WHAT'S HAPPENING AT TRIPURA-BANGLADESH BORDER BOMAN IRANI ON SHYAM BENEGAL 30 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 IPL 2025: CSK MEET RAJASTHAN ROYALS IN GUWAHATI PAGE 16 SINCE 1818 PAGES 20 |` 5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 37˚C and 27˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 78% TEMPERATURE Max: 37.5˚C SUN RISES 05:31 hrs MOON RISES 05:53 hrs India launches ‘Operation Brahma’ to assist Myanmar Two Navy ships on way, field hospital to be airlifted as death toll in Myanmar crosses 1,600 Min. 65% “ NIKHIL VYAS Brahma is a god of creation, at a time when we are extending a helping hand to the Government of Myanmar, to the people of Myanmar to rebuild their country in the wake of the devastation. This particular name of the operation has a special meaning. NEW DELHI, 29 MARCH Min: 27.3˚C SUN SETS 17:50 hrs MOON SETS 18:55 hrs I Full Moon on 13 April THUMBNAILS Mamata returns from UK trip: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee returned on Saturday to the city after her six-day visit to the United Kingdom. While Miss Banerjee made no immediate comment on her trip upon her return, one of her tour associates said that the Chief Minister was more or less satisfied with her England visit. Earlier, Miss Banerjee, before departing from London on her return journey via Dubai, had stated that she had set two objectives to achieve: one is to start a campus of Oxford University in the city and the other is to resume direct flights of British Airways from the city at least twice a week. SNS ndia on Saturday launched “Operation Brahma” to assist the people of neighbouring Myanmar, which was rocked by a massive earthquake on Friday. About 15 tonnes of relief material reached Yangon this morning, via an Indian Air Force cargo plane. An IAF C-130 J aircraft carried the first tranche of humanitarian aid, including tents, sleeping bags, food packets, hygiene kits, generators, essential medicines and more. The death toll from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake jumped to more than 1,600 in Myanmar as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. Myanmar’s government said in a statement that 1,644 people have now been found dead and another 3,408 injured, with 139 others missing. In a special media briefing on the Indian relief efforts, MEA spokesperson RANDHIR JAISWAL MEA SPOKESPERSON Randhir Jaiswal said soon after the quake hit the neighbouring nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said India was ready to provide all possible support to the people and government of Myanmar in this hour of crisis. “Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar. He conveyed deepest condolences on behalf of the people and the Government of India for the loss of lives. He also conveyed that we stand in solidarity with the Donald Trump hopes ongoing talks with India on trade and tariffs will be fruitful STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 MARCH Amid speculation on whether the US administration will impose reciprocal tariffs on India, President Donald Trump has described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "very smart man" and a "great friend." Mr Trump also hoped the ongoing India-US talks on trade and tariffs would bear fruitful results, even as he called Indian tariffs "brutal". At an interaction with reporters at the swearing-in ceremony of the US attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba yesterday evening, Mr Trump lauded PM Modi's leadership qualities, describing him as a "great prime minister." "Prime Minister Modi was here just recently, and we've always been very good friends. India is one of the highest tariffing nations in the world... They're very smart. He (PM Modi) is a very smart man and a great friend of mine. We had very good talks. I think it's going to work out very well between India and our country. And I want to say you have a great Prime Minister," he said. Mr Modi visited the USA in February, when the two sides announced plans to negotiate a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by the fall of 2025, which would strengthen the economic ties between them. Senior officials of the two countries have since then been negotiating the proposed pact. On Thursday, Mr Trump declared a 25 per cent tariff on all imported vehicles entering the USA, a move he described as "very exciting" for domestic manufacturing. The tariffs, set to take effect on 2 April, will impact nearly half of all vehicles sold in the USA, including American brands assembled overseas. In February, the American leader announced that he would soon impose reciprocal tariffs on countries like India and China, asserting that the USA would charge the same taxes these nations impose on American goods. "We will soon impose reciprocal tariffs- they charge us, we charge them. Whatever a company or a country, such as India or China, charges, we want to be fair; hence, reciprocal," he added. government and people of Myanmar and we would do our best to provide relief, rescue and whatever assistance is required to deal with this calamity,” Mr Jaiswal said. Mr Jaiswal said India launched “Operation Brahma” in the early hours today. “Brahma is a god of creation, at a time when we are extending a helping hand to the Government of Myanmar, to the people of Myanmar to rebuild their country in the wake of the devastation. This particular name of the Rahul writes to PM, opposes offshore mining permission NEW DELHI, 29 MARCH Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, strongly opposing the central government’s reported decision to permit offshore mining along the coasts of Kerala, Gujarat, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. ''Our coastal communities have been protesting against the manner in which tenders for offshore mining have been floated without evaluating their environmental impact. Millions of fisherfolk have expressed grave concerns (about) its impact on their livelihood and way of life,'' Mr Gandhi wrote. He alleged that tenders were floated without any consultations with the stakeholders or an assessment of the long-term socio-economic impact on coastal communities. SNS PM Modi's visit to RSS founder's memorial seen as reaffirmation of ideological commitment STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, 29 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Nagpur at Reshimbagh on Sunday, 30 March, which happens to be Gudi Padwai, the Hindu New Year, and it is being viewed by observers as a politically significant message. Mr Modi will be the second Prime Minister to visit the Smriti Mandir, which is located in the Reshimbagh area of Nagpur. Atal Behari Vajpayee was the first PM to visit the venue. PM Modi's visit to the Smriti Mandir coincides with the RSS celebrating 100 years of its foundation. “PM Modi's visit to the Smriti Mandir is being seen as an opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to the RSS ideology," according to a BJP leader. The RSS and the Hindu New Year celebration of Gudi Padwa have a special connection, since as per the Hindu calendar, the birth anniversary of RSS founder Keshav Balirampant Hedgewar falls on Gudi Padwa. PM Modi has visited Nagpur several times, but this is the first time he will visit the RSS headquarters in Reshimbagh as Prime Minister. There is considerable speculation and curiosity about this in political circles. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, along with the top leadership of the Sangh will be present at the venue. Incidentally, Mr Modi became chief minister of Gujarat in October 2001, but he has never visited the RSS headquarters since then, though he became an RSS pracharak in 1972 and joined the BJP in 1987. According to BJP sources, Mr Modi last visited the RSS headquarters long ago when he was an RSS pracharak. According to BJP sources, tight arrangements have been made in Nagpur for PM Modi's visit, especially taking into account the recent violence which took place in the Mahal area of the city on 17 March. PM Modi's visit also coincides with the Pratipada programme of the RSS. He will visit the Dr Hedgewar Smriti Mandir at around 9 a.m. Popularly known as "Smriti Mandir", the venue is dedicated to the memory of RSS founder and first sarsanghchalak, Dr Keshavrao Balirampant Hedgewar, which is is a sacred place for millions of RSS swayamsevaks. Opposite the Smriti Mandir, there is also the "Smriti Chinha" or samadhi of the second sarsanghchalak of the RSS, ‘Guruji’ Madhavrao Sadashiv Golwalkar, in the form of a ‘Yagya Jwala’, an ever-burning fire. 'Guruji' Golwalkar too was cremated here in June 1973 after he passed away after heading the RSS for 33 years. operation has a special meaning,” he said. He said the first aircraft carrying 15 tonnes of relief material took off at around 3 a.m. from Hindon Air Force Base and it reached Yangon at around 8 a.m. IST. Four more aircraft were also due to leave for Myanmar carrying search and rescue teams and other essential supplies. “Our ambassador was there to receive the relief material and thereafter, he handed it over to the Chief Minister of Yangon.Thereafter, two aircraft with search and rescue personnel and equipment, along with canines, were left. One of them has left and the other one is in the process of leaving," Jaiswal said. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar in the evening stated on social media platform X: “Indian Navy ships INS Satpura and INS Savitri are carrying 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid and headed for the port of Yangon." He also informed that an 80-member dedicated team of the NDRF (National Disaster Relief Force) has been rushed to Myanmar to help with search and rescue operations. “80member strong @NDRFHQ search & rescue team departs for Nay Pyi Taw. They will assist the rescue operations in Myanmar," he said in another post. Mr Jaishankar added: “A 118-member Indian Army Field Hospital unit is en route to Mandalay from Agra. The team will assist in providing first aid and emergency medical services to the people of Myanmar.” (See also Page 11) Security forces gun down 17 Maoists in Chhattisgarh STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAIPUR/NEW DELHI, 29 MARCH Security forces dealt another major blow to Maoist insurgency in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, killing 17 Maoists in a fierce encounter in Sukma district on Saturday. The joint operation, conducted by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) elite CoBRA unit, took place in the Gogunda hills near Uppamapalli under Kerlapal police station limits. Two DRG personnel sustained minor injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment. The anti-Maoist operation was launched on 28 March following precise intelligence about the movement of armed cadres in the dense forest. As security personnel closed in on a suspected Maoist hideout early Saturday morning, they came under heavy fire, prompting a prolonged gunfight. In the ensuing exchange, 17 Maoists were killed. Officials estimate that 30-40 insurgents were present, with some managing to escape. Several weapons including AK47, SLR and INSAS rifles alongwith a large cache of arms and ammunition has been recovered from the encounter site, and verification of the exact quantity is underway. The encounter marks the second major success for security forces within ten days. On 20 March, an operation along the Bijapur-Dantewada border led to the elimination of 30 Maoists. One DRG jawan lost his life in that mission, while a substantial stockpile of weapons, including AK-47 rifles and grenades, was seized. The latest operation further consolidates the security forces' control over the region and reinforces the government's intensified efforts to eradicate left-wing extremism from Chhattisgarh. In the aftermath of the encounter, additional security reinforcements have been dispatched to the area, and aerial surveillance has been intensified.