrayaan 4 and BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 70.33 Rupee Symbol Replacement: The Tamil Nadu government has replaced the official rupee symbol (`) with Tamil script in Budget 2025-26, making it the first time a state has rejected the national currency symbol. Chief minister MK Stalin unveiled the new Budget logo with the equivalent letter for ‘ru’ (for rupee) in Tamil script, used since the British era. Education Policy Clash: Tamil Nadu refuses to implement key aspects of NEP 2020, particularly the three-language formula. The Centre has withheld 573 crore rupees in education funds under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). The NEP requires compliance for SSA funding. Gaganyaan,” Singh said in a post on X. The undocking process involved a precise sequence of events, culminating in the separation of the SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX-02 (Target) satellites that was launched on 30 December in 2024, using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C60, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. It included the successful extension of SDX-2, the planned release of Capture Lever 3, and the disengagement of the Capture Lever in SDX-2. After these maneuvers, the decapture command was issued in both SDX-1 and SDX-2, leading to the successful separation of the satellites. Centre’s stance: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accuses DMK of politicising the language issue. He has called the DMK’s opposition "hypocritical" and a political strategy. CM Stalin’s Stand: Stalin led a statewide protest on 11 March, condemning NEP and the delimitation proposal. He called NEP a threat to Tamil Nadu’s education system, arguing that it undermines reservation policies and denies financial aid to SCs, STs, & OBCs, and imposes Hindi over Tamil Nadu’s twolanguage policy (Tamil & English since 1968). He claims the Centre is using funding as a tool for language imposition. He has criticized investment in Sanskrit over Tamil, despite Tamil being globally spoken. Political Reaction: The BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief, K. Annamalai, called the move "stupid" and pointed out that the rupee symbol was designed by a Tamilian, Udhay Kumar, son of a former DMK MLA. incorporates both the Devanagari ‘₹’ and the Latin script ‘R’, combining the two. The parallel lines are indicative of the national tricolour as well as equality. BJP State President K Annamalai, in a ‘X’ post slammed the DMK government for replacing the official rupee symbol designed by a Tamilian and incorporated into our currency. “Thiru Udhay Kumar, who designed the symbol, is the son of a former DMK MLA. How stupid you can become @mkstalin,” he asked. BJP veteran and former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan also ridiculed the DMK government’s decision to guillotine the official symbol. Defending the DMK govern- Home Ministry gives nod to prosecute Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain In fresh trouble for former Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, facing allegations of wrongdoings in connection with Education and PWD departments, the Ministry of Home Affairs has given its approval to proceed against them in corruption cases. Interestingly, the prosecution request of Delhi government's Vigilance Department approved by the MHA dates back to 2021. The prosecution approval was sought by the vigilance directorate under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act). SILVER `1,01,000 NEP Controversy: Upping the Ante T RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY GOLD `89,350 P12 The move has sparked off a political storm, with the BJP attacking it as parochial CHENNAI, 13 MARCH POSSIBILITY OF DRIZZLE IN THE MORNING AND A SPELL OF VERY LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE TOWARDS EVENING/NIGHT. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 33 AND 17 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. P9 Language row: TN drops ‘`’ symbol from budget logo STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE WEATHER PV SINDHU BOWS OUT OF ALL ENGLAND OPEN RUSSIA RETAKES KURSK TOWN now been sent to the Secretariat of Lt Governor V.K. Saxena, paving the way for questioning of both Sisodia and Jain – who both spent over 17 months each behind bars in connection with various corruption and money laundering cases linked to the excise policy and floating of shell companies. Both former ministers are currently out on bail. The two AAP leaders lost the Assembly elections held last month. After the BJP's massive victory in the polls, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had promised to probe all cases of alleged corruption during the previous AAP government. ment’s move, TNCC President K Selvaperunthagai said: “Tamil Nadu’s stand on the language policy is being understood by other states and this is the time to declare aloud what the state rightly feels. In 2010, when the rupee symbol was adopted, there was no coercion to impose any language. But the present situation demands resistance.” Tamil Nadu has consistently refused to implement key aspects of the NEP 2020, particularly the three-language formula. As a result, the Central government has withheld Rs 573 crore in assistance under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). According to policy guidelines, states must comply with NEP provisions to receive SSA funding, with the Centre covering 60 per cent of the allocation for states like Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M K Stalin recently led a statewide protest against the Union government, condemning both the NEP and the proposed delimitation exercise, which he described as a threat to South India. Addressing a public rally, Mr Stalin said: “We oppose NEP because it will completely destroy Tamil Nadu’s education system.” He accused the Centre of using funding as leverage against states that refused to implement central policies. “Is there a greater example of anarchy than saying, ‘If you do not adopt Hindi, we will not provide funds’?” he asked. Central government seeks coordination with states to check illegal migration STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH Underlining that much needs to be done to curb illegal recruitment, the Central government has sought close coordination with all states to tackle the menace of illegal migration. “Only by acting together and in a unified manner, will we be able to tackle the menace of illegal migration,” Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said at the Recruiting Agents’ Conclave, attended by representatives of various central ministries and state government representatives. Mr Singh said the government is committed to ensuring that Indians going abroad are highly skilled through continuous skilling, PM Modi wishes everyone a very happy Holi CHILDREN’S HOLI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH Children dressed as Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha perform during celebrations on the eve of the Holi festival, at Balurghat in South Dinajpur on Thursday. nANI Decline in inflation paves way for higher GDP growth AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 13 MARCH The decline in retail inflation to a level that is below the RBI’s targeted level of 4 per cent is expected to pave the way for accelerating GDP growth ahead as it provides the central bank with more headroom to cut interest rates and expand liquidity to spur economic activity and create more jobs. A Moody’s report expects monetary easing, apart from the government’s capital expenditure and tax cuts for the middle-class, to play a key in role in accelerating India’s growth rate. The report expects the country’s GDP growth to exceed 6.5 per cent in 2025-26. The report states that following a temporary slowdown in mid-2024, India's economic re-skilling, and up-skilling efforts. “The Government of India has been making concerted efforts to promote skill-based, safe and legal migration and mobility,” he said. Emphasising the important role that Recruiting Agents play in the emigration process, he observed that they play a crucial role in promoting safe and legal mobility. “However, much needs to be done to curb illegal recruitment taking place on the grounds.” While the government recognises the invaluable contributions made by Indian migrant workers to India's economy and global reputation, it remains cognisant of the challenges and vulnerabilities that they face in foreign lands, the minister said. growth is expected to accelerate and register one of the fastest rates among the world’s large economies. Bank of Baroda economist Dipanwita Mazumdar said: “With the current inflation print in line, we believe CPI would undershoot RBI’s target in Q4, thus opening more policy space by RBI in terms of easing, to support growth. We expect CPI to be at 4.6 per cent in FY25 with Q4 now at 3.8 per cent This is lower than the RBI's estimate of 4.4 per cent for the fourth quarter. Similarly, a Crisil report states that India’s GDP growth is expected to hold steady at 6.5 per cent in fiscal 2026. Besides budgetary support, the RBI’s interest rate cuts, lower crude oil prices and a normal monsoon are expected to support growth. “In the coming months, we expect food inflation to remain soft, supported by healthy crop output, benign global prices and a high base of fiscal 2025. Non-food inflation could see a slight uptick due to a low base and the impact of a weaker rupee. In fiscal 2026, we expect headline inflation to average 4.4 per cent (vs an estimated 4.7 per cent in fiscal 2025), driven by softer food inflation,” the report further states. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra last month announced a 25 basis cut in the policy rate from 6.5 per cent to 6.25 per cent in the monetary policy review to accelerate growth amid global uncertainties. He said that inflation has declined and is expected to further moderate and grad- ually align with the RBI’s target of 4 per cent. The monetary policy decision maintains a delicate balance between controlling inflation and pushing up the growth rate in a slowing economy, The MPC also unanimously decided to continue with its neutral stance in monetary policy and will focus on inflation while supporting growth. This would provide flexibility to respond to the macroeconomic environment, Malhotra said. Now, with inflation continuously trending downwards in recent months to touch a 7-month low of 3.6 per cent in February, there is expected to be less pressure on the RBI on the price front which will enable it to go in for easing monetary policy further to push growth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended his greetings to citizens of the country on the eve of Holi, wishing that the festival infuses new enthusiasm and energy in everyone's life. In a post on X in Hindi, PM Modi said, "I wish you all a very Happy Holi. This festival filled with joy and happiness will infuse new enthusiasm and energy in everyone's life and will also deepen the colours of unity among the countrymen. President Droupadi Murmu also conveyed her greetings to her fellow citizens on the eve of Holi. In a message, the President has said, “On the auspicious occasion of Holi, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to all Indians living in India and abroad." "Holi, the festival of colours brings along happiness and enthusiasm. This festival nurtures the spirit of unity and brotherhood in our lives. The diverse colours of Holi reflect the values of unity in diversity. This festival also symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. It teaches us to spread love and positivity around us," the President said. "May this festival of colours fill your lives with joy and prosperity," she said.