MONDAY 31 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR TRUMP WON’T ‘FIRE PEOPLE’ OVER SIGNAL MESSAGES EMPURAAN ROW: MOHANLAL ISSUES APOLOGY P9 WEATHER Generally clear. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 36°C and 27°C respectively. SHAH LAUNCHES BIHAR POLL CAMPAIGN FROM LALU’S STRONGHOLD P4 Indestructible banyan tree: PM Modi hails RSS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Max. 77% Min. 57% MUMBAI, 30 MARCH Min: 27.3˚C SUN SETS 17:51 hrs MOON SETS 20:02 hrs P TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 13 April THUMBNAILS Delhi CM Rekha Gupta seeks blessings of a child dressed as Goddess Durga at Maa Katyayan Temple on the occasion of the Hindu New Year, in Chhatarpur on Sunday.n ANI AFSPA extended in Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal: The MHA on Sunday extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for another six months in some parts of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, effective from 1 April. The extension applies to the entire state of Manipur, excluding the areas falling under 13 police stations in five districts, to eight districts of Nagaland, along with some police station areas in five other districts, as well as Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts and some areas in Namsai district in Arunachal Pradesh. (Pg 8) P12 ‘Operation Brahma’: Indian Navy ships with relief material sail for Myanmar Train derailment in Odisha: One dead, 3 injured Modi visited the RSS headquarters for the first time as Prime Minister RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 36.2˚C SUN RISES 05:30 hrs MOON RISES 06:35 hrs P8 DELHI THRASH HYDERABAD BY SEVEN WICKETS IN IPL rime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder Dr Keshav Balirampant Hedgewar, and its second sarsanghchalak (chief) Madhavrao Sadashiv Golwalkar on Sunday, at their memorials at the administrative headquarters of the RSS in Reshimbagh, Nagpur. He was accompanied by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Sangh General Secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi in his first visit to the RSS headquarters as Prime Minister. PM Modi signed the visitor’s book after paying tributes to RSS founder Dr Hedgewar. In the visitor's book, he wrote: “My heartfelt regards to the most revered Hedgewarji and revered Guruji (Golwalkar). I am overwhelmed to be here in this Smruti Mandir, cherishing their memories. This place is dedicated to Indian culture, nation- Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, on Sunday where he laid the foundation stones of, or dedicated to the nation, various projects. n UNI alism, and the values of the organisation inspires us to move ahead in the service of the nation. This place of these two strong pillars of the Sangh is a source of energy for lakhs of volunteers dedicated themselves to the service of the country. May the glory of Maa Bharati always increase due to our efforts”. Later, the PM headed to the Deekshabhoomi, where Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism along with his followers in 1956. After visiting Deekshabhoomi, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre building. The building is an extension of the Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute & Research Centre, a premier ophthalmic care facility in Nagpur which was established in 2014. The institute was founded in the memory of the second sarsa nghchalak of the RSS, Sri Guruji Madhavrao Sadashiv Golwalkar, who succeeded founder Dr Hedgewar as the second sarsanghchalak of the RSS. The project includes a 250-bed hospital, with 14 outpatient departments, and modular operation theatres. Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre, Mr Modi said: “The ideas that were seeded a hundred years ago are now before the world like a ‘Vat Vriksh’ (banyan tree). Principles and ideologies give it heights, and the lakhs and crores of swayamsevaks are its branches. RSS is not just any banyan tree, it is the modern ‘Akshay Vat Vriksh’ (indestructible banyan tree) of India’s immortal culture". Lauding the RSS workers, Mr Modi said that they had contributed selflessly to humanitarian efforts including disaster relief. “Their selfless service has been evident in times of floods, earthquakes, and most recently, at the Maha Kumbh,” the Prime Minister said. He said: “Jahan seva kaarya, wahan swayamsevak.” PM Modi said that people have seen, whether it is Mahakumbh or any other occasion, the ‘swayamsevaks’ were there to help people. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 30 MARCH STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 30 MARCH Indian Navy ships, Satpura and Savitri, from the Eastern Naval Command, have sailed for Yangon on Saturday, as part of the Indian Navy's immediate response towards Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), the Defence Ministry said on Sunday. Notably, India on Saturday launched “Operation Brahma” to assist Myanmar in the wake of a devastating earthquake that struck the country on Friday. The HADR efforts are in progress in conjunction with Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and NDRF under the direction of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “Indian Navy ships Karmuk and LCU 52 from the Andaman and Nicobar Command will also be sailing for Yangon on March 30 (Sunday), to assist in the HADR operations,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Approximately 52 Tons of relief material have been embarked onboard these ships, including HADR pallets consisting of essential clothing, drinking water, food, medicines, and emergency stores, it said. The Indian Navy remains committed to India's resolve to remain the 'First Responder' in the region, it added. On Saturday, an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft carrying 15 tonnes of relief material reached Yangon. The first tranche of humanitarian aid includes tents, sleeping bags, food packets, hygiene kits, generators, essential medicines, and other emergency supplies. Eleven coaches of the Bangalore-Kamakhya Superfast Express derailed at Nergundi in Cuttack district on Sunday, resulting in the death of one passenger said to be from West Bengal, and injuries to several others. The railways officially confirmed the death and said three others were injured in the mishap. It identified the deceasedpassengeras Suvankar Roy (22), said to be from West Bengal. One female passenger suffered grievous injury and two other male passengers are being treated for simple injury said the railways. The accident took place around noon. Local residents were the first to respond, soon joined by teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), ODRAF, Fire Services, and railway officials. Many passengers reported feeling intense vibrations in the bogie just before the derailment. Some jumped out in panic as the coaches skipped the track and came to an abrupt halt.