"Dismayed": Shashi Tharoor On Kerala Startups Days After Remark Sparked Row

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday backtracked on his stance regarding industrial growth in Kerala, stating that the state needs more MSME start-ups — not just on paper.

Sharing a news report from an English daily on 'X', Mr Tharoor expressed disappointment over the state's start-up ecosystem, saying it was not as promising as reported.

"Dismayed to see that the Kerala start-up entrepreneurship story is not what's been reported," he posted.

The news report he shared claimed that over 42,000 MSMEs had shut down in Kerala over the past nine years, resulting in the loss of employment for at least 1,03,764 workers.

"The only silver lining is that at least the GoK's claims point to the right intentions. We need more MSME start-ups— and not just on paper. Kerala must head this way!" his post added.

However, State Industries Minister P Rajeeve dismissed the news report as "baseless." "I provided a detailed reply in the Assembly on February 10. Recently, Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal stated in Parliament that 1,700 MSMEs shut down in Kerala over the past four years," he said.

Mr Rajeeve further pointed out that while 30 per cent of MSMEs in the country shut down within their first year, the figure in Kerala was only 15 per cent.

He alleged that the report was published with ulterior motives, as it did not cite the source of its figures.

Mr Tharoor's recent remarks on Kerala's industrial growth sparked controversy within the Congress state unit.

The Congress Working Committee member ruffled feathers in the party after writing an article in an English daily praising the industrial policy of the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala.

Notably, the Thiruvananthapuram MP's post came just two days after the Congress leadership held a brainstorming session with Kerala leaders at the party headquarters in New Delhi to strategise for next year's Assembly polls. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Black Woman In Charge Of US Military Health Agency Forced To Resign: Report

US Army Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, the head of the military's health agency and one of the most senior Black female officers in the Army, was forced to retire on Friday, two sources told Reuters. The move comes just a week after President Donald Trump fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior officers, in an unprecedented shake-up.

Although Crosland's retirement was publicly announced, Reuters is first to report that she was forced to end her 32-year military career.

On Friday, Stephen Ferrara, the acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said that Crosland had started her retirement.

"I want to thank Crosland for her dedication to the nation, to the military health system, and to Army medicine for the past 32 years," Ferrara said in a statement.

But a current and former official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Crosland had been told that she must retire. She was not given a reason why, the officials, said.

The Pentagon declined to say why Crosland retired and referred Reuters to the Defense Health Agency. The DHA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has moved quickly to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at the Pentagon, arguing that they are divisive.

Earlier this month, Hegseth said he thought that "diversity is our strength" was the "single dumbest phrase in military history."

Hegseth has also ended commemorations of identity month celebrations, like Black History Month and Women's History Month.

Diversity, equity and inclusion programs seek to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities and other traditionally underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates argue that such programs, generally backed by Democrats, are needed to address longstanding inequities and structural racism.

In an article posted on the health agency's website last year, Crosland downplayed her identity as a Black female in the Army.

"I don't actually frame anything I do day-in and day-out in the terms of my race or my gender. That's always been a hard question for me to answer," she said.

"It's not because I don't understand the responsibility ... certainly, there are challenges that come from being a woman in the military, there are challenges that come from being African American, and being in the military."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"If There Are Unjustified Tariffs On Canada...": Trudeau Warns Trump

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday issued a warning regarding the potential imposition of tariffs by the United States, stating that "Canada will have an immediate and extremely strong response," CBC News reported.

"We will continue to do that work and do everything necessary to avoid these tariffs coming in, but like I said, if on Tuesday there are unjustified tariffs brought in on Canada, we will have an immediate and extremely strong response, as Canadians expect," Trudeau said.

The statement comes amid growing tensions over trade between the two countries. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the flow of illicit drugs into the US, allegedly coming from both Canada and Mexico.

As a result, Trump has decided to move forward with the imposition of tariffs on both countries, starting March 4. Additionally, reciprocal tariffs are set to continue with full force from April 2.

Further, Trudeau added that, "the first thing on tariffs is to emphasise that our government, and indeed all of Team Canada, premiers, business leaders, community leaders, are focused on one thing, making sure that come Tuesday and for the weeks that follow, there are no tariffs imposed on Canada," as per CBC News.

"The tariffs that the president speaks of for next week are centered around the fentanyl crisis that they're facing in the United States, but that we are also facing in Canada," he added.

Addressing concerns regarding fentanyl trafficking into the United States, he said "And for months now, I've been emphasising that less than one per cent of the fentanyl that arrives in the United States comes from Canada. But we know that even that one per cent, or less than one per cent, should be reduced, which is why we've invested USD 1.3 billion in strengthening our border capacities with Blackhawk helicopters, with drones, with 10,000 people patrolling our borders and keeping Canadians and Americans safe.

"And that Canada is not the source of problems for the United States," he added.

Meanwhile, on February 4, the US President paused tariffs on imports from both countries for 30 days, saying that he had secured new commitments from the two countries to improve border security. The pause was put in place after President Trump said he spoke to his counterparts from Mexico and Canada.

"Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels. A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by China. More than 100,000 people died last year due to the distribution of these dangerous and highly addictive POISONS," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Citing the smuggling of drugs across the border, Trump has vowed to stop or "seriously limit" such drugs, especially Fentanyl.

"Millions of people have died over the last two decades. The families of the victims are devastated and, in many instances, virtually destroyed. We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH 4 will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled," read Trump's post.

In addition, China will also be charged an additional 10 per cent tariff from March 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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