THURSDAY TRADE WAR 13 MARCH, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard GREENLAND SURPRISE VICTORY FOR OPPOSITION The centre-right opposition has won a surprise victory in legislative elections in the Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 Retail inflation below 4% for 1st time in 6 months At 3.61% in February, low CPI inflation raises hopes for another rate cut by RBI next month D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi FOOD PRICES COOL PULSES & PRODUCTS VEGETABLES EGG -5.85% -3.01% -1.07% -0.35% SPICES BRIGHTENING the prospects of another interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India next month, retail inflation eased to a seven-month low of 3.61% in February driven by a sharp de, cline in food prices, government data released on Wednesday showed. Notably consumer , inflation has fallen below RBI’s 4% target after a gap of six months, and is the lowest since July 2024. In January 2025, retail inflation was at 4.26%. Meanwhile, another set of data showed the factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production, grew 5% in January against 3.2% in December 2024, driven by the robust performance of the manufacturing sector. The Consumer Food Price Index, which measures changes in retail prices of food items, fell to 3.75% in February from 5.97% in January on the back of a significant drop in prices of vegetables, eggs, meat, etc. Rural inflation fell to 3.79% in February from 4.59% in January Food inflation in rural re. gions also softened to 4.06% from 6.31%. Urban areas reported a similar trend, with headline inflation falling to 3.32% from 3.87%. Food inflation in cities declined to 3.20% from 5.53% in January . “In coming months, we ex- pect food inflation to remain soft,” said Dipti Deshpande, principal economist, Crisil. Core inflation (non-food, nonfuel inflation), on the other hand, crossed the 4% mark for the first time since November 2023, reaching 4.1% in February 2025. This was driven by surging gold and silver prices. The low inflation print has also raised hopes for a rate cut. “CPI inflation print falling well below 4% has cemented the expectation of a back-to-back 25 bps rate cut in April 2025. This may be followed by another 25 bps repo rate cut in June 2025 or August 2025,” said Aditi Nayar, chief economist, ICRA. On state-wise inflation, Kerala topped the list of major states with the highest year-on-year inflation rate at 7.31% in February 2025, followed by Chhattisg arh (4.89%), Kar nataka (4.49%), Bihar (4.47%), and Jammu & Kashmir (4.28%). STARLINK APPEARS SET FOR INDIA ENTRY RAILWAY MINISTER ASHWINI VAISHNAW ON WEDNESDAY POSTED A MESSAGE ON X WELCOMING ELON MUSK'S STARLINK TO INDIA “Starlink, welcome to India! Will be useful for remote area railway projects,” he posted on X The minister later deleted the tweet It came as SpaceX made separate deals with Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms and Sunil MIttal's Bharti Airtel to bring Starlink's high-speed Internet service to India Starlink is the world's largest lowearth-orbit (LEO) constellation operated by SpaceX Starlink can help Bharti and Jio provide connectivity to previously underserved areas, especially areas currently with limited to no coverage The deals come weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Musk, seen as very close to Donald Trump, in Washington | P10 IIT-D among top 30 institutes in engineering and technology category I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi IIT-DELHI has emerged as the top institute in the Engineering and Technology category, securing a rank of 26 among the world’s top 30 institutions, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. On Wednesday, QS released the World University Rankings 2025 for 55 subjects on its official website. The Institute ranked 146th in the Natural Sciences category and 75th in the Social Sciences and Management category . Prof Vivek Buwa, Head of the Ranking Cell and Dean of Planning, said, “The QS World University Subject Ranking 2025 for Engineering & Technology is based on five parameters: Academic reputation (40%), Employer reputation (30%), Citations (10%), H-index (10%) and International Re- search Network (10%).” He added, “Notably there is a , significant increase in the score in the employer reputation and international research network parameters. For the last several years, IIT-Delhi has been working on strengthening international collaborations. For example, in the last seven years (2018-2024), which correspond to the period since IIT-Delhi was selected as the Institute of Eminence, it has undertaken 410 international collaborative research projects with leading institutes across the globe.” Under the Arts and Humanities category, 10 universities represent India, with DU, JNU, and IIT-B securing their positions in the 200-rank list. Six Indian universities are included in the rankings for the Life sciences and medicine category. AIIMS topped the list with a rank of 226.  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Train hijack drama in Pak over, 21 passengers killed, says Army AFP AGENCIES PAKISTAN military operation to rescue hostages from a train hijacked by terrorists ended on Wednesday with all hostages recovered, Dawn reported. All terrorists involved have been killed, the report said. Head of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said all hostage passengers were recovered. A total of 21 passengers were killed, he said, adding no passenger was injured in the final clearance operation. “This operation was conducted with great skill and care since terrorists were using them as human shields,” Chaudhry said. He said 33 terrorists were killed in the operation. The Jaffar Express carrying Paramedics treat an injured passenger at Mach railway station in Balochistan around 450 passengers were taken hostage on Tuesday Ba. lochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. Chaudhry said the terrorists were in contact with their supporters and masterminds in Afghanistan during the operation via satellite phone. Earlier in the day, officials said some terrorists wearing vests loaded with explosives had formed groups of women and children and forced them to sit near them. Due to the presence of women and kids with suicide bombers, the operation was conducted with utmost caution, they added. A security source earlier said that around 30 people who sustained injuries had been sent to hospitals. He said two drivers in the main engine and eight security personnel were killed during the operation. The Pakistan Railways have set up an emergency desk at the Peshawar and Quetta Railway stations as relatives and friends try to get information about their loved ones on the train. The Pakistan Railways had resumed train services to Peshawar from Quetta after a suspension of more than 45 days. TRUMP’S 25% TARIFFS ON ALUMINUM, STEEL IMPORTS KICK IN The US increased tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports to 25% on Wednesday AGENCIES THE US increased tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports to 25% on Wednesday, saying this will create more factory jobs in the US. President Donald Trump says new tariffs will help steel and aluminium makers in the US. However, economists warn they will raise the cost for US manufacturers that use these metals as raw materials. Canada, the largest supplier of steel and aluminium to the US, called the measures “unjustified” and has lined up $20.7 bn in retaliatory tariffs. ‘This is going to be a day to day fight. This is the second round of unjustified tariffs levelled against Canada,’ said M’lanie Joly Canada’s , foreign affairs minister. The Euro- 26.4 MILLION TONNES OF STEEL IMPORTED BY THE US IN 2023 SAGAR grows into a MAHASAGAR vision during Modi’s Mauritius visit Port Luis outcomes J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi launched MAHASAGAR, a vision for security and growth for the Global South, as India and Mauritius strengthened their strategic ties amid China’s influence in the region in Mauritius on Wednesday . The two sides signed eight agreements, including those on promoting cross-border trade in local currencies, combating financial crimes, and sharing maritime data, as PM Modi emphasised that the two countries, not only “bound by the Indian Ocean and but also by shared culture, traditions and values.” “Ten years ago, the foundation of Vision SAGAR, which stands for “Security and Growth for All in the Region” was laid in Mauritius. We’re moving ahead with the SAGAR Vision for the stability and prosperity of this region,” said Modi on a two-day trip. “Today, building upon this, I want to say that our vision for EXPRESS READ Raj CM’s Holi gift: Jobs, big-ticket welfare steps Ahead of Holi, Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma on Wednesday announced a series of initiatives in the assembly, focusing on employment, education, infrastructure and welfare. The government unveiled the Rozgar Sahayata Yojana in order to tackle unemployment. P4 Woman, 2 daughters found dead at home A 42-year-old woman and her two daughters were found dead at their home in southeast Delhi’s Molarband on Wednesday, with initial probe suggesting that they committed suicide due to financial distress, police said. The bodies were found after neighbours reported foul smell. PM Modi announces India’s support for setting up a new Parliament Building in Mauritius and Phase-II of High Impact Community Development projects | PTI Global South will be going beyond SAGAR — it will be MAHASAGAR, i.e. “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions,” the PM said. On the concept aimed at making SAGAR more comprehensive, Modi said, “MAHASAGAR shall encompass the ideas of trade for development, capacity building for sustainable growth, and mutual security for a shared future.” Modi attended several events, including the National Day cel- ebrations of Mauritius as the Chief Guest, besides engaging with the country’s leadership and disapora emphasising the historical and cultural ties between the two nations and efforts to strengthen the bilateral relationship. Modi and his Mauritius counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam discussed the entire gamut of their ties. Around 70% of the Mauritian population has Indian ancestry with nearly half of them , being Hindu. RBI and Bank of Mauritius Agreement: Framework to promote use of local currency for crossborder transactions Credit Facility Agreement: Between Govt of Mauritius (borrower) and SBI (lender) MoU on SMEs: Cooperation between Mauritius’ Ministry of Industry and India’s Ministry of MSMEs MoU on Foreign Service: Between India’s Sushma Swaraj Institute and Mauritius’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs for diplomatic training MoU on Administrative Reforms: Between Mauritius’ Ministry of Public Service and India’s National Centre for Good Governance White Shipping Information Agreement: Sharing of maritime data between Navy & Mauritius govt MoU on collaboration on ocean information services and maritime zone management ED and FCC MoU: Cooperation between ED and Mauritius’ Financial Crimes Commission Handover of Navigational Chart: Indian Naval Ship’s survey of St Brandon Island 3-engine govt in Haryana as BJP sweeps civic elections, wins 9 of 10 mayoral seats H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh THE BJP is all set to form a triple-engine government in Haryana after bagging nine of the 10 seats in the municipal corporation polls, counting for which was held on Wednesday . The victory comes just over five months after the party achieved a hat-trick by forming its third consecutive government in the state. Manesar is the only seat where the party suffered a setback as its nominee Sunder Lal lost to Inderjeet Yadav, an independent candidate, who is known to have close ties with Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh. She defeated Lal by a Victory in bypolls, too In the two mayoral bypolls, BJP’s Rajiv Jain defeated Kamal Dewan of Congress in Sonepat, while Shalaija Sachdeva of the BJP defeated Amisha Chawla of Congress in Ambala. margin of 2,293 votes. Overall, BJP candidates achieved significant victories in Ambala, Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak, Sonipat, Yamunanagar, and Panipat, defeating their closest rivals from the Congress. After facing defeat in the 2024 Assembly polls, the Congress suffered another setback. In a blow to former CM Bhupinder pean Union, which will be hit hard by Trump’s policy, announced its countermeasures targeting US goods worth $28 bn including textiles, home appliances and agriculture products. “As the US are applying tariffs worth 28 bn dollars, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 bn euros ($28 bn),’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. ‘We will always remain open to negotiation. We firmly believe that in a world fraught with geopolitical and economic uncertainties, it is not in our common interest to burden our economies with tariffs,’ von der Leyen said. Both Australia and Mexico expressed their displeasure, but said they would not announce any retaliatory measures for now. Singh Hooda in his hometown of Rohtak, BJP candidate Ram Avtar Balmiki won the mayoral election, defeating Congress candidate Suraj Mal Kiloi by a margin of 45,198 votes. In Karnal, Union Minister and former CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s loyalist Renu Bala Gupta of BJP defeated Congress’s Manoj Kumar Wadhwa by 25,359 votes, marking her third consecutive win. The BJP also emerged victorious in Faridabad, with its candidate Praveen Joshi defeating Lata Rani of Congress by 3.16 lakh votes. In high-stake Gurugram, Raj Rani Malhotra of BJP triumphed over Seema Pahuja of Congress by 1.79 lakh votes. Yamuna board to take care of river upkeep in capital soon I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi DELHI may soon get a separate body to take up Yamuna cleaning, which has been a bone of contention for years, within a stipulated period of time. It is learnt that Rekha Gupta government will soon start working on modalities to set up the board to look after the ‘Yamuna cleaning project’ — one of the major poll promises of the new dispensation to address issues causing pollution in the river. The ‘Yamuna cleaning board’ will have senior officials as its members and directors. PWD Minister Parvesh Verma has initiated steps to clean the Yamuna river in Delhi. Verma, who also holds the portfolio of irrigation & flood control, has inspected the Yamuna from Boat Club to Signature Bridge and ITO Chhath Ghat. Ver ma had said all drains in the city would be connected to sewage treatment plants with enhanced capacities to prevent untreated wastewater from flowing into the river. In February, the cleaning of Yamuna had started based on a four-pronged strategy to free the river from heavy pollution in three years. The work on cleaning the Yamuna had started with trash skimmers, weed harvesters and a dredger. A project for the Yamuna rejuvenation was taken up in January 2023 under the National Green Tribunal-mandated committee chaired by the L-G. The committee, however, after five meetings stopped functioning as the then AAP government moved Supreme Court challenging its formation. The top court stayed the NGT order for formation of the committee on July 10, 2023. HC seeks NIA’s stand on prison communication restrictions S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court has asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to a petition challenging restrictions on phone calls and e-mulaqat (virtual meetings) for persons arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The challenge is directed at Rule 631 of the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018, along with related directives that impose communication limits on certain inmates. The petition has been filed by Basit Kalam Siddiqui, who is in custody for his alleged link with an IS-linked conspiracy. He, through his lawyer, has said that prison regulations unfairly limit his ability to communicate with his family and legal representatives, violating his fundamental rights under Articles 14, 21, and 22 of the Constitution. His counsel, Advocate Kartik Venu, has contested the consti- tutional validity of Rule 631 and three circulars that reinforce communication restrictions — September 2, 2022: Limits UAPA detainees to one phone call a week, while regu- lar prisoners are allowed five calls; December 26, 2022: Reduces e-mulaqat sessions for UAPA inmates to one per week, compared to the usual two sessions; April 22, 2024: Introduces a requirement for prisoners to obtain a No Objection Certificate from the investigating agency before using phone or virtual meeting services. The case is being heard by a division bench of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, which has decided to club the petition with similar pending cases for a broader review of the restrictions. The petitioner said despite securing a trial court order on April 13, 2023, allowing him two phone calls per week, prison authorities have continued to deny him both phone and virtual meeting privileges. The petition is part of a legal challenge regarding prison communication restrictions imposed on UAPA detainees.