FRIDAY 24 JANUARY, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard MONGA, PRIYANKA EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS TRUMP Anuja has two-time Oscar winning producer Guneet Monga on board as executive producer. Recently, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas also boarded the project as an executive producer DEPLOYS TROOPS AT MEXICO BORDER Pentagon has begun deploying 1,500 active duty troops to help secure the southern border, putting in motion Trump’s plan to crack down on immigration. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00 5,300 YRS AGO IRON AGE BEGAN ON TAMIL SOIL, SAYS CM, CITES SCIENTIFIC PROOF T M U R U G A N A N D H A M @ Chennai CHIEF Minister M K Stalin on Thursday, based on the results of scientific dating of archaeological samples, declared that iron was used in the present Tamil-speaking region even in the mid third to fourth millennia, thereby pushing the Iron Age period back by around two millennia. The results establish that iron was used in the region over 5,300 years ago, he said. Releasing the report titled, ‘Antiquity of Iron: Recent Radiometric Dates from Tamil Nadu’ in Chennai, Stalin said he was making the remarkable anthropological announcement, not only to India but to the whole world, that the “Iron Age began on Tamil soil”. The results were based on samples sent from various archaeological sites, including Sivagalai in Thoothukudi district, Adichanallur in Tir unelveli, Mayiladumparai in Krishnagiri to three renowned laboratories — Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow; Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad; and Beta Analytic Lab, Florida, USA. While the samples were sent to Indian labs for Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) analysis, the samples from the same sites were sent for radiometric analysis to the Beta Analytic Lab in Florida. Similar results have been received from all the three labs. Stalin said the state’s Archaeology Department has established through chronometric dating that smelting technology to extract iron from ore was first introduced in the Tamil landscape. “This is a pride for the Tamil race, Tamil Nadu and the Tamil landscape,” the CM said. MARUTI CARS TO COST MORE FROM FEBRUARY 1 Maruti Suzuki India will hike prices by up to `32,500 across models from February 1 to partially offset rise in input cost. “We are constrained to pass on some of the increased expenses to the market,” it said | P10 3 4 2 5 CURRENT GLOBAL CONSENSUS REGARDING SITES AND SAMPLES SENT 1 IRON AGE 1 Swords Sivagalai (Thoothukudi): Charcoal samples collected from urn burials with iron objects in the habitation mound called Valappalanpillai-thiradu. Three samples have been dated to 2953 BCE, 3259 BCE and 3345 BCE 2 Anchor hook Adichanallur (Tirunelveli): Samples associated with an iron object were dated to 2517-2513 BCE 3 Mayiladumparai (Krishnagiri): Samples of iron objects dated to 2172 BCE Iron objects 4 Mangadu (Thelunganur) in Salem: Iron sword dating back to 1263 BCE found 5 Kilnamandi (Tiruvannamalai): Age of iron objects found in the site falls between 1769 BCE and 1615 BCE Iron metal production from ore is believed to have begun in the mid-2nd millennium BCE. Iron Age is so far believed to have started in Anatolia and the Caucasus around late 2nd millennium BCE (~1300 BCE), with the transition occurring in the Ancient Near East during the 12th century BCE (1200–1100 BCE) IRON AGE PERIOD IN VARIOUS REGIONS 900 800 BCE in BCE in China 600 BCE in 500 BCE in Central Northern Northern and Europe Scandinavian Western Europe Europe WHAT DO THE NEW FINDINGS IN TN SAY? Samples discovered from various archaeological sites in Tamil Nadu, which were sent for dating, have revealed that iron objects found here dated to 3345 BCE and 2172 BCE. This pushes the current Iron Age period back by at least around two millennia WHERE WERE THE SAMPLES TESTED? Iron sword Birbal Sahani Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow; Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad & Beta Analytic, Florida, USA Graves Arial view of Iron Age graves at Mayiladumparai A Mumbai court convicted filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and sentenced him to three months of simple imprisonment in a seven-year-old cheque bounce case. A company Shree, represent, ed by Maheshchandra Mishra, had filed a case against Ram Gopal Varma’s firm under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act in 2018. The Andheri Magistrate Court on PAGES 12 Anuja, a short film set in New Delhi, bagged a nomination in the Live Action Short category at the 97th Academy Awards on Thursday A LIEN, I’M NOT A ROBOT AMONG COMPETITORS Anuja tells the story of a gifted nine-year-old, who must make a choice between education and factory work. Directed by Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai, the film stars Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag. Other nominees for the Live Action Short category are: A Lien, I’m Not a Robot, The Last Ranger , and The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent Punjab cops withdrawn from security details of Kejriwal H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh THE Punjab Police has withdrawn its personnel from former chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s security cover after the Delhi Police raised an objection and took the matter to the Election Commission. It is learnt that the decision comes after a direction from the EC. Confirming the withdrawal of security, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said, “From time to time, Punjab Police receives threat reports regarding Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, and we share it with the agencies concerned. Today we , have withdrawn our personnel from Kejriwal’s security cover, following a direction from the Election Commission and the concerns raised by the Delhi Police. We have also shared our concerns with them. We will be in touch with the Delhi Police and share our inputs with them.” Punjab’s Additional DGP (Security) SS Srivastava said AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal addresses a public meeting on Thursday | PTI CM Mann and Kejriwal are Zplus protectees of Punjab Police. “Some components of the Punjab Police were deployed for security duties of Kejriwal in Delhi as there were threats. Now that the Delhi Police has raised concern, we’ve decided to withdraw our personnel,” Srivastava said. According to officials in the know, Kejriwal has a comprehensive protection detail comprising 63 personnel, including a pilot and escort teams, besides a close protection team. Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that the police allowed the opposition party candidate’s workers to attack his car at a meeting in Hari Nagar. The Delhi Police, however, denied Kejriwal’s claim, stating that a team of police personnel were accompanying him at the public meeting. “No attack was attempted on Kejriwal in Hari Nagar. Our team was present with him during the public meeting,” agencies quoted an officer as saying on condition of anonymity . MORE REPORTS ON PAGE 3 & 4 Who would you vote for? Youthful dynamism or seasoned politicians A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi THE 2025 Assembly election offers a fascinating generational divide, as political parties grapple with the question of whether youthful dynamism or seasoned experience holds greater appeal for voters in a rapidly changing Delhi. With a surge in young voters playing a decisive role, the battle has witnessed a shift in strategy, as parties place their bets on younger candidates to capture the youth vote. The AAP has gone all-out on fresh faces with 60% of the party candidates being below 50 years. The BJP and the Congress, however, has largely relied on experienced leadership as only 35% of their candidates are young contenders. Among the 70 contestants of the AAP, 42 are under the age of 50, including 10 candidates between the age-group of 25 and 39. Another 32 candidates fall in the 40 to 49 age-group. In stark contrast, the BJP and Ariba Khan (31), Congress candidate from the Okhla constituency Umang Bajaj (31), MCD councillor and BJP candidate from Rajinder Nagar Congress have fielded fewer young contenders, with 24 candidates each under the age of 50. Of these, six BJP candidates and 10 Congress nominees fall in the 25-39 age bracket, while the remaining 18 BJP and 14 Congress candidates are in the 40-49 age-group. The BJP and Congress, by contrast, appear to rely more heavily on experience, with 65% of their candidates over the age of 50. The AAP howev, er, has 28 candidates above the 50-year mark, compared to 46 each for BJP and Congress. The question is why voters below 50 years of age will play a crucial role in shaping the outcome of the elections. As per poll records, 45% of total 1,552,458 electorates fall in the 18-40 age-group. When voters aged 40-50 years are included, the percentage between 18 and 50 years exceeds 70%. As for elderly 15.74% of voters are , above 60 years. Around 8.87% are between 60-69 years, 5% between 70 and 79, and 1.78% are aged 80 years or above. T’gana seals deals at Davos, AWS to invest `60K cr Apple or Android phones: M A N DA RAV I N D E R R E D DY @ Hyderabad THE Telangana government’s delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos secured investment commitments to the tune of `1,78,950 crore, which could create nearly 50,000 jobs in the state. Telegana’s delegation, led by CM A Revanth Reddy, signed MoUs with several firms, the biggest of which came from Amazon Web Services (AWS). It would invest `60,000 crore to expand data centres. The other investments include `45,500 crore from Sun Petrochemicals and `15,000 crore each from Tillman Global Holdings and Megha Engineering. Among software companies, HCLTech proposed to create 5,000 jobs, while Infosys said it would accommodate 10,000 employees in its upcoming new campus at Pocharam in Hyderabad and would ramp up the workforce by 7,000 more later. Another IT giant, Wipro, unveiled its plans to add 5,000 jobs in the state. Data centres were a major focus area, yielding dividends for Telangana. Amazon, Tillman, Usra, CtrlS and Sify announced plans for new facilities. RGV gets 3 months in jail in cheque bounce case S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai  The film is produced by NGO Salaam Baalak Trust, which supports street children, along with Shine Global, and Krushan Naik Films INDIAN REPRESENTATION CONFIRMED AT OSCARS 2025 AS ANUJA GETS NOD Tuesday found Varma guilty . Varma was directed to pay a compensation of `3.72 lakh to the complainant within three months, failing which he will face another three months of imprisonment. The filmmaker has faced financial troubles in recent years, which was exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic when he had to sell his office. As Varma was absent during the proceedings, the court issued a non-bailable warrant for his arrest, instructing the concerned police station to execute the sentence. The court said since Varma had not spent any time in custody during the trial, there was no provision for a setoff for him under Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. For his part, Varma took to social media, stating that the case relates to a cheque of `2,38,000 from a former employee. He emphasised that his legal team is addressing the matter, adding he didn’t want to make any further comment. Known for his blockbusters such as Rangeela, Satya, Company, Bhoot, Sarkar and Kaun, Ram Gopal Varma is a significant figure in the Indian film industry In June 2022, he was . granted bail after furnishing a personal bond and cash security of `5,000. The state achieved breakthroughs in cutting-edge sectors such as solar cell manufacturing, rocket manufacturing, aircraft interior design and UAV production. Defence investments by Jindal group was another feather in the cap. The state delegation also managed to secure investments in private industrial parks, with Ramky Group offering to invest in integrated industrial parks, a dry port, and townships. EXPRESS READ Mazagaon Dock wins bid for submarine project The Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai and Germany’s TKMS have won the bid to make six advanced submarines under the MoD’s Project 75 India. | P7 Yadav announces liquor ban in 17 religious cities Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav on Thursday announced a total liquor ban in 17 religious cities and towns in the state. The cabinet is likely to approve this on Friday. Notices issued to Uber, Ola over price disparity EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Centre has issued notices to Ola and Uber over complaints that they were charging different prices from customers depending on whether the booking was from an iPhone or an Android smartphone. The notices were issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority a reg, ulatory body under the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry . “As a follow-up to the earlier observation of apparent differential pricing based on the different models of mobiles (iPhones/ Android) being used, Department of Consumer Affairs through the CCPA, has issued notices to major cab aggregators Ola and Uber, seeking their responses,” said Prakhar Joshi, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy on , social media platform X. When contacted, the Uber spokesperson said the platform does not set prices based on the operating system of the consumer’s phone. “We look forward to working with the Central Consumer Protection Authority to clear up any misunderstanding.” Ola is yet to comment. T h e d eve l o p m e n t comes after a large number of consumers said that the ride-hailing apps were showing higher prices on iPhones c o m p a re d t o A n d ro i d smartphones. The Centre has also sent a notice to Apple to respond to the technical issues reported by iPhone users after a recent software update. A survey revealed that 60% of iPhone users experienced service problems, with call failures being the most significant issue.