MONDAY 14 APRIL 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00| X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR HELLO TO TARIFFS WILL MEAN GOODBYE, DOLLAR PROFITS ‘PAUSE, REVIEW, REPEAL AMENDMENT TO RTI ACT’ P7 P8 Partly cloudy sky with Possibility of Rain or Thundershower in some areas. Maximum and Minimum Temperature likely to be around 35˚C and 25˚C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 35% TEMPERATURE Max: 35.2˚C (-0.5) SUN RISES 05:16 hrs MOON RISES 19:10 hrs P5 Min: 25.4˚C (-0.2) SUN SETS 17:56 hrs MOON SETS 06:20 hrs New Moon on 28 April THUMBNAILS A priest gives Sacramental bread, also called Communion bread to a devotee during a Palm Sunday Mass, at a church in Jabalpur on Sunday. (ANI Photo) Eight dead in Andhra blast: At least eight people, including two women, were killed and seven were left injured following a powerful blast at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Kailasapatnam village in the Anakapalle district of Andhra Pradesh. The death toll is likely to increase further since some of the injured were critical. The workers mostly hail from Samarlakota in the Kakinada district. An inquiry has been launched to investigate the cause of the explosion and also to find out whether the unit was operating legally. Murshidabad situation under control: Police US tariff exemption on electronics: India has clear edge over China 17 companies of Central forces deployed, around 180 arrested NEW DELHI, 13 APRIL The Donald Trump administration’s decision to exempt smartphones, computers and other electronics imported to the country from reciprocal tariffs has given India a definitive edge over China, industry leaders have said. According to a US Customs and Border Protection notice, smartphones and computers would be excluded from US President Donald Trump's 10 per cent global tariff on most countries, and the much larger Chinese tariffs of 145 per cent. “Now, there will be no extraordinary disruption. This is the time to boost capacities and long-term trend against China will remain robust. However, the incredible shock of the last few weeks is a tectonic event and the realignments are bound to happen,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA). The ICEA represents major smartphone companies and their original equipment man- T he situation in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, which witnessed widespread unrest following protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, is now under control, according to Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the DGP confirmed that no fresh incidents of violence had been reported in the past 24 hours. So far, three people have reportedly died in connection with the unrest. To maintain law and order, 17 companies of central forces have been deployed, including Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel drawn from the BSF and CISF. Of these, eight companies have been posted in volatile areas of Murshidabad, while the rest remain on reserve. The deployment includes one company from Kolkata, three from Jangalmahal, and another four from Jhargram. A senior CRPF officer of Inspector General rank has also arrived in Murshidabad to oversee the situation. Despite the calm, a fresh allegation surfaced on Saturday night when a youth named Samsher Nadab was reportedly shot during a clash in Dhulian under Shamsherganj police station. He is currently undergoing treatment at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. The incident occurred during a brick-pelting attack on BSF personnel. In a proactive move, the state police has also dispatched 23 experienced officers from various districts for “special duty” in Murshidabad. These officers were instructed to report at Shamsherganj police station on Sunday, following an order issued by the Additional DGP (Law & Order) on Saturday. BSF’s IG for the South Bengal Frontier, Karni Singh Shekhawat, arrived in the district on Sunday to assess the ground situation and held a meeting with state police officials, including DGP Mr Kumar. Joint route marches by state police and central forces were conducted in several sensitive areas to reinforce public confidence. So far, around 180 individuals have been arrested in connection with the violence, which had spread to areas like Shamsherganj, Suti, and Jangipur. Meanwhile, BJP MP from Ranaghat, Jagannath Sarkar, has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking central intervention in Murshidabad. Top police officials, including ADG South Bengal Supratim Sarkar, also visited the violence-hit areas. DGP Rajeev Kumar held a strategy meetings with district officials in Jangipur and directed specially selected personnel to take charge for the next four days as part of the ongoing peacekeeping measures. (Morereports:Pgs2,3) With new laser weapon to shoot down Russia hopes to continue aerial targets, India joins exclusive club developing ties with India AGENCIES AGENCIES KURNOOL, 13 APRIL India today joined the select group of nations, including the USA, China and Russia, with the capability of shooting down fixed-wing drones and swarm drones using a highenergy 30-kilowatt laser beam. The successful trial of the Mk-II(A) Laser- Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) system was showcased at the National Open Air Range (NOAR), Kurnool, mastering the technology of disabling missiles, drones and smaller projectiles, Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials told ANI here. Success has put India in the exclusive and limited club of nations that possess the high-power Laser-DEW. Speaking with ANI news agency, DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat said: “As far as I know, it is the United States, Russia and China that have demonstrated this capability. Israel is also working on similar capabilities, I would say we are the fourth or fifth country in the world to demonstrate this system."Kamat said that this is just the "beginning of the journey", adding that DRDO is working on a number of technologies "that will give us Star Wars capability." “This is just the beginning of the journey. The synergy that this lab has achieved with other DRDO labs, industry and academia, I am sure we will reach our destination soon... We are alsoworkingonotherhighenergy systems like high energy microwaves, electromagnetic pulse. So we are working on a numberoftechnologiesthatwill give us Star Wars capability. What you saw today was one of the components of Star Wars technologies,” Mr Kamat said. The i ndigenously designed and developed Mk-II(A) DEW system was demonstrated in its entire spectrum of capability by engaging the fixed-wing drones at long range, thwarting a multiple drone attack and destroying enemy surveillance sensors and antennae. MOSCOW, 13 APRIL Russia hopes to continue developing multifaceted cooperation with India , said the Russian Foreign Ministry on the 78th anniversary of diplomatic ties between both the nations. “We congratulate our Indian friends on our shared holiday. We express confidence in the continued rapid and consistent development of friendly relations and expansion of Russian-Indian ties,” the Ministry said. Bilateral relations are characterised by reliability, high intensity of political interaction and a particularly privileged strategic partnership, it added. “They are characterised by a high level of mutual trust, respect for national interests, identical or close views on key aspects of global and regional politics. There are meetings and negotiations at the highest and high levels every year to discuss key areas of cooperation, as well as pressing international and regional problems,” the statement said. The Russian Foreign Ministry further noted that cultural, humanitarian, trade, and economic cooperation is successfully developing between the two countries, and nuclear energy remains one of the key areas of interaction. It emphasised that Moscow and New Delhi are committed to building a polycentric world order based on the principles of sovereign equality, in compliance with the norms and principles of international law. Karnataka caste census report: Muslim population at 18.08 pc; 8 pc reservation recommended AGENCIES BENGALURU, 13 APRIL The controversial caste census report submitted by the Backward Classes Commission to the Congress-led government in Karnataka has pegged the Muslim population in the state at 18.08 per cent and recommends 8 per cent reservation for the community, sources confirmed on Sunday. Currently, Muslims are getting a 4 per cent reservation in the state. The caste census report was submitted to the state cabinet on Friday (10 April), and the state government is convening a special cabinet meeting on 17 April to decide on the report’s recommendations. However, no official statement has been issued to the media regarding the report’s contents. Nonetheless, details presented in the cabinet meeting have surfaced in the public domain. Furthermore, sources confirmed that the caste census report recommends increasing the total reservation to more than 75 per cent in Kar- P12 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 13 APRIL: WEATHER Max. 85% T20S: KOHLI COMPLETES 100 HALF-CENTURIES ‘IDEAL TIME TO REVIVE COOPERATIVE SECTOR’ nataka. The survey estimates the population of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) at 4.18 crore, Scheduled Castes (SCs) at 1.09 crore, and Scheduled Tribes (STs) at 42.81 lakh. According to sources, the report indicates that OBC groups constitute about 70 per cent of the state’s population. One of the major recommendations of the report is to increase the reservation quota for OBCs from the current 31 per cent to 51 per cent. As per sources, the report places the Muslim population under Category 2B at 18.08 per cent, with a total popu- lation of 75.25 lakh. The report recommends increasing their reservation from 4 per cent to 8 per cent. This is higher than the Vokkaliga community, which is currently considered the second-largest population group in the state. The Vokkaliga population is recorded at 61.68 lakh, comprising 10.31 per cent of the total. The report suggests increasing their reservation to 7 per cent, according to sources. The census report lists the Lingayat community population at 66.35 lakh, comprising 11.09 per cent -- lower than the Muslim population. The report recommends increasing their reservation to 8 per cent. Currently, the Lingayat community is considered the largest in the state. The Scheduled Castes are shown to have the highest population in the state. The report places the SC population at 1.09 crore and recommends maintaining the reservation at 24.1 per cent. The Scheduled Tribes' population is 42.81 lakh, and the reservation of 9.95 per cent has been recommended. The newly created Category 1A group - which includes communities such as Golla, Uppara, Mogaveera, Koli, and other marginalised groups has a population of 73.92 lakh. The report recommends a 12 per cent reservation for this group, according to sources. Category 2A, which includes communities like Madivala, Ediga, and others, has a population of 77.78 lakh, with a recommended reservation of 10 per cent. The findings of the report are expected to trigger a major debate and controversy in the state and could signifi- cantly impact the political landscape. Home Minister G. Parameshwara and Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan, while defending the Muslim quota in tenders, earlier stated that Muslims comprise between 16 to 18 per cent of the state’s population. Meanwhile, Congress leaders have indicated that the Congress-led government is prepared to increase the reservation limit in the state. Labour Minister Santhosh Lad stated that the Central government has already breached the 50 per cent cap by implementing a 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). Congress MLC B.K. Hariprasad asserted that the caste census provides the government with empirical data to justify increasing the reservation limit beyond 50 per cent in the state. The Karnataka government will not take any hasty decision regarding the caste census report, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Friday. AGENCIES ufacturers, including Apple, Foxconn, Dixon, etc China still faces 20 per cent tariffs on iPhones, laptops, tablets and smartwatches and only reciprocal tariffs have been removed for China. On the other hand, India has “zero tariff” on iPhones and all smartphones, laptop and tablets exported to USA. Vietnam also has “zero tariff” on all Samsung (and others) smartphones, laptop and tablets exported to the USA. India and Vietnam are thus similarly placed on tariffs on above products and both enjoy 20 per cent tariff advantage over China. The US exemption applies to products entering the USA or removed from warehouses as early as 5 April, according to the Customs notice. The exemptionsalsoincludeotherelectronic devicesandcomponents,including semiconductors, solar cells, and memory cards. The US tariff exclusions provide much-needed relief for the global technology sector, easing pressure across consumer electronics, semiconductors, and hardware, said Prabhu Ram, VP-Industry Research Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR). It offers meaningful reprieve to tech majors ~ especially Apple, which was caught in the crossfire ~ as well as the broader chip and hardware industries. According to ICEA, mobile phone exports from India have crossed an all-time high of Rs 2 lakh crore in 2024-25, registering a 55 per cent growth over the Rs 1.29 lakh crore recorded in 2023-24. “The exclusion of smartphones and chips is particularly critical in the context of China tariffs. While it addresses nearterm concerns, long-term uncertainty around US-China trade dynamics remains,” Ram told IANS. Separate tariffs coming on smartphones, chips imports: US commerce secretary AGENCIES WASHINGTON, 13 APRIL A day after the US exempted electronics imports, including semiconductors, from reciprocal tariffs, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday the country is set to launch "separate tariffs" for imports of smartphones, computers, semiconductors, and other components in the next one to two months. Lutnick also highlighted the need to build chips and flat-panel televisions in the US, compared to relying on imports from South Asian nations. Speaking to ABC News, the Commerce Secretary said all those products are going to come under semiconductors, and they're going to have a special focus type of tariff to make sure that those products get reshored. “We need to have semiconductors, we need to have chips, and we need to have flat panels - we need to have these things made in America. We can't be reliant on Southeast Asia for all the things that operate for us," Lutnick was quoted as saying in the report. The US Commerce Secretary highlighted that smartphone and computer imports are removed from the reciprocal tariff list but will now be added to the semiconductor tariffs within the next two months. On Saturday, the US government announced it would exempt smartphones and computers imported into the country from the latest tariffs. According to a US Customs and Border Protection notice, the exemption applies to products entering the US or removed from warehouses as early as 5 April.